|
Anil Kumar's Sunday Satsang at
Prasanthi Nilayam
February 25, 2001
Talk by Anil Kumar on February 25th,
2001
WAITING IS SPIRITUAL
OM… OM… OM…
Sai Ram.
With Praanams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Of all the evils, pride is the first and foremost. Pride is the
first enemy to every spiritual aspirant. To every spiritual seeker,
pride leads to total ruin, the complete downfall. Of all the
enemies, pride is number one! The rest of the enemies follow in
quick succession. If we do not allow the first enemy, we'll be
saved from the rest. We have got to be extra careful with regard
to the first enemy, pride.
My friends, a miracle happens in our life so that we gain entry
into the mansion of Divinity. We come to know of God. We come to
know of Bhagavan through a miracle. When you are desperate, when
we are hopeless, when no one is ready to help us - no rescue, no
refuge - at that time a miracle happens.
A miracle has a purpose behind it. A miracle will get us into the
interior of Divinity. A miracle is a doorway. A miracle is a main
gate. It is not the be-all and end-all. We cannot expect miracles
to happen throughout our life. If miracles happen throughout our
life, if every accident is saved, if every death is prevented, if
all calamities are totally gone, the Law of Nature is not strictly
followed. The rule of Creation is not followed by the Creator
Himself. He'll be interfering. He'll be managing or manipulating,
or tampering with His own Divine Law. He would not do it.
Therefore my friends, let us be very clear that a miracle is only
the doorway to get into the mansion of Divinity. And the rest of
the things, all the precious things, happen in life slowly, as we
follow His Teachings. The more and more we follow His Teachings,
the rest of the things will happen. That's why many people say, "Sir,
in the beginning, I had a wonderful experience. Now I am not
having any." In the beginning, it happened because of His Grace.
Later, your effort is required. Your effort is expected. Therefore,
the subsequent happenings and experiences are based upon our
effort.
The greatest miracle is our attitude, not any windfall nor any
money treasure chest coming to you. That is not a big miracle.
There are many people who get money. It is not a miracle. The
miracle is the attitude towards life, the attitude you have, the
kind of relationships you establish, how equanimious you are, how
you respect others. That is the greatest miracle. You are not
ruffled. You are not confused. You are not lost by certain things,
which would have really made you frustrated had you not been a
devotee.
I repeat: Any simple thing would agitate you. Any unexpected
situation will naturally disturb our peace of mind. But having
come to Bhagavan, we have known how to receive things. We have
known how to accept things. We don't rebel. We do not retaliate.
We do not react. We are not revengeful. We have developed
day-by-day the spirit of or the attitude of acceptance. This is
the biggest miracle! Acceptance to a given situation joyfully and
happily, with all readiness, unconditionally. That is the greatest
miracle of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
Before I go into the details of this morning's talk, I want to
draw your attention to one more point. We are not sure whether
Swami would look at us or not. He may not look at us. We are not
sure whether He would take our letter or not. We are not sure of
the interview. But we are sure of one thing - WAITING and WAITING!
(Laughter) If I try to be smart enough and manage to occupy the
first row, to occupy a good vantage seat, try to show the letter,
the good Lord prefers to say, "Wait, wait." (Laughter) When we
desperately need Him, when we need His immediate guidance, if we
just pick up some courage and get up, the Divine response is, "Wait,
wait."
Wait is an expected thing. Then what is this waiting? What do you
call this waiting. Let me say a few words about this because it is
very important and interesting. When Swami wants us to wait, what
does His word 'Wait' convey? Is it anything like waiting for a
job? Is this waiting like waiting at the airport to catch the next
flight? We always wait for the next flight, whether to Detroit or
St. Louis or New York. Yes, we wait there at airports to catch the
next flight. Is it anything like this, waiting for the next
flight?
To catch the next train, I wait there at the platform. Is it
anything like that? I wait for a promotion. I wait for an audience
with you. So is it anything like that? What is waiting? What does
that "wait" mean? Why should Bhagavan tell this wait to everybody?
If He does not say so to you, there is something wrong with you! (Laughter)
It means there is something wrong with you, nothing wrong with
Swami!
So we should be happy to hear His word, "Wait, wait." We should be
so happy. We should take this waiting as a positive thing. Waiting
is positive. Waiting is not negative. Sometimes we are depressed.
Sometimes we get disgruntled. Sometimes we get disgusted, more so
when our neighbor gets the interview! (Laughter) More often than
not, when some people whom you don't like get an interview, the
blood pressure shoots up! (Laughter)
So that attitude, that waiting, is a miracle. When Bhagavan says,
"Wait, wait", it is positive. Bhagavan is positive. Our body is
negative. Our senses are negative. Mind is negative. Intellect is
negative. But the Divinity within us is positive. That Divinity
within us, which is positive, is Bhagavan Himself. And that
Bhagavan, Divinity, in me who is all-positive, tells me to wait.
So how can that waiting be negative? Impossible! Any jewel, any
ornament, made out of gold must also be of gold. Any pot made out
of clay is also an earthen pot, a clay pot. The same stuff should
be there. So our positive God tells you to wait. It means waiting
is positive. I think I am clear.
We feel so badly because our mind is negative. As our mind is
negative. Therefore it views this waiting with all the negativity
and then passes through the pain and suffering. Let us learn from
this moment that waiting is a positive thing.
Second point: Waiting is spiritual. We don't want to wait because
we have instant food: ten-minutes food, five-minutes food. Every
food anytime, instant food! Instant coffee, instant interview,
instant liberation (which would also go instantly!) (Laughter) All
that is obtained instantly, leaves instantly! All that comes
easily, goes much easier than another obtained. So my friends,
let's know that waiting is spiritual. It is not anything
spontaneous. It is not anything instantaneous. It is not anything,
a second's time or a minute's time. It's not like that. Waiting is
spiritual.
Third point: Waiting is discipline. Most of us, who are not used
to the discipline, feel restless. 'Let me get up, go and sit there,
because Swami is likely to come that way. Let me get up.' Or, 'Let
me go from here and talk to a person who got interview so that he'll
give some secrets or some mechanics or some dynamics or some
technique on how to get interview!' We talk to people and we move
from place to place when we are not capable of waiting. So waiting
is discipline which wants us to sit where we are, which expects us
to remain where we are, undisturbed, unperturbed. Waiting is
positive. Waiting is spiritual. Waiting is discipline.
Then fourth point: How should we wait? How long should we wait? "I
have been waiting for about twenty years." "Oh, I see." I have
told it many times, and yet I don't feel ashamed to repeat it any
number of times. I waited for seven long years. During that
seven-year's time, Bhagavan never cared to look at me. I was
non-existent, (Laughter) a vacuum, empty. That's all. A-void. I
was non-existent for seven years. Swami asked everybody, "You get
up! You get up!" as if I was not there. (Laughter) He never looked
at me for seven years. On the other hand, for four years or so, He
avoided the whole line where I used to sit. (Laughter) All my
neighbors, all my friends were promoted at a time because Swami
never came that way! That was for seven years.
So this kind of waiting is not to be calculated in terms of time.
We should not calculate waiting in terms of time because some say,
"I waited for six months!" "Oh-ho." Another: "I waited for two
years." Or, "I have been coming here for the last seven years,
waiting here, each time for a month's time." This means we are
calculating. We are measuring. We are estimating waiting in terms
of time. Therefore we feel the pain. Therefore we are frustrated.
Waiting is not to be viewed, is not to be measured, in terms of
time because God is beyond time. God is timeless. Time is nothing
but that which is related to the mind. It is only the mind that
tells you that it is ten-thirty. It is the mind that tells you it
is eleven o'clock. It is the mind that tells you the time factor,
the slot left for you, how long you should spend at a clip, when
you should be there, when you should vacate. It is the time that
tells. Mind is time. Time is the mind. But God is beyond the mind.
So God is called Achinthya: chinthya = thought, achinthya = beyond
thought. God is Achinthya, beyond thought, beyond mind. This means
God is timeless. God is beyond time. Therefore to calculate, "I
have been waiting here, you know, from twelve o'clock in the hot
sun…I have been waiting here, you know, till six o'clock in the
evening…" Umhum. That won't apply.
Just as rupees have no value in America where dollars are valued,
similarly in this 'spiritual exchange currency counter', time
evolves through days, months and years. But this is not valid in
the spiritual world. No. There are two counters here: the counter
of the world for all immigrants and the counter leading to God.
Gate 1 and Gate 2, you could say like that. So Gate 1 (the world)
requires of you time. But at Gate 2 (the Divine), there is no time
factor there. So let us be convinced of this point, that waiting
has got nothing to do with time. Why? Because time is the mind.
God is above time. God is timeless. God is the Master of Time.
Then what is waiting? Waiting on other occasions, from the worldly
point of view (Gate 1), if there is prolonged waiting, it is
disgusting. Supposing I say, "I would like to meet you at ten o'clock."
You go on waiting: ten-thirty, eleven, eleven-thirty…You go on
waiting. At twelve o'clock you say, "It's not worth waiting for
Anil Kumar any longer!" You don't feel like waiting for me any
longer because prolonged waiting is disgusting. We get vexed to
wait for a long time in any worldly matter.
But in spirituality, a prolonged period of waiting is alleviating.
It is energizing. It is elevating. It is sublime. It is ecstatic.
This waiting is a dance. This waiting is a song. This waiting is a
melody because in this waiting there is joy. In this waiting there
is bliss. In this waiting there is yearning. There is pining.
There is expectation - something like the waiting of the Beloved.
The husband has been elsewhere for six years, away from the wife.
She's waiting and waiting, waiting and waiting, until he arrives.
She doesn't wait out of disgust. Any woman who waits with disgust
is not waiting. There is something wrong there. You have to
question the motive behind her feelings. The Beloved waits for the
Dear. We wait for the near and dear joyfully. When Bhagavan is
expected at ten o'clock, we'd reach there in the morning at six o'clock.
We know the Pourna Hurthi people reach here right from five-thirty.
We see people sitting there right from six o'clock or even
four-thirty!
But I have not seen anybody disgusted or vexed or with a long
castor-oil face or tired. No! We are very happy to wait for
Bhagavan! Why? Do you wait for a flight like that? Come on! Nobody
does! If you have to wait for one hour, you will take that fellow
to the court because you'll be losing your job! (Laughter) You
would take him to court! On the other hand, you would put it on
Internet, "This certain airline, it is better you don't get in
because you'll be delayed for a lifetime!" (Laughter)
So elsewhere, we'd be disgusted. We'd be worried. We get tired
waiting. But to wait for God, there is a thrill! There is
excitement! So waiting is a matter of joy. Waiting is blissful.
Waiting is a dance. Waiting is melodious music. And elsewhere as
we wait, what do we do? At the airport or the railway platform,
what do we do when we are supposed to wait? We try to go to the
bookstall. We try to go to the cafeteria. We try to go to at least
the shoeshine man. I saw people there in the USA, people sitting
relaxed there on the chair, getting their shoes shined. Oh, fine.
That's a good way of waiting. So one can wait like that by going
to a cafeteria, having a Sprite or a 7-Up, whatever that is
convenient.
But in this process of spiritual waiting, you don't go anywhere.
You don't talk to anybody. You don't need any soft drinks or hot
drinks. You don't need anything. You close your eyes. You reflect
within yourself. In waiting, you reflect upon yourself. This means
that waiting is meditation! Now who will say, "I don't want to
wait"? Nobody can say because waiting is meditation. You go in.
You close your eyes. You want to be left alone to yourself. You
don't want to be in a crowd. You don't want to be among many, many
people. You don't want to be disturbed. You want to be alone. You
want to reflect within. You want to concentrate within yourself.
You want to think of God. You want to read some book, Sai
literature. That is meditation. So waiting is meditation. Waiting
is blissful. Waiting is spiritual. Waiting is discipline. Waiting
is a matter of joy. God wants us to wait joyfully. God wants us to
wait ecstatically so that God will appear. God appears when we
wait joyfully.
Once it so happened, totally annoyed, totally out-of-mood, in a
bit of frustration, I happened to put a long face on because I
felt very badly. He was talking to everybody, minus Anil Kumar, as
if I am a highjacker. (Laughter) I was feeling so badly, so I had
on a very long face. Suddenly Bhagavan asked me, "Get up!
Translate."
All right, fine. What did He say? He gave a general lecture. But
now you can know for whom it was meant! (Laughter) What did He say?
"God will not look at those faces that are serious! (Laughter) God
hates castor oil faces! (Laughter) God would not like to turn that
side where there are serious faces!" I thought within myself, 'O
good Lord, You can talk to me directly. Why do You generalize
things? (Laughter) Why do You generalize? You can tell me directly,
"Laugh, Mr. Anil." Fine. Then I thought, "Some of my
representatives also are there among the audience. Some of the
other prospective serious fellows might be here. (Laughter) Some
may get into that dangerous zone of seriousness, tension, and
temper. In order to prevent that, Swami might have made that
statement to the public.
So when we wait unconditionally, when we wait joyfully, when we
wait happily, at a time when you do not feel that you are waiting,
experience happens! At a time when you do not know, at a time when
you forget that you are waiting, experience happens. I don't say,
"experience comes". Please let us correct our English. Experience
happens. All those experiences that are spiritual are the
happenings, not our doings. All human things are doings. My going
to the college is an act, my doing. My getting into the kitchen
and eating is an act. I am doing. So all human activities are done,
are our doings. But the spiritual things are not done. They just
happen.
So spiritual experiences happen when once we forget, when we are
unaware, when once we are unmindful of this waiting. Suddenly
yesterday…I will tell you the latest! One of my colleagues is a
very young fellow, who joined the college eight years ago. Swami
has not been talking to him all these eight years. That's not a
small period. We have some seniors who were also waiting for
fourteen years! Good. It's all right. For eight years, he has not
been talking to Swami. But still that man is quite happy. Somehow
it so happened that he has been sitting along with us for the last
couple of days. I always encourage boys to come as close as
possible. I don't want to be an obstacle or a block to anybody. I
know what a pain it is from the worldly point of view. I was just
talking to him, "Come on, come on!"
Yesterday, most unexpectedly, "Come on, how are you?" Bhagavan
said. My colleague was thinking, 'Is it me that He has called or
is it someone else?' Because naturally, he may feel, 'O God, what
happened to You all these eight years!' (Laughter) He was looking
that side and this side. "Hey! I am calling you. Come on, come
on," Bhagavan said. And He said, "So nice." He blessed him and
materialized a diamond ring for that boy. Now this is an example,
an illustration of what I am telling right now. Spiritual
experience happens. Divinity manifests at a time when we forget
the time, at the moment when we forget that we are waiting, at the
situation when we have no expectation! Then it happens.
A simple example: You must have heard of Zen philosophy and Sufi
saints. There was one lady of this philosophical association, a
lady who was a great philosopher. She was fetching water from the
well in two pots. As she was fetching water that morning, as ill
luck would have it happen, the two pots fell on the ground and
broke into pieces. Just the water was there on that ground. She
wanted to take the water home, but it all fell on the ground as
the two pots broke. This lady started dancing and singing.
Everybody thought something was wrong with her. (Laughter) The two
pots that broke made her go mad. It's not worth living. Everybody
thought so. Somebody dared to ask, "Look here, we don't know why
you are dancing. The two pots broke. There is every reason to feel
so badly. Then why are you dancing? Why are you singing?"
This Zen monk, the lady, said, "The two pots broke. That means for
me that this pot, my body, would also break. My body is a pot that
would also break. Just as that water started flowing in all
directions, till now the water was conditioned to being in the
pot. The water has been limited in the pot. The water has been
within the framework and the size of the pot. Now it is flowing
freely in all directions! As the pot of my body breaks, the
Supreme Self within me goes freely into the atmosphere. The
Supreme Being merges with the entire environment. I am happy, so I
am dancing."
She has been carrying water everyday. How is it that enlightenment
happened at that moment? Things happen always like that. A
spiritual experience, a spiritual awakening, a spiritual
enlightenment will not show any signal, will not give any bell. It
is not a telephone call. It is not a railway station bell. It's
not any kind of announcement that: "At the airport, the flight
will be in ten minutes' time. Sorry for the delay." There's no
such thing for spiritual experience. There are neither
announcements nor bulletins. Suddenly spiritual enlightenment
happens. The same thing had happened to Guru Nanak. The same thing
had happened to our Kabir. The same thing happened to Tulsidas. To
all it happened at a time when they are not aware. So my friends,
waiting is a process where we should forget, when we should forget
that we are waiting. You wait and forget that you are waiting.
That is the point. Because when you are aware that you are waiting,
you will be disgusted.
Why do we fight with this waiting? Why? Many people don't want to
wait. Why? What is it that feels very much pained to wait? Let us
analyze. It is the mind because mind tells you, "You waited for
four hours time - a waste of time! Get up!" Or the mind tells us,
"You have been waiting for four months. Swami has not looked at
you. Come on, go back!" So it is the mind that fights. It is the
mind that gets agitated, something like a pebble thrown into the
well. A pebble thrown into the well produces ripple after ripple,
filling the entire well.
Similarly the mind disturbs. The mind questions. The mind does not
accept to wait. That's the reason why our mind always tries to
find out the easy method. The mind always wants to find an easy
method. For example: How to make money within a month? Have a
printing press, make five hundred rupees notes, become a rich man.
Yes. How to get through the examination easily? Write down the
answers at home. Give it in the examination hall. You'll get
through.
So we find so many things going on - the black-marketing, the
corruption, even at the time of election, yes, there is rigging of
votes. It happened a few years ago, some time back, when I went to
the polling booth. They said, "You have already voted. Why do you
come?" (Laughter)
"No, I'm coming here now only."
"No, no. See it is marked."
So some good friend must have voted on my behalf! (Laughter)
Had I come to know earlier, I would have rested at home!
So my friends, we want to win the election. We want to become rich
very fast, or have our food very fast. But this is all nothing but
the game of the monkey mind. Only when this monkey mind stops its
activity, only when the monkey mind does not interfere any longer,
then we'll be happy to wait for any length of time. I'm not able
to wait because my mind is still working. When mind is at rest,
one can wait.
Then the heart functions. When the mind is at rest, the heart
starts functioning. Heart has been waiting. This monkey mind is
making a monkey of this fellow. He's just jumping all around! All
right, let us see. He's totally tired, totally exhausted, no more
a monkey. He sits. The mind quietens. The mind settles. The mind
is not in any way dictating because it is very much tired. At that
time, the heart takes charge of the whole activity. When the
president is out-of-town, the vice-president will take charge. It
happens so. When the principal is on leave, the vice-principal
will take charge. Sometimes the vice-principals manage better than
the principals! (Laughter) Some principals are helped by their
absence! (Laughter)
So what happens is, when this monkey mind keeps quiet, it is the
greatest help. The mind keeping quiet is the greatest help to
every one of us, so that then the heart will take charge. The
heart will take charge at that time. When once the heart takes
charge, we are really so happy to wait. Mind does not help you to
wait. The heart prompts you to wait more and more.
Mind is an extravert, worldly. Heart is inward, Nivritthi. Heart
is inward, while mind is outward. So outward mind is always in
haste, is always in a hurry. But the heart, which is within,
turned inwards, welcomes waiting. It is not in a hurry because the
heart enjoys itself in its own company. It does not want anybody.
The heart wants to be all alone. It is the mind that wants
company. The heart desires aloneness or loneliness or solitude.
The heart prefers loneliness (meaning, being alone). The mind
wants a crowd always gathering. So when this mind stops, the heart
enjoys that aloneness, which is solitude, which is meditation, and
then it takes us to a state of samadhi .
Samadhi is possible when the heart takes charge, but not when the
mind is in charge. Nobody can experience samadhi with the mind
because the mind is dual. The mind is division. The mind is
conditioned. The mind is prejudiced. The mind is biased. The mind
is selfish.
"So, Anil Kumar, you are speaking all negative things about the
mind. Now shall I be a fellow without the mind?" No, no, no. I am
not against the mind. Philosophy is not against the mind. Make the
mind useful for the purposes it is meant for. A simple example:
ECG - The electrocardiogram is useful to know the beating and the
condition of the heart. You cannot use it to know the body's
temperature. Am I right? A thermometer has to be used to know the
body's temperature. But it won't tell the heartbeat. So every
instrument has a definite purpose. But if we want to make every
instrument multi-purposeful, multi-dimensional, no instrument is
useful.
So the mind is useful so far as our living is concerned. For our
daily living, the mind is useful. For knowledge, the mind is
useful. For science and technology, the mind is useful. For
business, the mind is very, very, very useful! (Laughter) For
politics, the mind is the hero. But for compassion, for Truth,
justice, sacrifice, Bliss, Love, Divinity, the mind is useless.
The heart should take charge. Because we want to make use of the
mind in both the ways, we are losing the second half of life.
Bhagavan gives some example: It seems it so happened that one rat
got into an instrumental drum. The rat got into it. That fellow is
playing it. The rat went to that side. The fellow beat, 'Da-da' on
the drum. So the rat came over to this end. Again the player
played, 'Da-da'. Then the rat started running this other way. So
when he's playing quickly, the 'Da-da-da-da', the rat is moving
that side and this side, back and forth.
That's what we are doing! (Laughter) That is what is happening to
all of us! Why? Our life is a drum: This side is spirituality.
That side is the world. On the worldly side, there may be some
losses, business loss or reversion in our job or delay in
promotion or some sickness. Or some family problem will give a big
'Da-da'! When a big 'Da-da-da-da' comes, "Let's go to God!" The
rat comes to this side! (Laughter) but when we finally turn
towards God's side, He does not look at you. He does not take
letters from you! 'Da-da!' (The rat runs to the other side.) Then
the mind says,"Let's go home!" So we are all like rats, this side
- that side - this side - that side, 'Da-da-da-da-da'. (Laughter)
So there is nowhere to live! Therefore my friends, let us use one
side. Make use of the mind for the world. Make use of the heart
for God and spirituality.
The highest step is beyond the heart - is present as the Atma or
the Self or the Soul or Consciousness or Spirit. Names are many.
Call it Soul or the Spirit or Consciousness or Atma. You may call
it whatever you like. When once you go to the third step,
Consciousness, mind and heart do not matter because it has taken
the position of Supreme Commander now. When once the Supreme
Commander takes charge, these two are lower rank, the heart and
the mind. They have to keep quiet. "All right. Let's do what You
say." The heart will look up, "Oh Consciousness, tell me what I
should do?" The mind is already made silent by the heart. Mind is
the junior-most officer. It had already kept its mouth shut
because the heart is ruling. When once the Consciousness takes
over, the heart also should keep 'mum' (silent) and Atma takes
charge now. Consciousness takes charge now.
Then what happens? Let us see what happens. Now when the mind is
in charge, happiness and unhappiness, profit and loss - everything
is selfishness. Everything is self-centered. Everything is
self-interest. That has been the target. That has been the goal,
when the mind is in-charge. It made our life miserable because in
the morning I am happy and in the evening I am unhappy. In the
morning I am happy because I got the interview. In the evening I
am unhappy because you got the interview! (Laughter) So the mind
is making me like that. So, the mind landed me in difficulties.
Now let me go to the heart. Now how is it making me comfortable?
The heart gave me certain values like Truth, sacrifice, spiritual
discipline, compassion, and Love. I am happy with it. But
sometimes I feel I am at a loss. I have been making sacrifices,
but what is it that I got? I have been really truthful, but in
what way am I superior to a fellow who is not truthful? I love and
I am loving. But in what way am I better than a cruel fellow? So
the heart at one time will also get a question mark, whether we
are really benefited by the heart or not.
But when once you go to the topmost man, the Major General, the
Atma, the Consciousness, these two lower-ranking officers don't
talk because now it's under Army control, meaning Consciousness.
When Consciousness takes over the control, takes total charge. It
starts dictating. What does It say?
"The same spirit is present in everybody. Understand this."
Oh, I see. The mind was telling me that these are my people. They
belong to my group. They talk my language. Chi! All narrow things
my mind said so far - my district people, my people, my family,
my, my, my…Swami said, "If you repeat 'my, my, my' it becomes
Maya, illusion. So mind and Maya are synonyms."
Now then Atma says, "Stop that nonsense! Nothing like mine and
thine. Keep quiet. Oh heart don't doubt. Now I tell you, the same
spirit is present in everybody. I am the seed in the entire
Creation. I am the seed of the entire tree of the Creation. You
are of Me. You are by Me. You are in Me." That's it. That is the
taste of Atma. Mind does not say that.
Therefore my friends, when once we go to the level of Atma, there
is neither this mind nor the heart. It is the Super Mind or the
Over Mind. That is what Bhagavan has been speaking to us about
during the Birthday Celebrations. The Consciousness or Awareness
is presiding.
A question was put to Bhagavan: Where is this Consciousness or
Awareness? The Consciousness is present everywhere. Why do I not
see it? Air is everywhere. Do you see that? I don't see it. But
where is the air? Everywhere. How do you know? I am living. I am
alive. I breathe, so the air is everywhere. Therefore the presence
of air is proved by our breathing process. The fact that I am
alive is enough to state that there is air, though I do not see
it. Similarly, the Consciousness may not be seen. But the very
fact that the whole thing functions, that the whole thing acts,
that the whole thing is energetic, that the whole thing shows
vibration is because of Consciousness.
Swami gives a simple example: The whole body is materialization.
This means it is made up of material. It is made up of the five
elements. It is inert. It is passive. So the body is made up of
material - materialization. And this body acts: The hands shake.
The head thinks. The legs walk. Why? Because of vibration. When
there is no vibration, the body will not act.
Here is a simple example: paralysis. When the body is paralyzed,
there is no vibration there so he is not able to lift his body
freely. So for the materialization to act, to function, to move,
to work, vibration is necessary. This vibration is because of
Consciousness, which is radiation. So Consciousness is radiation.
Consciousness is Awareness. Consciousness is Enlightenment.
Consciousness is Awakening. Consciousness is Spirit, is Atma,
Bliss. That Consciousness (which is radiation) comes out by way of
vibration, making this body (which is materialization) act.
Bhagavan Baba, in what a wonderful, mathematical, sequential way
He puts things! Bhagavan's Discourses will never make anybody
confused. He makes it so clear: Consciousness is radiation, which
passes through our body (as vibration), and makes this body (the
organs and limbs) act and function (as materialization). Radiation
- Vibration - Materialization. Am I clear?
And now with this vibration, the body, is conscious. Conscious
refers to the body - materialization. We use this word 'conscious'
in a lot of ways. If one goes on dressing the hair at the airport,
or applying lipstick there, or wherever there is a mirror, we feel
like standing to check up how fine we are (though in reality
awful!) (Laughter), we are conscious of our personality. Supposing
if I start looking at you suddenly, you'll be thinking, 'Is
anything wrong here? Why is he staring at me?' Suddenly you become
(self-) conscious. If I look at you continuously, you become
self-conscious. So conscious refers to the body. Conscious means
the body or materialization.
The next state is conscience. Conscience is the higher state,
which is vibration. Conscience is vibration. And above that is
Consciousness, which is radiation. So radiation, Consciousness,
Spirit, Self, or Atma, is the highest.
It is not out of context if I tell you it is my surrendering
prayer. Please believe me, I am speaking from the bottom of my
heart. When Swami asks me, "What do you want?" I shall not ask Him
for anything because there is only one thing I want. That is to be
born again and again and again and speak on His Message like this.
That's all. (Applause) To be born again and again, to speak like
this, enjoying while speaking, the thrill and excitement and
ecstasy and the dance in the melody of the Message of the Avatar.
To dance to the tune of the Avatar! That's what I want. Nothing
else. Because I know what it is. I know its taste, because we
enjoy ourselves!
So from the topmost rank of Atma, the Spirit, the Soul,
Consciousness, radiation, we come down to the level of conscience,
vibration, and function at the bottom level of conscious or
materialization.
All these things we can reflect upon in the process of waiting. If
we are in a hurry, we don't think of conscience. If we are in
haste, we don't think of Consciousness. We go inward from
materialization to Consciousness during this process of waiting.
This process of going into the radiation happens in this process
of waiting. We can go from Consciousness to conscience to
conscious (materialization) in the same way that we can go from
New York to Chicago, from San Francisco to Indianapolis. We can go
in any direction.
So, from inward-to-outward is a sign of haste. It is a sign of
being in a state of hurry. Going from conscious to Consciousness
is a process, which happens in this holy, sacred, spiritual
experience of 'waiting'. So waiting means contemplation. Waiting
means concentration. Waiting means meditation. Waiting means
eagerness. Waiting means aloneness. Waiting means being prayerful.
Full of prayer, we wait for Him.
So my friends, the period of waiting is cut short when we wait
happily, when we wait joyfully. When we welcome this waiting, the
period of waiting naturally is cut short. The more we are
disgusted, the period will get prolonged. It is something like a
knot. Slowly you should remove the knot. But if you are in a hurry
with the knot, it becomes tighter. Then you have to cut it. You
cannot untie it. The knot becomes tight if you have to remove it
in a hurry. But slowly you can remove it.
So this waiting is what is called penance. Why? Yogis and sages,
they waited and waited for the Lord to manifest and bless them.
That is penance. Waiting is tapas. Waiting is dhyana. Waiting is
prathana. Though in the worldly way waiting is negative, in the
spiritual way it is totally positive.
A man with ego and pride will not wait. A simple example: A
Central Minister came for Bhagavan's Darshan. Swami had left
already. He had gone upstairs there in Brindavan. Being a Central
Minister, other VIPs like the Collector, an ambassador, top
officials with all paraphernalia, they all had assembled.
This Minister was looking that side and this side.
He asked somebody, "Where is Swami?"
This gentleman said, "Swami has gone up."
"Shall I go up?" he asked next.
"No, sorry, you cannot go."
"When is He going to come?"
"I do not know."
He asked the Collector and the State Minister because he is the
Central Minister. He asked everybody. "What is the flight time? I
want to meet Baba."
They were asking everybody in the ashram, "Where is Baba? When is
He coming?"
"We do not know." The standard answer! (Laughter)
I was watching the whole drama there, though it was college time.
The time was up, but still it was worth waiting - behind the bush,
of course! (Laughter) Brindavan gives you certain trees and shade
to hide yourself in, unnoticed. Let us take advantage of
everything! (Laughter)
Swami did not come down. This man looked that side and this side
for ten minutes very restlessly and then he left. The whole convoy
left.
In the evening, in the Trayee Brindavan gathering, Swami asked me,
"Why were you late to the college?" (Laughter)
I said, "Swami, me? Late to the college?"
"Yes, you are hiding behind the bushes! So you were late!"
(Laughter)
Oh! The cat is out of the bag now! (Laughter)
"Why were you there?"
"Swami, the Central Minister came."
"He did not come for you! (Laughter) He has not come to see you!
Why were you there?
"Swami, I wanted to see what will happen!" (Laughter)
"What happened? What happened?"
"Swami, nothing happened. That's why it shocked me. Nothing
happened. That is a shock. Had something happened, I would have
been happy."
Swami said, "Why?"
"Swami, I expected that You would come down. I expected that You
would talk to Central Government Minister."
He said, "Anyone will have to wait for Me. I will not wait for
anybody. But (this is important) all officers, all ministers, they
are all grand. All top people have to wait for Me. But I wait for
my devotee. I wait for my devotee! (Applause) If you are in a
hurry, you can go. Let him go. I don't care about it."
And further He said, "I don't come down for him. I don't come for
these fellows." What did He say? "If it is left to Me, I don't
come down. No, I don't come down for anybody. But devotees can
bring Me downstairs! (Laughter and applause) Like all the ants
that gather, like all the ants that collect, carrying the jaggery,
the sweet, from this place to that place, I am the Sweet. My
devotees are the ants. They can carry Me anywhere!"
That is Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba! (Applause)
And so my friends, this process of waiting is essentially Divine.
I wanted to talk to you about this process of waiting in
particular this morning so that we may enjoy waiting for God. Let
us enjoy this waiting for the Lord because when we do so, we get
into the field of Infinite Bliss. It may happen all of a sudden,
unnoticed!
May Sai bless you! Sai Ram.
© 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/
|