Practice Without Purity Is Useless

Attain Immortality Through Sacrifice

In childhood, one is engrossed in playing with friends, in middle age, one is busy in earning money, in old age, one is sad for all things that one has missed in life. As man is engulfed in worldly affairs, he does not think of God all his life.

Embodiments of Divine Love! 

Divinity Is Inherent In Nature

What is life? For whose sake do we live? If everyone inquires in this manner, most people will not be able to give an appropriate answer. Some people may say that they live for themselves. But under different circumstances, they also act in a different way. Suppose, a person is having his meals and suddenly he gets the news that his son has met with an accident, he may lose his appetite and rush to the hospital to see his son. The same person may run to help other people in the village, when there is a problem in the village as he is a part of the village community. Man cannot live alone. He needs family and community as his welfare depends upon the welfare of the family and society. So, man is a limb of family; family is a limb of society. Similarly, society is a limb of Nature and Nature is a limb of the Divine. But man today has forgotten that Divinity is inherent in Nature. That is why he is enmeshed in worry and anxiety and his thoughts have become unsacred.

Where do the thoughts come from and what is their basis? The basis of the thought is Nature and Nature is the manifestation of God. Since God embodies the supreme Will, all thoughts come from God. But man considers himself separate from Nature and becomes distant from God. When one develops the cosmic feeling of oneness with Nature, one can live in bliss. Some devotees use the term Divine Master when referring to God or Sadguru. Likewise, people use the terms headmaster, stationmaster and postmaster. When we say Divine Master, we infer that the Divine is separate from the Master just as station is different from the stationmaster. So, when we say Divine Master, there is a contradiction in saying this because the Divine is not separate from the Master. The Divine is the Divine. Therefore, the use of the word Master is redundant. Man should understand this truth.

Three Steps To Wisdom

There are three steps which man has to follow to develop understanding and wisdom. These are: Shravanam, Mananam, and Nidhidhyasanam (listening, recapitulation, and contemplation). We have to adopt these three steps to derive benefit from the Discourses of the noble souls and study of scriptures. What is the use of listening and studying if we do not reach anywhere and remain dissatisfied and disillusioned? Unless we put into practice what we study and listen, we cannot understand our reality and realise our divinity. This is why we are subjected to endless cycle of birth and death. Man performs spiritual practices like meditation and recitation of God’s Name. But performance of spiritual practices without purity is useless. Adi Shankara said that one’s pride of youth, wealth, and knowledge is bound to vanish. Man can attain immortality only through sacrifice and renunciation. What is that we need to sacrifice in our life? First and foremost, we need to sacrifice our bad habits. If we are not able to sacrifice even our habits of coffee, tea, smoking, and snuff, how can we sacrifice our ego to attain divinity? Man today has become frustrated in his life because he does not leave the feelings of I and mine. He should attain purity of mind by inculcating moral values. He can develop moral values when he renounces worldly thoughts and develops divine thoughts. Only then can he progress on the path of spirituality. He should elevate himself from animal to human level and from human to divine level. But, unfortunately, most people do not progress even an inch in this direction.

Live In Close Proximity Of God

The purpose of human life is to realise divinity which is inherent in man. What is human nature? It is human life coupled with divinity. Sugarcane with its hard outer covering has sweet juice within. In the same way, human body has divinity within it. God Himself descends on earth in human form to show mankind that man is essentially divine. Even then he does not recognise his divinity. Man tries to seek happiness in worldly objects. But there is no happiness in the temporary world. Permanent happiness cannot be found anywhere except in union with God. Human life is a rare gift to man but he wastes it in worldly pursuits. Make the best use of your rare human birth by living in close proximity of God. When Ganga is flowing nearby, foolish man is dying of thirst. Man should first of all understand that divinity pervades his body from top to toe. He tries to understand God. But how can he understand God, when he cannot understand the world? He should recognise that his body, mind, intellect, and senses are all divine. But man forgets this truth due to his ignorance. He cannot distinguish between truth and untruth. The entire creation has emerged from truth and it will merge back in truth. This unsullied truth pervades everywhere. Just as the water bubble comes from water and merges back in water, human being has emerged from God and will go back to God. This water is Sat-chit-ananda (Being, Awareness, Bliss). That is the nature of God. Do not follow the body, do not follow the mind which are like water bubbles. Follow only the source which is Sat-chit-ananda. This is Atmic love. Make efforts to know and recognise the nature of Atmic love. Every undertaking of man should be for the sake of knowing Sat-chit-ananda, which is the goal and purpose of life.

Do not waste your life on meaningless thoughts and actions. Human life is highly sacred and valuable. So, surrender it to the Divine. What is the real diamond? The real diamond is ‘die-mind’. Man should inquire why he has been born and how he has to lead his life. He is not born to live for himself and his family. He should live for society also. Then only will his life become divine. He should recognise that Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love, and Nonviolence are the cardinal principles of divine life. Then only can he experience divine bliss.

(Bhagawan brought His Discourse to a close with the Bhajan “Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma…”)

– Bhagawan’s Divine Discourse in Sai Sruthi, Kodaikanal on 22nd April 1996.