Mrs. Kamaraju’s Talk at Dallas, Texas
April 18, 2009
With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,
Sai Ram to all of you! Thanks to the management of Sathya Sai Center of Dallas. Dear sisters and brothers, Sai Ram to all of you. My best wishes to youth and children. Thank you, Sir Mukesh Bhai, for the remarkable introduction you gave about me. I don’t think I am worthy of all that. Thank you very much. Thank you, Swami, for giving me this wonderful opportunity. For the last two days, I have been on a spiritual fast. I took it like that as I had a fever. Spiritually, I had to fast.
Srikaraalu Subhakaraalu Sarvamangala Manjeeraalu
Sirigandha Chandanaalu Sathya Sricharana Sarojaalu
Kasturi Sowrabhaalu Kamaniya Roopalu
Kumkuma Vilepanaalu Sathya Sricharana Sarojaalu
Maniratna Kachithaalu Manimanickya Shobithaalu
Maha Mahimaanmitaalu Sathya Sricharana Sarojaalu
Sookthi Moukthikaalu Suddha Chaitainyaalu
Advaithasopaanaalu Sathya Sricharana Sarojaalu
Yekshakinnera Gaanaalu Yadhuvamsapoojithaalu
Aishwarya Dhaayakaalu Satya Sricharana Sarojaalu
Nivrurthi prerithaalu Nikhila Lokapoojithaalu
Nithya sanaathanaalu Satya Sricharana Sarojaalu
Divya Charanaalu Navya Charanaalu
Bhavya Charanaalu Satya Sricharana Sarojaalu
This poem is about Swami’s Feet. The meaning of the poem is a follows:
The Feet of Swami are holy and auspicious. They spread the fragrance of fortune everywhere. The Feet of Swami are smeared with kumkum and worshipped by the whole universe. They spread the fragrance of kasturi. They are studded with gems. These effulgent Feet are very beautiful. They are worshipped by the whole Yadava race and they guide us to Nivrutthi marga. The Feet are very auspicious and confer health, wealth and bliss to all who worship them.
I always go to the Ganesha temple before going to Swami’s Mandir. One day while I was there offering my usual prayers, a message came to me through Ganesha. “Do some meditation” was the message. Sometimes Swami sends messages through Ganesha, a person, a book or through an object. That day I got the message about meditation through Ganesha.
The first thing Swami told me was that I should meditate, but I never bothered to do so. About two months after Swami told me to meditate, a boy from Malaysia came home and brought a letter. It was written in that letter that we must meditate for at least for ten minutes a day. That was the second reminder for me. I never paid any attention to the second reminder either.
The third reminder came when I went to Hyderabad where my uncle and aunty stay. Immediately upon entering their house, my aunty pushed me into a room and asked me to meditate. I never expected that this would happen. I thought she would offer us coffee on our arrival. (Laughter) That had always been the case in the past. This time no coffee was offered. She forced me to enter the room and then she locked it from outside; I had to stay there for half an hour and meditate. She gave me some instructions. She told me to sit straight, close my eyes and put my hands together. I sat there for half an hour.
During the meditation my mother-in-law appeared to me. She said to me, “You are not giving me any food. Give me food. I am very hungry. Give me some food.”
After that my mother appeared. She asked me to give clothes. “You have given away all my clothes to somebody. I want some new clothes.”
I was shocked. I am doing meditation and both my mother-in-law and mother appear in the meditation. I thought to myself, “Is this family meditation?” (Laughter)
Before my mother-in-law died, she had survived on two spoons of juice and water a day. At that time, I thought that she must have been very hungry. After my mother died, I did not want any of her belongings so I distributed all clothes that were in her wardrobe. I didn’t want to see them anymore. My mother scolded me for giving all the clothes away. After that meditation experience, I did Narayana seva to satisfy my mother-in-law and gave clothes to the needy to satisfy my mother.
Nature is a treasure house of wisdom. Our body is the laboratory. The five elements are the instruments. Mind or ego is the researcher or enquirer.
Saints in the old days spent a lot of time in nature observing its secrets. There are three aspects to nature: individual, external and universal. Individual nature deals with the innate nature of the individual and how the body’s constitution and system operate. External nature deals with the five elements. The universal nature deals with creation, preservation and destruction. The basic energy underlying all of creation is Adi Parashakthi.
After spending a lot of time involved in their research, the saints knew themselves. They aimed to establish some connection with the cosmic power or cosmic Self, which is the center point of the universe. In order to establish connection with the cosmic Self, we need to meditate. Meditation is divided into four stages.
During the first stage of meditation, you have to observe your thought process. As thoughts come into your mind, you should be the silent observer. After you have been observing your thoughts for some time, they automatically stop.
Once upon a time a king came to listen to a discourse given by the Buddha. The king sat. He was relaxed and was moving his toe throughout the discourse. The Buddha observed this and asked this king, “Why are you moving your toe?”
The king had been unaware that he had been moving his toe. When the Buddha asked the above question, the toe movement suddenly stopped. Similarly, when we observe our thought process, it will either be reduced, or stop altogether.
During this first stage of meditation, the individual is aware of his body—gross body, causal body and subtle body, and the body system management. This individual awareness in return is influenced by the external awareness—the five elements influence individual awareness. This external awareness in turn is influenced by the universal awareness.
During this first stage, only the external eye will be opened and you will be able to see only external things. After much sadhana, the inner eye also will be opened. First, you should develop mind control so that you become equal-minded.
Only when one has gained equal-mindedness can he can enter the second stage of meditation. The second stage of meditation is a test for the sadhaka. During the second stage, he runs the risk of developing some ego as his inner eye opens and he becomes a guru.
In the first stage, he is a good disciple, while in the second stage he transforms into a guru. He knows that he is a guru and develops some powers. If he misuses these powers he will surely fall down. So this is a critical stage for him. His energy levels will rise quickly leading to many opportunities to speak. He thinks that such opportunities are coming his way due to his talent; but opportunities to speak come because of God’s grace.
He has to make use of these opportunities in the best possible way. He needs to read a lot during this stage. He will have many doubts and only a good guru can clear all these doubts. When the inner eye opens, he observes and can understand the people around him. The second stage is the guru stage.
During the third stage of meditation, guru becomes God. This stage is called gurustaayi dhyanam. First, one is a good disciple. Then one is a guru. During the third stage, known as gurustaayi dhyanam, guru becomes God Himself. This stage is related to the main cosmic power - the Adi Parashakthi.
Saint Vasishta left his gross body on the earth and visited all the mandalas (worlds): Bhoomandala and Brahmanda mandala. He had the subtle vision that arises when the Sookshma darshini will be changed into Atma darshini. With the help of that Atma Darshini, he visited all the mandalas and was able to see all those things.
People in this stage of meditation, the saints, are noble souls. The people who serve them and who are in their company will also become noble. To serve the noble souls is a good opportunity. Such souls go beyond time. They can go anywhere in the past, present or future. They can go to people who died long ago. They can talk to them. They can invoke their assistance. Such noble souls have special powers.
Wherever these noble souls go becomes a pilgrimage centre for others. Wherever they place their feet, the ground becomes sanctified like inside a temple. All bow down to these noble people. Even animals bow their heads and give way to them. The noble souls who have reached the third stage of meditation spread a sweet fragrance wherever they go. The world needs them. They are immortal. They follow the dharma. Whatever they say becomes the Veda. They spread the fragrance of love everywhere and they can control nature also. They have control over the five elements.
Swami has control over the five elements. Swami’s sister had made all arrangements for laying down the roof for their new house. Heavy rain clouds loomed in the sky and she became worried. But Swami sent word that the work could go ahead. He assured his sister that it would not rain. She was able to have the roofing on her house completed. That is how great souls utilise their control over nature.
At another time Swami, accompanied by Kasturiji, went to Kerala. A public meeting was arranged. Swami asked Kasturiji to announce that within a short time Swami would come and speak. Whilst making the announcement Kasturiji was very concerned because the whole sky was cloudy. It looked as if rain was imminent. Soon thereafter Swami came out and started giving a discourse. There was heavy rain everywhere except over the pandal where the devotees were gathered. That was an instance when Swami showed us that He has control over all the five elements.
The fourth stage is Thuriya dhyanam. After becoming one with God, all the saints and the Avatars—such as Rama, Krishna, Jesus, and the Trimurthis—do Devi dhyanam. Devi dhyanam is also known as Adi Parashakthi dhyanam or Sri Chakra dhyanam. People might know about Sri Chakra dhyanam. If people worship the Sri Chakra, they need to keep a yantra in their house.
Adi Parashakthi, due to her immense love towards her numerous children, created a beautiful universe. This universe encompasses the three gunas: sathwa, rajas and thamas. She created a beautiful universe to be worshipped by her children in a molecular form. She is worshipped in a molecular form. That is called Tripura Sundari. If we worship or if we adore this Sri Chakra we will attain all the benefits of the three types of dhyanas which were discussed earlier.
At one time I was reading a book in which it was written that Swami can speak in any language He likes. But I had my own doubts. I thought, “If Swami can speak in all languages, why are translators needed?” (Laughter)
Within no time Swami cleared my doubt. My second daughter arrived and Swami called us for interview. At that time my husband was not there. I went inside with my son-in-law, daughter and grand-daughter. Swami had also called some Russian people. Swami looked at me before talking to those Russian people. He spoke to them in a very different way. (Laughter) I understood that Swami wanted me to know that He knows all the languages. He smiled at me and I could understand the point He was making.
At another time I was in the interview room along with some film actors. I think my husband was there also. Swami asked an actress if Swami had been coming in her dream. She was laughing and she looked at Swami, who was looking at me.
We had great doubts about dreams. Previous to this interview, my eldest daughter had asked a professor from Tirupati whether Swami really come in dreams. His answer had been that Swami cannot come in your dreams unless Swami Himself wills it so. Still we carried doubts and Swami had to clarify that. I felt very guilty because I was having doubts about Swami coming in dreams.
In the interview, Swami created vibhuti for me and my daughter. The vibhuti He gave to me was ash color, while the vibhuti given to my second daughter was white. I wondered why Swami gave me this grey-colored vibhuti. I thought that perhaps He had given it to me as a medicine because I was not well at the time.
MESSAGES FROM SWAMI
At another time, a Ramayana seminar, arranged by people from Karnataka, was taking place. In the evenings there were lectures about the Ramayana, and in the mornings a Sahasranama (one thousand and eight Names) was chanted. One morning it was the Vishnu Sahasranama, while the next day it would be Lalita Sahasranama, and then Shiva Sahasranama.
We all wanted to wear the saris given by Swami each morning. On the fourth day, I was searching for a red sari. I had forgotten about the sari Swami had given me. I have four red saris, but could not find the one I was searching for. Suddenly Swami reminded me. The inner voice said, “Go and search over there and you will find another sari in that place.” This is how He directed me to the fourth sari, so I was able to wear the same shade on all four days. That is how Swami reminds us sometimes.
Another time I was sitting in the darshan hall. I was very angry and restless because the maid had not come that morning. I was scolding whoever crossed my path. But I did not scold my husband. Somehow he managed to escape. (Laughter) He has that knack. So I came to darshan in that angry mood.
In those days, Swami walked along the lines. He said, “Buddhi ledhu.” (“You don’t have any sense.”) I did not understand why Swami said that to me. I thought to myself that I couldn’t have committed a mistake; early in the morning one doesn’t have time to commit mistakes as one is busy with the work that must be done.
I came home and did some self-examination. Whenever Swami says anything to me, I look within to see what mistake I have committed. This has become a habit of mine. What did I do this day? If I perform this practice of self-examination, by the end of the day the slate should be clean. Only when the balance sheet is clean will we be at peace and able to go to sleep peacefully.
During my self-examination that day, I remembered that there had been a message on the TV that morning: “If you are angry, scold yourself; don’t scold anybody else.” But I did not understand that message at the time. I had ignored the message and come to darshan. That was the message that came to me. Sometimes Swami will give us messages through some persons or through some book or through some object.
When I came to USA for the first time, I had the opportunity to speak in Dallas city only. I spoke in Jayashree’s house because Mukesh Bhai insisted that I should speak about Swami. Since that time, you have given me so many opportunities. I started my career as a speaker here. (Laughter)
So thank you very much for giving me this wonderful opportunity and I think you are all waiting for his nectarine talk. Thank you. I won’t stand in the way any longer. Thank you very much. Thank you, Swami. (Applause)
© Copyright Prof. Anil Kumar Kamaraju, Puttaparthi. All rights reserved.