No.8 : Questions put to Prof. Anil Kumar and answered by him. 110 to 120 (total 228 Q & A* )

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These are the questions put to Prof. Anil Kumar and answered by him.

Questions & Answers 110 to 120

Previous Q & A links:- 1-16 - 17-32 - 33 - 48 - 49-64 65 to 80 - 81

to 96 - 97 to 108

 

120- I am a devotee of Swami and have been for the past four years. Does Swami

know about me? Does He know of my love and devotion for Him?

Good. The answer is quite simple. Bhagavan Himself said, “Nobody can be here

unless I will, unless I decide.” So, you have been here for four years, not

because of your choice or because of your preference. No, no, no! We are all

here because He wants us to be here, not necessarily that we wanted to be here.

(Applause) Let us be very clear, because I can also put it this way if you’ll

excuse me. We are here in spite of us! (Laughter) This is not a city. This not

a place of comfort. This is not a place of luxury. This is not a place of

entertainment. Five star, super star hotels are not available here, no

entertainment, nothing. This is not Las Vegas! (Laughter)

Then why are we here? My friends, we are here because He dragged us or brought

us, and kept us here. (Silence) That’s all. (Applause) He silenced all of our

emotions. He silenced all of our desires. He has switched off our mind, and

made us live comfortably with the fellow mosquitoes all around. (Laughter)

Sometimes every one of us begins to wonder how we are able to live here.

(Laughter) We don’t meet people with a smiling face. Nobody will greet us. “Why

are you here? Get up. Go there.” If you go there, “Come here.” (Laughter) What

is all this? (Laughter)

My friends, we are still able to get along. (Laughter) We are here. We are still

able to bear all this. Why? Sathya Sai, the spirit, is responsible, not the

people around here. I’m very much sure about it. So, my friends, when you say

that you are here for the last four years, that is enough of a guarantee to say

that you are chosen, you are selected, not by your own will, but by Bhagavan

Baba Himself. (Applause)

119 - How can we transmute our energy in the chakras? (140903) Bhagavan gave

one full discourse in the year 1978 on Shad Chakras, the six chakras in our

body. The primal energy at the bottom of the spine will start moving upwards in

a zigzag movement called Kundalini. It is the movement of primal energy in an

upward direction, passing through the six chakras. The one at the base is

Mooladhara, the first chakra, and the last one is Sahasrara. So, the primal

energy is on the ascent, and reaches Sahasrara. This is called Kundalini Yoga.

This is what Bhagavan explained, to the extent I remember.

But my friends, there is a caution. If everybody takes up Kundalini Yoga, it is

going to give negative results. There is going to be a nervous breakdown, and

the lungs are going to be affected, unless an expert teaches you, unless a guru

teaches you, where there is no monetary transaction.

Some say, “I teach Kundalini Yoga for five hundred rupees.”

No, no! Where there is a demand for money, there is no Divinity, please take it

from me. Bhagavan has repeatedly said that where there is a transaction of

money, there is no God at all. God has got nothing to do with money. The air is

free, earth is free, and fire is free, whereas these people charge you! That's

why our very faith in doctrine, in philosophy, is shattered. Therefore, my

friends, though Kundalini is genuine, we do not have selfless experts to teach

us. That's why we have negative results.

But why should we suffer? Why do you want to exert? Why do you want to strain

yourself, when things are made so easy now? When a computer is there, why do

you want to write? When a calculator is there, why do you want to strain? When

things are delivered in the form of a capsule, why do you want to exert

yourself? A capsule is given today, a nice package is given to humanity today,

which is effortless, which is so simple and has no threat at all. There is no

danger, no reversal, and no negativity. It is the easiest, simplest thing and

we can do it anytime, anywhere. The easiest path is Namasmarana. Bhajan is a

sure path to reach God. Why do you want to strain yourselves?

It is nothing but the exercise of the ego: “You know, I have done Pranayama.”

“I see. Do it next life also.” (Laughter)

“You know that I am specially trained in Kundalini?”

“Good, have an institute in your name.”

It's not that. The end is important, but the mind refuses to accept what is

readily available. Yes, all of us are breathing now. I don't doubt anybody.

Nobody feels proud that they are breathing. All are breathing -- nothing

special about it. I experience a cool breeze; yes, all of us are experiencing

it. But the air conditioner is a special qualification. “You know my residence

has air conditioning?”

But don't have a conditioned mind, please. Man wants to be special. Man wants

to achieve something. This is there, reflected in the spiritual field also.

That is the tragedy. So let’s not strain. Let’s not exert. Things are easily

available right at our doorstep.

118- What is Swami's opinion about Jyothisha? Horoscopes? (140903) My friends,

I don't remember that Bhagavan said anything on this aspect. But I can tell you

some points related to this. Somebody once said, “Swami, there are texts like

the Nadi Grandha, a text which contains the details of all of our lives. People

go there and spend some money. The readers go through that Nadi Grandha, and

tell you all the details.”

Bhagavan said, "The Nadi Grandhas, the books that contain the bio-data and

biographical details of all the people, are correct so far the past is

concerned. But the future need not necessarily be valid."

Why? Saints like Bhrughu wrote the Nadi Grandhas. Bhrughu is a sage who wrote

the Bhrughu Nadi. Sages and saints wrote them all. So, to be understood and to

be interpreted correctly, we need a saintly man -- not a man who takes Rps. 100

to interpret them! The saints cannot be brought down to the level of 100 rupees,

no. So, the readers cannot interpret it correctly, so far as the future is

concerned. Well, no one can do it. So, I don't condemn the horoscopes; I don't

deny it. But we don't have genuine interpreters. Therefore, we are often

misled.

And in my humble opinion, it is better we don't know the future. (Laughter) It’s

better, because there is nothing you are going to get out of it. On the other

hand, you lose the thrill of life. You lose the beauty of life. Let the

suspense be maintained by God, so that we can enjoy the drama of our life, the

mystery of life. That's what I personally feel about it.

117 Now to the last question: “Why should one desire liberation when he has no

idea of it?” (Laughter) Very good question.

 

Some people say, “Sir, I want Moksha…but why?” He does not know why. (Laughter)

It is neither sweet nor hot. It is neither whiskey nor beer. Why? Why do you

want Moksha? Why do you need liberation?

 

People think that it is something elsewhere. No! The place is non-dualism: that

is the place where there is no pain or pleasure, the place where there is

neither suffering nor ecstasy. It is place where you are in a blissful,

non-dual state. It is beyond want and beyond desire. It is a place or a

situation where there is an attitude of equanimity, a balanced state of mind -

that is called liberation.

 

Why do I want it? So that I don’t have to suffer. Why do I want it? So that I

don’t have to face the pain. Why do I want it? So that I don’t have to pass

through the chain of duality. To be non-dual, to rise above, for my own

comfort. My friends, that was the answer given.

 

I thank you very much for being here and for the extra time. It took longer

because I wanted to complete the whole thing. With this third talk, I have

completed all the questions put to me in the United States by the devotees,

which I really wanted to share with everybody.

 

I thank Swami for having given me this golden opportunity. Moreover, I thank you

very much for being with us this morning, and for next week. Thank you very

much.

 

116 “When I have to suffer my own karma, what sort of help does Baba extend?”

Very logical: When I have to suffer my own karma, why should I come here? Karma

cannot be avoided. (Laughter) Why waste money on reservations, inconveniences

and mosquito bites? (Laughter) Why all this? A very reasonable question.

 

You have to suffer your karma. There is no way out of it. However, coming to

Baba, you will have the courage to bear the suffering. When the anesthetic is

given, you don’t feel the pain. Although there is suffering, you don’t feel

the pinch because of coming to Baba. You are not escaping the karma, but you

don’t feel the pinch. That is the advantage of coming here.

 

115 “I am from Lebanon and I am a Jordanian Christian. My people accept all

that is related to Christianity, but not Baba. What should I do?”

Don’t force them. Let the Christian follow the Christian faith. Let the Muslim

follow the Muslim faith. To proceed in your own faith is the nearest and surest

way to reach Baba. To follow your own faith is the easiest path to reach Baba.

Baba will never accept any conversion, nothing whatsoever. That's the answer I

gave.

 

114 “Would you please explain a little bit more about the three R's - reaction,

reflection, resound?”

 

When man is Divine, what is the problem then? When man is Divine, what is the

fun of reaction, reflection, resound? Because I do not know that I am Divine, I

think in terms of reaction, reflection and resound. Once I know that I am God,

there is no question of reaction, reflection and resound.

 

A simple example: I am in front of the mirror, and therefore, I see my

reflection. When there is no mirror, there is no reflection. Because I feel

that that I am a person, because I feel that I have a body, because I feel that

I am an individual, there comes the problem of reaction, reflection and resound.

Once I am convinced that I am Divine, there is nothing to be seen of the three

R's.

 

113 “What is the difference between surrender and merger?”

Surrender or merger is one and the same. Merger is said to be at the physical

level. Surrender is the spiritual, technical term for the merger.

 

112 “In a family, how is it that one or two are devotees, while the rest are

not Sai devotees? Why?”

What can I say? (Laughter) There are three people in the family. One person gets

a university degree. The next one gets through the University examination. The

last one successfully fails! (Laughter)

 

How am I to answer? In respect to spirituality, it depends upon one’s own fate,

one’s own destiny. After all, life is just a moment. That’s all. Out of a

series of lives, the present life is a just a moment. The present is a speck.

Everyone passes through a number of lives. Life is a continuous journey to

eternity. This life is just a moment; it’s just an incident.

 

Actually there is no death whatsoever. Death is a useless word. Death is a

meaningless word. Death actually refers to the disappearance of the body. The

appearance of the body is birth. The disappearance of the body is death. There

is neither birth nor death. I am not mad. I am not making you mad either!

(Laughter) Actually, there’s neither birth nor death. We are eternal. We are

immortal. When we think of life in that way, we can certainly understand. Some

people have this awareness and some do not have it.

 

So, why is it that some are devotees and others are not? It only means that God

has chosen you. God’s Grace makes you devoted. God's Grace makes you more

faithful. Those who are denied His Grace…well, they will get it slowly. If not

this flight, they can catch the next flight. All are sure to reach the

destination. Some people miss the flight, but they make arrangements with the

airlines to go on the next flight!

 

So, if not now, then the next life. Coming next to the Sai family is the

communist. (Laughter) A communist is not an atheist; a communist is not a

non-believer. He comes next, so ‘come you next’ = communist. Therefore, some

children are devoted and others are not devoted, because ‘come you next’.

That’s the answer I can give!

 

111 “Swami repeatedly says, ‘My life is My message.’ Could you please share

your thoughts on its basis for the benefit of the devotees in the Bay Area?”

 

“My life is My message” refers to the life of Love, the life of sacrifice, the

life of truth, the life of righteousness. That should be enough guidance for

everyone. That’s how the devotees will benefit. The life of Swami in itself is

His Divine message.

 

110 “Is there anything wrong in praying to Swami for our wants, for our needs?”

There is nothing wrong with it. We have no other to ask. We have none to fall

back on other than God. The Bhagavad Gita also gives this sanction: Artho

Jignasu Artharthi. Artho - the one who yearns for His Grace, Artharthi – the

one who wants money, Jingnasu - the inquirer, Jnani - the one of wisdom.

 

>From all directions, you can reach for His Grace. British Airways, Indian

Airlines or Lufthansa - all these different airlines take you to JFK Airport in

New York. Similarly, you can pray to God for anything. ‘O God, I want this… I

want this’, but with the preparedness to accept whatever He gives. With

preparedness, ‘O God, whatever You give is my good luck.’

 

Once Swami said, “Debbalu Kottina nee Manchike.” “Even if God hits you, beats

you, it’s for your good. Even if He denies you, even if He does not grant you

your desire, it is for your good.” That’s what Bhagavan has said.