December 11th, 2005 - “Christmas 2005” - Part 1
OM…OM…OM…
Sai Ram, With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of
Bhagavan,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The message of Christmas for Sai devotees
I apologise to you for my absence last week as I was out of town on
personal business. Very glad to be here this morning amidst you! All over
the world the Christmas season has started. The illuminations,
decorations, sermons, speeches, new decisions, new approach, new ways of
worship, new determination -- all these things happen in sequence.
Christmas is a wonderful celebration of global importance. More than half
the world’s population are Christians. Being a product of a Christian
college myself, I have had an intimate association with Christianity for
thirty long years. I carry with me the Christian message, the spirit of
sacrifice, dedication, commitment, missionary zeal and the spirit of
service.
I wonder how many of you are aware of another important event today? This
day happens to be Bhagavad Gita Jayanthi or the anniversary of the Holy
Scripture Bhagavad Gita. How do we celebrate the anniversary of the
Bhagavad Gita? We celebrate by reading that scripture in depth, by
understanding it and by following it strictly. This is the true
celebration of Gita Jayanthi, the anniversary of the Holy Scripture, the
day on which Bhagavan Krishna delivered the gospel to Arjuna. It is in
this context we have some thoughts during the course of the talk this
morning.
As I said, the Christmas celebrations have already started. The newspapers
report that various people, pastors, priests, bishops of different
denominations, have been planning the grand celebration. Sai devotees also
have many things to learn from this festival of Christmas. I pray to spend
next week also on the subject of Christmas, specifically from the point of
view of the Sai gospel and what Christmas means to a Sai devotee.
Jesus came to help the poor in spirit
Jesus Christ is not merely a prophet. Jesus Christ is not merely limited
to Christianity and Christians. Jesus Christ is not merely a holy
personality or a messiah. Jesus Christ is radiant in Buddha. The radiance
that we find in Buddha is that of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is glorified
in the life and mission of Guru Nanak and Jesus Christ shines in Krishna.
This is how I view Jesus Christ. I find the glory of Nanak, the brilliance
of Krishna, and the radiance of Buddha, all three are in Jesus Christ.
That’s what it means to a Sai devotee.
The second point, Krishna has a favourite title, a favourite name. What is
it? Daridra Narayana, God of the poor. He is God of the poor. Yes, that’s
what Krishna is extolled as. Jesus always loved to be called ‘the poor
one’. Here we have to understand one important point. This poverty is not
in terms of property or economic status. This is poverty of spirit and of
awareness. We are poor in our alertness, in our experience, in our
understanding of scriptures.
Jesus has come down to help all of us who are poor in spirit, such that we
will enrich ourselves with the depth of understanding, with the depth of
experience, with the profundity of knowledge. Jesus always lived amongst
the poor, meaning he wanted to release the poor people not from their
financial poverty, but from their spiritual poverty. This is what I
understand as I look at Jesus Christ and His mission. Above all, Jesus
never said, ‘condemn the poor people’ or ‘be away from the poor people.’
bhagavan’s concern is for the poor
Bhagavan loves to be among the poor. We may find some top people or VIPs
being called for an interview; we may find some rich people around Him,
but I am one hundred percent sure my friends, please believe me, that when
He talks to officials, He wants them to serve the poor. When He grants
rich people an interview, He wants them to sacrifice for the poor. When He
is close to influential people, He wants them to be of some service to the
poor people.
Baba’s concern is for the poor people. His talk, His conversation, His
interviews with big wigs is only to reach out to the poor. The ignorant
and the foolish do not understand that. When a top man is called for an
interview and when Swami assigns him a certain project like providing
water to people, thousands of poor people are benefited. When He asks
someone to start a school or an orphanage, thousands of children are
benefited. Therefore my friends, Baba’s concern is mainly for the poor.
All these means are used towards the end of enriching the poor people.
bhagavan’s LIFE AND MISSION -- SERVING THE POOR
In the second sense, all of us are poor. We are poor in the sense that we
do not know that we are poor. (Laughter) At least one category of poverty
is known. When the pocket is empty, I know that I am poor; when the brain
is empty, I do not know that I am poor. (Laughter) That is worse than the
life of a beggar. A beggar some day may become rich, but this poverty of
the brain can never improve because it is not known.
So Bhagavan Baba wants to take this poverty, this lacuna, this emptiness,
this void of ignorance out of our head, so that we have that awareness, so
that we have that holistic totality of existence. That’s what Baba’s life
and mission is. Actually, we should observe Swami’s expression and how He
reacts when food and clothes are distributed to poor people. Please watch
His face. We see that His eyes are filled with tears, we see His voice
choking, and we see His body almost trembling. He is literally touched and
moved at the sight of the poor people, because He has been among the poor
people. He was born in a poor family.
Jesus was born in a manger. He was born in a hamlet, in a poor family.
Similarly Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has taken birth in a poor family
and spends all His time for poor people. Eighty years have passed by and
He has not missed even a moment of thought or concern for poor people. The
hospitals, colleges and all other projects He envisages are for the poor.
He does not feel shy to explain His family background. There were moments
when He didn’t have money to replace His shirt button. He had to put a
thorn in the place of a button. He doesn’t feel shy to say that He didn’t
have enough money to buy eatables. He had to go to another place as a
volunteer and had to eat hard stuff made out of millet. It was so hard
that He had to wet it by sprinkling some water. He ate portions of this
for three to four days. How poor He was, literally speaking!
Jesus is the Lord of Lords; Jesus is King of Kings, yet He was born in a
poor family, yet He moved among the poor. Bhagavan Baba is supreme today,
known all over the world in at least, to our calculation, 145 countries.
He said, “I am the richest man.”
“Baba, how are you richest?”
“My property is the love of my devotees. So I am the richest on earth”,
declares Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
Swami is rich in terms of love. But He is poor because He moves among the
poor. He moves among those who are poor in their understanding and
experience. He has come to help all the poor people to come out of that
poverty, that lack of understanding of scriptures, that lack of conviction
to follow and live up to the scripture. That’s what Bhagavan Baba is.
Jesus said, “If you truly love me, love the poor.”
THE SATHYA SAI ORGANISATION IS A BENEDICTION TO SERVE THE POOR
My friends, the Sathya Sai service organisation all over the world should
work for the poor. The Sathya Sai organisation is not a status symbol. The
Sathya Sai organisation is not a matter of dignity or prestige. The Sathya
Sai organisation is an opportunity to serve the poor. The Sathya Sai
organisation is a blessing to be among the poor. Sathya Sai organisation
is a benediction to serve the poor. We must understand this. Jesus lived
among the poor. Bhagavan Baba is amongst the poor and trying to help every
one of us to come out of that poverty.
I should give you another instance. Jesus picked up some dust in both of
His hands and opened them. In one hand He found the dust being transformed
into gold; in the other hand it remained as dust, untransformed.
Jesus asked His disciples “Look here! Here you have gold and here you have
dust. Which do you value more?”
Everybody said “My Lord! Gold! Gold!”
“To me, both are alike. To me, both are the same”, declared Jesus Christ.
Bhagavan Baba once granted an interview to a group of people, very poor
people. On face value you will understand that they never had a bath in
the recent past, and they were in rags and smelled foul. He granted them
an interview. Well, I don’t know how my Lord Baba could take it. At the
end of the interview, as Baba came out, I asked, “Swami, interview to this
group, (Laughter) interview to this batch?!”
Baba immediately retorted “Why not?”
“Swami, to this group?” I didn’t add any adjective because I knew it would
be risky.
Baba said, “That group is as good as this group. (Laughter) That group is
as good as this group. That group has got as much love as this group. So
why not?”
Then Baba smiled and said, “I don’t go by the dress and the status. I love
poor people; I serve people.” That’s what Baba said. Those words are still
ringing in my ears even to this day. Therefore the message of Jesus
Christ, the message of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, is that we have to
serve the poor.
service is the only key to the treasure of bliss
I met one gentleman a few days ago. He is quite aged. He has undergone
training in the art of meditation and he has some disciples also.
Well, I met him and said, “Sir, what are you doing?”
He said, “I meditate.”
“Wonderful! What do you teach?”
“The art of meditation”
“Why do you meditate?”
He said, “I enjoy a special level of happiness.”
Then I said, “How long does it last?”
“As long as I meditate.” (Laughter)
“I see.”
If your experience of bliss and happiness lasts only for the period of
meditation, then it is only temporary happiness like a morphine injection,
or marijuana, or a bottle of scotch! (Laughter) If you experience the
spirit of tranquillity, equanimity and bliss only during the period of
meditation, how can that be true? We find some people in the bhajan hall
who clap with enthusiasm, their body moving fast with the rhythm and the
beat. (Laughter) The moment they come out of the bhajan hall, they scream
at people, get angry, and become moody. You wonder what’s wrong with them.
My friends, all that is artificial. The only key to be happy and blissful
over a prolonged period of time is not meditation; it is not sankirtan; it
is not going through the scripture; it is not repeating the Lord’s name.
Lasting bliss is obtained only by service. Service is the only key to the
treasure of bliss. Unless you serve, you cannot establish the unity of
spirit. Unless you serve, you cannot understand the oneness of spirit.
Unless you serve, you cannot understand that God is the Father of all.
Unless you serve, you cannot experience the brotherhood of man. Service is
a beautiful opportunity to experience God. Service is a wonderful blessing
to live in God, to talk to God. When you are talking to a person,
understand that you are talking to God.
serving your fellow man is service to god
When you serve a poor man, you are serving God. Some people say, “I want
to talk to God, I want to serve God.” Where is He? Is God available on the
Himalayan tops? Is God available in New York near Kennedy Airport? Is God
present in Argentina? Where is He? God is present in everyone. If you
serve your fellow man, know that you are serving God. If you talk to a
fellow man, a poor person, know that you are serving God. This is the
message of Jesus Christ and Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
Jesus never felt that He was the Lord of Lords; Jesus never felt that he
was the King of Kings, though He is. Jesus loved to be called a servant.
He never wished to be addressed as the Lord.
A team of people who came to Bhagavan said, “Swami, thank You for all the
facilities You have provided, for all the things You have given us. We are
grateful to you, Baba.”
His answer was, “No thanks; I thank you for giving Me an opportunity to
serve you. I thank you.”
When someone says, “Thank you, Swami,” He says, “Why do you thank Me? I
and you are one; I am not a third person.” When someone thanks Baba, He
says, “Will you thank your mother? Will you thank your father? Why do you
thank Me? Not necessary.”
I also remember another incident when someone said, “Swami, I want to
serve You. Please let me know how to serve You.”
Baba said, “I don’t want your services; I am here to serve you. You don’t
need to serve Me. I am serving you. I have come to serve you.” And He
smiled and said, “If you serve anyone, be convinced that you are serving
Me.” Whomsoever you serve amounts to service to God Himself. That’s what
Jesus’ message is. That’s what Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s message is.
the kingdom of heaven is within you
I would also like to bring to your attention what Jesus stands for. Jesus
stands for Love. Love is the synonym of Jesus. Baba said, “If you want to
know Me, if you want to come closer to Me, if you want to be near and dear
to Me, the only secret is Love and Love alone.” So, Jesus is Love; Baba is
Love.
Jesus referred to the kingdom of heaven. Where is that kingdom of heaven?
In the Lord’s Prayer, all Christians pray, “Hallowed be Thy name, Thy
kingdom come.” Where is that kingdom? When is it going to come?
It is beautifully explained by Baba. My friends, you can understand
Christianity much better after coming to Swami; you can understand your
Bhagavad Gita thoroughly after coming to Swami, so that you can be a
better Christian or a true Hindu. What does Baba say about kingdom of
heaven? Where is the kingdom of heaven? When is it going to come?
Baba quoted the same Bible and said, “The kingdom of heaven is within you;
you do not have to wait for the kingdom or pray for that kingdom. The
kingdom of heaven is within you.” What does it mean? In spirit, we are
bliss. We are the very heaven. The paradox of life is that we do not
understand this.
The irony of life is that we do not realise this, which is ridiculous. The
kingdom of heaven is within you. We say, ’I want liberation’, ‘I want
peace’, ‘I want happiness’. Baba says, give up this ‘I’, and drop this
‘want’. Want is desire. ‘I’ is possessiveness. Once you give up this
possessiveness or body identification, want or desire, that lack is
already established in you, that bliss is ready for you.
bliss is hidden within you
The dust of desire and the moss of attachment cover the bliss within me.
The bliss within me is totally covered by selfishness. The only sadhana,
the only spiritual practice is to remove that debris, remove the moss, and
wait for the clearance of the clouds so that you can see the sun clearly.
The sun has not come anew; it was hidden because of the clouds. When the
clouds disappear, you can see the sun clearly. Similarly, the bliss is
within you; you are already liberated. Bliss is achieved when this
attachment and selfishness are cleared. It is in this spirit we have to
understand, that the kingdom of heaven is within you. That’s what Jesus
said and that’s what Bhagavan tells us.
Swami, in His discourses repeatedly tells us, “You are the embodiment of
Peace, Truth, and Bliss.” If I am so, why don’t I know about it? If I am
the embodiment of Bliss, then how is it that there is no trace of bliss on
my face? (Laughter) If I am the embodiment of Truth, then how there isn’t
an iota of truth in what I speak? If I am the embodiment of Peace, then it
is not telling on my face.
Why? It only means that the treasure is hidden within you. It is
unfortunate that you don’t know about it. There is lot of money credited
to my bank account, but I have forgotten about it. Therefore I am a
beggar. I go on begging. Someone tells me, “Why do you beg like that? This
is your bank account. Go there. You have so much money.” I am thrilled. I
am excited, ecstatic because my friend reminded me about my forgotten
money. He has not offered me any money out of charity. He has only told me
about the money I had already deposited in the bank, which I had forgotten
about.
Same analogy applies here. Since I have forgotten about this bliss, this
joy and peace within me, I think I am chained; I think I am bonded. No!
You are liberated; you are the very moksha. Moksha means liberation. Some
people say, “I want moksha.”
Someone asked Ramana Maharshi, “Swami, I want liberation, moksha”, as if
it is toothpaste to buy. (Laughter) Moksha is not toothpaste.
Ramana Maharshi laughed and said, “You are already liberated. Why do you
say you want liberation? You are already liberated.”
You imagine that you are chained. This bondage is hypothetical,
imaginative, and illusory. Once this illusory, imaginative, hallucinatory
experience is gone, we know that we are all liberated. Therefore my
friends, ‘the kingdom of heaven is within you’ means that you are free.
You are bliss; you are peace. This is Baba’s message.
the kingdom of heaven is for the poor in spirit
Those of you who have gone through Baba’s discourses repeatedly may have
noticed the resemblance to what Jesus has said. Jesus said that the
kingdom of heaven is not for wealthy people; it was not meant for those
people who run after power, position and pelf.
The kingdom of heaven is not for shouts or slogans. The kingdom of heaven
is not for power or prestige, authority or property, nor politics. That
kingdom of heaven is for those who are poor in spirit. ‘Poor in spirit’
means those who understand that all that they see is not all, but there is
something more they should experience; that life is not merely food,
raiment and shelter.
We may have food, raiment and shelter, but we do not understand that there
is something more, something special. Some nourishing and nurturing
spiritual content is essential for our life. Those who really want, yearn
and pine for that spiritual wealth are ‘poor in spirit’. They will have
this kingdom of heaven.
Jesus is always associated with the cross. People wear a cross. Whether
you wear a golden cross or a wooden cross, a silver cross or a platinum
cross, a cross is a cross, which we have to go across. (Laughter) What
does the cross stand for? You have to cut across the ego; you have to go
across the family life; you have to travel across the river of attachment.
The cross symbolises renunciation and suffering. Jesus said that you would
have new life when you bear the cross of renunciation and suffering. This
is the message of Jesus Christ.
What does it mean to me as a Sai devotee? Bhagavan tells us:
“Na karmana, (not by acts), na prajaya (not by progeny), na dhanena (nor
by riches), thyagena ekena (only by renunciation) Amrithathwam anasuh (can
Immortal Bliss be achieved)!”
No punishment, no power, no wealth, nothing whatsoever will confer
liberation other than thyaga (sacrifice or renunciation). Baba gives
another dimension. Really my friends, it is amazing as we think of Swami’s
interpretations! Every literate will literally fall flat in front of that
Divine interpretation, which is so noble, so unique.
renunciation of the ego is TRUE RENUNCIATION
The dictionary meaning of ‘renounce’ is ‘to give up’. Baba said “No, no,
no!” It is easy to renounce wealth. I can give you some money, why not? It
is easy to renounce family. If you are irresponsible, the family will
renounce you! (Laughter) It is easy to renounce family or money, but what
is to be renounced?
Your ego is to be renounced! What is ego? Let us not mistake ego for
pride. Ego distilled, boiled, precipitated, is pride! Pride is much worse
than ego. Let us not go that far. Pride is an advanced state of cancer,
beyond cure. (Laughter) Try next life. So, this ego boiled, strengthened,
solidified, and expressed or manifested is pride. I am not speaking of
that. I am speaking of ego.
What do you mean by this ego? Ego means identification with the body.
“Who are you?”
“I am a postgraduate.” (Laughter) Oh I see! (Laughter
“I am an officer. Do you understand that?”
Aha! “I am a VIP.””
“I am…” That is ego. (Laughter) Everyone says that. No one is an
exception.
THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS OF JESUS
Any simple thing will make us egoistic. When Swami asks, “How are you”,
that’s it! I’ll stop the traffic! (Laughter)
“Do you know that Swami said, ‘How are you?’ Did you not see that?”
(Laughter)
“When Swami asks you, why should I see?” (Laughter)
So my friends, ego is always there, it is only a question of difference in
percentage. In some people, it is 100%. (Laughter) Very good! (Laughter)
In some people, it is forty or fifty or some percentage. The ego is always
there.
So what is to be renounced? It is the ego that should be renounced, not
property, not family. So bear the cross of renunciation, bear the cross of
surrender, bear the cross of Love, and bear the cross of commitment. This
is the message of the cross of Jesus Christ.
How did Bhagavan bear the cross in His lifetime? Right from His childhood,
He was put to the test. What is it that He has not faced! The problems
that we are facing are negligible compared to Baba’s suffering. He was
poisoned, and the hut where He was sleeping was set on fire. So many
rumours have been spread against Him. So many nonsensical things have been
written against Him. All the time He was put to the test. He was betrayed
a number of times. Baba Himself said, “Jesus was betrayed only once by
Judas Iscariot. Today, every alternate fellow is a Judas!” (Laughter)
jesus is the truth
There are many people who betray God and disappoint God today. Everyone
who disappoints God, everyone who betrays God, is Judas Iscariot. Judas is
a title, something like a PhD. (Laughter) That is the tragedy of life, my
friends! Baba had to bear the cross of challenges, poverty, calumny,
blasphemy, mudslinging, character assassination! Even today He faces all
of these. That’s the truth.
All of Bethlehem, all of Jerusalem, and all the people said that Jesus was
not the son of God. King Herod and his followers said that Jesus was a
blatant liar. Even Jesus was put on the cross. The truth continues because
Jesus is the truth. Jesus is Truth itself. No amount of torture, no amount
of suffering changed His stand.
Baba gives an example of another great devotee by the name of Mansur.
Mansur was a Muslim, a great devotee of the Islamic faith. Mansur used to
say, “I am God, I am God, I am God.”
No, no, when the king is here, there cannot be another God here! There
will be rivalry among gods, politics, Divine politics! (Laughter)
Therefore everybody asked, “Are you God?”
"Yes, Anal huq, Anal huq, I am God.” Like that, he went on declaring.
The matter was reported to the king. “Oh king, we were under the
impression that you are our God. But there seems to be another God now.”
Unfortunately there were no elections in those days. (Laughter) “So, what
shall we do now?”
The king summoned him to the court. “Mansur, who are you?”
“Anal huq, I am God.”
“Do you think so? Alright, I’ll put this God in prison now.” (Laughter)
He was kept behind bars, but he went on repeating, “I am God, Anal huq.”
‘Oh I see, so God has not understood. Let me teach this God a lesson,’ the
king thought.
Mansur was brought in and his hands and legs were amputated.
“Oh God, how do you like it?”, the king asked. Mansur said. “Anal huq. I
am God, I am God.”
“Oh I see! Come on, burn him. Put him on fire, let us see.”
Mansur was put on fire. The whole body was reduced to ashes. The ash
started blowing due the wind. Blown by the wind, the ash kept repeating,
“Anal huq, Anal huq, I am God, I am God.” That is the cross of life.
who is nearest to god?
‘I bear the cross’ means, ‘I stand witness to all that I speak about’. I
stand a witness to all that I have experienced; I am the proof of
everything I am declaring as of now. That’s what the cross means. Baba
could bear the cross of suffering and renunciation, the same as Jesus
Christ. The cross has a meaning for all of us, a lesson for all of us to
learn and develop in the spiritual field.
A question was put to Jesus Christ, “Who is nearest to God?” Who is
nearest to Baba - those who are sitting near the veranda, (Laughter) a
very simple answer. (Laughter) Oh! Wrong answer, zero marks! (Laughter)
The same question was put to Jesus Christ, “Who is nearest to God?”
Jesus said, “He whose silence is meditation.” Ah! A million dollar answer!
That is why, in Prashanti Nilayam, silence is insisted upon. But we are
interested in disregarding it.
Silence is insisted upon here and silence is a must for every spiritual
seeker. I am no exception. I still find myself noisy (Laughter) and
talkative. I find myself interested in sharing what I know. But true
meditation is silence. ‘Oh I see, let me be silent this afternoon’; I go
for meditation with my mouth shut. But keeping your mouth shut is not
silence because the mind is a market. (Laughter)
The mind is a marketplace, because you are thinking of what happened
thirty years ago, what happened twenty years ago, what happened yesterday,
what should not have happened to our enemy. (Laughter) That fellow should
not have been given an interview at all. That fellow should not have come
up in life. That fellow should have gone by now. You are silent. What for?
So my friends, ‘silence is meditation’ means we must silence the mind.
What do you mean by silencing the mind? Silencing the mind is withdrawal
of thoughts, a thoughtless state. When thoughts are totally gone, that
stage is silence. So who is near to God? He whose silence is meditation.
he whose speech is ever about god
The second requirement: Jesus said, “He whose speech is ever about God and
the saints.” Our speech should ever be about God and the saints; but it is
not so. What do we talk about? When are they going to open the stores?
(Laughter) Is pizza available by any chance today? (Laughter) Do you know
the timings of the museum? Do you know the price of the latest shipment of
saris in town? (Laughter) This is what it is. So how can we be near God?
How can we be close to Him?
Clearly, God said, “Those who think, who speak about Me and the saints,
are closest to me.” Therefore to be near God, we should be thoughtless. If
at all we have to speak, we should speak about God and the saints. That’s
the second requirement.
he whose look is a tear is nearest to god
Finally, what is the third requirement? Jesus said, “Whose look is a
tear”, meaning not having jealousy. ‘That person has come up in life;
therefore let me cry.’ (Laughter) Anil Kumar said, ‘Whose look is a tear’,
and so let me cry because that fellow is happy. No, it does not mean tears
of jealousy or enmity. It refers to tears of gratitude, tears of
thankfulness, tears of joy, and tears of ecstasy.
For instance, your son has been in the United States for the last ten
years and you could not meet with him all these years because of visa
problems. Now he makes a trip home after ten years. What is the first
thing you say? You don’t say, “How are you this morning? Hope you had a
nice sleep last night.” Do you say that? You don’t say that to your son.
You meet your wife after a long gap. What is the immediate expression?
Tears! A tear expresses the highest state of bliss, the highest state of
happiness.
That’s why you find people coming out of the interview room wiping their
tears. They could not control their joy; their heart is so small. It is
like a gas cylinder; when Swami says, “How are you?” it just bursts!
(Laughter) That’s all. We think that Swami must have hit him, therefore he
is crying. Since you are full of mistakes, you think that he must have
made some mistakes.
So, the highest state of ecstasy is a test, in the form of a tear: “Whose
look is a tear”, says Jesus Christ. You also shed tears while watching the
misery and suffering of poor people, needy and sick people. You shed tears
for those who are less fortunate, those who are denied the precious gifts
of life.
the message of Christmas
Therefore my friends, as we begin this Christmas season, let us understand
that poverty is not financial; that poverty is a lack of spiritual
understanding. It is true that God spends His time among poor people, that
He cares for them, and that He wants us to bear the cross of renunciation
and suffering.
Let us understand that we can be close to Him by observing silence of
thoughts, which is true mediation; that we should constantly converse with
each other about all that is Divine and godly, about all that is spiritual
and not personal; that we should shed tears of joy, thanking God for
everything He has given to us. We should go on thanking Him.
I also want to share with you another question put to Jesus: “By what sign
may we know that we are from you, that I am from God.”
Baba always says, “God is in you, above you, below you, around you.” I
have translated this statement any number of times without any experience.
Baba always says that God is in us, above us, below us, around us, but do
we see Him? (Laughter) Have we experienced Him? Nice to quote, difficult
to translate, impossible to experience -- that is our present position.
This question was put to Jesus Christ, “My Lord, my Lord, how am I to know
that I am from you?”
Do you know what Jesus said? “There is only one sign - that you love one
another. If you love one another, you will know that you are from me.”
What does Baba say? “Love all, serve all. Start the day with Love, spend
the day with Love, fill the day with Love, end the day with Love. This is
the only way to God.” Bhagavan says that is the only way to God.
Therefore my friends, as Jesus said, “To know that you are from Me, the
only sign is Love for one another.”
I thank you very much for your patient listening. We have next Sunday also
to think about the message of Christmas, how it has to be viewed,
experienced, celebrated, and understood by Sai devotees. Thank you very
much. (Applause)
Anil Kumar finished his satsang by chanting “Sai Narayana Narayana.”
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
The message of Christmas for
Sai devotees part -2 >>
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