Life 46 (Aug 23 - May 24)

[winston]

What is the one power we all need to foster and develop? What must we do for that?

One should have good thoughts. Desires originate from thoughts. These desires chain and bind.

One’s willpower also emerges from thoughts. This willpower is very important, like the life principle of humanity.

All other powers like the power of intellect, of understanding, of determination, of speech, etc., come out of it.

This willpower is like the king of all other powers. It will lead one to the sacred path if one makes proper use of it.

On the contrary, if one makes improper use of willpower, one will become wicked.

Willpower affects the thoughts, and thoughts influence willpower. Bad thoughts make willpower weak.

Decline in willpower makes the desires stronger and stronger.

Here is a small example. Suppose a man has the habit of drinking too much coffee or tea, smoking cigarettes, etc. His bad habits will certainly weaken his willpower.

If he has 20 such bad habits, and if he gives up one habit after another, his willpower will become stronger and stronger.

- Divine Discourse, Apr 07, 1993.

As you develop your willpower and reduce your desires, your power of discrimination will also increase.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What are the truths about the physical body we must acknowledge and keep in mind?

Human life is ephemeral, like a water bubble. No one knows at what moment this water bubble may burst.

People suffer disappointment in life because they consider the body as permanent. So, the Scriptures call upon all, “Arise! Awake! Stop not till the goal is reached.”

They urge people to wake up from the slumber of ignorance, visualise the sunrise of wisdom (prajnana), and uphold humanness.

Though people today acquire knowledge of the Scripture, undertake spiritual practices, attain scientific knowledge, and make investigations and enquiries, yet they are not able to know who they are.

They face so many problems because they do not understand their own reality. One is not merely a human, though one has the body of a human.

One’s reality is the Atma (Inner-Self), which is enshrined in the body. So, in relation to the body, one is just a human, but from the point of view of the Atma, one is divine.

The body is the temple of the Divine. Consider the body as a temple. When can you call the body a temple? You can call it a temple when the Divine is in it. It cannot be a temple without Him. So, in this body, He is present in the form of eternal Atma.

- Divine Discourse, Apr 07, 1993.

The body is sacred, because He resides in it. Hence, you must use the body for performing good deeds.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How should we perform all actions in our daily lives and why?

Activity is the keynote of the Universe. By activity, all beings are born; by activity, they maintain themselves; and through that activity, they perish.

Constant breathing, inhaling and exhaling, keeps body temperature even and comfortable.

The One beyond all activity assumed the forms of five basic elemental materials - sky, earth, air, fire and water, to act and activate.

To be active, yet, to be always aware that all is mere acting, is the secret of happiness. That is the Dharma which must regulate and sanctify karma.

Achievements of technology which take man to the moon are also events in the Cosmic Drama, where principal performers are working out His plan; identification with adventure, its success or failure will make performers proud or depressed, states which would not help inner peace and joy.

The secret of good karma is, to do karma as an act of worship, a dedicatory rite offered to the source of all energy and intelligence.

And, never take the consequence to heart. By this means, one can approximate the Divine Principle, which is beyond activity.

- Divine Discourse, May 11, 1971.

Dedicate all actions to the Divine. That is the way to experience oneness with Him.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

At times, we think and feel we are not receiving the Divine’s Grace in adequate measure. Is that true? What is the reality?

The Divine's grace is ever with you; it is not something that is given or taken; it is always given and accepted by the Consciousness that is aware of its significance.

Win the grace of your own sub-consciousness, so that it may accept the grace of the Divine which is always available.

The Divine does not deny anyone; it is only you who deny Him! When the gift is offered, you have to do only one little act, so that you may earn it - you have to extend your hand to receive it.

That is grace; win it, by teaching it the value of the grace of the Divine. His grace is showered wherever you are, through infinite love, without even calculating or measuring the readiness of your subconsciousness to receive it and benefit by it.

That grace itself will confer on you faith and strength, wisdom and joy. The Divine is in your heart all the time, whether you know it or not!

- Divine Discourse, Feb 24, 1971.

You worship with faith and you experience Grace. Faith results in Grace, without your being aware of it.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What’s the real truth that we sometimes forget especially when we hit our lows, in troubled times?

The Divine Principle is the very core of man. Becoming aware of this Truth is the goal of life; it’s the source of strength which is unfailing and irresistible.

Close your eyes and you feel there is none around, though there are thousands. If you suffer from cataract, you cannot know the truth.

So too, the Divine is here, before you, behind you, inside you, outside you; the intelligence through which you can recognise!

It is also with you; but, you are either blind, diseased with defective vision or worse still, willfully inclined to close your eyes!

You have a bird in your very hand; but, you are wasting your time and energy conspiring to catch the bird hiding in the bush; the notes that make you believe there’s a bird in the bush are, only the echoes of notes from the throat of the bird in your own hand!

The Guru reveals the Truth and makes you free from the travails and trials, the search for the bird in the bush!

- Divine Discourse, May 11, 1971.

You are a fragment of the Divine. This is the great truth that everyone must realise fully and experience.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why does the Divine appear to be very far from us, especially when we need him most, in testing and trying times?

The lotus in the heart of man pines for the Sun, the splendour of the Lord. But to attain it, is hard.

Withdrawal of all affection towards the world alone, can win it!

The Divine is the nearest and dearest entity but ignorance hides Him from the eye.

The love that He bears for man is unequalled; yet, He appears to man as a distant, formidable, unapproachable phenomenon.

The stars appear as dots of light, for they are at a great distance from us. So too He appears insignificant or ineffective to many because they are keeping themselves too far from Him.

If some people say there is no Divine, it only means they are at too great a distance to be aware of Him!

A green gourd sinks in water but a dry one floats. Become dry, rid yourselves of attachments, desire, anxieties, and worry. Then you can float unaffected on the waters of change and chance!

- Divine Discourse, Oct 17, 1966.

Do not make the Divine modern, to suit your fancy. He is neither ancient nor modern. His countenance never changes, nor His Glory.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What can we do to never lose sight of the hollow nature of the world and all the charm that it holds?

Why crave for the non-existent? Why ignore the 'existent'?

That is to say, why ignore the ‘Sat’ (true)? It is the search for the unreal that is the root of all the fear, the sorrow and the sickness of humanity.

Learn, while you can, the key which will open the door of escape.

Have all around you the curtain of 'Nama-japam' (the vibrant, vigilant repetition of the Name of the Divine and recapitulation of His Glory); then, unhealthy yearnings for self-aggrandisement will not pester and poison you.

Nama-japam will not allow you to ignore the essential hollowness of worldly affairs and the essential absurdity of getting too involved in it; you behave as if you are the designer of your destiny; you are only a wave, formed on the breast of the ocean by storm and surge.

- Divine Discourse, May 11, 1971.

We should cross the ocean of our difficulties and troubles by using the power of the divine name.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How and why should we practice the value of Truth?

Truth, Charity, Penance, Sacrifice, Friendliness, Purity, Straightforwardness, Service and Study of scriptures, are the nine gems which every seeker of knowledge must cherish.

Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa are to be found in the state in which Truth and goodness prevail.

The basic Truth is one but sages have called it by many names.

The ideal man is one who adheres to Truth and does not give it up in any circumstance. He lives the true life.

Truth does not exist for the sake of any one person. It transcends limitations of time, place and personalities. It is the life-breath for all countries, all people, at all times.

The grandsire of humanity, Manu, after deep enquiry, analysis and experience, gave this as his boon to mankind: "Speak the truth, speak what is pleasing. Never speak the truth that is unpleasant". You should not utter an untruth because it may be pleasing. Nor should you utter truth which is unpleasant!

- Divine Discourse, 22 Nov ,1985.

One kind word pleases everybody. Why, then, should you be miserly in soft speech?

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why do we worship the cow and earth as Mothers? Why should we adore all forms of the Divine?

One individual may elect to worship the Divine in the form of his favourite goddess. Another may worship Him in a different form and derive bliss from such worship.

Each one should note that Forms in which Divine is worshipped by others, are as important to them as their own chosen deity is to them.

If on the contrary, one criticises or casts a slur on deities worshipped by others, he is committing a grievous sin, however well he may be performing his own worship.

Man should also show equal regard and reverence for the mothers of others, as he shows for his own mother.

There are several notable examples in daily life, of the divine quality which motherhood represents.

Cow converts its own blood into nourishing milk for man to sustain his body. The cow is the first example of Divine as Mother.

Earth comes next. Like the Divine, Earth bears man in its bosom and takes care of him in many ways. Hence Earth also is the embodiment of the Mother.

- Divine Discourse, Oct 14, 1988.

It is the foremost duty of children to fulfil the wishes of their mother and make her happy.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the purpose of the Avatar?

In this world, trees, rivers and cows help others without any trace of selfish motive. They do not expect anything in return.

Without trees, rivers and cows, the world cannot exist.

In fact, it is they that sustain it. But the irony is that man does not make any effort to help and serve others.

The spirit of sacrifice evident in them, is absent in man today. He spends all his time fulfilling his selfish desires and does not give even a moment for doing good to others or for helping them.

An Avatar incarnate with the divine mission of making every individual realise his relationship with the community and ultimately, with Divinity.

What is spirituality? That which destroys man's animal nature, nurtures humanness and finally transforms him into a Divine being is spirituality.

Worshipping, singing devotional songs and performing rituals, are acts of secondary importance. They cannot be identified with true spirituality.

- Divine Discourse, Apr 28, 1999.

The Avatar has come down, to declare that the Divine is present everywhere.

Source: radiosai.org