ONLY LOVE FOR GOD IS TRUE LOVE


We see a large number of living beings in this world. But none of them has the greatness, wisdom and discrimination of man. That is why it is said, Jantunam nara janma durlabham (of all living beings, human birth is the rarest).

Everything in this world is constituted by five elements. These five elements are present not only in man but also in animals, birds, insects and trees. But what is the use if he does not make proper use of these five elements? Today man is engaged in the pursuit of knowledge. How vast is this knowledge? It is as vast as an ocean. Similarly, man makes efforts to develop common sense. His common sense touches the height of the Himalayan mountains. In spite of all his knowledge and common sense, man’s power of discrimination is zero. What is good and what is bad? What should be done and what should not be done? This power of thinking is zero in man today. That is why humanness has suffered a great decline. The value of humanness depends only on discriminatory power. Man may possess anything and everything, but what is the use if he has no discrimination? People keep on comparing themselves with others in many ways. But nobody is making efforts to know if his discrimination power is more or less. Today man is engaged in amassing wealth. But he does not use his knowledge of discrimination to know whether he needs that much money or not. Wherever we see today, we find people hankering after money.

The mind of man is very powerful. But man’s mind today is deluded. (Bhagawan showing His hand-kerchief) What is this? This is cloth. How does it take the form of cloth? It becomes cloth by weaving thread. But where does this thread come from? It comes from cotton. So, first cotton, second thread and third cloth. In the same way, you are not one person but three: the one you think you are, the one others think you are, the one you really are (loud applause). The thread and cloth come only from cotton. Similarly, man is constituted by five elements. Krishna declared in the Bhagavad Gita: Mamaivamsho jivaloke jivabhuta sanathana (the eternal Atma in all beings is a part of My Being). It means that we all are parts of the Divine. All of you are in search of God. But there is no need to search for God, because you yourself are God. When you have light in your own house, where is the need to go to the houses of others in search of light?

You develop the feelings of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ due to the delusion caused by body attachment. Body is, in fact, the cause of all attachments. But, how long does this body last? It is desired only so long as there is life in it. When the life principle goes out of it, the body is mercilessly put on fire. Then, to whom does this body belong? Therefore, you are not the body. You say, “This is my body, this is my hand, this is my leg, this is my mind, this is my buddhi (intellect).” Everything is my, my, my. Then, who is that ‘my’? When you say ‘my leg’, you are separate from your leg. Then who are you? You are you only. In this way, man today is deluded by his attachment to his body and senses. But you are not the body, you are not the senses, you are not the intellect, you are you. You should realise, “I am I.” That universal ‘I’ principle is only one. Ekam sath viprah bahudha vadanti (truth is one, but the wise refer to it by many names). But the individual ‘I’ represents ego. When you cut this ‘I’, it becomes the cross which is worshipped by the Christians. It means, when you give up your ego, you become your true self.
You are not an ordinary person; you are God yourself. There is no need to search for God. Wherever you see, God is there. This cloth is God, this flower is God, this table is God, everything is God. It is only due to your ignorance that you give scope to differences like ‘I’ and ‘you’. You are not a separate entity. I am I. I am not Sathya Sai Baba. Sathya Sai Baba is the name given to this body. I don’t have any particular name. Your body is the gift of your parents. This body is endowed with Pancha Bhutas (five elements), Panchendriyas (five senses) and Pancha Pranas (five life principles). These Pancha Pranas are prana, apana, vyana, udana and samana. They are the same in everyone. Therefore, you are not different from others. Those who are unaware of this spiritual principle become victims of ignorance and are subjected to delusion.

Everything in this world is reaction, reflection and resound. Where does the resound come from? Here I am speaking. Where do My words come from? They come from My heart. You think that you hear with your ears. But it is not so. All your senses are, in fact, like decorations to your body; they cannot function on their own without the life principle within you. There is no need to search for God. Have faith that God is within you. When you have faith in God, you develop love. From love emerges peace; peace gives rise to truth. This truth is God. Truth does not exist separately. There is no need to search for truth. Truth has no form. Truth is truth. Who has created peace? Peace is peace. It also has no form. Love is love. It is not anybody’s creation. Love is God, Live in Love.
What are the human values? They are Sathya, Dharma, Santhi, Prema and Ahimsa (truth, righteousness, peace, love and non-violence). They have no form. These formless principles are imprinted on your heart. All that we read and write corresponds to physical and worldly education. It cannot be called education in the true sense of the term. What is true is educare. Educare means to bring out our latent values. They are immanent in our heart, but we cannot see them. They have to be manifested through self-enquiry. True Sadhana lies in recognising and manifesting peace, truth and sacrifice that are present in our heart. You undertake various spiritual practices like meditation and Japa (recitation of God’s name). What do you understand by Japa? You think Japa means counting the beads of a rosary. But it is not so. All these spiritual practices are merely our imagination. They are all artificial, not real. Science teaches many things. It gives only that knowledge which we acquire through our senses. There can be no science without senses. We are leading artificial and mechanical life by acquiring this knowledge. It is not true life.

First and foremost, you must have faith. You can recognise your true form only when you have faith. From faith comes peace. Truth emerges from peace. This truth is God. God does not have any separate form. God manifests from the truth within you. You undertake many spiritual practices. In spite of all practices, you are unable to experience truth. Do not waste your time in unnecessary pursuits. Time waste is life waste.First of all, you should understand that truth is your goal. You will have no obstacles when truth is on your side. Your senses and mind are very strong when you are young. Your intellect is also very sharp. Being endowed with such great power, why should you feel weak and helpless?

Love is not your individual property. It is universal and belongs to all. Love is in everyone. Love is there in you, Me and everyone. We attribute various names to this love and try to experience it. You should not think otherwise. Today even school children develop a tendency for artificial love. But this is not correct. This artificial love makes man weak. This weakness can cause many diseases. Do not develop such love which gives rise to diseases.

The principle of love is the principle of divinity, nothing else. Accept that love which comes from God. Do not accept that love which comes from others. Your love for God is true love. Whomsoever you love other than that, it cannot be called true love. Man develops attachment to many people, but he is unable to experience true love. True love originates only from God. God is the embodiment of love. Love is God. Live in Love.You should experience only divine love, not worldly love. I will explain to you this principle of love in detail later. We have already exceeded the time limit. Therefore, I don’t want to cause inconvenience to you.

It is very easy to attain God. If you ask which is the easiest thing to attain in this world, it is only God. You can attain God in no time without undergoing any strain. It is very easy to experience love. Love is very powerful. There is nothing in this world which can surpass it. When you look at it, love appears to be very small. But it is as deep as an ocean and as high as a mountain. It is inexhaustible and infinite. You should realise this principle of love. Nobody can describe the principle of love because of the limitations of the circumstances and experiences.

– From Bhagawan’s Divine Discourse on the occasion of inauguration of Sri Sathya Sai World Youth Conference 2007, on 26th July 2007 in Prasanthi Nilayam.


 

Divine Discourse
28-07-2007

ALWAYS BE HAPPY AND PEACEFUL

The creation emerges from Truth and merges into Truth,
Is there a place in the cosmos where Truth does not exist?
Visualise this pure and unsullied truth.
(Telugu poem)

Every living being in this world, right from an ant to an insect, bird, beast, an animal has emerged from Truth only! Those who realise this truth are real yogis. Devoid of Truth, nothing will move in this universe. And that supreme Truth is embodied only in one person. He is Sathyam (Here Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba materialised a Lingam and showed it to all). Who else can manifest such pure consciousness? Truth is omnipresent. When you think of it and contemplate on it, it can manifest in you also. Hence, you constantly contemplate on Truth. Why was this body named Sathya Sai? Truth alone manifests from this Sai. Whoever contemplates on Truth, Sathyam is present in the heart of that person. Hence, one should never forget Truth. Dharma (righteousness) is the reaction, reflection and resound of Sathyam (Truth). In fact, Sathyannasti paro Dharma (There is no Dharma greater than adherence to truth). Today, we are teaching several branches of knowledge in secular education. But, this is not true education. True education relates to the Truth that emerges out of one’s heart. It has no name and form. What could be the form of Truth? What is the form of Dharma? What is the form of Santhi (peace)? Sathya, Dharma, Santhi, Prema and Ahimsa (Truth, righteousness, peace, love and non-violence) are all formless. One has to manifest these human values from out of one’s heart. The kind of divine energy that is not present in a human being is not to be found in any other living being either. Hence, a human being is verily God. He is God in human form.

You all consider a human being as a mere human being. That is the reason why you are committing so many mistakes. You are not merely a human being. You are God, verily. You think that you are God and you will become God. Yad bhavam tad bhavathi (as are the feelings, so is the result). When you think of bad, you will get only bad thoughts. All people in this world love someone or the other. However, there are differences in such love. The students love their fellow students. The ladies love other ladies. God is present in this lady as well as the other lady. Both are embodiments of Divinity. The one God is present in all bodies. We must love every human being. Love all Serve all,since God is present in all human beings. There is no place in this universe where God is not present. God is present in the sky, in the water, in the sound and in the light. Thus, everything in this universe is the embodiment of Divinity.

We forsake such omnipresent Divinity and worship God in the form of some idol in a temple. No doubt, you can worship those idols. Nothing wrong in that. But, you must realise the truth that the same God in that idol is present in every human being, nay, in every living being. I don’t say it is wrong to worship those idols. But, you yourself are God. Consider yourself as God first and then begin to see the same God in every living being. Your body is a temple. There is divine energy in that temple. However, a little discrimination is to be exercised in this context. You have to enquire whether this energy is God. In fact, the body is also God. God is immanent in every atom and every cell of the human body. There is no place in this universe where God is not present. Hence, you do not entertain any doubt about the existence of God. Do not forget God. In fact, if you forget yourself, it amounts to forgetting God. Hence, do not forget yourself. It is for this reason that one is advised, “Always be careful.”You must constantly enquire into yourself, “Am I forgetting God?” You must always be aware of your true nature and remind yourself, “I am I.” If you are firmly established in that truth, there will be no scope at all to entertain any evil thoughts about others. Not realising one’s own true nature, fools and ignoramuses think otherwise. God is present in all human beings. All the heads of all human beings in this world are God’s own heads, verily. That is the reason why God is described as Virataswarupa (embodiment of cosmic Divinity). His is the cosmic form. Each one in that cosmic form is having a different form. However, God is immanent in every form. Krishna declared in the Bhagavad Gita, Mamaivamsho jivaloke jivabhuta sanathana (the eternal Atma in all beings is a part of My Being). I alone am present in each one of you. You are not different from Me. Do not entertain any doubts or differences of opinion in this regard. Strengthen your love, that is the proper Sadhana. If only the fruit of love in your heart is ripened, the juice of that fruit can be shared with one and all. Hence, let that fruit of love ripen in your heart first. If only you fill your heart with pure love, that love can be shared with all. All people then will become embodiments of love. Then, there will be no scope at all for hatred and violence in the world.

Today, wherever you see you will find hatred and differences of opinion among people. In fact, they are not differences in the real sense. They may appear to be differences in the secular life. But, all are one from the spiritual angle. Strictly speaking, all are zeroes and only God is the hero. He alone is one. All others are zeroes standing next to Him. That is the reason why they acquire value. Remove that one, all will be reduced to mere zeroes! Hence, God is the only important entity in our life.

The mind alone is responsible for all the sorrows and difficulties as well as happiness of the human beings. Several people consider mind as very bad and call it ‘monkey mind’. In My opinion, it is not monkey mind; it is mankind. It is always kind. It is the mind that gives you joy and happiness. It is again the mind that causes you worry and sorrow. If only you can keep the mind in proper state, nothing can be bad. You consider the mind also as divine. Then you will always be happy.

Nityanandam, Parama Sukhadam, KevalamJnanamurtim, Dwand-wateetam, Gagana Sadrisham, Tattwamasyadi Lakshyam, Ekam, Nityam, Vimalam, Achalam, Sarvadhee Sakshibhutam, Bhava-teetam, Trigunarahitam (The Atma is the embodiment of eternal bliss, wisdom absolute, beyond the pair of opposites, expansive and pervasive like the sky, the goal indicated by the Mahavakya Tattwamasi, one without a second, eternal, pure, unchanging, witness of all functions of the intellect, beyond all mental conditions and the three attributes of Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas).

You call it Atma or mind or consciousness – all are one. We ascribe different names to the same principle, according to our convenience and reference. For example, this body has been given the name Sathya. This name is given to the body and not to Me. I am not the body. I am not the mind. I am not the intellect. I am not the Chittha. I am not imagination. Bhagawan is Bhagawan. You must develop such firm faith. It is possible that the minds of some people are susceptible to some disturbances due to changes in food habits and recreation. It is also possible that they may be influenced by some friends in this regard. Frequently, I will be repeating the saying, “Tell me your company, I shall tell you what you are.” Hence, I advise you to join the company of noble souls.
Satsangatwe nissangatwam,
Nissangatwe nirmohatwam,
Nirmohatwe nischalatattwam,
Nischalatattwe jivanmukti.
(Sanskrit sloka)
(Good company leads to detachment; detachment makes one free from delusion; freedom from delusion leads to steadiness of mind; steadiness of mind confers liberation.)

It is possible that everyone can attain Mukti (liberation). But, when? The moment you establish yourself in the truth “I am Atma”, you will attain liberation. Always think, “Swami is in me.” I am in Swami.” However, there will be no use if you simply repeat, “I am Swami”, I am Swami”, with a fickle mind. Develop firm faith, “I am Swami,”; I am God; I am God.” It is only when you develop that firm conviction, you will attain Divinity which is Nirgunam, Niranjanam, Sanathana Niketanam, Nitya, Shuddha, Buddha, Mukta, Nirmala Swarupinam (God is attributeless, unsullied, final abode, eternal, pure, enlightened, free and embodiment of sacredness). On the other hand, if your mind is polluted with bad thoughts, everything will turn out to be bad for you. Nowadays, even water is polluted. The human body will be afflicted with several diseases on account of this water pollution. It is therefore necessary that the physical body is also protected to a certain extent. What do you think of the purpose for which this body is gifted to you by God? It is only to make you realise your own Self. But, you forget this purpose and concentrate your mind on the physical body. After all, what is there in the physical body? The body is like a water bubble. The mind is like a mad monkey. Don’t follow the body. Don’t follow the mind. Follow the conscience. If only you learn this simple principle, your life will be sanctified. You need not pay heed to whatever people may say. Purity of consciousness is the fruition of knowledge. It is only when your consciousness is pure that you will attain wisdom. Purity of the mind is of utmost importance. Keep your mind pure, free from all kinds of pollution. Whenever evil thoughts enter your mind, remind yourself, “This is not good; this is not mine; not mine,” and drive away those evil thoughts. Tell yourself, “These are all not my property; my property is good thoughts and good ideas only.” Constantly remember the truth that love is God. Live in love. If you can cultivate such positive and noble thoughts, everything will turn out to be good for you. There are several people here who are deluded by ephemeral things. No doubt, you are pure at heart. You have only pure thoughts. But, certain amount of pollution sets in now and then. You must ensure that it does not happen. That is Sadhana for you. What is Sadhana? Is it sitting in meditation and doing Japa (recitation of God’s name)? No. This is not Sadhana. What do you think is the meaning of meditation? You think it is sitting in a lonely place and contemplating on the Lord’s name. Not at all! Contemplate upon the pure thoughts in your mind. Contemplate on the Truth in you. If you really wish to know the secret of Sadhana, it can be explained through very simple methods. For example, make your mind steady and still for as short a period as eleven seconds. You can attain realisation even in such a short period. Realisation cannot be achieved by becoming restless like a clock. Just eleven seconds of stillness of mind would be enough. But you don’t do even that. You can achieve a lot during this period. Hence, do not trouble yourself unnecessarily. You are, at present, putting your body to a lot of trouble. You are wasting a lot of money too. Time waste is life waste.Money waste is an evil. Hence, do not waste money and time. Time is God and God is time. Hence, whenever you find time, think of Swami. I will certainly appear before you. Not only that, I will even talk to you. I am receiving several letters saying that Swami has appeared before them and talked to them. You can also do such Sadhana. Develop such unflinching faith in Swami. You will surely succeed in your Sadhana. Several people have come here as devotees. They have, no doubt, deep devotion towards Swami. But, what is devotion? What is the hallmark of a devotee? This has to be analysed first. First and foremost, you have to develop faith.
Where there is faith, there is love;
Where there is love, there is truth;
Where there is truth; there God is.
Truth is God. You need not have to make any special efforts to know Truth. In fact, eleven seconds are enough to realise truth. You just contemplate in your mind for a period of eleven seconds on Truth and you will be able to have God’s darshan. You are unnecessarily taxing your body by sitting for hours together in meditation. At the end, you are suffering from pain in legs and hands and back ache. Do not give scope for such painful joints. You ultimately land in a doctor’s clinic who will diagnose your trouble as rheumatic pains. They are not rheumatic pains at all. They are the result of misguided Sadhana. Stick to the time schedule of eleven seconds and you will have no pain. In addition, you also have timely food. With regard to food, you have to know certain subtle things and observe some restrictions. You should not consume non-vegetarian food like meat and fish. In fact, foreigners are used to non-vegetarian food only. This type of food causes diseases like cancer. Hence, give up such food, totally. Not only that. They also like cheese very much. The more you consume cheese, the weaker you become. You should not also take milk in excess quantity. Too much milk is very bad. It should be in limit. The milk should be diluted with water in equal proportion. Same is the case with curd. It should not be thick. It should be semi-solid. Thus, you have to control the food you eat daily. Proper food at proper time is very much necessary for contemplating on God. If you thus take proper food and observe discipline in your habits, you are sure to have God’s Darshan at that very moment. You need not have to undertake rigorous Sadhana for months and years. You can always be blissful. Bliss is the form of God.

You desire to have bliss. But, from where do you get bliss? From a shop in the market? Or by having a sumptuous meal with a variety of dishes in a hotel? No, not at all! Bliss has to come from within. You are, in fact, the embodiment of bliss. You were blissful at the time of your birth. But, once you started developing attachment with the world, you began crying. Hence, you have to reduce your worldly attachments. You are at present having a lot of attachment with the world. Thereby, you are weakening your body. Ultimately you will end up in sorrow. Worry is a very bad quality. Hurry, worry and curry – these three together make the heart very weak. Hence, keep them at a distance. Whenever you are in difficulties, you just assure yourself that these are passing clouds and will move away and therefore you will not be worried. Whatever comes, has to go. They are momentary. Same is the case with the human body. Hence, you have to give importance to the body, only to the extent required. The body has to be maintained within proper limits. Otherwise, it will decay. You have to be very careful. Those who are engaged in Sadhana and wish to have the Darshan, Sparshan and Sambhashan (vision, touch and conversation) with God, must follow My advice in this regard. You are sure to have His Darshan and can even talk to Him. Devotion is not merely performing certain forms of worship or undertaking religious vows or doing Japa. Real devotion presupposes unshakeable love towards God, devoid of delusion. You have to cultivate such steadfast love towards God. Then you will certainly attain Divinity. Since people are at present attached to the world, demonic qualities are growing in them. Both Kama (desire) and Krodha (anger) are the worst enemies of a human being. You must always be happy, smiling and loving. When you are smiling, love will automatically develop in you. There are, of course, some people who will put up a ‘castor oil’ face. You must always be smiling and cheerful. God is always blissful. He does not at all worry for anything. Sorrow and worry are nowhere near God. You observe Me. I am always cheerful and smiling. I have no pain or suffering. I am revealing the truth. Sometime ago, I sustained an injury to My leg due to a mistake committed by the students. My hip bone suffered four cracks. The doctors examined Me and decided to put My leg in bandage. I refused. I came to the balcony by walk and gave Darshan to the devotees. Even now, one of My legs is shorter by two inches. Several doctors including Dr. Pillay and his son from Singapore came and wanted to examine Me. They are specialists in the branch of Orthopaedics. Also several experts from America and other places came. They prayed, “Swami! Please spare just five minutes to us to examine Your leg.” I told them, “I will give you five hours for a spiritual purpose, if you wish. But, I don’t give this body even for five minutes for a clinical examination.” Even now, the students hold My body as I walk. I shout at them saying, “I will not go, if you follow Me.” Thus, I give strict instructions to the students accompanying Me. I am able to manage Myself. I have no pain or suffering in the least. I can walk in the normal way. I do not fumble while walking and can keep My normal pace. I am maintaining the same body weight since many years. My body weight then was 110 pounds. There was neither an increase nor a decrease in the body weight even to the extent of half pound. I am always hale and healthy. No one need worry about My health. I will always be happy. When you look at Swami from an external angle, you will think that Swami is perhaps suffering from severe pain. Not at all! I have no pain, whatsoever. Even if there is some pain, your love for Swami will remove that pain. It is enough if I look at you; all My pain is gone! I will be happy and cheerful. My pain, if at all there is some, has to be removed by your love for Swami and not by the doctors. What could be the reason for people in such large numbers gathering here today? What does it connote? I am extremely happy that I am able to win the love of so many people. You also be happy, wherever you are. I am always happy. I am extremely happy to see you all here. This is your good fortune. This time, the people have all come here with intense love and devotion. That makes Me very happy and cheerful. I am very eager to come to the Sai Kulwant Hall by walk from tomorrow to give you Darshan. There is no medicine more efficacious than love. Your love is My medicine. That is the most powerful medicine. Equally, My love is a powerful medicine to all of you. Always be happy and peaceful. Live like members of the same family with love and affection. Do not be weighed down by petty difficulties and suffering. Do not give scope to any worry. Even if your wife or children suffer from any disease, do not get perturbed. Go back to your places with firm faith that everything will turn out to be good. Lead a happy and peaceful life. (Swami, at this point of time showed the Linga He had created earlier to the audience and enquired) Did you see this Linga? It is heavy. A much bigger Linga will emerge from Swami’s mouth. The Sivarathri festival is approaching.

– From Bhagawan’s valedictory Divine Discourse on the occasion of World Youth Conference 2007, Prasanthi Nilayam on 28th July 2007