Install Divinity In The Heart

“In this world that you behold, there is the infinite awareness pervading everywhere. It is the Atmic principle. It is passing through the entire universe just like a thread passes through the precious gems to keep them together in the chain.”

(Telugu poem)

All Beings Are Sparks Of Divinity

“Mamaivamsho Jivaloke Jivabhutah-sanatanah”

Declares Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. Thus the ideal is set for the entire world that all beings are sparks of the Eternal Divinity. Without understanding the import of this great truth, many aspirants are suffering from anxieties and worries, bereft of self-confidence. Those who are sparks of Divinity have no reason to get into grief at all. The Divine has no worry or grief. He is Eternal Bliss Himself! How then can His sparks be subject to worries? It is only due to the non-realisation of their real nature that people get worried. They are carried away by the momentary and transient worldly comforts and ultimately plunge themselves into grief.

His is nothing but sheer animal quality. A compassionate heart is the natural feature of a human being. Therefore, what is the use of reading the scriptural texts? What is the use of studying the Bhagavad Gita without making any effort to put the teachings into practice?

Smarana And Anusmarana (Contemplation And Constant Contemplation)

Arjuna asked Krishna, “Why are you putting us to this harrowing experience of fighting the battle and why have you burdened us with family problems and other difficulties, while we have been always following the Righteous path and are devoted to You?”

Krishna smilingly replied, “Oh! Arjuna, you made Me sit on your chariot as a charioteer. This chariot is after all susceptible to destruction. You have not made Me sit in your heart, which is the eternal chariot. That is Mantra, whereas this physical chariot is yantra (machine). Yantra has no life while Mantra has the life force. You say that you think of Me. This is only smarana, and not anusmarana – smarana is time-bound, while anusmarana is constant contemplation, beyond time and space. If you do anusmarana, you will experience Divinity within.” Krishna said, “Ma manusmara! Yudhyacha.” Think of me even in the battle-field and fight. You will have no trouble at all.

Arjuna asked Krishna, “How can I constantly think of you? I have to perform my duties to my family and rule the kingdom." Krishna said, "No doubt, these are your rightful duties. You have to take care of your wife and children and discharge your responsibilities given by God. But when you do your duties thinking of Me, you will have no difficulties.

Desire Is Deadly, Detachment Is Divine

There are two ways in which you do your duties. One is apeksha, that is being desirous of results, which is worldly. Nirapeksha – doing duty without any desire for result. Apeksha is marakam (deadly bondage), Nirapeksha is tarakam (Liberation).

Man is travelling in these two paths. Let us take an example. The principal of a college is transferred to another place. As long as he was the principal of the present college, he was in charge of all furniture, equipment in laboratories and other appurtenances. He cannot take any of these things with him, as they belong to the Government. But, when he vacates his dwelling place which might be a rented house, he loads all the things in the lorry and takes them away to the new place. Even old chappals, broomsticks and similar items, he will not leave behind. While he delightfully leaves behind the equipment and things in the college, he takes away all his belongings from the house. The sense of mineness makes him to collect all these. What is associated with attachment is marakam and what the Principal leaves behind without attachment is tarakam. He is only a temporary trustee and custodian for the safe upkeep of the college property.

Similarly one should do his duty in the world with detachment. If you go on doing with attachment to the object, you are acting under illusion. You must understand the principle of tarakam. Use the gifts of nature to the maximum, but all the while do not forget that it is only temporary and you cannot claim permanent ownership of any. Living in the mundane world, you should not become a slave of attachment, which will cause restlessness. All materials of creation belong to God. All beings are His belongings, as all are spark of the Divine. With this attitude you have to discharge your duties.

God’s Gift Is Affluence; World’s Gift Is Poverty

Man is experiencing trouble because he is not contented with his lot. Thinking of the past and worrying about future, man becomes restless. God is the embodiment of love. Love can be attained only by love. Love knows no doubt at all. Divine love is selfless. Where there is selfishness, there is fear. Love has no fear. It does not expect any reward. Love is in all. Tread the divine path of love. You cannot experience this as long as you are filled with selfishness. Love of God always gives and never receives. Worldly love always receives and never gives. Spiritual love gives, but is only ready to receive with full of greed. In my opinion, in the ephemeral world, it should not be a one way traffic. You have to receive from God and give to the world. It is a pity that man never follows this and is always keen only to receive with no trace of giving. Hence man suffers. To receive from God is a true affluence. To get from the world is a symbol of poverty.

Buddha stated that the richest man in the world was not the one like his father, who was an emperor, but one who is contented with what he has. You have to check your desires and put a ceiling on them. One who has multiple desires is poor. Only by controlling desires you can reach the goal.

Unity And Significance of Trinity

In the spiritual path, one may follow many ways. The state President, Krishnamurthy mentioned about shravanam and keertanam (listening and singing about God). Though these are different types of devotion, there are some stories pertaining to them which create doubts. We have so many names in the world. Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Rama and Krishna and so on. No one has seen them in human form. This created some doubts in people from abroad. They are the qualities in every one. Vishnu represents the sattvika or pious quality; Brahma represents rajasika or passionate quality, Shiva represents tamasika or negative quality.

Shiva is present in every one as Ardhanarishvara (half-male and half-female). He has his eyes opened partly. If the eyes are open fully, it will cause the destruction of the world. If the eyes are closed, one gets sleep. So, His eyes are half-open, concentrating on the tip of the nose. You find that most of the pictures of Ishvara in a meditative pose, seated in padmasana (Lotus Posture) and his partly opened eyes concentrate on the tip of the nose. This is the right type of posture in meditation.

Shiva is described as the one with moon on his head, the river Ganga flowing through his ears, snakes being wound around his wrists as bangles and so on. He is one who takes a form without human quality. He is in the form of a Linga (egg-shaped form of Shiva). “Liyate Gamyate Iti Lingam.” Linga is one that takes you to the goal and liberates you.

Vishnu is the sustainer. Man meets with a lot of obstacles in the devotional path. He helps you to overcome these obstacles and takes you to the goal safely. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are all pervasive. They are everywhere. They transcend time and gunas (qualities). Vishnu has the conch symbolising sound and chakra (discuss) symbolizing the wheel of Time. Both sound and time come under the control of God. Sound comes from the navel. So, Brahma the primordial sound is depicted as born out of the navel of Vishnu. Silence is Ishvara. That is why you generally see Shiva seated in the posture of meditation. You must discern the unity of the three different aspects of God. Sound, Time and Energy are all under the control of God. Shiva is described as Trinetra, Trishula, Trigunatita, beyond these three gunas; three eyed and with a trident. These have inner significance. Man has two eyes. But Shiva is said to have three eyes. The significance is that man knows only past and present, whereas Ishvara can see the past, present and the future too. It does not mean that Shiva has a third eye on his forehead. This is the artificial imagination of the people. God is one and described in different ways. Jiva the individual being and God are one. Daiva is jiva and jiva is Daiva.

As You Think, So You Become

When Swami says, “You are God” many people may feel perplexed. When you tell yourself “I am God”, you will breed only good thoughts. You become what you think. Darwin thought of the form, which he propounded as evolution of man. Ratnakara (later hailed as Valmiki) thought of Rama and had Rama always in his heart. Prahlada constantly thought of Hari and had Hari’s vision. When you think you are good and have good thoughts, you will not do bad deeds. You will think good, see good and do good deeds. If you think you are separate from God, you can never merge. God is atma within you. He is the conscience. I often tell the students, four ‘F’s, Follow the Master (Conscience), Face the Devil (that is desire for money), Fight to the End and Finish the Game. Finishing the game is mukti or liberation. You have taken human birth and you have entered the sacred human life. You have to attain Divinity in your life time. There is nothing more valuable than this.

By making appropriate efforts, you can accomplish anything and by contemplating on God you get divine strength. Because of the monkey mind, you entertain doubts. When Krishna was a child, once there was a heavy downpour. Krishna asked all the people to come under the Govardhan Hill, which He would lift and make a canopy of it. Some people doubted how a small boy could lift a hill and did not want to come under His shelter. All those who doubted and did not come under the shelter, died; while all those under Krishna’s shelter survived duly protected by Him.

Avatar’s Pranks Have An Inner Purpose

Balarama once complained to his mother Yashoda, about Krishna, that he was eating mud. The intention of Balarama was to make it known to the world, the Divinity of Krishna. It should not be construed as an action taken by him to get Krishna punished. Yashoda asked Krishna why he persisted in taking butter from other houses and went to the extent of eating mud, when she had so many delicious things at home for him. So saying, she gave a slap on Krishna’s cheek. Krishna questioned his mother, “Why are you punishing me, mother? Am I a fool, or a child to eat mud?” He asked her to look into his mouth, which he opened wide. To her astonishment, she saw the whole universe in his mouth. She exclaimed, “Is it Vishnu Maya” Is it a dream? Am I Yashoda? What I saw was amazing. Was it true?” She realised Krishna was not an ordinary boy.

On another occasion, when Krishna asked Balarama whether their mother was at home, Balarama retorted, “Is Yashoda your mother? No. She is fair, Nanda is fair but you are dark in complexion.” Krishna complained to Yashoda and enquired about this. She said, “What Balarama says is true. You are the son of Devaki. I have no male child at all.”

When God assumes human form some people have to suffer. Without this, Divinity cannot be recognised. Sugarcane has to be crushed to get the juice and it has to be boiled and processed to get jaggery or sugar out of it. Sugar can be used in coffee or tea or cool drinks or to make sweets of different types. When you consume it, you get joy.

Parents of avatars also have undergone suffering. Devaki was lamenting that though she was the mother who gave birth to Krishna, Yashoda was enjoying His childhood pranks. Similarly, Kausalya, mother of Rama was also lamenting over the separation of Rama, who had to go to the forest for 14 years. Why did Rama go to the forest? He wanted to demonstrate to the world that one has to follow the words of his father, however difficult it may be. The avatar (incarnation) has to do so many things, which may not be liked by some.

Last night showers came and there were hailstones also in the rains. Though the hailstones may hurt people, but they too contain only rain drops. They are not different. When you experience some troubles, you should take them as hailstones which contain the water of love of God. Whatever tests that God gives you, it is out of love only. It is wrong (dosham) to worry about them, as they are gifts of God. You should remember always that you are a spark of the Divine. You should resist the apparent obstacles and accomplish your tasks.

Install Divinity In Your Heart

Each person likes some types of sweets. One may like laddu, another may like burfi, yet another jilebi. Whatever may be the name and form of the sweet, the common thing in all these is sugar. Similarly, each one may do sadhana in his own way. You have no business to comment or criticise them. It is his or her choice. But all lead to the same goal. You should approach everything with Divine thoughts. We have a large number of devotees assembled here, many from different countries abroad. Their names and forms are different. Their languages and dialects may be different, but Divinity is common in all. You may choose the name and form of Jesus, Eashwara, Rama, Krishna and so on. Whatever the name, God is one. “Om Ityekaksharam Brahma.” Brahman is the one letter word “Om.” You hear the harmonium being played in the bhajan. The shruti is one. When you press the different reeds, you get the different sounds, sa, ri, ga, ma, pa, da, ni – the seven svaras. But the air that passes through the box and causes the sound is one. Similarly, Divinity is one. Install the divinity in your heart. As Krishna told Arjuna, make God sit in your heart, the inner chariot. There he is ‘Mantra svarupa, form of sacred sound and not yantra’, which has no life force. Mantra is life. God is Mantra Svarupa and Hridayavasi, indweller in the heart. If you want to see God outside, your effort is an exercise in futility. Outward look is that of the animal. You should develop an inward vision. Then you can realise God.

When you converse with others, you should do so with respect. You should not use harsh words, “if you cannot oblige, speak obligingly” is the golden rule you should follow. When you salute other, it goes to God. When you criticise or abuse another person, that also goes to God. You must discourage and control the emergence of bad qualities. When you are in a bad or an angry mood, keep silent. Do not exchange words, which cause the anger to multiply. That is why we say, “Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti” at the end of the bhajan. Why three times and not four times? It is to cover the three entities; Body, Mind and Atma. You should have shanti in all the three levels.

Love Is Selfless

If you do not keep your body healthy, you cannot have peace mentally. The ancient sages and maharishis have experienced the bliss of the Divine and gave us their wisdom, which they could achieve after doing penance for a long time. It was only a few, who could pursue the penance without any break. They have said, “Vedaham Etam Purusham Mahantam, Aditya Varnam Tamasah Parasthat.” They have described what they actually experienced, and addressed the humanity thus, “We have seen God with the effulgence of one thousand suns, beyond tamas or darkness of ignorance.” Tamas represents body and mind. Only if you go beyond body and the mind can you experience the Divine. He is the conscience. That is why I always advise you to follow the conscience. Body and mind are negative while atma is positive. Prema is positive. This is the most essential thing. Without this, life is useless. Live in pure and selfless love. Love is selfless. Self is loveless. You get light as soon as you put on the switch, you realise the Divine, once you put on the switch of love positively.

When you recognise Divinity in everyone, that itself is the best sadhana. Modern spiritual preachers are not considering the welfare of the world. They seek their own welfare selfishly. Your prayer should be for the welfare of society. What is the form of Society? It has no special form. The form of its members constitutes the society. When you pray for the happiness of all, you are also part of it. If you pray for yourself, that is selfishness, and you cannot survive without society.

If you purify your heart you can see the reflection of God therein, as you see your own reflection in a mirror.

Bhagawan concluded the discourse with the bhajan “Govinda Krishna Vitthale!” and “He! Shiva Shankara Namami Shankara.”

(From Divine Discourse on 26th April, 1988 at “Sai
Sruti”, Kodaikanal)