Discourses of Sathya Sai Baba, Maha Shivaratri
Katha, Prashanthi Nilayam, 8, 9 and 10 March 1962
Published by Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust
Veerabhadhram read and explained the traditional legend
connected with Mahaa-Shivaraathri; the legend is but a vehicle to
teach you the path of Dharma. The deers beseeching the hunter not
to kill them, promising to return later when they could be killed
and telling him that if they break their word they know they would
incur the penalty for many a heinous sin - the story is only to
propagate the principles of Dharma. Every story illustrates a
moral, and this Shivaraathri Mahaathmya Katha (story of the
greatness of Shivaraathri) is no exception. When it comes to
describing the merits of Dharma, even animals become eloquent -
"Mookam karothi vaachaalam." Their speech is veritably the voice
of God. They are not deers, they are the tongues of the Lord.
The deers, one after another, declare that they will come back
to be killed; they have to go, each one, because it has some dear
one to tend or feed or obey. They then say that truth is their vow
and they dare not break it, for it is indeed a heinous sin to play
'false'. They say that the sin is equal to a number of other sins
they list. The hunter lets them go on their plighted word. He has
himself committed the sins they list and he knows by experience
during many births that they are heinous and that they bring about
dire tragedy in a remorseless manner. There is an iron law of
cause and effect operating in this field.
Every Experience is a Lesson, every Loss a Gain
The saddest part of the story is that man, though he sees and
hears, suffers and falls, does not get quite convinced that sin is
a dangerous experiment; that it unmistakably brings on its harvest
of tears. The Thamoguna of ignorance and delusion draws a veil
over the truth and hides the mouth of the pit into which the
unwary sinner falls again. Of course, when grief overtakes you,
and pain has you in its grip, the Lord does not always announce
the exact sin for which that particular experience is the
punishment. You are left to deduce in a general way that every
experience is a lesson and every loss is a gain.
You have got to learn that you bind yourself and you liberate
yourself. You entangle yourself in the three Gunas and by your
struggles, you only pull the world and tighten it round yourself.
You are endowed with Viveka, even the most illiterate among you;
you have a conscience, whispering Dharma into your ear; so you
yourselves must choose and select.
A great painter once came to a king and he was asked to execute
a huge fresco on the wall of the Durbar Hall, a scene from the
Mahaabhaaratha battle. A painter, till then unrecognised, rose up
and asked for permission to execute a fresco on the opposite wall.
He said that he would, within the same period prepare on his wall
an equally grand fresco; in fact, an exact replica of the other,
in spite of a thick curtain between the two walls! When at last
the king came and drawing the curtain to the very end looked on
the opposite wall, he was amazed to find an exact copy, down to
the minutest detail of line, curve, tint and tilt, the same
Mahaabhaaratha scene! For the local artist had, throughout the
intervening period of time when the painting was being done by the
other man, only been polishing the wall assigned to him. He had
used no brush or paint; he had just polished the wall into a
mirror. Polish your mind and the Lord, and His sublime grandeur
will be reflected in your heart.
Set apart a "Feeding Time" for the Spirit daily
Just as you feed the body, and care for its upkeep and repair,
the Manas, Chittham and Buddhi (mind, thought and intellect) have
also to be fed with good nourishing food. When the morning cup of
coffee is missed, you get a headache; what do you get when the
morning dose of Japam is missed? Or perhaps you have not made it
into a habit. At noon, your hunger drags you from the shades of
these trees to where food is waiting; nothing so powerful drags
you to your shrine-room. Perhaps, you have no shrine room at all.
When you enter a house, even if it has been unoccupied for months,
you can declare, "This is the kitchen," from the sooty walls and
the smell of condiments. Similarly, you say, "This is the Puuja
room" from the aroma of incense-sticks and flowers that still
hovers in the air. Have a separate Puuja room or at least, set
apart a small corner for Dhyaanam (meditation), Japam (repetition
of Lord's name) and Puuja (ritual worship). Retire there, at least
twice a day for some short time; that will be "feeding time" for
the spirit.
Sarveshwara Chinthana - allowing the mind to rest on the tree
of the glory of God - will give the tired bird some rest to fly
again, beating its wings in search of food and happiness.
Sathsanga (company of the pious) also acts like a tonic. Try the
prescription for some time; it will be rather unpleasant at first.
Due to weakness, the mind, like the body, cannot behave steadily
and remain firm. That is why I addressed you today not as usual as
Prema swaruupulaara (embodiments of love), or Aathma swaruupulaara
(embodiments of self), but, as you will have noticed with some
dismay, as "Shaantha swaruupulaara! Chanchala swabhaavulaara,"
that is to say, though your nature is steadiness, your behaviour
is ever unsteady.
Remove all Blemishes that tarnish you
I did not say so to discourage you, but just to reveal the
absurdity to you. Do not keep the Manas, Buddhi and Chittham
(mind, intellect and thought) hungry or underfed; then they will
run after all kinds of foul food. Give them proper nourishment and
they will perform their functions well. Their function is to
illumine the Aathma within and help you to discover that the
Aathma is all. Until the auspicious moment, everything will be in
disarray; do not worry. Go to a house where a marriage is to take
place; it will be in a huge mess; noise, confusion, dust and din.
But when the moment of marriage arrives, it is all spick and span,
clean and charming. The grace of the Lord will overwhelm all
obstacles and fruit of Saadhana will be vouchsafed. Once you
secure the grace, you can fulfil all your wishes with it; if you
have the cloth, you can have any type of clothes: bush-coat, coat
or pants.
It is the grace that gives value to life, authenticity to the
Shaasthras (scriptures), authority to the recipient. A piece of
white paper has no value at all; but send it to the security press
and let them convert it into a hundred-rupee note; you value it,
though it is printed all over and there is no blank space for
writing anything. Become impressed with the stamp of God; carry
His signature; that invests you with value and authority. But
first you should become white, tough and strong. Remove all the
blemishes that tarnish you.
The deer referred to the "cow that is honoured during the
Yaaga." Now why is the cow so selected? Because it feeds on
Saathwik (pure vegetarian) food; it has a quiet disposition; it
yields milk without any desire for recompense or seeking even
gratitude.
There is no short-cut to earn God's Grace
A man once sold an old cow to the butcher and when he went to
his fields after the transaction, he was confronted by a snake. He
shouted, "Oh kill the poisonous reptile;" then the snake said, "I
am no reptile, you deserve the name better." When he protested,
the snake said, "Go and ask the calf." The calf gave a pathetic
story of his greed and cruelty; how he dragged it away from the
mother, tied it at the end of a rope and starved it of its
mother's milk; and how he beat it and twisted its tail to force it
to draw heavy loads. The calf said, that man is an ungrateful
beast; he derides other men as Pashu (cow), when he is himself far
worse. As a matter of fact, do not cast a bad word on man or
beast; for He is in all beings and your harsh abuse strikes the
dweller within.
Follow the rules of Dharma, which these deers describe; they
are not deers, they are the representatives of the Vedhas; yes,
there are four in all. The Shaasthras are the authority for the
Dharma, and the Karma (activities) based on Dharma
(righteousness). It is only when you are blessed with the grace of
the Lord, which is earned by Dharma, that you can have Shaanthi
(peace). A fish can have Shaanthi only when it has water above and
below and on all sides; so too, you must have grace all around
you. There is no short-cut to this grace; Naamasmarana is the
safest route. Do not believe others who prescribe shorter routes;
they may talk of Praanaayaama (breath control) and Hatha Yoga
(Yogic exercise). Be warned; they are fraught with danger. Do not
lend ear to such, or read and believe the books on physical Yoga
and start practising the exercises. I know of many cases of
madness and other dislocations happening by practice from the
printed page.
Follow the Shaasthraic injunctions and you will not go wrong.
They lay down a set of rules for all stages and all professions.
See how the panic spread by astrologers regarding the conjunction
of eight planets in space has driven men to seek refuge in the
Shaasthras; yes, specifics have to be taken just when the disease
catches you. You must pray more intensely when danger threatens.
There is nothing wrong in that.
Desire can never be destroyed by Fulfilment
It is better than doing some stupid thing or other.
Naamasmarana is the best means. Only, you do not really believe
that it can cure you or save you, that is the tragedy. People
believe in the efficacy of only costly brightly packed, widely
published drugs; the simple easily available remedy which is in
everybody's backyard is ignored as useless.
Really, if only you have this faith in the name, you need not
struggle to secure the chance to detail to Me your desires and
wants. I will fulfil them even without your telling Me. Why? Did
Raamadaas take his seat in the veranda like you and await his
chance for an interview? The Lord carried to his very door the
things that would fulfil his innermost wish! Korika (desire) can
never be destroyed by fulfilment; the desire multiplies like a
weed; one seed sprouts and produces a tree, which in its turn
scatters a thousand seeds which grow into a forest of trees with
millions of seeds growing again into a thicker jungle.
Place yourself fully at the Lord's Disposal
The only Hai ('comfort' in Thelugu) is in Sai. The name of the
Lord is the Narasimha (man-lion) incarnation to the Raakshasas of
the Kali age. Have the name bright and clear on your tongue, in
your mind; and the form symbolised by it before your eye and
mental vision - nothing can harm you. Train children from their
infancy to repeat and rely on the name. Let them imbibe it with
the mother's milk. Train them yourselves, practising it and
demonstrating before them the Shaanthi that you win by it. Do not
step back; move forward. Do not hesitate or doubt. Do not deny joy
that you have derived, the courage that you have felt. If you so
doubt, your only gain will be suffering.
Every letter is a Beeja Akshara (seed-letter of a sacred word);
so I do not whisper secretly any Manthra in your ear. I am giving
it in every word I speak. Listen to Me. When you wake up, feel
that you are entering the stage to play the role assigned to you
by the Lord; pray that you may act it well and earn His
approbation. At night, when you retire to sleep, feel that you are
entering the greenroom after the scene, but with the dress of your
role on; for perhaps the role is not yet over and you have not yet
been permitted to take the dress off. Perhaps, you have to make
another entrance the next morning. Do not worry about that. Place
yourself fully at His disposal; He knows. He has written the play
and He knows how it will end and how it will go on. Yours is but
to act and retire.
SECOND DAY
The deers which stray into the forest where the hunter is
waiting for game, and which promise to come later and be his prey
on pain of incurring the penalty for various heinous sins, are
teaching a Dharma Geetha; and if you practise those virtues and
avoid those sins, you can attain the Aanandha swaruupa,
(bliss-form) which you really are.
The deers speak of sin, but remember, there is no sin as such;
there are only errors due to ignorance or greed or envy or hatred.
The principles of Dharma enunciated in this story have to be
adhered to; it is not the hunter alone who nods approval, every
listener of the Puraana must have approval. Even the slightest
error has to be avoided by those who possess a developed
conscience. It is unpardonable for a wise man to fall into error.
But the error of an ignoramus, however dire the consequences, has
to be passed over. Some people dismiss the Dharma Shaasthras as
the fabrications of Brahmins and they refuse to attach value to
the rules and restrictions prescribed by them. But that is a false
argument. The Shaasthras have the authority of Maadhava, of the
Lord Himself. It is not Maanava-Dharma Shaasthra, it is
Maadhava-Dharma Shaasthra - not man-made but God-made.
Light Meal is the surest Guarantee of Health
The Dharmic way of life is dependent on the Guna (quality) of
the individual. In the 18th chapter of the Geetha, the Gunas and
their characteristics are mentioned, as also the relationship
between the type of food taken and the character that emanates.
The food decides the Guna, the Guna seeks the food congenial to
it; thus the vicious cycle moves on.
In the Upanishadhs, there is a story where a man and a cow
approach the Lord and pray that they may be allotted their daily
duties. The cow was told to serve the master who feeds and fosters
her. The man was asked to practise Dharma. He shuddered at the
responsibility and wanted more freedom than such a life would
impose. The Lord told him in answer that he is free to choose the
path through which he could attain Him. He gave the cow as food
the things that grow on the ground and to Man He assigned a morsel
of food in the early hours of the day and another at the end of
the day. He prescribed Mithaahaara (moderation in eating). Both
came down to earth and the cow now eats, and eats the eaten thing
again, but man finds that a light meal is the surest guarantee of
health.
Face the Truth and proceed towards Truth
Arjuna was affected by Thamoguna (quality of inertia and
doubt), which made him fall into the delusion of "mine" and "my
family." Faith in the Lord one moment, doubt about the consequence
another moment - that was his condition. Well, you are also in the
same predicament. One day you tell "I must follow Baaba's
commands;" the next day, you start doubting "Is it possible?" That
is why I am adjusting the conditions of your lives so that you can
pull yourselves up according to My orders; that is why I am
granting you courage to develop faith, unshakeable faith. But I
find many of you do not yet walk along the path laid down in spite
of the confidence I impart and the favourable environment I
provide and the favours I bestow. This is, of course, deplorable.
God has given man a hundred years of life and plenty of work to
fill the years with; but you fritter the time away in playful
games, in founding and fostering a family; and awake to the fact
of preparing for death only when death knocks at the door. Then,
you feverishly pray for a little more extension of the span of
life in order to fulfil the task for which you have been sent.
You have no time for reciting the name of the Lord or
meditating on His form, which is within you! Alas! You have time
for the club, for a game of cards, for the film show, for wayside
chats, for all kinds of trivialities but no time for a little
quiet, for a simple item like worship. It is a false excuse this,
the want of time. No. Face the truth and proceed towards the
truth. When you tread the path of Dharma, imperceptibly you will
be drawn towards the truth, gently and steadily.
The Geetha is for granting Liberation to all
See how the wicked hunter was transformed into a sympathetic
listener by the appeals to conscience made by the first two deers;
he is eager to hear what the third deer has to say about the
disciplines laid down by Shaasthras and the penalties imposed for
the breach. He is also being slowly changed by the sound of the
distant bells of the Shiva temple, where the Mahaa Shivaraathri
Puuja is being done. As a matter of fact, both deer and
deer-slayer are fiction; they represent the instruments for the
teaching. It is all in the Lord's plan. Consider, for example,
how, long before the Geetha was spoken, the Lord had got ready a
Sanjaya, who could see the hear whatever was done or spoken at a
distance; his mission was to preserve the Geetha for humanity.
Arjuna was just an excuse to bring the Geetha forth. The Geetha is
for saving all, and granting all liberation. Geetha, in Thelugu,
means "a line;" it draws a line across and cancels the series of
births and deaths; it teaches you to stand erect, unafraid, along
the straight path of Dharma, along the line laid down.
You should gradually get rid of the attachments that lead you
astray. Then only can you stand erect, without bending under the
load. But, nowadays, instead of the elimination of
Chiththavriththi (mental agitations), every effort is made to
multiply them. It is like giving a monkey a drink of toddy; it
will behave even more monkeyishly, that is all. I refer to the
grant of spiritual titles to Saadhakas, extolling their
attainments! They are intoxicated by these titles, conferred by
over-enthusiastic or pompous Gurus; they become Jyothis or stars
or Rishis or Paramapurushas (highest persons). They are thereby
rendered more liable to spiritual disaster, through bloated
egoism.
Those doctors who are expected to administer drugs to patients
afflicted with poison are now administering poison to perfect
health! The giver of the title and the recipient are both
blameworthy. One aggravates the egoism he pretends to cure; the
other revels in tawdry jewellery.
Do not decry ancient Scriptures
The Varnaashrama discipline is also intended for the gradual
fixation of the mind on ultimate merger with the infinite. At each
stage of life and for each social group, patterns of behaviour
have been laid down, modes of livelihood recommended, social
rights and obligations have been prescribed - all with a view to
the sublimation of the instincts and the elevation of endeavour.
Varnaashrama is a deep-rooted tree, the shade of which affords
shelter to all the various communities of man.
Do not decry that discipline or the ancient scriptures. They
are your authority to confirm My truth; it is through the study of
those scriptures that you can picture the grandeur of divinity. Do
not decry Vishnu or Shiva for the reason that your devotion is
towards some other name and form you seek to honour. Why, even if
you dishonour a man, be warned, you are dishonouring Me; for I am
in him. Honour the Aathma of which he is an encasement; honour the
imperishable Aathma which you are and do not commit any act which
will insult that basic reality.
The deers in this story only show the hunter that the path to
self-realisation consists of four stages: Shaasthras, Dharma,
Bhakthi and Sathya (scriptures, virtue, devotion and truth).
"I shall fulfil your Wishes at your own Place"
One word more: Perhaps many of you are worried that I have not
yet started calling you individually and granting you interviews
in which you could tell Me your troubles and where I could bless
you personally and send you home. But you are so many in number; I
would like to see first the old and the sick and those who will
find it difficult to come again. Surely the others will approve of
that.
Besides, it is enough if you call Me from wherever you are; in
My case, there is no need for you to travel long distances and
spend hard-earned money. I shall fulfil your wishes, at your own
place.
I shall, from tomorrow, grant you this privilege of a personal
talk in the room and I shall come down four times a day for the
purpose, spending almost the whole day with the devotees.
Let Me tell you one thing: Of course, I can bear anything for
your sake; I have come to save you and guide you. But, somehow, I
cannot tolerate the smell of tobacco, of beedis and cigarettes.
Can you not postpone the disgusting practice for an hour and come
to me without that insufferable smell? Besides, I have laid down
certain disciplines and codes of conduct for you here. I would ask
you to study the list and practise them not only within this
compound, but in your own places, wherever you happen to live.
THIRD DAY
Veerabhadhram read the last part of the Shivaraathri Katha now;
the deers return and insist that they be killed. Their hunter,
chastened by their truthfulness, their teachings and by the holy
vigil that he unknowingly went through on the auspicious night,
refuses to kill. He breaks his bow and with tears of repentance,
he is overwhelmed by the animals' adherence to the promise made.
The deers try to persuade him to kill them, but the hunter
wriggles out. He argues that he had to kill them under the tree
where he had spent the night, waiting for prey, and not near his
cottage to which the deers had come in the morning!
Dharma-Karma is the best Discipline
The wicked heart was transformed by the Shravana (hearing) of
good words and of the temple rites and bells. That is the subtle
alchemy of the surroundings and the company. Some places have a
tremendous impact on the mind. The atmosphere is surcharged with
the name of God on account of the generations of Bhakthas who
assemble there. That is why I say Dharma-karma (virtuous action)
is the best discipline. That means, action surcharged with
devotion. That will itself lead to Jnaana (spiritual wisdom),
where the world is found to be a dream and the only reality is the
all-pervading grace or power.
The Naasthika (atheist) is blind, ignorant and afflicted with a
fever that spoils his sense of taste; he finds everything bitter.
The Aasthika (believer in God) on the other hand is able to feel
the true taste of everything: bitter as bitter, sour as sour,
sweet as sweet. But the Yaasthika (the man of realisation) tastes
all things and all experiences as sweet, filled with sweetness of
God. Prahlaadha was a Yaasthika; he was beaten, trampled upon,
cast into fire and water, but he tasted only sweetness at all
times. He overcame every calamity with the reinforcement derived
from the name of Naaraayana in the heart. There is a secret spring
in the heart that will well up when the name is uttered and that
will slake your thirst.
Speak without Malice, speak to transmit Joy
The ordeals which Prahlaadha had to endure only demonstrated
his attainment. Once the Lord entered the house of a Jnaani
(liberated person) as a thief and when the master of the house
caught Him and argued, "You are a thief; I have caught you," the
Lord said in replay, "So long as the ideas, you and I inhere,
there can be no Jnaana," and disappeared. It is easy to mug up
slokas and texts and quote them profusely, but it is useless
unless you act in accordance with what you say. Anushtaanam
(practice of austerities) brings about Anugraham (God's grace).
Act and earn grace. By the belch, you can judge the food; as the
flour so the roti. Vivekaanandha was able to declare at Chicago
the worth of Sanaathana Dharma (eternal universal religion) in an
unmistakably leonine tone, because he had the strength of
Anushtaanam behind him.
The driver of a car should be alert at driving it along a rough
road infested with potholes, not merely along smooth concrete
highways. So too, you must know how to avoid the temptations of
falsehood and how to sail along the smooth road of truth. You may
say that very often you are caught in a dilemma by the conflicting
demands of truth and falsehood. Remember the Geetha-saying:
"Anudhvega karam vaakyam, sathyam, Preethikaram" - "Speak without
malice or hatred or envy; speak the truth; speak to comfort, to
console, to transmit joy."
When in difficulty, pray for guidance before jumping in any
direction. Men will give you advice only as far as their
cleverness can reach; but the Lord who transforms dullness into
intelligence will reveal to you the way out of the dilemma. Ask
the Lord and He will answer. The Lord revealed the proper course
to the hunter. Finally, he broke the bow and arrow and other
deadly weapons as a result of that inspiration. The arrows are the
symbols of vice and wickedness. He realised his self that way.
Those who come to Puttaparthi come by many ways: from Bombay
via Guntakal, from Bangalore via Chikballapur, from Nellore via
Paakaala, from Madras via Jolarpet; but all have but one goal and
one joy on arrival. Whether it is four four-Anna coins or two
half-rupee coins or a one rupee coin, the value is the same.
Saakshaathkaara (realisation) attained by any one of the means is
of the same truth, of the same grandeur; it means the same
spiritual victory.
Shed Tears of Thankfulness at the Lord's Feet
The Lord will manifest where and when you yearn for Him; if you
yearn that He should come before you in flesh and blood, He will
respond. He is ever ready to respond; only, you are not ready to
invite or welcome or receive Him into your heart. You have not
purified the heart and removed therefrom the thorns of lust and
greed, of envy and hatred. The baby that has been fed on milk may
start crying; do not be worried. It is very helpful for digestion.
Cry, so that you can digest the joy of knowing God; cry and shed
tears of joy. The tear glands have been allotted to you not for
weeping helplessly before others with hands extended for alms, but
to shed tears of joy, of thankfulness, at the feet of the Lord.
Do not get dejected. Really, you are all lucky, eminently
fortunate that you are here now in the presence listening to these
words. Take your fill of this Aanandharasa (essence of bliss) and
having digested it, come again with a sharpened appetite.