Truth Based On Love Is The Best Dharma

How can a man without purity of heart realise the atma? Atma principle can be realised only by one with absolute purity of heart. This is the truth which is being proclaimed to all.

(Telugu poem)

Embodiments of love,

Reduce Desires And Enjoy Peace

Today there is restlessness and lack of peace all over the world. We don’t find peace anywhere. The main reason for this is the ceaseless breeding of desires. Unless you control the desires you cannot have peace of mind. Swami showed His kerchief and said, “It is a piece of cloth.” It is composed of threads. If the threads are removed there is no cloth. So also when you remove all thoughts, there is no mind. When you reduce the number of thoughts the journey of life will be more comfortable as less luggage makes travel comfortable. The limiting of desires helps man to purify the mind and enhance his moral, ethical and spiritual values.

Let us analyse the moral values. They consist in following the truth and setting an example of ideal life. Veda says “Satyam Bruyat” – speak the truth. It further advises “Priyam Bruyat, na Bruyat Satyam Apriyam” – the truth should also be pleasing. If truth is not palatable to the other, do not speak but keep silent. This is the dictum to be followed. Bhagavad Gita also proclaims “Anudvegakaram Vakyam Satyam Priyam Hitam cha” – you should speak truth which is not only pleasant but good for the person to whom you are talking to. It should not create agitation in the other's mind. This is Dharma or ethical value. What is spiritual value? That which sets ideal is spiritual. It is only teaching of the Atma-tattva. It is all-pervasive, but difficult to perceive or catch hold of. You are living only by the help of air, but you can neither see nor get hold of it. Similarly, atma is also the truth though you cannot easily perceive it. You must experience the spiritual truth, just as you experience the air.

The human body is constituted of the five elements, five sheaths, five vital airs (Pancha bhutas, Pancha koshas and Pancha pranas). The human has also got five faculties – Satya (truth), Dharma (righteousness), shanti (peace), prema (love) and ahimsa (non-violence) which are termed human values. Having been born as a human, it is a pity that one does not realize these values. Anger, hatred and lust are not human values at all. These are animal qualities unbecoming of a human being. With truthful thoughts one can become a good person. But one without thoughts becomes a “sadhu”, wise and noble person. He will always be in peace. It is "thoughts" that is the root cause for ashanti (lack of peace).

When Love Is Lost, Everything Is Lost

First of the human values is Satya or truth. If this is absent, you lose one part of the human nature. If you do not follow dharma, you lose two parts. If you lose shanti, you lose three parts and when you have no prema or love, you have lost the entire human nature and the body will be one with all limbs amputated.

Satya, the first value is like the head and one who fails to follow truth will be a headless torso. Dharma is like a shoulder and one without this will not be able to do anything, having become handicapped (he loses bhujabalam). One without shanti is akin to one without stomach. How can one take food which is essential to provide energy for living when there is no stomach? If you lose these three, life becomes loveless. Love is essential for life. One without love is only a living corpse.

Nowadays you find hatred rampant everywhere. There is no love. The seat of love is the spiritual heart, on the right side of the body. Nobody bothers to recognize this. The absence of love leads to absence of unity. When there is no unity, there is no purity and without purity, divinity cannot be realized. Now what people generally do is to breed enmity and narrow feelings of community. If there is love, the divisive feelings of community and enmity will not be there. Even when one greets another as “hello”, it is of low caliber and is only artificial and superficial and not coming from the heart. If you want to develop love, you must go on adding to your circle of friends, loving all and serving all. It should be expansion and not contraction. It may extend to cover the entire humanity. “Ekatma Sarvabhutantaratma” – the one atma is there in all beings. This is the basis of the prema tattva (principle of universal love). When love is lost everything is lost in life.

Love in speech is Satya
Love in action is Dharma
Love in thought is Shanti

Love helps in the consummation of the other three values.

Achieve Good Nature

You are struggling only to acquire ephemeral worldly attainments such as wealth, fame, status and position. Adi Shankara said, “Ma Kuru Dhana Yauvana Garvam – Harati Nimeshat Kalah Sarvam” – all these things like wealth, position and youth will vanish in a fleeting moment. Don’t be proud of these things.

Only truth and good name will be permanent. How do you achieve good name? You should speak softly, hear only good things, do good deeds with your limbs and fill your heart with love. You must not see, hear, talk, think or do evil, since such behavior will not help in realising Divinity.

To foster human values, you have to control your senses. Merely studying scriptures, undertaking pilgrimages and meeting saints will not help you to achieve realization. Buddha did all these spiritual exercises but could not achieve the goal. Finally, he learned that one has to turn his vision within, with the help of the eye of wisdom to attain Nirvana or liberation.

Develop Good Values

Buddha proclaimed that the word “man” should be interpreted thus:

M – stands for “Maya”, which has to be controlled and got over.
A – stands for “Atma” – understand the principle of true Self.
N – stands for “Nirvana” – attain Nirvana or liberation.

When you get over the illusion of “Maya” and understand the “Atma”, you get “Nirvana” or liberation. Therefore, Buddha preached sense control and eradication of desires as of primary importance. He advocated good vision, good speech, good hearing, good action, and good thoughts, as essential for human beings.

Primacy Of Truth

Whatever sadhana one may do everything will be a waste, if there is no sense control. You should know the divinity that is immanent in everyone. Though many are aware of this truth, they do not follow this in practice. For example, though everyone knows that one should speak truth, they tell lies to escape from a problem or to have success in business. If you tell a lie to escape from a temporary problem, later on you will have to face a bigger permanent problem. You should control this temptation of telling a lie to get over a temporary situation. By speaking truth, you will earn the good name of “satyasandha.”

Take the example of Harishchandra. He sacrificed his kingdom, wife, son and everything and he himself served as a watchman in a cemetery. When Vishwamitra gave an offer to Harischandra that he would give back all his possessions if he told just one lie, Harischandra flatly refused to deviate from Satya even if it cost his life. That is why Lord Shiva appeared before him and blessed him giving him back his throne, revived his dead son back to life and restored his wife, and made him rule the kingdom with renewed fame. Because of his extraordinary adherence to truth, he is even now remembered as “Satya Harischandra.”

Keep Silence In Case Of a Dilemma

Nowadays people resort to telling lies fearing that they may get into trouble or otherwise. Why should you fear to speak truth? You have to fear only when you commit mistakes. Today there is fear rampant everywhere. Life is fear-stricken! You should practice Satya and Dharma. If you practice these you need not fear. Whenever you are not able to utter the truth, you may desist from speaking and keep silent.

Once a sage was doing penance in quest of truth. One day Lord Shiva wanted to test this sage. He came in the form of a hunter who was chasing a deer. The deer passed through the place where the sage was seated. A little while later, the hunter approached the sage and asked him whether he saw the deer that passed in that direction. The sage was in a dilemma. If he spoke the truth, the deer will be slain by the hunter. If he did not tell the truth, he will be infringing the code of conduct. So he prayed to the Lord to show him the correct path to save himself in such a situation. Suddenly a vibration occurred in his mind and he told the hunter “the eyes see something but they cannot speak, the tongue speaks but cannot see, under these circumstances, what can I say?” Lord Shiva appeared before him in His true form and blessed him with liberation. So you should not tell untruth simply to escape a situation. If there is difficulty, be silent.

Secret Of Truth Is Love; Follow The Spiritual Heart

What is the secret of truth? Truth is God. Love is God. Live in love. Then our thoughts will purify. Buddha did all spiritual exercises, listened to all great saints expounding the Divine glory. But, he was not satisfied. He finally followed his spiritual heart in the right part of body and proceeding in the right path, achieved Nirvana.

You should not follow the mind which is wavering like a monkey. You should not follow the body which is like a water bubble. Follow the master, which is your conscience.

That is why I often tell students four F’s – follow the master, face the devil, fight to the end, and finish the game. If you do not follow this easy path, you will suffer from difficulties, both at home and outside. There is no real happiness in anyone now. They simply smile. It is nothing but pretense. Life has become artificial. How long can one live like this? You must follow the spiritual heart and dictates of conscience to merge into the super consciousness.

Conscience is limited to the adjunct of body. How does this merge with consciousness? You have a balloon with air inside. If you go on blowing more and more air into it, the walls become thinner and finally it bursts. Then the air inside merges with the air outside. This is merger of the limited and finite with the infinite.

You go on expanding your love. Do not confine it to your own circle of kith and kin. Then finally the merger with the infinite will occur. This is liberation.

Start the day with love
Fill the day with love
End the day with love
This is the way to God

Truth Based On Love Is The Best Dharma

Just as sugar, which is sweet, when mixed with water, tea, coffee or anything, imparts sweetness to the preparation, prema (love) is also sweet (madhuram) and will impart its sweetness to your words, actions and thoughts. Love is the foundation, truth is the wall, shanti is the roof. Truth based on love is the best Dharma.

Love is there in everyone naturally. Instead of directing it towards your wife, children and relatives, direct it towards God. By this diversion, you will get whatever you want. The heart is given by God. Offer it to Him. You need not have any fear. Surrender your body to Him as this is also a gift of God. Every action should be underlined by prema (love). Do seva with love. You must cultivate the feeling that you belong to God.

Consider God As An Old Friend

You need not extol God because that may keep you at a distance from God. God is not new. He was there before your birth and He will be there eternally. Where is the need to extol Him? You must take Him as your old friend. When you acquire friendship newly with a person you speak to him with respectful words, when he becomes an old friend, you treat him with liberty and privilege. Consider God also as an old friend so that you can enjoy the liberty and be free with Him.

Devotees think that they can please God by describing His glory. This is not true. You can melt His heart only with love. Plant the seeds of love and let the water of good qualities flow on the dry land so that the seeds will sprout and fed by rains of love, grow into a tree sheltering all.

Embodiments of love!

You are all basically embodiments of love only. There is no one in the world without love. One may love at least his own kith and kin and another may love money. Anyway, the basis is love which is divine. Therefore, you need not extol God who is within you. You are the combination of love, peace, truth and God. You are mutually related to one another through the bondage of love in spiritual path. You must uphold Dharma by truth and love. Sow the seed of love in the fields of your heart. It will grow into a tree and yield the fruit of bliss.

Prematattva is pranatattva and dharmatattva: Understand that LOVE is life and practice the Dharma of Love.

Bhagawan concluded the discourse with the bhajan song – “Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma” (God is Truth, Wisdom, Infinity).

(From Divine Discourse on 17th April, 1998 at “Sai
Sruti”, Kodaikanal).