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Anil Kumar's Sunday Satsang at
Prasanthi Nilayam
August 19, 2001
The Sunday Talk Given by Anil Kumar
August 19th, 2001
The New Ten Commandments (Part Two)
OM… OM… OM…
Sai Ram
With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Recap of the First Two Commandments: ‘I’ and ‘We'
Last week we began discussing a new set of Ten Commandments. I
recall covering three of these commands. I will briefly repeat
them now for the benefit of those who were not here last time.
The first commandment is the most damaging, one-letter word, ‘I'.
It is better to avoid it. It is damaging to always claim, "I am
that. I am this." We won’t have any place in the spiritual field
unless this ‘I’ is removed. ‘I’ is used when referring to nativity,
achievement, occasion, avocation, profession, etc. This 'I'-ness
should go.
The second commandment is a most satisfying two-letter word. What
is it? ‘We'. We should use it. We can see from our experience that
when people come in a group here, Bhagavan usually grants them an
interview. This is because ‘we’ is satisfying and ‘I’ comes next
or last. Bhagavan wants us to develop this great sense of 'we'-ness,
which is so great. (Please notice that the number of each command
equals the number of letters in the command!)
Bhagavan gave a few examples to illustrate this. A forest consists
of an infinite number of trees, but a single tree will not make a
forest. A number of residences or houses make up a village, but a
single house will not constitute a village. Many people make up a
community. A single person will not constitute a community.
Similarly, there is tremendous happiness and infinite joy in the
sense of ‘we.’ So, it is a most satisfying word, this two-lettered
word 'we'.
Recap of The Third Commandment: ‘Ego’
The third commandment is about the three-letter word, ‘ego'. We
should kill it. If we don’t kill the ego all by ourselves,
Bhagavan will take care of it! (Laughter) He won't spare the ego.
He won't let it flourish. As I told you last time, because of the
probability of ego coming into your life next year, Bhagavan will
operate on you today itself. He will do pre-surgical treatment
instead of post-surgical treatment! Bhagavan will not tolerate
even a trace of ego.
When we want to act smart by trying to get the first seat in the
first row, Bhagavan may come from the other side or darshan may be
cancelled altogether! This is because our ego wants us to get up
and project ourselves. We are not supposed to get up unless He
points to us and calls us to go. However, sometimes we are so
enthusiastic that we (prompted by our ego) get up anyway. We don’t
want to call ourselves egotistic, but still that is the ego once
again.
Not admitting that there is ego when one has it, is double ego! (Laughter)
Let us say that there is ego in me, but I don’t admit it. So you
can call this 'double' ego or 'triple' ego or even 'multiple' ego.
If I get up, Baba may say, "Sit down. Not you! I mean the other
one next to you." (Laughter) Finished, finished, finished! I won't
dare to get up again in my lifetime! Or, suppose He asks one of
you to distribute chocolates or sweets. I may get up and try to
assist you, just trying to act smart. He’ll call to that man and
say, "Did I ask you to get it done through that man? You should do
it yourself or not do it at all!" Both of us will get punishment -
the man with the ego and the man keeping company with him. As we
appeared together, it is a 'joint' operation (of ego demolition!)
by Bhagavan.
Ego is the most dangerous thing anywhere in the vicinity of
Bhagavan. He will not tolerate it at all. I can give you any
number of examples relating to this, regarding persons of
prestigious positions. However, I had better not do it for my own
safety and security! (I might have to quickly pack my luggage in
order to flee!) (Laughter) We may feel very sorry to watch how
Bhagavan removes ego (oftentimes painfully) from people. But
Bhagavan knows that the ego is the biggest obstacle or stumbling
block to know and experience the Divine. So He removes it, even
though it may be agonizing to the people.
The Fourth Commandment: ‘Love'
Now we come to the fourth commandment. The fourth command is the
most used, four-letter word, 'Love'. 'Love' has two implications.
But we only recognize one aspect. We think that only positive
things are coming out of 'Love'. But this is not so! The things
that seem negative to you are also born out of 'Love'.
For example, punishment is also given out of Love. Bhagavan may
neglect you. He won’t talk or look at you out of Love. He does
this in order that we will examine, evaluate, and reform ourselves.
'I was very busy finding faults with everybody until now. But now
let me find my own faults.' A sadhana or spiritual practice given
to all of us to follow is, "Seek out your own faults and other’s
merits". It is the worst possible sin to go on pointing out the
faults of others. We have to discover our own faults.
Bhagavan goes one step further: He says that the faults that you
find in others are not actually there. Whatever you find (see)
outside is nothing but whatever is present within you. Those
faults you see outside are nothing but the reflections of your own
inner being. Therefore, love all. There is no condition or
stipulation or limit there. Love, love, and love alone! This is
the most powerful antibiotic in order to be very close to Bhagavan.
This is a 'must' for everybody at all levels - people of all
countries, all communities, and all cadres in the organization.
Love is very, very necessary. Even though He neglects you, heavily
'bangs' (reforms) you, or scolds you in public, still you must
love Him. You are not free to cry. Why? When you understand that
Bhagavan is scolding you in your own interest, you will continue
to love Him. When you are convinced that it is in your own best
interest, then you’ll continue to love Him, even though He ignores
you.
Experience of Bhagavan’s Love
Here is one simple example, though it is not a pleasant one!
Somehow Bhagavan was upset with me long ago, about ten years
earlier. He came down very heavily on me. He threw terrific verbal
missiles at me in public, more powerful than 'scud' missiles.
Ka-da!, Ka-da! (Sound effects…Laughter) I felt very, very sad and
badly about it. Since that was the first year of my coming into
His fold and into the organization, I could not help but react.
That evening I put on a long face because, instead of being
appreciated in public, I was scolded. We expect appreciation,
tributes, and felicitations. I have been used to that all along. I
did not know this 'B-side' of the cassette! (Laughter) I got used
to the 'A-side', but He also made me listen to the 'B-side' too,
which was to be humiliated and insulted. I felt so badly.
That evening He said, "Come on, get up!" (Anil Kumar snapped his
fingers) Then Swami started giving a discourse and I had to
translate. What did He say? "When I scold some people, they feel
so badly. (Laughter) Thousands and thousands of people come here
for darshan. Out of them, only a few people get an opportunely to
be close to Me. Very few people have the blessing of working in
the Organization. I want them to be perfect, above blame, beyond
blemish, and without any mistake. I scold and correct them in
order to perfect them. But some people appear to feel so badly
about it."
Actually, in this case it was not 'some people', but only one
fellow - me! (Laughter) Perhaps Swami thought that if it was said
directly, the case would be further worsened. Then He said, "I
correct and scold you because I love you. If I didn’t care about
you, I would just leave you alone. I would leave you to yourself.
I scold you because I want you to improve. You should understand
this."
So my friends, Love includes both praise and blame, pain and
pleasure, felicitation and condemnation, preference and being
totally ignored. It includes repeated interviews and being in a
state of abyss, totally lost. It is something like a pendulum. A
pendulum moves back and forth to both sides. As it goes to one
extreme, that side will feel happy and think, 'The pendulum is
near me.' Next moment…ta-da! It goes to the other side. If the
whole structure were fully aware that it moves equally on both
sides, then it would be steady. There is time because of the
movement of the pendulum. Time is God. God is time. God transcends
time and He is the Master of time. There is time because of this
oscillating movement of the pendulum. So, both things happen in
life out of Love. We should understand that.
This love is beyond our own understanding. In life, we should be
ready not only for positive things like recognition and rewards.
We should also be ready for 'whips and lashes', which are also
given out of Love, with the desire for our perfection. Bhagavan
gives the example of a boulder. It is shaped into a beautiful idol
of Krishna with the help of a chisel and a hammer. Unless this
stone passes through the pain and the agony of continuous
hammering and chiseling, it would not take the shape of a
beautiful idol, deserving adoration and worship.
All the difficulties, tragedies, and calamities in life are not
the curses of God! They are equally the gifts of Grace. This is
easier said than done! It is easy to say, but it is very difficult
to pass through. Yet, a fact is a fact. God gives gifts only. They
are all boons. It is up to us to take it in the correct and
positive sense. So, Love means that state which is absolutely,
totally positive. We should never take it in the negative sense.
This is a four-letter word, which is beyond age, time, position,
and circumstances. We have to value this Love.
The Fifth Commandment: Smile!
The fifth command is a most pleasing five-letter word. What is
this five-letter word? Smile! Keep wearing a smile. People will
come to you if you have a smiling face. Please take it from me: If
we put on an ugly, horrible, serious face, nobody will look at us
- not even God! (Laughter) The lesson I have learned is to cry at
home and smile in front of Bhagavan, even if I have genuine
grounds to cry. (Laughter) I may have good reasons to cry, but He
will avoid me if I cry in front of Him. All the people sitting by
my side will also have to bear the cross of my tears and face the
brunt of it.
All of us should keep on smiling! This is the most pleasing thing.
We have to learn from Bhagavan. We always see Him smiling. One
incident happened long, long ago. His own brother-in-law, His
sister’s husband, died. Kasturi, a senior gentleman here, went to
Bhagavan. What did he see? Swami was standing, leaning against the
wall crossed-legged smiling. Though His brother-in-law had just
died, Kasturi found Him smiling.
Kasturi could not say, "I'm very sorry for the bereaved. My
condolences." We can't say those words in front of Bhagavan, as
they have no relevance. So he said, "Swami, many are feeling sad
in the Ashram." (Laughter) Swami answered, "Why, why?" Kasturi did
not say, "Your brother-in-law has died." Instead he said, "Swami,
so-and-so, a gentleman, passed away. He was a very friendly man
and people are feeling very sad about it."
Please note this. Bhagavan said, "Why should you feel sad? If such
things didn’t happen, what work would I have here in this world? (Laughter)
If there were no arrivals and departures of trains or airplanes,
the station master or general manager would not have a job. He’d
be unemployed."
Therefore, He was enjoying it. Is that possible at the human level?
No, it is impossible! That is a smile, which is beyond duality. It
is a smile that represents uniformity and equanimity. Our
ever-smiling, never-failing, ever willing God is Bhagavan Sri
Sathya Sai Baba. You find Him smiling at all times, even in the
midst of a tight work schedule.
Yesterday one boy sustained a fracture while playing football. He
was sitting for darshan. Swami came and said, "Ah! What happened?"
The boy answered, "Swami, I have a fracture." Bhagavan started
smiling and said, "A fracture? Very good!" (Laughter) Another
fellow broke his leg. Bhagavan smiled and said, "Very good. Sit on
the chair. Now you are a 'chairman'! (Laughter) You got elected as
the Chairman without having to pay money for it and without
contesting in an election!" (Laughter) Could you smile like that?
No, it is impossible!
Once in Kodaikanal, Bhagavan had a fever. He called one lecturer
saying, "Hey, come here!" That lecturer took His temperature and
found it to be 104 degrees. I noticed that His body was shivering
and also sweating. I moved very close to Him. He said, "Hey! What
is it?" (Laughter) Conveniently, diplomatically, and in a
political statesman style I said, "Swami, let us not have the
public meeting this evening. Let the discourse be cancelled." I
did not say, "Let me cancel the meeting because You have fever."
Who am I to cancel it? I am also not supposed to say, "You have
fever.’ (Laughter)
Bhagavan asked, "Why?" He wanted me to commit myself! Then I said,
"Swami! There is rain outside." (A.K. and everyone laughs) Yet God
knows everything. I cannot cover up my diplomacy! No. Immediately
He said, "Hey, it isn't a matter of rain. People have already sat
for the bhajan. Oh! You may be suffering because of the rain! You
can stay back. I will go." (Laughter) Then I went close to Him and
whispered into His ear, (Anil Kumar drops his voice to a low
whisper,) "Swami! Temperature, temperature!" Swami answered, "Sit
down! No, I will go." It is very hard, I know!
He sat there and was saying, "Hmmm. Good, good. My temperature is
good." He called the same lecturer again after ten minutes saying,
"Come on, get the thermometer." The thermometer recorded a normal
temperature of 98.4 degrees! "So! Let’s go and have the meeting!
I’ll definitely give the discourse." He then looked at me and said,
"So many devotees have assembled there in anticipation of the
discourse. I cannot send them home disappointed! My devotees
should never be disappointed. I will go and talk to them."
Bhagavan finds some time to laugh and He spends time with the
youngsters, even in times of fever or busy work. We should also
keep such a smile!
It is very unfortunate that many people are cut off miles and
miles from smiles. (Laughter) They don’t know how to smile. It’s a
tragedy! A tragedy of human life is not being able to smile. We
have to pity and pray for such unfortunate people. "You cannot
always oblige but you can always speak obliging." You can greet
people smilingly, "Sai Ram! How are you this morning?" After all,
you won’t lose anything by doing so. It is very necessary to be
quite accessible, so that people can meet you and get things done.
You will look healthy and fresh when you smile.
The Sixth Commandment: Rumors
The sixth commandment is the fastest-spreading six-letter word. It
is faster than a jet fighter and faster than the Concorde! What is
it? 'Rumors' - IGNORE THEM!
Many people come and ask me, "Sir, when is Swami going to
Bangalore?" Today Swami is here! Why do you want to send Him there?
Why are you worried about Him leaving? (Laughter) Why are you
interested? Some people come and say, "When is He going to
Mahaboob Nagar?" (a town in the Mahaboob District of Andhra
Pradesh). I don’t know! We’re interested in knowing when He’s
leaving, forgetting the fact that He is already here today! How
unfortunate and ridiculous it is!
Rumors spread like wild fire! Some people say, "Sir, I heard
such-and-so. Is that true?" The very fact that you doubt is enough
to state that it is not true. We are not here to spread rumors.
Spreading a rumor is a sin for a spiritual aspirant.
I am the last person to interpret any of Swami’s sayings. I do not
interpret. I just quote Swami. That’s all. We should not interpret
because we may be wrong. Let me not imagine or interpret. Just let
me quote. That’s all. There are thirty-one volumes of Sathya Sai
Speaks. One need not interpret, spoiling the nascent beauty and
grandeur of the Divine statements. We can explain His statements
with the help of His speeches, not in any other way. I strongly
believe this.
Bhagavan’s Advice Regarding Rumors
We should get clarification from Swami. Please note this point.
This applies to everybody, as we are susceptible to rumors and
gossip. People do not have valuable things to say, so they resort
to rumors. It is all useless stuff. It makes us equally useless.
One gentleman asked this question, "Swami! We hear so many rumors.
People come and tell me so many things. What shall I do?" Bhagavan
said, "You hear all the rumors because you have ears. You can
close your mouth, but you cannot close your ears, as they are wide
open. I understand how helpless you are. Yet, I gave you legs also!
(Laughter) When you find it painful and undesirable to remain, you
can simply walk out of that place."
So, one should ignore rumors. Never go by rumors because rumors
are not genuine. Rumors will not contribute to any development,
growth, or progress. A rumor is useless talk, which has no basis
at all. Therefore, ignore them.
The Seventh Commandment: Success
The seventh commandment is the most enviable seven-letter word to
be achieved. What is it? S-u-c-c-e-s-s. What is success and how to
achieve it? Actually, there is nothing like failure in this world.
The real success in spirituality lies in maintaining balance. Even
failure turns into success when you maintain equanimity, a
balanced state of mind.
Bhagavan often gives one example to illustrate this. You must have
heard of Noble Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore. Once, when he was a
boy, it was his school’s Anniversary Day. He came running home and
met his father, Devendranath Tagore, who was a saintly man. He
said, "Father! I'm very happy today!" His father replied, "I know
my child! You are happy because today is your school’s Anniversary
Day. Am I right?"
Rabindranath Tagore replied, "No, Dad, I am not only happy because
of that. There will be prize distribution today. I don’t have a
prize, but I am so happy because my own elder brother is going to
get four prizes!" His father felt happier with him than with his
elder brother. He was jumping in joy because his brother would
receive four prizes. This is what is called success.
We have our own yardstick or parameters of success. I feel I'm
successful if I get four prizes. However, if you don’t get any
prize, I am of course more successful! (Laughter) If I get an
interview I'm successful, but if you don’t get one, I have greater
success. This is a most unfortunate attitude. This should not
happen. I should be happy even if you get an interview.
Believe me or not, Bhagavan said that this feeling of sharing is
more among the foreigners. If Bhagavan calls a group of foreigners
for interview, even the members of other groups feel very happy.
When they come out, the others say, "Oh! Congratulations! Swami
spoke to you? Oh, really? So nice! What did He say?" They also
share the joy. So, success lies in not being affected by failure
or by being left out. One should not be carried away or too
sensitive about it. One should not take it personally. If I'm
balanced, even failure is a success.
Here is a simple example. Lord Krishna was smiling at the time of
war. He was very happy. Somebody went and asked Him, "War and
bloodshed are going on! So why are you happy and smiling?" Krishna
answered, "This is the time when all the evil will be destroyed."
God comes in a human form to annihilate the wicked and to protect
the pious.
Our Bhagavan Baba gave another example. When I have surgery, I
should feel happy because a diseased part of my body is being
removed. I should not cry because thousands and thousands of
bacteria will be killed! No! It is only to save the body.
Similarly, "failure is a stepping stone to success", as the
proverb goes. The real success at all levels lies in that.
Socrates continued to be peaceful, although his wife was often
shouting at him. He maintained balance and didn’t fight with her.
It was not a Korean War! He was simply smiling. We remember
Socrates for his balance and not his wife for shouting! In fact,
it was also a success for his wife because she could shout
full-throated and her husband did not react, retaliate, or retort.
He did not turn violent and hit her. He just sat silently,
colorless, odorless, and tasteless, like a stone. That’s all.
However, according to the world, Socrates was the real success.
True Success
So, silence is success. But failure can also be success! Success
has a different connotation in spiritual parlance. We cannot take
it to mean the same thing as in the worldly way. After all, for
example, some of us may be a failure in our business, a total flop
in the worldly sense. Take the cases of Tukaram and Kabir. They
were total flops in business, but highly successful spiritually.
It is only our perspective that decides whether we are successful
or not.
Albert Einstein was a great man. He brought about a revolution in
the field of physics. The study and research of physics changed
altogether because of Einstein’s 'Theory of Relativity'. Everybody
knows his name, but I do not know how many of you are aware of
something else. Toward the end of his life, he left a brief note
of a single sentence and died. What is that sentence? He wrote, "If
I am to be born again, I want to be born as a plumber and not as a
scientist." Would you expect words like that from such an eminent
scientist? Albert Einstein was fed up and totally disgusted with
all the name and popularity. He also witnessed the greatest
catastrophe that mankind had to face, the atomic bombing of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That was the 'benefit' to mankind from the
research of Einstein.
He noticed the calamity and tragedy that was at the doorstep of
mankind. Therefore, he was not mindful of the name, fame, and
prestige of being a researcher. He never wanted to be born again
as a scientist. He wanted to be born as a plumber, unnoticed,
unhonored, unwept and unsung for. "Let me be a simple man." That
is the success as understood by Einstein in the last moments of
his life.
Alexander the Great thought that he was successful, being
conqueror of the whole world. Yet, was he really successful? No!
When he was dying he declared, "Let the whole world know that I
came with empty hands and that I'm returning empty-handed." What
is the success? To know that we were empty in the beginning and
that we’ll be empty at the end. There is only a heavy load of
luggage in between! Success lies in realizing this fundamental
truth of life.
Aloneness and Solitude
Long back, there was a wide rumor that all the seas would swell
up, floods would come, and the whole world would be drowned. It
was believed that humanity would perish! At that time, I read one
small item in the newspaper. One fellow climbed up a treetop and
he was resting there for four days. (Laughter) Journalists came
and asked, "Hey, boy! Why are you there?" That fellow answered, "Don’t
you know? All of you are going to die! Only I am going to survive!"
Oh, thank you! If everyone dies, what will YOU do afterwards?
Life lies in company, in community sharing, and in caring. Life
lies in loving, not in aloneness. Some people are asked, "What are
you doing now?" Their answer is, "I am left to myself." You’re
left to yourself? Perhaps you are an incorrigible fellow, so you
are living by yourself? Imposing aloneness is not spiritual.
Solitude is spiritual, but aloneness is a punishment. If I come
and tell you, "I am feeling lonely, Sir," you will not say, "You
are spiritual, Anil Kumar." The statement "I am lonely" is
negative. It means that I am alone because I am forsaken or given
up by everybody. But solitude is positive. It is when I leave
everyone, wanting to be left alone (even though everyone wants to
see me and I have enough work to do). Solitude is spiritual. It
will make you wiser and wiser. Aloneness is burdensome, a curse
and likely to take you to madness.
Therefore, the real success lies in enjoying solitude, failure,
and poverty. Why shouldn’t poverty be a sign of success? You must
have heard of the epic Mahabharata. In it, the five Pandava
brothers preferred to stay in the forest where they were exiled
though legally they were rulers of the empire. That is success!
Success is a state of mind when I love my poverty, and when I
really realise that failure is also good for me. There lies the
real success. I wanted to share that idea with you.
The Eighth Commandment: Jealousy
The eighth commandment is the most incorrigible eight-letter word.
What is it? Jealousy. As Swami passes by, He may suddenly
materialize a ring for someone. Then He will talk to another man
saying, "Are you jealous?" (Laughter) Many of you might have
experienced this. He will immediately know how jealous we are. We
wear gloves while working on electric wires, so we won’t be
electrocuted. In the same way, as a precaution He may say, "Jealousy?"
We will answer, "No, Swami!" When Swami says it beforehand, you
will not feel jealousy later.
One day He materialized a watch for one lecturer. He looked at me
and said, "Hey! Are you jealous?" I answered, "No, Swami! I
already have this watch that You gave me." Swami is the ultimate!
He answered, "You do not feel jealous only because I have already
given you one! It is not correct. It is neither a virtue nor a
good quality. You should not feel jealous even if you had not
received one beforehand! Then you would be a good man."
You are a noble and virtuous man if you don’t feel jealous when
the other man receives something that you don’t have. Jealousy
leads to wars and restlessness. It is the cause of anger and the
foundation of frustration. It will make us restless and sleepless.
It also affects our performance and our relationships with others.
If I am jealous, I will not be friendly, happy, or effective at
work. If you’re handsome, I should appreciate it. Instead, if I am
jealous, I become uglier. I'm already ugly and jealousy will make
me uglier! We become much worse because of jealousy. I think I'm
clear.
Be Lavish in Praise
Let us learn to appreciate others. We should follow the simple
principle: Be lavish in praise. However, it should not be
hypocritically. We may say, "Good to see you! Nice meeting you!
God bless you! It was so nice to hear you speak." If you care to,
afterwards you can pass on some comments and suggestions like, "Who
is that fellow to speak? We can't understand what he means!"
I will only exhibit my own jealousy by underestimating others,
criticizing, and looking down upon them. If I don't show them the
respect and esteem that they deserve, nothing will happen to them.
But it shows that there is something wrong with me. I will be
exhibiting my own jealousy. If I don’t say "Sai Ram" or "Hello" to
you, you will not lose anything. I will be the only loser. One
should always be lavish in praise and peevish in blame.
It is absolutely necessary to be peevish in blame. It means that
we should never blame people. The Holy Bible declares, "Judge ye
not lest thou shalt be judged." I have no business to judge or
evaluate anybody. No. I may think I am greater than you are, but I
am less in front of another man who is higher and greater than I
am. There’s nothing like an absolute. Everything is relative. I'm
taller than you are because you’re short. Yet, I'm the short one
in front of another man who is taller than I am! Am I correct?
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa gave one example. You must have seen
glowworms that start shining in the nighttime. Those worms think,
"We are shining!" Then stars appear after sometime. The glowworms'
light is nothing in front of the light of the stars. They feel
humbled and belittled. The stars then think, "Ah! We are shining."
Then the moon rises, and in its light, the stars stand nowhere.
The moon thinks, "I am the Lord!" Yet, at 6:30 in the morning, the
sun will say, "Sit down. I am here! It is my turn." (Laughter) So
my friends, things are absolutely comparative and relative. No one
is absolutely great nor absolutely small or little.
There’s no reason for any one of us to feel jealous of anybody. On
the other hand, when we share, we’ll feel even happier. I feel
happy by congratulating you and complimenting you. That’s the
reason why people congratulate others on their birthdays or
wedding anniversaries. They don’t get anything special with this,
but we feel very happy by sharing. Sharing is celebration, sharing
is caring, sharing is loving.
All this is possible if there is no jealousy. Jealousy stinks like
a skunk. It is the most stinking thing in this world Let us not
entertain it, as it is the worst of the bad qualities. It also
gives way to several other bad qualities.
The Ninth Commandment: Knowledge
The ninth commandment is the most powerful nine-letter word. What
is it? Knowledge. Acquire it! Knowledge should be acquired. Bereft
of knowledge, a human is worse than a beast. Knowledge makes you
human. A lack of knowledge will make you either inhuman or an
animal.
When anyone starts telling us anything, we immediately cut him
short and say, "I know" though we do not know. We feel very
insulted when another man tells us something that we do not know.
That’s wrong. To say, "I know" when I do not know is absurd and
ridiculous.
Bhagavan often explains different types of knowledge. (There is
nothing here of my own, my friends! Thank God that I am not
capable of creating things. Let me not do it in this lifetime. Our
good God is here and has given us enough literature!) The first
two types of knowledge are superficial and bookish knowledge. This
is all that you think you know, acquired through hearing or
reading, though you do not know in depth. That is not knowledge at
all.
Some may say, "I know about America because I have gone through a
few chapters about Chicago and New York in that book." Oh! Do you
really know the beauty of New York or Los Angeles or San
Francisco? This is like merely reading the menu card, but not
eating. (Laughter) Will your hunger be appeased? No! Hunger will
not be satiated unless you eat. Similarly, mere bookish knowledge
won't help you. It will not give you the true experience.
Superficial knowledge is questionable and bookish knowledge is
doubtful.
The third type is general knowledge. All of us are supposed to
have this. I should know what to do in everyday situations. When
the fuse blows, I should be able to repair it. I should not have
to call a student of physics to do it. You don’t need a chemist to
prepare your coffee or a Ph.D. expert to work in the kitchen. If I
want a Ph.D. in home science to cook for me, she will cook me also!
(Laughter) It is not necessary.
The fourth one is discrimination knowledge. This enables us to
exercise discretion between what is right or wrong, good or bad.
It allows us to discriminate between what is momentary, fleeting,
ephemeral, transient and what is eternal, permanent, steady,
immortal, and Divine.
Experiencing Bhagavan
The fifth and topmost one is practical knowledge. You obtain this
through personal experience, not through the agency of a book or
hearsay. This is very necessary in the spiritual field. Some
people say, "I experienced this in meditation." I will say, "Oh! I
also meditated, but I did not experience that!"
Bhagavan says the three words, "Come, examine, and experience." By
coming, you’ll be able to examine. By examining, you’ll be able to
experience. By experiencing, you’ll have practical knowledge.
Suppose you go back to your own home and tell everybody, "Bhagavan
is this; Bhagavan is that. I cannot tell you how great He is!" You
go on sermonizing like this due to your blissful state. People
listen to you out of their respect, courtesy, etiquette, and
decency but they don’t believe you. They don’t trust you because
their own personal experience is necessary. Experiencing Bhagavan
is very important.
Experiential, experimental, and existential knowledge are all the
same. They are all real practical knowledge. All of us are here
because of our own personal experiences. Bhagavan has His own
means of communion. He may prompt from within: "Don’t do that!
Don’t go there!" Still, we silence Him and we do things in our own
way!
My friends, I said this long back and I am repeating it now once
again. All of us believe in communication, but Bhagavan works by
communion. Communion is different from communication. We
communicate through a letter, message, speech, or verbal words,
but God communes. Communion takes place even in the state of
stillness, in utter silence. God speaks from within. It is what is
called the 'inner voice' or 'conscience'. Conscience is communion,
but not communication.
Practical knowledge means communion with God. I am in
communication with you, but I am in communion with God. Communion
is speechless, wordless and soundless. It is spiritual and takes
place within, being absolutely individual and personal.
Communication is meant for everybody but when Bhagavan communes
with you, it is absolutely personal and individual.
God is both personal and impersonal. He’s impersonal when giving a
discourse in the Auditorium or during darshan. It is personal when
He calls you for an interview and talks to you. It is personal
when He goes deep into your life, guiding, directing, and telling
you the secrets in the inner recesses of your heart. Communion is
personal, while communication is general.
Practical knowledge will make us receptive and prepared for
communion, to listen to the inner whisperings or voice of God,
which is the conscience. For this reason, Bhagavan insists on
silence. "It is only in the depth of silence the voice of God is
heard." What a wonderful statement of Bhagavan Baba! What a
tremendous impact it will have on our lives if we know the
significance and the beauty of silence. When I am just verbal,
making sound and giving scope to sounds in all directions, I will
not be able to listen to my inner voice. Silence is prescribed and
commanded, as it is necessary to hear the inner voice.
So, practical knowledge will help us to become humans in the true
sense. It will help us to be aware and alert to Consciousness. It
will also help us to know the Divinity within.
The Tenth Commandment: Confidence
The last but not least is the tenth commandment, the most
essential ten-letter word. This is confidence. Trust it. Trust
your confidence. Never lose it. If you have confidence in yourself,
you will certainly have triumph, victory, and success.
Bhagavan says, "Confidence is the breath of life. Self-confidence
is the foundation, Self-satisfaction is the wall, self-sacrifice
is the roof and Self-realization is the life within." I should
have confidence. If I am not confident of my life, I won’t venture
to construct a house. If I'm not confident of my safe return, I
won’t go to the market. If a driver has no confidence within
himself, he won’t be able to drive the car. If a pilot is not
confident of his job, the next morning we’ll find the aircraft
hitting the headlines of the newspaper! (Laughter) So, confidence
is very necessary.
As I mentioned before, Bhagavan didn’t look at me for eight years.
Still, many people come and ask me, "Sir! How can we get an
interview?" I answer them, "I don’t know! When you discover the
secret, please let me know so I can tell others also!"
You may condemn those eight years of 'exile' as a cursed or bad
period. However, even during that time, I remained confident that
He would certainly care to look at me someday or other. I was a
non-entity during that time of 'exile', but I felt that a day
would certainly come when this mass of flesh would make its
presence felt and be noticed by the Divine Lord. A student who
fails this year will have confidence that he will pass next year.
Now as a teacher, it was as though I had taken eight chances and
failed one time after the other in succession. Yet, I maintained
absolute confidence that I would get through the examination in
the ninth year. That’s what happened in my life.
So my friends, never allow yourselves to live in frustration or
depression. No! Bhagavan has His own art of communion. He may talk
to you directly, appear in your dreams, or even send a friend to
talk to you. All of a sudden, unexpectedly a friend will come and
talk about certain things which apply to you and which are
relevant to you. Consider that person as a special messenger of
God. You might also get an answer when you look at His photo or
while sitting in meditation.
The physical form of Swami attracts, enchants, and allures. But
yet, it deceives you. So, don’t go only by it. It is not possible
to be in the company of the physical form all the 24 hours of each
day throughout our lifetime. Spiritual travel is from form to the
formless, from attributes to the attributeless. The physical form
is here today and will lead us to the formless state in the years
to come.
So my friends, the most important thing that I want to tell you is
this: Let us have confidence!
Swami!
Let me not lose confidence.
I'm ready to lose everything, but not confidence!
I'm confident that You will certainly give me an answer to my
problem
and respond to my prayer.
O Lord!
I have come to You with the agony of so many difficulties.
You are my only refuge.
I am sure that You will solve my problem.
You will certainly give me relief, my God,
Because You are a willing, loving, and ever-living God.
You are in our midst.
May we grow in that confidence! These new Ten Commandments will
help us to grow on our pilgrimage, nearer and nearer to God,
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Let us thus conclude this morning’s
session.
Thank you very much!
(Anil Kumar closed his satsang by leading the bhajan, 'Sai
Narayana...')
Om Asato Maa Sad Gamaya
Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya
Mrityormaa Amritam Gamaya
Om Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi!
Sai Ram, Thank You!
© Anil Kumar Kamaraju 2004 - Here
reproduced for personal use of the devotees for the purpose of
seva.
Anil Kumar website:
http://www.internety.com/anilkhome/ -
http://www.internety.com/saipearls/
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