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Date:30 Sep 1998 Occasion:Dasara Place:Prashanti Nilayam

POWER OF DIVINE LOVE

Nirguno Nishkriyo Nithya Nirvikalpo Niranjanaha
Nirvikaaro Niraakaaro Sarva Mukthaihi Labhyaha

Attributeless, unattached to work, ever pure in mind, ever blissful,
unsullied and formless. He (the absolute) is accessible to all liberated
souls.

There is one principle, which is attribute-less, formless, eternal and
beyond thought, word and action. That is the principle of Love.
Upanishads call this Love as Atma. How can man understand this Love,
which is attribute-less and formless? This Love is not an intellectual
exercise, nor is it psychological; nor is it a reflection in the
dreaming state. It is the life principle of all living creatures. Noble
souls propagated this principle of Love in various ways. Many elders,
youngsters, scholars lecture on this principle of Love and sing its
glory. But, no poetry, no composition, no language can describe Love.
"Yatho Vaacho Nivarthanthe Apraapya Manasaasaha," Love cannot be
described in thought and word. It is beyond human comprehension and
narration. Love has no form, it can be seen only in practice.

If one is to ask, what is the form of Love, it can be said Love is God.
Who is God? Where is God? What is His form? How to search Him? This has
been the continuous inquiry since ancient times. But, none can describe
Divinity. Vedas said: "Vedaahametham Purusham Mahaantham Aadithyavarnam
Thamasah Parasthaath" (Divinity shines with the brilliance of thousand
Suns, beyond the darkness of ignorance). Divinity is beyond the human
understanding and expression.

How can one recognize Divinity who is the embodiment of Love! In this
world Love assumes various forms, as expressed by mother, father,
brother, wife, friends and relations. In this worldly love you find
selfishness and self-interest. But the Divine Love is absolutely
selfless. Just as God loves all, you should also make efforts to love
all, because in the Bhagavad Githa, God says, "Mamaivaamsho Jeevaloke
Jeevabhoothah Sanathanaha" which means all are the sparks of Divine. So,
as He loves you, you should also love all and make all happy. But, today
one does not find such love between human beings. Divine Love does not
expect anything in return. In order to cultivate such Divine Love, man
should have the faith that he is the spark of the Divine and He should
understand that the same God is present in all. Once he understands and
develops faith in this Truth, he can love everybody. Today one does not
find such love, it only means that man has no faith in the statement of
God ( Mamaivaamso . . . ).

Just as a Mariner's compass always points towards north, likewise under
all circumstances Love is directed towards God. Time, space and
individuals do not affect Love. Love is the true sign of Divinity.
Understanding Love amounts to understanding Divinity. None can decide
the form of God. When you enter a cinema theatre, you find a white
screen. Merely watching the screen does not satisfy you. Once the show
commences, you find different characters projected on the screen.
Without the screen, can you see the picture? No. But, when the picture
is projected, though the screen exists, it is not seen. The screen
exists all the time - before, during and after the show. Vedas declared:
"Anthar Bahischa Thath Sarva Vyaapya Narayana Sthithaha" (God is present
within and around). Like the screen is to the picture, so is the Atma
for the creation. The screen of Atma is present within and around all
beings and it is the primordial basis for the entire creation.
Therefore, it is said: "Sarvam Vishnumayam Jagath" (Divinity pervades
everywhere). Divinity is present in the 'picture', around the 'picture'.

So, who can decide the form of such Divinity?

On the screen of Love, you find the picture of the universe. This Love
is present in the name of Atma in all the beings. What form can you
attribute to the Love present in you? It is not possible. How can a
person who does not understand his true nature, understand God? So first
and foremost one should make efforts to understand one's own Self.

The Atma has no definite name and form. "Ek Prabhu ke anek naam" (The
one Lord has many names). Atma is the fundamental principle, which is
pure, steady and unsullied. It forms the basis for the entire universe.
Without the basis of the Atma, the universe cannot exist. Vedas
declared: "Pashyannapi Napashyathi Mooddho" (he is a fool who even after
seeing This does not recognize it). The same principle of Atma is
reflected in all beings. God is the basis for the entire universe. It
appears rather mysterious when we enquire where God is? God is in forest
and also in mansion. He is present in your Heart and also in your
speech. He is present everywhere. So, never make an attempt to
comprehend Divinity. Instead have faith in God, follow Him, worship Him
and experience bliss.

In order to experience Divinity, understand this example. The very
nature of mother is love. Mother has a form, but love has no form.
Mother herself is the form of love. Due to the presence of Atmic
principle, you are able to see its reflection in the form of world. The
whole world is nothing but reflection, reaction and resound. Atma is the
reality. But man has forgotten the reality and is seeing only the
reflection. You cannot have reaction without action, you cannot have
resound without sound. Though the Sound is everywhere, you are not able
to hear it. Though the Reality is everywhere, you are not able to see
it. How will you be able to see it? With unflinching faith and selfless
love, think of God continuously. God will certainly manifest before you.
Today man chants the name of God and desires to see Him. But as he lacks
steady faith, he is not able to experience Divinity. Man has become
blind having lost the two eyes of faith. Faith is most important.
Self-confidence is the foundation on which one can build the walls of
self-satisfaction. On the walls of self-satisfaction, one can lay the
roof of self-sacrifice. Under the roof of self-sacrifice, one can lead a
life of self-realization. You cannot have walls without foundation and
roof without walls. So self-confidence, the foundation, is very important.

Today man pretends as if he has love, but he does not know what it is.
Our Vice-chancellor described Swami's Love as that of thousand mothers'
love. But the one who cannot understand the love of one mother, how can
he understand the love of thousand mothers. So, first and foremost try
to understand and experience the love of your physical mother. This is
the significance of Mother worship in this Navaratri.

The culture of Heart is the standard of life. What is this culture? It
is the divine feeling that originates in the Heart. All the materials
and powers of the world are present in your Heart. Men may vary in name
and form, but the cultural principle of the Heart is one and the same.
God resides in this Heart. What is His form? Vedas describe Him as
formless, attribute-less, ancient and eternal. No one can attribute a
name to God. Had anyone existed before God, they would have named Him.
But, none existed before God. Creation itself did not exist.

For crores of years, there existed only darkness. At that time, the sun
and the moon did not exist and there was no living creature. Nothing was
seen. Then it rained heavily for lakhs and lakhs of years. This resulted
in the formation of oceans. From the oceans, rivers originated. Then
there was light in this world, and one could see the sun and the moon.
Human habitation came into existence only after this entire process,
which took place for many crores of years. Then how do you expect man to
understand Divinity?

First and foremost man has to kill the Thamasic quality in him. Though
water has no color, it appears red when poured into a red bottle.
Similarly the Atmic principle, which is pure and unsullied, appears
'red' in a person with Rajasic quality; 'dark' in a person with Thamasic
quality and 'bright' in the Heart of a person with Satwic quality.

In the Bhagavad Githa Krishna said He created four 'Varnas' (
Chaathurvarnamaya Srusti). But people mistake these four castes -
Brahmana, Vaisya, Kshatriya and Sudra. Here Varna refers to the color,
but not to the caste. Russians are red-complexioned, British's are
white-complexioned, Japanese are yellow-complexioned and the Africans
are dark-complexioned. The remaining colors are only the combinations of
these four colors.

Students chant a prayer and offer the food to God before they partake of
it. How do they pray?

Brahmaarpanam Brahmahavir
Brahmaagnou Brahmanaahutham
Brahmaivathena Ganthavyam
Brahmakarma Samaadhina"

They think they are offering the food to Brahma. But, where is Brahma?
He is within. He gives immediate response. What is it?

"Aham Vaishvaanarobhoothva
Praaninaam Dehamaasrithaha
Praanaapaana Samayukthah
Pachaamyannam chathurvidham"

What does this mean? It means, Brahma who is present in the form of
Vaishvaanara in you digests the food that you partake. Who is
responsible for your blood circulation? Who makes your heart beat for 24
hours a day? It is all God's creation. None can understand this. In His
creation God has given human beings a special place. He has endowed them
with Constant Integrated Awareness (Pragjnaanam). Vedas declared:
"Pragjnaanam Brahma." (Brahman is Constant Integrated Awareness).

Once, King Vikramadithya convened a meeting of scholars. He asked them,
which is greater among the two - Buddhi (intellect) or Medha Shakthi
(intelligence)? The scholars came to a conclusion that Buddhi is greater
than Medha Shakthi. They said Medha Shakthi was only worldly
intelligence, which was temporary; whereas, Buddhi consisted of five
aspects-Sraddha, Sathyam, Rutham, Yogam and Mahatthatwam. All the
worldly achievements are based on Medha Shakthi, but not on Buddhi.
Buddhi is transcendental and beyond all the senses. It relates to
Nivritthi (inward path); whereas Medha Shakthi relates to Pravritthi
(outward path).

The principle of Love is the most important of all. Love is Atma, Love
is Wisdom, Love is Truth, Love is Righteousness, Love is Peace and Love
is Non-violence. Where there is Love, untruth, violence and restlessness
find no place. Human Heart is a single chair, but not a double sofa, or
a musical chair. So, once you fill your Heart with Love, wicked feelings
have no place in it. Everything is contained in Love. Love is the life
principle. But man has forgotten this principle of Love and is wasting
his time in worldly love. The love between the mother and child is
Vaatsalya (maternal love); the love between wife and husband is Moha
(attachment). It is only the Divine Love that is true Love in the strict
sense of the term. Love applies to God only, none else.

Praachethasa (Valmiki) composed Ramayana consisting of hundred crores of
slokas. Devatas (demi-gods), Rakshasas (demons) and Manavas (Human
beings) came to know that whoever went through Ramayana and follow it
would be liberated. Immediately they approached Brahma and requested Him
for a share of Ramayana. Brahma divided Ramayana into three parts
consisting of 33,33,33,333 slokas each and distributed to them. One
sloka remained consisting of 32 letters. Then Brahma again divided these
letters into three parts consisting of ten letters each and distributed
to them. Ultimately two letters remained. These are the two letters of
the holy names of God - Rama, Krishna, Hari, Shiva, Sai and Baba, which
were equally given to them. For all these names the primordial principle
is Love.

Only through Love world peace can be achieved, non-violence can be
practiced. Buddha said, non-violence is the supreme dharma. He did
penance for six years. He approached elders and listened to their
teachings, but he could not get any benefit out of them. Ultimately he
enquired within and found out the Truth. He said sacred vision (samyak
drishti) led to sacred feelings (samyak bhaavam), which in turn led to
sacred speech (samyak vaak). Sacred speech (samyak vaak) led to sacred
action (samyak karma). Spiritual sadhana does not mean doing meditation
or japa. Undertaking sacred actions is the true sadhana. Krishna has
said: "Karmanyevaadhikaarasthe Maaphaleshu Kadachana," you have got
right on action but not on the results. Human society is bound by
action. So undertake good actions.

Today, man does not make an effort to know why the body is gifted. The
body is gifted not for just 'loading' and 'unloading'. Food is required
to keep the body fit to undertake sacred actions. As is the food, so is
the head. As is the head, so is God. So partake of sacred food,
undertake sacred actions and join good company. To the extent possible,
render service to the society. Have good feelings in your Heart, speak
good words and do good actions. This is called Trikaranashuddhi (Unity
of Heart, word and deed). Understand that this is the purpose of human
life. Whatever actions you undertake to do them to please God
(Sarvakarma Bhagavath Preethyartham). Divinity pervades everything,
right from an ant to Brahman, but man does not realize this and misuses
his body. Body is the gift of God. To misuse it is a great sin. Sin and
merit are not present in a foreign land; they are attached to your
actions. Good actions yield good results and bad actions yield bad
results. Therefore make proper use of the body, mind and the intellect,
which are the gifts of God.

What is sadhana? Service is true sadhana. Serve the society. Treat
everyone as your brothers and sisters. Only through selfless service,
your life will be redeemed. Consider service unto others as service to
God. Unfortunately today man takes to service expecting something in
return. He has become money-minded. Excessive wealth makes one egoistic.
Ego leads to bad qualities. Excessive desires make one suffer. Misery is
the birthplace of desires. As the desire increases, misery too
increases. "Asamthruptho Dwijo Nashtaha," a discontented man suffers
both ways (i.e. he is not happy with what he has and feels unhappy over
what he has not got). So, be contented with what you have. Experience
bliss and share it with others. If you have devotion, God Himself will
confer bliss.

As our Vice-chancellor said, when Rama asked Hanuman to go to Lanka,
Sugriva, Jambavantha and others doubted if he could cross the ocean.
Then Hanuman smilingly replied that as Rama Himself commanded him to
cross the ocean, He would also grant the strength to do so. He leaped
across the ocean chanting the name of Rama and reached Lanka. Having
been commanded by Rama, he never doubted whether he would accomplish the
task. Once God commands you to do something, He will certainly grant the
necessary skill and strength. So act according to the command of God
without a trace of doubt, you will certainly be successful.

Today as science is progressing, doubts are also increasing in the human
mind. The more intelligent you are, the more doubts you have. So do not
aspire for more intelligence (Medha Shakthi). Make proper use of the
intelligence God has given you.

Happiness lies in union with God. God is the embodiment of Bliss, which
is eternal, unsullied, pure and non-dual. It is most unfortunate if you
forget God. "Never give up Sai and make the best use of the chance
given. Once you lose the opportunity to serve the Lotus Feet of
Partheesha, you will not get it back. Sai grants you devotion, strength
and liberation. Do not ruin yourself by listening to others." Do not
believe anybody; believe your conscience and follow it. Once you follow
your conscience, you will attain consciousness, Atma. Develop
self-confidence, worship God, attain Divinity and be an ideal to the
rest of the world. That is the essence of education.

"The man who studies and studies without discrimination fails to
understand Himself. A mean-minded man can never give up his meanness, in
spite of his vast learning. Why should one waste ones' life in the
pursuit of acquiring useless learning? Better it is to acquire such
wisdom that confers immortality."

The worldly education leads to argumentation, but not total knowledge.
It is all waste of time. It is a sign of ignorance. So never argue with
anybody. "Vaade, vaade Varjathe Vairam," arguments will lead only to
enmity. Today what we need is unity, purity and divinity.

Embodiments of Love! For the last seven days you are a witness to this
holy yagna. Why is it conducted? It is for the welfare of the world. The
name of God should spread everywhere. For example, Delhi is far away
from here, but when you tune your radio to a particular wavelength, you
can hear the songs that are being broadcast in Delhi station. This is
possible because of the presence of electric waves in the atmosphere.
All over the world there are electric waves and magnetic waves. So the
effects of manthras chanted during the yagna will spread all over the
world and purify the atmosphere. Once the manthras enter the air that
you breathe in, you will develop sacred feelings, because there is also
a manthra in you. The body is yanthra, Hridaya is thanthra and the
breath is manthra (Soham). Soham means, "I am God". There is no greater
manthra than this. Therefore, chant this sacred manthra, lead an ideal
life and make the world an abode of peace. In this train of society,
youth are the long journey passengers. As the youth have a long way to
go, they should work for world peace. Teach the principle of Divinity.
Instill Divine feelings even in hard-hearted people. Sow the seed of the
holy name of God in every heart. Then the world will become verily the
heaven. Your happiness is heaven; your grief is hell. So be happy and
serve everybody. Do not have the narrow feeling that only Bharath should
be prosperous; pray for the prosperity of the entire world because all
are your brothers and sisters. Have such broad feelings and sacred
thoughts. Only then the dictum "Lokaah Samasthaah Sukhino Bhavanthu"
will be realized, everyone will be happy. Share this immortal principle
with everybody. Upanishads address you as the sons of immortality
(Srunvanthu Viswe Amruthasya Putraha - listen O' children of
immortality). You should lead your life befitting your name. Thyagaraja
said, "Nidhi Chaala Sukhamaa, Eswara Sannidhi Chaala Sukhamaa, Nijamuga
Thelupumu Manasa," O mind tell me, is it money or proximity to the
Divine that confers happiness. He rejected the money sent by the king
saying Rama is his only wealth. Thyagaraja means one with sacrifice. So
his action befitted his name. There is no heaven beyond sacrifice.
Embodiments of Love! Do not have excessive desire for wealth. Lead a
life of sacrifice. Lead a peaceful life.

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(Bhagavan concluded His discourse with the Bhajan: "Prema Mudhita Manase
Kaho Rama Rama Ram ...")