Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

Embodiments of Love! This world, with its movable and immovable objects, is nothing but the Cosmic Dance of Siva (Siva Thandava). This blissful Siva Thandava is full of awe and wonder and is beyond human comprehension. The dualities of night and day, pleasure and pain, birth and death are endless. Just as birth and death are natural, so also is the existence of dharma and adharma (righteousness and unrighteousness). When dharma is on the rise, adharma is on the decline, and vice versa. Men and women are responsible for the rise or decline of dharma and adharma. Man, unable to realise the divinity within, is under the delusion that divinity is different from him.

Sumathi could even stop the sun from rising to save the life of her husband. Savitri could bring her dead husband back to life. Wherefrom did they derive their strength? It was the power of their devotion and chastity. When man worships Divinity with devotion and earnestness, the divine qualities - sathyam, sivam, sundaram (truth, goodness, beauty) manifest in him. This resplendently shining divine power is latent in man. When Kamsa tried to kill his own sister Devaki, her husband Vasudeva came to her rescue. It was possible because of his innate divine powers. You need not make any special efforts to acquire divine powers. They are immanent in you. They will manifest only when you contemplate on God, forgetting yourself.

Man, forgetting his own divine nature, thinks that God is separate from him and undertakes various spiritual practices to attain Him. People adore Him by different names such as Rama, Krishna, Jesus, and Allah. But there is only one fundamental power, which is the very form of Siva-Shakti. This principle of Siva-Shakti is all-pervasive. This world has a very significant name, Bhavan-Sankara. Bhavani means sraddha (steadfast devotion) and sankara means viswas (faith). It is to say that the world is based on the twin principles of sraddha and viswas. Bhavani and Sankara are inseparable, interdependent, and all-pervasive. So, the whole world is the form of ardhanareswara (androgynous). It is on this basis that the terms Srimati and Sri are used to address women and men, respectively. Srimati denotes Bhavani and Sri symbolises Sankara.

Whatever may be the name and form you worship, you need to have steadfast devotion and faith. Without these two, you cannot achieve anything in life. Sraddhavan labhate jnanam (only the one with steadfast devotion attains wisdom). It is only through faith that one can realise the divinity within. Divinity in man is the combination of Bhavani and Sankara.

The whole world is a combination of ichcha shakti (will power), kriya shakti (power of action), and jnana shakti (power of wisdom). Ichcha shakti is related to the mind, kriya shakti to the body, and jnana shakti to the Atma. That is why it is said that you are not one person, but three: the one you think you are (physical body), the one others think you are (mental body), and the one you really are (principle of the Atma). You are essentially divine, but you are unable to understand this. The Vedas declare: Sarvata pani padam tat sarvothokshi siromukham, sarvata srutimalloke sarvamavritya thishthati (with His hands, feet, eyes, head, mouth, and ears pervading everything, God permeates the entire universe). God is the witness to all that you do. You may hoodwink anybody, but not God because He is always in you and with you.

Without the grace of Bhavani-Sankara, all your efforts will be futile. Names and forms are not important because they are subject to change. Body is like a water bubble, mind is like a mad monkey. You cannot rely on them. But there is something within, which is true and eternal. That is divinity. In order to manifest this latent divinity, you need to develop devotion, which in turn strengthens your faith. Tree becomes bigger and stronger as the roots go deeper. Likewise, faith becomes stronger as the devotion increases. No name and no form can ever help you if viswas (faith) and sraddha (steadfast devotion) are lacking in you.

There is infinite divine power latent in everybody. If you can manifest it, you can even stop the sun from rising, as Sumathi did, and you can even bring the dead back to life, as Savitri could do. When you manifest divine power, you become God.

The Atma is all-pervasive. In order to experience the Atma, you need to have steadfast devotion and faith. Today people pray, Loka samastha sukhino bhavantu (may all the people of the world be happy)! It is possible only when sraddha and viswas are fostered.

Joys and sorrows are like passing clouds. They come and go. It is only the morality that comes and grows. So, develop morality. Do not aspire for wealth, position, and power. God will give you whatever you deserve. Develop love for God. That is the highest sadhana (spiritual practice).

Today, people undertake various spiritual practices to attain God. But all these confer only mental satisfaction. Sage Narada propagated the nine paths of devotion: sravanam (listening), kirtanam (singing), Vishnusmaranam (contemplating on God), Padasevanam (serving His Lotus Feet), vandanam (salutation), archanam (worship), dasyam (servitude), sneham (friendship), and Atmanivedanam (self-surrender). These practices cannot confer everlasting joy. Have unflinching faith that the universe is the very form of God (Viswam Vishnuswarupam). Vishnu is the cause and the Viswam is the effect. These two are inseparable.

The Vedas declare: Acharam Charamevacha (though immobile, He is apparently mobile). Here is an illustration. In the dream state, you may visit various places and experience happiness or sorrow, but in reality your body remains steady on the bed - immobile.

So, all that you see and experience in this world is but a dream. Only the Atma is true and eternal. The Atma is sthiram (permanent) and the world is charam (changing). Human life is the union of sthiram and charam.

Janthunam narajanma durlabham (human birth is the rarest among all beings). All beings are not fortunate to get human birth. All human beings do not experience Divinity. Some people undertake spiritual practices like idol worship to attain Divinity. Gradually one should turn one’s vision inward and experience the oneness of the Atma.

It is not all that important how much you love God; what is more important is how much God loves you. God is the embodiment of Sat Chit Ananda. Sat means that which is eternal. Chit is total awareness. When water and sugar are mixed with each other, you get syrup. Likewise, the combination of Sat and Chit results in Ananda (bliss) The Ananda that you experience out of worldly pleasures is momentary.

You will attain true and everlasting bliss, only when you turn your vision inward and experience the Atma. It has no form, but is full of bliss.

Embodiments of Love! You should experience the endless bliss of the Atma.

The Vedas declare: Mathru Devo bhava, pithru Devo bhava (revere the mother and father as God). Once Ashok Singhal, General Secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, came to Me with the plea, “Kindly let us know the birthplace of Rama so that we can construct a temple there.” I replied, “The true birthplace of Rama is the womb of Kausalya.” Mother’s womb is the birthplace of one and all, be it a commoner or the Avatar Himself. Therefore, adore the mother as God. Uphold her name and respect her.

Today is 19 November. It is celebrated as Ladies Day to remind you of the importance of the mother. You should conduct yourself according to the wishes of your mother. Do not disobey her. Chaitanya, the great devotee of Lord Krishna, married Lakshmi on the insistence of his mother, though he was not in favour of marriage. But as fate would have it, Lakshmi passed away soon after the marriage.

His mother, Sachidevi, felt very sad for having got him married against his wishes. Chaitanya told her, “This is what happens when one goes against the dictates of one’s conscience.” So, if you feel what you are doing is correct, then try to convince your mother, but never hurt her feelings.

You may be under the mistaken notion that women are weak in body and mind. But, in fact, they are stronger than men.

In the epic Mahabharata, there is a story of a queen, Pramila, who wanted to marry Arjuna. But Arjuna was reluctant to marry her. Pramila sent her commander-in-chief Malayavathi to capture Arjuna. Malayavathi waged a fierce battle against Arjuna, ultimately captured him, and brought him to the presence of Pramila. She requested him to marry her, but Arjuna refused to marry even if it were to cost his life. Pramila was a great devotee of Lord Krishna, and so was Arjuna. Both of them prayed fervently.

Krishna, being the director of the cosmic drama, had his own master plan. He appeared there, called Pramila and Arjuna to his side, brought their hands together, chanted the mantras, and solemnised their marriage.

God can do anything and everything. He can transform earth into sky and sky into earth. But man lacks devotion and faith in God. He has faith in worldly matters, not in spirituality. There is nothing superior to bhakti (devotion). In the word bhakti, the letter bha stands for lustre and luminosity, and kti denotes that which attracts. From bhakti, you get shakti (power) for the body, mind, and spirit. Through this bhakti and shakti, you get immersed in rakti (attachment) toward God and develop virakti (detachment) from the world. Then God confers on you bhukti (food) and also mukti (liberation). Thus, man has to travel from bhakti to mukti.

As I told you yesterday, human life is a journey from ‘I’ to ‘We’. In order to go to Tirupati, Varanasi, Gaya, and Prayag, you may have to take great pains and travel long distances. But the journey from ‘I’ to ‘We’ is very short in the sense that you have to detach yourself from the body and develop attachment towards the Self. For this, mother’s grace is very essential.

When Abhimanyu was in the womb of his mother Subhadra, Arjuna used to tell her many stories. One day, Arjuna was explaining to her the intricacies and nuances involved in entering Padmavyuha (a military formation in the shape of a lotus). Before he could explain to her how to come out of the Padmavyuha, Lord Krishna, the supreme director of the cosmic drama, entered the scene. God comes whenever the need arises and plays His role appropriately.

Krishna asked Arjuna, “What a mistake you are committing! It is not Subhadra, but it is the child in her womb who has been listening to you all the while. Where is the necessity for you to teach the child about Padmavyuha?” He took Arjuna away with him.

Later on, in the Kurukshetra war, Abhimanyu lost his life in Padmavyuha, since he did not know how to come out of it. Why did Krishna do this? It is because Abhimanyu had to attain Veera Swarga (heaven of the heroes). In fact, when the Kauravas challenged Abhimanyu to enter Padmavyuha, he came to his mother Subhadra and sought her permission and blessings. Subhadra tried her best to dissuade him from going to the battlefield. She said, “My dear son, it is not an ordinary task to enter Padmavyuha and come out of it. Moreover, your wife is in the family way, and your uncle Krishna and father Arjuna are not here. So, give up the idea of going to the battlefield.” But Abhimanyu did not pay heed to her advice. He said “Mother, I am a kshatriya (warrior) by birth. There is no greater insult for a kshatriya than to shy away from the challenge posed by the enemies. In fact, you should encourage me and enthuse me to fight and annihilate the enemies. It is not proper on your part to discourage me from going to the war.” Abhimanyu knew what he was doing was correct, but he did not understand his mother’s love. He lost his life because he went to the battlefield against the wishes of his mother.

There is nothing greater than mother’s love. Mother’s words are always sweet. At times she may use harsh words, but they are meant only to correct you, not to hurt you. There may be a wicked son, but there can never be a wicked mother in this world. Ladies Day is celebrated only to make you understand the value of mother’s love and her concern for you. Among the mother, the father, the teacher and God, the mother is given the topmost priority.

Modern youth do not care for the mother. They think they are highly educated and that the mother does not know anything. It is a great mistake to think so. Never look down upon the mother. Even the mother should not compel her children to accede to her wishes. Through love and sincerity she should put the children on the proper path. She should aspire that her children be good, they need not be great.

Rama was good, whereas Ravana was great. Rama put into practice whatever he had studied and thus earned a good name. But Ravana was immersed in ignorance, because he did not practice all that he had studied. As a result, he did not earn a good name. Man needs to have fear of sin and love for God to earn a good name. Since man lacks fear of sin and love for God, humanness is on the decline. This is the cause of restlessness in the world today.

Embodiments of Love! God is Ganalola and Ganapriya (one who is attracted by singing). Poems and prayers do not attract God as much as songs sung with devotion do. All of you have listened to the melodious singing of M.S. Subbulakshmi. She has earned the title Gana Kokila. I have also seen her play the role of Meera, when she was very young.

Many artistes have earned name and fame in dance. Uday Shankar was such a great dancer that one could hardly see his two feet on the ground while he danced. His wife, daughter-in-law, and other disciples have come here and will be staging a dance programme tomorrow.

These fine arts cannot be mastered by practice alone; Divine grace is also very essential. Negative and positive both are essential for the current to flow. Likewise, human effort and Divine grace should come together before success is achieved.

Students! Young men and women! God responds according to your feelings. So, do not entertain negative thoughts. Only a peacock comes out of peahen’s egg, even if it were to be hatched by a hen. A diamond does not lose its value or brilliance even if it falls into dung. Likewise, good people will always earn a good name wherever they are. Ego, hatred, and anger are the worst enemies of man. You may show a little anger to somebody in order to put him on the right path, but never hate anybody. Never give scope for anger and ego.

I am showing you by My example all that I preach. Some people feel that Swami does not talk to them because Swami hates them or is angry with them. It is nothing but their imagination and guilty conscience. I do not hate anyone. In order to put you on the right path, sometimes I may pretend to be angry with you. But in reality, I have no anger or hatred toward anybody.

Some people do grama seva (service in the villages) with the expectation that I should fulfil their desires. Is that enough to please Me? Give up all desires and cleanse your heart. Then I will grant you all that you require without your asking for it. How can you expect positive results without giving up negative thoughts? Fill your heart with positive thoughts. Fill it with love. Then all your thoughts, words, and deeds will be suffused with love.

Embodiments of Love! Never forget the love of your mother, and under all circumstances make her happy. I am pleased with you only when you make your mother happy. As Uma Bharati pointed out, make efforts to understand the oneness of all. If you think that you are separate from others, then there will be scope for hatred. Realise that you and I are one. Bodies may be different, but you are bound by the same love principle.

Just as your mother loves you, you should love everybody. All are the children of Viswa Matha (universal mother). All are brothers and sisters. You should not have any differences whatsoever. The sun is one and the same for all the worlds. Just as the sun is reflected in a water tank, in a river, in an ocean, likewise the same Divinity is reflected in the hearts of one and all.

Ekam sath viprah bahudha vadanti (truth is one, but scholars refer to it by different names). It is not correct to say that you like only Rama or Krishna or Siva or Sai Baba. There is only one God, and He is omnipresent. Do not hate other religions. A Hindu should become a better Hindu, a Christian a better Christian, and a Muslim a better Muslim. The one without love can be called neither Muslim nor Hindu nor Christian nor Sikh. In fact, he is verily a demon on this earth. Only those without love give scope to differences based on religion. You will find the unity of all religions only when you fill your heart with love.

The culture of Bharat (India) has given utmost importance to the mother. One refers to one’s country as motherland, not fatherland. Lord Rama declared: “Janani janma bhoomishcha swargadapi gareeyasi (mother and the motherland are greater than even heaven).” Country is the mother and the culture is the father. Never forget your country and its culture.

Since ancient times, the culture of Bharat has been propagating the message of peace and love with the prayer, Loka samastha sukhino bhavantu (May all the people of the world be happy)! You have to uphold this sacred culture.

You may worship God in any name and form you like, but understand the truth that God is One and One only.