SATHYA SAI SPEAKS - Volume II [Ch. 31, 32, 33]

[Guest guest]

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. 31, 32, 33]

31. SPEND YOUR DAYS WITH SHIVA

LOOKING at this vast sea of faces, I do not feel like speaking to you; I wish to

derive Ananda by just looking at you from here; looking at your devotion and

your faith. You’re looking at Me, Me looking at you; what else is needed for

Ananda (bliss) to well up?

You yearn to hear my words and listen to My Voice also. That is the measure of

your Love. You are so accustomed to hear people speak, that if you do not hear,

your ears ache! If they do not speak, their tongues become restless and even

restive. They are both so used to activity that it has now become difficult for

you to sit quietly for a few minutes, communing with the silence within you!

Man is called so because he has the capacity to enjoy manana or inward

contemplation of the meaning and significance of what he has heard: not only

this capacity, but also the urge to the inner life. But you have not yet

emerged out of the stage of shravana, (listening); the teachers too have not

progressed beyond the stage of pravachana (talks); and so you crave for My

Sambashan (discourse) today.

Rama Sharma recited some fine stanzas composed by him on Shiva and on the means

of winning His Grace, evidently because the day is Shivarathri. The poems are

so full of sweetness that you should not discard even the rind. He described

the Lord as the indwelling spirit of every living thing and called upon you to

practice the unremitting chanting of the Name of the Lord.

Judge your own Sadhana unaided

However, some of you might question, why. Some have come to Me and asked this

very question: "We have been engaged in this Sadhana (spiritual practice) for

years now; we have written the Name lakhs of times, we have repeated it

ceaselessly for many years, but we have not succeeded! Why have we not reached

the goal?" I want each one of you to search within yourself for the answer;

examine your own effort and achievement and judge your own Sadhana, unaided by

Me. Have you yearned, have you pined, have you wept for the Lord as Thyagaraja

did, for example? Have you shed tears of contrition tears of exultation, while

repeating His Name so full of sweetness and beauty; while visualizing His Form

so full of loveliness and charm? You might have wept; but who knows for what;

who knows the impulse that swept you into that sadness? Were they tears

shed out of fear or greed or pride, or because the Lord was not near?

A little child sits with a book of the Upanishads on its lap and turns over the

pages, intent on the printed lines and watching the curious types,

deliberately, slowly and with great care; a Sadhu (monk) too does the same. Can

you equate the two and say they are both engaged in the same act? The boy is

unaware of the treasure he holds in his hand; the Sadhu gets into immediate

contact with the spiritual power the lines convey. Find out for yourself

whether your Sadhana too has been purposeful and sincere, wakeful and

worth-while.

Rama Sharma in his poem sang of Saayeesha, the Saayi as Isha or Iswara or Shiva

Saayi as he is fond of addressing Me; he spoke of the great, well-nigh

immeasurable, indescribable joy of merging with Shiva-Saayi and of the Bhakti

and Prema necessary for that consummation. When he was describing it all, I

could see that you were thrilled. The exhilaration out of which that song was

born and the joy he himself experienced while reading, it before Me and you, is

a sure means of attaining that goal, let Me assure you. Whoever has the

enthusiasm, the steadfastness, the determination to reach the goal will

certainly succeed. Cultivate that faith in ultimate success; never despair or

cavil or doubt. That is My advice to one and all. Success is your birthright

and you must get it, sooner rather than

later.

Be concerned about your goal and. your ideal

Above all, do not give room for the cancer of doubt. Why argue over Me, over

this point or that concerning Me? Who exactly is the Baba you discuss and

debate! What does it matter to you who I happen to be? You are concerned about

your goal, your ideal, your experience; your effort is it not? Why then worry

about My Origin, My Nature, My Mystery, My Miracle? The basic thing is the

hand; the cup it holds is secondary. The Aadheya (supported) is less in

importance than the Aadhaara (support), the Basic Reality, the Pure Existence.

When you cannot reach down to your own Basic Reality, why waste time in

exploring the essence of Godhead? As a matter of fact, you can understand Me

only when you have understood yourself, your own Basic Truth.

The gross can grasp only the gross; its categories of knowledge can proceed only

as far as that. Fish die when they have to breathe the air above the water.

Children can learn the alphabet only with the help of boards, slates, pencils

and pieces of chalk. Sadhaks (spiritual aspirants), going through the primers

of spirituality, need symbols, images and rituals. You cannot discard Name and

Form until you transmute yourself into the Nameless and Formless; just as the

fish needed water and could not come up into the atmosphere, so long as they

did not transmute themselves into land animals, giving up their aquatic nature.

That is the reason why the Nameless and Formless has often to assume Name and

Form, and come before humanity with limitations imposed by its own Will, so

that it may be loved, respected, worshipped, listened to and followed; so that

the purpose of humanity may be fulfilled.

"I give only one thing, Bliss through Love"

A wooden elephant, however artistically perfect and lifelike, is but a toy; it

cannot create the awareness of the genuine elephant. A library stacked with

books is incapable of impaling the authentic touch of the living guru; you may

trek to ten temples and then, at last, arrive here, believing this to be the

eleventh. That is as fruitless as wandering from the tenth library to an

eleventh. You must see, hear, study, observe, experience, reflect; then only

can you understand Me.

You will learn then that I am Prema itself; that I give only one thing, Ananda,

through the Prema. My task is to distribute solace, courage and Shanthi. That

is to say, My characteristics are the ancient authentic ones; only the

Manifested Form is new. My desire---if I can put it in so many words---is this:

More and more should yearn for Me. The desire could be realised only if I assume

this Form and come among you.

Those among you who have been following the unfolding of My story will have

discovered this by now; though even to the best of you only a fraction of the

mystery is revealed. You are like a Telugu audience sitting through a Tamil

picture, or vice versa. The nuances, the subtler significances, the deeper

meanings are all beyond the grasp. My language, My role, My career, My purpose

can be understood in a general way only by sitting through the entire film,

watching earnestly and vigilantly and trying to get at the meaning of every

word and act with patient attention.

Attaining good character is very important

As a matter of fact, language is an impediment in dealing with Me. All languages

have a place in the concourse of men, bringing out their feelings, hiding their

weaknesses, shaping their thoughts etc., but I speak and listen to the language

of the soul. The words uttered by the tongues of men confuse and confound; they

breed factions and sects; they erect walls; the words that emanate from the

soul radiate love and concord.

Sadhana has to be done after attaining a good character; that is very important.

In the midst of impurity, wickedness and evil, spiritual effort will be

fruitless. It is as the jewel in the head of the cobra, in the centre of poison

and cruelty. There are some who come here and earn peace and joy, but after

years of sharing and serving, they fall a prey to waywardness and fall back

into the old morass, declining to such an extent that they deny their very

experience and play false to their own conscience! Not that I am anxious that

they should worship Me or adhere to Me; far from it. I only ask that Truth must

be proclaimed, regardless of the company you have fallen into; there must be

courage of conviction, which will help you to overcome the temptation to deny

your cherished joys.

The Lord is like the diamond

There are again some others who are swept off their feet by hysterical

demonstrations by certain weak-minded individuals, which are described as My

speaking through them or acting through them! Take it from Me, I am not given

to such absurdities! I do not use others as My media; I have no need to. I do

not swing from side to side and prattle! Why, even those who torture their

bodies and suffer the pains of asceticism for years, until ant hills overwhelm

them and they become as stiff as tree-stumps, find it difficult to realise the

Lord. How then can these idlers, who eat their fill and wander about as slaves

of their senses, cam that status so cheap? Their gestures, words and actions

are hollow and vain; those who bum incense before them and revere them are

turning away from Me and running after falsehood.

For, how can the Full ever dally with the paltry and wear the habiliment of the

trifling? When God has come assuming Form, take it from Me, it will not fill

inferior vessels or embellish tawdry stuff or enter impure bodies. So, do not

extol these falsities and rain those unfortunates. Deal with them severely and

they will be cured. Glass trinkets will not mislead those who have seen the

brilliance of the diamond. The Lord is like the diamond, call it by any name.

But a trinket cannot be turned into a diamond, however loud the praise and

however adamant the claim.

Uddhalaka, a contemporary of Chaitanya, chose to worship the Lord as the

Manifested, as Prakriti (Nature). The Creator he chose to worship through his

creation; he adored the container for the thing contained. In short, he adored

Radha, or Dhara (mother earth) in reverse, the Prakriti aspect, the feminine

principle of Krishna, the Purusha, the inseparable other! His yearning was so

moving, his thapas (penance) was so compelling that one day, while a bangle

seller was trudging along the bank of the Saraswathi River by the side of the

village, he found a damsel washing clothes in the bathing ghat.

The Lord is anxious to assuage your pain

The Lord is as anxious to assuage your pain as you are anxious to secure his

Grace to get rid of it. You may not know this but I know, for I feel it. She

called him near and selecting many pairs of bangles, she wore them all. At

last, when he asked for the cash, she said, "Oh, I forgot all about the money

that is due to you; please go to the house of Uddhalaka in the village; any one

will point it out to you. Ask him; tell him that his daughter purchased them and

he will surely pay. Or, wait, you may tell him that he will find the cash behind

the picture of Radha in his shrine room."

The man took her at her word and hurried to the village and the house of her

parents. Uddalaka was amazed at the tale for he had no children. In fact, he

had not even married. But the bangle seller insisted on his looking behind the

picture of Radha because he said the girl was incapable of deceit. Uddalaka

denied having ever placed any cash there. How could he use that space of all

places for keeping cash! But just to satisfy the bangle-seller, he peeped there

and, lo! he got a knotted piece of cloth containing just the cash needed to pay

for the bangles. Then, in a flash, he realised that it must be Radha herself

who had sent the man and he fell at the feet of the peddler and ran with him to

the bathing ghat, overcome with joy and thankfulness. For an instant he saw a

glorious vision above the waters: the right arm of Radha, with the bangles

scintillating in the morning sun. He knew the arm was raised to bless him; he

felt it was calling him; he flew out of the mortal coil into her Lap.

You can worship even Prakriti (Nature); there is no harm, provided you realise

that the Lord is immanent in it, giving it name and form and value; that the

cloth is just yarn, the pot is just mud, the jewel is just gold. Why, you can

worship your parents and realise the Lord through that Sadhana. They are your

creators and guides and teachers and protectors and by idealizing them, you can

grasp the Truth of the Lord, the Primeval Parent.

God is all Love at all times

Even if you are not able to conceive the idea of a Lord or a God, you must be

able to know what Love is by experience, is it not? You have experienced the

love of your parents, of a friend, of a partner or of a brother or sister, or

towards your own children. That love is itself a spark of God, who is all Love,

who is all the Love in all the worlds at all times. Call upon your mother and

the love she bears towards you and even if your physical mother cannot come to

your rescue, some Mother or the Supreme Mother herself will certainly hurry

towards you.

There is a fine story to illustrate this: One dark night when Shiva and Parvati

were journeying through the sky, they saw a man perched on the branch of a

tree, about to fall on the ground through, sheer exhaustion of limbs. Parvati

pleaded on his behalf and wanted that Shiva should save him; and Shiva

preferred that She should save him, instead! Meanwhile, the fall became

imminent and so they decided that if while falling the man shouted "Amma

(mother)," Parvati should hasten to arrest his fall and if he shouted, "Appa

(father)," Shiva should help and see that no bones are broken. The man fell,

but he shouted neither Amma nor Appa, but Ayyo (sigh of misery)! And so he had

to be left severely alone!

"Do not be false to yourself or to Me"

Of coupe, it is all a question of deep-rooted taints or traits or attitudes. You

draw from the bank only according to what you have put in; you have to study

your passbook before you write out a Cheque or calculate your assets. Go on,

pile up your assets; do not feverishly exhaust them by recklessness. People,

unfortunately, take greater pleasure in liquidating their assets than in

building them up. It is the bane of the times that they revel in destruction

and recoil from construction.

When a Committee is engaged in some constructive work, members find the work

uninteresting and they stay away. If the task set is to pull down some one or

other institution, more members are eager to join the fray.-So, you should keep

your Viveka (wisdom) intact and discriminate between the destructive and

constructive impulses. Do not listen to destructive criticisms and cynicisms,

which are the poisons eating into the vitals of spiritual life today. Bear

witness to the truth of your own experience; do not be false to yourself, or to

Me. My name is Sathya Sai; it means, "He Who reclines on Truth."

I am reminded now of past events, events in my previous body. Even then, I had

Sathya or Truth as my Support. A wrestler challenged Me then for a fight and he

was defeated before a large gathering of villagers. Pained by the insult, he

invited Baba for a second tussle the next day, so that he might win back his

lost reputation. The man swore that if defeated again, he would wear a long

rough Kafni and move about with his head covered in cloth. He dared Baba too to

swear likewise. Baba was in no mood to enter the arena again and he was quite

prepared to concede the fellow the victory he craved. So he accepted defeat and

himself donned the Kafni and the kerchief. The wrestler felt great remorse and

his insolence melted away. He appealed to Baba to resume his usual style of

dress and released him from the obligation. But Baba stuck to

his word. He was Sathya Itself, then, as He is now. He wore the new attire.

Truth is the very nature of Sai

I am reminded also of another instance. Some friends of Justice Rege came one

day, a mother and her little son. After an hour or so at the Dwarakamayi, they

went to a Puraanic recital in the village where the Pundit, much to the

exasperation of the child, described Baba as an impostor and a fraud. The child

insisted on the mother coming away from the place; it ran towards Baba and told

him the whole story, when Baba asked them why they came back in such a hurry

from the recital. Baba laughed and said, "Yes, I am an ordinary man, not the

Divine Power that you take me to be." But the child could not be put off. It

declared that Baba was God. Baba replied, "I am not God, little chap. See, my

clothes are torn; I have only two hands; God should have four, isn't it?" But

the boy was in no mood to agree. H e declared that H e was God, in

spite of the two hands, which He then seemed to lack. Even while they were

arguing thus some others arrived, exulting over a miracle which they witnessed.

A child had slipped from the top floor of a house and escaped unhurt. Baba told

them, "Yes, I held it in my four arms." The boy jumped at the words and said,

"Now you yourself agree that you have four hands and so you are God." Baba

clasped the child to His bosom and taking it inside, He gave him a Vision of

the Lord with four hands. Such was the adherence to Truth even in the previous

body. It is not adherence; it is the very Nature of Sai.

Spiritual endeavor is an inescapable task for all

You must learn the significance not only of My name, but even of yours. You are

all given names redolent with Divine Fragrance and you should draw inspiration

and strength from them. Swami Abhedaanandha said this evening at the meeting

that he would prefer to be called Sathya Sai Charanaanandha and that he had

written to Me about that desire a fortnight ago. But his name teaches that he

should not posit any distinction between him and Me. It must be an abheda

(nondistinct) relationship. He has to practice unity, non-distinction. This is

what I wrote to him; "Learn the Lesson your present name teaches, that is

enough." So too, you should accept your names, not as labels or means of

identification or distinction, but as guides for conduct, as focuses for

spiritual endeavor.

Endeavor. That is the main thing that is the inescapable task for all mortals.

Even those who deny God today will have one day to tread the pilgrim road,

melting their hearts out in tears of travail. If you make the slightest effort

to progress along the path of liberation, the Lord will help you a

hundred-fold. Shivarathri conveys that hope to you. The Moon, which is the

presiding deity of the mind of man, wanes, until on the fourteenth day after

Full Moon, it is just a tiny curve of glimmering glow. The mind too must be

starved into that condition, so that man becomes free. Spend all the days with

Shiva and the conquest of the mind is easy. Spend the fourteenth day of the

waning moon with Shiva, reaching the climax of spiritual effort on that final

day, and success is yours. That is why all the Chaturdasis (Fourteenth days of

the

dark half of every month) are called Shivarathris (Shiva's nights); that is why

the Chaturdasi of the Magha month is called Maha Shivarathri. This is a day of

special dedication to Shiva, and since so many of you here and elsewhere pray

to Shiva. The Linga is emanating from Me for you all to receive the Grace and

the Bliss of the Great Moment of Linghodhbhava (Emergence of the Linga).

Prashanthi Nilayam, Maha Shivarathri, 4-3-1962

Discover for yourself your stage of spiritual development, to which class in the

school you would fit in. Then determine to proceed from that class to the next

higher one. Strive your best and you will win the Grace of God. Do not bargain

or despair. One step at a time is enough, provided it is towards the goal, not

away from it. Beware of the pride of wealth, of scholarship, of status, that

drag you into egoism. Do not seek the faults of others; seek your own. Be happy

when you see others prosper; share your joy with others.

32. WELCOME THE TESTS

WHILE Bairaagi Shastri and Narasaraaju were speaking, I observed many of you

were clearing your throats aloud; your retention should have been devoted to

clearing the ears and removing the cobwebs from the heart. What has the throat

to do with the imbibing of the lessons their speeches conveyed? Just as this

mike should be fight in front of me, near me but not too near the mouth to

transmit the voice, so too, the heart should be held right, straight and open

to receive the teachings transmitted. If the heart is turned in some other

direction, the teaching will not be recorded clear and distinct; it gets

warped.

Narasimha Raju reminds Me of Shyaamakavi from Bangalore who died some years ago.

He had deep scholarship, vast spiritual experience, poetic talent and steady

devotion. Whatever he touched ended in failure, but never for an instant did he

throw the blame on the Lord. On the other hand, he became more intimately

attached to Him. The blows of fate did not shake his faith; he stood like a

rock, amidst the angry waves. The mind was trained by him to pass through joy

and grief unscathed.

The real nature of man is equanimity

The discovery of Truth--that is the unique mission of Man. Man is a minute of

Maya and Madhava; the Maya (illusion) throws a mist which aides the Madhava

(God); but through the action of the healthy impulses inherited from acts

performed while in previous bodies or through the cleansing one by austerities

in this body or through the Grace of the Lord Himself, Maya melts away; for it

is just a mist which flees before the sun. Then Nara (human) is transformed

into Narayana (God) and this Bhuuloka (world) is elevated into a Prashanthi

Nilayam (place of tranquility). The illumination of Viveka (discrimination)

will remove the darkness, which hides the Divine essence of Man. Today, man

hopes to dispel darkness by the sword, the gun and the bomb, while what is

wanted is just a lamp. How can

darkness be swept away by darkness, hatred by hatred, ignorance by deeper and

vaster ignorance? The very lust for victory promotes darkness. Leave all

thoughts of conquest aside; strive to know the Truth and when that is known,

false noting fondly held by you will fall off of their own accord.

See clearly the lovely image that is hidden in the rock. Release it from that

stony prison; remove all the extra stone that is encrusting the idol---that is

the task for you. Do not worry about Maya; concentrate on Madhava; you are

certain to succeed. A tree on the Godavari Canal Bund will not go dry; it will

have a crown of green, for the underground water feeds its roots. Similarly, be

a tree with the roots in perpetual contact with the flowing waters of the Grace

of the Lord and you need not worry about drought.

The dull-wired man runs about madly in pursuit of 'peace of mind'; trying this

prescription for some time and preferring another afterwards He is on the wrong

path; the path of catering to the senses, the path beset by Rupa, Nama, and Guna

(form, name, and quality) the path of the temporary and the apparent. But the

mumukshu or the seeker after Moksha (Liberation) gets that Peace quite easily.

In fact, the real nature of man is Prashanthi (equanimity)---steadiness,

unshakable resolution, and peace. Nature is a great store where all things,

which help you to grasp the truth, are found. That truth is first cognized as

Samam Brahma Mayam---all this is imbued with Brahman, directed by Brahman,

composed of Brahman! Then the seeker rises to a greater awareness, the

awareness of Sarvam Brahman---all

this is Brahmam; only it appears as something else for a time to the unopened

eyes! The final state is one where there is not even a Sarvam to be posited as

Brahman; there is just Brahman: the one and only.

Obey Nature's commands and listen to the warnings

Man learns the lesson when he studies nature, analyzing it and trying to

understand it. It is at the mother's lap that the child learns the art of

living; so also it is Prakriti (Nature) that teaches man how to succeed in the

hard struggle and win Prashanthi. Break the laws of Nature and she boxes you in

the ear; obey her commands and listen to Her warnings and She will pass on to

you your heritage of immortality.

That is to say, have the Lord as your Guide and Guardian and adhere to the rules

of dharma. Let the dull-witted man hug his delusion that happiness and peace can

be secured through slavery to the senses. Those who know that the world is a

mixture of truth and falsehood, and therefore a big conundrum or mithya

(false), will leave off the outer attractions and concentrate on the inner joy

of attachment to God. If you are declared, "passed", you have Peace; if you are

declared "failed", that too solves the problem for some little time and puts a

stop to worry; but if your results are not announced but withheld (for it is

not quite certain whether you have passed or failed), you suffer the maximum

Ashanti (restlessness), is it not? So also, this world, which is neither Sathya

(Truth) nor asathya (unreal) but mithya

(false), breeds profuse Ashanti (disturbance) in the mind.

Suffering entitles you more to the Lord's Grace

Non-attachment alone can grant Prashanthi. Sathsangha (company of the pious) and

the visit to holy places and holy men promote that attitude and habit. Kuchela

was prompted to visit Dwarka by his wife who had deep devotion; so too unless

your samskara (merit of action) is good and your inclinations are elevated, and

elevating, you will not get the idea of coming to Puttaparthi. I called

Narasaraju and his wife for this Shivarathri here and they have come. I know

him for thirty years, him and his plans and yearnings and trials and troubles.

The Lord responds not merely to the sweet voiced Kokil (cuckoo) and its song;

He gives ear to the warbles of other birds, too. He gives ear to the wailings

of every being. In fact, suffering entitles you more to the Grace of the Lord.

When suffering comes in waves, one behind the other, be glad

that the shore is near: bear them bravely; do not like cowards throw the blame

on some outside Power or develop dislike for the Lord.

The smarana (remembering) of the Self (Atma) is the spring of joy; the smarana

of the Nonself (An-Atma) is the source of sorrow. Welcome the test because

thereafter you are awarded the certificate. It is to measure your progress that

tests are imposed. So do not flinch in the face of grief. The Lord bestows a

favour when He decides to test you, for He is impressed by your achievement and

wants to put upon it the seal of His approval. Rise up to the demands of the

test, that is the way to please the Lord.

The ways of the Lord are inscrutable

There was a great Bhakta once who failed in the test and so could not get the

certificate. Every day at noon, he used to look out for a needy guest whom he

could feed lavishly. Thus he spent years, but one day, a frail old figure

toddled into the house and sat for the dinner. He had crossed the century mark

in years. The host had the steadiness of the vow, but he did not have the

discrimination to derive the fruit of that vow. Like water poured on a dry sand

bed, it did not add to its fertility. His heart still remained a dry sand-bed,

though the waters of charity were poured on it every noon. The Viveka-less

heart drank up the charity and he was the same strict ritualist. Hunger and so

overwhelmed the decrepit guest, as soon as the first dish was served; he

swallowed a big morsel without reciting the Name of God. Annoyed at this

atheism,

the host cursed the old man and pushed him out of doors to starve or beg in the hot Sun.

That night, he had a dream where the Lord chastised him for the cruelty of his

behavior. The Lord said, "For more than a hundred years, I nourished that man

lovingly as the apple of My Eye, though he never once took a single one of My

many Names. My dear man, could you not have suffered him for a few minutes?"

Thiruththondar in Tamilnadu showed how to stand up to this kind of test when

the Lord comes as a hungry guest to the house of the Bhakta. The feeling of

surrender is the best for success in all such instances. Let His will be done.

He is every One. Saranagathi (seeing refuge for proration) is like grass on the

ground, unaffected by storms; egoism is the Palmyra tree that sways in the wind

but breaks when it blows suddenly in a gust. The ways of the Lord are

inscrutable; your duty is to submit to them faithfully, thankfully and

joyfully.

Prashanthi Nilayam, 6-3-1962

The human body has been given to you for a grand purpose---realizing the Lord

within. If you have a fully equipped car in good running condition would you

keep it in the garage? The car is primarily for going on a journey; get into it

and go. Then only is it worthwhile to own it. So too, with the body. Proceed go

forward to the goal Learn how W use the faculties of the body, the senses, the

intellect, the mind for achieving the goal and march on. - Sathya Sai Baba

33. NEAR AND FAR

I MUST address you now as Shaanthaswarrupulaaraa (embodiments of patience), for

you have sat very patiently through the two-hour speech given by the Pundit.

There are many types of food; food for the body, for the mind, for the

intellect and for the spirit. But whatever the food, taking it in moderate

doses at regular intervals is the best rule. Hunger is the best appetizer;

without it, you develop indigestion and all its dire consequences. Of course,

what the Pundit served is food of the highest quality; but I see you are all

still hungry! You wish to hear Me also, though it is the same food that I give.

The rain from the clouds falls on the roof and might flow through a pipe or

gargoyle or go-mukha but it is the same water, whatever the shape of the exit.

Your Prema towards Me has made you hungry for My Speech, though I have

but to repeat the Pundit’s words, perhaps in a simpler style. He himself strove

to make it as simple as he could and I know he had to make a great effort,

unusual effort, to communicate those difficult ideas to you.

What the Pundit was trying to tell you by means of all those Sanskrit Slokas is

just this: Be attached under all conditions to the source, substance and sum of

all Power: the Lard---and then you can draw from that source all the power that

you need. This attachment is called Bhakti.

Name of the Lord has vast potentiality

For the bird in mid-ocean flying over the dark deep blue waters, the only re.

ing place is the mast of a ship that sails across. In the same way, the Lord is

the only refuge for man who is swept by storms over a restless sea. However far

the bird may fly, it knows where it can rest; that knowledge gives it

confidence. It has the picture of that mast steady in its mind; its form is

fixed in the eye. The Name of the Lord is the mast for you; remember it even

Associate it with the Form and have that Form fixed in the mind's eye. It is a

Lamp shedding light in the recesses of your heart. Have the Name on the tongue

and it will drive away the inner darkness as well as the outer. Peace within,

brotherliness without---that is the sign of a person engaged in Naamajapam

(repeating the Name of the Lord).

The Name of the Lord has vast potentiality. Let me tell you an incident about

this. Once Jnaanadev and Naamdev together walked across a forest tract, and

both were afflicted with unbearable thirst. They discovered a well, but they

found no rope or vessel with which they could draw the precious liquid within

reach. It was a deep well with no steps and the water was far far beneath.

Jnaanadev, who had attained Brahmajnaana (knowledge of the Supreme Being),

identified himself with a bird that flew down the well and drank its fill. His

thirst was quenched that way. Naamadev called upon the Lord by name; the Lord

answered, the water in the well rose; yes, rose, until he could reach it with

his hands and slake his thirst. You consider the world as very near, as around

you and behind you; but when you have to point out the Lord, you show Him far

away

from you, up and above, or at a vast distance. This is a mistake. The Lord is

near; the world is far. You believe that it is the other way as you are afraid

of the truth and you like to deceive yourself. There was an Army Captain who

once went with the Minister and the King in a small ferryboat across a flooded

river. He was very frightened to be in the boat and began to shake nervously.

So the Minister just threw him into the flooded river. At once, he cried out

for a place in the boat! He knew then the comfort of the boat, the value of the

boat, the value of the aadhaara, in fact.

Do not pay attention to mind's vagaries

The Lord is the Aadhaara (the basis, the support); the world is the Aadheya (the

supposed, the superimposed). The basis is in oneself, the nearest entity, the

closest companion, the very breath and life of the individual. How then can you

point to the distance when you are asked about the Lord? His Name, the Name that

appeals to you, is shaped by the intimateness of feeling and its depth, in so

far as you are concerned.

Atheism is when the sun of Jnaana (sacred knowledge) has set; theism is when it

rises; thamas (inertia) is ajnaana (ignorance); thapas (religious austerity) is

Jnaana (spiritual wisdom). If the manas (mind) is neglected and allowed to run

wild, thamas or "dullness and delusion" will hold sway. Some persons advise you

to watch each step of the mind and note down all the false steps and evil

intentions it encountered. No, that is a dangerous practice. Do not pay

attention to its vagaries; strive for what you need and not for what you have

to avoid. Count the false steps and you will be led to commit them again.

Resolve to walk right and your steps will not falter or fail.

The Lord is won by sincere agony

The fact is that you should have a guru who has the highest spiritual

experience. Otherwise, amateurs who prescribe patent remedies, irrespective of

your personal history and needs, will mislead you. Above all, you must yourself

be engaged in Shravanam, Mananam and Bhajanam---the Yamuna, Saraswathi and Ganga

of the three-fold river of Life. Shravanam (listening to holy names) is the

Bhakthiyoga (path of devotion), Mananam (recapitulation on what you heard) is

the Jnaanayoga (path of spiritual wisdom) and Bhajanam (singing of Lord's name

and glory) is the Karma yoga (path of action). All the yogas (paths of seeking

union with God) lead to one Goal; Saranagathi (the surrender of the Self) in

the All-self (the Paramatma, the Para Brahman), the merging of the river in the

sea. Give Me the reins; trust in Me and be directed by Me. I shall take full

responsibility. Only, you must accept without demur whatever comes as Prasadam

or Grace!

Grief is the feet and joy the head; both are part of the same entity. You cannot

welcome joy and reject grief at the same time. You cannot have the obverse

without the reverse; you must take and accept the other side of the sheet of

paper, along with this side. It is inevitable. The diamond is first just a dull

piece of stone, a hard pebble. Only when a skilful artisan cuts it, does it

become a multi-faceted flame of fire! Allow yourselves to be so treated, that

all your dullness will disappear and you will emerge as a resplendent diamond.

You must have that yearning, the yearning of the stone to become a diamond. You

must hold the hand of the Mother and walk safe by Her side. You must hold fast

and not give up.. Be like the infant- monkey that clings to the mother and so

is guarded and guided by her superior strength and wisdom. The Lord is won by

sincere agony, steady yearning. There are some places where Sai Baba, the

previous shariram (body), is worshipped, but where this 'yearning' is not

considered important! The person who goes to that place is asked by the man in

charge to come for seven Thursdays or eleven Thursdays or forty-one-days and

worship Sai Baba in order to get His full Grace, as if it is just a matter of

arithmetic. No. That is but a stratagem to gather a sizeable crowd, so that the

shrine may be taken to be famous! Bhakti does not lend itself to such treatment.

"Become parts of My History"

True Bhakti (devotion) will overcome all obstacles and like a swollen river,

leap over bunds and banks and overwhelm all by the strength. Difficulties are

created to increase the 'yearning' and to sift the sincere devotee from the

rest. By the alchemy of smarana (constant remembrance of God), even a rock is

turned into clay. It cannot become soft by merely carrying it on a specified

number of journeys into a shrine.

Another point. Have you ever before or anywhere else sat so long, listening or

waiting to listen to a speech; sat with such patience, such single-minded

ardor? Why have you borne all this? In order to hear My Words, is it not? Now,

do not let all that ardor go to waste once the listening is over. Take to the

Brahma-maarga (path of Absolute Reality) as well as the Dharma-maarga (path of

Righteousness) earnestly and after your life has been transmuted into a

never-ending prayer by the silent effect of Dharma-maarga, forget all in the

ecstasy of Brahma-maarga. Do not allow the Maya (illusion) that lies in wait

for you on the other bank of the Chitravathi to pounce upon you or to entice

you to the worldly life you led so far. Be like the tongue in the midst of the

teeth, carefully, confidently, courageously going about its

task, without getting bitten.

Study well the disciplinary rules laid down for all who wish to be in Prashanthi

Nilayam. These rules are for your own good. Wherever you are, you can make the

place a Prashanthi Nilayam. Become pans of My history. Do not get far from Me.

You have acquired nearness through the accumulated good fortune of many births.

If you cut this contact and get away, a time will come when you will weep

outside the gates clamoring for entry. Be free from silly delusions and doubts,

be free from tawdry desires---and I shall take you into Me.

Prashanthi Nilayam, 7-3-1962

The mind flutters about and squats on all and sundry objects in the Universe. It

refuses to stay only on one idea, God. Like the fly that sits on fair and foul,

but denies itself the pleasure of sitting on a hot cinder, the mind too flees

from all thought of God. The fly will be destroyed, if it sits on fire; the

mind too is destroyed, when it dwells on God, for, the mind is but a pattern of

desire woven with the warp and woof of the same material - Sathya Sai Baba

TO BE CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brothers – ‘’

Source and Courtesy: http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume02/sss02

Mail Stay connected, organized, and protected. Take the tour