Spiritual Secrets for Sai Students – Part 3

Sri Sathya Sai Discourse in Trayee Brindavan

… Continued from Part 2

My Dear Students! 

Spirituality is not easy. You can’t easily understand it. A kerchief is strong because it is the unison of many threads. Suppose, there is a tumbler with water. You put sugar into it. Then if you take a sip, it will not be sweet. If you take a spoon and stir the water, then the water and sugar become one. Then the water will be sweet. Heart is the tumbler; Atma is the sugar at the bottom. Worldly desires are like the water at top. 

They don’t have any taste. Buddhi (intellect) is the spoon. Sadhana (spiritual practice) is the stirring. The Divinty in us is sacred. Unfortunately, we don’t do the stirring. Because of this, the water at top remains tasteless. Taste is at the bottom. If we stir, then the sweetness gets mixed everywhere. 

The Real Spiritual Practice 

Sadhana is important to attain God. This does not involve only words. Action is important. This is Trikarana Shuddhi. It is the purity of thought, word and deed. But today the thought, word, and deed of people are different. 

Therefore we don’t understand the sweetness principle. To understand this, we must unite the thought, word and deed. Manasyekam Vachasyekam Karmanyekam Mahatmanam; Manas Anyath Vachas Anyath Karman Anyath Duratmanam (The great being is the one whose thought, word and deed are in unison; the unholy being is the one whose thought, word and deed are not in harmony). This is the biggest defect we have. The thought, word and deed are not united. Therefore there is no truth. We must unite them. The Gita tells, ‘Satyam Bruyaat Priyam Bruyaat Na Bruyaat Satyam Apriyam’ (Speak the truth, speak it in a pleasing way, do not speak truth that is unpleasant). Satyam Bruyat is Naitika Satyam (Ethical truth). Priyam Bruyat is Dharmika Satyam (Moral truth). Na Bruyat Satyam Apriyam is Adhyatmika Satyam (Spiritual truth). 

Divinity in Human Form

If seen this way, spirituality is easy. But as body consciousness increases, we forget this. To understand this let Me tell about Myself. This body is 75 years old. There is no weakness. Teeth are strong, eyes are sharp, legs can walk, and hands can carry. This is because I have no worries. I have no connection with them. I have no sleep or hunger. Can you be like this? You eat tiffin and within one hour, you start feeling hungry. I eat and sleep for others. Four boys sleep in my room. They see me wandering. I don’t sleep. Sleep is Tamasic. For the sake of others I just lie down. If I keep sitting they would also keep sitting. I have no hunger. I just touch the food because others bring it. Divinity has no Nidra (sleep) or Ahara (food). Only a normal man has them. As I don’t have them, I am Divine. Since 63 years, I have maintained a body weight of 108 pounds. Even today it is 108 pounds. You can get the weighing machine and see. It never changes! This Divinity is in all. If you try, you can also experience it. You won’t have sleep or hunger. Now you have got these because of practice. I don’t have this habit. From the beginning, My principle has been one. It is changeless. Therefore follow Me. But you don’t do it. For two months you follow, and then for three months you leave it. I will be blissful if you all are blissful. (Swami sang, “Love is My form. Truth is My breath. Bliss is My food. No reason for love. No season for love. This is My form”.) 

You can achieve anything with this human form. To illustrate this, let Me tell you a story. In Uttar Pradesh, there is a place called Lucknow. There is a great devotee there. He came to Prasanthi Nilayam. I told him to go back to Lucknow. He kept repeating Swami’s name always. Because of age, he had lost his teeth, sight, etc. But he got all of them back. He got his eyesight back, teeth became strong again. He became young. All were surprised to see him. Even now, he is alive. Two years back, a lady devotee suffered a heart attack. I went there. She had two children. Their father had passed away earlier. The children started crying. All the three of them were Swami’s devotees. The neighbours came to assist them. The doctors on examining the lady found no signs of life. They didn’t tell this to the children. They were afraid as to what would they do. They covered the lady with a cloth. I went there and removed the cloth. I shouted, “Nagamma, get up”. The villagers were amazed to see her get up. She then came with all the villagers to have Swami’s Darshan.

The Story of Karnam Subbamma

Smt. Karnam Subbamma

Whenever needed, I leave this body. There wouldn’t be any consciousness in the body then. It will appear like a dead body. But if I give a promise I will keep it up. I had given a word to Karnam Subbama. She was 60 years old, when I was 16. I had asked her what she wanted. She replied, “I want to merge in You.” I promised her that I would give her liberation. One day, she was taken to Bukkapatnam. I had gone to Madras. She died in Bukkapatnam. They kept her body for three days, but I didn’t go there. Her relatives wanted to cremate her body. They were taking the body in a procession. I came and stopped the procession by the roadside. The people said that Subbamma was gone. I then went to the body. All were crying, “She did so much Seva (service), but this was her bad Gati (end)”. I asked them to be quiet. Asking for a tumbler of water, I called out ‘Subbama’. I told her to open her mouth. She opened her mouth and I poured water into her mouth. I had kept my promise. Subbama held my hand. She said, “I don’t need anything more”. She then closed her eyes. The whole of Bukkapatnam was filled with Ananda after this incident. People were jumping with joy narrating the incident. If I give a word, I will keep it. Subbamma was a great devotee. Today we have a Karnam Subbamma Nagar in Puttaparthi. She always thought of Me. After her husband was gone, some people asked her, “You are a Brahmin. Why do you keep Sai Baba, who is not a Brahmin, in your house?” She replied, “I don’t care for what you say. I believe in Him”. To test her, I once went to the Harijan Wada. They had requested Me to come. I told them that I would come. They took Me in a procession playing drums. Subbamma told Me that she would also come. I told her not to, but she replied, “I have no caste”, and accompanied Me. She was a great devotee. She lived up to the age of 70 years. She was rich. Yet she had no differences. She cooked and fed all. She was a great Tyagi (one of sacrifice). She had no Deha Abhimana (identification with the body). She knew the truth. 

Sai Sruthi, Sri Sathya Sai residence and Ashram in Kodaikanal

No one knows his future. There is a person named Rajendran, who is the caretaker of the Kodaikanal bungalow. He was a captain in merchant navy. He looks after Sai Sruthi (Swami’s residence in Kodaikanal). His wife does service day and night, even when I am not there. Two months back, she faced difficulties. She got news that her husband had drowned. She was worried. But I told her not to worry. Third day, when I was going to Kodaikanal, he came back. His Bhakti is great. He, his wife, and children all do service day and night. His wife is a very good devotee. She looks after the lady devotees at Kodaikanal. 

Faith is needed. Love the body, but have faith in the Atma. As the identification with body decreases, you will get Vaak Shuddhi (purity of speech). Whatever you say then will come true. You are also God. Think that, ‘I am God’. Then you will become God.Don’t rely on just name and form. Have faith. Ramana Maharishi said, “I am I.”Similarly I am not Sai Baba. Sai Baba is the body’s name. I am I. Have this Ekatma Bhava (unitary principle). Then you will get bliss. You don’t realise the importance of this.

Great Devotees of the Lord

Nine years back, during summer classes I created the ‘Suvarna Lingam’ (golden Linga). Many took photos of it. It is told that this photo revives people. Charles Penn had come from America. He saw this event and took a photo of it. In Brindavan, he saw a lorry carrying boulders on which a boy was sitting. As the boulders moved, the boy fell from the lorry and boulders fell on him. It looked like the boy had lost his life. The boy’s mother, who was nearby, started crying. Charles Penn saw this, and told the mother that he would take the boy in his car. The mother didn’t want the boy to be moved anywhere. So Charles Penn took the photo, and touched the heart of the boy with it. He kept telling, ‘Sai Ram’. Charles Penn’s wife was also there. She also chanted, ‘Sai Ram’. After ten minutes the boy got up. Charles Penn jumped in joy. I asked Charles Penn, “What do you want?” He replied, “Swami, I want to merge in You”. He came here and merged in Me. 

Sri Sathya Sai Hostel for Men, Brindavan Campus

Cowan built the Hostel here (The Brindavan Campus Hostel of the Institute is known as the Walter Cowan Block). During the Madras Conference of Sri Sathya Sai Organisations, he passed away. Mrs. Cowan came to the conference venue. I told her that Cowan had not died. I went to the Hospital where his body was kept. The doctors there had given up all hope. I went to Cowan’s body and patted him on the stomach. I called out, ‘Cowan… Cowan’. He got up, sat in My car, and came to the conference. They came to Brindavan and I performed their second marriage. Cowan was 80 years old and Mrs. Cowan was 78 years. Young people! He lived for ten more years. They started the Sathya Sai Book Center in America. Swami asked Dr. Goldstein, “What is the name of the Centre?” Goldstein replied, “Swami, Sathya Sai National Book Center”. There are 2,00,000 books in the center. Goldstein is a member in that center. Swami asked Goldstein, “Have you seen Cowan?” Goldstein replied, “Yes, Swami. I even spoke to the doctor who pronounced him dead”. Swami continued, “That was based on his faith.” Therefore have Saakara (the form of the Divine) in the heart. Then you will get fulfillment. This may not be got in Nirakara (the formless aspect of Divinity). But one may have both. Divinity is in both. God is in you. Think like this always. 

Walter and Elsie Cowan (Photos at the entrance of the Brindavan Campus Hostel)

Swami ended his discourse singing the Bhajan, ‘Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma’.

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