Sai Darshan Home
Date:16 Apr 1996 Occasion:Divine Discourse Place:Kodaikanal

Spiritual Knowledge

Embodiments of love,

All forms of knowledge speak of the material world and spirit. Human beings can enjoy peace when he has peace and wisdom. Vidya means full knowledge of every material. There are two forms of knowledge vidya: One secular and the other spiritual. The ordinary type of education teaches you the daily routine. Ordinary education teaches you how to use your limbs. Everything, right from childhood that we do, right up till the old age relates to this vidya. All that we attend to from day to day is vidya, not merely teaching and writing alone. What is special education? All senses of perception speaks of this. True vidya (is) spiritual. Practice enquiry! Enquiry about nature of the mind and intellect are all special. This special education pertains to the spirit. They think of inner senses and feelings. Because of the combination of the two, we have the power of penance. By merely taking to penance, one cannot do any fruitful things without control of senses. The relation between the two, knowledge and penance, are like the positive and negative. It is related with inner body and outer. Education is of the body. Penance is of the spirit. The body is gifted for action. One need not be highly educated. One needs spiritual and formal knowledge.

What is the meaning of penance? Penance is not living in solitude in the forest practicing pranayama, fasting, etc. Therefore, the ancients protected the body by eating fruits and tubes. The state of the body was different in those times. Things changed over time. Today, the body of man is not strong. The habits are all wrong now and, therefore, we do not have divine power. The inner senses are different from that of the mind. Mind recapitulates, memorizes, questions, enquires. Mind is a bundle of thoughts. Mind is a combination of thoughts and counter- thoughts. As it is a bundle of thoughts, it is called chitta.

Next, buddhi (intellect). Intellect is the faculty of discrimination. From that, ego grows. All persons say 'I'. So, the antahkarana is a combination of mind and intellect and ego. For the purity of the intellect, tapas is necessary. One should sacrifice evil thoughts and actions, that is true penance. Giving up the bad qualities is penance. The harmony of thought, word and deed is penance. Sacrifice of evil thoughts is yoga. This is called the yoga of penance. However, our behavior should be satisfactory. The power of penance is shown in our food and habits. Our food and habits today are artificial. the unnatural food that we eat today leads to unsteady meditation. So all our spiritual practices are in vain. For example, if we prepare idly and sambar (steamed rice balls and sour) we buy fresh vegetables, dal, tamarind and spices like salt, chili powder, etc. All are clean. The vessel should be pure for the preparation of the food. That is vidya. The cook is an expert. If that vessel is not tinned then the food can become poisonous. In the spiritual path, purity of mind is very important. Do everything with purity. The worldly knowledge is one thing. Any human being can stay in one position or stand for long, but for running he has to exert himself. This is natural for the body. The mind is the opposite. It can run fast but it cannot remain stable. We should bring equipoise between the two. So the mind should be stable. Make the body run also (do exercise). Only through the body you can get the divine experience. Man really has infinite power. Man is like a generator. Body is a powerful magnet. Not only this, it is like a television, it is a reflection. It hears like a radio. All the powers are within. All the powers in nature are in the body. Prakriti is the combination of the five elements.

We are wasting the divine electricity within by talking too much. All this bad listening and bad talking leads to mental agitation and emotional imbalance. Take for example the radio. When it is switched on we get music. Some units of current are used. Listening to all the bad talk is wastage. Senses become agitated. Therefore, everyone around is attracted by (the) music. Light travels in waves. Therefore, light waves travel long distances.

The effect of all this attraction is magnetism. In all the five elements it is present. See how the magnet has the power to attract the iron. It makes the iron stick on, as though one. You cannot hold back the attracted object. How to hold it back? Don't listen to bad talk, don't indulge in bad talk, etc. Don't do bad actions. How to escape all this? Run away from bad company. Have limited talk and this will bring happiness. The spiritual power is wasted through talking.

The sage, Vasistha, was highly knowledgeable. He was full of wisdom and penance. The sage, Vishwamitra, was one of tapas, penance, but he went up and down repeatedly. He had to charge and recharge his batteries often. One day there was a competition about which of the two was greater? Wisdom or penance? Of all education, wisdom is supreme. Vasishta was the family priest. Once Dasaratha asked him, "You are not short of anything. You are full of penance, so why should you be a priest." Vasishta had divine vision and so he replied, "O King, I have not come here for the worldly position or status. I want nothing. I am working because God will soon be born in this house. I want to have His darshan, sparshan and sambashan and spend some time in His company." Vasistha was one of knowledge and truth. Vishwamitra, on the other hand did penance, but not the penance of inner senses. Every sage acknowledged that Vasistha was a Brahma Rishi. No one called Vishwamitra a Brahma Rishi. Raja Rishi is one of emotion. Brahmarishi is one of Divinity. Vishwamitra wanted to be like Vasistha.

In the competition Adisesha, the snake, was the judge. Adisesha bore the weight of the entire earth. Adisesha had magnificent power and penance. He was one with divinity and had all knowledge. So, Adishesha was summoned. Vishwamitra told Adisesha that he should come and act as a judge. Adisesha agreed, but said, "Someone else will have to take my place." Vishwamitra tried but he failed. Whereas, Vasistha, because of wisdom offered his penance. Thus he could keep the earth in balance. It is only the devotee and his devotion who can bear the burden of the earth and nothing else. Devotion is the supreme state, it cures all. It solves all mental problems and confers liberation. It takes you to Divinity. There is nothing more than devotion. As you think of God, you become God. Steadiness is penance. The heart should be filled with love, unchangeable love. All acts have to be offered to God. The thought, word and deed should be in unity. That is the way Vashishta led his life. Though Vishwamitra did penance, he was full of anger. One with anger sins, and is put to shame. He loses wealth and respect. Everything will be spoiled through anger.

We have lost (the) human qualities of truth, love and peace today. Here is a bulb and wire and current flows through it. Divine power exists in all that which is lighted. There should be one to make a garland. There may be materials like flowers, needle, thread, but there should be one to make the garland. You may have gold but there should be a goldsmith to make the jewel. There may be a container, oil and wick, but there should be one to light it. Similarly, in the body, you have mind and heart, but it is the current that shines. Without the bulb the light is dim. It means that the spiritual power is lost. Our bedroom light, we keep dim. So our [spiritual] light should shine brightly. Develop it through more and more love. All work is God's work. Develop this faith. Through doubts, faith decreases. Penance is the unity trinity, divinity(??). Therefore, unite the work and penance. Today man is performing meditation and spiritual practice but the mind is unsteady because there is no steady faith. Take for example a tap. If you open it there is an unending supply of water.

The Gopis had a lot of devotion. The leader was Radha. She had continuous devotion for Krishna. She never wasted her energy. She only talked of Krishna. She could only hear the melodious music of Krishna. We may think that it is impossible to think of God continuously, but Baba says it is possible. It is easy. Take everything as God's work.

Many of you come from different places, example Madras, Prasanthi Nilayam, etc. Each came by different means of transport, train, bus, plane, or car. So each took different time in reaching here depending on the mode of transport. In a train some compartments change. In an ordinary train, you may have to shift compartments. This is like the path of action. You have to exert. Whereas in a through train, you do not have to change, it is a through carriage. This is the Bhakti path. There are nine forms of worship: listening, chanting, worship of the feet, salutation, ritual, friendship, surrender. In friendship, we invite our old friends to our homes and offer refreshments. But God should be our old friend. Thyagaraja considered God as an old friend. Old is gold. So have this type of friendship with God. Today's friendship depends on status and power. God is in you, with, below and around you. The world is like the passing clouds. Divinity neither comes or goes. God is total love. Two things are important. In the world, life is temporary. You and the world are temporary, but truth and love is permanent. Love is God, live in love. Truth is God, follow truth. Just as a bird has two wings, Truth and Love can make us fly to noble heights. So follow the path of love. Love is the greatest path. Everything is God and God alone, so spend time in divine sojourn. Take the example of a magnet and iron. They unite and the iron itself becomes one with the magnet. The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman. You are sons of immortality. You are eternal. The relationship between you and God is eternal. Bodies change through many births, but the mind, deeds, etc. follows from birth to birth. Just as an auditor does the total accounts for the day and carries the balance over on to the next page, our mind follows onto the next life. We should, therefore, be able to control that mind. First, control the senses. Eat only when you are hungry. So merge in truth and become ONE!


[Discourse posted by Tricia Ostrosky on SaiNet - Transcriptions by Madhuri D. Kara]