Develop Firm Faith In The Living Presence Of God

Sweeter than sugar, tastier than curd, sweeter indeed than honey is the Name of Rama. Constant repetition of this sweet Name gives one the taste of divine nectar itself. Therefore, one should contemplate on the Name of Rama incessantly.

(Telugu Poem)

God Resides In The Heart Of Man

Embodiments of Divine Love!

The Name of God is sweetest in the world. Nothing else can compare in sweetness with it. There are varieties of tastes and each person has a taste specific to him. But that is the taste of the tongue, not the bliss of the heart.

Consider The Idol Of God As God Himself

Worldly happiness is temporary and changes from time to time. But the bliss that comes from the heart is eternal and changeless. Devotees have been worshipping God since ancient times. But they do not attain what they desire from God in spite of worshipping Him for a long time. What is the reason? The reason is that the devotees do not have the firm conviction that the idol or picture they are worshipping is endowed with the Living Presence of the Divine. If they feel the Divine Presence, they will experience Divine Bliss. But even the devotees who say that they are the servants of God do not experience the Divine Presence in the idols and pictures of the deities.

God has the form of bliss which is eternal and indestructible. But man does not have deep and firm faith in this. A student was to appear in an examination. He was weak in Mathematics. Since the exam was the next day, he worshipped Swami and went for the Mathematics, Part I exam. He failed in this paper. So, he removed Swami’s photograph from the altar and placed it in a cupboard. Second day, he had Mathematics Paper, Part II. That day, he worshipped Rama’s photograph. He fared even worse. Third day, he was to go for the Accounts examination. Thinking that Mother Goddess would be more benevolent compared to other gods, he brought Devi’s photograph and did Puja. That day, he could not even understand the questions in the examination. He came back and put this photograph also in the cupboard. Fourth day was Accounts Paper, Part II. Realising that Vinayaka is the remover of all obstacles, he brought incense sticks, coconut and garlanded the idol. When he lit the incense sticks, the smoke began to waft towards the cupboard in which the discarded photos were placed. Then he thought, “I brought incense sticks for Vinayaka; why should I let the benefit of the fragrance be experienced by these gods – Rama, Sai Baba and Devi, who have betrayed me”? He went into the house and brought a piece of cloth to tie the nose of Sai Baba, Rama and Devi.

Having assured himself that the fragrance would not reach them, he sat down for prayer. At that very moment, Sai Baba, Rama and Devi appeared. He was amazed and questioned the deities: How is it that You did not appear when I worshipped You and now that I have punished You, You have appeared before me? Then Sai Baba replied: “Son! Till this day you had limited Me to a picture. Today you have got the feeling that this photograph is a living entity and so tied a cloth around the nose to prevent the fragrance from reaching Me. The photographs will not help you. Picture will remain a picture. You may worship picture as God, but not God as a picture. Today you have begun to believe the picture as God Himself and tied the cloth. So, I have appeared before you”. Nowadays, we worship God as a picture. It is only when we take picture as God in form that our desires will be fulfilled. It does not matter what form you worship or what name you chant. Realise that all names and forms are His. Nothing wrong with any name. All are the forms of the same Godhead. Your prayers will not reach God if you offer worship to the idols and pictures without believing in the Living Presence of God. When you believe that the idols and pictures you are worshipping are throbbing with life, then only your desires will be fulfilled. If you accept that God is present everywhere without exception, and at the same time, you do not feel His Living Presence in His pictures and idols, then you prove your disbelief in His Living Presence in the photos and idols.

Is it possible to build a temple for the One who pervades the entire Brahmanda (cosmos)? Can anyone give a name to the One who is present in all beings? Is it possible to give a bath to the One who is present in all rivers? Can anyone offer food to the One who has the entire Brahmanda in His stomach? Man out of his ignorance and delusion is unable to know the reality of the Cosmic Being who is, in fact, the master of the entire cosmos.

(Telugu Poem)

All That You See In The World Is Reaction, Reflection And Resound

God is omnipresent. He is immanent in all the five elements. His power is manifest in air, water and everything in this universe. When you worship this all-powerful God, you should have the faith that He pervades everything. You should not say that God is here and not there. He is One who is present here, there and everywhere. All the rest that you perceive is your reaction, reflection and resound. Here is a small story to illustrate this.

Once a young cowherd took his herd of cattle for grazing to a mountainous region. To pass his time, he started singing a song there. He heard the resound of his song which came from somewhere. The young man had no knowledge of the echo. Therefore, he felt perturbed and said to himself, “Who is that who is mimicking my voice and singing the song sung by me”! He shouted loudly, “Who is there? Hey! Who are you”? He heard his own words again coming from somewhere, “Who is there? Hey! Who are you”? Then the young man said, “Tell your name”. And he heard the same words. At this, he became angry and shouted, “Shut up”. But again he heard back, “Shut up”. The young man then said, “I will catch hold of you and beat you”. But the same words came back to him once again. The cowherd searched for the person who was mimicking his words but could not find anyone anywhere. Thinking that there was someone who was his enemy and was teasing him without being seen, he came back home with his herd of cattle.

On reaching home, he told his mother, “Amma! There is someone who is teasing me and making me angry. He insults me by mimicking my voice and by singing the song sung by me. When I searched for him, I did not find anybody”. The next day, the cowherd’s mother went with him to the mountainous region and understood the entire situation. She was a wise woman and made his son understand the reality. She said to him, “Dear son! There is nobody else who is abusing or insulting you. It is the echo of your own voice that you are hearing”.

Our True Nature Is The Form Of Conscience

Everything that we experience in this world is the reaction, reflection and resound of our own feelings. We think that somebody is hurting us. But this is our mistake. It is the echo of our own feelings of hatred that we hear. Where is the reality? It is in our own heart. Whatever we speak from our heart is a form of truth. This is called conscience. Our true nature is the form of conscience. We should not modify or alter our conscience to suit the world. When conscience takes human form, it is called an Avatar. If you want to know the true nature of the Avatär, you should have the faith that it has eternal life. Whatever idol or picture of the Avatär you worship, you should consider that it has the power of life. In your house, you think, this is your dining room and that is your prayer room. But you should consider that every room is your prayer room or shrine. God is present at all places, at all times. It is not the place that is important. It is your feeling that is important. God takes into consideration your feelings, not your external considerations. It is your great good fortune that an Avatär who is the embodiment of eternal life and Divine power is before you.

Install God In Your Heart

There are presently so many people in the world. Similarly, there were many people when Rama and Krishna incarnated on earth. Did all of them worship Rama and Krishna? Did all of them have firm faith in their Avatarhood? No. If you have a photo or idol of God before you, you should believe that it has life force. That is the truth. God is present in man in the form of consciousness. Your heart is the place where you should install Him. Madbhaktah yatra gayante, tatra tisthami Narada (I reside where My devotees sing My glories, Narada) said Lord Narayana to Sage Narada. Krishna said to Arjuna:

Manmana Bhava Madbhakto Madyaji Mam 
Namaskuru, 
Mam Evaiṣyasi Satyam Te Pratijane Priyo'si Me.

(Gita Shloka)

(Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, offer obeisance to Me and worship Me. Truly, do I promise that you will come to Me for you are dear to Me.)

Lord Narayana says that He resides in the heart of the aspirant who sings His glory and constantly thinks of Him. “If you wish to attain My grace, first become My devotee, meditate on Me, bow down to Me and believe that I am endowed with life force. All your worship is of no use if you do not believe in My Living Presence”. Thus says the Lord.

There are many people who study scriptures. Similarly, many people recite the Vedas. But they do not realize the Truth. What is the reason? The reason is the ego of erudition and scriptural knowledge. So long as they have ego, they cannot experience the Living Presence of God. The feelings of awareness of the life force of God in idols and pictures of God will be enshrined in their heart once they get rid of their ego.

Get Rid Of Ego And Doubts

People in the world perform spiritual practices and worship in a variety of ways. God is not attracted by your method of worship. He sees the yearning and anguish in your heart. Does He need your worship? No. He is the Creator of the universe. The tree of human life has many fruits. It also bears the fruit of wisdom. The fruit of wisdom contains a sweet juice. That is the principle of love. In order to get the sweet juice of this fruit, it is necessary to remove the outer skin and the seeds from within it. Then only can you enjoy the bliss of this nectarine juice of Prema. The bitter outer skin of the fruit of wisdom is ego and the seeds are doubts. Unless you remove the bitter skin of ego and seeds of doubt, you cannot have the Nirmala (pure), Nishchala (unswerving), Nisswartha (selfless) essence of Prema. This nectarine juice is sweeter than sugar and tastier than curd and honey. Constantly chant the Name of Rama every day with devotion and faith to enjoy the sweet taste of this nectareous juice. You cannot experience divine bliss if you do not get rid of your ego.

Once the Gopikas of Repalle decided to go to Mathura. They boarded a boat on the river Yamuna in the evening in order to reach Mathura by next day morning. They rowed the boat by taking turns while singing the divine glory of Krishna, sharing their experiences and conversing about the sweet music of Krishna’s flute.

At dawn, they saw the rising of the sun but they were surprised that they had not reached Mathura; they were in Repalle only. When they examined the cause, they found that in spite of rowing the whole night the boat had not moved at all as it was tied to a big pole. They realised that they had forgotten to untie the knot of the rope of the pole. This is the knot of attachment which prevented them from meeting Krishna. Man performs spiritual practices like Bhajans and meditation and listens to Discourses. But what is the use unless he unties the knot of worldly attachments? Ego follows attachment and this leads to many bad qualities.

Dedicate Your Body To God’s Service

You do not own this body. If you think it is yours, why are you not able to cure the diseases which afflict it? Human body is the gift of God. Since it is a boon bestowed on you by God, you should dedicate it to His service. There is no greater Yoga, Yajna or penance than this. What is the use of performing Yoga, Yajna and other spiritual practices if they are not dedicated to God? It is like rowing a boat which is tied to a pole. Therefore, offer body attachment to God. This is what Uddhava did in the end. He stayed with Krishna for 83 years. But all this time, he considered Krishna as his close friend. He never revered Krishna as Divine Presence. Later, he realised that Krishna was the Supreme Being. Then he said:

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 man! Who gave you this body? Who breathed life force in it? Who gave you the feelings? Understand this and give up evil thoughts if you want to reach a high state.

Nothing Can Happen Without The Will Of God

We go to many temples. But God is not only in temples. He is everywhere. He is the embodiment of Satchidananda (Existence, Knowledge, Bliss). A large number of devotees go to Tirupati. They carry with them a bundle of desires. They get their heads shaved so that their desires are fulfilled. Why do you think God wants your hair? Instead, you should offer your heart full of love to God.

Nothing can happen in this world without the Will of God. When Sita was imprisoned by Ravana in Ashoka Vatika, she waited in great anguish for some good news from Rama. Once Ravana came and said to her, “You cannot have Rama any more”. He showed to her the severed head of Rama, which he had created by his Maya (illusory power). For some time, Sita was plunged in sorrow. But soon she realized that Rama was the epitome of Satva Guna (serene quality), and He was Lord Narayana Himself who had taken the human form of Rama. So, none could win over Him. She realised that that was the illusion caused by the illusory power of Ravana. Sita then took a small piece of grass and put it in front of Ravana, saying, “Your entire prowess is like this blade of grass. Nothing can happen on earth without the Will of Rama”.

Oh God! People do not understand that nothing can happen without Your Will. They do not try to understand what is behind the Will of God and what will happen later. Why should they say this and that? You pervade everything from an ant to Brahma. They do make an attempt to find out, understand and inquire about this. They are full of ego as they pride over their intelligence. They do not know what is going to happen to them due to their past Karma.

Karma is responsible for the birth, existence and death of man. It holds sway over all stages of his life as the very deity of human existence. It is responsible for the joy and sorrow of man.

(Telugu Poem)

Godliness Manifests In You When You Develop Love

Everything that happens is the reaction of your actions. Even your mind will not function without the Will of God. You may decide something with the help of your knowledge, wealth, physical strength and intelligence. But God can change everything. He can change earth into sky and sky into earth. He can change sand into gold and gold into diamond. Therefore, cultivate love which will melt God’s heart. Love is the fundamental cause for everything. Love is God. Live in Love. Godliness, which is full of Atmic power, enters you when you develop love. But there is a specific time for it. People wait for a long time to receive the grace of God. But they do not get it. They get it only when time comes for it. Until the fruit is ripe, it will taste sour. It becomes sweet only when it ripens. Time is everything. God is the form of time.

Kalaya Namah, Kala Kalaya Namah, Kaladarpa Damanaya Namah, Kalatitaya Namah, Kalasvarupaya Namah, Kalaniyamitaya Namah (salutations to time, to the one who is beyond time, to the one who has conquered time, to the one who transcends time, to the one who is the embodiment of time, and to the one who ordains time).

You may think, “I have not received God’s grace up to now”. When, where and how you will get the grace of God depends on the merits accumulated by you in your previous births. When it rains, raindrops join together and make a big stream. Similarly, the good deeds you performed in the past, the good deeds you are performing now and your future good deeds add up and become the cause for godliness to become manifest in you.

Enshrine The Form Of God In Your Heart

Who knows what is going to happen tomorrow? One even does not know whether one will be alive tomorrow or not. Body is a water bubble, mind is a mad monkey. Don’t follow the body, don’t follow the mind. Follow the conscience. This is what you have to do. Conscience is the principle of love, the quality of love. You should hold on to conscience firmly; never leave your hold on it.

Ramadas sang, “Oh Rama! I shall not let You take even one step forward if You do not fulfill my desire”. Rama appeared before Ramadas with a plate full of food and said to him, “You have been starving for the last four days. Take this food”. Ramadas said, “I do not want any food. I want only Your Lotus Feet”. Without Ramadas knowing it, Rama brought a gold chain before his eyes. Being a man of sharp intellect, Ramadas said, “Are You trying to give this to me with one hand and run away? You are everything for me; I have none else except You”.

There are thousands of devotees who have studied the Vedas, Shastras and Bhagavatam. A child looks at the Bhagavatam. A Pandit (scholar) also looks at it. The child focuses on the beautiful pictures of Krishna, while the Pandit tries to understand the meaning of the text as he turns the pages. Even though the child does not understand the meaning, he fixes the mind on the form of Krishna. You should fix the mind on the form of God. What is the use of knowing only the meaning? What do you understand by saying God is Sat-chit-ananda? Sat-chit-ananda is not in the words; it is in the form. Therefore, enshrine the form of God in your heart and experience bliss.

(Bhagawan brought His Discourse to a close with the Bhajan, “Hari Bhajan Bina Sukha Shanti Nahin…”)

– Bhagawan’s Discourse in Sai Sruthi, Kodaikanal on 29th April 1996.