July 9th, 2006
“As You Think, So You Become” Part 1
Part 2
OM…OM…OM…
Sai Ram
With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Before I actually begin this morning’s talk, I am happy to share important news
with you. Bhagavan has released Sai Sandesh, the book covering our Sunday talks.
(Applause) I am extremely delighted to share this with you. All these Sunday
Talks will be published in nine or ten volumes. This is the first of those.
I am also glad to openly express millions, trillions and zillions of thanks,
from the bottom of my heart, to the team of transcribers, editors and
translators who translate all our Sunday Talks into six of the foreign
languages, which are available on the website: www.saiwisdom.com. All
transcribers, editors and translators are Bhagavan’s devotees and are totally
dedicated. I confess that their edited and translated versions are better than
the original itself. (Applause) All this team is working under the leadership of
our friend Mr. Lakhi, who is in our midst this morning. I convey our grateful
thanks to Mr. Lakhi on behalf of all those who visit this website to listen to
our Sunday Talks. I request Mr. Lakhi to come here and receive his copy on
behalf of his team of transcribers, editors and translators. (Applause)
We are fortunate to have this book published by the Trust. It makes me very
happy, as it means that we have Bhagavan’s blessings and boundless mercy with
us. We pray that we deserve this all in the future also.
“As You think, so you become”
This morning, as I was thinking about what I could share with you, the subject
“As You Think, So You Become” came to my mind. My friends, we have to be
extremely careful about our thoughts. Bhagavan said several things about these
thoughts. Brothers and sisters, as you are true seekers of the Truth, I urge you
to pay special attention to this morning’s talk. Bhagavan gave a unique
definition of the mind in His own Divine style.
Mind is a bundle of thoughts
He gave two definitions. His first definition, as quoted from the Vedas, is that
the mind is a bundle of thoughts or desires: Sankalpa Vikalpat Makam Manaha.
Sankalpa is the thought; vikalpa is the counter-thought. Mind is a bundle of
thoughts and counter-thoughts which are closely interwoven like the threads of a
cloth. A cloth is made up of a bundle of threads. Similarly, the mind is a
bundle of thoughts and counter-thoughts. Bhagavan often gives the example of a
kerchief. This kerchief is made up threads. When the threads are removed, there
is no kerchief. Similarly, when there are no thoughts, there is no mind. This is
what we understand from the first definition.
mind is the centre of memory
The second definition of mind, as given by Baba, is this: mind is the centre of
recapitulation. Mind is the centre of memory, something like a computer. It
recalls and recollects. It brings back the memory of the past. It is the mind,
which recalls and memorises.
Mananath Iti Manaha means the mind which recalls and memorises. This is the
second definition given by Bhagavan. He often gives the example of the modern
computer. Once you log on, you immediately connect to a particular website,
which gives you the latest information. The human mind is like a Google search –
you can search and get all the related content. This satisfies the second
definition of the human mind.
The reason I have taken this topic to talk on is because the mind is so peaceful
at one time, and so disturbed at another. I do not know what happens to our
mind. One moment it thanks God for all the blessings it has received, and at
another it blames God for not fulfilling desires. Sometimes the mind is
dissatisfied for a reason unknown to itself. We are fine physically,
financially, and socially, yet the mind is dissatisfied. Why? The mind has no
answer. Something is wrong with it.
The study of the mind is the object and purpose of religion. People think
religion means worship, visits to pilgrim centres, or acts of charity and
service. But actually, spirituality or religion is the study of one’s own mind.
In the absence of that, all that I do may make me feel arrogant or egoistic, and
hence is in vain.
Some people say, “Mr. Anil Kumar, I visited pilgrim centres all over India, from
Kashmir to Kanyakumari.”
My question to them is, “If you have visited those places, how have I benefited?
If you have visited those places, why should I know about it? If you have
visited those places, how has your life changed? What transformation has taken
place in your life?”
religion and religiousness are separate
Therefore my friends, all these are merely rituals and I cannot brand that
person religious or ritualistic. A ritual may make you a man of religion, but it
will never make you religious. Religion and religiousness are separate. You may
be a man of religion and not be religious. You may be religious and not champion
any religion.
Therefore my friends, let us understand this: religion is the banner, while
religiousness is the manner in which we behave. Religion is scholarship;
religiousness is practice. Religion establishes your identity, your
separateness, your specialness and your personality. But religiousness will
enable you to lose yourself in the totality. Religiousness is the totality and
religion is identity. Religion involves rituals. Religiousness is the spirit of
rituals. I am not branding rituals negative, but the spirit of the rituals is
more important than the rituals themselves.
My friends, though we are self-proclaimed, long-standing, self-branded,
confirmed devotees, we do not find any change in our lives. We do not notice any
transformation in our lives, nor do we realise any conspicuous state of
awareness. We do not recognise any experiential bliss in the person who claims
to be a devotee. A person claims to be a devotee for the last twenty-years— hats
off to his seniority, but I do not find any happiness on his face. A person
claims that this is his two-hundredth visit to Prashanti Nilayam, but I do not
find twenty-milligrams of smile on his face. (Laughter) There is no smile on his
face and no happiness in his life, but he claims to be an old devotee of
Bhagavan. What for? What do you mean by ‘a devotee’?
Therefore my friends, let us try to be religious and not be champions of
religion. Let us not be the champions of religion or that which is dogmatic,
narrow-minded, fanatic, lopsided, prejudiced, biased, and political. The person
who is religious is balanced, equanimous, peaceful, blissful and steady-minded.
Let us not be the men of religion; let us be religious. Let us care for
religiousness more than mere religion, which is full of rules and regulations, a
framework of the mind. All the rituals that we follow and all the discipline
that we adopt is part of the pattern of worldly life, but not the goal itself.
Devotion is not a brand
Bhagavan used one example. A person does japa (repetition of God’s name) ten
thousand times every morning. People really appreciate his spiritual discipline.
But the funny thing is that soon after he completes his pooja or worship, he
starts shouting at his wife, the maid, and his children. The question is this:
if you repeat God’s name ten thousand times and still manage to shout at your
wife and children right after, what is the use of that japa? A tape recorder is
better than you – at least it wouldn’t shout. (Laughter)
If my mind is not balanced, if I am not equanimous, cheerful, or loving, what is
this prayer for? What is the japa for? Is it publicity? Is it to earn the title
of a devotee? Devotion is not a title. Devotion is not a brand. To be a devotee
is not an achievement. Devotion is not attainment.
Somebody asked a yogi, a great man, “Swami, we have been religious for so long.
For many years we have practiced all that is expected of us, and yet why are we
not happy? I do japa, I meditate, I pray, I do bhajans. I contribute money to
all yogis and yagnas, but I am still unhappy. Why?”
The yogi smiled and said, “That’s because you are on the wrong track.”
And he gave an example. “You are taking medicine for the last two months, but
there is no cure. What does it mean? It means that you are taking the wrong
medicine. Thank God you are still alive, to change your doctor and medicine at
least.” (Laughter)
Therefore, the procedure we are adopting in the field of religion, and the life
pattern that we follow in our lifetime here is not making us happy; it is not
making us cheerful. Why? Here the yogi gives us the answer.
define OUR SPIRITUAL objectives
Point one: Why am I not happy in religion? Why I am not happy in being as
spiritual-minded as I think or interpret that I am? The first reason is that we
have not defined our spiritual objectives. Spiritual objectives are different
from worldly objectives. What are worldly objectives? To settle in life, get
married with a big dowry, have children, earn money until I am caught by the
income tax department, get more status until people envy me and think that I
have status and respectability in society, (though it is all false) and think
that I am above others, (which is utterly nonsense) and consider that I am
extraordinary, (though not even ordinary) — are all worldly matters. These are
all ways of life. In the way of life in the world one wants to be respectable;
one wants to be a man of status and dignity – something special and
extraordinary. Those are worldly aims and objectives.
But in spirituality, you are not special because you do not exist spiritually.
In the world, I exists; in the spiritual world, I does not exist. In
spirituality, you are not special because you do not exist spiritually. In the
world, I exists; in the spiritual world, I does not exist.
A drop exists. When the drop is put back in the ocean, the drop does not exist
anymore. Spirituality is oceanic totality, holistic, comprehensive, and
integrated, whereas the world is disintegrated, individualistic, with a name and
form. In the field of religion also, you want to have dignity, you want to have
status, you want to have identity. Therefore you are not happy.
spirituality is not an aim
The second reason is that in the world we are always after achievement. I
believe that I should achieve something special. “Oh, you do Sai Ram name
repetition (namasmarana) a thousand times? I will do it ten thousand times!”
Football games are in the news. I believe France and Italy are in the finals.
Yes! So we want to be competitive like in the soccer games. Spirituality becomes
like a soccer game, where one wants to excel the other fellow. It is really
funny.
Mind always wants to achieve. Mind always wants to attain something. Mind always
has goals, aims, and objectives. But that can be a problem in religion. Religion
is not a goal. Spirituality is not an aim. Religion is not an achievement. No.
You can achieve something in the world, but in spirituality you do not achieve
anything. Spirituality is realisation. Religion is realisation. That’s all.
I am asking you for a pen. Many people come forward and say, “Here is a pen.”
But a wise man will tell you, “Why do you ask everyone for a pen when you have
two pens in your pocket?” Shall I say that I have acquired these pens? Shall I
say that I have bought these pens? Shall I say that I have stolen, begged and
borrowed them? Shall I say I accomplished the highest achievement of possessing
two pens? Stupidity! Absolute nonsense! Totally meaningless! I have two pens.
But I am absent-minded, so I forgot about them and am asking you for a pen.
Similarly, spirituality or religion will bring you out of that forgetful state.
It will bring you out of that state of unawareness and the blanket of illusion
you are under. It will take you out of that cataract of ignorance and tell you
who you already are.
that thou art
Thath Thwam Asi or “That thou art.” You are already That. You are not going to
become That. You are not going to attain That. You are not going to achieve
That. You are That! That is what Thath Thwam Asi means. But my mind refuses to
accept it. “I am this, you are That; I will become That.” In becoming That from
this, there is achievement; there is attainment; there is satisfaction. There is
an ego-trip and ego satisfaction. Achievement is nothing but ego satisfaction.
Therefore our mind refuses to accept that, “I am Thath.” But if Divinity is so
simple, if I am already Thath, then I don’t want Thath. Why? I have not made any
attempt. I have not strained myself. If everyone is Thath, then where is my
superiority? None of you should be Thath; I alone should be Thath. (Laughter)
Then it is religion.
We don’t have to look for jokes anywhere. Our life itself is a joke. (Laughter)
Our lives provide us with ample humour. When the Vedas say you are That (Thath
thwam asi), I am not happy, because I want to become That. If you say you are
already That, there is nothing special about it. Therefore my friends, we are
not happy because we have not understood our spiritual goals or the spiritual
way of life. The spiritual way of life is neither attainment nor achievement; it
is just a reminder of what you already are, but have forgotten.
spirituality is becoming one with THE totality
Baba says, “Sabhayu Brahma, Nibhu Brahma, Sukalanyu Brahma, Suryuranha Brahma,
Chandruranha Brahma.”
The meaning is: This congregation is Divine, you are Divine, the sun is Divine;
the moon is Divine; stars are Divine; earth is Divine.
But those words don’t register. Why? ‘If all are Divine, then what is so special
about me? I should be special.’ That’s how we feel. Therefore my friends, since
spirituality does not make us feel special we don’t want it. That is a most
unfortunate thing.
Religiousness is forgetting the identity and becoming one with the Totality. I
don’t consider myself one with everybody because I want to feel special. Unless
this feeling goes, I can never be even in the periphery of spirituality. So,
what is my first enemy? It is my mind. This mind is responsible for everything
that has been happening.
mind is a mad monkey
Baba says a few points in this direction which I want to bring to your
attention. First point: Baba compares this mind with a mad, intoxicated monkey
whose tail is on fire. You can imagine that! What does the mad monkey or the
mind drink? (Do monkeys drink? Has man left anything for monkeys to drink?)
(Laughter) Swami says this drink is vishaya vasana or what you call sensual
pleasure. Mind is a monkey that is intoxicated with the drink of sensual
pleasure.
Second, this monkey-mind is bitten by a scorpion. It is already drunk, and now
has been bitten by a scorpion, doubling the problem. What is this scorpion? Baba
says emotion or the passion in man is a scorpion. So the mind, the poor monkey,
is intoxicated on the drink of sensual pleasure, and is bitten by the scorpion
of temper, emotion, and passion and it has turned mad. What is this madness?
This madness is worldliness.
Considering this world as the whole and sole thing in life is madness. That is
the state of our present mind. Each and every one of us has a mad, intoxicated
monkey mind, bitten by a scorpion. If anyone says that their mind is not, then
it’s a pity. Never mind, he does not know what mind is. Just forgive him.
So what does this state of mind do? Baba says this monkey-mind makes us forget
Divinity. It makes us forget that we are Thath, that we are Divine. Thath thwam
asi — I am Divine! “The kingdom of heaven is within you,” says the Bible. Baba
says that we are unaware of this fact because of this monkey mind.
mind is like a knife
Baba is so merciful. He does not want us to condemn the mind. He does not want
us to consider the mind as only negative and harmful. No! The second comparison
of the mind is with a knife. With a knife you can cut fruits and vegetables.
With a knife you can also cut the throat of another person. Same knife can be
used to cut vegetables and the throat. As you think, so you become. As is the
thought, so you are. Thought is a powerful knife.
If the thought is one of anger, I will be furious; I will shout at you. My
friends, let us allow everybody to shout at us. Let us pray to God that we
remain balanced, because the fellow who shouts at you, his blood pressure and
sugar will shoot up. He will go to hospital. You will be normal. Blessed are
those who are shouted at. Blessed are those who are heavily reprimanded and
attacked, because the one who shouts will be in the hospital; the one shouted at
will be comfortable. An angry person is a gas cylinder that can burst any time.
That is the second comparison.
mind is like space
Third comparison: (These are all from Baba’s discourses, my friends. They’re not
my own. Being a lecturer in botany, I am not capable of speaking like that.) The
mind is like space or ether. Ether has no weight and travels lightly. Similarly,
the mind is light. Like ether, it can go anywhere. Right now I can think of
sweets in the canteen, my return ticket, visa expiry date, or bank interest rate
all at once. Being here, my mind can go anywhere. It does not have to pay for
any ticket; it does not have to show any passport or visa. It can go anywhere
because it is so light. That is the third comparison.
mind is like electricity
Fourth comparison: Baba says mind is very subtle, like electricity. It can
electrocute you if you are careless. It is beneficial for illumination or
providing light. Electricity gives light and delight if you make proper use of
it; but if are not mindful, it will electrocute you. So mind is like
electricity.
mind is like a child
The fifth comparison Baba says is that the mind is like a child. Follow this
example, my friends. I want your special attention to this beautiful example.
People tell Baba, “My mind is reckless” or, “Swami, my mind is full of thoughts”
or, “Swami, my mind is not balanced” or, “Swami, I cannot concentrate.”
Baba gives an example. Here is the mother and her child, who is playing with
sand close by. The child is making a hut out of sand. The child is quarrelling,
fighting, screaming, shouting and playing, doing everything that a child does.
The mother is at a close distance. The job of the mother is to watch the child
play until such time as the child does not hurt or injure itself. The mother
just watches the child play. The child plays and eventually stops and comes
close to the mother. When the child realises that the mother is watching all the
mischief, the child comes closer to the mother. Am I not right? These are
examples given by Baba.
Elimination of thought leads to withdrawal of the mind
Let us interpret this: “Watch your mind.”
“Watch my mind?”
“Yes.”
“How do I watch my mind?”
How to watch my mind because I think I am the mind? That is the tragedy. Is it
possible to watch our mind? Yes, it is. Baba tells you how. I’ve got this
thought right now, ‘When will be Swami’s darshan this afternoon?’ I’ve got this
thought right now, ‘What is the menu for lunch?’ I know my thought. Are you not
aware of your thoughts? Don’t you know your thoughts? Don’t you know that
thoughts are flowing continuously, incessantly through your mind? Once you know
your thoughts, once you are watchful of your thoughts, once you are aware of
your thoughts, the flow of thoughts will slow down. It slows down gradually and
stops.
The thought flow stops when you watch your own thoughts. The total stoppage of
thought flow is called the withdrawal of the mind. Total cessation, total
elimination of thoughts is called the annihilation of the mind, or manonashana.
Therefore, as you think, so you become. Once you are thoughtless, you are
peaceful, you are blissful, and you are totally Divine. It is the thoughts that
make you a demon. It is the thoughts that make you an animal. It is the thoughts
that make us human. It is only the thoughts that make you Divine.
Mana Eva Manushyanam Karanam Bandha Mokshayoh.
Meaning: It is the mind that is responsible for bondage and liberation. As John
Milton says, “It is the mind that makes the heaven out of hell, or hell out of
heaven.”
be a witness to your own mind
Therefore, be a watcher. Be a witness to your own mind, as Baba says. Further,
the Vedic recitation that you hear every morning, I would like to repeat here.
Chandrama Manaso Ajayatha Chaksho Suryo Ajayatha.
Here the point is this: Surya, the sun, is what we call the power of the Self,
the Atma and witness. Baba gives this example.
(Please friends, Sunday meetings are study circles, where we slowly understand
the Divine teachings. As Bhagavan speaks to us, we are lost in the Divine melody
of the message. We are lost in the splendour of the Divine form, in the rhythm
of the Divine flow. But these Sunday talks will help us to ponder over, to
concentrate slowly on each and every point).
After Bhagavan’s discourse, if you ask people how the talk was they say, “Wow!
Wonderful!”
I see. “How wonderful was it?”
“Oh, wow, wow!”
I see. “What did He say?”
“I don’t remember.” (Laughter)
Baba’s talks are not for our appreciation. Baba’s talks are not for our tributes
or praises. Baba’s talks are for our apprehension, for our awareness, for our
understanding, for our practice and for our transformation.
Not to say, “Wow, it was fantastic!” Whether you say it or not, it is fantastic.
I can’t say, “Sun, you shine brilliantly.”
He will say, “Were you blind all these years?”
Therefore, I am not here to praise Baba’s talks. Let us understand every point
clearly, such that we are able to imbibe, emulate, follow, and translate His
teachings into action in our life.
Mind is like the moon
What is this example? Moon is not independent. Moon can never shine on its own.
It is the sunlight that falls on the moon and is reflected back to us. Moonlight
is a reflection of the sunlight. Sun is Chaksho Suryo Ajayatha, or the power of
the Self. Sun is the Atmic power, Divine consciousness, the spirit. Moon is the
mind. As the light of the witness, of the consciousness, of the spirit falls on
the mind, it is active.
We get carried away by the feeling that it is the moon that shines. No!
Moonlight is a reflection. Similarly, your Self is the sun. If you watch your
mind with that sun, or the spirit of awareness and consciousness, with the power
of the energy of the Self, you will understand how to withdraw it. You will
understand how nonexistent, how reflective and how dependent the mind is.
Therefore, the study of the mind is the objective of every spiritual aspirant.
thoughtlessness is liberation
Bhagavan further makes this point: Somebody asked Ramana Maharshi, “Swami, how
do we free ourselves from bondage?”
Ramana Maharshi laughed and said, “Who has thrown you into bondage? Please show
me the person who has thrown and kept you in the prison of bondage. Where is
that culprit?”
Furthermore Ramana Maharshi said, “You are liberated, but you think that you are
in bondage.”
Bondage is your thought. Thoughtlessness is liberation. Thought is bondage,
according to Ramana Maharshi. Ramana Maharshi’s talks and conversations are like
100,000 mg power. We know 2mg, 5mg, 10mg, and 500mg pills. But Ramana rishi’s
sayings are 100,000 mg each pill. Swallow it, and you are done; you will
understand what you are.
Bhagavan explains everything in detail, because we cannot understand the pill.
We want large amounts of matter. If I come for dinner, and you just give me
multivitamin tablets and say goodbye, I will not be happy. (Laughter)
You invite me for dinner. I come and you say, “Anil Kumar, open your mouth. Here
is some water and a multivitamin tablet, thank you!” (Laughter) No! I want the
whole menu: dal, chutney, curry, dessert. Only then I will say, “Well done!
Thank you, my boy!”
So, pills won't work for us. Unless we have a sumptuous meal, a full thali, we
are not satisfied. Therefore, Bhagavan’s talk is a thali, a full meal for all of
us. Small pills don't work for us. Therefore, this is how Bhagavan explains the
mind. How to know this is the mind? How to know this is beyond the mind? What is
within the mind and what is beyond the mind? That which feels in bondage, or
bound, or liberated is the mind itself.
you are born liberated
One lady said one year ago, “Anil Kumar, I realised that I am liberated.”
I said, “Please liberate me from this conversation.” (Laughter)
She said, “You know Anil Kumar, some Brahmaranda opened here and Swami gave me
Brahma Jnana.” She went on speaking like that.
I said, “God save you. I can give you the address of the psychiatrist because
you need him immediately.” (Laughter)
I don’t know how Brahmaranda opens. She might have fallen somewhere.
Brahmasakshatkara? I don’t know if it is a bucket full of water to be poured on
the head. It is all imagination or hysteria. Therefore my friends, that which
thinks that it is in bondage is the mind. That which thinks it is liberated is
also the mind.
“Oh! That which thinks it is liberated is also mind?”
Yes, because you are already liberated. You are born liberated. If you think, ‘I
am liberated’ that is the mind. You don’t have to think it, because you are
already liberated.
non-dual is beyond the mind
Second point: that which is dual is the mind — good and bad, light and dark, man
and woman, profit and loss, victory and defeat. That which is dual is mind. That
which is non-dual is beyond the mind.
Here is another point that Baba talks about. There are some people who say, “You
know Mr. Anil Kumar, I know time management.” Oh? “I have a schedule for
everything.” Oh, I see. “I don’t mess up anything.” Very good!
“Let me know about your life, because you seem to be a great man. I mess up here
sufficiently. As I watch you, I would like to improve myself. Let me know.”
He says, “I have time for studies. I have time for my office work. I have time
for my family. I have time for my meditation. I have time for my worship or
pooja.”
Very good! Ultimately I had to tell him, “You are a machine!”
It is only a machine or a robot that can manage like that, not the human mind.
Impossible! In the office, you may think of the family. When with the family,
you may think of the fight in the office. It is impossible! Five to seven –
prayer, seven to eight – breakfast, nine to five – office; it cannot work that
way.
Shut up! Nonsense! You may be a fool. I am not a fool to believe that. Mind will
never stick to a schedule. If it really sticks to your schedule, something is
wrong with you. I am not prepared to believe that; because it is not in the
nature of the mind to adhere to your timetable. Railways also do not adhere to
their timetable. Somebody said, “Today the train’s arrival is at the right
time.” Another man said, “It should have arrived at the same time yesterday.
It’s just 24 hours late.” (Laughter) So, mind is not a timetable or a schedule
to adhere to.
So what is the mind now? That is the third point. This (iha) and that (para),
Swami’s work (Swami karya) and my work (swakarya), this is worldly and that is
spiritual; all these are about the mind. Beyond the mind there is nothing like
worldly (laukikam) and spiritual (parmarthitam). There is nothing like my work (swakarya)
and Swami’s work (Swami karya). No. Why?
Everything is Divine. When you lecture in the class, it is Swami’s work. When
you do business in your shop, it is Swami’s work. When you pronounce your
judgment as a judge, it is Swami’s work. There is nothing like your work. Why do
you say this is my work or Swami’s work? You say that because of ego.
“This is my work, please thank me.”
“This is Swami’s work, congratulate me.”
Nonsense! We will never improve, even after a hundred lives. Everything is
Swami. As soon as we begin our work with prayer, work becomes worship. Duty is
God. This is beyond the mind, as explained by Baba.
as is the coloUr of the glass, so is the coloUr of the scene
Swami goes on to explain further.
I may say, “Oh! Everything looks red now. Oh no, everything looks blue now.
Everything looks yellow now.”
Somebody will come and say, “No Mr. Anil Kumar, change your glasses.”
As is the colour of the glass, so is the colour of the scene. As is the mind, so
is the thought. As is the thought, so is the action. As is the action, so is the
result. As is the result, so is the birth and rebirth.
(In fact I want to explain this, but of course it may take me the next class
also to do so. Let us see. There in the college, we are tied with our syllabus,
semester examination etc. At least in a study circle, we don’t have to bother
about it.)
So the mind gives rise to the thought, and thought is responsible for the
action, and action gives you the result. And the result is responsible for birth
and re-birth.
software of the previous life
The mind is the centre. I can also use computers as an example, since we live in
this computer age. I am not an expert in computers; at the most I know emailing
because of my children, who expect some emails from me everyday. Further than
that, I don’t now anything. As I observe, the computer is hardware and it needs
software to work. Similarly, the mind is the hardware that carries with it the
software of the previous life. Software of the past life is the program in the
computer of the human mind. So, all our past lives, deeds, and consequences are
recorded in the software in the form of samskaras, not Samskar TV, but samskaras.
Vasanas or samskaras (impressions or traits) are the software of the previous
life.
Let me not speak more Sanskrit, the least of which we know. Though people pray
in Sanskrit, they don’t know it. People recite the Vedas, but none of them have
gone through their meaning. So, samskaras or vasanas make this software in the
brain, in the human mind, according to which we act now.
as is the food, so is the mind
This human mind is also constituted by the food we eat. As is the food, so is
the mind – sathwic food, sathwic mind; rajasic food, rajasic mind; thamasic
food, thamasic mind. Therefore people should exercise discipline with respect to
food. If the food is rotten, that fellow will have a rotten mind. There is no
doubt about it.
the means of earning your food
Bhagavad Gita says that the way you earn your bread, by rightful means or
unlawful means, is also responsible for the mind. Suppose I indulge in bribery
and corruption, or finish off some people, get paid for it and eat with that
money? One bed is already reserved in the hospital. (Laughter) Only the date of
departure from this planet has to be decided. All this is accounted for. Not
only the food that we eat now, but also the means of earning it; the ways,
lawful and unlawful, are accounted for.
mix with everybody
Third is the company you keep. The company which is competitive, communal,
caste-minded, money-oriented is the worst company we can ever join. I always ask
my friends in the college to mix with everybody. Just because you are from
Andhra Pradesh, don’t move only with people from Andhra Pradesh. You will never
improve your life. Don’t move around only with people who speak Tamil just
because you are from Tamil Nadu. You will lead a condemned life. Learn to mingle
with everybody, so that you will be multi-lingual. You will learn about
different cultures. You are a true citizen of India. You are true legal heir of
India’s culture, heritage, and tradition. Please mix with everybody. So, the
company also decides how your mind is.
The mind has the past, the present, and the future in it. The present food and
company, and the past vasanas and samskaras plan the future. Such is mind. This
mind generates thoughts.
Many people say, “Sir, in Prashanti Nilayam, I’m fine. The moment I leave, it’s
awful.”
Naturally, because when you are here, the mind is at rest. We have to eat in the
canteen only. You cannot have beef, or pork or chicken. And you cannot eat at
any time you like. Timings are specific, food menu is specific. Life is
disciplined, therefore you are fine. The moment you go out, it becomes 3:00 pm
lunch, 12:00 am dinner, and the next morning you end up with a temperature.
Therefore my friends, such a mind — with satwic food, in satsanga or good
company, with the samskaras of the past life that have brought us here to
Swami’s Lotus Feet now — generates thoughts. Thought forms action, or karma.
Karma bears results, (karma phala) and that is responsible for birth and
re-births (janma and punya janma).
The rest we will study in the next class. Thank you.
Anil Kumar finished his satsang by chanting “Bhajamana Narayana 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
-------------
top
Note: This Audio & Text has the copyright of the author -
Prof. ANIL KUMAR
. It is
"reproduced" on this website only for the purpose of (seva) service so
that Sai Baba devotees can download
AUDIO Of Prof. ANIL KUMAR SATSANG Sunday
Satsang at Prashanti Nilayam.
