SWAMI TEACHES – Part IV

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SWAMI TEACHES – Part IV

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SPIRITUAL TRUTHS OF VIDHYA

Nothing is uncaused in the universe. Every being, object, incident has been

caused by the primal cause and its direction or guidance. The Sasthras

(spiritual sciences) yearn for the discovery of that unseen principle.

Life is as a dream. In the dream, you experience joy and grief; but when you

realise that both joy and grief are unreal, when you awake into the

consciousness of the Atma, you will no more have the thrill of joy or the

despondency of pain.

Human being alone has the ability to understand the phenomenal world around him.

He can grasp the ways and waywardness of the world; he can delve into its

evolution and involution, its contraction and expansion. Therefore, he has to

give it only a relative value, and follow as his only goal, the search for the

Atma and the attainment of the Atma. Boundless spiritual potential is in every

being and expresses itself as Jnaana (supreme wisdom).

A person is not just the body, with its limbs and other mechanisms. The Atma is

the divine person. The soul is the personality. And the person realizes Ananda

only when the Atma is cognised. This achievement cannot be won through riches

or authority of office, scholarship or status, fame or force. The mind is the

architect of your progress or decline. For the fool, the mind is a formidable

dinosaur; for the intelligent, the mind is an angle. The Vedas teach how to

purify the mind and render it a useful tool.

The Pundits and scholars must teach the people the principle of the Atma, and

themselves shine as inspirers through their own practice of what they teach.

Immersed in Sath-Chith-Ananda (sheer bliss in the total awareness of the

supreme reality) themselves, they must communicate that joy and that wisdom to

others. Plant in every heart the seed of truth.

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Jayadeva, Gouranga, Tukaram, Tulsidas, Ramdas,

Kabirdas, Saradadevi, Meera, Sakkubai, Mallamma - those holy persons spoke what

they had in their hearts, exactly as they felt or experienced. They had not

mastered the objective commentaries and elucidations of the many sciences and

scriptural texts; yet, this day followers of all faiths, adherents of all

creeds and natives of all lands adore them. The reason obviously lies in their

unshaken faith in the Atma, won through the purification of the mind. Vidhya

alone conferred on them the purity and the clarity.

When the mind is thus polished clean, the effect will be, as the poet says, "A

Mahatma has as his sign, one thought, one word, one deed." These three being in

harmony is the best proof of the worth of man.

Man through his own volition is now disclaiming this unique worth. For, he is

unaware of Atma Vidhya. Human being has thrown his "humanness" into the crater

of cruelty forgetting his best interests, under the influence of hatred, envy,

conceit and power. He has cast aside the expanse of his culture. As a result

peace has flown from the heart of man, from the fold of society and the

boundaries of nations.

The truth that spiritual, moral and behavioral values are the very crown of

human achievement however, today it is not recognized in most cases. Often

educated scholars speeches from bookish platforms where practice is paralyzed.

It is easy to advise in a million ways without even one thing has practiced.

Every event in the world has a special cause that brought it about, namely,

knowledge. Of course, without things to be known, there can be no knowledge.

Knowledge itself is of two kinds: patent and latent, direct and indirect,

Pratyaksha and Paroksha, real and apparent. Pratyaksha or A-paroksha, (the

patent knowledge) is gained through the ear and other sense organs and through

the words of others. The paroksha (for the latent), the real knowledge, knows

no plurality; it analyses and understands the attractions and objects, which

haunt the mind. It purifies the mind and widens the vision of the heart.

Vidhya instructs you to remember yourself first. After transforming yourself,

try to reform others; that is the advice offered by Vidhya. The delusive

attachment to the objective world can be uprooted by means of selfless service

rendered as worship to the Lord. Devotion to the Motherland, Love of the

Motherland, these are to be reckoned as far less than love and devotion towards

all humanity.

Your nature is revealed by your acts, your gestures, your looks, your speech,

your feeding habits, your dress, your gait. Therefore, pay attention to ensure

that your speech, your movements, your thoughts, your behavior are all right

and full of love, sathwic, and devoid of wildness and waywardness.

You have to develop the humility to believe that you have much good to learn

from others. Your enthusiasm, your strong ambition, your resolution, your

capacity to work, your store of knowledge, your wisdom - these have to be

related to all others and not utilised for you alone.

(Divine Discourse "To three Pundits," 3 Dec 1972, Prashanthi Nilayam and Sathya

Sai Baba. Vidhya Vahini, Chapter I, pp. 6 - 7; Chapter VIII, p. 29).

SCIENCE AND THE ASPECT OF BRAHMAN

The motion of the sun, the moon and the earth takes place regularly and without

faltering. The creation of this infinite world, the creation of the sun and the

moon who are moving so regularly or the generation of a steady heat in a human

body, the functioning of the lungs are such mysteries that unquestionably there

is a divine hand of creation behind them. The divine strength or the divine

aspect of all these things is Brahman.

Human beings have been able to go up to a certain point, using their

intelligence. However, trying to reach to more proper explanations they meet a

limitation and that they cannot go beyond that point. We must make an attempt

to understand and search for the truth and put it into practice. Even today

what the scientists have really learnt is a very small fraction of what there

is to learn but the pride they have accumulated after having learnt such a

small fraction is out of all proportion. The scientists themselves are altering

the decisions, which the scientists are arriving at as a result of their work,

in a short time. They are criticizing and changing the very same conclusions,

which they arrive at, and there is no scientist who can say that this is the

final stage and there is no

more to be done. Ultimately they reach a stage where by their inner vision they

are able to say that this is the truth and signify the aspect of the Atma and

realise what ultimate truth is.

The scientists of today are devoted to a machine philosophy. Their knowledge is

something, which is accumulated from studies of the external. It is not

something, which is generated from within as an essence. Those who are devoted

to machines and those who stuff information from outside into one's self are

scientists and those who develop the inner strength and who are devoted to the

strength of Mantra are saints. This difference between a scientist and a saint

is very deep and is one of essence. It is very difficult to understand this

basic difference. That which is the basis for everything and that which

constitutes the power and the strength, which is at the base of all this

creation, is Brahman.

Do not cultivate the habit of building castles in the air and get tired by

thinking that you will do this and that; you will achieve this and that. The

fruits that you get will correspond to whatever seeds you plant. If the seed is

one thing and if you have the ambition to get a different fruit, how is it

possible? You may be very clever but all the cleverness is of no avail if you

are not giving up your mean qualities. Whatever good or bad you may have done,

the aspect of Brahman is not going to break the good and bad into separate

parts. Everyone wears round his neck the invisible garland what consists of all

the good and all the bad that you have done.

Brahman is present in your own heart and is functioning as a witnessing

consciousness all through. Whether any one sees it or not, the aspect of

Brahman which has been described as one which has thousands of heads and

thousands of eyes is always watching you and the good and bad that you do.

Without recognising and understanding this basic truth that Brahman is always

with you, you spend a great deal of time and energy thinking that God is

somewhere and that you should find Him elsewhere and outside of your heart.

We think that our mind, thought and body have been surrendered to the Lord. This

in fact is not true and is in the direction of deceiving the Lord. Your mind is

not under your own control and under such circumstances how can you hold it and

give it to the Lord. You have no control over your own body. This word surrender

conveys that there is someone who gives and someone who accepts and that you are

surrendering to someone. There is a feeling of duality implied in this word

surrender. A man with a dual mind is half-blind. In this manner, while he

remains with this dual thought, how can he recognise the non-dual aspect.

The true meaning of surrender is the recognition of the fact that in everyone

and everywhere God is present. The recognition of the presence of God in all

Jivas is the true meaning of the word surrender. We should perform all the

tasks enjoined upon us as our duty and it is not right to neglect our duty and

sit idly and say that you have surrendered everything to the Lord. If you have

the feeling that all the work that you do is to please God, then that is the

right aspect of surrender or Saranagathi. It cannot be the meaning of surrender

to give the consequences of all the bad that you do to God and take the

consequences of all the good that you do to yourself.

The unity that is present in the diversity is the aspect of Brahman. To develop

faith in this statement from the bottom of your heart is also an aspect of

surrender. Therefore if you want to understand the meaning and significance of

the word Brahman, you have to put in a considerable amount of effort and care

and you have to understand and listen to what is being said with much care and

attention. To be able to develop concentration, but the learning and the type

of education that mostly exists in consumer society is giving to the student’s

habits, which are contrary to these requirements.

(The task of Swami's devotees is to improve this situation on area of education

with deeds. Never is late to begin.

Swami explains that, "...Difference between a scientist and a saint is very deep

and is one of essence." However, when most of the scientists will reach to the

path of Adwaita, it would be a real spiritual strength for true spiritual

development of whole human society. The modern science has done the first

steps).

(Divine Discourses "Brahman Denotes the Totality of Prajna in the World." Summer

Showers in Brindavan, May/June 1974)

A HUMAN BEING AS LIFELONG STUDENT

The world itself is a great teacher, a constant guide and inspiration. That is

the reason why a human being is surrounded and sustained by the world. Every

bird, every animal, every tree, mountain and star, each tiny worm, gives a

lesson if he/she has the will and the thirst to learn. These make the world a

veritable university for human beings; it is a Gurukul (sacred commune of

preceptor with disciples) where one is a pupil from birth to death.

The gross body has its characteristics - height, weight, girth, proportion,

name, caste, sect, nationality; it is a pot, a container, it is devised,

designed; it disintegrates; it is destroyed. It cannot be 'you'. The subtle

body is like the water in the pot; some one too pours that. It does not

originate therein; it is no essential part of it; it is not its Dharma. So it

too is not 'you.' Attachment and detachment, the world and its objects, through

reaction and reflection, affect the causal body. So, it too cannot be 'you'.

'You' are beyond all three. These three containers - do not limit you one

within the other, one finer than the other.

There are five sheaths within which the "I" shines. The Anna-maya Kosha (the

material sheath), is the gross body. The subtle body consists of the next three

sheaths, Praana-maya (the vital sheath), Mano-maya Kosha (the mental sheath) and

Vijnaana-maya (the intellectual sheath). The causal body is the Anandha-maya

Kosha (bliss conscious sheath). Even this is a limitation, a phase, a

characteristic. The "I" has no such bounds or bondage. The Guru who can make

you cognise this "I" is your own mind. Turn it towards intelligence and

Anantha, you are in the right path; turn it towards the vital, the material,

you slide down the path of perdition.

Sit calm a few moments; you can yourself judge your attainments in this line. If

you are dually minded, you are half blind still. If you see only the one, your

vision is clearest; seeing double is a sign of optical disease. See only the

one, the eternal, the true, the divine. Rise up to the divine; don't bring down

Godhead to your human and even animal levels. Do not worship God as the picture

before you, but worship the picture before you as God, because God is in

everything and can be grasped through every single symbol. There is nothing

wherein He is not; there is on might or right, apart from Him.

You may have vast scholarship, fame and fortune. But, the bee can give you a

lesson on how to be free from torment. The tree can teach you forbearance and

tolerance. It offers shade to all, irrespective of age, sex or religion,

nationality or economic status. It helps with fruit and shades even the foe who

lays his axe on its trunk! The dog can teach you lessons in faith, selfless

service and the process of dedication.

Watch the waves rolling one behind the other towards the shore! You will notice

the waves bringing with them bits of flotsam and jetsam, bottles and twigs,

logs and pieces of wreckage to be deposited on land. There is a constant

struggle evident to maintain a clean face - a laudable Sadhana, which a human

being can well adopt.

On the surface, the sea appears restless, and full of fury. But, down below, it

is established in peace. Again, consider the quietness of the depths, the

Prashanthi (serenity) that reigns in the inner regions of its consciousness.

 

It is instructive to notice expressions of innumerable forms of Nature and to

obtain the skill to accept many of them as the teacher. (The Divine Discourse

Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba, "Lessons from the Sea." 26 July 1972, Prashanthi

Nilayam)

All of you have great love and adore Swami but that love and adoration are of no

use if you ignore the teachings of Swami. Even if you do not adore, if you

believe in the truth of the word and enforce it in your daily life, Swami's

grace will always be with you in your life. It is no use if you simply utter

the name of the Lord and do not follow the good things that go with the Lord.

It is just like uttering the name of penicillin when you are running a high

temperature. Only when you take in the penicillin will the temperature come

down. When you are hungry, uttering words like potato and Chapati cannot

satisfy the hunger. If you eat them, it will be satisfied. It is no use if you

only read or listen. You must try to remember the teachings, put them into

practice and judge for yourself how far you

have acted according to the word.

UPANISHATHIC PRAYER LEADS TO ATMA VIDHYA

The process of living is the swinging of a pendulum from smile to tear.

Childhood is too tender and innocent; youth is too full of folly and faults,

middle age is muddled with problems and possible remedies; old age is spent in

regret over past failings and falterings. When can an individual taste some

little sincere joy? Nature is the vesture of God. It images the Supreme. It

shines through the machinations of the mind. The inner core of each living

thing is God. Joys and sorrows are the results of the mind's involvement in the

transient and the trivial.

Give up what has to be cast away, know what has to be attained, then, Ananda

becomes your unruffled nature. So give up the idea of the world being valid;

know the reality of the Self and attain the Source, the Brahman. This is the

significance of the Upanishathic Prayer.

Asatho maa sath gamaya (Lead me from the Unreal to the Real) Thamaso maa Jyothir

gamaya (Lead me from darkness to light) Mruthyor maa amrutham gamaya (Lead me

from death to immortality)

This is a prayer asking to be led from the Jagath (mundane world), which is

constantly being built and rebuilt, resolved and dissolved, into the Divine

whose Being undergoes no change. The darkness symbolizes the ignorance, which

induces identification with the body-senses-mind-reason complex. The light

reveals the Divine core, over which the fog of faulty vision superimposes all

the rest. Death affects only the body-mind complex. When we are led into the

light, we become aware that we are the undying Atma, and so we become immortal.

It may be said we are praying every day. But prayer is not the pronouncing of

words. Prayer is the yearning one experiences to awaken the divinity latent in

the heart. A heart without words is far more precious than words without a

heart. Words cascade from the tongue but they are mere froth. People blabber a

billion words but never do a deed. Be examples in doing, not doling out advice.

Revere the world as divine; "Yaccha kinchith jagath sarvam drishyathe

shruyathepi vaa," says the Upanishadh. It means, "All that is seen or heard is

God.Anthar bahischa thath sarvam, vyaapya Naaraayanah" - The inner world and

the outer world are both immersed in God. "OM Thath Sath", the Upanishadhs

declare. "Thath" is That, the Cause "Kim yath thath" - these three words are to

be thought over. Kim (what?) yath (which?) thath (that). Thath is the Brahma

principle. Thwam (you) is the Effect, the Jeeva, the Individual.

Prayer must emerge from the effect to the cause. The individual self has to

yearn for the Supreme Self. It must emerge from a pure heart. Prayer (drinking

cup) must be clean both on the outside and the inside. Prayer should not arise

out of the tongue, as music rises out of a gramophone record. When the song

does not come from your depth, when you are not involved in it, how can it draw

God unto you? Your self must achieve confidence. Then, that self-confidence will

lead to self-sacrifice and self-realisation.

We must delve beyond the body, beyond the senses, beyond the mind, beyond the

intellect and reach the source of all these - the Atma. It is the substratum,

basis and source of all else. For everything we see there has to be a base,

which we do not see. For the car that is moving, there is the road, which is

the stationary ground for the car to move on. The car may swerve but the road

does not swerve. If the road also moves, what journey can the car make and

whereto? So also, the Atma is the basis for the functioning of the mind and

senses and body.

A human being marches from the status of self to the all-inclusive Self, from

Atma to Paramatma. Towards the success of that march, all Nature can provide

advice and guidance until the very end. The real Guru one must rely upon is

Nature, saturated with God. God does not teach us direct; He teaches us through

Nature which surrounds us.

So, do not renounce the world or condemn Nature. Do not restrict the God of the

Universe to any one Name and Form. Love all names and forms. Expand your letter

worldwide.

The Universe is a manifestation of God. So also is the 'individual. All these

three are like Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara, the Trinity. Actually there are

no Three, they are one, it is unified Godhead.

Every cell in the human body is God, though under a microscope you cannot find

Him. A pure heart, a cleansed mind, a God-filled consciousness will help you to

listen to the voice of the God within you.

The words above shine from Atma Vidhya what is only the true education. The

education today is (mainly) oriented towards earning money only. For feeding a

small stomach, should one have to learn so many things? There is knowledge of

music, knowledge of arts, science, etc. But all pale off into insignificance in

the light of the knowledge of the spirit. All other branches of knowledge are

like rivulets, which flow into the sea. (nadeenaam saagaro gatihi). Just as all

rivers flow into the ocean, all types of education will find their true

fulfillment when they lead and end up in spiritual knowledge and wisdom only.

You should not think that worldly life and spiritual life are different. Do not

make such distinctions like spiritual life is sugar and worldly life is

tasteless water. You have to stir the water in the glass, and let the sugar at

the bottom dissolve well; then enjoy drinking the sweet mixture. In this way,

worldly life should be blended and harmonized with spiritual life.

(Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. 15. "The Universe - the Guru," Chapter 15, "Eternal

harmony," Chapter 8 and Vol. 16, "The daily prayer," Chapter 2)

VEDAS AND VEDANTA - SACRED LIGHT FOR JNANIS

Over the years there were many who recited the Vedas and carried on Vedic

practices, no commensurate results were achieved? It is because, few of them

understood their inner meaning properly, or their sacredness and potency. It

may be that the sacredness of the Vedas is such that even mere uttering the

mantras without understanding their full meaning or merely listening to them

will have some sanctifying effect. The potency of the Divine vibrations

emanating from the mantras is such that they confer unique blissful experience

on the listeners.

Divine potencies attributed to Vedic mantras, sravanam (listening) is considered

the foremost. Likewise, among the nine forms of devotion, sravanam (listening to

the glories of God) has been accorded the first place. Any action done with a

pure heart becomes holy. Mantra means that which is established in the manas

(mind) by a process of trana (rumination).

The Vedas have shown the different means by which this mental state can be

changed. They declare: "Perform Satkarmas" (good and righteous deeds). They

include Yagas and Yajnas and charitable undertakings. All actions done as an

offering to God can be regarded as Satkarmas. The purpose of the Karmakanda of

the Vedas is to indicate the kind of actions and rituals that will serve to

purify the mind.

The human body is subject to afflictions from three sources: Vaatha (the wind

element in the body), Pitta (bile) and Sleshma (phlegm). Hundreds of ailments

arise from these treee sources. Just as the body is subject to ills arising

from vaatha, pitta and sleshma, the mind also is liable to ailments from three

sources: mala, vikshepa and aavarana.

'Mala' means that which is impure. As a state of mind 'mala' refers to the

condition in which one regards the impermanence, the false and the unsacred as

permanent, true and holy.

Mala is also known by the term Avidya (ignorance). Ignorance can be removed by

karmas (prescribed actions).

Vikshepa (delusion) is removed by developing the power of discrimination.

Aavarana (that which covers or envelopes an object) can be removed by Upasana (worship).

To deal with the maladies of mind - mala, aavarana and vikshepa, karma, upasana

and jnana is needed. These three paths have been laid down by the Vedas.

Through Karma (prescribed duties) purity of mind is achieved. Through Upasana

(devotional worship) one-pointed concentration of mind is promoted. And through

Jnana, moksha (liberation) is attained.

Devotion means friendship with God, establishing close relations with God

through love. Service to God is the essence of devotional worship.

Satkarma (right action) results in purity of mind and devotion promotes concentration.

The third stage is Jnana (knowledge). There are different kinds of knowledge.

One is worldly knowledge. Another is general knowledge. What is implied by the

Vedic term Jnana is knowledge of Atma? It cannot be taught by preceptors or

learnt by studying texts. It cannot be received from any one or offered to any

one. It has to emerge from the inner consciousness. Preceptors and texts can

only help to some extent.

To become a Jnani (a fully Self-realised person). the first step is to start

with the Karma Marga (path of Action). The sacred duties laid down in this

discipline have to be practiced. Without doing the prescribed rites, merely

declaring the actions one performs as offerings to God is futile. If you are

unable to ascertain what actions the Vedas prescribe, act according to the

dictates of your conscience. Thereby your actions get sanctified.

The Vedas have taught the means to make life in the world pure and meaningful.

They have declared: "Na karmanaana prajayaa dhanena, thyaagenaike

amrutatwamaanasush" (not through rituals, progeny or wealth, but only through

sacrifice can immortality be achieved). Vedas have indicated the means for

experiencing many temporary pleasures.

The Vedanta has shown how by a process of elimination - Neti (Not this) you

arrive at what remains, namely, the Atma. When you find out that what you call

the "I" is different from what you describe as your body, your mind etc., what

remains is the "I" which is the Self, the Atma Principle in you. This is the

message of Vedanta.

Likewise waves in ocean in action, all the myriad beings in the world have their

different names and forms but are all tiny droplets from the infinite ocean of

Sat-Chit-Ananda (The Cosmic Being-Awareness-Bliss). The Spirit is One in all

beings. Our sense organs are not the Atma (Spirit). The divine Spirit possesses

all the potencies of the senses.

It is this Divine sweetness that illumines the world. This Beauty, Sweetness and

Bliss are all within you. When you turn your mind to God, the whole universe

will wear a new aspect. Without this internal change, all changes in the

external physical world are of no avail. Only when the individual changes, the

world will change.

(Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. 22. "Karma, Upasana and Jnana," Chapter 30 and "Power

of the Spirit," Chapter 22)

Sent with Sai love – ‘’

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