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Anil Kumar's Sunday Satsang at
Prasanthi Nilayam
December 2, 2001
The Sunday Talk Given by Anil Kumar on 02-12-2001
"Be and Don’t Be, Do and Don’t Do"
December 2nd, 2001
BE DON`T BE
Divine (16 chapter of Gita)
1) Abhayam - Fearlessness
2) Satwasamsuddhi - Perfect Purity of Mind
3) Jnana Yoga Vyavasthita - Excellence of Jnana
4) Damam - Control of External Organs
5) Danam - Charity
6) Yagna - Jnana Yagna
7) Swadhyaya - Study of the Self
8) Thapa - Purity of Thought, Word, Deed.
9) Arjavam - Straightforwardness
10) Ahimsa - Non-Violence
11) Sathyam - Truth
12) Akrodha - Calm (not angry)
13) Thyaga - Sacrifice
14) Shanti - Peace
15) Apysunam - Not Carrying Tales
16) Dayabhutheshu - Kindness - Compassion
17) Alolatvam - Non Indulgence of the Senses
18) Mardawan - Gentleness in Word/Deed
19) Hree - Ashamed of Lies / Harm
20) Achapalam - Controling Wavering Mind
21) Theja - Brilliance
22) Dhruthi - Firm
23) Sowcham - External - Internal Purity
24) Adroha - Abandoning Hatred/Betrayal
25) Nathimanitha- Not Proud That We Should Be Adored
Moksha - Liberation
Demonic
1) Dambha - Pomp
2) Darpa - Ego / Self-Conceit
3) Krodha - Anger
4) Parushyam - Harshness
5) Ajnanam - Ignorance
6) Abhimanscha - Possessiveness - Mine
Bandha - Bondage
OM…OM…OM…
Be Divine and Don’t Be Demonic
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
I'm so happy to be back this morning and I would like to share
with you certain important points. This morning’s topic as you can
see is: "Be and Don’t Be, Do and Don’t Do." That is the topic.
"Be and Don’t Be." It seems to be contradictory. But life is a
matter of contradictions. Life is paradoxical. Life is dialectic.
Sometimes life is diabolical! Joy in life consists in bringing the
two polarities together. We cannot altogether forget the obverse
and take into account only the reverse. The two sides of the coin
belong to one and the same coin. So when I say, "Be and do not be,"
I mean let us try to be aware of what we have got to be. And also
let us be aware of what we should not be.
I am speaking of awareness, of being aware. This is what I want to
draw your attention to this morning: being aware of what we have
to be and being aware of what we should not be. The theme of this
topic is taken from the 16th chapter of the Bhagavad Githa. This
16th chapter of the Bhagavad Githa has provided the theme for this
morning’s talk, "Be and Don’t Be."
So, what should you be and what should you not be? Githa always
says that you should be Divine. Be Divine. Be Divine and don’t be
demonic. That is the theme of this talk: Be Divine and don’t be
demonic. Where is the demon? Where is the Divine? How to be
Divine? How not to be demonic? These are the things that we have
got to answer. Let us think together along this particular
direction of thought this morning.
Bhagavan said at one time that there is the animal within us, the
demon within us, the human within us, and also the Divine within
us. All these four are present in everyone. First, the animal
within us: 'Janthu Manava'. 'Janthu, means ‘animal’, while 'Manava'
means ‘man’ or ‘human’.
So there is the animal within everyone. How do you say that? A
wavering mind is of the nature of the monkey. Wavering looks or
the absence of concentration, the absence of steadiness, is the
quality of a crow. Laziness, spending time in an idle way, is the
quality of a buffalo. Therefore, we have and we see that almost
all fellows have these buffalo characteristics!
So animal characteristics are within me. It is not that I have
grown above the 'Janthu Manava' or animal in man. Those who are
not aware of this are comfortable. When we are aware of this, we
feel disgusted, vexed, and frustrated. So first we want to make an
attempt to be away from the animal within us.
The second point Bhagavan said is that there is the demon in man!
The demon in man refers to all the genocide, the atrocities, the
setting things on fire, the dropping of missiles, the heavy
bombings and killings of people; harming others or being violent.
These are all the demonic qualities. It is demonic to try to kill
as many people as possible and to be happy when others are unhappy.
This is a demonic temperament. The demon in me makes me violent.
The demon in me makes me want to hurt everybody. The demon in me
wants me to be harmful to everybody. So, this is the demon in me.
So, first there is the animal within me and then the demon within
me. Thirdly, there is the human within me, 'Manava manava'. The
first category is 'Jantu Manava', animal within man. The second
classification of the demon in me is 'Danava Manava'. The third
category is 'Manava Manava' or the human within me.
I'm also human. I'm considerate; I have concern; I sympathize; I
share with everybody; I rejoice. So, there is the human element in
me, the human within me. Finally, there is the Divine, 'Divya
Manava'. The Divine is within me. There is God in me. I'm
basically Divine. So my friends, we are not one, but four: the
animal within me, the demon within me, the human within me, and
the Divine within me. As a human, we are not aware of the other
three.
Basically, all the four could be summed up into three, according
to Bhagavan. At one time, He said four. Now, the human I already
know. What are the other three? 4 - 1 (the human quality I already
know) = 3. If we take out the human, three are remaining in me:
animal, demon, and the Divine. Thus we can safely name it M-B-A.
This is not Master of Business Administration! MBA is a
qualification. MBA is a degree, which will give us a keynote to
the theme of this morning’s topic.
MBA: Mind, Body, Atma
MBA: ‘M’ for ‘mind’, ‘B’ for ‘body’, ‘A’ for ‘Atma’. It has
nothing to do with getting a Master of Business degree, nothing at
all. ‘M’ is for mind, ‘B’ for body, and ‘A’ for Atma or the Spirit,
Self, Consciousness, or whatever you may call it. The one who
follows the mind is a demon. The one who follows the body is an
animal. The one who follows Atma is Divine. I think I'm clear. If
I follow Atma or the Self, I'm Divine, I am Atma. If I follow B,
the body, I'm an animal. If I follow M, the mind, I'm a demon. The
three, MBA, are three characteristics or qualities that are in
man, Manava.
Now "Be and don’t be" means be Divine, follow Atma, but don’t
follow the mind and be demonic. So, don’t follow the mind and don’t
follow the body. Just follow the Divine. Follow the Divine! If you
follow the body, you are just an animal, as Bhagavan has said.
My friends, I never dream, in the worst of my dreams that I stand
on a higher pedestal than any one of you here. Not even for fun or
as a joke would I ever think that I know more than any of you know,
no! Every session here is a bi-directional flow of ideas. We are
sharing what Bhagavan has said to us on different occasions. No
one knows more than anyone else. We are all uniform.
Therefore, Bhagavan said that you are an animal if you are after
external things. He said, ‘Pasyatiti pasuhu’. It refers to a cow
that runs after green grass. Seeing the grass, the cow runs faster
to partake of it. So, the man who wants to grab everything that he
sees, everything that he watches, who wants to grab and possess
all that he sees, is an animal. So, don’t be the letter ‘B’ that
stands for the body, the animal quality.
The second is, "Don’t follow the mind." Mind is full of turbulence
like the raging waves, full of disturbance. At the time of the
storm, during the times of the whirlwind, at the times of gusting
winds, terrific rains, huge downpours, cyclones, thunder and
lightening, we find the waves rising up and down. That is the
state of the human mind. Our mind is never still. Our mind is
never calm. So we say, "Never mind." (Laughter) It is not so!
We should know our state of mind. Particularly when I sit for
meditation, the mind invites and welcomes all those thoughts that
are not required. Meditation is the time when mind wants to take
the best advantage of you. Because you are seated, it can do
anything that it likes. It will take a good ride with you! Hence,
most of our meditations have not been successful. The meditative
processes have not been successful, rather they have been an utter
failure because the mind dominates.
I sit calmly. I think of morning coffee. I sit for meditation. I
think of the dhobi, the washerman, whether he’ll bring me my
ironed clothes on time or not. I'm very much worried about my
return tickets and flight reservations and the expiry date of my
visa. I think about my children over there while I am here. But my
body is siting nice and straight in meditation. Horrible!
So long as we are dominated by the mind, so long as we allow
ourselves to be played upon by the mind, we are demons. So,
remember in "Be and Don’t Be"!! ‘M’ is for the mind. Do not be a
demon, but be Atma, the Self, or the Divine. That is MBA. ‘M’ is
for the mind. He who follows the mind is a demon and ‘B’ is for
the body. He who follows the body is an animal. Finally, ‘A’
stands for Atma. He who follows the Self or Atma is Divine.
I'm sure, my brothers and sisters, that you’ll pardon me if I'm
rather slow or if I repeat things because I have been a teacher
for the last four decades. Old habits die hard. You should also
pardon me for making it a regular lecture class and not an
exercise of oration, which I did earlier. But it is time to be
serious on certain things. We have got to be serious. We cannot be
carried away by our talent and ego-selves. We have got to be
serious. Some day or other we have got to put His teachings into
practice in our lives.
Characteristics of Divinity
Now, what are the characteristics of the Divinity? Be Divine! Yes,
be Divine; don’t be demonic: Be and don’t be! So be Divine, be
Divine! Am I not Divine? You are! Then why do you want me to be
Divine, as if I'm not? I am Divine, but why do you say, "Be
Divine"? Because I'm not aware of my own Divinity. I'm not sure of
my own Divinity. I doubt my Divinity and I'm not certain of my
Divinity, Therefore, to be Divine, be sure, realize, and
experience.
To be Divine is not an achievement. To be Divine is not an
accomplishment. To be Divine, there’s nothing new in it. It is
only awareness. It is only realization. It is only experiencing
what I have been all through. What you are already is not anything
new. Therefore, my friends, ‘Be Divine’ means what?
Bhagavad Githa is so exhaustive, so explanatory, so kind and
informative, so instructive! It states that there are 25 qualities
that are Divine. So, there are 25 qualities of the Divine. As
there are 25 qualities, is it possible to cultivate them all? Is
it possible to follow them all? No! They are already there. We are
only misusing, diverting, perverting, and misdirecting them, that’s
all. They’re already in existence. We were born with them. But
with the passage of time, as we became selfish, more possessive
and egoistic, we acquired dirty habits. That’s all. Good habits
need not be cultivated. We are born with good habits, but we
cultivate bad habits. I think you’ll agree with me. Bad habits we
cultivate, while we are born with good habits.
You may ask, "How do you say that?" Here is a simple example.
Bhagavan said, "This cloth is white. The tablecloth here is bright
and white. As you use it every day, it turns dirty. It turns black
in color. But the black color and the dirt were not there in the
beginning. They have come there because of use. Similarly, the bad
qualities are acquired. Bad qualities are cultivated. Why? Due to
selfishness, possessiveness, and ego. But originally, we are born
good. God was so kind to have allowed us to come into this world
with all the Divine qualities. But we have forgotten them. So what
are they? Let us look at them, one after the other.
1) Fearlessness
Abhayam is the first quality, the quality of ‘fearlessness’. If
you follow spirituality, if I present myself as a devotee, to be
fearful is a sign of weakness. I don’t need to fear anybody if I'm
a true devotee. But because I'm not sure of God, I fear. It is
something like this simple example: A child in the company of the
mother is so courageous. If I were to say, "I’ll beat you," the
boy will say, "I’ll beat you first!" because he’s by the side of
his mother. When once the child is away from the mother, he’ll be
more careful! He may even run away immediately. He will start
crying just when he sees you, as if you have already beaten him
black-and-blue. Yet you have not said anything. Thus, the child
feels so secure while walking by the side of the mother. At that
time, he is ready to say anything to you.
Similarly, as children of Sai, when we are sure that Bhagavan is
by our side, we don’t need to fear. Further Baba said, "Why fear
when I am here?" We fear because we don’t know that He is there.
We fear because we are not aware that He is there. When once I'm
sure Baba is by my side, that He’s there, then "Why fear when I am
here?" Fearlessness is the first Divine quality.
Bhagavad Githa further says that fear is a sign of weakness. Fear
is so mean: ‘Kshudram Hridaya Daubalyam’. It is so mean to be
fearful. Some people are afraid of police people. Some are
frightened of income tax people or the commercial tax people. We’re
afraid of everybody, according to Bhagavan. Why fear? Swami gives
the answer. Where there is a mistake, there is fear. So my friends,
let us not commit any mistakes so that we don’t need to fear
anybody.
I have written on this board in green letters the Sanskrit terms
and in red letters their respective meanings. As some of you may
be interested to also know the Sanskrit terms, therefore I have
written them all here. (See the attached chart.)
The Second Divine Quality: Purity of Mind
The second Divine quality is Satwa Samsuddhi, which means ‘perfect
purity of mind’. That purity leads to Unity and Unity takes us to
Divinity, as Bhagavan has said. There’s no unity among us because
there’s no purity. Because of the lack of unity, we don’t have
Divinity. So, having purity of mind is a prerequisite and is the
fundamental requirement for having that final Divinity. As
Bhagavan says, "Purity, Unity, Divinity."
So, this purity is Satwa Samsuddhi. My mind is pure when I am
happy. When others are happy, my mind is pure. But today it is not
like that. I'm happy when you’re unhappy. Yes. That is not purity.
Purity lies in sharing. Purity lies in loving. Purity lies in
caring. Caring, loving, and sharing are the features of a pure
mind. That is the second quality, Satwa Samsuddhi.
The Third Divine Quality: Real Jnana Is Knowledge of the Self
Jnana Yoga Vyavasthita is the third Divine quality. What do you
mean by that? Jnana is knowledge. We have got the knowledge of
everything in this world. I have the knowledge of how to reach the
moon within no time. I have the knowledge about this latest
development of cloning. I can make 100 people of your type, so
that you yourself do not know who you are! (Laughter) (Cloning is
very popular just now. As if the world is free from the population
problem, we want to make it further miserable by taking to cloning!)
People say that Bin Laden has got ten ‘Ladens’ of his type (Laughter),
so that no one knows who is the actual Bin Laden. So whether he’s
killed or not, we won’t know. Laden has brought our attention to
so many most undesirable and demonic mysteries in man.
So the point is, this state of what you call excellence of Jnana
has nothing to do with science, nothing to do with technology,
nothing to do with agriculture or horticulture or tissue culture.
Nothing at all to do with any of that. Jnana is knowledge of the
Self. Jnana Yoga Vyavasthita means ‘excellence of Jnana’.
Excellence of Jnana means being in the awareness of the Self.
As Bhagavan puts it in all of His discourses, "Who am I? Who am
I?" The answer to that "Who am I?" is real Jnana, Jnana Yoga
Vyavasthita. Awareness of the Self, that is the Divine quality.
How do you say that? Here is a simple example. When a snake was
killed, Mahatma Gandhiji fasted that night. He didn’t have food.
Next morning somebody asked, "Gandhiji, why did you fast last
night?" He said, "You have killed a snake there. And the snake did
not do any harm to you. Yet you have killed it. Therefore, I
punished myself." He could see the Divine Spirit there in that
snake. Mother Theresa could not bear to see the suffering of
anybody. She cared for those who were forlorn, those who were
uncared for, those who were neglected. Why? She felt that Divinity,
that kinship of Oneness.
Take for example Shirdi Bhagavan. When a dog was beaten over there
with a cane, they found cane marks on Shirdi’s back! That is the
true identity with the Self. The vesture or upaadhi or body may
change, but basically the Self is one and the same. When once a
buffalo was beaten with a cane, they found cane stripes on the
back of Shirdi Bhagavan. Why? There was the same identity of the
Self.
So, the real Jnana is knowledge of the Self. That is the Divine
quality. "Sir, I have got a Ph.D. in Computer Science." OK, you
are a human, but not Divine. "I'm B.Sc. in Psychology." Oh, very
fine! Do not be psychic. So, these claims of the acquisition of
secular knowledge, of science and technology are all only worldly
knowledge. But the real knowledge is this Divine quality of the
knowledge of the Self.
The Fourth Divine Quality: Control of External Senses
The fourth Divine quality is Damam. Damam means the control of the
external senses. Dama is to control the external senses. Is it
possible? Some people ask me, "Sir, is it possible to control the
senses? Is that really possible?" Bhagavan is so kind. He gave us
a clue to follow. Bhagavad Githa says, "Exercise control over the
senses." The Ten Commandments say, "Control your senses." Koran
says, "Control your senses." Everyone says ‘control’, but I have
no control over my own body!
How to control the senses? No one says. No one tells you how to
control! OK, there’s no control to these words! But how to
control? No one says because nobody ever controlled! (Laughter)
Nobody ever controlled! It is so easy to say, "Control." But in
Bhagavad Githa, Krishna said, "Control your senses." Arjuna, being
smart and intelligent, could control. He knew the technique. But
we are not all Arjunas. We are not that smart. After all, our God
has to come down to our level and tell us the procedure also.
Arjuna need not be told of the procedure! He can proceed on his
own. But we need a procedure.
How to control the senses? Please take it from me: Bhagavad Githa
has not told how in all of the 18 chapters. It goes on telling,
"Control, control." OK, thank you! I have learned by heart that
sloka and I repeat, ‘Control the senses," as if I have controlled
them. No, it is not this! We know the word ‘control’, but we do
not know the technique of how to do it. We know the meaning of the
words, but we have not practiced it. We know the goal, but we don’t
know the way to get there.
But Bhagavan tells us in a beautiful way, "Control of the external
organs." What are the external organs? Our ears, our eyes, our
legs, and our hands - these are all external. The senses of action
are the Karmendriyas. How to control these senses of action?
Bhagavan tells us the technique. What is it?
See no evil. See what is good.
Do no evil. Do what is good.
Hear no evil. Hear what is good.
Think no evil. Think what is good.
That’s it. So, how to control? "See no evil. See what is good."
That’s good. But we want to see bad and yet still want to control.
How is it possible? "Hear no evil. Hear what is good." But we
listen to only bad things. Still we want to control hearing. Is
that possible? So Bhagavan has given us a technique to control our
external senses in this way. That is a Divine quality.
The Fifth Divine Quality: Charity
The fifth Divine quality is Danam or charity. Charity is a Divine
quality. It is a thrill and a matter of delight to watch Bhagavan.
If charity is to take a human form, if charity is to walk on two
legs, you can call charity as Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. What a
wonderful charity He does, to the maximum amount possible! I am a
witness to that on many occasions. While we all go in a car,
followed by buses en-route to Kodaikanal, suddenly He stops His
car. He sees some poor people or beggars on the way so He stops
His car. He’ll call them to come close to Him and then give them
whatever comes, 500 rupees or 100 rupees.
Wow! Those people do not know who Sathya Sai Baba is! They have
never seen Him before. They’re simply beggars seen along the way
as He goes along in the car. As other cars speed up more and more,
suddenly He’ll stop His car saying, "Come along, come along." Then
He gives money in charity.
Charity is a spontaneous gesture. Charity is spontaneity. You don’t
plan to be charitable. You don’t plan saying, "I want to be
charitable from tomorrow, the third of December." Or, "OK, in the
morning let me be charitable, but by the evening I’ll be
uncharitable." (Laughter) So, charity does not involve any plan.
It is not a hope or anything like that. Charity happens
spontaneously and instantaneously, as your heart melts in response
to a touching or moving situation. Yes, then you are charitable.
That is a Divine quality.
The Sixth Divine Quality: Yajna
Sixth quality is yajna, which means the sacred rituals. During
Dasara, you find a yajna going on here. But Bhagavan has explained
many times that yajna or sacred ritual is not a thing specially
preformed during Dasara Festival. That is only symbolic. It is not
possible to do that type of yajna every day: I cannot call ten
priests and continue to buy tins and tins of ghee, such an
enormous load of ghee. All the yajna done here at Dasara is only
symbolic.
The altar at the center is the human mind and all the offerings
made into that sacrificial fire are your evil qualities. Evil
qualities are sacrificed into the fire. They are totally burnt. So
that altar represents the human mind. Thus, burning the evil
propensities and removing all bad sentiments and feelings is the
real yajna, the real sacred ritual that one has to carry out from
birth, from one’s beginning.
From the beginning till the end, from womb till the tomb, every
activity is a yajna. Every activity is a yajna. In other words, as
Bhagavan defines it, a selfless activity undertaken with a spirit
of pure Love is yajna. That’s all. Whatever you do with a spirit
of Love, it is a yajna. You may help a person to go to the temple.
You may help a person in times of misery. You may just help him to
pick up courage when he’s totally depressed. All that is yajna.
Yajna does not mean chanting of manthras or a celebration where
you feed thousands of people. That is all a ritual. It is more of
publicity than an act of charity. So my friends, yajna means
selfless activity, backed by pure Love. That should be taken up.
That is a Divine quality.
The Seventh Divine Quality: Constant Study of the Self
The seventh Divine quality is Swadhyaya. What is swadhyaya? It
means ‘study the Self constantly’. That’s why Bhagavan calls it ‘CIA’.
This CIA is not referring to American intelligence. No. According
to Bhagavan, CIA means Constant Integrated Awareness. This is
Swadhyaya. It means I should put to myself this question, "Who am
I? Who am I?" all through my life, throughout all my activities.
Sage Ramana Maharshi had only this theme to convey throughout his
life. What is it? Swadhyaya, the study of the Self, is the only
message of Ramana Maharshi, the greatest Adwaitic (non-dual
philosophy) sage of the century. He speaks of ‘Self-study’, the
study of the Self. Whatever I read, I do so to know my Self.
Whatever I do, I do so to know my Self, to know my true Divine
nature. To discover my true identity is ‘Swa’ or Self + Adhyaya,
study. So, that is a Divine quality.
No, not me. I study my body - how much weight I have put on, how
many calories I should take, how much of jogging I should do, how
many diet regulations I should follow. In spite of all this, death
is certain. So, death is certain in spite of all care that we
take. In spite of all the regulations that we observe, death is
certain. This is not a threat, no! Death is the dress of life.
Death is not a punishment. It is a release of the prisoner from
the jail. It is a release of the bird from the cage.
A bird is within a cage. It is not permitted to fly outside in the
open air. This beautiful bird is kept in a small cage and is fed
with sweet fruit everyday by the queen herself. The king, going
close to the cage, fondles and caresses the bird. But the bird is
never happy so long as it is within its cage. When the bird is set
free, it flies high across the sky. There lies true happiness.
So, death is the release of the Self out of this finite, limited
body. It is to be welcomed. It is not to be condemned. It is not
inauspicious. It is auspicious. So we live to die; we do not live
for permanence or eternity in the body. To experience the Self,
that body consciousness has to go once and for all. So, swadhyaya
or the study of the Self is necessary.
The Eighth Divine Quality: Penance
The eighth Divine quality is Thapas or penance. This is a Divine
quality. What is thapas? People think that it means running away
from the family, staying there in the forest under a tree,
partaking only the fruits that are available, and so on. Animals
do the same. Most of the wild animals, lions, and tigers are there
in the forest too. Well, I cannot say that these animals are sages
and saints or that they have Divine qualities. So, spending a lot
of time in a forest is not a Divine quality! No.
What is penance? What is thapas, according to Bhagavan Sri Sathya
Sai Baba? What a ‘latest’ God He is, I tell you! I'm very fond of
repeating it, though Bhagavan does not like it (I know). God
cannot really be the ‘latest’ or ‘antique’. (Laughter) He’s both.
He’s Nithya Nutana and Sathya Sanathana, the Eternal and the
Ancient, as well as the Modern. But I'm fond of calling Him modern
because I don’t think Rama ever spoke of laser sciences, heat, or
generators. I don’t think Krishna ever referred to computers. So,
it's all right to call Him ‘modern’ (as He speaks of these things).
We are living with the contemporary, ‘modern’ God.
So what did He say regarding penance? Penance is not spending time
in loneliness. It is not a life of solitude. Penance, as Bhagavan
says, is purity of thought, word, and deed. Purity of thought,
word, and deed is penance or thapas. It is missing in our life.
What we say, we don’t do. What we do, we don’t say. We say one
thing, but we do a different thing, and the thought behind these
two is totally different still. So the three things, thought,
word, and deed, are at variance with each other. There’s no
harmony. There’s no unity of thought, word, and deed. To have that
harmony of thought, word, and deed is what is called ‘thapas’
according to Bhagavan.
He is the greatest example: "Swami, You are so busy with so many
guests. You are so busy with VIP’s visiting You. You are so busy
with such a big, stupendous program on hand. Yet, You’re always
blissful. You always smile. You’re always happy. I never saw You
tired. I never saw You disgusted. I never saw You vexed. I never
saw You angry. I never saw You telling anyone, ‘I'm busy, very
busy, so don’t be anywhere near!’ But still You’re always blissful
and You always smile. So many things You do." Bhagavan said, "I
want you to be happy because I am happy always. I am happy always.
Therefore I want you to be happy." What He says, He does. What He
does, He declares. So this is what is called penance or thapas.
The Ninth Divine Quality: Straightforwardness
The ninth Divine quality is Arjavam. What is Arjavam? It means
straightforwardness. There is nothing like having a knack or any
devise there with straightforwardness. There is no manipulation,
no manoeuvering, and no management available. I'll give you a few
instances of straightforwardness. When Swami thinks about it and
when Swami decides to correct you, He will say it openly to your
face in public. Please take it from me! (Laughter) Many times I
have been a poor victim of such a deal at an earlier date. He will
just condemn you openly in public. There is nothing like calling
you aside and correcting you. No! He doesn’t care. He’ll do the
same with anybody.
There was an instance when He said right in front of a Central
Cabinet Minister, "What is it you Ministers are doing, accepting
and spending time in air-conditioned rooms?" Right to his face He
said it. Another time, in front of a few people He said, right to
the face of the renunciates (sadhus) or celibates, "What is it you
are doing except eating and spending time? Are you concerned, have
you any concern for the society? What are you doing?" He says it
all openly. To a scholar He tells, "You read so much, doing
nothing! What is this all for?" That is straightforwardness.
There’s nothing whatsoever hidden or implied.
Then when somebody said, "Swami, for Your Organization we want to
acquire that land." But He said, "Oh! Don’t acquire or procure any
land. My land is your heart. I don’t want any temples. Your heart
is My temple. A pure heart is the living temple of God. No
acquisition, no procurement." Repeatedly He tells us, "Follow the
rules of the government, the rules of the land. I don’t want you
to disobey or transcend any law of the land." Swami insists that
we should follow the rules and regulations of our land, whatever
country we belong to. That is straightforwardness.
Once I said, "Swami, You have no secretary?" Naturally I was
hoping for a chance that He might take me (or you) as a secretary!
(Laughter) Instead of directly saying, "Swami, take me as Your
secretary," I put it indirectly, "Swami, You have no secretary?"
And then Bhagavan said, "I have no secretary. I don’t need any
secretary because I have no secrets! (Laughter) I have no secrets,
so I don’t want any secretary!" That He could say because of His
quality of straightforwardness or Arjavam. Bhagavan’s life is an
open book. That is a Divine quality.
The Tenth Divine Quality: Non-Violence
The tenth Divine quality is Ahimsa or non-violence. We think himsa
is violence. We think violence means killing somebody. But
Bhagavan’s definition of non-violence or ahimsa is typically it’s
own kind. Some people look at others in such a way that they feel
embarrassed. Their very looks are very embarrassing. Some people
speak in such a way that we can never forgive them even for a
lifetime. Their very words are so harsh. Some faces are so bad
that we don’t want to look at their faces at all ever.
So, you can hurt somebody by your very face, by your looks, your
thoughts, your words, or your deeds. We can harm anybody in these
ways. It does not necessarily mean that only to kill somebody is
violence! No. After all, the non-vegetarians seem to be better in
this regard than the vegetarians. The non-vegetarians kill an
animal and eat the flesh. There ends the matter. But no one wants
to be close to the so-called vegetarian because of his harsh or
useless words and his long, horrible frowning Shakespearean face.
Well, that fellow is much worse off than the non-vegetarian!
So, not to hurt anybody by our looks or by our words is ahimsa.
What a sublime definition - a definition of all times! It is not a
physical definition. It is a metaphysical definition. It is not
merely psychological. It is para-psychological! Whether you call
it metaphysical or para-psychological, a suburb definition of
ahimsa is not to hurt anybody either by words, looks, or deeds.
That is ahimsa, a Divine quality.
The Eleventh Divine Quality: Truth
The eleventh Divine quality is Sathya, Truth. Truth, yes! What is
Truth? We think, as Bhagavan says, that to report what you see, to
tell what you hear, or to confess what you think is Truth. No!
That is all only worldly truth. To say what you have heard, to
declare what you have seen, or to confess what you have thought is
all only worldly truth.
Science speaks of different scientific laws, discoveries, and
inventions, which contradict themselves. At one time, science says
one thing. Later on, science says something else because it has
disproved its previous statement. In other words, what is proved
now is disproved later! This is not Truth. This is a fact. Science
is based on facts and figures, not on Truth. Science is after data
and statistics, not Truth. So what we speak in the worldly senses
is worldly truth, but not Truth in the strict sense.
Kindly follow me with regard to three things that Swami has said:
one, the ocean, two, the waves, and three, the foam on the waves.
Swami says that the foam on the surface is worldly truth and the
waves are the superimposition, while the sea is the Truth, the
eternal Truth. The sea is the eternal Truth, whereas the wave is
just a superimposition on the foam of worldly truth. To quote
Bhagavan, the sea is ‘Paramarthica Sathya’, the eternal Truth,
whereas the wave is what we call ‘Praathibhaasica Sathya’ or
superimposition. The foam is ‘Vyaavihaarica Sathya’ or the worldly
truth. So we should think of ‘Paramaarthica Sathya’.
To be clearer or more emphatic, only Bhagavan should help us to
understand this point. Sometimes He says you are not one, but
three - the one you think you are (the body), the one others think
you are (the mind), and the one you really are (the Spirit or Atma).
So, the Sprit or Atma (the one you really are) is the spiritual
Truth or Paramaarthica Sathya. The one others think you are (the
mind) is the superimposition because you think you are the mind
and you are not the body. The one you think you are is the body,
Vyaavihaarica Sathya, or the physical, worldly truth. I think I'm
clear. So, this is what is Sathya or Truth.
The Twelfth Divine Quality: Absence of Anger
The twelfth Divine quality is akrodha. Akrodha means the person
will never be angry. ‘Krodha’ is ‘anger.’ Akrodha is ‘absence of
anger’, being quite calm and composed. It seems a gang of
youngsters criticized Lord Buddha. Some youngsters said, "Here is
a man with a shaven head! A man who should have been a king, but
left his kingdom and now is just begging along the streets!"
Buddha was simply laughing, all the while smiling. The youngsters
did not understand. "Are you mad or am I mad?" they thought. "When
we are attacking you, why are you smiling?" And Buddha said, "By
teasing me like this, you are happy. My devotees are happy by
praising me. Their happiness and your happiness is my happiness,"
he said.
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba at one time said, "All those who
criticize Me and all those who attack Me, all those who comment
negatively like this are the size of a mountain. Those who praise
Me, those who sing My Glory, those who chant My Holy Name are also
the size of this mountain. I am in between, blessing both of them.
Akrodha is having no trace of anger, no bias, no partiality. That
is a Divine quality, Akrodha.
The Thirteenth Divine Quality: Sacrifice
The thirteenth Divine quality is what we call Thyaga or sacrifice.
Regarding sacrifice, Bhagavan at one time said, "I'm ready to give
Myself to you. I'm ready to drop this body. I'm ready for you. I
don’t have any charm in this." You know, the earlier Incarnation,
Shirdi Bhagavan, left His body to save a devotee. Jesus died on
the Cross for humanity. What greater sacrifice could there be than
sacrificing one’s own self? Sacrificing one’s own self,
sacrificing one’s life for humanity is the highest and greatest
sacrifice. It is not sacrifice to donate a hundred or five hundred
rupees to a charitable trust. Sacrifice is not that.
Bhagavan is always ready to sacrifice His time, His energy, and
even life itself. Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu. "Let the whole
world be happy. Let the whole of humanity live in peace." For that
only He spends all His time, energy, resources, and even His life
for that matter. That’s what is called Thyaaga or sacrifice.
Thyaage Naiki Amrut Tatthwam Maanusyu. It means: ‘Amrut Tatthwa’,
Immortality; ‘Thyaage Naike’, sacrifice; ‘eka’, ‘the only way’ or
"Sacrifice is the only way to Immortality." Na Prajayat, Dhyane Na
Thyaage, Na Karmana, Na Prajayat, Dhyanena, Na Karmana. no action;
Dhyanena, no money, no authority, no! "It is only sacrifice that
takes you to Immortality." That is the Divine quality of Thyaaga.
The Fourteenth Divine Quality: Peace
The fourteenth Divine quality is Shanti or peace. Peace is not a
conference. We know about the international peace conferences.
There, at the end of an international peace conference, a
resolution is passed: "Let us bomb one city or another." (Laughter)
This is a peace conference! So peace conferences end up with
violent resolutions! Peace is not that. Peace means equanimity.
Peace means tranquility. Peace means a balanced state of mind.
How do you know? The face is the index of the mind. (Anil Kumar
makes a sour face.) "I'm very peaceful, you know that?" Oh! I don’t
want that peace! (Laughter) Or someone shouts at you, "Don't
disturb my peace of mind!" If I disturb your peace, it is not
peace. It is only pieces. Peace cannot be disturbed. If everybody
disturbs you, you do not have peace at all. So my friends, peace
is tranquility. Peace is samatwa or equality. Peace is samabhava
or equalmindedness, meaning, that which is not disturbed. That is
what is called peace.
On one occasion, three speakers gave talks preceding Bhagavan’s
discourse. They went on speaking about Bhagavan, one after the
other. They did a very good job. At the end, our sweet Lord stood
and spoke like this: "Those who spoke earlier - don’t be carried
away by what they said. They spoke all nonsense. I don’t want
anybody to praise Me. I don’t want anybody to extol Me. I am not
separate from you! I'm not a guest. You and I are One. You heard
these people praising Me. Don’t do that."
Do you praise your father? "Father, how great you are! You have
educated me!" Do you praise your mother? "Mother, how fine you
are! You made nice delicious items this afternoon for lunch." Do
you praise her? No! Mother feels so happy in serving. Father feels
so happy in taking care of his child.
Bhagavan is God and Father. Matha Pitha Guru Daivamu, Mari Antayu
Nive. He’s Mother, Father, Teacher, and God. Therefore, peace is
in one who is not disturbed. It is peace that is abiding. It is
not obtained by praise. Some may say, "People praise me, therefore
I'm peaceful." All right, employ somebody to praise you for a
particular scale of pay as a regular payment! (Laughter) So,
praise or blame does not gain peace. It has got nothing to do.
That is the fourteenth quality.
The Fifteenth Divine Quality: Not Spreading Rumors
The fifteenth Divine quality is Apysunam, not carrying tales or
not spreading rumors. We have got regular rumor-mongers here!
Immediately after any festival, the next day they start saying, "When
is Swami going to Bangalore?" (Laughter) Why are you so bothered?
Why do you want to send Him there when He wants to be here? It so
happens that immediately the day after Purnahuti (Vijayadasami,
the last day of Dasara), the very next day these people approached
me, "Sir, when is Swami going to Bangalore?" How do I know? Do you
think that He will give me His timetable? "Why are you bothered
about His trip to Bangalore? Why don’t you enjoy Him now while He
is here?" Do you see that?
There are some who love to spread rumors and tales: "I heard, Sir,
that it seems so-and-so deposited a few crores in some bank. What
is the name of that bank?" Do you want to deposit a few crores?
Why are you interested? Why are you talking like this? See, that
is the spreading of stories! A devotee will never spread rumors
like that. This is called Apysunam. A devotee will never find
fault with others either, no!
That is a Divine quality, Apysunam. If anyone goes to Swami and
says, "Swami, so-and-so is like that," He will respond, "Hey, keep
quiet! Why do you speak like that? What about you? You are equally
bad!" or "You are even much worse - you are much worse than the
fellow about whom you are speaking!" He will never allow anybody
to speak ill of anyone else. You have to improve yourself, which
is self-improvement. Never condemn others. No, no, no, no! Have
the Divine quality of Apysunam.
The 16th, 17th and 18th Divine Qualities
Next comes the sixteenth quality, Daya Bhutesh, which is kindness
and compassion. Bhagavan says, "The one with kindness belongs to
mankind. If he’s not kind, he’s not a member of mankind." Then He
also says about compassion, "Compassion has become a matter of
fashion today. Fashion is different from compassion." Any number
of things can be said about that.
Then the seventeenth quality is Alolathwam. Alolathwam means
non-indulgence or controlling the desire for sensual pleasure, or
giving up sensual pleasure altogether.
The eighteenth quality is Mardhavan, the quality of gentleness in
word and deed: gentle talk, which is soft and sweet. What a
beautiful musical voice Swami has! When He says, "When did you
come? Where do you come from? How are you?" what a beautiful voice
it is! Whereas when people ask you, "Where did you come from?" (Anil
Kumar pronounces with a dull and uninterested voice) (Laughter),
we can tell that both of us come from the same hell! Do you
understand? (Laughter) We don’t feel like speaking anything when
someone speaks harshly, "When did you come?" He asks as though I'm
going to rob him or try to share his property!
When Bhagavan comes close to you and says, "When did you come? How
are you?" at that moment He makes us feel how life has got to be
cherished for the rest of our life. The question goes deeply into
our heart. His concern and His caring make us dance in joy! That
very questioning, that very inquiry, is Divine inquiry, full of
Love and full of caring. That is a Divine quality. That is what is
called Mardhavan.
The 19th, 20th and 21st Divine Qualities
The nineteenth Divine quality is Hree. Hrihe means that one should
be ashamed of lies. One should be ashamed of the harm that one
does unto others. If you do any harm to others, you should feel
ashamed of yourself. When you speak untruth, you should feel
ashamed of yourself. You should never feel proud of it.
Politicians are capable of feeling proud of their lies because by
speaking lies they only become Ministers. That is the only way.
That is the royal way to them. But a devotee will feel so badly
when he has to utter a lie, or when he has to do something
negative unto others. That is Hree.
The twentieth Divine quality is Achapalam. Chapala means wavering.
So Achapalam is not wavering, steadiness, steady mind,
concentrated mind.
Then the twenty-first quality is theja. Theja means radiance or
brilliance. We should have at least a smiling face. The face
should have a glowing attraction. When you smile, I should feel
like looking at you. When you laugh, I should want to see you
laughing. When Swami smiles, what a bewitching smile! What a
catchy, mischievous smile He has! (Laughter) Yes, the beautiful
smile of Bhagavan is a sight for the gods to watch! So that is
what we call teja or brilliance, a face with that brilliance.
The 22nd, 23rd and 24th Divine Qualities
The twenty-second Divine quality is dhruthi. Dhruthi means ‘firm
decision’. Bhagavan said the other day, "I'm like butter: I melt
easily. But in respect to principles, I'm stronger than a diamond;
I’m so harsh in respect to principles. But in response to prayers
of devotees, I'm like butter. I melt. That is Dhruthi."
The twenty-third Divine quality is sowcham, which means external
and internal purity. "Cleanliness is next to godliness." How clean
He is! Bhagavan doesn’t want any one of us to be shabby or dirty.
Some people who have a long beard and long hair think that they
are spiritual. No, no, no, no, no! Hair has got nothing to do with
the spirituality! (Laughter) If hair equals spirituality, a bear
in the forest is full of hair! So this bear should find entry into
Heaven in the first instance itself! (Laughter) No, if a mustache
is a sign of spirituality, the cockroach has got a bigger mustache
than all of you can think of! (Laughter) So, long hair or mustache
has nothing to do with that. Therefore, Sowcham is cleanliness.
And then comes Adroha, the twenty-fourth Divine quality. Adroha
means ‘abandoning hatred or betrayal’. This means you don’t harm
anyone. Swami said in His discourses, "People may criticize Me. I
don’t criticize anybody. People may hate Me. I don’t hate anybody.
I still continue to love them." This is adroha, trying to help
those who harm you.
Bhagavan gives an example of a sandal tree. Take an axe and cut
across the tree. The tree continues to remain fragrant. The sandal
tree will continue to pass on its sweet smell, its good fragrance
and aroma, though an axe cuts across it. So noble people have this
quality of adroha: They don’t harm anybody.
The 25th Divine Quality: Not Proud
The twenty-fifth quality of the Divine is Nathimanitha, which
means ‘not proud of his own self’. Bhagavan will never say, "Worship
Me alone. Sing My glory alone." No, no. I do not know how many of
you are aware of this fact. So I shall mention it. When students
do not sing a Sarva Dharma bhajan (a bhajan prayer including all
names of all religions, i.e. Allah, Jesus, Guru Nanak, Zorastra,
Buddha) that bhajan group is finished for the day. Yes, you can
forget about it. Bhagavan is very serious about it. You should
sing the name of every god (or prophet or guru) of every religion
each bhajan session.
Why? "All religions are Mine. All forms are Mine. All Names are
Mine." So that kind of identity Bhagavan has. "You may sing the
Name of any God. He and I are One." Jesus, yes! Allah, why not? So
the Sarva Dharma bhajan is insisted upon. That is what is called
Nathimanitha or not insisting of His own self being adored and
worshipped.
So, be Divine with the twenty-five qualities. Be Divine with all
the Divine qualities. Don’t be demonic with the six bad qualities.
Don’t be demonic. So a second title to this morning’s topic is, "Be
Divine and Don’t Be Demonic."
The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Demonic Qualities
First is Damba, which means ‘publicity’. Some people say, "Tomorrow,
Sir, there is one function in our Samathi at 8 o’clock. We are
distributing clothes to poor people. We invited press people also
there. Please attend." Whom do you want to impress? Press or
impress? No, we don’t want it. Suppress that. Suppress the press.
Don’t try to impress anybody.
Whatever Bhagavan does well has got nothing to do with publicity.
My friends, what work is going on! Can you imagine? Can you
imagine its dimensions? Do you find any work parallel to this? Do
you find thousands of people being treated free of cost anywhere
else? Can you ever imagine thousands of students being educated
year after year, free of cost? Can you imagine a housing colony
coming up, free of cost? Do you find it mentioned any place in the
press? Do you find any broadcast about it? Do you find any
telecast regarding this? Do you find any newspapers coming with
special publication or articles about these activities? No, no,
no! Why?
God is not for publicity. God has given us this beautiful wind
without doing any publicity about it. God has given us sunlight,
again without doing any publicity. God has given fire also with no
publicity. God is free! Our Creator is free and the Creation is
free. Only man is for publicity because he’s so mean. So, this
damba is a demonic quality. The one who declares, "You know what
we have done?" beware! There lurks demon number one!
Next is darpa. Darpa means ‘ego’ or ‘self-importance’. "You know
who I am?" It seems Seva Dal people stopped some gentleman the
other day. He’s a senior man whom I know. He held a very high
position earlier. The Seva Dal people, because they change from
month to month, may not know that he’s such a V.V.V.V.V.I.P! (Laughter)
They stopped this gentleman. "Sir, please stop." He said, "Do you
know who I am?" Ah, so what? We can see that you are six feet tall.
We have got a weighing scale if you want to know further. That
Seva man said, "Sir, I never met you before." Our VIP responded,
"Oh! So this is the first time you are coming to Puttaparthi?"
I felt ashamed of that VIP man. If you need to introduce yourself,
what sort of a person are you anyway? If you have to introduce
yourself as so-and-so, you are nobody. People should already know
if you’re really worth anything. In fact, after all they don’t
need to know who are you. I am nobody. People are here only to
know Bhagavan, not to know you or me. If Bhagavan is known, yes,
He’s the ONLY VIP. We are Very Insignificant Persons, not Very
Important Persons. Please know Bhagavan, and nobody else.
Somebody was asking, "Sir, who is that man who was called just now
for interview?" Why are you interested if he’s called? You are not
called. That much is certain. Why should I know who is called? Why
all of this? I was really vexed with that question when somebody
said, "Sir, who is he, who is he?" I said, "Sir, Swami wants me to
know who I am! Why should we ask, ‘Who is he?’ Please leave me
alone!" (Laughter) So, darpa or ego is just like that. But why all
that? It is not at all necessary.
Next is Krodha or anger. "You know daily I sit here in this spot!
You know that seat should be left vacant for me!" (Laughter) "Oh,
I see! And after you go? So many sat there before you came here!"
So krodha or anger means any unnecessary disturbance. When Swami
is talking to you, this person puts his face across in the way so
that Swami cannot see you. When you are just trying to hand over
your letter, he’ll push you back! Wow! He’s full of anger and
restlessness, such demonic qualities. We too have all of them. We
may have one of the Divine qualities. But, to be honest, we also
have all of the demonic qualities! (Laughter)
The 4th, 5th and 6th Demonic Qualities
Then the next one is Parushyam. Parushyam means harshness or being
very harsh. Say someone new asks, "Sir, what are the timings at
the canteen?" The response comes harshly back: "Don’t you know?
Hm-mm!" That’s not an answer! Or "Sir, what is the way to the
stores?" The harsh response: "You go and find out for yourself!"
Oh! This is a demon number one, Dr. Demon, with a Ph.D. in demonic
qualities. (Laughter) We can give him a Ph.D. in harshness. But
Bhagavan always advises, "Speak softly. Speak sweetly." If we
cannot speak sweetly and softly, can we call ourselves devotees?
No!
In fact, in one public meeting Swami said, "Some people react like
Alsatian dogs." (Laughter) Are you are an Alsatian? You can talk
sweetly, nicely, and in a gentle way, after all! So, harshness or
Parushyam is a demonic quality.
Ajnanam or ignorance is next. "I'm permanent here. My post is
permanent. I am everything." Oh, OK! You can continue to talk like
that about your permanence until you are no more! (Laughter) So,
that is ajnana or the ignorance of considering oneself to be
permanent.
Then there is Abhimanascha, which means ‘attachment’ or ‘possessiveness’,
a demonic quality. "My people, My family, My brothers, My
brothers-in-law." Oh! This kind of attachment, this kind of
possessiveness, this kind of self-glorification or self-claim,
this kind of self-esteem, they are all the by-products of
abhimanyascha.
So these are the demonic qualities. To conclude this morning’s
talk:
"Be and Don’t Be"! Be Divine; don’t be a demon!
Thank you very much!
Om Asato Maa Sad Gamaya
Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya
Mrtyormaa Amrtam Gamaya
Om Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samasha Sukhino Bhavantu
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
Sai Ram,
Thank You!
Jai Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ji Ki Jai!
© Anil Kumar Kamaraju 2004 - Here
reproduced for personal use of the devotees for the purpose of
seva.
Anil Kumar website:
http://www.internety.com/anilkhome/ -
http://www.internety.com/saipearls/
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