SWAMI’S DISCOURSES AT SAI SRUTI KODAIKANAL - APRIL 1996 [Part -6]

[Guest guest]

Om Sri Sai Ram

SWAMI’S DISCOURSES AT SAI SRUTI KODAIKANAL DURING APRIL 1996 [Part -6]

16. ATTAIN IMMORTALITY THROUGH SACRIFICE AND DESIRELESNESS [April 21, 1996]

Embodiments of Divine Love,

On a tree the flowers come first and the fruits later. Only through reaping the

fruits of correct actions can one gain spiritual wisdom. O! Sons of sacred

Bharat (India), listen to these words.

There are three types of action: meritorious, mixed and sinful. A meritorious

action is one that is performed using one's body and strength to work in and

for society for the pleasure of God. The main purpose of the human body is to

perform righteous actions. Human life has not been given for sensual pleasure,

or for only securing shelter and food but also to search for and realize God.

Know thyself first and then thou will be able to know the Divine since every

human being is a reflection of the Divine. It is only when one carries the

feeling of the Divine within that all one's actions could be called

meritorious.

All of the senses, such as the mind and the intellect should be used for the

benefit of others, and when they are used in this manner, the resultant action

may be called a mixed action. One should realize that his happiness is

dependent on all the benefits that he derives from that society in which he

lives as an individual. All are born into a society, so all of one's capacities

should be used not only for one's own benefits but also for those of society.

These actions performed for both self and society are called mixed actions.

Thirdly, those actions which are continuously selfish are called sinful actions.

Today countries are filled with human problems, the most serious of them are

economical, followed by financial, due to the problems of unemployment and

poverty. Why is a country poor today even though there may be ample resources

of wealth such as minerals and forests. The poverty and problems are due to

man's inability to develop a deep interest in sharing with others. Man does not

understand the strength and capacities of society and he is also lazy. He does

not recognize and perform his duty to society nor is he concerned about its

future. When the temperament (mind) and desires of man are under control, then

the economy would progress. Today broad feelings are missing and the spirit of

inquiry into man's inner nature

has been lost. Everyone must recognize that these fundamental problems are the

underlying cause behind poverty and non unity in the world today.

In Bharat (India), there is plenty of wealth. How is it to be used wisely? None

can clearly understand the reasons behind, poverty. Once when a certain great

man investigated the problems of Bharat and other countries, he came to the

conclusion that the number of people who work are less, and the ones who spend

and consume are more. This is the reason why poverty is ruining this country.

Today most educated people are working for selfish and narrow interests and are

not performing their duty in a sacred way. Ideally all should have an equal

opportunity to

lead a happy life in society but this not apparent; the equality has declined.

There is nothil basically wrong with the economy today, but we make narrow use

of it. For example, when a pit has been dug in one spot, the mound beside the

pit becomes high. The two could be equalized by filling the pit with more mud.

In the present society there are three classes of people: the rich, the middle

class and the poor. A man can become rich and great only through the

co-operation and help of others, but he has forgotten this fact. Due to the

ingratitude of many such as him, the country has declined. Everyone should

express gratitude for all the help received from the society by sharing,

serving, and ridding oneself of selfishness. Like stagnant water, wealth is

amassed and hoarded by the wealthy. Just as blood must circulate in the body to

avoid a blood clot, money too should circulate or else the economy would come to

a standstill. Duty not properly discharged, and money not properly

channelled lead to poverty.

Everyone should try to develop satisfaction with the lot one has and also love

the work one has to do. But man is wasting his time today. One must understand

four things. Don't waste time, don't do useless activities, undertake actions

aimed at social welfare and like what you have to do. The cultivation of those

four would enhance the individual; however, today this broad- mindedness is

lacking. To further one's spiritual progress, one should have the equal

mindedness to look upon all work as God's work; otherwise one's actions will be

impure. If one feels that what one does is God's work, there will be no mistake;

so we should develop the strong faith that everything is God's work. Secondly,

there should be no scope for ego. If one thinks that he is great what is the

reason for this ego? On a world

map, one sees India as very small, Madras even smaller and Kodaikanal where

one's small house is, still smaller. So, realizing this why should man have so

much ego? If one is egoistic, he is foolish. If one thinks he is one with God,

then there is no scope for ego. In every atom God is there as the basis; the

macrocosm (the universe) is filled with God. In every tiny seed there is a

tree. Therefore, the smallest and the biggest are one and the same. God created

everything and every being. Whatever God has

created or does is for the good of mankind.

Once there was a man who believed that God had no understanding of mathematics

and engineering. During his walk in the hot sun he stopped to sit under the

cool shade of a banyan tree for relief. He noticed some tiny fruits on the top

of this tree. In the distance, he saw on the fence of a vegetable garden a vine

from which large pumpkins were hanging. He thought to himself that God cannot

clearly think how to place things. On a large tree there are small fruits,

whereas on a thin weak vine there are large heavy pumpkins. God certainly does

not have knowledge of mathematics and engineering. This man then fell asleep.

When he awoke he found that many fruits from the tree above had fallen and

landed near him. He then realized, "Oh, God is so great; if there had been big

fruits on this tree they may have

fallen on my head and broken it." He thanked God that he had not placed big

fruits on this big tree. The welfare of the society has been planned by God and

in God's creation nothing is bad. If we think something is bad the I mistake

lies in our thoughts and feelings and not in the object. Where there is purity

of heart there is spiritual wisdom. Today, unfortunately, due to the lack of

sacred thoughts everything is polluted including the water, food, air and

thoughts. If one's heart is sacred then there is no scope for pollution.

Human life is highly sacred. There is only one seat, one space, in our hearts,

though many want to occupy it. Today five people desire to sit in the Prime

Minister's chair. As we permit many others to occupy our hearts, rather than

God alone, the mind becomes polluted. All our problems occur because we do not

have Divine thoughts; we must do activities with Divine feelings.

All should work and not waste their time being lazy; God will not accept

laziness. You must understand the necessity of the welfare of society that you

are a part of. The welfare of society is the welfare of the world. Although you

exist now, many have been born before you and society has existed before your

birth. Everything must have a basis, a foundation and for the individual's

welfare it is the society. Take for instance a tumbler made of silver. Without

the silver there can not be a tumbler. Though pots come in many shapes the clay

is one and in jewellery gold is one. Have the faith that God is only One, though

His forms are many; the goal is to realize this. The primordial sound,

10pt">Om, or Brahman is the one Truth; this is the fundamental principle in the

culture of India. All of the zeroes in large numbers get their value only due

to the number in front of the zeroes. The world is a zero while God is the only

hero. Everything in worldly life is a passing cloud; God alone was there before

and after every event. Truth is the same in the past, present, and future;

Truth is God. Love only God; Love is infinite and indefinable; Love is God.

Today that Divine Love in man has changed into hatred and envy.

The basis for everything is the primordial sound Aum (Sabda Brahman). In front

of all of the zeros in a number if you place the number one, the number will

have value. The number "one" is the hero. The world is a zero. When the zero is

in front of the hero, it has no value. Similarly the things of the world are

like passing clouds. There is nothing in this world that is permanent. God was

there before these were created and God will be there after they disappear. He

is present during all of the three times (past, present and future). He is the

Truth and Truth is God.

Divine Love today is changing into hatred, and the pure Love is becoming tainted

with jealousy. Each individual may prefer different names and forms, and

colours, but the basic Love should not change. To illustrate this, I will tell

you a small story.

Once four children were playing when their mother called them to drink some

juice. Each child asked for juice of a different colour. One wanted red,

another green, the third yellow, and the last wanted white. The mother decided

to please all by giving a red, a green, a yellow and a white glass. Like the

same sweet juice in each tumbler, the fundamental Love in each being cannot be

changed. If this Love is poisoned, the result would be envy, anger, etc. Only

Love can transform the mind and the actions of man. Due to the defects in the

container (body) we see good and bad. Perform good acts in society, do not

misuse your physical resources (mind, senses energy etc.). If we surrender our

bodies to God we would do good actions. Nowadays the physical resources are

spoilt due to the progress in science and

technology and nature has been utterly exploited. The earth is a sphere and if

you keep on digging in one place, the balance is lost. Due to man's

intelligence, he is making these mistakes. In God's creation there was a

perfect balance, but now because of gross misuse of intelligence, the entire

globe has become imbalanced. Educational knowledge should lead to the

acquisition of useful skills, but instead man kills. Now that the balance has

been lost, man has developed external vision and has lost his inward vision

(insight). Unfortunately, today, all want to be equal to Biria and Tata

(wealthy people). If you have a grandson, you are called "Tata" (in Telugu). It

is through sacrifice that. You can become immortal; the removal of immorality is

the way to attain immortality. You cannot buy God with all your wealth and

authority; you can only win Him with Love and Truth. Take the example of King

Harischandra. For the sake of Truth he sacrificed the kingdom and sold his wife

and

himself. He was known as Sathya Harischandra because he never left Truth. This

is the reason his memory has remained permanently in history; in the modern age

we do not leave our names in history. Now we are only interested in earning

wealth. We have no place in history but we have hysteria. What is history?

History is "His Story" — God's story. King Harishcandra's story is history. All

should follow the example of King Harischandra by developing Prema (Divine

Love), Sathya (Truth) and Thyaaga (Sacrifice).

Today man's desires are limitless; everyone wants more and more. As a result the

country is facing great economic problems. Everyone wants to be rich; be rich in

sacrifice and Love. Who is the richest man? Swami says that the one who has much

sacrifice and contentment is the richest while the one with many desires is the

poorest. Put a ceiling on desires. Today the desires are piling up to the sky.

One Indian went to the U.S.A. and wanted to cross a road there. From morning

until evening he waited.

There were continuously cars going by. For every family there are four cars. In

the U.S.A. in many families, each person has a separate car. Why have four cars

in one family? If you piled up all the cars on top of one another, they would

reach the sky. To have good health one must walk for exercise, even though he

has many cars. We have air conditioning in the bedroom; why do we need to have

air conditioning in the bathroom as well? Man is mad with excess desires. Less

luggage makes man more comfortable and happy. Isn't it a waste of money if a

man buys vegetables for $ 2.00 and gets a person to carry them for $ 4.00? Do

your own work. If a man only eats and sits, he will spoil his health. Man

doesn't want to work with his hands but he

wants to fill his stomach. When sacred actions are done to please God, one's

conscience would not permit him to make mistakes. Today few have sacred

thoughts. There are good people but they are not known to all.

In a village once there was a very compassionate lady who distributed blankets

to the needy people in the cold winter season. One day a student who noticed

her was surprised that she was so humble always walking with her head bent

down. He asked her why she walked in that manner. She replied, "God has

provided everything to us including two hands. What a shame that I am giving

only a single blanket. No one should feel proud and egoistic." The boy then

realised how egoistic he was due to pride in his studies. Thereafter, he

decided to perform dedicated service to society. Today elders are not ", acting

as good examples for the younger generations. When their children have M.BA

degree, the parents send them to U.S.A. for higher studies, so that their

future in-laws will gift them more money as dowry in marriage. It is true that

money and study are necessary; go ahead but also earn virtues. The suicide rate

abroad is very high due to lack of mental peace. Peace of mind is only to be

found in the sacred country Bharat (India); peace is found only in God. Develop

virtues and then all types of prosperity will follow. We may have money today,

tomorrow it may vanish. Can you carry any property or wealth with you when you

leave this world? You should earn God's Grace now so that when you

leave the world which is zero, you will have God as your own. While experiencing

the world keep the awareness of the Divine within you. The Goddess of wealth is

not blind; she examines who is making proper use of money and she will also be

sad if anyone misuses wealth.

Once when a man prayed, both the Goddess of wealth and the Goddess of poverty

came before him. They asked him, "O rich man, which of us is more beautiful?"

The man was in a dilemma. He thought that if he told the Goddess of wealth that

she is more beautiful, the Goddess of poverty may make him poor. If he replied

that the Goddess of poverty is more beautiful, the Goddess of wealth would

leave him and he would become poor. So he answered, "To decide which of you is

more beautiful, you must each walk back and forth in front of me so I may look

at you both." As the Goddess of wealth Lakshmi walked towards him first, the

Goddess of poverty appeared to walk away. He commented "O, you are both so

beautiful as you walk. As wealth comes it is beautiful and as poverty goes, it

too is beautiful." The wealthy one

is the one with good character; money comes and goes. Where are all the kings

who once lived, where is their wealth? No one came into this world with wealth

and no one can take it with him when he leaves this world. You can only carry

your good and bad deeds from life to life, so earn good deeds only. "Good" is

God. The word good has two zeros; one is the worldly zero. Leave that zero

behind and only God will remain; that is, you will become God. Everything in

the world except Divinity comes and goes; the true wealth is to enjoy proximity

to God. The country will prosper when all enjoy Divine wealth. Why enjoy

donkey's milk when one spoon of cow's milk is more valuable. Divine wealth is

attained from the ocean of milk (Satchidananda).

Radha sang, "Krishna, sing and fill our hearts with joy. Talk to our hearts and

confer all joy. Take the essence of the Vedas, and convert it into the sound of

Brahman, to fill the flute with music." What is the meaning of the flute here?

The flute is one's body containing the nine holes. One's entire body should be

filled with melodious music which is the milk of the Vedas. What is meant by

milk? The milk refers to the four; Vedas! Just as we draw milk from the four

udders of a cow, the four Vedas supply spiritual nourishment to our minds and;

bodies. The essence of the Vedas is soham; the

inhalation and I exhalation of the breath, make the sound "soham" which means,

"I am God." When you enjoy more nearness with God you will gain all prosperity.

Radha prayed, "Krishna, I live for Your sake; I cannot live; without You. I long

to see Your smile and hear Your music. O Krishna, why can't you appear in my

dreams? Why have my I eyes been given? To see You only. Why have my ears been

given? To listen to You only. Why has my mouth been given? Only to chant Your

names and glories. Everything is only You." Radha's main ideal was Krishna

only.

Don't give up your duty as all work is God's work. If work is done with Divine

feelings it will be pleasing to God. Limit your desire for money; money is

necessary for living but the excess should be circulated if you have enough to

eat and drink. Why do you still want the whole Ganges when a container of water

is sufficient? It is more important to drink the wine of God, the Divine Bliss.

If we reduce our desires, the economic problems in the country would decline

and we would have more money. Divinity, wealth and longevity; we would be able

to enjoy life for one hundred years. It is the

negative qualities like jealousy, hatred, anger etc. that reduce one's life

span. So one who gives up the bad qualities, lives long and becomes immortal.

Less luggage, more comfort, makes travel a pleasure.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing "Bhava Bhaya Harana Vandita Charana."

17. SACRIFICE AND WISDOM ARE BOTH NEEDED TO REACH DIVINITY [April 22, 1996]

Embodiments of Divine Love,

In childhood one is engrossed in playing with friends. In mid-life one is busy

earning money. In old age one is sad for all the things he is missing. Thus

throughout life, one does not find the time to think of God. What is life? For

who's sake should we live? If every person inquires in this way most would be

unable to supply the appropriate answer. One may say that he lives for his own

self, but the very same person under different circumstances may say he lives

for his family. Each one is truly living for his own sake. When two people are

sleeping on the same cot, each dreams a different dream because each person is

living a separate life for himself. But supposing that when a person is taking

his meal he receives the news that his son has met with an accident; he will

immediately lose his appetite

and rush to the hospital. Therefore man does sacrifice for his own sake and his

family. The same individual rises to the occasion when there is a problem in

the village because he considers himself as part of the village community; he

is able to understand that he also lives for the welfare of society. Firstly,

he lives for himself; secondly he lives for his family; and thirdly he lives

for society. He understands individual welfare depends on the welfare of the

society.

Man is a limb of his family; the family is a limb of the society in which he

lives. The society is a limb of nature and nature is a limb of the Divine.

Prakriti is a limb of Paramatma. Man today has forgotten the Divinity inherent

in nature and therefore he is full of anxiety and is having unsacred thoughts;

as a result Bharat's (India's) wealth is on the decline. This word of Sai shows

the true path.

Where do thoughts come from? The world provides the basis for thoughts and the

world is the result of the Will of God. Since God embodies the Supreme Will,

all thoughts come from Divinity. When you develop this cosmic feeling you will

live in Bliss. Man considers himself separate from the world, but the world is

not separate from God. We use the term Divine Master when referring to God or

the Sadguru and we also use the terms headmaster, stationmaster and postmaster.

When we say Divine Master, we are inferring that the Divine is separate from the

Master in the same way that a post-office is separate from the postmaster. When

we say Divine Master there is a contradiction because in Truth, Divine is not

separate from the Master. The Divine is the Divine; therefore the use of the

word master is redundant

and foolish. Those who do not fully understand this aspect should listen, recapitulate and practice.

There are three steps one should follow to develop understanding and wisdom.

They are sravanam (listen), mananam (reflect), nidhidyasanam (practice). It is

not enough to merely listen; one should also reflect and practice what is

heard. For example, the prepared food should be taken from the kitchen to the

dining hall and then eaten; then only one is satisfied. In this example

sravanam is compared to cooking the food, mananam to taking it to the dining

hall, and nidhidyasanam to eating it. We must pass through these three steps to

obtain satisfaction from listening to the Discourses of noble souls and studying

the scriptures, etc. What is the use of studying and listening if we do not

reach anywhere and still remain dissatisfied and unfulfilled? What is the

reason for this dissatisfaction? It is because

we do not put into practice what we have heard and read that we take birth again

and again. What is life, youth, middle age and old age? They are all passing

clouds. Man does not understand his true value, his Divinity. All the yogic

practices such as meditation, Japa, Namasmarana, performed without purity are a

mere waste. Adi Shankara (a great sage)had said that human pride based on

knowledge, wealth and youth will ultimately vanish. Immortality is gained

though renunciation and sacrifice. What do we sacrifice in our lives? What do

we need to sacrifice? We are not able to sacrifice our habits like coffee, tea,

smoking and snuff which keep man very weak. When one cannot give up simple

habits like these, how can one sacrifice his ego to attain Divinity? Man has

become frustrated in his life due to holding onto feelings of "I and mine."

Developing in oneself the moral values leading to purification is essential for

the development of spirituality. To enhance human values one must

develop Divine thoughts and sacrifice the worldly thoughts. Man must travel

through the animal nature to the human nature and to the Divine; but most have

not progressed even an inch in this direction.

What is a mantra? The word mantra can be split into man-tra; "man" is "mind" and

"tra" means change. The function of a mantra is to transform one's mind. What we

repeatedly think; is mantra. Human life is for attaining Divinity but

unfortunately i human beings have not been able to realize Divinity though it

is latent within them. What is human nature? It is human life coupled with

Divinity. Sugarcane with its thick outer covering has sweet juice within; in

the same way the human body houses the Divine. God Himself descends to earth in

a human form to show mankind that the human being is Divine, but still we do not

understand this Divinity. What permanent happiness is there to be acquired in

this world? It cannot be found anywhere except in union with God. When we

cannot understand the world how can we

understand God? To understand God and the world we should consider the body,

mind, intellect and senses all as Divine. To live as a human being is a rare

gift so make the best use of this gift by living in close proximity to God.

When the Ganges is flowing nearby, the foolish man is dying of thirst.

Likewise, human beings living today are not able to understand that Divinity is

continuously pervading from top to bottom in our bodies. Why does one forget

about this Truth? Today man cannot distinguish Truth from untruth. Creation has

emerged from Truth and it will merge back into Truth; this unsullied Truth

pervades everywhere. Just as the water bubble has come from the water, the

human being has emerged from the Divine and will merge back into the Divine.

The water from which

the bubble has emerged is the Sath Chit Ananda (Being, Awareness, Bliss), that

is the nature of God. Do not follow the mind and the body which is like a water

bubble, follow only the basis, Sath Chit Ananda, this is Atmic Love.

Make an effort to know and recognize the nature of Atmic Love. Every undertaking

one takes in life should be for the sake of knowing Sath Chit Ananda, which is

the goal and purpose of life. Do not waste your life on meaningless thoughts

and activities. Life is highly valuable and sacred so it must be surrendered to

the Divine. Destroying the mind is the true diamond (diamond = die - mind) and

will reveal the Divine. One must inquire why one has been born and the manner

in which one should conduct one's life. Today, a human being having been born,

is only living for himself and his family but he must consider also the welfare

of the society in order to live a Divine life. One should recognize that the

cardinal principles in spiritual life are Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love and

Non Violence and that

one has been born to experience Divine Bliss.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing "Sathyam, Jnanam, Anantham, Brahma."

18. TRUTH IS THE FOUNDATION OF LIFE [April 23, 1996]

Embodiments of Divine Love,

In spite of his intelligence and high education, a foolish one may still have no

understanding of God and a mean man will not discard his mean ways. He uses his

education to argue and compete with others. The purpose of education is not

only to earn a living, but also to learn the ways to become immortal. Once Adi

Shankara and his disciples were going towards the Ganges River to take a bath.

On the shore Shankara saw a pundit (scholar in the sacred scriptures) reciting

the rules of grammar. Shankara listened to him and then asked, "By learning to

recite all of this, what benefit will be gained for the future?" The pundit

replied, “I’ll be a great scholar and also an expert in mathematics. Through my

learning I shall get a position in the court of kings and by having such a high

position I can spend my life happily."

"O man, Shankara replied, you will benefit from this learning only so long as

you are alive, but what will happen to this learning and to you after you die?

What will be your destiny? Sing the name of Govinda (Krishna). O foolish man,

the rules of grammar cannot save you when your end is near; no friend or

relative can come to your rescue." Swami sang (Bhaja Govindam). Sing the glory

of God; chant the name of Govinda, experience God and share this Bliss with

all; this is the goal of life.

In the epic Ramayana, Hanuman continuously thought of Rama; every hair on his

body reverberated the name of Rama. Hanuman visited Lanka and developed

friendship with Vibhishana. Knowing that Hanuman had been with Rama, Vibhishana

said to him, "How lucky you are. You are so fortunate to be serving Rama. Though

I have much wealth, I am without inner peace. Even though I chant the name of

Rama, I have not yet had the Darshan of Rama." Vibhishana felt sad still

waiting for an opportunity to serve Rama. This episode from the Ramayana

illustrates that it is insufficient to only sing the glories of Rama; one must

also serve Him.

Hanuman then spoke, "Sita has been staying here so many months in Lanka. Did you

try to save Sita by attempting to persuade Ravana to free her? You never

attempted to save her. You should help in Rama's mission." Vibhishana replied,

"I will show you Mother Sita if you show me Father Rama." Hanuman went to Asoka

gardens with Vibhishana where all the demons began to make fun of the monkey. On

Ravana's command Hanuman's tail was set on fire, thus he destroyed the houses

and various other places in Lanka when they caught fire. Finally Angada, the

son of Ravana, was sent to Lanka to settle the matter. He asked Hanuman, "Who

are you and where do you come from?." Hanuman replied. "I am the servant of

Lord Rama." As it was the principle not to kill the ambassador to their

country, they merely caught Hanuman and

brought him to Ravana. Hanuman, seated upon a low seat, continued to repeat the

Lord's name while coiling his long extended tail round and round into a big

pile. Hanuman, now seated on a higher level, faced Ravana and forced him to

look up. The ground below Ravana fell and this was considered to be a very bad

omen.

Ravana asked, "Who sent you; you are only a monkey and you are spoiling the

entire country of Lanka." Hanuman replied," That king who cut off your sister's

nose has sent me. Although you have excelled in 64 forms of knowledge, you have

no wisdom, peace or moral values. This is like a school without teachers."

There is nothing to equal a devotee. Ravana's end was fast approaching; he

could not act and think properly.

 

Once Rama told Lakshmana that if Ravana surrendered to him, he would even

persuade Bharata to make him the king of Ayodhya. Even if one practices a

little spirituality daily, it is enough. Hanuman was so great because he was

full of service, virtue, peace, and Love for Lord Rama. Because he had Rama's

grace, he was courageous in front of Ravana. Like Hanuman we should make every

effort to serve, as well as to sing the name of God.

Everyone is afraid of death. When one moves to a foreign country, all his

friends would wish him good-bye and any foreign country would welcome him. On

the other hand, when one goes to the other world, all would weep, and he would

receive no good byes. From a foreign country you would return in the same body,

but from the other world you are bound to return, but in what body, no one

knows. So, instead of taking birth after birth, one should try to redeem

oneself in this present life. When one is ill, one takes medicine but does not

continue the medicine when one is cured. Medicine is taken with the belief that

one will never be ill again. So, life is given in order to come out of the

cycles of birth and death. Learn what you are supposed to know, and reach the

destination.

Swami sang "Asathoma Sath Gamaya; Thamaso Ma, Joythir Gamaya; Mrithyor Ma,

Amritham Gamaya" (From Untruth, lead me to Truth; from Darkness, lead me to

Light; from Death lead me to Immortality).

Human beings believe that their life span is long, so without knowing the basic

Truth, they go on planning. But truly, God is the only one who plans, thus the

"Master plan" is known only to Him. Thus, discharge your duties and do service

with faith in God. How should you conduct your life? There is no use to do

penance that involves physical exertion or strain; penance means giving up

dullness and laziness. Man goes on spiritual pilgrimages such as to Rishikesh

to experience the Divine. To partake in a pilgrimage is an expression of

devotion. The presence of a sacred river such as the Ganges

flowing from the Himalayas, and the sacred places like Kasi, Prayag, Rishikesh

denote pilgrimage Centres. Unfortunately, devotion today, even on a pilgrimage,

is filled with worldly thoughts. There is no use to have negative thoughts.

Since man is having so much negativity, he is unable to experience the positive

Divinity in life. Man should have sacred ideals. The sacred texts, the Sasthras,

command you to practice Truth and obey the commands of God.

Once, Rama was commanded by his father to go into exile to the forest. Lakshmana

was very angry because Rama wasn't taking him along. Rama cautioned him, "Don't

give up your Dharma, your responsibility out of affection for Me. It is on

account of your attachment to Me that you are reacting like that. I am going

into exile for the sake of Dharma. Dharma protects the one who follows and

practices Dharma; there is no higher Dharma than Truth. The power of Dharma

rests on the foundation of Truth. I will follow the Dharmic path only." Thus

Rama argued that is it Truth and Dharma that are important in life. When you

build a house or construct something, because the foundation is there first as

a base, one is able to construct walls. Without the foundation the walls would

have no support. Although the walls

will be visible the -foundation is hidden from view. Likewise, Dharma represents

the walls and Truth is the foundation which is hidden. For the entire world

Dharma is the most important. Rama exemplified this by following the commands

of his father and sacrificing attachment.

Rama visited his mother and told her "I will obey the command of my father."

Everyone should obey one's father. Rama never blamed Kaikeyi for banishing Him

to the forest. Rama was supposed to be coroneted following the wish of King

Dasaratha. The wife should follow her husband, but Kaikeyi disobeyed her

husband by wishing for the banishment of Rama and for the enthronement of her

son. So Rama said, "I must go; I will follow my father's command." In the

Ikshavaku lineage, it was the tradition to follow the command of the parents;

no one should go against the parents. Kausalya agreed, "Yes, do follow the

command of your father, but follow mine also. Please take me along with you; if

you take me, this amounts to following your father's command. I have never had

happiness in my life. After you were born, I

expected much happiness. I cannot live without you." Rama replied, "Mother, it

is the duty of every woman to continue to serve only her husband." Sita was

listening to all this. She was not an ordinary person; she was the daughter of

the Earth. She said, “I will follow You to the forest." Rama replied, "It is

not possible for you to do this as there are wild animals there; I will find it

difficult to protect you."

Sita laughed and answered, "When You are the very lion itself beside me, why

should I be afraid? If You can't protect one lady, how can You protect the

entire world? No, I don't believe You. You have asked Your mother to serve Your

father; so why should You give a separate command to me? The wife is like a

shadow, so I will certainly follow You.

During those days people adhered to Dharma even if they had to go through

turmoil, troubles and loses. These days no son follows his father and no wife

follows the husband. The students today do not obey and respect their teachers.

The Ramayana sets ideals to show how a brother should treat a brother and how a

social order should function. The Ramayana demonstrates how the welfare of the

society is based on living in society with Divine feelings.

Divinity is latent in everything. It becomes patent through acts of service and

chanting the Lord's name so one should make proper use of these two. Just

because you have some education you cannot behave as you like. Through

education you must become an ideal person. Valmiki composed the Ramayana, using

Rama as the ideal man. He had full faith at the completion of the epic, that

Rama was God although in the beginning he thought that Rama was only an ideal

man. Tulasidas (a poet) declared that Rama was God. In the end, he said that He

was the noblest and highest human being. Narayana (omnipresent aspect of God)

Himself is not separate from the ideal man; He is the Supreme Soul

(Purushottama).

Thus Lord Rama behaved as a man but within Him was full Divinity. His body was

an instrument just like ours. We take ourselves to be the body, and so we do

not recognize Divinity.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing "Om, Sri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram"

CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brothers

/

 

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