Sri Krishna Janmashtami

[Guest guest]

Dear friends and devotees,

 

Bhakti is eternal.

 

Sri Krishna Janmashtami

 

vasudEvasutam dEva kamsa caaNuura mardanam,

 

dEvakii paramaanandam kRishNam vandE jagadgurum.

 

On this holy day, I am forwarding an earlier discourse of Bhagavan

Sathya Sai Baba to the students on Sri Krishna Janmashtami.

 

With love and regards,

 

Sastry

 

Bhagavan's discourse

 

The Lord accepts only a Pure Heart

 

Oh Krishna! You don't eat what I give you,

 

You don't eat our home-food,

 

You go to the houses of the cowherds,

 

And eat butter stealthily,

 

You spoil your good name, my dear!

(Telugu poem)

 

Thus, mother Yashoda expressed her anguish one day, having been vexed by

the complaints of the neighbours. She chided Him saying, " Oh

Krishna! I have to face a lot of trouble on account of your mischievous

pranks. You don't have taste for the food prepared in our house. You

always like the items prepared in the neighbouring houses. How shall I

manage with you? " True, people develop a taste for food in the

neighbouring houses. A sweetmeat shop owner sitting in his own shop, all

the while enjoying the sweet smell of the laddus, develops a taste for

puffed rice from another shop.

 

Kashyapa, a great devotee of the Lord had completely surrendered himself

at the Lotus Feet and was totally lost in divine bliss. One day, his

wife, Aditi, approached him and advised him, " My dear! We do not

have children. You have surrendered everything of yours to the Lord. Why

don't you pray to Him to bless us with a child? "

 

Emperor Bali, in Krita Yuga, performed many Yagnas. After completion of

one hundred and seven Yajnas, he made arrangements for performing the

one hundred and eighth Yajna known as Viswajit. As he was performing

this Yagna, Lord Vishnu appeared before him as Vamana in the guise of a

dwarfish Brahmin. Vamana asked for three paces of land in charity from

Bali, which he was about to give. In the meanwhile, Emperor Bali's

preceptor Sukracharya came there and tried to dissuade Bali from giving

this gift of charity. He advised Bali, " Please do not give anything

in charity to this short Brahmin, much less the three paces of land. Do

not underestimate Him. He is not an ordinary Brahmin. He is an Avatar of

Vishnu. He is born to Sage Kashyapa, in fulfillment of the boon granted

by Lord Vishnu to him. " But Emperor Bali did not pay heed to the

advice of his preceptor. He asked Lord Vamana, " Sir, What can I do

for you? " Vamana replied, " Oh King! I do not need anything. Just

give me three paces of land. " Sukracharya again pleaded with Bali,

" Oh King! You consider this person as an ordinary Brahmin. No. No.

He is capable of filling the entire universe. It is not wise on your

part to grant his request. " But, Emperor Bali turned down his advice

saying that he could not go back on his promise, as it was a great sin

not to stand by one's word.

 

In those days, people considered death preferable to going back on

one's word. But today in Kali Yuga, people make promises and break

them at will. Emperor Bali was of pure heart. Once a promise was made,

he fulfilled it, come what may!

 

He said, " I gave a word to this Brahmin boy. I am prepared to face

any eventuality in fulfilling my promise. I will offer the fruits of all

the Yajnas I have performed, including the one I am now performing to

this Brahmin boy. So saying, he put the garland of the fruits of 108

Yagnas performed by him round the neck of Vamana and prostrated before

Him. (As He said this, Swami created a necklace of 108 gold coins.)

 

Vamana covered the entire land given in charity by Bali under one foot.

He grew in size and filled the entire universe with His second foot.

There was no further space to put His third foot. Then Sukracharya said,

" Oh emperor! You did not pay heed to my advice. You underestimated

this Brahmin boy and got yourself tricked by His innocent looks. "

 

Vamana received the offering of Emperor Bali and praised his

large-heartedness and blessed him. Vamana was short in stature, but he

could fill the entire universe. Being an Avatar, He was Aprameya (beyond

all limitations, indescribable and immeasurable). Human being has

limitations, but not an Avatar.

 

The sunrise and sunset happen according to a predetermined Divine

command. It happens regularly, uninterrupted. The sun, the moon and the

stars follow a definite pattern of schedule. All the five elements in

the universe discharge their duties regularly as ordained by the Lord.

Even God Himself observes the rules that He lays down for all.

Everything in God's creation goes on according to a predetermined

order and Divine command. Nothing in the universe, including the five

elements, has an independent existence. But, unfortunately, man is

unable to recognise this divine force that regulates the functioning of

the universe. Scientists are making unstinted efforts to discover this

divine force. The stars shining brightly in the sky at night are,

however, not visible during daytime.

 

The sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening with utmost

regularity every day. The stars glitter beautifully in the sky at night

and hide themselves during the day. The wind blows incessantly and

sustains the living beings without taking rest even for a moment. The

rivers make gurgling sounds as they flow perennially.

(Telugu poem)

 

What could be the reason for this phenomenon? Scientists probed into

this aspect and concluded that the stars were not visible during daytime

because the sun was shining brilliantly in the sky during that period.

Similarly, they tried to explain the divine force in ever so many ways.

 

The moment the umbilical cord is cut and the child is separated from the

mother, it cries. Why? Nobody could explain and explore this secret. The

moment a drop of milk or honey is put on the tongue of the newborn

child, it sleeps happily. This means ever since a human being comes out

of his mother's womb, he struggles to satiate his hunger.

 

Oh man! You struggle hard to acquire various types of knowledge in order

to fill your stomach. In spite of all your hard work and acquisition of

knowledge, you are unable to experience everlasting happiness. Instead,

why don't you contemplate on the Lord and seek refuge in Him? He

will certainly show you a way to overcome your misery.

(Telugu poem)

 

Every human being thinks that he is born merely for filling his belly.

He constantly struggles to acquire food.

 

There is another interesting phenomenon in nature. The branches of a

tree rub against each other due to the wind and fire is born out of that

friction between two pieces of wood. How does it happen? Though there is

fire in the wood of a tree, it is not burnt away. Why? No scientist

could ever discover this secret so far. There are several such

inexplicable phenomena in nature. With a view to recognise and

understand such phenomena, man is constantly engaged in the quest for

Divinity. However, one need not search for God, who is omnipresent.

 

Oh man! You struggle hard in life merely for the sake of filling your

belly. You acquire myriad types of knowledge from various fields.

Examine and enquire for yourself what great happiness you have achieved

by spending all the time from dawn to dusk in acquiring worldly

knowledge and earning wealth, while forgetting God.

(Telugu poem)

 

Everything in this universe moves strictly according to the Divine Will

and force. Man, of his own accord cannot achieve anything. The Divine

force manifests itself in several ways in this universe, in the form of

various types of energy. People think they are created by somebody.

Strictly speaking, nobody has created them. They are natural phenomena

that manifest out of Divine will. For example, when two pieces of stone

are struck against each other, fire is born. It means there is fire

latent in the stone, but does not manifest outside. Thus, all the powers

are latent in nature.

 

A few minutes ago, one boy spoke about Nanda and Yashoda, the foster

parents of Lord Krishna. In those days, there was no electricity. People

in the village used to go to the house of Nanda (since he was the chief

of the village) and lighted their oil lamps from the lamp lit up in

Nanda's house. People were of the belief that they would attain

plenty and prosperity if they lighted their oil lamps from the lamps lit

in the houses of well-to-do-people. A newly married daughter-in-law by

name Suguna arrived in that village. Her mother-in-law told her to go to

the house of Nanda and get her lamp lighted from theirs. When Suguna

went to the house of Nanda and lighted the lamp, she could visualise

Krishna in that flame. On having this Divine vision, she lost her body

consciousness. She fixed her gaze on that beautiful form of Lord Krishna

and was lost in bliss. She could not even realise that her fingers were

being burnt, having come into contact with the flame. She was in total

bliss. In the meanwhile, other ladies from the neighbouring houses also

came there to light their own lamps. They were wonderstruck on

witnessing this scene. They could notice that Suguna was not moving away

from the flame even though her fingers were being burnt. They then

realised that she had the vision of Krishna in that flame. They sang a

song describing this incident. (Swami sang a Telugu song; the meaning of

the first few lines is as follows ...)

 

It seems Suguna had a vision

 

Of Gopala in the house of Nanda

 

She saw Krishna in the flame!

 

On hearing this song, Yashoda came there literally running. She saw

Suguna's fingers getting burnt in the flame. While all the Gopis

were dancing in ecstasy, Yashoda went near Suguna and pulled her hand

away from the flame. She chided her saying " Oh! Suguna! Did you not

notice your fingers being burnt on coming into contact with the flame?

Do you wish to bring a bad name to us that if anyone goes to Nanda's

house, their fingers will be burnt? " Suguna's mother-in-law was

by nature a short-tempered woman. On hearing about this incident, she

came running to the house of Yashoda and made a big issue of this

incident. She ordered her daughter-in-law not to go to the house of

Nanda again in future, for getting the lamp lighted.

 

Several miracles happened in the house of Yashoda. After Krishna left

for Mathura, the Gopis could not bear His separation and were pining for

His Darshan. In such a moment of yearning, Krishna appeared in Gokul.

However, neither Nanda nor Yashoda could see Him. All the Gopis gathered

at the house of Nanda and prayed that they may be allowed to have

Krishna's darshan. They started complaining, " Nanda and Yashoda!

You have kept Krishna away from us. Please tell us where he is. "

But, Krishna did not make his appearance in public. He appeared to some

Gopis individually in answer to their prayers.

 

A few minutes ago, a student of our University narrated an incident

wherein Swami had appeared before him in answer to his prayers. No one

else could see Swami. Then, the boy prayed again, " Swami! What is

the use of giving Darshan to me alone? Please give Darshan to all the

students; otherwise, they will not believe my words and make fun of

me. " I replied, " Does not matter. Let people think whatever they

wish to. This is your prapti (deservedness), only you deserve to see

me " . So saying, I disappeared.

 

Once, Yashoda reprimanded child Krishna saying, " Oh! My dear

Krishna! You don't eat the food I prepared for you. You go to the

houses of the milkmaids and stealthily eat the butter stored in their

houses. You are creating problems for me. Is it that the butter suffused

with mother's love does not taste good for you? " So saying, she

tied Krishna to a mortar with a rope. It is everybody's experience

in the world that we do not like the food cooked in our own house. The

items cooked in others' houses will appear to be tasty. This is

quite natural. However, Krishna did not steal the butter from

others' houses for its taste. There is an underlying message in this

leela. Here, butter symbolises a pure heart. Wherever such a pure heart

is available, Krishna takes it. Such a pure heart will be soft and

sweet. The hearts of Gopis were ripened with devotion. They were pure,

soft and sweet. Hence, Krishna had gone to their houses to steal their

hearts.

 

Krishna is referred to as " chora " (thief). What does He steal?

He steals the butter-like hearts of the Gopis, hearts which are pure,

soft and sweet. If you address someone as chora (thief), he will be

annoyed. But if you call Krishna as " chiththa chora " (stealer of

the heart), He will enjoy this appellation. That is why, devotees sing

in praise of the Lord most endearingly " Chiththa chora Yashoda Ke

Bal! Navaneetha chora Gopal! Gopal, Gopal, Gopal! Govardhanadhara

Gopal! " ( " Oh! Yashoda's little Krishna! Oh! Gopala! Stealer

of butter! Oh! Gopala! Lifter of the Govardhana Mountain! " ). The

song thus sung melodiously with bhava, raga and thala will be liked by

everyone. Great Singer-saints like Thyagaraja made sweet offerings to

God in the form of Kirtanas suffused with Bhava (feeling), Raga (tune)

and Thala (beat) and won His grace. There is so much sweetness in such

devotional songs. God's grace can surely be obtained by such

devotional singing. You cannot win the grace of God by empty rhetoric.

It is only through devotional singing suffused with Bhava, Raga and

Thala, that Divinity can be attained. God will be moved by such

Sankirtan. Even the Vedas have extolled the efficacy of devotional

singing. Even by chanting the Vedas, God cannot be attained. There are

several hymns in praise of God in the Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda

and Atharvana Veda. But, not even a single individual chanting those

hymns could obtain Divine Darshan. However, when these hymns are set to

tune and sung with devotion, they could experience Divine Love. That is

why God is extolled as `ganalola' and `ganapriya'.

Therefore, you pray to God with devotional singing. You can easily win

the grace of God. Some people may have a doubt, " We cannot sing

well; we have not learnt the art of singing. How can we please God? "

Do not worry. You may not have knowledge of music or a mellifluous

voice. It does not matter. Sing the glory of God with intense love, in

some tune which you know. That is enough to move the heart of God. What

is music? It is not necessary to make a special effort to learn music. A

simple song with intense love and yearning will move God. For example,

you recite a poem, " Rama! Nannu Kaapadu " (Oh! Rama! Please

protect me). There will be no sweetness in the poem. It is simply a

literary rendering of your feelings. Similarly, if you make an appeal to

God saying " Rama! Nannu Kaapadu " , it becomes an empty repetition

of words. The same feeling, if it is expressed in a song set to a

beautiful tune, " Rama …! Nannu Kaapadu… " it will be so

sweet and endearing to Divinity. There is so much sweetness in music.

Therefore, if you want to attain God, you have to do it only with

devotional singing.

 

You need not be disappointed if you have not learnt music. Why

disappointment? If there is an appointment, there will be

disappointment. Therefore, do not make an appointment, in the beginning

itself. You sing the glory of God in your own way. That is the easiest

way to attain God. The Divine bliss enjoyed by the gopis in Krishnavatar

in Dwapara Yuga is unparalleled. Therefore, remember that Divine bliss

and try to please God with your love and devotion.

 

In no Avatar devotees have merged in the Divine Love to such a great

extent as in Krishna Avatar. Thousands of devotees have merged in Sri

Krishna during His Avatar. Hence, if you want to merge in divinity,

devotional singing is the only means. God is said to be ganapriya

(pleased by devotional singing). Krishnavatar is the best example for

this statement. One simple name `Krishna' sung by a devotee is

enough to move Him. The leelas, mahimas and the miraculous deeds

performed by Lord Krishna during His Avatar are unparalleled.

 

Dear students! You are singing several bhajans. All of you are

participating in the bhajans. But, each one is singing in his own way.

This is not proper. If all of you sing in one voice and one tune with

divine feeling, God will surely install Himself in your loving heart.

Krishnavatar is the only Avatar that had granted darshan to different

people in different ways, clarified their doubts about His divinity and

merged them in His own Self. Krishnavatar is the only Avatar that made

everyone happy and blissful by His sweet and loving words.

 

There is nothing superior to devotional singing. What a great joy and

happiness you derive by singing the song " Nanduni Yinta Gopaludanta

Deepaana Kanipinchenanta " (It seems Gopala has appeared in the flame

in the house of Nanda). Therefore, sing such soulful songs with bhava,

raga and thala to please God and obtain His grace. You may sing any

number of bhajans and songs, but it is only when they are suffused with

intense love, devotion and sweet and soft feeling (bhava) you will

derive immense happiness and joy.