Swami teaches... Goals and actions through endless procession of Time

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Sai Ram Light and Love

Swami teaches...

Goals and Actions Through Endless Procession of Time

Every moment is a manifestation of Time. From seconds to minutes, from

minutes to hours, from hours to days and months, and from months to a year -

this is the endless procession of Time. Time is the embodiment of God. Time is

the essential spirit of God and known as Kaalaatmaka (Time-Spirit). God is

called the protector of the wise. God is also known as the Lord of aeons

because He creates and dissolves aeons like Krita Yuga, Dwapara Yuga and Kali

Yuga. God is thus not only the creator of yugas (aeons) but also their

extinguisher.

Because He contains within Himself everything and protects everything, God

is also called Kaalagarbha (The One who is the womb of Time). He is beyond the

categories of mithya or jagath (falsity and change).

The entire cosmos is bound by Time. It is permeated by Time. It is a product

of Time. It is destroyed by Time. No one can fully comprehend the power of Time.

The Bharatiyas, from ancient times, recognising the sacredness of Time,

followed certain observances to propitiate Time. They viewed every object, not

in terms of its external appearance, but from its inner spiritual essence and

based their life on that principle.

Remember that Time is fleeting. Time and tide wait for no one. Time is its

own master. Strive to make proper use of Time. Swami has often told how God

represents Time in its various aspects. God is described as Samvatsara. Vatsara

means one who is engaged in sport. Govatsara, referring to Krishna, means one

who sports with cows. Samvatsara means "playing with all." This Time is

available equally to all - whether one is a millionaire or a pauper.

Time is a witness to what everyone is doing. On a stage, there are a

number of lights. One light isturned towards an actor in the role of a king.

Another light is turned towards a beggar. Yet another light may be focused on a

fighting scene. Although the lights illumine a variety of scenes, they remain

unaffected by thebehaviour of the actors. The lights simply bear witness to the

actions but no blame attaches to them for what the actors do. The actors alone

are affected by what they do. In the same manner, the Divine, as the Lord of

Time, remains only as witness to the passing show. Your actions may be unholy.

But Time remains untainted.

 

The Lord of aeons can be seen by the light that He Himself is, namely, the

light of pure Prema (Love). What is needed is total faith in a simple word:

Love. This word will confer every kind of strength you need to sustain in life.

If you recognise the Divine in all, you will be blessed with everything as a

spark of Time - embodiment of Atma.

(The dust settles upon the glass of the chimney of the lantern and dims the

light. The attachment to sensual objects and to the pleasure they give is the

soot that sticks to the inside of the chimney; that too dims the light. Clean

the chimney by Namasmarana every day and the flame will shine for you and

others).

Every second as the treasure of Time should be filled with purposeful

action. What is the meaning of a life in which from waking in the morning to

sleeping at night one is concerned only about own belly? Has it given a single

moment of real joy?

People in the world attach value to all 'kinds of objects, ideals and

personalities. Human fills the mind with a vast mass of information, but there

is no change in behaviour or living. There is no end to economic changes,

political and social reforms. But no mental transformation is taking place.

People have been listening to Bhagavan's discourses and reading Swami's books

for years. How far have you changed as a consequence? Of what use are studies

if they are not put into practice even to a small extent?

 

Today people do not observe discipline, whether in area of spiritual

development, sports or elsewhere, life has become intolerable. Some persons

hold positions of authority in business, in administration or in other

institutions. There manager cannot be free with tongue and with writings: one

should observe restraint. Discipline is like a shadow. It should follow

you wherever you may go. It should govern every action of yours all through the

day. Then it becomes Karma Yoga - the Yoga of Action and means the observance of

certain well-defined rules. Without such regulation it is not possible to

maintain humanness. Discipline has to be as natural component of one's daily

life in the discharge of one's duties. It is essential for every group, for

every society and for every political institution. It is discipline that unites

human to human, and one society to another. Hence discipline is one of the basic

insignia of social life.

Discipline has to be observed in speech, in sport and in every kind of

relationship. For instance, during bhajans, all those singing in chorus have to

maintain the same tune. Singing in unison in bhajans is a form of discipline.

Restraint has to be observed even with regard to eating. Excessive eating is

the cause of many ailments. (One fourth of the stomach should remain empty).

Students should learn the body discipline of doing things even in ordinary

actions like sitting or reading. They should sit erect and keep the spinal

column straight. This enables the coiled energy to move up from the base of the

spine to the top of the head through the vertebral column. (This movement takes

place during the yogic exercise known as breath control. This exercise is also

useful for improving one's memory and powers of concentration). One of the

important elements of discipline is physical purity. Real bodily purity calls

for involvement in good actions and good thoughts which lead to purity of mind

and the intellect. Another important aspect of discipline is keeping one's

plighted word. The importance of this is illustrated by an incident in the life

on Shirdi Baba.

There was a sheristadhaar by name Tharkad. His wife and 16-year-old son were

ardent devotees of Shirdi Baba. Tharkad did not object to their worship of Baba.

One day when they wanted to go to Shirdi, he gave them his consent.

Tharkad's son told his father that he would not go to Shirdi because he was

performing regular worship to Shirdi Baba in their house. This worship would be

affected if he went to Shirdi. The lad told his father that every day he was

making an offering of sugar candy to Baba and he was partaking part of the

candy as prasad (blessed offering) out of the conviction that Baba was

receiving the candy. He declared: "I do not want any break in this practice.

Hence I do not want to go to Shirdi." The father had great affection for the

son. He told the son: "Babu, I shall perform that duty. You better go to

Shirdi." The father was moved by his son's determination and gave him the

promise to carry on the worship during his absence.

The father kept the word given to his son and performed the worship in the

manner of the son for a few days. Offering candy to Baba, he took a part of it

after the worship before taking his meal. On a Thursday, Tharkad had some

urgent business in the court and left the house in a hurry after performing

puja (worship). Returning for his meal, he asked the cook to bring the prasadh.

The cook informed him that he had not offered any offering of candy that day.

Tharkad felt sorry that he hadfailed to make the offering to Baba. At Shirdi,

when the mother and son went to see Baba on the following Friday, Baba told the

son: "Babu, yesterday I had been to Bangra, but no one gave me any food. Even

the candy which you used to offer daily was not available. I have come back

very hungry. Will you give me something to eat?" The boy was shocked on

listening to Baba's words. He wept over his mother's lap. "Father gave me a

promise, but he has not kept it and Baba was disappointed. I shall go back to

our place." At that time, Baba sent a chit to the boy through one dog. In his

message, Baba said: "There is no need for you to go now. Your father failed to

keep his word, but you have not failed in your duty. You have all my Grace. You

can stay here as long as you wish." When the boy returned home, the father

rushed towards him and begged his pardon. He said, "You. are young and I am

old. But I am seeking your pardon because I failed to keep my promise." The boy

said: "You must seek pardon not from me but from Baba. Whatever the society to

which you may belong, whatever your beliefs, the promised word must be kept.

This is your duty as a lawyer. You know very well how Emperor Manu upheld

Dharma. If you do not adhere to Truth, you are violating the law."

Falsehood looks easy and profitable; but, it binds and pushes into

perdition. Purify your feelings and impulses; do not worry that others are not

doing similarly. Each individual carries destiny in own hands. You will not be

bound, because others are not freed. You should strive for your salvation, at

your own pace, from where you started when you were born as the Divine spark

into this chance in the womb of Time.

Now the whole world is very agitated; it is full of discontent and anxiety,

fear and petty faction and hatred. In order to calm and quieten it and remove

the discontent and anxiety, you must have enthusiasm and courage. When defeat

and disappointment stare you in the face, you must not give way to weakness or

despondency. Never condemn yourselves as inferior or useless; analyse the

defeat and find out the reasons in order to avoid it the next time. You should

have muscles of iron and nerves of steel. Then your resolution will itself

generate the necessary confidence; and that will win over opposition. Remember

evil has in it the potentiality to become good; good has in it the liability to

turn evil. There is no fire without a wisp of smoke; there is no smoke without

a spark of fire. No one is fully wicked, or fully infallible. Take the world as

it is, never expect it to conform to your needs or standards.

For the crop of life, courage and confidence are the best manure; they are

also the best insecticides.Be like lions in the spiritual field, rule over the

forest of the senses and roam fearlessly with full faith in victory.

Win the battle of life; be in the world but yet be away from its tentacles. That

is the victory for which you deserve congratulations.

Spread joy at all times. Do not pour into others' ears your tales of woe and

worry; carry a smile on your face. When you tell others of your success, your

purpose is to create envy in them. You must not only love others, but you must

be so good that others too may love you. Try to console, encourage, strengthen,

and enlighten those who are miserable, downhearted, weak or ill-informed.

 

Leading a worldly life is unavoidable. But in doing so, the spiritual goal

should be borne in mind. The goal is spiritual; actions are worldly. It is when

actions are dedicated to spiritual ends that they become sanctified.

Your conscience knows the real source of joy; it will prod you towards the

right path; your business is to takeit as 'guide' and not disobey it every time

it contradicts your whim or fancy. The path depends on the principle, they say.

Follow good principles, you are led along to the good fruits. Be silent

yourself; that will induce silence in others. Do not fall into the habit of

shouting, talking long and loud. Reduce contacts to the minimum. Carry with you

an atmosphere of quiet contemplation, wherever you happen to be. So, tread

the path of goodness because the Divine is the Indweller in every heart like

sugar at the bottom of a tumbler filled with water. If the water is stirred

with the spoon of Buddhi (the intellect).

When there are no sadhana (spiritual practices), human becomes a creature of

whims. Human has a Vijnana Prajna (higher wisdom) which is obtained by sadhana.

The purpose of the sadhana is to realise the Atma (Self), what is the

combination of Manas, Buddhi, and Prana (mind, intellect and life force). This

triune combination is called Triputi. Human is the embodiment of this

Triputi. It is otherwise known as the Mano-vaak-kaayam (mind-speech-body

complex).

It is for the purpose of harmonising thought, word and deed that Karma,

Upasana and Dhyana have been prescribed for human. Karma reveals the human's

nature - whether one is Satwic, Rajasic or Tamasic. All actions should be

turned towards Satwic purposes. Right action results in purity of mind. The

ideal life is one in which there is complete harmony and purity in thought,

word and deed -Trikarana suddhi.

 

There are several misconceptions about sadhana for Self Realisation.

To attend to one's household duties, look after the children and attend to

the needs of the husband and others at home constitute the right type of

sadhana. Even the preparation of meals in the home is a greatsadhana. Likewise

every household chore can be sanctified. Even the sweeping of the house may be

considered as a process of purifying the heart. Such actions are better than

listening indifferently to a discourse and forgetting the teachings thereafter.

Doing one's duty is the highest spiritual endeavour.

There are many ochre-robed persons going about flaunting their so called

renunciation while they are full of pride and possessiveness. During an

encounter between a renunciant and Ubhayabhaarathi,wife of the scholar Mandana

Mishra, she made the renunciant realise how he was filled with attachment and

egoism in spite of his having renounced everything. The ascetic fell at the

feet of Ubhayabhaarathi and sought her forgiveness.

Thyaga (renunciation) does not mean giving up hearth and home but giving up

bad qualities. It is enough if human gives up attachment and hatred. If

everyone adheres the code of conduct pertaining to one's stage in life, devotes

always the time to meditation on God, one will be redeeming own life.

Proper atmosphere is very essential for the sadhaka (spiritual seeker). That

is why sadhakas used to move out and dwell in the ashrams (hermitages)

maintained by sages in the past. It is like keeping a pot of water immersed in

water; the water in the pot will then not be lost through evaporation. But if

the pot of water is kept in the open so that the wind plays upon it and the

sunlight shines on it, very soon the pot becomes empty. Be careful, therefore,

that the success you have won in the promotion of virtue, in the conquest of

baneful habits and in the assumption of regular disciplines, are not frittered

away by trite company, loose talk, cynical criticism or lackadaisical effort.

There were two parrots on a tree, twins to be more precise. A hunter trapped

them and sold them, one to a low, cruel butcher and the other to a sage who was

running an ashram to teach the Vedas. After a few years, he was surprised to

find that one bird swore very foully, while the other recited the leelas

(Divine plays) of the Lord in a sweet musical tone which captivated the

listeners. Such is the effect of the environment; so, seek and secure sathsang

(good company). (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 1. "Be

heroes, not zeros, " Chapter 15; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 11. "Beside, behind,

before," Chapter 20; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 23. "More potent than portents,"

Chapter 5; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 29. "Importance of discipline," Chapter 21

and "The human adventure," Chapter 27).

Namaste - Reet