Life 23 (Jul 14 - Jan 15)

[winston]

Divine, where are you?

There are people who go about declaring that there is no Divine because they are unable to see Him.

They say that they have searched in space, on the way to the moon, and even on the moon there was no sign of the Almighty. But they themselves are the mansions in which He resides, all the time!

Like the blind bamboozling the blind into a fall, others too repeat like parrots this ‘fashionable slogan’. No one sees the roots, but the roots are indeed there, deep in the soil, away from all eyes.

Can you assert that there are no roots for trees, that nothing feeds them or upholds them from below? He feeds, sustains, holds firm - though unseen, He can be seen by those who make the effort, along the lines laid down for the purpose by those who have succeeded in experiencing Him.

The Divine is, as butter in milk, visible when concretized by spiritual striving (Sadhana).

- Divine Discourse, May 15, 1969.

Devotion to the Divine will give you bliss, prosperity and peace.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What should we do to receive sufficient grace from the Divine at all times?

Remember, hands that serve are greater than the lips that pray. Real humanness consists in dedicating oneself to the spirit of service.

Quantity does not matter; quality of service counts. Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly and spontaneously.

The primary requisite is purification of the heart (Chittha Shuddhi). When your heart is purified, you get Supreme Wisdom (Jnana siddhi) and you can dedicate all actions in a spirit of detachment.

Divine love can be secured only by dedicated service. The Divine responds bounteously to your offer.

How can you receive the Divine’s love if you do not love Him? His Grace is like a bank. You can draw money from that bank only to the extent to which you have built up deposits through Tyaga (sacrifice). Earn the Divine's grace through love and sacrifice.

- My Dear Students, April 27, 1990.

When the mind is filled with good thoughts, such as truth, love, forbearance and compassion, one’s life is filled with peace and serenity

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is true detachment and sacrifice?

People think that giving up hearth and home is renunciation. This is not what Vairagya (detachment) implies.

Whatever we do, should be done in a spirit of goodwill and service. It should be for the well-being of the nation. And the welfare of all must be looked upon as the motto of the nation.

From very early times, Bharatiyas have lived up to the ideal: "May all the worlds be happy!" To uphold this ideal, rulers, scholars, sages and everyone made many sacrifices.

Today the spirit of sacrifice is not to be seen anywhere. It is selfishness that is the root cause of all the cruelty and violence today.

All that we have in this century are strife, disputes, riots and violence. Selfishness has reared its head.

Embodiments of Love! Get rid of selfishness. Regard yourself as an integral member of society.

Develop the faith that your welfare is bound with the well being of all.

- Divine Discourse, Apr 27, 1990.

True sacrifice consists in sharing with others one’s wealth, strength and qualities, which are derived from society.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

It is said desire is the root cause of all our miseries. How do we handle this problem then?

Desire must be got rid of by sacrifice and communion, to secure the Divine.

Desire discolours the intelligence, perverts judgment, and sharpens the appetites of the senses. It lends a false lure to the objective world.

When desire is directed to the Divine, the self-luminous intelligence within shines in its pristine splendour, and reveals the Divinity within and without, and you attain Self-Realisation.

I bless all of you to succeed in your spiritual efforts! If you have not been practicing sincerely until now, take up the simple practice of remembrance of the Divine (Namasmarana), along with reverence towards parents, teachers and elders, and service to the poor and needy.

See everyone as your Beloved Lord. That will fill your heart with Love and give you stability of mind and peace.

- Divine Discourse, May 15, 1969.

A good student is an offering that a good teacher makes to the nation

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

In this age of Kali, what is the best way to attain liberation?

Emperor Bali demonstrated through his sacrificing nature, that if one sacrifices everything, one will attain moksha (liberation).

The real sacrifice involves two things:
1. First, to realise the cause of our bondage in this life, and
2. Second, to sever this bondage.

People mistakenly think that wealth, family, etc., are their bondages, and that by severing connections with them they will be able to sacrifice everything and become eligible to attain moksha. But these are not the real bondage.

Real bondage is one’s ignorance in identifying oneself with the body. He who cuts off this bondage as Bali did, will attain moksha. For cutting off this bondage, purification of the heart is very necessary.

In this Kaliyuga, namasmarana (constant remembrance of the Divine) is the easiest way to purify one's mind; and surrendering to the Divine with a pure mind, is the surest way to attain moksha.

- Divine Discourse, 4 Sep 1979.

Your body is a house given to you on rent. Live there so long as He wills, thanking Him and paying Him the rent of faith and devotion.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What difference occurs to the individual who loves the Divine and those who don’t?

The Lord resides not only in the hearts of devotees, but also in the hearts of the evil-minded.

Once the child Prahlada approached his mother, Lilavati, and told her, "Mother, there is only one difference between me, who is a devotee of Hari and my father, who hates Hari.

Ever contemplating on the nectarous sweetness of the Lord, repeating His name, and constantly remembering Him, I am immersed in the bliss of love of the Lord, like one intoxicated.

My father, in his hatred of Narayana, has turned his heart into stone and installed Him in it."

The Lord, who dwelt in the heart of Prahlada, who loved Narayana, and the Lord who was in the heart of Hiranyakasipu, who hated Narayana, was one and the same.

One has to live in faith to experience happiness. Realising that the Divine is omnipresent, the devotees make their lives sublime by singing the glories of the Lord and ever dwelling on His name.

- Divine Discourse 15 Sep 1986.

Ignorance, Doubting Faith, Fickleness, Egoism—these tarnish a person’s nature and rob them of even the tiniest ounce of peace.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the relevance of Anapekshah (desirelessness) in our daily lives, given the present times?

Is it possible for anyone in this world to be free of any desire and expectation? Not quite!

Some things (material and sensual) may be attractive to some persons and some big aims (non-physical and transcendental) may interest others.

Almost all desires fall into one of the above categories. Then how is it possible to get rid of both kinds of desires?

In the Gita, the Lord has declared that He is present in all righteous actions. Therefore those who perform righteous actions can develop anapeksha (desirelessness).

This means that when a man performs all actions as offerings to the Lord, they become desireless actions. The Lord is the One who from within, makes one act, speak, listen, see, etc.

If a person performs all actions with the conviction that the indwelling Lord is the real Doer, then the actions become desireless. Hence to begin with every sadhaka should regard one’s actions as offerings to the Divine.

- Divine Discourse, August 30, 1993.

Have no desires to place before the Divine, for whatever He does with you and however He treats you, is the gift He likes best to give you!

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why should we pull up ourselves a tad bit more on purity of speech?

All aspirants must have internal purity, as all actions arise from internal impulses and not external forces.

Your actions reflect your inner being. When pure feelings arise within you, your actions will naturally be pure.

To cleanse the internal impulses, you must be pure in your mind, speech and the body.

Of these three, purity in speech is the most important. Gita reveals, “Every word you utter should be free from causing excitement or agitation”.
Your speech must be true and pleasing.

Four factors account for the pollution of speech; they are - uttering falsehood, excessive talking, carrying tales against others, and abuse or criticism of others.

Make sure your tongue does not indulge in these offences. Only when you get rid of these four evil tendencies from within, your speech will become pure and unpolluted.

- Divine Discourse, August 30, 1993.

You may not always oblige, but you may always speak obligingly.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Observation Without Thought

There is no feeling without thought; and behind thought is pleasure; so those things go together: pleasure, the word, the thought, the feeling; they are not separated.

Observation without thought, without feeling, without word is energy.

Energy is dissipated by word, association, thought, pleasure, and time; therefore there is no energy to look.

- Krishnamurti, J. Krishnamurti, The Book of Life

Source: www.jkrishnamurti.com

[winston]

How to cleanse our mind and body and maintain their purity?

‘Shuchih’ means purity - it does not merely refer to the external cleanliness of the physical body.

Your mind gets polluted by wrong thoughts and bad feelings. If you let your mind be continuously filled with evil thoughts, you will reap bad consequences. Hence give no room to wrong thoughts and feelings, and expel all negativity.

Your body must be free from the taint of violence or harm (himsa). People commit many acts of violence and many sinful deeds with their hands; this is incorrect.

The body has been given primarily for practicing righteousness (Dharma). Such a sacred gift must be used for rendering service to others. No one can refrain from action of some kind, even for a minute.

Under no circumstances, should one engage in any impure act. You must achieve this purity with firm determination.

- Divine Discourse, Aug 30, 1993.

When the heart is filled with good thoughts and feelings, all that comes out of the senses - your speech, your vision and your action - will be pure.

Source: radiosai.org