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Love and Sincere Prayers
Bring Success in Your Life
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
delivering His Divine Discourse on 25th December 2004, evening, at
Prashanti Nilayam
Text of the Divine Discourse
delivered by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on 25th December 2004
(Christmas), at Prashanti Nilayam, Sai Kulwanth Hall
How is it that the sun rises in
the morning and sets in the evening with utmost regularity every
day? How is it that the stars twinkle beautifully in the sky at
night and hide themselves during the day? How is it that the
wind blows incessantly and sustains the living beings without
taking rest even for a moment? How is it that the rivers flow
perennially making gurgling sounds? (Telugu poem)
The word Jagat (world) means that which is born,
sustained and ultimately dissolved. God, who is responsible for
the creation, sustenance and dissolution of the world, has no
specific form. He pervades the entire world in the form of the
five elements, namely, ether, wind, fire, water and earth. There
is no place or person where these five elements are not present.
The same truth is proclaimed by the Bhagavad Gita:
Sarvatah Panipadam Tat Sarvathokshi Siromukham, Sarvatah
Sruthimalloke Sarvamavruthya Tishthati (with hands, feet,
eyes, head, mouth and ears pervading everything, He permeates
the entire universe). There is no place where God does not
exist. How can anyone comprehend or explain the principle of
such an all-pervasive divinity? People attribute various names
and forms to God. They celebrate the birthdays of their chosen
divine forms, worship them and derive joy thereby. But, it is
not possible for anyone to fathom fully the nature of divinity.
However, no one can afford to ignore this fact. When the child
is separated from the womb of the mother, it starts crying. What
is the reason for this? The moment you put a drop of honey or
milk on its tongue, the child stops crying. From this we can say
that everyone is born with hunger and thirst. What type of
hunger is that? Is it worldly or spiritual? It is difficult to
judge who is born with what type of hunger. However, hunger is
common for all. Food is essential to satisfy one's hunger. It is
the duty of every individual to strive for sustenance for
himself and also share it with others.
God has neither birth nor death. He is beyond all names, forms
and attributes.
God is eternal without birth or death. He has no beginning,
middle or end. He is omnipresent and is the eternal witness.
(Telugu Poem)
How can anyone give a specific name to God who is all powerful
and all-pervasive? The earth absorbs rainwater and supplies it
to the crop. As a result, we reap the harvest. Thus, mother
earth sustains our life by providing our sustenance. Water is
very essential for our survival. One may live without food for a
few days, but no one can live without water. Water is the gift
of God. It can be acquired only through prayer and not by any
other means. People in many places perform worship and offer
special prayers to invoke divine grace for water. Pauper or
millionaire, everyone must pray to God, for He is the one who
gives us food and water. Man cannot create food and water by
himself. He does not even know what type of food is essential to
lead a healthy life. He should make efforts to understand this.
Whatever God does is for the welfare of the world. You must
understand that world is the very form of God. The creator and
the creation are not different from each other. One should not
worship God for the fulfilment of worldly desires. We should
pray to God to attain Him. He showers His grace on the devotee
and gives you everything you require. He alone knows what is
good for the creation. Everything that you need is provided by
him when the time is ripe. Without any overt effort from you, He
gives you what you deserve. It is not the quality of a true
devotee to feel disappointed and blame God if his desires are
not fulfilled. It is the duty of devotees to find ways and means
to earn divine grace and make efforts to attain Him.
No one can comprehend the ways of God. In this context, Saint
Thyagaraja sang a verse:
Not even a blade of grass will move without divine Will,
Right from an ant to Brahman, God pervades everything,
But some people do not understand this and take pride in their
intelligence,
But no one however mighty knows what is going to happen in the
next moment.
(Telugu poem)
Nobody can understand or explain divine plans. God alone knows
His plans and He only can reveal them. No one can predict when
God will shower His grace on an individual. Only God knows the
answers to the questions like who, when, where, why and how. If
one forgets God and gets carried away by ego and a sense of
doership, one will not meet with success in one's endeavours.
Anything can be achieved through prayer. There is nothing
greater than prayer. Hence, everyone must necessarily offer his
prayers to God. However, one should not pray for worldly gains.
"Oh God! I want your love and nothing else." This should be your
constant prayer. Once you become the recipient of God's love,
you can conquer the entire world.
You may undertake any task, but do not pray to God for the
fulfilment of the task undertaken. Instead, leave everything to
His Will. Have full faith that He will do what is good for you.
Pray to Him, "Oh God, please take care of our needs every moment
of our life." When you discharge your duties surrendering
everything to God's Will, you will certainly achieve success in
your tasks. But Swami's Will takes shape without any prompting
or planning at the appropriate time. Whatever Swami requires
arrives unasked. However, Swami would like to make one more
thing clear. As things come to us unasked, we utilise them for
the benefit of others, too. Swami does not want anything at all!
Swami's only purpose is that, having come here, you should make
best use of this opportunity and lead your lives in a happy and
sacred manner. You need not give anything for Myself. Swami is
always ready to fulfil your desires. But before you express your
desire, you should enquire yourself whether you really deserve
it.
Any mighty task can be accomplished by prayer. Hence, pray to
God silently. Do not pray for the fulfilment of your petty
desires. Give up all desires and pray to God wholeheartedly with
love. You will certainly find fulfilment in life. You can
understand and experience divinity only through love. Some
people complain, "Swami, God is not coming to our rescue in
spite of our incessant prayers." I tell them, "The mistake lies
in your prayer and not in God." If your prayers are sincere,
they will certainly be answered. There is nothing that God
cannot accomplish.
The stories of the Lord are most wonderful and sacred in all
the three worlds. They are like sickles that cut the creepers of
worldly bondage. They are most ennobling and elevating. They
confer bliss on the sages and seers doing penance in forests.
(Telugu poem)
Today, we are celebrating the sacred festival of Christmas. We
should celebrate it in the true spirit without entertaining
petty desires. Jesus was the son of God. While he was being
crucified, he said, "Oh father, let thy Will be done." When you
surrender yourself to God's Will, he will take care of you. Do
not develop superiority complex. Give up ego and pomp. Pray
silently and sincerely. If your prayers are not answered, you
can certainly question Me. God is not confined to a place
somewhere in a distant corner. He always resides in your heart.
He can accomplish anything. He is ever ready to perform any
task, be it big or small for the sake of His devotees. All are
His children. Hence, He will certainly answer our prayers. Jesus
taught, "All are children of God." When you have such firm
conviction, we can accomplish any task. You need not go through
voluminous books. Fill your heart with love and leave everything
to His Will. You will certainly achieve success in your
endeavours.
Embodiments of Love!
Love is the quintessence of Swami's Discourses. His love is
power. There is nothing greater than love. When you develop
love, you can face the challenges of life with ease and emerge
victorious. God will always be with you, in you and around you
and will take care of you. Any mighty task can be accomplished
through prayer. However, your prayers should be sincere. There
should be unity of thought, word and deed. Develop firm faith
that Swami is in you and He always listens to your prayers. If
you think that Swami is outside, how will your prayers reach
Him?
Embodiments of Love!
It is only love that will help you to achieve success in your
life. Hence, develop love. That is the true prayer that God
expects from you.
Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajan, "Prema
Mudita Manase Kaho?"
Source:
http://www.sssbpt.org/Pages/Prasanthi_Nilayam/Christmas_Discourse.htm |