Everlasting Relationship

Bhagawan Baba gave discourses at "Sai Sruti," Kodaikanal, from 5th April to 26th April 1993, before a large audience exceeding three thousand including a considerable proportion of overseas devotees hailing from UK, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, USA, Latin America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. 

Produced below are excerpts from discourse delivered on 5-4-1993

Those who assemble here come for satsang or good company so that they can advance in the spiritual path. They should shed some undesirable habits like smoking which retard their progress in the spiritual path. The fire in the cigarette is so mild that if you pile up two or three pieces of firewood on it that fire will be put out. But, when a huge jungle-fire is raging, it can burn even green banana plants that are thrown into it. The power of the physical body is like the fire in the cigarette tip while spiritual power is like the forest fire. Once you are advanced in spirituality even the association with evil persons may not affect you. But, when you have not developed your spiritual power you should avoid bad company just as you spit out unpalatable food even at the first taste.

From Concentration To Meditation

Devotees are generally confused about meditation. Just as you can’t receive the radio programme broadcast from any station clearly unless you tune to the appropriate wavelength perfectly, even in meditation you will not get the desired communion with God until you attune yourself to the Divine perfectly. Some aspirants mistake concentration for meditation. Concentration is needed for every activity in your daily life such as reading, writing, walking, talking, eating, etc. Concentration is below the senses, contemplation is in the middle and meditation is above the senses.

Meditation, in fact, is transcending the senses and the mind. During meditation, the mind is actively thinking of several things of the past, the present and the future. The thoughts are running fast. Scarcely does anyone concentrate on the Divine even though one sits in the Padmasana (lotus pose) and closes his eyes. There is no need for sitting for meditation and wasting time in this manner. One can transform every act in daily life as worship of the Divine. Daily chores like making chappatis can be transformed into acts of worship of the Divine. Since the body is an instrument, you can make God happy through this instrument and enjoy happiness yourself in the process. In this way you practise meditation in your daily duties.

Three Phases Of Enjoying Happiness

There are three phases in the act of securing a desired object and enjoying happiness out of it. They are Priyam, Modam and Pramodam. Priyam is the desire to experience happiness from a particular object. Modam is the initial satisfaction derived from getting the desired object. Pramodam is the experience of Ananda or happiness out of the object. It is not enough if you get the object which you desired to have, but you should experience the joy of using it. For example, you like to taste a mango fruit. The first phase is to buy it, the second is to hold it in hand (possessing it) and the third phase is to eat it. It is only while eating the mango that you derive the fulfilment of your desire. It is also described in the Bhagavad Gita as Jnatum (knowing), Drashtum (seeing) and Praveshtum (experiencing).

For instance, you hear about Sai Baba and come to know that He is at Puttaparthi, situated in Andhra Pradesh in India. You make preparations to undertake the journey to the place and have His Darshan. The first phase is getting the knowledge about the place where He is and how to get there; the second phase is making the journey and coming face to face with Him (Seeing) and the third phase is Praveshtum, that is getting practical knowledge of and experiencing the Divinity. All the scriptures of different religions (the Bible, the Quoran, the Gita, etc.) explain how to reach the same goal but through different paths.

Here so many of you have assembled in one place though you are coming from different countries like UK, Italy, France, Germany, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Madras, Delhi etc. Though all of you followed different routes to come to this place, all of you have the common goal of meeting here. You should realise that there is only one God who is Omnipresent, only one language, that of the heart and only one caste, that of humanity. You are all bound by one thing and that is Love. Love is God, live in love. The relationship with God breeds love alone and nothing but love. All other relationships with your mother, father, spouse or children are temporary. So you should have confidence only in the one relationship that is everlasting and that is with God.

Excerpts from Discourse on 5-4-1993, given at Sai Sruti, Kodaikanal