Questions & Answers 131 to 160: These are spiritual questions put to Prof. Anil Kumar

[Guest guest]

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110 to 130

 

 

 

These are spiritual questions put to Prof. Anil Kumar

and answered by him

 

160 - Swami says, "Love all, serve all". In family life, it is not possible to love all and serve all, especially, when people around are jealous and political. (Oho!) So, should we distance ourselves from such family members or still continue to mingle with them?

I am a very reserved person (Good!) and I would like to be with people who talk about Swami or good things in general. I like to be alone and do my prayers and puja and do whatever service I can, individually.

 

I am scared to do teamwork in service, as people might hurt me. I am scared sometimes. What should I do? Is it wrong to stay aloof and keep to myself? I like to spend more time praying, doing my household chores, duties and being alone. Is it ok? (01.08.04)

 

A. It is too personal a question. "Love all, serve all" does not mean that you go to them and live with them. "I love you." That doesn't mean I shift from my staff quarters and stay with you. (Laughter) "I love you." It doesn't mean I vacate my house and shift all my baggage to your house. Do I do that? (Laughter)

 

So when you say, "Love all, serve all", it does not necessarily mean that you should leave your household and move. You can be where you are and still love everybody. Why not? (Laughter)

 

How is it possible? When you don't hate anybody, it automatically means that you love everybody. Let us not hate anybody. Let us not have enmity towards anybody. And let's not think that love is a location. Love is not a location or a position. Love is not geographical. It is uniform. It is universal.

 

Your householder position does not interfere with the dictum "Love all, serve all". How do I mingle with people who are jealous and political? Show me a place where such qualities are not present. They are present everywhere.

 

Supposing Swami talks to you, somebody will look at you enviously. What does he mean by that? He does not share your happiness; he is very jealous. Jealousy is a quality that we have brought with us over several past lives. It cannot be washed out all of a sudden. It has to be done slowly, through the experience of sharing. First, by sharing your joy.

 

"Oh, you got an interview? Congratulations, my friend!"

 

"Swami looked at you? So nice!"

 

"Are you happy? Good!"

 

Let me share your blissful moments. Let me share your happiness, then I will learn to share your agony as well. I will be able to share your misery as well. By sharing, we can love all.

 

Let the whole world be peaceful. You pray for the world. Yes. Forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. We pray for everybody. That is service. Out of love, you pray for that jealous man that he will be free from all struggle and strife. 'Serve all' does not necessarily involve physical labour.

 

You can tell a person who is unhappy, "I am sorry for you. Don't worry. Bhagavan will help you. I am so sorry to hear this. I was in this position for a long time. But Swami, the Compassionate Lord, helped me out of the problem. Similarly, a day will come. Don't worry. Hold on to Swami. He will have a solution. Just wait. All of us went through this. Don't worry." Speaking soothing words is service.

 

A word of courage, a word of strength, a word to boost the spirits of a depressed or frustrated man is service. Service does not mean taking away the grass or giving some donation or watering the plants or going to jails. Not necessary. I am not saying such actions are wrong. No. But what I am saying is that every word, every gesture, can be one of service.

 

Here's a simple example: If you are very much depressed, I make you smile. That is service. If a man is very frustrated and serious, by talking with him, I will make him smile. That is service. If I give you some hope, that is service. That's how I understand it.

 

 

159 We are drowned by confusion. Please enlighten me by clarifying the following queries: How do we seek approval from Swami for our day-to-day decisions? People who are physically close to Swami get their questions answered there and then. (01.08.04)

A. I am sorry, sir. You don't have to seek Swami's guidance everyday. No. It is not even possible for those who are near him to do so. You may not believe it, my friends, when I say that I wanted to give a wedding card to Bhagavan and had to wait for four days. Even though I was sitting very close to Him and translating His discourses every day, I could not hand over the wedding card and had to wait for four consecutive days. He would get up after the translation was over and would turn His head in the other direction. "Sit down." (Laughter) For four days! So, don't be under the impression that those who are here, and near to Him, have got easy access to Swami. No.

 

Please take me as the best example and a suitable example. No access at all. And if you try to grab access to Him, that marks the end of your career. (Laughter) He will not care to look at you at all. If you try to pressure Him, you will get instructions through somebody that you better take the tenth row seat, and not sit in the front. You will be shifted. It is a risky thing.

 

How to get clearance everyday from Swami while being at such a long distance from Him?

 

Bhagavan has said, "Your conscience is God." Follow the master - your conscience. Your conscience tells you whether you are right or wrong. The conscience is part of consciousness. That is God. So, go by your own conscience. Bhagavan Himself has said so.

 

 

158 - When somebody curses out of anger or frustration, does it affect us, though we did not commit any sin? (01.08.04)

Just as when anybody praises you, nothing happens to you, similarly, when someone curses you, nothing will happen. After all, anybody can say anything. People say that you are good when you oblige them, and they say that you are bad when you don't oblige them. Good and bad depend upon mutual relationships at a certain point in time, mutual obligation. When anyone praises you, nothing will happen. When anyone curses you, nothing can ever happen. Let's not be worried about it.

 

 

157 - Is it proper for a mother to curse her own children just to vent her anger and ego? (01.08.04)

It is not your business to judge your mother. Your mother must have been vexed with you and totally disgusted with you. She must have scolded you a number of times. She must have warned you repeatedly when you went astray. To set you right, she must have pretended to be angry with you.

 

No mother can ever be angry. There may be a bad son, but there can never be a bad mother. If a mother appears angry, it means that she is pretending to be angry. Why is she pretending? You are not acting as per her wishes. What are her wishes? Her wishes are that you should prosper, progress, and advance in your life. So, if a mother is angry, it is only for your own good.

 

Swami is the Divine Mother. Sometimes, He pretends to be angry with you. Can God ever be angry? If God is angry, what hope is there for human beings? Swami tells us it is only action, a drama to correct you. So, take your mother's anger in that way also, not in a negative sense.

 

 

156 - I openly disagree with what Meerabai did. (Oh!) She left her husband for God. Why did she marry then? Is she not violating the duty of a wife or a householder? (01.08.04)

Meera is not available now, so that we could put this question to her! (Laughter) I wish that she was alive.

 

 

155 - If every woman acted as Meerabai did, the family would be in utter chaos! (01.08.04)

A. I see. Every woman is not a Meera. Meera is a woman, but every woman is not a Meera. And to love God, she need not give up her husband. It's not necessary.

 

As Baba said, "When you look after your own people lovingly, understand that you are serving God."

 

Sarva Deva Namaskaaram Keshavam Prathigacchathi.

 

Whoever you respect, whoever you serve, whoever you love, it means you love God, you are respecting God. It doesn't mean when you love God, you should hate your husband. (Laughter)

 

When you love your husband, it doesn't mean that you should hate God. That equation won't work here. If you love God, you should love your husband more! When you love God, you should love your people more because God is in them.

 

As Baba said, "If you disrespect anybody, it means you are disrespecting God."

 

Sarva Deva Thiraskaaram Keshavam Prathigacchathi.

 

Whoever you deny, whoever you neglect, you are neglecting God Himself.. That's what Baba has said.

 

Let us take Meera's case. She had given priority to God. She developed distance from her husband not because she disliked him, but because he started interfering with her devotion. Therefore, let us not think that she hated him from our usual psychological point of view. It is not so.

 

 

153-154 The gopikas also did something similar. They were so immersed in Krishna, that they had no time for their families. (01.08.04)

A. No! They could see Krishna. A daughter-in-law could see Krishna in her mother-in-law, which is usually impossible. Mother-in-law, daughter-in-law will never go together. Like fire and water. (Laughter) Impossible. Of course, with due apologies to exceptions.

 

But here is a case where gopikas could see Krishna in the mother-in-law! They could see Krishna in their husbands! They could see Krishna in butter, in milk, in the pot! They could see Krishna in the neighbourhood. That is Krishna-consciousness. So, we can't interpret this in mundane, worldly terms.

 

 

Q. I fully agree with King Janaka, as he did his duty and also merged in God.

 

A. Very good! Please follow King Janaka's example.

 

 

152 - Characters like Meera and the gopikas are misleading. (01.08.04)

A. No. We are misled by our own thoughts. We are misled by our own understanding. It is not misleading. Their examples illustrate the feeling of non-dual experience.

 

As Baba has said, "Expansion of love is life. Contraction of love is death."

 

The example of the gopikas is expansion of love. The example of Meera is expansion of love. Let's not understand it in a narrow sense.

 

 

151 - When we fall sick off and on, should we really go to the doctor every time? Is it not okay to take vibhuti in water and chant Swami's Name, however big or small the ailment might be? (01.08.04)

Oh, I see. If I say "Yes," you will ask why the super speciality hospital is here. If I say vibhuti is enough, you may question why the general hospital and the super speciality hospital are there. If I say hospitals are there, you may ask why vibhuti is not a cure.

 

What is Baba's answer to this question? Let us go to the source. He has dealt with all these questions as we are in Him, and He is in us. He knows all these questions. What did He say?

 

"Some people have faith in medicine. For them the hospital is there. Some people have faith in vibhuti. "

 

 

Paramam Pavithram Baba Vibhutim.

 

 

Some people want both. Well, take vibhuti, and go to the hospital so that the medicine will work well. (Laughter) Take it so that the doctor will have God's grace, which will enable him to prescribe the suitable medicine for you, instead of some other medicine that makes the situation much worse than before. (Laughter)

 

Baba said that it all depends upon our faith. Then, shall I pray for small ailments or big ones? No, no! We should pray to be without ailments also. (Laughter)

 

 

150 - Every time I try to do some seva or join in some good deeds, there are always obstacles that prevent me from doing so. How can you explain this? (01.08.04)

They are not obstacles. They are tests. Suppose you know that you are going to get a promotion tomorrow, and $500 extra. You also have an appointment with your friend at the same time. Which do you prefer? Your friend will be there tomorrow, or is the $500 more important? (Laughter) So, you go there.

 

Your priorities are indicated. On occasions like this when you have to make a choice between the two, what is the priority? Should I spend a week in Las Vegas or should I spend a week in New York doing a service activity.

 

These are not obstacles; they are tests. They are there to indicate your priorities. If you emerge successfully, it naturally speaks of your Love for Bhagavan. So don't consider them as obstacles. No! They are indicators, symbols, and signs.

 

A simple example: On Shivaratri Day (a celebration in honour of Lord Shiva), your relative is being married at your place. At Puttaparthi, on Shivaratri Day, there is the emergence of the lingam, an elliptical stone manifested by Bhagavan, which is the symbolic form of Godhead. Which one do you want to attend? Lingodhbhava or the wedding at home? Is it a test? No! It is not a test. It speaks of the priorities in your life, that's all.

 

Your yardstick in judging priorities should be: God first, others next, 'I' at the end.

149 - "Why is there an increase in population?" (070304)

The body is perishable, but not the Atma (spirit). This so-called birth is just the appearance of the body. The increase in population is because of human indulgence. When there is no more indulgence, when we reach the stage of transcendence, the population problem will be resolved. Man has come down to the level of the senses. If he could transcend the level of the senses, he could go to the level of his being, which is the core of his life. Then there would be no population problem. It is also an expression of the lack of control of man over his body. It also speaks of the lack of the contemplative capacity of human society. If human society could rise to the level of the contemplative, meditative state, awareness and consciousness, this problem would be solved."

 

Well, that brings us to the close of this morning session. I thank those who have sent us questions. I can also tell you that all the programs that the students presented will be available on the internet for the benefit of everybody. Thank you so much for being here this morning.

 

 

148 - "When Swami asked me, 'what do you want?' I expressed the wish to dance the Cosmic Dance with Him, thinking of Divine music and the joy of Divine rhythm. Above all, the Divine Dance is bliss, unison with Lord Shiva."(070304)

A good wish indeed! Just one more step is required. You are almost near the goal. You have come out of the periphery. No, I won't say come out. You are no longer at the circumference. You are closer to your centre. Just one step is required.

 

Don't say, "I want to dance with Shiva." You are already dancing because you are Shiva Himself. The whole world is a stage; all your walking on Earth is a dance; all your words are beautiful music; all of your dance stretches are that of a Divine Cosmic dance. So, it is not a wish to be fulfilled; it is already going on. The whole world is a continuing cosmic celestial dance. My friend, I can tell you that.

 

 

147 - "Did Baba say anything about the heavenly Ganga and the four Vedas?"(070304)

Swami has said a lot, but one piece of information is enough. Ganga is a symbol and does not mean the river in Benares. You can easily catch the Ganga Cauvery express train for Benares. Ganga is symbolic. It stands for water. Water is life. One can live without food for some time; no one can live without water. That is why the Vedas say, "Rasovai Saha. Raso levayam labdyavandhim bavathi " Water itself is life. What did Baba say about Ganga? "Ganga is water - the sustainer of life."

 

What did He say about the four Vedas? Swami said, "One refers to the spiritual aspect; one refers to the ritual aspect; one refers to the medical and mineral aspects; the other refers to the musical aspect. The four Vedas refer to four different aspects of human existence. They are for the sustenance of human society. Humans did not compose the Vedas; they were not human utterances. They all came from the celestial Voice, from the ethereal Divine Voice, from nowhere, from emptiness. Rishis, saints and seers heard them within. The Rishis, by regular recapitulation, passed the Vedas on to humanity as sacred texts for guidance and Divine direction."

 

 

146 - "I work in the Indian Navy. During an interview, Bhagavan told me not to think negatively. He also gave as an example about the construction of the building where we see the walls being built and the roof being laid. Please explain this analogy." (070304)

I think this analogy is self-explanatory. Baba gave this analogy: "Positive thought is nothing but Self-confidence. This Self-confidence, the positive thought, is the foundation on which walls are erected, Self-satisfaction. Upon that, the roof is laid, self (ego) -sacrifice. Then the light is switched on, Self-realisation. So, Self-confidence is the positive thought where one needs to start."

 

 

145 -Is there a realised soul?

Baba said there are many realised souls. One gentleman asked Swami in the interview room, "Swami, are there realised souls?" Swami said, "Yes! There are many." A young man asked me this question, "Have you seen a realised soul?"

 

The answer came from Bhagavan. All of us are along the path of realisation. We cannot say 50% are unrealised souls, and 50% are realised souls. That counting may be alright for the sole of a shoe! But not for this. No! We are all along the path of realisation. Nobody is backward; nobody is forward. We are just walking, hand-in-hand. That is what Swami said.

 

Sahana Bhavatu,

 

Sahanou Bhunaktu,

Sahaviryam Karvavahi.

 

Journey together. A journey to eternity. A journey of friendship and amity. A journey in perfect comprehension, understanding and cooperation.

 

So, have I come across any realised souls? Yes! I come across them every day. In what form? I see people going along the journey of realisation, along the path of enlightenment. Am I clear? That's my answer.

 

 

144 - "We cannot forget and forgive everybody so easily because we are human beings. But Swami says to forget and forgive. Swami can smile in all situations. We cannot. Can you show the right way towards life, or should we say a spiritual life? How to smile in all situations?"

I see! In all situations, we can only smile when we smile at ourselves. Please understand. We can laugh at others only if we smile at ourselves. How?

 

A simple example: Somebody said to me, "Has Swami given you anything?"

 

"Has Swami given what?"

 

"Anything. A ring or a watch?"

 

I told him, "When I am not permanent, do you think the watches and rings that He gives are permanent?" I don't think so. I am not permanent. The ring He gives cannot be permanent.

 

Then that man asked me, "Then, why does He give?" A very good question!

 

"He gives as a token of Love. He gives as a token of Grace."

 

It is not that a ring can be permanent. Some people say, "Sir, you may lose your shoe, but the polish will last. The shine on the shoe lasts even if you lose the shoe." It is something like that.

 

I smile at myself whenever I consider silly things so important. When Swami talks to you and I get jealous, I should smile at myself and think what a fool I am! He may talk to you tomorrow; He may talk to you the day after tomorrow; He may not talk to you after that. It is up to Him! Why should I feel bad about it? Therefore, we can smile if we can witness and see our own life!

 

I always tell my friends, "Arrey! Please be convinced of this. When everybody says, 'Sai Ram! Sai Ram! Sai Ram! You are a great man,' do not think that you are great. You are great because you are near Swami. When you are away from Swami, the moment you cross the gate, then you will know just how great you are! You are not at all great." Because we are here with God, all the devotees are godly and they respect and love us for that. That's all. The credit goes to Bhagavan and not to any of us.

 

Similarly, when you want to smile, be a witness to your own life. Why am I jealous? Why am I worried about simple things? If somebody sits where I usually sit, I say, "It is my place." Thousands sat there before I came! (Laughter) However, since I started to sit there, I claim it is my place. If somebody sits there, I feel so bad. (Laughter)

 

Now I should smile at myself. Why? Having left family, friends, and properties.all in the name of God.now I want to fight for that place, that stone surface on which I sit. Is this worthwhile at all? What a fool I am that I want this seat. Arrey.arrey.rey!

 

Let us fight for a seat in the heart of Sai, not for a seat on the floor of the auditorium. It is foolishness. So, we can smile at our own whims and vagaries, at our own silly stupid attitudes. After all, what is all this? When Swami starts praising somebody, we feel so bad and think, "Is he so great? I am greater than him. Perhaps He does not know." (Laughter) Swami praises so that you can become better. Swami praises to encourage you. Swami praises to correct you. Why don't you think of it like that?

 

Suppose every father says, "You know, Mr. Anil Kumar, my son is pacca..a man of discipline," When you start talking about his discipline, he will be disciplined for that day, at least. Next, he will claim, "My son is very intelligent, you see. He reads regularly." But the fellow never touches a book. So, the father goes on speaking, sending positive signals, with the effect that the son will start reading from that day on.

 

Therefore, we cannot interpret these things. Be happy and smile at your own self (ego) for all its silly ideas. This is possible only if you consider yourself a witness. That's what I can say.

 

 

143 - "Will Baba show the whole world that He is God in this body, or in the coming body, that of Prema Sai?"

This fellow believes in the future also. (Laughter) Will Baba show that He is God? Showing is something different from what He is. Is that clear? I show my book. I am different from the book. Right? I show my glasses. I am different from the glasses. Baba shows that He is God. That means He is separate. But He is not. He is God! What is the fun in showing? It is not a question of showing, because if He shows now, then He is not God after the show. It is something like a magic show. He is not God after the show.

 

So my friends, He is God and He need not show. Will the sun show that it is the sun? It does not need to show. The sunlight shows that it is sun.. Will the flower show that it is a flower? The very smell shows that it is a flower. Will gold show that it is gold? No! The very shine, the glitter itself, is proof that it is gold. Will Baba show that He is God? He is God because His life is godly - His form, all His actions, His words and His thoughts. So He is God. Am I clear? That is the way we have to take it.

 

 

142- "Whatever happened to me was for my own good. I killed a person for a minor provocation. Is that also for my own good?"

 

Yes! It is also for your own good, if you face the punishment with the same spirit.

 

A simple example: It seems a fellow committed a murder and was brought to the court. The judge gave his pronouncement: "You are a culprit and a criminal. Since you committed a murder, you will be kept in prison for a lifetime."

 

The prisoner was a philosopher, so he said: "Your majesty, a humble suggestion. I am not the body. I am not the mind. So, how can I kill? I am not the killer. How can you give me a punishment?"

 

The judge said, "I am not giving a punishment. I am not the judge. The punishment is to your body. This body is giving punishment to that body. You have not killed, and I have not punished you." (Laughter)

 

This is the Vedanta vernacular. Therefore my friends, if you kill somebody, is it for your own good? Yes! It is for your own good if you face the punishment. This idea of whatever happened to me is for my own good is a principle that will withstand the test of time.

 

 

141 - "It seems that the state president issued a list of ninety bhajans with a directive that no other bhajans be allowed to be sung in the bhajans mandali. The list does not contain the old and new bhajans sung in Prasanthi Nilayam. What shall we do?"

I don't think that there is a prescribed list of bhajans. I don't know. In a hotel, you will have a list of items prepared. You can eat any item.. There is nothing like a list of bhajans.

 

A simple example: Suppose you are in a reflective, meditative mood, so you sing to yourself, "Dina Bhandava Sri Sai Deva." Suppose you are in a jovial, happy mood; then you sing "Gopika Maala Haari Pyaari, Maayi Meera Mana Vihaari, Madana Mohana Murali Dhaari, Krishna Jai."

 

No one can say: "This is the list of bhajans you should sing now." A person cannot cry and sing a happy bhajan. It is not possible! It depends on your mood and the place where you are.

 

Many of our friends are abroad. Some are too busy; others stay alone at home. A person might sing Devaki Tanaya Dayanidhe, Dayanidhe..Kripanidhe.. He thinks of God to feel His nearness - Darshan Deejo Deva Deva, Dinanatha Sai Natha, Devaki Tanaya Dayanidhe.

 

When you are alone at home, when you think that nobody is there for you, that nobody cares for you, the husband and children are away and the night is dark, what do you do? You cannot be joyful. You cannot sing a song with a fast beat. You sing a song to contemplate Him, to make Him feel very close.very close. Suppose someone near and dear to you has died; you cannot sing a song in a happy mood.

 

Naturally as a boy said,

 

Punarapi Jananam Punarai Maranam

 

Punarapi Janani Jatare Sayanam

 

Iha Samsare Bahu Dustare

 

Kripaya Pare Paahi Murare.

 

In that mood, he will understand the momentary nature of life.

 

No one can say, "This is the list of bhajans you should sing." We are not dictators like Musharaff and Bin Laden. We cannot do that; we should not do that.

 

 

140 - "Will Baba transfer His powers to somebody?"

If it happens, we are the first applicants. (Laughter)

 

If He transfers His powers, to what? Will we have our chair by the side of the Hanuman statue there in the Hillview Stadium, giving interviews and charging money? (Laughter) There is nothing like the transfer of powers. There is nothing like the delegation of powers. You are the power.

 

Baba has said, "You are powerful! The power in Me is patent. While the power in you is latent and hidden, the power in Me is exposed."

 

Therefore, there is no need for Him to transfer powers. You are the power. He has given you all the power. You are God!

 

Still, I want powers. Suppose you find a rich man begging near the railway station, what do you say? "He is a rich man; so why should he be begging there?" Similarly, when you are powerful, nobody needs to transfer power to you!

 

Those were the questions passed on to me for this week. Thank you so much for being here this morning. I appreciate your time. (Applause)

 

 

139 - Will Baba show the whole world that He is God in His present body, or in the body of Prema Sai? Will Baba show that He is God now? Or, will He show this as Prema Sai, the next Incarnation?

 

My friends, the answer is straightforward. He need not show that He is God because He is God. Showing is only necessary when one is not that. I give a show that I am God, as people do not experience that I am God. Showing indicates a division. Showing is artificial. Showing is pompous. Showing is self-praise. Baba need not show that He is God because He is already God. Am I clear? He is already accepted as God, as there is no country, no island, no place where He is not known. Everybody knows him. He is materialising everything. He is manifesting His Divinity.

 

 

138 - "Baba says that He does not transfer His power to anybody. In a few places, we find vibhuthi manifested and some people who are able to materialise vibhuthi and the lingam, etc. Is this not a transfer of power?"

 

My friends, please be attentive. Anybody may materialise vibhuthi; anybody may materialise a lingam. However, Baba creates vibhuthi to make you more spiritual, to make you detached, to make you desireless, to encourage you to perform sadhana, to make you noble, to improve you. That is the purpose of vibhuthi.

 

Baba materialises the lingam to show you your place of origin and the place where you will ultimately merge. That is the final goal of existence.. Let us not talk about others; let us not think of others. Let us only think of Bhagavan.

 

That does not necessarily mean that I should not go to a certain other place. I may find some other person that is as beautiful as my mother, but I cannot call her mother. Isn't that true? God wants unalterated, unpolluted and single-pointed, steady devotion. Please remember this: Let us not be carried away by anything that we come to know, or by anything that we hear. God wants us to be single-minded. God wants us to have an unwavering mind. In this context, let us not think about others.

 

 

137 - "How does one settle in Prashanti Nilayam?"

First, let me ask you this question: "Where is Prashanti Nilayam? Is this place here Prasanthi Nilayam?" No! Prashanti Nilayam is in your heart. Where there is shanti, where there is peace, where there is bliss - that is Prashanti Nilayam. If I am annoyed, if I am agitated, if I am disturbed, if I am nervous, if I am angry and harsh with everybody, how can this be Prashanti Nilayam, or in fact how can I claim to be in Prashanti Nilayam? Prashanti is a state of mind!

 

Prashanti is a state of mind. Prashanti is an attitude. Nilayam is the center. So, Prashanti is in the mind and the heart. To be settled in Prashanti Nilayam is to be constantly thinking of Swami, constantly praying to Him, constantly reading His literature, constantly repeating His Name. Only then, can you be in Prashanti Nilayam.

 

I may be in Prashanti Nilayam doing business. I may be in Prasanthi Nilayam with my mind full of politics. What for? That is only the physical Prashanti Nilayam. The real Prashanti Nilayam is in the mind. It is in your attitude. You are already there.

 

Instead of asking questions about how to settle in the physical Prashanti Nilayam, let us ask the question, "Why am I unsettled?"

 

A child is in prashanti or supreme peace. Let us watch a child sleeping Ah! Bliss! If you watch an elderly person sleep, it is often disturbing. If he snores, he looks like an animal from the zoo. Why? Because his mind is full of desires and attachments, so he cannot have a good sleep.

 

Prashanti Nilayam is in the mind, the human heart, and in one's attitude. So we are already settled. The reason that we feel unsettled is because of desires and attachments. Because of these things, I am unsettled. The moment I am separate from these things, I can go back to my original place of peace.

 

That is why Bhagavan continually addresses us as "Embodiments of Love, Embodiments of Divine Atma, and Embodiments of Peace." It means that we are peace itself.

 

Unfortunately, we have reduced this peace to pieces. We already are bliss, but we have made life miserable. So, let us question why we are unsettled. The reasons for our state of being unsettled are our attachments, possessiveness, pride and ego. Once we are free from these, we are already in Prashanti Nilayam!

 

 

136 - "How does one get Swami's Grace?"

A good question. "How does one get Swami's Grace?" My friends, it is not a thing to be got. You cannot go to the store and buy it. How do we get bread? We go to the bakery and buy it. How do we get ice cream? There is an ice-cream parlor here. How does one get God's Grace? It is not to be got..

 

"Oh! I see! Why not?"

 

"It is already there. God's Grace is not to be got. It is already there!"

 

"Oh, I see! Then why don't I know it?"

 

Swami gave this example: When you want to hold water in your hands to drink, what should you do? You go to the tub of water. If you hold your hands down, you cannot hold water from the tub. If you cup your palms together, you can hold water and then drink it. There is water and there is the tub. Water is flowing continuously, but in order to retain it, you need to hold your palms upward and cupped together.

 

Similarly, Grace is always there, like the continuous flow of the water; but if your heart is turned upside down, you cannot experience the Grace. Grace is already there. That is the example that Bhagavan has given and that I want to share with you.

 

Bhagavan, let us be convinced that Your Grace is already there with us. We should turn our hearts towards You to collect the rain of Your Grace, to retain the rain of Your Grace. Let our hearts be positive. That is what we should do.

 

 

135 - "Sathya Sai Baba produced three Atma-Lingams as part of Lingodbhava on Friday, February 18th. What did He do with the Lingams? Did He use them for something? Did He create them for somebody or for the world?"

"What did He do with the lingams? Ah! Ah!" (Laughter) My friends, what did He do with the lingams?

 

First, let us know why He creates the lingam. Bhagavan has said that the lingam is present in everybody. But the lingam that is present in Bhagavan emerges in solid form because of His Will.

 

The lingam is present in everyone near the navel. That gold, which is near the navel, is in a liquid form. But in Bhagavan, it takes a solid form and emerges during what we called Lingodbhava, occurring on Shivaratri. When the Shiva lingam emerges, a terrific heat is produced within the body. This is necessary for the liquid to take the solid form. (These are all the words of Bhagavan, not my imagination. Please be aware of that.)

 

When the heat is generated, the body appears to shiver, the body appears to have fallen sick, and the body appears to have become weak. These are all the signs of the liquid turning solid by the heat generated there.

 

Swami has said, "Nothing can ever happen to me. The lingam is the finest symbol of Divinity, like a national flag." The symbol for lingam is the origin of creation. Lingam is that into which all creation will finally merge. Lingam is the origin and the end of all creation.

 

 

134 - What does He do with the lingams?

I know Swami has presented lingams to some devotees who do regular worship. The Shiva lingam requires a specific ritual to be followed. There are some people who are ritualistic, who are orthodox. Swami may present a lingam to them.

 

Other times, the lingam disappears. When we asked Swami where the lingams are, Bhagavan answered, "They have gone back to the place where they came from. They went back to their source."

 

Both possibilities are there. That is the answer.

 

 

133 - "What about merging with Brahman at the end of all creation and returning in the next creation in another human form?"

I would like to draw your attention to an interesting question that was passed on to me this morning. The question concerns the process of merging with Brahman at the end of all creation and returning in the next creation in another human form.

 

My friends, there is a very simple answer. Merge means 'no return'. A simple example: a spoon of sugar is mixed in water. It becomes totally immersed, totally dissolved. Now I say, "Oh, sugar, come on, come on out!" I cry. I do penance. I sing bhajans. Still, I do not get the sugar. It is impossible!

 

To merge is total. Merging is not partial. Once you are merged in Brahman, there is no question of coming back. There is no other creation possible. You have become one in Brahman.

 

The other day, Bhagavan gave an example: You find a river. Rivers have different names and forms. As they flow, they pass different cities; they travel down the valley, up the hill and finally they merge in the ocean. Once a river merges in the sea, if you stand in front of the sea and say, "I want my river, I want the Mississippi River and so on," the sea will say, "Oh fool, go back!" Once a river merges in the sea, there is no return. That is the answer I can give you. To merge means 'no return'!

 

 

132-A "Once we merge with God, is it forever? Will it mean that we won't ever take any form again, even if God wills it?"

When you are one with God, you are God, and you no longer exist. You are not there. Once you are merged with God, just as the river that merged into the ocean no longer exists, you no longer exist. Am I correct? So once you are with Brahman, coming back does not exist. 'I'-ness is God. That is called merging. Am I clear on this yet?

 

 

132-B How many sons did Shiva have? (Laughter)

 

I am sure not as many as I have! (Laughter) As far as the mythological story goes, He had two beautiful sons -- Ganesha and Subrahmanyam. But they are not the sons of our imagination. Shiva was not human; please understand this is necessary first to beget children. (Laughter)

 

We have sufficient problems with our family and children. (Laughter) We have sons who turn out to be prodigal. Let not Shiva also repent for begetting such sons. (Laughter)

 

To begin with, Shiva was not human. Shiva is Divine. Shiva is a phenomenon. Shiva is cosmic. Shiva is infiniteness. Shiva is vastness. It is a philosophy; it is an ideology; it is energy; it is not human.

 

Then, what about the two sons? One represents energy. The other represents fulfilment. Effort is Subrahmanyam, the second son. Its realisation is Ganesha, the first son. So, effort is not enough; fulfilment of effort is required. Effort is Subrahmanyam; fulfilment of the effort is Ganesha. Human action is Subrahmanyam; without any obstacles is Ganesha. They are different facets of approach. They are different angles of perception. They are different views of cognisance and experience. They are not sons in the normal sense.

 

131 - "Who is the next Avatar?" (Laughter)

I see! (Laughter) Have you completed the quota of the present Avatar? (Laughter) "I don't know" means, "I am disappointed now. I hope to meet Him in the next Avatar." (Laughter)

 

The next Avatar comes after my present life, so let me put this question in the next life and (Laughter) not now. My friends, these kinds of futuristic questions based on astrology, based on the time, are meaningless spiritually-speaking. Religion is not future. Religion is not past. Religion is here and now! Please understand. Here and now is religion! God is here and now! God is not the past! God is not the future! Let us not ask questions like this.