Life 46 (Aug 23 - May 24)

[winston]

On any auspicious occasion, when we celebrate love and unity, between brother, sister and family, let our noble self arise, awake and act, from this very moment.

The Scriptures teaches us many lessons in morality and ethics.

All the characters set great ideals for mankind to follow.

Great epics teach us many moral and ethical values.

Truth is the highest among these values. “There is no righteousness greater than adherence to truth”.

Dharma is born out of truth, and from dharma emerges peace and from peace emerges love.

Where there is love, there can be no hatred. One with love will adhere to non-violence.

Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love and Non-violence, are the five cardinal human values. One who practises these human values deserves to be called a human being!

- Divine Discourse Apr 3, 2009.

Those who really wish to promote universal brotherhood, should develop the consciousness of the one Spirit dwelling in all beings.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How can we please the Divine? When do we truly receive His Grace?

The Divine has revealed that He is pleased by the devotion offered by aspirants for Grace:
"The man so devoted, is dear to Me - Gita 12, verse 19", He declares.

The devotee offers prayer, worship and his thoughts, words and acts, to the Divine whom he clothes with a Form and Name, and with attributes like love, compassion, wisdom and power.

Most devotees seek health, wealth, power and fame, from the Divine, which are all trivial assets yielding momentary pleasure.

Divine Grace can confer the most precious gift of His Love.

Man may assert with pride of achievement that he loves Him. That takes him only halfway through. He does not gain much there-from.

Did God respond with - “he is dear to Me?". Only then can man claim to have achieved Grace!

- Divine Discourse, Aug 02, 1986.

There is nothing on earth or beyond it, which is equal to Divine Love. To make all endeavours to earn that love, is the whole purpose and meaning of human existence.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How will a person devoted to the Divine, live their daily lives?

Do not limit the Divine to a particular name or form. These names were given to them after their birth. They were not born with these names.

Many have realised the truth that the Divine is the resident of a person’s heart. That is why they are able to withstand all difficulties and sufferings and lead their lives happily.

“One should remain equal-minded in happiness and sorrow, gain and loss, victory and defeat, says the Scriptures.

Pleasure and pain are part of human life. Whenever they have to encounter sorrows and difficulties, they consider them as the harbingers of happiness.

They have attained exalted positions due to such noble feelings. Their faith in the Divine is unshakable even in the face of mishaps such as bomb blasts, floods, and plane crashes.

Those who base their life on faith in the Divine, will never encounter sorrows, suffering, and difficulties. Their difficulties will come and go like passing clouds.

- Divine Discourse, Apr 3, 2009.

Life is a constant succession of happiness and sorrow. To be free from these opposites one has to cultivate detachment.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is true devotion?

Devotees today have some form of Divinity in their mind but they perform rituals in a mechanical way without any consistency.

All your charity and worship, are of no significance to the Divine. Show your charity and wealth to the income tax department.

The Divine needs only your love. Mere chanting of the His name is not enough. Offer your love to Him.

Love is not your property. In fact, it is the property of His.

Surrender to the Divine, what is His. What is the use of a long life without this offering?

You have no right to offer your love to anyone other than to Him. When you offer all your love to Him, He will look after all your needs.

There is nothing that He cannot do in this world. In a city or in a hamlet, in a forest or in sky, on the high peak or in the deep ocean, He is everywhere.

He pervades space and time. All beings are His forms. Realise this truth, transform it into practice, and enjoy the bliss.

This is true devotion. Human life attains true meaning only then.

- Divine Discourse, Sep 03, 1999.

Water the hearts with love, grow the plants of love and enjoy the harvest of love.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why should we effectively control our mind?

The mind should not be permitted to wander as it fancies. It must be controlled without the least tenderness or mercy.

If possible, one should aim even at its destruction, that is to say, making the mind keep away from contact with worldly objects.

Why? It is only when that is done that one can grasp one’s real identity.

The realisation of that reality is the state called liberation (mukti). Then, all varieties of troubles and travails, doubts and dilemmas come to an end; one overcomes sorrow, delusion, and anxiety and is established in the holy calmness of peace.

First, give up all impure impulses and cultivate the pure ones. Then, try step by step to give up even these and render the mind objectless.

Peace thus attained is effulgent, blissful and associated with wisdom; it is indeed the experience of the Divine Himself!

- Ch 12, Prasanthi Vahini.

Keep the mind calm and clear. Do not agitate it every moment by your non-stop dialogue.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

For normal householders with worldly and spiritual objectives, which is the best path in the Divine-quest?

Winning perfect security from Him, requires following the path of full devotion, dedicating oneself to the Divine. It cannot be obtained by any other means.

The path of spiritual wisdom (jnana) is possible only for one in a million; it is beyond the reach of all.

Is it possible to negate the body and the objective world, so patent to the senses, by repeating “Not this, not this”? Unless this is possible, how can the “Not this, not this” argument be applied?

Under present conditions, the path of wisdom is indeed very difficult. The path of selfless activity is also not quite so feasible. It is also full of difficulties.

To work in the proper spirit, love and devotion, are essential for success.

The path of yoga or communion, also bristles with obstacles. Thus, the path of devotion is the smoothest, the most conducive to success, and the most bliss-yielding.

- Ch 9, Prasanthi Vahini.

The path of devotion and dedication, the bhakti marga, is easiest for most. It is attainable by love, for love leads you quickly to the Goal.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

We all aspire to be recipients of the Divine’s grace. But what must we do to achieve it?

Mysterious are the ways of the Divine. It is difficult to comprehend how the Divine grace works.

There are innumerable instances of Him coming to the rescue of His devotees in times of need.

Sant Kabir was a weaver by profession. One day he fell seriously ill and was unable to attend to his duties. The all-merciful Divine, in the form of Kabir, wove yarn and thus came to his rescue.

Similarly, the Divine came in the form of a potter and helped Gora Kumbhar, by making pots Himself, when he was in distress.

Sakkubai, an ardent devotee of the Divine, continuously chanted the Divine’s name. One day, she could not perform her daily chores since she was running a high temperature.

Even under these circumstances, her husband and mother-in-law would not allow her to take rest. At this juncture, the Divine assumed the form of Sakkubai and performed all her duties.

It is impossible to understand how, when and where the Divine, would come to the rescue of His devotees. Absolute faith is essential for Him to manifest.

- Divine Discourse, Sep 03, 1999.

Chant the name of the Divine, day in and day out. That alone will protect you at all times.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why is the path of devotion unique to each devotee and how should we look upon the experiences of others in this journey of love?

The path of devotion cannot be defined and demarcated as such and such. Since it has many forms, roads, and types of experience, it is impossible for anyone to describe it accurately and fully.

Each devotee gets bliss only through their individual experience. Through the experience of other devotees, at best they can get only encouragement and guidance.

The limited soul is immersed in the limitless love of the Divine and how can words describe that experience called by the Scriptures as the unbroken uniflow of sweetness?

One cannot express that state of unbounded devotion in human language. By outward signs that can be cognized by the senses, one can feel that the devotee is in a high state of bliss but who can gauge the depth of that joy?

It has no relation with the senses at all. Devotion has to be realized in your own experience, though great souls can illumine the path a little for you by their examples.

With their help, you can grasp something of the path but always remember that words fail when they approach the Beyond.

- Ch 9, Prasanthi Vahini.

The basic quality of devotion is the yearning for realising oneness with the Divine.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Even as we adore and call the Divine by different names, what is the true treasure we all must secure?

By whatever means the Divine is adored, the path of devotion is the easiest and the most effective, for it is a sadhana (spiritual practice) of the heart, and results in love and service to all as fellow pilgrims to the same Divine Goal.

Some people do question the propriety of calling the Divine by means of such a multiplicity of names. But each Name is indicative only of one aspect of Divinity.

It denotes a single part of the Supreme Personality. The eye, the nose, the mouth, the hand or the finger may be denoted by distinct words, but they all belong to the same individual.

So, too, one must remember that every Name is but a facet, a part, a ray, of the Supreme.

The sadhana consists of recognising and becoming aware of the One that supports and sustains the many. That is the precious gem of wisdom that one must secure and treasure.

- Divine Discourse, Nov 14, 1976.

In this Kali Age there is no greater or easier means of realising the Divine than chanting His name.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How can chanting the name of the Divine, really cleanse the mind?

Cast away ignorance - then you are free, liberated from all bonds at that very moment.

All spiritual disciplines have this liberation as their goal. Nama-sankirtan (Heart-felt singing of divine names) too, helps you get rid of this basic ignorance.

Those who rely on reason alone or on the limited laws of science, argue that the repetition of the Name which is, after all, sound, cannot cleanse or correct the mind of man.

But the Name is not just 'sound’. You are sitting quietly there, listening but if someone merely says, 'scorpion’, you get frightened.

Or when someone says, the juice of a lemon, your mouth starts watering.

You may be sitting before a plateful of delicacies, but if someone speaks of something dirty or disgusting, you refuse the food.

When words referring to worldly situations have such a transforming effect on the mind of man, words conveying spiritual and elevated meaning, will certainly help in cleansing and correcting the mind of man.

- Divine Discourse, Nov 14, 1976.

The Divine Name has to be sung for your own delight, to quench your own thirst and to appease your own hunger.

Source: radiosai.org