Love Dissolves Jealousy

[Guest guest]

The Lord takes the misguided to task even as He asserts His Divinity

to dispel all doubts.

Forbearance is the real beauty in this sacred land of

Bharat. The nectarine feeling in this country is like the love

towards one's mother. Character is valued far higher than life

itself. People today have forgotten the basic tenets of this great

culture and imitate Western culture. The Bharatiyas are not aware of

the greatness of their own cultural heritage, just as a mighty

elephant is not aware of its own strength.

 

From time immemorial, this land has been the birthplace of sages,

seers and saints who propagated the sacred culture of Bharat to the

rest of the world and earned fame. But today such noble souls have

been forgotten. You should acknowledge the well-founded truth that

Bharat relies on its spiritual wealth and nothing else. Reflect then

on the plight of present day Bharat, which in bygone days spread the

light of Divinity in the (rest of the) world. In this sacred land,

many men of nobility and virtue had to face hardship and criticism,

yet they remained firm in their resolve to become an example for the

rest of humanity.

Today, remind yourselves of the ideals that Jesus stood for. From

time to time, many noble souls, endowed with immense spiritual power,

take birth to propagate sacred teachings to the world. They struggle

hard to make the world a good place to live in. But without

perceiving their noble intent, the foolish people of the world try to

ridicule and persecute them.

Right from his birth, Jesus had to face many trials and tribulations.

When the fame of noble souls spreads far and wide, many people become

envious and resentful. The history of Bharat is full of such examples

that bear witness to this fundamental truth.

Asuya (jealousy) and Anasuya (non-jealousy) are sisters. Asuya has

three sons – Kama (desire), Krodha (anger) and Dwesha (hatred). The

Divine Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara are the sons of

Anasuya. The evil forces of desire, anger and hatred are troublesome

to man.

Jesus was also put to suffering in every possible way, though he

strove tirelessly for the peace and welfare of society. He was the

epitome of compassion and the refuge of the poor, needy and forlorn.

But many people tried to create trouble for Jesus as they did not

like his sacred teachings and activities. Their hatred to Jesus

increased day by day. Even the priests turned against Jesus, jealous

of his growing popularity. But the fishermen held Jesus in high

esteem. They turned followers. As Jesus became even more popular,

many jealous people raised obstacles in his path and even tried to

kill him.

Jesus had twelve disciples. Judas was one of them. But he betrayed

Jesus. At that time, there was only one Judas, but today there are

many such `Judases'. The modern world is engulfed in unrest, because

the number of treacherous people like Judas has risen.

Such people are petty and mean-minded, easily tempted by money. Judas

betrayed Jesus just for a few pieces of silver. Even two thousand

years ago, money was the primary temptation of man. Greed for money

impels people to resort to evil and unjust ways, distort truth and

spread false propaganda. That was the case then, and this is true

today as well. No one need be afraid of such false allegations. Why

should one be afraid of the mistake one has not committed? In the

past, many evil-minded people were jealous of the divine savants

whose teaching and righteous way of life attracted people worldwide.

Even today there is no dearth of such wicked people.

In these present times many people are jealous of Sai whose renown

and glory have been spreading far and wide. These people neither

undertake any philanthropic activity themselves, nor can they

tolerate if someone else does. The Rayalaseema region suffered from

scarcity of drinking water right from the time of the British rule.

There were many leaders and wealthy people, but none of them took up

the task of providing drinking water in this region. It is Sai Baba

who has supplied water to the lakhs of people of Rayalaseema.

Today the cost of heart surgery runs into lakhs of rupees. Again, it

is Sai Baba who has established Super Speciality Hospitals, where

most expensive heart surgeries are performed free.

The field of education is corrupted by money to such an extent that

one is expected to pay a donation of Rs. 20,000 to admit a child in a

primary school. But Sai Baba provides free education right from

kindergarten to postgraduation. No other individual, or government

for the matter, has been able to provide free education or free

medical care to the people.

Some people are so mean - minded that they do not wish to understand

and appreciate the sanctity associated with these [altruistic]

activities. Has any one of them been able to accomplish even one-

thousandth part of what Sai Baba is doing? No, no, no! Only Sathya

Sai Baba has undertaken such noble tasks without a trace of vanity.

Sai Baba stands for three Ps — Purity, Patience and Perseverance.

There is not even a vestige of selfishness in Sai Baba from top to

toe. He has been rendering totally selfless service. Why are people

even with a modicum of intelligence unable to recognise this truth?

Why do they spread falsehood? They do so because of greed. Money is

the basis of conversion of people from one religion to another. Even

those who wear ochre robes become jealous of the prosperity of each

other and indulge in baseless falsehood.

 

One does not become a saint or develop devotion just by wearing ochre

robes. One does not become free from sins merely by holding the Gita

in one's hands.

The less said about Peethadhipathis(heads of religious

establishments) the better. Why, even some of the so-called sadhus

indulge in sinful activity. We should not criticise anybody. But I am

forced to tell you all this. Do not be afraid of any false publicity.

No spiritual practice like Japa and Dhyana can redeem your life if

you do not adhere to Truth and Love. Let anything happen, hold on to

these values. These values alone can confer happiness and prosperity

to the entire world. Develop more and more love. Do not pay heed to

the criticism of others because you are not committing any mistake.

What mistake can there be if one loves God? Have unflinching love of

God till your last breath. Do not entertain conflicts or doubts.

Another Super Speciality Hospital has been built in Bangalore at a

cost of Rs. 300 crore. In this vast land of Bharat, do you find any

politician in power who undertakes such noble actions? On the other

hand, some people, shamelessly, talk ill of others.

People who try to hinder sacred activities are not human beings at

all. They are verily demons. Even if the whole world were to be

filled with such demons, Sai's resolve will never change. Some

people, out of their mean-mindedness, are trying to tarnish the image

of Sai Baba. I am not after glory. So, I do not lose anything by

their false allegations. My glory will go on increasing day by day.

It will never diminish even a bit if they were to publicise their

false allegations in the whole world in bold letters. Some devotees

seem to be perturbed by these false statements. They are not true

devotees at all. Having known the mighty power of Sai, why should

they be afraid of the `cawing of crows'?

One should not get carried away by what is written on walls, said in

political meetings or by the vulgar tales in the print media. Let us

firmly resolve to propagate the principles of Truth, Righteousness

and Love. Sathya Sai Baba has no trace of selfishness in Him. I am

spending crores of rupees to alleviate the suffering of the poor and

downtrodden. My resolve is to feed the hungry and impart education to

poor children. There are many millionaires in this world who are so

mean, ill-tempered and bigoted that they set their dogs on the

beggars who come to beg for alms at their doorstep. It is shameful to

consider them as human beings.

These persons are unable to do even one thousandth part of what

Sathya Sai Baba is doing for society, but, shamelessly, spread false

allegations. Instead it would be better for them to follow Sathya Sai

Baba and set an example to the rest of the world. I have no desires

or ambitions. There is no trace of jealousy in Me. I am Love

personified. Love is My very life. Wisdom is the fruit that I grant.

These two form the basis of My life.

People who indulge in false allegations are bound to come to woe.

Those who instigate such false publicity, too, will meet their doom.

Money should be utilised to undertake righteous actions, not for evil

purposes. Serve your fellowmen with all love and compassion. Put them

on the right path and make them happy. I am not afraid of any false

propaganda that people may spread. Why should I be afraid when I

follow the path of Truth, Righteousness and Love? Let people say what

they want; I am not perturbed.

I will now explain to you in detail the principle of Love that I

stand for. During the time of every Avatar, wicked people did play

their tricks. During the time of Krishna, there were evil-minded

people like Kamsa, Sisupala and Dantavakra, who tried their best to

harm Him. When Rama incarnated for the establishment of Dharma, He

too had to face stiff opposition from evil forces. He was exiled to

forest for 14 years where He underwent a lot of suffering. Even His

consort was separated from Him. Ultimately, what happened to all

those who tried to create trouble for the divine personages? Those

who accuse Divine personages and make them suffer commit the worst of

sins. If one cannot undertake meritorious deeds, it would be better

to keep quiet, instead of perpetrating sinful deeds.

Some people claim to be devotees, yet take to evil ways. They feel

that their physical appearance will earn them respect. Not at all.

Sacredness makes a person good. So, one should lead a life of Truth

and Righteousness. The principle of Love is the same in eyeryone. All

should stand united by the bond of Love. Then the entire world will

become one family. We can never attain happiness if we contract and

fragment love and develop hatred.

I lead a life suffused with Love from dawn to dusk. I provide high

quality free education to thousands of students. Not merely free

education, I am showing them by My example the way to lead an ideal

life. When these students go out, some people try to pollute their

minds with wicked feelings. Whatever others may say, our students are

like gold. The very dust of the feet of our students will prevent

wickedness in others. The alumni, both boys and girls, of our

institutions lead sacred and exemplary lives.

`The Messengers of Sathya Sai', association of alumni of Anantapur

College, perform service in many countries. They also encourage their

husbands to take to the path of service. Our old students work in

various countries like Switzerland, America, Japan, China, Russia,

etc. Some foreigners are trying to bribe them, asking them to

fabricate stories against Sathya Sai Baba. In Switzerland, when

someone approached one of our girl students, asking her to concoct

stories against Sai Baba, she got so enraged that she immediately

took out her shoe to teach that person a lesson. She asked him, " Is

this what your religion teaches? Is this the ideal that your religion

propagates? Fie on you! Get out! " But there are some traitors like

Judas, who are being bribed to level false charges against Sai Baba.

Ultimately, what happened to Judas? He felt miserable for having

betrayed Jesus for monetary gains. He shed tears of repentance. He

hit himself saying, " Fie on me! I am a traitor. I betrayed my own

Master and God. " Betrayal of God is the worst of all sins. Such

betrayal can never be atoned for in any number of births. So, never

try to betray God. Love all. Salute even those who criticise you

because divinity is present in all. Do not spoil your mind by

harbouring evil feelings like anger. Pray to God with Love. All noble

souls and incarnations in the past had also to put up with criticism.

You may ask why at all such criticism should arise? Criticism, in

fact, adds to their glory.

Pleasure is interval between two pains. Shadow follows light. One

should not be afraid of shadow. There is light even in shadow. Light

and shadow cannot exist separately. There is a principle of unity

between them. So, do not react to any criticism levelled against

Swami or any other elder for that matter. Just brush it aside,

saying, you have nothing to do with it. If someone points out

mistakes in you, you can certainly rectify them. But if someone

levels false charges against you, don't worry. Be happy. If the

criticism is made in a loud voice, it goes into the thin air. If it

is made within oneself, it goes to oneself only. Such being the case,

why should you be perturbed? Let anybody say anything; remain calm.

Consider whatever happens as good for you. With such equal-

mindedness, carry on your good work.

In future, you are going to witness many more glorious events. There

is nothing that Sathya Sai cannot accomplish. In fact, people will be

struck with awe and wonder by His deeds. But His only aim is to make

everybody happy. Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu! (May the entire

world be happy). Those who aspire for the well-being of others will

never be put to difficulties. No obstacles can ever shake them. A

small example. Once Buddha encountered the demon of jealousy, which

said, " Buddha, I am going to devour you. " Buddha smiled and said

sweetly, " O, demon of jealousy, I love you too. " On listening to the

loving words of Buddha, the demon immediately turned into a dove that

symbolises Love and Peace, and flew away.

One becomes a devotee in the true sense only when one cultivates

patience and conquers the evils of anger, hatred and jealousy with

Love. Don't be elated by praise or depressed by blame. It is not

proper on your part to love only those who praise you and hate those

who criticise you. Be equal-minded in both praise and censure.

Criticism will only help you to progress. So, do not harbour hatred

towards those who criticise you. Accept everything good that comes

your way. Ignore all that is bad. People may praise or criticise, but

none can shake Sai. Sai lives in Truth. None has been able to shake

Truth at any time. Lead your lives with such strong conviction.

Increase your faith in God day by day. As faith increases, all the

wickedness will perish. Do not give up the spiritual practices that

you have been doing all along. Since Jesus bore all the difficulties

with fortitude, he is adored and worshipped to this day.

Once a young disciple asked Jesus, " O Master, when I am faced with

some problems, how am I to solve them? " Jesus replied, " Do not seek

solutions to your problems. Love God, who is installed in your heart.

Love even those that hate you, because God is present in them also.

How can you ever suffer when you love all? Your heart will be filled

with bliss when you love everybody. "

Similar was the answer which Lord Krishna gave to Arjuna when he

asked Him, " Swami, is there anybody who is very dear to You? " Krishna

replied, " I have neither friend nor foe. I am present in every heart.

I reside even in the hearts of those who criticise Me. One who sees

God in all and loves them is very dear to Me. One is intimately

related to Me not by birth, but by one's intense love for Me. Having

been with Me for so long, it is rather surprising that you have not

understood this basic truth. O Arjuna, you have made Me sit in your

chariot, but not in the chariot of your heart. " One should install

God in one's heart. In fact, you don't need to install Him; He is

already there. It is enough if you know the truth that God is present

in your heart. Once you recognise this truth, you will become God

yourself.

You have to propagate Love to the world. Nothing exists other than

Love in this world. Love is God. Love is life and Love is everything.

So, cultivate more and more Love. Let your mind not waver under any

circumstance. A wavering mind becomes profane. That is why once

Thyagaraja sang, " O mind, do not waver and do not get deluded. You

suffer because of delusion. "

Consider Love as your very life. Love alone makes one's life sacred.

One is a true human being only if one has Love in him. Man is God and

God is Love. Love unifies all. So, develop Love. Tread the path of

Truth and Righteousness and lead a peaceful life. There are no

greater powers, no greater ideals and no greater supports than these

human values of Sathya, Dharma, Shanthi and Prema. These four values

are the life-supporting principles. Adhere to them and sanctify your

life.

Embodiments of Love!

Be fearless. Do not be afraid even if a thunderbolt were to land on

your head. Death comes once, not twice. It is bound to come one day

or the other. So, do not be afraid of death. Be ready for anything.

Do not be afraid to follow Truth. Fill your life with Love. Only then

will your life be sanctified.

Everyone has to face the consequences of his actions. None can

predict when and how, but you are bound to face them. However, when

you constantly think of God, you will never be put to suffering. God

will protect you from all suffering. He will always be with you, in

you, around you, safeguarding you. You may worship God by any name –

Jesus, Rama, Krishna, etc. But remember that God is One, Goal is One,

Truth is One and Love is One. Love is God. Enshrine this unity

principle in your heart and have firm faith in it.

 

Then God will certainly take care of you wherever you are – in a

forest, in the sky, in a city, in a village, on a mountain top or in

the middle of deep sea.

No one has the right to deny your God. Because of the influence of

Kali Age, people are taking to evil ways in pursuit of money. They

even go to the extent of killing others for the sake of money. For

them money is everything. One should not struggle to earn money.

Rather, one should strive to earn the wealth of Love. When you have

wealth of Love in your possession, you will never suffer.

Embodiments of Love!

I hope I am not causing you Badha (trouble) by speaking for a long

time. In fact, I am giving you a great Bodha (illumination). People

who feel discouraged should be given the tonic of courage, so that

they do not have any weakness.

The `Messengers of Sathya Sai' have been serving the society with

great energy and love. Sometimes, they even forego their food while

they serve. But that is not a good practice as it can damage their

health. They wanted to make their contribution for the Super

Speciality Hospital that has been constructed at Bangalore. Being

ladies, they felt sad that they could not work manually at the

construction - site, carry bricks, etc. They collected 75 lakh rupees

from their own small savings and sent the amount to Sri Sathya Sai

Central Trust without informing Me. Moreover, there are many alumni

(men) of our college. Though they work outside, they belong to Swami.

Some of them wait here for months together without even proper meals.

They have also saved some money to contribute for the hospital. They

have sent 45 lakh rupees to the Central Trust.

We don't want your money. We want your love. We want your welfare,

progress and happiness. Wherever you are, lead ideal lives. What I

want is Love, not money. Like this, many more hospitals will be

coming up in future. I do not ask anybody for any help. It is Sathya

Sankalpa (Will of Truth); what I am doing is good. If one undertakes

any good work, it is bound to fructify. It is My goodness attracts

all the help.

 

Take back the money that you have given us. Not only now, I never

wanted money at any time in My life. Your love, progress and well-

being is what I want. I will be pleased if you lead ideal lives with

good conduct. Earn the name that says Sathya Sai students are well

behaved. `Money comes and goes, morality comes and grows.' Develop

your morality and character. Be courageous. Share your Love with

others. Outsiders are not aware of the love and devotion that the

students and devotees have for Me. They do not even care for their

health when it comes to serving Me. But I don't want such service.

You should eat well. Do not put yourselves to trouble. Do not put the

body to any harm as God is its indweller (Jeeva is Deva). Make

yourself happy and then serve the community. You have been going to

various villages and serving the villagers thus. This wealth of

service is much greater than crores of rupees. Go to each and every

village, serve the poor and

feed the hungry.

As I mentioned to you recently, I came across a news item in a small

piece of newspaper. There was a poor mother who did not have the

wherewithal to feed her son. Her husband was dead. Everyday she used

to beg for alms to feed her son. Once it rained heavily for many

days. Consequently, the woman could not go out for begging. One

morning her son started crying, " Mother, I am hungry. Give me

something to eat. " In such a situation, what could she give him? She

felt helpless and shed tears. She thought within herself, " Son, God

has not given me the strength to feed you. " In that moment of

helplessness, she somehow managed to get poison, mixed it in water,

gave it to her son and drank it herself. Both of them died. I felt

very sad that in this land of Bharat, known as the land of Annapoorna

(Goddess of Food), there are some people unable to feed their own

children.

From that day onwards, I have taken up a firm resolve. Children

should be fed properly and given proper education. So, I have made a

scheme of fixed deposits of one lakh rupees for each family of such

helpless mothers and their children. They will get an interest of

more than one thousand rupees per month to fulfil their needs. But

there may be some cheats who will try to exploit their innocence. The

cheats may mislead the poor mothers to invest the one lakh rupees in

a business for their own selfish ends. That is why the bank manager

would be given strict instructions to hand over the interest only to

the mother.

Sathya Sai Baba has no trace of selfishness in Him. I am spending

crores of rupees to alleviate the suffering of the poor and

downtrodden. My resolve is to feed the hungry and impart education to

poor children.

It is not possible to provide education to children if they live in a

different village. We wanted to keep them nearby and asked the

government to allot a suitable piece of land. But they have not given

this to us and I have stopped asking them. We have got out own

orchard. I have decided to use that piece of land to construct houses

for these poor families. I thought that instead of utilising the land

for growing fruit trees, it would be better to utilise it for the

sake of poor children. We are going to construct houses with two

rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom for every mother and her children.

They can live there and meet their needs with the interest they get

from the bank. I will take the responsibility of providing education

to these children. We have many students, both boys and girls, who

can teach them and train them. Our boys and girls are ready to render

any service. I do not want to praise My own students, but you cannot

find students like

them anywhere else. They are highly virtuous. I want My students to

render service to the poor and needy and alleviate their suffering.

Students, you do not need to pay heed to what others say. Take a firm

resolve to serve society and sanctify your life.

Shortly, I am going to Puttaparthi. The students' Sports Meet is

going to be held there very soon. The students need to be encouraged.

The construction of houses for the poor has also to be started. Then,

by [19th January 2001] I will be back here (Brindavan) for the

inauguration of Super Speciality Hospital, which is going to benefit

the entire State of Karnataka. All the heart patients in the State of

Karnataka should be cured of their disesase. Everyday 30 or 40

operations will take place. For this purpose, 30 surgeons will be

employed on high salaries. There will be 8 or 10 operation theatres.

At least 25 or 30 heart surgeries should take place everyday. No

patient should suffer from heart failure. That is My strong

determination. I don't want to make any distinction between States.

All States are Mine. All belong to Me and I belong to you all. Do not

entertain any doubt or weakness. I am ready to give whatever you

require. Be courageous. `Why

fear when I am here?'

Boys and Girls!

Follow the commands of your parents and make them happy. Get married

if they want you to, and lead a life of an ideal householder. I bless

you all and bring My Discourse to a close.

A short while from now, the Messengers of Sathya Sai are going to

present a drama. It is an ideal drama unlike the dramas you see on

television. Today TV has become very common. Young minds are being

spoiled by watching the TV. There is no harm if good programmes are

shown, but the government encourages programmes which are not good

for children. We do not want such a government. We want a government,

which will make the people tread the path of Truth and

Righteousness. `God-ment' is the real government. There are people

who are working for their way of life. Let it not become your way of

life. Do not join politics. Take to the path of service. Go to each

and every village. Serve everybody. The best way to love God is to

love all and serve all. Learn this art of service.

Chala Santosham (very happy).

 

Ram Chugani

Kobe, Japan