SATHYA SAI SPEAKS - Volume III [Ch. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16]

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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. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16]

12. SHANKARA'S ADWAITHA

THE Ari-shadvargas (the six enemies of Man) get a foothold in his mind, because

it is filled with the darkness of Ajnaana. They are nocturnal birds like bats

and owls that cannot tolerate light. Darkness will not flee if you throw stones

at it; nor will it disappear if you lay about it with a sword, or shoot it with

a gun. It will be destroyed only when a lamp is lit. Shankara taught this

simple truth to many who were ignorant of this simple fact. The people of this

country were lost in the pursuit of many goals, because their vision was

blurred by darkness. Shankara taught them that the Vedas, Upanishads and

Sasthras had but One in view, the One-without-a-second, Adwaitha.

Shankara, when quite a young boy, was one day offering Puja to Devi, the

household Deity, because his father was away and he had asked him to perform

worship in his absence. He placed milk before the image and prayed pathetically

that She should sip the milk, as he imagined She was wont to do, when his father

did the Puja. He wept so sincerely that Mother melted at his walling and drank

the entire quantity) Shankara had seen his father distribute the milk that was

offered to the Mother, a tiny spoonful, to every member of the family; but,

since the cup was emptied in one quaff by Her, nothing remained; the boy feared

that he would be blamed for drinking what was the share of the others. So, he

wailed again. Devi felt great pity at the plight of Shankara, who had taken the

Image to be alive, and who had compelled Her already to manifest

Herself from it. But, she did not pour milk out of Her palm, as I do; she

pressed Her Maternal Breasts and filled the cup. Shankara's Avedhana, his

anguished yearning, had succeeded in matting Devi respond!

Beginners only need image worship

Similarly, the other day, Shri Ramamurthy, who is sitting among you here,

shouted, "Swami" in sincere faith and agony. His wife was writhing in pain,

because her clothes had caught fire. She was too panic-stricken to call out My

Name. But, this cry was heard by Me. I hurried to the spot, which is, as you

say, 400 miles away; I crumpled the fire out, before it was too late. Shankara

worshipped images in childhood and he knew the value of Saguna Swaruupam (God

as endowed with qualities). He advised Saguna Araadhana (worship of Form) to

the large majority of people, even later in his life. Little children must be

taught with the help of slates and boards, on which illustrations are drawn.

Temples, images and pictures are the slates and boards for the children in

spiritual progress. But, if you play with a toy elephant, you cannot derive the

experience of contacting the real one. The Formless can be conceived only when

you have transcended Form.

Shankara's Adwaitha is the Ultimate Truth

When Shankara thought of renouncing the world (in order to get the authority to

educate it), he felt that his mother's consent had to be taken for the step.

So, while bathing in the Poorna River near his house, he cried out one day that

a crocodile had caught his leg. It was true, for the crocodile was, as in the

Gajendhramoksha story, only Samsara (worldly life) called by that name, Sensual

Desire, to put it in other words. When the mother came rushing to the bank of

the river, he told her that the crocodile would let him off, only if he took

Sanyaasa, became a monk! This was also true, for, renunciation, detachment,

giving up worldly ties, is the means of saving oneself from bondage. The

bewildered mother agreed and the boy left home to seek his Guru, and through

him the secret of liberation.

Shankara lived only for thirty-two years, but, during that time, he purified and

consolidated the various schools of worship and brought them under the over-all

care of one philosophical principle, Adwaitha (non-dualism).

The Mahaavaakyas (the great statements on Supreme Reality) of the Vedas once

again began ringing in the hearts of all, with their true meaning. Aham

Brahmaasmi; Thath-thwam-asi; Prajnaanam Brahma (I am Brahman, Thou art That;

consciousness is Brahman)--all were explained in simple, convincing logic, in

sweet captivating poetry. Shankara's Adwaitha is the ultimate Truth and so, it

is only confirmed, not shaken, by the discoveries of science or the flights of

intellect. It speaks of the unity of matter and energy; of time and space, of

the Universe being but Brahman Seen through the veil of Maya, which too is but

an activity of the Primordial.

Shankara knew that Adwaitha requires intense Sadhana (spiritual effort), which

will remove all trace of ego, all idea of duality, from the mind of man. So, as

a preparatory discipline to the dawn of the awareness of one's real unity with

the substance of the Universe, he taught the rules of yoga and Bhakti and

karma; these, according to him, will brighten the intellect, cleanse the

emotions and purify the heart. Adwaitha is the awareness of the Divine, in

everything, everywhere, in full measure. Shankara suggested Satsang (good

company) as the very first step in Sadhana; the company of the wise and the

good will develop into detachment and love of silence and solitude. That will

promote the disappearance of Moha (delusion), which according to

Arjuna, was the fruit of listening to the Geetha. When that happens, one is

established steadily in the Thath-thwam, the reality of this and that, the

identity of this with that. Well, the recognition of that identity is the

attainment of Mukthi (liberation).

Prashanthi Nilayam, Shankara Jayanthi, 28-4-1963

13. SHIVAM, NOT SHAVAM

GHANDIKOTA Subrahmanya Shastri read and offered what he called a Navarathna

Haaram---a Garland of Nine Poetic Gems; but though I do not accept garlands, I

certainly accept the devotion that gives fragrance to the garland. He said that

the Vedas are for the glorification of the Gods (Dhevaanaam sthuthyartham), that

in the Kali Yuga, one is asked to rely more on Naamasmarana (repeated

remembrance of God) for liberation. Why is it considered enough for the people

of this Age? For, other Sadhanas are fraught with difficulties. They need

rigorous discipline and much preliminary effort. Again, there is another

advantage in Naamasmarana: as soon as the Name is uttered, the owner of the

Name comes into view. When you think of the Form, the Name may not always

accompany; you may not be able to identify. There may

be more than one Name and you may be confused. But take the Name, and the Form

automatically appears before the mental eye.

In Bharat, the discipline, to remove that attachment to the senses and to curb

the mind from running after fleeting pleasures, is clearly laid down since

ages; and we have the experience of many saints, recorded in the sacred

literature of this land. All the activities of thought, word and deed are

sublimated to this higher purpose. Man is Shivam (auspicious), not shavam

(corpse); he has three eyes, which are derived from the Sun and the Moon, and

from Agni.

Where the Lord's Name is sung, there He sits

The Agni eye is the internal eye, which can be opened by the discipline of the

Yoga. The three eyed Shiva can see the past, the present and the future. A boy

of ten whom you have seen, you can recall his picture as he was when you saw

him; but you can't see him as he is now or as he will be ten years hence. But,

if you earn the Thrinethra (three eyes), capable of seeing the past, present

and future, you can see all three. You become master of time and space.

The Name is enough to give you all the results of every type of Sadhana

(spiritual effort). This is accepted by all the Sasthras and all the Sadhakas

(spiritual aspirants) who have left accounts of their struggle and success.

Moreover, the Name is capable of being recited and meditated upon by all,

equally. Of course, the Name is a limitation of the Universal; it identifies

the un-identifiable, through one of its aspects. Take the Upaadhi (disguise) as

a means of saving yourself; take it as a boat that will take you across the sea

of birth and death.

When you repeat the Name, all the sweetness of the Form and its associated glory

must come to memory and just as your mouth waters when you remember some sweet

dish you relish, your mind must "water" when you contemplate it. Choose the

Name that captivates your heart. Why run after riches when all the pleasure and

satisfaction that riches can offer and even a hundredfold, can be got by

dwelling on the Name? The Lord has said that where His Name is sung, "thathra

thish-tthaami," ("there I sit"). He establishes Himself there! He will not move

from the place. So, the tongue is enough to win Him, the tongue that speaks the

language of the pure mind.

The Lord is a Kalpa Vriksha (Wish-fulfilling Tree); you have to approach Him and

develop attachment to Him. You must win His Grace and be ever near Him keeping

back all the forces that draw you away from Him. Even if you commit some

technical faults in singing about Him or in worshipping Him, it does not

matter. Bhakti (intense devotion) makes every error excusable. Nectar, though

poured into a brass cup, will not lose its savor or taste. Poison, even if is

poured into a cup of gold set with gems, will not lose its death-dealing

property.

The Name persuades the Form to bend and bless

Bhakti will force the Lord to give you Himself as the gift. The Coronation

Ceremony of Sri Ramachandra and the celebrations were all over; the

presentation of gifts to all-important people was over. Then, Sita remembered

that Maruthi had been forgotten. There was no onein the hall except Rama. Sita

and Maruthi. Rama wondered what to give him: He suggested to Sita that the gem

set ring that Janaka gave him on the occasion of the marriage would be the best

gift, because as He said. "Your father gave this to me. on the day he gave you

to me; this Maruthi gave you to me. a second time. So. I shall give him this."

Maruthi did not seem quite happy when the ring was placed in his hand.

Evidently he did not appreciate the gift because it was not given in full sight

of all; when all were given, he was neglected! But Maruthi placed it near his

ear as if he sought to know what sound emanated from it: he bit it with his

teeth; tried to peer into its structure.

Rama asked him why, and Sita was also anxious to know. Maruthi said, "I am

finding out whether it has the Rama Nama which I want to the exclusion of

everything else." Then. Rama embraced him and said, "Maruthi! What other gift

can I give you? I shall give you Myself as the gift. Accept Me!" So, that is

why he was neglected, at the time every, one else was awarded gifts! That is

why wherever Maruthi is there Rama is bound to be-wherever Rama is, there

Maruthi is invariably present. The Name is so valuable for the Bhakta

(devotee). It persuades the Form to bend and bless.

The Name that pleases you is best for you

Just consider this- the form changes from age to age, from one appearance to

another. Rama and Krishna were different in form; even their deeds were

distinct. But still, people agree when you say that both are identical. Well;

tell them that Rama held aloft the Govardhanagiri, they will not accept it.

The Name has the association of all the special fragrance of the Leela (Divine

play) and the Mahima (Power) and the Upadesh (spiritual instruction). Each one

has a special attachment to one Name out of many, suited to the temperament and

the Samskaara, the inherited instincts and tendencies shaped in previous births.

Meera loved the Name Giridhaari (mountain-holder). To her, that Leela appealed

as the most significant, as the most symbolic of the' Lord's glory. The name

that pleases you, that arouses the sweetest and the purest 10ve, is best for

you. Raamayathi is Rama (the thing that pleases is Rama); Harathi is Hara (the

thing that destroys Maya, is Hara or Hari).

Keep the Name lit on the tongue

Surdas was overwhelmed with grief, when the lovely little body who held his

stick and led him along the road to Brindavan suddenly left him with the

announcement that his name was Krishna! He ran about with both hands extended

to catch Him and keep Him in his embrace, but Krishna had disappeared; then,

Suurdhaas shouted, "You may run away from my clasp; but I have you in my heart.

You can never run away from there." Prahlada was also like that; he had no other

thought; he saw nothing else; elephant, snake, poison, fire---all were for him

Narayana-thathwa (divine principle) itself. How then could they harm him? The

Nama is the Narasimha for the Hiranyaakshas of the mind; the Raajasik

(passionate) and Thaamasik (ignorant) forces, besieging your heart are bent on

your downfall. Just as they give Calcium and Vitamin tablets to

cure anemia, etc., take Naamam tablets to get rid of mental anemia and other

illnesses. There are some throat pastilles, which you have to carry to your

mouth and whose taste you have to slowly swallow, in order to relieve cough;

have the Naamam on your tongue and imbibe its taste slowly to get rid of the

troublesome upsurge of passions and emotions. Keep the Name lit on the tongue;

it will illumine your interior and also the exterior. It will cleanse your

mind, as well as minds of those who hear the Name when you recite it. Keeping

it on the tongue is like keeping a lamp lit on the doorstep at the entrance to

your house. Naamasmarana is the best Sadhana; it is the most beneficial

sath-pravarthana. That is the highest japam, the most profitable thapas.

Kuchela won the Grace of the Lord through the same means. Fill the Name with

your Love, whenever you repeat it; saturate it with devotion. That is the

easiest path for all of

you.

Prashanthi Nilayam, 29-4-1963

A mere Five-minute inquiry will convince you that you are not the body, or the

senses, the mind or the intelligence, the name or the form, but that you are

the Aathma Itself, the same Aathma that appears as all this variety. Once you

get a glimpse of this truth, hold on to it; do not allow it to slip. Make it

your permanent possession. - Sathya Sai Baba

14. SATHYAM, SHIVAM, SUNDARAM

TO EARN the Grace of God, you have to pray to the Personified Power with Name

and Form; it is your yearning that decides in what form the Lord appears. You

call and He answers. If you are not earnest, if you feel indifferent, and say,

"Let Him come when He wills, in the Form He likes and with the Name He

prefers," He will not come at all. Call on Him with anguish; He will respond.

In Rajasthan, there was a priest who worshipped the image of Balakrishna

installed in the temple, attached to the palace of Udhaipur. His name was

Dhevesha. His story may not be found anywhere but since he was intimately

connected with Me, I know him very well. Every night he used to "put

Baalakrishna to sleep," with appropriate ritual and close the door of the

shrine; but, before he came out, he would take from the head of the image, the

mallika (jasmine) garland he had placed there in the evening and wear it

himself, before proceeding home. Of course, on those days on which the

Mahaaraana visited the temple, the garland had to be given to him, for wear.

One day, however, the Mahaaraana came immediately after he had worn it inside

his tuft 'of hair; so, when the Ruler demanded the flower, he had to

get inside the shrine and, slyly removing it from his tuft, hand it

reverentially back to him. The Mahaarana was happy that he had not missed the

gift; but was shocked to find in it a strand of gray hair! Suspecting some

tricks he shouted angrily. "What! Has our Balakrishna grown old and grey?" The

priest, to save his skin, said "Yes, Yes." The Mahaaraana replied, "Well, I

shall not disturb now; but, early tomorrow, I shall come and see if His hair

has really gone grey."

Devesha had no food or sleep that night. He wept his eyes out in agony, for, he

had in his fear, imposed old age and grayness on the ever-youthful Lord.

Morning came and the Mahaaraana hurried to the temple to open the shrine. They

both looked in and, Io, the hair was grey. The King suspected that the hair was

false, planted by the priest. So he pulled and tugged at it, only to find drops

of blood at the roots. God had responded to the anguished cry, the call of the

agony. The Formless will assume any Form and undergo any transformation to

satisfy the yearning of the devoted aspirant. The over-riding purpose is to

make all karma-jeevis (action-oriented beings), Brahma-jeevis (God-filled

beings).

Man must crave for the vision of God, then only is he entitled to the status of

human-ness. Manawa (the human) must reach Madhava (the Divine). He must conquer

the mind. Man is the ruler of Manas (the mind), not its slave. Who takes the

role of educator from the beginning of your life? The Mother, is it not?

Prakrithi (Nature) is the Mother, the Feminine principle, the Maya (illusory

energy). She is the great teacher. If you do not learn the lessons well, Nature

punishes you, boxes you in the ear, hits you on the head. She is a stern

merciless instructress; but, if you learn well, she will lead you proudly to

the Presence of Purushoththama (the Supreme Person). Obey Prakrithi and be well

trained by her: then, you can inherit the Glory of Purushoththama.

If you disregard Her teaching, the Mother gets disgusted with you and the Father

too will disregard your entreaties. The commands of Prakrithi given for your

good are called, dharma. Have that dharma as the witness of all your thoughts,

words and deeds. Be guided every instant by the dictates of that Dharma, and

success will be yours.

Little children must be taught with the help of big letters scrawled on boards

and slates. Temples, images and Saligrams (crystal stones) are the slates and

boards, for children in spiritual progress, But, even if you play with a toy

elephant you cannot get the experience of contacting a live elephant, can you?

You can understand the Formless God-head only when you have rendered yourself

Formless! When you are in the world of gunas (qualities), you have to attach

yourself only to a Saguna Lord (God with attributes).

Even a thief does not like being called "thief" He gets either ashamed or angry

when he is called. Why? Truth is his real nature and his true nature revolts

against the appellation. The Aathma is always Shivam (auspicious and holy). So

it protests vehemently when the vehicle where it resides is called amangalam

(inauspicious), Shayam (dead). The Aathma is also Sundaram (beauty). A U M is

the Ahamkaaram {egoism) of Paramaathma; it has no vikaaraam (ugliness) in it.

So it is always Sundaram (beautiful, charming, lovely). That is why when it is

described as ugly, deformed, disgusting, etc., he lowers his head in shame, for

something revolting to his true nature is being imputed. Sathyam, Shivam,

Sundaram is yourself; you have not realised it because of delusion, ignorance

and false

inference. Get rid of these and merge in your real self.

Excerpts from Discourses during May 1963

Enter from now on into a discipline of Naamasmarana, the incessant remembrance

of God through the Name of the Lord. It does not need any special time or extra

allotment of time; it can be done always, in the waking stage, whether you are

bathing or eating, walking or sitting. All the hours now spend in gossip, in

watching sports or films, in hollow conversation, can best be used for silent

contemplation of the Name and Form, and splendor of the Lord. - Sathya Sai Baba

15. SHIVA SHAKTHI

(Baba was brought down the winding stairs into the Private Room on the ground

floor, because He insisted on giving Darshan to the thousands of devotees who

had come on that auspicious day. He had an attack of cerebral thrombosis (or

tubercular meningitis?) and was in bed for eight days from the morning of

Saturday, 29th June to the evening of 6th July. His left hand, leg and eye were

affected; His right hand had also slight palsy; the tongue was indistinct and

the face was twitching. He was placed on the Silver Chair in the Prayer Hall

and His hand and leg were adjusted in proper position. As soon as He was

seated, He communicated the following message which was interpreted and

announced).

THIS is not Swami’s illness; this is an illness, which Swami has taken on, in

order to save some one. Swami has no illness, nor will He get ill at any time.

You must all be happy; that alone will make Swami happy. If you grieve, Swami

will not be happy. Your joy is Swami’s food. Then, Baba signed to Kasturi to

speak, and after his short speech was over, Baba wanted the mike to be held

before Him. He asked through it, "Vinipisthundhaa?" (Do you hear Me?) But,

though He asked again and again, the voice was so indistinct that no one could

make out what it meant. He then signed for water and when it was brought, He

sprinkled a little with His shaking right hand on the stricken left hand and on

His left leg. He stroked His left hand with the right. Immediately, He used both

hands to stroke His left leg; that touch was enough to cure it. He

doffed the disease in a thrice! He started to speak! It was the same musical voice.).

God is the refuge for those who have no refuge Dhikkulenivaariki dhevude

gathi---"For those who have no refuge, God is the refuge." That is exactly the

reason why I had to take on the disease that one helpless Bhakta was to get. He

had to suffer this dire illness, as well as the four heart attacks that

accompanied it; and he would not have survived it. So, according to My Dharma

of Bhakta samrakshana (protection of devotees), I had to rescue him. Of course,

this is not the first time that I have taken on the illness of persons whom I

wanted to save. Even in the previous sareeram at Shirdi, I had this

responsibility The suffering that you saw was too much for this particular

devotee and so, I had to save him, by Myself going through it. This is My

Leela: My nature. It is part of the task for which I have come:

Sishyarakshana (protection Of disciples).

Persons who were near Me during the last week were asking Me to give them the

name of the person whom I had saved. I told them that it will make them angry

against that person, for Swami they would say, "had to undergo so much of pain

in order to save that one person." Then, they replied, that they would honour

the person, because of the extraordinary Bhakti that persuaded Swami to run to

his rescue, on Saturday morning.

Baba's Identity, Mission and Advent revealed

Some people even asked Me whether it was this person or that, giving names of

those who had attacks of paralysis, especially on the left side! This is even

more ludicrous, because when I save a person, I save him completely. I do not

wait until he gets the disease and I do not leave in him a fraction of the

disease, so that he may be identified later. It all looks so funny to Me, the

guesses and surmises that you make.

Even in Shirdi, Dhadha Saheb, Nandharaam, Balawanth, all were saved by these

means. Balawanth was destined to get plague, but, the bubo was taken over and

the boy saved. This is perhaps the longest period when I kept the devotees

wondering and worried. That was because of the heart attacks, which had to come

later on the Bhakta, from which also he had to be saved. Then, there is another

reason too, why the 8-day period had to be observed. Well, I shall tell you

why. That means I must tell you about Myself, about something I have not

disclosed so far, something which I was keeping within Myself, for the last 37

years. The time has come to announce it. This is a sacred day, and I shall tell

you.

You know I declared on the very day when I decided to disclose My Identity, My

Mission and My Advent, that I belonged to the Aapasthamba Sutra (Code of

conduct) and the Bharadhwaja Gothra (lineage). This Bharadhwaja was a great

sage, who studied the Vedas for full one hundred years; but, finding that the

Vedas were anantha (endless) he did thapas for prolonging life, and from Indra

he got two extensions of a century each. Even then, the Vedas could not be

completed, so, he asked Indra again for another hundred years. Indra showed him

3 huge mountain ranges and said, "What you have learned in 3 centuries form only

3 handfuls from out of the 3 ranges, which the Vedas are. So, give up the

attempt to exhaust the Vedas. Do a Yaga (ritual sacrifice), instead, which I

shall teach you: that

will give you the fruit of Vedic study, full and complete."

The Yaga performed by sage Bharadhwaja

Bharadhwaja decided on performing the Yaga; Indra taught him how to do it; all

preparations were completed. The sage wanted that Shakthi must preside and

bless the Yaga. So he went to Kailash but, the time was not opportune for

presenting his petition. Shiva and Shakthi were engaged in a competitive dance,

trying to find out who could dance longer. Eight days passed thus, before

Shakthi noticed Bharadhwaja standing in the cold. She just cast a smile at him

and danced along as before! The sage mistook the smile as a cynical refusal to

notice him; so he turned his back on Kailash and started to descend. To his

dismay, he found his left leg, hand and eye put out of action by a stroke.

Shiva saw him fall; He came up to him and consoled him; Bharadhwaja was told

that Shakthi had indeed blessed him and his Yaga. Then, Shiva revived him

and cured him, sprinkling water from the Kamandalu. Both Shiva and Shakthi

granted the Rishi (sage) boons: They would both attend the Yaga, they said.

All past assurances accomplished by one incident

After the Yaga was over, They were so pleased that They conferred even more

boons on the sage. Shiva said that They would take human form and be born in

the Bharadhwaja Gothra (lineage) thrice: Shiva alone as Shirdi Sai Baba, Shiva

and Shakthi together at Puttaparthy as Sathya Sai Baba and Shakthi alone as

Prema Sai, later. Then Shiva remembered the illness that had suddenly come upon

Bharadhwaja at Kailash on the eighth day of the waiting in the cold on the ice.

He gave another assurance. "As expiation for the neglect which Shakthi showed

you at Kailash for 8 days, this Shakthi will suffer the stroke for 8 days, when

We both take birth as Sathya Sai and, on the 8th day, I shall relieve her from

all signs of the disease by sprinkling water, just as I did at Kailash to cure

your illness."

It was the working out of this assurance that you witnessed today, just now.

This had to happen, this stroke and the cure. The assurance given in the

Threthaa Yuga had to be honored. I may tell you now that the poor forlorn

bhakta who had to get the stroke, which I took over, was, a convenient excuse,

which was utilised. You see, a railway engine is not made available to haul

just one bogey; they wait until a number of bogeys are to be taken along and

then, they put the engine into action. So too, the disease had to be gone

through, the Bhakta had to be saved, the assurance to be carried out, the

mystery had to be cleared, the Divinity had to be more clearly announced by the

manifestation of this Grand Miracle. All these were accomplished by this one

incident.

Let Me tell you one more thing: Nothing can impede or halt the work of this

Avatar. When I was upstairs all these days, some people foolishly went about

saying. "It is all over with Sai Baba" and they turned back many who were

coming to Puttaparthy! Some said I was in Samadhi, as if I am a Sadhaka! Some

feared I was the victim of black magic, as if anything can affect Me! The

splendor of this Avatar will go increasing, day-by-day. Formerly when the

little boy raised aloft the Govardhanagiri, the Gopis and Gopalas realised that

Krishna was the Lord. Now, it is not one Govardhanagiri, a whole range will be

lifted, you will see! Have patience, have faith. Tomorrow morning, I shall give

every one of you the Namaskaaram blessing that you missed today.

Guru Poornima Day, 6-7-1963

To discover one's reality and to dwell in that Divine peace, one need not give

up the world and take to asceticism. - Sathya Sai Baba

16. PROTECTION OF THE DEVOTEES

YESTERDAY, when I came into the Hall, I could see the agony you all felt. That

was because you identified Me with this body, that was having the illness. If

you had known My truth, you would not have been sad; in fact, if you had known

your Truth, that would be enough. The illness came and went; I was its master,

throughout. One day, when it reached its climax, I was watching its behavior

and directing it to finish its Dharma. For I had taken it on Myself and so, I

must allow it to do its Dharma! All kinds of silly stories were circulated when

I was ill! Some people feared that when I went to the South recently, some black

magic was inflicted upon Me and that the stroke was the consequence. Let Me tell

you that nothing evil can affect Me. Nothing can harm Me. I am the Master, the

Shakthi (Power) that overpowers everything else. I

knew that short explanation: some people were saying that I was in Mounam or

Samadhi (silence or a state of concentration in Yoga). Now why should I keep

the vow of silence? If I am silent, how can I carry out My Task of reforming

you and making you all realise the aim of life? And, why should I seek Samadhi,

I who am the Ananda Swaruupam, the Prema Swaruupam (Embodiment of Bliss and of

Love) Myself. It is the wavering doubter, the ignorance dabbler, who will lend

his ear to such talk. The true bhakta will discard all such news. For the

bhaktas here, the 8 days were days of intense thapas; they had no other thought

than of Swami.

To think low or mean is also egoism

Once, Krishna too pretended to be suffering from headache, intense, unbearable

headache! He acted that role quite as realistically, as I did last week. He

wound warm clothes around His head, rolled restlessly in bed. His eyes were red

and He was in evident distress. The face too appeared swollen and pale. Rukmini,

Sathyabhama and the other queens rushed about with all kinds of remedies and

palliatives. But they were ineffective. At last, they consulted Naradha and he

went into the sick room to consult Krishna Himself and find out which drug

would cure Him. Krishna directed him to bring---What do you think the drug

was?---the dust of the feet of a true Bhakta! In a trice, Naradha manifested

himself in the presence of some celebrated bhaktas of the Lord; but, they were

too humble to offer the dust of their feet to be used by their Lord as a

drug!

That Is also a kind of egoism. "I am low, mean, small, useless, poor, sinful,

inferior"---such feelings also are egoistic; when the ego goes, you do not feel

either superior or inferior. No one would give the dust wanted by the Lord; they

were too worthless, they declared. Naradha came back disappointed to the

sickbed. Then, Krishna asked him, "Did you try Brindavan where the Gopis live?"

The Queens laughed at the suggestion and even Naradha asked in dismay, "What do

they know of Bhakti (devotion)?" Still, the sage had to hurry thither.

Do karma, which is approved by higher wisdom

When the Gopis heard Krishna was ill and that the dust of their feet might cure

Him, without a second thought they shook the dust off their feet and filled his

hands with the same. By the time Naradha reached Dwaraka, the headache had gone.

It was just a five-day drama, to teach that self-condemnation is also egoism and

all Bhaktas must obey that the Lord’s command without demur.

When I said that I had taken on the illness that was destined for some one who

could not have suffered it or survived it, many of you felt, "Why should Swami,

for the sake of a single person, plunge so many of us in grief?." Well! Did not

Rama proceed to the forest though all Ayodhya wept? My Dharma of

Bhaktharakshana (protection of devotees) must be carried out; the Dharma of the

disease must also be worked out. Krishna could have stopped the rains, however

powerful Indra was; but, Indra had to do his Dharma and by lifting

Govardhanagiri to protect the cows and cowherds, Krishna manifested His

Divinity!

In this case also, it is the same Leela (Divine sportive act). Using the chance

to demonstrate to a doubting world the Divinity inherent in this Human Form. I

told you yesterday that even this lucky bhakta was just an instrument to work

out the promise made in the past to the Sage Bharadhwaja; it served to announce

My real Nature to you all. You are indeed fortunate that you could witness on

the sacred Guru Poornima Day this magnificent proof of My Divinity.

Karma of a higher order leads to jnaana

There is no Sathyam (Truth), without Shivam (Goodness); there is no Shivam,

without Sundaram (Beauty). Truth alone can confer Mangalam (Auspiciousness) and

Mangalam alone is the real beauty. Truth is beauty; Joy is beauty; falsehood and

grief are ugly, because they are unnatural. Buddhi, chittham and hrudhayam

(intellect, sub-conscious mind and heart)---these are the three centers in the

individual where reside jnaana, karma and Bhakti). The effulgence of Sathyam

will reveal Shivam; do karma (action), which is approved by the higher wisdom,

not karma, which is born of ignorance. Then, all karma will be Shivam

(auspicious, beneficial, blessed). The experience of that Shivam is what is

called Sundaram; for it confers real Ananda.

That is my Reality. That is why My Life is named "Sathyam Shivam Sundaram." Do

karma based on jnaana, the jnaana that all is One. Let the karma be suffused

with Bhakti; that is to say, humility, Prema, karuna and ahimsa (love,

compassion, non-violence). Let Bhakti be filled with jnaana; otherwise, it will

be as light as a balloon, which drifts along any current of air, or gust of

wind. Mere jnaana will make the heart dry; Bhakti makes it soft with sympathy

and karma gives the hands something to do, something, which will sanctify every

one of the minutes that have fallen to your lot to live here.

This is why Bhakti is referred to as upaasana, dwelling near, feeling the

Presence, and sharing the sweetness of Divinity. The yearning for upaasana

prompts you to go on pilgrimages, to construct and renovate temples, to

consecrate images. The sixteen items of Upachaara (honoring) with which the

Lord is worshipped satisfy the mind, which craves for personal contact with the

Supreme. All this is karma of a high order; they lead to jnaanam. First, you

start with the idea, "I am in the Light;" then the feeling "the light is in me"

becomes established. This leads to the conviction, "I am the Light." That is the

supreme wisdom.

See yourself in all; love all as yourself. A dog caught in a room whose walls

are mirrors sees in all the myriad reflections, not itself but rivals,

competitors, other dogs, which must be barked at. So, it tires itself out by

jumping on this reflection and that, and when the images also jump, it becomes

mad with fury. The wise man, however, sees himself everywhere and is at peace:

he is happy that there are so many reflections of himself all around him. That

is the attitude you must learn to possess, that will save you from needles

bother.

Prashanthi Nilayam, 7-7-.1963

TO BE CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brothers – ‘’

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

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