Sai message for the day

[Guest guest]

Now it is clear that this sort of " awareness " is not available in our

educational institutions, that awareness is so very important for all

of us. You are the incarnation of God in the present day world. Why

don't you, by your grace, grant us this boon of awareness?

 

If everything is done by God Himself, what will be there for you to

do? How will you make use of the God-given mind and intellect? Don't

you realise that these divine instruments like the mind and the

intellect that you are equipped with will be a waste, if God does

every thing for you? The mother cooks and serves food. She cannot eat

it on behalf of the child! When the child sustains any injury the

mother feels sad. But she cannot bandage herself on behalf of the

child!

 

Though you sit in front of the plate filled with potato curry and

chapatti, you must also pick them up with your own hands and eat. By

simply repeating " potato,chapatti " will your hunger be appeased? The

hand and the mouth should be put to work. Is it not? Similarly, you

should make use of your mind and intellect.

 

Everything will be known to you. By your effort, you will win God's

grace. With krsi, effort, one can even become a rishi, a sage. Do

your duty thinking at the same time of the Lord. Krishna too said the

same thing to Arjuna, mamanusmara yudhya ca, " O Arjuna! Remember me

and fight! " Chanting Rama's name, Hanuman could cross the mighty

ocean. So do your duty and you can achieve whatever you want to.

 

Swami! Spiritual aspirants observe austerities like upavasa, fasting,

jagarana, vigil and consider them spiritual. We request you to let us

know their importance and inner significance.

 

The traditions, rituals, and the age-old practices of Bharat have a

meaning and significance. Aspirants undoubtedly get divine

experiences. But today people are after external and pompous rituals

without any understanding of their inner significance. So they have

forgotten the very goals and purposes for which they were originally

intended. Almost all the rituals have become mechanical, monotonous

and routine. There is none to explain to them lucidly. Most people

are not aware of the subtleties. So, you don't find anybody

practicing austerities or rituals sincerely. Man need not change. It

is the mind that should change.

 

Suppose you are traveling to a distant place and you don't have food

to eat on the way: Can you consider this upavasa, fasting? Will this

be of any spiritual use? A patient doesn't take normal food. Is that

fasting? What do you get out of it? To feel God in you is upavasa and

not mere fasting as the literal meaning goes: Upa, near, vasa,

living: In other words, upavasa means living close to or near God. It

means one should turn inward, feel God and constantly think of Him.

This is upavasa in its true sense. Today, we notice people who fast

on the ekadas'i day. But, they eat double the normal quantity of food

the next day. The madhvas (followers of Madhvacharya) observe Bhisma

ekadas'i on which day they fast. They don't, swallow even their

saliva.

 

In the state of Karnataka, they say in Kannada, " bida bedi bittu keda

bedi " which means, do not give up and spoil yourself. When you give

up anything, don't pick it up again. It is a bad habit. Instead, what

is happening? They get the flour ready well grinded and preserve the

dough for three days, With this they make nice tasteful dosas, south

Indian tiffin. So in Kannada it is said, indu adide ekadas'i ondu

tindu nalavattu dosa, it means, in the name of ekadas'i, on one

fasting day in a month, preparations are made for as many as forty

dosas . Is this upavasa? No, definitely not.

 

Why should you observe vigil, jagarana? Why is jagarana , keeping

awake throughout the night,

 

observed? It means that you should keep off from your worldly

happiness, sensual pleasures and material comforts. You should be

unmindful of all these mundane matters, but awake or vigilant to the

inner core, the atma. You should be awake in respect of the inner

divinity while neglecting worldly botherations. But what is done in

the name of jagarana? They play cards throughout the night or watch

three movies one after the other throughout the night in the name of

jagaran a . Watchmen, nurses in the hospital on duty, Railway station

masters on duty don't sleep in the night. Does it amount to jagarana?

Certainly not! Merely skipping sleep is an external ritual. One

should know the inner reality while observing these rituals. Since

they are all done mechanically, they are made fun of and they look

ridiculous in the eyes of others.