Sai Darshan Home <darshan.html>
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Date:7 May 2001 Occasion:Buddha Purnima Place:Brindavan

Attain God's Grace through Sacrifice and Love

 

I am neither merit nor sin, neither happiness nor misery. I am none of
these either - places of pilgrimage, scriptures or Yajnas (sacrifices).
I am not the food, the consumer of food or the process of eating. I am
the Atman, the very embodiment of Divinity. I am Siva Himself

(Sanskrit Verse)

 

Embodiments of Love!

 

In this world, there is nothing like merit or sin, happiness or sorrow.
Mantras, Yajnas and Yagas are mere rituals. God alone pervades
everything. You are the very form of  the Divine. True humanness lies in
understanding the significance of truth and righteousness and putting
them into practice. Truth is referred to as Neeti (morality),
righteousness relates to Reeti (procedure) and sacrifice confers Khyati
(reputation). Manava ,lathi (human race) is the combination of Neeti,
Reeti and Khyati. Unfortunately, these three are not found in the
present day world.

 


  First Step towards Nirvana is Samyak Drishti

   

Siddhartha, who came to be known as Gautama Buddha, undertook various
spiritual practices in order to realize his true Self. He studied the
Vedas and sacred texts. He met many elderly wise men and tried to know
the truth from them. But none of these practices could show him the path
to Nirvana. Ultimately, he realized that Nirvana lay in making use of
the five senses of speech, touch, vision, taste and smell in a sacred
manner. He understood that Japa, Dhyana, Yoga, Yajna, etc., were mere
physical activities. These spiritual practices are needed for those who
are attached to the body. One who is attached to the Self need not
undertake any of these practices. Buddha taught that Nirvana could be
attained only by cultivating Samyak Drishti (sacred vision), Samyak Vak
(sacred speech), Samyak Sravanam (sacred listening), Samyak Bhavam
(sacred feeling) and Samyak Kriya (sacred action). Today man is
polluting his mind because of his evil vision. Once the mind is
polluted, how can he expect to attain Nirvana? So, first of all he
should develop sacred vision. See no evil, see what is good. Man is
subjected to hardships because of his unsacred vision. Evil vision is
sure to lead to sinful acts. In fact, it destroys his humanness itself.

   

Buddha undertook various types of spiritual practices, but ultimately
left all of them. He could realize the truth only by renouncing
everything and by recognizing unity in the plurality of the world. He
could know the ultimate truth by sacrifice. This is what the Vedas say:
Na Karmana Na Prajaya Dhanena Thyagenaikena Amrutatthwamanasu
(immortality is not attained through action, progeny or wealth. It is
attained only by sacrifice). This immortality is true Nirvana. Samyak
Drishti is the first step towards Nirvana. Consider all that you see as
divine. Let your vision be suffused with love. Vision filled with love
is the hallmark of a true human being. All are one, be alike to
everyone. You can understand unity in diversity only when you develop
sacred vision. Samyak Drishti makes you realize the presence of divinity
in all. The Vedas declare, "Ekam Sath Viprah Babudba Vadanthi” (truth is
one, but scholars refer to it by many names). See the world with the
vision of truth. All are one; all are essentially divine. Give up
multiplicity to attain unity. The Vedanta declares that the Atmic
principle is the underlying unity in diversity. Bulbs are many but the
same current flows in all of them. Likewise, the Atmic principle exists
in all. Man's inability to understand this principle of unity is the
cause of his ignorance. True humanness lies in understanding unity in
multiplicity. You have to develop Samyak Drishti in order to develop
unity. This was the first teaching of Buddha.

 


  Fill your Heart with Love

   

Next, he stressed the need for Samyak Vak (sacred speech). Anudvegakaram
Vakyam Sathyam Priya-hitham Cha Yat (one should speak only those words,
which cause no annoyance to others and which are truthful, agreeable and
wholesome). Whatever you speak should not cause any disturbance to
others. It should be truthful as well as pleasing. You cannot always
oblige but you can speak always obligingly. Sacred speech is the
manifestation of divinity. God exists in the form of Sabda Brahmam
(sound principle). Divinity is represented in eight forms, viz., Sabda
Brahmamayi, Characharamayi, Jyothirmayi, Vaangmayi, Nityanandamayi,
Paratparamayi, Mayamayi and Srimayi (God is the embodiment of sound,
mobility and immobility, light, speech, eternal bliss, supreme majesty,
delusion and wealth). Under any circumstances, do not let your speech be
tainted by harshness. Never become agitated. When you understand that
all are one there will be no chance to get agitated. All bodies are like
mirrors. You are seeing your own reflection in them. How can you ever be
angry with your own reflection? You should speak with love. There is no
divinity greater than love. When you fill your heart with love, your
thoughts, vision, words and deeds will be suffused with love. Because
you are not filling your heart with love, many evil qualities are
finding their way into it and destroying your very humanness.

   

How can you attain God's grace? Here us a small example. You toiled
hard, earned money and deposited it in a bank for safety and security.
No doubt that money belongs to you, but the Bank Manager will not give
it to you on your mere asking for it. There are certain rules and
regulations for the withdrawal of money from the bank. You can withdraw
the money only when you sign the cheque and surrender it to the Bank
Manager. Likewise, you have deposited the 'money' of meritorious deeds
with God, the Divine Bank Manager. Affix the signature of love on the
cheque of sacrifice and surrender it to Him. Only then will He confer
the wealth of His grace on you. This is the royal path to attain peace
and purity; it leads ultimately to Nirvana. Though God is the embodiment
of sacrifice and the money belongs to you, there is a proper procedure
to get it. God is the Manager of the Bank of Love. You have deposited
your money in His bank. In order to  withdraw money from this bank, you
have to submit the cheque of sacrifice with the signature of love. Love
is God; live in love. Anything may happen, your love for God should not
change. Only through such love can you follow the path of sacrifice and
withdraw 'money' from the Divine Bank. Here 'money' does not mean
currency notes. It is the 'money' of grace, wisdom and righteousness.

 


  Control your Senses to Attain Purity of Heart

   

Having undertaken various types of spiritual practices for a long time,
Buddha felt sad that he had wasted a lot of time without attaining the
desired result. He realized that one could attain divinity only by
making proper use of the five senses. God has given the five senses
equally to all, be they rich or poor. You can see the manifestation of
God only when you use your senses in a sacred way. Today man misuses the
senses for the sake of comforts and worldly happiness. He uses the
God-given faculty of speech to criticize and hurt others. Speak
lovingly, softly and sweetly. That is known is Samyak Vak.

 

Along with Samyak Drishti and Samyak Vak, you should also have Samyak
Sravanam (sacred listening). Why has God given ears? Is it to listen to
vain gossip? Ears should listen to only those things, which are related
to the Atmic principle. Only the vibrations of the soul should percolate
through the ears. Never listen to anything unsacred or evil. Your
ultimate goal is to realize the innate Atmic principle, which is the
same in all. There are no differences whatsoever. The Atma that is
present in you is present in everybody. It is attributeless. In order to
realize this Atmic principle, you should fill your heart with love. The
heart is like a vessel. Fill it with the qualities of truth, love and
sacrifice. Then you don't need to ask for peace; it will automatically
manifest from within. In fact, love, truth, etc., are within you. You
should manifest them from within. You cannot acquire them from outside.

   

Everything is the reflection of the inner being. Your innate nature is
always pure. You pollute it because you follow the worldly path and fill
your heart with worldly feelings. The heart is always pure, steady and
selfless. It gets polluted mainly due to unsacred vision, unsacred
listening and unsacred speech. You can maintain its purity only when you
use the five senses in a responsible and sacred manner. Hridaya (heart)
is that which is full of Daya (compassion). Just as one God is
worshipped in many forms and names, the Atma has various names like
Sathya, Dharma, Prema, etc. You have to make efforts to understand and
experience unity in diversity. Buddha could experience bliss only after
understanding this principle of unity. He sacrificed all sensual
pleasures. He understood that all that we experience through the senses
is useless and leads to bondage. He realized that misuse of the senses
destroys the very humanness itself. He left his house and family and
renounced the world. Ultimately, he realized Atmic unity and attained
the state of Nirvana.

   

When Buddha was about to leave his mortal coil, his cousin Ananda was by
his side. Ananda started shedding tears. Then Buddha said to him, "You
are born to experience Ananda (bliss). It is possible only when you make
proper use of your senses." Brahmanandam, Parama Sukhadam, Kevalam
Jnanamurtim, Dwandwateetam, Gagana Sadrisham, Tattwamasyadi Lakshyam,
Ekam, Nityam, Vimalam, Achalam, Sarvadhee Sakshibhutam... (God is the
embodiment of supreme bliss, He is wisdom absolute, the One without a
second, beyond the pair of opposites, expansive and pervasive like the
sky, the goal indicated by the Mahavakya Tattwamasi, eternal, pure,
unchanging and the witness of all functions of the intellect). Instead
of experiencing such eternal bliss, modern man is getting carried away
by sensual pleasures. What is the use of being born as a human being if
you get carried away by sensual pleasures like dogs and monkeys? A
monkey also experiences the same type of sensual pleasure that you
indulge in. Then why should you be born as a human being at all? You
should not behave like a monkey. You belong to mankind. You should have
kindness and compassion. You are born to experience eternal bliss, not
to indulge in fleeting pleasures.

   

At the time of birth, every human being cries, "Alas! I am born in this
world again. I have become distant from Ananda due to my separation from
God" What is the use of human birth if man cries at the time of both
birth and death? First of all, man should understand the purpose of
life. What is it that he has achieved during  the course of his life if
he cries at birth, and also at death? Having been born crying, man
should leave the world smiling. It is possible only when he puts his
senses to proper use in the course of his life. What is death? It is
just the change of dress. Death is the dress of fife. Body is like a
dress. After death, you change over to another dress.

   

Every man aspires to attain Nirvana (liberation). What is the effort
that he is putting in? He has deposited the merits accrued over the past
lives with God. God even gives 'interest' over the 'principal amount'.
All that you need to do is to submit the cheque of sacrifice with the
signature of love. Sacrifice bereft of love is useless. Only when these
two come together can man attain the desired result.

   

God is showering His love and grace on everybody, but the unfortunate
ones are unable to receive them. What is the reason? Their feelings do
not match with God's feelings. They do not understand God's Will. God is
the embodiment of love and the ocean of compassion. But you are unable
to receive God's love and compassion because you have filled your mind
with worldly feelings. If you want to receive something sacred, give up
all that is unsacred. If the head is empty, it can be filled with
anything. But if the head is already stuffed with worldly desires, how
is it possible to fill it with sacred feelings? First and foremost,
empty your head of all worldly feelings. Only then can it be filled with
divine love. For this, you have to cultivate Thyaga (sacrifice). That is
true Yoga.

   

Today people are taking to meaningless practices in the name of Yoga.
They are distorting the meaning of Yoga. What is Yoga? Yoga Chitta
Vritti Nirodha (controlling the vagaries of the mind is Yoga). Without
controlling the mind, if you merely perform physical exercise, it
amounts to Roga (disease). Fill your mind with love. You become sacred
when your mind becomes sacred. Yad Bhavam Tad Bhavati (as are your
feelings, so will be the result). What is the spiritual practice
required to purify the heart? It is neither Japa nor Dhyana nor Yoga.
Yoga does not mean controlling your breathing process. You should inhale
good feelings, which are like oxygen and exhale bad feelings, which are
like poisonous carbon dioxide. 'Oxygen' emanates from the heart and
'carbon dioxide' from the head. Head is the source of all poisonous
feelings. Control them and inhale the nectarine feelings that emanate
from the heart.

 


  God is the Indweller of all Beings

   

You aspire to see God, talk to Him and touch Him. None can describe the
bliss that one experiences when one has the Darshan, Sparshan and
Sambashan (sight, touch and talk) of God. In fact, you see God in the
form of people all around you. Your vision becomes sanctified only when
you develop the feeling that all are the embodiments of God. Everything
in this creation is sacred. All that you see is only the manifestation
of God. You see God in the form of the world, yet you feel that you have
not seen Him. God has no specific form or dwelling place. He is the
eternal witness and is present in all forms. You can progress on the
spiritual path only when you have such a feeling. Do not confine God to
the form of Vishnu or Krishna that you find in Ravi Varma's paintings.
They are all pictures born out of the painter's imagination. In reality,
God has no form. He is the Cosmic Being. Easwara Sarva Bhutanam (God is
the indweller of all beings). Isavasyam Idam Sarvam (the entire universe
is permeated by God). Saryam Khalvidam Brahma (verily all this is Brahman).

   

You can achieve anything with sense control. Today man has become weak
because he lacks sense control. Instead of ascending to Daivatwam
(Divinity), he has degenerated to the state of Deenatwam (helplessness).
He gets angry even at the slightest provocation and becomes miserable at
the smallest problem. Then, how can he expect to experience Divinity? He
should treat pleasure and pain alike. You are happy when you beget a son
and become sorrowful when he dies. Who is born and who has died? What is
marriage? Marriage is like a mirage. Can a mirage ever quench your
thirst? Prior to marriage, who is wife and who is husband? Prior to
birth, who is mother and who is child? Today man is developing undue
attachment towards his family. "Matha Nasthi, Pitha Nasthi, Nasthi
Bandhu Sahodara, Artham Nasthi, Griham Nasth/, Thasmath Jagrata
Jagrata." (parents, friends, relatives, house and wealth are all
temporary. Be aware of this truth.) All the worldly relationships are
like passing clouds. They come and go, but morality comes and grows. Do
your duty sincerely. Duty is God; work is worship. Never differentiate
between work and worship.

 

Embodiments of Love!

   

You have to recognize these three first is that which once comes, then
never goes; the second, once goes, then never comes back; the third,
neither comes nor goes. The first is Jnana (wisdom), the second is
Ajnana (ignorance) and the third is the principle of the Atma. The Atma
is steady and eternal; it never changes. The knowledge of the Atma is
nectarine. All your worldly knowledge is useless without the knowledge
of the Self. All that you read in Pusthaka (book) comes from Masthaka
(head). But the knowledge of the Self cannot be found either in Pusthaka
or Masthaka. It originates from the heart. First of all, control your
mind. Mind is like a mad monkey. It is nothing but a conglomeration of
thoughts. The nature of the mind is determined by the nature of
thoughts. So, have pure thoughts and hence pure mind.

 


  What is Nirvana?

   

Today man aspires to attain Mukti (liberation). What is Mukti? It is not
the attainment of a heavenly abode. Mukti means freedom from suffering.
You need to have Mukti at three levels - body, mind and soul. For
example, you are hungry. When you eat food, your hunger is satiated.
This is also a kind of Mukti. You are suffering from a disease. You take
a medicine and get cured. This is also Mukti. All this is related to the
body. At the mental level, Mukti means controlling the vagaries of the
mind. But true liberation lies in understanding the principle of the
Atma which neither comes nor goes. This is termed as Nirvana.

   

One should have Daiva Preeti, Papa Bheeti and Sangha Neeti (love for
God, fear of sin and morality in society). That is true Nirvana. Be away
from sin. Understand that Daiva Sannidhi (proximity to the Divine) is
true Pennidhi (wealth). But ignorant people are unable to understand the
Divine principle. They feel that they can experience God through
meditation. What is meditation? It is a way of life. While you are
walking on the road or driving a car, if your vision is not focused on
the road, you may meet with an accident. Concentration is necessary in
all aspects of life. But concentration does not become meditation. One
should go beyond concentration which means the mind should become still.
You should be free from thoughts. That is true meditation.

 


  One-pointed Devotion of the Gopikas

 

The Gopikas followed the same path and their mind was constantly fixed
on Krishna. The Gopikas used to go to Yashoda's house to light their
lamps. They had the belief that their families would be sanctified if
they brought light from Yashoda's house, which was blessed with the
advent of Krishna. Once a newlywed Gopika named Suguna went to Yashoda's
house to light her lamp. As she was doing so, she had the vision of
Krishna in the flame. She was so lost in the enchanting form of Krishna
that she had no awareness of her hand getting burnt. Yashoda smelt that
something was burning and came running to the spot. She immediately
pulled Suguna's hand out of the flame. She was astonished that though
her hand was getting burnt, Suguna did not feel any pain and was in a
world of her own. When she was asked to explain her strange behavior,
Suguna revealed that she had the vision of Krishna in the flame and
forgot herself completely. Hearing Suguna's words, all the Gopikas
became ecstatic and started singing: "Our Suguna saw Krishna at the
residence of Nanda. He appeared to her in the flame."         (Telugu Song)

   

What does this mean? When you have one-pointed devotion towards the
Lord, you see Him everywhere. When your thoughts, vision and words are
sacred, you are verily God yourself. Then, you don't need to search for
God. God Himself will come searching for you. God is everywhere; one
need not search for Him. In fact, God Himself is in search of a good
man. One who is a recipient of God's love is a good man. Such a good man
is a godman. One should become a good man and a godman. There lies the
fulfillment of human life.

 

Embodiments of Love!

   

The principle of love in you is highly sacred. But because of delusion,
you are polluting it, and thereby diminishing your value. I want to give
a small example before I close. Gold in its pure form is brilliant and
highly valuable, but when you add metals like silver, copper, brass,
etc., to it, its shine as well as value diminishes. Likewise, man is
like pure gold, but as he is associating himself with worldly desires,
he has lost his value as well as effulgence. When you develop the human
values of Sathya, Dharma, Santhi, Prema and Ahimsa, you will attain
exalted position and people will respect you wherever you go.

 

Embodiments of Love!

   

Do not pollute your mind with worldly desires. You have attained this
human birth as a result of meritorious deeds done in past lives. Do not
misuse it. Human life is highly valuable. Keep up its value by
practicing human values. This was the teaching of Buddha. People aspire
to attain Nirvana. In order to attain Nirvana, one should have a pure
heart. True Nirvana lies in having love for God, fear of sin and
morality in society. Animals do not know what sin is. So, they do not
have fear of sin. But you should have fear of sin, as you are aware of
what it is. You should have control over your senses.

   

Recapitulate all that you have heard and experienced here. Charge your
spiritual batteries by joining good company. Only then will you progress
in life and become ideal.

   

[Bhagavan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajans, "Govinda Krishna Jai
Gopala Krishna Jai..." and "Vahe Guru Vahe Guru..."]

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