SAI BABA GITA – Part XX – Answers for all questions

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in the forest, a small shelter had been erected to provide rest for wayfarers.

One day, when passing by, this girl found an aged man in the shelter. He

appeared to be undergoing some suffering. She realized that he would not be

able to reach the next village where he could get medical help and protection.

Because of want of food, his body had become weak, and as she passed by she

could see that his condition was not good. Daily she had been carrying some

food for herself, and from the next day onward she gave this food to the sick

man, who continued to lie in that small shelter in the forest. Every day, in

the morning on her way to school, she would leave the food, and then in the

evening she would collect the empty food container on her way back home. After

ten days of ministering to him in this way, he regained some strength. One day,

as she was coming by

on her way home, he took the hands of this little girl and asked her, "Dear

child, you have been giving me food every day. Please, tell me where this food

is coming from. Do your parents know that you are bringing me food every day?

Or are you taking it from somewhere without their knowing it? Is this, perhaps,

the food that has been provided for your daily lunch, and you are giving it to

me instead? Tell me what you are doing. Please answer my question." She

replied, "Honorable sir, I have been brought up to take things only with

permission, and I can assure you that my parents know of my bringing food to

you. Ours is a very poor family and we have very little money, but still we

have been able to manage to provide food for ourselves and those in need. So, I

have been bringing food from my family especially for you." He asked her, "But

if you have so

little money how are you able to buy this food?" She replied, "Beyond here in

the forest, there is a fruit-bearing tree. On my way, I collect fruits from

that tree and sell them before going into the school. With the little money I

collect, I buy the food. The next morning I prepare it and bring it you." The

old man was overjoyed at her sacrifice and her intelligence and

straightforwardness. He questioned her further, "How did you get such a noble

mind?" She said, "Whatever good I am able to do is because of the upbringing

and teachings given to me by my parents. As long as I can remember, my parents

have been telling me that we must share with others and serve others. Ours is a

very poor family, yet we always try to help others. We feel very blessed when we

have the chance to do so. It gives us so much satisfaction." In this way, she

told the sick man a little bit about her family and then went home.

justify">Gradually the man recovered his health and was able to walk to the

village where this girl and her family lived. What was the result of all the

kind actions directed towards the sick man by this sweet little girl? The man

told the family how he had been praying to God, "O Lord, give health and

prosperity to the parents of this girl. When I was sick and helpless, I could

not be of any use to the world. Now I am much better and can be helpful to

others. I pray to you out of a heart filled with gratitude to bless this

family." In this way, he shared with them his prayer that God bless good

families such as these who generously help those in need. Then he left. God

showers His Grace on those who have Kindness Whatever this girl did in the way

of kindness, she never expected any reward for her actions. Without expecting

any result or any fruits, she had faithfully been serving the sick man every

day. Now God showered his benevolent grace on her. One evening, the Lord came

to that house with a chest full of gold and asked, "Is this the home of the

child who has given so much food and water to one in distress?" The Lord

continued, "It was I who assumed the form of the sick man who languished in

that shelter, until your little girl came and took care of me. Now I am leaving

this gift so that the child can grow up and become highly educated. I lived in

that shelter for ten days to test this girl. This child's heart is very sacred

and pure. It is full of kindness. Her heart is my dwelling place, my own

temple." He handed over the chest to the parents telling them to use the money

to secure her happiness and prosperity. But the parents were not overjoyed at

the prospect of getting such a large amount of wealth. They fell at the feet of

this divine person who had blessed them with his visit. They said to him,

"Revered sir, we do not have any need for so much wealth. Wealth beyond one's

own capacity is harmful, it can take away one's peace of mind. It can increase

one's ego and make one forget God. We do not want so much wealth," But, having

blessed them, the divine visitor disappeared, leaving the entire treasure

there. This person who came was not merely a great man. The family members

recognized him as the Lord himself. Without keeping the money just for their

own family, they used it for the welfare of the whole community in which they

lived. They asked everyone to conduct themselves in the belief that present in

every being is the full manifestation of God. They showed by their own lives

how God could be

obtained, by expressing love and compassion and kindness to all beings who were

in need. You should not narrow your belief in God by thinking that he exists

only in a certain place. You have to experience God everywhere. How will you be

able to develop this feeling? God exists both inside and outside. If God existed

only inside, inner purity would be sufficient. As God exists externally as well,

external purity is also required. Therefore, since God is both inside and out,

you need to have both inner and outer purity only then will you be able to

become fully aware of the omnipresence of God. Inner and Outer Purity What is

the meaning of external purity? Of course, external purity means keeping the

body pure and wearing clean clothes. But it means much more than that. The

place where you live must be kept clean. The books which you read must also be

clean and wholesome. Be it your body or your mind, you should not allow dirt

and bad qualities to accumulate. The statement that you should take a daily

bath means that every impurity in body and mind has to be cleansed. Where dirt

accumulates, germs will gather and bring on disease. Therefore, do not allow

impurities of any kind to remain on you. Every day in the morning, you should

brush your teeth and also clean your tongue. Let there be no impurity in the

main entrance. Whenever there is some dirty water outside, mosquitoes, worms

and undesirable bacteria will soon fester. In the same way,

wherever there is some dirt in your body, all these germs and insects are likely

to accumulate. Not merely that, in the surroundings of your house you have to

keep everything clean. There is a saying, 'Look at the house and you will know

its resident'; in other words, the cleanliness of the house is a reflection of

the cleanliness of the indwellers of that house. This principle of cleanliness

is meant for your own good. Whether it be the house or its surroundings, if

everything is kept clean, you will be happy. You have to keep yourself and

everything around you clean and orderly in order to enjoy good health. When you

have good health you will remain happy. You may have only two sets of clothes,

but when you wear one, you should make sure that the other is clean. Then,

afterwards, you can wear the second set, cleaning the first. Actually, there is

no need

even for having two sets of clothes; just the one may be worn every day as long

as you keep it clean. Whatever you have must be kept clean; do not allow

yourself to become dirty. But just cleaning the exterior and wearing clean

clothes, while keeping the heart impure, is not of much use. You have to make

every effort to achieve inner purity, as well. For this purpose you need to

keep all your thoughts and feelings sacred. Let your thoughts be directed

towards the service of others. Do not allow jealousy or hatred to enter into

you. Always try to develop feelings which are full of joy. There is no need to

bother yourself unnecessarily about others' affairs. Just always think good of

others. In this context the ancient teachings declare, 'Let the whole world be

happy.' To promote universal joy and well-being is the basis of the spiritual

teachings and the

object of all spiritual practice. Therefore, the sacred name of God should be

continuously contemplated upon, so that it purifies your heart. Only when you

take proper care to maintain inner and outer purity will you be able to prevent

the entry of impure thoughts and harmful qualities, such as jealousy and hatred.

Conquer your Inner Enemies Prahlada, the great devotee of the Lord, declared

that only when you conquer the inner enemies can you be considered truly great.

He told his father, the demon king, "You are only a king now, but if you can

overcome the inner enemies that have invaded you, then you can become a great

emperor." These inner enemies, including such evils as hatred, greed, pride and

jealousy, make up the

delusion that besets human beings. You should never allow these inner enemies to

enter your heart. If you keep them out, you will be free of all difficulties and

problems. To achieve that, you must treat joy and sorrow, profit and loss, heat

and cold as all the same. When you develop such equanimity, these inner enemies

will not touch you. But it will be difficult to treat joy and sorrow, misery and

happiness as equal unless you are firmly established in the belief that God is

dwelling in every heart. When you recognize that, then all the pairs of

opposites will have been conquered and they can no longer disturb your

equanimity. Then you will be immersed in divine grace, and no matter how

unfavorable may have been your fate, the hand of destiny can no longer touch

you.

justify">When you have the firm belief that the same divinity exists in every

heart, then every obstacle is overcome. When you have full faith in the

indwelling divinity, then anything and everything becomes yours. That faith is

the key. It is the very root of spiritual life. Catch hold of that. That is

your goal. If you need to fell a tree, it's not necessary to first cut away all

the branches and leaves. Cut the trunk and the whole tree comes down. Once you

gain hold of the divinity, everything comes under your control. To do this, you

must develop the practice of expressing your compassion for all beings, until

this concern for the welfare of others suffuses every action of your life. And

also, you must develop both inner and outer purity, keeping both body and mind

sparkling clean. Only then will you be able to recognize the divinity that is

everpresent everywhere.

TEXT-ALIGN: justify">You need to realize that when in your devotion you pray to

God and offer him your obeisance, it is the same God who is dwelling in every

heart. So you must be very careful not to criticize others. You must develop

the strong conviction that any criticism you direct towards another being will

go straight to God, residing in that heart. The Two Banks of the River of Life

Life may be compared to a river. If you allow this river of life to proceed

unchecked and unbounded, you are likely to destroy many villages. You have to

take whatever measures are needed to see to it that this river remains within

its bounds and reaches the ocean. It is only the ocean which can

bear this river and absorb it. How to make this river of life reach the ocean?

In the Gita it has been said, you must have two banks constructed. When the

river has two banks, it can safely go on and reach the ocean. What are these

two banks for the river of life? They have been described as two powerful

mantras. On one side you have a mantra which says, He who has doubts will

perish. On the other side you have a mantra which says,

New Roman">He who has faith will attain wisdom. So the two banks for the river

of life have to do with renunciation of doubt and the blossoming forth of

faith. When you have these two banks channeling your life, then you will reach

the goal and merge in the ocean. This teaching given by Krishna is the very

essence of devotion. It enables you to reach the ocean of infinite grace. The

three Principles that take you to your Divine Goal Krishna said, "Child, that

ocean of divine grace is the goal of mankind. It is the ultimate goal of all

life. Don't forget that goal. Don't believe in the world and

don't be afraid of death, but ever remember the divinity which is the very

reason for your having taken birth. These are the three principles I give you:

Never forget God.Never believe in the world.Never be afraid of death. Take

these three and inscribe them in your heart. Always remember them, for they

will sanctify your life and bring you to me." XXVIII. Fearlessness - Seeing the

One Self in Everyone Fear arises when you see another as separate from

God. But when you know that the one divinity is the basis of all you see, then

fear leaves you forever. Once you become established in that awareness of the

divinity being everywhere in everyone and in everything, then you are

permanently freed from the specter of fear. Embodiments of Love, You must be

firmly grounded in the belief that every name and form that can be found

anywhere in the universe is only a combination of the five elements, and that

the foundation of these five elements is always God. Then fear cannot gain a

foothold within you. Divinity is the Basis for

Everything Everything without exception is made up of the same five elements.

There is nothing else to be found in this manifested creation; there is no

sixth factor at all. Consider some of the objects you see in this room. Here is

a table, here is a chair and here is a podium; over there is a window and a

door. For all these different objects, the difference consists only of separate

names and forms; the content, which is wood, is the same in all. Similarly,

mountains are rocky, trees consist of wood, earth consists of mud, the body

consists of flesh, the ocean is made up of waterŠ these are all different names

and forms. But, in composition they are all just combinations of the basic five

elements. These five elements are

five aspects or reflections of the one divinity. It is their divine basis that

illuminates them and gives them their existence. Except for these five

reflections of divinity, there exists nothing else in the whole universe. In

all these five, the divinity is the same. It is one. Beyond it there is no

second at all. When you know this without a doubt, then you will have no fear.

Of all the great virtues, fearlessness occupies the place of primary

importance. It is the ideal virtue. Unless you have fearlessness, you will

never be able to live comfortably. Be it in the secular field, in the battle of

life in the world, or be it in your struggles in the realm of the spirit, you

must never leave room for fear to creep in. It should find no place in your

life. When you are obsessed with fear, you will become extremely timid. You

will not be able to accomplish

even the smallest job. When you are filled with fear you cannot shine in the

world. Therefore, the Gita taught that you must become totally fearless.

Fearlessness is beyond Body-Consciousness Fearlessness; is not just the absence

of fear. Both fear and the absence of fear are associated with

body-consciousness. Absence of fear can sometimes be foolish, such as when the

body is threatened with harm. But fearlessness is beyond body-consciousness. It

can be experienced only when you recognize the truth that the one divinity

resides in full measure in every heart. It is said that a person charged

with fear dies every step of the way, while a fearless person dies only once.

"Therefore," Krishna told Arjuna, "give up your fear and become completely

fearless!" Only a fearless person can achieve victory in great undertakings. A

person who is truly fearless will have detachment from all the objects of the

world and be saturated with the love of God. On the other hand, one who is

egoistic about his body and his worldly accomplishments will be charged with

fear. Attachments to the worldly objects and egoism will never be entertained

by a person who is free from fear. In the epics, you will find the story of a

demon king who was charged with fear, whereas his son was completely fearless.

The king had placed his trust in the world. The son, Prahlada, had placed his

trust in God. The boy's teachers went to the demon king and said, "Sire, your

son is not

afraid at all. However much trouble we give him he never complains or cries

about anything. Rather than shedding even a single tear out of personal hurt,

he constantly praises the Lord and sings endlessly of the Lord's glory and

magnificence." Why was the boy free of fear? It was because he had the firm

faith that there was nothing else in the world except God. This conviction

endowed him with unshakable fearlessness. In another ancient classic we find a

guru commending his disciple on his fearlessness. The teacher said to his

disciple, Janaka, who was a great emperor and yogi, "I am very pleased with

you. You are now totally freed from fear and you need never again worry about

anything. You have kept your heart entirely absorbed in the Lord. You are

existing only as an instrument of God in the world, serving him in everything

you do. You have no

attachments at all to the objects of the world. You believe that everything in

the world has the form of God and is imbued with divinity. Wherever you look

you see only unity in the diversity that others see. This awareness has made

you totally fearless." Fear of Death - The most Powerful of all Fears Of all

the fears that haunt humanity, the fear of death is the strongest. No matter

how courageous and valorous you may be, no matter how highly educated, no

matter how much you may be blessed with unlimited wealth, no matter what great

talents and skills you may possess, the fear of death will be lurking in the

background, annulling all your accomplishments and destroying your

self-confidence. Most people become subject to

despair when they see people dying. The moment they hear of someone's death they

consider it very inauspicious and try to close their ears to it. Even when they

are over 100 they get frightened when they think of death. They always want to

live just a little bit longer. But however much more anyone may aspire to live,

death is certain. The fear of death will not save you from death. Distracting

the mind by dwelling on the transient joys of life will not save you. Your

relations and friends cannot save you. Your great accomplishments cannot save

you. All the objects in the world and all the people in it, are equally washed

away by the flow of death. What profit is there for you to take shelter in

those who are also being washed away? The person who is seeking protection and

shelter, and the one from whom shelter is being sought, are both being washed

away.

Only when you catch hold of the divinity, which is the immovable bank of this

river of death, can you nurture any hope of being saved. When you truly know

that all there is, is the divinity, then there is nothing to fear. Then you are

saved. You will have conquered the fear of death. Fearlessness may be compared

to a great mountain while fear is something like the small waft of air created

by your breath. Can this little current created by your breath ever shake such

a mighty mountain? Of course not. The little wind of fear can never shake the

great mountain of fearlessness. When this steadfast and unwavering mountain of

fearlessness becomes implanted in a mind that is clean and pure and free of

delusions, and when it resides in a heart that is immersed in bliss, then you

are veritably expressing your divine nature. Then the truth will be established

in

your heart of hearts, that there is only the one divine reality existing

everywhere. Once you know this all-pervasive divinity to be your essence you

laugh at death, for then death no longer has any power over you. Why should

anything ever frighten you? What can possibly make you afraid? Death is really

just a kind of joke in this play of life. If the role calls for you to fall and

die on the stage, will you, the actor, be affected? What is so earth shaking

about the death of a body that is born to die. The body, which is made up of

the five elements, has to be destroyed some day. For the sake of such an

impermanent thing why should you worry? "Arjuna, you are not the one who is

going to kill, nor will those you fight be killed. The only thing that can be

killed is the body. You are the immortal self. You are not the body." This is

the truth that Krishna

taught Arjuna and thereby made him fearless. Fearlessness is a quality that is

as vital and as important as your lifebreath itself. It is the foremost of the

virtues taught in the Gita. Fearlessness is the very Nature of a Human Being In

truth, human beings are divine and fearlessness is their very nature. It is the

deeper meaning of the word human. Human refers to your divine essence. Here is

a story to illustrate how human beings are not living up to their divine

nature, but in their actions have become worse than animals. Once there was a

fearsome forest, and living in this

forest there were a large number of animals. In most forests where there are

lions there will be no elephants, and if there are elephants roaming about then

there will not be any lions. But in this forest, there were all types of

animals: lions, elephants, jackals, dogs, monkeys, the whole animal kingdom was

present there. One day, a clever fox thought to himself, 'Human beings boast

that there is something special and unique about human nature. They say that it

is extremely rare and difficult to attain life as a human being. But human

beings are born the same way that we animals are born. All these beings are

born from the womb of a mother. The question is: Why are we all lumped together

and called animals, while human beings are singled out and called humans? In

what way are we inferior to them?' The fox weighed all the various arguments

and

counter-arguments to this question that was perplexing him, and he resolved to

prove that there was no distinction between humans and animals. From that day

onwards, he started airing this problem to all the denizens of that forest. He

sought out other animals and said, "Why should we accept the present state of

affairs? People are considering animal life as inferior to human life. We

should take steps to reverse this erroneous belief." In this way, he began to

encourage all the animals living there to think about this issue and get

excited about it. He showed how these false beliefs had been taught and

accepted by all the animals, even by the mighty elephant who was stronger than

anyone and the dauntless lion, who was their king. The Grand Meeting of all the

Animals

justify">The fox resolved to have a very big meeting of all the animals to

discuss these points and frame some resolutions on which they could universally

agree. The name proposed for this meeting was 'the great gathering of the

four-footed ones'. It was decided that on a particular day, at a particular

time, all of them would come together in a big open area and assemble for this

special meeting. Initially, three agenda items were agreed upon. The first was

that human beings, just like animals, are born from the womb of a mother;

therefore there should be only one name, both for humans and animals. Either

humans should be called animals or animals should be called humans; but there

should not be two different names and two different titles. That was the first

resolution they wanted to pass at the meeting. The

second agenda item was that animals had been called unwise, while humans claim

to be endowed with wisdom. But animals should not accept this. In what way do

humans have superior wisdom to the animals? The fox was particularly insistent

on this point. He asked, "What is this wisdom that man has, that we do not

have? We have to firmly resolve that there is the same wisdom in both humans

and animals." The third agenda item that the fox proposed was, "Humans are

considered to be talking animals whereas we are dumb; that is considered to be

a very great disadvantage to us, which they claim makes a big difference. But

even if we are dumb, what is it that we are lacking? By having learned the

ability to talk and by possessing that skill, what is the extraordinary

happiness that humans have attained? Let us propose that talking and dumbness

be considered more or

less the same.Then there is also a fourth point we should consider," the fox

added. "Human beings think of us as being restless and excitable whereas they

consider themselves to be calm and peaceful in nature. But none of us should

agree to this. The peaceful nature that we have, even man does not possess. We

deserve the reputation and recognition that we are far superior in serenity to

human beings." They all agreed that these four points should be discussed in

the meeting. But then they wondered whom they should ask to preside over their

meeting. The fox pointed out that there were a number of great sages who had

been doing penance in the forest. "We should select a very highly accomplished

sage to preside over our meeting,"

he suggested. They all agreed and resolved to send the fox to find a wise man

whom they could trust to be true and just, and request him to chair their

meeting. After a long search, the fox came to a cave in which he saw a sage

engaged in penance. His instinct told him that he had found the right holy man

to chair their gathering. He reverentially approached the sage and prayed to

him, "Swami, in the kingdom of animals we have decided to have a very important

meeting and we request you to preside over it." The sage, who recognized

everything as the living divinity, said, "All right, I will be happy to come

and preside over your meeting." So, in a vast open field they arranged to have

their gathering. In that forest, every animal from the smallest to the biggest

came with all their children, and many brought their grandchildren also, to

attend this

important meeting. They were all in very high spirits and extremely happy to

take part in such a grand meeting. And they all showed a great deal of respect

for their president. A high platform was provided for the president. Just

beside the chair for the president, a chair was provided for the lion. The sage

presiding over the function was also in very good spirits and was not the least

bit afraid of the lion who was sitting next to him. This sage recognized the

existence of God in every living being; therefore, he was full of fearlessness.

Once all of the animals were seated, there was a need for properly welcoming the

august assembly. The secretary for this great meeting was the fox. The fox began

his welcoming address. "Revered president, your excellency the king, honored

minister, dear brothers and sisters! This day is a day which will be written in

golden letters in the annals of this great forest and all its denizens. This is

an unforgettable day which will never be forgotten in the whole animal kingdom,

for today we will achieve a grand success in this most important meeting for

which we have all assembled here. In coming together here you have all made

some notable sacrifices. You have given up a great number of activities and

have made time available in your busy lives to participate in this meeting. So,

in the very first place, let me express my deepest gratitude to all of you."

Then the secretary went on and explained the items on the agenda. As soon as

the agenda had been presented, the lion got up and addressed the vast

gathering. TO BE CONTINUED

MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: right" align="right">With Sai love from Sai

brothers – ‘’ Source:

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

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