Life 47 (May 24 - Jan 25)

[winston]

How should we live in this busy world even as we pursue the ultimate goal?

The Divine is not far from you or away in some distant place. He is within you, in your own inner altar.

Man suffers because he is unable to discover Him there and draw peace and joy from that discovery.

A dhobi, standing knee-deep in a flowing river, washing clothes therein, died of thirst, because he failed to realise that life-giving water was within reach. He needed only to bend and drink.

Such is the story of man. He runs about in desperate haste, to seek the Divine outside him and dies disappointed and distraught, without reaching the goal, only to be born again.

Of course, you must be in the world but you need not be of it. The attention must be fixed on Him, the Divine within.

In Karnataka, there is a dance called ‘Karaga’. The central person in this dance keeps many pots on his head, one over another, moves in procession, keeping pace with the music; he also sings in tune with the rest and keeps time to the beat of the drum. All the while, he has his attention fixed on balancing the tower of pots on his head.

So too, man must keep the goal of Divine-realisation before him, while engaged in the noisy, hilarious procession of life!

- Divine Discourse, Jan 01, 1967.

Once a man has discovered who he is, there is no need to know who the Divine is, for, both are the same.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How can we conquer death and become immortal?

Rely on the Divine in you, not on the corpse that the body is, without Him.

With every breath, draw His glory in; with every breath, exhale all that reduces His glory. Saturate your thought, word and deed, with Divinity. Then, you can conquer death and become immortal.

Recite the Name of the Divine and save yourself. You are truly the embodiment of truth, goodness and beauty.

But you have misplaced the key which helps you to tap the springs. That key is in the realm of your inner consciousness; but, like the old woman who lost a needle in her dark hut and searched for it under the street lamp (because, as she said, there was a patch of light underneath it), man is searching for it in the region of material objects in the outer world.

- Divine Discourse, Mar 29, 1968.

Without the conquest of one's passions and desires and without realising the divinity that is immanent in every living thing, man cannot achieve peace, bliss within or harmony with the outside world.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Human beings are capable of great achievements. But what is the one worthy purpose we must dedicate ourselves to?

From the most ancient times, men have been engaged in the search for the Divine. The questions, "Who is He?" and "What is the means to realise Him?", are not of today. They have been there from the earliest times and have agitated mankind ceaselessly.

A few yogis, who comprehended the nature of the Divine and who felt that the purpose of human existence is to seek the Divine, undertook various spiritual exercises, to discover how to achieve this objective.

The purpose of human life is to realise the Divine. It is, in this context, that human birth becomes the rarest among all living beings.

The ancient sages, recognising this truth, pursued different kinds of penances, to experience the Divine.

Some of them, feeling that the task was beyond their powers, gave up the quest in the middle. Some others, recognising that this was the sole purpose of human life persevered in their efforts with determination.

When man sets his heart upon achieving anything, there is nothing impossible for him.

- Divine Discourse, Oct 09, 1994.

Every individual should regard the inquiry into nature of the Atma (Inner-Self) as the primary purpose of life.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How can we overcome the obstacles and struggles in our daily living and stay focused on the Divine?

You have wandered far and wide but neglected your home.

You peep into stars in space but keep your inner sky unexplored.

You peep into others' lives and pick faults, talk ill of them but you do not care to peep into your own thoughts, acts and emotions and judge whether they are good or bad!

The faults you see in others are but projections of your own; the good that you see in others is but a reflection of your own goodness.

By meditation alone, can you cultivate the good vision, taste for good listening, good thoughts and good deeds.

By meditation, you get immersed in the idea of universality and the omnipotence of Him.

Is it not your daily experience that a bigger worry overpowers the smaller one and makes you forget it?

When you fill your mind with idea of the Divine and yearn for Him and pine plaintively for Him, all lesser desires and disappointments, even achievements will pale into insignificance!

You will forget them all; they will be submerged in the flood of Divine yearning and very soon, you will be immersed in the ocean of Divine Bliss!

- Divine Discourse, Apr 23, 1967.

If you develop love for all beings, in the faith that He resides in all, you may be anywhere else but your prayers would reach Him and His grace will reach you.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why should we strive to attain true joy and how do we attain it?

In the pure pellucid lake of the heart of man, the lotus of Divine aspiration is blossoming; instead of offering that flower at the feet of the Divine, you try the trick of placing there flowers that fade, fruits that rot and leaves that dry.

Offer the heart that He has endowed you with, filled with adoration and love!

"Your bliss is My food", so, cultivate it. It grows only when you meditate on the source of Ananda (Bliss), the goal of Ananda, namely, the Divine.

Sita was interned by the cruel King Ravana in the most beautifully laid-out garden in Lanka, called A-shoka-vana (the forest of no sorrow). The flower-beds, lawns and greeneries, trees and creepers, bowers and groves were most pleasing to the eye and refreshing to the mind.

- Divine Discourse, Apr 23, 1967.

Your goal is permanent and eternal bliss. It is within you and can be attained only through love.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the mistake that we all make in our pursuit for peace and solace?

The unfortunate predicament of man today, is that he is not recognising the powers within him and developing respect for them.

He goes after the external, attracted by the physical forms. The relationship between the material and the subtle, has to be understood.

The remedy for man's ills is contained within himself. But man seeks remedies from outside.

Here is an illustration of what happens in the world. A hotel and a drug store, are adjacent to each other. When a hotel server gets a headache, he goes to the neighbouring drug shop for a pill to cure his headache. When the drug storekeeper gets a headache, he goes to the hotel for a cup of coffee to cure him, instead of taking one of his own pills.

Likewise, people today tend to ignore the divinity within them but hanker after many external objects. There is no need to go in search of the Divine.

Men must develop firm faith in the Divinity within them. All that is needed is to turn the vision inwards to experience the Divine within.

- Divine Discourse, Oct 09, 1994.

Fulfilment of worldly desires will confer only temporary happiness. So, put a check on your desires.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why is probing into Truth and seeking Truth the most important pursuit in life?

Man is afraid of probing into his own truth, lest his pet opinions and attitudes be proved hollow and dangerous.

As a result, his actions and thoughts, pursue disturbing and discordant paths.

What exactly is Truth? Is it the description of a 'thing seen' as one has seen it, without exaggeration or understatement? No.

Or is it the narration of an incident in the same word as one has heard it narrated? No.

Truth elevates; it holds forth ideals; it inspires the individual and society. It is the light that illumines man's path to the Divine.

A life inspired by Truth will enable man to live as man - not degrade himself to the status of a lower species.

From dawn to dusk, from the moment of wakefulness to the moment of sleep, if he devotes himself to his own deeds, is that a life inspired by the Truth? No.

By his good thoughts translated into good words and manifested as good deeds, man must promote Truth in society and prove its usefulness.

He is the image of the Divine. He must be aware of the image of Him that shines in society also.

- Divine Discourse, Dec 08, 1979.

The chief duty of man is investigation into Truth. Truth can be won only through dedication and devotion.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

As we practice Sadhana (Spiritual Practice), what is it that we must always keep in mind?

Men engage themselves in many outward sadhana (spiritual practices). These must be internalised.

All scholarship is of no avail, if there is no realisation in the heart.

A scholar may expound the texts but lack the internal experience. One who has mastered the Scriptures, may be able to explain the words but cannot recognise the Supreme Person hailed by the Scriptures.

When a person goes to a temple, he closes his eyes in front of the idol because what he seeks is an internal vision of Him and not a sight of the external form of the idol.

He is Omnipresent as proclaimed in the Scriptures. He is One, though names and forms may differ.

All education today is related to the physical world. It will not serve to reveal the Divine.

It was this which impelled the Sage to teach a scholar who was learning by rote that at the moment of death only, the Divine's name will save him and not the rules of grammar.

- Divine Discourse, Oct 09, 1994.

All branches of learning are like the river. The spiritual learning is like the ocean.

Source: radiosai.org