Sai message for the day

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Why and how do we get evil feelings such as jealousy, envy, pride,

egoism, attachment and so on. How are we to get away from these evil

feelings?

 

The main cause for all these evil feelings is your body attachment.

These feelings are born in your mind. They depend on your

interactions and relationships with others.

 

A small example. Suppose you have a very intimate friend with whom

you agree on everything. By chance, if you toss a rose flower at him,

he will be immensely happy for your love and reverence. As ill luck

would have it, if you do not see eye to eye with each other due to

some differences, and if you toss a rose at him, he will totally

misunderstand you. He will think that it is a deliberate action on

your part to harm him, for your friend is a sugar patient (diabetic)

and as such if a thorn of the flower by chance pricks him, it may

cause an injury that never heals and even further complicates leading

to the amputation of his hand. See the difference. The two

individuals are the same. So, also is the rose flower. But during the

period of friendly terms, the act is viewed positively and in the

unfriendly period the same actions are viewed negatively. You will

now know that everything lies in the mind. The rose flower that gives

happiness to your friend creates suspicion in the mind of the same

person during the period of animosity.

 

Then, let me tell you about your next weakness, anger. Why should you

and what for should you be angry with anyone? You tend to lose your

energy due to anger. You become weak subsequently. The energy you

have gained out of the food you have consumed during a couple of

months is just lost by a single fit of your anger. Here, enquire into

the matter clearly. What exactly makes you angry? If anyone

criticises, reprimands, accuses, or blames you, naturally you are

angry with that person. Calm down for a moment and investigate

clearly. Why should you be angry with anyone who points out your

mistakes or defects? Are you not guilty? Are you angry because your

faults are pointed out? Why? So, you need not be angry if your faults

are pointed out.

 

Suppose you are faultless and not guilty, even then there is no need

for you to be angry. Because, it is only a false allegation. If

anyone says that my head is bald, I am not angry with him because

there is no truth in what he says, as I am not bald. If anyone

comments that I have a mop of hair, even then I am not angry because

the truth is said. So let them say that I am a battatala Baba (bald

headed Baba) or buttatala Baba (mop of hair on the head of Baba)

(batta and butta are Telugu words). I am not angry either way. If you

think in this way you will not be angry and annoyed with anyone.

 

There is the worst form of disease for which there is no cure. It is

envy or jealousy. Hatred ruined powerful kings like Hiranyaksha,

Hiranyakasipu, Sisupala, Dantavaktra as mentioned in our epics like

the Mahabhagavatham and the Mahabharata. Envy ruined the entire clan

of Kauravas. Envy, pride, ego, jealousy and anger are demonic

qualities. No one ever thinks of those with these evil tendencies.

Have you met anyone by name Duryodhana who is the very

personification of jealously in our epic Mahabharata? Have you met

anyone by name Sisupala who is the embodiment of hatred in our

scriptures? None. Why? It is a shame to be named so. There is then

Mandhara a woman character in the Ramayana the very emblem of

jealousy. She brought bad name even to queen Kaikeyi. She was

responsible for sending Rama to the forest and Bharata's reign. Have

you come across women by name Mandhara and Kaikeyi? No. Never. Why?

They represent evil traits that ruin anyone.

 

Never be egoistic. Egoism is another trait that will lead to

disrepute. Examine yourself when you feel egoistic. Why ego? On what

grounds should you be egoistic? In the entire world, India is of the

size of an ant. There, in India your state of Andhra Pradesh is the

size of an eye of the ant. Your Anantapur district is but a speck in

the eye of the ant. Then, how about Puttaparthi and what are you and

your standing in your family? Practically nothing. So don't give any

scope for ego and pride. Of course, if at all you want to be egoistic

and proud, you can be egoistic about your ignorance and proud of your

foolishness! Attachment and Self-interest may make you egoistic on

false grounds.

 

Attachment and feelings of " I and mine " are also not good in your own

interest. The feelings of thine and mine arise out of abhimana and

ahamkara. An example. Your neighbour has a daughter who was seriously

ill for quite some time. You were not bothered or worried about her

health. A year after her illness it so happened that you married her.

Thereafter even a slight temperature or cold in her body makes you

apply for casual leave and stay away from office. Why? She is your

wife and no longer the daughter of your neighbour. The difference is

due to attachment only.

 

It is mamakara, feelings of mine that made Dhritarashtra, the old

king of the Mahabharata support all the misdeeds of his sons and led

to the total ruin of the entire clan. Though he had one hundred sons

he was left with none even to perform his last rites. To this state

one will be reduced due to the feelings of `I' and `mine'.

 

When these traits find a place in you, repeat ten times " I am a man,

not an animal " , " I am a man, not an animal " so that you can get rid

of the animal qualities like ahamkara, ego, asuya, jealousy, irsya,

envy, dvesa, hatred, abhimana, attachment, and mamakara, feelings of

`I' and `mine'.