Swami Answers For Spiritualising Our Day to Day Life.......!!! Jai Sai Ram

[Guest guest]

Om Sri Sai Ram

Om Sai Jai Sai Jai Jai Sai

 

BHAGAWAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA ANSWERS FOR SPIRITUALISING OUR DAY-TO-

DAY LIFE

 

THE INDIA ETERNAL

 

Q1) Swami! India (Bharat) is the land of religion and spirituality.

All the incarnations have taken birth in Bharat. What is the reason

behind this?

 

Bhagawan: Bharat is Yogabhumi, the land of spirituality. Bharat is

Punyabhumi , the sacred land. Bharat is Karmabhumi, the land of

sacred activity. Bharat is Tyagabhumi, the land of renunciation. Here

saints, sages, seers, aspirants, seekers and devotees pray to God to

enjoy His proximity. This necessitates the descent of God in human

form or incarnation. In response to their fervent appeals and

prayers, God, out of His grace and compassion, descends on earth or

incarnates and moves amidst us. Devotees, then, experience bliss and

follow Him.

 

Here is an illustration. You asked why Bharat alone has #8209; always

been the birthplace of the incarnations. You know that the train has

an engine in the front with several carriages connected to it. The

power or energy generated there in the engine pulls the carriages

forward. Where do you find the driver? Naturally, he sits in the

engine monitoring the train, does he not? Similarly, in the train of

the world, Bharat is in the position of an engine and the carriages

are the several countries attached to it. God is the driver. The

engine is His place. Just as we find heat and power generated there,

we also find the same elements produced as a result of sacred rituals

such as Yajnas and Yagas performed from time to time in this land of

Bharat.

 

In the great epic, the Mahabharata we find Arjuna and Bhima always

following Dharmaja. Here, Arjuna stands, for intelligence, while

Bhima symbolizes physical strength. Now, Bharat is in the position of

Dharmaja. America is Arjuna, while Russia is Bhima. Just as you find

Bhima and Arjuna obeying the command of Dharmaja, America and Russia

should follow Bharat.

 

In the very name "Bharat" we have three letters. (Written in

Telugu, "Bharat" comprises three letters). Bha, the first letter

stands for bhava or feeling, ra, the second signifies raga, tune, or

melody, and ta, the third indicates tala or beat. Thus, Bharat is the

country where the glory of God is sung with bhava, raga and tala.

This country has another name Hindu Desam which means a country that

shuns violence, `Him' #8209; himsa or violence, ` du ' #8209; du ra

or shuns. For these reasons God has chosen to incarnate or descend in

human form in Bharat.

 

Q2) Swami! We find people of every religion following a specific

sacred text and a particular path. But in Sanathana Dharma, we have

numerous paths, texts, and procedures such as dualism, qualified non-

dualism and non#8209;dualism, the nine paths of devotion, the six

Darsanas, the four Vedas, numerous Sasthras, and so on. How are we to

understand these and practice the principles of Sanathana Dharma?

 

Bhagawan: Sanathana Dharma is the most ancient spiritual way of life.

Its diversity matches the spectrum of human behavioral tendencies,

temperaments and mental attitudes. It is practical and confers divine

experiences.

 

A small example. You buy a piece of cloth and give it to a tailor to

make a suit for you. The tailor will get your suit ready according to

your measurements, does he not? You cannot wear a dress made for

someone else. It may be too lose or too tight, too long or too short.

Therefore, your dress must be according to your size. Similarly, some

may like Rama, some Siva, Krishna, and so on. They find it easy to

concentrate on the deity of their choice, whereas the followers of

other faiths may have to wear one dress of one and the same size.

 

Another example. You may know the nadasvaram, the South Indian

musical instrument required to be played on every auspicious

occasion. To maintain srti or rhythm by way of an accompaniment, one

person plays an instrument in the same way all through. On the other

hand, with nadasvaram you can play any number of ragas or tunes.

Sanathana Dharma is like the nadasvaram.

 

Another example: Whatever, the combination of optional subjects you

may take in Science during your undergraduate programme, be it

`M.P.C.' (Maths, Physics and Chemistry) or "C.B.Z." (Chemistry,

Botany and Zoology), you get a B.Sc. degree. Similarly, in the

university established by Sage Vyasa, you can opt for any course like

the Sasthras, the Vedas, the Upanishads, etc. This is the

significance of our ancient Sanathana Dharma, which gives ample

freedom for you to select and follow.

 

Another example: A pharmacist and a cafe owner got headache on the

same day. Seeking relief, the pharmacist went to the cafe for a cup

of coffee, and the cafe owner to the medical shop for a tablet. So

one has faith in a cup of coffee while the other trusts a tablet. In

the same way, you should follow the spiritual path you believe in,

and the text that is convincing and appealing to you.

 

Q3) Swami! Muslims go to a mosque every Friday to pray (namaj), and

Christians go to a church every Sunday. Then, how is it that Hindus

do not meet in a temple like other religious groups?

 

Bhagawan: You are wrong if you think Hindus should. They are not

required to specially meet on a specific day like others. Why? Every

Hindu has a puja room or an altar in his home particularly meant for

worship. He prays there everyday. So there is no need for him to

assemble for mass prayer or to pray on specific days like people

belonging to other religions.

 

Q4) Swami! Since God is omnipresent and omniscient, do we need

temples and should we go on pilgrimage to holy places like Shirdi,

Puttaparthi, Tirupati, and so on?

 

Bhagawan: This is a foolish question. You are exhibiting your

ignorance and your `fashionable' way of thinking which, more often

than not, is perverted. There is no relationship between what is said

and what is experienced. You say that God is everywhere. But it is

merely an expression, vocal and verbal. Do you really have strong

faith that God is present everywhere? Do you have that experience of

the divinity, which is all#8209;pervasive? You are simply speaking

like a parrot.

 

I give you here a simple example. Blood circulates throughout the

body of a cow. But you can draw milk only out of the udder! You can't

squeeze the ear or twist the tail of a cow to get its milk, can you?

Therefore, the all#8209;pervading God can be visualised and

experienced in a temple and at a holy pilgrim centre.

 

Q5) Swami! Why did the ancient Rishis, sages and saints, choose

forests to undertake tapas or penance? Why did they prefer solitude?

 

Bhagawan: There is significance undoubtedly. Why did they choose

forests for penance? Here is an example. Suppose an exhibition is

organised in a city. Naturally, the stalls there and the articles

kept there for sales attract you. The music, eatables, clothes, etc.,

draw you. The exhibits attract your senses since you find them right

before you. But, in a forest, there is nothing to attract or distract

your attention.

 

Solitude helps you to maintain the inner peace and tranquility needed

for meditation. It provides a congenial atmosphere for spiritual

life. So, saints and sages always did penance in forests. In other

words, "forest" is "for#8209; rest" spiritually.

 

Q6) Swami! We don't find any understanding between any two persons,

but only mutual bickering and differences. We hardly find any unity

or brotherhood between man and man. What is the reason?

 

Bhagawan: There is one thing you should clearly know when you think

of unity and differences among people. What is the reason? Today

there is no understanding between any two persons. The absence of

understanding is the main cause of all the conflicts, enmity, and

differences. Therefore, people do not adjust with others. Adjustment

is possible only when there is understanding. But, today you are

moving in the opposite direction. You think that you can adjust first

and then understand each other. But, that is wrong. You must first

understand and adjustment then becomes easy.

 

Here is a small illustration. When there is perfect understanding

between you and your wife, she does not mind if you return home late

from your office. She pities you and sympathises with you. With all

her concern and love, she brings you a cup of coffee. But, if by any

chance, there is a slight misunderstanding, and your return from

office is delayed even by five minutes, there will be a civil war at

home. Why? Misunderstanding is the cause of her inability to adjust.

It makes her put questions like: "Where have you been till now? Where

did you go? With whom did you spend the time?" etc. So understanding

is very necessary for proper adjustment. Many problems of society

today can be solved if this is realised.

 

Q7) Swami! Hindus are criticised for worshipping idols, trees, etc.

Many think that this is all superstition and blind faith. What do you

feel about this, Swami?

 

Bhagawan: Bharat is the spiritual centre of the world. This is the

country that practiced, preached and propagated that divinity exists

in all the living and the nonliving, right from an atom to the entire

cosmos. You will notice that here, in this country, putta, anthill,

gutta, mountain, chettu, tree and pitta, bird are objects of

veneration and worship. An anthill is worshipped as the abode of Lord

Subrahmanya, a bird is respected as the vehicle of Lord Vishnu, a

mountain is spiritually important as it is viewed as Govardhana

lifted by Lord Krishna, and a tree is worshipped as the as vatthavr

ks a . All objects are divine according to our scriptures. This is

not superstition. This is not in any way blind faith. Sanathana

Dharma wants us to view, feel, and experience divinity everywhere.

This is the spiritual path. This is the highest and noblest

experience.

 

Q8) Swami! Kindly tell us what is to be done in our country now?

 

Bhagawan: You don't have to protect your country now. You should

protect and uphold Sathya and Dharma. You should of necessity follow

these twin principles. They will protect the entire universe. You

should develop love for the universe in all its vastness and

magnitude.

 

Love all and serve all. You should rise above the narrow limits of

caste, creed and nationality. You should believe in the brotherhood

of man and the fatherhood of God. You should never waste time.

Gratitude must be expressed by rendering service to the society in

which you are born, grew up, made money and earned reputation. Be

patriotic and strive for integration, harmony, peace and security in

society. You should follow and uphold the great and unique Indian

culture.

 

Cultivate human values and realise the divinity within you. Politics

without Principles, Commerce without Morality, Science without

Humanity, and Education without Character are not only useless, but

also dangerous. You should be a perfect, ideal man. You are from God.

You are the spark of the Divine. Hence, your qualities should be

daiva, divine and not dayyam, demonic. You say, "I am a human being".

This is only half a truth. The other half is, "I am not an animal".

You should give up animal qualities. If you have both bestial and

human qualities, it means your mind is dual. The man with a dual mind

is half blind.

 

If you place a ceiling on your desires, you will be happy. He who has

many desires is the poorest man. The man with contentment is the

richest man. Guna, virtue is more important than ana, coin.

 

You should know the purpose and the goal of life. Life is not for

eating, drinking, and sleeping alone. Animals also do the same. What

is your specialty, then? God has gifted you this life in order that

you may know, experience and realise the divinity within you.

Morality and integrity are very important. Nitiye jati, morality,

indeed, is national character. A Telugu verse runs as follows:

 

adi vadalitiv o kotikante hinud avu,

jati gauravamu ni tipai nilucunu

ni ti kalugu jati nijamaina jati .

 

Without character, you are worse than a monkey. The prestige of a

nation depends on its morality. That nation alone deserves to be

called a nation when it truly maintains high standards of morality

and individuality.

 

You should always remember these three important points. The first

is: do not trust the way of the world. Sometimes it not only deludes

and distracts you, but betrays you also. The second is: never forget

God who is always with you, in you, above you, below you. Nay, you

are God. The third is: do not fear death, as it is sure to take

place. In fact, death is the dress of life. Follow the sacred path in

life by maintaining unity in thought, word and deed.

 

There is one more thing I want you to note. Open your heart and close

your mouth. Today, people speak what they don't really mean; their

hearts are full of jealousy, pride, envy, and what not. I want you to

open your heart and be free from all those that pollute it and close

your mouth. Dedicate your life to service. Keep God as your ultimate

aim and goal. This is what I mean when I say, "Hands in society and

Head in the forest".

 

You should share your precious knowledge and valuable experience with

others. You should share Sai's message with others. Have faith in

yourself first and then you can trust God. The real cause of the

problem of the present day lies here. You don't have faith in

yourself. You have no self#8209;confidence.

 

Consider gramaseva, rural service as Rama Seva, service to God.

Explain clearly to the villagers' issues like hygiene, health,

cleanliness, and organise medical camps. Ensure to everyone water

supply, especially drinking water supply. Tell them about the evil

effects of smoking and drinking. Help them to get rid of these bad

habits. If you work and serve mingling closely with the local people,

in course of time, they will be able to work independently and become

self reliant. Service to man is service to God. Service is a greater

and higher spiritual path than meditation, penance, worship and

chanting. Serve the poor and the needy.

 

Don't be selfish. Don't give any scope for jealousy, pride, and

attachment. Develop virtues like devotion, adherence to truth,

discipline, broad#8209;mindedness, and never yield to pomp, pride,

and egoism. Bad qualities are like tigers while noble qualities are

like cows. Will tigers allow cows to live? No. So, don't have any

evil tendencies in your heart. You should imbibe human values more

and more, and live up to the ideals you cherish.

 

Q9) Swami! Kindly tell us about Vasishta and Visvamitra the two sages

who are very prominent in the Ramayana?

 

Bhagawan: In ancient days, kings were always guided by their

preceptor. They consulted him on all major issues. That was how satya

and dharma were maintained and upheld. History shows instances when

kings approached their gurus for blessings and guidance, and thus

became great. You know how King Krishnadevaraya was guided by his

mentor and preceptor, Vidyaranya, and Emperor Sivaji by Samartha

Ramadas.

 

Rama and Lakshmana followed Sage Visvamitra, learnt archery from him

and killed demons like Khara and Dushana who were obstructing and

desecrating Vedic rituals like yajnas and yagas in the forest. Thus,

Visvamitra was instrumental in demonstrating to the world at large

the valour and expertise of Rama and Lakshmana. Visvamitra also

taught Rama the most sacred mantra, the Gayatri. Visvamitra was also

responsible for the divine wedding of Sita and Rama, which was in

essence a union of prakrti, matter and purusa, energy, the Absolute

one. He was and is the mitra, friend, of visva, the entire Universe,

and so the name of the sage has been so apt and befitting.

 

Visvamitra was the one who gave Gayathri Mantra to mankind. As he was

growing in spiritual stature, he wished to be called Brahmarshi by

Vasishtha. He was always competitive and envious of Vasishtha to the

extent of even resolving to kill him. On a full moon day he planned

to kill Vasishtha and was holding in his hand a big stone to be

thrown on his head. Meanwhile, he heard Vasishtha tell his wife

Arundhati how bright and beautiful the moonlight was and how it was

equal to the power of the penance of Visvamitra. His mind immediately

changed and he fell at the feet of Vasishtha and the latter addressed

him as Brahmarshi since he had conquered his ego.

 

Q10) Swami! Among the sages, how is Valmiki noteworthy?

 

Bhagawan: The Ramayana was both composed and recited during the time

of Rama's incarnation. As for the great sage and ascetic Valmiki,

besides being a contemporary of Rama, he, as the author of the

Ramayana, is the very first poet. He gave shelter to Sita, renowned

for her virtue and chastity, brought up her sons, Lava and Kusa, and

taught them archery and all the arts. Thus, he played a vital role in

the Ramayana.

 

Having completed the Ramayana, he thought deeply about popularising

such a great work. At that juncture, Lava and Kusa came forward and

took a vow in the presence of Valmiki and other distinguished sages

that they would themselves sing the Ramayana and offer its nectar to

people all over the world. Thus, Valmiki has the unique distinction

of composing the divine Ramayana as Rama's contemporary and having it

sung in Rama's presence. Valmiki proclaimed to the whole world the

ideals and divinity of Rama, the protector of the world and the

inspirer of His muse. Thus, it was only from the Tretayuga that the

divinity within humanity began to shine forth.

 

The purpose of the incarnation of Rama was to pass on to mankind the

whole duty of man. What is happening today is exactly the same

phenomenon. You would have noticed how in the present avatar too,

biographies are written by contemporaries, and the Divinity is

acknowledged, worshipped, experienced, and celebrated all over the

world. That all this is happening during the time of the incarnation

is another parallel to Rama's descent. The same Ideal! The same Love!

The same Message, viz., the practice of Satya and Dharma.

 

Q11) Swami! We heard about King Dasaratha, the yoga called

`putrakameshti', and so on. Kindly tell us something about King

Janaka.

 

Bhagawan: Janaka was a Raja yogi, a man of great wisdom, utterly

devoid of the sense of the body. Therefore, he came to be known as

videha, one without attachment to the body. As the daughter of that

King, Sita came to be known as vaidehi. Janaka was an ideal king

possessing immense devotion to the preceptor, extensive knowledge of

the Sasthras, and the sprit of renunciation. He performed Sita's

marriage as his bounden duty. Later on, Rama left for the forest

along with Sita and Lakshmana. Though their stay in the forest

stretched into years, Janaka never set foot in the forest. Such was

Janaka's abounding wealth of jnana and vairagya.

 

Q12) Swami'. We hear that Adi Sankara died at a young age. What could

be the reason?

 

Bhagawan: It is true that the founder of the doctrine of advaita,

nondualism, died young. He wrote commentaries on three important

sacred texts known as Prasthanatraya, viz. the Upanishads, the

Brahmasutras, and the Bhagavadgita . Besides, emphasising jnana, he

composed a large number of hymns on bhakti. He travelled all over the

country and established pit has centres of worship and spiritual

learning. He symbolises Sanatana Dharma, the ancient, timeless

spiritual culture of this land.

 

Adi Sankara went to the ancient pilgrim centre, Kasi where he prayed

to the presiding deity, Visvanath to pardon him for the three

mistakes he had committed. The first mistake happened to be his

behaviour contrary to what he had been stating all along. While

saying, Vasudevas sarvamiti, God is everywhere, he had come to Kasi

to see God. The second mistake was that even while knowing that God

is beyond our comprehension and description, yato vaco nivartant e ,

he tried to write books on divinity. The third mistake was that while

knowing that one God manifested Himself as many, ekoham bahu syam,

and that the same God is present in everyone, atmavat sarva bhutani

and that awareness is in everyone, prajnanam brahma he organised

mathas, centres of learning considering his disciples separate from

him.

 

You may also have heard another episode connected with his life. He

prayed to his mother for permission to become a Sanyasi, a lifelong

celibate. She didn't accept the proposal initially. One day Sankara

went to a nearby river to have a bath. Suddenly a crocodile caught

his feet. Then he started crying, "Mother! Mother! This crocodile is

pulling me into the water. It is not going to leave me until you

permit me to become a sanyasi". His mother at last gave her

permission and Sankara was released by the crocodile. The inner

meaning of the episode is that the river is comparable to samsa ra,

worldly life in general, and the crocodile to visaya, sensual

pleasure. Man is dragged into the river of life by the crocodile of

worldly pleasure. Release is renunciation or detachment.

 

Sankara shuffled off the mortal coil soon after completing the tasks

he had set for himself, because he was sure that his mission would be

carried further by his disciples, the torchbearers of his philosophy

and that his theory of advaita, non#8209;dualism would be widely

spread and propagated. His disciples too were of the stature and

eminence to carry on his mission successfully.

 

Q13) Swami! Tyagaraja, very well known as a devotee of Rama, composed

krtis (hymns in praise of the Lord) which are sung even today. What

is special about them?

 

Bhagawan: There are many names of devotees who composed devotional

songs all over the world. God also responded to them. Those songs

make you ecstatic and sublime. But the hymns of Tyagaraja have a

specialty about them. Every song of his is related to an incident in

his life.

 

For example, when the King of Tanjore sent him jewels, provisions and

costly presents, Tyagaraja mildly and politely rejected them and put

to himself a question in the form of a krti, nidhi cala sukhama

ramuni sannidhi seva sukhama , is it money that makes you happy or is

it nearness to God? Once his brother threw all the idols worshipped

by Tyagaraja into the Kaveri river. Tyagaraja cried and cried for

this loss. One day when he was taking his bath in the Kaveri, he

could get by the grace of Rama those lost idols, and holding them in

his palms he brought them home singing, rara ma inti daka raghuvi ra

sukumara : "Lord Rama! Please come home." In a music concert in the

court of a king, he sang paying obeisance to all the distinguished

people present in the assembly, endaro mahanubhavulu andariki

vandanamulu, "there are many noble and great people here, my humble

pranams to all of you." Like this, every song composed by Tyagaraja

is associated with some real life occasion or incident.

The hymns of Tyagaraja reflect practical devotion and surrender.

 

Q14) Swami! Right now, we are in Kodaikanal. Tamilnadu is known for

its renowned devotees. We often hear about Manika Vachakar and

Tiruvalluvar. We want to hear from you about these two illustrious

sons of Tamilnadu.

 

Bhagawan: Manikya Vachakar is the personification of forbearance,

forgiveness, patience, and devotion. One day the son of a very rich

man came to him. You know, Manikya Vachakar was selling saris and

maintaining his family. This boy who came to him was a pampered

spoilt child. Picking up a sari there, the boy asked, "What is the

price of this sari?" Manikya Vachakar said, "Twenty rupees, sir". The

boy tore the sari into two halves and said, "What is the price of

this half sari?" The sari seller said, "Rupees ten, sir". The boy

tore it further into two halves and asked, "Now what is the price of

this quarter sari"? The former patiently replied, "Rupees five sir".

The mischievous boy was very much taken aback by Manikya Vachakar's

patience. He then asked, "How is it that you are so patient in spite

of my mischief?" Manikya Vachakar smiled and said, " I am a devotee

of God and I have full faith in Him. He is responsible for my peace

and calmness".

 

In Tamilnadu there was one devotee by name Tiruvalluvar. He was

highly reputed and is known even today for his devotional

composition, Tirukkural. In those days, the Pandya king had

youngsters serving him as ministers. Tiruvalluvar was one of them.

The Pandya king had a great liking for horses. He liked to have a

number of horses of different breeds from all parts of the country.

He called Tiruvalluvar, gave him some money, and sent him to get new

breeds of horses from all places. The latter agreed and proceeded.

 

On his way, Tiruvalluvar found a temple in a dilapidated condition.

He decided to renovate it. In so doing, he had spent all the money he

had with him. Having come to know what he had done, the king became

very furious and wild. He kept Tiruvalluvar in prison as a

punishment. There in the prison Tiruvalluvar composed his famous

Tirukkural. The king repented later for his hasty and wrong decision.

He requested Tiruvalluvar to come back and resume his duties as a

minister. However, Tiruvalluvar politely refused to take up any

responsibilities in the kingdom. He spent the remaining part of his

life wholly in spiritual pursuits.

 

Q15) Swami! God is attributeless. He is above sattvika, rajasika, and

tamasika qualities. But, we are bound by these three attributes. How

can we realise God, then?

 

Bhagawan: The Divine has two aspects. He can be experienced as the

one with attributes and also as beyond them. You should know one

thing chiefly. God is in the attributes. But, the attributes are not

in Him. Attributes or traits cannot function and operate without

divinity in them. Gold is in the jewellery. But, jewels are not in

gold. Pots are made of clay, but not vice versa. Silverware, like a

glass or a plate, is made of silver. But, the glass and plate are not

in silver.

 

Another example: You know, an electric bulb illumines, and a fan

revolves. Radios, TVs work by electricity only. They are electrical

gadgets. Electricity is the main cause of their functioning. But,

none of these gadgets are there in electricity. Likewise, God is

present in the attributes. They are not present in God. So in a way

we can say that He has attributes and at the same time He is

attributeless, saguna and nirguna.

 

Every man has three qualities sattva, rajas, and tamas. But, the one

that dominates the other two decides his thinking, feeling and

action. But, unless we transcend these three qualities, we cannot

experience divinity in the true sense. Here is an example. If you

want to see your own chest, what should you do? You should first of

all remove your coat, then your shirt, and finally even your banian,

to look at your chest, isn't it so? So also, to see the chest of

divinity you should first remove the coat of tamasika quality, the

shirt of rajasika quality and the banian of sattvika quality.

 

Q16) Swami! We pray to you to tell us about the two aspects of God,

with form and without it?

 

Bhagawan: It is here that many are confused. Without a form, from

where do you get the formless? How is it possible for you to

visualise the formless? Since you have a form, you can only think of

God with a form. For example, if a fish is to think of God, it can

visualise God only in the form of a bigger fish. So also, if at all a

buffalo thinks of God, it can think of God only as a bigger buffalo.

In the same way, man can think of God only as existing in human form,

the form of an ideal man.

 

Even the formless aspect of God can be meditated upon basing on the

aspect of God with form. You cannot derive the formless without a

form. Here is a small example. You are all here seated in this hall

in front of Swami today in Kodaikanal. You are listening to Swami's

words. This is an experience with a form. Later, you go home and

after a few days you begin to reflect on what had happened here. You

recall the entire scenario. In fact, has Swami come to your place

physically? Would you find this room at your place? Have all of you

gone there? No. But this direct experience is pictured mentally,

which gives you the indirect experience of being here. What you see

here is the sakara and what you experience there is the nirakara. So,

the formless is based on the aspect with form. One cannot exist

without the other.

 

Another example. Here is milk. You want to drink it. How do you

drink? Don't you need a cup or a glass? Similarly to worship God

(milk) you need a form (cup).

 

Swami, of these two ways of worship, the aspect with form and the

other, the formless, which is greater?

 

Bhagawan: In my opinion, both are equal. One is not in any way

greater than the other. Now you are in Coimbatore. Here the land is

plain, without any ups and downs. The level of the land is the same

throughout. Nobody levelled it. Nobody prepared the ground like this.

The form of Coimbatore is like this. Its design is like this. But

Kodaikanal is located on the hills. Nobody assembled hills there. Its

form is of that sort. Coimbatore and Kodaikanal are different from

one other. Each one is full, but in its own way.

 

So also, the two methods of worship one with form and the other

formless are equally beneficial to the seekers of truth and aspirants

of spiritual enlightenment.

 

Q17) Swami! Scriptures declare that God is omnipresent; God is

everywhere. Kindly explain this aspect of Divinity? How are we to

understand this?

 

Bhagawan: The Bhagavadg ita says, "bijam mam sarvabh utanam, God is

the seed of this entire creation. God is the seed of all beings." For

example, you see here a mango seed. You sow it in the ground. The

seed, as days pass, germinates. In the process, the seed produces a

root, then a stem, a leaf, branches, and flowers gradually. The seed

is latent in every part of the plant, as all parts directly or

indirectly emerge from it. Finally, in the hard seed of the fruit

also the initial or the original seed is present. So, God is present

in the entire universe. The whole world is a tree, God is the seed,

and fruits are the beings or creatures born of the tree of the world.

 

Q18) Swami! When the same divinity is present in everyone, why should

differences exist? Divinity being the same, why are we so different

from each other?

 

Bhagawan: Ekamevadvitiyam brahma, "God is one without a second", says

the scripture. Then, how do we account for the variety, diversity,

differences, and so on? A small example to understand this. Power

supply being the same, don't you find the difference in the voltage

of the bulbs that illumine? A bulb with a low voltage gives you light

of low intensity and a bulb with a high voltage illumines more

brightly. Don't they? But, at the same time, electricity is one and

the same. Bulbs are different in their voltage and this determines

the intensity of light. Similarly, our bodies are like those bulbs

with the inner current of the same Divinity.

 

Swami! You said that divinity is in everyone. Then, before we were

born where had it been? Does divinity exist even after our death?

 

Bhagawan: The Divine exists. Divinity is imperishable, pure and

unsullied. It has neither birth nor death. It is eternal and stable.

It is beyond time and space. Divinity transcends all physical laws.

 

Now, your question is: where did divinity exist prior to your birth

and where will it be after your death, while it is in you during this

lifetime? You see, there is an electrical wire on the wall, and also

holders here and there to which bulbs are fixed. You get light only

if a bulb is fixed to a holder and not otherwise. Why? The current

passes through the wire that enters the bulb fixed to the holder. If

you hold the bulb in your hand, it does not illumine, as there is no

power supply. What you have to understand is this. The current has

not been newly produced to get into the bulb. It was already there in

the wire. If you remove the bulb, what will happen to the current? It

will be there in the wire only. The only difference is that you will

not experience its presence as illumination. Similarly, the bulb is

the body, the current of divinity flows into it as the illumination

of life. When this bulb of the body is removed, even then, the

current of divinity persists hidden or

latent, so much so divinity has all along been there before you were

born, during your lifetime and will even be there after your death

like the current of electricity.

 

Q19) Swami! It is said that God is hr dayavasi, dweller in our heart.

Is it the same heart, which is on the left side in on our chest?

 

Bhagawan: No, no. That is the physical heart. But the seat of God is

the spiritual heart, which is also called hrdaya. It means hr + daya

= hrdaya. The one filled with compassion is hrdaya, heart. Today

compassion is a matter of fashion. People put on kasayavastra, ochre

robes but they have kasayihrdaya, hearts of butchery.

 

The physical heart is on the left side while the spiritual heart is

on the right side. The spiritual heart is the temple of God. In the

Gita, Lord Krishna says, isvarah hrddese arjuna tisthati which means

God resides in the altar of your heart. Knowledge, be it physical,

secular, scientific or technological, relates to the head and not to

the heart. But love, compassion, truth, sacrifice and forbearance

concern the heart.

 

Q20) Swami! Can divinity be probed into? Is it possible to know it by

reasoning?

 

Bhagawan: All worldly experiences are bound by time and space. Your

senses help you to experience all that is in the outer world. Science

and Technology investigate the five elements, make certain

combinations and permutations, and provide certain additional

conveniences and comforts for mankind to lead a better life. These

include electronic gadgets, computers, and so on. A scientist

conducts an experiment, but a spiritual aspirant's experiences of

divinity cannot be conducted in a laboratory. How do you expect to

convey anything about divinity, which is beyond expression? How do

you imagine divinity, which is beyond comprehension? How do you

investigate and experiment upon divinity which transcends all your

reasoning and senses? Science is based on experiments, and religion

on experience. In science, you analyse, but in religion, you

realise.

 

Q21) Swami! What should we do to receive God's grace?

 

Bhagawan: There is no way other than devotion. Your wealth,

scholarship, authority and physical personality cannot please God. It

is only your devotion that He looks into.

 

Don't you know Guha in the Ramayana? What scholarship had he to

please Rama? Nothing. He was not even educated. You also must have

heard of Sabari, an ardent devotee of Lord Rama. How rich was she to

be close to Rama? Nothing. She was in rags at that time, the poorest

of the poor. What made that bird, Jatayu receive the special

blessings of Rama so as to deserve performance of the last rites at

the divine hands of Rama? Even Rama's father, Dasaratha, was not as

fortunate as this bird Jatayu, because he died when Rama was in the

forest, far away from Ayodhya. How about Hanuman, a monkey? By

implicit faith in and total surrender to Rama he could be successful

not only in the task assigned to him, but also came to be worshipped

by the devotees of the Lord and his worship has been continuing since

the days of the Ramavatara.

 

The Mahabharata clearly portrays Draupadi, the queen of the Pandavas

as Lord Krishna's devotee of the highest order, always, in times of

success or failure, pleasure or pain, calm or turmoil, anywhere,

either on the throne in Hastinapura or in the forest. The Pandavas

are known for their deep devotion and abounding love for Krishna.

They are the best examples of equanimity and total surrender to God

such that Krishna identified Himself completely with them by saying

that Dharmaja was His head, Arjuna His heart, Bhima His shoulders and

the two youngest brothers Nakula and Sahadeva equal to His two feet.

This is true devotion. This is the ideal stature of a devotee.

 

In the Bhagavata you come across the Gopis (the cowherd girls who

were rustic, innocent, and unlettered) whose madhurabhakti, total

attachment to God, was backed by unconditional love and surrender.

Their devotion was noble, pure, nectarine, and exemplary. They saw

Krishna in bushes, thorns, leaves, branches, and flowers. Is theirs

not tadatmyabhava, total identification? Isn't theirs the

advaitabhava, non#8209;dualistic state? They could not bear the pangs

of separation from Krishna even for a split second. This is the level

of their devotion.

 

Have you not heard about Tyagaraja, the South Indian

saint#8209;singer and composer, who had put the question: 'nidhi cala

sukhama ramuni sannidhi seva sukhama '. Is it wealth that gives you

happiness or proximity to God? Ramadas, Surdas, Kabir, Tulasidas,

Jayadev, Tukaram, Mira, and others were the very personifications of

devotion. They are remembered to this day. By reading about them, you

will not only be the recipient of God's grace but even have a claim

on God's grace. You know, the moment you marry, and your wife will

have a claim on your property. This is due to the mangalasutra, the

sacred knot tied at the time of the wedding. Similarly, devotion is

bhaktisutra #8209; the knot of devotion, which empowers the devotee

to claim from God His grace. Therefore, for everything, devotion is

most important. For most people, it is the proper and noble approach

to Divinity.

 

Q22) Swami! Why are we not the recipients of Divine grace?

 

Bhagawan: It is not proper to feel so. You are wrong if you think so.

God's grace is equally available to all of you. He makes no

distinctions of caste, creed, sex, nationality, and so on. You should

know that the defect is in you. You have to cleanse the tumbler of

your heart. For example, it is raining heavily now. If you want to

collect water in a vessel, what you do is to keep it straight.

However, if you turn it downwards or put it upside down, is it

possible to collect water? The downpour of rain will be of no help at

all. Therefore, we have to keep our hearts always pure and ready to

receive the rain of grace. We have to turn it towards the rain of

God's Love in order to collect it. Is it not so?

 

Q23) Swami! Our fortune is immeasurable, how many people get this

opportunity! This is all your grace. But, how are we to preserve this?

 

Bhagawan: Look! Out of the millions of devotees how many are able to

be here? Is this proximity possible for everyone? Merit from several

past lives had made you fortunate enough to be here. Out of a few

thousand in our institutions, how many students are lucky enough to

be here? Only a few of you could follow me to this place, Kodaikanal.

This you will have to preserve and sustain carefully.

 

A small example. Here is a roll of thread, which is the product of

much rotating and winding. A time consuming job, really! If they take

up this process in haste, and drop it in the middle out of neglect or

carelessness, all the thread will lie scattered on the ground.

Similarly, your fortune is like this roll of thread carefully and

laboriously wound like the merit of the good deeds you had done in

your past lives. If you neglect this fortune and lose it by any

mischance, you can't get it back. All the effort you have put in will

go waste. The thick pad at the centre of this roll is like your faith

round which your meritorious deeds are wound. So, never neglect this

good luck, nor take it for granted, nor view it as simple and

ordinary. Negligence and carelessness are harmful to spiritual

aspirants.

 

Q24) Swami! How does your Grace affect our destiny and our prarabdha,

past karma?

 

Bhagawan: God's grace and God's will can change anything. God is

love. His infinite compassion makes Him change your, pra rabdhakarma

or the ka rmic effects of your past lives. A devotee can arrest God

in the jail of his heart. In this world, there is nothing that you

can't achieve with devotion. God's grace can cancel all your karmic

effects or the evil effects of your past life. Nothing untoward can

happen to you.

 

A small example. You see many medicines kept for sale in a medical

shop. On each of the medicines you find the date of manufacture and

of expiry. The medicine will not act with efficiency beyond the date

of expiry. It becomes just useless. What God does is exactly the same

thing. He simply stamps on the medicine bottle the date of expiry

cancelling your prarabdhakarma the suffering you are going through in

this life. Right then your suffering ends. This is how Swami, out of

His sheer grace and compassion, gives you relief.

 

Q25) Swami! Can we be sure of God's grace if we do Sadhana regularly?

 

Bhagawan: Certainly! As sure as anything! Why do you doubt? For

example, you have a pet dog. You feed it every day and you will

notice that it will get habituated to come to you exactly at the same

time every day to be fed. Is this not true? When regularity makes a

dog respond, why not God? You will definitely receive His grace.

 

Q26) Swami! We are here in your presence because of your infinite

grace and mercy. Your blessings have brought us all here. We bask in

the sunshine of bliss bestowed on us by your Divine Darshan, Sparshan

and Sambashan. Do we still need merit from past lives and the

samskaras?

 

Bhagawan: The present state of bliss and the merit from past lives

are both essential and they should go together. They are closely

interrelated. Take this example. Here the soil is sandy. When there

are heavy rains, water sinks into the soil or gets absorbed in the

soil. The same is the situation with you at present. Therefore,

devotion doesn't remain steady. But, suppose there is a flow of river

water, what happens when it rains? Water will flow with greater

vigour than before. Similarly, your present blessed opportunity of

being with me is like rainwater. If you have good samska ras from

your past life like the water flow of a river, the blissful state you

are experiencing now will continue with more vigour.

 

God's grace is like a shower of rain. Your merit from the past will

enable you to contain it. So, I tell you often to retain the good

luck, the opportunity, and the privilege given to you. You draw water

out of the well in a bucket. But you have to pick up the bucket full

of water yourself. On the other hand, if you drop it in the middle,

what happens? You can't collect water, can you? However, there is one

important thing. If you love God intensely, you can achieve anything.

As human effort increases, God's grace also lends strength and

intensity to the effort, which ultimately leads man to success.

 

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Jai Sai Ram

Swamy Mahadevan

Bow to Shri Sai-Peace be to all

Baba Bless you ever!!!