Swami teaches... Part 3. Keep devotion and faith

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Light and Love Swami teaches... Part 3. Keep Devotion and Faith

 

 

Bhakthi and the attitude of surrender that is its final fruits will give you great courage to meet any emergency; such courage is what is called renunciation. The story of Mohajith is a good example of this highest type of detachment. Mohajith, the prince, went to a sage in the forest and sought guidance in the spiritual path. The sage asked him whether he had conquered attachment as his name indicated. The prince said that not only he, but every one in his kingdom had. So the sage started to test the truth of this claim. The sage took the prince's robes, soaked them in blood and hastened to the palace gate with the gruesome stow of the murder of the prince by some ruffians in the jungle. The maid whom he met refused to hurry with the news to the Royal apartments because shesaid, "He was born, he died; what is the special urgency of this news that I should interrupt my regular routine and run to the king and queen?" When at last he got an audience and was able to communicate the sad news to the father, he sat unruffled,whispering to himself, "The bird flew off the tree on which it had alighted to take rest." The Raani too was unmoved. She told the sage that this Earth is a caravanserai, where people come and stay for the night and when dawn breaks, one by one, they tramp their different ways. Kith and kin are the words we use for theattachment to the travelers cultivated in the caravanserai during the short term of acquaintance. The wife of the "dead" prince was also unaffected; she said, "Husband and wife are like two pieces of wood drifting down a flooded river; they float near each other for some time and when some current comes between, they are parted: each must move on to the sea at its own rate and in its own time. There is no need to grieve over the parting of the two; it is in the very nature of Nature that it should be so."

 

The sage was overjoyed to see this steady and sincere airagya (dispassion) in the rulers and the ruled. He came back to the forest and told the prince that while he was away, a hostile army had invaded his Kingdom and slain the entire royal family and captured his Kingdom and enslaved his subjects. He took the news calmly and said, "All this is bubble, impermanent, flimsy. Let it go the way of the bubble. Guide me to reach the Infinite, the Imperishable." Such courage comes out of the Grace of the Lord; it needs generations of learning and struggle. Meanwhile, you must start with the first step, the cleansing of the mind and the cultivation of virtue. Even if you do not start with that step, at least do not laugh at those who do, and discourage them. Then, do not depend upon others for doing your work, like attending to your personal wants. Do them yourself; that is real freedom. Never accept anything 'free' from others, pay it back, in service or work. By modern science, the physical world is pictorially being “disturbed” by our thoughts. By quantum physics subatomic particles behave differently when humans "watch" them. Humans as co-create the physical world through the power of minds. The human body is carrier of Atma. Atmic power, which, like everything in the physical Universe is a reflection of the inner world, appearance of Atmic power. From Atmic aspect our own outer body, is a reflection of our own inner world. All that we can manifest into the outer, physical world has to be at first manifested within the inner world. By modern science, we consciously use the power of the mind. During the meditation or even concentration or contemplation on certain topics, we are most closely in communication with our subconscious mind, as interaction with Cosmic Consciousness in purpose to reach closer to the desired objects, situations, events, appearances.

 

What is beyond this power of mind from spiritual aspect? Never forget that the devotee is inseparable from God. When he/she is filled with the Love of God and is totally forgetful of him/herself, experiences oneness with God. Prahlada was such a supreme devotee. He was a Rakshasa (demon) by birth. His form was human. His heart was centered on God. Prahlada combined in himself these three elements. He adhered to the culture of Bharath and shone as an ideal to his people. In following the four Purusharthas - dharma, artha, kama and moksha - Prahlada combined the pursuit of artha (worldly interest) with dharma and linked them to kama (desire) for the attainment of moksha. Because of this, moksha itself sought Prahlada. Though born among demons, three notable figures have achieved distinction in the pursuit of the Purusharthas and sanctified their lives. They are Prahlada, Bali, and Vibhishana. By ancient scriptures, Virochana was the son of the great devotee Prahlada. He was, however, different from his father. He was a staunch materialist. He followed the hedonistic philosophy of Charvaka. Emperor Bali, who was the soul of goodness and purity, was Virochana's son. He looked after the welfare of his people as if they were his own children. He earned the love and esteem of his citizens, whom he regarded as limbs of his own body. There was complete harmony between the people and the ruler. (In the world, there are many number of persons who derive inspiration from Prahlada and Bali. There are also many, who take the cue from Virochana. The Jagat (world) will not be what it is, if such variations did not exist).

 

By legend, Bali once embarked upon the performance of a great sacrifice known as Viswajit (conquest of the Universe). This provoked the apprehension of Indra (the Lord of the Devas i.e. celestials beings, deities) and the Devas. In all ages, there have always been people, who are envious of or antagonistic to those who are prosperous, eminent, or extremely good. The latter have had to face troubles from such envious persons. (Rama was subject to many hardships from evil-minded persons. Harischandra suffered many ordeals from a Rishi. The Pandavas, who were the very embodiment of dharma, had to endure numerous troubles caused by the envious Kauravas. Jesus, who was the personification of self-sacrifice, was a victim of the hatred of those who were envious of his popularity and resented his teachings. The prophet Mohammed had to flee from Mecca because of the enmity of some people who were opposed to his message).

 

Bali wanted to ensure peace and prosperity for the entire world under his beneficent reign and commenced the Viswajit Yaga for this purpose. The Devas became apprehensive and jealous when Bali was performing this yaga. They approached Lord Narayana and prayed to Him: "Bali, who is demon by birth, is attempting to bring the whole Universe under his sway by performing the Viswajit Yaga. You must save the world from this danger of the whole world coming under the rule of Rakshasas, by diverting his mind from this course. The Lord, who knew the greatness of Bali, his noble qualities and his devotion to God, formally acceded to the Devas prayers but decided to confer the highest blessings on Bali. For this purpose He incarnated in Siddhasram (a hermitage shown to Rama and Lakshmana by Viswamitra) as Vamana (dwarf incarnation of Vishnu) and went to Bali's yajna-sala to ask for a gift. Pure-hearted as he was, Bali could instantly recognise the radiance on the face of the young Vamana. He asked Vamana: "Swami, what is it you seek at this Yajna? I have decided to renounce everything I possess to redeem my life." Vamanamurthi was short in stature, but the whole Universe was immanent in Him. He asked for an apparently small gift from Bali - nothing more than three lengths of ground measured by his feet. Bali felt that for a ruler of the vast earth, this was too small a gift and he agreed. That very moment, Vamana assumed the immeasurable form of Trivikrama, the Supreme Lord of the three worlds. With one step, He covered the entire Earth. With the second step, He covered the whole of space and asked Bali where He should place his foot for the third step. Bali knelt before the Lord and said: "Oh Lord! What can I offer you except the body and heart, which you have given to me? I pray to you to place your foot on my head." Bali was thus the supreme embodiment of self-sacrifice, who did not hesitate to offer everything he had to the Lord.

 

Seeing the anguish of his loving people at this turn of events at the Yajna, Bali made one request to the Lord before he was sent to his heavenly abode by the Lord's third step. He said: "Oh Lord! I am indeed happy that I have been sanctified by your divine feet and achieved the bliss of liberation. However, I do not wish to leave my loving people in the agony that they are feeling. Please allow me once a year, in the month of Sravan, during the consolation of Sravana, to visit my people." He asked for this boon out of his boundless love for his people. The Lord granted this boon. From this boon the Onam festival was born. It signifies the enormous love Bali had for the people of his realm. Bali, who appears on that day from the netherworld, is considered as appearing in the new garb of love of the people for whose sake he was coming. All through history, the devotees of God have had to endure many ordeals and privations, but they never lost their faith in God.

 

The people of Kerala should be proud of the fact that their land is sacred in many ways. It has created by an Avatar of the Divine. It is the land where Prahlada and Bali were born. It witnesses the advent of the Vamana Avatar.

Probably it was the purpose, why Swami with His own presence recently directed to perform the ARMY namely in Kerala.

 

By another legend Kerala is a land that has won the love of the Lord in a special way. In olden days, it has noted for its devotion and godliness. Kerala is also known as Parasurama Kshetra. How did it acquire that name? Parasurama is one of the avatars of Vishnu. When Parasurama's father (Jamadagni) was beheaded by a Kshatriya king, his mother Renuka, cried in anguish: "Rama! Rama!" Parasurama, who was away from the ashram, could ethereally hear the cries of his mother from afar and rushed home. He counted that his mother had called his name twenty one times. On reaching the ashram he saw his father's head severed from the body. The horrible crime had been committed by Kartavirya's sons. Parasurama took a vow to wage war against the vile Kshatriya rulers twenty one times and end their rule all over the Earth. Parasurama accomplished his mission by defeating the Kshatriya kings twenty one times and came to his ashram to pray to his ancestors for restoring his father's life. The sage Bharadwaja, to whose gotra Jamadagni belonged, appeared before Parasurama and restored Jamadagni to life by placing the head and body together.After this, Parasurama felt that the purpose of his advent had been achieved and as he had no desire to be a ruler, he made a gift of all the territories he had conquered to the Sage Kashyapa. He felt that having given away everything, this would not be right for him to remain on the land he had gifted. He decided to reclaim land from the sea and settle down on that territory for the rest of his life. It is this area that is known as Parasurama Kshetra - also known as Kerala. He performed penance on a mountain called Mahesa, which is situated in Kerala, a land with sacred traditions. The natural beauty of Kerala cannot be described in words. It has to be seen and enjoyed. Kerala has been uniquely blessed by Providence. In such a sacred and well-endowed country, the whirligig of time has wrought some changes. The passage of time and the vicissitudes of circumstances have affected the minds of people. Differences have arisen between people and hatred has grown among various sections. In spite of these changes, however, the spirit of devotion among the people has remained.

 

Today when we find the educational trends over the world going astray and causing anxiety to parents and society. We need to reiterate our old values, according to which an education based on our cultural heritage can alone lead one to real education - Atma Vidya - the state of selfrealision.

It is the duty of every human being to understand and respect his parents. Similarly, in a nation it is the duty of every national to assimilate and appreciate the historical and cultural background of the nation and consider these two factors as his father and mother. Students and similarly all people of the Earth should have faith in omnipresent God (i.e. Atma, Cosmic Consciousness, Swami's Cosmic Form) and bow their heads only to the Divine. They have to adhere to basic qualities such as truth, righteousness, forbearance and self-sacrifice, which are common to all people without regard to nationality, creed or language. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 1. "Sharanaagathi," Chapter 2; Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 13. "Thirty-five and sixty-five," Chapter 10; Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 15, "Light and warmth," Chapter 10; Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 19. "The ways of the Divine," Chapter 6 and "Sanctified by three Avatars," Chapter 19.; Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 21. "Earn God's Love," Chapter 4). Namaste - Reet