Man Should Strive Hard Not To Be Born Again

Love Makes The Heart Pure

Neither by penance nor by pilgrimage nor by study of scriptures nor by Japa can one cross the ocean of life. One can achieve it only by serving the pious.

(Sanskrit Verse)

Satsang is much more beneficial than doing penance, going on pilgrimages or doing meditation. What is the real meaning of Satsang? People think that Satsang denotes the company of good people and listening to their teachings. But this is not the true meaning of Satsang. Sat means Truth that has no change in past, present or future. Trikalabadhyam Satyam (Truth remains unchanged in the three periods of time – past, present and future). It cannot be obliterated or hidden by history. That Truth is Divinity. Living in the awareness of Divinity is Satsang. Sat is also denoted by Tat, which connotes Divinity. So, Satsang means living in Divinity that is changeless, attributeless, formless, immortal, infinite, ever united, and unique as one only. To live always in divine consciousness is the real purport of Satsang.

Experiencing Immanent Divinity Is True Knowledge

The Vedic philosophy enjoins three qualities for the fulfillment of a man’s life. The first one is Dama or sense control, the second is Dana or charity, and the third is Daya or compassion. Human life is a combination of divinity, humanness, and demonishness. The noble quality of compassion transforms demonishness into humanness. Similarly, charity leads to divinity. Divinity is present everywhere in all its effulgence. Divinity is described by the Vedas as Anoraneeyan Mahato Maheeyan (Brahman is subtler than the subtlest and vaster than the vastest). Science also confirms the fact that what is present in the macrocosm is also present in the microcosm. In an atom, we have neutrons, protons, and electrons. Divinity that is present in the atom pervades the biggest planet as well. Just as planets revolve around the sun, electrons revolve around the nucleus of the atom. In the language of Vedanta, the atom is called Anu, which is divinity in micro form. Divinity that is present in the microcosm is also present in the macrocosm. Antarbahiścha Tatsarvam Vyapya Narayana Sthitah (That all-pervasive God is present within and without). To experience this divinity that is within you is true knowledge.

Burn Your Desires In The Fire Of Jnana

You must understand the value of charity and sacrifice. You cannot retain the breath within you for long without exhaling it. You cannot retain all that you eat without excreting. If you try to retain everything, it will lead to sickness. The newspaper you read today must be discarded tomorrow. Do you relish reading the same news over and over? It should be the case with life, too. You have been taking births again and again. Having taken this birth, you should strive hard not to be born again. A rebirth is caused due to the effect of Sankalpas or remnant desires. They are like seeds for the next birth. So, a man of wisdom must strive hard to scorch all seeds of desires in the fire of Jnana. Desires are seeds because of which you are reborn. So, control your desires and senses by diverting them towards God.

Pashyannapicha Na Pashyati Mudho (he is a fool who sees, yet does not recognize the reality). We should see not the Jagat (world) but Jagadishvara (the Lord of the universe). We should hear not worldly sounds but the sound of Nada Brahman (primordial sound). We should taste nothing worldly but divine love. In this way, we should transform everything into divine. Then only can sense control be achieved. Everyone who is hungry should partake in food to satiate his hunger. A poor man may eat cheap food and a rich man may have costly food. The varieties of food may be different, but the hunger is the same for all. By merely repeating the name of food, can hunger be satisfied? One must make an effort to eat food that is available. Similarly, you have to develop intense love for God if you want liberation. That is true Sadhana. That is true devotion.

Meditation On God Is True Meditation

There are nine paths of devotion: Shravanam (listening), Kirtanam (singing), Vishnusmaranam (contemplating on Vishnu), Padasevanam (serving His Lotus Feet), Vandanam (salutation), Archanam (worship), Dasyam (servitude), Sneham (friendship), Atmanivedanam (self-surrender). But it is enough if you follow any one of these paths earnestly. Whatever path one may choose, God is one only. We see many people talking about meditation. What is really meant by meditation? In fact, anything you do from dawn to dusk is a process of meditation. To read a book, you need concentration, concentration is needed to eat food, and you need to apply concentration while driving a vehicle. Meditation is very similar to this analogy. So, walking, talking, eating, reading, writing, driving – everything is a sort of meditation. But when you meditate on God, that is Divine meditation. However, if you allow your thoughts to go towards worldly matters while meditating on God, it amounts to mixed meditation. This must be curbed consciously.

Experience The Presence Of God In All Beings

There are four types of aspirants in the world – Yastika, Astika, Nastika, and Astika-Nastika. Yastikas are those who have love for God in their hearts right from the time of birth. Vidura, Prahlada, Dhruva, and Bhishma are of this type. The second are those who develop divine feelings through good company, by listening to the teachings of saints, and by reading scriptures. The third type are Nastikas who think that they have nothing to do with God. They deny the existence of God. Some of them even declare themselves as God, unwittingly stating the truth though. Suppose a beggar comes, stands in front of your door, and pleads, “I am Anatha, there is no one to look after me. Please give me alms”! In fact, God is Anatha (having no master over Him). In a way, the beggar states that he is divine. Also, God is Anadi, He who has no beginning.

Sant Kabir belonged to a weaver’s family. He used to feed all those who came to his house. The king of the land came to know of Kabir’s great devotion and charitable nature. Considering Kabir as a poor man engaged in noble work, the king, one day sent many items of food, clothes, as also a palanquin, requesting him to visit him. Kabir politely refused to accept them. He said that he was not an Anatha (destitute) as the king thought. He said, Lord Rama was always with him; and Rama, being the Supreme Lord of the world, alone deserved to be called Anatha who has no master over Him. “I have Rama as my Natha (Master). My heart is brimming with the sacred name of Rama. As Rama is the only Anatha, you better offer all these things to Him,” he said. We keep saying that God is present in all beings. A true devotee should experience this reality every moment of his life. For this, vision has to be diverted inwards. When you are able to achieve this, the mundane problems and worries will not disturb your state of peace and tranquility at any time.

Cravings Of Man Cause His Suffering

Ask anyone how he is leading his life. One may say that he is sustaining on his property. Some other may say, he relies on his pension or on the interest accruing from his bank deposit, and so on. No one gives the true answer that he is surviving because of God’s grace. Wealth and property are not permanent. They are temporary like passing clouds. King Dhritarashtra had plenty of wealth. He had 100 sons as also a vast kingdom. Did the comforts of the palace make him happy? No. He had no peace of mind. Why? Because his mind was focused on the world.

Man’s suffering is caused by three types of cravings. These are: Dhaneshana, Dareshana, and Putreshana (desire for money, wife, and progeny). Of course, you have to take care of your family. Do your duty. Take this as a command of God. But always think, I am a guardian to look after my family. In reality, no one is the son, no one is the mother or father. This is what Sage Suka said. When Suka renounced the world and left his home, his father Sage Vyasa ran after him shouting, “Suka, my son! Do not go away, do not leave me”. Suka laughed and said, “You cannot call yourself father and I cannot call myself your son. You are the embodiment of Brahman and so am I. So, Brahman and Brahman cannot be father and son. It is your body attachment which makes you worry”. Brahmavid Brahmaiva Bhavati (the knower of Brahman becomes verily Brahman). Vibration of Divinity is what the entire cosmos is made of. Divinity is like the heat of fire, and its vibration is not confined to a particular place. When man obeys God’s command implicitly, all his burdens are taken care of. The aspirant should surrender himself to God, reposing full faith in Him.

Peace and Happiness Lie in Renunciation

Once a villager boarded a train with a heavy bundle on his head. He did not take the bundle off his head even while sitting in the train. Looking at this, a fellow passenger laughed and said to him, “My dear fellow! Keep the bundle aside and relax; the train will take care of it”. Leave all burdens and worries to God and remain peaceful. For this, there is another example. A person was going to a nearby village and was carrying a bundle of food on his shoulder. After walking some distance, he felt tired and hungry. As it was time for lunch, he removed the bundle from his shoulder and ate the food. As he consumed the food, he was relieved of the burden on his shoulder and had a comfortable journey to his destination. So long as the food packet was on his shoulder, he was feeling weak. When he unpacked the bundle and ate the food, he regained strength; his weakness was gone. Now the food packet did not cause any burden on him. Similarly, if man develops inner vision, he will gain strength. External vision is burdensome, and inner vision provides peace and comfort. A cart runs well when the horse draws it from the front. But if you put the horse behind the cart, will the cart move at all? While sitting on a boulder, can you attempt to move it aside without falling? Similarly, you should get off from the boulder of worldliness, so as to enjoy peace in life. This is the principle of Vairagya (renunciation).

Great importance is attached to Vairagya in the Vedic philosophy. Vairagya does not mean that one should run away from home, leaving wife and children. Leaving bad thoughts is real Vairagya. This is true Yoga. Even while engaged in daily chores, one should fill the heart with divine feelings at all times. Do not give any scope to Ahamkara (ego) and Mamakara (attachment). Two things are responsible for all difficulties of man: ‘I’ and ‘mine’. The path of knowledge involves the elimination of the feeling of ‘I’ and ‘mine’. To hold something in hand is difficult, and to drop it is easy. The Vedanta says, Tyagenaike Amritattva Manashuh (Immortality is attained only by sacrifice). In olden days, the forest tribal’s had an easy method of catching monkeys. They deployed a pot having a narrow neck. The monkey gets attracted to the nuts placed in the pot. As the monkey puts in its hand and catches the nuts, the fist is stuck up in the pot, and the monkey is caught easily. Similarly, man is inviting troubles with his monkey mind. Worldly pleasures are like the food in the pot of the world. You stretch your hand to catch the food. The monkey mind of man, not mankind, holds that food. So, you are caught and bound. If you open your fist and leave the food, you become free. This is true renunciation.

Develop love for God. Chant the Name of God constantly. Do everything as God’s work and lead your life in peace and bliss. Whatever you do, do it with love. There is nothing greater than love in this world. Love is as near or distant from you as you think it to be. Love makes your heart pure, and that is the supreme state. Youth today are not recognizing this truth. Everyone should develop love.

– Bhagawan’s Discourse in Sai Shruthi, at Kodaikanal on 17th April 1993.