Christmas 2004 Divine Discourse: Love and Sincere Prayers Bring Success in Your Life

[Guest guest]

Love and Sincere Prayers Bring Success in Your Life Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

delivering His Divine Discourse on 25th December 2004, evening, at Prashanti

Nilayam

Text of the Divine Discourse delivered by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on 25th

December 2004 (Christmas), at Prashanti Nilayam, Sai Kulwanth Hall

How is it that the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening with utmost

regularity every day? How is it that the stars twinkle beautifully in the sky

at night and hide themselves during the day? How is it that the wind blows

incessantly and sustains the living beings without taking rest even for a

moment? How is it that the rivers flow perennially making gurgling sounds?

(Telugu poem) The word Jagat (world) means that which is born, sustained and

ultimately dissolved. God, who is responsible for the creation, sustenance and

dissolution of the world, has no specific form. He pervades the entire world in

the form of the five elements, namely, ether, wind, fire, water and earth. There

is no place or person where these five elements are not present. The same truth

is proclaimed by the Bhagavad Gita: Sarvatah Panipadam Tat Sarvathokshi

Siromukham, Sarvatah Sruthimalloke Sarvamavruthya Tishthati (with hands, feet,

eyes, head, mouth and ears pervading everything, He permeates the entire

universe). There is no place where God does not exist. How can anyone

comprehend or explain the principle of such an all-pervasive divinity? People

attribute various names and forms to God. They celebrate the birthdays of their

chosen divine forms, worship them and derive joy thereby. But, it is not

possible for anyone to fathom fully the nature of divinity. However, no one can

afford to ignore this fact. When the child is separated from the womb of the

mother, it starts crying. What is the reason for this? The moment you put a

drop of honey or milk on its tongue, the child stops crying. From this we can

say that everyone is born with hunger and thirst. What type of hunger is that?

Is it worldly or spiritual? It is difficult to judge who is born with what type

of hunger. However, hunger is common for all. Food is essential to satisfy one's

hunger. It is the duty of every individual to strive for sustenance for

himself and also share it with others.God has neither birth nor death. He is

beyond all names, forms and attributes. God is eternal without birth or death.

He has no beginning, middle or end. He is omnipresent and is the eternal

witness. (Telugu Poem) How can anyone give a specific name to God who is all

powerful and all-pervasive? The earth absorbs rainwater and supplies it to the

crop. As a result, we reap the harvest. Thus, mother earth sustains our life by

providing our sustenance. Water is very essential for our survival. One may live

without food for a few days, but no one can live without water. Water is the

gift of God. It can be acquired only through prayer and not by any other means.

People in many places perform worship and offer special prayers to invoke divine

grace for water. Pauper or millionaire, everyone must pray to God, for He is the

one who gives us food and water. Man cannot create food and water by himself. He

does not even know

what type of food is essential to lead a healthy life. He should make efforts to

understand this.Whatever God does is for the welfare of the world. You must

understand that world is the very form of God. The creator and the creation are

not different from each other. One should not worship God for the fulfilment of

worldly desires. We should pray to God to attain Him. He showers His grace on

the devotee and gives you everything you require. He alone knows what is good

for the creation. Everything that you need is provided by him when the time is

ripe. Without any overt effort from you, He gives you what you deserve. It is

not the quality of a true devotee to feel disappointed and blame God if his

desires are not fulfilled. It is the duty of devotees to find ways and means to

earn divine grace and make efforts to attain Him.No one can comprehend the ways

of God. In this context, Saint Thyagaraja sang a verse:Not even a blade of

grass will move without

divine Will,Right from an ant to Brahman, God pervades everything,But some

people do not understand this and take pride in their intelligence,But no one

however mighty knows what is going to happen in the next moment. (Telugu

poem)Nobody can understand or explain divine plans. God alone knows His plans

and He only can reveal them. No one can predict when God will shower His grace

on an individual. Only God knows the answers to the questions like who, when,

where, why and how. If one forgets God and gets carried away by ego and a sense

of doership, one will not meet with success in one's endeavours. Anything can be

achieved through prayer. There is nothing greater than prayer. Hence, everyone

must necessarily offer his prayers to God. However, one should not pray for

worldly gains. "Oh God! I want your love and nothing else." This should be your

constant prayer. Once you become the recipient of God's love, you can conquer

the entire world.You may

undertake any task, but do not pray to God for the fulfilment of the task

undertaken. Instead, leave everything to His Will. Have full faith that He will

do what is good for you. Pray to Him, "Oh God, please take care of our needs

every moment of our life." When you discharge your duties surrendering

everything to God's Will, you will certainly achieve success in your tasks. But

Swami's Will takes shape without any prompting or planning at the appropriate

time. Whatever Swami requires arrives unasked. However, Swami would like to

make one more thing clear. As things come to us unasked, we utilise them for

the benefit of others, too. Swami does not want anything at all! Swami's only

purpose is that, having come here, you should make best use of this opportunity

and lead your lives in a happy and sacred manner. You need not give anything for

Myself. Swami is always ready to fulfil your desires. But before you express

your desire, you should enquire yourself whether you really deserve

it.Any mighty task can be accomplished by prayer. Hence, pray to God silently.

Do not pray for the fulfilment of your petty desires. Give up all desires and

pray to God wholeheartedly with love. You will certainly find fulfilment in

life. You can understand and experience divinity only through love. Some people

complain, "Swami, God is not coming to our rescue in spite of our incessant

prayers." I tell them, "The mistake lies in your prayer and not in God." If

your prayers are sincere, they will certainly be answered. There is nothing

that God cannot accomplish.The stories of the Lord are most wonderful and

sacred in all the three worlds. They are like sickles that cut the creepers of

worldly bondage. They are most ennobling and elevating. They confer bliss on

the sages and seers doing penance in forests. (Telugu poem)Today, we are

celebrating the sacred festival of Christmas. We should celebrate it in the

true spirit without entertaining petty

desires. Jesus was the son of God. While he was being crucified, he said, "Oh

father, let thy Will be done." When you surrender yourself to God's Will, he

will take care of you. Do not develop superiority complex. Give up ego and

pomp. Pray silently and sincerely. If your prayers are not answered, you can

certainly question Me. God is not confined to a place somewhere in a distant

corner. He always resides in your heart. He can accomplish anything. He is ever

ready to perform any task, be it big or small for the sake of His devotees. All

are His children. Hence, He will certainly answer our prayers. Jesus taught,

"All are children of God." When you have such firm conviction, we can

accomplish any task. You need not go through voluminous books. Fill your heart

with love and leave everything to His Will. You will certainly achieve success

in your endeavours.Embodiments of Love!Love is the quintessence of Swami's

Discourses. His love is power. There is nothing

greater than love. When you develop love, you can face the challenges of life

with ease and emerge victorious. God will always be with you, in you and around

you and will take care of you. Any mighty task can be accomplished through

prayer. However, your prayers should be sincere. There should be unity of

thought, word and deed. Develop firm faith that Swami is in you and He always

listens to your prayers. If you think that Swami is outside, how will your

prayers reach Him?Embodiments of Love!It is only love that will help you to

achieve success in your life. Hence, develop love. That is the true prayer that

God expects from you.Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajan, "Prema

Mudita Manase Kaho…"

Source: http://www.sssbpt.org/Pages/Prasanthi_Nilayam/Christmas_Discourse.htm

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