Easter: Prof Anil Kumar

[Guest guest]

justify"> THE MEANING OF ‘BORN AGAIN’ There is a term in Sanskrit, dwija,

meaning ‘twice born’. How is it possible to be born again? Unless one dies

it is not possible to be born again. The point here is that it is the

personality that is transformed. A totally realised

person will lead a life quite different from that before their experience of

enlightenment. A life of mundane activities, worldly thoughts, and sensual

pleasure is transformed into a spiritual life. A metamorphosis occurs. It is

now a religious life with unbelievable levels of spirituality. Therefore my

friends, a transformed life, a life changed and realised, is a new life, a new

birth. That is why dwija (a ‘second life’ or ‘born again’) means a new life

of the spirit. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is an example. we have to

turn to God in times of trouble Jesus, who died on the Cross, made certain

statements which are in the Holy Bible. When we analyse and try to understand

them, those words have great profundity and depth. Jesus

Christ said while suffering on the Cross, “Oh Lord, why have You forsaken Me?”

This is one statement on which to reflect. The second statement (which was

about His mother) was directed to John. Jesus said, “Look after My mother”.

Jesus had always taken care of His mother and now he wanted John to do this.

The third statement on which to reflect are the words Jesus spoke to another man

also on a cross, who was guilty of a sin. That man said to Jesus, “Oh Lord, I am

a sinner. I can understand why I am crucified. But Lord, You are not a sinner;

there

is no blemish in You. Lord, remember me in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Then Jesus

replied, “Yes, you shall join Me there, in the Kingdom of Heaven. “ My friends,

whether it is the story of the life of Jesus Christ, or statements made in the

Holy Bible, all have universal application and profound meaning. What is

implied when Jesus prayed to God, “Oh God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Arial"> He did not blame anybody -- not the king, not the people who instigated

the king to have Jesus crucified. He did not blame Himself. That’s what we do

quite often when we are in trouble. When we are in trouble, we blame others or

we blame ourselves. Instead Jesus prayed to God, for God’s mercy. “My Lord,

My Father in Heaven, why have you forsaken Me?” Perhaps this is a lesson to

all of us: we have to turn to God in times of trouble,

difficulties or challenges. No man can ever help us. No man is ready to offer

comfort to us. It is only God who can help us. So Easter is a time of

prayer, to look to God for help, not to man. Easter is an occasion to

recognise one’s responsibilities towards elders or parents Easter is also an

occasion to recognise one’s responsibilities towards elders or parents. When on

the Cross, Jesus thought of His mother; He wanted John to take care

of her. It was because of His mother (Mary, the vehicle for His Divine birth),

that He was on Earth as a messenger, a Messiah. Therefore Easter is an occasion

to revere, respect, and think of one’s parents as Christ did.

Unconditional Forgiveness Then there are the words of compassion spoken by

Jesus

when the sinner said, “Oh Lord, I am the sinner; I deserved to be crucified.

Lord, remember me when You are in Heaven.” Here the Lord says, “Yes, you

shall join Me there.” Who can forgive us? It is Bhagavan who said, “Giving

and forgiving is Divine.” This forgiveness is unconditional and infinite.

Forgiveness goes beyond the degree of the crime and the guilt. Who can

absolve us? Most people would like to punish us over and above what is

warranted for the mistakes we commit. If I do not say “Sai Ram” to a boss, that

is enough for him to fling me out of the office. If he finds the slightest

mistake, it is enough for him to shout at me. But here is a Lord who says,

“Don’t worry, you shall join Me in Heaven.” What a height of forgiveness! If

forgiveness was to take human form, it is Jesus Christ. And here in Baba’s life,

whenever anyone comes and says to Him, “Swami, forgive me. I have made so many

mistakes. My life is not as clean as it should be. I am not as pure as I should

be, my Lord.“ Here it is Bhagavan who says, “Past is past. Forget the past.”

What an unconditional forgiveness that is! When Jesus was on the Cross, He

said, “Father, they know not what they do. Forgive them.” Jesus asks this for

those people who made Him suffer, who nailed him to the Cross, causing

excruciating pain and blood loss. Yet He prays for those who are responsible

for His crucifixion. What a wonderful thing that is! Baba says, “I love all”

Once Baba visited a place where there was an anti-social group opposed to Him.

Many atheists were holding a black flag demonstration and displaying placards

that said, “Baba go back.” But our Lord kept His smile. As He was smiling,

walking amidst the people waiting to see the Lord in the darshan line, suddenly

He turned towards the atheists and agnostics, the ones opposed to the very

concept of God. Walking behind him was a man, a justice from the state of

Kerala. The justice said to Swami, “They are all atheists. Let us not go to

that side. Let us go this side. “ Baba said, “No, I will go only to that

side.” (Laughter) As He was going to them, Baba said, “Look here, I wave My

hand and they bring their hands together in humble salutation.” (Applause) The

demonstrators dropped their placards and black flags. “Swami, how did that

happen?” Baba says, “I have no ill will towards anybody. I have no hatred

towards anybody. I love all. As I have no desires or ego within, I can happily

smile. I bless everybody. So, as I wave My hand, they join their hands in reply

to Bhagavan.” This is an example of unconditional forgiveness. Thereafter,

Baba visited a place called Vijayawada, in the state of Andhra Pradesh. There

were a handful of people, atheists, who wanted to demonstrate against Baba.

They were

questioning His Divinity. But they went unnoticed as they were outnumbered by

the thousands and thousands assembled there. Later, somebody brought this

point to the notice of Swami. “Swami, we saw some people assembled, a very few,

who wanted to demonstrate their disagreement, questioning Your Divinity.”

Please follow this statement, brothers and sisters. What did Baba say? “As all

devotees take advantage of My visit and are ready and eager with a program, so

the atheists’ association also take advantage of My visit, and they are ready

with their program. I bless both programs.”

(Laughter) “Your happiness is my FOOD” At one time, He also said, “All those

who worship Me are like the size of a hill. All those who are critical are like

the size of a mountain. I stand between both the hill and the mountain. I bless

both groups. Some think of Me and criticise Me. You think of Me and worship Me.

Both of you are thinking of Me. Yes, I am happy. You are happy in praising Me

and they are happy in criticising Me. Your happiness is My food. Go on, play

on.” The forgiveness of Bhagavan Therefore, my friends, Easter is an

occasion of forgiveness. We find that in the life of Jesus Christ. Forgiveness

is the other name of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. I recall a journalist from

the magazine ‘Takur’ visiting this place about forty years ago. On his first

visit, he was watching Swami and he thought, ‘How nice He is…how nice! He looks

very much like a Hollywood film star.’ When Swami was walking towards him, he

thought, ‘I do not think His hair is natural. Can it be natural?’ These two

thoughts were in his mind. Swami came closer and closer, stood in front of

him and said, “Do I look like a film star?” Well, this man started shaking.

And then Bhagavan said, “Do you think My hair is false? Would you like to test

it?” This is what the ‘Takur’ correspondent wrote: ‘He picked my hand up

gently and placed it on His head so that I could feel the roots of His hair.

Then I apologised to Swami with tears rolling down my cheeks: “Bhagavan, I beg

Your pardon. Swami, excuse me.” Bhagavan’s reply was unexpected. “Parwa

nahi, parwa nahi…it doesn’t matter. You are a genuine seeker of the Truth.

There was nothing in your mind other than what you expressed. You had a doubt,

that’s all. You are a true devotee.” That is the forgiveness of Bhagavan. In

the days of His childhood, a lady invited Bhagavan Baba in for a snack.

Everybody said, “Swami, don’t go to her

house. She is a very bad lady.” “I will go,” said Bhagavan. We cannot put our

restrictions on Him. The more we want to condition Him, the more unconditioned

He will be, the more determined He will be. So He said, “I will go” and He

went. That lady served Him a South Indian dish, vadas, mixed with poison.

Baba ate them and His body turned blue for a short while. But because of His

Divinity, He quickly recovered. Then everyone gathered together to attack this

lady. They were even ready to kill her. Baba said, “Do not do anything to her.

Let her do her work. Let her carry on with her life as usual. I don’t want

anybody to shout at her, you understand.” Baba pacified everybody there. Her

son was appointed the watchman of Prashanti Nilayam later, an extra bonus! What

a paradox! As Jesus said, “It is not right to follow the principle of an eye

for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. You should forgive people. When anyone tries

to harm or hurt you, do not retaliate. Continue to love them.”

uppercase; COLOR: blue"> God is in every FORM I remember what Sri

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa said when someone asked him this question, “Swami, you

say God is in everyone. Do you think God is in a tiger? If I think God is in a

tiger, I may be killed. If I carry on saluting and prostrating in front of the

tiger, I may have to meditate on the tiger in the stomach of the tiger!

(Laughter) Lord, what is all this about?” Then Paramahamsa gave this

answer: “God in a saint is Yoga Narayana, God in the meditative form. God in a

tiger is Rudra Narayana, God in a ferocious form. So God in a ferocious form is

present as a tiger. God's form exists in a saint as all calmness and stillness,

Yoga Narayana.” Then came another question, “Swami, why is it like that?”

Paramahamsa answered, “Because God is neither. The ever-effulgent, the

attributeless God, the formless God, assumes the form and takes the name,

depending on the vesture of the body in which He chooses to enter.“ one

has to bear the cross of misery to go beyond the body Therefore my friends,

Easter is an occasion to think of all these values of forgiveness and of

surrender to God’s will. Jesus is absolutely sure that He is with God while

He is on the Cross. He is absolutely sure that he will be with God after the

crucifixion. He leaves His body on the Cross. Jesus’ death on the Cross is a

message to humanity that one has to give up body identification. My friends, I

do not know whether I am heading for a religious dispute or a spiritual danger

(which I often get into), but I dare to make this observation. In the

present situation with Bhagavan Baba today, we may find it difficult and

painful to see Him helped by the boys to stand up and walk around. I believe

(similar to Jesus on the Cross) this is a lesson to humanity. It is a lesson

that one has to bear suffering like that, that one has to bear the cross of

misery, in

order to go and grow beyond the body. “I am not the body” We have been

listening to His discourses all along, which give the message: “I am not the

body, I am not the body.” I may repeat like a parrot, “I am not the body”, but

I am not prepared to bear the pain of the body. But here is Bhagavan, who goes

beyond this body identification, regardless of whatever we may think. At

times, He gives us glimpses of Divinity, telling us, “Oh

fool, do not think that I am suffering.” All of a sudden, we find Him walking by

Himself, as He did last afternoon. We think, ‘Oh God, is this true or is that

true? You are walking normally now without the support of boys on either side,

but then all of a sudden You need their help to get up. Is that true or is this

true?’ The truth is the message, the lesson given to all of us, to go beyond

body identification. He does His work irrespective of all the discomforts we

presume He is enduring. The thing to be learnt is we have to be happy in spite

of all the discomforts of the body.

Arial"> The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is ‘Oneness with God’. The

Resurrection of Jesus Christ on this day of Easter is the celebration of

non-duality, the experience of being one with God. It is a demonstration to

every spiritual seeker and spiritual aspirant that one has to go beyond the

body, mind and intellect, so that he is aware of the Divinity within. “THE

Truth shall set you free” One can be aware of the Divinity within, if only he

successfully comes out of the ‘BMI cage’. B – M – I : Body, Mind, Intellect. We

are encased in

a prison. We are not able to experience the Divinity within until we come out of

it. The Holy Bible says, ”Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you

free.” My friends in His very recent discourse, Baba recited a poem: Sathyamu

Nandu Sarvam Shrusthinchi.

Arial"> The whole creation emerged out of Truth. Sathyamu Nandu Anage Sarva

Shrusthi. The whole cosmos merges back in the Truth. Sathya Mahima Leni

Stalama Edhi kanagonna. If you enquire, if you investigate, can you find any

place where there is no Truth? It is Truth that exists. Shudha Sathyamaiye

Chudarayya. It is the spotless, blemishless, unsullied, unpolluted, immortal,

nectarine Truth that exists. Sathya Sai Baba: Sathya is Truth and the Truth

shall set you free. Sathya Sai Baba will free you from all your difficulties.

His is the Truth that will free

you from body identification, free you from the mind and the intellect. He is

experienced within you in the form of consciousness. “I am the Truth. I am

the Way. I am the Light” Baba said, “The whole of life is wasted, the whole

exercise of our life is in vain, if we do not know ourselves.” If I do not know

my own true nature, nothing is worthwhile in this world. Baba said, “The eye

and the ear are close together but cannot see each

other. Similarly, God is as near.” And He repeats that statement, “I am with

you, in you, above you, below you, around you”. You would have heard this

statement umpteen times. He is with you, in you, above you, around you, yet

we are not able to know Him. We are not able to see Him. We are not able to

experience Him. Is He that far away? The air is above, below, around, within,

but we don’t see the air. But I cannot deny its presence and existence. I

cannot live without it because this air is my life breath. Similarly,

consciousness or Divinity is the One that sustains. It is the One that

maintains the whole organic world. Jesus declared, “I am the Truth, I am the

Way, I am the Light.” The Truth eternal, the Way righteous, the Light of Love.

So when the Holy Bible says, “I am the Truth. I am the Way. I am the Light”, it

means the eternal Truth, the immortal Truth, the way of Righteousness. ‘I am the

Life’ meaning the life of Love. I am the Truth, I am the Light, and I am the

Life, meaning Sathya (Truth), Dharma (Righteousness) and Prema (Love). Easter

is the Celebration of

Immortality Jesus, who rose on the third day (Easter Sunday) after being taken

from the Cross, is the testimony of our Vedic (Hindu scriptures) dictum,

Mrtyormaa Amrtam Gamaya. Mruthi is Death, Good Friday, death on the Cross;

Amrtam, nectarine eternity. Easter is the celebration of eternity, of

Immortality. Easter is the experience of infinity.

justify">Easter is very important, in many aspects, which become clear if we

care to go through the scriptures and observe the life of Jesus. it was a

man of service, the Good Samaritan, who was blessed Bhagavan has spoken on what

is to be done at this stage as a spiritual seeker. The Bible tells of this in

another beautiful episode. Although there were many scholars, it was only a man

of service, the Good Samaritan, who was blessed. One might speak of the

infinity, the being, the consciousness, but be totally indifferent to the

suffering of his fellowmen. Mere knowledge will not help; at the most, you will

be like a computer. Knowledge may bring a life of respect and power, but

knowledge ability is only vanity. However, knowledge in action is service. Love

in action is service. Therefore, the Holy Bible speaks of the life of the

Good Samaritan, a Samaritan that helped and served somebody. And Bhagavan wants

us to serve and share. Loving, giving, sharing is the message of Jesus Christ.

FAITH, LOVE, AND RESPECT But it is not only that. The blessed lives (as told

in the Holy Bible) of Mary Magdalene and Mother Mary certainly speak of the

need for total faith in God. They had full faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Baba says, “Just as a blind man cannot see the reality, the modern man is

blind. The modern man is blind, not because of poor vision, but because he has

lost the ‘sight of faith’. He has lost the vision of faith. Therefore, he is

totally blind to reality. Oh man, wake up! Develop faith.”

Arial"> Swami says to develop faith: “First, have faith in yourself. The one

who has no faith in one’s own Self, can never have faith in anybody.” “Swami,

how to love You?” “First, love yourself; then you can love others.“ “How to

respect?” “First, respect yourself. The one who respects oneself is able to

respect others. The one who loves oneself can love others.” Therefore, in

this beautiful event, these are precious things to emulate and cultivate from

the life of Jesus Christ. the need to turn inward I would like

to draw your attention to an important fact. Swami said this, “When you open

your eyes, you see everything. Fine. Once you open your eyes, you see the

diversity -- you see nature and all beings. Close your eyes; you do not see

anything. It is all uniformly dark. There is no diversity.” The problem of

ego, the domination of thoughts and thoughts of superiority, are all due to the

outward nature of man. When you turn inward, there cannot be any such

complexities. There cannot be any feelings of superiority. Therefore, all

religions, all sages, saints,

seers and prophets emphasise this particular point -- the need to turn inward.

To think you are going to ‘BECOME‘ IS foolish Furthermore Baba says, “To think

you are going to ‘become‘ something is foolish.” I wonder about it when people

say in reference to spirituality, “I am something. I am this or that.” To be

nothing is spirituality. To be someone or something is the way of the world.

Please understand this. ‘Becoming’ is not spiritual; being is spiritual. So let

us be. Let us not become. There is a difference between being and becoming.

What you are not now, you are going to be later. That is becoming. I am a

graduate and I join the university. Later, I become a postgraduate. I join the

staff as a lecturer. Then I become a professor. ‘Becoming’ is something that

happens in the course of time. It is what you are not, at present. That is

becoming. ‘Being’, however, is that which you already are. It is what you

have been from the start. Being is your very being. Being is the centre of your

life -- our lives. After all, you and I are different on the surface. We

are different literally and objectively. Some have ‘wider’ senses because of

their well-built personalities! We may differ in color and form, at the

peripheral level. But at the very centre of our life, at the very being-ness,

we are all the same. Your centre is as much as my centre. Your being is as much

as my being. This being is universal consciousness, the universal centre. to

be aware of the inner Being is celebration of Easter Therefore my friends, we

should forget words like ‘becoming’ in our spiritual path. No, you are not

going to ‘become’. Recognise and be aware of that which you are

already. That is ‘being’. So Easter is an occasion of being in the

being-ness, not aspiring to become something or other, because the Kingdom of

Heaven is within you. That being-ness (of which you are not aware, conscious or

take notice of) is within you. The celebration of Easter is to be aware of the

inner Self, to be aware of the inner being. Easter is an occasion to

Strengthen faith People could

see Jesus on the third day when He rose from the Cross. There was, of course,

the doubting Thomas (a representative of us all, the doubting Thomas). But even

doubting Thomas had to repent after touching the wounds of Jesus. So my

friends, Easter is an occasion to reaffirm and strengthen our faith. It is not

simply about being convinced, but about being full of conviction. If you are

convinced today, you may be convinced by someone else in a different way

tomorrow. Do not convince or get convinced; develop conviction. Conviction

is unshakeable. However, when one gets

convinced, it can be shaken. Convincingly, we can convince somebody. But

conviction is unwavering and ultimately it becomes trust. Conviction from the

worldly viewpoint is the same as trust in a religious sense. Therefore, Easter

is a celebration of trust. Easter is a celebration of surrender to God Easter

is a celebration of surrender to God. How do we do this? How do we surrender to

God? Baba says, “Once you try to turn your mind inward, all thoughts will go,

all worldly attachments will run away.” Swami, is that possible?” Baba

says, "Why not?” He gives us a beautiful example. “When an army chief is

attacked, what will happen? The chief of the army will run away. When he goes,

the battalion follows him. Similarly, when the mind is withdrawn, pacified,

inactive, and silenced, all else becomes silent. All thoughts, feelings and

sentiments will follow the line of the totally withdrawn mind.” The mind,

which is so thick like an iron curtain, prevents me from diving into the

depths. The mind is not helping me go deeper and deeper into my very being.

Bhagavan says it must be thin, not like a thick blanket. It should be thin;

thinner and thinner, so thin that it finally is gone. Then you will have the

vision and experience of the Divine. That is what Bhagavan says. Swami’s

Divine message is uniquely applicable to life situations Swami is unique in His

own way. My friends, I never tire of repeating this again and again. The one

thing that attracts me is His matchless message. His Divine message is

unparallel, being novel, scientific, rational, and applicable to all situations

in life. He doesn’t want you to imagine. He doesn’t want you to have

hallucinations. He doesn’t want you to dream. There are many people who want

to live in dreamland. They continually say to me, “Anil Kumar, I had a dream

this week.” I have enough to deal with, having my own dreams. Why do you stuff

me

with your dreams? When you (as body/mind) are not the reality, how can the dream

be the reality, my friends? Let us think of the dreamer, not the dream. Let

us think of the experiencer, not the experience. Let us think of the seer, not

the seen. The seer, the experiencer, is the Self -- supreme consciousness.

What is Sadhana (SPIRITUAL PRACTICE)? Here I would like to draw your attention

to what Baba says: “What is sadhana

(spiritual practice)”? Baba alone is capable of giving these unique definitions.

How does He define sadhana? Very simply. “Removing all obstacles that block

the experience of your true being, the inner nature, is sadhana.” Here is a

simple example: I want to know what is behind the white screen here. Some

people say there is a beautiful picture; some say there is precious gold or a

painting. What should I do to see what is behind this screen? I should remove

the screen so that I know what is behind it.

justify"> Similarly, the mind is the screen. Behind the screen, the mind, is

the very being, the true Self. So the removal, annihilation or withdrawal of

the mind, in order to see the being behind the mind, is spiritual practice.

Therefore, spiritual practice is not for transportation to a different world.

Some people say, “This spiritual practice will take you to heaven.” That is not

necessary because heaven is as much hell as the real hell is.

Arial">Heaven, according to the scriptures, is only for a temporary period, as

an elected member of parliament can only sit for five years. Afterwards, he has

to return to his constituency. Similarly, heaven is a temporary period of

comfort, where you can dwell in a five-star hotel, if you can afford it. So

the intention, object or purpose of spiritual practice is not heaven or

paradise. Sadhana is for removing the obstacle that stands between you and God,

between you and reality, between you and the totality of existence, between you

and your being. The very being is masked and encompassed. It is encaged by this

thick mantle of mind. removing the obstacle that stands between you and God

“So Swami, what should I do to remove the obstacle?" Baba said, “First

remove the feeling that you know.“ There are some people here who think that

they ‘know’. Remove the feeling that you are special. It is very difficult to

remove these feelings! Whatever you say, whosoever you meet, they say, “I know,

I know.” If you tell the person where the canteen is, “I know.” If you tell him

Baba is giving an interview this afternoon, he says, “I know, I know.” First

we should forget this statement, “I know.” Why? I will tell you: because He is

unknowable. All that is known is the world. I see the rostrum and the

pedestal here. I know this is the rostrum. Why? I see it. I hear sound and know

it, as I have ears. So those things that are known with these senses are

cognition. The senses of perception add to our knowledge. Whatever I see, I

say, “I know.” Whatever I hear, I say, “I know.”

Whatever I touch, “I know.” God is beyond the senses The five senses --

sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste -- give me knowledge. But God is beyond

these senses. When He (the being-ness) cannot be known by the senses, how can

you say, “I know”? So you can forget the words ‘I know’. Because of a little

accomplishment along the spiritual path, a ray of experience, or a speck of

enlightenment, you may be tempted to say, “I know.” But if you

are in this situation, at least you can say this: “I know that it cannot be

known.” “I know that IT cannot be known.” That’s what all the scriptures say:

that which cannot be known is Divinity. Why? Because all that is known comes

through the five senses. But Divinity is beyond the senses. So how can you know

it? To break free from this mire of maya or ignorance, we should first forget

this oft-repeated statement, “I know.” Secondly, we should avoid the mistake of

claiming that we are special. “I am special.”

justify"> In spirituality, there is no ‘next stage’ About fifteen years ago, I

asked a friend to give me a Baba bhajans cassette as I was alone in Brindavan.

Brindavan without Swami is a forest. There were no streetlights along the

roads. When I was there, there were two mad dogs moving about, that’s all

(Laughter). No lights, nothing! Now there are some houses fit for human

habitation. The area is called Kadugodi, which means ‘forest’. When Swami is

there, it is busier than the town centres of Delhi, Paris, Madras, London or

Hyderabad. In the absence of Swami, it is as isolated as a jungle in Africa --

nothing more so. I was there in such an isolated situation. Had I been in

the hostel, things would have been different. I would have spent some time in

the midst of the students. But I had to be alone because my family was coming

to join me. So I caught hold of my friend

and said, “Could you give some Baba cassettes?” He said, “What cassettes?”

“Baba’s bhajan cassettes,” I said. “No, Mr. Anil Kumar, I am in the next

stage” (of spirituality) (Laughter). “Oh, I see.” Then I said, from my

limited sphere of knowledge, “My friend, I don’t think there are any stages in

spirituality. ‘I am in the next stage’, ‘I am in the first stage’, ‘I am in the

middle stage’, ‘I am in the last stage’…every stage is the ultimate. The stage

in the world is prestige. It is a matter of prestige to be at a stage in the

world. In spirituality, there is nothing such as ‘I am in the next stage’, my

dear friend.” “No, no, no,” he said. “I am in the next stage. I don’t have

cassettes; I don't listen to cassettes now.” I said, “That is the last stage

for me to reach. Thank you, thank you.” (Laughter) So my friends, I am

speaking from the bottom of my heart. To have a feeling that ‘I am special’,

‘I’m different from others because of my experience, as I’m very close to

Swami’, believe me or not, is to be a fool of the first order, because all are

close to Swami. All are close to Swami When you say Swami is God, when you

accept that we are His children, only a fool will say, “I am His son”. You are

His stepson or He is your stepmother! God forbid, let us not meet such fools.

For example: Swami wants to go somewhere, so He will call the driver to drive

Him. But the driver can’t say, “I’m close to Swami.” For the purpose of

driving, you may be close to Swami. To run the institute, for administrative or

functional purposes, to give instructions, Swami may speak to somebody. That

doesn’t mean others are far away from Him, and the ones to

whom He speaks are very close to Him. The person who claims this is ego

personified. The one who thinks that so-and-so is close to Him is ignorant,

metaphorically ignorant. So my friends, let us know that all are close to God.

As He is in you, are you not close to yourself? If I say to you, “Madam,

where is Anil Kumar?” would you say, “I met him this morning; he is perfectly

all right.” No, you would think, “What is he saying? ‘Where is Anil

Kumar?’” Can I search for myself? When I am Anil Kumar, what is the joy in

saying, “I am waiting for Anil Kumar to turn up; I am searching for him”? My

place is in a lunatic asylum and I should consult a psychiatrist! So the one

who thinks he is close to Swami is mentally imbalanced. It is because of his

ignorance that he thinks like that.

justify">Yesterday someone said to me, “Mr. Anil Kumar, I told Swami that I

shall go on the 30th and return on the 2nd. Swami smiled and said, ‘Nice, nice.

You go.’ Really, Anil Kumar, Swami loves me.“ (Laughter) “Oh, I see." Then I

said, “Can you say, ‘He hates me’? When you want to go and He says, ‘You go’,

is that an expression of Love? ‘Don’t go; stay here’ -- is that Love? ‘You go

away!’ Is that an expression of Love? (Laughter) Hey! You may be a fool, but

don’t make me a fool! No.”

uppercase; COLOR: blue; FONT-FAMILY: Lucida Handwriting"> All are

children of God Therefore my friends, when God is within us, when there is

no gap of time and space between us, how can there be a statement such as:

“This one is close, and the other is not”? The only thing is (as Baba said),

“The ‘I know’ feeling must be dropped, because Divinity cannot be ‘known’.”

The feeling that you are special should be dropped immediately. I am not

special. If I am special, I may be special in my foolishness, ignorance, or

delusion. I may be special in making this false claim. Certainly not! No one

is special, because we are all the children of God. To the father, all the four

children are equally dear to him. One cannot be dearer, no, no, no! So to

overcome this ego, these vagaries of the mind, its whims and fancies, one has to

drop these two ideas. First, that I am special; and second, that I am unique,

that I know. Reality is experienced when expectations are given up Someone

asked Baba, “Swami, what is the end of this journey? I am crying and crying, my

Lord. I am continually praying to You. Your Name dances on my lips, dear

Lord. My mind is full of Thy majesty and glory. If

I talk with anybody, I speak about You, my God. I say only your Name, Swami.

Where is the end? When is the end? “ Baba said this, “In this tireless

journey, in this search eternal, there may come a point when we may be tired,

when we may be exhausted. We may begin to question whether we are right or

wrong to continue the spiritual quest.” Somebody said, “Anil Kumar, I have

been here in Prashanti Nilayam ten years. Am I doing the right thing?” I

said, “Ten years are gone. Wait another ten years. You will be no more!”

(Laughter) At the end of your life, what is the point in wondering if you are

doing the right thing? It seems a fellow consulted an astrologer. The

astrologer said, “Young man, you will have ten years of suffering.” “Ten

years?” Astrologer, “Yes. Why

not?” “Sir, please go through the notes again. I will pay you more money.”

The astrologer went through his charts. “How much more do you want to pay? I can

tell you that you are going to suffer for a very long time, ten years, twenty

years.” “Twenty years? Sir, at least tell me what will happen after the

twenty years of suffering and being miserable!” (Laughter) Astrologer said,

“You will get used to it!“ (Laughter) Therefore, my friends, sometimes we

begin to doubt whether we are right or wrong. Is it worthwhile? This doubt is

due to depression or frustration. It is due to hopes and expectations. When

these go, reality is experienced. Reality (Divinity) is experienced when one’s

expectations are given up, when we don’t look for results.

14pt; TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; COLOR: blue">Experience and the Experiencer I

can give you another statement, my friends. I really thank God many times, with

every breath, I tell you, for giving me such a beautiful gathering like this,

with whom to share spiritual teachings. Most people like to hear stories. “I

was in a lorry that was in an accident. But Baba saved me.” “All right, why

did He save you?” “To kill me!” (Laughter) These stories, how many times

do I have to hear them? “Baba cured my eye problem.” “Why? So that you

don’t see what is reality?” We hear these stories again and again.

Experiences are experiences and I am not underestimating them, my friends.

But experiencing should take you to the experiencer. Experiences change, but

the experiencer is changeless. Experiences are relative, but the experiencer

is absolute. The experience depends upon your faith or intensity of devotion.

But the experiencer has nothing to do with your devotion or your faith because,

whether you accept it or not, it is there as existence, the totality and

reality of existence. Being lives in reality and cannot be negated.

De-identification is the end of the Journey My friends, we should think more

along these lines.

Arial">Once I put this question to Swami, “Swami, where is the end of this

journey? When is the end of this journey?” Baba said, “If you de-identify

yourself, that is the end of the journey.” “What? De-identify?” Baba,

“Yes.” “What do You mean? Can You clarify this?” “Why not? I identify

myself with the body. I will no longer identify myself with the body. I

identify myself with the mind. I will no longer identify myself with the mind.

If I de-identify myself from these (as I am neither the body nor the mind),

that is the last phase of my eternal journey.” When you de-identify, what

will happen? You will remain what you are. When you know what you are NOT,

then you will be what you ARE. When you de-identify with the body, the mind and

the intellect, you remain as consciousness – that which you have been all

along. That is the end of the journey. You don’t have to born again. You don’t

have to be born again and again. For all this, we need a helping hand. Baba

extends His helping hand, the ever-loving, ever-living, never-failing God,

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, who is amidst us. He is there to extend a

cooperative hand, to look at us with concern and sympathy, not to dismiss us.

He is there to draw us closer, not to drive us away; to excuse us, not to

reject, punish or deny us. We are extremely lucky to accept that He will be

our Refuge; that He understands, rescues and pardons us. This kind of approach

is necessary today, not only in the spiritual field, but among our families

also. May Bhagavan bless you. Sai Ram. OM…OM…OM… Asato

Maa Sad Gamaya Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya Mrtyormaa Amrtam Gamaya

 

TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"> Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu

Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu Om Shanti

Shanti

Shanti

http://www.saiwisdom.com/sunday/English/2005/27.03.2005(E)central.htm