Interview of Anil Kumar - Good One

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Interview of Anil Kumar- GOOD ONE.

Sat, 18 Jun 2005 12:36:10 +0530

"Sherman Office - Vijaipur" sherman@g...

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57.“Why was Rama commanded to spend 14 years in exile?” (09.02.2003)

I am very grateful to this devotee who gave an interpretation.

“Why was Rama commanded to spend 14 years in exile?”

He provided an answer to this question. I am very grateful to him. I will just

read out the answer that he gave from Sai literature. One question was asked

some weeks back: “Why 14 years? Why not 13? Why not 12?” Then my answer was,

“Why bother about 12 or 13? When He could not be in society, when He could not

be in Ayodhya, the capital of His kingdom, after all 10 or 12 years, what does

it matter?” That’s what I said, of course in a jovial way. But this is the

correct answer given by Bhagavan, which was sent to us by e-mail from a friend.

I will read it to you now.

“There was a question regarding why the number 14 years was given for Sri Rama’s

exile. Swami did mention why it was 14 years. During Sri Rama’s time, it was

considered that if a husband and wife live separately for 13 years, then the

marriage is considered null and void. So, Mandhara wanted Kaikeyi to ask

Dasaratha to banish Sri Rama for 14 years so that His relationship with the

throne was destroyed. Even now Indian law says that if anyone rents your house

for more than 12 years, we don’t need to ask him -- he owns it! (Laughter) So

that is the point.”

56.

It seems Swami said another prayer: “Annam Brahmaa, Raso Vishnu, Bhoktho Devo

Maheswara.” The question is this: Shall I say “Brahmaarpanam Brahmahavihi”

before eating food, or shall I say, “Annam Brahmaa, Raso Vishnu, Bhoktho Devo

Maheswara” -- this prayer or that prayer?

(09.02.2003)

My friend, this prayer or that prayer, after all, it is only a prayer. This

sweet or that sweet, they are still sweets. Right? Similarly, “Brahmaarpanam

Brahmahavihi” is the usual prayer that we offer before we partake food. Nothing

wrong with it. We don’t need to substitute it with this “Annam Brahmaa, Raso

Vishnu, Bhoktho Devo Maheswara”. That’s not necessary. Both mean the same: The

food is Divine. The one who partakes of the food is Divine and the essence is

Divine. That is the meaning.

You can call it water or

aqua.

“Shall I say ‘aqua’?”

“Good.”

“Shall I say ‘water’?”

“Why not?”

Both mean H2O. There’s no change in its content. That’s the answer I can give you.

55.“Why doesn’t Bhagavan cure Himself?”

(02.02.2003)

Bhagavan said in one of His discourses, ‘If you pray, I will cure Myself.’ Why

don’t we pray so that He can cure Himself?”

The question that has been asked has a problem. When there is a disease, there

is a solution, a cure. But when there is no complaint, where is the question of

a cure?

Baba said, “I never experience pain. I have not used any tablet, pill or

injection until this day. I do not suffer, but it appears like I have been

suffering.”

Am I clear? Is it true? Why not? We appear to be happy though we are not

happy. (Laughter) This is because we are good actors. God is the Super Actor,

so He can act better than all of us! (Laughter)

Jagannatha Sutradhari, The Divine Actor. So we pretend to be happy, though we

are not happy. If we can do this at the human level, then why can’t He act at

the Divine level and pretend to be suffering?

If this is the case, then our question becomes, “Why should He pretend?” The

reason He pretends is because He takes on our suffering. Why should He suffer

for us? He does it in order to reduce the period of our suffering because we

cannot bear the intensity of it. Therefore, Baba does not need to cure Himself

because He does not suffer.

Then why did He say, “If you pray, I will cure Myself?” He said this so that

at the very least we will pray for this reason.

(Laughter) At least we should pray on these grounds because He wants us to pray

one way or another. If you don’t pray, you become ‘prey’.

(Laughter)

Therefore, I don’t believe that He suffers because we see Him with all these

external, so-called complaints, and yet He can get up and still speak.

There was one moment when He could not speak at all. His voice was so low that

I could not hear it. It was like He was speaking from the bottom of a well. I

could not hear Him.

He said, “Anil Kumar, My voice is like this. My voice is like this.”

What could I reply? He was to speak in ten minutes. He called me into the

interview room and said, “I cannot speak.”

I thought to myself, “What should I say?”

Then He asked, “What shall I do?” (Laughter)

Well, I couldn’t do anything about it! (Laughter)

Then He said, “You speak.”

I said, “I want to live for a while longer. (Laughter) I can’t speak because

people are expecting

Your speech. If I go up there and start speaking, well I don’t think I will

survive until tomorrow. People are anxious to see and hear You, not me. I can’t

do that, Swami.”

“Then what shall I do?”

“You may do anything You like. (Laughter) You can ask somebody else to speak.

Swami, I dare not speak for You because nobody can stand in on Your behalf -

unless that fellow was just released from a mental hospital.” (Laughter)

It is impossible for anyone to represent Him. Nobody can represent Him on His

behalf. No one can say, “He has given me all His powers.”

There are some people who say, “Baba has given some powers to me.”

Oh ho, He is not a distribution centre!

(Laughter)

 

There are some who say, “Baba speaks through me.”

Why should He speak through others - as if He cannot speak for Himself?

(Laughter) These are all utterly ignorant, idiotic, stupid claims, and we should

never fall prey to them. Do not allow yourself to be preyed upon by these

people. No one ever represents Him. No one will receive special powers, or a

special delegation to start a branch office. He does not need any medium to

speak through because He is in you, with you, above you, below you and around

you. He and you are One! Where is the question of a third person?

When Baba says, “I and you are One,” if you say, “I want somebody else to tell

me this”, well all right, hang yourself. Nobody can help you. When He’s there

in you, why do you want a separate medium? We’re not able to find Him in us;

therefore we are confused.

My friends, I can only answer these questions this way, but I’m happy that you

have come forward with some questions. I’m grateful to all those who have sent

these questions because they are all intellectual and thought provoking. They

help me to dive into the depths of Reality and to remember everything Bhagavan

has said. I thank them all. I thank all of you for having listened to the talk

in rapt attention.

54.

“How do we know that we are realised?"

(02.02.2003)

Very good. How do we know that we are realised? How do I know that I am rich? I

can look in the passbook. I can go to the bank and the cashier will tell me.

(Laughter)

How do I know that I am educated? I have diplomas and degrees, yes.

How do you know that you are realised? When you forget this ‘I’, you are already realised.

(Laughter) If you say, “I know I am rich. I know I am educated. I know I am

realised,” then you are not realised because ‘I’ is still there. When you do

not exist, then there is realisation, that’s all. Realisation is you. You are

the realisation. So, how can you say that you are realised? No, you can’t say

that.

Here’s an example. Let’s imagine we have a toy made of sugar candy. To find

out how deep the water level is, we put it into a water tank. We drop the sugar

toy in, and wait to see it come back up. But what happened? We searched all

around, but couldn’t find it. Why didn’t it come back to the surface? It didn’t

return because it dissolved.

It is not a problem to solve -- it was just time for it to dissolve. Let us

resolve to dissolve, not merely to solve. Therefore, my friends, how do I know

I am realised? When the ‘I’ is gone, you are already realised. That is the

answer I can give you.

Then in an interview, it was said that there was a lady outside who was

already a realised soul, therefore Bhagavan could not give her an interview.

Oh? First of all, if Swami had said to that lady, “You are a realised soul,

therefore I have not given you an interview,” that realised soul would not

repeat this because realisation is Bhagavan. Bhagavan is realisation. You are

realisation. What is the question? Where is the problem of Him saying, “I

didn’t call you for an interview because you are realised”? It is gone. The

very question is gone because Bhagavan and you are One. That happens to be

realisation. That’s all. There’s no question of being called or not being

called for an interview. There’s only the question of an inner view and not an

interview.

I don’t recall Bhagavan saying to anybody, “You are a realised soul.” The

simple fact that we are here means that we have yet to be realised. We have yet

to be realised because a realised soul will be in a state of bliss. He does not

see a second -- he’s only One-without-a-second, non-dual. Therefore, I don’t

understand this problem.

 

53.“When He separated Himself from Himself into many, was there any reduction in

bliss? Was His bliss reduced? Is His bliss now divided, separated? Does He

experience less bliss?”

(02.02.2003)

Here’s a simple example. When I have a thousand rupees and I distribute it

among ten people, I am left with only ten rupees. Similarly, if Bhagavan has

one hundred percent of bliss to begin with, what happens when He divides

Himself by ten percent, and then ten percent again, and so on? Is He left with

only ten percent? (Laughter) I’m sorry. I’m sorry because He is whole. You are

whole. You are total. You are full, not a fraction.

 

Poorna mada. Poorna midam.

 

That is full. This is full.

So, there is no question of reduction or decline in bliss. There was no change

in the percentage of bliss when He divided Himself into many. That answer I can

tell you from His discourses.

 

52.

“Before He took a body, was Bhagavan aware of bliss and Love to the same extent that He is now?”

(02.02.2003)

 

Ah ha, very good. (Laughter) My friends, He need not be aware of bliss. He need

not be aware of His Love. This has nothing to do with before or after taking of

the body. No. He is awareness Itself. He did not become aware. He is awareness

Itself. Please, understand. Similarly, Bhagavan does not need to acquire

wisdom. He is wisdom Itself. He does not need to become knowledgeable. His is

knowledge Itself. Therefore, is He aware? The question doesn’t arise because He

is awareness.

But let me give you further clarification. A question was put to Swami

regarding how much food He eats. After all, He eats very little. I don’t know

how many of you have noticed, but He eats only two or three spoons of food,

that’s all. It can be very embarrassing for others to sit with Him during

meals. (Laughter) But we are helpless because He feels very happy when we eat

more and more. (Laughter) The more we eat, the happier He is. But

He eats very little. (Laughter)

When I asked, “Swami, how are You so energetic with only two spoons of food?”

He said, “You get energy from the food that you eat. I don’t get energy from

the food I eat because I

am energy.”

Bhagavan is energy Itself.

(Applause) He doesn’t need to get energy from food. Please understand.

Therefore, is He aware of Love? This question isn’t necessary because He

is Love. Is He aware of bliss? No, because He

is bliss Itself. That is the answer.

51.“Does spiritual evolution continue after death? (19.01.2003)

I have not met anybody who has returned after death, telling me, “I have

evolved.” (Laughter) No, I have not come across anybody like this.

But the scriptures clearly say this: “There’s no death at all.”

Understanding death will help you to understand that there is no death. That is

the reason why we have to understand what death is -- in order to be deathless.

So, there’s no death. There can only be death if there is birth; but there’s no

birth either. No birth and no death is the reality -- even though it is so

difficult to believe -- because the soul or spirit is eternal, immortal. Swami

always says: Sunwantu Viswe Amrutasya Putraha.

The real Divinity in you is beyond birth and death.

The so-called birth is only the appearance of the body, and the so-called death

is only the disappearance of the body. To quote Bhagavan here: “You move from

one room to another room. That does not mean that you are already dead in the

next room and you are going to be born again in this adjoining room. Certainly

not! You are moving from one room to another. The whole thing belongs to you.”

In a similar way, birth and death are only a change of dress. This is why, when

He was on the cross, Jesus Christ told His mother Mary, “Death is the dress of

life.” That’s what I can say. And what is spiritual evolution? Spiritual

evolution is the feeling that a drop belongs to the ocean. The drop is not

separate. The drop and the ocean are one and the same. The spark and the fire

are one and the same. The foam, the wave and the water are all one and the

same. The clay and the pot are one and the same. The gold and the jewels are

one and the same. This kind of experience is a culmination in the evolution of

this organic world.

Well, that brings us to the end of the questions submitted to me. I thank you

very much for having been here with me this morning and for listening to the

talk with rapt attention. May Bhagavan be with you forever and ever more!

 

50.“We have very little time to work in the organisation. Baba, with all His

compassion, is accelerating everybody’s karma. Please clarify.” (19.01.2003)

Acceleration of

karma is not limited to organisational works. Please, be very clear -- our work

in the organisation is not in any way different from our office work. It is the

spirit that counts, not the work that matters. So long as I think I have done

the work, whether it is organisational work or office work or domestic work or

menial work, or whatever work I do - if I do it with a sense of ‘I-ness’, that

is ridiculous. That is undesirable.

Without this ‘I-ness’, whatever you do -- whether office or personal work

anywhere -- if it is done with the feeling, “Baba, You are the doer; I’m only

an instrument in Your hands,” well, that will certainly accelerate everybody’s

karma, leading to total annihilation, freeing you from bondage. So, this

‘I-ness’, the spirit, is more important, not necessarily whether it is

organisational work or office work.

 

49.“There are many people who claim that they are the reincarnation of Jesus.” (Laughter)

“Shall we follow him?” (19.01.2003)

If anyone calls himself the reincarnation of Jesus, before you decide to follow

him, let the psychiatrist decide. (Laughter). There are many people who make

claims like that. Let’s not go by false claims.

48.“How do you view depression in a civilised world?”

(19.01.2003)

Civilisation necessarily makes you depressed (Laughter) because civilisation is

nothing but the _expression of the outer personality, comforts and

conveniences, electronic gadgets, and so on. If I have the latest car, I’m

sophisticated. If I have an air-conditioned home, well, I’m really civilised.

Civilisation has no limits - the sky is the limit. In the name of civilisation,

we have too many desires -- desires are multiplied and multiplied. There’s no

end at all. So, civilisation will certainly take you to depression.

What we need is culture. Culture is based on values. Culture gives you

satisfaction. Culture helps you to develop a balanced state of mind, whereas

civilisation takes you to confusion. It is like a fire -- whatever you put into

it, the fire consumes. So, civilisation goes on consuming your energy, sapping

your time, leaving no time to rest, stand and stare. Thus, in a civilised

society, we should learn how to be cultured. Keep civilisation ‘number two’ and

culture at the top of our priorities. Then there’ll be no depression.

 

47.“How do we deal with rebirth or reincarnation? How does it reconcile with

Adwaitha? What exactly is rebirth, if only God exists?”

(19.01.2003)

How do we deal with rebirth? We cannot deal with it because it is not in our

hands. None of us submitted an application to God before our birth to be born

as a human being. Really, had application forms been given to us before our

birth, we would probably have filled in volumes of columns at least, to make

sure we’d be born as a millionaire. (Laughter) “Oh God, at least see that I’m

full of joy, fun and frolic forever.

(Laughter)

See that I won’t die next time.”

(Laughter)

These would have been our expressions. So there is no question of dealing with

rebirth because it is not in our hands. But, how do we reconcile it with

Adwaitha? Adwaitha means, as you know, non-dualism -- only One exists, not two. As Baba says:

Ekam Eva Advithiyam Brahma.

Ekam Eva means ‘only one, not two’. So, how do we reconcile this with rebirth?

My friends, as long as I feel that I am separate from God, I have to be born

again and again. Once I understand and experience that God and I are one,

there’s no rebirth. So birth and rebirth are due to separateness or due to the

feeling of a separate identity, due to one’s identification with the body, mind

and intellect. Because of this separation from the Divine entity, one has to be

born again and again. Once you experience and deeply identify with Divinity, it

cuts short the chain of birth and death.

 

46.“How should youngsters behave, particularly when they are overwhelmed by

images and news? How should they behave?”

(19.01.2003)

Bhagavan says, “There isn’t anything on how youngsters should behave.” But, here

is Bhagavan’s general guidance on this matter:

Start early, drive slowly, reach safely. So, when a youngster starts his life,

directed along the spiritual path at an early age, he’ll have the correct

perspective, and know the right way of handling life and its situations. That

is why Bal Vikas was introduced.

45.“How can you pray with absolute faith when you have to sacrifice? Abraham had

to sacrifice his son. Abraham had to kill his son, as per the command of God.

Abraham was called by God and commanded to sacrifice his son. When I have such

a costly sacrifice, how can I pray to God?”

(12.01.2003)

Abraham was prepared to kill his son in response to the command of God. That is

symbolic. It means you should be prepared to sacrifice your kith and kin. You

should be prepared to sacrifice your near and dear, in preference for God.

That’s what I mean. It doesn’t mean that everyone should bring his son here and

kill him, no. Not that! (Laughter) It is symbolic; there is an

inner significance behind it. You should be prepared to ‘kill’ your

relationships, to ‘kill’ your attachment, to ‘kill’ your bondage. We should

understand it in that sense. As the time is up, since you have to go to the

canteen and go for

darshan line, I will take leave of you. I have already taken extra time because

those people who have sent questions should not be disappointed. After all, it

is not just for fun that we are collecting questions. We need to answer them.

 

44.“What do you mean by transformation? Does it mean controlling the senses or

eliminating the ego? When there is Reality inside, what do you mean by

transformation?”

(12.01.2003)

This is a very good question. I do not mean transformation of the Self, no. I

mean transformation of our attitude, transformation of our conduct,

transformation in our behaviour, transformation of the information that we

receive from all around. As Baba says, “News is nuisance.”

So, I mean transformation of the information, transformation of the human heart,

which has been so tough and rough, and is not responding to the misery, woes and

tears of our fellow men.

When I remove my coat, shirt and t-shirt, I see my chest. So, similarly,

transformation is needed in order to see the Reality. Transformation is not

different from what you are. Transformation of the worldly man into a spiritual

man, transformation of the physical personality into someone who knows the true

Self -- this word ‘transformation’ is used in that sense - not to mean

something that is completely different.

43.“God is goodness. God is full of values, while man in contrast has no values.

Man is brutal. He’s horrible. He’s crazy. What shall I do now?”

(12.01.2003)

Man has become brutal and crazy due to his own actions. I have got a white

kerchief with me. It has become dirty. Who is responsible? I am responsible. I

used it and made that kerchief dirty. Similarly, man is pure. Man is not

polluted. Man is Love, man is bliss; but he made it just the opposite. It is of

his own making.

If I find a rich man begging near a bank, what should I tell him? “Hey, poor

fellow! You are not a beggar. Go to the bank, check your entries in your

passbook, and then you’ll know that you are a rich man. You don’t have to beg.”

Similarly, this kind of weakness is of our own making; it is not of God’s

design. Why? Because of our selfishness. Why? Sensual pleasure. Why?

Attachment. Why? Physical comforts and conveniences. When these things are gone

-- the selfishness, arrogance, avarice, lust and desire -- when these things are

gone, then you are pristine, pure, as fresh as a newly-born babe, as fresh as a

newly purchased kerchief, so dry, and white. But I made it so dirty, with the

passage of time.

42.“Bhagavan Buddha left his family. But wasn’t it His duty to take care of His

family? Is it justifiable that He left his child and wife like that?”

(12.01.2003)

It’s a question of priorities in life. There are some people who sacrifice

everything for political ends. There are terrorists -- they leave their

families to kill somebody else. It is a question of priorities.

(Laughter) Is it necessary to leave your family to kill somebody? Yes, if it is

a priority. Bin Laden -- what has he done? He left everything to finish off

somebody - his priorities in life.

For Buddha, God was uppermost, and all the rest were obstacles along His way.

Buddha was a realised soul. Buddha was an Incarnation.

For your information, I will share with you what Baba has said: “If it is a

matter of choice between father and God, you should choose God and not the

father. An example of this is Prahlada. If it is a matter of choice between a

husband and God, choose God, not the husband - an example is Meera. If it is a

choice between a brother and God, choose God, not the brother - an example Is

Vibhishana.”

If it is a choice between father and God, choose God, not the father, as was the

case with the boy Prahlada. So, with regard to our relations and God, we should

choose God, and none else. But, I don’t think we choose God first, no. In order

for us to choose God first, He has to be part of our family. (Laughter) “God,

help my family. God, help my community.” So, the priority is never God. If

anyone prays like this, it is for the benefit of the family only.

Buddha kept God as His top priority, so He left His family. I don’t know how

many of you know this, but Buddha, after attaining realisation, enlightenment,

went back to the palace. He returned to His palace.

Suddhodana, His father stood there and said, “Oh, son! Where were you all this

time, all these days? What happened to you? Come here!”

And Buddha replied, “Father, your son died long ago.”

“You are here, you are my son! Why do you say that my son died long ago?”

“No, your son, Siddhartha, died long ago. In front of you, you don’t see your

son. You see Buddha, the Realised.” And then He found Yashodara, His wife.

Buddha wanted to avoid her because years earlier he had left at midnight,

without informing her. He hoped to avoid her, but women are very clever.

(Laughter) They never allow avoidance. It is their nature. So, this man was not

successful in avoiding her either. She immediately came and said to Him, “Oh

Lord, please follow my words carefully.” Yashodara, wife of Buddha, spoke to

Him like this, “Oh Lord, what is it that you had there in the forest that was

not here in the palace? What is here in the palace, which was not available

there in the forest? Do you consider the palace an obstacle? Did you feel that

I would not have permitted you to do penance or

tapas here in the palace?”

Buddha had no answer, just as Rama had no answer when Sita started questioning

him. Sita started questioning Rama and He had no answer. That’s why Swami

always says, “Woman is known for her intelligence, while man is known for his

intellect.”

Intelligence and intellect are different. Intelligence is emotion. Intelligence

is reaction. Intelligence is spontaneous. Intelligence is instantaneous, while

intellect is logic. Intellect is rational. Intellect likes to reason. So, women

symbolise intelligence. Before their intelligence, the intellect cannot stand.

That made Rama fail. That made Buddha fail. They could not answer. And so, when

I said Buddha left His family, it was not for any reason other than His choice

was God. For Him, everything else was secondary.

41.“What does Bhagavan say about telepathy? Some people are gifted with

telepath. What does Bhagavan say?”

(12.01.2003)

I don’t know what Bhagavan has said about telepathy, but I have complete sympathy towards that man.

(Laughter) Why? Because certain achievements like telepathy, certain

achievements of forecasting, certain achievements like controlling another

man’s mind or reading the mind of another person, are not the ultimate goal.

For example, if you take a flight to New York, there may be other places, like

Bombay and Frankfurt, where you have to land and disembark before you finally

arrive at JFK Airport. So, when getting off at Frankfurt, you don’t say, “I

want to settle here.” No. You continue on to New York -- you can't settle there

in Frankfurt, can you?

Likewise, there are certain intermediate stages in spirituality. On the

spiritual path, we have certain achievements, certain simple things, but they

are our greatest obstacles.

Speaking of the future - horoscopes and what lies ahead of you, there are some

people who want to read some Nadi Grandha books. Suppose some books or

horoscopes tell me that I am going to be a king next year. (Laughter) So, I

will have to be waiting throughout this year. It may turn out that I may not be

a king, but the waiting is a certainty.

(Laughter) Suppose the books tell me that I'm going to be a beggar next year. I

become a pauper starting right now.

(Laughter)

So, there is no point in learning the future. It is not necessary! Not

necessary. So my friends, let us not be bothered about telepathy.

40.“As the day in the Kali Yuga is 24 hours, what was the duration of the day in

the Dwapara Yuga, or even before in the Thretha Yuga?”

(05.01.2003)

I find time is running short now itself, so how about Dwapara Yuga?

(Laughter) Anyway, it is a question indeed. The epics have an answer. The

Shastras have an answer: So many years constitute a moment or a minute for

Brahma. So many years constitute a day for Brahma, and so many decades

constitute a half-day or a month for Brahma. There is a calculation. I vaguely

remember having heard from a priest in a temple during my childhood days that

there is an answer to this, but I do not remember it just now.

But my advice is this: Let us be conscious of this

time

right

now. What is life, my friends? Life is

not the past, no. Past is death. Life is

not the future. Why? It is uncertain. So, what is life? Life is

here

and

now. I repeat: What is life? Life is here and now, that’s all. So let us think

of the life here and now.

The life here and now is with God. It is eternal; it is immortal.

39.“Is there any evidence of life on any other planet?”

(05.01.2003)

We have a sufficient population problem here on this earth - well, how about the other planets?

(Laughter)

I don’t know, I don’t know! I didn’t ask Swami this question. If there is an

appropriate time for me to ask, I’ll see what He says.

38.“Why does God come so infrequently? Why only every 500 years or 1000 years?

Why not regularly, like a train? Why not? (Laughter) Had He been here

throughout, arriving year-after-year, then all our weaknesses could have been

prevented and we would never run away from the path of righteousness -- we’d

never run astray. God could control us if He appeared frequently and regularly.

It would make His job lighter and easier.”

(05.01.2003)

My friends, with no publicity or sense of ownership, with no feeling of pride

and ego, not even in the wildest of my dreams, I humbly urge you to go through

the two volumes of

Satyopanishads, Volume One and Volume Two. These books contain 272 questions

asked of Swami in Kodaikanal. They cover all these questions, giving His Divine

answers. These are answers given by God, over which I have no claim. (If there

is any confusion, I am ready to take the blame, to improve upon the book and

revise it for the next edition.) Please go through those two volumes of

Satyopanishad. Those books have the answers to many of these questions.

What is the question here? “Why doesn’t He appear frequently?” The answer given there in

Satyopanishad is this: When five people are fighting, the elder member of the

village will come and say, “Don’t fight.” He will resolve the problem. When two

groups of 50 people fight with each other, a police constable is necessary to

settle the problem. When two groups of 100 people fight, a Circle Inspector

needs to be there. When villages fight with other villages, the District

Superintendent of Police needs to be there. When states fight with states, an

army is needed. So, it depends upon the intensity of the problem.

When there is so much confusion, when the human race is threatened with

extinction from this planet, then it is a serious enough case for the ‘Divine

Surgeon’ to come down and operate. (Laughter) Like in appendicitis, any

further delay would lead to the collapse of the patient! So, an operation is

not needed for a simple stomachache. It may ache so much, but it doesn’t call

for an operation -- some syrup is enough. If I fast tonight, that should be

enough. So,

He decides the condition of the patient; I cannot decree it myself.

So, why doesn’t God incarnate more frequently? He doesn’t find it necessary.

When and if He finds the necessity, then He incarnates at His own behest,

according to His own Will. That’s the answer that Baba gave in this context.

37.“There are so many ages like the Thretha Yuga, Dwapara Yuga and Kali Yuga.

Are they different periods of earth’s evolution, or are they something

different?”

(05.01.2003)

As I understand it, it is all the course of earth’s evolution, like the

Palaeozoic period, like Mesozoic period, or the Carbonizoid period. They are

different periods of time. Even if you go through anthropology texts, they

clearly tell us that ancient man was seven feet tall. Now, gradually, pygmies

and dwarfs have come!

When Bhagavan materialized a ring of this size, He said, “This is Rama’s ring.”

It was large enough to serve as my waist belt!

(Laughter) “Swami, is this Rama’s ring?” “Yes, it is!” “Is it so big?”

“Why not? He was not so small like you. He was a large man.”

Then He materialized a gold chain of Ravanasura’s. It was a big chain, full of Siva

lingams. Yes. At the centre, there were three big crystal lingams of yellow,

blue and gold, with gold Siva

lingams all around -- such a big chain.

“Swami, is this..?”

“Yes, it is Ravana’s!”

>From seeing that, you can imagine his size!

Therefore, they belong to the earth’s evolution, but they are not earthly.

Please understand. Being on earth is different from being earthly, as being a

child is different from being childish. I am not a student of literature. I am

a student of botany. But to my knowledge, one can be like a child, but never be

childish. Am I clear? If you are child-like, you are Divine. If you are

childish, you must be put under check.

(Laughter)

Similarly, it is the course of earth’s evolution, but it is not earthly. What do

I mean by that? Jesus of those times had a message for these times. Rama of

those days had a message for these days. So, though they are of earth, they are

simply not earthly, as they had no lesson to learn. They are terrestrial, but

with a

celestial

mission in life. So, those ages have a message for this age. That is the answer

I have.

36.“Why man? Why are we here? Why are we created?” (05.01.2003)

Good question! Why man? Man is a special creation of God. The Holy Bible says

that God made man in His own image. Krishna is so happy to see Himself in

Arjuna. Rama is so happy to be followed by Lakshmana because He finds Himself

there.

A simple example: Every one of us, without exception, when standing in front of

a mirror considers himself or herself to be very, very handsome or beautiful,

though someone may tell that is it is not so.

(Laughter) “Please, no! You keep quiet!”

(Laughter) God separates Himself because He loves Himself. God separates Himself

into many in order to love Himself. I look into the mirror to know how handsome

I am. So God separated Himself:

Ekoham Bahusyam…

One into many…

God has manifested into many. He finds His beauty in you. He finds His splendour

in you. He finds His individuality in you. He finds His personality in you. That

is:

Sahasra Seersha Purushah

Sahasraksha Sahasra Paad.

The whole universe is like a myriad of mirrors, in which He finds His own

reflection. He feels so happy. It is all the play of God, what we call the

‘leela’ of God, the Will of God.

It is not the game of God, please understand! Game is human, while play is

Divine. Please understand this. In a game, there is winning and losing. In a

play, there is none of that. It is bliss. A game is commercial, while a play is

spiritual. A game has rules and regulations, while a play is beyond rules and

regulations. In a play, a fellow may die at the age of 30 or the fellow may not

die though he’s 104. So it is all God's play - the Divine

leelas of God. And therefore my friends, why man? It is the play of God. Why are

we here? We are here because of the play of God, the Will of God. It is all a

creation for His own delight.

35.“What is known about the Golden Age that Swami often talks about? When will it begin?”

(05.01.2003)

This is like a person getting up at 8 o’clock asking, “When did the sunrise

start? What time is the sunrise?”

He got up at 8 o’clock, already two hours late!

(Laughter) Am I right? So, when did it start? When will the Golden Age start?

The Golden Age started 77 years ago!

(Applause) The Golden Age began when Bhagavan took birth.

Then, why am I not aware of it? I got up at 8 o’clock.

(Laughter) I got up at 9 o’clock. I have not been awake all these years. I have

been spending time in sleep and slumber. The reason is that the Golden Age was

my

dream. If the Golden Age had been my

vision, then I would have been awakened by this time. That Golden Age should

have already kindled in my heart the light of wisdom within me, awakening the

third eye of vision.

34.“Why should I have the goal of liberation or Self-realisation? After all,

why? What is the harm if I am reborn? What is the harm if I'm to die again? Why

not? Then in this birth, I can enjoy life. In liberation, where is the enjoyment

because you are one with God?”

(05.01.2003)

Good! This is a genuine question, a very genuine question. As a man in the

company of God, I can enjoy nearness and I can enjoy dearness. In liberation,

is there anything like ‘dearness’ and ‘nearness’ and bliss? This is a genuine

question indeed!

The answer is this: Instead of loving God, if you

become Love itself, it is a million times greater than the process of loving. I

think that’s clear. Instead of trying to be blissful in the company of God, if

you are bliss itself, what else is left in this world? And the experiences of

pain and pleasure, success and failure, blame and praise -- these are all due

to the dualism of life. Once you go beyond dualism, where there is no positive

or negative, that is the state of liberation,

moksha or nirvana.

So, one aims for liberation in order to remain in the state of bliss, not just

to have blissful moments. Intermediate, blissful moments are different from the

state of bliss itself. So, this permanent bliss is coveted very much. People

deeply pray for liberation on the spiritual path because with liberation you

find eternal bliss. In life, you have momentary bliss or blissful moments. So,

in ordinary existence you are dual, whereas in liberation you are non-dual.

Therefore, liberation is the ultimate.

Instead of being a

lakhshapati (having hundreds of thousands) or a

crorepati (having tens of millions), instead of being the owner of billions, if

you are wealth itself, what more do you want? Or, instead of having water

tanks, if you are the ocean itself, what more do you need? So, the fullness,

the totality is liberation, while existence is fragmentary, segmented, in

pieces, bit-by-bit. Therefore, one prays for liberation.

33.“What is the harm in killing an animal? Because, when you pick a fruit,

you’re also killing it. By picking the fruit, the plant becomes handicapped.

Doesn’t the plant suffer pain? So, this is pain and that is pain. So, what’s

the difference?”

(05.01.2003)

Baba has said something about this. You must know by now that I tell you right

away any of Baba’s answers to questions already posed. Those questions where

the answers are left to my imagination, I openly confess. There’s no hypocrisy

or duplicity here. I do not claim to be an intellectual, certainly not! I don’t

even want to be one. I can only repeat what our good Lord has said.

So, what did He say about this? Plants don’t have the same kind of emotions or

feelings as animals do. Although Jagadish Chandra Bose in his experiments with

plant physiology demonstrated that plants

do have feelings and emotions -- at least we can agree on this -- they do

not have as many feelings as animals do.

Animals also have feelings and sentiments, although not as many as man. This

means that consciousness will find its _expression more and more in man as

compared with the lower forms of creation. Mineral matter also has

consciousness, expressed at the lowest ebb. The plant world has consciousness

at a higher level, the animal world at a superior level, and the human race at

its maximum. So, it is all relative.

Therefore, you cannot say, “What is the difference, after all, if I pick a

flower or a fruit, or kill an animal?” You cannot equate them like that. There

is a wide gulf of difference because the level at which consciousness expresses

itself differs in the course of evolution from low to high. That’s what I can

tell you on this subject.

32.“What is vegetarianism? Is it really eating leaves and tubers, or something more?”

(05.01.2003)

Some people say that eggs are also vegetarian. Well, I don’t know which

particular items are exempted from the list. But anyway, to my knowledge,

vegetarianism is not merely limited to food. Vegetarianism is symbolic of a

tireless,

sathwic nature. It is not limited to the food that we eat.

All the scenes that are around us are a type of food for the eyes. All the

sounds that we hear are a type of food for the ears. All the objects that we

touch are food for the skin. So, you can see that the five senses of perception

have their own level of ‘food’. All of the senses should be ‘fed’

sathwic or vegetarian ‘food’. The good scenes that I see are considered

sathwic. The good music that I hear is considered

sathwic. The good fragrances that I smell are also considered

sathwic. All those good perceptions are ‘vegetarian food’ for the human body.

31.“Is there any significance behind Rama being sent into exile for fourteen

years? Why fourteen years? Why not thirteen? Why not fifteen, why? (Laughter)

What is so special about this number?”

(05.01.2003)

To be very, very honest, I don’t remember Swami saying anything about the number

fourteen. Bhagavan has said several things about the number nine -- six being

the Divine qualities and three being the human qualities: 6 + 3 = 9. He has

said many things about the number nine. Why? Because the number nine is

changeless. For example, 9 x 2 = 18 and 1 + 8 = 9. Likewise, 9 x 3 = 27 and 2 +

7 = 9. So you can go on multiplying like that -- nine is nine. There are six

Divine features and three human qualities. So, He has spoken about the number

nine. But, I don’t remember Swami saying anything about the number fourteen.

But if you want me to speculate -- subject to correction, subject to your

acceptance -- if you want me to give an educated guess, then it could possibly

be the five

karmendriyas or five senses of action and the five

jnanendriyas or five senses of perception - 5 + 5 = 10. Then the last four are

manas,

buddhi,

chittha and ahamkaara.

Manas is the mind or thinking.

Chitta is the feeling. Buddhi is the intellect or decision-making capacity, and

ahamkaara is the ego. 5 + 5 + 4 = 14. This might possibly be the nearest answer

to this question, if not the right answer.

30.“Are grace and blessings temporary or do they evaporate after a period of

time or after certain actions?”

15.12.2002

Here’s a simple example: When I don’t follow Swami’s teachings, well, I may not

be the recipient of His blessings, but I have His grace. When a son does not

follow the order or the advice of his father, the father will not bless him

with pocket allowances, but he has the grace of his love.

A student who does not do the homework will not have my blessings. If he fails

in the examination, he will not have my blessings. But he has the grace of the

teacher; who continues to love him until he gets through the examination. So,

grace is purposeless, meaning it is not goal or need-oriented; whereas,

blessings can be withdrawn depending upon our actions.

Here is another example. Out of courtesy, I will not disclose the name of the

person I am referring to in this example. This happened about 15 years ago. He

was a very big man -- both by virtue of his profession and by virtue of his

physique - who occupied a seat meant for four people!

Well, he came here. I knew him very well. He is no more of course, but back then

he had a very high post. I said, “Sir, very glad to see you. I hear that you are

in a very high position. What brought you here?”

He said, “I have come here for Bhagavan’s blessings to get married once again.”

(Laughter)

“Sir, how about madam?” I asked, referring to his wife, since he

was already married.

He said, “ This will be an additional wife.”

“Why an additional wife?”

“My current wife is into spirituality too much. She is spending too much time

here, so I need somebody to be in charge there.” (When the principal is on

leave, the vice-principal will be in charge of the position!)

Then I just said, “Sir, I thought you were a great man. I am sorry. I don’t find

fault with you. I find fault with myself for having thought that you were a

great man. You are no longer holding that place in my mind. Swami has said many

times, “Wife is knife.” Because of family, you are going to have entanglements

and many responsibilities. Bhagavan wants you to rise above these chains of

family life. Yet you want to get married for a second time, and you come for

Baba’s blessings while the first wife is still alive!”

I said, “Sir, you better catch the next bus, or take a taxi and leave because He

may seek the help of

Seva

Dals to see you out!” (Laughter) There will be no blessings for such silly

requests, I tell you.

On the other hand, if you say, ”I am tired of my life and I have dedicated my

life to service. I want to spend the rest of my life serving You, my Lord. Help

me to grow in detachment and renunciation.” Then yes, you will have His

blessings.

If you say, “I want to get deeper and deeper into family life” -- there may not

be any blessings. Nevertheless, His grace is still there, waiting for you so

that one day or the other, you will work for your redemption. That is the

answer.

29.“What is the difference between ‘grace’ and ‘blessings’?”

15.12.2002

A very good question. We may pray, “Baba, bless me on my birthday” or

“Bhagavan, bless my business attempt” or “Bless us on our wedding anniversary

day.” Blessings you need and blessings you ask for, as and when you need them.

You ask for blessings when you feel it is necessary, or as and when you feel you

run short of them, something like running out of household provisions. Is that

clear? So, blessings are what you seek and what you ask for on certain special

occasions.

A blessing is what you need when you are not sure about something, whereas grace

is infinite. Grace need not be solicited or asked for or sought after. Grace is

abiding, without any demand. God’s grace is like sunlight, which is available

to us everywhere and to everyone equally. Similarly, grace is continuous. Grace

is eternal. Grace is not to be sought after or searched for as it is always

there.

28.“Why do we need to say a

manthra repeatedly?”

15.12.2002

I remember a joke. A patient came to the doctor and asked, “Doctor, I have

consumed three bottles of syrup so far over a period of three months. How long

should I continue to take this?” The doctor said, “Until you die.” (Laughter)

 

Similarly, how long should you repeat the manthra? Until you forget the feeling

that you are repeating the

manthra: “’Sai Ram, Sai Ram, Sai Ram’. How many times should I repeat it?” “Oh,

say a hundred times or more.”

That’s all nonsense. You should go on repeating Bhagavan’s Name until you have

forgotten the number of times that you have repeated it. Bhagavan gave a

beautiful example here. I tell you, no one can explain it like He does: A boy

said, while going to bed, “Mother, please wake me up when I am hungry.”

(Laughter) The mother said, “Useless fellow! You yourself will get up when you

are hungry. I don’t have to wake you up.”

Similarly, “How long should I say a manthra?” The answer is that we should

repeat it until the purpose is realised or until the goal is achieved. “Then

why do I have to repeat it so many times or for a stipulated number of times?”

I may say ‘Sai Ram, Sai Ram, Sai Ram’. I may say this 108 times. But my mind

may concentrate on the

manthra only here and there for a brief period, while the rest of the time it

may be engaged in thoughts about an airline reservation, a job, the mosquitoes,

the canteen -- that’s it. (Laughter) Hence, though I repeated the Name 108

times, the mind concentrated on it only thrice. So, how many times is that?

Only three times! So the rest of 105 repetitions were a waste. It is only for

calculation and income tax purposes, not for this. (Laughter) So my friends,

we are asked to repeat things any number of times. How many times should I

breathe? Until I find my name in the newspaper under the obituary column.

(Laughter) It’s quite simple. So we should keep on repeating the Name.

27.Why do we have to go through this or any life to get Self-realization? Why

didn’t we arrive already Self-realized? Have you found anyone who is? Also,

once you have blessed something, or asked for something, or chanted a

manthra, why do we have to do it over and over again?

15.12.2002

Very good! This is a question to be asked in this computer age. As I told you

last time, I am not making fun of these questions. I am not underestimating the

calibre and the spirit of the person who has asked this question. I have the

highest respect and reverence towards them and thank them from the bottom of my

heart because they help me to go through Sai literature time and again.

Now the question is this: “Why do we have to go through this or any life to get

Self-realization? Why?”

The

answer is simple. We find many people sitting in front of the TV, watching

serials these days. I don’t know about television serials abroad, but here in

South India particularly, some of the serials go on for 500 episodes or more!

There is even a joke about it.

It seems that an old man wrote a letter to the television director saying, “I

may die any moment. Let me know how the story ends so that I may die

peacefully. (Laughter). Since I do not know how long it will continue, I may

have to be born again! Why all this? Tell me the ending of the story!”

And secondly, something that is common to all the television serials in South

India in particular is that most of them make you cry. None of the serials make

you laugh.

There’s also a joke about that. It seems a young girl went to the TV director

and asked, “Sir, why don’t you give me a role? I want to act in your serial.”

The director said, ”Yes.”

He asked for a plastic bucket to be brought and put in front of her.

The director said, “Come on -- fill this bucket with your tears and after that I

will give you a role.” (Laughter)

So, one has to learn the art of crying, you know? We sit in front of the

television and we also cry. A few days ago, I got a phone call from my friend

in Hyderabad. He said that his wife and mother-in-law don’t go to bed unless

they have cried bitterly until 10 o’clock at night, and only then do they

retire. (Laughter) The crying starts at seven PM and goes on until 10 o’clock!

They are busy until seven, or else they would have started at five o’clock!

Why do we cry? We pay money and cry. (Laughter) Why do those actors cry? They

receive money and cry. So, we have got two categories of people who cry --

those who pay to cry and others who get paid to cry.

My friends, we cry. Why? Because we think that the hero in the television serial

is real. Or we think that we are in a difficult position, so we cry. Suddenly

the husband comes home from the office. He says, “I am tired from working and

you are crying here at home! Let me have a break.” Then the wife will come to

her senses.

So my friends, when I consider a television serial to be true, when I consider

the cinema to be a reality, it is because I am identifying with it and so I

cry. However, once I am aware that it is just a cinema or that it is just a

television serial, I am not disturbed. I am not perturbed.

Similarly, in life we pass through bumps and jumps, ups and downs, smiles and

tears, elation, jubilation and frustration. It’s like a pendulum that moves in

between two extremes. When you are praised, you are up in the sky. But when you

are pointed at, you are down, totally down. This is because of a lack of

realisation.

Realisation will help you to achieve equanimity and balance. Realisation will

help you to not feel proud of all the simple achievements or simple talents

that you have. Realization will never allow you to be depressed or frustrated

or create a situation where you need to consult a psychiatrist!

Therefore, Self-realisation is necessary for your own sake. In your own

interest, you should seek Self-realisation. Bhagavan has given a simple

example. It so happened that a small cub lost its way and started living among

some sheep. Suddenly one day a tiger was ready to attack the sheep.

When the sheep started running, the little cub also started running. “Don’t kill

me! Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!”

The tiger said, “Stop that! Don’t cry.”

The cub said, “We are sheep. I am a member of the herd. Don’t kill me.”

“No, no, no, you are not a sheep. You and I are one. Let us go to the river and

check out the stripes on our bodies. You roar and I roar. Our language is

common. The body is common. Why do you think that you are a sheep?”

Then the cub understood that it no longer belonged with the sheep. Similarly, we

think that we are sheep. We think that we are so cheap. We think that we are so

simple. We think that we are nobody, no, no, no. Shrinvantu Vishve Amrithasya

Puthraha. “You are the Son of Immortality.” “You are Divine.” When Bhagavan

addresses you as ‘Divyatmaswarupulara’, that means you are embodiments of

Divyatma. You are embodiments of the Divine. Why do you think that you are a

pauper? Why do you think that you are so simple? Certainly not!

It’s like the man who kept asking for loans. Then someone said, “There is one

lakh rupees to your credit. Why are you seeking more loans?”

He said, “Oh, I see. I forgot. That was long time back.”

He immediately went to the bank, utilised the money and no longer needed to ask

for loans. Similarly, when you have Self-realisation, you are beyond the

duality of good and bad, profit and loss, victory and defeat. You are in

equanimity and are perfectly balanced. It is for that reason that you need to

realise the Self.

26.We have many cockroaches moving around our house at night, creating not only

a health hazard, but also scaring us out of our wits at times. Can you please

advise us how to treat these creatures? How do we treat these invaders with

love? (Laughter)

(15.12.2002)

Perhaps cockroaches have become an international problem. (Laughter) Well, I

have had that same problem and have become friendly with them because I cannot

get away from them anyway. To some, a mosquito is a problem, but to me the

mosquito is not the problem. It is the humming music of mosquitoes that I have

to get used to -- that keeps me from sleeping. (Laughter)

My friends, whether it is mosquitoes, scorpions, snakes or cockroaches, the

point is this: If you kill anything for joy, thrill, excitement or as a

pastime, then it is a sin. However, if you kill it to make yourself free from

suffering, then it is not a sin. If you kill it for the fun of it - say, like

hunting for excitement -- then it is not acceptable. Hunting used to be a

pastime for kings. Now that kind of thing is a crime. But if a tiger is going

to attack you, you can shoot it. How can I treat it lovingly, and allow myself

to be eaten by it? (Laughter)

There is a subtle difference between the two. If I am not killing anything for

the joy or pleasure, if I am doing it in order to save myself, then it is not a

crime. That is also treating things with love.

 

25.What is the primordial factor that decides one’s gender in this birth? Why

are you a man? How can you afford to be a woman? (Laughter) So the question

here is what decides the gender in each life. Is it because of our past lives?

(15.12.2002)

The answer is simple, my friends. I quote from Sai literature. The real Self,

the reality, is neither a man nor a woman. The man or the woman - the

difference in the identity lies in the body, not in the spirit.

If someone knocks at the door and you ask, “Who are you?” they will answer, “I

am so-and-so.” No one would say, “I, the man, am talking to you” or “I, the

woman, am here”. Nobody would say that. ‘I’ is common to both men and women.

The second point is that Bhagavan has said, “All are women.”

Hari Om Tat Sat. (Laughter) My friends, do not mistake me. Try to settle any

scores later. (Laughter) All are women. So you don’t need to feel inferior. We

have no reason to feel superior. Why? The spirit in you is

purusha or man. The Atma is masculine, purusha, while the body is

prakrithi or nature, which is feminine. But the masculinity is of the spirit and

not of the body.

Thirdly, He gave an example: If you go to the women’s college at Anantapur on

the annual college day, when they are staging a drama, you’ll find a girl in

the role of a king. You’ll find another girl in the role of a soldier and

another girl in the role of a servant. Because of their costumes, they appear

to be men; but in reality, they are women. Similarly, all are women. Some may

look like men (Laughter), but basically all are feminine. I mean the body

principle is feminine,

prakrithi, meaning it is inert matter. This is feminine, while the life

principle is masculine.

I am very grateful to have these questions because it helps me to go back in my

memory to what Bhagavan has said over the years. Here is another example. You

must have heard of a great lady named Meera, who was a great devotee. Meera

wanted to meet the King. She came into the palace.

A soldier said, “Sorry, you cannot go in.”

She asked, “Why?”

The man said, “Women are not permitted to go in. Women are

prohibited from going into the palace.”

Then Meera said, “Where are the men here? I don’t see any men here.”

The soldier was surprised and must have been thinking, “Is something wrong with

me or with her?” (Laughter)

This is the truth. The body is feminine, inert matter, only. But the life force

is masculine. So all of us are a combination of both. When you ask, “What

decides the gender?” I say, “Why worry about it?” Whether the sugar candy is

in the shape of a rat or an elephant, the child eats it, right? Similarly, a

chocolate may be circular or rectangular or hexagonal; but after all, a

chocolate is a chocolate. Biscuits may be quadrangular or circular. Whatever it

may be, a biscuit is a biscuit.

So similarly, life is life, whether you are a man or woman. It is only external.

So let’s not question what it is that decides our gender. There is nothing

wrong. Men and women suffer equally. (Laughter). Oh, that’s right -- we blame

each other!

24.“What are the steps that I should take to merge in Him?”

(08.12.2002)

There are not many steps. No! The steps are of our own making. The steps are

created in our own imagination. Merger happens at once.

What are the steps that you should take to mix sugar into a glass of water? How

many steps are there? No, no! One spoon and stir it - you get immediate

results!

Similarly, for an aspirant to merge with God, there are not many steps. Use a spoon of

viveka or discrimination, plus a spoon of

vairagya

or renunciation - totally stir this, which is the process of

sadhana. That is enough for total merger. There are no steps. “How many lives

are required? How many years are required?” No, no, no, no!

Merger is immediate, all of a sudden, instantaneous, spontaneous and natural. It

happens in a moment!

Merging is our original state. We only got ourselves separated. In fact, we were

all One, but we became separated. Example: here is fire. Out of this fire, many

sparks and pieces come. The pieces at a distance turn black and become coal.

So, originally it was fire. But at a distance, it becomes coal.

Similarly, originally we were One, but later we got separated. To know that we

are One (though appearing in different forms) is called realisation.

Realisation is nothing but thinking of our original Oneness -- getting back to

that original Oneness or unity with God. The reason that we separated from that

Oneness is only due to having taken a name and form. That is the secret of

merger with God.

23.“Can I see Baba in different forms?”

(08.12.2002)

Why not? Baba appeared in the form of a postman. Baba appeared in the form of a

watchman. Baba appeared in the form of a monkey to His sister. Baba appeared in

the form of a cat. Baba appeared in the form of a bird. Baba can appear in any

form. Why do we go to that extent?

All

forms are Baba’s only. We should pray and try for that experience -- for the

awareness of that experience.

Why should He appear in a separate form? All forms are His -- it only appears to

be many. It is something like a person in the midst of several mirrors all

around. That experience of seeing the One in the many (forms) is the

culmination of spirituality.

22.“I am a teacher of yoga. I know God is One. But do you think all the people I

see are false? Do you think it’s all maya, illusion? Do you think they don’t

exist? Do you say it is all a dream?”

(08.12.2002)

The answer is simple:

Yoga is a connecting link with God. The meaning of

‘yoga’

is ‘connecting or uniting with God’. So when you are connected with God, you

experience Oneness. You experience unity. You’ll see God everywhere -- in the

animals, in plants, in mineral matter. Everywhere you will experience God.

It will be just as Jesus Christ said, when He saw a dead, stinking dog on the

street. Everyone said, “Burn it! Take it away!” Jesus smiled and said, “How

bright the white teeth are! How bright are the white teeth of that dead dog.”

It means you’ll see the best in the worst. If it is the true path of

yoga, you’ll see unity in diversity.

Yoga

should give you unity. But that does not mean in practical life we can be

untidy, no! In our practical life, diversity is there.

Suppose a student comes to me and says, “Sir, please teach me.”

I cannot tell him, “You are God, I am God. So, there’ll be no class today!”

(Laughter)

Suppose a patient comes to a doctor and says, “Sir, I am suffering from excruciating pain.”

Will the doctor say, “You are not a patient and I am not a doctor. You are God

and I am God. So there is no question of surgery!”

It is all nonsense! From a practical point-of-view, there

is diversity. From an ideological point-of-view, there is unity. Ideologically,

let us experience unity. Spiritually, let us experience unity. Physically, let

us operate at the level of diversity. It is necessary to be practical, to be

fundamental, to be realistic. That is the best answer I can give.

21.“The husband is very much interested in Baba, but the wife is not. The wife

is an obstacle. So, what should the husband do?” He also has given three

alternatives:

(Laughter) “One -- should he get divorced from his wife? Number two -- should he

continue along the spiritual path? Number three -- should he give up the

spiritual path?

(Laughter) These are the alternatives - maybe it is like a multiple-choice question.

(Laughter)

(08.12.2002)

My friend, this is an exceptional case! A husband finding his wife a problem

along the spiritual path is an exception. Usually the husband is the problem

for every wife!

(Laughter) 90% of Sai devotees are here because of their wives. Let all husbands

be ashamed to declare it in public. This humble self

(Anil Kumar refers to himself) is also one and the foremost. So, this case is

not a matter to be ashamed of. It is a matter to feel proud of.

If the wife is an engine, very good -- the family will be very fine, peaceful

and there’ll be no problem. But here is an exceptional case where the wife

seems to be the problem. Wife or husband -- one of the two partners will not

totally agree with the other. So, what is to be done?

My friend, the answer is simple. If one is totally worldly and if the other is

totally spiritual, we’ll be nowhere. But in

co-existence, one takes care of the family, while the other takes care of the

spiritual end. The wife taking care of the family is the root. The husband

thinking of God is the fruit of the same ‘family tree’. The one (wife and

mother) thinking of the family is the root, while the other (husband and

father) thinking of God is the fruit of that same tree of life. So, let us not

consider the life partner as an opposition party leader!

(Laughter) Certainly not! Certainly not!

To give you my own tale -- for 25 years, I went around the whole state of Andhra

Pradesh. I visited thousands of Sai centres -- at least thrice on the average --

spread over those 25 years. My wife stayed back at home, taking care of the

children, my in-laws and my parents, ours being a joint-family (an extended

family, all living under one roof together). Suppose that she had also become a

competitor. What if she had said, “If you go towards the north, I’ll go towards

the south!

(Laughter) If you go and start addressing people in the east, I’ll have

audiences in the west.” Then the children would be on the streets!

Therefore, it is the pure and logical dynamics of life that one will be at the

‘grass roots’ while the other will be ‘in the air’. It happens like that.

Nowhere do the husband and wife agree 100%. They may agree before TV news

reporters.

(Laughter) They may agree for the television reporters, but not in reality. The

family ‘Korean War’ certainly happens once in a blue moon, without which there

is no melody in life at all.

Let us not worry if the wife is not sailing along with the husband, or if the

husband is not sailing with the wife. The husband will make the wife follow him

one day. Just as husbands are following their wives, in such cases as this one,

the wives will also follow the husbands someday. It all depends upon one’s own

life example.

For example, in a crisis, if the husband is peaceful, the wife will learn from

him. If the wife is peaceful in the worst moments of life, the husband will

learn from her. By our example, we can certainly carry on with the other

life-partner without any sense of opposition or critical attack.

20.“What shall I do to dine with Bhagavan? To sleep in the room very close to

His bedroom? (Laughter) To go with Him in His car? To have a peaceful end of

life, like His mother and grandfather had? “

(08.12.2002)

These are the questions put to me. Here is the answer, brother. Going in His

car, dining with Him or sleeping in the room next to Him are all physical

activities. You have the driver also in the car. I don’t think the driver is a

saint or a sage. There in the dining room, you also find cooks and servers. I

don’t think they are saints and sages. I don’t think so. In the building, there

is the watchman. I don’t want to bow down to his feet.

So, these are all physical acts of Grace. They are privileges. They are grand,

golden opportunities. I don’t underestimate them. But if they lead to pride, if

they make you egoistic, if they are acts of publicity or advertisement, they

will really take you to doom. No! If these help you to be more spiritual, if

these help you to do

sadhana with higher, greater or deeper intensity, then that is a boon. But if it

turns you into an egoistic man, then that is a curse. These physical acts should

take you to a psychological (mental/emotional) level of togetherness with

Bhagavan all through your life, wherever you may go.

If you feel that the next man is Baba, it is living with Him. If you offer

prayer to God and start eating, it is dining with Him. If you listen to Baba

bhajans as you travel in your car, you are traveling with Him. Baba said,

“Wherever My glory is sung, I install Myself.” Whenever we sing

bhajans, we are with Him. Whenever we think of Him, we are by His side. Whenever

we offer food, we are dining with Him. That is the spiritual, psychological,

metaphysical, mystical experience one should have or one should crave for.

(Applause)

19.“Karma, is it individual? Are countries also bound by

karma?”

(08.12.2002)

Perhaps like ‘wholesale’ and ‘retail’? This gentleman must have been a top businessman!

(Laughter) Very good!

Kind friends, do not misunderstand me -- I'm just joking. I don’t mean any

disrespect to those who have asked these questions. I really bow down in all

humility to the people who have asked these questions because they are all

spiritual seekers. They are exemplary. They are noble and role models for me in

particular because these questions help me to go into detail, into the depth.

So, I thank them very much.

The question is this:

Are countries bound by

karma? In the Holy Bible, there is a mention of two cities -- Sodom and

Gomorrah. The inhabitants of these two cities mentioned in the

Holy Bible

were drowned. The inhabitants were totally punished by God. That’s what the

Holy Bible says. When people are unrighteous, naturally the whole place is condemned.

A country is not only a geographical location. A country is not only dust, mud

and sand. A country is a collection of people. When the people are

unrighteous…For example, just think of Afghanistan, where ancient Buddha

statues of 200 or 300 feet in height were bombed and totally demolished by

dynamite. So many Buddha statues were demolished there in Afghanistan. What

later happened to Afghanistan? You all know that. When people are unrighteous,

naturally they will have to face the reaction. That’s the answer I can give

you.

18.“You said,” (he meant me) “the very

Darshan of Bhagavan will clear you of your

karma. But I'm still suffering from my

karma. Has not my

karma been cleared?”

(Laughter)

(08.12.2002)

That is the question. The answer is this: One will be cleared of

karmic effects if there is deservedness, if there is eligibility.

When I look at Bhagavan -- when all of us look at Bhagavan, all of us will not

have the same feelings. There are many people who tell me that when Bhagavan

passes by, they receive some vibrations. There are many people who tell me that

they are charged with energy. There are many people who tell me that they feel a

cool breeze when Bhagavan passes by. So, experiences differ based on the nature

of the individual, their devotion or path and the intensity of their

sadhana.

Therefore, I may not be cleared of

karma because I'm not ready. I have not done enough work. Though the teacher is

excellent, when the student is not able to follow the lesson, it only means

that the student has not done enough homework. The student has not the required

foundation to receive and appreciate the knowledge given to him in the

classroom, even though the teacher is an expert. In order to be cleared of

karmic effects, we should do some homework.

What is that homework? Intense devotion, total faith, complete surrender and the

sadhana of service -- these four are sufficient physical practices on the

spiritual path. Doing (practicing) these four is sufficient homework for us to

get ourselves ready and prepared, so that we can be free from the

karmic effects.

17.“What is The Significance Of New Moon And Full Moon?” (08.12.2002)

Whether it is a new moon, a blue moon, or a full moon, a moon is a moon.

(Laughter) The answer is: The moon is the presiding deity of the human mind.

That’s the reason why on a full moon day, mad people are full of activity!

(Laughter) On the dark night, they will also full of activity. They may even

resort to violence. So, the moon controls the mind. The mind and the moon go

together.

But spiritually speaking, there is another interpretation. The full moon stands

for wisdom, knowledge and awakening. It was on the full moon day that Buddha

was born. It was on the full moon day that Buddha was enlightened. It was on

the full moon day that Mahaveer was enlightened.

Purnima is the full moon day, which is the day of enlightenment. Moonlight is

like the awakening of the inner Self. The full moon represents the knowledge of

the Self. That is the meaning.

16.“What Is The Origin Of The Mind?” (08.12.2002)

One question sent to me is this: “What is the origin of the mind? The answer is

simple. There is no mind, so there is no origin! If there is a mind, you have

to trace out its origin. The mind is non-existent. The mind is only a bundle of

thoughts. The mind is only a bundle of desires. In the deep sleep state, there

is no mind at all. The mind is there in the dreaming state; the mind is there

in the waking state. But the mind is non-existent in the deep-sleep state.

When thoughts are withdrawn, when desires are given up, there is no mind.

Withdrawal of the mind or annihilation of the mind is called amanaska or

manolaya. So, the question of the origin of the mind does not arise at all.

15.What does Swami have to say about friends and the role they have to play in

our life?” (03.11.2002)

Swami often says, “Tell me your company and I shall tell you what you are.”

But, my friends, we don’t have friends today. No, no, no. A friend in the

morning becomes an enemy by the evening. Most of the friendships today are

selfish. Most of the friendships today are political. Most of the friendships

today are motivated. But who is the real friend? What is the definition of a

friend?

Bhagavan said, “The one who is with you, the one who will be with you, the one

who was with you - that one who is always by your side in the past, the present

and also in the future, He only is the true friend.”

Supposing we get into any litigation, they will not look at your face. As Baba

has said, “When the pockets are full of money and the father has a position,

everybody will say, ‘Hello, hello.’ When the pocket is empty, after the

retirement of the father, nobody will even say, ‘Goodbye’.” There are no true

friends today.

Bhagavan gave one example. It seems that one man was dragged into the court

because of some litigation. He had three friends. He asked one friend, “Would

you please come to the court and be a witness?” That man said, “I am sorry. I

was so happy playing cards with you in the club, but I don’t want to come to

the court and be a witness, I am sorry.”

“Um-hum.”

Then this man went to the second friend. “Hey there, friend! We have been

classmates, childhood friends. Why don’t you come to the court and stand as a

witness so that I will be acquitted?”

That man said, “No, no, no, I am not going to come to the court. I will give you

the address of a good advocate, a good attorney, a good pleader who will defend

your case, but I won’t come to the court. “

“Oh-ho, thank you.”

Then he went to the third friend. “Would you please come and help me?”

“Why not? I’ll come with you. I’ll stand there in the witness box and speak in

support of you so that you will be acquitted.”

Similarly, we have three friends. Who are they? The first fellow represents our

friends, our acquaintances or those who are very well known to us. These

friends will just say, “Oh, that fellow died? Oh-ho, he was a good man. What

can you do?” That’s all.

The second types are relatives, who will come to the cremation or burial ground.

And the third friend - He will come with us even after death, as the

consequence or result of all our good actions or karma. Karmaphala -- the

rewards of our actions will follow us. Therefore that friend,

Karmaphala,

is

the eternal Witness, who is God Himself. So the answer to the question, “Who is

my friend?” is that God is my friend. That’s all - no one else.

14.“Your whole life is a sacrifice, is it true? Does God really want us to be such martyrs?”

(03.11.2002)

No, no, we should not blame poor God like that. He doesn’t want us to be

martyrs. Why does He want you to sacrifice? It is so that you will be happy.

Sacrifice your desire because desire takes you to misery. If you are

desireless, you will be blissful. Then you are not sacrificing for anybody. You

are sacrificing for your own sake. Instead of going to the theatre, I am going

to the Mandir.

“Sir, I’m not going to theatre. I have not gone to cinema, so I have

sacrificed.” Oh, you have not sacrificed anything. By going to the theatre

and watching a cinema there, your mind would have turned violent. Your mind

would have become agitated. Your mind would have been disturbed. Your mind

would have been full of turbulent waves. The mind would have lost its balance

and peace. By going to the Mandir, it enjoys peace of mind. It enjoys

equanimity. It delights. So, what have you sacrificed? You have not sacrificed

for anybody else. You have sacrificed for your own advantage, for your own

improvement.

13.“How is it possible to lose a desire but not shut down the heart?” (03.11.2002)

Please understand we have confusion about the portfolios here. Mind is the

centre of desire, whereas the heart is the centre of feeling. The mind is dual;

the heart is non-dual. The mind is diversified; the heart is unity. The mind is

emotional; the heart is balanced. The mind is always for convenience; the heart

is for conviction. The mind is physical; the heart is spiritual. I don’t mean

the physical heart -- that needs a cardiologist. I mean the spiritual heart. So

shutting down your heart means that you are closing the doors of your soul - you

are closing the doors of your consciousness.

If you shut down your heart, then you don’t want to turn inward. You just want

to grope in the darkness of the whims and the fancies, the likes and dislikes

and the vagaries of the mind. The mind is full of vagaries, likes and dislikes,

choices and preferences. When I move about in the realm along the horizon of the

mind, I become mental or psychotic. I should not shut down my heart at any cost.

The heart should be open. The more and more the heart is given a chance and a

preference, the mind gets closed automatically - the mind will shut down

automatically on its own.

12.“I still have desires. What to do?”

(03.11.2002)

There is nothing that can be done. We have to understand the root cause of the

desire. The desire has not arisen out of my body. The desire has not been

produced or manufactured by this hand. The leg does not take me to the desire.

It is the mind that is the root cause of desire. Desires are born in the mind.

Once you understand that the mind is the substratum, that the mind is the

basis, that the mind is the cause for the desire, you can try to be desireless.

How? My mind is going this way towards desire. I tell my mind, “Don’t go this

way. Go towards the Mandir.”

When the mind thinks of God, when the mind chants His name, when the mind is in

meditation, when the mind always sings His glory in

bhajans, there is no desire. When the mind is diverted towards the world, it is

full of desires.

My friends, please understand, this is only from Swami’s teachings, which are recorded in this book,

Satyōpanisad. For your reference you can go through it. Here is a simple

example given by Baba. This is a hand fan. If I do this

(Anil Kumar waves his hand, fanning away from himself), you get the breeze. But

when I turn the hand fan and wave it towards me, I get the breeze. Is it not

true? Similarly when the mind is turned toward the world, it is suffocated. It

is breathless. It is full of desires. When the same mind is turned inward

towards consciousness, it is blissful. There are no more desires.

 

11.“When does the Atma leave the body? What happens to the

Atma after death?” This is the next question.

(03.11.2002)

Where does

Atma go? There is no place where there is no

Atma. So there is no question of

Atma vanishing somewhere. It doesn’t go on any holiday trip or ego trip or weekend holiday because

Atma is present everywhere. It doesn’t go anywhere. It is everywhere. A simple

example Baba gives is this. There is a light bulb. When you remove the bulb,

isn’t there still electricity? There is electricity, but when you put the bulb

there, you get the light. There is a power supply. When you remove the bulb,

there is still the power supply, but you don’t get the light. This is the

example given by Bhagavan. Similarly, whether the body is there or not, the

Divinity, the Atma, the Consciousness, the Spirit exists because it is

immortal.

10.“In a family situation, if the parent has done wrong, will the child suffer

the bad karma, resulting in the death of the child?” (03.11.2002)

Nothing doing. In the Divine calculation, each has to suffer the consequences of his own

karma. The father’s karma is not brought forward to the son. The son’s

karma is not brought forward to the grandson. No, it is not like that. If it

were like that, we would not be here. Prashanti Nilayam would not be full. All

rooms would be empty. No, no, no. Everyone has got his individual account.

Parents have got nothing to do with that. A man of violence and terror (named

Hiranyakasipu) has a son named Prahlada, a great devotee. So the son has

nothing to do with the father.

Swami gives this example. It seems a person collected seeds from thorny bushes

and seeds from fruit-bearing trees. If you sow them, what will happen? The seed

of a thorny bush will only grow into a thorny bush. The seed of a fruit-bearing

tree will only grow into a fruit-bearing tree. There is nothing like foreign

exchange here.

 

9.“Is it bad karma to change from one religion to the other?” 03.11.2002

Yes, it is bad

karma. We don’t have to change our religion because all religions are one and

the same. There is unity in diversity. All religions teach the same Truth.

Truth is One. Scholars represent this in different ways, but Truth is one.

Sugar is one; all sweets are made from it. So, when we understand that Truth is

basically One, there is nothing wrong with whichever religion you follow.

8.“Does the Atma have a religion?” 03.11.2002

 

Religion is of your own making.

Atma has nothing to do with the religion. It has no religion. It has no

attributes or qualities. It has no name and form.

 

7.“Why do some children die at a young age?”

03.11.2002

I repeat once again. If you go through the two volumes of

Satyōpanisad, most of the questions will be answered. This question was

dealt with here in this book with the answer straight from Bhagavan: “Young or

old relate to the body. It is the body that ages. It is this body that is

young. It is this body that is old. So, young and old are the terms applicable

to the body. But the soul is eternal.”

Therefore, this story is one of eternity. To me, he may be a boy. But in the

earlier life, in the previous lives, that soul has been pining, that soul has

been praying for merger into the Divine. This so-called ‘child’ is young from

your point-of-view. But the soul is pretty aged. It is immortal and eternal. It

doesn’t want to remain outside. It wants to be one with the Divine. The drop

does not want to exist separately. It wants to be back in the ocean. Am I

clear? So the drop wants to come back to the ocean.

We may say, “Drop, you are so simple; you are so small; you are like a pearl; stay there.”

It will say, “No, no! I must go back to the sea.” The drop and the ocean are

one and the same.

Another point. A great saint, Narada, asked this question of Sri Mahavishnu,

God. This is also from Sai literature. “Oh God, you seem to be partial. You

look very much biased. Why?” Then immediately God asked Narada, “What is

this nonsense you are talking? I thought you were a wise man. Perhaps you are

out of your mind now. What’s wrong with you? Since you have been moving in all

of the three worlds, you must have become imbalanced!”

Then Narada gave the answer: “Swami, Prahlada is a young boy. He could attain

liberation very quickly, whereas there is one sage named Morocunda Maharishi, a

great sage, who did penance for hundreds of years, but he could not have

realization. Why? How is it that this boy could have realization so soon, but

this old man could not? Why?”

Then the Lord gives the answer: “This Maharishi, who has been doing penance for

hundreds of years, started that penance only in this lifetime; whereas this

boy, Prahlada, has been doing penance for the last several lives. He may appear

young now, but he has been doing this for the last several lives. That you do

not know about.”

Bhagavan Baba gives one example It seems two men were passing by. One gentleman

has picked up a crowbar and hit it against a hard stone. He hit it but the

stone did not break. He hit it again and again, but the stone did not break. He

hit it ten times and it did not break.

Then the other man said, “I will try.” He took the crowbar, hit it once and it

broke immediately.

The first man felt sad. “I tried ten times and this stone did not break. Now it

has broken. Nature is not fair.”

Then the second man said, “Look here, I have hit it now and the stone has broken

into two. Please understand the simple mathematics here. It had already received

ten strokes by you. Mine was the eleventh stroke; therefore it broke. It had

ten strokes already.” Similarly, young age or old age is our own calculation.

But in the Divine formula, it is a different dimension altogether.

 

6.“Would Baba come along with me on my morning walk?”

03.11.2002

What shall I tell him? In support of that question it is clearly written, “Mr.

Anil Kumar, you said in your talk that Baba wants to walk. But Baba is not able

to walk because crowds will run after Him. He will not have enough space to

walk, whereas I am sure that I can take Him along with me for a morning walk.

Could you please answer my question?”

Well, I have no answer. Would Swami come along with me for a morning walk?

Instead of putting that question, if you are aware that Swami is within you,

you could realize that He is also the one walking. The Swami within me is also

the one eating. Swami within me does everything. That satisfies all sorts of

questions. This is not an answer I am trying to evade or escape. I will give a

very simple example. When all of us were busy eating, Bhagavan did not eat

anything. It was very embarrassing. I said, “Swami, why don’t You eat? When we

are eating, why don’t You eat? I don’t feel like eating when I see You like

that.” Then Baba said, “When all of you eat, it comes to Me. What is your

prayer at the dining table? (Anil Kumar starts singing)

Aham Vaishvanaro Bhutva Praninam Dehamasritaha. ‘I am in your body. All the

food that you eat comes to Me.’ Therefore why should I eat when you are

eating?”

When you are walking, Baba does not need to walk separately. That is the answer

I can give you. Now I will deal with a few more questions in the time left this

morning.

5."What Is ‘Bad Company’?" (27.10.2002)

There’s another question put to me. “What about the company we keep? What is

‘good company’? What is ‘bad company’? What if I am fooling myself?” Good, we

often do that!

They want a definition. What is ‘good company’ and what is ‘bad company’? It is

a very clear question. To Sai devotees, let us be sure of the answer. What is

good company? Good company is the kind that will keep us holding onto His Lotus

Feet. Good company is that which will strengthen our faith. Good company is that

which will encourage us to do service. Good company is that which will draw us

closer to His mission. Good company is that which will help us to withstand the

bumps and jumps in life. Good company is that which will help us not to have too

much attachment to money and family. That is good company.

The company which will help you to run away from here, the company which will

cause you to lose your faith, the company which will make you go to anybody,

anywhere, anytime for any reason, the company which will make you depressed and

frustrated, the company which will turn you into being an atheist, a

non-believer, is horrible, terrible, bad company.

Being in good company, we find

satsang.

‘Satsang’ means good company. Bhagavan gave a few examples. The sand in the

company of air will go up. The sand in the company of water will go down.

Similarly, in the company of noble people, we come up in life -- our paths are

noble. In bad company, our thoughts are negative. That is bad company. Beware

of bad company. Baba said, “Run away from bad company.”

4."Why Should I Suffer Now From Previous Karma?" (27.10.2002)

Then I received another question. “It is said that, due to one’s

karma carried from previous births, he or she suffers in the present birth. Because of our past

karma, we are suffering in the present life. In my humble belief, to suffer one

should know what he or she has done. Why not suffer in the present birth for

the current karma instead of it being put off till the next birth?” Very good!

“Why should I suffer my

karma now from a previous lifetime?” What did Bhagavan say? My friends, these

answers are picked from Sai literature only. They are not based on my

imagination because I'm not capable of it. I'm supported by Sai literature. If

I run short of answers, I’ll seek your forgiveness on the matter. I don’t

bluff, no!

What does Swami say about this

karma aspect? He said, “Some actions give immediate results.” Suppose there is a

cut here. (He shows his finger.) When you are sharpening your pencil and the

blade cuts your skin by mistake, what happens? It bleeds immediately. It is a

reaction - a result of the action then and there! You drink milk and you don’t

feel hungry anymore - for an hour anyway. When you take food, you don’t feel

hungry for four hours. For hunger to return, it requires four hours. So, some

actions cause immediate results, while some actions call for an hour or four

hours.

If you sow the seed now, you can have mango fruits next year. Why next year?

That’s all. For the seed to germinate, for the seed to sprout, for the tree to

grow, for the seed to bear fruit, it will take a long time. Similarly, some

actions give immediate results. Some actions give result leisurely, slowly.

That is how we have to understand karma.

3."Are Baba and Jesus the Same?" (27.10.2002)

Here is one question: “I am a follower of Jesus Christ. Are Baba and Jesus the

same? Or is this form the Christian concept of the Trinity?”

The answer is simple. Bhagavan said, “All names are Mine. All forms are Mine. I

respond to your prayers that are offered to Me in any name, in any form. I’ll

answer your prayers. Let the prayers be said to the God of your choice; they

will reach Me. You may pray to Rama,

Krishna, Jesus or Allah - all those prayers will reach Me.”

“Swami, how? When I say Rama, how does it reach You?”

Swami gave this example: “You may write a letter to somebody in England or USA

or Delhi or Hyderabad. When the letter is put in the letterbox or post box, it

will reach the addressee. Similarly all your prayers come to Me. Don’t worry,

because I am in all forms. All forms are Mine. All names are Mine,” said

Bhagavan. Jesus is no exception.

I’ll give you one instance. A doctor from Rome came here as a participant and

delegate for the International Cardiac Conference held in Prashanti Nilayam.

Catholicism is very rigid, very strict. He was doing his daily prayer to Jesus

and going through the scriptures. He was given accommodation in the North

buildings. One day before dinner, while he was reading the scripture and

meditating on Jesus Christ, suddenly he noticed a hand lying on his shoulder.

He looked back and saw Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

Now he says, “Baba and Christ are one and the same. This I declare at the cost

of my reputation, at the cost of my Catholic faith. My relatives and friends

may forsake me, but I declare that Baba and Christ are one and the same.”

Baba is the Cosmic Christ. Bhagavan is everyone for that matter,

Sarva Devata Swarupa. He represents all deities, all gods -- that is the answer I can give you.

 

2.

Will He Take Care of Us Now? (22.09.2002)

This is the second question I received: “As Swami’s mission, including

seva projects, are expanding everyday, will He still look after His devotees of

many years in the same manner as He has been doing from His declaration in

1940’s? Because Swami is very busy nowadays, will He take care of us now?”

Oh-ho! This answer is so simple! Perhaps we have taken Him as a human being. ‘He

is so busy with office work; He's so busy with audit accountancy, inspection and

what not; so, will He have time for me?’ It is not like that!

Bhagavan is not a person! Bhagavan is not an object! Bhagavan is an energy unto

Himself! Bhagavan is energy! Bhagavan is everywhere! Bhagavan is in everyone.

There is no sense to a question like this: ‘Will He have time for me?’

Because Bhagavan

is time, there is no question of, “Will He have time!” No! Because He

is time and available at all times!

We are not giving Him time! We have no time to think of Him; we are not giving

Him an audience. He is waiting, waiting and waiting for everyone! Yet we ask,

“Since You are so busy with water projects, universities, etc., do You have

time for me?” What a thing to ask! He has all the time because He is everywhere

and in everyone.

Someone asked Baba a question last night about a long and healthy life. “What is

the secret behind a long and healthy life?” Physical exercise? Or meditation or

what?”

Bhagavan said this: “Two things will guarantee a long and healthy life. What are they?

Prema - love and thyaaga - sacrifice, these two will give you a long, healthy

life. No other thing will, no other!” Bhagavan said this last night to His

students.

The Secret of a Long and Healthy Life In this connection, Swami gave this

example of Rockefeller, a man from the United States. Rockefeller was a

millionaire, the richest man in this world, having earned lots and lots of

money. Suddenly he fell sick. All the doctors declared, “One and a half or two

years more to live. You cannot live longer because you have ailments that are

incurable. You are sure to die.”

So, Rockefeller started distributing his property and his money to everyone.

There is a Rockefeller Foundation in the United States, which takes care of

charitable trusts. It takes care of the forlorn and handicapped. It also takes

care of students, offering the highest standards of education in the field of

research and investigation. The Rockefeller Foundation is the biggest

charitable trust in the world today. After beginning these acts of charity,

Rockefeller lived beyond eighty years. He fell sick at the age of forty-eight.

As per the doctors’ predictions, he should have collapsed within two years.

Yet, this man lived beyond eighty years. To live a long life, one should have

love as the food and sacrifice as the medicine. These two - diet and medicine -

are normally required. Every person requires diet and medicine: if you take

medicine and don’t follow the diet, you will never be free from a disease. If

you observe the diet regulations and don’t take the medicine, well, the disease

will continue. Therefore, medicine and diet are the two requirements - namely,

thyaaga,

meaning sacrifice, and

prema,

meaning

love. Bhagavan said this last night.

1.

Do We Have Free Will or Not? (22.09.2002)

“Do we have free will or not?” That question was given to me.

The answer is simple. As I told you before and I repeat here, all the answers

are from Sai literature only. What did He say? “You don’t have free will!”

Straight! God does not mince words. There is no ambiguity; it is straight!

“Why not?” we question again!

The answer is simple: You are not free, so how can you have free will? Am I not

free? Yes, I am not free! Why not? We see what we should not see. We hear what

we are not supposed to hear. We do what we should not do. When we are a slave

to our senses, when we are a slave to our mind, when we are chained, when we

are imprisoned, when we are in a cell, we are not free! How can there be a

question of free will? Utter nonsense! To be free, first we have to have free

will. Oh I see! Will you show me one person who has free will?

The straight answer - God has free will! He is totally free! Therefore, His Will will happen!

Bhagavan gave this example to the question of free will: “If the left part of

your body is paralysed, you cannot move the paralysed part.”

All right, you have free will, come on and lift it! No free will! You have a

will; that is all! But, you are not free! You cannot lift that paralysed part.

Therefore, you have no free will!

SAIRAM!!!