Swami teaches... Guides to experience the Divine Reality

[Guest guest]

Sai Ram Light and Love Swami teaches.... (4 - 5 June 2005) Guides

to Experience the Divine Reality

Spiritual guides are for them who are free from conceit and pride, hate and

greed; guides who have travelled the whole length of the journey.

Swami's aim is to plant transformation in the hearts of all, whatever social

position they have.

What has to be said and sought in order to achieve better living and firmer

joy is to be found in the sphere of the spirit. That alone can silently and

steadily reform, from within, the evils that encompass the individual and

society.

 

Past is past, the future is uncertain, only the present is in our hands. It

is the foremost duty of human to live in the present and share joy with the

fellow beings. Compared to the entire cosmos, human is tinier as an elementary

particle. But human being is able to comprehend the magnitude and vastness of

creation. He attains immortality by understanding the unity between the

microcosm and macrocosm. The whole universe is permeated by the Divine

Reality. God is everywhere and in everything, including your body. He cannot be

seen by dissecting the body. But when the mind is directed towards God, He can

be experienced. The men who landed on the moon declared that they did not find

God them. God cannot be found through yantras (machines). He can be experienced

through mantras. In olden days, people regarded everything as given by God. They

placed God first, the world next, and themselves last. Today is vice versa.

Thoughts and feelings are as the fragrance emanating from this lotus. Maya is

the lotus leaf. Life is the water bubble on this leaf of Maya.

Having been born, human lives for a few years and ultimately gives up his

body. The five elements are responsible for human's birth, growth, and death.

The five elements are nothing but divine manifestations are all-pervasive and

all-powerful the Divine Atma. The whole world is pervaded by the five elements,

bound by the five elements, and functions because of the five elements. The five

elements are the cause for human's pleasure and pain, good and bad. The five

elements confer on happiness or misery, depending on how one makes use of

them.

 

All that you see is nothing but the Divine Cosmic Form (Viswa Virat

Swarupa). With thousands of heads, thousands of feet and thousands of eyes,

Divinity pervades everything. God is here, God is there, and God is everywhere.

You are developing differences out of delusion, but Divinity is One and only

One. It is the duty of a guru to propagate such principle of oneness. However,

modern gurus whisper a manthra into the ear and stretch their hand for money.

Such people are not fit to be called gurus. A guru is necessary to make you

understand the formless and attributeless divinity. Since it is difficult to

get such gurus, consider God as your guru. Guru is Brahma, guru is Vishnu,

guru is Maheswara... for all us the true guru is our Swami.

The Guru asks you to repeat a manthra; but the Manthra cannot grant you the

final beatitude. It will discipline the mind, control its vagaries, and

strengthen faith. But, unless you see God in all, unless your mind is made a

mirror reflecting the image of God that every one and every thing is, you are

not entitled to the release you claim. The Atmic principle is the basis for

everything in creation - its origin, growth and dissolution. Ignorance of one's

true nature is the root cause of all sorrow. Human is compounded of two basic

constituents: one which is permanent and the other which is transient. They

are: the Atma and the Anatma; the body and the indwelling spirit; the Kshetra

(field) and the Kshetrajna (Knower of the Field). This is the theme of the Gita

in the cantos devoted to "Kshetra - Kshetrajna Vibhaaga Yogam" and "Gunathraya

Vibhaaga Yogam." The Gita lays stress on enquiry into the eternal and the

evanescent as a primaryrequisite for human. By concentrated effort and by

sacrifice of every kind, different paths have been discovered for experiencing

Divinity.

 

Pay attention to the word used in Samskrith for society. We call it Samaaja;

the syllable 'Sama' means 'same, equal, undifferentiated' - that is the key to

its meaning. People imbued with a sense of sameness, a sense of oneness, a

feeling that each is but an image, a reflection of the same divine principle,

they alone are entitled to be called a Samaaja, not others. It is the

realisation of the one, which thought it blossoms into the many, does not lose

its uniqueness, because the many are but appearances, unreal impositions of

name and form on the real - this is the Adwaitha experience.

People retire into solitude and attempt to contact God; but, solitude is best

used for discovering and curing defects of character and conduct. To contact

God, one has to open his eyes and serve brother human. The greatest joy springs

from the utmost sacrifice.

 

Maybe, on the beginning of the spiritual journey you ask, "Where and Who is

God?" Nature as the vesture of God provides the answers. It is well known that

the Earth spins around itself at the rate of 1000 miles an hour. It is

ceaselessly doing its duty without rest. Because of this rotation you have

night and day. Moreover, the Earth is going round the Sun at the speed of

66,000 miles an hour. As a result, we have changes in seasons conducive to

cultivation of crops. The Earth, the Sun and the Moon are providing a lesson to

human regarding the fulfilment of one's duties. They are also demonstrating the

importance of activity for mankind. All of them - the Earth and the Sun and

other cosmic objects, also trees, rivers, cows - are acting unselfishly. Human

is enjoying the benefits provided by Nature, but is showing no gratitude at all

in return. Despite all the progress in scientific knowledge, human being has

not developed the sense of gratitude and sense of generous. One without these

qualities worse than a wild beast.

When the crows see the nightingale, they pursue it and try to wound it with

their envious beaks. Good people are often the targets for the malignity of the

small. Have your own errors and evils hidden so that you can tackle with them in

solitude; do not inflict them on others. Wrestle with them, and overwhelm them

in the silence of Saadhana. Deal with others only beneficially and in joyful

co-operation.

Doing good in return for good done is nothing to boast about. Real goodness

consists in doinggood even to one who has done you harm. History is full of

examples of misconceived generosity and forgiveness. Mahomed Ghori invaded

India several times and was defeated by Prithviraj, who let him go back as a

sign of his spirit of magnanimity. Ultimately, Mahomed of Ghori conspired with

Jaichand to takePrithviraj as a prisoner. Instead of showing gratitude to

Prithviraj for his magnanimity, Ghori Mahomed gouged the eyes of Prithviraj.

History teaches that no quarter should be given to wicked persons who are

treacherous and ungrateful. In rendering service to needy people, aspirants

would remember these lessons from life and use their discrimination and

intelligence.

Human with feelings of a demon, fuming with hate, engaged in fighting, holds

peace conferences. And, prides himself on his plans for peace. Transform the

heart into a tabernacle of peace; then, conferences to deceive oneself and

others become unnecessary.

On the path of transformation there are three things what are important.

Anyone would install these in their conscience.

One: You should not talk about matters of which you have no knowledge. It is

a mark of fooloshness.

Two: It is dangerous to pretend that you know something when you are really

ignorant.

Three: You must strive to acquire knowledge and impart it to others only

after you have mastered the subject. Today many pretend to be all-knowing.

This is a sign of Ahamkara (egoistic conceit). It is like a pest that destroys

the very root of a tree. It has two accomplices: attachment and hatred. The

combination of these is enough to ruin the life of any person. The primary need

is to get rid of egoism. Education can become meaningful only when you have

developed humility and right behaviour.

Education is essential, not the acquisition of information or skills, but the

sublimation of impulses, emotions and passions, the mastery of the wayward mind,

the grounding of the individual in the eternal Atma. You must be encouraged to

investigate into your own reality and discover your limitless core. It will

make you one with the Lord of the Universe. You draw all the love, power and

wisdom therefrom. Unless you become divine, you cannot know the supreme ecstasy

of God.

To obtain the state of equanimity (with it there is no experience of the

Divine) look upon all and everything as images of the one, namely, God. Every

one, everything is His image. In Thamas, it is reflected as matter. In Rajas,

it is reflected as life. In Sathwa it is reflected as divine. Feel thus; think

thus; act thus. Then there is no greed, no lust, no hate, no malice. Doff this

cloak of humanness and shine in the splendour of the Divine which is your

reality. See every one as divine, not as the human roles they are playing.

Ancients have said that bliss lies in visualizing your true form. Proper

utilization of the senses will lead to knowledge of the Atma. Sage Patanjali

said the control of senses is true yoga. You may be under the impression that

it is not possible for a human being to control the senses. Here, control does

not mean total cessation. Discharge your duties. But whatever you do, do it

with a feeling that it is to please God. Once you develop this feeling, all

your senses will naturally be controlled.

You feel that total surrender (arpitham) to God is rather difficult. It may

be easy to make a garland out of flowers, but total surrender to God is much

easier and simpler than this. You find it difficult because you do not have

steady and firm faith in God. If you have total faith, you will never have

difficulties. You are bound to be successful in all your endeavors if you have

faith in God. Any task, however difficult it may be, can be accomplished with

God's grace.

 

What can the possession of canvas and paint do, if an artist with vision is

not moved to paint? What can the chisel and a lump of marble do with no image

formed in the heart of a devoted sculptor? That vision and that image are the

sparks of the divine. You are all 'the divine' packed in human skin and bone,

the Atma encased in the evanescent flesh. Know this and you become fearless,

happy without limit. This is the higher wisdom, the knowledge of the spirit;

the lower one is that which adheres to the mind, which cleanses the mind and

calms its agitations, which is earned by Japa, Dhyaana, Naamasankeerthan

(repetition of holy names or sacred formula, meditation and singing of God's

names) and such other meritorious activities.

The body is the ball filled with the air of divinity; it is kicked in play,

by six players on one side (the six foes; lust, anger, greed, attachment,

pride, and hate) and six on the other (the six friends, truth, right, peace,

love compassion and fortitude). The goal-posts are on each side, and the ball

is hit so that it passes through them, the Dharma Vidhya (moral attainment) and

Brahma Vidhya (spiritual attainment). Those who hit it so, can claim victory.

All humanity sails together. Therefore have constructive thoughts,

consoling words, compassionate acts. Be on the lookout for eyes filled with

tears, hearts heaving in sigh. Swami's words will give you the strength of

elephants when you need it to carry through experiences and tasks of service.

(Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 21. "True Sacrifice," Chapter

16; Bhagavan Sathya Sai Baba. The Divine Discourse "I and You are One." 05 July

2001, Prashanthi Nilayam; Bhagavan Sathya Sai Baba. The Divine Discourse "The

Principle of Hiranyagarbha." 15 February 1999, Prashanthi Nilayam;

Bhagavan Sathya Sai Baba. The Divine Discourse "Radiate Rays of Love." 08 July 1971, Ananthapur).

 

Namaste - Reet