Divine Discourse on Shivarathri – Evening, 8th March 2005

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You are all Amrutaputras – Sons of Immortality

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba delivering His Divine Discourse on 8th March 2005,

evening, at Prashanti Nilayam

Text of the Divine Discourse delivered by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on the

evening of 8th March 2005 (Shivarathri), at Prashanti Nilayam, Sai Kulwanth

Hall

In this supremely holy land of BharatTolerance is the towering quality of our

character;Of all the religious vows, the foremost is Adherence to Truth, which

is difficult to practise;The sweetest and most respectable feeling in this land

of Bharatis the feeling towards mother;Consigning to flames the moral fabric of

our countrywhich ordains self-respect as greater than one's own life,The dagger

of unrestrained freedom has been given to peopleImitating the Western way of

life;Alas! What can I say about the rulers of this land of Bharat?Just as an

elephant cannot realise its own strengthSo are the Bharatiyas today. (Telugu

poem)Embodiments of Love!No one has been able to realise the uniqueness,

greatness and sanctity of this holy land of Bharat so far. The culture of

Bharat is nobler and holier than all other cultures in the world. This unique

culture is pervading from the microcosm to

the macrocosm equally. Unfortunately, nowadays, the Bharatiyas have forgotten

this great culture and are practising the alien culture. The great human values

of Sathya (Truth) and Dharma (Righteousness) have declined in this holy land of

Bharat. However, fortunately, none has been able to root out these great human

values so far. There is nothing more sacred than Truth and Righteousness. They

are like the two eyes to a human being. Unfortunately, today, people are losing

the vision in these two eyes and thereby becoming blind. Though the students of

the present times are pursuing higher education and acquiring degrees, they are

losing sight of these great human values. Instead of fostering such a sacred and

noble culture and leading their lives in accordance with the principles laid

down in this great culture, people are wasting their time in vain pursuits. It

is only the practice of these great human values of Sathya (Truth), Dharma

(Righteousness), Santhi (Peace) and Prema (Love)

that had made the country of Bharat the great spiritual leader of the entire

world. It is only when we foster these great human values, we are entitled to

be called Bharatiyas in the real sense. Losing sight of even one of these

values will not entitle us to the great name of Bharatiyas. The real thyaga

(sacrifice) is leading a life of constant practice of these human values in our

day-to-day lives. Our life must be a continuous journey from Sathya (Truth) to

Prema (Love) in the order of Sathya, Dharma, Santhi and Prema. These values

must enter the core of our heart and flow in every cell of our body.The whole

creation is from Truth,In Truth all creation merges.Is there a place in this

universe where the grandeur of Truth is not felt?The entire universe is a

manifestation of Pure consciousness; know this reality. (Telugu poem)From the

time a human being is born from his mother's womb, it is Truth and

Righteousness that are sustaining and

fostering him. The women of Bharat have undergone many ordeals in sustaining

these great values amidst their household duties and domestic chores. Yet, they

have continuously taught these values to their children. Swami knows too well

how much suffering the parents of these children undergo in bringing them up.

What the students of the present times are expected to acquire is not education

and high degrees, but the essence of Truth and Righteousness. One has to

understand the real meaning of Sathya and Dharma. The word "Sathya" consists of

three letters "Sa", "Tha" and "Ya". The letter "Sa" signifies the Sattwic

quality, "Tha", the quality of Thyaga (sacrifice) and "Ya" the qualities of

Yama and Niyama (inner and outer sense control). Hence, the word "Sathya" means

fostering the Sattwic quality with a spirit of sacrifice and by observing sense

control. Unfortunately, today, we are losing sight of such great human values

which formed the core of Bharatiya culture. Man today does not

know what Sathya and Dharma are. Dharma is taken to be duty. This interpretation

is not correct. This is only an English translation, rather inadequately

expressed! The real interpretation of Dharma is Dharayati iti Dharma (that

which sustains is Dharma). It sustains the human life. Sathya (Truth) emerges

from the Hridaya Nabhi (Heart region) of a human being. Thus, when a man led a

life of Sathya and Dharma, he will become sacred. The Pandavas and Droupadi led

such a noble life by following Sathya and Dharma. All your present difficulties

and humiliations are due to non adherence to Dharma.One should obey the divine

command with total faith and without any disputation for or against. Markandeya

was born out of a boon granted by Easwara to his parents. Easwara asked his

parents whether they wanted a virtuous son with a short life-span or a son not

so virtuous but who would live long. The parents opted for a virtuous son.

Accordingly, Markandeya was born. He was one of good

thought, good behaviour and good conduct. Easwara informed his parents that he

would live only for sixteen years. Nevertheless, the parents were joyous as

they had been blessed with a virtuous son. Years rolled by and Markandeya

entered his sixteenth year. Remembering the words of Easwara, his parents

became grief-stricken. His mother would often shed tears thinking of the

impending death of her son. Markandeya could not understand the cause of her

grief and wondered why she was shedding tears. One day, he found his parents

steeped in sorrow. On enquiry, they revealed that his death was very near as

willed by the divine and that was the cause of their sorrow. Markandeya felt

sorry that Easwara's will was not revealed to him till then because of which he

had wasted the precious time allotted to him. He did not want to waste any more

time. He had an early bath, went to the temple of Easwara and started chanting

the sacred Shiva Panchakshari mantra, Namah Shivaya, with all sincerity

and devotion. He lost himself in the contemplation of Easwara. He did not expect

any reward for his prayers. He considered it as his primary duty to contemplate

on God. The following day was supposed to be the last day of his earthly

sojourn. Hence he remained in the temple. As he had not returned home, His

parents went to the temple and sat at the entrance. They were shedding tears

thinking of the impending end of Markandeya's life. As ordained by the Lord,

Markandeya left his mortal coil the moment he completed his sixteenth year. His

parents were in deep sorrow. As Markandeya left his mortal body in the external

world, his jiva (soul) reached Lord Shiva in the divine world. The Lord was

immensely pleased with the sincere devotion of Markandeya. He said,

"Markandeya! Today marks the completion of your sixteenth year. You have come

to Me in a happy frame of mind. You have bowed down to My Will with implicit

faith and obedience. I am pleased with your devotion." As Easwara was

speaking to Markandeya in this manner, Mother Parvati intervened and said, "Oh

Lord! Why don't You send him back to his parents as he has obeyed Your command

implicitly." Easwara wanted Parvati also to accompany Him. Together they

restored life into the body of Markandeya. The parents' joy knew no bounds when

they noticed some movement in Markandeya's body. He got up and said, "My dear

mother and father, Lord Easwara and Mother Parvati have brought me back to

life."It is only God, who can save the life of a human being. Some doctors

claim that they can give good medicines or perform surgery to save the life of

a person. They make several promises thus, but they fail. Except God, none else

can save or prolong the life of a person. He only can interfere in the law of

Karma. With God's grace, one can achieve anything in this world. Dear students!

You must strive to earn the grace of God right from your childhood. When you

pray for His grace and strive for the same, you will be

protected by God.Embodiments of Love! Today is the holy day of Shivarathri.

Shiva means auspiciousness. Where there is Shiva (auspiciousness) there cannot

be Shava (inauspiciousness). This holy day of Shivarathri must be spent in the

constant contemplation of God chanting the holy name of Shiva right from early

in the morning till you go to bed. The Lord's name must dance on your tongue.

Divinity is eternal. It cannot be achieved so easily. Nobody has been able to

explain Divinity so far, though some vague definitions like eternal,

changeless, etc., have been given. The proper definition of Divinity would be

Ekam, Nityam, Vimalam, Achalam, Sarvadhee Sakshibhutam Bhavateetam

Trigunarahitam (One without a second, eternal, pure, unchanging, witness to all

functions of the intellect, beyond one's imagination, beyond the three Gunas

(Sattwa, Rajas and Thamas).One of the names attributed to Lord Shiva is

Mrityunjaya, which means one who has

transcended death. This is from the worldly point of view. But if one wants to

understand the true and eternal nature of Divinity, one has to understand the

relationship between Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati. Once there was a slight

difference of opinion between them about giving an appropriate name to their

child. Parvati wanted to name the child by a particular name from among the

several names Lord Shiva has. Lord Shiva however, chose to name the child as

"Amrutaputra" (son of immortality). In fact, every human being is an

Amrutaputra. Even the Upanishads declare him so. The Upanishads reveal the true

identity of a human being by addressing as Srunvantu Viswe Amrutasya Putrah (Oh

the children of immortality! Listen).Dear Devotees and Students!You are also

Amrutaputras, not Anrutaputras (sons of immortality, not falsehood). One who is

an Amrutaputra is not affected by change and death. You verily are the

embodiments of the changeless,

eternal principle. Once Mother Parvati was putting child Ganapati to sleep by

rocking the cradle and singing a lullaby, "Oh Amrutaputra! Sleep my dear!

Sleep. If you are awake, the whole world will be awake." Lakshmidevi, the

consort of Lord Vishnu came there and witnessed the scene. She felt that it was

rather a strange lullaby. She enquired about the name of the child and Parvati

told her that His name was Amrutaputra. Lakshmidevi further enquired from where

did she get that name. Parvati replied that it was Lord Shiva who gave that name

to the child. One who had descended from Easwarattwa is Easwara

Himself.Embodiments of Love!You are not reading the sacred texts of yore.

Unless you read those texts also, you will not be able to understand what is

being related to you. Dear Students! You are all Amrutaputras. People would

naturally expect that you should live up to that great appellation. In fact,

the names given to children by elders in

our country have a lot of significance and meaning. They are not given just

casually or for fun. In order to understand the underlying meaning and sanctity

of these names, we must read the sacred texts like Puranas. Unable to realise

the eternal reality of the values of Sathya and Dharma, we are taking to wrong

ways. We are simply repeating the words Sathya, Dharma, Santhi and Prema like a

parrot. But, we are not making any effort to understand the true import and

significance of these great human values. All of you are Amrutaputras, not

Anrutaputras.Dear students!Try to understand the true nature and significance

of the names. It is a fact that nobody has ever seen Lord Easwara in person.

People call Him "Kailasavasi" (the Lord who resides in Kailasa). Where is

Kailasa? It is only when you contemplate on Him in the depth of silence that

you can visualise Lord Easwara in Kailasa. Therefore, one has to practise

"Mouna" (silence). And that

silence implies total stillness of thought and word.Embodiments of Love!You are

all Amrutaputras. Hence, constantly remain under that awareness. Proclaim

yourself to be Amrutaputras. Whatever name has been already given to you,

prefix that name with "Amrutaputra". If you consider yourself as Anrutaputra,

it is a great mistake and a misnomer. Hence, realise your true nature and call

yourself Amrutaputra.(Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajan, "Prema

Mudita Manase Kaho…")

Source: http://sssbpt.org/Pages/Prasanthi_Nilayam/Shivarathri_Evening_Discourse.htm

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