Arise, Awake and Attain the Goal of Life

You cannot get good results if you perform wicked deeds. Similarly, no bad results will come to you if you perform good deeds. You cannot get mango fruits by sowing neem seeds. Similarly, if you sow a mango seed, it will not bear neem fruits.
(Telugu Poem)

Trust In God And Do Good Deeds

Students! 

Whatever seed you sow, it will grow into a sapling, become a tree, and bear fruits corresponding to the seed. This is the law of Nature and secret of creation. One may agree or disagree, but this truth will not change.

As You Sow, So Shall You Reap

Every act of man has a result. As is the action, so is the result. As is the seed, so is the sapling. When you sow a particular type of seed, you cannot get a different type of sapling. So, whatever type of action you perform, you will get similar type of results. Therefore, man should perform only good deeds so that he can reap good fruits. Today people do not perform sacred actions but they want to earn merit.

Punyasya Phalamichhanthi,
Punyam Nechhanthi Manava,
Na Papa Phalamichhanthi,
Papam Kurvanthu Yathnatha.

(People do not undertake meritorious deeds, but want to derive their fruits; they indulge in sinful activities, yet want to escape their consequences.)
(Sanskrit Shloka)

Man performs sinful deeds but does not want to reap their consequences. This is the result of the ignorance of man. This is not merely due to human tendency, but due to the impact of circumstances also. When people are unable to bear difficulties, sorrows, and troubles, they lament and complain, "Oh God! Why do You put me to such a difficult test"? But God is not responsible for your difficulties and sorrows. The happiness and sorrow that you experience is the result of your own actions; it is not given by God. God is the eternal witness. He is like a postman. Whatever envelopes, postcards, or money orders come in your name, the postman will give you the same. He is not responsible for good or bad news contained in the postcards or envelopes. It is you who have to experience happiness or sorrow on receiving happy or sad news; the postman is not concerned with it. In the same way, whatever good or bad deeds you perform, you have to experience their consequences. It is not God who gives you anything good or bad or makes you experience their results. But there is something called special grace. When you pray to God wholeheartedly with sacred feelings, He will come to your help. However, there should be some fundamental basis for God to extend His helping hand. He takes into account the good deeds performed by you in this birth or in previous births and showers His grace on you.

A few minutes ago, a 12th Class boy spoke about the devotion of Draupadi. Duryodhana put Draupadi to great suffering and tried to dishonour her in the Kaurava court. Draupadi prayed to Krishna and called out to Him, "Oh Keshava! Madhava! Deva! Madhusudana! Narayana! Come to my rescue"! Keshava means the one who has dark and curly hair and who is the embodiment of Brahma, Vishnu, Maheswara. Krishna heard her prayer and thought for a while on what basis He could extend help to her. He viewed the past life of Draupadi and looked at the meritorious deeds performed by her, on the basis of which He could help her. Then a small but significant incident came into His view.

It was the day of Sankranti. Sathyabhama, Rukmini, Jambavathi, Draupadi, and many Gopikas were having a blissful time in the divine company of Krishna. All of them were chewing sugarcane on this auspicious day. While peeling a sugarcane, there was a cut on the finger of Krishna and blood started oozing out of it. In fact, Krishna intentionally did this in order to test all of them. God likes to test His devotees and loves the taste of His tests. He showers His special grace on those who pass these tests. Even for admission in the 1st Standard in a primary school, a small child is subjected to a test. This test is meant to decide whether he is suitable for admission or not. God does not test His devotees out of dislike or hatred or for the sake of fun. He gives them tests out of His immense love, compassion, and kindness in order to bestow His grace on them. Sathyabhama, Rukmini, Jambavathi, and Draupadi saw blood oozing out of Krishna’s finger. They could see this as they were all very near Krishna. The servants could not see as they were not so near.

Sathyabhama immediately called a maidservant, asked her to go inside and get a piece of cloth to tie around Krishna’s finger, while Rukmini herself ran inside to get a piece of cloth. But Draupadi at once tore the loose end of her sari and tied it around Krishna’s finger. When Sathyabhama and Rukmini saw this, they looked at each other to admire the devotion of Draupadi. They felt mortified and thought to themselves, "We don’t have the love, devotion, and discretion that Draupadi has. We are only attached to Krishna’s physical form but do not really understand His requirements". When Draupadi prayed to Krishna for help, He remembered this incident and decided that the time had come to reward her for the act of sacrifice she performed on that day.

God Incarnates To Redeem Entire Mankind

In this physical world, if you want to have something, you have to give something else in return. When you want to buy a handkerchief, you go to a shop, give the shopkeeper ten rupees or so and he gives you the handkerchief. You must offer something to God also to earn His grace. Even for your little offering, God will give you bountiful reward. Kuchela offered a fistful of beaten rice to Krishna, and He gave him enormous wealth in return. Sathyabhama tried her best to weigh Krishna in gold, but she could not do so. An offering of a Tulasi leaf with devotion by Rukmini could outweigh Krishna. Before putting the Tulasi leaf in the balance, she prayed thus:

One may offer You a leaf or a flower or a fruit or even water,
But, if it is true that You offer Yourself to one with devotion,
Oh Krishna! May You be weighed by this Tulasi leaf!
(Telugu Poem)

What does the leaf signify? This physical body with three attributes of Satwa, Rajas, and Tamas (serenity, passion, and sloth) is the leaf. What does the flower convey? It is the pure heart full of fragrance. Similarly, the fruit means the mind. The fruit of mind is full of sweet juice, but the mind does not know its taste, just as a tree does not know the taste of its fruit and a creeper cannot taste the nectar of its flowers. In the same way, a worldly man cannot know the taste of the essence contained in sacred texts. An offering of a mere Tulasi leaf with devotion and without any expectation by Rukmini was enough to earn the grace of the Lord of the universe. In the same way, Draupadi made a sacrifice for Krishna without any expectation. When she had to face a great ordeal in the Kaurava court, she closed her eyes and prayed only to Krishna, "Keshava! Madhava! Deva! Madhusudana! Save me". Though her mighty husbands were very much present there, they could not ward off the situation. She prayed, "Oh Krishna! There is no other refuge for me than You". Krishna remembered how she tore her sari to put a bandage on His wounded finger. In return for this small piece of cloth, Krishna gave her an unending length of sari to protect her honor.

Hence, if you make a small offering to God, you will become deserving to receive His bountiful grace.

As per the divine law, nobody can escape the consequences of his actions. As are your actions, so will be the result. It is only God’s grace that can save you from the consequences of your actions.

Oh man, is it possible to escape the consequences of actions?
You may study the scriptures and worship your family deities,
You may go to a forest and perform intense penance,
But it is impossible to escape the consequences of your actions.
You will get only as much water as your vessel can hold,
No matter whether you dip it in a small lake or in a mighty ocean.
(Telugu Poem)

The grace of God you earn depends on the vessel of your heart. You can make the vessel bigger by the special grace of God. You can achieve nothing without God’s grace.

One may have physical prowess and the power of intelligence,
But one will come to grief if one lacks divine grace,
Karna was a great warrior but what was his fate?
Never forget this truth.
(Telugu Poem)

God showers His grace on all. It is like rainfall. Does it rain for the sake of a particular individual? No. It rains for all human beings; it gives coolness to all and quenches their thirst. Similarly, air flows for all, not for a particular individual. In fact, all elements are meant for the sustenance of all beings. In the same way, God does not incarnate for the sake of a particular individual, race, or country. He incarnates to redeem entire mankind.

Avoid Bad Company

Karna was endowed with the power of intelligence, power of all types of weapons, and physical power. But he lacked divine power. What was the reason? Evil tendencies took root in him because he associated himself with bad company and became one of the wicked foursome. As he joined the company of three wicked persons, namely, Duryodhana, Dussasana, and Sakuni, he became the fourth wicked person. Therefore, you should never join bad company. Wicked company gives rise to wicked tendencies. Wicked tendencies lead to wicked actions. Therefore, the company you associate with has a great influence on your life. Tell me your company, I shall tell you what you are. I can tell you what type of person you are when you tell Me what type of company you associate with. Karna by nature was noble and virtuous. You should try to know the nobility of Karna.

During the Mahabharata war, Krishna decided to make Arjuna realise the greatness of Karna. What was the reason? Arjuna was full of ego, thinking that he was the greatest archer and there was none equal to him. Moreover, Krishna was his close friend and brother-in-law who could grant him any wish. Krishna wanted to subdue his ego in a discreet manner. Therefore, He took him to Karna who was lying wounded in the battlefield. They approached Karna in the guise of Brahmins. Karna was severely wounded and was in a critical condition. Krishna approached him and said, “Karna! You are known as a man of great charity. As I have to perform a sacred ceremony in my house, I have come to you to ask for your charity though it is not proper on my part to ask you for help in this situation”. Karna, even when he was lying on the ground asked, "What do you want"? Krishna said, “I want a little gold”. Then Karna told him, “Oh Brahmin! Go to my house and tell my wife that I have sent you to her. She will give you as much gold as you want”. Krishna said, “I have not come here to get involved in this type of business transaction. Don’t tell me to go to your wife or mother-in-law or father-in-law. I have come to ask you directly. Give me if you can or else I will go my way”. Karna closed his eyes and thought for a while how he could procure gold in the battlefield. He remembered, he had two teeth covered by a sheet of gold. It was quite common in those days to cover the teeth with gold sheet in spite of the fact that there were no dental surgeons.

Then Karna told Krishna, “Pluck my two teeth which are covered with gold”. Krishna said, “What is this? Is it possible for me to pluck out your teeth? Do I have to commit violence on you to take this small quantity of gold from you? How can you call this charity? It is not charity at all. I will not even touch your teeth”. Then Karna took a small stone, broke his teeth and offered these to Krishna. But Krishna wanted to test him further. He said, “I am a Brahmin. How can I touch gold soaked in blood? This is against my practice”. Immediately, Karna took a bow and shot an arrow into the earth. A fountain of water gushed forth from the earth. He washed those teeth in water and offered them to Krishna with his right hand. At this moment, Krishna gave a meaningful look to Arjuna who was standing with his head bent in reverence to the greatness of Karna. Arjuna said to Krishna, "I have never seen such spirit of sacrifice, nobility, and devotion in anyone. Even I cannot match the greatness of Karna. I apologise to You for my impudence". People of those days considered it as their foremost Dharma to offer anything and everything to God.

Every action has some result or the other. It is like a seed. There is a tree in every seed and there are fruits in every tree. The tree will bear the same type of fruits as is the seed. Therefore, you should resolve to undertake sacred actions. You feel happy when you perform a wicked deed, but shed tears when you have to bear its consequences. Therefore, before performing any action, you should determine whether the action you are performing is good or bad. Perform only good actions. But you speak and act without thinking. As a result, you suffer.

Body Attachment Is The Cause Of Man’s Sorrow

Before undertaking any task, take time to enquire whether it is good or bad. Perform only good deeds. See to it that the actions you perform do not harm or hurt anyone in any manner. But this seems to be impossible because of your body attachment. Only those who have given up body attachment can perform such actions. In fact, your worldliness is the cause of all your sorrows. So long as you have body attachment, you have a worldly outlook. As long as you have worldly feelings, you are subjected to sorrow and grief. As soon as you give up body attachment, your worldliness disappears. When there is no worldliness, there is no sorrow.

How does it happen? During the waking state, you have body attachment and also worldly feelings. As a result, you experience pleasure and pain. In the deep sleep state, you forget your body and also the world. When there is no world, there is no sorrow. In fact, in this state, there is neither sorrow nor happiness. As you develop more and more attachment to God, your body attachment will go on diminishing more and more. Gradually, your worldly feelings will also reduce. You can get rid of your sorrow only when you are able to reduce your worldly feelings. Does the forest fire burn only the neem (margosa) trees and leave the mango trees? No. It burns everything. Likewise, when you give up body attachment, you will transcend both happiness and sorrow. The mansions and buildings that you see in a dream will cease to exist once you open your eyes. That is why the Upanishads exhort man, Uttishtha, Jagratha, Prapya Varannibodhata (arise, awake, go to the noble men and learn from them the secret of attaining divinity). Wake up from the sleep of ignorance. See your reality in the light of wisdom. Unable to realise that you yourself are the embodiment of truth, you are going in search of truth elsewhere. Truth is not anywhere outside. You yourself are Sachchidananda (existence, knowledge, bliss). Suppose there is a prime minister or a president or a king. But he will not have the feeling that he is the prime minister or the president or the king in his sleep. Only when he wakes up from his sleep will he be able to realise, “I am the prime minister”, “I am the king”, or “I am the president”. Likewise, one who is lost in the sleep of ignorance of worldly feelings will not realise the truth, “I am the embodiment of Sachchidananda”. Therefore, wake up from the sleep of ignorance. Open your eyes and see the path of wisdom. Then only will you be able to recognise your reality.

You do not know who you are in your sleep. It is only when you are awake, you will know your name, form, and position. What is your present situation? You are lost in the sleep of worldliness and ignorance. That is why you are unable to know that you are the embodiment of Sachchidananda. Arise, awake and attain the goal of your life. Suppose, you are bitten by a snake in your dream and you start crying. Can your pain in the dream subside when a medicine is applied on your body directly? No. When someone wakes you up from your sleep, the pain of the snake bite in the dream will disappear at once. You have the fear of the snake and the pain of its bite so long as you are asleep. When someone wakes you up, there will neither be snake nor its fear nor the wound of its bite. How is your life today? Man is lost in the sleep of ignorance and body attachment. That is why Krishna says: Anityam Asukham Lokam Imam Prapya Bhajasva Maam (as the world is temporary and full of misery, contemplate on Me constantly). This world is like a dream. You are undergoing many types of sufferings in this dream. What is the remedy and cure for this? The only remedy is to wake up from this sleep of ignorance.

Body attachment is the cause of all the sufferings of man. Therefore, man should gradually reduce body attachment. Only then can he experience happiness. He can experience as much happiness as he reduces his body attachment. Therefore, everyone who wants to experience happiness must reduce his body attachment. One who has body attachment will also develop ego, either due to his wealth or physical prowess or position of authority or the support of people. When the clouds are full of water, they become heavy and come down. When a tree is full of fruits, all its branches bend down. Similarly, when you grow and make progress, your ego and body attachment should become less and less.

Develop The Power Of The Self

What is it that man today considers as his support? Here is a small example. A little bird is perched at the edge of a tender branch of a tree. It is not afraid even when the branch moves to and fro with the blowing of the wind. What is the reason? The reason is that the bird relies more on its wings than the branch on which it perches. Therefore, the branch may move, shake, or break, the bird is not afraid. It is confident of the support of its wings. But man today does not have even that much self-confidence as a bird has. Sitting on the tree of the world, he is afraid of even small dangers. What is the reason? The reason is that he lacks self-confidence. He has no faith in himself. Even a bird is fearless because it has faith in its wings. But man has no faith in himself. That is why he is perturbed even by a small problem. He is not able to bear or withstand even a small difficulty. On the other hand, birds and animals are able to lead their life without any fear as they lead a very natural life. Man today depends only on his physical strength, wealth, and power of intelligence. He does not take refuge in the power of the Self. Anything can be achieved with self-confidence. How long will the power of wealth last? Wealth comes and goes like passing clouds. Similarly, how long can you depend on people’s support? So long as you are in power and rolling in wealth, all your friends and relatives will surround you. Later, who will respect you? You will have all types of powers when you develop the power of the Self. Therefore, resolve to lead your life relying on the power of Atma and God.

Trust in God and do good deeds. As are your actions, so will be the result. As is the food, so is the belch. As is the flour, so is the bread. Therefore, engage yourself in sacred actions and experience eternal and heavenly bliss. This is the primary goal of man and his prime objective. It is not possible to get good results when you perform wicked deeds. Therefore, do good. Make efforts to attain divine proximity. Your every step should take you near God and make you dear to Him. Only then can you be victorious in life.

(Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajans, “Rama Jayam Raghu Rama Jayam…” and “Hari Bhajan Bina Sukha Shanti Nahin…”)

– From Bhagawan’s Discourse in Sai Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi Nilayam on 30th June 1996.