Baba's (telephonic) Tamil New Year's day Speech

[Guest guest]

Baba€  '²s speech on Tamil New Year€  '²s day - April 13th 2000

 

(quotes from a Tamil song (ponnai virumbum bhoomiyile) that

translates to)

 

In a world desiring gold

A life that desires me

In a world that searches for treasure

My life that searches for a loving heart

 

This is a statement that I can make on everyone in Samratchana.

This is the lesson that this New Year, this global tour I have

undertaken, is admitting to me.

Arunagirinathar says €  '±I yielded to all desires fate lay in my

path! What have I come to now!!€  '² I am seeing the Western fashion

destroying people to such an extent that I am moved to repeat

€  '±You immersed me in the illusion of low life!

Is there anything at all low that I have not committed?€  '²

Today€  '²s Western culture is revelling in food, clothes,

dwelling, wine, women, property, lust. They have forgotten and missed

out on the One who gives them gold and the meaning of life. They are

roaming about, searching for a false life.

Like a frog that tries to pull in an insect with its tongue

for eating not knowing that it itself is being swallowed by a snake,

so also, this mankind is indulging itself in the illusion of worldly

life not knowing that it is caught in the net of the death snake -

and we are witnessing this scene.

From where I am speaking, it is 11:00 PM - night. In India,

it is 11:00 AM - morning. There is a distance of nearly 12000 miles

between the two countries. That is a continent called Asia, and this

is a separate continent called America.

So it is the time where here it is evening, and there it is

morning. Generally, in Samratchana at this time, I will be in

garlands, now I am in America.(makes a pun of the Tamil word

€  '±Maalai€  '² which is used for both garlands and evening).

Day by day, time by time, this Sankaram is constantly on the move.

On January 1st, we celebrated the English New Year€  '²s day.

Last week, when I was in Chicago, I was invited to speak on the

occasion of Telugu New Year€  '²s day. Today, we are celebrating

Tamil New Year€  '²s day and Malayalam New Year€  '²s day.

So is New year€  '²s day English or Telugu or Tamil or Malayalam,

or something observed in various nations, various countries, various

days, various dialects, various cultures - this is what we should

ponder on this new year.

When Buddha was sitting in meditation, a man who was terribly

angry with him, spat on him. Buddha did not react at all. On the

other hand, the man€  '²s angry feelings evaporated and he came

seeking Buddha€  '²s pardon. He told Buddha €  '±Please forgive me.

I acted that way in an angry mood.€  '² Buddha replied €  '±The Buddha

who was yesterday is not there today. The person who spat yesterday

is not there today. So who should pardon whom?€  '²

The person was unable to understand, so Buddha took him to the

nearby river and asked him to take a dip. When he was bathing,

Buddha asked him, €  '±Where is the water you were bathing in five

minutes back?€  '² to which the man pointed out to a place and

said €  '±There it is running.€  '²

Buddha said €  '±This world is changing. So the Buddha who was,

yesterday, no longer is. You who were, yesterday, no longer are.

Neither the person who was spat upon, nor the person who spat exists.

So time is an illusion that keeps changing. If there is

something that does not change, it can only be you and me.

In fact, these physical forms also undergo changes. Only the

ultimateness of the soul that is inside this body does not undergo

change.

We are returning from a trip to Grand Canyon.

These people say that they are investing crores of money

on this and this is one of the wonders of the world. When you look

at it ordinarily, all these we have seen on top of Tirumala hill,

in a place called Paapanaasam, the waters of Ramakrishna Theertham,

Tumburu Theertham, in the place called Kumaradhara. You need not

even go so high. Just above Tirumala hills, there is a place called

€  '±Silaa Thoranam€  '². A Veda institution functions there.

An observation class functions here. These places in America do not

stand anywhere in comparision to the waters mentioned. But so many

millions of people come here to visit these places spending crores

of money. We possess so much that these people do not have. We have

not understood this. Nor have we made use of this. And we have also

not created opportunities for others to utilize this. This is the

second issue I am placing for your thought this new year.

Till the 16th century, this world was in illusion. Only after

that the philosophers, the Thattuva Gnanis came.

For the past two three centuries, it is the age of scientists.

The time that is to be, is the age of the Realized Souls.

These people who are absorbed in the modern world spend so

much money to visit dancing halls. And when they go there, they spend

thousands of rupees to see women dancing unclothed. Men and women

roam around with bare minimum clothes. This is what we are observing

in various countries.

The time is coming - for these westerners who know only the

nakedness of the body, the thoughts of our Buddha and Mahavira€  '²s

on the mind related, feelings related nakedness; for these people

who are living in the state as said €  '±Is there anything at all low

that I have not committed, yielding to the desires propelled by

destiny towards me€  '²; for these people who are still in the

mundane state of the body, the thoughts of Vallalar

€  '±How can I ever describe this wonderful state of bliss€  '²,

Athma - everything beyond, losing the concept of €  '±I€  '² as is

used today to represent this body, €  '±the welfare of losing

everything including I€  '² ,that ultimate nakedness, what is

called €  '±Vachamakosaram€  '² in the Vedas - the time has come for

preparing for this absolute nakedness, for the feelings of

the self to emerge. Everyone should reach the stage of realizing

the self, remembering as is said €  '±Those who have not realized the

self, will be in constant fear of the five senses.€  '²

To quote €  '±That Supreme Power that blows out the darkness

of illusion and lights up self- realization€  '², €  '±To dispel the

miseries in this world during the reign of Kaliyuga, let the name

of Shiva rule€  '², everyone should get good thoughts.

Samratchanites, being those who are already having good thoughts,

good feelings and treading the right path deserve being greeted

on this New Year€  '²s day. I wish all of them a heartfelt happy

Tamil, Malayala, (last week€  '²s) Telugu Yugadi, Kannada New Year ,

greetings.

I come again to the first statement. As is sung,

In a world desiring gold

A life that desires me

In a world that searches for treasure

My life that searches for a loving heart

you are all practising the right things, learning the right things,

travelling the right path. With my prayer to God that He should

bless you with everything that is good, I shower worship on His Lotus

Feet with the garland of my soul; from across nearly 12000 miles, at

a time gap of 12 hours, here it is dark, I assert and reveal to you

that the West is still in the dark, you are in the Light, I greet

all of you and bid farewell. Greetings to all of you.