Swami's Discourses at Sai Sruthi-Kodaikanal during April 1996 [1]

[Guest guest]

Om Sri Sai Ram

SWAMI’S DISCOURSES AT SAI SRUTI KODAIKANAL DURING APRIL 1996 [Part -1]

1. PURIFY THE MIND TO REALIZE DIVINE BLISS [April 5, 1996; Good Friday]

Embodiments of Divine Love,

All names and forms are of the Divine. Every person is an embodiment of the

Divine. The human body has been gifted in order to know the Divine.

Everyone wants peace, bliss and happiness; nobody wants misery, worries and

problems. What is the nature of real happiness? Man has to make an effort to

understand what true happiness is. If you ask anyone he would reply that it is

freedom from troubles and anxieties. Sensual pleasure is not true happiness

even though man considers it to be so. Sensual pleasure indulged in by man

makes him equivalent to a beast and upon examination of the sensual pleasures;

one can see that their duration is momentary. The ancient Rishis prayed and

asked to be shown whether it is worldly pleasures or proximity to the Lord that

gives true happiness and discovered that the Divine gives true eternal Bliss.

At one time, Germany defeated France in the Second World War. The French Chief

Marshal stated that his country had been defeated because of the excessive

sensual pleasures of the people. Since that time they have encouraged control

of the senses.

True happiness comes from firm faith in the Divine and the full blossoming of

body, mind and intellect. We should not allow our body, mind and intellect to

take the wrong path.

Above and more subtle than the body is the mind, and above and more subtle than

the thinking mind is the intellect. The intellect is the leader of the body and

the mind, and the Master of all these three is the Atma or Spirit. We say "This

is my body, my mind, my intellect." But who am I? The Master should see that

the instruments are put to proper use so that true happiness which is union

with God can be realized. Union with the senses brings about misery.

What is the nature of creation? God's Will transmits into creation. Everyone

should have devotion to God, the Creator, so their will would be in harmony

with His Will. Sita means the daughter of Mother Earth as well as all Divine

qualities such as sacrifice, compassion, mercy, grace, and the Peace that is

within one. In the world wherever one looks, one sees only pieces (diversity)

but not Peace. Sita (see the Epic Ramayana) was always with Rama. As you are

embodiments of Truth, Peace and Love (Rama), there is no need to search for

Peace outside.

Napoleon had some spiritual development. In order to conquer the remaining

countries during the war, he had to first conquer his sleep and hunger. He

trained himself to sleep and wake at any appointed time. Once when Napoleon was

wounded with arrows in the war, and the doctors wished to operate, he refused

saying that he would first meditate. He allowed the doctors to remove the

arrows only during meditation in the evening without an anesthetic. Napoleon

had full control over his mind and thus was able to transcend it.

For the body, one's mind is the master; for the mind, one's intellect is the

master; for the intellect, Atma is the Master. So the Master of life is the

Atma. If we merge the intellect in God, all the senses would be subjugated.

Mahatma Gandhi prayed that all should have a good intellect- "Sab ko sanmati do

Bhagawan." A purified intellect reflecting the Atmic light confers true wisdom.

When the intellect is full of God, naturally one will follow the correct path

and experience Peace and Bliss. If the mind follows the senses, one is ruined.

Follow the Master;Fight to the end;Face the Devil;Finish the game.

Who is the Master? Your conscience is the Master, so follow the conscience. To

face the devil means to avoid bad company, thoughts and actions. To fight to

the end means to work to subdue the unruly senses. Say, "O bad senses, don't go

there, go only toward God; eyes, see only God; ears, listen only to God's

glories, etc."

See no evil; see what is good.Hear no evil; hear what is good.Think no evil;

think what is good.Talk no evil; talk what is good.Do no evil: do what is

good.This is the way to God.

The word "good" has two zeros. One zero stands for the world. If you remove this

one zero (the world), only God will remain. So see good, do good, and be good to

merge with God. Direct all of your actions toward God. In Christianity it is

said, "All are One, be alike to everyone."

If you declare that your body belongs to you, then why can't you control it? If

you cannot then the body. must not belong to you. How can you offer to God your

mind which is also not under your control? If your body is paralysed why can't

you make it move? If your body was truly under your control, then surely you

would be able to make it move. Take the example of this handkerchief. If you

hold it tightly, then it is in your grip. If you drop it, it is out of your

control.

Buddhi (subtle intellect) has the power of discrimination. Discrimination is of

two types: individual and fundamental. Fundamental discrimination has a

universal nature as that indicated in the prayer "Loka samastha sukhino

bhavantu" (May all the worlds be happy). Individual discrimination is only

individually inclined; one thinks only of 'my body, my friend, my relative,

etc. Individual discrimination is very limited, narrow, selfish, and represents

untruth, whereas fundamental discrimination is based on Truth. The intellect

should follow the path of fundamental discrimination having feelings of good

will to all in order to reach God or oneness.

One's so called individual Atma is identical to everyone else's Atma. There are

many tube lights here in this room, but the current flowing through them all is

only 'One'. All of our bodies can be compared to light bulbs. The capacities of

each body or bulb may be different, but the Spirit or Atma is only One in all

of them. "Eka Prabhu Eka Naam” means there is only one God; so one Divinity is

present in all.

One should always be charitable. The culture of Bharat (India) teaches giving

and sacrifices. We must always discriminate what and how much we should give.

Discriminate when you see the beggar on the street with his hand outstretched

for money. Give him clothes or food but do not give him money because he may

misuse the money to buy alcohol and cause fights. Your money would have been

wasted; unity destroyed, and would be responsible for these problems. Encourage

the needy to find employment and to develop unity as one's body has been given

to do work. If,

however, you see a handicapped person whom you can help through giving money,

charity should be given with full knowledge of the consequences to avoid harm.

"Help ever, hurt never," and in every aspect discriminate carefully.

Spiritual aspirants should not move about here and there but should keep the

body still and spend time concentrating in solitude to experience Bliss. Bliss

which comes through the experience of the unity of the Atma will redeem your

life. Here is a handkerchief consisting of numerous threads. The unity of the

woven threads gives the cloth its strength. Likewise, the unity of the body,

mind, intellect and senses will confer strength and power.

Swadharma is the true dharma. Dharma is not only that which is related to a

religion or faith. 'Swa' means Self or Atma. Dharma means conscience or

witness. Sath and Chit mean eternal, total Being and Awareness, not fragmentary

knowledge. Being or Sath may be compared to pure sugar which is always sweet;

Chit to the pure water which goes on changing (moving, flowing). If you mix

them you get syrup which may be compared to Bliss or Ananda. This is not the

Bliss found in the material world. The material world can give you only

impermanent happiness, not Bliss.

There are five types of knowledge to be found in the world. The first is bookish

knowledge, the second superficial knowledge, the third general knowledge, the

fourth discriminatory knowledge, and the fifth practical knowledge. Worldly

happiness is termed santosha, which means only some happiness. For example,

when you are hungry you eat two chapatis and after two hours you are again

hungry; so the happiness you derived from eating was only temporary. The head

has responsibilities; it is not a source of Bliss. Ananda (Bliss) comes only

from the heart and is permanent. The highest goal of life lies in deriving

happiness from the heart. The word for heart is hrudaya meaning heart (hru) and

compassion (daya).

The proper study of mankind is man. Kindness should grow and fully blossom from

man's heart. God has the quality of attraction and attracts to Himself whatever

is good. Gold has value and attracts but brass does not attract. Iron alone

attracts the magnet because of its relationship with the magnet. The magnet can

be compared to Paramatma (Supreme Soul) and iron can be compared to the

individual soul. The attraction between them is due to the unity of the

individual soul and God. God is one. We should understand our own Divine

nature. Sometimes when the magnet is unable to attract the iron many ignorant

people may say that the magnet has no power. But this lack of attraction is due

to the dust and rust accumulated on the iron. Similarly, bad company, bad talk,

bad deeds are like dust and cause rust and

do not attract Grace. God gives tests and punishes as well. We must welcome and

pass a series of tests as they are the means for promotion. In order to pass

examinations, one has to prepare for tests. Today from first class to tenth

class there are no tests. Unfortunately today we don't want any tests due to

laziness. Even if one wishes to apply for a job as a clerk he must have an

interview. One should face with fortitude all tests in life.

Life is a challenge, meet it.Life is a game, play it.Life is a dream, realize

it.Life is Love, enjoy it.

We are lucky to have this life; to be born a human being is very sacred. Make

use of life in a sacred way after purifying the heart and eradicating anger.

Lack of control over anger ruins discrimination and causes one to do wrong

things. Anger is an animal quality not a human quality. When you become angry,

go to a quiet place and repeat, "I am not a dog, I am a man." When confusion

comes, repeat, "I am a man, not a monkey" ten times. Many people cheat, then

repeat, "I am not a cheater, I am man"; "I am not a jackal, I am a man." The

foreigners who have come here are all good devotees, but have a few weaknesses.

They spend a lot of money on unnecessary things, have too many associations and

do too much visiting from house to house.

The body may be compared to a house, the senses to windows, and the mouth the

main door; keep it clean and sacred. Let the animal qualities go out; don't

allow them into the residence. Don't follow other people, seeking sensual

pleasures, but instead follow God. Unfortunately, we welcome bad qualities, and

do not follow God's commands. When chanting Rama, as we say 'Ra' we open the

mouth and bad qualities should go out and when we say 'm', God should enter to

remain permanently. Why visit palm readers on the street who tell others'

futures when they cannot tell their own. Devotees should use common sense. What

is devotion? It is pure Love. Devotion to God develops from pure Love. Love

between a husband and wife is attachment. Spiritual Love comes and grows

whereas worldly love comes and goes. So follow

God's commands until the end.

Once there was a young cowherd boy named Madhukar. One day as he was grazing his

cows beside a river, he saw a Brahmin repeating, "Om Narayana Namaha" while

doing pranayama in order to control his mind. After some time the boy went up

to him and asked him what he was doing. The Brahmin explained that when one

utters "Soham," he is declaring, "I am God.So" (God) is uttered during

inhalation and "ham” (I am) is uttered during exhalation. This is done in order

to control the mind. The boy had full faith in the Brahmin and because he wanted

to experience God he immediately put into practice the

teaching. He put the cows on one side and sat down to begin pranayama (breathing

exercises). He wondered, "How does God really look? In paintings I have seen

Lord Shiva on a bull, and Lord Vishnu on an eagle."

The boy had full faith in the words of the Brahmin and began repeating the

mantra, "Soham." He was ready to shed even his body for God. Where there is

steady faith, there is success. One should care only for God. As the boy had

this attitude, Narayana manifested Himself. The boy asked Him, "Who are You?"

He replied, "I am Vishnu." The boy said, "I am not certain as I have never seen

You before. I'll ask the Brahmin to come to identify You." This boy was very

innocent. He feared that Vishnu might run away so he tied Him up and went to

fetch the Brahmin. The Lord was very pleased with this boy's devotion. However

the Brahmin could not believe the boy's story as he doubted how Vishnu could

appear to a mere boy. The Brahmin’s faith was artificial whereas the boy's was

heartful. Both went to the spot where

Vishnu was tied up whereupon the boy exclaimed, "See, there He is."

Unfortunately only the boy could see Lord Vishnu, not the Brahmin. The boy

asked Vishnu, "Why can he not see the Lord?" The Lord replied that the

Brahmin’s inability to see was due to his polluted mind and impure heart. The

boy then requested the Lord, "At least for my sake, appear to the Brahmin.” As

God was pleased with his selfless attitude. He also manifested to the Brahmin.

This story illustrates the role of the Gum to show the way to God, and the

effort of the devotee to develop faith and devotion.

In the culture of Bharat, the sacred axioms are:

Matru devo bhava. The mother is God.Pitru devo bhava. The father is God.Acharya

devo bhava. The guru is God.

Mother, father and preceptor or teacher are the physical forms of God for us. We

say that we have come from our parents, but this is not correct. We have come

from God through our parents is correct. When you have God what more do you

need? Please God by performing all actions for Him. Dedicate mind, body, senses

and intellect to Him. If you have faith God will manifest in front of you.

Pray wherever you go by chanting His name. Work is worship; duty is God. God is

present in all beings as Sath (Being), Chit (Awareness), Ananda (Bliss). You

sit and say 'Sai Ram, Sai Ram', but your mind wanders to the dhobi's

(washerman's) house, wondering whether he will bring your clothes today. Japa

or meditation with an uncontrolled mind is a waste of time. Truth, Goodness and

Beauty, three attributes of God, are all present in one's own heart. Pray

wholeheartedly from your heart; have both compassion and Love. If you pray with

Love but do not have compassion, it is useless. Coffee powder and water must

both be present to make coffee. Speak softly, think of God constantly and avoid

bad company and any other disturbances.

Swami concluded His Discourse by singing, "Hari bhajana bina sukh shanti nahi."

2. ALL THE WORLD IS A STAGE [April 7, 1996, Easter Sunday]

Embodiments of Divine Love,

At one time Napoleon taught his soldiers, "Be clear and the rest will follow."

He meant that pure feelings and actions will give one a pure heart. The whole

world is a drama composed by God where every individual is an actor and God is

the Director. Only the Director God creates the actors and designs all of the

scenes. Whatever may happen is the manifestation of the Divine acts blossoming

from the heart. Every human being is the spark of the Divine with Love as his

natural trait and the goal of every living being and animal is to realize and

manifest this Divinity. In this universal drama of life we are all acting to

express Love; the end of transformation is to become the embodiment of Love.

Prior to this Love is information and this information (knowledge) gathered

throughout our lives culminates in

individual spiritual transformation. Though everyone has been created out of

Love, how unfortunate it is that man's responsibility and proper role to Love

has been forgotten. In this drama everyone should play his role well, because

if he does not, he will lose his reputation and respect. As everyone is a spark

of the Divine, everyone should express the quality of Divine Love (Prema).

There is a "chinna katha," a small story. Once there was a very loving man

swimming in a river. As there had been a heavy downpour, the water was flowing

very turbulently. Suddenly he saw a scorpion floating in the water. Out of

concern he gently picked it up and placed it in the palm of his hand. As it is

the nature of the scorpion to bite, it bit the man and he quickly dropped it

back into the river. But since he could not bear to see the scorpion drown, he

again lifted it up to save it and again he was bitten. A cowherd boy came up to

him and asked, "Why do you try to save it when its nature is to bite?." The kind

man replied, "It may be the scorpion's nature to bite, but I am a human being

and my nature is to Love. Why should I disregard my nature?"

See that you never change your nature and move away from Love. Love should never

be converted into greed or anger. The whole world needs Love. At one time the

Gopikas prayed to Lord Krishna:

"In this dry and parched land,In order to grow the saplings of Love,Send rains

of Love. Let rivers of Love flow,So we may reap the harvests of Love."

One's whole life should be full of Love. The true meaning of life is Love. Love

is essential for life. The mind should be full of Love, the heart compassion.

True human life must have Truth and Love. Today man is dropping Love for

pleasures because he does not understand the nature of Love. Worldly life is

temporary, momentary and ephemeral. Earlier the ladies sang, "I am God."

Everything is the form of God and God has an infinite number of forms. When one

has determination concerning this Truth, then Love will naturally flow. Right

from birth to death man is searching for Bliss. A boy is happy if he passes and

goes to the next class in school. But how long does this happiness last? Soon he

desires a first class standing in university, and when he achieves it he is

happy. Then he wants to be a post-graduate. He achieves it and is happy, but

for how long? He then desires and obtains a job and then a wife. After getting

these he is happy, but for how long?

Next he wants a son, then a daughter. He goes on struggling for happiness,

desiring objects one after another until he retires. Then he wishes for peace.

Thus happiness comes and goes; it is impermanent. All the worldly happiness is

not equal to the spiritual happiness of the Atma.

What is Truth? Truth is evident when one expresses selfless Love. A life lived

in Truth is Bliss. One's life should be full of Love. A heart without Love is

poisonous. You may smile and say hello, but if it is not expressed from the

heart, but only from the lips, it is not genuine or truthful. Today the world

is behaving in such an artificial manner that all are only attracted by

falsehood. For example, if you drop a handkerchief, someone retrieves it for

you and you say thanks, it is often artificial thanks. Only pure selfless Love

is Divine Love; all other love is artificial. Some only pray to God during

difficulties and when they have no difficulties they forget God. Spending our

life in gratitude and giving something back is the proper role in life's drama

where God is the Director and His nature is

Love. This Divine drama should not only be an expression but also a propagation

of Love and Truth. All this life that we think is real is only a dream and all

the pleasures that one experiences and enjoys are not Truth.

There was once a poor man who had a wife and a son for whom he could not afford

to provide. So he left home to earn money. In the meantime, unknown to him, his

son died. One night he had a dream that he was a very rich man living in a large

bungalow with five healthy sons, servants and all other amenities. After he

awoke from the dream he couldn't find his bungalow and his five sons; he

visited his wife who informed him of the loss of their only son. Now he

thought, "Should I weep for the poverty and the loss of my only son that I am

suffering from now, or should I weep for the loss of my five sons and riches in

my dream?. Which of these is the Truth?" Neither is the Truth. "I" am the Truth.

In the waking state I have problems and in the dream state I had no problems,

but both are false. The Truth is

God and "I" am that God. Past is past and it can never return and tomorrow is

uncertain. Today is the present; but it is not the ordinary present, it is the

omnipresent. Both the waking and dreaming states exist in the mind, but don't

follow the mind as it is like a mad monkey. Don't follow the body; it is like a

water bubble that may burst at any time. You are truly the form of Supreme

Bliss, non-dual, eternal, pure, unsullied, the witness, beyond comprehension,

attributeless. Sai is the Supreme Preceptor. God is the eternal witness, but

such Divinity is forgotten today and man struggles for the fleeting things.

Who is near God? The one who follows God's commands and manifests Divine

attributes. The secret is to have full faith in God; then one is a true human.

The word for man is "manaci" (ma-na-ci). Man is the embodiment of Love. If we

reverse the syllables in manaci, it becomes "ci- na- ma." Today's man is a

cinema man; he is artificial and lacks compassion. But if he would follow the

commands of God, everything else would follow. Though you have gold (God), from

which you can make any type of jewellery (receive any Grace), you pray, "I want

Bliss, Grace and Love." But all of these are ignorant utterances. The correct

goal is in the prayer, "God, I want You." Everything is nothing without God.

Everything material in the world is really nothing. Listening and experiencing

this Truth is true Happiness and

Love.

Start the day with Love,Spend the day with Love,End the day with Love,This is the way to God.

But we are starting and ending the day with sadness and weeping instead.

Napoleon has said, "Be clear and the rest will follow." Napoleon had great

control over his mind. When one has mind control work can be transformed into

worship. Do all acts, whether of service or in one's profession, to please God.

How does one experience God? You are wrong to say that you are the one who is

working. For example, if you make a plan for a house, the idea has first come

from the heart (God) and all that comes from the heart is Divine. You are not

the doer, God is the Doer. When you are hungry you satisfy your hunger for

yourself. When you love a child it is for your own satisfaction that you kiss

him. So all works are done to satisfy your own self. This truth is not

recognized. One should perform all acts only for God or Atma and not to satisfy

the mind and the inert body. When a doctor performs an operation he uses a

knife, but who did the operation? The knife? No! The doctor performed the

operation with the knife as the instrument. Similarly, you are the Master (the

Atma), so make proper use of your instruments

the body, mind and intellect.

It is our good fortune to play a part in this drama designed by God; it is not

possible for all to act in this play. In this play, every role is assigned by

God; there is selection. Today in the worldly life, there is no selection, but

only election. What happens in an election? You are not a candidate selected by

God but you have to give a note (money) to get a vote. In selection God is in

you as conscience. If we have been selected by God, we are most privileged to

listen to Him. Love is the most important; there is nothing beyond Love.

Everything is Love, so live in Love. Be happy; serve and worship God, then you

will gain Eternal Bliss. None should put on castor oil faces. Smile, because

Baba likes to see smiling faces. There are two types of smiles. One is a smile

and the other is the loud laughter

as in a cinema. You should not laugh loudly. The language of God is silence. Be

pure of heart and steady in devotion. When the heart is full of Love, there is

sweetness. The ladies sang, "Lord, Your Love gets sweeter and sweeter as the

days go by...." One should recognize that such sweetness cannot be found

anywhere except in God. Put into practice all that is learnt in the texts or

else that learning is useless. As all acts are performed through the body. Love

should emanate through you. In a tumbler of water, the tumbler is only a

container. Without the tumbler you cannot contain the water. Likewise, the body

is like a tumbler full of Divine Love.

Jayadeva prayed, "O tongue, the one that knows the taste and talks of God is the

only worthwhile one. O tongue, no one has your quality of patience. How

carefully and peacefully you move amidst the enemies (thirty-two sharp teeth).

Knowing the taste of both sweet and bitter things, you eat the sweet and throw

out the bitter."

The tongue has the sacred quality of discrimination between what is good and

bad, what should go in and what should stay out. It is has no associations and

visits no one; it remains in the mouth. Some people go from house to house like

rats and cats. The tongue should not accuse others and spend time in falsehood.

Let only the name of God dance on the tongue. The tongue is "nataki," a dancer.

What does nataki mean? It is a vehicle of Maya or illusion. It dances

continuously. How can one control natakfl reverse the syllables to "kitana"

(continuous singing). Continuously singing the glory of God with Love is the

only way to reverse the illusion, not by force but by "source" (realizing the

Atma). This is the role that one should play in the Drama to gain a very good

reputation. One should deserve God's

Love; when you are not accepted by God, you are cheap. God's Love is immense

like a Divine mother's Love, so through your exemplary conduct and by following

His commands He will submit Himself to you. God creates the devotee', and the

devotee also creates God by constant remembrance. The devotee has no value

without God and without the devotee there is no God. The unity of God and the

devotee exalts the human quality and proves that God and the devotee are one

and the same. This Sacred Truth is made unsacred today.

When we take birth we cry, "Koham? Koham?" (Who am I ?). When we die we should

have the answer, "Soham" (I am He). In an exam when you write the correct

answers you will get good results. Learn well, pass the grades, earn the

degrees, and then God will claim, "You are Mine." When God says this it is our

greatest fortune. In order to safeguard this fortune, think of God continuously

and sing His name with Love.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing, "Prema Mudita Manase Kaho, Rama, Rama..."

3. SADHANA [April 8, 1996]

Embodiments of Divine Love,

In order to attain and experience Divinity it is necessary to have Divine

thoughts and Divine actions. Many people pursue various paths to spirituality

and expect results, but at times they become disappointed and frustrated. What

is the reason? Everyone has to examine whether he is obeying God's commands or

not. People behave in a wayward manner and therefore do not gain freedom

(liberation). Everyone should know all the aspects of Sadhana (spiritual

practice). Most aspirants today consider Sadhana to be Japa (repetition of a

mantra), Bhajan (singing hymns), meditation, etc., but these are merely worldly

practices as they involve the use of the body, the mind and the intellect. We

should transcend these three, for the body is temporary and the mind is

wavering.

What does the word "sa" - "dhana" mean? "Sa" means identity or proximity.

"Dhana" does not mean worldly wealth, power, etc., but it means Divine Wealth

or Truth, and oneness with that Truth which is eternal, ancient, pure and

unsullied. This wealth is called Sadhana. Spiritual practices do not consist

only of sitting with eyes closed and limbs controlled. We should also

understand the environment in which we live and then we would gain God's Grace.

We must bear all opposites such as heat and cold, rain and sun, pleasure and

pain, profit and loss and sin and merit, equally. Vyasa taught the essence of

the Vedas in just two sentences: Helping others is meritorious. Hurting others

is sin.

The word "paraupakara" is divided into three syllables - "para,upa" and

"kara.Para" means the Supreme or the Highest Abode; "Upa" means nearness and

"kara" means to do or to go. Upakara, therefore, means that one should do good

and help others in order to go near God. This is the proper spiritual path, the

essence of the Upanishads. In the word "Upanishad,upa" means near and "shad"

means sit. What is the meaning of sitting near? The significance is that a

disciple must sit down at the Feet of God (Guru) who is on a higher level. All

the spiritual texts teach how to go near God. Just as one goes near an air

conditioner to get coolness and comfort when it is hot, similarly, when one

goes near God, he would develop Divine qualities. This is Sadhana.

What is "papa" or sin? Harming others is sin; classifying and diversifying and

forgetting the unity is a sin. Names and forms may vary, but the Spirit is only

one. The words from the hymn, "Eka Prabhu, eka nam... Eswara sarva bhutanam,"

say that God is in every being. God and nature are in union where God is the

cause and nature is the effect. There cannot be an effect without a cause. To

consider unity (Atma) as diversity (nature) is a sin. The spiritual path is

very easy but due to our ignorance we are confused. Accept that whatever

happens is for your own good and for the good of the world. If your desire is

not fulfilled, don't consider it to be bad.

You are not one, but three: The one you think you are (the body), the one others

think you are (the mind or the ego), and the one you really are (the Atma). Take

for example, a piece of cloth. It consists of the unity of the cotton, threads

and cloth. Our many desires may be compared to threads. If you remove them one

by one, the cloth would disappear. Likewise, the mind would disappear after the

removal of all desires. Less luggage, more comfort, makes travel a pleasure in

the journey of life. Have only the desire for God. Develop this unique novel

desire and also follow the commands of God. We should develop the faith and

determination to desire only God, to follow His commands and trust that

whatever God says is for our own good.

Once there was a king in India whose custom was to drink sugarcane juice during

a certain festival. The king desired to cut the sugarcane himself. As he had no

experience in this, by mistake he cut off his finger. His minister declared, "O

king, this is very good for you." The king became very angry and had the

minister imprisoned. The minister declared that to be imprisoned was good for

him. One day the king decided to journey into the forest, and after some time

he stopped to take rest under a tree. While resting he overheard a nearby

tribal king and his

tribe members discussing their need for a perfect human being for a sacrifice.

They soon discovered the king and expressed great happiness. They captured him,

gave him a bath and made all the preparations for the sacrifice. Suddenly they

spotted the place on his hand where the finger had been accidentally cut off.

They decided to release him as he was imperfect, and the king returned to his

kingdom. He mused, "What the minister has said was true. Indeed, it was for my

own good that my finger was cut off." He went to the prison cell, told the

minister that what he had said was true and released him. The minister replied,

"Yes, the prison was also good for me. If I had followed you into the forest,

they would have sacrificed me instead." The king now believed that everything

that happened was due to the Divine command. He said, "Pleasure and pain are

good for me. Whatever God chooses for me is good for me." Everyone should have

full knowledge of this truth. This is

Sadhana.

Sadhana is not only Japa, rituals and Bhajans etc.. The essence of all rituals

is to obey God's commands. In God's treasury there are many gems and valuables.

What is God's nature? It is to give more than we can understand; but if you ask

your request may not be fulfilled. "O mind, without asking did Rama not fulfill

Sabari's wish? Without asking did He not send the bird, Jatayu to heaven? O

mind, why ask?" God gives more than you could ever ask when you follow His

commands; worship Him wholeheartedly and with full surrender. That is true

Sadhana.

Once Rama, Lakshmana and Sita were walking towards Chitrakoot. Rama was tired so

He asked Lakshmana to build a hut for the evening's sojourn. Lakshmana asked Him

where he should build the hut. Lakshmana was very pained and said, "What sin

have I committed that You should ask me to choose the place? I have no desire

other than to follow Your command. All is Your Will." Rama bugged Lakshmana and

said, "It is easy to get a wife or a mother, but to get a brother like you is

not possible." Divine Love has no limits.

The world is ephemeral and full of misery, but there is Eternal Divinity within

it. Today, love, worship and other acts are merely a show; true spirituality is

not being practiced. If you cannot follow the command of God, your worship is of

no use. One should not have a dual mind; a man with a dual mind is half blind.

Do not have feelings of mine and Thine as in a business partnership; between

God and the devotee there should be only a Divine relationship; always give

without expectation of return. Maintaining the spiritual heart in purity is

spiritual practice. The dualistic attitude is one of no wisdom. What is wisdom?

Non- dualism, recognizing the One without a second, is wisdom.

Freedom! Nowadays you are enjoying freedom by doing as you like. You are having

numerous unfulfilled desires and as a result, you are not able to know your own

Atmic nature. Therefore, you are not receiving God's grace. The word for freedom

is "Swaicha.Swa" means Atma or "of the spirit" and "icha" means will (God's

Will). So "swaicha" is not the freedom of the body, mind or intellect, but

rather the freedom of the Atma. The body is like a water bubble and the mind is

like a mad monkey; by following them you would go the wrong way. We don't have

God's grace due to undisciplined freedom of body, mind and intellect. Once we

know this, we would be able to gain God's grace. So Sadhana is not only

spiritual practices like meditation, but comprises many other aspects as

well.

We should- know that pleasure and pain are not separate in that without pain,

pleasure has no value. Pleasure is an interval between two pains. All

experiences are like passing clouds. Sadhana comprises actions associated with

purification. Another important aspect of Sadhana is to maintain equanimity at

all times.

God is totally unselfish. God gifted the body to the devotee to do pure actions.

Man should practice selfless Love, as God is selfless, and not question to whom

this Love should be given. Man should have firm determination in this. As God

is the complete totality, to reach this God, man should surrender totally.

In Italy there was a certain man who made violins. He took an entire year to

make only one violin. When asked why he took so long, he replied that he was

not making it for the money. He said that since God is perfect, whatever one

does should also be perfect and that he desired God's Grace. A whole-hearted

devotee should offer full Love. "Om, Poornamadah Poornamidam Poornath, Poorna

madhacyathe." This means that, "God is full and infinite, the nature of the

devotee is fullness and infinity; all are full and infinite." Always have the

feeling of fullness.

Obedience to God's command leads to spiritual freedom.

In this Kali Yuga, though it is difficult to have good friends, have only good

friends. So long as you have wealth, all will say, "Hello," but when you lose

everything your friends will run away. The greatest friend is God alone who is

above, below, around and inside you. So long as there is water in a tank, there

are a thousand frogs around that tank but when the tank becomes empty, the frogs

will disappear. Worldly friendship is similar. The only true friend is God who

embodies true freedom; when we understand this we will achieve oar goal. For

this we need to surrender and for surrender we need steady faith in God.

Life is a challenge - meet it.Life is a game - play it.Life is a dream - realize

it.Life is love - enjoy it.

Do not discriminate in Love. Enjoy it! For example, when you visit the market to

purchase vegetables, if you start to enquire where they came from, etc., you may

have doubts and imagine that they came from dirty places or dirty water and then

you won't enjoy them. Why bother making too many inquiries, just enjoy them

(God's Love).

Once Ramakrishna took his disciple, Pramananda, to a river and held his head

under the water. When he pulled him out, he asked him, "What name of God did

you think of?" Pramananda replied, "I could not think of anything except how to

get out of the water" (gasping for air). Once you are drowned in Divine Love,

you will only think of God. That is real concentration. Time waste is life

waste, so love God more and more- every moment.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing, "Prema Mudita Manase Kaho, Rama, Rama, Ram."

CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brothers

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