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28th
September 2006 |
Dasara Second Divine Discourse |
Puttaparthi |
Dasara second Divine Discourse
by
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Note:
Discourses of Sri Sathya Sai Baba
on this SBOIwebsite/group are unedited, authentic & only
sourced from the official Sai baba Org.
"Love of God is True Education"
[Released 2nd Oct.]
Photographs:
Day 3 - 28th
Sep.
- Index
audio of Mp3 Dasara
Discourse -2006 - download audio :
28th Sep. Discourse Mp3
-
Embodiments of Love!
People think worldly education is real education. This is not
correct. Real education comes from the heart. Such an education is
unwavering and lasting. Atma Vidya (knowledge of the Self) is the
real education. Devoid of such Atma Vidya, what is the use of all
your intelligence and education?
The Gopis, though lacking in worldly education and intelligence were
pure at heart and deeply devoted to Lord Krishna. The ladies in
Repalle used to go to the house of Nanda and Yashoda every evening
and light their oil lamps from the one kept in front of their house.
That was the tradition in those days. Even now this practice is in
vogue in some villages. The tradition has originated from the belief
that if they lighted their lamp from that kept in the house of a
wealthy householder, they would also become prosperous.
Nevertheless, not all the mothers-in-law in Repalle would permit
their daughters-in-law to go to the house of Yashoda for this
purpose.
They were afraid that if they were allowed to go and see Krishna
there, they may out of their devotion get mad and run after Him.
They, therefore, used to chide their daughters-in-law saying, “Can’t
we light the lamp in our own house? Why should we get it from their
house?” In spite of these restrictions, all the ladies used to
gather near the village well and discuss about Lord Krishna only.
Then a new bride of one of the houses arrived in the village. Her
name was Suguna. She had heard a lot about the divine leelas of Lord
Krishna. She developed a deep desire to have the darshan of Krishna,
somehow. She did not reveal her desire to her husband or her
mother-in-law. She kept it as a tightly guarded secret within
herself. However, it is impossible to conceal the truth. The entire
creation has originated from truth:
The creation emerges from truth and merges into truth,
Is there a place in the cosmos where truth does not exist?
Visualise this pure and unsullied truth. (Telugu poem)
In spite of her keeping her desire as a closely guarded secret, it
became known to all. One day, she went to the house of Yashoda and
was lighting her lamp from that kept in front of their house.
Suddenly, she could visualise Krishna in that flame. She lost her
bodily consciousness in that divine experience and put her fingers
in the burning flame. Her fingers were getting burnt, but, she had
no body consciousness at all! Meanwhile, Yashoda came out smelling
the burning finger. Immediately, she pulled out the hand of Suguna
from the lamp and asked, “What is the matter with you girl? Are you
asleep? Your fingers are burnt badly. Don’t you realise? Don’t you
feel the pain?” Suguna then came to her senses and replied, “Mother!
Lord Krishna gave me His darshan in that flame. I lost my body
consciousness on seeing Him.”
The other gopis heard her explanation. They were very happy to know
about the divine experience of Suguna. They went round the village
singing and dancing:
It seems our Suguna had the vision of Krishna,
In the house of Nanda, Krishna appeared to her in the flame of the
lamp. (Telugu poem)
Thus, if you constantly contemplate on God, you can forget your
sorrows and difficulties and experience divine bliss. Devotees,
since ancient times, have experienced bliss by constant
contemplation on God and shared their experiences with the world.
Today, intelligence has increased but educational standards have
declined. Wherever you see, the students refer to newspapers and
magazines from abroad. They do not however evince the same interest
in their textbooks. They do not at all think about their own customs
and traditions. Students in this modern age are accustomed to such
false sense of values. They would like to engage themselves in
discussion about all unnecessary things. For example, they discuss
about novels making comments like “so and so author has written a
book; how great it is!” They involve themselves in discussions and
argumentation over such trivial matters. But, they forget about
their lessons in the textbooks. Thus, they go on acquiring knowledge
about all and sundry and try to increase their worldly knowledge.
They do not have any concern for the glory of real education.
We should desist from aspiring for the fruits of our karma (action).
The Gita exhorts us Karmanyevadhikarasthe ma phaleshu kadachana (you
have right only on action, not on its fruit).
Man is born in action, sustained by action and ultimately merges in
action. Action is the cause for pleasure and pain. Truly speaking,
action is God for man. (Telugu poem)
The karmas (actions) that we perform are responsible for all the
happiness and sorrow we experience. When we perform good deeds, we
get good results. When we perform bad deeds, we get bad results.
Good deeds will result only in good results and bad deeds in bad
results. That is why it is said, “DO GOOD, BE GOOD, SEE GOOD; THIS
IS THE WAY TO GOD.” When you cultivate good thoughts and undertake
good activities, you will experience good results. Therefore
remember that the result of our own actions is responsible for all
our sorrows and difficulties. All our elders have experienced peace
and happiness by following our ancient traditions. But, today’s
children gave up those good traditions, forgot the path shown by
their elders and are exposed to various kinds of unrest due to
modern education. They are not only exposed to unrest, but they do
not also have contentment and satisfaction in life. With the result,
they are becoming sick mentally and physically.
Man’s thoughts and resolutions are the root cause for his
ill-health. For all the unrest and agitation he suffers, the gunas
(qualities) are responsible. Hence, our thoughts must always be
good. You may observe that a person taking good and sattwic food,
drinking pure water and breathing unpolluted air is always healthy.
In contrast, people consuming unsacred food, drinking impure water
and inhaling polluted air are exposed to various kinds of diseases.
The root cause of man’s ill-health today is unsacred food and impure
water. All that we consume must always be pure and sacred. The
Dasara celebrations are meant to foster good and noble qualities in
us. We can always lead a happy life by taking a good bath,
performing puja in our house, partaking of sanctified food and
drinking pure water. If we follow this routine, our face will also
be radiant. On the other hand, if we consume unsacred food, drink
impure water and move about in a polluted atmosphere, there is the
danger of forgetting our humanness even! In such a situation, we may
lose our divine nature and acquire demonic qualities.
Several people wonder, “Swami is nearing 81 years, yet, his physical
body does not reveal any signs of old age.” My answer to those
people is: “My dear devotees! I am not taking unsacred food or
breathing polluted air. I am breathing the air of prayers of the
devotees. How then can I lose My divine effulgence?” I have no
ailment of any kind. I have no pain at all! Sometime back, I fell
down on the floor on account of an inadvertent error committed by a
student. I broke My leg then. Hence, I feel a little difficulty in
walking. That is all! There is another reason too! Nowadays I don’t
feel like walking. Nevertheless, I am coming to Sai Kulwant Hall
daily and giving darshan to the devotees. What difficulty or pain is
involved in this routine? I do not have any pain or suffering. When
I am able to make the devotees happy, I too will be happy. Sorrows,
difficulties and pain are nowhere near Me. I am always happy and
blissful. Bliss is My food. There is no greater happiness than My
bliss. If for any reason I am unable to come out and give darshan to
the devotees, I feel very sad: “Alas! How much the devotees are
pining for My darshan! For how long they have been waiting in the
hall! How much suffering they are undergoing?”, etc.
Sometimes I may be late in coming to Sai Kulwant Hall due to some
urgent work. Still I do not miss giving darshan to the devotees.
Hence, you should not feel that Swami has not come due to pain or
suffering. I am revealing these facts to you today, so that you may
not feel any distress because of My absence and always be happy and
cheerful.
I expect that you should face difficulties boldly, reposing faith
and devotion in God. If you constantly contemplate on God, no other
thoughts will trouble you. Sorrows and difficulties will not affect
you. I am always happy. You should also be happy always. Happiness
is union with God. When you are associated with God, you will not
feel any pain or suffering. You may have some physical pain or
mental anxieties. But, you should ensure that they do not disturb
your Atma Tattwa (the principle of the Atma). If you are thus firmly
established in the Atma Tattwa, nothing can bother you. This is the
message of Navarathri. We encounter several difficulties, sorrow,
pain, etc. We are mentally disturbed day in and day out due to
several reasons. But, we should ignore them with a detached feeling,
“They are not mine, they are somebody else’s.” They just come and go
like passing clouds. As for Myself, I do not at all attach
importance to them.
We should not think that someone else is putting us to all these
difficulties. We should not blame others for our difficulties and
suffering. Our sorrows and difficulties are of our own making. The
Kauravas tried their best to cause suffering to the Pandavas. But,
the Pandavas did not relent. What was the reason? It was only
because of their unwavering faith and devotion to Lord Krishna. They
felt that when Krishna Himself was constantly protecting them, any
number of difficulties and obstacles could not cause any fear in
them. Similarly, you also develop firm faith that Swami is always
with you, in you and around you. Do not at all worry about these
sorrows and difficulties. These are all like passing clouds. None of
them can shadow the blazing sun. It is only during rainy season that
the clouds come in the way of sun rays. Similarly, it is only when
our mind is wavering and disturbed we suffer from sorrows and
difficulties. When our mind is steady and firm, no ‘clouds’ can
disturb us. Hence, keep your mind pure and steady. Develop courage
and fortitude.
How does a man lead his life today? He is enacting his role in the
cosmic drama, singing the songs of kama (desire) and krodha (anger)
and playing games obsessed with mada (pride) and ahamkara (ego).
Several people appreciate their acting as “very good”. But, some
people are not carried away by this ‘acting’. Unconcerned with the
reaction, reflection and resound of this drama, they repose their
faith in ‘reality’. And that ‘reality’ is Divinity. Divinity is
unwavering, invisible and beyond delusion. We must hold on to that
‘reality’, firmly. When we rely on such reality, our thoughts, words
and actions will always be pure and sacred. Hence, Dear Students!
You should not at all be afraid of these ‘passing clouds’. You
should not be concerned with them. You perform your duty well. You
fulfil the aspirations of your parents. Your parents have sent you
here with great expectations. If you go against their wishes, you
yourself can imagine how much they will feel. If you cause pain to
your parents, it amounts to causing pain to Swami. Are you not
praying daily?
Twameva mathacha pitha Twameva, Twameva bandhuscha sakha Twameva,
Twameva vidya dravinam Twameva (Sanskrit sloka)
(you alone are the father and mother, friend and relation, wisdom
and wealth).
There is no difference at all between God and parents. Hence, keep
your parents happy. Swami is always happy. Establish that truth
firmly in your heart. Then only can you be called true students.
Once, Hiranyakasipu called his son Prahlada close to him and
enquired, “Dear son! I have placed you in the hands of the gurus. I
requested them to teach you good things. What did they teach you?”
Prahlada then replied,
Father! The teachers have taught me many things, I have understood
the four objectives of life – Dharma (righteousness), Artha
(wealth), Kama (desire) and Moksha (liberation). I have studied many
things; in fact, I have understood the very essence of education.
(Telugu poem)
Hiranyakasipu felt very happy at his son’s reply and told him, “Son!
Please explain that secret of all education”. Prahlada then replied
“Dear father! All that we see and experience in this world is unreal
and impermanent. Only Divinity is real and true.” The father got
angry. He held his son by his neck and pushed him down. He commanded
his officers to throw him into the sea, saying, “a son who flouts
the commands of his father does not deserve to be in my presence.
Take him away and dump him in the sea, immediately.” Thereupon, the
demons took Prahlada to the top of a hill and pushed him down into
the sea. Even then, Prahlada chanted the name “Narayana! Narayana!”
Lord Vishnu then emerged from the sea and saved Prahlada from
drowning. Hiranyakasipu noticed that Prahlada was still alive. He
fretted and fumed with anger on seeing Prahlada. He then ordered him
to be thrown into the fire. Immediately, the flames subsided. Even
the fire was not willing to consume him. What is the inner meaning
of this episode? Good people will always encounter problems from bad
people. Nevertheless, the good people will not be affected by them.
It is only the fruit-laden tree that receives stones. Similarly,
good people will always face certain obstacles. However, one has to
face such difficulties boldly reposing faith in God.
Dear Students! You should obey the commands of your parents and God
meticulously. Cultivate good behaviour. Then, everything will turn
out to be good for you. Nothing will deter you. No difficulty will
ever bother you. It is only to enable you to put such good thoughts
into practice that goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are
worshipped during these Dasara celebrations. Durga is not to be
understood as a ferocious goddess. She is the goddess supreme who
protects you.
Lakshmi is the embodiment of all wealth. Then, Saraswati is the
goddess of speech. Good thoughts, good words and good actions
(behaviour) represent the tattwa (nature) of these three goddesses.
He who teaches good things to you is verily the embodiment of
goddess Saraswati. He who teaches evil is verily a demon. Goddess
Durga destroys only such demons. Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are,
in fact, not different from you. They are very much installed in
your own heart. They exhort you to lead the life of a human being,
since you are a human being. Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are the
three mothers to a human being.
You should treasure these good words in your heart and put them into
action. Thereby you should come up in life and set an example to
others. You should, by your example, spread the message to the world
that Bharatiya Vidya is great. There are several people in the
modern world imparting education that leads to evil ways. You should
denounce such education. You should not go after it. You must
enquire, “will it help to purify my heart or not.” If you feel it is
not conducive to your progress, you must give it up immediately. It
is only when you are able to satisfy your conscience that your life
will be happy, peaceful and contented. Do namasmarana incessantly.
(Bhagawan concluded His discourse with the Bhajan “Hari bhajana bina
sukha shanthi nahi”)
Source: sssbpt.org
***SBOI***
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