SAI BABA GITA - Part XVII - Answers for all questions

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own true nature. The body is born and the body experiences the various phases of

life and dies, but the indweller of the body remains unaffected by all these

bodily changes. This indweller is the atma. It is free of illusion, devoid of

maya. Once you understand this divine principle you will recognize it as the

only thing of true value, the only thing worth knowing. Everything else is

ephemeral and impermanent. You must make every effort to acquire the knowledge

of atma and thereby gain lasting joy. Be Satisfied, Do not Chase after Desires

Do not encourage the multiplication of desires. Be satisfied with whatever you

have been given. In the

chapter on devotion, Krishna enumerated the 26 noble qualities which endear a

devotee to the Lord. Of these, contentment stands out as one of the most

important characteristics of a devotee. It means not running after worldly

enjoyments. You have enjoyed so many luxuries and so many sensual things in

your life but you have not gained peace and fulfillment from them. Give up

chasing after them and you will gain contentment. The heart of a person who

does not have contentment is like a bamboo basket riddled with holes. If you

try to draw water out of a well using such a basket, by the time it comes up,

all the water will have leaked out. There will not even be a drop of water left

to quench your thirst. Similarly, when you are suffering from pangs of desire

and greed, all your contentment leaks away before you even have a chance to

fulfill your desires. When

contentment leaves your heart, discontent remains behind to take its place.

Desire breeds more desire. A person who does not have anything at all may feel

very happy and contented when he gets 100 rupees. But once he gets the 100

rupees, he thinks how nice it would be if he could get 1000 rupees. If by

chance he gets the 1000 rupees, he desires to have a million rupees. Then he

would aspire to become a major property owner. From a property owner he would

want to become a legislator and then a minister and then the prime minister.

Finally, he would want to use all his status and wealth to attain the

God-state. But you can never reach divinity with the help of power and wealth.

As the person's desires cross all limits, he becomes discontented and his

wealth gains him no inner peace at all. You must learn how to gain contentment

from whatever you have, being

satisfied with whatever wealth you have been given. Your responsibility is to

take care of the possessions you have received through the grace of God, and be

happy. You must Win God's Love You all praise God, but it is far more important

that God praises you. You declare your love for God, but you have to find out

if God has declared his love for you. You believe that God is yours, but has

God told you that you are his? Suppose you send a registered letter to someone.

You will gain full satisfaction only after you receive an acknowledgment from

the addressee that the letter has been received and read. Declaring your love

for God and declaring that God is great can be

compared to sending a registered letter. But that alone will not satisfy you.

You experience the deepest contentment only when you get the positive

acknowledgment from God that you have his love and that he considers you great

also. It is only when he says, "You are my very own. You are most dear to Me!"

that you attain total fulfillment. Arjuna got such an assurance from the Lord

after he said to Lord Krishna, "Swami, you are my all, I am yours! I surrender

everything to you!" Previously, Arjuna had a number of desires, but when he

surrendered fully to the Lord he renounced all his wants and desires. Then he

earned the declaration from the Lord, "Dear one, you are mine!" To gain this

result you have to engage yourself in spiritual practice. The hope and fruit of

all spiritual practice is to get this declaration from the Lord that you are

his. This becomes

your greatest treasure, the consummation of your life. Even if you are highly

educated, even if you occupy a very high position in life, even if you are very

wealthy, whatever be your station in life, when you go abroad you must have a

passport to travel in a foreign land. A person may say, "I'm highly educated.

I'm very wealthy. I have vast land holdings. I would like to have a passport."

But just by saying that he will not get the passport. All these things may be

personal attainments and accomplishments, but if you want to go to another

country there is a particular procedure that you must follow. This procedure

cannot be different for educated people and for uneducated people, for wealthy

ones and for poor ones. Even in such

a small thing as going somewhere by bus or train or plane, no one will care to

know your position and accomplishments. As long as you have a ticket with you,

no one will ask you if you are a wealthy person or an educated one and what

position you are holding. They will be satisfied to know that you have a

ticket, and they will take you to your destination. If you do not have the

ticket you will be left behind, no matter what your credentials are. In the

same way, if you want to gain entry into the kingdom of liberation, you need to

have the grace of God. That is required for entry. The grace of God is your

passport. But even a passport is not enough. If you merely have a passport,

then there may still be some objections and problems. You should also have a

visa; that gives you the right to enter your place of destination. In addition

to the grace of God

you must also have the merit of your spiritual efforts and yearnings. The giver

may be ready to give the gift, but the receiver must also be ready to receive

it. God is prepared to give, but you must have the capacity to receive. Through

your surrender and spiritual efforts you become ready to receive God's grace.

Therefore, to enter into the kingdom of liberation you must have God's love and

you must also have the merit of your own spiritual efforts. When these two come

together you will be able to gain liberation. Contentment is the Real Wealth

10pt">The Gita taught that if you want to enter the kingdom of liberation there

are 26 noble qualities that you should acquire. But, truly, it is enough if you

have gained just one virtuous quality. That will be sufficient to qualify you

for entry. Of all of the virtuous qualities given in the Gita chapter on

devotion one of the most important is contentment. Only the one who has

contentment can be considered great. Swami asks quite often, "Who is the

greatest human being in this world?" The answer is, "The one who is always

satisfied." Therefore, develop this contentment in yourself. Do not get lost in

the world aspiring for impermanent joys, impermanent wealth, impermanent

position and luxuries. There is no objection to your enjoying the happiness

which comes your way. But never forget that the world is made up only of the

five elements. It

has no eternal value. Your body also consists only of the five elements. As long

as you consider this world real, you will tend to have attachments to the body

and to a given place. It is best if you do not waste your time caught up with

these attachments. Instead, always remember the goal. Here is a small example.

There was a wealthy man who had traveled the world over. He resolved to build a

palatial mansion without equal anywhere. It was to be a house of such

extraordinary grandeur that it would be beyond the imagination of anyone. He

resolved to construct this unique structure even if it cost him tens of

millions of rupees. A number of engineers and architects were called from

various countries for this purpose. Ultimately he completed his beautiful

mansion, and he now had a house which satisfied people from all points of view

and different cultural

backgrounds. Tens of thousands of people came to look at it. This wealthy man

made all the arrangements for a grand inauguration of his unique place. Before

the inauguration, he called a number of experts and asked them, "Do you find

any defects, any faults in this building anywhere, even in the smallest

detail?" They could find none. It seemed to be perfect. He invited all kinds of

people to the function, including many wealthy citizens and high officials. He

also invited great sages to gain their blessings. Among the invited guests

there were a number of truly wise men. All elaborate arrangements were made for

their stay. After they were assembled, he prayed to them, "I humbly ask you to

let me know if there are any defects, any shortcomings in this structure?" The

engineers who had constructed the building echoed his sentiments and also asked

the

assembled crowd, "Who can come forward and just point out a single flaw in this

beautiful building? We feel that it is absolutely flawless and magnificent. It

is totally unique and modern, perfect in every detail." At this point, a yogi

who was standing in the corner, stepped out and addressed the wealthy man who

was hosting the affair. The yogi said, "Esteemed sir, I see two major flaws in

this building." All the people assembled there were greatly surprised. The

engineers and architects were shocked. Everyone was most curious to know what

these defects were. The wealthy man, whose house it was, folded his hands in

supplication and said to the great sage, "Swami, please tell me what those

defects are that you have spotted. Everyone is anxiously awaiting your answer."

 

justify">The yogi said, "O rich man, these are faults for which you are not to

blame, nor your engineers or architects or workmen. These defects are not

within your reach or anyone else's to correct. One defect is that with the

passage of time this building, and everything that is now standing here, will

fall down and be reduced to rubble. This is a defect that cannot be changed.

The second failing is that the person who built this structure will also perish

and be forgotten. This too cannot be changed. Even though these conclusions may

be delayed for a short period of time, they will both come to pass. Not

realizing this truth you think that you have accomplished something flawless

and great, that your achievement will be permanent. But it is not so. These

defects that I have mentioned will always prevail in the end."

Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Such is the state of affairs for people who forget death

and think that they, or their works or reputation, will be permanent. Only when

you keep your focus on the atma will you be filled with contentment and feel

unending joy and bliss. When you have such everlasting peace and contentment,

you will be established in a mansion that can never perish, for then you are

abiding in the atma, your unchanging permanent self. It alone has lasting

value. There is nothing that can be compared with that dwelling place. Unlike

the mansions you find in the world, it is perfect and permanent, free from all

defects. Therefore, you have to recognize the truth that in this mundane world

everything is impermanent. Keep your sight and concentration on the permanent

atma. Constantly engage yourself in spiritual practice in order to achieve this

inner vision and remain ever contented, undisturbed by worldly affairs. Atma is

never Born, Atma never Dies To dispel Arjuna's confusion about his outer role

and his true identity, Krishna said, "Arjuna, you are disturbed because you

think you are going to kill some people. You have lost sight of the truth that

underlies all beings. Know that you are the immortal self and your kinsmen,

though they have been engaged in evil deeds, are in essence the very same

immortal self. Then who is going to die and who will be engaged in killing? You

who are the atma do not kill and your kinsmen who are the same atma will not be

slain by you. Death relates to the physical body, not to the true self. Atma

cannot be killed. Atma is never born. Atma

never dies. It is only when you understand and practice this truth that you will

be following the wisdom teachings and performing your duty, unaffected by

outcomes. Recognize the immortality of atma and fight to uphold righteousness.

Then you will act in harmony with divine will and even in the thick of battle

you will be immersed in inner peace. When you recognize the principle of the

atma, realizing its permanent nature, you will know that there can be no defect

or flaw of any kind in it. Then no disturbance can come into your mind and no

doubts will ever becloud you." All this must be understood in its deeper

meaning. These statements that one does not kill and that one is not going to

be killed, are quickly accepted at face value by most people who read the Gita.

But they make no attempt to understand the deeper significance of

these declarations, which are based on the principle of the immortal and

unchanging nature of the atma. If you look about to see how people are

practicing this teaching you will see that they are not practicing it at all,

although they will freely repeat all the verses and even give lectures on them

to others. Here is a small example of this. There was a certain hunter, a very

bad man who had killed a great number of animals. His killing soon spread to

include human beings. He began murdering all the people who passed through the

forest and came his way, in order to strip them of whatever possessions they

were carrying. When he was caught and convicted, the judge decided to sentence

him to death by hanging as punishment for all the horrible crimes he had

committed. It was announced that the judgment would be read in court the next

day. When he was

led into court for sentencing, this criminal brought with him a copy of the

Gita, which he kept in his pocket. The judge declared that by 7 o'clock the

following morning, he would be hanged. But now, quite boldly, the criminal

spoke up, declaring, "Sir, why are you inflicting such a drastic punishment on

me?" The judge replied, "This sentence is being given because you have murdered

so many innocent people." At this point the convict took out the Gita from his

pocket. He showed it to the judge and said, "According to this holy scripture,

Sir, I am neither the killer of those people nor have they been killed!" And he

brazenly added, "How can you deny these statements made by God himself?" Well,

the judge was equal in cleverness to this man. Without a moment's hesitation,

the judge said, "Yes, it is certainly true that you have not killed, nor

have those people been killed. Similarly, as pertains to my judgment, I am not

killing you nor will you be killed. Nevertheless, the hanging will take place

at 7 o'clock tomorrow morning." Reduce Your Desires and Remember the Atma You

cannot use the Gita to change the circumstances to suit your convenience. You

have to practice the truths that are contained in the great statements made in

the Gita after realizing their inner significance. The Gita has not just been

taught to Arjuna. This sacred teaching has been given to all people born on

earth. The Gita has been given to the entire world with Arjuna as the medium.

Arjuna stands as the

representative of all mankind. These teachings which have been given to the

representative of humanity are applicable to humanity as a whole. To follow

these teachings you have to gradually reduce your desires and wants, and gain

an understanding of the principle of the atma. That will bring you to a

permanent state of contentment. Examine your life to see if you are practicing

these teachings in your day-to-day activities. Just by memorizing the 700

verses of the Gita you will not be able to experience the great truths that are

hidden there. These deeper truths will reveal themselves in the circumstances of

your daily life. It is there in everyday situations that you will be able to

experience these truths directly. You have to clearly understand the qualities

that have to be practiced while discharging your duties. You have to recognize

how

each of these 26 qualities will help you reach your goal; and then you have to

apply them in your daily life. Therefore, keep your desires and your greed

under control and be ever content. This will earn for you the love of God. Your

profession of love for God is not enough. That you love God is not of much use

unless you get His love directed towards you. You have to learn how to earn His

love and grace. There is no point in shouting and saying that God is yours. You

have to aspire to hear from God the declaration that you are His. That is the

most important thing you must achieve in this life. From this moment on,

develop the sacred qualities which will evoke this priceless declaration of

love from the Lord, and thereby

sanctify your life. XXIV. Patience and Forbearance - The Heart of Spiritual

Practice Of all the noble characteristics that a devotee must possess, none is

more vital than forbearance. When you have forbearance you shine with a

peaceful forgiving quality that remains undisturbed under all circumstances.

When you have forbearance, then no matter how others treat you, whether they

are caring and friendly or whether they are hostile or indifferent towards you,

you will feel only love towards them. Embodiments of

Love, Forbearance is the heart of all spiritual practice. It is the one quality

which all spiritual aspirants must achieve in their lifetime. For the truly

wise, for the great sages and great souls, forbearance is their very splendor,

their penance, their sacrifice, their righteousness. It is their wisdom, their

immeasurable love. Forbearance is the essence of their nonviolence, their

compassion, their depth of happiness. Forbearance is the very mark of all great

beings. Truly, forbearance is everything. Without forbearance it is not possible

to realize the truth of the atma, to manifest the everlasting and ever-luminous

divine presence, that shines undiminishably within you. Realize the Atma

through your Direct

Experience As long as you think that your body is real and your divinity is not

real, you will not understand the principle of atma. And as long as you

identify yourself with your body and not with your essential truth, your real

self, you will not be able to gain the direct experience of your indwelling

divinity. The atma has been spoken of in many ways, but you can comprehend it

only through your direct experience. Someone may describe the exquisite

sweetness of mango nectar to you in elaborate detail and with great enthusiasm;

but unless you have tasted the nectar and experienced it directly, you will not

be able to appreciate its unique sweetness. When

the nectar is on your tongue and you delight in its taste, then you understand

what is meant by its sweetness. Similarly, unless you seek the direct

experience of the Lord, unless you engage in spiritual practices and develop

the noble qualities that are dear to the Lord, you will never be able to savor

the divine sweetness arising from the atma. What is the way to immortality? It

is the removal of immorality. Swami has often spoken of this. Only when you

remove the immorality within you, will you be able to gain immortality. When

you remove the weaknesses, such as jealousy, hatred, anger, pride and all the

other evils which have obscured your truth, then you will be able to enjoy the

strength of the unchanging presence of divinity inside you. It is when you

embody at least one or two of the 26 virtues which have been mentioned in the

Gita,

when you understand their deeper meaning, practice them and make them part of

your daily life, then it will become possible for you to realize the immortal

nature of the atma. Of the many virtuous qualities that a devotee can develop,

forbearance is at the heart of all of them. You gain Forbearance through

Difficult Circumstances Forbearance cannot be learned by studying books. It

cannot even be acquired by the teachings of a guru. It is not something which

can be purchased in the bazaar. It is only by faithfully sticking to your

spiritual practice, when you are under trying circumstances, that you will be

able to acquire forbearance. It is when you are

under test, in situations which are full of problems and difficulties, that the

cultivation of forbearance takes place. Under those trying circumstances,

weaknesses which are hidden within you will show their ugly heads. They will

manifest in you as anger, fear, arrogance, hatred and many other evils that

cover your essential truth. It is at such times that you must recognize these

weaknesses and rise above them. Whatever action you must undertake that is

appropriate to the situation, your inner state must be unaffected and rooted in

unwavering peace and love. This is the practice of forbearance. If you have not

developed forbearance then you will suffer a lot of unhappiness and lack of

peace in your life. Without forbearance you may take to harmful and evil ways.

Therefore, it is essential that you recognize the importance of forbearance.

All the

education, strength and renown that you may have acquired will be of no use to

you if you do not have forbearance. There have been a number of accomplished

people who have acquired great powers by means of penance, but they were unable

to enjoy the fruits of their penance because they lacked forbearance. Dearth of

forbearance has made great scholars lose their prestige. Lack of forbearance is

the most frequent reason for the loss of kingdoms by ruling kings. Forbearance

is the shining jewel that decorates a human being. If this important quality is

lost, you will suffer innumerable problems and sorrows. Therefore, develop

forbearance. It is essential for your spiritual progress. Without this quality

you will come to ruin. Cultivate forbearance by the arduous practice of putting

yourself to the test in very difficult circumstances. Forbearance is your vital

protection. When you are equipped with forbearance you will not be troubled by

grief or difficulties, by problems or unexpected situations. There is nothing

extraordinary about returning good for good, but doing good in return for bad

is an extraordinary quality. What is meant by doing good at all times, no

matter whether it is right or wrong action that is directed towards you? When

you are established in your essential truth, when you are in touch with your

reality, you cannot but give the proper response under all circumstances, and

it will come from the infinite reservoir of goodness and love, which is your

unchanging nature. The practice of such a virtue requires a great deal of skill

and courage, and a deep commitment to the essential truth of the one divinity,

present in all hearts. However much other people may criticize you, however

much they may

undermine and condemn you, you should never lose forbearance; you should remain

unperturbed and continue to enjoy inner peace. When others admonish you, what

will you lose - you, who in your essence are immortal? How can they possibly

harm you? When you have forbearance and you are established in your divine

nature, how can anyone diminish you? How can anyone affect your essential

truth, which is unwavering, no matter the circumstances? But if, because of

weakness, you lose forbearance and forget your truth, then you are subject to

endless suffering, and you lose everything. The Tree, the River and the Cow

There are three important aspects of nature which are very

useful to man. These are the tree, the river and the cow. Without trees, rivers

and cows, humanity would not be able to function very well. Whatever violence

is done to a tree, however much trouble is given to it by cutting its branches

and taking some of its wood, the tree continues to give protection from rain

and sun to any person who takes shelter under it, and it will try to continue

to give that person joy. Trees have been doing good for people by giving fruit,

flowers and fuel, even though in return, people may have been doing harm to

them. In the case of rivers, however much the rivers are polluted by people, in

whatever way people may use and abuse them without showing any gratitude towards

them, they will still continue to serve humanity by bringing the fresh waters

from the clear mountain sides. And even as the rivers serve all, their

concentration is on reaching the ocean which is their home and goal. The waters

of rivers give life to humanity. Whether you put their pristine waters to good

use or bad, the rivers do not mind. They will continue to serve as they return

home to their ultimate source. Then there are the cows who deny milk to their

own calves in order to provide milk for humanity. They freely give such a fine

and nourishing food to mankind. Whatever troubles you might give a cow, it will

always give you sweet milk, not bitter milk. So cows also have been doing only

good for humanity, whereas humanity may be giving all kinds of troubles to

cows. Men may beat or encage them, they may starve them or abuse them, but cows

retain their peaceful inner disposition and continue to serve, under all

circumstances. These three, the tree, the river and the cow are good examples

of this

sterling quality of forbearance. There are Times when you should Withhold

Forbearance But, sometimes, the outward signs of forbearance must be tempered,

to provide the appropriate response to a particular situation. Although at all

times, you should have forbearance deeply ingrained in your heart, you should

not go on displaying it under all circumstances that come up in the world. When

practicing forbearance you must carefully examine the conditions that apply and

employ discrimination. It is well known in Indian history that a vicious

invader threatened the northern kingdom, and gave a lot of trouble to its good

king. This merciless assailant invaded the country 17

times. Whenever he came, he caused widespread destruction in the country and

took away a great deal of wealth. He put the entire populace through

innumerable difficulties and losses. In spite of this, when the kingdom's ruler

caught his enemy, he excused him and allowed him to return to his own country.

Because of his generous heart, the good king, lacking in proper discrimination,

forgave his ruthless foe. Whenever the king vanquished his foe and the defeated

villain asked for pardon and protection, the good king excused him and sent him

back home, without inflicting any punishment. But the heartless invader did not

show any gratitude at all. He was an absolutely unrepentant, wicked fellow and

he continued with his hatred towards the king and his greed to conquer the

kingdom. The moment the invader was freed and back in his own country, he

invaded again

and again. Finally, through deceit, he succeeded in catching hold of the good

king. Mercilessly he put out the king's eyes. To people who are ungrateful like

that, who are vengeful like snakes, you should not display forbearance. You need

to use discrimination and respond appropriately. When to Use Forbearance and

when it is Inappropriate In the great epic, the Mahabharata, which chronicles

the war of righteousness between the Pandava brothers and their wicked cousins,

there is an incident depicted in which Arjuna dragged the murderer of all her

children, before Draupadi, the wife of the five Pandava brothers. The Pandavas

had just won the war when the

horrendous deed was committed. Even though Draupadi was overcome with sorrow,

she pointed out to Arjuna the circumstances under which a wicked person should

be excused. Draupadi told Arjuna that it was not proper to execute a person who

was overwhelmed with fear, or a person who was humble and penitent and pleading

for mercy, or a person who had lost his sanity and become deranged, or a person

who had acted out of inconsolable grief, or women and children, in general, even

if they deserve such punishment. For such, it is proper to show forbearance and

treat them mercifully. But, for people who are repeatedly ungrateful and

malicious, who are unrepentant and untrustworthy, it is not appropriate to

display forbearance. You need to deal with them firmly, according to the

circumstances. But remember that all such actions relate only to your outer

worldly life.

In your heart, you must never lose your peaceful inner state of forbearance. For

your spiritual life, forbearance is an essential quality necessary to reach the

divine state, and you must practice it assiduously. In the case of Jesus you

can also see his highly-developed quality of forbearance. There were 12

disciples living and traveling about with him. Jesus extended all love and

compassion, all protection and shelter to them. But one of them, Judas, was

tempted by money and became a traitor to his master. Despite Judas' infidelity,

Jesus remained unperturbed and continued to extend Judas his love. There is no

need for you to pray to God to see that such people are punished. As was the

case with Judas, their own acts will bring them to ruin. Whatever wicked

actions a person commits, the fruits of those actions will have to be borne by

him alone. No one

can escape the fruits of his own actions. You may not be able to predict when

and under what circumstances he will suffer the consequences, but the suffering

is certain to come some time. In both great Indian epics, the Ramayana and the

Mahabharata, there are a number of instances depicted which show how people

suffered in the end, when they did not practice forbearance. Consider the great

suffering the five Pandava brothers underwent, having to go to the forest and

live on roots and leaves, because of the hasty action of the eldest brother,

Dharmaraja, in accepting a challenge to play a game of dice. Dharmaraja, as the

king, felt it his righteous duty to respond to the challenge, and although he

knew the game was rigged against him, he was in such a hurry to defend his

honor, that he ignored the instructions given by Krishna and the advice

given by his brothers. With a determination to be true to his principles, he

hastened into the gambling game and had to suffer the consequences. As a

result, he and his brothers lost their kingdom and were banished to the forest

for fourteen years, undergoing untold deprivations and difficulties. It is only

because of Dharmaraja's haste and lack of forbearance that all these

consequences occurred. You even find that a great soul like Rama, at times, did

not have sufficient patience. At the end of the Ramayana, there is the incident

in which Rama, after hearing the criticism and comments of one worthless

washerman, immediately decided to banish Sita from the kingdom. Afterwards he

suffered great pangs of separation. But, Rama was the avatar of his age, the

embodiment of all the divine principles. In the case of the divinity, there

will always be some

deeper meaning and significance to the avatar's actions. Still, when you try to

understand Rama's actions in a worldly sense, you can see that because of

losing patience, Rama banished Sita and then had to suffer afterwards. Of

course, when people who do only good and live only for the welfare of others,

experience various troubles they will suffer their problems graciously. In this

way they act as an example and teach the value of patience and forbearance when

undergoing hardships in the world. Undue Haste and Delay are two Extremes to be

Avoided The qualities of patience and forbearance must be used with great

discrimination, depending on the circumstances and

conditions. There are circumstances when you are justified in acting quickly.

You must always think ahead and be aware of the consequences of what you do.

Under certain conditions, exercising unrestrained forbearance may lead to great

troubles later on. Under most circumstances, haste creates problems. But if you

are unduly slow, it may also lead to problems. It is said that undue delay can

turn nectar into poison. Slowness and haste are two extremes. On the one hand

if you are too hasty your actions may be fatal, but if you delay too long they

may also be poisonous. So, you must use your discriminating power and exercise

patience to the degree appropriate to the circumstances. If first-aid must be

given immediately, or if you are attending to a person who is very sick and is

likely to lose his life in a few minutes if medicine is not given, then you

must

act quickly. In such situations there must be no delay. Delay would be poisonous

and you must act fast and do the proper thing. There are also circumstances when

you are faced with people who are wicked and who are pursuing harmful ways. Then

it may be necessary for you to warn them and correct them or otherwise deal with

the situation. In such a case, appearing to lose patience may be your best

recourse. Frequently, all that is necessary is just to change the sound of your

voice a little. It doesn't mean that you have lost your inner quality of

forbearance. Even if you elevate your voice and appear to be angry, you can

still maintain the sacredness of your heart and not lose your peace, inside. To

Adhere to Truth is the same

as Practicing Forbearance By following the path of truth, you will be naturally

practicing forbearance. In all circumstances, always stick to the path of

truth. But sometimes you may have to change the tone of your voice and the

volume of your speech in a way that will deal appropriately with a difficult

situation. There is a well-known story in the Mahabharata. Ashvattama, the son

of the teacher of both the Pandavas and their wicked cousins, and one of the

three remaining warriors on the opposite side, had taken a solemn and powerful

oath on the last night of the war, that he would use all his strength and

accumulated power of penance to destroy the Pandava brothers before the sun

rose the following morning.

justify">Krishna, of course, knew of Ashvattama's murderous resolve and also

knew of Ashvattama's considerable wealth of spiritual prowess to carry it out.

Therefore, Krishna, out of his deep love for the Pandavas, took steps to

protect them. It was getting close to midnight and Ashvattama had been unable

to find the Pandavas. Krishna knew that Ashvattama would go to the all-knowing

sage Durvasa and ask him where the Pandavas were. Now, a great sage like

Durvasa would never tell a lie. He was well known for his anger, but his anger

was used only to protect righteousness and to quench the fires of wickedness

and evil. Even in his anger he would stick to the truth, but often times he

would change the volume and sound of his voice, as he was declaring that truth.

You may have to Raise your Voice a little to

Tell the Truth On this particular evening, Krishna went to see Durvasa. Durvasa

was supremely happy to receive Krishna. Durvasa told Krishna how greatly

blessed he felt to be honored by the Lord's visit. He asked Krishna, "Swami,

please tell me what is the purpose of your visit?" Krishna replied, "Durvasa, I

need your help." In his heart of hearts Durvasa was overjoyed that Krishna, who

was the protector and master of all the worlds, had approached him for help.

But even for this there is a limit. Durvasa, who was extremely intelligent and

who knew all things, said to Krishna, "Swami, I am prepared to give you any

help you ask for, but I'm not prepared to tell a lie."

Krishna told Durvasa, "I am the indweller in the heart of all beings. I am born

again and again to protect dharma, to safeguard righteousness. How could I ever

ask you to utter a lie? Dharma means right conduct its very basis is truth.

Certainly, I would never ask you to tell a lie." Durvasa replied, "In that

case, I am ready to do whatever you say. What is your plan, Swami? I will

implement it." Krishna asked that a deep pit be dug which could hold five

people. Krishna then told the Pandavas to get into that pit. Wooden planks were

put over the pit to cover it completely. A rug was put over those planks and

then Durvasa's chair was put on top of the rug. Krishna asked Durvasa to sit on

the chair. He told Durvasa, "Ashvattama will come and ask you where the Pandavas

are. You must tell the truth. But in telling the truth, you might just change

the sound of your voice a little." As was predicted by Krishna, Ashvattama came.

Offering his salutations to the sage, he asked Durvasa, "Swami, you know all

things in all the three worlds. Please tell me where I can find the Pandavas?"

Durvasa did as he was instructed by Krishna. He told the truth. He said to

Ashvattama, "Pandavas is it? Pandavas, is it? Yes, they are here! They are

certainly here! THEY ARE RIGHT HERE UNDER MY FEET!" When Durvasa, pretending to

be very angry, told Ashvattama that the Pandavas were directly under him,

Ashvattama got very frightened. Durvasa's anger was well known and much feared.

Ashvattama thought that instead of killing the Pandavas, he himself might be

killed by Durvasa's yogic power, right then and there. Suddenly overwhelmed

with fear, he ran away. Durvasa had uttered the truth. In keeping with his own

integrity and stature as a great sage, he followed the commands of the Lord to

give protection to good people by sticking to truth. But, he did change the

impact a little, by raising the tone of his voice. Negative Qualities must be

Uprooted and Destroyed You must have patience and forbearance, but at the same

time, you should know under what circumstances and in what manner to use them.

As we have shown, there are situations in which you must temper your outward

expression of forbearance. You need to use your discrimination to know how and

when to express the quality of forbearance, which should be ever firmly

established in your heart. Forbearance and patience are indicators of your

inward state. They are instruments which you use to counter the negative

qualities that are within you, the unwholesome character traits which come in

the way of realizing your divine truth. Consider the ability to exercise

forbearance in difficult circumstances as a test. It is in these times that the

negative qualities buried within you will rear their heads and will tend to

manifest themselves in wrongful or harmful actions. Welcome such difficult

situations as challenges and opportunities to expose and destroy these negative

qualities. You do this through your forbearance, patience and restraint, when

otherwise your impulse would have been to use words or actions to harm. It is

only after you achieve patience and forbearance and establish them firmly

within you, that you will develop the inner peace and equanimity that is needed

in

order to understand the true principles of spirituality and divinity. There are

many negative qualities which must be completely shunned by devotees. In

particular, you should not have any attachment, any hatred or any jealousy

within you. If you have attachment, hatred and jealousy, even in the smallest

measure, you will not be able to progress spiritually. Attachment, hatred and

jealousy, and their hand-maiden anger, are the great enemies of devotees. They

are the opposites of patience and forbearance. We will take up these negative

qualities next and learn how to completely uproot them. TO BE CONTINUED

white; TEXT-ALIGN: right">With Sai love from Sai brothers -

Source: http://laluni.helloyou.ws/askbaba/saibabagita/

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