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Anil Kumar's Sunday Satsang at
Prasanthi Nilayam
July 29, 2001
The Sunday Talk Given by Anil Kumar
The Significance of Bhagavan's Recent Talk to Students
July 29th, 2001
OM… OM… OM…
Sai Ram!
With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Points From Bhagavan’s College Visit
I want to share with you some of the thoughts expressed by
Bhagavan in His Divine Discourse delivered recently to the college
students at the Institute. As most of you know, the other day
Bhagavan addressed the students. Some of the points that are of
general interest I want to share with you this morning. People are
usually quite anxious to know what Swami has said. Naturally we
are all inquisitive to know. So I will give you a few of His
points for your information.
Those Coming From Far Away
Are More Aware Of His Divinity
The first point He made was that those devotees coming from far
away are more aware of His Divinity than those who are always
physically near Him. This statement is very difficult to hear and
bear. It is a very 'hot' statement and we may feel hurt. But it is
the fact of facts. I repeat His point, which was that those coming
from far-off distances, even those coming from far places like
Himachal Pradesh, or those coming from other places in India, and
all foreigners, have more awareness and more of a realization of
His Reality. They know the value of Bhagavan much more than those
who are near Him physically.
He also gave an often-repeated example. What is that example? A
frog is sitting on a lotus but does not know the value of the
lotus. But from a long distance there comes, uninvited and
unsolicited, a honeybee to suck the honey of the lotus. It comes
on its own and drinks the nectar. It sucks the nectar and leaves
the flower happily and blissfully.
So it is with many devotees who come here from long distances.
They know the value of Bhagavan. This is what He wanted the
students to realize and know. But I feel that everybody should
know this, not only the students. We are all students and the
whole Universe is a university. It is not necessarily meant for
hundreds of students only because life is a process of continuous
learning and unlearning: unlearning what we are used to and
learning what is necessary and what contributes to our spiritual
advancement. That is one interesting and pukka (correct) statement
that He made, there’s no doubt about it.
Feel Bhagavan Is Inside
The second point He made was that as long as you consider God
outside yourself, you will never know Him inside. This statement
is a profound statement, requiring some in- depth understanding.
We feel that Bhagavan is outside us. He is moving on the verandah
and He is giving us darshan. We feel Him outside and see Him
outside. This is what makes us request padanamaskar, or expect a
look or a smile. When these are denied, we feel dejected and
depressed.
So Bhagavan's statement is this: Bhagavan, whom we see outside,
must be experienced INSIDE. We have to establish a communion
WITHIN when we want to communicate with Bhagavan. Commune from
within. Communication is outside. Because we are at the level of
outer communication, we experience dejection, depression,
frustration, and anger. These are all the consequences of outer
communication. When we are in communion within, when we feel and
experience Bhagavan inside, peace naturally abides. There is no
appointment necessary. There is no outer communication required.
There is only communion. So this is the second statement Bhagavan
made.
He also said that you can stay here any number of years, but it is
useless as long as you feel that God is outside of you. Feeling
that way, you will never understand Him and you will never really
experience Him. Perhaps this is the reason why He is withdrawing
some of the outer opportunities that He has previously given to us
so far. Talking to us, giving us padanamaskar, and giving darshan
repeatedly, these chances are being withdrawn or reduced
day-by-day. Why? Because all of us have been tuned to (used to)
seeing God on the outside and we refuse to improve ourselves. We
find it comfortable remaining at the nursery-school level.
I used the word, ‘we’. If there are a few exceptions at a higher
level, I salute them and bow to their feet in all humility. I
adore and appreciate them. However, many belong to my category.
But hats off to the exceptions! For every rule, there is an
exception. However, the majority belong to my category, for whom
Bhagavan’s message is meant. The enlightened souls don’t think of
anything. They don’t even have to be here.
So He said, irrespective of the number of years you have spent
here, it is useless as long as you feel God is outside of you.
This statement is now forced upon us. When He doesn’t look at you,
you feel helpless and then you have no alternative left but to see
Him within. 'OK, since You don’t look at me, let me look at You
from within. Since You don’t talk to me externally, let me talk to
You internally. Since You ignore me, let me certainly concentrate
on You. This is now enforced and prescribed for us. This second
statement is really interesting.
We Think Of God In The Way We Want
The third point He made was that we think of God in the way we
want to. We expect God to react according to our own sentiments,
impulses, and feelings. We attribute to God our own shortcomings,
our own misgivings, and our own narrow-mindedness. Many people
have a constant feeling that they are close to Bhagavan. Some will
also openly declare this announcing, "I am close to Bhagavan."
Beware of such people! No one is close to Bhagavan. Some other
people will say, "I am not as close to Him as you are." Such a
person has no redemption for lives to come!
We are all equally close and equally distant. The Upanishads say,
"So near and so far." The declaration in the Bhagavad Gita is, "If
you feel Him near, you are really near. If you feel you are
distant, you are really distant and cut off from Him." It is only
our own reaction, our own reflection, our own resound, and our own
narrow-mindedness.
Bhagavan says, "You attribute to God your own feelings, your own
misgivings, and your own understanding." For a person to say, "I
am close and you are not close. He loves me," how do you know? God
cannot love only a few! He cannot help but love all! God is Love.
Love is God! I cannot say, "He loves me." No one can say, "I am
close to Him." No! These are all our ideas, which we attribute to
God.
Some will say, "We had a very good darshan this morning." Does it
mean that you had a bad darshan yesterday? (Laughter) "Swami is
very good today." Does it mean that He was bad yesterday? What do
these statements mean? These statements are immature,
inexperienced, illogical, irrational, irreligious, and
non-spiritual. We are not supposed to make such statements.
God is always good. When we are good, we say, "He is very good."
When we are bad, we just keep quiet and don’t react. We are not
receptive or responsive. Non-receptivity and non-responsiveness
are one’s own reactions. One has to be receptive.
"Come To Darshan Only At Three O’Clock"
This morning Bhagavan was gently walking in His usual style. While
climbing up the steps close to where we sat, He turned to the boys
and said, "Boys, from today onward you can come at three o’clock
in the afternoon." The boys heard it. Then Bhagavan turned towards
me and said, "You can all come here at three o’clock from today
on." I said immediately, "Thank You, Swami!" Then Bhagavan said, "You
are saying thanks, but the boys are not saying thanks. They are
not happy!" (Laughter)
I am not a fellow to grab the credit or throw the blame. I always
feel that I am an instrument or a representative to negotiate and
to make compromises. That’s my status now, as it has always been
and always will be. Then I said, "Bhagavan, Your voice is not
audible to them. They could not hear what You said and that is why
they are silent." (Laughter) "You are saying, 'Thanks'. Do you
mean to say they did not hear My words? Can't they hear your
voice?" I said, "No, no, Swami. They have not heard Your voice or
my voice." (Laughter) "Hey! You are Just saying all of it your
self ! " He said and left.
Then I turned to the boys and said, "We have been feeling so sad
for the last two months that we could not establish the same
rapport we used to have, as it had been up until now. Bhagavan is
somehow avoiding us. But when the chance came on a holy day, the
holiday, the Sabbath day, the Sunday, you have lost the
opportunity. You all could have said in chorus, ‘Lovely! Thank You,
Bhagavan!’ I don’t know why you all kept quiet. You lost this
opportunity." Poor fellows, they could not say anything!
Then the warden came and said, "Sir, those in the front are school
boys. They didn’t know what to say and besides, many don’t
understand Telugu. They were taken by surprise and so they had
questioning expressions on their faces. They were helpless." I
said, "That is to God's advantage and to our disadvantage! What
can we do?"
Always Be Prepared And Thankful
So my friends, as a fellow devotee, I want to caution you. We
should never be unprepared because we’ll be caught when we're
unprepared. We have to be prepared at all times. On the day when
you don’t clean your home, He will say, "Let us come to your home
now." (Laughter) On the day when you are ready and when everything
is perfectly clean, all spic-and-span, He will postpone His visit
saying, "I will see later. Wait, wait." (Laughter) We have to be
ready at all times. We have to be ready, ever ready. That's all.
There is no question of postponement because God waits for an
opportunity when you are not ready only in order to postpone again.
So this is the lesson I instructed my students about this morning:
"Be always alert."
Be thankful to God. We have to thank Him for the number of
opportunities we have already had. Do not develop a grudge or be
dissatisfied or discontented because we are ignored today. We have
to count His blessings. "We are so thankful to You for all that
You have given us. We are so thankful to You for the lesson that
You want to teach us today. You want to teach us a lesson by
giving this kind of treatment now. We are enriched for it. Thank
You!"
God's eloquence is as beautiful as God's silence. The silence and
eloquence are both beneficial and enriching. Both are rewarding,
instructive, and informative. Sometimes His silence is the
greatest eloquence. Many times eloquence takes you to silence. One
leads to the other. One is the result of the other. One is the
benefit of the other. Both are complementary.
Both Opposites Are Useful
Attention and neglect are both useful. Attention is given in order
to encourage you. Or, receiving the opposite treatment, you are
neglected so that you will inquire within, go deeply within your
own Self. You are neglected so that you may proceed along the path
of Self-Inquiry. You are given special attention so that you’ll be
encouraged to proceed along the spiritual path. A student who is
just starting to improve will get 40% in the beginning. He will
get 50% when I encourage him and perhaps the next time he will get
60%. On the other hand, I should neglect a boy who has been
getting 80% all along, as he may only get 70% or 60% or 40% if I
keep on talking to him. His marks will be decreasing and he will
not progress. So let us understand that neglect is also useful.
Night and day are both useful. People say the night is bad because
it is dark. But we should not curse the night. Some people say
darkness signifies animal qualities, a bestial temperament. They
say that day is effulgence and full of radiance and therefore
shows wisdom. But I say that it is not so. The night helps you by
giving you rest. The day serves you by giving you an opportunity
to work. Work in the day and rest in the night are both helpful to
you. Can anyone say that they don’t want the night? If you say so,
then be sleepless and ready for doomsday! To have days only would
be disgusting, boring, and abhorrent. To have night only would be
incorrigible and unthinkable. So, day and night go together. That
is the splendor, the beauty, and the grandeur of life. The résumé
of life, the music of life, comprises both day and night.
Both positivity and negativity contribute to the beauty of life.
One comes to Bhagavan because of some family problems at home,
some sickness, some delayed promotion, or some court litigation.
So, a negative problem brought us close to Bhagavan. Coming to
Bhagavan is the positive consequence resulting from a negative
situation. A negative factor has taken you to the positive end of
Bhagavan’s darshan. So then, what is negative and what is
positive? It began negatively with family problems but ended
positively because you came to know Bhagavan. You now have
developed spirituality and started a religious life. That is very
positive.
Sometimes we think positivity or positive things are advantageous.
For example: "By the Grace of Bhagavan, I have become rich and I
am growing richer and richer day by day." But the day will come
when you will say, "I have no time to see Bhagavan! I have no time
to even think of Him!" That is the negative result. So, in one
case the positive ended up negative and yet in other cases, the
negative will turn into positive again. These two are inseparable.
Bhagavan gave another example: I invite you for lunch or dinner.
Upon your arrival, I receive you at the doorstep. I cannot say, "Sir,
the head is very auspicious but your legs are inauspicious. So let
your head come in, but leave your feet outside on the doorstep!" (Laughter)
I cannot say that unless I am a fool. Even though the head is
auspicious and the feet are inauspicious, that doesn’t mean you
should disconnect or amputate your legs in order to go inside,
later reconnecting them like any type of collapsible plastic
material. It is not possible. So Bhagavan said both go together.
You should also see good in the bad because both go together. This
is true religion. Life is a paradox! Life is contradictory. These
diabolical, paradoxical, diametrically and diagonally opposite
things are to be viewed in synthesis. That is the art and essence
of religion. The essence of religion is the readiness to accept
the contradictory and paradoxical nature of life. Therefore, if I
go on complaining, that is irreligious. Or, if I go on choosing
one of the two, it is non-spiritual. The readiness to accept both
good and bad, the reality as it is, and the actual acceptance of
both is surrender. Surrender is the hallmark of religion and of a
spiritual aspirant.
"Worship a Picture As God, But Not God As a Picture"
Bhagavan gave a fourth point: You can always worship a picture as
God, but not God as a picture. He has said this earlier, but He
repeated it the other day again when He visited our college. You
can worship a picture as God, but not God as a picture.
He further explained that a day should come when you will be able
to see God in everyone. A day should come when you feel your body
is the temple of God. A moment should come when you see the
Divinity within your body. "This body is the temple of God!" The
body is the temple of God and the Indweller is the presiding deity.
That is what Bhagavan has said. We are still waiting for that
moment, as we are not matching His speed. Bhagavan is walking very
fast, true to the Space Age we live in, like a jet airliner. We,
on the other hand, are still at a slow pace like a bullock cart! (Laughter)
So, He wants to bring in a change through force at least, by
withdrawing Himself.
Withdrawing Has a Purpose
Withdrawing Himself more and more from our outward view and
insisting on our turning inward has a purpose. Bhagavan has
adopted a forceful and painful method. A pampered child, used to
being carried in the arms of the mother, will start crying when
asked to walk all by himself.
So we are all pampered. Now He wants us to walk on our own, so we
cry. But there is no alternative except to grow up! I cannot
expect my mother to carry me until my day of my retirement! It is
so foolish and childish. One has to be child-like but not childish.
As a seeker, you have to be child-like in order to enter into the
Gates of Heaven, not childish. To expect pampering and personal
attention all through our life is nothing but the goal of the ego.
Egolessness has to be learned some day or the other so Bhagavan is
adopting the ‘by force’ method. So, we have to rise to this
occasion.
When Bhagavan said in His Guru Purnima Discourse, "Hereafter no
more padanamaskar," many were shocked. It had been the bonus or
incentive for many because we claim recognition for our devotion.
Just like you get a Master of Science degree after two years of
study, so you get padanamaskar after two years of devotion! So
padanamaskar had become a sort of claim, a kind of publicity or
show, a matter of exhibition or ego-gratification or complacency.
Now that Bhagavan has discontinued this, what does it mean? He
wants us to grow above that spirit of self-gratification. We
should go beyond that. So what is going on today is for our own
good.
Further, the other day Bhagavan told the boys something that He
has said earlier a number of times: "Whatever I do, whatever God
does, is in your own interest, is for your own good." We have to
develop the feeling that whatever is happening is for our own good.
I take it for my own good if I prosper in business or if
everything in my family goes well. No, no! That is not acceptance.
I have to accept anything that might happen to me. I could lose my
job or any other negative thing might happen in my life. "If you
are ready to accept everything willfully and gladly as for your
own good, that is spirituality." That is what Bhagavan has said.
Bhagavan wants to explain to the boys why He has been silent for
the last two months, why the interaction has not been as intense
or as frequent as it had been before. Now, there is a spiritual,
Divine romance going on between Swami and His students. I always
tell them that Swami comes that way every day. Now suppose He does
not come that way today. What does it mean? My interpretation is
this: He first looked at that row and then He avoided it. Suppose
He doesn’t want to look at me. It appears as if He avoids me by
going an alternate way. But the truth is that He first looked at
me to see where I was seated and only then He knew where to go in
order to avoid me! (Laughter) So, in truth He first saw those
people who now think that Swami did not look at them!
We think that Swami has not looked at us, but my idea is that He
first looked at us and then only He avoided us. Very good! This is
also to our advantage. How can He avoid me without seeing me? I am
thinking, 'Without seeing me, You cannot avoid me. So, it means
that You have seen me, and therefore You can now avoid me.' Very
good! (Laughter)
'You are talking to everybody on all four sides except me, which
means that You have seen me all along. That’s why You could avoid
me so totally. You talk to my neigbor, "When did you come?" You
ask, "How are you? How is your son? How is your child?" I am in
the center of that situation. Unless You have seen me, how can You
talk to all the four people around me, yet still avoid me so
nicely?' (Laughter) Very good! So, He has seen you four times more
than those people! This is my calculation. Why not?
So my friends, let us not give scope for any kind of pride because
of getting too much of His attention. Nor let us give any scope
for any frustration because of His apparent neglect. God will
never be negligent. There is a purpose behind everything. The
purpose is spiritual awakening, spiritual enlightenment, or
perhaps there is some service to be done for His institutions.
Maybe He wants your immediate involvement in His institutions. To
encourage you to participate effectively, He might talk to you.
That does not mean you are celestial, certainly not!
I repeat these types of observations quite often because I also
fell victim to such things. I am also one among you who feel that
way, so I am not tired to repeat it again and again. I was in a
period of prolonged 'probation' for eight long years! Yes, it was
eight years of 'probation', of utter and total neglect. Then Anil
Kumar was a non-entity. He was not physical; he was just space!
Swami would talk to everybody on all four sides except to this
non-entity, Anil Kumar. Even if I managed to get first line,
darshan was cancelled on that day. (Laughter) Or even on those
days when I manipulated someone big or made a friendship or an
attempt to be close to VIP’s, managing in my own style to get
first line, He would give darshan from the other end! (Laughter)
This was my experience for eight long years. So no one is an
exception!
Please take it from me: 'All days are not Sundays', either good or
bad. Good days will not continue forever nor will bad days because
good and bad are mixed. Since they are mixed, you cannot have one
without the other. It is like the back and the front. I cannot
carry only the front and deny the back. Impossible! They follow
each other like a shadow. This acceptance of the truth is
spirituality.
After all, unconditional Love is called trust, whereas conditional
love is selfishness. Trust is unconditional Love. Selfishness is
conditional love. People say, "Trust in God. He will help you."
This means that we should surrender with unconditional Love. It
means accepting happily and with a smile everything that is kept
in store for us, without conditions and with the feeling that it
is good for us.
Two Points: Known And Unknown
But there’s a big question: There are two points in life - one is
known, while the other is unknown. The point known to us is our
life. We all very well know this beginning point. Life is a
straight line - ‘A’ is at one end and ‘B’ at the other end. ‘A’ is
known to us, meaning things like our date of birth, our height,
our weight, our job, our scale of pay, our properties, our income
tax, declared and undeclared ('white' money and 'black' money)! (Laughter)
It also includes our 'known' personality as well as the part of
our personality, which is known only to us. This includes all
those things that could be known by others and also all those
things, which should not be known to others. Those are all the
points known to us. We feel very comfortable here because we know
the benefit and the loss, the reward and the punishment, the
beginning and the end. These are all the details known to us.
What is beyond the body, beyond the mind, beyond the intellect is
the unknown point. That unknown point is the spiritual end. In
spirituality you cannot say, "I am going to get this."
Spirituality is not about 'getting' anything. Upon a devotee's
return home, some people ask, "What did you get this time?" What
do you expect to get? What do you want me to get from Bhagavan?
What a silly question! Some people ask repeatedly, "Every time you
go to Puttaparthi. So, what did you get there?"
The same question was put to Picasso, a famous painter. Somebody
asked Picasso, "What a beautiful painting this is! It is the
costliest painting! People will pay $2000 for such a beautiful
painting! How could you do it? What made you to do it?" Picasso,
who was also a philosopher, answered by saying, "What a silly
question! You ask me why I did it? What made me do it? Go and ask
the flowers why they are so beautiful! Go and ask the moon why its
moonlight is so beautiful! Go and ask the clouds why they give you
a cool breeze! Go and ask the plants why they are so beautiful! Go
and ask the mountains, the plains, and the green pastures why they
are so wonderful!"
Everything Is God's Will
There is no answer to that question, 'Why?' as everything is God's
Will. Everything is God's Play. Somebody asked me, "Sir, how long
will Kali Yuga last?" (Laughter) I said, "Why are you so concerned?
(Laughter) You are not going to last until the end! (Laughter)
Suppose there was a guarantee that you were going to live until
the end, then you had better start planning for it right now! (Laughter)
I am not sure about tomorrow. Why do you think of the end of Kali
Yuga?"
He did not leave me at that stage. He continued, "How many years
were Dwapara Yuga and Thretha Yuga?" I don’t know about Dwapara
Yuga. I am not interested in these calculations. If I read any
book where these numbers are mentioned, I simply sleep as I am not
interested in how long this Yuga will last. When I won’t last, why
should I be interested in this calculation, this 'lasting effect'?
Why?
So my friends, there should not be any 'why' questions! Somebody
asked, "Sir, this Creation has good and bad, and has so many
creatures, so many living beings. Why has God created this world?"
I answered, "Please ask Him when you next meet Him!" (Laughter)
That is a silly question!
Instead of 'why' you could ask 'how': 'I am born here. How should
I lead my life? I am in this Kali Yuga. How should I lead my life?
With all these opposites of good and bad here, how should I
conduct myself?' So instead of 'why' let us know the 'how'. 'How'
implies the technique, the know-how, the technology of life. 'Why'
speaks of the signs of life, whereas 'how' speaks of the
technology of life. The 'how', the technique of living, is more
interesting and useful.
Beauty Lies In the Mystery
So the second point, that unknown point, is mystery. The future is
a mystery, while the past is history. The beauty lies in the
mystery. Some people like to visit certain places where the future
is interpreted. They visit some place where the Nadi Grandhas,
some age-old books, are read. The reader examines these ancient
books and tells you what is going to happen to you in the future.
I'm not interested to know! Please, let us not be interested in
the future. When the future is known, we lose the thrill of life.
The future is always kept in the future by Bhagavan. So why are we
so interested to know about it? The future is kept as 'Top Secret'
to maintain the suspense of life. Suppose you go to a movie,
knowing the whole story ahead of time. "All right, the hero will
not die even though he is jumping from the mountaintop. Don't
worry! (Laughter) Though the heroine is crying, she will join the
hero. Don't worry! I know the story." (Laughter) When you know the
whole story, there is no thrill. So, excitement and thrill lie in
the future, which is not known to us. Beauty lies in the mystery.
Therefore, let's not go and try to find out the future.
Someone asked Bhagavan, "Swami, we visited certain places where
the books composed by the ancient rishis are still available, the
Nadi Grandhas. They told us everything about the past and they
also revealed the future to us. But Swami, I have one doubt."
Swami said, "Go on. You started with one doubt. Now go on to the
next question." The man answered, "Swami, what the reader said
about the past is quite true. It has really happened as he said.
But certain things that he said about the future did not happen.
How shall I understand this?"
For your information Baba said, "These are the books composed by
the great sages. Sage Brigu wrote the Brigu Nadis. Unless you can
achieve his wavelength, unless you are in tune with his thought
and intellect, you cannot interpret them. You cannot elucidate
these ancient pages unless you are as wise as the wise men or as
intelligent as the sages. You can easily read the past because the
past is past. The story or history is always correct because you
have already passed through that. You cannot interpret the future.
The one who can peep into the future is a saint or a sage. This
ability of interpretation is not bestowed on everybody. Simply by
demanding one hundred rupees they declare, 'I can read the Nadi
book.' It is not so. Sages' knowledge cannot be valued and
purchased with one hundred rupees!"
Do you see how life has become a business? My friends, Bhagavan
cautions us and instructs us not to unravel the mystery of the
future. The mystery is always kept in suspense in your own
interest. To live here in the moment, to live here right now, is
religion. Religion and spirituality are to live right here in the
now, in the present moment we have.
I can give you one example: Two people were given an interview the
other day. One was crying. Maybe it was ecstasy or maybe it was
uncontrollable happiness expressed in the language of tears. But
do you know what Bhagavan said? "You are missing a great
opportunity offered to you when you cry like that. I have given
you an interview and you are supposed to enjoy it! You are
supposed to bask in enlightenment. But you are crying, so you are
losing this opportunity." Therefore, instead of emotional
outbursts, balance is required. Balance is spirituality. A
balanced state of mind is spirituality, not crying.
One Lady Cannot Leave Swami
Yesterday a lady came to me with her two children. She said, "Sir,
I am from that country." The place doesn’t matter, but the point
is important. She comes from another country. I asked, "What is
your problem?" She spoke while crying and wiping her tears. "Sir,
I have decided to stay here." (AK)"Oh, are you married?" (Lady)"Yes."
(AK)"How about your husband?" (Lady)"He will be there." (AK)"Oh, I
see. He will stay there in your country." (Lady)"Yes, but I have
decided to stay here." (AK)"Oh! What about your children?" (Lady)"Let
them be admitted in Swami’s school." (AK)"But why this decision?"
(Lady)"Sir, I cannot leave Swami. I want to be with Swami!" She
said all this while shedding tears.
I allowed the cylinder (of tears) to be exhausted! (Laughter) Let
the cylinder with all the gas of emotion be emptied! I allowed her
to cry to her heart’s content and joined her in-between as an
incentive! (Laughter) Then finally I said, "Look here! Your
husband living over there in your country and you and your
children being here, even going to school here, this is not what
is expected of you. This is not a sign of religion. You cannot
call yourself 'a devotee'. I am very sorry. Neither do I want your
husband to come and stay here."
"Why do I say that? Both of you are young. You are supposed to
work at this stage in your life. Your children are so young and
have a long career ahead of them. Let them be educated there. You
and your husband serve until the age of sixty. The decision to
stay here is not really yours to make. If Swami asks you to be
here, then it is all right. So, please go and join your husband
there and take care of your children. That is the spiritual
sadhana I prescribe for you," I said.
To think that you cannot leave Swami is a childish expression. How
can you leave Swami? You have to live WITH Him. You have to live
IN Him. You cannot leave Him! You can leave an object or a place,
but you cannot leave air. If you leave air, you cannot live. If
you leave earth, you are gone. You cannot leave the five elements.
You have to live with these five elements and the Creator of the
five elements.
How can you imagine that you are able to leave Him? It is
impossible because you are in Him and He is in you and you and He
are One. As Jesus said: (In the beginning) "The Light is in me."
(After some time) "I am in the Light." (At the final stage) "I am
the Light." Similarly, "I am the messenger of God." "I am the Son
of God." Lastly, "I and My Father in Heaven are One." The body,
the mind, and the Atma are these three levels of Consciousness.
I told that lady, "When you are in Him, when He is in you, when He
and you are One, where is the question of leaving? Don’t be
childish, my dear sister! Please join your husband." I don’t know
what she felt about me. I don’t wish to show my face to her in the
near future. (Laughter) She seems to be quite a violent devotee.
I'm afraid she may manhandle me! (Laughter) I had better be
cautious. But I said what I felt Bhagavan teaches us.
So from a known point, we travel to an unknown point. Why? That
unknown point is indescribable. The known point of the life
pattern is estimable and measurable. It is comprehensible. That
which is measurable, comprehensible, describable, and
understandable is this known point. But the unknown point is
beyond description, beyond comprehension, beyond expression. That
unknown point is spirituality. That mystery is religion. That is
what the Upanishads say.
Expressing Means No Experience
Words cannot express things properly. If I go on expressing myself,
it means there is no experience. For example, tell me how much do
you love your mother? Will it take four pages to write? (Laughter)
Or, we give some essay questions to our students: "Write critical
notes on the following… 5 marks for 100 words." Now, how much do
you love your mother? "Please write it down in one hundred words."
Can you do that? "How much do you love your husband? Write it down
in ten words." Can you do that? (Laughter) It is impossible! Of
course, after twenty years of married life, ten words might be too
much! Maybe five words are enough! (Laughter and applause) If five
words are enough, why waste your words on ten? (Laughter) For
honeymoon periods, we can write volumes. But later, ten words are
too many! (Laughter)
So my friends, the most valuable things cannot be measured or
expressed in words. When you cannot express your gratitude and
your love, your sacrifice and truth in words, how do you expect to
describe God verbally? It is impossible. So that unknown point is
beyond expression. What is written is only textual and academic.
Words cannot express the unknown, nor can the mind think about it.
The mind cannot estimate or gauge or comprehend the unknown.
Someone may say, "Sir, I know what it is! I can think about it and
tell you!" But please, remain at home because that unknown area is
beyond word and thought.
So my friends, religion is travelling from the known point to the
unknown point. Let us not make any attempt to describe the unknown
point verbally or to estimate it because the Upanishads clearly
say it is impossible. The Bhagavad Gita goes a step further: "It
is a mystery, miraculous and mysterious." You will be mystified
and surprised to see its development. The moment you see Bhagavan,
you cannot describe your feelings. The moment you are close to Him,
you cannot describe it. You cannot understand it. Your mind and
words fail. Even if anyone tells you, you cannot accept it.
Yoga Takes Us From The Known To The Unknown
Truth is existential. It is experimental and beyond comprehension.
From the known to the unknown is beyond expression, and the
process of that travel is called Yoga. I am not speaking of yoga
in terms we all know it, as used in newspaper bulletins. 'Yoga' of
today is almost a physical exercise. Every TV station - Gemini TV
or E.T.V. or V.T.V. or STAR TV, or Super Star TV - presents us
with 'yoga'. What does it mean? What they show is gymnastics! (Laughter)
Or maybe it is acrobatics or physical exercises. They all go by
the name 'yoga'. But that is NOT it.
Yoga is not a physical exercise. Yoga is a process that takes us
from the point of the known to the point of the unknown. Yoga is
the connecting link between the known and the unknown. Yoga is a
link between man and God. Yoga is a process, which is something
like 'tuning' the individual to the Divine within. As we tune our
radio volume, so does Yoga tune the individual to the soul.
Turning inward is Yoga.
Bhagavan says it so beautifully: What is happiness? Happiness is
union with God. This is Bhagavan’s definition: Happiness is union
with God. Happiness is not what you get with a hot cup of coffee.
You think you are happy because of a pie or a pizza. But pizza and
pie are not happiness, nor are donuts or cheese or hamburgers
happiness. Certainly not! Happiness is union with God. He said 'happiness',
but in spirituality we call it 'yoga'. Yoga is true happiness.
This is union with God, which connects the known with the unknown.
From the expressed to the inexpressible, from thought to beyond
thought, this is called Yoga. This is spirituality.
But truthfully speaking, I cannot totally condemn the usual yogic
practices. No, no! The Yoga we know gives certain physical
postures, which keep the body fit and steady. When the body is
steady, the mind is also steady. When the body is not steady, the
mind will also be unsteady. Mind and body are not separate. The
gross structure of the mind is the body, the subtle part of the
body is the mind. Am I clear? So, our body and mind are
interrelated. I cannot say, "I kept my mind at home, but my body
is here!" (Response:) "Please leave me alone! I am already
confused." (Laughter) That is how we would respond!
Body and mind are interrelated. A simple example: When the body is
sick the mind cannot be active. When the mind is under the
influence of hypnosis, the body acts accordingly. Hypnosis can
make your body move because your mind has been controlled and the
hypnotist will make your body move. So we are a combination of
body and mind. Medically speaking, I call this 'psychosomatic',
the combination of body and mind. Yoga helps us to bring into
harmony a steady body and a steady mind, while we travel towards
the point of the unknown.
More next week. Thank you very much! (Applause)
(Anil Kumar closed the satsang by leading the bhajan, 'Govinda
Gopala...')
Om Asatoma Sadgamaya
Tamasoma Jyotirgamaya
Mrtyurmaya Amrtamgamaya
Om Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
Jai Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ji Ki Jai!
Sai Ram. Thank You!
© 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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