Swami's discourse on Health, Diet and Divinity

[Guest guest]

Om Sri Sai Ram

 

Health, Diet and Divinity

 

Bhagawan's Divine Discourse given on 3rd of June 1995 in the Sri

Sathya Sai Hospital, at Whitefield, India. (Courtesy

of "SAISPANDAN" - Journal of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher

Medical Sciences)

 

Not by penance, nor by baths In sacred waters, nor by studying of

scriptures, or by Japa can the ocean of worldly existence (the

cycle of birth and death) be crossed. It can be done only by Service

to good people (Sanskrit Sloka)

 

Man seeks to cross the ocean of Samsara by penance, pilgrimages to

sacred shrines, scriptural studies and exercises in meditation. But

all these are of no avail without service to good people. All these

spiritual exercises are comprehended by Seva (service). For the

achievement of the four main goals of life, (the Purusharthas of

DHARMA-Right conduct, ARTHA- acquisition of wealth, KAAMA -

fulfillment of desires, and MOKSHA- Liberation), health is essential.

Without good health a man cannot accomplish even the most trivial

thing. Hence, health is wealth.

 

CAUSE OF DISEASE: However, because of the influence of the Kali age,

man is a prey to all kinds of ailments and has no peace of mind

despite the possession of every conceivable kind of wealth and

comforts. There is no dearth of doctors. Inspite of the availability

of so many amenities, why is man afflicted with disease? Indeed, more

than physical ailments, mental diseases are growing limitlessly.

Mental sickness caused by tension and worry gives us so many bodily

ailments. Man today is afflicted with discontent. As one set of

desires is satisfied, other desires go on cropping up If desires are

reduced. Contentment will grow. Moreover, because of the perversions

of the Kali age, the five basic elements (ether, air, fire, water and

earth) are polluted. The water we drink is impure. The air we

breathe is polluted. As a consequence the mind gets polluted.

 

MATTER AND MIND: Today man has to understand the true relationship

between matter and mind. When one is asked about the mind, he

says, "Don't mind". When he is asked about matter, he answers: "It

doesn't matter". By this sort of casualness man is failing to

understand mind and matter. Only when man understands the nature of

the mind can he recognize the true nature of humanness. What is the

mind? It is not something negative. It is positive. It represents

the power of the Atma, the power of thought (Sankalpa). It can

travel any amount of distance in space. It is capable of exploring

the powers of atom. The mind is capable of recognising the truth that

is valid for the three categories of Time-the past, the present and

the future. The mind is therefore very essence of life. It is the

source of all strength. Man today is indifferent to the importance

and the powers of the mind.

 

SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS: Man is seeking happiness from birth to death.

The search starts with education. But education does not confer

happiness. He desires a job but that does not make him happy. He

then seeks marriage as the means to happiness. Happiness eludes him

because the wife claims equal rights. Then he declares, "My life is a

total darkness". It is the ego that is the cause. As a man grows,

his egoism also grows. One after another, desires go on increasing.

Their fulfillment doesn't bring him the happiness he seeks. Where is

this happiness or bliss (ananda) to be found? It does not exist in

material objects. It is not to be found in the pleasures. The truth

is that man is the embodiment of bliss. He is searching for it

outside himself. This is the mark of ignorance. When he is the

embodiment of bliss, how can he secure bliss outside himself? Today,

inspite of all his wealth, man is unhappy. He is perpetually racked

by lack of peace. Devotees come here from all parts of the world.

Each of them asks: "I want peace". Here are three

words "I", "want", "peace". "I" is ego. "Want" is desire. Remove

the ego and desire, you will have peace. Ego and desire have

enveloped peace when the covering is removed, peace will manifest

itself.

 

HEALTH AND HAPPINESS: Man can lead a blissful life only when he

enjoys health. Wealth can offer comforts but not peace. Wealth can

provide a multi-storeyed mansion but not sound sleep. Wealth can

provide bodily comforts, but physical comforts do not produce bliss.

Air conditioners and mattresses may give comfort to the body. But

when there is no peace of mind, of what use are these comforts? The

body is like a water bubble, the mind is like a monkey, don't follow

the body or the mind, and follow the conscience. Man today is not

following the conscience. He is sticking to the body and mind, which

are useless. He must enquire into the problem, "Who am I?" He will

discover that the body, the senses and the mind are all the

instruments and he is their master. The master has today become a

slave of his body and mind, which should be his servants. You are the

soul. Maker it the basis for all your actions.

 

HUMAN VALUES: Today man is forgetting his essential humanness. The

first requisite is for man to realise Human Values Truth,

Righteousness, Peace and Love. For a bulb to light, you need a

connecting wire, a switch and electric current. For man, that current

is Truth or God. It is energy. This divine energy has to flow through

the wire of Dharma (Righteousness), reach the bulb of Peace (Shanthi)

and produce the light of Love. Love is God. Live in Love. Love is

everything. Without Love, Life is a living death for man. Love

expresses itself in many forms in relation to different persons, but

is essentially one. Today Love is tainted by selfishness, whether in

relation to mother, the spouse or the children or others. Man's

selfishness is polluting the entire society. Attachment to others is

natural. But there should be a limit to it. When this limit is

exceeded, it becomes a disease. This is true in every case. Because

of man's excessive desires, he is prone to diseases of every kind.

 

HEAD AND FOOD: The most common source of illness amongst people today

is "Tension". What is the cause of tension? It is indulgence in

excess of various kinds. Men must learn to moderate the hectic pace

of living. Hurry causes worry and worry causes disease. "Hurry, worry

and curry (fatty food)" are the causes of heart diseases. Therefore

the first requirement is control of food and head (the mind). When

you control these two, there will be no room for illness.

 

IMPORTANCE OF THE EYE: Today the new operation theatre has been

inaugurated in our hospital. Doctors know that in the eye there are

millions of cells that react to light rays. If any of these cells are

affected, the vision is affected. For man the eye is the most

important organ for comprehending the Universe. Hence the eye has to

be regarded as a sacred instrument. You cannot change creation, but

by changing your vision you can get the proper view of creation. Here

is an illustration. Once there was a king, who developed an acute

stomach trouble. All the medicines administered by doctors were of no

avail. He then approached a great yogi, who told him that for his

stomach ailment he had to treat the sight. He should see nothing but

green everywhere. The Yogi left and the king ordered that all places

in his kingdom should be painted green. Some time later, the yogi

returned and found that people were engaged in splashing green

everywhere. When asked for the reason, they told him that they were

carrying out the king's orders. The yogi went to the king and told

him that to see everything green, all that was needed for him was to

wear green glasses. It was absurd to attempt to paint everything

green.

 

THE VISION OF LOVE: Similarly if we change our vision, we will

experience peace. When people view the world with the vision of love,

they will have peace. All diseases will be cured. Most diseases have

their origin in the mind. Everything has a psychological basis. When

a person feels that something is wrong with him, he develops an

illness. Healthy mind is needed for a healthy body. But it is not

enough to be physically healthy. Man needs God's grace also

(Daivaanugraham). To acquire God's grace you have to cultivate the

love of God. Love has become today a kind of show. Genuine love

should emanate from the heart. Start the day with love, spend the day

with love, and end the day with love, that is the way to God. If you

develop love disease will not come near you.

 

AVOID EXCESSES: I am 70 years now. I can see even an ant that is far

away. It is not due to divine power. It is physical power. What is

the reason? Diet control. My weight has remained the same for nearly

sixty years - 108 lbs only. Proper balance must be maintained

throughout life. There must balance in respect of knowledge and

several other things. Students pollute their knowledge by seeing bad

things, listening bad things, and by bad thoughts. Their minds are

perverted by addiction to films. They should learn to lead pure

lives. Only then they will experience bliss and health. Embodiments

of the Divine! Realise the values of health. Self-restraint is

essential to maintain health. Regulate your habits. Develop good

manners, which are the mark of a true man. Similarly, the good

devotee is one who does his duty. Duty is God. Everyone has to

develop the manners required in daily life. The manners should be

such that they confer self-satisfaction. You should conduct yourself

properly not for the sake of others but for your own sake. When

there is self-satisfaction there will be self-realization. For all

these you must have self-confidence. Most people today have no

confidence in themselves and are perpetually racked doubts. In Jesus'

time there was one doubting Thomas. But today all are doubting

Thomases. Everyone doubts every other.

 

HEALTH AND BLISS: For every man two things are essential: Good health

(Arogya) and happiness (Ananda). Health for the body and bliss for

the spirit. With these two wings you can soar to any height. You need

both the things, for which you must secure God' s grace. To get Gods

grace, you have to engage yourself in sacred action. Bear in mind the

three P's: PURITY, PATIENCE, and PERSEVERANCE. With these three you

are bound to acquire good health and bliss.

 

BHAGAVAN'S EXAMPLE: You may believe it or not, but the truth is that

these three are responsible for my Arogya (health) and Ananda

(bliss). I am always happy. I should like to run but there is no

place where I can do so. I can lift anybody at this age. This

strength is present potentially in everyone. But it is being wasted.

If the energy in everyone is properly conserved he can do anything.

 

THE WHITEFIELD HOSPITAL: The Hospital here began in a small way with

a single room. Over the years it was expanded. Dr. Rajeshwari,

mother of Srinivas, (former Warden of Brindavan Hostel) work hard to

develop the hospital. She devoted all her earnings to the expansion

of the hospital. She worked ceaselessly day and night. Ultimately she

passed away in the hospital itself. The hospital was her home.

Thereafter, Dr. Savithri has been carrying on the work. Savithri has

been working tirelessly. She attends to everything herself. By her

work for patients she is becoming a patient herself. She must take

care of her health. Only the doctor is healthy, the patients can be

well taken care of. As is the doctor so is the patient. Hence

Savithri must take care of her own health. This is all the more

necessary because the hospital is growing day by day. Srinivas is

rendering every help for the hospital. There are others who are also

serving the hospital in various ways.

 

FREE MEDICAL AID: The doctors have to meet the growing demands on

their services. The number of patients coming to the hospital is

growing all the time. All services are totally free. Not a paisa is

collected from the patients. This applies to Super Specialty Hospital

in Prashanthi gram. Such free medical treatment is not given anywhere

in the world. Elsewhere hospitals have become big business. In fact,

in every sphere commercialisation is rampant. Education a business.

Music is a business, health is a business. The whole world has become

a market place. Welfare services should be free for all. There are

numerous people who cannot afford the cost of medical treatment.

Doctor should render free treatment to such persons. My words should

not be misunderstood. Even in the earning of incomes, there should be

a limit. Many doctors lack determination. They join a hospital on a

good salary. But after a month or so, when another hospital offers a

higher salary they go over to the new hospital. How long are you

likely to stay in the other hospital? When you go like this, you

forfeit the confidence of hospital management. Even workers behave in

this way. They shift from place to place. The right thing is to

stick to a job for three to four years. Then your work will secure

automatic recognition.

 

DOCTORS AND PATIENTS: Doctors are obsessed with salaries. They

should be more concerned about patients. When they concentrate on

their patients, they will develop into excellent doctors. Inspire

confidence in the patients. Then any medicine you give will work

wonders. The patients will hail such a doctor as a "good doctor".

A "good doctor" in due course becomes a "God doctor". "Vaidyo

Narayano Harih", it is said. The doctor is Divinity himself. Doctors

should render service in this spirit. Service is God. Very good work

is being done in our hospital as well as elsewhere. Bharat would not

be what it is without good people. Without meritorious people, can

the world experience light? There are good and bad people in the

world. All should become good and develop into Godly men. The same

Atma is present in everyone. Doctors should look after the patients

with the same care they would show to their kith and kin. Then all

would experience equal happiness.

 

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