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Date:4 Sep 1998 Occasion:Onam Place:Prashanti Nilayam

The Ideal Devotee

Sarva Roopa Dharam Saantham
Sarva Naama Dharam Sivam
Satchidanandam Advaitham,
Sathyam Sivam Sundaram

(Sanskrit Sloka)

Ellaarukkum Enndey Aaseervaadangal (My Blessings to all)

Embodiments of Love,

In this world, you will not find Peace and Happiness anywhere. Being
himself the embodiment of Peace and Love, man is not able to experience
them. Even though he has these sacred qualities in him, man is not able
to understand this Truth, and is carried away by delusions. As a result,
he is subjected to endless troubles. In order to experience Divinity and
to find Peace and Happiness, you do not need to search elsewhere. In
order to have a vision of your True Self, you need to understand your
true identity.

What is that which conceals the Truth from man? It is only the Mind. The
clouds which originate from the rays of the Sun, cover the Sun Himself.
When a strong wind blows, the clouds get scattered and then you can see
the Sun. Just as the clouds cover the Sun, likewise the mind covers the
Atma from which it has originated.

Man today is drowned in ignorance and is cutoff from Peace and
Happiness. Embodiments of Love! No other creature has the Divine power
present in man. But he is not able to comprehend such Divine power which
is latent in him. What is the way to know this? Once you develop
friendship with God, you will realize all your powers. The Gita
describes God as 'Suhruth', which means one who is totally selfless; one
who does not expect anything in return; one who does not harm anybody
and one who is the embodiment of Love. Man usually expects rewards for
the help he renders. But God is the only One who considers the welfare
of humanity as His happiness and does not have any expectations whatsoever.

Bad qualities like hatred, anger and desire are responsible for
restlessness. The worst enemy of mankind is desire. In this world, an
enemy today might become a friend tomorrow and the friend today might
become an enemy tomorrow. But according to the Gita, desire always
remains an enemy to mankind. So, one should keep desire under control.
The desires are capable of ruining not only mankind, but also gods like
Indra and Chandra. One can never satisfy one's desires. Vedanta has
compared desire to fire and to the ocean. Fire will never be satisfied,
whatever may be the quantity of firewood, you put into it. The Gita has
given the epithet, 'Analam', to the fire, which means that it can never
be satisfied and keeps asking for more and more. Similar is the case
with the ocean. It keeps accepting any number of rivers that merge in
it, and yet remains the same. Ocean and fire have no trace of
satisfaction. Therefore, limitless desires are compared to these two.

Today, there is no harmony in thought, word and deed. There is no unity
anywhere. There is hatred in every individual. To get rid of this
hatred, one has to develop friendship with God, who is 'Hridayavaasi. If
someone asks you, "Where are you staying?" you say that you are staying
in a house or in a hostel or in a hotel. Neither the hostel nor the
hotel is your dwelling place. It is the 'Hridaya' that is your dwelling
place.

The whole world is like a book, read it well. Nature is the best
teacher. There are lots of things in this world to be known. You cannot
find God by going through a book or by undertaking spiritual sadhana. By
constantly reading books, one becomes a book himself! All that is
contained in pusthaka' (book) is stored in the 'masthaka' (head).
Reading books will only increase your doubts. The more intelligent you
are, the more you get doubts. Developing compassion is the real sadhana.
Only when you lead lives full of compassion, you will be able to see
God, the embodiment of compassion.

Embodiments of Love! Since ancient times, Bharath has been standing for
the peace and security of the entire world, spreading the message of
spirituality. You should work for the peace and prosperity of the
country. Whatever work you undertake, do it for the welfare of the
society. Universal peace depends on the peace of the society, which in
turn depends on the peace of the individual. So the individual, the
society and the universe are interrelated and interdependent. But, today
man is bothered about himself and not the society. Today, people who
talk of peace, but actually cause restlessness in the society are on the
increase. Though they are endowed with intelligence, they act in a
perverted manner. In what way can we help such people? The only way is
to open their 'Eye of Love' (Prema Netram), Only through the 'Eye of
Love. we can visualize world peace. Without working for the welfare of
the society, how can you attain world peace? It is impossible. All
wealth and prosperity cannot confer True Happiness. People say America
is a land of prosperity. What is the use of all affluence? They do not
have peace of mind. Bharathiyas are the embodiments of peace. They may
not have such comforts, but have love for God.

"Of the time one spends on children, friends and worldly pleasures,
acquiring wealth, power, name and fame, if only a fraction is spent
contemplating on the Lotus Feet of the Lord, one can even escape the
mighty doors of hell, the abode of Yama (God of Death)." (Sanskrit Poem)

Today, man has got limitless worries. Birth, death, life on earth,
family life, childhood, old age, livelihood, failure, all actions,
difficulties, happiness, misery -These are the twelve worries which are
mainly responsible for man's sorrow. O people, think of God and be free
from ali these worries. (Telugu Poem)

In ancient times the kings ruled over their kingdoms in a righteous
manner. The very name of Emperor Bali instills fear in the minds of
people. But, Bali was the very embodiment of compassion. He was an
ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu and he upheld the principles of
righteousness. God loved him, since he had these three sacred qualities.
It is enough if you have 'Vishnu Bhakthi (Devotion to Lord Vishnu). Only
devotion can make you free from misery. Prahlaada always chanted the
name of Hari.

"Narayana Bhaja Narayan,
Narayana Bhaja Narayan, Narayan,
Thanu Mana Ranjana, Bhava Bhaya
Bhanjana, Asura Nikhandana Narayan"

In spite of being pushed down from mountains, drowned in the oceans,
trampled by the wild elephants, bitten by poisonous snakes, he repeated
Narayana's name. Only the name of Narayana helped him to overcome all
these troubles. Only devotion will make you forget all your problems and
experience Bliss. Even Sakhubai, the great devotee of Lord Panduranga
continuously chanted the name of Ranga in order to overcome the troubles
caused by her husband and mother-in-law. Gora Kumbhar forgot all his
worries singing the name of the Lord. Such is the power of the Divine name.

What man needs today is Bliss. "Duhka Nivritthi, Ananda Praapthi'
(Alleviation of misery and attainment of Bliss) should be the sole aim
of man. For this man has to make friendship with God. In this world, you
may have many friends. But all of them can only say, 'Hello, How are
you, Goodbye', nothing more! God is not like that. He is always with
you, in you, around you, above you, and below you. Since man is
distancing himself from God who is the True and Eternal friend, he is
subject to sorrow. Today, man is after money and power and does not
think of God. How long do money and power last? They come and go. That's
what Sankaracharya said, "Maa Kuru Dhana Jana Yavvana Garvam, Harathi
Nimeshaat, Kaalah Sarvam', which means money, power and position are
momentary and will not last long.

"Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam,
Govindarn Bhaja Moodha Mathey,
Sampraapthe Sannihithe Kaale,
Nahi, Nahi Rakshathi Dhhukrun Karane"

"Neither your studies nor your youth and wealth will come to your rescue
in the end, so chant the name of Govinda", said Adi Shankara. God is the
only refuge and only He can come to your rescue in the end. So develop
faith in God. He is the only Savior. All the world that you see with
your naked eyes is only apparent Truth. All that you see is Pravritti,
(external) but there is a basis for this. That is called 'Nivritti
(Internal). The unseen roots are the basis for the tree, which is seen.
For buildings, foundation is the basis. Today, you are bothered about
only the building (body), and not the foundation. "Body is the Temple of
God. But, what is the nature of this body? ". It is full of dirt and
diseases. It cannot cross the ocean of Samsara. So, O mind, never think
that this body is permanent. Surrender yourself at the Lotus Feet of the
Lord." (Telugu Poem) How long will this body remain? "Body is like a
water bubble; mind is like a mad monkey; so do not follow the body; do
not follow the mind, follow the conscience." This is the principle of
Atma. But man follows the body and the mind, leaving the conscience. No
doubt, for the earthly sojourn, the body and the mind are necessary, but
you should not give undue importance to them.

Emperor Bali did undertake all the sacred activities, but he had in him
two bad qualities, ego and possessiveness (Ahamkaaram and Abhimaanam).
Even Arjuna had these feelings during the Mahabharatha war. He began his
address to Krishna uttering the syllable, 'Sva', which means 'Svaartha',
'Svejana' (I and My people). This is called 'Moha'(attachment). As long
as man does not give up this 'Moha', he will not get 'Moksha'
(Liberation). All your education and jobs will not follow you at the
end. All these are passing clouds. That is why the Gita said, "Anithyam,
Asukham Lokam, Idam Praapya, Bhajasvamaam"(As the world is temporary and
fell of misery, think of God continuously). Keeping God, who is eternal,
in your heart, you should lead your lives in this temporary world.

Once Bali performed a Yajna, by name 'Sarvajit. Vamana also attended the
Yajna. Emperor Bali welcomed him and paid his respects. Till then,
Vamana did not ask for anything. In fact, he was planning how to subdue
the ego of Emperor Bali. In this world, for any work, people plan in
advance. But God's plan is not an ordinary one. God always thinks of the
future and plans accordingly. Vamana went to Emperor Bali and asked for
three footsteps of land. But his preceptor, Sukracharya warned him
against giving what Vamana asked for, since he knew who Vamana was, and
the purpose for which He had come. Then Bali said, "Guruji, the hand of
the giver is always on the top end the receiver's is at the bottom. When
God Himself comes to me and asks for something, His hand will be below
that of mine. That is enough for me." Even there, we find a trace of the
ego.

What is the inner meaning of the Inhalation and exhalation processes,
i.e., 'So - Ham'? 'So' means 'That' (God); 'Ham' means I. The sum and
substance of this is, we have to take God into us ('So' -Inhalation) and
leave out Ahamkaram ,i.e., ego ('Ham' - Exhalation). This is called
"Hamsa Gayathri". This Inhalation and Exhalation process goes on
continuously for 21,600 times in a day in us. This means, you welcome
God into you and drive out ego from you as many times. So long there is
ego in you, you will never be happy. No doubt, Emperor Bali was a great
devotee, but he was also egoistic. Ego is a bad quality for a devotee.
Only through love, peace, humility, and courage can you overcome ego. A
true Guru should have six qualities - Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love,
Non-violence and Bliss. But Sukracharya did not have these qualities.

God came down in order to destroy the ego of Bali and distribute Love to
the entire world. Bali was granted a boon that he should be allowed to
come and visit his people on this day, every year. That day is
celebrated as Onam. Be it an emperor or an innocent person, one can
attain God only through Love.

Many lights are glowing in this hall. Some people are listening, some
are dozing. The light is unaffected by all these. It is a witness.
Similarly, in the broad day light, some do good, and some do bad. The
Sun remains unaffected by your deeds. Your bad actions can never harm
God. Your good actions will never make Him happy either. Be it good or
bad, you will have to reap the fruits of your actions. God is
'Jyothirmayudu (Embodiment of Light). So He has nothing to do with your
good or bad. He is just a witness. He is present in everybody as
conscience. That is why I keep telling, "Follow the Master, Face the
devil, Fight to the end and Finish the game. Who is your Master? Here,
Conscience is your Master. So, follow your Conscience till the end of
your life. Never give up in the middle. Once you have Love in your heart
you can accomplish anything. You should not have hatred towards anybody.
We should love even those who hate us. As a result, there will be
transformation in their 'Hridaya '. 'Hri' +'Daya' = 'Hridaya which means
the heart should be full of compassion. Humanity is also called
'Mankind'. So man should have compassion in his heart. But, today there
is no compassion, only fashion exists. So long as fashion is there,
compassion does not find a place, because 'Hridaya' is a single chair;
not a double sofa, nor a musical chair.

"Life is a game, play it". The difficulties, the pleasures and pains,
the profits and losses, come and go like passing clouds. The very name
of the world is 'Ja -gath', which means that which comes and goes. In
this world only God is permanent, everything else is transitory. But, we
go by this changing world, forgetting God. As a result of which, we suffer.

Embodiments of Love! God is not separate from you. He is in you. But,
you are distancing Him from yourself. Out of the fire comes the ash, but
it covers the fire itself. Once you blow the ash away, you can see the
fire. Similarly, there is the fire of Divinity in you, but it is covered
by the ash of worldly desires. In order to see God, you do not need to
undertake any spiritual practices, all that you have to do is to get rid
of ignorance. God is more close to you than even your own mother. You
are distancing yourself from such Divinity. That is ignorance. In order
to get rid of this ignorance, you should develop Love.

You are God, this is the teaching of all the religions. Christ initially
said that "I am the Messenger of God". There is always a distance
between Messenger and his Master. After some time, Christ said that, "I
am the Son of God." Here the relationship with God has increased. After
a few more years, Christ said, "I and My Father are One." Then comes the
Holy Ghost. This is what Bharathiyas described as 'Dvaita' (Dualism),'
Vishistaadvaita' (Qualified Non-dualism), 'Advaita' (Non-dualism) and
the state of 'Thureeya'. Even in Zoroastrianism, it is said, "l am in
the Light, the Light is in Me, and finally I am the light." You should
know the Truth that you are God. You are a human being in form, but
truly, you are God. You are not the body, the mind, the senses, the
intellect, you are You only. When I say, this is My handkerchief, that
means, the kerchief is separate from me. Similarly, when you say, this
is my body, the body is separate from you. Then who are you? The body,
mind and senses are your instruments. You are the Master, so master the
mind and be a Master mind. Understand this Truth and conduct yourself
accordingly. Then you will not suffer at all. In times of difficulties,
you should think of God more and more, like Prahlaada. You should love
God more and more. Love has no limits. No one can describe Love. So Love
is God, live in Love. You are the embodiment of Love. Yet you suffer
because of your attachment to the body. What is this body? This body is
temporary and is bound to perish at any time. Death can come at any
point of time, be it in childhood, or in youth, or in old age. Why do
you attach so much importance to such a body? So long you are alive, you
have to maintain your body in good shape. Body is like a chariot meant
for traveling. Mind is like a horse. Man today keeps the horse behind
the chariot. As a result of which, he is traveling in the reverse
direction. Always the horse should be in front of the chariot, which
means we have to give primary importance to the mind and next to the
body. But, today people all the time feed only their body and not the
mind. With the result the horse is becoming weaker and the chariot
heavier. How can a weak horse pull a heavy chariot? Just as you feed
your body thrice a day, your mind also should be fed likewise. Prayer,
meditation, or chanting of the names of God is the breakfast for your mind.

Gayathri Manthra says, "Om Bhur Bhuvah Suvah..." 'Bhur' means
'Materialisation' (body), 'Bhuvah' means 'Vibration' (Life Force),
'Suvah' means Radiation (Prajnanam). All these three are present in us.
The same teaching is given to small children at the time of 'Upanayanam'
(Thread Ceremony). Such sacred teachings are being forgotten today. In
ancient times all these were put into practice, now practice is replaced
by fashion. Only through practice, one can get happiness. What we need
is practical science and not platform speeches. All the platform
speeches are out of bookish knowledge, which is of no use to us. We need
to have practical knowledge. Devotion bereft of practice is useless.
Embodiments of Love! Practice at least one or two. Only then you will be
peaceful. In a family of three persons, if there is no unity among
themselves, there will be unrest. Similarly, if there is no unity in our
thought, word and deed, we will be totally restless. So, we should
harmonize these three. Let it be any name, constantly chant that name.
Always have the feeling that I am God, I am God. Then you become God. As
you think, so you become. This is what is called "Brahmavid Brahmaiva
Bhavathi".

All have devotion, all are sincere, but there is no sacrifice. 'Bali
means sacrifice. Emperor Bali could attain Divinity through his Devotion
and Sacrifice. Bharath is the birth place of people of great sacrifice
like Emperor Bali and Emperor Sibi. A pigeon sought the refuge of
Emperor Sibi on being chased by an eagle. Sibi granted refuge to the
pigeon. The eagle argued that the pigeon was its prey. Then Sibi said,
"O eagle! I will give you the flesh of my body equal to the weight of
this pigeon", and he started chopping his own flesh. He made such a
great sacrifice for the sake of a small pigeon. Such emperors are many
in number in Bharath. We should follow the ideals of such noble souls.
Since ancient times, Bharath has been the center for all spiritual
wealth spreading the gospel of peace, happiness and security to the rest
of the world.

The mind is nothing but a bundle of desires. If you separate threads,
cloth disappears. Similarly, if you remove desires one by one, the mind
ceases to exist. In ancient times, this was referred to as 'Thyaga'
(Sacrifice). Today, many people talk of 'Thyaga'(sacrifice), bat in fact
are immersed in 'Bhoga' (pleasures), which results in 'Roga' (disease).
In order to get rid of this 'Roga', one has to cultivate 'Thyaga' and
love for God.

"Start the day with Love
Fill the day with Love
Spend the day with Love
End the day with Love
This is the way to God."

Embodiments of Love! Emperor Bali served the people of Kerala, and
sacrificed everything, including his body. That is why he has attained
such an exalted position, not possible for others. The devotion of the
people of Kerala is unparalleled. At one time, Kerala was considered to
be a Communist state, but people have been going to the Padmanabha Swamy
Temple then and now in large numbers. They get up early in the morning,
have their bath, apply sandal paste on their foreheads and offer their
prayers. There is no change in their devotion. Parties may come and go,
but the 'Hridaya party'(Party of the Spiritual Heart) is permanent.

A Muslim should become a True Muslim; a Christian should become a True
Christian and a Hindu should become a True Hindu. You should have full
faith in your religion and lead an ideal life. That is True 'Bhakthi
(Devotion), True 'Mukthi (Liberation). To attain 'Mukthi', practice the
following principles. Forget all the harm done to you by others and the
help you have done to others. Then you will have peace in your heart. If
someone has done harm to you, do not be revengeful. If someone has hurt
your feelings, in order to alleviate your suffering, the best way is to
forget and forgive. Forgiveness is very important. It is Truth, it is
Dharma, it is Veda, it is nonviolence, it is happiness, it is heaven
itself. This forgiveness is everything in all the worlds. So cultivate
this sacred quality of forgiveness. This is possible only by developing
Love for God.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Bhagavan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajans: Prema Mudira Manase
Kaho... and Subramanyam, Subramanyam...]