Love is God; Live in Love
by
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Embodiments of Love!

People think there are many troubles, difficulties, and sorrows in this world, and thereby they are filled with anxiety and worries. But in fact there is nothing like this; it is bliss everywhere.

Brahmanandam, Parama Sukhadam, Kevalam Jnanamurtim, Dwandwateetam, Gagana Sadrisham, Tattwamasyadi Lakshyam, Ekam, Nityam, Vimalam, Achalam, Sarvadhee Sakshibhutam, Bhavateetam, Trigunarahitam (Man is the embodiment of divine bliss, wisdom absolute, beyond the pair of opposites, expansive and pervasive like the sky, the goal indicated by the aphorism (mahavakya) "You are That (thath twam asi)", one without a second, eternal, pure, unchanging, witness of all functions of the intellect, beyond all mental conditions and the three attributes of purity(sathwa), restlessness (rajas) and dullness (thamas).

The world is the creation of God. Right from man, all living beings including animals, birds, and even insects are the creation of God. Since they are the creation of God, all of them have their origin in bliss. All these difficulties and troubles are only the imagination of man.

Pleasure is an interval between two pains. There cannot be happiness without difficulties. These difficulties are meant to give you happiness, and not to make you miserable with more sorrows. Hence, whatever comes to us, we should consider it as God's gift and be happy. We should not consider that it has been given to us to make us suffer.

Suppose you have pain in the stomach. What will the doctor do? If he performs an operation, it is not to cause you pain. The pain that the doctor causes is to remove your suffering. Hence, one should bear difficulties and overcome one's sorrows.

There are millions of living beings in this world. All of them have originated from God. Therefore, the same God is present in all of them. People give many names to God as Rama, Allah, Jesus, etc., but God is only one. Atma is another name of God; it is the same in everyone. The real name of Atma is love. Love is only one, but it is present everywhere and can alleviate all sufferings. One who is endowed with love is free from all sufferings.

All of you have come from such a distant place like America. What for? You have come because you have love for Me (loud applause). You can attain anything if you have love. God has no specific name. He is present in man in the form of Atma.

What does Atma mean? It means love only. It is love that unites all. If you imbibe this principle of unity, then all will become one. When you attain this unity, you will have purity. When you have purity, then Atma Tattwa (principle of the Self) will manifest in you. Therefore, you must have unity to attain divinity.

I and you are one. God and you are one. God is not anywhere separate from you. You should develop the feeling that you yourself are God. When you say, "I", it represents unity. You cannot estimate the bliss that is derived from unity. All are one. It is the fickle mind that is unsteady and wanders arbitrarily.

Only one thing is steady. That is love, love, love. Love is God. Live in love. This is what we have to learn today. The same love is present in everyone. Mother loves her children due to this feeling of love. All are the children of God. Therefore, God loves all. God has no hatred. God is not the cause for your pain and suffering. God is not separate from you. Wherever you may be, God is present there. God does not forsake you. There is no place where there is no God. Wherever you see, God is present there. (Swami pointed to different things and said) This is God. This is God.

You are all embodiments of God. You have two eyes but you can see a large number of people with them. Similarly, God is one, but He can see all. Where is God? He is in you, with you, above you and below you. There is no need to search for Him.

Because our vision is limited to physical level, we see differences. Do not rely on the physical body. The body is like a water bubble; the mind is like a mad monkey. In one moment the mind is here and in the next moment it flies away to another place. Manas, buddhi, chitta, ahamkara (mind, intellect, mind-stuff, ego) — all these are temporary, like passing clouds. Only one thing is permanent. That is you.

Where is God? You should develop the feeling that you are God. This is the correct answer to the question, where is God. You may perform any number of spiritual practices like bhajans (devotional songs), japa (soft prayer), and tapa (penance, austerities), but love should form the undercurrent of all these practices. In fact, if you have love, there is no need to perform any spiritual practices. There is no use performing all spiritual practices if you do not have love.

Fill your mind with love. "Prema Mudita Manase Kaho Ram Ram Ram" (recite the Name of Rama with your heart full of love). Hence, give highest importance to love. Love is important. Love is God. Live in love. This is the spiritual practice that we have to undertake.

Worldly relations are temporary. They are impermanent like passing clouds, which come and go. They are your mental reaction, reflection, and resound. (Swami shows His handkerchief) What is this? This is a cloth. It is not merely a cloth, it is a combination of threads, it is not thread even, it is cotton, which is the creation of God. Everything has emerged from God like threads. You weave the threads as per your liking. But it is not your liking that is important; what is important is what God likes.

There can be changes in the body and the mind. But love is changeless. It is permanent. Everything has birth and death, but there is no birth or death for love. The birthless and deathless love is only one. It comes from truth. Truth is one. Truth is God. This God, in the form of love, is present everywhere, wherever you see.

God is present in man in his breath. When you breathe, where does the breath come from? It comes from within. The breath itself is your God. What is its form? It is present in man in the form of Soham, which reveals your divine identity. "So" means "that", "Ham" means "I". Therefore "Soham", means "that I am". "That" refers to God, who is present in man in the form of love. Therefore, man should treasure love in his heart safely.

Other thoughts come and go like passing clouds. Only love is permanent and eternal. You should perform every task with love. Even if you come across your enemy, you should love and greet him saying, "Hello, Hello." Then he will also respond, saying "Hello, Hello" to you. This is the reaction, reflection, resound of your feelings.

Whatever good or bad you experience is the result of your own actions. Everything comes from within you. Hence, always remain immersed in love. If you have love, you can achieve anything and perform any task. It is love that is responsible for the entire creation and its functioning in this world. There is no greater God than love. Love is God. Whatever you do without love is a futile exercise. Hence treasure love in your heart. Every body will be attracted towards this love. It bestows everything on you. It is love that creates, sustains, and destroys.

When you look at the world with your physical eyes, you see diversity in creation. But, in fact, everything is love. It does not change. You should be filled with such love. If you follow this principle of love, it will give you the fruit of all the spiritual practices.

People call God by many names such Rama, Krishna, Jesus, Allah etc. But all names refer to the same God. If you call Him Allah, He responds. Similarly, if you call Him Jesus, or Zoroastra, or Rama, He will respond.

All these names were given by man. God is not born with these names. Original name of God is only love. You may refer to any dictionary; love is only one and not two.

Man may have many physical relationships. You may consider some one as your husband, some one as your son and some one as your daughter. They are all physical and worldly relations. Who has established these relationships? It is you only. Since these are relationships acquired by you, they are subject to change.

But love remains the same. With such love you may chant any name such as Rama, Krishna, Govinda, Narayana, Jesus, and Allah. All these names refer to the same divinity. You may grind rice and prepare various dishes such as dosa, idli, etc. You may mix rice with sugar and prepare payasam (sweet pudding). But rice is the same in all these dishes. In the same way, only one God is present in the entire creation, and that is love. Perform each and every task with love.

We call others as "brothers and sisters". At the physical level, they are separate. These relationships are of your own making. But never observe diversity. Brothers, sisters, and all other relationships are one. You see an old man or a child, both are essentially divine. God is beyond all ages and all forms. Only love is His true form. The same love is present in all forms that you see. Hence, every one of you should develop love.

You may call God as Rama, Krishna, or Sai. But it is only a difference in names. God is only one (loud applause). Love everyone wholeheartedly. Then only can you experience bliss. So long as you have love, you will not be devoid of bliss.

People today observe individual differences. There are three aspects of an individual. (1) The one you think you are. (2) The one others think you are. (3) The one you really are. At the physical level you may be identified with your name, form, and village. But in reality, you are only one. This is what you should realise. Recognise the unity of entire creation. Your worldly relations will also have some value when you recognise this unity.

You may append any number of 0's to 1, the value will go on increasing. If you remove one, there is no value. In the same manner, you may chant any name realising the oneness of God. Ekam sath viprah bahudha vadanthi (truth is one, but the wise refer to it by various names). The Vedas authenticate the same truth. With love in your heart, you may go to any country, chant any name, perform any spiritual practice.

Do not hate anybody. Help Ever, Hurt Never. This is what the devotees are supposed to do (loud applause). When you call yourself a devotee, do not observe any differences "You are not mine, he is mine". This is not good. It amounts to hating God. You should think "God is in me, with me, around me, above me and below me." Wherever you see, the same God is present there. Develop this feeling of oneness. Then you will attain highest bliss.

You have come from different countries, and you have different names and forms. But having come here, you are all one (loud applause).  From today onward, may you always remain in bliss for ever and ever.

People say, "Today is my birthday." What is the meaning of birthday? It is the day of the birth of the body. Today it is born, tomorrow it may die. But you are eternal. You have no birth, no death.

Be always happy. This is what I desire. Do not allow the differences of mine and thine come near you. All of you have sung the glories of the Lord in one voice. This unity is divinity. Where there is lack of unity, there is diversity. Hence develop unity. Where there is unity, there is purity. It is purity that attracts God. The white dress that you have put on symbolises purity. Differences are seen when you put on dresses of different colours. You should not give room to differences. Not only in dress, observe unity and purity in your mind, feelings, and thoughts. All are one. On returning to your respective places, lead your lives with unity, love and bliss. Your bhajan has made Me happy.

(Bhagavan sang the bhajan "Hari Bhajan Bina Sukh Santhi Nahin" and continued His Discourse.)

Consider bhajan as your bhojan (food) that satiates your spiritual hunger. Partake the food of bhajan every moment, day in and day out. Right from the morning till night, constantly do bhajan in your entire waking time. This is Swami's teaching to you. Perform all your tasks, while contemplating on the name of God within you. God is within you, without you, beyond you, below you and behind you. Very happy.

- From Bhagawan's Discourse in Bhajan Mandir, Prasanthi Nilayam on 15 November 2007.