Life 49 (Nov 25 - Dec 27)

[winston]

What is it that we must achieve through Sadhana (spiritual practice)?

You must dedicate yourself to sadhana - continuous and conscious sadhana (spiritual practice).

The symbol on the Flag has to be clearly understood by everyone. Conquer lust, anger, hatred and roam, in the expanse of equal and impartial love to all created things, and then, you are fit for yoga (inner communion with Divinity), which will open the petals of your heart.

Then, from the fragrance and beauty of that lotus, will emerge the flame of jnana (spiritual wisdom), dispelling maya (world illusion) until you and the jyoti (flame) become one.

It is when you approach the flame, that it appears in all its majesty, in all its overwhelming size.

Suppose you see it small, what does that indicate? Not that it is small but that you are far away!

Remember, the Sun and the Moon appear huge and bigger than the stars, for they are near and the stars are far.

Approach the Divine and realise Him as big; do not stand afar and prate that He is small!

- Divine Discourse, Nov 23, 1961

The purity of heart and mastery over the senses - if you have these two credentials, grace is your right.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How does love become a powerful means to attain bliss?

The heart is the spring of joy. That spring has to be touched by constant meditation, recitation and the intermittent dwelling on the glory, the grace and the inexhaustible manifestations of the Divine: Smarana, chintana, and manana.

Hold fast to the goal; the bhakta (devotee) should never turn back. Never give way to doubt or despair.

A person driving a car concentrates on the road, for he is anxious to save himself and others from an accident.

Fear is what induces single-mindedness in his case. Love is a greater force for giving concentration.

If you have steady and resolute love, the concentration becomes intense and unshakeable.

Faith develops into love and love results in concentration. Prayer is possible and begins to yield fruit under such conditions.

Pray, using the name as a symbol of the Divine; pray, keeping all the waves of the mind stilled.

Pray, as the performance of a duty for your very real existence, as the only justification for your coming into the world as man.

- Divine Discourse, Nov 23, 1961

We can get eternal bliss by developing a permanent relationship with Him, who is eternal and changeless, not with worldly relations.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why do we suffer and what can we do to change it?

Wealth may come and go. Strength may grow or decay. All things in the world may pass away. But one thing is imperishable and unchanging. That is permanent Divine Love.

All other forms of love are not real love at all. They are temporary, worldly attachments, based on physical, communal or other desires.

True love is related solely to the hridaya (heart).

Man today is not cherishing such unchanging and enduring love. He is wasting his life, pursuing temporary allurements.

Wandering aimlessly in the pursuit of evanescent and trivial pleasures, man is immersed in all kinds of troubles.

He can discover his true path only by seeking spiritual illumination. Spirituality does not mean performance of ritual worship. It calls for the removal of the animal traits in man. Only then sacred feelings will arise in him. That is real spirituality.

Regard all beings as children of the Divine. Bear no ill will towards anyone. Only because of hatred and ill-will, that mankind is plunged into violence and bloodshed.

- Divine Discourse, Nov 23, 1993

One should give one’s love freely to others and receive love in return. This is the deep significance of human life.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why is the present so important and what activity must we fill our present with to fulfil it?

Everything in this objective world is impermanent and unreal. Hence, we have to contemplate on the eternal truth and reality.

We should not waste our time brooding over the past or anticipating the future. It is great foolishness to worry about the future or the past, forgetting the present.

The present is only real. The past is past; you cannot get it back, however much you may pray for it. The future is hidden in the womb of time. It is not possible to visualise it. Therefore, only the present is important.

Unable to realise this truth, people are worried about the past and the future. The foremost activity man should engage in, is service to fellow human beings.

Instead, people are wasting their precious time worrying about either the past or the future. Therefore, you should always engage yourselves in service to fellow human beings. There is no greater sadhana (spiritual exercise) than such service.

- Divine Discourse, Jan 1, 2004

We must constantly engage ourselves in service to others. He has given us this body for that purpose alone.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why should we not remain satisfied by simply extolling the Divine?

Consider, O man, whether you earn any lasting joy at all from your toil from the time of your waking in the morning, to that of going to sleep at night, a toil incessant and limitless, a toil which often does not leave you even a moment’s interval to call to mind the glow and grandeur of Him!

No wonder that even though He is everywhere, those who have seen Him are few and far between.

He, as the proverb goes, belongs to all but there are hardly any who actually claim Him as their all.

There are thousands who extol the beauty and majesty of Him in glamorous prose or poetry but a counted few, are the souls that share His grace.

For the sweetness of nectar is known only to those who place it on the tongue and not to those who collect it in cups, caskets or even barrels!

There were three mystics who had nectar on their tongues, so to speak and so were able to sing of the ecstasy they experienced, the Divine they realised.

They were ever aware of the Divine principle, the warp and woof, the cause and effect, the beginning and end of the entire cosmos.

They did not deviate even a little from the path of devotion to and absorption in the Divine. They were convinced that they could rely on none other than Him as master or protector.

- Divine Discourse, Jul 30, 1978

If the devotee has dedicated his all, body, mind and existence to the Divine, He will Himself look after everything.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the essential message of the scriptures?

The Scriptures propound many ideals of life. However, their core principle is unity or oneness in the apparent diversity.

Truth is one but the wise refer to it by various names.

This unified principle, that is the Atma, is present all over our body, from top to toe.

Here is a small example. Suppose you cover a lighted candle with a pot having ten holes. Because of these ten holes, the same single flame appears as ten different flames.

Now cover the pot with a thick cloth, and you will not see any flame. You may think that there is no flame but this is a mistake.

You are not recognising the light of the Atma, that is ever present in your own body.

The "Supreme Divine Flame" is forgotten as a result of which man is confronted by troubles and tribulations.

It is invisible to you despite its blazing presence because you have covered it with the thick cloth of Tamo Guna (quality of inertia).

When the cloth is removed, you will find ten flames. And when the pot of Rajo Guna (quality of passion) is broken, what remains is the same single flame, which is omnipresent.

- Divine Discourse, May 8, 1997

Man has to transcend the Gunas to realise his true self.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why is it important to worship Him in every human being and every life form, we come across?

Every human being must be deemed an Avatar, as each has some aspect of the Divine in him.

It is because he has descended from the Divine, he is entitled to be called an Avatar.

He does not give a separate vision of the Divine to man, in any other form.

Elephants, rats or humans, are forms that are like vessels. When they go to the ocean of Divinity, they fill themselves with the water of Divinity, as per their form.

The forms may be different but the water contained in the vessel, is the essence of Divinity. That is why it is said that the same Divine is found in all human beings.

You don't have to go to a different place in search of the Divine. Honour every human being. Show love towards every person.

Love is not a crop that can be grown on land or a commodity that can be purchased in a shop.

Whether one is a potentate or a commoner, only when one gives up egoistic pride and is ready to make sacrifices, will love blossom within him.

- Divine Discourse, Nov 23, 1988

The wide world we see, is the cosmic divine form of the Divine. But it appears mundane to us because we see it with a mundane vision.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is our present state of affairs and how can we receive His guidance & His grace?

This world is the jungle in which you roam; fear is the lion, which drives you up the tree of samsara — worldly activities.

Anxiety is the bear that terrifies you and follows your steps in samsara; so, you slide down into attachments and binding deeds, through the twin roots of hope and despair.

The two rats are day and night, which eat away the span of life.

Meanwhile, you try to snatch a little joy from the sweet drops of egoism and ‘mine-feeling’.

Finding at last that the drops are trivial and out of reach, you shout in the agony of renunciation, calling on the Guru.

Guru appears, whether from within or from elsewhere and saves you from fear and anxiety.

When you call out in all sincerity, the response will certainly come.

Do not pray from the lips, as you do now, from the Puja room, which is but a corner of the kitchen;

You worship the Divine with an eye on the dishes cooking in the oven, with a nose inhaling hungrily the smells of boiling curries.

Give up all low desire and call from the anguished heart.

- Divine Discourse, Nov 24, 1965

The name of the Divine must always be pronounced with joy, thankfulness, exultation, awareness of the uniqueness and the splendour. Say it with love, say it with sincere yearning.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the worship we must do if we wish to see the divine?

Do not be weighed down by the feeling that the human estate is weak and subject to delusions and ignorance.

It is not easy to be born as a human being. If, nevertheless, one does not realise his true nature and imagines that He is in the external world, it is the mark of utter ignorance.

Hence, without wasting time, engage yourselves in your duties and embark on the journey towards Divine-realisation.

If you want to worship the Divine, worship Him in the human form alone. All other forms are artificial and creations of the imagination. They are products of delusion.

While bhrama (delusion) remains, Brahman cannot be experienced. Numerous persons are describing the Divine in manifold ways.

The scriptures also describe Him in many ways. The expounders are content with reciting the descriptions but do not seek to experience the Divine.

What is the form of the Divine? If you wish to see the Divine, the form you envisage will be only a caricature.

Consider your own form as a manifestation of the Divine. Esteem yourself as divine.

Respect others. Love yourself and love others. This is true worship.

- Divine Discourse, Nov 23, 1988

The microcosm contains in it the macrocosm, for the micro and the macrocosms are the manifestations of the One Reality.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

To lead a peaceful life, what is one very important question every true seeker must find an answer to?

One should not be elated by pleasure nor depressed by pain. We must develop the spirit of equanimity to progress in life.

Equality is very essential for society to progress. One should maintain equipoise in happiness and sorrow, gain and loss, victory and defeat.

But man, in spite of enjoying all comforts and pleasures, is unable to bear even a small difficulty.

He is disturbed and distressed by the slightest trouble! If you ask a well-to-do person whether he is happy, what will he reply? He will say, “Sir, I have no dearth of money. My sons are well settled in life. My home is well furnished with all comforts and conveniences. I have everything in life except peace of mind!"

How can one attain peace of mind? It is possible only when one realises his innate divinity.

Why are we not able to experience peace? Where does the mistake lie?

We continuously ask others, “Who are you?” But we do not make an effort to enquire into ourselves, “Who am I?” There lies the mistake.

Once we realise who we really are, we will be free from sorrows and difficulties forever.

- Divine Discourse, Nov 23, 2005

One should look within oneself for peace and do so with a clean mind.

Source: radiosai.org