Unity is the Foundation of Peace and Happiness

If the feeling behind the action is good, it is bound to yield good result. But if the feeling is evil, the result is bound to be the same.
(Telugu Poem)

Eradicate Evil Thoughts to Attain Liberation

Dear Students!

Mind is a bundle of thoughts. Thoughts determine the nature of man’s actions. Happiness and sorrow are the result of his actions. Whatever good or bad he experiences in life is the direct result of man’s actions. The root cause of all his actions are his thoughts. Thoughts make the mind and the mind makes man. Man is so named because of his origin from the mind. He has no existence without the mind. One endowed with mind is called man. Birds, animals, and beasts have no mind.

Attain Unity of Thoughts, Words, and Deeds

Speech comes from the mind, the mind comes from Aham (I) and Aham comes from the Atma. Aham is, in fact, the reflection of the Atma. So, speech, mind, Aham and Atma are the members of the same family. Man rises to divine level with the help of speech, mind, and Aham. The harmony of these three helps man to attain divinity; their disharmony leads to loss of man’s peace and happiness. Suppose there live three brothers in a house. If all three of them love and help each other and live with unity and fraternity, there will be peace in the house. If, on the other hand, there develop differences and hatred in their minds due to some reason, the entire house will be embroiled in restlessness and turmoil. Unity is the foundation of peace and happiness. Loss of unity is the main cause of prevalence of dissatisfaction and restlessness. What does the house stand for? What do the three brothers denote? DehoDevalayaProkthoJivoDevaSanathana (the body is a temple and the indweller is God). The body is the house or a temple. There are three brothers in this house. Their names are: thoughts, words, and actions. If there is unity and harmony and happy relationship between them, then you can achieve victory in all your endeavors. But if your thoughts move in one direction, your words in another, and actions in yet another direction, and there is total lack of unity among them, then you cannot perform any task. Unity of thoughts, words, and deeds is called TrikaranaShuddhi. You should develop necessary strength and will power to achieve unity of these three.

Good Company is a Great Blessing

Ratnakara was a cruel and heartless highway robber who robbed and killed travelers just for the sake of filling his belly and feeding his family. He performed all sorts of brutal acts and followed evil path. His thoughts were also cruel and brutal. He was completely devoid of compassion and therefore was very cruel. Once he encountered SaptaRishis (seven great sages). He stopped them on the way with the intention to rob and kill them. Though he harbored evil thoughts, wicked feelings, and bad qualities for a long time, all his sins were destroyed by the Darshan of seven sages. Then the sages advised him, “Oh dear one! There is no greatness in killing others. Even insects and pests can do harm. A true human being always does good to others. You should do good to others and attain divinity. Do not conduct yourself like insects and animals. Never do anything bad. Try to perform good deeds only.” They asked him, “What for do you kill others?”

Oh man! You acquire various types of education and struggle hard merely for the sake of filling your belly. In spite of all your education, you are unable to experience total happiness. Why should you get drowned in sorrow in this manner? Doesn’t God show the way to His devotees who contemplate on Him constantly?
(Telugu Poem)

“Oh madcap! What great happiness do you experience by causing suffering to numerous people just for filling your small belly? And what happiness does your family derive? Do not indulge in sinful acts. You are an able-bodied man. Engage your body in worthwhile activities and earn your living by hard work”, said the sages to Ratnakara by way of imparting their teachings to him. The entire thinking of Ratnakara underwent a sea change by the Darshan, Sparshan and Sambhashan (vision, touch, and conversation) of the sages. Evil thoughts are rooted out by the effect of good company. Eradication of evil thoughts forms the basis of man’s liberation. Man can attain concentration only when he annihilates his evil thoughts. He should make all efforts to develop only good thoughts. And good thoughts are possible only by good company. Therefore, good company should be the main aim of man’s life. The teachings and encouragement of the sages inspired Ratnakara to contemplate on Rama. By constantly chanting the name of Rama, he attained blessedness. By his communion with Lokadata (Creator of the world), he became Shlokadata (creator of poetry). The divine glory of the Lord of the universe spreads by the poetry of a divinely inspired poet. In this way, Valmiki set a high ideal to the world.

Each and every human being should be ideal. There is highest blessedness in humanness. The powers that are present in man are not seen in any other species. In fact, all powers are inherent in man. He should channelize them in proper direction. Exterminate bad qualities, develop good qualities and act according to the good qualities cultivated by you. Then only will the fountain of bliss gush forth from within you. Hence, every human being should eradicate bad qualities and imbibe good qualities. Then only can he become free from sorrows and attain happiness. One who is engaged in good actions and whose faith in God is true and firm can never come to harm.

Faith is Most Important

There may be many people who have come to harm due to lack of faith. But there are none who have come to harm because of their faith. Man today has lost both his eyes of faith. Moreover, he reposes his faith in all things which are not to be believed but does not have faith in things which he is supposed to believe. Man today has faith in everybody except himself. What does it mean? It means that he has no faith in God. According to the calendar, today is Ekadasi. This calendar is prepared by a Siddhanti (one who prepares almanac). You put your faith in the calendar prepared by him, and perform Vrata and do fasting. If it is Sunday today, then people will take it as a holiday. Where does Sunday come from? Where does Ekadasi come from? How do you develop faith in them? Does Sunday come to you early in the morning with writing on its face, “I am Sunday” or does Ekadasi come to you with the writing, “I am Ekadasi”? No, no. The basis of all this is the writing of a Siddhanti. You have so much faith in what has been written by a Siddhanti. But why don’t you have faith in the supreme statements of the Vedas, Tatwamasi (That Thou Art), Pragnyanam Brahma (Brahman is Supreme Consciousness), Ayam Atma Brahma (This Self is Brahman), Aham Brahmasmi (I am Brahman)? This is the greatest weakness of man. He does not have faith in what is true but believes in all that is imaginary. That is why man today is subjected to difficulties, sorrows, and worries. He should have faith in the words of God and should act upon them. Then only can there be improvement in his condition. But, unfortunately, man today lacks faith.

Once Nanasaheb Chandorkar’s daughter Mainatai was in throes of delivery pains continuously for three-four days which made her very weak. At one point of time, her condition was so critical that it became doubtful whether she would survive or not. In those days, hospitals, doctors, and nurses were not so easily available. Nana Saheb kept on reciting the name of Baba and constantly prayed to him to save his daughter. There is connection like that of wireless between God and His devotees. Wherever the devotee may be and in whatever way he may offer his prayer, it reaches God immediately. The devotee has heart-to-heart and love-to-love connection with God. There can be delay in the communication with wireless but there can be no delay in this connection. Nana’s prayer at once reached Baba. There was a devotee of Baba in Shirdi by name Ramgirbuva whom Baba called Bapugirbuva or Bapu. Baba called him near and said, “Bapu! Take this Udi, go to Jamner where Nana lives and give it to him.” On hearing this command of Baba, Ramgirbuva searched his pocket and found that he had only two rupees with him. With two rupees, he could only go up to Jalgaon by rail. He therefore told Baba, “Baba! I have no money to go up to Jamner. With two rupees that I have, I can go only up to Jalgaon. Then how will I go further to Jamner?” Baba then said to him, “Oh madcap! When I have told you to go, I will make proper arrangements also. Do not give room to any doubt.”

At the time of Ramavatar, Hanuman also at first doubted how he would be able to cross such a vast ocean and go to Lanka in search of Sita. But when he remembered Rama, he felt reassured, “Since this is the work of Rama, He Himself will ensure its performance. He has assigned this work to me and not to anybody else because He wants this work to be performed by me. When God gives some work, He would make arrangements for its performance also.” Thinking in this way, Hanuman developed firm and unflinching faith in the power of Rama Nama and flew over the ocean with great confidence. Ramgirbuva also had doubts, “How can I go to Jamner with two rupees in my pocket? It is 30 miles away from Jalgaon. How will I perform this long journey?” He had to perform this journey in a Tonga. In those days, cars and taxis were not available and there were no other means of transport to perform such journeys except Tonga. Ramgirbuva kept doubting, “Will any Tonga owner allow me to sit in his Tonga when I have no money? Otherwise, I have to perform this journey on foot. Will I be able to walk such a long distance?” To remove his doubts, Baba gave him assurance, “Trust my words, follow my command and go.” Without saying anything further, he implicitly obeyed Baba’s command.

Ramgirbuva boarded the train and reached Jalgaon at 1.30 a.m. After reaching Jalgaon, he was lost in thoughts whether he should proceed to Jamner in darkness or should pass the night there at the station. Not able to decide anything, he sat there, closed his eyes, and started praying and chanting the Name of Baba. Soon a tall man in a uniform sporting a turban on his head came there and started calling aloud, “Who is Ramgirbuva who has come here from Shirdi by train?” Ramgirbuva answered, “I am Ramgirbuva. I have come here from Shirdi. Baba has sent me.” The man in uniform said to him, “Come, come. A Tonga is waiting for you.” When he asked where the Tonga had come from, the man replied, “Nana Saheb has sent it.” It was a good Tonga. The horse was also very strong and powerful. The Tonga looked very beautiful. Ramgirbuva got into the Tonga, and it started running very fast. However, it ran so smoothly that Ramgirbuva felt as if it was not moving at all. He thought, Nana’s horse was so fast that even a car could not be faster than it. Lost in these thoughts, he reached the village where Nana lived. The driver pointed towards a house and said, “See, this is the house of Nana.” He got down from the Tonga and walked towards the house of Nana. After going a few steps forward, he turned back to say something to the driver of the Tonga. But he was surprised to find that there was neither the Tonga nor its driver.

Ramgirbuva went into the house of Nana Saheb. Handing over the Udi given for him by Baba, he said to him, “Nana Saheb! Please take this Udi. Baba has sent this for you.” When Nana Saheb asked when Baba sent this Udi, Ramgirbuva told him that he gave it in the evening on the previous day. “I reached Jalgaon railway station at 1.30 a.m. But how did you come to know I would reach at that time? Since you sent the Tonga at the exact time, I reached your house quickly,” said Buva. Nana was surprised to hear this. He said to him, “I have no Tonga; I didn’t send anyone to the railway station; I have no knowledge of your coming. Why are you saying all this? Where is the Tonga? Show it to me.” As there was no time to discuss this matter further, Nana went inside and gave the Prasadam of Udi to his daughter. Nana stood near the door and made an earnest prayer, chanting the Name of Baba. That very moment, he heard the cry of the baby. His daughter delivered a male baby. Nana was beside himself with joy to see it. Coming back to Ramgirbuva, he asked him, “Tell me all that happened. What did Baba say? How did you come from Shirdi?” Ramgirbuva said, “I had only two rupees for train ticket up to Jalgaon. All other arrangements were made by Baba. Baba would never desert those who have faith in him. Faith is most important.”

Man today has lost both his eyes of faith. He has verily become blind. He can achieve success in all his endeavors if he has faith. It was due to his faith in Baba that Nana experienced immense happiness. On the third day after his daughter’s delivery, Nana came to Shirdi along with Ramgirbuva. He said to Baba, “Baba! Your divine play cannot be described in words. What is the message you give to us by your acting and Leela?” The Gopikas in Dwapara Yuga and Vanaras in Treta Yuga experienced the glory of God in this way. Nana had a melodious voice. He used to sing nicely. He sang this prayer:

Oh Baba! Can we ever understand your reality? You are subtler than the subtlest and vaster than the vastest. You are always present in all the 84 lakh species without ever being separated from them. You are present in every speck of dust and every blade of grass. Your cosmic form permeates everything. Oh Baba! Can we ever understand your reality? You are a great Chittachora (thief of our hearts).
(Telugu Song)

Nana said, “Baba! You know everything but you act as if you know nothing. You are the stealer of our hearts.” If you call somebody a thief, he will be beside himself with anger and will ask you, “What have I done? What have I stolen? Why do you call me a thief?” He will pick up a quarrel with you. But if you use the same term in a song and sing in praise of God, “Bada Chittachora Brindavana Sanchara, Gopala Gopala Hey Murali Gopala”, everybody will follow this in chorus, providing rhythm with clapping. There is great sweetness in singing the glory of God. You become intoxicated by tasting the elixir of love expressed in this song. Nobody can describe the bliss one experiences by singing a song describing the sweetness of God’s love.

Sing Bhajans Wholeheartedly

Here is an illustration our students should understand. God is called Ganapriya (lover of music). When you sing the glory of God in a song, it is so sweet. But if you call upon Him in prose, it is altogether different. “Oh Rama! Enta Dayamayudavayya Neevu” (Oh Rama! How compassionate You are!). When you say this in poetry, it does not touch the heart. But if the same words are sung like a song, it causes a pull at the heart. “Rama! Nannu Kapadu” (Rama! Save me); when these words are sung in a song, they become so sweet. But when said in prose, they are not so effective. God is the lover of song and music and is pleased by these. There Nana would sing a song in praise of Baba in his house, here Baba would be enraptured in Shirdi and would swing his head in ecstasy. He also sings this song in chorus. As the singer sings in ecstasy, the listeners are entranced by hearing. God also becomes blissful on hearing the songs of His devotees. There is a lot of sweetness in a song. The prayer to God becomes highly effective when the devotees sing it in the form of Bhajans. Therefore, you should always sing Bhajans wholeheartedly. Valmiki wrote the life story of Rama in His lifetime itself, and Rama’s sons Lava and Kusa sang it in the court of Rama. How could the cruel and brutal Ratnakara, who always committed acts of cruelty, ultimately compose the divine life story of Rama and give it to the world? This is the effect of chanting the Divine Name of Rama which can melt even hard hearts like rocks.

The Divine Name of Rama can sow the seeds of humanness even in a stony heart. Here is a small example. There are many science students here. They know that if we keep a seed on a boulder, it will either dry up or it will be eaten by a bird. No plants can grow on a hard rock. But by the effect of heat and rain, big boulders are also broken up and are changed into soil. When you sow seeds in this soil, they grow into plants. With the passage of time, the plants become trees and bear fruits which are eaten by human beings. This fruit has come from a hard rock. Fruit symbolizes humanness. In the same way, the hard heart of Ratnakara was transformed by the Tapas (penance) performed by him. As he was lost in meditation, there grew a huge Valmik (anthill) on his body. Later, when rain washed away the anthill, he came out of it. Since he came out of Valmik, he was given the name Valmiki. What was the main factor which brought about his total transformation and made him a great sage and a poet? It was the company of seven sages and their teachings which he followed meticulously. Therefore, you should respect your elders and seek their blessings.

Your parents are greater than all others. That is why it is said, MatruDevoBhava, PitruDevoBhava (revere your mother and father as God). Offer salutations to your parents every day and receive their blessings. If you conduct yourself in this manner, you can attain the direct vision of God. Students should see to it that their heart does not harbor harsh and cruel feelings. It should treasure good thoughts, good feelings, and noble intentions. Only then a hard heart like that of Ratnakara would be changed into a gentle and soft one. This is the type of heart in which God likes to dwell. None else should occupy this seat in your heart except God. To whom does this throne of gems belong? It belongs only to God. Nobody has the right to sit on God’s throne. You may welcome any number of people into your mind; there is space enough in it for many people. But your heart has only one seat. It is only a single seat sofa, not a double seat one. Nor is your heart a place for musical chair race. Do not keep on changing the occupants of this seat in your heart so that at one time a particular person may occupy it and at another time another, and so on. Let only God occupy this seat. Always keep it reserved for God. That is what you have to do today.

Never Postpone a Good Action

You are seeing and experiencing many things in this world. You know about the experience of others. Everything good and bad that you experience comes from your own thoughts and conduct and not from others. Therefore, first and foremost, you should purify your thoughts. Whenever a thought arises in your mind, you should immediately watch it and find out: Is it good or bad? Is it right or wrong? Take time and analyze. If you feel that it is not good, leave it at once. But man has no patience today. Whatever thoughts come into his mind, he immediately puts them into action.

When Rama’s arrow hit Ravana, he fell on the ground and was on the verge of death. At that time, many Rishis came near him and surrounded him. Since Ravana was a great scientist, who performed great penance and acquired many types of powers, they wanted to find out what his last message for the world was. They asked him, “Ravana! What was the purpose of your life and what have you achieved?” All his sins were destroyed by the touch of Rama’s arrow. As a result, sacred feelings arose in him. With great difficulty, he folded his hands and offered his salutations to the sages and said, “Oh noble sages! What can I tell you? I wanted to do many good things. But I failed to do so. One thing you have to learn from my life. If a thought to do anything good arises in you, you should do it at once without any delay. Never postpone a good work. Do not take any time to put it into action. Your thought and action should be simultaneous. On the other hand, if any bad thought comes into your mind, do not have anything to do with it. Take sufficient time to ponder over the pros and cons of it. I had thought of changing the sea water surrounding Lanka into sweet water. But I kept on postponing, thinking I would do it at a later date. Ultimately, I could not do this good work. Not only this, I also thought of sending the inmates of hell to heaven to relieve them of their suffering and to provide happiness to them. But that also I kept on postponing. In this manner, I kept on postponing all the good work and ultimately death has overtaken me. I was not able to do all the good work that I had thought of doing. Therefore, it is my advice that whenever a good thought comes into your mind, you must immediately put into practice and experience the happiness derived from it.”

Develop High Moral Character

Never waste any time in performing any good work. Do not give scope to bad thoughts at all. This is what the youth of today should learn. The youth of today are the future redeemers of the nation. Therefore, they should develop noble feelings, take to sacred path and become ideal citizens. When you become an ideal citizen, you will experience great happiness. Therefore, you should cultivate noble feelings. This is what is called individual character. You can become great leaders only when you have individual character. Therefore, it is necessary for you to develop good qualities. When you have individual character, you should develop national character also. You should develop individual character, social character, and the spirit of nationalism. Unfortunately, the spirit of nationalism has become extinct in modern youth. They even do not know what nationalism means. Their vision is limited to “I, my family, and my nears and dears.” This is not correct. You should give highest priority to your country. The culture of Bharat is unparalleled and most sacred.

He is verily a living corpse who does not declare with pride that this is my motherland, this is my mother tongue, and this is my religion.
(Telugu Poem)

Those who lack love for their motherland are no better than living corpses. Therefore, develop love for the country. You should love your country as much as you love yourself because your Deha (body) and Desha (country) are like Bimba (object) and Pratibimba (reflection). Therefore, students should transform their thoughts and develop good qualities and high character. Never give room to bad thoughts at all. If you give little scope to them, they will assume gigantic proportions. Therefore, do not allow bad thoughts to enter the chamber of your heart. If they try to enter, push them back. How? Just shut the door of your heart. You build a house and keep doors and windows in it. What for do you keep the doors? You keep the doors so that you can enter the house and come out of it. Likewise, your friends and relatives may also come in and go out. Can you allow dogs, pigs, and donkeys to enter your house just because you have kept doors in it? You keep the rubbish also out and do not allow it to enter. Similarly, do not allow the rubbish of evil thoughts to enter your body. All that is evil should be kept out. Cultivate good qualities with firm determination. Keep the bad qualities at a distance. Do not allow them to come anywhere near you. It is because of such determination that Ratnakara was transformed into Sage Valmiki. If such a wicked person could become a saint, then what a shame it is if man with all his high education and inherent virtues is unable to rise to the level of divinity! Man who is endowed with Vignyana (secular knowledge) and Pragnyana (constant integrated awareness) should attain the state of divinity. With the help of Vignyana and Pragnyana, he should develop Divya Bhava (divine feelings) and mould himself into a divine being. How can you do it? There is always an idol of Nandi (bull) in front of the Linga in every Siva temple. Nandi is an animal. What is this animal looking at? Where is its gaze fixed? Its gaze is focused on God. It is not looking at the world at all. Since it has focused its vision on God with all concentration, it has become worthy of our worship. How could it attain this deservedness? Because of its one-pointed focus on God. That is how even an animal has attained the deservedness for worship.

Therefore, you should also make your vision sacred and focus it only on God. That is what is referred to as ‘Su-darshan’, meaning good vision. In order to develop such a good vision, you should contemplate on God, worship Him, transform your human feelings into divine feelings, and attain divinity.

(Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajan, “Govinda Hare Gopala Hare…”)

– From Bhagawan’s Discourse in Sai Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi Nilayam on 25th June 1996.