SATHYA SAI SPEAKS - Volume IV [Ch. 10, 11, 12]

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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 are posting the Divine Messages titled as

‘Sathya Sai Speaks’ for the benefit of our members and all the Sai devotees the

world over. We request members 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 IV [Ch. 10, 11, 12]

10. A RUPEE OR HUNDRED PAISE?

PICHAYYA Shastri of Nellore spoke so feelingly of his ardor and anxiety to meet

Me, an ardor he has had had for many years, he also spoke of the joy he now has

at the realisation of his desire. Of course, for every desire to come true, the

time, the cause and the circumstances have to coincide. It is just today that,

in his case, these three combined to give him this satisfaction. I have known

him all these years and I was aware of his yearning to come to Me, especially

during the last four years, and I called him today to have his wish fulfilled.

Remilla Suuryaprkasha Shastri spoke on the Apaurusheyathwa (not having a person

as their author) of the Vedas and Vaaranaasi Subrahmanya Shastri on Dharma as

reflected in the actions of Rama as depicted in the Valmiki Ramayana. These are

subjects of great interest to all of you. But, I must chide you for not paying

them the attention they and the subjects deserved; you were restless and

worried and not concentrating on the teaching. This is a part of the atmosphere

that you carry about with you, wherever you go, nowadays. There is lack of

earnestness, of single-pointed attention.

The trouble is, you are moving in the wrong direction, away from the desirable

destination. You have come into the world to realise yourselves, fully equipped

with all the instruments needed for that endeavor---Viveka, Vairagya and

vichakshana--- (discrimination, non-attachment and ability), the urge to

enlarge your love, to enrich your emotions, to ennoble your actions. But, you

have lost your way; you are caught in a morass; you are confused by mirages and

dreams, which you take as real; you run after false colours and cheap

substitutes.

Veda is the source of Dharma

Subrahmanya Shastri, using his erudite scholarship, selected from the Ramayana

fine incidents to show that Rama is the perfect embodiment of Dharma and

proclaiming Dharma to the world. In his arguments with the dying Vali, he

declared that all beings, endowed with discrimination, are bound by

righteousness and shall meet punishment if they should ignore it. He was aware

of all the various applications of Dharma in the various fields of human

activity. Now, the Vedas is the source of Dharma, Veda, which Suuryaprakasha

Shastri declared, was revealed to the Yogic Consciousness of sages. And Rama is

the Personification of that Dharma. So Ramayana partakes of the excellence of

the Vedas. The Mahabharata is generally known as the Fifth Veda. And the

Bhagavatham describes the Glow and the Grace of the Lord and His

splendor as the Indweller in All. So, that too is as efficacious as the Vedas to

elevate man and to release him from the bondage to the mean and the sordid.

It is the Vedhaswaruupam (essence of the Vedas) that is enshrined in these three

works, thus making them equally effective as drugs to cure you of ignorance.

But, why do you promote clamor and discord by accusing these Brahmins of

exclusiveness and monopolistic greed? Even they, in spite of all their faith

and sacrifice, are finding it difficult to follow the regimen recommended by

the Vedas. They have generations of practice and encouragement behind them.

Develop the Divinity in you

The study of the Vedic lore has been with them and their families for centuries;

but, yet, they are finding it hard to live up to Vedic standards of Brahminhood.

How then can you take it? Four persons have a rupee coin each; if each changes

the coin into Naya paise and keeping 25 for himself, gives 25 each to the other

three, no one loses. Each of them has a hundred paise, instead of a single coin,

but, there has been no diminution of the purchasing power each had at the

beginning. The Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Bhagavatham are 100 paise; the

Veda is the rupee. That is all the difference. Why then lose yourself in this

campaign of hatred? Why try to can' a burden which is beyond the capacity of

your shoulders? Look at all the timetables, the restrictions and regulations,

the ceremonies and rites that the Brahmins have burdened

themselves with. Their purpose is not merely to ensure security and solace to

themselves but even more, to ensure the orderly working of the forces of nature

for the benefit of all mankind, of all beings in all the worlds. That is the

high ideal for which they have imposed on themselves all the toil and

tribulation.

Your duty is to concentrate on the development of the Divinity latent in you;

once you do that, all hate and all pride will disappear; you will become humble

fellow-pilgrims with the Brahmins, to the same goal, though along parallel

paths. Remember the counting of votes or measuring popular support cannot

decide these things. You cannot judge fish as more precious than diamonds,

merely because there are more crowds in the fish-market, and only a handful of

customers in the shops selling diamonds.

Ananda has to be earned the hard way

The cottage and the castle are both built on the earth: so too, all faiths and

religions, all disciplines have the Veda as the basis. The special feature of

Indian culture is that here the dress and demeanor, the language and

literature, the manner and mode of living, the ideals and institutions are all

attuned to the spiritual progress of man, emphasising as they do the

superiority of the spirit over the body, the subtle over the gross. Everything

is subordinated to that supreme task. The body should be fed and kept free from

disease. Why? So that it may be fit for spiritual discipline. Spiritual

discipline for what? For the realisation of the truth about oneself. The subtle

is the basis for the gross; the Divine is the basis for the Human. Indian

Culture turns your eye to the basis, not to what is built upon it.

This outlook was, for long, the natural outlook for every Indian; it was

automatic, even. It was imbibed at the mother's lap, from the father in the

field, the teacher at school, from neighbor and friends and relatives, from the

old and the young, from whatever was done or written or spoken by those around.

It is because that attitude is fast disappearing and is in danger of being

completely thrown overboard that this Prashanthi Vidwanmahaasabha has been

started by Me to remind you once again of the duty of cultivating it.

You will all doubtless agree when I say the Divine Bliss is your greatest need.

But, you cannot order it from any shop. It has to be earned the hard way: doing

good deeds, moving in good company, desisting from evil, keeping the mind

attached to the Glory of God. Good and bad cannot be kept together in the same

vessel; then, the good also will turn bad. Night and light cannot coexist. The

Sun was proud that he had no enemies left. But, some one told him that he had

one enemy left, viz., Darkness. Then, he sent his rays, the emissaries, to seek

out the foe, but, wherever they went, they saw only light, the darkness was

nowhere to be found. They returned and reported · "There was no such thing as

Darkness upon the earth; we made the most rigorous search!"

Make intellect Master of your mind

Suuryaprakaasha Shastri said that the worlds this side of Suuryaloka are all

inhabited by beings that are subject to life and death, to the processes of

involution and evolution and that the world on the other side are inhabited by

beings that are free from these aspects of change. He also asked, who can give

us the secret of transcending the barrier that divides the region of death from

the region of immortality? Of course, the Lord has often sent Messengers to tell

humanity about it and He has Himself come down in human form to communicate it

and save mankind from perdition. It is because the task of guiding man has gone

on so consistently that today in India there is at least this quantum of

earnestness to achieve it and to escape from the cycle of birth and death.

You can gain that victory only by rigorous Sadhana. Spiritual discipline is more

arduous than physical discipline; imagine the tremendous amount of effort

undergone by the lady who runs along a wire stretched across the ring,

underneath the circus tent. After all, the gain is just a few rupees. The same

steadfastness and systematic effort aimed at a higher reward can endow you with

mental balance and you can maintain your equilibrium under the most adverse or

the most intoxicating circumstances. The Jnaanendhriyas (organs of perception)

are more important for this type of Sadhana than the Karmendhriyas (sense

organs), the intellect more important than all the rest of the inner

instruments given to man. Make the intellect the Master of your mind and you

will not fail; you will fail only when the senses establish mastery over

the mind.

Clarify intellect by spiritual discipline

A lame man and a blind man became friends and they moved from place to place,

the lame man riding on the shoulders of the blind. One day, while passing

through some fields, the lame man saw hundreds of what are called Dosakaayis

(an edible variety of gourd) in a field and he suggested to the blind man that

they pluck a few and eat their full. The blind man had greater sense and so he

did not welcome the idea immediately he heard about it. He asked, "Brother!

Have they fenced the crop?" The lame man said, "No." Then, the blind man said,

"Let us go our way. The Dosakaayis must be bitter; that is why they are left

unguarded." You know there are sweet as well as bitter Dosakaayis and the blind

man, by his intellect, was able to discover that they were bitter, even without

tasting them. His intelligence perceived the truth faster and

clearer.

Clarify the intellect by spiritual discipline so that you get a vision of the

Lord who dwells within; that is the Sudarsana (Discus, a weapon of Vishnu)

which saved Gajendra, the wild elephant (man) that was caught by the alligator

(egoism) while rollicking in the lake of Samsara (the objective world). Look

upon joy and grief as teachers of hardihood and balance. Grief is a friendly

reminder, a good taskmaster, even a better teacher than joy. The Lord grants

both protection and punishment; for, how can He be the Lord, if He does not

insist on strict accounting and strict obedience?

You are as distant from the Lord as you think you are, as near Him as you feel

you are. Well, let Me tell you this. The distance from Me to you is the same as

the distance from you to Me, is it not? But, you complain that I am far, far

from you, though you are approaching nearer and nearer. How can that be? I am

as near you as you are near Me.

You are a prisoner under sentence

That nearness is won by Devotion, which cannot be steady except after getting

rid of "I" and "Mine". When a prisoner is taken from place to place, he is

accompanied by two constables, is it not? When man who is a prisoner in this

jail moves from one place to another, he too is accompanied by Ahamkaaram and

Mamaakaaram: Egoism and Attachment. When he moves about without these two, you

can be sure he is a free man, liberated from prison.

Now that I have referred to jail and jail life, let Me tell you something more.

You are all under sentence of imprisonment and are in this jail. There is no

use hoping for reward when you work in jail; you have to work because you are

ordered to; and you must work well too. You cannot argue that rewards are not

distributed justly and you are not entitled to desist from your allotted task.

If you do so, your sentence will be extended or you will be transferred to

another jail. On the other hand, if you quietly accept the sentence and go

about your work without clamoring or murmuring, your term is reduced, and you

are sent out with a certificate that ensures a happy life, unpestered by

constables. This is the attitude that the Jeevi (individual) must adopt, if he

is aware of his sentence and if he is earnest about freeing himself.

Remember, Freedom is your birthright. Concentrate on that and practice the means of attaining it.

Venkatagiri, 20-02-1964

Remember that with every step, you are nearing God. And when you take one step

towards Him God takes ten steps towards you. There is no halting place in the

pilgrimage! It is one continuous journey, through day and night, through tears

and smiles, through death and birth, through tomb and womb. When the road ends

and goal is gained, the pilgrim finds that he has traveled from himself to

himself, that was long and lonesome; but God that lead him unto, was all the

while in him, around him, with him and besides him. He himself was always

Divine. - Shri Sathya Sai

11. ROLE OF THE PUNDIT

THE springs of Indian culture have very nearly, gone dry under the scorching

influence of foreign cultures to which Indians are fast selling themselves. The

agencies, which are keeping the tree green, have become weak; institutions and

customary rites and rituals, which kept the facets of that culture alive in the

eyes of the people, have faded into feebleness. People, who were charged with

the social duty of reminding the masses of their heritage, have been rendered

dispirited and mendicant. The Dharma laid down in the Vedas has to be

experienced, in order to be appreciated; it cannot be merely talked about, in

tall language. Tile use of the Vedas does not consist in mere recitation,

though the reciters are doing a valuable service, preserving them in correct

form and style of pronunciation. Vedas yield Ananda; Veda Matha

(Mother of Vedas) is the Ananda Matha (Mother of Divine Bliss).

They provide the answer to the Question of questions: "Who am I?" Every one of

you has to know that this question has to worry you sooner or later. And, every

one has to discover the answer. The senses, each specialising in one small field

of cognition, are powerless to give the answer, they at best very inadequate

even in their own specialised provinces; there are sounds the ear cannot hear;

there are colours the eye cannot take in and interpret to us and tastes beyond

the ken of the buds of the tongue. They are imperfect instruments for the study

of the external world. How can they serve to teach: us about the intangible,

invisible, inner world of the Self? The Vedhaanthic vision alone can reveal to

you "the smaller than the smallest, the bigger than the biggest" (Anoraneeyaan

mahatho maheeyaan).

When you have vision, you do not realise its value; you take it as just natural.

It is only when you lose it or when it gets dim, that you run to the ophthalmic

hospital. When the Vedhaanthic vision of India had become dim, Sankaracharya

restored it and so saved the country. If he had not done so, believe Me India

would have become another China.

Dharma is eternal, basic, fundamental

When you are boring and fixing a pipe to draw the water up, you have to take

good care, lest water or air gets into the pipe and spoils the creation of the

vacuum that is needed. So too, if you desire success in your effort to unravel

the truth of your inner Sell you have to take good care that the outer sell

does not enter and spoil the concentration. You have to prevent thoughts of the

outer world from entering the mind. The senses are positive handicaps in that

field of research. One of the dangerous tricks of the modern times, which is

misleading a number of people, is the claim made by many, that they have been

sent to re-establish Dharma. Each one is doing it in his own fashion, and as it

suits his skill and idiosyncrasy. When a bridge on the highway gets damaged, no

single pedestrian, however eminent, can start repairing or re-building it;

nor can the villagers living in proximity to it, start the operations, according

to their own ideas of bridgebuilding.

The very authority, which laid down the road, and planned the bridge, has to

come down and draw up the plan. Dharma is the road for individual and social

progress, in this world and through the world, to the next. It is eternal,

basic, fundamental. The principles may not be altered or adjusted to suit

personal whims, or pressing problems, that appear formidable to the eyes of

some individuals, or group of persons. It is like the mother who has to be

accepted, not like the wife whom you can choose or discard.

Man is basically Immortal

Varanasi Subrahmanya Shastri spoke of Dharma as expounded in and through the

Mahabharata. That is a prop, which can sustain any drooping heart. If you can

inquire deeply and reason fearlessly, you can appreciate the Indian point of

view that, instead of seeking a lower standard of Ananda (happiness) by feeding

the senses, one can get lasting Ananda (Divine Bliss), by training the mind to

be ever in the eyes of the Cosmic, the Universal, the Lord, as It is called,

when you impose a Name and a Form upon it, to enclose it in you Consciousness.

Why does man get Ananda when he contemplates the Cosmic and the Universal?

Because he himself is the Cosmic, the Universal! It is the thwam (thou) called

to the Thath (That); the Thath responding to the kindred voice of the

thwam.

Man is basically, essentially, fully, Immortal; he is Amruthaswaruupam (of the

nature of Nectar of Immortality). But, yet he is afraid he would die! He is

Aanandhaswaruupam (of the nature of Bliss); but, yet he is it that weeps that

he is miserable. He is Shaanthiswaruupam (of the nature of peace); yet,

everywhere he is overlaid with anxiety. This absurd self-deception is the root

of the tragedy from which the world suffers today. The truth has to be driven

into the consciousness of both the spiritual teachers and disciples, wherever

they may be, in this country or elsewhere.

Accept what scriptures declare

Many Gurus do not instruct people in this doctrine of courage, they do not bring

up those who go to them in the discipline of the knowledge of Self

(Aathma-jnaana), for, they themselves are not established in the Reality of

Self (Aathma-thathwa). They intensify the egoism of their disciples and

devotees and hasten their doom, rather than avoid it. The disciples too asked

for quick results and shortened courses and less and less austerity. The Gurus

have therefore to water down the rigor of spiritual discipline, and behave as

minions of the disciples themselves! They wink at many a moral transgression,

and very often share in the plots and intrigues, which are the daily routine of

the devotees! It is a sad state of affairs, indeed! A people destined for glory,

for the role of guides of humanity but groveling in the dark,

seeking to squeeze lasting joy from food, clothing, shelter and hours of trivial entertainment.

A business magnate from the West, Mr. Kilman, came to Puttaparthi and, during

the discussion on various spiritual problems, he asked Me, "Why build temples,

when what we want are wells, dams, hospital and factories?" I told him to find

out from the well fed, and well employed whether they are happy, whether they

have inner calm! The Aathma alone is the source of inner strength; it is the

fountain-spring of Joy---joy unaffected by reverses or victories. You may ask,

"How do you know, or rather, how are we to know that there is an entity called

the Aathma?" Well, how do you know that today is the 24th day of February? The

Sun did not rise today, after an announcement from the skies that is the

twenty-fourth day of the month called February. Some person, whom you respect,

said that today is the 24th February that is all. You accepted their

word and you were glad that your acceptance made things smoother for you.

Similarly, when the Vedas and the Scriptures declare that you are Aathman,

instead of mistaking yourself to be the gross body, accept it and find in it a

great source of peace and step by step, the truth will be revealed to you in

your own unmistakable experience.

The world is a training ground

The Lord has declared in the Geetha, 'Mama Maya" My Illusion; that is to say,

this relative world is His Handiwork, His Leela and His Mahima (Divine Play and

Greatness), devised as a training ground, an inspiration, for those who desire

to see Him, the Source and Substance of all this. "This objective world is My

Play," He says. From illusion, you must get interested in the Author, the

Master, the Lord. Once you see the world as the arena of His activity, the

stage for His play, then, you will never more be misled; you will not be

deceived by any tricks of the play or of the stage-effect; you will not be

distracted; you will not be led to believe it as genuinely real. It is valid so

long as it lasts, and you are in the theatre.

Take the base (Aadhaara) as more real than the structure (Aadheya); the Lord as

more real than the world. This is the basic lesson of Indian thought. Among all

the principles of Vedanta, this is a pearl. The world is like a mirage; the

mirage does not originate from any rain; nor does it reach any lake or sea. It

was not there before the Sun shone, nor will it be there when evening falls. It

is just an intervening phenomenon; it is best left alone.

This Prashanthi Vidwanmahaasabha has been established in order to give each

thirsty soul a cup of solace and strength, from the well of the Vedas and

Sasthras, to lead the waters of fertility to every parched area. Ghandhikota

Subrahmanya Shastri read out some verses he wrote about Me. These Pundits are

not with Me to extol Me; nor is there any need to extol Me or them. I have no

other purpose than this: to lead you to the path of Ananda. I have no special

attachment to the Vidwanmahaasabha because I have established it. All Sabhas

and Sanghas (Associations) and individuals that do this same task, according to

their capacity and means, are dear to Me. I do not call upon you to cultivate

faith in Me or to worship Me. I want only that you should cultivate faith in

yourselves, and worship the Lord who is utilising you as

His instrument.

Practice the teachings you heard

Realise that your essential core is the Aathma. I have no need to seek fame

through these meetings or associations. Not that the statements made by

Ghandikota Subrahmanya Shastri are wrong. But, I know that some of you sitting

here suspected, when he was reading his poem, that he and others have collected

here, just to eulogise Me! Let Me tell you, I do not like such demonstrativeness

and show; they are against My very Nature and Purpose.

After hearing these Pundits for three days, morning and evening, do not go home

without becoming richer; let it not be the story of, "I went; I sat; I saw; I

heard; I came." That is what the dull-witted do. Make the teaching your own by

practicing it. Let the meaning circulate in your veins and enliven your

earnestness. There are some weak willed persons, who are dragged hither and

thither by others. They see some one going and they too go to Puttaparthi. They

see some one staying away and they too stay away. Why be moved by the vagaries

of others and why lose the lucky chance that may not recur at all?

Of course, I love all; those who come to Me, as well as those who stop coming;

those who stay at the Nilayam, as well as those who stay away; those who

praise, as well as those who blame. For no one is beyond the boundary of My

love.

Hold your right palm, spread it vertically before you! You find that the thumb

points towards you and is keeping apart from the other fingers. That represents

the Paramatma, which is aloof and unaffected. The forefinger is the Jeevi, the

sell attached to the three Gunas, the three-stranded complex of the objective

world. It seeks to mix with this, that and the other, to show this and mark out

that; it is ever-busy identifying objects and so it gets the company of only the

three qualities (Gunas). But, once let it turn towards the Paramatma (Supreme

Self), let it achieve Saameepya (proximity) with it! Then it will lose the

contact with the Gunas; it and the thumb will form the Chin-mudra---the sign of

the Puurna (Full), the completed Consciousness.

I bless you that your attention and activity be always focused on the Self

within you; that is the purpose for which the Prashanthi Vidwanmahaasabha has

been established.

Rajahmundry, 24-2-1964

12. AMRITHASYA PUTHRAAH

THE Hindu Samaj, Rajahmundry, was established, as its President told us now, in

1903. So this can be considered the Shashtiabda Puurthi Celebration of this

institution, which means the celebration of its attaining the sixtieth year of

its life. It is the custom to have such celebrations a little time after the

completion of the period, not on the exact date on which the period is

completed. Therefore, this conforms to that custom also.

This rite is named a Shanthi (Pacification), the attainment of an equipoise, of

calm. At sixty the senses have lost their wildness and waywardness, they have

become powerless to drag the individual into ruin. That is believed to be just

the time to fix one's mind on God and start on the course one has missed in the

confusion of material pursuits.

The Samaj too has wandered far from the path it was set on; it was a premier

institution in this town of many institutions for the encouragement and

promotion of Sanathana Dharma, the Eternal Religion. It held competitions in

the recitation and interpretations of the Bhagavad Geetha, the authoritative

book on that Dharma, and it distributed copies of the Geetha itself to hundreds

of high school students, just when they were stepping out of their schools into

the larger world. I know that it took a leading role in the task of spreading

the doctrines of Sanathana Dharma.

Real form of Devotion is Divine Love

Now, owing to causes like the apathy of the people, the attractions of more

showy forms of activity, and the drying up of funds for rewarding students,

scholars and Pundits, this Samaj has been reduced to a recreation centre for

office-goers and others: re-creation, not of the ideals for which India stood

in the past and stands at present, but of the activity and liveliness of the

body and the nerves and the mind. This Samaj has now to take up the

responsibility again, for it is as important now, as it was sixty years ago.

For such service the demand is continuous; it can never become out-of-date, or

superfluous. If one looks around and observes the fall in standards, the need

is even greater today. This is the reason, perhaps, why the President came to

Me with a prayer to bless the Samaj and to speak to you on the work you have to

do.

Devotion to God is not to be calculated on the basis of the institutions one has

started or helped, the temples one has built or renovated, the donations one has

given away, nor does it depend on the number of times one has written the Name

of the Lord or on the time and energy one has spent in the worship of the Lord.

These are not vital at all, no, not even secondary. Devotion is Divine Love,

unsullied by any tinge of desire for the benefit that flows from it or the

fruit or consequence of that love. It is love that knows no particular reason

for its manifestation. It is of the nature of the love of the soul for the Over

soul; the river for the sea; the creeper for the tree, the star for the sky, the

spring for the cliff down which it flows. It is sweet, in bad times as well as

good. It is not like pepper or salt with which you savor your dishes; it is

the very bread and butter, the essential substance itself. It is not the pickle,

which only lends a twang to the tongue and helps you to consume a little more of

the food. It is an unchanging attitude, a desirable bent of the mind, standing

steady through joy and grief. For the Divine Bliss comes through knowledge of

the Self; the Devotee is the true witness.

Dharma is a means of living

Varanasi Subrahmanya Shastri said now that Yudhishtira, the eldest of the

Pandava Brothers, had that devotion and so, he did not falter even an inch from

his faith when in exile; nor did he lose his head, when he won back his throne.

Others like Duryodhana used Dharma as a handy excuse to escape the evil

consequences of their acts. Righteousness is not to be treated as a means of

escape; it is a means of living. Never once did Duryodhana observe the

principles of righteousness towards the Pandava Brothers; at last, he had to

face the inevitable doom, when Bheema challenged him for the duel, which was to

lay him low. At that moment, the author of the deceitful gambling game, the

house of lac which was set on fire, the insult heaped on the honored Queen, the

slaughterer of Abhimanyu by a pack of ferocious foes who fell upon him, the dark

designer of

all these iniquities, took refuge in Dharma and started quoting texts. Wavering

and indecision affect you in the realm of Dharma when you are not stabilised in

the knowledge of the Self, which gives you a correct sense of proportion and

also a sense of direction and achievement. That is why the Geetha lays so much

emphasis on the necessity to know both the kshethra and the kshethrajna (the

field of knowledge and the Knower of that Field). Know both, and then, you are

entitled to the title, Amrithasya Puthraah: "Children of Immortality." Other

titles are burdens on the head that wears them. Of what benefit are they, those

that vanish in a whiff, and do not deceive any one, for more than a few years?

The grandest things in Creation

Through devotion to God alone can that knowledge be attained. Bhakti purifies

the heart, elevates the feelings and universalises the vision. It also brings

down the Grace of God; for, the clouds have to come over the fields and pour

rain; the plants cannot rise up to drink the life-giving fluid. The mother has

to bend to the cradle to fondle the child. Bhakti has that power, to bring the

Lord down. Once Narada was asked to name the most noteworthy among the things of

the world. He answered that the earth was the biggest. But, he was told water

has occupied three-fourths of the earth; it threatens to swallow up the balance

too, bit by bit. So, water, he had to agree, was more powerful. However, the

sage Agastya too drank up water and he rendered the oceans dry, and he, in turn

is now just a star

in the sky! Is the sky the biggest, then? No. For, it was covered by one single

foot of the Vaamana-avathaara of the Lord (Vishnu's Incarnation as Vamana, the

Dwarf). And, the Lord? O, He enters the hearts of the devotees and resides

there. So, Narada had to conclude that the hearts of devotees are the grandest

things in Creation!

That is why I condemn all signs of weakness and call the sense of weakness

itself a sin, an unpardonable sin. · it is an insult to the heritage of

Immortality, the title Amrithasya Puthraah, which mankind deserves and must

earn. Weakness, vacillation, despair, all these bring dishonour on Him who

conferred on you the honour of child of Immortality; you are Bhala-swaruupa (of

the Nature of Strength). Whenever accosted, you must declare yourself so, and

not otherwise. Do not bend and cringe and barter your self-respect. Do not

believe that you are this little lump of body. You are the indestructible,

immortal Aathma, of the same nature as the Absolute Reality, Brahman itself.

The four resolutions to be made by everyone

Have gratitude to the Creator who poured into you the nectar that ensures

immortality; He requires you to stand firm in the face of joy and grief. Even

animals exhibit gratitude; not only the pet animals, but wild ones, like the

lion. Have you not heard the story of the lion suffering from a wound in the

foot? A slave who was fleeing through the forest saw it and when he approached

it with sympathy, the lion put out its foot. He then slowly pulled out the

thorn that had caused all that pain and left the place, only to be arrested

later and taken to Rome. There, they decided to throw him into the amphitheatre

and let lose upon him a lion that had been recently captured. It was, however,

the same lion which the slave had saved and so, its gratitude did not allow it

to harm its savior. Be grateful to the Lord for endowing you with powers of

discrimination,

of detachment, of evaluation.

Make four resolutions about your life hereafter:

(1) Purity: Desist from wicked thoughts, bad habits, low activities that weaken your self-respect

(2) Service: Serve others for they are the reflections of the same entity of

which you are yourself another reflection. No one of you has any authenticity,

except with reference to the One Original.

(3) Mutuality: Feel always kinship with all creation. See the same current

flowing through all the objects in the Universe.

(4) Truth: Do not deceive yourself or others, by distorting your experience.

Respect our ancient culture

The Hindu Samaj must set about doing the duty for which it was started, the

revival in the minds of the educated classes and the students, of respect and

attachment for our ancient culture. Do not be led away by the cynicism of

critics; that should serve only to encourage you. There was once an incident in

train that was going over the Godavari Bridge. A poor ryot searched for a Naya

paisa coin and he threw it into the river for he felt it as a sacred duty to

honour the holy river. Immediately a fellow traveler sitting comfortably in the

comer got wild. He condemned the act as silly superstition and economic waste.

"This is why this country is poor and powerless," he said, puffing his

cigarette, as he poured out his wrath against the custom of throwing coins into

the rivers. The ryot did not keep quiet. He said, "Look here, my man! I pass

over this

bridge perhaps once a year or so; I lose only one Naya paisa at a time; I derive

so much joy and satisfaction by that little sacrifice; but, pray, tell me, what

benefit and economic gain you derive from this constant smoking which you are

indulging in. The smoke you puff into the air poisons the atmosphere for all of

us; it harms your health, it spoils the health of others; it wastes your money;

it is a Raajasik habit (of passion and restless activity), which increases your

pride and makes you nervous and unstable."

Examine the faults that may lie dormant in you and try to get rid of them. Do

not merely declaim from platforms the excellence of such qualities as charity,

Service, sympathy, equality, secularism, etc. Descend and practice a few

sincerely. When your neighbor is in the throes of a serious illness, do not

rest content with the idea that you are happily free. No one is free if even

one is bound. Remember that the food you give to each living being reaches God

Himself, the service you do to any one being fills God with joy.

Do not vulgarise devotion

Now, all worship and rituals are for Bhakti only, for the better comfort and

more luxurious consumption of the worshipper himself. Devotion has been

vulgarised into a business deal. I shall give you so much, provided you give me

so much in return. If that shrine promises more, this shrine is given up; if

even there, you do not get quick returns, somewhere else, some other God might

be more profitable. That is the way in which worldly men wander about in their

panicky rounds. "If I stand in the midst of others, God will not notice me; so,

I must stand alone and shout, to attract His attention. Otherwise, He might

ignore me," they argue and behave foolishly. Hold fast to the Ideal; do not try

to degrade the Almighty to suit your limited vision. Rise up, strengthen your

detachment, and establish yourselves

in discrimination. Then, your goal is brought near.

Rajahmundry, Hindu Samaj, 25-2-1964

TO BE CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brothers – ‘’

Source and Courtesy: http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume04/sss04

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