Guest guest Posted February 1, 2006 Report Share Posted February 1, 2006 Sai Ram Light and Love Swami teaches... Offer Service, Glorify God's Name and Receive Grace Life sustained by food is short; life sustained by the Atma (Divine Spirit) is eternal. Do not lay claim to long life, but to Divine life. Do not pine for more years on earth, but for more virtues in the heart. The Buddha knew and made known to the world the truths: Everything is grief. Everything is empty. Everything is brief. Everything is polluted. So the wise person has to do the duties cast upon with discrimination, diligence and detachment. Play the role, but keep your identity unaffected. Have your head in the forest ashram (retreat), unaffected by the aimlessly rushing world. But you cannot escape duty, fully engage yourself in your work, unconcerned with loss or gain, failure or success, slander or praise. Sit quiet for a few minutes and ponder over the fate of those who run towards the mirage. Are they happy? Have they the strength to bear distress and distinction, with equanimity? Have they a glimpse of the Beauty, the Truth, the Grandeur of the Universe, the Handiwork of God? Have they the vision of themselves as the centre of the Universe? It is your own Divine Reality which you can cognise in the silence of your own dhyana (meditation), when you shut out of your awareness the distraction of the senses, the mind and the ego. You can take refuge in the calm coolness of your heart where He has installed Himself as the Charioteer. Before you were born, there was no world for you. After you die, there is no world of which you are conscious. To get this jnana (knowledge) fixed, you have to pass through the preparatory schools of karma and upasana. Karma (dedicated activity) helps to cleanse the heart of egoistic impulses; upasana (contemplation) helps to focus attention on the Universal and the Absolute. Then jnana emerges. Karma and upasana depend upon the dharma of the particular stage of life, as well as the guna that rules you. (Even amritha will be harmful to life, if it is drunk through the nose). There is a way of life, a method of uplift, a path of progress, distinct for every seeker, different from those of others. By Vedic wisdom the Karma Kanda (rituals) is primary. It has its origin in Brahman. The Rishis receded the Vedic intimations and propagated their message. The second stream is the scriptural heritage of the Puranas. In this Duty is paramount. The Rishis acquired them and spread their message. Both these streams are of equal validity. The goal of Karma is Jnana and for Jnana, Karma is the base. To combine the two in practice constitutes Seva. Good conduct is the right source of strength to a human. Good qualities like forbearance and sacrifice lend fragrance to the life. Through right conduct, the mind is puttied and a pure mind leads to Atmic bliss. Hence, the duties that are enjoined on one have to be discharged. The foremost duty of human is to do good deeds with a pure heart. It is not right to entertain the slightest desire for enjoying the fruits of these actions. Egoism and desire are the cause of bondage to Karma. Desire is the barrier between the pure mind and devotion to the Self. Karma yoga teaches how actions should be performed. It enjoins duty for duty's sake. It enables human to recognise the image of the Divine within. The underlying truth of Karma Yoga is the demonstration of the unity that subsumes the diversity in the universe. Nishkama Karma (desireless action) demonstrates and promotes the Love principle. The tendency to distinguish between the spiritual path, the path of service and the path of knowledge and regard them asseparate is wrong. The three are not distinct; they are one. Seva (service) is spiritual knowledge. Seva is the primary means to acquire Divine Grace. Without being a devoted follower you cannot become a worthy leader. Without being a Kinkara (one who is ready to do any work) you cannot become a Sankara (The Divine). Service to society is the highest good. Without putting into practice the decision taken, what is the use of endless debates and long resolutions? Conferences of such a nature are a waste of time and money. (You must try to implement at least one or two of the decisions). Sathya Dharma, Shanthi, Prema and Ahimsa (Truth, Right Conduct, Love, Peace and Non-violence) are in us like the pancha pranas (five vital airs). We think that the five pranas (Prana, Apana, Udana, Samana and Vyana) are protecting this body. But it is Truth, Right Conduct, Love, Peace and Non-violence which give real happiness to the body. These are the real Pancha Pranas. Render service to society with these principles in your mind and with broad-minded dedication to the well-being of all. Practise what you preach. Act according to what you say. Don't preach what you do not practice. Vyasa has said: "If you cannot do what you talk about, that is sin. To do what you say is putty." The Vedic injunction, given through the sages, is "Sathyam vada; Dharmam chara" - Speak the Truth; walk in the path of Virtue. No one has right to advise others, unless one is already practising what he/she preaches. World welfare and peace cannot be achieved without selfless service to mankind. There must be harmony between what is said and what is done. All spiritual exercises are efforts to control the mind and prepare it for the journey to the Divine. Knowing the way is not enough. The path must be traversed to reach the destination. That journey is service to the society. This service must be done with the awareness that the Divine dwells in every heart, in every individual and in every living thing. To worship this Supreme Self residing in all beings and to experience this Self no separate temple or shrine is necessary. The eternal Self resides in this temple of the body as the Divine that sustains the individual Jiva (Self). The path to Self-realisation lies through Love and Service. Cultivation of Love is the first step. Faith is the basis for Love. Self-confidence is the basis of Faith. When Faith and Love are combined Peace is attained. In Peace resides Truth. Truth reveals the power of Thyaga (sacrifice), which holds the key to immorality. Seva must be done hand in hand in comradeship. This will demonstrate the unity of the Cosmic Being. The heart does not blossom out through the mere study of books or by listening to discourses. It is only the cultivation of Love that breaks the knots binding the heart. Swami's philosophy does not lie in encouraging devotees to sit in a comer, control their breath andgo on uttering, "Soham! Soham! Soham!" "Oh, Sadhak! Arise! Plunge into social service!" This is Swami's message. No room should be given for laziness and indifference. A life not dedicated to service is like a dark temple. It is the abode of evil spirits. (Do not waste your time in profitless talk. Of what avail is it to mouth expressions such as: the Lord isAll-knowing, Omnipresent and Omnipotent? You clap your hands when these epithets are used, delving pleasure from simply hearing them). In creation, in the objective world, no one article is like any other. No two human beings are similar in every respect; there is some twist or turn which distinguishes one from the rest. Each has own peculiar experiences. Immense diversity prevails. Nor is an individual the same for any length of time. The infant changes into a child, then into a boy/girl, an adolescent, an adult, and soon becomes middle-aged, old, decrepit and, finally, senile. But it is the Absolute Reality which you are. (In Atmic Reality are no two distinct entities or categories called material and spiritual. All distinctions are apparent, not real. Atma, Self has no death, no birth). You know in the very depths of your being that 'you are and will be,' that is the characteristic of Sath (Existence Being). All beings have it. You are also eager to 'know', 'to expand by knowledge,' 'to reach out.' All beings have it, this urge for expression. That is the characteristic of Chith (Awareness). You seek 'joy'; all beings do so. That is the characteristic of Ananda (Divine Bliss). The Ananda in you seeks its kin everywhere, in everything. That is why it is said, Sath-Chith-Ananda is the link between Thath and Thwam, the particular and the universal. Human must seek refuge in the changeless, the Paramatma (Supreme Reality), from which all variety emerges, and into which it merges. Then only can be secure peace and contentment. The past is past; do not lose time looking back on the road you have traversed. Look forward, deciding to march on with confidence and courage. Take the first step NOW. Tomorrow may be too late. You may have the best of vegetables, you may be the most capable cook, but, if the copper vessel in which you prepare the vegetable soup is not tinned, the concoction you cook will be highly poisonous. So "tin" your heart with Sathya, Dharma, Shanthi, Prema and Ahimsa, it will then become a vessel fit for repeating holy name or symbols, meditation, religious vows, pilgrimage, ritualistic worship and the other dishes that you prepare in it. However, the quest for God does not mean doing japa, singing bhajans, perform other kinds of worship. These are merely means for achieving mental concentration and subduing desires and aversions. Why cry out, asking: "Where is God?" He resides in the heart. Thereby experience the bliss of Self-realisation. The name of the Lord has been glorified in many different ways all over the world. Remembrance of the Lord's name is the method of crossing over the ocean of the worldly life for this age. It is impossible to describe the sweetness and sacredness of the name of the Lord. The intensity of the devotion with which you repeat the name of the Lord will yield commensurate benefits and confer joy on you. You may doubt whether such a small word like Rama or Sai or Krishna can take you across the boundless sea of worldly life. People cross vast oceans on a tiny raft; they are able to walk through dark jungles with a tiny lamp in their hands. The Name, even the Pranava (Om) which is smaller, has vast potentialities. The raft need not be as big as the sea. The Lord is Anandamaya (of the nature of Bliss); He is also Ananda (the Divine bliss), which is to be tasted through the Name. It is Sath-Chith-Ananda (Being-Awareness-Bliss Absolute). Today, the Kali Yuga has become Kalmasha Yuga alias the age of impurity. Today people spend most of their time watching the TV and Video screens. Is it any surprise if children born in these circumstances are TV products? In olden times, when a woman was enceinte, she used to hear stories about Prahlada, Rama, Krishna and other noble characters. The child in the womb was influenced by such stories. Life today is filled with sorrow, it is beset with fear and despair. The only time you can forget these thoughts and strengthen yourself to meet the hard times is when you contact the Source of all strength, God. You cannot get that peace and joy while you bend under the burden of daily life. You are carrying a huge load of worry all day; keeps that aside for an hour every evening and spend that time with God who can make your shouldersstrong and your burden light. Certainly you will relish the bhajans as you make it a daily function, like eating and sleeping. Bhajan has been a part of Indian's culture, a part of the Sanathana Dharma (Eternal Universal Religion) tradition. Great streams of Higher Wisdom have been flowing in this land from ancient times. Congregational singing of bhajans is the best. There is a big difference between Keerthanam and Sankeerthanam. Keerthanam is an individual affair. It is singing by an individual for the fulfilment of prayers. (Through genuine prayer, mountains of evil can be pulverised and destroyed). Sankeerthanam aims at the well-being of the whole universe. This is also described as community singing. This method of singing bhajans was first initiated by Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. Sankeerthana aims at demonstrating unity in diversity. When all the participants combine to sing in unison with one voice, it is described as Sankeerthana. Sankeerthana is of four kinds: 1. Guna Sankeerthana applies to the kind of bhajan in which the devotee recites the auspicious qualities of the Divine, experiences oneness with the Divine, and acquires the Godly qualities. Gita Govindam is a form of Guna Sankeerthana. 2. Leela Sankeerthana refers to the enjoyment by the devotee of the sacred sport of the Divine in ecstatic dancing and singing and being totally absorbed in it. This is exemplified by the Gita Govindam of Jayadeva. 3. Bhaava Sankeerthana is illustrated by Radha alone, who expresses her different feelings towards God and identifies herself with the Divine in every mood of devotion. She expressed her devotion in the five forms of Santha (Serenity), Sakhya (friendliness), Vaatsalya (eternal love), Anuraaga (affection)and Madhura (sweetness). Radha and Meera were the exponents of Bhaava Sankeerthana. 4. Naama Sankeerthana: Chaithanya was the exponent of this form of Keerthana. "All names are yours. There is nothing in this cosmos which does not bear the imprint of your name or form. Chaithanya revelled in singingthe name of the Lord as signifying all that was beautiful and glorious in the Universe. The essence of Sankeerthana is to earn the love of God. Combining one's voice, tune, feeling and rhythm to the appropriate beat of the song, the devotee should immerse himself in the singing. Harmonising the feeling with devotion and Love, the sacred words of the song should be an outpouring of love towards God. Bhaava (feeling), Raaga (melody) and Thaala (rhythm) are the essentials for proper singing. Community singing ia a sacred devotional exercise. Even if you have no musical ability, utter the names of the Lord with feeling and love. There is no greater means of God-realisation in the Kali Yuga than chanting the names of the Lord. Dhyana (meditation) in Kritha Yuga, Yajna (sacrifice) in Thretha Yuga, Archana (worship of idols) in Dwapara Yuga and Naama Sankeerthana (Reciting the name of the Lord) in Kali Yuga are the methods prescribed for realising the Divine. Many pandits recite the names as slokas (verse). When the names are sung melodiously they appeal to the hearts of the singers and the listeners. Even non-believers and agnostics nod their heads in appreciation when they listen to devotional music. Everyone, whether one is well-versed in music or not, should listen attentively to the singer and try to repeat the words of the song with feeling. Some persons attending bhajans do not move their lips at all. They may say that they are singing the songs mentally within themselves. This is not proper. If you have devotional feeling, it should be expressed by the tongue joining in the bhajan. Only then can it be called Sankeerthana - singing in unison with others. The recitation of the names of the Lord are cleansing singers' minds and will help to purify the atmosphere as a result of the sacred sound waves getting absorbed in the atmosphere. The Sastras describing the various forms of bhakthi (devotion) mentioned that the bhaktha is like the needle which is always drawn towards the magnet. But the needle has to be near enough; it has also to be clean enough. You stay far away and complain that Grace has not come. You come near for some time and stray away into the distance. It is not physical distance. You may be physically far, but mentally by Swami's side. Swami does not measure distance in miles or metres. You come to Puttaparthi, secure a picture, and taking it home, begin worshipping it every day or every Thursday; but, all that is simply sathkarma (good activity). They won't take you far. You must develop sath-guna, virtues, good habits, good attitudes, good characteristics, a good character. Realize the nobler-goal of selfillumination, of lighting the lamp of love inside, and sharing the light of that lamp with all around him/her.(Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 5. "Close the windows and save the lamp, Chapter 1and "Aspire for the nobler role," Chapter 11; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 13. "The message of love," Chapter 19 and "Unbroken bliss," Chapter 26; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 18. "Practise what you preach," Chapter 22; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 25. "Purify The World By Sankeerthana," Chapter 8). Namaste - Reet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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