Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

MAN is as a seed. The seed sprouts, becomes a sapling, grows into a tree and fulfils its destiny, offering flowers and fruits to the world. 'So, too, man rises from childhood through adolescence into youth and middle age, and when fully grown up he has to justify himself by offering to the world the flowers and fruits of good thoughts and deeds, himself acquiring the fullness of wisdom. A bird has need of two wings; a cart must have two wheels. Without these, they are mortally handicapped. Man, too, must have two types of knowledge - to live on and to live for. The one helps him to eke out his livelihood and the other rewards him for having lived at all. The one is called jeevanopadhi (the means of living), and the other, jeevanaparamavadhi (the goal of living). The one enables to us to garner the material riches which make our lives comfortable and safe; the other answers the questions that haunt us and pressurise us while we live - where have we come, to where are we proceeding, how did the Universe originate, etc. No religion concerns itself with the first type of knowledge, they all are interested in stressing the second type only. Each of you have to pay attention to this second type even more than to the first, for it has beneficial impact on the first also.

Man has set down, in all lands and communities, certain rules and regulations in order to secure orderly and smooth running of his daily schedule of activities directed to the actual process of living. Since they have become part of the code of conduct, they are also described as 'discipline.' They are also subsumed under the basic principles of dharma (righteousness). Dharma promotes peace and happiness, contentment and joy. In every community, there have appeared, off and on, great personalities who shaped and burnished the codes and adapted the details to the needs of the times.

What we must strive for today is not a new religion or a new society or a new code of morality; they are there already, in each race and country. We also have the basic plans for spiritual training already laid down in most religions. But we need persons who have attained purity in all levels of consciousness. Man can reach perfect Bliss only when his heart becomes free from envy, egoism, greed and other evil traits. We need persons who can recognise and relish the recognition of the kinship and the identity between man and man, as well as between one society and another. They have to move beyond the bounds of the limited 'I,' to break loose from the entanglements of the senses. They have to jump over the battlements of the fort called 'body,' and enter enthusiastically the wide world beyond.

From the narrow vision of 'individual need' man must voyage out into the broad vision of the 'Universal.' When a drop of water falls into the ocean, it loses its narrow individualities, its name and form, and assumes the form, name and taste of the ocean itself. If it seeks to live separately as a 'drop,' it will soon evaporate and be reduced to non-existence. Each one must become aware that he is part of the one Truth that encompasses everything in the Universe. It is reprehensible to stick for one's whole life-time to the low narrow paths of selfishness, envy, and greed. Make the heart big and the mind pure. Then only can peace and prosperity be established on the earth. This day is a holy day, the day on which Jesus was born. He announced himself as the Messenger of God. In fact, all humans are born as Messengers of God. The sole purpose of this human career is to propagate the Omnipresence of God, His Might and Glory. No one has incarnated for merely consuming quantities of food and catering to one's senses. Human life is much more precious than that. That is why the capacity to appreciate beauty, truth and goodness has been endowed only on man.

To acquire awareness of the Divine, one need not journey to any special region or place. It is enough if the eye is turned inwards. In the Bhagavathgeetha, the inner reality, the Atman, is described as 'resplendent like a billion suns.' But man has not become aware of the Light and Power within; he still flounders in the darkness of ignorance. The scriptures proclaim that man is amrithasya puthrah (the child of Immortality). But man is unaware of this glorious heritage. He feels he is mortal, his end is imminent and his existence is temporary.

The scriptures also say that the Atman, the Real Core of the individual, is Ananda Swarupa (the very embodiment of bliss). But man being blind to this truth, invites sorrow and anxiety to hold mastery over him and discards the joy that awaits him. Every man is a messenger to fellowmen, entrusted with the task of spreading knowledge of the joy that is being missed. If he misuses this mission and fritters away his years in gratifying his senses, he only loses the chance and reduces himself to the level of beasts. He who announced Himself as the Messenger of God, developed, through the blossoming of Divinity and the expansion of compassion and service in Him, to a stage when he declared Himself as the Son of God. And then, finally, He rose to the status of 'I and my Father are One.' When Jesus declares that He is the Son of God, He becomes entitled to the paternal Majesty and Power. These He can claim only when He grows in the qualities that His Father has. As a result he attains sayujya (mergence), which leads Him to assert, 'I and my Father are one.' The scriptures say, Brahmavith Brahmaiva Bhavathi: He who knows Brahman, becomes Brahman.

These three stages are referred to as dhwaitha, visishtadhwaitha and adhwaitha in Vedic thought. Messenger and master, the two are basically separate, and so this stage is one of dhwaitha (dualism). The son and father, though two separate entities, are bound by affection and kindred feelings and attitudes. They are like the whole and the part, the body and the limb. This stage is called visishtadhwaitha (qualified nondualism). And when the Son and the Father are One, the stage is of adhwaitha (non-dualism). Even a child would be eager to pass from one class to the next higher one; he would hate being in the same class, vegetating for years. Then what can we say of persons with intelligence and discrimination, satisfied with the attainment of the lower steps? Jesus passed through the entire process and inspired all mankind by His example and teachings, to be generous and kind, detached and discriminating, and to bring Light and Love to all. He attracted people by His miracles and transformed them into apostles and exemplary servants of man. You must realise that the Divine current that flows and functions in every living being is the One Universal Entity. When you desire to enter the Mansion of God, you are confronted by two closed doors - the desire to praise yourself and the desire to defame others. The doors are bolted by envy, and there is also the huge lock of egoism preventing entry. So if you are earnest, you have to resort to the key of prema (love)and open the lock; then remove the bolt and throw the doors wide open. The education must train you in the difficult operation.

You undergo training in various subjects of study, but the crown and cries of all subjects of study is Adhyathmic vidhya (spiritual wisdom). People desirous of bathing in sacred rivers are advised by Thyagaraja, the famous mystic, poet and singer, to bathe, in the Ocean, for all rivers pour their waters into it. Therefore a bath in the Ocean means bathing in the waters of all the rivers at the same time. So, too, the Atmavidhya if mastered, is the key to all knowledge. It teaches us Thath, which if known, all else is known. It reveals to us that the One is in the many and that the many are really One.

as the shruthi (sacred text) declares. Sadhana is the name for the mental discipline and intellectual effort to realise this Unity. Jesus sacrificed his life and poured out his blood to instil Love and Compassion in the heart of man, so that he may be happy when others are happy and sad when others are sad. It is not by festivity and fun that you should celebrate Christmas. Celebrate it, rather, by resolving and putting into practice at least one of the ideals He enunciated, or endeavouring to reach at least one of the goals that He placed before man. Let Me call upon you to give up, in memory of this holy day, two evils from your mind: selfpraise and talking scandal. Adopt one habit: the habit of loving service to the distressed. If you spend all your time and energy in worldly comfort and sensual delight, you are disgracing this human existence. Life is not to be spent In just eating; eating is only a necessity for 1iving. You consider this habitation on of yours as your body; no, It is the temple of God. God resides therein. Keep it clean, fresh and fragrant through developing Compassion and Love. Use the temple of God only for holy thoughts, words and deeds. Do not demean it by using it for low, trivial and unholy tasks. Wherever you are, whatever you do have this resolution steady and strong.