PROF. ANIL KUMAR - QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS [1 to 25]

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PROF. ANIL KUMAR - QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS [1 TO 25]

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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 Satyôpanisad, 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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, Satyôpanisad. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

17.“What is The Significance Of New Moon And Full Moon?” (08.12.2002)

Whether it is a new moon, a blue moon, or a full moon, a moon is a moon. (Laughter) The answer is: The moon is the presiding deity of the human mind. That’s the reason why on a full moon day, mad people are full of activity! (Laughter) On the dark night, they will also full of activity. They may even resort to violence. So, the moon controls the mind. The mind and the moon go together.

But spiritually speaking, there is another interpretation. The full moon stands for wisdom, knowledge and awakening. It was on the full moon day that Buddha was born. It was on the full moon day that Buddha was enlightened. It was on the full moon day that Mahaveer was enlightened. Purnima is the full moon day, which is the day of enlightenment. Moonlight is like the awakening of the inner Self. The full moon represents the knowledge of the Self. That is the meaning.

18.“You said,” (he meant me) “the very Darshan of Bhagavan will clear you of your karma. But I'm still suffering from my karma. Has not my karma been cleared?” (Laughter) (08.12.2002)

That is the question. The answer is this: One will be cleared of karmic effects if there is deservedness, if there is eligibility.

When I look at Bhagavan -- when all of us look at Bhagavan, all of us will not have the same feelings. There are many people who tell me that when Bhagavan passes by, they receive some vibrations. There are many people who tell me that they are charged with energy. There are many people who tell me that they feel a cool breeze when Bhagavan passes by. So, experiences differ based on the nature of the individual, their devotion or path and the intensity of their sadhana.

Therefore, I may not be cleared of karma because I'm not ready. I have not done enough work. Though the teacher is excellent, when the student is not able to follow the lesson, it only means that the student has not done enough homework. The student has not the required foundation to receive and appreciate the knowledge given to him in the classroom, even though the teacher is an expert. In order to be cleared of karmic effects, we should do some homework.

What is that homework? Intense devotion, total faith, complete surrender and the sadhana of service -- these four are sufficient physical practices on the spiritual path. Doing (practicing) these four is sufficient homework for us to get ourselves ready and prepared, so that we can be free from the karmic effects.

19.“Karma, is it individual? Are countries also bound by karma?” (08.12.2002)

Perhaps like ‘wholesale’ and ‘retail’? This gentleman must have been a top businessman! (Laughter) Very good!

Kind friends, do not misunderstand me -- I'm just joking. I don’t mean any disrespect to those who have asked these questions. I really bow down in all humility to the people who have asked these questions because they are all spiritual seekers. They are exemplary. They are noble and role models for me in particular because these questions help me to go into detail, into the depth. So, I thank them very much.

The question is this: Are countries bound by karma? In the Holy Bible, there is a mention of two cities -- Sodom and Gomorrah. The inhabitants of these two cities mentioned in the Holy Bible were drowned. The inhabitants were totally punished by God. That’s what the Holy Bible says. When people are unrighteous, naturally the whole place is condemned.

A country is not only a geographical location. A country is not only dust, mud and sand. A country is a collection of people. When the people are unrighteous…For example, just think of Afghanistan, where ancient Buddha statues of 200 or 300 feet in height were bombed and totally demolished by dynamite. So many Buddha statues were demolished there in Afghanistan. What later happened to Afghanistan? You all know that. When people are unrighteous, naturally they will have to face the reaction. That’s the answer I can give you.

20.“What shall I do to dine with Bhagavan? To sleep in the room very close to His bedroom? (Laughter) To go with Him in His car? To have a peaceful end of life, like His mother and grandfather had? “ (08.12.2002)

These are the questions put to me. Here is the answer, brother. Going in His car, dining with Him or sleeping in the room next to Him are all physical activities. You have the driver also in the car. I don’t think the driver is a saint or a sage. There in the dining room, you also find cooks and servers. I don’t think they are saints and sages. I don’t think so. In the building, there is the watchman. I don’t want to bow down to his feet.

So, these are all physical acts of Grace. They are privileges. They are grand, golden opportunities. I don’t underestimate them. But if they lead to pride, if they make you egoistic, if they are acts of publicity or advertisement, they will really take you to doom. No! If these help you to be more spiritual, if these help you to do sadhana with higher, greater or deeper intensity, then that is a boon. But if it turns you into an egoistic man, then that is a curse. These physical acts should take you to a psychological (mental/emotional) level of togetherness with Bhagavan all through your life, wherever you may go.

If you feel that the next man is Baba, it is living with Him. If you offer prayer to God and start eating, it is dining with Him. If you listen to Baba bhajans as you travel in your car, you are traveling with Him. Baba said, “Wherever My glory is sung, I install Myself.” Whenever we sing bhajans, we are with Him. Whenever we think of Him, we are by His side. Whenever we offer food, we are dining with Him. That is the spiritual, psychological, metaphysical, mystical experience one should have or one should crave for. (Applause)

21.“The husband is very much interested in Baba, but the wife is not. The wife is an obstacle. So, what should the husband do?” He also has given three alternatives: (Laughter) “One -- should he get divorced from his wife? Number two -- should he continue along the spiritual path? Number three -- should he give up the spiritual path? (Laughter) These are the alternatives – maybe it is like a multiple-choice question. (Laughter) (08.12.2002)

My friend, this is an exceptional case! A husband finding his wife a problem along the spiritual path is an exception. Usually the husband is the problem for every wife! (Laughter) 90% of Sai devotees are here because of their wives. Let all husbands be ashamed to declare it in public. This humble self (Anil Kumar refers to himself) is also one and the foremost. So, this case is not a matter to be ashamed of. It is a matter to feel proud of.

If the wife is an engine, very good -- the family will be very fine, peaceful and there’ll be no problem. But here is an exceptional case where the wife seems to be the problem. Wife or husband -- one of the two partners will not totally agree with the other. So, what is to be done?

My friend, the answer is simple. If one is totally worldly and if the other is totally spiritual, we’ll be nowhere. But in co-existence, one takes care of the family, while the other takes care of the spiritual end. The wife taking care of the family is the root. The husband thinking of God is the fruit of the same ‘family tree’. The one (wife and mother) thinking of the family is the root, while the other (husband and father) thinking of God is the fruit of that same tree of life. So, let us not consider the life partner as an opposition party leader! (Laughter) Certainly not! Certainly not!

To give you my own tale -- for 25 years, I went around the whole state of Andhra Pradesh. I visited thousands of Sai centres -- at least thrice on the average -- spread over those 25 years. My wife stayed back at home, taking care of the children, my in-laws and my parents, ours being a joint-family (an extended family, all living under one roof together). Suppose that she had also become a competitor. What if she had said, “If you go towards the north, I’ll go towards the south! (Laughter) If you go and start addressing people in the east, I’ll have audiences in the west.” Then the children would be on the streets!

Therefore, it is the pure and logical dynamics of life that one will be at the ‘grass roots’ while the other will be ‘in the air’. It happens like that. Nowhere do the husband and wife agree 100%. They may agree before TV news reporters. (Laughter) They may agree for the television reporters, but not in reality. The family ‘Korean War’ certainly happens once in a blue moon, without which there is no melody in life at all.

Let us not worry if the wife is not sailing along with the husband, or if the husband is not sailing with the wife. The husband will make the wife follow him one day. Just as husbands are following their wives, in such cases as this one, the wives will also follow the husbands someday. It all depends upon one’s own life example.

For example, in a crisis, if the husband is peaceful, the wife will learn from him. If the wife is peaceful in the worst moments of life, the husband will learn from her. By our example, we can certainly carry on with the other life-partner without any sense of opposition or critical attack.

22.“I am a teacher of yoga. I know God is One. But do you think all the people I see are false? Do you think it’s all maya, illusion? Do you think they don’t exist? Do you say it is all a dream?” (08.12.2002)

The answer is simple: Yoga is a connecting link with God. The meaning of ‘yoga’ is ‘connecting or uniting with God’. So when you are connected with God, you experience Oneness. You experience unity. You’ll see God everywhere -- in the animals, in plants, in mineral matter. Everywhere you will experience God.

It will be just as Jesus Christ said, when He saw a dead, stinking dog on the street. Everyone said, “Burn it! Take it away!” Jesus smiled and said, “How bright the white teeth are! How bright are the white teeth of that dead dog.”

It means you’ll see the best in the worst. If it is the true path of yoga, you’ll see unity in diversity. Yoga should give you unity. But that does not mean in practical life we can be untidy, no! In our practical life, diversity is there.

Suppose a student comes to me and says, “Sir, please teach me.”

I cannot tell him, “You are God, I am God. So, there’ll be no class today!” (Laughter)

Suppose a patient comes to a doctor and says, “Sir, I am suffering from excruciating pain.”

Will the doctor say, “You are not a patient and I am not a doctor. You are God and I am God. So there is no question of surgery!”

It is all nonsense! From a practical point-of-view, there is diversity. From an ideological point-of-view, there is unity. Ideologically, let us experience unity. Spiritually, let us experience unity. Physically, let us operate at the level of diversity. It is necessary to be practical, to be fundamental, to be realistic. That is the best answer I can give.

23.“Can I see Baba in different forms?” (08.12.2002)

Why not? Baba appeared in the form of a postman. Baba appeared in the form of a watchman. Baba appeared in the form of a monkey to His sister. Baba appeared in the form of a cat. Baba appeared in the form of a bird. Baba can appear in any form. Why do we go to that extent? All forms are Baba’s only. We should pray and try for that experience -- for the awareness of that experience.

Why should He appear in a separate form? All forms are His -- it only appears to be many. It is something like a person in the midst of several mirrors all around. That experience of seeing the One in the many (forms) is the culmination of spirituality.

24.“What are the steps that I should take to merge in Him?” (08.12.2002)

There are not many steps. No! The steps are of our own making. The steps are created in our own imagination. Merger happens at once.

What are the steps that you should take to mix sugar into a glass of water? How many steps are there? No, no! One spoon and stir it – you get immediate results!

Similarly, for an aspirant to merge with God, there are not many steps. Use a spoon of viveka or discrimination, plus a spoon of vairagya or renunciation – totally stir this, which is the process of sadhana. That is enough for total merger. There are no steps. “How many lives are required? How many years are required?” No, no, no, no! Merger is immediate, all of a sudden, instantaneous, spontaneous and natural. It happens in a moment!

Merging is our original state. We only got ourselves separated. In fact, we were all One, but we became separated. Example: here is fire. Out of this fire, many sparks and pieces come. The pieces at a distance turn black and become coal. So, originally it was fire. But at a distance, it becomes coal.

Similarly, originally we were One, but later we got separated. To know that we are One (though appearing in different forms) is called realisation. Realisation is nothing but thinking of our original Oneness -- getting back to that original Oneness or unity with God. The reason that we separated from that Oneness is only due to having taken a name and form. That is the secret of merger with God.

25.What is the primordial factor that decides one’s gender in this birth? Why are you a man? How can you afford to be a woman? (Laughter) So the question here is what decides the gender in each life. Is it because of our past lives? (15.12.2002)

The answer is simple, my friends. I quote from Sai literature. The real Self, the reality, is neither a man nor a woman. The man or the woman — the difference in the identity lies in the body, not in the spirit.

If someone knocks at the door and you ask, “Who are you?” they will answer, “I am so-and-so.” No one would say, “I, the man, am talking to you” or “I, the woman, am here”. Nobody would say that. ‘I’ is common to both men and women.

The second point is that Bhagavan has said, “All are women.” Hari Om Tat Sat. (Laughter) My friends, do not mistake me. Try to settle any scores later. (Laughter) All are women. So you don’t need to feel inferior. We have no reason to feel superior. Why? The spirit in you is purusha or man. The Atma is masculine, purusha, while the body is prakrithi or nature, which is feminine. But the masculinity is of the spirit and not of the body.

Thirdly, He gave an example: If you go to the women’s college at Anantapur on the annual college day, when they are staging a drama, you’ll find a girl in the role of a king. You’ll find another girl in the role of a soldier and another girl in the role of a servant. Because of their costumes, they appear to be men; but in reality, they are women. Similarly, all are women. Some may look like men (Laughter), but basically all are feminine. I mean the body principle is feminine, prakrithi, meaning it is inert matter. This is feminine, while the life principle is masculine.

I am very grateful to have these questions because it helps me to go back in my memory to what Bhagavan has said over the years. Here is another example. You must have heard of a great lady named Meera, who was a great devotee. Meera wanted to meet the King. She came into the palace.

A soldier said, “Sorry, you cannot go in.”

She asked, “Why?”

The man said, “Women are not permitted to go in. Women are prohibited from going into the palace.”

Then Meera said, “Where are the men here? I don’t see any men here.”

The soldier was surprised and must have been thinking, “Is something wrong with me or with her?” (Laughter)

This is the truth. The body is feminine, inert matter, only. But the life force is masculine. So all of us are a combination of both. When you ask, “What decides the gender?” I say, “Why worry about it?” Whether the sugar candy is in the shape of a rat or an elephant, the child eats it, right? Similarly, a chocolate may be circular or rectangular or hexagonal; but after all, a chocolate is a chocolate. Biscuits may be quadrangular or circular. Whatever it may be, a biscuit is a biscuit.

So similarly, life is life, whether you are a man or woman. It is only external. So let’s not question what it is that decides our gender. There is nothing wrong. Men and women suffer equally. (Laughter). Oh, that’s right -- we blame each other!

TO BE CONTINUED…

Courtesy: www.saiwisdom.com

 

 

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