October 22^nd, 2006

“Avatar Declaration Day and Deepavali”

OM…OM…OM…

Sai Ram

With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I welcome you all to this morning’s session. It is special in that we have already witnessed two important events. The first and foremost happens to be the twentieth of October, Avatar Declaration Day, the anniversary of the day when Bhagavan declared Himself as an Avatar. We have also been through the great festival of Deepavali (Festival of Lights). This morning we will try to understand both these events together and try to learn some of the things that Swami wants us to learn from them. Last week we already commenced with certain aspects relating to the Avatar Declaration or “Advent of God on Earth in human form.” Being a teacher, I feel compelled to repeat briefly what I said last time, in what we call a “recap”.

The meaningS of BHagavan’s Names

I gave the meaning of “Sai” last time. See the letters S-A-I: Spiritual change, Association change and Individual change. The second meaning we had was S — service (karma), A — adoration (bhakti), I — illumination (jnana).

We also had this definition for “Sathya”: Ya meaning yama – the discipline of sense control; tha meaning thapas or penance. (The penance or thapas one has to do to win control over the senses was also dealt with last time.) I also said that Sathya has got three important syllables: Sa stands for Sama Veda, tha stands for Atharvana Veda, and ya stands for Yajur Veda. Sathya as a whole stands for Rig Veda. That is how Sathya, in a nutshell, means all the four Vedas.

Before I go on to the next topic, let me give you two other of Bhagavan’s definitions of His Name. (Every week I tell you that nothing I say is my own. Everything is collected from Swami’s discourses only. Because I find a great thrill, excitement, and gratification as I study Sai literature in depth, I don’t want to add anything other than what Bhagavan says.)

The letters S-A-I add up to Sai. What does this mean? Baba puts it like this: Say you have seen a photograph of me somewhere and you come and tell me, “I saw your photo there.” My answer would be, “The photo you saw there is no one other than myself here.” I, here, am the same as the photograph that you have seen there. Or photograph there, which you have seen, is me, who am here. Am I clear?

There is one important aspect: God over there is none else other than you here. The God to whom you pray is none other than you. Is that so? Yes! Why not? For example, you have got a vessel – a container full of water. The moon over there is reflected in the container’s water here. So the reflection of the moon in the vessel is very much the same as the moon in the sky. Am I clear? This is an example given by Baba. Therefore our answer should be this: “Oh Moon there, you are very much the same as the moon here!” Similarly, God there is very much in the human form here.

This is what is called Tatwamasi. Tat means “That”, Twam means “you”, and Asi means “same”; so Tatwamasi means “That Thou Art.” God is you and no one else. Now, what does “S-A-I” mean? S, for “Sathya Sai Baba”; “A” and “I” are one and the same. S stands for Sathya Sai Baba or Tat; I is Twam, and A, for Asi, is one and the same. So Sai means Tatwamasi!

Tatwamasi, or “That Thou Art,” simply means that Baba is you, no different from you. This is what Baba explained. And Swami further added, “You and I are one. I am not different from you. I am not separate from you.” That is what Swami is always saying. It is not said out of humility; it is not said to belittle Himself. No. He is glorifying you. He is taking you to the level of Divinity. He is not bringing Himself down; rather He is elevating you. Please understand this. Therefore, Sai means Tatwamasi: God is you.

The second meaning proclaimed by Baba is found in this way: Reverse the letters of Sai into I-A-S. It means, “I and Sai are one.” Earlier I said S-A-I, Sai and I are one: Tatwamasi. Now I say I-A-S, I and Sai are one. Aham Brahmasmi: I means Aham,” I here.” S is Sai Baba and Brahman. I and Brahman are one. Therefore my friends, S-A-I is Tatwamasi and I-A-S is Aham Brahmasmi. “That Thou Art” and “I am Brahman.”

These are the meanings or interpretations that Bhagavan has given to His matchless, holy, glorified Divine Name. Therefore my friends, as we sing in praise of Him, as we chant His Name, as we greet each other by saying “Sai Ram”, let us do it with awareness. Let us do it with full understanding.

Always say “Sai ram” with joy in your heart

When you call your son, you don’t do it with a cheerless face, do you? When you call your grandson, you don’t do it in a tasteless way. When you talk to your lover or beloved, how do you talk? How do you address him or her? With a blooming face, with a smiling face, don’t you? Similarly, when you say “Sai Ram”, it should be more than a mere “Hi” (Laughter).

When two people meet each other and say, “Hi, how are you?” they say it happily, not (Anil Kumar says despondently) “Hi, how are you?” (Laughter) We don’t do that. So similarly, when you say “Sai Ram”, use that kind of enthusiasm, that kind of bubbling joy, that kind of unity with Divinity, that sense of elevation, to the level of God, that sense of promotion, that sense of awareness. That sense of union with God should be felt as you say, “Sai Ram.”

We don’t say (Anil Kumar says meekly) “Sai Ram.” If you do say it that way, you have half a foot in the grave! Where is the joy? Where is the thrill? Where is the understanding? Is it coming out of the heart? It has become a routine. Therefore my friends, it is absolutely necessary to know the meaning of “Sai” as explained by Bhagavan Himself.

Because I find some new faces today, I will just conclude with one more thing that He said, which I mentioned last week. What else did He say S-A-I means? See Always Inside. Why did He say that? Because we always see outside! But why should we see inside? “That which is inside is reflected outside,” Baba has said. “Reflection of the inner being” is what is meant by See Always Inside.

For example, when you say, “He is good,” it only means that you see the good in yourself reflected in him. When you say, “He is bad,” you see the bad in yourself reflected in him. So, the good and bad, and everything that you find outside yourself, are just the reflections of the inner being. This is actually what Bhagavan meant.

Is Sai simply a name? It is not simply a word of greeting; it is one of excitement! When you put something sweet on your tongue, watch your face. Then put some bitter gourd or some horrible thing or some bitter syrup on your tongue and watch your face. Your face will show an expression. So such a sweet name as Sai should have a sweet expression. One cannot have a bitter expression tasting a sweet. It is just the reverse. So, it is with that objective that we refer to the many illuminating meanings of Sai, as explained by Bhagavan.

THE purpose of THE avatar

Bhagavan said, “Boys, come with Me and I will show you Divinity. I will tell you the significance of life, the meaning of life, the goal of life, the purpose of life. I will tell you — come with Me!” We are all boys; we are all His children. “Come with Me!” Who will say that?

People will say, "Come behind me.” (Laughter) Or, “Stand behind me in darshan line.” So we know that no one will say, “Come with me, walk with me.” It is only Baba who would say that.

This is a poem from Bhagavan:

Kannula kagupadu dhrusyambu ganchi

Satyambu ani yenchaku sambaramuna

Kannula kagupadu dhrusyambu ganchi

Sathyambu ani yenchaku sambaramuna

Theranu dhagina sathyammu thelusakonaga

Theranu dhagina sathyammu thelusukonaga

Vishramimpaga na thoda vedalirandu

Do not consider all that you see

With the physical naked eye as true.

All that you see is not true.

All that you see is not true because it will change.

Yath dhrusyam thadh nashyam

That which is seen is sure to perish.

That which is seen is sure to disappear. That which is seen is sure to transform. That which transforms, that which changes, that which perishes, cannot be Truth because Truth is changeless. So Swami says:

Kannula kagupadu dhrusyambu ganchi

Sathyambu ani yenchaku sambaramuna

Out of ecstasy, out of joy,

Don’t say all that you see is true!

Theranu dhagina sathyammu thelusakonaga

To know the Truth behind the curtain,

To know the Truth behind the screen,

Vishramimpaga na thoda vedalirandu

Don’t sleep.

No time to stand and stare.

No time to idle.

Without any rest, walk with Me.

Come with Me.

“I will tell you the Truth, the mystery of life which is behind the curtain of illusion, the curtain of delusion, the curtain of falsity, the curtain of identifications.” That is the purpose of Sai.

Swami may give us interviews; Swami may smile at you. Swami may perform your marriage if He so wishes. Swami may do thousands of things. But His purpose is:

Theranu dhagina sathyammu thelusakonaga

To know the Truth behind the curtain

To make everyone of us know our Truth, which is Divinity, that is the main purpose of the Avatar, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. If we do not understand our nature, if we do not know our true identity, all that remains will never help us. Some people say, “I have been coming here for the last thirty years.” What for? There is no service register here; there are no increments or any promotions. Why? Indeed, it is to know our true identity.

THE path of devotion – alike IN praise and blame

Bhagavan also said another time that what He wants us to learn is the following:

Sukha dhukhamulu samamuga bhavinchi jeevinchute

Bhakthi naaku

To consider pain and pleasure with equal-mindedness,

With the spirit of equanimity,

Understanding that pain and pleasure are not different,

This is devotion.

Pain and pleasure are heads and tails of the same coin. It is only a difference of time that brings all change. Time is transformation. Baba gives this simple example: The woollen blanket or the woollen shawl in the month of December is so warm. It is so nice to have it at that time. However, in May, in the hot summertime in Puttaparthi, if you wore a woollen blanket, covering your body, everyone would conclude that you are no more (Laughter). Why? During that season, even clothes feel like an extra burden, let alone a blanket, as it is a very, very hot place then. Therefore, that woollen blanket which may give you a warm, good feeling in winter is a sort of torture in summer. So, is a woollen blanket good or bad? You may say, “Good in winter, but bad in summer.” Actually, it is neither. Good and bad just depend on the difference in time. So there is nothing that is purely good or absolutely bad. Good and bad always follow each other.

Keerthi Apakeerthi okka murthigane

Bhavinchi brathukute Bhakthi padhamu

Keerthi Apakeerthi oka murthigane

Praise and blame:

People may praise you or people may blame you.

To consider praise and blame with equal-mindedness is devotion.

That is the message of Baba, my friends. Whatever He does – whether He gives you darshan, whether He gives you prasad, whether He makes us sing, whether He makes us worship or do pradakshina or parayana, the purpose is:

Keerthi Apakeerthi okka murthigane

Bhavinchuta bhakthi padhamu

To consider felicitation, humiliation,

Jubilation, elation, and blame all alike,

Is Bhakthi Padhamu, the path of devotion.

Bhagavan has come down on earth to teach that, as we very much want only one side of life.

I met some youngsters this morning who are expecting something from Bhagavan. I told them, “If Swami says ‘yes’ to you, feel good; if He doesn’t answer your prayer, feel better, even better!” Why? That which you think is good is not really good. The good that happens will make you egoistic. If it doesn’t happen, you will be very humble, very simple, and very normal. If He calls you on the first day of your arrival here and grants you interviews every day thereafter, wow! You won’t walk on earth; you will want to walk on the heads of people!

The reality is this: An airplane may fly high; but one day or other, it must land, or else there will be a plane crash. Therefore, life is not always high, higher and higher. It has to come down some day or other. So we need to learn the truth of life – that life is not unidirectional, that life has the combination of both directions. As the bicycle has two wheels, as the railway track has two parallel lines, so this life is also a combination of both elation and deflation. This is the main message of Bhagavan.

bhagavan is THE support for all of us

And Swami further said:

Sri Puttaparthi nilayudu kaapaadu ninnu epudu

Sri Puttaparthi nilayudu kaapaadu ninnu epudu, karunakarudai

The compassionate Lord of Puttaparthi will take care of you.

Chepatti ninnu brochunu, ä pattuna viduvaka elunu ninnu

Just as mother will catch hold of the little finger of the child,

Just as the mother helps the child walk,

Chepatti ninnu brochunu

He will catch hold of your hand and make you walk along the way.

This Avatar is a support! Let the whole world deny you. Let everybody say ‘no’ to you. Let everybody desert you. But He will not.

ä pattuna viduvaka elenu ninnu

I will never drop you, My child!

The point He gives here is His promise that He will never give you up.

My friends, we are living in this world, where people are around you when you are in power or when you are elite. People are there to support you; but they expect something in return. There is no selfless love today. There is no unconditional love today. There is no one on which to rely or totally depend. Under these circumstances, we need a strong support, an assurance. That is why Baba says:

Chepatti ninnu brochunu

ä pattuna viduvaka elenu ninnu

Catching hold of you, I will make you walk.

I will never you give up.

I will never drop you, My child!

We want somebody to say, “I will stand by you.” This is the purpose of the Avatar.

bhagavan is everywhere, always with us

You may ask, “How is it possible for Him to catch hold of me all the time when I am in Los Angeles, or when I am in Buenos Aires, Mexico City, or Sao Paulo? How is it that He is going to catch hold of my hand? How is it possible for Him to walk along with me?“

Where is Baba? He is inside you. You cannot drive Him out. You can seek Him out. You can look outside if you want to forget Him. If you want to be away from Him, you can look outwardly. But He will never leave you. He is already inside.

Somebody asked Swami, “When did You go save that boy from the fire accident?”

Swami said, “I didn’t need to go. I am already there.”

“Swami, when that man was sinking and almost drowned in the water, when did You go and lift him up?”

“I didn’t go. I am already there,” said Bhagavan.

bhagavan never leaves us

Another poem by Bhagavan:

Vishwamelledala vyapiyai velayu vaadu

I am spread all over the universe.

I am present everywhere.

You can notice Me.

I am not conditioned by time or space.

Bhaktha janalu ku Prabhudai bharagu vaadu

I am the anchor,

I am the support of all My devotees!

Parthivasudu ninnela ethukonudu

Why do you doubt?

I am here to hug you, My child.

I am here, the Divine Mother,

To lift you into My arms.

I will never drop you!

We are so fortunate to have been exposed to this Avatar, who gives us a guarantee and an assurance that He will never leave us.

Bhagavan goes one step further than we fellows, who always do the leaving. We are rather more political, more business-minded. When good things happen, we say, “Swami, I will come and have Your darshan.” But when things do not happen to our liking or to our taste, we are frustrated and depressed. We will be in search of some other god somewhere else, as if the gods there were different!

Whether you go to Canara Bank or Andhra Bank or Hyderabad Bank or Vijaya Bank, they all give you money, right? Is there any bank that gives you stainless steel vessels or books instead of cash? (Laughter) No, every bank will give you rupees. Similarly, if you go to this god or that god, each god should give you his bounty of grace.

But to think, ‘I will go to this one or that one’ is a disgrace. We are all like that: business-minded or political in our approach, always an unspiritual feeling. Therefore Swami has gone one step further, as He knows His ‘customers’. (Laughter) So what did He say?

“Arre boy! I shall not leave you, even if you leave Me! I shall not forsake you, even if you forsake Me!” He will haunt you; He will chase you. Just as you cannot run away from your own back, you cannot run away from Swami. It is impossible!

Sometimes some of the devotees give a considerable gap, or even years, between their successive visits to Swami. I know of one instance where a fellow left ten years between his visits. When he finally came, Swami said to him, “Oh, you are here! You might have forgotten Me, but I have not forgotten you.”

Long, long ago, a doctor was sitting by my side in the Poornachandra Auditorium. He was just telling me, “Sir, I used to drive Swami’s car twenty years ago. It is my bad luck that I could not come back here all these twenty years. What a change Puttaparthi has undergone! How many things have come up now!” he was telling me.

I was helpless with pity for him, nodding my head, saying “Oh! Is that true? Aha, aha, aha.”

During darshan time, Swami came out and then walked up, standing in front of him. Swami said, “Oh doctor, you have forgotten Me, but I have not forgotten you.”

Meeru marachinaaru kaani

Swami mimmalni maracha ledayya

You have forgotten Me,

But I have not forgotten you.

Further He said, “Your son is also a doctor now. How is he?” To know who He met twenty years ago, that is Bhagavan.

“I shall not leave you even if you leave Me. I shall not forsake you even if you forsake Me.” What a guarantee it is! Even if we don’t pay the premium, we get the insurance coverage, which is the Sathya Sai Divine Insurance Company! (Applause) DLIC — Divine Life Insurance Company! Really, we will understand after some passage of time. When we pass through the crucible of experiences in duality, only then we will understand how He supports us and how He stands by us each and every time.

Bhagavan’s VOW: to set us on the path of righteousness

Karma margamu veedi cheviyunthu varaala

Dharma margamu veedi cheviyunthu varaala

Chepatti kaapadute vrathamu naaku

Dharma margamu veedi cheviyunthu varaala

Chepatti kaapadute vrathamu naaku

What is the purpose, what is the vow that He has undertaken?

He clearly said, “For those who have gone away from the track of life, from their track of discipline, from the path of righteousness, from the path of justice, it is My duty to set them right. It is My duty to put them on the track, to bring them back to the correct, righteous path of life. It is My vrathamu (determination).” He has made this determination.

Does it happen? Yes, it happens!

Two devotes from Africa came here for the first time. They didn’t know the rules and regulations of Prashanti Nilayam. So they brought two bottles of whisky – only two. (Laughter) They were given accommodations here.

They were not used to water; they were used to alcohol, spirits! They had darshan in the morning. Darshan, bhajan darshan, lunch; then evening bhajans, followed by dinner. Then they were going to bed. At that time, they brought out two glasses and said, “Let us have a sip. Why not?” They opened the bottle, filled both the glasses and just brought the glasses together saying, “Cheers! Cheers!” (Laughter)

When they started drinking, they discovered it was not alcohol at all, but water. H₂O, only water! (Applause) They felt so badly. One said, “We paid so much money for these bottles, but not for water!”

Then the other man thought, “No, no, no! It cannot be. There must have been water in the glasses already (Applause), so let us check this time.” They emptied both the glasses and filled them again. Both said “Cheers!” but when they started drinking, again it was only water! Oh, they were very much disgusted.

“The glasses of Puttaparthi are cheating us,” (Laughter) they said. “The glasses of Puttaparthi are deceiving us, (Laughter) but the bottle will never disappoint us!” So this time, they opened the other bottle eagerly and drank it straight (Laughter) from the bottle, with no glasses. Like a direct flight! (Laughter) When they started drinking, again it was water – water everywhere! They were very much disgusted. They felt very badly. Somehow they spent the night.

The next morning, they sat for darshan. Swami came and stood in front of them and said, “Cheers! Cheers!” (Laughter and Applause)

Even if you want to do something, even if you want to turn from the expected standards of conduct, from the expected standards of life, from the parameters of discipline, you will be put back on to the track by Baba.

Dharma margamu veedi cheviyunthu varaala

Chepatti kaapadute vrathamu naaku

It is My determination to see that

You will never run away from the path.

god is here now

Kaala sandhigdha nigraha deepthulai unda

Bhaashyardha guptamul paluku koraku

Today we are in a state of utter confusion. We don’t understand anything. Someone was asking me, “Why should Rama cry? Why did Krishna cry? How long did Thretha Yuga last? What is the period of Dwapara Yuga?”

I said, “Arre! (Hey!) Are you a gone-case or what? If it lasted for ten thousand years, why are you bothered? You are not going to use that period now. When Rama cried, you don’t have to cry now. What are these questions?”

My friends, the answer to all these questions is this: God is here now. Where is life? Life is here now. That is the answer. If I question how long a period lasted, how long the Kali Age will last, how long will I last…? (Laughter) Therefore, Bhagavan Baba is here to tell us what we are supposed to do today. This is the kind of life that we should have today, the responsibility at the moment, because life is in the present moment. Life is this moment, not the next moment or the past moment. Life is in the present. Life is existence. Therefore, Bhagavan says the people who are confused must be brought back, and must be put back on the track of life.

inner meaning of spiritual practices

We follow religion by observing rituals. There is one discipline called upavasa, fasting. People like to fast and think fasting is spiritual. Whether fasting is spiritual or not, I do not know; but physically, it will help you to lose weight and improve digestion. However, too much fasting will transport you to another planet! (Laughter) These basic things I know.

The original word in Sanskrit for fasting is upavasa. Baba explains that upavasa is not fasting. Upa means ‘near’ and vasa means ‘dwelling or living’. Upavasa therefore means ‘living close’. ‘Living close to God’ is upavasa.

Arya pai aligi pasthulundinantha upavasa maguna

A husband has a fight with his wife; naturally, in every family, it happens. So they are not on talking terms and therefore, this fellow refuses to eat her food. Shall I call him spiritual? No, not spiritual; there is only some problem in the kitchen/household. (Laughter) I can’t say that he is fasting. So upavasa means living close to God mentally, psychologically — it is not merely physical fasting.

Bhagavan also talked about the practice of keeping awake throughout the night, of singing praises of God, called jagrana or keeping vigil. For example, on Sivarathri night we stay awake, sing bhajans, doing jagrana. But shall I say that to be awake throughout any night doing anything at all makes me spiritual? Hospital nurses on duty are awake throughout night. Do we mean to say that they are going to attain moksha? The night watchman on duty, if he is not drunk, will be awake throughout night. Shall I say that he is a liberated soul? No!

Baba says:

Preethitho raatrantha pekadinantha jagarana maguna

A fellow plays cards throughout night in a casino bar. Shall I say he is observing jagrana? No! To be aware of the spirit, to be aware of consciousness, to be vigilant of one’s own consciousness is the observance of jagrana. Therefore, because of this sorry state of confusion into which the scriptures, rituals, and traditions have been perverted, Baba is in our midst. God has come down in human form to tell us about the inner significance.

Kaala sandhigdha nigraha deepthulai unda

Bhaashyardha guptamul paluku koraku

To let you know the inner significance of the scriptures,

I have come down in human form.

Therefore my friends, the Advent of the Avatar, which took place on October 20^th in the year 1940, is meaningful. He has given us the agenda of God, the program of God – everything in a package deed, in a nutshell, on a computer disk. Therefore we observe October 20^th as Avatar Declaration Day in our own humble way.

Deepavali dispels the darkness of ignorance

That occasion was followed by Deepavali festival, which we also witnessed recently. You find a number of lights decorating houses, and lamps kept in the front of doors during Deepavali. But what does it mean?

Baba told us a couple of years ago about the significance of the Deepavali festival. Deepa means ‘light’; awali means ‘group’. Deepavali means ‘the light of love, the light of truth, the light of understanding, and the light of peace that may abide in you forever’. So Deepavali is a light that dispels the darkness.

We are in the darkness of ignorance. Ignorance is all around. One may hold a doctorate degree, but still one is drowned in ignorance. Awareness of the Self is knowledge, awareness of the Self is wisdom; but degrees represent only bookish knowledge. Degrees and diplomas, B.A., B.S, or B. Tech, all stand for outer-world information. Tech is technology. Technology is “trick knowledge” — you get all the information except that which relates to your Self, vidya, the knowledge of the Self. Therefore when the knowledge of the Self is missing, it is ignorance. Ignorance is nothing other than absence of the knowledge of the Self.

What is darkness? Absence of light is darkness. Similarly, what is ignorance? Absence of wisdom is ignorance. What is wisdom? Awareness of the Self; it illuminates you just as the light dispels the darkness.

Deepavali dispels the darkness of delusion, of illusion, of ignorance. It sheds the light of awareness. It spreads the light of truth; it gives the light and delight of bliss to everybody. Where is that light? Is there light outside? Shall I bring it from outside? No, that light is within you!

Intiloni jyothi velugu chundaga

Poriginti gattu karuganela

Thanu daivamayyu, daivammu maruchuta

Thananu thanu marachinatla kadhe

Thanu daivamayyu, daivammu maruchuta

Thananu thanu marachinatla kadhe

When there is a light within you,

Why do you go for light elsewhere?

When there is a fireplace at your residence, you don’t need to go elsewhere. When there is enough warm heat in your residence, you don’t go to any other place for a heater. When there is a lamp at your home, you don’t go for a candle outside, do you? No.

Thanu daivamayyu, daivammu maruchuta

Thananu thanu marachinatla kadhe

You are God yourself.

If you forget God,

It amounts to forgetting one’s own Self.

So forgetting God and being in search of God amounts to forgetting one’s own Self. Deepavali signifies the light of consciousness, the light of awareness, which is within us. That is the message of Deepavali. That is Deepavali.

Deepavali - death of king naraka

Here is another interpretation of Deepavali that Baba has given. There was a place full of people who had forgotten their identity. They lost their Self. They forgot their nature. They did not know who they were.

It was something like Sodom and Gomorrah, the twin cities full of fools described in the Holy Bible. Of course, there were only two cities then; nothing like what we have today. The two cities were full of ignorant people who did not know their nature.

Baba brought the same message to India. There was a place full of people who had forgotten their true identity. The king was naturally a double-fool. (Laughter) If the people are fools, the king is a double-fool, because he does not know that he does not know. Oh, the one who knows not that he knows not is a fool. Shun him!

The name of the king happened to be Naraka. He was killed by God Himself, Lord Krishna, who was not all alone, but supported by the principle of Truth, Sathyabhama, one of His consorts. Baba says the kingdom was called Prakjyothishapura. Prak means ‘earlier’, jyothi means ‘light’, sha means ‘who have forgotten’, and pura means ‘the people who dwell there’. So Prakjyothishapura means ‘the place of those who have forgotten their earlier nature, their true identity’— in fact, their Divinity.

So the kingdom was gone, and the king was killed by God Himself, supported by Truth – Krishna and Sathyabhama. That is Naraka Chaturdhasi. How beautifully Swami explains this!

find time for contemplation

This morning I want to share that story. Swami has said so many things in the past, yet we don’t seem to be bothered anymore because we have our own personal agendas. We say, “Yes Swami, but I have joint pains today,” and then there are leg pains tomorrow, and a headache the day-after-tomorrow. So we are so busy with our own physical problems and family problems that we don’t seem to be bothered about what He says about eternal problems.

We don’t seem to read what Swami has said on so many occasions. Therefore, I am afraid — I may be wrong, and you can correct me if I am wrong — that He prefers to be silent now. He prefers not to give many discourses now. I may be wrong. But maybe it is because when we heard Him speak, we became tunnels and allowed the words to pass through us. We don’t hold anything for ourselves! We are very noble people because we are not selfish. We allow things to flow in and flow out, as if in a tunnel or a canal or a channel.

But Bhagavan has covered all topics under the sun. He addressed labourers; He addressed scientists; He addressed parliamentarians. He gave a number of talks suiting every auspicious occasion and every festival. He has said so many things in the past. But we have no time to think of them. Some day we may have no time even to read Sanathana Sarathi. But we have time to read newspapers! So when we have no time, all right. Then Swami says, “Take your own time to know Me!”

Long back, we had one person in charge of accommodations in Prashanti Nilayam. He is no more now (passed away). He was an old man named Mr. Chand, I believe. He used to first say, ”No!” to any question. “Sir, I want accommodation.” ”No!” (Laughter) “Sir, I want — ” ”No!” First he would say “No” – and a shouting “No!’’ to be more powerful.

One day, he neatly passed away. One of our students made a joke. He told me, “Sir, our friend Chand is no more.”

”I am so sorry. He was here for a long time. I knew him well,” I said.

That boy immediately said, ”Sir, he went to heaven and asked for accommodation. They said, ‘No!’ (Laughter) So he may be back at any time! Be ready.” (Laughter)

So we have no time; that is the tragedy! We have time for everything, but we have no time for our own Self. We have no time to contemplate. We have no time to meditate. We have no time to ruminate. We have no time to reflect. We have no time to share; that is the tragedy of life. We have time for everything, but no time for our own Self. So my friends, let us take some time to think of our own Self. Let us make some time to meditate; let us take some time to go within.

swami wants us to SPREAD his message

I have another point to share with you this morning. A gentleman was praising Swami to the skies. He went on saying, “Swami, You are that and this.”

Do you know what Swami said? ”Stop that nonsense.” Why? He said, ”I want you to do Thathwaprachara – publicity of My message. I want you to publicise My message. I want you to share My message with everybody; not vyakthiprachara — publicity for the individual.” We must do Thathwaprachara — spread the message, not vyakthiprachara — publicise the individual.

lord krishna’s three vows

My friends, Bhagavan has taken three vows. In the earlier Avatar, Krishna also took three vows. Krishna said:

1. Dharma Samsathapanarthaya sambhavaami yuge yuge

I am born again from age to age to restore Dharma.

2. Anayas Chintayentho mam

Ye jana paryupasathe

Just as it is My duty to those people

Who think of Me continuously, fervently, and incessantly,

Thesham nithyaabhi yukthanam

Yogakshemam vahamyaham

Yogakshemam vaham yeham

It is My duty to take care of them,

To take care of their welfare and progress.

Shirdi Bhagavan said, ”If you think of Me, I will think of you.” Our Baba says, ”If you look to Me, I will look to you.”

The third vow or determination is:

3. Mokhsa ishyami masucha

To grant you liberation.

To review, the three vows that Krishna undertook were:

1. to restore Dharma

2. To save those who take refuge in Him

3. To grant liberation

lord sai‘s three vows

Baba has also taken three vows. What are those three vows? First, the most important:

1. When once you accept Me, I won’t leave you; I won’t drop you.

This is a very good vow because He knows that we fellows slip off; we fellows prefer to drop out; but Swami does not drop us!

2. I have come to give, not to receive. I only give, give and give; I don’t receive.

The hands which are tireless in giving, the hands which stretch forth while giving, the hand that is always an upper hand, is a Divine hand. Bhagavan Baba’s hand is the hand that gives through all, continuously. That is His second vow.

And the third vow is this:

3. Once I undertake a job, a task, or a project, I will never go back.

He wanted the university. He started it. He wanted a hospital, and He built it. He wanted an indoor stadium, and that is coming up now. What He wants, He will achieve. That is all. “I will never go back.” That is what Bhagavan said.

BHAGAVAN’S DIVINE role

If you watch Swami in close quarters, you have an opportunity to see the details of His gown and His lovely feet. I had one such occasion to watch Him in very close quarters, while He was sitting on His chair, totally relaxed, with both feet on the foot-rest (something like a mother who is very tired after the day’s work, relaxing, sitting in an easy chair). There He was – the rosy robe and the rosy feet, plus a broad smile.

I was just watching and staring at Him. He said, ”Yemi choosthunnavu?” It means, “What is it you are watching?”

“Swami, You look like a mother. You are very tired, so you are relaxing in the chair.”

Swami said, ”Oh! Do I look so?”

I replied, ”Yes, You look like that almost, yes.”

Immediately He started adjusting His hair, feeling shy like a typical woman. (Laughter) If you stare at a woman, she will immediately start doing that. Oh! Swami started adjusting His hair! One should learn how to be graceful; one should learn how to walk as He does. The style one should learn from Him – the way in which He sits! The way He adjusts His hair, how He eats with His fingertips, not collecting a large portion or lump. (Laughter) How nicely He does not allow any part of His body to be shown – He will check immediately. If you just look at Him, He will immediately check His wrists or His ankles (Laughter). He doesn’t want anything to show. Wow! That is a Divine Mother. But on the Convocation Day, as He sits on the throne, as the Chancellor of the University, or when He sits on the chair in the places like Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, the meeting attended by two lakh people, wow! He sits like the King of kings! He is the King of kings, yes, with all dignity! That is what He is.

Yet when He comes very close to children, He enquires how many idlis (rice cakes) they ate that morning. He will tell them, ”Arre! Your shirt is not properly stitched. Your knickers — one is long and another is short,” playing with the children like that. Oh, wow! God, who are You? He says, ”I am a child among children; I am a man among men, and I am a woman among women. Left alone, I am God.”

”Left alone, I am God.” That is something Divine. He is woman among women, so as to be close to them. He is man among men to command them, and He is the child among children to play with them. But left to Himself, when alone, He is beyond everything.

feel swami’s divine presence all the time

He says, “When once you are aware that I am with you, you don’t need to fear.” (Anil Kumar sings two lines of the English bhajan, ”Why Fear When I Am Here.”)

“Why do you need to fear when I am here?” We fear because we doubt whether He is here or not. We don’t think that He is here; therefore, we fear. But we should know that He is here and there. He is everywhere.

Therefore my friends, the Sai Path is to know Thyself. The Sai Path is to know your reality, to realise that you and He are one. Therefore, on this day, when we think of both the occasions of the Advent of the Avatar and Deepavali, the bottom line is to know one’s own Self, to know one’s own true identity, to develop awareness, to understand and identify with consciousness. That is the message of these two occasions.

May Bhagavan bless you! Thank you very much for being here this morning.

Anil Kumar finished his satsang by chanting, “Sai Narayana Narayana.”

OM…OM…OM…

Asato Maa Sad Gamaya

Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya

Mrtyormaa Amrtam Gamaya

Om Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu

Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti