Swami teaches... The recommendations to Bhakthas, 1

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Sai Ram

 

Light and Love

 

Swami teaches.... (12 February 2005)

 

The Recommendations to Bhakthas, 1

 

This material objective world is what becomes visible to our eyes, what

pleases our senses, what fascinates our minds and what informs our brain. But

in and through this very world, there is one reachable non-material subjective

world. When that is known, both worlds reveal themselves as partial expressions

of the same indivisible Consciousness (Chaithanya). The two supplement each

other into the One Fullness, (Poornam).

When one attains the Supreme Wisdom or the highest level of Vidya, the

distinction between the 'opposites' - Atma and Anatma, Vidya and A-vidya,

Vikasa and Vinasa (Growth and Decay) fade away. Mystics and sages have attained

that state of Higher Unity. For such sages, from that level, knowledge is as

dangerous as non-knowledge. They are aware of the mysterious origins and

consequences of both. They are capable of overcoming death through

non-knowledge and achieving immortality through knowledge.

 

The Attributeless Paramaatma incarnates in this world, assuming name and

form, and gives scope for all embodied beings to have concrete experience and

joy. Through these experiences, the Incarnations facilitate the realisation

that Paramaatma is Sarvaantharyaami and Sarvabhoothaantharaatma, All-pervasive,

the Inner Atma of every thing in Creation.

God has no particular name or form. He is pure energy. You should make

proper use of your energy. People speak of the Lord as having a particular

nature of characteristic, as having a particular form and so on. These

statements are true only to the extent that imagination and guesswork can

approximate to Truth; they are not the fundamental Truth. They cannot be

considered as valid knowledge of the Absolute.

 

In spite of this, however, Bhakthas and aspirants have been framing, each

according to the stage of his own inner progress, some form or other of the

Divine as the basis of their devotion. They worship Paramathma as existing in

some Ayodhya or Dwaraka and nowhere else; as found in places where some image

or picture exists and nowhere else. They worship that form itself as Poornam.

Of course, it is not wrong to do so. Only, Bhakthas should not proclaim that

their belief alone is the Truth, that those names and forms which they have

ascribed are the only names and forms of the Divine and that all other forms

and names are worthless and inferior. It should be realised that the names and

forms which are the ideals of others are as dear and sacred to those others as

other names and forms are to oneself. When a form is idealised like this,

it really becomes a symbol of the Universal; but, how can a mere symbol of the

Universal ever become the Universal itself? All forms of the ideal are equally

valid and true. Without this, it is impossible to realise the Poornam. All

these gross forms of the ideal are fully saturated with the subtle Divine

Principle.

 

When this All-pervasive, All-inclusive Pure existence is described, the

matter and the method depend on the principles of the speaker and the tastes of

the listener; when the individual name and form imposed by the Bhaktha are

transformed into the Attributeless and the Formless, it is referred to as

Brahmam; when this same Brahmam appears with attributes and forms, it is

referred to as Rama, Krishna, Vishnu or Siva. Do not the followers of even

other religions agree that when the devotee attains the Ecstasy of Mystic

Union, all distinction between him/her and God disappears?

When name and form are absent, doubt and discussion whether it is masculine,

feminine or neutral will not arise at all. Then any description fits. For

something that is above and beyond imagination, any name and form can be

ascribed. In fact, It has no attribute and no form; it is All-pervasive,

Omnipresent. When this Subtle Omnipresence is systematically worshipped through

a gross form and as having attributes, the devotee will clearly realise its

nature through the Sadhana itself.

Love, Lover and the Loved, all those are One, and the same. Without Love,

there can be no lover. Even if there are both Love and the Lover without the

Loved, Love has no function. So there is no difference between these three. In

all three, Prema (Love) is discernible as the Sarvaantharyaami. In the entire

creation, for all living things, Prema is manifesting itself in various forms.

On the basis of this knowledge and experience, the conclusion becomes clear

that Paramaatma is Sarvabhoothaantharaatma, the inner Atma of all created

things.

 

The attitude of the worshipper and the worshipped is the seed of Bhakthi.

First, the worshipper's mind is attracted by the special qualities of the

object of worship. He tries to acquire for himself these special qualities.

This is the Sadhana. In the early stages of Sadhana, the distinction between

worshipper and worshipped is full but, as the Sadhana progresses, this feeling

will diminish and when attainment is reached, there will be no distinction

whatsoever.

 

No single moment that is passed by can be turned back. Human being is

content with visualising and experiencing evanescent worldly joys. Spending the

nights in sleep and the days in eating and drinking, he grows and grows, until,

in his old age, Death pursues him. Then, he cannot decide where to go or what

to do. How sad it is that this human life, precious as an invaluable diamond

that cannot be priced at all, has been cheapened to the status of a worn-out

worthless coin!

 

Start today the Sadhana that has to be done tomorrow! Start now the Sadhana

that has to be done today! One does not know what is in store next moment;

therefore, there should be no delay. Physical stamina is also necessary for

this Sadhana, and so, the body has to be tended, though over-tending causes

damage. To the degree that is essential, it should be looked after with great

care. The Lord will protect in all ways and at all times those who worship

Him in complete and uncontaminated Bhakthi. The Saguna Bhaktha is like an infant

of the Lord; so, it has no strength except the strength of the Lord. For the

Jnani, his own strength is enough. Therefore, until one can rely on one's own

strength, one must be an infant in the Lord's Hands, as a Saguna Bhaktha. No

one can become a Nirguna Bhaktha, without having been a Saguna Bhaktha. So,

Bhakthas should grow up like infants in the lap of the mother and thereafter,

become Jnanis who can rely on their 'own' strength and be free. Those indeed

are really fortunate who grasp this secret of the path of Devotion, who develop

one-pointed Bhakthi and strengthen the traits of their character, who transform

themselves into infants in the lap of the Lord and who get everything done by

him as He wishes.

 

Those who follow Nine-fold Path* of devotion are of two kinds.

(1) The followers of the Hard Path (Bhakthi)

(2) The followers of the Safe and easy Path (Prapatthi).

 

The discipline of Prapatthi is much superior to the discipline of Bhakthi.

The characteristic of Prapatthi is complete self-surrender, in all aspects. For

example, to serve Sri Rama, Lakshmana renounced all obstacles in his path, like

wealth, wife, mother, home and even sleep and food. And, this, for full

fourteen years. He felt that Sri Rama was his all, his happiness and joy, that

He would grant him everything that he needed and that his life's purpose was

only to follow Him and serve Him, and surrender his will to Him. So, if all

burdens are placed on Him and if He is followed ceaselessly and unforgettingly,

He will certainly provide everything. This is the nature of the Prapatthi type

of devotion.

True Bhakti is a spiritual practice based on love. Bhakti is not mere

singing of Bhajans, reciting of sacred texts or performing sacred rituals. True

Bhakti is the direct flow of selfless and unconditional love from your heart to

God.

A small example of true Bhakti in action. At the time of Buddha's departure

from the physical body, there was a small coin with him, which he had carefully

kept in tiny knots of his cloth. Kings and emperors built magnificent

monasteries for the Bhikshus (Buddhist monks). This did not delight him much.

One day, an old beggar woman came to him and gave this coin with all her heart

saying that it was all that she could give. He accepted the coin with both his

hands, treasured it for the feeling with which it was given. Even a paisa

becomes sacred if it is given with a pure heart. (Reet's compilation from,

Sathya Sai Baba. Prema Vahini, pp. 30 - 44; Sathya Sai Baba. Vidya Vahini,

Chapter 1; Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. The Divine Discourse, "Buddha and His

Gospel of Love," 21 May 2000, Brindavan).

 

**"The scriptures recommend nine-fold path of devotion. Sravanam

(listening), Kirtanam (singing), Vishnusmaranam (contemplating on Vishnu),

Padasevanam (serving the Lotus Feet), Archanam (worship), Vandanam

(salutation), Dasyam (servitude), Sneham (friendship), Atmanivedanam

(Self-surrender). Even this nine-fold path grants temporary joy. But love is

most important in this path. In fact, love should be the undercurrent of all

spiritual endeavors." (Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. The Divine Discourse,

"Buddha and His Gospel of Love," 21 May 2000, Brindavan).

 

Namaste - Reet