Swami teaches... The individual is a unit in God's Unity

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Sai Ram Light and Love Swami teaches... 14 -16 December, 2005

The Individual is a Unit in God's Unity

The power of the physical body is like the fire in the cigarette tip while

spiritual power is like the forest fire. Once you are advanced in spirituality

even the association with evil persons may not affect you. (But, when you have

not developed your spiritual power you should avoid bad company just as you

spit out unpalatable food even at the first taste). How to develop the

spiritual power? There are many ways, however, Swami indicates to the easiest,

available to practice to all who have an inner call to this. However, nothing

has obtained without serious work.

Devotees often think that meditation is the most powerful and easy way to

the Divine proximity. They are generally confused when the result is not

achieved. However, even in meditation you will not get the desired communion

with God until you attune yourself to the Divine perfectly. Some aspirants

mistake concentration for meditation. Concentration is needed for every

activity in your daily life.

Meditation, in fact, is transcending the senses and the mind. During

meditation, the mind is actively thinking of several things of the past, the

present and the future. The thoughts are running fast. Scarcely does any one

concentrate on the Divine even though one sits in the Padhmasana (lotus pose)

and closes eyes. There is no need for sitting for meditation and wasting time

in this manner. One can transform every act in daily life as worship of the

Divine.

The criterion for true devotion is not proficiency in scriptures or routine

performance of so-called spiritual practices, but the realization of the

divinity in oneself as well as in all others which can be attained only through

steadfast adherence to truth, purity of heart and universal love. Since the

body is an instrument, you can make God happy through this instrument and enjoy

happinessyourself in the process. In this way you practise meditation in your

daily duties.

Learn to have single-pointedness. Through that concentration, it is possible

to open the inner eye also, clear and complete, so that human may visualise God.

By taking to repeating the Name of God and picturing in the mind the glory of

God who has that Name, as well as a thousand others, slowly the cataract of the

inner eye will disappear and, human can see the God who is in own innermost

heart, installed in the altar therein. Resolve now to enter upon this sadhana

(spiritual practise) from this moment onwards. To reach the Lord, intelligence,

discrimination between the false and the true, the transitory and the eternal,

the unreal and the real is very essential.

Gain internal peace, internal joy; that can be done only when you act without

an eye on the gain. The act must be its own reward; or rather, the act must be

according to the prompting of the God within, so that its consequence is left

to Him. Practise this attitude consistently and you will find great Peace and

Happiness welling within you and around you.

These qualities can sprout and grow only when the Reality of Unity is

implanted in the consciousness. All living beings, are cells in the Body of

God. Their origin, continued existence, and progress are all in God, by God,

for God. The relationship with the Lord is described as developing from in the

vicinity to nearness, and from Form of the master and then on to absorption

into the Form. Upa-vaasa, the word for the vow of fasting, means "living in the

proximity of God" (Upa-near; vaasa-living) and so, the vow is meant to liberate

you from the worry and bother of preparing and eating food, so that you might

dwell more intimately with God. Remember that the purpose of Fast is spending

time in the contemplation of God and not simply punishing the body by cutting a

meal or a series of meals. Vows, vigils, fasts, etc. along with all kinds of

voluntarily imposed or involuntarily suffered hardships are to be looked upon

as promoting spiritual strength, not as weakening physical stamina. (They dig

around the roots and make the plant grow fast. They clip the wayward twigs and

make the tree tall and truly trim).

Be ever in the consciousness that you are but the shadow of God, His image.

Then, no harm can hamper you. God walks along the royal road of truth; the

shadow, holding on to Him by the feet, falls on hollow and hill, fire and

water, dirt and dust. So, if you hold on the feet, you can be as unaffected as

the shadow by the ups and downs of life.

 

Each person has three sources of power as an individual, as a child or limb

of God and as a shrine where Atma is installed. Hanuman once told Rama, "When I

feel I am this body You are my Lord; when I feel I am distinct soul, I know I am

the reflection and You, the Original; when I know I am the Aathma, I know I am

You and You are I."

About 400 years ago, there was a man by name Mansur in the city of Benaras.

By virtue of his good samskaras (inherited tendencies) and his preceptor's

teachings, he had developed firm faith in the Vedic dictum: "Aham Brahmasmi" (I

am God). When people heard him always repeating this aphorism, they questioned

him whether he was really God. He used to emphatically tell them thrice, "Yes,

I am God." In course of time, he became the target of envy and hatred among the

prominent men in Benaras, including Vedic scholars and heads of religious

institutions. They went in a body to the King of Benaras and complained

againstMansur, saying that he had no knowledge of Sanskrith or scriptures but

was going about shouting, "I am God," thereby insulting eminent scholars and

pandits. The King summoned Mansur to his court and asked him, "Who are you?"

Promptly came the reply, "I am God." The King got him examined by medical

experts and found that he was not insane. Then the King advised him to give up

saying "I am God," in view of the complaints from scholars. Mansur firmly

refused to obey the King's command and declared that he would sooner give up

his life than forswear his unshakable faith and firm conviction in his oneness

with the Divine. He questioned the King boldly, "Why do you want me to give up

truth? The truth is: I am God; you are God; everyone is God." As he did not

change his attitude despite all kinds of persuasions and threats, the King

ordered that his hands should be cut off for the offence of disobeying the

King. As the King's minions held Mansur tightly and raised their gleaming

swords to cut off his hands, Mansur went on boldly shouting aloud: "Aham

Brahmasmi" unceasingly and smilingly. After severing both his hands, the

executioners went to the King and reported that Mansur was fearlessly and

smilingly repeating his declaration even after his hands had been cut off and

he was bleeding profusely. The King went to the scene of Mansur's ordeal and

found that the place was reverberating with the sacred sound of "Aham Brahmasmi"

coming unceasingly from the tongue of the smiling Mansur as well as from the

blood flowing profusely on the ground from his hands. In a short while, Mansur

fell down dead with a smiling and calm face and "Aham Brahmasmi" on his lips.

The King was deeply moved and he prostrated at the feet of Mansur. He sent for

the scholars, priests, pandits and heads of religious institutions who had

complained against the saintly Mansur. On their arrival, he reprimanded them

saying, "What is the use of your book learning? You could not recognise or

understand the greatness of Mansur. He was a man who established unity in

thought, word and deed. You don't practise what you read and teach. You are all

a pack of conceited, book-worms, envious of truly great persons. Misled by your

complaints, I have committed the sin of virtually murdering such a saintly

person. However, he has become amartyr in upholding the highest truth of "Aham

Brahmasmi." In order to teach you a lesson and to provide a source of

inspiration to you and your progeny, I am building a memorial for Mansur."

Praise and blame are the obverse and reverse of reaction to the great and

the sublime. The cinema screen is not affected by the volcanic eruption

pictured in the films or by the turbulent sea with mountain high waves. It is

neither singed nor does it get wet. (The cinema screen is our Atmic nature).

The paradox of human behaviour is that, having the power of discrimination

to identify good and bad, human is not able to get away from bad pursuits. This

is due to the weakness of the human mind, which is in turn the result of anger,

greed, desire, etc.

To illustrate the disastrous consequences of excessive desire there is a

following story. Once a wayfarer, who was making a long journey by foot in the

hot sun, was feeling tired and sought the shade of a tree to rest for a while.

It so happened that the tree was a wish fulfilling tree. Sitting under its

shade, he wished for a cup of cold water for quenching his thirst. To his

astonishment a cup of water was placed before him. After quenching his thirst,

he felt that it would be good if he could get a bed to recline on and enjoy a

siesta. Immediately a bed was provided from nowhere. Then he thought how nice

it would be if his wife also was there. In a flash, he foundhis wife there. At

this stage, he had a doubt in his mind as to how his wife, who was far away at

home could come there and thought that it might be a demon in her form which

might even devour him. As he thought in this manner, the woman turned into a

demon and devoured him. This is the result of excessive desire, which is the

enemy within you.

In fact, desire is all right as long as it is within reasonable limits. For

example, if you feel thirsty, it is a reasonable desire to seek water to quench

the thirst. (Not satisfied with water, if one seeks cool drinks it is tantamount

to excessive desire). There are three phases in the act of securing a

desired object and enjoying happiness out of it. They are Priyam, Modham and

Pramodham. Priyam is the desire to experience happiness from a particular

object. Modham is the initial satisfaction derived from getting the desired

object. Pramodham is the experience of Ananda or happiness out of the object.

It is not enough if you get the object which you desired to have, but you

should experience the joy of using it. (For example, you like to taste a mango

fruit. The first phase is to buy it, the second is to hold it in hand

(possessing it) and the third phase is to eat it. It is only while eating the

mango that you derive the fulfilment of your desire).

We all are engaged in our own service. All the items of work are aimed at

expanding our heart and purifying it. That is the call of the sages of India

and all the scriptures and texts. Power and authority gather unto a person

through the work, not through words and professions. Even God is known and

adored by His works. Service of human is equal to service of God. The

activity must be based on firm faith in the Divine resident in every being.

Give a helping hand to the helpless, who are afflicted with many ailments and

handicaps. That is the path of real bhakthi. For, what greater means can there

be to please God than pleasing His children? The Purusha Suktha speaks of the

Purusha or God as having a thousand heads, a thousand eyes and a thousand feet.

Though there are a thousand heads, there is no mention of a thousand hearts,

there is only one heart. The same blood circulates through all the heads, eyes,

feet and limbs. Service tends to destroy egoism; it confers enormous joy. Seva

is the highest of paths of Devotion which wins the Grace of God.

Action can inspire action. Example alone can instruct. Tall talk is, as a

rule,a barren exercise. Service activities in all lands can thrive only through

selfless dedication. Fanfare is a sign of insincerity. Silent, unsullied work

alone can appeal.

You must help others, so that you may repay the service that you received.

Do not look on, when you find some one in pain or grief. As far as possible,

relieve the pain, console the grief-stricken. A person who works for wages,

calculates the reward at so much per hour, receives the wages and quits. But,

when one works as part of the worship, glad that one is given the chance to

serve as long and as gladly as it possible, one derives maximum Ananda.

Today, we are confronted everywhere by statistics parading quantities and

reports in glowing terms. Do not bother about adding to the number or achieving

a target. Convince yourselves that life cannot continue long without others

serving you and your serving others. Master-servant, ruler-ruled,

guru-disciple, employer-employee, parents-children, all these are bound by

mutual service. Every one is a sevak. The farmer and labourer whom you serve

produce by their toil your food and clothing as their service to you. (Most

people are not aware that time sanctified by service offers high rewards to

themselves as well as those whom they serve).

It is true that all acts of service are not equally sanctifying or uniform

in the benefits they confer. When service is undertaken by power-hungry people,

or under compulsion or by imitative urges, it results in more harm than good.

Self-aggrandizement or competition or ostentation are motives that will pollute

the sacred sadhana of service. The candidate for this sadhana has to avoid

Ahamkara (egotism), Adambara (exhibitionism) and Abhimana (favouritism).

(Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks.Vol. 6. "From Saalokya to

Saayujya," Chapter 2; Sathya Sai Speaks.Vol. 8. "The bandage removed from the

eye," Chapter 4 and "Share the common treasure," Chapter 43; Sathya Sai Speaks.

Vol. 19. "Equipment for service," Chapter 25Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 26. "The

martyrdom of Mansur," Chapter 12; "Sparks from the Divine Anvil," Chapter 13

and "Vision should be good,Excerpts from Discourse on 5 April 93).

Namaste - Reet