Proximity To God Is Real Wealth

On a tree, flowers come first and fruits later. In the tree of life, righteous actions fructify into the fruits of spiritual wisdom. Listen to these words, oh sons of sacred Bharat.

(Telugu Poem)

Divinity Permeates The Entire Universe

Embodiments of Divine Love!

There are three types of actions – meritorious, mixed, and sinful. Actions performed for the good of society and to please God are meritorious. God has gifted the human body to man to perform righteous actions. It has not been given to him to secure merely food and shelter or to indulge in sensual pleasures.

Leave Selfishness And Perform Meritorious Actions

The main purpose of human birth is God-realisation. Know thyself first; then only can you know God. In fact, everyone is the reflection of the Divine. It is only when you develop divine feelings within, all your actions will become meritorious.

The actions which you perform for your benefit as well as for the benefit of others are mixed. Man should realize that his happiness and welfare are dependent on the happiness and welfare of the society in which he lives. An individual is born in society, lives in society, and derives all benefits from society. Hence, he should use his capabilities not merely for himself but also for the benefit of society.

The third type of actions are sinful, which man performs for his selfish ends. All selfish actions are sinful. It is the selfishness of the people which is the basis of the problems a country is faced with. All countries of the world today have social, economic, and financial problems because there is widespread unemployment and poverty. Why are the countries poor today in spite of their ample resources of wealth? The main cause of the poverty of a country is the selfishness of some individuals who accumulate its wealth and do not share it with others. They do not realize their duty to society. They do not understand that their strength and progress are linked with the strength and progress of society in which they live. It is only when they exercise control on their desires that the economy of the country will gain strength. Due to their selfishness, broad feelings are missing in them. They have lost the spirit of inquiry into their inner nature. Therefore, they should recognize that the problems of poverty and disunity in the country are the result of their greed and selfishness.

Perform Your Duty In A Sacred Way

There is plenty of wealth in Bharat. Then why is the country poor? What is the reason behind its poverty? Once, when a great man investigated the problems of Bharat and other countries, he came to the conclusion that the main problem was that the number of people who worked was less and the number of those who spent and consumed was more. Moreover, those who are educated do not perform their duty in a sacred way; they serve their narrow and selfish interests. This is the cause of the lack of equality in society. Ideally, all should have an equal opportunity to lead a happy life in society. But this ideal is not being observed. There is nothing wrong with the economy of the country. But the wealth of the country is not being wisely used. For example, when a pit is dug at one spot, the mound of soil beside the pit becomes high. It is therefore necessary that more soil should be put in the pit so that the mound and the pit are equalized. Similarly, equality should be created in society.

At present, there are three classes of people in society: rich, middle class, and poor. A person becomes rich only with the help and cooperation of others. It is unfortunate that rich people do not recognize this truth and forget the help they receive from society in becoming rich. Due to their selfishness, they do not share their wealth with others and do not serve society. Their ingratitude is the cause of the decline of the society and country. Wealth needs to be shared with others. As stagnant water becomes dirty, wealth amassed by selfish people destroys the health and strength of society. Just as the blood in the body must circulate to avoid a blood clot, money should also circulate, otherwise the country’s economy would come to a standstill. Duty not properly discharged and money not properly channeled leads to poverty of a country.

Consider All Work As God’s Work

Everyone should remain satisfied with what he gets in life and love the work he has to do. Every individual should understand four things: do not waste time, do not engage in useless activities, like what you have to do, and undertake actions for social welfare. These four principles would help one to progress in life. But today this broad-mindedness is lacking in man.

Man should develop equal-mindedness and consider all work as God’s work. This is the way to make progress on the spiritual path. Secondly, there should be no scope for ego. If your ego is inflated and you consider yourself a great person, then you should analyse your position. On the world map, you see India as a small country, the city of Chennai is even smaller, and your house in Kodaikanal in which you live is just a small dot on the world map. Then why should you have so much ego? It is sheer foolishness to become egoistic. When you think that you are one with God, then there will be no scope for ego. God is present in every atom of the universe as God is the basis of everything. The entire macrocosm (universe) is permeated with Divinity. In every tiny seed, there is a tree. Therefore, the smallest and the biggest are one and the same. God created everything and every being. All that God has created is for the good of mankind.

Once a great scientist was going out in the hot sun. Finding a shady banyan tree nearby, he stopped to take rest for some time under the cool shade of the tree. While he was resting, he saw tiny fruits on the huge tree. A little distant away from it, he saw in a vegetable field a creeper on which large pumpkins were growing. He thought to himself that God does not know how to place things properly as on a big tree there are small fruits whereas on a thin slender creeper, there are large heavy pumpkins. He thought that God had no knowledge of mathematics and engineering. Soon he fell asleep as he was tired. While he was sleeping, some tiny fruits from the tree fell on his head. As he woke up, he realized, “Oh! God is so great; if there had been big fruits on this tree, they might have fallen on my head to cause injury”. He thanked God that in His wisdom, He had not placed big fruits on a big tree. God knows what is good for mankind. There is nothing wrong in His creation. If you think something is wrong, the mistake lies in your thinking.

Where there is purity of heart, there is spiritual wisdom. But, unfortunately, today man lacks purity of heart. So, his thoughts are polluted. Not only that, everything is polluted including air, water, and food. If one’s heart is sacred, there is no scope for pollution. Human life is highly sacred. Man should always have sacred and divine thoughts in his heart and he should perform all actions with divine feelings. The mind of man is polluted because he allows others to occupy his heart rather than God. The human heart is only a single-seat sofa. Only a pure heart is the proper seat for God to occupy. We should have no other thought than that of God.

Everybody should understand the necessity of the welfare of society as everyone is a part of it. The welfare of society is indeed the welfare of the world. Society has been existing before your birth. Many were born before your birth.

Divine Love Is Eternal And Changeless

Everything has a basis. For instance, gold is the basis of all types of jewels and clay is the basis of all types of pots. Without gold, there can be no jewels and without clay, there can be no pots. In the same way, individuals cannot exist without society. The basis and foundation of individuals is society. Therefore, the welfare of society is the welfare of all individuals, of which the society is an amalgam.

Though gold is one, the jewels made of it have many forms and shapes. Have the faith that God is one though He has many forms. This is what man must realise, which is the goal of his life. Primordial sound Om is the fundamental principle of the entire creation. Om is Brahman or God. This is the Truth. Truth is the same in all periods of time – past, present, and future. It is the world that changes. Truth is eternal. Truth is God. Everything in the world is temporary like passing clouds. God alone was there before the creation and will be there after the destruction. God is the hero; the world is zero. Zeros have value only due to the number one with them. Any number of zeros have no value without the number one. Love only God which signifies Truth, not the world which has no value. Love is infinite and indefinable. Love is God. Today love in man has changed into hatred and envy; it is tainted with jealousy. Divine love is changeless. Individuals may have liking for different names, forms, and colors, but the basic love should not change. Here is a small story to illustrate this.

Once a mother called her children to offer them some juice to drink. One of the children wanted to have red color juice, another asked for the juice of green color, the third one preferred yellow juice, and the fourth required white color juice. The wise mother decided to please all of them and gave them the same juice in red, green, yellow, and white glasses. Similarly, the fundamental love in each being is the same. It is the container of the body due to which we see it as good or bad. Love should always be pure. It should not be poisoned with evil qualities of envy, hatred, and anger. Only pure love can transform the mind and actions of man.

Develop Inward Vision And Acquire Spiritual Wealth

Perform only those actions which do good to others and use your body and resources for the benefit of society. Surrender your body to God. Then all your actions will become good. But modern man uses his knowledge of science and technology to exploit Nature. He makes wrong use of his intelligence. This is a grave mistake. The earth is a sphere. If you keep on digging at one place, the balance of the earth will be lost. In God’s creation, there is perfect balance. But because man is making gross misuse of his intelligence, the entire globe has become imbalanced. Education should lead man to acquire useful skill but instead he uses it to kill. Man today has outward vision and he craves for worldly wealth. Instead, he should develop inward vision and acquire spiritual wealth. It is only through sacrifice that he can attain immortality. Removal of immorality leads to immortality. You cannot buy God with all your wealth and authority. You can win Him with Love and Truth.

Take the example of King Harishchandra. He sacrificed his kingdom and even sold himself and his wife for the sake of Truth. That is why he is known as Sathya Harishchandra and has attained an exalted place in the history of India. But people today do not yearn to earn a good name; they only desire to acquire more and more money. Such people have no place in history; they have only hysteria for wealth. What is history? Real history is His story, the story of God and His devotees. King Harishchandra’s story is history. Follow the example of King Harishchandra and develop Prema, Satya, and Tyaga (love, truth, and sacrifice).

Perform Sacred Actions

Man today has limitless desires. Everyone in the country wants to amass more and more money. That is why the country is facing great economic problems. Everyone wants to be rich. Be rich in love and sacrifice. Who is the richest man? One who has much sacrifice and contentment is the richest man. And who is the poorest man? One who has too many desires is the poorest. The sky is the limit of man’s desires today. In countries like U.S.A., every family has three or four cars. Each member of the family has a separate car. If a person wants to cross a road, his wait becomes endless. For good health, man needs to walk, because walking is a good exercise for physical fitness. But we want to use the car even for a short distance. People today want to have an air conditioner in all the rooms and even in the bathroom. We need a coolie to carry even a small bag. Do your work yourself. People today do not want to work with their hands. But they keep on filling their belly. If you sit and eat, your health will be spoilt. Physical work is very necessary for good health. Modern man is mad with excessive desires. Develop sacred thoughts and perform sacred actions. When sacred actions are done to please God, your conscience will not permit you to make mistakes. But today few people have sacred thoughts. However, there are some noble souls who perform sacred actions silently without any publicity. They are not known to all.

Once there was a compassionate woman who used to distribute blankets to people sleeping on pavements during winter season. She was so humble that she always walked with her head bent down. One day, a student noticed this and was surprised to see her walking in this way. So, he asked her why she walked in this manner. She replied, “God has provided everything to us including two hands. What a shame that I am giving only one blanket! So, I walk with my head bent out of shame”. On hearing this, the boy learnt a great lesson in humility. He introspected and found that he was proud and egoistic about his studies. Then he decided to perform dedicated service to needy people with humility. Sadly, elders these days are not setting a good example for the younger generation. When their children acquire M.B.A. degrees in India, they send them to U.S.A. for higher studies so that they can earn more money. Of course, money and higher studies are necessary, but you should also acquire virtues.

People should understand that money alone does not give peace of mind. In fact, there is a lack of peace of mind in countries like U.S.A. with the result that there is a high rate of suicides in these countries. Peace of mind is found in the sacred land of Bharat. Develop virtues and then all types of prosperity will follow. Money comes and goes; you may have money today, but tomorrow it may disappear. Can you carry with you any property or wealth when you leave this world? You should earn God’s grace now so that when you leave this world, which is zero, you will have God with you as your own. While living in the world also, you should keep the awareness of the Divine within you. The goddess of wealth is not blind; she examines who is making proper use of money. She will be unhappy if you misuse money. So, do not make the goddess of wealth unhappy.

Develop Nearness With God

The real wealth of man is his character. Money comes and goes. Where are all those mighty kings who ruled over big empires? Where is their wealth? No one comes into this world with wealth and no one can take it with him when he leaves the world. But you carry with you the fruits of good and bad deeds from life to life. So, perform only good deeds. Good is God. The word good has two zeros, one of which is the world. Leave this world, which is zero, behind. Then only God will remain with you. Everything in the world except Divinity comes and goes. Proximity to God is the true wealth. A spoonful of cow’s milk is more valuable than a barrel of donkey’s milk. Attain the milk of Divine wealth. Radha sang,

Oh Krishna! Sing a sweet song, and fill my heart with nectarines words and bliss. Distil the essence of the Vedas, transform it into divine music, play it on Your enchanting flute, and captivate me with Your melody. Sing, oh Mukunda! Sing for me!!

(Telugu Song)

What is the meaning of flute here? The flute means one’s body with nine holes. The body should be filled with the Divine music which is the milk of the Vedas. What does milk refer to here? The milk denotes the four Vedas. Just as we draw milk from the four udders of a cow, the four Vedas supply spiritual nourishment to our minds and bodies. The essence of the Vedas is So’ham. The inhalation and exhalation of breath makes the sound So’ham (That I am). It continuously reminds us “I am God”. That is what man needs to realise. Then only can he experience nearness with God. When you develop nearness with God, you will get all types of prosperity – worldly as well as spiritual.

Limit your desires for money. No doubt, money is necessary for living in the world. But do not amass limitless money. Share your excess money with others who are in need. Why do you want the entire Ganga when a container of water is sufficient for your needs? When you limit your desires, the economic problems of the country will be reduced. When you share your excess money with others, you will earn health, happiness, and longevity. Drink the wine of Divinity and enjoy bliss. Do all your work with divine feelings. Then it will be pleasing to God. Remove the negative qualities of jealousy, hatred, and anger. If you give up the bad qualities, you will live long and become immortal. Less luggage, more comfort makes travel a pleasure. You can lead a happy life when you reduce the burden of desires.

(Bhagawan brought His Discourse to a close with the Bhajan “Bhava Bhaya Harana Vandita Charana”.)

– Bhagawan’s Divine Discourse in Sai Sruthi, Kodaikanal on 21st April 1996.