Love is God, God is Love, Live in Love
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Vishu and Tamil New Year Celebrations, April 2005, Prashanti Nilayam
Text of the Divine Discourse delivered by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on 13th
April 2005, Vishu, at Prashanti Nilayam, Sai Kulwanth Hall
God is love and love is God. When you hold on to this principle of love and
develop love to love relationship, you will attain the state of non-dualism.
(Telugu poem)
Embodiments of Love! You have come here with a lot of expectation to take part
in the conference. Though your stay at Prasanthi Nilayam is short, your
experiences are profound and you have described them at length in your
speeches. However, you deserve much more.
The day on which all the devotees gather and sing the glory of God melodiously;
the day on which the sufferings of the poor are lovingly removed and all people
live like brothers and sisters; the day on which groups of Dasas (servants of
God) who constantly contemplate on God are served a sumptuous feast; the day on
which noble souls visit us and narrate the stories of God lovingly; enjoy that
day as the real day. All other days are mere death anniversaries. Do I need to
say more, oh noble souls! (Telugu poem)
Embodiments of Love! In this conference, you have dealt at length on various
aspects such as the duties and responsibilities of youth and how they should
mould their character. Let all your activities be suffused with love. Modern
youth fail to understand the true meaning of love. Love cannot exist if there
is a feeling of duality. Ekatma Prema (non-dual love) is true love. Give and
take relationship does not reflect the true spirit of love. One should keep
giving and giving, without expecting anything in return. That is true love. To
retreat in times of difficulty is the sign of selfish love. Yathartha Prema
(true love) will reign supreme only when you give up Swartha (selfishness) and
strive for Parartha (welfare of others). You should know the difference between
Padartha (matter) and Yathartha (reality). Reality transcends matter. Sarvam
Khalvidam Brahma (verily all this is
Brahman). Consider everything as divine and treat the dualities of life such as
pain and pleasure, loss and gain with equanimity. Sukhadukhe Samekruthwa
Labhalabhau Jayajayau (one should remain unaffected by happiness and sorrow,
gain and loss, victory and defeat). Never be carried away by the vagaries of
the mind. When you follow the mind, you see only matter, but not the reality.
Mind is related to matter. You should not have anything to do with matter. When
you associate yourself with the mind, you can never visualise unity. You cannot
develop true love and devotion unless you give up duality. Embodiments of
Love!Understand that the same principle of love exists in you and others. A
true devotee is one who understands the principle of unity and acts
accordingly. Non-dualism is true devotion. Share your love with others without
any expectation. Love everybody only for the sake of love. When you extend your
love to others', you can attain the
state of non-dualism. The love that you experience at physical and worldly plane
day in and day out is not true love at all! True love is that which is focused
on one form, one path and one goal. It is a great mistake to divide love and
divert it in different directions. Love is God. God is love. Live in love. Only
then can you realise the principle of oneness and attain fulfilment in life.
Prema Muditha Manase Kaho Rama Rama Ram… (Sing the sweet name of Rama with your
heart filled with love). You may choose any name you like, but you should call
Him with all love. Love is most sacred, sweet and non-dual. It is a great
mistake to divide such love and associate it with multiplicity. Your love
should remain steady in pleasure and pain. Love and devotion do not give any
scope for differences. All differences are the making of your mind. Develop the
feeling of oneness that you and I are one. Never think that you and I are
different. That is the sign of true
devotion.The letter 'I' stands for oneness. 'You' (individual identity) will not
exist when you develop purity and experience oneness with divinity. Hence, give
up dualistic feeling. The principle of oneness has to be experienced through
love. It cannot be explained in words. But you have not understood the true
meaning of love. You are interpreting it in the physical and worldly sense.
Consequently, your love is never steady. It keeps changing every now and then.
Love should not be tainted with body attachment. Body is made up of matter. All
that is related to matter will never give you peace and happiness. Hence,
transcend the matter and see the reality. Develop Ekatma Bhava (feeling of
oneness). All are one, be alike to everyone. It is a big mistake to attribute
worldly feelings to love. There is no scope for dualism in love.Embodiments of
Love!Your names and forms are different but the principle of love is the same
in all of you. That is
why I address you as the "embodiments of love". Love is always one, it should
not be divided. Consider God as one and love Him wholeheartedly. Such
one-pointed love towards God can be termed as true devotion. Devotees like
Jayadeva, Gauranga and Eknath developed such divine love and sanctified their
lives. Likewise, Mira and Sakhubai had unwavering love and devotion towards
God. They did not worship various names and forms. They followed one path. They
installed one name and one form in their heart and contemplated on their chosen
deity incessantly. Those who are dual-minded and change their path every now
and then are bound to ruin their lives. Hence, never be dual-minded. Experience
divinity with Ekatma Bhava. You may choose any name you like Rama, Krishna,
Easwara, etc., and contemplate on the form. You will certainly reach the goal
of life. Lead your life with your mind always focused on the goal.Once Radha
could not find Krishna anywhere. As she was deeply
attached to Krishna's physical form, she went in search of Him everywhere. She
always yearned and pined for His physical proximity. The name and the form are
one and the same. However, people are unable to enquire deeply and experience
such oneness.The power of love is unparalleled. It is beyond the ken of human
understanding. Love can be understood only through love. Mira's husband Rana
had built a Mandir for Krishna. Being a great devotee of the Lord, Mira was
always found in the Mandir singing His glory ecstatically. Consequently, she
earned the wrath of Rana. He commanded her to leave the Mandir. This came as a
great shock to Mira. She thought to herself, "When Krishna is all-pervasive and
not confined to this Mandir alone, how can Rana take me away from Him?" She left
her home and hearth and set out to Mathura. Where is Mathura? It is not some
geographical location. The heart suffused with nectarine love is Mathura. She
sang, Chalo Re Man Ganga Yamuna Teer (Oh
mind! Go to the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna). Here Ganga and Yamuna
symbolically mean Ida and Pingala (left and right nostrils). The central part
of the eyebrows where Ida and Pingala meet stands for Mathura. This is the
esoteric meaning of the song. She proceeded towards Mathura chanting the Name
of Krishna incessantly crossing rivers, hills, dales and forests. When she
ultimately reached Brindavan, she found the temple doors closed. In spite of
her repeated prayers, the doors did not open. Then she said, "Oh Krishna, my
heart is Your temple. I have installed You in the altar of my heart." She
banged her head against the temple door, calling out to Krishna. She had the
vision of Krishna and merged in Him. King Rana repented for having driven away
Mira from the temple. He prayed to Krishna for forgiveness. People these days
do not enquire into the inner meaning of certain words they use. They are
carried away by the worldly meanings and
interpretations. You should take into consideration the feelings that emerge
from your heart which is true and eternal. This is how Mira experienced oneness
with Krishna. If one wishes to tread the path of devotion, one should hold on to
the principle of love firmly. Ordinary mortals do not have such firm
determination, but a true devotee will never deviate from the path of love
under any circumstances. No other path except love can take us to God. Develop
love more and more. Wherever you are, love is your sole refuge.Embodiments of
Love!Fill your hearts with love and let love be the guiding principle in all
your activities when you return home. When you have love in your heart, you do
not need to worry about anything. God will always be with you, in you, around
you and will look after you in all respects. When you say, "Krishna, I will
follow You." It means that Krishna is separate from you. It is possible that
you will lose your way. Hence, you should pray,
"Krishna, please be with me always." In fact, He is always in you. When you
enquire deeply, you will experience this truth. It is impossible to be away
from Him. Many devotees proclaim, "Oh God, I am in you, I am with you and I am
for you." They repeat these words like parrots, but do not say from the depths
of their heart. Actually, God is never separate from you. Pray to Him
wholeheartedly with the conviction that He is always in you, with you, above
you, below you and around you. When you offer such a prayer to God, He will
certainly redeem your life.We have one more day left. I will explain all these
in detail so that you will understand them better. Do not feel satisfied with
what you have experienced so far. There is much more to be experienced which
will fill your heart with bliss. How can you say that your hunger is satisfied
by eating a little? There is a lot of scope for you to experience divinity in
full measure in the days to come.
Source: http://www.sssbpt.org/Pages/Prasanth..._Discourse.htm
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