SATHYA SAI SPEAKS - Volume III [Ch. 17, 18, 19, 20]

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

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

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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. 17, 18, 19, 20]

17. LAKSHYA POOJA

THOUGH there is no particular reason for this evening's gathering, Kompella

Subbaraaya Shastri tried to discover one and he concluded his speech with a

reference to the Varalakshmi Pooja that is generally done in Hindu homes today!

This search for 'causes' is another of the delusions that pester man; he is out

to seek the cause of every thing and in that confusion, he forgets to derive

the full benefit of the result which is before him.

Shastri quoted from the Soundharyalahari to explain the meaning of

Shiva-Shakthi, probably moved by the incidents of the last Guru Poornima Day.

Shiva-Shakthi is the conjunction of jada (insentient or inert) and chith

(awareness), the conjunction of the wire with the current, which activates all

the instruments---fan, stove, bulb and radio. Shiva-Shakthi is in all, not only

in Me; there is only the difference in power and capacity to manifest. The

firefly has some power of illumination; it also emits light. We have oil lamp,

the electric bulb, the petromax lamp, the Moon, the Sun--all emanate light;

that is the common quality.

Like that, both good and evil have the right to exist. The evil has to be used

for the purpose for which it is suited. The skin of the orange is not sweet;

but it helps to protect the sweetness within. The bitter green skin of the

unripe orange protects the fruits during the ripening period. The skin too

gradually takes on some of the sweetness and flavor of the ripening orange; so

too, evil has to be slowly transformed into good by the subtle influence of

association.

Purpose and rationale of Nature around us

The indriyas may be used for the purpose of increasing spiritual Ananda (bliss).

When fruit-juice is poured into a cup, the cup does not know its taste; if you

hold it in the palm, you do not get the taste. You have to drink it with the

straw, the senses; then Buddhi (intellect); then the tongue experiences the

sweetness. The fruit juice is Prakrithi (the Nature) around us. Taste its

sweetness, namely, the Divinity that is immanent in it; that is the purpose and

rationale. Prakrithi is just the Leela of the Lord, set before you so that you

may become aware of his Glory, His splendor.

If the mind obeys the dictates of Buddhi, then, the individual gains. If the

orders from Delhi are obeyed by every State, then the country gains in strength

and unity. But, if the mind becomes the slave of the senses, then woe be to the

individual. When the mind thus follows the outward-bound senses and forgets the

Reality, when the individual revels in the dream world of false fantasy, this

Shivathaayi (Divine mother) pats the child and wakes it. There is then no more

need to tell them anything else. When awake, the truth will stand revealed.

Your right is to realize Vishwaswaruupa (cosmic nature); so, don't play about

forever in the dehabhaava (thought of the body), the consciousness that you are

just this five-foot body; transcend the attachment to the family, the home, the

village, the community, the district, the state, the nation. You must acquire

not the independence denoted by the political fact of Swaraajya, but the

freedom of the spirit called Swaraajya (dominion over oneself).

All different conceptions of God are valid

The cry of equality now being used as a slogan is a vain and meaningless cry;

for, how can men, inheriting a multiplicity of impulses, skills, quail-ties,

tendencies, attitudes, and even diseases from their ancestors and from their

past be all of the same stamp? And in spite of all this advertisement for the

supposed equality, you find more misunderstandings and factions now than at any

previous period of history. Those who promote inequality are those who most

loudly proclaim this modem doctrine of equality.

Each person has a different conception of God and of goodness, according to his

upbringing and the state of purification of his impulses. All such conceptions

are valid; when water is let into the fields, you will find sheets of different

shapes---circular, rectangular, oval, square, according to the shape of the

fields. The fertility or the quantity of the crops harvested does not vary

according to the geometrical correctness of the shapes. How far, how fast you

have established attachment to the Lord, that is the test. The rest does not

matter.

Bhagavath Prema (steady Love of the Lord) is like a mosquito curtain; it will

keep out the disease-carrying Moha and Madha (delusion and pride), Kama and

Krodha (lust and anger), Lobha and Maathsarya (greed and jealousy). Develop

faith, so that you may love without doubt. The "illness" that ended on Guru

Poornima first shook the faith of many, but, later, confirmed the shaken faith.

That is not as good as keeping faith unshaken, whatever may happen. How can the

nose that falls down when you merely cough, be firm when you sneeze?

Shankara harmonised the various schools and sects I had to do My Dharma (divine

duty), and every act of Mine has its significance, which you cannot understand.

You are in the dark and so, you fear more. You cannot notice the heaps of earth

and the pits on the road. You cannot even know that the road is smooth and

fine. There is no fault or partiality in creation-be confirmed in that. Then

you will no more waver in your faith. If God's Creation itself was faulty, all

would have suffered equally! Now, each person has a different version to give,

if you ask him whether he is happy and why. The same person speaks differently

at different times about the acts of the Lord. So, the fault lies in you, the

excellence that you praise is in you. You see yourself in the outside world;

what you like or dislike is your own self!.

Wealth accrues by fair means as well as foul

Shankaracharya declared, "Brahma Sathyam; Jagath mithya"---Brahman alone is

Real; the world is false. But he did not therefore discard the world as beneath

notice. He continued the work of Kumarila Bhatta, harmonised the various schools

and sects of those days, established Mutts (Missions) for the propagation of the

Adwaitha (non-dual) doctrine in the four corners of India, Bhadrinath, Sringeri,

Puri and Dwaraka and then left. "Brahma Sathyam, Jagath mithya" is the essence

of the Shruthis (holy scriptures). That truth can be cognised by minds trained

through Dwaithic (dualistic) worship of the personal God, and

Visishtaadhwaithik emphasis of the Jeevi as the limb of the Absolute. One batch

of students after while should be passing out of a college while batch after

batch is joining the first

year class. So too more and more people must take up Bhakti-Karma (devotional

activity) and slowly ascend to the stage of full Jnaana (knowledge of the

Supreme); then only can humanity achieve the Goal. With this idea Shankara

established the Mutts.

A man lost in the jungle was asked to move on in a certain direction; then,

after some time, he saw a village; now, that village did not emerge for his

sake, just then. He saw what was already there, that is all. So also, Adwaitha

shows you the way to something that is already there, but which you did not

recognise so far---namely, your being the unlimited, illimitable Brahman. Well;

just a word about the Varalakshmi Vratham, which Subbaraaya Shastri mentioned.

Let Me tell you frankly, I do not like this Lakshmi Pooja, which people do,

expecting to grow rich and accumulate wealth. They even speak of Dhanalakshmi

and have special Sthothrams (sacred prayers) to propitiate Her. Lakshmi

(wealth) accrues by fair means as well as foul; money is earned by gambling, by

various forms of deceit, by highway robbery

itself, by high and low, by all and sundry. Worship Lakshya, I shall appreciate

you! Keep the lakshya (the Goal) of expanding your love till it embraces all

beings, till it sees every being as your own self---keep it ever steady before

your mind's eye; then, Lakshmi will, of her own accord, favour you to the

extent necessary for realising the Goal. Never doubt that. Never falter.

Prashanthi Nilayam, 2-8-1963

Life is a battlefield, a Dharmaksethra, where duties and desires are always in

conflict. Smother the fiery fumes of desire; of hatred and anger that rise up

in your hearts, it is sheer cowardice to yield to these enemies that turn you

into beasts. When obstacles come, meet them with courage. They harden you, make

you tough. - Sathya Sai Baba

18. THE LOVE OF THE GOPIS

KOMPELLA Subbaraaya Shastri spoke about the coming on earth of the incarnation

of Krishna and read extracts from the Bhagavatha describing the antecedents of

the birth. All of you enjoyed listening to him, though many of you are

listening to the story for the hundredth time; the story of the Lord does not

lose its sweetness when repeated, Jnaana, yoga and karma (knowledge of Supreme

Self, meditation and selfless action) are, each one of them, hard to go

through, but like chutney, which is salt, chilly and tamarind in the right

proportion ground to a paste, Bhakti which is jnaanam, yoga and karma in tile

correct proportion, is bound to be appetizing to all tongues.

The Grace of the Lord is a subject dear to every one. It is a subject that is

within the grasp of all. The Lord also can be addressed by any Name that tastes

sweet to your tongue or pictured in any form that appeals to your sense of

wonder and awe. You can sing of Him as Muruga, Ganapathi, Sharadha, Jesus,

Maithreyi, Shakthi, or you can call on Allah or the Formless, or the Master of

all Forms. It makes no difference at all. He is Sarvanama and Sarvaswaruupa

(all names and all forms). He is the beginning, the middle and the end; the

basis, the substance and the source. So, any story that brings into your

consciousness, His Glory, His Grace and His Beauty must perforce appeal to you.

Every thought sets up a function, agitating all around

Believe Me, all Vriththis (mental modes or functions) are Anithya (impermanent).

A vriththi is a circle, like the circle that emanates from the place where a

stone falls into the still water of a lake. The water gets agitated and the

circle affects the water up to the farthest end. Every thought acts like the

stone on the stillness of the mind; it Sets up a Vriththi. It agitates all

round. The Pravriththi maarga (path of attachment) multiplies these circular

waves and seeks to create further and Wider agitations. But, the Nivriththi

maarga (path of detachment) aims at Stilling the waters. No agitation at all.

Preserve the calmness, even the level. Keep the agitating thoughts away.

Concentration on the Name and Form of Krishna tends to calm the waves of

Vriththi. When E.M. Forster came to India, he was for some time with the

Thakore of Rajkot and when he found the Thakore-engaged in dhyaanam

(meditation) before the image of Raadha-Shyaam, he wondered at first what it

was all for! The Thakore had no wants to fulfil. What could he pray for? One

day, he asked the Thakore, "Why?" He replied that Krishna was for him the

embodiment of Prema, Soundharya and Anandam (Love, Beauty and Bliss), and so,

when he meditated on that Form he was filled with love, beauty and joy. The

senses, intellect and emotions, all get purified and clarified by dwelling on

the pure and the splendid. Forster was induced to try the first steps and

though he found it rather difficult at first, the thrill engendered by the

strange

calm egged him on to persist. He found dhyaanam, good and useful.

Krishna's pranks reveal His divine essence

Krishna was only a few weeks old, when a certain ascetic came into the house of

Nanda; Yasodha was having the baby in her lap. Of course this is an incident

not found in any book- I have Myself to tell you this. The maids ran in, for,

they were afraid the child might start weeping at the sight of the uncouth

individual. He walked in nevertheless, and Yasodha found that when he was sent

away, the baby raised a cry; not when he was approaching! The Muni also

announced himself as having come to see Krishna Paramaathma (Krishna, the

Supreme Self), a name that was new to the entire family. No wonder, the baby

cried when that distinguished visitor was asked to go! Devaki had been given

the vision of Krishna being the Lord Himself, but, this Muni had discovered the

arrival of the Avatar, by the Grace of the Almighty. It was Baba who. had

invited the Muni for His Darshan.

The replies that Krishna gave when the Gopis complained to His mother about His

mischievous pranks and thefts of milk, butter, etc., also reveal, by the inner

meaning they convey, the divine essence that He was.

"Why did you drink the milk from the pot she was carrying?"

"She was taking it to be offered to God, perhaps, God might have drunk it up."

"Where had you run away?"

"I was always with you, is it not?"

"Why do you hold that butter pot in your clasp?"

"So that others may not eat it!"

"Why do you put your hand into that butter pot?"

"I am looking for a lost calf."

These were the types of answers He taught them with. He was the Ancient One, in

the new garb. His words came from the beginning of Time.

Radha's Prema was pure without egoism

The Radha -thathwam (principle) is also a deep, inscrutable one. She was ever in

the contemplation of the Lord and His Glory. She too saw the child Krishna as

the Divine manifestation, separate from the human form. Yasodha one day was

searching for Krishna who had strayed away; she sought almost everywhere and at

last, she went to the house of Radha. Radha just closed her eyes and meditated

on Krishna for a while and when she called "Krishna," Krishna was there. Then,

Yasodha shed tears of joy. She said, "I love Krishna as a mother; I have a

sense of egoism in me that He is my son and that I must save Him from harm and

seek to give Him guidance and protection. Your prema is pure; it has no egoism

prompting it."

The Gopis had that one-pointed Prema (love), unwavering, clear and pure. Persons

who have not regulated and controlled their Vriththis have unfortunately judged

the relationship between the gopees and Krishna as depicted in the Bhaagavatha.

This subject is beyond the comprehension of such people. Only Brahmachaarins

(celibates) of the most ardent and ascetic type like Shukha Maharishi who

described it to King Pareekshith and in recent years, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa,

can appreciate that relationship and pronounce upon its uniqueness. All the

rest are apt to see in it only the reflection of their own failings and their

own feelings. The language of samsara (worldly life) is the only language they

know; the regions of Thuriya---beyond the regions of wakefulness, dream and

deep sleep---to which those experiences

relate, are not within their reach. So, they drag the subject down to their own

level and claim that they have mastered their mystery.

Every Godward step makes you shed all attachment

As a matter of fact, the Inner Eye, the Inner Senses are needed to grasp the

meaning of this relationship. Oruganti has shown that it has eluded the grasp

of most interpreters, for it is closely allied to the Adhwaithik experience of

Nirvikalpa Samadhi (the superconcious state where there is no mind) itself. The

mind has to be the master, not the slave, of the senses, if the interpretation

has to be just. Thoughts, wishes, deeds and feelings---all have to be purified

of the desire for gain. Ahamkaara (egoism) itself must lose all its hold on the

interpreter, as it did on the Gopis. Prema towards the Lord such as the Gopis

had, should make a man strong, not weak. In fact, the Gopis were not weakened

by their Love; they were rendered tough. Ramakrishna too exhorted his

disciples, like Narendhranaath, to grow

strong, with the cultivation of Prema towards the Lord.

Every step taken towards the Lord makes you shed bit by bit all attachment to

the world. How then could the Gopis retain their physical awareness? Dhruva

went into the forest to get from the Lord the boon of sitting on the lap of his

father, a very ordinary wish of a plainly earthly type. But as he advanced in

thapas, that wish disappeared from his mind and his mind was elevated to great

spiritual heights. How can one who has tasted amrita (nectar) be eager to taste

water? Or, crave for tamarind fruits after tasting kharjur (dates) and having it

in his possession? Every craving will be sublimated into the higher realms of

pure consciousness, the moment one enters the spiritual field.

The gods came to the world as Gopis

And then who are these Gopis, according to the Bhagavatha itself?. They are the

Demi-gods who wanted to share in the glory of the Avatar and who came down to

the world as witnesses and sharers ill the Divine Leela (cosmic sport). They

came for a purpose; they are not ordinary village folk, who could be dismissed

as a crowd of voluptuous women. They saw in every gesture and gait, every word

and phrase of Krishna the Divine, not the human at all. They had no occasion or

chance to be agitated by a secular vriththi (thought wave); all vriththis were

awakened by Divine promptings and urges. Like the magnifying glass which

catches the rays of the Sun and directs them all to one spot, thus

concentrating the heat on one point and helping it to ignite, the hearts of the

Gopis collected all the vriththis and

concentrated them and caused the illumination and the flame. The flame burnt all

dross; the illumination revealed the Truth. All other interpretations are to be

laid at the door of either ignorance or scholasticism, the pompous pride of

mere book learning, which scorns the exercise of discipline.

Meaning of Krishna's theft of butter

Krishna is condemned as a thief who stole butter from the cowherd maidens; but

the butter represents the Bhakti of the heart that is got after the process of

churning. It is a question of a symbol being taken as literally true. He is

Chiththachor (the stealer of hearts). The thief steals at night, in the

darkness, without awakening the master; but, when this thief steals, the master

awakens; He wakes him and tells him that He has come. The victim is left

supremely happy and satisfied.

Every Gopi had the highest type of Bhakti in her heart. They saw only Krishna

wherever they turned; they wore on their foreheads blue Kumkum, in order to

remind themselves of Krishna. There were many husbands who protested against

the colour of the Kumkum, but they dared not wipe it off, lest harm should

befall them and the sacrilege recoil on them alone. [Here Baba who had filled

his hand with petals of Mallika (jasmine) flowers pulled apart by Him from

garlands given to Him, showered the petals from one palm to another and they

fell in a cascade of blue gems. Even the gems they preferred were of this type,

blue, like Krishna. He showed the astounded gathering the gems He was referring

to. Each gem had Krishna's form in it, beautifully clear.

]

Do not have pride in your attachment to God

There was a Gopi named Suguna. One day, when Krishna was with Sathyabhama, He

pretended to have severe stomach ache and in spite of all the remedies that she

tried she could not afford relief. Of course, it was all acting, superb acting

such as the paralytic stroke I had for a week previous to Guru Poornima

recently! Even Rukmini was not admitted into the house by her to inquire about

Krishna's health. But, Rukmini found Suguna pining outside the door in great

agony at the illness of the Lord. She gave her the articles and asked her to go

in. Krishna welcomed Suguna and made her sit at His Feet and ate the fruits she

had picked up from Sathyabhama’s own garden and suddenly, the ache had gone. It

was her agony at the Lord's condition, her simple sincere devotion that was so

effective.

There should be no artificiality in your attachment to the Lord, no affectation,

no pride, no egoism left, to soil the freshness of the flower you offer.

Sathyabhama protested when Krishna accepted the fruits, for, Krishna had

brushed them aside as tasteless when she had herself offered them as the

precious product of her assiduous gardening effort. They were tasteless, since

her pride had entered into them now. When the simple rustic Gopi picked them

from the ground and saturated them with her devotion, they became tasty and

attractive for the Lord, who cares for the bhaava (inner feeling), not the

baahya (outer show)!

The only Prema that will not allow pride and envy to interfere with its purity

is Prema towards God. I know that many of you, who know that I have been taking

only a cup of buttermilk daily for the last two months, are genuinely

grief-stricken, though I have been talking to you that no work of Mine has been

stopped or delayed as a result of what they call My "reduced intake of food;"

that is a sign of their Prema but really, I live on your Ananda, not on this

material food at all. I wish that you realised this and stopped worrying or

weeping.

Prashanthi Nilayam, Krishna Janamasthami, 12-8-1963

Remember always that it is easy to do what is pleasant; but it is difficult to

be engaged in what is beneficial. Not all that is pleasant is profitable.

Success comes to those who give up the path strewn with roses, and brave the

hammer-blows and sword-thrusts of the path fraught with danger. - Sathya Sai

Baba

19. VAMSI KUNJ

HERE was an occasion when Krishna la id His flute aside and declared that He

would not play on it again. It is a long story, not found in books; I alone

must tell you about it, for it is only the Person who has experienced it that

can describe it, A bride called Neeraja came to Gokulam as the daughter-in-law

of a Gopa family. Her husband and parents-in-law warned her against Krishna and

His pranks and threatened her, on pain of dire punishment, to keep away from Him

and to avoid Him by every possible means.

It was Govardhana Pooja (worship) day and all the Gopas and Gopikas had to go

beyond the village limits to circumambulate and worship the Govardhan Hill, a

festival they celebrated every year. Neeraja too went with the others and in

spite of the severest warning, she peeped into a crowd of enthusiastic Gopis

watching the dance of Radha with Krishna, in a flower bower near the Hill. She

was so captivated by the Divine Presence that she was no longer the same

person.

Another day, while on the Yamuna bank, she saw Krishna fashioning a Flute from a

reed taken out of vamsi kunj (bamboo bower) and she heard Him play! Oh, it was

overwhelmingly ecstatic! It was a call to transcend the material bonds to free

oneself from the trammels of earthly endeavors. Neeraja did not care for any

one now. She became God-mad. In fact, she was the first to hold the reins of

Akrura's chariot when he was taking Krishna to Matura away from Gokulam, and

try to push the vehicle back!

Krishna responds to the call of yearning

Well; she was driven out of her house by the mother-in-law for that. She was an

outcast. The whole village rose up against her; she spent her days in the vamsi

kunj, her whole mind fixed on the Lord whom she had installed there. Years

passed. Nanda, Yasodha and Radha left the world. She was now 52 years old. One

day, she prayed desperately to Krishna: I can no longer bear this forlorn life.

My eyes have gone dry, they have no more tears to keep this Love, green. My

heart too is fast turning a wasteland. Come, O Lord, come and save me, take me

unto yourself. Krishna heard the prayer.

He responded to her yearning and called her by name, so sweetly that the very

Voice filled her with new life. The vamsi kunj was flagrant with Divine glory.

Krishna came near and took Neeraja's palm In His Hand. "What do you desire?"

asked He. She asked, "What is the purpose of life?To merge In God.Well

let me merge in You...but, before that, before my Prema merges in yours, let me

hear you play on that flute for a short while." Krishna smiled and gave the

excuse that He had not brought His flute. But, seeing Neeraja's yearning, He

plucked a reed from the vamsi kunj and broke it right and in a trice converted

it into a flute. With Neeraja on his lap, Krishna played so melodiously on the

Flute that the entire Gokulam and even the whole world, was bathed in ecstatic

joy. When He stopped, Neeraja had attained final beatitude and

was no longer a limited individual Gopi separate from Him.

Krishna laid aside His flute and said, He will not play on it again. That is the

story of one Gopi; the story of every Gopi will be interesting, each in its own

way, for they were all so transmuted by the Bhakti they bore towards the Lord.

The Gopis were declared by Naradha in the Bhakti Sutras (aphorisms on devotion)

to be the greatest among the bhaktas (devotees).

Gokulaashtami day, 12-8-1963

In your daily affairs, do not create factions, or revel in hatred. See the good

in others and the faults in yourselves. Revere others as having God installed

in them; revere yourself also as the seat of God. Make your heart pure so He

can reside therein. - Sathya Sai Baba

20. SU-DHARSHANA

LAST evening, when you heard about the Krishnaavathaara (Incarnation as

Krishna), your hearts were filled with joy, which overflowed through the eyes,

as I could see. Your minds too were purified by that experience. The Avatar

had, come in order to guard the world and to strengthen dharma (righteousness)

as the means of guarding it. Books that contain the Lord's words and great men

who know them declare that the Lord assume Human Form in order to carry out

these purposes. The story of Kuchela tells how one has to meditate on Him to

worship Him and to honour Him. Kuchela knew what exactly had to be given to the

Lord; the Lord cares for the feeling that accompanies the gift, the attitude

with which the offering is made; He is not moved by the quantity or the cost.

Dhroupadhi offered a tiny piece of leaf sticking to the side of the vessel in

which she had cooked the meal and the Lord was so fully fed that He said. He was

freed from all hunger. Rukmini placed just, a Single Tulsi (basil) leaf on the

scale, but, since she had saturated it 'with her devotion, it weighed as much

as Krishna Himself. Kuchela took a little "beaten rice" and the Lord ate it

with relish and was highly pleased at the offering so full of Bhakti.

Have the goal of Saayujya always in View

A piece of paper that is white tough and clean, is not as valuable as another

piece of equal size, which though Soiled and dirty, has upon it the imprint of

the Reserve Bank making it a hundred rupee note. The imprint of Bhakti makes

the "beaten rice" precious. Give the Lord the fruit, Prema that grows on the

tree of life. Develop the illumination of Prema and the bats of grief, envy and

egoism will fly away into the darkness.

You must have the goal of Saayujya (merging in the Absolute) always in view; do

not give it up or forget it. Be like the river that flows slowly to the sea. A

person who has purchased a ticket to Calcutta from Madras, because that is the

place he wants to reach, Will not halt at any other place on the journey; lie

has the destination always in view. Of course, he may be interested in the

sights and scenes on the way; he might get down here and there for refreshments

but, he will not seek a home anywhere, in between Saalokyo, Saameepya, Saaruupya

(being in the same place, nearness to the master and likeness of the Form of

Master) may come in between; in fact, they do. But, you should not be satisfied

with those stages. They are intermediate stations, remember. You have to reach

each and travel beyond.

In this Kuchela episode, the wife of Kuchela plays a more important role than

Kuchela himself She has much more Bhakti; in fact, women are more devotional

than men. They can master their minds better. It was her maternal love that

prompted her to send Kuchela to the Lord so that her children might get a full

meal. She had faith in the Lord. Kuchela hesitated and argued that Krishna

might not recognise him or remember him or invite him in or accept his homage.

Fear of God should be absent in a genuine bhakta

Kuchela is described in the Bhagavatha as constantly engaged in the meditation

on God. But, then, how can his doubt be explained? She urged him to give up all

doubt and proceed at least as far as the gate of the Palace of Krishna. She was

certain that Krishna would call him in, if he took at least that little

trouble. Of course, fire warms all, but one has to go near it, is it not?

Staying away, you cannot complain that the fire is not warming you. Kuchela was

so nervous that he could be persuaded to go only up to tile gate.

Once it was decided that Kuchela would go, she took from the place where she had

hidden it for a rainy day, a quantity of paddy, just a handful; she put it in

boiling water, took it out and dried it and, then, frying it over the fire, she

pounded it with a pestle to prepare the "beaten rice" that Kuchela said was

Krishna's favorite food, while at school. Thai was tied to a corner of the

cloth worn over the body and he moved on, his fear Increasing at every step.

Such fear should be absent in the genuine bhakta. He must approach the Lord as

of right and earn the Grace that is his clue.

Of course, the Lord showers his mercy on the Aartha (distressed person) and the

Arthaarthi (one who longs for wealth), as well as on the jijnaasu (seeker of

spiritual knowledge) and the jnaani (liberated person). The aartha is the

person who is ill and suffering; the arthaarthi is the poverty-stricken who

seeks prosperity and fortune. So, Krishna called him in, with overwhelming joy,

and reminded him of the happy days at school which they had spent together at

the Guru's Feet, and even while Kuchela was squirming to hide the commonplace

offering tied to the corner of his tattered cloth, Krishna sought out the stuff

and began eating it with great relish. Bhakti had made it very tasty to the

Lord.

The Lord can transform poverty to wealth

It is related that Rukmini Devi held His hand when He took the third handful and

the reason given usually by commentators is that she was afraid all the riches

of the Lord would go over to Kuchela if the Lord took in a few more handfuls!

What a silly idea! As if the riches of the Lord are exhaustible, as if He would

care if bhaktas carried all of it away, as if the Mother of the Universe is

stingy in Her Gifts. This can never be true! The real cause for Her holding the

hand of Krishna was- She claimed Her share of the offering of the devoted heart;

She wanted a portion for Herself; it was Her right to have a share.

Kuchela left Dwaraka rather disappointed because he was not given any donation

or promise of a donation. He was sad when he remembered his family and the

starving children. He was lost in grief and so, he passed his own house without

noticing that: it had undergone a great change and had become overnight a huge

big mansion. His wife, who saw him called him back and related how suddenly,

Krishna’s Grace had showered happiness, upon them.

Sweeten your speech, sanctify your deeds

Kuchela's Sadhana Started that day! Until then, he was just a ritualistic, going

through the outward forms of the rites prescribed in the Sasthras. When he

realised how the Lord can, through His Mahima (miracle power), transform

poverty to wealth, He decided to win the Grace of God for securing perpetual,

undiminished Joy, that is to say, win Saayujya. He got sudharshana, the vision

of what is Good for him, And, in the midst of the treasures that now filled his

residence, he lived that life of an ascetic, without any attachment. He knew

that it was all a dream, the riches now and the poverty then.

The emperor dreamt he was a beggar and wept when he was refused alms at one door

and was overjoyed when at another door, he got a stomachful. He woke up and he

was no longer poor; he was an Emperor. Even that is a dream, an illusion.

Brahman alone is Sath (real); Prakrithi is A-sath (unreal). Be in this awareness

always, that is the highest Sadhana. Seek Sudharshanam (vision of the Divine).

Make your speech madhuram (sweet), and your good deeds an arpanam (offering).

This is the three-fold path. Become a child, lose your conceit and pride. When

you are still in the region of the gunas, motivated by desire (whether for the

good or for the grand or the mean), you have yourself to seek the mother; when

you are free from the bonds of the gunas (the enticements of desire), the

Mother Herself will hasten towards you and fondle you in her lap. Purify your

vision, sweeten your speech, sanctify your deeds---that way lies liberation.

Prashanthi Nilayam, 2-9-1963

I do not accept from you flowers that fade, fruits that rot, coins that have no

value beyond the national boundary. Give Me the lotus that blooms in your

Maanasasarovara--the clear pellucid water of the lake---of Your inner

consciousness; give Me the fruits of holiness and steady discipline. I am above

all this worldly etiquette, which enjoins you to see elders with some fruit or

flower in your hand. My world is the world of the spirit; there values are

different. If you are happy with faith in God and fear of sin, that is enough

"service," enough kainkaryam for Me. It pleases Me so - 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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