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Anil Kumar's Sunday Satsang at
Prasanthi Nilayam
November 17, 2002
The Sunday Talk Given by Anil Kumar
Happy Birthday!
November 17th, 2002
OM… OM… OM…
Sai Ram.
With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan
Bhagavan’s Birthday Is Our Birthday
Let me begin this morning’s session by wishing you a ‘Happy
Birthday’, which comes on November 23rd. Bhagavan’s Birthday is
our birthday. We should wish each other a ‘Happy Birthday’. The
day when we recognize that God is within us, that day is our
birthday. The day when we spend time with God, in the company of
God, that day is our birthday. The day when we think of God, that
day is our birthday. The day when we are godly, the day when we
take up service activities that are so pleasing to God, that day
is our birthday.
It’s not simply the birth of our body in flesh and blood,
certainly not! This birthday is the realisation of the spirit
within. This birthday is the experience of Divinity within. This
birthday is the total identification of the individual with the
Divine. With this background, I greet you all, wishing you a
‘Happy Birthday’, this Birthday of Baba being the event that has
brought us all here to this holy place, the sanctum sanctorum, the
dwelling place of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
It is not possible for us to meet here again before the Birthday
-- this great event in the history of humankind and, in
particular, in the contemporary world. So I would like to make a
homework assignment. It will prepare us all so we can enjoy the
Birthday that falls on November 23rd. Preparation is necessary!
Before we sow the seeds, we plough the land and water it to make
the topsoil soft and smooth. That way the seeds sown will
germinate. They will sprout and give the expected crop. Though I
know that we have another week ahead of us, this is sort of a
‘ground preparation’.
A Gulf of Difference Between Man and God
This topic can be divided under two headings: One, ‘The
Incarnation’ and two, ‘The Mission of the Incarnation or Avatar’.
God comes down in human form. When we call Him ‘Avatar’ or ‘Lord
Incarnate’, that’s the meaning behind the biblical saying, “God
made man in His own image.” ‘His own image’ means His
‘Incarnation’. It means His ‘advent’.
There is a gulf of difference between man and God. There’s an
ocean of difference between man and God. Physically and
spiritually speaking, both of us are human. Bhagavan is as much
physically human as you and I. Both of us are physically human,
yet there is a wide gulf between the two. In the first instance, I
would like to deal with this difference between man and God.
At the same time, we want to remember that the goal of man is to
realise that he is God. Initially, man and God are different. Man
and God are different until man realises that he is God. After
all, God and man are the same only at the pinnacle of sadhana or
spiritual practise. Man has to undergo the process of the
spiritual path. He has to tread along the spiritual path until he
realises that he’s basically and fundamentally God Himself.
Unfortunately, I do not know that I am God because I am separated,
cut asunder and distanced from my real core. Basically, my being
is Divine, but I'm cut off from my basic Divinity. I'm extrovert,
I'm outward and I'm sensual. I'm after comforts and conveniences.
I'm worldly. I identify myself with the physical body and I
identify myself with my mind. I think that I am the intellect.
Therefore, I remain only at the physical or body level, the mental
or ego, the level of intellect or pride. Though I have come down
from pristine glory, my entity is forgotten; my reality is
forgotten; my core is lost.
There will be no difference between me and God once I go back to
my core, once I think of my real entity, once I identify with my
true entity, once I experience that I'm God. By understanding the
Divinity within, then there will be no difference between God and
me. However, initially, outwardly, apparently, we see the
difference.
It is something like this, my friends: A wave is different from
the ocean. A wave and the ocean are not the same. Basically, both
are only water, aqua, H2O. Superficially, a wave is a wave and the
ocean is an ocean.
Here is another example: A spark is different from the fire.
Though they are different, a spark and the fire are both capable
of burning and of shedding light. Basically, they are the same;
but superficially and externally they differ. Similarly, man and
God differ externally, outwardly, physically; but spirituality, at
the core, both are One. Let us realise the external differences --
how we are different from God.
First Point: Ksheerodakasayi and Jalodakasayi
Embryonic Stuff and the Milk of Holiness
First point: All of us realise that we were in the womb of our
mother. Until I came into this worId, I was in the womb of my
mother for nine long months -- so long we lie within the mother’s
womb. We are surrounded by all the watery stuff, the embryonic
fluid. While I was an embryo, I was surrounded by embryonic fluid,
watery stuff. A human is enveloped by embryonic fluid, surrounded
by watery stuff.
However, the Lord incarnate, the Avatar is not surrounded by, is
not enveloped by the embryonic stuff, certainly not! Instead, it
is pure white milk of holiness. Let us not think that the womb of
the Avatar’s mother is a mere form. No! No! No! Don’t think that
way. It is the milk of purity. It is the milk of holiness. It is
the milk of Divinity. Therefore, the Incarnation is kshirodakasayi
(lying in the womb of milk), while a normal man is jellodakasayi
(lying in the womb of embryonic stuff).
The second point: The human has all this yearning for results or
expectations, for recognition, name and fame. We come across many
people who do very small, petty things, and immediately they want
Bhagavan to recognize what they have done. They want Bhagavan to
appreciate it. They want everything to get His attention. Really,
when I come across such things, I don’t know whether to laugh or
cry. Once you know that He is Bhagavan and God, why do you want
these things brought to His notice? Don’t you think that He
prompted you to do all these? Why do you want to physically bring
it to His notice? That is a matter to be laughed at.
Second Point: Apeksha and Upeksha
Yearning for Recognition and Unconcerned
Second point: after all, what you and I have done is decimal, is
minimal. It is nothing when compared to the gift of life given by
God, when compared to the gift of happiness, when compared to the
gift of health, the gift of prosperity. They’re all gifts of God.
So when I distribute ten pairs of clothes to poor people, if I
expect my name to be in the headlines of the newspaper, to be
broadcasted, telecast -- what a man of vanity I am! Being a man is
not for vanity, but for practising charity and purity, and seeing
our own Divinity. We should not be recognised for simple vanity.
Man has a yearning for recognition and for results. He’s always
result-oriented. If I go to a temple, what do I get? Am I going to
get a promotion? Or am I going to win a suit in the court of law?
Or are my children going to settle in life? Or something else! We
got used to this thinking as a business transaction. It is all
right as far as the world is concerned. Yet, in the spiritual
realm we also bargain. We get into a deal. It’s very unfortunate!
This is called apeksha. ‘Apeksha’ means expectation,
result-oriented.
But, the Avatar is upeksha, unconcerned. You know Bhagavan -- He
just goes on distributing gifts of Grace. He just materializes
vibhuthi for a devotee in a normal, simple, humble, routine,
regular way. He doesn’t do it for an exhibition. He doesn’t do it
for applause. He doesn’t do it for cheers or whatever. To Him, it
is just normal, regular, routine.
Sometimes He calls a boy to the dais. He talks to him, “How are
you, boy?” While talking, in the midst of the conversation, He
materializes a ring for him. He doesn’t call for the attention of
everyone.
“Here, I am materializing a ring for him!”
Chi, Chi! You and I do that, yes, but He doesn’t do that. He is
apeksha, unconcerned.
Even if you clap, He’s not bothered. He doesn’t look around to see
how many people are clapping. (Laughter) He’s not bothered whether
you cheer or whether there is thunderous applause. He’s not at all
bothered. He goes on doing His work in His own routine way, in His
own imitable style, in a selfless manner because all Divine
actions are born out of Love, not for anything else.
After all my friends, He finds Himself in you. He understands.
He’s aware of the fact that He and you are one. He doesn’t want
applause. Do you find anybody just clapping for his own speech? No
fool does!
If someone makes a speech and goes on clapping at the end of every
sentence, we’ll go to the speaker and say, “Sir, this is not the
place for you. There’s a lunatic asylum newly opened in Bangalore,
which you may inaugurate by getting treated there.”
I don’t appreciate it when people boast, “I'm that and this. I
have been doing that and this.” They are just lunatics, madcaps. A
person praising himself is the dirtiest thing in the world. It is
the worst of sins, which no one should do.
So, God has this upeksha, unconcern. When He goes on distributing
clothes, well, He’s not bothered how many are there or not. He’s
not bothered by how many people are here. He just does it. That is
what we call upeksha, unconcern.
Third Point: Mamatwa and Brahmatwa
Ego and Divinity
Third point: Mamatwa, which means ego. Every time we have a claim,
“You know sir, we have done it. Our Sai Centre did it, you know?
My Sai Centre did it and I have done it.” This kind of claiming
possessiveness, ownership is nothing but ego.
Bhagavan has no trace of mamatwa or ego. He’s full of Brahmatwa or
what we call Divinity. How do I substantiate it? You will never
hear Bhagavan saying, “My College, My University.” No! If anyone
comes and says, “Swami, in Your University the students are
excellent.” He’ll immediately correct the person, “Why do you say
‘Your University’? It’s our university.”
I should tell you what happened only yesterday. While we were
passing the two bank buildings, one the Canara Bank, the other the
Hyderabad Bank, He said, “Where are these two banks located?” We
were just passing by them.
I said, “Swami, they are located on Your site, in Your plot.”
He looked very seriously at me, “My plot? Your plot? Keep quiet!
(Laughter) Our plot! They are there with us, you understand?”
Immediately the topic shifted to some other point of interest,
otherwise I would have been asked to get out of the car.
(Laughter) He doesn’t like this kind of a statement: ‘My car, My
University’, No, No, No! Our! Everything belongs to us, a kind of
sharing, a kind of caring. A kind of sharing and caring is the
philosophy of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s life. We see Mamatwa;
Bhagavan sees Brahmatwa.
Fourth Point: Gunas
Bound By Attributes
The fourth point: We are all governed, controlled by gunas or
attributes. Everyone is controlled by gunas, everyone! Someone is
full of temper, full of anger, full of emotion, full of passion,
because he’s controlled by the attribute of rajas or rajasic
quality. If one is after violence, he says, “Kill him, beat him.”
If he is drinking, eating, and full of gluttony, he’s dominated by
or dictated by the thamasic quality, the bestial attribute.
Piousness, calmness and composure are the qualities of sathwic
attributes.
Avatar Is Beyond the Attributes
So my friends we are controlled, we are governed, we are operated
by gunas or attributes -- all of us. The Avatar is beyond the
attributes. These attributes are functional because of Him. They
are only playthings. Just as on this board, I can write letters in
any number of colours of my choice; yet, the board has no letters
of its own. The board has no colour of its own. The board is
colourless and letterless, but I can write colourful letters on
the board. Am I clear?
Likewise God is responsible for the function of these attributes
-- for the operation of these attributes -- but God is beyond
them. In other words, electricity is responsible for the mike to
function, for the bulbs to illumine, for the heater to generate
heat, but electricity has none of these qualities. Similarly,
these attributes are powerful because of Divinity, although these
attributes are not in Divinity.
Fifth Point: Desires
We Are Moved By Desire
Point five: We are moved by desire. There are third-rate people,
who when they say, “Hello, good morning, how are you?” Watch out!
Take it from me -- they want something from you. They want a
favour from you. Third-rate people want their demands met in the
moment. The next day, they don’t recognise you, even if you pass
by.
But of course, 90% are good people. I am not blaming everyone.
But, third-rate fellows -- watch out for them. Again, I say, the
majority of people are good. We all have some desires. Whatever we
do, we still have desires.
We may even be encouraged to develop a desire while watching
others. Here is a simple example: I don’t have any letter in my
pocket, but I see many people giving letters to Swami, so why
don’t I write one now? (Laughter) Desire starts there! In the
beginning, I'm desireless; that’s very great. Yet, while watching
others a desire develops.
When Swami materializes vibhuthi for another, I too, will stretch
my hand. If I don’t receive any, I might snatch some away from the
actual person to whom the vibhuthi was given. Or, if he is not
prepared to give any, I might lick it right off his palm,
(Laughter) taking his palm as the plate. We also see this -- it is
very funny! Initially, we may not have a desire, but we develop it
by watching others.
Bhagavan Has No Desire
Bhagavan has no desire. We asked Bhagavan once, “Swami, how is it
that You’re always blissful?”
My friends, this is not any kind of advertisement, because we’re
all members of the Sai family. I would like to tell you that the
two volumes of Satyopanishad, which I have written, are available
in our bookstall. Satyopanishad has around 272 questions. The
questions were asked of Bhagavan and during six of our trips to
Kodaikanal, He gave the answers.
Many people do not have access to those questions and answers, so
I thought to write them down. In fact, all of a sudden they have
come to light. They had a long period of four years waiting in the
press. So, it has been waiting in the press, on the shelves for
four years, and now it has found itself convenient to come into
the world, to see the light. You will find this question in it.
What is the question?
“Swami, why are You always blissful?”
We are not always blissful -- we know that. We change from hour to
hour; we go on changing. We smile and then we put on a long,
serious, Shakespearean face. (Laughter) Then we laugh
wholeheartedly and then we turn into all seriousness. We even
grind our teeth and criticise ourselves. But Bhagavan is always
cheerful, always blissful, why?
A simple answer: “Because I have no desires, I'm always happy. ”
So if you want to be happy, you should also be desireless. Man is
prompted by desires whereas the Incarnation, the Avatar, has no
desire. His only desire is to make us desireless.
Come to the Laboratory of Prashanthi Nilayam
So what does Bhagavan do? What is the Divine technology? What is
the scientific procedure? The experiment performed by Bhagavan
Baba on a large scale every day, all these years is simple: He
goes on giving you all you want, so that you’ll come to the
laboratory of Prashanti Nilayam. He goes on giving all you want.
“Swami, I have come here because of some health problem.”
“Yes, you are cured, perfect!”
“Swami, I'm poor.” He’ll give you some avenue of income.
“I want my family to settle.”
“Yes, it will settle.” He goes on attending to your requirements.
You are brought into this laboratory, this place and experimented
upon. (Laughter) What is the aim of the experiment in this
laboratory? To make you desireless, so that you stop asking for
things! You come here only to ask. You stay here in order not to
ask -- that is the thing.
In the beginning, He goes on taking your letters, He goes on
giving you vibhuthi; He goes on sanctioning all that you want. The
first year, second year, ‘the honeymoon period’, wonderful!
(Laughter) Very good! Thereafter, when there is a letter, not only
you, but also the whole line will be ignored -- it’s infectious.
The whole line! Particularly when you want immediate attention,
you’ll be put in cold storage. (Laughter)
Why is this experimental process going on in the laboratory of
Prashanti Nilayam? What is the aim? To make us desireless! Man is
full of desires while the Avatar has no desire, except one - to
make us all desireless.
Sixth Point: Mrinmaya and Chinmaya
The Body of an Avatar Is Different
Then the sixth point: Our body is made of flesh, blood and bones.
This is what we call mrinmaya. The Sanskrit words are mentioned
here because some people are genuinely interested to know them.
Mrinmaya, the physical body, is composed of five elements, but the
body of the Avatar is different.
“Why do you say that? I see Swami walking. I see Swami with two
hands, two feet, two ears, and two eyes - like my body. In what
way is that Body different from my body,” is the question that
comes to everyone.
I don’t need to explain further; I don’t need to explain in an
elaborate way, except to tell you one fact: if we start working
like Him, we may not live for more than half a day. (Laughter)
Yes! If we start eating like Him, well, we can settle all our
property matters, because that day is our last and final day.
(Laughter) Yes! If we start eating like Him, we will not survive
until the next morning -- take it from me. It is impossible. How
do I know?
As I watch Bhagavan eating, it is very interesting. The normal
idlee (steamed rice cake) size itself is sufficiently small, the
size of a (flattened) ping-pong ball. Or simply like a cotton
ball, so small. However, Bhagavan’s idlee size is smaller still,
the size of a spoon, that’s all -- like a homeopathic pill.
(Laughter)
You must have heard of another preparation, vadas, a South Indian
dish. Naturally, you know the normal size, but the vadas that
Bhagavan eats are so small, very small.
And He doesn’t eat any sweets. He doesn’t touch milk products. He
doesn’t accept any ghee, nothing, no curd, no milk, no sweets,
nothing! Extra oil, nothing doing! In addition, what we call
spices, He doesn’t like. Only I like those things. All those
things prohibited by Him are most acceptable to me! (Laughter) I
like only spicy stuff, hot, hot stuff. He doesn’t like it.
"You Don’t Eat Properly!"
This happened two days ago: A devotee wrote a letter to Swami. He
was reading the letter.
The devotee said, “Swami, my legs are swollen, my ankles are
swollen and my hands are swollen. Swami, my health is not good and
my blood pressure has gone up, my diabetes has gone up and I'm
laid up in bed.”
He was reading that letter. I was readily available for Swami to
shift all the responsibility of that man on to my shoulder.
He said, “You, fellow! You don’t eat properly.”
Ah-re! I didn’t know why He was telling me this.
“See this letter.”
“It is not my letter! (Laughter) What is it, Swami?”
“Here is a letter and it says that the legs are swollen, the palms
are swollen, the BP has gone up, the diabetes is worse. Fellow, it
is you!”
Ah-re, (Laughter) I didn’t know why I was getting all this. I was
scratching my head. I didn’t know what to do. This happened in the
midst of three - four people. Had I been called alone and scolded,
I could have told everyone, “I got an interview.” No one would
have known what it was about, that’s all. (Laughter) However, it
was an open exhibition.
Then I said, “Swami, what do you mean?”
He said, “You also eat hot stuff, so you’ll suffer like that.
(Laughter) You also like sweets. It is his letter, but you’re also
like him.” (Laughter) So a copy of the scolding is sent to me
also!
If we start eating like Swami, well, I don’t think we’ll be able
to survive until the next morning -- His body is all together
different.
Before I go to the next point, I can tell you this: When we would
all leave from Brindavan at 6:00 A.M. to go to Kodaikanal, we
would reach there around 7 P.M. During that time, Bhagavan did not
eat anything -- nothing, nothing whatsoever, no lunch or tea. He
still looked as fresh as in the beginning. We fellows stopped at
six places to see that the petrol tank was filled. (Laughter)
Whenever it was a fourth full, we would fill it up again -- half
of it, you know. Still, we felt tired, we felt exhausted; but He
was not like that.
The body of the Avatar is chinmaya, full of awareness, and full of
energy. We are energetic; but Bhagavan is energy Himself! We are
energetic because we get energy from the food we eat, but Bhagavan
is energy itself. He doesn’t need to draw energy from food. This
is what we call chinmaya.
Seventh Point: Karmaphala and Sankalpa
Reaction, Reflection and Resound
The seventh point: we are born to face the consequences of our
past actions. If we were good in the past, naturally we’ll have
all good things now. Well, if we did anything bad in a previous
life, naturally we’ll have to face the consequences today.
Bhagavan has said, “As you sow, so you reap. As is the action, so
is the reaction. As is the object, so is the reflection. As is the
sound, so is the resound.”
Reaction, reflection and resound are a law of life -- for every
action there is an equal and opposite reaction -- Newton’s law of
gravitational force. So we are suffering because of our own
actions. We are happy because of our own actions. Happiness or
unhappiness is of our own making, due to our own actions. The
tragedy is that we claim happiness, but for the unhappiness, we
blame God. That is a tragedy.
The point here is that the purpose of human birth is to face the
consequences of our actions from previous lives. So that is
karmaphala: we reap the consequences of past actions. However, the
Incarnation is not here to face consequences. He wills, so He is
here! He just wills! One time Bhagavan said this and we all
shivered. Actually, at that time, we were very nervous.
Suddenly Bhagavan said, “You know, if I want to withdraw any time,
I can withdraw. Even now, I can withdraw from this Body.”
Immediately I said, “Swami, there are young people around. Why do
You want us to be afraid? Why do You threaten us like that? This
too, at Kodaikanal when it is so cool outside -- why all this,
Swami?”
“No, no, He said, “Everything is in My hands. I can continue to be
here in this Body for any number of years. I can withdraw whenever
I want.”
That’s what we call His sankalpa, His Will. He wanted to be here
at this time, He will continue to be here as long as He wants and
everything is in His hands. He’s the beginning, He’s the middle,
He’s the end! He’s everything -- that is sankalpa!
Eighth Point: Prasada and Pravesa
Avatars Are Not Born In a Normal Way
Most of you already know this: We are all born in the normal
course, meaning prasada. However, you must have heard about Jesus
Christ’s birth. You must have heard about Bhagavan Buddha’s birth.
The Divine light went into the womb of the mother. The Divine
light, the spark, went into the womb of the mother and took the
shape of an embryo within. That led to their delivery later. It
was not the normal course. That’s how Jesus was born and that’s
how Buddha was born.
Avatars are not born in a normal way. It is pravesa, which means
that Divine light goes into the womb of the mother. It is
pravesha, not prasada -- it’s not a normal delivery.
Out of so many points, I have limited it to eight points only
because of the time constraint. These are eight points, which I
was able to present this morning.
Six Divine Qualities
For your information, number nine is the Divine number -- most of
you know that about number nine. All Sai devotees want their car
licence number totalling nine or the last number to be nine. All
students like to see their examination register number, totalling
nine or the last number nine, or nine-nine-nine. (Laughter) Why is
number nine the Divine number? Here are a few points.
First point: The Avatar has six powers: Shadasshwairya, shadguna
-- there are six Divine qualities. There are three human
qualities. Six plus three equals nine. What are the three human
qualities? Sathwa is the pious quality. Rajas is the emotional
quality and thamas is the bestial quality. These three attributes
are the human qualities.
The First Quality
Iswarya: Prosperity
There are six Divine qualities. What are they? Prosperity or
iswarya -- this means prosperity in every possible way, not merely
in terms of coins and currency. Health is a sign of prosperity,
iswarya. Yes! Health is wealth, but that doesn’t mean I'm going to
put my body on sale, no! Health is wealth, as are good children -
healthy children. So, prosperity, samagrasya, is in fullness in
the Avatar.
Iswarya: Bhagavan’s health is so perfect. I'm sure most of you
know this. To this day, He has never used any medicine. One time
in Goa, when He was suffering from a paralysis, many doctors gave
Him medicine. Soon after the doctors left His room, He threw it
out. When He had some kind of fracture near the pelvic zone and
some medicine was given to Him, He threw it out. He uses no
ointments, no bandages, no medicines, nothing whatsoever!
He also says this: “I can see any object from a long distance.”
He has no specs. In addition, He can hear -- He has no hearing
aides, none whatsoever. He can certainly hear any sound.
Bhagavan said, “I can hear anything that is said from a long
distance and I can see any long distance object.”
He was telling us this in a jovial mood, in a smiling mood, so I
wanted to add some spice to the conversation.
I said, “Swami, if you permit me?”
He said, “What do you want?”
“Swami, if You want You can see any object or any person from a
long distance. If You don’t want to see even a mountain in front
of You, You don’t see it! (Laughter) Sometimes I manage to get a
front seat and You conveniently ignore me. At the same time, You
see a person from a long distance and call him to come close to
You. You say, if You want to, that You can hear anything from a
long distance. Even if I said, “Swami, Swami,” You can look as if
You didn’t hear me!”
He laughed, “Yes, that’s what happens!”
So my friends this is iswarya.
The Second Quality
Dharma: Righteousness
Then righteousness or dharma -- whatever He does is according to
the standards of dharma. Whatever He does is right, that’s all!
There’s no trace of selfishness in Him. There’s no trace of ego in
Him. There’s nothing that He wants. There’s nothing that is not in
Him, with Him! Everything is with Him - everything! Then what
could He want? Whatever He does is dharmic. He is embodied in
righteousness -- that is the second quality of the Avatar.
The Third Quality
Keerthi: Fame
The third quality is keerthi or name and fame. The name of the
Avatar will spread like anything. You must have heard in the Holy
Bible that when Jesus was born, three wise men came from different
directions with gifts and knelt in front of the newborn Babe and
began praying. There was a star in the sky indicating the birth of
Jesus Christ.
When Bhagavan was born, in the early hours of morning, instruments
near Him started playing by themselves. Because the birth of an
Incarnation is a matter of celebration, there will always be ‘an
announcement’ at the birth. It is a celebration because it has
been long awaited by seekers, sought after by aspirants, expected
by devotees. Therefore, the whole of Nature celebrates. You will
find showers of flowers from heavens and you will find music
everywhere. Though it may not be the season, you will find trees
flowering. Why? Nature celebrates! The entire Creation is in a
festive mood, full of bloom, full of peacocks dancing, full of
birds flying -- why not? It is a celebration! So my friends, that
is keerthi or fame.
The Fourth Quality
Jnana: Wisdom
Then there is wisdom or jnana. What sort of wisdom? It is not
wisdom as we may think. It is wisdom, which is timeless, which is
eternal. His knowledge, which is eternal, which is infinite, is
even at the human level. When He talks to engineers, they remain
spellbound and tight-lipped. They are not able to speak because
Bhagavan’s knowledge in engineering is more than that of the
engineers.
To illustrate this point: Look at the way Hanuman’s statue is made
to stand on the hill. International companies, such as L & T,
lifted their hands in helplessness.
“Oh God, we can't do it.”
Swami told them how to do it. The Administrative Building is the
plan and the design of Bhagavan. The Poornachandra Auditorium is
the only one in Asia at least, I am sure, that stands without any
pillar in the middle. The Poornachandra Auditorium was constructed
back in 1972. This is all His creation. This is all His design --
He’s the Engineer of engineers!
I also see some doctors telling Swami, “This is the case.”
Swami tells them the prescription, the diagnosis, everything! I
have been a witness to this. Once Bhagavan was speaking at
Kodaikanal about cardio complaints, heart problems, with Dr. Venu
Gopal, an international man. The heart specialist forgot about his
own heart and heard whole-heartedly all that Bhagavan said.
(Laughter)
When Swami speaks of physics and chemistry, the PhD people are
gone now! So, my friends, wisdom in totality is a quality of the
Avatar.
The Fifth Quality
Sampath: Wealth
Next is wealth or sampath. Wealth, even from an ordinary point –
even if it is money -- God is the richest. If the bank goes
bankrupt, what will happen to us? The bank should have enough
funds to give us money when we want it, either on a loan or by
credit. God should be wealthy, so that we can expect something
from Him. He could even give us some money. That is sampath.
The Sixth Quality
Vairagya: Total Renunciation
Then there is renunciation or vairagya -- total renunciation and
complete detachment. Years ago Bhagavan used to go to Bangalore
immediately after every festival. Though He’s not doing this in
recent years, the rumour is still quite active. Immediately after
every festival, people start asking me, “When is He going?”
“Ah-re-re! When? He is here! Why are you interested in His going?”
(Laughter)
There are greater fools who will ask me, “When will He return?”
(Laughter)
When will He return? He has not left! They are quack-master
generals. We can't help them. The point is that Baba is totally
detached. Whatever the function, any number of huge crowds may be
here. Thousands and thousands of people may be here for a great
gala, a grand extravaganza, a wonderful celebration. At the end,
He is calm, simple and humble -- as usual, normal routine life
continues. The moment the function is over, He does not speak of
it. It is a full stop, not a comma. See that! Unless one is
totally detached – vairagya -- it is not possible to drop things
just like that. So Bhagavan, the Incarnation, the Avatar, has
these six important qualities.
The Mission of Sai: The First Point
To Demonstrate that Man Is Divine
Now we come to the second aspect of this morning’s talk - the
Mission of Sai. How does He go about it? My friends, I have not
covered everything; I have just brought out a few salient points
so that you’ll be encouraged to prepare, you’ll be encouraged to
read, you’ll be encouraged to think along this line of thought.
That’s my intention.
What is the mission of Sai? One is to demonstrate that man is
Divine. Why do you consider that you are so simple, low and weak?
Kshudram Hrudaya Daubalyam,
Chatotishta Param Tapah.
To feel that you are low and weak -- that is your weakness. You
are not low. You are not mean. You are not simple. You are not
just human, but you are Divine. So the purpose of the Incarnation
is to make each of us realise the Divinity within.
The Second Point
The Instrument of Love
The second point: How does He do it? What is the process? Just as
a chemist requires a buret and a pipette, a doctor requires a
thermometer and a BP (blood pressure) apparatus. An engineer
requires a scale and his regular instruments. What instrument does
Bhagavan use to bring about this kind of healing -- the experience
of seeing Divinity within every one of us? How does He go about
it?
Well, very simple: He uses only one instrument -- the instrument
of Love! He does this by giving us messages of non-violence, the
prescription of non-violence, and the instrument of Love.
The Third Point
Correcting the Evil-Minded
The third point is this: Bhagavan corrects the evil-minded through
education and example. Evil minds are corrected through education
and example. Education -- by that I do not mean, universities,
schools or colleges. He does this through His teachings.
Bhagavan’s message is an education. Living with God is an
education. Listening to Him is an education. Spending time with
Him is an education. Watching Him move from here and there is an
education. Watching His actions is education. Every minute
together with the Avatar is education.
Let us not mistake this with the education that we gather -- the
facts from books, certainly not! That is book knowledge, but not
education. Therefore, through His education and example, Bhagavan
corrects evil-mindedness. Then what happens?
The Fourth Point
Feels Kinship
The way that Swami comes close to everyone, the way that He talks
to everyone -- when He says to you, “What did you eat this
morning?”
When He inquires, “When did you come?”
When He asks you, “What is your name?” though you have been here
for quite a long while.
When He talks to you in Hindi, which you do not know. When He
talks to you in Tamil, which you do not know -- this is all the
Divine romance. This is all the Divine humour. This is a source of
Divine laughter to make us feel that we are close to him. That’s
when we feel kinship. This closeness is possible only because of
the Avatar.
When God comes down in human form, it is possible to establish
kinship with Him. Why? Why should He become close? Why should He
come close to us? He does this so that we may grow to
super-heights. The descent of God is for the ascent of man!
Through it, He establishes kinship. He comes close to you, so that
you may grow to super-heights along with Him.
Baba has always said:
Never walk in front of Me.
If you walk in front of Me, you may miss the track.
Never walk behind Me, you may not be able to follow.
Walk by My side.
Walk with Me by My side.
That’s what God has said. He wants us to come to His super-heights
of Divinity. That’s why He establishes kinship with the vastness
of humanity.
The Fifth Point
Teaches Proper Use of Thought, Word and Deed
He also teaches proper use of thought, word and deed. My friends,
there may be hundreds of volumes on character, human behaviour
sciences, psychology and philosophy, but the essence of all
humanities, which we call ‘character’ is defined in one sentence
by Bhagavan Baba. What is it? ‘The harmony or the unity of
thought, word and deed is character.’ Character is defined in the
simplest terms ever possible. The unity of thought, word and deed
is character!
So, how should our thoughts be? Thoughts should be pure! How
should our deeds be? They should be full of sacrifice and
helpfulness. As the dictum goes:
Help ever, hurt never.
Then our words should be so soft like butter, so sweet like
nectar. Our words should be soft and sweet. Our deeds should be
helpful to humanity, full of service, born out of compassion and
kindness. As Bhagavan defines it, “I am a member of mankind
because I have kindness within me.”
If there is no kindness within me, I cannot be a member of
mankind. I'm a member of some animal kingdom. In form, I may be a
human; but by behaviour, I'm no longer human. So Bhagavan teaches
the proper use of thought -- pure, selfless thoughts, and words --
so soft, so smooth, so encouraging, so consoling, plus deeds that
are most helpful. These things He teaches. That is the Mission of
the Avatar.
The Sixth Point
To Know the Power to Discriminate
To know the power to discriminate, God has given us this power. He
has the sense of discrimination. He lets us know the power of
Divinity within. He also lets us exercise this discrimination
between right and wrong, good and evil, between what is ephemeral
and what is permanent, between what is truth and what is
falsehood. Bhagavan tells us this is what is most necessary:
See no evil. See what is good.
Do no evil. Do what is good.
Think no evil. Think what is good.
Hear no evil. Hear what is good.
He wants us to direct our senses along the correct path, in a
proper direction. All the senses that have been perverted, all the
senses that have been treading along the wrong path, will have to
be directed towards a particular centre of perfection. The senses
should be directed towards the centre of perfection, not towards
the goals of imperfection and selfishness.
The Seventh Point
To Liberate from the Chains of Karma
He is also here to liberate us from the chain of karma. We have
been passing through the cycle of birth and death:
Punarapi Jananam,
Punarapi Maranam
Punarapi Janani Jatare Sayanam
We have been born and reborn. The whole thing is a cycle - birth
and death. We have to cut off this cycle, to cut off this chain of
karma.
As Bhagavan tells us, “Today’s newspaper is tomorrow’s
wastepaper.”
I am born in order not to be born again. I die in order not to die
again. This means that this life is final – the be-all and
end-all. So, the Grace of the Avatar could cut off the cycle of
birth and death -- the karmic chain -- by our association with the
Him and by our participation in the mission of the Avatar.
The Eighth Point
Raise Human Consciousness
Then the eighth noble mission of Sai: He is here to raise the
human consciousness above anger, hatred, violence and war. What
does Swami say? Instead of saying, “Don’t be angry,” He will make
fun of us, “Anger is the quality of a dog.”
“If you are angry, you must have been a dog. Don’t be a glutton.
Don’t sleep, because excessive sleep is the quality of a
he-buffalo. Don’t have a wavering mind -- it is the quality of a
monkey. Don’t be unsteady, because unsteadiness is the quality of
a horse.”
He goes on listing qualities of animals, qualities that find a
beautiful, comfortable, permanent place within every one of us.
Finally He will make a big joke by telling us, “Animals are better
than all of you because they have one weakness; you have all of
them in one, only bundled up, packaged.” (Laughter)
He will make fun of us like that.
Then towards the end, He will say, “Always repeat this statement
ten times: ‘I am man, not animal. I am man. I'm not an animal. I
am man. I'm not a dog. I am man. I'm not a he-buffalo.’ To say ‘I
am man’ is only half the truth; the other half is, ‘I am not an
animal’.”
That’s what He wants us to say. This is what He said to do in
order to raise human consciousness above anger, hatred, violence
and war.
The Ninth Point
Suggest Indirectly
Then comes the ninth point: Indirectly, He will suggest! He won't
tell us, “Do this, do that.” No! No! No! He tells us indirectly.
Why? Why can't He tell us directly? No! No! No! He wants us to
correct ourselves.
I am not a helpless, mechanical, nonliving object to be brought
here, to be shifted or thrown out. No! No! No! I am a living
entity, endowed with the intellect, a sense of discrimination,
discretion and judgement, capable of action. When I'm capable of
action, when I'm capable of thought, I should be given that much
freedom. So, He has given us this freedom. Because Adam did not
follow the dictates of God, because he exercised his own freedom,
paradise was lost. When he could regain his consciousness, when he
could have that wisdom, paradise could be regained. Both of these
are the compositions of John Milton, a great man of English
literature.
The point here, my friends, is to let us know that God has given
us the freedom to act, but He does give us indirect suggestions!
Janthunaam Nara Janma Durlabham.
Understand that human life is rare.
He won't tell you, “Ah-re, you’ll be an animal in next life if you
behave like this!”
He won't tell you this! Understand that human life is rare: Humans
are the rarest of all creatures in this world. We should be quite
cautious of our deeds. We should be careful with our words and
with our actions. To give us this freedom, His suggestions are
indirect.
The Tenth Point
To Teach Unity in Diversity
Next, He is here to teach unity in diversity. He doesn’t want any
disunity. He doesn’t entertain any differences of caste, community
or gender, or any other differences! The basic unity in diversity
is possible only because of the Avatar.
People from different nations, who don’t see eye-to-eye with each
other in their native lands, in their native countries, they sit
here at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan like brothers and sisters.
Unity is established here, whereas in our native places, we are
divided on grounds of caste, colour, language, region, or whatnot.
Bhagavan establishes unity in diversity - that is the Divine
mission!
Three-Fold Task
His task is three-fold: In earlier ages, there was only one
shortage or deficiency -- a point to be corrected. Today, all of
points need to be corrected. What are they?
In Krita Yuga, long ago, the scriptures were not studied; the
scriptures were not saved; the scriptures were not revered; they
were not respected; they were not followed. People neglected
scriptures. Therefore, God incarnated in Krita Yuga to save the
scriptures -- the Holy Scriptures.
Then came Treta Yuga, the time of Rama’s Incarnation. Women were
not honoured and women were not respected. To uphold the honour,
to show the world how great a women is, Sita came as the consort
of Rama. She is a model to the women of all generations. She came
to glorify the role of women and to show the greatness of women.
Rama’s Incarnation is the best example of this.
Next came Dwapara Yuga. There was constant in-fighting for
property. All unjustifiable means were followed. Property was not
distributed as per the codes of justice and law. Krishna
incarnated in Dwapara Yuga to restore dharma.
The present Incarnation has taken upon Himself these three-fold
tasks: to uphold the dignity of women, to save the scriptures and
save property from injustice. You are all aware that Bhagavan has
taken upon Himself so many tasks.
Let Us Congratulate Ourselves
First Reason: We Are Born as His Contemporaries
My friends, before I leave you today, I can only share a few more
thoughts. First, let us congratulate ourselves and thank our
stars: Let us be thankful to our parents; let us be joyful and
happy for having been born as contemporaries of the Avatar in this
Golden Age of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. (Applause) This gift
is not given to everyone. An Avatar comes down once in thousands
of years, and we are born as His contemporaries! Yes, we have to
compliment ourselves.
Second Reason: We Have Come Close to Him
The second reason is -- it is not simply that we have taken this
body. We have come close to Him; we have seen Him; we are seeing
Him; we are participating in His Divine mission. Having been born
as His contemporaries, we have been gifted with His Darshan. Being
given the boon of listening to Him is the second gift of our life.
Third Reason: Effective Participation in His Mission
The third gift of our life is an effective participation in His
mission. It is not simply listening, not simply sleeping, not
simply being a passive contributor! No! Not a silent spectator,
but an active participation in the mission of Sai. The mission of
Sai is two-fold: education and medicine - health care on the one
hand and dissimulation of knowledge on the other. The third gift
of Bhagavan to humankind is participation in the two-fold tasks of
the Divine mission.
Fourth Reason: He Taught Us the Goal of Life
Fourth, we need to be very grateful to Swami. He taught us the
goal of life. He taught us the purpose of life. He taught us the
objective of life, the way of life, how we have to live in this
world. We are very, very grateful to Him. We are very, very
thankful to Him. We can feel proud of our lives now.
There’s Nothing to Feel Proud of in this World
There’s nothing to feel proud of in this world -- certainly not
about our property! Devaluation, inflation, earthquakes and floods
can take it away in an instant. Someone may be a millionaire and
overnight he may become a pauper -- a beggar on the street.
We cannot feel proud of our position. By a motion in the
Parliament or in the legislature, we may be out of our position.
We cannot feel proud of our children. In these modern days,
because of the expansion of science and technology, children have
moved away from their families -- they have to eke out their own
living. Sometimes they go to distant places. Though we have
children, you and I are alone. We can only boast of their happy
settlement, not their company and not their service, not even in a
dream, that’s all. Families are divided -- there’s no joint family
anywhere today.
Therefore, we cannot feel proud of our progeny, our position or
our properties, nothing! If there is anything to feel proud of, it
is our association with Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba! There’s
nothing else whatsoever! (Applause) Had Sai Baba not been in our
life, our whole life would have been gloomy. Our whole life would
have been dark. Our whole life would have been useless, futile,
and just an exercise. We would have just led our life; we would
have just carried on our life; but we wouldn’t have lived our
life. To live our life -- there lies the beauty. To lead our life
is only mechanical.
A Beautiful Meaning to Our Life
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has given a beautiful meaning to our
lives. This way we can lead our lives joyfully, blissfully and
meaningfully. No Sai devotee is ever perturbed by any loss or by
any difficulty because Baba has given us this composure, this
equanimity, this balanced state of mind. No Sai devotee is
egoistic of his achievement because all achievements and
accomplishments are His gifts of Grace. God will take care of us
in every possible way.
I can only wish you a beautiful life, a wonderful life, many years
of fruitful service to Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba and His
mission, so that your life will be meaningful and fruitful.
May Baba be with you forever and ever. Jai Sai Ram! Thank you!
I have one question, which I will take up next week. Because we
are in a Birthday celebration mood, let us celebrate Bhagavan
Baba’s Birthday in the best way possible. It is a day of
moonlight. It is a day of hope. It is a day of promise. It is a
day of enlightenment. It is a day of plenty and prosperity. It is
a day of wisdom.
May Bhagavan bless you! Thank you very much!
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
Jai Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ji Ki Jai!
Jai Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ji Ki Jai!
Jai Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ji Ki Jai!
Thank You!
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