ANIL
KUMAR'S SATSANG:
Professor Anil Kumar has presented
this talk as an extra satsang. He has selected important messages Baba has
imparted to the students gathered around Him during the afternoon sessions on
the verandah at Prashanti Nilayam. These talks will continue.
Part Six
December 4th, 2002
OM…OM…OM…
Sai Ram.
With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Now we shall move on to more of
Bhagavan’s conversations in July. Well, you know, during Guru Purnima, all of us
noticed a swelling on the right side of Swami’s
face. Most of you must have noticed it. He gave an explanation at the end of one
of His discourses. The swelling was so bad -- very red in colour -- and we did
not know how He was managing with it.
We asked Bhagavan, "What is this?
Why is it? What can we learn from this experience? It is so painful to watch.
How are You able to bear it?”
Bhagavan said, "Any doctor will
tell you that the pain is excruciating. It is terrible pain. It will last for 21
days and, if it gets really serious, it will also affect the brain."
The severity of the problem He was
experiencing was so great that we were not able to look at it. In spite of the
swelling and the terrible pain, Bhagavan gave four or five discourses. How was
that possible? I know that at one time, He could not open His mouth fully, but
just this much. (Anil Kumar demonstrates by opening his own mouth just a
little.) Nor could He eat. That was the severity of the illness.
So we asked, “Bhagavan, why don't
You cure Yourself from the pain and the swelling? Why don't You cure Yourself?”
Bhagavan answered, "I will never
cure Myself. I will cure your problems. I don't cure any of My problems. But in
response to your prayers, in response to your wish, in response to your
yearning, I will cure Myself, but not until then." That is what Bhagavan said.
"Don't You feel the pain, Swami?
Isn’t it painful for You?"
Bhagavan’s answer is very
important. He said, "I don't consider Myself as the body. I am not this body.
So, I don’t take any swelling or any complaint of this body seriously. It is not
a source of pain for Me because I don't identify Myself with this body. Do you
understand? I am not the body. So, I don't feel the pain at all."
I would like to bring your
attention to one or two points, which are mentioned in the Bhagavad Githa. In
the Bhagavad Githa, it clearly states: "God is blemishless. God has no
attributes, no pain whatsoever. God is in the body, but the body is not in God.
All attributes function or operate because God is in them. But these attributes
are not in Him."
How He carried out the day’s
schedule, how He moved around
the auditorium,
talking
to all the delegates who attended the conference, without eating any food, was
amazing! We could not believe it. That is the secret of His Divinity.
I would like to share an
important point with all of you: After a few days, there was no more swelling on
Swami’s face. Everything was perfect. Somehow I picked up the courage to ask
Swami: "Swami, are You OK now? I don't see any swelling. Very good, Swami! We
are happy!"
Do you know what Baba said? "Anil
Kumar, look here. A small swelling slowly increased to the size of an orange. It
was that big! Slowly, as the size increased, the pain also increased. But today,
since it has subsided and is totally gone, see here -- there isn’t even a mark
(or scar) of any kind! Whenever you have a boil, whenever there is any cut, you
will still be left with a mark, even after it is healed. Though this was such a
large swelling, now after it has healed, there is no trace of its previous
presence."
This is Divinity! This is Divinity! All of us were taken by surprise when Bhagavan explained that. The lesson is this: badha or pain is bodha or a teaching. God suffers to teach us. God’s apparent external pain is also a chance to communicate a lesson to the devotees. That is the underlying secret behind this suffering.
Swami blessed him
In July, a very important elderly person came to see Bhagavan. I don't need to
mention his name, but the message is important. He was 83 years old. He said,
"Swami, bless me. I am now 83. I want to go to my native place. Please bless
me."
Swami blessed him, presented him
with some new clothes and even some money to cover the tailor’s stitching
charges (Laughter)). He also gave his wife a new sari. Then Swami spoke
about this gentleman to those present.
Later that same day, another man
said, "Swami, I will be celebrating my 60th birthday."
“Oh, I see.”
He is also a very important
person. Good! (We are all important. But that important person happened to be
there that day. We important persons were not there on that day. We are
available on other days!) (Laughter)
So this person said, "Swami, I
just completed 60 years and my birthday is next week." He was quite elegant,
active and well-dressed, and did not look too old.
Swami said, "Hmm. Take it."
He presented him a very fine chocolate-coloured suit and 3,000 rupees for the
stitching charges. He also gave him a beautiful new shirt.
So I took a chance…I said, "Swami, my 60th birthday is also coming." Then He said, "Oh, there is still plenty of time. Don't worry!" (Laughter)
“No One Knows My Age”
It is in this context that
Bhagavan made a statement that will be of interest to all of you. He said, "Here
is a man who said that he has now crossed 83 years old. Another man here says
that he has just completed 60 years. But I can tell you that no one knows My
age! No one knows My age!" Bhagavan did not comment any further on this
statement.
But I started reflecting on one of
His earlier statements. In one of His poems, He said: "God has neither a
beginning nor an end, neither birth nor death. He is non-dual. God is existence.
There is nothing like appearance and disappearance for God.”
So when Baba says, "No one knows
My age", it means that He is infinite. His so-called November 23rd ‘Birthday’ is
only the age of His body, not of His Divinity. That is one explanation.
The second explanation is that He
is 77 years old this year. However, in the previous Incarnation, He came as
Shirdi; while in earlier ages, He came as Krishna and as Rama. So, who can say
His true age? He has manifested from time-to-time, from age-to-age, in response
to prayers and according to a designed, stipulated program for establishing
Peace, Love, Truth and Righteousness. So, in this Sathya Sai form, in this
current body, we know His age. But we cannot say His true age because He
has taken so many different forms from age-to-age.
Therefore, Bhagavan is correct
when He says, "No one knows My actual date of birth." It is because He
was never born! Further I can also say, "Bhagavan is never born
nor will He ever leave us."
Instead of trying to figure out His age, we can put it this way: Bhagavan is a Cosmic visitor. He is here as a visitor, having neither a beginning nor an end. His statement about no one knowing His birth-date is an indirect way of communicating His Divinity to all of us.
“Don’t Waste"
That afternoon, He started reading
letters in front of us. He opened an envelope and took out the letter. A boy had
written two lines on a long white sheet of paper. There were only two lines on
the top. The rest of it was blank. What did Baba say?
He tore it there and gave that
remaining white paper to a boy saying, "You use it. I don't want you to waste
anything, not even white paper." Further Baba said, "Don't waste food. Food is
God. Don't waste time. Time waste is Life waste. Time is God. Don't waste
energy. Don't waste water. Don't waste money. Waste of money is evil." He taught
these wonderful lessons to the boys who were assembled that afternoon.
I recall one of Bhagavan’s visits
to the boys’ hostel. He got out of the car and immediately He said, "Hey, come
here! On the third floor, a fellow has not turned off the water tap there in the
bathroom. Go and close the tap! After using it, you should turn the water off.
You should not let the tap run and waste water." That's what Bhagavan said.
You must have also noticed that
when He calls you for an interview, Bhagavan goes into the room first. As you
all go in and sit down, He switches on the fan Himself and the moment you leave,
He will turn it off. Why? “Don't waste energy. Don't waste electricity.”
Bhagavan sets the finest example for all of us to learn from His own life. That is why Bhagavan has every authority to say, "My life is My message. My life is My message." As He does not waste anything, we should follow His example and not waste anything either.
The Orphanage
On another day in July, Bhagavan
somehow started talking about the orphanage. You know, about 61 orphans have
been adopted by Bhagavan. He is taking care of them. Bhagavan provides them with
food and clothing, a place to live and an education. Bhagavan has also
deposited one lakh of rupees in every child's name in a fixed deposit
account. After completing their studies, this money (along with the accrued
interest) will enable them to get a good start in life.
You
should have seen boys on the day of their arrival. It was such a wonderful
sight! Bhagavan gave each boy a beautiful quality suitcase. Each suitcase was
full. There was a cup, a plate, a mirror, toothpaste, a brush, underwear and
clothes. Everything that a boy might need was in that suitcase. He gave one
suitcase to each boy. The excited boys opened their suitcases, counted the
number of things, closed the suitcases, and then again opened the suitcases! (Laughter)
While strolling around the Round
buildings on an evening walk, I peeped through the windows and noticed that the
boys were extremely happy, looking at the suitcases given to them by Bhagavan.
My nature is to share with Swami whatever I see. So I said, "Swami, the boys
are very excited."
"Why? You seem to be excited!" (Laughter)
"Yes, Swami! I am excited, yes.”
“Why?”
“Because when I see the boys
getting excited, naturally I am excited too."
He asked, "What happened?"
"Swami, they opened their
suitcases, checking out their clothes. Each boy was showing his things to the
other. The suitcases were of different colours. They were beautiful suitcases."
And then Bhagavan said, "Eh!
I gave them each three sets of clothes the day they arrived here."
"Three sets? Swami, is that
necessary?"
"Why not? It is very necessary!"
"How, Swami?"
"One set is to wear at home; one
set is for Nagarsankirtan and bhajans; and one set is for school.
So, there are three sets."
"Oh, Swami, very good!"
I wanted Swami to explain further,
"Excellent, Swami."
Bhagavan said, "It
seems that an initial expense of two crores has been spent for this
project, including the amount deposited for each boy."
"Swami, isn't that excessive? Is
it necessary?"
"Yes, it is very necessary!"
And then He made a very important
statement for everyone: "Whatever I say, I do. Whatever I do, I say. Whatever I
do, whatever I say, is just one and the same. I don't say one thing and do
something different. I don't do one thing and say something different. No!
Whatever I say and do are exactly the same. I am full of Truth. That is My way
of life."
It is important for all of us to understand this, so that there will be harmony or unity of thought, word and deed.
Three Hundred Doctors
A couple of days later, I saw
Bhagavan distributing saris to a few ladies. Then He slowly walked
towards us. Next I saw Bhagavan talking to a few gentlemen. Naturally, I was
curious to know who they were. But I did not dare to ask, "Who are they, Swami?"
Remember, I am not supposed to ask! But seeing my face, which had a big question
mark written on it (Laughter) Bhagavan Himself began to explain:
He asked, "
Have you
seen the ladies there?”
I could not say, “I have seen”
because I have not come here to see ladies. (Laughter) I could not say,
“I have not seen” because I did see them! (Laughter) So, I simply
smiled. (Laughter)
Then He explained, "They are the
lady doctors. The men doctors are on this side. I gave them clothes. You know,
they are all doctors with post-graduate degrees, surgeons, physicians -- top
doctors."
Now it was time for me to ask for
more information from Bhagavan.
"Swami, where do they come from?"
A reasonable question -- nothing
to do with lady doctors or anything like that! It was quite a convenient
question that would not embarrass Swami.
"Where do they come from?"
"They are from Madras."
Oh! Swami, Madras? I see many
doctors, Swami."
"Many? 300 doctors have come from
Madras!"
"Oh! 300?"
"Yes, 300 are here."
"Swami, why are they here?"
"They came on tour."
"An excursion?" (Laughter)
"Chi, chi! Not an
excursion! (Laughter) No, no! They visited villages all along the way,
organised medical camps and finally reached here for Swami’s blessings. They
came here for Swami’s blessings, after doing service in different villages and
organising medical camps at different places."
"Oh, Swami, I see. I thought it
was just a weekend visit."
"No, no! It is not
entertainment, no."
"Oh, I see! Swami, anything else?
"Ah,
yes!
“What?”
“Do you know that all of them can
sing bhajans well?"
"How should I know? When did they
sing? Doctors -- where do they sing? Not in the surgery theatre!
"They sing bhajans, but not
in the medical camp. They do evening bhajans."
"Oh, I see, Swami. They also sing
bhajans!"
"And then further, some of the
doctors can also chant the Vedas. They do Vedic chanting."
"Doctors chanting Vedas?”
"Yes, they can do it!"
Then Swami must have understood,
“This fellow (Anil Kumar) does not seem to believe anything that I say!” (Laughter)
You know, we cannot hide anything from Swami! Immediately Swami called one
doctor from the ladies’ side -- a Mrs. Hemadri or some name like that (I don't
remember her name). She came forward. She had also written a book. She came up
to Swami.
"How many of you have come?"
"300, Swami."
"What have you done?"
"Medical camps."
"Where?"
"In several villages."
This verified every statement that
He had said to me, as if we were in a police station (Laughter) or in a
courtroom!
So He made her say all
that.
Swami said, "Oh, only medical
camp?"
"No, Swami, we organised
bhajans also."
"Oh, bhajans also?"
(Laughter)
He started looking at me
sarcastically. (Laughter)
"Ah! All of you sing?"
"Swami, some of them know Vedic
chanting also. (Laughter)
Then Bhagavan said, "In these
days, particularly for doctors, money is God. And for them to sacrifice like
this -- to organise medical camps and to sing bhajans for everybody –
this is possible only in the Sathya Sai Organisation. Only Sai devotees will do
that. Nobody else will do that."
Therefore, this is the best example for everyone to emulate and to learn in our own individual way.
August 2002
Examined In The Super Speciality
Hospital
In
August 2002, I went to the
Super Speciality Hospital for a check-up. The doctor said, " Anil Kumar, you had
better have a check-up." I have some pain in my joints. They said I might have a
gout problem. The doctor told me, "You better come and get yourself examined in
the Super Speciality Hospital."
Well, I went to the hospital and
visited there for the first time as a patient. Of course, I had been there on
the Inauguration Day, translating for Swami, but not since then. Why? I’m afraid
of hospitals. I’m afraid of doctors. I don’t like to see doctors because I might
be reminded of my non-existent diseases! (Laughter) And I don’t want to
see the patients suffering. Why torture myself unnecessarily? So I don't usually
go to the hospital. This time I had to go because they asked me to go for a
check-up.
Well, then in the evening,
Bhagavan asked, "Why did you go?"
"Where, Swami?" (Laughter)
"Hey! Where did you go?"
“Swami, I went to the college. I
am still working there.”
"No, no! After, after!"
I had classes first and then after
that, I went to the hospital. So Swami asked, “After, after?”
"Swami, I went to the hospital."
(Laughter)
Then He said, "Ah, what happened?"
“It Is Buckingham Palace!”
Now, I thought, it is time for me
to explain to Bhagavan about how beautiful the hospital is! (Laughter)
"Swami, my condition is not
that severe. I am quite fine. My only problem is that I have some pain in my
toe. As the doctors wanted me to get a check-up, I went to the hospital. The
building, the dome, the lawns, the flowers and the lovely gardens - it doesn't
look like a hospital!"
"If it is not a hospital, then
what is it?” He said.
“It is like Buckingham Palace!
(Laughter) I felt as if I was going to attend a wedding reception. It is so
beautiful! I found smiling patients and attendants. I didn't find any long,
serious faces, reflecting the critical condition of the patients. Everyone was
fine and all were laughing. So, it was as though I was at a wedding, not at a
hospital.”
“And then, just inside the
entrance, I saw an idol of Lord Vigneshvara or Vinayaka. Well, I did my
namaskaar. There is such a beautiful Vinayaka just under the dome. I have
not seen the likes of it anywhere, Swami -- not anywhere!"
“Why?” He said.
"Because its size is so big and it
is so dark in colour. It is made up of polished, shining granite -- such a
beautiful idol, Swami."
And then I said, " Inside
the dome, at the centre, there are huge pictures of Swami, very
beautiful, six to eight feet in size -- a beautiful collection, such wonderful
pictures of Swami."
"Oh ho! Is this the first
time you have been there?"
"Yes, Swami, the first time! I
pray that it is also the last time (Laughter) because I don't want to go
there as a sick person.
Then
He laughed and said, "All right! Where did you go?"
"Swami, I walked along the
corridors. The flooring, the colour of the flooring, and the matching colour of
the walls -- ah, it is so beautiful! The floor is so shiny that I could
see my own reflection there. It is so clean that, even if milk were to spill out
of a glass, we could collect it and pour it back into the glass again!"
He said, "Oh, you like it?" The
Lord is so happy because it is His own creation. It is His own. So He’s asking,
"Ah, you like it?"
"Yes, Swami! Not only that. I
didn’t find any spots on the walls. The walls are so clean. The flooring
is so clean. I was very happy. There was not even a blade of grass or a
piece of paper anywhere. It is so clean, Swami.”
And then I said, "Swami, I also saw blackboards in front of every doctor’s room and in front of the surgical theatres with letters written in gold. What a beautiful combination of colours -- the flooring is ash-coloured, the wall is biscuit-coloured, and the board is black with letters in gold. So, the hospital is very colourful. It is so nice, Swami."
“What Did You Do There?”
"Oh, I see! So you liked it? What
did you do there? Let me know. Were you simply watching the flooring there?”
(Laughter)
"Oh, no, no, Swami! I went to the
biochemistry lab."
"What did you do there?"
"I got a blood test."
"Oh, I see. What happened there?"
Usually the biochemistry lab
smells of tincture, Dettol and other horrible stuff. You can really feel sick in
the laboratory. Though we are healthy, we will certainly fall sick in the
laboratory. That is the kind of biochemistry labs found everywhere.
"Oh, I see! And how is this lab?"
Swami asked.
"This lab doesn’t smell at all!”
"Oh, I see."
"I didn't see any bandages left on
the ground. I didn't see anybody crying. And the staff-training nurse took the
blood sample very nicely and neatly. I was afraid because she pulled my hand (Anil
Kumar demonstrated) and leveled the needle like that. But she put it in such
a soft way, engaging me in conversation: ‘How are you, Sir? We hear you give
wonderful talks.’ ZOPP! And that was that! (Laughter) By the time
I replied, she had already drawn the blood! She did it so nicely. Swami, they do
very dedicated service. I am very happy about it.”
“And then outside this
biochemistry lab, I saw a number of people sitting on the benches there. They
were in the line, in a queue, to get the results of the tests taken. But looking
at them, I could not figure out who was a patient and who was an attendant
because both the attendants and the patients were equally joyful and smiling.
So, how to distinguish them? Therefore, Your hospital is a place full of smiles,
comfort and health.”
"Ah! You like it?"
"Very much, Swami."
"And then, where did you go?"
"Swami, I went to the bone specialist.”
“Why?”
“Because the problem is with my
toe. The doctor spoke to me so nicely that I forgot to mention my problem!
(Laughter) Then he had to say, 'What brought you here?' Swami, this wouldn’t
happen anywhere else!”
“I came to know later that the
heart section and the eye department are equally efficient. The people who come
here are dedicated to serve You. I also know that the students of Sri Sathya Sai
Institute of Higher Learning, boys and girls who have very high degrees, acumen
and gold medals, are working in the Super Speciality Hospital. They are working
there as an act of service because of their devotion to You. This would not
happen anywhere else. I am so happy, Swami.”
“And not only that, Bhagavan. I
want to tell you another thing:
I wanted to get my blood
pressure checked. That’s all. I figured that I should get it done now instead of
being asked to do so later. So, what to do? Immediately I went to one very big
hall where there were heart patients. It was a very big hall with a dark blue
floor and white walls -- a very big room! Swami, I was so happy to see such a
big hall with only four beds! Many other Indian hospitals
would have made that big hall into at least six or ten rooms, with two patients
in each room! In this hospital, Bhagavan has only four beds. That is a very big
hall, which would have been divided into 6 to 8 rooms by any commercial
hospitals."
"Hmm! So you liked that
too?"
"Very much, Swami!”
“I Spoke To One Nurse”
“I should also tell You, Swami,
one more thing that happened."
"What?"
"I spoke to a nurse."
"You spoke to a nurse? Did you
just go there to talk to everybody?"
"No, I wanted to know about Your
hospital. I called one nurse and said, 'Look here, sister. Where were you before
you came here?'
She said, 'Sir, I was in Bangalore
before I came here.'"
"Then what did you ask?" Swami
said.
"This was my second question,
Swami: 'Why did you leave that job and come here? Why did you leave Bangalore?
Why are you here?’”
“She said, ‘Here I am serving
Swami directly. This is a great opportunity for service and so I am here.'’”
“My third question to her was:
'What is the difference between your work in Bangalore and your work here in
Prashanthi Nilayam?’”
Swami, "Ah! What did she
say? What did she say?" (Laughter)
"Swami, she said, ‘The work is the same in both places. The seriousness of the work and the quality of the work is similar in both the places. But the difference here is that we don't feel tired. We don't feel tired here at all, though we do a lot of work. We are very healthy and we are very happy. Though the work is tiring, I am not tired. I am always energetic. That is the difference between that place and this place.'”
The power of Nagarsankirtan
“And then I went to the hospital
canteen."
"Oh, you always believe in
eating!" (Laughter)
"Swami, I believe that food is God
and food must be worshipped! (Laughter) So I went there to the canteen.
I found a 74-year-old man working there! So I said, 'Sir, why do you work here
at your age?'”
“He said, 'Anil Kumar, by working
here, I am healthy. At home, I am sick. So I am here.'”
“Oh, I see. That is the secret of
health -- oh good! Sir, what do you do here?”
“He said, 'I do three jobs: one
is canteen accounts; the second is providing accommodation to the attendants of
the patients; and the third job, I maintain the records.'”
“Oh sir, at 74 years! I cannot
imagine how much you must have worked when you were thirty or forty -- when you
were young! How are you able to work like that at this age?”
“That man said, 'Look, Anil Kumar,
I attend Nagarsankirtan every morning. The energy that I get by attending
Nagarsankirtan is responsible for all of my activity.’"
To be very honest, you know, I don't attend Nagarsankirtan because I have to prepare and read a lot and do so much work -- writing articles, books and publications. If I were to attend Nagarsankirtan, I would end up sleeping in my classroom! My ‘teachings’ may then put the students to sleep! When that grand old man said that his energy was because of attending Nagarsankirtan, it was something very interesting to hear about -- the power of Nagarsankirtan.”
A Teacher Attends On A Sick Student
In one of the rooms, I saw a young
lady sitting on a chair next to a young boy who was lying down. Out of
curiosity, I went in. “Hello boy, what is the trouble?”
He said, “'I was wheezing, so I
was admitted here.'”
Then I looked at the young lady.
“Are you related?”
That lady said, “Sir, this boy is
from our school, the Sri Sathya Sai Primary School. I am his teacher. I am
attending on him.”
“You are attending on him?”
“'Yes! Four of us teachers are
taking turns here attending on this boy.’”
“Bhagavan, nowhere does a teacher
attend to a sick boy. Nowhere! Impossible. It is only out of pure Love. The boy
was smiling, though he was sick. Love -- that's what we find in the Sri Sathya
Sai educational institutions. The teacher conducted herself more like the mother
of the child than like a teacher. His own mother wouldn't have served him as
much as this teacher did, which is really great!”
Later, a few girls came to me.
“’Sir, we are from Anantapur campus. We are working here in the hospital.'”
“I see. Good! What do you do on
Sunday? Sunday is a holiday. What do you do then?” I thought they would come to
the Mandir for bhajans
But those girls said, 'No, sir.
There is a small village behind the Super Speciality Hospital called Bidupalli.”
These girls go there and serve in
that village by organising Bal Vikas classes, where they teach the
children the Vedas and bhajans. That is their service on Sundays, after a
hectic six-day week, which is also occupied with studies. Then, the seventh day
is spent in social service. Can you believe it? Will it happen anywhere else?
That is something very special about Sri Sathya Sai educational institutions.
“Then, Bhagavan,” I said to
myself, “Bhagavan, You are unparalleled, unequalled -- none can equal You. You
alone can do it. To inspire everybody, to prompt everybody to such an extent
that they do service even on a holiday, even at a time when they feel like
relaxing -- You are God. There is no doubt about it. No one else would be
able to do that."
That is what I said to myself, and I also shared the same thought with Bhagavan.
“I Belong To You”
On another evening in August, when
Swami was sitting in His chair, He suddenly said to one boy, " Give me the
letter.”
That boy started running,
walking very close to me -- so closely that he almost touched me.
Bhagavan was very serious. He
said, "You boys should learn manners. When your teachers are seated there,
should you jump over them? Should you walk like that, touching them? You should
not do that! Our institution is a moral institution. You should respect your
teachers. You should respect your elders. You should not sit along with them.
You should take the next seat. This is not the way."
Then He made an important
statement. He said, "Boys, you can touch Me. You can pull Me. You can be very
close to Me because I belong to you. You are Mine. But you cannot behave like
that with your teachers."
This is Bhagavan’s beautiful statement, where He has claimed students as His property: "You can push Me, you can touch Me, but towards elders and teachers, and in the society, you should always show proper respect. You should slowly come in a line, while coming for darshan. You should not push others."
“You Should Tell Them How To Behave
Properly”
And then He looked at me seriously
and said, "You don’t tell these things to boys. You are responsible."
"Swami, yes, I know."
"You should tell them how to
behave properly. You teachers don't tell them. Parents don't tell them either.
How do you expect them to learn?"
"Well, You are here to tell them,
Swami." That's what I said to myself. These are things that parents and the
teachers don't teach, so Bhagavan takes it upon Himself as His duty to teach
them.
How about the rest of society? Students are competing to get better ranks. Students are competing with each other for good marks. But they don't compete with each other for good conduct, good behaviour or to be good and ideal students. Sri Sathya Sai educational institutions teach them the spirit of idealism -- how to conduct oneself in society. These institutions are unique.
A LECTURE On Marketing
One fine evening in August, Swami
looked at the boys, “Hey, boys! You are all MBA boys, right?”
They are students of MBA classes
-- Master of Business Administration.
"You are all MBA boys, right?"
"Yes, Swami."
"Oh, I see!"
And then He said, "What is the
lesson you learned this morning in the classroom? What was taught to you?"
The boys said, "Swami, we had a
very good lecture on marketing."
And Swami said, "Ah! Marketing?
Very good! What is your specialisation?"
"Marketing, Swami!"
"And your specialisation?"
"Marketing, Swami."
“What Is Marketing?”
"Oh, I see! Then, what is
marketing? Tell Me! What is marketing?"
Though they were specialising in
marketing, they could not tell Him the specifics of the marketing class.
(Laughter) One fellow said, "Swami, marketing is a place where goods are
sold."
Baba said, "You are wrong."
Then another fellow said,
"Marketing has three -- production, distribution and sales. These three
constitute marketing."
Swami said, "You are also wrong."
Then Baba said, "The whole life is
marketing -- eating, drinking, breathing -- everything is marketing!"
See that! How He spiritualises
mundane, worldly subjects. Marketing is a worldly subject of the MBA program.
But He made it spiritual -- He divinised it!
"Swami, marketing?"
"Yes! You breathe oxygen and release carbon dioxide. This is marketing. So, it is there in every activity of your life. For example in nutrition, there is loading and unloading. That is all marketing. So, why not in the human body?"
“Today, Marketing Is Not Proper”
And then I said, "Swami, there is
some talk outside about marketing." (I was not sure of the aspects of marketing
or MBA. But I thought that it is my business to keep Swami seated for some more
time on the chair and to keep Him engaged in speaking, so that many will have
darshan and I will have more material to share with devotees! Whether it is
my subject or not, my object is to interfere (Laughter) and to prolong
the dialogue!)
So I said, "Swami, people say that
marketing is not proceeding along sound lines today? Would you please tell us
why? Why is marketing is not proceeding in a healthy way? Why?"
Bhagavan said, "Today marketing is
not proper. Something is wrong because there are more imports than exports. We
go on importing, but there is less exporting. This is the mistake in our
marketing."
Further He said, "People go by
fashion, external fashion. They don't think of reality."
Then I said, "Swami, is fashion a
wrong thing? Yes, I want to look fashionable. Why not? I like fashion -- a good
dress and all that. Why not? Is anything wrong about following fashion?"
He said, "There is nothing wrong
if you are after some fashion. But in trying to look fashionable, if you imitate
others, that is totally wrong. Imitation is wrong."
For example, look at jeans. People wear jeans abroad because jeans fit in there. But if I wear jeans here, my skin will peel off because this is such a hot place! (Laughter) As this is a hot place, jeans won't fit in with this climate. So the fellow wearing jeans here is imitating. That is why jeans are very costly. Each pair costs 300 rupees or 400 rupees. (Two boys from the audience who accompanied Anil Kumar said, '900 rupees!') 900 rupees! You see, these boys also wear jeans. (Laughter) For 900 rupees! See that? Why? It’s American. They are United States of America jeans, why not? It’s imitation. Therefore, these things have been going on here that are not good marketing practices.
Swami knows all
And suddenly He looked at one boy
and said, "Boy, what are you studying?"
He said, "Swami, I am an MBA
student."
"Before that, what did you do?"
"Swami, I completed engineering."
"Oh, I see!
Then I was just wondering, why
should He ask so many details? Why?
Swami said, "A four-year course in
engineering?"
"Yes, Swami."
"No, no, no! You took 5½ years to
complete engineering because you failed."
Nobody knew this until Swami said
it out loud. We were all just thinking that he was an engineer.
And then He said, "Of course,
there is nothing wrong with that. I said it only to let you know that I know --
only to let you know I know."
And then He said, "No, it is not
your mistake. The examination was postponed every time and they conducted the
examination at a time when you were not prepared. So, it is not your fault. It
is the mistake of the university for postponing the exams like that."
That is how Swami defended the boy.
Names and their significance
Then there was another
interesting discussion that month.
Swami asked the boys, "What are
your names?"
They said, “Sathya…Rakhal…Rao.”
And then Baba said, "Hey, boys! I
will tell you a small story about names. Your name should not be confusing. Your
name should be straight, so that others will not be confused."
I was wondering, “Confusing names?
Can names confuse people?” Yes!
Then Bhagavan told us a story: It
seems that a newly married couple started their life in a city. One day the
postman delivered a letter and the husband picked it up. That letter was
actually for his wife. But the husband opened the letter – the censure board! He
read that letter. What were the contents?
“I love you very much. We were
together for a long time. I cannot forget our days. I am waiting for those days
to return. We should have dinner together. We were never away from each other
all these years. I am coming to see you very soon.'
He thought to himself, “Someone
loves my wife more than I love her!” He was very wonderstruck. And there at the
bottom, he looked at the signature. The signature was 'Lakshmi Narayan'.
‘Lakshmi’ is the name of a girl. But this fellow did not see 'Lakshmi' properly.
‘Narayan’ is the name of a man. He thought, “Oh ho! My wife has had an
affair with Narayan, I see. Let me be careful. Let me see.”
Then he waited for Monday when
that Lakshmi Narayan would come home. He was waiting at the door with a stick to
beat both Lakshmi Narayan and his wife! (Laughter) He was hiding behind
the door. Someone came to the house and he could hear that person talking to his
wife. And this fellow overheard the conversation:
"Hey, Lakshmi! When did you come?"
"Just now. I am so glad to see
you. I wrote you a letter. Did you not receive it?"
"No, no!"
(Obviously
not, as the letter was picked up by the husband!) "I didn't know that."
"But you must have seen my letter.
How are you? I am so glad that you got married. I came to see how you are."
"Oh, I see! You also got married?"
"Yes, I did get married. My
husband's name is Narayan. So now I’m ‘Lakshmi Narayan’."
Now
this man understood! Lakshmi Narayan -- Narayan is the husband’s name, Lakshmi
is her name. So, this fellow had mistakenly assumed that a man was coming to
have an affair with his wife!
Swami narrated this story and then
told everybody, "So be careful with a name. Don't get into trouble when you get
married. Don’t let your wife misunderstand you!"
That is what He said.
Sound In Silence
Then in the month of August,
another wonderful thing happened! Bhagavan gave me an opportunity to talk to
Him, as He does every day because of His infinite mercy, not necessarily due to
my deservedness. (I am very open about that.)
I chose to ask some questions,
"Swami, Ramana Maharshi made mention of the ‘sound in silence’. The sound in
silence -- Nisabhda Brahman: Nisabhda is silence and Sabdha Brahman
is sound. ‘Listen to the sound of silence.’ That’s what he said. Swami, is it
possible? Ramana Maharshi also said that the best way of communication is
silence. The best way to communicate is silence or mounam. I don't
understand, Swami.”
I continued, “Ramana Maharashi's
whole message is very simple: Inquire thoroughly into your Self by asking
yourself this question, 'Who am I?' That is the essence of the teaching of
Ramana Maharshi. I don't understand anything, Swami. Please let me know."
(My friends, since most of you do
not follow Telugu, you are not in a position to attend my Saturday talks. Every
Saturday I give a talk at 7.30 PM in Telugu. I have been speaking on Bhagavan
Ramana and Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba -- their teachings and parallels. With
God’s Grace, we will take up that subject later on, after completing this
project. Everything is recorded and the materials are available. My only
ambition is to share this knowledge with as many people as possible, nothing
personal. So, we will do it some day.)
Bhagavan gave a very beautiful explanation. What did Baba say? "In the state of silence, you will understand who you really are. The heart opens up in this state, and then you will understand who you truly are. Until the heart opens -- not the physical heart, not open-heart-surgery, no, I mean the spiritual heart -- when the heart opens up, you know your true Self, not until then. In the state of silence, when the mind is withdrawn, when we are in a thoughtless, wordless, speechless state, in an utter state of silence, then the heart opens up. You listen to the sound of Omkar from within, and you will know your true Self." That is what Bhagavan said.
“What Will I Get?”
Bhagavan also mentioned another
thing.
“Swami, what do I get by knowing
who I really am? What do I get? If I know my Self, what is the advantage? What
is the benefit?”
We all approach things from the
worldly point-of-view, so we want to know what we will get. “I attend
Nagarsankirtan, so what will I get?” “I go and sit there, so what will I
get?” We don't get anything! (Laughter) Until we stop this way of
thinking, we will not get what is expected. We will not get what we should get
because what we should get is a transcendental experience. It
becomes a transcendental experience when we turn inward. So that is the
journey to a higher step, which we should reach.
So. Bhagavan said, “By knowing
your Self, the real 'I', you will know everything else. When your true Self is
known, everything else is known.”
"How?"
Bhagavan said, "Number nine and
number one: There are two numbers here -- one and nine. Which is the bigger
number? Which is higher than the other?”
We all said number nine.
Baba said, "No! One is higher than
nine."
(I am already poor in mathematics.
When Swami said this, I had to question my elementary arithmetic!) (Laughter)
"Swami, One is higher than nine?
How is it possible?"
"Look here! One plus one plus one plus one plus one plus one plus one plus one plus one is equal to nine. There cannot be nine without one. So, this 'one' is greater than the nine. Without the one, there is no nine. Without the one, there are none! So the One, the only One, the real One, which is your true Self, when that is known, the rest of the world is known." That's what Bhagavan said. What a nice interpretation!
“Learn The Art Of Speaking From Hanuman”
Bhagavan mentioned another point.
In the Ramayana you must have come across a character named Hanuman. After
discussing Ramana Maharshi, then Swami began to talk about Hanuman.
Hanuman is a very, very
intelligent person, known for his intellect and for his communication skills. He
was the jewel in the entire Ramayana epic. Swami said, "One should learn the art
of speaking from Hanuman. When enemies asked him, ‘Who are you?’ he did not say,
‘I am so-and-so.’ He said, 'I am the servant of Lord Rama.'
He is so humble, so soft and sweet
in his conversation with everybody. One should know how to speak. And if you
speak well, you will get a good name. If you speak nicely, you will have good
friends. So, speaking is an art; speech is a talent." That is what Bhagavan has
said.
"As you talk, 'Anudhvegacaram':
udhvega is ‘temper’. When you speak, there should not be any temper,
anger or emotion, no! Sathyam: your word should be full of truth;
priti, acceptable and sweet with love; and hitamsha, for the good of
others, soothing. So whatever we say, it should not agitate others. It should be
true and acceptable. It should be for the welfare of others, not hurt or ruin
others." That is what Bhagavan said. We should not be like a snake with a forked
tongue. The snake with a forked tongue is poisonous. You should not be like
that. You should be very careful as you speak.
So, we shall continue next time, OK? Thank you very much for listening to me in rapt attention. Thank you!
Om Asato Maa Sad Gamaya
Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya
Mrtyormaa Amrtam Gamaya
Om Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
Jai Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ji Ki Jai!
Jai Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ji Ki Jai!
Jai Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ji Ki Jai!
Thank You!