SATHYA SAI SPEAKS - Volume III [Ch. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]

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Dear Sai brothers and sisters of the worldwide '' family,

In view of the ensuing glorious event of the 80th Birthday of the Divine Lord

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, we propose posting of all the Divine Messages

titled as ‘Sathya Sai Speaks’ for the benefit of our members and all the Sai

devotees the world over. We request you to pass on/forward/spread these Divine

messages to your Sai circle so that they also derive spiritual benefits and

bliss from them. These Divine Messages are not only for Sai devotees, they are

for the entire HUMANITY. Lord Krishna taught humanity the ways and means of

salvation for mankind in ‘Bhagavad Gita’ in Dwapara Yuga. ‘Sathya Sai speaks’

is the Bhagavad Gita of Kali Yuga. - With Sai love, Sai brothers -

’’

***

Om Sri Sai Ram

SATHYA SAI SPEAKS - Volume III [Ch. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]

6. GRIHA OR GUHA?

THE Deekshith spoke about the glory of the Lord and the other Pundits gave you

detailed accounts of the experiences of ideal men who struggled to arrive at

the Truth. Every one must be interested in knowing about these, for, all should

have an ideal to strive for, a goal to be reached. Otherwise, life is reduced to

aimless wandering. For saplings to grow soil is essential; for ideals to get

implanted, knowledge of the struggles and successes of saints and sages is

essential. These experiences are not uniform; each Sadhaka has a different

story to tell, depending upon his equipment and enthusiasm. So, the vision and

the glory are different, though all are divine. The mansion of India's glory is

built of charming stones, each block being the hardy thapas of some sage or

other. No one sage can be neglected, for if his attainment is ignored, the wall

of the mansion would be so much the weaker.

Take the case of Agasthya, for example. I mention him because some one gave out

his name, while addressing you. He is called "pot born," but, remember, he and

Vashishtha were both children of Mithra-Varuna and were both born from the same

pot! He put an end to the evil deeds of the ferocious giants, Ilvala and

Vaathaapi, by just three words, "Vaathaapi jeerno bhava." He made the high-

peaked Vindhya bow his head and become low; that is why he is known by the

name, Agasthya! That is to say, he taught humility to the proudest in the land.

The home must resound to the name of God

Agasthya is also reported to have drunk off the ocean all in one sip. That is to

say, he dried up the ocean of samsara, with its waves of grief and joy,

prosperity and adversity, success and failure. It is not any siddhi, this feat;

it is a parable explaining that though he was a grihastha (a married man) with a

son who recited the Vedas as soon as he saw light, he had conquered all

attachments of the world. Be attached only to the ideal---that is the sign of

the sage.

Kabeer was weaving a peethaambara (yellow silk garment) for the Lord, for his

Rama. He had to work the loom alone, by hand. He recited Rama Rama Rama and

went on weaving ceaselessly. The cloth had become twenty yards long, but,

Kabeer did not stop; his thapas continued unabated the peethaambara was

becoming longer. The Ananda of the craft, devotion to his Lord, was enough food

and drink for his sustenance. When he gave it to the temple priest for clothing

the idol of Rama, the peethaambara was just the length and breadth, not a

finger breadth more! Such men are the mainsprings of the joy that spiritual

persons fill themselves with in India.

The griha (home) must resound to the name of Govindha; otherwise, it is just a

guha (a cave), where wild animals dwell. The body needs a house but, the body

is itself a house; in that house too. the name of Govindha must be heard. Or

else, it is a ghata (a mud pot), not a man's body.

Offer God the fragrant leaf of Bhakti

An insidious disease is now rampant among most people, namely, unbelief. It sets

fire to the tiny shoots of faith and reduces life into cinders and ashes. You

have no criterion to judge; yet you pretend to judge. Doubt, anger, poison and

illness---all these have to be scotched before they grow. Repeat the

Raamanaama, whether you have faith or not; that will itself induce faith; that

will itself create the evidence on which faith can be built.

There was a fisherman once, who spread his net over a lake and sat watching, for

robbers might drag away his catch. He sat on a tree; and for getting clearer

vision all round, he plucked leaves and pulled off branches It was a bilva

tree! The day was Magha Krishna Chathurdhasi, Shivarathri day. Mahashivaratri

(Great Night of Emergence of Shiva's Radiant Form), in fact. And, right under

the tree, where bilva leaves fell, there was a Shivalinga! For want of food, he

starved the night and so, he got the merit of a vigil and of a fast! His wife

too ardently waited for him in his hut; just when she was about to eat her

supper a dog peeped in; she felt it was very hungry and so she followed it with

the plate of food and fed it, in a spirit of Puja. She too kept vigil. In the

morning, he

went to the temple and prayed that he may merge in God; his wife prayed that he

may be spared for her sake; but God had both of them merged in Him.

You attach importance to quantity; but, the Lord considers only quality. He does

not calculate how many measures of "sweet rice" you offered, but, how many sweet

words you uttered, how much sweetness you added in your thoughts. Offer Him the

fragrant leaf of Bhakti, the flowers of your emotions and impulses, freed from

the pests of lust, anger, etc.; give him fruits grown in the orchard of your

mind, sour or sweet, juicy or dry, bitter or sugary. Your homes must be

immersed in highest Shanthi Once you decide that the orchard in your mind is

His, all fruits will be sweet; that sharanaagathi (seeking refuge for

protection) will render all fruits acceptable to the Lord and so, they cannot

be bitter. And, for water, what can be purer and more precious than your tears,

shed, not in grief mind you, but, in

rapture at the chance to serve the Lord and to walk along the path that leads to Him!

All who aspire to be bhaktas must eschew raaga and dhwesha (attachment and

aversion). You need not be proud when you are able to sing better or if your

Puja room is better decorated. There must be a steady improvement in your

habits and attitudes; otherwise, Sadhana is a vain pastime.

This place as well as your homes when you return must be prashaantha---immersed

in the highest Shanthi (peace)---undisturbed by any streak of hatred or malice,

pride or envy. No Puja, thapas, no vratha can equal the efficacy of obedience,

obedience to aajna (the command), given for your liberation.

Prashanthi Nilayam, 8-2-1963

Individual reconstruction is much more important than the construction of

temples. Multiply virtues, not buildings; practice what you preach, that is the

real pilgrimage; cleanse your minds of envy and malice that is the real bath in

holy waters. Of what avail is the name of the Lord on the tongue, if the heart

within is impure? Injustice and discontent are spreading everywhere due to this

one fault in man: saying one thing and doing the opposite, the tongue and the

hand going in different directions. Man has to set himself right and correct

his food, his recreation, his method of spending his leisure as well as his

habits of thought. - Sathya Sai Baba

7. BEND BEFORE PREMA AND SATHYA

DO not grieve that the Lord is testing you and putting you to the ordeal of

undergoing them For, it is only when you are tested that you can assure

yourself of success or become aware of your limitations. You can then

concentrate on the subjects in which you are deficient and pay more intensive

attention, so that you can pass in them too, when you are tested again, You

should not study for the examination at the last moment; study well in advance

and be ready with the needed knowledge and the courage and confidence born out

of that knowledge and skill. What you have studied well in advance must be

rolled over and Over in the mind, just previous to the examination; that is all

that should be done, then. This is the pathway to victory.

Many grieve : "It is said that Darshan (getting the audience) is paapanaashanam

(destruction of sin); well, I have had Darshan not once but many times, but,

yet, my evil fate has not left me and I am suffering even more than formerly."

True, they have come and have had Darshan and they have sowed fresh seeds

secured from this place, seeds of Prema (Love), Shraddha (Faith), Bhakti

(Devotion), Satsang (Good company), Sarveshwarachintha (Godly thoughts),

Naamasmarana (Remembering God's Name), etc., and they have learnt the art of

intensive cultivation and soil-preparation. They have now sown the seeds in the

well-prepared fields of the cleansed hearts. Now, until the new harvest comes

in, they have to consume the grain already stored in previous harvests.

The troubles and anxieties are the crop collected in previous harvests- so do

not grieve, and lose heart.

* * * * * *

In this sacred land, people have forgotten the real source of sacredness, of

holy life, of living in peace with oneself and others. Now, the time has come

to remind them of it. With jewel in the neck, the wearer has been searching for

it everywhere else. A person has to hold the mirror to the face. The Vedic

clarion call will soon ring in ears of humanity. The Person has come to remind

man and to redirect him along the True path.

* * * * * *

If any one challenges you to show them one text where the principles of

Sanathana dharma (Eternal Religion) are succincity stated tell them about the

Bhagavad Geetha. It is the essence of the Vedas (Scriptures, of Eternal Truths)

and the Shaasthras and the Puranas. It is like a bottle of fruit-juice obtained

from a basket of fruit. It will not get dry or rot like the fruits, for the

juice has been well extracted and preserved. Its taste and excellence will

persist until the end of this Yuga (Age) and then it will merge in the Vedas.

* * * * * *

In the forest of samsara (worldly life), the body is a tree and the thoughts,

feelings and imaginations of man are the branches, twigs and leaves. Worry,

anxiety and fear are the monkeys that frisk among the branches. Grief in its

various forms represents the insect pests that destroy the blooms. The blossoms

are smiles; the owls and crows that infest it are anger, hatred, sloth and

spite!

* * * * * *

The Sun never rises or sets; it appears to rise and appears to set, on account

of the revolution of the earth! What happens when the Sun rises is that the

avyaktha (invisible) becomes vyaktha (visible) that is all. This series of

udhaya (rising) and asthamana (setting) of Sun exist only for those who feel it

and does not exist for those who deny it. The duality of appearance and

onappearance can be overcome by jnaana; so also, when the jnaana-bhaaskara (Sun

of Knowledge) is known, it is experienced as shining always with undiminished

lustre.

* * * * * *

Lingam means simply "the sign,the symbol"; it is just a mark, which indicates

merging (laya); that is to say, the passing away of the mind and all mental

agitations and all mental pictures, which means, this objective world.

Shivarathri is the day on which the Moon, the presiding deity of the mind, is

as near laya as possible and so, just a little extra effort that day leads to

full success: the Sadhaka can thereby achieve complete Manonaashana

(destruction of the mind). The realisation is that everything is subsumed in

the Lingam (the symbol of the Formless).

* * * * * *

God is a huge fire, and the sparks that fly out from it are the jeevis

(individual souls); the jeevis are infinitesimal fractions of the same

effulgence, having the same splendorous essence as their base; but, the wind of

vaasanas (impressions left on the mind by past actions) sweeps upon the sparks

and puts out the light and destroys the heat. But, the same wind cannot put out

the fire, it can only feed it further and cause its splendor to shine forth in

even greater measure, for, the Sankalpa (will) of the Lord can only add to His

Glory.

* * * * * *

Just as the dreams you see are shaped by the experiences, cravings and

disappointments of the waking stage, the experiences of the waking stage are

the results of your previous lives. While dreaming, you do not relate the

incidents and emotions to the waking stage, do you? You feel they are

un-related, unique, genuine experiences, is it not? So too, you do not realise

that your joy and grief, your actions, and reactions .in the waking stage are

all based on your past lives. But, they are so based.

* * * * * *

A great painter once came to a Prince and offered to do a fresco on the palace

wall; behind him came another, who declared that he would paint on the wall

opposite, whatever painting the first one drew, even if a curtain hid it from

view and even if he was not told the subject of the fresco! Both were

commissioned to the tasks they had accepted. The second man finished his work

at the very moment; the first one announced that he had completed the task! The

Prince arrived in the hall, where a thick curtain partitioned off the two

artists and their paintings. He saw the fresco and admired it very much. Then

he ordered that the curtain be removed, and lo, on the wall facing the fresco,

there was an exact duplicate of the picture that the first man had so

laboriously painted! Exact...because, what he had done was, polishing

the wall and making it a fine big mirror! Make your hearts too clean and pure

and smooth, so that the Glory of the Lord might be reflected therein, so that

the Lord might see His own Image thereon.

* * * * * *

The players do not derive as much joy as the onlookers; so develop the attitude

of the onlooker, the witness (the dhrashta). The batsmen, bowlers and fieldsmen

do not get a fraction of the pleasure that the 'fans' beyond the boundary,

derive. They note each fault and excellence in stroke and defence; they

appreciate the finer points of the game. So too, to get the maximum joy out of

this game of living, one should cultivate the attitude of the onlooker, even

when one has to get embroiled in the game.

* * * * * *

I will not bend before any one for anything. I am therefore un-afraid. I bend

for Prema; I bend before Truth that is all. Do not worry about worldly comforts

and ask Me about those things as if they are all-in-all. Do not waste your

precious lifetime in distracting doubts about the existence of the Lord in

human form, here and now. Cultivate Prema towards all; that is the greatest

service you can do to your self for, all others are but you yourself. You too

should bend, only before Prema and Sathya, not before hatred and cruelty and

falsehood.

Sparks from discourses during Shivarathri, March 1963

Man did not come here to sleep and eat; he has come to manifest, by disciplined

processes, the divine in him. That is why he is called vyakthi (individual), he

who makes vyaktha (clear) the Shakthi (power) that is in him---the Divine energy

that motivates him. For this purpose he has come endowed with this body and the

intelligence needed to control it and divert it to useful channels of activity.

You must achieve this by Dharma-nishttha and Karmanishttha-- steady pursuit of

morality and good deeds. - Sathya Sai Baba

8. DEVOTION OF THE GOPIS

THE meaning of the Krishna Avatar is beyond your understanding; why, all the

Avatars (Divine Incarnations) are inexplicable, in the language of this world,

in the vocabulary of common men. To attempt it is to encase the ocean in a canal

by its side. You can understand it only when you become lost to the world and

its attachments through the expansion of your sympathies and the purification

of your motives. The One God-head was experienced by the Gopis as immanent in

every being; they steadied their minds and installed Him therein. Veerabhadra

Shastri said just now that the Lord will not stay in the heart unless it is

maintained, fixed and unagitated. Of course, when you place a child in the

cradle, it must be firm and unmoving; but, once the child is

laid, the cradle can be swung, for it is only when it is swung to song that "I

am glad and you are glad." Remember, the Lord too is a child, personified sath

chith Ananda, devoid of gunas (qualities).

When Uddhava came to Gokula, Shastri said the cows were fat and full, the Gopis

were happy and joyful and the place was full of fragrance and music." But, the

facts were different. The place was forlorn and the men and women, disconsolate

and helpless; the cattle too were overcome with grief. Uddhava brought them all

a fresh lease of life. Krishna told him, "Their hearts are merged in Mine;

their minds think only of Me; they have forsaken even bodily needs and they

exist only because they hope to see Me again, some day." So how could the Gopis

be as happy and gay as Shastri described Uddhava himself was humbled at the

sight of their complete surrender and the pangs of separation which consumed

them. That is the very reason why He sent Uddhava to them.

The simple Gopis were wiser than yogis

Every act of Krishna had a meaning and a purpose and a sweet aptness. The Gopis

were convinced that Krishna was the Lord. Many yogis and ascetics, many Rajas

and Maharajas among whom Krishna moved had not realised that truth. The

unlearned simple cowherds and cowherdesses were wiser. When you too feel so,

affected by those pangs, you can understand the Gopis, not till then. For that

pain, the message of Krishna is the antidote. "Your grief is caused by your

limited artificial outlook; you take Me to be a limited bound entity and so you

feel :I am far away, I am absent, I am by your side, etc. You are hugging a

delusion, awake to the Truth and establish yourselves in

joy."

The One does not, of its own Free Will, desire to become many. It has no desire.

It has no likes and dislikes. It is immanent and transcendent. It is all this

and more. What then is the reason for this manifold appearance? The reason lies

in the mind of bhakta (devotee). You declare. "Baba appeared before me in this

Form; I saw Baba in this Form." But, what happens is you desire that vision. I

do not change into that Form. The Lord is sugar, sweetness. You may drop it

into tea or coffee or milk or water. Into whatever thing you put it, it will

make it sweet. That is My nature, sweetness; My signature. Once It has melted,

what remains is neither water nor sugar, but a third thing, sherbeth (syrup).

But, when your tongue is bitter through envy, hatred and pride, how can you

taste the sugar?

Seek God just as you seek food

The Lord cares for the motive, not the object offered. The tiny leaf from the

cooking vessel that Dhroupadhi gave Him satisfied His hunger and the hunger of

the Universe, along with His---for; she saturated it with her Bhakti. The

thulasi leaf placed by Rukmini in the scale was able to balance the weight of

Him who has all the 14 worlds in His belly, for; her intent added so much

weight to it. The handful of flattened rice that Kuchela took to Krishna was

worth less than a paisa but it was suffused so heavily with the devotion and

faith of his wife that it brought great good fortune. It is possible to fill in

an atom of deed, a world of Feeling and the Lord will value and appreciate that.

Krishna is the causeless conditioning, you cannot discover the causes for His

acts or deeds; it is sheer waste to search for them. If you go on searching for

causes and then trying to tread the path, you may not get the chance at all. You

have come as men in order to reach God, remember that. "Why do you go to

Madhura-Brindaavan, to Tirupati, to Puttaparthy?" people stop you on the way

and ask. Nobody asks you "Why do you take food?" In fact, one has to seek God

just as one seeks food. Both are necessary for happiness, man seeks happiness,

for his originally and truly free; he is immortal and so he seeks to overcome

death.

Everyone must rise to the level of the Gopis

Do not blame the Lord for your failure in Sadhana (spiritual practice); examine

yourself. You set the alarm clock at 6 a.m. and go to bed; if it rings only at

10 a.m. you infer that something is wrong with its nuts, bolts, springs,

wheels, etc. So too, when the expected results do not materialize, infer that

something is wrong in you yourself, your habits of food, drink, sleep or

conduct or behavior or attitude to others. Everyone, be he a Brahmin or Pundit

or Student or Artist, has to adhere to a strict code of discipline. Without

that, victory is beyond reach. You must become master of the senses and attain

the Mahaashthi (Supreme Energy) from this basic Maayashakthi (Deluding Power).

In short you too must rise to the level of the Gopis. The body is assigned to

you as a boat to cross

the ocean to samsara (worldly life) but you use it for storing things which give

worldly joy and do not launch it on the waters; misusing it like that, it comes

in the way of, all activity that is really conducive to happiness; use it in

the way of Dharma (righteousness) and success will be yours. Bheema asked

Dharmaraaja whether, if Dhuryodhana invited him for another game of dice after

the 12 years of forest and the one year of incognito were over, he would agree

and he replied, "I can never deviate from the path of Dharma." Since that was

his attitude, the continuous Grace of Krishna and the blessings of sages like

Maarkandeya and Vedhavyaasa helped the Paandavas. The Kauravas, on the other

hand, were debilitated by curse after curse from enraged sages and by one ill

omen after another.

Gopis are best examples of yearning for the Lord

Your Sadhana involves not reading or writing so much as actual experiencing.

Ravana was a postmaster in the four Vedas and the six Shaasthras (spiritual

sciences); his ten heads were full of them. But, of what avail? He had no

Shanthi (peace), nor could he give Shanthi to his kith and kin. What is the

profit if you simply repeat, "Delicious food, and delicious food" a thousand

times? You have to eat, digest and assimilate. You have no deposits on your

account in the Bank of Bhagawan’s Grace and yet you dare issue Cheques,

expecting His Grace when in distress! Have the deposits or, at least have some

property on hand (like service to others, Prema (love) towards all, Ahimsa

(non-violence), etc. so that you can mortgage it and get help. If you have

neither, why blame

the Bank?

Through your daily avocations and activities you can realise the Lord, believe

Me! The Gopis are the best examples of this, the best proofs. Remember ever the

Name of the Lord with agony of unfulfilled search and remember ever the

beauteous Form with the agony of being forced to be away---and, you too can see

Krishna in your midst. That yearning must be there: then, the result is certain.

The Lord wants sincerity, not imitation

Prahlada was immersed in that bhaava (thought); when he was thrown downhill,

trampled by the elephant and tortured by the minions of his father, he paid no

heed, for he heeded only his Lord; he needed only his Lord. The Gopis too when

they listened to the murali (flute) lost all attachment to the world and to the

senses and to the manifold objective phenomenal things; they yearned for the

sublimest spiritual merging with the Infinite that was always calling on the

finite, to realise its finiteness.

By the purification of impulses one gets into the higher stage, when the Mystery

of the Divine is grasped--the Saalokya (realm of spirituality) stage. Then, by

contemplation of the Divine, the Saameepya and the Saaruupya (proximity to the

Divinity and likeness of the Form of Divinity) stages are won. Many great

mystic poets attained this height. Jayadheva sang in that strain, but, if you

sing that song in the same way, Krishna will not appear. He wants sincerity not

imitation. The name uttered with sincere faith was the flower offering of the

Gopis; that was the bead of their rosary.

Prashanthi Nilayam, March 1963

9. A DRAMA WITHIN A DRAMA

THE two Pundits who spoke have given you substantial food, but, one feels full

only after drinking a glassful of water in the end; I shall provide the water

now. Of course, the water drawn from the Shaasthras is not just water, it is

nectar. The Pundit referred to some episodes in the Raamaayana, which cause

confusion and doubt. He asked why Dhasharatha chose an occasion when Bharatha

was absent, to raise the question of the coronation of Rama, why the Ahalya

incident was allowed to reveal the Divinity of Rama, when all along Rama is

depicted as only human, why Vali had to be killed by such a virtuous hero as

Rama from behind a tree, why Kaikeyi who loved Rama even more than she loved

Bharatha suddenly got so concerned about Bharatha. The fact is, doubt grows

wild in the absence of faith. Faith can be

established only when one grasps the inner significance of each incident and remark.

All must reach the goal some day or other

Dhasharatha did not invite the king of the Kekayas for consultation along with

the other leaders and princes who were called to give their opinion on the

choice of Rama as the heir-apparent, for, in that case, subsequent events in

furtherance of the Master Plan would have been rendered difficult. Why,

Dhasharatha did not command Rama to go into exile in so many words; he only

acknowledged to Kaikeyi that he had granted her two boons and that he was now

helpless to back out of that grant. It was Kaikeyi who communicated the news to

Rama. Silence was as good as approval and Rama had to accept silence as the

command from His father. Kaikeyi had to intervene, so that the purpose of the

Avatar might be fulfilled. The sense of righteousness in Rama was so strong

that when he heard of the dilemma in which Dhasharatha was

caught, He helped him to come out of it unharmed; he insisted he would go into

exile as his father had promised by implication.

The Aathmaaraama (Divinity) in every one prompts him to stick to truth and to

the moral code; you have only to listen and obey and get saved. Some hear even

its whisperings; some listen only when it protests loudly; some are deaf; some

are determined not to hear. But, all have to be guided by it, sooner or later.

Some may ascend a plane, others may travel by car or board a bus, some may

prefer a train journey, others may like to trudge along---but, all must reach

the goal, some day or other.

Sugreeva forgot his plighted word and indulged himself in the newly won revels

of the court; he ignored the fact that the jagath (mundane world) is based not

on dhana (wealth) but on dharma (virtue); so, Rama prodded the snake Anantha,

to raise its angry hood and hiss furiously. That is to say, he reminded

Lakshmana of the ingratitude of Sugreeva and made him furious. An ungrateful

king is as worthless as an ungrateful subject.

Line of Grace must be won by Sadhana alone

The Pundit spoke of the death of Vali, which gave Sugreeva the throne. But,

remember, it was not Vali alone that died. His ajnaana (Primal ignorance) also

died with him. He saw Rama with all His divine glory, as filling the entire

Universe, which is but a fraction of His personality. The anger of Rama at

Sugreeva's dilatoriness is a drama within a drama; for, Rama knew that Sugreeva

will set about the task of searching for Sita, as soon as He gives the

prompting. The avathaars all play a drama, within the drama of this universe.

You say that Rama 'wept' for Sita; but, how can an ant judge the depth of the

sea? Rama was the greatest hero in history; he killed the 14,000 raakshasas led

by Khara, Dhushaasana and Thrisiras, all by Himself! Every raakshasa beheld in

every neighboring

raakshasa a Rama; and, full of fury, he slew the Rama and was killed in turn by his neighbor.

The avatar behaves in a human way so that mankind can feel kinship, but, rises

to superhuman heights so that mankind can aspire to those heights. The nara

thathwa (real nature of man) can be transformed into the Narayana thathwa (real

nature of God), for both are basically the same. Only, you have to switch on to

the particular wavelength. Know it, adjust correctly and the all-pervading will

be grasped clearly with no distortion. You may read the Geetha many times; but

the Geetha ('line,' in Telugu) of grace must be won by Sadhana, The line of

fortune that the palmists say will bring success is the result of grace alone.

You may say that you are the master of the Geethashaasthra, that you have read

and digested

it, but when you belch, the taste and the flavor must be manifest! They are not

evident at all. Trifles are sought after; temporary benefits pursued; joy and

grief alternately tease and agitate. The sea of samsara (worldly life) has to

be crossed and all its Waves transcended, with the help of Raamanaama, If you

seek to know the highest and secure the award of the Lord, there can be no

place for doubt. The heart should be set on achieving the task of realising the

Lord within you, as the motivator. The Lord comes in human form to show this.

Prashanthi Nilayam, 10-2-I 963

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

perdition. - Sathya Sai Baba

10. TRUE NATURE OF RAAMA

DHARMA (virtue) is not a matter of time and space, to be modified and adjusted

to the needs and pressures of the moment. It means a number of fundamental

principles that should guide mankind, in its progress towards inner harmony and

outer peace. When man strays away from Dharma, he meets with greater harm than

even physical slavery. There is a dread now about invasion and bondage to the

enemy if you are not alert enough and united enough. But the loss of Dharma is

an even greater calamity, for what is life worth if man cannot live up to the

talents he is endowed with?

These principles are called Sanathana (Eternal), because their origins are not

dated, their author is not identifiable; they are the revelations made in the

clarified intellects of impartial sages. They are basic and eternal. They do

not represent temporary vagaries. India stood unshaken and undaunted against

the onslaught of attitudes that were bred in other lands to suit the needs of

limited societies, because she stuck to the Dharma that was laid down for all

time and all men. Indian rulers also respected the rigors of Dharma and took

the advice of the repositories of Dharma and the interpreters of Dharma, those

who were purified in the crucible of thapas. They recognised the Ruler of

Rulers, and

sought His guidance by prayer and penance. They knew that their Prabhu (Master)

was Sarvaantharyaamin (the Eternal Indweller or Onlooker). They were taught

that He was in full sympathy, not only with the king but even with the lowliest

of his subjects. Therefore, the rulers of this land were warned to care for the

happiness and cure the misery of every single individual in the State.

The Divine is an indivisible entity

Dharma is the code of conduct, which will promote the ideals of each stage of

man---learner, householder, earner, master, servant, Sadhaka, sanyaasi, etc.

When the code is distorted and man undermines his earthly career, forgetting

the high purpose for which he has come, the Lord incarnates and leads him along

the correct path. That is to say, He comes as Man, to restore the principles and

re-establish the practice of Dharma. This is what is referred to as

Dharmasamsthaapana in the Geetha. Among these Forms assumed by the Lord, there

is no higher or lower, though Pundits may argue who is better or greater among,

say, Rama or Krishna! That is but a type of intellectual gymnastics, which gives

the Pundits the keen joy of a pugilistic encounter!

Veerabhadhra Shastri has posed a similar problem now. Let me tell you at the

outset that the Divine is an indivisible entity, whatever Form it may assume,

here or elsewhere.

Rama never deviated from Dharma

Rama appeared as Maayaa-maanusha-ruupa (illusory human form); He stuck to Dharma

in daily practice, even from His infancy. He is the personification of Dharma.

There is no trace of adharma (vice) in him. His Divine Nature is revealed in

shaantha Guna (calm temperament) and karunaa rasa (feeling of love and

affection); meditate on Him and you are filled with Prema for all beings; dwell

on His story and you find all the agitations of your minds quietening in perfect

calm. When Thaataki, the female demon, had to be killed, He argued, hesitated

and desisted, until Sage Vishwamitra convinced Him that she had to be liberated

from a curse by His own arrow. That is a sign of His Karuna Rasa.

Rama never provoked another in order to create a convenient excuse to destroy

him; on the other hand, He gave the adversary every chance to be saved, He

carried the message of Dharma to the Vaanaraas and the Raakshasas, as well as

[o sages like Jaabaali. He accepted the homage of Vibheeshana without demur and

He announced that He was prepared to accept even Ravana, if only he repented his

iniquity. "Sathyam vadha" (speak the truth), says the Shruthi; Rama stuck to

truth, in spite of all temptations. "Dharmam chara" (Practice virtue), says the

Shruthi. He never deviated from the path. For example, He had, as you know, to

live 14 years in the forest, to fulfil His father's behest. So during that

period, He did not enter an inhabited town or village. He avoided Kishkindha

and

Lanka, even when the Coronations of Sugreeva and Vibheeshana took place.

Vibheeshana pleaded with Him very plaintively, saying that only a few days

remained out of the 14 years, but Rama sent Lakshmana instead. He did not waver

or overstep. That was the strictness with which He kept the vow.

Make Rama your Aathma Rama

Rama is Dharma Swaruupam (Embodiment of Virtue}; Krishna is Prema Swaruupam

(Embodiment of Love). Rama was ever aware of the obligations of Dharma When

Dhasharatha, running after His chariot in mortal anguish, cried out, "Stop,

stop" and called on Sumanthra to stop, Rama told him not to. He said, "If he

chides you, tell him you did not hear him." Sumanthra was in a fix. How could

He say something not true? But, Rama explained, "This order to stop the chariot

comes from a grief-stricken father, whereas the order to take Me to the forest

came from the King, whose minister you are. You should not hear the ravings of

a man who has lost his reason through sorrow; you must listen only to the

commands of the King." Even before the advent of the Avatar, the stage is set

to the minutest detail; Kaikeyi is ready with her two indefinite boons,

Dhasharatha is ready with the curse of the ascetic on his head, entailing upon

him a death due to anguish at the separation of his son, the Vaanaras are ready

to help the Divine Purpose. Sita is ready risen from the earth, to provide the

cause for the downfall of Evil. Just as a garland is made of flowers gathered

from many plants, flowers of many hues and fragrances, so too the Garland of

the Divine Story is made up of a variety of incidents, a boon, a blessing, a

curse to provide the wonderful plot of His Story.

There are some who say that Rama shows man how to suffer! Well, if a king

arranges a play in the palace and takes delight in enacting the role of a

beggar, and acts it very realistically, do you therefore declare that he is

suffering the miseries of beggary? Rama is Ananda (Bliss). Ananda is Rama. If

it is not sweet, how can it be sugar? If Rama is suffering, He cannot be Rama.

A ball of iron cannot burn the skin; but make it red-hot; it does. That is but

an assumed role. When the heat subsides it is as cool as ever. Rama Nama (name)

will save you, if you have at least the Pithru Bhakti and Maathru Bhakti

(devotion to father and to mother) that Rama had. If not, Rama Nama is merely a

movement of the lips. Meditate on the Rama swaruupa (Form of Rama) and the Rama

swabhaava

(the true nature of Rama), when you recite or write Rama Nama. That will give

exercise to the mind and it will be made healthy and strong, in the spiritual

sense. Make this Dharma Swaruupam your Aathmaa Rama, on this Janmadhina

(birthday) of Rama. That is My advice anti My blessing.

11. THE FIFTH VEDHA

GULLAPALLI Buuchiraamayya Shastri spoke about the Mahaabhaaratha so well and

with so much scholarship, as he has been specialising in its exposition for

years. Many as not so conducive to Bhakthi as the Bhaagavatha consider the

Mahaabhaaratha for instance, or as the Ramayana; but, if once you know the

taste, no one will give it up or consider it as of lower value. It is called

the Fifth Veda, not without reason. The Vedas reveal things that are beyond the

reach of the intellect. The truths declared by the Vedas are made practicable

and simple, interesting and instructive, by means of stories and homilies in

the Mahaabhaaratha. The Puurva Meemaamsa (analysis of Vedic statements

concerning rituals) deals with the Pravritthi maarga (path of worldly desire)

and the Utthara Meemaamsa

with the Nivriththi maarga (path of renunciation). Puurva Meemaamsa deals with

the kaarana (reason) and the Utthara Meemaamsa, with the kaaryam (duty), which

is jnaanam. In the Mahaabhaaratha, both the paths are fully explained. So, it

is called the Fifth Veda. It is the Vedhasaara (essence of Veda) itself. In

Telugu there is a proverb, "If it is a question of listening, listen to

Bhaaratham; if it is a question of eating, eat gaarlu." That is because the

Bhaaratham gives in sweet simple style all the inspiration that a man needs for

this world and for the next.

Where there is Dharma, victory is assured

The Veda Sadhana has four pillars on which it stands---Sathya, Dharma, Shanthi

and Prema. They have to be practiced, experienced and their combined result,

namely, Ananda has to be enjoyed. Krishna told the Paandavas that He did not

know anything about the fateful dice game, which started the succession of

calamities. "I was in Dwaraka at the time," He said. Dwaraka means the citadel

with the nine gates or dwaaras, the Body itself. Krishna is the witness of

everything; anything done without His approval or without being dedicated to

Him will be a failure.

The five Pandava brothers are the Five Praanas (vital energies), symbolised in

story, and with the help of the Lord, they won the battle against the forces of

evil. Where there is Dharma, victory is assured. The Mahaabhaaratha teaches that

truth. The Pandavas had many temptations placed before them to slide back into

A-dharma; but they held on to the difficult path of Dharma and won. The status

of manhood has been won after aeons of arduous struggle and to waste it in vain

pursuits forgetting the Dhivyathvam (Divinity), which has to be manifested, is

indeed pitiable.

God weighs only the feelings behind prayer

Droupadhi praying in distress from the Assembly Hall of the Kauravas is an

instance in point. The Mahaabhaaratha proves times out of number that the Lord

answers prayers that come out of faith and agony in yearning. There was a

cowherd called Maaladhaasa who was determined to see the Lord, as a Pundit

described him in the sacred texts he had heard expounded in the village temple.

So he prayed and prayed to the "black Lord riding on the white bird" all the

time his cows were pasturing in the fields. Eleven days passed; but, there was

no sign of the "black Lord riding the white bird," He had forgotten to take

food and drink during all those days and so, had become weak, too weak to walk

or talk. At last, the Lord melted at his entreaties and presented Himself

before him as an old Brahmin; but the Brahmin was not

riding a white bird, nor was he black, beautifully black, as the Pundit had

described. So, he asked the Brahmin to come the next day at seven in the

morning, so that he may bring the Pundit and verify whether He was the Lord

Himself. The Pundit laughed at the whole affair and refused to take part in it;

but Maaladhaasa was so importunate that he agreed.

The entire village turned out on the river bank the next day, long before seven

o'clock. The Brahmin was there, exactly as he had promised and Maaladhaasa

showed Him to all. But, they could not see him! They began to laugh at the

cowherd's antics and threatened him with a severe beating for bringing them

along as butts for his joke. Maaladhaasa could see the Brahmin clearly but no

one else could. At last, he got so enraged that he walked up to the old Brahmin

and gave him a whacking blow on the cheek, saying, "Why don't you show yourself

to all?" That blow changed the entire scene. Krishna appeared in resplendent

robes, smiling face, captivating form and the white bird. As the astounded

villagers were recovering from the amazement, the Vimaana (heavenly chariot),

floated down from

the sky and Krishna asked Maaladhaasa to sit inside it. Then, with the Lord by

his side Maaladhaasa rose up and soon was out of sight.

Mahaabharaatha is an inspiration for all time

The Lord always weighs only the feeling behind the prayer to satisfy and please;

the Saguna form visible to the eye and cognisable by the senses, but something

unapproachable by the senses (In-dhriya-atheetha), has to be offered. In this

way, karma itself becomes Upaasana, by the addition to saturation point, of

dedication. Rathi (attachment) is the seed; Bhaava (feeling) is the sapling;

Prema (love) is the tree; Sath-Chith-Ananda (Being, Awareness, Bliss)is the

fruit. The Vedas have Karma, Upaasana and Jnaana (action, devotion and

knowledge) sections. The Mahaabhaaratha teaches all three and so, for the

Vedhavriksha (Veda tree), the Bharatha can be said to be the fruit.

You have heard that the Lord comes down when Dharmaglaani (the decline of

Dharma) happens; well, Vedhaglaani (the decline of the Vedas) is equivalent to

the decline of Dharma, for Veda is the very root of Dharma. There are five

treasures, which the good always try to guard, and which you should endeavor to

foster---the Cow, the Brahmin, the Vedas, the Shaasthras, and Chastity. If these

are lost, then, life is lost; everything that adds value to life is lost.

You are your own foe and friend

Where there is Dharma, there Krishna is; so, think for yourself, each one of

you! How far have you deserved the Grace of the Lord? You draw Him near; you

keep Him far. You entangle yourself, bind yourself, and get caught in the trap.

No one is your foe except yourself. No one else is your friend; you are your

only friend. The Guru shows you the road; you have to trudge alone, without

fear or hesitation.

The Mahaabhaaratha clearly explains the bunds, which Sanathana Dharma has

constructed to direct the wild flocks of the senses and the emotions, into the

sea, without harming the banks. Brahmacharya (student celibate), Grihastha

(householder). Vaanaprastha (recluse in the forest), Sanyaasa (ascetic)---these

stages of life with the restrictions and regulations prescribed for each are

such bunds to guard the individual and society from the upsurge of the beast in

man. Even today, the Mahaabhaaratha can be of great help; it is an inspiration

for all lime, for all humanity. The battle between Dharmakshethra (the camp of

virtue-bound noble Paandavas) and Kurukshethra (the camp of the egoistic wicked

Kauravas) is ever on and however strong the Kurukshethra might appear to

be, even if it has the Yaadhavas on its side, so long as the Lord is the

charioteer, victory is certain for the champions of Dharma. Even now, when the

Chinese are pressing on the frontier, the best armour for the country is

Dharma, which will win the Grace of God. What is not possible for a people who

have won that?

Prashanthi Nilayam, 23-4-1963

If only men knew the path to permanent joy and peace, they will not wander

distracted among the bye-lanes of sensual pleasure. Just as the joy felt in

dreams disappears when you wake, the joy felt in the waking stages disappears

when you wake into the higher awareness, called jnaana. Use the moment while it

is available, for the best of uses, the awareness of the Divine in all. When you

die, you must die not like a tree or a beast or a worm, but, like a Man who has

realised that he is Madhava (God). That is the consummation of all the years

you spend in the human frame. - Sathya Sai Baba

TO BE CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brothers – ‘’

Source and Courtesy: http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume03/sss03

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