Divinity is the Basis of the Entire Creation

All gramophone records look alike, but when you connect them to the sound box, each one will play a different song. External appearance does not necessarily convey the reality.
(Telugu Poem)

I am neither merit nor sin, neither happiness nor sorrow. I am none of these either – places of pilgrimage, scriptures or yajnas (sacrifices). I am not the food, the consumer of food or the process of eating. I am the atman, the very embodiment of divinity. I am shiva himself.
(Sanskrit Verse)

The Vedas Teach the Principle of Unity and Equality

Embodiments of Love!

You are neither the embodiment of sin nor merit, neither happiness nor sorrow. Nor are you the embodiment of mantra, yantra or tantra (incantation, mystic device, esoteric doctrine). You are the embodiment of satchidananda (existence, knowledge, bliss absolute). Always think that you are shiva and constantly recite shivoham, shivoham, shivoham (I am shiva, I am shiva, I am shiva). One who treasures the truth of his unity with the Divine in his heart alone can win God’s grace.

‘I’ Principle Denotes your Reality

Everyone uses the letter ‘I’ while introducing himself whether he is a pauper or a millionaire, ignoramus or a realised soul, a child or an old person, a man or a woman. The ‘I’ principle is all-pervasive. If you ask someone, sir, where have you come from? he may say, I have come from Bengaluru (Bangalore). Here he first uses the letter ‘I’ while indicating that he is coming from Bengaluru. If you ask him, who are you? he may say, I am Suraiah, son of Ramaiah. Whatever answer he gives, he uses the letter ‘I’. Nobody can give any answer without using the letter ‘I’. If you ask him, what is your name? he may say, I am Gopal, my father is Bhupal, my grandfather is Nepal. Instead of giving such a long answer like Hanuman’s tail, how easy it will be if he just says, I am I! This statement “I am I” denotes man’s reality.

You associate yourself with ‘I’ right from the time of your birth. You use the words like ‘he,’ ‘they,’ etc., only after you start using the letter ‘I’. Vedanta declares ahambrahmasmi (I am Brahman). Aham means ‘I’. Therefore, ‘I’ precedes even Brahman. Such a powerful ‘I’ principle is today being used in a belittling way. The Vedas refer to this ‘I’ principle as hridaya. What does hridaya mean? Hrid + daya = hridaya. That which is full of daya (compassion) is hridaya. It means ‘I’ principle is full of compassion. Therefore, it does not refer to physical body. Compassion, hridaya, atma, brahman, all these are synonymous with ‘I’ principle. So, ‘I’ principle is most important. Man associates ‘I’ principle with the body forgetting the reality that it denotes atma, brahman, hridaya or Divinity. If someone asks you, when did you come? you say, I came in the morning. But actually what is it that came in the morning? It is the body. It means you identify yourself with the body and say, I came in the morning. In the very next moment, you say, my stomach is upset. You utter the words, my stomach. Just a few moments ago, you said, I came in the morning, identifying yourself with the body. Now you indicate that you are different from the body and say, my stomach. Then who are you? You say, this is my hand, this is my head, this is my stomach, etc. But you don’t question yourself, who am I? When I say, this is My towel, I am different from the towel. Similarly, when I say, my hand, my head and my stomach, I am different from all these. Then who am I? You should conduct such self-enquiry in accordance with the teachings of Vedanta. At one moment, you say, you are the body and the very next moment, you say, you are different from the body. Is this true or that?

The Atma Alone is the Seer

Body is temporary. But the ‘I’ principle remains the same life after life. Man forgets this eternal ‘I’ principle and identifies himself with the ephemeral body. This body is a mere dress. I have put on this robe. This robe is different from Me. Similarly, this body is like a robe for the individual soul. That is why Jesus declared, “Death is the dress of life.” No one knows when you will give up this dress and wear a new dress. Vedanta reveals many such subtle secrets.

Man should focus his attention on two entities, ‘I’ and ‘this.’ You say, “This is a tumbler.” How are you able to see this tumbler? Tumbler is the drishya (seen) and I is the drashta (seer). All this visible world is mere drishya. Without drashta, there can be no drishya. Some people may think that it is the eyes that see the drishya. It is not the eyes that see; the divine power that is present within sees through the eyes. You see many bulbs shining. But can the bulbs shine on their own? It is the electric current that makes the bulbs shine. Similarly, can the eyes see on their own? No, the eyes are also a part of drishya. The atma alone is the drashta. Eyes, ears and even the mind constitute drishya. The atma is the witness which is the drashta. Therefore, ‘I’ principle corresponds to drashta. All that is seen, heard and experienced constitutes drishya. Sage Dakshinamurthy said, viswam darpana drishyamana nagari tulyam (the entire world is like a city seen in a mirror). The entire universe is like a reflection in the mirror. As I said earlier, there are two entities, ‘I’ and ‘this.’ ‘This’ refers to the world, the effect, and ‘I’ denotes Divinity, the cause. The visible world is the effect and God is the cause. God is everything. He is the seer and also the seen. He pervades everything but is not visible to the naked eye. He is adrishya (invisible). What is meant by adrishya? A-Drishya. That which is not seen by the naked eye is adrishya. The entire world forms the seen. It is the ‘I’ principle that sees, experiences and enjoys the world through the senses. Therefore, it is not the eyes that see. It is the ‘I’ principle that sees through the eyes.

Here is a small example. A person’s eyes are there even after his death. If eyes could see on their own, why are they unable to see after his death? They cannot see because ‘I’ principle has left the body. The eyes cannot see when the drashta is not there. So, you see and experience the drishya only through the drashta. This drashta is nothing but the divine principle of ‘I’. Wherefrom has this divine principle of ‘I’ originated? Where has it emerged from? This ‘I’ principle has not emerged or originated from anything. It has neither a beginning nor an end. It is present everywhere in all beings at all times. That is the principle of drashta. It neither comes nor goes. That which comes and goes is only drishya. You should understand the difference between aham (I) and ahankara (ego). Aham refers to the divine principle ‘I’ and ahankara refers to ego which is like passing clouds. Ego is that which comes and goes whereas aham is the eternal divine principle which neither comes nor goes. Because of your delusion, you mistake drishya for reality.

Divinity Pervades Everything

Many people say that they believe only in direct evidence. How foolish they are! They speak without common sense. Suppose there is a person whose height is 1.7 m, weight is 80 kg, his complexion is brown, and he has a bald head. You can describe all his physical features. Does it mean that you know everything about this person just because you are able to describe his physical features? Can you describe his inherent qualities? In fact, his unseen qualities constitute his real personality. You don’t know what type of nature he has and how intelligent he is. You cannot see them. You don’t need to go that far. You say, my mind, but are you able to see your mind? No. Then how are you able to believe in the existence of your mind which is not visible to you? You cannot see even your eyes. You can see them only when you have a mirror in front of you. You are able to see the objects in the sky which are millions of miles away. But you are not able to see your own eyes.

All that you see around you is drishya. Drashta is the eternal witness. All those who argue that they believe only in direct evidence are foolish. There is no common sense in such arguments. Such people also lack general knowledge. You say, I have love. Does love have any form? Is there any form of sorrow? Then how can you prove the existence of love and sorrow? Love has no form, but the mother who showers love has a form. Fragrance has no form, but the flower has a form. A flower that has a form gives out a fragrance that has no form. Similarly, a man who has a particular form proves the existence of formless divinity. Divinity is immanent in everything. Scientists took thousands of years to understand this truth. What do the scientists say today? They say, everything is made of atoms. Why did they require thousands of years to understand such a simple truth? Even before Treta Yuga, child Prahlada understood this and declared thus:

Never doubt that God is here and not there.
Wherever you search for Him, He is there.
(Telugu Poem)

About thirty years ago, I happened to visit the house of Suri Bhagawantam who was the Director of Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. At that time, an international conference of scientists was being held in the Institute. In order to introduce some of the prominent scientists to Swami, Bhagawantam invited them to his house for lunch. During the lunch, they discussed about the creation of the sun, the moon, and the earth. Then one of the scientists said, “Now the sun is in the prime of its youth.” I asked him, “What is its age?” He stated that it was a few million years. You write one and go on putting zeros next to it, it becomes millions and millions of years. The same has been described by the Bharatiyas as anadi (without beginning). How simple it is to say this! But scientists consider it an insult to science to describe something as anadi. When they give the age of the sun in some million years, they think they have become great scientists. Instead of calling the sun anadi, they give some numbers as its age, even though it is beyond human comprehension. Scientists derive satisfaction by quoting numbers. The Indian scriptures, on the other hand, studied these natural phenomena and explained them in such a manner that is easy to understand and appreciate. Usually, scientists do not believe in God. The more intelligent they are, the less is their faith in God. You can yourself see, those who consider themselves as high intellectuals have no faith even in themselves. They spend all their time in laboratories doing experiments, but they have no experience of divinity. What is the use of these experiments without experience? Scientists talk of matter and energy. But in My view, they are not different from each other. Matter is energy and energy is matter. Both are one and the same. Without matter, you cannot find energy and without energy, there can be no matter. For a tree to grow, you need to have a seed. That seed has two halves. Only when both the halves are joined together can it germinate. If there is only one half, it cannot germinate. One half is positive and the other is negative. One half is matter and the other is energy. Matter and energy combine to give a new life. Therefore, it is foolish to say that you don’t believe what you cannot see. It is the unseen power which makes you reap the consequences of your actions.

Oh man, do not take pride in your beauty, youth and physical strength. Very soon, you will become old. Your hair will turn grey, your skin will develop wrinkles and your vision will be blurred. Children will make fun of you, calling you an old monkey. You are no better than a leather puppet. Try to understand the mystery behind this puppet show.
(Telugu Song)

After all, all this is a mere puppet show. You should not be enamoured of it. The body undergoes change through various stages of life. Now you are boys. Ten years ago, you were all children. After twenty years, you will become men and after fifty years, you will become grandfathers. Who is it that was a child then, is a boy now and will become a man and a grandfather afterwards? It is you only. There is only a time difference between the four stages.

Prayer Should Come from the Heart

In order to understand your reality, you should not insist on direct evidence. Suppose, there is a huge tree which has many branches and sub-branches. Its cool shade is very pleasant. You see the tree and exclaim, “How nice is its shade!” You see the tree and not its roots. But you should realise that it is its invisible roots on which it stands. You water the unseen roots for the tree to grow. You see a big building and say, “How majestic are its pillars and how beautiful are its slabs!” In fact, it is the foundation that is most important for the building to stand. Without foundation, how can there be pillars? Without roots, how can there be a tree? Similarly, divinity is the basis of the entire creation. It is only when the invisible roots are watered will the tree grow and yield flowers and fruits. On the other hand, if you water the flowers and fruits, the tree will wither away with all its flowers and fruits.

Unmanifest Divinity is present in everyone as a witness. You have to develop your devotion and sense of surrender for the unmanifest Divinity to manifest before you. When Thyagaraja lost the idol of Rama, he sang, “Oh Rama! Where am I to search for You when You are everywhere?” He went to the river Kaveri to perform his sandhyavandanam (ceremonial worship of God). When he took water in his cupped hands, lo! the idol of Rama appeared in his hands. He was ecstatic and sang, “How long should I plead with You, oh Rama! Kindly come to my rescue.” He prayed to Rama wholeheartedly in a number of ways. Prayer should be offered with devout feelings. It should come from the heart; it should not be recited mechanically. When you fill your heart with love, God will immediately manifest before you.

Understand the Greatness of Bharatiya Culture

Some speakers use words like ‘Sai devotees’ and ‘Sai family’ in their speeches. All the people in this world belong to the same family. Then why should you specifically use such a term as ‘Sai family?’ Among the devotees you address, some of them may be devotees of Rama and some others may be devotees of Krishna and so on. Therefore, do not use such terms. Some people utter words like ‘hello’ when they meet someone. Instead, how nice it will be if you say Namaste with respect! There are many such pleasing words which reflect the sacredness of Bharatiya culture. Every word in this eternal Vedic culture is endowed with great value. You should never forget the principles of this great culture which has remained changeless throughout the ages.

Install God in your heart and contemplate on Him constantly with love. From today onwards, go on reciting the auspicious mantra, shivoham shivoham shivoham. Treasure the truth in your heart, I am God, I am God. When you firmly adhere to this truth, all your worldly problems will vanish. All conflicts arise when you observe differences between one person and the other. I and you are not different from each other. All are one, my dear son! Be alike to everyone, said Jesus. You should love all. This is the main teaching of Indian culture. The Vedas teach the principle of unity and equality as stated in this Vedic prayer:

Saha Navavatu,
Saha Nau Bhunaktu,
Saha Veeryam Karavavahai,
Tejaswinavadheetamastu,
Ma Vidvishavahai.
(Sanskrit Verse)

(May the Lord protect and nourish us! 
May we grow in intelligence and valour working together!
May we live in friendship without any conflict!)
Let us all move together, let us all grow together,
Let us all stay united and grow in intelligence together,
Let us live together with friendship and harmony.
(Telugu Song)

Students!

Do not waste your life by harbouring narrow feelings. Develop broad feelings and resolve to spread the message of unity and divinity to the entire world.

(Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajan, “Hari Bhajan Bina Sukha Santhi Nahin…”)

– From Bhagawan’s Discourse in Sai Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi Nilayam on 25th August 1996.