NEW Divine Discourse delivered by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on 05.10.03

[Guest guest]

GIVE UP DEHABHIMANA, DEVELOP ATMABHIMANA

 

(Text of the Divine Discourse delivered by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai

Baba on 05th October 2003 at Sai Kulwanth Hall)

 

The Vaishnavites say that Lord Vishnu is the greatest while Saivites

declare that Lord Siva is the greatest of all. People may speak on

the basis of their feelings, but in truth there is only GOD and the

rest are names.

(Telugu Poem)

 

You will not be respected if your thoughts and words are at

variance. You may speak sweet words, but if your mind is filled with

evil thoughts, how can you earn the respect of others? One can be

called a human being, only when one's thoughts, words and deeds are

in total harmony.

 

Embodiments of Love!

The Navaratri festival is celebrated all over India, but nobody

seems to make any effort to comprehend the inner significance of

this festival. The Hridaya (heart) is the abode of the Atma. No

being can exist without the principle of Atma. God, who resides in

all as the principle of Atma, has no specific name and form. But,

People attribute various names and forms to Him. The Gaanapatyas

(worshippers of Ganapati) consider Lord Ganapati as great; the

Saivites consider there is none superior to Lord Siva. The devotees

of Sai consider Him to be the greatest. Some devotees say all are

one. In fact, all names and forms belong to the same God. He

responds to the prayers of devotees in whatever form they worship

Him. Hence, each one considers the form he worships to be superior

to the other forms. It is a sign of ignorance to consider one form

superior to the other. What is important is that your prayers should

not be confined to mere words. They should be translated into

action. It is easy to speak but not so easy to practise. True prayer

is that which is translated into action.

 

During the Navaratri celebrations, the Divine Mother is extolled in

various names and forms. All names and forms are based on your

feelings. God has no differences whatsoever. No one can comprehend

the nature of Divinity. Actually, the principle of love that exists

in all beings is the principle of Divinity. Love has no specific

form. Divinity transcends name and form. Love is God. Live in love.

Truth is God. Truth is all-pervasive.

 

The creation emerges from truth and merges into truth,

Is there a place where truth does not exist?

Visualise such pure and unsullied truth.

(Telugu Poem)

 

There are no different truths for different countries such as

American truth, Russian truth, Indian truth, Japanese truth, etc.

Truth is one and the same for all. It is uniformly present in

everyone. True celebration of Navaratri festival lies in

contemplating on Sathyaswarupa (the embodiment of truth). Respect

one and all, for, the divine Atma is present in all. To respect all

is true worship. If you want to be respected, you should respect

others in the first instance. Give respect and take respect.

Understand the principle of oneness that is Divinity. The Vedas

declare, Ekam Sath Viprah Bahudha Vadanti (truth is one, but the

wise refer to it by various names). You may call Him by any name and

form, but God is one. This principle of unity should be firmly

installed in your heart.

 

God is present in everyone in the form of love. Wherever you go, He

is with you. He is the eternal witness. Share your love with others

and receive their love in turn. Love is your greatest virtue. Love

confers the ultimate joy and bliss. God resides in the heart filled

with love. Hence, it is essential that you fill your heart with

love. Where there is love, there is God. You don't need to search

for Him. He is always in you, with you, around you, above you and

below you. Adhere to the principle of love. Never hate anyone.

Hatred is your worst enemy. Once you develop love in you, hatred

will naturally vanish. If you were to come across your bitter rival,

greet him with love. He too will reciprocate the same feeling. How

can you expect love from others when you do not have any love for

them? It is love and love alone that I practise and propagate. Try

to understand the power of love. It is your greatest wealth. None

can estimate its value. What does God expect from you? It is only

your love. Love is the tax that you have to pay to God for all that

He has given you.

 

During the Navaratri worship, you have to express your love to the

Divine Mother in nine different ways. Sravanam (listening), Kirtanam

(singing), Vishnusmaranam (contemplating on Vishnu), Padasevanam

(serving His Lotus Feet), Vandanam (salutation), Archanam (worship),

Dasyam (servitude), Sneham (friendship), Atmanivedanam (self-

surrender). God wants your love and nothing else. Your love should

not branch out in different directions. It should flow directly

towards God. If you love others, you will be loved in turn. If you

utter harsh words, they will come back to you as resound. Fill your

heart with love and compassion. Hridaya is that which is filled with

Daya (compassion). Compassion is the hallmark of a true devotee. One

who lacks compassion cannot be called a human being. When you

practise truth and righteousness, you will be successful in all your

endeavours. That is why the Vedas teach, Sathyam Vada, Dharmam Chara

(speak truth, practise righteousness). Your heart should melt with

compassion when you see the poor and needy.

 

Embodiments of Love!

Having spent this Navaratri in the worship of Divine Mother, your

heart should be filled with love and compassion. The heart bereft of

love and compassion is verily a cemetery. Right from dawn to dusk,

love should be the undercurrent of all your activities. The moment

you get up from bed, resolve that you would tread the path of love.

Only then can you have the vision of God, who is the very embodiment

of love. True spiritual practice lies in connecting love to love.

Love can transform even a hard stone into butter. Swami always

teaches the principle of love. It is enough if you call 'Baba' with

love from the depth of your heart. He will come to your rescue.

Consider love as your life-breath. If there is no love in your

prayer, it will prove futile. Love should be 'heartful' and not

artificial. Be friendly with all and have a smiling countenance

always. What is the use of talking sweetly if your heart is filled

with bitterness? Only love can fill your heart with nectarous

feelings.

 

Embodiments of Love!

Your entire life is based on love. Without love, you cannot exist

even for a moment. Hence, develop love considering it as the very

form of God. Today marks the culmination of Navaratri festival.

Worship of Divine Mother is meant to destroy evil qualities and

foster virtues in you. The more you distance yourself from evil, the

nearer you will be to the principle of love. You don't need to make

any efforts to acquire love. The moment you eschew evil, love will

automatically enter your heart.

 

Students!

There is love inherent in all of you. But, you are diverting it on

worldly matters. True love is related to the Atmic principle.

Worldly love is bound to change with the passage of time, whereas

spiritual love is permanent. Even your breathing process speaks of

the presence of love in you. When you inhale, you make the

sound 'So' and when you exhale 'Ham'; together 'Soham' means, 'I am

That'. The principle of 'I' is uniformly present in all. This can be

experienced by following the nine paths of devotion. Never give

scope for differences. Understand the unity, "I and You are one".

Your love gets fragmented when you fail to visualise unity in

diversity. There is only one heart, which is changeless.

 

Your words may vary, but your heart remains steady. The Gopikas used

to pray, O God, I offer you the heart which You have given me. What

else can I offer at Your Lotus Feet? I pray to You to accept it.

(Telugu Poem) Heart is not your property; it belongs to God. There

is nothing in this world that you can call as your own. You may

consider the worldly wealth and materials as your property. But,

they are not permanent. Lord Krishna declared, Anityam Asukham Lokam

Imam Prapya Bhajasva Maam (as the world is temporary and full of

misery, contemplate on Me constantly). Divine love alone is true and

changeless. The mariner's compass always points towards northern

direction; likewise your love should always be directed towards God.

You cannot claim to belong to the mankind unless there is kindness

in you. Your life should be suffused with love and kindness. You

should dedicate your life to love. You may wonder as to how to pray

to God. In fact, you don't need to pray to God. You should let your

love flow incessantly towards God. Then you will understand the

unity, "I and You are one." There is no second entity.

 

Embodiments of Divine Atma!

You see the body but you don't understand the feelings associated

with it. The body is made up of five elements and five senses. But

you are not the body. The body is made up of five elements and is

bound to perish sooner or later but the Indweller has neither birth

nor death. The Indweller has no attachment whatsoever and is the

eternal witness. In fact, the Indweller who is in the form of Atma

is verily God Himself. (Telugu Poem) You say it is my head, my

heart, etc., then who are you? When you engage in self enquiry in

this manner, you will realise that YOU are different from the body.

God pervades each anga (limb) of your body in the form of essence.

Hence, He is extolled as Angirasaya Namah (salutations to the one

who is in the form of essence in all my limbs). It is a mistake to

confine God to a particular form. So long as you limit God to a

form, you cannot attain Him. You should realise that God is

attributeless, formless and He is the very essence of life. Physical

form is bound to change. A child becomes a boy, boy becomes a man

who in turn becomes a grandfather. In this manner, your physical

form undergoes constant change. But you will remain the same. You

are the embodiment of God. Once you understand this truth, you will

not be affected by physical changes.

 

Many of you are anxious thinking that Swami is not keeping good

health over the last few days. In fact, My health is very good. Real

health is not related to the body. As you equate Swami with this

physical frame, it appears as though Swami is not well. Yad Bhavam

Tad Bhavati (as is the feeling, so is the result). Do not identify

Me with this physical body. I am not Dehaswarupa (body), I am Dehi

(the indweller). There is no difference between you and Me. I have

all powers in Me. But you are deluded seeing My physical form.

Whatever I am doing is only to satisfy the doctors and other

devotees. As a matter of fact, there is no trace of ill-health in

Me. I am always healthy. Not only today, till 96 years I will be

like this. I can do whatever I want. But those who go by the

physical form think that Swami is ageing. Youth and old age are

related to the body and not to Me. I am always the same. I can do

anything. However, this body is yours. This has come for your sake.

You can change it the way you like. If you think that Swami is

strong and healthy, yes so He is. There is no weakness in Me. My

angas (limbs) may appear to be weak. But I am not Angaswarupa, I am

Atmaswarupa. Wherever you may go, worship God as Atmaswarupa. Do not

identify Him with an Akara (form). Give up body consciousness and

develop Atmic awareness. Only when you lead a spiritual life, will

you be able to visualise the Atmaswarupa. If you identify Me with

the body, I cannot walk even two steps. Do not think about the

Akara. Have faith that I am the Atmaswarupa. Then I will always

remain healthy.

 

Realise the Atma as your very life. Everyone of you is endowed with

divine energy. But you are misusing it. Your youth is in your hands.

Your very life is in your hands. You are not the body; you are the

life principle. Body is meant to serve as an instrument in your

quest for truth. The same Atma is present in all. Here you see a

silver tumbler with water. The tumbler is the basis for water,

silver is the basis for tumbler and Divinity is the basis for

silver. Divinity is not made up of material. Hence, give up the

materialistic standpoint. Realise that your Swami is not constrained

by Akara, He is full of Ananda (bliss). When you develop such faith,

you too will experience Ananda. Many devotees were worried, "Why has

our Swami not given a single discourse during the last one week

though many others have spoken?" Of course, whatever I speak is love

in verbal form. But remember whenever I come amidst you, the love,

the bliss and the strength that manifest in Me cannot be described

in words. In fact, I don't require food or drink. Bliss is My food.

Develop such faith.

 

Sage Viswamitra was taking Rama and Lakshmana along with him for the

protection of the Yajna he had undertaken. When they reached the

banks of Sarayu, he told them, "My dear ones, you are coming with me

for the protection of Yajna. In order to do so, you have to remain

without food and water and wage a fierce battle with the demons, for

extended periods without respite. Hence, I will teach you two

Mantras, which will make you free from hunger and sleep." This is

the power of Maya. When King Dasaratha, fearing danger from the

demons, was reluctant to send his sons with Viswamitra, the sage

counselled him, saying, "Oh king, do not get deluded by seeing the

physical forms of your sons. They are not ordinary mortals. They are

verily divine." But when they reached the banks of Sarayu, the sage

was overcome with Maya and taught them the Mantras as if they were

ordinary humans. He told them, "Do not identify yourself with the

physical body. You are the embodiments of the Atma. You are

Chaitanyaswarupas. You are endowed with divine power. Always bear

this in mind. You will be free from hunger and sleep."

 

After the protection of the Yajna, Rama went to Mithila with the

sage. They walked a long distance for sixteen days. Yet, Rama was

always cheerful and full of bliss. In fact, bliss was His form.

Hence develop bliss more and more. Do not confine God to a physical

form. I am not this body. Body is made up of food materials.

 

This body is a den of dirt, and prone to diseases; it is subject to

change from time to time; it cannot cross the ocean of Samsara. It

is nothing but a structure of bones. Oh mind! Do not be under the

delusion that body is permanent. Instead take refuge at the Divine

Lotus Feet.

(Telugu Poem)

 

It is a grave mistake to identify yourself with the body. Give up

body attachment and develop Atmic consciousness. Only then will you

understand and experience your true form, i.e., Atma. Otherwise,

even the smallest physical ailments like stomachache, headache etc.,

will make you feel anxious. Physical ailments are like passing

clouds. So long as you are deluded by body consciousness, you will

be affected by them. Once you give up body attachment, you are no

more bound by the body and its limitations. When you sit in

meditation, you forget your body. Meditation means giving up

Dehabhimana (body attachment) and developing Atmic awareness.

Everyone while referring to one's self uses the term "I", the

principle of Atma. Hence, you are not related to the body. It is

only an instrument. "I" is your true identity. You may add any

number of "I's", yet it will always remain "I". Such principle of

unity is present in all. It is the same for you and Me. It has no

difference whatsoever. If you do not give up Dehabhimana, all your

education will prove futile. Understand that you are not the body.

You are I. Never forget this truth. The physical form is bound to

change.

 

Embodiments of Love!

True Navaratri celebration lies in giving up Dehabhimana and

developing Atmabhimana. You can see for yourself what an exalted

position you will attain once you give up body attachment. You may

be weak physically and mentally. But when you develop Atmabhimana,

all your weaknesses will vanish in a trice. Establish yourself in

the firm faith, "I am God".

 

(Bhagawan concluded His discourse with the Bhajan, "Hari Bhajan Bina

Sukha Santhi Nahi ...")

 

http://www.sssct.org/Discourses/2003/vijayadasami.htm