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Sri Sathya Sai Baba Prema Vahini

  Sathya Sai Baba
Prema Vahini

Prema Vahini Index

Sanathana Dharma is the Divine Mother of Humanity

Sanathana Dharma is the mother of all religions, all ethical codes and all Dharmas of this world; and Bharatha Desa is the home where the Mother was born. Oh! How fortunate are the Bharathiyas! How sublimely splendid is this Bharatha Desa!

The world in its entirety is the Body of the Lord of the world, and this Bharatha desa is that Body's unique organ, the Eye. Without the eye the body is not master of itself, is it not? Again, it can be said that Bharatha Desa has been beautified by the two eyes; the Vedas and the Sastras. On account of this it can be declared without doubt that the Samskara attained by the Bharathiyas has not been acquired by the people of any other country. Sanathana Dharma, which teaches the truth of all religions and tolerance of all religions, is the Dharma of all mankind. Born in various areas, flowing through various paths, the rivers at last reach the Ocean; so too, born in different lands, practising different ways of Dharma, people reach the Ocean of the presence of the Lord, through different modes of worship. Sanathana Dharma is the central location in which all these various paths, moving in different directions, converge. Followers of the different religions can practise this Sanathana Dharma, by being truthful in speech, by avoiding jealousy and anger, and by acting always with a loving heart. All those who so practise Sanathana Dharma and, without faltering, achieve it, are entitled to be called 'Bharathiyas'.

The Hindu religion is the only religion that has achieved and maintained the foremost position among all religions from earliest times and established itself permanently. The only people who have survived without being destroyed, throughout the historic age, are the Hindus. In this religion, more than in any other, people have practised lives of love, equality and gratitude. The Hindus have earned their Dharma through the discovery of philosophic principles and through the Vedas. They have drunk deep the essence of the Vedas which are without beginning and without end. A land so holy is a veritable spiritual mine to the world. Just as the bowels of the earth reveal in each area mines of different metals, in Bharatha Desa is found in mine of Sanathana Dharma, the essence of all the principles of all the Sastras, all the Vedas, and all the Upanishads.

As if by good luck of the Bharathiyas, along with the emergence of the mine of Sanathana Dharma, which is as a home to them, from that moment and for that very purpose, leaders, thinkers, commentators, apostles and teachers have been originating in this land itself. Also from this very Bharatha Desa arose seers, selfless karmayogis, wise men, realised souls, and Divine personages connected with this religion. It is through these persons that spiritual wisdom reinforced by experience flowed all over the country. In this way loaded with essence, Sanathana Dharma progressed throughout the world. But, to whatever land it spread, the 'original home' is Bharatha itself.

Look at the world today: machines, cars, engines of some new type or other are made in one country and are exported to others. But their original home cannot be forgotten. Such cars and engines are manufactured only on the basis of its experience. Nothing can be done without that basis. So too, Sanathana Dharma arose in Bharatha Desa and people of other countries benefited from its waters through the great personages and the books they composed. Hence, the basis of the original home cannot be ignored. That is impossible. But it is a matter of some concern to see today, in this Bharatha Desa the birthplace of those holy persons who nursed and fostered this sacred Dharma, new modes being accepted as one's Dharma, and the Sanathana Dharma, itself being assigned and kept aside for people of other countries, by the persons who have not even tasted the sweetness of the Dharma, who have not grasped its meaning, and who have smothered it in empty disputation. The reason for this is, of course, the absence of proper guides who could show the way. But even when there are such guides, people yield to these modern modes and get attached to them. These are really like bazaar pakodas. They attract by their smell, and are bought by persons who do not discriminate. Though their Swadharama is the pure Sanathana Dharma, the fascination exercised by outward show is absent and so it gets neglected. Truth has no need for such decorations. Taste is the important thing. The basic reason for this is the fact that men today are motivated by mere whim and fancy. It has become the habit to reject the reality and accept the Dharama of another. This is a great mistake. It is against Dharma for Bharathiyas to be attracted by external forms and by outward show. No other Dharma has or will have Truth and Highest Love, above and beyond that contained in Sanathana Dharma. Sanathana Dharma is the veritable embodiment of Truth. It is the Heritage of all. There can be no boundary for Holiness. Holiness is one, without a second.

Those who have attained Liberation in this life by adherence to this Sanathana Dharma, who have earned the grace of God, who have understood the nature of Truth, who have achieved Realisation are all Bharathiyas. Bharathiyas have adored those who have reached that holy stage, without distinction of caste, creed, or sex. The holiness of that stage burns to ashes all such limitations. It is only until that stage is reached that it becomes impossible to consider everything as equal. So, it is necessary to embark boldly on the realisation of Sanathana Dharma. This is the birthright of Bharathiyas.

If we examine history since its very beginnings, we can know in detail what great personages were born, in which sections of the Hindus. Incarnations, Divine personalities and Jeevanmuktas like Rama, Krishna, Balarama, Janaka and Parikshit, Rajayogis like Viswamitra all arose among the Kshatriyas. Brahmarishis, great Pandits, Sastric Scholars, Vedic Rishis, originated in the Brahmin section. Sudras predominate in the epic books, like Bharatha and Bhagavatha. Among the great devotees of the Lord, members of the lower castes form a large number. To attain holiness without being affected by the world, and to reach Paramatma, each one's Sadhana is important; other things like caste will not be a hindrance at all. But, one should deserve the Grace required for it; one should become regular and disciplined in practice.

Many Bharathiyas, however, now bring endless disgrace on the Hindu religion by neglecting the principles of life of the above mentioned great personages, not studying them and following their instructions, by modifying their way of life to suit the changing times and (as the saying goes "The hour of ruin brings wicked thoughts") by becoming slaves to name and fame and the craving for power and position and out of concern to promote the well-being of their wives and children through selfish means. Still, there is no dearth of persons who love all in equal measure, who are devoid of selfishness, who are engaged in the promotion of the welfare of all, who have dedicated themselves to the service of mankind and who are ready to sacrifice everything. But they are suppressed; they are not appreciated or placed in positions of high authority for fear there will be then no place for the wicked, the crooked and unjust.

However broad and deep the ocean, when the earth quakes underneath, the waters part off themselves, and when the commotion subsides, they resume their original position. So too these good men keep away without being caught up in it during the earthquake of injustice, unrighteousness, selfishness and ostentation; and as soon as the hullabaloo subsides, they re-enter the world. Evanescent authority and self-glorification cannot be permanent "To grow is only to decay", it is said. The present peacelessness is decay not growth. For, see how the Bharathiyas who from the beginning, grew up in righteous ways with pure feelings, with self-control and reverence for the good name, who were fed on the breast-milk of the Vedas, Sastras and Upanishads, who have welcomed and honoured even races driven out of their own country and vouchsafed to them love in equal measure, today, for love of power and self, accuse their own brethren, one person impatiently envying the prosperity of another, deceive their own brothers maddened by selfish greed, keep at arm's length their real well-wishers, pursue only each one's selfish end, multiply bad qualities hitherto unheard of in the Hindu fold, follow wrong paths and ways of life, and become the target of conflict and restlessness, on account of the absence of fear of sin, fear of God, discipline, reverence and faith. The fall is indeed incredible.

Hindu Brethren! Children of Bharath! Followers of the Sanathana way! Where have the manly qualities of old gone? Truth, Tolerance, Morality, Discipline - when would you accept them? Arise, Awake, and Establish once again Rama Rajya, resplendent with mansions of Sathya, Dharma and Santhi. Love your Bharathiya brethren. Practise Sanathana Dharma. Quench the burning flames of ignorance, Peacelessness, Injustice and Envy with the waters of Love, Forbearance and Truth. Develop the feeling of Mutualness. Sweep away all jealousy and anger. Remember the rule of the holy personages, the characteristics of the most eminent and of the reign of God. Each one should realise his own faults, and understand there is no use in searching for faults in others. That is mere waste of time; it also breeds quarrels. So, give up that trait. If this opportunity is missed, what else can be done? Do not yield to dejection, but say 'Finis' to all the unrighteousness of the past. Repent sincerely and tread the path of Prayer to God, Good Deeds and Brotherly Love. Establish the eternal Rama Rajya.

The 'Sanathana Sarathi' has been started to win this Rajya; its army will help this effort by word and deed. Draw that chariot forward! Gird up your loins and begin Narayana-sarana... Bharathiyas are all the children of one Mother, Her name is Sanathana Dharma. Redeem the debt due to the Mother. He is no son who forgets the mother. He cannot be good who says the Mother is bad. Her breast-milk is the very breath of our life... The giver of this Life, the Father of all is Paramatma.

All are the children of the same parents. So, without blaming and accusing each other, without wishing evil for one's kith and kin, understand that your other brothers have the same attachment to the objects they love that you have towards the things that you love. One should not find fault with what another loves; nor should one laugh at it. He should, on the other hand, try to love it. These are the characteristics of the Truth and Love of Bharathiyas.
 

 

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