CULTIVATE LOVE TO ACHIEVE FULLNESS

Dear readers, on July 18 of this year falls the sacred festival of Guru Poornima. It is the day on which the Guru, or the preceptor, is adored and worshipped. Marking the first festival in the academic calendar of Sri Sathya Sai University, this festival is much awaited for by both Swami’s students and His devotees. For one, this day, Bhagavan Baba, the Supreme Teacher, has always blessed His students and devotees with an enlightening discourse. Below are extracts from His message delivered on this occasion way back in the year 1983.

Even when the Divine appears in human form, moves freely amongst men and women, and is near in various ways to people, only a few are able to recognize Divinity in its physical form. Remember it is not easy to recognize the nature of the Divine through the corporeal form alone. You need a true guru (spiritual preceptor) to reveal the real nature of Divinity. And such a guru has been equated with the Trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

The devotee who regards God Himself as his guru will not have any difficulties. Today, many who are looked upon as gurus utter the manthras (sacred formula) in the ear, but they also stretch their palms for money. In everything they do, they expect money. Such gurus are "baadha" (harmful) gurus and not "bodha" (enlightening) gurus.

The true guru is like an ophthalmic surgeon. The surgeon removes the film in the patient's eye and restores his natural vision. In the same way the guru should also remove the veil of ignorance and attachment that blurs the vision of his disciples and restore their natural spiritual vision.

What is the reward one should give to such a guru? On Guru Poornima day, it is the practice for disciples to offer Padha Puja (offering worship to Guru's holy feet) and give Dakshina (thanksgiving offering) to the Guru. But for this you should understand the significance of the Full Moon. It is a day on which the Moon shines in all his fullness, without any blemish. It is a day of purity when the Moon sheds its cool rays on the earth.

The Moon is the deity that controls the mind. And only the day on which the mind is rid of the darkness of ignorance and achieves fullness of illumination, is the real Guru Poornima day for man. Looking merely at the full moon in the sky and calling it Guru Poornima is only worshipping the external, while internally there is a sunna (void). It is only when you have cleansed your heart by getting rid of ignorance, sorrow, worry, greed, and envy, that you can celebrate your Guru Poornima and realise the fullness of your reality.

Carry with You the Divine Experience and Enlarge It

To achieve this poornathvam (fullness) you have to cultivate Prema (love). You have to go through all the three stages of shravana, manana and nidhi dhyaasana (hearing, meditating and practicing) to achieve the goal of human existence. You must all realise that the relationship between you and Me is not related only to the physical body. Do not waste your time thinking only of the physical relationship.

The body is a passing thing. You should concentrate on the attainment of that which is permanent and beyond the limitations of time and space. You have seen for yourself and experienced the Divine here. You must carry this experience with you and enlarge it by contemplating on it internally.

As long as we are involved with external appearances, we will have to carry the burden of doubts and weakness of faith, for we will not be able to get rid of involvement in unnecessary things. Faith is like a live volcano and doubts are like seeds. No seed will sprout on such a volcano. If the doubts multiply, it means that your faith is weak and unstable. It is like an extinct volcano. If your faith is strong, no doubts will ever crop up. Where there are doubts, there can be no faith.

But remember we alone are responsible for our doubts. The Divine acts only as a witness. While the Divine shows you the path to self-realization, your doubts arise or disappear because of your past karma (action). To realise Divinity you must first get rid of all your doubts. From time to time, God subjects you to various tests. These are not intended to be punishments as you may imagine. These are intended to strengthen your faith.

Look Upon God Alone as Your True Guru

Arjuna himself was subjected to such a test by Krishna on the eve of the Kurukshethra battle. Arjuna was worried about how to wage the war against his kinsmen and what strategy he should adopt. Krishna took him to a forest in the evening. It was twilight.

The light of knowledge was setting and the darkness of ignorance was emerging. Krishna wanted to find out whether Arjuna was fit for receiving the Geethopadhesa (spiritual initiation to Geetha) the next day. He pointed out to Arjuna a bird on a tree and asked him whether it was a peacock.

Arjuna said, "Yes, my Lord". "No, no. It is a dove," observed Krishna. Arjuna immediately said, "Yes, it is a dove." Krishna then said, "You senseless fellow. It is not a dove but a crow!" "Yes, Lord! It is a crow," said Arjuna. Krishna then told Arjuna, "You have no power of discrimination at all. You cannot decide whether it is a peacock, dove or crow and you are only saying 'yes' to whatever I say. Should you not have this much of understanding?" Arjuna replied, " Krishna, if one does not know Your real nature, one may attempt to agree or disagree with You.

"But I have understood the truth about You. If I declare that it is not a peacock, a dove or a crow, You have the power to turn it into a peacock, a dove or a crow. I have therefore no need to enquire into what it is. Your word alone matters for me. That is sufficient authority for me." When Arjuna displayed such implicit faith, Krishna felt that Arjuna was fit to receive the message of the Geetha. And Hence Krishna told him "Nimittha maathram Bhava!" ("Be thou My instrument").

Have Faith in God’s Words

Therefore, the first requisite is deepening of one's faith in the words of the Lord. It is not possible to know the Lord by bookish knowledge or by human intelligence. When the Lord comes in human form, His measureless powers are not to be judged by looking at His age, size or innocent behaviour.

Such judgment will only lead to greater misunderstanding of the Divine. When child Krishna was brought before His mother Yashodha and was accused of eating mud, Krishna protested to His mother that He was not an infant, or a naughty boy or a madcap to eat mud. Krishna then revealed to His mother His divinity. The Avathaar is not to be judged by reference to age or actions.

On this holy day of Guru Poornima, take a resolve to purify your minds and to install in your hearts the Supreme Lord. Look upon God alone as your true Guru.

- Divine Discourse on Guru Poornima at Prasanthi Nilayam, 24 July, 1983