December 9th, 2001.
Christmas Talks (Part 1)
OM… OM… OM…
With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
The Four Basic Human Values Are Necessary
The society that we are living in today wants us to examine what kind of life we
are leading. We have all sorts of comforts. We have all kinds of conveniences.
There’s no dearth of resources. We have positions indeed and lots of money. But
we are denied basic happiness. We are able to acquire everything; everything we
are able to possess. But at the same time, we do not have peace of mind. We
don’t know what bliss is.
At one time Bhagavan composed a poem, stating the following. (I know that many
of you cannot follow Telugu, so I’ll give the English version.) "Without Truth,
Righteousness, Peace, and Love, all your education is nothing." Education is
nothing without Truth, Righteousness, Peace, and Love. Second point, "Without
these four basic values, Truth, Righteousness, Peace, and Love, whatever
position you may occupy, whatever exalted position you might hold and the
influence you might wield is all nothing. Without Truth, Righteousness, Peace,
and Love, all acts of charity, all donations, all the trusts that you maintain
are all useless."
Therefore my friends, in this poem Swami clearly explains that more than
position, more than wealth, more than charity, more than acts of goodness, the
four basic values are very necessary and important. These values are Truth,
Righteousness, Peace, and Love. These four values are at stake now. And we are
not able to maintain a kind of balance between the world and the Divine.
Sai Way Is Moderate
There are some people who just go by the ways of the world. One extreme is the
materialists. "We want money, we want position, we want wealth, we want to live
long. We want to live for a hundred years!" OK, wonderful! I don’t mind if you
can manage to live for two hundred years. They believe, "This world is the
truth. This worldly experience is eternal." That is the materialistic point of
view, which is one extreme. There is another extreme, which is spirituality.
Their attitude is, "I don’t want this world. After all, this body is useless.
The worldly pleasures are nothing. I don’t want to live long. God is important."
That is the other extreme.
Where are we? We are somewhere in between. These two extremes are to be totally
dropped immediately. These two extremes are always dangerous - the world, with
materialism as the root, and spirituality, claiming to have the fruit. But the
fruit cannot exist without the root, and the root is useless without the fruit.
So, the root and fruit should exist together. Bhagavan’s message is just this:
Live in this world, but be detached from it.
The boat that crosses the river or the ship that voyages across the ocean, both
are present on the surface of water. The water does not get into the boat or the
ship. Likewise, we should float on top of the water, but not let any water get
into the boat. Bhagavan gives another example of a lotus flower. The lotus
flower blossoms on the surface of the water. Though it lives in water, the water
does not get into the flower. It is the same with the boat and the ship that are
on the surface of water. The water does not get in. This is a balanced state.
Neither is it totally renouncing nor is it totally attached.
My friends, the Sai way is moderate. The Sai way is balanced. The Sai way is
equanimous. He doesn’t want you to drift to any of the extremes. If you say,
"The world is necessary and important; there is nothing more than this", that is
materialism, which is one extreme. If we take that position, we’ll be leading a
dissatisfied life, as there's no end to that. What is the end of our human
pursuit? Where is the end of human desire? The sky is the limit. Ultimately we
will get lost in all this. All desires can't be fulfilled. It’s impossible! No
one can say, "Sir, I have got all my desires fulfilled." No honest man can say
that, not if he’s honest to himself at least.
So desire itself cannot be satisfied. Desire is something like a fire: whatever
you put into it gets burned. Fire will never say, "Yes, enough!" No! Always it
wants more, more, and more. If one city is burned, why not the next city? So the
fire is like that, continuing to burn. With fire, there’s never a ‘full stop’ (a
period), but only a comma. Similarly, desire is like a comma. There also there
is no full stop. It goes on consuming our life until our life gets exhausted in
this way. So this materialism, which is one extreme, will never give us
happiness, contentment, or anything like that whatsoever.
The other extreme is carried out in the name of spirituality: "I don’t want my
relatives. I don’t want to eat. I don’t want to live. I want to put an end to my
life. What is this life for? What is this body for?" This is another nonsensical
approach. This is also idiotic, totally stupid because life is not of my making.
Life, in fact, is not in my hands.
This body is a powerful instrument. The body is given for realization. The body
is the gift of God. Life is the gift of God. You cannot say, "I don’t want it."
Who are you to say that? You have not received it by your choice. None of us
have put in any application, "Oh God, I want this body to be at least six feet
in height and very fair in complexion." We have not submitted any such
application. The body is God-given. Life is God-given. Therefore, this God-given
life, this God-given body, this world or Creation cannot be denied. It should
not be condemned either.
Bhagavan says, "Visvam Vishnu Swarupam", which means the Creation is nothing but
the reflection of the Creator. The Creator’s reflection is the Creation. If I
say that the Creation is nonsense, it means that the Creator is equally
nonsense. I cannot say that! I don’t at least dare to say that. There cannot be
a Creation without the Creator. The word ‘Creator’ is meaningless without a
Creation. Without a son, the word ‘mother’ cannot exist. The word ‘mother’
exists because of the son. And naturally when I say, "He’s so-and-so, the son
of…" it means that there’s a mother. I think I'm clear.
Like that, my friends, total renunciation, total detachment, and total
condemnation of the world is total ignorance. Adhering to the world, considering
that the world is everything, the be-all and end-all, is a state of innocence.
One is innocence, while the other is ignorance. Both are equally nonsense!
(Laughter) If we exercise our common sense, acting without any nonsense, we’ll
be in the middle, bringing a kind of meeting of the two. They are something like
the obverse and the reverse of the same coin: the world and thereafter or God,
the Creator, along with His Creation. If you say, "No, I want only this one
thing", you cannot do that. There is another good example also: If you say, "I
want to walk without a shadow", it is impossible! Your shadow will certainly
follow you! It cannot be avoided.
Sai Yoga
So my friends, the Sai way is a balanced life. Sai wants us to lead a life that
is purposeful. This life has got its foundation here in the world, though its
purpose is above and beyond the world. The blossoms in the tree reach the sky,
with the branches spread all over, while the roots are firmly fixed in the
ground. See that! The roots are firmly fixed in the ground. So let's be aware of
this life. Let us know what it is. At the same time, let us have full
understanding of its goal and purpose as well. To remind us of this, God appears
on earth from time to time because we often get ourselves stuck at one extreme
point or another.
A simple example: Before coming here, many of us were always money-minded,
always position- conscious, always egoistic. After coming to Bhagavan, we are
aware of our weaknesses. I don’t say that we have crossed over them all yet. I
don’t say that. At least, I am not sure about that. At least we are aware of our
lapses. We are aware of our setbacks, our pitfalls, and our mistakes. Those
points about which we felt proud in the past are no longer a matter of pride
today. I'm aware of this.
Therefore, the Sai path is a kind of central point from which we can operate in
both the ways. That is the Sai path or ‘Sai Yoga’. ‘Yoga’ means ‘discipline’.
‘Sai Yoga’ means ‘a disciplined spiritual path, combining the world and God, the
Creation and the Creator’. It is not a case of omitting the one and choosing the
other. There is not any omission or deletion, commission or subtraction,
nothing! It is total, complete. ‘Purna Adah, Purna Midam’. Life is total. We
cannot fragment or divide it.
Christmas Season All Over
One among such great people that visited this planet, one among the greatest of
such people, happened to be the Lord Jesus Christ. The greatest, most sublime,
the noblest, totally Divine, Cosmic Visitor who visited this planet Earth
happens to be Jesus Christ. This month of December is Christmas season, which is
celebrated all over, I know. Coming from a Christian college, I still happily
recall those days when we had Christmas celebrations throughout this month of
December. There was the family Christmas, the college Christmas, the community
Christmas, and the staff Christmas! Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, ah! Merry
Christmas! I can understand what it is.
I really want to think of those days and share with you certain ideas on Jesus
during this and the coming Sunday, and then we will continue with more on the
following two Sundays. We shall be thinking of Christmas, Christianity, and some
of the valuable principles that Christianity has given to mankind in relation to
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba's message. We’ll try to learn in a comparative way
the ‘gospel’ of Sai and the Holy Bible, along with what Baba is doing and what
Baba wants us to do. I have a few things to share with you, things most of you
must already know.
Good things must be heard time and again. We often feel, "Why? I know that
already." When once I have the feeling of ‘I know that’, it means that I do not
know. Why? You may put to me that question: "When I say ‘I know’, how dare you
say that I don’t know!" I can only honestly say "I know" when I actually
experience what I know. So long as I do not have the experience, then all that I
know is bookish knowledge or superficial knowledge. All that superficial
knowledge I gathered and stored in the computer called the human brain, which is
useless.
Therefore my friends, Bhagavan told repeatedly this example: You take coffee any
number of times. You don’t say, "Yesterday I had three cups. I have been
drinking coffee, four cups every day, for the last 40 years! Why do I want any
more? I don’t want it." We don’t say that. Still we are after another fresh cup.
Or, we wear the same dress. We don’t say, "This kind of dress I had in the past,
so now I don’t want it." We don’t say that.
We feed the same stomach. We wash the same face. But for some reason, we don’t
want to hear the same philosophical spiritual Truths time and time again. That
is the misfortune. The greatest tragedy is feeling that you have known
something, though it is not truly known. That is the greatest tragedy. Bhagavan
should bless us with the clarity and with the experience that will enable us to
declare, "I know." Only then we can honestly say, "I know". Not till then.
So let me tell you a few points about what Baba has to say, the background of
‘Sai gospel’. This Holy Christmas season requires us to spend time in a
contemplative, meditative way.
1) and (2): The Original Name of Jesus Is ‘ Isa'
Now, what did Baba say? In one of His discourses, Baba says, "The original name
of Jesus is ‘Isa’. Swami wants us to repeat the same word, in fact commands us
to do it, practicing, ‘Isa, Isa, Isa, Isa, Isa - Sai’! Going on repeatedly, it
becomes ‘Sai’. That is Sathya Sai Baba, do you understand? So, the original name
of Jesus is ‘Isa’ and that, when repeated time and again, becomes ‘Sai’. Both
mean ‘Eshwara’ or ‘God, the Divine’. This is the thing Bhagavan has said.
Bhagavan also said in His discourses, "Jesus visited Tibet and spent some time
in a monastery there in Tibet. The manuscripts are available there even today.
Those manuscripts that depict his visit refer to Jesus as ‘Isa’. The Tibetan
manuscript clearly recorded that Jesus is called by everybody as ‘Isa’." That’s
what Bhagavan has said.
Secondly, ‘Isa’, as Baba said, turns into ‘Sa’ meaning ‘Divine’ + ‘i’
(pronounced ‘e’), which is what we call ‘mother’. So, ‘Isa’ now means ‘Divine
Mother’. I think I'm clear. So, ‘I’ is mother + ‘Sa’ is Divine. Therefore, ‘Isa’
means ‘Divine Mother’, as Baba said.
And the word ‘Baba’ means ‘father’. Jesus always addressed his father as ‘Abba’
just as we say ‘daddy’; Jesus addressed his father, ‘Abba’. So, ‘Abba’ is
‘Father’, while ‘Isa’ is Mother. Therefore, ‘Isa’ + ‘Abba’ is equal to ‘Sai
Baba’! That’s it! (Applause) Hence, ‘Isa’ plus ‘Abba’ is ‘Sai Baba’, and that is
equal to ‘Divine Mother and Divine Father’. This is the second interesting
point.
These points are all taken from Bhagavan’s discourses. I'm telling the source
also.
(3) Jerusalem Is Very Important
The third point: The place known as Jerusalem is a very important place.
Jerusalem is very important as it is the birthplace of Jesus, and thus it is a
holy place that is so important for all Christians. It's so important from the
Biblical point of view, which references Jerusalem as the birthplace. What does
the name mean? ‘Jerusalem’ means a ‘city of ever lasting peace’. To split this,
‘Salem’ means ‘peace’ and ‘Jeru’ means ‘a place’. So, Jerusalem means ‘a place
where peace abides’.
What is the name of this place? ‘Prasanthi Nilayam’! ‘Prasanthi’ is made from
‘Shanti’ or peace. ‘Prasanthi’ means that ‘supreme spiritual peace’. ‘Prasanthi
Nilayam’, meaning ‘supreme spiritual peace’ is equal to ‘Jerusalem’, meaning
‘the eternal peace’. So ‘Jerusalem’ means ‘everlasting peace’, which is the same
as the meaning of ‘Prasanthi Nilayam’. ‘Prasanthi’ means ‘eternal peace’, while
‘Nilayam’ means ‘abode of peace’. These are all the things, which we have to
remind ourselves of time and again. Jerusalem, ‘eternal peace’, today is what we
call, ‘Prasanthi Nilayam’, the ‘abode of supreme peace’.
(4) I Am Greater Than You Know
In His childhood Bhagavan declared to everybody, "It is impossible for anybody
to know Me. Even the electronic gadgets and the technological techniques will
never help you to know Me in full. Those that think that they know are yet to
know because Baba is not to be known. Baba is to be experienced! Those that want
to analyze cannot do it because He’s not to be analyzed, but to be realized.
He’s to be realized, never analyzed. So, whatever I try to know about Baba is
not the ultimate.
When I start watching Him, Swami will be coming along this side. We’ll have ‘cut
darshan’. ‘Cut (off) darshan’, that’s what we are experiencing now. There are
holy texts in Hindu Vedanta, which we call "Shat Darshana". There are the six
classical Divine spiritual paths leading to God. Since we are not aware of ‘Shat
Darshana’, Baba chose ‘Cut Darshana’, cutting all of us (gents) off now!
(Laughter) (Anil Kumar is referring to the fact that at present, during the
afternoon darshans, Swami is walking straight up to the Mandir from the ladies’
side, not giving close darshan to the gents’ side.) That’s what I feel now!
‘Shat Darshan’ then and ‘Cut Darshan’ today! Anyhow, a darshan is a darshan,
whatever the distance, so we are happy with that.
So the point I want to draw your attention to is this: Never think that you have
understood totally. "Never be under the idea that you have known Me in full
because I am not to be known." Why? The spiritual experience is beyond
explanation. The spiritual experience is beyond comprehension. It cannot be
thought over by the mind nor can it be expressed verbally. So, spiritual
experience is beyond both vocal expression and mental comprehension.
Therefore, what does Baba say? The Holy Bible clearly said, "I am greater than
you know." After all, understand it. So what have we to do? "Seek Me, seek Me
out and find Me." Why? "Because I'm beyond your estimate." God will never allow
Himself to be estimated by you. It is impossible to bring Him under the
framework of our technology. No barometer, no thermometer, no weighing machine
can ever tell man about the Divine. And therefore, the Divine is much more than
what you know. What you know is not the ultimate.
The meaning of this is very well conveyed in the Upanishads, "Nedham Yedhide
Upaasathe." Yes, this is the Upanishads sloka. The Upanishads have got so many
stanzas. One Upanishad speaks repeatedly on this sloka. The meaning of this
sloka is, "Not only this, not only this, something more." You think you have
experience in Christ. You feel that you are living with Christ, but no! He is
something beyond this: "I am greater than you know."
"I am greater than you know" means that we should always be in constant search.
We should be always in constant spiritual practice, with a kind of pining, a
sort of yearning, a sort of anxiety, a sort of inquisitiveness. It should be
more and more day by day. There is no saturation point in spirituality. In
materialism there is a saturation point. Once you become Prime Minister, what
higher post is there? No. After that office, only posthumous awards can be
expected. When once you reach the highest office, there ends the matter. Even in
respect to money, the income tax people will tell you, "No more." Even in
respect to life, the doctors will tell you, "Your days are near and numbered
now." (Laughter)
So my friends, in other words, everything has got a limit or is under certain
limits in this world. All physical experiences, all physical possessions,
acquisitions, all material things have got a certain limit. But spiritual
search, spiritual experience, spiritual investigation, spiritual inquiry has no
limits whatsoever. Why? Because it is unsaturated. It never reaches a saturation
point. One should be in an eternal search. It is a quest and not a question.
All things of the world are matters of question: "How much should I earn?" It is
a question. "How long should I live?" Another question. "To what extent I would
grow in cadre?" More questions. But spirituality is not a question. It is a
quest. So we have to understand that the spiritual experience is a quest, not a
question. It is an eternal search, which I want to bring to your attention.
(5) Stop Working Psychologically
A very famous evangelist, a missionary who is known to the whole world, started
sharing his gospel with everybody all over the world. And then God spoke from
within, and He tells this pastor and missionary, "Stop working psychologically.
No, please don’t do it. Start working spiritually." It means that we want to
interpret God in terms of theories, in terms of doctrines, and from the point of
view of sacred textbooks. A textbook, or any book for that matter, is
accumulated knowledge. Any theory is borrowed information. All theories are
borrowed. All doctrines are second-hand information. But spirituality wants us
to have direct, first-hand perception and experience.
So let us understand that spirituality is direct. It is a quest and not a
question. As it is direct, you can have direct experience if only you stop
working psychologically. "O Lord, then what should I do?" Work spiritually, not
psychologically.
What is the difference between spiritual work and psychological investigation?
Psychological inquiry and questioning is just ego, nothing but ego. The mind is
full of ego, with the spirit of I-ness, with the spirit of identity, with the
spirit of declaration. It always wants to achieve something. It wants to
accomplish something. The mind always wants, wants, wants, whatever may be, even
in spirituality. But, when this wanting stops, things start coming to us. Things
start coming to us when this wanting comes to a close.
So my friends stop working psychologically. Never try to discuss with your mind.
Never try to investigate with your mind because God is beyond the mind. One is
inquiry, while the other is enquiry. Spirituality is not mere inquiry. It is
enquiry, which calls for experience, reflection, and investigation in depth.
Therefore, stop working psychologically and work spiritually.
After all, the good shepherd Jesus Christ always worked. He always stayed among
shepherds. They didn’t have EHV degrees. They didn’t carry computers with them.
But they were all very wise. They were all very peaceful in the company of the
Lord. All the disciples of Jesus Christ had a very nice, peaceful life, a
blissful life. Why? They did not act psychologically. They acted spiritually.
Spirituality is intuitive. Psychology is of the mind, and therefore calls for
analysis. To stop working psychologically means to stop analyzing. So, the
psychological approach requires you to analyze, whereas the spiritual approach
encourages you to realize. So, realize spiritually, but do not analyze
psychologically. If you want to analyze psychologically, you can never
experience spiritually. However, you can realise spiritually, leading to further
God experience.
(6) What Saint Paul Said
Then the sixth point is about Saint Paul and what a beautiful thing he said.
Most of you must know his words. As Baba said, "All religions teach good things
only. If our minds are good and sound, which religion is bad? Oh son of Bharath,
listen to this." It is in this context that I want to tell you now what Paul
said. You yourselves know very well. What did Paul say? "The day of the Lord
will come like a thief in the night." That’s what Saint Paul said. Let us think
about this beautiful statement. (Anil Kumar starts singing a bhajan.)
Bada Chitta Chora Brindavana Sanchara,
Gopala, Gopala, Hey Murali Gopala!
‘Bada Chitta Chora’: Who is ‘Chitta Chora’? (Bada = big, Chitta = heart, Chora =
thief) I'm writing here for those who are interested. ‘Chitta Chora’ is not an
ordinary Chitta Chora! ‘Bada’ Chitta Chora means a big robber, a senior robber,
highly experienced at the continental level or the intercontinental level, even
at the cosmic level! Bada Chitta Chora means ‘first class’, ‘number one’!
(Laughter) ‘Brindavana Sanchara’ means this big thief moves in the ‘garden
Brindavan’. ‘Brindavan’ is the garden of human heart. Brindavan is the garden,
which is the human heart, not Brindavana of Mysore Gardens! I'm sorry. It’s not
geographical. Brindavan is the human heart. ‘Bada Chitta Chora’: He’s a big
thief who moves about in the garden of the human heart, in the midst of the
flowers of jasmine (courage) and roses (virtue or good character). There are
beautiful flowers, fragrant flowers. ‘Govardhanadhara’: God dwells there in the
human heart. That’s what it means. Then too, He comes like a thief, ‘Bada Chitta
Chora’. No thief comes to you by first sending you his visiting card! (Laughter)
So too, ‘bada’ means big - a big, experienced man.
Just let’s examine ourselves. How is that we have Bhagavan residing in our
hearts throughout, all the time? The moment we go home, immediately we feel like
coming back. The moment we are here, all our responsibilities, commitments, and
obligations take us away from here. Here we see Him; there we think of Him. But
here or there, Swami is everywhere. Here and there, Swami is everywhere! Here we
see Him physically, whereas there at home we experience Him psychologically and
spiritually. There we experience Him in our hearts, unnoticed by others. We do
not need to tell anybody about this inside experience.
"O Lord! It’s long back that I came to Puttaparthi. Bhagavan, I have been
missing You a lot. I made every attempt to be here, but the current situation,
the present condition, forces me to stay put. I cannot move out of this place."
The good Lord appears in his dream and tells him, ‘My dear child, I am here! Why
fear when I am here?" Thus He appears. But when you want Him in the dream, He
will never appear. On the other hand, you may dream of certain things about
which we are not proud of or even frightened of! So, Bhagavan will never appear
because you want Him to appear in the dream. He appears when He really wants to,
in an unexpected and unnoticed way. He appears in this unexpected, unnoticed way
because He’s ‘Thief Number One’! (Laughter)
A thief always comes to you in an unnoticed way. When all of us are talking, a
group is called for an interview. We are very anxious to go to the canteen for
morning breakfast. As we have been sitting over there since 5 o’clock or 4.30,
our stomachs are empty, and the Vaishvanara (God, who digests food) inside says,
"Come on, get up! Pizza is waiting for you!" So, really we want to get up. But
the moment when all of us get up, Bhagavan comes out of the interview room
again! Hari Om Tat Sat (an expression of finality)! We have to be seated again!
(Laughter) At a time when we really want to go, that’s the moment when Swami
comes out of the interview room. So all want to sit again. Why? Because He is
‘Bada Chitta Chora’.
Without Seeing You, He Cannot Avoid You
Swami doesn’t give a specific time for His darshan. There is no timetable
because He loves keeping people on their toes. So any time between 7 and 7:30 is
morning darshan. Actually any time between 7:30 to 10 o’clock He may be seen
giving darshan. There is time to go and have your breakfast and return. However,
we are always anxious, particularly with our good Lord. Why? He registers our
absence and ignores our presence. He ignores our presence, but registers our
absence! When you are not there, He will ask somebody, "What happened to this
man?" When you are there, you are non-existent, a non-entity. (Laughter) So,
Bhagavan’s treatment of a devotee is so mischievous and unique.
I tell my friends, "Those of you who feel sorry that Bhagavan has not spoken to
you, that He has not walked along the line where you are seated, please remember
that He has not come along that line because He has already seen you! Having
first seen where you are seated, He has carefully avoided you! (Laughter)
Without first seeing where you are, He cannot avoid that side. So, He avoids
those whom He sees first, and He goes along the line of those whom He sees next.
So those who are fortunate enough to have Bhagavan walking along their line are
seen secondly.
Because Swami’s avoiding me (or else why doesn’t He come my way?), so I
congratulate myself for making the Lord take diversion, a bypass road, very
good! (Laughter) And Swami Himself said, "You know why I avoid? You know?"
"Swami, I want to know. Why?" He says, "Along the highway, there will be a
signboard: ‘Road under repair - Take diversion.’ (Laughter and applause)
Therefore, when does He take a diversion? The lorry driver or the truck driver
will come up to the signboard and, seeing the board, they will take a diversion.
The signboard is happy that it is noticed. Don’t you think so? The signboard is
noticed and read, and caution is exercised. Therefore, the truck driver has
taken a diversion.
So He sees everybody. There’s nothing like a group being avoided. It is
impossible. Why? The ‘Big Thief’ knows how to manipulate and manage. He knows,
He knows! And further, He just looks in such a way so as to find out your
reaction. He stands there, talking to another, but watching you from there. That
man is happy that Bhagavan is talking to him. Ah, ah, what a Divine formula
there is! (Laughter) He only knows this Divine formula. Supposing He doesn’t
want to talk to you and He wants to avoid you. What does He do? He goes to the
other extreme: He’ll be asking someone, while looking the other way, "When did
you come? How are you?" Hey! That man whom You are talking to is right in front
of You. So why do You look to that other side? The ‘wanted man’ is over there.
Please let us understand this.
And not only that. Suddenly He’ll walk across the verandah, stand there and talk
to that person. About what? Not about spiritual matters! No, nothing to do with
sadhana (spiritual practices)! "What did you eat in the morning? What did you
eat at lunch?" Why? So that all people can have His darshan. So He is talking
with one person, while giving darshan to many.
Bhagavan’s actions and His words are multi-dimensional and multi-purposeful.
When He says, "When did you come?" ten people say, "Only today." To whom that
question is put, we do not know. (Laughter) But all are students, answering the
same question of the same Teacher. So He’s ‘Bada Chitta Chora’, a big thief, and
He knows how to manage things, according to Saint Paul. Paul also says, "You be
watchful. You be ready for when God will pick you up. He’ll catch you when
you’re not aware." He’ll certainly look for you when you’re not ready. Why?
Because God is a ‘big robber’!
(7) The Book of Revelations, Verses 11 to 16
Then the Book of Revelations from the Holy Bible, verses 11 to 16, conveys
certain very important statements, pertaining to Swami in particular. We are
making a comparative study. Fortunately enough, we are not dogmatic. Luckily
enough, we are not fanatic. Blessed we are because we’re after synthesis and
understanding. We are doubly blessed because we have got an approach that is
impressive. It is unity in diversity. We find out what is common, what is the
same, in all of the religions.
What does Revelations say? "I saw a man whose name is Truth," says the book of
Revelations. Who is that man whose name is Truth? Sathya Sai Baba! ‘Sathya’
means ‘Truth’. Therefore, the book of Revelations already indirectly indicated
the Advent of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Provided one has got a little open
minded-ness, he can certainly understand Sathya Sai Baba is being referred to
there.
And further Revelations states, "…crowded with many crowns." What is that? Where
are those? "…crowded with many crowns." I don’t see even one, but the Book of
Revelations says, "…crowded with many crowns". The crown is an old-fashioned
ornament. The crown is outdated. No one wears a crown today. Therefore, He is
"crowded with many crowns" means that there is a halo or a crown of hair all
around! As Bhagavan walks giving darshan, when the wind blows, His beautiful
hair tosses like the golden daffodils along the Milky Way of William Wordsworth.
How nicely and beautifully our good Lord adjusts His hair, ah-ha! It is a sight
for the gods. "The crown of crowns" refers to the halo of hair all around His
head!
"…Whose eyes could sometimes be a flame of fire." Yes, the compassionate eyes,
the eyes that are so graceful, could sometimes be a flame of fire. When it is a
matter of declaration, when it is a matter of policy, when it is a matter of
expression of the Divine, when it is a question of declaring His Advent to the
entire world, you will find in His eyes a flame of fire.
You could notice that flame of fire particularly when He says, "There is no iota
of selfishness in Me from top-to-toe!" You should see how His eyes are then,
just like a flame of fire. Or when He says, "I am everywhere. I'm always happy.
You don’t need to greet Me saying, ‘Be happy, Happy Birthday!’ No. I'm always
happy. I have no discontentment. I have no dissatisfaction. I have no desire."
What a declaration! In this matter of making emphatic statements or declarations
to the entire world, particularly with regard to His Advent, you will see this
flame of fire in His eyes.
"He wears red robes." Well, this needs no explanation. We see red robes all the
time. "And He rides on white horses." Where are the horses? There are no horses,
but in their place we find white cars! More often Swami rides in gray or white
cars. (The red car is just for occasional glimpses.) But earlier He used to use
only white cars. So the ‘horses’ (meaning cars here) are white in color.
Out of His Mouth a Two-Edged Sword
And then Revelations says, "Out of whose mouth proceeds a two-edged sword." Yes!
Most of us have experienced this. I'll explain to you: "Out of His mouth
proceeds a two-edged sword." Those who have long experience with Swami know that
clearly. "Swami, I want to come here." "Not necessary, I am there." OK. Then,
"Swami, I am there." His response, "You should come here now and then to charge
your batteries." Both answers! So, what shall I do? This is a two-edged sword.
"Swami, I'm highly educated." "What is the use? You don’t serve anybody. Without
service, your education is useless." "Swami, I'm uneducated." "You’re almost an
animal." (Laughter) "Without education, you’re almost animal."
I'll give you another example in a lighter vein. In the past, Sri Kasturiji
came, "Swami, I want You to visit my residence." Bhagavan said, "Not now.
Later." After four months, Kasturi again asked, "Swami, I request You to visit
us, to be with us at our residence." His response was the same, "Later, not
now." This went on and on. He was postponing indefinitely. After two years,
Bhagavan asked him, "What do you want, Kasturi?" He said, "Bhagavan, we all pray
that You should be with us and spend some time at our residence." Bhagavan said,
"Oh! OUR residence? Is it YOUR residence?" "No, no, Swami, it’s not OUR
residence. It is YOUR residence, actually speaking." His final reply, "Oh! Then
why should you invite Me to come to MY own residence?" (Laughter and Applause)
"If it is MY residence, who are you to invite Me? It is already My residence."
So, what a double-edged sword! Then as well as now, the Divine policy is the
same. We only are the unfortunate fellows who do not understand the Divine
mechanism. That’s all! We have not understood His Divine mechanics and so we get
confused like that!
Sometimes He will say, "I brought you here, expecting that you’ll do so much
work." So, the administrators will think that they should do so much. When they
start doing everything, suddenly He will call them and say, "You are useless
people! Where else can you find a Chancellor available like this, 24 hours a
day, 365 days a year? Why don’t you consult Me? If you continue to act as you
like, I’ll throw you out!" Oh, I see. Earlier He had said, "I want you to do it
all." Now He says, "Why don’t you consult Me?" What shall I do? Do or consult?
Hari Om Tat Sat! (Laughter)
Suppose if I go and ask, "Bhagavan, I want to have some program in the college.
I want Your permission." He will say, "Oh, do you take My permission while you
go for breakfast? Do you take My permission when you are preparing to have a
bath every day? You don’t take permission for all those things, but for these
things you take permission! It’s all a show!" On the other hand, suppose I have
prepared one program there in the college and we go ahead and do it there.
Bhagavan will say, "I don’t know what is happening? You never invited Me!
(Laughter) Will such a thing take place anywhere?" That’s what He will say.
There are a number of examples, you know. Suppose we say, "Swami, thank you very
much!" He may say, "Why do you thank Me? I am not a third person. You and I are
One!" Oh, OK. (Laughter) Very good. Then at another time He will say, "You’ll
thank everybody who offers you a cup of tea or coffee. If anyone picks up the
handkerchief that might have fallen down on the ground, you’ll say, ‘Thank you!’
But do you ever say, ‘Thank you’ to God?" So, what shall I do? Shall I thank Him
or be thankless? (Laughter) That is it. Now you can understand. Whenever He
speaks for any length of time, out of His mouth proceeds a two-edged sword!
Surrounded By Armies of Heaven
Then Revelations says, "He’s surrounded by armies of heaven", not the armies of
earth with rifles and guns, no, no, no! "Wearing white linen, white and pure
dress": all Seva Dal, all students, the staff, most of the people (gents) who
are here are in white dress. The Book of Revelations says, "He’s surrounded by
armies of heaven, wearing white and pure dress." What a declaration it is! If
only we have got clarity of mind and open-mindedness, we’ll find the
declarations coming through with clear meaning right now today.
Bhagavan said at one time, "If you want to attain God, to realize God, you must
first understand that God-realization is not an attainment, no. If you want to
refer to it from the worldly point of view as an achievement, it is not so. If
you view realization as an accomplishment, it is not so. If you want to give it
a name, you have to follow the footprints of God." Sathya Sai Baba: Sathya means
Truth. You can realize Him by following the path of Truth only. By being
untruthful, by speaking blatant lies, falsehood, we can never be anywhere around
Him. It is impossible. So, the path to follow is only Truth. That is clearly
described and stated.
(8) God Is Spirit, andThose Who Worship Him Must Worship HimIn Spirit and
Truth
Furthermore, Bhagavan also says, "Our connection is solely love-to-love,
heart-to-heart, Bangaroo!" It is only the connection love-to-love and
heart-to-heart that is important. It is not any verbal communication or any
postal communication that is important, no. Our connection is wholly
love-to-love and heart-to-heart." What a wonderful statement it is! "You can
only worship the Lord God in Truth and Spirit," declares the Holy Bible. God is
Spirit, not the body.
If God is a body, you should find Him at a particular place, at a particular
time, as we do find the (Hindu) gods in their temples. Gods in temples are very
convenient. You can go anytime and they will not be angry with you. They’ll be
happy if you visit them once a week and say, "Hi!" Good. But Bhagavan is a
living God! Wow! It is very difficult to manage and move with Him. This loving,
caring God, living and moving amongst us, can be realized by following the path
of Truth in Spirit. So, God is Spirit. Those who worship Him must worship Him in
Spirit and Truth.
These are all things taken from the Bible. That’s what it said according to
Saint John’s Gospel, 4th Chapter, 23rd and 24th verses. Saint John and Bhagavan
always say, "God is the Spirit." He always says in His discourses, "Ask
yourself, ‘Who am I?’ You are not the body. You are not the mind. You are not
the intellect. You are the Spirit. You are that eternal Spirit. You are not the
body, which falls down with the passage of time. Body is a water bubble. You are
not the mind because the mind is a mad monkey. Then, who are you? You are the
Spirit. You are the Conscience. You are All."
So you can communicate with God at the level of the Spirit, not at the level of
the body. You can establish Holy Communion, as I was telling you sometime back.
Communication is a link between two humans. Communion is the link between man
and God. So I can establish Holy Communion with God at the level of Truth and
Spirit.
Thus, in Spirit as Atma, as the Conscience, I can establish contact with the
Divine Consciousness. Conscience is the Spirit or the soul that has its link
with the Divine Consciousness, which is Cosmic and all pervading. That’s what
the good Lord has said.
(9) Lamedeer’s Statement
Lastly, I have a statement to share with you before I take leave of you. There’s
a Native American visionary by the name of Lamedeer. His statements are recorded
in the Washington Post, which is published in New York. There is mentioned a
particular, interesting statement, which I want to share with you. Lamedeer’s
statement is as a visionary of this 20th century from the United States of
America.
What did he say? He made a beautiful statement. He was a Christian by faith.
What did he say? "There is a light man." You can understand it in both the ways:
a man of light and a man who is light in weight. In both the ways, it is
applicable to Bhagavan. He’s so light in weight, and He’s a Light unto Himself,
giving us that delight all the time. He sheds light to the entire world.
So Lamedeer said, "There is a light man coming, bringing a new light. There is a
light man coming." Yes! Long ago he could foresee the Advent of Bhagavan Sri
Sathya Sai Baba in the 20th century itself! Further he said, "New light, before
this century is over." Please understand this. "There is a light man coming and
bringing a new light before this century is over." That is important - "before
this century is over."
Furthermore he stated, "The light man has the power and will to do good things.
A man is going to be born with the power and will to do good things." Bhagavan
says, "None can stop Me. When I decide to do something, none can stop Me. Let
all the seven seas be united! None can shake Me. Even if the whole world were to
turn against Me, you cannot shake Me." Why? Because He has got the Divine Will
and Power to do many good things, being absolutely Divine and totally selfless.
We should stop all atomic powers. Bhagavan’s call for peace, for non-violence,
His insistence on Truth, and His adherence to the path of Truth is the message
that is most needed today, more so than ever before. Similarly the visionary
said, "There is going to be a person who is going to come and visit us, who will
establish peace on earth."
Then as the Holy Bible declares, "You shall know by their fruits." This is the
Holy Bible’s statement. "You shall know by their fruits." Bhagavan says always,
"The greatness of the tree depends upon the fruit it bears." So, Avatar Bhagavan
Sri Sathya Sai Baba is judged, is assessed, is evaluated, and is viewed in terms
of the beautiful magnificent, stupendous, unparalleled, unbeaten, unrivaled
projects that He has undertaken. The projects in the field of education, the
projects in the field of medicine, are such magnificent, mighty projects that no
one else could ever do them. So, "You shall know Him by His powers." God,
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, is known by His powers as we see them today.
The rest of my talk will continue next week.
Thank you very much!
(Anil Kumar closed his satsang by leading the bhajan,
"Sai Narayana, Narayana...")
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!
Thank you, well done!
Sai Ram,
Thank You!