SATHYA SAI SPEAKS [Volume I (Ch.32, 33, 34, 35)] Concluding Part

[Guest guest]

Dear Sai brothers and sisters of the worldwide '' family,

In view of the ensuing glorious event of the 80th Birthday of the Divine Lord

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, we propose to start posting of all the Divine

Messages titled as 'Sathya Sai Speaks' for the benefit of our members and all

the Sai devotees the world over. We request you to pass on/forward/spread these

Divine messages to your Sai circle so that they also derive spiritual benefits

and bliss from them. These Divine Messages are not only for Sai devotees, they

are for the entire HUMANITY. Lord Krishna taught humanity the ways and means of

salvation for mankind in 'Bhagavad Gita' in Dwapara Yuga. 'Sathya Sai speaks' is

the Bhagavad Gita of Kali Yuga. - With Sai love, Sai brothers -

''

***

Om Sri Sai Ram

SATHYA SAI SPEAKS [Volume I (Ch.32, 33, 34, 35)] - Concluding Part

32. SATHYA SAI GEETHA (IV)

TODAY, Thirumalaachar read and explained the section on Jnaanayoga (divine

communion through spiritual knowledge) in the Sathya Sai Geetha he has

composed. No one can say what the real nature of creation is, or of Brahman for

that matter. Faced with a Universe which is fundamentally mysterious, which he

feels must be endless and beginningless, which he feels must be infinite and

the scientist has to accept it, though he cannot form a real picture of that

kind of Universe. He too works on faith, that is to say, believing in

something, which he cannot fully grasp or clearly infer or really calculate.

That Reality can be demarcated only by

the criterion of "Not this." Brahman is posited and described by a process of

negation or elimination, 'nethi, nethi' ('not this, not this'). In this

artificial world, all is an artificial mixture of name and form, which are both

artificial too. To get the conviction that this created world is mithya (a

mixture of truth and falsehood) is very difficult indeed. When your head knocks

against a wall, it is difficult to believe that the wall is half false, that its

name and form are a fiction of the deluded imagination and that its real truth

is the basic Brahma!

Seven chief characteristics of Bhagawan

But this Jnaana (spiritual wisdom) every one has to achieve some day or the

other. It can be got through Bhakti or Karma or Raja yoga. These three are only

different names for the process of churning the milk for getting the butter,

which is immanent in it. Once the butter has been got and rolled into a ball,

it can be kept separate and un-impaired in the liquid where it was all the

time. Similarly, the

14.5pt">Jnani (liberated person) can continue in the world free from attachment,

once he has realised that he is of the same substance as the Immanent Brahman.

When that Brahman is seen through Maya, it appears as Saguna (endowed with

qualities) and is referred to as Lord or Bhagawan.

Bhagawan has seven chief characteristics: Aishvarya, Keerthi, Jnaana, Vairagya,

Srishti, Sthithi and Laya (prosperity, glow, wisdom, non-attachment, creation,

preservation and dissolution). Whoever has these seven, you can consider as

having Divinity in Him. These seven are the unfailing characteristics of

Avatars, of the Maha Shakti (Supreme Power), which persists fully when it has

apparently modified itself with Maya Shakti (deluding power). Wherever these

are found, you can identify Godhead. You are also of the same nature as the

Atma with Maha Shakti, but like the Prince who has fallen into a den of robbers

and is growing up there, the Atma has not recognized its true identity, that is

all. Though he does not know, he is nevertheless a Prince, whether he is in the

palace or in a forest or in the robber's cave. Very often, the Prince will have

got intimations of his real status, a craving for the Ananda that was his

heritage, a call from his inner consciousness to escape and become himself.

That is the hunger of the soul; the thirst for lasting joy. You are all like

the man who has forgotten his name. The hunger of the mind can be appeased only

by the acquisition of Jnaana.

Give your mind strength-giving ideas and courage

The mind is like a Gurkha watchman; it has to be kept fully under control by the

master. Besides, the Gurkha will let into the mansion only those who are

friendly to the master, is it not? So, only such thoughts and feelings as are

conducive to the welfare of the master should be tolerated by the mind. Manas

(mind) is the chief thing for 'manush' (man) but its role has to be slowly

reduced and it should not be allowed to take full charge. Feed the mind, not on

wicked desires and unworthy plans; but give it strength---giving ideas and

courage. When the mind is eliminated, then Jnaana

shines forth in its full glow.

After the experience of Sarvam Brahmaath-makam, that is to say, after the

realisation that everything is basically and completely Brahman, life cannot be

sustained for more than 21 days. Such a person is no longer in Mithyaloka (this

deluding world); so he cannot have any desire or activity. Even food and drink

become meaningless. How can Brahman need Brahman

14.0pt">and Brahman recognise Brahman as food and Brahman as drink? All the nuts

and bolts will fall away; the heart will dry up and the body will collapse.

Sadhana is just holding the mirror before the self; the mirror, if it is clean

and polished, reveals the Self and that is Atma saakshaatkaara (Realisation of

the Self). All have Atmic uniformity, the truth of every one is the same.

The company of good men leads you on to the Lord while the company of evil men

leads you on to the mire of Prakriti (objective world). How to judge good men

from bad? Those engaged in Japam, Dhyana, Yoga and Archana (penance,

meditation, communion and worship) are Sajjanas (good persons); those who do

not like these are to be avoided by aspirants who seek Jnaana

14.0pt">and want joy that comes when the small becomes the big, when the

momentary joy becomes momentously important, when the destitute person inherits

vast riches. The good man is soft; he bends easily before elders, sages, and

Sadhaks. 'Na ma' (not mine) is the attitude of 'Namaskar' (prostration); it is

really namamaakaara, the declaration that "all that I am and have is due to

your Grace."

Eliminate all limiting factors by systematic process

Spend your time in such Satsang (company of good people). Brush up your brains

by the brush of Viveka. I will not ask you to give up your critical faculty;

evaluate, discriminate, experience and analyze your experience; and then, if

convinced, accept. Bhakti, Yoga, Jnaana---these are three doors to the same

Hall; some come this way, some that way, but all enter the same Hall. The Jnani

sees everything as the Divine substance, the Bhakta sees everything as the Leela

of God, the Karma yogi sees everything as the service of the Lord. It is all a

question of aptitude and taste and the stage of development of reason and

emotion. As a result of Jnaana, Thirumalaachaar said, Maya goes, but Maya does

not 'come' and Maya does not 'go.' When a light is brought into this

hall, you say that light has come and darkness has gone, but where has it gone?

Put out the light, it is dark! The darkness does not come from where it had

gone, suddenly, through the doors and fill the hall. It is there all the time.

It did not go. Only the hall was lit and light prevailed. So also, when the

Grace of the Lord is won, Jnaana will prevail and the delusion of separateness

is powerless.

How can that Jnaana be earned? By a slow, systematic process, eliminating all

limiting factors: greed, lust, pride, envy, hate and all the snaky brood of

possessive instincts and impulses; by the educative influence of Dharma, the

body of rules laid down by the experience of generations for the regulation of

living; by study, rumination and practice; by analysis of the experiences of

the waking, dreaming and sleeping stages; by learning to be a witness of all

this passing show without getting involved in its tangles; by overcoming all

trends that divide and differentiate.

Vision of Oneness is the highest reward

Prahlada never called upon his father or mother, as children do, when he was

tortured; he did not appeal to the torturers to save him; he saw in those cruel

henchmen the Narayana he adored. Everything, everybody, was Narayana for him.

How then could he feel pain or suffer injury? Adwaita (non-dualism) in

practice, the culmination of Bhakti, Sampuurna Jnaana (fully realised spiritual

knowledge), liberated him. The vision of this Ekathwa (oneness) is the highest

reward the Adhwaithin (the non-dualist) seeks. All this is a dream and you are

all actors. Once in Puttaparthi, in a village play, the role of Vali was

assigned to a rich man's son and that of Sugriva to a poor man's son. Then Vali

protested that he would not die in the fight with the poor man's son and

insisted that Rama should befriend and kill Sugriva instead! The show cannot be

changed to suit your whims. When the play says Vali should die and when he has

been given that role, he should die correctly just as He has decided. Who knows

whether praise and blame are not part of the play?

The faults you find in others are in you

Ignorance of this truth is a serious fault, which has to be attended to in the

early stages alone. The doctor who cures that bhavaroga (worldly disease)

prescribed remedies which have to be strictly taken; not the entire quantity in

one gulp, nor neglect for months or years; but the drug as well as the regimen.

Some people say they have come to Puttaparthi ten or even fifteen times, as if

walking up to the hospital a dozen times is enough to cure them. Every time

they may also get a bottle of the necessary mixture, but if they do not drink

it as directed, what improvement can they register?

The Jnani will not look upon Me as wearing this dress, yellow gown today or pink

gown tomorrow; he will penetrate to the Tathva (real nature) behind this Form

and know that this Body is but a dress worn for a purpose. The coming Avatar of

this Tathva will have another dress. You get full Jnaana by the analysis of the

knowledge of the Self Unless you

know yourself, you cannot know Me.

What you are now doing here is Karmamaarga (path of action); what you are

uttering is Bhakthimaarga (path of devotion) and what you are revolving in your

mind is Jnaanamaarga (path of spiritual knowledge). What you are experiencing at

this particular moment is Heaven. For you are now immersed in the joy of

listening to My words. You have no thought now of the several reasons which

have brought you here. If I finish My talk and go, you slide into the Marthya

Loka---the world of passing things and fleeting desires, vacillating minds and

doubting brains.

Above all, examine your own conduct and faith. See whether it is sincere and

steady. When you sit in the moving train, you find that the trees are moving

fast, along the line; do not worry about the trees; see yourself, examine

yourself and then you will find that it is you that is moving fast. So also, do

not blame others and point out their faults. The faults you will find are in

you, and when you correct yourself, the world too becomes correct! Jnaana is

the discrimination between what promotes one's progress and what retards. Be

your own Guru, your own teacher; you have the lamp with you, light it and march

on without fear.

God's Grace can destroy effects of past karma

To reach the stage when even "Sarvam Brahma Mayam" (All is Brahmam) is realised

as an understatement (because that statement postulates two entities: Sarvam

and Brahman, and the experience of Brahman alone, IS), you have got to go a

long way. But do not be downhearted; the entire encyclopedia is composed of the

twenty-six letters of the alphabet and all scholarship begins with the mastery

of A and B and C and D. I am here ready to help you from the first lesson to

the last. Do not be weighed down by sorrow that your Prarabhda karma is against

your progress. The accumulation of the effects of your past karma is Sanchitha

and out of that store what you have selected for present consumption is

Prarabhda; if wisely used and cooked, the Prarabhda can be made sweet,

palatable and health-giving. Moreover, God's Grace can destroy the effects of

past karma or modify its rigor. Never doubt that. If the law of Karma is so

unbreakable, then why recommend Sadhana, good living and cultivation of virtue?

Prarabhda will melt like mist before the Sun if you win the Grace of the Lord!

The Grace of the Lord is needed for the dawn of Jnaana also.

Prashanthi Nilayam, 30-9-1960

The consequence of karma can be wiped out only through karma, as a thorn can be

removed only by means of another. Do good karma to assuage the pain of the bad

karma, which you have done and from which you suffer now. The best and the

simplest karma is the repetition of the Name of the Lord; be ever engaged in

it. It will keep out evil tendencies and wicked thoughts. It

will help you radiate love all round you. - Sathya Sai Baba

33. FOUNDATION FOR VIDHYA

INTO this tiny hamlet ringed round by 'pigmy hillocks,' there has come from the

far-off Himalayan region, the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Dr. Burgula

Ramakrishna Rao, to lay the Foundation stone of your School Building! Really,

this should make at least one thing clear to you that if sincere Sadhana is

done, even the most difficult thing can be accomplished. I find the whole

village of Puttaparthi and even the surrounding villages are immersed in joy

today. I too am very happy, for it is not simply a building, which will rise up

on this spot. It is a new era of prosperity and of progress. He lays the

foundation not merely for a Vidhyaalaya

14.0pt">(educational institution) but for Vidhya (education) as well. He has not

only sacrificed much for the freedom of his country and earned the respect and

affection of the leaders of the land, but he is also a great scholar in many

languages and he is an ardent believer in Sanathana Dharma (eternal religion).

To have the village school begun by him is indeed a very auspicious event.

You can be proud that Puttaparthi is a village that has become famous from the

Himalayas to Kanyaakumari, as the Governor said now; but as he himself added,

it is a great responsibility as well. This function is, I consider, the crown

and glow of this year's Birthday Festival, for I see the faces of the ryots

before Me beaming with a new hope and a new joy. The elders of this village

have at last realised what they have missed all these years due to their own

defects.

Puttaparthi is revered with gratitude by millions

To secure pearls, one has to go far out into the sea and dive deep; simply

wading in the shallows and declaring that the pearl stow is a myth is a sign of

foolishness. So too, the elders here wondered so long at all stories of My

Mahimas (miracle powers) and could not make use of the splendid chances that

lay at their very doors. They saw only the Light, but did not feel the warmth.

That itself proves that though they were physically so near, they were very

distant for all practical purposes. They could see the Splendor, the Glory, the

Effulgence but they did not come near and share the Warmth of my Heart.

Entangled in the false and the fleeting, men lose the golden chance of grasping

the true and the lasting. They refuse to recognise the fruits that grow on the

branches of the tree in their own garden; they pluck it before it becomes ripe

and they go about decrying it as sour. Such is the fate of man; he has always

ignored God and pursued the paltry joys of pride and greed.

As a matter of fact, Puttaparthi is a name revered and remembered with gratitude

by millions today and it will be treasured in history as an immortal name. No

other village has such fortune, but you have been slow to recognise this. For

twenty years now, efforts have been made to calm the waves of faction in this

village, years during which many other villages sought and won My Grace and

Blessings. There have been many occasions on which Bhaktas (devotees) have

pleaded with Me to move out of this miasma and settle down in Bangalore or

Madras or some such town, or if I preferred, some other quiet rural spot. But

let Me tell you here and now; this tree has to grow at the very spot where it

sprouted; it will not be transplanted; I shall not give up this place, no, not

I. This place will be transformed into Tirupati and those who are little boys

and girls today will surely see it in all its magnificence.

Three requisites essential for all advancement

It is not only this village but every village is sick with animosities and petty

quarrels and vendettas. As the Governor said, many attempts have been made

during the last fifteen years to better the lot of the ryot but the result has

been far below expectations and expense. For there is an absence of three

requisites essential for all advancement: Dhairyam, Uthsaaham and Anandam

(courage, enthusiasm and joy). The very Nature around is enough to instill awe

and wonder, to impart courage, to inspire enthusiasm and to fill you with joy!

It is a type of false Vairagya (non-attachment) to close the eye to all the

beauty, all the plenty, all the mercy that you receive from Mother Nature, and

to mope in sorrow, bewailing your lot.

You should be thankful to the Lord for the chance given to you to serve others

and yourselves, to observe His Glory and His Grace and you should look upon all

as brothers and sisters. If instead, you poison your hearts with hate and revel

in quarrels; well, what is the great profit you have earned thereby? Have you

at least derived peace and content, following that course? You have reaped only

further hate and further waste.

The villages surrounding this place have gainfully made use of the help given by

Government and advanced in some ways; but here, you need not stretch your hands

before Government; you have a Kalpavriksha (wish-fulfilling tree) ready to give

you all that you want! You have the Lord, who protects and promotes all. The

virtues of the people are the treasures of the State; the smarana (remembering)

of the Name of the Lord is the root of all virtues.

The royal road to ensure joy and peace

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 humiliated to find that a

ryot, who managed to repeat the Name three times (!) in the course of his

over-whelming multitude of distressing preoccupations from cock-crow to dusk,

was judged a greater devotee! Joy is your birthright; Peace is your inmost

nature. The Lord is your staff and support. Do not discard It; do not be led

away from the path of faith by stories invented by malice and circulated by

spite.

Take up the Name of God, any of his innumerable ones, any that appeals to you

most and the Form appropriate to that Name and start repeating it from now on;

that is the royal road to ensure Joy and Peace. That will train you in the

feeling of brotherhood and remove enmity towards fellowmen.

You sow many seeds in the field; some are eaten away by ants; rains wash some

off; some are picked by the birds; some are destroyed by pests; but some sprout

strong and sturdy. This little school will grow into a sturdy High School,

believe Me. You, on your part, must do everything to uphold the honour and

reputation of this village.

When I went to Nainital, right in the midst of the Himalayas, thousands of miles

from here, they welcomed Me with an Address written and printed in Hindi and

therein they mentioned this village of Puttaparthi which they called a

Punyakshethra (Sacred Piano)! Well, when people actually come here from the

various quarters of the world, let them see a virtuous community of God-fearing

men and women, living in peace and content.

Puttaparthi, 23-11-1960

The journey of every man is towards the cemetery; every day brings you nearer to

the moment of death. So, do not delay the duty you must carry out for your own

lasting good. Recognise that you are Shiva (God), before you become a shava

(corpse); that will save you from further deaths. - Sathya Sai Baba

34. THE CLICK OF THE CAMERA

WHAT Kuppa Bairaagi Shastri told you now about Brahma Jijnaasa (desire of

getting knowledge of the Supreme Soul) and Atma (soul) was very learned and

very useful, especially for Sadhaks who have reached a certain stage of

discipline and study, but I know that most of it was beyond you. My task is to

give you the stuff that you need now, in a form that is both sweet and

digestible. It is difficult to grasp the idea of the Atma, about which Kuppa

Bairaagi Shastri spoke, in spite of all the quotations he gave from all the

commentaries on the Upanishads. It is just the gold in all the jewels, the base

and the substance, however many forms and whatever shapes the jewels may have.

To become a particular jewel is to lose the Universal nature or rather to limit

it. To lose the name and form of gold and become a jewel is to feel separate, to

forget the One. The Atma does not change, no one can transform it. Its nature is

hidden by various veils of ignorance, such as those, which Thyagaraja prayed

Lord Venkatesh to pull apart, in the famous song---"Thera theeyaga raadha."

The veils are known as mind, intellect, etc. The jewel must know it is not, it

was not, it will not be oval or square or fiat or round, or anklet or necklace

or ring or bangle. It must yearn to know its real nature and become aware of

the basic truth, apart from the unreal appearance. When it becomes gold again

or rather when it ceases to think of itself as anything but gold, it can be

said to have attained Bliss.

Love has to begin with a great yearning for Light

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

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 move about in a Tonga

(horse-cart), you do not say that the 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".

The 'T' in you is Paramatma (Supreme Being) Himself. 'T' is the tiny wavelet

that plays with the wind for a moment, over the deep waters of the sea. The

wave gives you the impression that it is separate from the azure and timeless

ocean below. But it is just an appearance, a creation of the two ideas---Name

and Form. Get rid of the two ideas and the wave disappears in the sea; its

reality flashes upon you and you know.

Paramatma reveals Its Glory as Prema (Love) in man; Prema appears in various

forms: attaching itself to riches or parents or children or one's a life-mate

or friends. All these are sparks of the same flame and the Love of the

Universal is its highest expression. Reading guidebooks and made easies and

learning the steps by rote cannot cultivate this Prema. It has to begin with a

great yearning for the Light, an unbearable agony to escape from the Darkness

and see Light, as in the prayer, "Thamaso maa jyothir gamaya." The yearning

itself will draw down the Light. The Love will grow of itself and by its slow

and inevitable alchemy turn you into Gold. Prahlada was a Raakshasa (demon) but

Prema (Love) liberated him nevertheless; Jataayu was a bird, Dhruva but a

toddler, the cowherds of Brindavan were unlettered folk; yet, through that

alchemy, they all shone in the splendor of Prema and knew the Source.

Samskara will have its say at the time of death

Once you take on the Name of the Lord, which is sweetness itself, it will awaken

all the sweetness latent in you; when you have tasted the joy, you can never for

a moment exist without that sustenance. It becomes as essential as air for the

lungs. You may say, listening to some Puraanic (mythological) tales, that it is

quite enough if the name of the Lord is remembered, however casually, at the

very last moment of life! But it is a hard task to recall that name, if you

have not practiced it for years. In the surge of emotions and thoughts that

will invade you at the last moment, the Name of God will be submerged unless

you learn from now on to bring that Name to the top of the consciousness,

whenever you want

it.

There was a shopkeeper once who was inspired by that tale of Ajaamila. He

decided to remember the Name with his last breath, by a short cut; he named his

sons after the various Avatars (divine incarnations), for he knew that he has

bound to call them when he was about to die. The moment came at last and as

expected, he called on all his sons by name, one by one. There were six of them

and so he called the Lord by proxy six times in all. The boys came and stood

round his cot and as he surveyed the group, the thought that came to the dying

man's mind, just when he was about to die was, "Alas! they have all come away;

who will look after the shop now?" You see, his shop was his very breath all

through life and he could not switch it on

to God at short notice. The Samskara (merit of actions) will have its say, whatever you may wish.

Without faith, no progress is possible

It is no mean achievement to get the Name of the Lord on one's tongue at the

last moment. It needs the practice of many years, based on a deep-seated Faith.

It needs a strong character, without hatred or malice; for the thought of God

cannot survive in a climate of pride and greed. And how do you know which

moment is the last? Yama, the God of Death, does not give notice of his arrival

to take hold of you. He is like the man with the camera taking snapshots; he

does not warn, "Ready? I am clicking." If you wish your portrait to hang on the

walls of Heaven, it must be attractive; your stance, your pose, your smile must

all be nice, is it not? So it is best to be ready for the click, night and day,

with the name ever tripping on the tongue and the glory always radiant in the

mind. Then, whenever shot, your photo will be

fine.

What is most needed is the cultivation of virtue, and fear of sin and the fear

of wrong. How do you decide that an act or a thought is sinful or wrong? It has

to be done on the basis of the Sasthras and of the Voice within. Without faith,

no progress is possible, even in the material world. Science considers the

prathyaksha (the seen), as the final proof; but how far can you trust the

prathyaksha? You respect a person not on the basis of his dress or hairstyle,

which are prathyaksha, but on the basis of his character and attainments, which

are paroksha (invisible). You suffer now because all your attachment is towards

Prakriti (Nature), and all your Vairagya (non-attachment) is towards Purusha or

God! This has to be reversed! You must cultivate non-attachment towards Nature

and attachment to the Lord.

All joy is derived from the form-full aspect of God

I am reminded now of the story of Shankara Bhatta. He was a great Sadhak intent

on Japa and Dhyana to such an extent that he was reduced to skin and bone. He

worshipped Goddess Saraswathi (Goddess of Learning), which is the key to open

the doors of Mukti (Liberation). Goddess Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth) 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 Shankara 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 of knowledge that liberates me. I do not crave Your

Grace. Please remove yourself from my presence." There is nothing so grand and

so sublime as the Lord in whom you find refuge. Call on Him by any Name or

speak of Him as the Nameless one. It is both Saaakaara and Nirakara (with Form

and Formless). The ocean takes the form of the vessel, which contains a part of

it. When that is done, the Formless takes Form; the Absolute is reduced to the

Particular. You will

find out, however, that all the joy is derived from the Form-full aspect of God;

the Formless causes no joy or grief; it is beyond all duality. 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, Gouranga, 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 Names of the Lord

are equally lovely and shady. If you have Krishna-Nama, the vision that you win

and the form that you evoke is that of Krishna; if you have Rama Nama, it is the

Rama form that

sprouts.

Do not allow your mind to waver due to doubts

Leelaashukha had the Name of Krishna embedded in the well ploughed field of his

heart and so, the Lord appeared before him with a peacock feather, a flute and

a charming mischievous smile! He fulfills your innermost aspiration in a flash,

if it is compelling enough. 0nly you should not allow your mind to waver due to

doubt or disappointment. Leave all to Him and be at ease; it is the man with no

faith that is tossed about on the sea, like a ship caught in a storm with

neither rudder nor anchor. The Bhakta bears the ups and downs of life, keeping

the balance of his mind even. You sometimes talk as if the devotee leads a life

beset with hardships and sorrows and that the man who does not bend before a

Higher Power is carefree and

prosperous; but this is a totally wrong idea. The Bhakta sails on an even keel;

he has inner peace, a spring of joy which sustains him and keeps him together.

Bairaagi Shastri said that this is an auspicious day for you because this is My

Birthday; but let Me tell you, I have many Birthdays like this. The Auspicious

Day for you is the day on which your mind is cleansed and not the day on which

I took this human form. I am ever new and ever ancient, ever noothana (modern)

and ever Sanathana (ancient). I come always for the sake of reviving Dharma,

for tending the virtuous and ensuring them conditions congenial for progress.

Some doubters might ask, "Can Paramatma assume human form?" Well, man can

derive Ananda only through the human form; we can receive instruction,

inspiration, illumination only through human language and human communication.

God bows to your will and carries your burden

I will never force you to take up a particular Name or Form of the Lord as your

ishtam (wish). The Lord has a million Names and a million Forms, and He wants

that faith and attachment should be evoked in you by any one of them, as you

recite the Names or contemplate the Forms. That is why they have a string of

1008 Names for use to worship; the devotee might be drawn closer to the Lord

while any one Name is being repeated, however distracted or inattentive he

might be during the rest of the list. Like the coldness of the atmosphere,

which freezes the water, the compelling agony of the Bhaktha's heart solidifies

the Niraakaar (Formless Absolute) into the shape and the attitude that are

yearned for. "Yadh bhaavare, thath bhavathi"---"as felt, so fashioned." He bows

to your will; He carries your burden, provided you trust Him with it.

Therefore, so act and feel and speak that you get "iha soukhyam, para soukhyam

and kaivalya soukhyam" ("joy here, joy hereafter, joy everlasting" all three).

I bless you all that you get more success in the struggle.

Prashanthi Nilayam, Birthday Festival, 23-11-1960

You must tread the spiritual path with an uncontrollable urge to reach the Goal;

you must cultivate the yearning for liberation from all this encumbrance.

Remember that you have to dwell in a house built on four stout pillars: dharma,

Artha, Kama and Moksha (righteousness, wealth, desire and liberation); Dharma

supporting Artha, and Moksha being the only

Kama or desire. However much you may earn either wealth or strength, unless you

tap the springs of Ananda (bliss) you cannot have peace and lasting content. -

Sathya Sai Baba

35. THE DANGERS OF DOUBT

Kasturi now spoke to you about the Puraanic stow of the Amrithamanthana

(churning of the ocean for gaining the nectar of immortality). He said that

when the Devas (demi-Gods) were overcome by conceit, delusion and Thamas

(ignorance), the sages cursed them with age, grayness and senility; they became

easy victims for the Raakshasas (demons); and so, to

restore to them the lost splendor, the Lord suggested the churning of the Ocean

and the winning of Amrita (nectar of immortality). You have to take this story

in its symbolic sense. The Puranas (mythological stories) always deal in

parables. Each tale has a deeper meaning, something that is more valuable and

useful than what appears on the surface. This meaning is to be practiced in

daily life; they are not stories told to while away the time. Indra insulted

Dhurvaasa because he was blinded by the power of office; the curse of the sage

forced him to re-think about his Reality, to discover his innate status. Then,

he found that he was Amrita, of the same nature as Para Brahman (Supreme

Reality). Itself. In fact, he came to know that he was Para Brahman, moving

about in the delusion that he was Indra! The churning is the symbol of the

Sadhana needed to remove the veil of delusion, more specifically, the Raajayoga

Sadhana (royal path of integral spirituality).

When the Dhaivi Shakti (Power of Divinity) declines and evil impulses

predominate, even the Dhevas fall; they lose their special privileges and

rights. Once anritha (falsehood) enters into the character, you lose contact

with Amrita. He dies many deaths, he who is false, afraid of truth, blind to

his own glorious heritage of immortality.

In their inner impulse, men are sub-human

Sathya (Truth) is that which is Nithya (eternal). Falsehood is poison; truth is

nectar. Truth alone confers splendor or Dhivyathawarn (divinity). So, when the

Devas fell a prey to pride and attachment to unreality, they had to churn their

thoughts and impulses, their feelings and emotions, their instincts and

inspirations and bring out the cream of Truth. The two groups who pulled the

churning rope are the "forward leading influences and the backward pulling

influences,"---the Dhaivi and the

Asuri (divine and demonic) urges.

As I said, Indra insulted Dhurvasa and invited upon himself the anger of that

sage because of the ignorance of his fundamental reality, his ajnaana

ignorance), which plunged him in pride. What should be done to restore him to

sanity is to re-teach him the Atmic (universal spiritual) basis of all the pomp

and pageantry of office, the evanescence that is immanent in all created things.

Today, though in outward appearance people are human, in inner impulse they are

sub-human or Raakshasa; he who has no

14.5pt">dhaana (charity or sacrifice) in him is called a Dhaanava. Deva and

Dhaanava are mixed in the human make-up and now the Dhaanava rules the roost.

Therefore, man has lost his glow and his power and his splendor; he must win

them again by Sadhana. So, make yourselves pure by incessant striving.

Man is but a flame of the Eternal Fire

The partaking of the Amrita created by Me is only the first step in this process

for you: it does not mean much if you do not take the second step and the third

and march on towards self realisation. You must have faith in the discipline

laid down in Sanathana Dharma and in the ultimate Divine basis of all creation.

Get convinced that the world can give you only fleeting joy and grief is but

the obverse of joy. Strive now, from this very moment; for time is rushing like

a swift torrent. Develop the joy that will not decline, the joy that will ever

be full. Be true to yourself. Be bold, be

sincere. The only reality is the twin-bird on the tree, the Jivatma (individual

soul) that tastes the fruits and suffers and the Paramatma (Supreme Soul) that

sits unmoved and merely looks on.

Mention was made now of the Mohini-rupa (form of fascinating woman) and the way

in which the Asuras were misled by the enticing charm of outward form. Now, all

this talk of the Consorts of the Lord, of Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Parvati being

the wives of the Trinity, are absolutely silly. They reveal only the samsaaric

(worldly living) glasses that you wear, the projection of your worldly fancies

on the 'Heavenly families,' the weaving of stories on the human model for the

satisfaction of human cravings. These names are only convenient expressions for

the Shakti (Divine Power) that is immanent in Godhead. For example, Lakshmi is

the personification of Dhaya or the Grace of Vishnu; that is why she is said to

dwell on His breast! So too, Parvati is half the body of Shiva, inseparably

incorporated in Him! The powers of Creation, Conservation and Dissolution are

co-existent and continuous in Godhead. You may ask how the three can co-exist.

Well, look at electricity! The current can create, conserve as well as

dissolve, all at the same time, and to the same extent. These Shaktis (divine

energies) are similarly pictured as inseparably associated with the three

aspects of the Absolute. Man's

duty is to achieve unity with the Shiva-Shakti for he is but a spark that has

emanated from it; he is but a flame of the Eternal Fire.

Bhakti must confer patience and fortitude

Enter upon that task of Sadhana from now on; that is the lesson you must learn

here. Otherwise, Yatra (pilgrimage) leads only to the accumulation of paathra

(vessel)---you buy vessels from wherever you go: from Raameshwaram, Tirupati,

Kaashi, Hardwar, Madhura, Kumbhakonam. That is the merit you get from

pilgrimage, a storeroom full of vessels. You come from long distances, incur

heavy expenses, suffer in the cold, in the open or lie in the shade of trees

and wait for days expecting the longed for interview with Me; but in the end,

you return and

dissipate the Shanthi and the santhosha (peace and happiness) you derive from this place.

Bhakti is something sweet, soothing, refreshing and restoring. It must confer

patience and fortitude. The Bhakta will not be perturbed if another gets the

interview first or if another is given greater consideration. He is humble and

bides his time: he knows that there is a higher power that knows more and that

it is just and impartial. In the light of that knowledge, the Bhakta will

communicate his troubles and problems only to his Lord; he will not humiliate

himself by talking about them to all and sundry, for what can a man, who is as

helpless as himself, do to relieve him? It is only

those who have that implicit faith in God, who will deign to Communicate only

with the Lord and none else, who deserve Amrita (nectar of immortality).

Make Namasmarana as part of yourself

The sthula Deha (gross body) should be ever immersed in Satsang; (holy company)

the Suukshrna Deha (subtle body), that is, the thoughts and feelings, should be

ever immersed in the contemplation of the Glory of the Lord. That is the sign of

the Bhakta. He who shouts and swears and advertises his worries to every one he

meets and craves for sympathy, such a one can never be a Bhakta. Such men are

miscalled Bhaktas. They make earnest men lose faith in Godly ways; earnest men

feel they are superior to these pseudo-devotees. And this is a fact. It is a

great responsibility to tread the Godward path. There is no sliding back, no

halfway stop, no tardy pace, no side lane on such a pilgrimage. It is always up

and up, right to the crest of the mountain.

Though your responsibility is greater, take it from Me, you are luckier than

others. Do not deny with the tongue what you have relished in the heart; do not

bear false witness to your own felt experience. Do not carp and talk cynically

of the very thing you have revered and adored when the company into which you

fall start retailing such raillery. It is said that the Bhakta can get the Lord

everywhere easily but the Lord cannot get a Bhakta so easily. Yes, it is

difficult to secure a Bhakta

who has that unshaken faith, that attitude of complete self-surrender. Such an

attitude can come only by Namasmarana (remembering God's Name), constant,

sincere and continuous, as continuous as the act of breathing and felt to be as

essential for life. That is the Japam, the thapas and the Dhyana (silent recital

of Lord's name, penance & meditation) you all. Namasmarana like this will

immerse you ever in Amrita,

not just a drop on your tongue.

Sadhana has to be followed from a tender age

Do you know how much I feel when I find that in spite of My arrival and Bodha

and Upadhesam (teaching and spiritual instruction), you have not yet started

this Sadhana? You simply praise Me and strew compliments; that I am the

Treasure-house of Grace, the Ocean of Ananda, etc. Take up the Name and dwell

upon Its sweetness; imbibe It and roll It on your tongue, taste Its essence,

contemplate on Its magnificence and make it a part of yourself and grow

strong in spiritual joy. That is what pleases Me. Do not wait until you are past

middle age to practice this Sadhana; I know of some parents who drag away their

sons who come to Me when still young; they tell them that they can take up

religious practices in their old age. These parents do not know the extent of

the loss. By some stroke of good luck, their children get the chance of knowing

about the right path for Shanthi and santhosha (peace and contentment), but the

parents are angry that the sons do not find pleasure in the articles that gave

them pleasure! They feel there must be something wrong in the make-up of their

sons; they tempt them to drink, to gamble, to exploit, to hate---to imitate

them, in short--and take them along with them to perdition. But a straight plant

means a straight tree; a bent plant can never grow into a straight tree. Rotten,

over-ripe, worm-eaten fruits are not fit to be offered to God. Years of sin

would have warped the character of a person beyond repair. So the Sadhana has

to be followed from a tender age.

Doubt is a component of the demonic nature

Faith can grow only by long cultivation and careful attention. The old are

haunted by the demon of doubt. I know there are many here who are afflicted by

doubt. They think that I have hidden a vessel of Amrita in a spot in the sands

previously fixed and known to Me only. That is why I now asked some from among

those people themselves, to decide where we sit on these sands. Kasturi

suggested this morning that since the thousands who have come to see the

Amrithodhbhava (materialization of nectar) cannot get a close view on this flat

riverbed, a mound of sand be raised, whereon I can sit.

I did not agree because I knew these doubters would immediately infer that the

Amrita was hidden previously under the mound that was heaped up on purpose!

This doubt is truly a component of the Raakshasa (demonic) nature, for it eats

into the vitals of Bhakti. It clips the wings of joy, it dampens enthusiasm, it

tarnishes hope. Such men cannot attain the goal even at the end of a thousand

births.

When doubt assails you, welcome the chance to see and experience and clear the

doubt. But do not later deny the very truth of which you were once convinced

and listen again to the voice of hate or foolishness. Do not put faith in the

words of men into whose hands you will not entrust your purse; as a matter of

fact, it is the words of such men that are now leading many astray. Really,

this is a pitiable state of things, is it not?

Come to Me, eager to learn, to progress, to see Yourself in Me, and I shall

certainly welcome you and show you the way. You will indeed be blessed. All

scriptures, all texts, the Geetha which is the milk of all the Upanishadhic

Cows, are intended to instill this thirst into you.

Do not vacillate and change Name and Form

The thirst has to be like that of the creeper for the tree-trunk, of the magnet

for the iron, of the bee for the flower, of the waters for a fall, of the river

for the sea. The pangs of separation must gnaw the heart; the entire being must

yearn for union. Do not vacillate or change or try a series of Nama and Rupa

(Name and Form). That will only fritter away time and energy. Ceaseless

contemplation of the Lord will give ceaseless taste of Amrita to you.

If you do not follow this path, you are doubly to blame; for you have contacted

Me. The Form usually creates doubts, for when only the Name is there; you can

build around it all your fancies, all that you want, to complete the picture.

Do not be misled by such doubts when the Form has come before you; make the

moment useful, the life worthwhile.

(Finding that the vast gathering would not be able to see the materialization of

the Amrita if He did it while seated on the sands, Baba first created a Sankha

(conch), the vessel from which the Amrita will now emanate," as He announced.

Then He stood up in the centre of the crowd and "poured" from that empty Sankha

into a silver vessel a sparkling stream of sweet and fragrant Amrita, which he

later distributed to every person who had comet,)

Chitravathi River Bed, Vaikunda Ekadasi, 28-12-1960

What you have heard and seen must be spoken out, without exaggeration or

abridgement; that is Sathya (truth-speaking). Of course, when the mind is

controlled, the intelligence is sharpened and purified; you see only the One

everywhere, in everything, at all times; then that One becomes the only truth,

which you see, hear and speak of---for, there is nothing else to see or hear. -

Sathya Sai Baba

SATHYA SAI SPEAKS VOL. I CONCLUDED

SATHA SAI SPEAKS VOL. II - TO BE CONTINUED...

With Sai love from Sai brothers ''

Source and Courtesy: http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume01/sss01

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