Swami teaches...Part 1. Makara Sankranthi is time to transform the life

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Light and Love Swami teaches... 9 - 11 January 2008 Part 1. Makara Sankranthi is time to transform the life

In this land of Bharat, it is the essence of the cultural heritage that has been given down as Sanathana Dharma. Makara-Sankranti festive day has been celebrated from ancient times as a day of fulfillment and joy. Every festival is a social occasion, arising in society, flourishing in society, and promoting the well being of society. With social changes, festivals also have undergone changes. This sacred and auspicious Makara Sankranthi is a divine occasion for people to transform their lives so that they may experience the divinity, the grandeur and greatness of human birth. Makara-Sankranti festival is an extremely important one for Bharatiyas (Indians). It is a festival to celebrate the glory of the Sun God. The Sun moves every month from one sign of Zodiac to the next. Sankranthi, meaning “sacred change”, occurs every month as the Sun moves from one house of the Zodiac to another. But special sacredness attaches to the movement of the Sun to Capricorn. Makara-Sankranti day marks the entry of the Sun into the sign of Capricorn in his Northward journey (Uttarayana). On Sankranti day, the farmers rejoice over the fullness with the newly harvested crop of the granaries in their homes. The Sun shines in every human body, illuminating the chakras. Of all chakras, two are most important: the Hridaya (heart) chakra and the Sahasrara chakra. Vedas state that everything exists in the human heart (mind) and not in the external world. Based on this, the one that is in the Sushumna state is hailed as Hiranyagarbha ("Hiranyagarbhaya Namah"). In that state lies unbounded bliss. Hiranyagarbha means One who is pregnant with gold. A characteristic of gold is that it remains unchanged. (What is this gold? It is a piece of earth. But as earth is available freely everywhere, it is treated as of no value. But as gold is found somewhere within the bowels of the earth, it is accorded special value, it is practically changeless).

Likewise, however long it may remain on the Earth, the Hridaya (heart) is not subject to change. This is not a reference to the physical heart, but to the spiritual heart what has infinite potentialities. Light that illumines from this heart spreads joy and peace. The Hiranmaya principle resides in the heart in twelve forms. These forms are also calledAditya brahmas - twelve months of the year. The Hiranmaya principle is the reality. This reality is covered by Maya (delusion)created by the individual. It arises out of ignorance. (You mistake a rope for a serpent in twilight. The mistake is due to the absence of light. The unchanging reality was the rope). The Hridaya chakra has eight petals. God is the Lord of the eight-petaled Hridaya chakra. These eight petals are regarded as eight consorts of the Lord. The ancient sages adored the eight-petaled divine centre in the heart* and thereby reached Sahasrara chakra and enjoyed supreme bliss. What do the eight petals of the heart represent? They are: Love (Prema), Truth (Sathyam), Forbearance (Sahanam), Sacrifice (Thyaga), Compassion (Daya), Beauty (Sundaram), Bliss (Ananda) and Peace (Santhi) which are adored as eight consorts of Krishna. God is the embodiment of all these eight attributes. Sacrifice is the most important of them. The Sahasrara chakra has a thousand petals. Each petal carries sixteen phases (kalas). Thus the Sahasrara chakra is said to represent 16,000 cowherd maidens (gopikas). The Vedas declare that the Sun from the 'eye' of the Cosmic Person and the Moon emerged from the 'mind' of the Virat-purusha (Cosmic Person). So by Vedas the Sun represents the illumination in the eye. When the vision encompasses the creation, the eye becomes a sacred instrument (for the understanding of spiritual truths). The Moon in the Vedic sense represents the Mind-principle. Whatever the eye perceives carries an authenticity of its own. This is called Pratyaksha Pramanam (proof by direct perception). The Sun is the basis for this type of proof. For Anumana Pramanam (proof by inference), the mind is the authority for Sabda (proof on the basis of the spoken word), the authority is Vaak (the deity presiding over speech). When human acts on the authority of these three kinds of proof, he/she can realize the Divine. The Atma is the combined expression of vaak (speech), manas (mind) and prana (the life-force). Of these three, prana is most important. There is no end to prana, though there is an end to the body in which prana remains. It is this prana that is reflected in all beings as the image in a mirror. But prana alone is not enough. It is from these three - vaak, manas and prana - that the Atma arises. Our lives have to be made meaningful by the unity of these three. Watch the mind, just as you watch the cable through which the current flows. Do not establish contact with the mind; it is as bad as contacting the cable. Watch it from a distance; search for the cause of ajnanam (ignorance) just where it resides. Then you will find that the mind in association with vishaya (sense objects) is the cause. Cut it off from the vision of vishaya and jnana (wisdom) dawns.

Your vision should be turned towards that which is unchanging. All the things of the world are transient and perishable. That is why, Krishna declared in the Gita: "Having taken birth in this impermanent and sorrow-ridden world, worship Me!" The entire Universe is subject to change sometime or other. Only the consciousness in the heart is permanent and real. What is done wholeheartedly by that consciousness leads to immortality. Birth and death are incidental to life. Disciple Bhargava, who had sought to understand the mystery relating to birth and death and the truth about the (Northward and Southward journeys of the Sun and the nature of bright and dark fortnights in a month, satisfied with the knowledge he had acquired from the sage Pippalada. The sage explanes, that for the world of external phenomena, the presiding deity is called, Viswa. The deity presiding over the internal organs is known as Hiranyagarbha what is located in the heart of every person. It is the Mind principle** that has been described as Hiranyagarbha.

What is the reason for the difference between the external and the internal? It has to be recognized that the mind represents a highly sacred principle. When the mind, filled with agitations, contemplates on God, it achieves inner peace. Hence, the seers have declared that human proceeds from peacelessness to peace, from peace to illumination, from illumination to recognition of the Supreme Effulgence, which is the Brahmam (Absolute). The Vedic sage Pippalada also explains that there are two different paths which may be pursued by the earnest aspirant. One is bhava and the other is sadhana. One who meditates on the Pranava (OM) with bhava (intense feeling) may not be able to realize own divinity. (Even if one has some glimpses of the Divine, they do not last long). One who pursues the path of sadhana, reaches the Surya-mandala (realm of the Sun) and proceeds from there to the region of all-pervading Brahmam.

To acquire Brahma bhava (the awareness of Brahmam) means being aware of this infinitevastness. Today's science is engaged in trying to explore the infinitesimally minutest particle in matter. Spirituality is concerned with exploring the Infinite what is vaster than the vastest. It is concerned with "expanding" the consciousness. Brahmam means the Infinite.

The ancients attached the highest value to good character. They considered that if character was lost, all was lost. Today, people consider that if wealth is lost all is lost. To do anything in the world, one must have competence (yogyatha). For the practice of righteousness (dharma), one must have competence. According to own fitness, human embarks on righteous action. To achieve fame human must qualify himself to deserve it. Character is the root cause of all happiness. Hence, to get happiness, or go to heaven or earn a good name, one must acquire the requisite worthiness. All that you have seen and experienced in life will appear before you in your mind, the moment you try to recall them. This means that the entire universe is within you. All that you see is "a reflection of the inner being." All that you speak is a reflection of inner thoughts. All that you do is a reflection of inner action. Hence, to act according to your inner impulse is Dharma. It is to express in words what you think, and to act according to your words. This unity of thought, word and deed is Dharma. (Most people act from a temporal perspective without the benefit of seeing the infinite chain of causes and effects behind each activity and forget the unity of thought, word and deed).

Manavathva (humanness) means the complete harmony of thought, word and deed. (If there is divergence between thought, word and deed, what is the outcome? Fruitless action). To speak what you feel inside is Sathya (Truth). To contemplate on what you experience in your heart is Santhi (Peace). To understand properly the promptings of the heart is Ahimsa (Nonviolence). Consideration for all emanating from the heart is Prema (Love). Sathya, Dharma, Santhi, Prema and Ahimsa are reflections of feelings emanating from the heart. A mirror, though clean, may not reflect your image if there is no special coating behind it. So also the heart may be pure, but there should be a coating of Love behind it to facilitate reflection of God.

Everyone should realize that the body has been given to us for performing selfless service. Human was saved by this emphasis of Nishkama karma (selfless action), fromunending desire and inexplicable sorrow. (Now like water, human flows ever downward, and at the least disappointment, breaks into bits and drops). The ancient sages emphasized the importance of Karma yoga, the discharge of one's duties in life in a dedicated spirit. Through Karma yoga human achieves control of the senses and develops the qualities of universal Love, forbearance and compassion. Take up social service in your homes. That is the way to make use of your studies and put Swami’s teachings into practice. Practice what you preach. This is true service. It should be realized that nothing in creation is intended for the exclusive use of any one person. We should therefore discard the feeling: "These things have been given for my exclusive use, they are my own." (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 3. "The day they got the light," Chapter 28; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 18. "Equality through Love," Chapter 28; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 26. "Sanctify sports and games," Chapter 2. Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 31. "Promotion of unity: Students’ duty," Chapter 2; Sathya Sai Baba. Discourse at the Summer Course in Brindavan, on 28-5-1991 at Brindavan, on 30-5-1991). *It is interesting to note that the Institute of HeartMath has conducted leading-edge research on the relationship between the heart and brain and the ways in which this relationship affects physical, mental, and emotional health and human performance. Recent biomedical research has revealed that the heart is not only a pump, but a highly complex, self-organized information processing center with its own functional "brain." With each beat, the heart continuously communicates with the brain and body via the nervous system, hormonal system, bioelectromagnetic interactions, and other pathways. It is now known that the signals the heart sends the brain can influence perception, emotional processing, and higher cognitive functions. The researches have shown that emotion-related changes in the heart's rhythmic activity are correlated with distinct changes in these variables. More:http://www.heartmath.org/research/research-publications.htmlhttp://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart/index.htmlhttp://www.heartmath.org/research/our-heart-brain.html) Namaste - Reet