Bhagawan's Discourse on 28th August 2004, Divine Love alone can save us from sorrows

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Divine Love alone can save us from sorrows Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba giving

His Divine Discourse on 28th August 2004 at Prashanti Nilayam

Text of the Divine Discourse delivered by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on 28th

August 2004 at Sai Kulwanth Hall

Oh man! You struggle hard in life merely for the sake of filling your belly. You

acquire myriad types of knowledge from various fields. Examine and enquire for

yourself what great happiness you have achieved by spending all the time from

dawn to dusk in acquiring worldly knowledge and earning wealth while forgetting

God. (Telugu poem) Embodiments of Love!Hunger, thirst, pleasure and pain, are

quite natural to man. One follows the other. Food is essential for man. But

filling the belly is not the be all - and end - all of human existence. Man is

born not for the sake of ahara (food) but to experience ananda (bliss). One who

is oblivious to ananda and spends his time and energy in the pursuit of ahara

will ultimately fritter away his life. The purpose of celebrating festivals is

to experience bliss and not merely to partake of delicious food. No doubt the

body requires food, but life is not meant for

food alone. Unmindful of this truth, man is treading the path of unrighteousness

for the sake of food and physical pleasures. The body is made up of five

elements and is transitory. The Mind is a mere bundle of thoughts and desires.

We should not be unduly attached to the body and the mind. We should strive to

experience bliss. Embodiments of Love!Human body has emerged out of love.

Hence, we should lead a life for divine love and not for food. But man has not

understood this truth. He struggles hard from dawn to dusk for the sake of

filling his belly. He is not utilising the gift of the body for the purpose it

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

subject to change from time to time; how foolish it is to develop attachment to

such an impermanent body and strive for its pleasures?Embodiments of Love!We

should lead our lives in such a manner to redeem ourselves. We should love God

and aspire only for Him. Your

love should be directed only towards God, not for the body. Our speech, actions

and the life-breath itself are meant to experience the Atma. Sometimes the body

may be afflicted with ailments, but they are like passing clouds. Man is born to

attain the eternal truth of the Atma. Life is meant for Atmaanveshana (quest for

the Atma) and not for Annaanveshana (quest for food). Annaanveshana gives cause

to physical ailments. They come and go like passing clouds. How foolish it is

to be depressed about such 'passing clouds'? We should never forget the truth

that we are born to experience the eternal bliss of Atma. Embodiments of

Love!You have come here all the way from Kerala to celebrate the holy festival

of Onam and experience joy and bliss in the divine presence of Swami. We should

not allow trivial matters to dampen the spirit of enthusiasm. We should march

forward with courage and conviction, unmindful of any hurdles and

inconveniences in the way. A few minutes ago, when all of you were blissfully

immersed in the celebration, all of a sudden My nose started bleeding. I went

inside, wiped the blood and came out cheerfully as if nothing had happened. How

can we discontinue the celebration of a sacred festival of this kind on account

of such trivial matters? We should not lose our self-confidence on such minor

physical discomforts. They are transient in nature; you should not get

distracted by them. Ailment and suffering are but natural to the physical body.

Sometimes even the sun is covered by clouds. But can the clouds ever diminish

the effulgence of the sun? No. Just as the sun is not affected by the clouds,

you too should remain unaffected by ailment and suffering. When you develop

such courage, conviction and determination, you will not be depressed or

dejected by any suffering. Embodiments of Love!We should sanctify our time by

performing sacred actions. This is the spiritual

lesson we have to learn today. We can experience transcendental bliss only when

we overcome the difficulties and suffering that come in our way. Never be

afraid of difficulties; face them with courage. Only then humanness will

blossom in you. Once you experience the bliss of the Atma, difficulties and

suffering will no longer bother you. Embodiments of Love!Amidst the joyous

celebration of the festival, My slight physical discomfiture has caused anxiety

to you. You should never give scope for anxiety or worry. In order to allay your

fears and anxiety and to give you joy I came back immediately. In this world,

many difficulties come in our way. Truly speaking, they merely cause anxiety in

you; they cannot harm you. Onam is the most sacred festival of Kerala. You have

to understand the significance and message of this festival and put it into

practice. Onam is an occasion to share our joy with others. You cannot

experience happiness without undergoing

difficulties. Na Sukhat Labhate Sukham (one cannot derive happiness out of

happiness). Happiness gains value in the face of difficulties. Even

insurmountable difficulties will vanish like thin mist when you face them with

courage and self-confidence. The problems may appear to be mountainous in

nature, but you should not give scope for fear or anxiety in your mind. Mind is

like a mad monkey. It easily gets swayed by difficulties. Hence, you should

brush aside the difficulties that come in your way. Never allow them to get the

upper hand. Mind is the veil of Maya (illusion) that stands as an obstacle in

your path to spirituality. You should not become a slave of the mind; you

should conquer the mind. Only then can you attain Divinity. But you are carried

away by the vagaries of the mind which is nothing but Maya. You should ignore

the dictates of the mind. We consider the mind to be the most important aspect

of humankind. However, it can lead you to dangers and difficulties if

you are carried away by its whims and fancies. Hence, do not submit yourself to

the mind. Embodiments of Love!One who has control over the mind is a true

Manishi (human). One who lacks control over the mind is no human at all. How

can you call yourself a human being if you are fickle-minded and depressed over

trivial problems? You should make efforts to overcome problems posed by the mind

without being unduly worried about them. In this world, there is nothing greater

than God's love. Hence, we should transcend the mind that stands as an obstacle

in the Godward path. Embodiments of Love!You are born out of love and sustained

by love. You should sanctify your life by leading a life suffused with love.

Treat love as the very basis of your life. You are not fit to be called a human

being if you submit yourself to trivial problems. Even tiny ants are able to

overcome obstacles that stand in their way. Problems are not limited to human

beings alone;

even birds, beasts and insects have problems. Saint Thyagaraja sang, "Oh Rama,

You pervade everything right from a Cheema (ant) to Brahma. You are in Siva and

also in Kesava. Please take care of Me." (Telugu poem)The same divinity that is

present in an ant is also present in man. Likewise, difficulties are also

common for all. The suffering that an ant undergoes is similar to that of man.

When such a tiny creature like an ant is able to withstand suffering, why is it

that man is not able to do the same? He is influenced by his food and habits and

thus has become a slave to his mind. That is the reason he is unable to

withstand suffering. We should face the challenges of life with fortitude and

brush aside the difficulties. Never be cowed down by difficulties. You can

attain God only when you face difficulties with courage and overcome them.

Embodiments of Love!You should not seek anything other than divine love. There

is nothing superior to

love in this world. You consider gold, silver, diamond, etc. as most valuable.

In fact, all these so called valuable things are meant to delude man. We should

not care for such worldly possessions. Instead, we should focus our mind on God.

Perform your daily activities keeping God as your goal. Only then will your

human birth find fulfilment. We should strive to attain the grace of God and

not be deterred by difficulties and losses. When you have God on your side, you

can achieve anything. All your difficulties and suffering will vanish in a

trice. When such omnipotent Divinity is within us, why should we be worried

about trivial matters? Love is the divine power that bestows on us the courage

to overcome difficulties. Anything can be achieved with the power of love. We

should be afraid of sin, and not difficulties. We have to develop Daiva Preeti,

Papa Bheeti and Sangha Neeti (fear of sin, love of God and morality in society).

Instead of developing fear of sin, we are enslaved by

sin. Instead of seeking refuge in God, we are submitting ourselves to

difficulties. Morality in society will lead to love of God which will in turn

lead to fear of sin. Hence, we should uphold morality in society and dedicate

ourselves to God. Thyagaraja once prayed, "Oh! Lord, I am deeply concerned

about the fear of sin. I am unable to surrender to your love. Please grant me

the strength of conviction to bow down before your divine love. Please give me

the strength to overcome the fear of difficulties." What did we achieve in our

life? What is the purpose of constant contemplation of God? One who is

constantly contemplating on God should be able to keep himself away from sinful

acts and develop love for God. There can be no greater fortune than having love

for God. One must strive to achieve that great treasure. One should not be

deterred by sorrows and difficulties in that Sadhana. Embodiments of Love! You

have all gathered here to attain that great

fortune of love for God. One should never be subdued by sorrows and

difficulties. Sorrow and sin are obstacles in the path of spirituality. They

are like the waves. When one gets into the water and attempts to swim, the

surging waves must be pushed aside, so that one may move forward. Similarly, in

the stream of life, if one wants to move forward, one has to push aside the

surging waves of sorrow and sin. From a child to the adult, everyone has to

strive to attain the love of God. This struggle for God's love, moulds the

personality of a human being. What is meant by personality? Does it mean

height, weight and a strong body? No, it is a mistake to think so. Undeterred

by the sorrows and difficulties, one has to march forward with courage and

adventure to attain God's love. That is the real meaning of personality. In

fact, God has already granted such personality to every human being.

Unfortunately, we fail to realise this truth. The word 'Person' implies a great

Divine force that

is granted by God to Man. Our ancestors called this Divine force as 'Persona'.

This is a great gift of God, granted to every individual. We are unable to

safeguard this great treasure. These sorrows and difficulties are like passing

clouds that come and go. Why should we be afraid of them? We have the eternal

Divine principle immanent in our personality. Therefore, there is no need at

all to be afraid of anything as long as we are constantly aware of our latent

divinity. March forward with courage and conviction and achieve your life's

goal. It is only to instill this feeling of courage in you and reinforce your

faith in God that you are subjected to face certain anxious moments.

Embodiments of Love!I am aware that you are very anxious about the physical

discomfort that Swami underwent, a few moments ago. You are very worried about

this physical body. Understand and be convinced by the fact that a body is

after all physical in nature. It is like a water bubble;

the mind is like a mad monkey. You need not be afraid of this mad monkey. You

should not worry about these passing clouds. They are like visitors who come

and go. We have to be firmly established in the Atma Tattwa, which is nothing

but Divinity. Develop full faith in the Atma Tattwa. That alone will protect

you in every way. Embodiments of Love!God can do anything by His Divine will.

Why should you fear when such all powerful God is always with you, in you, and

around you? Develop such courage and conviction and march on. There cannot be a

more powerful force than faith in God in this world.Embodiments of Love!All

these children have gathered here to spend some sacred moments in the Divine

presence of God. They are really fortunate. Their good fortune is the result of

the merit acquired by their parents. Here is a small girl (pointing towards a

girl). She participated in a group dance programme a short while ago. While

doing so,

she was constantly observing the steps made by other girls in the group. She

developed so much concentration in this activity that she was constantly

maintaining her steps in tune with the steps of other girls. (Swami created a

gold chain and put it round her neck.)Embodiments of Love!I will be very happy,

if all of you can become children once again. A child will never have the bad

qualities of anger, passion, jealousy, conceit and ego. Jesus Christ was always

appreciative of the quality of innocence in children. Once, he lifted a small

child from the lap of her mother in the crowd and said "I like this small child

very much; she has all the qualities of Divinity. She is pure, selfless and is

in perfect bliss". Children in general are Divine in nature. As they grow up

they develop bad qualities like excessive desires, attachments, anger,

jealousy, etc. Along with advancing in age, sorrows and difficulties will also

increase. Therefore, one should strive for

attaining control over one's desires. That is ceiling on desires. If you can

develop this control, you will come under the influence of Divine power.

Otherwise, you will be deluded by the power of desires and get into that vortex

from which you can never come out. A child like simplicity, purity and

innocence, is the road to Divinity.Embodiments of Love! I wish you should

become children at least for one minute a day. You should emulate those noble

qualities, which are characteristic of children. Supposing you are troubled

with desires, chase them away as unbecoming of your noble personality. Only

then can you hold your head high. A few minutes ago, my nose was bleeding

profusely. If I were to submit myself helplessly to this bodily ailment, it

would have aggravated further. Therefore, I decided to defy this bodily

discomfiture and stand erect with firmness, unmindful of what is going to

happen to the body. I washed my face and came back to give My Discourse.

After all, this body and the blood circulating therein are nourished and

nurtured only by the food we supply. If we cannot control our own body, what is

the purpose of our living? Wherever we are, we must keep the body in our

control. Only then we become real human beings and can move closer to Divinity.

The more you control your body and mind, the nearer you move to God. In fact,

love is the only quality that takes you nearer to God. There is nothing greater

than love. It is a Divine attribute. Love is God. Live in Love. When you

cultivate this noble quality, you deserve to be called a human being. This

divine love is like the blood that circulates in every human being, nay, every

living being. If we can cultivate this universal love, you can love not only

every human being, but all living beings. Love is God and God is Love.

Therefore, take every individual lovingly to your heart. Do not ever show anger

or hatred towards anybody. Embodiments of Love!

The quality of love that permeates every human being is one and the same. There

are no differences whatsoever in this regard. When you cultivate such universal

love, it becomes your very life-breath, which is dearer to God. Therefore,

cultivate such pure, unsullied and selfless love. Love your neighbour's child

as your own child. All are embodiments of love. The message of this sacred

festival Onam is love. This festival is observed to spread this message of love

among all human beings. In fact, we are born to cultivate this sacred love and

share it with others. If we fail in this endeavour, our whole life becomes a

waste.When my nose was bleeding a few minutes ago, some doctors advised me that

I should take complete rest and not to go out to give a discourse. I asked them

why? The doctors explained that if I go on talking, the bleeding may reoccur.

Then I replied, "Ok! Let me see!" Thus I faced the problem squarely with

courage and confidence. Thus, when we

encounter a difficult situation, we should not feel sorry and dejected. We must

face it with courage. Only then can we overcome the situation. Embodiments of

Love! Whenever you encounter suffering either bodily or mentally, do not lose

your cool. Do not get dejected. Instead, face the problem squarely and

undertake activities that will instill a sense of courage and confidence in

you. No doubt, situations do arise in life when we have to undergo sorrows and

difficulties. When our loving parents depart from this world, we are in deep

sorrow. Instead of losing our poise in such difficult situations, it is

advisable to face the ordeal with courage, expressing gratitude to our parents

for granting us the gift of this body.Embodiments of Love! I hope I am not

causing inconvenience to you by speaking at length. It is only to instill

courage in you that I am giving this long discourse. When I was suffering with

a bleeding nose, all our children were

anxiously waiting in the adjacent room in an anxious mood. I told them, "Do not

feel worried. I will go out and administer a strong dose for this ailment. Such

is My courage and confidence in facing difficult situations. In fact, this

courage is My real strength. Come! Let us go!" The children collected all the

blood-soaked towels and felt very distressed on seeing them. If those clothes

are washed, the blood stains will vanish in no time. Likewise, only God's love

can wash our sorrows off! Therefore, cultivate such divine love. All your

sorrows and difficulties will be removed.Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with

the Bhajan, "Prema Mudhita Manase Kaho …"

Source: http://www.sssbpt.org/Pages/Prasanthi_Nilayam/Onam_Discourse.htm

 

 

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