Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

MANY describe at length the power of Sai, the love of Sai and the truth and peace that He embodies. But, do they really practise Sai’s teachings? The answer is an emphatic no. That is why I do not feel like giving discourses these days. People are heroes in giving speeches but zeros in practice. What is the use of speaking to those who do not put My teachings into practice? People are interested in acquiring bookish knowledge but not in practising what they have learnt. No benefit accrues by merely learning the teachings by rote. You only strain your throat when you do not practise what you preach. Different people have different opinions about the path of spirituality. However, spirituality can neither be described in words nor be understood by merely listening to discourses. Spiritual teachings cannot fill your heart with bliss unless you put them into practice.

It was the time of the Mahabharata war. One day, Abhimanyu approached his mother Subhadra with the request to grant him permission to enter Padmavyuha (lotus-shaped military formation). He prayed to his mother to bless him so that he could vanquish the enemy and emerge victorious. Subhadra said, “My dear son, I will certainly bless you to emerge victorious but ultimately it is God’s Will that prevails. Everything depends on His grace. How can I permit you to enter Padmavyuha knowing fully well the danger involved in it? Padmavyuha is not an ordinary formation. It has been devised by the great military genius Dronacharya himself. Moreover, your wife is in the family way. We do not know whether the time is favourable for us or not. Your father Arjuna and uncle Krishna are also not here to give you necessary guidance and support. Hence, give up the idea of going to the battlefield.” Abhimanyu replied, “Mother, there is no place where my uncle Krishna is not present. He is everywhere.” Bestowing her blessing on her son, Subhadra said, “Krishna is the embodiment of love. Every atom of the universe bears the touch of His love. His love can be experienced through love only; there is no other way to experience His love. But, my dear son, how can you experience it in the battlefield? You see Lord Krishna everywhere. But do not act out of ego. Do not think that your views have divine sanction.”

Lord Krishna permeates every atom of the universe.

Sarvatah panipadam tat sarvathokshi siromukham, Sarvatah sruthimalloke sarvamavruthya tishthati (with hands, feet, eyes, head, mouth and ears pervading everything, He permeates the entire universe). He is love personified. One can experience Him only through love. You can earn His grace only through love. Love can be conquered only through love. When there is love, the question of war does not arise at all. Love confers peace, prosperity, success, auspiciousness and bliss. They are not separate from each other; they are the various aspects of love. The principle of love is present in everyone in the form of atma. The atma is infinite and eternal. That is why the Vedas declared, Sathyam Jnanam Anantham Brahma (Brahman is the embodiment of truth, wisdom and eternity). Where is God? He is everywhere in the form of atma. He is present in all beings. All names and forms are His. He is the embodiment of truth and bliss.

God’s ways are mysterious. People develop doubts as they are unable to understand His actions. You consider something as good and some other thing as bad but everything happens according to God’s Will. You say yes for good and no for bad but both are the manifestations of God. Man tries to judge something as good for him and some other thing as bad. It is impossible for man to make correct judgement. How can he know what is good for him? Good and bad happen according to Divine Will. Certain forms may not be pleasing to the eye but for God everything is Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram (truth, goodness and beauty). How can you describe such a principle? There is beauty in whatever God does. But none can fathom His ways. From a worldly viewpoint, some things may appear bad to the eye but when you enquire deeply, you will understand the truth that everything is good. Since you have only external vision, you consider something as beautiful and some other as ugly. Whatever God creates is beautiful. But people are not able to appreciate real beauty because of their external outlook. If you enquire into the truth, you will know that everything in God’s creation is beautiful. To every mother, her child appears to be beautiful. None can deny this fact. A child may appear to be ugly to you but his mother sees only beauty in him. You have no right to dispute the judgement of the mother in this regard. Similar is the case with God’s creation. Then, how can you say that something is good and some other thing is bad? The entire world is full of beauty and charm. Can you show Me anything right from microcosm to macrocosm that is bad in this vast universe? It is impossible. You should accept everything as God’s Will with an open mind. Consider everything as good. You do not have any right to pass judgement on God’s creation or on what He does. The ways of God are highly mysterious and wonderful.

Prahlada was a great devotee of the Lord. He incessantly chanted the Divine Name of Narayana and consequently experienced his oneness with the Lord. He could see the entire world as the manifestation of Lord Narayana. God pervades the entire universe. Such being the case, how can you say that God is present here and He is not there? You see the world but you fail to recognise it as the form of God. In fact, everything is divine. Do not get deluded by whatever you see with your eyes.

Man does not have any power of his own. It is divine power that makes him function. But man, out of his ignorance, is carried away by a sense of doership and develops ego. This is what we witness in the world today. Under these circumstances, it is not possible to differentiate between truth and untruth. It is better to consider everything as good. When God is all-pervasive, how can there be anything bad? Try to visualise God everywhere. Do not superimpose your feelings on His. It is impossible to understand the principle of divinity through the study of scriptural texts or worldly education. Even sages and seers of yore were unable to comprehend divinity. He is beyond the three worlds. How can anyone understand such divinity? What Ajit Popat (an earlier speaker) has said is true. But one should be realistic in one’s views. You say that you have seen the form of Lord Vishnu. How does He look like? You say that He has Shankha, Chakra, Gada and Padma (conch, discus, mace and lotus) in His four hands. Shankha, Chakra, Gada and Padma are only symbolic. Such a form does not correspond to reality. It is only a superimposition of your feelings but not the ultimate truth.

Suppose, you find a snake in front of you while walking on a road. You think it is poisonous. Who is relatively more poisonous? Is not man more poisonous when all his thoughts, words and deeds are full of poison? In fact, he is more dangerous than the snake. Whatever is seen may not correspond to reality. You have to enquire deeply to know the truth. The Mahabharata is full of these teachings. He is a true human being who understands the teachings of the Mahabharata and puts them into practice. The sacred teachings of this epic are a great contribution of Bharat to mankind. With your limited understanding, you have no right to pass judgement on anything. True wisdom lies in accepting everything as good and following the path of truth.

There is love in each of you but you cannot experience it unless you give up body attachment.

How foolish is it to develop attachment to such a transient body? The world appears to be permanent but in reality it is not so. What appears good to the naked eye may not be so in reality. To see bad in good is a great sin. You should try to see good even in bad. Never condemn anything as bad. Even if something appears to be bad, you should enquire deeply and try to visualise the positive aspect in it. You find innumerable forms in this vast world. However, all forms have emerged from the same source. They are the different aspects of the same divinity. All forms are essentially divine. Such being the case, how can you condemn something as bad? Everything is good. When you eat food, you consider it sacred. So long as the food remains in your stomach, you feel it is good. But when it comes out as waste, you cannot bear its sight and smell. If it is so disgusting, how could you keep it in your stomach earlier? Good and bad depend on your likes and dislikes. Leave aside your likes and dislikes. You have to keep in mind what God likes. Only God knows what is good for you. Hence, surrender to His Will and take refuge in Him.

The principle of love cannot be described in words. All descriptions will only reflect a part of the whole truth. So, instead of trying to describe it, make efforts to become deserving of God’s love. Love is the form of God. He may bestow His love on you in any form. Love is your ultimate goal. Only love can sanctify your life. Hence, develop love more and more. Love alone will protect you. Love for the physical body is attachment. A child becomes a youth and a youth becomes old, and accordingly the physical body undergoes change and gradually loses its beauty and charm with the passage of time. But love remains constant at all times. The term prema (love) is not just a word; it has a form. There is no place where love does not exist. Love is all-pervasive. It encompasses anda, pinda and Brahmanda. Love is the basis of all our activities such as eating, talking, walking, etc. In fact, love sustains our life. People tend to forget such a sacred principle of love even after knowing its significance. How foolish they are! One should experience love, enjoy it and share it with others.

It is impossible to describe the principle of love in full. Love attracts all. Love of God has manifested in the form of Nature. Therefore, Nature attracts all. Karshati iti Krishna (Krishna is one who attracts). God attracts everyone and confers bliss on all. He is the embodiment of sweetness. People prepare various types of sweets but sugar is the same in all. Similarly, divinity is the same in all names and forms we see in this world. God cannot be limited to any particular form. Consider all forms as His. You may go anywhere, worship any form. All forms are divine. When you develop such love for and faith in God, you can see Him everywhere and experience His love. It is not possible to experience divinity without developing love. That is why the Gopikas prayed to Krishna thus:

Oh Krishna, play Your sweet flute and sow the seeds of love in the desert of loveless hearts.

The Gopikas yearned for Krishna’s love and nothing else. You are the drops of nectarous love. A number of drops join to make a stream which ultimately merges in the ocean. But today man is not able to understand what true love is. If he likes a particular object, he thinks he loves it. When you have likes, you will also have dislikes. But when you have love, there cannot be anything negative. Love is changeless and eternal. It is divine. It is truly the form of divinity. Ekam, Nityam, Vimalam, Achalam, Sarvadhee Sakshibhutam, Bhavateetam, Trigunarahitam (One without a second, eternal, pure, unchanging, the witness of all functions of the intellect, beyond all mental conditions and the three gunas of sattwa, rajas and thamas).

It is not possible to describe love in worldly parlance. It is foolishness to think of love in a worldly sense. You cannot find a term equivalent to love. You may describe love in various ways for your own satisfaction. But none of them corresponds to the reality. Only love equals love. It is not possible to describe it in any other way. It is this divine principle of love which you have to understand and practise.

You may get immersed in love, experience it and enjoy it. But your hunger for love can never be satiated. Love can be experienced only through love. There is no other path to experience love. Love is love and that is all. Have firm faith that God is the embodiment of love. Love Him wholeheartedly. Do not superimpose your worldly love on God’s love. His is the only true and eternal love. Focus your love only on God. God is present everywhere in the form of love. You should

never entertain doubts in this regard. The stream of love should flow in you incessantly. Only then can you have the divine vision. No doubt, you have the desire to see God but you are not expanding your love. If you are interested, I am ready to grant you the vision of God. But you can see Him provided you cultivate true and eternal love in you.

I always teach you love, love and love alone. You may try to describe love in various ways. It is impossible to do so. Love has only one form, i.e., the form of attraction. Love confers bliss and grace. Love is God, live in love. On some other occasion, I shall dwell further on the principle of love. Worldly love is but artificial. But man, out of his ignorance, thinks that there is happiness in it. All that man loves is negative. He should direct his love towards the positive principle. It never changes. Here is a small example. You have been coming here for a number of years. Do you ever feel satiated with Swami’s darshan? No. The same Swami whom you saw in the morning comes again in the evening. But you long to see Him again and again. The reason for this longing is love.