SATHYA SAI SPEAKS - Volume II [Ch. 34, 35]

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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. 34, 35]

34. THE BROKEN BOW

VEERABHADHRAM read and explained the traditional legend connected with Maha-

Shivarathri; the legend is but a vehicle to teach you the path of dharma. The

deers beseeching the hunter not to kill them, promising to return later when

they could be killed and telling him that if they break their word they know

they would incur the penalty for many a heinous sin---the story is only to

propagate the principles of dharma. Every story illustrates a moral, and this

Shivarathri Mahaathmya Katha (story of the Greatness of Shivarathri) is no

exception. When it comes to describing the merits of dharma, even animals

become eloquent---"Mookam karothi vaachaalam." Their speech is veritably the

Voice of God. They are not deers, they are the tongues of the Lord.

The deers, one after another, declare that they will come back to be killed;

they have to go, each one, because it has some dear one to tend or feed or

obey. They then say that truth is their vow and they dare not break it, for it

is indeed a heinous sin to play 'false.' They say that the sin is equal to a

number of other sins they list. The hunter lets them go on their plighted word.

He has himself committed the sins they list and he knows by experience during

many births that they are heinous and that they bring about dire tragedy in a

remorseless manner. There is an iron law of cause and effect operating in this

field.

Every experience is a lesson, every loss a gain

The saddest part of the story is that man, though he sees and hears, suffers and

falls, does not get quite convinced that sin is a dangerous experiment; that it

unmistakably brings on its harvest of tears. The thamoguna of ignorance and

delusion draws a veil over the truth and hides the mouth of the pit into which

the unwary sinner falls again. Of course, when grief overtakes you, and pain

has you in its grip, the Lord does not always announce the exact sin for which

that particular experience is the punishment. You are left to deduce in a

general way that every experience is a lesson and every loss is a gain.

You have got to learn that you bind yourself and you liberate yourself. You

entangle yourself in the three Gunas and by your struggles; you only pull the

world and tighten it round yourself. You are endowed with Viveka, even the most

illiterate among you; you have a conscience, whispering dharma into your ear; so

you yourselves must choose and select.

A great painter once came to a king and he was asked to execute a huge fresco on

the wall of the Durbar Hall, a scene from the Mahabharata battle. A painter,

till then unrecognized, rose up and asked for permission to execute a fresco on

the opposite wall. He said that he would, within the same period prepare on his

wall an equally grand fresco; in fact, an exact replica of the other, in spite

of a thick curtain between the two walls! When at last the King came and

drawing the curtain to the very end looked on the opposite wall, he was amazed

to find an exact copy, down to the minutest detail of line, curve, tint and

tilt, the same Mahabharata scene! For the local artist had, throughout the

intervening period of time when the other man was doing the painting, only been

polishing the wall assigned to him. He had used no brush or paint; he had just

polished the wall into a mirror. Polish your mind and the Lord, and His sublime

grandeur will be reflected in your heart.

Set apart a "feeding time" for the Spirit daily

Just as you feed the body, and care for its upkeep and repair, the manas,

chittham and Buddhi (mind, thought and intellect) have also to be fed with good

nourishing food. When the morning cup of coffee is missed, you get a headache;

what do you get when the morning dose of Japam is missed? Or perhaps you have

not made it into a habit. At noon, your hunger drags you from the shades of

these trees to where food is waiting; nothing so powerful drags you to your

shrine room. Perhaps, you have no shrine room at all. When you enter a house,

even if it has been unoccupied for months, you can declare, "This is the

kitchen," from the sooty walls and the smell of condiments. Similarly, you say,

"This is the Pooja room" from the aroma of incense-sticks and flowers that still

hovers in the air. Have a separate Pooja room or at

least, set apart a small comer for Dhyana (meditation), Japam (repetition of

Lord's Name) and Pooja (ritual worship). Retire there, at least twice a day for

some short time; that will be "feeding time" for the spirit. Sarveshwara

Chinthana---allowing the mind to rest on the tree of the Glory of God---will

give the tired bird some rest to fly again, beating its wings in search of food

and happiness. Sathsangha (company of the pious) also acts like a tonic. Try the

prescription for some time; it will be rather unpleasant at first. Due to

weakness, the mind, like the body, cannot behave steadily and remain firm. That

is why I addressed you today not as usual as Prema swaruupulaara (embodiments of

love), or Atma swaruupulaara (embodiments of Self), but, as you will have

noticed with some dismay, as "Shaantha swaruupulaara! Chanchala

swabhaavulaara," that is to say, though your nature is steadiness, your

behavior is ever

unsteady.

Remove all blemishes that tarnish you

I did not say so to discourage you, but just to reveal the absurdity to you. Do

not keep the manas, Buddhi and chittham (mind, intellect and thought) hungry or

underfed; then they will run after all kinds of foul food. Give them proper

nourishment and they will perform their functions well. Their function is to

illumine the Atma within and help you to discover that the Atma is all. Until

the auspicious moment, everything will be in disarray; do not worry. Go to a

house where a marriage is to take place; it will be in a huge mess; noise,

confusion, dust and din. But when the moment of marriage arrives, it is all

spick and span, clean and charming. The Grace of the Lord will overwhelm all

obstacles and fruit of Sadhana will be vouchsafed. Once you secure the grace,

you can fulfill all your wishes with it; if you have the

cloth, you can have any type of clothes: bush-coat, coat or pants.

It is the grace that gives value to life, authenticity to the Sasthras

(scriptures), authority to the recipient. A piece of white paper has no value

at all; but send it to the Security Press and let them convert it into a

hundred-rupee note; you value it, though it is printed all over and there is no

blank space for writing anything. Become impressed with the stamp of God; carry

His signature; that invests you with value and authority. But first you should

become white, tough and strong. Remove all the blemishes that tarnish you. The

deer referred to the "cow that is honored during the Yaga." Now why is the cow

so selected? Because it feeds on Saathwik (pure vegetarian) food; it has a

quiet disposition; it yields milk without any desire for recompense or seeking

even gratitude.

There is no short-cut to earn God's Grace

A man once sold an old cow to the butcher and when he went to his fields after

the transaction, a snake confronted him. He shouted, "Oh kill the poisonous

reptile;" then the snake said, "I am no reptile, you deserve the name better"

When he protested, the snake said, "Go and ask the calf." The calf gave a

pathetic story of his greed and cruelty: how he dragged it away from the

mother, tied it at the end of a rope and starved it of its mother's milk; and

how he beat it and twisted its tail to force it to draw heavy loads. The calf

said that that man is an ungrateful beast; he derides other men as pashu (cow),

when he is himself far worse. As a matter of fact, do not cast a bad word on man

or beast; for He is in all Beings and your harsh abuse strikes the Dweller

within.

Follow the rules of dharma, which these deers describe; they are not deers, they

are the representatives of the Vedas; yes, there are four in all. The Sasthras

are the authority for the dharma, and the karma (activities) based on dharma

(righteousness). It is only when you are blessed with the Grace of the Lord,

which is earned by dharma, that you can have Shanthi (peace). A fish can have

Shanthi only when it has water above and below and on all sides; so too, you

must have Grace all around you. There is no short cut to this Grace;

Namasmarana is the safest route. Do not believe others who prescribe shorter

routes; they may talk of Praanaayaama (breath control) and Hatha Yoga (Yogic

exercise). Be warned; they are fraught with danger. Do not lend ear to such, or

read and

believe the books on physical yoga and start practicing the exercises. I know of

many cases of madness and other dislocations happening by practice from the

printed page.

Follow the Shaasthraic injunctions and you will not go wrong. They lay down a

set of rules for all stages and all professions. See how the panic spread by

astrologers regarding the conjunction of eight planets in space has driven men

to seek refuge in the Sasthras; yes, specifics have to be taken just when the

disease catches you. You must pray more intensely when danger threatens. There

is nothing wrong in that.

Desire can never be destroyed by fulfillment

It is better than doing some stupid thing or other. Namasmarana is the best

means. Only, you do not really believe that it can cure you or save you, that

is the tragedy. People believe in the efficacy of only costly, brightly packed,

widely published drugs: the simple easily available remedy, which is in

everybody’s backyard, is ignored as useless. Really, if only you have this

faith in the Name, you need not struggle to secure the chance to detail to Me

your desires and wants. I will fulfill them even without your telling Me. Why?

Did Ramadas take his seat in the verandah like you and await his chance for an

interview? The Lord carried to his very door the things that would fulfill his

innermost wish! Korika (desire) can never be destroyed by fulfillment; the

desire multiplies like a weed; one seed sprouts and produces a tree, which in

its

turn scatters a thousand seeds which grow into a forest of trees with millions

of seeds growing again into a thicker jungle.

Place yourself fully at the Lord's disposal

The only hai ('comfort' in Telugu) is in Sai. The name of the Lord is the

Narasimha (Man-Lion) incarnation to the Raakshasas of the Kali Age. Have the

Name bright and clear on your tongue, in your mind; and the Form symbolized by

it before your eye and mental vision---nothing can harm you. Train children

from their infancy to repeat and rely on the Name. Let them imbibe it with the

mother's milk. Train them yourselves, practicing it and demonstrating before

them the Shanthi that you win by it. Do not step back; move forward. Do not

hesitate or doubt. Do not deny joy that you have derived, the courage that you

have felt. If you so doubt, your only gain will be suffering.

Every letter is a Beeja Akshara (seed-letter of a sacred word); so I do not

whisper secretly any Mantra in your ear. I am giving it in every word .I speak.

Listen to Me. When you wake up, feel that you are entering the stage to play the

role assigned to you by the Lord; pray that you may act it well and earn His

approbation. At night, when you retire to sleep, feel that you are entering the

green-room after the scene, but with the dress of your role on; for perhaps the

role is not yet over and you have not yet been permitted to take the dress off.

Perhaps, you have to make another entrance the next morning. Do not worry about

that. Place yourself fully at His disposal; He knows. He has written the Play

and He knows how it will end and how it will go on. Yours is but to act and

retire.

SECOND DAY

The deers which stray into the forest where the hunter is waiting for game, and

which promise to come later and be his prey on pain of incurring the penalty

for various heinous sing are teaching a Dharma Geetha; and if you practice

those virtues and avoid those sing you can attain the Ananda Swarupa,

(bliss-form) which you really are. The deers speak of sin, but remember, there

is no sin as such; there are only errors due to ignorance or greed or envy or

hatred. The principles of dharma enunciated in this story have to be adhered

to; it is not the hunter alone who nods approval, every listener of the Puranas

must have approval. Even the slightest error has to be avoided by those who

possess a developed conscience. It is unpardonable for a wise man to fall into

error. But the error of an

ignoramus, however dire the consequences, has to be passed over. Some people

dismiss the Dharma Sasthras as the fabrications of Brahmins and they refuse to

attach value to the rules and restrictions prescribed by them. But that is a

false argument. The Sasthras have the authority of Madhava, of the Lord

Himself. It is not Manava-Dharma Sasthras, it is Madhava- Dharma Sasthras---not

man-made but God-made.

Light meal is the surest guarantee of health

The Dharmic way of life is dependent on the Guna (quality) of the individual. In

the 18th Chapter of the Geetha, the Gunas and their characteristics are

mentioned, as also the relationship between the type of food tarn and the

character that emanates. The food decides the Guna, the Guna seeks the food

congenial to it; thus the vicious cycle moves on.

In the Upanishads, there is a story where a man and a cow approach the Lord and

pray that they may be allotted their daily duties. The cow was told to serve

the master who feeds and fosters her. The man was asked to practice dharma. He

shuddered at the responsibility and wanted more freedom than such a life would

impose. The Lord told him in answer that he is free to choose the path through

which he could attain Him. He gave the cow as food the things that grow on the

ground and to Man He assigned a morsel of food in the early hours of the day

and another at the end of the day. He prescribed mithaahaara (moderation in

eating). Both came down to earth and the cow now eats, and eats the eaten thing

again, but man finds that a light meal is the surest guarantee of health.

Face the Truth and proceed towards Truth

Arjuna was affected by thamoguna (quality of inertia and doubt), which made him

fall into the delusion of "mine" and "my family." Faith in the Lord one moment,

doubt about the consequence another moment---that was his condition. Well, you

are also in the same predicament. One day you tell "I must follow Baba's

Commands;" the next day, you start doubting, "Is it possible?"

That is why I am adjusting the conditions of your lives so that you can pull

yourselves up according to My Orders; that is why I am granting you courage to

develop Faith, unshakable Faith. But I find many of you do not yet walk along

the path laid down in spite of the confidence I impart and the favorable

environment I provide and the favors I bestow. This is, of course, deplorable.

God has given man a hundred years of life and plenty of work to fill the years

with; but you fritter the time away in playful games, in founding and fostering

a family; and awake to the fact of preparing for death only when Death knocks at

the door. Then, you feverishly pray for a little more extension of the span of

life in order to fulfill the task for which you have been sent.

You have no time for reciting the Name of the Lord or meditating on His Form,

which is within you! Alas! You have time for the club, for a game of cards, for

the film show, for wayside chats, for all kinds of trivialities but no time for

a little quiet, for a simple item like worship. It is a false excuse this, the

want of time. No. Face the truth and proceed towards the Truth. When you. Tread

the path of dharma; imperceptibly you will be drawn towards the Truth, gently

and steadily.

The Geetha is for granting Liberation to all

See how the wicked hunter was transformed into a sympathetic listener by the

appeals to conscience made by the first two deers; he is eager to hear what the

third deer has to say about the disciplines laid down by Sasthras and the

penalties imposed for the breach. He is also being slowly changed by the sound

of the distant bells of the Shiva temple, where the Maha Shivarathri Pooja is

being, done. As a matter of fact, both deer and deer-slayer are fiction; they

represent the instruments for the teaching. It is all in the Lord's Plan.

Consider, for example, how, long before the Geetha was spoken, the Lord had

got-ready a Sanjaya, who could see and hear whatever was done or spoken at a

distance; his mission was to preserve the Geetha for. Humanity. Arjuna was just

an excuse to bring the Geetha forth. The Geetha is for saving all, and granting

all Liberation. Geetha, in Telugu, means "a line;" it draws a line across and

cancels the series of births and deaths; it teaches you to stand erect,

unafraid, along the straight path of dharma, along the line laid down.

You should gradually get rid of the attachments that lead you astray. Then only

can you stand erect, without bending under the load. But, nowadays, instead of

the elimination of Chiththavriththi (mental agitations), every effort is made

to multiply them. It is like giving a monkey a drink of toddy; it will behave

even more monkeyishly, that is all. I refer to the grant of spiritual titles to

Sadhaks, extolling their attainments! They are intoxicated by these titles,

conferred by over-enthusiastic or pompous Gurus; they become Jyothis or Stars

or Rishis or Paramapurushas (highest persons). They are thereby rendered more

liable to spiritual disaster, through bloated egoism.

Those doctors who are expected to administer drugs to patients afflicted with

poison are now administering poison to persons in perfect health! The giver of

the title and the recipient are both blameworthy. One aggravates the egoism he

pretends to cure; the other revels in tawdry jewellery.

Do not decry ancient scriptures

The Varnaashrama discipline is also intended for the gradual fixation of the

mind on ultimate merger with the Infinite. At each stage of life and for each

social group, patterns of behavior have been laid down, modes of livelihood

recommended social rights and obligations have been prescribed---all with a

view to the sublimation of the instincts and the elevation of endeavor.

Varnaashrama is a deep-rooted tree, the shade of which affords shelter to all

the various communities of man.

Do not decry that discipline or the ancient scriptures. They are your authority

to confirm My Truth; it is through the study of those Scriptures that you can

picture the grandeur of Divinity. Do not decry Vishnu or Shiva for the reason

that your devotion is towards some other Name and Form you seek to honour. Why,

even if you dishonor a man, be warned you are dishonoring Me; for I am in him.

Honour the Atma of which he is an encasement; honour the imperishable Atma that

you are and do not commit any act which will insult that Basic Reality.

The deers in this story only show the hunter that the path to self-realisation

consists of four stages: Sasthras, Dharma, Bhakti and Sathya (scriptures,

virtue, devotion and truth).

"I shall fulfill your wishes at your own place"

One word more: Perhaps many of you are worried that I have not yet started

calling you individually and granting you interviews in which you could tell Me

your troubles and where I could bless you personally and send you home. But you

are so many in numbers; I would like to see first the old and the sick and

those who will find it difficult to come again. Surely the others will approve

of that.

Besides, it is enough if you call Me from wherever you are; in My ease, there is

no need for you to travel long distances and spend hard-earned money. I shall

fulfill your wishes, at your own place.

I shall, from tomorrow, grant you this privilege of a personal talk in the room

and I shall come down four: times a day for the purpose, spending almost the

whole day with the devotees. Let Me tell you one thing: Of course, I can bear

any thing for your sake; I have come to save you and guide you. But, somehow, I

cannot tolerate the smell of tobacco, of beedis and cigarettes. Can you not

postpone the disgusting practice for an hour and come to me without that

insufferable smell? Besides, I have laid down certain disciplines and codes of

conduct for you here. I would ask you to study the list and practice them not

only within this compound, but in your own places, wherever you happen to live.

THIRD DAY

Veerabhadhram read the last part of the Shivarathri katha now; the deers return

and insist that they be killed. Their hunter, chastened by their truthfulness,

their teachings and by the holy vigil that he unknowingly went through on the

auspicious night, refuses to kill. He breaks his bow and with tears of

repentance, he is overwhelmed by the animals adherence to the promise made. The

deers try to persuade him to kill them, but the hunter wriggles out. He argues

that he had to kill them under the tree where he had spent the night, waiting

for prey, and not near his cottage to which the deers had come in the morning!

Dharma-Karma is the best discipline

The wicked heart was transformed by the shravana (heating) of good words and of

the temple rites and bells. That is the subtle alchemy of the surroundings and

the company. Some places have a tremendous impact on the mind. The atmosphere

is surcharged with the Name of God on account of the generations of Bhaktas who

assemble there. That is why I say dharma-karma (virtuous action) is the best

discipline. That means, action surcharged with devotion. That will itself lead

to Jnaana (spiritual wisdom), where the world is found to be a dream and the

only reality is the All-pervading Grace or Power.

The Naasthika (atheist) is blind, ignorant and afflicted with a fever that

spoils his sense of taste; he finds everything bitter. The aasthika (believer

in God) on the other hand is able to feel the true taste of everything: bitter

as bitter sour as sour, sweet as sweet. But the Yaasthika (the man of

realisation) tastes all things and all experiences as sweet, filled with the

sweetness of God. Prahlada was a Yaasthika; he was beaten, trampled upon, cast

into fire and water, but he tasted only sweetness at all times. He overcame

every calamity with the reinforcement derived from the Name of Narayana in the

heart. There is a secret spring in the heart that will well up when the name is

uttered and that will slake your thirst.

Speak without malice, speak to transmit joy

The ordeals, which Prahlada had to endure, only demonstrated his attainment.

Once the Lord entered the house of a Jnani (liberated person) as a thief and

when the master of the house caught Him and argued, "You are a thief; I have

caught you," the Lord said in reply, "So long as the ideas, you and I inhere,

there can be no Jnaana," and disappeared. It is easy to mug up Slokas and texts

and quote them profusely, but it is useless unless you act in accordance with

what you say. Anushtaanam (practice of austerities) brings about Anugraha

(God's Grace). Act and earn Grace. By the belch, you can judge the food; as the

flour so the roti. Vivekananda was able to declare at Chicago the worth of

Sanathana Dharma (eternal universal religion) in an unmistakably leonine tone,

because he had the strength of anushtaanam

behind him. The driver of a car should be alert at driving it along a rough road

infested with pot-holes not merely along smooth concrete highways. So too, you

must know how to amid the temptations of falsehood and how to sail along the

smooth road of Truth. You may say that very often you are caught in a dilemma

by the conflicting demands of truth and falsehood. Remember the Geetha saying:

"Anudhvega karam vaakyam, sathyam, Preethikaram"---"Speak without malice or

hatred or envy; speak the truth; speak to comfort, to consol, to transmit joy."

When in difficulty, pray for guidance before jumping in any direction. Men will

give you advice only as far as their cleverness can reach; but the Lord who

transforms dullness into intelligence will :reveal to you the way out of the

dilemma. Ask the Lord and He will answer. The Lord revealed the proper course

to the hunter. Finally, he broke the bow and arrows and other deadly weapons as

a result of that inspiration. The arrows are the symbols of vice and wickedness.

He realised his Self that way.

Those who come to Puttaparthi come by many ways: from Bombay via Guntakal, from

Bangalore via Chikballapur, from Nellore via Paakaala, from Madras via

Jolarpet; but all have but one goal and one joy on arrival. Whether it is four

four-anna coins or two half-rupee coins or a one rupee coin, the value is the

same. Saakshaathkaara (Realisation) attained by any one of the means is of the

same Truth, of the same Grandeur; it means the same Spiritual Victory.

Shed tears of thankfulness at the Lord's Feet

The Lord will manifest where and when you yearn for Him; if you yearn that He

should come before you in flesh and blood, He will respond. He is ever ready to

respond; only, you are not ready to invite or welcome or receive Him into your

heart. You have not purified the heart and removed therefrom the thorns of lust

and greed, of envy and hatred. The baby that has been fed on milk may start

crying; do not be worried, lt is very helpful for digestion. Cry, so that you

can digest the joy of knowing God; cry and shed tears of joy. The tear glands

have been allotted to you not for weeping helplessly before others with hands

extended for alms, but to shed tears of joy, of thankfulness, at the Feet of

the Lord.

Do not get dejected. Really, you are all lucky, eminently fortunate that you are

here now in the Presence listening to these words. Take your fill of this

Aanandharasa (essence of Bliss) and having digested it, come again with a

sharpened appetite.

Maha Shivarathri Katha, Prashanthi Nilayam, 8, 9 and 10, March 1962

35. INNER PROGRESS

THE New Year which you have called in today with the exit of the old year, has

an auspicious name, Subhakrith. Your arranging this Festival in honour of Saint

Thyagaraja on this day is indeed an auspicious way of welcoming the auspiciously

named New Year. I congratulate you. I am coming often to inaugurate the

Festival for I feel it is a part of the task for which I have come. I may tell

you that I am coming today straight from the very region where Thyagaraja lived

out his life.

I find that you in this Holy Town Tirupati are not all imbued with devotion to

the Deity who has made it His Home, Srinivasan. Most of the people here live on

the Lord's bounty or 'property' or 'charity'. The income from the shrine of the

Lord is utilized in running colleges, hospitals and in various other ways. That

is to say, it is taking the lives of many thousands happy and contented. I do

not blame them for living upon the income of the Lord, for, what does He want

it for, if not for the needy and the hungry? But let Me add a warning. If it is

eaten in excess, calamity will intervene. Eat as much as you deserve for the

toil you have put in, for the hunger you have acquired by your exertions in a

good cause. What is the toil, which entitles you to consume the property of

this shrine? What is the exertion, which the lord approves? Only spiritual toil

and spiritual exertion can entitle you to the sacred share; only Dhyana and

Namasmarana, steeped in the thrill of devotion!

Idol worship is not a sign of barbarism

The true culture of India is a structure that is built on four pillars---Sathya,

Dharma, Shanthi and Prema (Truth, Virtue, Peace and Love). Every one of you must

be aware of this fact. If you are, then you will not be attracted by cultures

that are built on less durable foundations. The culture that has to be

protected by the bomb cannot claim Prema as one of the pillars on which it is

erected. Bharath is a land where since millennia people have been praying for

and toiling for the peace and happiness of entire humanity. They never prayed

for success in the wicked race for wholesale slaughter.

Do not swallow without discrimination the criticisms hurled against you that you

are uncultured barbarians, worshipping stocks and stones. Idol-worship is not a

sign of barbarism. No, it is as significant and meaningful a rite as the kumkum

dot on the forehead of the bride. The Idol is revered as the Swarupa (Living

Form) of the Lord, He who pervades everything everywhere is invoked and

visualized in the Idol and approached reverentially by the cleansed mind,

anxious to efface itself in the Eternal and the Universal. This attitude is

called Prapatti—Surrender for Fulfillment.

Install Truth in the shrine of your heart

Without this attitude, worship becomes empty and vain. It is no use deciding

just now, when you are listening to Me, that you would cultivate Faith and

Fortitude; and not put that resolution into action after you leave this place.

The outward signs of tears and exhilaration do not measure bhakti. It is an

inner revolution, a transformation of all values and outlook. You may have

heard the story of the woman who was shedding profuse tears, apparently of

exultation, during a Puraanic recital. The Bhaagavathar was overjoyed that day,

for he had succeeded by his touching exposition in evoking response from at

least one contrite soul. At the close of the day's session, he congratulated

the old lady on her Bhakti and offered her the coveted first spoonful of Holy

Theertha (consecrated water) as a tribute for her Shraddha and

Sadhana (faith and spiritual effort). But the lady denied all claims to devotion

and said, "I do not know what that thing called Bhakti is, nor the other things

named Shraddha and Sadhana. I shall tell you why tears fell from my eyes. That

thick black string with which you have tied that palm-leaf book put me in mind

of the string round the waist of my departed husband; he wore a black string,

long long ago." Mere external signs mislead the observer, but they cannot

mislead the Lord who is the ever-present, ever-vigilant Witness.

Bhakti will foster Prema, because it is born of Prema itself. At present, this

land is full of factions and rival groups; all do not pull together and to the

best of their ability and capacity. That is why it has become necessary to ask

the help of other countries and peoples and borrow funds and burden us with

interest payments, etc. There is no co-operation and willingness to sacrifice

self-interest for the sake of the community or country or humanity. Every

village is riven by partisan groups.

I shall tell you what happened in a village of this type. One section had

specialized in acting the drama, Lankaadhahana (burning of Lanka); but the

other section decided to enact the story of King Harischandra instead. For the

role of Chandramati, the queen, they had to select a person from the

Lankaadhahana group because they had no substitute actor at all. The scenes

were following one after the other. All went well until the prince died of

snakebite; then the mother refused to weep! The "son" belonged to the opposite

group. So Harischandra took vengeance on Chandramati. He rained blows on her

being so callous; the drama sped along in another course, the course of hatred

and faction.

Yearn for illumination of your inner world

Thereupon, the Anjaneya of the Lankaadhahana group brought things to a climax by

jumping on the stage in his role with a tail burning at one end; and he set the

theatre on fire to the delight of his henchmen and the consternation of his

rival! You must put on play either Harischandra or Lankaadhahana; it will end

in a holocaust if you play both together on the same stage. Rather, prefer

Harischandra and reject the playing with fire. Install truth in the shrine of

your hearts and that will engender the wholesome habit of brotherliness among

all men. Well, the electric lights have started burning again and I see you are

all satisfied that the line was set fight so soon. I know how greatly you

yearned that the illumination of this Pandal be restored soon and you felt

sorry and dejected when

you had to sit under dull improvised, kerosene light. I want that you should

yearn also for the illumination of your inner world, the restoration of the

current to shed light on the dark recesses of your minds. That is what is

called Bhakti, the yearning for Light, for Illumination.

People blame the Lord for all ills caused by their own extravagance or

ignorance. They are themselves to blame for the sufferings they undergo.

Suffering is due to ignorance only. Take the case of even physical ills and

physical suffering. Most illnesses are due to overeating or faulty eating

habits. Mitha thindi, athi haayi--Moderate food gives immense comfort. The food

must be clean and pure and derived through pure means; and the strength derived

from it must be directed towards holy ends. Then, living is worthwhile.

Food is the basis of man's character

Remember that Thyagaraja kept such rules rigorously in mind. He never dined

outside his home or ate unconsecrated food. Many thought that he was a

conceited fool who was needlessly strict. But there are subtle influences that

pass into food from the persons who prepare it and handle it and are absorbed

by those who eat it. Food is the basis of character The state of the mind is

conditioned by that of the body.

I shall tell you now of an incident that happened eighty years ago. There was a

great Yogi, Hamsaraaj by name, at Badrinath. He was always immersed in singing

the glory of the Lord. He had a disciple who was equally earnest and sincere.

That young man was pestered for a few days by a dream which gave him no peace.

He saw a fair young girl of sixteen weeping in great agony and calling out

pathetically, "Can no one save me?" The disciple was amazed at this strange

dream; he could not shake off that doleful figure and that desperate cry from

his mind. He recited his woes to the Master. Hamsaraaj, I can assure you, was a

true Hamsa (the Bird of Paradise). That bird can eschew water from milk.

Hamsaraaj, by his Viveka, analyzed the situation and discovered the cause of

that horrid experience.

He prodded the young man with such questions as: "What did you do the first

day?Where did you go?What did you eat?" etc. It was revealed that he had

gone with a friend to a feast and eaten some puuris and chapattis. It was

discovered that a poor Brahmin had prepared the feast. Well, Hamsaraaj sent the

disciple to find out why and with what resources that Brahmin arranged the feast

for the recluses of Badrinath.

Examine the source of the food offered

The young man cursed the day when the dream started haunting him, for he was now

being sent by his Master on purposeless errands to investigate irrelevant

issues; he wondered how his Sadhana could be helped by all this. Nevertheless,

he went and pursued the inquiry about the feast and its origins and the

wherewithal out of which it was prepared. It came to light that a sixty-year

old money lender to whom a Brahmin had given his daughter in marriage and

received in return a sum of ten thousand rupees supplied the funds. She was now

appealing to the holy men for a bit of human kindness towards a forsaken child.

Hamsaraaj thus demonstrated to his disciple that one should examine the source

of the food, the motives for the gift and the passions that surge and sway the

giver before accepting such an intimate gift as food.

You may say that Sadhaks alone have to bear such rules in mind, but tell Me who

is not a Sadhak. All are pilgrims on the road; some going fast, some going

slow, that is all. The goal is the same for you all, though the roads may be

many. You are all cultured and civilized according to current notions. Of

course, there is a vast difference between the methods of living now and in the

past. Man has traveled far from the days when he wore the barks of trees or leaf

garments. Today is the day of nylons and georgettes and bush coats. Well.

Admitting that all this is a sign of higher civilization, should there not be a

corresponding rise in the level of thinking and feeling and action, in the arts

of living together and earning mental peace and poise? The spiritual life of

man must also become more cultured and civilized is it not? There must be

gratitude for the chance of life, for the blessings of the beauty and bounty of

nature, and a realisation of the more durable values of life. Attachment to

sensory pleasure has to be discarded in preference to the more lasting joy of

inner contemplation.

Prayer can bring about the impossible

Thyagaraja had discovered that joy. He gave expression to that joy in moving

musical notes, in simple sincere words in songs that bring tears to the eye and

thrills to the heart. The Raja of Rarnnad, who is the President of this

Festival, comes from Tamil Nadu and the Telugu language in which Thyagaraja

sang is strange to him. Yet, he is profoundly affected by the music; he loves

the Krithis (songs) very much. Knowing the meaning of the songs and the context

which begot them so spontaneously and so sweetly from the sublime devotion of

Thyagaraja will make you imbibe the spirit better; the language in which he

sang is the language of the seeker, the Sadhak, the straggling Sadhak, and very

rarely, the satisfied sage. You can easily learn that language, the language of

the Sadhak. Do not keep away from it because it is not the

language to which you are accustomed. There is no place for hatred in this

field, nor between State and State.

This is a sacred task on which the Committee has entered. They may sometimes

feel the burden to be too heavy; they may even reel under the weight of

disappointments and difficulties. But I assure them they have no reason to lose

heart. Lord Srinivasa opens His eyes and your task is accomplished. And He will

open His Eyes. Have patience and wait prayerfully. Prayer can bring about the

impossible. Recite the glory of the Lord and repeat in the cavern of your heart

His Name. That will bring success.

Tirupati, 5-4-1962

The body is but a boat, an instrument for crossing the sea of change, that you

have through the merit of many generations. When you have crossed the sea, you

realize the Dweller, in the Dwelling. That is the purpose of the body. So, even

when the body is strong and skills even while the intellect is sharp and the

mind alert, effort must be made to seek the dehi (dweller), in the Deha (body)

- Sathya Sai Baba

TO BE CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brothers – ‘’

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

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