October 8th, 2006
“Rig Veda”
OM… OM… OM…
Sai Ram
With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
VEDIC LITERATURE TEACHES REFINEMENT AND EQUALITY
I am going to cover a few points today relating to the Rig Veda, after which
we will take a few questions. These are points which, as I mentioned earlier,
have been explained by Bhagavan.
This is a sort of study circle, during which we ponder points that we will
hopefully come to understand and learn together. As students of Sai
literature, we study together, learn together, and grow together. That is
something unique in this study circle class. Once again, let me remind you, I
do not claim to have any extra knowledge. I have no false claim of knowing
anything more than anyone else here. All of us are one and the same—all fellow
pilgrims trying to learn, grow, and understand what Bhagavan wants to
communicate to us.
For all literature of Sanathana Dharma and knowledge of Bharatiya culture, the
Veda is the foundation. Anything that is contrary to the Veda is not
acceptable to Bharatiya culture. (Swami does not say, “Indian culture.” He
always uses “Bharatiya culture”, and “Bharatiya samskriti”. Therefore, I also
refer to it as “Bharatiya culture”.)
My friends, whatever we write and whatever we speak about must most definitely
be approved by the Veda. Nothing can go against it. Swami has mentioned two
important advantages, or aims and objectives of Vedic literature. What are
they?
VEDIC LITERATURE REFINES OUR LIFE
The first advantage is samskara—refinement. Vedic literature refines our life.
It polishes our life. For example, look how every building has got an
elevation in the front. This elevation in the front gives a beautiful look to
the building. Likewise, awareness of Vedic literature will be a sort of
elevation to the human personality. This ensures that every human being has an
elevated, enlightened, and awakened soul. So samskara—elevation, refinement,
or awareness—is the first and foremost objective of Vedic literature.
VEDIC LITERATURE SPEAKS OF EQUALITY
The second objective, as put by Bhagavan, is samatwa—equality. Therefore, one
advantage of Vedic literature is samskara or awakening; and the second
advantage is samatwa, or equality. If there is anything unique about it, it is
this principle of equality.
Every religion speaks of equality. No religion says this group is superior to
the other group. In practice it may be, but at least from the scriptural point
of view, they all stand by the principle of equality. As Sai devotees, we
believe in the unity of religions; no Sai devotee can afford to be prejudiced
or biased toward or against one religion. So as students of comparative
religions, let us look at what is special in Vedic literature. Does it speak
of equality like any other religion?
EVERYTHING IS DIVINE AND ALL ARE EQUAL
My friends, equality from the Vedic dimension is special in the sense that all
are equal: organic, inorganic, living, non-living, biotic, a-biotic, and the
five elements—all are equal. It is not simply a slogan like that of democracy:
“Of the people, by the people, for the people.” Where those people are, we do
not know! (Laughter) But this is not a political slogan on the platform. It is
a reality that organic, inorganic, all the five elements, living and
non-living—all are equal.
How do you say that? Why not? It is the same cosmic principle; it is the
Divine principle that is responsible for the manifestation of the entire
cosmos or the universe. The universe or cosmos is nothing but the
manifestation of Divinity. God manifested is Nature. Nature unmanifested is
God.
I am a student of literature. I don’t believe in the gimmicks of the world
either. If God is to manifest Himself, we call that Nature. All of Nature is
nothing but a manifestation of God. Therefore, the denial, rejection, misuse,
and exploitation of Nature are betrayals unto God. It is exploitation; it
leads to ruin altogether. As Bhagavan explained, the tsunamis, Katrina and
Wilma (hurricanes) are the effects of human society misusing Nature.
Therefore, the principle of unity, which is the second objective of Vedic
literature, represents this basic and fundamental truth: that everything is
one, whether organic or inorganic. To quote Swami, “The only difference is the
voltage. Whether it’s a zero candle bulb, a twenty-five candle bulb, a forty
candle bulb, or a five hundred candle bulb, only the voltage is different. The
electricity is the same.”
Divinity or consciousness expresses itself at the lowest ebb in the mineral
world, a little more in the plant world, and a little more in the animal
world. It expresses itself in all its fullness and totality in the human race.
The expression of consciousness varies in proportions, but basically
everything is Divine. There is nothing that is non-Divine. There is no such
thing as ‘non-Divine’. Everything is Divine. That is the second objective of
Veda.
HOW TO LEAD OUR LIVES
The third advantage is that Vedic literature tells us the way to lead our
lives. Dharma jignyasa: meaning to have an interest in knowing how to lead our
lives. To tell you honestly, if we are to confess unbiased, unprejudiced, and
openly, we have to accept the basic truth that we do not know how to lead our
lives. We consider leading our lives to mean having a bank passbook with a set
of entries. Leading our lives, to most of us, means occupying a very high post
and wielding a wide range of influence. This is not the way to lead life.
Sanathana Dharma tells you how to lead your life.
Vedic literature gave a wonderful package! Things are said in a sentence, or
less than a sentence. Yes! So what is the purpose of life? How to lead your
life? Dharma jignyasa. Veda clearly tells you, “My dear boy! You should lead
life in order to know yourself.”
“Lead life to know yourself? What nonsense is this?! Don’t I know who I am? I
have a number of degrees and I have lots of properties and bank accounts. What
is the fun of saying that I am to know myself?”
The Veda clearly says that to know yourself does not mean by virtue of
qualification, credentials, insignia, status, or dignity. To know yourself
means to know that you are Divine. To know that you are Divine is knowledge,
spiritual knowledge. To know that you are Divine is sujnana jnana (spiritual
knowledge). To experience that you are Divine is prajnana (spiritual
awareness), meaning experience of the Self. Sujnana is the knowledge that you
are the Divine. Jnana is knowledge, be it printed or spoken. Therefore, my
friends, the Veda wants us to know how to lead our lives, where to end, what
is the purpose of life. That, as Bhagavan says, is the next objective.
VEDIC LITERATURE SETS AN IDEAL
Finally, the fourth advantage and purpose of Vedic literature, as Swami says,
is that it sets an ideal. It sets an ideal for all of us to follow. We should
have ideals and goals in life, according to which we should live our lives. In
His book Veda Vahini, which is a collection of His discourses, Swami mentions
these four objectives of Vedic literature.
This morning I would like to share with you some points relating to Rig Veda.
I do not get tired of repeating, time and again, that we are fed up with
traditional interpreters. We have traditional interpreters who speak to us on
Vedic literature for hours and hours until we turn unconscious, (Laughter) or
until we are determined not to hear about Vedas again for a couple of lives to
come. (Laughter) Where these interpreters begin and end, even they themselves
do not know. Confusion confounded. That’s what happens today. We are fed up
with the traditional and conventional style of exposition on Vedic literature.
Today all modern philosophers—just watch their books, or listen to their talks
and video cassettes—have a new approach: a scientific, reasonable, logical,
and rational approach, socially applicable to our day-to-day life situation.
If I speak about Prahlada, who lived thousands of years ago, one may listen to
me out of courtesy and etiquette, but while climbing down the steps they will
say, “What does it matter to me?” (Laughter) And some younger boy (because all
kids play with computers these days; they are more intelligent than people of
our generation), will come and say, “Uncle, why do you speak of Prahlada as
such a great man?”
“He is a very great man!”
“No, no, uncle. I don’t think so. He disobeyed his father and in one of your
talks you said, ‘Pitrudevobhava – father is God.’ So how can a boy who
disobeyed his father be ideal?”
At the most, I can tell him, “If you speak like that you will become blind.
(Laughter) God will be very angry with you. You must fast this afternoon to
atone for this sin!” (Laughter)
And he will say, “Please keep quiet. I shall not meet you ever again.”
Therefore, our presentation should be different, catering to the times and age
in which we live, to which we belong. This is the very reason that we run
after Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. He explains things in a beautiful way. His
interpretation of the Ramayana is different from the interpretation that
others give of the Ramayana. His interpretation of the Bhagavatha is totally
different from others.
BHAGAVAN EXPLAINS THE VEDAS WITH A MODERN APPROACH
Because I am also a little familiar with literature, I want to give you a
small illustration. It is from an episode in the Mahabharatha. Dhritharashtra,
the oldest man, after the death of all his one hundred sons, wants to escape
and he hides at a safe place. Even though he has lost all his children, he
still wants to live. It is at that time that a wise man by the name of Vidura
comes and asks him, “Why do you hide like this? For whose sake do you want to
live? You have lost all your hundred children. For what are you doing this? Is
this life at all?”
My friends, believe me, when you read that episode as written by Bhagavan
Baba, you feel as if Swami has put all His words into the mouth of Vidura. I
don’t think Vidura even said these words—Swami has put all His words into
Vidura’s mouth and made him speak for Him. Vidura goes on speaking in such a
way that you will be transformed, and will feel detached; you will feel the
taste of vairagya or renunciation. That is the style of Baba’s explanation.
Whatever He speaks of, He applies to our daily situation. He explains Vedic
literature in such a simple way that even modern people can easily follow and
appreciate it. Moreover, Bhagavan’s movement is not limited to a region or a
province. Sai movement is international. If He speaks in Sanskrit, some of us
may feel like committing suicide because we do not know Sanskrit. Similarly,
if He speaks about things which are above our heads, what will happen? We will
have already lost our heads!
Baba puts it in a very simple way for all of us modern people so that we can
practice the lessons in the text. For those of us who are a little more
interested, we can do an in-depth study if we find the time. The simple
explanation by Baba is a kind of incentive or appetiser for the individual who
wants to further evolve his own self.
EVERYONE IS A SPARK OF THE DIVINE
So what does He say about Rig Veda in a nutshell? First, the Rig Veda contains
the description of Divinity. God appears in a myriad of forms. God can be
described in thousands and thousands of forms and deities.
Sahasra Sheersha Purushah.
God has thousands of heads, thousands of hands, and thousands of feet.
In one of the talks, Baba said that if at all you were to meet a person with a
thousand heads, a thousand hands, and a thousand feet, what would you do? You
would run away from him! It would make a very good exhibition or museum piece!
No, no! It’s not like that. Sahasra Sheersha Purushah. The direct translation
of this is: “God has thousands of feet.” However, it doesn’t mean that He has
thousands of feet. No! All our feet are His. All our hands are His. All our
heads are His. Therefore, each one is God Himself. Everyone is a spark of the
Divine.
Mamaivamso Jeevaloke Jeeva Seva Sanatanah.
You are a spark of the Divine.
Vasudeva Sarvamithi.
God pervades everywhere.
So you are a spark of the Divine. That’s what the Veda tells you here. When
the Rig Veda describes God in thousands of forms, it means that everyone is a
spark of the Divine.
The second point, as explained by the Veda, is that God exists in each
individual. The consciousness is Divinity; or you can say Atma, soul, spirit,
or chaitanya. Chaitanya, consciousness, soul, and spirit are one and the same.
God at the individual level—that’s what He speaks of.
FIRE IS THE WITNESS IN VEDIC RITUALS
Next, Rig Veda contains a number of mantras, which are used when performing
many rituals. All things used during the rituals are offered in the fire. Fire
is the postal department. When such-and-such a thing should be sent to Indra,
the fire will carry it to Indra. It is like an email to Varuna! So, agni or
fire is the one that takes all that you offer to the concerned deities.
Therefore, Baba says that agni is the witness in Vedic rituals.
You must have noticed how a fire is started in the yagna. They have two pieces
of wood which they rub against each other, and a fire is ignited. Since the
two pieces of wood are rubbed against each other repeatedly, it is believed
that fire has so many births. It is born again and again. This is also a good
thing, because if fire were eternal, we’d be finished! (Laughter) That’s quite
acceptable to all of us! (Laughs) Let not fire be eternal. Fire has so many
births. That’s what Bhagavan has explained.
The next point Swami explains is that when fire is ignited, you see smoke,
hear sound and immediately see light. Heat, light, sound and smoke are
generated the moment fire is ignited. So Swami says fire has another name—Dhooma
Pada, which means the fire is accompanied by smoke.
Since fire is the witness, it is also called Brahma. Also, since all the
offerings are made in the fire, it is also called Hotha. (My friends, if it
were not for Swami, I would not have learnt these things. But if it were not
for you, I would not have prepared these notes at all. So I must be very
grateful to Swami for the literature supplied, and highly grateful to all of
you for making me make notes and deliver this presentation every Sunday. I am
grateful to Swami and you also.) So Hotha means the witness, fire as a
witness.
Then Swami speaks of another point. Any Vedic ritual, particularly a Rig Vedic
ritual, is performed by a group of people, not by an individual. Swami sings
this song quite often:
Kalasi Melasi Thirugudaam.
Kalasi Melasi Perugudaam.
Let us grow together.
Let us mingle together.
Kalasi Melasi Thelusu Konna Thelivini Penchudaam.
Let us grow in intelligence by moving together.
Kalasi Melasi Kalatha Leka Kalami Chelimi Balimi Penchudaam.
By mingling together, without any conflict, fight, or contradiction, let us
grow together.
Kalimi – Let us grow in richness.
Balimi – Let us grow in strength.
Chelimi – Let us grow in friendship.
So Rig Veda speaks of community life. Rig Veda speaks of the advantages of
friendship and how one should live in a group.
Bhagavan then mentions that this Rig Veda is also present in the remaining
three Vedas. Atharva Veda has twelve hundred slokas straight from the Rig
Veda. The Yajur Veda is also full of Rig Vedic portions. Furthermore,
three-fourths of Sama Veda contains Rig Veda. Hence, according to Bhagavan,
Rig Veda is the underlying current of all the remaining three Vedas.
THE THREE COMPONENTS OF CREATION
Bhagavan explains the mystery of Nature as described in Rig Veda. The whole of
creation is nothing but the combination of three components—only three. What
are they? One is rajas, the second is tamas, and the third is sathwa. Sathwa,
rajas, and tamas, which are the three qualities, three attributes.
What is tamas? Tamas is dullness or inertia. The second is rajas, meaning
emotion, ambition. The third is sathwa, meaning piousness, calmness. A
peaceful state, a blissful state, an equanimous state is the sathwic nature.
These three components are present everywhere. You cannot say, “I am full of
sathwa.” No! This is a false claim. All the three are present. But that which
is more prevalent determines your personality. If sathwa is more, you are a
pious man. If rajas is more, you are a Napoleon, a Marshall Tito. (Laughter)
If tamasic is more, you are very close to Saddam Hussein and Bin Laden.
(Laughter) But Bin Laden has the other two qualities, rajas and sathwa, also.
But poor fellow! He is dominated by tamas. One thing is extra; that’s the
reason why. You know the effect.
The whole of creation is a combination of these three components. Bhagavan
said that at the time of birth, the newborn child does not know anything other
than to sleep. The child goes on sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. That is tamas .
. . inertia. As the child grows—toys, dresses, style, romance, and desires
also start increasing day-by-day, year-after-year. That is rajas. So one
starts life in the state of tamas, and slowly gets into rajas (ambition). Then
he should try to improve the sathwic qualities, which is the equanimous,
balanced, and steady state of mind. That’s what we call sathwic. So the three
states are present in every one of us.
Bhagavan also said to look at your eye. The eye is white and black, with a red
tinge; all the three colours are there in the eye ball. Three—sathwa, rajas,
and tamas. The dark colour is tamasic, the red rajasic, and white is sathwic.
All three are present in your eyeball. Therefore, Bhagavan explains that the
three qualities are present in every human being, right from the time of his
birth, similar to what you find in the eyeball. This is what the Rig Veda
speaks of.
MANTRA, TANTRA AND YANTRA ARE PRESENT IN US
Swami goes on to say (see how He interprets), that the body is yantra, meaning
a machine. The heart is tantra, meaning operative technique, methodology, and
skills. Finally, our breath is mantra, meaning chanting. Mantra, yantra and
tantra are present in everybody’s life. If anyone says there is no mantra in
me, it means he has stopped breathing. He is no more! (Laughter)
If he says, “I have no tantra,” this means he has no heart. He may be
heartless. Figuratively, many people are heartless, but everyone surely has a
physical heart. Therefore, the heart is tantra, which pumps blood. Everyone
possesses it. Yantra is the human body. So, mantra, tantra and yantra are not
separate from you. They are present within you. That’s how Swami explained it.
Swami explains Sama Veda in a beautiful way: That which has got rhythm, beat,
and music is Sama Veda. The rhythm part of the Veda is Sama Veda, with its
beat and tune. It is the musical aspect of the Veda, while Rig Veda contains
the method of worship and rituals.
DON’T WORRY ABOUT UNNECESSARY THINGS
And then, there is another aspect. There is some unwanted stuff in every one
of us. Let us be honest with ourselves. Sometimes there are certain things
that we don’t want to be present within us: bad thoughts, bad ideas, wicked
manoeuvring, and manipulation. Some people are happy when others are unhappy.
They continue to think about how to torture, underestimate, and make others
unhappy, because the unhappiness of others brings happiness to them. These
poor fellows are suffering from a psychological sickness. We need to pity
them. They need treatment, that’s all. We don’t have to fight with them. We
all have some unwanted garbage within us which has got to be emptied.
First, we should recognise the unnecessary qualities within us. You may say,
“Is it so?” Yes, why not? Watch the faces of so many people. Some people are
serious. If you ask them, “Are you fine?”
“Yes.”
“Then, why are you like that?” (Laughter) “Why are you so serious?”
“I don’t know!”
And if you spend some time with him, you will understand that he is serious
because he thinks that the other man is happier than he. (Laughter) He is
already happy! But the other man should not be happier than he. (Laughter)
Therefore, my friends, we have some unwanted and unnecessary worry within us.
We worry ourselves. Why worry? We don’t know. Some people are worried because
if they get heart attack after ten years, how will they meet the expenditure?
(Laughter) A heart surgery, as it is, costs two lakhs. After ten years, it may
cost ten lakhs. How to meet that expenditure?
I say, “You may die before the surgery. (Laughter) You may not need any heart
surgery at all. It won’t cost anything!” (Laughter) Poor fellows! Why they
worry, we do not know.
There are some people who are worried about their grandchildren.
“Sir, how are you?”
“Mr. Anil Kumar, my son has three daughters.”
“OK. So what?”
“How is he going to perform the marriages of his three daughters?”
“Just as you have performed your daughter’s marriage, you son will perform his
daughters’ marriage. It is his headache. Why are you bothered about it?
(Laughter) You completed your portion, so relax! Don’t carry on your shoulder
your son’s problems, grandson’s problems, and in the process, make yourself a
problem.”
So we have got unnecessary worries. Let’s not worry about our children’s
problems. Let them face their problems. Let them know that life is a
challenge. Just as we somehow swam across this life with God’s grace, let them
face the music of their life. How long will this spoon-feeding continue?
I always tell my friends (I have got some friends from the geriatric society,
who are above sixty and retired), that we should not talk about anything
personal, even with family members. I should not ask my son how much money he
is saving every month. He may say, “Why are you bothered?” (Laughter) Or he
may say, “I need some more money. Are you ready to give it to me now?”
(Laughter) I am not ready to give him money and I am not interested in how
much he earns. So why should I worry about it?
By not talking about personal things to our children, people of our age group
can be quite happy. We may not necessarily like the way our children live
their lives. We want them to save more, be disciplined, cut short their
expenditures, and follow our lifestyle. They will openly say, “Daddy, our days
are different from your days.” In plain words, this means, “Keep your mouth
shut!” (Laughter) Why should we hear such words? We will say, “Fine! How are
you? Fine!” Yes. Keep smiling. Smile, smile, smile all the way. That’s what we
should do.
DO NOT THINK OF TOMORROW
The second thing people of our age group should do is not think of tomorrow.
Do not think of tomorrow. No! Tomorrow will take care of itself. I’ve got a
close relative who just turned ninety-two. I’ll give you her address and house
number also, if you are so particular as to check up on me. (Laughter) What is
her worry? “If my servant maid discontinues, will I be able to get another?”
(Laughter) But she is still there! “If she discontinues, will I get another
one or not?” (Laughter)
How can I answer that question? This is our problem. It is better if people of
our age don’t worry about tomorrow. Just thank God that today is well-spent.
LEARN TO BE HAPPY WITH THE EXISTING SITUATION
Young fellows, how ever much money they have, are dissatisfied. I ask some of
my students, “Arre! How much salary do you get?”
“Fifty thousand rupees, sir.”
(In a weak voice) “Fifty thousand rupees. Arre! You should say happily, FIFTY
THOUSAND RUPEES! I don’t expect (in a weak voice again) ‘fifty thousand
rupees’.”
“No sir, the other fellow is getting one lakh!” (Laughter)
So youngsters, however much they get, they are not happy. This age is about
more and more and more money. In the same way, at our age, above sixty,
however healthy we are, we are dissatisfied. If anyone asks, “How are you?”
“Uhhh. Getting along . . . waiting for the doomsday. Somehow, we have to
adjust.” (Laughter)
Chee, chee, chee! I tell you, God will feel very badly with all of us, because
we are quite fine now. We should be very grateful to Him.
“Thank you, oh God! My eyes are still functional; I am able to hear; I am
still able to walk briskly; I am quite fine.” Why can’t we say that? We should
learn to be happy with the existing situation. I cannot say that I should have
high-heel shoes, a broad belt, and wear shorts like my students. I will look
very awful if I imitate a college student. (Laughter) I am graceful with the
way I am at this age. We should be happy with the existing situation. We
should not say, “If I would have been more active, I would have been
healthier.” Or— “I should have been earning more.” Cha, cha! We should be
happy with what we are.
CONTINUE TO BE YOUNG IN SPIRIT
Another thing is worth mentioning. (I am just reminding myself and sharing
with you the secrets of success in old age. ‘Old’ is a rotten word, we don’t
say that—we should say ‘senior citizens’. (Laughter) No one is old, after all.
All are young.) How to be happy as senior citizens? I have already mentioned
three points.
The fourth point of how to be happy is to be happy with our own world. What do
I mean? As a youngster, I always wished to have company to go around with,
walk along the streets with, go to the theatre with, or make fun of people; we
all want some company as youngsters. But as a senior citizen, nobody wants to
join us. Why? Because we go on speaking of the service that we did thirty
years ago! (Laughter)
“You know what I was when I was forty?”
“Arre! Why? Neither are you in your forties, nor is this is 1940. So why do
you bore me?”
Nobody wants our company because we always live in the past. We go on saying,
“You know, in 1958 what happened was . . .” That fellow will be looking at his
watch, (Laughter) because he has got another appointment. But we don’t leave
him; we go on telling him all our service register and all that. (Laughter)
Therefore as senior citizens, if we learn to live ourselves in our own world,
we’ll be very, very successful. What do I mean by our own world? In the olden
days, you needed somebody to give you company. That was in the olden days.
Today, you don’t need anybody’s company. Book reading is the best thing. If
you read, I tell you, you don’t need anybody for company. In fact, you can ask
people to please leave you alone.
Cleopatra said, “Leave me alone, leave me alone.” Cleopatra, from the Egyptian
Nile—she was the most beautiful of all of William Shakespeare’s characters.
Cleopatra! Let me not get into that because I am very tempted to quote a few
verses now. (Laughter)
I should tell you at least one, (Laughter) which all of us should remember. I
tell you, Shakespeare is highly romantic. When I visited William Shakespeare’s
birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon, I forgot where I was. All over the walls
there were metal plaques depicting Shakespearean plays and drama. As I looked
at them, I was thinking about the dramas that I studied as a student.
Shakespeare said this about Cleopatra, when she was quite aged:
Age cannot wither, nor cut and stale her infinite variety.
I tell you, no romantic poet can say it like Shakespeare did. Shakespeare
represents the apex, the zenith of romantic compositions. Age cannot
wither—meaning, even though she ages, she never looks old. No! Age will never
make her wither or lose her beauty. So, she continues to be like that.
RIG VEDA SHOWS HOW TO HAVE A WORLD OF YOUR OWN
We should continue to be young in spirit. It is possible, if we try to learn
to live in the world of our own making. Suppose some of my son’s friends come
to meet him. I should not force myself into their company and talk about my
experiences to them. Eventually, my son will tell me, “Daddy, my friends are
afraid to come to our residence (Laughter) because you don’t allow them to
speak to me.” He will receive them at the gate and they will run away from
there! (Laughter)
Why should I do that? It’s not necessary! I can read a book. Let people of the
same age group spend time together. Why not? I have got my own taste and
temperament. I am interested in philosophy. They are interested in Michael
Jackson music. (Laughter) I can’t tell them, “Stop it!” No, no. After all, I
was like that at that age—much worse than them. (Laughter) Who are they, after
all? They are the same ones as we were yesterday . . . our own reflection.
Therefore, we have to live in our own world by reading books of our choice,
listening to cassettes, listening to Swami’s talks or bhajans, watching
videos, TV, or whatever you like. This way we won’t have reason to complain,
“My son has not come, and I am all alone. My daughter has not come; I am all
alone.” What is this? They’ll say, “Daddy, we have got our own jobs. You can’t
expect us to be with you all the time. Impossible!”
People of our age group should learn to be happy in the world of our own
creation. Yes, reading books and all that. Why not? And when time permits, we
can meditate. We have been moving outside all these years. Let us go within
now. Why not? Enjoy the bliss within. Why not? Therefore, Rig Veda tells you
how to have a world of your own with meditation, and the contemplation of all
these aspects.
MOKSHA IS REALISED BY ONE’S OWN EFFORT
Swami tells us (and this I have not heard from anybody else), there are four
objectives in life. What are they? Dharma, artha, kama, and moksha. Dharma is
righteousness; artha is money; kama is desire; moksha is liberation. Baba says
that the Veda cannot tell you how to attain liberation. The Veda is not
competent enough to tell you the technique of moksha, and not sufficient
enough to grant you moksha.
Moksha is realised by one’s own effort. You have to realise for yourself. Veda
can’t help you. Your mother, father, or guru can’t help you. You have to
realise for yourself, with God’s grace. God’s grace is the only thing which
will help us experience the state of moksha or liberation.
Another point Swami makes is that the Rig Veda tells us to always be
discriminative. Understand what is temporary and what is permanent, what is
momentary and what is immortal, what is ephemeral and what is eternal, what is
body and what is spirit, what is conscience and what is consciousness, and
what is creation and who is the Creator. This is what we call enquiry—vicharana
of nithya anithya. Nithya—meaning eternal. Anithya—meaning momentary. Nithya
anithya vicharana—enquiry of the momentary and of the eternal.
So always enquire, “Is this permanent? Is this temporary?” That is something
one can discover through meditation and through deep contemplation. That’s
what Rig Veda wants us to do.
And finally, there are two important parts in Rig Veda. One is Namakam; the
other is Chamakam. One says, “I want it, I want it. Please give it, give it,
give it.” Chamakam is a part which prays to God: “I want this, I want this, I
want this.” Baba gave one example in His discourse. You want water. You pray
to God, “Oh Swami, I want water. Not simple water. Cold water! Fridge water!”
(Laughter) “Yes, I want it.” And Swami said in His discourse, you want not
simply cold water; this time—ice cream at least. (Laughter) Desires multiply.
The part of Veda that prays to God so that all that your desires are granted
is called Chamakam.
The other part of Veda is Namakam and says, “I don’t want this, I don’t want
this. I want You only. So I don’t want these. I want You only.” On the other
hand, Chamakam says, “I want everything wholesale.”
So my friends, as promised earlier, I was able to complete this Rig Veda part.
Let’s now cover just one or two questions to update myself, because all these
things go into the Internet. Those who have sent these questions will be
naturally awaiting answers from me. As you know, all these talks are available
on the Internet at www.saiwisdom.com . I will answer these questions now, in
order to update.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Why did Kaikeyi, WHO LOVED RAMA, send HIM into exile?
Kaikeyi was originally a nice lady with lots of love towards Rama, and who
changed her mind against free will. Why did Kaikeyi, who loved Rama so much,
decide to send Rama into exile? Rama was to become the king but Kaikeyi prayed
that He be sent into the forest. Why did she change her mind?
Also: I try to think about God whenever possible throughout the day. However,
sometimes I become sad because I don’t experience anything.
Oh! My friend, let me answer these two parts.
Kaikeyi, who loved Rama, changed her mind later. This is all a drama. Though
Kaikeyi asked Rama to be sent to the forest, she still loved Him. In a drama,
one may cry. As Baba said, you go to a cinema and see the heroine crying.
Watching the poor lady cry, I also cry. So I pay money and cry. (Laughter) The
heroine is crying because she is paid for it. (Laughter) One is paid; the
other pays. Both of them cry nicely. (Laughter) Therefore, my friend, what
Kaikeyi did was just a drama. There was a Divine agenda, a Divine mission, a
Divine plan. To act accordingly, these are all merely devices.
BHAJAN WILL HELP US
Coming to your second point: “I become sad when I think of God.” This cannot
happen, my friend. This cannot happen. When you sing a Sai bhajan, or when you
watch Swami’s darshan—here is an open challenge—you cannot feel sad. It’s
impossible! Any bhajan will make your life very interesting. Sai bhajans are
the most popular. Sai darshan is also so sweet. In order to stay out of
sadness, I whole-heartedly recommend to you to listen to bhajans. Sing!
Of course, if the houses are so small and we live in a flat, the neighbours
may object when we sing loudly. At least we can afford to sing in our own way,
and listen to our cassettes. Bhajans soothe our hearts. So when we are in a
pensive mood thinking, “Swami, You should help me. You should certainly help
me. I am in a serious problem: health problem, Swami, or office problem. Who
else will come to my rescue Bhagavan?” Instead of feeling sad, sing.
Deva Devottama Deena Samrakshaka
Deva Devottama Deena Samrakshaka
Devadi Deva Dayamaya
Sree Sai Deva Kripamayaa
Sree Sai Deva Kripamayaa
Deva Devottama Deena Samrakshaka
Instead of crying, I can put my feelings of sadness into that bhajan. Let that
bhajan be a submission of agony. Let that bhajan be a song of prayer to Swami.
Let the bhajan seek refuge at His Lotus Feet. Let the bhajan represent the
depth of the sadness of your heart. Let it fall at His Feet. God will
certainly listen to us.
Patitoddhara Paapa Vidoora
You are the one to uplift the entire mankind.
Arre, arre! Swami! Therefore, bhajan will help us. It will never keep you in
sadness. You can take it from me.
“Sir, I added the sugar; still it is not sweet.”
If you say that, what will I say? “You have not added sugar. You must have
added salt. Because both table salt and sugar are white in colour. Due to your
eye problem, you must have mistaken one for the other.” (Laughter)
When sugar is added, it is bound to be sweet. There cannot be any other thing.
And when in a jovial, happy mood, you can also sing beautiful songs and
Swami’s bhajans. You can thank Him, watch His videos, listen to His bhajans
and you will never be sad.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN SWAMI TAKES A LETTER?
Here is the question: “I am mailing you on behalf of one of my friends. Kindly
help me out. I am not able to see my friend suffering this way. I know it is
all because of past karma. (Oho! But this is a silly reason. OK!) The person
can go even to the extent of suicide. The person I am referring to is a Sai
devotee and was Swami’s student. He liked a girl and wanted to marry her. (Oh,
I see! We never got such interesting questions till now. (Laughter) Perhaps
this sort of a question should have gone to some other place. Wrong address!
(Laughter) Wrong number. )
So he went to Swami for permission. He had written a lengthy letter, and
silently prayed that if Swami accepts that letter, he would propose to her.
Everything went fine. Swami took the letter. However, after five months, that
girl told the boy that she cannot continue with the relationship. This person
started blaming Swami. (Hari Om!) (Laughter) A good contract—this boy thought
that if Swami takes this letter, He has accepted the marriage proposal. So
Swami took that letter, and the boy proposed to the lady he loved. Then after
five months, that lady said goodbye. Thank you. (Laughter) That is the
problem.”
My friends, let me tell you. Swami once said, “When I take the letter, it does
not mean yes. It only means that your application is received. (Laughter) Your
prayers are heard. Your desires are known . . . not that they are granted!”
If I apply to a medical college for admission, it doesn’t mean that I get a
seat in the medical school. No, no. It just means that the application has
been received. So in this boy’s case, if the girl says thank you after five
months, Swami will also take that letter. (Laughter)
“Swami, I have a temperature.” He will take the letter.
“Swami . . . fracture.” He will take the letter.
“Swami, I am very happy.” He will take the letter.
Why not? Because this is the letter box. He will take all these things. But
granting all wishes? That comes later. This point should be understood. Let us
not get into confusion.
Do plants, stones and animals have a mind and intellect?
Human beings have a mind and intellect. What about plants, stones, animals? Is
it not developed as it is in humans?
OK. The answer is this. It is said that plants also have feelings. Animals
have feelings. Think about how the pet dog jumps on to your lap when you go
home. Pet cats also have feelings. But this consciousness is less expressed in
the animal and plant kingdom. To be clearer, I can put it this way. Animals
have to lead the lives of animals. A dog leads the life of a dog only. It
cannot expect to lead the life of a man. However, as we know, a man can lead
the life of a dog. (Laughter) Man can lead the life of a monkey—we are in the
midst of many. (Laughter) But a monkey cannot lead the life of a man. So no
plant can outgrow its life. No animal can outgrow its life. It is only human
beings who can become God. Man can become God. Man can lead a Divine life. In
that way, man is superior to other forms of creation.
In what manner is God present in a dead body?
Oh! This must be from a student of anatomy! Baba Himself has explained this.
In what form is God present in a dead body? In what form is electricity
present in a bulb where the filament is broken? In what form is electricity
present when the bulbs are burnt out? Electricity is latent. When the
filaments are proper, you get light. When the filaments are off, you don’t get
light, but the current is there. Am I clear? So in a dead body, it is latent.
But in a living body, it is patent. While it is hidden in a dead body, it is
expressed in a living body. Am I clear?
What is the relation between mind and intellect?
What is the relation between mind and intellect, and the relationship between
intellect and intelligence?
Yes, these things I will explain briefly. All are the same. What is the
difference between the friend Anil Kumar and Professor Anil Kumar? What is the
difference? He is the same. To my friend, I am a friend; and to my student
there, I am a professor. That’s all. So, it's the same thing. When it starts
thinking, it is called mind. When it starts feeling, it is called chitta. When
it starts judging, it is called buddhi or intellect. And when it starts
feeling I-ness it is called ahamkara, or ego. So manas, the mind; buddhi, the
intellect; chitta, the feeling, emotional aspect; ego, ahamkara; they are one
and the same. They express at different levels the same thing.
Swami in my dream
“Last night I saw Swami in my dream. He was throwing up vibhuthi and it seemed
like He was in a lot of pain. A lot of people, including my father and I, were
around Him and we were all singing the vibhuthi song. Everyone was collecting
the vibhuthi emerging out of Him. At one point, I distinctly remember asking
Him if it was paining Him a lot.”
My friends, this is a reflection of our own thoughts. When you feel that there
is pain, you see the pain outside. When you feel that there is no pain, well,
there is no pain outside. This, as Baba puts it, is a reflection of the inner
being. When you are joyful, everything around you will be joyful. When you are
melancholic, everything around you will be tragic. So as is the mind, so is
the thought. As is the thought, so is the action. As is the action, so is the
result. So never feel that Swami is passing through this pain.
These are all the questions I received, my friends. Thank you very much. Time
is up! I kept you five minutes more. I appreciate the presence of the group
from U.K. God bless you! I am so happy to introduce to this gathering (though
she may not like it), Professor Dr. Daksha Trivedi. She did a lot of work on
human values. All her work will be of great use to Sai devotees in the years
to come. I pray to Bhagavan to shower His choicest blessings on Daksha Trivedi,
ably assisted by Trivedi himself. Both of them are here, and I pray Swami’s
choicest blessings on the entire U.K. group, who are kind enough to have been
present this morning. May Sai bless you.
Anil Kumar finished his satsang by chanting “Jaya Ho Jaya Ho Gopalana” and “Ek
Baar Kshama Karo Sai”
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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AUDIO Of Prof. ANIL KUMAR SATSANG Sunday
Satsang at Prashanti Nilayam.
