Forget the Non-Self and Contemplate on the Self

Oh man! Lead your life by performing meritorious deeds, undertaking acts of sacrifice, developing love, curbing demonic tendencies and taking to the path of devotion.
(Telugu Poem)

To Develop Sacred Feelings Is Real Sadhana

Embodiments of Love!

Human birth is very rare to attain. It is all the more rare to attain peace in human life. From birth to death, man’s life is subject to many changes. But it is strange that man himself does not realize this truth.

In childhood, one develops an absorbing interest in play and enjoys the company of one’s playmates. In youth and middle age, one is engrossed in cultivating worldly relations and earning money. In old age, one repents for not having this and that; one still craves for money without contemplating on God even at that ripe age. In this way, man wastes his precious human birth.
(Telugu Poem)

Consider Your Duty As Sadhana

Man is endowed with great power of intelligence. Since he does not know how to make proper use of it, he takes to the wrong path. He knows what is right and what is wrong. When you question someone why he has taken to the wrong path, he would give excuses such as, “All this is due to the influence of Maya.” People think, all the delusion that prevails in this world is the play of Maya. What is Maya? It is only a name but has no real existence. Learned people and scholars call Maya a Nartaki (dancer) who makes man dance to her tune. Then, how can you bring this Nartaki under your control? If you reverse the letters of the word ‘Nartaki’, you get the word ‘Keertana’ (singing the glories of God). That is to say, you can subjugate Maya by taking to the path of devotion and singing the glories of God.

A person who is totally immersed in love cannot describe his experience just as a person totally submerged in water cannot speak anything. Only the one who experiences love at a superficial level can talk about love. It is very funny that people who have never tasted love and never experienced it give lectures on the principle of love. What is the Sadhana that one should undertake to experience love? What really is the meaning of Sadhana? Real Sadhana means to forget Anatma (non-self) and contemplate on the Atma (Self), forget Avidya (ignorance) and pursue Vidya (knowledge), forget all that is ephemeral, and think of only that which is eternal.

Sadhana is not just limited to performance of Japa, Tapa, Dhyana, and Yagnya (chanting, penance, meditation, and sacrifice). Many women perform their household duties with dedication and look after the needs of their husband and children. Some of them feel bad that they are not able to participate in spiritual activities like Satsang and listening to spiritual talks as they have to spend all their time in the performance of their household duties. What is the great merit that accrues when you take part in spiritual practices when your household duties are neglected? The real Sadhana for a woman lies in looking after her children, making her husband happy, keeping the house clean and leading an ideal family life. Preparing food for the husband and children in the morning and evening, sending the children to school and helping the husband to go to office, and looking after the house well is also a great Sadhana.

Perform Sadhana For Spiritual Growth

Even the performance of day-to-day household duties like cooking can become the highest spiritual practice. Picking out small stones from the rice and making the rice free from impurities can be compared to Kshetra Kshetragnya Vibhaga Yoga (the yoga of discrimination between the field and the knower of the field) and Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga (the yoga of classification of the three qualities of Satwa, Rajas, and Tamas) as described in the Bhagavadgita. This can also be considered as the yoga of discrimination between the Atma and the Anatma. In this context, the stones that are separated from rice stand for Kshetra and rice represent Kshetragnya. Women in the house also cook vegetables. While cutting vegetables with a knife they should think, “I am not cutting the vegetables but cutting the evil qualities that are present in me with the knife of wisdom”. Thereafter while washing the vegetables, they should think that they are washing them in the water of love. While putting them on fire and adding salt and spices, they should think that they are putting them on the fire of discrimination and adding the salt and spices of steadfast faith and devotion. This is the Sadhana that can promote their spiritual growth.

The mother in the house prepares a light tiffin of Puris for children in the evening. While preparing Puris, she need not feel bad that she is unable to go for Bhajan and that all her time is spent in the kitchen. While pressing the ball of flour for making it flat in the shape of Puris, she should have the sacred feeling that she is broadening her heart. Similarly, while sweeping the house, she should think, “I am not merely cleaning my house but making my heart pure and clean”. Deho Devalaya Proktho Jivo Deva Sanathana (the body is a temple and the indweller is God). To develop sacred feelings is the real Sadhana. There is no use going to spiritual congregations, listening to spiritual talks and forgetting everything on reaching home. Instead of that, staying at home and performing household duties in a sacred way is the best Sadhana. To perform one’s duty is the highest Sadhana. What else can be the greater Sadhana than following this sacred path? Don’t you come across so many people who don ochre robes and pretend that they have renounced the world but are unable to get rid of their ego and attachment?

Giving Up Evil Qualities Is True Renunciation

During the course of his triumphant tour of the country to disseminate the knowledge of the Vedas, Adi Sankara met a great Vedic scholar, Mandana Misra, and had a debate with him. Mandana Misra’s wife was also a great scholar and a woman of great wisdom. Living in an Ashram, she used to teach the principles of righteous conduct to her disciples. One day, she was going along with her disciples to the river Ganga for taking a bath in the river. On the way, she observed a Sanyasi (renunciant) lying in the shade of a tree, keeping a dried bottle gourd under his head which he used for storing drinking water. He was preserving it very carefully so that nobody should take it away. Ubhayabharati saw this Sannyasi’s attachment to the bottle gourd and said to her disciples, “Look! This man calls himself a Sanyasi, but he has great attachment to a bottle gourd. How can a person with so much attachment attain renunciation?”? The Sanyasi heard this comment, but did not utter anything then.

While Ubhayabharati and her disciples were returning from the river, he threw the bottle gourd in front of them in order to demonstrate that he was not attached to it. Observing his action, Ubhayabharati aptly remarked, “I thought he was beset with Abhimana (attachment) only, but he has Ahamkara (ego) also”. Throwing away his bottle gourd does not show his sense of renunciation; it demonstrates his ego. How can one with Abhimana and Ahamkara become a Gnyani and a Sanyasi? What benefit can such a person derive by performing spiritual practices? Then Ubhayabharati said to the Sanyasi, “When you have renounced everything in life, why should you have ego and attachment? This is not good”. In this way, she imparted the knowledge of true renunciation to the Sanyasi and showed him the path of wisdom. The Sanyasi fell at the feet of Ubhayabharati and promised her that he would henceforward give up his ego and attachment and would lead a life of true renunciation. In the same way, many people are deluded to think that they have renounced everything. But, what is it that they have renounced? What is the real meaning of renunciation?

Renunciation does not merely lie in giving up one’s wealth and family and going to the forest. Real renunciation lies in giving up evil qualities. This is real Thyaga and yoga.
(Telugu Poem)

Many people renounce certain worldly and material possessions. But that is not renunciation in the true sense. You should give up evil qualities, evil practices, ego and unsacred feelings that are present in you. This is true renunciation. It is quite easy and not very difficult to leave one’s hearth and home. What you should give up is your evil qualities which take you to the wrong path and cause immense suffering. People worry about the effect of Navagrahas (nine planets) on their life. But what really causes suffering to man are not Navagrahas but only two Grahas of Raga and Dwesha (attachment and hatred). Man can attain peace when he gives up these two.

There is no need for you to undertake any special spiritual practice for the sake of peace. You will attain peace when you discharge your duties with earnestness. If you are a Grihastha (householder), you should discharge the duties prescribed for a householder. If you are a Brahmachari (celibate), follow the principle of Brahmacharya. In this manner, all should adhere to the Dharma (duty) prescribed for their stage of life and sanctify their time by contemplating on God. But strange are the ways of the people in this world. They are not receptive to talks on sacred and ideal matters. But they listen with great interest to talks on all sorts of evil matters. Two ears are not enough for them to listen to evil talk. They even borrow the ears of others to listen to it.

People do not listen to good words spoken wholeheartedly. On the other hand, they are all ears when evil words are spoken. How can such people comprehend My Divinity? What is the use of all their education?
(Telugu Poem)

This is the way in which man conducts himself today. He has no liking for seeing anything good; he craves to see all that is bad. His mind is not receptive to anything good, but it is ever ready to get engrossed in all that is evil. If he is asked to think of something good, his mind becomes totally blank. On the other hand, no effort is needed on his part to entertain evil thoughts; they come to him automatically. What is the reason? He has become accustomed to this type of behaviour in his life. Therefore, he should change his ways and develop good practices.

Body Undergoes Changes, Not The Atma

The principle of divinity is one, but it is seen in many diverse forms. See this garland of flowers. There are flowers of many colours in it, but the thread in them is one. The thread does not undergo any change. It was the same thread yesterday and will be the same tomorrow. But the flowers were buds yesterday, they have blossomed today and will wither away tomorrow. The human body is also like these flowers. Today you are young like a fully blossomed flower, but tomorrow you will become old like a withered flower. It is the body that undergoes all changes; the principle of the Atma in the body is changeless in all the three periods of time. The Brahma Sutra (principle of Brahman) is like the single thread that runs through all the flowers of the garland. It is present in all beings. Beings undergo change but the principle of Brahman remains the same always. You should not worry about the body which is subject to continuous change. You should try earnestly to attain that which is eternal. This is the Sadhana that you should perform. You should make proper use of the mind and the intellect given to you by God to perform this Sadhana.

Suppose, there is water in a tumbler and there is sugar at its bottom. You cannot have the taste of sugar when you drink water from the surface of the tumbler. When you thoroughly stir the water with a spoon, the sweetness of sugar will permeate the entire water. In the same way, the sugar of divinity is present at the bottom of your heart. If you stir the water of your thoughts with the spoon of Buddhi (intellect), divinity will permeate your entire heart. This is the Sadhana that you have to perform. In order to perform this spiritual practice, there is no need for you to go anywhere. The vessel of the heart is with you; so is the sugar of divinity and the spoon of intellect. Then, where is the need to search? Where to search? Where has one to go? It is mere ignorance to search for divinity elsewhere.

God Resides In Your Heart

Thyagaraja was in search of Lord Rama everywhere, but ultimately he realized that there was no need to search for the One who was always with him. The king of Thanjavur invited Thyagaraja to his court to listen to his compositions. Thyagaraja noticed so many eminent personalities in the court and in all humility he started his concert with the composition, Endaro Mahanubhavulu, Andariki Vandanamulu ... (there are many great souls; I prostrate before all of them). Listening to his sweet song, the entire assembly was spellbound. In order to reward him, the king offered him some money. Seeing this, Thyagaraja asked himself, “Oh mind! Tell me whether there is happiness in money or in the divine proximity”. After due reflection, he declined to accept the money offered by the king. Then the king sent him back to his village in a palanquin with due honors.

Seeing Thyagaraja going in a royal palanquin, some thieves followed him, thinking he must be carrying a lot of money with him. Noticing the thieves, the bearers of the palanquin told Thyagaraja, “Swami, we are being chased by thieves. They might even kill us”. Then Thyagaraja said, “Why should you be afraid? You do not have any money which is the cause of fear. Only those who possess money have fear. Why should those who have only the wealth of virtues be afraid of thieves? You have only virtues and no money. Therefore, have no fear”. After a while, the thieves came running to Thyagaraja and fell at his feet and prayed, “Kindly protect us, protect us”. Thyagaraja asked them, “Whom should I save you from? Why do you ask me to save you? What calamity has befallen you”? They told Thyagaraja that two young men armed with bows and arrows were threatening to punish them. On hearing this, Thyagaraja, who had earlier gone in search of Rama here and there, realized that Rama was always with him. Then he sang this song in praise of Rama, “*Munduvenaka Iruprakkala Todai Unnava, oh Rama!*” (Oh Rama! You are in front of me, behind me and on my either side). Rama made him realise His omnipresence by giving him this experience. God is always with such noble souls and protects them in every way in times of difficulties. Extolling the compassion of Rama, Thyagaraja sang this song and was lost in ecstasy, Rama Nannu Brovara (Rama, please be my protector).

Till the time a spiritual seeker realizes the truth that God is within him, he keeps on searching for Him in the external world. Once he realizes that God is in him, there is no need for him to perform any Sadhana. Everyone should try to understand this principle of omnipresence of God. In fact, you yourself are God. Your body is the temple of God and your heart is the sanctum sanctorum. God is the resident of your heart. You should realize this truth.

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

Those whom you consider as others are not really so. They are verily the embodiments of divinity. Therefore, you should not criticise, abuse or disrespect anyone. What is the reason? God is present in all. Once you realise this principle of divinity, you will have no worry. Whomsoever you come across, love and respect him. Here is a small example.

All Powers Are Immanent In Love

The boy who spoke earlier is from Shimla. When he joined our Primary School ten years ago, he was a small child. His brother is also studying here. Their father brought their mother to Brindavan on a stretcher from Himachal Pradesh. I told their mother, “From now onwards, they are My children. Do not worry about them”. Handing over these children to Me, their mother said, “Oh Sai Ma! I leave my children under Your care”. Saying so, she closed her eyes and breathed her last. I brought these children to Prasanthi Nilayam and admitted them in Primary School. At that time, this boy said, “Sai is my real mother”. Their father also was happy to put them under My care. Right from that day, these boys never shed tears. Though they are tender-hearted, they firmly adhered to the promise they made to Swami.

Once you offer yourself to God, you will never come to grief in life. That is true surrender. Their mother died. Even their father does not come here often as he knows that Swami is taking care of them. Every day, I see them, talk to them and enquire about their welfare. Their tender hearts are full of firm faith. Today this boy spoke very well on the topic of faith because his heart is suffused with faith. They do not suffer from the pangs of separation from their mother. Once when this boy remembered his mother and started crying, the warden brought him to Me. She said, “Swami! He is not eating food and is crying all the time”. At that time, he was in First Standard. Swami took him into the interview room, created a ring for him, spoke to him sweetly and made him happy. From that day onwards, he always has a smiling face (prolonged applause). Children have a sacred heart and that is why they are able to experience divine love. Elders, on the other hand, are not able to experience this love. Love is highly sacred and it can impart immense courage and fortitude. These boys have been able to stay here happily because they are with Swami. Would they be happy if they had to stay somewhere else? No. Swami gives them more than the love of a thousand mothers. Even those who call themselves as renunciants are not able to understand this truth. They perform spiritual practices like Japa and Dhyana (chanting and meditation). But what is the use? Their mind is overpowered by ego and attachment.

Man can lead his life in this world without any worries by adopting one principle. What is that principle? That is the principle of love. If you have love, you can have everything. You will have physical prowess, intellectual power and all other powers. All types of powers that you require in this world are present in love. When you have gold with you, you can get any ornaments made out of it. Similarly, when you have God’s grace, you can attain everything. When God becomes your own, what else do you require? What is there greater than that? Therefore, understand this principle of divinity and act accordingly. It is enough if you give up all your evil qualities. If you do so, you do not need to do any spiritual practice. Develop the faith that the God whom you worship is present in all. Students should cultivate the principle of oneness. When you develop the principle of oneness, you can achieve everything. Wealth and riches are like passing clouds; they come and go. However, they are also required to some extent to live in this world.

I take personal care of all matters, whether big or small. You feel bad that Swami has not spoken to you as you are not aware of this truth. I call the warden and discuss with him even small matters. Though I have got so many other responsibilities, I enquire about each and every student (loud applause). But those students who are narrow-minded think, “Alas! Swami has not spoken to me, He has not looked at me”. But I see all and enquire about their welfare. The boy who spoke earlier said, “I lost one mother but gained the love of a thousand mothers”. How many can have such great good fortune? How many can speak in this manner with such conviction? That is why he addressed Me as “My Mother Sai” in the beginning of his speech. People who are endowed with such firm faith are protected by faith. Their faith alone confers on them all types of success. Similarly, love bestows all types of success. Therefore, develop love. You will be victorious in all your endeavours if you develop love alone.

Observe Silence And Maintain Discipline

There is another important thing I want to tell. That is, you should observe discipline. As I told you yesterday, you should always speak sweetly with love. I have also told you not to use harsh words while talking to others. But during the last few months, there has been some laxity in discipline at Prasanthi Nilayam. People make a lot of noise as they get up after the Bhajan is over. After I select devotees for interview and take them inside, people in the verandah and also outside get up and create a lot of commotion as if it is a marketplace. After the programme is over in the Mandir, you should go back silently contemplating on what Swami has said, instead of indulging in unnecessary talk with each other. On one side, the ladies make a lot of noise, and on the other, gents do so. All along, they are talking, talking and talking! Not only here in this Mandir or Prasanthi Nilayam, even on the road or wherever you are, do not indulge in excessive talk.

Discipline should be like your shadow. It should follow you wherever you go. Not only in this campus, even while you walk on the road outside, you should adhere to discipline. Most importantly, what God expects from you is discipline. At the conclusion of the programme or Bhajan, you should go back to your places silently. You can talk only after you go back to your homes. Whether you are at Prasanthi Nilayam or anywhere else, you have no business to indulge in excessive talk. You waste a lot of energy by talking too much. Listening to unnecessary talk also disturbs your peace of mind. You suffer from nervousness when you talk too much. You also suffer from loss of memory. Therefore, you should strictly observe discipline and remain silent. Men and women should not talk to each other in the Mandir. They may do so after going home. But do not talk to each other unnecessarily either in the Bazaar or in the Mandir or anywhere else. Not only this. There are some elders who indulge in unnecessary talk in front of students and set a bad example for them. Elders should conduct themselves in an exemplary manner. You can hear Shabda Brahman (cosmic sound) when you observe silence. Therefore, at least from today onwards, observe silence and follow discipline. Moreover, do not use harsh words while talking to others, as I told you yesterday.

Lead your life with love, considering love as your life-breath. Have faith that love is God. If you forget love, it amounts to forgetting God. Suffuse your speech with love. Lead your life with compassion and forbearance. Attain the state in which you even forget time in the contemplation of God.

(Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajan, “Govinda Krishna Jai…”)

– From Bhagawan’s Discourse in Sai Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi Nilayam on 4th July 1996.