Divine Discourse - ELDERS ARE A SOURCE OF WISDOM AND STRENGTH. REVERE AND RESPECT THEM

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Divine Discourse by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

10 February 2005 - Occasion: Bheema Ratha Shanthi - Prashanthi Nilayam

Embodiments of Love!

The elderly couples who participated in the Bheema Ratha Shanthi celebrations

held today have experienced inexplicable joy and bliss. In this context, you

must understand the underlying meaning in naming this ceremony as Bheema Ratha

Shanthi. It does not mean that all these couples must be physically strong and

courageous like Bheema, the Mahabharata hero. Bheema was the son of Vayu (air),

which is all-pervasive. The wind, by nature, is a very strong and powerful

element, which can uproot even a mighty tree.

There are certain traditional rules for the performance of this Bheema Ratha

Santham. But there is no age restriction as such for this ceremony. By God's

grace, everyone has Sath Sankalpa (good thoughts). Normally, married couples

celebrate the Shastyabdha Poorthi ceremony when the husband attains the age of

sixty years, hoping to lead a peaceful and happy married life. They also

celebrate when the husband attains the age of 70 years. Generally, people

believe 70 years of age as the deadline in the life span of an individual.

But, there are other milestones like 80, 90, and 100 years also to be crossed in

life. When an individual crosses these important milestones in his married life

these blissful occasions are named and celebrated as Bheema Ratha Shanthi.

Unable to understand and appreciate the importance of these holy occasions, the

children in this Kali Age are sending their parents away when they cross 60

years in life, under the mistaken notion that they should not lead a married

life and they are fit only to be Sanyasis (renunciants). This is a serious

mistake. On the other hand, children should take greater care of their parents

when they attain sixty years of age and beyond. Generally, children are under

the impression that people beyond the age of 70 years are useless and a burden

to the family as well as to the society. But the truth is otherwise. In fact,

the enthusiasm, encouragement and mental strength increase after a person

crosses 70 years. It is only after 70 years that the mental faculties and Atmic

strength express themselves in full

measure. Prior to that, they also behave like other human beings. They will not

specially strive to set an example to others. The mental faculties, divine

force, and will power in a person will manifest fully after 70 years and prompt

him to set a new goal in life. As a result, such elderly persons will be

contemplating upon and exploring the secrets of life. The divine force latent

in these elderly persons is beyond the reach of the youth. It manifests in

ever-so-many ways in their actions.

Today, we find several youngsters talking ill of their parents and making fun of

them. This is a grave mistake. Instead, if one can analyse carefully their

actions, every action of theirs will prove to be purposeful and divine in

nature. If the youth of today wish to receive proper training to face the

challenges in life, they must live with their parents and constantly observe

the noble qualities that manifest in the actions of their parents. In fact, no

one can match their systematic life and strict discipline. The blossoming of

their intellect and the divine qualities in them will herald a new and

meaningful life for humanity. You just observe their life closely and you will

be thrilled at the changes it can bring about in your own life.

Embodiments of Love!

These days, we are ignoring these elders, considering them to be not useful to

society. This is not correct. In fact, the strength and energy latent in these

elders are not to be found in the youth. When you wish to undertake any new

activity, it will become fruitful only when you take the guidance of the elders

and walk in their footsteps.

Nowadays, a human being is unable to recognise the qualities of a fellow human

being. The term Manava (human being) means a person who can make the quality of

humanness blossom. People generally tend to describe the physical strength of

body, whenever a mention is made of Bheema, the younger brother of Dharmaraja,

the Pandava King. But that is not the real strength.

The real strength of elders lies in their wisdom and noble thoughts. The ideals

set by these elders for the younger generation are most valuable. Unable to

understand their value, people ignore them as useless folk. Today, a lot of

value is attached to the retired scientists. None can match their intelligence

and passion for new inventions. But their services are not made use of properly

for the benefit of society and are being wasted. The world can benefit a lot

from these elderly people. There is immense power in these elders that can be

harnessed for the good of society. Today, we are making an effort to reveal the

strength and great spiritual power latent in the ancient Rishis. These elderly

people reflect those great ideals. Hence, we should not neglect them. Every

thought that emanates from these

elders is noble and most valuable. The youth cannot produce even a minute

fraction of thoughts and ideas in comparison. Hence, we must nourish and

nurture these valuable assets and take good care of them.

Unfortunately, nowadays the younger generation grudges even to provide one

square meal a day to their elders. They think it is an avoidable expenditure.

Do not by any means let this happen. Even if you put them on a sustenance diet,

they will maintain the dignity and reputation of your family as if they are well

fed. The concern and enthusiasm displayed by these elders in bringing up the

children in a proper way is not found in others unrelated. In the ancient

times, kings and nobles made use of the great wisdom of the Rishis by seeking

their advice regularly. Even to this day, the great treatises on spiritual and

temporal matters compiled by the great Rishis of yore are an authority to the

younger generation. Unfortunately, they are not able to understand the great

truths expounded in those treatises.

It is Swamis advice that from now on we must popularize this great ancient

tradition of Bheema Ratha Santhi. It has great significance and value for the

coming generations. The ritual of Bheema Ratha Shanthi signifies nourishing and

nurturing the quality of humanness by undertaking spiritually powerful and noble

activities.

During the Mahabharata war, after the gruesome massacre of the young Pandava

children, Arjuna tracked down Aswatthama, the perpetrator of the atrocity, and

dragged him before Draupadi. Instead of cursing the evil doer and pronouncing

the punishment for him, she fell at the feet of Aswatthama, the son of her

husbands' most revered guru and said,

It is at the feet of your father Dronacharya that my husbands have learnt all

that they know. Being the son of Dronacharya, was it proper on your part to

kill my children? How could you have the heart to kill them, who were unarmed,

young, quietly asleep, were not having any grudge against you and were not

contemplating any harm to you? (Telugu poem)

When Draupadi was praying like this, Bheema could not bear to see this.

Exploding in anger, he roared:

This Draupadi is a stupid woman, for she pleads for this wretch's freedom. She

feels no anger against this murderer of her sons. (Telugu poem)

Meanwhile, Arjuna was seething with anger and was about to kill Aswatthama.

Droupadi fell at his feet and reasoned with him thus,

Arjuna! Will killing Aswathama revive my sons? His mother too would experience

the same kind of sorrow that I am undergoing now at the loss of my sons. Having

studied the Vedas and Sasthras, why are you not able to maintain your

tranquility? (Telugu poem)

Draupadi further pleaded with Arjuna to forgive Aswatthama for his heinous act.

Arjuna replied, "You are preventing me from keeping up my vow."

To this, Draupadi said, "Tonsuring his head and removing the crown jewel from

his head is equivalent to killing him." As per Droupadi's advice and as a token

of punishment, Arjuna took the crown jewel from the head of Aswatthama and

shaved off the hair with his sword.

In ancient times, the Rishis. were not shaving off their hair, since the hair

was considered very sacred and powerful, spiritually. This body (pointing to

Himself) is nearly 80 years old. Still, the hair on My head remains very strong

and powerful to this day. I will tell you more about the power of the hair on My

head, later.

Once, Draupadi was alone as her husbands had gone out. She took out one strand

of hair from her head and dropped it in the water, chanting some mantras. That

single hair with the potency of mantras could bind all the hills around. Later

on, a number of yogis assembled together and enquired as to how a single hair

could bind all the hills around. They concluded that it was the strength of the

hair of Draupadi, and her will power that could perform this stupendous task. It

is difficult to comprehend such latent divine phenomenon. Unfortunately, today

man is unable to realise his innate divinity. Man, who is heir to the humanness

is forgetting the very quality of his humanness. He is cultivating demonic

qualities.

Dear students!

You have to avoid acquiring such demonic nature and allow your natural humanness

to blossom. Develop humanness and, from there, rise to the level of divinity.

Always remember three things: unity, purity, and divinity. Unity implies the

oneness of human race. When there is such unity in humanity, divinity

manifests.

Once, I went on a countrywide tour. During that tour I went to the river Sindhu

along with a saintly person. Linguists know that some people pronounce Sindhu

as Hindu. I stayed in Goa in the Raj Bhavan when Nakul Sen was the Lt. Governor

of that State. His wife's name was Indu. I slept in the front hall of the Raj

Bhavan. Nakul Sen and his wife slept in their bedroom. There was a window in

their bedroom from where they could see what was happening in the front hall.

After I slept, Nakul Sen’s wife saw through the window a brilliant light

emerging from My body. Unable to bear the effulgence of that brilliant light,

she tried to wake up her husband. Nakul Sen did not like to be disturbed at

that hour. He admonished her not to disturb him and to sleep peacefully. But

she insisted that her husband should

wake up and witness that brilliant light emanating from Swami. At last, Nakul

Sen woke up and had the divine Darshan of that effulgence.

In the early years of the advent of this Avatar, a great devotee by name Karnam

Subbamma used to serve Swami. Her devotion to Swami was unparalleled. In those

days, caste differences were widely prevalent and observed strictly in

Puttaparthi. Especially, the Brahmins used to keep distance from the Harijans.

Since, Subbamma was an orthodox Brahmin, she used to meticulously observe these

practices.

One day, I informed Subbamma that I would be visiting the Harijanwada. Subbamma

felt very unhappy and tried to dissuade Me from going to that place saying,

"Oh! Swami! Why should You visit that place?"

I asked her, "Why should I not go? Why should I not eat the food offered by the

Harijans? I will certainly go there."

So saying, I started for the Harijanwada. However, since she was a great

devotee of Swami and was very much attached to Him, she followed. The people

living in the Harijanwada were very poor. They had no chairs or mattresses to

make Me seated comfortably. They spread an old dhoti on the floor and requested

Me to sit on that. In the meantime, I felt drowsy and fell asleep. Thereafter, a

big sound emanated from My navel, as though the roof over the building was being

blown off. The people in the house trembled in fear, on hearing that big sound.

All of them ran helter-skelter. Thus, the divine power manifests from the

bodies of the Avatars, saints, and yogis in many different ways.

Long ago, when I went to some African countries on tour, the devotees there

presented Me with a comb made of iron. However, I had no necessity for it. I do

not use a comb. If ever I put the brush on My hair, it will get stuck. My hair

is so thick and strong. Even if one wants to pull out one hair, it is not

possible. This is the nature of the hair of divine personalities. Not only

Myself, every individual has certain divine powers, which he should try to

nurture. Today, the youth are not making any effort to protect the God-given

power. They are frittering away the divine power in ever so many ways. They

waste a lot of power daily with the result they lose their energy and become

prematurely old. Especially, the head is the seat of all power. Hence, one has

to carefully protect the head.

Embodiments of Divine Atma!

You are all men and women of noble qualities and strong in body and mind. But,

unfortunately, you are frittering away your energies in vain pursuits. You

become weak by wasting your energy. When I clench My fist not even ten persons

can praise it open. Even at the physical level, the divine power is

immeasurable and beyond description. All of you should try to realise this

innate Divinity in you, not for the sake of the physical strength but to enjoy

the divine bliss.

Embodiments of Love!

The divine power latent in a human being has no limits. Whether it is fine arts

like music or any other human endeavor, when it is suffused with divine power,

it reaches great heights. Hence, sanctify that divine power by dedicating all

your efforts to God.

With Sai love - '

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