Like oil in the til-seed, like ghee present in subtle form in milk, like fragrance in a flower, like the sweet juice in a fruit, like fire latent in firewood, the Divine is immanent as a witness in the entire cosmos of living and inanimate objects. This divinity is beyond description in any way [Sanskrit Sloka].

The Lord of the Universe remains unseen, like the thread that holds the gems in a necklace. He is the Cosmic Consciousness, the Supreme Spirit (Aathman) that pervades the entire universe.

Embodiments of Love! What is the meaning of human life? What is its goal? What is its purpose? Wherein lies its uniqueness? Very few human beings strive earnestly to seek answers to these questions. Imagining that food, sleep, and sensual pleasures are the only important things in life, man forgets his inherent divinity. This is totally wrong. To recognize his divinity and to convey this experience to others in society constitute man's duty in life.

For everything in life, inner feeling is most important. Inner feeling is at the root of all action. Even when you wish to write a simple letter, you think in advance about the person to whom it is to be written and the message you want to convey, and only then do you embark on writing. The idea comes first; action follows.

Humanness and divinity

Hence, at the very outset one should try to understand what humanness is. One has to ponder over the idea of divinity. The Vedanta proclaims that the knower of Brahman (God) becomes Brahman himself.

This is illustrated by the example of Ratnakara, a highwayman who became the sage Valmiki by reciting the name of Rama on the advice of sages. While chanting the name of Rama, he also meditated on Rama's form. Ratnakara experienced a feeling of oneness with Rama and acquired the effulgence of Rama.

Likewise, because the child Prahlada constantly chanted the name of Narayana, he reflected in his face the effulgence of Narayana.

The great scientist Darwin similarly acquired as a student the traits of his teacher, Henslow, because he constantly admired his teacher and wished to be great like him.

These examples show that whatever object we set our hearts on and continue to think about becomes part of us. Hence, only when you concentrate your thoughts on what is good, engage yourself in good deeds, and be always good will you manifest your true humanness.

Spark of the Divine

This truth is expressed in profound terms by Vedanta when it declares that every being is a fragment of God on earth. "Every living being is a fragment of my eternal Self (Mamaivaamso jivaloke jivabhuthas sanaathanah)." The Divine has clearly declared, "Oh man! You are not a mere creature of the five elements. You are a spark of myself. You are Divinity itself." The Divine therefore calls upon every human being to conduct himself in a godly way because he is a spark of the Divine.

Nevertheless, many good people who recognize this truth suffer from various troubles and ailments and lament over their experiences. To entertain such feelings is a repudiation of their divine essence. The Divine knows no trouble or sorrow. He is free from all worries. When a man grieves over troubles and difficulties he is denying his Godly quality. What is the nature of such people? They are either victims of animal or demonic tendencies or are subject to vacillations and hence immersed in difficulties.

How many recognize their inherent divinity? Very few indeed. It is the bounden duty of every human being to recognize his divine origin and act accordingly.

Only those who recognize their divine essence are true human beings. The question may be asked: What about the others who are also leading their lives? It is true they are living, but what kind of life do they lead? Those who do not think of God live like animals. They behave like animals. They think like animals and lead an animal existence.

A person who leads a godly life experiences divine bliss. He is ever blissful. He enjoys real happiness. Hence, every man should realize the truth that he is a spark of the Divine.

Constant remembrance

Constance remembrance means that everyone should seek to experience God as the indweller in the heart. [Swami related an incident in which Arjuna was troubled in mind over the state of things around him and asked Krishna why this should happen to him when he had such faith in Krishna. Krishna then explained to him that it was not enough to remember God occasionally, when one felt the need to remember him]. This kind of remembrance is a matter of convenience and expediency. What is required is constant remembrance (anusmarana). Only that will relieve the devotee of his troubles and worries. Anusmarana calls for remembrance at all times, in all situations. Krishna told Arjuna that he thinks of God only on some occasions and for specific purposes. This is not the proper way. "If you remember me at all times, I am always with you," said Krishna. Krishna's injunction to Arjuna was:

Remember me at all times and carry on the fight. That alone will help you. It will confer success on you.

In human life, there are two attitudes to the objects you have to deal with. There are things for which you are only a temporary guardian by virtue of your position in relation to them. There are things which belong to you and which you can take along with you and use as you please. The first type of relationship is called "maarakam". The second type is called "thaarakam". Men should cultivate the attitude of maarakam, namely, that nothing belongs to them and that everything comes from God. All are gifts of God. You must treat all possessions in that spirit. You must take good care of them as long as you have the responsibility for their proper use and maintenance. That is your duty.

As long as you live in the world, you have the responsibility to take care of your wife, children, and possessions. But you must regard this as an obligation imposed by God. You must not get attached to them as your possessions.

However, most people in the world are deeply attached to kinsfolk and properties. How lasting are these possessions? You can never know when you may have to leave all of them behind. Hence, the proper attitude for men is to recognize their duty toward others and consider everything as a gift from God.

Krishna's miracles

[Bhagavan went on to describe how Arjuna was made to realize the divinity of Krishna by recalling the boyhood miracles performed by Krishna in lifting the Govardhana Giri to protect the people of Gokulam from a terrible downpour,. He also described how He revealed to His mother Yasoda the entire cosmos in His little mouth to assure her that He had not eaten dust as complained by His elder brother, Balarama. Bhagavan gave a vivid description of the two episodes and recited poems from the Bhagavatham to enliven the narration. What Balarama did was only to make his mother realize the divinity of Krishna. When Yasoda saw all the worlds in Krishna's mouth, she wondered whether it was all a dream or the illusion (maya) of the Lord or some inexplicable phenomenon. Because of her maternal attachment to Krishna, she could not readily recognize His divinity].

Men suffer from doubts about divinity as long as they have attachment to the physical body. The body should be recognized as a temple of God. Based on this feeling, men should worship the Divine.

Devotion of the cowherd maids

Not all can experience this kind of feeling. Only the cowherd maids (gopikas) of Brindavan could experience the divine in every being and in every object. When Krishna sent Uddhava to the cowherd maids with a message, they bluntly told him that their hearts were already filled with love for Krishna and that there was no room in them for any message. Their minds, their eyes, and everything else were concentrated on Krishna. Krishna had totally captured their hearts. When they missed Krishna for a time, they appealed to every plant and flower to disclose His whereabouts. [Swami sang a poem in which the cowhered maids described Krishna's beauty and asked the jasmine flowers to reveal his hiding place to them].

The hearts of the cowherd maids were soft, sweet ,and blissful like butter. Hence, Krishna relished their pure love even more than the delicacies that his mother offered out of maternal affection. [Swami recited poems to describe the purity and intensity of the cowhered maids' devotion to Krishna].

It is because men lack this kind of total love for the Divine that they are prey to all kinds of troubles. When they recognize their inherent divinity as fragments of the Divine, there will be no room for bodily attachments and the troubles arising from them.

God is the embodiment of wholeness and perfection. Whatever is offered to him should be total and perfect. This was demonstrated by the Italian violin maker Anthony Stradivarius, who took one year to make one violin but made it to perfection as an offering to God.

Whatever is said, done, or given should be perfect. To please God, who is perfect, whatever is offered should be perfect. Anthony declared that he made perfect violins only to please God.

Pray for peace and bliss

When people pray to God, they should not seek any favors. Don't even pray for the curing of any illness, because the world is full of disease. You must feel that what is ailing numerous others is also ailing you. The world is full of wealth, houses, and many other things. You must seek from God what is not readily available in the world. You do not have peace. You must pray for peace. Only the Divine has peace. The Divine has been described as the very embodiment of peace in the prayer addressed to the Lord beginning with the word "Saanthakaaram". Nobody else but God can give you real peace.

The second thing for which you must pray is happiness (sukham). Real happiness cannot be had from others. They may give momentary worldly pleasure, but only God has enduring happiness, permanent bliss. You must pray for that bliss. God alone can give it. He is the Lord of Bliss. You must pray to God for enduring peace and bliss and not for any earthly gifts.

Thyagaraja once passed through a period of doubt about Rama's capacity to relieve him of his distress. But on further reflection, he realized that if there was any deficiency, it must be in himself rather than in Rama's powers. He sang a song praising Rama's great prowess of Rama, which could attract the adoration of Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth), Lakshmana (the mighty warrior), and Bharata (who was endowed with supreme intelligence), and which endowed Hanuman with the capacity to leap over the ocean. [Bhagavan sang the song with all sweetness].

Firm faith in God

Devotees are occasionally subject to doubts. Many declare their resolve to act according to divine will. But at sometime or other they go back on their resolves. Those who are steadfast in their devotion to God at all times are very few indeed. You should strive to develop steadfast faith in God. Only then can the nature of the Divine be properly understood.

Krishna demonstrated in His life not only many miraculous powers but also many profound truths. Krishna's divinity is omnipresent, but it is experienced by devotees according to their spiritual condition.

People who go to the Ganges to bring its holy water can take with them only as much as their containers can hold. Hence, it is essential to broaden the spiritual container in you, namely, your heart.

Divinity cannot be realized by various forms of worship. They are good acts in themselves and give their appropriate rewards. But they do not promote spirituality, which consists in establishing association witht he cosmic spirit, the (Aathma). The Aathma is the only eternal reality. You can achieve oneness with it only by concentrating on the realization of that oneness. The Divine has no birth or death and pervades every being as witness.

What is required is a transformation of the heart. All bad thoughts and feelings should be expelled from the heart. Even in the performance of bhajans there should be whole-hearted participation. It should not be a mechanical ritual. Once your heart is filled with sacred thoughts and feelings, they will be reflected in your bhajan singing. Through your singing, you should give joy to all participants.

The power of love

Devotees should realize that what matters most is the intensity of feelings. Kabirdas declared that he could not attain God by spiritual exercises of any kind. But he said that there was one most powerful weapon to help to realize God. That was his love for God. With that love, he said, he could bind God. God submits only to the power of the devotee's love. Without love, all forms of worship useless. That was why the cowherd maids (gopikas) appealed to Krishna to fill their parched hearts with the love flowing from His flute so that saplings of love could sprout in their hearts.

Devotees entertain sacred thoughts on festival days (like Krishnaashtami). But these are forgotten soon after. They should make every moment holy. Only by this means can the Divine be realized.

God is omnipresent, but you are unable to see Him. You see a person. God is the indweller in him. You see his external form and not the Divine in him. But without the power of the Divine how can he exist? You cannot deny the existence of the air all around you, though you cannot see it or grasp it. Likewise, God is everywhere but is subtle and invisible. You will experience Him in your heart when you make it absolutely pure.

You must see the Divine in everyone. This is the true trait of a holy man (saadhu). The wearing of the ochre robe does not make a man a saadhu. He must possess the qualities of a saadhu. He must be pure-hearted. Transformation of the heart is what is called for. All that you do should lead you nearer to God. When you act in this way, nothing bad will touch you.

The triple attributes of Krishna

Krishna is omnipresent. The phrase has three meanings.

1. "Krishithi-ithi Krishna (The man who ploughs is Krishna)." The heart is the symbol of a field. The heart should be cleared of weeds (evil qualities). It should be filled with love. The seeds of the Lord's name should be sown in it. Krishna encourages the devotee to do all this.

2. "Karshathi-ithi Krishna (Because he attracts, he is Krishna)." Krishna has the supreme power of attraction. By his words, his sport, his music, and all his actions he attracts all. This power of attraction is present in everyone. Hence everyone is potentially Krishna.

3. "Krushyathi-ithi Krishnah (Because he imparts bliss, he is called Krishna)." Everyone seeks happiness. The Divine, who is the embodiment of happiness, is in you. God wants you to be happy, but you do not realize it. Try to recognize the source of bliss within you. It is not the true nature of man to be unhappy. When anyone is otherwise, people around him are concerned about him. You should always be happy because you are the embodiment of the Aathma. Never give way to worry.

As a spark of the Divine, you have to behave like the Divine. Do not give room for grief. What use is it to turn over the rosary beads while your mind is thinking of mundane matters? First of all, purify your mind. Dedicate all actions to God. Free yourself from all attachments. Treat all things as gifts from God for which you are the guardian, not the owner.

The role of Avathars

Embodiments of Love! God is love pure and simple. His greatest gift is His love. The cowherd maids (gopikas) realized this truth and declared, "Oh Lord! We offer to you the love that you gave us. What else can we offer at your feet ?"

Do not calculate what you have offered to God in terms of money or other things. Whatever you offer, consider only the feeling with which you offer it. Even a small tulasi leaf offered with love becomes a great offering to the Lord. Offer anything with a full and loving heart. By offering with love, you become the embodiment of love. That was the case with Prahlada, Narada, and others. Identify yourself with your choice of the name and form of the Divine. You may carry on all your normal daily duties, but always keep the name of the Lord in mind. That is the injunction of Krishna: "Maam anusmara".

Do not allow any evil thoughts to enter your mind. Then the good thoughts in you will find expression in good deeds.

Develop firm faith in God. In daily life, you base all your actions on faith in your washerman, your barber, and many others. Why then don't you place your faith in God? God is the indweller. Lack of faith in God really means you have no faith in your own self. Faith in yourself leads to faith in God. This is the secret of greatness.

Faith in God alone will help you. All others are time-servers. The lives of all great believers in God show how they were protected through all their difficulties by their faith in God.

Ramadas, who was imprisoned by the Thaneesha for diverting government revenues to build a temple for Rama and to make jewels for the idols, at one time felt bitter about his sufferings and even blamed Rama for his plight. Later, he repented and sought Rama's forgiveness.

Devotees should not grieve over their troubles, which are only "passing clouds". Some devotees, like Jaya and Vijaya, were born as opponents of God as a result of a curse, but they were so anxious to return to God that they preferred the role of enemies of God so that they could meet with their death at the hands of God. Avathars appear for various reasons to save devotees.

Avathars teach mankind lessons about how to realize God. Humanity needs Divine teachers to redeem it from its troubles. This is the purpose of Avathars, who come down to show mankind the ways of realizing the Divine. You must recognize this truth. The Divine does not make the descent as an Avathar without a purpose. The purpose is to enable nature to fulfill its role. To be born as a human being is a rare blessing. The Avathar instructs humanity how to redeem human existence.

Festivals like Rama Navami and Krishna Janmaashtami are designed to remind people about the purpose of human life. Devotees who participate in such festivals should learn a lesson from the cows. Absorb as much of the teachings as you can during your stay. Ruminate over them when you go back, like the cows chewing the cud they have eaten. Do not forget what has been taught here. After ruminating over what you have heard, try to put into practice what has been taught. Always contemplating on God, make your lives meaningful.

[Bhagavan concluded His discourse with the bhajan: "Govinda Krishna Jai! Gopala Krishna Jai!".]