Guest guest Posted December 4, 2008 Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 Significance of Vibhuthi Bhagawan materializes Vibhuthi out of nothing and since it is specifically associated with Lord Shiva, it is reverentially called by devotees as Kailasa Vibhuthi. It is named Bhuthi or Vibhuthi since it burns away all sins; Bhasitam because it increases one’s spiritual splendour; Ksharam since it removes danger; and Raksha, for, it is an armour against the machinations of evil spirits. This is how the Vibhuthi is praised in the Brihad Jabala Upanishad. Bhagawan says, what I materialise is a manifestation of divinity with a potent significance as well as symbolisation. It is symbolic of the cosmic, immortal and infinite nature of all forms of God, Atma or the Spirit - that is, what is left when everything worldly, transient and changeable has burnt away. I have spoken to you of the imperative of a desireless life. After Shiva had burnt the God of desire, Kama, into a heap of ashes, he adorned himself with the ash to shine as the conqueror of desire. When Kama was destroyed, Prema reigned as the Goddess of Love. Such is the significance of ash. In the first place, it is symbolic of the life-death cycle in which everything ultimately reduces itself to ash. "For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Ash or dust is the final condition of things. It cannot undergo any further change. In the spiritual context, it constitutes a warning to the receiver to give up desires, to burn all passions, attachment and temptations in the fires of worship which makes one pure in thought, word and deed. ***** You are from Prasanthi Nilayam! “Where are you from?” Bhagawan once asked a devotee whom He had chosen for an interview: The devotee was startled. He has been coming to Puttaparthi for many years and staying there for a few weeks every time. Bhagawan used to accost him not by his name but by the name of his country he belonged to, Gautemala. So, the devotee gave the usual answer, “Guatemala!” Bhagawan’s response was significant. “No! You should say, “Prasanthi Nilayam!” The devotee was immensely happy with this remark of Bhagawan which he took as an act of Grace! “Does Swami mean that I will stay in Prasanthi Nilayam for the rest of life?” He wondered, hopefully! Perhaps, this is the answer Bhagawan expects to get from all of us. We must learn to have the courage, the confidence and wisdom to declare with our hands on our heart that we are from Prasanthi Nilayam. That is the permanent residential address of human beings at all times and in all climes, whether they are aware of it or not. Prasanthi Nilayam is not that piece of land near the village of Puttaparthi in Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh. It is not an entity related to place and time. It is the abode from where all of us have come. It is the name for that state of the source where there is eternal peace because it is Sath-Chith-Ananda, Truth, Awareness, Bliss. That is our home from which we have migrated through aeons, through several incarnations in multifarious frames. We have forgotten that home. We believe that we are what we think we are, and give wrong addresses to each other. We have come to believe that we are the body-mind complex with a name and form. The Prasanthi Nilayam that Bhagawan mentioned to the devotee from Guatemala is not a stone and mortar structure, as He has so often reminded us. He is not really resident in that building. The Prasanthi Nilayam where He resides is our heart. Infact, He has advised us to make our heart a Prasanthi Nilayam, to enable Him to make it His residence. The most compassionate Avatar of the age teaches us to make our heart the Prasanthi Nilayam. The first step to discover the cause of our plight. The prayer Bhagawan prescribed for the Sri Sathya Sai Educational Institutions has in it the secred for gaining Prasanthi: Asatho maa sadh gamayaThamaso maa jyothir gamayaMrithyor maa amrutham gamaya. Lead us from untruth to truth,Lead us from darkness to light,Lead us from death to immortality! Om Shanthi! Shanthi! Shanthi! If we learn to discriminate between asath and sath, between darkness and light, between the transient and the eternal, if we can recognize the immortal amidst the mortal and the dying, we have learnt the secret of peace. What we obtain when we have realized the meaning of this manthram is Shaanthi. That is the Prasanthi Nilayam which Bhagawan wants all of us to reach and realise ***** Why fear when I am here ?! It was in Trayee Brindavan, we were all seated inside and some student was giving a talk and Bhagawan was listening in rapt attention. Suddenly, He closed His eyes and fell backward, on the jhoola. Some of us were watching it and Bhagawan remained like that for few minutes, before returning to normalcy. He called the warden and said, “Go to the gate, there is a person waiting there, call him inside.” The Warden went out and there he saw no one except the sevadal gentleman on duty. He was about to turn back when he saw one old man trotting up towards the Trayee Brindavan gates. Bhagawan had given the name of the gentleman; the warden cross checked it and found out that, this gentleman who had just then entered Trayee Brindavan was indeed the person whom Bhagawan was referring to. This gentleman was called inside; his hands were trembling, and he had a letter for Bhagawan in his hand. Bhagawan gesticulated and this gentleman rushed towards Him. He just said, “Swami”. Bhagawan immediately said, “Yes, Yes, I know. It is your son, and he has just had an accident.” Where was this accident? It was not in India, it was somewhere in U.S.A. This gentleman was dumbfounded and then said, “Swami, yes, the doctors have said that a major surgery has to be performed and he may lose both his eyes.” Bhagawan said, “There is nothing for you to worry about. You ring up immediately and tell your son that My blessing is there with him. He will not lose his eyes.” When this gentleman was about to go back, he suddenly remembered about the letter he was holding in his trembling hands. He turned towards and gave the letter to Bhagawan. All of us had a hearty laugh, including Bhagawan, when there was Bhagawan who had mentioned what had happened including what is the remedy for it, and this gentleman, once again managed to turn back and give the letter which contained the very same story that Bhagawan had just stated explicitly. Yet, Bhagawan took it. The other day heard Bhagawan mentioning as to why He reads letters that are given to Him by devotees. It is not that He does not know what is there but it is to make us happy. It is just to give the satisfaction that, “I have been able to have a minute fraction of contact with this Divinity, which thousands of people crave to come near.” Just for that pretence of reading through, what He, the omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscience already knows! There is no need for Him to read anything With Sai love from Sai brothers - Ram ChuganiKobe, Japan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.