Life 47 (May 24 - Jan 25)

[winston]

What is the one quality we all must begin practising diligently and why?

Practise renunciation from now on, so that you may set out on the journey when the call comes, you don't know when.

Or else at that moment, you will be in tears, when you think of the house you have built, the property you have accumulated, the fame you have amassed, the trifles you have won.

Know that all this is for the fleeting moment: develop attachment for the Divine, who will be with you wherever you go.

Only the years that you have lived with Him have to be counted as life; the rest are all out of count.

An old grandfather of seventy was asked by his seven-year-old grandchild, "Grandpa! How old are you?" and the old man replied, "Two!". The child was struck with wonder and looked like a picture of doubt. The old man replied, "I have spent only the last two years in the company of the Divine, until then I was plunged in the marshland of pleasure-seeking."

- Divine Discourse, Oct 10, 1964.

Deha virakti (detachment from body consciousness) will free you from the grief of bondage, and Daiva asakti (attachment to the Divine) will give you the bliss of liberation and merger with Him.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

We may do Sadhana (Spiritual Practice) every day, but if we do not take care of this one aspect, we may make no progress at all. What is that?

Without removing the bondage in regard to our senses and organs, we will not be able to move forward at all.

- Ch 12, Summer Showers 1976.

When you reduce worldly desires, spiritual desires will increase.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How should we stay firm on our faith, even as we respect that of others?

The Divine cares for ekagrata and chitta-shuddhi (concentration and purity of mind). You need not feel that you are physically away from Him. He has no 'near' and 'far'.

Provided the address is clear and correct, your letter will be delivered, be it to the next street or to another city for the same stamp.

Smarana (remembering) is the stamp; manana (recapitulation) is the address. Have the Name for smarana; the Form for manana, that is enough. Select one Name and one Form but do not talk ill of other names and forms.

Follow the lead of a woman living in a joint family; she respects and serves the elders of the family such as the father-in-law, his brothers and her own brother-in-law, but her heart is dedicated to her husband, whom she loves and reveres in a special manner.

If you carp at the faith of others, your devotion is fake. If you are sincere, you will appreciate the sincerity of others. You see faults in others because you yourself have those faults, not otherwise!

- Divine Discourse, Aug 15, 1964.

How is purity to be achieved? Fill your mind with thoughts of the Divine, dedicate all your actions to the Divine and consider Him as the inner motivator.'
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Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why is the culturing and the disciplining of the mind, more important than that of the external?

When we decide on writing a letter, we gather in our minds the facts to be communicated, the manner in which it has to be written, and then, we start writing it.

When we decide on building a house, we build it first in our minds - the drawing room here, the dining hall there, the kitchen at this end, etc., and then, draw the plan on paper.

What we do is to project an ideal into action, into a concrete program. The external action or achievement is only a reflection of the Inner Being, which frames the ideas and concepts.

So, the transformation and refinement have to be done in the inner region of the mind. Constant reflection on the glory of the Divine, helps to transmute the body, mind and spirit.

- Divine Discourse, Mar 23, 1984.

Command the mind and regulate your conduct, so that the goal is won.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the form of self-mastery to have?

Note down all the things for which you have cried so far. You will find that you have craved only for paltry things, for momentary distinctions, for fleeting fame; you should cry only for the Divine, for your own cleansing and consummation.

You should weep, wailing for the six cobras that have sheltered themselves in your mind, poisoning it with their venom: Lust, Anger, Greed, Attachment, Pride and Malice.

Quieten them as the snake charmer does with his swaying flute. The music that can tame them is the singing aloud of the Name of the Divine.

And when they are too intoxicated to move and harm, catch them by the neck and pull out their fangs as the charmer does. Thereafter, they can be your playthings; you can handle them as you please.

When these are laid low, you will gain equanimity. You will be unaffected by honour or dishonour, profit or loss, joy or grief.

- Divine Discourse, Mar 26, 1968.

Without the extinction of desire, man cannot become Divine.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the true wealth we must strive to secure?

There are three doorways to hell for man - kama (lust), krodha (hatred) and lobha (greed).

Desires tend to get out of bounds. Hence it is essential to try to curb them as much as possible.

The process of controlling desires is called sadhana. The literal meaning of sadhana is the effort you make to achieve the object you desire or to reach the goal you have in view.

Sadhana is thus the primary means to realise your aim or objective.

A second meaning of the term is Sa-dhana, that is wealth that is associated with Divinity. Dhana (wealth) is described in three ways as Aishwarya (opulence), Sampada (prosperity) and Dhana (material wealth).

All of them refer to the same thing. Wealth will not accompany us when we give up the body. If wealth is lost, it can be regained. If strength is lost, it may be recovered. But if life is lost it cannot be got back.

Hence, while life still remains, one must strive to acquire the divine wealth that is imperishable and everlasting.

Your conduct constitutes this divine wealth. It is only by the way we live that we can acquire this divine wealth.

- Divine Discourse, May 29, 1988.

The real wealth is love, grace, and blessings of the Divine. Once you acquire this wealth, it will never leave you.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the one thing we should never doubt in this relationship we have with the Divine?

Develop prema (divine love) towards the Divine, the parama-prema (Supreme divine love) of which He is the embodiment.

Never give room for doubts and hesitations, or for questions to test the His love.

"My troubles have not ended; why? Why is it that He did not speak to me? Why did He not call me?", you whine!

Do not think that He does not care for you or that He does not know you.

He may not talk to you but do not be under the impression that He has no love.

Whatever He does, it is for you, not for Him. For, what is it that can be called His? Only you.

So, do not get shaken in your mind; do not allow faith to decline. That will only add to the grief you already suffer from.

Hold fast - that must be your vow. Whoever is your Ishta Devata (the chosen deity) - hold fast to Him.

Do not lose the contact and the company; for, it is only when the coal is in contact with the live embers that it can also become a live ember.

Cultivate nearness to Him in the heart and you will be rewarded. Then you too will acquire a fraction of the Supreme Prema. This is the great chance.

- Divine Discourse, Oct 10, 1964.

You are really of the same essence, the same taste, the same quality as the sea, though you have the name and form of the wave. - BABA

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How does one achieve purity of the internal impulses, which is very important for a spiritual aspirant?

How are one’s internal impulses to be purified? These relate to the mind, speech and the body.

Of the three, speech is the most important. How is purity in speech to be achieved? Every word you utter should be free from causing excitement or agitation. It should be satyam (true) and priyam (pleasing).

There are four factors which account for the pollution of the tongue. One is, uttering falsehood; two, excessive talking; three, carrying tales against others; four, abuse or criticism of others.

The tongue is prone to indulge in these four types of offences in speech. Unfortunately, in this Kali age, all these four are rampant.

Untruth has become ubiquitous. People freely indulge in slandering others. Tale-bearing goes on. Indulgence in loquacity is widespread. It is only when one gets rid of these four evil tendencies can his speech become pure and unpolluted. Hence, the first task is to purify one's speech.

- Divine Discourse, Aug 30, 1993.

The Triple purity - speech free from the pollution of falsehood, mind free from the taint of passionate desire or hatred, the body free from the poison of violence - has to be attained by all.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why shouldn’t we get distracted and stay focused on our goal and aim of life?

Life is a short play on the stage. This body is like a bubble. The mind is always fickle.

In the Scriptures, a Sage confesses that the mind, which is constantly vacillating, is difficult to control. Nevertheless, man has to concentrate on his true destination.

What is this destination, the goal and the aim of life? The Scriptures have made this clear.

Our destination is the source from which we came. As long as the individual is caught up in the prakriti (phenomenal world), his mind will be unsteady and vacillating.

The declaration, "Soham" (He is I) is demonstrated by the inhaling done during breathing. When you exhale and utter "Aham," you are giving up the "I".

"So-ham" proclaims the identity of the individual and the Divine ('I am He'). This identity will not be understood as long as one is caught up in the tentacles of the material world.

- Divine Discourse, Feb 11, 1983.

Just as two wings are essential for a bird to soar high in the sky, and two wheels for a bicycle to move, prema (love) and seva (service) are essential for man to reach his destination.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How can we live in the world free from grief, pain and suffering?

The Divine will manifest Himself only when the pillar is split, with the sword of yearning.

Deha-tatwa (Body Principle) must be split asunder if dehi-tatwa (Indweller Principle) must reveal itself.

That is to say, the "I-am-body" consciousness must go, if the "I am-embodied" consciousness, must emerge.

So long as you are in the dehi (I-am-embodied) consciousness, no pain or grief, pride or egoism can tarnish you.

It is like seawater. Take a small quantity of seawater and keep it separate in a bottle; it will get foul in a few days. But, so long as it was in the sea, nothing could foul it.

Be in the sea, as part of it; do not separate yourself, do not individualise yourself, do not feel that you are the deha (body), apart from the dehi ('I').

- Divine Discourse, Jan 29, 1965.

On seeing your body, you identify yourself with the form. But you are not the body; you live in the body.

Source: radiosai.org