Strive to Put into Practice the Divine Teachings

Will the sugar cane yield sugar upon your command 
without crushing and extracting juice out of it? 
Even a precious diamond needs to be ground. 
Character shines not, sans guru’s help! 
Whether it is a pond or a well, 
you get water as per vessel’s capacity
One gets what he deserves only
These observations are from real life!

Embodiments of Divinity!

The experiences narrated by Bhatt and the lecturer from Amalapuram just now might have filled your hearts with satisfaction. This kind of feast given to you in these three days might have caused indigestion to you. Even good food is not relished by a person suffering from indigestion. I do not intend to trouble you all with a long speech of Mine today. I shall confine Myself to elaborate upon what is spoken by them.

Divinity Comes When Attachment to Life Is Eliminated:

Just now Bhatt stated that prostration to any form of God will reach Keshava (Supreme Lord Narayana). This is being stated frequently by all scholars and believers. God who is present in all, is known as Keshava is what we understand from this statement. In other words, we are proving that we are prostrating to the One who has no specific form. This, however, does not convey totality (poornatvam). ‘Prostration to any form of God will reach the Supreme Lord _Narayana_’ conveys only one side of the truth. People along a stream get proper protection only when the bunds are laid down on both sides of the stream properly. When a bund is laid only on one side, the stream creates problems for the people of the region. If the statement, ‘prostration to any form of God will reach the Supreme Lord _Narayana_’ represents one bund, ‘contempt and rejection to any form of God will reach the Supreme Lord _Narayana_’ will serve as the other bund of the stream. Just like bunds are laid on both sides of the stream, if these two statements are laid on both sides of the flow of our feelings, our thought that ‘prostration to any form of God will reach the Supreme Lord _Narayana_’ will merge with the Divine. Divinity gets installed in the heart only when delusion about life principle is removed. Only then the exhortation, prostration to any form of God will reach Keshava becomes relevant.

The Triple Aspects of Meditation

When you say God is present in everybody, what is meant by ‘everybody?’ What is meant by God (Paramatma)? This means ‘all’ are different forms of God. ‘All (everybody)’ stands for Jeeva tattva (life principle). By the above statement, you are separating Paramatma (God) from ‘all’ (living beings). You should forget about ‘all.’ Forget the perception ‘everything is a God’s form.’ ‘All, everything, everybody, oneness’--these are all expressions of separation only. All these perceptions must be merged into the non-discriminating concept in the mind. That is real meditation! Your focused mind should attain a balanced state of unity of Meditator, process or effort of meditation and Object of meditation. When you say, ‘I am meditating on God’, there are three separate entities of differentiation--God, I and Dhyana. The right way of Dhyana consists of unification of the three qualities and the three forms of time associated with the body and mind. As long as these triple aspects linger differently in the mind, you will not achieve success in Dhyana. This mergence is the main aspect in Dhyana. This kind of mergence is possible only by means of Devotion (intense faith and perseverance). Therefore, devotion is the most important aspect in Dhyana.

Strong Sense of Service Removes Ego

Egoistic desire is a great hindrance on the path of devotion. Ego has to be destroyed for the sake of real happiness. Upon the demolition of ego, a sacred sense of service (Seva) emanates. When a person is engrossed in selfless service, the giver-taker difference is erased, giving way to real happiness. Therefore, it is very important that an aspirant should eliminate the selfish feeling ‘I, I.’ When will we achieve it? Here is a small example. When you decide upon a journey, you will make necessary preparations. When you intend to go to a cinema, you have to carry some money with you. Before going for a walk, you will put on shoes as a protection for the feet. When you embark on a long journey to a place like Bangalore or Madras, you will fill your trunk with clothes and fill your purse with a good amount of money. In this manner, you get prepared in accordance with the type of journey. But what kind of preparation are you making for your last journey? No one is striving to prepare themselves for this inevitable last journey. Like that of other journeys, the final journey of life needs intense preparation. Acquiring God’s grace is the most important preparation in this regard. God’s grace is the essence of our good deeds. This is what people call ‘Punya (acquired merits)’, ‘fortune’ or Prapti (eligibility or worthiness).’

Fortune, worthiness, and sacredness are all obtained by means of our deeds only. Without practicing, mere wishing cannot yield results. You may have a good field and good quality of seeds with you. But when water and fertilizer are not provided, a good crop is not feasible. The field and the seed will need proper nourishment. The life principle is like the seed, and the Divine principle is like the field. When you sow the seed of the life principle, and cultivate it along with the water of practice, the seed will grow into a mighty and healthy tree. This type of tree will be able to yield the fruit known as Liberation (Moksha). This fruit consists of happiness and lasting peace or Prasanthi as juice. Therefore, those who aspire to peace and happiness should strive to foster this kind of good and healthy tree. But when you concentrate on the fruit and neglect the tree, you will not achieve success. The name of this tree is Faith in God. When this tree of Faith flourishes well, you will enjoy its fruits called happiness and comforts in this life and beyond. The Vedas, Itihasas, Puranas, and other scriptures are like the branches of this tree of Faith. In the absence of faith, any amount of studies on the Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita, etc., cannot bring enlightenment.

Name is More Powerful Than the Possessor of the Name

Just as our lecturer from Amalapuram said just now, during meditation, while uttering the Name (Nama), the possessor of the name (Nami/Form) has to be picturized in the mind. Name and Form always go together.

“Will the darkness get vanished from earth by merely hearing about a lamp’s presence?
Will the hunger subside upon hearing about a sumptuous meal?
Will the dire poverty get vanquished by merely hearing about riches?
Will the mighty diseases be conquered by merely hearing about medicines?
By merely reading various texts, will the thickness of ignorance vanish?
All the extensive studies will have zero value, sans practice!!”

Education which is not put into practice does not yield us results. Man should first understand that this body is a valuable gift from God, and must strive to know the Divine intention behind this gift of life. Only then man becomes eligible to possess the precious diamond known as spirituality (Adhyatmika). It is said, ‘Any accomplishment on earth is possible only through intense efforts.’ This is what Vemana Yogi exhorted in simple words. Sustained practice (Sadhana) is needed for any kind of achievement. In the spiritual pursuit, constant recitation of Name (Namasmarana) is the most important kind of Sadhana! Many great Rishis and scholars have confirmed that Name has greater potential than the possessor of the name. This is the essence of spirituality.

Rama-namam Is Greater Than Rama

One day Rama was ensconced on His throne in the presence of great people, and Rishis like Vashishta, Vishwamitra, and others. Great saint Narada entered the court. As soon as he entered the hall, Narada ran towards sage Vashishta, and said loudly, ‘Swami! Please teach me about the efficacy of constant recitation of the Name of the Lord, and about the possessor of the name. Which of the two is greater? Please resolve my lingering doubt!’ Someone rose from the seat and proclaimed Name as greater among the two. Another person, for the sake of argument, said that the Form of God is greater than the Name. In this manner many members of the assembly expressed their opinions on the subject. To negate is a natural trait of common folks.

Hanuman felt uneasy over these arguments, and so he approached Narada and told him that he would let Narada alone know the right answer as He was hesitating to tell it in the large assembly. In the meantime, an idea struck Narada and spoke to Hanuman in his ears. Many members of the assembly thought Hanuman was explaining something to Narada, whereas actually it was Narada who spoke to Hanuman. He said, “Hanuman! I know you see Rama in everyone. So I suggest you go to everyone of the great Rishis present here, and prostrate to them as a gesture of welcome. But remember that Vishwamitra is only a Rajarshi. He is not a Brahmarshi, and so do not prostrate to him. As you know, a Rajarshi’s rank is lower than that of Brahmarshi. Your sacred heart will get corrupted if you prostrate to Vishwamitra.” Hanuman followed Narada’s suggestion implicitly. He went and prostrated to all those highly revered Maharshis, and ignored Vishwamitra in the process. Vishwamitra did not take it seriously, thinking that Hanuman might have forgotten about him. Will Narada keep quiet? To stoke up a fire some extra fuel has to be added. Narada did the same thing. Carrying his Veena with him, Narada went to Vishwamitra and said, ‘Swami! I don’t know whether you noticed. I feel that Hanuman had displayed his monkey mind against you. Even while showing respect to others, Hanuman had ignored a great person like you, in the assembly.’

Narada’s instigation had instantly pricked Vishwamitra’s ego. He rushed to Rama in great fury and said, ‘You should punish Your servant Hanuman because he insulted me in front of everybody, and right in front of You.’ Rama then replied: “Oh Great Maharshi! I shall obey your command. Please tell me what punishment he deserves. I will act as per your wish.” Vishwamitra said categorically, “He deserves nothing short of the death penalty, for this kind of travesty.” Everyone knew what a hard-hearted Rishi Vishwamitra was. No one can forget the troubles he inflicted upon truth-abiding Harishchandra in the past. Rama replied, “Oh the great one! I shall obey your command”, and He declared in the assembly that Hanuman would receive his death punishment the following morning. In fact, Rama knew very well about the drama being played by Narada.

Hanuman was not at all perturbed by Rama’s declaration. Narada continued with his machinations. He went to Hanuman and said, “I know how to save you from this calamity. I will give you a sacred Mantra. Tomorrow, early in the morning, go to the river Sarayu, take a bath and then start chanting the Mantra, ‘Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram.’ The next morning, Hanuman did exactly what Narada wanted him to do. Hanuman totally forgot his own body while chanting Rama’s Name. Just as He proclaimed, Rama took His great bow at the very dawn of the next day, and proceeded to punish Hanuman. All the people of Ayodhya were immersed in great sorrow about these happenings and about Hanuman’s fate.

The people of Ayodhya ran to the Sarayu in droves, with great anxiety, thinking, ‘Rama is coming to kill His own dearest devotee Hanuman, who has totally dedicated his life to Him. What is going to happen!.’ Rama’s arrows flew towards Hanuman emitting fire but it cooled as soon as it reached Hanuman and fell at His feet. After a long futile pursuit, Rama became tired and decided to hand over the job to Laxmana. Just then, Narada intervened. Narada is such a person whom you cannot get rid of even with a bribe of a thousand rupees, after having him bite you with a payment of one paisa. It was Narada who started this drama, and it was he who was preventing Rama now! He told Rama, “Rama! You will not succeed in punishing Hanuman, because Your name is more potent than Your physical Form. Using your physical body You were able to kill the wicked Ravana, and You could conquer the city of Lanka. Whereas your name is enabling all people to cross over the sea of mundane life. Your Name is helping to destroy notorious terrorists, who are worse than Ravana. Your Name is brightening all homes, like a bright torch; and is serving like a mighty boat for all to cross the sea of Samsara.’

Real Meditation (Dhyana) Involves Unification of Form and Name

It is not enough if you close your eyes and keep reciting, ‘Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram.’ A tape recorder or a gramophone can also recite like this. While meditating, you should install Rama in your heart, uniting His Form with His Name. Only then Rama’s effulgence will enlighten your body and the spirit, and the darkness of ignorance will get destroyed. Just as positive and negative wires are joined to obtain light, the Form and Name, when joined together, will dispel the darkness of ignorance. When someone asks, “Why are you born,” pat comes the reply, ‘to die.’ But you should be able to say that birth is meant to make man birthless. Death is given to man to make him deathless! You should strive to reach this kind of level. You say you are eating food to satiate hunger. This is not a proper expression. You must say that you are eating so as to redeem yourself from the need to eat. You need to take medicine so as to get rid of medicines in life. In the same manner, people are doing Karmas (willful actions) in order to get rid of Karma (rigmarole of efforts and fruits of actions) in the future. Actions can be performed only through a body. It means that there is no question of Karma in the absence of a body. People are constantly resorting to reckless sins because they are unaware of the unavoidable death. They consider death as a distant phenomenon while engaging themselves in all sorts of unworthy actions.

Forget the Help You Rendered to Others, and Harm Incurred from Others

I said about this many times earlier. There are two things you must keep with you always, You should forget about the harm rendered to you by anybody, and must forget the help you extended to anyone. As long as these two aspects linger in your mind, you will remain in an agitated condition. Lingering thoughts about inflictions you suffered will make you vengeful, leading to further suffering. Thoughts of the help you rendered to others will make you expect help from them in return. Therefore I state that both these aspects must be abandoned forthwith. You should strive to forget the mundane world, and engage yourself in thoughts of the Ultimate Reality (Brahman) at all times. Strive to forget the trials and tribulations of life, and always be mindful of death.

One day a Maharshi came to a house, and was duly honoured. While leaving, the Rishi told the householder to be cautious in the coming five days. The householder was very much worried and asked the Rishi to explain in detail. The Rishi said, “God bestowed me with extra sensory perception, with which I had perceived that you are going to die in exactly five days from now. That is why I am cautioning you to be extremely careful during these five days. You better discharge all your important tasks before you meet your end.” Having cautioned the householder thus, the Rishi went away. The householder was immersed in great anxiety. He started brooding over impending death all the time. There was not a single moment spent without thinking about death.

Thus five days passed, whereupon the Rishi appeared again, and asked the householder as to how he was feeling then. The householder explained his plight of mind sincerely. He said that all these days he had no thoughts whatsoever, other than the impending death. The Rishi then explained, “You see, when you immersed yourself in thoughts of death, you were rid of all sinful thoughts.” When a man craves for wealth, his mind gradually drags him into various kinds of machinations. As soon as a son is born, the father starts worrying about the son’s future, such as high educational qualification, etc. The father may want his son to become a doctor; but who knows whether the son would finally become a doctor or a patient! When his plans finally turn topsy-turvy, the person gets heartbroken. Therefore it is necessary for everyone to be engaged always in ordained duties. The time that had passed will not return. No one can predict the future. Time keeps on moving. How can you believe this type of life is permanent! How can you build castles in the air over the future?

Certainly There Is No Place for Ego

I mentioned during the last Dasara festival that man prides himself upon so many things. In that state (of mind) man does not know the basic reason why he should have pride, ego, or arrogance. These days people are developing excessive ego, which requires stern warning. The sky is vast. The sun appears in it like a vermilion mark on the forehead. Earth is very small compared to the sun. The Asian continent is a small area on this earth. Bharat is much smaller compared to Asia. Ananthapur looks like a speck in the map of the world. You can imagine how small a place is Puttaparthi! You need to use a magnifying lens to see Puttaparthi in the world map. Within this small town, how big is your abode? Man is smaller than a speck compared to the vastness of the cosmos. So in what capacity does man take pride? When you say that the whole ‘world’ is present within your body, then how can you look beyond yourself for comparison? In any case, there is no reason why man should display pride and ego. This kind of ego is a mark of rusted intellect. An intelligent person keeps himself away from egoistic traits. People are blindfolding themselves with ego, whereby losing sight of Divinity present within the body. It is certainly possible to discard mental malice by means of constant company of good people (Satsang). Even a demonic mind gets converted into a pious one by the influence of good people. Therefore, even while engaged in your daily chores, aspire to mingle with good people, and be ready to do good deeds at all times. I wish that all of you will sanctify your lives in this manner.

The Purpose of Human Life is to Attain Liberation

All of you are preparing to return to your respective places at the end of these birthday celebrations at Prasanthi Nilayam. Just as Murthy told you the other day, all of you should leave your bad thoughts here, and carry with you at least one sacred idea. Traditionally, when people go to Kashi or Gaya, they are asked to part with something which is dear to them. Now-a-days people cleverly choose to stop eating a vegetable like bitter gourd. People mistake this as giving up a material object. In what way will this kind of sacrifice please God? People are not prepared to sacrifice their bad impulses, habits or qualities. When you visit a Holy place, you are expected to give up bad qualities. As it is not possible for an ordinary person to relinquish bad qualities all of a sudden, they are asked to forgo at least one bad quality. You should take a resolve to discard sinful thoughts and actions. Everything is supposed to be discarded before leaving this body-your children, mother and everybody. Who is related to whom? These relationships are not permanent. Harishchandra’s life declares the truth about relationships in man’s life:
Believing this illusive world as permanent Man develops a craze for wife and son till the end but when the body is getting burnt on the pyre Neither wife nor son will come to his rescue!!

Man deludes himself considering wife, son and others as his own, until his body lasts. This body had all along been craving with this passion. Now, when the body is burning on the pyre, no one will come to his rescue. The Almighty God is all-important to one and all. Harishchandra strongly believed in God and Truth. He stood up firmly against extreme difficulties, with his conviction. Beyond Truth, nothing else belongs to us. This is what Harishchandra believed in, and proved its power to the world. People should emulate this kind of ideals and must be prepared for any sacrifice towards an ideal. Righteousness (Dharma), wealth (Artha), desires (Kama) and Liberation (Moksha) are known as Human Traits (Purusharthas). Righteousness, wealth, and desires can be obtained by means of Prayer (Prarthana). But the real goal of human life is liberation. I teach that righteousness, wealth and desires are not the purpose of a human life. What is the reason for this? People develop good nature due to their accumulated merits over several births. Whatever they achieve in life sans culture is useless.

All Planets Will Obey When You Have God’s Grace

Our Amalapuram teacher had said just now, ‘There is no redemption for a childless person.’ After hearing this, I went inside and asked Vital Rao, “What is your opinion about this statement, as you don’t have children?” Many childless people come to Me with a grieving mind, and they pray to Me to bless them to have children. They say, “Of what use is a cow when it yields no milk. What is the use of life without children? Family without children is hell.” They plead with Me, “Swami! Bless me with a child.” Will anybody obtain liberation just by getting children? No. 

The ignorant people wail for lack of children. Had not the Kaurava king hundred children? What was the great goal he achieved finally?
Did Shuka suffer for not having children!! 

Dhrutharashtra had hundred sons. What happened to him finally? Nothing. No one was left, even to perform his last rites. That was the fate of Dhritarashtra writ by Krishna! Krishna exhorted Arjuna, “O Dhananjaya (Arjuna)! Go ahead to fight the war. Fate is unavoidable. Dharma wins finally. Selfishness gets destroyed. This is Yuga Dharma (rule of the time).” Alas! The father of hundred sons was left with none of them, even to perform his last rites! This is the proof of a person’s fruits of misdeeds (prarabdha). To have children is not important. Grace is important. When you have God’s Grace, all the planets will come under your control. Sage Shuka was never married. Where was the question of children! Did he not reach the highest abode? The saying, ‘There is no redemption for a childless person’ is applicable only in rare cases of kings and emperors, because a good ruler from a good family is important for the sake of the country. This is not necessary with regard to common man.

Righteous Living is the Essence of Life

We say, ‘this world is based on money’, (Dhanam moolam idam jagat). People quote sacred scriptures in support of this statement. It is not difficult to reason out that all fights and wars we see in the world are because of Land, righteous wife, and wealth. The earth is a conglomeration of five basic elements. When these elements are disturbed or abused, the order of the world gets maligned. At this time, God comes down to earth (known as Avatar) to destroy the wicked and demonic forces. Thus, righteousness established attains victory. That is why the Earth is called Dharani. In the Krita-yuga (aeon called Kritha), God took the forms (Avatars) of fish (Matsya), Tortoise (Kurma), Boar (Varaha), etc., and fought against demonic forces in order to prop and sustain the Earth (Dharani). During the next eon, the Treta-yuga, God descended as Lord Sri Rama. He fought against Ravana who abducted His sacred wife Sita. The notorious Ravana committed untold atrocities against sacred Rishis and gods too. Rama had vanquished Ravana along with his entire rakshasa clan. This war in Treta-yuga was fought for the sake of His righteous wife. During the next eon that was Dvapara-yuga, people waged wars for the sake of wealth or money. ‘World depends on money or wealth’ became the norm. When Pandavas pleaded for at least five villages for their sustenance, the Kauravas refused to part with even an inch of land, despite the fact that Pandavas had equal rights on the kingdom of Hastinapura. In this manner, Dvapara-yuga stood for wealth. ‘World is based on wealth’ epithet belongs to Dvapara-yuga, and not to Krita, Treta or Kali-yuga.

Real base (moolam) is Dharma for everything. The whole world is sustained by Dharma. Therefore, humanness is when people are prepared to sacrifice their lives for the sake of Dharma. You should regard this as your essential duty. In all households, children should be taught about righteous living as the essence of life. Just as this teacher said, right at the age of two, children should be taught to respect parents, elders, and guests. When groomed in this manner, children will bring good name to their own family and the in-law’s family, as also the community as a whole. When parents neglect to teach them good values properly, they will surely face formidable troubles in the future due to the bad character of their children.

Children Should Keep Their Parents Happy

Once there lived a Hindi writer named Premchand. He had a wife called Swarupini and they had two sons. These sons were studying in Allahabad. Premchand and his wife went on a pilgrimage, before which Premchand sent a letter to his sons about stating the date and time of arrival of their train at the Allahabad station, on the way of their tour. Accordingly, the two sons came to the railway station to see their parents. The younger son had touched the feet of his parents and spoke to them lovingly. Whereas the elder son started talking to the parents in a formal way of, asking questions such as, “Why the train arrived late?, when did you come?, and where are you going?”, etc. After a while, the train had left the station. The two sons took leave from the parents. Premchand’s wife noticed a distinct change in his mood, as Premchand was restless. She sought to know the reason. Premchand said, “Swarupa! The younger one prostrated to us and spoke lovingly. But the elder one’s behaviour was altogether different.” She tried to pacify him saying, “Why do you take it so seriously? He might be feeling shy to prostrate before everybody. So, let us forget it; you can write a few poems titled, “He did not Prostrate to Me” to get peace of mind. But Premchand remained perturbed, whereupon she insisted that she should know what he was actually thinking about. Then Premchand said, “See, I am not worried about his respect for me. I am worried about his attitude upon which his future depends. This type of attitude is not good for his future.” When children neglect to respect their parents, their future becomes bleak. They will not reap comforts and peace in the future. In this regard, the Bharatiya scriptures had declared that ‘Mother is God, Father is God.’ These scriptures described mother and father as two eyes for a human being. This is a very essential aspect of the Bharatiya culture. Devotion to parents is more important than devotion to God. Therefore, I bless and hope that you will all strive to make your parents happy.

Accept Both Good and Bad Happenings as God’s Gift

Just now. K.R.K. Bhatt said in his speech that all of you should take Swami’s permission before leaving Puttaparthi. In this regard, he narrated some of his experiences. Most of you might be feeling sad that Swami did not give His permission though you are aware that Swami will take care of everything. Some of you might have many works here, but your stay cannot be continued as you have exhausted all your money. Apart from this, you will also be worrying as to what will happen to your jobs. These devotees are naturally wavering whether to take Swami’s permission or not. You might be vacillating between the two. But you are aware, there is a huge crowd, because of which it is not possible for you to have a close contact with Me. Therefore I am here with granting permission to all of you to return to your respective places. There is no need for you to wait for My special Darshan. However, there are some people among you who are suffering from some ailments. During the Darshan time, these people may sit in the front row, so as to have close Darshan. I know that some devotees are pining to have a personal interview with Swami. I can understand their sacred feelings. In fact, that is My aim too. But in view of the crowds, I suggest that you should go back to your respective places, remember what you have learnt in these three days, take those exhortations as Swami’s Prasadam, and strive to put those ideals into practice. I bless you all, hoping that all of you will strive to protect these gems of ideals in your hearts.

Bhagawan Baba's Divine Discourse in the Evening on 23-11-1969