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Anil Kumar's Sunday Satsang at
Prasanthi Nilayam
September 10, 2000
Om Sai Ram
The COMPLETE Sunday Talk given by Anil Kumar on September 10th,
2000
Table of Contents
(I) Questions Bhagavan Put to the Primary School Children:
(1) "Where do you come from?"
(2) "What is the Form of God?"
(3) "When Love is the form of God, how do you reach Him?
(4) "What is the way to Immortality?"
(5) "What is Namaskara?"
(6) "Who is your friend?"
(7) "Who is your enemy?"
(8) "Who is Ganesha?"
(9) Sarva Dharma Questions
(10) "How many marks you got?"
(11) "Come on, get up and speak!"
(II) TWO SHORT STORIES…
"Every day is a festival. Every day is a celebration to Me."
"Oh-ho. Ants follow the discipline? Better you learn that lesson!"
OM… OM… OM…
Sai Ram.
With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of our Bhagavan,
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
I have updated with all that Bhagavan said on the verandah with
students. But something had happened in between. I think it was on
the third of September. There was some conversation there. It was
the day of the immersion of the Ganesha idols. (At the end of the
Vinayaka Chaturthi celebrations, Ganesha idols are immersed in the
Chitravati River.) As you might have seen, many, many idols have
been brought there in a procession, with the boys dancing and
singing. Bhagavan had a photo with every group. The whole
procession went on.
Somehow I came before time. By that time, all were assembled here,
particularly the primary school children. The primary school
children sat in the front rows. Most surprisingly I saw Swami
sitting on the chair on the platform between the two lions, on the
revolving chair, talking with the children, cutting jokes.
The discussion that went on there between the primary school
children and Swami is of immense value. It has general importance.
It also speaks of the quality of the children. It also speaks of
the kind of training that they have in the primary school. We were
very much amazed to hear those things. A few things I noted on a
small paper, which I want to share with you this pleasant morning.
Being a teacher, my temperament is always to share. I cannot keep
anything to myself. Let me tell you what had happened that day.
Swami started asking questions, and children started giving
answers. My friends, these are the questions, which are very, very
important to everyone of us. I, for one, would feel honestly that
Swami wants to communicate these things, taking advantage of the
children who had assembled there that morning. It is with that
purpose I wanted to share this matter I collected.
(1) "Where do you come from?"
These are the questions put by Swami. First question, He asked one
child, "Where do you come from?"
Our usual answer is, if that question is put to anyone of us:
"I’m from Canada."
"I’m from U.S."
"I’m from Switzerland."
"I’m from Delhi."
"I’m from Madras."
"I’m from Australia."
"I’m from Andhra."
So and so forth.
But with a Sai child, by that I mean a child studying in Sri
Sathya Sai Primary School, what is the answer given by that Sai
child? "Where do you come from?"
The answer is, "I come from You, Swami. I come from You."
This is very important because sometime back Bhagavan said that we
have not come from our parents, no. Parents acted as just a
medium. Parents acted as a medium that’s all. We have come through
our parents, not from our parents. A little correction in
prepositions.
The same thing is stated by the famous man, Khalil Gibran, in his
book "The Prophet". There Gibran clearly states that we are
through our parents. Our parents act as a medium. God has chosen
to bring to this world a piece of consciousness, a being of
consciousness, a creature of consciousness. He is brought into
this world by the Will of God through the medium of parents.
Parents are serving as instruments to bring forth into this world
beings of consciousness. Our being is consciousness.
What a wonderful answer that child gave! I do not know if the
child knows the depths and the philosophy behind it. It is for us
to make it out. That’s the first question.
(2) "What is the Form of God?"
Second question, "What is the form of God?"
If this question is put to many people there in Sai Kulwant Hall,
the usual answer is expected:
"The form of God is this: very tall in stature with a crown on His
head, with a bow and arrow." That goes with the description of
Lord Rama. That person, being the devotee of Sri Rama, gives the
picture of Rama.
If the same question is put to someone else, he gives the answer:
"The form of God is this way: He has the peacock feather on the
head, and keeps the flute on His lips. He is a cowherd boy." The
devotee means Lord Krishna.
So each one has got his own idea of God. In fact the philosophy
says that God appears in the way you want, in the way you perceive,
in the way you think of Him. God is so compassionate, so loving,
that He wants to appear in that form of your taste, in the form of
your choice, because all the forms are His. He can take upon
Himself any form. It is more or less the reflection of His concern,
of His compassion, of His Love for his devotees. So He appears in
the form of our choice.
Now what is the answer given by this Sai child, "What is the form
of God?" The answer, superb! "Swami, Love is the form of God!"
See that! I don’t think that we can give that answer. The answer
is known to us but we don’t give that answer. Why? Seeing Bhagavan,
our brain is switched off, finished! The fuse is gone! We’ll be
silent, tight-lipped. We’ll not be giving any answer at all.
Speechless.
But here is a child who says, "Love is the form of God."
(3) "When Love is the form of God, how do you reach Him?
Then the next question is this: "When Love is the form of God, how
do you reach Him? How do you go to God? How do you reach God."
That’s the question.
If that question is put to us, a fundamentalist, a traditional
man, an orthodox Hindu says, "Hindu way of life is the only way to
reach God."
A Christian, a Puritan, a Catholic preferably, says, "Christian
way is the only way to reach God."
Islam will give you a warning if you are going to deny and then
say, "Islam is the only way to God."
Buddhist’s say, "Buddha is the only God. Buddhism is the only
way", though Buddha never referred to God at all.
That Sai child’s answer, what is it? "The way to reach God is to
love all and serve all."
We’ve heard this a number of times, but we don’t know that this is
the answer to this question. See the smartness of Sai children:
That intelligence, that promptness, that accuracy, that exactness,
their comprehension, their understanding, an immediate,
spontaneous reply. It is not as though, as if, they were informed
one week before that ‘Swami is going to ask you these questions.
Be ready’, as in some of the modern interviews where selection is
made already before interviews. It’s not like that. All were taken
by surprise, unscheduled. The answers are unique. You see that.
(4) "What is the way to Immortality?"
Next question: "What is the way to immortality?" That’s what Swami
said this morning in the Divine Discourse. The answer now we know.
"What is the way to immortality?"
If that question is to be answered, we cannot give you a short
answer. We feel that at least we should be given sufficient time
to write notes for about four to five pages.
Sai’s child, they answer this: "What is the way to Immortality?"
"The way to immortality is to remove immorality. To remove
immorality is the way to immortality."
What a beautiful answer!
Let us analyze the statement given by children: remove immorality.
We should be aware of one point here. Immorality is not there
originally. Immorality is not our nature. Immorality is not our
quality. Immorality is the weakness that has been subsequently
developed because of association, because of friendship, because
of bad company or because of food habits (food and drinking).
These are our habits, our vices. They are responsible for
immorality. We were not born immoral. We were spotless. We were
clean and perfect, Divine, at the time of birth.
Everyone is the spark of the Divine, as Bhagavan has mentioned
this morning. Body is the temple of God. Indweller, the Eternal,
is God here. So body is the temple, the Indweller, the soul, the
spirit is God inside installed. Therefore when we are basically
Divine, when we’re embodiments of the Divinity, how is it that
immorality finds a place here? Immorality finds a place here
because of bad company, bad habits, bad food, bad thoughts. That’s
all. But basically we’re pristine, pure, unpolluted, eternal,
immortal, nectarine, perfect, the Truth, spotless, crystal clear.
That is our nature, the Atman, the consciousness.
But unfortunately, too much identification with the body, the
senses dominating the mind, the mind running after the senses, the
senses being outward, made us immoral. So, that which has set in
the middle, that which has come to settle in the middle in
morality, has got to be removed so that we go back to our original
form, so that we go back to our original nature of immortality.
Immortality is our nature.
Immorality has come in between – something like the sun that hides
behind the cloud. The cloud clouds the brilliant sun. When these
clouds are gone, the sun shines brilliantly. Sun has not specially
appeared now. Sun was there. Sun is there. Sun continues to be
there. It is only the clouds that have come in between and pass
on. Similarly, immorality is something like a cloud that has come
in between, covering the sun originally there.
Similarly the brilliant sun, the radiating sun, that
self-effulgent sun, it is our consciousness. It is our nature. It
is hiding behind the cloud of immorality. When the cloud of
immorality is gone, the sun of immortality is visible and here.
This is the philosophy wherein we find the answer given by this
child on that day. Removal of immorality is the only way to
immortality.
What is the next question?
(5) "What is ‘Namaskara’?"
‘Namaskar’ meaning ‘na’ + ‘ma’ – two words, ‘na’ + ‘ma’ meaning
‘not I’, ‘not I’, meaning ‘it’s not I’. It is God within, not the
body. ‘Na’ + ‘ma’, ‘I am not this body. I am not this mind. I am
not this intellect.’ ‘Na’+ ‘ma’: ‘I am not this.’ Then what is it
that is consciousness? What is it that is the spirit, that is the
soul, what you call Atma? ‘Na + ma’: I am not the body. I am not
the buddhi. So, this kind of awareness ‘Namaskara’ conveys. When I
do ‘Namaskara’, it is not to your body. It is to the Atma in you.
The Atma in you is very much same as Atma in me. Atma in you and
Atma in me, is nothing but Paramatma, the Divine.
Atma, the consciousness, as it operates through the body is called
Dehatma. Deha, body + Atma, consciousness = Dehatma. Simple
mathematics. Through this body, deha, Atma, consciousness operates.
We feel, we walk, we hear, we do, all these actions are done, all
the limbs of the parts of the body operate because of Atma.
Something like the current that flows through the wire makes the
bulbs illumine and the mike to function. So, all electric gadgets
function because of the flow of the current. Similarly, different
parts function or operate because of the flow of the current
‘consciousness’ or Atma. So, Atma, the current, flows through the
body. That is called Dehatma.
But there is a second level, a higher level. The body functions -
OK. But the body does not function on its own. ‘I want to have a
cup of coffee right now.’ Good. My hand will pick up the cup with
coffee, hold the saucer with one hand and start sipping coffee.
That’s good. My hands hold the cup and saucer. Perfect. I only
drink coffee. OK. But this is the subsequent action. This is the
second action. But what is the first action? The thought, the
desire, the will to drink the cup of coffee. My mind wants to
drink a cup of coffee, so it gives the idea to take me to the
cafeteria where the hand will pick up the cup and saucer. Then I
start sipping.
So, it is the mind that wills. It is the mind that thinks. It is
the mind that wants. It is the mind that desires. It is the mind
that is everything. Mano Mulam Idam Jagat. That’s what Bhagavan
says. The whole world operates, the whole world functions, the
individual activity, the community activity, national,
international, universal, cosmic, the whole thing is based on Mano
Mulam Idam Jagat: Mind is the fundamental principle. Mind is the
foundation on which the human activity rests, on which the human
activity blossoms, on which the human program of activity gets
multiplied. The foundation is the mind.
Without the mind, you cannot do anything. Supposing something
happens that makes you unconscious, by giving you chloroform. When
the mind is not functional, you cannot plan to have that cup of
coffee. You cannot think of having a cup of coffee because mind is
made numb. Mind is made passive. Mind is made non-functional. So,
there is no body activity. So, body activity is made possible
because of the mind, the feeling behind each action.
So mind is everything. It is the mind that makes heaven or the
mind that makes hell out of heaven. Recapitulation, recalling,
bringing back to memory is the function of the mind. Thoughts and
counter-thoughts constitute the mind. So, we cannot say, ‘O Mind,
never mind!’ We can’t say that. Mind is very strong. It is the
mind that shapes the human personality, which determines the goal.
Now, how is this mind functional? Is mind independent? No. Mind
also thinks because of Atma. Mind is ego. Mind speaks of the sense
of ‘I-ness’: ‘I did this. I am so-and-so. I come from this place.’
‘I’, ‘I’, ‘I’, ‘I’ This ‘I’, ego, is nothing but the mind. Even
the mind acts, even the mind operates because of Atma. So, this
fan is revolving because of the current. I have another fan at
home. Will it function without electricity? No, no, no, no. You
may have a fan in the drawing room or on the verandah or anywhere.
In order to make the fan work the current is necessary.
So, whether it is the body or the mind, the current of
consciousness, the current of Atma is absolutely necessary. But at
the body level, it is called Dehatma. At the level of the mind,
the ego, mind + Atma is called Jivatma. Jivatma, individual soul.
Dehatma: Atma + body; Jivatma: Atma + mind. So, it is Atma that
makes the body work. It is Atma that makes the mind think.
Then what is this Atma? This is consciousness. The consciousness
of the Atma in me is very much the same as in you. There is
nothing like Italian Atma, American Atma, Russian Atma, and Swiss
Atma. No, no, no. Atma is one and the same. My friends, the basic
things of this world are common. Water is H2O in India and also in
the United States. Water in the United States is not H3O! It is
H2O. Water in Soviet Russia is H2O, not HO. Two parts of hydrogen,
one part of oxygen. So, water is water anywhere around the earth.
Fire is fire anywhere. Oxygen is oxygen anywhere. So the five
elements, the fundamental principles, the basic constituents,
components of the universe are one and the same all over the
world. But our combinations, our permutations, the mixing of the
five elements will make us civilized, making our life more
comfortable, making our life more convenient, luxurious,
extravagant, leading to the exploitation of the Nature also. But
that’s a different subject altogether. What I want to point out is
that the basic cosmos, the basic principle of the universe, is one
and the same essentially. Why? The undercurrent of Atma is uniform.
Now Atma in me, Atma in you, Atma in the girl, Atma in everyone…how
many is that? The Hindu scriptures say that there are 84 lakhs of
varieties of living creatures in this organic world. (I don’t know
what pains the saint or seers or group of saints must have taken
to quote the numbers!) 84 lakhs of varieties of species are there
in this organic, living world. So, in all these, whether it is a
plant or an animal, bird or a beast, or a human being, that
consciousness is there.
Let us not think that a plant has no consciousness. We are
mistaken. Go near the plant. Touch it gently. Smile at it. Spend
some time in its company. You neglect another plant. Watch the
growth of both plants. When once you spend some time in the
company of the plant, with a gentle look, with a kind look, a
tender touch, it flowers nicely. It grows so beautifully. While
the plants that are rejected, uncared for, never looked at,
without any touch at all, these plants will not grow as well as
those plants that received attention.
Not only that. When you go near a plant with a flower, say a rose
plant, you’re drawn towards the rose flower. You go closely to
enjoy the beauty. Ah! The flower just moves its head, something
like daffodils along the Milky Way, tossing this way and that way.
It dances. ‘Here is a man who loves me. Here is a man who
appreciates my beauty.’
On the other hand, if a person goes near there to pluck the flower,
to cut the flower, either to keep in their hair or place at the
feet of an idol, you observe the movements in the plant. Just as
we have got ECG, electrocardiograph that peeps off the beat of our
heart and shows any fluctuations or changes in the beating of our
heart, there are certain devices to note the feelings and
reactions of plants also. Some of you must have come to know about
this. So when you just connect that to the plant and observe when
the fellow is ready to cut this flower, it starts shaking. It
starts shivering. Now do you really think that it has got
consciousness? It has!
So my friends, there is awareness, there is consciousness, in the
mineral matter, in the plant world, the animal world and the human
society as well. So this Atma in all the 84 lakhs of varieties of
species in this organic world, Atma + Atma + Atma + Atma =
Paramatma.
Deha + Atma is Dehatma. Mind + Atma is Jivatma. Atma in everyone,
Atma + Atma = Paramatma, the Supreme Consciousness, the
Super-Consciousness. The individual conscience and the
Super-Consciousness: At the individual level, Atma is called
conscience. Atma, which is uniform in all of the creatures in the
cosmic level, at the universal level, at the collective level, is
called Super-Consciousness or Paramatma.
Therefore, the answer here is ‘Namaskar’: My respects, my humble
salutations are not to your body, but to Atma, the consciousness
in you. Namaskara has got this beautiful meaning.
Namaskara has got another meaning. This hand of five fingers
represents the organs of action, Karmendriyas. This (other) hand
with five fingers represents the organs of perception,
Jnanendriyas. Organs of action and organs of perception joined
together are called ‘Namaskara’. It means the action senses and
the perception senses both join, work in harmony, integrated, and
are offered to God. That is what is called ‘surrender’. So
Namaskara has got the beautiful name of surrender.
So then that child said, "Namaskara, no ‘I’, but You". This is the
correct answer.
(6) "Who is your friend?"
The next question put by Bhagavan to the children is, "Who is your
friend?" If that question is put to us, I need some volumes
because I’m quite aged. I have got my friends right from childhood.
I have got a number of names, a number of friends. A number of
friends I have.
But that was not the reply given by that Sai child, student of Sri
Sathya Sai Primary School. The children of the Primary School gave
such beautiful, magnificent, meaningful, perceptive answers,
undreamed of happening anywhere. Even if you put me these
questions all of a sudden, I don’t think that I would be
successful. I don’t think so. Let me be very frank and plain in
this matter.
So, "Who is your friend?"
They did not mention, "David is my friend", or "Thomas is my
friend." They did not mention any girlfriends. What did they say?
"Who is your friend?"
"God is my best friend. God is my best friend."
Swami said, "Who is your friend?"
Another student said, "God is the only friend."
There’s difference between ‘the best friend’ and ‘the only friend’.
When you say ‘best friend’, you have got lots of friends and God
is best. When you say ‘only friend’, you have no other friend
other than God Himself. God is the only friend.
What a wonderful reply it is. Why? (Anil Kumar sings some of the
bhajan, "Krishna Murari, Bhava Bhaya Hari, Hey Giridhari Gopal".)
‘Bhakta sakha Bhagavan’: God is your friend. Rather He is the only
friend. Why? The other friends come and go. The other friends I
had when I was a student of the elementary school, they did not
continue to stay with me when I was in high school. When I went to
the next school, I picked up new friends. When I moved out from
the college, I had grown-up friends. The moment I had come to the
university, and then the moment I am employed, my friends were
different. Friends are changing from time-to-time. Whereas when I
am a Class I officer, my friends are Class I. When I am Class II,
my friends are Class II.
So our friendship is based on class structure, on caste structure,
on region, on language or ideology or religion, political or
spiritual, whatever it may be. Friends, friendship, they are based
on something in common and they go on changing from time-to-time
as my stature changes, as my health changes, as my age changes, as
my purse becomes empty day-by-day, my group of friends also
changes.
But this only friend God is changeless whether you are healthy or
you are sick, whether you are in service or retired, whether young
or old, whether active or passive, whether educated or uneducated,
whether rich or poor, handsome or ugly, man or a woman,
good-looking or not, tall or short, or whatever it may be! The
permanent friend who is always with us is God. God is the only
friend, the best answer given by the child.
Our God is really a challenging God. He has put another
inconvenient question:
(7) "Who is your enemy?"
It is good if you ask me, "Who is your friend?" But what if You
ask me, "Who is your enemy" now? What answer can I tell You, my
God? If that question is put to me, "Who is your enemy?" what
shall I say? I have many, but I don’t want to mention their names
because the animosity will double up now if I tell! Enmity will
also increase if I mention their names. I can’t say how many. We
have many.
But what is the answer given by the Sai child? My friends, you
know I wish I should have recorded it! But I don’t doubt you. I
think you have 100% faith in me. You believe what all I say
because it is all recorded, documented. What is the answer given
by that child? "Who is your enemy?"
The answer: "Swami, my anger, my desire, my hatred are the enemies."
"Who are your enemies?"
The anger, the hatred, the greed, the lust, the avarice, the
hatred, the desire. These are your enemies. So when the child says,
"Anger is my enemy", it’s a good reply because all our bad
qualities follow anger. Anger is the first boogie (wagon on a
train) or the engine while, by the last (train) compartment, he
ruins himself. He becomes a dunce, a madcap, intoxicated, not
knowing what he does, what he says, a total ruin.
So, "Who is your enemy?"
"Anger." That is the answer given by that child.
Then Bhagavan asked another question.
(8) "Who is Ganesha?"
"Swami, Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvati." Correct answer.
"How many brothers has he?"
"Swami, Subrahmanya." Correct answer.
"What are his other names? Subrahmanya is the only name? Has he
any other name?"
Swami put His question in such a way that children could easily
understand. He spoke in such a sweet voice, a musical voice, the
voice of a nightingale, a coo-coo bird, the celestial voice!
When we explain or put our questions, we do it in such ways that
even adults get confused! This is our style of working. By the
time we grow up, we consider that the more we get things
complicated and complex, we think that we are scholars!
Scholarship is no complication. Scholarship is not confusion.
Scholarship lies in simplicity. Scholarship lies in putting things
straight. Scholarship is humility. Scholarship is making complex
things simple. But we think scholarship is making simple things
complicated!
What did this boy say?
"Swami, the other name of Subrahmanya?"
One boy got up: "Shanmukha."
"Oh, correct! Sit down."
Another boy got up: "Karthikeya."
"Oh, good! Sit down."
So Karthikeya and Shanmukha are other names of Subrahmanya. He’s
the brother of Ganesha. These were nice answers given by them.
(9) Sarva Dharma Questions
Then Swami said, "OK. Christianity is a very great religion. Do
you know any great man of Christianity? Any great person of
Christianity?"
"Swami, I know! I know, Swami!"
"Any (other) boy?" (Because that boy had many chances. He’s only a
first class child, not even the size of my little finger!)
"Christ, Swami, Christ."
"Oh, correct, correct, correct, correct. He was a great man of
Christianity, man of sacrifice, the messenger of God, the Son of
God, the only Son of God, who laid his life on the cross to save
the entire humanity."
Then Swami said, "Any important place of Islam? Important place
for Muslims?"
Another child got up. "Swami!"
"Ah, yes, yes, yes, what?"
"Mecca, Swami."
"Oh, correct. Mecca is this place. Sit down."
"Any other place?"
"Swami, Madina, Swami."
"Correct. Mecca and Madina are two important places connected with
Islamic faith."
Those were the answers given by them.
(10) "How many marks you got?"
In the meantime, our good Lord started asking, "How many marks you
got?"
Had any one of us been there, we would have been hiding somewhere
in some corner because we don’t want to give the exact figure in
front of the audience.
"How many marks you got?"
"Eighty-nine, Swami."
"Oh, good!"
"How many marks you got?"
"Ninety."
"Ah! Sit down."
While getting answers, He started looking at us. The college
fellows are there. Without speaking, our good Lord speaks a lot
through His looks! His looks are enough! They run for volumes!
‘What are you in front of them?’ That’s what He meant!
"How many marks? Ninety, um-hum." (He was looking at us meaning,
‘Can you dream of getting that mark in your lifetime?’)
In the meantime, one boy got up and came close to Him, said
something, whispered in His ear and left.
Swami said, "What did he say?"
How can I say when he has whispered into His ear? How can I say
what he said! But this question is put and I said, "Swami, he must
have got very low marks. He did not want to tell loudly in front
of everybody. So he must have said correct, exact marks, whispered
in Your ear."
Swami said, "Chi! (An exclamation of disapproval) What a shame it
is! No, no! The boy got ninety-nine marks. He came and said,
‘Swami, if I tell loudly in front of everybody, my ego will be
bloated up. I’ll be very proud. I didn’t want that Swami.’ So he
whispered in My ear."
Can we believe of things happening like that? Can we imagine
things happening like that? The little child felt that he would be
egoistic if he tells loudly and declares openly and so he prefers
to whisper into the ear of God. And this good God tells us loudly
so that we will learn not to feel bloated or aggrandized, proud or
egoistic because of our achievement. That had happened that day.
Very nice, you know.
(11) "Come on, get up and speak!"
And then the boy children gave speeches, one child in English,
another child in Sanskrit. Usually even a professional, regular,
experienced speaker needs some time. You cannot ask, "Come on,
speak!" Particularly those who prepare for days and days to make a
short speech; particularly those who are used to reading their
speech, never speaking spontaneously. They would find it a
Herculean task. "Come on, get up and speak!" We can’t do that!
When Swami started asking the children, there was a beeline, a
long queue, (with many voices saying,) "I want to speak, I want to
speak!"
The children made very good speeches, the theme being Swami’s
message. One child spoke on service. Another child spoke on
fellowship, the unity of religions. Another child spoke on the
Christian philosophy of life and sacrifice. See that! Swami’s
messages were picked up, a single teaching, a quotation of Swami,
and each made a brief speech in Sanskrit, in English, in Hindi,
just like that.
Ultimately Swami had to say, "Ah, ah. Yes, yes. Salut, salut,
salut." (Telugu for ‘Enough, enough, enough.’). "Sit down. Sit
down. Sit down." He had to request them to take their seats
because all of them were ready to speak! That’s not possible to
see anywhere.
Om Sai Ram
(II) TWO SHORT STORIES…
"Every day is a festival.
Every day is a celebration to Me."
On fifth of September another thing had happened. On fifth of
September you must have noticed that many of the teachers of the
University, of the Higher Secondary School, just proceeding
toward the interview room. They were going in a line. I was also
one among them.
There in the interview room, I was expecting that Swami would
say something. He did not say anything. But He started giving
bags with the Sarva Dharma symbol, plastic bags with suit cloth
inside, very good, Raymonds suiting, white, bright, quite good,
brighter than lightening! He started giving one to each.
You must have understood by now that my temperament is not to
keep quiet. Though it is risky, but still I speak something.
Then I said, "Swami, Birthday Celebrations started. As You
started distributing these things, gifts, to all the teachers,
Your Festival began!" I thought that I made a good statement.
That’s where we go wrong!
Immediately He said, "Festival? Should you wait this long to
have this change of clothes? You can have anytime! Should you
wait that long?" And then He said, "Every day is a festival to
Me. To Me every day is a festival. To Me every day is a
celebration. Every day is an occasion." So every day is a
festival, occasion, celebration for Bhagavan.
This is a message to every one of us. We want to smile on a
festival day and cry for the remaining days. We want to be
handsome, wear good dress on a festival day. And we do just the
opposite on the remaining days.
My friends, when Bhagavan says, "Every day is a festival. Every
day is a celebration to Me", it means that we also should copy
Him, that we should also learn, "O God, let me celebrate this
day! Let me celebrate the festival of this day. Life is a
celebration because this day is a gift of Yours, O Lord. This
moment is a precious moment given to me, O God. This moment is
Existence. This moment is the Divine Presence. This moment is
unique. This moment is Divine because the moment that is gone
shall never come back."
It is Alexander (the Great) who at the last moment said, "My
moments are gone now. Any moment I may leave this body. I give
the whole of my empire if there is anybody who can grant me a
few moments to survive. I want to live for a few more moments.
I’ll give the whole of my empire in exchange for a couple of
moments if you are capable of giving me more time to live."
Nobody could. So the lesson is that once a moment is gone, yet
we cannot get it again, even if all our empire is given in
exchange for it! Impossible!
Therefore, every moment is a celebration! Every day is a
festival. Every second is Existence. Let us live in the moment.
Let us live in Existence. Let us live each day, not the past nor
the future.
Om Sai Ram
"Oh-ho. Ants follow the discipline? Better you learn that
lesson!"
Yesterday is the last day with which I would like to conclude
for this morning.
We have among the teachers a senior man, a pretty old person,
aged. He always writes something or other on Swami – poems,
poetry, something or other. You always find him writing, writing,
and scribbling something, on Swami of course.
Swami always jokes. Yesterday Swami said to him, "I always see
you writing something or other. Come on. Come on. Bring it here."
Poor gentleman, it is only rough notes. Swami saw those rough
notes and said, "I saw that. It is enough if you are not rough!"
And that man said, "Swami, the letters are very, very small,
Swami." He says this because he doesn’t want Him to read yet as
it is not the final draft. It is not quite ready. If He starts
finding fault with him, it will be an entertainment to everybody
there.
Just as you laugh at my translations when I falter, I, too,
enjoy. Why? Because it is a kind of a good break in the midst of
the torrential oration of Bhagavan Baba, in the midst of the
torrential serious talk of Swami, my faltering, Swami correcting,
all of you laughing, it is a good break. Of course, you should
not repeat it time and again!
So the point is that man said, "Swami, small, small letters."
Our good God said, "Ants may be small. Small ants can kill big
snake. Small ants may be able to even kill a big cobra."
Ah! Well, this is a writer, you know. He didn’t want to keep
quiet. He wanted to be smart all of a sudden! He said, "Swami,
ants are small, but they have got a discipline to go in line, in
a regular queue. You’ll never find an ant moving this way,
another ant moving that way, like all of us. Ants move in a
regular line. Swami, they follow the discipline." He said it.
But our God, He is always final. He’ll never leave you making a
final statement. He’s always final, the ultimate reality. He’ll
never allow you. Even if you start to mumble, He will turn back
and give you a remark here and go! Why? Because He is the
ultimate. We should be penultimate at the most.
What did He say?
"Oh-ho. Ants follow the discipline? Better you learn that lesson!"
That’s what had happened yesterday evening there on the verandah.
I always feel like sharing whatever Bhagavan says to students
and certain guests. Of course I started sitting over there for
the last almost five months only. Earlier I was sitting there
near car shed. But having been here, I thought that I should
note down certain things and share with the devotees because in
sharing, ‘like-minds’ (those with similar interests) benefit
with joy.
Thank you very much for listening with rapt attention. Thank you.
(Anil Kumar closed his talk by chanting the bhajan, "Sai
Narayana Narayana.")
Asato Maa Sad Gamaya
Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya
Mrityormaa Amritam Gamaya
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.
Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavantu
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti
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