Vedanta is Very Easy to Practise

You may master the Vedas and Vedanta,
You may be an expert composer of beautiful poems and prose,
But if you lack purity of heart, you will ruin yourself.
Never forget these good words.

(Telugu Poem)

Get Rid of the Impurity of Your Heart

Embodiments of Divine Atma! Since ancient times, Indian culture has been propagating the principles of four Purusharthas (objectives of life), namely, Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha (righteousness, wealth, desire and liberation) and also the principles of the Vedas and their auxiliary sciences. The word Veda is derived from the root ‘Vid’ which means knowledge. This knowledge teaches man how he can lead a meaningful and noble life in this world by performing good deeds to attain the four main objectives of life.

The Vedas are Infinite

Sages and seers in their state of deep contemplation received the knowledge of the Vedas directly from Brahman. Initially, the Veda was one. Ekam Veda (Veda is one). It constituted a single body of hymns. It was also said, Ananto Vai Veda (Veda is infinite). Only the sages and seers were the repositories of this infinite knowledge. Later, Sage Vyasa classified this knowledge into three Vedas, namely, Rigveda, Yajurveda and Samaveda with the objective of establishing great ideals in man’s life through the teachings of the Vedas. Thereafter, Yajurveda was divided into two parts, namely, Krishna Yajurveda and Shukla Yajurveda. The fourth Veda, namely, Atharvanaveda was added later. These are the four Vedas that are being practised and propagated.

The Vedas have nine names. The first one is Shruti. What does it mean? As the Vedas were received by the Rishis through hearing in a state of deep meditation, they are called Shruti. In those days, there was no paper; there were no books and no printing machines. The Vedic knowledge was imparted to the disciples by the Guru by word of mouth. Hence, the Vedas were also called Anusrava (that which is heard repeatedly). The third name is Trayee, the fourth Aamnaya, the fifth Samamnaya, the sixth Chhandas, the seventh Swadhyaya (self-learning), the eighth Nigama, the ninth Agama. As the Vedas are nothing but the inhalation and exhalation of the Divine, they are called Nigama and Agama.

The Vedas are related to man’s life in this phenomenal world. They deal with duality. Every Veda has three divisions: Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads. Brahmanas are the compilation of Mantras which are used for the performance of Yajnas, Yagas and other auspicious rituals. The name Aranyaka signifies that man is supposed to study this part of the Vedas when he is living in the forest along with his wife as Vanaprastha (recluse) after completing his Grihastha Ashram (householder stage).

The rules that govern the stage of Vanaprastha are very hard. It is only when one adheres to these rules steadfastly will one earn the eligibility to enter Sannyasa (renunciant stage). Both the husband and wife should leave their house and live like brother and sister in a hermitage in the forest. They should bear all the hardships of forest life with patience unmindful of severe heat or cold and other vagaries of weather. Not only that, they should observe great discipline in their food. From the day of full moon, they should go on reducing a morsel of food each day from their regular intake such that they observe complete fast on the new moon day. Again from the next day onwards, they should go on adding one morsel of food each day to their intake till the day before the new moon day.

If some Grihasthas out of compassion want to offer them food, they should accept it only on a leaf and not on a plate. They should never enter the house of a Grihastha and eat food there. People in those days used to observe such hard discipline of Vanaprastha life. In fact, all the four stages of life, namely, Brahmacharya (celibate stage), Grihastha, Vanaprastha and Sannyasa are related to the worldly life of man. These four stages are prescribed so that man gradually gains control over his mind. There is a stage called Maha Purushartha which is beyond these four stages and is called Parabhakti (supreme devotion).

The Essence and Goal of Vedanta

Then comes Vedanta which is the ultimate goal of spirituality. In fact, the beginning and end of spirituality is contained in Vedanta. Vedanta leads to three types of yoga which has immense importance for everyone. Even students should listen to this with full attention. The first one is Tarakam, the second is Sankhyam and the third is Amanaskam. These three are the essence and also the goal of Vedanta.

What is Tarakam? Tarakam consists of understanding and experiencing the principles of Mudras (subtle yogic postures) like Khechari, etc., then going beyond them and concentrating on Nadabindu (centre of eyebrows) and Soham principle, and ultimately experiencing Sat, Chit, Ananda. Tarakam essentially means merging of man’s mind in the supreme principle of Sat-Chit-Ananda (Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute) and attaining total wisdom.

The second type of yoga is Sankhyam. As it deals with Sankhya (numbers), it is called Sankhya Yoga. Human body consists of Panchakoshas (five sheaths of the soul), Panchendriyas (five senses), Panchabhutas (five elements, namely, earth, water, fire, air and ether), Panchapranas (the vital airs - Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana, Samana), the mind, the intellect, the Chitta, the Ahamkara and Jivatma (individual soul), which together are 25 in number. Sankhya consists of understanding that you are none of these and going beyond them, thereby realising that you are the Atma which is the embodiment of Satchidananda.

The third type of yoga is Amanaskam. What does it mean? There is nothing else in this visible world made of five elements except Brahman. That is why the Vedas say, Ekam Eva Adviteeyam Brahma (Brahman is one without a second). The entire creation is the manifestation of Brahman. There is no second entity. Once this truth is realised, the mind ceases to exist. You see diversity in this world only due to the thoughts and counter-thoughts of your mind. When unity is realised in this diversity, then there is no mind. Everything is Brahman. Whatever you see, hear, think, speak, do and wherever you go, everything is Brahman. It is only when there is a second entity, there is a scope for thoughts and counter-thoughts. But when there is only unity and that is Brahman, there is no scope for thoughts and counter-thoughts. This is the state of Amanaska, meaning a state devoid of mind. There is only love in this state. That love is the truth. In fact, truth and love are one and the same. When truth and love unite, the world loses its identity for you and you see Brahman everywhere.

Radha’s Love for Krishna

Here is a small example. Once Yashoda went on searching for Krishna, “Where is Krishna, where has He gone?” She was searching for Krishna because she identified Him with His physical form. Once you realise that Krishna is everywhere, then you don’t need to search for Him.

As Yashoda was searching for Krishna, Radha came there. Yashoda asked Radha, “Oh Radha! Have you seen my child? Has my Gopala come to your house? I have searched in all streets and have gone to all houses, but I could not find Him. Did you see Him anywhere?” Radha closed her eyes and chanted the name of Krishna with heart full of love. At that very moment, Krishna appeared there. This incident was an eye-opener for Yashoda. She said to Radha, “All along I thought Krishna is my son and I am His mother. I have been thinking that no one else has more love for Krishna than me. I had this pride that there is none other in this world who gives such unlimited love to Krishna as I do. But so far I never realised that your love for Krishna is much superior and is endowed with great power. There is so much power in your love that the moment you remembered Him with love, He manifested before you.”

What was the type of Radha’s love for Krishna? It was pure, unsullied and totally devoid of ego. That is why Krishna manifested before her then and there. If there is even a small trace of impurity and ego in your heart, God will never manifest before you, no matter for how many hours, days and even Yugas (aeons) you may pray to Him.

Yashoda caught hold of the hand of Radha and said, “So far I was under the influence of ego and ignorance. You have removed them and opened my eyes. There may be many in this world who love Krishna more than me. But due to my ignorance, I thought my love for Krishna was the greatest. This was my mistake. Kindly teach me the path of love that you follow.” Radha replied, “Mother, this is not something that someone can teach you or give you. Once you realise your true Self and have total faith in Krishna, this love will automatically develop in you.”

Once when Krishna returned home, Yashoda complained to Him:

Oh Krishna! You do not eat what I serve You at home.
But You go to the houses of the Gopikas
and steal their butter.
Oh dear Krishna! It spoils our good name.

(Telugu Poem)

Yashoda said, “Krishna, there is so much butter in our house, but You don’t eat it. On the other hand, You go to the houses of others and steal their butter even when they try to chase You away. What is the inner meaning of this?” The inner meaning is that Krishna does not steal butter; He steals the hearts of Gopikas which are full of love. If you develop pure, selfless and egoless love, God will manifest before you immediately. You don’t need to wait even for a moment. It is only due to their delusion arising out of their body attachment that people undergo suffering.

Jumsai has just now said, “Helium was formed due to the fusion of hydrogen atoms in the sun.” Jumsai is a great scientist and has a scientific temper. He also told how the stars and the Milky Way were formed. That which has form has birth and death. But that which remains permanently even after the dissolution of the form is truth.

Here is a small example. Cow is the name of an animal. Even after the death of the cow, the word cow remains. Similarly, after the death of an individual, his name remains. When the Atma assumes a form, the form may disappear with the passage of time but the Atma remains forever.

Matter and Energy Combine to Form Human Body

Jumsai has also said that one should search for truth. But where is the need to search for truth when it is everywhere? The body that utters truth may die but truth is never destroyed. Similarly, the principle of Brahman is eternal and changeless. Brahman is present everywhere in the form of sound, light, vibration, conscience, consciousness, etc. How is it possible to attribute a specific form to it? Truth is immanent in all forms. This is the reality that is propounded by the Vedanta.

A great Yogi by name Brahmam Garu, belonging to Andhra Pradesh, explained the principle of Tarakam thus:

Without coming under the veil of forgetfulness,
Always in the waking, dream and deep sleep states,
One should constantly be aware of
the Soham Mantra that would enable
one to realise the Atma Tattwa.

(Telugu Poem)

Tarakam is not associated with Panchakoshas, Panchendriyas or Panchapranas. All these are related to the physical body. The principle of Tarakam has nothing to do with these. Brahman is all-pervasive and is present in all forms and in all matter. Everything is matter. Even the physical body is matter. How can we explain this? You may even verify this truth by enquiring from doctors. Human body is made up of constituents such as water, iron, phosphorous, lead, zinc, etc. The value of these materials put together is only a few rupees. With the material of such meagre value, the priceless human body is made. It however assumes value only when there is vibration in it. Where does the vibration come from? It comes from Brahman. When the foetus is four months and nine days old in the mother’s womb, vibration enters it. Before the entry of vibration, the foetus is a round mass of jelly. When the vibration enters it, it starts rotating and assumes oval shape. How does this vibration start? Does the mother send it inside? It is not sent by anyone. It starts inside when energy combines with matter.

Human body is formed by the combination of matter and energy. It means to say, Brahman and Maya, both are present in the body. Here Maya should not be referred to as illusion. It is Maya only. This is the secret of the Vedanta. We consider this body as human but, in fact, it is not human but Brahman. Here is a microphone. When I speak into it, all of you are able to hear My voice. But if there is no electricity, you will not be able to hear anything even when I speak into it. This mike is the matter; the electric current is the energy. When these two combine, all of you can hear My voice. In the same way, Brahman and Maya combine to assume the form of Brihat, which means the ever-expansive energy.

Realise your Identity with God

Embodiments of Love! All of you are looking here. But do not look here, look within. Pashyannapicha Na Pashyati Moodho (he is a fool who sees, yet does not recognise the reality). You do not gain anything by looking outside. Every moment you are seeing only the outside world. You should internalise your vision. When you turn your vision inward, you will see your true form. Therefore, you have not to see outside, but inside. Whatever you see outside has no value. The owner of the house keeps things like broomstick, plates, baskets, etc., outside. But he keeps the valuable items like diamonds in a steel almirah under lock and key. The servants of the house can see only the items that are kept outside in the house; they cannot see the valuable items that are kept in the steel almirah. Only the owner of the house knows what is inside, but the labourers and servants see only those things which have little value. Likewise, you are no better than a servant if you see only all that is outside.

Most precious gems like Tarakam, Sankhyam and Amanaskam are present within you, but you are not aware of them. What is the reason? You have not established relationship with the owner. You can see all these precious things only when you develop relationship with the owner. Who is the owner? God is the owner. What should you do to develop friendship with God? This is thoroughly explained in Vedanta. However, in order to make the children understand this, I am coming down to your level to explain this. Consider that the owner of the house, God, stays at the upper storey of His mansion. You want to meet the owner of the house. But there is Maya in the form of a big Alsatian dog at the entrance which does not allow you to enter the house. Then what should you do? There are two ways. Either you befriend the Alsatian dog of Maya to gain entry into the house or you loudly call out the name of the owner who will come down to take you with Him, saying, “Hello, you have come.” When the owner Himself takes you inside the house, the dog will not bother you. When you go alone, it will not allow you to go inside.

God is at a higher place and has kept Maya as the watchdog at the entrance of His mansion. To befriend Maya is Jnana (wisdom). How can this be done? Who has kept Maya at the entrance? God has kept it. Once you realise your identity with God, the owner of the mansion, then the Maya cannot stop you from entering the mansion. The realisation of your identity with God is the state of Advaita. That is why it is said, Advaita Darshanam Jnanam (experience of non-dualism is wisdom). On the other hand, if you call out the names, Rama, Krishna, Govinda, Narayana from below, then the owner will come down and take you inside with Him. When you are with God, Maya will not trouble you. Therefore, you should have either Jnana or Bhakti to enter the mansion of liberation and be with God. You should be in constant communion with God in all the three states: Jagrat (waking), Swapna (dream) and Sushupti (deep sleep). You may be thinking how it is possible to cook food, do household work or discharge your duties as a householder if you think of God all the time. Students may think how they can study, remember the lessons and pass the examinations if they think of God always. There should be no room for such a doubt. Consider all the work you do as God’s work.

Do all your Work with Divine Feelings

When you cook food, the quantity of item should be proportional to the volume of the vessel used for cooking, and also suitable heat should be provided for cooking. If you have a small vessel, then you should put only half a kilogram of rice in it. Then the cooking will be proper. If you put two kilograms of rice in a small vessel, you will not be able to cook. Not only that, you should supply only as much heat as necessary while cooking food. If you put a small vessel on a big flame, the vessel will get charred. When the food is getting cooked, you should gradually reduce the flame. In this manner, you should enquire what is temporary and what is permanent in every aspect of your life. Once you cross the river, you don’t need the raft any more. In the same way, when the food is cooked, you don’t need the flame any more. So far as you are hungry, you require food. When your hunger is satiated, you don’t require food any more. But this does not mean that you should waste or destroy something after fulfilling your need.

Just like burning the raft after crossing the river,
Man forgets God after his desires are fulfilled.
Such is the ingratitude of modern man.

(Telugu Poem)

The raft that has helped you cross the river should be kept at a safe place so that others can make use of it. In this manner, you should always do good to others. What is the use of burning the raft after crossing the river? It serves no purpose. After experiencing the bliss of contemplation on God, you should constantly remain immersed in it. Whatever you do, reading, writing, walking, talking, etc., do it with divine feelings. Do not indulge in unnecessary talking which is useless, useless, useless! Instead why don’t you talk about God? Don’t give scope to any useless talk. It is correct to spend your time in studies. Use your leisure time to do good deeds. That is true awareness. What does awareness signify? Awareness is Chit, which means knowledge. But due to excessive talking, students are not able to attain true knowledge. Not only that, the power of vibration and radiation is wasted by too much talking. Therefore, never indulge in unnecessary talk in any matter. Your mind may not waver by such talk, but listening to you, others’ mind may waver. Therefore, you should always keep in mind the feelings of others.

Watching a Sin being Committed is also a Sin

You may say, the person next to you is committing a sin, but you are not doing anything wrong. But you are watching the other person commit the sin as a mute spectator. Therefore, you will get half the share of the sin. There are many such subtle secrets in Vedanta.

When Duryodhana tried to disgrace Draupadi in the Kaurava court, at that time she requested all the elders like Bhishma, Dronacharya, Kripacharya to save her but none of them came to her rescue. Later on, Krishna told Bhishma, “You are one of great wisdom. Dronacharya is one of the greatest Acharyas (preceptors). But none of you opened your mouth to prevent Duryodhana from committing this great sin. Therefore, Duryodhana alone is not the sinner; you are also a party to it as you have seen this sin being committed before your eyes.” When you know what is being done is a sin and you do not try to prevent it, you also get a share of the sin. If you watch someone indulging in violence, you cannot escape the blame. One who commits the sin, one who watches it, one who encourages it and one who enjoys it being committed, all the four are sinners. Therefore, all the elders like Dronacharya and Bhishma were equally to be blamed for the sinful act of Duryodhana. What was their fate ultimately? Bhishma had to lie on the bed of arrows for 56 days before he ultimately died. Why should a man of great wisdom meet such an end? Though he knew a sin was being committed, he did not try to prevent it. This was the cause of his suffering in the end. Dronacharya was a great preceptor who taught the art of using weapons to both, Kauravas and Pandavas. But what happened to him ultimately? On hearing Dharmaraja utter the words, Aswatthama Hatah Kunjarah (an elephant by name Aswatthama is dead), he was so overpowered by his attachment to his son that he thought his son Aswatthama had been killed. Consequently, he threw away his weapons and was killed in the battlefield.

Man suffers from three types of attachments – Dhaneshana, Dareshana and Putreshana (desire for money, wife and progeny). This has been explained in Vedanta at great length. Man commits many sins due to these three types of attachments. One has to get rid of these three to realise the principle of Tarakam.

Develop Love and Faith to Attain God

The divine principle of Brahman is immanent in all. When you contemplate on Brahman with the feeling of oneness, you will certainly realise Brahman. Krishna said to Arjuna, “You may be wondering how you can think of Me in the midst of battle. Maam Anusmara Yuddhyacha (remember Me and fight the battle). When you fight the battle while remembering Me, you will certainly attain victory. When you remember Me, I will take care of everything.” One should have total faith in the words of God. Here is a small example.

I have told this to My students many times. The Mahabharata war was to start on Amavasya (new moon day). Arjuna was totally dejected and depressed on seeing the formation of Kaurava and Pandava armies a day prior to Amavasya, i.e., Chaturdasi. Earlier, it was Arjuna himself who had insisted that they were ready to fight the battle with the Kauravas and Krishna should not go to the Kaurava court on peace mission. The same Arjuna was very nervous when the war was actually to commence. Krishna wanted to impart the knowledge of the Bhagavadgita to Arjuna to instil courage and enthusiasm in him. But before imparting this knowledge, Krishna wanted to test Arjuna whether he had total faith in Him.

Krishna took Arjuna to a forest and while returning, it became dark. Then Krishna pointed to a bird perched on a tree and said, “Arjuna, see how beautiful is this peacock!” He started this conversation to see the state of Arjuna’s mind. Arjuna replied, “Yes, Swami, the peacock is really beautiful.” Krishna said, “Oh madcap, that is not a peacock. Don’t you see it is an eagle?” Arjuna replied, “Yes, Swami, it is an eagle.” Then Krishna slapped him on his back and said, “What a fool you are Arjuna that you are unable to make out whether it is a peacock, an eagle or some other bird? Look carefully. It is neither a peacock nor an eagle. It is a pigeon.” Arjuna replied, “Yes, Swami, it is a pigeon.” Pretending to be a little angry, Krishna said, “Don’t you have common sense? Don’t you have discrimination power? What are you thinking? You don’t seem to enquire whether it is a peacock or an eagle or a pigeon. You are blindly saying yes to whatever I say.” Then Arjuna replied, “Oh Krishna, if I say it is not a peacock, You may change it into a peacock. Similarly, if I say it is not an eagle or a pigeon, You may turn it into any of them. You can do anything. Therefore, Your word is important for me. How does it matter to me whether it is a pigeon or a peacock or an eagle?” Krishna was very happy that Arjuna had so much faith in His words. He placed His hand on Arjuna’s head and blessed him, saying, “Now you are My true devotee.”

Manmana Bhava Madbhakto
Madyaji Maam Namaskuru
Maam Evaishyasi Satyam
Te Pratijane Priyo Asi Mey.

(Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, offer obeisance to Me and worship Me. Truly, do I promise that you will come to Me for you are dear to Me.)

Only after confirming that Arjuna had full faith in His words, Krishna imparted the knowledge of the Bhagavadgita to him. What is the use of imparting the knowledge of the Gita to someone who has no faith? Similarly, you should have total faith in the teachings of Vedanta. Only then can you conduct yourself accordingly. If you obey Swami’s command with total faith and contemplate on Him incessantly, you will have the vision of Swami in a moment. Truly, He will manifest before you instantly.

In this manner, you have to enquire into the teachings of Vedanta and understand their significance. In fact, it is very easy to understand Vedanta. People are getting confused as they are not able to understand the real meaning. However, there is no harm in getting confused, but some people even get depressed. When a person has both confusion and depression, he loses his balance of mind. If you make real effort, it is easy to understand Vedanta. It may be a little difficult to crush the petal of a flower or a ball of butter, but to understand and follow the teaching of Vedanta is much simpler.

Students! Understand this clearly. Butter is very soft, but it does not melt unless you heat it a little. Similarly, God is very soft and sweet. But in order to experience Him, you need the fire of Jnana. This can be illustrated by the life of a couple living in a forest during the stage of Vanaprastha. The wife arranges three bricks in the form of a hearth and places a vessel on it. She pours rice and water in the pot and lights fire under the vessel. Her husband who is always immersed in the contemplation of Brahman sees this and gives a spiritual interpretation to it. He compares the three bricks to the three Gunas, Sattwa, Rajas, Tamas (serenity, passion, sloth), vessel to human body, rice to desires, water to love and fire to the fire of wisdom. Do you heat the rice directly on the fire? No. The fire heats the vessel first, which in turn heats the water and then boils the rice. Similarly, you should keep the body in contact with the fire of wisdom, i.e., near God. Then the water of love will be heated and boil the rice of desires. Therefore, you should keep the body and the mind near and dear to God. When you do this, all your worldly desires will disappear. This is the essence of Vedanta. How simple it is to practice it in your daily life! You don’t need to study any sacred texts nor is there any need for you to perform any spiritual practices. People in those days understood the essence of Vedanta in such easy and simple ways.

There are many small words which propound great truths of Vedanta. One can write 300 books, taking three words from Vedanta. How is it possible? There are only 26 letters in the English alphabet, with the help of which any number of books can be written. There are only four strings in the violin which can produce as many as 40 tunes. Similarly, if you have only faith and love, you can achieve anything. In fact, God Himself will become a puppet in your hand. You will not be in the hands of God, but God will be in your hands when you have love and faith.

Jumsai said, though each person looks different from the other, the same Atma is present in everyone. All are one, be alike to everyone. He said, all are children of God. But according to Me, all are not children of God, but God Himself.

Love is the Divine Essence

Students! I am telling you something subtle and significant. Try to understand its import. If you become a lover, you may love one or two individuals. But if you become love itself, you can love anyone and everyone. By being a lover, you put yourself in a low category. Therefore, don’t become a lover, be love itself. When you become love, you will be loved by all. Then you will realise the principle of Ekatma Bhava (feeling of oneness). The same principle of love is present in everyone. Vedanta gives great importance to this principle of love. What type of love should one develop? This love is not related to the body or the mind. One should love God in every way. Then automatically all the unwanted attachments will be dispelled. Then only will you experience the principle of Advaita.

The sugarcane has many joints, but its juice is uniformly sweet. Similarly, there may be many modulations in your thoughts, but if you add the sweetness of love to your thoughts, they will become sublime. This is denoted by the Vedic dictum, Raso Vai Sah (God is in the form of essence). Love is divine; it signifies the principle of Brahman. God is in the form of love and love is the divine essence. Here Rasa does not mean Padarasa (mercury) but Prema Rasa (essence of love). Mercury does not mix with any element; it always maintains its distinctness. But Prema Rasa is not like that; it mixes and gives sweetness to whatever it comes in contact with.

One may be a highly accomplished scholar having
mastered the Vedas, the Shastras and the Puranas,
One may be a great emperor ruling over a vast kingdom,
But none can equal a devotee who has sacrificed
everything for the Lord.
Without love for God, one cannot attain liberation.

(Telugu Poem)

Today we have started the teaching of Vedanta in a small way. Truly, each and every Mantra of Vedanta is pregnant with deep meaning. Vedanta is very easy to practice. It is not possible for anyone other than Divinity to explain the principle of Vedanta in such simple terms.

Seeing My physical form, you may be deluded to think that I am also a human being like you. You may love Me but you may not attach due importance to My words because of this delusion. But I am neither the body nor the mind nor the Buddhi nor the Chitta. I am none of these. I have assumed this body only for your sake. This can be illustrated by a small example. There is water in this tumbler. Tumbler is required to hold water.

There is a lamp, oil and a wick.
But, can the lamp light itself?
Should there not be someone to light the lamp?
There are flowers, a needle and the thread.
But, can the garland be made on its own?
Should there not be someone to stitch the garland?

(Telugu Poem)

There is knowledge and there is intelligence, but can you experience the knowledge unless there is a Guru to impart the knowledge? Similarly, this body has come to demonstrate what is truth, what is Mithya (unreal) and what is Brahman.

Realise your Oneness with Swami

Embodiments of Love! Don’t think I am speaking out of ego. I am only revealing the truth about Myself. You have not understood even a fraction of My Reality. None can describe My nature as this or that. I am a man among men, a woman among women, a child among children, and when I am alone, I am Brahman. This is My Reality (loud applause). I conduct Myself according to the group of people around Me.

When I am among elders, I have to behave like an elder. When among children, I have to act like a child. If an old man is playing with toys, children will laugh at him. If a child is taking the support of a walking stick like an old man, elders will be amused. It is natural for an old man to take the support of a walking stick and for a child to play with toys. Similarly, when I am with children, I make them happy by giving them this and that. But when someone comes to Me with a desire for spiritual knowledge, I teach the same to him. When a householder comes to Me, I teach him the Dharma of a householder. Similarly, I teach everyone what is required by him. What for do I do all this? It is only to make you realise the ultimate reality of your oneness with Swami. You have attained this opportunity out of your great good fortune. No other Avatar has provided this type of opportunity to human beings (loud applause). Having attained this golden opportunity, if you conduct yourself in accordance with My teachings, your life will be certainly sanctified and redeemed.

You will see the rise of My glory with the passage of time when even the blind people and ignoramuses will say, “Swami is God.” God subjects human beings to test every now and then. Do not become a victim of Maya. Emerge victorious in the tests of God. When you immerse yourself in love, you will relish the tests of God. Nobody can describe, love is like this or that. More than the Vedas, it is very essential to understand the teachings of Vedanta. The path of love is much easier than the practice of Japa, Dhyana, yoga, etc.

God is not interested in knowing how many bags of rice and how many Saris you have distributed to the poor. You may send this list of items to the income tax department. What I am interested in is only your feelings. Even if you perform a small act of charity, I see your feelings behind it. I am not interested in the number of Saris and bags of rice that you distribute. Swami values only quality.

Rukmini could earn the grace of Krishna by offering only a leaf of Tulasi. Kuchela could earn the grace and love of Krishna by offering Him a fistful of beaten rice. What did Draupadi do when she had to feed Sage Durvasa and his one thousand disciples when she had nothing with her? She offered a grain of rice left in the cooking pot to Krishna and prayed to Him, “You are our only refuge.” When Krishna put that grain of rice in His mouth, immediately the hunger of Durvasa and his disciples was satiated. In the times of every Avatar, there are such instances of devotees earning the infinite grace of the Lord by making such small offerings with devotion and love. Therefore, get rid of the impurity of your mind. Destroy your ego. Learn to make offerings of love. Only then will you have the good fortune of experiencing Ananda.

(Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajan, “Sathyam Jnanam Anantham Brahma…")

– From Bhagawan’s Discourse in Sai Kulwant Hall on 31st July 1996.