Life 49 (Nov 25 - Dec 27)

[winston]

What is body consciousness and why is it important to strive now, to give it up?

Take for instance a mansion consisting of various rooms like bedroom, storeroom, dining room, bathroom, kitchen, etc.

These rooms are of your own making. Each room is separated from the other by a wall. Once the walls are demolished, only one big hall remains.

Body attachment is like the wall that separates one from the other and which comes in the way of realising the Self.

Once this wall is broken down, you will realise the infinite and immortal Self. Instead of realising the infinite and immortal Self, you are developing attachment to the body over a number of births.

Develop detachment at least from this birth. You claim something as ‘mine’ but it will be yours only so long as your body exists.

After your death, what you earlier claimed as yours will belong to somebody else. Such being the case, why should you develop attachment to worldly possessions?

Human life is based on ‘I’ and ‘mine’. ‘I’ refers to the atma, and ‘mine’ refers to matter.

The mind has originated from the atma. Matter is the effect of the mind. Once you know the nature of the mind and matter, everything else will be known.

- Divine Discourse, Jan 14, 2002

In order to understand the power of the atma, first of all, enquire into the nature of the mind.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why is it important to seek spiritual progress through society and not away from it?

When the individual carries out his duties without fail, his family will progress.
When society progresses, we also progress.

Perform all actions and spiritual practices, keeping the welfare of society in mind.

You are the mirror of society. You should always think of the welfare of society.

When others are happy, you should feel happy. When others are unhappy, help them become happy.

It is not the blood circulation or the movement of the body, that are important; your actions are important.

Spirituality is not living alone in solitude. Spirituality connotes having equal vision for all, living among all and serving all with Ekatma Bhava (feeling of oneness).

Move in society with equanimity, keeping the focus of your mind and heart on Him. Live with the awareness and vision that all are one.

Do not think that you are separate from others. Only then can you experience Divinity. Develop love for the Divine and achieve oneness.

- Divine Discourse, Apr 26, 1997

Attain oneness by doing service to society. You will find divine bliss in oneness.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why is service the certain and inescapable discipline, to reach the goal of life?

Neither by penance, pilgrimage, study of scriptures or japa (recitation of the names of the Divine) can one cross the ocean of life.

One can achieve it only by serving the pious. Man need not resort to penance in order to realise Him. He need not undertake pilgrimages either for liberation.

How then can he cross the ocean of mundane worldly life? By serving pious people, it is said.

Who has to serve? All have to serve.

Everyone is a servant in this world. The child is the servant of the mother; the mother is the servant of the child. The husband is the servant of his wife and the wife is his servant.

The teacher is the servant of his students, and the students are the servants of their teacher. The government is the servant of its people and the people are the servants of the government.

Right from a king to a farmer, all are servants only. Looking at one’s wealth, one may consider oneself a master. But there is one and only one master. That is the Divine; all others are servants only.

- Divine Discourse, Apr 30, 1997

Service is a lifetime programme, it knows no rest or respite. This body has been given so that you may devote its strength and skills to the service of fellowmen.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Does one ever reach a status where one need not serve others?

Once, an old friend of a king came to meet him. The king was glad to see his old friend and chatted with him affectionately.

This man was very aged and carried a stick with him for support. The king questioned his friend as to how he was leading his life.

His friend replied that in old age, one needed some support and the stick was his support. The old man asked the king whether he was serving his people well, to which the king reacted that he was a king and could never be a servant.

The old man wished to teach the king a practical lesson. So, he dropped his stick to salute the king.

As he could not bend down to pick up the stick, the king at once bowed down, picked up the stick, and gave it to his friend. Then the old man said, “You say you are not a servant. But right now you have served me. So, you are my servant.”

All have to serve one another at some point in time. To say that one is not a servant is ignorance.

The spirit of service is present in everybody, but it varies from person to person depending on the state of his mind.

- Divine Discourse, Apr 30, 1997

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why should we strive to see Divinity in all?

He is present in the form of the "Divine Fire" in everybody. So, when you help others, you are helping yourself.

Similarly, hurting others amounts to hurting your own self.

"Whomsoever you salute, it reaches Him" and "whomsoever you denigrate, it reaches the Divine".

There is no point in undertaking pilgrimages or chanting the divine name without understanding the oneness of Divinity.

You may call Him by any name and worship Him in any form, but the Divine is one. Never forget this principle of unity.

Unfortunately, man fragments unity into diversity.

Try to visualise unity in diversity. This is the true service that man is supposed to undertake.

Install Him in your heart and use your hands in the service of society. Then whatever work you do will be transformed into worship.

- Divine Discourse, Feb 24, 2002

As you serve others, you have to kill your ego. It cannot be called service if it is done with the feeling that “I am serving others”.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why is it irrational to be egoistic and why is it more important for a spiritual aspirant to understand and overcome this?

Ignorance is the main cause of man’s illusion; it is also the cause of man’s ego.

When he has both ignorance and ego, he develops attachment. That’s followed by hatred.

Altogether, these bind and imprison man. To attain freedom from this captivity, man must make efforts to get rid of ego, attachment, hatred, illusion and ignorance.

The cause of man’s birth is his actions and actions are the result of his attachment.

For attachment, ego is responsible. Hence, ego creates all these!

In fact, there should be no scope for ego at all. When we enquire, we will ourselves find that there is no basis for man’s ego!

For example, see the world map. In it, Bharat appears to be small. In this country, Bharat, the state of Tamil Nadu is smaller. In Tamil Nadu, Dindigul district is still smaller. In this district, Kodaikanal is a very small place.

In Kodaikanal, our house is a tiny speck. In our house, we are still smaller. So, in this vast universe, what are we, then?

Where is the scope for your ego? If we have this broad vision, we will understand there is no scope for ego!

- Divine Discourse, Apr 08, 1993

The signs of the rise of Atma-jnanam (Self-knowledge) are the absence of Ahamkara and Mamakaram (feelings of I and Mine).

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why should we see the Divine in ourselves and everyone? How then would we accept life’s events?

A mud pot is nothing but mud. Vessels made of gold are basically gold only and nothing else.

We have emerged from the Divine. Therefore, all of us are His only.

Due to our body consciousness, we get into all kinds of trouble.

What is this body? It is a perishable leather bag with nine holes but not like a resplendent diamond.

No fragrance but only foul smell emanates from it every moment. It is made up of flesh, blood, bones and faecal matter.

Should we develop attachment with this body? When people achieve success, they attribute it to their capability; if they meet with failure, they attribute it to His Will.

You can know the truth only when you recognise that everything happens by the Will of His and whatever happens is good for you.

Today, spiritual aspirants and devotees, do not have this kind of faith. It is because of their part-time devotion.

You should become full-time devotees. From dawn to dusk, do your duty with a firm conviction that all duties belong to Him.

Do your duty with love. Then only will you attain perfection.

- Divine Discourse, Apr 30, 1997

Do not limit Him to your shrine. He is your life-breath.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why should we choose to be optimists and work through challenges in our daily lives?

An optimist and a pessimist looked at water in a tumbler.

The optimist said that the glass was half full. The pessimist said, the tumbler was half empty.

The optimist is full of happiness. The pessimist sees the thorn below the rose; the optimist, on the other hand, sees the rose flower.

Pessimism and optimism both depend on vision or attitude.

The two are closely related. Hopelessness arises out of faulty vision.

The optimist and the pessimist walk on the same path. The optimist looks up and sees the sky and the stars, whereas the pessimist looks down and sees pits.

Both are walking on the same road. But there is a difference in their vision and their points of view.

Change your vision and see everything as the Divine. Understand the difference between vision and spectacles.

We see colours with our natural vision. With blue-coloured spectacles, everything appears blue.

When you see the world with the spectacles of love, the entire world will appear to be full of love. Everything turns into love.

Spectacles cover the eyes but do not obstruct the vision. He is full of love. When you wear the spectacles of love, you see the correct colour and get the complete view.

- Divine Discourse, Apr 26, 1997

When you have the love-filled vision, the whole cosmos appears permeated by Divinity. When you see the world with the physical eye, it appears as a bundle of miseries from birth to death.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How can we use our human emotions and strengths, to hold on to the spiritual path?

When japam (repetition of a holy name) is systematically started by you, fixing your inner eye on the form which illustrates the name, you will meet with many obstacles, disquieting thoughts and enticements.

They should be ignored, bypassed and treated lightly. Strengthen your habits, stick to your discipline, improve your inner administration; mix more in the company of the good and the holy.

Some people condemn the six passions as dire enemies and advise you to eject them outright. But I would advise you to keep them with you as docile servants, useful for your purposes.

Dislike those who slight the name of the Divine and tell you that it is a hollow, meaningless sound; dislike them so much that you avoid them forever!

Attachment can be used to fix your heart on the Divine; be fascinated by the overwhelming beauty of His form, reflected in all the loveliness of nature.

Kama (desire) is not a vice, for it is given the status of one of the goals of human endeavour (Purushartha).

Develop desire but not for the material, the momentary. Desire for the deathless, the indestructible - the desire for the steady development of faith in the holy scriptures, as a means to this.

- Divine Discourse, Nov 21, 1962

The divine name saves and liberates! It is the armour against the onslaughts of pride and self-pity!

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What are the three qualities that form the basis of human character?

Every individual who wants to progress in the field of spirituality, should develop three virtues – purity, patience and perseverance.

He is a blessed person who develops these three virtues, also called the three P’s.

Man without character, education without a goal and human race without morality, are worthless.

The life of an individual bereft of peace, is no better than a night without the moon.

In fact, a true human being is endowed with these threefold virtues. One who loses these virtues loses humanness.

Since man today lacks these three virtues, he is more like an animal than a human being. He has only the form of a human but not the demeanour.

Virtues are the life principle of man. Without virtues, he is lifeless.

If you want to know the true meaning of humanness, you should first develop human values. Development of human values is, therefore, a must for all.

- Divine Discourse, Jun 24, 1996

If we want to achieve success in the path of Spirituality, we have to follow the formulae of purity, patience, and perseverance.

Source: radiosai.org