GEMS FROM THE DISCOURSES OF DIVINE LORD SAI BABA - VI

[Guest guest]

Om Sri Sai Ram

GEMS FROM THE DISCOURSES OF DIVINE LORD SAI BABA - VI

1. Brahman is the cause and Prakriti (Nature) the effect. Nature is the

deluding manifestation of Brahman. It is what can be called Leela Vibhutti or

an expression of Glory (Vibhuthi) done as more sport (Leela). When the Leela is

perceived as apart from Brahman, it is a false and incomplete perception. The

Leela is manifold, Brahman is all. To discover the One in the many is the

purpose of human existence. Brahmam is eternal. It is the Nithyavibhuthi, the

everlasting splendor. It is named the

italic">Kingdom of God. Leelavibhuthi is Prakrithi or Maya or Avidya or nature

with deluding, deceptive diversities.

2. Spiritual health is preserved and promoted by attention to three

Gunas: Sathvika, Rajas, and Thamas. Health is preserved and promoted by

attention to three humors: Vatha (wind) Pitha (bile) and Kapha (phlegm).

Thri-dosha has to be avoided, that is to say, the three humors must not get

vitiated or unbalanced. A healthy body is the best container for a healthy

mind, illness makes the mind agitated and anxious. The material and the

spiritual are the two pans in the balance. They have to be attended to, in

equal measure, at least until a certain stage of progress is attained in

spiritual development.

3. We find individuals and groups trudging to Badrinath, Kedarnath and

Haridwar in search of peace and prosperity. They also go to Tirupathi and

Kaashi. Have they jettisoned even a few of their animal propensities ? That is

the test; that is the justification for the money and time they have spent and

the troubles they have undergone. When the animal is conquered and Godhead is

felt within reach, man can assert that all this pilgrimages are within him. He

has no need to travel from temple to temple. And without achieving this

victory, you have no right to claim that you are a

devotee of Rama or Krishna or of another incarnation of the Lord.

4. The human body has been given to you for a grand purpose: realizing

the Lord within. If you have a fully equipped car in good running condition,

would you keep it in the garage ? The car is primarily for going on a journey,

to get into it and go. Then only it is worthwhile to own it. So too, with the

body, proceed and go forward to the goal. Learn how to use the faculties of the

body, the senses, the intellect, and the mind for achieving the goal and march

on.

5. Man must proceed ever towards 'Balam' strength; he should not take to

untruth, wickedness and crookedness, all of which denote the fundamental fatal

trait of cowardice, 'Balaheenam'. 'Balaheenam' is born of accepting as true a

lower image of yourself than what the facts warrant. You believe you are the

husk. But really you are the kernel. That is the main mistake. All Sadhana must

be directed to the removal of the husk and the revelation of the kernel. So long

as you say 'I am', there is bound to be fear, but once you say and feel 'I am

Brahmam', 'Aham Brahmasmi', you get

unconquerable strength.

6. I want that you should all build new houses for happy living and

install the Lord therein. I do not mean houses of brick and mortar, but houses

of good thoughts, good words, good deeds and good company, where you could live

calm and collected. Invite Me for the Gruhapravesam of such houses and I shall

most readily agree. In fact then, the house is Mine already and I do not need

even an invitation to come and enter it. These houses are for worldly comfort;

that house is for spiritual joy. And My place of Residence is the pure aspiring

heart.

7. You are going about temple, where God is the innermost shrine. The

body is not a mass of flesh and bone. It is a medicine for Manthras - Manthras

which save when they are meditated upon. It is a sacred instrument, earned

after long ages of struggle, equipped with reason and emotion, capable of being

used for deliverance from grief and evil. Honor it as such; keep it in good

condition, so that it might serve that high purpose; maintain it even more

carefully than these brick-houses and always preserve the conviction that it is

an instrument and nothing more. Use it for just the

purpose for which it has been designed and given.

8. It is urgent that every one should inquire into the true, the pure and

the permanent; for, there is present a delusion about values. Even the leaders

of peoples are hugging the false hypothesis that happiness can be got by means

of wealth or health, or housing, or clothing or the cultivation of skills in

handicraft and manufacture. The bird sits upon the bough that sways in the

storm, confident of its wings, not confident of the bough on which it sits. So,

you too should feel strong because of the wings, the wings of Sraddha and Bhakti

not because of the bough of the objective

World on which you have perched.

9. You know from the experience of the Cauvery floods, neither status,

nor castes nor wealth nor even health can help unless you know the simple art

of swimming. Need I say that crossing the ocean of Samsara, reaching the other

shore of

the sea of Birth-Death, is similarly possible only for those who know the art of

Spiritual Sadhana. Those who are trying to build the seaman community on a

foundation of 'Dhana', are building on sand; those who seek to build it on the

rock of 'Dharma' are the wise.

10. The six enemies of man are eating into his vitals, embedded in his own

inner consciousness. They are the demons to be killed. They are Kama (Lust),

Krodha (Anger), Lobha (Greed) , Moha (Attachment), Mada (Pride) and Matsarya

(Malice). They reduce man to the level of a demon. They have to be overpowered

and transmuted, by the supreme alchemy of the Divine urge. Then the nine nights

of struggle will become a new type of night devoted to the purification of the

mind and the illumination of the soul, the night described in the Gita as 'the

Day of the Worldly'. What is clear and attractive to the

ordinary man is uninteresting and unknown to the worldly man. This is the nature

of the topsy-turvy world.

11. In the past Ages, Avatars rid the world of evil, by destroying the few

fanatics and heroes who wrought it. But, now, fanaticism and felony reign in

every heart. The number of Asuras or evil men is legion. All are wicked to some

extent or other. Therefore every one needs correction; and every one has to be

educated and guided into the right path. Every being is a pilgrim destined to

reach Madhava and merge in Him; but most people have forgotten the road; they

wander like lost children, wasting precious time in the bypass.

12. You cannot have this chance of the nearness of the greatest of all

sources of joy in any other place. Here it is so near, so easy to attain and so

full of grace. If you fall back, you will seldom get the chance again. Ask and

get what will save you, not what will bind you. You ask from Me a thousand

things of the world, but rarely do you ask for 'Me'. That is why I seldom

address you as Bhaktas; I usually address you as 'Divyatma Swarupulaara', for

that is your real Swarupa. This Divyatman is Divinity. Though you do not know

it, it is a fact. Therefore, I can address you so,

with confidence.

13. Kurukshetra must be made a Dharmakshetra. Kurukshetra is the field where

brothers fought over a handful of earth; but it must be made a field for the

uplift of man through the practice of Dharma. It is for the sake of Jnana that

Dharma has been laid down. Bhakti and Karma are the two feet; and the head is

Jnana; walk on with the help of this two.

14. Bhakti involves dedication, with nothing held back; not even a wisp of

ego should remain. His command alone counts; His will prevails. Like a

drunkard, the Bhakta has no sense of honor or decency, pride or conceit. He is

a Matha, as Unmatha, a mad person unconcerned with all that is unrelated to his

ideal. He is deaf to the call of hunger and thirst; he misses steps in logic and

he calculates wrongly while dealing in the marketplace.

15. When the heart is pure, the Lord is revealed, He is the judge. He cannot

be bamboozled. The doctor may assure you that you have no fever, but the

thermometer cannot lie. The doctor may say so in order to save you from panic,

but the thermometer declares the truth. God knows and God will deal with you as

you deserve. Have that faith. Repent for all the wrongs done and resolve not to

repeat the mistake; then God will extend His grace.

16. Good ideas have to be accepted and bad ones eschewed. Each idea has to

be judged in the Supreme Court of Viveka (Intellect). And the ruling has to be

treated as inviolable. It is in this context that we have to remind ourselves

of the prayer of Gandhiji; 'Sabko Sanmathi de Bhagavan', 'O, God bestow the

right understanding on all'.

17. You are the citizens of no mean land. Bharath is indeed a Divya Bhoomi:

a land saturated since the ages with devotion and dedication to God, the path

to God was sought for by even the common folk; and spiritual discipline

permeated every activity of life and every detail of daily life. You are the

inheritor of a great culture, which has survived the onslaughts of alien rule

and political suppression.

18. Is the universe real ? Is it relatively unreal ? This problem has been

agitating man since ages in all lands. The realists and the idealists have

argued on their explanations for centuries. The scientists or realists believe

that the Universe is a conglomeration of atoms in varying patterns which have

assumed manifold forms and names. But this is only partially true. The Vijnana

Vedins (the spiritually oriented) point out to the Dhoatik Vedins (the

materially oriented) that a firm base is essential for all these

transformations to happen. The Universe must have a basic force or energy or

phenomenon as basic as clay is to the pot. That fundamental principle is,

according to them, the Atma.

19. The human body is a temple-chariot; the Atman is installed therein and

is dragged by emotions, impulses, passions and urges, along the streets of

desire. Success and failure, joy and grief, gain and loss, are the dancers who

accompany the procession of life. Here, too, many pour their attention only on

the chariot, its height, its decoration and its progress. Many others are

concerned with the dance of durabilities the pain and pleasure due to that is

part of the procession. Few pay attention to the Atman, the crown and

consummation of human existence.

20. Why is man so pathetically afflicted today with fear and anxiety ? Are

we to search for the reason outside us or do they live within us ? The reason

lies in the false emphasis we have laid on things of the material world,

ignoring things of the spirit. The body that man bears is essentially the

receptacle of God. It is a temple where God is installed and where God is the

Master. It does not deserve all the attention you know pay to fulfill its

whims. It is equipped with very valuable instruments which can help you in the

journey but which you seldom use.

21. Many are affected by the problem of what caused the Cosmos. How did it

come into being ? They advance various theories and lay down many opposing

hypotheses. But there is no need for seekers to beat about the bush so much.

Just as a dream results when one is cut off from reality in a state of sleep,

the Cosmos is a result of being cut off from Reality, by Maya, in a state of

ignorance. It is difficult to discover laws that explain or govern its infinite

mysteries.

22. We find individuals and groups trudging to Badrinath, Kedarnath and

Haridwar in search of peace and prosperity. They also go to Tirupathi and

Kaashi. Have they jettisoned even a few of their animal propensities ? That is

the test; that is the justification for the money and time they have spent and

the troubles they have undergone. When the animal is conquered and Godhead is

felt within reach, man can assert that all this pilgrimages are within him. He

has no need to travel from temple to temple. And without achieving this

victory, you have no right to claim that you are a devotee of Rama or

Krishna or of another incarnation of the Lord.

23. Good deeds, like Puja, Japam, Dhyanam, the observance of vow etc., are

'steps'. Good thoughts, like prayer for greater discrimination and more chance

to help others, also help. They slowly and steadily cleanse the mind, sharpen

the intellect, purify the senses and win grace.

24. The Lord is described in the Purusha Suktha as "thousand-headed". It

does not mean that He has just a thousand heads, no more, no less. It means

that "the thousand of heads - before Me - now have just one heart, which gives

life and energy to all and that heart is the Lord". No one is separate from his

neighbor. All are bound by the one life-blood that flows through the countless

bodies. This is the special teaching of Sanathana Dharma, which the World

needs.

25. The Lord has endowed man with the body, and so, every limb and every

sense is worthy of reverent attention. Each must be used for His Glory. The ear

must exult when it gets a chance to hear the wonderful tales of God. The tongue

must exult when it can praise Him. Or else, the tongue of man is as ineffective

as that of frogs which croak day and night sitting on the marshy bank.

26. You must devote sometime regularly for study and for Sadhana. Now you

are wasting time till late at night, in clubs and frivolous company. A portion

of that time, if spent with God, can confer valuable results. This Motherland

has given you a culture that is attracting distracted people from all parts of

the world. Be grateful, study the culture and practice the disciplines it lays

down. Serve the poor and the helpless and those who eke out their livelihood by

hard work.

27. Today, we have factions everywhere at home between husband and wife, in

the school between teacher and the pupil and in society between group and

group. This is deterioration indeed. Peace and harmony between members of the

same family are the foundation for peace in the land. The individual must be at

peace with himself. The coordinated effort of all the organs of the body is

essential for a healthy life.

28. Before every Incarnation, two collaborators for the task on which the

incarnation comes, also appear Mayasakthi and Yogasakthi. Maya comes, as the

elder sister, to warn the wicked; Yoga comes, as the elder brother, to enthuse

and keep constant company. Maya thrusts Kama deeper and deeper into perdition,

so that his downfall will be more terrible.

29. When some one sitting near you is immersed in sorrow, can you be happy ?

No, it may be that a baby weeps within hearing, most pathetically. You will get

tears in your eyes in sympathy. Why ? There is an unseen bond between the two.

Man alone has the quality of sympathy. He alone can be happy when others are

happy, and miserable when others are miserable. That is why he is the paragon

of creation and the acme of animal advance. Man alone is capable of seva; that

is his special glory and unique skill.

30. The only Message, the only lesson I can impart to you today is to remind

you of the great traditions of Bharath and ask you to spread Love throughout the

length and breadth of this great Land. Then India can again be the spiritual

leader of humanity and fill the whole World with Divine Love.

31. Feel happy that this is your mother country; love of the country is the

basis on which you can build love for the world community. Love expands; it

does not limit itself to boundaries. Love your mother-tongue; then you will

discover that all languages are as sweet as yours, for, a language is as sweet

as the tongues of the speakers.

32. Strive to move away from Untruth towards Truth; attempt to acquire

knowledge of yourself and of the origin of all selves and thus shed your

fundamental ignorance. Move away from the thoughts and anxieties about this

body subject to decay and death, and become aware of the immortal soul, which

you really are.

33. Who is the real resident of the body ? You are the positive aspect that

is activating the negative aspect, the body. The life-breath repeats Soham,

everytime you breathe. It means: "I am He, I am God"! What a profound authentic

declaration the breath is making every moment of your life while waking,

dreaming or in a deep sleep, whether you listen to it or not! If this simple

lesson, this Truth which is being dinned all the twenty-four hours of the day,

does not alert you or inform you of your real task, how can you understand your

reality by the mere study of books.

34. Do not get involved with borrowed ideologies, imported fashions or

attitudes or apparels and exciting notions social behaviour. Youth, today is

ruined by this fascination for the false. Borrowed ideas cannot fit into the

pattern of our culture. Sanathana Dharma is the culture that has grown on this

soil and is best suited to maintaining peace and joys. You cannot shine in

borrowed feathers for long. They can give only temporary delight. So, do not

distort or disfigure your culture by limitation or neglect.

35. I am neither a Sastravadin nor a Budhivadin. I am a Premavadin. So I

have no conflict with either the scholar who adheres to texts or the devotee of

reason. Both have their good points as well as their limitations. If you acquire

Prema, then you can dispense with the Shastras, for the purpose of all the

Shastras is just that: to create the feeling of 'Sarvajnana Samaanaprema' equal

love for all; and to negate egoism which stands in the way.

36. Pilgrimages too are for elevating the heart, sublimating the impulses

and leading the lower self to higher levels of thought and action. Reason

serves the same purpose, or at least, it ought to. Reason seeks to know the

unity of the universe, the origin and goal of all it all, the laws that govern

the anu and brhath, the microcosm and the macrocosm, and it peeps behind the

over-recording curtain to get a glimpse of the 'Suthradhara', who pulls the

strings.

37. Just as you tend the body with food and drink at regular intervals, you

must also tend to the needs of the inner Atmic body by regular Japam and

Dhyanam and the cultivation of virtues. Sathsanga, Sath Pravarthana and

Sath-Chinthana are all essential for the growth and the health of the inner

personality. The body is the Bhavanam of the Bhavaneswara, His Bhuvanam. In so

far as you are particular about coffee or tea at regular intervals, be also

particular about Dhyanam and Japam at fixed times for the health and liveliness

of the spirit.

38. It is here in India that there is a mine of Spiritual Wisdom and

Spiritual Treasure. The Dharsanas, Upanishads and Gita and the Vedas have to be

distributed, pure and unsullied, guaranteed in value and quality, to eager

aspirants everywhere. We have had a succession of Sages and Saints. On account

of the teachings and the lives of these people, there is a vast field of

Spiritual virtue in this Land,

which needs only a little more care to yield a rich harvest.

39. You must each one try to become ego-less; and then the Lord will accept

you as His Flute. Once when a number of people were asked by Me what they would

like to be in the hands of God, I got various answers. Some said the Lotus; some

the Sankha; some the Chakra; but no one mentioned the Murali. I would advise you

to become the Murali, for the Lord will come to you, pick you up, put you His

lips and breathe through you and, out of the hollowness of your heart due to

the utter absence of egoism that you have developed. He will create captivating

music for all creation to enjoy.

40. It is only when attachment increases that you suffer pain and grief. If

you look upon nature and all created objects with the insight derived from the

inner-vision, then attachment will slide away, though the effort will remain.

You will also see everything much clearer and with a glory suffused with

Divinity and splendour. Close these eyes and open those inner eyes and what a

grand picture of essential unity you get. Attachment to nature has limits but

the attachment to the Lord that you develop when the inner eye opens has no

limit. Enjoy that reality, not this false

picture. The Lord is the immanent power in everything.

41. You have to carry on certain processes of thought and action in order to

get to the hard core of faith that this world is a funny mixture of Sathya and

Asathya, that is Mithya in fact. The Divine Life does not admit of the

slightest dross in character or delusion in intellect. So people dedicated to

it, must emphasise this by precept and example. Wipe out the root-causes of

anxiety, fear and ignorance. Then only can the true personality of man shine

forth. Anxiety is removed by faith in the Lord; the faith, that tells you that

whatever happens is for the best and that the Lord's will be done.

42. You are all Sath-Chith-Ananda Swarupas; only, you are unaware of it and

imagine yourself to be this individual or that, and subjected to this

limitation or that! This is the myth that must be exploded in order that Divine

Life may start. It is the Divine that inspires, activates, leads and fulfils the

life of each being, however simple or complex its physical structure may be.

>From the 'Anu' to the 'Brahath', every single entity is moving towards the

estuary where it merges in the

italic">sea of Bliss.

43. The Guru has very often to tell you that you have forgotten your real

name or that you have lost the most precious part of yourself and yet are

unaware of the loss. The Guru is the physician for the illness which brings

about the suffering of alternate birth and death. He is an adept at the

treatment needed for the cure. If you do not get such a Guru, pray to the Lord

Himself to show you the way and He will surely come to your rescue.

44. When the sun is over your head, there will be no shadow; similarly, when

faith is steady in your head, it should not cast any shadow of doubt. When man

loses his way and strays into the wilderness believing that he is the body or

Gunas or the object, then the Avatar comes to warn and guide. Keep the faith in

the Lord undiminished, you can than safely move about in the world. No harm can

come to you.

45. Husband and wife are like two pieces of wood, drifting down a flooded

river, they float near each other for sometime and, when some current comes

between, they are parted, each must move on the sea at its own rate and in its

own time. There is no need to grieve over the parting of the two. It is the

very nature of Nature that it should be so.

46. Divine family exists in peace and concord. Siva has snakes on His arms,

on His Head and around His waist; one of His sons, Kumara, rides on a Peacock,

which attacks snakes; another rides on a mouse, which the snakes feed on. One

son has the head of an elephant, which whets the appetite of the lion, which is

the vehicle used by Durga, the consort of Siva, who is so inseparable that She

is the left half of the body of Siva Himself. Nor is the lion friendly by

nature to the bull, which Lord Siva Himself has as His vehicle ! Siva has fire

on the central part of His brow, and water, the river

(Ganga), on His head, incompatible both. Imagine how loving and how co-operative

the various components have to be, to render life on Kailas smooth and happy.

47. Carry to every door the name of God and let the clouds be illumined by

love and reverence. Let every street in the towns, every village in the State

ring with the adoration of the Almighty; every sunrise sing of Rama, Eswara and

Krishna - any name is effective, provided it is suffused with the Divine

Essence. Love the branches, twigs, leaves, flowers and fruits. They may appear

to be different in color, feel, taste, smell etc., but they all

are products of the earth, drawing sustenance from the soil and the sun. Live

together in love; live in peace; and live in service.

48. When clouds gather in the sky, lightning illuminates the clouds;

similarly, wisdom must illuminate education. The word of Sai is the path of

Truth. Smaller than the smallest atom; bigger than the biggest thing. Witness

of everything, the Atma is Brahmam and Brahmam is Atma.

49. Bamboo is valued for its form and strength and beauty. Similarly the

real worth of man lies in his intelligence. His intelligence has come to him

over many lives and the real value of his Buddhi is to practise Thyaga or

renunciation. But one's Buddhi is covered by illusion, which is only a

reflection of the Truth. When we throw away the water in the pot, we throw away

the reflection of the sky in it as well. The reflection of Truth in our minds is

only the conglomeration of our desires.

50. Bad thoughts and habits, bad company and bad food are hostile grounds

where disease thrives. 'Arogya' and 'Ananda' go hand in hand. A sense of

elation and exultation keeps the body free from ill health. Evil habits, in

which men indulge, are the chief cause of disease in the physical as well as

the mental state. Greed affects the mind; disappointment makes man depressed.

Man can justify his existence as man only by the cultivation of virtues. Then

he becomes a worthy candidate for Godhood.

51. Any one may blame you; but you should ignore all such blame and go

forward in doing service without rancour. Service is your only duty. The

Universe is a manifestation of God. So also the individual. All these three are

like: Brahma, Vishnu, Maheswara - the Trinity. Actually there are no three, they

are one - it is the unified Godhead. Cherishing this thought of Oneness and

serving the society is true Adhyamtic or spiritual life.

52. You should take to "Sarvada, Sarvakaleshu Sarvatra Harichinthanam". It

is just not sufficient holding a mala and doing Japa, once in the morning

during Brahma Muhurtha time, once in the afternoon and once in the evening. All

the twenty-four hours, you should be in the remembrance of God. You should all

the time be striving to awaken the spirit within you and for its blossoming

(Atma Vikas). This is the real purpose of life.

53. Man has in him vast resources of power. When he does not utilise them

while discharging his duties to himself and to the society which sustains him,

he is only becoming a target for ridicule. When you are on a railway station

platform waiting for the train that is due, and when you come to know that it

arrives five hours late, how do you react ? You fling abusive words at train.

When the coaches receives from you such treatment, how much worse treatment you

deserve for not fulfilling your duty and for disappointing the expectations that

you have raised by your being a man? Utilise your skills

and learning as consistently and effectively as duty demands.

54. Mohammed preached monotheism and was driven out of Mecca. Jesus preached

mercy and charity and he was charged with treason. Harischandra refused to give

up his allegiance to Truth and was driven to such straits that he had to sell

as slave his wife and son. So, when you stick to the path of Truth and

Righteousness, pain and poverty haunt you. But they are only clouds passing

through the sky, hiding for a little time, the

splendour of the Sun.

55. The motherland is not a mere lump of earth. When we desire its progress,

we have to promote the progress of the people who dwell therein. The skill

needed for resuscitating and reforming man are found only in students. The

reforming process involves the removal in daily living of bad conduct and bad

habits and the practise of good conduct and good deeds. A man's worth can be

measured by his efforts to reform himself. This day, the Government has no

authority to reform the people; and the people have no authority the reform the

Government.

56. The Pranava is the essence of all sustenance, the embodiment of Rasa. Of

the earth, water is the Rasa; Of the water, physic (Oshadi) is the Rasa; of the

Physic, the human person is the Rasa; Of the human person, the word is the

Rasa; of the word, RuK is the Rasa; Of the RuK, Sama is the Rasa; Of the Sama

(Veda), OM is the Rasa. These eight Rasas, the earth, water, physic, person,

word, RuK, Sama and OM lead to the ninth - Ananda (Bliss). These

are the Navaratnas, the nine essences, the nine sustainers; and Ananda is the

goal which man is seeking, the aim of human life.

57. The A of AUM is the Viswa; the U is Tejas; and the M is Prajna - There

is another interpretation in the scriptures. Viswa is the Walking; Tejas is the

Dream; Prajna, the Deep Sleep stage. The Pranava Sadhana (the spiritual exercise

of meditation on OM) is therefore very important for Seekers. The Vedas

prescribe the repetition of the Pranava, while studying holy texts reciting the

Name of the Divine, carrying out daily

duties and offering gifts.

58. You have a Kalpavruksha ready to give you all that you want; you have

the Lord, who protects and promotes all. The virtues of the people are

treasures of the State; the Smarana of the Name of the Lord is the root of all

virtues. Narada, who was afflicted with conceit that there was no other who had

dedicated his very breath to the recital of the Name, was once humbled to find

that a ryot who managed to repeat the Name three times in the course of his

overwhelming multitude of distressing preoccupations from cock-crow to dusk was

judged a great Bhakta.

59. Paramatma reveals its glory in man; Prema appears in various forms,

attaching itself to riches or parents or children or one's life mate or

friends. All these are sparks of the same flame and the love of the universal

is its highest expression. This Prema cannot be cultivated by reading essays,

guide-books and made-easies and learning the steps by note. It has to begin

with great yearning for the Light and an unbearable agony to escape from the

darkness as in the prayer: "Thamasomaa Jyothir Gamaya". The yearning itself

will draw the light. The Love will grow of itself, and by its own slow

alchemy, turn you into God.

60. Because you have taken residence in this body, you cannot call the body

"I". When you sit here in this Hall, you do not call the Hall "I". You know,

you are separate and that you are here only temporarily. When you go about in a

tonga, you do not say that the

italic">tonga is you, do you ? You do not take the tonga inside, when you step

down from it on reaching home. So, also, you have to drop this body when you

reach "home".

61. You must cultivate non-attachment towards Prakruthi and attachment to

the Lord. I am reminded of the story of Sankara Bhatta. He was a great Sadhaka

intent on Japa and Aagama to such an extent that he was reduced to skin and

bone. He worshipped Saraswathi or Vidya which is the key to open the doors of

Mukti. Goddess Lakshmi saw his sad plight and was moved with great pity. She

chided Saraswathi for denying Her votary even the common joys of life and

Herself hid in his leaky hut to pour on him Her Grace. She offered him plenty

and prosperity, fame and fortune. She derided Saraswathi for

neglecting to award comfort and joy on Her hapless servant. But Sankara Bhatta

turned a deaf ear to her allurements; he said politely, but firmly, 'No,

Saraswathi has blessed me with the most precious wealth, the gift that

liberates me. I do not crave your Grace. Please remove yourself from my

presence'.

62. Jewels give joy, not Gold. You can experience the Name, you can imbibe

the Form; you can take them to heart and dwell upon them and fill yourself with

the joy that they evoke. That is why Jayadeva, Gomanka, Ramakrishna and others

wished to remain ants, tasting sugar rather than becoming sugar itself. The

Name is like the seed, implanted in your heart; when the shower of His Grace

falls upon it, it sprouts into a lovely tree. All trees, that sprout from the

Name, are equally lovely and shady.

63. Manava can become Madhava by engaging himself in Madhava Karma; he can

then discover his 'Narayana - Tatwam'. What is the use of doing only

Manavakarma; or even Danavakarma and claiming that man is divine ? Virtue is

the lifebreath, and character is the backbone. Without these, no meritorious

act will fructify. A characterless man is like a pot with many holes, useless

for carrying water or for storing it. Renounce and win Peace.

64. How far have you progressed using the chance of these Discourses and the

Darshan and Sparsan? Bring something into your daily practice, as evidence of

your having known the secret of higher life from Me. Show that you have greater

brotherliness, speak less, with more sweetness and self-control, and that you

can bear defeat as well as victory with calm resignation.

65. While speaking of God, as guarding you, I am reminded of a note that

some one has sent Me from this gathering. The note wants Me to explain why I

have not mentioned Sai Baba in any of my Discourses so far, though I bear the

name as the Avatar of Sai Baba. Evidently, the writer of the note had in mind

the people who engage themselves in publicity-work of Rama or Krishna or Sai

Baba.

66. The aeroplane has to land at a certain place in order to take in those

who have reserved the right to fly by the tickets that they have purchased. So

too the Lord has to come down so that those who have won the right to be

liberated may be saved. Incidentally, others, too will know of the Lord, of His

Grace and ways of winning it and of the joy of liberation. There are some who

deny even today the possibility of air-travel; they curse the contrivance. They

cavil at it. Similarly there are many who cavil at the Avatar that has come to

save them.

67. Your minds are wayward like monkeys that skip and jump from branch to

branch. Give them to Me. I can make them steady and harmless. When I say,

'Sit', they will sit; when I say 'Stand', they stand. That is what

Sankaracharya offered to do; he told Siva that he would hand over the monkey

that was his mind to Him so that it might be tamed and used for his delight.

But it must be a complete handing over with no reservations.

68. Man comes into the world, burdened with Maya and its instrument, the

mind. The mind expresses itself through attraction and repulsion, Raga and

Dwesha, affection and hatred, towards the external world. Raga is Rajasic in

its effect and it can be used for one's uplift, as Narada used it to fix

attention on the Lord. Dwesha is Thamasic as Durvasa expressed in his dealings

with Ambarisha and others. Without Raga and Dwesha, the mind cannot function at

all. If these two are removed, there can be no mind, and no Maya; and you get

fixed in Jnana.

69. The study of the Vedas is the highest type of learning, since it leads

to the conquest of death. All other studies deal with the means of living or

the surroundings within which you have to live; they deal with earning and

spending, deriving a little pleasure by this trick, escaping a little grief by

that other trick. The Vedas show the path of the realm of eternal Bliss, where

there is no birth or death. People learn details about China, Russia and

America; they know about the volcanoes of the Pacific or the islands of the

Arctic regions; but, they do not know an iota about the features of

their own inner realms.

70. The Karma Kanda is the biggest part of the Vedas, because Karma or

sanctified activity is the means by which the tree blossoms and the fruit

matures and grows. The Upasana Kanda deals with Upasana, the method by which

the fruit ripens, the Jnana Kanda describes Jnana, the process by which the

fruit fills itself with sweetness. The first stage takes the longest time. So,

it comprises the largest portion; the second and the third are quicker by

comparison. So they are shorter. The third stage can be accomplished, even

apart from the tree by keeping in a warm place amidst straw or a hot room.

71. Man can acquire the sweetness of Jnana by keeping himself in Sathsang or

even by remaining in a solitary place, all by himself, by Dhyana, for example.

But, by whatever means, the sweetness (Jnana) cannot be injected from outside;

it must grow from within, it is the transformation of the inner nature won by a

struggle with the inner foes.

72. Just think of this for a while. You are in this body, in this

receptacle, in order, to realise the God you really are. This body is the

cocoon you have spun round yourselves, by means of your impulses and desires.

Use it while it lasts, to grow wings so that you can escape from it. You came

into this world crying, announcing your grief and being thrust into it, grief

for having lost hold on God. Having come with grief, decide not to go with it

from here. Get rid of it in this life itself.

73. Become entitled to the honored title of Bhakta. My Glory is spread daily

through who those call themselves My Bhaktas. Your virtue, your self- control,

your detachment, your faith and your steadfastness are the signs by which

people read of My Glory. Not that I want any such prop. But, it just happens

so, in this world, where men estimate others indirectly, rather than directly.

Let me tell you, such Bhaktas are very rare. That is the reason why I do not

address your gathering as "Bhaktulara". You can lay claim to that name only

when you have placed yourself in My hands, fully, completly, and

with no trace of ego kept back to cater to your vanity.

74. All ills are traceable to faulty living. And what is that traceable to?

The ignorance of one's real nature. Ignorance is so deep-rooted that it affects

thoughts, words and deeds. The drug, that can cure it, is presented under

different Names: Jnana,Karma, Upasana and Bhakti. They are all the same in

potency and curative power. The difference lies only in the method of

administration: either as a mixture or as a tablet or by injection.

75. This Nilayam should not be treated with scant reverence. Make the best

use of your stay here. Do not treat this chance lightly. You come spending much

money and you have put yourselves to much trouble to reach here; but you do not

bloom as fragrant offerings at the Lord's feet by learning the Sadhana path.

The senses have to be curbed into obedient servants of the spirit. For example,

I insist on silence. Talk less; talk low, when you must talk; do not thrust your

sorrows, your needs, and your problems into the ears of those who come here with

their own bundles of such things.

76. In this Prasanthinilayam, there are certain limits laid down, certain

modes of spending time usefully, recommended by Me. All who come here, whether

long time residents or new arrivals, have to observe them. You have seen Me and

stayed here, and heard the Discourses. Let me ask: What is the gain ? Are you

going back unchanged, unaffected ? Dogs do not chew sugarcane; they seek a bone

instead. Ill-fated mortals recoil, when the talk is about God, Goodness, Sadhana

and Saakshathkara. But you must pull yourselves away from slums and by lanes and

travel on the highway to God. Dwell always on the

Glory of God; then you will shine in that Glory. Adhere to Truth, that is the

surest means of removing fear from your heart. Prema can grow only in the heart

that is watered by Truth.

77. The Shastras warn you of false steps; they console you in times of

stress; and they strengthen you in distress. They give correct interpretations

of moral dilemmas. They prescribe the dress, the food, the manner of speech,

the methods of social conduct, the mode of mutual behaviour and the lines of

onward march. They are the conscience of society.

78. The whole world knows what sacred ideals inspire the Sathya Sai

Organisations. It is true that, in a big bag of rice, a few grains of sand may

get in. Any human organisation is bound to have a few black sheep. But, that

will not affect the organisation, as long as it is true to its principles. The

kind of service and sacrifice, which the Sathya Sai Organisations are

rendering, is colossal. The basis for all that is the Love that prevails among

the members. From ancient times, the Upanishadic prayer said "Sahanaa Vavathu;

Sahanaa BhunaktuMay He protect us all; may He nourish us all". The

spirit of Oneness proclaimed in this Manthras is operative today only in the

Sathya Sai Organisation.

79. Sanathana Dharma is bound to overcome today's rampant materialism, for

it can harmonise the secular and the spiritual, into a single way of life. It

can bring together into closer kinship both man and God. It is based on the

Divine which is the reality of the Self. So, it is not limited to one country,

one individual, one period or one set. It has a variety of procedures, point of

view, disciplines and guidelines, in accordance with the special features of the

region, the age, and the environment.

80. The scripture says: "Happiness cannot be won through happiness". "Na

Sukaad Labhyathe Sukham" : "Happiness can be won only through misery." Pleasure

is but an interval between two pains. To achieve the Sathwik happiness, that is

positive and permanent, man must perforce take on trials and tribulations, loss

and gain.

81. The human body is the home of countless microbes and other parasitic

beings. No one can be free from these diseases inducing causes. But, one can

easily overcome this sorrow, by developing feelings of compassion towards all

beings and thoughts which thrive on Love and which spread Love. Illness, both

physical and mental, is a reaction on the body caused by the poison in the

mind. An uncontaminated mind alone can ensure continuous health.

82. Faith is the basis of every act. You do not run away from the barber

because he is armed with a sharp razor. You place faith in him and allow him to

cut your hair, quietly submitting to his idiosyncrasies. You give away costly

clothes to the dhobi, since you have the faith that he will return them washed

and ironed. You have faith in the driver of your car and in the engineer who

built your house. So, too, believe in the inner Motivator, the Atman within,

the voice of God.

83. The awareness of the Atman or the Divine in man can neither be gifted to

another nor be accepted from another. It is, all the time, hidden behind the

veil of ignorance. When the false image disappears the Truth shines in all its

glory. It is like the sun behind the passing cloud. Your duty is to draw this

veil and let the sun of awareness shine forth and illumine your thoughts, words

and deeds.

84. Active participation in society, in a spirit of dedication and

surrender, conceiving all acts as worship and all men as the embodiments of the

Supreme, is a more beneficial form of Sadhana. For, there is no spot where He is

not, no object which is not He. For, as the Sruthi declares, He willed that He

becomes all this. Worship, adoration, and pilgrimage cannot be the end-all? The

goal is the realization of "I am He, He is I". That alone can fill the heart

with Bliss.

85. Man must withstand both praise and blame, success and failure, pleasure

and pain, like the Meru mountain peak. He must strive to be steadfast and

unmoved. Once you collect desire, you become their slave; you will find no end

to them. When they are attained, others assail you and still leave you

discontented. Be aware of your innate Divinity and show these recurring desires

their due place. The Atma in you is unaffected by desire or defeat or victory.

They are passing clouds.

86. Sense control will guard you against a host of evils. Do not believe

that, because you are equipped with the senses, nothing harmful can happen.

Through their free exercises, you may have your car registered in your name and

be driving it yourself, but, if you do not apply the brakes timely, accidents

are bound to be your lot. Your body can be compared to a car. Your eyes are

like lights. Your stomach, the petrol tank; your mouth, the horn; your mind the

steering wheel; Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha, the wheels; the air within the

tyres is faith; and intelligence or Buddhi, the switch.

87. The knowledge derived through the mind utilising the senses is always

incomplete, but, the knowledge that is earned through the Buddhi or intellect

illuminated by the Atma, is full, freeing and revealing the Truth. The first is

termed 'Manojnana' and the second 'Atmajnana'. 'Manojnana' informs that you are

distinct from others; that God is at Kailas, Tirupathi or Kasi; or

Prasanthinilayam. But names, forms and temples are only for the

kindergarten stage.

88. The prayer that rose from millions in this country from all its temples,

theerthas, holy seafronts, shrines and altars for centuries has been, "Sarve

Janaah Sukino Bhavanthu" - "Let all the people of the World be happy and

prosperous"; "Samastha Lokaah Sukino Bhavanthu" - "May all the worlds have

peace and prosperity". So pray for all humanity, for the welfare and happiness,

the peace and progress of Russia

italic">, China, Africa, Pakistan and all the countries of the world and all beings everywhere.

89. Man has all the resources he needs himself. He can tap them by

identifying them and manifesting them and by sharing them with others. He is

Sath-Chith-Ananda; he is Siva-Sakthi Swarup, matter-energy. When man extols

himself, he is extolling God. Do not cultivate the conviction that you are mere

men; be assured that you are destined for Divinity. When Divinity takes on the

human form, as described in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Bhagavatha,

one has to interpret the actions as providing examples and lessons and not as

human stories enacted for entertainment.

90. We have at present persons who pride themselves on their encyclopaedic

scholarship and technical skills; they claim to know the innermost secrets of

nature; they fly into outer space and even land on the moon. But, ask them if

they have 'Ananda' and can stay in 'Ananda'; they will reply that they have not

yet experienced it. If they know everything worth knowing, why have they missed

this? It is clear that they are suffering under some delusion.

91. Be eager to confer consolation and courage; be anxious to be of help.

Watch for the chance. Snatch each opportunity to expand yourself by sympathy,

to enlarge the horizon of Love by understanding and prayer. Do not keep another

at arm's length, saying "My God is different from yours" or "My God is opposite

to yours". It can never be so. Paramatma, the Name for God, does not mean a

stranger God but the Supreme God. Who can vouchsafe for the correctness of the

picture which you now worship as the picture of Rama or

italic">Krishna ? The poet described and the painter delineated, but, both rely

on their imagination, rather than on actual authentic vision.

92. Cynics question the validity of the type of adoration and say that it

will only confirm faith in a superstition. "Can God be a stone, or a peace of

paper ?" they ask. This attitude is not correct. By adhering to the

traditionally laid down ritual worship many aspirants have attained the vision

of the Omnipresent and stayed in that incommunicable Bliss.

93. In fact, Puja (formal worship at regular hours), with the recitation of

hymns and songs, is the very first step in the spiritual pilgrimage. Many

seekers have undoubtedly achieved an awareness of God by years of asceticism

among jungle caves. But, starting early with scrupulous care, the rites of

archana, bhajana and aradhana (offering of flowers with the repetition of God's

Name, singing His Glory and adoring Him as a living presence) are more fruitful

and satisfying.

94. The sixteen modes of worship laid down in the Shastras to make the

aspirant aware of that he is the very presence and that every gesture and

movement of his has to be motivated by devotion and dedication, ensure the

purification of the mind of man from ego and all its brood of blemishes. This

is 'Chittha Suddhi', the cleansing of all levels of one's consciousness.

95. Puja or archana offered, without a purified heart is sheer waste of

time. But even a short sincere session of Puja, spent in Divine Awareness,

yields much fruit. Thiru Thondar, a Tamil Saint, confessed that he had engaged

himself in worship of the Lord's idol in order to cleanse his mind. The

material and the form are inseparable, but the seeker must dwell on the Form

which he desires to be manifested in all its glory rather than on the material.

 

96. Technology must be dedicated to the promotion of high ideals, those

which are cherished in Bharathiya culture. For, without the background of the

culture, educated people are easily turned into slaves of other cultures. Those

who belong to a country have to proceed along the special circumstances and

resources of the country. Of course, one must love all mankind; all are

children of God. One must not emphasise the differences between nations or

between castes and creeds, cultivate universal heartfelt Love.

97. The five Pandava brothers are five qualities in human character, all

observing the norms set by the eldest, which is the noblest and the most

righteous. Rama is the example of uncompromising adherence to the principle of

righteousness, whatever be the temptation to bypass it. Rama was charged with

love that transcended all considerations of advantage and of caste or creed and

extended to animals and birds, human and subhuman beings. Love is the key to

open the doors locked by egoism and greed.

98. What exactly is implied by 'Adhyatmic' ? Is Bhajan or congregational

prayer 'Adhyatmic' ? Or does it involve 'Japa' or 'Dhyana' ? Or does it denote

religious rituals and ceremonies ? Or does it extend to pilgrimages and holy

places ? No. These are only beneficial acts. 'Adhyatmic', in its real sense,

relates to two progressive achievements or at least to sincere attempts towards

those two achievements: elimination of the animal traits still clinging to man

and unification with the Divine.

99. The mind is the altar. Place the animal which is to be offered as

oblation (the evil aspects of your character, behaviour attitude etc.) and

sacrifice it to the deity involved. Though born as a human, man is burdened by

animal instincts and impulses, that have attached themselves to him during his

previous lives as an animal. He has passed through many animal-existences and

each has left its mark on his mental makeup, like a scar on the skin when a

wound has healed.

100. Buddhi is the only instrument for realization. Jnana alone can grant the

Vision the ultimate Truth. That is why the Gayatri, a Vedic prayer to the

Light, that fills the Universe, to illuminate the intelligence is a prayer for

prompting the spirit of inquiry and illuminating the path by the inner light of

the Spirit.

101. Your devotion to God is best expressed by achieving the control of senses.

For the senses rush towards the temporary and the tawdry and they foul the

heart. I require from each of you no other gift, no more valuable offering than

the heart I have endowed you with. Give me the heart, as pure as when I gave it

to you, full of nectar of Love I filled it with.

102. It is certainly wasteful to spend precious time in mere study without any

attempt to translate it into action. You need not give your word to Me now, but

try to put into practice at least a few of the good things that appeal to you

and that are helpful in giving you peace and contentment. To evoke the Divine

in you, there is no better method than Namasmarana.

103. The mind is the altar. Place the animal which is to be offered as oblation

(the evil aspects of your character, behaviour attitude etc.) and sacrifice it

to the deity involved. Though born as a human, man is burdened by animal

instincts and impulses, that have attached themselves to him during his

previous lives as an animal. He has passed through many animal existences and

each has left its mark on his mental makeup, like a scar on the skin when a

wound has healed.

104. Food and recreational habits are the two main causes for ill-health. Great

care has to be bestowed to ensure that injurious tendencies do not affect these

two. At present, though drugs have multiplied and hospitals have been

established in every nook and corner, ill-health is also widespread. This

situation is attributable to the spread of deleterious food habits and

pastimes.

105. It is certainly a wasteful way of spending precious time in mere study

without any attempt to translate it into action. You need not give your word to

Me now, but try to put into practice at least a few of the good things that

appeal to you and that are helpful in giving you peace and contentment. To

evoke the Divine in you, there is no better method than Namasmarana.

106. You must take every step in Sadhana or in Samsara, only after deep

deliberation and satisfying yourself that it will be for your good. Otherwise,

it will be like the story of the weeping city. One day a close female attendant

of the Queen came to the palace weeping in great sorrow, and so the Queen began

to shed tears. Seeing the Queen in tears, the entire Zannan wept and the

weeping spread to the male attendants also. The King, finding the Queen

inconsolably sad, also wept profusely in sympathy, and the sight made the

entire city weep loud and non-stop. At last, one sensible person set in motion

an inquiry,

which passed through person after person until the Queen herself was accosted.

She said that her attendant was in sore grief, and when she, a washer-woman by

caste, was interrogated, she confessed that it was all due to the sudden demise

of her favourite ass. Reason out; discriminate; and do not rush to conclusion or

be led away by mere hear-say.

107. To remove the evils of egoism, service is the most efficient instrument.

Service will also impress on the person doing service, the unity of all

mankind. He who dedicates his time, skill and strength to service will never

meet with defeat, distress or disappointment, for service is its own reward.

His ward will be ever sweet and soft and his gestures ever revered and humble.

He will have no foe, no fatigue and no fear.

108. The same Divine Compassion, that blessed Dhruva, saved Gajendra, restored

Kuchela and stood by Prahlada, has come to earth, as the refuge of the

refugeless, as the Lord of peace, harmony and righteousness, as the Lord of all

the worlds, as the Sath-Chith-Anandamurthi, as the Puttaparthi Sathya Sai

Sath-Chakravarthi - the king of kings.

CONTINUED …

Sent with Sai love by Sai brother M. Palaniswamy

/

Courtesy and Source: http://eaisai.com/baba/docs/gems.html