Divine Discourse on 11th April 2004: Uphold Truth Under All Circumstances

[Guest guest]

  Bhagawan's Discourse on 11th April 2004 at Sai Ramesh Hall, Brindavanon the

occassion of Kerala Youth Conference

 

Uphold Truth Under All Circumstances

Text of the Divine Discourse delivered by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Babaon 11th

April 2004 at Sai Ramesh Hall

The Effulgent Lord who shines in every atom and pervades the entire universe

will protect you always. He is the Omnipotent Lord of Parthi who will grant you

Bhakthi (devotion), and will certainly help you in all your endeavours. What

else is to be conveyed to this assembly of noble souls?

(Telugu Poem)

Embodiments of Love!God does not need anybody’s support or help. He takes care

of everything of His own accord and bestows His grace on all.Humanity cannot

Exist without DivinityDevotees! Do not think that God is confined to a

particular place and that you have to search for Him. It is a sign of ignorance

to search for God who is everywhere at all times. First and foremost, you should

enquire and understand who God is. He is the one who pervades in every particle

and every atom of Prakriti (Nature). Nature is the direct manifestation of God.

There is nothing that God cannot accomplish. He sees everything at all times.

Without recognizing the divine power of God in Nature, it is a mistake to think

that God does not respond to your prayers and come to your rescue. Devotion and

divine grace are interrelated and interdependent. Man

is unable to understand the divine power of God because of Maya

(illusion).Whatever God does is for the welfare of the world. Not a single act

of God is without a purpose. Man gets confused as he is unable to understand

the inner meaning of God’s actions. The earth rotates on its axis at the speed

of one thousand miles per hour causing day and night. Rising and setting of the

sun as well as waxing and waning of the moon promote all activity on earth. Not

merely that, the earth revolves around the sun at the speed of 66 thousand

miles per hour, giving rise to various seasons. The seasons benefit man in many

ways. Formation of clouds and occurrence of rainfall help man to grow food. In

this manner, the earth provides food and sustenance to all beings. Can a human

being or a government for that matter accomplish such a mighty task? No, no.

Without recognizing these beneficial acts

of God of such enormous magnitude, man wastes his life in delusion and doubt. If

you enquire deeply, you will know that divine power is at work at all times.

Every Kana (cell), every Kshana (moment) and every Yuga (aeon) is governed by

Divine Will. God is everywhere and is in the form of Nature. Unable to realize

this truth, people develop doubts regarding the existence of God. Everything is

supported and sustained by God. There can be no Manavatwam (humanity) without

Daivatwam (Divinity). Your life will be sanctified when you understand this

truth.Offer all your Actions to GodGod does not waste even a single moment. All

the time, He is engaged in action for the welfare of all. He is the sole refuge

of all at every moment of time. Nothing is impossible for God who permeates

Anda, Pinda and Brahmanda (terrestrial, celestial and cosmic planes). Every

second of our life is dependent

on the Divine Will. Every breath of our life is governed by God. We cannot take

even one breath without His Will. People are unable to recognize such

omnipresent, omnipotent God and waste their time in vain argumentation

regarding His existence. They do not experience even an iota of joy due to

their lack of faith in all-powerful God.Once Arjuna asked Lord Krishna, “Swami!

What is the reason that You are always engaged in action?” Krishna replied,

“Arjuna! I perform Karma (action) in order to demonstrate an ideal to the

people to emulate. When I perform action, people follow My example. The entire

world will come to a standstill if I do not perform action. The value of action

is beyond all description.”

Na Me Parthasthi KarthavyamTrishu Lokeshu Kinchana,NanavapathamavapthavyamVartha Eva Cha Karmani.

(Oh Partha! There is no action that I need to perform in all the three worlds.

Nor is there anything worth attaining unattained by Me, yet I am constantly

engaged in action). I do not perform actions for My sake nor do I gain anything

out of them. There is nothing that I need to achieve by performing actions.

Whatever I do is for the welfare of the world. You should understand this and

emulate My example. God is teaching you everything not merely by precept but by

practice. Only through proper enquiry can you understand this truth. You should

enquire with sincerity and steadfast faith. If you lack faith, you cannot

understand anything, however long you may try. Each step of Mine has a definite

purpose. Each act of Mine reflects a certain facet of Dharma. Nothing can happen

in the world without My Sankalpa (Will). But you are unable to understand My

Sankalpa and Dharma. God has incarnated not for His sake but for the sake of

all beings. God is the reality and the world

is its reflection. It is natural that the reflection follows the reality.

Whatever God does is for your welfare. Likewise, whatever you do should be

pleasing unto Him.

Morality Earns Divine GraceYou may proclaim in public that all your actions are

meant to please God. But that does not mean that He is really pleased with you.

God will be pleased only when you cultivate Papa Bheethi, Daiva Preethi, Sangha

Neethi (fear of sin, love for God, morality in society). Bereft of morality,

you cannot be called a human being in the true sense of the term. Morality is

the hallmark of a human being. That which adheres to Neethi (morality) is true

Manava Jathi (human race). First, you should develop love for God. Daiva

Preethi gives rise to Papa Bheethi which in turn develops Sangha Neethi. Hence,

Daiva Preethi is the basis on which the mansion of human life rests. Humanity

can progress only when there is morality in society. But modern man has no

clear understanding of the term morality. Even birds and animals adhere to the

code of conduct prescribed for

them. But man is not following the rules of morality. If only he adheres to

morality, God will certainly bestow His grace on him. Morality is not something

that you should force upon yourself. It is your nature. Therefore, first and

foremost develop morality. Only then will divinity blossom in you. The entire

world will prosper when man adheres to morality. Only then can man lead a happy

life. Wherever you are, whatever you do, consider morality as the basis of your

life. Morality is, in fact, your true reputation. You can earn Divine grace

when you have morality.Truth is the Real Name of GodWhat is true worship? It is

not merely offering flowers to God and performing some rituals. You should

implicitly obey the divine command and strictly adhere to morality in your

daily life. That can be termed as true worship of God. Today people think that

they are praying to God and singing His glory. But God does not need all this.

You

pray to God only for your sake and not for His sake. You undertake various

spiritual practices such as Japa, Thapa, Yoga, etc., only for your

satisfaction. In fact, you need not do all this to worship God. It is enough if

you discharge your duty properly. Then, God will certainly bestow His love and

grace on you. If you do not do your duty sincerely, how can you expect to be

the recipient of God’s love? God thinks of your welfare every moment. Where is

God? He is everywhere. Wherever we are, there God is. Sarvata Panipadam Tat

Sarvatokshi Siromukham, Sarvata Srutimalloke Sarvamavirtya Tishthati (With

hands, feet, eyes, head, mouth and ears pervading everything, He permeates the

entire universe).It is sheer ignorance to think that God is confined to a

particular place. As Mukundan (an earlier speaker) has said, truth is God, God

is truth. Hence, we have to safeguard truth. Sathyam Vada, Dharmam Chara (speak

truth, practise righteousness). Truth and

righteousness are the two main pillars on which the entire world rests. If we

protect truth and righteousness, they will in turn protect us wherever we go.

Truth is the source of all happiness. If you do not adhere to truth, how can

you expect to attain happiness? Truth is the fundamental principle of life. But

today man’s thoughts, words and deeds are tainted with untruth and

unrighteousness. That is the reason he is unable to enjoy happiness in life.

The culture of Bharat teaches, Sathyam Bruyath, Priyam Bruyath, Na Bruyath

Sathyamapriyam (speak truth, speak pleasantly and do not speak unpalatable

truth). God protects those who protect Sathya and Dharma. There is nothing

superior to truth in this world. Truth pervades the entire universe. But people

ignore such all-pervasive principle of truth. They try to suppress truth and

indulge in falsehood. Consequently, unrighteousness is on the rise in the

world.Embodiments of Love!

Truth is your life. There is no God other than truth. Only truth can protect you

always. Since ancient times, the culture of Bharat has been emphasizing on the

need to follow truth and righteousness. I am pleased to note that the devotees

of Kerala are leading their lives in an ideal manner by cultivating love for

God, fear of sin and morality in society. If you have love for God, you can

achieve anything in life. Once you put Sathya and Dharma into practice in your

life, every moment of your life will be filled with happiness. Those who are

unable to experience everlasting happiness should come to Me; I will show them

the path to happiness. If you uphold truth and righteousness, God will be with

you always to protect you. What is truth? Trikal- abadhyam Sathyam (Truth is

that which transcends the three periods of time). That which undergoes change

with the passage of time cannot be called truth at all. But today children are

not being made aware of

the real significance of truth and righteousness. Small children do not

understand the correct meaning of truth. It is not enough if you teach them to

adhere to truth in their speech and conduct. We should teach them that truth is

God and that it is truth alone that can protect them. Without teaching the

correct meaning of truth and its importance, how can we expect the children to

adhere to truth? Our entire life is based on truth and righteousness. There can

be no Dharma without Sathya. Sathyannasti Paro Dharma (There is no Dharma

greater than adherence to truth). Truth is the root, righteousness the branches

and sub-branches and happiness is the fruit of the tree of life. Hence, we

should lead our life keeping truth and righteousness as the basis of all our

actions.Many people perform ritualistic worship of God with great pomp and

show. I feel like laughing at their ignorance. These are not the true spiritual

practices. How can such Sadhanas (spiritual practices)

lead to Sakshatkara (vision of God)? Instead, you should put Sathya and Dharma

into practice in your life. Without Sathya and Dharma, all that you do is mere

show. Truth is changeless and eternal. It transcends time, space and

circumstances. It should form the basis of all your actions. If your actions

are not based on truth, they become artificial. Truth emerges from your heart

and it should be put into practice. We should pray to God with purity of

thought, word and deed. You should never give up truth at any time and under

any circumstances. Only then will you be protected by truth.Body Consciousness

is the Cause of your DelusionEmbodiments of Love!There is no point in adhering

to truth and righteousness with a negative attitude. It is like building

castles in the air! Whatever you do with a negative attitude is bound to yield

negative result. Hence, develop positive

attitude. Fill your life with love. Man has accomplished mighty tasks, but what

is the use? He is unable to understand the importance of Sathya and Dharma. In

fact, there is none superior to man. There is divinity in humanity. But man is

unable to realize his innate divinity because of the influence of Maya

(illusion). Man should make efforts to recognize his divinity. Only divinity

can redeem humanity. Instead of realizing his innate divinity, man is getting

entangled in worldliness. What is that we have to experience today? It is

divinity, divinity and divinity alone. It is eternal and is always with you

wherever you go. You should never forget this positive power even for a moment.

Give up negative feelings and develop faith in the positive power, i.e.,

divinity. It is very much present in you in the form of conscience, guiding you

and guarding you. If you take to wrong ways, your conscience will immediately

caution you. It shows you the right path. It is impossible to experience

divinity if you ignore the dictates of your conscience.All that you see is only

God, and nothing else. You may point to an individual and say, “I see him as

another person. How can he be God?” Wherefrom has he come? He has come from

God. Everything is God. How can you have the vision of God if you see

multiplicity in unity? In this world, wherever you see, there is unity and

unity alone. Truth is only one. It cannot be two. Likewise, God who is the

embodiment of truth is only one. Ekam Sath Viprah Bahudha Vadanti (Truth is

one, but the wise refer to it by various names). You may call Him by any name,

worship Him in any form but always remember that there is only one God. You may

call Him Allah, Jesus, Rama or Krishna but He is one. Once you understand this

principle of unity and get established in it, you will certainly attain

divinity. You should always speak truth. Truth is the real name of God. If you

want to pray to God, it is enough if you say,

“Sathyaswarupaya Namah” (salutations to the embodiment of truth). All other

names are His duplicate names. Truth is God. This truth is installed in your

heart. If you realize this truth, you can achieve the ultimate goal of life. It

is possible to realize this truth in a moment. The same divine principle is

present in all - in mother, father, child, etc. But you have forgotten this

divine principle. You think that God appears only in a specific form. In fact,

God has no specific form. Wherever you see, He is there. All are His forms.

Conduct yourself with such sacred feeling. That is true devotion.Give up body

attachment. Whomever you come across, right from a child to an old man,

consider everyone as the embodiment of God. When you develop such a sacred

feeling, your devotion will become steady. If you do not give up body

attachment and if your mind wavers every moment, you will end up in utter

confusion. Body consciousness is the cause of your delusion. Hence, get rid of

body consciousness and develop God consciousness. Do not be carried away by the

illusory world. Develop love for God. Then gradually you will be able to

overcome body consciousness and your devotion will become strong and steady.

What is the reason that people lack steady devotion? They do not contemplate

upon one name and one form. Your devotion becomes steady when you install one

name and one form in your heart. When you do Laksharchana, you chant many names

such as Kesavaya Namah, Madhavaya Namah, Narayanaya Namah…. (Salutations to Lord

Kesava, Madhava, Narayana….). You may chant any number of names but you worship

only one God. Keeping such principle of unity firmly established in your heart,

you should pray to God.Wherever you see, only God exists. Never doubt that God

is here and not there. Wherever you search for Him, He is there. (Telugu Poem).

When you contemplate incessantly upon the Atma, you will see divinity

everywhere. Hence, make efforts to recognize

unity, realize it and become one with it. If you want to realize divinity, it is

enough if you hold on to the principle of truth. Truth has a name and a form.

Hold on to it firmly. Follow it implicitly. Only then will divinity reveal

itself to you.Everything is the Manifestation of GodDo not get deluded by names

and forms. The youth of today lack steady mind because they are carried away by

names and forms. Have firm faith that God is one, truth is one. Consider God as

your sole refuge. Then wherever you go and whatever you see, you will find His

manifestation. Wherever you see, He is there. He is not confined to one place.

He is everywhere. What happened to the wicked Kamsa who followed the Pravritti

Marg (path of worldliness)? Whenever he uttered the name ‘Krishna’, He was

there. But he thought it was a mere illusion. He could not realize the divinity

of Krishna because of his body attachment. You can have the vision of the

Divine only when you develop Atmabhimana (love for the Self). Atma is one and

only one. Consider, for instance, the three words - Dehatma, Jeevatma and

Paramatma. Atma is common in all. You should always contemplate upon Atma.

Develop firm faith that Atma is God. Atma is always with you, in you, around

you, above you and below you. Other than the Atma, there is no other entity in

this world.Embodiments of Love!Do not waste time. You waste not only your Kalam

(time) but also your Kayam (body). You may be performing spiritual practices but

you are unable to overcome worldly illusion. Consider everything that you see as

the manifestation of God. Even a mosquito is a form of God. An ant is a form of

God. That is why Saint Thyagaraja sang thus, “Oh Rama! You pervade everything

right from a Cheema (ant) to Brahma.You are in Siva and Kesava as well. Please

come to my rescue.” (Telugu Poem). There is divinity even in

an ant. You all know very well what the pain is like when an ant bites you. Not

merely that, ants build big anthills which become the dwelling places for

snakes. If not for the presence of divinity within, how can a small insect like

an ant be endowed with such power? Divinity pervades everything, right from

microcosm to macrocosm. Never disregard microcosm since divinity is

all-pervasive.Modern youth do not understand what divinity is. This is the

effect of their age. In youth, one’s blood is hot and mind is unsteady. How can

one understand divinity with a wavering mind? First, you should keep your mind

steady. Only then can you realize divinity. Truth is the best friend of love,

and righteousness is related to both truth and love. The terms such as truth,

love, righteousness, etc., may be different but the underlying principle of

divinity is one and the same in them.Embodiments of

Love!Today three thousand youth have come from Kerala out of their immense love

for Swami. Develop such love day by day. Consider love as God. Only love will

come to your rescue in times of need. When Surdas, a blind devotee of Lord

Krishna, was travelling in a dense forest, Krishna came to his help in the form

of a small boy. He told him, “Surdas! I am going to Brindavan. Hold My hand. I

will take you with Me.” When he heard the name Brindavan, Surdas’s joy knew no

bounds. The boy had told him to hold His hand. Being under the influence of

Maya, Surdas held the stick which Krishna had in His hand. With Krishna’s

Divine Will, gradually the stick became smaller and smaller. Consequently,

Surdas’s hand was about to touch Krishna’s hand. It was then that Krishna

revealed His identity. He told him, “Surdas! God is your sole refuge wherever

you may be, in a forest, in the sky, in a city or a village, on the top of a

mountain or in the middle of deep sea. That is

why I have come to your rescue.” No sooner did Surdas’s hand touch Krishna’s

hand than he attained divinity. Till then he was speaking to Krishna and was

listening to His sweet words but he had not touched Him. The moment he touched

Krishna, he became ecstatic and called out loudly, “Krishna! Krishna!” It is

said, Darshanam Papa Nashanam, Sparshanam Karma Vimochanam, Sambhashanam

Sankata Nashanam (Vision of the Lord destroys all sins, His touch destroys the

bondage of Karma, conversation with Him destroys all troubles). God incarnates

to grant Darshan, Sparshan and Sambhashan to His devotees. Krishna came to

Surdas in order to show him the way to Brindavan. Then He started conversing

with him and ultimately granted him His Sparshan and thus relieved him of the

bondage of Karma. Hence, Darsan, Sparshan and Sambhashan, all the three are

essential. You should not be satisfied with mere Darshan. You should aspire to

attain all the three.Treat everyone as the form of

God. It means that every individual is the embodiment of divinity. All names and

forms are His. Here you are able to see thousands of forms of God. How lucky you

are! It is a sign of ignorance to consider yourself weak, forgetting your innate

divinity. Truly speaking, you are not a mere mortal, you are the embodiment of

immortal divinity. God Himself is playing the role of a human being in this

cosmic drama. Daivam Manusha Rupena (God assumes the form of a human being).

Hence, develop firm faith that all are divine. Then you will lose your

individual consciousness and become one with Divinity. Seeing multiplicity in

unity is due to Maya (illusion). When you understand unity, your Jeevatwa

(individual self) will be transformed into Daivatwa (Divine Self).(Bhagavan

concluded His Discourse with the Bhajan, “Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare

Hare….”)

Source:

http://www.sssct.org/Discourses/2004/kerala_conference.htm

Printable version:

http://www.sssct.org/Discourses/2004/PDF/kerala_Conference.pdf

 

 

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