September 17th, 2006
“Becoming and Being”
OM… OM… OM…
Sai Ram
With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of our most Beloved Bhagavan,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Somebody asked me while I was on my way to this place, “Why don’t you put
aside the prepared talk for a while so that we can ask some questions?” OK.
So, if you have any questions, you are quite welcome to put them forth.
(Someone from the crowd asks) “What is sadhana chathushtaya?”
Yes. I will discuss sadhana chathushtaya in a lecture form. I’ll make note of
it and do it in one full hour talk. Astanga yoga, sadhana chathushtaya—they
are very important topics which have to be dealt with at length, that deserve
our attention, and prepare us to proceed along the spiritual path. I
appreciate it. I’ll make note of it and will definitely do it in one full hour
talk.
(To another inquirer) Yes, please.
(Gentleman asks) “Define Baba in a few words, please.”
In two words? (Laughter)
(Gentleman clarifies) “In a few words.”
Oh, you want me to tell about Baba in a few words? (Laughter)
“Yeah.”
I’ll tell you in one word—LOVE. Why few words? One word is enough—Love. Love.
That’s all.” (Applause) One word. (Anil Kumar laughs.) Yes, sir.
Any other, please? Okay. Yes?
(A lady asks) “I am interested in your comment on the relationship between
pre-determination and pre-destination, and that Swami knows all, and free
will. Because so often they appear to be in conflict—you may have one but how
can you have the other?”
Yes. I think all of you could follow her question. I have answered this
question many a time in the past, but since the question has been raised right
now, I don’t mind repeating it, making it as brief as possible to save time.
Free will Has nothing to do with God’s will
What we call free will has nothing to do with that which is pre-determined.
Free will is human choice; that which is pre-determined is the will of God.
Pre-determination, or the will of God, may or may not be the same as human
will or effort.
For example, I want to be a doctor, but God’s will may not be the same as my
preference or choice. Free will is human choice. It is human preference and
depends upon likes, dislikes, and the prevailing socio-economic conditions.
But pre-determination, God’s will, is quite independent. It does not
necessarily coincide with my preferential will or desire.
Human will is a desire, human will is a choice, human will is a preference,
and human will is the determination with which you accomplish something. Human
will has got ample scope for human effort, in order to accomplish that which
one wants, and to realise that which one wishes. Am I clear on that part?
Human will is based on choice, preference, effort, likes, and dislikes. I am
clear.
Pre-determination is God’s will. A few points about pre-determination: 1) It
is quite independent of our own will. It may coincide or it may not. 2)
Whatever the pre-determination, God wills it for our own good. 3) The
pre-determination of God’s will is based on the merit or karma of the past
lives. This means that God’s will or the Divine will or pre-determination or
karma depends on our deserving, more than our desiring. We may desire, but we
may not deserve. So, God’s will depends more on deserving than desiring.
acceptance of the outcome is Surrender
Now, how does one make both ends meet? Are they parallel? No. My friend, you
and I have every choice to desire. You and I have every freedom to will, to
desire, to hope, to plan, and to work. But total acceptance of what happens
finally is called surrender—acceptance of what happens ultimately, what is
kept in store for me in future, what will materialise at the end. If it is
accepted totally and unconditionally, it is called surrender. So, acceptance
is surrender; whereas rejection or denial is a psychological reaction to a
situation that one has determined negative, which one has not accepted.
So, spiritual sadhana (practice) requires one to put in more human effort
while preparing to accept whatever happens at the end, with the spirit that
everything happens for one’s own good. That’s how we have to link the two.
Yes, any more questions, please? Any more questions? Is that okay? Thank you.
To Live with God is a life in THE fire
Now, I would like to share with you a few thoughts this morning. One thing is
this: It is not so easy to live with God. It is not so simple to be in the
company of a Divine Master. It is not simple. To live in the company of a
Divine Master is a challenge. To live with God is a life in the fire. One has
to live in fire without getting burnt; one has to walk on a razor’s edge
without being cut. Life is a challenge with God. Life is a challenge with a
Divine Master.
Sometimes in retrospection, one starts repenting, one starts regretting having
been in the company of the Divine Master. Because living close to Him is a
matter of choiceless awareness. You cannot choose anything, you cannot opt for
anything, you cannot be on your own, and you are not independent. You are
programmed; you are designed according to the plan of the Divine Master in
whose company you yourself have chosen to live.
If I tell Swami, “Oh, Bhagavan, life here is not interesting,” His immediate
answer would be (as I can guess): “I have not invited you to be here.”
(Laughter)
If I tell Swami, “Swami, I think I’ll be more comfortable outside,” I am sure
He would say, “You are welcome to go.”
And if I tell Him, “To live with You is a challenge which I cannot take
anymore,” He would say, “You opted for it; I never asked you.”
Therefore, my friends, living with the Divine Master is what we asked for,
what we desired, and therefore we have to take it ungrudgingly,
uncomplainingly. If not happily at the beginning, if not joyfully initially,
later we get used to it (if not immune to it). (Laughter)
But we should not be immune; we should not be indifferent. Indifference and
immunity are negative tendencies. There are some people here who, if you ask,
“Oh, you have been in Prashanti Nilayam; how are you here?” Their response
will be, “It is alright, getting along.” (Laughter)
It is just indifference. If you ask somebody, “You are with Swami, so how is
life?” you may get the answer, “Oh, just like that.” (Laughter) It is simply
immunity. If you ask someone, “How are you progressing, advancing
spiritually?” he may helplessly say, “He only knows; Baba only knows.”
(Laughter) It is confusion!
We do not know what we really want
If you just ask a fellow, “When are you likely to come back to your place?”
and he says, “As Baba decides,” it only means he is of two minds. To be or not
to be, that is the question.
We are all in some stage or other. I am no exception. You may belong to one
category on the list, and I may belong to every category I’ve been sharing
with you thus far, because it is not so easy.
Living in the Divine Company of a Divine Master, what happens initially? The
beginning years of our stay may be one year or two years. (For some it may be
even ten or twenty, depending upon the pace or the speed with which they
proceed along the spiritual path.) For the first couple of years, what
happens? We will be aware of all that we have lost. If you ask somebody, “How
are you?”
“Oh, I left my very big, palatial bungalow there.”
“Oh, is that so.”
If you ask somebody, “How are you here now?”
“Oh, I was in a very good position, big position. But here a seva dal pushed
me out.”
Oh, I see. “Sir, how are you here?”
“I am a highly influential man, but nobody greets me here.”
Oh, I see. If you ask anybody, “How are you getting on here?”
“I am just here with nobody, none from my workplace, none from our native
place, none from my country, none to speak to me.”
Oh, I see. “Why are you so serious, man, why are you so serious here?”
“There is nothing to smile about, (Laughter) nothing to laugh about, so I am
serious.“
If we ask him, “Oh, you have been here quite a long time; what is it that you
want from here?” he will say, “I am yet to know, I am yet to know.”
“Well, what is it that you wanted? Did you get what you really wanted?”
He will say, “It takes time. I am yet to know.“ (Laughter)
My friends, this is really interesting. Some of us are aimless here; some of
us are here without any idea of what we’re doing; some of us here do not know
what we really want; and some of us desire only whatever others get. Yes. “He
got an interview; why did I not get it? He got a ring; why should I not get
two?” Yes, why not? We just go by all that we see. We just want what others
get. But we do not know what we really want. Therefore, my friends, this
morning I would like to spend some time on this point because I find many
faces which have been here for quite some time.
OUR AIMS ARE DIFFERENT in prashanti nilayam
First question: What do I want while staying in Puttaparthi? What do I want?
Let me first answer this question from a different perspective: There at my
native place, in Andhra Christian College, where I served, what was it that I
wanted? I wanted the position of head of the department; I wanted the position
of principal of the college. I wanted to earn money, I wanted to be
influential, and I wanted to be famous.
So, before coming here I had some target, I had some aims and objectives. I
could tell how far away I was from my target and how near I was, to what
extent I had achieved it and to what extent I could not; who followed my
ideals and who achieved what I could not. I had a clear balance sheet. Out of
all those ten things I wanted, say five of them I got, while five I could not.
Or two I got and eight I could not. Or I could say, “Here are the people there
who could be one hundred percent successful.” I could say that there, outside
Puttaparthi.
But here in Prashanti Nilayam, can you tell me what I wanted, can I state the
aims I have had, the objectives I had, and to what extent I realised them? Or
can I say, “Here are a few people who achieved all they wanted, which I could
not,” as I had done outside? If I undertake that exercise, it is going to be
futile, a total flop, one hundred percent failure. Why?
As a person, I know all that I lost; but I do not understand what I have
gained. I see others also in the same situation of confusion. Some are frank
enough, but some are not. The more hypocritical one is, the more successful he
or she has likely been all down through the ages. So we don’t frankly express
ourselves.
Spirituality is a goal-less path
Here come answers from great sages like Ramana Maharshi and Adi Shankara, and
from Bhagavan’s literature. I think the answers provided by these men of
eminence, who belong to all times, will be able to help us out of this muddle.
Life has got targets, aims, objectives, plans, executions, successes,
failures, victories, defeats, losses, profits, and gains. These are all the
hard-core realities of life. Nobody outside would say, “I have lost my
promotion, thank God.” Nobody would say that. Nobody outside would say, “I am
happy to be an utter flop or a total failure.” (Laughter) If anybody says
this, then there is something wrong with his mind. He can find his place in a
lunatic asylum.
In the outside world, we have certain targets, aims, and objectives. We can
say whether we have achieved them or not. If you have achieved them, you are
successful; if not, you are a failure. It is clear.
On the spiritual path, we will come to understand in due course of time the
naked fact, the naked truth, that spirituality is a goal-less path. (We may
understand it in the initial years of our determination to stay here, the
honeymoon period; and if emotion brought us here, or a spiritual background,
we may understand it sooner.)
It is a goal-less path. It has no aim, it has no goal and it has no end.
Spirituality is an endless path; it is a goal-less path; it is an aimless
path. (Don’t mistake me to be a madman. I am not yet, though anything may
happen in future, after all! But right now, I am quite sane. You can be sure
of it.) (Laughter)
So, my friends, spirituality has no aim, it has no goal, it has no end. Take
it from me. Why? If I have an aim to be an officer, if I have an aim to be
promoted to a higher cadre, the aim is different from my present position. I
am a lecturer; my aim is to become a principal. So there is time between the
two; there is distance between the two.
My goal is to reach J.F. Kennedy Airport, United States. It requires travel
for 21 hours, the time and distance of thousands of miles to reach that
destination, JF Kennedy Airport. Likewise Sydney or Melbourne, or wherever you
would like--Indira Gandhi Terminal, New Delhi, wherever you want to go. So, to
reach a destination you need time and space. To achieve promotion, you need
time and effort. Therefore, all worldly targets, all worldly aims and
objectives carry these two basic elementary things: time and space.
Spirituality is not about becoming--it is about being
The third thing is different. A simple example: I am a lecturer now, and when
I become a principal, it is a different thing. When I am a soldier, if I
become a captain, it is a different cadre. So you become something that you
are not already. You are going to achieve something that you do not already
have. You are going to attain that which you don’t have right now. But
spirituality is not that; spirituality is not going to become.
Please understand this point, my friends. Baba has said it many times before,
but we think “It’s alright, we know it,” though we do not. Sometimes we feel
we have heard something many times, though nothing has changed in our minds.
Therefore, please underline this line, benchmark it: Spirituality is NOT
becoming, whereas life’s pattern is a process of becoming. The whole outer
life pattern is becoming.
“I want to become that; I want to become that and this.” Unfortunately the
spiritual field also has come down to the level of becoming. Therefore, it has
lost its charm, beauty, and bliss. Because in spiritual organisations, people
also feel this way: “Let me be the convener, the president of the Sai Centre,
the state president, the national president, veranda-in-charge,
carpet-in-charge, or gate-in-charge.” (Laughter) Why? To be discharged out.
(Laughter) We want to be in charge of something . . . at least let me be in
charge of this table, because I cannot live without being in charge of
anything! (Laughter) This is the tragedy which occurs even in spiritual
organizations!
we need to remember we are in a spiritual centre
Therefore, my friends, this nasty disease—I tell you, this horrible disease,
this cancerous feeling of trying to become has affected the spiritual field
also. That is the reason why people have (to quote Baba) “very castor-oil
faces”. (Baba says that, it is not my wording. I am not capable of coining
such funny words.) Imagine, caster oil! Why are people so serious? “When am I
going to become in charge of this?” Arre, arre, arre!
Are you in charge of yourself? You are not in charge of yourself in the first
place! No. If you are in charge of your Self, you will never die. If you are
identified with your Self, there will never be moments of misery or sadness.
If you are one with your Self, you will not dominate anybody. If you are your
Self, you will always be happy. But are we so? No.
“I am in charge of you! I am in charge of you—of making you miserable!”
(Laughter) “I am in charge of you, of pushing you out!” “I am in charge of
you, so I can shout at you!” Thus we can make others miserable and sad,
shouting at every person, being in charge.
But we are not in charge of our own Self. We are only getting by in life, in
misery and sadness, even in a spiritual centre. This is because our parameters
happen to be the same as if we were in the outside world. Only the canvas has
changed. But the painting is the same. The canvas is the world outside; the
canvas is the spirituality here. But the painting of caster oil faces is the
same, really! Or else we should be very joyful here; we should be smiling,
blissful, welcoming, friendly, lovable, and respectable. There should be one
hundred percent brotherhood here.
Why are some of us not like that? Why? “If you happen to sit at the place
where I sit, you are going to be my bitterest enemy.” It is as if that place
belongs to me!
Therefore, my friends, first we have to be clear about the fact that we are in
a spiritual centre, a spiritual place where the state of becoming is
non-existent. The feeling of becoming is foolish, while the effort to become
is an act of ignorance. The thought of having to become is a reflection of
ignorance. So ignorance and foolishness alone prompt us to make every effort
to become; to become in charge of that or this, to become influential, to have
VIP status, and so on. These are all transitory states of becoming.
You are a VIP this morning, but by afternoon you may be a ‘very insignificant
person’. Who knows? Who knows? We have seen many VIP’s like that--very
important in the morning and next, very insignificant in the afternoon. We
have seen that happen here. Therefore, my friends let us be clear that the
concept of becoming has NO relevance, has NO application, and is most
insignificant on the spiritual path.
Then, what is the spiritual path? It is not becoming; it is one of being. It
is one of being.
However, one might say, “Arre, what is this?” There is some charm in becoming;
there is some incentive in becoming; there is some glitter, glamour, allure,
illusion, and attraction in becoming. So what is it that happens in being? If
I become someone, I can at least allow you sit in the front row. If I become
someone, I can at least push you back. So in becoming, there is something
there for me. But in being, there is nothing!
Therefore, we want to become and we don’t want to know what charm there is in
being.
Some points about being and becoming
So let us learn. I’ll spend a couple of moments differentiating becoming and
being.
* Being is what you are in the ever-present present; becoming is something
future-oriented, something to happen in the future.
* Being is not an achievement; it is not attained. It is who you are. Becoming
is an achievement; it is attained. It is something separate from you.
* Being is not about recognition; it is about realisation. Becoming is about
one who seeks recognition. Becoming is recognition, while being is
realisation.
* Being is beyond time and space. Becoming is within the limitations of time
and space.
* Being is eternal, immortal. Becoming is fleeting, ephemeral, momentary.
* Being is changeless; becoming is changeable, like governments. (Governments
come and go with no conscience. We do not know the names of some ministers
because their portfolios go on changing. By the time I begin to remember,
there may be another man in that place, or the government may have fallen.)
Becoming is changeable, goes on changing. Being is changeless.
* Becoming is variation, variety, multiplicity, plurality, duality. One is a
collector, one is an ambassador, one is a judge, one is a professor, and
another is a minister--variety. Variety is part of becoming. Being is
uniformity, homogeneity, simplicity. So complexity and variety is becoming,
while simplicity, unity and uniformity are being.
* Becoming is worldly; being is spiritual.
* Becoming is individual; being is cosmic and universal. Becoming is
individual, while being is Divine.
* Becoming is a drop; being is an ocean.
* Becoming is a jewel; being is gold.
* Becoming has got two points—name and form; being is nameless and formless.
My friends! What a world of difference there is between becoming and being!
One is earth; the other is sky. If we want to live in a place where being is
as important as the aim of becoming, I don’t think we will find that place, as
there is no relationship, coherence, integration, or trace of synthesis
between the two. Water and fire cannot go together. Water extinguishes fire.
Similarly, being and becoming cannot go together. Becoming is worldly, while
being is spiritual. This is a spiritual centre, so being is important, not
becoming.
THE value at a spiritual center is found in Being
When one wants to become here, or becoming grows important at this centre,
what nonsense it is! What Himalayan confusion it is! When people are serious,
when people are mad after power, when people are mad after influence, when
people are mad after positions, when people are mad after what you call
control, domination, ego, they will necessarily be sad and miserable at a
spiritual centre.
Rupees do not matter in America. In America, it is dollars, whereas in India,
it is rupees. Rupees do not matter in America because their currency is
dollars. Likewise, the foreign exchange value in a spiritual centre is being.
The ‘foreign exchange’ there in the world is becoming. How can you have this
dollar (being) in exchange for rupees (the process of becoming)? It has no
value.
Therefore my friends, if we really want to smile wholeheartedly, if we really
want to enjoy this place, if we really want to be blissful, if we really want
to be friendly, if we want to make our life meaningful, purposeful and joyful;
if we want to make our life music and dance at a spiritual centre like this,
let us have this description, this eternal theme, of being and not becoming.
being means learning how not to do
This being is not the one of effort—no. For becoming, you have to put in a lot
of effort. You have to polish; you have to please your boss. Yes, sometimes
you have to compromise; sometimes you have to sacrifice your values; sometimes
you have to kill your conscience in the process of becoming. Plus effort is
always necessary. But in being, silence is enough. In being, meditation is
enough. In being, withdrawal of the mind is enough. No effort, nothing; just,
let me remain silent.
Somebody asked Ramana Maharshi, “Swami, what shall I do to attain immortality
(moksha)?”
Ramana Maharshi said, “The only thing you have to do is not to do.” (Laughter)
“The only thing to do is not to do.” Arre, what is this man speaking? He is
almost naked. His answers also are the naked truth. He is not only naked
physically, but all his words are naked, true facts.
Somebody asked him, “Swami, what is that you said? You want me not to do?”
Then Ramana Maharshi explained that whatever you do is prompted by the mind;
whatever you do is your thought-process in action.
Thought in action is done, dharma. You do that which is prompted by your
thoughts; and mind is the centre of thought—something like a generator, a
centre of energy, a centre of electricity. Mind is the centre of thoughts, and
these thoughts are translated into action. Whatever you do--worship or
circumambulation around the temple or pilgrimage--they are all acts, actions
prompted by thoughts, originated out of the mind. So not doing—meaning
withdrawal of your thoughts, withdrawal of your mind, absence of mind, the
thoughtless state—is liberation.
the very being is what you already are
Therefore my friends, the very being is what I am; the very being is what you
are. But we have forgotten about it. I am what I am. Sadly, I want to be
something different—what I am not.
A simple example: If I behave like a doctor right now, I’ll be the best
instrument in solving the population problem because I am not a doctor.
(Laughter) So in becoming, you lead an artificial life. In becoming, you will
be a failure at one time or the other. In becoming, you have to receive
shocks, bumps, jumps, lashes and slashes, sighs, and smiles.
But in being, there is neither a sigh nor a smile; there are neither bumps nor
jumps; there are neither jolts, nor promotions, nor reversions because the
very being is what you are already--what you have been, what you are, what you
will continue to be.
In becoming, there is some tension, there is some fear. Now I am in charge of
that, but tomorrow I may be removed, tomorrow I may be reverted, tomorrow I
may be suspended, tomorrow I may be dismissed. In the state of becoming, you
are always unstable; you are always in a state of disturbed mind. In becoming,
you are always comparative and competitive because there is another man behind
you who is ready to occupy your position. Becoming is a rat-race. Becoming is
a struggle, a strain, laborious, tedious, and ultimately makes us weak.
We have seen in life how people are vexed, how people are tired by trying to
become. When they don’t become what they want, they are frustrated, they are
depressed, they are rebellious, they are negative, and they are retaliatory.
Sometimes they turn anti-social, or become irreligious, non-spiritual, losing
their faith because becoming is always shaky, this way or that way . . .
whereas in contrast, being is stability. Being is equanimity, being is
equality, being is immortality, being is permanent, everlasting—your
birthright.
we don’t know why we are so serious
When such a thing as this is there on spiritual path, what is the need to be
serious? Some people don’t have reason to be serious.
Yesterday one boy was looking like that (he makes a sad expression) into the
empty air while I was teaching in the class. (Laughter) I told him, “Look
here, what happened to you? You are, after all, a first-year degree student,
about just 15 or 16 years. What family problems have you? How many children
have you? (Laughter) Are you having any income tax problems or any
professional problems? Why are you so serious?”
That fellow says, “Ah, no sir, no problem.”
“Then why are you looking like that?” He didn’t know.
Our upbringing is such that we don’t know why we are so serious. If you just
look at some people sitting there on the verandah or sitting somewhere else,
they are very serious in the name of spirituality. (Laughter)
I feel like going to them and saying, “Why don’t you consult some physician or
a psychiatrist preferably?” (Really, we don’t need to go for humor anywhere;
we don’t need to joke with anybody. We can joke with our own selves. We have
become the best jokers of the day with our own selves.)
“Why are you serious?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why don’t you smile?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you want?”
“I don’t know.”
Then this is enough of a joke for the century! (Laughter)
We are like a rat caught in a drum
My friends, we are like this because we are not definite about our concepts.
We are not sure of our path—this way, that way. Baba said, “It seems a rat is
caught in a mridangum (a drum).” In drums, a rat can get caught. If a fellow
beats the drum this way (indicating the left side), the rat runs towards the
other side. If you beat that way (indicating the right side), the rat will run
this way.” So if Swami looks at me—appa!—I am highly spiritual. When He
ignores me, totally non-spiritual.
The convener in charge is highly faithful, fully loyal, quotes scriptures, and
quotes Swami. When once he is out of that convener position, discharged out of
being in charge of the carpet at least, we begin to question his spiritual
path. It is something like a rat caught in the drum, as Baba puts it.
ONCE WE UNDERSTAND BEING, WE HAVE NO WORRIES
Therefore, my friends, we are not sure of our path and we are not definite of
our path because we are not clear in our concepts. Once we understand, we
begin to jump in joy and we begin to dance. We will not have any regrets; we
will not repent or have any worries. We will not be anxious anymore. In fact,
there are none to compete; there are none to feel jealous of; there is nothing
to feel egoistic about. Why? Because we are in a field of realisation, of
being.
Once you are in the field of realisation of being, there is nothing to feel
envious about. There is no jealousy, none to compete with, none to dominate,
no reason to be serious or to cry or shed tears. There is every reason to be
bubbling with joy. There is every reason to have our face appear in a
floodlight of smiles. Why not? I have nothing to gain; I have nothing to lose.
Because I was, I am, and I will be that being. No one can rob, no one can
steal, no one can dethrone, no one can use up, and no one can substitute that
state of my being. So there is no threat of losing that being. There is no
chance of losing that being because I am what I am. The moment I am away from
that, there is tension. The moment I am away from my being, there is tension,
and there is pretension for lack of attention.
So, when I run away, when I am away from my being, all the states of duality
appear. What is the centre point of my life? The centre point of my life is my
very being. When I am at the centre point of my life, becoming is only
peripheral; becoming is only at the circumference, even if the circumference
or periphery becomes bigger and bigger, wider and wider, larger and larger. In
fact there is only one centre. At the peripheral level, we are all different.
But the centre, all are one. That centre is our very being.
Therefore my friends, our stay in any ashram, our stay in any temple, our stay
with any guru, our stay with any spiritual master is only for the realisation
of, the experience of, the identification with this being. It is our job to
constantly contemplation on and meditate on our being. All this is only
possible when we forget becoming.
Let us enjoy life
That is the reason why, my friends, my constant job is to always make a person
smile whenever I meet him and look into his face. I don’t leave him until I
make him smile. I don’t leave him; no, no, he should smile! Let us enjoy life.
Once one man said, “All through my life, I died to attain some position.
Throughout my life, I died to raise my family; I died to build up properties
and buildings. But at the time of death, I realised that I never lived, that I
had never lived.”
Therefore my friends, let us live our lives. We don’t live our lives. If at
all we live our lives, we should be smiling, we should be happy. See the
flowers: no flower complains. Flowers smile. But we don’t smile. We may doubt,
watching some faces, whether they have teeth or not. (Laughter) It doesn’t
matter even if they have lost their teeth. The dentist would have done a
better job by removing all their teeth because their teeth are not useful to
them or to others if they don’t smile. (Laughter)
So life means joy, life means bliss, life means smiles, life means music.
Seriousness is death, misery is death, unhappiness is death, complaining is
half-dead, competition is half-dead. Satisfaction is life; love is life. I can
love anybody.
If someone says, “I can love people only of my standard,” know that he has no
standards. (Laughter) If they say, “I can love people only of my stature,”
understand that they have no stature.
Love has no stature, love has no standard, and love has no levels. Love is
ethereal. Love is nectarine. Love is oceanic! Love is vast space. Love is a
cool breeze. Love is beauty! Love is fragrance! Love is aroma, aroma.
Therefore, when our lives—when your life—is full of love, there is nothing to
ask for in this life. Even if there is anybody to give you a billion dollars,
you will say “Choddho (Leave it), I don’t want it.” Because a million dollars
will be followed by a million punishments. A million dollars will be followed
by a billions tears, repentances, worries, and anxieties. Plus your enemies
will multiply limitlessly.
True love wants you to love everybody
So, if you want to buy enmity, run after power. If you want to buy enemies,
come on, run after positions. If you want more people to hate you, come on, be
in charge of something. But if you want to win friends, if you want to be
happy within yourself, if you want to be comfortable with yourself, if you
want to be blissful, there is only one currency--LOVE. That love makes you
move freely with everybody, irrespective of cadre, class, position, dignity,
status, knowledge, scholarship, community or caste. These are all cheap, mean
things.
True love wants you to love everybody--a cat, a scholar, a monkey, a
scientist, a flower, a union cabinet minister. A fruit vendor or a flower
vendor on the street is as important as the prime minister of this country.
That’s how I feel about it.
Whenever I talk to my friends at the college gate, such as the watchman (I
want this to go on record, it doesn’t matter), that watchman at the gate will
always smile and say, “How are you, sir, how are you?” I see on his face joy a
million times more than a billionaire. I see joy on his face more than on the
face of the richest man, a man occupying the highest position.
I tell him, “God bless you with this smile throughout. If at all I have to
copy anybody, you are the man I want to copy, not anybody else.”
Therefore, my friends, I do not know why my thoughts are flowing in this
direction even though I have written something else to talk to you about
today. (Laughter) This is the miracle of Baba. Some people ask me, “Anil
Kumar, can you tell us the latest miracle?” This is the latest miracle: I
wanted to talk to you about one thing, but I spoke to you about something
different. (Laughter) But anyway, you can have the caption for this morning’s
talk: “Becoming and Being”.
May Bhagavan help us to realise the real state of our being--what we were,
what we are, what we continue to be eternally. May God bless you! May Baba
shower His choicest blessings in our sincere attempt to realise ourselves—not
anything foreign, not anything alien, not anything new, not anything outside,
but that which is within.
Sai Ram! (Applause)
there is no death and there is no birth
(A gentleman from the audience asks :) “Will death also be afraid of me, when
I find my being?”
Death is not true; death is totally false. Birth is just as false as death.
Birth and death are totally false. The appearance of the body is birth; the
disappearance of the body is death. But you are permanent; we as being-ness
are permanent. You have taken the body--that is your birth date. You will
withdraw from the body—that is the so-called ‘death’. You actually never die
because you (as being) were never born. You are eternal. You were never born
and you will never die.
People say, “Ah, let me die.”
When people say, “Let me die,” they are referring to their impermanent name
and form, not to their eternal being. “Let me be born again” refers to the
next transient name and form, not their eternal being. Therefore, when we
realise our being, there is no death, because there is no birth. We have no
beginning and no ending. It is a beginning-less, endless, eternal, sweet,
beautiful, continuous journey. The journey of life is in our very being—that
is our reality. That is Sat-Chit-Ananda, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
Sai Ram! (Applause)
(Anil Kumar sings the bhajan, “Jai Jai Prabhu Giridhari Natavara Nandalala.”)
OM…OM…OM…
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
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Prof. ANIL KUMAR
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AUDIO Of Prof. ANIL KUMAR SATSANG Sunday
Satsang at Prashanti Nilayam.
