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Anil Kumar's Sunday Satsang at
Prasanthi Nilayam
June 16, 2002
The Sunday Talk Given by Anil Kumar
"Thus Spake Baba" - Part 1
June 16th, 2002
OM… OM… OM…
Sai Ram to all of you!
The Buddha Purnima Function
Thanks to Bhagavan for having
brought us together again after a gap of about two months! During
this period we had the Summer Course in Bangalore and we also had
the celebration of Buddha Purnima in the Divine Presence.
This year the Buddha Purnima function was organized by the
devotees from Nepal. There was a very big gathering, as if all of
Nepal was hijacked or transported to Bangalore. For three or four
days during that time, we found the Nepalese out-numbering the
Indians! The decorations were spectacular.
Speeches were made on the day of Buddha Purnima by the Minister of
Nepal, a Minister from Mauritius, and also from Ceylon. They were
so spectacular. These speeches had so much depth and conviction --
saying that Bhagavan and Buddha are one and the same. It gave us a
glimpse of the Sai message spreading far and wide, across the
world.
And Bhagavan’s beautiful interpretation of Buddha Purnima was also
unique. Buddha as we understand, is the name of a person -- the
name of a great master, the name of a great teacher, an
incarnation. But Bhagavan explained Buddha not with reference to
an individual, but Buddha as a state of mind -- Buddha’s
consciousness. And that anyone could rise to the level of Buddha.
Let us not think that Buddha is the name of a person. Buddha is a
state of attainment: Buddhahood -- Buddha state of consciousness.
Any seeker, any aspirant, any pilgrim along the path of
spirituality, can reach the goal of Buddhahood -- that’s what
Bhagavan’s interpretation was.
When one goes to the level of the intellect or buddhi, he’s called
Buddha. Intellect is the level that discriminates, that decides,
that resolves, and that judges. Once life is given over to the
disposal of the intellect, one attains the state of Buddhahood --
Buddha meaning intellect. So the one who exercises his intellect
is a Buddha because the intellect decides what is good for us. The
intellect does not want us to do anything wrong. So Buddha means
the one who exercises his intellect.
And having used the intellect -- having surrendered to the
intellect or buddhi -- one resolves to proceed along the path of
service, righteousness or Dharma. So the intellect wants us to
take to Dharma as a way of life to which we must surrender.
The chant, Buddham Saranam Gacchami, means one has to surrender to
Buddha: the buddhi, the intellect. Later one treads along the path
of righteousness or Dharma -- Dharmam Saranam Gacchyami. One has
to surrender to righteousness. Having been born in society, having
been brought up in society, having been the beneficiary of all the
good in society, one has to live in society and has to express
gratitude by holding onto the path of Dharma. God is in no way
different from society. God is society. Society and God go
together. Hence one has to surrender to society -- Sangham Saranam
Gacchami.
These are the three levels of consciousness: Buddham Saranam
Gacchami, the individual level of consciousness. Sangham Saranam
Gacchami, the universal level of consciousness. Dharmam Saranam
Gacchami, the Divine consciousness – Divinity. That’s the
beautiful explanation that Bhagavan gave in His message on Buddha
Purnima day recently in Bangalore. I wanted to share this with you
because some of you might not have heard this interpretation
before. I thought it would be useful to you.
This morning I would like to draw your attention to certain
sayings of Bhagavan -- certain Divine utterances of Bhagavan --
what I call ‘Thus Spake Sri Sathya Sai.’ That will be the title of
this morning’s talk: ‘Thus Spake Sri Sathya Sai.’ We shall ponder
over and reflect upon certain sayings of Sai.
Life Is A Quest
We consider life as a question mark.
Life is a question to everybody. If you ask anyone -- To be or not
to be? That is the question. What shall I do, what shall I not do?
Where shall I go, where shall I not go? So life is a question to
everybody, to everyone of any religion, of any profession, of any
nation for that matter.
But Bhagavan tells us that life is not a question. Life should not
be a question, no! Life is a quest -- quest for eternity. It is a
quest or search. It is not a question, because a question needs an
answer. But a quest infers an experience. A quest is an answer
unto itself. A question that gives you an answer leads to another
question.
A question has a weakness because it generates question after
question. That’s the reason why a person with questions will never
have peace of mind. Because, as he listens to the answer, he
thinks of another question. He asks, “Sir, I have a question.” All
right. As you answer him, he thinks of another question. He
doesn’t listen to your answer totally, completely. Therefore, life
is not a question, but it is a quest -- it is a search. It is an
eternal search until you find fulfillment, until you experience
peace, until you enjoy love. So from this moment, let us view life
as a quest and not a question.
Get Dissolved Into The Divine
We also take life as a problem. You
talk to anybody. They say, “I have a problem.” People ask, “What’s
the problem?” They act as if they are interested to know your
problem. But in fact they are just interested to tell you their
problem, and not really interested to hear your problem. We are
all full of problems and problems and problems.
Life is not a problem. Let’s understand it. If life is a problem,
if life becomes problematic, we cannot hope to live in peace. We
cannot enjoy life, we cannot experience life, we cannot experience
any excitement, thrill, joy -- anything. Life is not a problem.
Problems are of our own making. It has become a problem because of
you and because of me. It is not a problem.
So then what is life? It is not a problem to solve. Life is that
in which we must be dissolved. Not to solve, but be dissolved in.
Getting dissolved in life is different from solving the problem of
life. When you solve the problem, you’ll have another problem.
When you become dissolved, there will be no more problems.
What should I be dissolved in? We should be dissolved in the
Divine. We should be dissolved in existence. We should be
dissolved in the present. We should be dissolved in thoughts of
God. We should be dissolved in singing of God, in exchanging His
miracles, in sharing His message. When we are dissolved in
thoughts of the Divine, in the singing of the glory of God --
well, life is not a problem.
Because we want to analyze life, because we want to analyze the
problem, in trying to solve it, we don’t find any solution. On the
other hand, when we realize, not analyze, we become dissolved in
existence. We become dissolved in that moment of time. That is
enough. That is enough for life. That gives us the experience of
Immortality in that moment. That gives us the experience of bliss
right now.
But if you think of a problem, either we try to postpone the
problem or complicate it. No one can ever solve the problem, no!
It becomes more complicated or creates even more problems. On the
other hand, when we dissolve -- rather than solve -- into God,
well, He will take care of it.
Life Is A Contradiction
We also find life is a
contradiction, yes! Because I'm happy in the morning, I'm
miserable in the evening. I’ve got so many profits in the year
2001, and am full of losses in the year 2002. In 1999 I was so
close to Swami, but in the year 2000 – well, I’m nowhere. I don’t
know whether God knows that I exist or not.
So life is full of ups and downs; life is full of bumps and jumps.
Life has become something that is unpredictable. Life is full of
contradictions. Therefore, we are tossed in-between happiness and
unhappiness. We oscillate between joy and misery.
But Baba says, “Accept the reality of life.” What is the reality?
It is paradox. Life is a contradiction. Life is paradoxical. Life
is diabolical. Life is full of opposites or polarities. When we
accept that, therein lies the beauty. Accept the reality.
Here’s a simple example: Unless there is night, there cannot be
day. Day must be followed by night. Oh God, I cannot enjoy the
night. I don’t want the darkness. I don’t what to live in the
dark. May I have only broad daylight? Let me live only in daylight
because I don’t want the dark. Well, what will happen? You won’t
be able to rest. So what will happen further? You cannot enjoy the
day. So night is required to enjoy the day. Day is required to
function, to work. So day and night equally give us happiness.
Bhagavan goes a step further. Unless there is death, birth cannot
be appreciated. An example: A mother is afraid of her child having
an accident on the way to school. The mother has more and more
anxiety about protecting her child. If the child is all
accident-proof, incident-proof, injury-proof, death-proof, well,
there is no proof of love at all. So love is because of death.
Birth is appreciated because of death. Death follows like a
shadow.
Every fruit has a protective covering or rind, which is bitter.
The fruit is sweet, but the covering -- the skin or the rind
around the fruit -- is bitter. Without the bitter skin around the
fruit, the sweet fruit has no protection. So sweetness and
bitterness go together. Success and failure go together.
So my friends, the beauty of life lies in these polarities, in
these opposites. Life being diabolic, life being paradoxical, life
being full of contradiction -- gives us the beauty of life. It is
not the curse of life. Contradiction is not the curse of life, but
contradiction is the beauty of life.
Even in bad times we experience something good. Many, many
devotees have come to Bhagavan because of certain challenges in
life: maybe because of sickness; maybe because of loss in
business; maybe because of some aspiration; maybe because of some
kind of desire to occupy a high position. Some desire, some
problem in life might have brought them here. Maybe that problem
is a big problem – a serious sickness – a very unhappy thing.
There is nothing good about it. But that unhappy sickness brought
them the happiness of the Divine Darshan. Now can you say that
sickness is an unhappy thing? Can you say that sickness should be
condemned? No!
All that is negative has also given us positive results. There is
nothing that is absolutely positive; there is nothing that is
absolutely negative. There is negative in the positive and there
is positive in the negative. Because positive and negative go
together, it facilitates the easy flow of electricity. Then you
can have all the benefits of electronic gadgets. So this life,
which is paradoxical, is wholesome in its totality. It is holistic
-- for the ultimate benefit of man. What we have to do is to
accept it unconditionally, without any grudge or grouse.
You Are Unique
In this modern society everyone
wants to be equal. Youngsters don’t want elders to dominate them.
Youngsters don’t want to follow the elders. Children don’t want to
pay heed to the words of their parents. Everywhere there is a
fight for equal rights. The Woman’s Liberation Movement -- why
not? We’re as good as you or as bad as you. Why not? So, we want
to be equal.
But Hindu Vedanta, rather I should say Sanatana Dharma, the
ancient philosophy of life, gives a higher status than merely
being equal. Why fight to be equal? You are really foolish. You
are not equal, but you are unique. That is the highest position,
the highest level. You are unique. You are special. Let us not
consider ourselves equal. When we consider ourselves equal, we are
a crowd -- we are a mob. We are fit for elections in a democracy,
for counting purposes. We are not sheep to be counted, no! We are
unique, but we are not equal.
Unique in the sense that God has expressed Himself. God has
manifested Himself in every one of us. Unmanifest is God --
manifest is man. I'm not attempting to juggle words, nor am I a
student of literature. For your information I’m a student of
botany, the plant sciences -- the plants that do not speak! God
manifests as man. Man unmanifest is God. So I cannot consider you
equal. No! Everyone is unique.
Well, what do you find in Sai’s life? Bhagavan talks to a Primary
School child. Bhagavan talks to a student from the Institute of
Higher Learning. He says, “Hello” to a politician; “How are you?”
to a Minister; “What do you want?” to a sick man. Bhagavan’s level
of communication is the same. Bhagavan’s love towards everybody is
the same because He considers everyone unique. There is not any
grading. Each is unique, yes, each is important to Him.
Here’s a simple example. When we are fortunate enough to have an
interview, because of the way Bhagavan talks to us, we are lost.
Forget paradise, forget heaven -- that interview is heaven itself.
He gives you the impression that He cannot get along without you.
(Laughter) He gives you the feeling that the Avatar has come down
for your sake only -- that He has got 100% of His hopes on you.
That without you the Divine mission cannot be fulfilled. That kind
of impression He gives in the interview room.
But by the afternoon, God passes by our side. Lifting both of His
hands into the empty air, He successfully avoids the very same
person. Neatly, He leaves this man questioning whether He knows
him at all, whether they ever even met in this lifetime! Yes! Most
of you have experienced this. When He talks to you, you are
important. When He looks at you, you are important. That’s all.
You are not a mass, you are not a crowd, you are not a mob. You
are unique.
Sociology and the political sciences want us to fight for equal
rights. Spirituality, without fighting, gives us the right to be
unique. It is not faith; it is a matter of right. It is our
birthright and we’re always right to consider ourselves unique and
not equal.
I Belong To All Countries
It is also important for us to get
away from certain narrow considerations of region, caste,
community and nationality. Yes, we are divided on the basis of
nationality, caste, community, religion and language. But these
are all of our own creation.
Christ was never a Christian. Buddha was never a Buddhist.
Buddhism came later. We have to recognize this: Let me try to be
Buddha, but not a Buddhist. Let me try to be Christ, but not a
Christian. Because Christianity, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism --
these ‘isms’ are ideologies. But Buddha and Christ, they are
ideals.
Let me not follow an ideology; let me follow the ideal. And in
following the ideal, let me be away from these shadows. Let me cut
off the chains. Let me rise above the dimensions, all dimensions
-- freedom from all dimensions -- the dimensions of caste,
community, gender, nationality, country, language. Then you’ll
understand there is only one humanity and one earth.
I think I told you this story long ago, but it doesn’t matter if I
repeat it once again for the benefit of those who have not heard
it earlier. One day it so happened that I was talking to Swami and
I said, “In our country, this is happening.”
Immediately Bhagavan turned and looked at me seriously, “Why do
you say OUR country? Why do you include Me?” (Laughter)
Then I said, “Swami, what shall I say?”
He said, “My country.”
“Then what about You, Swami?”
Then Baba said, “I belong to all countries. All countries are
Mine.”
That is the level of the Divine. “All languages are Mine, all
people are Mine, all castes, all communities, all names, all forms
are Mine.” That is freedom from all dimensions. One world, one
earth, one government, as Burton Russell dreamt.
Where Is God?
And it is also rather funny,
mysterious, to think of God as separate. Where is God? He’s in a
temple, waiting for me. Where is God? He’s in a church in search
of me on a Sunday. Where is God? He’s in a mosque, waiting for me
on a Friday.
God is not in a temple. Where is God? God is life itself. God is
existence. God is in the moment. God is this moment of time. Yes!
God is not a person. God is a presence. If God is a person, you
can meet Him on Monday and you cannot meet Him on Tuesday because
he has other appointments. If God is a person, then when you meet
with Him, another man cannot because a single person cannot meet
with everybody at the same time. So He’s not a person. He’s a
presence. You feel God's presence.
God is not an object, but God is a subject. God is not an object
to be possessed. If this is an object, I can possess it. I cannot
possess God. I may have the feeling of having possessed God, be
given the impression that I have possessed Him – but, this is a
sign of madness. God is not an object to be possessed; He’s a
subject to be thought of. He’s a subject to ponder over. God is
not a person, but He’s a presence to be felt. This is a beautiful
experience.
We should also know that God is not a goal. Some people say, “I
want to reach God.” Oh-ho, where is He? Is He in Argentina? Then I
must buy the ticket and obtain a passport and a visa. Where is
God? Is He on the moon? Armstrong did not report the presence of
God on the moon. Where is God? Is He in the ocean? Submarines have
gone very deep and have not yet brought God to the surface. Is God
on the mountaintop? Sherpah Tensing climbed Mount Everest and did
not meet Him. So God is not on the mountaintop or deep in the
valley or in the ocean.
Where is God? We can easily understand that life is God. A fish is
in water, but does not know that it is in water. Fish exist in
water but are not aware of the presence of water. Similarly, what
the fish needs to do now is to realize that it is in water. That’s
all. The fish does not need to go in search of water. The fish
need not discover water. The fish need not manufacture water nor
does it need to invent water. It is in water. What it needs to do
is realize that it is in water.
You Are God
Our situation is similar. We don’t
have to go in search of God. We don’t have to find God anywhere
because God is everywhere. Life itself is God. God is not a goal.
Why? A goal is separate from you. You need time to reach a goal.
God is not an achievement. God is not a goal. God is not an aim.
Why?
You are God. That’s what Bhagavan says. You are God. When you are
God, God cannot be an aim. When you are God, God cannot be a goal.
When you are God, God cannot be an achievement. And you are not
the achiever either. So what needs to be done is constant inquiry,
mimamsa or sadhana or vichaaranam. With inquiry you will know that
you are God. You will know your basic nature -- that you are
Divine. Yes! You will know your true Self.
I have lost my true identity. I have forgotten my true name. I
have forgotten what I am. I identify myself with this body and
speak in terms of height and weight and chest. I identify myself
with my name and introduce myself as so-and-so. I identify myself
with the place I live and introduce myself as an Indian and so on
and so forth. So I identify with my body, with my job, with my
country. Thus I have forgotten my true identity. I have forgotten
my true Self.
But actually, your true Self is Divine. A pure heart is the temple
of God. The Indweller is God. “I and my Father in heaven are one,”
said Jesus Christ. You are God. God made man in His own
reflection. So, forgetting the fact that I'm the reflection of
God, I think that I'm the reflection of some nonsensical things.
Once when I said to Bhagavan, “Swami, when You say to me, ‘You are
God,’ well, I'm not able to believe it. This fellow who has a
weakness for a hot cup of coffee, how can he claim to be God?
Well, I don’t think so, Swami!” Then Baba said in a very funny
way, “If you think that you are not God, then think that you are a
buffalo,” (Laughter) He said, ”If you think you are a buffalo, you
become a buffalo. As you think, so you become.”
So God is not a goal, He’s not an aim, not an achievement. It is
just a realization and the subsequent experience. And further, we
are always in a condition of argumentation, delegation, equation,
hypothesis, theory, idea, ideologies -- we’re after that. There
are some who say, “You can conclude there is God because of these
reasons: one, two, three, four. You can conclude there is God --
there is Creation so there must have been a Creator behind it.
There is smoke, so there must have been some fire. So, they have
certain evidence, some proof and some arguments to put forth.
Therefore, God exists.
Tremendous Positivity
So my friends, God is not an
inference; God is an experience. God is tremendous positivity
towards life -- tremendous positivity towards existence. What is
tremendous positivity? Are we really positive? No! We doubt
everybody. We suspect everybody. We have suspicion. We are full of
doubt. We don’t accept anything. We hesitate, but we don’t
meditate. We doubt. We have not gone beyond doubts. This has been
our situation. Therefore, God is tremendous positivity towards
existence.
Tremendous positivity towards life -- what is it? Those of you,
who have gone through the newspapers, yesterday you must have seen
a quote given by the President designate of India, Dr. Abdul
Kalam, who made a beautiful statement. I said to Swami, “Swami,
this is what Kalam said.” Bhagavan immediately said, “That’s just
what I told him when he visited me in Bangalore.” (Laughter)
You must have seen what Kalam repeated in the newspapers
yesterday. What did Abdul Kalam say? “Whatever happens in life is
for our own good. Everything is good. Good happened, good is
happening, good will happen.” That is tremendous positivity. I'm
sure that none of us would say that. Good happened today, but let
me see in the afternoon. (Laughter) Swami looked at me in the
morning -- good. In the evening, I am not sure -- let me wait. It
is premature to say whether it is good or not right now. Let me
wait and see. (Laughter)
So, tremendous positivity means that readiness, that preparedness,
that unconditional acceptance -- whatever happens in our life is
for our own good. This is the very definition of God. Tremendous
positivity towards existence is God.
Merge, Melt, Disappear
Then what is the secret? I tell you
somebody said, “Sir, I sit for meditation.”
“Oh?”
“After some time, I'm lost. I do not know where I am. I just
forget myself while in meditation.”
Then I said, “Perhaps it is a deep sleep!” (Laughter) In deep
sleep also we forget where we are -- what we do.
We also find some people who begin with meditation, chanting the
name, repeating and turning the beads, the rosary, the talisman,
again and again. Within a couple of seconds, instead of ‘Sai Ram,’
you hear the sound of their snoring! They snore, you see? So, it
is not the state of samadhi. No! It is not the ultimate state of
meditation, certainly not!
So what is true meditation? True meditation has three steps:
merge, melt, and disappear. These are the three steps in the
process of meditation. Merge: As you think of God, you are not
concerned with the surroundings. You are not aware of your
position. You are not conscious of your stature or of anything
whatsoever. You are in the very thought of God and His Divine
glory. Merge. That is what is called ‘merger’.
Then once you merge, you do not know how long you have been going,
you do not know how long you stayed, you do not know where you
are. You have forgotten what is to be done -- meaning you are
beyond time and space. That is melt. So merge, then melt.
And finally what happens? I do not exist. You do not exist --
that’s all. You become universal or cosmic. That is the final
state: disappear. So, merger, melting, and disappearance -- the
process of meditation requires three steps: merge, melt and
disappear.
So long as ‘I’ exists, you are still to merge. The one who has
merged will never say “I.” Can I say that? A drop of water just
dropped into the ocean. So, there’s no drop any longer because it
has merged into the ocean. Yes! The drop does not exist any
longer. So long as we say ‘I, I, I’, it means we’re not even at
the first step, not even in nursery school, not even at the
kindergarten level in the process of meditation. The first
causality should be I-ness. When once the I-ness is dropped, there
begins the true meditation: merge, melt and disappear. Something
like a dewdrop put in the ocean – it merges, melts and disappears.
It becomes the very ocean itself. You are universal. You are the
world. You are cosmic. That is the finale of meditation.
God Is Being
We should also understand --
Bhagavan always says this: God is not becoming; God is being. God
is your being and God is not becoming. If God is becoming, it is
something which lies ahead -- a futuristic view, something to
happen in the future. Some time is required to become God.
If I want to become a professor, I need some time to acquire the
necessary qualifications. Then I can become a professor. Time
qualification, eligibility, and experience -- they are all
required to become a professor. To become President or Prime
Minister, you need eligibility, political party support -- certain
things are required. Becoming: something lies in the future. But
God is not becoming. God is your being. This is the approach of
Bhagavan.
That’s what Bhagavan meant when He said, “Do not do Padanamaskaar
any longer.” Padanamaskaars are cancelled. Touching His Feet is
discontinued. Why? He wants to forcefully impose on us that God is
being and not becoming – and that you are God. That God is not a
goal -- that God is not an achievement. God is not far off from
you. And you have got to realize your true Self because He has
given us 75 years of time to understand the quintessence of His
message.
Thousands and thousands of chances to touch His Feet and the
constant touch of His Feet made us feel proud of it, as a sort of
achievement, a sort of propaganda, publicity, aggrandizement,
exhibitionism, a show affair. When the real purpose has not been
served -- well, Divine ordinance is passed. No more
Padanamaskaars, which means that you are purposely, forcefully
driven to go within. We have been beating around the bush, but we
have not gone within. Therefore, this statement clearly indicates
that being is God and not becoming.
Religion And Religiousness
And Bhagavan clearly says that
religion is not a dress that you put on. Religion is not just a
path that you follow. Religion is a conditioning of life. Religion
is something like a program for a computer. It is a condition. No,
let’s not follow a religion, but let us be religious.
To be a man of religion is different from being religious.
Religiousness is more important than religion. Religion is just a
label. Religion is a mark of identification. Religion is a brand.
Religion is a trademark. But religiousness is practice.
Religiousness is behavior. Religiousness is an expression of the
principle of religion. So, there is a big difference between
religion and religiousness.
To be religious is different. When you are silent, when you are
peaceful, when you are alert, you are religious. With all the
agitation in my mind, with all the disturbances in my mind, with
all the controversy in my mind -- well, I cannot claim to be
religious. I can say I'm a man of religion, but not religious. A
religious man is always peaceful. He will never have a complaint
against anybody. He will not have enmity towards anybody. Not any
enmity, but you will find empathy. You will find sympathy; you
will find friendliness; you will find understanding. So, a
religious man is peaceful and a religious man is silent.
A man of religion is vocal. A man of religion is expressive, but a
religious man is silent. Why? It is only in silence -- it is only
in the depth of silence -- that the voice of God is heard. You
experience God in silence. That’s the reason why every spiritual
guru, every spiritual master, is very particular about silence. It
is because in silence you can go within. In silence you can
experience the Divinity within.
Are We Really Alert?
So wherever there is silence -- when
you are alert -- are we really alert? Certainly not! In the
evening time when we go for a walk behind the Round buildings,
when the cool breeze touches your body, God says, “Hello, how are
you?” That is God's touch. God has come to shake hands with you by
way of a cool breeze. And the twilight -- when you watch the sky,
the different colors, the beautiful painting across the sky – this
is the myriad, multi-dimensional face of God. He is saying, “Hello
my dear son, how are you?” The smiling, blossoming flowers that
toss in the breeze, the rose flower that blossoms and the dew drop
that slides over the surface of the lotus leaf, shining like a
pearl – this is the beautiful face of God, saying, “Here I am my
son! Why don’t you look at me?”
So my friends, we can enjoy God when we are alert. Alert means
conscious, awake, aware of the five elements, the breeze, the
sunrise, the twilight, the valleys, the greenery, the forests and
the mighty mountains! These things speak of the manifestation of
Divinity. So a religious man is always alert. He sees the cosmic
form of God everywhere. He abides in peace and he’s always silent.
There lies the secret of life.
A spiritual man is never boastful. A spiritual man never
advertises himself. There are some people who say, “While I sit in
meditation, I see some pictures. I see colors.” Please enjoy
yourself because I may not see what you see. Well, all that you
say may be meaningless to me. Therefore, this is absolutely
personal. We cannot advertise. We cannot go on telling everybody.
Your experience is based on the intensity of your own sadhana and
the magnitude of your own spiritual path. Well, I cannot judge.
Who am I to judge?
Being Ordinary Is Extraordinary
Therefore, the important point here
is that a religious man, a spiritual man, always feels that he is
ordinary. Jesus was an ordinary person. Jesus Christ was very
ordinary. Yes! Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was very ordinary. Most
precious things in the world are ordinary. The sky is ordinary.
The stars are ordinary. The moonlight is ordinary. The sunlight is
ordinary. But, I want to be extraordinary -- here lies the
problem! Man, in trying to be extraordinary, becomes a fool, a
laughing stock. No one should try to be extraordinary because
there is nothing extraordinary in being extraordinary.
Ordinariness is extraordinary. What is extraordinary? To be
ordinary is extraordinary because most precious things are
ordinary.
Once Bhagavan said, looking at me, “You have got a new suit! Hmm!
Its fine!” Well, I was so happy because being complimented by
Bhagavan gives one a sense of satisfaction, if not pride.
Immediately He said, “I am the same, same -- birthday or any day –
I wear the same dress whereas you have a new suit on your
birthday.” (Laughter) Because we want to be special on birthdays,
we want to be special on festival days, and we want to be
extraordinary on special occasions. Well, God is the same (Anil
Kumar draws out the word ‘same’ in a funny way, as
“Saaaaaammmmmme.”). (Laughter)
On special occasions, when lunch or dinner is arranged for VIPs,
like the Prime Minister or Governors -- when a few lucky souls
also follow Him, there are many items to eat. What is it our God
eats? Same food -- two spoons, that’s all. Two spoons of rice,
Hari Om Tat Sat! He gets up. The same food, same dress – very,
very ordinary. While talking to devotees, suddenly He picks up His
cup, takes a sip and He’ll say, “It’s not coffee. It’s only
water!” (Laughter) Ordinary. While eating, if you just look at
Him, He will say, “No sweets, sir. I have never touched any
sweets.”
I Never Watched A Circus!
The other day Bhagavan was saying,
“I have never had a ride on a motorcycle. I have never experienced
a train journey. I have never experienced it. I have never watched
any circus.” That’s what He was saying: “I have never watched the
circus!” (Laughter) “Why not, Swami? Why not? The circus is
interesting. It’s quite interesting. We have got a ringleader,
making lions jump. The circus is interesting. Why don’t You watch
it? In our younger days, we used to watch the Parasurama Lion
Circus and the Gemini Circus. Why don’t You watch this circus?”
Bhagavan said, “In the circus, they make the wild animals suffer.
And, in watching the suffering -- certain games, certain shows --
you are happy about it. You are happy watching the suffering of
the wild animals. I don’t watch it. Why should they beat them? Why
should they whip them? Why should they do certain shows -- certain
stunts -- to make you happy? The stunts are done by the wild
animals because the ringmaster makes them suffer. I don’t like it.
So I have not seen it. I am an ordinary man, sir!”
“Swami, are You ordinary?”
“Yes!”
“How can you say that?”
Bhagavan said this only yesterday. I'm giving you the latest
information -- hot, hot, straight from the hot, hot oven you know.
What did He say yesterday?
“I went to Africa a long time back. When I was in East Africa what
happened? I was just walking around. I found lions and tigers also
moving around.”
‘Moving?”
“Yes!”
“Oh Swami, the very idea frightens me! The very picture frightens
me.”
“Yes! I was not afraid of them.”
“Why, Swami? Why weren’t You afraid of the lions?”
He said, “I'm not afraid of the lions because the lions know that
I'm not going to do any harm to them. You are afraid of them and
they are afraid of you because they suspect that you are going to
kill them. When they are sure that nothing will happen to them,
they are free.”
“Swami, are You the only person who mingled freely in the forest?”
“No, the East African people also moved freely in the forest. “
“Freely, oh!”
“Tigers with cubs and lions -- they used to move about. We were
also there. Nothing happened. And at night, elephants would also
move about in large groups. An elephant would put its trunk
through the window, pick up the fruit and leave.”
“Oh! Is that so?”
Thank God I had a good sleep last night, in spite of all this
narration! So, they are so free! Why? Because they are ordinary.
When you are ordinary, not suspicious -- when you are one with the
existence, with life in general -- you don’t have to be afraid.
You’ll never be frightened. Your life will never be at any risk
whatsoever. So don’t feel ordinary -- be ordinary.
I don’t feel ordinary. I am ordinary. Why? The moment you feel
special, I am so-and-so. Ah! Ah! “I have been coming to this place
for the last 20 years.” What is your contribution? Nothing! “I
have been here for the last 30 years.” Why? You are a burden to
the place.
So the moment you feel special, you have lost contact with love
and life, and with the totality of existence. Let us feel very,
very ordinary -- that is the extraordinary quality. Gold cannot be
greater than you. You are greater than the gold -- understand it!
Achievement cannot be greater than the achiever. That’s very
important.
Reason And Heart
Here there are two views: those from
the West, they go by reason. Those coming from the East, they go
by their heart. The heart guides the people in the East. It is
reason that guides people in the West. Baba says that we need a
blend of both. Reason and heart -- both of them are important.
Reasoning is of the mind. Feeling is of the heart. The Western
people go on questioning things – reason. That’s the reason why
science and technology advanced in the West. Whereas in the East,
you find the heart has been propelling all human activity.
Therefore, you find spirituality in abundance in the East.
But Bhagavan shows us a beautiful blend -- a synthesis of both --
when He says “Reason functions in the world of objects, while the
heart functions in the world of consciousness. Therefore, grow in
your heart and let your reasoning be sharp. When there is perfect
harmony, you are a genius. You are a genius when there is harmony
between reasoning and the heart.”
And finally, before I take leave from you, Bhagavan does not want
us to be missionaries, no! We have missionaries who propagate
Bhagavan’s message. There are missionaries of various schools of
philosophy, of different religions, who are also quite active in
bringing about conversions. So we, Sai devotees, are not to be
missionaries.
We, Sai devotees, are not to convert anybody, not to mesmerize
anybody, not to hypnotize anybody, not to pressurize anybody, not
to pester anybody, no! Bhagavan does not want anyone to be a
missionary. Bhagavan does not want you to be a missionary.
Bhagavan wants you to be the very message of His life. He never
wants you to be a missionary.
With this I take leave from you. Thank you very much!
Sai Ram!
Om Asato Maa Sad Gamaya
Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya
Mrtyormaa Amrtam Gamaya
Om Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
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