Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

EMBODIMENTS of the Divine Atma! I am addressing you thus, so that you may recall to your minds, at least occasionally; the noble truths that are treasured for your sake in the culture of Bharath; meditate on its width and depth and derive solace and strength therefrom. That is your privilege; the Avathar (divine incarnation) has come to call your attention to the profundity and profitableness of the Dharma (righteousness) that Bharath has been upholding for centuries, but, which is undergoing neglect at the hands of the very children of this land. Bharath was the home of many centres from where the message of eternal peace and Universal Love spread all over the world; but, today; it is in the grip of fear and anxiety, hatred and greed. The ways in which man spends his days are really ludicrous in the extreme. He craves happiness and is ever on the go in all directions in its pursuit. And, when he finds that when secured, the happiness is but a flash in the pan of misery, he starts cursing himself and' others. Though all the sacred books, all the saints of all the lands and all the creeds, and all the teachers and preachers have been saying that God alone is the source and spring of lasting happiness, man turns a deaf ear to the counsel and goes his own blind way.

There is the story of a young man who was riding a cycle on a dark night along a crowded road; the policeman on duty asked him to stop and alight, for, he had no lamp on his cycle. The fellow, however, shouted, "Policeman! Keep away. Of course, I have no lamp; but, beware, I have no brake, either!" That is the pathetic' condition of every one now. No one has the lamp of wisdom, or the brake of sense-control. How then can they go along the road to Anandha (divine bliss), without causing injury to themselves or others? The cyclist must have both; man too has need of wisdom and self-control. Or else, he is certain to ruin this chance he has got to save himself. Man has been sent into the world, in order that he may use the time and the opportunity to realise the truth that he is not man, but God. The wave dances with the wind, basks in the Sun, frisks in the rain, imagining it is playing on the breast of the Sea; it does not know that it is the Sea itself. Until it realises that truth, it will be tossed up and down; when it knows it, it can lie calm and collected at peace with itself. Food, clothing, shelter - these are incidental; the more you have, the greater the ill-health, the bother, the anxiety, the fear. And, nothing can save you from death, when you have to leave everything and disappear from the scene. If you are good, if you serve others to the best of your ability, and shower Love on all, then, though you may be away, your name will remain in the memory of man. That is the marble monument you can legitimately covet and work for. But, it is your duty to serve, and to be good, whether men honour you or throw scorn at you. What do you say, to your Master or Guru? "I Liberation want," or, "I Anandha want," isn't it? Well. The means of getting it is in your own hands. Liberation and Anandha (bliss) are in your hands already, packed between the upper cover (I) and the lower cover (want). 'I' means the 'ego;' 'want' means 'desire.' Remove the two covers, the ego and the desire. What remains is Liberation, Anandha. In order to remove the upper and lower covers, intelligence is wanted. That is why Gandhiji went round the country with the prayer Sabko Sanmathi dhe Bhagavan: "0 Lord, Give every one good intelligence."

Intelligence has to be directed to good ends; to seek and discover ways and means of expanding one's Love and deepening one's compassion. It should not descend to cynicism, and the search for faults in others. When a rose is held in the hand, its fragrance can give the holder joy; the fragrance can be enjoyed by people standing near. So too, when your intelligence is saturated with the fragrance of virtue and charity you can derive contentment and joy, and those around you also can share in the peace and harmony. It was as early as 1949 that I first came to Sandur State. At that time, there was no chance like this for Me to meet so many of you and tell you about such valuable spiritual principles. Everything in its own good time, as the saying goes. A flower blooms; but, a long time elapses before it grows into a fruit and is filled ,with nectarine juice. A child is born; but, he takes a long time to grow into a strong intelligent member of society. I am glad I came now and was able to meet and bless so many thousands of the people of Sandur.