SAI BABA GITA – Part XXVI – Answers for all questions

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FONT-SIZE: 10pt">There are three types of activities emerging from different

aspects of this flame of life. There are the ordinary actions which lead to

ordinary results, which in turn, lead to more actions in an endless cycle. This

is like a flame that burns steadily one moment and sputters the next, or burns

in various hues and at various temperatures. Then there are the good actions,

those which always bring good results. These good actions are like an

unchanging flame which is ever steady. This second type of activity applies to

performing your worldly duties in a righteous manner, being active in good

causes, engaging in devotional practices, etc. These are all good actions but

along with them, there will still be a clear interest in the results. The Vedas

have declared that even the best and most beneficial actions performed with

interest in

the results can only take you as far as heaven. You should not be under the

impression that heaven endows you with immortality; when the merits of the

actions have been consumed, you have to come back down to earth. So, this

second type of action, also perpetuates the cycle of birth and death. Lastly,

there are actions which are not related to the attributes of the flame. This

third type of activity is associated with the pure radiance, the effulgence of

the atmic light. For such actions, interest in the fruit is not relevant, at

all. Such actions emerge out of your inner nature, your deepest truth, which is

divine. You perform all your actions as an offering to the divinity, knowing

that the one divinity is in everyone. Such sacred acts can be called yoga, for

then you are engaged in karma yoga. This is purity in action where there is

no attachment to the outcome. Realize that when you are interested in the

fruits, they soon become exhausted, and new actions have to be undertaken again

and again, in an endless cycle. Take, for example, a member of the legislative

assembly who runs for election. If he achieves victory in the election, he can

go to the assembly for five years. As time passes, his term of office runs out

and at the end of five years he has to return home. Similarly, all the merits

which you earn through your activities may be compared to this kind of limited

term which lasts for a number of years. At the end of the period you have to

come back into birth again. As long as your merits last you enjoy heaven, but

as soon as they get exhausted you

must again descend into birth. Therefore, while describing the doctrine of karma

to Arjuna, Krishna said, "Instead of aspiring for the temporary result of an

action, which keeps you bound to the cycle of birth and death, aspire to

realize the supreme divinity which is your own true self. When you know that

the one divinity is the immortal self of all and act from that knowledge, then

your actions are aligned with the divine will and they will be sacred. Then you

will never have to come back into birth again. But, if instead, your actions are

motivated by the results, which, in turn, leads you into to life after life and

you are perpetually coming and going, then how will you ever be able to reach

your permanent goal?" There is a small story to illustrate this. Aspire for the

Supreme and Never Come Back

FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> An inveterate thief was caught in the act of stealing and was

put into prison. It was decreed in court that he be imprisoned for six months.

The six month period soon passed and the day arrived when he was to be

released. The jailer came and told the thief, "Well, by tomorrow evening your

term will be completed and you will have served your punishment. You can make

your preparations to go. Collect all the personal possessions that we are

holding for you, and be ready to leave." The thief was not overly happy to hear

this, but he was not unhappy either. He was just indifferent, for he knew what

was to happen. "Let the articles remain here," he said. The jailer asked him,

"Why, don't you want to take these things

with you?" The thief replied, "There is no point in taking them with me. In a

day or two I will be back. Soon enough, you will see me again in this same

jail. Since it will be just a few days, why should I bother with them?" So,

this thief knew that he was going to indulge in stealing again, that he would

be caught and punished again and, undoubtedly, he would land right back in this

same prison. In the same way, your actions may be compared to this coming and

going of the thief. You perform actions in your life here on earth. In time,

you are motivated to make all your actions good actions and they produce good

results. Afterwards you go to heaven. When your term there has expired you come

back again to earth. Krishna said, "This process of going up and coming down is

not good." At this point, Krishna gave Arjuna the sacred teachings. He directed

Arjuna

to seek out the place of eternal truth and abide there. Once you are established

in that permanent place, abiding in your immortal self, actions can no longer

bind you. Then there will be no need to ever come back again, for you will be

established in the permanent bliss of the Atma. Compared with this exalted

state, earthly and heavenly joys are like mere atoms in the infinite universe.

The Yoga of Action - Relinquishing the Fruit Krishna told Arjuna repeatedly,

"Arjuna! Do your duty. Engage yourself in rightful action. But do not aspire

for the fruit of your action." Krishna's intent was to turn all of Arjuna's

actions into sacred actions,

into karma yoga, and thereby help him to reach his spiritual goal. In the world,

all actions are performed for the sake of the rewards, or what can be called the

fruits. If there were no fruits resulting from their actions, if they were not

compensated or paid in some form or other, the great majority of human beings

would not undertake any work at all. What is Krishna's objection to Arjuna

aspiring for the fruit of his labor? When almost everyone performs actions for

the sake of the reward, what is the deeper meaning in Krishna directing Arjuna

to perform all his actions without expecting any reward? Krishna's sole

interest was to see to it that all of Arjuna's actions be transformed into

yoga, in other words, that Arjuna's will be aligned with the divine will. This

would happen when Arjuna surrendered himself fully to the divinity, offered all

his

actions to the divine and gave up all his attachments to the results. Then his

karma became karma yoga. Transform all your Actions into Sacred Actions and be

Free As long as you act with body-consciousness, that is, as long as you

identify yourself as the doer of an action, then that action cannot be karma

yoga. Any action performed with the feeling of ego, the sense that I did it, or

with the sense of attachment, that it is my act, can only bring sorrow to you in

the end. Such actions will always result in further bondage. However, when you

transform your actions into yoga, then you become free from bondage. How does

action

or karma become yoga? All actions performed as offerings to the divinity,

without any sense of individual doership and without seeking any personal

results, will be transformed into yoga. Numerous troubles arise when one acts

with a feeling of egoism. Inwardly, you might feel, 'This action was performed

by me, so I should derive the benefits from this action. I worked, so I deserve

to get paid. I am certainly entitled to the rewards accruing from these actions

that I have performed.' Such feelings serve only to further strengthen the

sense of ego, the sense of I and mine. As this sense of I and mine goes on

increasing, the Atma goes further and further into obscurity, and the joy

emerging from the Atma goes on decreasing. To destroy egoism completely,

Krishna asked Arjuna to transform all his actions into

yoga. What is the method of transforming your action into yoga? You must become

impersonal; you must not identify yourself with the actions or the results that

accrue from them, but, instead, concentrate fully on the action itself,

remaining indifferent to the results. In other words, you act because it is

your nature to do so, offering all your efforts to the indwelling divinity, and

remaining totally unconcerned and disinterested in the fruit. With such a

feeling of detachment, whatever task you become engaged in will become sacred.

There is the example of King Janaka, who showed by his life that if you perform

actions without any desire for the fruit and without any personal interest in

the act, then your

accomplishments can indeed become very great. While ruling a kingdom, and

bearing all the responsibilities associated with it, King Janaka performed all

his acts with the attitude that he was only the witness. Because he acted

without any attachment to the results, Janaka became a sacred king, a monarch

who was also a yogi. Turn Actions into Yoga Every action that is offered to the

Lord and is performed without any personal interest becomes a holy sacrifice and

can be considered as yoga. But when an action is performed with a personal

interest in the action and its results, then it is nothing but roga, which in

Sanskrit means disease. The root

cause of all such disease is attachment. From attachment follows hatred and

anger. These are the demons that will hide all your human qualities. It is the

same for everyone; once attachment and hatred begin to show themselves in you,

they encourage all the demonic tendencies and you forget your true human

nature. Therefore, Krishna commanded Arjuna, "Perform your actions free from

all attachments. Be impersonal. When you perform actions without having any

personal interest, the fruit of these actions will not touch you. That is how I

rule over all the three worlds. Can you not rule over even one little body that

way? "Develop the firm faith that when you remain disinterested in the rewards

you will be able to achieve many great

tasks. But when you have attachment to the results of a task, you will be

subject to disappointment. If you get the fruits you expected, you will be

overjoyed. If you do not succeed, you will be worried. Try to control this

sense of dejection and elation. Become truly wise. Do not allow yourself to be

subjected to these wavering feelings of elation and dejection." There is no

human being who is not engaged in actions. Every person has a human body for

the express purpose of performing actions. To sanctify the body, you have to

perform only good actions. For every action there will be a fruit. You should

realize that the joy which you get in performing an action is much greater than

the joy you get from the fruit of the action.

10pt">For example, on an auspicious religious festival, a family may choose to

be together throughout the night with other devotees, relatives and friends to

sing devotional songs. As long as they are engaged in their practice and

involved in their ceremonies they are unaware of any feeling of fatigue. Even

if some of them were suffering from fever they would not mind; they would be

completely absorbed in the function. During that period, when they are immersed

in their practice, no one feels tired. But when you visit this family soon after

the function is over, you find them all looking rather weary. The Joy of Doing

is greater than the Joy of the Rewards You get

joy while performing an action, but you do not experience joy to the same extent

after the action is completed. You are simply deluded by the feeling that there

is some joy in the fruit of the action. But, truly speaking, there is no joy

whatsoever in the fruit. The joy which you believe you get from the fruit is

only a reflection; it is a shadow of the real joy. It is just a phantom joy. It

is not the permanent joy that you are seeking. When the actions themselves are

temporary and transient, how can the fruits derived from them be anything more

than fleeting shadows? Perhaps you feel that by performing acts of charity or

by doing good, involving yourself in good causes, participating in auspicious

events or by engaging in various acts of personal sacrifice, you will earn

heavenly rewards. However, Krishna declared that heaven is only temporary. He

said,

"Arjuna, there is something which is far greater than heaven. Of course, you

should always do good. I am not saying that you should stop performing good

deeds, sacrifices, austerities, religious rituals and the like. It is not only

your right but your duty to continue with such good actions; but, do everything

you do with only the welfare of the whole world in mind. Do not act with any

selfish motive. Perform every action selflessly, disinterestedly, concerned

only with the peace, welfare and prosperity of all living beings, everywhere.

"Do not be concerned with reaching heaven. Set your sight on a much higher

goal, beyond heaven. Heaven will last only as long as the merits of your

actions last. Once these merits are exhausted, you will have to come back to

earth. Therefore, give up your longing for heaven, which is temporary and

impermanent. Cultivate

nearness and dearness to the Lord. Become merged in him; that is what is truly

important. The principle of divinity is greater than heaven. When you

understand the secret of action and perform all your actions from the proper

perspective, you will be able to acquire the divinity itself." The Gita brings

the Highest Wisdom into Daily Life The Gita has not asked you to renounce all

worldly activities and become a sanyasin, a wandering mendicant. Some people

are under the impression that the Gita should not be taught to children, for

the youngsters might get a notion to renounce the world and go to the forest.

Many people suffer from such wrong

impressions. But consider the great number of people who have been teaching the

Gita. Are they all sanyasins? Have they renounced all the things of the world?

Did Arjuna, who heard the Gita directly from Krishna, become a sanyasin? The

inner significance of the Gita has to be understood in the context of human

nature as it is expressed in the world, in the everyday activities of people.

The most important objective of the Gita is to bring down the priceless,

ancient wisdom to the level of the mundane world and to raise worldly life to

the level of the highest wisdom. The Gita brings down Vedanta into daily life

and elevates daily life to the level of Vedanta; it not only introduces

philosophy and spirituality into daily life, but it also introduces daily life

into philosophy and spirituality.

Hence, it reconciles spirituality and daily life. Human existence does not just

involve the daily, secular activities; it is not meant at all for just eking

out a livelihood. The Gita teaches the sanctity of human life; it directs man

to his ultimate goal. It teaches him how to make his livelihood in the world,

in a way that enables him to transcend the human condition, and in a way that

does not bind him to further human births. You will not be bound by your

actions when they are performed selflessly, without any interest in the fruits.

The Gita teaches you to develop nonattachment to all your activities, duties and

possessions. What actually happens by having this attitude of detachment is that

your actions become sacred. The Gita does not encourage you to renounce work; on

the contrary, it encourages you to do your duty and perform

all the activities appropriate to your status in life. But you must transform

all these actions into sacred works by offering them to the Lord. For example,

consider the work of a cook. Cooks perform their duties properly and do their

job well when they keep their mind on the cooking. If instead, they do

everything keeping only the wages in view, then they will not have much

interest in their work and the cooking will not be good. Cooking should be

performed with a sense of love and absorption in the work and with the welfare

of all in mind, without concern for the monetary rewards. Then it becomes a

sacred and pure service that nourishes and sanctifies. In the same way, when

you perform your assigned duties, whatever they are,

with full concentration on the work, offering it to the divinity, and without

any personal interest in the fruit, then your actions become sacred and grand.

With this feeling of disinterestedness in the fruits, your work becomes steady

and you will also progress steadily forward towards your goal. But when you

have a personal interest in the work that you are performing, there will be ups

and downs, fickleness will develop and your desires will quickly grow. Krishna

held out King Janaka as an ideal person because he ruled his kingdom with this

sense of detachment, and thereby attained perfection. There are some people who

have only outward vision. There are others who have developed inward vision.

Outward vision sees only the illusory world outside. Inward vision transforms

the mind and fills the heart with sacred feelings. In order to gain inner

vision,

you have to develop this quality of absorption in the work and detachment from

the results, offering everything you do to the divinity within. There is a

story to illustrate the great spiritual power of this lofty practice. Janaka

and Suka Once, in the age previous to Krishna and Arjuna's, the young sage

Suka, had entered King Janaka's kingdom and was traveling in the neighborhood

of the capital city. King Janaka heard that Suka was in the vicinity, but did

not know where Suka chose to make his camp. The king sent out messengers in all

directions, to get news of Suka's whereabouts. They located Suka living in a

shelter in a forest, near the capital city. Janaka,

along with his ministers, went to visit Suka. Janaka did not go there as a king

or ruler. He went as a servant of the Lord. Janaka had long ago removed all

traces of ego and now went as a humble spiritual seeker. Suka was giving a

discourse to his disciples on a spiritual topic. During this discourse, Janaka

stood and listened with full concentration. Evening came. Before he left,

Janaka went to Suka and asked, "Swami, may I come every day and experience your

inspiring discourses?" Suka replied, "Janaka, spirituality and philosophy are

not anyone's private property. Whoever has the interest, whoever enjoys

listening to these teachings, whoever believes in reaching the goal, has a

right to this knowledge. Certainly you may come. You are most welcome." Janaka

went back to his palace and returned each day to attend the discourses. Now,

Suka wanted to demonstrate to the world that King Janaka had inward vision,

whereas most people have only outward vision. With this in mind, he moved to a

spot on the crest of a hill overlooking the capital city, and made his camp

there. From this place, he continued his daily discourses on Vedanta. One

particular day, King Janaka, because of some urgent responsibilities of

administration, was delayed in coming there. Suka purposely held up starting

his discourse until Janaka had arrived. Suka took no cognizance of the large

gathering of people that were already assembled there, waiting for the

discourse to commence. To demonstrate his interest, Suka started asking

questions of this person and that, trying to find out why King Janaka had not

come. He also told some people to go and find out what had delayed the king. He

himself stood on the roadside and watched for the royal party to arrive. At

this, some murmur began among the people there. The disciples, the elders and

youngsters who had assembled there, began whispering among themselves. One

said, "Look at Suka. He is considered to be such a great sage who has renounced

everything; but it does not seem to be true. Here he is waiting for King Janaka.

Just because Janaka is an important ruler, Suka is not paying any attention to

us and does not seem to care about starting the discourse." Another person

said, "Look at this peculiar behavior of Suka. Why does he show so much

partiality to kings? For a sage, should

there be any difference in his feelings for a king and for others?" Now, Suka

noted all this talk that was going on. In fact, it was with the intention of

teaching them a good lesson that he had conducted himself this way. Half an

hour passed. An hour passed. Two hours passed. Suka continued to wait for

Janaka to come; he did not make any attempt to start his discourse. The Venom

must come Out before Teachings can go In Meanwhile, those people whose hearts

were a little polluted, gave expression to their feelings of jealousy and

anger. All those impure feelings which were inherent in them, but had been

hidden inside, now started coming out. That is just what Suka

wanted, for only after the venom that was in their hearts had come out could the

teachings of the Vedanta enter there. If there is nothing inside one's head,

then it can be filled with sacred teachings. But if one's head is already

filled with all sorts of impure stuff, how can it take anything pure and sacred

in? Without emptying the head of all the useless dross, sacred teachings will

never take hold there. So, Suka's wish was that all these baser feelings should

manifest themselves and be expressed. He wanted his students to pour out all the

dirt and filth which was inside their minds. He knew that as long as their

hearts harbored attachments and bad feelings, his teachings would not take

hold. So he had them undergo this process of purification. Meanwhile, with a

great deal of anxiety, Janaka rushed to attend the discourse. Suka noted the

approach of Janaka. He could be seen coming from a long way off because Janaka

did not usually come alone. Although Janaka was not interested in bringing

ministers and servants, they would invariably accompany him to provide security

and protection to the king. Soon all the people became aware that King Janaka

was approaching. Entering the area where the discourse was given, Janaka

prostrated himself before the guru and humbly asked his pardon for coming late.

Then Janaka spread his grass mat and sat down. Immediately Suka commenced his

discourse. Now, in the hearts of the young disciples who had assembled there,

hatred fructified. Their faces began changing because of their feelings towards

Suka and King Janaka. 'Look

at this Suka!', they thought to themselves. 'He only cares about pleasing the

king. That is the extent of his Vedanta.' The Fire that brought out the

Attachments of the Disciples Suka decided to teach a lesson to all the people

assembled there who were harboring such negative feelings. After some time, he

interrupted his discourse suddenly and said, "Janaka, look at your kingdom. It

is on fire!" King Janaka, who had closed his eyes and was totally absorbed in

listening to the sacred teachings, took no notice of these words. He had fixed

his mind on the Vedanta, and so he kept his concentration only on the Vedanta.

The other people who had assembled there saw the flames and smoke rising above

the city. Some of the disciples, thinking of their relatives and belongings,

began running towards the capital city, in the plain below. All the attachments

which had lain hidden deep in their hearts now came to the surface and fully

exposed themselves. A few moments later, Suka told King Janaka, "Janaka, this

fire has now spread to your palace." Even then, Janaka did not take any notice

of Suka's statement; Janaka did not move from his seat. He had the true feeling

of complete detachment and indifference to all things worldly. His interest was

only in the atma. Except for this absorption in the Atma he had no other

feelings. Among those in attendance at the discourse were a number of

celebrated spiritual teachers having worldwide reputations. Suka wanted to

demonstrate to them that they might be very great scholars but they had not

killed their attachments. When these scholars saw the flames, they were

apprehensive; they turned to King Janaka and began praying, "O, King! O, King!

Please do something about this terrible catastrophe happening below!" But

Janaka had entered into a state of Samadhi; he was enjoying the bliss of the

Atma. Tears of joy were coursing down Janaka's cheek. He did not waver for even

a moment from the holy thoughts on which he had fixed his concentration. Suka

observed Janaka's state and was very pleased. After some time, those disciples

who

had run away towards the capital returned, reporting that, in fact, there had

been no fire at all. Then Suka began to explain to the disciples the meaning of

all that had gone on. Suka said, "Well, children, I did not delay starting my

discourse for two hours because Janaka is the king and, therefore, a very

important man. I delayed because he is a deserving person, a true seeker; and I

believe in waiting for such a one. Because he has purged himself of ego and

pride, because he has true humility, dedication and detachment he has the

authority to hold up the discourse. You listen, but you do not hear what is

said or put it into practice; therefore, you have no such authority. "Instead

of teaching hundreds of people who have made

no effort in applying these teachings to their daily lives, I can teach at least

one person who truly has a right to being taught, because he has integrated

these sacred precepts into his very life. What is the use of teaching people

full of attachment and egoism? It is something like throwing a stone into

water. For any number of years the stone may lie in the water, but it will not

absorb even a drop of water. "Even if I can get just one person like Janaka, it

is sufficient for me to go on. Why have useless shining stones in great numbers?

If there is at least one gem which is truly valuable, that is enough. Why have

ten acres of barren land if you can have even a small plot that is fertile and

abundant in its yield? If one king like Janaka can become sacred, then he can

transform his entire kingdom and turn it into a sacred realm that will be an

example

to the whole world." Suka's intent was to make Janaka a sacred king and at the

same time to teach a valuable lesson to the conceited disciples who had

gathered around him. Through Arjuna Krishna taught the Whole World Krishna had

a similar intent when he taught the Gita to Arjuna. Arjuna was also a sacred

person, and he had qualified himself for the teachings by his character and his

high ideals. Arjuna had control of the senses; he had won a great deal of

spiritual power from the penance he had performed. He had, to a large extent,

suppressed his worldly attachments. He had a highly developed intellect and had

become skilled in many arts. And he had

surrendered himself to Krishna in true humility. Krishna decided that Arjuna was

ready for the highest wisdom and resolved to turn him into a truly wise being.

With the intention that if Arjuna could be corrected, the whole world would

benefit thereby, Krishna took great care to give these sacred teachings to

Arjuna. Arjuna had both the capacity and the virtue to rise to great spiritual

heights. That is the reason he had been given a number of titles. The Sanskrit

word arjuna means one who is pure. Another title Krishna gave Arjuna was the

sacred-hearted one; another was the jewel-of-men. Arjuna was such a powerful

person that he could, if he wanted to, undertake acts which would terrify the

entire world. But Arjuna always

acted purely in keeping with righteousness. He earned the right to use a

powerful weapon which could not be wielded by any other living person of his

day. Originally, this weapon belonged to Lord Shiva. This same fearsome weapon

which was originally with Shiva and then with King Janaka in an earlier age, in

Krishna and Arjuna's time, became the Gandhiva, Arjuna's formidable bow. By

earning the grace of Shiva, Arjuna was able to obtain this magnificent weapon.

In every respect Arjuna was an outstanding hero, and it was such a noble and

righteous human being that Krishna chose to teach the Gita, so that the entire

world would benefit thereby. It is through your mouth that you offer food to

the stomach. Then it is through the stomach that the food reaches the entire

body. In the same way as food reaches all the limbs of the body when offered to

the stomach, the Gita was given to a pure and selfless person such as Arjuna so

that it might reach the entire world. One of Arjuna's names is Parthiva which

means son of the earth. All of you are children of the earth. Since Arjuna may

be considered an outstanding representative of all mankind, Krishna felt that

the whole world would in time be transformed by converting him into a sacred

person. Ordinary Actions, Detached Actions and Sacred Actions Compared to

ordinary actions which are done by thinking of yourself as the doer, actions

done without any sense of doership will be much greater. But, an action that is

done with complete selflessness,

performed impersonally with total indifference and without any attachment - is

greater still. But when the action is entirely offered to the Lord, when it

becomes a holy sacrifice, it is even more sacred than all of these. Thus,

Krishna commanded Arjuna to offer all his acts to the Lord. When Arjuna reached

this state of evolution, that is, when Arjuna acted completely selflessly and

offered everything he did to the Lord, Krishna began to teach him the Gita. In

the primary stage, every human being has to perform actions and be actively

employed in the tasks for which he is suited. One needs to perform action in

order not to develop laziness. A lazy person is absolutely useless to the

world. Swami does not approve or encourage anyone to be lazy. First, you must

perform ordinary actions. Then you should enter into the stage where you

perform all your

actions without any self-interest. Gradually you transform these actions into

yoga, you transform work into worship. This is one of the core teachings of the

Gita. The Gita will give you whatever you are Ready to Receive It is to utterly

destroy selfishness, egoism, arrogance, pride, possessiveness, attachment,

hatred and other such poisonous qualities that the Gita has taught the truth in

so many ways. In the process, it has helped many different kinds of people to

develop a sacred nature. The Gita may be compared to a wish fulfilling tree.

Whatever you desire from the Gita it will give. The meaning given to different

teachings in

the Gita depends on your outlook and stage of spiritual preparation. No one can

say that he knows the one correct meaning for a particular verse; no one has

the authority to claim that theirs is the only meaning. The Gita teachings

apply to every level of spiritual seeker. Therefore, the Gita may be described

as the heart of the Vedanta. It is its very essence. The Gita is a treasure

chest of gold; the Gita is a flower-strewn path; the Gita is the support of all

earnest seekers and aspirants; the Gita allows them to swim and survive in this

sea of worldly life; the Gita helps them to traverse all obstacles and reach

their goal. A person who does not care for the Gita misses the very purpose of

life. Whatever be your feelings, the meaning you will derive from the Gita will

be commensurate to your level of spiritual development. For example, many of the

devotees here will know the Sanskrit chant which is used as an incantation for

evoking the blessing of the Lord. Its first line translates, 'to the white

attired Lord'. Lord Vishnu is this all pervasive one. He is omnipresent. He is

described as ash-colored. He is also described as having the color of the moon,

being whitish, which is the same as saying that he has the color of ashes. He

has also been described as having four hands and a most pleasing and sacred

face, which does not exhibit any feeling of elation or dejection. This is the

feeling of believers, and it is in this way that they pray to the Lord. But

non-believers may use the very same words, although the image they describe

with these words may be completely different.

0in 6pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">The Sanskrit word that starts this incantation

also refers to the one who carries white clothes. In whatever situation you see

this one, you find it does not exhibit any feelings; it is ash-colored, and it

has four limbs. One can take these attributes, put them all together and say

that these words describe a donkey. A donkey will be carrying white clothes

from the washerman, it has four limbs, an ash-colored body and a most patient

face. It is not tied down to any place, you can find it roaming in the roads,

in front of the house, everywhere. This is the meaning given to these very same

words by non-believers. So, whether it is the exalted Lord or a lowly ass,

depends on how you look at it, whether you are a devotee or a non-believer, and

whether you are interested in or oblivious to such spiritual expressions. In the

same way, the Gita yields up different meanings to different types of people.

Based upon the state of your feelings, each of you will get the meaning which

is appropriate to the stage you have reached on the spiritual path. So, this

Gita is a great wish-fulfilling tree. It is a celestial cow, giving freely of

its milk. You can take from it whatever meaning you like, whatever teaching you

are ready to absorb. There is plenty of water in the ocean, but the amount of

water you can take away from it depends upon the capacity of the vessel that

you have brought to fill up. The water will be the same; the difference will

only be in the size of the vessel. Likewise, there may be differences in your

feelings, but the Gita is only one. The basic message of the Gita is the same

for all;

its sacred purpose is to transform humanity into divinity. You should not take

such a holy book lightly. You should approach the Gita with a deep feeling of

devotion and commitment. You should chant the verses with genuine feeling and

understanding. And you should practice daily at least one or two of the

precepts given here. Only then will you gain complete fulfillment in your life.

TO BE CONTINUED With Sai love from Sai brothers – ‘’ Source:

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

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