Never Forget God

Wherever There Is Truth, There Is God

Embodiments of Love!

Trees give fruits for the well-being of others; they do not eat their fruits. Similarly, rivers flow for the welfare of others. They do not drink their water. They quench the thirst of others. Cows do not drink their own milk; they give it for the health of others. In the same way, man should understand that the body has been given to him to serve others. He should use his body to help the poor, the downtrodden and the needy.

Man Should Search For Truth

In the world today, you find restlessness, misery and unhappiness wherever you see. No government or weapons have been able to solve these problems. First and foremost, man should install God in the altar of his heart. He should develop self-confidence and make himself deserving of God’s grace. The entire mankind is dependent on the grace of God. Except God, nobody else can save the world. Therefore, man should fill his heart with love, engage himself in the service of society and make his life worthwhile.

Everyone should engage himself in Satyanveshana (search for truth). Whether one is rich or poor, an ordinary person or a sage, one should search for truth in one’s thoughts, words and actions. Even though all are the sparks of one Divine Truth, which is changeless in all the three periods of time, it is necessary for everyone to search for truth. However, it is necessary to speak truth without hurting or making anybody sad. The true words we speak should be sweet. All are possessors of truth. Everyone is a small fraction of the truth. All are the sparks of the divine truth without any difference of caste, religion or creed. The eternal Atma in all beings is a part of My Being, says Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-gIta.

How to search for truth? There are three parts in the spoken word. They are Satyam, Asatyam and Nijam (truth, untruth and fact). All that we see in the world is Nijam. That which is the basis of it is Satyam. A small example: Right from a scientist to a common man, everyone will say, “The sun rises in the east and sets in the west”. This is not Satyam. This is Nijam. The sun does not go anywhere; it stays where it is. It appears in the east and west because of the rotation of the earth. So, the sun neither rises nor sets. This is Satyam. All the same, when we say that the sun rises and sets is Nijam. To say that the stationary sun moves is Asatyam.

Put Your Senses To Proper Use

Next is vision. The same pair of eyes see the mother, the wife, the daughter, the daughter-in-law and everyone else. But the feelings you get when you see each of them are different. Though the vision is the same, the feelings are different. To understand the truth as to how to see is also Satyanveshana. You see your mother with reverence, you see your daughter with affection and you see your wife with endearment. Your relationship determines your feelings when you see others.

Truth is only one! To understand whom to see with what feelings is Satyanveshana. But today, the vision of people has become impure and the feelings are distorted. Man is in a quandary how to understand the feelings of others. Evil thoughts arise in man due to bad vision. All the good and bad that are happening in the world are the result of Drishti (vision). There is no defect in the Srishti (creation) of God. We cannot change the creation of God. We should try to change our vision to experience truth.

We hear with our ears. We hear so many things. We hear sweet music, harsh words and the slander of others. Our ears also hear what we speak. When we do Satyanveshana here, it will be clear that we should speak sweet words and hear all that is good. To misuse our ears for hearing bad things is wrong.

Similarly, we misuse the power of our tongue. We should speak sweet and soft words. Oh tongue! Do you understand how sacred you are? Everybody respects you because you are the epitome of sacrifice. You do not keep the food given to you with yourself. You immediately send it to other parts of the body. It is not proper for you to scold and slander.

Everything in this world is God’s creation! If you see any defect, it is only due to the defect in your vision and not creation. Everything will look red to you if you put on red colour glasses. Similarly, everything will look blue if you see through blue glasses. This is Maya! If you remove the glasses, everything will appear to you in natural colours! Therefore, we should practise Satyanveshana in everything.

One God Has Many Names

We need not search for God anywhere because God is present everywhere in everyone. The Upanishads say, Ishavaasyam Idam Sarvam (the entire universe is permeated by God). There is only one God but He is called by different names such as Allah, Buddha, Zoroastra, Krishna, and so on. Ek Prabhu Ke Anek Naam (one God has many names). Sahasra Sheersha Purushah Sahasraakshah Sahasrapaad (the Cosmic Being has thousands of heads, eyes and feet).

We perform Sahasra-naama Archana (worship of 1008 Names of God). But not only these, all names like Christ, Allah, Zoroastra are His only! All forms and names address only Him! There is no name or form which does not belong to Him. That being so, where is the room for differences? Where is the need to search for Him? What is to be searched in worldly things is Satyam (truth) only.

All creation is born out of Satyam and merges into Satyam. Everything is truth only! All that we have to know is what truth is. Truth is the form of God. Where is God? Wherever there is truth, there is God. Therefore, truth is the proven God. Love is the patent God. Love and truth emanate from the heart which is full of compassion.

The heart is called Hridaya. It means the heart should be full of compassion. Instead, the hearts of people today have become hard like stone. Evil deeds are on the rise due to lack of compassion in man. Lack of compassion has become a fashion in the modern world. But we do not need only modernisation. What we need is compassion. Hatred finds no place where there is compassion.

Soham Mantra Reminds Man Of His Divinity

There is acute lack of peace in the present-day world. What is the reason for this? The reason is the attachment and differences based on the feelings of mine and thine. Man should develop compassion and eradicate the feelings of I and mine.

We call ourselves I, but what is this ‘I’? It is the title which refers to God. Everyone calls himself I. So, everyone has the title of God within himself from his very birth. That is why the Vedas say Aham Brahmaasmi (I am Brahman). When you say, “I am Brahman”, it becomes clear that ‘I’ is the name of God. The names Rama, Krishna, Shiva and Hari are not the only Names of God. The first word which refers to God is ‘I’. This is the true name. Ask a beggar, “who are you”? he will say, “I am a beggar”. Ask a king, “who are you”? his reply will be “I am a king”.

Similarly, if you go on asking a doctor, an advocate, a businessman, the replies you will get will be only ‘I’, ‘I’. You may ask any person, he will come up with a reply starting with ‘I’. In Sanskrit, ‘I’ is referred to as ‘Aham’. People today associate ‘I’ with a form. But ‘I’ does not refer to the body. ‘I’ is God. If you add Aakaram (form) to this Aham, it becomes Ahamkaaram (ego). Ego arises when we associate it with the body. The body is subject to birth, growth and death but the true Aham (Self) is not subject to any of these changes. So, ‘I’ is real, not the body. The body is only an instrument. We should use it as a means to realise God. With every breath, we recite the Mantra Soham (That I am). It reminds us that we are God. The Vedas also propound the same truth in Tattvamasi (That Thou Art). We should realise this truth. But people do not understand this principle of Soham. They associate themselves with the body. That is the cause of their sorrows and miseries.

What is this body? You will realise how inferior this body is when you analyse it. Every cell in the body changes every moment. If you put pickle in a jar, it does not get spoiled even in a year. If you put pickle in the jar of the body, it gets spoiled within two hours. If you put rice, wheat, pulses and other grains in the flour mill, it gives out flour. But in the mill of the human body, even if you put fruits, they turn into faeces. Is not the flour mill superior to the body?

The human body is a machine which contains Yantra (mystic diagram), Mantra (incantation), Tantra (esoteric doctrine). The body is the Yantra, Soham is the Mantra and the heart is the Tantra. Man’s life is a combination of these three. The Mantra can function only if the Yantra is there. The Tantra (heart) is like a switch board. The Soham Mantra arises from the Sushumna Naadi (central nerve current). The Mantra here is not the Panchaakshari (five-lettered) or the Ashtaakshari (eight-lettered). It is made up of two letters – So and Ham. It reminds man ‘I am God’, ‘I am God’ 21,600 times a day. But foolish persons are unable to understand this even when it repeats itself 21,600 times a day. When a Guru tells you, you immediately repeat Namah-shivaya, Namah-shivaya, like a parrot. It is not chanting from the heart. All this is artificial. You have Japa-maala in hand, but your mind is in the market. What sort of Japa is this? How will this benefit you? The Mantra should arise from the heart. But the actions of man today have become artificial. That is why he does not have peace of mind. What is the benefit of saying Shanti, Shanti, Shanti at the physical level when it is the mind that needs peace? True Shanti lies in the unity of all the three – body, mind and heart. That is why we say Shanti three times. But look at the way you chant. You say Shanti peacefully when your mind is calm but say it fast when your mind is agitated (laughter). The whole life of man has become artificial. Puja, Japa, Dhyaana, all have become artificial.

Yearn For Divine Bliss

Today is the New Year’s Day for the people of Kerala. Most festivals last for one day. But you should develop sacred new thoughts on all days and not only on the festival day. Develop good thoughts, remove differences, foster unity and enhance spirituality. Then only will you enjoy bliss. You should understand first that you are the embodiment of Nityaanandam (eternal supreme bliss). When you develop firm faith that you are the embodiment of bliss, you will be able to face and overcome all troubles and obstructions that come your way.

Brahmanandam, Paramasukhadam, Kevalam Jnana-murtim, Dvandvaateetam, Gagana-sadrisham, Tatvamasyaadi-lakshyam, Ekam, Nityam, Vimalam, Achalam, Sarvadhi-saakshi-bhutam Bhaavaateetam, Trigunarahitam (God is the embodiment of divine bliss, supreme happiness, wisdom absolute, beyond the pair of opposites, expansive and pervasive like the sky, the goal indicated by the Mahavaakya Tattvamasi, one without a second, eternal, pure, unchanging, witness of all functions of the intellect, beyond all mental conditions and the three attributes of Satva, Rajas and Tamas).

This Shloka (verse) explains the principle of Brahman. What is Parama Sukhadam (supreme happiness)? Does it mean an air-conditioned room, comfortable sofa and good food? No, it is not true happiness. To think of God is true happiness.

When man has all the worldly comforts such as health, wealth and high position, the happiness that he experiences is called Manavananda (happiness at the human level). A hundred times more than Manavananda is Gandharavananda (happiness of celestial beings). Similarly, a hundred times more is Devananda (happiness of gods), and a hundred times more than Devananda is Indrananda (happiness of demi gods). The state higher than that is Brihaspatirananda and the state higher than Brihaspatirananda is Hiranyagarbhananda. The highest state of bliss is Brahmananda (divine bliss). All these states of bliss are in your heart only. Worldly happiness is temporary while the bliss is eternal and divine.

Embodiments of Love!

Be prepared to give up even your life, but never forget God. Three things are important in the life of man – he should not forget God, he should not believe in the world and he should not fear death.

Death can happen only once, anytime. One cannot escape it. So, there is no need to be afraid of it. Face it bravely. The world changes constantly. There is no use having faith in it. Can one sail in a boat of stone? It will sink in the sea. The world keeps on changing but God is eternal. So, the world is untruth and only God is Truth.

This is a cloth. It is made of threads. They are interwoven to make cloth. But the cotton which has given them their form does not change. Similarly, in the changing world shines the unchanging principle. That is God.

The Whole World Is One Family

Therefore, never forget God. Develop firm faith. But do not criticise others who profess other religions. To whichever religion you may belong, develop faith in God. The more you develop faith in God, the more you develop love for God. Then only your life, your country and the whole world will become good and prosperous.

Embodiments of Love!

Do not think that the country of Bharat alone should progress. Wish that the entire world should live with peace and prosperity. The world is a big mansion. India is a room in it. There are several different rooms like America, Pakistan, China, Russia and others. The rooms of this mansion are separated by walls. If all these walls are removed, the mansion will become a large hall. All these walls have been raised by man’s attachment. Differences arise because of attachment. If all these walls of attachment are pulled down and removed, all will become one. Ekam Sat (Truth is one), house is one, but persons are many! Heart is one! That is divinity. We should think of such a divinity. We should have full faith in God. None in this world with faith in God has been forsaken. Some say, God does not exist. Who is to stop those who have faith in God? If somebody says, there is no God, you should give him proper reply, saying, “God may not be there for you. But for me God exists. If there is no God for you, should there not be for me also? Who are you to say that God does not exist? You may have your opinion. But you have no authority to question my faith”. On the other hand, if, because somebody says that there is no God, you also agree and say, “No God”, it indicates only your weakness. Those who deny God, unwittingly state that God exists. If someone says, there is no God, the very fact that he is saying ‘there is’, he is acknowledging the existence of God.

As our faith in God increases, that itself will become our Prana (life-breath). That faith itself is our God! Do not give up faith. The culture of Bharat gives Ananda (bliss) in so many ways. We should not consider our culture and the culture of other nations as different. There is only one culture for all! The Vedas also teach this only.

Saha Na Vavatu, Saha Nau Bhunaktu, 
Saha Veeryam Karavaavahai, Tejasvi 
Naavadhitamastu, Ma Vidvishaavahai.

(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!)

The Vedas propound a broad vision. They do not advocate differences. They teach that the world is one family. The whole of mankind is one. Develop this thought. Then you will have a happy, healthy and peaceful life.

(Bhagawan concluded His Divine Discourse with the Bhajans, "Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma...”, “Govinda Krishna Jai...” and “Subrahmanyam, Subrahmanyam...”)

– Bhagawan’s Divine Discourse in Sai Sruthi, Kodaikanal on 14th April 1996.