SATHYA SAI SPEAKS - Volume II [Ch. 20, 21, 22]

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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 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 II [Ch. 20, 21, 22]

20. ATMA CALLING PARAMATMA

THERE is no paucity of books promising to help man to discover himself; there is

no dearth of discourses to guide his steps to the goal. Bhadhram is only one

among a thousand whom you will have heard already. You have read much and

listened to many more discourses. The body grows and even starts declining but

the mind gets more complex and difficult to control; it waxes in restlessness;

in spite of this, Sadhana is either not taken up or even when started, remains

stationary and fitful. Vedhana (suffering) can be overcome only by the

Aa-vedhana (Yearning for the Lord). You must yearn to be free, to be rid of the

chains that are binding you now; the iron chain of poverty or the golden chain

of riches. Yearn as helplessly as a baby which cries for its mother, as

desperately as a calf mooing for the cow, as pitifully as a starving

beggar prays for a morsel of food. Let the cry come from the depth of the heart,

a heart that cannot bear the chain of attachments any longer. The Lord will not

be drawn by noisy pomp or empty show. He will yield only to the claim of

kinship, the call of Atma to Paramatma (the individual soul to the Supreme

Soul).

In South India, in the Tamil country, there was a certain Adigal or Dhaasa

(servant of God), in a village, Thangalur by name. He had heard of the

spiritual grandeur of Saint Appar and developed great admiration for him. So he

built rest-houses in his name; named his children after him so that they might

grow up in the halo of his glory; he donated lands and houses all in the name

of the Saint he had not seen. See how faith preceded experience here. There are

others who require experience before they fix their faith. The first path is

more thrilling and lasting.

Seek a Guru who will see that you do not sink

Have faith in the doctor and the drug, then the medicine will cure; do not wait

till the medicine cures the illness to develop faith in the drug and the

doctor. If you Wait until you learn swimming to get into water, how can you get

the thrill of a hearty swim? Plunge boldly and start beating around with the

arms and legs---or have a dry gourd or inflated tyre to buoy you up. That is to

say, seek a Guru who will see that you do not sink.

Well, one day by chance Appar himself walked into Thangalur, for he had missed

his way and had to deviate. He noticed everywhere in the town Appar Rest-houses

and Appar Charities and wondered how his name had preceded him. Then Adigal ran

forward to his Guru and took him home and prepared a grand feast for him. When

his eldest son went to his garden to cut a few plantain leaves for the dinner,

a snake bit him and he died on the spot. Adigal, however, was not affected in

the least; he covered up the corpse, heaping dry leaves upon it, and proceeded

with the formalities of hospitality for the long-sought Guru. The Guru, however

insisted on all the children of Adigal sitting around him during the meal, and

he ordered the father, "Go call every one here." Adigal did as he was

commanded. He called

and the dead son rose. He too came and sat for dinner with the rest. When he

knew what had happened, Appar said, "Your faith is greater than my Shakti."

When a house is to be certified as habitable, the engineer tests the

foundations. The Lord too tests the foundations whether Faith is true and deep.

Shiruthondar, a devotee of Shiva was also similarly tested by Shiva who came as

a jangama (ascetic). When Shiruthondar showed that he had no attachment to the

world, Shiva revealed Himself and said, "Worship Me as your own Self." Then

Shiruthondar demands, "Reveal to me your Immanence in all Creation and then I

shall worship Me, for then I can know that I am really You." Shiva blessed him

and he saw all as Light. The vision was the finale of his career in Maya. He

merged as light merges in Light, without noise and without announcement. Even

his body became a streak of light, which rose up into the depths of space.

The limited cannot know the depth of the Unlimited

You clamor for further experience of My Divine Nature and ask that your faith

might be strengthened thereby. To know the taste of seawater, putting a drop on

the tongue should be enough; there is no need to drink the whole lot. It is your

waywardness, your egoism, your pride that make you doubt and deny what you have

once tasted, Is not one experience enough? Well, let Me ask: how can the

limited know the depth of the Unlimited? How can the ant delve into the

mountain? It is beyond you to know how or why I create things in My Hand. Or

consider this: you have no patience even to put up with the problems of a

single family, though the responsibility is obviously yours. Imagine then what

My patience must be, to listen to, tackle and solve the problems of tens of'

thousands of families, with a Prema (love) that is rare even among parents. No.

You are

incapable of gauging Me. You can never grasp the strength of this uperworldly

bond that ties you to Me.

The experience of that bond will come to you unawares. Your duty is to wait the

moment. Believe and be blessed. You are now worshipping Shiva or Narayana or

Rama or Krishna, is it not? Tell Me how you got started. What experience did

you have, before you began, of Rama’s dhaya or Santham or Prema? Or of

Krishna's Karuna or Prema?

"Your faith is not steady yet"

When this Mahaashakthi decided to leave the previous body in 1918, Kaaka Saheb

Dikshit was told that in 8 years time this will take birth again. Abdul Baba

was also informed that in 7 years this will appear in Madras State. Three

months after the Samadhi, (burial) appearing before a house at Kirkee, the

declaration was made in answer to a query that the body had passed away, "The

body has gone, but will appear again.” It was said 6 months after the Samadhi,

when there was an appearance at Dwarakamayi with familiar tin can. Word was

sent to Das Ganu and Mhalaspathi. The statement made to Kaaka Saheb was that

the Manifestation will take place after 8 years, not "as an

eight-year-old-body." It was recorded so, because Kaaka Saheb relied on his

memory and wrote it down only much later. The figure 7 came true; for this body

incarnated in 1926 after spending ten months' in the womb. So even the statement

of 8 years made to Kaaka Saheb is true.

Your faith in what you have seen and are seeing is not steady yet; you allow

your ears to listen to all and sundry and they tempt you to deny the evidence

of your eyes.-What a pitiable state this is! While painting a picture of a

thing you have not seen, you have every freedom to draw it as the whim directs

you; but try to draw a picture of a peacock, a bird you have seen; then you

will realise that it is a very hard job; so too, it is difficult to get a true

idea of Me, whom you see, although you are adepts at imagining Rama and Krishna

to be of this form or that.

There are hundreds of images and idols and pictures of the precious shareeram

(body) that are abhorrent caricatures, for you have no correct picture in your

minds. Even while faith has sprouted as a tender sapling, some one whispers a

story and doubt attacks the plant like a deadly pest; for the mean and the

small see everything as mean and small. They relish only the small and the

mean! Search for the good, the noble, the elevating---and you will see only

those things around you. Do not seek like the crow for carrion and offal. If

you have faith, the Lord who is the core of your being will manifest Himself;

He is within your grasp, prodded you extend your hand. Do not try to cover up

your faults or hide your vices under a cloak of religiosity. Be sincere

yourself. Be aware of Him, who is the eternal Witness; He sees and knows all.

Prashanthi Nilayam, 23-10-1961

Examine each act of yours and see that you execute it with minimum noise.

Transact all dealing with minimum speech. Do not shout to a person standing

afar; go near him or beckon to him to approach you. Loud noise is sacrilege on

the sky, just as there is sacrilegious uses of earth and of water. - Sathya Sai

Baba

21. AADHAARA AND AADHEYA

OF course, you all like this daily programme of speeches and discourse, for you

feel that it is this and not the wearing of new clothes or the eating of extra

dishes that really makes a festival; this is a spiritual banquet that you are

relishing. But you must listen carefully; and later, you should dwell upon what

you have heard in the silence of your own heart and try sincerely to act upon at

least a few of the precepts that you have gathered. That is the wise man's way

of benefiting by pilgrimage to a holy place; his way of making himself holier.

Bhadhram, in his speech, quoted some Slokas (hymns or verses) where some types

of men were laughed at as "asses and dogs." I do not like such Slokas; for they

are cruel and wrong. It is wrong to call the children of immorality, the

embodiments of divinity, in such degrading terms. Do not develop this kind of

habit; do not descend to such sacrilege. A person may have obstinacy or

humility or patience but that does not make him an ass. He may have a sweet

voice but that does not give him wings. Poetic fancies make things more

confused; they make everything glitter and cause doubt; sometimes, they even

spread a curtain of fog!

Impressions of many past lives warp the mind

Man can reach the height of Madhava only by trampling down the mind and making

it ineffective. The nature of mind is Nirmala (pure); the sensory impressions

colour it and soil it with likes and dislikes. The mind of the animal is

unaffected by the many attachments and attractions, the aversions and dislikes

that hamper and haunt man's mind. These vaasanas (latent impressions) warp the

mind, already bent by blows and buffetings suffered in birth after birth. It is

no use laying all the blame on the mind. It is like a Guurkha watchman. Impress

upon the watchman that the Lord is the paymaster and then he will obey not only

the Lord who is his master but even the friends and companions of the Lord. Join

the group divine and see whether the mind continues to be intransigent. It will

not disobey you then. It is all a question of proper

training; if the Guurkha comes to know that you are unrelated to the Lord, he

will disobey you and take to his own misadventures! If the Prabhu (Lord) is on

your side, the watchman too is your man. Then you can tell the Lord that His

servant is exceeding his limits and draw upon His Grace to bend him to your

side.

Bhadhram tried to give the meaning of the name, Narayana, in a very round about

manner, saying Na meant this and Ra meant that and so on; it all sounded very

learned and is really very clever; but one can go on endlessly in this way,

saying Na means either this or that according to the fancy of the moment or the

taste of the other. Naaram means, "water" and Nayanam means, "eye," and the

implication is that only tears can win God for you. That is the inner purpose

and meaning of the Narayana mantra. Other mantras (sacred formulae) too have

their own latent meaning, like this one. Just as a G and an O and a D add up,

not to the sound Geeodee, but to God, so also A U and M, meaning Bhuur Bhuvah

and Suvah, the three planes of existence and consciousness, add up to the

Pranava, OM. So too,

Narayana is the Lord of the Naaram in the Nayana, who is won by tears of

repentance and who rewards you with tears of joy. Win Him and then He becomes

as visible as all this; in fact, He is all this, only you do not see it so.

Only tears can win God for you

He is the Aadhaara (the base). You are generally carried away by the Aadheya

(the burden), not the bearer. Samartha Ramadas says that when Shri Rama

returned to Ayodhya, every one acclaimed with unbearable joy the sight of the

Flag on the horizon, for that was the signal for the arrival of the Lord back

to His City. But Ramadas says that the populace in their exultation forgot how

thankful they had to be for the Flagstaff; for if Rama was the flag, certainly

Lakshmana was the staff that held it aloft against the fiercest storm. You

cannot have a flag without a staff, an Aadheya without an Aadhaara; a thing

contained without a container. Grief is the container and what is the thing

contained. It is joy, remember. A smile is the rose that grows on the thorn of

a sigh. Shed tears, but' only for joy; joy that you are released from

the chain of desire. Durvaasa was a formidable ascetic, no doubt; but he was

afflicted with pride and envy. He tried to pull Ambarisha down from the

pedestal of glory, only to have his anger recoil on himself with serious

results. Desire leads you to doom.

External insignia are not essential for aspirants

Of what avail is the shaving of the scalp while leaving inside it a multitude of

desires clamoring for satisfaction? This kind of sanyaasa (asceticism) is a

fraud on the person entering it and on society. No Avatar, you will note, has

granted 'sanyaasa to any aspirant. These external insignia are not essential or

even necessary. Non-attachment born out of wisdom and fostered by the Grace of

the Lord that is the precious capital for spiritual advance. There are some

gurus who take pride in the number of Sanyasis (monks) they have launched on

society, as if that is an achievement to be congratulated upon! If sanyaasa is

heaped upon a head, which has not received the qualification of Vairagya

(non-attachment), it is a burden on the recipient and a blot on the giver. The

guru and the sishya

(disciple) are both prisoners of their incompetence; when both are prisoners of

their desires, who is to release whom? He who put them in alone can grant

reprieve or pardon.

The Sanyasi (monk) has to declare his death and perform obsequies for himself

and bury his past. He destroys all that binds him to the rest and to his past:

his name, his history and his fame. He avoids any reminder of his erstwhile

adventures in pursuit of sensory joy. He flees from his friends and foes, his

habits and habiliments, his hobbies and prejudices. But we find men who have

taken the vow of sanyaasa still clinging to their long-established practices

and habits. Instead, they must completely break with the past.

That is why in the Geetha, Karma Sanyaasa (renunciation of action) and not the

other types of sanyaasa, is prescribed. Karma Sanyaasa leads to Mano-Sanyaasa

(mental renunciation). To teach persons, then as now, the assurance is

"Yogakshemam vahaamyaham"---"I shall look after the well being of all who

renounce the ego and take refuge in Me." Remember this is not a partnership; it

is either you or I. If the dancer trips, he blames the drummer, as the saying

goes. That is not right in the spiritual field. You have to climb the peak

alone. The I comes up at the first provocation; "I am blamed,I am

neglected;" the ego is up in arms against the world. To put it down, you must

see Krishna in every one, every one who is blaming, praising, neglecting or

honoring you. Some of you quote the Telugu stanza of the Sumathi

Shathakam which advises you to give up "relatives who do not come to your help,

horses which do not gallop as soon as you are in the saddle, and Gods who do

not shower blessings when you fall at their Feet." But remember the person to

whom the poem is addressed! Who is to do as advised? Sumathi, is it not? Now,

Sumathi means "a person whose intelligence is mellowed by wisdom." Such a

person will certainly be helped by relatives, and will certainly be blessed by

the Gods. So, the advice is unnecessary for Sumathi. The contingencies

contemplated will never arise for a Sumathi.

The 'furnitures' that are left in charge of man

Wait for that Grace, in readiness. That is to say, do not cling too fast to

things that please the senses or get caught in the coils of the attractive and

the pleasant. Bhadhram spoke of the Headmaster of a school. Yes. He is a good

example of the attitude you should develop. He knows all the time that the

chairs, tables and benches are not his but, nevertheless, he knows that it is

his duty to see that no item of furniture or equipment is lost or damaged; that

it is all handed over intact when he leaves.

Therefore, he keeps villain watch, though unattached The senses, the

intelligence, the heart, the mind---these are the furnitures put in your

charge; look after them with care; if any is damaged by oversight, make the

appropriate entry in the list and explain the circumstances and crave for

Grace. Bhadhram made reference to women having Bhakti, jnaanam and Vairagya

equal to men. Still, I know there are many who are worried when they hear women

reciting the Pranava (OM) during the Brahmamuhuurtham (auspicious time before

sunrise) every day at the Nilayam. They forget that shabdha (sound) itself is

fundamentally Pranava, that all breath has Pranava immanent in it; now can

women, avoid or keep away from OM which is ever-present in the Akasha (ether)

and which their breath is reciting every

moment?

Make your life a mountain of auspiciousness

As a matter of fact, Prakriti, the Feminine Principle, comes First and the

Purusha (Masculine Principle) is second. You say Seetharaama, Lakshminaaraayana

and Gowrishankara, not putting Prakriti in the second place. Women have equal

chances and equal rights to attain Godhead. Just as every breath reminds you of

OM, every little act is an act of worship, remember. Every tiny thought, every

faint whisper has to be so directed that it may curb the vagaries of the 'mind

and help in guiding it Godward. A hundred little naye paise add up to a round

rupee. Distill divinity into every moment. Like the uninterrupted line of Ganga

water that flows in Rudhraabhisheka (consecrating with Rudra Japam) on the

Shivalinga, let every moment be hallowed by the thought of Shiva. Perform that

Rudhram (Vedic hymn' in

praise of Shiva) and make your life bhadhram (safe); why, let it become a

Bhadhraachalam, an unshakeable Mountain of Safety.

I find you reading and appreciating the Prema of the Rishis (sages) and the

Gopis (milk-maids of Dwarka) and the vaanaras (monkeys) of past ages; but you

ignore your present responsibility. For example, examine, each one of you, how

far you have put into practice what you have heard from Me. How far have you

profited by coming to Puttaparthi now or so often in previous years? How far

have you shown Prema to others, the Prema that you find to be My all.

Namasmarana (remembering the Lord's name). I have told you often, is the best

exercise to acquire Prema towards God and all that is great. But have you tried

that recipe? Has it become as essential for you as the very breath? That is the

test of your sincerity and of the success of your pilgrimage to Puttaparthi

this Dasara.

Prashanthi Nilayam, 24-10-1961

To find out what is Dharma and what is Adharma, apply this one test: If it goes

counter to Truth and Love, it is Adharma (unrighteous). If it promotes Truth

and Love or is full of both, it is Dharma. - Sathya Sai Baba

22. MADHURA NAGARA

IT is festival, every day here; at the Prashanthi Nilayam, it is year-round

Dasara. But, yet, to show that it is desirable to value tradition and observe

ancient and well-established rites, this festival is celebrated at this place.

When the fruit grows it is filled with sweetness. Even the margosa fruit loses

its bitterness and turns sweet, when it ripens. So, too, the ultimate destiny

of man, however hard or bitter he may be now, is to ripen and turn sweet. Every

one will shed bitterness and turn sweet; there is no doubt. The Madhura taste

will then win for them the Lord of Madhura (Krishna).

I am not very happy when I hoist this Prashanthi Flag on this Building; I will

be happy only when each one of you hoists it and keep it flying, on the mansion

of your heart. Then only can you enjoy peace, content and purity. Grow the twin

wings of Love and Faith; then you can soar freely 'in the sky of the Lord's

Grace. You can see the Lord only through His wonders. His laws are unique and

mysterious; them is no use arguing about them, for experience is the only proof

of their reality. You taste them, therefore they are real. Do not spend your

intelligence in devising crooked queries. The mystery of Avatar is beyond the

reach of intelligence. It can be grasped only by means of genuine faith. It

cannot be reached by logic; the karmendhriyas and the jnaanendhriyas (sense

organs of action and perception) are useless instruments; for the body,

mind, intelligence all are of the category, "Seen," but not of the category,

"Sere." To see the Seer, the inner vision has to be cultivated. So long as you

feel you are separate, you cannot see the whole. Vyakthi (individual) can never

see the Shakti (Supreme Power).

Attachment to any body is not desirable

When the Lord appears in person, even then, doubt assails. It is of the very

nature of things! I utter no meaningless word, I do no purposeless deed. I plan

no significanceless action, I never engage in unholy activities. I have nothing

that I need. My joy consists in fulfilling your aims, in making you reach the

goal. The one thing that I ask for is the Love filled Heart. Believe; hold

fast, without entangling yourselves in a mesh of empty explanations and

imaginary arguments; that is the way to profit.

Do not develop attachment to this body. Why, attachment to any body is not

desirable. This hand gives you things, but, My Hand is that which creates all

this. That is My Body. My coupe is unique, different from all that you know. I

do not identify Myself with anything. Ice is water, water is ice. Saguna is

Nirguna, Nirguna is this Saguna. You may fall into the quagmire of doubt: "Rama

came, Krishna came, Sai Baba came, this Puttaparthi Sai Baba comes and

challengingly declares that He is all These! How can this be?" You can never

understand this phenomenon. That is the understanding you need. I am

incomprehensible. You will see the world coming here in about a year or two.

Remember that, in no previous Yuga did the people get so many clear intimations

of the nature of Avatar as now; you are indeed fortunate. The

Lord's Form can be perceived only by means of the eye of Prema or the eye of

Jnaana or the eye of yoga, not the eye of sensual activity, the Karmanethra.

The Lord is interested in your keeping the heart pure

The Kaliyuga is, in reality, very holy; you too are very fortunate. You have the

chance to see, touch and converse with, the Avatar of the Lord. The Avatars are

not ten; there are very many in number. You must distinguish between those who

are born as parts of Divinity, as imbued with the Divine Essence, as messengers

of Divine Mission, as instruments of Divine Will and Purpose, and Avatars.

Parashuraama is not an Avatar in the real sense. The Avatars that have come and

gone have all cut down trees because they are white-ant infested: but, this

Avatar is different and unique. Now, the white ants are removed, the tree is

saved, protected, fostered and encouraged to grow. I am not inclined to punish;

I am the goldsmith who repairs and re-shapes broken ornaments. Rama came as the

embodiment of

Sathya, Dharma and Shanthi (truth, virtue and peace); Krishna came as the

personification of Prema (Love); now, the Embodiment of all the Four is needed,

for, at the present time, knowledge has increased beyond the capacity of

character.

You cannot realise how much the Lord feels for your sake. His concern is over

your wanton-ness and wilful disregard of His words, for He is interested in

your keeping your hearts pure and unblemished. I am very anxious to make you

all reach the goal. My task is to purify your hearts. If you engage yourself in

the constant meditation of the Name of the Lord, with devotion, humility and

faith, the Lord will stun, d at the door of your Pooja room, awaiting your

wish. Only, you should not allow your mind to waver. Genuine yearning will make

your heart pure. What is important for you is your own experience. What is your

basis for understanding the Divine? It is your own Ananda (bliss), felt and

tasted by you. You say, He saved one Draupadi from ignominy, one Ahalya from

petrifaction, one Prahlada from torture, one Gajendra from death; but, do

you know how many more such have been blessed similarly, through Grace? The

stream of Grace is ever flowing fast and full; that Grace has no limit. But,

you see it as limited only.

The three activities of the Lord

I have come now with the limitations that you need. The Lord's activities are

three: Creation, Preservation and Dissolution. They are the characteristic

attributes of the Lord. His aims are all Saathwik (pious) for the protection of

the World, the welfare of the World. My exultation is Mine, My prompting is

Mine. I will never abide by another's likes or dislikes. I do not pay heed to

such. I am that which is the Witness of everyone and everything. All are in my

Control; then, who can tell Me what to do? In a few years, years that can be

counted on one's fingers, all of you will realise, that I am the embodiment of

all Shaktis (powers). The wise, the inquiring and the suffering will gather

here from all parts of. the world. Have the fixity of hold; say, "Whether I

succeed in getting from you the external fruit or not, I shall never give up."

Do not get dejected when suffering comes and estrange yourself from the Lord,

blaming Him for it. The loss will be yours and the repentance will be

agonising. You have no hunger. If you have genuine hunger I will not keep you

suffering from it. Churn the mind and collect the butter and melt it in the

yearning of the heart. When the butter has not melted, the reason is, the

warmth of the yearning is insufficient.

I do not appreciate your extolling Me, describing My glory. State the facts.

That produces joy. It is sacrilege to state more or less. Demand from Me as of

fight, the removal of your sufferings. Give me your heart and ask for My Heart;

if you give Me only your word, you will get only a word in return. I give you

just what you ask for, remember!

Sweetness cannot arise without suffering.

When sufferings come, why do you estrange yourselves from the Lord? He gives you

suffering, for your good, for the advancement of your devotion. If suffering is

granted, you seek Shanthi; you search for the knowledge of the mystery; you go

to ten persons and they each tell you some aspect of the truth. Without

suffering, sweetness cannot arise! When you suffer, if you feel, "The Lord is

no longer mine" and stray away, the Lord too will declare, "He is no longer

Mine!" Beware.

Wherever you are, when you wholeheartedly seek to do Namaskar (obeisance) to Me,

My Feet are there, before you! Sarvathah paani paadhah--- "Hands and feet

everywhere," it has been announced. "Lord, do you not hear My prayer?" if you

feel poignantly, My Ears are there! "Don't you see, O Lord?" if you cry out, My

eyes are there that instant. Rama, Krishna, Shirdi Sai, This Sathya Sai Baba;

that Form is so, this Form is thus--why all such misgivings and doubts? The

body is the same, only the dress worn is different. Do not be led away into the

morass, by others. The Lord will never deviate from the word; it may be that you

take Me to mean something else. It is My will that happens always; it is My

Sankalpa that is being worked out at all times.

Sankalpas are of three different types:' Yochana Sankalpas, the decision arrived

at after long deliberation; Manana sankalpa, the decision taken after the desire

to do arises; and Swasankalpa, where the wish and the fulfillment are like the

sound of' the shot and the hitting the target, both happening at the same

instant.

Namasmarana should become automatic as breathing

Do not slander or abuse others or your own selves, as weak, sinful wicked or

low; when you do so, you are slandering or abusing Me, who resides in them and

you. All are of the Divine Nature of the Atma; all are pure and holy. Some

might have erred in using the intelligence and discrimination which the Lord

has given and so might have been guilty of "mistakes"; they are not therefore,

"sinful." To condemn oneself as "Paapoham paapasambhavah," (I am a sinner born

of sin) is' itself the direst papa (sin)! Use your intelligence and march on,

putting one milestone after another behind you! Practice Namasmarana

(remembrance of Lord's name) steadily so that it becomes as automatic and as

necessary as breathing. Of what benefit is it to be in the same stage of

Sadhana forever? Take the Form you like, the Name you love and

do Japam and Dhyana and no evil thought will arise; wicked thoughts will flee.

When they have fled, what remains is the Aathmaswaruupa.

You must lead your lives, according to My words, without the slightest

modification. First have faith, then the experience is granted. Even in the

case of the previous Avatars, that is the order of events, is it not? You

worship with faith and you experience Grace. Faith results in Grace, without

your being aware of it. You must take in the medicine I give and also follow

the diet I prescribe and avoid the things I prohibit.

I always act, calmly. I never hurry. I do say, "Let it be so" to every request

of yours. You have come into this world to reach the Lord. Ignorant of that

purpose, you have hoisted on your head the weight of Illusion and you are

struggling to unload it, suffering under its weight. What is the use of running

after external pleasures and temporary joy? So long as you are caught in this

Avidhya (ignorance) you can never taste the Bliss of Realisation; you cannot

even recognise it much less attain it. But if you are patient and calm, I shall

grant you joy without fail. Do not yield to despair. Even the infant lotus buds

will bloom, in their own good time. By the cumulative effect of the good done

in many previous births, you have secured this fortune; you do not know how

much you have gone through, but, I know! And, whether you know or not, I shall

certainly give you your need.

Do not treat the body with contempt

You get the 'body' through the karma of the past; you get the 'type of

character' according to the vaasanas (tendencies) cultivated in the past. The

body is the result of Praarabdha karma (to be exhausted in the present life);

the guna is the product of Sanchitha karma (which is stored to experienced in

future lives). Do not delude yourself that you are the body, or be fascinated

into an attachment for it. But, it is your task to guard it from harm and keep

it in good trim. For, is it not with it that you are imbibing the exhilaration

of the Bliss of the Lord, the Majesty of the Lord? Therefore, do not deride the

body or treat it with contempt. That equipment is intended for your journey

towards the Lord; it is the chariot of the Lord; do not neglect or keep it in

disrepair. "Oh, this is my fate, my own past punishing

me, I must go through it and suffer it, I cannot escape it;" thug people get

disheartened. If it is so inescapable, what is the use of prayer, of Japam, of

meditation, or of the ritual of worship? Win the Grace of the Lord---and all

the accumulated burden will be burnt into ashes in a moment! Why blame the Lord

for the "writing on your forehead?" It is you who write there and it is you who

must wipe out the script. The evil you do, writes; the good you do, wipes! Let

your mind dwell on the Lord, and the mist of the past births will melt before

the rays of that sunrise; if you do not project those rays, the mist will

thicken into darkness.

Never deprive yourself of the joy in store

While in the previous body, I had said, "I will come again after eight years."

Dikshith has written it down, as if I said, I will appear as an eight-year-old!

That is a mistake. Having cast off that body on the Vijayadasami Day, 1918, I

granted actual concrete Darshan off and on to various Bhaktas during about six

years. Once, I appeared before Abdul Baba and told him, '"The body has been

disposed off; but, who can dispose Me off?." I had revealed to Abdul Baba the

news of My coming Advent. But, do not waste your time in arguments about the

identity, whether This is He or He could be This! Believe only as much as you

have known; never deny the joy you have derived or deprive yourselves of the

joy in store. Worship, offerings, incense, waving of lights-- these are all

preliminary steps, the first few rungs in the ladder. If you are ever on

the alphabet, when are you to learn to spell and read words and sentences? Does

the Lord need the things you :offer? Does He require articles of comfort or

luxury? No, it is you who need them! Does He live upon the food you place

before Him?

Remember, it is the person who goes beyond the externals, that wins the victory.

The Lord is not pleased with externals; He searches for the feelings, the

internal urges. I do not want the flowers and fruits and the miscellaneous

packets that you bring in your hands when you come to Me. Come with your hands

empty, saying, "What can I give You which has not come from You Yourself? When

You gave me this heart, it was clean and pure; now, after preparing in that

vessel the food for life so far lived, I am offering it to You, as clean and as

pure as when You gave it to me, after removing all traces of the vaasanas or

smells of the things cooked in it." Say that, and offer that heart.

Cultivate kinship of the heart through devotion

How long are you to stagnate in the same primary class of pathram, pushpam,

phalam, and thoyam (leaf flower, fruit and water)? Keep in the pathram of the

body the fruit, viz., the heart, and the flower viz., the mind and the thoyam,

water, welling from the eyes; then, Grace will descend on you, without fail.

Let the hands be empty but the heart be full. Cultivate the kinship of the

heart through devotion and faith. Reduce these external attachments and

demonstrations. What I seek is your joy, your happiness, your mental peace, and

your unfailing courage and resolution.

You are indeed more fortunate than the Rishis, the vaanaras and the Gopis Your

chances are greater; you get Darshan, Sparshan and Sambashan (seeing, touching

and conversing), all three. Therefore, do not ask, for the fulfillment of

paltry desires; ask, "Make me eternal, absolute, Nithyam and Sathyam."

I have started the work for which I have come. Till now, I was engaged in

collecting materials--- iron cement, brick, lime and the rein. Now the

foundation has been firmly concreted and the building has to rise. That

structure of Mine will cover the entire Universe. No longer can this Prayer

Hall or the Auditorium now being erected hold the people who will gather. The

sky alone can be the big enough shed. Hereafter, there are no stops! Within a

short period, you will witness many miraculous events. Even while you are

wondering, this Puttaparthi will be transformed into Madhura.

Prashanthi Nilayam, Dasara discourses, October 1961

Life is a game football; you can kick the ball of Samsara, with as much gusto as

you can command provided you remember that if it crosses the lines of Brahma

maarga and Dharma maarga, you are out and the ball has to be brought in again.

They set the limits within which you can play the game, remember! - Sathya Sai

Baba

TO BE CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brothers – ‘’

Source and Courtesy: www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume02/sss2

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