Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

EMBODIMENTS of love! Bharatheeya culture declared from the outset that all people should be happy, that all should enjoy peace and prosperity and that all should lead sacred lives.

Mankind today has progressed immensely in the physical and social spheres. But in the field of morality and spirituality mankind is unable to give up narrowness and pettiness. What is the reason? It is because over many lives men have grown in selfishness. In every effort of man, in every aspiration, self-interest is the driving force. Man has become a plaything in the hands of selfishness. Whatever object he seeks, whomever he loves, it is out of selfishness and not for its own sake. No step is taken without regard for self interest. This intense selfishness has resulted in the total decay of human values. This monster of selfishness has pervaded every field of human activity... the physical, the social, the economic, political and moral fields.

Hence, the primary endeavour of man today should be to shed selfishness, develop spirituality and realise the Divine. Three basic changes should take place in man. That is the truth contained in the Sai principle. S" stands for Spiritual change. "A" stands for "Associational" (or National) change. "I" stands for Individual change. By this triple change the nation will prosper. Without a change in the individual, society will not change. Without a social transformation, spiritual transformation cannot take place in the heart.

Because the individual's behaviour has gone astray, society has got polluted. Concern for social good should influence every individual's action. The individual should give up the preoccupation with the interests of his own kith and kin. He must give up this attachment to "my and mine" and aspire for the divine.

Obsessed with worldly desires and forgetting God, man is immersed in misery. Even devotion is tainted by selfishness. It does not stem wholly from the heart. It is only part-time devotion and hypocrisy. All should realise that the Divine is the basis of everything in the universe. Having evolved from the animal, man should aim at realising the Divine. Unfortunately, men today are descending to animality. As a result, peace and order are vanishing from every sphere of life.

What is the use of all the progress m science, if people have no control over their senses and are not aware of the all-pervading Chaithanya (cosmic consciousness)? Everyone should recognise the indwelling Divinity in his heart.

In the Tamil land, many great saints have taken birth. Many great scholars were born in the Tamil land. One of the Tamil kings was very fond of horses and sent his Prime Minister to buy horses. During his journey the minister came across a holy man named Thirukannan. He was attracted by the teachings of the holy man. The sage said that all worldly pleasures were ephemeral and God was the only reality. Inspired by these teachings, the minister decided to give up his mission (of purchasing horses) and used the money given to him to build a temple for Shiva. Meanwhile, the king was worried about what had happened to his minister and why he had not come back. He came to know that the minister had used the money, given to him for purchasing horses, to build a Shiva temple. He had the minister arrested and put in prison. The minister was unaffected. He continued to chant the Lord's name in the prison.

Later the king realised his mistake. Recognizing that the minister was a great devotee, he summoned him to his presence and asked him What he had done with the king's money. He said: "Oh King! I used the money for God. What God had given, I gave it back to Him. Without the grace of God no one can have anything. Without the power of the Divine not a cell in the human can move, not a blade of grass will move. The whole universe exists by the will of God. Oh king! By a stroke of good fortune you have become a ruler. Because of my bad luck I became a minister."

That minister considered his becoming a minister as a misfortune. When one becomes a minister he should be prepared to use all his energies and powers in the service of the Divine. Only when Spirituality prevails, will humanness blossom. The lotus blooms when the Sun's rays fall on it. The lotus of the mind residing in the lake of the human heart will blossom when the light of Divinity illumines it.

The mind should blossom and proclaim the glory of the Divine. The minister told the king: “It is out of a realisation of this truth that I offered the money, given to me for buying a horse, to the Divine." The king ordered the freeing of the minister and allowed him to lead a spiritual life after his own heart.

From that moment he started composing hymns in praise of God. He wrote many hymns. This work is known as "Thiruvachakam." The author is known as "Manikka vachakar." His writings are spiritual aphorisms containing the sublimest spiritual truths.

This kind of transformation should take place in every person. Only then will Bharath become an exemplar 'for the world. Today men have become worshippers of Mammon. Such persons are not human at all. What use is there in endlessly seeking wealth without securing the peace of mind? Why don't you spend at least a few moments on thoughts of God?

How much bliss will you derive from devoting five minutes out of the twenty-four hours of a day, to worshipping God?

Prema and Seva (love and selfless service) are like a bird's two wings for a man. He can soar to any heights with those two wings. To cultivate these two qualities one has to achieve the triple purity in thought, word and deed. In addition one has to reduce one's desires. Today enormous money is wasted on useless luxuries while people grudge expenditure on incense and joss sticks. What folly is this!

Years come and go. What avails the passage of years if there is no change in the minds of men? Time is precious. It should be used in the service of the Divine. All actions should be dedicated to God. Only through renunciation can man realise the Divine. Today people have forgotten the meaning of sacrifice. Sacrifice is Yoga. Enjoyment is Roga (disease). Make your heart blossom every moment. That is the way to greet the new year. Realise your oneness with the Divine.

Promote love in your hearts and share it with others. That is the best form of worship. Love is the only property of Sai. My life is love. That is what I offer to one and all. I go on giving, giving. But to what extent are you putting into practice Swami's teachings? Practise silence for at least ten minutes in a day. Meditate on Swami's teachings at that time. Realise that in this transient world the Eternal is immanent. Hold fast to God. Experience the bliss of union with the Divine. Make love your life-breath. With love of God in their hearts the ancient sages could transform - even the wild animals in the forests.

On the New Year's Day in Thamilnadu people prepare a chutney made up of fruits, sweet, sour and bitter and take it as sign of their readiness to meet all situations in life with equanimity. Sorrow and happiness should be treated alike as gifts of God.