PROF ANIL KUMAR...15.6.2008...THE LANGUAGES OF THE HEART & MIND PART-1

July 30, 2008

June 15, 2008

“THE LANGUAGES OF THE HEART AND MIND”

OM…OM…OM…

Sai Ram

With Panamas at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

SAI SERVICE ACTIVITIES IN SINGAPORE

It is nice to have a meeting with you after such a long gap of time. Although we could not meet because I was in Singapore, every Sunday there reminded me of our satsangs (spiritual meetings) here.

I am happy to share with you some very good news from Singapore. The service activities of the Singapore Sathya Sai Organisation are recognised by the Government of Singapore. After a visit by the Vice President and the top Ministers to the Service Centre, a letter of appreciation was sent by the Vice President to congratulate and thank the Sai devotees working there. I pray that Baba will shower His choicest blessings on the Singapore brothers and sisters for the excellent work they are

doing.

Singapore is known as the country of science and the latest technology, and you could see that at the Service Centre in the wheelchair transport for an elderly person. Watching that motorised wheelchair in action was unbelievable! You just press a button and there it is all ready for an old man. And nobody has to push it; the wheelchair just moves along like that (displays the action). And it can climb steps also! Humans may err and drop the old man, but machines are transporting people carefully.

(Laughter) I was very happy to see that and even now can hardly believe how it worked! Of course, I wanted to sit in it—but perhaps, thank God, I didn’t! (Laughter)

WONDERFUL SERVICE FOR THE OLD PEOPLE

There are also alarms at the residences of the old people. If they want anything, they just press the alarm button in their house, which is answered at the Sai Service Centre. Immediately the Sai people go and attend to them. Unbelievable! There are a few hundred people who are the beneficiaries of the Sai Service Centre.

Well, although I saw it all for myself, I still find it hard to believe the wonderful service for the old people who have problems because of their age. In this modern age when men and women both go to work, the old people are left at home—all alone! They need some care, but not all can be admitted into the homes for the aged. But it is possible for them to stay at home and have the services of the Sai Centre in Singapore. Wonderful!

I also saw groups of aged people in another Service Centre, playing cards or carom ball, or watching TV. There was a group practicing exercises, too. Thus even old age can be made interesting. Old age is not a curse; certainly not. With all the exercises they do and the fun and frolic, I thought “Good . . . though rheumatic with joint pains—they are still romantic!” (Laughter) It is so nice, so nice!

SINGAPORE SAI CENTRES FOR THE AGED ARE OUTSTANDING

By God’s grace, I was able to see many Sai Centres elsewhere—but the Singapore Sai Centre, particularly in their services for aged people, comes first. Outstanding work! Those working for the Centre, I’m sure, take it seriously as sadhana (spiritual practice). The services are of such magnitude that it has come to the notice of the government, and of the society in general. It is a blessed land.

Well, with a word of appreciation to the Singapore sisters who are here, and who will be leaving tomorrow, I request that you convey our appreciation and greetings to all there. Tell them that we are very thrilled and excited in the way you give joy and service to those people in need. Thank you very much for your time here. (Applause)

SWAMI’S STATEMENTS ARE PROFOUND

There is an oft-repeated quote of Bhagavan’s which is . . .

There is only one language, the language of the heart.

Students and speakers often quote those words. But all of a sudden, I began to think about their actual meaning. What is the language of the heart? Can there be a language of something else? Can there be a language of the head, of the eyes, of the legs? What is this ‘language of the heart’? What does Baba mean?

The heart is inside the body, as we know. When the heart inside speaks to us, how is it possible to understand what it says? For instance, when we speak directly to people, some of them don’t understand—or they may decide to misunderstand! (Laughter) So when this happens with direct speech, how can we expect to understand ‘the language of the heart’? Is it possible?

Well, I was thinking along those lines because Swami’s statements are profound, with a deep significance. We have to go into depth to understand their import and meaning. When people just quote His statements like a parrot, there can only be superficial understanding.

LANGUAGE IS A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION

So let us spend some time on this particular matter of ‘the language of the heart’. First of all, what do we know about language in general?

One: language is a means of communication—we all use it to communicate to each other. All over the world, we have different languages for the same purpose. This is to have others understand what we have to say.

Two: language is comprised of syllables that form words. When the words are put together, a sentence is created. So a language is something we speak, using words and sentences in order to be understood. I cannot speak to you if I am silent—it is not possible. In other words, language is verbal and vocal, a means of communication. We use it to be understood by others.

THERE ARE TWO LANGUAGES

The purpose of language is to communicate what we have in our mind. Therefore, my friends, this language can be called ‘the language of the mind’. But Baba speaks of another language: ‘the language of the heart’. So now we have two languages: ‘the language of the mind’ and ‘the language of the heart’. How are we to know which one is which? What are the differences between the two?

THE LANGUAGE OF THE MIND IS LOGICAL

The first point is this: being a teacher, I teach point after point, because old habits die hard. After forty-five years as a teacher, what else can I do? I can’t help it. (Laughter) Well, the language of the mind is logical. The words I use are supported by logic, reasoning and explanation. If I spoke to you here irrationally and illogically, nobody would come to hear me. People would run away because a language that is illogical and irrational is the language of a mad man. Fortunately up to now, I am not that! (Laughter) As of now!

When it is the language of the mind, you can also question the person: “I don’t find any logic or rationale in what you say. Please explain your reasoning.” Therefore, my friends, the first point is that the language of the mind is very clear and logical, and it is open to questioning.

THE LANGUAGE OF THE HEART IS LOVE

Then what is the language of the heart? The language of the heart is the language of love. The second point is that love has no logic or reasoning.

If you ask a young man, “Why do you love her? She is the ugliest creature that I have ever met! Why do you still love her?”

He will reply, “Shut up! I know the reason—you don’t know the reason.”

This is because there is no logic as to why he loves her. “No reason for love, no season for love.” (Taken from a Sai devotional song) (Laughter)

Suppose I say, “I love this flower.”

“Why?”

“There is no reason; I love it, that is all.”

Therefore the language of the heart is based on love, while the language of the mind is based on logic. The main difference is that logic is given to questioning—love cannot be questioned. Even if you should question the other man in a matter related to the heart, he won’t want to engage in giving you an answer. This is because love is independent of all logic; it can’t be defined through questioning. It goes beyond rationality or reasoning.

LOVE IS SIMPLE AND STRAIGHTFORWARD

Then we come to the third point. Love knows no gimmicks. If one loves God, it is simple and straightforward. You don’t need to elaborate on it, or spend time in explaining it.

Someone says to us, “I love God.” We just reply “Oh I see . . . good!” We don’t ask him, “Will you please explain, or will you write an essay on why you love God?” If we did, he would reply, “Why should I care if you understand or not?”

Therefore, the third point is that the language of the heart is simple and straightforward. Nobody says, “I think I love you.” “Oho! You think you love me—but I don’t think so!” (Laughter) It is not like that. There is no complicated ‘love scale’ which we use in defining our love. “I love you”, that is all.

That is why Swami simply says:

Love is God. God is Love. Live in Love.

No one has expressed it in that way before now.

THE LANGUAGE OF THE MIND IS NOT SIMPLE

The language of the mind is not simple. To give you one example: some people who speak on spirituality don’t have a clear idea of the subject or what it is they want to communicate to us. We don’t want to listen to them again because they make what is simple, very complicated. Man is an expert in complicating simple things; we want to use words that need a dictionary to understand their meaning. (Laughter)

Here is an example. Dr. Johnson was a great author in English literature who wrote A Dictionary of the English Language in the 18th century. To describe a man getting out of his bed, he said, “He rose from horizontality to perpendicularity.” (Laughter) The man got up from his bed—that is all! This great author wanted to give the idea that, because he was a scholar, he was not to be easily understood. We should keep our distance from such people.

THE LANGUAGE OF THE HEART IS SIMPLE

You can understand the most difficult philosophy when it is communicated simply. The great prophets, Jesus Christ, Lord Buddha, Mahavir, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, all conveyed Vedic philosophy that way; whereas man makes the most simple things hard to understand. The language of the mind is full of proposals, arguments and counter-arguments, and explanations. God is always simple and straight, and the language of the heart is simple and straight. That is the third point.

---------------------------Ram ChuganiKobe, Japan