Swami teaches... The recommendations to Bhakthas, 2

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Sai Ram

 

Light and Love

 

Swami teaches.... (13 February 2005)

 

The Recommendations to Bhakthas, 2

The Real Teaching (Vidya) directs that the world be dealt with as duty

demands in a spirit of detachment, avoiding entanglement.

Vidya, the Supreme Wisdom, attempts to describe for one the

'characteristics' of Atma. Atma, inmutable and omnipresent has no movement but

It is present everywhere. Vidya announces that it is an impossible task to

determine It.

 

For Maya-constituted beings, there are two Maya gates; the appetite for sex

and the appetite of the tongue. These are the causes of all sins; and, sin is

the manure on which Maya thrives. All worldly desires are comprehended by these

two; so, only those who have mastered these two can be said to have successfully

waded through the world.

Maya-prapancha or world has to serve only the purpose of just sustaining the

body. Whatever activity a person may be engaged in, he must, as automatically as

he takes in breath, be contemplating on these lines and should always be aware

of this: "I am born to serve God and to realise my true Self". All acts -

wearing, eating, walking, studying, serving, moving - should be performed in

the belief that they take one into the Lord's Presence and everything should be

done in a spirit of dedication to the Lord.

A farmer clears and levels the land, removes the stones and thorns, ploughs

and prepares the field, manures and strengthens the soil, waters and fertilises

it, and by sowing, transplanting, weeding, spraying and waiting, he reaps the

crop; after winnowing and threshing, he stacks the corn. All these various

processes are for the sake of the stomach; so too, one must feel that all the

hunger, thirst, joy and sorrow, grief and loss, suffering and anger, food and

appetite are but impulses helping us towards attaining the Presence of the

Lord.

 

Those who aspire to attain the holy Presence of the Lord must acquire

certain habits, disciplines and qualities. The usual, accustomed ways of life

will not lead to God. They have to be modified somewhat by means of Sadhana.

Whatever Sadhana a person may or may not have, he must practise uninterrupted

Naamasmarana.

All the Sastras teach but this one lesson: since the Lord is the universal

Goal and this Journey of Life has Him as the Destination, keep Him constantly

in view and subdue the mind which makes you wander from the path.

The Kathopanishad exhorts: "Uththishtatha! Jagratha!

Praapyavaraan-nibodhatha!!!" Arise, Awake, Get initiated from the great. Those

who are agitated by doubts about what to accept and what to reject; those who

are blinded by illusion, and those who cannot distinguish between darkness and

light, death and immortality, all such should approach great persons who can

show the path to understand the eternal Truth, the Self-illumined Basis of all

creation.

 

Bhakthas should consider the body as the field, good deeds as seeds and

cultivate the Name of the Lord, with the help of the Heart as the ryot, in

order to get the harvest, the Lord Himself.

Even if the attainment of Mukthi (the liberation from the bonds of

Ignorance, Ajnana) is not directly realised, four fruits are clearly evident to

those who have had the experience. They are

The Company of the Great, Truth, Contentment and The Control of the Senses.

Through whichever of these gates one may enter, he/she can reach the Lord

without fail.

 

Of the various types of Bhakthi, Naamasmarana (remembering of the Name of

God) bhakthi is the best. In the Kaliyuga, the Name is the Path for saving

oneself. Jayadeva, Gouranga, Thyagayya, Thukaram, Kabir, Ramdas, all these

great Bhakthas attained the Lord through just this one Naama. Why speak of a

thousand things? Even Prahlada and Dhruva were able to enjoy the Darsan,

Sparsan and Sambhashan of the Lord through Naama only.

 

Every person is apt to commit mistakes, without being aware of it. Whatever

good deed one might do, there will be mixed with it a minute trace of evil.

Efforts should be made that the good is more and bad, less. You must carefully

think over the consequences of whatever you do, talk, or execute. Without

yourself honouring and loving others, if you complain that they are not

treating you properly, it is surely a wrong conclusion. Besides, if only those

who advise others about "Which principles are right, which are true and good,

which conduct is best etc", themselves follow the advice they give, there would

then be no need for giving that advice at all. Others will learn the lesson

simply by observing their actual behaviour.

 

It is best that the Sadhaka should be under all circumstances, joyful,

smiling and enthusiastic. This quality of joy at all times is the fruit of the

good done in past births. When a person is ever worried, depressed, doubting, he

can never attain Bliss, whatever Sadhana he may do. The first task of a Sadhaka

is the cultivation of enthusiasm.

Every person should so lead his life that no pain is caused by him to any

living thing. It is the supreme and prime duty of every one, who has had the

chance of this human birth, to spare a part of his energies occasionally for

prayer, repetition of the Lord's Name, meditation etc., and must devote himself

to Living with Truth, Rightfulness, Peacefulness and to good works which are of

service to others.

For the establishment of oneself in the contemplation of the Omnipresent

Lord, there is no limitations of time or space. There is nothing like a holy

place or a special time for this. Wherever the mind revels in the contemplation

of the divine that is the Holy Place! For meditation on God, there is no fixed

time or place. When and where the mind so desires, then and there is the time

and place.

The internal foes, the six enemies that operate inside human being, the

Arishadvarga (lust, anger, greed, delusion, pride and hate ) can be uprooted

only by the teachings of good men, the love of God and knowledge of the Lord,

and the company of the Holy and the Great.

Spiritual elders are the rulers of the internal state; administrative

authorities are the rulers of the external state. If both these groups act and

direct properly, both states will function to create happiness.

If all humanity pray at one time that unrest, injustice, disorder and

falsehood might be transformed into peace, truth, love and mutual service,

things will certainly become better.

 

Ones say that the service of human being is the service of God, that

Manavaseva is Madhavaseva. That is a true statement. But though the service of

humanity is holy, unless it is merged in the bigger ideal, humans will not

benefit, however huge the service. Whatever is done with the Lord in mind,

along the path of truth, and according to the aspects of Dharma, has to be

considered as the Seva of the Lord and whatever is done for name and fame and

for the fruit thereof shall not be referred to as Madhavaseva.

 

All incarnations of the Lord are for the protection and promotion of Sadhus.

This word, Sadhu, does not refer to any single religion, caste, or familiy or

stage of life, or community or even any single species, like the human! It

refers to all religions, all stages of life, all races, and all creatures.

Sri Krishna Himself has declared in plenty of situations and places that He

is the dutiful servant of His devotees. An example of this is His accepting to

be the Charioteer of Arjuna. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Baba. Prema

Vahini, pp. 45 - 60; Sathya Sai Baba. Vidya Vahini, Chapter 1).

 

Namaste - Reet