Sri Sathya Sai: Sakala Devata Swaroopa - By Dr. K. Devsen

Dr. Devsen with Sri Sathya Sai

“Yato Vacho Nivartante Aprapya Manasa Saha”. 

Words cannot adequately describe even a minute fraction of His Infinite Glory; nor can the human mind and intellect ever comprehend His real nature. What do I write about one whom I am incapable of even comprehending? And how do I write when the known languages are incapable of describing even an iota of His nature, grandeur and glory? However, I venture to offer at the Divine Lotus Feet a few glimpses into His unfathomable nature, that I gathered staying in His divine company. 

The sun in the East has risen and was continuing its tireless journey across the sky heralding an eventful day. It was a quiet, peaceful morning with cool and fresh wind swaying the tall trees into a little lilt to the accompaniment of the music of melodious birds. The place was called Nandanvanam. reminding one and all of the place where the Lord had previously performed His Leelas in plenty. A group of students were eagerly awaiting the arrival of Bhagavan in a spacious room. 

After a while, the effulgent form neck to toe in flowing red robe, with a Natural crown of curly dense hair, slim yet majestically built, ever bubbling with youthful energy, His face beautiful beyond description, with large lustrous eyes sparking like diamonds so full of love that envelops you with tenderness, with a heart melting smile playing on His lips that sends everybody into raptures, Bhagavan majestically glided into the room. Making everybody comfortable, He, in a mellifluous tone and in His characteristic style asked, 'Emi Ayina Vuntae Adgandi'.

Eternal puppeteer He is, made the boys pray to Him to enlighten them on the significance of 'SAI AVATAR'. The replay the Lord gave was so profound and revealing that it echoes in the corridors of memory. 

Bhagavan in His inimitable style explained through an illustration. Comparing this creation to a big factory. Bhagavan explained that the different gods are like the directors, managers and supervisors. Workers of this factory are akin to human beings. All of them have definite duties to perform according to the position they occupy. Thus one of the duties of Vishnu is to visit (incarnate) the factory ten times (Dasha Avataras) in four Yugas. Bhagavan then in His infinite Love enlightened on His nature and grandeur. In His usual nonchalant manner He said - This Sai is the owner of this factory. I do not have a time schedule to adhere to nor can any law bind me. I am the ultimate from whom everything originated, in whom it is preserved and in whom it will be destroyed. I am SAKALA DEVATASWAROOPA, for when I the owner visit the factory, all the directors, managers and supervisors too accompany.

Elaborating on the significance of Sai Avatar, He compared the Shirdi Sai avatar to a mother cooking food, Sathya Sai Avatar to a mother serving food, Prema Sai avatar to a mother washing the vessels.

The Sai Mother has come to bring the children who have overstepped the 'supper time' while at play and save them from their own 'games and gadgets'. Who can gauge the extent of mercy that makes the almighty bend to our level, grant us the 'toys' we want, so that we will partake of the 'immortal food' that He is serving ? Who can describe the compassion that binds the eternal absolute in terms of time and space? Truly His is the form that divine love and mercy crystallised into. The 'food' He is giving in His infinite love and compassion is the real 'food' which confers on us everlasting bliss and immortality. He has come solely for the purpose of liberating us from the darkness of ignorance into the everlasting effulgent light of wisdom and bliss. He reminds us that the descent of God into earth as man must be reciprocated by the ascent of man into godhead. He reveals to us that life is an experience meant to train the individual for a higher, deeper, more expanded state of existence through the experience of results of actions. He alters our attitudes: remakes our personalities and awakens our inner beings with His hidden touch. 

His life is His message. Through His equal love for all He teaches us that God is in us and is in all. He is a vision of tenderness, grace and calm, though in His palm He holds the entire universe. It is a lesson for us to lead a contented quiet life with a mind that rests in God unaffected by the vissicitudes of life. He reminds us that patience is the quintessence of inner growth. The Ananda which He radiates gives us a sense of liberation from the drive of this life Hearing to His sweet words of counsel, simple in expression but profound in content, the thrust and the play of impulse and desire is lost He approaches us at our respective levels of maturity, sees through and understands our problems and infuses through His love, goodness and godliness in us. 

Dr. Devsen receiving gold medal from Sri Sathya Sai

The Sanathana Sarathi is here to take hold of the reins of life and become our Sarathi. Let us not then ask 'coffee powder' from this 'Kalpavruksha'. Trusting His wisdom, let us march forward and merge in Him. 

Dr K. Devsen

Former Student, Research Scholar & Faculty Member

Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning

Prasanthi Nilayam

Currently, Head (IT and Knowledge Management), Tata Trusts

Source: Sai Vandana 1990

Sri Sathya Sai addresses mammoth gathering at Chembur, Mumbai

March 28-31, 1973

Swami flew from Jaipur to Bombay on 28th afternoon and gave Darshan to the devotees at Dharmakshetra. He then flew to Pune and after addressing a public meeting there, returned back to Bombay. Swami addressed 2,00,000 people at a public function in Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium on the 29th. 

Sri Sathya Sai addresses a mammoth gathering in Bombay

Swami addressed the Office-Bearers of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations, Maharashtra at Worli on 30th morning. He witnessed a Bal Vikas programme in the afternoon at Chembur and addressed a public meeting at Gandhi Maidan, Chembur on the theme of the glorious Indian Culture. Excerpts from the Discourse are given below:

“You are citizens of no mean land; Bharat is indeed a Divya Bhoomi – a land saturated since ages with devotion and dedication to God. The path to God was sought for, by even the common folk. Spiritual discipline permeated every activity of life and every detail of daily life. You are the inheritors of a great culture, which has survived the onslaughts of alien rule and political suppression.

This culture has upheld strength of mind and purity of thought, which are translated into beneficial resolutions and desires, as the essential requisites of a progressive human being. The mystery and splendour of God can be grasped only by a pure mind and a clear vision. That is why the Lord granted a new eye to Arjuna in order that he might not be confounded by His Glory. A resolution adopted by the mind is like a stone thrown into a Sarovara or lake. It produces ripples that affect the entire face and unsettles equanimity. A good sankalpa (resolution) sets up a series of such thoughts, each contributing its quota to the process of purification and strengthening. Bharatiya culture insists on purity of Sankalpa because, like a flagrant flower in the hand, it will spread its beneficial influence on others and through others, on the society and community, in which the individual operates. A bad thought desecrates the individual as well as the community. Misery too is infectious; your impurity can pollute too. When the mind acts in subordination to the intellect or discriminating reason, it will help the realisation of the Inner Truth. When it yields to the pull of the senses, then, it will tighten the bonds.

Be equipped with humility to win God's Grace

Good ideas have to be accepted and bad ones eschewed. Each idea has to be judged in the Supreme Court of Viveka (wisdom). And, the 'ruling has to be treated as inviolable. It is in this context that we have to remind ourselves of the prayer of Gandhiji, Sabko Sanmati De Bhagwaan - "O God, Bestow right understanding on all." Again, the individual born in the lake of Society must swim and float in the calm waters, and joining the river of Progress, merge in the Ocean of Grace. Man must move from the stance of ‘I’ to the position of ‘We’; this day, we see only the wild dance of ego-stricken individuals, who hate society and behave most anti-socially. Water flows from a higher, level to the lower levels. God's Grace too is like that. It flows down to those who are bent with humility. So, give up the ego, overcome jealousy, and cultivate love. How can man be truly at peace with himself and with others, if he does not endeavour to win the Grace of God? While trying to get the best out of Nature's Gifts, you must first be equipped with humility and simplicity; otherwise, you will only be dragged along into ruin, through many unfulfilled desires. Ravana desired Nature (Seeta, who was found as a child in a furrow of ploughed land); but, he was not chastened by the effort to win the Grace of God; and so, he met his downfall. Desire leads to anger, when it is foiled; and anger weakens the body. It impairs the digestive system and chases him fast into old age.

Remember, when Prema (Divine selfless Love) is installed in the heart, jealousy, hatred and untruth will find no place there. Live in Prema, live with Prema, move with Prema, speak with Prema, think with Prema, and act with Prema. This is the best and the most fruitful Sadhana (spiritual effort). Do not want Prema from others, while yourself refusing Prema to others. This is not a one-way traffic. Love for all should spontaneously flow from your heart, and sweeten all your words.”

Sri Sathya Sai leaves for Jamnagar from Bombay

Swami reached Hyderabad after blessing devotees at Rajkot and Jamnagar in Gujarat via a chartered plane on 4th April.

Source: Sri Sathya Sai Digvijayam (1926-1985)

Sri Sathya Sai On: Jainism and Vardhaman Mahavira (A Photo Feature)

Vardhaman Mahavira (BC 599-527)

Jain mode of worship (Jainopasana) - The Marwari (money lenders) community, in worshipping the Lord, adopt a Vaishnavite slant. Idols of Vishnu, with the traditional equipment of the conch, the wheel, the mace and the lotus, are found in Jain temples. The Jains have as their Mantra:

“Namo Arihantanam

Namo Siddhanam

Namo Ayiriyanam

Namo Uvajjhayanam

Namo Loye Savva Sahunam”

(Salutations to the great heroes (Mahavira) who have conquered desire, etc. Salutations to the Siddhas (those equipped with super natural powers). Salutations to the great Masters of Spiritual Wisdom. Salutations to the great Teachers who transmit the wisdom. Salutations to the good persons of all lands).

This five-fold adoration helps remove the evil effects of all sinful acts. Experiencing the meaning of this Mantra gives one the sum of prosperity. The Jains declare that when one merges in this universal adoration, one is liberated and attains Moksha.

- “Modes of Worship”, 

Sathya Sai Vahini

Vardhaman Mahavira in deep meditation
(BC 569-557)

Jainism, the religion that was rendered an all-India movement by Mahavira, extols Jina (the heroic conqueror of the senses), the emotions and the stratagems of the intellect. He called upon all to carry out the duties commensurate to their status and professions, with steady faith and enthusiasm. He declared that all things and beings are holy in their own right and are but pilgrims on the road to Realisation. Any injury inflicted on any of them is an intervention in that sacred journey and so has to be scrupulously avoided.

- “The Sai Religion”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 13, October 1, 1976, Prasanthi Nilayam

Vardhaman Mahavira addressing a congregation after Self-Realisation (BC 557)

In Jainism also, the same truth (Swami referring to recognition of the One Divine in all beings) was taught by Mahavira. When the senses are allowed to have their way, all kinds of reactions occur. It is only when the senses are brought under unified control that the nature of Divinity can be comprehended. The eyes have the power of sight. The ears can hear. 

The powers of all the sense organs; seeing, hearing, speaking, etc. are derived from the Divine. It is the Divine that enables the eyes to see, the ears to hear, the mind to think and to have various experiences. It is when all these sensory processes are brought under unified control (by the conquest of the senses) that man becomes a conqueror a ‘Jina’, as termed by the Jains. Because He had conquered his senses, the title of victor was conferred on Mahavira.

- “Develop Spiritual Oneness”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 24, December 25, 1991, Prasanthi Nilayam

About Vardhaman Mahavira:

Mahavira, known as Vardhaman, was born in 599 B.C. in Vaishali, Bihar to King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala. He is the twenty-fourth and last Tirthankara of Jainism. 

Little Vardhamana worshipped by celestial beings on birth

At the age of 30, he renounced worldly life and became a monk in the Jain tradition. After 12 years of severe penance, he attained Self-realisation (Keval Jnana), and spent the next 30 years preaching the message of non-violence and universal forgiveness. 

Mahavira establishing the fourfold Jain Sangha (BC 557)

To ensure continued propagation and practice of the Jain religion, he established the fourfold Jain Sangha consisting of householders – men and women, and the renunciants – men and women. 

Mahavira's last sermon at Pawapuri (BC 527)

At the age of 72, Mahavira attained liberation (Nirvana) in 527 B.C. at Pawapuri, Bihar.

Source: Sai Vani: Avatar on Mahapurushas

Sri Sathya Sai addresses The National Police Academy at Hyderabad

Thursday, March 29, 1979

Swami addressed the Police officers at the National Police Academy in Hyderabad on this day. 

“Today man can, thanks to the advancement in science and technology, move about in space and underwater, land on the moon and listen to the stars, but the pity of it is, he has lost the secret of living on earth with peace in his heart and in harmony with his fellowmen. He can beat the bird in the sky and the fishes in the sea, but he is helpless as a man. The innate purpose for which he has earned this human birth is being neglected in frantic pursuit of the petty pleasures derivable from the outer world. Thus he is only laying waste the years given to him. There is a divinity, higher than humanity, that is behind and beneath all man's activities. But, man is not aware of it and he fails to benefit by that awareness. His first task is to cognise this source of joy and peace. That divinity is like the thread in which the flowers are strung; we see only the garland; we do not cognise that string that holds the flowers together and makes a garland out of a heap of blossoms.

Mankind is strung together by this inherent divinity. I see in this campus people from all the States and all the linguistic areas of our country. I look upon this gathering as a garden shining with multi-coloured blossoms. But, in spite of these differences and as a result of the underlying unity, you have met here in this Academy with the same ideal, undergoing the same training and welcoming the same series of experiences.

Three Guidelines for Life

I wish to emphasise three guidelines or Sutras which have to be followed to ensure success in your endeavours. Your responsibilities and your duties require that you should pay attention to these three. They are: Duty, Discipline and Devotion.

For the Police, especially, discipline is essential. Your job involves many trying moments, many worries and much exertion. Really, you are the custodians of peace and guards of security. Therefore, a disciplined mind that ever remains in equanimity is very necessary for you to lead peaceful happy lives. Equanimity can arise only from the spring of devotion in the heart.

These days, even those who are educated and those who benefit by training courses such as yours, are anxious about the future and full of fear lest the standard of life to which they are accustomed may fall. How and by what means can I increase comforts in my life? That is the concern of everybody. No one worries about the happiness that he can contribute, the joy he can give, the duty he can discharge. Everyone is calculating the happiness others can give him, the joy he can extract from society and the duty that society owes to him. The number of those who concentrate on their responsibilities rather than their wants is very small. How can I as an individual get the maximum benefit out of society? That is the urge. But, people forget that it is their primary duty to safeguard the security and prosperity of the society of which they are the limbs.

Renounce selfish Desires for Peace

It is only when the individual is prepared to sacrifice his selfish desires and toil for the welfare of society - that the nation will prosper. Then only will the world have peace. That is why the Vedas proclaim that man can have peace only when he renounces selfish desires. The Vedas condemn persons who accumulate wealth and who are ever immersed in activities that can add to their physical comfort. The man who gives, receives even while he gives, more than what he gives. Do not strive for your own happiness but strive for the happiness of all; then you can derive greater happiness, with additional joy of having added to the happiness to others. 

The National Police Academy at Hyderabad

When you joined this Department of Public Service, you dedicated yourself to the service of society and you decided to welcome all the incidental troubles and worries. You renounced an easy-going life in favour of the higher ideal of ensuring peace, safety and security in society. Faith in an Omnipresent God will sustain you when you are overwhelmed by the' ups and downs of life. Cultivate devotion and dedication and you can be ever at peace with yourself and the world. For, then, you can fulfil your duties with joy and with all your strength.

Promote Devotion through Duty and Discipline

Nowadays, every person in authority talks of discipline and exhorts others to be disciplined, but we do not find in those persons even a trace of what they want others to have! You have come here, many of you, far from your own states, for the purpose of equipping yourselves better for the jobs you have entered into. Feel it as your duty to benefit to the utmost from the course of training given here. Otherwise, you will be doing great injury to your own careers, and, more serious than this, causing injury to your motherland.

Children of Bharat must live, not for the salary they get but for the chance of service they have secured. I advise you to develop faith in God and promote that devotion through duty and discipline. Earn fame as sincere servants of society and vigilant guardians of its safety.

Without an ever-present faith in an all-knowing God, life is dry and drab, shadowed by despair and doom. Love for God and fear of sin, are the two primary needs for a happy life. Without these two, man becomes a monster. Man must be ever ready to sacrifice his selfish needs for the sake of the larger community. There is nothing so glorious as renunciation. Be honest, be proficient in detachment and with God installed in your hearts march forward to offer your talents and skills for the duties you have undertaken.

Source: Sri Sathya Sai Digivijayam (1926-1985)

Sri Sathya Sai Darshan and Message at Shimla (A Photo Feature)

Sri Sathya Sai in the Shimla Hills - 1973

March 14 - 20, 1973

Swami flew to Delhi on 14th March, 1973, and proceeded to Amritsar the next morning. Swami inaugurated a charitable hospital built by Sri Jindal in Swami’s name on 15th. 

Sri Sathya Sai Darshan at Shimla

He reached Shimla on the 17th and blessed the devotees with His Discourses on the 17th and the 18th. In His Divine Discourse He said:

"Man is a pilgrim set on a long journey; he has started from the stone, moved on to the vegetable and the animal, and has now come to the human stage. He has still a long way to go, to reach the Divine, and so, he should not tarry. Every moment is precious; every step must take him further and nearer. Those born in Bharat are really fortunate, for here, millions have gone along that road, and there are available many kind guides who can lead you along the easiest and the shortest paths. They tell you the address of the place where from you have come; for, you have forgotten it and so, you are helpless when asked about it. They tell you also the goal which you ought to reach, when the toil of travel is over, and of the enticing attractions on the way, which you must avoid.

Man is the synthesis of all the feelings, emotions and reactions that arise in his mind. The mind is the seat of all urges, desires and thoughts. When the mind is clean, the world cognised by it will also be clean. When the mind is turbid and fiddled with fear, the world will appear miserable and depressing. Many people blame the world, without knowing that the fault lies in themselves. Their thinking is crooked; their thoughts are not wholesome; their minds are restless, because they are too full of unfulfilled desires. Rich or poor, educated or uneducated, high or low, they see the world through the glasses of their own prejudices and predilections and they condemn or extol it in order to please themselves!

Money comes and goes, 

Morality comes and grows

The proper study of mankind is man. For, man is the centre of things. And, in man, the mind has to be studied and controlled and regulated. His thoughts originate in the mind, they express themselves through words and are materialised through deeds. These three have to be properly co-ordinated by the Intellect; or else, life becomes a tragedy. The mind has to be trained to develop a taste for the good and the godly; not, for money and material gains. Money comes and goes; but, morality comes and grows.

Sri Sathya Sai on the dais to address the thousands gathered at Shimla

Man, in his ignorance, asserts that he lives for himself only, eats and drinks to appease his hunger and thirst, looks after his health and comforts only. Two persons may be sleeping on the same cot, but, each has dreams that stroll independently into strange regions of its own. But, the truth is quite different! This selfish attitude which curbs and curtails his interests to himself and his aggrandizement is really 'death'. Contraction is extinction. Expansion is life. Man has to feel himself a limb of the society into which he has been born and which has fostered him and fed him with ideals and ideas. Spiritual life is not isolated existence. Man has to sow the seeds of love in his heart and harvest peace. He should share that peace with all. Bhoomaa Eva Sukham, say the Vedas. There is happiness only in the vast, the limitless, the huge; not in the little, the small, the limited. Love leads to expansion; hatred leads to contraction and death. This is the basic teaching of the scriptures of Sanatana Dharma.

Peace has to emerge within

But, seeing the advances made in science and technology, you have lost balance. Man has learnt to walk on the moon, to live in the depths of the ocean, to penetrate into the deepest crusts of earth, but, alas, it is a pity, he has not learnt how to live on the earth and let other men too to live on the surface of the earth. How can man achieve happiness and peace of mind, flying high or swimming deep? He has to carry his troubles and worries, fears and failings, with him to those places also. Unless he rids himself of these burdens, he cannot feel light and loveable. Peace has to emerge within; it cannot be added from without.

Science has its vision, directed outside, towards gadgets and machinery providing external comfort and convenience. The scientist examines the objective world of matter; he tries to excel in external vision. The one who examines the soul and develops the internal vision is the Saint; the Scientist plans machines, the Saint relies on Mantra (sacred formula). The balance can be restored only by cultivating the Inner Vision. This has to be done even in schools and colleges. They have neglected this aspect far too long.

If you examine the nature of mind, you will find that it is very much akin to the lens of a camera. The body is the camera, the mind is the lens, the heart is the photographic plate, the thought is the flash, and the intelligence, the switch. Turn the lens towards the source of happiness, not, to the seat of anxiety and fear; then, you will be-rewarded with a fine picture imprinted on your heart. It is difficult, nay, well nigh impossible, to turn the lens to the direction we are told by saints and seers; for, the mind is very truly characterised as a monkey! Why, it is even more wayward then a monkey for it jumps from one perch to another that is miles away in space and centuries away in time, in less time than a wink! The mind jumps from one desire to another, and entangles us in it coils. Reduce desire, evict the ego, eject anger, and the mind will be your slave, instead of being your master.

Duty without Love is deplorable

Sri Sathya Sai listening to Bhajans by gathered devotees at Shimla

Prema is the master key which can achieve all this. That is why, I say, "Start the day with Love; Spend the day with Love; Fill the day with Love; End the day with Love; This is the way to God." On this path, you will not be waylaid by anger, lust or greed. You will have only the company of the good and proper facilities for speedy progress. Do your duty. with Love, as if you are 'thereby adoring God. Many leaders are today clamouring for freedom to follow Swechha, that is, Swa-Ichha, one's own inclinations. But, real freedom is gained only when you are free of the pernicious influence of passions like lust, envy, pride, greed and hate. Swa-Ichha does not mean any and every, desire that arises in your mind; it means the inclination of your true self towards God. If you incline towards God, the passions that enslave you will be rendered powerless. Then, you will do your 'duty' as Swechha, for you will love it with all your heart. Duty without love is deplorable; duty with love is desirable; Love, without Duty, is Divine.

Swechha means, the best interests of the individual, the purest thought that emerges from within him, for his own best. That means, all imitation is barred. Follow the dictates of your own clear conscience. Do not copy wishes and resolutions from someone; that is what the blind man does; but, very often he follows an equally blind man. God is enshrined in your heart; He is ever ready to guide you. He does not appreciate external pomp and exhibitionistic behaviour. He does not calculate the number of hours you did bhajan (congregational music) or Japam (repetition of Lord's Name), or the number of miles you walked during Nagar Sankeertan (street singing of spirituals). He examines the purity of your heart, as evident from your words and deeds.

Do not preach; practise. In politics, in the field of administration, in schools and colleges, in spiritual institutions, everywhere, we have a surfeit of preachers but a famine in practitioners. Heroes on platforms prove themselves zeros when they descend to the ground. Therefore, demonstrate in your own lives, how Love can confer peace and joy, how all faiths lead to the same goal, how all men are brothers of one another. The only message, the only lesson I can impart to you today is to remind you of the great traditions of Bharat and ask you to spread Love throughout the length and breadth of this great land. Then, India can again be the spiritual leader of humanity and fill the whole world with Divine Love.

Special gift for a blessed devotee in the Shimla Hills

Swami along with His entourage visited Kufri and Phagu. Swami returned to Delhi on the 20th. 

Source: Sri Sathya Sai Digvijayam (1926-1985)

Sri Sathya Sai Addresses the Andhra Association in Pune

March 26th, 1966 to 
April 4th, 1966

Swami left Bombay and reached Pune on 26th. He addressed the devotees at the Andhra Association on the 27th. He said:     

“Man fills his days with unremitting labour; he is immersed in perpetual anxiety and worry. Busy beyond description, with no time to stand and silently contemplate God's handiwork, he is troubled by strange inexplicable misgivings; he runs helter-skelter after hollow comforts; he is blinded by hate and greed. Caught in this toil and turmoil, man has lost knowledge of the one anchor that will save him from the tornado, namely, discipline of the vagaries of the mind. 

That discipline has to be learnt and practised as early as possible in life; it is not to be postponed to old age, when the physical equipment with which man is endowed has become worn out and weak. There are many who try to warn their children away from holy men and sacred books, for they fear that they may develop a taste for these disciplines too early in life; but there is no "too early" in this matter; it is always "late", whenever you begin. For, who knows when the span of life is brought to a close.

Spiritual discipline is based on faith in the unity of all beings on the basis of the all-pervasive immanent indwelling Atma. There are thousands here before Me, listening to My words, but fundamentally they are all One; for they are but a thousand waves on the face of a single underlying Ocean. Food earned by all the limbs and organs of the body making co-operative effort to procure it and make it ready for consumption is converted by the stomach and other organs again by co-operative effort into strength which is shared by all the limbs and organs. Not one part is neglected. You are all the limbs of that One Cosmic Body, the Purusha, who is far more expansive than the Universe, this Universe being but a small fraction of His Splendour. Individuals as individuals may be deluded into the belief that they are different from the rest. But the Atma in each is the Atma in all.

In this garland, quickest to strike the eyes are the flowers, while the thread upon which they are strung has to be inferred; it is not so patent. But, without it, they will all fall off. So too, without that bond in Brahman (the Supreme Absolute), you will fall off as unrelated entities; in fact, you are entities on account of the Divine spark within, the Divine current that flows through each and activates each, On that Ekam (one), all this Anekam is strung (many); On the One, the many secure support.

The sages of this land knew that the mind is an instrument which can bind man or release him from bondage. One has to understand its working technique, as well as its potentialities. You must learn how to wield it, rather than yield to it. It is the mind that weaves the pattern called the 'I'. The way in which it establishes this ego and elaborates it into a multitude of shackles is called Maya (deluding force). The mind prompts the senses to project into the outer world of objects, for it builds up notions of pleasure and pain, of joy and grief and constructs a whole array of urges and impulses. It resists all attempts to escape into the Eternal, the Universal, the Absolute.

It protests when the individual is eager to become conscious of his identity with these; but when it finds determined opposition to its tactics, it surrenders and disappears. When this handkerchief is recognised as a mere arrangement of yarn or better still as mere cotton basically, the warp and the woof disappear from the consciousness. The mind is composed of the warp and woof of desire; when man is established in the experience of the ONE, there is no desire, for who is to desire for whom or what? So, Mano Layam or Mano Nashanam (dissolution or destruction of the mind) is accomplished. So, man has to diminish desire to become free from delusion; desire comes of attachment; deliverance comes from detachment.

A little reflection will give the attitude necessary for developing detachment. You have a house in this city; you have lived in it some years; you call it yours; your are proud of it; you protest angrily when a poster is pasted on its walls; you have taken great care to see that it is comfortable, charming, impressive. Then one day you sell it. It is no longer the object of your attachment. Even when lightning strikes it, you are not disturbed. Now, the fields you have purchased with the sale proceeds become yours and they attract all your attachment. When flood waters invade those fields, you are very concerned and you run hither and thither trying to save them from harm. Next, you sell them too. You call the money yours; you put it in a bank and you become attached to the pass book issued by the Bank. You keep it in an iron safe and scan its pages lovingly. The money you gave the Bank may be loaned by them to someone you do not like, but you do not care. You have the pass book with you. Now what exactly is yours? To which were you attached so deeply? The house, the fields, the money, the pass book? To none of these things. You were attached to prestige, comfort, show, greed: things that arose in your mind as desire, as urges; to your own ego, basically. That was the thing which induced you to claim these things, one after the other, as yours!

Each of you must take up some spiritual effort in order to cleanse the mind of lust and greed, of envy and hate. Come out of the well of ego into the sea of the Universal Spirit, of which you are a part. Force your mind to breathe the grander atmosphere of the Eternal by reminding it of God and His Glory, every second, with every breath, when you repeat any one of His Names. Or, engage in some work which will take you out of your narrow self into the vaster magnificence; some task where you dedicate the fruit of Karma to God, where you devote your time and energy to share your joy or skill or knowledge with fellow-men. Or, keep yourself surrounded always by persons devoted to the higher life; persons who will encourage you to move forward along the road towards the goal. By these means, you can achieve Chitta Shuddhi (cleansing of the mind), so that the Truth can be clearly reflected therein. Satsanga (company of pious and holy men) leads gradually to withdrawal from the entangling activities. When a cold bit of coal is placed in the midst of glowing cinders, and when the fire is fanned, the coal too gets glowing with fire. Jnana-Agni or the Fire of Wisdom operates similarly.

Individual effort and Divine Grace are both interdependent; without effort, there will be no conferment of Grace; without Grace, there can be no taste in the effort. To win that Grace, you need only have faith and virtue. You need not praise Him in order to win His favour. For example, I did not like the fulsome praises with which you flooded Me in the address which was read when this meeting started. I am yours and you are Mine. This is a family gathering; as a matter of fact, all gatherings that I meet are family gatherings. The entire mankind is My family. It sounds very improper when a member of the family is extolled by another before the rest. This is a habit, a ceremony that is borrowed from political life, where ministers are given addresses wherein they are praised so that some benefits may accrue to the place which they are visiting and which present those praises.

The present decline in spiritual progress that is so marked among the heads of monastic institutions and leaders of orders is due to this indiscriminate flattery heaped upon them by fawning groups. Praise feeds the fire of egoism and fogs genuine faith. The disciple or pupil should not flatter the Guru, nor should the Guru flatter the pupil or disciple. The relationship should be like that of father and son. If the son flatters the father or if the father fawns upon the son, it would be ridiculous. Knock: the doors of Grace will open. Open the door-the sun's rays waiting outside will flow silently in and flood the room with light.”

He left for Gulbarga via Sholapur in the early hours of 28th March. Swami blessed the devotees with His Divine Darshan at the gardens of Ivanshahi Palace in Gulbarga on 28th. He also taught them a few Bhajans. Swami blessed a group of medical students and spent a few minutes with them there. 

Sri Sathya Sai addresses the Prasanthi Vidwan Mahasabha at Hyderabad

Swami left for Hyderabad at 11 am and reached there in the evening. Swami inaugurated the monthly meeting of Prashanti Vidwan Maha Sabha (Hyderabad) on Sri Rama Navami (3rd April, 1965). He returned to Prashanti Nilayam on 4th April.

Source: Sri Sathya Sai Digvijayam (1926 – 1985)

Sri Sathya Sai Narrates: A Ramayana for Everyone

Sri Rama Family Idols at Sri Sathya Sai Hostel at Prasanthi Nilayam

The Ramayana is a guide book, a sacred text, an inspiring scripture, for everyman in all lands, at all times, whatever his creed or condition might be. For, it imparts poise, balance, equanimity, inner strength and peace. Peace is the best treasure, without which power, authority, fame, fortune are all dry and burdensome. Tyagaraja has sung that there can be no happiness, without inner peace.

To earn this peace and to be unshakably established in it, man must develop Abhyasa (steady practice) and Vairagyam (full detachment). From birth to death, man is the slave of habits and practices. One must examine these and rely more and more on those that lead him towards subjective joy rather than objective pleasure. Subjective joy can be acquired by harmony in the home, mutual co-operation among the members of the family and community, acts of service to others and concern for the welfare and prosperity of the society in which one is living.

The Ramayana holds up the ideals to be pursued by the father, the son, the mother, the brother, the friend, the servant, the master, the teacher, the pupil, etc. The happy home is the basic cell of the national organism. It ensures a happy world, for mankind is one family, and if any one unit is sad or struggling in distress, how can, the rest be safe or satisfied?

There is no object without fault or failing

Vairagyam (detachment) does not imply renunciation of family ties and fleeing into the loneliness of the jungle. It means our giving up the feeling that things are permanent, and capable of yielding supreme joy. The mind plays tricks with man and believes that some things are good and some bad, some eternal and some transitory. You might have a plateful of nice eatables before you and they might appear to be delicious and fine; but, if the cook announces that a lizard had fallen into cooker when it was on fire and has been boiled alive, all the fascination for the' food disappears in a trice! There is no object without fault or failing; there is no joy that is unmixed with pain; there is no act that is not tainted with egotism. So be warned and develop the detachment which will save you from grief.

The Ramayana instils this wise, valid, valuable detachment, or Tyaga (sacrifice). Rama gladly journeys into the forest as an exile, the moment he knows that his father's wish was that he should do so; and, remember, he was to be crowned Emperor just that moment by the very same person who ordered him to go into exile. When those who have full powers and claims, renounce positions of authority in the Ramayana, we see today persons with no powers or claims, clamouring to occupy position of authority!

The Lesson Ramayana teaches about Duty

Duty is God, that is the lesson the Ramayana teaches. The word duty is today used to indicate the methods by which one exercises his authority. No. Duty is the responsibility you have to respect and revere others and to serve them to the best of your ability. You claim to have the freedom to walk, waving your walking stick around you; but, the man coming behind has as much freedom to use the road as you have. To exercise your freedom so that you do not limit or harm the freedom of others - that is the Duty, which becomes Worship.

Rama-Seeta taken across the Ganga

When Rama, Seeta and Lakshmana reached the banks of the Ganga, Sumantra, the aged Minister of the Court who had taken them so far in the Royal Chariot, could not follow them; he had in duty bound to return to the capital. So, he turned back with tearful eyes; Guha rowed them across the river, they entered the forest and started walking in single file through the thick jungle - Rama, Seeta in the middle and Lakshmana following behind. They reached the hermitage of Valmeeki soon; when the Sage came forward to welcome them, Rama asked him to indicate a place where he can reside. Valmeeki said, "We sages reside in You; you reside in us. Where else can I request you to reside? Though you have assumed this human form, "You give yourself away by the Beauty that shines in You."

Man is doomed when evanescent overcomes him

Vali dying in Tara's lap

The beauty of Rama was the beauty of inner peace, the splendour that fills one when he is conscious of living in Dharma (righteousness). Ramayana teaches also the need to give up the false identification with the body. When Rama saw Tara wailing over the corpse of Vali, he gives her lessons on the evanescence of the body and the foolishness of identifying a person with that vehicle he uses for the purpose of his journey to Divinity.

When desire for the evanescent overcomes man, he Is doomed; he becomes distant from the goal. Consider Seeta. She renounced everything that she thought would give her comfort in the palaces of her father and father-in-law and preferred to follow Rama into the forest. So, she secured the Proximity and Presence of the Lord. But, alas, when she saw the false form of the Golden Deer, she yearned for it, and sent both Rama and Lakshmana after it, so that she might fondle it and feed it and have it as a pet. What was the result of this fatal desire? She was forced to live far away from the Lord and to pine for Him in great anguish.

When Rama Is installed in the heart, everything will be added unto you - fame, fortune, freedom, fullness. Hanuman was a mere monkey leader until he met Rama; he was a minister in the court of his master; but, when Rama gave him the commission to seek Seeta and sent him, that is to say, when Rama was Installed in his heart as guide and guardian, Hanuman became immortal, as the Ideal Devotee.

Hanuman - The Ideal Devotee

The Ramayana has a deep undercurrent of significant meaning. Dasharatha means, he who rides in a chariot of ten, that is to say Man. He is tied up with three Gunas (qualities), or three wives, as in the Ramayana. He has four sons, the Purusharthas - Dharma (Rama) Artha (Lakshmana), Kama (Bharata), and Moksha (Shatrughna). These four aims of man have to be systematically realised, always with the last one, Moksha, clearly before the eye. Lakshmana represents the Buddhi (Intellect) and Seetha is Truth. Hanuman is the Mind, and it is the repository, if controlled and trained, of courage. Sugreeva, the master of Hanuman is Discrimination. With these to help him Rama seeks Truth and succeeds. That is the lesson of the Epic to everyman.

Ideals underlying the ancient culture of India

The culture of this land is based on the high ideals of Righteousness enshrined in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, in both of which God has led mankind in the garb of man. There is a story of Alexander the Great, which illustrates the glory of Indian Culture. It seems Alexander used to go incognito to the villages around his camp, in India, in order to learn the habits and manners of the strange new land into which fate had brought him. One day, he found a man pleading with another to accept a pot of gold, which the other was refusing even to look at! He came to know that the pot of gold was discovered under the soil of the field purchased by the man from the man who refused to accept it. The buyer argued that he had bought only the land and was therefore not entitled to own the pot of gold; the seller said, he had no more right for anything found on or in the plot, that he had sold.

Alexander, the Conqueror (BC 356-323)

Alexander watched this contest for some time; both did not yield. At last, the village elders were called in to decide the issue. And, even as Alexander watched, the elders found a happy way out the buyer's son shall marry the seller's daughter and the pot of the gold shall be given to the bride as dowry! Alexander felt elated at the heights to which human virtue could rise; he was also ashamed at his own adventurous ambition to conquer another's property by force of arms. The ideals underlying the ancient culture of India have to be studied and practised by every Indian at least, so that the world might have the benefit of the great examples this can provide.

Turn your sight inside, to purify and clarify

This day, when you are celebrating the birth of Rama, you have to dedicate your activities to these ideals propounded in the life of Rama. The fact that you are alive this day is a blessing, for, you can know of these ideals and also the means by which you can realise them in actual daily life. There are many who spend much time in mechanically reciting the name Rama or systematically reading the entire Ramayana according to a fixed time-table, or who worship the images of Rama, Seeta, Lakshmana, and Hanuman, as a daily ritual, with pomp and pedantry; but, like the person who puts a foot forward only to draw it back again these persons do not progress at all, though years might elapse. Without gaining purity of thoughts and intentions, compassion and the urge to serve, these outward expressions and exhibitions are but ways of cheating the society which applauds you as a great devotee. Your sight must become insight; it must be turned within and used to purify and clarify.

People talk glibly of Sakshatkara (Vision of the Divine), the vision that liberates. The Seer and the Seen have to merge and become One and experienced as One only, without a second. That is the Sakshatkara that is worthwhile. You may have a fruit. You may earn the fruit of Tapas (penance) in your hand. But, unless you eat it, digest it, and make it part of your own nature and derive strength therefrom, you are not saved at all. Merge info the Divine which you really are; that is the consummation.

In order to reach this goal, you have to proceed far. First examine your present equipment; find out its defects, for example, whether it is damaged by egotism, greed, insincerity, waywardness and sloth. For, with these faults, it is difficult to concentrate on thoughts of God, either within or without. You must also cultivate the positive quality of Prema (Love) for the Embodiment of Prema can be realised only through Prema. That is the message the Ramayana gives all those who study it with sincere desire to learn. That is the message I wish to give you today.

Source: Divine Discourse on Rama Navami at Brindavan April 20, 1975

Sri Sathya Sai On: The Duty and Discipline of Teachers

Sri Sathya Sai Sai arrives at the Prasanthi Nilayam Campus; received by Vice Chancellor Gokak and other senior faculty

Man does not become fully human merely by making himself a prosperous moral person. Spiritual progress has also to be achieved. Body, mind and spirit - these three together make up the man. The animal is concerned primarily with the body. Man has risen since he has been equipped with a mind. Cultivation of the spirit will elevate him to Divinity. The three are intertwined and interdependent. Each promotes the other. Without the mind, the body cannot decide on any step. Mind and body have to sub serve the spirit and become aware of the Divine Atma (Divine Self).

Health is very important for a fully disciplined life. Health means wholeness, fullness. The senses and the mind have to be controlled and regulated, so that man can win the battle of life. Self-control is sense control, mind control. This is, otherwise called Samskruti (culture). Culture must be evident in every aspect of life while studying, eating, sleeping, playing games etc. Culture expresses itself as discipline.

You must ensure that living is a purposeful process. Without such a faith, life is rendered wild and wasteful. With it, you can attain Divinity. The faith will induce a regulated and disciplined life. A farmer was once charged before a court in Greece for adulterating the milk he was selling. The judge found that the milk was indeed not pure and was about to deliver the sentence when the farmer's earnest plea of innocence induced him to probe further into his habits. He found that the farmer milked his cows on some days at 4 am, some days at 6 a.m. and on some other days, when he could not sleep long, even at 3 am. The quality of the milk was affected by this irregularity and waywardness in milking. The farmer was admonished and advised to adhere to a regular time.

Duty and Discipline of Teachers

Duty is best discharged through discipline. Discipline for teachers cannot be limited to punctuality and adherence to the timetable. Duty for them involves intensive preparation, choosing the most effective means of communication and discovering how best to instruct and inspire the pupils under their care. The pupils and the teachers must both have high ideals and aspirations. You know Darwin, the great scientist. Though born in a poor family, Darwin even as a boy had a heart full of ambition. He came under the care of a teacher named Henslow who discovered his talents and fostered his aspirations. He filled his pupil with courage and enthusiasm until he became an image of his master.

Maharishi Valmiki

Valmiki, by meditating on the glory of Rama, was able to mould himself into the immortal poet who composed the Ramayana. He became an embodiment of that glory, and therefore, he could create that great epic. When we decide on writing a letter, we gather in our minds the facts to be communicated, the manner in which it has to be written, and then, we start writing it. When we decide on building a house, we build it first in our minds - the drawing room here, the dining hall there, the kitchen at this end, etc., and then, draw the plan on paper. What we do is to project an ideal into action, into a concrete program.

The external action or achievement is only a reflection of the Inner Being, which frames the ideas and concepts. So, the transformation and refinement have to be done in the inner region of the mind. Constant reflection on the glory of God helps to transmute the body, mind and spirit. The face mirrors the moods of the mind. When the mind is gloomy, the face records it; when the mind is full of Ananda (Divine Bliss), the face spreads Ananda all around.

The Highest Duty 

Aurangzeb was Emperor Shah Jahan's son. He was tired of waiting to ascend the throne; so he imprisoned the father and crowned himself. His evil-minded comrades desired to put an end to Shah Jahan's life, so that Aurangzeb could be safe on the throne. They planned to execute him. When Shah Jahan came to know of their plot, he felt glad that he could escape the humiliation and misery of exile and imprisonment. Aurangzeb gave up the idea of execution, when he found that the father was welcoming that fate. He did not relish the idea of satisfying the old man. He decided to keep him in prison until his death, with a single feeble-minded servant and the Holy Quran as his only companions.

Emperor Shah Jahan

Shah Jahan was elated at the opportunity to read the Holy Quran to the companion. But, he had to give up the attempt when there was no response from him. He said to himself: "What have I to do with companions now? Peace is the first companion. The joy of Love is the second, the third is Affection, the fourth is Adoration. and the fifth is Sweetness. All these together are inspiring me to become aware of my soul." With this resolution, he spent himself in the Holy Quran, and became one with its message. This is the highest duty, to have a high ideal, to reach It and become IT.

Faith is the Foundation

When ridiculing, reprimanding or punishing pupils, teachers must try to picture themselves in their position and discover how they would have reacted to the same, when they were pupils. Self- inquiry of this kind will be very useful. The word Upa-ni-shath teaches a great lesson. 'Upa' means near, 'ni' means down and 'shath' means sit; the pupil sits down, at the feet of the Guru and also near him. 'Tat' (That) is the Guru; 'Twam' (You) is the pupil. The "Twam" poses the question and the "Tat" gifts the answer. The bond is love from "Tat", humility from the "Twam". And 'Asi' (is) connotes the Ananda at the knowledge, the illumination, that is shared. The educational process adopted at Prasanthi Nilayam might appear to be novel but it is really superior and highly beneficial. It has not been devised for awarding degrees only; it is aimed' at equipping the student for an integrated life. The student must be aware of all aspects of the adventure of life. One must be aware of the do's and dont's, the ups and downs of all fields of activity - moral, material, scientific, philosophical, political and economic. Or else, one will be haunted by doubts when faced with difficult situations and problems.

Therefore, teachers as well as students must develop faith in the validity and worth of this process. A Telugu proverb exhorts man thus: 'Believe and Live'. Faith is the very foundation for any forward step. If the step has to await the dawn of faith through experience, one cannot progress at all.

Journey of the Spirit from the Individual to the Universal

The journey of the spirit is from the individual to the universal, from 'I' to 'We.' It is said by some, "I and You are one" but the reality is "I and You are We" and "We and We are one." Students have to be aware of the mergence of the self in the all-pervading Self - not merely physical existence. In deep sleep, the 'I' alone persists but even the 'I' is not perceived! A person whose eyes are closed declares that he does not see anything. "It is all 'dark." So, he sees darkness! Something in him sees both light and darkness. That is the Witness.

When baby Krishna clamoured for milk, Yashoda said that it was too early an hour and she would feed him only at nightfall. Krishna closed his eyes and said night had fallen. The mother said that the darkness of night is different. It cannot happen when one person closes his eyes. But Krishna argued that light contains darkness and darkness has light in it. When one is present, the second is not evident, that is all. The Sun illumines the world but hides the stars. The child contains the old man; the old man has childhood persisting in him l Grief has joy latent in it; joy has the potence to land the person in grief. When one is evident, the other is hidden, that is all.

Teachers must endeavour to help each pupil to unfold his native talents and innate skills and recognise his latent potentialities. When you plant a sapling, you provide it water and manure; you ensure that it receives plentiful sunlight and air. But, the wonder is the plant does not become air, soil, manure or water. It grows as the very plant which was the Truth of the seed. Recollect your own childhood and boyhood, ' the struggle for preserving and promoting your individuality and deal with your students who have the same problems and the-same purpose.

Self-examination of one's Attitude

There is a Telugu proverb, "It is always an old mud pot, if the mother-in-law breaks it." When she stumbles over a glass tumbler and breaks it, she blames the daughter-in-law for keeping it at that spot. When the daughter-in-law stumbles and breaks it, the fault still is the daughter-in-law's. "Have you no eyes?" she asks. The mother-in-law holds that she is never in the wrong. Such an attitude has to be given up. Self-examination helps the correction of one's attitudes. Emperor Bhoja had a unique way of testing and judging the worth of Gurus. He never pitted one Guru against another. He arranged contests and competitions between the pupils of different Gurus and from the result of these tests, he honoured the Gurus.

The Atma is the Truth of Truths

In our educational institutions and in this Institute, students must shape themselves as 'images' of their teachers. They must spread the message of our ideals throughout the world. Teachers must live that message and students must imbibe it and become it. The Atma is the Truth of Truths. When one achieves its awareness, all knowledge is added unto-him.

Imagine a coconut tree with a head load of nuts. It casts a long 'shadow on the ground and the shadow fruits are equally plentiful. When one climbs the tree and plucks the fruit, he can also be seen moving along the shadow tree and plucking the shadow fruit. So too, when one seeks to know the Atma and succeeds, he can at the same time progress along the 'world' (which is an illusory shadow) and gain the shadow-fruit (which is trivial and temporary).

This is a noble task - hard but heavenly Sadhana (spiritual effort). Teachers have to undertake it with patience and humility, always standing forth as examples and ideals. They can then confer on the world the invaluable boon of Atmic Awareness, through the students whom they instruct.

Source: Valedictory Divine Discourse, Workshop on Examination Reform at the Institute of Higher Learning, Prasanthi Nilayam, 23 March 1984