Introduction
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From 799 - 840
799
THE knowledge derived through the mind utilising
the senses is always incomplete, but the knowledge that is earned through the
Buddhi or intellect, illuminated by the Atma, is full, freeing and revealing the
Truth. The first is termed "Manojnana" and the second "Atmajnana". "Manojnana"
informs that you are distinct from others; that God is at Kailas, Tirupathi,
Kasi, or Prasanthinilayam. But Names, Forms and Temples are only for the
Kindergarten stage.
800
THE prayer that rose from millions in this country
from all its temples, yapiaskas, theerthas, holy sea fronts, shrines and altars
for centuries has been, "Sarve janaah Sukine bhavanthu", Let all the peoples of
the World be happy and prosperous. "Samastha Lokaah Sukino Bhavanthu", May all
the Worlds have peace and prosperity. So pray for all humanity, for the welfare
and happiness, the peace and progress of Russia, China, Africa, Pakistan and all
the countries of the World and all beings everywhere.
801
YEARN to fill your heart with Him, not with you.
Your yearning must be warm, so warm that it can be called "Thapas" (Heat).
Become hot (earnest). Now it is only a lukewarm longing, a surface activity.
Examine yourselves how far you have filled your heart within. Measure the
heights you have reached with the yardstick of virtue, serenity, fortitude
and equanimity. You now become easy victims of lust, anger, malice, envy and
the rest of that evil brood; the atmosphere of the heart is polluted by the
ego-fumes.
802
MAN has all the resources he needs himself. He can
tap them by identifying them and manifesting them and by sharing them with
others. He is Sath-Chith-Ananda; he is Siva-Sakthi Swarup, Matter-Energy. When
man extols himself, he is extolling God. Do not cultivate the conviction that
you are mere men; be assured that you are destined for Divinity. When Divinity
takes on the human form, as described in the Ramayana, the Mahabaratha and the
Bhagavatha, one has to interpret the actions as providing examples and lessons
and not as human stories enacted for entertainment.
803
THE five Pandava brothers are five qualities in
human character, all observing the norms set by the eldest, which is the noblest
and the most righteous. Rama is the example of uncompromising adherence to the
principle of Righteousness, regardless of the temptation to bypass it. Rama was
charged with a Love that transcended all considerations of advantage, Caste or
Creed and extended it to animals and birds, human and subhuman beings. Love is
the key to open the doors locked by egoism and greed.
804
WE have at present persons who pride themselves on
their encyclopedic scholarship and technical skills; they claim to know the
innermost secrets of Nature; they fly into outer space and even land on the moon.
But ask them if they have "Ananda" and can stay in "Ananda". They will reply
that they have not yet experienced it. If they know everything worth knowing,
why have they missed this? It is clear that they are suffering from some
delusion.
805
BE eager to confer consolation and courage; be
anxious to be of help. Watch for the chance. Snatch each opportunity to expand
yourself by sympathy, to enlarge the horizon of Love by understanding and prayer.
Do not keep another at arm's length, saying "My God is different from yours or
my God is opposite to yours". It can never be so. Paramatma, the Name for God,
does not mean a strange God but the Supreme God. Who can vouchsafe for the
correctness of the picture which you now worship as the picture of Rama or
Krishna? The poet described and the painter delineated, but both rely on their
imagination rather than on actual authentic vision.
806
CYNICS question the validity of the type of
adoration and say that it will only confirm faith in a superstition. "Can God be
a stone, or a piece of paper?", they ask. This attitude is not correct. By
adhering to the traditionally laid down ritual worship many aspirants have
attained the vision of the Omnipresent and stayed in that Incommunicable Bliss.
807
IN fact, Puja (formal worship at regular hours),
with the recitation of hymns and songs, is the very first step in the spiritual
pilgrimage. Many seekers have undoubtedly achieved an awareness of God by years
of asceticism among jungle caves. But starting early with puja and continuing
with scrupulous care, the rites of archana, bhajana and aradhana (offering of
flowers with the repetition of God's Name, singing His Glory and adoring Him as
a living presence), are more fruitful and satisfying.
808
PUJA, Japa, Archana and Aradhana are the letters of
the Spiritual Alphabet. The collection of the various items (lamps, camphor,
flowers, plates, caps, a bell and the book) are necessary for precious
hours-long concentration on the Divine. The Puja itself may take another hour or
two of concentrated and devout attention, and the performer rises up after the
recitations and meditations as a stronger and steadier pilgrim on the path.
809
THE sixteen modes of worship, laid down in the
Shastras to make the aspirant aware that he is the very presence, and that every
gesture and movement of his has to be motivated by devotion and dedication,
ensure the purification of the mind of men from ego and all its brood of
blemishes. This is "Chittha Suddhi", the cleansing of all levels of one's
consciousness.
810
PUJA or archana offered without a purified heart is
a sheer waste of time. But even a short sincere session of Puja, spent in Divine
Awareness, yields much fruit. Thiru Thondar, a Tamil Saint, confessed that he
had engaged himself in worship of the Lord's idol in order to cleanse his mind.
The material and the Form are inseparable, but the seeker must dwell on the Form
which he desires to be manifested in all its Glory rather than on the material.
811
WHAT exactly is implied by "Adhyatmic"? Is Bhajan
or congregational prayer "Adhyatmic"? Or does it involve "Japa" or "Dhyana"? Or
does it denote religious rituals and ceremonies? Or does it extend to
pilgrimages and holy places? No. These are only beneficial acts. "Adhyatmic", in
its real sense, relates to two progressive achievements or at least to sincere
attempts towards those two achievements: elimination of the animal traits still
clinging to man and unification with the Divine.
812
DHYANA is interrupted in most cases by worry and
anxiety regarding one's kith and kin, and one's earnings and riches. Since all
are manifestations of Maya, which is natural to Brahmam or Paramathmam, the
Paramathmam or Lord, in whom you take refuge, will certainly free you from fear.
Why? You are, each one, the Atman and nothing else. This is the reason why I
begin the Discourse, addressing you as "Divyatmaswarupas"!
813
THE mind is the altar. Place the animal which is to
be offered as oblation (the evil aspects of your character, behaviour, attitude
etc.) and sacrifice it to the deity involved. Though born as a human, man is
burdened by animal instincts and impulses that have attached themselves to him
during his previous lives as an animal. He has passed through many an animal
existence and each has left its mark on his mental makeup like a scar on the
skin when a wound has healed.
814
BUDDHI is the only instrument for realisation.
Jnana alone can grant the Vision, the ultimate Truth. That is why the Gayatri, a
Vedic prayer to the Light that fills the Universe to illuminate the
intelligence, is a prayer for prompting the spirit of inquiry and for
illuminating the path by the inner light of the Spirit.
815
YOUR devotion to God is best expressed by achieving
the control of the senses. For the senses rush towards the temporary and the
tawdry; and they foul the heart. I require from each of you no other gift, no
more valuable offering than the heart I have endowed you with. Give Me that
heart, as pure as when I gave it to you, full of the nectar of Love I filled it
with.
816
IT is certainly wasteful to spend precious time in
mere study without any attempt to translate it into action. You need not give
your word to Me now, but try to put into practice at least a few of the good
things that appeal to you and that are helpful in giving you peace and
contentment. To evoke the Divine in you, there is no better method than
Namasmarana.
817
YOU must take every step in Sadhana or in Samsara,
only after deep deliberation and satisfying yourself that it will be for your
good. Otherwise, it will be like the story of the weeping city. One day, a close
female attendant of the Queen came to the palace weeping in great sorrow, and so
the Queen began to shed tears. Seeing the Queen in tears, the entire Zannan wept
and the weeping spread to the male attendants also. The King, finding the queen
inconsolably sad, also wept profusely in sympathy, and the sight made the entire
city weep loudly without end. At last, one sensible person set in motion an
inquiry, which passed through person after person until the Queen herself was
accosted. She said that her attendant was in sore grief, and when she, a
washer-woman by caste, was interrogated, she confessed that it was all due to
the sudden demise of her favourite ass. Reason out; discriminate; and do not
rush to conclusion or be led away by mere hear-say.
818
WHEN you scatter seeds on the surface of the soil,
they do not germinate; you have to keep them inside the soil. So too, Bodha, if
scattered on the surface, will not germinate, grow into the tree of knowledge
and yield the fruit of wisdom. Plant it in the heart; water the plant with
Prema; and measure it with Faith and Courage. Keep off pests with the
insecticides of Bhajan and Sathsang, so that you may benefit in the end.
819
KARMA must not be felt as a burden, for that
feeling is a sure sign, indicating that it is against the grain. No Karma which
helps your progress will weigh heavily on you. It is only when you go counter to
your inner-most nature that you feel it as a burden. A time comes when you look
back on your achievement and sigh at the futility of it all. Entrust your mind
to the Lord before it is too late, and let Him shape it as He wills.
820
WHOM the Muslims adore as Allah, the Christians as
Jehovah, the Vaishnavas as Phullajaakshe and the Saivites as Sambhu, who grants
in answer to their several prayers, health, prosperity, and happiness to all
wherever they may be, He is the One God of all mankind.
821
FOOD and recreational habits are the two main
causes for ill-health. Great care has to be bestowed to ensure that injurious
tendencies do not affect these two. At present, drugs have multiplied and
hospitals have been established in every nook and corner, ill-health is also
widespread. This situation is attributable to the spread of deleterious food
habits and pastimes.
822
TO remove the evils of Egoism, Service is the most
efficient instrument. Service will also impress on the person doing the Service,
the Unity of all mankind. He who dedicates his time, skill and strength to
Service will never meet with defeat, distress or disappointment, for Service is
its own reward. His word will be ever sweet and soft and his gestures ever
revered and humble. He will have no foe, no fatigue and no fear.
823
THE Scriptures proclaim that health is the very
root of all endeavours in the four fields of human achievement: Dharma, Artha,
Kama, and Moksha. Without health, man cannot brave temptations, earn a decent
living, fulfill his basic needs or succeed in spiritual Sadhana. Man can engage
himself in obligatory and optional functions only if he is healthy.
824
THE same Divine Compassion that blessed Dhruva,
saved Gajendra, restored Kuchela and stood by Prahlada, has come to the Earth as
the Refuge of the refuge-less, as the Lord of Peace, Harmony and Righteousness,
as the Lord of all the Worlds, as the Sath Chith-Anandamurthi, as the
Puttaparthi Sathya Sai Sath-Chakravarthi, the king of kings.
825
INDIA is the land where the ideals of service,
renunciation and spiritual endeavour were born and have flourished. It is only
recently that India fell under the impact of alien cultures which highlighted
material comfort, physical luxury, sensual liberty, and exterior display; and
that Indians have trodden the wrong path of exploitation and violence, idleness
and pompousness. With the spread of alien cultures and alien ways of thought and
life, diseases too have multiplied and mental imbalances have increased.
826
DO not try to delve into Me; develop Faith and
Sraddha and derive Ananda through Prema. That is the utmost you can do; do that
and benefit. Do not run after all and sundry who blabber textbook stuff and wear
the cloak of fakir hood. Examine, judge and admire. Examine the daily conduct,
the motive, the outlook, the trend of the advice and the coordination between
what is said and what is done.
827
WITHOUT surrender there can be no liberation. So
long as you cling to the narrow "I", the four prison walls will close in on you.
Cross out the "I" and you are free. How to kill the "I"? Place it at the feet of
the Lord and say "You", not "I" - and you are free of the burden that is cursing
you. Associate always with the Niranjana, the vast, the unlimited, the Divine;
dream and plan to merge with the Absolute; fill your ears with the call from the
Beyond and the Boundless. Transcend the walls, the bars and bolts, the locks and
chains. You can do so easily by fixing your mind on your own Infinity.
828
I HAD to do My Dharma; and every act of Mine has
its significance which you cannot understand. You are in the dark and you fear
more. You cannot notice the heaps of earth and the pits on the road. You cannot
even know that the road is smooth and fine. There is no fault or partiality in
creation; be confirmed in that. Then you will no more waver in your faith. If
God's creation was faulty, all would have suffered equally.
829
LAKSHMI or wealth accrues by fair means as well as
foul; money is earned by gambling, by various forms of deceit; by highway
robbery; by high and low; by all and sundry. Worship Lakshya. I shall appreciate
you! Keep the Lakshya, the Goal of expanding your Love till it embraces all
beings, until it sees every being as your mind's eye; then, Lakshmi will, of her
own accord, favour you to the extent necessary for realising the Goal. Never
doubt that. Never falter.
830
YOU do not know the Gem shining inside you, the
Divinity whose effulgence is your intellect and whose reflection is the Prema
you evince. You know many things other than this, but not this essential thing;
you do not know where such and such a scholar lives in Venkatagiri, but you know
where such and such a film star lives in Madras: This is something to be ashamed
of, this loss of the sense of values. You must recognise the Higher, the Highest.
831
YOU believe that those who have no faith in the
Vedas and the Shastras and those who do not aver that there is some Omnipresent,
Omniscient Being, are Nasthikas. But let me tell you, those who revere their
Parents and foster them, and those who love and protect with care their brothers
and sisters, are Theists. Asthikas believe in Gratitude, Love, Affection, Duty,
and Dharma and these qualities are enough to save them from perdition.
832
THE Truth can flash only in a mind clear of all
blemishes. The first blemish that I would like to warn you against is: "inability
to bear the success of others". Envy is the greatest of the sins. Vanity, envy
and egoism are kin. They cut at the root of man's real nature. To feel proud
that you are a Bhakta is also a blot. Though you may be a mountain, you must
feel you are a mound; and you should not pretend to be a mountain.
833
ALL men are kin, they are of the same likeness, the
same build; moulded out of the same material, with the same Divine essence in
each. Service to man will help your Divinity to blossom, for it will gladden
your heart and make you feel that life has been worthwhile. Service to man is
service to God, for He is in every man and every living being and in every stone
and stump. Offer your talents at the feet of God; let every act be a flower,
free from creeping worms of envy and egoism and full of the fragrance of love
and sacrifice.
834
WHAT exactly is a dream? It is a dream within a
dream. It is a dream which unfolds before you even while you are "awake" in
another dream. It tries to shed some light, some joy, some courage, some faith,
some hope, and some meaning on the dream called Life. Naturally, man has to seek
all means of discovering the meaning of Life, for without knowing it, he is lost;
he wanders from birth to birth, receiving knock after knock and is seldom the
better for all the experience.
835
WHERE you go to a temple, you see the idol within
but your thoughts are with your footwear that you had to keep outside the gate.
These are matters that reveal the concentration that you are capable of. Every
little point has to be taken care of, lest the benefit of the Sadhana will be
lost. You cannot get liberation by merely coming here; you cannot get it even by
Dharsan, Sparsan, and Sambashan. You will have to follow the instructions, the
Ajna, the Order and the Directions.
836
MOKSHA or Liberation results from the breaking of
the Mind with all its vagaries and wishes. You have to break your Mind but, how
can you do it, when the fibrous armour of sensual desires encompasses it? Remove
it and dedicate the Mind to God and smash it in His presence. That moment you
are free.
837
ONE should accept the body as the "Tantra", one's
own breath as the "Mantra", and one's heart as the "Yantra". There is no need to
seek them outside oneself. When all words emanating from you are sweet, your
breath becomes Rig Veda. When you restrict what you listen to and prefer only
sweet speech, all that you hear becomes Sama Gana. When you do only sweet deeds,
all that you do is Yajur Homa. Then, you will be performing every day the
Vedapurusha Yajna, the Yajna which propitiates the Veda.
838
THE vehicle of human life is drawn by two wheels by
the senses, which are driven by Buddhi, with Viveka and Vairagya as the reins,
the two wheels being the Kala Chakra and the Karma Chakra. The spokes of the
wheel are the rules of Dharma, bound by the rim of Prema. The self is the Rider
and he will not come to harm if the axle is Sathya and the goal is Shanti.
839
THE Gita is for saving all and granting them
liberation. Gita, in Telugu, means a line; it draws a line across and cancels
the series of births and deaths; it teaches you to stand erect, unafraid, along
the straight path of Dharma, along the line laid down.
840
HAVING been born, man earns and acquires land,
riches, materials, grains and articles of comforts and luxury, which he feels
will give him happiness and which, therefore, become the object of his struggle.
But the object of realising God is forgotten. You may ask: why should anyone
seek good company, do good deeds, and direct his mind towards good thoughts? You
are listening to Me and what do you get when you so listen? You agree that I am
giving you Anandam. What do you give Me in return? Give Me the Aacharana of what
I am telling you, practice what I teach, that is enough. That is all I ask for.
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