1008 Pearls of Sayings of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba - From 1 to 100

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1008 Pearls of Sayings of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

 

>From 1 to 100

 

"Suklambaradaram Vishnum Sashivarnam

Chathurbhujam Prasanna Vadanam Dhyayeth

Saravavignopa Shantaye"

 

One who wears a white dress; One who is omnipresent;

One who shines like the Moon; One who has four hands;

One who has a beautiful and shining face;

One who wards off all obstacles. I meditate on Him.

 

1

 

TODAY is the Birthday of Rama who is Dharma itself. He is Veda

Dharma in Human Form. He is Anandaswarupa and Dharmaswarupa. On this

holy day of Ramnavami you must immerse yourself in the Atma as

Dharmaswarupa as the motivator of the moral life. Rama is "Atma

Rama" in every being. There is no place where Rama is not. He is

imminent and eternal. Rama for you should mean the Path He trod, the

ideal He held aloft, and the Ordinance He laid down. They are

eternal and timeless. Now you worship His Form, you repeat His name;

ignoring His orders. Without practicing the discipline laid down by

Rama to purify the mind, all else is mere show, empty rituals.

Contemplate on this unique day to obtain Godhood. Use it not for

feasting, picnics, hikes, watching films, playing games, gambling,

etc. The Immortal had come in the form of Rama to show the way to

Immortality.

 

2

 

THE four brothers Rama, Lakshmana, Bharatha and Satrughna represent

the Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Vedas. When man neglects the Divine

aspect of their natures and the awareness of the Omnipresent and

Omnipotent OM, he falls prey to the impulses and instincts dominated

by the ego and develop faith in material gains. He spends his life

in amassing wealth, power and authority over fellow-beings and

believes that holding others under his sway is a desirable

achievement. If there were a vacancy in Heaven, he would surely

apply for the position of God, for he believes that he has all the

necessary attributes.

 

3

 

THE Ramayana has a deep undercurrent of significant meaning.

Dasaratha means: he who rides in a chariot of ten, that is to say,

Man. He is tied up with three Gunas or three wives, as in the

Ramayana. He has four sons, the Purusharthas; Dharma (Rama), Artha

(Lakshmana), Kama (Bharatha) and Moksha (Satrughna). These four aims

of man have to be systematically realised, always with the last one,

Moksha, clearly before the eye. Lakshmana represents the Buddhi or

intellect and Sita is Truth. Hanuman is the Mind and the repository

of courage, if controlled and trained. Sugriva, the master of

Hanuman, is Discrimination. With these to help him, Rama seeks the

Truth and succeeds. That is the lesson of the Epic to every man.

 

4

 

RAMA is Dharma personified. "Vignahavak Dharmah". Rama is the

Supreme Exemplar of the Virtues that man must cultivate so that he

might live as a master, husband, son, brother, friend or even foe.

The other three brothers of Rama personify the other three ideals.

Bharatha is the embodiment of Sathya; Satrughna of Shanti; and

Lakshmana of Prema. Study the Ramayana with the aim of imbibing from

it the ideals for happy living, for making this life worthwhile and

you will be amply rewarded. Then you can deservedly style

yourselves "Devotees" of the Lord.

 

5

 

THE Ramayana is a guidebook, a sacred text, an inspiring scripture

for every man in all lands, whatever his creed or condition might

be. It imparts poise, balance, equanimity, inner strength and peace.

Peace is the best treasure, without it power, authority, fame and

fortune are all dry and burdensome. Thyagaraja has sung that there

can be no happiness without inner peace.

 

6

 

WHY is it that the world reveres Rama and revolts at Ravana? Rama is

not the uncle's son or Ravana the step-mother's child! It is the

kinship of the spirit, innate goodness, responding lovingly,

adoringly to the goodness in Rama; and reacting revoltingly to the

wickedness of Ravana. It is not enough, nor is it essential that you

should repeat the name of Rama loudly; respect it in the fullness of

love and admiration. If you have no spring of love in you, dig into

your heart with external instruments like Puja, Stotra, etc. and it

will start to flow.

 

7

 

VIBHISHANA, Ravana's own brother, chastised him for his willfulness

and lust and urged him to save himself, his kingdom and his kith and

kin by restoring Sita unharmed to her Lord. When Vibhishana went

over to Rama, Rama knew that he had a pure heart and that he could

not survive the poisonous atmosphere of Lanka. So He took him and

saved him. The Lord likes to be called "Aarthathraana-paraayana"

more than any other name, for He is most happy when He rescues those

in agony.

 

8

 

YOU talk glibly of Ramarajya, but how can it be established if you

do not emulate Rama? He was "Vignahavaan Dharmah", the very

Embodiment of Dharma. He never deviated from it. Dasaratha means

one who is master of the ten Senses, the five Karmendriyas and the

five Jnanendriyas; that is to say, the successful Sadhaka. Such a

person can have the holy progeny of the four Purusharthas-Dharma

(Rama), Artha (Lakshmana), Kama (Bharatha) and Moksha (Satrughna).

Become a Dasaratha and save that holy progeny as a gift from God.

 

9

 

HANUMAN succeeded in coordinating his thought, word and act.

Therefore he had the unique distinction of being great in physical

strength, mental stability and virtuous character. He shines as an

invaluable gem among the personalities of the Ramayana. He was also

a great scholar, who had mastered, of all things, the six schools of

grammar. He knew the four Vedas and the six Sastras. The Gita says

that a scholar is one who sees the same Divine force motivating

everyone. "Pandithaha Samadarsinha". Hanuman was a good example of

this outlook.

 

10

 

HANUMAN spoke to the brothers in sweet, gentle and pleasing words.

Rama was struck by the grammatical accuracy of his sentences. They

readily answered all his queries; and Hanuman was satisfied with

their bona fides. He offered to take them to his Master and Monarch.

The Darshan (sight) and first Mana of Rama had removed all his sins;

their Sparshan (touch) burnt away all the consequences of his deeds

in previous lives; and their Sambashan (conversation) filled his

mind with joy. That is the experience of all who welcome the impact

of Divinity.

 

11

 

HANUMAN became the messenger of Rama. There are three classes of

messengers: those who do not understand the orders of the Master or

do not care to understand and who operate to the detriment of the

work assigned them; those who do only just as much as the order

literally communicates; and those who grasp the purpose and

significance of the orders and carry them out unflinchingly until

the purpose is achieved. Hanuman belonged to the last category.

 

12

 

YOU find some one parade all of a sudden some -ism- as new and

revolutionary socialism, for example. Socialism, which means,

recognising the equality of every individual with every one else was

in fact practiced in India long ago. Rama, undisputed Sovereign of a

vast Empire, gave heed to the flippant scandal uttered by an

irresponsible laundry-man during a quarrel with his wife, and sent

his Queen, the very dear person for whom had waged a war of

tremendous carnage, into exile, regardless of the fact that she was

pregnant at the time. Every one's voice was given equal weight in

the empire ruled over by Rama.

 

13

 

THE Vanaras, while building the bridge across the ocean, carried

huge boulders on their heads repeating Rama-Nama all the while; and

that made the rocks weigh less. It is even said that they wrote the

name on the stones and that made them float. Each time they handled

or lifted a stone, they sang Rama-Nama in unison and so they were a

happy lot doing Puja, not work, which is unpleasant. Rama's Grace

helped all to overcome obstacles. Take the name and make your work

light: that is My advice to you.

 

14

 

I INSIST on your seeking and remaining in good company, Satsang.

Being in the midst of such spiritual heroes, you can fight against

evil with a greater chance of success. Once, when Garuda the sworn

enemy of snakes went to Kailas, he saw the snakes that Siva wore

round His neck, His arms, His waist, and His Feet. The snakes were

safe now and they hissed with their puffed hoods at the celestial

bird, which could not do them any harm since they were in such

Divine Company. Garuda said: "Well! Glide down from the Body and I

shall kill everyone of you"! That is the value of the Sath one has

reached. Satsang is valuable, for it is like keeping a pot of water

inside a tank of water; there will not be any loss through

evaporation.

 

15

 

PRIDE is one of the worst sins in the spiritual field. If you feel

conceited that you are Bhakta of Hare, He will "hare" (destroy, in

Telugu) you. Remember, Sharanaagathi should be like the attitude of

Lakshmana. Rama said: "Take Sita and leave her in the forest".

Implicit obedience! There is no other way. That is Lakshmana. That

is Sharanaagathi; the rest deserve, only of "Sarangathi", the arrow

of Rama.

 

16

 

WHEN the queen Kaikeyi persuaded her husband to agree to her two

requests - enthroning her son Bharatha as the Crown Prince and

sending the legitimate heir, Rama, into exile for fourteen years -

Lakshmana, another brother of Rama and Bharatha, did not acquiesce

tamely. He argued that man must meet every little crisis with

courage and self-reliance and that he should not yield craven-like

to the machinations of intrigue. He boasted that his arrow could

avert the crisis. But the arrow is an inferior weapon, even a

negligible weapon when compared with the efficiency of Love. Rama

heard him coolly and advised him to desist from that hasty

Karma, "Dharma must guide Karma"; then alone can it be praise-worthy

and successful.

 

17

 

THE path of spiritual discipline, which is most beneficial to man,

is laid down in a simple and sweet manner in the great Scriptures of

Ancient India. They explain, through example and precept, the Divine

Principle inherent in the Universe and inspire mankind to gaze with

awe and reverence at the handiwork of God and His inscrutable Leela

(sport). They prompt man to march along the pilgrim road of

sacrifice in the happy company of Sages, so that the body feels the

vision of the Eternal, which can be gained and enshrined in the

heart forever.

 

18

 

WHEN Sri Rama decided to end His Avatar career and walked into the

flooded Sarayu River, a dog too followed the concourse. When asked

why it had attached itself to the entourage, it said, "I desire to

enter Heaven with you all. I was in my previous life a full-fledged

Yogi; but I slipped and fell from the straight path of self-control.

I became the slave of conceit. I expounded the Vedas as my fancy

dictated, in strange but attractive ways. So, I have now become this

animal that takes delight in barking, biting and baying. The persons

who encouraged me then by praise are now the fleas and the flies

that crowd on my skin and pester me. Help me, Lord, to escape from

the disgrace. I have worked my Karma; I have lived out my sentence".

 

19

 

WHEN Rama is installed in the heart, every thing will be added unto

you - fame, fortune, freedom, fullness. Hanuman was a mere monkey-

leader until he met Rama. He was a Minister in the Court of his

Master. But when Rama gave him the commission to seek Sita, that is

to say, when Rama was installed in his heart as Guide and Guardian,

Hanuman became immortal.

 

20

 

DASA means "ten" and Ratha means "Chariot". Hence Dasaratha (the

father of Rama) in fact symbolizes "man" who operates with his ten

sense organs such as the eyes, the ears, the nose etc. His three

wives symbolize man's three Gunas (attributes) and his four sons,

the four Purusharthas (purposes). Lakshmana also represents the

Buddhi (Intellect) of Rama. Hanuman is the mind, the repository of

courage, while Sugriva stands for Discrimination. With these to help

him, Rama succeeds in finding Sita, the lost Truth. This is the

lesson of the Ramayana to everyone.

 

21

 

THERE are many who spend much time in mechanically reciting the

name "Rama" or systematically reading the Ramayana according to a

fixed time-table, or who worship the images of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana

and Hanuman as a daily ritual, with noisy pomp and pedantry; but

like a person who puts a foot forward only to draw it back again,

these persons do not progress at all as the years elapse. Without

gaining purity of thought and intention, compassion and the urge to

serve, these outward expressions and exhibitions are but ways of

cheating yourself for having society applaud you as a great devotee.

Your sight must become an insight; it must be turned within and used

to purify and clarify your mind.

 

22

 

THE greatest formula that can liberate, cleanse and elevate the mind

is Rama-Name, the Name of Rama. Rama is not to be identified with

the hero of the Ramayana, the Divine offspring of Emperor Dasaratha.

The Court-Preceptor named him Rama because it was a Name, which was

already current. Vasishta, the Preceptor, said that he had chosen

that Name since it meant: He who pleases. While everyone pleases the

self, nothing pleases the caged individualized self more than the

free universal individualized self. The self is therefore referred

to as Atma-Rama, the self that confers unending joy.

 

23

 

HANUMAN was ordered to discover the whereabouts of Sita and he

implicitly, without question, obeyed and succeeded. He did not

calculate the dangers of the journey and hesitate; and he did not

feel proud that he was chosen for the high adventure. He listened;

he understood; he obeyed; and he won. The name Rama Dootha,

Messenger and Servant of Rama that he earned thereby has made him

immortal. You must earn the name, Sai Rama Dootha. Have fortitude

and self-control; use good and sweet-words; and examine each act of

yours on the touch-stone of My preference.

 

24

 

THE toughest fiber is anger. It is the stickiest dirt. When you get

angry, you forget mother, father and teacher; you descend to the

lowest depths. You lose all discrimination in the excitement; even

Hanumantha set fire to the whole of Lanka when the Rakshasas who set

fire to the tip of his tail incensed him; and he lost sight of the

fact that Sita was in the Asoka Vana. It was only after he had

exulted in achievement for a little while that he remembered it and

then he started condemning himself for his anger.

 

25

 

RAMA is extolled as the ideal son who acted according to his

father's wish regardless of his own happiness. But Bhishma is a

better example in this respect. He acceded to a whim of his father

and in so doing made even a greater sacrifice than Rama. Dasaratha

made Rama an exile in the forest for fourteen years to satisfy the

claims of Truth, while Santhanu made his son give up the throne as

well as a wedded life to satisfy a sensual desire of his senile

body. As a matter of fact, it is not the obedience to the father's

whim that is important; it is the adherence to Sathya and Dharma,

which is Rama's forte.

 

26

RAMANAMA Feast is cloying to some tastes, but it is something ever

fresh that gives undying sweetness to the heart that is filled with

the love of God. One single name will yield fresh sweetness and

fresh joy every time it is rolled on the tongue. I have to tell you

the things I have told you often before; for until digestion is well

established, medicine has to be taken. The face has to be washed day

after day. One meal is not the end of the story; you have to eat,

again and again.

 

27

 

RAMATATWA is known only to Rama. What can the rest know? At best,

they can have but a glimpse of Rama's grace; and even then, only if

they are immersed in intense inner prayer for God. Think of Him.

Call out for Him; He melts. Whatever form He may be shining in, that

intensity will make you recognise Him. He may be a cowherd boy,

standing under a tree with a flute at His lips. You will see Him and

adore Him and place Him in your heart. You extol the Lord as Love,

Mercy and Grace.

 

28

 

EVERY step in the career of the Avatars is fire-determined; Rama

knew that the coming of Surpanaka was the prelude to the coming of

Ravana He had asked Sita to enter the fire and remain in it as

just an outer manifestation. Even before the human manifestation,

the Lord had decided that the Shakti must also accompany Him.

Ravana's Tapas were so strong that only a major sin could make the

blessings he had won from the Gods null and void.

 

29

 

DO not ask God for anything. Let Him deal with you as He wills. Did

Jatayu ask that Rama should come to him and perform the last rights?

Did Sabari plead with Rama? Earn the qualifications - holiness,

purity faith and universal love - then He will approach you on foot,

to console, comfort and save. If you have purity of heart and

mastery over the senses, His Grace is your right.

 

30

 

EGO plays all kinds of tricks in order to get unholy pleasure.

During the construction of the bridge to Lanka to take the army

across, Hanuman heaved a boulder on the raging waves of the sea as

part of the bridge! It floated. Rama heaved another; it sank.

Hanuman's ego was tickled, naturally. He laughed in derision; at

that very moment, his boulder sank! And the boulder that Rama had

thrown rose from the bottom of the sea and floated! Hanuman's ego

was pricked into nothing. That was the purpose for which Rama had

willed that His boulder should sink!

 

31

 

RAMA Nama will save you, if you have at least the Pithru Bhakthi and

Mathru Bhakthi that Rama had. If not, Rama Nama is merely a movement

of the lips. Meditate on the Rama Swarupa, the Ramaswabhawa, when

you recite or write Rama Nama. That will give exercise to the mind;

and it will be made healthy and strong in the spiritual sense. Make

the Dharmaswarupa your Atma Rama on the Janmadina of Rama. That is

My advice and My Blessing.

 

32

 

MAKARA Sankranti is a holy day because the day takes you from

darkness to increasing light. From today, the sun enters upon the

Uttarayana taking a northward direction for six months. When your

Drishti (Sight) is on BRAHMAN and when you have Uttama guna it is

Uttarayana, and when your Drishti is on Prakriti it is Dakshinayana.

When you have fever, the tongue will be bitter. The bitter tongue

is "Dakshinayana". When you are healthy, your sweet tongue tastes

well, it is Uttarayana. The real Uttarayana is when you crave for

the thought of the Lord and the company of the Godly. Bhishma spent

days in bed with pain, as he felt death, when the sun starts towards

north is auspicious. Bhishma yearned for the vision of Krishna in

Uttarayana. Become fit for the vision of God, cultivating Prema in

your heart, full of fragrance and uncontaminated by the pests of

greed and egoism.

 

33

 

WITHOUT the flowers, the plant yields no fruit. Without the emerging

fruit, ripeness cannot happen. Without intense Karma, Bhakti cannot

emerge. Without Bhakti, how can Jnana be found? Somaka the wicked,

spurned and suppressed the Veda. But did he reap any happiness? The

ten-headed monster coveted and kidnapped another's wife. But did he

achieve any gain? The close-fisted Kaurava refused a pinpoint of

land to his closest Kin. But did he keep his loot? The terror-bound

Kamsa sought out and slaughtered each newborn baby; but did he

escape from death? Wicked men, even now, shall meet this fate. Take

this Sai word as the word of Truth.

 

34

 

HERE are the three vows that Krishna had taken; they are mentioned

in the Bhagavad Gita for all humanity to read, know and

believe: "For the protection of the good and the punishment of the

bad, for the establishment of the Moral I shall concretize Myself,

age after age. Whoever is wholly immersed in My contemplation, with

no other thought, I shall be ever with Him; and I shall bear the

burden of his welfare. "Surrender unto Me, giving up all the other

duties and obligations. I shall liberate you from all sin; do not

grieve". The armlets are reminders of these tasks on which He is set.

 

35

 

VYASA is the Loka guru, he is Divine Effulgence. Vyasa sought to

bring home, through the Puranas, the need for mastering the egoistic

impulses, as the Sloka says:

 

Ashtaa dasa puraneshu

Paropakara punyaya

Paapaaya para peedanam

 

Two statements can summarize all the eighteen Puranas composed by

Vyasa. "Do good to others; avoid doing harm". Doing good is the

drug; avoiding harm is the regimen that must accompany the

treatment. That is the cure for the disease of suffering from joy

and grief, honour and dishonour, prosperity and adversity and the

dual thong that bothers man and deprives him of equanimity.

 

36

 

THE Lord will be the Guide of whoever installs Him as his Sarathi.

He will not consider that position inferior. He is the Sanathana

Sarathi, come to be the Sarathi of all. He is the Lord for all who

seek a Master, a support. The Atma is the Master in every one; and

Krishna is the "Universal Atma" personified.

 

37

 

THE moment Krishna was born, the chains that bound his father fell

off; the doors that had been bolted flew open; and the prison guards

were immersed in the Ocean of Bliss, so that they could not

recognise any event or thing in the material world. The fire of

hatred that was burning in them was cooled; and darkness gave place

to the dawn of wisdom. The sky showered raindrops to soften the

earth and lay down dust. How can the lament operate against the

Divine Will?

 

38

 

KRISHNA has three separate meanings - (1) the word Karsh is one root

from which the name is derived. It means, that which attracts;

Krishna attracts hearts to Himself by His sportive pastimes,

miraculous victories over the forces of evil, His charming

conversation, His Wisdom and His personal beauty. (2) The word is

also related to the root, Krish: to cultivate, a field, for growing

crops. The word means, He who removes the weeds from the heart of

Man and sows seeds of Faith, Courage and Joy. (3) It is related to

the root Krish, meaning something above and beyond the three

attributers and the three eras; and "na" means Sath-Chith-Ananda.

 

39

 

KRISHNA had taken three Vows and the Kankans were symbolic of His

determination to fulfill them. They were, as mentioned by Him in the

Gita: (1) "Dharmasamsthapanaya Sambhavaami Yuge Yuge". (I shall

incarnate myself, in every age, to revive and resurrect Dharma) -

(2) "Yogakshemam Vaham Yaham" (I shall bear the burden of ensuring

peace of prosperity for all who rely on me) - (3) "Mokshayishyami

maa sucha" (I shall save all those who surrender wholeheartedly to

Me and I shall liberate them from the cycle of birth and death).

 

40

 

KRISHNA dealt with the World as with a Sitar, pulling its

heartstrings to arouse the melody of comradeship, heroism, love,

affection, compassion and conviction. But, of these, the two

emotions of love and compassion were characteristically His and His

own. His breath was Love! His behaviour was Compassion! Adore Him,

placing a garland of tears around His neck; washing His feet with

tears, springing from joy at the contemplation of His Love! That

very worship will endow you with the wisdom that Sages seek and the

Bliss that the Books extol!

 

41

 

THIS is the genuine Bharathiya Vision to transform life into a

pilgrimage towards the God resident in oneself; a steady march along

the straight path to Bliss. There is no such steadiness now. Fancy

and Fantasy rule the mind of man. You desire one thing in the

morning; at noon you change over to something else. That desire will

not persist until evening. If your desire is fulfilled, you praise

God and parade your devotion. But if it does not prevail, you throw

God overboard and parade your disbelief!

 

42

 

NARADA, who moves always by and with the Lord, feels that God is

beyond his understanding; Balarama who came as His own brother could

not fathom His personality. How then can you grasp My Mystery? How

can those who strut about in well-ironed bush-coats fathom the

Truth? I know some that are here, who sold their Faith to hollow men

and started talking about My dress and My Hair! If you dare, seek My

Truth. Come, surrender unto Me. Do not teach treason to your friends

and to other seekers. Dress and manners have become polished now;

but the inner man has deteriorated in virtue and faith!

 

43

 

DETACHMENT is a plant of slow growth; if you pluck the tender plant

to look for the pods, you will be disappointed. So too, long and

constant practice alone is rewarded by the Peace that God offers.

Grace is acquired by Surrender as Krishna has declared in the Gita.

 

44

 

WHEN the Gita directs you to give up all Dharma (Set Codes of

morality), it does not ask you to also give up all Karma, and when

you do it for God, through God and by God, the Dharma of it does not

matter; it has to be acceptable; and it is bound to benefit you. The

statement is not an invitation to licentiousness or complete

inactivity; it is a call for dedication and surrender to the highest

in Man, namely GOD.

 

45

 

OF all the Slokas in the Bhagavad Gita, Ramakrishna was especially

impressed by the one that emphasized the attitude of Atmanivedana or

Sharanaagathi:

 

Manmana Bhava Madbakto

Madyaji Maam Namaskuru

Mamevaishyasi Yuktvaitvam

Atmanam Matparayanah.

 

"Become one with Me; be devoted to Me; sacrifice to Me and bow down

to Me. Unify yourself, thus you will surely come to Me".

 

46

 

THE Mahabharatha declares: "What is not in Bharath does not deserve

reverential consideration"; and in Bharath, the message has always

been: tolerance, respect for all faiths and the practice of the

essential teachings of love and service with giving up of hatred,

envy and pride.

 

47

 

PERFORM all acts with as much love as you would offer God. In Truth,

you eat for the satisfaction of the "I" in you and dress up to

please the self-same "I". The husband loves his wife for the sake of

the "I". And who is this "I" that is persistently inherent in

everyone? It is God Himself. "Iswara Sarva Bhootaanaam" says the

Gita: the Lord resides in the heart of every being. He is the Atman

in every being. He is the Atman in everyone, the Paramatma.

 

48

 

PONDER over your "sthithi" (present condition), "gathi" (direction

of movement), "shakti" (capabilities), and "mathi" (inclination).

Then enter upon the path of Sadhana step by step, so that you

approach the goal faster every day, every hour, every minute. Arjuna

became entitled to the Gita Upadesh from the Lord Himself, because

he evinced the "Vishada", the "Vairagya", the "Sharanaagathi", and

the "Ekagratha", essential to assimilate The Great Message. When the

yearning for liberation has become intense, beyond expression, man

can set aside all social conventions, worldly norms and codes of

conduct that do not subserve that high purpose.

 

49

 

KRISHNA does not speak of whoever among men who pronounce

the "Pranava" at the moment of death, etc. The word He

uses "whoever" is without any qualification of sex. He does not

say "Whoever that is authorized" or "Whoever among the deserving".

The clear intention of the Lord is to encourage women, as well as

men, to take up Pranava-Upasana. You would have seen that I do not

discourage anyone from the Upasana. It is the royal road to

spiritual victory which all are entitled to use.

 

50

 

THE Gita says that, if you give up all Dharma and take refuge in

Him, then He will save you from Sin and wipe your tears. Giving up

Dharma does not mean that you can bid farewell to virtue and

righteous action; it means, you have to give up egoism that you are

the doer. Be confirmed in the faith that He is the "doer" of every

deed. That is the genuine "giving up".

 

51

 

I AM in your heart all the time, whether you know it or not.

Draupadi called out for the Lord of Dwaraka, Sri Krishna, when the

wicked cousins of her husbands cruelly assaulted her, and so the

Lord responded but after a little delay. He had to go to Dwaraka and

come from there to Hasthinapura where she was! He told her that she

could have received Him in the fraction of a second had she called

out, "Oh Dweller in my heart", for He dwells there as everywhere

else.

 

52

 

THE elders in Brindavan who reveled in scandalizing Krishna -

successors have been born for them even now - set an ordeal for

Radha to test her virtue. She was given a mud pot with a hundred

holes and asked to bring water in that pot from the Yamuna to her

house! She was so full of Krishna-consciousness that she never knew

the condition of the pot. She immersed it in the river, as usual

repeating the name of Krishna with every intake of the breath and

every exhalation. Every time the name Krishna was uttered, a hole

was covered, so that by the time the pot was full, it was whole.

That was the measure of her Faith. Faith can affect even inanimate

objects.

 

53

 

IN Realty, Truth is God; Love is God; Dharma is God. The Gopis and

Gopalas saw in Krishna the Embodiment of Truth, Love and Dharma.

What He said was Truth; what He was became Love, what He did was

Dharma. They were so immersed in Krishna-Consciousness that they saw

everywhere and in everything nothing but Krishna. Krishna for them

did not exist as a separate entity in the home of Nanda; He was

right in their own consciousness, at all levels of it. These Gopis

and Gopalas were true Bhaktas indeed.

 

54

 

WHATEVER is dedicated and offered to God can never be lost. People

can gain enormous benefit by offering even a little to God. "A leaf

or a flower, a fruit or a little water" - that is enough, if offered

with devotion. Draupadi gave Sri Krishna the fraction of a leaf

sticking to the side of a vessel and God granted her endless good

fortune. Kuchela gave a handful of parched rice and received from

the Lord awareness of His endless Glory.

 

55

 

THE Lord had Maya as His consort, so to say, and He had a son called

Manas. This Manas, to continue the parable, had two wives. Pravritti

and Nivritti (Attachment and Detachment). Of course, Pravritti was

His favorite wife and she had a hundred children. Nivritti was ill

treated and neglected; and she had just five. That is the symbolism

of the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Though all the children lived in

the same kingdom, ate the same food and learnt from the same

Teacher, their natures differed widely from one another. The

Kauravas, children of the attachment, were greedy, cruel, self-

centered, and vain. The Pandavas, five of them, each one represented

a Supreme Virtue, so that they could be said to symbolize Sathya,

Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa. As they were so pure and born of

Detachment, the Lord became their Guide.

 

56

 

THE Gita speaks of Bhakthi, Jnana, and Karma as Yogas; and by Yoga

is meant what Patanjali intended it to mean: "Chiththa Vrithi

Nirodha", that is to say, "the stilling of the agitations of the

consciousness". Vishnu is the supreme exemplar of this calm, for He

is "Saanthaakaaram bhujagasayanam", the very picture of peace and

calm, though reclining on a thousand-hooded snake, the snake being

the symbol of the objective world with its poisonous fangs. Being in

the world but not of it, not bound by it - that is the secret.

 

57

 

THE riches that you should strive to amass are not fields,

factories, bungalows or bank-balances but the wisdom and experience

of oneness with the Grandeur of the Universe and the Force that runs

it without a hitch. Arjuna is called Dhananjaya by Krishna because

he had won (Jaya) such Dhanam (riches) that saves man; and that

cannot be taxed, stolen or transferred. The method of winning these

riches is Sadhana.

 

58

 

GIVE joy to all. Prema or Love is the means to achieve this ideal.

When Love can bring even God nearer to you, how can it fail where

man is involved? Krishna could not be bound by any other means. That

is the reason why SAI has declared: "Start the day with Love; spend

the day with Love, fill the day with Love; end the day with Love.

That is the way to God".

 

59

 

KRISHNA was known to all as Almighty, All knowing, all encompassing,

and All-fulfilling. Yet, the enthusiasm to do Seva promoted Him to

approach Dharmaraja, the eldest of the Pandava brothers, on the eve

of the magnificent Rajasuya Yaga that he had planned to perform and

offered to take up Seva of any kind. He suggested that He might be

given the task of cleaning the dining-hall after the guests had

partaken of the feast! Krishna insisted on outer cleanliness and

inner cleansing. Clean clothes and clean minds are an ideal

combination.

 

60

 

DURING the battle of Kurukshetra, which climaxed the Mahabharatha

story, Krishna served as the "driver" of the chariot of Arjuna

throughout the day till dusk on the field and caused the adjournment

of the fight. He led the horses to the river, gave them a refreshing

bath and applied healing balms to the wounds suffered by them during

the fierce fray. He mended the reins and the harness and rendered

the chariot battle-worthy for another day. The Lord sets the example

for the Devotees to follow. He teaches that Service done to any

living being is offered to Him and is accepted by Him most joyfully.

Service rendered to cattle, to beasts, and to men is laudable

Sadhana.

 

61

 

THE World is today in deep distress because the common man and his

leaders are all distracted by lower desires and lower motives, which

require only the lower skills and meaner impulses of man. This is

what I call "devaluation". Though man is inherently divine, he lives

only at the animal level. Very few live even in the native human

level.

 

62

 

KRISHNA does say: "whoever among men who pronounce the Pranava at

the moment of death", etc. The word he uses is "whoever" without any

qualification of sex. He does not say "whoever is authorized or

whoever is among the deserving". The clear intention of the Lord is

to encourage women as well as men to take up Pranava Upasana. You

will see that I do not discourage any one from the Upasana. It is

the royal road to spiritual victory which all are entitled to use.

 

63

 

BHISHMA, for example, has to be revered and accepted as an

inspiration, even more potent than Rama so far as homage to the

father is concerned. In order to cater to the carnal cravings, which

he could have ordinarily condemned, he denied himself gladly,

spontaneously, without demur and for the entire period of his life,

both wedded life and royal status. He honoured the Vedic

injunction, "Pithru Devobhava" in the fullest manner.

 

64

 

THIS created Universe has two aspects, one is impermanence

(Anityam), the second one is unhappiness (Askulham). In the Gita,

Krishna has said, "Anityam Asukha Lokam Imam Prapy Bhajaseva Maam".

Nothing in this World can give happiness that is true and lasting.

Mistaking the World as "All" and forgetting the Atman, which alone

is eternal and the only refuge, is the greatest folly of man today.

Man is pinning all his hopes on slippery work and is madly running

after amassing and hoarding wealth. Of course, material needs are to

be taken care of but within limits and not at the cost of spiritual

values. Money and mansions are not the only wealth. Hoard the wealth

of the Spirit. Character is wealth; good conduct is wealth; and

spiritual wisdom is wealth.

 

65

 

WORKERS and peasants - that is the slogan nowadays. These two

classes were given their due share of social importance and honour

during the Krishnavathar. Now, people are honoured even if they grow

not food but cash crops. Foreign exchange is what we are after and

so, people are encouraged to produce what others can buy not what we

need; such as milk and a variety of milk products which are highly

nutritious foods. Balarama, the elder brother and an Avathar in his

own right, had as his weapon the plough. It declared agriculture as

a consecrated occupation.

 

66

 

EGOISM is the most dangerous illusion that has to be exploded and

destroyed. Bhima had it; but when he could not lift and lay aside

the tail of a monkey, who was really Anjaneya himself, that bubble

was exploded. Arjuna had it one day after the battle. When Krishna

brought the chariot back to camp, he wanted that Krishna should get

down first, like all charioteers; the Master must get down later,

after the Charioteer opens the door for him. Krishna refused and

insisted that Arjuna should alight before He should. At last Krishna

won. Arjuna got down and as soon as Krishna left His seat and

touched the ground, the chariot went up in flames. In fact, if

Krishna had gotten down first, the various fire-arrows, which had

the power of burning the chariot, would have hit the target; but due

to the presence of Krishna, their igneous powers could not manifest

themselves. After knowing this, Arjuna was humbled and his egoism

had a powerful shock. He realized that every action of Krishna was

full of significance.

 

67

 

THE Gita advises "Karmasamyasa", that is to say, Karma without

attachment to the fruit thereof. There are Karmas, which have to be

done as duties related to the status in "Samsara", and, if these are

done in the proper spirit, they will not bind at all. Do all Karma

as actors in a play, keeping your identity separate and not

attaching yourself too much to your role. Remember that the whole

thing is just a play and the Lord has assigned to you a part; act

well your part; there all your duty ends. He has designed the play

and He enjoys it.

 

68

 

IT is when you are in a desperate situation that you call upon the

Lord, forgetting your pride and your egoism. The Pandavas were so

full of misery in a worldly sense that they always had an attitude

of prayer. If I had given you all the comforts and opportunities,

you would not have come to Puttaparthi. Trouble is the bait with

which the fish is pulled out of the water. Kunthi asked that Krishna

should continue giving her and her sons all kinds of misery so that

He may grant them His Grace continuously.

 

69

 

THE Gita prompts you to seek the answers and directs you to

experience them. It helps you to control the "Chittha", the

agitations of the mind; it destroys delusion. It develops true

knowledge; it makes you glimpse the splendour of the Lord and

confirms your faith. You say at one moment: "Baba does everything, I

am but an instrument; but the next moment the same tongue says: "I

did this; I did that; Swami did not do this for me". If you never

step into wrong, you can be ever certain of His Grace.

 

70

 

THE Mahabharatha, for example, is basically the story of the five

Vital Airs of Man (the Pancha Pranas) overcoming the hundred

obstacles in the path of upward progress. The eldest of the Five

Pandava brothers is Dharmaraja (Morality, Righteousness); he is ably

supported by Bhima (physical strength devoted to Divine Service and

charged with Devotion), Arjuna (steady pure Faith in God), and

Nakula and Sahadeva, who represent Steadfastness and Equanimity.

When these Five are exiled, the Hasthinapura (body) is inundated

with Adharma (unrighteousness).

 

71

 

IN the Manasa-Sarovar (the deep, placid mind-lake) of every man

lurks a poisonous cobra with six hoods: Lust, Anger, Greed,

Attachment, Pride and Hate, infesting the air and destroying all who

are near it. The Name of the Lord, when it dives into the depths,

forces it to come up to the surface so that it may be destroyed. So,

allow the Divine in you - the Krishna, Lord over the mind - trample

on the hissing hood and take out the vicious viper; let it vomit the

venom and become Satwic and sweet.

 

72

 

LIKE all Avatars, Krishna announced His advent to the World bit-by-

bit, step-by-step, testing every time how far the Reality will be

accepted by the masses. The signs and miracles were intended, then

as now, to proclaim the Avatar.

 

73

 

THE mystery and splendour of God can be grasped only by a pure mind

and a clear vision. That is why the Lord granted a new eye to Arjuna

in order that he might not be confounded by his glory. A resolution

adopted by the mind is like a stone thrown into a Sarovar or lake.

It produces ripples that affect the entire face and unsettles

equanimity. A good resolution or "Sankalpa" sets up a series of such

thoughts, each contributing its quota to the process of purification

and strengthening.

 

74

 

THE One is comprehensive of all this. So, it has no wants, no

desires and no activity to realise anything. Sri Krishna tells

Arjuna: "Name Partha asthi Karthvyam, Thrishu lokeshu Kinchava

Partha". (There is nothing I have to do in any of the three Worlds).

He has willed the World as his sport. He has laid down that every

deed must have its consequence. He is the dispenser of the

consequences but he is not involved in the deeds.

 

75

 

ONE can also be rid of Maya if one can discard the three Gunas from

one's make-up. The "Sathya guna" too has to be transcended; why? The

Gita directs that even the eagerness to be liberated is a bond. One

is fundamentally free. Bondage is only an illusion. So, the desire

to close the bond is the result of ignorance. Krishna says, "Arjuna,

become free from the three Gunas". In truth, the word "Guna"

means "rope", for all three "Gunas" bind the "Jiva" with the rope of

desire. Liberation means liberation from delusive attachment

or "Moha"; "Mohakshaya", decline in the desire caused by attachment

to sensory pleasure.

 

76

 

CONSIDER for a moment how long worldly triumphs last. They are but

the play of the scintillating name and form of the Divine, which is

the core of every being. Earn the vision that sees the Divine

inherent in all. We are not troubled when something is good; only

when it is bad. This is because goodness is natural. In our evil

aberration, we are worried and alarmed when we slide into wrong or

pain or sorrow. This is because Nature plans us to be right, to be

happy and ever in a state of joy. It is a pity that man has lost his

understanding of this Truth.

 

77

 

VYAS sympathized with man who was caught in the coils of do's and

don'ts, of success and failure, of desire and despair. He demarcated

many a path, which leads man along to fulfillment. The fulfillment

consists in uprooting the animal that lurks in man and reaching out

to the Divinity. That is his essence.

 

78

 

DHYANA is not mere sitting erect and being silent nor is it the

absence of any movement. It is the merging of all your thoughts and

feelings to God. Without the mind becoming dissolved in God, Dhyana

cannot succeed. The Gita declares genuine Dhyana

as "Anayaschinthayanthomaam Ye Janah Paryapasathi" (Those persons

who adore me without any other thought or feeling). Krishna has

assured such persons that He would carry their burden and be by

their side, guiding and guarding them. Persons adept in this Dhyana

are very rare; most people go through the external exercises only.

So they are unable to win Grace.

 

79

 

LIFE is a song, sing it. That is what Krishna taught through his

life. Arjuna heard that song in the battlefield where tensions were

at their highest and when the fate of millions was to be decided by

the sword. Krishna sang the Gita for Arjuna to listen to. Gita

means "Song", and he sang because he was "Ananda" wherever He might

be, in Gokulam, on the banks of the Yamuna or at Kurukshetra between

the warring armies.

 

80

 

WHY does He attract all to His Presence? To plough the heart,

prepare it for receiving the shower of Grace, to grow the seeds of

Love, weed it of all evil thoughts, which smother the crops of joy

and to enable it to gather the harvest of Wisdom. That wisdom finds

its fulfillment in Krishna Himself, for Krishna also means the pure

Essence, the Supreme Principle, the "Sath-Chith-Ananda".

 

81

 

WHERE there is Dharma there Krishna is; so, think for yourself, each

one of you, how far have you deserved the Grace of the Lord? You

draw Him near; you keep Him far. You entangle yourself, bind

yourself, and get caught in the trap. No one is your foe except

yourself. No one else is your friend. You are your only friend. The

Guru shows you the road and you have to trudge alone, without fear

or hesitation.

 

82

 

THE word Dharmakshetra is the first word in the Gita. In the very

first verse of the Song Celestial, the Kurukshetra (field of

Action), in which the Maamakaah (my people, as the blind

Dhritharashtra described them through fond attachment and egoistic

delusion), people motivated by greed and passion, and the Pandavas

(the other people, the good and righteous, the sons of the Fair one,

the Progeny of the pure), is spoken of as already transmuted into

Dharmakshetra (field of Righteousness). For victory is always for

Righteousness and not for greed and passion which blind men.

 

83

 

IF you ask Me, I will say that the Gita is like a balance: scales,

needle and all. The scale on the left is the 7th Sloka of the 2nd

Chapter, speaking of "Karpanya Dosha". The fulcrum is the 22nd Sloka

of the 9th Chapter, beginning with "Anayaschinthayamshomaam"; and

the scale on the right is the Sloka in the 18th chapter, speaking

of "Sarvadharmaam Parithyajya". See how apt the fulcrum Sloka is. It

speaks of single-minded attention, "steady, like the needle of a

well-adjusted balance". Really, the Gita begins with two scales and

a fulcrum: the two armies of Righteousness and Unrighteousness with

Krishna, the Teacher, in the middle.

 

84

 

BHAKTI is of various types according to the Damskara of the devotee

and the state of his mind and the stage of his development. There is

the Shanta Bhakti of Bhishma, the Vatsalya Bhakti of Yashoda, and

the Madhura Bhakti of the Gopikas. Of these the Dasya attitude is

easiest and the best for the majority of aspirants at this time. It

means "Sharanaagathi" and "Prapathithi" out of Shanti Bhakti.

 

85

 

THE fire of sorrow and joy burns when the fuel of Vaasanas is fed

into the furnace of the mind. Take away the fuel and the fire dies

out. Take away the Vaasanas, the force of the impulses, promptings

and urges and you become your own master. This is done in Yoga by

various physiological and psychological exercises. But Bhakti is the

easier means for this end. Naamasmarana is enough: it is said that

the name Sitarama sufficed in the Thretha Yuga; the name Radha-Shama

sufficed in the Dwapara Yuga; and in the Kali Yuga, I tell you, all

Names have that capacity.

 

86

 

PRAKRUTHI is Dhara, Earth and Creation. Think of it always. Long for

it. Pine for Dhara, Dhara, Dhara and you find you are pining for

Radha, Radha. So, Radha is the Becoming and Krishna is the Being;

the desire of Being becomes the longing of the Becoming for the

Being - this is the Radha-Krishna relationship, which has been sung

by seers and poets, calumniated and caricatured by ignorant critics,

appreciated and apprehended by aspirants, and analyzed and realised

by sincere scholars of spiritual lore.

 

87

 

WELCOME all the blows of fate, all the misfortunes and miseries, as

gold welcomes the crucible, the hammer and the anvil in order to get

shaped into a jewel; or as the cane welcomes the chopper, the

crusher, the boiler, the pan, the sprayer and the dryer, so that its

sweetness may be preserved and used as sugar by all. The Pandavas

never demurred when disasters fell thick upon them. They were happy

that they helped them to remember Krishna and call upon Him. Bhishma

was in tears on the arrow-bed, when he was about to pass away.

Arjuna asked Him "why" and he replied, "I am shedding tears because

the miseries undergone by the Pandavas pass through my mind". Then

he said, this is done in order to teach the Kaliyug a lesson; never

to seek power, position or pelf but to submit to the will of God in

a completely resigned way, so that you may be ever happy and unmoved.

 

88

 

THE Gita speaks of Bhakti, Jnana, Karma, as Yogas. By Yoga is meant

what Patanjali intended it to mean "Chiththa Krishthi Nirodha", that

is to say, "the stifling of the agitations of the consciousness".

Vishnu is the supreme example of this calm, for He is "Saanthakaaram

bhujaga Sayanam", the very picture of peaceful calm, though

reclining on a thousand-hooded snake; the snake being the symbol of

the objective World with its poisonous fangs. Being in the World but

not of it, not bound by it, that is the secret.

 

89

 

THE Individual is Arjuna, the Universal, which inspires him, is

Krishna: Led by the Universal, the Individual has to oppose the

attractions and delusion of the Manifested, the Maya, and the

Prakruthi, that is, the Kaurava hordes. The battle depicted in the

Epic is the inner battle, between the temporary and the eternal, the

particular and the universal, the sensual and the super-sensual, the

seen and the seer. The Atma is described as a streak of lightning in

the blue cloud. It is a Gita (streak in Telugu). Discover the Gita,

then the purpose of Gita study is fulfilled.

 

90

 

WHEN Dharmaraja, the eldest of the Five Pandavas came to know -

after the death of Karna which they effected successfully - that

Karna was his brother, his agony knew no bounds; he was struck

disconsolate and was torn by despair. If only he had known the

truth, all that grief could have been avoided. So too, until you

know that all are altars where the name God is installed and all are

moved and motivated by the Grace of the self-same God, you are

afflicted by hate and pride; once you know it and experience it, you

are full of Love and reverence to all.

 

91

 

WHEN Krishna leapt down from His Chariot with the wheel-weapon in

His hand to slay Bhishma, Arjuna jumped down with Him and holding

both His Feet he prayed, "Oh Lord, you have given word that you will

not wield any weapon. Let it not be said that you broke your word to

save me from Bhishma, I am prepared to die". That was the measure of

his Bhakti. Bhishma too had equal Bhakti. He did not step forward to

fight the new challenge nor did he question the Lord. He stood

silent drinking in the charm of the Lord and filling himself with

the vision of the magnificence of the Lord. That was the measure of

the dedication to His will.

 

92

 

KRISHNA is slandered by ignorant, prejudice critics as "jaara"

and "chora" and extolled by seekers and sages with the same

appellations, "jaara" and "chora". He stole the hearts and the

owners were glad of it. He shed light, awakened people and made

those, whose hearts he stole, richer and happier. He destroyed all

craving for sensual pleasure and sensual knowledge and filled the

entire being with thoughts of the Divine. How then can He be

referred to as "jaara" and "chora"? When the blind leads the blind

in this way, both have to fall into the pit.

 

93

 

IN the Mahabharatha, the most noteworthy theme is Dharmasthapana.

When the Pandavas were called into the forest, it was as if the Five

Pranas of Dharma, the sustaining forces of Dharma, were exiled.

Dharmaraja is the Prana of the Right Conduct, Bhima, of the

protective Might of Dharma; Arjuna, of the Faith and Devotion needed

as its Foundation, Nakula and Sahadeva, of the shraddha essential

for the Practice of Dharma. When the Pandavas went to the forest,

Hasthinapura was reduced to Astinapura, a city of bones, without

flesh and blood.

 

94

 

KRISHNA was the Purushothama, Arjuna the Narrothama; It was a

friendship between The Embodiment of the Highest and the Embodiment

of the Best. Krishna was the Avataric Person. Arjuna was the anandic

person; it was a coming together of the Avathramurthi and the

Anandamurthi. Arjuna was often addressed by Krishna as Kurunandana.

This name has a deep significance. "Kuru" means "act, activity,

Karma"; Nandana means "happy, delighted". Kurunandana therefore

means "he who is delighted while engaged in activity". Throughout

the eighteen chapters of the Githa, Arjuna is alert and active,

participating vigilantly in every turn of argument.

 

95

 

PRACTICE the constant presence of God and, learn to offer all your

activities at the Feet of the Lord as an act of worship. Then they

will be free from fault. Krishna advised Arjuna to enter the fight

and, at the same time, told him not to have "hatred"

towards "enemies". These may appear to be two irreconcilable

attitudes, for war is rage (passion, attachment) and renunciation of

hatred is Vairagya (absence of raga). Arjuna asked Krishna how he

was to reconcile these two attitudes. Krishna said, "Maamnusmara

yudhyacha" (keep Me ever in thy mind, and fight. Do not cultivate

the egotistic feeling that it is you who is fighting. I am using you

as My instrument).

 

96

 

THE Pandava brothers were highly fortunate. The eldest, Dharmaraja,

rose to be the emperor. The second was the Indomitable Bhima, armed

with the terrible mace. The third was Arjuna, son of the Lord of the

Gods, Indra. The lord poured His Grace on Arjuna and deigned to

serve him in battle as his charioteer! In spite of all these

advantages, they were subjected to the severest tragedies in life.

What is the lesson that their lives teach? No one can predict what

calamity will overtake one and at what time. Every thing depends on

the will of Providence; it all happens according to the Divine Plan.

 

97

 

THE question on the battlefield was not who was the Kin of whom, but

who was right and who was wrong; fight for justice, fight for truth,

fight for these as akshatriyu is in duty bound, and leave the result

to the Dispenser of all. Krishna told Arjuna: "I am surprised that

you should weep, for you are Gudakesa, the conqueror of sleep and

ignorance. You do not kill, so don't be so conceited; nor do they

die. They have many more things to do; and so they are real

deathless". "The sentence of death has been already pronounced on

their bodies by Me, and you have but to carry out My Orders",

Krishna said.

 

98

 

KRISHNA felt that it was time to reveal His Truth and so He just

showed all creation in His Mouth when His mother asked Him to show

her His tongue, when she suspected He had eaten sand. He made even

the longest rope too short to bind Him. It became the talk of the

place and every one felt he had all the fourteen Worlds in Him!

Avathars choose the time and the mode of announcement of their

Advent and Their Glory. Even in this Avathara such miracles had to

be done when I decided that the time was opportune for taking the

people into My Secret.

 

99

 

WHEN the righteous Pandavas were harassed by wicked Kauravas, the

beauteous Krishna appeared and saved them. The lord can never design

violence and blood shed. Love is His instrument, non-violence His

Message. He achieves the correction of the evil-minded through

education and example. But it may be asked, why did Kurukshetra

happen? It was a surgical operation and therefore cannot be

described as an act of violence. The Surgeon saves life through the

beneficial use of His Knife.

 

100

 

CONSIDER the Name Krishna which the Avathar bore; what a significant

Name? Krishna is derived from the root "krish" which means (1) to

attract (2) to plough and cultivate and (3) the Divine Principle

beyond time, space and causation. Krishna, like all Avathars,

attracts not only seekers, Saints and Sages but the simple, the

innocent and the good. He draws also the curious, the critics, the

Skeptics and those who suffer from atheism. He draws them towards

Himself by the irresistible charm of His Person, by His invincible

Look, His Voice, His Flute, His counsel and His undaunted Heroism!

He is ever in a State of Bliss, spreading Harmony, Melody and beauty

around Him; He sings everywhere in the peaceful Pasture lands of

Brindavan and in the blood soaked battle field of Kurukshetra.

 

Source:

http://www.saibaba.ws/teachings/pearls/1-100.htm