How and when does the vibration enter the baby's body: Swami reveals the secret

How can one say that the body is matter? The doctors too can dwell on the question as to how this body can be considered as matter. Four Lux soaps, nine two-inch nails, two buckets of water, one bucket of lime, phosphorus present in nine hundred matchsticks, lead present in five pencils, Zinc present in eight battery cells- all together constitute the body. The total worth of the matter is not even two rupees. A body worth millions is made with the matter that is worth two rupees. The body can be made with these materials, where from does the vibration come to the body? That is the principle of Brahma. The body, which is made up of matter, gets its vibration in the mother’s womb when it is but four months and nine days old. The vibration, the life force starts the life then. Till then the foetus is like a foot ball. The shape is not oval but the shape of foot ball. The moment the vibration enters, the ball gets the movement. As it starts to move, it acquires oval shape. From where does the vibration come? Is the mother sending it inside? Nobody can send it in. The energy from the matter starts within. Body is the result of the matter and the energy. The body encases the essence of Brahman and Maya and so the combination of Brahma and Maya results in Tarakam. There are subtle secrets in Vedanta. People consider such principle as human. It is not simply human, but it is Brahman.

Pray for the well-being of all

Every person the world over must include the peace and prosperity of all beings in the world, in their prayers. One must not merely wish for the prosperity of oneself and of one’s own people. Man does not exist without the society or the world. When the world around is at peace, man is also at peace for, man’s peace is also included in that of the world. Therefore to fill one’s heart with love, to be motivated by the spirit of sacrifice and plunging thus into the activities of the society around, is true moksha, liberation.

World needs people with good character

There is no need to establish a new religion or a new organisation or a new form of education. It is sufficient to lead a life filled with good qualities. The world today requires men and women of good and noble qualities. The nation prospers when the number of people with noble and good qualities increases.

How should we greet Sairam to people in the organisation

Embodiments of Love!! There might have been differences of opinions in the past among the Sevadal, but from the present moment, one must set aside the feelings of animosity and greet each other warmly “Sairam” and lead good lives. But merely saying “Sairam” since Swami has said so is of no use. One must not lead artificial lives. Some lead such lives; when they see people liked by them they go out of their way to greet them with “Sairam” in a loving manner. When they see a person whom they don’t like, they greet with a very a curt “Sairam”. There must be no difference or distinction made in greeting others. One’s words must be soft and sweet for that is the quintessence of God head. Greet everyone lovingly.

Our actions are responsible for our destination

The salvation and the destination are in man’s control. Today’s deeds turn into mental impressions tomorrow. Today’s impression forms the habits of tomorrow. Today’s habits make the Sadhana of tomorrow. Today’s Sadhana becomes tomorrow’s destination. Hence destination is in one’s control. To achieve one’s destination or lose it depends on one’s deeds. As are the deeds so is the destination.

Develop qualities in life

We tell something but do something else. This is a bad trait, common, in many human beings! Now-a-days, Ego has made its entry into human minds, in some degree or the other making everyone forget oneself and getting lost in the mirages of the world. He is not in a position to visualize even as to what happens next? The moment you sow a seed, it will not grow into a tree. For all the lies we speak, wrong actions done, a time will come when one has to reap the consequences. It is, therefore, necessary, to develop good qualities and practice good behaviour. Everybody must take a vow to lead a sacred life.

When all the riches around, leaving the body with a pall of gloom serves no purpose

Embodiments of divine Atma, Even if there is not even an iota of transformation in us, it amounts to wasting our life, our time, our actions, and our responsibilities. You are all coming to Prasanthi Nilayam since a long time. Many of you have been coming here for over 40 or 45 years and listening to Swami’s teachings. But, day by day, your desires are multiplying! There are no traces of service and sacrifice, even on a tiny scale. Can’t you checkmate your greedy desires at least to some extent? Stay in the ashram and think about domestic issues. This is not true Sadhana (practice!) One day or the other, everyone must leave the body. Riches and other materialistic possessions have all to be left behind! It is, therefore, desirable that you leave all of them, before you leave the body! Whosoever does so, he is a brave person. When all the riches around, leaving the body with a pall of gloom serves no purpose.

Try to lead your life with good qualities

Sages have given us great ideas. We should reminisce and practice them. Performing sacred rituals is meant for human welfare. Our life itself is a ritual. Human life span is said to be 116 years. And the first 24 years is spent as childhood. It is akin to early morning time in a day. The next 40 years or so is comparable to the Noon time in a day. Persons will be under the influence of sensual and materialistic pleasures during this duration. Their eyes are closed to see the good things. The remaining period is similar to the evening time in a day. Old age sets in and one starts thinking about progeny and allied things by giving up the different vasanas of the noon time! As long as there is physical power, ego and arrogance rule the body and mind. Body starts shrinking like ice melts. Then physical strength has no relevance. Money power overpowers a human being as long as it lasts. But it is like lightening. It emits bright light that only lasts for a few seconds and immediately followed by darkness. None will be there to look at such people. One should never take shelter under such persons. Imbibe good qualities and nurture them on a sustainable note. Try to lead your life with good qualities.

All strengths are useless without Divine strength

Whatever be the strengths you have, whatever be the riches you possess, whatever be the scholarship you own, whatever be the scientific knowledge you earn, they are all of no avail if there is no back-up with the Divine strength! Shoulder strength and mental strength are of no use if there is no divine strength. What happened to Karna, eventually, whose physical strengths are well known! Because, he has no divine blessings, he suffered defeat! Fill your hearts with sacred thoughts.

How will power can make or mar a person

Contentment is another name to denote equanimity of mind. It is only due to the will-power that the entire creation is manifesting. As is the nature of will-power, so is the way of human life. Will-power is full of Life. It is very powerful. It makes a man travel from one state of mind to another state. It can metamorphose one person into another. Many of the renowned Sages were, originally, devoid of any knowledge. But it is their innate, sacred will-power that has transformed them into Sages of repute. A human being, by birth, in Ratnakara was transformed into Maharishi Valmiki through his sheer will-power. An ordinary human being in Ramakrishna has become Ramakrishna Paramahamsa through his strong will-power. There are two types of WILL-POWER. One is the ‘Polluted’ type and the other ‘Pure’ type. Doing sacred activities, helping the needy, inculcating spiritual faith, nurturing divine thoughts, and participating in community welfare activities are all examples that fall under the ‘Pure’ will-power type. It means, all thoughts that aim at world welfare and human well being are manifestations of ‘Pure’ will-power. Services rendered without anticipating any personal gains and selfish advantages, but thinking only of Country’s prosperity on a sustainable mode, are examples of ‘Pure’ will-power. Indulging in bad thoughts, sadistic feelings, jealousy, and heart burning at other’s progress and resorting to criticism and talking ill of others are some examples of ‘Polluted’ will-power.

Efficient usage of day to day resources

‘Devi navaratri’ means the worshipping nature by merging all the powers of nature and fostering it. One must not misuse or abuse the powers of nature. What are the powers of nature? Light is a form of nature’s power and man misuses it and thereby causing a great loss to the country. One must use the light to the extent that is necessary. Indiscriminate use of light is wastage of powers of nature. Water too must be used to the extent that is required. Unnecessary wastage of water causes wastage of elements of nature. A tumbler of water can be used to clean one’s hands after eating instead of wasting water by letting the taps run free. One wastes a bucket of water over a task that can be accomplished with a tumbler of water. This amounts of wastage of sacred waters of Ganga. Everyone needs air but one cannot survive excessive air. Man is making even this air unsacred and polluted. Good sounds must be carried by air. Such when it circulates everywhere becomes life giving breath to all. By releasing all the bad sounds into the air, the air is polluted and when man breathes such air man’s thoughts too are polluted.

Eat less, talk less, work more and derive great joy

We should all be united. Hatred might arise among brothers, but there must never be any room for hatred among students. So such students must enter the world, and eradicate all the restlessness and bring peace to the world. Develop the trait of speaking less. Excessive talking is not required. Ati bhasha mati haani Mitha bhasha mati haayi Ati tindi mati haani Mitha tindi ati haayi!! Excessive talking causes harm to mind. Moderate talk is pleasing to mind, Excess food intake causes discomfort, Moderate food intake causes comfort and happiness!! If you eat too much you cannot do anything. Stop eating when you get the feeling that you can still eat. You can neither work nor achieve success if you eat excessively. So speak less, eat less, work more and be happy more. But whatever work you do, do not forget the name of the Lord.

Inner peace gives you outer harmony: Practical Solutions

First and foremost, one must know whom one should take refuge in, to get what one desires. People want rivers to flow with water and they pray the rivers which is ignorance. Without rainfall how can there be rivers? Therefore, people must pray for rain. Pray Lord Varuna the god of rains. Then automatically the rivers would flow. Without earning the grace of Lord Varuna, how can one aspire to have rivers? Similarly, only when one experiences the inner satisfaction properly one has the outer satisfaction automatically. In order to experience peace and happiness in external life one must attain internal peace. In this world many things, which one cannot bear to see or speak of, happen. But people say everything bad is happening around. When one feels that something is bad, then one must take care that that aspect is not present in oneself. The actions that one considers as good and expects others to do it, should be done by one first. Man has the capacity to determine the good and the bad, isn’t it? Without that faculty of discrimination how can he tell what is good or bad? People have the discrimination power. Man is discriminating everything but himself. Man must examine himself. That is the essence of spirituality. Whichever great and noble men that one goes to, one advised to know one self, to know thy self. Man is forgetting that and asks everyone, “Who are you, Sir? Where are you coming from?”

Concentration and interest are more on TV than on themselves: Practical examples

One sees and experiences in a varied way in this world. If one enquires properly the history of Bharath, one will conclude that the TVs and radios are the prime cause for the pollution of human mind. The TVs and radios as such are not at fault. The fault and pollution lies in the people who see the shows. The government too does not understand it in the proper way. It is all the gimmick of science and technology. What is this technology? It is the “tricknology” that spoils the mind. Hence, one must never give scope to such things which spoil the mind. The mind of the youth is highly polluted. So youth should never ever watch TV while eating food and must not indulge in any conversation while eating. They can reply to the questions asked by the parents at the dining table. One must respect one’s parents. The TV or the radios do not teach that the parents must be respected. “O mad cap! Who are you? The youth is hidden in the childhood and the old age in the youth; you are the grandfather, the father and also the son. Why should I give respect to elders? I am also a grown up and I should be receiving respect and not giving it.” This thought process is the mark of utter ignorance. One may be grown up but one is after all a son of one’s father. Therefore one must respect one’s father, respect the mother and respect all who may visit one’s home. It is not proper human quality to ignore the visitors at home and immerse oneself in watching TV or radio. A visitor for one’s father comes along when one is watching TV or listening to radio. Immediately one must switch off the TV and pay respects the visitor, ask him the purpose of the visit and convey the same to one’s father. But today one does not find such courteousness and humility. People are so immersed in watching TV that they do not bother if robbers too enter the house with visitors. Can’t the concentration put in watching TV be focussed on humanness? People are forgetting the human qualities though being humanbeings . Man should lead the life of man and strive to become a better human being. It is enough if humans live like human beings; one need not become divine. When man lives like a man, he would indeed become divine. First and foremost one must recognise that that which would give what one seeks.

Never watch TV while having food

Youngsters!! If there are any programmes pertaining to students’ education in the TVs, then they can see and learn from it. Apart from those, the other programmes shown on TV ruin students’ life. Even if students see them, Swami asks them to avoid watching them while eating. People eat food in a hurry to watch TV without missing anything and eating and concentrating on TV cannot be done simultaneously. Concentration must be such that it must be fully focused on the task at hand.

Our vision is the cause for our worries

People have certain imaginations, ponder over them and get agitated. All fault lies in one’s vision, one’s listening and one’s talk. Because of faults in these three faculties man has bad thoughts, bad feelings and bad qualities.

Imitation leads to blindness; Follow your conscience

Man must not imitate in order to experience freedom. In the modern age, due to the influence of the education prevalent, there is a deadly disease rampant namely the ‘imitation’. A person wears trousers in the shape of a drainage pipe; seeing him another gets a similar one thinking it to be the fashion in vogue. Another person wears a shirt with one sleeve in red colour and the other in black; that is deemed as fashion in this age of Kali. It is just imitation. One is essentially a man and man must not blindly imitate another but follow the conscience. Man has become weak because of imitation. Human mind is completely polluted due to cinema, TV, and radio. All the sacred qualities latent in man are polluted by following the wrong path. Hence the divine power within him has become weak and feeble. A small example to illustrate this: A mosquito sits on one’s nose. First one just brushes it aside. The mosquito comes again and again to test one’s patience. Second time around one waves it aside strongly. By the third time one is ready to wage a war against the mosquito. One has become so feeble that one is unable to bear even a small mosquito on one’s body. Man has lost the strength and patience to fight against the puny mosquito.

Food and television are the causes for the agitation of mind

What is the cause for the thoughts that arise either in the mind or outside? One might conquer Indra, the King of celestial beings, but without conquering one’s senses it is useless. Who is ‘Indra’? Indra is the suzerain of senses. Who is the master of senses? The mind is the master of senses. Therefore, mind is Indra. What is the use of raging a battle against Indra outside when he is present within? Hence first and foremost one must have control over one’s mind. The one with control over the mind alone can reach the Lord. This is the main cause for the relentless presence and growth of bad thoughts, ill feelings and bad behaviour among the youth today. Youth, men and women, should realise this clearly. Who is responsible for the bad thoughts, ill feelings, wicked behaviour and bad actions in one self? One must enquire well and go deep into the matter. ‘Food’ is the main cause for everything. It is the cause for the incessant thoughts in the mind. Mind attracts the outer world as stated by Mr. Subbarao. A good example illustrating this would be the happiness experienced by the men and the women in their daily activities. In every house there is television today. The rich have colour TV and the richer have star TVs and they install it not only in the drawing rooms and dining rooms but also in the bedrooms. Man’s mind got polluted the day the TVs came into existence in this world. People must think about this. Prior to the infiltration of televisions in human life, man was not given to such a weakness of mind. There were never such bad and impure thoughts in man. Before the existence of TVs the bad actions and wicked deeds were very minimal, one in a million. Today one finds TVs in small huts too!! What kind of changes are these TVs bringing about? People have TVs in dining halls even when having their food and eat while watching the TV. One is essentially not eating the food but ingesting the impurities that are displayed on TV. One’s attention is fully focused on the content displayed in TV and because of such vision the food too changes. The kind of actions, scenes and the thoughts that one sees on TV, the same get embedded in one self. Therefore unknowingly one gets agitated and disturbed. One does not realise that and ponders how such thoughts arise when one hasn’t entertained them. The bad actions and evil thoughts seen on the TV get sown as seeds in the mind and under suitable conditions these seeds grow into trees generating bad thoughts and evil actions in one self. Therefore while eating food one should not speak about horrible things. One should not think about agitating matters. While dining one should not engage in arguments with one another. One must eat in silence. The vibrations from the words spoken enter the heart. The thoughts are based on the type of vibrations entering the heart. Therefore one must exercise caution regarding the type of vibrations that enter the heart. The star-TVs ruin man totally. The gem of human life is sold like coal. People think TVs provide peace. No, no, it provides only temporary peace which people see and enjoy. One is unaware of the sufferings that it would subject one to upon entering the heart. This can be likened to honey dipped knife; when one licks the honey on the knife, the knife cuts the tongue. There is chaos, agitation and restlessness not only in Bharat but also worldwide because of wickedness in the youth inspired by the TVs. The world is subjected to agitation and agony with no trace of enthusiasm. Man only pretends to be encouraged and enthusiastic. People smile and ask if the other is alright but the smile is artificial. They suffer inside. Today one cannot find a man without troubles and tribulations. The whole life is filled with sorrow. Man today faces many forms of sorrow for, everything appears to be a cause of sorrow. Puttuta oka chinta, Bhoominunduta chinta Samsaaramoka chinta, Chaavu chinta, Balyamanthayu chinta, vaardhakyamoka chinta, Jeevinchuta oka chinta, chedupu chinta Karmalanniyu chinta, Kasthamul oka chinta, Santhasamoka chinta, Vintha chinta, Birth is a worry, Life on earth is worry, Family is a cause for worry as is death Childhood is worrisome as is old age, Living is worrisome, so is fear of failure, All actions are cause of worry as are difficulties, Happiness is worrisome so is mystery!! How can one find happiness sitting under the Tamarind tree, Chinta chettu, full of sorrow and worry?! The tree is sour to taste, is one of all worries and woes; how can one expect to be happy living in such a place?

The power of Sun in our eyes

Eyes are the manifestation of the power of the Sun. The light is not in the eyes. One needs to understand this concept clearly. There are two aspects to this. The boy had just recited: “anthar bahischa tat sarvam vyaptha narayana stithaha”. There is light inside and outside and this constitutes the vision. The sun shines brightly. In spite of the bright sunlight, if one closes one’s eyes, one cannot see anything. Standing in the bright sun, one must be able to see the sun with closed eyes, but it is not so. What is the reason? The sun in oneself and the sun outside must unite; otherwise it cannot be called as one. One cannot see anything sitting in a dark room even with eyes open. The reason for not being able to see things in a dark room is that there is no sunlight in the room. When standing in the bright sun with eyes closed there was no light in the eyes so one could not see the sun. Therefore, one can see objects when the light of the sun and that of the eyes, both are present. One must have sunlight and must keep one’s eyes open to be able to see the things. One cannot do away with sunlight for in a dark room one cannot see the objects with mere eyes. Therefore, there must be unity of the outer sun and the inner sun for developing pure intellect. “Dheeyoyonah prachodayath”-The brilliance of the sacred intellect shines the sun called the eyes.

Our pride is the elephant: Elephant - Crocodile story

The elephant that was caught by the crocodile prayed to the Lord Narayana— “Taavultappenu, moorchavachche, Tanundassenu, sramambayyenu, Raave ishwara, kavave varada!! Samrakshinchu, bradratmaka!!” O Lord, I am at my wits end, my strength is waning, am about to lose consciousness; I pray to thee, who art verily the protector of the cosmos, the giver of strength and solace, to protect me!!! The king of the elephants prayed thus, whole heartedly. Who is the elephant? What is the meaning of the word “gajam”, elephant? It is not the animal; the human ego is the elephant here. It is the ego intoxicated elephant. The moment it got rid of the ego it could turn God ward. It was then that Lord’s sight fell on the elephant. It is said that the Lord sent forth “sudarshana”—it does not mean that the Lord sent a disc in the ordinary sense. It means that the Lord just cast His look on the elephant and the divine look did the needful.

How to develop Shraddha?

“Shraddha” steadfastness has two aspects viz: ‘interest’ and ‘stability’. When one has both, the interest and the stability, then one is bound to have steadfastness. One may have the interest of wanting God, but one also needs stability of that interest. Then and only then can one attain divinity.

Treat every given work as god's work, then you would be happy

The cause for the restlessness in man today, is the improper discharge of his duties and treading the wrong paths. Man is not only restless himself but also makes his environs restless. Everyone must discharge one’s duties properly; that is called- “work is worship”. One must consider every act of one’s as worship, as an act of service to the Lord. But people are not considering it so; they say one thing and do another. Hence the purity and unison of the three- the thought, the word and the deed- is ‘Rutham’. “Manas yekam, vachas yekam, karmanyekam, mahatmanaam!” meaning noble people have harmony in their thoughts, words and deeds. The last of the five aspects of the intellect is the mighty power. How does one acquire that mighty power? It can be acquired through the unison of the thought, word and deed. “Manas Anyath, vachas Anyath, karman Anyath duraatmanam”- it is a wicked and a vile man who thinks something, says something else and does another.

Everything happens according to the will of God: Example of human body

Everything conducts itself as per the will and discipline of God. There is a good example to understand the oneness of the spirit. One’s body is the best example to understand the oneness of atma. Mind thinks, “I must go there”. Based on this thought the legs start to move forward. Mere thought is enough to make the legs walk. The moment the mind thinks to do work the hands do the work. The eyes seek out the person the moment the mind thinks to see that person. The moment one decides to listen to the tape recorder the ears listen. The moment one decides to eat certain food, the mouth eats the food. Therefore, the legs, the hands, the ears, the nose, the eyes-all the limbs of the body follow the thoughts arising in the mind and do their respective duties. The ears that listen do not try to speak. The tongue that speaks will not try to hear. The tongue will only talk. The ears only hear. Life becomes useless when the limbs go wayward. Once upon a time the senses acted in way that was different from their nature. All the limbs thought, “Only the tongue gets to taste the many delicious foods that we so painstakingly gather. We are deprived of the delicious food. We earn and you eat. It is like one wearing and showing off another’s jewellery.” So, saying all the limbs boycotted their duties and everything came to a standstill. The body perished as a result. God has assigned each and every organ of the body certain duty and commanded them to fulfil the same. In the world today one finds the senses discharging their duties diligently but not the human mind. Mind, on hand cautions against the bad but on the other hand propels one to do it. Is it proper for the mind to caution against the bad and also get it done? Hence, the nature of mind is compared to that of a mad monkey- ‘Mind is like a mad monkey’. Body is like a water bubble- the bubble can burst at anytime and can vanish at anytime. Mind is the mad monkey. Therefore, don’t follow the body, don’t follow the mind, follow the conscience!! By following the inner truth, one can experience life properly.

How should one speak?

However, one has to talk and cannot give up talking. But how should one talk? One must talk with purity and unity of thought, word and deed. One must not engage in arguments over untruth. Arguing about things unknown to oneself is ignorance. Arguments breeds hatred and disunity. Hence Vedas say, “Vaade vaade varjyathe vairam” meaning continuous argument gives scope to enmity.

Aspire for the welfare and happiness of the poor

In the coming days people will understand and enjoy the spirit of sacrifice and bliss experienced in this hospital. The poor will be happy and all smiles. People must look after the poor and their needs and wish for their health and happiness; that is the proper aim of human life. “Paropakaara punyaaya, papaya parapeedanam!” Helping others is merit and harming others is sin. Therefore one must cultivate the spirit to see the happiness of fellow beings. This is the wish and blessing of Swami.

Good virtues and values helps to gain self-confidence in life

People have been undertaking the spiritual practices of ‘japa’ penance, ‘dhyana’ meditation, ‘smarana’ chanting, ‘parayana’ study of holy texts and the like. But for all the above said practises the basis and the foundation are the qualities of sacrifice, love, compassion, non-violence, patience and empathy without which, the said practices are useless. One can attain a certain level of success in the spiritual practises only when one develops good qualities. Without the good qualities one can only experience indulging bad thoughts and cannot experience peace in the practices. One must take to actions that will purify and cleanse one’s self. A sanctified self leads one to have confidence in self. And self confidence leads to the experience of bliss and happiness. Without purifying the heart how can one experience self confidence?

All the defects lies in the way we see things: With beautiful analogies

Man is earning much wealth and various forms of education, but there is no defect in either the education or the wealth- the sole defect lies in man. Therefore, when an individual develops faultless mind, the education and wealth become beneficial. How is it possible? People think that wealth causes all evil things, education as harmful. No it is not true, both of them are faultless. Water is pure and sweet, but when put in a red coloured bottle the water appears to be red and when kept in a black bottle, it appears black. So from where has the colour appeared? The individual is the bottle; the water appears bad or good based on the individual attributes. If the individual is ‘Rajasic’ passionate, then his wealth and education too become Rajasic and useless. If the individual is of ‘Sathwic’ noble nature, then his actions, education etc would be on the noble path. Therefore the bottle of heart must be pure. In this context it is said: “Chitta sudhdhi leni Shiva pooja yetiki?” What is the use of all the worship without a pure heart? “Atma sudhdhi leni aachaaramadiyela?” What is the use of all the rituals without purity? “Patra sudhdhi leni paakamela?” Without clean vessels what is the use of all the delicious food? How can one cook pure and delicious food with unclean and dirty vessels? Therefore this vessel is called as ‘Ghatam’; it is also called as ‘Prakruthi’, nature.

To deserve God's grace we should develop inward vision

With just a drop of Lord’s grace man can overcome anything. To become a recipient of such grace one must develop inner vision. But man spends his whole life in worldly and outward vision. There is a torch light; the external things are visible as long as the torch is focused on them. When the torch is focused inside, the things inside are visible. Therefore seeing or vision is creation. The very eye is the Sastra. Hence the Sastras have come from one’s vision. The creation came out of the vision. Hence, embodiment's of Love! Make the vision filled with love.

What is the reason for disappointment

What is the reason for man’s disappointment? One should understand the ‘point’ in the ‘disappointment’. Disappoint: when does it come? One is disappointed because of an earlier appointment. One should never have appointment but should just do one’s duty, and then the appointment will come seeking. Working with the appointment in view one is subjected to disappointment; therefore one should not lay emphasis on appointment. ‘Naa kartavyam yogamuchyathe!” meaning one must discharge one’s duty. That amounts to “Duty is God, work is worship!”

What is Rest?

Rest...Rest....Rest doesn’t mean idle relaxing or sleeping in an AC room with all cosy comforts and snoring heavily! Change of work is rest. We go the market and return home after completing the job. Immediately after returning home, one should not shout at his wife and go into a room and lock himself. Instead, he should attend to some household work. That is rest. Students, for example, have to play. After playing for some time, they should sing. If they are tired after doing all these things, they can take a book and read. Such changes in the nature of work are all rest. Now consider our physical body. Inhalation and exhalation are complementary functions that it performs, uninterruptedly. These twin functions in human body cannot afford to take rest by changing their pace and rhythm of operation, at any point of time irrespective of the moods of the person. Inhalation and exhalation are natural phenomenon, instilled by the Creator. This is the Divine secret. Nobody comprehends this truth.

Talk Less and Understand the power of Silence

“Mitha bhasha ati haayi”-Talking less makes one happy. Noble people in the Sanyasa stage used to spend their time in forest observing silence. They would refrain from seeing, hearing, talking and because of the resulting silence were able to develop the divine power. “Nishabdam loni shabdame brahma”- “The sound in the silence is Brahman”. People close their eyes and sit in meditation. How should it be when people sit in meditation? They must be absolutely silent. In the silence one can hear the foot falls of God. When one is loud, how can one listen to God? The more silent one is the louder one hears the footsteps of the Lord!! Hence, silence is God. Silence is the sound of God. One can hear a sound when one closes one’s ears tightly. It is the primal sound of OM. That is the sound in the silence. The sound is heard when one shuts down the tongue. That sound is Brahman. Hence “Shabda Brahmamayi”- God is the sound inside, “Charachara Mayi”- God is the in dweller of movable and immovable beings, “Vaangmayi”- God is light in words, “nityaanandamayi”- God is eternal bliss, “Paratparamayi”- God is supreme Being, “Mayamayi”- God is one of illusion, “Sreemayi” God is one of wealth. “Shabda brahmamayi”, God is sound. What sound is God? He is the sound in silence. One must remain in silence at least for an hour in a day. In that one hour one can rejuvenate oneself by reviving the lost energy. People work all through the day. But a night’s sleep rests the body and the sense organs. A night’s rest makes the sense organs ready and energetic to work the next day. Therefore it implies that rest is necessary for the sense organs. Resting the sensory organs rests the mind too. The rest given to the mind gives mighty power. In Vedantic parlance this is referred to as “amanaskamu”, withdrawal of the mind. Amanaskamu means absence of mind. In deep sleep there is no mind. In dream state there is mind. The mind in the state of the dream creates everything. It even creates itself. But in deep sleep the mind ceases to exist. Hence deep sleep is called as “Sushupthi”, good sleep. In that sound sleep, divinity manifests itself.

Determination must be inculcated to do Sacred activities

Having determined to do a task, Hold on till it is finished. Having thought about something, Don’t go back till its realised. Having desired something, Persevere till it’s fulfilled. Having asked for something, Don’t give up till it’s given!! Notwithstanding your perseverance, Either he must succumb, Or you should persevere forgetting yourself!! To leave on your own midway Is not the quality of a devotee!! That is determination; perseverance. On what must one put one’s determination and perseverance? It must be put in doing sacred things, in welfare of others. One must not persevere to do things that are neither useful to others not it is useful to oneself. “Help ever, hurt never”. This is the direction in which students must exercise their determination. One must develop proper friendship to achieve this. What is that friendship? That is the friendship with God!! God is the real friend. The Gita has also stated this truth. It is the divine hand that helps in every task that one undertakes without expecting anything in return, without asking for anything, with total renunciation. God’s hand is ever a helping hand at all times and under all circumstances. Hence one must seek and desire such help. What is the use of other sorts of help?!

One should determine to do good in life: Determination is very important

Everyone must have perseverance. What for is the perseverance? It must be put in to do good deeds. One must not persevere to harm or hurt others. One must exercise determination and perseverance in helping others and to make others happy. Perseverance and determination must be used to attain divinity. One must develop perseverance in such activities. When, where, how to develop this determination? When one enquires on these lines, one’s determination will be put in proper path. But the youth today jump into action the moment they get agitated or emotional. Impulsiveness must be avoided by young as well as old. One must never be in a hurry and enter into action peacefully. One should discriminate the good and the bad in their determination. First and foremost one must discriminate if it is good or bad, right or wrong and then jump to action when one’s conscience tells it is correct. One does not need any witness for one’s conscience is one’s witness. And that is called as “Chit” What is “chit”? It is the awareness. Awareness, conscience and chit are all one and the same. The words are different but the object is one.

As is the action, so is the world

It is the ignorance that is the root cause for all this. What is the cause for ignorance? Man’s action is responsible for ignorance. Action leads to birth; it is the birth that gives rise to delusion and it is the delusion that makes one ignorant. Therefore one’s action is the primal cause for everything. The action must be investigated. As is the action so is the result. “Karma data vasama, naruda karma data vasama? Ghana paathambulu chadivina gaani, kuladevatalanu kolachina gaani, Karadavulake poyina gaani, kathina tapasule chesina gaani, Karma data vasama naruda, karma data vasama? Chinna chelimilo munchina gaani, yenni samdrumul ninchina gaani, Kadaventhoraa neeranthe raa, kaavalannanu yekkuva raaduraa!! Karma data vasama naruda, karma data vasama?” O man, can you ever escape destiny? Scholarship, worship of deities, penance in a thick forest, Will not help, O man, to escape from the hands of destiny! One can draw water in a vessel only to its measure and no more, Whether immersing it in a small tank or in a vast ocean!! The good and the bad enter a person based on his vesture. Man spends his time thinking about the transient, ephemeral world and is engaged in the activities pertaining to the physical world from dawn to dusk. He identifies himself with the physical world and considers it to be his true nature. Man, by changing his outlook from outward to inward, becomes the Brahman.

As is the vision, so is the world

Embodiments of the Divine atma!! When one’s vision is filled with love one can see the Brahman in whole universe. As is the colour of the glasses worn so is the colour in which one perceives the world around- “Yad bhavam tad bhavathi!” as is the thought so is the manifestation. This transient world appears to be full of variations and differences, but there are no differences or variations. However, man does not put in efforts to understand the underlying principle of divinity. Illusion and divinity exist together in every human being.

Swami on Inter caste marriages

New fashions can be noticed today. Swami has said, ‘Caste of humanity’. Yes, it is true. Since Swami has said, caste of humanity, many think that they can marry anybody. Swami has only said, ‘Caste of humanity’ but not ‘Culture of humanity’. There is culture and one needs to follow it. What is the culture of man? What is his tradition? What is the use when one forgets the goodness in one’s culture and takes to worldly ways? The culture of Bharath is very sacred. There are no caste differences for Swami. All belong to one caste but there is difference in culture. Because of the differences in the culture the life style too is different. One must consider it too. If it fits their convenience people say, “Swami has said so”. And when people don’t want to do something they do not quote Swami. Is it devotion in true sense? One should follow whatever Swami says and it is not correct to follow those that one likes and drop those that one does not like. Hence for everything there is an inner meaning.

Shut your mouth and open up your heart

People need to open their hearts and shut their mouths. But today people go in the wrong direction by shutting their hearts and opening their mouths. This amounts to betrayal of God. To the extent possible one must shut one’s mouth and open the heart. For this reason, the Sages of yore propagated and observed ‘Mounam’, silence. People go on talking for small and big things. The day man controls his talk he will experience bliss. The one who talks cannot work and a person who works will not talk. Therefore the one who talks continuously is a lazy person. One must cut short one’s talk and open one’s heart; then God will install Himself in the heart and the love of God will flow from the heart. One must realise the unity of these two.

All the happiness is latent in you, follow your own path: Beautiful analogy

Everything is within. There is nothing in the outside world that does not exist within. The ‘sath, chith and ananda’- the truth, the consciousness and the bliss are all present within man. Since man is not aware of their presence he enters into various places and activities in search of them, but such effort is not necessary. Man must have self confidence and have full faith in the innate atmic power. One should not blame or criticise others, other religions or other societies and should follow one’s own path. Truly if one has strong and unwavering faith in the Almighty, one will never suffer. Even if one has to suffer, the mountain sized troubles pass away as mist!! Though such divine thoughts exist in man, he is unable to recognise his divinity. Man is prone to changes every day and every moment his mentality changes. There is no control over the desires. Then how can man expect happiness? Happiness is within for one is verily the embodiment of happiness. Yet what is the use when man is unaware? There is unlimited wealth beneath man’s feet, in the earth. Because man is unaware of this he searches for it. There is water underneath the earth but how can man draw the underground water? There is soil and mud between man and the water. The mud symbolises the worldly transactions and affairs. They need to be removed. The water is available when the mud is removed. On the other hand when a bore-well is installed there, it digs deeper and pumps water from the depths of the earth. That bore-well is the ‘namasmarana’, chanting of the Lord’s name. Therefore when one puts the bore-well of Lord’s name on one’s tongue, it draws the water of ‘bliss’ from one’s heart. One must always have the Lord’s name on one’s tongue. One may do any work but must do so with an awareness of innate divinity, and then the work will be transformed into worship. All work must be done with the feeling that it is divine activity.

Do not blame others for your actions

“Manayeva manushyanaam, kaaranam bandhamokshayoho”- mind is the cause for bondage or liberation! And it is only the mind that is the cause for good and bad. One’s actions are responsible for one’s pleasure and pain. And it is a mistake to blame anyone for one’s actions. Everything is the consequence of one’s own actions and comes back as reaction, resound and reflection of one’s actions. Man blames other out of his own weakness. One should never accuse or blame another because everything is the result of one’s actions. Man is bound to suffer the consequences of his actions and when unable to suffer he has to pray to God because God alone has the power to relieve man of his sufferings. God can transmute the earth into sky and the sky to earth. Therefore, man must surrender himself to the all powerful God. Without surrendering to God and following the fleeting and ephemeral world is useless.

Our behaviour should be exemplary

Vedanta said, “Sow an action and reap a tendency. Sow a tendency, reap a habit, Sow a habit and reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny. ” “So you are the maker of your destiny. You can make or mar. You can do or undo it.” Therefore, good and bad depend on one’s thoughts and actions. Hence one’s behaviour and conduct should be noble. There is divinity in humanity. The good and the bad of the world depend on the behaviour of the human society.

Our faith in God should be undeterred

Distortions, fear and illusions are not natural to man; they are external factors. There are neither distortions nor fear in man. One treading on the path of truth will never fear under any circumstance. Man must essentially promote an unwavering mind and a steady vision. Even in matters relating to establishing faith in God, one’s determination must be strong like the indestructible weapon made of diamond. One must not lose sight of one’s objective and aim in the face obstacles, hindrances and troubles on the way. One must endeavour to achieve the faith in God come what may. Whatever it is that one has asked for, stay put till it is given, Whatever it is that one has thought for, stay put till it is realised, Notwithstanding one’s pleas, either the Lord must give in! Or one must persevere notwithstanding the delay! What is a devotee’s devotion if he turns back without achieving!! Such strong and unwavering faith is what must be developed by man today.

We must lead an ideal family life to bring in Unity

It is the world and the duty of the householder that form the basis for one’s service to the community, for one’s habits and life style and also for one’s worship. It is only when there is peace and harmony in one’s family, that one has the right to straighten other families. Therefore, efforts must be made to enhance the peace and harmony in the family. One must make the necessary attempts to understand each other and maintain cordial relationships. Such efforts, when undertaken, will revive the ancient Vedic culture which propagated the unity in diversity and which was extolled by many.

As is your vision, so is the world

One must experience the bliss and share it with others. When man sees the world through the glasses of bliss, everything appears blissful. When one sees through the glasses of hatred, the whole world appears to be filled with hatred. Therefore, one must change one’s outlook and should not try to change the creation, for it is God’s creation. Nobody can change God’s creation. Hence, the thing that needs to be changed is one’s outlook. One must get rid of one’s bad, wicked outlook and replace it with love, peace, unity and blissful outlook. Then the whole world would transform as per one’s outlook. When one sees the world with red glasses the whole world looks red; with blue glasses it looks blue. Therefore, when one’s heart is filled with love one sees ‘Brahman’ everywhere.

What should we pray to God

Embodiments of the Divine Atma!! There are many, in this world, who pray to God. What are they praying for? People pray for the fulfilment of mundane, physical worldly desires. That is not the right answer. Why should one pray to God? It should not be for the desires. One must pray to God for His love. The divine love is permanent, immortal, and infinite. One must pray to get such divine love. God has the second attribute of ‘ananda’, bliss. He is the very form of ‘sat’, ‘chit’ and ‘ananda’. One must pray to God for ‘ananda’ the bliss. It is not the worldly happiness for it comes and goes like the passing clouds. One must want the permanent cloud of bliss. It is a devotee in true sense who prays to God for His love and bliss. A person praying for mundane things is no devotee at all. The things that are destined to happen will happen anyway, one cannot escape it and they don’t last forever. These are not the things that one should desire. One must aspire for the eternal and permanent. Hence devotion is aspiring for God’s love and bliss and inculcating the divinity within oneself. Once the divinity is awakened in oneself, the whole world looks blissful and divine and one becomes the well wisher of the whole world.

All work is God's work

One must sanctify time. Don’t waste time as time waste is life waste. And time is God. One must make proper use of time. God is truly the embodiment of time, ‘Samvatsara swaroopudu’. One need not wait for God for one whole year. Every moment one must pray to God. Every deed must be thought of as work related to God. Cleaning one’s house too is work related to God.

People have time for watching TV but no time for God

Everyone is an embodiment of the divine. One should not harm, cheat or hurt others and so also oneself. There is no form of devotion higher than developing these sacred qualities. Sage Vyasa wrote the eighteen Puranas but is there anyone who has the time to go through all the Puranas? People do not have time. People think that they do not have time to read the Puranas or to do ‘Vrata’ as they have work related to office, business or education and have their own excuses. These excuses are not true. Truly speaking if one wants to think of God, there is lots of time. A person returns tired from the office and relaxes in the chair saying that he is tired. When asked by his wife to accompany to the temple as it is New Year’s Day, he says that he is too tired and cannot accompany her. That person is truly a lazy fellow!! Is he relaxing sitting on the chair? No, he watches Television!! Is he not tired to see the TV? Is he not tired to go to club to play cards? Are these the valid reasons to say that one does not have time? One has lot of time but misuses it and wastes precious time. So one has to put time to good use and that is true human value.

What is the use of visiting pilgrimage centres without cleansing your hearts

People go to many places like temples and go on pilgrimage. What is the use of such pilgrimage? The same is the case with science today. Man undertakes to travel lakhs of miles in outer space but he isn’t progressing even half an inch inwards. Today devotees too go to various pilgrimage centres and monasteries (matts). What is the use of such Matt visiting? The Lord, whom one aspires for, resides in one’s heart. Hence one must look within and self enquire the kind of thoughts, feelings one harbours for, then and then alone can one enter the right path. It is not true devotion to have inwardly a heart filled with dirt and pollution and to chant the Lord’s name outwardly. Even if one does not turn outward, one should turn inward and sanctify one’s heart. Hence one must cultivate the chanting of lord’s name in one’s heart and build noble virtues. These are termed as human values. God is everywhere. One can see Him anywhere. 'rushikesa darshanam daiwa darshanam', All are the forms of the divine, the 'rushikesa'.

Feelings behind the actions are important

How does one worship brahma? “Shabda brahmamayi, by sound, Charachara mayi, by the movable and the inanimate, Jyothirmayi, vangmayi, by the light and knowledge. These three are present in every man. Such human quality is being forgotten today. One is carried away by the physical, ephemeral and transient activities. These are not the activities that man should perform. Actions driven with inner feelings are essential. Without the purity of thought, purity of words is null and void.

Man is losing his morals today

Man is the combination of three aspects namely, morality, righteousness and spirituality. Such a sacred man toady has forgotten the morality, has lost all righteous conduct and has no trace of spirituality. He feels ashamed when he enquires and finds out the sacredness of human life. Man is the very form of ‘sat’, the truth, ‘chit’, the awareness and ‘ananda’ the eternal bliss. Man, toady, acts like a demon by developing animal tendencies and forgetting his human qualities . The teachings of noble souls and elders are not respected by man today. The teachings of such elders are sold like the shares in the share market. This is the fad of the modern man. The humanity is respected when man is respected but today no one is respecting the teachings of the elders. Respecting the teachings of the elders is the important trait that must be cultivated by man today. Today, in Bharath, the qualities of truth, love, forbearance, compassion and tolerance have been replaced by cruelty, selfishness, indifference. There is no love anywhere. People pretend to have love but it is not true love at all, it has become a narrow minded expression to gain selfish motives. In the world today people install the statues of noble people. Only statues are installed but message conveyed by them is not instilled but buried in earth. Why the pomp and show and drama? It is not the nature of mankind to worship the statues and forget the teachings. The true human quality lies in understanding relationship between men.

First serve family then comes society

Youngsters! Is Bhagawan giving you trouble every day? Bhagawan is ready to trouble himself for your sake. It is enough for Swami if you are good and do better. Bhagawan will be happy if you better yourself as well as the society. Don’t strain yourself or spend too much while rendering service to villages; make the villagers participate in the service activities and help them to help themselves. But do not trouble your family members for the sake of service. Make your parents happy first and then go to participate in service activities. Some students tell Bhagawan that their parents do not send them for service activities. Explain the activities undertaken to your parents. “Father, the body is not given to drinking and eating. The body is gifted to us to serve others. You also participate in them.” Teach him thus. Like this you should teach them otherwise parents will start doubting the intentions of the youngsters and youngsters must also conduct themselves accordingly. When you are good with every one parents will also be happy.

Never lose confidence

One must never give into despondency. Whether one believes it not, Swami tells of Himself that He has no worry at all. Colonel Jogarao used to worry, “Swami, we have planned to build such a huge hospital, but there is no money in the bank. How can the hospital be built?” Swami confidently replied, “We are doing good work; we are working for the welfare of others. There is no selfishness in Me. Everything is done for the world. Do not give scope for such weakness. It is bound to happen.” When does one get such confidence? One is confident when one is filled with good thoughts and the good will to better others. There is this tumbler which is half filled with water. A man who lives a contented life feels happy to see the tumbler half full. A discontented man sees the tumbler as half empty. Hence, one should not give scope for emptiness. One should be satisfied even with a drop of water. With that kind of contentment one can accomplish any task.

Purifying your hearts alone can give you bliss

There are many things happening in this world. Man does many activities, experiences many things—but none give happiness to man. Therefore, to attempt to obtain happiness by indulging in worldly objects, or in the worldly affairs, or by reading scriptures, or even by visiting and conversing with great people is futile. One can experience God and get the true happiness only when one purifies one’s heart. One must love all, have faith in all, give happiness to everyone—and it is these aspects that make one happy ultimately. Can one really be happy when others around one are unhappy? It is not possible to be so.

Human life is precious and of great value: Humourous analogy

Man would not dare to waste this human life if he makes an attempt to know the extent of the treasures of the good deeds performed in the previous births that has resulted in this human birth. There is a small funny example to highlight this. A person took his watch to be repaired. The watch repairer examined the watch and said, “This watch is very spoiled and needs lots of repair. The cost of repairing this watch is twice that of the cost of the watch. Why waste money on this when you can get a new watch for the repair amount?” The man said, “I am ready to pay the amount but I want the same watch.” The watch repairer thought that the watch must be a lucky one as the owner was insisting on having the old watch and replaced old and spoiled parts with brand new parts and gave it to him. The next week the person went to the repairer and asked if his watch was ready. The repairer told the person to take the watch after paying the repair amount which was double the cost of the watch. The person moved closer to the repairer and slapping the repairer he counted, “Take one, two.” Seeing him hit the repairer, the people around called on the police. When asked by the police the person replied, “Sir, the repairer said that the repairing charges were twice that of the cost of the watch. I did not buy this watch; I slapped someone and took the watch. So I slapped the repairer twice as he wanted double the cost.” Had the person known the value of the watch, would he have given it to the repairer? Similarly man today does not know the value of this human birth and hence wastes it in a purposeless manner.

Human life obtained after much effort

This human birth is the collective effect of the good deeds performed in many previous births. As one is not aware of the good deeds performed in the past births and of the results of such deeds, one takes this human birth for granted. One will not dare to waste the precious human life when one learns the extent of the good deeds that were performed in the previous births that has resulted in this human life now. To illustrate this there is a small, funny example. A person took his watch to be repaired. The watch repairer examined the watch and said, “This watch is very spoiled and needs lots of repair. The cost of repairing this watch is twice that of the cost of the watch. Why waste money on this when you can get a new watch for the repair amount?” The man said, “I am ready to pay the amount but I want the same watch.” The watch repairer thought that the watch must be a lucky one as the owner was insisting on having the old watch and replaced old and spoiled parts with brand new parts and gave it to him. The next week the person went to the repairer and asked if his watch was ready. The repairer told the person to take the watch after paying the repair amount which was double the cost of the watch. The person moved closer to the repairer and slapping the repairer he counted, “Take one, two.” Seeing him hit the repairer, the people around called on the police. When asked by the police the person replied, “Sir, the repairer said that the repairing charges were twice that of the cost of the watch. I did not buy this watch; I slapped someone and took the watch. So I slapped the repairer twice as he wanted double the cost.” Had the person known the value of the watch, would he have given it to the repairer? Similarly man today does not know the value of this human birth and hence wastes it in a purposeless manner. To think, that the human body has come as a mundane occurrence in nature and to spend this life eating, drinking and wallowing in the worldly pleasures and succumb to death, is not appropriate or correct for a human being. Amongst the different beings, birth as a human being is a privilege. This sacred human life is the result of great sacred deeds. To lead life like birds or animals is a waste of such a sacred life. When one realises the truth that it is the divine atma who dwells in all and is the basis for everything, then and only then can one get rid of the latent ignorance by enthusiastically following the divine path and justify the human life.

No one has an authority to decide what is good and bad

Nobody has the authority to decide what is good and what is bad. It is mere ignorance to think that one has the right to decide what is good and what is bad. A thing may be liked by one but disliked by another. If these attributes namely being liked or disliked, were inherent in the matter by itself then it should generate similar feelings in all who behold it. So likes and dislikes are there in the person based on his desires but not in the matter. There is a small example to illustrate this. One drinks clear, cool, pure and sweet water and eats sweet and attractive fruits. One believes that such water and fruits are considered as sacred. Within minutes the fruits and the water consumed are converted into faecal matter and urine respectively which are considered as bad. It is the decision correct as to consider fruits and water as good and sacred and the excreta bad? The things that one believes, sees and speaks about, to be good and sacred, within a matter of minutes turn into bad and one sees and speaks about them as bad. Then which of the statements is true, the good or the bad? Matter is neither good nor bad; the good and the bad lie in one’s perception.