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Date:19 Nov 1999 Occasion:Womens Day Place:Prashanti Nilayam

The Universal Mother

More fragrant than the sweet-smelling flowers like the Jasmine and the
Champak, softer than the cheese and the butter, more beautiful than eye
of the peacock, more pleasant than the moonlight, is the love of the
mother. (Poem in Telugu)

All that you find in this world, mobile and immobile, is nothing but the
Cosmic Dance of Siva (Siva Thandava). This is wonderful, blissful and
beyond human comprehension. The dualities of night and day, pleasure and
pain, birth and death are endless. Just as birth and death are natural,
so also is the existence of Dharma and Adharma (righteousness and
unrighteousness). When Dharma is on the rise, Adharma is on the decline
and vice-versa. Men and women are responsible for the rise or decline of
Dharma and Adharma. Man, unable to realize the divinity within, is under
the delusion that divinity is different from him.

Sumathi could even stop the sun from rising to save the life of her
husband. Savitri could bring her dead husband back to life. Wherefrom
did they derive their strength? It was the power of their devotion and
chastity. When man worships the Divinity with devotion and earnestness,
the divine qualities - Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram (truth, goodness and
beauty) manifest in him. This divine power is latent in man shining
resplendently. When Kamsa tried to kill his own sister Devaki, her
husband Vasudeva intervened and saved her life. It was possible because
of his innate divine powers. You need not make any special efforts to
acquire the divine powers. They are immanent in you. They will manifest
only when you contemplate on God, forgetting yourself.

Man, forgetting his own divine nature, thinks that God is separate from
him and undertakes various spiritual practices to attain Him. People
adore Him by different names such as Rama, Krishna, Jesus and Allah. But
there is only one fundamental power, which is the embodiment of
Siva-Shakti. This principle of Siva-Shakti is all pervasive. This world
has a very significant name, Bhavani-Shankara. Bhavani means earnestness
and Shankara, total faith. It means that the world is based on the twin
principles of earnestness and faith. Bhavani and Shankara are
inseparable, interdependent and all pervasive. So, the whole world is
the form of Ardhanaareeswara (Androgynous). It is based on this that the
terms 'Srimati' and 'Sri' are used to address the individuals. 'Srimati
denotes Bhavani and 'Sri' symbolizes Shankara. Whatever may be the name
and form you worship, you need to have earnestness and faith. Without
these two, you cannot achieve anything in life. Sraddaavaan Labhate
Jnanam (earnestness leads to wisdom). It is only through faith that one
can realize the divinity within. The divinity in man is the combination
of Bhavani and Shankara.

The whole world is a combination of Ichcha Shakti (will power), kriya
Shakti (power of action) and Jnana Shakti (power of wisdom). Ichcha
Shakti is related to the mind, Kriya Shakti to the body and Jnana Shakti
to the Atma. That is why it is said, you are not one person, but three -
the one you think you are (physical body), the one others think you are
(mental body) and the one you really are (the principle of Atma). You
are essentially divine, but you are unable to understand this. The Vedas
declare: Sarvatah Paani Paadam Tat Sarvathokshi Siromukham, Sarvatah
Srutimalloke Sarvamavritya Thishtathi (with His hands, feet, eyes, head,
mouth and ears pervading everything, God permeates the entire universe).
God is the witness to all that you do. You may hoodwink anybody, but not
God because He is always in you and with you.

Without the grace of Bhavani-Shankara, all your efforts will be futile.
Names and forms are not important as they are subject to change. The
body is like a water bubble, mind is like a mad monkey. You cannot rely
on them. But there is something within, which is true and eternal. That
is Divinity. In order to manifest this latent divinity, you need to
develop earnestness, which in turn strengthens your faith. Tree becomes
bigger and stronger as the roots go deeper. Likewise, faith becomes
stronger as the earnestness increases. No name and no form can ever help
you if faith and earnestness are lacking in you.

Today people undertake various spiritual practices to attain God. But
all these confer only mental satisfaction. Sage Narada propagated the
nine paths of devotion - Sravanam (listening), Kirtanam (singing),
Vishnusmaranam (contemplating on God), Padasevanam (serving His Lotus
Feet), Vandanam (saluting), Archanam (worshipping), Daasyam (being His
servant), Sneham (friendship) and Atmanivedanam (self-surrender). These
practices cannot confer everlasting joy. Have unflinching faith that the
universe is the very form of God (Viswam Vishnuswarupam). Vishnu is the
cause and the Viswam is the effect. These two are inseparable.

The Vedas declare: Acharam Charamevacha (though immobile is apparently
mobile). Here is an illustration: In dream state, you may visit various
places and experience happiness or sorrow, but in reality your body
remains steady on the bed - immobile. So, all that you see and
experience in this world is but a dream. Only the Atma is true and
eternal. The Atma is Sthiram (permanent) and the world is Charam
(changing). Human life is the union of Sthiram and Charam.

Janthoonaam Narajanma Durlabham (Human life is the rarest of all). All
beings are not fortunate to get human birth. All human beings do not
experience Divinity. Some people undertake spiritual practices like idol
worship to attain Divinity. Gradually one should turn one's vision
inward and experience the oneness of the Atma.

It is not all that important how much you love God, what is more
important is how much God loves you. God is the embodiment of Sat Chit
Ananda. Sat means that which is eternal. Chit is total awareness. When
water and sugar are mixed with each other, you get syrup. Likewise, the
combination of Sat and Chit results in Ananda. The Ananda that you
experience out of worldly pleasures is momentary. You will attain true
and everlasting bliss, only when you turn your vision inward and
experience Atma. It has no form, but is full of bliss.

Embodiments of Love!

At the time of birth, man does not have any garland of precious jewels
around his neck, but definitely he has a heavy garland - a garland made
up of the results of past deeds, be good or bad. So, ensure that you do
all that is good and attain Divinity.

The Vedas declare: Mathru Devo Bhava, Pithru Devo Bhava (revere the
mother and father as God). Once Ashok Singhal, the general secretary of
Vishwa Hindu Parishad came to Me with a plea: "Kindly let us know the
birthplace of Rama so that we can construct a temple there". I replied,
"The true birthplace of Rama is the womb of Kausalya." Mother's womb is
the birthplace of one and all, be it a commoner or the Avatar Himself.
Therefore, adore the mother as God. Uphold her name and respect her.

God is nearer and dearer than your physical mother and father. Prahlada,
though he was born to the wicked Hiranyakasipu was an epitome of all
virtues. He had realized the all-pervasiveness of Lord Narayana. He
incessantly chanted the name of Lord Narayana, even when he was bitten
by poisonous snakes, pushed down from mountain tops and thrown into deep
oceans. As he had tremendous faith in Lord Narayana, the Lord came to
his rescue each and every time.

Today, the 19th November is celebrated as Ladies Day only to remind you
of the importance of mother. You should conduct yourself according to
the wishes of your mother. Do not disobey her. Chaitanya the great
devotee of Lord Krishna, married Lakshmi on the insistence of his
mother, though he was not in favor of marriage. But as fate would have
it, Lakshmi passed away soon after the marriage. His mother Sachidevi
felt very sad for having got him married against his wishes. Chaitanya
told her, "This is what happens when one goes against the dictates of
one's conscience." So, if you feel what you are doing is correct, then
try to convince your mother, but never hurt her feelings.

You may be under the mistaken notion that women are weak in body and
mind. But, in fact, they are stronger than men. In the epic Mahabharata,
there is a story of a queen, Pramila, who wanted to marry Arjuna. But
Arjuna was not in favor of the marriage. Pramila sent her
commander-in-chief Malayavathi to capture Arjuna. Malayavathi waged a
fierce battle with Arjuna, ultimately captured him and brought him to
the presence of Pramila. She requested him to marry her, but Arjuna
refused to marry even if it were to cost his life. Pramila was a great
devotee of Lord Krishna, so too was Arjuna. Both of them prayed
fervently. Krishna, being the director of the cosmic drama, had his own
master plan. He appeared there, called Pramila and Arjuna to his side,
brought their hands together and solemnized the marriage.

God can do anything and everything. He can transform earth sky and sky
into earth. But, man lacks devotion and faith in God. He has faith in
worldly matters, not in spirituality. There is nothing superior to
Bhakti (devotion). In the word 'Bhakti,' the syllable 'Bha' stands for
luster and luminosity and 'kti' denotes that which attracts. From
Bhakti, you get Shakti (power) for body, mind and spirit. Through this
Bhakti and Shakti, you get immersed in Rakti (attachment) towards God
and develop Virakti (detachment) towards the world. Then God confers on
you Bhukti (food) and also Mukti (liberation). Thus man has to travel
from Bhakti to Mukti. As I told you yesterday, human life is a journey
from 'I' to 'We'. In order to go to Tirupati, Banaras, Gaya and Prayag,
you may have to take great pains and travel long distances. But the
journey from 'I' to 'We is very short in the sense that you have to
detach yourself from the body and develop attachment towards the Self.
For this, mother's grace is very essential.

When Abhimanyu was in the womb of his mother Subhadra, one day Arjuna
was explaining to her the intricacies and nuances involved in entering
Padmavyuha (a military formation in the shape of a Lotus). Before he
could explain to her how to come out of the Padmavyuha, Lord Krishna
entered the scene and interrupted Arjuna saying, "What a mistake you
have committed! It is not Subhadra, but it is the child in her womb, who
has been listening to you all the while. Where is the necessity for you
to teach the child about Padmavyuha?" He took away Arjuna with him.
Later on in the Kurukshetra war, Abhimanyu lost his life in Padmavyuha,
as he did not know how to come out of it. Why did Krishna do this? It is
because Abhimanyu had to attain Veera Swarga (heaven of the heroes). In
fact, when Kauravas challenged Abhimanyu to enter Padmavyuha, he came to
his mother Subhadra and sought her permission and blessings. But
Subhadra tried her best to dissuade him from going to the battlefield.
She said, "My dear son, it is not an ordinary task to enter Padmavyuha
and come out of it. Moreover your wife is in the family way and your
uncle Krishna and father Arjuna are not at home. So, kindly give up the
idea of going to the battlefield. But Abhimanyu did not pay heed to her
advice. He said, "Mother, I am a Kshatriya by birth. There is no greater
insult for a Kshatriya than to shy away from the challenge posed by the
enemies. In fact, you should encourage me and enthuse me to fight and
annihilate the enemies. It is not proper on your part to discourage me
from going to the war." Abhimanyu knew what he was doing was correct,
but he did not understand his mother's love. He lost his life because he
went to the battlefield against the wishes of his mother.

There is nothing greater than mother's love. Mother's words are always
sweet. At times she may use harsh words, but they are meant only to
correct you, not to hurt you. There may be a wicked son, but there can
never be a wicked mother in this world. Today is declared as mother's
day only to make you understand the value of mother's love and her
concern for you. Among mother, father, teacher and God, mother is given
the topmost priority. The modern youth do not care for the mother. They
think they are highly educated and that the mother does not know
anything. It is a great mistake to think so. Never look down upon the
mother. Even the mother should not compel her children to accede to her
wishes. Through love and sincerity she should put the children on the
proper path. She should aspire that her children be good, they need not
be great. Rama was a good person, whereas Ravana was a great one. Rama
put into practice whatever he had studied and thus earned a good name.
But Ravana was immersed in ignorance, as he did not practice all that he
had studied. As a result, he had earned only a great name, not a good
name. Man needs to have fear of sin and love for God in order to earn a
good name. As man lacks fear of sin and love for God, humanness is on
the decline. This is the cause of restlessness in the world today.

Embodiments of Love!

There is infinite divine power latent in everybody. If you can manifest
it, you can even stop the sun from rising like Sumathi did and you can
even bring the dead, back to life as proved by Savitri. When you
manifest the divine power, you become God.

The Atma is all pervasive. In order to experience the Atma, you need to
have earnestness and faith. Today people pray, Lokah Samastha Sukhino
Bhavantu (may all the world be happy!) It is possible only when
earnestness and faith are fostered. Joys and sorrows are like passing
clouds. They come and go. It is only the morality that comes and grows.
So, develop morality. Do not aspire for wealth, position and power. God
will give you whatever you deserve. Develop love for God. That is the
highest Sadhana.

God is Ganalola and Ganapriya (one who is attracted by singing). Poems
and prayers do not attract God as much as songs sung with devotion do.
All of you have listened to the melodious singing of M.S. Subbalakshmi.
She has earned the title Gana Kokila. I have also seen her play the role
of Meera, when she was very young. Meera prayed to Krishna, "O Lord, I
dived deep into the ocean of Samsara and caught hold the pearl of your
divine name. Please see that it does not slip away from my hands." Uday
Shankar was such a great dancer that one could see his two feet on the
ground while dancing. His wife, daughter-in-law and other disciples have
come here and will be staging a dance program tomorrow. These fine arts
cannot be mastered by practice alone, Divine grace is very essential.
Negative and positive both are essential for the current to flow.
Likewise, human effort and Divine grace should come together to achieve
success.

Students!

God responds according to your feelings. So, do not entertain negative
thoughts. Only a peacock comes out of peahen's egg, even if it were to
be hatched by a hen. A diamond does not lose its value or brilliance
even if it were to be placed in the dung. Likewise, good people will
always earn a good name wherever they are. Ego, hatred and anger are the
worst enemies of man. You may show a little anger on somebody in order
to put him on the right path, but never hate anybody. Never give scope
for anger and ego.

I am showing you by example all that I preach. Some people feel that
Swami does not talk to them because Swami hates them and is angry with
them. It is nothing but their imagination and guilty conscience. I do
not hate anyone. In order to put you on the right path, sometimes I may
pretend to be angry with you. But in reality, I have no anger or hatred
towards anybody. Some people are not able to understand this. They do
Grama Seva (service in the villages) with the expectation that I should
fulfil all their desires. Is that enough to please me? Give up all the
desires and cleanse your Heart. Then I will grant you all that you
require without your asking. How can you expect positive results without
giving up negative thoughts? Fill your heart with positive thoughts.
Fill it with love. Then all your thoughts, words and deeds will be
suffused with love.

Embodiments of Love!

Never forget the love of your mother and under all circumstances make
her happy. I am pleased with you only when you make your mother happy.
As Uma Bharati pointed out, make efforts to understand the oneness of
all. If you think that you are separate from others, then there will be
scope for hatred. Realize that I and you are one. Bodies may be
different, but you are bound by the same love principle. Just as the
mother loves you, you should love everybody. All are the children of
Viswa Maatha (universal mother). All are brothers and sisters. You
should not have any differences whatsoever. The sun is one and the same
for all the worlds. Just as sun is reflected in a water tank, in a
river, in an ocean, likewise, the same Divinity is reflected in the
hearts of one and all. Ekam Sath Viprah Bahudha Vadanti (truth is one,
but scholars refer to it by different names). It is foolish to say that
you like only Rama or Krishna or Siva or Sai Baba. There is only one God
and He is omnipresent. Do not hate other religions. A Hindu should
become a better Hindu, a Christian, a better Christian and a Muslim, a
better Muslim. The one without love can neither be called a Muslim nor a
Hindu nor a Christian nor a Sikh. In fact, he is verily a demon on this
earth. Only those without love give scope to differences based on
religion. You will find the unity of all religions only when you fill
your heart with love.

One refers to one's own country as motherland, but not fatherland. The
culture of Bharat has given utmost importance to the mother. Lord Rama
declared: "Janani Janma BhoomishchchaSwargadapi Gareeyasi" mother and
the mother-land are greater than even heaven. Country is the mother and
the culture, the father. Never forget your country and its culture.
Since ancient times, the culture of Bharat has been propagating the
message of peace and love with the motto, Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
(may all the world be happy!) You have to uphold this sacred culture.

You may worship God in any name and any form you like, but understand
the Truth that God is One and only One.

[Bhagavan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajan, "Hari Bhajana Bina
Sukha Santhi Nahi..].

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