Divine Message for you Today - 28-12-05

[Guest guest]

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Moderator's Note

Quotations in the message below are from "Sai Baba Gita", compiled and edited by

Al Drucker.

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Om Jai Sai Raam Raju,

 

I will try to explain as far as I understand your questions….

Swami says,” The atma is the life breath of every soul”

 

 

Atma means self. But

italic">atma also means God. Atma

is our god-self, our true self. And since God is always one, atma is the one

true self of everyone and everything. Illusion makes it appear as the many. Our

destiny is to dispel the clouds of illusion so that our truth is revealed and

the atma is realized. That is selfknowledge.

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When self-knowledge comes, the illusion of separate beings and separate objects

goes, and is replaced by unity consciousness. Self-knowledge is the only

knowledge that has truly eternal and lasting value, for it enables us to

transcend all limitations of time and space, and be immersed in the bliss of

the atma.

 

In every major age, God comes as avatar and teaches the Gita to initiate us into

self-knowledge and dispel the veils which hide our divine nature. 5000 years

ago, God came as Krishna, to render this song of truth at a time of great moral

decline. At that time, he gave the Gita in order to rescue Arjuna, and through

him all of mankind, from the fog of illusion and attachment. In this age, he

has come again as Sai Baba, to give this sacred teaching at another time of

great turmoil and deteriorating values. The malady he is treating is the same,

and the remedy he prescribes is also the same, stemming from the same ancient

wisdom. But, being the very source of eternal wisdom, he knows how to transmit

it in a way, which makes it come alive today and be meaningful in this present

age.

In his Gita teachings, Baba shows us how to transcend the false perception of

our senses and mind, which constantly support the illusion of separate

existence. Step by step, he directs us onto the inner path to discover who we

truly are. When all illusion is stripped away, we realize that we are not these

bodies and personalities, we are not separate beings individualized into name

and form. The truth is, and he emphasizes it over and over again, that we are

not different from God. Our unchanging reality, which was the same before we

took on the limitations of these bodies, and which is the same after we let go

of these bodies, is the one divine self, the atma. Inexplicably, atma has

become cloaked with the changing names and forms, which make up the covering

veil of maya, or illusion. But, under the layers of obscuration, hidden from

view, atma

shines in everyone as the unvarying radiance of divine light.

To realize this requires a purification of consciousness, until only pure

awareness, unbefogged by illusory mind-stuff, remains. Baba tells us that when

we give up our outer vision and our fascination for the world and, instead,

turn our mind inwards to gain the integral vision, we become steeped in unity

consciousness. When we give up body-consciousness we gain God consciousness.

When we expand beyond our limited human awareness into the fullness of our

potential, we become who we truly are. We transcend the illusion of separation

of God, man and world and merge into the one divine principle. That is the

essential teaching of the Gita.

The Gita is the very heart of the ancient wisdom making up the perennial

philosophy of the East. It is the basis of all spirituality. We are told that

it had a profound influence on Jesus, as well as on the Buddha, not to speak of

the countless spiritual lights that have graced this planet in the millennia

since the

Gita

was given by Krishna on the battlefield.

The Gita has something for everyone at every level of the spiritual path. Baba

talks to each of us at the level at which we are ready, pointing us from

wherever we are, to our final destination. If we incorporate this Gita

into our daily lives, we will never need to read another book nor study another

teaching. By following the directions given here, we will be led home to our

own unchanging truth. First, however, there are a number of stages we must go

through. They are best spoken of in terms of the

italic">yogas. The Sanskrit word

yoga

speaks of union, referring to union with God.

There are three principal yogas, which Baba takes up here. They are karma yoga,

the path of selfless service; bhakti yoga, the path of devotion wherein we see

the divinity in everything we see; and

jnana yoga, the path of wisdom, the culmination of the spiritual journey,

wherein we dwell constantly on our highest truth. These yogas are the soap,

which purifies us and strips away the layers of unreality that have covered the

atma. For too long, illusion and unreality have posed, bizarrely, but totally

convincingly, as the only true reality and kept the bona fide reality, the

atma, hidden. These yogas help return us to unity consciousness.

A question may arise as to why, when the verses of Krishna's Bhagavad Gita are

freely available, Baba has elaborated this new version of the Gita. Baba

explains that this present age is different from Krishna's time and different

from Rama's time, as well. In the age of Rama, the forces of darkness were

embodied as demonic hordes, external enemies that disturbed the inner peace and

tranquillity of the people. Rama, God incarnated as avatar, personally took up

arms and went into the forest to destroy this evil. Tens of thousands of years

later, in the age of Krishna, the forces of evil were not outside in the

forest, but right at home in the same family. Now the avatar

did not take up arms directly. Instead, he drove the chariot and galvanized

Arjuna to fight the battle and win the victory.

In truth, the divinity had already decided the outcome. To make it clear to

Arjuna that he was merely an actor in this drama, Krishna gave Arjuna a vision

of the cosmic form of God. Suddenly, Arjuna could see all of time, past,

present and future. He saw all the combatants on both sides, engulfed in their

inescapable destiny, following the play orchestrated by the Lord. Though he was

engaged in fighting all the battles, Arjuna saw that he was merely the

instrument carrying out the will of the Lord, and that the ultimate conclusion

of the war, the triumph of righteousness over evil, had been decided even

before the first battle commenced.

In those days people lived much longer than they do now. Baba mentioned that at

the time of the Mahabharata war, Krishna and Arjuna were both in their

eighties. Krishna and Arjuna had known each other for over 70 years. They were

the closest of friends, spent most of their time together, and were related as

brothers-in-law. In all this time spent together, the Gita never came up. For

years, Arjuna, along with the other Pandava brothers, had nobly borne every

insult and indignity perpetrated by their wicked cousins. But, the forces of

evil were unrelenting. The conflict was destined to culminate in war.

Preparations for the battle commenced. Now, on the eve of the war, when Arjuna

saw his beloved grandfather and his revered teacher ready to fight on the

opposing side, and all his other close relations arrayed for battle, he threw

down his bow in despondency.

In speaking of this, Baba said that Arjuna had faced many worldly dilemmas in

his life and knew how to deal with them. But, at that point, Arjuna was facing

a spiritual dilemma. He was overwhelmed with a feeling of helplessness that

stemmed from the onslaught of his inner enemies, attachment, infatuation,

deluded vision, and the rest, which had made him forget his own truth and his

commitment to preserve righteousness at all cost. Now, in desperation, he

turned to Krishna, knowing that Krishna alone could rescue him from this

quagmire. He declared, "Lord, command me. I will do as you say." At that

moment, their relationship changed from chums and co-equals to master and

disciple. And it was at this point, Baba tells us, that Krishna chose to teach

Arjuna the Gita. Surrender of the individual will to the divine will was the

key to proper preparation in receiving this age-old wisdom.

Baba said that the sage Vyasa tuned in on their dialogue with his yogic powers

of subtle hearing. Vyasa elaborated Krishna's teachings into 700 verses in the

Sanskrit poetic form, which have been preserved through time as the

Bhagavad Gita. But, Baba said that in the 20 minutes or so, when Krishna spoke

to Arjuna on the battlefield, he did not actually expound all these verses or

render them in poetic meter. Krishna's goal was very specific.

Krishna who was the divinity incarnate was always unremittingly happy. Arjuna,

like the rest of humanity, experienced periods of joy and sorrow. Here, on the

eve of the battle, Arjuna was deeply depressed, but earlier that day, Arjuna

had been highly elated, eager to fight. Krishna knew that all of these changes

of mood were caused by illusion. Arjuna was out of touch with his true nature,

the atma, which is synonymous with eternal delight. Krishna resolved to dispel

Arjuna's confusion and bolster his courage by teaching him the knowledge of the

atma, so that Arjuna would discover his own divine truth and be forever immersed

in unchanging inner joy.

In these chapters, Baba gives us an insight into the main points of Lord

Krishna's Gita. Since this present book is the Gita for this present age, Baba

gives many additional directions for our spiritual advancement, which are

particularly applicable to these troubled times and our needs. His goal is the

same as Krishna's, namely to establish us in ananda, the eternal delight which

is our true nature.

This age is different in many ways from Krishna's age. In this age, the forces

of good and evil are not only battling in the same family, but they are

battling inside of every being. Baba tells us that if the Lord were to come

today, sword in hand, to stamp out all traces of evil, no one alive would

escape or survive. He comes, instead, as the inner director. Following his

guidance, we must fight our own inner battles, conquer our own inner enemies,

and gain the ultimate victory of salvation and awakening.

This kali age, in which we are now living, wherein gross materialism and

lawlessness have run rampant and spiritual values have declined, is, in many

ways the worst of all ages. But, from the spiritual point of view, this age is

the best of all ages for the transformation of the individual. In this age we

can most readily throw off the bonds of illusion and realize the atma. But, it

requires swimming up-stream against the powerful current and rapids of worldly

life, which try to sweep us into the abyss and keep us locked onto the endless

cycle of birth and death. Now, the

avatar

of this age, through his teachings, shows us how to navigate these rapids. He

works internally as the indweller in every being, directing us how to confront

our own inner enemies and win this war of good and evil inside.

In ages past, Baba points out, the spiritual path was primarily devoted to

rituals and religious practices, such as meditation, penances, chanting of

mantras, prayers and other worshipful activities. These practices are still

important, but they are not enough. Baba often says, "Hands that work in the

service of society are much holier than lips that pray." He wants us to do

karma yoga and engage in selfless service to mankind. All our work must be pure

and done to the full extent of our capacity for excellence. At the same time, we

must have no attachment to the fruits of our labors, but instead, offer up all

our actions and their results to God.

When we see the divinity everywhere, installed as the indweller in every being,

and we serve that omni-present divinity in all we do, then karma yoga

automatically becomes bhakti yoga. Our work becomes worship. But in this there

is still some separation between ourselves and God; there is still some

duality. Baba is not satisfied with our spiritual progress until we become

totally immersed in non-duality and reach our highest truth, the realization of

the immortal self. That is the final stage.

Baba tells a little story of an old woman who was sewing in her home at night.

She was working on her tapestry when she lost her needle. The light being very

dim in her house, she went out to the street lamp where the light was bright,

to look for her needle. Baba ends the story there. Whenever he tells this story

he always seems a little amused by the silliness of it.

We are like that old woman. We have also lost our needle while working on the

tapestry of our many lives. Our lost needle is the knowledge of our truth,

without which we cannot finish our work. After groping through countless lives

caught up in illusion, we now know that there is something vital to our

existence that we have lost. We go to great teachers and to ashrams where the

spiritual light is intense, hoping to find there what we have lost.

We get great solace being in the light and we gain deeper understanding of what

we are looking for, but the final discovery of what we have lost can only

happen when we look inside our own heart of hearts. There within, deeper than

the body and the mind, deeper than our sense of

italic">I-ness which stands at the core of our individual self, beyond all

sheaths, subtle and causal, which cover our truth, we find the brightest light

of all, the light of atma. When the atma, our true self is realized, the

tapestry of our long journey in the world which we have been working on for so

many eons and so many lives, is finally complete.

Baba assures us that, just as was true in the vision given to Arjuna showing the

final outcome of the war, the outcome of our long trek and our inner war has

also already been determined by the divine will. We are destined to return

home. Nevertheless, we must still tread the path and fight the battles and win

final victory over our inner enemies. We initiate this process by making

friends with the divinity in our hearts, keeping it as our steady companion and

allowing it to guide our inner journey.

As we proceed on our path the clouds of illusion thin out and we become aware of

a great mystery. We realize that the spiritual journey we thought we were on is

itself an illusion. We are not individuals on the spiritual path following the

direction of the divine inner guru. In truth, we are the totality. We are the

divinity itself. We are and always have been the atma. Atma is neither born nor

reborn; nor does it ever die. As atma we have not come from somewhere nor are we

going somewhere. We have never changed. Only the illusion of individuality and

separateness has changed. Ultimately that illusion disappears and we discover

the glorious truth that we have always been one with God. Baba tells us, "God

if you think, God you are. Dust if you think, dust you are. Think God. Be God.

You are God. Realize it."

Some years ago in a public discourse, Baba directed us to repeat several times

daily, "I am God, I am God, I am no different from God. I am the infinite

supreme. I am the one reality." If we allow this declaration of truth to

suffuse our lives and fill us with the consummate love that is God, these

powerful words will gradually become our direct inner experience. More and more

we will identify ourselves with the divinity, our real self, and less and less

with these ephemeral personalities which are but shadow selves. Thus we realize

who we are, the immortal self, the one divinity, which is love itself.

 

I know this is a bit lengthy, but I do hope you have a clear understanding or

atleast somewhat of an understanding of what the Atma is. Your next question is

the opposite of my answers.

 

 

May Swami guide all of you . Embodiments of love…

I offer my most humble pranaams at the Lotus Feet of The Beloved Lord Sai.

 

Om Jai Sai Raam

Your sister in Sai..

Radhey Of Canada

 

 

 

saibabanews [saibabanews]On Behalf Of Raju Gurbaxani

Thursday, December 29, 2005 1:14 AM

Baba

[saibabanews] Fwd: Divine Message for you Today - 28-12-05

 

Sai Ram,

Can someone please help me about

mso-color-alt:windowtext">

What is Atma?

What is not Atma?

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May Swami Shower His Choicest Blessings On Everyone.

Sai Ram

Note: forwarded message attached.

12.0pt;margin-left:.5in">

[Guest guest]

something unknown, much can be said;anything, any name can be ascribed to it.

In short, the Atma cannot be communicated by words; it is impossible to

describe whoever may try." @his service GaneshRaju Gurbaxani

<raju_gurbaxani (AT) (DOT) co.in> wrote: Sai Ram, Can someone please help me about

What is Atma?What is not Atma? May Swami Shower His Choicest Blessings On

Everyone. Sai RamNote: forwarded message attached.

[Guest guest]

Hello Sai ram

Your question on the Atma.Only humans of all

life forms have an Atma.The Atman comes from Paramatman.It is nothing to do

with the soul.The Atman guides your development.It is the the basis or root

cause of all your physical and subtle bodies.It works through all the various

bodies to experience everything and then will take all this experience back to

Paramatman in realization.The Atman resides in each human as pure energy and is

one at all times with paramatman.

Yours in light and final realization.

Sai brother David.

[Guest guest]

10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">Sai Ram

10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">I have read what several devotees have said

about the Atman but now I am confused, because I thought that the Atman was

basically consciousness. However, everything has consciousness, not only

humans. Consciousness exists in stones, plants, animals and humans, so I think

it would be correct to say it is like the same energy that not only pervades

everything but forms everything. (ie the world is imaginary and it is only the

vibration of this energy or consciousness which creates the illusion of matter,

as shown by Einstein’s famous formula E=mc2).

10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">

10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">Perhaps Atman and consciousness are two

different concepts that cannot be compared? Can somebody help me out of my

confusion?

10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">

10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">Thank you, and Sai Ram!

10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">

10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">Gueza

10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">

10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">

[Guest guest]

From

Gregory

Your idea that, " Atman was basically consciousness.

> However, everything has consciousness, not only humans. Consciousness

> exists in stones, plants, animals and humans .....", is

misconceived. The former part of the statement is true, but the latter

is empirical. Everything is an illusory appearance in consciousness.

It is not as if that everything is conscious.

 

with regards

Gregory

 

 

 

saibabanews, "Gueza Chavez" <gueza709> wrote:

>

> Sai Ram

> I have read what several devotees have said about the Atman .....

[Guest guest]

and acceptance is "The Aatmic Awareness" Once this realization occurs, the

feelings of desires, doership and good and bad feelings of any activity

disappears. As all actions stem from the individual aspect of this eneveloped

energy in the animate and inanimate beings and the movable and immovable. Ari

Krishna explained this in the "Kshetram and Kstragna" vibhaagam of

Bhagawadgita. Sai Krishna explains about the same as " Don't try to analyze and

understand me. Enjoy this Presence as teh Omnipresence". Swami thru his

kindness, compassion and love for his creation had taaken a human form from

this energy that is OMNIPRESENT, OMNIPOTENT and OMNISCIENT. Wishing you all a

HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR. Kedar, Meena, Pallavi and Sumana

ChintapalliGueza Chavez <gueza709 .au> wrote: Sai Ram I have read

what several devotees have said about the Atman but now I am confused, because

I thought that the Atman was basically consciousness. However, everything has

consciousness, not only humans. Consciousness exists in stones, plants,

animals and humans, so I think it would be correct to say it is like the same

energy that not only pervades everything but forms everything. (ie the world

is imaginary and it is only the vibration of this energy or consciousness which

creates the illusion of matter, as shown by Einstein’s famous formula E==mc2).

Perhaps Atman and consciousness are two different concepts that cannot be

compared? Can somebody help me out of my confusion? Thank you, and Sai Ram!

Gueza

[Guest guest]

wild animals as the animals perceive the positive love energy from the loving

saints. Bhagawan's love for all beings is an example of the realization of

divine energy in the animals. This birthday, 2005 Swami was releasing the Peace

Doves. One of the birds did not want to leave Swami and there was a little

ordeal making it fly . Finally it did fly. I personally saw SAI GITA, demanding

Swami to come back when Swami left her after feeding her and the cattle during

the Janmaashtami celebrations in the year 2000. ( August 22nd). It did not

leave and made gestures with the trunk to come back by hitting the trunk on the

floor. Swami laughed and came back. After a minute or so, Sai Geeta left. This

is not instinctual behavior but a cognised conscienable behavior. Budhi or

the Wisdom is lighter than intelligence. LIghter than BUDHI is the AATMA. In

Sai Love Meena

Chintapalli gregory_gregory_gregors <no_reply> wrote: From

Gregory Your idea that, " Atman was basically

consciousness.> However, everything has consciousness, not only humans.

Consciousness> exists in stones, plants, animals and humans .....",

ismisconceived. The former part of the statement is true, but the latteris

empirical. Everything is an illusory appearance in consciousness.It is not as

if that everything is conscious.with regardsGregory

[Guest guest]

each monkey placed on the ground,whereever it stood, the hill that it had on its

shoulder at the time. One hill, however , did not sit quitely. It started

bewailing its fate." Oh,why was i removed from where I was , and why am I

refused ? I was elated that I was destined to serve a divine purpose. I was

overjoyed that the armies of Rama ,and Rama, Himself , will walk over me. Now I

am neither there nor where I was. The mountain shed profuse tears. News reached

Rama and His compassion was great. He sent that in His next Avatara , when He

will come again upon His mission in human form , He will certainly bless the

sorrowing hill . This was the Govardhana peak which Rama( as the boy Krishna)

lifted on His finger and held aloft for a full seven days in order to save the

cowherds of Gokul form the deluge of rain that Indra dared inflict on them.

This story was related to Hislop when he asked Swami whether inanimate things ,

too, had emotions and feelings of disappointments and despair. Now from here I

will quote exactly Swami's words- " The occasion at Dharmakshetra was that about

100 saris be brought , so that I could select some for distribution to the women

workers at Anantapur who were helping to build the Sathya Sai College there. I

selected 100 saris and asked them to return the rest to the shop. I kept the

four aside and the 96 were placed in my room. Later , when I passed a table on

which the four discarded saris were kept, Hislop was standing by the side of

that table. It was noticed that the cardboard box which contained the four were

dripping tears. The saris were weeping because they could not get appreciation

form Me and were declared unfit. Yes they had shed tears. You may ask whether

this is ever possible , I answer, there is nothing in this world which has no

heart, which is incapable of feeling joy or

grief. Only you must have the eye to see, the ear to listen, and the heart to

respond. Sai Ram Soumendra Meenakshi Chintapalli

<mkchintapalli > wrote: Sai Ram Brothers and Sisters, The idols are

worshipped with 100% faith that God exists there. .....

[Guest guest]

 

incidents mentioned are very good and interesting.

only small correction: it is not subhash chandrabose who proved the life in

plants, but it is Jagadeesh chandra bosh.. subhash had no time to spend for

plants as he was very busy in wars.

 

 

On Sun, 01 Jan 2005 Meenakshi Chintapalli wrote :

>Sai Ram Brothers and Sisters,

> The idols are worshipped with 100% faith that God exists there. .....

[Guest guest]

consciousness).....