Swami teaches... Take into head that is useful and transmit it to the heart

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Sai Ram Light and Love

Swami teaches...

Take Into Head That Is Useful and Transmit It to the Heart

People today receives all kinds of knowledge. Whatever one reads, whatever

one hears, one fills the mind with all sorts of things about the world.

Probably many wake up in the morning and start reading the news from newspaper.

However, without love in the heart, person is only another newspaper with no

significant internal values. It is not enough if one has the human form or even

the basic human equipment - physical, mental and emotional. One must bring it to

perfection, as a sculptor does, after the stone is brought to crude shape. Human

must be aware of kinship with God, of own immense potentiality.

The chief duty of human is investigation into Truth. It can be won thorough

dedication and devotion. And they are dependent on the Grace of God, which is

showered on hearts saturated with Love. The question, "Where does God

exist," is often trotted out by people nowadays. By unceasing recitation of the

Name of God, Prahlaadha knew that God is everywhere; it is not correct to

assert, "He is only here" or that "He is not there." The realisation of this

Truth can come after intense sadhana (spiritual practice). You may see all

kinds of attractive articles in a departmental store; they cannot be yours

merely for the asking. Only those articles for which you pay the price can be

secured by you.

God is in your own inner altar. Human being suffers being unable to discover

Him there, and draw peace and joy from that discovery. A dhobi, standing

knee-deep in a flowing river, washing clothes therein, died of thirst,because

he failed to realise that life-giving water was within reach. He need only bend

and drink.

Of course, you have to be in the world, but the attention has to be fixed on

God, the God within. Butter is in every drop of milk; chicken is in every part

of the egg. So too, God is in every part of the Universe. He is the strength;

He is the substance; He is the sustenance.

Do not pay more attention to the outside world than necessary; but,

concentrate more on the inner springs of joy. In a car, the wheels that are

underneath are the outer wheels; pay more attention to the wheel inside; the

wheel that guides and turns the outer wheels. The driver of the car is inside;

you, too, must care more for the inner motivator. If you are master of your

feelings and impulses, you can be anywhere, engaged in any profession.

When you are earnest God will guide you, either from within or from without,

through some one He will send or through illumination from within. Repeat

Soham (I am He), with every breath: 'So' when you take in and 'ham', when you

exhale, 'So' means He and 'ham,' means I and when you complete the inhalation

and exhalations, feel that 'So' namely, the Lord, and 'ham', namely, 'I' i.e.,

(you) are One. Later, after long practice, the idea of He and I as two separate

entities will disappear and there will be no more So and ham. This

Soham-recitation is a good means of restraining the mind. Let the mind be ever

attached to the Lord; then, it will not flee, as it fancies, towards all

directions. That is the meaning of the exhortation of Krishna: "Sharvadharmaan

parithyajya maam ekam sharanam vraja" - "Giving up all other activities,

surrender fully to me." Place the mind completely at His service. Then, He will

save you from falling.

Mana eva manushyaanaam kaaranam bandha mokshayoh - "the mind binds and the

mind liberates". Sotrain the mind and win. It is a wild elephant, which can be

tamed with the goad of Soham, as God's echo. Do not feed it with conceit, hate,

envy and greed.

"Who is God?" Once individual has discovered who he/she is, there is no need

to know who is God, for, both are the same. When you come to know that God is

in you, you will value yourself much more, for when a human knows that the

piece of 'glass' he has picked up is a diamond, he will keep it in an iron

safe, for better security.

 

The best sadhana (spiritual practice) is to discover own Atmic reality and

to recognise own kinship in the Atmic fold with all others. The body has to be

kept trim until this is achieved; its purpose too is just this. Keep it light

and bright. It is a boat which can take you across the sea of illusion, of

false multiplicity. In the human body, there are two important organs.

One is the heart and the other is the head. All the actions in the world, all

their consequences, originate in the head. All that you think, all that you do,

all your achievements, gains and losses, are all related to the head (to

thoughts). All that comes out of the head relates to the phenomenal world,

grows from it and ultimately merges in it. But, feelings like .peace, kindness,

compassion, forbearance and love emanate from the heart and transcend external

phenomena.

(The rulers who frame and foster the educational system pay attention to the

physical and intellectual training of the youth; they forget the attention must

also be paid to mental, moral and spiritual development, so that an integrated

personality can emerge. In all countries, it is the same).

 

Humanity has achieved today tremendous progress through science. Astonishing

advances have been made in areas like plastics, computers, electronics and

exploration of space. On the other hand, in the sphere of ethics, the picture

is depressing. The world is confronted with grave economic and political

problems. International, racial, religious, caste and communal differences,

inter-state conflicts. How has mankind fallen to this egregious depth of

ethical and spiritual degradation?

There has been any amount of transformation in the political, social and

scientific fields. But all this development is of no avail if there is no

commensurate transformation in the mental outlook of the people. Ethical

transformation depends on social transformation. Social transformation is

related to spiritual change. Without tends to spiritual transformation, social

progress tends to become inimical to human advancement. Spiritual

transformation is the basis for ethical transformation.

In the field of science today, there is great emphasis on research and

discovery. But unless the results of research are applied in practice, it will

be an expensive futility. Swami gave an example that years ago He attended a

symposium in Bombay on "Science and Spirituality." A prominent scientist said

that the nuclear arsenals of the Big Powers contained enough atom bombs to

destroy the world ten times over. What is the sense in building up such

arsenals? If you have destroyed the world once, what is there left for the

other bombs to destroy?

Those engaged in research seem to be more concerned about boosting their

name and fame by their research than about promoting public well-being through

the results of their research. Nor do they seem to be bothered about the

harmful consequences of their discoveries. To destroy a million persons by a

single bomb is no great thing. To do good to a single individual in the world

is more praise-worthy.

 

The scientific knowledge we acquire must be used for the benefit of our

fellow-men. (The journey into the inner consciousness to calm the storms that

rage there is more important than the journey to the Moon or Mars. The latter

may be more spectacular, but, the former is the more beneficial). The pursuit

of the Science of the Supreme Spirit is more essential than involvement with

the Physical Sciences. In every object in the Universe there is a Supreme

Principle. The physical object is Matter. The Supreme Principle within it is

Energy. There is no matter without energy or energy without matter. The Vedas

proclaimed this by saying that the Supreme is in the subtlest of the subtle and

the vastest of the vast.

If the Five Elements (Space, Air, Fire, Water,Earth) that constitute the

natural environment are kept in balance, the world is in a healthy state. If

this balance is upset or if the elements are polluted, then the country suffers

in various ways. If the products of science and technology result in upsetting

the balance of Nature and pollute the atmosphere or the rivers and the seas,

many harmful consequences follow. Pollution gives rise to many new diseases.

Today even pure air has become a rare commodity. Even earthquakes and volcanic

eruptions are often caused by the unsettling of the ecological balance in

nature.

The body derives its vital force from the Sun. There are five types of Pranas

(life-breaths). These are known as Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udhana and Samana Vayus.

(Prana Vayu is the life-wind or vital air which has its seat in the lungs; Apana

Vayu is the life-wind that goes downwards and out at the anus; Samana Vayu is

the vital air which has its seat in the cavity of the navel; Vyana Vayu is the

life-wind which is diffused through the whole body; The Vyana Vayu blows

through the entire circulatory system. Udhana Vayu is the life-wind which rises

up the throat and enters the head). The Prana (life-breath) comes from the

Sun. The Vyana comes from air. The Apana comes from the Earth. Udhana comes

from fire. The Samana comes from space. Because of these five breaths

functioning in us, we are able to live healthily. There are about 72,000

blood-vessels in a human being. When air is polluted, the entire circulatory

system is polluted.

Some kind of cleaning powder is used for cleaning vessels. Similarly prayer

is the means of cleansing the heart. When the heart is filled with all kinds of

worldly desires, there is no room in it for spiritual effort. A pictorial

example to this statement.

Zoroaster, one day, asked the Prince of Iran, "Go, light this lamp, from

yonder flame." The lamp could not be lit; for the wick was soaked in water.

Then Zoroaster said, "Your mind is so soaked in desire that it cannot receive

the wisdom it needs; dry it in the sun of detachment."

 

Today there seems to be no limit to human's desires. From ancient to present

age Food, Head and God are the three whose unity will divinise human being. Even

Sathwik food (food. which is conducive to the promotion of good qualities)

should be consumed in moderation.

Human possesses five organs of perception: the mouth, the ears, the eyes,

the nose and the skin. What is regarded as Sathwik food is taken through the

mouth. But what kind of food are the other senses consuming?

The eyes are "consuming" Rajasik food (seeing ugly and undesirable things).

Ignore such things as much as it possible.

What is it that the ears hear? They are listening to different scandals,

idle gossips, bad stories about others. Transforming oneself, one should share

good thoughts with others.

Now about speech. The tongue has a double function: speech and taste.

The tongue is prone to indulge in several undesirable activities: talking

ill of others, talking excessively, idle gossip and the like. Of the four kinds

of misbehaviour by the tongue, the first is excessive talking with others.

Talking endlessly with all kinds of persons is an evil. The second evil

tendency is abusing others. The third evil is making fun of others. The fourth

is indulging in falsehood.

The tongue is the cause of human's greatness or downfall. There must be

harmony between speech and action.

There is the sense of touch. Avoid touching others. It is highly significant

from a deeper sense. The ancient sages used to seek secluded spots and engage

themselves in meditation. There is a divine energy within the body, a kind of

current flowing in it. When this divine energy comes into contact with the body

of another person, it is likely to receive the bad thoughts in the latter. If

the other person is a good person, you may receive good thoughts from the

contact. But you cannot decide who is good and who is bad.

When a person is meditating, a divine energy is generated in him. The Earth

also has an energy (gravitational energy) which attracts objects towards

itself. That is the reason when a person sits in meditation, he/she uses a

wooden plank one inch above the ground, spreads a deer-skin on it and covers it

with a cloth. The cloth serves as a cushion protecting the meditator from any

pricks from the deerskin. The wooden plank acts as an insulator, preventing the

energy from passing down.

 

The Vedas and Sastras of India were not collected or compiled by fools or

knaves, they were put together by people, who gave up the attractions of

comfortable life, they retired into the forests, so that they could concentrate

on the solution of the problems that challenged them. In every statement in the

Vedas and Sastras, you get the genuine ring of actual experience and personal

thrill.

Do not sit on the bank of the river and pronounce judgements of the depth of

the waters, or their taste to potability. Step down and examine for yourselves;

that is the sign of the sincere seeker of Truth. (Reet's compilation from,

Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 5. "The wheels: outer and inner," Chapter 31; Sathya

Sai Speaks. Vol. 7. "Milk and Water ," Chapter 1 and "The wheel and its hub,"

Chapter 26; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 16. "Develop devotion to Dharma," Chapter

13; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 25. "The Head and The Heart," Chapter 9).

 

Namaste - Reet