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Date:25 Sep 1998 Occasion:Dasara Place:Prashanti Nilayam

The Path Of Love

Sathyam Maatha, Pithaa Jnaanam,
Dharmo Bhraatha, Daya Sakhaa,
Shaanthi Pathni, Kshama Putraha,
Shadayithe Jana Baandhavaha

Embodiments of Love!

For those who are leading a worldly life, it is rather difficult to
understand spirituality. But it is essential for everyone, who is
treading along the Outward Path (Pravritthi Maarga) to know Divinity. In
this world, every individual has a mother. But Truth is the mother of
the entire humanity. Those who follow this mother will never face any
difficulties in life. The worldly mothers are bound by space and time
and will have to leave their bodies at one point of time, but Truth is
not limited by space and time and remains the same in all the three
periods of time. It is the master of all the three worlds. So, everyone
must necessarily follow such a noble mother (Truth).

"Pitha Jnaanam," Wisdom is the father. Wisdom does not mean worldly
knowledge. "Advaitha Darshanam Jnaanam," True Wisdom confers the
experience of non-dualism.

"Dharmo Bhraatha," Dharma is the brother. This brother is the embodiment
of Love, and loves the entire humanity, irrespective of caste, creed,
nationality and religion. Basing on this, the Vedas gave utmost
importance to Truth and Righteousness. In the great epic Ramayana,
Lakshmana personified this principle of Dharma. When he fainted in the
battlefield, Rama lamented saying that he could get a consort like Sita,
a mother like Kausalya, but not a brother like Lakshmana. Rama said His
Divinity blossomed because he had a brother like Lakshmana.

"Daya Sakha," Compassion is the true friend. In this world a friend
today may become an enemy tomorrow. But, there is no greater friend than
Compassion.

"Shaantham Pathni," Peace is the wife. This is the precious jewel of
saints, and is the royal path in the spiritual field.

"Kshama Putraha," Forgiveness is the son. There is no greater quality
than forgiveness. It encompasses all the good qualities like Truth,
Righteousness, Non-violence and it is the essence of all Vedas.

Therefore, for every individual, the true relations are Truth, Wisdom,
Righteousness, Compassion, Peace and Forgiveness. The whole world is
full of agitation and disturbance because of lack of these sacred qualities.

Embodiments of Love! You should always remember your true mother and
father. You cannot exist without them. The whole creation has emerged
from Truth and merges back into it. There is no place where Truth does
not exist. It is the good fortune of human beings to have this eternal
Truth as their mother. But, today humanity does not follow such a sacred
mother. You worship Goddess Devi in these nine days, Devi Navaratri. You
consider Devi as your Divine Mother. This Goddess Devi is called Sathya
Swaroopini, which means She is the embodiment of Truth. So, worshipping
Truth amounts to worshipping the Goddess Devi. If you understand and
follow this Truth, you will be successful in every field. Veda also
proclaims this Truth. There are many in this world who have gone through
these Vedas and sacred texts, but their views seem to be diverted and
perverted. Since ancient times, the sages and saints undertook many
spiritual practices in quest of Truth. They determined not to give up
till they had the vision of Truth. Ultimately they declared to the world
that they had seen God, who is all brilliance, full of effulgence and is
beyond the darkness of ignorance. They also declared that God is not
far-off in a distant land, but is present in the human body. The saints
had the vision of God, who is Chinmaya (full of effulgence) in the body,
which is Mrinmaya (made of mud). So, we should not underestimate the
human body and use it for mean and worldly pleasures. Body is the temple
of God. This body may be compared to an iron chest. Just as the precious
jewels are kept in the iron chest, so also God is present in the human
body. So, the body has to be maintained and made proper use of for the
sake of the precious jewel, Atma. You get jewels only from earth.
Similarly, you have to search for the jewel of Atma only in the body,
which is made of mud.

Let us investigate, what comes in the way of experiencing the Atmic
Principle. Ego and attachment stand as obstacles in our path. Only when
you give up this ego and attachment, you will have purity of heart,
which in turn will lead to the experience of Supreme Wisdom. The more
you develop attachment, the more restless you become. Ego is much more
dangerous. It has become an incurable disease in human beings. So, you
have to keep ego and attachment under control and engage yourself in the
quest of Atmic bliss.

During these sacred nine days (Navaratri), people go through the sacred
texts such as Devi Bhagavatha, Ramayana and Mahabharatha. People also
worship the deities Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi. This Trinity is
present in the principle of Truth. Goddess Gayathri has three heads.
They are: Gayathri, Savitri and Saraswathi. Gayathri is the presiding
deity of your senses. Savitri is the presiding deity of Life Principle.
Saraswathi is the presiding deity of speech. All these three are within
the same principle of Truth. Gayathri Mantra begins with "Om Bhur Bhuvah
Suvah". 'Bhu means Materialisation (Body); 'Bhuvah' means Vibration
(Life Principle}; Suvah' means Radiation (Atma). Venkataraman, the
previous speaker, said that the matter became energy and vice-versa.
From a scientist's point of view, that is true. But, in My view, matter
and energy do not exist separately. Matter is energy and energy is
matter. These two are interdependent and interrelated. In fact, there is
no matter in this world, wherever you see, you find only energy.

During these nine days Goddess Shakthi (Principle of Energy) is
worshipped. Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Forgiveness are all the
expressions of the Principle of Shakthi. Truth is the primal cause.
There is nothing other than this. All faculties of energy are present in
this Truth. So consider Truth as your mother and follow it. The Vedas
proclaim, " Sathyam Vada; Dharmam Chara," which means speak Truth and
follow Righteousness. Unfortunately, today people do not follow this.
This is the cause of all suffering. Ancients gave utmost priority to
Truth and Righteousness. They followed the dictates of their'
conscience. But today such an attitude is lacking.

Many people say they are in search of Divinity. Once you follow the path
of Truth, you will find Divinity everywhere. A small example: The same
eyes see the mother, daughter, wife and sister. Here you need to inquire
as to what kind of feeling you should have towards each. This is the
quest for Truth. Mother should be viewed with reverence and respect,
daughter should be considered as a part of your own being. In this way
you should inquire and understand the Truth.

If you just go by the direct evidence of what you see, you will never
know the Truth. All that you see is bound to perish. There are many
things, which cannot be perceived by the naked eye. In spiritual path
everyone wants direct evidence (Pratyaksha Pramanam). But direct
evidence cannot constitute the entire Truth. For example: You see a
person who is four feet five inches tall, weighing forty-five kilograms
and fair complexioned. All these can be seen by the naked eye. But you
cannot go merely by these physical qualities. You should also take into
consideration the unseen qualities in him such as love, compassion,
anger etc. It is utter foolishness if you go by the physical form, which
is direct evidence. It is not possible to see the direct manifestation
of God. God, who is the embodiment of Truth and Righteousness, is
everywhere. So, you practice Truth and Righteousness and enjoy the bliss.

For everything, conscience is the witness. If you do not follow the
conscience, everything becomes unsacred. Atma is the eternal witness and
that is conscience. Atma is everywhere. It is in every individual and
every creature. It has no form. it is attributeless, eternal, ancient,
unsullied, immortal. Who can understand such an Atmic Principle? You
speak of Truth and consider whatever you see and hear as Truth, but all
this is limited to senses. But Atma is beyond senses. Then how to know
this Atmic Principle? You do not need to search for this elsewhere. Turn
your vision inward. The Vedas said: "Pashyannapi na pashyathi moodho,"
he is a fool who sees, yet does not see. All that you see is Divine, but
you mistake it for Nature. The one with Atmic vision will see the entire
Nature as Divine. But if you have the worldly view, you can only see the
world. "Viswarn Vishnu mayam," Vishnu pervades the entire universe.
Names and forms may vary, but Atma is uniform in all. To understand this
unity, you have to turn your vision inward. There is no separate path to
know God other than knowing one's own Self.

There is no human being that has no hunger for food. Similarly, you
should also have hunger for God. Some people may call it madness; that
is their madness. Each has his faith, conviction and experience. No one
has the right to criticize others.

It is only the body that has birth and death, but Atma has no birth and
no death. It has no beginning and no end. It is the all-pervading
eternal Brahma. Who is Brahman? He is not the one with four heads as
described in books. Brahma is vastness. You find only Brahma wherever
you see. This expansion of Love is God. The feeling of 'my body' is
contraction of Love, which is death. So, you should expand your Love.
Your Love should not be limited to your family and relations.

In Mathematics 1+1+1+1 becomes 4. The number increases or decreases
depending on whether 1 is added or subtracted. But in spiritual
mathematics, Atma+Atma+ Atma results again in Atma. It does not increase
or decrease. The first name of Atma is '1'. Vedas declared. "Aham
Brahmasmi' (I am Brahman). This '1' is the first name of God. It is
possible to know this '1' only by following the path of Truth.

In this world, only Truth exists, there is no falsehood. If you find
falsehood, the mistake lies in your vision (Drishti) and not the the
Creation (Srishti). If you put on blue glasses, the world appears as
blue in color; if you put on red glasses, you will find only redness all
around. The defect lies with the color of the glasses, but not with the
world. The very principle of creation is Divinity. "Sarvam Khalvidam
Brahma," so revere everyone as Brahman. Love everyone as Brahman. Then
there will be no scope for hatred or enmity. What is the reason for all
agitation in this world? It is the lack of equanimity. Only through
equanimity, you can develop Love.

Embodiments of Love! In these seven days of Yajna, we have seven modes
of worship. We call it 'Sapthaham,' seven day event. What is the
significance of having a 'Sapthaham'? This number 'Seven' is very
significant in Numerology. In music, we have Saptha Swaras (Seven
Notes). There are Seven Oceans, Seven Rishis, Seven colors and Seven
Worlds. They are all within us. There is nothing beyond you. It is
foolishness to think that God is separate from you and search for Him
outside. You are God. But since you identify yourself with body, you are
not able to understand this Truth. Body is like a water bubble, and mind
is like a mad monkey. Why do you rely on these two? Follow your
conscience. Only then you will have self-satisfaction.

Atma symbolizes 'Hridaya' (Spiritual Heart). God dwells in 'Hridaya'.
Only sacred qualities should emerge out of 'Hridaya'. But instead animal
qualities like anger, hatred and jealousy emerge; then you are a beast,
not a human being. Such a heart is a dwelling place for animals, not
God. If you conduct yourself with peace, love and compassion, then you
are God. The Navaratri worship has been started in order to foster
sacred qualities in us. Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi symbolize the
three attributes, Satwa, Rajas and Thamas. Satwic qualities emerge out
of 'Hridaya', Rajasic out of throat and Thamasic out of tongue.
'Hridaya' is the center of Love and Peace.

You would have heard the name 'Dasaratha'. Who is he? He is not the king
of Ayodhya. Dasaratha refers to the human body that has got five senses
of perception and five senses of action. The master of these ten senses
is Dasaratha. This body is a chariot and Dasaratha is the master of this
chariot. He had three wives. They signify Satwic, Rajasic and Thamasic
qualities. He had four sons. They signify the four objectives of life:
Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. What is the capital of Dasaratha's
kingdom? 'Ayodhya' which means it is a place where no one can get into.
It signifies 'Hridaya', where no wicked qualities can enter.

The entire universe is within you. The mountains may appear smooth from
a distance, but once you go near, you will know the truth. It is the
distance that lends enchantment. As long as you think that Kailasa,
Vaikuntha and Swarga are at a distant place, you will go mad thinking of
them. But actually all of them are in your 'Hridaya'. Your happiness is
heaven and your misery is hell. The concept of hell and heaven is
introduced in order to see that you do only good. Heaven and hell are
not separate; they are in your mind. What is the cause of misery? Your
own actions. Buddha did penance for six long years. One day he opened
his eyes and said, he had caught hold of the thief. Who is the thief? It
is the mind. He realized that mind was the root cause of all suffering.
If you control your mind, you will never suffer. Churchill said, "Man
has conquered everything, but he has not conquered himself." Man is
trying to know everything without understanding his true Self. Know thy
Self, then you will know everything. This is what the Upanishads said,
"Try to know and experience that by which everything is known and
experienced." That is Atmic bliss, which is eternal and supreme. "True
happiness lies in union with God." If you are with the world, you will
never get happiness.

Human heart can be compared to the Ocean of Milk (Ksheera Sagara), but
today it has become one of salinity (Kshaara Sagara). Lord Vishnu
reclines on the Ocean of Milk, which means He resides in our hearts. But
if we make our heart into 'Kshaara Sagara', then whales and sharks (bad
qualities) enter. Human heart should be pure, only then Lord Vishnu can
recline on it. If you understand God, you will not search for Him
outside. "God is with you, in you, above you, below you, around you."
There is no one nearer than God. God is nearer than your physical
mother. So, worship God as your mother, who is the embodiment of Truth.

I always begin My discourse with a sloka or a poem and conclude it with
a bhajan. Do you know what they are? The first poem or sloka is like a
plate, the discourse can be compared to the various delicious items that
are served on the plate, and the bhajan in the end is like a plate
covering the delicious items. Do not treat this as a Mandhu (medicine),
thereby taking a little. Treat this as a Vindhu (banquet) and partake of
the delicious items that I serve to the maximum extent. Experience and
enjoy this banquet.

Students! Embodiments of Love! You have got to learn many things in
daily life. First know the mistakes in your life and try to correct
them. Love is essential to become a complete human being. If you follow
the path of Love, everything becomes Love.

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

(Bhagavan concluded His discourse with the bhajan, "Prema Mudhitha
Manase Kaha ... ")