Spiritual Secrets for Sai Students – Part 1

Sri Sathya Sai Speaks at Trayee Brindavan

Today due to growth in English education, Sanskrit words have lost popularity. In English, the first three alphabets are ABC. This means ‘Always Be Careful’. It also means ‘Avoid Bad Company’. There is significance and power in words. This power is not seen elsewhere. Each word is powerful. There is no word without power. Each word can create a mental transformation. For mental transformation, words are the basis. One can create happiness or sorrow through words. Suppose if I shout, “Snake… Snake”, all will get afraid. Therefore, each word has an inner power. With words, we can change the minds of people, and not by any other means.

Power of Words

Once an inspector came to a School for inspecting the teaching methods of the School. He went to a class and asked the teacher what he was teaching. The teacher replied that he was teaching them the power of words. The inspector said, “All this is nonsense”. The teacher then devised a plan to teach the inspector a lesson. He told one of the smallest students in the class to get up. He then ordered this student to hold the neck of the inspector and throw him out of the class. Hearing this inspector got angry. He shouted, “What, you are trying to throw me out of the class, that too through a small boy?” The teacher then replied calmly, “I never touched you. Then why did you get angry? It is because of the words, isn’t it? Now you understand that the words caused you anger.” All things are got through words. So you must speak sweetly. Divinity is in words. You cannot always oblige, but you can always speak obligingly. Students must learn to speak softly and sweetly. It is told in the Gita, “Anudvegakaram Vakyam Satyam Preeti Hitam Cha Yat”. Words must not cause agitation. They must be comforting and must mean good. Spirituality uses loving and sweet words.

The Power of Saguna Worship

The name Radha can be spelt as RADHA. Starting with each letter in the name it leads to the words Radha, Aadhar, Dhara, and Aaradh. This means that for Radha, the Aadhar (basis) is the Dhara (continuous flow) of Aaradh (worship) of Krishna. Radha did continuous Namasmarana (chanting of the Divine name).

Sri Radha Devi (Artist's visualization)

Let me tell you a story. A learned scholar Jagannath Shastri always contemplated on Radha. He had no family and lived in a small house. Once, a bangle seller came to Saraswati Teeram, his place. There, a beautiful woman wanted bangles for her right hand. As the bangle seller kept on putting bangles to her hand, her hand kept on lengthening! But she wanted bangles only for one hand. At last, she told the seller it was enough. Regarding the cost of the bangles, she told the seller that he should go and ask a particular person in a particular village for the money. The bangle seller had faith in her word, as she spoke softly. He didn’t feel that she would tell a lie. Thereafter, the bangle seller approached the person indicated by the woman. This person happened to be Jagannath Shastri. The bangle seller told him, “Your daughter purchased bangles from me. She told me to ask you for the payment.” Jagannath Shastri was surprised. He was a bachelor and had not married. Therefore he had no daughter. He felt, “I am always thinking of Radha. I have no other thought”. He could not believe the bangle seller. The seller then said, “The lady told me that there is a small room in your house. In a corner of that room the money for the bangles is kept”. Jagannath Shastri was further puzzled. But the bangle seller insisted that he should go and see. When Jagannath Shastri went into the room, at a corner there was some money. He asked the bangle seller the cost of the bangles and found that it was ` 10. The amount in the corner was exactly ` 10! Seeing this, Jagannath Shastri cried with joy. He told the bangle seller, “My Radha Devi has blessed my worship, and has given Darshan to you. You are fortunate. Please take me to that place in Saraswati Teeram”. The bangle seller took Jagannath Shastri to that place. He showed him the spot at which he had seen the woman. Jagannath Shastri told the bangle seller, “Call her again. You have great good fortune. So she will listen to your prayers”. The bangle seller called out, “Amma, you bought bangles for only one hand that day. Purchase bangles for the other hand today”. Then out of the waters of River Saraswati, came the other hand. Jagannath Shastri cried, “This is Radha Devi’s hand. Mother, you are showing only your hand. Please show your face”. Then a voice was heard, “Only Krishna can see my face. No one else. Similarly, Krishna’s beauty can be seen only by Radha. All the other limbs being useless can be seen by others”. Saying this she vanished. Jagannath Shastri then told, “This is pure Saguna Aradhana (worship of Divinity with a form). With this anything can be achieved”.

God is One

Many people worship God with form. God is “Sahasra Sheersha Purusha” (He has thousands of heads, hands, feet and eyes). Therefore all Gods are one. Ek Prabhu Ke Anek Naam (The One God has many names). God is one. Ekam Sat Viprah Bahuda Vadanti (Truth is one, the wise refer to it in many ways). God is one, not two. Truth and love is God. God is one. Therefore, we can worship anyone who has truth and love. This will be equal to worshipping God. Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma (The Supreme Principle is Truth, Wisdom and All-encompassing). This phrase explains four qualities. All these four are one. We can worship anyone who has all these four qualities.

The Purpose of Singing Bhajans

There are many birds on a tree. They dirty the tree. Because of this, no one is able to sit below the tree. No one is able to sit in its shade. What should one do to avoid this? One has to chase away the birds. Then the tree would become clean, which will then provide peace to the people seated below. What should one do to chase away the birds? One may clap one’s hands. But the birds won’t fly away with that. Along with clapping, if one shouts and makes sound like woosh… woosh, the birds would fly away. This example explains the benefits of Bhajans. This body is the tree. If we sing aloud the name of God, and with hands we put the beat, then all the birds representing the six vices (Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada and Matsarya – desire, anger, greed, attachment, pride and jealousy) sitting on this tree would fly away. Therefore Bhajans are important. Hari Bhajana Bina Sukha Shanti Nahi. (Swami sang these lines). While singing Bhajans, one must contemplate on the Lord’s beautiful form. The name of God should be dancing on the tongue, hands clapping and the eyes seeing His beautiful form. This is Saakara Aaraadhana (worshipping God having a form). Hastasya Bhushanam Daanam, Satyam Kanthasya Bhushanam, Shrotrasya Bhushanam Shastram – charity is the real ornament for one’s hands; truth is the ornament for the neck; and listening to the sacred scriptures is the ornament for the ears. One must worship God in this way.

Through Saakara Aaradhana (worshipping God with a form), the Pandavas achieved a good status. They were always thinking of Krishna. The age difference between Krishna and Arjuna was three years. But they were always together as friends. Such friendship has never been seen in this world. The world is the biggest book, and Sadhana is the real Guru. God is the best friend. If God is our friend, He will explain everything to us. A picture or a stone may not give any answer. You may worship a picture as God, but do not worship God as a picture. Elsewhere we worship an idol. But here you get the Darshan of the Lord with Form and Jnana (wisdom) – Sat-Chit-Ananda. Sat is Truth, Chit means Awareness, and Ananda is Bliss. Wherever there is Sat-Chit-Ananda one can do worship. But everyone is Sat-Chit-Ananda. You are not the body; the body is a water bubble. You are not the mind; the mind is a mad monkey. Do not follow the body and the mind. Follow your conscience.


Continued in Part 2…

Source: Students with Sai: Conversations (2000-2001), Divine Discourse to students in Trayee Brindavan on Sunday, April 22, 2001