Life 49 (Nov 25 - Dec 27)

[winston]

Why and how should we quieten the mind?

The mind is prone to gathering experiences and storing them in the memory. It does not know the art of giving up.

Nothing is cast away by the mind. As a consequence, grief, anxiety and misery, continue simmering in it.

If only the mind can be taught tyaga (sacrifice), one can become a Yogi (spiritually serene person).

The clock, to all appearances, keeps on ticking away continuously. But this is really not the case. It is not continuous, for there is, one can notice, a short pause between one tick and the next. That is the interval of rest.

But the mind does not have even this short interval between one thought and the next. And in the continuous succession of thoughts, there is no order or relationship.

This adds to the confusion and concern. This is the main source of ill-health in man.

We are at present planning and preparing for physical rest and recreation, and we know that even machines need hours of rest!

But we have neglected the duty of ensuring rest for the mind. Dhyana (meditation) is the name for the period of rest we provide for the busy and wayward mind.

- Divine Discourse, Jan 08, 1983

Wandering from wish to wish, flitting from one desire to another, is the mind's nature. So, it is the cause of loss and grief, of elation and depression.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

We may love and revere many people in our life. But who is the one person who truly deserves a permanent place in our hearts?

Affection for mother and reverence for father are necessary. But parents and preceptor are transient. Even friends are impermanent.

The Divine alone is permanent and unfailing, and He alone should have the permanent place in the heart.

The human body acquires its sacredness from the fact that it is the abode of the Divine.

The Scriptures refers to the body as kshetra (sacred field) and the Divine Indweller as the Kshetrajna. Because of the sacredness of the body, it should be used properly as an instrument of the Divine.

Man should develop faith in Him. Without faith, life will be meaningless. Man can have no happiness or satisfaction in life without His grace.

Men today are too immersed in affairs of the world and have no peace of mind. They can have peace only from the supreme embodiment of peace, the Divine.

He is the abode of infinite love and enduring peace. His love should be secured by chanting the His name.

You should be grateful to your mother for endowing you with a body which enables you to chant His name.

- Divine Discourse, May 6, 1997

See that the splendour of Him, the cool rays of His grace, is not dimmed in the recesses of your heart.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What should we do to keep progressing in this spiritual journey?

The swimmer in the river has to push aside the waters in front to the sides and to kick the waters to the back so that he can move forward straight and fast.

Forcing the water back is the act that takes him forward. That is to say, do not attach importance to it, throw it back, give it up, renounce; that alone can help you to progress, even an inch.

Instead, man collects and stores, accumulates and takes pride in what he holds firm, regardless of the preciousness of the human trait of renunciation.

So, we sink in material possessions, victories and vagaries. We do not float or swim across the temptations.

We must try to discover and learn the means of progress. We may well ask, how can a man sunk in relative knowledge become aware of Atma? But there is no reason for despair or for condemning ourselves as mean and low.

For when small men take big decisions, they earn encouragement from the great.

- Divine Discourse, Jan 08, 1983

Faith and self-confidence are essential for spiritual progress.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the precious message that Bharat has share with the world?

The glory and majesty of the Divine are imminent in the universe, as a fragrance in the air, as heat in the fire or as butter in milk.

He is the string that passes through and holds together all the beads. To know Him as such, to realise that He is the source, sustenance and summum bonum of all this creation, is the end and aim of human life.

That is the sum and substance of the teachings of all the scriptures that man has inherited from the past, in all languages and in all climes.

All religions are but essays at demarcating the path towards that consummation.

All moral codes regulate human speech, action and feelings, in order to enable man to see the path more clearly and to make his steps firmer thereon.

India is the land where this precious knowledge was gained and spread by ardent seekers and sages. But today, we have to deplore the decadence of these ideals and the downfall of Indians who have descended to the level of ridiculing the heights of spiritual bliss these sages attained.

The time has come now to revere the culture that granted them that vision and that victory, to rededicate yourselves to the pilgrimage towards truth, to discover in the jungle of manifoldness the basic unity, which is the reality.

- Divine Discourse, Feb 15, 1969

Faith in the Divine is the life-breath of Bharat. With this faith, Bharat can face any challenge.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the real source of human suffering and bondage?

Our life has its roots in the Atma and it grows through the agitated waves of living. It can never uproot itself from its Atmic source.

Man has, through the ages, sought liberation and struggled for freedom from bondage. But he has no correct appreciation of what he has to liberate himself from, what the bondage is from which he has to be freed.

Many are not even aware that they are imprisoned and are bound. So, they do not even try to free themselves.

Is the family, the wife and children, the prison? Are riches, properties, and possessions the bonds? Are attractions and aversions the bonds that curb him? No. None of these binds him.

The tightest bond that limits his feelings and deeds is his ignorance of who he really is. Until one is aware of the Atma (divine soul), one is certain to be tossed from grief to grief, with intervals of joy.

- Divine Discourse, Jan 08, 1983

An individual who is not aware of his true self cannot escape from sorrow.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the most powerful weapon against evil forces, which is available to each one of us?

A heart without love is a cemetery.

Love demonstrates the existence of the Divine. It is all-pervasive. It is the basis for human unity.

Only when selfishness goes and faith in the Divine grows, will human unity be achieved. Hence, every human being should fill his heart with love.

The Divine is love; Love is Divine. Love is linked to love.

When one is full of love, He is qualified for the state of Non-dualism or oneness with Him (Poem). It is most vital for everyone to recognise and practice this Love Principle.

This Love exists in good and bad, in the forest and in a palace, in attachment and in separation, in one’s conduct as well as in one’s speech, in the mind as well as in action.

It is all-pervasive. The most powerful weapon to destroy the forces of evil rampant in the world today is love.

Unfortunately, men are not pursuing the right path to acquire this sacred love. Love is the seed of love. It is also the branch, the flower, and the fruit!

To enjoy the fruit of love, one must practice love!

- Divine Discourse, Nov 23, 1996

Love is Righteousness. Love is Truth. The universe is based on love.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How should the precious messages received from the learned and wise, be preserved?

Whatever teachings that you hear and read, you should imbibe them in your heart.

Once a Guru called his disciples and said to them, “My dear ones! I am giving all of you a sweet. See to it that it is not spoilt by ants, flies, mosquitoes, cats or rats.”

Most of the students tried to preserve it in many ways. But only one student partook of it, digested it and derived strength from it.

What is the inner meaning of this? It is not enough if you preserve the divine teachings in books; you should imbibe those nectarous teachings in your heart, digest them and experience them. Only then can you derive strength and happiness.

You should treasure in your heart all the sacred teachings that you hear, read and understand. Whatever you have treasured in your heart, you should put it into practice in your life. Only then will you have fulfilment.

Merely eating is not enough; you should digest what you eat. Similarly, merely hearing and reading is not enough; you should put it into practice and experience it in your daily life.

- Divine Discourse, Jul 27, 1996

If what is learned is not put into practice, the student is like a cow that does not yield milk, a fruit lacking in taste or a book bereft of wisdom.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the nature of love that is supreme and eternal?

Everyone must endeavour to realise this sacred principle of love.

Love does not connote Nature; it is beyond Nature. Love is not contained in Nature; Nature itself is contained in love! Similarly, it is not love contained in the universe; it is the universe contained in love.

When I hold this handkerchief in My hand, what does it mean? It means My hand is bigger than the handkerchief. But if you say, love is contained in this universe, it would mean the Universe is bigger than love.

But, it is not so. The reality is that love is bigger than the Universe. Love is not subservient to this visible world; this world itself is under the control of love.

Creation, sustenance and dissolution, time, cause and effect - all are contained in love.

Other than love, everything else in this world is physical and fleeting. How long will this body last? It is temporary.

Love that is related to this ephemeral body is also momentary and transient. Only the principle of Atma, Brahma or Hridaya is true and eternal.

It is the foremost duty of man to recognise this true and eternal principle of love.

- Divine Discourse, Jul 27, 1996

The root of all religions, the substance of all scriptures, the meeting point of all roads, the inspiration of all individuals is the principle of Prema (love).

Source: radiosai.org