Embodiments of Love!

As long as one is egoistic, no one will love him including his wife and children, though they may pretend to do so. So long as there is anger in an individual, grief is inevitable. Satisfaction eludes one who has desires. One with greed can never enjoy any comforts. Ego, anger, desire and greed are the root cause for absence of peace of mind.

Man feels, happiness and peace of mind results from spiritual practices, but in reality it is not so. Mind is the root cause for happiness and sorrow. So conquer the mind. Conquering the mind will lead you to a stage of equanimity, wherein you treat the dualities alike. Vedanta has declared: "Manayeva Manushyaanaam Kaaranam Bandhamokshayoh", mind is the cause for both bondage and liberation. Once you control your mind, you will grow beyond the dualities of sadness and happiness. Welcome sorrow just as you welcome happiness. In fact the happiness that you derive out of pleasure is negligible compared to the happiness that results from difficulties. History is replete with examples of people who stand a testimony to this fact. All noble and ideal people had to undergo ordeals before they experienced happiness. "Nasukhaath Labhyathe Sukham", happiness is derived only from difficulties, but man wants only happiness, not difficulties. This is quite contradictory to the principles of spirituality.

Man desires good results, but does not perform meritorious deeds. He does not want the fruits of bad actions, yet he plunges into undesirable activities.

The nine paths of devotion are recommended in order to experience divinity latent in man. They are: Sravanam (listening), Keerthanam (singing), Vishnusmaranam (remembrance), Paadasevanam (serving the Lotus Feet), Vandanam (salutation), Archanam (worship), Daasyam (servitude), Sneham (friendship), Atmanivedanam (surrender). Love is the life-breath of all these forms of devotion.

How, can one attain the Principle of Brahma? Brahma means the all-pervasive cosmic principle. According to the Puranas, Brahma originated from the navel of Vishnu. Who is Vishnu? He is the one who is all pervasive. Vishnu and Brahma are synonymous with the Atma. Atma is derived from the root word 'Ahas', meaning 'daytime'. Ahas dispels darkness of ignorance. Therefore, the cosmic form is described as the Effulgent One. This Brahma is not limited to a specific name and form. It is also referred to as 'Brihat', meaning all-pervasive. One has to follow the truth to attain the Effulgent One. "Yath Drisyam Thannasyam', all that is seen is bound to perish.

Money, youth, wife and children are all temporary. Only Sathyam (truth) and Keerthi (fame) are eternal. That is why Brahma is referred to as 'Sathyam'. Jnanam (wisdom) emerged from Sathyam. Sathyam and Jnanam are all-pervasive. That is why the Vedas have declared: "Sathyam Jnanam Anantham Brahma." God is Truth, Wisdom and Infinite. The embodiment of Truth can be experienced only by following the path of Truth. Truth transcends time - past, present and future.

Why does God incarnate? To enable man to understand and experience his latent divinity, and unity in diversity. The essence of spirituality lies in visualizing unity in diversity. This is the goal of human life. Atma is the same in all irrespective of their name, country and life style. This Atma is referred to as conscience, which permeates the body from top to toe. The goal of spirituality is to realize oneness of Atma in all. Man on account of attachment to body, is oblivious to his innate divinity and visualizes diversity in unity. This is due to ignorance. God incarnates in order to teach the underlying unity in diversity. Krishna has declared: "Mamaatma Sarvabhoothaantharaatma" (I am the indweller in all beings). Body can be compared to a mirror. This mirror (body) is made of clay. This body, Mrinmaya (made of clay) has to be transformed into Chinmaya (one of awareness). No spiritual practices are required to do so. Realize the truth: Chinmaya is within Mrinmaya. But you are not making any effort to realize the true nature of yours. Ash covers the neglected live ember. The live ember can be seen only when the ash is blown away. Similarly, the Atma, which is inherent in man, can be seen only when the ash of ego, anger, desire and body attachment are blown away by chanting the name of the Lord.

Body attachment gives rise to ego in man. Success eludes one who is egoistic. Egolessness is true humanness. There is no trace of ego in man at the time of birth, but it develops as he grows up. Feelings of I and mine are responsible for man's bondage. Man will enjoy bliss only when he gets rid of ego and attachment. Bliss cannot be achieved through any other spiritual practice. Spiritual practices confer only temporary mental satisfaction. Only the awareness of Atma is true and eternal.

As pointed out by Bozzani, (previous speaker) each individual should question himself, 'who am I?' On the contrary each one asks 'who are you?' which is information oriented. No gain accrues from acquiring this information. What is required today is transformation, which can be effected by questioning oneself 'who am I?' Once you know the answer to this, you do not need to undertake any spiritual practice. This is possible only when you control your mind. Sage Patanjali has enunciated the same: "Yogaha Chitta Vritthi Nirodaha", (controlling thoughts and aberrations is true Yoga). Yoga does not mean physical exercise. Yoga means 'to unite with' the Atma. There is no greater happiness than being one with Atma. But today, no one is making any effort to attain Atma, the final goal of life. The senses are above the body; mind is above the senses; intellect is above the mind; and Atma is above the intellect. Man does not travel even up to the level of the intellect. He travels only up to the level of the mind. As man is unable to control his mind and the senses, he is subjected to confusion and depression. As a result he forgets the Principle of Atma.

I have received letters from delegates to this conference seeking clarification for their doubts. What is the root cause of doubt? It is the absence of total faith. Jesus had a disciple, Thomas, who doubted everything he came across and was appropriately called 'doubting Thomas'. In the path of spirituality doubts do arise at times, even though one may have faith in God. One of the doubts is this:

"Did Jesus really declare that He was the Truth, the path and none superior to Him?"

Enquire into the truth yourself. Jesus was never egoistic at any point of time. Never did Jesus declare that He was the Truth, the path, the savior and the redeemer. It was the work of the compilers of the Bible that led to the mistaken notion. Today we have five hundred different versions of the Bible. Luke, Peter and Thomas were among the first few apostles.

There was one tax collector who recorded the conversation between Jesus and the fishermen. It was during one of those conversations, Jesus assured them that He would take care of them, but at no point of time did he mention with a sense of ego that He was the only One and the ultimate One to protect them. He did this only with a view to increase their confidence and enthuse them into action. Many scholars misinterpreted this assurance and considered Jesus as the only redeemer and that He would protect them from all difficulties.

At the time of Divine Birth three wise men visited Jesus in the manger. One of them, looking at child Jesus, remarked: He looks as though He was a 'Messenger of God'. The second wise man exclaimed that the child looked as though he was the 'Son of God'. The third wise man disagreed with both and concluded that He and God were one and the same.

Jesus was filled with compassion at the sight of the meek and the afflicted. Paul opposed Jesus in all matters from the very outset. Once Jesus appeared in a dream of Paul and questioned him -"What harm have I done to you? Why do you criticize Me so?" This caused Paul to ponder and realize that his ignorance and ego blinded him to reality. Thereafter he became an ardent disciple of Jesus. In every age, every noble soul had to put up with criticism. People always have mistaken notions about good and bad. If only we understand the truth in the Bible, we will come to the conclusion that there has been no fault in Jesus at all. Jesus always aspired to put people in God consciousness.

At the time of crucifixion, Jesus prayed: "O Father! What sin have I committed? Why am I put to suffering thus?" Jesus never laid any claim to His association with God either as a Messenger or a Son. It is only in order that men may realize their own relation with God that such interpretation is made. When Mother Mary stood crying at the foot of the Cross, an ethereal voice was heard. "All are one My dear Son; be alike to everyone." It may be concluded from the above incident that the relation between Jesus and God was that of Son and Father.

Jesus never proclaimed egoistically that He was the path, the truth and the only way. But every incarnation has proclaimed this Truth. Krishna declared in the Bhagavad Gita, "Mamaivaamso Jeevaloke Jeevabhuta Sanaathanah" (All are sparks of My Divinity). "Manmanaa Bhava Madbhakto Madyaaji Maam Namaskuru." (Fix your mind on Me, perform rituals for Me. Pay obeisance to Me. If you were to fix your mind steadfastly on Me, you shall certainly realize Me.) Only an Avatar can give such an assurance emphasizing on the Atmic Principle. Jesus had never said so. Hence He was considered as a Messenger of God.

In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna declared "I am the protector of all; I am the basis of all and the creator of all and the basis for the four varnas". "What is varna?" Varna means color, but it has been misunderstood to be caste. "Chaaturvarnyam Mayasrishtam". "All the people of four varnas have been created by Me", said Krishna. Therefore, do not make any distinction based on color. The four colors are: black, yellow, white and red. The Negroes and Bharatiyas are black in complexion. Japanese and British are white in complexion, while Chinese are yellow and the Russians are red. What God has declared is broad in nature and not narrow-minded. Do not give room for any constriction of thoughts.

There are two mikes in front of Me. There is one mike in front of the translator. The words that emanate from the mikes may differ, but the underlying sound principle is the same. Similarly we must experience the divinity in various names and forms. Words that emerge from heart constitute expansion talk. Some people speak only from lips in order to suit the situation. Such words constitute contraction talk. Such contraction talk is equivalent to death. People who indulge in such contraction talk have no connection between their speech and the heart. When all that which is in the heart finds expression in speech, that is termed as expansion talk. Those who speak from the heart speak the truth and whose speech does not come from the heart, speak untruth to suit the occasion. Your words should emanate from the heart. This is possible only when there is complete confidence in the Self. The one with total conviction does not give room for doubts.

The inquiry into the fact whether that which is applicable to others is applicable to individual self also constitutes search for Truth (Sathyanveshana). One may ask why there should be a search for Truth, when Truth is all-pervasive. In each human there is the dual aspect of truth, untruth; righteousness, unrighteousness; and non-violence, violence. There is an example to illustrate this. We have pure 24 carat gold with us. After sometime, you have added copper to it. Later you have added silver to it and later aluminum and brass. As and when new metals are added to the gold, its true nature undergoes a change and loses its value. Today man also is undergoing such a change. When he is a child, he is pure. As he associates himself with others he acquires violence, nonviolence, righteousness, truth and untruth. This is the root cause for the cycle of birth and death. When you are one with the Self, there is no scope for birth and death. Body attachment, educational and monetary attachment reduce the Self to the present state of man. Man thus forgets his true nature. Man has to be cleansed by the process of Samskara (refinement) by which he will be rid of all the bad qualities and regain his resplendent pristine purity.

Man has been acquiring evil qualities such as jealousy, hatred and ego. Devotees and aspirants tend to fall a prey to jealousy and ego. Due to such a tendency man destroys his very human nature. We have to foster our faith firmly. Do not let it be debased by evil tendencies. One should join good company and run away from the bad. Bad company is harmful.

Run away from bad company; join the good; do meritorious deeds day and night and ponder over the permanent and the transient.

Some may appear very pious through their words and deeds, but if you observe their behavior, it would be demonic in reality. Do not have faith in such people and lose your purity. Impure gold of this nature is on the rise. You must become pure gold. Even a small quantity of pure gold is better than a mound of debased gold. Quality should be preferred over quantity. Half an acre of fertile land is better than ten acres of barren land.

Since you respect and follow the words of those who have disharmony in their thought, word and deed, you tend to forget your Swami, your true Self. Follow your conscience. I never force anybody to do anything. What is the reason? The reason is one has to follow the dictates of one's source, conscience. Force connotes external imposition. Source relates to the Atma, which is verily love. So cultivate love.

This is the answer to the first question about Jesus. He never said that He alone was the savior, that He alone was the Truth. He said, all are the embodiments of truth and purity, all are children of God. His teachings were based on such broad-minded feelings. He emphasized the need for refraining from hurting others.

The second question raised is this - "Why does Swami appear in the dreams of only a few and why not in all?"

The third point raised is, "Everyone is undertaking spiritual practices, but I am unable to do so for lack of time as I am engaged in multifarious activities. I am unable to think of Swami and participate in service activities. What is the solution to this?"

There is a small story: "A devotee wanted to know his life span so that he could set aside a considerable amount of time for spiritual practices. He pleaded with the Lord to let him know his life span. God replied saying that he was given 80 years. The devotee felt happy, but he continued: "Out of the 80 years allocated to me, 20-25 years are spent in studying and playing. Next 25 years are spent in my household activities. The next 30 years are spent planning for my future and for the well being of my children. So, I am left with no time for spiritual practices. So, O Lord! Grant me 20 more years that I may think of You and attain You". God laughed and said: "O mad man! Do you need 20 years to attain Me? Even two seconds are enough. How long does it take to put on the switch to get light? Not even a second! Granted that you need 20 years to think of Me wholeheartedly, what is the guarantee that you will not use it for other activities? It is nothing but laziness". "Slow and steady wins the race". Even a second spent in contemplation of Me with a steady mind will draw you to Me. "Time is God; do not waste time; time wasted is life wasted." Proper utilization of time is true spiritual practice. Consider time as the very form of God and your life will be sanctified. Some people lament saying that they do not have enough time to contemplate on the Lord. Whoever has raised this point is lazy by nature. Once you give up laziness you can easily tread the path of sacredness. "Laziness is rust and dust; realization is best and rest."

Fourth point: Being in foreign land we are unable to do Swami's work and so would like to come to Bharat and participate in Swami's activities wholeheartedly.

5th point: How are we to clear the debts of the consequences of our actions?

6th point is very strange: In our Puja room, we have the photographs of Rama, Krishna, Eswara and Jesus. We also keep Swami's Photograph amidst them. Is it OK?

Once you are convinced that God is omnipresent, why should you fear to keep any particular photograph? You may worship Rama, Eswara, Jesus, Allah, Zoroastra or Sai. Develop the feeling that all are one. I often narrate a small example - In Bharat there are various types of sweets viz., Godum Halwa, Badam Kheer, Gulab Jamoon, Jilebi, Laddu, Mysore Pak. Though their names and forms are different, the sugar in all of them is same. You may worship Rama, Eswara, Vishnu, Allah, Jesus or Sai. But, you should realize that the undercurrent of divinity is the same in one and all. Then the difference of name and form will not affect you in any manner. If you do not like other Gods, you can remove their photographs and replace them with those that you like. If you do not like Sai Baba's or Rama's photograph, you may remove the same. But this will not serve any purpose. What is essential is recognizing unity in divinity.

In such case, how can you distinguish between various forms of God? At no point of time you should entertain doubts regarding God. 'God is God.' Never comment or criticize the name or form of god. Have any photograph and chant any name. God is one; Truth is One. "Ekam Sath Vipraah Bahuda Vadanti"(Truth is one, but scholars refer to it as many). Do not go about changing photographs. Have the photograph of your choice and worship.

Seventh Point: Swami! In the worldly avocations, which type of Sadhana is Swami pleased with? I am ready to do that.

If you were to do good, you would reap good results, and bad results, if you had done bad deeds. Realize this in the first instance and act accordingly. I do not hate anybody I do not doubt anyone. I love even those who do not believe in Me. That is My nature. Some tend to doubt My power, because I repose faith in them, though they themselves do not have faith in Me. That is a mistaken notion. My Love is same for all. I desire that all be blissful.

Water is colorless. It, however, assumes the color of the bottle in which it is placed. Good or bad are within you and not in Me and they shall never be in Me. I am always for the maxim - "Lokah Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu"(let the whole world be happy). Even If you were to hate Me, I shall love you. That is My nature. That is the divine quality. You may worship Me today and censure Me tomorrow, and vice-versa. When drunk, one talks in a certain manner, while when sober, in another. When you are deeply drunk with worldly desires, mind oscillates from one side to another. But one who is filled with wholesome and unsullied love remains the same under all circumstances.

You may forget Me, but I will never forget you. I am always with you, in you, around you and above you. People who are in divine proximity are extremely fortunate. It is a culmination of the merit acquired in various births. It has not come in this birth. Therefore, do not waste your energies brooding over this. What pleases Swami? What is He displeased with? Do not entertain such doubts. I am pleased with whatever you undertake with purity of heart. I only desire the purity of your heart. With pure love in your heart, you may undertake any type of service. Have total faith in Swami's words, implicitly obey His commands. I do not misguide anyone at any time. Whatever I say is for your own good. "Whatever I tell, whatever I do is good for you; not for Me. I do not have any work of My own. All are done for your sake. On any account, do not entertain the thought that I do not have love for you. Fortunate people get a chance to undertake sacred deeds in close proximity to the Divine. But those who do not get such an opportunity should not entertain any jealousy that others had received and they have not. The most malignant disease of all is jealousy. Cancer may have a remedy, but not jealousy. Cancer may be cancelled, but jealousy has no remedy whatsoever. Jealousy would depress one to such an extent that one would perish in the process.

Embodiments of Love!

Members of Sai Organization should develop broad vision without giving room for jealousy, hatred and ego. Consider all as brothers and sisters and immerse yourselves in bliss by doing service. Today, you have resolved to bring about transformation in the education system. Education is very essential. It can neither be stolen by thieves, burnt by fire nor diminished by sharing with others. Education always grows. Share this eternal wisdom with one and all. Practice all that you have learnt. Teach good virtues to the children, "Son! Do not study for money. Affluence, friendship and physical strength are of major importance in a worldly sense. But money is here today and gone tomorrow. Money comes and goes. Friend may turn to a foe in a day. You are strong today, but you may become weak tomorrow. However your virtues will never desert you. Develop that permanent character that does not desert you any day. Develop sacred virtues."

Enter the society with noble virtues. Help everyone. Do you know why the hands are given? Is it for eating? It is for helping others! Charity is the ornament for hand. Do you know why voice/throat is given? Not to sing cinema songs! Not to criticize or blame others, but to chant the name of God. That in itself is the beautiful necklace. Wear that necklace and sanctify your voice/throat. Do you know why intelligence is given? Is it for becoming egoistic? It is to ponder over the means of contemplating on Divinity and reaching and experiencing of the same. One must engage each limb and senses in sacred activities.

Embodiments of Love!

Be ideal members of Sathya Sai Organization and bring about proper development/progress and transform the nation itself. I do not desire for My name to be upheld. I do not require any name or fame. If only I wanted, the whole world would have been at My feet by now. But, "I do not want". I only want to help you. Foster the sense of service amongst yourselves. Entertain noble thoughts.

Leaving aside all differences, one must mingle with each other and undertake service activities. You should not form separate groups. Realize that pain inflicted on others is pain inflicted on Me. If all are united, I shall be extremely happy. If you were to meet someone whom you may have hated, greet him lovingly. You must conduct yourself with love. This is real penance, meditation, Japam and Sadhana.

One should give and take love for love's sake. If you continue this way, the entire nation would become happy. We can experience that kind of joy that has not been experienced hitherto in any previous Yuga.

When you greet others, do so wholeheartedly. Let there not be any disharmony in your thought, word and deed. Talk sweetly and smilingly. This makes all happy. "Happy mood, happy face, happy talk and happy work" should be your guiding force. Forget your differences and live in the present. This present is not ordinary, omnipresent.

Develop unity. There is immense strength in unity. In unity, not only you, but also the nation would have a chance to develop. Only love brings about unity. In this manner for the past four days, you have debated and discussed. Keep away all the hatred. Cleanse yourselves. Be happy. Go back happily.

This is a big workshop. Your body, akin to a car, has come here. All the bolts, nuts, brakes, springs and seats have all worn out. When you get back to your places transformed, people will observe the change in you and emulate you. I am teaching you all these, prompted by love, so that you develop love.

[Bhagavan concluded His discourse with the Bhajan, "Hari bhajana bina..."]