Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Singapore
5 January 2016
Divine Satsang
Singapore
5 January, 2016
th
Divine Discourses
By Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
In the Subtle Body
COPYRIGHT
Table of Contents
Page
1. Introduction
b. Divine Discourse
16
b. Sri C. Sreenivas
16
17
b. Divine Discourse
18
25
33
Introduction
Singapore devotees were greatly blessed when our Divine Lord
decided to make the Lion City the first port of call for 2016. It was
certainly a blissful and blessed way to usher in the New Year.
On 4th January, 2016 evening, Swamis entourage, comprising Sri B.
N. Narasimha Murthy, Sri C. Sreenivas, Sri Madhusudan Naidu, Sri
Sumeet Tappoo and Sri Praveen Gundappanavar arrived at Changi
Airport from Bengaluru. Bhagawan blessed Sri Hiro Bhojwani and
his wife Neelam by paying a brief visit to their home that evening.
The next morning, on 5th January, 2016, Swami paid a visit to the
residence of Dr. Ganesan Naidu. A small group of devotees joined the
devout couple and their family to welcome Swami by singing
devotional songs. Music was followed by a talk by Sri C. Sreenivas
and the Lords divine discourse.
The Evening Session was held at Sai Anandam and began with
inspiring speeches by Sri B.N. Narasimha Murthy and Sri C.
Sreenivas, followed by a young adult from Singapore, Mr. Ryan Tan.
Swami then blessed the entire group of close to 250 devotees with His
divine discourse, followed by a Question and Answer Session. The
evening programme then ended with Arathi and the universal prayers.
The following morning Swami and His entourage made their way to
Kuala Lumpur, West Malaysia.
This Booklet of Bhagawans Divine Visit to Singapore in January
2016 has been prepared as per the Lords command and includes
excerpts of talks given by the speakers requested by Him to speak, as
well as complete excerpts of Swamis divine discourses.
***
3
do things for God. If a lady cooks well, she will repeatedly be looked to for food
as people like to eat what she cooks. If somebody speaks well, he will be called,
again and again, to give speeches. If a surgeon carries out surgical procedures
well, he will repeatedly be asked by patients to help them.
Similarly, if you just do perfectly, whatever you are supposed to do, you will be
given more opportunities. I always tell C. Sreenivas, the reward for doing good
work is more good work. So when you get more good work, you should know
that you are appreciated. Dont feel burdened; the greater responsibility is
nothing but the reward from God and others who appreciate you.
Nothing in this world functions without sacrifice it is the fundamental basis of
everything. Unless the sun burns, it would not be able to sustain the solar
system. Unless trees give fruits, leaves, flowers and wood to the world, the
world will not be sustained. Unless rivers keep flowing, irrespective of who
drinks from them, people would not survive. Everything in this universe has
been created in a way that promotes this concept of sacrifice. Living for the sake
of others is sacrifice.
The scriptures say that the body given to you is also for the sake of others. You
may think the body is given to the individual, but it is not solely for ones own
use. The only reason the body is given is to achieve the purpose for which it is
given the realisation of ones divinity, as a boat is used to cross a river. It may
look good on the riverbank but that is not the reason why it has been created. A
body may look good; you may decorate it and do everything you can to make it
look better, but as a boat with holes is of no use to cross a river, a body without
a sense of sacrifice is of no use. What manner of sacrifice? Not the kind that
waits and watches, thinking, let everybody else do something and if something
is left, I will also do my part. No, no; it is the kind which leads, not follows.
In our scriptures it says very beautifully, Shraddhaya deyam, ashraddhaya
deyam, shriya deyam, bhiya deyam, hriya deyam, samvida deyam.
Shraddhaya deyam means, to give with a sense of sincerity and faith.
Ashraddhaya deyam do not give with insincerity. Shriya deyam give in
abundance, not tightfistedly. Bhiya deyam give without anxiety. Instead, be
anxious that it should be fit for the purpose for which is given. Hriya deyam
give with humility. Samvida deyam give knowing the purpose for which it is
being given. In this way, a sacrifice is to be made.
Once, Dharmaraja, the great king, was approached by a poor man who was in
difficulty. The poor man knocked at the kings door, approached him and asked
him to solve his problem. Dharmaraja always kept his door open to anybody in
distress, so he heard what he had to say and told him, Just one thing come
tomorrow, and I will solve your problem. At that very moment, Bhima, who
had heard the conversation, began ringing all the palace bells and proclaiming
that Dharmaraja had conquered death. Everybody thought, What is this new
revelation that Bhima is making? Dharmaraja was also surprised he went to
Bhima and asked, What is this you are shouting aloud, that I have conquered
death? I havent conquered death. Bhima said, Just now you told that man
that he should come tomorrow and you will solve his problem. It means you
know that you are going to be alive tomorrow which means you have
conquered death! How do you know that you will be alive tomorrow to help that
person? Should you not do whatever is needed now?
That is how Bhima taught Dharmaraja the lesson that what is important is now
the present postponing doing good things until tomorrow is not the right way.
You tend to put off good things until tomorrow, and do what is not good
immediately it should be other way around to postpone what is not selfless
until tomorrow. Do what is selfless today; that way, selfish thoughts will
gradually diminish and, eventually, disappear.
(Referring to the hosts, Dr.
and Mrs. Ganesan) You are
all good families, good
children; everybody is
happy and there is great
support
and
strength
between both husband and
wife. More importantly, all
the people who are being
served through both of
them.
The children; through the children, the parents; through the parents, the society,
through the society, the state and then, by degrees, the whole country. Never
think that it is just a small part it is a big part. In a play every small part is
equally important; the entire play is made up of all the small roles. In a
machine, every small screw, every small bolt, every small nut, everything, is
7
important. When these are put together, the machine works. In the same way,
every single person is important in My mission. I say constantly that not one
single person can do all that is needed to be done, to make the world happy. It is
when everybody unites that much more can be achieved.
These last four years, you have yourselves witnessed not My glory but the glory
of your own selves the devotion to Me of the devotees, which has made so
many things happen. Most of the world has been crying and moaning that they
have lost their Master, lost everything. Here you are celebrating not only
celebrating, but sharing the celebrations with others in need. That is the right
way of celebrating My presence.
I always think, sitting there in India, what I can do for all the devotees in
Singapore, for they always dedicate to Me everything they do; they never think
about themselves. I can only assure you that all the good that you are doing will
come back to you in your times of need. May the children be happy. May the
children be healthy. May they lead lives of dharma, sathya, shanti and prema
(right conduct, truth, peace and divine love). May they experience the bliss of
Divinity. May they spend every moment in divine joy, not mind joy. Most
children are taking the wrong path, but children born into a family with faith in
God are truly blessed; they shall be protected.
I only came here to convey My abundant blessings to all of you, for having been
a part of this great mission. The mission is not about hospitals; it is not about
education it is the mission of transformation.
However good a teacher may be, if the student is unwilling, he cannot teach the
child anything. Just as it is important to have a good teacher, it is equally
important to have a good and willing student. Similarly, both devotees and the
Lord are important in this mission of transformation.
I am here to transform if you are ready to become transformed, then it will
happen. That is what I do all the time.
Now, your recent presence at Raipur, your visits to Muddenahalli so very often,
has inspired all of our students. Every now and then, I get letters from the
children, saying, Swami, I did not buy an item which I thought I would and I
saved the money; please use it, or, Swami, during the vacation I did not waste
money on certain things; please use it. This is putting into practice Ceiling on
Desires; this is transformation. Children can spend their money on anything
they want to, but they are now thinking that it can be spent in a better way. They
8
offer it to Me in tiny envelopes they have folded from paper given with so
much joy, and with no expectations. A boy even wrote, Swami, please dont
call me onto the stage and give me a chain or anything like that; I am just giving
it to You so that You may use it the way You want to. Dont make a fuss about
it in front of everyone. This is the childrens way now. This transformation is
important for Me. What is the seed to sow? It is one which, later, becomes a
strong tree, bearing many fruits, giving shelter and sustenance to all.
Do you have any questions you want to ask? In the public satsang you will not
have many opportunities to ask.
A photographer has to ask a lot of questions. When the photographer has his
camera ready, you should be always ready with a smile you dont know when
he is going to click the shutter. When you get a bad picture, you cant use it
properly. It is not the fault of the camera or the photographer that you get bad
pictures it is because you are not smiling. Be happy all the time, then
whenever he clicks, you will get a good picture. If you are happy all the time in
your life, any time God calls, you will always be ready. Whatever your work,
whatever your situation, always keep smiling.
I told Sreenivas that I am now
opening another hospital in Delhi.
The moment I told Indulal Shah, he
came running and said, Swami
what is that You want me to do?
Indulal is constantly thinking only
one thing; if I ask him, What do
you want? he will respond by
asking Me, What do You want? I
dont know how to answer Your
question.
He will say to Me, Swami, please give me some work, give me some work. I
tell him, You have worked enough, now you should get some rest; you should
let others work. He says, Rest, rest rust, rust. I dont want to rest, I dont
want to rust. Give me something to do. So I have to come up with new ideas
for him to do.
It is like children; they want to do something but they dont know what. You
have to give them something to do. So I told him, Okay, come up with a New
Year message. He thought and thought, and then came to Me and said,
9
Swami, I have no message to give, whatever message You give is best. I said
to him, Give the message now. He said, Love All, Serve All this is the
message.
That is truly the message. Now, he has come to live in Muddenahalli and he is
very happy. He is healthy when he is in Muddenahalli, because of the pure
weather not like Mumbai. He is happy to be there and to help. He was the first
to say to Me that, if I build the Delhi hospital, he wants to do something for it.
Now he has given his property to Me and has come to Muddenahalli.
I wanted the Delhi hospital to be ready by 26th November, 2016. I have already
seen it developing, but it will be built in phases, rather than one big project.
With Delhi at the top, Chhattisgarh in the centre and Bengaluru below, all three
will be in a straight line. There will be three super speciality hospitals, with
small satellite centres for cardiology and diagnostics, etc., all over the country.
At present, all the patients come to Raipur. Some children need surgery, but
others do not they simply come for a diagnosis so that a decision may be made
whether or not there is a need for surgery. That makes Raipur overcrowded and
it is a lot of trouble for both parents and children to come long distances just to
find that they do not actually need surgery and that all they need is medication.
The satellite centres around the country will examine the children and decide
whether an operation is needed. If not needed, they will not bring them to the
super speciality hospitals; they will be treated, then and there, in the local
centres. If there is a need, they will talk to the local doctors and send them.
This helps both ways; first and foremost, it helps the patient, in that he or she
does not have to travel unnecessarily. Secondly, they are more comfortable in
their own locality, with their usual language and familiar people. It is very
difficult for a South Indian person to communicate with North Indian doctors,
which leads to further anxiety. Many doctors will understand this problem. If
you can speak to the patients in their own language, their anxiety disappears
instantly. They feel that they can explain their problems better and the doctors
will understand their problems better.
The Delhi super speciality hospital will have four wings, like the petals of a
flower. To begin with, two wings will open for surgery to commence, and the
remaining two will open at a later date.
(To C. Sreenivas) How many patients are on the waiting-list now at Raipur?
What is the lead-time between when they arrive and the operation taking place?
10
for Me. However tight a fist may be, by opening just one finger, all strength is
lost; the fingers can be opened. Even one person leaving the group will weaken
it. Add more and make it stronger. In samashti, togetherness, lies your
redemption.
I keep telling everyone who comes to Muddenahalli and seek advice, One drop
that falls from the sky does not always reach the ocean. It may evaporate again,
or soak into the earth and disappear. When many drops come together, they
become a stream. When the streams come together, they become a river and
the river can carry the drop all the way to the ocean and merge it into the ocean
itself.
Therefore, the only thing to do is for
everybody to work together. If you want
to pass on a legacy to your children, pass
this on to them. Everything else will
come and go; your children will do
better than you they are now so smart,
is there any doubt they can do better than
you in spiritual transformation? That is
something you should be proud of. You
must pass it on to your children and to
their children. You want your children to
be happy; happiness is union with God.
Take them closer to God that is your
first and most important dharma.
Take your children to God, and later, your children will take you to God. That is
their dharma. Everything else is secondary, everything else is only incidental.
You must practise more and more, listening to Me within. I am there within
each one of you. It is very easy you just have to sincerely ask Me from within
provided that you are ready to listen to whatever I have to say. However,
dont expect Me to say what you want to hear. No, come with an open mind.
Come with whatever questions you have and wait for Me to answer.
Most people sit for meditation with the idea that they want to talk to Me.
Instead, sit and listen to Me, not talk to Me that is meditation. Just sit and
wait, until I have something to say. Sometimes, I may say something,
sometimes not; nevertheless, you should sit and wait. Practise that is the thing.
One part of your path is to serve to spend your time and energy helping others
13
but your own sadhana is also important. A combination of sadhana and seva
is the only thing that will take you closer to God.
What is sadhana? Something which will calm your mind, a time you spend
alone with God. Sometimes while doing seva, the seva becomes so busy you do
not have time for God Himself!
Here is a story of a guru and two of his disciples. The guru always spent time in
pooja (ritual worship) and things like that. One Guru Purnima, his disciples
decided to worship their guru. One disciple invited the guru to his home, whilst
the other disciple stayed back at the ashram. He worshipped the gurus
photographs with camphor, oil, flowers, and so on.
In the meantime, the guru went all the way to the other disciples home,
completed the pooja there and returned. But the guru had told the first disciple
that, when you are doing pooja, you should not get up, or let anything disturb
you; you should continue the pooja and only get up when you have finished.
When the guru came back, the disciple was performing the pooja. The guru was
knocking on the door, calling out, Open the door, it is so hot outside, I cant
stand it. The disciple replied, Wait, wait, I must finish the pooja before I open
the door. To whom is he doing pooja? He is doing pooja to the same guru who
is waiting outside in the sun. He wouldnt get up and open the door.
That kind of sadhana is of no use. You must understand what you are doing and
for what purpose you are meditating. Become close to your guru, listen to the
guru within dont spend time in mental chatter, talking nonsense. To calm
your mind, to listen to the inner voice that is the purpose of meditation.
Sadhana and seva together is a good combination. Why become so busy doing
seva that you have no time to do your sadhana? Whom are you serving the
guru outside? Then what about the guru within? He also needs to be served.
You should serve both. You should spend some time with Me every day. Of
course, helping outside is also important the two should go hand-in- hand.
Narasimha Murthy is very strict; he always does his sadhana. Every day, he sits
in meditation; that gives him the energy to do his work. Sreenivas sadhana is
different; he sits quietly by himself and talks to Me within.
Whatever time you choose, you must see it through; you must find a time every
day to sit down quietly. Whenever you are ready, put a photograph of Me before
you, think of Me, and try to listen to what I want to say. Practise! With more
practice, you will become better at it. The more frequently a singer practises a
14
song, the better he will become at singing it. Similarly, the more practice in
meditation, the better it becomes.
There is time for everything. Tell someone to meditate and he will say, Oh, I
have no time. The whole day is given to you for you to become close to God.
Every bit of time you spend doing anything other than trying to become close to
God, is actually a waste of time. However, people think that sadhana is a waste
of time and that what they choose to do is good use of their time. It is not true.
Many devotees are coming to Muddenahalli from various places, and now that
the Premamrutam Hall is ready, they feel happier. If the hall had not been ready,
you could not have had the birthday function and you would not have been able
to give joy to so many. Did you see how much rain there was during the
birthday? You couldnt have done it in the Sports Ground. I had foreseen it a
year ago. I saw that, this year, you would not be able to do the birthday function
until you had a hall. Now it is ready and everybody is very happy.
A Supreme Court judge came from
Chikkaballapur. He said that he had never seen
a hall like this, never expected to see such a
hall in the district of Chikkaballapur. It is
because I have come that all these things are
happening.
Now, many people are coming. Have you
realised that it will become a great movement
of service and love across the world and
transform great numbers of people?
Nevertheless, the beginning is very important.
It began with you all and it should be sustained,
now that it is spreading everywhere. Be
exemplary; stay united as a group; serve
together then, all can share in service.
15
Sri C. Sreenivas
Recently, there was a function in Delhi of distinguished individuals, arguably
the most important body that governs industries and businesses in India and
advises the government in formulating business and financial policies.
During that meet, the President of the Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry said that India was, is, and will always remain great because it offers
the great principle of sharing, of attaching reverential value to everything in life.
He further said, the only solution that lies ahead is to learn adherence to truth,
and to live a life of sharing. He then gave the example of a major problem with
developing countries food shortage.
16
In Sanskrit, food is called prasadam and Indian thought teaches that all food is
inherently meant to be shared. As a result, there is never a shortage of prasadam
in any place of worship, whether a gurudwara, temple, or masjid.
The problem of food shortage is, the moment you commercialise food; the
moment you corporatize or add commerce to food, suddenly it becomes an unsharable commodity, which is the antithesis to the great Indian thought. So, he
said that all industries in the country must learn to attach reverence to every
commodity necessary to human life.
Finally, and most amazingly, this gentleman, who has never seen Baba, said, If
there is a being on Earth who brought great reverence to life and
institutionalised spirituality at work, it is Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. He
went on to say that the solution to our problems begins with us, with our
adherence to truth and learning from the life of Bhagawan Baba.
Many Avatars have come and gone; more will come and go. One year will pass
and another year will start. Time keeps moving on; however, it is not a matter of
how many years you have spent here, but how well have you spent those years
years which were Gods gift to you. How well you have utilized your time is
what will ultimately matter.
I have always said that it is not important how many times you visit places of
worship, or how many; it is not important how many times you turn your beads
and chant the divine names; it is not important how many scriptures you have
learned by heart. What is important, in order to cross the ocean of samsara (the
cycle of birth and death) is how many people you have been able to love and
how many people you have been able to serve that is the true definition of
how spiritual you are. The one who has no ego, no desires, no greed and no
anger; whose heart is filled with nothing but love, will see the whole of
humanity as ones own.
Three years ago, when I told Sreenivas to start a hospital and have it ready
within a year, he worked very hard for it. He did not know how it would
happen, but he had only Me. The hospital could be built within a year. With
only a few days left before the inauguration, there was a long way to go in order
to make the hospital usable. As you all may understand, building a hospital is
not as simple as building a house. There are many systems that have to be
integrated, medical gases, air-conditioning, sanitation and the many other
factors that come together to allow a surgical operation to take place. It is not
just about constructing a building per se. Sreenivas was a little worried and
asked Me, Swami can you postpone the inauguration by another month or so,
to give us time to get everything in place and in perfect order to begin?
I said to Sreenivas, If your child required surgery on the inauguration day and
his survival depended on it, would you come and bargain with Me for more
time? Would you not do everything possible to put that child on the operating
table and give him every chance to do well? He got the message.
As long as you feel that you are serving someone else, there will always be a
perceived difference between them and you but if you think of yourself as
serving yourselves rather than serving anyone else, by seeing them as your own
and feeling that all belong you, you will not waste a moment; you will
immediately plunge into taking care of those who need it.
I have been worshipped as the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent Lord. I
have heard many great people speak from the podium, by My side, about how
19
great I am, how many I have cared for, how many I have loved and served but
the truth is, I am not pleased by all this praise and worship. I am only pleased
when what I teach is followed. My nature is to love and serve. You don't have to
come and say, Swami, You are so great because You love and serve. That is
My very nature! If you tell a mango tree, Oh mango tree, how good you are!
it is no great help it knows it is a mango tree.
I know that I am love and I am service. My only desire, if indeed you can call it
a desire, is only that My devotees follow well what I have been saying. A
teacher finds great joy when he sees his students understand the lessons and
appreciate them and thereby benefit from them. There is no greater reward for
the teacher. Any amount of awards, recognitions certificates you may get from
outside that is all for the world to recognise. You know who you are; your
hearts are your witnesses.
Until now, all devotees were known because of Me. People would say, This is
a devotee of Sai Baba, but, today, when Sai Baba is no longer seen, He will be
known because of His devotees. As long as a child is young, people will say
that he is the son of such-and-such a person because the father is more famous
than the son but when the father has retired and the son has grown up and
attained a great position in society, the father is known because of his son. That
is how it should be the world will recognise Me as your Master, because of
20
your good deeds. There is no greater accolade for My love, for My care, than to
be known because of your character and conduct. That is truly the greatest
thanks you can offer to Me.
I do not want any words, poems or songs sung in My praise, nor do I want
people to offer Me expensive garlands and gifts. The only thing I expect from
My people is what I have taught at least to the extent of putting it sincerely
into practice and, thereby, becoming known for your goodness and setting an
example for others. There is nothing greater that you can do. As the boy said, be
an example; setting an example to others is a great service.
You have heard both Narasimha Murthy and Sreenivas speaking about the work
that I am undertaking. Many people question why I am so vigorously pursuing
the education and health missions? Why am I working so hard? Why the sudden
expansion and growth? Cant I slow down a bit? Is this all necessary? All these
questions come to those of selfish mind because they think they are doing
something for somebody elses sake. If your child had to go without good
education or good health, would you ask the same question? I want to serve as
many people as quickly and as well as I can, for every child belongs to Me.
Whilst I had a body, there were limitations, as with any other persons physical
body. It needed to sleep for several hours, it needed to eat, it needed to rest, it
needed to work but now that I am beyond the boundaries of time, space and
circumstances, I am ready to work any number of hours. My work will only be
slowed because of you, not because of Me. The tank may be full of water, but if
the tap is small, it can only deliver so much water per minute.
Similarly, I need instruments who are totally like Me clear inside, with no
blockages of ego, attachments or negativity just open to My love and allowing
it to flow through them to quench the thirst of those who need it badly. Those
who have known Me, or those who have been blessed by Me to know Me, have
a greater responsibility.
One day, a boy asked Me, You are an Avatar, so why doesnt the whole world
come to Puttaparthi? Why doesn't everybody come here? Why do so many
people still not know or believe that You are an Avatar?
I told him, Bangaru (golden one), I have kept it a secret. If I let everybody
know that I am here and I am the Avatar, the whole world would be here and
where would you be able to sit?
21
So, following the heart should be measured against the dictates of dharma.
Dharma arises from inside. Dharma is not a religion. In a religion, some may
say that you must pray looking towards east, some towards the west, some north
and some south; what are you going to do? These are all specific rules. There
are specific rules in specific schools, but what is more important is what is
coming from within you. That which comes from within you is good for you
and good for others, not just in the short term, but in the long term. It is good in
the past, in the present and in the future.
If this boy cheats and allows his friend to pass, do you think the friend will go
back and study and work hard the next time? No, he will always think, Oh, I
always have a friend who follows his heart so I can always get marks this way.
Therefore, if you truly listen to yourself, there are no questions. Once the heart
says something, you really know it is the heart; it is as strong as that but what
happens? Your mind will keep chattering. If everybody in this room starts
talking, are you going to be able to listen to what I am saying? It is impossible.
Because everybody is quiet, you are able to listen.
This is what to do let the mind calm down from voicing all its ideas and
opinions, all its facts and figures; let it settle down a bit then make your
decision. Haste makes waste, waste makes worry, so do not be in a hurry.
Always take a little time before you decide on a particular thing. Get all your
figures, all your ideas, everything together, put it in front of you and then sit
down, pray and think, How do I use this information to make a decision which
is following my heart? That is the right method.
You must practise; without practice, you cannot achieve anything. Even to
walk, to talk, to write, to read, you have practised, so you are able to do so. This
also has to be practised. Somehow, I think I have produced too many miracles
for you all; you have got used to it! You constantly want a miracle to happen
and not put in any effort. That is not right. At that time, you were young; just
like a young boy, where the teacher will sit and help the child to finish the
homework but, as the child grows up, he has to do it for himself and not depend
on others. Therefore, you must practise now and achieve perfection in
understanding your heart and following it.
Question 2: Swami, a lot of emphasis has been placed on the Gayatri Mantra.
How much of our time should we dedicate to the Gayatri Mantra?
26
Swami: The Gayatri Mantra is like medication. If you are sick what do you do?
You go to a doctor. The doctor will say, Take this medicine and you will be
cured, but the medicine also comes in certain dosages. If it is a small child, you
give half a pill; for a slightly older child, the doctor will give one pill and, if it is
an adult, maybe more, based on the sickness and age of the patient. The doctor
decides how much. The Gayatri Mantra is like medicine; if you take it in the
right quantity, it will definitely have the right effect. The effect of the Gayatri
Mantra will be to purify your intellect. It will make it pure and Divine and help
you think, say and do everything in a divine way.
The sound Aum is the beginning of all Creation; it started with that sound.
When there was nothing, the first sound with which the vibrations started,
leading to Creation, was Aum. Even today, in anything, the last dying sound is
only Aum. Aum represents the beginning, middle and end of everything. You
begin the mantra with this and pray to God, who has the nature of the Sun
which is full of brightness and represents wisdom to illumine your mind and
make it wise. If you understand the meaning of the mantra and say, Please
make me wise, it does not mean you will become sharper, more proficient
these are side-effects having a good mind, you may become a better engineer,
doctor or lawyer, but the true reason why you should chant the Gayatri Mantra
is to remove the darkness of ignorance, in thinking that you are just the body,
that you are a limited being.
You are only bound by these things and they have to go. You are Divine. You
are Atma Swaroopa (an Embodiment of Divinity). You are none other than
Divinity itself. That is the jnana (wisdom) that it should give you. That is the
prayer; Gayatri Mantra is the essence of prayer to the Lord. Chant it with
complete faith and it will heal you.
People ask Me if there a magic number of times that you should chant the
Gayatri Mantra, so that it will heal you? It depends on how sick you are! If you
are really sick you are very selfish, very self-centred chanting for 24 hours
will not be enough, but if you are a little sick, even a little chanting will bring
you wisdom and peace. Therefore, you must take the medicine until you are
cured. It is important. Take it in any form or any name. The Gayatri Mantra is a
very potent mantra the mother of all mantras but, just as different drugs are
manufactured by different manufacturers, you can also chant verses from the
Quran, verses from the Bhagawad Gita, or whatever brings your mind to the
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state of steadiness and wisdom. Until you are cured of the disease of samsara,
you must continue taking the prescribed medicine.
Take one. Dont keep changing doctors say the same, dont they? If one
medicine suits you, take it, otherwise, you may have side-effects. Whatever
gives you peace! Take a form, take a name. Meditate on that form, chant that
name. Chant as many times as it suits you, meditate for as long as you need to
you will know whether you are becoming cured or not. How will you know that
you are cured? You should feel less selfish; you should feel less afraid of things;
you should be less worried. You should be more joyful, more peaceful, more
loving, more giving. These are the ways you can know. All the negative things
should disappear, all the positive things should appear; then you will know that
this mantra is working. The truth is that any mantra you chant is okay. The
Gayatri Mantra is a very well-formulated medicine, very potent if chanted well
and, with understanding of the prayer, will definitely show its effect.
Question 3: Dear Swami, however much we participate in satsang and bhajans,
we only understand things theoretically, but the practical understanding or the
understanding in the mind does not happen. How do you get the calmness and
perfect state of devotion?
Swami: Unless you start putting it into practice, you will not experience
anything. Many people may stand on the shore and demand, Teach me how to
swim, only then will I jump into the water. This will not work. You must jump
into the water, even if you are afraid that you may drown. Only when you jump
into the water will you start to swim. Any amount of theory you read about
swimming that you must turn forward or backward, flip your hands, legs,
head; breathe this way, breathe that way is not going to teach you how to
swim.
Plunge yourself into sadhana (spiritual practice). Take it up seriously, knowing
that, like a lifeguard, I am there with you, to protect you in case you happen to
slip. Do it with that faith and you can definitely achieve it.
Most of you do not practise; you only think, sit here, listen and decide, like a
New Years resolution, This time, I will go back and practise, but then it lasts
for barely a few days. God should become like hunger! Hunger that will not go
away, making you determined not to give up until you are satisfied. You should
be hungry to become Divine!
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Swami: Sathya Yuga or any other Yuga is like a different class in school. You
have to progress from primary to secondary school and from secondary school
to college. Whilst you may have reached college, there may be people who are
still in primary or secondary school. So, for some, Kali Yuga continues even in
Sathya Yuga and, for some, Sathya Yuga is there even in Kali Yuga!
So, do not depend too much on the apparent time factor; the inner significance
is what you are within. For a man who is asleep, at daybreak, it is still night.
Even if the whole world is awake and doing things, he will be asleep, thinking it
is night. Therefore, all these concepts Sathya Yuga, Kali Yuga and so on, are
not external, but internal. Nevertheless, there is a time factor that binds
Creation, including this universe. At different times, different things happen,
just as in different seasons, different plants flower. Not all flower at the same
time some are winter-flowering plants, some are summer-flowering and some
spring.
Similarly, each Yuga has certain characteristics, and Sathya Yuga is a period
during which it is easiest to achieve certain things. In broad daylight, it is easy
to drive fast; similarly, in Sathya Yuga, the atmosphere is such that you will be
able to fulfil dharma much better, much easier. In every Yuga, a Master comes
to guide those who sincerely seek to move forward on the path of spirituality. It
is said that, if the disciple is ready, the Master will appear. Once one is ready to
take upadesha guidance from a Master the Master will be there. He may
come as Sathya Sai Baba, Jesus, the Buddha or any physical form, or he may
come without form, just as a voice from within.
Whichever way it happens, you must accept the guidance and go forward. As
the cycles of time pass, God will descend time and time again, for the
upliftment of mankind. So, do not worry about what is coming next, or how I
am coming next. One may be asleep indoors, whilst things are happening
outside so first awaken yourself from within. I am there with you, have been
with you and will continue to be with you, as your innermost Divinity. Contact
Me within and then you will be out of this whole reckoning of Yugas and eras. I
tell you; do not wait for it to happen some day the time is here and now!
Question 5: How does a person lose his body consciousness if, he is always
suffering from pain and the body is diseased. How can he think that he is not the
body?
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Swami: When you sleep, do you remember that you have a body? You wake up
and, only then, do you realise that you have a body. Without the conscious
mind, there is no perception of the body. When you are watching television, you
tune to a certain channel, say a cartoon channel and see animated figures
dancing. When you tune to a music channel, you see people singing. If you tune
to a drama channel, you see drama. Similarly, your mind is like the receiver; if
you tune it to the body, it will experience everything the body experiences, but
if you tune the mind to the fact that you are not the body, that you are God, you
will become constantly in a state of awareness that you are God. Then, you will
immediately lose your body consciousness and will experience no further pain.
If you ask the doctors of whom there are many here, who were serving Swami
at Prasanthi Nilayam My physical body, too, went through the cycle of
disease and decay, but I was full of bliss. When I said that I had no suffering, I
was not speaking a lie just to pacify the devotees; I meant what I said. When I
said I was not suffering, I tuned myself to the highest Divinity instead of
thinking that I was the body. I never suffered as the body suffered.
If you constantly chant and tell yourself that you are Divine, you will
experience nothing of the body; just as you do not experience your body when
you go into the sleep state, because your mind is no longer connected to the
body. That is the state of communion with God, which does not allow you to
experience any body-related pain. If you practise, you can definitely achieve it.
There was a dull boy who was unable learn anything, however much the teacher
taught. So, the teacher thought that there was no point in struggling to teach the
boy, but he told him, I will teach you one thing and, if you learn that, it is
equivalent to learning everything.
He taught the boy Aham Brahmasmi which means I am God. He asked if the
boy understood, What did you understand?
Teacher is God.
Not teacher is God, but I am God.
That is right. Teacher is God.
You are such a dull boy, nobody can teach you. Go!
He went home and his uncle, who had come from a neighbouring town, asked
him, What did you learn in school?
He said, I learned that teacher is God.
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