Transcendental Value of Sathya and Dharma

[On the afternoon of the 13th, Bhagavan delivered an unscheduled discourse in the Poornachandra Auditorium, before the evening's cultural programme was to begin. Bhagavan's discourse was preceded by a short speech by Prof. Anil Kumar on the historic significance of the celebration of the Chinese New Year Day in Prasanthi Nilayam.]

In the course of His discourse, Bhagavan said:

When people from every part of the world have gathered here to rejoice in a great celebration, they are being described as "foreigners" and the residents of Prasanthi Nilayam as natives. Who are the natives and who are the foreigners? When this question is examined, it will be seen that wherever Truth and Righteousness are respected and practiced, the people there are to be deemed Bharatiyas. By merely taking birth in Bharat, people do not become Bharatiyas.

Bharatiya culture proclaims the two virtues: Sathyam Vada; Dharmam Chara (speak the truth; follow righteousness). Whoever practices these two principles is a Bharatiya.

The whole world is one vast mansion. It contains many rooms. Each country constitutes one room in this mansion. Hence, the whole world should be considered as one home. When you regard all the limbs as parts of a body, you should consider the function of the heart in it. It is the heart that supplies blood to every part of the body. Likewise, Sathya and Dharma (Truth and Righteousness) constitute the blood sustaining all countries.

THE DEVOTEE AND GOD

God is considered and adored as the creator. God created the living creatures but these beings are "creating" God. Hence these beings are also creators. God is not created by Himself. It is the devotees who are "creating" God.

The supreme devotee, Prahalada, was able, by the intensity and sincerity of his devotion, to make God manifest in a pillar. The child Dhruva could make Narayana manifest Himself in a forest. It follows that every being is a creator. Every human being is Divine. But, because of identification with the body, man considers himself an ordinary being. The difference between creation and the Creator relates only to the external form (Upaadhi). When the physical form is ignored, what remains is the Spiritual Reality.

CHINA AND BHARAT

In different countries, peoples of the world observe their respective festivals. Today is considered as the beginning of their new year by the Chinese. There is no difference between Bharat and China with regard to the calendar. The Chinese have dates which represent the apparent northward and southward movement of the sun (Uttaraayana and Dakshinaayana). In Bharat we have lunar and solar months. In China also there is such a two fold division. In Bharat, in some parts of the country, the beginning of Utharaayana marks the commencement of the new year. They base their calendar on the lunar cycle (Chandramaasa). In other parts of the country, they go by the solar time (Suryamaasa). In China, they have a lunar and a solar year. In the Bharatiya view, there is an intimate connection between the moon and the mind and between the sun and the eye.

HUMAN UNITY

In this perspective, we can see that basically there are no differences between different countries regarding matters like the almanac and the celebration of festivals. For all things, the root cause is the human heart. When the idea of oneness gets entrenched in the human heart, the ideal of human unity will be realized.

[Bhagavan recited this sloka, with which He had begun His discourse. The sloka means: The One Absolute, who is Being, Awareness and Bliss, is the embodiment of Peace in all His forms. All His names are auspicious, and He manifests the triune attributes of Truth, Auspiciousness, and Beauty).

SATHYAM, SIVAM, SUNDARAM

Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram - Truth, Auspiciousness or goodness, and Beauty - these three constitute the essential nature of humanness. In ancient times, this was the description given by Plato (the Greek philosopher). The Greeks could see the oneness underlying these three attributes. Plato expatiated on "Truth, Goodness, and Beauty". Bharatiyas expressed the same thing in the terms "Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram". Though there is a difference in the language of the words used, their essential meaning is the same. Such correspondence between concepts in Indian metaphysics and the doctrines of Christianity and other faiths exists in respect of ideas regarding the relationship between man, nature, and God.

THE LOVE PRINCIPLE

Based on their different regional and ethnic differences, people in different regions of the world developed different faiths and cultures. But the essence of all their beliefs is one and the same principle. That is the principle of love. There is no human being in the world without love. However, that love expresses itself in many ways. In a mental asylum there are people with many kinds of delusions. In a sense the entire world may be considered as a mental asylum. There are in the world people crazy about money. There are others who have obsessions regarding their health and sickness. There are others who are crazy about power and position. In this manner every individual is obsessed with some desire or other. There are, again, some who are obsessed with the idea of God. Of all these forms of madness, the madness for God is most commendable.

From birth to death, man is haunted by twelve kinds of worries. [Swami sang a poem describing the different kinds of worries and concluding with a call to men to get over all the worries by concentrating their minds on God.] By worrying about God all other worries can be got rid of. You must seek to know that by knowing which all else can be known, by attaining which everything else can be attained. The Upanishads have declared: If you knock, the door will open; If you ask, He will answer; If you seek, He will give you what you want.

Every one knocks at the door and asks. What does he ask? He does not knock at the right door. You must knock at the door leading to liberation (Mokshadwaara). Man today knocks at the door leading to hell. Man who should seek the Bliss of the Spirit craves for earthly pleasures. Instead of seeking the Presence of the Lord as the supreme bliss, man is distancing himself from the Divine.

WORDS AND ACTIONS

You must pray to the Divine and redeem your life. You must enter the door leading to spiritual liberation. Today people are not seeking the grace of the Divine but are appealing to the devil for favors. How can divinity be experienced by such people? You need not go anywhere in this quest. All that you have to find out is what belongs to you. Your words or your writings do not belong to you. Only your actions are yours. Today there is no harmony between deeds and your words. Your writings have no relation to your real experience. Hence, you are unable to experience real bliss.

It is better to act than to speak. Speech is easy. Practice is difficult. There is real Sadhana only when you practice what you profess. There must be complete harmony between thought, word, and deed. The ancients proclaimed the supreme quality of this triple harmony and purity (Trikarana Suddhi). Where there is divergence between thought, word and deed, Vedanta declares that it is evil. The triple harmony is the mark of high-souled beings. The wicked revel in disharmony.

MERIT AND SIN

People should develop spiritual oneness and the triple purity. Then Divinity will manifest itself. The Divine is within you. Sin and merit are related to your actions. Hence, men should engage themselves entirely in pure and sacred acts. Vyasa defined merit and sin in terms of the good or harm you do to others (Paropakaram and Parapidanam). Para should be understood as referring to the Divine. Whatever action is conducive to "Self-realization" is meritorious. Whatever action is unspiritual - antagonistic to the Self - is sinful. The one Self is present in all beings. To differentiate between different beings is sinful. To consider what is one as separate and divided is a sin. Paropakaarahpunyaaya (To help "others" is meritorious). The real meaning of this statement is "nearness" (upa) to the Divine (Para) is meritorious. Merit consists in getting closer to the Atma(the Self). This is the inner meaning of Vyasa's statement.

UNITY AND DIVERSITY

Hence, you should not regard countries as different and languages as barriers. The underlying unity has to be understood. Different people use different words to describe the same thing, for example, water. Whatever the words used, the substance is the same.

It is essential to see the unity that underlies the apparent diversity. When more and more people recognize this unity most of the worlds problems will get solved. All social conflicts will end when people learn to see the one Divine in all beings. It is the hatred born of divisive feelings which is the cause of deadly discord in society. The Atmic Principle is the means of liberation. Self control is the means to secure divine grace.

TRANSFORMATION IS VITAL

Embodiments of love! There is no need to celebrate the new year. Every second is the beginning of a new year. People celebrate year after year new year days, but there is no change in their lives. The body grows from year to year but the life span is ebbing away at the some time. People should be concerned about this. Time is most precious. God is the over-lord of Time. Time wasted is life wasted. Never waste time, because lost time is beyond recall. Do not waste time in idle gossip. Today you are celebrating the new year instead of thinking about God, who presides over the passage of years.

God is the basis for all that exists. Rely on God rather than on things which are dependent on God. Develop self- reliance on the basis of faith in God. This was the lesson which Jesus taught to a man who was starving. On the first day he gave the man some fish to eat. The next day Jesus met the man and asked him: "You ate the fish I gave you yesterday. How are you going to get the meal today? How long am I to relieve your hunger by giving fish day after day? You must know how to secure fish for appeasing your hunger. Then you will have no need to depend on others. " What everyone has to learn today is how to be self-reliant and not depend on others. How is one to be self reliant? By developing Self-confidence (Atma-visvaasa). From the moment Bharatiyas lost Self-confidence, all institutions in the country started to decline. People have to develop Self-confidence. They must adhere to Truth and Righteousness.

Whoever has confidence in the Self and follows Truth and Righteousness is a Bharatiya, no matter who he is. It is not the accident of birth that makes one a Bharatiya. The three basic verities should be practiced.

Terms like natives and foreigners should not be used on territorial considerations. The terms should be applied on the basic of their beliefs and practices.

TRUTH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

People should realize, as Sankara said, that only Truth and Righteousness are lasting and all other things, including this body, wealth and kinsfolk are impermanent. Manifest the truth within you and put into practice that truth. What you need for spiritual progress are three things: A heart free from attachment and hatred, a tongue that is not tainted by untruth, a body not polluted by violence. The one who has these three is of sacred birth. Without these three, all penances and religious practices are of no use. You have to pray incessantly for Divine grace to confer these qualities. Realize that the Divine is within you.

Life is given to you to realize lasting bliss by the right use of the body, the mind, the intellect and the inner motivator (Antahkarana). You have to acquire the wisdom to lead such a life based on the love of God.

[Bhagavan concluded His discourse With the bhajan: "Prema Muditha Manase Kaho".]