Swami teaches... Holy sacrifice and awareness on the divine road

[Guest guest]

Sai Ram

 

Light and Love

Swami teaches... 27 September - 3 October 2005

Holy Sacrifice and Awareness on the Divine Road

The yajna (sacrifice, also sacrificial fire) manthras declare that all

creation is Brahman. You should revere Nature as Brahman; all this Nature

imbued with Brahman, is Brahman, is immanent Brahman. You have to pour into the

fire the limited vision and earn in exchange the larger vision. The yajna is

saadhana (spiritual exercise) in sacrifice and surrender. Believe that you are

the imperishable pure Atma. Then, no gain or loss can affect you; no sense of

humiliation or despair can torment you.

The word yajna and the word yaaga are both translated as sacrifice; that is

the primary purpose of the yajna.

The yajna is an occasion for the fixation of the mind on manthra, that is to

say, on the formula or sound symbol that saves (thra) when it is meditated upon

(manana). The poet is called manthradhrashta (who sees manthras, through his

mystic insight, the discoverer of the secret key to inner peace). The effect of

the utterance and glorification of these sound-symbols of the Eternal Absolute

is felt all over the world. Good thoughts have a way of purifying and

cleansing, of feeding the roots of virtue and love. To judge things dedicated

to God, God alone is competent.

You sacrifice riches, comfort, power (all that promotes the ego) and merge

in the Infinite. That is the attainment and the end. Yajnas are useful because

they support the ideal of sacrifice, and condemn acquisition. They emphasise

discipline, rather than distraction. They insist on the concentration of the

mind, the tongue and the hand on Godhead. Cynics count the bags of grain, the

kilograms of ghee, and the hundredweights of fuel, and ask for more bags and

kilograms and hundredweights of contentment, happiness in return. The effects

of yajna is something immeasurable, though actual and experienceable.

The grain and ghee offered in the sacred fire to the accompaniment of Vedhic

formulae give returns, thousandfold. This Yajna was gone through for the sake of

the welfare of the whole world. You should merge your welfare with the welfare

of the world. How can you be happy when your neighbour is in misery? Swami

calls upon you to give up praying for your own advancement; pray for the peace,

prosperity and happiness of all humanity, irrespective of clime or colour.

Pray intensely with faith. Then, Grace will be showered on you. When the

heart is soaked in Love, it cannot be contaminated by egoism and its evil

consequences. Just as you crave for physical health, which means health for the

limbs of the body, you should strive for the health of humanity, which means

peace and joy for all sections, in all nations. If you dwell in that wider

outlook, you will start feeling less and less for your own troubles and

worrying more and more for troubles of others. That is the initial offering of

yourself in the great "yajna" called "living."

You must not be a bit of a blotting paper, absorbing all the passions and

emotions, all the joys and griefs that the actress Nature demonstrates on the

stage of Life. You must be a lotus unfolding its petals when the sun rises in

the sky, unaffected by the slush where it is born or even the water, which

sustains it.

 

Surrender all that you have - all that you have so far believed to be

valuable - in the sacred fire. See them being reduced to ashes before your very

eyes; look on it without a quiver. It is a call to dedicate all that you now

assess as valuable and desirable to the Divine purpose. The yajna is a symbolic

sacrifice, of both earthly riches and heavenly aspirations. This is the most

precious activity - this dedication and surrender. People see only the outer

ritual, not the inner meaning; so, they concentrate on the external pomp and

exaggerate the exhibitionistic aspect by means of competitive pageantry. But

when the flames rise high darkness is fully destroyed.

 

Dharma is the inner voice of God. It is the conscience that has shaped

itself as a result of centuries of and generations of asceticism and austerity;

it is experience the voice of history, warning you against the breach of its

command. Divinity is the magnet; humanity is the iron. Love is the force that

brings them together. The inspiration and the channels through which that

inspiration can be used, have to arise from your own hearts. There is no room

for imitation.

The coconut tree thrives best on the sea coast; the tree of Brahma-thathwa

grows best on the soil of prema (love). The region of the heart has to be

transformed into a region of compassion. Human's native characteristic,

nature and breath is prema. The fog of desire clouds prema and distorts it.

Like the dog which took its image in the canal as another dog and started to

bark it off, human too barks at his own image (fellow- beings) who are as much

images of Brahman as one oneself is.

Fix your attention on the identity, not the difference. Investigate the

Truth as far as your intellect leads you; you will come up against the

principle of love. Transmuting humanity into divinity is the task allotted to

human; thought, word deed are instruments for this unavoidable destiny. By

means of sadhana and deep faith this consummation can be achieved. (But

without a clean heart, all worship is useless. Without spiritual purity,

religious observances are valueless. People indulge in high-sounding talk about

spiritual matters. But without application in practice, such talk has no

meaning).

The Vedic manthra with which the offering is given to the Gods is:

Thryambakam yajaamahe, sugandhim pushti vardhanam - "I propitiate the

three-eyed One, the flagrant, the promoter of strength and sweetness, of light

and happiness." The three eyes signify many things, which constitute the

Divine: the Sun, Moon, Fire which symbolise heat and light; the Gross, Subtle

and Causal, which symbolise the embodiments of the manifold manifestations of

the One; Will, Work and Wisdom, which symbolise the operational channels of the

One Sovereign Power; Doer, Deed, Duty symbolising the sense of I which is the

shadow of the One in the many.The mind is just a pattern of desires, a

composite of the warp and woof of plans and resolutions. It has immense

potentiality to create manifold images, and so is also called imagination what

hides the Truth. Desire creates a mirage where there was none before. Desire

imposes beauty where there was none before; it clothes things with

desirability. To escape from the clutches of desire, which gives birth to the

brood of anger, hatred, malice, greed, envy, faction, falsehood, etc., one has

to cleanse his consciousness by prayer and sath karma (good activity, selfless,

desireless activity). Seva is the best saadhana for eliminating the nefarious

pull of the mind towards desires.

Love expresses itself as Seva; Love grows through Seva; Love is born in the

womb of Seva. Treat the person served as your own brother or sister. Your

sisters and brothers have different bodies, separate from yours, like these

others, haven't they? But, yet, you feel a special attachment to them. Why? It

is the consequence of Love. Have the same Love to these others, too. See Swami

in all beings, for Swami is there, in all beings. The Avathaar is a Child to

the children, a Boy to the boys, a Man among men, a Woman among women, so that

the Avathaar's message might reach each heart and receive enthusiastic

response, as Aanandha (bliss). Avathaar has come to restore Dharma, and so when

human follows Dharma, He is pleased and content. With hands on chest, assert, "I

am human; I am saturated with shining humanity, humanness." God does not draw

you near or keep you far, you near Him or keep away from Him. You live according

to the highest demands of your nature and you are near Him.

Nature (Prakrithi) is your school, your laboratory, the gateway to

liberation, and the panorama of God's manifold majesty. Seek to know the

lessons it is ready to teach; all things in Nature are as Brahman as you are.

So, any act is Divine; any work is Divine worship; build the mansion of your

life on the strong foundation of the faith that all this is Brahman. First,

serve the self; then, help others. This is the highest form of selfhelp, for it

leads you to God and you will be a good example to others. Serve, because you

must, because your inner impulse asks you to do it, because you get Aanandha

out of it. Service at the time when it is most needed is most beneficial. God

likes to be worshipped with the flower of compassion.

Swami reveals the advanced aspect of awareness too for spiritual aspirants.

He tells that usually most of us seek God in temples and light lamps to see Him

more clearly. But learn to see Him in your own heart, in the hearts of all

beings.

Monks, Sanyaasins, Heads of Mutts and Monastic Organisations preach in an

atmosphere surcharged with pomp, pedantry and publicity, "the Vedhas insist on

the dissolution of the ego, the Quoran insists on surrender, the Bible

emphasises humility and charity;" but, they wallow in the low desires for pelf,

power, name and fame. They aspire for transient trinkets, tawdry fame, and cheap

tinsel glories. What they have to teach is simply this: When you feel you are a

Jeeva (individual being), you are separated from God; when you feel you are

Dheva (Divine), you are one with Him. Call on Him who is Light; ignorance and

fear, its consequences, disappear.

Do not imagine that God is residing in Kaashi or Raameshwaram or

Puttaparthi. Know that He is in your own heart; evoke Him from there, invoke

Him there, and He grants you the Vision, immediately.

You are not Yelliah, Malliah or Pulliah; you are the immortal eternal

ever-pure Atma. Gandhi, replied, when Kaarunyaanandha asked for his blessings,

"My blessings will not help you at all; win the blessings of the Truth that is

your very core! That alone will stand by you, in times of need!" You are Sathya

Swaruupa (embodiments of Truth); be true to your own Truth.

The secret of liberation lies, not in the mystic formula that is whispered

in the ear and rotated on the rosary, it lies in the stepping out into action,

the walking forward in practice, the pious pilgrim route and the triumphant

reaching of the Goal. The best Guru is the Divine in you; yearn for hearing His

Voice, His Upadhesh. If you seek worldly Gurus, you will have to run from one to

another, like a rat caught inside a drum, which flees to the right when the

drummer beats on the left and to the left when he beats the right.

Many persons yearn for God, worship God or contemplate on God. God cannot be

realised by any of these means. All these activities are based on separating

themselves from God. What is needed is a sense of oneness. How is this to be

obtained? When you cultivate the feeling: "I and you are one." This oneness is

beyond the grasp of the mind and the senses. It is only the Buddhi (Intellect)

that can experience what is beyond the senses.

The boulder on the hill from which a portion has been blasted away, to carve

an idol for the temple, tells the idol, Thath thwam asi (You and I are the

same); that and this are one substance. But, what a difference? The hammer and

chisel have made one a thing of beauty and a joy for ever, an inspiration to

make life beautiful and holy. You too must subject yourself to the hammer of

discipline and the chisel of pain-pleasure, so that you become Divine.

 

Creation itself is the outcome of action. Human as a part of creation is

also a product of the process. Human represents the jiva sakthi (vital force)

encased in the body. The body is the result of Karma (deeds in one's previous

life). All activities associated with the body, speech and mind are Karma.

In the performance of Karma, five factors are involved. They are: the body,

the doer, the sensory organs, the varied actions and the common factor in all

beings, the Divine Principle. There are two types of actions described in the

Gita as Swadharma and Paradharma. The last refers to actions related to the

physical entity. Such actions are based on likes and dislikes, on ideas of

"mine" and "thine." They are fraught with danger and hence the Gita has

cautioned against them. We are continually worried about what may happen in the

future. All that we do in the present have their consequences in due course.

Paradharma is generally regarded as duties related to one's caste, vocation or

stage in life and it is considered meritorious to perform these duties. But

Swadharma is not related to community, caste or creed. Swadharma enjoys human

to perform the duties relating to the Atma as the primary obligation.

In all these actions, there are three categories; Satwic Karma, Rajasic

Karma and Tamasic Karma.

Satwic actions are those which are done without any selfish or egoistic

motives, with no concern for the fruits and as an offering to the Divine and

win the Grace of God.

All actions done out of self-interest and conceit for the sake of the

rewards therefrom are Rajasic. Most actions done by common people in ordinary

daily life belong to this category. Almost everyone in the world indulges in

Rajasic actions. One must strive to convert them into Satwic actions. The

third type of actions is Tamasic in nature, They are deeds done out of selfish

motives, causing harm to others and inflicting pain on them. They lack

compassion and are impelled by narrow mindedness, stemming wholly from self

interest. They are pregnant with evil.

 

In the great drama of cosmic life, the Cosmic Director, God, is also an

actor. God's actions have to be in accordance with His role in the Cosmic play.

There are certain rules as to how one should act according to the time, the

place and the circumstances. The Creator has to conform to the rules laid down

by Him for creation. Not recognizing this truth, people who are involved in

worldly ways, ask questions as to why in certain situations God did not use his

limitless powers to avert certain untoward events. These arise out of a narrow

conception of things and concerned, as a rule, themselves and their interests.

They do not realise that for God the entire Universe is His temple.

When things are seen with this broad perspective, it will be recognized that

anything can happen to anyone at any place or any time. Each one's life will end

in the place, the manner and at the time prescribed for him. This is

inescapable. This is according to the operation of Nature's law based on the

pairs of opposites in life - the concept of duality. There is a continual

conflict between these opposites (pleasure and pain, birth and death, etc.).

Jesus Christ declared: "I am the Son of God." But when he was crucified, God

did not come to his rescue. Christ even cried out in anguish: "Oh Father, Why

are you not coming to save me?" But the Lord acts having regard to the time,

place and the circumstances. He accords to each person the honour and esteem

that is due to him. Christ became a glorious figure in the moment of his

crucifixion.

 

The noble and the pure have been subject to calumny in all ages. From

ancient times to the present, the evil minded have assailed the high-souled

people who have sought to serve their fellowmen. Only when these attacks are

faced and overcome does the glory of the Divine become manifest. No great

individual has ever achieved eminence without overcoming abuse and calumny,

trials and tribulations.

The greatest single cause for darkness in the world today is envy. When one

is happy and contented, others envy him and strive to ruin his peace of mind.

When any one is acclaimed as great, malice moves others to invent calumny, in

order to tarnish the reputation. This is the way of the world. Take the divine

road; be happy and make others happy. Then, your name will last even after the

body disintegrates. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 8.

"Inspiration, not imitation," Chapter 40; "Full of fangs," Chapter 41 and "That

plus and this minus," Chapter 42; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 10. "The crucial

years," Chapter 23 and "The seven-day sacrifice," Chapter 26; Sathya Sai

Speaks. Vol. 19. "The five Yajnas," Chapter 21; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 26.

"The Divine and destiny," Chapter 26; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 29. "The power

that draws devotees," Chapter 41).

 

Namaste - Reet