Issue 220 - March 14, 2021 |
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Sairam dear brothers and sisters,
As Kahlil Gibran said, ‘Work is love made visible’. Thus, when loving people became one’s occupation, the outcomes are beyond ordinary. This is what we are all witnessing every week when we see the wonderful service activities being carried out by our brothers and sisters across various countries.
We have all embarked on a noble path of serving God who is blissfully and joyfully residing in everyone. Therefore, as a first step in service our constant inspiration should be from the very life of Swami, 'How is God serving? Am i serving like that? How is God loving? Am i loving like that?'
And, why did God give us this human body in the first place? From the scriptures we understand that it has been given, wherever we are born, for only one purpose - to serve, adore, worship and contemplate on God, which will finally lead us to realise that we are God ourselves.
Sairam
Bhuvana Santhanam
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ātmano mokshārtam
(Emancipation of one’s self)
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True Happiness is Everlasting |
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Excerpt from Divine Discourse Delivered by Sri Sathya Sai Baba on November 23, 2015
The physical, inert body is made up of five elements – earth, water, fire, wind and space. Similarly, even the spiritual content of the human personality also has five elements. Only when a man practices the five human values of truth, righteousness, peace, love and non-violence, can he can be called a man. In the same way as the physical body is created out of five elements, even the spiritual personality of man is created by the conglomeration of all these five human values.
For the five human values, there is only one basis. Love is that basis. Love in speech is Truth. Love in action is Dharma or Righteousness. Love in thought is Peace. Love in understanding is Non-violence.
The whole world is reflection, reaction, resound. When you give love, you will get love. If you hate anybody, you will get back hate. If you stand in front of a mirror and smile, the reflection also smiles at you. That is why I say the whole world is nothing but reflection. When you love people selflessly, you will definitely get selfless love from everyone. When you love everyone from within your heart, in that heart Swami will establish and install Himself permanently. And He will always be happy and will never experience any sorrow.
Whatever you have learnt here, you have to practice and propagate. You are carrying seeds in your hands. Only when you sow that seed in land, it can give you fruits. If you keep seeds in your hand and aspire for fruit, you will never get it.
When you contemplate on Me and enter into any activity all activities will succeed. Why do you face obstacles and difficulties? Just because we forget God at that moment. You do love Swami there is no doubt. But because Swami is in everyone, you have to love everyone. When you love Me and ridicule and criticise others, that is no love at all. When you love everyone then only you are loving Swami.
If you want a witness or a testimony for Swami being here, your being here is the testimony. If Swami is not with you for a moment, you cannot live in this world. Swami in the form of consciousness and energy is always in you; without Him you cannot live. As long as you live you know that Swami is there. Sai is the basis of your life. You have to make the basis firm by developing firm faith in Sai.
Sathya yuga has started no doubt but a person who sleeps even after sunrise there is no reward because he did not make the required effort during the day. In spite of the sunrise because he is sleeping, he thinks it is night. Whether Sathya yuga comes or not; that does not matter. You have to question yourselves whether your behaviour is in accordance with Sathya yuga. In this age of love, Prema yuga, we should develop that kind of love.
My love and grace are there on every one of you. Put it to good use. There may be heavy downpour but if the vessel is kept upside down, you cannot fill the vessel. With My grace when your effort joins, you can find success. My Grace is always there; you should not be lacking in your effort. When effort and grace get together, you get success. As long as you think you want to experience your divinity, you have to put in your effort, not give up in the middle; you have to march ahead till you reach the goal.
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My Story
Learning to Accept
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By
Sai Preetham Vooturi
Intern, Muddenahalli Campus
As Sri Sathya Sai Baba says, “You are not one person, but three: The one you think you are; The one others think you are; The one you really are.” We think about ourselves with our limited understanding as the body, and profess all importance to its comforts. Similar was my story and understanding as when others would advise or point out certain aspects I would simply dismiss it. An over confidence would wrap me up and a feeling of ‘I know it all’, ‘I can handle myself better, so why listen to them’, would engulf me. The mindset that possibly they were being suggestive for my own betterment, never occurred.
But finally, through the teachings of the upanishads from our dear Sadguru, my perspective widened and I went through a period of self introspection. Were there really three aspects to an individual’s personality? This set me thinking, and today I am immensely grateful to my Guru and God, to have learnt and understood how to gauge my own self for my own betterment which would ultimately lead me towards the real goal. Please allow me to narrate one such experience, which am sure will be helpful to many youth out there.
After Sadguru lovingly handed me the duty of an intern, there were many fronts in my day-to-day working which would disturb my peace of mind, and I couldn’t get through them with ease. For after all, it was my first experience in a ‘real job’ and I was not in the plush comfort of being pampered as a student anymore. Responsibilities were galore and I had to come to terms with it. The ‘Master the Mind’ talks by Sadguru were an eye opener to me, and I diligently decided to make some serious efforts. I slowly began to realise that being happy or annoyed was a state of mind, and it was totally up to me to maintain my inner peace.
Once, during my morning walk with Sri Narasimha Murthy he asked me a question which threw me off guard. He asked, “Have you ever thought of self-realisation and how you may attain it, Preetham?" I replied "Anna, everything is in the hands of Swami and He knows what to give when. So I need not worry about it.” Very lovingly he tried to explain that it was not the case, and the first and possibly the only requisite is that a burning desire to become one with the Self should arise from within me. He advised me to engage in sadhana or some spiritual pursuit to activate this sense of enquiry within, and assured that once I do this, the Almighty will do His part.
I was unable to accept this, though he had patiently explained to me in entirety of why making a continuous effort is imperative. I still tried to convince myself by saying, ‘No no...Swami has time and again advised us that just doing His work is enough, and He will take care of the rest.’ Today, in retrospect, I realise that my thinking was that way as I wanted to remain in my comfort zone and stay happy without exercising any effort, and possibly without understanding Swami’s words in depth. This happens to many of us where we take Swami’s words and misconstrue it for our own benefit! And of course, the thought that my thinking and understanding was perfect added to the picture.
Few days later, Sri Narasimha Murthy mentioned this incident in his speech in Sadguru’s divine presence. During His discourse, Sadguru emphatically revealed, "I will not give the Ultimate experience to anyone just like that. One should desire for it, yearn and pine for it till he gets it, and should never give up midway. Only then I grant them the experience." These words really made me think deep and introspect. His upanishadic teachings gave more clarity on how important it is to realise one’s true self, but self effort is mandatory.
I have slowly started to kindle this sense of enquiry within. I have also understood that to get there, there are other aspects on the way which have to be tackled. Earlier I would attribute my state of mind to my surroundings, but now the realisation is dawning upon the fact that everything is truly within each person. I have come to terms with the fact that I must ponder upon any advice that is dished out to me without any inhibitions, and have understood the aspect of my over confidence that had always loomed over my head! I have begun to accept that everything is not about me, and it is perfectly fine to ‘just be’ and accept everything that comes my way. I can say with confidence and conviction that my internal sate of peace has improved tremendously, and I do not get perturbed as much due to external factors. I am constantly improving myself so that I will remain in a state of equanimity despite any situation, and this new learning cannot be taken away from me, for ever!
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The whole world is governed by the two aspects known as dharma and adharma OR merit and sin. They are meant to keep the whole creation on the right track without getting deviated from the ultimate goal for which it has been created. God has created the creation in a certain way and following the laws that govern it helps us transcend the dualities of this world.
A lion who kills a mother deer who has fawns is not being adharmic by killing deer. It is following the natural instincts because of which it is able to feed its cubs. Its nature is beyond dharma and adharma. Similarly, for human its true nature is beyond this law. Only when we forget our true nature and recognize ourselves as mind and body, do the law of nature and dualities come into the picture. But when we keep ourselves aware that we are brahman and live accordingly, not just being a teacher, parent, businessman, etc these dualities just vanish away.
To make it clearer, Sadguru gave an example of gold. Different types of ornaments are made out of gold whether it be a bangle, necklace, bracelet, etc When an ornament is melted and made into another, the essence, the gold remains the same. This is brahmavidyā - To know that everything and everyone is made of that brahman.
In episode 14 featured this week, Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai explains verse 14 from the second vallī (canto) of Chapter One of kaṭhopaniṣad, explains the way to transcend dharma and adharma.
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INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE FOR THE WEEK |
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“The wound is the place where the light enters you.”
- Jalaluddin Rumi
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jagat hitāya
(Welfare of the World)
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February was filled with power packed seva activities in the Middle East. Sadhguru Madhusudan Sai says, “Love treats everyone equally and does not differentiate one person from another”. What more inspiration is required for making everyone participate in the seva activities!
Sai Love Kits were distributed to various people in need such as 107 Kits were distributed to Car cleaning staff., 22 kits to the needy in desert region, 35 grocery kits to in-transit immigration workers and 22 kits to Fishermen.
Apart from kits, freshly cooked meals were also given which counted almost to 420 meals.
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‘One Meal A Day’ is an initiative which aims at feeding the hungry, which is considered to be the noblest of all the services.
It is said, “If you lift the hand to serve another man, you are lifting it for God; For God is in every man.”
Fruits, biscuits, tea and coffee, laban, cooked meals, grocery items were shared to the needy people. A total of 420 meals were served by 15 volunteers this month.
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