English Translation - 14th June morning Part II

[Guest guest]

There is Parameswara who provides for all living beings including

small insects and ants in this world. People like me and you have the

necessity to go well dressed to an office, do a business and run a

family. Did the birds and animals in the office ever go to an office?

Or did they learn starting from LKG and UKG in SushilHari school?

There is a power that provides them with food everyday. He is the One

who provides even for you. Your job or business is only a pretext,

the real provider is Perumal. You don't need to have any doubt on

that.

 

So one type of courtesy is to drink smilingly even if given poison.

The other type of courtesy is to share with your guest anything that

you have even if it is the nectar of immortality. How many can do

that today? On the contrary we drink up everything in the kitchen

itself without the guest's knowledge and come out and ask him, " When

did you come? " What do you lose by giving him a small share? If the

guest refuses it, that's different. To the person who refuses to

accept hospitality Thiruvalluvar says, " Even if someone gives you

poison with love, you should drink it. " Thats the courtesy. Ok, you

may say, " If he drinks poison, he would die " , but he won't! You have

to do only one thing. Before you partake the food, just

say, " Sivaarpanam " (offering to Lord Shiva) or " Govindaarpanam " .

 

Prahlada's father gave him poison. Why do you think Prahlad did not

die? He always used to chant, " Om Namo Naaraayanaaya " . He offered the

poison too to Him. How can Naaraayanan die? Whatever you eat you give

it to God, you will not be affected. That's why Prahlad and Appar

Swami did not die. Such a way of thinking is spirituality. It is

living with God all 24 hours of the day.

 

Take the example of Kaaraikkaal Ammaiyaar. In the nuptials, her

husband said that he felt lot of respect (but not passion) for her

and hence would not be able to make a family. She then prayed to God

and said, " If this body cannot be of any use to my husband, let me

seek a boon from God to become a ghost. " So who do you think was the

reason for her to become a Gnani and get the opportunity to witness

the divine dance of Shiva in Thiruvaalangaadu? It was her husband. If

he only had lived an ordinary family life with her, would she have

taken the form of a ghost and got to see the divine dance? So in her

case, her own husband was her Guru.

 

Next, take the example of Arunagiri Naathar. He was a womaniser and

had a terrible skin disease. Since he had the disease, no woman would

come to him. Not able to bear the pain he was going through, his

elder sister said, " You want a woman, no? I am also a woman, have

me. " Hearing this he was shocked. Thinking that there was no use of

leading such a useless life, he tried to jump from top of Kili

Gopuram. Just think carefully. His sister said that to him in anger.

So a Arunagiri Peruman evolved and now we are singing songs composed

by him. Even Muruga asked Arunagiri to sing Thirupugazh saying, " I

like it very much. " Such a libertine character like Arunagiri became

a Gnaani and now has his idol next to Muruga in temples and is

offered prasaadam. We even pay respect to people who sing his songs.

So who do you think made him into a Gnaani? It was his elder sister.

 

Take the example of Pattinatthar next. He was mad after money all the

time. One day his son wrote a note to him, " When you die you can't

even take a small needle (used for piercing ears) with you. " When he

read it, Pattinatthar became a Gnani. He had a home like a fort, he

left everything and sat wearing just a kowpeenam (small undergarment)

under a tree. So who changed Pattinatthar to a gnani? It was his own

son.

 

So for a Pattinatthar, the Guru was his own son, for Arunagiri it was

his own sister and for Kaaraikkal Ammaiyar, it was her husband. So

your husband/wife, children are all your Gurus. They have not come to

you to raise a family nor aspiring for relationship with you. It is

God Himself who is coming in their forms to teach us a lesson and aid

in developing detachment from this world. All the characters are

really the personification of God. This is my language.

 

The experiences that you get in this world make you a Gnaani. If a

son is not good to you, don't come to me asking for predictions.

Remember what I am going to tell. It is God Himself who in the form

of your son is playing a role to teach you detachment. Don't expect

anything from your son. Think that your son is making you detached

from the parent-child relationship.

 

If you start thinking in this angle, the world will never affect you.

This angle of thinking is called Gnaanam. How to approach and

experience life is Gnaanam. All the complaints that you have, say

that you don't have Gnaanam. You think a husband should love you, a

son should be affectionate to you, a mother-in-law should be in good

terms with you and you want all wealth. Things like these are

obstacles to your happiness.

 

When you become a Gnaani like the one I just mentioned, nothing will

affect you.

" Vanda maatte kattathe, Pona maatte thedaathe. "

Don't secure a cow that has come to you, and don't go in search of a

cow that has gone. Just be a spectator. Be a witness to all things

happening in the world. Whoever obtains this Gnaanam, he becomes a

Rama. Who do you think gave Gnaana to Raama? It was Vasishta. When

Rama and Lakshmana were young, Vasistha told the same things that I

am telling you now. So when Rama came to know about these things in

his life early on, when it was time for his Father to announce Rama

becoming the king, or next day asking Rama to go to the forest, he

faced both the situations with the same composure.

 

So if you follow what I say you can also become a Rama. I am (an

ordinary person) from North Arcot but see I have become a Rama. So

what do you mean by " becoming Rama " ? It is looking at praise and

censure, joy and sadness with equanimity of mind. I don't become

happy because you have garlanded me, nor will I be disappointed if

you censure me, I have reached that state. Conquering Anger,

eschewing hatred, selfishness and partiality - if you do all this you

will become Rama.

 

Rama is not a person. It is a personality. Same with Christ. Dont

think that all the Gods that you see dressed up are a mere person.

They represent a quality. Even when he was nailed to the cross, Jesus

said, " Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do. " You

should do the same. If you do it you will also become a Christ. But

you are not able to do it. You have the quality of taking revenge. If

someone tells you something, you keep brooding over it and don't get

sleep for three days. If you learn to forgive him, then you become a

Christ.

 

If you take a decision, " Whatever be the circumstances, I won't sway

from the path of Dharma " then you become a Rama. With the help of God

in the form of Knowledge in you, if you learn the technique of living

a good life in this world, then you become a Krishna Paramaatma.

There is a Christ, a Rama, a Krishna in you. You are not able to

manifest those qualities. If you succeed to do that, you become God.

Then like the world worships Rama or Krishna or Jesus or Buddha, it

will worship you.

 

You may ask, " What is it that prevents me from doing it? " You are

attached to materialistic things right from the smallest ones. Take

for example an ordinary toothbrush. It has become so old and has to

be trashed. You try to use it for cleaning your comb. The obstacle to

spirituality is the sense of belonging you have to all these worldly

possessions.

 

When you practice this, your family will be in good ways. Thats

because the more you do good things, your karmas get reduced, your

sorrows will dissolve. Assume you have Rs.5000 ($100) loan. What is

the point in talking to others about your loan? Somehow after hard

work and toil, earn Rs. 5001 then you dont have loan anymore, you

have a balance in favor. The reason for not being happy in this

world, is due to the loans you have run up in your earlier lives. The

moment you start doing good, those loans will reduce and you will

start accumulating property in the form of good deeds. So when you

perform good actions and do good thinking, the fruits of your past

wrong deeds diminish, then you will become happy.

 

Without taking recourse to such steps, you are complaining you have

Rs. 5000 loan all the time. Assume you have got a itchy boil. You

should go to doctor and get a cure. You may have a pleasant feeling

if you scratch it, but if you do that, the situation will get only

further worse. So whatever problems you have come to me to talk

about, it will only worsen further, it won't get alleviated. That's

because it's a negative thought. The thought of you lacking something

is a negative one. Think that I have nothing lacking and I have

attained God, that's a positive thought, a clear way of thinking.

Then things will change in your life automatically.

 

It's your thoughts that elevate you and again its the thoughts that

drag you down.

(Quote from Kural)

" With rising flood the rising lotus flower its stem unwinds;

The dignity of men is measured by their minds. "

 

If the pond's depth is 4 feet, the lotus stem will unwind so much and

if its 40 feet the stem will unwind 40 feet. Whatever you think you

can become. I wanted to become a God. So I performed poojas, visited

temples, did good things and finally became one. Someone else may

have the thought of becoming a politician, another a Bill Gates. All

these thoughts come from the individuals. If I had thought, I could

have become Bill Gates or Indira Gandhi too. I did not think of doing

that, thats all. I wished to become a Swami. If you want to become a

doctor, you go to a medical college. If you go to a teachers

training college you become a teacher and to a law college to become

a lawyer. You are the one deciding it. Whatever heights you want to

reach, you will be able to. Even if not in this birth, you will take

another birth and become the Prime Minister, if you wished to become

one. Thats because everyone in this world has the divine light within

themselves. There is no one big or small in this world.

 

So we have made all the derivations. Next what do you think you

should do? Think of doing big things, why do you want to think about

small things? Think you want to stand first in the state by getting

100%. Put in all your efforts. You may get 50%, there is nothing

wrong in that. But if you start thinking that you will put in just

enough efforts to score 50% and pass the exam and become a clerk in

TNPSC (Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission), a small post which your

father said he would obtain because he knew someone. How are you

going to become big by doing that? Your targets should be high and

you should put in all your efforts. In spite of your efforts, if you

cant score a 100 you should not be disappointed.

 

You may be wondering that you have heard this somewhere. This is the

essence of Gita. Do your duty but dont worry about the results. What

you usually do is you first aim for a low result. On top of it you

dont put in your best efforts. Then what's the point in blaming God

for that? God is in the form of intelligence in you. He is in the

form of Love in you. He is in the form of patience in you. All these

qualities are Godliness. Try to manifest all of these qualities. Once

you start doing this, the Godliness in you will surface. Then one day

you yourself will become God. Then whatever you think will happen.

You won't have any vacillations and tensions in your mind.

(Quote from Kural)

Whate'er men think, ev'n as they think, may men obtain,

If those who think can steadfastness of will retain.

 

Whatever you wish, be it anything will happen but you should have a

very focussed mind for that. That's all spirituality is all about.

You people think if you come to Baba, he will give you a talisman,

some ring or some predictions or tell you about Vaastu sastram. But I

am talking to you about positive thinking, this is what will elevate

you. The astrological predictions that you go after or the talisman

or ring or Vaastu will only reduce your self-confidence. Already you

are meek-minded. If you go to an astrologer, he will tell you that

your time is not good and for all you know he may be telling the

truth. But from that day onwards your tensions will only increase.

Out of fear you won't do anything for those two years (assuming thats

the bad period). Doing nothing you would land in further problems. If

you had acted, you would have accomplished something. That's why I

keep saying that don't even go near things that reduce your self

confidence. Don't do anything other than positive thinking. Offload

all your burden on God.

 

" Theivam Namakku Thunai, Oru theengu varamaattaathu "

 

God is our companion, nothing bad will befall us. God is like your

Father and Mother. Do your duty perfectly and leave all your burden

of thoughts on God. Don't ever compromise on your efforts. Your aim

should be perfection. If you don't get perfection, its not your

fault. You have to live perfectly as much as you can. If you live

like that, what you were thinking as problems will no more be that. I

don't even need to remind you that anymore. You will know that there

was nothing called a problem in your own life. These are the thoughts

I wanted to share with you this morning.