Understand the Divine Principle of Love

A knotted gnarled tree trunk may be made straight as a pole,
A shapeless hunk of rock may be carved to form a beautiful idol,
But, is there anyone who can change human mind?
(Telugu Poem)

God Assumes Human Form to Develop Divinity in Man

Mind is extremely queer and fickle. It is very powerful and can move very fast. A person may be sitting at a certain place but his mind may fly away thousands of miles away from him in a moment, visualising something at such a long distance. That is what Arjuna also said to Lord Krishna in the Bhagawadgeeta, ChanchalamHiManahKrishnaPramathiBalavaddrudham (this mind is very unsteady, turbulent and powerful), and asked Him how he should control such a powerful and fickle mind.

Associate Yourself With Good Company

Mind has both animality and humanness. You should try to understand what is meant by animality and humanness. When the mind is overpowered by the six inner enemies of man, viz., Kaama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada and Maatsarya (desire, anger, greed, delusion, pride and jealousy), man forgets his humanness, takes to the path of animality and degenerates to the level of an animal. On the other hand, when the mind follows the path of humanness and makes proper use of Mathi (mind), Gathi (destiny), Stithi (position) and Sampatthi (wealth) given by God, man can rise to the level of divinity and do great good to his country and society at large. Mind is the root cause of good and bad. The nobility that is there in the mind cannot be found anywhere else. Similarly, the wickedness that is found in the mind cannot be found anywhere else. Mind is as much good as it is wicked.

Mind by nature is absolutely pure. It is only due to the influence of bad company that it becomes wicked. Take, for example, a newspaper. If you wrap jasmine flowers in it, it will acquire the fragrance of jasmine flowers. Similarly, if you wrap Pakodas (an Indian savoury) in it, it will emit the smell of Pakodas. The newspaper on its own does not have any type of smell. Whatever item is wrapped in it, it will acquire the smell of that item. Similarly, if the mind follows noble path and you associate the mind with everything good, the mind will also become good. What is the noble path? How noble would the mind become when it is associated with sacred feelings, good thoughts, noble behaviour, good company, spiritual activities, moral values and righteous actions! On the other hand, when it is associated with wicked qualities, wicked thoughts, evil company and bad behaviour, it becomes extremely wicked. In fact, it becomes demonic. There is nothing good or bad in the mind itself. It is only due to good or bad influences that it becomes good or bad. If you want your mind to be good, you should associate yourself with good company. At times, good appears to be bad and bad appears to be good. It becomes difficult to decide what is good and what is bad. Good habits, good speech, good conduct and good behaviour will ultimately make us good. Therefore, good habits are very essential for every human being. You should get rid of all your evil qualities and develop good qualities.

Shirdi Sai Baba’s Love For Nana

One day, Shirdi Sai Baba started laughing loudly all of a sudden. Nobody could understand the reason. In those days, some people considered him a mendicant, others considered him a fakir and a few others considered him even a madcap. He appeared as fakir to those who considered him a fakir and as madcap to those who thought him to be so. While laughing like this, Baba said, “Oh Kulkarni, come here.” Kulkarni was one of those persons who lived with Baba. When Kulkarni asked Baba what his command was, Baba took out two coins from his pocket and gave them to him, saying, “Go and bring Nanasaheb Chandorkar with you.” Nana was a Tahsildar. In those days, Tahsildar was considered a very high officer. It was Tahsildar who decided all revenue matters. Apart from holding such a high post, Nana was also well-versed in Sanskrit. Besides being a high officer and a great scholar, he had a very impressive personality also. Because of all these, he was very proud.

When Kulkarni went there, Nana asked him, “What brings you here?” Kulkarni said, “Baba is calling you.” Enraged at this, Nana said to him, “Fie on you! Don’t you have sense? I am a Tahsildar and a great scholar. If any fakir calls me, shall I go to him? Do you want me to go to a fakir? Go away from here.” When Kulkarni informed Baba about the refusal of Nana, Baba asked him to go again and bring him. In fact, Baba started shouting like a mad man, “I want to see Nana, I want to see Nana.” Kulkarni was perplexed and thought, “What is this! Nana is insulting me also. How come Baba has so much love for such a proud person that he is asking me again and again to bring him?” Kulkarni went to Nana again, caught hold of his feet while shedding tears and pleaded with him, “Baba wants to see you and you have to come.” At last, Nana relented and said to Kulkarni, “I will come for your sake and not for Baba. I have nothing to do with him and there is no need for me to see him.” Kulkarni pleaded again, “Please accept my prayer and do come.”

Nana came to Shirdi and asked Baba, “Why have you called me here? Do I have anything to do with you? I am a high officer and you are just a fakir. I have nothing to do with you and you have nothing to do with me.” Baba came near him and said, “Sit down. So much excitement and pride is not good. I don’t lose anything because of your pride. Only you will be the loser. Be calm, I will tell you something.” When Nana Sat down, Baba said to him, “In this birth, we have no relationship with each other. But in previous births, there was an intimate relationship between us. On account of this relationship, I wanted to see you.” At this, Nana was all the more enraged, “What is this? When we have nothing to do with each other in the present, why do you talk about our past relationship? Nobody knows what has happened in the past. I don’t have faith in such matters.”

Baba got up and placed his hands on Nana’s eyes. When Nana opened his eyes, he could see his past life. However, Nana was not convinced and said to Baba, “I am able to see only my past. Should I not be able to see your past also?” Then Baba touched his own eyes first and thereafter touched Nana’s eyes. After this, Nana could clearly see who he was and who Baba was in the past. Immediately, he prostrated before Baba and said, “Baba! Out of my ignorance, I have behaved foolishly. We mortals act as if we know everything when, in fact, we know nothing. On the other hand, you act as if you do not know anything though you know everything.” This is the difference between God and man. Man behaves as if he has all the knowledge without knowing anything, whereas God has all the knowledge but behaves as if He knows nothing. God appears to be knowing nothing and doing nothing but He does everything and attracts everybody. This is the difference between Deva and Jeeva (God and man). In order to understand this truth, one should develop steady mind, sacred feelings and unwavering vision. Do not give room to doubts under any circumstances. Do not be bogged down and depressed by doubts. At the same time, do not be elated when you receive God’s grace. Maintain equanimity in both the situations. You can attain this state only when you have total faith in God.

Man Can Experience God When He Comes In Human Form

God comes down on earth in human form. It is not possible for man to come close to Him when He assumes any form other than that of a human being. Purandaradasa said, “People offer sugar candy, do Praadakshina (circumambulation) and offer their salutations to the stone idol of a snake. But when they see a snake, they throw stones at it and try to harm it.” God incarnates on earth in human form to provide opportunity to man to redeem his life through Sameepya, Saroopya and Sayujya (proximity, identity and merger). Man can come close to God only when He is in human form. Man has the intelligence to understand another man and not God. Due to this limitation of his intelligence, man can experience God only when He comes down in human form. Man’s intelligence is below senses, whereas the divine principle is beyond senses. Therefore, God has to come in human form to establish intimate relationship with man, to be closer to him, to talk to him and ultimately to grant him the direct experience of divinity. For example, if God comes down in the form of Vishnu with conch, discus, mace and lotus in His hands, man will not be able to establish close relationship with Him. Such a form is not natural for human beings. Therefore, it is necessary that God comes in human form so that man can have intimate relationship with Him in a natural way. That is why God descends on earth in human form to develop divinity in man.

God’s descent does not mean that He comes down from some place high above. It just means assuming human form. Just because He comes down to human level, there is absolutely no deficiency in His Divinity. When the child is lying on the ground, the mother bends down to pick it up in her arms. Her status as mother does not become lower by thus bending down. In the same way, God’s glory does not suffer any decline when He descends from divine level to human level for the protection and redemption of His devotees. But man is deluded when he sees God in human form. He thinks, “How can God be like this in human form? He is moving and talking like an ordinary human being. How can God do like this? He is supposed to be of transcendental nature.” If you cannot understand God when He comes in human form, how can you understand the transcendental divine principle? That is impossible. Either you should rise to the level of God or God should come down to your level. Only then can there be intimate relationship between the two. Just because an Avatar behaves like an ordinary human being, you should not underestimate His Divinity. All humans are divine. Their names and forms vary but the Atmic principle is one and the same in all. First of all, you should try to understand this truth.

There Can Be No Tree Without A Seed

Your present birth carries the sum total of all the Samskaras (inherent tendencies) of your previous births. You will not believe what your names and forms were in your previous births. What is the reason? Since you identify yourself with your present name and form, you have totally forgotten your previous births. Even if you are made aware of your previous births, you will still find it difficult to believe. Here is a small example. You know both Telugu and English. When you speak in Telugu, you do not use English words. Simply because you are not using English words in your speech, it does not mean that you do not know English. Now Anil Kumar is translating My Telugu Discourse into English. In order to translate into English, he should know Telugu. Of course, he knows Telugu. But while translating, he is using only English words. In the same way, even if you know your past life, you forget it because you concentrate on your present life. When you are shown your past life, you will remember it.

However, one need not worry about one’s past. Past is past. Future is not sure. Don’t brood over the future. Present is very important. This is not ordinary present but omnipresent. First of all, you have to understand how present becomes omnipresent? Your present holds your past results and your future results depend upon your present. You will get the belch of the same thing which you have eaten in the morning. What you eat now, you get the belch of it later. Past and future are like trees while present is the seed. There can be no tree without seed. The seed of present has come from the tree of past and the tree of future will come from the seed of present. It is with reference to this that Lord Krishna declared in the Bhagawadgeeta, BeejamMaamSarvaBhutaanam (I am the seed of all living beings). God has no birth but all names and forms are His. Yesterday I told you in My Discourse, when the Chapatis brought by Lakshmibai Shinde were eaten by a dog, Baba said it was he who ate them. God does not observe any difference between high and low. The same divinity is present in all names and forms. This signifies the oneness of the entire creation.

Purity Of Heart Is Essential To Realise God

Mind is the root cause of everything good and bad. That is why it has been said, ManahEvaManushyaanaamKaaranamBandhamokshayo (mind is the cause of bondage and liberation of man). I have told the example of lock and key many times to the children. When you turn the key towards right side, the lock opens. When you turn it to the left side, it closes. Both the lock and the key are the same. But the difference lies only in the turning. Heart is the lock and mind is the key. When you turn your mind towards God, you develop detachment. When you turn it towards the world, you develop attachment. When you see the world with worldly feelings, you see only the world or Prakriti. On the other hand, if you see the world with divine feelings, you see it as the manifestation of God.

Mind is one but it assumes different forms. What is the reason? Depending on the types of Sankalpas (thought currents), its form undergoes change. Whatever form it assumes, mind has to act in accordance with it. Its action cannot be at variance with its form. For example, there was a great actor by name Nagayya. Once he enacted the role of Thyagayya. After assuming the role of Thyagayya, he should act like Thyagayya. On the other hand, if he acts like Nagayya after assuming the role of Thyagayya, people are likely to pelt stones at him. He may be Nagayya behind the stage, but once he is on the stage, he has to be Thyagayya. Similarly, you may be different from Me from the worldly point of view. Once you transcend your worldliness, you and I are one.

You are seeing God all the time, yet you say, you desire to see God. All that you see is God. All the heads that you see belong to the Cosmic Form of the Divine. Everything in this world is the embodiment of divinity. Every individual is essentially divine. Every entity is divine in nature. In spite of seeing the manifestation of God everywhere and in everything, you say that you want to see God. How narrow-minded and foolish you are! What according to you is the form of God? On seeing what will you believe it to be God? You do not know who is God and how He looks like. Then, how is it that you see something and believe it to be God? This is sheer foolishness. Everything is the manifestation of God. When you develop firm faith in this truth, you will realise that there is no faith greater than this.

When King Parikshit came to know that he was left with only seven days of life sojourn on earth due to the curse of a Rishi, he thought, “Why should I waste this precious time of seven days? Let me spend it in the contemplation of God.” He prayed to Sage Suka to narrate to him the story of Bhagavata in seven days. Suka beautifully narrated Gopikas’ love for Krishna. There arose a doubt in the mind of Parikshit and he asked Suka, “Swami! Gopikas were illiterate. They had no knowledge of the Vedas, Shaastras (scriptures), Itihaasas (epics) and Puranas (mythologies), and did not do any spiritual practice. Then, how could they attain the love of God?” Suka replied, “Are all those who know the Vedas, Shaastras, Itihaasas, Puranas able to see God? The Vedas, Shaastras, Itihaasas, Puranas only describe various attributes of God but to realise God, purity of heart is most essential.” One may become a learned person by reading sacred texts, but this is not divine knowledge. You cannot attain divine knowledge by merely reading sacred texts. They only bring about a change in your mind. Suppose, a child turns the pages of the Ramayana. A scholar also does the same. The child sees only the pictures given in it while the learned man tries to grasp the essence of the subject matter. The act of turning the pages is the same in both the cases. But the difference lies in the approach. Even after turning the pages, the child remains as ignorant as he was before while the scholar becomes a Gnani and knower of the subject.

Man Should Lead Life Worthy Of A Human Being

Once when a naughty boy started crying and bothering his mother, she asked him to sit near his father. The father was doing his office work. As the boy Sat there, he started playing with his father’s office papers. The father saw a world map nearby, cut it into pieces and asked him to join these pieces to make the map again in order to keep the boy busy. But the boy did not understand which country of the world was to be placed where. On seeing again, he found that there was a human figure on the reverse side of the map. This he could understand easily. He identified the hands, head and other parts of the human figure and joined all the pieces together to make the human figure again. He set only the human figure correctly. But in this process, the world map on the reverse of it, which he did not understand, was also set right. How did the world map become correct? It became correct by setting the human form correctly.

Hence, first of all, man should become good. Then, the whole world will become good. Therefore, first and foremost, man should conduct himself in a manner worthy of a human being and should lead a life befitting his status as a human being. This itself will transform the human into divine. But, on the other hand, if man becomes animal, how can he do any good to the world? This is impossible. Hence, the first thing for man to do is to lead a life worthy of a human being; he should not degenerate to the level of an animal nor should he become a demon. If man lives like a human being, it is enough. This is the path that leads to divinity.

It is the mind that is responsible for man to live like a man, to rise to the divine level or to degenerate to the level of an animal. Humanness, animality and divinity do not exist separately. They all are present in man. When you lead your life with love, kindness and compassion, you rise to the level of God. These are the attributes of Satwa Guna (serene quality). On the other hand, if you become the slave of your senses and submit yourself to their dictates, you become angry and excited from moment to moment. These are the attributes of Rajo Guna (quality of passion). Then you verily become a demon. Under the influence of Tamo Guna (quality of sloth), man sees good as bad and bad as good. Man is the combination of Satwa Guna, Rajo Guna and Tamo Guna. The world also is the combination of these three attributes. Man should transcend these three attributes. Only then can he experience Brahmaananda (divine bliss). Obey the divine command and act according to it. Try to understand what God expects from you. Develop the sacred feeling that though God is present in all, He assumes human form for man’s redemption. If you see only His physical form and think that He is like any other human being, you don’t gain anything. The physical form of God may be similar to any other human form. The difference lies in the feelings. God is Bhaavapriya and not Bahyapriya (lover of inner feelings, not outward appearances), whereas man is Bahyapriya and not Bhaavapriya. You should transcend Bahya (outward appearances) and make efforts to develop Bhava (divine feelings).

Only God Has Free Will

These were the doubts that Nana initially had. Later on, Nana developed so much faith in Baba that he would not leave him even for a moment. If Baba wanted to smoke, it was Nana who made Chilum (pipe) ready for him. Nana became a close devotee of Baba. There was such an intimate relationship between Baba and Nana that Baba would not eat food without Nana and Nana would not eat food without Baba. Ordinary people could not understand the mystery of this relationship. Some of them objected why should Baba not eat his food without Nana. Then Baba told them, “It is my own sweet will. Why are you bothered about it? Who are you to question me? I feel like eating only when Nana is with me.” God is the ocean of compassion. He is 100% compassion and 100% love. There is none other who is more loving and compassionate than Him. You should properly understand this divine principle of love. This love is present in all. Therefore, you should love all and hate none. If you hate others, others will also hate you. Everything is reaction, reflection and resound. Nobody can say what was his previous birth like nor can he tell what lies ahead for him in the present birth. For people like Nana, whatever work they undertake will be automatically accomplished. Even if they have no yearning for God, God Himself will draw them towards Him. What is the reason? The deservedness of their past births is the main reason. The seed of their previous births becomes a tree and yields fruit in their present birth. It is not possible for the tree to grow without a seed.

Suppose, you go to a beach one day in the evening. You will find only sand everywhere. If there is a rainfall on the next day, you will see many sprouts coming out of sand on the following day. Yesterday, there were no sprouts but today you find greenery. What is the reason? Yesterday, they were lying in the sand in the form of seeds and today the seeds have germinated and become plants. If there were no seeds yesterday, there would be no plants today. The seeds cannot be seen whereas the plants become visible to us. Similarly, one’s past actions are not seen. But the results of all these actions will be visible and one will have to experience them in the present birth. However, you should not worry about your past life. Wait for the divine grace. When the time comes, it will be bestowed on you. Don’t waste time. Time waste is life waste. Every individual has a unique relationship with divinity, about which nobody can say anything. Only God knows about it.

Many modern youth talk about free will. What is the meaning of free will and who has free will? None except God. You say, you have free will to perform a particular task. But the very next moment you will have doubts whether you can accomplish it or not. Then, how can you say you have free will? Never entertain the feeling that you have free will. It is only the Divine that has free will and none else. Even the President of a country is bound by certain rules and regulations. But God has no such restrictions; He can do anything. That is free will. The word ‘free will’ should not be used with reference to human beings. Only God has free will. This is the real power. Man should lead his life like a true human being and conduct himself like a human being while dealing with his fellowmen. When you are living in the society of human beings, you should not behave like an animal. When you greet others with Namaskar, they will also reply to you in the same manner. With whatever feelings you talk to others, they will also talk to you with the same feelings. Therefore, talk sweetly, behave courteously, act righteously and earn a good name. You should become ideal to others. Make efforts to develop humanness. Then only will you earn the praise of others.

(Bhagawan brought His Discourse to a close with the Bhajan "Govinda Krishna Jai…")

– From Bhagawan’s Divine Discourse in Sai Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi Nilayam on 23rd June 1996.