Ego and Attachment Lead to Bondage

God is love and love is God. You can connect yourself with God only through love. Develop love and achieve the supreme state of non-dualism.
(Telugu Poem)

Liberation does not drop down from the sky nor does it emerge from the nether world. It is not available on earth either. It is only when the veil of ignorance is removed from your heart can you attain the sacred state of moksha. Moha kshaya (removal of attachment) is moksha (liberation). This is the truth propounded in the vedas.
(Sanskrit Verse)

Divinity Permeates the Entire Universe

Embodiments of Love!

Jantunam nara janma durlabham (of all living beings, human birth is the rarest). Human birth is most sacred, noble and sublime. It is the result of meritorious deeds done in many past lives. It is attained as a result of penance, prayer and other spiritual practices.

Make Proper Use of Human Birth

Having attained such a precious human birth after such hard labor, man today is wasting it instead of putting it to proper use. What is the greatness of human birth? What is its goal and objective? What for have you assumed this human body? It is necessary for everyone to understand this. In this vast world, birds, animals, insects and even ants and mosquitoes discharge their duties. But man today has forgotten his duties and is putting this sacred human birth to improper use. Time is fleeting like a whirlwind and the lifespan allotted to the human body is diminishing like a block of ice which keeps melting every moment. Ultimately, man meets his end even before he understands what his duty is and what for he has been given human birth. Then what is the use of having human birth? You say human birth is the rarest. Why is it so? Man neither understands this truth nor thinks about it nor makes any use of it. Human birth is highly sacred. Such a sacred birth should be put to proper use. But it is not happening. Man is wasting his time, energy and even his body. What is the reason? The reason is his rank pursuit of physical, ephemeral and fleeting pleasures. He thinks that pursuit of worldly pleasures is the be all and end all of life. This tendency corresponds to pravritti (worldliness). But man’s real objective is nivritti (spirituality). In his pursuit of physical, worldly and ephemeral objectives, man today has forgotten the true and eternal principle of spirituality. Then what is the use of all his education?

What is the use of all your learning when it does not help you to change your destiny? When bad thoughts enter your mind, all your education and intelligence become futile and meaningless.
(Telugu Poem)

What does man ultimately achieve by acquiring all this worldly education? Ravana was the master of 64 types of knowledge. Even Hiranyakashipu was one of great learning. Similarly, Kamsa was also well educated.

Purify your Heart and Fill it with Love

Ravana performed great penance and worshipped Lord Shiva. But what did he attain? All this he did with the objective of attaining worldly goals. Therefore, even after mastering so many types of knowledge, performing so much penance, undertaking so many spiritual practices and chanting many sacred mantras, his demonic quality was not changed. You can remove the worldly feelings from your mind only by filling it with divine feelings. Man today has filled his mind with unsacred and worldly feelings. He is leading his life with momentary objectives. Then how can he attain eternal and everlasting happiness? It is not possible. You should purify your heart and fill it with love. Only by developing love can you acquire true knowledge. It is the duty of youth today to sow the seeds of love in the hearts of mankind which will yield the flowers of forbearance and fruits of peace. Students should resolve to become the torchbearers of peace. Today there is a great need for peace in society. However, peace and security cannot be acquired from outside; they are present within you. In fact, everything is in you. But you have forgotten this truth.

Man today has forgotten his true nature. Reposing his faith in worldly endeavours, he is in search of peace in the external world. But he should realise the truth that divinity permeates the entire universe. Sarvam khalvidam brahma (verily all this is brahman). There is no place where divinity is not present. All that you see, hear and experience is nothing but brahman. It is the brahman and brahman alone which is seen by the eyes, heard by the ears, felt by the mind; it captivates the heart and kindles humanness. When man realises this truth, there will be no scope for troubles and turmoil in this world. Wherever you see today, you find fierce conflicts and differences. It has become difficult to know who is a human and who is a demon, who is a noble one and who is a wicked one, who is a man and who is an animal. Having evolved from the level of animal, man should rise to the level of divine.

But instead, he is going in the reverse direction to animality. This is not what he should do. He should conduct himself like a true human being.

Truth is the mother, wisdom is the father, righteousness is the brother, compassion is the friend, peace is the wife, forbearance is the son. These six virtues are the real relations of man.
(Sanskrit Sloka)

That is why the vedas exhort man to follow the principle, Sathyam vada, dharmam chara (speak truth, practise righteousness). There is nothing greater than sathya. Trikalabadhyam sathyam (truth remains unchanged in the three periods of time – past, present and future). It remains changeless at all times, at all places and under all circumstances. But, unfortunately, man has forgotten this today.

Modern System of Education Lacks Spiritual Education

No special efforts are needed to have the vision of divinity. When you remove the veil of ego and attachment that cover your innate divinity, you will realise the truth. Man today is afflicted by two grahas (planets), namely, raga and dwesha (desire and hatred). When you get rid of raga and dwesha, you will realise that you yourself are brahman. Sarvam vishnumayam jagat (Vishnu pervades the entire universe). Then you will find the entire world as the manifestation of divinity. You should make every effort to at least have a glimpse of divinity.

Students!

You are under the mistaken notion that spirituality is something difficult. In fact, it is thousand times easier than the secular education you acquire. Spiritual education is much more simpler than worldly education. You find it difficult because you do not know this truth. When you first try to learn ABCD, how difficult you find it! But once you gradually go to higher classes, you find the learning of ABC so easy. Today the system of education in India is limited only to worldly education. There is total lack of moral values in this system of education. That is why students have forgotten humanness and are neglecting dharma. As people today have given prominence only to secular education, the vedas and the shastras (scriptures) have been neglected. Students consider acquiring degrees like B.A. and M.A. as something very great and do not give importance to spiritual education. What are these degrees like M.A. and B.A.? M.A. + D = Mad, B.A. + D = Bad. Is this what you should learn? Actually, the entire modern system of education misleads the students and puts them on the wrong path. Students today acquire education for filling their belly and not for the blossoming of their heart and the purification of their mind. The mind should become pure and divinity should blossom in the heart. This is the real goal of education. But students today go to the employment office and register their names immediately after they receive their degrees. They waste so much of their time in going to the employment office time and again. This is not what you should do. No doubt, worldly and secular education is also necessary, but it does not develop good qualities in you. What is most essential for you to develop? You should develop sathya, dharma, shanti, prema and ahimsa (truth, righteousness, peace, love and non-violence).

All your education, positions of authority, acts of charity and service have little value without the virtues of Sathya, Dharma, Santhi and Prema (truth, righteousness, peace and love), which are verily the pillars of the mansion of Sanathana Dharma.
(Telugu Poem)

Values are the Sound Foundation of the Mansion of Life

Four walls are needed to build a house. The mansion of human life is built on the four walls of sathya, dharma, shanti and prema. Today these four walls have collapsed and man has lost his real shelter. He is leading a very artificial life. Can we call this humanness? If living is important, don’t the birds, beasts and animals live? What bank balance do they have? What type of mansions do they build for themselves? They live in the present and are happy. They are not worried about tomorrow. But man, on the other hand, prepares five-year plans and ten-year plans.

You struggle hard in life merely for the sake of filling your belly. You acquire many forms of knowledge from various fields. But you are not able to enjoy total bliss. So, take refuge in God and contemplate on Him. He will certainly show you the right path.
(Telugu Poem)

Oh man! Examine and enquire for yourself what great happiness you have achieved by spending all the time from dawn to dusk in acquiring worldly knowledge and earning wealth while forgetting God.
(Telugu Poem)

What is it that we require today? First and foremost, we require moral, ethical and spiritual values. These are like our life-breath. But moral, ethical and spiritual values have touched the nadir today. You do not find them anywhere. Righteousness and justice are in wilderness. The villages today have become havens of injustice, unrighteousness and untruth. There may be cure for any disease, but there is no cure for the diseases of raga and dwesha. What is the reason? The reason is selfishness and self-interest of man.

Students!

No doubt, everyone has some amount of selfishness. But it should be within limits. You subject yourself to great suffering because of your unlimited desires. What is it that gives you happiness? Is it eating and drinking, begetting children or earning money? No, no. You do not find real happiness in any of these. The happiness you derive from these is only momentary.

Ma kuru dhana jana yauvana garvam, 
Harathi nimeshath kalah sarvam.
(Sanskrit Sloka)

(Do not be proud of your wealth, progeny and youth; the tide of time may destroy them in a moment.)

Worldly pleasures are momentary. As students, you know this. You think you will be happy by acquiring degrees like M.B.B.S., M.B.A., M.Tech., M.F.M., etc. But are you really happy when you acquire these degrees? No. You want something more. What you want now is a good job. Do you remain happy after securing a job? You are happy only for a couple of months. Then you start craving for promotion. But are you happy after getting promotion? No. You want to get married because you think you will be happy when you are married. But are you happy after your marriage? After marriage, you want a son, then you want a daughter. Are you happy after begetting a son and a daughter? No. Meanwhile, husband and wife get engaged in endless quarrels. Then you remember God. You pray, “Oh God! Why am I trapped in these worries? Please come to my rescue.” In fact, all this suffering is due to your limitless desires.

There is no permanent happiness in fulfilling desires. The happiness derived from desires is only temporary like passing clouds. When will you then experience real happiness? You are not happy even in your old age after transferring all your responsibilities to your children. You start worrying as to which disease may afflict you and who will take care of you when you fall sick. When you are 90 years old and bedridden, even then you desire for happiness and comfort. When the doctor comes to give you an injection, you request him, “Sir, please give the injection carefully so that it does not give me pain.” In this manner, right from your birth to death, you are craving for happiness. Where is the real happiness?

True Happiness Lies only in Sacrifice

Thyagaraja said, Nidhi chala sukhama, Easwara sannidhi chala sukhama, nijamuga telupumu manasa (Oh mind! Tell me, whether happiness lies in wealth or in the proximity of God). He refused to accept all the wealth and precious gifts that were offered to him by the king. Real happiness lies only in the proximity of God. There is no harm in deriving happiness from worldly objects, but it should be within limits and your focus should always be on spirituality. Fulfil your desires to the extent necessary, that is enough. You enjoy eating food, but if you overeat, your stomach will be upset and you will suffer from indigestion. You inhale air, but you cannot retain it inside. As much air you inhale, the same has to be exhaled. In the same manner, you may earn money, but you should put it to proper use and spend it on acts of charity and helping the poor and needy.

Since ancient times, the culture of Bharat has been propagating this great lesson for mankind: Na karmana na prajaya dhanena thyagenaike amrutatthwamanasu (immortality is not attained through action, progeny or wealth; it is attained only by sacrifice). You may perform any number of yajnas and yagas, you may beget any number of children, you may earn any amount of wealth. But none of these can confer immortality on you. Immortality lies only in sacrifice. True happiness lies only in sacrifice. There is no greater happiness than what you derive from sacrifice.

What is it that you have to renounce? Should you renounce your house and property? God does not expect you to renounce these things. God wants you to give up your evil qualities. What is it that you should offer to God? He is not asking you to offer your virtues. He is asking you for your evil qualities because nobody will accept them, not even your own parents.

Students!

You may think the love of your parents or the love of your wife and children as the ultimate love, but that is a grave misconception. God’s love for you is the greatest. Your parents love you because they think that you will give them happiness when you grow up and attain a good position in life. There is an element of selfishness in their love. The same is true about the love of your wife and children. It is only God who loves you without even a trace of selfishness and self-interest. You should offer your evil qualities to God who is totally selfless.

Offer your Evil Qualities to God

When I was in the interview room a short while ago with our Vice Chancellor and others, I told them about this. Suppose you have a totally crumpled and soiled hundred rupee note which even a beggar will not accept. Even if you throw it in the garbage, the person who collects the garbage will not touch it. Nobody will accept it. But the same hundred rupee note will be accepted by the Reserve Bank and they will give a new hundred rupee note in return. Likewise, nobody will accept your dirty mind which is like a soiled and crumpled hundred rupee note. Not even your mother, father, wife and son will accept it. Therefore, offer your dirty mind to God who is like the Reserve Bank Chairman. He will give you a pure mind in return (loud applause). When you offer all your evil qualities to God, they will not trouble you. You will be happy and the world will also be happy. Don’t keep your evil qualities with you and don’t pass them on to others also. Offer them only to God with the sense of total surrender.

Twameva Matacha Pita Twameva, Twameva Bandhuscha Sakha Twameva, 
Twameva Vidya Dravinam Twameva, Twameva Sarvam Mama Devadeva.
(Sanskrit Verse)

(Oh Lord! You alone are my father and mother, friend and relation, wisdom and wealth. You are my everything).

What is meant by offering everything to God? It does not mean sitting idle without doing any work. Do your work, perform your duty, but offer everything to God with the feeling sarva karma bhagavad preetyartham (do all actions to please God). When you perform actions without any expectation of the fruits of the actions and offer them to God, God will give you what is good for you. You write a letter, put it in a cover and post it. Your duty ends there. The letter will reach its destination whether it is America, Germany or Japan. Once you post the letter, you don’t need to worry whether the letter will reach its destination or not. It is for the postal department to ensure that the letter reaches its destination. It may first go to Mumbai, from there to New York. Whatever may be the mode of despatch, the letter will reach its destination. Similarly, you should discharge all your worldly responsibilities and offer them to God. It is for God to decide what type of happiness He should give you. But, unfortunately, man today lacks faith which is very necessary. Faith is like the life-breath of man. Man without viswasa (faith) is like body without swasa (life-breath). Therefore, faith should be saturated with love. Life without love is useless.

Worldly Relations are False

A young man, in his effort to acquire the knowledge of many spiritual subjects, used to meet everyday his Guru who lived outside the village. One day the Guru taught him,

Mata Nasti, Pita Nasti, 
Nasti Bandhu Sahodara, 
Artham Nasti, Griham Nasti, 
Thasmath Jagrata Jagrata.
(Sanskrit Verse)

(The relationships like mother, father, brothers, sisters and friends are not real. House and wealth are also illusory. Hence, beware! beware!)

Janma Dukham Jara Dukham 
Jaya Dukham Punah Punah 
Antya Kale Maha Dukham, 
Thasmat Jagratha Jagratha.
(Sanskrit Verse)

(Birth is a misery, old age is a misery, family is a misery, and death is a terrible misery. So, be careful! Be careful!)

Then the disciple said, “Swami, all these teachings may be relevant for renunciants like you, but not for people like me. My parents have so much love for me that they will be eagerly awaiting my return, standing at the entrance of the house. My wife also loves me so dearly that she does not partake of food without me. Therefore, your statement of mata nasti pita nasti... does not hold any meaning for me.”

The Guru heard all this and gave him a pill, saying, “Oh dear son! I will prove my statement by giving you direct evidence. Take this pill. After reaching home, put it in your mouth and drink some water. You will become like a dead man for some time, but you will be able to hear all that transpires around you. Then you yourself can know the truth.”

The student readily agreed to this test. Youth of today want to test and see for themselves before believing anything. They have a great taste for tests! The young man came home and did as instructed by the Guru. Seeing him lying unconscious, all the inmates of the house started crying loudly, considering him dead. The wife wept bitterly, saying, “I am the only daughter of my parents. Now I have lost my husband. What is my fate now?” Even while crying for her husband, she was only worried about her future.

Their neighbors also came there to sympathize with them. As he was a very good boy and following the spiritual path, everyone was grief-stricken at his ‘death.’ After some time, the Guru also entered their house on the pretext of coming that side for some work. After hearing everything, the Guru said, “I will bring him back to life. But do what I say.” All the people in the house told the Guru, “Swami! We will surely do what you ask us to do.” Then the Guru said, “See! In order to bring him back to life, one of you should be prepared to die. After chanting a mantra (incantation), I will sprinkle water on him from my kamandalu (a water pot) and he will get up.” Saying this, the Guru first asked the mother of the young man, “Amma! Are you prepared to die for your son?” The mother replied, “Swami! I have other children to look after. Who will take care of them when I die? What will happen to them when I am no more?” Then the Guru put the same question to the young man’s father. He said, “I have the responsibility for the maintenance of the entire family. Isn’t it? How can I die?” Thereafter, the Guru asked the young man’s wife, “Dear daughter! For a wife, her husband is everything. Isn’t it? I think, you will have no objection to die for his sake.” The wife said, “I am the only daughter of my parents. They will be very sad if I die.”

Then all the three went inside the house and thought of a masterplan. After some time, the young man’s father came out and said to the Guru, “Oh revered Guru! You are the embodiment of compassion. You do not have any responsibilities. Therefore, why don’t you sacrifice your life for my son? We will construct a marble samadhi (tomb) for you and will worship you with great devotion and dedication.”

When the Guru sprinkled water on his face, the disciple got up. The Guru said to him, “See, what your father, mother and wife have told. All of them told me to sacrifice my life. At least now try to understand that the entire world is mithya (unreal).” Nobody is related to anybody in any way.

Develop Self-confidence

The love that people exhibit for each other is only body attachment. Selfishness and self-interest is the basis of this love. It is only God who is totally selfless. There is nothing wrong in maintaining a relationship with others, but love God wholeheartedly. Whatever work you do, consider it as God’s work. Whomever you see, respect him as the embodiment of God. As propounded in the bhagavadgita, God is present in all: Mamatma sarva bhutantaratma (I am present as the atma in all beings). Therefore, do not ridicule or hate anybody. At the same time, do not repose too much faith in others. Instead of having faith in others, put all your faith in God. (Swami showing His handkerchief) This is a cloth made of so many threads. As many threads have come together, this cloth has become strong. If you separate the threads of the cloth, you can break them with your fingers. Therefore, focus all your love on God. Love all, serve all, considering everyone as divine. But do not believe everyone. Have faith only in God.

This body is a den of dirt, and prone to diseases; it is subject to change from time to time; it cannot cross the ocean of samsara (worldliness). It is nothing but a structure of bones. Oh mind! Do not be under the delusion that the body is permanent. Instead take refuge at the Divine Lotus Feet.
(Telugu Poem)

In the present circumstances, in this modern age, in this kali yuga, make God your only refuge with full faith. As people have lost faith in God, the nation is in utter turmoil and chaos. Develop moral values. Tread the path of righteousness. Experience spirituality. Then you will attain worldly happiness also.

As there is no spiritual education either in schools or colleges, students today are going astray. This is not the mistake of students; the mistake lies with the education department which has not made any provision for spirituality in schools and colleges. How can the mansion of life stand without the foundation of spirituality? Self-confidence is the foundation, self-satisfaction are the walls, self-sacrifice is the roof and self-realisation is life. Therefore, develop self-confidence. That is spirituality. You cannot perform even a small task without self-confidence. Focus your thoughts on God instead of wasting your time in unnecessary talking, entertaining evil thoughts and taking to the wrong path. Contemplation on God is the real wealth that will secure your future. Earn such permanent wealth and good name. Only then will your life become meaningful. Serve society and strive for its welfare. Become dear to all by rooting out your ego and giving up body attachment. What for has this body been given to you? Sariramadyam khalu dharma sadhanam (body is gifted to undertake righteous actions). Preserve at least one or two good teachings of Swami in your heart from what you hear every day. It may not be possible for you to remember everything but remember at least one or two important teachings and practice them.

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

– From Bhagawan’s Discourse in Sai Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi Nilayam on 16th August 1996.