Tat-tvam

Peri Venkateswara Sastry and others by their speeches, relieved you from hunger; now, it is my turn to sharpen your yearning, which is the hunger of the mind for the higher joy. When Dharma declines or rather, when those who have a duty to regulate their lives according to dharma lose faith in it, then, its restoration cannot be taken up by all and sundry. A broken bridge on a highway cannot be set right by amateur skill and the momentary enthusiasm of the villagers around. The very authority which laid down the road and planned the bridge has to initiate repair. The Lord has come again on this Mission; He has collected the engineers and contractors and the labour for the purpose. He is now set on the task.

When Krishna knew that Brahma had taken away and hidden the cows and calves and the cowherds and boys, the whole lot of them that had gone out of their homes into the pastures, He created anew, the same number, the same types, the same persons, cattle and all, and nobody suspected for one full year that the genuine was hidden and that it was the duplicate that was in the village everywhere. All that was thus created was Krishna-tattvam (true nature of Krishna), just as all that was hidden by Brahma was also Krishna-tattvam. You too are Krishna-tattvam; what other tattvam is there, really?

Everyone Must Be Conscious Of Krishna-tattvam

Even now with Me, My Mayasrushti (creation out of the void), is for some definite purpose; just as it was then. Then it was to purify and sanctify the Gopis; now, too, the aim is to purify and sanctify. Nara is limited and deluded; when that limit is crossed and when that delusion is gone, he is Narayana and he shines in his tattvam.

Every one must be conscious of this tattvam, which is his reality. To make each one conscious of it is the aim of those who come for Dharma-sthapana (revival of righteousness). In the Mahabharata, the most noteworthy theme is Dharma-sthapana. When the Pandavas were exiled into the forest, it was as if the five Pranas (life breath) of Dharma, the sustaining forces of Dharma, were exiled. Dharmaraja is the Prana of the Right Conduct, Bhima, of the Protective Might of Dharma, Arjuna of the Faith and Devotion needed as its foundation, Nakula and Sahadeva, of the steadfast faith essential for the practice of Dharma. When the Pandavas went to the forest, Hasthinapura was reduced to Asthinapura—a city of bones, without flesh and blood.

You call Me Dharma-murti (personification of Virtue). No, each of you is a dharma-murti. But, you have strayed away; My aim is to bring you back to the status that you have lost. This Prashanti Vidwan Mahasabha, which been established here this Navaratri, will be doing just that job. Today, its aims and objects as well as the methods of working were discussed and settled; it is your Sabha; you can make use of it, in proportion to your bhakti (devotion) and your shakti (capacity). The deposits which these Pandits have made in jnanam and tapas (penance) are yours; draw checks on them and they will give you the riches, without question.

The Sowing Part Of The Work Begun

Pandits and scholars of Vedas and shastras have been suffering a lot, due to neglect by society. But, that is not the result of their having studied the Vedas; it is because they have not put what they have learnt into action. Everyone must wait till the fruit is ripe. It will take time for the growth of the tree, for its blossoming, for the fruits to appear, to ripen and to be filled with sweet juice. Pluck it before time and you have to throw it away. Why? To become a graduate and take a degree, one has to struggle with the alphabet at first, then read words formed by the letters, then study sentences and finally complete texts.

The fruition of their studies has come now, after all these years, when the Pandits have secured this medium for sharing their joy and their wisdom with their brothers and sisters. The Pandits have been allotted districts and a selected few will be supervising the programs in each district. The District Committees will arrange meetings and invite the Pandits for the three-day sessions of the Sabha.

The Light Is In You; You Are The Light

This is the sowing part of the work, sowing the seeds of the karma kanda, the Upasana kanda and the jnana kanda, of Vedanta, of Dharma shastras, of the Glory of God as described in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and the Bhagavatam. You have to look after the fields, tend the young crop, feed it with manure of manana, and rid it of pests, and harvest the happiness that comes from eating the nourishing grain. That is the real agriculture for you. Chance to share in this agriculture will come only to a few, the few who are endowed with the merit of many lives.

First, the Sabha will be concerned with Andhra Pradesh and later, it will reach out into the Karnataka and Kerala States, and then into all the States of India, and within a short time, even outside India. Already, there are quite a few Sathya Sai Sanghas outside India and they are pressing for extension of Swami’s Grace in this form too to their places.

The first profit from such a Sabha is that you will be able to tend and develop something that is specially Indian. I am saying this, because you understand only the language of profit. Whatever you are asked to do, the first question is, “How much will be the profit?” This greed for labham (profit) has made you sink in lobham (greed)! The highest profit is the arrival through this road back at the place from where you came, your Svasthanam. Brahma who was born in the lotus that arose out of the navel of Vishnu wondered how he came to be there and it seems he searched and searched for the place from where he came. He could not trace it at all. But, by some little thought, you can know, from where you came, or, rather, what your real nature is. Then what remains is the attempt to attain it. That is what is meant by Liberation, or Moksha.

Simple faith in the words of the wise is more profitable than years of study and discussion. Meditate on such a Mahavakya as “Tat-tvam-asi” (That thou art) and as you go on revolving it in your mind, meanings will dawn upon you, without the help of any commentary. Commentaries only tend to confuse you. Think of the ‘Tat’ (Divinity); analyse the ‘tvam’ (yourself); and then, you will be convinced that ‘asi’ (equality) is the only solution. You are in the Light; the Light is in you; you are the Light—these are the steps.

Prasanthi Nilayam, 25-10-1963