Sprouts of Faith

Veerabhadhra Shastry described the childhood pranks of Krishna very realistically and explained their significance. That has refreshed you, as I can see, for you felt them and experienced them. Rama is the embodiment of truth and dharma, and so, there is a sternness about Him, but Krishna is prema and His story confers ananda quickly and spontaneously, to one and all. The prema in the human heart responds to the call of that divine prema; it surges up and overflows.

Krishna came with the Yoga-shakti (Balarama) as His brother and Maya-shakti (maya) as His sister. That is how Mahaa-shakti (supreme power) gets born. Devaki, the mother, could not take in the splendour of the divine form, with all its inseparable glory and so, the child had to be transferred at His own request to Yashoda, who had prayed that she should be favoured with the privilege of being the foster-mother of the Lord! Sparshan or contact with the Divine is said to confer the boon of liberation from the bonds of karma; so, when the infant Krishna was taken by Vasudeva’s hands, the chain that bound them fell off; the bolts flew from the prison door, the locks opened of themselves; when he moved on towards the river Yamuna, the floods parted in front of him.

Love of the Gopis is Beyond Physical Awareness

In the divine story, you will observe one special fact; no incident is unconnected with the rest, no happening is without significance. For example, Parashurama exterminated the Kshatriya rulers of his time by systematic campaigns directed against each. How then, why then, did Dasharatha and Janaka survive? The truth of the matter is: Parashurama made two exceptions, under which his victims could save themselves and survive. This secret was known only to these two survivors. He had resolved within himself that he would not kill a bridegroom or a person engaged in a Yaga. So, whenever Parashurama reached the frontiers of their kingdoms and was on the point of crossing them, Janaka got himself initiated in preparation for a Yaga (ceremonial sacrifice, in which oblations are presented) and Dasharatha fitted himself out like a bridegroom about to wed another princess. Of course, this was according to the divine plan, for Dasharatha had to live to get Dasharathi and Janaka had to discover Janaki.

The love of the gopis (milk-maids of Dwaraka), about which so much philosophical speculation and analysis were made before you, is, let Me tell you, sahaja prema - the genuine prema that is beyond physical awareness, that is unaffected by praise or blame. It is not like the thin filament of oil floating on water, which comes off on the finger when it is touched. It is like the lotus stalk, which penetrates deep down through all the layers of water, into the soil underneath, but the leaf floats above, unaffected by the water, which gives it the essential environment. Man should struggle similarly to rise above the sensory world, which is his inevitable environment; the sensory world tempts you to strive for this triviality and that, but like the gopis, you should discard the hankering and fix your eye on the vitally precious fountain of joy. The gopis had no other goal, no other ideal, no other wish. It was a surrender of the self - complete, unquestioned, and unwavering.

Sai Will Not Tolerate Hatred Among Devotees

Let Me tell you of a devotee, a woman in a small Maharashtra village, who lived in the last century. She went through even the little details of life in this spirit of dedication. Walking was to her a pilgrimage; talking was Japam. Even when she threw off a ball of cow dung after polishing over the floor, she said Krishnarpanam - “May this be an offering to Krishna!” Her tapas (penance) was so sincere that the cow dung reached Krishna and stuck to Krishna’s idol in the village temple, every day!

The priest saw the mysterious defilement; he was amazed, he was lost in terror; he cursed himself that he had lived to see that ignominy daily, about noon, the idol being defiled by the same size of cow dung. He hung his head in shame. As he walked along, keeping the disturbing phenomenon all to himself, one day, he heard that particular lady exclaim, “Krishnarpanam,” as she, like many other housewives, threw the tell-tale cow dung ball. He suspected; he noted the timings, the quantity, the material, etc., until he was convinced that she was the culprit for the disfiguration of Krishna, the defilement of that liveliness. Then, he beat her so severely, that her arm that threw the dung was fractured.

When he returned triumphantly to the temple, expecting to be profusely blessed by the Lord for punishing the wicked woman, he was shocked to find Krishna’s right arm fractured and bleeding, exactly like the lady’s arm! The poor fellow wept in his agony and said, “I beat her only through the love of You; she spoilt Your charm, O Lord.” Krishna replied, “You must love all whom I love, remember.” Here too, I want that you should so behave, or at least love yourself, that is to say, love your own better self and ‘best interests’. I will not tolerate envy, malice, or hatred among devotees, nor will I allow you to hate yourselves, or think of yourselves as mean or weak.

Disturbing the Faith of Others is Treason

A word to the men, who are gathered here: you must live up to the glory of your inner purity and strength. You come from distant places at great expense, but you bring with you all your habits and prejudices, your proclivities and preferences, without making any effort to purify them to suit the holy place, which you have sought. Here too, you seek and secure the company, to which you are accustomed, namely the company of the factious, the envious, and the worldly. Come to Me with mean desires, and you will be disappointed! I will not worry if you do not come again. If you destroy or disturb the faith of others or the devotion of others, it is ingratitude, treason; it is like pouring glowing cinders on a heap of flowers.

If the child gives up its mother, how can it grow? Keep attached to God, so that you may grow. Do not clip off the sprouts of faith in your heart, or the hearts of others. It is that faith that gives poignancy to the yearning for God and which wins ready response. Ramamurthy, who is here, called out “Swami” in that poignant sincerity when his wife’s sari was in flames; she was too frightened to call Me. That call took Me to Aukiripalli and though only a quarter of the sari was left unburnt, she was saved.

Cheats, Who Trade On the Faith of Devotees

Talking of faith, I must issue a warning. Many people are collecting money in various places, using My name for various purposes, like arranging receptions, building temples, doing puja, etc. That is unauthorised and against My wish and command. Do not yield to such requests and encourage this practice, which I condemn. Then, there is another set of people who trade on your faith. They advertise that I have ‘possessed’ them; that I am ‘talking’ through a medium, a stove (!), or some other thing. Treat all such people and their agents or brokers as you treat cheats; if you do not treat them so, then you are also accomplices in the cheating process.

Some others gather groups of followers and admirers and collect money, exhibiting My idol or image that has been ‘given’ by Me, or advertising another sign of My grace. Some of them even declare, “Baba sent me to you to take from you some money,” or, “Baba has given me this,” or, “Baba blessed me especially, thus and thus,” and then, ask for your help, your praise, or your purse! I ask you to chastise all three types of men and turn them away, whoever they are.

Prasanthi Nilayam, 25-11-1962