Swami teaches... Be rich in virtue, in faith and devotion

[Guest guest]

Sai Ram Light and Love

Swami teaches... 8 - 10 January, 2006

Be Rich in Virtue, in Faith and Devotion

A tree has a trunk covered with bark and myriad roots to feed it and hold it

firm. It has branches spreading in all directions, tapering into twigs. It has

millions of leaves which breathe and borrow energy from the Sun. It fulfills

itself by attracting bees to fertilise the flowers into seeds. All this variety

of colour, fragrance, taste, smell and softness, of strength and toughness and

tenderness has emanated from one single seed. All creation has emanated

similarly from God.

In the phenomenal world, the physical body has parents. When this is viewed

from the spiritual standpoint, the true relations for the real and permanent

human spirit are indicated in the opening verse.

"Sathyam maatha" (Truth is the mother). It is the same over all the three

categories of time past, present and the future. Such truth is one's real and

lasting mother. "Jnanam pithaa" (Wisdom is the father). What is this wisdom?

Perception of oneness is true spiritual wisdom. The wisdom that makes one aware

of unity alone is wisdom.

"Dharma bhraatha" (Righteousness is the brother). Between brothers are

differences of opinion. But righteousness which is unvarying and ever the same

is one's true everlasting brother. Righteousness is Divine.

"Dhaya sakhaa" (Compassion is friend). There is no greater quality than

compassion. It is compassion, which redeems human life. Whether one is a deity

or a demon, compassion alone can ennoble person. Hence, one's true friend is

compassion. "Shaanthih pathni" (Peace is wife). One cannot have a greater

wife than peace. Peace is the greatest blessing.

"Kshama Puthraah" (Forbearance is the son). People believe that the son will

help them in this world. But it is not a son who redeems a person. God is the

only redeemer. Forbearance is a divine quality.

These qualities will help to obtain awareness of the Divine Grace and to

develop faith, devotion and discipline.

The ocean is boundless and as old as time. It has, in its womb, chaotic

whirlpools, raging currents, and it has a face with furious moods. No one can

hope to sail over it from one shore to another land-bank, without a sturdy

reliable boat. So too, human requires the sturdy boat of Divine Grace to cross

the raging ocean of this Samsara (ever-changing, ever agitated flow of life).

Samsara Ocean is vast and full of mystery. Human emerges from the ocean of

Divinity and his/her destiny is to merge in it. This is the Truth. This is the

Reality. That Thou Art. Be firm in that faith.

When you belch, you get the taste of the food you have eaten; the quality

of the bread depends upon the quality of the flour; as the steadfastness in

faith is, so is the devotion; as the devotion is, so is the realisation. As

your sadhana (spiritual effort) is, so will be the truth revealed to you.

On Samsara Ocean one has to clarify and purify the past impressions. Time is

the gift that God has blessed human with, for this purpose. So, human should use

it as an instrument for the clarification and the purification. It is not

possible without virtuous living and kindness towards all beings. Thus, the

mind will be rendered harmless, beneficent and even of great help in one's

spiritual pilgrimage. Through the purified mind, one can transmute into the

Divine.

The Sanathana Dharma (the Eternal Religion) which is the basis of Bharathiya

culture is the essence of the lessons enunciated in all the Vedic texts. This

Dharma (righteousness) is the source and spring of various systems of

philosophy, codes of morality and even of the different forms and streams of

literature. Through these means the Dharma has taught that human cannot live in

peace, until he/she knows what ought to be known, he/she casts away what has to

be cast away, and reaches the goal he/she has to reach. Knowledge has its

consummation in the discovery of Truth, which survives Past, Present and Future

and remain always unaffected. The four Vedas teach who and what we really are

and how we are related to the world around us. This is the greatest gift that

the Vedas offer. This is the end of all enquiry, the aim of all scientific

search.

God cannot be perceived by the spiritually blind, just as a blind man cannot

understand what is meant by the whiteness of milk. God is infinite bliss. He is

formless, but He can assume any form He wills. How can anyone attempt to

describe the nature of God? He is formless. He is the source of all energy. He

is effulgent. Eight kinds of potencies have been attributed to God. He is the

source of all sound, all motion, all light, all speech, all bliss, all

excellence, all illusion and all prosperity. The Universe is permeated by the

Divine. Vishnu is the cause. Nature is the effect. The Divine is the embodiment

of Cause and Effect.

As God is formless, to become one with God, we have to become formless. It

means that we have to get rid of the attachment to the body. This is achieved

through dhyana (meditation). While retaining attachment to the body one cannot

hope to achieve oneness with God merely by praying for it.

As God is the embodiment of effulgence, you have to make your life effulgent

to experience God. You have to realise that the light of your life has come from

that Param-Jyothi (supreme source of all light). This individual flame should

merge in the Supreme Divine effulgence from which all other lights have

emanated. Meditating on the Param-Jyothi, the individual has to merge his

individual effulgence in the Supreme effulgence. To perceive God the first

need is to develop the spirit of sacrifice and get rid of attachment and

possessiveness. (It is obvious that insatiable desires fills person's whole

being. The numbers of such persons are growing without limit. How can they

achieve anything great in life? Their daily round of activities consists of

reading newspapers, watching TV programmes and listening to the radio. Every

moment their attachment to castes, creed and parochial interests is growing).

One's actions determine one's future. Actions are of three kinds, Thoughts

are one kind. Giving expression to them is another. Acting according to one's

words is the third. The mind is responsible for thoughts, the tongue for speech

and the hands for actions. The combination of thought, word and deed represents

the human state. No one can escape from the consequences of own deeds.

The results of one's actions are realised over different periods of time. In

some cases, the results are immediate, as, for instance, when one slips and

sustains a fall. In some cases, the results occur after a few minutes or hours.

For example, the food you take in the morning is digested after two hours. When

you sow a seed in the ground, it takes some months or years to grow into a tree

and yield fruits. Some fools imagine that they can get away with bad deeds

because the consequences are not immediate. But the consequences are bound to

occur some time or other. So everyone has to face the consequences of own

actions, though person may not know how, when or where these consequences may

occur. Person can reverse the consequences of bad actions by performing good

deeds and invoking God's help. By spiritual laws all are entitled to

receive God's grace according to their merits. It is like drawing upon a bank

according to what you have deposited with it. There are three ways of getting

money from a bank. One is drawing on your deposit. In spiritual terms, this

means realising the fruits of your past actions. The second means is raising a

loan on the security of your assets. This corresponds to the grace you get by

your current good deeds. The third means to get money from a bank is to have a

good surety to the loan you wish to raise from the bank. Spiritually, this

corresponds to securing God's grace through the medium of a guru (preceptor).

Who is the guru? He is the Divine dispeller of the darkness within you. The

Divine Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshvara) have been described as gurus.

This implies that the Divine should be regarded as the supreme preceptor, who

can destroy the darkness of ignorance. The first step to the higher

spiritual consciousness is to recognize the role of body as instrument.

(Attachment to the body complex implies accumulation and acquisition of

things that cater to its needs and greeds. Accumulation promotes exploitation

and has no limit; the thirst increases with each gulp. It always asks for more.

Can a lake be filled with a drizzle? Can saliva slake the thirst)?

There is in every person the ever-free, ever-unattached, ever-pure Atma. The

Atma latent and patent in every one is identical with the Cosmic Divine

Consciousness, the Paramatma (Supreme Self), the Brahman (Absolute Reality),

the Cosmic Awareness. It is Sath-Chith-Ananda; its nature can only be described

as Being-Awareness-Bliss. The Vedas also refer to it as Truth- Wisdom-Infinity.

Yoga (Divine Communion) awakens when the world is viewed with glorious

unconcern. This is the source of supreme Ananda (Divine Bliss).

 

Speech, Mind and Breath are the three most vital instruments for adoration

and awareness of Truth and Knowledge. Among the Vedas the Rig-veda highlights

speech; the Yajur-veda highlights the mind; the Sama-veda highlights breath.

Just as these three elements pervade the world, the three Vedas reveal

three-fold Cosmic principle which is the reality of every atom in the Universe.

They do this in simple language, using easily understandable similies and

metaphors. The Vedas prescribe the ceremonies, rites, rituals and actions

necessary for the prosperity and progress of mankind, here and hereafter.

Activity finds fulfillment when wisdom dawns. Karma (sanctified activity) is

the path by which Jnana (spiritual wisdom) is attained. Wisdom in action is the

highest Karma. Worthwhile activity must result in purifying the mind.

Therefore, no one, not even a recluse or monk can desist from engaging in good

deeds. These deeds must originate spontaneously and should not leave any trace

of pride in the mind.

When the attention is diverted from the 'body-mind-senses complex' the

splendour of Atma becomes brighter and brighter. The body seeks gathering and

possessing; the Atma seeks giving and showering Light, Love and Grace.

Attachment to the upadhi (sheath) is the greatest obstacle for samadhi

(communion with Divinity) which is the ultimate goal of a spiritual aspirant.

Samadhi is equal mindedness in all situations - whether of pain or pleasure,

loss or gain. This state of mind is conducive to the development of

extraordinary powers.

The Gita recommends 'inaction in action' and asserts that 'inaction is the

most rewarding action' for those who strive for supreme peace. This attitude is

named Karma Sanyasa (non-attachment to action). Action oractivity is generally

associated with the body only, but the mind is also busy with the world. The

Atma is the unaffected witness. So, the secret of 'inaction in action' lies in

taking refuge in the Atma and in recognising all living beings as fundamentally

Atma.

Today people are propagating Vedanta in various ways. This propaganda is

exciting the minds of the people. It is perturbing the hearts of people. Life

is filled with doubts. Human today does not require a ideology but needs

sense-control. Without control of the senses, a human cannot become spiritual.

But human is engaged in a futile search for something he/she does not know. The

world is full of such aimless seekers. They are forgetting the Eternal reality

in the concern for transient worldly objects. (A stomachful of food, an

eyeful of sleep, a home full of children's laughter - these, according to most

people, are the highest levels of happiness. But this refers only to the

interval between birth and death. What of the before and after)?

The world is in dire distress today. It can be saved by dedicated people

setting an example of high morality, selfless service and Universal Love. For

human life morality is the life breath. Morality makes humanness blossom.

Persons who have dedicated their lives to spiritual search and success have to

discover the Atma in themselves and others. The discovery will confer sympathy

and compassion and promote loving service. Equipped with a calm and serene

temper, adhering always to the Truth, human must involve him/herself in society

with full faith in God as Protector and Provider.

Install God in your heart. Strive to strengthen this sense of oneness with

the Divine. The light of the Divine is within you. This is the Light of Love

and of bliss. Realising that God dwells within you, you must treat God as the

universal Guru, as the preceptor for mankind, irrespective of differences in

names. (You may learn from anyone, but dedicate all your knowledge to God.

Place your entire trust in God. Before performing any act utter a prayer

offering it to God).

The vibrations that emanate from the heart will elevate you spiritually and

confer Divine wisdom. This wisdom has been defined as Prajnana. To acquire such

wisdom you have to keep your mind pure as a mirror, using earnestness as a

cloth, dipping it in the water of Love and wiping the dust on the mirror (in

the form of bad qualities). This wisdom cannot be acquired from books. It has

to be got through self-examination and self-correction.

Share with others the knowledge and skills you have earned, the ideas and

ideals you have benefited and the joy you have won by discipline and

dedication. Sharing will not diminish them or devalue them but they will shine

better and put on added splendour. The water in the well rises as more and more

of it is drawn. Likewise, the more you share your wealth and joy, they will

multiply. Hence, share your endowments with others.

Consider the reality of the things from which one derives joy. Each one of

them is saturated with the Divine Principle. The rain that falls, the Sun that

shines, the Moon that cools, the rivers that flow are all for all. The Divine

is the basis for everything, objective as well as subjective. When the

waters of the lake are agitated, the moon reflected in its depths appears

agitated and wavy but the planet up in the sky is unaffected by what happens to

its image. So, too, the mind wavers and wobbles but the Atma is calm and

unconcerned. The world too is governed by the principle of mutual attraction.

Scientists, after long investigations, have discovered that the whole

universe is made up of atoms. The Vedantins (spiritualists) on their part,

declared that everything is permeated by the Divine. The terms used are

different but the meaning is the same. Energy is Brahman and Brahman is energy.

The Universe is filled with energy. All that you, see and all that you do are

energy. You observe an object. You see an individual. Both the object and the

individual are manifestations of energy.

What the scientists call 'matter' in essence is nothing but energy. An

object appears as matter. But it turns into energy later on. Hence, all the

forms and names you see are manifestations of energy. What is this energy? It

is something, which you cannot see or conceive in the mind. It is Divine. Every

physical object has a base. There is bioelectrical energy in human. Likewise,

there is radiation energy in human. There must be a basis for all energies in

the Universe. You see that in the world every object is based on some other

object. God (Absolute) is the base for all the energies in the Universe. The

Vedantis called this energy as Atheetha shakthi (transcendental energy).

The holistic science has termed it Super power or Absolute. The names used

may vary, but the substance is one and the same. In every human there is

numerous latent potencies. How is the presence of this energy to be recognized?

The Vedantis described the process of recognition as involving manasika shakthi

(will power), dharana shakthi (concentration), jnana shakthi (meditation) and

samadhi (deep awareness). By these four processes, one can experience Atma

shakthi (power of the Spirit). This means that in the final analysis,

everyindividual, every object and every form of energy becomes one with the

Divine. Every being and every, object in the world is a carrier of the Divine

energy. It cannot be destroyed. But it can be changed from one form of energy

to another, but it cannot be destroyed. This indestructible character is

Divine.

The Atma is universal magnet which attracts everything. The Divine Love is

the basis of all these forms of attraction. It is present everywhere including

every human being. Every child bears the imprint of its parents. As all human

beings have come from God, they should carry the marks of the Creator. (Reet's

compilation from. Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 12. "Body without heart," Chapter 20;

Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 16. "Your Divine destiny," Chapter 10; Sathya Sai

Speaks. Vol. 20. "Loving service forever," Chapter 1; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol.

28. "The Divine dispeller of darkness," Chapter 20; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol.

30. "Manifest the Divine within you," Chapter 18).

 

Namaste - Reet