Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

The entire earth is permeated by magnetic power. All the living beings and objects that are present on this earth also have this magnetic power. The rivers that flow, the wind that blows, the flowers that blossom - everything is endowed with magnetic power. The rivers flow on earth because of magnetic power. The magnetic power is all-pervasive.

People with (devotion and faith (bhakti and prapatti) visit temples, which have the magnetic power. The flowers and fruits that people offer with devotion in temples also have this magnetic power. As thousands of devotees gather here, our temple (mandir) is suffused with magnetic power. The all-pervasive magnetic power shines with added brilliance in this mandir. This magnetic power is ever on the rise, since there is a continuous flow of devotees.

Even an iron nail turns into a magnet because of its association with the magnet. In a similar manner, people who visit the mandir are filled with magnetic power. It is only from the magnetic power of the devotees that the mandir gets charged with mighty powers. Every individual is filled with magnetic power from head to toe. But people do not realise their innate potential and visit temples for blessings and grace. One does not acquire any special powers from temples. What one gets is only the reflection of one's own magnetic power. People visit various pilgrimage centres like Tirupati, Haridwar, and Rishikesh. The power that is present in pilgrimage centres is due only to the power of devotion and faith that pilgrims carry in their hearts.

God is the embodiment of all forms of opulence and so also is man. Wealth (sampada), authority/control (aiswarya), fame (yashas), power (shakti), spiritual wisdom (jnana) and bliss (ananda) - all these are the gifts of God. They are latent in every person, but people are losing them, because they are unable to put them to proper use. Divinity shines resplendently in people when they make proper use of these six forms of wealth (shadaiswaryas). There is divine effulgence on the face of every person.

As Venkataraman mentioned, every man is a combination of materialisation, vibration, and radiation. The human body, with all its limbs and muscles, is known as 'materialisation'. The life-force (prana shakti) is known as vibration. These two are coordinated by the Atmic power known as radiation. All the divine powers are latent in people. But people are not directing their attention on them. People identify themselves with the body, but in reality they are not the body. Otherwise, why would they say, 'this is my body'? When you say, 'this is my body', you are different from it. People are deluded by thinking that they are the body. They are losing their divine effulgence because of this mistaken identity.

The vibration symbolises the breathing process. Sometimes, people say, 'my breathing is not proper'. It shows that you are different from it. Pashyannapicha Na Pashyati Moodho (he is a fool who sees with his eyes yet does not recognise the reality). People are immersed in ignorance, since they identify themselves with something from which they are totally different.

Radiation is divine, and that is everyone's true nature. This is the magnetic power that is latent in every person. It is the same divine power that is present in temples, which attracts all. Magnetism is the nature of all temples.

There is gold in every person. Iron and various other metals are also present in them. The Vedas declare, Raso Vai Saha (God pervades the body in the form of essence).

What is the significance of Lingodbhava? God is known as Hiranyagarbha (one having a golden womb). The golden essence (rasa) present in His womb undergoes a vigorous churning process and assumes the shape of a Linga. Linga means a symbol or a sign. [Showing the golden Linga that He created in the beginning of His Discourse, Bhagavan said] As you can see, it has no distinctive features like eyes, face, etc. It has neither feet nor head. It can be placed in any manner. It symbolises the formless Divinity.

Leeyathe Gamyathe Ithi Lingaha. It is the basis of everything. The golden essence (rasa), after assuming the shape of a Linga, emerges out. You need fire in order to melt gold. Similarly, the fire within melts the gold and moulds it into the shape of a Linga. Hence, the difficulty at the time of its emergence. It has to assume the form of a Linga and come out.

You feel Swami is put to a lot of suffering (badha) at the time of Lingodbhava. It is not really a badha (suffering) but a bodha (teaching) for you. Is it not natural for a mother to undergo labour pains while giving birth to a child? Will any mother curse her child just because she is put to a lot of suffering? She always prays for the well-being of the child. In the same manner, Swami does not feel any pain at the time of the emergence of Linga. I don't consider it a badha. I am happy that I am imparting a significant bodha to so many of you. God has absolutely no suffering, no worries, and no difficulties whatsoever. But you feel that Swami is undergoing a great pain and suffering.

In order to facilitate the formation of these Lingas, My body has turned into a magnet. It is for this reason that I was finding it difficult to walk for the last three days, since My feet were getting stuck to the ground because of magnetic pull. Likewise, whatever objects I touched were getting stuck to My hands. It was not a trouble for Me. It is but natural, because My whole body became magnetic. Such power of attraction cannot be experienced by all. It is only in Divinity that you find such highly powerful magnetic force. These things cannot be revealed to all. Every person has such a divine magnet in them. But there are certain limitations. Divinity has no limitations whatsoever. Though Divinity transcends all limits, you try to impose certain limitations on it.

Magnetic power is present everywhere. The air, the water, the food, sound, everything is suffused with magnetic power. On deep enquiry, you will know that magnetic power has no limitations Daivadheenam Jagatsarvam (the whole universe is under the control of God). Sathyadheenamtu Daivatam (Truth is the essence of God). Everything is contained in the principle of Truth. When you uphold Truth, all the divine powers will manifest in you. Tatsathyam Utthamadheenam (Truth is controlled by the virtue of noble souls). Who is a noble soul? One who is of peace, love, and compassion.

People go on pilgrimages in search of God, since they are ignorant of their latent divine power. One who recognises the latent divine power need not undertake any such spiritual practice. A Russian lady by name Brigitte was full of magnetic power. Whenever she walked on the road, iron filings would get attracted to her. She was not allowed to enter any shop because the items there would get attracted to her. It is not enough if one has magnetic power, one should be able to keep it under one's control. She had no control over her magnetic power. She could not even have her food. Consequently, she died after a few days. Though she had the divine magnetic power, she died a premature death because she did not have the capacity to control it.

Someone who drives a car should also have the ability to control it. If one has no control over the vehicle one is driving, one is sure to meet with accident. The body can be compared to a magnetic car. The eyes are the headlights, the mouth is the horn, the mind is the steering wheel, and the stomach is the petrol tank. The four objectives of human life - dharma, wealth (artha), desire (kama), and liberation (moksha) - are like the four tyres. You should fill these tyres with the air of faith. The pressure of air filled in the front tyres should be different from that is filled in the rear tyres. The petrol (food) that is filled in the tank (stomach) should be pure and sacred. When the petrol is impure, there could be a blockage. Hence, sathwic food is recommended. Drinking water should also be pure and unpolluted. Only then will the 'car' be in good condition and will take us to the destination. One's life will be redeemed only when one understands the principle of one's body.

Happiness or worry is based on your feelings. If you consider the body to be a cause of worry, it will be so. On the other hand, if you consider it as sacred, it will be a source of happiness for you. In fact, there is nothing bad in God's creation. Everything is sacred and full of magnetic power. Body is like a temple with magnetic power. So, whatever actions you undertake should be sacred. When you do unrighteous activities, you have to face the consequences. Spiritual practices like repetition of the name (japa) and meditation (dhyana) confer only mental satisfaction. They cannot reveal the magnetic power.

There are nine paths of devotion. They are:

Atmanivedanam comes only after sneham. Hence, you should try to cultivate the friendship of God. Without sneham, you cannot reach the state of Atmanivedanam. Until you reach Atmanivedanam, you cannot understand the all-pervasive principle of divine magnetic power. Whatever activity you do, magnetic power is the basis.

Temples are nothing but centres of magnetic power (ayaskantha mandiras). Whatever power you experience in a temple is due only to the presence of magnetic power. You feel there is a great power in Tirupati. It is not the power of Venkateswara Swami, the presiding deity. It is the power of devotees' faith and surrender. Hence, there is tremendous magnetic power.

Ramayathi Ithi Ramah (that which attracts is the principle of Rama). God has the power of attraction. Take any temple for instance. Only the magnetic power is present there. That is the power of Divinity. It can be experienced only in temples and nowhere else. What is the reason? The deities installed in temples, the water used for Abhishekam, the flowers and the yellow rice used for worship - everything is full of magnetic power. That is why people are attracted to temples.

Our body is also like a temple with magnetic power. Hence, it has to be utilised for sacred purposes. When you give room to evil traits like anger, jealousy, and hatred, much of your magnetic power is wasted. The sense of smell, touch, taste, etc., are but the effects of magnetic power. A programme that is being broadcast in Delhi or Madras Radio station can be heard here simultaneously. What is responsible for this? The magnetic power carries the sound waves. No scientist or engineer can understand this.

Can a scientist explain the process of digestion and blood circulation in the body? No. In every being, the heart beats for a particular number of times. Which scientist can explain this? All this is ordained by God. Doctors feel proud of their achievements. But in fact, nobody can achieve anything without Divine Will. They know how a heart beats, but they do not know why it does so and who makes it function. It is not because of human effort but by the Divine Will that the body functions. But people are not able to understand this because of their ego and sense of doership.

No doubt, human effort is required, but nothing can be achieved without Divine grace. Here is an example. God has created paddy. But you cannot eat it as it is. You have to remove the husk, boil the rice, and prepare the food. This process of refinement is known as samskara. It lies in human effort. But creation is in the hands of God. Everybody should have firm faith in God. The ignorants do not believe in the existence of God. Even such people agree that there must be some transcendental power behind this creation. That very power is God, without whom man cannot exist.

As I have said earlier, a person is the combination of materialisation, vibration, and radiation. With the help of radiation (Atma) and vibration (life-force), a one is able to carry out life using materialisation (body) as the instrument. Body is the basis for performing action. It symbolises karma yoga.

Vibration helps one to think, and radiation is responsible for the functioning of vibration and materialisation. This is referred to in the Vedas as Prajnanam Brahma (Brahman is Supreme Consciousness). This is not just awareness, but Constant Integrated Awareness. It exists everywhere, all the time, totally. It has no distinction of day and night. It transcends the three states of waking (jagrat), dream (swapna) and deep sleep (sushupti). It is one and the same in all three periods of time. Ekam Sath Viprah Bahudha Vadanti (Truth is one, but scholars refer to it by many names). This is the divine magnetic power. It can assume any form like Rama, Krishna, and Easwara, depending on the feelings of devotees. All such names and forms are your imaginations, but in reality, God has no name and no form. Take for instance, water. It has no specific shape, but it assumes the shape of the vessel into which it is poured. Likewise, air is formless, but it assumes the form of a balloon or a football when they are filled with air. The names and forms are of your own making and are bound to disappear one day or the other. Hence, hold on to the fundamental principle of Divinity.

You may forget anything, but not God. Forgetting God amounts to forgetting yourself.

In ancient times, people lived for 110 and 120 years, because they led their lives constantly thinking of God. They never suffered from any diseases. They used to eat simple food. They had no knowledge of vitamins and proteins. They never took tablets like Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C, etc. They would get the required vitamins and proteins because they offered their food to God.

You can achieve anything in life if you strengthen your faith in God. In fact, you will become God yourself. You are not different from God. Understand this truth and attain the state of oneness. [Showing the golden Linga to the devotees Swami said], "As you all can see, this Linga is rather big. There is a meaning behind this. This is five tulas in weight. In every human being, there is the golden essence of five tulas known as Hiranyagarbha. You may be aware that there are some medicines with gold content. Gold represents energy in man and is the cause of his radiance. The gold content within each body is of this size only. It is this golden essence that makes the eyes see, and the ears hear.

There are thousands of taste buds in our tongue and lakhs of light rays in the eyes. The eyes, the tongue, and other sense organs derive their strength from the magnetic power present within. The golden essence pervades the entire body as a shield of protection. There is a thin layer of white skin just beneath the normal skin, which acts as a protective sheath for the blood. There will be bleeding only when the white skin is cut. God has kept the white skin below the normal skin for the sake of protection.

Whatever God does is for the welfare of all. This is the meaning of the prayer, Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu (May all the beings of the world be happy)! The Bhagavata says,

The cowherd maids (gopikas) had unwavering faith in Lord Krishna and thus could redeem their lives. Faith is the magnetic power that attracts Divinity. Though the mothers-in-law abused and the husbands were angry with them, the gopikas never rebutted. They were neither angry nor afraid. The sweet form of Krishna was imprinted on their hearts just like a picture printed on paper. Can the picture and paper be separated from each other? No. Likewise, Krishna was firmly installed in the hearts of gopikas. Such firm faith and devotion is the result of merits accrued over many births.

In order to attain God, one should have love and compassion. The taste of love is beyond description. It is highly sacred and makes one forget oneself in ecstasy. Sage Narada described love thus:

When you chant the Divine Name with love, you forget yourself. One attains fulfilment only when one becomes the recipient of Divine love. In order to attain Divine love, develop love in you more and more. When you have the magnetic power of love in you, whatever you study will get imprinted on your heart. If you do not have the magnetic power, you can never succeed in your endeavours, however hard you may try. You may study day and night, but without any result. Whenever you try to study, you will be overpowered by Nidra Devi (the goddess of sleep). Kumbhakarna will put you to sleep. On the other hand, when you develop the magnetic power in you, you will never feel sleepy while studying; Kumbhakarna will dare not look at you.

Students today waste a lot of time. They try to study only at the time of examinations. "O man! Do not feel proud of your education. If you do not offer your salutations to God and think of Him with devotion, all your education becomes useless."

Think of God at least once in a day. Do not pay heed to what others say. Someone may come to you and say, there is no God. Then immediately, you should ask, "Whose God? My God or your God? Your God may not exist for you, but who are you to deny the existence of my God?" With such firm conviction, you should argue with them.

But unfortunately today, people have become blind, having lost the eyes of faith. Develop faith and sanctify your lives. Faith alone can protect you at all times and under all circumstances. Do not give room for bad or ill feelings. Do not harm others. Do not criticise others . If you make others suffer, you will suffer much more. Not only you, even your family will have to face the consequences. Never forget this truth. God will confer well-being on you and your family only when you aspire for the welfare of others. Develop noble feelings, think of God, and make proper use of your time.

Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with the bhajan, Prema Mudhita Manase Kaho.