Be Grateful to God for All His Bounty

Students today acquire various types of education. Along with their education, their desires are also on the rise. They have become heroes in speech but zeros in action. What is the use of all their intelligence unless they practice at least a fraction of what they study?
(Telugu Poem)

Man Should Lead a Life of Contentment

Students! 

Modern education aims at providing only worldly comforts and conveniences; it does not aim at promoting social welfare, establishing righteousness, and advancing world peace.

Utilise Your Education for the Welfare of Society

The educated people today strive hard to secure jobs with high salaries. Considering securing jobs as the very aim of their life, they use their education for personal benefits and not for the progress and welfare of the country. They go to their offices or colleges in the morning and return in the evening. Soon after their return from office or college, they change their dress, go to clubs, and spend their evening in recreation in the hope of deriving peace and happiness there. Can peace be found in a club? Can a club provide rest and relaxation? No, not at all. A club is, in fact, the weakness of the so-called educated people. They are deluded to think that they can find peace and relaxation in a club. Even lying down on a bed in their home after the day’s hard work can give them more rest and relaxation than what they find in a club. What do they do in a club for peace and relaxation? They indulge in drinking and playing cards. When they lose their senses by consuming intoxicating drinks, they are deluded to think that they have attained peace and relaxation. Is this a noble or ignoble path? Is it a path fit for educated persons? Those who follow it show, in fact, a total lack of education. This habit of drinking is not only harmful to the individual who indulges in it, but it ruins his family and is dangerous to society at large. Instead of falling prey to such evil practices, one should utilise one’s education for the benefit of family and society. Where does drinking lead to? First, man drinks the wine; next, the wine drinks the wine and ultimately, the wine drinks the man. Unable to understand this truth, the so-called educated people take to such evil ways and are deluded to think they are great intellectuals. They think that they are doing their friends a favour by giving them company in drinking and playing cards. They even thank those who join them in their game of cards. Before drinking, they touch each others’ glasses and say, “cheers”. What is this dirty habit! This only shows their lack of education. This is not the sign of an educated person.

Pay Tax to God

When you receive help from someone or when someone enquires about your well-being by asking, “hello, how are you"? you offer your thanks to him. Even when somebody picks up your handkerchief from the ground, you say thanks to him. You pay water tax to the municipality which supplies water to your house. You pay the electricity charge to the department of electricity which supplies electricity. You pay house tax to the municipal corporation for their permission to build a house on a piece of land bought by you. But, do you pay any tax to God for all the bounty He has given you or at least thank Him? You pay electricity charges when you use a fan. But, what tax do you pay to God who has given air? What tax do you pay to the sun which shines resplendently and gives light to the entire world? Similarly, what tax do you pay to God who sends copious rains, filling tanks, streams, canals, and rivers on earth? Can any number of pump-sets supply the amount of water which God gives? You pay tax to the government for your ordinary needs. But everything that God has given is free. Air is free, water is free, and light is free. He provides everything free. The entire earth is the gift of God. Even for a small piece of land measuring 30x40 sq. m., you have to pay a certain amount of property tax.

You enjoy all the gifts of God but, what tax do you pay Him? Is there anyone, even a highly educated person, who ever thinks about it? For trivial, transient and mundane things, you pay a number of taxes and offer your gratitude. But, do you offer your gratitude to God who has given the five elements which are the very form of God and are essential for life? You do not pay tax for what He has already given. On the contrary, you criticise God for not giving you this or that. Is it not sheer greed on your part to expect more from Him? Greed gives rise to many evil qualities. Greed, ego and wickedness are not the natural qualities of man. The main qualities of man are peace, forbearance, empathy and contentment. Truly speaking, man should lead a life of contentment. He should always be grateful to God. Once a devotee went to Lord Narayana and expressed gratitude to Him, “Oh Lord! You have created the Meru mountain, the mountain of gold, to enrich man. Not only this. You have created vast forests which absorb carbon dioxide and give out life-giving oxygen to man. You have created mountains which stop rain-bearing clouds and cause rainfall.”

The Lord of Kailasa has manifested his Divine form with the crescent moon adorning his head, the cool water of the Ganga flowing between the matted locks, with his radiant eye in the middle of the forehead and the purple neck gleaming like the sheen of a blackberry. He wears serpent bracelets and a snake belt, his entire body is smeared with Vibhuti, his forehead is adorned with a Kumkum dot, his ruddy lips glow with the juice of the betel, diamond-studded gold earrings dangle from his ears and his whole body glows with divine effulgence.
(Telugu Poem)

The effulgent form of the Lord imparts beauty to the entire world. Where has Lord Shiva kept the crescent moon? He has kept it on his head in such a way that it makes the entire world resplendent with its light and gives coolness to one and all. The Ganga that flows from his matted locks divides itself into many streams and brings happiness, progress and prosperity to the entire land. Ignoring such great bounty of the Lord, man craves for mundane and trivial pleasures and comforts. God has given the gift of heart to man. What type of heart? The heart given by God to man is full of love, kindness, coolness, and compassion. But man is polluting and vitiating it. It is a disgrace to humanness itself to make such a sacred heart unsacred and impure.

For bountiful gifts of God, man should pay Him some tax. The ancient Rishis called it Bali. It means offering gratitude to God. But people misinterpret its meaning and think that they have to sacrifice some animal and offer it to God. The real meaning of Bali is not killing an animal and offering it to God. Its meaning is paying tax to God for all His bounty. A word has many meanings. For example, there is the word ‘Shikhandi’. You take the meaning of ‘Shikhandi’ as the one who is neither a male nor a female. But this is not the only meaning. Shikhandi is also one of the names of Krishna and Narayana because it means the one who wears a crown with a peacock feather. Without enquiring into the inner meaning of such a sacred word, you take a wrong meaning and start believing it to be correct. Likewise, the word Bali does not connote the killing of animals. This is the tax that man has to pay to God to express his gratitude to Him. How to express your gratitude to God? It should be offered in the form of a prayer which comes from the depth of your heart, expressing your joy and gratitude. One way of paying tax to God is to speak the truth always.

Hastasya Bhushanam Danam,
Sathyam Kanthasya Bhushanam.
(Sanskrit Verse)

(Charity is the true ornament for the hand. Truth is the true necklace.)

Offer your gratitude to God by speaking truth and performing acts of charity. The same truth has been stated by Potana also in the Bhagavatam: What is the use of human birth if you do not utilise your hands for the worship of the Lord and use your throat to sing His glory full-throatedly? Whatever others may say, you should sing His glory and pray to Him, leaving your ego and pride. Even if others criticise you or make fun of you, you should not pay heed to it. There are some people who have a good voice but still, they do not sing songs in praise of God. What for is the tongue given to you? Is it merely to talk about anything and everything? It is your misfortune that you do not utilise your tongue to sing God’s glory. Your tongue is then no better than the tongue of a frog. The tongue has been gifted to you to pray to God. Therefore, sing His glory and thereby pay tax to God. Otherwise, you cannot be free from your debt to God. What is the use of your hands if they are not joined in prayer to God? You should join your ten fingers, symbolising the unity of ten senses, and offer your prayer to God. That is the tax that you have to pay to God. Without paying tax to God, you will ever remain in debt.

All Are the Embodiments of God

Do not criticise anyone. Criticising others amounts to criticising God.

You commit sin when you criticise others. You can never escape from its consequences because others are none but God Himself.
(Telugu Poem)

Man considers others as different from him. But there are no others. There is only God. All are the embodiments of God. Therefore, do not criticise or abuse anyone. You should be grateful to all because everyone helps you in some way or the other. But man resorts to all sorts of tricks and tries to escape from expressing his obligation to others. By resorting to such tricks, he destroys his humanness itself. This is the effect of modern education. He should offer his gratitude to God without resorting to such tricks. There is a story of a monkey and a crocodile, which I have told you many times, to illustrate this point.

Once there was a crocodile who lived in a lake adjoining a blackberry tree. A monkey lived on that tree. It used to eat the fruits of that tree and drop some into the lake, which the crocodile used to partake of. The monkey and the crocodile became good friends, as days passed by. One day, the crocodile invited the monkey to visit its place, saying, “My good friend! I am partaking of the fruits dropped by you daily into the lake and feel very happy. I wish to reciprocate the gesture by hosting a dinner for you at my place.” The monkey was surprised at the crocodile’s request. It wondered, “Where on earth does this crocodile have its house? Where does it live?" The monkey pondered over the matter for some time.

In fact, monkeys are very intelligent. The human race has its origin in the monkeys. Hanuman became the servant of Sri Rama and played a vital role in His Mission. Finally, the monkey agreed to participate in the dinner hosted by the crocodile. However, it asked the crocodile, “How can I come to your house? You live in water. Neither I can get into the water nor you can come out of it. How then can I visit your place of living?” The crocodile then suggested, “Oh friend! I have a large body. You sit on my back and I will carry you to my residence like a boat.” Just before they reached the other end of the lake, the crocodile revealed its real intention to the monkey, “My wife wishes to eat the heart of a monkey. I have to fulfil her wish. That is the reason why I brought you to this place.” The monkey thought for a while and replied cleverly, “Oh madcap! Why did you not tell me this before I got down from the tree? I will also be happy if your wife is satisfied. You know I always keep jumping from one branch to another on trees. Hence, it is my habit to keep my heart tagged onto a branch, lest it should fall down while jumping. Please take me back to the tree so that I can pick up my heart and come along with you.” The crocodile believed the words of the monkey. The crocodile has a lot of physical strength, but it lacks brains like the so-called educated people of present times. It, therefore, brought back the monkey to its place of residence. On reaching the bank, the monkey immediately jumped from the back of the crocodile and climbed the tree. From that vantage point, it ridiculed the crocodile, “You foolish crocodile! Don’t you know that the heart cannot be separated from the body and kept at a particular place? You are an idiot. I don’t wish to continue my friendship with you anymore. You tried to kill me in return for the hand of friendship extended by me. Is this the gratitude you should show towards me?” So saying, the monkey broke its friendship with the crocodile. A real friend is one who stands by us, both in happy times as well as in difficult times.

You should offer your heart to God. This is the tax you should pay to Him. Even your heart is not yours; it is given by God.

Oh Lord! I offer to You the heart You have given me. What else is there with me to offer at Your Lotus Feet in worship? Please accept this with my humble salutations.
(Telugu Poem)

“Oh Lord! I offer to You what You have given me. I have nothing of my own to offer You. I am nothing. You are everything.” You should offer your heart to God with such sacred feelings of total surrender. In the same way, Lakshmana offered himself in the service of Lord Rama.

I have surrendered my wealth, my family and everything to You_._ Other than You, I have no refuge. Please come to my rescue.
(Sanskrit Shloka)

He said to Rama, “I take refuge at Your Lotus Feet. There is nothing that is mine. Everything is Yours.” This is how you should pay tax to God. Unless you pay this tax, you will remain caught in the endless cycle of birth and death. Everyone has to pay this tax, whether one is a theist, an atheist or a theist-atheist. Man calls himself a devotee of God but he is not prepared to pay this sacred tax. He adds the word devotee like a degree after his name. You all know that people who apply for jobs add degrees like M.B.A., I.A.S., etc., to their names. On seeing these degrees, the employers offer jobs to the applicants.

Once a totally unlettered person Ramaiah applied for a job and put T.D.F.S. as his qualification after his name. The employer was surprised to see this degree and asked him what it meant. Then Ramaiah replied, “T.D. means ten daughters, and F.S. means five sons.” Does begetting children constitute a degree? Exhibiting degrees like this is totally meaningless. Srunvantu Viswe Amrutasya Putrah (Oh the children of immortality! Listen). This is the degree you should have and experience the divine principle that you are an aspect of God. Mamaivamsho Jivaloke Jivabhuta Sanathana (the eternal Atma in all beings is a part of My Being). This is what Lord Krishna declared in the Gita. “You are a part of My Being, not Nature or five elements. You are a direct manifestation of My Divinity,” said Krishna. Without trying to earn such divine degrees, you are running after all that is trivial and mundane. Then, what will you achieve?

The body which is made up of five elements is weak and is bound to disintegrate. Though a hundred years of life-span is prescribed, one cannot take it for granted. One may leave one’s mortal coil at any time, be it in childhood, youth or old age. Death is certain. Hence, before the body perishes, man should make efforts to know his true nature.
(Telugu Poem)

Death spares none. Nobody knows when, where and how it will come. Therefore, offer yourself to God before death overtakes you. The body is not eternal. The body is like a water bubble. The mind is like a mad monkey. Do not follow the body. Do not follow the mind. Follow the conscience. Follow the Atmic principle, i.e., your heart. Offer your heart to God and become a real Sadhaka. It is not enough if you offer leaves, flowers, and fruits which wither away in a short time. God has everything. There is nothing that you have and God does not have. Nobody knows what precious things are there with God. You also do not know how many precious things He has given you. But you offer to Him such petty things as leaves, flowers, and fruits. Is this the tax you should pay to Him? In fact, your body is the leaf, your heart is the flower, your mind is the fruit and your tears of joy, not the tears of sorrow, is the water that you should offer to God. But you are not making efforts to understand this eternal truth that these are the precious things that should be offered to God. You offer physical objects to God which you can see with your eyes and experience with your senses. All these objects are bound to perish one day or the other. Everything in this world comes to nothing because all this is temporary and transient. Only one thing is permanent, i.e., the principle of the Atma.

God Alone Exists

Peace does not lie in eating, consuming intoxicating drinks and playing cards. All these vices take man to the demonic path. If peace could be found in eating, one could sit and eat for all the 24 hours a day. Man is not born to merely eat and drink. He should eat to live, not live to eat. He should lead an ideal life, share this eternal knowledge with others and lead them to the sacred path. Convey to others what is true and eternal.

Students! 

You should put your education to proper use. Share the essence of your education with your fellowmen and lead them on the right path. Education is not merely meant to fill one’s belly. Education is for the acquisition of knowledge. What is that knowledge? The power to discriminate between the eternal and the ephemeral is true knowledge. The essence of all knowledge is discrimination. People today are in a state of total restlessness. They do not really know the cause of their unrest and how they should get rid of it. They do not take the proper measures to cure this malady of unrest. Can you cure your stomachache by applying collyrium in your eyes? You suffer from a particular disease and use a medicine which is meant for some other disease. Likewise, you suffer from the malady of unrest and in an effort to cure it, you do things which will only add to the unrest.

Once there was a boy who was the only son of his parents. Hence, his parents loved him dearly. One day, as he was playing with a ball in his room, he went to a corner of the room where he was bitten by a scorpion. Crying bitterly, he ran to his father and told him that he was bitten by a scorpion. The father immediately rushed to a doctor. Giving him an ointment, the doctor said to him, “Apply this ointment where the scorpion has bitten the boy. This will make the place numb and the boy will not feel the pain.” Without understanding what the doctor really said, the father in his anxiety came back and asked his son, “Where did the scorpion bite you”? The son pointed to a corner of the room and said, “The scorpion bit me there.” The father immediately applied the ointment in that corner. Can the boy be relieved of his pain by this foolish act of his father? He should have applied the ointment on the body part of his son where the scorpion had bitten him. The boy cannot be relieved of his pain if the ointment is applied in the corner of the room. Today all the efforts of man to get rid of his malady of unrest are like this only. First, he should enquire what the cause of his unrest is and then make proper efforts to root it out. Without understanding where actually the problem lies, and what its solution is, he is making efforts in the wrong direction to get rid of the problem.

Man goes to various places of pilgrimage in search of God. He goes from one mountain to another and circumambulates the Himalayan mountains. Where does God not exist? Wherever you see, He is there. You yourself are God. God is present in your heart and not outside. He is with you, in you, around you, above you, and below you. If you look for Him outside, how can you attain Him? Turn your vision inward. Strengthen your faith. One who thinks that God is here and not there is not a Gnyani (one of wisdom). Here, there and wherever you see, there is only one principle of the Atma. Wherever you see, God alone exists. There is no second entity. Ekameva Adviteeyam Brahma (God is one without a second). There is nothing like my God and your God. It is a sign of ignorance to observe such differences. Rama, Krishna and Shiva are not different from each other. Names and forms are different but the principle of divinity is one and the same. With firm faith in this principle of oneness, wherever you pray to God wholeheartedly, He will manifest before you. Sai has incarnated to make you realise this principle of truth and love. I have come to make you understand that God is present wherever you see. You may question why Sai should come down to show God who is all-pervasive.

There is a lamp, oil and a wick. But, can the lamp light itself? Should there not be someone to light the lamp?

There are flowers. There is a needle and the thread. But, can the garland be made on its own? Should there not be someone to stitch the garland?

There are diamonds and there is gold. But, can the ornaments be made on their own? Should there not be a goldsmith to make the ornaments?

(Telugu Poem)

Likewise, God comes in human form to demonstrate His omnipresence.

When there is a driver to run the train, 
And a person to control the traffic signals, 
Should there not be a creator behind this world?

(Telugu Poem)

There should be a driver to run the train. There should be someone to control the automatic traffic signals. Likewise, there should be someone to create this world. There should be someone to show you that God is everywhere. God incarnates for this very purpose. God comes down not only to tell this truth but also to shower His love on man. However, the amount of love you receive depends on the size of your container, i.e., the heart. Therefore, make your container big by Darshan, Sparshan and Sambhashan (vision, touch and conversation) of the Divine. You can collect as much ambrosia as you enlarge the size of your container.

(Bhagawan brought His Discourse to a close with the Bhajan, “Bhava Bhaya Harana...”)

– From Bhagawan’s Divine Discourse in Sai Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi Nilayam on 1st July 1996.