Life 48 (Feb 25 - Dec 26)

[winston]

How can we make our life one of peace and serenity?

Wisdom is the efflorescence of purity of mind. Only such a person can achieve control over the senses.

The self-controlled person, by discovering his divine nature, can illumine the world around.

Like a joss stick, which scatters its fragrance in all directions, the name and fame of pure-hearted self-realised individuals reach all.

Pure thoughts hold the key for purity of mind. If a man has a sweet-smelling flower in his hand, the fragrance of that flower is carried by him wherever he goes.

Likewise, he could be carrying a foul smell too, wherever he goes. It is the same with good or bad thoughts. They radiate their good or bad vibrations around them.

Thoughts have so much power that when they are directed towards great objectives, they can be used to influence the world.

When the mind is filled with good thoughts, such as truth, love, forbearance and compassion, one’s life is filled with peace and serenity.

If, on the other hand, one allows thoughts of hatred, envy, anger and conceit to grow, life becomes perpetual misery!

- Divine Discourse, Jul 31, 1986.

One with a pure mind is filled with pure thoughts, bubbles with energy derived from pure love.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why should we invest time in understanding our mind and its ways?

The mind is agitated and so, you too are led into passions and emotions.

When the plank on which you sit moves, you too move; when the train runs fast with you sitting in the compartment, you feel that the trees too move with you.

On the other hand, the mind makes you feel stationary on the earth, though the earth revolves fast on its own axis and also around the Sun.

These are all tricks of the mind, hiding the truth and imposing its own illusions on your experience.

The real truth is different from the picture of truth that the mind presents.

To ascribe joy and grief that one passes through in life, to the nature of the Individual Soul is an act of ignorance.

One must dissociate one from the other. Elation and depression, pleasure and pain, joy and grief are modifications of the mind, not of the jivi (individual soul).

The mind reacts to external objects and events and pronounces them as desirable and undesirable, good and bad.

This explains why the control of the waywardness of the mind is to be achieved!

- Divine Discourse, Jan 04, 1974.

A mind without agitations, a joyous and unblemished outlook, these are the marks of a person in whom Shanti (peace) has taken root.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why is it better to be a wise person than merely being a learned person?

One need not have any formal education to impart sacred teachings.

Many are highly educated, but what is the use? They do not put their knowledge into proper use.

Having received many sacred teachings, you should practise at least one of them.

You perform worship and sing Bhajans with devotion. It is enough if you practise and experience at least one word of the Bhajans you sing.

For example, you extol the Divine as the embodiment of love. Accordingly, you should develop love and share it with others. Only then can you understand and experience divinity.

- Divine Discourse, May 6, 2003

The mother is the foremost deity for man as the visible embodiment of the Divine, who can be directly experienced.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the relationship between simple living beings and the Supreme Divine?

The Atmic consciousness that is present in the Divine, is also present in living beings.

If this is the case, a doubt may arise. What is the need for giving a unique place to Him?

When you look at an array of electric bulbs, they may all look alike. But there are differences in wattage amongst them according to the filament in them. The wattage may vary from 40 to 5000 watts.

Likewise, in all human beings, the five elements, the five organs of action, the five organs of perception and other organs are common. But in their thoughts and fancies, there are differences.

The sacred and remarkable Divine potency in each of them is also different. It is because this Divine potency is present in Him, in infinite measure, that the uniqueness of Him is recognised.

- Divine Discourse, Nov 23, 1992

There is fire of wisdom in every human being. As you neglect this fire of wisdom, it gets covered by the ash of ego, attachment and hatred.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What are the treasures that the Divine alone can grant us?

Always pray to the Divine for His grace. In spite of all deficiencies and debilities, it is enough when His grace is there.

You can achieve everything by His grace. Firm faith in Him is essential for one and all.

Remember that peace and happiness are available only with Him. No one else can give peace and happiness other than Him.

Some people say that they don’t have faith in Him. Then do they have faith in the devil? If you repose faith in the devil, you will have demonic qualities only.

Forgetting Him, who is the abode of supreme peace and bliss, many people are always immersed in trivial worldly affairs.

How can such people attain peace and happiness? Only He can bestow peace; He is the embodiment of supreme peace and love.

A mother may become angry at times. But His love is immutable. However, you should have gratitude for your mother who has given you birth because of which you are able to know Him. But there is nothing greater than His Name.

Divine Discourse, May 6, 1997

Do not pray to Him to give you only joy; that will be foolish. Pray for the fortitude to realise that grief and joy are but the obverse and reverse of the same coin.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the relationship between the individual and the Divine? And how does one bring out the latent Divinity?

Brahmanda, the macrocosm, is regarded as Virataswarupa (the Cosmic form), and the microcosm is regarded as the atomic nucleus. This is a wrong view.

What is present in the atom, is present in the Cosmos. There is no difference between the two.

A small seed carries within it the potential of becoming a big tree. The Cosmic Form is not a mere aggregation of various objects. It does not signify the one in the many.

The Cosmic Form means that which contains within itself everything. You cannot see the vast tree contained in the tiny seed. Likewise, the atomic principle contains the macrocosm in the microcosm.

Equally, the divinity present in the Divine (the macrocosm) is present in man in a subtle form like the fire in a matchstick. You cannot get fire out of a damp matchstick.

Man is filled with the fire of divine wisdom and sacredness. But it is not perceptible in spite of spiritual exercises, severe penance and many good deeds.

The reason is the fact that the mind is dampened by ahamkara and mamakara (the sense of 'I' and 'Mine'). It is only when this dampness is removed by the sunshine of vairagya (detachment) that an illumined life becomes possible.

- Divine Discourse, Nov 23, 1992

The lamp shines because of the Divine. The power of the wind which can blow out the lamp also comes from the Divine.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How can we become fearless and take on the challenges of life?

Man today must understand how he can develop courage. Though they are quite capable of developing courage, yet youth and adults are full of fear today. It is necessary for man to develop courage and fortitude to overcome fear!

He can get courage only from the Divine. For this, he must develop faith in and devotion to Him.

You must face the world with courage. In the present situation of the world, our true strength is in courage and fortitude.

When you cultivate devotion to Him, you can face challenges of the world with confidence and courage.

Life is a Challenge, Meet it. Life is a Game, Play it.

You become a victim of fear because of lack of courage. So, develop the courage to face all the challenges of the world.

Education does not mean merely the ability to read and write. What is vidya (education)? True education is that which liberates.

True education develops courage and fortitude in the learner. It is the need of the hour that we should lead our lives with courage, without faltering at any step to achieve success in all walks of life!

- Divine Discourse, Jun 2, 2003

If man knows his real nature, he will give no room for weakness or cowardice.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What are the grooming instruments for the mind we must remember to carry with us always?

Nowadays, there is an inevitable pair of accessories in almost all vanity bags of ladies and even in gents’ pockets: a mirror and a comb.

You dread that your charm is endangered when your hair is in slight disarray, or when your face reveals patches of powder; so you try to correct the impression immediately.

While so concerned about this fast-deteriorating personal charm, how much more concerned should you really be about the dust of envy and hate, the patches of conceit and malice that desecrate your mind and hearts?

Have a mirror and a comb for this purpose, too!

Have the mirror of Bhakti (devotion), to judge whether they are clean and bright and winsome;

Have the comb of Jnanam or wisdom, for wisdom earned by discrimination straightens problems, resolves knots, and smoothens the tangle to control and channelise the feelings and emotions that are scattered wildly in all directions.

- Divine Discourse, Jun 26, 1969

Just as food and drink are needed to keep the body strong, contemplation of the Divine is needed to give strength to the mind.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the attitude we must develop to overcome our divisive nature and to release ourselves from the coils of our own actions?

The Cosmos should be regarded as the all-pervading form of the Divine.

Only by realising the feeling of unity in diversity, can individuals and nations be redeemed.

Today, divisive tendencies are rampant. There is discord between man and man. The world is turning into a kind of madhouse.

All nations seem to be afflicted with some kind of lunacy. To kill one man, they are prepared to sacrifice a hundred lives. They have no regard for life.

Men desire the fruits of good deeds but do not perform good deeds. Men want to avoid the consequences of sinful actions but are engaged in sinful deeds.

How is this possible? It is not easy to escape from the consequences of one’s actions. But there is no need for despair.

If one earns even a grain of grace from the Divine, a mountain of sins can be reduced to ashes.

If one feels genuinely penitent, seeks His forgiveness, and takes refuge in Him, all of one’s actions will get transformed.

But without heartfelt penitence, this will not happen!

- Divine Discourse, Aug 24, 1991.

Spirituality is not living alone in solitude. Spirituality connotes having equal vision for all, living among all and serving all with Ekatma Bhava (feeling of oneness).

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the very foundation of this mansion of life, and what does it consist of?

Life is a four-storied mansion. For any edifice to be strong, the foundation has to be strong.

The mansion is visible to the beholders. Its architecture is attractive and pleasing. But the foundation has no such attractions. Nevertheless, the safety of the mansion depends on the strength of the foundation.

Every part of the mansion may have its own attractive feature. But the foundation has no feeling of pride about being the base on which the mansion stands, nor does it desire that anyone should take notice of it. The foundation is unaffected by praise or blame.

The first floor of the mansion (of life) is brahmacharya (celibacy).

The second floor is the grihastha (householder) stage.

The third is vanaprastha (recluse).

The fourth is the stage of sannyasa (renunciant).

Many persons pass through all four stages. Some go through only three of them, and some others only two. But irrespective of the number of stages, the foundation is the base.

The first stage (or floor) is that of brahmacharya. Students who are in the first floor of the mansion of life have to ensure the firmness of the foundation. This foundation consists of humility, reverence, morality and integrity.

The strength of the foundation depends on these four constituents.

- Divine Discourse, Feb 20, 1992.

In everyone’s life, childhood and youth are extremely important. This period of life should be regulated by practising purity and tranquillity.

Source: radiosai.org