♥ Om Sri Sai Ram. As we all pray to Bhagavan for His Divine message this evening, I perceive Him seated in this chair in an orchre robe and I repeat as He speaks.
Who ever thinks of me, without thinking of anything else, such people who are always devoted to me I will always look after their welfare.
Embodiments of Divine Love. Sri Krishna gave us His Word that who ever thinks of me, without thinking of anything else, I will always look after everyday of their welfare. Who ever thinks of me all the time, at all places I will grant him all the gifts of this world and also the other world. Welfare does not mean that God gives us all wealth and treasures, name and fame which are only worldy. All of them are related to activity and not to union with God. I will drive away all the darkness of ignorance from my devotee, grant him the experience of the Divine Self granting him the Divine Bliss.
When there is the wish fullfilling tree right in front of your home why should you look for an ordinary tree in your back yard? When you have the wish fullfilling cow, which grants you milk when ever you ask it, why should you purchase milk? When you have, right in front of you, the Meru Mountain shining with gold and silver why should you purchase gold and silver from a market? When you have God right in front of you, granting you both devotion and liberation, why should you go after worldly pleasures and experiences.
It is total ignorance to go to the wish fullfilling tree or cow and ask for coffee powder. Similarly, to go after the reflection, shadow or illusion forsaking the object, shows no wisdom. We need to put in effort and work hard to attain that which is permanent, eternal and grants us everything. Bhagavad Gita says that this world is full of sorrow and is also temporary. If worldy pleasures can give complete happiness then why is it that again and again we get subjected to sorrows. With great effort you obtain one thing and for sometime you are happy. Then that happiness disappears and you become miserable. Again, you go after something else, which you think will give you complete happiness. You attain it but even then this shows to be transient and temporary and you get subjected to sorrow. In this dual world which is full of happiness and sorrow, profit and loss, gain and pain you cannot get something that will give you complete happiness. You have to look for total infinite bliss only in a place where it is exisiting and not in a place that it is not existing.
A dog, which was hungry, found a small bone and became very happy. It was a dry bone. He thought that he was going to derive great joy from the bone and went on chewing that bone. When he was chewing that bone a small piece of bone hurt its jaw. It never experienced that its gum was hurting and went on chewing. Bleeding started from the wound in the gums. But the dog was enjoying, thinking that the blood was coming from the bone he continued to chew. It so happened that the dog thought the blood was coming from the bone not from the gums. It is total ignorance for the dog to think that the blood was coming from somewhere else when the blood was coming from the wound in his mouth. Similarly, man goes in search of joy and bliss in many places. But his very form is the embodiment of bliss. Being himself the embodiment of bliss he looks for joy and bliss elsewhere. He puts in great effort to attain that joy and all his life is wasted in that kind of effort. It is all a useless activity when you look for something not knowing where exactly it is available. There was an old woman who lost her needle. She searched for it everywhere. When the sun set she went outside and started looking for the needle outside the house. Where ever she searched she could not find it. There was a good person who saw this and asked her what she was searching for. The old woman said, "My dear son, I have lost my needle that's why I am searching." That person said that he would help her and started searching for the needle. Both of them searched for a very long time. Another very intelligent person came there and asked them, "What is it that you are searching for?" That gentleman said, "This woman has lost her needle. I am helping her find her needle." Then the intelligent person asked them, "Where did you lose your needle?" The woman replied, "I lost it in my house." "You have lost your needle in your home and now you are looking for it on the street, how can you find it?" "There is complete darkness in my house and under the street light I have light that is why I am looking here under the light." "Is it right that if you have lost your needle inside your home then you go out to the street to look for it ? You will get it only when you look for it where it is." It is total ignorance for you to look for happiness somewhere outside yourself when bliss is within you. There are alot of people that are looking for things which they have kept on their own head. It is complete ignorance to look for something that is not there. You are the embodiment of Bliss. You are the embodiment of Atma. Find it within yourself. Is it possible to find it somewhere else? We study all the scriptures and listen to alot of lectures and inspite of having all this knowledge why is it that we are unable to find it. There are three obstacles: Mala, Vikshepa, Avarana.
Mala means impurities. Selfish desires are the impurities within us. Being enveloped in body consciousness, always thinking of I and mine and developing selfish desires, that is impurity or mala. Because of impurities you are not able to see what is really existing. In a room there is a mirror. If you want to look at your reflection in the mirror first you have to remove the dust from the mirror. Only when you remove that dust from the mirror will you be able to see your reflection. Due to the dust of impurities you are not able to see your own reflection in the mirror. You are looking for your reflection elsewhere, in all different places.
The second is Vikshepa. In darkness you look at a rope and become afraid that it is a serpent. Due to the darkness you dont see what really exists. You think something exists that is not really there. When you light the lamp of wisdom in your heart you can see what temporary and what is permanent. Wisdom is seeing the unity of all creation. When you put on the light of wisdom in the room you can see your reflection in the mirror. But because there is no light you think that you see somebody elses reflection and become scared. When you put on the light and see your own reflection you feel very happy. You have removed the dust from the mirror and put on the light but still you cannot see your reflection because of the cover on the mirror. This cover over the mirror stops you from seeing your own reflection. When you remove the cover, remove the dust and put on the light you will see your reflection in the mirror and derive great joy. Ego is that impurity. Attachment is the darkness. When you get rid of body consciousness by removing ego and attachment then you will know your own truth. If we think that when we get old we can then get into good company, listen to lectures on the Truth and learn, that is a mistake. Many young people think that youth is the time to earn money, create a family and enjoy the pleasures of the world and that it is only when you get old that then it is time to get into satsanghs. Young people also say that now they are busy with their duties and activities when I get old and retired then I will get into satsanghs. But when you get old you cant see or hear properly, you cant sit straight, and because of all this you just sit at home.
There was a miserly person like this. He did not do anything at home. The roof on the house was ruined. During the rain the water leaked inside and he couldnt stand anywhere. He was in a corner sitting. Many friends came to him and told him, "Why dont you spend some money and repair the roof so that there is no leakage." He replied, "It is now the rainy season. Let me repair the roof when the rain stops." When the rainy season stopped the friends came and said, "Now that the rainy season has stopped better you now repair the roof so that you will be happy during the rainy season." But he is a miser and said, "Now that there are no rains. What is the use of repairing the roof now." When you are children you enjoy playing games. When you are young you go after worldly pleasures. When you are old nobody is interested in God. When you are young and your head, heart and hands are very strong you should utilise the time well and get into satsanghs, learn good things and derive great joy.
Many people are asking why is Swami wasting so much money on Yagnas. Should he not use that same money on service projects? Also they say that many valuable, precious things are going into the fire and wasting them. He is not giving them to the poor people. The kind of people who say that, looking at their lives Swami says, "The way you are looking at my Yagna and sorrowing over it, I feel very sad about your own lives." After having got this precious human birth and living like animals it is not the right thing.
Among all species of life human birth is very rare. Out of 84 lahks of species of life human life is the greatest and the highest. After knowing this truth you are behaving like animals and not living like humans. Food, sleep, procreation and fear are both common to animals and humans. Only wisdom separates human beings and animals. Human beings without wisdom are equal to animals. When somebody asks you the question "Who are You" and to reply with "I am Man" is only a half truth. This is not the complete truth. The complete truth is "I am Man. I am not an animal." All the animal instincts are also there in human beings like desire, anger, infatuation and jealousy. Living our lives for the sake of fullfilling these desires is animal life not human life.
In the word "manava" there is the meaning that you are not new. You are the ancient one. You dont have any beginning, middle or end. The body is born and the body dies. How can it be permanent? When you realise the Atma principle, knowing that everything else is transient and temporary, only then can you enjoy true bliss in your lives. For all the sorrows and attachments the root cause is having the sense of difference - I am different, he is different. This is a kind of ignorance. It is also a mistake to think that I am serving somebody else. Alot of students, young men and woman are here serving. To think that we are serving someone else is a mistake. The right thing to consider is that I am serving God who is in everybody - I am serving God who is in myself. When your hand puts water into your mouth that is not service. If the mouth sends the water to the stomach that is not service. It is only a duty not a service. We should know that when we do our duty, thinking that we are doing service, and become very proud and arrogant this is not correct.
Why are we serving? We are doing service to get rid of ego and attachment within us. If you develop your ego whilst doing service this is not correct. How can you judge whether you are doing this service correctly or not? We should know that only when your ego and attachment are on the decline then you are doing service properly. The prohits, who have come here, with great sincerity they are performing all these yagnas. They are not prohits. They should become paramithas - those who help others. This body is given to us to serve others. The purpose of the body is to help others. The body is the basis of all noble activities. Use the body only for service. Using it for anything else is a waste of time.
When some people think that Swami is wasting resources, putting them into the fire, looking at you I feel very sad that you are wasting your precious life. I feel very sad that when you have got the precious human birth, leading an animal life and wasting it is a matter of sorrow for me. I am arranging all these satsanghs so that you can give up all these evil thoughts and feelings and develop noble thoughts and feelings. From good company you develop detachment. From detachment you can get over bondage. When you get over bondage you can become steady then you get liberation.
What ever you do offer it to God for the Love of God. Today you listen to the story of Bhagavatha. This young man had a very high temperature this morning. He was feeling bad as to whether he could deliver his talk this evening. But only one thing he thought about was that when Swami was many times very ill and undergoing alot of pain too, Swami never said no to anybody. When alot of people did padnamaskar they were surprised at the heat and asked, "When you have such high fever why do you come and grant darshan?" I have only one answer for them. That this body has come to remove the ills of mankind. The body is the basis for all good activity. This body is given for helping others. Using the body for any other activity is not right. Having got the precious human birth it is very necessary that you put it to good use. It is also a mistake to think that even if I lose this body that I will get another body in the next life.
The body has five sheaths. Annamaya Kosha - Food sheath, Pranamaya kosha - Life sheath, Manamaya kosha - Mind Sheath, Vijnanamaya kosha - Wisdom sheath and Anandamaya kosha - Bliss sheath. The gross body is the food sheath of the human personality. Only when the life gets into this the inert becomes full of life. Otherwise it is inert and is not conscious. Because of the life sheath the food sheath can also move around. When the electric current flows the lights will turn on and the fan will move around. Similarly, when the light principle enters the body it starts working. But at death the light principle leaves the inert body and goes away. You have lost only the gross body and not the mind. The subtle body is having this Light principle, Mind principle and Intelligence principle. Even this subtle body has ego and attachments. At death what you leave is only the physical gross body. Only when you get over the gross and physical body you can look for liberation. If you want to cross an ocean you need a boat. In order to cross over this samsara you need this body. Both can move in water but water should not get into the boat. If water gets into the boat the boat will sink. You can live in samsara but samsara should not get into you. You will be happy and secure as long as this worldiness does not get into your mind.
There are 84 lahks species of life but there are many things that are invisible that you can not see with your eyes. They are subtle energy forms. You think that Shiva and Parvathi are in Kailasa. If you go to Kailasa can you see Shiva and Parvathi. They are all in subtle bodies. When you want to offer something to Shiva and Parvathi, who are in subtle forms, you also have to convert the material into subtle form. When you put gross offerings into the fire the fire converts this gross form into subtle form. Subtle will get into the subtle. The gross will get into the gross. The fruit that we eat today will tomorrow become excreta. But inbetween we get this subtle strength from the food into our body. Therefore, in food there is this subtle strength. Since ancient times we have been worshipping God and offering Him food. Why are you offering food to God who is not seen in the body? Are you able to see whether the God has a mouth or stomach? Can you see the food go into the stomach? The fire of hunger, in our stomach, digests the food and takes this subtle strength of the food. Similarly when you offer gross objects into the fire it transforms them into subtle energy and sends it to the subtle forms of God. He is the very form of Essence. He is actually taking up that subtle energy from every gross thing.
When you write a letter, put an address on the postal envelop, and hand it to the postman he will take it to the address on the envelop. Similarly, the fire acts as the postman. When you utter a mantra and offer a gross offering the fire takes it to the address of the God and delivers it there. What ever you offer, chanting the mantra Om Namaha Shivayah, it will reach Shiva. When you chant the mantra Om Namo Narayanaya, it will reach Narayana. These mantras are nothing but various addresses of Gods. Fire is nothing but the postman. When you utter the mantra and give the gross offering to the fire the fire transforms the offering, into the subtle essence, and delivers it to the subtle form of god. Even if you write the address on the cover, and there is no stamp, it will not be delivered to the addressee. Similarly, if you utter a mantra and you dont have love in your heart it will not reach the subtle form of God. Therefore, Love is most essential. Whatever you offer, with love, God will receive with great joy. There should not be any scope for austentation. When you offer everything with humilty and love God will definitely receive them. To think that it is getting wasted is big ignorance. All the offerings are reaching the subtle form of God. There are five kinds of Yagnas. First, the offering made to human beings, to the parents.
Secondly, the yagnas that you perform in order to please various angels and demi gods. There are Yagnas that are performed in order to please the parents that have died or the forefathers that have died. The other is Bhoota and Manushya Yagnas. Helping other human beings, birds, beasts, insect and worms is Manushya Yagna. We should perform all these Yagnas. The highest is Brahma Yagna. That Yagna we do in order to realise ourselves as Brahma and Atma.
Why are you performing all these Yagnas. It is because there is no happiness in the world. When we talk "let all the beings in all the worlds be happy", what is this happiness that we are talking about? It is not like a dog chewing a bone and getting happiness. We are not performing this yagna for the sake of worldly happiness. We are doing it for the Eternal Bliss of God. When we pray that everybody be happy, this is not worldy happiness. We are doing it for spiritual happiness. Where is spiritual happiness? Where ever it is there you can find it. You have to find Bliss within your self. Union with God is called Yoga. Merging in God is called Yoga. Ga means to go, Yo means that God. Going to Him is Yoga. Happiness is union with God. When you find union with God then you will find permanent happiness. We are performing these yagnas for the sake of attaining that spiritual permanent happiness. When you pray for the welfare of everybody, it is for the ultimate permanent spiritual welfare and not the wordly welfare.
We will find true happiness only when we get rid of body consciousness and selfishness. True happiness will come to us then. I conclude this discourse aspiring that all of you will find that kind of eternal happiness and joy.
DISCLAIMER: Please remember these are jotted down notes, small healthy snacks to help US act as Gods (BE GOD) from the Discourse given by SUKSHMA BABA at Muddenahalli. This is NOT word for word or the full discourse. Nor do these NOTES convey the Divine Feeling or Divine Energy, in that moment, that is flowing in Abundance. If you want word for word, Heart to Heart, Divine Energy - go Within or attend these discourses. Enjoy the humble jottings. |
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