Sai Inspires - 11th December 2005 from Prashanti Nilayam

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Dear Reader,

 

Loving Sairam from the Heart2Heart Team.

 

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Truth and Love save a good deal of bother... Swami tells us how and why today.

 

 

Sai Inspires - 11th December 2005

 

Have faith that truth will save you in the long run; stick to it, regardless of

what might befall. For if you are truthful, no sense of guilt will gnaw your

inside and cause pain. It is cowardice that makes you hide the truth; it is

hatred that sharpens the edge of falsehood. Be bold, and there is no need for

a lie. Be full of love, and there is no need for subterfuge. The easiest

habit is speaking the truth, with honesty; for, if you start telling lies, you

will have to keep count of them and remember how many you have told and to

whom, and be always on the alert not to contradict one lie with another. Love

a person, then there will be no need to deceive with a lie. Love saves a good

deal of bother.

- Divine Discourse, 3rd March, 1958.

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Loving Sai Ram and greetings from Prashanti Nilayam. We hope you like the small

Sunday Specials that we attach every weekend to our daily feature SAI INSPIRES.

We are grateful for the responses that some have taken the trouble to send, but

we do hope more of you would do the same so that we know whether these

attachments are serving the purpose they are intended to.

 

This week we would like to start with Dr. John Hope Franklin of America, a

distinguished historian. He is an Afro-American born in the South in 1915, when

racial discrimination was very much rampant, although slavery had been

abolished. Facing innumerable obstacles, John Hope Franklin went through

school, then college and later studied at Harvard. He came to prominence with a

classic entitled From Slavery to Freedom. From then on, there was no looking

back. Subtle discrimination he continued to face always but unmindful of that,

Franklin always maintained his cool. Currently he is Professor Emeritus in Duke

University, North Carolina. He has won innumerable honours, national and

international, and has recently been in the news on account of the

autobiography he has written.

 

As often happens in America, when a celebrity writes a book that person gets

invited to many talk shows, both on the radio and on television. During one

such talk show, the host asked, “Professor Franklin, you are so cool; how come?

Critics say there is a strange absence of emotions when you narrate the story of

your life. How can you be so calm when you have gone through so many

difficulties?”

 

The answer that Professor Franklin gave is amazing, and that is the reason why

we are mentioning him. He replied, “Many years ago, I realised that either

anger controls me or I control anger. I decided right then that it was better

for me if I controlled anger.” We describe this as an amazing statement because

this is the crux of the Bhagavad Gita and naturally of course of Swami’s

teachings. As Krishna declares and as Swami reiterates, equanimity is the

greatest virtue.

 

Professor Franklin is not a devotee of Baba, and we are more or less sure that

he has not even heard of Swami. Yet, he has put into practice one of the key

teachings of Swami. How come? The answer is simple. Whereas Swami speaks to us

from outside, repeatedly we might add, Swami spoke to Franklin from within. And

what is important, he readily accepted the advice, putting most of us to shame,

for how often Swami laments: “Aacharanam ledu” meaning, people do not bother to

follow what He says! It is interesting that Jesus also once made a similar

complaint, remarking “Why call ye me Lord when thou doest not follow what I

say?”

 

Controlling anger is no small thing, for anger is a strong wind that sets the

Mind on fire. And when that fire starts raging, disaster is the predictable

end. This is not our pronouncement but that of the Lord Himself who says in the

Gita:

 

>From anger arises delusion; delusion promotes confusion of the Mind; confusion

generates loss of reason; and finally, loss of reason leads to complete ruin.

[2.63]

 

Swami says that it is no use isolating and cutting oneself off completely from

everyone and then claiming that one has conquered anger. Anger must be

conquered by being very much in the world and facing its ups and downs. An

experience in the life of Franklin illustrates the point.

 

Once many decades ago when he was a research worker in the prestigious Harvard

University, Franklin visited the South to collect some historical material from

a library there. The lady in charge gave Franklin all the facilities he needed.

One day, he wanted to consult some rare papers and for that he needed special

permission. So he went to see this lady in her office. They had a long

conversation during which Franklin was kept standing – it was not the custom

then to offer a seat to a black man. The lady then complemented Franklin

saying, “You have very good manners. Where did you learn them?” When Franklin

gave the name of the university from which he graduated, she was pleased and

said, “No wonder; they train them well there. Sit down.” She then asked, “They

tell me there is a Harvard nigger here. Do you know him?”

 

Now nigger is a very derogatory term but the lady used it quite casually as

people in the South then did, without a thought that the term could hurt

deeply. With great cool, Franklin replied, “I am the Harvard nigger.” We don’t

know how the lady responded; probably she fell off the chair! Anyway that does

not matter; what matters is the wonderful example of perfect equanimity that

Professor Franklin set.

 

Equanimity goes hand in hand with forbearance. Few realise the lessons Swami has

taught on forbearance or Kshama. Once some devotees asked, “Swami, You had to

undergo so much hardship way back, carrying water over long distances while You

were in Kamalapuram. All that left indelible marks on Your shoulders. Added to

that You were punished frequently. Yet, You took it all calmly and never

criticised those who were cruel to You. You are an Avatar. Why did You have to

go through all this suffering? What was the reason?” Swami smiled and replied,

“Bangaru, without all that, how could I have taught the lesson of Kshama?

 

While Swami is always filled with Ananda while speaking about Prema, He becomes

highly charged and very emotional when He speaks on Kshama. He does not do this

often but there is a memorable Discourse that He gave during the Summer Course

of 2000. Look up Summer Showers in Brindavan, 2000, chapter 12, page 221. It is

a treat; do not miss it! To read it now go here.

 

Thank you for allowing us to be with you again. Do write to us, won’t you?

 

Jai Sai Ram.

 

 

With Love and Regards,

"Heart2Heart"

RadioSai e-Journal Team,

In Sai Service.

 

 

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