Sunday Talk Given by Anil Kumar - Drama By Students, March 14th, 2004

[Guest guest]

presented one or two episodes from the life of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (19th

century Bengali Saint) and Vivekananda (his disciple who later organised the

Ramakrishna Mission). The children used the text from Adi Sankara (a renunciant

who promulgated non-dualism) as a theme, linking each presentation of the

different episodes. This philosophy declares the Self as the “unpolluted, pure,

crystal clear, immortal Self” - “Chidananda Roopam Shivoham” - the Truth

Eternal. I am sure you must have enjoyed it. These episodes from Vedanta

(ancient Hindu scriptures) and philosophy, are quite popular. IMPORTANT POINTS

IN VEDANTA AND PHILOSOPHYWell, with that brief note, I would like to draw your

attention to certain important points in Vedanta nta and philosophy. In our own

capacity we do certain activities. Activities that are personal, impersonal,

selfish, selfless, general, and so on. The body does all the activities. As

Baba said once: “Suppose this question is put to you: ‘When did you come?’“You

say, ‘I have just come.’”“What does it mean when you say, ‘I have just

come’?”“You mean, ‘the body.’ ‘I’ means ‘the body’. ‘I’ has been identified

with the body. Therefore, you say, ‘I have just come.’ Am I clear? A few days

later, if you have a stomach problem or a headache, leg pain, or some injury

somewhere, you point to the place, ‘here’. Thus, you separate yourself from the

body. So we function at two levels.1. At the level of the body.2. At the level

of the mind.That’s all. These are the two levels. One is the physical level,

and the other is the psychological level.AT THE LEVEL OF THE BODYAt the

physical level, I identify myself with the body. Therefore, I am very conscious

of my height, weight, chest, complexion, hairstyle, dress, and so on. That is

all at the physical level of identification, ‘I’ with the body.

With this body, I do so many things, so many activities. Some of the activities

are prompted by ego such as: “when I was there as a convenor”; “when I am the

president of the centre”; “when I was in service”, etc. Some activities are

really harmful to others, because they are backed by jealousy. Jealous actions

are harmful to others; egoistic actions are harmful to one’s own self. We do

certain things out of anger, and these are tainted and unsuccessful. There are

so many actions that we do backed by anger, jealousy, pride, and ego - actions

identifying ourselves with the body. This cannot be spiritual by any standard

because all these actions are backed by pride, ego, jealousy, publicity,

reputation, name, fame and so on. So what is the real activity that could be

undertaken by the body? What is the right activity that we can do with this

body? MOKSHA OR LIBERATIONMy friends, Bhagavan Baba says, “We should do

activities

that make us realise that which is permanent within us.” The body is temporary,

momentary, and sure to perish. In the perishable body is an eternal Self. In

this life, the perishable body should help us know the principle of eternity

within. This is what is called moksha or liberation or nirvana. People say, “I

want moksha.” Moksha is not coffee powder or toothpaste to be bought. It is not

a property to be acquired or a qualification to be gained. No! In a couple of

sentences, moksha can be defined as:“Realising and experiencing the principle

of eternity while alive in this physical body, which is perishable and

momentary. In this dying body, we try to experience the immortal Self within.”

That is what is called liberation or moksha. When I know that there is a

permanent, eternal principal Self within me, I understand that I was never

born. When I was never born, I can never die, because the real ‘I’, Self, is

eternal and immortal. This is moksha – not the meaning that ‘a man with moksha

will never die.’In China, some bodies are preserved for hundreds and hundreds

of years in a glass case by applying chemicals to the skin. That is not moksha.

(Laughter) I cannot say that Lenin and Mao attained moksha because their bodies

are still there. (Laughter) No! No! The body that is artificially made

permanent through smearing chemicals on it, is certainly not in a state of

moksha. The body is sure to perish and vanish, however well we take care of it.

Healthy exercises and yoga are not to prolong our life. Just because a man daily

jogs or swims to be slim and trim, strictly observes dietary regulations (no

pepper, chilli powder or salt), lives only on Aqua water (Laughter)...this does

not mean he is going to be immortal, certainly not. But, at the same time, we

should do certain physical exercises - not to be deathless - but

so that we do not fall sick.But, in spite of exercises and dietary regulations,

one is sure to die. That is for sure. Then, why do I exercise? Why do I follow

dietary regulations? It is only to see that I don’t fall sick and be a burden

either to myself or to others; and so that I will not suffer because of

illness. The body is sure to die - and all our physical actions are prompted by

evil propensities. What is it that we can do? SERVICE TO OTHERSAs suggested by

Bhagavan, we should give service to others to the extent possible, and make

people happy to the extent possible. Some people are capable of making others

unhappy. (Laughter) They are happy if others are unhappy. (Laughter) In a

previous life, they must have been leeches that sucked out blood, feeling

happy, or one of the mosquitoes of Prashanti Nilayam. (Laughter) The Prashanti

Nilayam mosquitoes are really quite healthy, you know (Laughter), because they

suck the

blood of devotees, which is highly nutritious with multivitamins, B complex, and

calcium sandoz. (Laughter) So the point is, we should try to help others; we

should serve others; we should try to make others happy. In a 24-hour day, if

we serve others for at least for one hour, the whole day is sanctified,

purposeful, and well spent.As Bhagavan said, “You can be happy only when you

make others happy.” That is all. You cannot expect everybody to make you happy.

No! If you make others happy, you will be happy. If you serve others, you will

be happy; if you make others smile, you can laugh. This is the greatest service

that we can do with this body. Some people say that they are not able to

participate in the service activities organised by the Sai centre. They ask me,

“What is your advice?” Well, I cannot create time for you; it is not in my

hands. One thing should be very clear: service need not be societal, and

service need not be rendered as a group.

It is not necessary! Service can be done individually. “Sir, I want to do

service, but there are not enough people to do service with me”. That is not

necessary! A good word of solace, a good word of comfort, a good word of

encouragement, a good deed of timely help is enough service. You do not need a

big gang around you, unless you want leadership. So, to make others happy is

the greatest service that we can do with this body. The purpose of the body is

to know that, though the body has birth and death, there is an eternal

principle, which is birth-less and deathless, within us. This is the physical

level – meaning, the ‘I’ as identified with the body.AT THE LEVEL OF THE

MINDThen, I come to the second area, where the ‘I’ identifies with the mind, at

the psychological level, or what we call the ‘ego’. At the psychological level

or ego, we are very very conscious of our accomplishments, achievements,

education, cadre, class, community,

caste, and nationality. These are nothing but expressions of ego. Unfortunately,

ego is spreading its dirty tentacles in spirituality, also. The purpose of

spirituality is to be egoless. But people have become egoistic in the spiritual

field also. That is the reason why, although our backgrounds have changed, our

approach has not changed. When you travel by KLM or Lufthansa, you travel in

the worldly plane. This is the spiritual plane in which we travel. Whatever may

be the plane, I am egoistic. That is why I am not growing and not advancing. It

is why I am not realising, and why I am not anywhere near the spiritual goal or

the spiritual objective. What is it that I am doing? I make ego trips in sharing

that which is non-spiritual. That’s all.LET BABA BE THE CENTRE OF OUR TALKMy

friends, in Prashanti Nilayam, if we have to converse among ourselves, our only

talk should be of spiritual matters. Nobody should ask about property or plots

or the

flats one can acquire, or about the interest rates of their bank accounts, etc.

This should not be the talk, at least among the devotees; because the thing

that has brought us here is Bhagavan. That is all. If you want to talk to me,

let Baba be the centre of our talk or else, thank you! Some people ask,

“Please, where is there a shop outside that sells cheaper saris?” (Laughter) “I

am sorry. I do not wear saris to let you know their price.” (Laughter) Some

enquire, “When did Swami acquire this car?” (the latest car in which He

travels).“Why does this concern you? Know about Baba, not the car.” (Laughter)

Somebody asked me, “How many cars does He have? Is He going to give you one?”

(Laughter) Why are you interested? My friends, we are stuffing our heads with

useless, non-essential thoughts. I will give you a simple example. An old man

unfortunately fell into a well and started shouting for help. A

gentleman passing by brought some rope and said, “Come on, here is the rope.

Catch hold of it, and climb out. I want to rescue you.” Instead of catching

hold of the rope and rescuing himself, the old man started asking questions.

“Who are you?” (Laughter) “What is your name?” (Laughter) “Where do you come

from?” (Laughter) “What is your date of birth?” (Laughter) “What guarantee is

there that you will not rob me once you help me out?” (Laughter) “What is your

motive in trying to save me?” (Laughter) “Are you going to get an award from

the government?” “Why do you help me?”The man said, “Sir, please do not ask

questions. Please take hold of the rope and get out. I know you are already old

and senile, (Laughter) but I want you to live for a few more days. Come on.”

That man asked, “How long is the rope?” THE HEAD SHOULD BE FILLED WITH

SPIRITUALITYSo my friends, we are filling our heads with

all these nonsensical and non-essential thoughts. We should fill our head with

answers to searching questions and challenging situations. We should fill our

heads with statements that are eternal and things to make our life blissful. We

should have thoughts that would help us adopt some sadhana (spiritual

practices); thoughts that would help us to ask about those things that are

necessary for the head, not the unnecessary facts and figures. “How long have

you been coming to Puttaparthi?” Does that question have any meaning at all? To

put that question is insulting. If I said, “I have been coming here for thirty

years”, the other man would say, “You have not changed a bit.” (Laughter) The

question of time has no relevance at all. Suppose I say, “This is the ring

given to me by Baba.”“Which year?” The year does not matter. This morning or

last year, what does it matter? It was given to me, so why are you bothered?

When I show you, why do

you want to know the chronology? What is all this? So my friends, the head

should be filled with spirituality. The head should be filled with religion.

The head should be filled with the essence of our Sai message. The head should

be filled with the fundamental philosophy of Sai Vedanta. The head should be

filled with the objectives of life, and not with the non-essential. Our talk

should not be based on ajnana, ignorance, or Maya, delusion. Our talk should

not reflect our ego, our ignorance, or just pass time. One gentleman asked.

“Swami has gone into the interview room. When He will come out?” Who can say?

(Laughter) It is Swami who has gone in; it is Swami who will come out. Who am I

to give you the time? What kind of question is that? Because you do not have

anything else to ask, you ask this question. THE PRESENT BLESSING IS

LOSTSomebody asked, “When is Swami likely to go to Bangalore?” Why? When He is

here, why don’t you

enjoy Him? The mind deludes us with thoughts of the past, with thoughts of the

future, forgetting the present. The present blessing is lost. So, psychological

identification is ambiguous, confusing, deluding, imagining, non-creative, dull,

and insipid. Therefore, psychologically also, identification of the Self with

the mind will not help us. THE MIND SHOULD BE CLEANED BY CHANTING GOD’S NAMESo,

what should I do with my mind? By chanting God’s Name time and again, I can

cleanse my mind. The mind is made dirty. It is something like a road that gets

dirty by automobiles, lorries, autos, cars, etc. So it should be cleaned. Like

a dining table, it should be cleaned regularly, every time after breakfast,

after lunch, after tea, after dinner. Not once a year, as in an anniversary

celebration. (Laughter) It should be clean, as clean as possible. Similarly,

the mind should be cleansed and made as clean as a mirror. How to clean it?

With

soap? No, we can clean our mind by the repetition of God’s Name. A chemical ‘Sai

Ram, Sai Ram, Sai Ram’. Repeat it or any Name of your choice, not necessarily

‘Sai Ram.’ It can be Allah, Jesus, or whatever. So the activity that can be

given to the mind is the constant repetition of God’s Name to keep it clean and

pure. The constant activity that can be given to the body is to serve others

wherever possible, to the extent possible. GOD APPEARS IN THE FORM OF A GURUSo

either way, identification with the body or identification with the mind - both

are not correct. So, what is to be done? We look forward to God. There is no

point in identification with my body because it is sure to perish. There is no

point in identification with the mind, because it is nothing but ego. God, help

me.God appears in the form of a Guru (spiritual teacher). Gone are the days when

God chose to appear in the form of kings – like Rama and Krishna. In these

modern

times of democracy, we no longer respect kings. There are no kings here today,

because democracy is the order of the society. So, in tune with the times that

we live in, God has chosen to come close to us in the form of a Guru. THE GURU

IS GOD HIMSELFThe Guru is none other than God Himself who comes to you in a

physical form in response to your prayers, who manifests Himself in front of

you to answer your spiritual needs. He is in a physical frame to act as a guide

to direct you, to make you calm and peaceful. That is the purpose of the Guru.

When a child cries, the mother says, “Here I am.” The mother is sure to respond

and sure to help the child when the child starts crying. Similarly, when the

devotee cries in agony, be doubly sure that God, being more than the physical

mother, nearer than the physical father, will respond in human form, in the

form of a Guru. We have so many Gurus. I am not over-estimating

any Guru; I am not under-estimating any Guru, because I am not competent to do

that. We are not competent or qualified to judge the quality of a Guru. First,

let us judge ourselves: "Judge not that you be not judged." For your

information, I want to bring to your attention certain important features of a

Guru collected from Sai literature.THE ROLE OF A GURUWe do not understand the

role of a Guru. We think that by going around the Guru we will be benefited; by

visiting the Guru we will be profited. Certainly not! By saying ‘Good morning,

good evening’ to a doctor, the disease is not cured. We need to take his

medicine and follow the dietary regulations. Then the disease is cured.

Therefore, repeated visits, or greetings, or an exchange of courtesies are not

required, particularly when we are with a physician or a surgeon. We should

follow what they say to be free from any ailment or any suffering. GET LOST IN

THE PRESENCE

OF THE GURUSimilarly, by visiting a Guru our problem is not solved. We should

follow Him, we should hear Him, and we should emulate Him. If possible, swallow

Him, and eat Him. Dance with Him. Forget yourself. In front of a Guru, you do

not exist. If you still exist, it means you are not benefited by the Guru. Am I

clear? I am not benefited by the Guru, if this ‘I’-ness still remains in front

of Him. In front of Him, I am gone! I am not there. Only the Guru exists

because I got immersed, I got dissolved, I am brought to nothingness. I am

void. I am in bliss. I am in a deep valley. I am no more in front of the Guru.

That is the purpose. I AM NOBODY IN FRONT OF THE GURUI am nobody in front of

Him because the Guru is already non-existent. Out of nowhere, or out of

everywhere, He has come here. In fact, He is everywhere. So He is non-existent,

and as an individual in front of Him, I am non-existent as a person. The meaning

is: It is a meeting of

two empty spaces. I am empty - He is empty. That is the conscious merging into

Consciousness. It may be a very strong dose to swallow, but it is a fact. It is

a meeting of two empty spaces, like a balloon that bursts so that the air in the

balloon merges with the air all around. The individual conscious merges with the

Infinity, the Cosmic Consciousness around. That is what is happening in front of

the Guru.Therefore, you are nobody in front of a Guru. The Guru is also

non-existent. The Guru Himself is non-existence. This may be another idea; it

may sound foolish to you. Please be sure, I am not yet insane. No! The Guru is

non-existent. Why? God is present everywhere. GOD IN THE FORM OF A GURUGod, who

is present everywhere, takes human form for your sake in the form of a Guru. In

fact, He is formless; He is everywhere. In reality, He is nameless, formless,

birthless, deathless energy. The cosmic principle has taken a physical frame in

the name

of a Guru to guide you. That’s all. Sometimes we speak exhibiting our ignorance,

and the intensity of our foolishness. I said, “Swami, what a wonderful thing it

is for You to be in human form. It is an extraordinary thing You have done.

Extraordinary!” Then everybody smiled. I thought I had made a good comment.

(Laughter) I complimented myself. But Baba turned back and said, “What did you

say?” (Laughter) “Swami, I said it is extraordinary.” Then Baba said, “So,

until now you considered this Body as ordinary. (Laughter) Now you say

‘extraordinary’. It only means that you have been thinking it to be ordinary.

How foolish you are.” Therefore my friends, we should not take Baba just as a

physical form. Baba is cosmic energy. Baba is Divinity. Baba is everywhere. He

has taken a human form just in response to our prayers. So, the first point

relating to the Guru is this: The Guru is God, and out of His infinite

compassion, He has taken a physical form to answer our spiritual needs.GOD IS

FORMLESS AND NAMELESSAs long as I have this body identification, as long as I

think I am the body, I need God in a human form. He cannot be anybody; He has

to be somebody. So, that somebody, God in a body, is the Guru, because I have

body consciousness.My friends, we should qualify ourselves every time. What if

somebody says, “Mr. Anil Kumar said, ‘God has no form, God has no name.’ Then

why do we worship?” (Laughter) Correct! You are correct! God has no name.

Right! But, you have a name. If you can forget your name, then you can forget

God’s Name. God has no form. Hundred percent correct. But, you have a form. You

have not yet come out of your form. You have not yet come out of that formful

idea. You have not come out of that formful personality. So, when you cease

from identification with your physical frame, when you consider that you are no

longer

the body, yes, then you can see God in the formless aspect. When you are beyond

your name, you can call God nameless. GOD HAS COME WITH A FORM AND WITH A

NAMESuppose you say, “Mr. David, how are you?” I must tell you, “Sir, I am not

David. I am Anil Kumar.” Then you say,”Hi Daniel, how are you?”“I am not

Daniel. I am Anil Kumar.” I have this conscious attachment to my name. You are

attached to your name. You respond, you answer when your name is called; but

yet you say God is nameless. This does not satisfy my logic or rationale.

Similarly, I have a form. If someone says, “You are very dark, Mr. Anil Kumar,”

I can say, “Sir, that is unfair; I am not dark. (Laughter) I may not be white

and bright, but I am average. Be merciful. You cannot call me totally dark.”

(Laughter) So, I am identifying my body.If someone says that I am ugly, I say,

“I am not that ugly. I may not be very handsome, but tolerable. I may

not be very handsome like a film star in Hollywood or Bollywood. (Laughter) Just

tolerable - you can stand my sight at least.” So I have this body attachment,

but say, “God has no form.” Nonsense! You are still within the body

consciousness, so how can you understand ‘God beyond the body’? You have a

name, so how can you know God who is nameless? Unless I transcend and go to a

higher level beyond the body and the name, I cannot think of God without a name

and without a form. Therefore, to raise our consciousness, God has come with a

form and with a name. That is what Baba said about the Avatar!GOD IS HERE TO

BRIGHTEN YOU, NOT TO FRIGHTEN YOUThe Guru moves amidst us, talks, jokes,

commands, consoles, schedules, ridicules, reprimands, tickles. In this human

body, Bhagavan jokes and sometimes corrects. Why? It is all to be very close to

us. If Swami doesn’t talk and just sits on a throne, and then retires - that is

not the job of a

Guru. (Laughter) He is no Guru. The purpose of the Guru is to be so close to

you, to make you feel the nearness, closeness, familiarity, and intimacy, to be

near and dear to you. That is the purpose of a Guru. To be near you, He jokes

with you. He calls a gentleman for an interview and says, “Where is your wife?”

(Laughter) “Wife?”“Yes, she is in your pocket.” “My wife is in my pocket?”

“Yes!” Then the man starts laughing and picks up courage to be near God. On the

other hand, if He comes close and is serious, (Laughter) we get frightened;

(Laughter) we may die of a heart attack. (Laughter) God is not here to frighten

you. God is here to brighten you, not to frighten you. He jokes so that you can

be very near to Him. Then comes the treatment. (Laughter) The treatment will be

later. (Laughter) Before the doctors give an

injection, they talk to you. “How many children do you have?” “When did you

come? Kasak!” In the meantime, the needle goes in. (Applause) (Laughter) So,

God jokes and makes it enjoyable, because the treatment is waiting later on.

(Laughter) The doctor should smile. If he is serious, he will not have any

patients at all. So, he should not put on a serious face, as if the patient is

going to collapse. He should smile, even when he is sure the patient will

collapse. At least he will get his bill paid, and dying comes later! (Laughter)

Therefore, my friends, the Guru is close to you and talks to you. He sustains

the intimacy and friendship, that nearness and dearness, so that you will dance

to His tune. Or else you won’t. He starts joking, so you will walk along with

Him.When He gives a family interview, He tells the husband, “See how hard she

works? You would not have advanced in life, but for her. She is so sincere and

loyal;

she takes care of the whole family, all your responsibilities. You fellow, you

are so busy with your business and public contacts that she is the one taking

care of family responsibilities.” Now she starts flying high. (Laughter) Aah,

Aah! Up in the air. Because Swami is praising her. She looks at her husband,

“See that! You would have been burned to ashes without me.” Poor fellow, he is

down now. Towards the close of the interview, He catches hold of the husband’s

hand and looks at the wife and says, “He is a good man, (Laughter) don’t shout

at him. (Laughter) He is so busy with business, you know, so many contacts.

There is so much pressure in the office, he is exhausted. Therefore he shouts,

but his heart is so nice.” (Laughter)The Divine Master maintains perfect

balance. Ladies first. He will raise them to the sky, and then ultimately says

that the husband is also a good and very sincere man. Why all this drama? To be

near you and close to you, to teach you something spiritual, to make you

religious, to make you to take up some sadhana. Or else why is He interested in

somebody’s wife; why is He interested in somebody’s husband? This is only to

take you on to the spiritual path - sadhana. That is the role the Guru has

taken upon himself. THE GURU WILL MAKE YOU FEEL HIS PRESENCEThe Guru will make

you feel His presence by taking care of you, just like an eyelid protects the

eye. Just as the eyelid takes care of the eyeball, the Guru will make you feel

that He is taking care of you. Somebody said, “Swami, You took care of me in

those days. I know how You protected me.” Baba immediately said, “I was taking

care of you then? Stop! I am taking care of you now also. It is not past tense;

it is present tense. You may not know; you may forget it; you may forget My

presence, but I am always with you, in you, above you, below you,

around you.” So the job of the Guru is to make you feel His physical presence.

In a hotel, a Holiday Inn, or cafeteria, or just a social get-together,

suddenly you smell vibuthi. (the sacred ash manifested by Bhagavan). Am I not

right? While shopping at Sears or in tennis company, suddenly you smell

vibuthi. Why? “I (Bhagavan) am chasing you. (Laughter) I am haunting you.” It

is not a physical romance. No! This is the Divine Romance, a lifetime contract

(Laughter) with no divorce! (Laughter) “I won’t leave you, even if you leave

Me.” Understand that! That’s why you suddenly smell vibuthi. At a cocktail

party when you want to have a drink, a little, not too much, suddenly a fellow

says, “Sai Ram, I think the bhajan singing is tomorrow at your residence.” Why

is he there? (Laughter) This is not the place I am supposed to meet him.

(Laughter) That means Baba is cautioning you not to take the drink.

Because He follows you wherever you go, you cannot do just anything, even if you

want to. If you want to go to a casino for a break to see how things are going

on, somebody comes along and says, “We have satsang (spiritual gathering) at

home. I will come and pick you up.” He said he would come and pick you up!

(Laughter) You have to wait for him. He will not allow you, my friends, to

stray because you are on the Divine track and under Divine custody, take it

from me. Even prisoners can go on parole, (Laughter) move about, and return.

(Laughter) But not spiritual captives, because God is always by your side,

taking care of everything. That is the job of the Divine Master. That is the

job of the Guru. You cannot escape from Him. No! He is always with you, taking

care of you. Fire is always hot. Being hot is not the quality of the fire; it

is the nature of the fire. Quality is different from nature. Qualities may

change – kind today,

unkind tomorrow. I am balanced today, full of temper tomorrow. Qualities may

change, but nature won’t change. Being hot is the nature of the fire; kindness

and mercy is the nature of the Guru. It is the nature of the Guru, not the

quality of the Guru. God is so compassionate, Baba is so loving. He is always

with you. Unseen, He makes you feel His presence. BABA IS AN UNSEEN GUEST,

MASTER AND LISTENER OF EVERY HOUSEBaba is an unseen guest at every meal. He is

the unseen master of every house. He is a silent listener of every

conversation. Two people were arguing at Prashanti Nilayam. Swami said, “Is it

good on your part to shout like that?” How does He know? We shouted in the

hotel, how does He know? He is the silent listener of every conversation, the

unseen master of every house, the unseen guest at every meal. That is the job

of the Divine Master and Guru. THE GURU IS OUTSIDE TO MAKE YOU SEE HIM

INSIDEBaba

is in a human form. Why is the Guru in a human form? To make you see Him within.

He is outside to help you see Him inside. Somebody said, “Baba, I want one flat

here in Prashanti Nilayam. So many North buildings seem to be vacant, why don’t

You give me one or two flats. How much does it cost? I will sign a check.” Swami

said, “Why do you need a flat here? You already have a flat here. Why do you

need one again?““Swami, I do not have a flat. Every time I go to the

accommodation counter, I have to wait there desperately, not sure of my

accommodation. Why do you say I have a flat here?”Baba said, “Remember you have

a flat here in the heart of Sai and you have an apartment in the heart of Sai,

so why do you need the other?” Similarly, my friends, the Guru is outside to

make you see Him inside - to have the ‘in...sight’, He is present outside. That

is the purpose of the Guru. THE GURU’S JOB IS TO MAKE YOU EXPERIENCE

YOUR TRUE SELFSometimes people say, “Swami, when I am in Your presence, I do not

know what happens to me? What is happening to me?” Nothing is happening to you.

You are safe and secure. It is not a threat or danger, and not one of risk.

What is happening is, you are beyond the body, beyond the mind, and you are in

ecstasy. You are in ecstasy; you are in a state of bliss. So the Guru’s job is

to make you feel your true Self, to make you experience your true Self. What is

happening to most of the people who come out of the interview room? Or when

Swami’s car suddenly parks by your side, what is happening to you? A person

observes the faces of people, suddenly expanding like soufflés. (Laughter) A

face that was so dispirited starts smiling, bubbling with enthusiasm, and

becomes like a thousand watt light bulb. Why? What is happening? Has He given

you some Cadbury chocolate or Joy ice cream? In front of Him, you are dynamite.

In front of

Him, you are a thousand watt light bulb. Why? What is happening? He is making

you experience your true reality. He is making you experience your true Self.

That is why you are so happy. The moment the car leaves, you are normal again -

the same castor oil faces. (Laughter) That is the difference. Examine yourself.

How are you in front of Swami, and how are you just after? The job of a Guru is

to make you experience your true Self. He will make your mind pure, full of

Love, calm, balanced and equanimous. THINKING IS GONE – FEELING STARTSThat is

why during an interview sometimes we forget to ask Him things. After the

interview, the wife or husband or children or friends will ask you, “Did you

ask Swami this?” “I did not ask anything!” Once you are in front of Him, the

fuse is taken away. (Laughter) A power cut! (Laughter) No candle can help.

(Laughter) You want to ask so many things, but you forget. Why?

You have to be very apologetic at home (Laughter). She had so many demands, and

she said, “I will take care of the house, you go and have Baba’s darshan and

get clearance for these things.” The next time, she won’t send you here.

(Laughter) First, He will say, “Sit down.” He will then give you a nice smile.

That is the end of the matter. (Laughter) When He smiles, no more questions,

finished! (Laughter) The question is out of the question! (Laughter) ‘What is

happening to me? I get lost in my Self. I am the true Self.’ That’s what

happens to you in front of a Guru. Why? Your mind is withdrawn; your mind is

pushed into your heart; thus the mind becomes functionless. It is something

like a sword kept in a sheath. Once the sword is taken out, you can see it; but

when the sword is in the sheath, you do not see it. Similarly, the mind is

pushed into the heart. Now you feel Sai, you do not think Sai. Thinking is

gone;

feeling starts. That is the job of the Guru.ACCEPT EVERYTHING AS GOD’S WILLThe

purpose of a Guru is also this: To give you the strength to face all the odds,

difficulties and challenges in life.I will give you one example. I will not

mention the name as a matter of courtesy. I met a gentleman, a top official. He

has two daughters -- one did her MBA and the other is an engineer - beautiful

girls, very beautiful, very smart. Both of them were gold medallists. The

gentleman introduced me to his daughters. They were in wheelchairs, their legs

paralysed. All sorts of treatment had failed. Their faces were brilliant. Both

of them were already in service when suddenly one of the legs of the older

daughter became paralysed. After some time, the other leg, too. She had to be

in a wheelchair, and the same thing troubled the second daughter. They sent me

a note. “Uncle, could you please come to our residence? We want

to talk to you.” I went there and I started crying, but they were all smiles.

They were smiling. I said, “My dear child, why are you happy?”They said, “This

is God’s plan, Uncle. We are happy that He has sent you to talk to us. But for

Baba’s Grace, it would not have been possible for you to be here with us. We

are happy; we are able to manage. We listen to Baba’s cassettes; we watch

Baba’s video cassettes; we read Baba’s literature; we do Sai bhajans. What are

we missing? Nothing! We are not able to walk, that’s all! We are fine, Uncle,

why do you cry?”This is spirituality - the state of mind ready to take any

shock in life, ready to take any odds or difficulties in life happily,

ungrudgingly. Accepting God’s Will is the hallmark of a devotee. But most of us

are not of that quality. If my son gets a medical position, I am devotee Number

One. If he doesn’t, please tell me the address of another God, so that I can

contact Him. (Laughter)

I keep shifting from place to place because another may respond to my prayer.

This is not spirituality. This kind of shifting loyalty is business. In

spirituality, business will ruin our life. Business in the world will make you

lead a comfortable, luxurious life. Yes, business in life is very good for

prosperity, very desirable, because it adds to the wealth of the nation, which

is very necessary. But, in the spiritual field, we have to accept everything as

God’s Will. I saw those girls and I was wonderstruck. Where am I in front of

them?THE STRENGTH IS GIVEN BY THE GURUTherefore my friends, the strength to

face the situation, the strength to face testing moments, troubles, turmoil,

calamity, is given by the Guru only. No one else! You might have heard of

Charles Penn from United States. On the 3rd day following his demise, his wife

came to see Swami when we were in Kodaikanal. The third day! Is it possible?

Impossible!

A lady’s mother died in the morning. In the evening she did her seva dal work

(selfless service in ashram). Can you imagine? Another lady, who is very

important, comes here for her seva dal duty, the day after the funeral of her

husband. Is it possible? From a worldly point of view, death is the worst

thing, inconsolable grief, irreconcilable sadness that can happen in anybody’s

life. People keep crying and cannot be consoled until another body also reaches

heaven. But the lady could take it. Why? Because of the blessing of the Guru.

Let us not think that by coming to the Guru, we will win a lottery jackpot. Not

necessary! He gives you the strength to bear. By being near the Guru, we begin

to wonder if we were ever peaceful like this before. Were we ever blissful like

this? You begin to wonder at your own self. Was I this happy before? Was I this

blissful before? Was I this child-like before? No. You begin to wonder. As

Bhagavan says, “That is the effect of a Guru.” THE COMPASSION OF A GURUI will

give you one episode from the life of Ramana Maharshi. Ramana Maharshi had one

disciple called Perumal. This disciple comes to Guru Ramana and says, “Oh!

Guruji, I have committed many sins, I am extremely sorry; I may have to go to

hell. I am sorry.” Divine Master Ramana says, “Perumal, my dear child, if you

go to hell, I will also follow you to hell. I shall not leave you until you

attain moksha or liberation. I shall come to heaven or hell, wherever you go,

until you are liberated. I am not going to leave you, my son.” That is the

compassion of a Guru in a human form. The Guru will run after you, until you

know your true Self. ‘Swami, how long are You going to pester me like this?

(Laughter) How long will You run after me like this? (v) When are You going to

leave me?”“Until you know your Reality, I am not

going to leave you. Until you know that you are the Self, I am not going to

forsake you. You cannot get out of My grip.” That is His Mercy. That is His

Compassion. THE GURU WILL BE WATCHING YOUR MISTAKES OR LAPSESIn the meantime,

the Guru will be watching your mistakes and lapses. A simple example: If

someone suddenly gets up and goes close to Him, do you know what He says?

“Sure, sure, you want everybody to see you, that is why you got up.” (Laughter)

Suppose He asks you to speak. In the speech, you say, “I visited Baba fifty

times during the year. (Laughter) I had so many experiences.”Swami will say,

“Manchidi - sit down. (Laughter) Your talk is full of ego.” Do you think that

you have come to Swami? No! He made you come here. Do you think you have so

many experiences? No! He made you experience. Do you think that this is your

achievement? No! He has conferred success on you. Things are conferred;

they are not achieved. He will watch very carefully.Another simple example:

Swami came on a visit to our college when I was in Bangalore as the principal

of the campus. Swami said, “Anil Kumar, how is it? How is the campus?”This

being my honeymoon period, the fresh period of my service there, I was given a

wide margin for my lapses. (Laughter) So I said, “Swami, everything is spick

and span. Perfectly clean.” (Laughter)“Oh! I see! Let Me go inside.” He started

visiting every room, including the toilet. (Laughter) It was in very, very bad

shape. (Laughter)He came out. “Abbah!” He blasted me! The missiles on Iraq and

Afghanistan are less powerful than His words! I wanted to just take some poison

and put it in my mouth. (Laughter) “Kaa Kaa Kaa --- Bak Bak Bak.” Then, after

sometime, He smiled. He thought that since this was the early period of my

appointment, I would run away.

(Laughter) That is the test dose He gave. When He smiled, I went close to him

and said, “Swami, you appointed me as a principal, right?” He said, “Yes.”“Is

it the duty of the principal to take care of the toilets? (Laughter) In the

other colleges that I served, the principal never went near the toilets. Is the

principal responsible for the state of the toilet?” (Laughter)Swami said, “There

is nothing like a classroom principal, an auditorium principal, a bathroom

principal. The principal is the principal for the whole campus. (Laughter) It

is your duty.” (Laughter and applause)Then He asked me to follow Him. He went

into the library. (Laughter) There is another restroom in the library.

Unfortunately, that was also in a bad shape. (Laughter) I ran away from there

as I would have to face the music again. (Laughter) He came out, full of anger,

ready to shout at me, but I was not

available. (Laughter) Swami could not help Himself. He started laughing. “Where

is this fellow? This fellow ran away? (Laughter) This fellow ran away because

he knew I would shout at him?” (Laughter)“You are so happy, because you are

enjoying at my cost, right?” (Laughter) (Anil Kumar is talking to the

audience.)So my friends, the Guru will be watching your lapses, the Guru will

be watching your negligence of duty, the Guru will be watching your ego, The

Guru will be watching your pride and will correct you. THE GURU WILL CORRECT

YOUA very top doctor, let me not mention his name, started giving a speech

every day to the assembly. Swami gave him the opportunity to do this, and the

man took it for granted that he would be a regular guest speaker. On the third

day, he said, “Swami, I want to speak today on my experiences in Belgium.” Do

you know what Baba said? “Keep it

to yourself, Bangaru (Golden One), sit down. (Laughter) Keep it to yourself. Be

happy sitting with the others. Sit down.” (Laughter) He will not allow any

pride. This Avatar may tolerate anything, but not ego. Even if we have a few

milligrams of ego, we have to pay heavily for that. Heavily! Therefore, out of

His compassion, the Guru will be watching your lapses and weaknesses so you can

be freed from them. Not out of any anger, but to see that all these impurities

are washed out, so that you are gold now - refined, polished, shining, an

ornament ready to wear round the neck of the Divine. So that is the purpose of

the Guru.Here is the last point. During a trip to Kodaikanal, one time Bhagavan

rode in front in the boys’ bus, along with them. The people started saying, “Sai

Ram, Sai Ram” to His car, which went ahead of the bus. Baba looked at us and

said, “Because I normally sit in that car, this car is receiving ‘Sai Ram’s’

from

everybody. (Laughter) As I am sitting in your company; nobody is saying ‘Sai

Ram’ to Me. (Laughter) People say ‘hello’ to My car, not to Me, because of bad

company.” (Laughter) So my friends, you can understand. We need His company; He

does not need our company. We need His friendship; He doesn’t need our

friendship. He frees us from all kinds of pollutants, so that we are made into

precious gold.Thank you for your time, being with us this morning. I have just

two questions to answer, which I will do in as short a time as possible. The

second question is full of compliments, speaking in praise of me. That question

doesn’t need any kind of response. I want comments, not compliments. Please come

forward freely with your comments and suggestions for further improvement,

because we are reaching the world. People have been watching, and people have

been carefully following our Sunday morning talk deliberations. So, all

suggestions towards

improvement are quite welcome. I welcome it. Thank you, anyway, for your

compliments: “I feel very encouraged. I really enjoy your audio talks. Your

talks are so inspirational that we have become addicted to them.” QUESTIONS AND

ANSWERSTHEY ARE NOT OBSTACLES - THEY ARE TESTSQ: Every time I try to do some

seva or join in some good deeds, there are always obstacles that prevent me

from doing so. How can you explain this?A: They are not obstacles. They are

tests. Suppose you know that you are going to get a promotion tomorrow, and

$500 extra. You also have an appointment with your friend at the same time.

Which do you prefer? Your friend will be there tomorrow, or is the $500 more

important? (Laughter) So, you go there. Your priorities are indicated. On

occasions like this when you have to make a choice between the two, what is the

priority? Should I spend a week in Las Vegas or should I spend a week in New

York doing a service activity. These are not obstacles; they are tests. They

are there to indicate your priorities. If you emerge successfully, it naturally

speaks of your Love for Bhagavan. So

don’t consider them as obstacles. No! They are indicators, symbols, and signs.A

simple example: On Shivaratri Day (a celebration in honour of Lord Shiva), your

relative is being married at your place. At Puttaparthi, on Shivaratri Day,

there is the emergence of the lingam, an elliptical stone manifested by

Bhagavan, which is the symbolic form of Godhead. Which one do you want to

attend? Lingodhbhava or the wedding at home? Is it a test? No! It is not a

test. It speaks of the priorities in your life, that’s all. Your yardstick in

judging priorities should be: God first, others next, ‘I’ at the end. “JOY”J --

Jesus first O -- Others nextY --You lastThank you very much. May Sai bless

you.OM…OM…OM… Asato Maa Sad Gamaya Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya Mrtyormaa Amrtam

Gamaya Om Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu Loka

Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu

Om Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi Jai Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ji Ki JaiJai

Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ji Ki JaiJai Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai

Baba Ji Ki JaiThank you!

Source: http://www.internety.com/anilk2004/14.03.04(E)central.htm© Anil Kumar Kamaraju 2004