Divine Discourse on 23rd February 2006

[Guest guest]

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on 23rd February 2006, at Prashanti Nilayam, Sai

Kulwanth Hall Embodiments of Love! My blessings to you all. I am happy that

you all have studied here right from the Primary School stage up to the 12th

standard and obtained good marks and earned good name for yourselves. No doubt,

you were all well behaved with good character up to the Primary School stage.

But after you left the Primary School you yourself can imagine what change has

come about in you. As long as you were in the Primary School, you had developed

many good qualities like love, compassion, kindness and joy. You were all moving

like brothers with mutual

love and affection. Your speech, your play, your songs were all full of

sweetness. But, the moment you joined the Higher Secondary School, the quality

of purity in your thoughts, words and deeds deteriorated. I am not saying that

all the boys are like that. It is only a few boys who took to wrong ways and

are spoiling their mind. You can judge for yourself how pure is your mind.

Humanness consists of five components – the gross body, mind, intellect,

consciousness and the senses. If a human being is to attain liberation, he has

to cleanse his mind first. It is a serious mistake to desire for that which

does not belong to him. Whenever the mind desires for something, one has to

enquire first whether the particular object belongs to him or someone else.

When you know for sure that it belongs to someone else, you must be careful to

divert your mind from that object. The mind has to be kept absolutely pure and

sacred. One should not taint the mind with the impurities of conflict and

agitation. You all have to develop such kind of Jnana, right from this early

age. Unfortunately, today you are all spoiling your life by cultivating desires

for all and sundry things. This is all madness and delusion. Whatever you do,

you must do it with a sense of dedication and surrender to God. All the work

you undertake must be carried out with this spirit. Sarva karma Bhagavad

preetyartham (do all actions to please God). In fact, what you think to be

yours is not yours. First and foremost enquire into yourself, "Who am I?" The

entire universe, right from the microcosm to the macrocosm, is permeated by

Divinity. Sugar, sand, an ant, a mosquito or an elephant – all are Embodiments

of Divinity. God is assuming all these forms like the different characters in a

drama. There is nothing in this universe which is not permeated by God.

Everything in this universe is God. The entire creation is an Embodiment of

Divinity. In fact, He dons all the characters in this cosmic drama. All

dialogues and songs are His only. Yet, the characters He dons appear to be

different. Hence, whatever we do, whatever we see and whatever we say –

everything is God. One has to realise this truth and conduct himself

accordingly. Unfortunately, today some people take to wrong ways due to the

effect of bad qualities, bad practices, bad thoughts and bad looks. Whomever

you come across, treat them as Embodiments of Divinity. Whatever you say, it

must reflect Divinity. When you conduct yourself in such a manner, that itself

is Mukti (liberation). One has to cleanse his five senses. One should conduct

himself in such a manner that neither he hurts others nor is hurt by others.

The words you make use of must be sacred. You should not covet others' property

or develop a desire for it. One has to cultivate faith in the unity of Divinity.

Everything is Divine.

Unfortunately, some boys are not able to develop such universal outlook. They

are languishing in a feeling of separateness. They distinguish between people

as "mine" and "thine". The ancient history of India is replete with instances

of the ill-effects of such divisive tendencies. You all know about the

history of Kauravas and Pandavas in the great epic Mahabharata. The Kauravas

were one hundred in number and were the sons of King Dhritarashtra. The

Pandavas were five in number. They were the sons of Pandu, the younger brother

of King Dhritarashtra. There ensued a fierce battle between the Kauravas and

the Pandavas. But, who is at fault in this battle? In fact, Dhritarashtra and

Pandu, both were the sons of the same father. They were brothers. Their kingdom

was one. But, their thoughts and aspirations were different. A malicious desire

for annexing the entire

kingdom for themselves on the part of the Kauravas resulted in evil thoughts and

divisive tendencies. Similarly, in the Ramayana there were two brothers – Vali

and Sugriva. They were also brothers born to the same father. But, some

unfortunate and selfish interests on their part resulted in a fierce battle

between the brothers. While Vali the valiant king was enjoying regal comforts

in the city of Kishkindha, his younger brother Sugriva had to languish in the

hills and forests. There is no use doing Japa and Tapa for months and years

without giving up divisive tendencies. Such Tapas converts itself into mere

Tamas. Several people give up their Sadhana in the middle with a sense of

frustration and despair, thinking that God is not merciful enough to reveal

Himself before them in spite of doing Japa for long years. If you wish to have

the vision of God, first

and foremost you must develop a sense of oneness with God. In fact, your own

mind is an Embodiment of Divinity. People often question, "Where is God?Who

is God?, etc." I would say, "Your mind is God." It is said, Mana eva

manushyanam karanam bandhamokshayo (mind is the cause for bondage and

liberation of man). Both bondage and liberation occur due to the mind only.

Hence, mind is God. Similarly, the intellect is God, so also the Chittha

(consciousness). It is a common sight to see people praising a person of sharp

intellect as an intellectual. But, God alone is the true intellectual. We have

to dedicate our Chittha to God. Once a great devotee sang, "Oh! God! Let me

offer my worship to You with chittha suddhi" (purity of consciousness). Hence,

you should all pray to God with purity of consciousness. Just as the mind,

intellect and chittha are the

Embodiments of Divinity, so also the senses. Hence, one should not taint his

senses with the arishadvargas (the six inner enemies of lust, anger, greed,

delusion, pride and jealousy). Kama signifies the desires, which you can divert

towards God and pray that you want only God and none else. You love God alone.

Such love only will be sanctified. To love people on the basis of their name

and form cannot be termed as real love. That is only worldly love. When you

love God, everything will be added unto you. All your desires must be

God-oriented. Every desire of yours must be to please God. Suppose you love

someone, do not treat him as a mere mortal. On the other hand, you must be able

to visualise the divinity in him. There is no object other than the

Panchabhuthas (the five elements of air, water, earth, fire and ether) in this

universe. You will not find a

sixth element, however much you may try and explore. For example, this is a hand

consisting of five fingers. There is no sixth finger. In case someone has a

sixth finger, he will be taken to the doctor for removing it by surgery.

Similarly, we all have five senses. What is Mukti (liberation)? Liberation is

control of the senses. Unless one controls his senses, liberation is not

possible. It is foolish to think that God is somewhere in a distant place.

Strictly speaking, who is God? The Panchabhuthas are Embodiments of Divinity.

It is only the senses that bring us good or bad. Hence, controlling the senses

should be our top priority. You often express your inability thinking "Swami!

Is it possible for us?" I am emphatically saying that it is possible, provided

you make an effort with firm determination. When you are able to please God and

obtain His grace,

sense control is not a big task for you. The senses are very trivial things.

Unless you are able to control the senses, you do not deserve to be called a

human being. It is said, Jantunam nara janma durlabham (of all living beings,

human birth is the rarest). To be born as a human being is a rare gift of God.

Having obtained this rare gift, one should strive to achieve sense control.

Even if you succumb to the wishes of even one of these five senses, you will

stoop down to the level of an animal. It is said Daivam manusha rupena (God is

in the form of a human being). Having attained such a rare and sacred birth of

a human being, how foolish it is to say that you cannot control your senses?

One who succumbs to the wishes of the senses is a Rakshasa (demon), verily! In

fact, such a person is worse than a Rakshasa. One has to evolve himself into a

noble human being. You may be fond of your wife and children. But on that

basis, you cannot denigrate others. You should not entertain a

feeling that so and so is mine and others are different. All are Embodiments of

Divinity! All are children of God. There is such an intimate relationship

between people in this world. Whatever object you come across in this world, it

belongs to God only. It does not belong to any particular individual. In every

object, every being, Divinity is immanent. Divinity is present in every grain

of sand and every particle of sugar. It is said, Viswam Vishnu swarupam (the

entire universe is the Embodiment of Lord Vishnu). The whole universe comes

under one family. Hence, one has to cultivate such universal love. That is real

Atmic Love. It is only when you cultivate such love, you deserve to be called a

human being. Only then can you visualise the Atma Tattwa. Devoid of love, if

you go on cultivating evil qualities like anger, hatred, jealousy and a feeling

of difference between one another, you will be worse than animals. Beasts and

animals fight among themselves. If you also fight like

them, what difference is there between you and the animals? In fact, anger and

hatred are not the qualities of a human being. The feeling of difference

originates in human beings when man considers himself as different from God.

Where there is a feeling of difference, there hatred raises its head. Whatever

activity you undertake, it must be done in a spirit of dedication to God. We

extol Lord Easwara as Hiranya Garbhaya Namah (I offer my Pranam to the

golden-wombed Lord). He is the embodiment of gold. Here gold signifies

immutability. You are all golden children. But, you forget your real nature and

associate yourself with dust and rust. Hence, great souls have to take birth in

this world now and then to cleanse you and make you realise your innate

divinity. However, when some great soul embarks upon such a mission, some

people doubt his effort saying, "It is all his foolishness. Can earth become

gold? Can sand become sugar?" Modern man is full of doubts and doubts! What

could be

the reason for these doubts? It is only when one thinks that he is separate from

God that doubts arise. It is a well known fact that a vessel filled to the

brim will be steady. Similarly, God is omniscient and hence He is steady

always. Many people who come here have several experiences. (Swami called a

student onto the dais). I am aware of the past, present and future of every

individual, irrespective of caste, religion and place of birth. Some people who

come here may think, "Perhaps Swami does not know who I am." But, there is

nothing that I do not know. Even though I know everything, I pretend as if I do

not know. (Pointing to a student) The parents and brothers and sisters of this

boy visited Prasanthi Nilayam sometime ago. I called all of them for an

interview and promised to the father, "My dear! The mother of these children

may not survive for long. In

fact, she may breathe her last even before you reach your village. You don't

worry. I will take up the responsibility of all your children." The children

started crying. I told them, "Don't cry. Why fear when I am here? I will look

after everything." From that day onwards, I have been looking after their

welfare, as promised. The girls are all married. All the children have been

provided with their requirements. None of them faced any difficulty. There is

one boy among our Band group. That boy is the youngest of all the brothers. He

was very young when he came here along with his parents sometime ago. I called

him and told him, "My dear! You don't need to worry for anything. I am your

father, mother and everything. I will look after you in every aspect." Whenever

he came here, I used to call him and talk to him instilling a sense of security

and confidence in him. Now all the members of the family are happily living.

This boy was very young then. Now, he has grown up. Thus, I have

been showering My love and grace on one and all, whether I talk to them

particularly or not. What is My property? Love! Love! Love! I have no anger

whatsoever on anyone, at any time. It is only to correct an erring individual,

I pretend to be angry. But, I have no anger on anyone. My entire body is

suffused with pure love. It is said, Easwara sarva bhutanam (God is the

indweller of all beings). Who is Easwara? Easwara is not merely the one who is

portrayed as wearing rudraksha garlands around His hands and serpents round His

neck. It is only a form that is created for the common man to comprehend

divinity to some extent. The various names and forms like Easwara, Vishnu,

Parvati, Lakshmi, etc., were created to enable the common man to worship God in

some form or the other. In fact, every human being is an Embodiment of Easwara.

There is nothing in this world which is not permeated by Easwara. The Earth is

Easwara. This handkerchief is also an embodiment of Easwara. All names and

forms originated from Easwaratwa. In fact, it is only the one who has gained

control over the five senses that can comprehend Divinity. Divinity is not

limited to one name and form. People say they had the vision of Rama, Krishna,

etc., but it is only their imagination! However, Divinity is only one and that

has been named as Easwara. Unable to comprehend the Divinity, people ascribe

several names and forms to it and get deluded. Today, it is the devotees who

change their chosen deities, frequently. But, God does not change. God is one.

He is permanent. Real sadhana is gaining control over the five senses. One has

to undertake such type of sadhana instead of engaging himself in Japa, Dhyana,

etc. For example, even if you are engaged in Japa and Dhyana closing your eyes,

your 'monkey mind' will be roaming about all the three worlds. People do not

realise this

truth and engage themselves in different types of sadhana. There is nothing but

Divinity in this world. Whatever you see, whatever you hear, everything is

permeated by Divinity. Once the Pandavas were performing the Rajasuya Yajna.

At the conclusion of the ritual, Sri Krishna was honoured by the Pandavas in

the presence of all kings in the court. Sisupala could not bear with this

honour bestowed on Sri Krishna. He reviled Lord Krishna in ever-so-many ways,

criticising Him for various omissions and commissions. One of the points of his

criticism was that Krishna stole the saris of women who were bathing in a lake.

The Pandavas could not bear these insinuations heaped upon their dear Lord

Krishna. They felt humiliated. Krishna then tried to reason with them saying,

"He did so out of ignorance. I am beyond praise or scorn. I am the eternal

witness to everything

that goes on in this world. You should not, however, respond to that criticism

and start paying him in his own coin. Do not ever get attached to anyone

deeply. If you lead a life of detachment thus, I will be with you constantly

guarding you and guiding you." Divinity never encourages differences among

men. God is Love and Love is God. There are several thousands of people

gathered in this Hall. However, the love that is permeating every individual is

only one. There may be differences in the names and forms of people and their

relationships, but the Divinity permeating all people is one and the same.

Hence, all should lead a life filled with love like brothers and sisters. In

educational institutions where the system of co-education is in vogue, the boys

and girls should move like brothers and sisters. Nowhere should any difference

on account of gender raise

its head. When the children get into the Higher Secondary stage, these

differences crop up. You should not give scope for such things. Whoever

entertains such differences, is sure to fail in the examination, the

examination of 'pure love'. There is nothing great in passing examinations in

the worldly sense. Everyone can pass, provided one puts in a little effort.

There is no use passing a worldly examination, while at the same time failing

in pure and unsullied love for a fellow human being who is none other than God.

He who has passed the examination of divine love is the most successful person

in life. All are God's children. All are reflections of the Hiranyagarbha

present in the human body. Hence, from now onwards all of you should live like

brothers and sisters with mutual love and affection. Then only you deserve to

be called ideal students. But, I do

not find in the present-day students such feeling of kinship. Instead they are

cultivating differences such as, "I am different" and "You are different." You

should not, under any circumstances, cultivate anger and hatred. Anger should

be controlled and hatred given up. Your safety and welfare lie in controlling

anger. It is common knowledge that when the controls in a railway station are

not functioning properly, the trains moving on the track derail. In such a

situation, the controller in the railway station is held responsible.

Similarly, the mind is the controller for all thoughts and feelings arising in

us. Hence, if the mind is kept in control, the entire body comes under our

control. You are all embodiments of pure gold. You are all golden children.

Your words are sweet. Let your conduct also be sweet in comformity with your

words. Wherever you go, as

students of Sri Sathya Sai Educational Institutions, you must display an

exemplary conduct and behaviour. Merely because you wear white dress, you do

not deserve to be called students of Sri Sathya Sai Educational Institutions.

In keeping with your white dress, keep your mind pure and your heart sacred.

Only then will you become ideal students. Swami will constantly be with such

students, guarding and guiding them. I will give them everything. In fact, I am

protecting several people in several ways; but, no one has realised this point

till today. Your own Atma is divinity. That is Easwara. One has to develop

firm faith in that feeling. How can you be called a human being if you do not

develop such faith? Love is God; live in love. Your love should not be limited

to an individual or some family members. You must share it with all. If only

you develop such

broad-mindedness, you can become a leader and set an ideal to others. (When

Swami enquired of the students whether they had faith in Swami's words, all of

them unanimously responded by saying loudly, "Yes Swami!"). It is not enough if

you just pay lip service by saying 'yes’. The conviction must come from the

depth of your heart. You commit a mistake and say 'sorry’. That is not enough.

You should desist from repeating the same mistake. Truth is the very

life-breath for a human being. Truth is God. Do not speak untruth. If only you

follow truth in your life steadfastly, you can achieve everything. Truth is

like a shield that will protect you. Truth is your support. If you give up such

a noble quality of truth and speak untruth, how can you be called a human being?

You should never give scope for falsehood in your life. God is the only leader

for the entire universe. God is the only leader and judge. It is only God who

can decide justice or injustice. You should not forget such an

omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient God. Do not entertain feelings of

difference like "mine" and "thine". Develop equal-mindedness. May all people

live together happily and bring good name for themselves and the country

(Bhagawan created a gold ring with a green stone embedded in it and presented

it to the student standing in front of Him). Swami manifests a ring for a

student in the middle of His discourse Everyone should thus earn the grace of

God. The green colour is a sign of peace and welfare. I wish that all of you

should earn such peace, welfare, love, devotion and grace of God. It is only

when you drive

away the bad qualities in you, that you will be able to live in the divine

presence. May you make proper use of the Panchabhutas (the five elements of

earth, water, fire, air and ether). May you control your Panchendriyas (five

senses). Then God will be constantly with you guarding and guiding you.

Divinity cannot be attained merely by offering prayers and doing Bhajans. Along

with these sadhanas, you must also develop a pure heart and offer it to God. Let

your mind, intellect and chittha be constantly associated with God wherever you

are and whatever work you are undertaking. Then your very mind, intellect and

chittha will be transformed into Divinity. When God is present right in front

of you in the form of Panchabhutas, where is the need for searching for Him

separately? There is no scope at all for such a feeling! It is a serious

mistake to think that God is separate from the Panchabhutas. Considering God as

your everything and sole refuge, dedicate your senses to Him. This is

an easy method to reach God. When you follow such an easy path, you will attain

Moksha (liberation). After all, what is Moksha? Moha Kshaya is Moksha (coming

out of delusion is liberation). There is no use chanting "Ram, Ram, Ram …" when

your mind is full of Moha (delusion). Whatever work you undertake, do it with a

sense of Bhagavad preetyartham (to please God). Whomever you come across,

consider him as an Embodiment of God. Even the beggar standing in front of your

door is an Embodiment of God. He may be a beggar from the point of view of the

physical body. But, he is really an Embodiment of Divinity from the Atmic

sense. Whether one is a king or an emperor or a beggar, the same Divinity

permeates every individual. May you dedicate your lives to win the love of God

and His grace. Undertake every activity as an offering to God. Even your

reading your textbooks can be done with such a sense of dedication to God. You

will surely pass your examinations in 1st class. I am happy that

you are all good boys. But, one caution, you must exhibit the same good

behaviour in your Higher Secondary School, as in the Primary School. Let Me

remind you that the teachers in the Higher Secondary School will not hesitate

to punish you whenever necessary if you go wrong. They have nothing against

anybody, but they are duty bound to put you on the right track. If a teacher

shirks his responsibility and condones your bad behaviour without giving a

punishment, then he is a 'guddi guru' (blind teacher). He cannot be called a

Guru in the real sense. The role of a headmaster in the school is also

important. In fact, he is the 'head' for all the teachers. Hence, he should

oversee the work of all the teachers. Education does not mean simply

reading of books. One cannot become great by acquiring an academic degree. In

fact, degrees are not great; Divine is great. Hence, develop such divine

nature. Only then will your life become sanctified and your education

meaningful. Your parents will also be happy. You might be aware that your

parents have admitted you in Sri Sathya Sai Educational Institution with great

hopes. You must not disappoint them. You must earn the praise of your father,

mother, teacher and God – all the four. Make your life meaningful and sacred by

good thoughts, feelings, practice and behaviour. Source:

http://sssbpt.org/Pages/Prasanthi_Nilayam/23-02-06_Discourse.htm

Special Blessings To A Fortunate One [23rd February 2006] At one point in

His Divine Discourse, Swami beckoned to one student sitting in the first line

to stand up. Pointing to

him, Swami said, "I know everything about everybody. But I act as though I do

not know." I know everything about everyone Swami manifests a

ring for a studentin the middle of His discourse Then Swami narrated the story

of another student who had lost his mother when he was a young child. Since

then, Swami had taken care of this boy and today he was doing his post graduate

studies in Swami's college. Bhagavan then signalled for the boy and he came to

Swami. This boy happens to be the band leader and our readers must have seen

his picture along with that of the band every time they play on festive

occasions. Bhagavan patted

him and later materialized a green diamond ring and slid it onto his finger,

saying that green stands for Kshema (welfare). He further said, "See, I know

all about this boy's family. My true property is Love. I Love all, those whom I

see and even those whom I do not. Even at times when I appear angry it is just

that I am pretending to be angry. Iswara Sarva Bhootaanaam. It is with this

Love that God takes care of this entire Universe."

http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_04/01MAR06/prashanthi-diary.htm

saibabanews/