Swami's Onam Discourse on August 28, 2004 at Prashanthi Nilayam

[Guest guest]

August 28, 2004 at Prashanthi Nilayam

DIVINE LOVE ALONE CAN SAVE US FROM SORROW

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 to 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 one's

time and energy in the pursuit of ahara will ultimately fritter away one's

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 utilizing 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 Atmaannveshana (quest for 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. Clouds cover sometimes even the sun. But can the clouds ever diminish the

effulgence of the sun? No. Just as the clouds do not affect the sun, 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. Difficulties easily sway it. 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 God ward

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 fulfillment. 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

(love of God, fear of sin and morality in society). Instead of seeking refuge

in God, we are submitting ourselves to difficulties. Instead of developing fear

of sin, we are enslaved by sin. 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 oneself 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 sorrow and

difficulties in that Sadhana.

Embodiments of Love!

You have all gathered here to attain to that great fortune of love for God. One

should never be subdued by sorrow 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 to 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 sorrow and difficulties, one has to

march forward with courage 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 realize 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 sorrow 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

Atmatattva, which is nothing but Divinity. Develop full faith in the Atmatattva.

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, jealously, etc. Along

with advancing 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 bead 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 was going

to happen to the body. I washed My face and came back immediately.

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

nurtured only by the food we partake of. 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 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 started talking, the bleeding might

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 sorrow and

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

sorrow. Instead of losing our poise in such difficult situation, 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 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. The

children collected all the blood-soaked towels and felt very distressed on

seeing them. If those clothes are washed, the bloodstains will vanish in no

time. Likewise, only God's love can wash our sorrow off! Therefore, cultivate

such divine love. All your sorrow and difficulties will be removed.

(Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajan 'Prema Mudita Manase Kaho Rama Rama Ram…..)

 

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