Bhagawan's Discourse on 21st March 2004 at SAI KULWANTH HALL Prasanthi Nilayam on the occassion of Ugadi

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Bhagawan's Discourse on 21st March 2004 at Sai Kulwanth Hall, Prasanthi

Nilayam on the occassion of Ugadi

 

Recognise the Fundamental Principle of Oneness

Text of the Divine Discourse delivered by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Babaon 21st

March at Sai Kulwanth Hall

Good and bad coexist. None can separate them. But one with Sraddha (steadfast

faith) will always experience goodness. What else is to be conveyed to this

august assembly? (Telugu Poem)

Embodiments of Love!TODAY MARKS THE BEGINNING OF another new year. Many new

years have gone by but there is no change in the life of man. What is the

reason? The reason is that man is not making efforts to experience the

principle of divinity which is present in all in the form of love. Love is the

true form of God. It is your foremost duty to recognise this eternal principle

of love.

Today you are in search of divinity. Where is the need to search for that which

is everywhere at all times? You are in search of God as you are unaware that

God is always with you and in you. You are trying to have the vision of God

through meditation. However, you should not be satisfied by merely performing

such spiritual practices. What is meditation? Adherence to truth is true

meditation. The eternal, immortal, wonderful and blissful principle of divinity

is present everywhere. You should make efforts to realise this truth. This is

the royal path to attain the goal of life.

Recognise your Innate Divinity

People are making efforts to realise truth but their efforts are not yielding

the desired result. Divinity is the very embodiment of eternal bliss and is

present in all of us. How can you visualise it? Firstly, you should understand

that there is nothing superior to truth in this world. Your foremost duty is to

recognise the principle of truth that is present in you. But you are forgetting

your innate divinity. You are undertaking a number of Sadhanas (spiritual

practices) to experience divinity. In fact, you do not need to perform any

special Sadhana to have the vision of God who is always with you, in you, above

you, around you.

Embodiments of Love!It is a sign of ignorance to search for God who is

all-pervasive. People perform various spiritual practices such as Yama, Niyama,

Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi to have the experience of

divinity. What is meant by Samadhi? It should be termed as Sama-dhi, meaning

equanimity in all situations. Equanimity is, in fact, present in every

individual. It is a misconception to think that only those who perform Sadhana

are capable of attaining it.

Do you go about searching for yourself in the outside world? Such a person can

only be called foolish. In fact, you are distancing yourself from your own

sacred Self by searching it outside. This mad search will not lead you

anywhere. You are endowed with the sacred principle of love. Wherefrom does it

come? Where does it go? It neither comes nor goes. It is always present in you.

You waste your time just in the name of doing Sadhana. Instead, realise the

truth: ‘I am I’. All spiritual practices become superfluous for one who

realises this truth. Where does this ‘I’ come from? It is in you. Without

realizing this truth, you search for it outside. It is therefore necessary for

every human being to recognize this truth. He is a true Sadhaka who realises

the divinity present within him. Those who search for it outside follow the

wrong path. Many people made efforts to fathom Krishna Tattwa but none could

succeed. Where is Krishna? Where is God?

God is present within you. Do you ever go in the street and ask others, “Have

you seen me?” Try to look within and realise this sacred principle of ‘I’. You

can know it the moment you turn your vision inward. You see all external

objects except your true Self when you see with open eyes. Once Arjuna asked

Krishna about his true identity. Then Krishna said, “Arjuna! I am yours and you

are Mine. You and I are one.” We should try to realise this principle of unity.

Give up False Identification with the Body

The boy who spoke earlier said that he was doing Sadhana to attain the vision of

God. One need not search for God in some distant corner. Sarvata Panipadam Tat,

Sarvatokshi Siromukham, Sarvata Sruthimalloke, Sarvamavritya Tishthati. (With

hands, feet, eyes, ears, heads and mouth pervading everything, He permeates the

entire universe). Where is the need to search for God when He is present

everywhere? Whatever you see is permeated by God. There is no place or form in

which God is not present.

God is love and love is God. You can connect yourself with God only through

love. Develop love and achieve the supreme state of equanimity.(Telugu Poem)

God is present everywhere as truth. The same truth is present in you. Some

people think that Lord Krishna was born at a particular place and He left His

mortal coil at such and such place. No! This is a misconception. Krishna is

everywhere. Whatever you see, it is Krishna. Krishna is in every form, and all

forms are divine. Only the names change; God is only one. Instead of searching

for God outside, close your eyes and see within to know the divinity immanent

in you. Enquire who you are. Do not identify yourself with the body. It is only

when you identify yourself with the body, the question of ‘I’ and ‘you’ arises.

When this ‘I’ and ‘you’ merge into one, there will be unity. But people are

unable to forget ‘I’ and ‘mine’. Right from your birth, you are accustomed to

identifying yourself with the body. Therefore, you are unable to give up your

false identification with the body. Once you realise that the same Atma is

immanent in every

individual, the differences of ‘I’ and ‘you’ will vanish.

Embodiments of Love!Love, truth, peace and divinity are not different from each

other. They are all one. You will be able to realise this truth only when you

strengthen the spirit of unity. Love is not something that is acquired from

outside. It emerges from within. When you develop and expand love, you will be

able to realise the truth that all are one. (Bhagavan showing His handkerchief)

What is this? This is a cloth. It is made up of thread. Thread, in turn, is made

out of cotton. Cotton is the basis of the cloth. But cloth is made by weaving

the threads. Similarly, the mind is also made up of the threads of Sankalpas

and Vikalpas (resolutions and aberrations). You should know your real identity

by transcending the mind.

Embodiments of Love!You have to enquire as to what extent you have understood

the principle of love which is uniformly present in all. Man is carried away by

his identification with the body and, therefore, he perceives diversity in

creation. In fact, it is unity alone that is behind the apparent diversity.

Whatever differences are there, they are only the creations of your mind. If

you want to eliminate these differences and realise the principle of unity in

diversity, you have to realise your true nature. You experience diversity when

you turn your perception away from this fact of unity. Recognise the principle

of unity. You are God. God is not separate from you. It is a mistake to

consider yourself separate from God. This difference is the result of your

deluded vision. When you rectify this defect in your vision, you will realise

“I am I”. When you identify Sai Baba with the physical form, you become

separate from

Him. It is only these feelings of identification with the physical form that

create differences between individuals. The feelings of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ are

behind all this multiplicity of forms. If you stand before a mirror, you see

your image. Even if there are many mirrors, you see the same image. Though the

mirrors are many, the image is one. You should realise this oneness behind

multiplicity.

Embodiments of Love, Students – Boys and Girls!You should try to know the

fundamental principle of oneness. If you know this, everything else will become

known to you. This world has a plethora of forms but there is one divinity that

permeates all these forms. Know this truth. Ekam Sath Viprah Bahudha Vadanti

(Truth is one but wise men call it by many names). You see diversity due to the

effect of Maya (illusion). There exists only unity everywhere, not diversity. It

is your illusion that causes diversity. Forget this diversity and contemplate on

divinity. You may ascribe any number of names and forms to God but God is one.

At one time, Radha realised her oneness with Krishna. But later she was

overcome by delusion and started considering herself different from Krishna.

This feeling of separateness is a big mistake. Reminding Radha of her true

identity, Narada told her that she had no separate identity. It was her

mistake that she had identified herself with her name, he said. He added that

she was not separate from Krishna, and was, in fact, Krishna.

Embodiments of Love!Whatever you see, whomever you come across, consider every

form as nothing but the manifestation of divinity. Do not entertain differences

of ‘I’ and ‘you’. You look into a mirror and say that you are in the mirror. In

fact, you are not in the mirror. It is only your reflection that appears in the

mirror. When you go behind the hill and shout “Oh!”, you will hear the echo of

your voice. You may think that someone is shouting at you with the same

intensity. But it is not so. That voice is yours and nobody else’s. Similarly,

all that you see in the world is only your reaction, reflection and resound. It

is a mistake to consider the reflection as reality. When you understand the true

nature of the reflection, you will know the truth of oneness. Here is a small

example. Once a young cowherd took his cattle to the forest for grazing. While

the cattle were grazing, he began singing loudly. The song created

an echo from the hills. The innocent boy thought that someone was imitating to

make fun of him. He grew angry. After he returned home, he told his mother,

“Mother! I will not take the cattle to the forest tomorrow. There is someone in

the forest who is imitating whatever I sing. I feel humiliated.” The mother said

that she would accompany him to the forest the next day. He took her behind the

hills and started singing loudly. Again, an echo of the song was heard. Then

the mother said, “Son, it is not that someone else is repeating your song to

make fun of you. Whatever you sing, its echo is being heard by you.” Similarly,

you should understand that everything in this world is your own reflection,

reaction and resound.

Understand the Principle of Unity

If you want to see God, you should firmly believe that you are not the body. You

identify yourself with the body due to your illusion. Students should try to

understand this clearly. All that is seen outside is only a reflection and not

the reality. You see Sai Baba in front of you. You identify Sai Baba with the

body. But I am not the body. You and I are one. Once you understand this truth

clearly, there will be no difference whatsoever. If you slap someone on the

cheek, it amounts to slapping yourself. If you abuse others, it amounts to

abusing yourself. You are bound to face the consequences of your actions. You

are the cause of your happiness or suffering. Others are not responsible for

it. In fact, there are no others. All are one. It is your own thinking that

creates the feeling of separateness in you. You should make efforts to

understand your true identity. You are the very embodiment of love. The

principle of love is one and the

same in all. You share your love with your children, parents and spouse. The

feeling towards each of them is different but the fundamental principle of love

is the same. You should recognize this fundamental truth. The fundamental truth

is one without a second. That is the Atma.

Embodiments of Divine Atma!The Atma is one, not two. Once you recognize the

truth that the same Atma is present in all, you will be free from all

differences and conflicts. Develop firm faith that the same Self is present in

all. Understand this principle of unity. Only then can you experience truth.

All the students have immense love for Me. They are happy that Baba loves them.

Understand that it is only Baba who loves all. (loud prolonged applause). You

see differences in individuals. But in My view, all are one. I am you and you

are I. Have firm faith in this unity. Only then can you transcend duality. When

you enquire deeply, you will be able to understand this truth. Have patience. Do

not feel disappointed that you are unable to have the vision of God. When you

understand the principle of unity and hold on to it firmly, you become Sai Baba

yourself. You are ‘divine’. But you are unable to realise it as you are

intoxicated with the ‘deep wine’ of worldly desires. All are the embodiments of

divinity. I am not different from you and you are not different from Me. We are

one. When you go on contemplating on this thought of unity with the Divine, you

become one with Him. Then, all differences will disappear and you will attain

the experience of unity with God.

(Bhagavan concluded His Divine Discourse with the Bhajans, "Hari Bhajan Bina

Sukha Santhi Nahin" and "Govind Krishna Jai Gopala Krishna Jai")

Source:

http://www.sssct.org/Discourses/2004/ugadi.htm

Printable version:

http://www.sssct.org/Discourses/2004/PDF/ugadi.pdf

 

 

 

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