SWAMI’S DISCOURSES AT SAI SRUTI KODAIKANAL - APRIL 1996 [Part -2]

[Guest guest]

Om Sri Sai Ram

SWAMI’S DISCOURSES AT SAI SRUTI KODAIKANAL DURING APRIL 1996 [Part -2]

4. PURUSHA AND PRAKRITI [April 9, 1996]

Embodiments of Divine Love,

We acquire all forms of wealth through our words alone. Through our words, we

develop friendships and relationships and receive knowledge. Bad also happens

because of our words. Our words should be sacred and in accordance with the

Vedas. The nature of spirituality can be known through reading the words of all

sacred texts. Man should make every effort to speak properly. Swami always says,

"You can't always oblige, but you can always speak obligingly." As creation is

the manifestation of the Creator, nature has all the attributes of God. Every

person has been born to reflect the Divinity in nature. What is Prakriti

(nature)? It is not merely the forms of material comforts, but it is also the

form of God's wealth.

Sthree stands for the feminine, though not only in the physical sense. The word

"Sthree" can be divided into three sounds; "Sth,r" and "ee.Sth" stands

for satwic, "r" stands for rajasic and "ee" stands for thamasic. Every person

or being that is born into the world is feminine, and has these three qualities

(satwic, rajasic and thamasic). Man should have the quality of satwa comprising

Divine, sacred feelings and piousness, so that he may merge in the Divine.

Thamasic does not stand for dullness, but for obedience, humility, morality and

integrity. Rajasic does not stand for emotion, anger, arrogance, or pomp, but

for forbearance, tolerance and charity.

Who is Manava the human? Man is the one with sacred feelings at the centre. The

human quality is one with perfect harmony of sacred thoughts, words and

actions. That is why it is said that the proper study of mankind is man. The

physical world of nature has purity and man can learn from the purity in

nature. Spirituality does not consist only of penance, rituals, meditation,

etc. These aspects are only practiced to make the heart pure and to enable one

to be away from the transient world. True spirituality is not only thinking of

God but also being away from all unsacred actions. Spirituality embodies the

eternal Truth.

Nature is the best teacher. Through the study of nature one can learn what is

transient and what is permanent. That which is sacred in nature is Divinity.

Whatever is not in the Divine cannot be experienced in nature. You say that you

are not seeing God or experiencing God. What foolishness! You are God. In nature

everything is the Divine form. Just as in ornaments you find that gold is one

and the same, similarly in nature everything is Divine.

Every human being has the three feminine attributes, satwic, rajasic and

thamasic. From the worldly, physical point of view, everyone is both masculine

and feminine. Birth and death, hunger and thirst are common to all. Pleasure

and pain are common to both. The principle of unity in both men and women is

one. Equality is Divinity. Man says that females are weak due to their feminine

qualities. It is wrong to say that women are weak, dependant, and are only for

working in the kitchen. Every human being is weak. The word for weak is

"abala.” There is only one male who is without weakness and He is God. The

feminine aspect of God is "Prakriti" or Nature and it consist of form made up

of matter. Divinity is energy. It is impossible to have Prakriti without

Divinity as both are interdependent. We should not, therefore, think

that anything is evil because everything is Divine and full of sanctity. We

cannot change the creation, we must change our outlook. Sadhana means making

one's vision sacred. The Bhagavad Geetha states that a woman has higher powers

than a man and a woman also has many titles. In ancient Bharat, women

represented the higher, nobler qualities. In the home, the woman has been given

the title Grilakshmi as the prestige of the family depended entirely upon the

standards set by the woman. The ancient Bharathiyas had said to watch the wife

because on her depends the reputation of the family. Women provide strength to

the family and the society.

Recognizing that Divinity is the basis of all things, everyone should reflect on

his indwelling Divinity and expand his mind. The heart should be full of sacred

Love, so that all things would be full of Love. "Hrudaya” is the word for

heart. The word when split into "hru" and "daya," means a heart with

compassion. Today, however, compassion is absent and the heart is full of

wicked thoughts, etc. Purify the heart by thinidng of God.

"Abala" with reference to women does not mean that they are weak. For example,

in ancient times the students were very much afraid of the school master, but

today the reverse is true. Today the teachers are very much afraid of the

students. When this teacher (of ancient times) returned from his school, he was

very much afraid of his wife. So how can men call women weak? Take the example

of a military leader. He has lots of soldiers (100,000+) at his command, but he

also is afraid of his wife. Thus all (both men and women) are weak. Weakness is

not based on or determined by the physical body alone. Both men and women are

children of immortality.

Who is the true man? God is the only male or Purusha, though not in the worldly

sense. The body is the Pura and the Divinity residing inside the human body as

Awareness is the Purusha. So man's reality is awareness. Based on that

Awareness, all are Purushas. So everywhere the Truth remains as equality or

unity only. All should express only the Divinity. One should do his duty while

discriminating between Purusha and Prakriti and realize that the bodies are

separate but Purusha is one. We wear slippers on our feet, not on our heads and

we wear glasses only on our eyes. We do not do the reverse. Similarly, we should

see that in nature, every object has a Divine base and a specific utility. The

one who follows proper procedures based on correct knowledge is a man. It is

yoga to perform one's duty. Yoga, which means unity and

combination, must be practiced to realize Divinity. Where there is purity, unity

will follow, and where there is unity. Divinity will be realized. Unity is the

very life breath of existence. Unity is the strength of Love. Take the example

of cloth. The threads are well woven, but if you separated each thread (by

removing it), there would be no strength.

The welfare of the country depends on the family. Man has three

responsibilities:— first, as an individual to himself; second, to his family;

and third, to his society. When the individual is good, the family will be

good, and when the family is good, the society will be good. When the society

is good, the world will be good. So the welfare of the world depends on the

individual.

What is the meaning of vyaktii we call the body or individual vyakti. Vyakti

denotes the hidden sacredness, the Divinity within, which must always be

expressed and only then can one be called a true individual. The behavior of an

individual should be proper, having good conduct as the main quality. From the

Divine perspective (Atma), the whole of humanity is one and the same with no

differences. There is only one caste, the caste of humanity. Father, mother,

caste and creed have as the basis the one Atma though we have different

cultures based on the regions or environments, visions or habits. We must

conduct ourselves according to our environment. For example, one would use a

woollen coat while visiting the cool hill-station region to keep warm whereas

in a region like Andhra Pradesh (in South India), one has to wear cotton

clothing to remain cool.

Everyone should recognize that the entire creation is full of Divinity. There

are many tube lights and light bulbs here in this room. Though their capacities

may be different, the current in them is one and the same.

Religions are many, but the goal is one. Ornaments are many, but the gold from

which they are made is one.

Cows are many, but milk is one.Flowers are many, but worship is one.The paths to

God are many, but God is one.

We should always use discrimination and discipline in our lives to enable us to

lead an ideal life as we may go astray without them. Take for example the body

temperature which has discipline. The normal temperature is 98.4 F and if it

rises a little higher there would be fever and illness. The normal blood

pressure is 120/80 and an increase would lead to disease. One's whole life and

body is a limited company and should always be kept within limits. Be yogis,

aspirants, not rogis, disease-filled. Life should be one of sacrifice,

otherwise one would become diseased. For example, the food that one eats has to

be sacrificed or else a stomach ache would ensue. Also our breath which is

inhaled must be sacrificed or our lungs would become damaged. The blood, too,

has to be circulated; it should not remain in one place,

stagnant. This sacrifice that we experience in our daily lives in our bodies is

called "Yagna." When you sacrifice for another, you should take into account

the deservedness of the recipient.

Three disciplines must be practiced to be a noble soul: one's thoughts, words

and deeds must be controlled and in harmony. One must have constant control

over one's tongue by using proper words, talking less, and working more. By

remaining silent, one would have more energy and intelligence and memory would

improve. All saints have observed silence, and often did so in solitude. Today

in the midst of society, aspirants are seeing and hearing everything. What

should we see and hear?

See no evil; see what is good.Hear no evil; hear what is good.Talk no evil; talk

what is good.Do no evil; do what is good.This is the way to God.

If we entertain evil thoughts, we become evil. Always behave in society in a

proper way. Coal should be near the fire to become hot, and in close proximity

both would eventually become one. The coal would become totally transformed

into fire. You also should be not only near but also dear to God and then only

you would become identified with God. If you are only near you are like a frog

on a lotus who is not aware of the honey, while bees come from far away to suck

the honey.

In the culture of Bharat, we do Namaskar. Placing the two palms of the hands and

all the ten fingers together signifies that the five organs of cognition and the

five organs of action are animated by and offered to the one Divinity. This

signifies unity in diversity.

Nations are many but earth is one;Beings are many but the body is one;Stars are

many but the sky is one.

In former days water had no price, but if mixed with milk it became valuable

because milk had value. Likewise, never be in bad company because your goodness

may become diluted and removed due to the bad company. There is a saying, "Tell

me your company and I will tell you what you are." The way to discriminate

between good and bad company is to watch a person's conduct. Spiritual

aspirants should not have too much friendship and should have less association

in life. These are highly dangerous because he/she may be a friend today but an

enemy tomorrow. Just say, "Hello, how are you? And goodbye." Never have too much

relationship.

Many people have taken time and money to come here (Kodaikanal) from different

countries, but spend time in gossiping. In this way not only is (Divine) energy

lost but also there is loss of memory. All of this unnecessary talk takes one

away from nearness and dearness to God. You may be good but you do not know

whether the other person is good or bad. If you eat limited food you will be

healthy but if you eat excess you will be diseased. Likewise, have limited

talk; talk only to the extent necessary. Excessive talking is a bad quality.

Develop only Satsang, the company of people who live with God. Share Love with

at least ten people everyday. To say that "you and I are one" is wrong! It is

correct to say that "you and I are we," and "we and we are one." When we

discriminate clearly and follow the conscience we will become peaceful and

sacred. It is a waste of time to do meditation and Japa if one's mind is not

steady and wanders around.

God is your Father and Mother. He is in you, above you and around you. When He

is so close, why go to the forests to search for Him? Do you search for

yourself? God is the indweller in your heart. You are God, you are not

separate. You are given a name because of your body but you don't exist only

for the body. You have not been born only because of nature. Nature is God and

the embodiment of beauty. Service done to anyone is service to God. Whomsoever

you respect, that respect goes to God; if you criticize anyone it goes to God.

So help ever, hurt never. This attitude and action will give you Bliss. There

is no greater happiness than that derived through following these teachings.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing, "Hari Bhajana Bina Sukha Shanti Nahi..."

5. TRUE DEVOTION VERSUS ATTACHMENT TO THE WORLD [April 10, 1996]

Embodiments of Divine Love,

It is the Bhakti (devotion) that proves the eternal sacred Truth that Tat Twam

Asi (Thou art That), that the devotee and God are one. In this world the many

diseases and sorrows affecting man can be classified into:

1) adibothika - relating to the body;

2) adidaivika - as a result of elements like floods, lightening, earthquakes, etc.;

3) adyatmika - spiritual; relating to the mind.

Mental diseases are more prevalent in the world today and mental worries cause

much suffering. Man worries whether he could fulfill whatever he starts. Only

devotion to God gives relief from the three types of diseases and sorrows.

Today man has many kinds of attachments such as to family, property and business

which make him very weak. All weaknesses can be cured through Bhakti, which can

confer liberation. There are two forms of devotion: attachment and true

devotion.

What is attachment? Man is attached to the world mainly through three types of

bondage; namely: to one's wife, children and property. This world is permeated

with these three types of bondage which we readily take into our hearts and

consequently suffer. This is not devotion. Whatever we see, hear or talk may

make us feel happy, but that is only delusion and not devotion (Bhakti).

Devotion is directing all of your attention to God. All of the scenarios and

materials that you listen to must be dedicated to God. Having intense desire

for God is Bhakti. If the love that is caught up in the three bondages is

redirected toward God, it would be devotion. We are attached to this world but

how long can the wealth and material objects and forms satisfy us and to what

extent? Money comes and goes, ephemeral like passing clouds.

After life is over can wealth give you happiness?

One has attachment to one's wife though she was not born with you but came in

between, and will not leave with you, and will disappear after awhile. It is

only a relationship of false attachment, not Truth. The relationship with the

son is similar. The son is the form that results from the attachment between

husband and wife. The relationship with the son is also impermanent. The three

bondages to wife, son and wealth are ephemeral, but God was there prior to

one's birth, during one's lifetime, and will be there after one's death. God

who exists before, during and after life in the body is the Truth and the one

Goal. To live with this attitude is devotion. You are deluding yourself when

you attach to other things and persons and not to God. Everything should be

offered to God. Do your duty and please God. One's body has

been gifted in order to transform action into Dharma (righteous conduct) through

Love. Karma is action done by one's organs such as the hands and legs. Once one

combines karma with Love (the heart), the action becomes Divine and Dharmic.

For example, a car has an engine, seats; fuel, etc., but runs because of the

battery. Similarly, the body like a car has organs that operate because of the

mind (the ear listens, the mouth talks, etc.). Each organ has a specific

function: the eye only sees it does not speak; the ears only listen, etc.

According to Vedanta, the mind is the cause of the entire experience of the

world. At this moment you are sitting in this auditorium listening to the

discourse. If only your eyes and ears are here while the mind is elsewhere, you

will not benefit from the discourse. If you suddenly become mentally absent, you

would later on wonder what Swami has said. To join the purified mind with action

is Dharma. One's body has been gifted to perform dedicated action, so pursuing

the spiritual path means following Dharma. Man requires food

to provide strength for his body and clothes to protect it. From food (bukti)

one derives energy (Shakti), from attachment (rakti) comes detachment; through

devotion (Bhakti) one attains liberation (Mukti). In all of these words, bukti,

Shakti, rakti, Bhakti, Mukti, "ti" is common. In this word "Bhakti,bha"

stands for brilliance, infinity, and transcendence. As the first syllable in

Bhakti is "bha" and the last "ti," devotion (Bhakti) is the cause for all

powers. Devotion should be pure, steady and selfless and one's heart should

always be pure and sacred to reach Bhagawan who is effulgence, purity and

selflessness. No one should see evil or look for the faults in others.

Once there was a lady traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto by train carrying a bundle

of dirty clothes wrapped in a clean cloth. Someone sitting nearby asked her,

"Why do you put a clean cloth outside while all dirty clothes are inside?" She

replied, "I have no right to display dirty clothes to anyone. To show only

goodness and purity to others is the meaning of human life."

Even though there may be bad actions and thinking in people, a person with a

good mind will cover them up (transform them) through devotion. For example,

inside the human body are nerves, bones, blood, faecal matter, etc., which if

seen by man would cause him to faint. Even though the body is covered by a

pure, attractive skin, there is often a foul smell rather than fragrance around

it. The abdomen has long tubes of intestines, muscles, etc., which if seen by

man would cause him to become fear-stricken. God has hidden all of these

unpleasant aspects behind the outer beauty, so that one sees only outer beauty

and forgets what is inside. As was demonstrated by the lady from Japan who

bundled her dirty clothes in a nice cloth so as not

to show them to anyone, we should also sublimate the bad and concentrate on goodness.

The perfect example of this was demonstrated when the Devas and the demons were

churning the ocean and poison came out. Lord Shiva, the blue-throated God,

thought that if He allowed the poison to remain the earth would be destroyed,

so He drank it to protect the angels and the demons. This is a lesson from God

to teach man, "Oh mad man, keep the bad within yourself; do not trouble or harm

or hurt anyone; keep your actions and words in check."

Lord Shiva wears the moon on His forehead to signify His power to shed coolness

and comfort. Due to His compassion and sacrifice He also sends the sacred water

of the Ganges River to all. God keeps the bad within and shares the good with

all to teach that everything should be for the benefit of all.

After birth a baby cries for the benefit of the body, to aid blood circulation.

Thus the baby's cry is beneficial. Though life begins with a cry it should end

in Divine Bliss. The Bhagavad Geetha also begins with the misery in human life,

and ends in Divine Bliss. So life in this world comprises both the good and bad

aspects, but we should show only what is good not the bad. Today, man is

unfortunately showing and sharing the bad with everyone but not the good. We

are finding fault with others rather than searching for our own faults. The

good within everyone must be shared. Jesus too said that we should remove the

block in our own eyes. If we watch and remove our own defects through

self-inquiry, we can attain self-realization. In order to practice Bhakti

(devotion), we must know our own defects and direct all the good

and bad in us to God. Due to the intimate relationship with God even all the bad

will turn to good. For example no one will accept your torn 100 Rupee note, but

if you take it to the reserve bank; they will exchange it for a new one. God is

the Director of the reserve bank. Offer Him all the bad in you and He will turn

it into good. Speak to God saying, "God, I offer You my heart that You gifted

to me, please purify it." To offer everything to His Lotus Feet is surrender

and devotion. God gave you the Love that is within you; so offer this Love back

to Him.

There is no one today without some trace of evil. There must be evil in the

world for goodness to have value. There cannot be day without night or

air-conditioning without heat. This is explained in the Bhagavad Geetha in the

chapters on "Kshetra Vibhaga Yoga" Take the example of the orange covered with

a bitter rind with sweet juice inside. As one cannot eat the rind, it is

necessary to remove it to enjoy the sweet juice. God's creation is a

combination of good and bad and one must discriminate and keep only the good.

In Bhakti (devotion) offer everything good and bad to God only. We celebrate

birthdays to show that we are happy the child is growing up, but we do not

realize that his life span is also diminishing year by year. Thus at the

beginning of life there is happiness but later on there is misery. To offer

both to

God is Bhakti. Misery, too, is a gift of God. It is Bhakti (devotion) to see the

universal presence of the one God in both happiness and misery.

At present, students are taping the songs and discourses. If you remove the

cassette from the tape recorder you cannot hear the songs and discourses. Also

you must connect the plug or batteries in order to listen to the tape.

Similarly, one must connect to God through concentration in order to hear and

know Him as Divinity cannot be seen through the physical eye. Only through

Bhakti can one experience the direct vision of God. All of one's actions should

be offered only to God. In ancient times in their prayers devotees offered all

of their limbs to God. Today, the devotee takes flowers, touches his eyes, and

offers the flowers to God. But one is offering the flowers instead of the eyes,

thus saying one thing and doing another. The devotee touches his heart with a

flower and offers the flower to God, but he is not truly

offering his heart. As you think so should you act. The devotee should say to

God, "If I offer my heart to You, it should be filled with Divinity." In Telugu

there is a saying, "As is the action so is the reaction." People today say one

thing and do another, so God too reacts in the same manner. As God reflects,

your own evil returns to you.

In the food prayer, "Brahmarpanam Brahmahavir," we offer food to God and God

replies, "Oh mad student, you are offering food to God, but where do you think

God is? I am present inside you selflessly digesting and distributing the

essence of all four types of food to all parts of the body. I do not receive

the nourishment, you do." Though God is selfless and full of sacred Love,

today's selfish man is not able to understand this, but instead blames God.

Everyone is dependent on God because He resides within one as the consciousness

that enables one to see, work, and move, etc. All of the limbs by themselves are

inert; the consciousness alone makes the body function. Have strong faith that

God is latent within you and is the form of Love. It is enough if one has

devotion but today man is drowned in attachment to the world.

One can have faith only when he directs his mind to God with Love. So develop

faith in God and His Love to solve the problems and miseries of life.

There are four stages in life: student, householder, renunciant and retired.

Today as these are all mixed up, there is misery; a celibate acts like a

householder and a householder acts like a celibate. Whether one is a celibate

or a householder, he should do his duty; no other penance is required. Don't

give up your duty, but rather offer all actions to God. Bhakti is the easiest

path to liberation. Life is indeed full of miseries like old age, disease, and

death. Family members are not born with us; we acquire these relationships only

in the middle between birth and death. At birth we do not even come with clothes

and we also do not know where we are going at death. If we post a letter, it

must have a "to" and "from" address or it will go to the dead letter box.

Likewise, you should know where you are coming from and

going to. Know at least one address by inquiring into the "I" within yourself

and discover that you have come from the Atma (Spirit). It is natural for

beings to return to their origin.

For example, the clay pot will eventually go back to its origin as part of the

earth; it was a pot in the middle stage only. Your body too is like the

temporary, impermanent pot, but it has God within it, so pray and offer all to

God. That is Bhakti (devotion). Many miseries come in life but all are like

passing clouds. Instead of spending time doing rituals and penances, offer only

pure Love to God. Making her baby lie quietly in the crib, the mother resumes

her work. The moment the child cries she will leave everything and run to him

not taking time to consider the tune or rhythm of the cry. Likewise, God does

not consider the rhythm or tune of our cry or prayer, but sees only our heart.

That is the nature of the Love of the Divine Mother who expects only Divine

Love and responds to whole-hearted prayer. Offer your heart

full of Love; that is Supreme Devotion (Ananya Bhakti).

Swami ended His discourse by singing, "Chitta Chora Yashoda Ke Bal..."

Then He spoke again: In the song "Chitta Chora Yashoda Ke Bal," God is called a

thief. The butter and milk that Krishna stole were the soft and pure hearts of

the devotees, and the devotees want Krishna like a thief to steal their hearts.

Ordinarily if anyone is called a thief, he would become angry, but here God is

called a thief not of worldly things or pleasures but only of pure hearts. Make

your heart

pure so that He can steal it.

6. HAVE GOOD THOUGHTS, GOOD ACTIONS AND GOOD COMPANY TO REALIZE GOD [April 11, 1996]

Embodiments of Divine Love,

In the spiritual field, those aspiring for spiritual Bliss will have to observe

these four disciplines. Firstly, they must run away from bad company. Secondly,

they have to be free from bad thoughts. Thirdly, they have to perform good

actions. And fourthly, they need to come near to God through withdrawal of the

mind. Man is put to suffering because he is physically in bad company and

mentally suffers from bad thoughts. Any spiritual aspirant is in danger because

of bad company, so run away from them. What is bad company? It consists of those

individuals who harbour self-interest, ego, jealousy, and who generally lack

human qualities. All of these will take you away from the Divine. Due to bad

company we not only lose human qualities but even the good thoughts and

feelings can turn bad. A man in the company of thieves will

turn into a thief; a man of virtue loses his virtues in the company of those

with vice. The sacred heart becomes unsacred. Therefore, run from bad company

and never associate with unbelievers and those with bad negative thoughts.

Though God is the fundamental base of the entire universe, we forget this

fundamental nature of the Divine and follow the fleeting world. Life and time

are of great value; time is the form of God. Our life and thoughts run like a

whirlwind, like a river; our life span is melting like ice. Man ends his life

without fulfilling his responsibility and duty to know the purpose of life.

Without the body as the support, you cannot know the Supporter, the Indweller,

so protect the body in order to recognize the Divinity within. As the body is a

sacred instrument to know God the Indweller, one must understand the body, and

then inquire about the Indweller.

In the sacred text of the Mahabharata there was a certain character, Kama, who

was the embodiment of righteousness and charity. Due to association with the

wicked Kauravas, he too became one with them; that is, wicked. Though formerly

noble, highly educated, and powerful, such a mighty one lost his power due to

wrong company. It is difficult to distinguish between the pious and the wicked,

but based on their actions and words one can decide.

Meditation and Japa are not the only components of the spiritual path. True

spirituality lies in removing animal traits and attaining Divinity. Among all

beings man is the noblest. Food, sleep, fear, and procreation are common to

both man and animal. Man is endowed with the special ability to distinguish the

permanent from the impermanent, the good from the bad, and the right from the

wrong. Man has a higher mind (intellect) and wisdom without which there is no

difference between man and animal. A human being is one with a mind, and is

thus called, "manushi" Man's thoughts originate from the intellect and his

behavior is based on his thoughts. One on the wrong path will have wrong

thoughts and it is only due to wrong and negative thoughts and weaknesses that

one cannot recognize Divinity. So run away from nonbelievers and

those against God or you will suffer. A serpent has poison in its mouth, but a

wicked man is more poisonous. A serpent bites once, whereas a wicked man hurts

continuously. Never be with those who are against the spiritual path. Good

company, Satsang, consists of those who are on the good path. "Sat" means

"Being" which never changes, or is affected by what happens. Be in the company

of "Sat," that is, pious, noble people; have friendship with such people to

develop the spirituality within you and to diminish worldly thoughts.

Don't delay in doing good acts. Once when Kama was taking a head bath, he held

in his left hand the oil for his head in a gold cup. Kama never refused anyone

anything. A Brahmin arrived and informed Kama

10pt"> of his son's marriage. Immediately Kama gave the gold cup to this Brahmin

to use in the marriage ceremony, with his left hand. The Brahmin told him that

it was proper for him to offer a gift with only the right hand. To offer a gift

with the left hand is unrighteous according to the restrictions regarding

offerings of charity. Usually one's mind wavers in such a decision, but this

was not so in the large-heartedness of Kama. He thought, "The effects of the

mind are mysterious. If I transfer hands to offer the gold cup, I may lose this

good idea or thought in the

thought of deciding which hand to use. It is better that I give spontaneously

with my heart rather than thinking about which hand to use." Similarly, a

person may wish to give a ten rupee note to another. But by the time he goes

and fetches it from his box, he changes his mind and eventually gives away only

two rupees. This is only due to attachment. This is the difference between

charity (dhana) and wealth (dana). Always do good immediately, don't bother

whether it is day or night. At whatever time a person comes to you, you must be

good to them. This is called Satsang (the company of Truth). Vyasa expressed the

essence of the eighteen Puranas with, "Help ever, hurt never."

We consider helping another as "paraupakara." This word is divided into three

syllables; "para upa kara.Para" means spirit; "upa" means to go near to your

Self, the Atma. Spirit in one is the same in all; God is present in all beings;

with the Atmic feeling, you feel close to all. From the worldly point of view,

paraupakara means charity; but from a spiritual viewpoint, it means to be

nearest and dearest to God. The essence of the two conveys Bhakti. Devotion is

helping others; when we help others, there is no mind. Day in and day out think

only of the Atma. The Spirit or Atma in you should manifest and express

externally in a pleasing way to God, then the result is good action. But man

limits himself and thinks he is a lawyer, a businessman, etc., when in Truth he

is Atma. You should remain as a yogi. Combination or

merging with one another is yoga. However, in the sanctum sanctorum we act in

one way and in the dining hall another way. Life is momentary like a passing

cloud; it changes and passes like a day. We move from childhood (morning)

having four legs (crawling), to youth (afternoon) having two legs, to old age

(night) having three legs (must use a walking stick). Whatever you do, have the

Godly feeling.

Some may come very close to God, while others may not. Only the fortunate ones

can be close. One should make an attempt to be lucky. The Upanishads teach

this. "Upa" means "near,ni" means "below,shad" means sit down," so

Upanishad means to sit down near God.

We think that a poet is a scholar. No! God with knowledge of the past, present

and future is the true poet (the epics come from the poet, God). Truth, which

cannot be divided, is the true poetry. From Truth God has created everything;

from the pure, unsullied Truth came poetry. Satyam (Truth), Jnanam (Knowledge),

Anantham (Boundlessness) is Truth. God created Sabda-Brahma-Mayi, the sound from

which all sounds and vocabulary came. He is Sound, Light, Eternal Spirit,

Illusion, Prosperity. He created the word AUM. The Vedas originated from eight

letters (sounds) in the beginning. From the eight, five were derived. The five

sounds became three: A-U-M. In the word God, there are also three G-O-D. Aum is

God. We pronounce Aum from the throat, tongue and lips (the sound rises up

through these three), and the sound which comes

from these three gets unified into one sound Om, similar to saying God. Thus God

is the basis for everything; He is the Poet, (Kavi), for the Puranas and other

epics.

Inside the human body, the pura, is the Purusha who is all over and moves the

body from top to toe. If one asks where God is, the usual answer is that He

dwells in the heart. The Atma dwells in the spinal column between the ninth and

twelfth vertebrae. The effulgence in the sushumna nerve of the Divine energy

current is felt all over the body. The physical heart is only the switchboard,

and the current is in the spinal column. On a stormy dark night, clouds flash

lightening and give light. The sushumna nerve moves like lightening, creates

the pulse in the body and provides the electrical current to enable the body to

move. It makes a sound slowly, "Tuk,... Tuk,... Tuk." Since God is ancient He

alone can be called God.

"Anushatam" means the one that commands. If a person commits a theft, he is

imprisoned, but it is only his body; his mind can go elsewhere. The jailer

cannot tell him not to allow his mind to wander out of the prison. But God will

command your mind; God alone will lock your mind which is the basis of all

thoughts and withdraw it from the world. In Vedic parlance, this has a

significance-first control the mind; we do not have it under our control. The

entire world is under God's control. Never forget God. You should come close to

God. If you do not, it is your fate. This is the lesson we can learn from Kama's

folly.

Arjuna, on the other hand, had spent time in the company of Krishna. Kama was

far more knowledgable, but through associating with the bad company of the

Kauravas, he lost. Whereas Arjuna, though he had little knowledge, was in the

good company of Lord Krishna, so he won. Sat or Being is the nature of God.

Consider that when one has devotion and Godly feelings, all the worldly

thoughts will go; that is true life. Only through nearness to God can one

derive Bliss and true comfort. All the gold in the world cannot give that

happiness. Never lose this opportunity for nearness to God because it will lead

you to liberation. You should install this Golden chance inside your heart. When

one has mental peace, he can resist and face the challenge.

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

it.Life is Love, share it.Love is God; live in Love.

Through Love one can achieve anything, but without Love one is equal to a

beggar; so develop Love. How? As Love increases, the bodily attachment

decreases, as on a seesaw, as one goes up, the other goes down. You are in the

middle. When you go toward God, there is balance; life should always be in

balance; never lose that balance. If you misuse your intelligence, you will

lose your balance. Man can be highly intelligent, but he misuses this capacity.

If he uses it skillfully, then he will have the correct balance. But due to evil

thoughts and impure knowledge, the intellect instead of having skill, "kills."

At one time you say yes, at another time no; there is constant wavering. A man

without balance, with a wavering mind, is like a madman. Everything is a

passing cloud. Know this truth, do your duty and be with good

company. When you run away from bad company, you will be automatically with good

company and then you will experience Truth. You cannot experience God now

because you have good and bad in you.

When you purchase an orange, you understand that you cannot eat the rind even

though you paid five rupees. This is discrimination. The rind symbolizes the

bad qualities; throw them away and keep the sweet juice of the Atina. Oh

foolish mind, sing the name of God. No one can save you in the end except God.

Again and again we take birth and die and lie in mothers' wombs and never think

of God. Can this be the purpose of life? We should come once and redeem

ourselves. It is a sign of ignorance to see old things again and again. You

read today's newspaper only today, you do not again read the same newspaper

tomorrow; it has already become wastepaper. Atma is like a test paper. You will

be in eternal life if you progress and pass with a first class. That is the

purpose of life. You must aim high looking up to the stars and

never have a low aim like a criminal. By looking up one is filled with noble

thoughts; be optimistic in life, never pessimistic. The optimist is like the

one who goes up high in the airplane, the pessimist is the one who takes the

parachute down. Seeing the tumbler as half full is the optimist; seeing it as

half empty is the pessimist. One thief staying in jail met another thief. One

was looking up at the stars, while the other one was looking down into

darkness. The one looking up won't repeat mistakes, but the one looking down

will repeat.

Desire only Truth and God more and more. All other desires make you desire more

and more and more things. Never listen to but run away from those who speak

against God. This is the basis for spiritual life and by following them only

can one reach noble heights. Wherever you go remember God in your heart and

thus do your duty.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing, "Govinda Hare, Gopala Hare, Hey Gopi Gopa Bala".

CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brothers

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