Become the Lord’s Flute

The incarnation of Krishna was in order to propagate the sacred Dharma, which will lead man to the holiness he has to attain, and to teach the manner and content of the efforts he has to put forth. Krishna, the Divine Principle, is born in the navel of everyone and has to be transported to the tongue and fostered there, as was done by Yashoda, with maternal care and love. That is the secret of salvation by Namasmarana. In order to save man, the Lord appeared in a most charming form, so that He could draw his heart in love— 'Raso vai sah' (He is sweetness itself). So, Krishna easily steals into the hearts of even the most hard-hearted individuals. He is the 'bada chitta chor' (the greatest thief of hearts).

The heart yearns for His voice, His form, His flute, His smile, His sport, and His pranks. That is the tapas (penance) which is rewarded by His grace. The yearning is so deep that all body-consciousness is lost, the senses are ineffective, and the mind is inactive, the intelligence is at a standstill, and ideas of duality disappear. The individual sees before him only step after step of Ananda leading to the highest bliss of merging in Him.

The culture of Bharat has marked out the guidelines for achieving this bliss. It is the consummation of all sweetness, all the joy, and fulfillment of all the highest desires. But, yet, man is struggling to achieve petty things, paltry joys, and low desires. When you seek God, you must not be misled into by-paths and mirages. The seeker after gold must cast away brass and other yellow metals, that may distract him and destroy him. Like the river which leaps over precipices, creeps through bush and briar, flows round hills, seeps through sand but keeps the goal (the sea) always in view, man too must march untiringly towards God.

To Secure Anything, You Have To Pay The Price

Relief from discomfort can be got only when the unwelcome item of food that has gone in is got rid of. So too, one can achieve relief from grief only when the unwelcome emotions of hate and malice are ejected from the mind. Until then one cannot have peace. Of course, Krishna has declared that He will bear the burdens of those who have no other thought except His. Many of you lose heart because you have been repeating 'Krishna, Krishna' for years, but your burdens have not lightened. But to secure anything, you have to pay the price.

Krishna came down in order to establish Dharma. So, the thing he likes most is Dharma. Walk in the path of Dharma; that is the price he will accept. The flute is His favorite. So become a flute, hollow (devoid of desires, straight with no crookedness), and He will accept you. Think of the sublimely sweet love that Krishna was evoking in the hearts of those who had the good fortune to be his contemporaries! Every one of them, from the unlettered cowherd to the most profound scholar and sage, was drawn to Him as by a magnet and held by Him in unshakeable devotion. Whatever the hardships and troubles that came upon them, they did not give up His Lotus Feet, to which they clung ever fast and firmly.

As you walk along the road, your shadow follows you, through dirt and dust, bush and bramble, mound and midden, brook and boulder. But, note how the shadow has constant contact with the Feet. So long as the shadow (man) has fast and firm contact with the Feet of the Substance (the Lord), no hardship can affect him. Hold on to the Lord; that is the way to peace and joy.

The Essence Of Man Is Divine

Krishna is slandered by ignorant, prejudiced critics as 'jara' and 'chora' and extolled by seekers and sages with the same appellations, jara and chora! He stole the hearts and the owners were glad of it; he shed light, awakened people and made those whose hearts he stole richer and happier. He destroyed all craving for sensual pleasure and sensual knowledge and filled the entire being with thoughts of the Divine; how then can He be referred to as 'jara' and 'chora' when the blind lead the blind in this, both have to fall into the pit!

The Lord takes the form that the seekers crave for; He is above all Name and Form. Children go to the sweet shop and select sweets representing the animals they love; some ask for the dog, some the peacock, some the horse, some choose the elephant. But, what they desire is the sweetness therein. To say that one form alone can be sweet is to deny the compassion of God. He is eager to satisfy the yearning of the genuine seeker.

Vishnu (whose incarnation is Krishna) is said to ride on a bird called Garuda. In fact, it is the heart of man that is spoken of as a bird; the heart yearns, it carries the thought of God; it moves swiftly to where He is. If your son is in the U.S.A., it goes to where he stays. Man turns to God, at all times and in all places. For the essence of man is Divine.

Start The Day With Nagarasankirtana

Someone asked me during the interview he had, "Swami! May I ask you a question?" I told him I always welcomed questions, for, it was not wrong at all to use Me for solving one's doubts. Then he asked Me, "Swami, can I know from you who you are?" I answered, "But, first, you must know who you are; learn first what you mean when you say I, I, I." That 'I' is this 'I'. The 'I' in that is the same as This. The difference is due to the degree of manifestation of illumination, to the difference in the power of the bulbs. The Lord is closest to you, He is the mother, father, teacher, friend, guide, and guardian. Call on Him, and He responds immediately. From dawn to dusk, spend every minute in His company.

That is the reason why I have directed that every Sathya Sai Organisation must arrange for Nagarsankirtanam in the pre-dawn Brahmamuhoortam. It is a mission of Love and all will welcome it. It is a great act of social service to waken people with the Name of God. It is a purificatory pilgrimage, casting off the foul fumes of anger and hate that infest the atmosphere. Moving slowly along the quiet streets, in the cool refreshing morning hours, singing aloud the Name of God, with ecstatic thrill, filling the ears of your fellowmen with the same—this is good sadhana, the best with which you can start the new day. This direction of Mine is being enthusiastically followed in Bombay, Kerala, Madras, and other states, and even in the State of East Africa, which I visited last month. On this sacred day, resolve to spend the days with God, to fill the days with God.

Prasanthi Nilayam, 19-8-1968.