| |
The Quest for Divinity
The following
talk was given by David Jevons at a public meeting organised by
the Vancouver Sai Baba Centre and held in Vancouver in order to
celebrate Sai Baba’s 75th birthday on November 23rd
2000.
It has been edited but only for the purpose of reproducing it in
this Newsletter.
As I speak to you tonight I am very
conscious of the fact that, due to the time zone in which we live,
we are amongst the very last people in the world to be celebrating
Sai Baba’s 75th birthday. For over twenty hours now,
starting in the Far East, literally tens of thousands of people
have been taking part in this great event. Just as you see a wave
performed by the spectators at a football match, so in a sense we
are the tail end of a gigantic wave which has embraced many
cultures and many creeds and which has risen and fallen as the Sun
has moved across the face of the Earth. We can only wonder at
what will happen on the 80th or even the 90th
birthdays. The pace of Sai Baba’s mission is accelerating.
Another large free hospital is about to open in Bangalore. His
devotees increase in number every day. His works are expanding
in many fields. As he so often says -
“Love is my form, Truth is my
breath, Bliss is my food.
My life is my message, Expansion
is my life.”
What will Sai Baba accomplish in the
next twenty years, before he leaves his physical body? What
dramatic events will we witness? Do we realise how blessed we are
to be living in these times, how privileged we are to see an
avatar fulfilling his divine mission? Sai Baba has said -
“The incarnations of the Lord are
not accepted as such by many. Even their parents, kinsman and
comrades hesitate to adore them. Only a very few sages, who
cultivated the inner view through study and sadhana, know their
reality.”
What is it that attracts people to
Sai Baba? What is it that draws people to him irrespective of
race, culture or creed? Why do so many worship his form? Why do
they travel many thousands of miles to India, to sit on their
backsides on the hard ground for hour after hour after hour, just
to sit at the feet of this Godman? It is because they see
something in him for which they have been desperately searching
all their lives. It is because they see in Sai Baba a quality
which they recognise only dimly in themselves - divinity. We are
all on a quest for divinity and we are drawn to this pure
manifestation of divinity that is shining like a beacon in this
world of darkness like moths are drawn to a flame. Why do we seek
this divinity? Sai Baba says -
“There is in everyone a spark of
truth. No one can live without that spark. There is in everyone
a flame of love, life becomes a dark veil without it. That spark,
that flame of God, is the source of all truth and all love. Man
seeks truth, he seeks to know that reality, because his very
nature is derived from God, Who is truth. He seeks love to give
it, and to show it, for it is his very nature, that of God and God
is love.”
What attracts most people to Sai
Baba is his unconditional love, this lightening bolt of divine
energy that strikes your whole being as you sit there in darshan.
We experience this divine love so rarely in our own lives that
when we do experience the real thing, we are forever dissatisfied
with all the lesser forms of love that we have accepted as love up
to now. No matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done, no
matter how far you have strayed from the path of dharma, you know
that Sai Baba’s love for you will never waver. You know that the
perfect Father, the perfect Mother, will always be there to
nurture and to protect His child.
We were in Puttaparthi for the
celebration of Sai Baba’s 65th birthday and Swami came
out to us on his birthday and said -
“Why are you all saying ‘Happy
Birthday’ to me, for I am always happy. So don’t waste your
‘Happy Birthdays’ on me. Keep them for yourselves, who are rarely
happy, because you have so many desires. This is not my birthday
because I have no birthday. There no birthdays for me, for I am
ageless, I am eternal. You should celebrate your birthday, which
is the day that you are born into knowledge and out of bondage. I
consider my true birthday as the day when divinity blossoms in
your heart, the day you resolve to practise my advice and to
engage in spiritual disciplines.”
Will you honour that birthday
request? Recognise that we are met here to-night, not to say
‘Happy Birthday’ to Swami, for he is always happy, but to become
aware of our true birthday, the day when we are born into
knowledge and out of bondage, the birth of divinity within
ourselves. I am God, you are God, there is no difference between
us and between us and God. Anything which denies this reality is
itself not real. Any love which is conditional is itself not
love. Any truth which cannot stand for ever, is itself not
truth. Sai Baba is a living example of love and truth in action.
That is what draws people to him, even those who follow an
established religion. I heard a delightful story the other day
about a devotee who was sitting in the canteen in Puttaparthi and
who began talking to a very serious grey- haired man, who was
sitting next to him. This man turned out to be a Cardinal from
the Vatican who had been sent to find out just exactly what was
going on at Puttaparthi, why so many people from so many races all
over the world were making the pilgrimage there. So even the
Vatican is taking notice of Swami!
Human birth has not been gifted to
Man merely to indulge in worldly pleasures. None of the things of
the world that we experience are capable of conferring any
permanent sensation upon us. All our experiences of the physical
world only tend to increase our desires and to focus our energies
on the outer world. Therefore we should strive to give up our
endless desires and should devote our energy and attention to
recognising the indwelling divinity. That is the quest that we
are all offered. That is the quest on which every human soul is
bound: the pursuit and the recognition of eternity. In Sai Baba
we have the perfect example of what this means. We have the
perfect example of the reality of living a God-focused life. One
of the amazing things that I’ve noticed is that when you go to
Prashanti Nilayam, to take part in the celebration of Sai Baba’s
birthday, you have to keep on reminding yourself just whose
birthday it really is. Why should this be so? It is because on
your birthday people come and give you presents, but on Sai Baba’s
birthday no-one is giving presents to Swami, it is Swami who is
giving all the presents. I have watched him each day giving
presents to his devotees, saris to the ladies, dhotis to the men,
sewing machines or bicycle rickshaws to the poor so that they can
earn a living.
Sai Baba once jokingly said to us
during an interview, given shortly before his birthday, “There
will be a million people coming here and they all have at least
ten wishes. How can I fulfil ten million wishes?” Of course if
he wanted to, he could, but the point that he was making was well
made. Everyone comes to Sai Baba wanting and desiring. How many
come offering and giving? How many come to serve the divine?
What present are we going to give Sai Baba on this, his 75th
birthday? What will be our present to him? Have we thought about
that? Perhaps there is something that we can do right now, some
resolution that we can make, some negative quality that we can
release, to change the direction of our lives in that pursuit of
divinity. Sai Baba has listed some of the sins that you might
like to consider. Business without morality. Are
there any business men here tonight? Are you conducting all your
business deals morally and ethically? Politics without
principle. There must be a lot of politically active people
here tonight with the election campaign in full swing. Are
you running and supporting a principled and positive campaign?
Education without character. You only have to read the
newspapers each day and to read about the violence that is
prevalent in our schools to know that character based on
recognising and exhibiting right human values is sadly lacking in
many schools today. Worship without sacrifice. By your
very presence here tonight I recognise that you’ve made a
sacrifice, a commitment, but is that true of the other days of the
year? Wealth without hard work. This is why Sai Baba
tells us not to do the lottery. Are we a part of this wanting
something for nothing society? Do we expect the State to support
us even when we are capable of supporting ourselves? Human
existence without regard for the scriptures. How often do we
study the holy texts, how often do we try to seek meaning and
purpose in our earthly existence on a committed basis?
Devotion without austerity. Do we follow Sai Baba’s
injunction that the rich must give up their wants so that the poor
can have their needs? Perhaps among this list there is a little
something that we can offer to Sai Baba as a birthday gift
tonight.
If you don’t feel that the seven
sins are for you, then perhaps you might like to consider the six
human weaknesses of lust, anger, greed, pride, hatred and
attachment which are all born out of separation from the Godhead.
If we could eradicate just one of these weaknesses then the others
would surely follow, just as a house of cards collapses when you
remove just one card. All of these weaknesses are but different
facets of the one illusion, namely, that we are separate from God,
that we are separate from every other human being. We can only
entertain these feelings if we regard ourselves as being separate
from, as living in isolation from, other human beings. We have
deceived ourselves into believing that All is not One. How else
could we harm another human being, be it in thought, word or
deed? It is because we do not believe that they are God, and this
is because we do not believe that we are God. I recall here Sai
Baba’s words “You are as close to God as you are to your
self.” So if we do not know our selves, our inner selves, how
can we begin to know the reality of the Godhead? What a wise man
said thousands of years ago is just as applicable today “Man, know
thyself.” So any personal transformation that we achieve, any
gift that we offer to God, any service that we render to Humanity,
all comes back to us because All is One. There is no separation.
Help another and you help yourself. Heal another and you heal
yourself. Love another and you love yourself. Sai Baba’s daily
life is a continuous demonstration of his prime directive “Love
all. Serve all.” That is why he is continually reminding us that
his life is his message. Can we make our lives his message? What
a birthday gift that would be!
When Joyce Moller introduced me
before this talk, she reminded you that I have followed the career
of an airline pilot. Sai Baba is always joking with me about
this. He once put his arm around my shoulders and said “You are
my pilot, but remember I am your pilot!” He often uses the
analogy of a plane taking off to describe the various stages of
his mission. On his 65th birthday he said that his
plane was taxiing out and on his 70th birthday he said
that it was lining-up on the runway. He prophesied that on his 75th
birthday his plane would take off. So today his plane is taking
off. This plane is, of course, a cosmic plane, not a physical
plane, nevertheless, it implies a selection process. You need to
have a boarding card to get on the plane. I know that many
devotees have been severely tested in recent months by all the
negative stories that are circulating both in the press and on the
Internet about Sai Baba. Nevertheless, the fact that you are here
tonight, celebrating his birthday in his presence and offering
your devotion to him, is, I believe, a boarding pass for that
plane. It must constitute, for many of us, an offer from Sai Baba
for us to walk the final path towards liberation.
Now Sai Baba has said that the
Golden Age is coming, that it will be here by the time that he
leaves his physical body in 2026. He has said that even elderly
people will witness this event. So we are all a part of that
process. We all have a vital part to play in the birth of the
Golden Age. That is why we are in incarnation at this time. That
is why we are gathered here tonight, in his presence, honouring
his life and giving thanks for the sacrifice that he has made for
us. The thing that impresses me the most about Sai Baba is his
service. Every day thousands of people come to see him. Every
day he come out to give darshan. Every day he is the focus of
attention with thousands of eyes watching his every move. Truly
he lives in a goldfish bowl. How many of us could cope with such
pressures? How many of us could give such love and attention to
everyone who comes before us? Sai Baba has the time for all who
answer his call, be they rich or poor, kings or beggars, famous or
infamous. Often times he will ignore a prince sitting in the VIP
section and yet will talk to some obscure individual who is
sitting quietly amongst the masses in darshan, revealing a
profound knowledge of their life and their human problems. The
omnipresent Sai Baba knows everything about all those who come
into his presence. In my own life I have had so many
demonstrations of his omnipresence that I no longer question the
fact and if the physical Sai Baba demonstrates such omnipresence,
then, how much more so is the God of all Creation, our Creator,
Who is Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient in all of our lives.
If you have any doubts about the
reality of this power then listen to this little story. I have
told it before, but it bears repeating. A former Vice Chancellor
of Sai Baba’s college was giving a talk to a Sai Baba group in
Connecticut in the USA and in it he related this story. The Vice
Chancellor said that recently he was sitting on Sai Baba’s
verandah in the ashram in Puttaparthi next to a very important
Indian politician. Sai Baba came by and called the politician by
name and asked him to come into his private interview room. The
man went inside and came out ten minutes later sobbing, and then
the sobbing turned into deep uncontrollable crying. Sai Baba came
by and said to the man “What’s wrong?” Then Sai Baba waved his
hand, manifested some vibhuti and gave it to the man who took it
and ate it. A short time afterwards, when the man had regained his
composure, he turned to the Vice Chancellor and said “Because you
have witnessed all of this, I will explain it to you.”
The politician then explained that
his wife had been very sick and that she had told him that she
wanted to go and see Sai Baba for one last time, for the very last
time. However the politician had been very busy and while he was
away at his work his wife had died. All this had happened ten
days previously and the man was now coming to see Sai Baba after
cremating his wife. When Sai Baba came into the interview room
the man said that Swami had scolded him and had reminded him of
what a wonderful wife he had had, of how she took care of his
every need, cooked his food, looked after the house, even to
laying out his clothes before he went to work, yet when she had
made her one last request, to be taken to see Sai Baba, he had
been too busy to do it. Sai Baba then said “I went to her and I
comforted her and now she is with me. Here, I will let you see
her now.” At that moment, the man’s wife emerged from inside Sai
Baba and stood as a living human being in front of him, no longer
appearing thin and sickly. The wife smiled and took her husband’s
hand and said “Do not be sad, do not grieve for me, I am very
happy, very happy.” Then the man’s wife merged back with Sai
Baba. This story speaks volumes about the reality of Sai Baba for
here is the omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent Sai serving the
world as only he can.
For those of us who have been
privileged to know Sai Baba personally, I can only say that his
divinity shines forth like a beacon in this dark world of Kali
Yuga. There are those who will attack him because they fear the
light, because they prefer the darkness to the light. There are
those who will denigrate him because they would rather believe in
other people’s reported experiences than in their own. There are
those who will deny him simply because it is an easy option,
because it requires so much more energy and attention to hold on
as opposed to letting go. There are those who will deny the God
in Sai Baba because they cannot yet recognise the God in
themselves. Equally so, though, there are those of us who have
witnessed the Divine in manifestation and who cannot deny it. I
recall the words of a long-time devotee of Sai Baba, speaking to
us just after we had come out from our first interview, many years
ago. Our children, although young, had been present. The devotee
said “How blessed they are, for once they have seen divinity, they
will never be able to deny it!” These wise words are also true of
us. We are divine. There is no greater truth than that. That is
Sai Baba’s message. That should be our message. As Sai Baba is
always saying to us, “Make your life my message.” On this, his
birthday, he would ask for no other present than that we recognise
that fact.
I would like to finish by quoting
the words of Sai Baba on his sixth-fifth birthday.
“Broaden your vision. Cultivate the
spirit of love. Being endowed with the human form you must strive
to develop human values and not to stray away from the path of
righteousness. Fill your minds with sublime thoughts and your
hearts with divine feelings. Consider the entire society as your
home, only then will you realise genuine unity with all. Be aware
of the divinity that is inherent in every human being and thereby
you will grow in your own self-esteem. Fill your life with joy
and above all be happy, be happy, make others happy, all will be
happy, God will be happy!”
Happy Birthday Swami.
Source: Ramala Centre Newsletter,
March 2001,
http://www.ramalacentre.com/newsletter03_01_01.htm
Visit Ramala Centre Website:
http://www.ramalacentre.com
"You are welcome
to reproduce any of the articles published in the newsletter,
provided you acknowledge the source." |
