Sai message for the day

[Guest guest]

Swami! In this Age of Kali, devotion, faith and steadfastness are on

the decline. Not only this, we often find people making fun of

devotees and leading a life opposed to religious norms. This is a

very sad state of affairs. What do you want us to do in these

circumstances?

 

Sai Baba: First of all, correct yourself. Rectify your own defects

and mistakes. When you are not flawless and idealistic you have no

right to blame anybody and point out the mistakes of others. So, see

that your own faith is strong, deep and unflinching.

 

In Andhradesa there lived three Rajus, kings in their own field of

activity: the king of poetry, Goparaju, the king of devotion,

Tyagaraju, the king of sublime lyrical music, Potaraju refused to

dedicate his rendering of the great work, the Bhagavatam to the king

who promised him immense wealth as a token of his appreciation of the

work. But Potaraju or Potana dedicated his work only to Lord

Ramachandra.

 

Goparaju or Ramadasu also called Gopanna spent all the money he had

in the treasury for the renovation of the temple of Rama, for which

he was severely punished. Tyagaraju considered ramuni sannidhi,

proximity to God, more precious than nidhi, money. All these three

Rajus followed their chosen paths out of their deep conviction about

the supremacy of God. They worked and suffered for their own self-­

satisfaction and for the satisfaction of their own conscience. They

did not bother about the views and opinions of others. They did not

yield to temptations of any sort.

 

Dogs may bark watching an elephant passing by, but the elephant loses

nothing. You know the vastness of a sea. Have you not heard the

puranas proclaiming that amrta, nectar, and halahala, poison, are

produced by the same ocean? Amrta makes you happy while vis a or

poison is dangerous. Isn't it so?

 

Similarly, society is like a vast ocean where you have nectar-like

good people and poison-like bad people. Bad people make fun of good

people. It doesn't mean that you should give up your nobility and

goodness.

 

A crane may make fun of a swan. The singing of a cuckoo bird is

horrible to the ears of a crow. A koel eats the tender leaves of a

mango tree while a crow eats the bitter leaves of a neem tree.

Similarly, some in society struggle for worldly, fleeting and sensual

pleasures while others make all sincere efforts for God's grace to

enjoy divine bliss. A donkey that carries a bundle of sandalwood on

its back doesn't know the fragrance of the sandalwood. A buffalo

doesn't know the taste of beaten rice. Similarly, divinity is not

relished by all and sundry.

 

If you deny God, it means you are denying yourself. You are not

different from God. You are God. Your praise and blame don't affect

God. The good and bad of your own actions come back to you as

reaction. The axe cuts the sandalwood tree that has not done any harm

to the axe. Because of this evil deed, the axe loses its sharpness

for which it is kept in fire and hammered. The sandalwood tree does

not subject the axe to any punishment. So it is the action of the axe

that comes back as reaction.

 

Consider another example in this context. When gold is burnt in fire

it shines brilliantly. But, as a reaction the goldsmith has to suffer

because ash falls into his eyes in the process of burning the gold

and his own clothes become dirty due to smoke. Here, the gold burnt

and hammered does not punish the goldsmith. His own action punishes

him. Similarly, if you accuse or blame or deny God, it will not do

anything to Him. But, your action will come back to you as reaction.

You punish yourself.

 

Suppose you throw some dust at the sun, what happens? It falls in

your eyes only. If you switch on an electric fan, you will enjoy the

cool breeze. If you don't switch on the fan, it will not lose

anything. It suffers no loss. If you switch on the bulb you'll get

light. But, if you don't switch on the bulb, the bulb suffers no

loss. Therefore, good and bad depend only on you. Just as you can buy

any material object in this world with money, similarly with the

money of God's name, you can be blissful. Under a streetlight, you

will be able to see all around including the bulb that illumines.

Similarly, divinity makes you happy and everybody around you too. So,

deepen your faith in God. Experience divine bliss. That's what you

should do.

 

Fruits can't protect themselves. It is the tree that protects the

fruits it bears. The tree is protected and kept green by its roots.

If you supply water and manure to the roots, they protect the tree,

which in its turn protects the fruits. Isn't it so? God is the root

of this world. If you surrender to God, everything will be taken care

of.

 

People with worldly thoughts can't relish divine feelings. A person

from the fish market can't imagine who a jeweller is. A sea has most

precious gems at its bottom but the seawater is full of salt. Isn't

it? Similarly, we have people of different temperaments in this

world. God is never against anyone. There are none close to or

distant from Him. All are alike to Him. You may hold a jasmine flower

by either your right hand or left hand. But it smells equally well in

either hand. God is that one who is in all.