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Posted on: Aug 02, 2015
SATHYA SAI SPEAKS - 90TH BIRTHDAY SPECIAL
Sanctify Human Life Through the Pursuit of Sathya and Dharma
2nd World Conference of Sri Sathya Sai Organisations, 20 Nov 1975
When the Lord comes in our midst there are two important aspects to His descent that stand out among others. One is His powerful and enchanting presence, which has the potency to transform and raise all who comes to Him. Everyone who comes to Him benefits, some considerably and few immensely, depending on one’s receptiveness. The other aspect is the message that He brings, and this has some unique benefits of its own. Adherence to the message has the power to manifest the Lord in one’s life. A tryst with Divinity could be a blessing for good acts of the past, but it is in loyalty to the message that one completely benefits and finds redemption, and also a means to express one's devotion to the Lord. So it is indeed of paramount importance for each of us to dwell on His message.
As part of the 90th Birthday offerings, we will begin every month from the present one with excerpts of a discourse from the Golden Jubilee Birthday Celebrations of Bhagawan. During the grand 50th Birthday celebrations, Baba gave discourses specific to the Seva wing and the Bal Vikas wing, apart from discourses revealing His own message and mission. Let us listen and re-listen, read and re-read even as we imbibe the essence contained.
An important difference between a Guru or a spiritual master and an Avatar, lies in the wide reach and applicability of the message of the latter, and the variety of individuals who get to draw solace from it. This is not to belittle the role played by great masters, or to say that their message lack something. Most often than not, the spiritual message of a Guru is esoteric and the individual to be drawn to it must’ve spent considerable time in enquiring in those very lines. But an Avatar comes for all. Bhagawan’s presence elevated and continues to elevate every person that comes into contact with Him. A worldly man would be inspired to draw out the goodness from within, a good person would be prodded to a spiritual path, an aspirant would find fresh inspiration and vigour to march on, and the wise ones were filled with a ceaseless sense of fulfilment. Bhagawan’s message has welcomed into its embrace people from different faiths and belief systems, cultures and spiritual inclinations.
And it is a wonder in itself how Bhagawan’s message began spreading across continents in spite of His resolve not to make trips abroad. (The only overseas trip Bhagawan made was to East Africa in the 1960s). And as Bhagawan’s name and message spread, there began to rise with it, the need to indoctrinate the basic tenets of the message. This was more to form the basic framework of what Swami expects of those who wish to associate with His name. This process began with the setting up of the Sri Sathya Sai Organisations in the 1960s. Bhagawan set an example for us all by spending enormous time and energy by personally guiding and explaining His instructions, expectations and vision for this Organisation. He did this by either talking to the office bearers in interviews or through the World Conferences that were held in HIs august presence. We bring you excerpts from the discourse Swami gave as part of the 2nd World Conference, during Bhagawan’s 50th Birthday Celebrations.
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Do not think that people who have preached Sathya and Dharma (Truth and Righteousness) are dead and gone. Do not forget that those who teach tenets of Atma Dharma are great people. It is the seeds sown by them that will grow into huge trees. There is permanence in Truth and victory in righteousness. Embodiments of love! In countries the world over, from time immemorial, millions of throats have praised the sacred culture of Bharath, the Sanskrit language which forms its basis and the various literary works in this language. To be able to foster, experience and practice these sacred scriptures has to be recognised as the great good fortune of Bharatiyas. To sow the seeds of Love among fellow human beings, to spread patience and forbearance and to offer to the society the fruits of peace have been the goal, religion and endeavour of this sacred culture. If the relationship between the human beings has to be understood and Divinity propagated, it is necessary for us to understand the Divine aspect of human life.
The message that Bhagawan says every Avatar and Master comes to give is this - Divinity is within, and all that we do must be to enable us to manifest it. One of the key objectives of the SSSO as listed in the official website is: “To help the individual be aware of the Divinity that is inherent in him and to conduct himself accordingly.” And that is the very message Bhagawan gives even as he opens this discourse. He goes on to tell us about two important tools one may use in this process.
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Devotion is another name for that which brings forth the divinity from within man. Only when cruelty and narrow mindedness is removed from man’s mind he can progress. When a person, without comparing himself with others, tries to acknowledge and correct the flaws within, that attempt is termed Sadhana.
There you see a clock working and making the sound ‘tick tick’. Between one tick and another tick there is a limited amount of time. That time is the time of leisure. It is not as though the clock is working all the time, uninterruptedly. It is not getting agitated continuously. It is not spending its life with unlimited ambitions and meaningless sufferings. Our heart which is a reflection of that clock, is also making a sound similar to the sound ‘tick tick’ as the blood flows through the arteries. But we have the ability to recognise the value of the life that we are spending between the two beats. In this context it is man’s duty to recognise the time that lapses between one beat and another, push it behind and move forward and progress.
Be it a spiritual person or worldly person, a professional or a homemaker, one string that unites all is the aspiration for happiness. We may seek it in different places, crave for it in different forms, but we all are in search of it. And we may or may not realise it, but we all seek that happiness that would come to stay, and not that which would merely pay a visit. But what is it that we miss out that this endeavour always seems like an expedition to reach the elusive mirage?
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Man always aspires for happiness and pleasure. In order to achieve this desire he struggles in many ways. He makes endless and fruitless efforts and he chases unachievable ambitions, thereby wasting his time and efforts in such activities. Finally, he is not been able to achieve anything worthwhile. Even after doing all this, is he able to achieve happiness and bliss? The answer is no! Till the end of his life, he is struggling to find happiness and pleasure. When is he going to derive happiness and bliss? That happiness is not to be found in this world. It is only when one sacrifices, it will be possible to enjoy and experience bliss. Thyagaraja asked, “Tell me truthfully oh mind! Does wealth confer more happiness or does the proximity to God bestow more happiness?” Be it material fortunes or worldly objects and possessions, they melt away like ice in no time. They are like the flower, which is a bud in the morning, blooms in the evening and then fades away.
Swami clearly states that the pursuit of Truth alone can lead to true happiness. Seeking happiness through other means and in the objective world is not just a distraction but clearly a vain process, and human life is too precious to be filled with such efforts alone. In the clip to follow Swami describes how vain a life can be without the attainments of the values of Truth (Sathya), Righteousness (Dharma), Peace (Shanti) and Love (Prema).
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Our great country Bharath is the holy land where, from time immemorial, pure and sacred stories have been shared with the world, thereby spreading bliss and joy. We can observe these days, the use of the words Sathya, Dharma, Shanti and Prema in speeches.
Poem:
Without Sathya, Dharma, Prema and Shanti whatever education you may acquire, the value of it is zero. Without Sathya, Dharma, Prema and Shanti whatever positions of authority you may occupy, what you gain is zero. Without Sathya, Dharma, Prema and Shanti whatever charity one does, what is achieved is zero. Without Sathya, Dharma, Prema and Shanti the returns for the numerous good deeds performed amounts to zero. For the mansion of Sanatana Dharma, these four (Sathya, Dharma, Prema and Shanti) constitute the pillars of foundation. What other truth can I convey to you good people, who have assembled here?
We are stating that the essence of all religions is Truth. We believe that Truth is the very embodiment of Divinity. But we are not following Truth. Today in this world, that which is considered unnecessary is Truth alone. Even to make an inquiry about one’s own essence and self, Truth doesn’t seem to find any place. The human nature today is afraid to enquire into the essence of one’s self. The primary objective of all Sathya Sai organisations must be to make a resolve to enquire into Truth and delve in Truth. An individual who has not recognises Truth cannot find meaning and fulfillment. Whatever Sadhana we may practice and whatever discipline we may follow, only when we reach the state of knowing that exists beyond the enquiry of Truth, we can have the true vision of Truth. It is necessary that we accept a spiritual path and follow it, in order to see the truth that is latent and hidden behind everything that is seen by us.
In another discourse Swami gave to the members of the organisation, He spoke of how there are plenty of Organisations that do ‘good’ work and give the opportunity to people to involve in social causes. Swami emphatically stated on that occasion and on others that the purpose of the Sathya Sai Organisation is always to help individuals raise their levels of understanding to the recognition of the Divinity within. Swami explains in the following clip, how it is very important to keep this noble ideal ever in focus, and also why there is a need for such an organisation even in a land like Bharath, which is known for its spiritual foundation.
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In our country, though there has been the propagation of spiritual, moral and ethical values from the beginning of time, yet the bad qualities in the human nature have not been completely eradicated, and it is taking demonic shapes and staging its dance of destruction today. Given this state of Bharath, you have to recognise the necessity for the presence and proliferation of an organisation such as ours. In our country which has been a land of sacrifice, action and worship (Tyaga, karma and yoga), if atheism is beginning to spread, we can say that the thiests are the ones responsible for it. We are human beings only in appearance, but humanness is nil.
What is humanness or nature of a human being? Harmony of thoughts in the mind, words one speaks and deeds one performs is said to be the human nature, but unfortunately that is absent today. Animal nature has remained as a residue in every human being. It is most essential today to make the efforts to recognise this animal nature, push it out and firmly stand as humans. It is also necessary for us to recognise the relationship that should exist between man and man, and promote forbearance and tolerance between individual human beings.
Bhagawan in this concluding clip expounds how his aspiration from the members of His organisation is no different from His message of spiritual oneness. We can clearly state that Bhagawan wishes us to consider the organisation as a clear means to this higher understanding and one’s focus, even when being involved in the activities of the organisation, should always be on reaching the understanding that Divinity resides in every being and within oneles.
Therefore the human, the individual self (Jiva) and the higher self (Atma) collectively merge in Divinity - once we understand this, we will give no place for differences and will be able to live sacred lives in the spirit of brotherhood of man and fatherhood of God. Our sacred Vedas too have been propounding and emphasising on this oneness of all that we see in the creation. The Upanishads also proclaim, “Isha vasyam idam sarvam - God resides in all”. It also proclaimed, “Easwara sarva bhutanam - God is all pervading”. Another verse says, “Ekoham bahusyam - I was one, I became many”. It also declares. “Ekam eva advitiyam Brahma - Divinity is one alone and nondual.” When we have such scriptures as our foundation, why should we flounder and fall into ignorance, give place for differences and be miserable? It is quite inexplicable.
Giving up such meaningless pursuits, taking to sacred ways and developing the attitude of oneness and brotherhood, you should endeavour to help each other reach the higher levels through mutual encouragement. Wishing and blessing thus, I bring My discourse to a close.
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Prema Muditha Manase Kaho…
- Radio Sai Team
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