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Anil Kumar's Sunday Satsang at
Prasanthi Nilayam
January 25, 2004
The Sunday Talk Given by Anil Kumar
'I' to 'I'
January 25th, 2004
OM… OM… OM…
Sai Ram
With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
CLOSENESS TO THE DIVINE MASTER
For this morning’s talk, I have
chosen the topic, “I” to “I”. “My friends, I am sure that we are
all aware of the fact that we are in the presence of the Divine
Master. Nearness to the Divine Master, to be very close to the
Divine Master, is not an ordinary thing. It is not in any way a
human accomplishment. It cannot be achieved. It cannot be got by
scholarship. It cannot be measured in terms of dollars or rupees.
Nearness to God, nearness to the Divine Master, is not a status
symbol. It is not an exalted position. It is upon this background
that I would like to share with you a few thoughts on the role of
the Divine Master in our life.
I will mention a few points spoken yesterday evening by the
principal of the Sri Sathya Sai Primary School. Some selected
teachers attended a three-day orientation program at Anantapur.
The concluding session was held yesterday, and Bhagavan granted
them a personal interview, and also gave them a Divine discourse.
Details will be covered in our discussion later. But what I would
like to say now is that the principal of the Primary School,
towards the end of a talk with Swami, suddenly started speaking to
the audience. Swami was talking to her, and she turned all of a
sudden to the audience and spoke, shedding tears all the time.
I was extremely happy. Those things that are prepared, those
things that are programmed, those things that are planned, those
things that are collected from books, are all second-hand
information. But that which is spontaneous, that which is
instantaneous, that which is fresh, that which is off the cuff,
that which springs up like a fountain, is full of depth and
intensity. She made certain statements, which really made me
excited and thrilled, and they are still ringing in my ears.
Bhagavan looked at her and said, “Why don’t you go to your
parents?” Her parents are in Delhi right now. If you and I were in
her position, we would have made our reservation to go to Delhi
immediately, and enjoyed a holiday in the company of our parents.
But this lady didn’t do that.
When Swami said, “Go spend some time with your parents”, she
immediately replied, “You are my parent, Bhagavan. I have no one
else. You are my father. You are my mother. I have no one else in
this world.”
Then Bhagavan said laughing, “Why do you say that? Why do you say
that?”
She replied this way: “Swami, how many people will have the chance
to be in the company of the Avatar? For hundreds of lives, people
have been pining and yearning to be close to God. Who would run
away from this golden opportunity? Who would want to leave the
company of the Divine Master?”
Then Baba asked, “How do you know that this is the Avatar?”
(Laughter)
Immediately she said, “You made me know that.”
Then Bhagavan said, “All right! I made you know it. Fine. People
can go anywhere. Swami is everywhere. You can still do your duty,
wherever you are. Why do you want to be here?”
She said, “Swami, You are everywhere as God. You are everywhere as
the Divine. But physically, You are here, so I must be near You.”
(Laughter)
And with tears rolling down her cheeks, she started crying, and
said, “Bhagavan, don’t speak those words. Don’t throw me into
illusion. Don’t allow me to be deluded. I know full well that You
are God. I am not going to leave You. I say also to all my sisters
in this hall not to leave You, because we want You.”
With that note, I begin this morning’s talk.
CHARGING ONE’S BATTERIES
Once we understand that we are in
the company of the Divine Master, and we know its value, or how
precious it is, we decide not to leave that company. I am not
saying that we should not leave this place. No! While we are here,
we should live in full awareness of His value. Being here is not
just a visit or a break from our routine. It is not a spiritual
picnic. It is an award. It is a reward. It is a blessing. It is an
opportunity to be near Him, to be with Him physically. We are with
Him to enjoy His physical nearness so that we continue to think of
Him once we leave this place. To quote Bhagavan, we come here to
‘charge our batteries’. By charging our batteries here, we have
more energy to function wherever we are. Therefore, the physical
nearness amounts to charging one’s batteries.
The Divine Master is an alchemist
My friends, the Divine Master is not
a person. The Divine Master should not be viewed within the
framework of a physical personality. The Divine Master is not
simply a body. The Divine Master is beyond that. The Divine Master
transcends the physical body. The Divine Master is an alchemist.
There are two branches of knowledge: one is chemistry, whilst the
other is alchemy. Chemistry involves gradual change. Chemical
changes take place sequentially. But alchemy is a magical turn of
events by just a touch. The Divine Master is an alchemist. The
mere touch of a Divine Master, the mere look of a Divine Master,
the mere thought of the Divine Master brings about a total
transformation.
So who is the Divine Master? The Divine Master is an alchemist,
bringing a particular change just by a mere touch, thought, or
look. That is enough. We don’t need to be burned all over. We
don’t need a prolonged period of exposure. We should be ready. All
our sadhana (spiritual practice), all our chanting, bhajans (group
devotional singing), all our meditations, are to make us receptive
and sensitive, so that we can receive the radiance, the
brilliance, and the electric waves emanating from the Divine
Master.
The Divine Master is a Saviour
Secondly, the Divine Master is a
saviour. What is that? What is it that we are to be saved from? My
friends, we are drowned in worldly pleasures. We are deeply sunk
in worldly avocations and worldly possessions. We think money is
the be-all and end-all. We think that status is the ultimate
reality. We feel there is nothing beyond positions, properties and
politics.
In this way, we miss the boat altogether. We miss the very purpose
of life. All of us are carried away by the vagaries, whims and
fancies of life, so much so that we forget why we are here.
Why are we born? What is the purpose of life? Are we happy? Why
are we not happy? Why are we unhappy? How to be happy? Why does
happiness not stay with us for long? We are happy in the morning,
yet unhappy in the afternoon. We are unhappy in the morning, and
then happy in the night. What’s wrong with us? Why are we not
happy continuously? In fact, everyone wants to be eternally happy.
One wants to be continuously joyful. Why are we not happy? Why?
These things do not enter our mind because we are deeply involved
in the world. In a constant struggle to be happy, we are cut off
from happiness. The more and more I want to be happy, the
unhappier I am. Why?
We don’t think about this, because we are so busy -- busy
travelling from home to work; busy with politics, manoeuvring,
manipulating; busy finding the latest revised bank interest rates;
busy attempting to bypass my senior; busy occupying the highest
position in our organization. So we have no time to think about
the real purpose of our life. The result is that, though we get
all we want, we continue to be unhappy.
I struggle hard to obtain a position. I finally get the position,
but I am more miserable than before. I sacrifice everything to
earn money. By the time I have enough money, I fail to experience
any trace or glimpse of happiness. Instead, I am the very
personification of sadness. Despite getting the position, I am
unhappy. Despite getting money, I am unhappy. Despite being in the
company of friends and relations, I am miserable. I have comforts,
conveniences, and luxuries, yet I continue to be discontented and
dissatisfied.
Why? We have not understood the secret of happiness. The Divine
Master shows us the path towards happiness. The study of
engineering, the study of medicine, the study of humanities, will
tell us how to be happy in the world only. Worldly happiness is
temporary. It is fleeting. The Divine Master will grant me, will
teach me, and will show me the path toward eternal happiness. Why?
We will learn this in the course of our talk.
The Divine Master is a facilitator
So the Divine Master shows us the
way to lasting happiness. The Divine Master is an alchemist and a
saviour. He provides a situation, an atmosphere, which encourages
self-development.
There are some people who complain to me, “Sir, why is that person
behaving like that? Why is he not polite? Why does he shout, why?”
I don’t know…(laughs) I don’t know…ahh…(Laughter).
Why do people shout? Why are people angry while in the company of
the Divine Master? People have been here for several years; but
after you talk to them, you want to avoid them. Baba always says,
“You cannot always oblige, but you can talk obligingly.” But
people do not oblige, nor do they talk obligingly. Why?
The only reason, my friends, is that God does not simply bring
about a change without your willingness, without your
participation. You should be positive and ready for a change. In
other words, the Divine Master is a catalyst. The Divine Master is
a facilitator. He just facilitates. He provides you with an
opportunity to grow, by yourself.
In other words, the company of the Divine Master is an opportunity
to do our own growing. The company of the Divine Master provides
us with a situation in which to help ourselves. If I don’t grow or
help myself, if I am negative, even if I sit on the lap of the
Divine Master, a big zero is the result. We find so many people
behaving in ways not to our liking. Sometimes we feel disgusted
with them. The reason for our disappointment is that they have not
benefited by the proximity, the atmosphere or the situation
provided by the Divine Master.
The Divine Master chooses
Next point: The Divine Master is the
Chooser. Do not think that you have chosen the Divine Master. No,
please. If anyone says, “I have chosen Baba”, I must say, “I am
sorry, you can never choose.” I have not chosen this! (Laughs)
When I have not chosen this, how can I choose God! (Laughter)
So similarly, my friends, to say that I have chosen Bhagavan Baba
as my Divine Master is a sign of ego. You cannot choose Him. He
chooses you. Please be convinced of that. The Divine Master
chooses His people. We are chosen by Him. I do not think that we
are that great or intelligent or smart enough to choose the Divine
Master. We always choose those whose names are better not
mentioned, so our choice is always wrong. We are not proud of our
choices.
Divine Master provokes
The Divine Master provokes. Yes. He
provokes. How does He provoke? When the Divine Master continuously
talks to you, I feel neglected. I feel very jealous. I am very
envious. That envy and jealousy is provoked and automatically
comes up. All that is within us -- the burning jealousy, the
pride, ego -- must be released. He enables this.
A simple example: I am a man of ego. Yes, I am the best of toys in
the hands of God. What does He do? He goes on talking to me
morning and evening so that I will become more and more egoistic.
Understand? Just like a football that gets pumped up more and
more. When I am egoistic, I allow myself to be played upon like an
inflated football. He goes on talking to me, making me feel very
important. What will happen to the football? It gets inflated.
Ego! Eventually, He will make a small puncture in one section.
(Laughter!) Then what will happen? I become deflated.
So, He allows the ego to come out totally. If the ego is there
underneath, and hidden, it is more dangerous. “All right,” He
says, “You have your go. You go on shouting at everybody. You make
everybody miserable. All right. Go on. Go on.”
For how long for? Sai Ram! Until the ego is finished. There the
matter ends. God provokes so that all your innate, inner feelings
come out, in order that you shall be finally cleansed. You are
familiar with a stomach wash: You are encouraged to vomit. You let
it happen, rather than keeping it inside your system. Likewise,
God provokes you to let all negativity go.
Suppose you have jealousy. Then what will He do? He talks to the
next man. This is not because that man has a special blessing, but
to make you feel more jealous. The other fellow thinks it is a
reward of his life-long penance. Certainly not! It is a treatment
for this neighbouring, jealous fellow. (Laughter)
He goes on talking to the next man, as though He has nothing to
say to the nearby jealous person. “What did you eat this morning
for breakfast?” (Laughter) “How long have you been here?” “How
many children do you have?”
All the time He is watching you, because you are ‘under
treatment’. Do you follow me? This is how He allows you to grow.
He brings up all that jealousy and envy, so that you will give it
up and be free from it. Similarly, when you are ill with a
temperature, it is dangerous to control it immediately. It is
better to let the temperature break naturally. In a similar way,
God provokes.
This happens many times. One day, the warden from the Anantapur
campus, Mrs. Jayamma Gopinath, was here. Swami looked at me and
said, “Anil Kumar, how is her translation?” She also translates
Bhagavan’s talks, and she has been living with Swami for the past
50 years.
I said, “Excellent, Swami.”
“Oho. How is your translation?” (Laughter)
“How do I know, Swami?”
Then Swami said, “What is your opinion?” (Laughter) “Whom do you
think is better?” (Laughter) “You or she?”
Then, thinking that I understood the game, I decided to find a way
out of this by not making a comparison. (Laughter) So I said,
“Swami, there is no comparison. The reason is that she is a
student of English literature, and the recipient of a Gold Medal
from Queen Mary’s College, Madras. She is a Professor of English
and has a Ph.D. in English literature. Also, she has been teaching
English for the last 50 years. After all, I am a student of
science. (Laughter) As a student of science, it is enough if I
just express myself. As a student of science, it is enough if I
can make myself clear. I am happy with that, Swami.”
“Oho.”
Then I said, “Swami, there are men of letters, great scholars. If
they were to be your translators, I think they would do the better
job.”
Baba said, “I am happy with you. I don’t want anybody
else.”(Laughter) (Applause)
Then I said, “Why Swami, why?”
Swami said, “If there is a great scholar, devotees will have to
listen to two speeches -- My speech and a separate one from the
translator. (Laughter) Since that will confuse everybody, you are
sufficient.”
Why I am telling you this is in order to illustrate how God
provokes so that you will be able to maintain a balance later on.
All that which is within you will find expression, so that there
will be no more envy, no more jealousy.
Here is a situation. Suppose you have an enemy who has damaged
your career. Swami asks you to meet him to convey a message. You
have been avoiding him for the last couple of years because he has
ruined your life. You are waiting for an opportunity to take
revenge. At that moment, Swami will say, “You go and tell him that
Swami wants him to be here. Both of you are to come here.” People
cannot silently walk around like military soldiers. They have to
say ‘Sai Ram’ to each other. That’s it. God provokes. God is a
catalyst. God is an alchemist.
The Divine Master represents transcendence
The Divine Master, God, represents
transcendence. A word about this. Some people say, “Swami has an
expensive car.” “Swami wears a silk robe.” “Swami has luxurious
tastes.”
Please be very clear about this. God transcends. He is neither
poor nor rich. He can afford to travel in the costliest car, but
He doesn’t mind to walk barefoot on the ground. He can afford very
rich food, but He partakes of the poorest of poor (meaning
simplest) diets. This is because God is neither poor nor rich. He
is both and beyond! The Divine Master represents transcendence.
The Divine Master is egoless
I want to bring to your attention
one more point before I switch to the next. Please be very
careful, my friends, because these are serious points that we have
to apply to ourselves. These talks are not simply for
entertainment. Every talk should provide illumination, and
encourage us to ponder over, reflect upon, and draw from it a
lesson. It is from that point of view that I am sharing these
aspects with you this fine morning.
This is a most important point. You are related to the Divine
Master. But the Divine Master is not related to you. That is the
problem. I am related to the Master, but the Master is not related
to me. Why? The answer is simple. This ‘I’ is ego. ‘I’ exists here
as ego.
What is ego? Many people say, “I have no ego.” To say, ”I have no
ego” indicates plenty of ego. (Laughter) Some people say, “I am a
very humble man.” This is the ego of your humility. So, to say, “I
am this…” indicates that there is ego. The highest Ph.D. level
expression of ego is pride.
What is this ego? This ego, this ‘I’, exists as ego, meaning as a
man, with a name and form. So, as long as I exist as ego with a
name and form, naturally I have a relationship. I have a
relationship so long as I exist with a name and form. Am I clear?
So I, as an ego, have a relationship with the Divine Master.
Therefore, I think the Divine Master also has a relationship with
me.
The point is, I think Baba loves me. But I forget the fact that He
loves all. You know? I think He loves me because there is an ego.
Right? As an ego, I think He loves me. No. He loves all. Why do
you think He loves you? I think I am close to Swami. No. All are
close to Swami. Please understand this. There are so many people
who say, “I am close to Swami.” If you are close to Him, He cannot
be God. So it is your ego, which claims you are close to Swami. It
is your ego, which makes you claim that Baba loves you.
Therefore, my friends, all of us (and I am no exception) relate to
God via the ego. Do not think that I am on a higher pedestal. We
are all thinking together, exploring together, and helping each
other grow. That’s all. Therefore, our relationship to our Divine
Master is as an ego.
However, the Divine Master has no relationship with us, because
the Divine Master has no ego. The Divine Master is egoless. When
He is egoless, how can He have a relationship with me? A
relationship is possible only where there is ego. When there is no
ego, there cannot be a relationship. Because I exist as an ego, I
have a relationship with Him. Am I clear? As He is egoless, He is
not related to me. Am I clear, my friends? We should try to get
out of this ego. We should try to understand this position first –
that ’I’ represents ego.
In addition, I impose this ego on my Divine Master. Because there
are some people who say, “Swami, looked at me straightaway, do you
know that?” There are thousands of people seated there. He is
looking at all the thousands of people, not only at you. But you
think Swami is looking at you only. He is looking at all the
thousands.
Recently one of my close relatives came. He kept on arguing with
me. “No sir, don’t say that. He came to look at me only. Don’t say
‘no’ to me. He sat there only to watch me. He was extremely happy
with me.”
I said, “Thank you. Leave me alone.” (Laughter) There is no point
in talking to such people.
It is because you have ego that you impose your ego on the Divine
Master also. To say that He is looking at me, to say that He loves
me, to say that I am close to Him, that He is close to me, is only
ego. You are an ego, and you impose this ego on the Divine Master
also. It is very, very unfortunate.
Once a person said, “Mr. Anil Kumar, Swami missed you because you
were not here in Prashanti Nilayam.” (Laughter)
Then I told him, “How fortunate I would have been, had I not met
you this morning.” (Laughter)
Why? God never misses anybody! We miss God. He will never miss
anybody. Why? Because He is in everybody. He is in everyone. So I
said, “Thank you for saying so.” He was not prepared to hear what
I could have said.
Therefore, my friends, this ‘I’, as an ego, is trying to
understand the Divine Master, who is egoless. Is that possible?
No, it is impossible. Therefore, as I cannot understand the
egoless Master, as I cannot understand Him, I impose my ego on
Him. “He loves me; I love Him. He has no other than me.” Oh, oh.
(Laughter) This is the ego level of romance, which is meaningless
and a sign of ignorance.
Therefore, my friends, the Guru has no relation with the disciple.
It is only the disciple who has a relation with the Master. The
disciple has ego; the Divine Master is egoless. So, what I want
all of you to do is to remind yourselves like this: ‘Let me be
egoless, so that I can be with the Divine Master who is egoless,
so that I can be with Him totally. Only then can He and I be one.
Yes. I am separated from my Divine Master. Why? Because of this
ego. When this ego is gone, I am one with the Master. The Master
and I are one, because truly the Master is not there.’
Somebody was asking Swami yesterday, “Swami, how are You?”
(Laughter)
He looked at that lady in a very funny way. “I am always fine.” He
said.
“I am always fine. What is wrong with Me?” Nothing is wrong with
Him because He is egoless. There is no ego in Him.
God, the Divine Master, does not exist as a person
The Divine Master exists for man’s
sake. The Divine Master, existing in a physical frame, is just a
show, an appearance. He does not exist at all. Why? The Divine
Master is the spirit. The Divine Master is a phenomenon pervading
everywhere. Sathya Sai Baba, the physical frame that we see in
front of us, is not the all, the be-all and-all, because Sathya
Sai Baba is a phenomenon. Sathya Sai Baba is a spiritual
electro-magnetic wave. Sathya Sai Baba is the Divine cosmic energy
present everywhere. Then, what is the physical frame? The physical
frame is only for our satisfaction. He does not exist.
Where is electricity? If I say electricity is here only, people
will have me admitted to a mental hospital (Laughter) because
electricity is everywhere. Similarly, Baba is everywhere. He has
no ego. The physical frame is only for practical purposes. The fan
is here for the practical purpose of giving you a breeze. The mike
is here to give you the benefit of hearing my voice. But
electricity is everywhere. Similarly, Baba’s Divinity is
everywhere. He is in the physical frame to give us the benefit of
physical nearness. But He is everywhere. God, the Divine Master,
does not exist as a person. He does not exist with a name and form
because He is egoless.
How can we understand that state? How can we reach that state? We
are so happy in narrating miracles. “I was travelling in a lorry;
Swami saved me from an accident.” Or, “I was riding in an
auto-rickshaw; Swami saved me from an accident.” “Swami saved…”
Arrey, arrey! He is not there only to save your life. (Laughter)
Why should He save your life? So that you may kill another? Is
that right?
We are interested in these experiences and stories. But behind
these things, there is a greater philosophy, a greater message,
which you have to get some day or other. Some day or other, we
must touch and taste the Divine message. Therefore, my friends,
the Divine Master can be totally understood only if we are
egoless. The present experience is only at the level of ego.
Life comprises good and bad
You may ask, “What is to be done
now?” The first and foremost thing is that we should recognise
that life is whole. Life is whole, meaning that it encompasses
good and bad together.
People think goodness is Divinity. I am sorry. It includes
‘badness’ also. There is nothing that is absolutely good, and
nothing that is absolutely bad. The thing that is good, later
turns bad. The good stuff, so fresh and very good, will be rotten
by the next morning. Arrey! Only time makes the difference. What
was there on the dining table in the morning finds its place in
the garbage by evening. It’s only a question of time.
So, what is the totality? The totality is good and bad together.
Therefore, the way to understand the egoless Guru, the way to
understand the Divine Master, is to know the totality and holistic
view of life -- the good and bad together. If you think he is a
good man, it only means that you do not know his other side. If he
says that he is a bad man, you have to wait to see the goodness in
him. Both are present in the very same person. There cannot be any
country or any place where there is only daytime. Similarly, there
cannot be any place where there is only night time. Day and night
make a single day. Likewise, the whole of life is comprised of
good and bad together.
Let us know the holistic life
To know the Divine Master, to enjoy
Him totally, to be one with Him who is egoless, let us know the
holistic life – the good and the bad; success and failure. So how
to develop the holistic view? Very simple. Let me learn to love
myself. The one who does not know how to love himself cannot love
others. Let me respect myself. The one who cannot respect one’s
own self cannot respect others. Let me forgive myself, so that I
can forgive others. If I am not able to forgive myself, I don’t
forgive others. If I am impatient with my shortcomings, I am
impatient with others’ weaknesses. So let us forgive ourselves.
Let us love ourselves. Let us respect ourselves. Let us develop a
balanced state of mind so that we can transcend both the good and
bad. Then we can experience the holistic view of life. Not
otherwise.
There are some people who come and say, “Mr. Anil Kumar, you don’t
know my past life.”
I tell them, “Why should I be interested in your past life?”
(Laughter)
For myself, I am ashamed of my past life, so why should I be
interested in your past life? Your past life or my past life is of
no further interest. Past is past. (Laughter) Your past life is
not the present and continuous life. My past life is not going to
be my future. Why do you worry about it? A man is so ashamed of
his past, and that past is haunting and chasing him. So he says,
“You don’t know my life.” He is not able to pardon himself. He is
not able to forgive his past.
To experience the totality of life, to experience the holistic
point of view, one must change one’s own vision of life;
transcending, excusing and forgiving one’s own self, recognising
the fact that one is both good and bad. This is because, when good
comes out like a flash, the bad will make you feel psychologically
weak. When weakness dominates, the goodness will make you feel
inferior. When good dominates, the bad will create a sense of fear
that you may turn bad any time later. The result is that we are
not totally bad and we are not totally good.
So, what is to be done right now is to accept that: ‘This is my
weakness. So what?’ It is not that I want all of us to be in a
state of weakness forever. Certainly not. But let us accept
ourselves.
Maybe I can accept myself only if I am like you, because you are
my role model in bhajans or meditation or in canteen work. Since I
am not able to be like you, I am unhappy. Why should you be like
anybody else, after all? Be yourself. Be what you are. Don’t be
like anybody else. Because that man may meditate more than you
does not mean that you should be like him. That person may sing
bhajans excellently, but that doesn’t mean you should try to do
the same.
Let us learn to live for ourselves. Let us accept our positives
and negatives as aspects of our life. Such as attitude will lead
us to transcend the present situation, and to be benefited by the
totality of existence of the Divine Master.
We are born with faith
This is possible by developing
faith. I stand to be corrected now. I think this idea must have
struck all of you. Faith is not to be developed. I only made the
statement, ‘to develop faith’. But it is wrong. Why? Because faith
cannot be less or more.
Some people say, “I have strong faith.” Oho. Does this imply that
they previously had weak faith? How can you say that you have
strong faith? Is there a weighing machine, a thermometer or
barometer, a microscope or a periscope? There is no ‘scope’ to
know how strong your faith is. So it is wrong to say, “I have
strong faith.”
When one says ‘strong faith’, there is a hidden doubt within him.
There are some people who say, “I love you very much.” When they
say, “I love you very much”, it means that there is a hidden
hatred in them. (Laughter) Never believe anybody who tells you
that they love you very much, because there lies within them
hidden enmity. There lies hidden jealousy. There lays a hidden
feeling to be away from you, but they say, “I love you very much.”
Therefore, my friends, this is the sort of correct ideology, the
correct direction of thought we have to develop. Faith is faith.
It is neither strong nor weak. True faith is not gifted. True
faith is not to be got, nor obtained from books. We are born with
faith. We are born with faith, but over a period of time, we lose
our faith. That is the tragedy. We become faithless. As children,
we were highly faithful. We become faithless.
So, instead of saying, “Develop faith”, I will put it like this:
“Why have you become faithless?” Instead of saying, “Develop
faith”, I will put it like this: “Why have you lost faith?” Am I
clear? Therefore, my friends, faith, in the true sense, means ‘the
restoration of our own birthright’, the restoration or regaining
of our own birthright. That’s all. That is faith. It is not
specially obtained.
It is something like when you remove the sand, the pebbles, the
stones, and dig deeply, what do you get? The fountain of water,
which is underneath. All that is being done is that we are
removing the barriers. We are removing the obstacles. Similarly,
faith is underneath the pebbles of doubt, the stones of ambiguity,
and the sand of illusion, which are all covering the undercurrent
of the natural flow of water, which is faith. So, my friends, let
us remove all those barriers, so that the faith which is there
already, with which we are born, will spring up.
‘I’ to ‘I’
So, from the ego, I can go to the
egoless state. I am not going anywhere. I don’t need anybody. I
have to travel towards myself. I have to reach within. That’s all.
‘I’ to ‘I’: One ‘I’ is egoistic; the other ‘I’ is non-egoistic.
‘I’ to ‘I’. ‘I’, the ego, becomes ‘I’, the egoless. When once the
‘I’, egolessness, is established, you do not exist any longer.
When once ego is gone, you are not there.
Please understand. I am so-and-so, my height, my chest, my weight,
my degree, my qualifications…all that is ego. That’s all. But once
ego is gone, you do not exist. The Divine Master is non-existence.
Why? He is egoless. So when you become egoless, you unite with the
Divine Master, who is already egoless. The two empty spaces unite.
So what has to be done is this: I have to become hollow; I have to
become empty. When I become empty, I can receive the Divine melody
like a flute, not otherwise. So my friends, ‘I’ to ‘I’ means the
movement from the ego ‘I’ to the egoless ‘I’. This egoless ‘I’ is
Divine. This egoless ‘I’ is the Divine Master Himself. The
egoistic ‘I’ is the physical frame.
Reason has no space in Spirituality
I would like to bring your attention
to two other important points. There are some people who say,
“Sir, all He speaks of is based on reason.”
I am sorry. Reason has no place in religion. “No reason for love,
no season for love.” So, if all my talk is based on reason, my
talk is about logic and not religion. Am I clear? Therefore, where
there is less of reason, there is more understanding of religion.
Understanding the world is possible on the basis of reason, but
understanding God is possible when you grow beyond the limits of
reason.
A simple example: It is rather surprising to find Swami talking to
a few people regularly. He often talks to them. I think, ‘But I
know your background. You are not such a great man. I also know
that you are not any better than me. I also know that you are much
worse than me in several respects, if it comes to a competition
between us. So, why does He talks to you?’
‘Why?’ has no business in spirituality. No ‘why’! Nothing doing.
Religion has no answer to questions such as this ‘why?’
Somebody asked Swami, “Swami, why do You talk to these few people
so often? Why?” The questioner had put this question, “Is this
justice, Swami? You go on talking to that fellow. Is this
justice?”
Baba said, “There is no justice in the Divine Law.”
So, is the Divine unjust? No! It is a matter of deservedness,
prapti. Things are conferred; things are not achieved. Right? The
point that I want to bring to your notice here is that we should
go beyond reason. We should not question God.
Somebody asked me when I was in Hyderabad, “When is Baba going to
walk normally?” A very good question. (Laughter)
I gave this answer: “He did not tell me beforehand when He was
going to be like that.” (Laughter) He didn’t tell me, ‘Mr. Anil
Kumar, from next month onwards, I won’t walk freely.’ If He had
informed me of these things, then I would also be able to tell you
the date when He will be walking normally.” (Laughter)
I don’t know. Who am I to judge? My business is only to accept. My
business is not to question. My business is to see that this
‘why?’ does not arise in me. ‘Why does Swami talk to him? Why does
he get an interview? Why only he? Why not me? Why does He not
walk? Why does He not run? Why does He not start giving
interviews? Why?’
Stop that! When we stop questioning like this, we will be happy.
We are unhappy because of this question ‘why?’, which has no
relevance, and is totally out of place in spirituality.
Practicality, rationality fails when it comes to Divine
Next. We want to be practical in
life. Some people say, “Oh! He is a practical man.” This won’t
work out in spirituality, because in spirituality there is no such
thing as being practical or being impractical. When you think of
the practical, you want to manoeuvre. For example, ‘How do I get
into the first line? Who do I get hold of? How can I get to sit on
the veranda? What mechanism, what technique, what technology, what
device, what plan can I have to be closer to Him?’ This doesn’t
work.
Once you begin to plan, He will see that it is reversed. On the
afternoon that I manage to sit in the front row, darshan is
cancelled. (Laughter) When I am ready with my diary and a few
white papers for the translation, there will be no discourse at
all! (Laughter) When I am there without a pen and paper, He starts
giving a discourse, looking at me in a funny way. (Laughter)
So, planning has no place. Practical ability, practicality, has no
place in the field of religion. Life in the company of the Divine
Master is not prose. Life in the company of the Divine Master is
poetry. Life in the company of the Master is not time; it is an
art. It is not logic; it is Love. It is romance. It is music. It
is ecstasy. Our business is to bask. This is only possible by
total surrender -- surrender to the present state.
Let me not think of Swami as an intellectual. Some people say,
“Study circle for intellectuals.” Intellectuals can have a circle,
not a study. (Laughter) Yes, intellect is a circle, a zero, that’s
all. At the point where intellect ceases, where intellect fails,
there only can you understand God, not otherwise. Am I clear? So
let me not be an intellectual. Let me not estimate God with my
mind. Where the mind stops, the experience begins.
Let me not apply my logic, because things are irrational and
illogical. Suddenly it will be cold, or suddenly it will rain. It
is illogical. But who am I to say that? Suddenly there will be a
cool breeze. I cannot explain it. So, the whole creation is
illogical and irrational. The rationality in logic belongs to you,
to your mind, but not to the cosmic mind, the Divine mind.
Surrender
My friends, I take leave of you with
a note. Let us all journey together. Let us all get into the Sai
‘aircraft’; let us board the Sai airlines. Let us enjoy the
flight, the Sathya Sai Intercontinental. The Sathya Sai
intercontinental airline is going to take us to limits unknown.
The Sathya Sai submarines are going to take us to fathomless
depths. The Sathya Sai flight with Sai will take us to the
horizon, to the firmament, beyond all known measures and
experience. Sathya Sai life is Sathya Sai ecstasy. Life with
Sathya Sai is bliss. Life with Sathya Sai is an organic
phenomenon. The only way to have that organic phenomenon is to
surrender.
Once I surrender, I am not there. When sugar is totally dissolved,
there is no sugar. That’s all. Water and sugar becomes one. If I
say, “I have surrendered”, that is political surrender (Laughter)
It is all politics. Because the one who surrendered does not
exist.
Unless you are lost, it cannot be surrender. ‘I’ is gone. “Who is
there, sir? What have you surrendered?” I do not know. Why? I am
not there. Therefore, my friends, let us surrender this ‘I’, the
ego, so that the real ‘I’, the cosmic ‘I’, the Divine Master,
remains, so that the egoless ‘I’ remains. That is the topic of the
day: ‘I’ to ‘I’.
Thank you very much. (Applause)
Asato Maa Sad Gamaya
Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya
Mrtyormaa Amrtam Gamaya
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!
Jai Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ji Ki Jai!
Jai Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ji Ki Jai!
Source:
http://www.internety.com/anilk2004/25.01.04(E)central.htm
© 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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