questions put to Prof. Anil Kumar and answered by him. 1-16 (total 228 Q & A* )

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16 questions (total 228 Q & A* ) put to Prof. Anil Kumar and answered by him.

 

*Questions & Answers 1 to 16

16.“What Is The Origin Of The Mind?” (08.12.2002)

One question sent to me is this: “What is the origin of the mind? The answer is

simple. There is no mind, so there is no origin! If there is a mind, you have

to trace out its origin. The mind is non-existent. The mind is only a bundle of

thoughts. The mind is only a bundle of desires. In the deep sleep state, there

is no mind at all. The mind is there in the dreaming state; the mind is there

in the waking state. But the mind is non-existent in the deep-sleep state.

When thoughts are withdrawn, when desires are given up, there is no mind.

Withdrawal of the mind or annihilation of the mind is called amanaska or

manolaya. So, the question of the origin of the mind does not arise at all.

 

15.What does Swami have to say about friends and the role they have to play in

our life?” (03.11.2002)

Swami often says, “Tell me your company and I shall tell you what you are.”

But, my friends, we don’t have friends today. No, no, no. A friend in the

morning becomes an enemy by the evening. Most of the friendships today are

selfish. Most of the friendships today are political. Most of the friendships

today are motivated. But who is the real friend? What is the definition of a

friend?

Bhagavan said, “The one who is with you, the one who will be with you, the one

who was with you - that one who is always by your side in the past, the present

and also in the future, He only is the true friend.”

Supposing we get into any litigation, they will not look at your face. As Baba

has said, “When the pockets are full of money and the father has a position,

everybody will say, ‘Hello, hello.’ When the pocket is empty, after the

retirement of the father, nobody will even say, ‘Goodbye’.” There are no true

friends today.

Bhagavan gave one example. It seems that one man was dragged into the court

because of some litigation. He had three friends. He asked one friend, “Would

you please come to the court and be a witness?” That man said, “I am sorry. I

was so happy playing cards with you in the club, but I don’t want to come to

the court and be a witness, I am sorry.”

“Um-hum.”

Then this man went to the second friend. “Hey there, friend! We have been

classmates, childhood friends. Why don’t you come to the court and stand as a

witness so that I will be acquitted?”

That man said, “No, no, no, I am not going to come to the court. I will give you

the address of a good advocate, a good attorney, a good pleader who will defend

your case, but I won’t come to the court. “

“Oh-ho, thank you.”

Then he went to the third friend. “Would you please come and help me?”

“Why not? I’ll come with you. I’ll stand there in the witness box and speak in

support of you so that you will be acquitted.”

Similarly, we have three friends. Who are they? The first fellow represents our

friends, our acquaintances or those who are very well known to us. These

friends will just say, “Oh, that fellow died? Oh-ho, he was a good man. What

can you do?” That’s all.

The second types are relatives, who will come to the cremation or burial ground.

And the third friend — He will come with us even after death, as the

consequence or result of all our good actions or karma. Karmaphala -- the

rewards of our actions will follow us. Therefore that friend, Karmaphala, is

the eternal Witness, who is God Himself. So the answer to the question, “Who is

my friend?” is that God is my friend. That’s all - no one else.

 

14.“Your whole life is a sacrifice, is it true? Does God really want us to be

such martyrs?” (03.11.2002)

No, no, we should not blame poor God like that. He doesn’t want us to be

martyrs. Why does He want you to sacrifice? It is so that you will be happy.

Sacrifice your desire because desire takes you to misery. If you are

desireless, you will be blissful. Then you are not sacrificing for anybody. You

are sacrificing for your own sake. Instead of going to the theatre, I am going

to the Mandir.

“Sir, I’m not going to theatre. I have not gone to cinema, so I have

sacrificed.” Oh, you have not sacrificed anything. By going to the theatre

and watching a cinema there, your mind would have turned violent. Your mind

would have become agitated. Your mind would have been disturbed. Your mind

would have been full of turbulent waves. The mind would have lost its balance

and peace. By going to the Mandir, it enjoys peace of mind. It enjoys

equanimity. It delights. So, what have you sacrificed? You have not sacrificed

for anybody else. You have sacrificed for your own advantage, for your own

improvement.

 

13.“How is it possible to lose a desire but not shut down the heart?” (03.11.2002)

Please understand we have confusion about the portfolios here. Mind is the

centre of desire, whereas the heart is the centre of feeling. The mind is dual;

the heart is non-dual. The mind is diversified; the heart is unity. The mind is

emotional; the heart is balanced. The mind is always for convenience; the heart

is for conviction. The mind is physical; the heart is spiritual. I don’t mean

the physical heart -- that needs a cardiologist. I mean the spiritual heart. So

shutting down your heart means that you are closing the doors of your soul — you

are closing the doors of your consciousness.

If you shut down your heart, then you don’t want to turn inward. You just want

to grope in the darkness of the whims and the fancies, the likes and dislikes

and the vagaries of the mind. The mind is full of vagaries, likes and dislikes,

choices and preferences. When I move about in the realm along the horizon of the

mind, I become mental or psychotic. I should not shut down my heart at any cost.

The heart should be open. The more and more the heart is given a chance and a

preference, the mind gets closed automatically — the mind will shut down

automatically on its own.

 

12.“I still have desires. What to do?” (03.11.2002)

There is nothing that can be done. We have to understand the root cause of the

desire. The desire has not arisen out of my body. The desire has not been

produced or manufactured by this hand. The leg does not take me to the desire.

It is the mind that is the root cause of desire. Desires are born in the mind.

Once you understand that the mind is the substratum, that the mind is the

basis, that the mind is the cause for the desire, you can try to be desireless.

How? My mind is going this way towards desire. I tell my mind, “Don’t go this

way. Go towards the Mandir.”

When the mind thinks of God, when the mind chants His name, when the mind is in

meditation, when the mind always sings His glory in bhajans, there is no

desire. When the mind is diverted towards the world, it is full of desires.

My friends, please understand, this is only from Swami’s teachings, which are

recorded in this book, Satyōpanisad. For your reference you can go

through it. Here is a simple example given by Baba. This is a hand fan. If I

do this (Anil Kumar waves his hand, fanning away from himself), you get the

breeze. But when I turn the hand fan and wave it towards me, I get the breeze.

Is it not true? Similarly when the mind is turned toward the world, it is

suffocated. It is breathless. It is full of desires. When the same mind is

turned inward towards consciousness, it is blissful. There are no more desires.

 

11.“When does the Atma leave the body? What happens to the Atma after death?”

This is the next question. (03.11.2002)

Where does Atma go? There is no place where there is no Atma. So there is no

question of Atma vanishing somewhere. It doesn’t go on any holiday trip or ego

trip or weekend holiday because Atma is present everywhere. It doesn’t go

anywhere. It is everywhere. A simple example Baba gives is this. There is a

light bulb. When you remove the bulb, isn’t there still electricity? There is

electricity, but when you put the bulb there, you get the light. There is a

power supply. When you remove the bulb, there is still the power supply, but

you don’t get the light. This is the example given by Bhagavan. Similarly,

whether the body is there or not, the Divinity, the Atma, the Consciousness,

the Spirit exists because it is immortal.

 

 

10.“In a family situation, if the parent has done wrong, will the child suffer

the bad karma, resulting in the death of the child?” (03.11.2002)

Nothing doing. In the Divine calculation, each has to suffer the consequences

of his own karma. The father’s karma is not brought forward to the son. The

son’s karma is not brought forward to the grandson. No, it is not like that. If

it were like that, we would not be here. Prashanti Nilayam would not be full.

All rooms would be empty. No, no, no. Everyone has got his individual account.

Parents have got nothing to do with that. A man of violence and terror (named

Hiranyakasipu) has a son named Prahlada, a great devotee. So the son has

nothing to do with the father.

Swami gives this example. It seems a person collected seeds from thorny bushes

and seeds from fruit-bearing trees. If you sow them, what will happen? The seed

of a thorny bush will only grow into a thorny bush. The seed of a fruit-bearing

tree will only grow into a fruit-bearing tree. There is nothing like foreign

exchange here.

 

 

9.“Is it bad karma to change from one religion to the other?” 03.11.2002

Yes, it is bad karma. We don’t have to change our religion because all

religions are one and the same. There is unity in diversity. All religions

teach the same Truth. Truth is One. Scholars represent this in different ways,

but Truth is one. Sugar is one; all sweets are made from it. So, when we

understand that Truth is basically One, there is nothing wrong with whichever

religion you follow.

 

 

8.“Does the Atma have a religion?” 03.11.2002

Religion is of your own making. Atma has nothing to do with the religion. It

has no religion. It has no attributes or qualities. It has no name and form.

 

 

7.“Why do some children die at a young age?” 03.11.2002

I repeat once again. If you go through the two volumes of Satyōpanisad,

most of the questions will be answered. This question was dealt with here in

this book with the answer straight from Bhagavan: “Young or old relate to the

body. It is the body that ages. It is this body that is young. It is this body

that is old. So, young and old are the terms applicable to the body. But the

soul is eternal.”

Therefore, this story is one of eternity. To me, he may be a boy. But in the

earlier life, in the previous lives, that soul has been pining, that soul has

been praying for merger into the Divine. This so-called ‘child’ is young from

your point-of-view. But the soul is pretty aged. It is immortal and eternal. It

doesn’t want to remain outside. It wants to be one with the Divine. The drop

does not want to exist separately. It wants to be back in the ocean. Am I

clear? So the drop wants to come back to the ocean.

We may say, “Drop, you are so simple; you are so small; you are like a pearl; stay there.”

It will say, “No, no! I must go back to the sea.” The drop and the ocean are

one and the same.

Another point. A great saint, Narada, asked this question of Sri Mahavishnu,

God. This is also from Sai literature. “Oh God, you seem to be partial. You

look very much biased. Why?”

Then immediately God asked Narada, “What is this nonsense you are talking? I

thought you were a wise man. Perhaps you are out of your mind now. What’s wrong

with you? Since you have been moving in all of the three worlds, you must have

become imbalanced!”

Then Narada gave the answer: “Swami, Prahlada is a young boy. He could attain

liberation very quickly, whereas there is one sage named Morocunda Maharishi, a

great sage, who did penance for hundreds of years, but he could not have

realization. Why? How is it that this boy could have realization so soon, but

this old man could not? Why?”

Then the Lord gives the answer: “This Maharishi, who has been doing penance for

hundreds of years, started that penance only in this lifetime; whereas this

boy, Prahlada, has been doing penance for the last several lives. He may appear

young now, but he has been doing this for the last several lives. That you do

not know about.”

Bhagavan Baba gives one example It seems two men were passing by. One gentleman

has picked up a crowbar and hit it against a hard stone. He hit it but the

stone did not break. He hit it again and again, but the stone did not break. He

hit it ten times and it did not break.

Then the other man said, “I will try.” He took the crowbar, hit it once and it

broke immediately.

The first man felt sad. “I tried ten times and this stone did not break. Now it

has broken. Nature is not fair.”

Then the second man said, “Look here, I have hit it now and the stone has broken

into two. Please understand the simple mathematics here. It had already received

ten strokes by you. Mine was the eleventh stroke; therefore it broke. It had

ten strokes already.”

Similarly, young age or old age is our own calculation. But in the Divine

formula, it is a different dimension altogether.

 

 

6.“Would Baba come along with me on my morning walk?” 03.11.2002

What shall I tell him? In support of that question it is clearly written, “Mr.

Anil Kumar, you said in your talk that Baba wants to walk. But Baba is not able

to walk because crowds will run after Him. He will not have enough space to

walk, whereas I am sure that I can take Him along with me for a morning walk.

Could you please answer my question?”

Well, I have no answer. Would Swami come along with me for a morning walk?

Instead of putting that question, if you are aware that Swami is within you,

you could realize that He is also the one walking. The Swami within me is also

the one eating. Swami within me does everything. That satisfies all sorts of

questions. This is not an answer I am trying to evade or escape. I will give a

very simple example. When all of us were busy eating, Bhagavan did not eat

anything. It was very embarrassing. I said, “Swami, why don’t You eat? When we

are eating, why don’t You eat? I don’t feel like eating when I see You like

that.”

Then Baba said, “When all of you eat, it comes to Me. What is your prayer at the

dining table? (Anil Kumar starts singing) Aham Vaishvanaro Bhutva Praninam

Dehamasritaha. ‘I am in your body. All the food that you eat comes to Me.’

Therefore why should I eat when you are eating?”

When you are walking, Baba does not need to walk separately. That is the answer

I can give you. Now I will deal with a few more questions in the time left this

morning.

 

5."What Is ‘Bad Company’?" (27.10.2002)

There’s another question put to me. “What about the company we keep? What is

‘good company’? What is ‘bad company’? What if I am fooling myself?” Good, we

often do that!

They want a definition. What is ‘good company’ and what is ‘bad company’? It is

a very clear question. To Sai devotees, let us be sure of the answer. What is

good company? Good company is the kind that will keep us holding onto His Lotus

Feet. Good company is that which will strengthen our faith. Good company is that

which will encourage us to do service. Good company is that which will draw us

closer to His mission. Good company is that which will help us to withstand the

bumps and jumps in life. Good company is that which will help us not to have too

much attachment to money and family. That is good company.

The company which will help you to run away from here, the company which will

cause you to lose your faith, the company which will make you go to anybody,

anywhere, anytime for any reason, the company which will make you depressed and

frustrated, the company which will turn you into being an atheist, a

non-believer, is horrible, terrible, bad company.

Being in good company, we find satsang. ‘Satsang’ means good company. Bhagavan

gave a few examples. The sand in the company of air will go up. The sand in the

company of water will go down. Similarly, in the company of noble people, we

come up in life -- our paths are noble. In bad company, our thoughts are

negative. That is bad company. Beware of bad company. Baba said, “Run away from

bad company.”

4."Why Should I Suffer Now From Previous Karma?" (27.10.2002)

Then I received another question. “It is said that, due to one’s karma carried

from previous births, he or she suffers in the present birth. Because of our

past karma, we are suffering in the present life. In my humble belief, to

suffer one should know what he or she has done. Why not suffer in the present

birth for the current karma instead of it being put off till the next birth?”

Very good!

“Why should I suffer my karma now from a previous lifetime?”

What did Bhagavan say? My friends, these answers are picked from Sai literature

only. They are not based on my imagination because I'm not capable of it. I'm

supported by Sai literature. If I run short of answers, I’ll seek your

forgiveness on the matter. I don’t bluff, no!

What does Swami say about this karma aspect? He said, “Some actions give

immediate results.” Suppose there is a cut here. (He shows his finger.) When

you are sharpening your pencil and the blade cuts your skin by mistake, what

happens? It bleeds immediately. It is a reaction - a result of the action then

and there! You drink milk and you don’t feel hungry anymore - for an hour

anyway. When you take food, you don’t feel hungry for four hours. For hunger to

return, it requires four hours. So, some actions cause immediate results, while

some actions call for an hour or four hours.

If you sow the seed now, you can have mango fruits next year. Why next year?

That’s all. For the seed to germinate, for the seed to sprout, for the tree to

grow, for the seed to bear fruit, it will take a long time. Similarly, some

actions give immediate results. Some actions give result leisurely, slowly.

That is how we have to understand karma.

3."Are Baba and Jesus the Same?" (27.10.2002)

Here is one question: “I am a follower of Jesus Christ. Are Baba and Jesus the

same? Or is this form the Christian concept of the Trinity?”

The answer is simple. Bhagavan said, “All names are Mine. All forms are Mine. I

respond to your prayers that are offered to Me in any name, in any form. I’ll

answer your prayers. Let the prayers be said to the God of your choice; they

will reach Me. You may pray to Rama, Krishna, Jesus or Allah - all those

prayers will reach Me.”

“Swami, how? When I say Rama, how does it reach You?”

Swami gave this example: “You may write a letter to somebody in England or USA

or Delhi or Hyderabad. When the letter is put in the letterbox or post box, it

will reach the addressee. Similarly all your prayers come to Me. Don’t worry,

because I am in all forms. All forms are Mine. All names are Mine,” said

Bhagavan. Jesus is no exception.

I’ll give you one instance. A doctor from Rome came here as a participant and

delegate for the International Cardiac Conference held in Prashanti Nilayam.

Catholicism is very rigid, very strict. He was doing his daily prayer to Jesus

and going through the scriptures. He was given accommodation in the North

buildings. One day before dinner, while he was reading the scripture and

meditating on Jesus Christ, suddenly he noticed a hand lying on his shoulder.

He looked back and saw Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

Now he says, “Baba and Christ are one and the same. This I declare at the cost

of my reputation, at the cost of my Catholic faith. My relatives and friends

may forsake me, but I declare that Baba and Christ are one and the same.”

Baba is the Cosmic Christ. Bhagavan is everyone for that matter, Sarva Devata

Swarupa. He represents all deities, all gods -- that is the answer I can give

you.

 

2. Will He Take Care of Us Now? (22.09.2002)

This is the second question I received: “As Swami’s mission, including seva

projects, are expanding everyday, will He still look after His devotees of many

years in the same manner as He has been doing from His declaration in 1940’s?

Because Swami is very busy nowadays, will He take care of us now?”

Oh-ho! This answer is so simple! Perhaps we have taken Him as a human being. ‘He

is so busy with office work; He's so busy with audit accountancy, inspection and

what not; so, will He have time for me?’ It is not like that!

Bhagavan is not a person! Bhagavan is not an object! Bhagavan is an energy unto

Himself! Bhagavan is energy! Bhagavan is everywhere! Bhagavan is in everyone.

There is no sense to a question like this: ‘Will He have time for me?’

Because Bhagavan is time, there is no question of, “Will He have time!” No!

Because He is time and available at all times!

We are not giving Him time! We have no time to think of Him; we are not giving

Him an audience. He is waiting, waiting and waiting for everyone! Yet we ask,

“Since You are so busy with water projects, universities, etc., do You have

time for me?”

What a thing to ask! He has all the time because He is everywhere and in everyone.

Someone asked Baba a question last night about a long and healthy life. “What is

the secret behind a long and healthy life?” Physical exercise? Or meditation or

what?”

Bhagavan said this: “Two things will guarantee a long and healthy life. What are

they? Prema - love and thyaaga – sacrifice, these two will give you a long,

healthy life. No other thing will, no other!” Bhagavan said this last night to

His students.

The Secret of a Long and Healthy Life

In this connection, Swami gave this example of Rockefeller, a man from the

United States. Rockefeller was a millionaire, the richest man in this world,

having earned lots and lots of money. Suddenly he fell sick. All the doctors

declared, “One and a half or two years more to live. You cannot live longer

because you have ailments that are incurable. You are sure to die.”

So, Rockefeller started distributing his property and his money to everyone.

There is a Rockefeller Foundation in the United States, which takes care of

charitable trusts. It takes care of the forlorn and handicapped. It also takes

care of students, offering the highest standards of education in the field of

research and investigation. The Rockefeller Foundation is the biggest

charitable trust in the world today.

After beginning these acts of charity, Rockefeller lived beyond eighty years. He

fell sick at the age of forty-eight. As per the doctors’ predictions, he should

have collapsed within two years. Yet, this man lived beyond eighty years.

To live a long life, one should have love as the food and sacrifice as the

medicine. These two – diet and medicine – are normally required. Every person

requires diet and medicine: if you take medicine and don’t follow the diet, you

will never be free from a disease. If you observe the diet regulations and don’t

take the medicine, well, the disease will continue. Therefore, medicine and diet

are the two requirements – namely, thyaaga, meaning sacrifice, and prema,

meaning love. Bhagavan said this last night.

 

1. Do We Have Free Will or Not? (22.09.2002)

“Do we have free will or not?” That question was given to me.

The answer is simple. As I told you before and I repeat here, all the answers

are from Sai literature only. What did He say? “You don’t have free will!”

Straight! God does not mince words. There is no ambiguity; it is straight!

“Why not?” we question again!

The answer is simple: You are not free, so how can you have free will? Am I not

free? Yes, I am not free! Why not? We see what we should not see. We hear what

we are not supposed to hear. We do what we should not do. When we are a slave

to our senses, when we are a slave to our mind, when we are chained, when we

are imprisoned, when we are in a cell, we are not free! How can there be a

question of free will? Utter nonsense! To be free, first we have to have free

will. Oh I see! Will you show me one person who has free will?

The straight answer - God has free will! He is totally free! Therefore, His Will will happen!

Bhagavan gave this example to the question of free will: “If the left part of

your body is paralysed, you cannot move the paralysed part.”

All right, you have free will, come on and lift it! No free will! You have a

will; that is all! But, you are not free! You cannot lift that paralysed part.

Therefore, you have no free will!

 

to be continued...

A set of 16 Q & A will be sent to the SBOI group over the next 14 days.

 

source: www.saiwisdom.com