NOT

TWO, BUT ONE

!

Sathya Sai Speaks

!

Vol. 1
!
Discourse 1 (Pranti Nilayam, Vijayadasami, 1953)

Men are like that; loko bhinna ruchih (tastes of people differ). The Jnaani says, "Sarvam
Brahma mayam:" In God is All;" another, a yogi, says all is energy; a third, who is a
bhaktha, says all is the play of Bhagavaan (the Lord). Each according to his taste and
according to his progress in saadhana (spiritual practice). Do not hurry or ridicule
them, for they are all pilgrims trudging along the same road.

This I will tell you, there is no escaping it; all creatures have to reach God some day or
other, by the long route or by the short route.

Discourse 2 (Pranti Nilayam, Mahashivaratri, 1955)

The Lord is a Mountain of Prema (Love); any number of ants carrying away particles of
sweetness cannot exhaust His Plenty. He is an Ocean of Mercy without a limiting shore.
Bhakthi (devotion) is the easiest way to win His Grace and also to realise that He
pervades everything; in fact, is everything!

Man must be yoked to samsaara and broken; that is the training which will teach that
the world is unreal; no amount of lectures will make you believe it is a snake unless you
actually experience it. Touch Oire and get the sensation of burning; there is nothing like
it to teach you that Oire is to be avoided. Unless you' touch it, you will be aware only of
its light. It is light and heat both; just as this world is both true and false, that is to say,
unreal.

!
Discourse 3 (Pranti Nilayam, Guru Poornami, 1/8/1956)

!

In this world which is impermanent and ever transforming, the Immanent Power of the
Lord is the only permanent and Oixed entity. In order to realise the eternal and the true,
one has perforce to attach oneself to that Source and Sustenance. There is no escape
from this path. It is the destiny of one and all, irrespective of age or scholarship, clime
or caste, sex or status.

While proceeding along the road, you can watch your shadow falling on mud or dirt,
hollow or mound, thorn or sand, wet or dry patches of land. You are unaffected by the
fate of your shadow, is it not? Nor is the shadow made dirty thereby. It does not worry
in the least where it falls or what it wades through. We know that the shadow and its
experiences are not eternal or true. Similarly, you must get convinced that 'you' are but
Page 1 of 268

the shadow of the Absolute and you are essentially not this 'you' but the absolute itself.
That is the remedy for sorrow, travail and pain.

You see many things in dreams and many things are acquired by you during dreams:
power, pelf, status, reputation. But when you awake, you do not weep over the loss,
even though for the duration of the dream all that was very real and gave you real
satisfaction and joy. That was a 'dream', you tell yourself; what prevents you from
treating with similar nonchalance the possessions gathered during the waking stage of
your life? Cultivate that attitude and you can depart with a smile whenever the curtain
falls on this dreamland stage.

In order to bring conviction to you in all this, it is best you approach a Guru (spiritual
preceptor) who knows the Truth by experience and whose daily activities, words and
thoughts reOlect this realisation. The Guru is called so because the letter GU signiOies
Gunaatheetha---one who has transcended the three gunas (qualities)---the Thaamasik,
the Raajasik and even the Saathwik (ignorant passionate and virtuous); and the letter
RU signiOies one who is Roopa Varjitha (one who has grasped the formless aspect of
God-head). Of course, he could come to that stage only through the sublimation of the
lower into the higher qualities and the steady and conscious ignoring of the part played
by mere name and form. The Guru has very often to tell you that you have
forgotten your real name or that you have lost the most precious part of yourself and
yet are unaware of the loss.

!
!

Discourse 4 (Venkatagiri, April 1957)

The mission on which every individual has come is to merge the individuality in the
Universal. The life that each being is leading is saturated with the Divine; Existence or
Sath is derived from the source of all Sath, Brahman (Supreme Reality) Itself;
Consciousness or Chith is derived from the source of all Chith, Brahman Itself. Bliss or
Aanandha is derived from the source of all. Aanandha, Brahman Itself.
You are all Sath-Chith-Aanandha swaruupa (embodiments of Existence -
Consciousness-Bliss); only, you are unaware of it and imagine yourself to be this
individual or that, and subjected to this limitation or that! This is the myth that must be
exploded in order that Divine Life may start. It is the Divine that inspires, that activates,
that leads and fulOils the life of each being, however simple or complex its physical
structure may be. From the Anu (atom) to the Brihath (Universe) every single entity is
moving towards the estuary where it merges in the sea of Bliss.
Divine Life is the very breath of all beings; it consists of Sathya, Prema and Ahimsa
(Truth, Love and Non-injury). For, how can any one be false to another when there is no
other at all? Falsehood comes out of fear. When there is no second, there is no fear at
all. No one is loved more than the Self: so, when all is the self-same Self, all is loved as
the Self is loved. As for himsa, who is to injure whom, when all are but one?
Every struggle to realise the Unity behind all the multiplicity is a step on the path of
Divine Life. You have to churn the milk if you wish to separate and identify the butter
that is immanent in it. So too, you have to carry on certain processes of thought and
action in order to get to the hard core of faith that this world is a funny mixture Of
Sathyam and Asathyam (real & unreal), that it is mithya (false), in fact. The Divine Life
does not admit of the slightest dross in character or delusion in intellect. So, people
dedicated to it must emphasise this by precept and example.
Page 2 of 268

!
!

!
Ignorance is just a mistake, mistaken identity of the body as the Self!
!

A mere Oive-minute inquiry will convince you that you are not the body, or the senses,
the mind or the intelligence, the name or the form, but that you are the Aathma Itself,
the same aathma that appears as all this variety. Once you get a glimpse of this truth,
hold on to it; do not allow it to slip. Make it your permanent possession.

Discourse 5 (Chitravati River Bed, Puttaparti, 23/2/1958)

The greatest defect today is the absence of Aathma vichaara (the inquiry into the
nature of the Self). That is the root cause of all this ashaanthi (restlessness). If you are
eager to know the truth about yourself, then even if you do not believe in God, you will
not go astray. The pots are all of mud, the ornaments are all of gold, the clothes are all
of yarn. There is unity where one saw only diversity; the basic substance is one and
indivisible. That is Brahman (Supreme Reality), that is the Aathma, which is your own
basic substance too.
This Aathma vichaara is best found in the Upanishaths. Just as a river's Olow is
regulated by bunds and the Olood waters are directed to the sea, so too the Upanishaths
regulate and restrict the senses, the mind and the intellect and help one to reach the
sea and merge individuality in the Absolute. Study the Upanishaths with a view to act
accordingly, to put the advice into practice.

The secret is: you should 'be', but not be as in sleep, when you are aware deep down
within you, that you are. Only, sleep is enveloped in Maayaa (Delusion). Awake from
that delusion, but immerse yourself in this sleep that is real Samaadhi (Super-
conscious state of Bliss)

Flying hither and thither, higher and higher, the bird has at last to perch on a tree for
rest. So too, even the richest and the most powerful man seeks rest, shaanthi. Peace can
be got only in one shop, in inner reality. The senses will drag you along into a mire,
which submerges you deeper and deeper in alternate joy and grief, that is to say,
prolonged discontent. Only the contemplation of unity can remove fear, rivalry, envy,
greed, desire---all the feelings that prompt discontent. Every other avenue can give only
pseudo- contentment; a day will come when you will throw away all these play-things
and toys and cry, "Lord! grant Me unrufOled peace."

Discourse 6 (Kannan High School, Chitthoor, 2/2/1958)

While studying other things, you should learn the secret of Shaanthi also. This
opportunity should not be missed, for that is the wisdom that will save you. The
present system of education aims at making you bread-winners and citizens, but it
does not give you the secret of a happy life; namely, discrimination between the unreal
and the real--,which is the genuine training you need The cultivation of viveka (dis-
crimination) is the chief aim of education; the promotion of virtuous habits, the
strengthening of Dharma, these are to be attended to; not the acquisition of polish or
gentlemanliness, or collection of general information and the practice of common
skills.

!
!
!

Page 3 of 268

First, be Oixed in the consciousness that yourself is the immortal Aathma, which is
indestructible, which is holy, pure and divine.

If you look upon nature and all created objects with the insight derived from the Inner
Vision, then attachment will slide away, though effort will remain; you will also see
everything much clearer and with a glow suffused with Divinity and splendour.

The Lord is the Immanent Power in everything; those who refuse to believe that the
image in the mirror is a picture of themselves, how can they believe in the Lord, when
He is reOlected in every object around them? The moon is reOlected in a pot, provided it
has water; so too, the Lord can be clearly seen in your heart, provided you have the
water of Prema (Love) in it. When the Lord is not reOlected in your heart, you cannot
say that there is no Lord; it only means that there is no prema in you.

!
Discourse 7 (B.Z. High School, Chittoor, 3/3/1958)

!

Discourse 8 (Y.M.I.A., Mylapore, Madras, 24/3/1958)

When that prema is Oixed on the Lord, your mental make-up will slowly and steadily
undergo a revolutionary change; then, man will share in the sorrows and joys of his
fellow-beings; thereafter, he contacts the very source of the bliss that is beyond the
temporary gains and losses of this world. Prema (Divine Love) directed to the Lord is
called bhakthi (devotion) and it is the easiest of all the paths to realise the goal.

The easiest way of grasping the basic reality is to see the Lord in every creature, the
Lord sporting in all this multiplicity, as the underlying reality of all, the Sarvabhuutha
antharaathma (Indweller in all Beings). You might wonder and even doubt how it is
possible for the Lord to dwell in every being. But have you not seen one single mango
seed grow into a tree which gives thousands of fruits, in each of which there is to be
found a seed identical to the one which was Oirst planted?

!
!

Ask for bhakthi (devotion) and for jnaana (spiritual wisdom) and I shall be happy.
Many do not crave for such things now; it is their misfortune. They are merely wasting
their precious chance.

There is no living being without the spark of love; even a mad man loves something or
somebody intensely. But, you must recognise this love as but a reOlection of the
Premaswaruupa (the embodiment of Love), that is your reality, of the God who is
residing in your heart.

!
Discourse 9 (Gokhale Hall, Madras, 25/3/1958)
!

He who is Oirmly Oixed in the faith that this world is a mirage of the mind, he alone is the
swami

You must have heard the Kaalidhaasa story. He said that he would get liberation "as
soon as I go," that is to say, as soon as the ego disappears, for then he shines in his
native splendour, as Brahman (as the indestructible Aathma). The T when crossed out
becomes the symbol of cross; so, what is cruciOied is the ego, remember. Then, the
Divine nature manifests itself unhampered.
Page 4 of 268

!
Discourse 10 (Guudur, 22/7/1958)

Well, Man is Divine, take it from Me; he is really here on a holy mission, for a divine
purpose. To consider him as mean or weak or sinful is a great mistake. That is itself a
great sin. Man must earn his birthright, namely, shaanthi (peace). Ashaanthi
(restlessness) is for him an un-natural state. His real nature is shaanthi. To recover his
heritage of shaanthi, man tries various methods: acculumation of riches, maintenance
of health, mastery of knowledge, cultivation of the arts. But these are not fundamental.
Three basic wants still remain after all these methods have been tried: the need for
reality, for light and for immortality. It is only when Sath, Jyothi and Amritham
(Existence, Divine Light and Divine Nectar) are won that Shaanthi will be stabilised.

!
Silence is the only language of the realised.
!

Discourse 11 (Nellore, 25/7/1958)

There are three types of buddhi, according to the predominance of one or other of the
three gunas: the thamas, which confuses sathyam (truth) as the asathyam (untruth)
and takes the asathyam as the sathyam; the rajas which like a pendulum swings from
one to the other, hovering between the two, unable to distinguish between them; and
the sathwa, which knows which is sathyam and which is asathyam.

Bring your thoughts constantly back to the Aathma, which is the substance of all the
objective world, the basic reality behind all this appearance.

The Oirst step in Aathma vichaara (enquiring about the Self) is the practice of the truth
that whatever gives you pain gives pain to others and whatever gives you joy, gives joy
to others. So do unto others as you would like them to do unto you; desist from any act
in relation to others which if done by them will give you pain. Thus, a kind of reciprocal
relationship will grow between you and others and gradually you reach the stage when
your heart thrills with joy when others are joyful and shudders in pain when others are
sad. This is not the kind of affection towards those who are dear to you or those who
are your kith and kin. That is a sign of delusion; but this sharing of joy and grief is
automatic, immediate, universal. It is a sign of great spiritual advance; then the wave
knows that it is part of the ocean and that all waves are but temporary manifestations
of the self-same sea having the same taste as the ocean itself.
The others are part of yourself; you need not worry about them; worry about yourself;
that is enough; when you become all right, they too will be all right, for you will no
longer be aware of them as separate from you.

The mirror of Prema reOlects the Aathma in you and reveals to you that the Aathma is
universal, immanent in every being.

The educated man must be able to distinguish between the momentary and the
momentous, the lasting and the effervescent. He must not run after glitter and glamour
but he must seek instead the good and golden.
He must know how to keep the body in good trim, the senses under strict control, the
mind well within check, the intellect sharp and clear, unhampered by prejudices and
hatreds, and the feelings untouched by egoism. He must know the Aathma too, for that
is his very care; that is the effulgence which illumines his inner and outer selves. This
Page 5 of 268

knowledge will ensure joy and peace and courage for him throughout life. Students also
must cultivate vinaya (the art of avoiding the inOliction of pain on others).

Give up the delusion you are this physical body

You are all the indestructible Aathma, believe Me; nothing need discourage you. In
dreams you suffer so much; loss of money, Oire, food, insult, etc., but you are not
affected at all. When these things happen during the waking stage, you feel afOlicted;
really, it is not the real 'you' that suffers all that. Give up the delusion that you are this
physical entity and you become really free.

Discourse 12 (Venkatagiri, 2/8/1958)

The mind seeks sukha (happiness); it feels that happiness can be got in this world from
fame, riches, land and property, from other individuals or relatives; further, it builds up
pictures of heaven where there is more intense happiness for a longer time; at last, it
discovers that eternal undiminished happiness can be got only by dwelling on the
Reality of one's own Self, which is Bliss Itself.

The jeevathathwa (the life principle) is like the grain covered up in the husk of maayaa
(delusion), as the rice is enveloped in the paddy. The maayaa has to be removed;
thejeevathathwa has to be boiled and made soft and assimilated so that it might add to
health and strength. The softened rice can be compared to Paramaathma (Supreme
Soul). The mind has to be used for this process. It has to be Oixed in the Sathyam (Truth)
and the Nithyam (Everlasting). To
remove the husk of delusion, viveka (discrimination) is an instrument.
Develop the power of discrimination and Oind out which is permanent and which is not,
which is beneOicial and which is not.

Even in selecting a Guru, you should use your viveka. Not all clouds are rain-bearing. A
real teacher will be able to attract seekers from afar merely by his personality. He need
not be talked about in glowing terms; his presence will be felt and aspirants will hurry
towards him, like bees towards a lotus in full bloom.

!
Moksha lies in the suukshma" they say---"Liberation can be achieved by subtle means."
!
!

Women are called "weak" because they yield to anger and sorrow much more easily
than men; so I would ask them to take extra pains to overcome these two.
Naamasmarana is the best antidote for this and if only men and women take up to it,
the Lord will come to their rescue. That will instil the faith that everything is God's Will
and teach that you have no right to exult or despair.

Discourse 13 (Rajamundry, 1/9/1958)

Become conscious of your kinship with the Lord. That kinship is not a mere fancy or a
faked theory. It has come down since ages, from the beginning of Time itself. It will
persist till the very end of Time, or, in other words, till the end of Time so far as you are
concerned.

There is in every one a spark of truth; no one can live without that spark. There is in
every one a Olame of love; life becomes a dark void without it. That spark, that Olame is
God, for He is the source of all Truth and all Love. Man seeks truth; he seeks to know
Page 6 of 268

the reality because his very nature is derived from God who is Truth. He seeks Love, to
give it and share it, for his nature is of God and God is Love.

Meditate on the truth and you will Oind that you are but a sparkling bubble upon the
waters; born on water, living for a brief moment on water and dying upon its breast,
merging in it. You owe your birth to God: you subsist on God and you merge in God.
Every living thing has to reach that consummation; why, every non-living thing too.

You may be 'unafraid,' you may not fear anything else, but you have to fear Truth. There
is nothing so awe-inspiring as Truth; your Truth, for example, for your Truth is the
Truth of the Universe.

He is everywhere, everything is His, His gaze is on all. If God was not all this how could
they shine, or exist even as much as they do now?

!
Discourse 14 (Mirthipadu, 2/9/1958)

!

Discourse 15 (Peddapuram, 3/9/1958)

Be like lions in the spiritual Oield, rule over the forest of the senses and roam fearlessly
with full faith in victory. Be heroes, not zeros; for Maanava (man) is of the nature of
Maadhava (God); he is the imperishable eternal Aathma!

In the night of Vyaamoha (utter delusion), the Lord can be seen only by the light that
He himself is, namely, the light of pure prema (love). He is Sathyam and Nithyam (Truth
and Eternal) and so He is beyond the categories of mithya or jagath (falsity and
change).

!
"I am you and you are all I"
!

The leaders of the people must have faith in their own Aathma and the conOidence born
of that; then they can lead others; then they will not lead them astray, for they will feel
kinship with the basic Aathma in all.

!
Understand yourself and that will reveal Me to you, for I am you and you are all I.
!
There is no need to retire into a forest or a cave to know your inner Truth and to
conquer your lower nature.

Discourse 16 (Venkatagiri Town, 9/9/1958)

My mission will succeed. I have come to illumine the human heart with the Light Divine
and to rid man of the delusion that drags him away from the path of shaanthi (peace),
the perfect equanimity born of Realisation.

Discourse 17 (Arkonam, 14/12/1958)

Divinity is inherent, immanent in every jeevi and the process of reminding man of that
fact began with the very dawn of human history. What has to be done to lead the Divine
Life is just the removal of the fog which hides the Truth and makes man imagine he is
something else; something inferior, evanescent, material, momentary. All are holy, pure,
part of eternity. But these things shine in each in proportion to the saadhana, just as
Page 7 of 268

bulbs spread illumination according to the wattage. There is no body which is not
sustained by the Absolute; there is no name that does not indicate the Universal. All
objects are suffused by that Principle; all names are attributes of its Glory.

But the Bliss that one gets when he dwells on the Aathma, the source and spring of all
joy, is unbounded and imperishable. That is the real joy.

No one can liberate you, for no one has bound you. You hold on to the nettle of worldly
pleasure and you weep for pain.
The kite is pursued by crows so long as it carries the Oish in its beak; it twists and turns
in the sky trying to dodge the crows who seek to snatch the Oish; tired at last, it drops
the Oish. That moment it is free.
So give up the attachment to the senses, then grief and worry can harass you no more.
The kite sits on a tree, preening its wings, enjoying its happiness. You too can be so
happy, provided you drop the Oish you have in your beak.

!
!

Discourse 18 (Thiruvanantapuram, 20/12/1958)

To see the Lord's own loveliness in the lovely scenery around you requires not the
outer eye but the inward eye. If you develop that, walking over the land or voyaging
over the waters is itself a pilgrimage through holy land, giving you glimpses of God in
every speck of cloud or patch of green. But all this Sundharam (Divine Beauty) must
lead man to Sathyam (Truth) and all this Sathyam to Mangalam (Goodness). That is the
natural path. The beauty of the Lord's handiwork leads man on to the glow of the Lord;
the picture makes you curious about the Painter. The Lord, when His Truth is grasped,
confers Bliss which is auspiciousness itself.

Like underground water, the Divine is there, in every one, remember. The Lord is
Sarvabhuutha antharaathma (Indweller in all beings), Sarvavyaapi (All-pervading). He
is the Aathma (Soul) of every being. He is in you as much as in every one else.

Discourse 19 (Pranti Nilayam, Mahashivaratri, 7/2/1959)

The waning of the Moon is the symbol for the waning of the mind; for the mind has to
be controlled, reduced and Oinally destroyed. All Saadhana is directed towards this end.
Manohara---the mind has to be killed---so that Maayaa may be rent asunder and the
reality revealed.

Just as Om is the verbal symbol of God, the Lingam is the symbolic form of the Godhead.
It is just a form. Everything is maayaa (delusion) and to grasp it, you must deal with
maayaa. Otherwise you cannot realise the Maayaa Shakthi (Deluding Power). God is as
immanent in the Universe as life is immanent in the egg. The chicken is in every part of
the egg; so too, God is in every part of the world. I prefer the description
Sarvaantharyaami (inner ruler of all) to the description, Sarvabhuutha antharaathma
(Inmost soul of all beings). All are in this Hall, each one has no Hall in him, is it not? In
the same way, all are in Him; which is better than saying, He is in all.

Do not tell me that you do not care for that Bliss, that you are satisOied with the
delusion and are not willing to undergo the rigours of sleeplessness. Your basic nature,
believe Me, abhors this dull, dreary routine of eating, drinking, and sleeping. It seeks
something which it knows it has lost---shaanthi (inward contentment). It seeks
Page 8 of 268

liberation from bondage to the trivial and the temporary. Every one craves for it in his
heart of hearts. And it is available only in one
shop---Contemplation of the Highest Self, the basis of all this appearance.

Discourse 20 (Venkatagiri, Adhyaatmik Conference, 12/4/1959)

If you acquire prema, then you can dispense with the Shaasthras, for the purpose of all
the Shaasthras is just that: to create the feeling of Sarvajana samaana prema (equal
love for all); and to negate egoism which
stands in the way. Reason too, if it comes in the way of this love, is to be discarded as
'perverted'.

No one need do anything positive to discover the Aathma; when the 'cover' of illusion is
denied and destroyed, it will reveal itself in all its glory. What is needed is the removal
of the fog, the cloud, the miasma, and the casting off of all the clinging curtains that
limit the self into the body and its adjuncts.

The world is an illusion and all is Brahman only for one who has reached the ultimate
goal; but until Realisation dawns, one has to wait patiently, hoping and preparing.

Discourse 21 (Bangalore, Akhanda Bhajan, 10/7/1959)

So real shaanthi is to be got only in the depths of the spirit, in the discipline of the
mind, in faith in the One Base of all this seeming multiplicity. When that is secured, it is
like having gold, you can have any variety of jewels made from it.

It is all a matter of one's own experience. And the joy of that experience, the profound
exhilaration which accompanies it cannot be communicated in words. All shravanam
and keerthanam (hearing and singing God's Names) is to take you nearer that
experience.

Thejeevi (individual soul) has come to this birth in order to reveal the splendour of the
spark of Godhead which It is.

You should see and wonder at the nithyam (eternal) in all this anithyam (temporary).
This drama has only two actors jada and Chaithanya (the insentient and the Supreme
Consciousness), who play a million roles. Just as Violinist Chowdiah here who played
ten ragas (musical tunes) now and can play 400 ragas on the four strings, jada and
Chaithanya together play all these roles. Out of a mere 26 letters of the alphabet all the
words in the dictionary are formed and millions of books get written, read and
understood. But you should see through this drama and discover the Director who is
none else than God.

Bhakthi has to be developed by several means or indeed by all means. The mind and
the intellect have to be trained and controlled, that is the aim. They can take you as far
as the Visishtaadhwaitha (qualiOied dualism); later , adhwaithic (non- dualistic)
experience depends upon His Grace; the Saayujyam (merging in the Absolute) is in His
Hands.

It is to clear the path of spiritual progress of Man that the Avathaar (Divine
Incarnation) has come. The ashaanthi (restlessness) in which man is immersed has to
be curbed. That is what is meant by, parithraanaaya saadhoonam---"the saving of
Page 9 of 268

saadhus," the saving of all good jeevis (individual beings) from the tentacles of ashaanti
(grief) caused by want of knowledge of the relative unimportance of worldly things.

Prahlaadha was shivering at the Narasimha (Man-Lion) Form when it appeared from
the pillar and when the Lord asked him why, he replied that it was due not to fear at the
form of God, for as he said, all forms of His are lovely as they are Divine; it was due to
fear that the Form might soon disappear and he might lose the splendid Vision of the
Lord.

All the joy you crave for, is in you; but, like a man who has vast riches in the iron chest,
but, who has no idea where the key is, you suffer. With proper directions, dwelling
upon them in the silence of meditation, it is possible to secure the key, open the chest
and be rich in joy.

!
Discourse 22 (Thirupati, Thyagabrahma Utsava, 11/7/1957)
!
Discourse 23 (Budili Village, 9/9/1959)

!
Discourse 24 (Madakasira, 25/11/1959)

God is the moving force in every one. He is behind all good impulses and useful
attitudes, you are all separate beads strung together on that one thread, God. So hatred
is ugly, unnatural and inhuman; it is against the very core of love that is in every one.

Discourse 25 (Markandeya Sanskrit College, Aukiripalli, 22/1/1960)

Usually, when you are asked where God is, you point to the sky or some such distant
place and say He is there, as if He is just a Person and has a deOinite place of Residence.
But nara (man) himself is Naaraayana (God), each one of them; Maadhava is maanava,
each one of the species. So the number of Gods is thirty- three crores, as given in the
Shaasthras or, as can be calculated today, much more. It is delusion that has induced
Naaraayanaswaruupa (embodiment of God) to imagine and behave as if he is just a
nara (man). To remove that delusion, there are various means suited to the needs of
each sufferer. But all the treatment and all the struggle is to achieve the experience of
being Naaraayana and discard the limited, bound, relative entity, nara. That is the one
harvest yielded by all the various processes. Until one understands oneself, the
delusion and the resultant grief cannot be ended.

Let me tell you that you cannot understand Me and My Secret without Oirst
understanding yourselves. For, if you are too weak to grasp your own Reality, how can
you hope to fathom the much grander Reality of My advent? To grasp My meaning, you
have to tear into tatters the doubts and theories you now have and cultivate Prema, for
the embodiment of Prema can be understood only through Prema.

I am telling you out of the fullness of Prema, on the basis of the right I have to chastise
you and direct you along the path.

If only men knew the path to permanent joy and peace, they will not wander distracted
among the bye-lanes of sensual pleasure.
Just:as the joy felt in dreams disappears when you wake, the joy felt in the waking stage
disappears when you wake into the higher awareness, called jnaana.
Page 10 of 268

Use the moment while it is available, for the best of uses, the awareness of the Divine in
all.
When you die, you must die not like a tree or a beast or a worm, but, like a Man who
has realised that he is Maadhava (God). That is the consummation of all the years you
spend in the human frame.

Discourse 26 (Gokhale Hall, Madras, 25/6/1960)

There are four things in which every man must interest himself.' "Who am I?
Wherefrom have I come? Whither am I going? How long shall I be here?" The four
Vedhas give the answers to these four questions. All spiritual inquiry begins with these
questions and attempts to Oind out the answers. Suppose there is a letter put into the
post box without the address to which it should go or the address from which it has
come. It will not reach anywhere. It is a waste to have written it. So too, it is a waste to
have come into this world, if it is not known wherefrom you came and whereto you go.
The letter will go to the dead letter ofOice! The jeevi (individual soul) will be caught in
the cycle of birth and death and can never Oind itself. For this, Aathma vichaara
(enquiry about the Self) and for the successful arrival at the correct answers, saadhana
(spiritual discipline) is essential. The answers must become part of your experience.

In every one of you, God is the moving spirit, the very Soul; how then can you be evil,
when you are here for fulOilling God's purpose, according to his Will, His plan, His law?

In your own heart you have the entity which is beyond time and space; and if you go on
contacting it by the Pranava or by any other symbol, the wild thoughts and impulses
will not dare to approach you.

Prema (Love) is the weapon: vichaara (enquiry) is the wheel which must be revolved
perpetually to get the light of prema.

Discourse 27 (Akhanda Bhajan, Bangalore, 10/7/1959)

All the taste and all the forces and roar of the Wave are derived from the Ocean and
they disappear into the Ocean itself. The disappearance of the
wave form and the wave-name is called Moksha (Liberation): that is, merging of the
wave in the ocean from which it seemed to differ. De-individualisation is in other
words, Moksha.

Sixteen qualities to be developed

He must be a (1) Bhaktha, (2) a Thapoyuktha, (3) a Samsaara Muktha, (4) a
Paadasaktha of the Lord, (5) a Vihitha, (6) a Dhaanasahitha, (7) Yaso-mahitha, (8) a
Kalmasha rahitha, (9) a Poorna, (10) a Gunagana, (11) an Uththeerana, (12) a Vidhyaa-
vikeerna, (13) a Jnaana vistheerana (14) Swaantha, (15) a Saclhguna kraantha, (16) a
Vinaya vishraantha, and Oinally, a Paadhaswaantha of the Lord or afteast he must pray,
with verbal repetition of each word, for the growth in him of each of these attainments
which will take him nearer the goal.

Baaba meant that a spiritual seeker should be (1) full of devotion, (2) prepared to enjoy
suffering, (3) free from the attachment to the transitory, (4) eager to serve the Lord, (5)
of correct conduct, (6) charitable, (7) having an unsullied reputation, (8) with no
blemish on his character, (9) fully content, (10) endowed with good qualities, (11)
equipped with all the virtues, (12) equipped with the fruits of learning, (13) ripe in
Page 11 of 268

wisdom, (14) self-controlled, (15) adorned with commendable social traits, (16) full of
humility and fully surrendered to God. If he has these virtues, (here Baaba quoted the
last line of the song he had just composed, "vaade nenoudhu, nene vaadoudu"---"He is I,
I am He".

When you carry on such effort unbroken, the Lord Himself will come as your Guide.
When Madhurakavi was doing thapas (penance), he saw a big pillar of Light in front of
him reaching up to the sky and he saw Dakshinaamurthy in that Light. Then the pillar
moved on and on so that he could follow it and at last, the Light led him on to
Nammaalwaar who agreed to be his Guru (spiritual preceptor)! The Guru later made
him realise the Reality.

Pray to Him and He reveals Himself. He is the yarn in the cloth, the gold in this seeming
variety of jewellery; he is the mud in all this pottery; he is that water that sustains all
these waves. Once you have realised this, you will be
Oilled with love and respect for all, for all are the same Form as the Lord Himself.

Vemana Then the idea suddenly struck him that if the picture could cause sorrow in
him and bring tears, the image too can evoke joy and bring tears to those who know the
beauty and the glory of the Lord. The image was just a reminder of the Presence of the
Lord everywhere and in everything.

Discourse 28 (Sathya Sai Hospital, Pranti Nilayam, 21/9/1960)

The greatest disease (or absence of ease) is the absence of Shaanthi; when the mind
gets peace, the body also will have health.

You have been born because you did not pass in certain subjects; there is some balance
of experience which you must acquire to complete the course. If you get convinced that
your true nature is the Aathma, then you have Oinished, the course and 'passed'.

For reaching that stage, you should start with the cultivation of the "feeling of kinship
with all beings",---Sarvasamaanabhaava--- as it is called. It is very difOicult to get it; but
that is the only way to see the Aathma that is in all. For example, a person with that
bhaava (sincerity of feeling) will not be happy at the killing of animals for food or even
hunting them. Why should you go seeking the animal to its den, lie in wait for it and lay
traps for it, so that you may derive pleasure by killing it? Prema should be cultivated
towards all beings, in order that you may see the Sarvabhootha antharaathma (Inmost
Self in all beings). The Aathma is Omnipresent; do not think it is found only in persons
belonging to certain castes or colours or creeds; or that it is of a big size in fat people or
of a brilliant nature in rich people. It is consistently Sath, Chith and Aanandha (Being,
Awareness, Bliss Absolute) in every being. Saadhana has to go a long way to win this
outlook.

Discourse 29 (Pranti Nilayam, 27/9/1960)

The sammoha (confusion) of Arjuna was the feeling of'I' and 'Mine.' All of a sudden he
began to feel that he was the killer, that he would be responsible and that they were his
teachers and elders and relations. This Mamakaara (feeling of mine) has to go, the 'I'
has to be crossed and all words, deeds and thoughts have to be dedicated to the Lord.

Do all karma as actors in a play, keeping

Page 12 of 268

your identity separate and not attaching yourself too much to your role. Remember
that the whole thing is just a play and the Lord has assigned to you a part; act well your
part, there all your duty ends. He has designed the play and He enjoys it.

Aathma is the ocean, Prakrithi (Nature) is just a wave of that vast ageless, boundless
ocean and the deevi is just a drop of that wave. You cannot give up the wave or the sea.
You can only merge the name and form of the drop. Once you enter the depths of the
sea, it is all calm, it is all peace; agitation, noise, confusion---all are only on the outer
layers. So also in the innermost recesses of the heart, there is a reservoir of Shaanthi
where you must take refuge.

Thirumalaachar called this attitude Aathma-arpana (offering of the Self), but the
Aathma is He Himself; and so, what do you mean by offering Him to Himself?. What you
would offer at His Feet is
your egoism, your aham-kaara! Offer all the pride, all the separateness, all the delusion,
all the attachment that the egoism has proliferated into! That is the worship you have
to do. Bring to Me all the evil in you, and leaving it here take from Me what I have, viz.,
Prema; learn Sarva sama bhaavana---the capacity to see all as 'moved and motivated by
the One Paramaathma (Supreme Reality or Self)'.

You forgot that you are the Aathma and now you remember that you are the Aathma.
That is all the progress you have to achieve; it all looks so easy, but it is one of the
hardest of assignments. The ear is so near to the eye; but it can never see it direct!

As he said, I am the inspirer and it is for your beneOit that he has summarised My
Teachings in this way. It is said "Ekam Sathyam, vimalam, achalam"---"the One Truth is
pure and unshakable."

That is the genuine Geetha, this lesson of Sharanaagathi. Increase faith, walk in the path
of a Dharma, get rid of Vyaamoha and Ajnaana (delusion and ignorance), cleanse the
chiththa vrithhi (agitations of the mind), and know that He is the Aathma and that you
too are the Aathma.

Discourse 30 (Pranti Nilayam, 29/9/1960)

You will have noticed that Uddhava, who looked upon Krishna as his Guru, beneOitted
more than Arjuna who looked upon Him as a sakha' (a friend). If you have faith that He
is God, He will be God to you; if you dismiss Him as mere man, He takes on that role and
becomes useless for you. Search for Him with the heart, not with the eye for externals.
The superpower has to be sought in the super-state itself, not in the lower states. Then,
if you have the eyes that are Oit to see and the wisdom to understand, you will Oind Him.

Vishnu, Shambhu, Shaaradha, Allah are all different degrees of human understanding of
the One Unsolved Mystery, the Fathomless InOinite and Absolute. You should not seek
variety, seek unity. Do not enter into quarrels about higher and lower; when the same
person is honoured by different titles, why should you quarrel over the superiority or
inferiority of the title. They all fall short of His Total Glow.

Your attempt should be to attain and become the Nithyam and Sathyam (Eternal and
Truth). Sathyam is that which is the same in the past, present and future; the same in
the waking, dreaming and deep sleep stages: and which is unaffected by Thamoguna,
Rajoguna and Sathwaguna (qualities of sloth, passion and serenity).
Page 13 of 268

There is no need to exhaust yourselves in the search for the Lord; He is there like butter
in milk, like the chicken in the egg,
immanent in every atom of creation. He does not come from somewhere or go
somewhere else. He is there, here, everywhere. From the anu (atom) to the ghana
(great), from the microcosm to the macrocosm, He is everything.

There are two duties to be done by man; the one along the Dharmamaarga (path of
righteousness) for this world and the one along the Brahmamaarga (path of Supreme
Reality) for eternal liberation. The Dharmamaarga is the left hand, and so it can be left.
Why, it will leave of itself after the fruit becomes ripe. That is why it is called 'left'!
Leave it and do not grieve over it. But hold on to the right, the Brahmamaarga; for it is
'right' that you should do so.

I am not inOluenced by anybody, remember. There is no one who can change My course
or affect My conduct to the slightest extent. I am the Master over all.

If by acting your role well you develop Love towards fellow- actors, that is more
important than getting devotion for God. If you acquire Shaanthi (Peace), that is a more
valuable success than acquiring jnaana (spiritual wisdom). For Bhakthi is the seed of
Prema and Jnaana is the seed of Shaanthi.

Discourse 31 (Pranti Nilayam, 29/9/1960)

Prema that thrills and Oills the mind with joy and hope. Pothana, Nandhanaar,
Jayadheva, Gouranga, Thukaaraam, Meera, Purandharadhaasa, Thyaaga-raaja and
others were thrilled so much at the very thought of the Lord, because they had the
Prema in such a pure and overpowering form.

I have now fallen into your grasp, the very Treasure that you have been searching for,
because our relationship is Aathmic, not secular or trained. In all other places, your are
Oleeced; for the relationship is based on the purse. In some places, it is based on caste
or scholarship or some other incidental trait; here, it is the attachment that the
Naaraayana has for Nara, the Ocean for the stream, the Universal for the Particular.
Here, every one must become unlimited, escaping from bonds that limit him.

In order to get an idea of a mountain it is not enough if you show a stone and say, "The
mountain is a million times the size of this." You will have to see an actual mountain, at
least from a distance. The "beyond" is very incomprehensible.

Science is like the letter C, always with a gap in the middle, with a gap that is unOilled.
Religion alone has Oilled that gap, for it knows the Reality that persists in the three
stages, in the three tenses and in the three worlds. So, religion is the three O'sh a full
circle, which may enlarge as you know more and more of the glory of the Lord, but
which is ever Full and complete. At the end of it all, we are at the beginning again.

Discourse 32 (Pranti Nilayam, 30/9/1960)

That Reality can be demar-cated only by the criterion of "Not this." Brahman is posited
and described by a process of negation or elimination, 'nethi, nethi' ('not this, not this').
In this artiOicial world, all is an artiOicial mixture of name and form, which are both
artiOicial too. To get the conviction that this created world is mithya (a mixture of truth
Page 14 of 268

and falsehood) is very difOicult indeed. When your head knocks against a wall, it is
difOicult to believe that the wall is half false, that its name and form are a Oiction of the
deluded imagination and that its real truth is the basic Brahma!

But this Jnaana (spiritual wisdom) every one has to achieve some day or the other. It
can be got through Bhakthi or Karma or Raajayoga. These three are only different
names for the process of churning the milk for getting the butter which is immanent in
it. Once the butter has been got and rolled into a ball, it can be kept separate and un-
impaired in the liquid where it was all the time. Similarly, the Jnaani (liberated person)
can continue in the world free from attachment, once he has realised that he is of the
same substance as the Immanent Brahman. When that Brahman is seen through
Maayaa, it appears as Saguna (endowed with qualities) and is referred to as Lord or
Bhagavaan.

You are also of the same nature as the Aathma with Mahaashakthi, but like the Prince
who has fallen into a den of robbers and is growing up there, the Aathma has not
recognised its true identity, that is all. Though he does not know, he is nevertheless a
Prince, whether he is in the palace or in a forest or in the robber's cave. Very often, the
Prince will have got intimations of his real status, a craving for the Aanandha that was
his heritage, a call from his inner consciousness to escape and become himself. That is
the hunger of the soul; the thirst for lasting joy. You are all like the man who has
forgotten his name. The hunger of the mind can be appeased only by the acquisition of
Jnaana.

!
When the mind is eliminated, then Jnaana shines forth in its full glow.
!

After the experience of Sarvam Brahmaath-makam, that is to say, after the realisation
that everything is basically and completely Brahman, life cannot be sustained for more
than 21 days. Such a person is no longer in Mithyaloka (this deluding world); so he
cannot have any desire or activity. Even food and drink become meaningless. How can
Brahman need Brahman and Brahman recognise Brahman as food and Brahman as
drink? All the nuts and bolts will fall away; the heart will dry up and the body will
collapse. Saadhana is just holding the mirror before the self; the mirror, if it is clean and
polished, reveals the Self and that is Aathma saakshaatkaara (Realisation of the Self).
All have Aathmic uniformity, the truth of every one is the same.

As a result of Jnaana, Thirumalaachaar said, Maayaa goes, but Maayaa does not 'come'
and Maayaa does not 'go.' When a light is brought into this hall, you say that light has
come and darkness has gone, but where has it gone? Put out the light, it is dark! The
darkness does not come from where it had gone, suddenly, through the doors and Oill
the hall. It is there all the time. It did not go. Only the hall was lit and light prevaiIed. So
also, when the Grace of the Lord is won, Jnaana will prevail and the delusion of
separateness is powerless.

Prahlaadha never called upon his father or mother, as children do, when he was
tortured; he did not appeal to the torturers to save him; he saw in those cruel
henchmen the Naaraayana he adored. Everything, everybody, was Naaraayana for him.
Adhwaitha (non-dualism) in practice, the culmination of Bhakthi, Sampuurna Jnaana
(fully realised spiritual knowledge), liberated him. The vision of this Ekathwa
(oneness) is the highest reward the Adhwaithin (the non-dualist) seeks.

Page 15 of 268

The jnaani will not look upon Me as wearing this dress, yellow gown today or pink
gown tomorrow; he will penetrate to the Thathwa (real nature) behind this Form and
know that this Body is but a dress worn for a purpose. The coming Avathaar of this
Thathwa will have another dress. You get full Jnaana by the analysis of the knowledge
of the Sell Unless you know yourself, you cannot know Me.

To reach the stage when even "Sarvam Brahma Mayam" (All is Brahmam) is realised as
an understatement (because that statement postulates two entities: Sarvam and
Brahman, and the experience of Brahman alone, IS), you have got to go a long way.

!
The Grace of the Lord is needed for the dawn of Jnaana also.
!
Discourse 33 (Puttaparti, 23/11/1960)

Joy is your birthright; Peace is your inmost nature.

Discourse 34 (Pranti Nilayam, Birthday Festival, 23/11/1960)

It is just the gold in all the jewels, the base and the substance, however many forms and
whatever shapes the jewels may have. To become a particular jewel is to lose the
Universal nature or rather to limit it. To lose the name and form of gold and become a
jewel is to feel separate, to forget the One. The Aathma does not change, no one can
transform it.

The jewel must know it is not, it was not, it will not be oval or square or Olat or round,
or anklet or necklace or ring or bangle. It must yearn to know its real nature and
become aware of the basic truth, apart from the unreal appearance. When it becomes
gold again or rather when it ceases to think of itself as anything but gold, it can be said
to have attained Bliss. Because you have taken residence in this body, you cannot call
the body, I. When you sit here in this Hall, you do not call Hall I; you know you are
separate and that you are here only temporarily. When you move about in a tonga
(horse-cart), you do not say that the tonga is you, do you? You do not take the tonga
inside when you step down from it on reaching home. So also, you have to drop this
body when you reach home.
The T in you is Paramaathma (Supreme Being) Himself. T is the tiny wavelet that
plays with the wind for a movement, over the deep waters of the sea. The wave gives
you the impression that it is separate from the azure and timeless ocean below. But it is
just an appearance, a creation of the two ideas Name and Form. Get rid of the two
ideas and the wave disappears in the sea; its reality Olashes upon you and you know
Paramaathma reveals Its Glory as Prema (Love) in man All these (Prema appear(ing)
in various forms) are sparks of the same Olame and the Love of the Universal is the
highest expression. This Prema cannot be cultivated by reading guide-books and made-
easies and learning the steps by rote. It has to begin with a great yearning for the Light,
an unbearable agony to escape from the Darkness and see Light, as in the prayer,
Thamaso maa jyothir gamaya. The yearning itself will draw down the Light. The Love
will grow of itself and by its slow and inevitable alchemy turn you into Gold.

There is nothing so grand and so sublime as the Lord in whom you Oind refuge. Call on
Him by an Name or speak of Him as the Nameless one. It is both Sa-aakaara and Nir-
aakaara (with Form and Formless). The ocean takes the form of the vessel which
contains a part of it. When that is done, the Formless takes Form; the Absolute is
Page 16 of 268

reduced to the Particular. You will Oind out, however, that all the joy is derived from the
Form-full aspect of God; the Formless causes no joy or grief; it is beyond all duality.

The Bhaktha sails on an even keel; he has inner peace, a spring of joy which sustains
him and keeps him together.

You must tread the spiritual path with an uncontrollable urge to reach the Goal; you
must cultivate the yearning for liberation from all this encumberance.

Discourse 35 (Chitravati River Bed, Vaikunta Ekadasi, 28/12/1960)

Indra insulted Dhurvaasa because he was blinded by the power of ofOice; the curse of
the sage forced him to re-think about his Reality, to discvoer his innate status. Then, he
found that he was Amritham, of the same nature as Parabrahman (Supreme Reality)
Itself. In fact, he came to know that he was Parabrahman, moving about in the delusion
that he was Indhra! The churning is the symbol of the Saadhana needed to remove the
veil of delusion, more speciOically, the Raajayoga Saadhana (royal path of integral
spirituality). When the Dhaivi Shakthi (Power of Divinity) declines and evil impulses
predominate, even the Dhevas fall; they lose their special privilegs and rights. Once
anritha (falsehood) enters into the character, you lose contact with Amrita. He dies
many deaths, who is false, afraid of truth, blind to his own glorious heritage of
immortality.

Satya (Truth) is that which is Nitya (eternal). Falsehood is poison; truth is nectar. Truth
alone confers splendor or Divyatvam (divinity).

As I said, Indra insulted Durvasa and invited upon himself the anger of that sage
because of the ignorance of his fundamental reality, his ajnana (ignorance), which
plunged him in pride. What should be done to restore him to sanity is to re-teach him
the Atmic (universal spiritual) basis of all the pomp and pageantry of ofOice, the
evanescence that is immanent in all created things.

The only reality is the twin-bird on the tree, the Jivtm (individual soul) that tastes
the fruits and suffers and the Paramtm (Supreme Soul) that sits unmoved and
merely looks on.

Mans duty is to achieve unity with the Shiva-Shakthi for he is but a spark that has
emanated from it; he is but a Olame of the Eternal Fire.

The Bhaktha is humble and bides his time; he knows that there is a higher power
that knows more and that it is just and impartial. In the light of that knowledge, the
Bhaktha will communicate his troubles and problems only to his Lord; he will not
humiliate himself by talking about them to all and sundry, for what can a man, who is
as helpless as himself, do to relieve him? It is only those who have that implicit faith in
God, who will deign to communicate only with the Lord and none else, who deserve
Amrita (nectar of immortality).

Come to Me, eager to learn, to progress, to see Yourself in Me, and I shall certainly
welcome you and show you the way.

The thirst has to be like that of the creeper for the tree-trunk, of the magnet for the
iron, of the bee for the Olower, of the waters for a fall, of the river for the sea. The pangs
Page 17 of 268

of separation must gnaw the heart; the entire being must yearn for union Ceaseless
contemplation of the Lord will give ceaseless taste of Amrita to you.

What you have heard and seen must be spoken out, without exaggeration or
abridgement; that is Satya (truth-speaking). Of course, when the mind is controlled, the
intelligence is sharpened and puriOied; you see the One everywhere, in everything, at all
times; then that One becomes the only truth, which yousee, hear and speak of --- for,
there is nothing else to see or hear.

!
!
!
!
!

Vol. 2!
!

Discourse 1 (Pranti Nilayam, 14/2/1961)

So too all discussion whether this Sai is that Sai or that Sai or this Sai, is irrelevant. The
same sugar is poured into different moulds to prepare, several types of sweets. So also,
Rama, Sai, Satya Sai all are the same sugar; that is enough for the aspirant; he will
realize the truth in good time There is no one in this world who does not belong to
me; all are Mine. They may not call out My Name or any Name, but, still they are Mine.

Discourse 2 (Naga Sai Mandir, Coimbatore, 26/2/1961)

It is a never-ending process, this pursuit of Prakriti (objective world), this attempt to

unravel the mysteries of maya (illusion). If you yearn for Joy and Peace, turn rather to
the Lord who lays down the Law; that is the lesion that all thinking men are learning
now.

The Chairman said that the world is becoming Saimayam (full of Sai), that Sainamam
(name of Sai) is on every ones lips. I want that it should go deeper. And I do not insist
that it should be the Name, Sai. The world must become Paramtm-mayam; that is all,
however many Names and Forms that Paramtm (Supreme Soul) may have on the lips
of people and before their mental eyes. It is the same substance poured into different
moulds. Like sugar dolls which children seek, cats and dogs, cows and horses, they are
all of the SELF-same sweetness; this child prefers this shape and this name; the one
weeps for another doll.

You know that the dream world is a fantastic world of nonsense, where Oifty years are
compressed into Oive minutes and where weird incidents and things are taken as
actually present and experienced. But let Me tell you from the stage of Realisation, even
the waking stage, when you analyse the dreams and declare them as invalid, is equally
without validity. Therefore, have a sense of values, a scale of values rather; give
everything, everyone, its worth or his worth, not a whit more.

Baba is beyond the keenest intellect, the sharpest brain. Why even the Sapta Rishis
failed to grasp the Sublimity of Godhead. Mahlsapati, Das Ganu, Mudolkar, Kaka Saheb
saw but the fringe; Dada has just a glimpse. So, do not try to delve into me.

Page 18 of 268

Bhakti, Jnana and Vairagya are the three stages of spiritual progress. Bhakti (deoviton)
is the Primary school stage; it leads one on to Jnana (sacred knowledge), the High
School stage; by means of Jnana, everything is cognized as Brahman (Supreme Reality)
and the attitude of Vairagya (non-attachment) is established. That is the College stage
of the Education of the Self.

Discourse 3 (Udumalpet, 27/2/1961)

You are born, you grow, you live and you merge, all in Anandam (Bliss); that is the
Truth, though very few know it.

Develop faith in the tm and in the Sastras they are the two eyes which will help you
to gain the Vision.

Once a person came to Me and argued that there was no God and he was not prepared
to believe ino ne. Well, I asked him, Have you faith at least in yourself Which is your
Self? Your self is God. You have faith in your judgment, your intelligence, your ability,
because God within you tells you not to falter or fear. That assurance wells from within,
from your basic truth, which is otherwise called God.

!
!

Discourse 4

But reading all this (predictions for year ahead regarding economy and agriculture)
only increases your worries, your restlessness. Take things as and when they come.

Take care of the Panchangams (Oive-limbed almanacs) within you; that is more vital.
The panchangams within you are the Oive senses; educate the mind to hold them in
check then you can have peace of mind, whatever the rise in the market rates or the
quantity of rain.

You will have observed that when your train is stationary, another train moving along
another line gives you the feeling that it is your train that moves. If you watch your
coach, Oix your attention on your train, you know the truth. Similarly, as long as your
attention is turned on the other, the outer, your knowledge is based on illusion. Once
you divert the attention to yourself, you can discover the truth, viz., though the world
moves, you are still.

The ocean drops rose as vapour, joined the congregation called cloud, fell on the earth,
Olowed along the ravines, and at last reached the ocean. Reach like-wise the ocean you
have lost. Start on that journey and travel quick and light.

Discourse 5 (Thirupati, 6/4/1961)

In spiritual matters, it is experience alone that is the deciding factor. Reason is

rendered dumb before the testimony of actual experience. All the arguments of logic,
all the tricks of dialectics are powerless to nullify the direct effect of that inner
evidence.

Of course, all the Worship carried out with the idea that the idol is life-less wood or stone
or bronze, is so much waste of time. but if it is done in the full confidence that the image or
idol is alive, saturated with consciousness and power, then, image worship can bestow the
Realisation of God-head itself.
Page 19 of 268

The moment he realised that the ideal was full of Chith (consciousness), he got the
Realisation he was struggling for. Therefore, the saadhaka should see, not the stone which is
the material stuff of the idol, but the Power that is inherent in it, that is symbolised by it, the
same Power that is inherent in his own heart and that pervades and transcends all creation.

Discourse 6 (Perambur, Madras, 23/4/1961)

Athaatho Brahma Jijnaasa - After this the discussion on the nature of Brahman
- says the Brahmasuuthra (aphorisms on the Supreme Reality). After what? After the
cultivation of Viveka and Vairaagya, naturally. How can they be implanted? By the Oirst
three Purushaarthas (primary goals of life) - dharma, artha and kama (righteousness,
wealth and desire - fulOilment) the practice of dharma is the Art of Living. That is why
in the Geetha, Krishna taught Arjuna Karmasanyaasa (giving up the fruits of action),
not Dehasanyaasa (giving up the body).

Shankaraachaarya said that an alligator had grasped his legs, meaning that the world
or samsaara had caught him in its coils; he told his mother that the alligator would
release its hold only if she agreed to his becoming a monk! Strange alligator, that! It
only meant: if he renounced all bonds, he would be free to proceed to the Truth.

Steading perseverance alone will tame your mind; and it is only through a tamed mind
that you can experience God.

How are all equal? Because they have all the same Divine Chaithanya within them.
When the sun rises, not all lotuses in the lake bloom; only the grown buds opens with
their petals. The others await their time. It is the same with men. Differences do exist
because of unripeness, though all fruits have to ripen and fall some day. Ever being has
to reach the Goal, however slow they walk or however circuitous their road.

You need not escape into a forest to gain silence and the chance of uninterrupted
spiritual practice. You can make the place where you are, a citadel of silence; shut off
the senses, let them not run after objects.

Discourse 7 (nti Kuteer, Madras, Rama Navami, 25/4/1961)

As a matter of fact, if you go deeper into the Ramayana, you will Oind that Rama is the
universal Aathma, the Aathma in every being.

On the day when Raama was crowned Emperor at Ayodhya, every personage got some
present or other before leaving the city. Hanuman alone refused any material gift. he
asked Raama to explain to him the mystery of His Life, which he had failed to
understand inspire of the length and loyalty of his service. Raama then asked Seetha to
slake the thirst of Hanumaan and reveal to him the secret of their careers. Seetha
announced that she was the Muula Prakrithi (the Primal Nature), the Maayaa Shakthi
(the Energy which agitates in all Matter), which transforms and transmutes it into all
this variety that binds and blinds.

Rama is the eternal, unchanging Purusha (Spirit). The Aathma in every being is Raama;
hence the name Aathmaraama. Raama is eternal and so the Raamamanthram is said to
have been taken by Shiva Himself. Raama means that which showers Aananda (bliss),
that is all. Now what can give greater Aananda than the Aathma? Raama is Aanandam
Page 20 of 268

and He is Aathmaaraama, the Aanandam in your Inner Consciousness. You can

understand the Raamaayana only if you keep this aspect in view.

!
Hanuman understood from Seetha the formless, nameless, sweetness of Rama.
!

Raama, the Purusha, accepts Prakrithi, Seetha, and enacts the play, Raamaayana. Seetha
is Brahma-chaithanya, (Consciousness) for Prakrithi or Maaya activates the Pure
Existence of Brahman. Now see what happens! Brahmajnaana (knowledge of Supreme
Reality) is lost and Raama wanders about in the jungle, wailing for Her. Of course,
Lakshmana or manas (mind) is always with Him, for tManas is the instrument with
which Liberation has to be achieved. Vaali is the spirit of despair and he has to be
overcome with the help of discriminatory wisdom or viveka, viz., Sugreeva. You see it is
viveka that sends emissaries to the various corners to discover where Brahmajnaana is
available. Hanumaan is Courage. Courage won through unOlinching faith, that alone can
penetrate the darkness and bring the good news of the Dawn. Then Raama crosses the
sea of illusion; He destroys the Demon of Thamoguna (quality of inertia), namely,
Kumbhakarna; the Demon of Rajoguna (emotional quality) named Raavana; and He
installs on the throne, the Sattvaguna (quality of goodness), Vibheeshana (*Bheeshana
means fear (from Brahmananda Valli, maybe Vibheeshana stands for without fear, i.e.
Abhayam). After this, Raama meets and receives Seetha, who has become now
Anubhavajnaana (knowledge derived from experience), not merely Brahmajnaana.
That is represented by the Pattabhisheka (Coronation).

The Raamaayana in the heart is to be experienced; not investigated as a mental

phenomenon. As you go on reading and ruminating the inner meaning will Olash on you
when the mind is cleansed by the elevated ideas therein.

Do not exaggerate the importance of things that have but material utility, they fade,
even while you grasp them by the hand. Search for the Sath - that which suffers no
change. Search for the Chith - the state of consciousness, which is unaffected by gusts of
passion, which is pure, which is free from egoism or the desire to possess. Then alone
can you experience the Light, and illumine the Path for others. Search for Aananda, the
Aananda that emanates from Prema, Love with no blemish of attachment. Be like bees
hovering on the Olower of the Glory of the Lord, sucking the sweet nectar of Grace,
silently and joyfully.

You do not wait with folded hands for the cup of coffee to cool down to the required
warmth; you ask for an extra cup and you start pouring the coffee from one cup to the
other, is it not? The same anxiety, the same saadhana has to be shown in spiritual
matters also, to take in the beverage of Divine Grace.

Discourse 8 (Triloknath Hall, Lucknow, 30/4/1961)

These three (asatho maa sath gamaya, tamaso maa jyotir gamaya, mrithyor maa
amritham gamaya) can be got only by spiritual sadhana, by following the path of Love
and Truth.

Bhakti brings about the Jnaana (spiritual wisdom) that there is nothing besides the
Lord and that one is oneself, Brahman, and so, one is liberated. i.e. gets Mukti.

Discourse 9 (Badrinath Temple, 17/6/1961)

Page 21 of 268

The Purushasuuktha speaks of the Brahmin being the face, the Kshathriya the hands,
the Vaishya the thighs, and the Shuudhra, the feet of the Cosmic Purusha. Apart from
the Oigurative meaning that the passage obviously carries, when God is one uniform
sweetness and wisdom and grace, any part is as sweet, as effulgent, as graceful as every
other. A sugar doll is sweet all through; the limbs are as much sugar as the head. The
trouble comes and the quarrel starts only as a result of the want of Prema towards
sugar. Once you are established in Prema, you will not notice these differences any
more; they will appear silly, stupid and meaningless.

For, every living being has some day or other to tread the right path and get merged in
the Grace of God.

Discourse 10 (Geeta Satsang, Nainital, 24/6/1961)

Madbhakthaah yathra gaayanthe, thathra thishtaami Naarada is the declaration -

Wherever my Bhakthas sing of me, there I install Myself. Why, the Lord is always
there and everywhere whether you sing of Him or not. The singing only makes, Him
manifest, like the radio receiver which catches the tune from the ether when it is
switched to the correct wavelength. The current is Olowing ever; when you Oix the bulb,
you will get the light.

The purpose of the Geetha is to remove the moha (delusion) which overwhelmed
Arjuna and made him feel that he was the doer, whereas the truth is, he was but an
instrument.

So Krishna asks him at the very end of the discourse, Has the delusion born out of
ajnaana (ignorance) been fully destroyed in you? For, like a good teacher, Krishna is
evidently quite willing to resort to some other means or to discourse a little longer, in
order to make the pupil understand the teaching. But Arjuna is a good student; he
declares, Destroyed is the delusion (Nashto Mohah). I have gained recognition. Now
what is the recognition he has gained? The recognition of the Self or Aathma. He has
seen himself as basically Aathma, and he has seen the world and all objects as
superimpositions on the Aathma, due to ignorance or Maaya.

An emperor, while sleeping, dreams that he is a beggar; he wears tattered clothes and
cries piteously before other peoples doors for a morsel of food; no one listens to his
clamour; he can no longer contain his sorrow. He weeps aloud and wakes up his
mother. She comes and wakes him up from that dream. Now, the mother need not tell
him, Listen to me, you are the emperor. You are not a beggar. He knows it as soon as
he awakes. The recognition of the Self happens as soon as the delusion goes, the
delusion that this dream-world is real! A prince who falls into the hands of a forest
tribe while yet a child, and behaves like one of them, does not thereby lose his prince-
hood. Rescue him and he knows he is a prince. So too, Arjuna says, Smrithir labdhvaa
- I got back my memory, I have gained recognition. I know Myself; I am Thyself ! The
study of the Geetha must end in this result.

Awake, arise and stop not till the goal is reached, it is said - Uththishtatha,
Jaagratha, Praapyavaraan Nibodhatha. But one need not march towards the goal. It is
not some place where you have to go. It is just the opening of the eye, the removal of
the veil, the waking from the dream, the lighting of the jnaana deep (light of spiritual
wisdom). To get this fruit of Geetha-paaraayana (discourse on Geetha), ekaagratha
(one-pointed concentration) is essential.
Page 22 of 268

As a matter of fact, once the Geetha is made the guiding star of your life, the way you
act will be Karma Yoga, the way you feel will be Bhakti Yoga, the way you reason will be
Jnaana Yoga. It will become automatically so. What you do must be in line with dharma;
what you feel must foster prema; what you think must reveal Sathyam. Then this
Sathsang will be blessed with Shaanthi, with even Prashaanthi.

Success comes when your effort and His Grace both complement each other. How can
Grace enter when you do not seek it? Open the door of endeavour; the Merciful Lord
will then come in, with the Crown of Success.

Discourse 11 (Pranti NIlayam, 4/7/1961)

Badri is the place where the Nara-Narayana bond is established and commemorated.
That you can establish here itself. If you get rid of delusion, you become Narayana
(God); if you are sunk in delusion, you continue to be Nara (human); that is all. There is
no place to which I have not gone; there is no place without Me therein. So the Bhaktas
who came with Me were journeying to the Abstract with the Concrete, with the
Pratyaksha to the Paroksa! That was their good fortune.

!
Truly, all Kshetras (places of pilgrimage) and all yatras (pilgrimages) are in yourself.
!

Bhakti is no sign of weakness; it is a sign of courage, of wisdom, of discrimination; it

alone can give soukhyam and shanty (happiness and peace). Every one has one day or
other to fall in line with you, for every one is terribly anxious to get these two. They try,
in their ignorance or excitement, various other remedies, but this remedy alone can
cure them.

Your consciousness is a lamp. Pour into it the oil of Grace; trim the wick of self-control.
Keep in position the chimney of Naamasmarana, so that the gusts of Joy and Grief may
not put out the Olame. Light the lamp with a Maha-vaakya (Vedic dictum) like Aham
Brahmaasmi (I am the Absolute Reality). Then you will see Light and you will shed
Light.

Discourse 12 (Lakshmi-Narasimha Temple, Bukkapatnam, 18/7/1961)

Please do not be under the delusion that God needs light and that he requires
illumination. He is Jyothiswarupa (Divine Light personiOied) with the splendour of a
thousand suns; He is the Force which makes light shine; and He is above and beyond
the tejas (lustre) that Nature can supple.

The inner motive Force is God, and when tie is dwelling in the heart of man, He is called
jeevi. The jeevi is not recognised as God because of the darkness of delusion. You
mistake a stump for a man in the darkness; in the same way, the jeevi is mistaken to be
a separate, changing individual. The Jeevatvam (principle of the individual) is given
more importance and the Devatvam (divine principle) or tmtatvam (principle of
inOinite consciousness) is ignored on account of the darkness. So, the lights have to be
switched on in the antahkarana (inner consciousness of man, rather than in the house
where the image of the Lord is installed and worshipped.

Though they are so far, the Himalayas are very near to spiritual aspirants. If you see
only the splendour of the light and if you do not feel the warming effect, it only proves
that you are far; this is true of your relation with Me also. All these years, you who are
Page 23 of 268

so near have been seeing the light only; you did not beneOit by the warmth; that only
shows that you are yet far; though so near.

The Divine Power is there in you; it need not come from somewhere outside you. Only,
you have to prepare the ground, so that it may manifest itself.

Your nature is divine; what has happened is that delusion has covered it with dirt. The
washerman does not make your clothes white; they are white already; what he does is
to manifest the whiteness by removing the dirt that has hidden the genuine native
colour, white. The washerman must have two good things to bring out the basic
whiteness; soap and water. Both have to be good; you cannot manage with only one of
the two. In the case of the mind and removal of the dirt therein, the soap is neeti and
the water is nishta.

The plight of Indians is like a person who with butter in hand is running about for ghee.
Here you have the technique of attaining nti developed as nowhere else; yet you are
running after all kinds of amateurs!

Well, now that the lights have been switched on, those who come to this temple will see
the shrine more clearly; I bless them that they may also see their own selves more
clearly. Light is the source of Joy and Knowledge.

Discourse 13 (Discourse at Bukkapatnam, 18/7/1961)

I shall switch on the electric lights, in a few moments but, remember, it is not the Lord
within the Temple that needs illumination, it is the worshipper The lighting up of this
structure is but the symbol of the illumination of the heart, the destruction of the
darkness of ahamkara and ajnana (egoism and ignorance) so that the Lord might be
revealed in all His Glory.

Bharat has known how to exploit the mine of Divine Bliss which lies in the heart of
man. The seers had said that if the Bhoomata, Gomata, Nijamata and Vedamata (mother
land, sacred cow, real mother and Vedas) are revered and used as best as one can, then
one would have happiness here and liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

Discourse 14 (Guru Poornima, Mysore, 27/7/1961)

Mysore City has earned fame by its devotion to music, sculpture and other Oine arts. But
there is an art Oiner than all these: the Art of Living..

The boulder has to suffer all that hard chiselling in order to become the Image of God;
so too, you should cast off all the impediments, all the encumbrances that drag you
down and make you a boulder instead of a Bhakta (devotee) and a Paramahamsa
(ascetic of the highest order) or even Paramtm (Supreme Being).

Praising the doctor or worshipping him might induce him to take pity on you, but your
illness can be cured only by your taking the drug and obeying the restrictions on food
and drink and on your habit.

Know that waking from sleep is but birth and going into sleep is death. On waking, pray
every morning of your life, Oh Lord, I am born now from the womb of sleep. I am
determined to carry out all tasks this day as offerings to Thee, with Thee ever present
before my minds eye. Make my words, thoughts and deeds sacred and pure; let me not
Page 24 of 268

inOlict pain on any one; let no one inOlict pain on me; direct me, guide me, this day. And
when you enter the portals of sleep at night, pray, Oh Lord! The tasks of this day,
who'se burden I placed on you this morning, are over. It was You who made me walk
and talk and think and act; I therefore place at Thy Feet all my words, thoughts and
deeds. My task is done. Receive me, I am coming back to you. Adopt these as your daily
prayers.

The best thing is to have your own Self as the source of Light, as the Guru. The Inner
Intelligence, the Inner Guru will reveal the Truth. This prayerful attitude will so
educate your impulses that the Inner Intelligence will be fully revealed.

Do not be like gramophone records singing some one elses song, ignorant of the
genuine thrill of music. Sing from your own experience of the Glory and Grace of the
Lord.

If you win the Grace of the Lord, even the decrees of destiny can be overcome The
Guru is one who shows you the Path for getting that Grace.

Discourse 15 (Sathya Sai Hospital, Pranti Nilayam, 10/10/1961)

He does not know the source and spring of happiness which lies within himself; he
believes he can get it in plenty and in quick time by running after the mirage of fashion
or fancy, excitement or entertainment.

Joy is a subjective feeling, it is not inherent in the objective world. You are the witness,
separate from the scene; you are the seer not the seen - drasta not the drik or the
drisya.

The Screen is the sathya (truth) and the images that Olit across it are mithya (false);
when you see the Oilm you do not see the screen as screen; you forget its existence and
you think that there is just the picture and nothing else as its base. But the screen is
there all the time and it is only the screen that makes you experience the picture.
Narayana is the screen and Prakriti (objective world) is the Oilm; when the play is on,
the screen is the Adhara (base) and Prakriti (objective world) becomes
Narayanamayam (God all-pervading). The Screen is Satyam; the story is samsaram
(worldly life), for it has only some saram (essence).

One day, Krishna revealed (to Surdas) that he was the Hero of his Heart He then
declared that he did not care to see other things with the sight vouchsafed to him; he
said the inner eyes were enough. The puriOied inner vision gives lasting joy and
therefore, unfailing health.

Get into the habit of living in the light of God. It is the habit that rehabilitates the fallen.
Have the attitude of Sharanagati (seeking refuge at the feet of the Lord), or else your
destiny will be Shara-gati (movement of an arrow). That is why Krishna said Man
Manaa Bhava - Let your mind be absorbed in Me.

By all means, worry about success or failure in achieving the real purpose of life. And
then you will get as many years as needed to fulOil that desire. Yearn, yearn, yearn hard;
and success is yours.

Page 25 of 268

You say, I have got fever. But where did you get it from? Kali? Gaya? It came from
within you, not from anywhere outside you. When you developed jaundice, everything
appears yellow. Egoism too is a jaundice, which warps your vision and makes you see
things wrong. It is due to inner impurity, inner defects. Get rid of that egoism and all
will be Love, Peace, Unity, One.

Discourse 16 (Pranti Nilayam, 17/10/1961)

It is only the one endowed with Jnanadristi or Yogadristi or Bhaktidristi (vision of

sacred knowledge, of union with God or of selOless devotion to God) that can have a
glimpse of that Effulgence.

Nature is Brahman, mistaken to be Nature, on account of the delusion of Name and

Form. But Brahman is not Nature; it is only the rope which was mistaken to be the
snake. When Wisdom dawns, when Light illumines, the snake disappears and the rope
alone remains. The Lord is sweetness, you are sugar, He is Oire, you are fuel; He has not
heart; every heart where He is installed is His.

God likes such pure souls who come gladly to merge in Him My hand stretches out
for receiving, only when a pure heart full of Prema (Love) is offered; on all other
occasions, it gives, never takes.

The Lord is Premaswarupam (Divine Love personiOied), believe Me. The earthly father
or mother will show love only so long as you obey them; start going against their
wishes and they will go to the extent of even disowning you! The Lord will never
disown you, for He is your very core, your very basic Reality. You derive from Him the
fruit of your labour, of your dhyanam, japan and pooja; faith will grow into thyaga
(sacriOice); you will feel that you are instruments with no individuality save as
prompted by Him.

!
Verily, he who has the Lord as His Servant, he is the real Prabhu (Lord)!
!

Do not become a slave to others; no, not even to God. Test. Test, examine, experience
and then, when you Oind God, demand as of right. But before you get that right, you
should for the examination and pass, is it not?

!
Divine Sankalpa must be fulOilled!
!

Discourse 17 (Pranti Nilayam, 20/10/1961)

As for Me, My nature is distinct; I do not identify with anything. Those who have
neither authority nor adeptness have to heard, study, analyse and judge. Authority is
the right of the tm alone. It is the tm that can command.

Bhava (innate disposition) gives beauty or as they say in Telugu, Andham. That is why I
often say, Andham is Anandam (Beauty is Bliss); you cannot have one without the
other.

Andam and Anandam, beauty and truth, harmony and ecstasy are found in Ekatvam
(Oneness), the discovery and experience of Unity. Unity must be as symbolised by the
experience of the unity of mud and gold; the sight, the seen and the seer. That is, the
search and the success. Ramakrishna prompted this yearning, promoted this agony in
Vivekananda and the others who came to him. Try with all your strength; test with all
Page 26 of 268

your doubt, earn it the hard way and enjoy the fruit of your exertions: that was the
teaching he gave.

Jealousy and anger are the twins born of the Mother Ahamkara. Destroy the twins, and
take the kaaram (meaning in telugu, the hot taste) of the Ahamkaram and keep it
simply as Aham (I), so that you can get the thrill of Aham Brahmasmi (I Am Brahman)
with that instrument. That is the stage to be reached, the height to be scaled. The
kaaram in the Aham is like the single seed which if allowed to sprout, multiples a
thousand-fold and produces many bags of seed. It has to be crushed in the very Oirst
instance. Then the analysis of the Aham starts and ends in the conclusion: Ayam tm
Brahma, - this Aham is the tm, which is Brahma. The two: That and This, Tat and
Twam, are identiOied and This is found to be only That, when Tat Tvam Asi (Thou Art
That) is realised. Well. What is the thing called Tat, the That? What is Brahman in other
words? The fourth Mahavakya declares: Prajnanam - the Highest Wisdom - Unity, One.

All these Mahavakyas (sacred statements of Supreme Truth) relate to the Glory of the
One, which is a veritable Ocean of Grace. The vapour rising from it is Prajnanam
Brahma, the cloud is Ayam tm Brahma; the shower of rain, Tat Tvam Asi, the river
is Aham Brahmasmi.

Prajnanam Brahma is symbolised by Andapinda Lingam - the vision of the one entity in
all the manifold entities, the expansion of the individual into the universal, the
enlargement of the I into the vastness of the He and We. When you knock at anothers
door and a voice from inside accosts you with the question, Who is it? you
automatically answer, It is I. That does not satisfy the questioner. So, another question
eliciting further information follows. Then only will the door open. The door of
Liberation can also open only to those who can explain who the I truly is.

This reveals to the jeevi, I am in the Light. The second Mahavakya, Ayam tm
Brahma, tells him, The Light is in Me. Slowly the truth dawns on the mind! The Light
which I imagined as enveloping me, the Prajnanam which I identiOied as the basis of all
this appearance, that illumination is in me, too. My innermost-truth is also that
Prajnanam, that Light. This is represented by Sadashiva Lingam (the vision of the
Eternal Shiva).

The sadhaka sees in his sadhana that Light which dispels the darkness of ages. He is
told that He is that Light and nothing else, Tat Tvam Asi, That Thou Art. He then
becomes immune to spasms of ignorance which make him forget his nature. Just as a
beginner learning the violin lapses easily into grinding out distressing sounds from the
strings, the sadhaka also grinds out discordant notes, of discontent and grief. When
pain becomes unbearable, a person faints and loses consciousness; that is a
consolation. Beyond a certain limit, you are not to suffer pain. Similarly, when this
identity feeling is established, no more activity is possible. One becomes unconscious
of the world, or rather, one passes beyond the realms of consciousness - un, sub, and
even super; the river has reached the sea. Tat-tvam-asi is symbolised by the Jnana-
Lingam (vision of enlightenment).

Aham Brahmasmi, the last of the Mahavakyas, is associated with the tm-Lingam. The
fourteen higher worlds and the fourteen lower worlds (??) cannot be shown and
demonstrated in models; they are symbolic of the levels of consciousness in the
geography of the spirit and in the journey of the mind towards the Goal. There are no
books that can teach you the topography; the journey is the best teacher, each step
Page 27 of 268

making the next one easier. Radha, Meera, Sakku, Surdas, Ramakrishna - all followed
the guidance of their own inner call.

The angam (body) is the Sangam (meeting point) where spirit and matter meet, the
jangam, the moving phantasmagoria where spirit and matter meet, is in Sangam. From
this Sangam, one has to evoke the Lingam (Divinity in its aforesaid four forms, one after
the other. The Lingam is just a sign: a sign of endeavour, a sign of success. For example,
the Andapinda Lingam signiOies the egg-shaped universe, which is how it is, even
according to experts in science. The outer cover is the anda and the inner rasa or
matter is the pinda. They are both dependent, one on the other. You are all basically the
Andapinda, with the outer shell of materialism and the inner core of Divinity. The body
is a vessel to contain the Chaitanya or effulgence of Divinity.

The sentiment, Aham Brahmasmi explicit in the Mahavakya, gives a sense of kinship;
as when this Linga, confronted by that Linga proceeds to aalingana (embracing). That
sense of belonging has great psychological value: when you hear a child cry and Oind on
enquiry that it is your child, you get far more anxious than when you are told it is
anothers child. The attachment will lead to merging (for the Andapinda Lingam is this
body, this nature which we see) and imbibing and building into our consciousness.
even God, when He comes with human body or as materialised form, is Andapindam,
whether it is Maha Vishnu, Shiva, Rama, Krishna or Satya Sai Baba.

Jnanalingam symbolises the jnana that you are Sarvabhuta (the totality of all beings)
and the Sarvabhuta is in you. The jnanam (divine wisdom) itself is Brahmam; Jnana, is
not a quality of Brahmam- it is Brahmam itself, for Brahmam has no quality. The Jnani
(the liberated person), though in the world, has the Inner Vision which makes him fall
away from the twig as the dried leaf which has no more need of attachment.

tmlingam (the vision of form of the Self), the ultimate phase, is the stage of gold,
when the names and forms of gold jewels have been subsumed. Water freezes into ice;
tm freezes into the individual. The tmlingam is just the pot that contains sea-
water, immersed in the self-same sea. Both are identical, only he name and the form are
different. You can realise your truth by following the path which will lead to that
knowledge.

When you listen to my story, you forget the story of the world and live only in My story,
until there is no separate story for you to relate or live. Well, to make you story-less is
the scheme of My story.

Sadashivalingam indicates the person who is ever of the Svarupa (form) of Shiva. Here
and everywhere, night and day, in joy and grief, he is Shivam: happy, auspicious,
graceful; Anandam is his breath, his motive force, his demeanour, his inner and outer
expression; Sada - always and for ever, Shivam - auspicious.

Install Sadashivalingam in the consciousness and all things will be revealed to you, step
by step, by the Grace of the Divine Indweller.

Discourse 18 (Pranti Nilayam, 21/10/1961)

The Lord is Natansutradhari - He who pulls the strings in the play of puppetry. It looks
as if the dolls dance of their own accord and play out a plot of their own, that there is
Page 28 of 268

no one behind the drama to direct it, that the dolls are alive and full of activity. The
strings are invisible to you. It is the mind that deceives you thus.

I never call upon people to worship Me, giving up the Forms they already revere. I have
come to establish Dharma and so I do not and will not demand or require your homage.
Give it to your Lord or Guru, whoever He is; I am the Witness, come to set right the
vision

tmshakti (power of the Self) can function only when prompted by Mayashakti
(power of illusion). That is why Maya was born just previous to Krishna. If Maya is
absent, how can the drama be put on?

Anti (lack of peace) of some kind or the other brings you to this place, naturally; but
having come, do not concentrate on objective gifts only; gather also the valuable advice
given for inner development. You should pray: Asato maa sat gamaya - From the Unreal
lead me to the Real.

When the sun rises, all the buds of lotus in the lake will not open out in full bloom. Only
those which are full grown can blossom so; the rest have to bide their time and grow.
His Grace is the right of all, but it can be won by sadhana only.

Why worry so much at not being able to touch these feet? My Feet are within your
reach, at all times, wherever you are. Sarvatah Pani Padah - Hands and feet
everywhere. If you wail in agony, Dont you hear me? My Ears are there to listen; if
you pray from the depths of your heart, Dont you see my plight? My Eyes are there
shedding Grace on you. Get out of Maya and become Prema; then you get Prema only
from Me.

Discourse 19 (Pranti Nilayam, 22/10/1961)

The Bhakta must ignore his identity and separateness and merge with the ideal; what
individually has the servant got? He has nothing; no, not even a trace. The Master is All.

If you stare at the sun for a second and then turn you eye to other things around, you
will Oind that there is a dark patch over them and you cannot recognise them. Similarly,
once you get a vision of the Purusha (God), who is more effulgent than a thousand suns,
you can no longer recognise the multiplicity called Prakriti (Nature). The world is
black, it is blocked; indeed, you can no longer recognise or deal with variety once you
have had a vision of the basic Unity.

Take the screen in the cinema theatre. When the Oilm is on, you do not see the screen,
you see only the play; when the show is over, you see just a screen, a screen that has no
message - neither voice nor name nor form nor colour nor creed. That is Brahman. The
entire rope gives the appearance of a snake in the dark; here, the entire screen was lost
in this picture. Brahman is Satyam; Jagat (Universe) is Brahman. That is Sat (Being),
this is Chit (awareness). Knowing this and dealing with both is Anandam.

I was asked once how any one can accept the two seemingly opposite statements:
Brahma Satyam Jaganmitya and Sarvam Vishnumayam Jagat - Brahman is Truth,
World is false and World is full of Vishnu. This was My reply: The powers of man are
limited by his experience and his knowledge. He is just a Pinda (part), while the Lord is
Anda (whole), the Force pervading the entire Universe. The Anda-Pinda Lingam
Page 29 of 268

symbolises this Body-Limb relationship, the Part-Whole aspect of Madhava and Man.
The Sadashivalingam represents the ever-auspicious tm, which is beyond all dual
aspects and concepts, immanent in all beings and everywhere. It is not negated by
time; it is Sada (always) Shivam (beneOicial and auspicious).

The Jnanalingam is the sign of the attainment of Jnana (spiritual wisdom), when the
last vestige of the delusion of I is wiped off; even the feeling I know is gone; then ou
are the tm, pure and whole, entire and enduring - then your condition is best
represented by the symbol of the tmlinga.

You have, each one, the tremendous Shakti (Power) of the tm (InOinite
Consciousness) in you. Some are able to draw upon it, others just know it is there;
others are unaware of the methods of tapping it or even of its existence. It all comes in
time, through steady sadhana.

A real Guru must be like Sada Shivalingam, full of Ananda welling up from the
consciousness of the Divinity.

So long as you are in Avidya (ignorance), so long as you are untrained and lacking in
knowledge, you cannot taste the Bliss; you cannot attain it. You are still bound by the
three-corded rope - the black cord of Tamas (inertia), the red cord of Rajas (passion)
and the white cord of Sattva (equanimity). Deny that you are noun; the rope falls away?
Hence, regulate your life in such a way that you do not harm your inner nature.

!
!

Whoever has tasted that Joy will thenceforward crave for that only. How can the Jeevi
(individual being) stoop to something else? How can the Truth be grasped when you
are steeped in falsehood? How can a Oish experience the sky? How can Nectar and
Poison, Day and Night, God and the Devil, be together?

Radha was the greatest devotee of all; she saw all foot-prints as Krishnas own,
including even hers! Really, is there any one who is not He? Any Form that is not His?
Any Name that does not connote him?

For the sorrow and fear of today, the same prescription also holds: See Him of the
Shiva-svarupa (Form of Shiva) in all; then all will yield joy and peace. That is the truth.
The rest is false. Yama comes with delusion; Shiva is seen; then Light dawns.

!
Prema will destroy the roots of the ego.
!

Discourse 20 (Pranti Nilayam, 23/10/1961)

Vedhana (suffering) can be overcome only by the Aa-vedhana (yearning for the Lord).
You must yearn to be free, to be rid of the chains that are binding you now; the iron
chain of poverty or the golden chain of riches. Yearn as helplessly as a baby which cries
for its mother, as desperately as a calf mooing for the cow, as pitifully as a starving
beggar prays for a morsel of food. Let the cry come from the depth of the heart, a heart
that cannot bear the chain of attachments any longer. The Lord will not be drawn by
noisy pomp or empty show. He will yield only to the claim of kinship, the call of tm to
Paramtm (individual soul to the Supreme Soul).

Page 30 of 268

When a house is to be certiOied as habitable, the engineer tests the foundations. the
Lord too tests the foundations whether Faith is true and deep. Siruthondar, a devotee of
Shiva was also similarly tested by Shiva who came as a jangama (ascetic). When
Siruthondar showed that he had no attachment to the world, Shiva revealed Himself
and said, Worship Me as your own Self. Then Siruthondar demands, Reveal to me
your Immanence in all Creation and then I shall worship Me, for then I can know that I
am really You. Shiva blessed him and he saw all as Light. The vision was the Oinale of
his career in maaya. He merged as light merges in light, without noise and without
announcement. Even his body became a streak of light which rose up into the depths of
space.

!
Be aware of Him, who is the eternal Witness; He sees and knows all.
!
Discourse 21 (Pranti Nilayam, 24/10/1961)

Man can reach the height of Madhava only by trampling down the mind and making it
ineffective.

Narayana is the Lord of the Naaram (water) in the Nayana (eyes), who is won by tears
of repentance and who rewards you with tears of joy. Win Him and then He becomes as
visible as all this; in fact, He is all this, only you do not see it so.

That is why in the Geeta, karma sannyasa (renunciation of action) and not the other
types of sannyasa, is prescribed. Karma Sannyasa leads to Mano-sannyasa (mental
renunciation).

The I comes up at the Oirst provocation; I am blamed, I am neglected; the ego is up

in arms against the world. To put it down, you must see Krishna in every one, every one
who is blaming, praising, neglecting or honouring you.

Just as every breath reminds you of Om, every little act is an act of worship, remember.
Every tiny thought, every faint whisper has to be so directed that it may curb the
vagaries of the mind and help in guiding it Godward.

Discourse 22 (Pranti Nilayam, Dasara Discourses, Oct 1961)

The mystery of Avatar is beyond the reach of intelligence. It can be grasped only by
means of genuine faith. It cannot be reached by logic; the karmendriyas and the
jnanendriyas (sense organs of action and perception) are useless instruments; for the
body, mind, intelligence all are of the category, Seen, but not of the category, Seer. To
see the Seer, the inner vision has to be cultivated. So long as you feel you are separate,
you cannot see the whole. Vyakti (individual) can never see the Shakti (Supreme
Power).

Do not develop attachment to this body. Why, attachment to any bod is not desirable.
This hand gives you things, but, My Hand is that which creates all this. That is My Body.
My coupe is unique, different from all that you know. I do not identify Myself with
anything. Ice is water, water is ice. Saguna is Nirguna, Nirguna is this Saguna.

The Lords Form can be perceived only by means of the eye of prema or the eye of janan
or the eye of yoga, not the eye of sensual activity, the Karmanetra.

Page 31 of 268

You have no hunger. If you have genuine hunger I will not keep you suffering from it.
Churn the mind and collect the butter and melt it in the yearning of the heart. When the
butter has not melted, the reason is, the warmth of the yearning is insufOicient.

!
Demand from Me as of right, the removal of your sufferings.
!

Rama, Krishna, Shirdi Sai, Sathya Sai Baba; that form is so, this form is thus - why all
such misgivings and doubts? The body is the same, only the dress worn is different. Do
not be led away into the morass, by others.

Do not slander or abuse others or your own selves, as weak, sinful, wicked or low;
when you do so, you are slandering or abusing Me, who resides in them and you. All are
of the Divine Nature of the tm; all are pure and holy.

Take the Form you like, the Name you love and do japam and dhyanam and no evil
though will arise; wicked thoughts will Olee. When they have Oled, what remains is the
tmsvarupa.

You have come into this world to reach the Lord. Ignorant of that purpose, you have
hoisted on your head the weight of illusion and you are struggling to unload it,
suffering under its weight. What is the use of running after external pleasures and
temporary joy? So long as you are caught in this Avidya (ignorance) you can never taste
the Bliss of Realisation; you cannot even recognise it, much less attain it.

!
Do not delude yourself that you are the body, or be fascinated into an attachment for it.
!
Remember, it is the person who goes beyond the externals, that wins the victory.
!
Therefore, do not ask, for the fulOilment of paltry desires; ask, Make me eternal,
absolute, Nityam and Satyam.

Life is a football game; you can kick the ball of Samsara, with as much gusto as you can
command provided you remember that if it crosses the lines of Brahma marga and
Dharma marga, you are out and the ball has to be brought in again. They set the limits
within which you can play the game, remember!

Discourse 23 (Pranti Nilayam, 26/10/1961)

(When even the bhakta (devotee) should get over the likes and dislikes of kith and kin
in order to deserve the Grace of God, how can any one talk of the Gods themselves
being entangled in these low knows? These only drag Divinity down to the dirty of your
sensory minds.)
To ascribe the material relationships of the human family to Godhead is sheer
nonsense. The Lord who is beyond Time and Space prior to the beginning and
subsequent to the end can never be described in terms of the mushroom memories of
man, the temporary phenomena of human family and human society. Such descriptions
cannot make any sense to those who have experience the Glory that is God.

Take the Lord to be your father or mother, but only as a Oirst step to your overstepping
that relationship and merging in the Absolute. Do not stop on the steps; enter the
Mansion to which they lead. The tmsambandha (connection with the Soul) is the
everlasting unchanging sambandha (association).
Page 32 of 268

Do not come to Me with your hands full of trash, for how can I Oill them with Grace
when they are already full? Come with empty hands and carry away My treasure, My
Prema.

Worship is just a means of education the emotions. Human impulses and emotions
have to be guided and controlled.
When the fruit is ripe, ti will fall of the branch of its own accord. Similarly, when
vairagya (renunciation) saturates your heart, you lose contact with the world and slip
into the lap of the Lord.

Do not fritter away the time allotted to you for sojourning on each in foolish foppery
and fanciful foibles which always keep you outdid/outside. When are you to walk
indoors into the warmth and quiet of your own interior? Retire into solitude and
silence now and then; experience the joy derivable only from them.

Since you cannot swim across the Olooded stream, you board a raft. So also, since you
cannot master the Nirguna (Formless), you resort to the Saguna (Form with attributes)
and struggle to swim across to the Nirguna through Aradhana and Nirguna (worship
and contemptlation). But it is not advisable to remain ever on the raft, amidst the
currents and whilrpools, is it not?

Discourse 24 (Pranti Nilayam, 21/10/1961)

He who conquers the world is a hero; but the hero of heroes is he who conquers
himself; he is mighty; he has prowess beyond compare.

!
Fill every deed of yours with the vision of the Spirit, the outlook of the Super-Self.
!

To grasp the signiOicance of the Omnipresence of the Lord, believe that there is no name
which is not His; no body or thing which is not His.

!
He who is steady in Wisdom stands closest in the company of the Lord.
!
Release from bondage to inborn impulses is the real Liberation.
!

When a person has renounced the fruit, whatever activity he engages in, that is
Samadhi itself.

Let the mind die, let buddhi (intellect) be destroyed, let the body disintegrate,
remember nothing can harm you, the indestructible tm.

Use a little common sense and you will know that the body is not your own Self; it is
liable to decline and death; that is the Oirst step for Nara (man) to become Narayana
(God). The I to which reference is made is not the body, it is the Paramtm (Supreme
Self); trying to realise this is tapas (penance).

The world must be made the abode of love; Oirst, cultivate love for yourself; then, Oill the
village, where you are with love; later, spread the love to the district and then let it
cover the entire world.

The idea of Brahman is beyond the capacity of those who have no control over the
agitations of the mind; the natural afOlictions of the causative world will cease only
Page 33 of 268

when the idea of Brahman is well established in the mind; the delusion of the causative
world must disappear if one must get the Joy, Atmic Bliss.

The birds taking shelter for the night awake and Oly away to the four quarters at
sunrise; so too, the wife and children, the fortune and wealth, all Oly away without as
much as even a farewell notice. Establish yourselves Oirmly in this fact; make immediate
efforts to achieve the eternal, the permanent, the unchanging.

If there are two or more kings or states, there is bound to be greed, envy, jealousy,
hatred and anger on one side, and fear, ambition and vengeance on the other. no one
can then know the joy or/of perfect peace. Similarly, so long as you feel the reality of
the many, so long as you take them to be outside you, separate from you, you have fear,
hatred, greed and all the rest of the pests. When you know that the many is a Oigment
superimposed on the One, by your own ignorance, you become master, sole Monarch,
and all fear vanishes. That stage is Mukti: Liberation from the thraldom of Samsara -
worldly life.

Discourse 25 (Pranti Nilayam, 23/11/1961)

But, the joy you get today is only a reminder of the eternal full joy that is in store for
you, in fact, for all mankind. That joy is your birthright; this momentary bliss is but a
drop of that ocean; to get that, you must dedicate yourself to sadhana, continuous and
conscious sadhana (spiritual practice). The symbol of the Pranti Flag, the symbol that
is put up in concrete form in front of the Nilayam, has therefore to be clearly
understood by every one of you. Conquer lust, anger and hatred, roam in the expanse of
equal and impartial Love to all created things and then, you are Oit for yoga (inner
communion with Divinity), which will open the petals of your heart. Then, from the
fragrance and beauty of that Lotus will emerge the Flame of Jnana, illumining maya into
destruction until you and the Jyoti become One.

Today, at this meeting, as members of this gathering you are all overwhelmed with joy, I
can see that. But, this is momentary, this will not last. You are all entitled to broader
realms of joy, deeper springs of joy and joy that is eternal. Your real dharma, the
purpose for which you have taken human birth, is to earn and enjoy that Bliss, which
no external contact can change or diminish. To earn it, is quite easy; it can be done by
every one, who just sits calmly and examines himself and his mind, unaffected by likes
and dislikes. Then he discovers that life is a dream, and that has a calm refuge of peace
inside his own heart. He learns to dive into its cool depths forgetting and ignoring the
buffets of luck, both good and ill.

Investigate fearlessly and with care; and you will Oind that while your basic nature is
Bliss, you have falsely identiOied yourself with the temporary, the frivolous and the
paltry and so, that attachment brings about all the sorrow. You have to realise that both
joy and sorrow are passing phases, like white or dark clouds across the blue sky, and
you have to learn to treat both prosperity and adversity with equanimity.

Just as a Oish can live only when it is immersed in water, when it feels the element all
around it, so too man is an animal that can live only when immersed in ananda; he
must have ananda not only at home, in society and in the world but, more than all, in
the heart. As a matter of fact, the Ananda in the heart produces Ananda everywhere;
the heart is the spring of joy.

Page 34 of 268

Pray, as the performance of a duty for your very real existence, as the only justiOication
for your coming into the world, as man.

Mine and Yours: these attitudes are only for identiOication; they are not real; they
are temporary. His - that is the truth, the eternal.

Discourse 26 (Pranti Nilayam, 24/11/1961)

In spite of all this, let Me tell you, the Mystery of Avataras is beyond your
understanding, beyond any ones understanding. How can those in maya grasp
something that is beyond it? The body, buddhi, chitta, manas, hridaya - all are in maya
and operate only through maya. But the disappearance of maya is a fact, not a delusion.
In algebra the symbol X is used for the unknown quantity. When its identity is
discovered, as it eventually is, the symbol X disappears from the equation. In the same
way, God is X, the entity you have to discover.

When the man lived in the name of God and had no other thought, the rolling had
ceased; the Name and the chain of Destiny cannot exist together. Prarabda will melt
away like fog before the Sun when namasmarana is done.

Just reOlect on this for a minute: How did man forget his Divinity? How did he fall into
this delusion of littleness? then you will know that it must be as a result of the mind
running after momentary pleasures. What then is the remedy? The answer is just one
word - Worship. Do everything as worship. Yad Bhavam Tad Bhavati - You become
that which you feel. You can get the feeling for the Divine only if you have a taste of the
Prema of the Divine.

When Rama enters the mind, kama has no place therein. Desire ceases, when God
seizes the mind. In fact, since desire is the very stuff of which the mind is made, it
becomes non-existent and you are free. This stage is called, manonigraha, manolaya or
manonashana - the death of the mind, the merging of the mind or the killing of the
mind.

Discourse 27 (Repalle, Installation of Sri Sai baba idol in the Mandir,

2/12/1961)

That is why I always that mans real nature is Shantam (peace); that, if only he tries, he
can re-discover his nature in a moment. He has only to pull himself up, to recollect his
origins from brahman, his identity with the changeless tm.

For example, this marble image is only a container. The thing contained is Sai Tatva
(essential nature). Just as a cup is the adhara (base support) and the milk in it is the
adheya (supported), you pour Sai Tatva in this Form and you call it Sai Baba; you pour
it in another vessel of a different form and call it Srinivasa, or Shiva or Krishna or Rama.

The Prema of Sai is the prema characteristic of the Father and the Mother; not the
earthly Father and mother but of the Father and Mother who are the Witness of every
thought, word and deed in every being.

Learn to instal the unseen Lord in your heart by installing the see-able image in the
mandir. Proceed from the sthoola (gross) to the sukshma (subtle).

Page 35 of 268

The Divinity you have as the core of your being, you ignore; at the same time, you seek
it in others. That is the tragedy.

Your Satya can be discovered by you by a little exercise of viveka. Born in delusion,
breathing in delusion, grovelling in delusion, man is unaware of his heritage and feels
incapable of attaining it. He is desperate, seeing no means of escape; every effort to
achieve nti entangles him further and tighter in the coils and of anti. Like Olowers of
variegated hue, each redolent with fragrance, men are all basically of the same genus of
Brahmam. The fragrance arises from the Divine Essence, which is the real reason for
existence; for every one has to realise that Essence and thus end the series of births
and deaths. Like a student leaving college once the degree is awarded, once the Truth is
realised, man has liberation. He can leave his college and his study and all that bother.

There are even today great sages in the Himalayas, I know, who are Witnesses of
everything and whose Prema embraces the whole of Humanity but that does not help
you; you have to trek the path alone and rely on your own resources.

So too, it is inevitable that you have to return to the place from where this journey
through birth and death started, namely, Brahman. There is only Sun, but he is reOlected
in a million tanks and wells and pots. Paramtm (God) is One and His reOlections, are
the Jeevis, each with the tm apparent therein. There are lakhs of people here now
and in each one of you now, Swami is shining in the heart. That is the real tmnandam
(Soul full of Bliss). Keep it fresh for ever and foster it carefully. That is the secret of
nti.

Discourse 28 (25/12/1961)

The name Sanathana that you have adopted for your Workers Co-operative Industrial
Institute is strange, even for the Department over which the Minister who is here
presides. But it is that name which has brought Me here. You are all Sanathana
(eternal), though you appear noothana (new), on account of this new dress you are
wearing.

The educated have no iota of the peace that the uneducated have! They live in greater
discontent and misery and are tossed about without a rudder in a sea of troubles. They
do not know anything about the source of Peace and Ananda that they carry about
within themselves; they allow the inner consciousness to go dry by neglect; they are
not aware of the means to irrigate it with the waters of prema and grow therein the
fruits of pranti (tranquility).

For example, I have now been moving around this Bangalore and other places for more
than 22 years; but though lakhs of people have seen Me, those who have understood
My Nature are very few. This is because the simple exercises of shravana, manana,
nidhidhyasana are not practised by people; they do not know how to recognise Divinity
in themselves or others.

In India, from very ancient times, the Glory, the Divinity, the sanctity of man has been
proclaimed and the way of recognising it has been taught. Only those who have learnt
that deserve to be the sons and daughters of this land. Others are like the kokil birds,
the cuckoos that are born in the nests of crows; their place of birth is India, not doubt,
but they are basically aliens, of a different species altogether.

Page 36 of 268

The Lord is prema; prema is paramtm. If you Oill your heart with prema, hatred, envy,
greed and egoism cannot enter it.

Everyone is basically God; that is to say, basically, you. He is the Inner Motive in all.
Every Indian knows this in the depths of his heart; he has imbibed it with the mothers
milk; that knowledge, and action according to that knowledge, are the hallmarks of the
Indian. That should make the genuine Indian fearless; for the tm, which he really is,
cannot be affected by pain or death or joy or accident or calamity. What is the use of
searching for quiet, available only in the silence of the Inner Awareness, in the jungle of
Prakriti? It is like searching for something you have lost in your room under the street
lamp. Your self you have lost; search for it in you - that is the path of wisdom.

Your mind too is like jinn; it will destroy you if left idle; so, order it to move up and
down the pillar of Soham - He-I, I am He, I am That.

Discourse 29 (Pranti Nilayam, 14/1/1962)

The months and the ayanas (Suns passage towards north and south of equator) are all
related to Prakriti (subjective world), and so they have only relative value.

Uttarayana is a quality of the nayana (eye); it is a matter of dristi - attitude, point of

view. It is not an ayana (half-year term). When your dristi (sight) is on Brahman, it is
Uttarayana; when it is on Prakriti, it is Dakshinayana.

The astronomical Uttarayana comes to you whether you strive for it or not; it is part of
the law of nature. But for the real Uttarayana, you must make efforts, tremendous
efforts. Know that there are only two entities: the substance and the shadow (or rather,
only One, and its appearance, produced by ignorance), the tm and the Antm - the
seer and the seen, the rope and the snake. When this knowledge becomes part of the
mental make-up, it liberates you from maya and you see Kailasa at the straight and
hard but the Goal is glorious; it is nothing less than illumination. It when people forget
this Goal that the Avatar comes to save them.

When you crave for the thought of the Lord and the company of the Godly, then you are
in Uttarayana. Bhishma too was in that mood. He prayed Asato Maa Sad Gamaya -
from this transient world of decay, lead me to the everlasting world of Bliss; Tamaso
Maa Jyotir Gaaya - Give me the effulgence of Thy Grace and illumine my soul with
Truth; Mrtyor Maa Amritam Gamaya - Save me from the torture of birth and death,
destroy the cravings of the mind which produce the seeds of birth and lead me to
immortality. That prayer and that yearning of Bhishma gave him the vision of Krishna
when he passed away. That was the real Uttarayana for him.

!
When you are in the Kshetra, think of the Kshetrajna.
!
Concentrate on the thing you have come for.
!

Discourse 30 (Pranti Nilayam, 4/3/1962)

There was in bengal a bhakta named Madhavadasa, who realised when his wife died,
that he had lost his griha (home), for his grihalakshmi (wife) had passed away; so he
gave all his riches to the poor, donned a gerua (yellow) robe and wandered alone as a
pilgrim to the Jagannatha Shrine. There he did such deep penance that the concrete
image soon became the Abstract Reality and the Abstract Reality became a Perpetual
Page 37 of 268

Vision. He lost all sense of time and space, of Chit and Achit (awareness and ignorance).
Then the Lord, with Subhadra (his Shakti aspect), moved towards him and placed
before him the gold plate used by the priests to leep food in front of Jagannatha in the
sanctum sanctorum. When Madhavadasa awoke to his gross surroundings, he saw the
gold plate with the pile of delicious food upon it; he ate his Oill and returned to his inner
paradise which he had left for a while. Meanwhile the plate was reported lost, assumed
to be stolen, and discovered by the seashore near Madhavadasa, who was promptly
arrested and led to the lock-up by some very efOicient policemen. He was beaten
mercilessly but did not seem to mind it a bit. The chief priest that night had a dream in
which Jagannatha asked him not to bring food for the Lord again into the shrine, for:
You bring food for Me, and when I eat it, you start beating Me! Then he realised that it
was all the Lords Leela to demonstrate the devotion of Madhavadasa and teach others
the real nature of Bhakti.

The title Satyam Shivam Sundaram is full of meaning. It speaks of Me as immanent in

every one of you, remember. Satyam (Truth) is the basic reality of you all; that is why
you resent being called a liar. The real you is innocent; he will not accept an
imputation that is false. The real you is Shivam - joy, happiness, auspiciousness - but
not Shavam (corpse). It is Shubham (beautiful), Nityam (permanent), Anandam (bliss).
How then can you bear being called otherwise? The real you is Beauty, and so you
resent being called ugly. The tm has got entangled in the body which it does not like;
it is weighed down by shame when you identify it with the body and attribute to it the
weaknesses and deOiciencies of that physical vehicle.

When the Paramtm tatva (principle of Supreme Soul) assumes human form and
appears, not with Maha-Shakti and Maha-Svarupa, but with Maya Shakti and Maya
Svarupa, it is difOicult to comprehend it, especially when you are in an uncertain
vacillating mood. Once you understand the purpose and the procedure, all doubts will
cease.

Prema is the characteristic of the Lord; the love that you bear to yourself is itself the
love that is the nature of the tm, which is the Lord. That is why I place all emphasis
on Prema, in its various forms of affection, Oilial piety, brotherhood, fraternalism,
philanthropy, etc. My Message, My Mission is Prema, Prema, Prema; nothing else. That
is the substance, remember of the Vedas and of Dharma. When that Oills the heart, all
fear and all vice will vanish.

Discourse 31 (Pranti Nilayam, 4/3/1962)

You are so accustomed to hear people speak, that if you do not hear, your ears ache! If
they do not speak, their tongues become restless and even restive. They are both so
used to activity that it has now become difOicult for you to sit quietly for a few minutes,
communing with the silence within you!

Have you yearned, have you pined, have you wept for the Lord as Thygaraja did, for
example? Have you shed tears of contrition, tears of exultation, while repeating His
Name so full of sweetness and beauty; while visualising His Form so full of loveliness
and charm?

A little child sits with a book of the Upanishads on its lap and turns over the pages,
intent on the printed lines and watching the curious types, deliberately, slowly and
with great care; a sadhu too does the same. Can you equate the two and say they are
Page 38 of 268

both engaged in the same act? The boy is unaware of the treasure he holds in his hand;
the sadhu gets into immediate contact with the spiritual power the lines convey.

(Rama Sharma) spoke of the great, well-nigh immeasurable, indescribable joy of

merging with Shiva-Sayi and of the Bhakti and Prema necessary for that
consummation. When he was describing it all, I could see that you were thrilled. The
exhilaration out of which that song was born and the joy he himself experienced while
reading, it before Me and you, is a sure means of attaining that goal, let Me assure you.
Whoever has the enthusiasm, the steadfastness, the determination to reach the goal
will certainly succeed.

Why argue over Me, over this point or that concerning Me? Who exactly is the Baba you
discuss and debate? What does it matter to you who I happen to be? You are concerned
about your goal, your experience, your effort, is it not? When then worry about My
Origin, My Nature, My Mystery, My Miracle? The basic thing is the hand, the cup it holds
is secondary. The Adheya is less in importune than the Adhara, the Basic Reality, the
Pure Existence. When you cannot reach down to your own Basic Reality, why waste
time in exploring the essence of Godhead? As a matter of fact, you can understand Me
only when you have understood yourself, your own Basic Truth.

You cannot discard Name and Form until you transmute yourself into the Nameless and
Formless.

A library stacked with books is incapable of imparting the authentic touch of the living
guru.

You will learn then that I am prema itself; that I give only thing, Ananda, through the
Prema. My task is to distribute solace, courage and nti. That is to say, My
characteristics are the ancient authentic ones; only the Manifested Form is new. My
desire - if I can put it in so many words - is this: More and more should yearn for me.
The desire could be realised only if I assume this Form and come among you.

You are like a Telugu audience sitting through a Tamil picture, or vice versa. The
nuances, the subtler signiOicances, the deeper meanings are all beyond the grasp. My
language, My role, My career, My purpose can be understood in a general way only by
sitting through the entire Oilm, watching earnestly and vigilantly and trying to get at the
meaning of every word and act with patient attention.

!
As a matter of fact, language is an impediment in dealing with Me.
!

I only ask that Truth must be proclaimed, regardless of the company you have fallen
into; there must be courage of conviction, which will help you to overcome the
temptation to deny your cherished joys.

(Having quoted Uddalaka story - contemporary of Chaitanya, worshipped Prakriti

(Radha) rather than Purusha, Radha took a form and bought bangles from a bangle-
salesman on the banks of the Sarasvati and told him that payment would be found at
her father, Uddalakas house. On reaching the house of Uddalaka, Uddalaka was
stunned when the bangle salesman informed him of the damsels promise, as he had no
children. He went and looked behind the Radha photo (wear the damsel had told the
salesman the money would be found) just to satisfy the salesman, and found the money
there. Realising the damsel was none other than Radha come to bless him, he rushed
Page 39 of 268

with the pedlar to the bathing ghat. He saw a glorious vision of Radhas right arm above
the waters, the bangles dazzling in the morning sun. He knew the arm was raised to
bless him; he felt it was call him; he Olew out of the mortal coil into her Lap.)
You can worship even Prakriti (Nature); there is no harm, provided you realise that the Lord is
immanent in it, giving it name and form and value; that the cloth is just yarn, the pot is just mud, the
jewel is just gold. Why, you can worship your parents and realise the Lord through that sadhana.
They are your creators and guides and teachers and protectors and by idealising them, you can
grasp the Truth of the Lord, the Primeval Parent. !

Even if you are not able to conceive the idea of a Lord or a God, you must be able to know what
Love is by experience, is it not? You have experienced the love of your parents, of a friend, of a
partner or of a brother or sister, or towards your own children. That love is itself a spark of God,
who is all Love, who is all the Love in all the worlds at all times. !

Swami Abhedananda said this evening at the meeting that he would prefer to be called
Satya Sai Charanananda and that he had written to Me about that desire a fortnight ago.
But his name teaches that he should not posit any distinction between him and Me. It
must be an abheda (non-distinct) relationship. He has to practise unity, non-distinction.
This is what I wrote to him; Learn the Lesson your present name teaches, that is
enough.

Discourse 32 (Pranti Nilayam, 6/3/1962)

The discovery of Truth - that is the unique mission of Man. Man is a minute of Maya and
Madhava; the Maya throws a mist which aids the Madhava; but through the action of
the healthy impulses inherited from acts performed while in previous bodies or
through the cleaning one by austerities in this body or through the Grace of the Lord
Himself, Maya melts away; for it is just a mist which Olees before the sun. Then Nara is
transformed into Narayana and this Bhuloka (world) is elevated into a Pranti
Nilayam. The illumination of viveka will remove the darkness which hides the Divine
essence of Man. Today, man hopes to dispel darkness by the sword, the gun and the
bomb, while what is wanted is just a lamp. how can darkness be swept away by
darkness, hatred by hatred, ignorance by deeper and vaster ignorance? The very lust
for victory promotes darkness. Leave all thoughts of conquest aside; strive to know the
Truth and when that is known, false notions fondly held by you will fall off of their own
accord.

!
Do not worry about Maya; concentrate on Madhava; you are certain to succeed.
!

The dull-wired man runs about madly in pursuit of peace of mind; trying this
prescription for some time and preferring another afterwards. He is on the wrong path;
the path of catering to the senses, the path beset by Rupa, Nama and Guna, the path of
the temporary and the apparent. But the mumukshu or the seeker after Moksha gets
that Peace quite easily. In fact, the real nature of man is Pranti - steadiness,
unshakable resolution, peace. nature is a great store where all things which help you to
grasp the truth are found. That truth is Oirst cognised as Samam Brahmam Mayam - all
this is imbued with Brahman, directed by Brahman, composed of Brahman! Then
seeker rises to a greater awareness, the awareness of Sarvam Brahman - all this is
Brahmam; only it appears as something else for a time to the unopened eyes! The Oinal
state is one where there is not even a Sarvam to be posited as Brahman; there is just
Brahman: the one and only.

Page 40 of 268

The lesson is learnt by man when he studies nature, analysing it and trying to
understand it. It is at the mothers lap that the child learns the art of living; so also it is
Prakriti that teaches man how to succeed in the hard struggle and win Pranti. Break
the laws of Nature and she boxes you in the ear; obey her commands and listen to Her
warnings and She will pass on to you your heritage of immortality.

Let the dull-witted man hug his delusion that happiness and peace can be secured
through slavery to the senses. Those who know that the world is a mixture of truth and
falsehood, and therefore a big conundrum or mithya (false), will leave off the outer
attractions and concentrate on the inner joy of attachment to God. If you are declared
passed, you have Peace; if you are declared failed, that too solves the problem for
some little time and puts a stop to worry; but if your results are not announced but
withheld (for it is not quite certain whether you have passed or failed), you suffer the
maximum Anti (restlessness), is it not? So also, this world which is neither Satya nor
Asatya (unreal) but mitya (false), breeds profuse anti in the mind.

Non-attachment alone can grant Pranti. Satsanga and the visit to holy places and holy
men promote that attitude and habit.

The smarana (remembering) of the Self (tm) is the spring of joy; the smarana of the
Non-self (Antm) is the source of sorrow.

The feeling of surrender is the best for success in all such instances. Let His will be
done. He is every One. Sharanagati (surrender) is like grass on the ground, unaffected
by storms; egoism is the palmyra tree that sways in the wind but breaks when it blows
suddenly in a gust. The ways of the Lord are inscrutable; your duty is to submit to them
faithfully, thankfully and joyfully.

!
The human body has been given to you for a grand purpose - realising the Lord within.
!
Discourse 33 (Pranti Nilayam, 7/3/1962)

Of course, what the Pandit served is food of the highest quality; but I see you are all still
hungry! You wish to hear Me also, though it is the same food that I give. The rain from
the clouds fall on the roof and might Olow through a pipe or gargoyle or go-mukha but it
is the same water, whatever the shape of the exit.

Be attached under all conditions to the source, substance and sum of all power: the
Lord - and then you can draw from that source all the power that you need. This
attachment is called Bhakti.

Once Jnanadev and Namadev together walked across a forest tract, and both were
afOlicted with unbearable thirst. They discovered a well, but they found no rope or
vessel with which they could draw the precious liquid within reach. It was a deep well
with no steps and the water far far beneath. jnanadev, who had attained Brahmajnana,
identiOied himself with a bird that Olew down the well and drank its Oill. His thirst was
quenched that way. Namadev called upon the Lord by name; the Lord answered, the
water in the well rose; yes, rose, until he could reach it with his hands and slake his
thirst.

Page 41 of 268

The Lord is the Adhara; the world is the Adheya. The basis is in oneself, the nearest
entity, the closest companion, the very breath and life of the individual. How then can
you point to the distance when you are asked about the Lord?

Atheism is when the sun of jnana has set; theism is when it rises; tamas is ajnana; tapas
is jnana. If the manas is neglected and allowed to run wild, tamas or dullness will hold
sway.

The fact is that you should have a guru who has the highest spiritual experience.
Otherwise, you will be misled by amateurs who prescribe patent remedies, irrespective
of your personal history and needs.

All of the Yogas lead to one Goal; Sharanagati in the All-self (Paramtm), the merging
of the river in the sea.

Grief is the feet and joy the head; both are part of the same entity. You cannot welcome
joy and reject grief at the same time.

Take to the Brahma-marga (path of Absolute Reality) as well as the Dharma-marga

(path of Righteousness) earnestly and after your life has been transmuted into a never-
ending prayer by the silent effect of Dharma-marga, forget all in the ecstasy of Brahma-
marga.

Discourse 34 (Pranti Nilayam, Maha Shivaratri katha,

8,9,10/3/1962)

Polish your mind and the Lord, and His sublime grandeur will be reOlected in your
heart.

That is why I addressed you today not as Premaswarupulara or tmswarupulara, but,

as you will have noticed with some dismay, as Shantaswarupulara, Chanchala
svabhavulara, that is to say, though your nature is steadiness, your behaviour is every
unsteady. I did not say so to discourage you, but just to reveal the absurdity to you. do
not keep the manas, buddhi and chittam hungry or underfed; then they will run after
all kinds of foul food. Give them proper nourishment and they will perform their
functions well. Their function is to illumine the tm within and help you to discover
that the tm is all.

As a matter of fact, do not cast a bad word on man or beast; for He is in all Beings and
your harsh abuse strikes the Dweller within.

The Shastras are the authority for the dharma, and the karma based on dharma. It is
only when you are blessed with the Grace of the Lord, which is earned by dharma, that
you can have nti. A Oish can have nti only when it has water above and below and
on all sides; so too, you must have Grace all around you.

Really, if only you have this faith in the Name, you need not struggle to secure the
chance to detail to Me your desires and wants. I will fulOil them even without your
telling Me. Why? Did Ramadas take his seat in the verandah like you and await his
chance for an interview? The Lord carried to his very door the things that would fulOil
his innermost wish.

Page 42 of 268

The only hai (comfort in telugu) is in Sai.

The deers which stray into the forest where the hunter is waiting for game, and which
promise to come later and be his prey on pain of incurring the penalty for various
heinous things are teaching a Dharma Geeta; and if you practise those virtues and avoid
those things you can attain the Ananda Swarupa, which you really are.

The Varnashrama discipline is also intended for the gradual Oixation of the mind on
ultimate merger with the inOinite.

Varnashrama is a deep-rooted tree, the shade of which affords shelter to all the various
communities of man. Do not decry that discipline or the ancient scriptures. They are
your authority to conOirm My Truth; it is through the study of those Scriptures that you
can picture the grandeur of Divinity.

Honour the tm of which he (God, man, everything) is an encasement;; honour the

imperishable tm which you are and do not commit any act which will insult that
Basic Reality.

That is the subtle alchemy of the surroundings and the company. Some places have a
tremendous impact on the mind. The atmosphere is surcharged with the Name of God
on account of the generations of bhaktas who assemble there. That is why I say
dharma-karma is the best discipline. That means, action surcharged with devotion.
That will itself lead to jnana, where the world is found to be a dream and the only
reality is the All-pervading Grace or Power.

The Nastika (atheist) is blind, ignorant and afOlicted with a fever that spoils his sense of
taste; he Oinds everything bitter. The astika on the other hand is able to feel the true
taste of everything: bitter as bitter, sour as sour, sweet as sweet. But the Yastika (man of
realisation) tastes all things and all experiences as sweet, Oilled with the sweetness of
God. Prahlada was a Yastika; he was beaten, trampled upon, cast into Oire and water, but
he tasted only sweetness at all times. He overcame every calamity with the
reinforcement derived from the Name of Narayana in the heart. There is a secret spring
in the heart that will well up when the name is uttered and that will slake your thirst.

Once the Lord entered the house of jnani (practiser of jnana yoga) as a thief and when
the master of the house caught Him and argued, You are a thief; I have caught you, the
Lord said in reply, So longas the ideas, you and I inhere, there can be no Jnana, and
disappeared.

Sakshatkara attained by any one of the means is of the same Truth, of the same
Grandeur; it means the same Spiritual Victory.

Discourse 35 (Thirupati, 5/4/1962)

Idol worship is not a sign of barbarism The idol is revered as the Swarupa of the
Lord, He who pervades everything, everywhere is invoked and visualised in the idol
and approached reverentially by the cleansed mind, anxious to efface itself in the
Eternal and the Universal. This attitude is called Prapatti - Surrender for FulOilment.

!
Bhakti will foster Prema, because it is born of Prema itself.
!
Page 43 of 268

Install truth in the shrine of your hearts and that will engender the wholesome habit of
brotherliness among all men.

The body is but a boat, an instrument for crossing the sea of change, that you have
through the merit of many generations. When you have crossed the sea, you realise the
Dweller, in the Dwelling. That is the purpose of the body. So, even when the body is
strong and skills even while the intellect is sharp and the mind alert, effort must be
made to seek the dehi (dweller), in the deha (body).

Discourse 36 (Pranti Nilayam, 28/4/1962)

Having won this chance (to be in the proximity of the Incarnation of the Lord), strive to
taste the sweetness and achieve the Bliss of Merging, without wasting even a single
moment.

The rays that emanate from Me are of three grades: the Sthoola (gross), Oilling this
Pranti Nilayam; the Sukshma (subtle), pervading the earth; and the Kaarana (causal)
coveting the entire universe. The people who have the privilege of living in this Nilayam
are indeed lucky, for they are nearest to the Kirana (rays). The Sthoolakirana makes a
mana a Sadhaka; the Sukshma makes him a Mahtm (Great Soul) and the Karana
converts him into a Paramahamsa.

Keep undimmed before you the main goal, the task for which you have come into this
school; do not deviate from it, whatever the attraction that tempts you to stray.
Command the mind, regulate your conduct, so that the goal is won. Let not the care of
the body or the fostering of the family or the demands of pride and pomp overwhelm
the call of the Spirit for Self-Expression. Shiva (Supreme Reality), Jeeva (individual) and
Prakriti are the three principles that confront you; the world has to be utilised by the
individual to attain Shiva, which is the fundamental fact in both. Until you get
tmnandam, by realising Shiva, the world will press on you with its weight and well-
nigh suffocate you. After that, the world will fall off, of itself.

!
The Name is the spring of all the Chaitanya that you get by Namasmarana.
!

Grace is showered on all who obey instructions and follow orders. But the number of
such is very small. Even though instructions are light and easy, they are designed to
make you go beyond Triputi - the three-fold distinction of the Pilgrim, the Path and the
Goal; of Bhagavata, Bhakta and Bhagavan, of Lover, Loved and Love.

Realise that like the waves of the sea sukha and dukha rise and fall; they are like the
inhalation and exhalation of the breath. If you attain that calm, the ground whereon
you stand becomes Kashi, every handwork of yours gets transmuted into the highest
form of Shivapooja. Roam about in the region of your own mind and understand its
moods and mysteries do not dream of wandering in foreign lands before you become
masters of your own kingdoms. Self Oirst; help next. Know yourself; that lesson once
learnt, you can know others, much sooner and much more truly.

!
Inner Purity Oirst and outer purity later - that is the natural order.
!

You are not to live like earnest sadhakas just to please Me; it is a duty you owe to
yourselves and so, you must adhere to those rules wherever you are.

Page 44 of 268

I will insist on strict obedience. I shall not reduce the rigour to suit your level, for that
will only ruin you; I pay attention to your ultimate good.

Discourse 37 (Whitefield, 19/5/1962)

Children have no such inhibitions. They believe everybody and everybody can believe
them. Their hearts are like gramophone records; they get impressed by whatever tune
you sing to them. They play back the correct tune, without any distortion, provided the
needle is sharp. The needle is prema and it must be one-pointed and direct. Then only
can the music be drawn out. In the case of elders, the needles would have been blunted,
but children have the gift of ekagratha (one-pointed attention).

The gramophone records which do not have any grooves, because they have not been
used, can be played over and over again, with the needle ekagratha not being blunted at
all; for the grooves blunt the point, not the plate. Prahladha is a Oine example of this, for
he had no egoism; he was in perfect unaffected calm. So, whatever happened to his
physical cloak, he never felt it. The needle simply rolled round and round, there was no
music; there was just silence.

Visha and amrita (poison and nectar) cannot merge; Sat can merge only with Sat;
Prakriti is Brahma-mayam; Brahmam is Prakriti-mayam. Cloth is yam-mayam and yam
is cloth-mayam. One is meaningless without the other. The childhood stage is the pure
Sat stage and if you only manage to live on with that innocence as Sags Shuka did you
can achieve merger quite naturally.

Discourse 38 (Maddhur, 24/5/1962)

Hence, it is said that smarana is enough; smarana that can be done along with all other
activities of living. It is the inner purity that matters, not the outer movement of the
lips. Smarana being an inner activity helps that inner transformation.

Your Bhajana Mandali is called Niranjana, after the Nirakara Swaroopa (Formless
personiOied) of the Brahma tatva. Now there can be no bhajana of the Niranjana - the
unmanifested, pure, absolute principle. You can limit by name and form that Niranjana
Tatva and make it Sakara (with Form and Attributes) for the sake of visualising it. Then,
by slow stages, you will Oind that particular Form enclosing all beings therefore
assuming a Universal nature. It will gradually drop its boundaries of time and space
and like the blueness of Krishna, pervade the sky and sea and become a symbol for the
depth of Eternity.

Without surrender, there can be no liberation. So long as you cling to the narrow I, the
four prison walls will close in on you. Cross out the I and you are free. How to kill the
I? Place it at the feet of the Lord and say, You, not I - and you are free of the burden
that is crushing you. Associate always with the Niranjana - the vast, unlimited, the
divine; dream and plan to merge with the Absolute; Oill your ears with the call from the
beyond and the boundless. Transcend the walls, the bars and bolts, the locks and
chains. you can do so easily by Oixing your mind on your own inOinity.

But, in the Mental Hospital, you will Oind sometimes one type of mad man. He sits in a
corner, resting without a break, watching the pranks and the wildness of the other
inmates. The doctors will be thankful to him, for he needs no care; he causes no
trouble. His madness may be melancholia or he may be a jnani (realised soul). The God-
bound man is like that. he is the only sane man in this mad world.
Page 45 of 268

Discourse 39 (Pranti Nilayam, 17/7/1962)

For Vyasa is the Adiguru, the Muulaguru (the Oirst and the source of all spiritual
teachers). He recognised and declared the Truth in a variety of ways and helped in
opening the inner eye of man. He described in beautiful, simple and clear terms the
Glory of the Lord and of the means of attaining Him. He saw that unless the Mind is
negated or destroyed, the Lord will not be manifest. He prescribed the paths by which
this could be done. So he is the Lokaguru (world teacher), the Paramaguru (greatest
teacher).

Inner prompting to see the light must send the aspirant to the teacher or must draw
the teacher to wherever he is. You must inquire and discriminate: Do objects grant
happiness? Is any one happy? How can one be happy through the multiplication of
desire and the frantic effort to feed the raging Oire? At last, you will by your own
experience, discover that happiness is an inner gift, a spiritual treasure that can be won
by equanimity.

The Moon is the presiding deity of the mind; it must shine cool and comforting,
eternally, in fullness, in the Hridaya-akasha (inner Oirmament of the Heart).

The mind spins a cocoon for the Jeevi to be imprisoned in. Karma, which is the activity
of Maya, encloses the individual in its grip; it is the husk that makes the paddy seed
grown and yield more paddy plants and more grains of paddy. Remove the hawk and
there is no more sprouting.

Sri Ramakrishna had to cut asunder even the form of Kali when it came across his path
towards the realisation of the Nirguna (formless) aspect of God.

The Bhru-madhya (centre point between the eyebrows) on which you are asked to
concentrate is not the point where your eyebrows meet in the centre of your forehead;
it is a point in your inner awareness, the hridaya (heart).

Between you and Me, it is not the relationship between Guru and Shishya or that of the
Guide and the Pilgrim. The external Guru should not be equation with the
Sarvantaryami (innermost soul in all the hearts).

When you know that nothing happens without His Sankalpa (resolve), everything that
happens has a value added to it.

Discourse 40 (Pranti Nilayam, 29/9/1962)

This Nilayam is Pranti Nilayam. It is the abode of the highest form of nti, Pranti.
In fact, you are, each one of you, the Nilayam of Pranti. That is why I very often
address you as nti Swaroopulara. My object is to remind you that your real nature is
nti, equanimity, peace, unrufOledness, non-attachment. You cannot draw out from
within you that which is not there, is it not? Therefore, nti must be there, deep down,
as the very core of your being. It is the ripeness of the fruit, the sweetness Oilling the
ripened fruit.

It (nti) is an ennobling, elevating experience which comes when one attains the
merger with the very source of ones being. It is the stilling of the waves; the calming of
mental activities and agitations.
Page 46 of 268

Crossing the sands of greed and lust, the wilds of anger, climbing the heights of hatred
and vengefulness, the spiritual aspirant comes to the green meadow of Prema. You can
see that circle of broad green grass, attractively embellished with good thoughts and
virtues, which refresh and satisfy. Beyond that, we have the broad expanse of nti
(quiet), where all agitations cease and the mind is at rest in its own silence. Now is the
chance; establish yourself in yoga - the sadhana of spiritual union with the Universal
Power, the Absolute Wisdom, the Eternal Verity. The consciousness ascends through
the six centres, marked on the Yogadanda (Yogic Staff) in the centre of the circle, and
then, watch what happens. The Lotus of the Heart blooms, the petals unfold, the
fragrances permeates the Universe, the rays of the Sun are inhaled, and as you are
represented here, the tmjyoti (splendour of the tm, the unsullied effulgence),
illumines you and everything else in One All-embracing Olame.

Know that the basic reality is God, Omnipotent, Omnisceint, Omnipresent. Become
aware of it and stay in that awareness always. Whatever the stress and the storm, do
not waver from that Faith. Or you can earn that awareness by reminding yourselves of
it with every breath of yours.

Discourse 41 (Pranti Nilayam, Vedapurusha Saptaaha Yagna,

1/10/1962)

A Oish, even if it is put into a golden bowl, struggles desperately to return to the sea
from which it was pulled up. It is in mortal agony until it reaches its primal home. It
wants water all round it to be happy and alive. Man too is of the nature of Ananda; he
cannot survive without Ananda. He is Amrita swaroopa; hence, it is difOicult for him to
imagine that his body will fall off and he has to die one day.

Discourse 42 (Pranti Nilayam, 2/10/1962)

For your inner joy, they are not the cause, nor is it, believe Me, even I. It is you yourself.

You have been born for one purpose: to die. That is to say, to kill the I. If Bhrama
(delusion) dies, you become Brahman, or rather, you know that you are Brahman. All
this literature, all this effort, all this yajna, all this teaching is just to hold a mirror
before you, so you can see Yourself.

Discourse 43 (Pranti Nilayam, 4/10/1962)

When this idea was Oirst placed before Me, some one objected on the ground that I was
asked to give darshan like Maha Vishnu. He did not like the idea of like. I have also
an objection against acting in a drama. But I was so moved by the earnestness of their
request that I agreed. Really speaking, this Avatara is itself acting a part. It is putting
on a function and assuming a role, by the Function-less and the Role-less.

Discourse 44 (Pranti Nilayam, 5/10/1962)

I give what is Panakam (sweet drinks) for the ignorant and what is Amrita (nectar) for
the illumined.

To cut it short: sensual life is adharma; the spiritual life is Dharma. Dharma is that
which sustains, saves and sanctiOies. Man is born and is given a lease of life so that he
may earn the knowledge of His identity with the InOinite.

Page 47 of 268

There are differences between the limbs of the body but they all belong to the body; it
is foolish for them to imagine that they are unconnected with the body. The Sun sends
out a million rays but they all belong to the Sun. The Sun is reOlected in a million pots of
water but though they are all tiny images of the Sun, the Sun is the Truth and the
reOlections are all relatively unreal.

The Vedas and the Upanishads which form the Jnana Kanda and the Upasana sections
of Sanathana Dharma are the best guides to the path of dharma for mankind, for all
classes, for the family, for society, for the professional group and for the individual.

Discourse 45 (Pranti Nilayam, 6/10/1962)

There was a bhakta called Sena in Delhi at the time of Akbars reign. He was the royal
masseur at the Court of the Emperor. Every morning at seven the Emperor expected
him at his side and had ordered that he should massage his body for half an hour. One
day, Sena entered his pooja room as usual and, in the ecstasy of that Vision of Beauty,
he lost all sense of time! His wife ran about in panic outside the closed door, for she had
no mind to disturb her husbands concentration. Meanwhile, Akbar was being
massaged by Sena at the Palace and the Emperor was praising him, Sena, I have never
felt so happy all these days; your Oingers are indeed divine. When the session was
about to close, Akbar saw in the cup of oil on the teapot in front of him, the reOlection of
the masseurs face - and he was surprised to Oind that the face was of Krishna! He
turned to examine the face of his attendant, but he was no longer there!

Discourse 46 (Pranti Nilayam, 7/10/1962)

for the Bhagavata contains Vedasaaram itself.

!
The Bhagavata is the Vedasaara made available for easy assimilation by all.
!

Just as juveniles are shown pictures and made to learn names of the objects which they
represent, the Bhagavata teaches the Akshara (Imperishable) through the Kshara
(perishable). You cannot attain the subtle without experiencing the gross, without the
instrumentality of the gross. After rising to the heights of the Chit, with jada as the
instrument, you have to also make the jada so suffused by Chaitanya that the difference
does not persist! In dhyana, the picture Oirst felt has to be transformed into the picture
of the puriOied imagination, and that again has to be rariOied into the subtle abstract
principle only. Then only can the dhyeya or Form meditated on, be transcended and the
highest Vision of Universal beauty, wisdom and strength obtained. The Bhagavata helps
in this spiritual education, taking the student through all the lessons from the primary
to the post-graduate levels.

You have to trace your ancestry and be proud of it. From Paramtm Moola, Prakriti
descended with the emergence of maya; and from the stuff of that illusion, Akasha:
from Akasha, Vaayu; from Vaayu, Agni; from Agni, Jala and from Jala, Bhoomi. By a
combination of the Oive elements, this tabernacle of Paramtm, that is you, was
produced. The entire ladder has now to be climbed up in order to reach the
Paramtm, the Origin of All.

I will not accept if you say that you are an atheist with no faith in the Lord. For what is
the root of that faith in yourself? Who are you that you should believe yourself? No. You
believe, yourself, because your Self is God, and you have an unshakeable faith in God,
deep down in you. Faith in yourself and faith in God are identical.
Page 48 of 268

Everyone has to go from where when the provisions he has brought or secured have
been spent. But by that time, attain the purpose of all this bother of arriving, travelling,
accumulating and spending: the realisation of supreme happiness by ending this circle
of birth and death.

!
I am not getting this yagna done; I am He who receives the offerings of yagna.
!
Discourse 47 (Pranti Nilayam, 21/11/1962)

Of course, I never deviate from Truth. Since I recline on Truth, I am called Satya Sai;
Shayi means reclining. The name is very appropriate, let me assure you.

Discourse 48 (Pranti Nilayam, 23/11/1962)

The Vedas are without beginning or end; they are eternal messages caught by
developed consciousnesses in the silence of meditation.

Vedokhilo Dharma Moolam - The Vedas are the root of Dharma. When the Vedas
remain unharmed, that is to say, when the Vedic scholars are unharmed, the Veda will
remain ever-green in the heart of man. That is the real Dharma-sthapana.

But I want to tell you that the Pandits and Shastris have come to his pass (mostly
hungry, ill-clad and homeless) because they have themselves lost faith in the Vedas.
They are like the proverbial cat which is loyal to two homes and is denied food and
comfort in either. The Pandits have one eye on secular matters and secular studies and
another on the spiritual. Let them be Oixed in that faith, faith in the Vedas. Then the
Vedas will keep them happy.

(After story of lady from Pahalgaon living in Shirdi, who had three pots from three
separate wells in her house which she named Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati and used
to mix it and serve as Triveni Tirtha to wayfarers as she believed the three wells were
connected underground. Her husband had a golden ring from his mother which he took
to the Manikarnika Ghat and which he lost in the Ganga. On returning, the wife said
that Ganga would not steal from an old lady and would only accept that which is
offered with love. Then she went to the pot, prayed to Ganga (the pot), and found the
ring in the bottom)
It is faith that matters; the form and the name on which it is Oixed do not matter. For all
names are His; all forms are His.

Discourse 49 (Pranti Nilayam, 23/11/1962)

What proOit is it for the children to know the length of the Mississippi River or the
height of Vesuvius? Why load them with information they may never require? On the
other hand, give them the tonic to strengthen that spirit - the tonic of the Repetition of
the Name of the Lord, the tonic of meditating on the Glory of God, in the silence of the
Heart.

Man has the springs of joy and peace in his heart, even as a child. Cultivate them, give
them the fullest freedom to gush forth and fertilise all Oields of activity - that is the real
purpose of education.

Discourse 50 (Pranti Nilayam, 24/11/1962)

Page 49 of 268

A Brahmana is one who is installed in Brahma Tatva, who has realised Brahma Satyam -
that Brahman is the Truth and no other - or at least one who is keenly following the
discipline prescribed for attaining that knowledge. The Brahmin is the instrument by
which society has to excavate the treasure of Brahmajnana.

All this creation and all this history is His Leela or rather, Himself, Brahma Satyam, also,
Jagat Satyam. Only Jagat is relatively real until the distinction between Brahman and
Jagat disappears and then even Jagat is seen to be Brahman, felt as Brahman, known as
Brahman. Then you know Sarvam Brahma Mayam (All is full of Supreme Being). To be
more correct, there is no separate sarvam (all) to be recognised as mayam (full of).
Brahman alone is, one without a second, Advitiyam, Ekam, Nityam, Vimalam, Achalam
(Non-dual, Single, Eternal, Pure and Immovable). Who created all this variety from that
Ekam (Single)? The answer is, there is no variety at all; so the question makes no sense.
No person or force or urge or concatenation of circumstances or accident produced this
multiplicity. There is no multiplicity! The One remains as One. You mistake it as many;
the fault is in you; correct your vision, remove your delusion, Brahman did not change
into Prakriti; the rope does not change into a snake. Only you mistook it to be a snake.
Brahman is Brahman forever and ever; your ignorance of this fact makes you see it as
Prakriti. The world stands on one leg, delusion. Cut down that leg and it falls.

You experience the disappearance of this variety, this multiplicity, this Prakriti, this
world based on delusion, every day but you do not hold on to that experience. That is
the tragedy! When you are asleep, what happens to your world? In what are all your
manifoldnesses subsumed? What is the source of feeling of joy which sound sleep
brings? Sleep keeps a tiny trace of ego as a memento of the world and so, when awake,
you are the same deluded individual, pestered by creatures of your own fantasies!

That is why I very often tell you not to identify even Me with this particular physical
build-up. But you do not understand. You call Me by One Name only and believe I have
One Form only. Remember, there is no Name I do not bear, there is no Form which is
not Mine.

Discourse 51 (Pranti Nilayam, 25/11/1962)

Rama is the embodiment of Truth and Dharma and so there is a sternness about Him
but Krishna is Prema and His story confers Ananda quickly and spontaneously to one
and all. The prema in the human heart responds to the call of that Divine Prema; it
surges up and overOlows.

The Love of the gopees about which so much philosophical speculation and analysis
was made before you is, let Me tell you, Sahaja prema - the genuine prema that is
beyond physical awareness, that is unaffected by praise or blame.

The gopees had no other goal, no other ideal, no other wish. It was a surrender of the
self - complete, unquestioned, unwavering.

!
Discourse 52 (Pranti Nilayam, 26/11/1962)

!
!
Page 50 of 268

Vol. 3!
Discourse 1 (Pranti Nilayam, 25/1/1963)

Bhakti involves dedication, with nothing held back; not even a wisp of ego should
remain. His command alone counts; His Will prevails. Like a drunkard, the bhakta has
no sense of honour or decency, pride or conceit. he is a mattha, an ummattha (a mad
person), unconcerned with all that is unrelated to his ideal. He is deaf to the call of
hunger and thirst; he misses steps in logic and he calculates wrongly while dealing in
the market place. Narada says that those full of the liquor of ignorance stumble after
the shadows of the world, while those drunk with nectar of wisdom never move away
from the Highest, which they have discovered as themselves.

Bhakti must soften the mind and keep it receptive to the higher emotions, the purifying
impulses.

Bhishma was a bhakta and by winning the Lords grace, he was clothed with more
majesty and splendour than any earthly emperor. What majesty have these petty
sceptre-holders? They cannot claim to have inner peace, inner joy; they know not the
joy of sharing love with all.

Manava has to become Madhava; that is his destiny, the plan and purpose of his being
armed, as no other animal is, with the sword of viveka and the shield of vairagya.

You can win the Grace of the Lord only by Dharma. Dharma induces the spirit of self-
surrender and develops it. Without the training that the practice of dharma gives to
your senses, your feelings and emotions, you cannot have steady faith and steady
detachment.

!
You should pursue your path to Liberation with one-pointed effort.
!
Only experience can reveal the sweetness, the sublimity, the purpose of that Glory.
!

When you are unaware of the world, though in it, heedless of its call for participation,
you are having an outer night and an inner day. The Vedas teach you this Truth and
impart the discipline needed to attain this fortune.

Dwell on the Glory of God; then, you will shine in that Glory. Adhere to Truth, that is the
surest means of removing fear from your heart. Prema can grown only in the heart
watered by Truth.

Nagayya, even while he plays the role of Thyagayya, is always conscious that he is
Nagayya. Thyagayya is the role I am playing, he would say. Now, go one step further.
When asked who you are, say that you are Narayana Swarupa, playing the role of
Pullayya or Thimmayya or Mallayya, or whatever your name is. So too, every other
person is a role played Narayana. Narayana washed clothes as the dhobi, shapes wood
as the carpenter, forges iron as the blacksmith, prepares pots at the wheel as a potter.
he is all this - and more. His glory is inexhaustible. The Avatara (divine incarnate) is
another role He takes up for another purpose.

Page 51 of 268

Before you start on your rounds, which you call pradakshina (circumambulations), give
your mind as dakshina (thanksgiving offering) to the Resident of the temple, the Lord.
That is the Oirst thing to do, and perhaps, the only thing to do.

All ills are traceable to faulty living. And what is that traceable to? To ignorance of ones
real Nature, ignorance so deep-rooted that it affects thoughts, words and deeds. The
drug that can cure it is patented under different names: jnana, karma, upasana, bhakti.
They are all the same in potency, and curative power. The difference lies only in the
method of administration either as mixture or as tablet or injection.

The mind must become the servant of the intellect, not the slave of the senses. It must
discriminate and detach itself from the body. Like the ripe tamarind fruit, which
becomes loose inside the shell, it must be unattached to this shell, this casement called
body. Strike a green tamarind fruit with a stone and you cause harm to the pulp inside;
but, strike the ripe fruit and see what happens. It is the dry rind that falls off; nothing
affects the pulp or the seed. The ripe aspirant does not feel the blows of fate or fortune,
it is the unripe man who is wounded by every blow.

Discourse 2 (Pranti Nilayam, Upanayanam Day, 3/2/1963)

The Study of the Vedas is the highest type of learning, since it leads to the conquest of
Death. All other studies deal with the means of living or the surroundings within which
you have to live; they deal with earning and spending, deriving a little pleasure by this
trick, escaping a little grief by that other trick. The Vedas show the path to the Realm of
Eternal Bliss, whether there is no birth or death.

Man can acquire the sweetness of jnana by keeping himself in satsanga or even by
remaining in a solitary place, all by himself in dhyana, for example. But by whatever
means, the sweetness (the jnana) cannot be injected from outside; it must grow from
within. It is a transformation of the inner nature, won by a struggle with inner foes.

Everything in the Universe is Divine; it is; it shines; it is lovable. It is asti, bhati and
priya; it is Sat, Chit and Ananda. For, it is the same as the Universal, Eternal, Absolute,
which is also Sat-Chit-Ananda (Being, Awareness, Bliss).

Upanayana means, near-leading, leading near, leading the boy to the teacher, taking
him to the teacher, the Guru, for his Upadesha, this initiation. The Guru who can give
this Upadesha must himself have transcended name and form, the relative regions of
worldly ambitions and achievements; he must have experienced the Oneness of all this
variety.

The Guru does not teaching anything new; he reveals you to yourself. He trains you to
cleanse the mirror of your heart, so that you may be reOlected in it, without warp or
twist.

Use your fullest powers to grasp the Truth. Rely on your own skills, your own force;
then, they too will develop the utmost demand you make of them. That will give you the
greatest joy.

In order that the lotus may not go dry, the lake has to be full of water. Prema is the
water that must Oill the heart; hatred will make it a parched waste. Have faith in your
own tm; that is the medicine.
Page 52 of 268

Of course, you only talk of Sharanam (surrender), of placing all at the Feet; but you
withhold a great deal. Your minds are wayward like monkeys that skip and jump from
bough to branch. Give them to Me; I can make them steady and harmless. When I say,
sit, they will sit; when I say, stand, they stand. That is what Shankaracharya offered to
do, he told Shiva that he will hand over the monkey that was his mind to Him so that it
might be tamed and used for His delight. But, it must be a complete handing over; no
reservations.

Discourse 3 (Pranti Nilayam, 4/2/1963)

Man comes into the world burdened with maya and its instrument, the mind. The mind
expresses itself through attraction and repulsion, raga and dhvesha (affection and
hatred) towards the external world. Raga is rajasik (passionate) in its effect; it can be
used for ones uplift, as Narada used it to Oix attention on the Lord. Dhvesha is Tamasik
(negativistic), as Durvasa expressed it in his dealings with Ambareesha and others.
Without Raga and Dhvesha, the mind cannot function at all. If these two are removed,
there can be no mind and no maya, and you get Oixed in Jnana. Let Raga and Dhvesha go
and let Rama enter; then there will be no manas or maya (mind or illusion).

How to overcome Raga and Dhvesha? By discrimination, by inquiry, by reasoning.

Arrive at the truth by this means.

Dasaratha wept, for he had no sons to offer ritual food when he moves out into the next
world. When all are the form of God and of the substance of God, who is son and who is
father, who is to offer food to whom, when that high stage of wisdom is reached?
Kshama (fortitude) is the father, Shantam (peace) is the mother, Vairagya
(renunciation) is the wife, and the Lord is the son, the centre of affection.

He (man) has come, imprisoned in the go, and he has to liberate himself. This can be
done only by making him aware of the Universal basis (Adhara), like a man sunk in
poverty, dwelling in a hut that is raised over a vast underground treasure, man is
suffering, with a spring of joy inside him, of which he is unaware.

You have come, most of you, to get from Me tinsel and trash, petty little cures and
promotions, joys and comforts; very few of you desire to get from Me the thing I have
come to give, viz., Liberation itself; and even among these few, those who stick to the
path of sadhana and succeed are a handful.

!
Do not hunger for comfort or riches; hunger for Ananda.
!

No one can liberate you, for no one has bound you. You hold on to the nettie of worldly
pleasure and you weep for pain. The kite is pursued by crows so long as it carries the
Oish in its beak; it twists and turns in the sky trying to dodge the crows who seek to
snatch the Oish; tired at last, it drops the Oish. That moment it is free. So give up the
attachment to the senses, then grief and worry can harass you no more. The kite sits on
a tree, preening its wings, enjoying its happiness. You too can be happy, provided you
drop the Oish you have in your beak.

Discourse 4 (Pranti Nilayam, 5/2/1963)

Of course, the Ramayana is a limitless ocean, from which any number of canals can be
dug and water drawn. I was wondering whether at least today some one will refer
Page 53 of 268

Krishna tatvam! Not that one gets tired of Rama Tatvam. The Tatvam (Reality) of the
Lord is ever fresh.

Every life is a new chance, a fresh opportunity for realising the Truth. Yesterday is
gone; today is the fresh chance, the new opportunity is now.

The avatars insist on dharma it is declared that the purpose of the avatar is Dharma
sthapana; but, what is dharma for, if not for liberation from the bondage of ignorance?

You were told that Rama showed man how to bear suffering while Krishna taught him
how to overcome it. No, Rama was all Ananda inside, though he was lamenting
outwardly for Seeta. Rama Tatva is known only to Rama.

Discourse 5 (Pranti Nilayam, 6/2/1963)

To get angry is but the effort of a moment but, to get peace, to become unaffected by
the ups and downs of life, is the result of years of training in Vedanta. It can be well-
established only on the basis of the belief that all material things which fall within the
range of sensuous experience are fundamentally non-existent. They are maya, products
of illusion, of the tendency to see many where only One exists. You see corpses
proceeding one after the other to the graveyard, but you move about unconcerned. You
feel you are eternal. In fact, you are. That is the real you, I mean. Just as the water you
drink is eliminated as perspiration, the karma that you accumulate is eliminated
through karma, gladly borne. So, bear both mirth and moan with equal calm. Like the
akasha (space) in the pot merging with the akasha outside the pot, silently, fully, with
no trace of separation or distinctness, merge with the Universal. That is real
sharanagati.

As a matter of fact, it is not the obedience to the fathers whim; that is important; it is
the adherence to sathya and dharma, which is Ramas forte.

Janaka, for example, felt that all was His, not his. Though he had a body and all the
commitments of kingship, he felt as if he was an A-shareeri (without a body) and A-
samsaari (without a family).

The senses say, Why struggle? Eat, drink and be merry, while you can, but the Guru
says, Death lands on you without notice; overcome its fear now, before he calls. Now
is the true friend; yesterday has deceived you and gone; tomorrow is a doubtful visitor.
Today is the fastest friend; hold fast to it.

Once when his elder brother, Dharmaraja, promised to a mendicant yogi some help for
a yagna and asked him to call the next day, Bheema ordered all drums to beat and all
Olags to Oly, for, My brother is certain to live until tomorrow! At least, that is what he
believes will happen.

The Olame of Jnana can reduce to cinders the impulses inherited through many births
and many experiences. In the heat of that crucible, dross is burnt and precious metal is
isolated.

Unless you have muscles of iron and nerves of steel, you cannot contain in your heda
the tremendously transforming idea of Advaita, of your being the Universal itself, the
Eternal Reality itself!
Page 54 of 268

To see the Truth as Truth, and the untruth as untruth, clarity of vision and courage of
vision are both needed.

The seven-walled fort - mamakara (feeling of mind and ones own) and the six evil
tendencies, kama (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (infatuation), mada
(arrogance) and matsarya (jealousy) - has a garden in the centre and a lake, where the
hamsa (divine bird) plays. It is the image of your own true self; become aware of it and
you are saved.

You are on a pilgrimage to the beyond, so, you cannot long dwell in this beneath. Some
time or other, sooner or later, this birth or the next, you have to realise that this is but a
dream you took to be true; you have to pack up and march. This is Asat (non-Being); go
towards the Sat (Being). This is tamas (darkness): this is the realm of death. Proceed
towards the Jyoti (Effulgent Light); proceed towards the realm where immortality
reigns.

Discourse 6 (Pranti Nilayam, 8/2/1963)

Agastya is also reported to have drunk off the ocean all in one sip. That is to say, he
dried up the ocean of samsara, with its waves of grief and joy, prosperity and adversity,
success and failure. It is not any siddhi, this feat; it is a parable explaining that though
he was a grihasta (a married man) with a son who recited the Vedas as soon as he saw
light, he had conquered all attachments of the world. Be attached only to the ideal - that
is the sign of the sage.

No pooja, tapas, no vrata can equal the efOicacy of obedience, obedience to aajna (the
command), given for your liberation.

!
Individual reconstruction is much more important than the construction of temples.
!
Discourse 7 (Pranti Nilayam, Sparks from Discourses during
Shivaratri, Mar 1963)

If any one challenges you to show them one text where the principles of Sanathana
Dharma (Eternal Religion) are succinctly stated tell them about the Bhagavad Gita. It is
the essence of the Vedas and the Shastras and the Puranas.

The Sun never rises or sets, it appears to rise and appears to set, on account of the
revolution of the dart! What happens when the Sun rises is that avyakta (invisible)
becomes vyakta (visible), that is all. This series of udaya (rising) and asthamana
(setting) of Sun exist only for those who feel it and does not exist for those who deny it.
The duality of appearance and non-appearance can be overcome by jnana; so also,
when the jnana-bhaskara (sun of knowledge) is known, it is experienced as shining
always with undiminished lustre.

Lingam means simply the sign, the symbol; it is just a mark, which indicates merging
(laya); that is to say, the passing away of the mind and all mental agitations and all
mental pictures, which means, this objective world. Shivaratri is the day on which the
Moon, the presiding deity of the Mind, is as near laya as possible and so, just a little
extra effort that day leads to full success: the sadhaka can thereby achieve
Page 55 of 268

Manonashana (destruction of the mind). The realisation is that everything is subsumed

in the Lingam (the symbol of the Formless).

God is a huge Oire, and the sparks that Oly out from it are the jeevis; the jeevis are
inOinitesimal fractions of the same effulgence, having the same splendrous essence as
their base; but, the wind of vasanas sweeps upon the sparks and puts out the light and
destroys the heat. But, the same wind canont put out the Oire, it can only feed it further
and cause its splendour to shine forth in even greater measure, for, the Sankalpa of the
Lord can only add to His Glory.

A great painter once came to a Prince and offered to do a fresco on the palace wall;
behind him came another, who declared that he would paint on the wall opposite,
whatever painting the Oirst one drew, even if a curtain hid it from view and even if he
was not told the subject of the fresco! Both were commissioned to the tasks they had
accepted. The second man Oinished his work at the very moment, the Oirst one
announced that he had completed the task! The Prince arrived in the hall, where a thick
curtain partitioned off the two artists and their paintings. he saw the fresco and
admired it very much. Then he ordered that the curtain be removed, and lo, on the wall
facing the fresco, there was an exact duplicate of the picture that the Oirst man had so
laboriously painted! Exact because, what he had done was, polishing the wall and
making it a Oine big mirror! Make your hearts too clean and pure and smooth, so that
the Glory of the Lord might be reOlected therein, so that the Lord might see His own
Image thereon.

The players do not derive as much joy as the onlookers; so develop the attitude of the
onlooker, the witness (the drasta). The batsmen, bowlers and Oields men do not get a
fraction of the pleasure that the fans beyond the boundary, derive. They note each
fault and excellence in stroke and defence; they appreciate the Oiner points of the game.
So too, to get the maximum joy out of this game of living, one should cultivate the
attitude of the onlooker, even when one has to get embroiled in the game.

I will not bend before any one for anything. I am therefore un-afraid. I bend for Prema, I
bend before Truth, that is all.

Discourse 8 (Pranti Nilayam, Mar 1963)

You can understand it (Krishna Avatara, any other Avataras meaning) only when you
become lost to the world and its attachments through the expansion of your
sympathies and the puriOication of your motives. The One God-Head was experienced
by the gopees as immanent in every being; they steadied their minds and installed Him
therein.

Many yogis and ascetics, many Rajas and Maharajas among whom Krishna moved had
not realised that Truth. The unlearned simple cowherd and cowherdesses were wiser.
When you too feel so, affected by those pangs, you can understand the gopees, not till
them. For that pain, the message of Krishna is the antidote. Your grief is caused by
your limited artiOicial outlook; you take Me to be a limited bound entity and so you feel:
I am far away, I am absent, I am by your side, etc. You are hugging a delusion, awake to
the Truth and establish yourselves in joy.

The One does not, of its own Free Will, desire to become many. It has no desire. It has
no likes and dislikes. It is immanent and transcendent. It is all this and more. What then
Page 56 of 268

is the reason for this manifold appearance? The reason lies in the mind of a Bhakta
(devotee). You declare, Baba appeared before me in this Form; I saw Baba in this
Form. But, what happens is you desire that vision. I do not change into that Form. The
Lord is sugar, sweetness. You may drop it into tea or coffee or milk or water. Into
whatever thing you put it, it will make it sweet. That is My nature, sweetness; My
signature.

You must become master of the senses and attain the Mahaashakti (Supreme Energy)
from this basic Mayashakti (deluding power). In short you too must rise to the level of
the gopees.

Remember ever the Name of the Lord with agony of unfulOilled search and remember
ever the beauteous Form with the agony of being forced to be away - and, you too can
see Krishna in your midst. That yearning must be there: then, the result is certain.
Prahlada was immersed in that bhava; when he was thrown downhill, trampled by the
elephant and tortured by the minions of his father, he paid no heed, for he heeded only
his Lord; he needed only his Lord. The gopees too when they listened to the murali lost
all attachment to the world and to the senses and to the manifold objective
phenomenal things; they yearned for the sublimest spiritual merging with the InOinite
that was always calling on the Oinite, to realise its Oiniteness.

Discourse 9 (Pranti Nilayam, 10/2/1963)

The Nara-Tatava can be transformed into the Narayana-Tatva, for both are basically the
same. Only, you have to switch on to the particular wave-length. Know it, adjust
correctly and the all-pervading will be grasped clearly with no distortion.

Discourse 10 (Rajamundry, 1/4/1963)

Rama is Dharmaswarupam; Krishna is Premaswarupam. !

Rama is Ananda. Ananda is Rama. If it is not sweet, how can it be sugar? If Rama is suffering, He
cannot be Rama. !

Discourse 11 (Pranti Nilayam, 23/4/1963)

The Lord always weighs only the feeling behind the prayer to satisfy and please; the
Saguna form visible to the eye and cognisable by the sense, but something
unapproachable by the senses (indriya ateeta), has to be offered. In this way, karma
itself becomes Upasana, by the addition to saturation point, of dedication. Rati
(attachment) is the seed; Bhava (feeling) is the sapling; Prema is the Tree; Sat-Chit-
Ananda is the fruit.

If only men knew the path to permanent joy and peace, they will not wander distracted
among the by-lanes of sensual pleasure. Just as the joy felt in dreams disappears when
you awake, the joy felt in the waking stages disappears when you wake into the higher
awareness, called jnana. Use the moment while it is availbale, for the best of uses, the
awareness of the Divine in all. When you die, you must die not like a tree or a beast or a
worm, but, like a Man who has realised that he is Madhava (God). That is the
consummation of all the years you spend in the human frame.

Discourse 12 (Pranti Nilayam, Shankara Jayanti, 28/4/1963)

Page 57 of 268

The people of this country were lost in the pursuit of many goals, because their vision
was blurred by darkness. Shankara taught them that the Vedas, Upanishads and
Shastras had but One in view, the One-without-a-second, Advaita.

Temples, images and pictures are the slates and boards for the children in spiritual
progress. But, if you play with a toy elephant, you cannot derive the experience of
contacting the real one. The Formless can be conceived only when you have
transcended Form.

Shankaras Advaita is the ultimate Truth and so, it is only conOirmed, not shaken, by the
discoveries of science or the Olights of intellect. It speaks of the unity of matter and
energy; of time and space, of the Universe being but Brahman Seen through the veil of
Maya, which too is but an activity of the Primordial.

Shankara knew that Advaita requires intense sadhana which will remove all trace of
ego, all idea of duality, from the mind of man. So, as a preparatory discipline to the
dawn of the awareness of ones real unity with the substance of the Universe, he taught
the rules of yoga, bhakti and karma; these, according to him, will brighten the intellect,
cleans the emotions and purify the heart. Advaita is the awareness of the Divine, in
everything, everywhere, in full measure.

Shankara suggested satsanga as the very Oirst step in sadhana; the company of the wise
and the good will develop into detachment and love of silence and solitude. That will
promote the disappearance of moha (delusion), which according to Arjuna, was the
fruit of listening to the Gita. When that happens, one is established steadily in the Tat-
Tvam, the reality of this and that, the identity of this with that. Well, the recognition of
that identity is the attainment of Mukti (liberation).

Discourse 13 (Pranti Nilayam, 29/4/1963)

A mere Oive-minute inquiry will convince you that you are not the body, or the senses,
the mind or the intelligence, the name or the form, but that you are the tm itself, the
same tm that appears as all this variety. Once you get a glimpse of this truth, hold
onto it; do not allow it to slip. Make it your permanent possession.

Discourse 14 (Pranti Nilayam, Excerpts from Discourses, May 1963)

The Formless will assume any Form and undergo any transformation to satisfy the
yearning of the devoted aspirant. The over-riding purpose is to make all karma -jeevis
(action-oriented beings), Brahma-jeevis (God-Oilled beings).

The Formless God-head can be understood by you only when you have rendered
yourself Formless! When you are in the world of gunas, you have to attach yourself only
to a Saguna Lord.

Even a thief does not like being called thief He gets ashamed or angry when he is
called. Why? Truth is his real nature and his true nature revolts against the appellation.
The tm is always Shivam (auspicious and holy). So it protest vehemently when the
vehicle where it resides is called amangalam (inauspicious), Shayam (dead). The tm
is alo Sundaram (beauty). A, U, M is the Ahamkara (egoism) of Paramtm; it has no
vikara (ugliness, change) in it. So it is always Sundaram (beautiful, charming, lovely).
That is why when it is described as ugly, deformed, disgusting, etc., he lowers his head
in shame, for something revolting to his true nature is being imputed. Satyam, Shivam,
Page 58 of 268

Sundaram is yourself; you have not realised it because of delusion, ignorance and false
inference. Get rid of these and merge in your real self.

Discourse 15 (Pranti Nilayam, Gurupoornima Day, 6/7/1963) (Day

Swami had attack of cerebral thrombosis and had palsy, had been sick
for 8 days)

To discover ones reality and to dwell in that Divine Peace, one need not give up the
world and take to asceticism.

Discourse 16 (Pranti Nilayam, 7/7/1963)

Yesterday, when I came into the Hall, I could see the agony you all felt. That was
because you identiOied Me with this body, that was having the illness. If you had known
My truth, you would not have been sad; in fact, if you known your Truth, that would be
enough.

There is no Satyam, without Shivam; there is no Shivam without Sundaram. Truth alone
can confer Mangalam and Mangalam alone is the real beauty. Truth is beauty; Joy is
beauty; falsehood and greif are ugly, because they are unnatural. Buddhi, Chittam and
hridayam - these are the three centres in the individual where reside jnana, karma and
bhakti. The effulgence of Satyam will reveal Shivam; do karma which is approved by the
higher wisdom, not karma which is born of ignorance. Then, all karm will be Shivam.
The experience of that Shivam is what is called Sundaram; for it confers real Ananda.
That is my Reality. That is why My Life is named Satyam Shivam Sundaram.

!
Do Karma based on jnana, the jnana that all is One.
!

First, you start with the idea, I am in the Light, then the feeling the light is in me
becomes established. This leads to the conviction, I am the Light. That is the Supreme
Wisdom.

See yourself in all; love all as yourself. A dog caught in a room whose wall are mirrors
sees in all the myriad reOlections, not itself but rivals, competitors, other dogs which
must be barked at. So, it tires itself out by jumping on this reOlection and that, and when
the images also jump, it becomes mad with fury. The wise man, however, sees himself
everywhere and is at peace: he is happy that there are so many reOlections of himself all
around him. That is the attitude you must learn to possess, that will save you from
needless bother.

Discourse 17 (Pranti Nilayam, 2/8/1963)

Though there is no particular reason for this evenings gathering, Kompella Subbaraya
Shastry tried to discover one and he concluded his speech with a reference to the
Varalakshmi Pooja that is generally done in Hindu homes today! This search for causes
is another of the delusions that pester man; he is out to seek the cause of everything
and in that confusion, he forgets to derive the full beneOit of the result which is before
him.

Shiva-Shakti is the conjunction of jada (insentient or inert) and chit (awareness), the
conjunction of the wire with the current, which activates all the instruments - fan,
stove, bulb and radio. Shiva Shakti is in all, not only in Me.

Page 59 of 268

When the mind thus follows the outward bound senses and forgets the Reality, when
the individual revels in the dream-world of false fantasy, this Shivathayi (Divine
Mother) pats the child and wakes it. There is then no more need to tell them anything
else

The fruit juice is prakriti around us. Taste its sweetness, namely, the Divinity that is
immanent in it; that is the purpose and rationale. Prakriti is just the leela of the Lord,
set before you so that you may become aware of His Glory, His splendour.

Your right is to realise Vishvaswarupa (cosmic nature); so, dont play about forever in
the dehabhava (thought of the body), the consciousness that you are just this Oive-foot
body; transcend the attachment to the family, the home, the village, the community, the
district, the state, the nation. You must acquire not the Independence denoted by the
political fact of Svarajya, but the freedom of the spirit called Svaraajya (dominion over
oneself).

The same person speaks differently at different times about the acts of the Lord. So, the
fault lies in you, the excellence that you praise is in you. You see yourself in the outside
world; what you like or dislike is your own self!

Brahma Satyam, Jagat Mithya is the essence of the Shrutis (holy scriptures). That
truth can be cognised by minds trained through Dvaitic (dualistic) worship of the
personal God, and Visishtadvaitic emphasis of a jeevi as the limb of the Absolute. One
batch of students after a while should be passing out of a college while batch after
batch is joining the Oirst-year class. So too more more people must take up Bhakti-
Karma (devotional activity) and slowly ascend to the stage of full Jnana; then only can
humanity achieve the goal.

A man lost in the jungle was asked to move on in a certain direction; then, after some
time, he saw a village; now, that village did not emerge for his sake, just then. He saw
what was already there, that is all. So also, Advaita shows you the way to something
that is already there, but which you did not recognise so far - namely, your being the
unlimited, illimitable Brahman.

Worship Lakshya, I shall appreciate you! Keep the lakshya (the goal) of expanding your
love till it embraces all beings, till it sees every being as your own self - keep it every
steady before your minds eye; then, Lakshmi will, of her own accord, favour you to the
extent necessary for realising the Goal.

Discourse 18 (Pranti Nilayam, Krishna Janmashtami, 12/8/1963)

Believe Me, all Vrittis (mental modes or functions) are Anitya (impermanent). A vritti is
a circle, like the circle that emanates from the place where a stone falls into the still
water of a lake. The water gets agitated and the circle affects the water up to the
farthest end. Every thought acts like the stone on the stillness of the mind; it sets up a
Vritti. It agitates all round. The Pravritti Marga (path of attachment) multiplies these
circular waves and seeks to create further and wider agitations. But, the Nivritti Marga
(path of detachment) aims at stilling the waters. no agitation at all. Preserve the
calmness, even the level. Keep the agitating thoughts away.

The gopees had that one-pointed prema (love), unwavering, clear and pure. The
relationship between the gopees and Krishna as depicted in the Bhagavata has been
Page 60 of 268

unfortunately judged by persons who have not regulated and controlled their Vrittis.
This subject is beyond the comprehension of such people. Only Brahmacharis of the
most ardent and ascetic type like Shuka Maharishi who described it to King Parikshit
and in recent years, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, can appreciate that relationship and
pronounce upon its uniqueness. All the rest are apt to see in it only the reOlection of
their own failings and their own feelings. The language of samsara is the only language
they know; the regions of Turiya - beyond the regions of wakefulness, dream and deep
sleep - to which those experiences relate, are not within their reach. So, they drag the
subject down to their own level and claim that they have mastered their mystery.

As a matter of fact, the Inner Eye, the Inner Senses are needed to grasp the meaning of
this relationship. Oruganti has shown that it has eluded the grasp of most interpreters,
for it is closely allied to the Advaitic experience of Nirvikalpa Samadhi itself. The mind
has to be the master, not the slave, of the senses, if the interpretation has to be just.

They saw in every gesture and gait, every word and phrase of Krishna the Divine, not
the human at all. They had no occasion or chance to be agitated by a secular vritti; all
vrittis were awakened by Divine promptings and urges. Like the magnifying glass
which catches the rays of the Sun and directs them all to one spot, thus concentrating
the heat on one point and helping it to ignite, the hearts of the gopees collected all the
virtues and concentrated them and caused the illumination and the Olame. The Olame
burnt all dross; the illumination revealed the Truth.

!
Discourse 19 (Pranti Nilayam, Gokulashtami Day, 12/8/1963)

!
Discourse 20 (Pranti Nilayam, 2/9/1963)

You must have the goal of Sayujya (merging in the Absolute) always in view; do not give
it up or forget it. Be like the river that Olows slowly to the sea.

Brahman alone is Sat (real); Prakriti is Asat (unreal). Be in this awareness always, that
is the highest sadhana. Seek Sudarshanam (vision of the Divine).

Discourse 21 (Pranti Nilayam, 6/9/1963)

Some persons feel intoxicated by the emotions or they get near mad, on account of the
devotion they have. But such overpowering emotions have to be mastered. One has to
transform bhakti in jnana and become stronger thereby.

Surrender yourself to Him; become hollow, Vasana-less, egoless, desireless; then, he

will Himself come and pick you up caressingly and apply you - the Olute - to His Lips and
blow His sweet breath through you. Allow Him to play whatever song He likes.

There is no living being without the spark of love; even a mad man loves something or
somebody intensely. But, you must recognise this love as but a reOlection of the
Premaswarupa, that is your reality, of the God who is residing in your heart. Without
that spring of Love that bubbles in your heart, you will not be prompted to love at all.
Recognise that spring, rely on it more and more, develop its possibilities, try to irrigate
the whole world with it, discard all touch of self from it, do not seek anything in return
for it, from those to whom you extend it.

Discourse 22 (Pranti Nilayam, 7/9/1963)

Page 61 of 268

Arjuna was a Chinmaya murthi, not as he imagined, a Mrinmaya murthi. he was

suffused with Divine Consciousness, not earthly inertia. Only, he was not aware of it. A
man gets into the company he deserves, is it not?

Ishavasya Upanishad mentions that ajnana is the greatest sin. The Kaarpanyadosha
that the Geetha mentions is another name for the same ajnana. Geetha is the speciOic
for this fell disease, which afOlicts the majority of mankind. You must all study the
Geetha daily. Read a few shlock's and meditate on the meaning yourself; it will dawn on
you in the silence of your heart. You need not read elaborate commentaries. Each word
in the Geetha is a gem.

So long as you are entangled in the sensual world you cannot distinguish the real from
the unreal, But, you have to discover the real, through discrimination; there is no
avoiding that responsibility; you have to do it, now or later. Power, status, wealth,
authority - these are useless in this adventure. Alexander, during his campaigns in the
Punjab, was anxious to see a celebrated sage; he went to the cave where the sage was,
and expected that he would be received most thankfully and with demonstrations of
welcome. But the sage simply asked him to move aside and go. He was not interested in
the famous world-shaker, the Greek conqueror. Alexander was very angry; he
threatened to kill the sage and drew his sword. But the sage said calmly, with a laugh, I
do not die; I cannot die. That put some sense in Alexander and he put his sword back
into the scabbard.

(In description of Brahma Leela)

Now Brahma is not different from Vishnu or Krishna; they do not work contrary to
each other; they both work out the same plan. This rupa is that rupa; this upadhi
(adjunct/disguise) and that upadhi are both of the same Maha Shakti. The essential
purpose of all this leela is Anandam.

The mind is ever unsteady; it has to be educated; its quicksilver quality has to be
curbed; it is really Chaitanya-swarupam and it will become steady only when it is
merged in Chaitanya, that is, the Divine. There may be ice on a lake; the ice is jada; but,
move it all to one side, press it aside and the sahaja swarupam (natural form) of water,
the Chaitanya reveals itself. That Chaitanya has no joy or sorrow. It is ever in perfect
equilibrium I am That. I am not affected by either. Mine is Samadhi - intelligence
which is sama (steady), unaffected, unchanging Wisdom. Remove the cataract and the
vision becomes clear. So too, remove the feeling of inferiority that dwarfs you now; feel
that you are tm-swarupa, Nitya-swarupa, Ananda-swarupa (Absolute, Eternal and
Blissful); then every act of yours becomes a yagna (sacriOice), a pooja (ritual worship).
The ear, the eye, the tongue, the feet all become tools for your uplift, not traps for your
destruction. Transform tamogunam into tapogunam and save yourself.

I declare that I am in every one, in every being. So do not hate any one, or cavil at any
one. Spread prema always, everywhere. That is the best way of revering Me. Do not
seek to measure Me or evaluate Me. I am beyond your understanding.

Discourse 23 (Pranti Nilayam, 8/9/1963)

As Subbaraaya Shastri said, the deja has to be used to ascend the ladder of the three
gunas, from tamas to rajas and from rajas to sattva, so that Oinally, you may get beyond
the ladder into the heights above. The deja is the root of all the grief and all the disquiet
which is now the lot of man. Why? The deja was acquired by means of the good and bad
Page 62 of 268

that was done in the previous birth. They are called collectively, karma. Karma is
caused by attachment and hatred, affection and disaffection. They are the products of
sheer ignorance, ignorance of the unity of all creation including oneself. This jnana can
be removed only sujnana (good knowledge). When a man suffers from stomach-ache,
the best treatment will be salts or a hot water bag applied to the stomach, and not
medicated collyrium for the eye!

Ajnana can be removed by acknowledging the universality of God and the merging of
your individuality in the Universal. First practise the attitude of Nenu neevadu (I am
yours, in Telugu). Let the wave discover and acknowledge that it belongs to the sea.
This Oirst step is not as easy as it looks. The wave takes a long time to recognise that
vast sea beneath it that gives it its existence. Its ego is so powerful that it will not
permit it to be so humble, as to bend before the sea.

I am Yours. You are the Prabhu (Master). I am a dasa (servant). You are sovereign, I am
bound. This mental attitude will tame the ego, make every activity worth-while. This is
the religious outlook named Marjala-kishora - the altitude of the kitten to its mother,
mewing plaintively for succour and sustenance, removing all trace of the ego. The next
step is Neevu Naavaadu (You are mine in Telugu) where the wave demands the
support of the sea as of right. The Lord has to take the responsibility of guarding and
guiding the individual. The individual is important, worthy to be saved, the Lord is
bound to fulOil the need of the Bhakta. Surdas said, You are mine; I will not leave you; I
shall imprison you in my heart; you shall not escape.

The next stage is, Neevu menu (You are I in Telugu) - I am but the image, You are the
Reality. I have no separate individuality; there is not duality. All is One. Duality is but
delusion.

Anger and hatred can be used to ward off the evil that stalks the spiritual aspirant; be
angry at tilings that hamper you, hate the habits that brutalise you. Cultivate jnana and
visualise the Lord in all things and activities. That makes this human birth worthwhile.

Discourse 24 (Mysore, Maharanis Womens College, 12/9/1963)

Bharat is the land where Bha or Brahmavidya (knowledge of Brahman) has attracted
the rati (attachment) of its people, where the people have a natural attraction towards
spiritual sadhana, where the call of the InOinite is listened to with keenness.

An intellect that is moved only by Truth and a Consciousness that will not tolerate the
impurity of meanness or vice - these two are the prerequisites for the fulOilment of that
ideal. This is the aasthi (wealth) that will make a person an Asthika (believe in God)!
The intellect must investigate, as far as it can, the fundamental problem, why this birth,
whither this life, whence this adventure, what the effect of human actions is on this life
and on future lives, etc. Consciousness must dive deep into the Divinity that underlies
it.

Now, people are apt to go by the appearance, rather, than the reality of things. There
was a man once, who was such an ardent devotee of Ganesha that he used up all his
riches to make golden images of that God as well as of the Mouse which is His vehicle,
besides an umbrella, a seat, and other appurtenances, all of gold. Later he fell on evil
days and so he had to sell all these loved things. The merchant who offered to purchase
them started weighing each item and declaring the price it would fetch. When he said
Page 63 of 268

that the Ganesha would fetch as much as the mouse, for both were of equal weight, the
man got enraged and complained that he was being let down. Ganesha must fetch more
than the Mouse! That was because he forgot the reality and attached value to the
appearance, Form and the Name, and not to the substance.

That study is the best which teaches you to conquer this cycle of birth and death, which
gives you the mental equipoise that will not be affected by the prospect of death, that
will not be disturbed by the blessings or blows of fate. That study begins where this
study of yours ends. When this material world is studied and analysed, you realise that
it is just a conglomeration of good and bad and you aspire for something beyond this
duality. The light will dawn on you, only after you have acquired Satya, Dharma, nti
and Prema. The root cause is that the basic thing is not known or experienced. How
then can lasting peace be got?

You can learn more by observation and meditation than by conning over the pages of
books. The really valuable things, you can learn from the Vedas and the Upanishads and
religious scriptures.

There was a murderer who was sentenced in court, but, while arguing his defence, he
pleaded, I am the tm (Pure Self), as the Geeta declares. How can I kill or the
deceased be killed? The Judge answered, Do not worry. You will not die when you are
hnaged, nor can I get you executed. It is all tm, undying, unkilling, everywhere, in all.
Dharma is applied by such people only when it suits them; otherwise, they do not care
for its commands.

The knowledge of the tm as the very basis of all beings is now forgotten and that is
the cause of Anti - all the unrest, the confusion, and the moral crisis of today. It is to
awaken the sleeping, and communicate to them this Message that I have come.

The journey of every man is towards the cemetery; every day brings you nearer to the
moment of death. So, do not delay the duty you must carry out for your own lasting
good. Recognise that you are Shiva, before you become a shava; that will save you from
further deaths.

Discourse 25 (Mysore City, Vaanivilasapuram, 15/9/19630

If the individual is deluded into believing that he is saving others, then woe be to him,
for, there is no other at all. All are One, one mans sorrow is every ones sorrow. The
fundamental Olaw is the ignorance of man. If only he was wise, he would have known
that all individuals are waves on the surface of the self-same ocean.

Once you feel that all are waves on the self-same sea you will no longer use the word, A-
natha (helpless orphan), which I found in the report that was read. In one sense, there
is no A-natha at all; all are Sa-naatha (protected by a guardian), for the Lord takes care
of all. he is the Pasupati, pass meaning individual jeevas. There is only one Purusha
(masculine) in creation; all the rest are sthree (feminine). There is no fool too; that is
only a role played by that particular manifestation of the jnana swarupa, which is
Paramtm. Nagayya might play the role of Thyagayya, in the Oilm on Thyagaraja, but,
all the while his Nagayya is the truth, the reality. The Thyagayya is a temporary role in
the drama of life.

Page 64 of 268

You must tread the spiritual path with an uncontrollable urge to reach the Goal; you
must cultivate the yearning for liberation from all this encumbrance. Remember that
you have to dwell in a house built on four stout pillars: dharma, artha kaama and
moksha (righteousness, wealth, desire and liberation); Dharma supporting artha, and
moksha being the only kama or desire. However much you may earn wealth or
strength, unless you tap the springs of Ananda within you, you cannot have peace and
lasting content.

Discourse 26 (Mysore City, Meeting of the Trustees, 15/9/1963)

It is the architecture of the mind that matters. If the needs of the modern age require a
change, change the non-essentials. Do not dilute the truth so much that it loses its
genuineness.

All the joy you crave for, is in you; but, like a man who has vast riches in the iron chest,
but, who has no idea where the key is, you suffer. With proper directions, dwelling
upon them in the silence of meditation, it is possible to secure the key, open the chest
and be rich in joy.

Discourse 27 (Puttaparthi, Sri Sathya Sai Hospital, Seventh

Anniversary Festival, 18/10/1963)

For example, you say that you fall ill, that you are in good health, etc. That is because
you feel that the body is you, whereas you are really only the tm, with the Oive
sheaths which you have super-imposed on it. This is the result of the system of
education now prevalent which teaches that the Ananda one derives from the senses is
all the Ananda that one can get. It does not disclose to the individual the eternal source
of Ananda that he has within himself. There is no training in the art of acquiring mental
peace. No one is told the secret of attaining the state of equanimity, amidst the
confusion of modern civilisation. Everyone is induced to Oloat with the current that
drags humanity down to fear, anxiety and despair. Life today is similar the situation
when the master of the house is restricted to a tasteless regimen, while the members of
the family revel in a banquet. The senses revel without limit but the tm is ignored.

!
Do not conOine Me to these few acres round the Pranti Nilayam.
!

The King of Death does not bring a noose when he comes to drag people to his abode;
the noose is made by the victim himself and he has it ready round his neck, awaiting
the arrival of the end. It is the Karma-pasha (noose resulting from action) which each
manufactures and winds round himself that ultimately drags him away. Become aware
of your reality and you will lose the sense of identiOication with the body. That will
make you disease-free. You will have perfect ease. This is quite easy, understanding that
you are not the body. For, you are practising this truth every day for at least six hours,
ever since birth! If that cannot teach you, I wonder which can. Every day, when you
sleep, where are you? Who are you? Your senses are in-operative, your intelligence is in
abeyance: your mind creates a world of its own and after playing in it for sometime; it
lapses into inactivity. That is sleep, the nearest you reach in your journey to Samadhi.

Live in the tm Tattvam (true nature of Self); that will ensure nti. With the poison of
Raga and Dhvesha inside you, how can you be pronounced healthy? If you experience
the tm Tattvam, you become Bhagavan (Divinity) Himself. That is why I do not
address you as Bhaktulara! You are not Bhaktas (devotees); you are more than that -
Page 65 of 268

you ought to become Bhagavan; each one of you can become Bhagavan by merging
your separate individual jeevas, in the Ocean of the Universal tm.

Discourse 28 (Pranti Nilayam, 20/10/1963)

Know Thyself - not the Sun and Moon - is the speciOic for mans ills. Watch the mind,
just as you watch the cable through which the current Olows. Do not establish contact
with the mind; it is as bad as contacting the cable. Watch it from a distance; then only
can you derive Anandam; search for the cause of Ajnanam just where it resides. Then
you will Oind that the Mind in association with vishaya (sense objects) is the cause. Cut
it off from the vision of vishaya and jnana dawns.

Discourse 29 (Pranti Nilayam, 21/10/1963)

One meaning of Karma which is popularly accepted is that it is ones destiny, or fate, the
inescapable writing on the brow, which has to work itself out. There is no escaping it.
But people forget that it is not written by some other hand. It is all written by ones
own hand. And the hand that wrote it can also wipe it off. The husk, with which the
paddy is born, can be removed by effort; the Maya which persuaded you to write all
that destiny can be conquered in an instant and then, the entire page can be wiped
away.

Well, the dharma that you have to follow is to be what you profess to be. This is an
easy and intelligible test. If you feel and believe that you are a Brahmin, then you have
to follow the dharma as laid down for a Brahmin. If you feel and are convinced that you
are the tmn, then your dharma is the tm Dharma. If you feel and are certain that
you are the body, then, the Deha Dharma is the Dharma for you. But, every one must
imbibe higher values and consider himself as tm and follow the tm Dharma. That
is the mission for which I have come.

Become the soldiers of Pranti, to drive away the Chinese from your hearts (during
time of potential Chinese invasion), those who are undermining your awareness of the
tm. Honouring them (Pandits of Vidvanmahasabha - newly inaugurated) is
honouring Me; neglecting them, is neglecting the Vedas and Shastras and it is as foolish
as neglecting Me.

Discourse 30 (Pranti Nilayam, 20/10/1963)

Man has known about everything else, except death. Why should a person die? Of what
beneOit is it to die? Why does he die? The answer is in order that he may not die again.
He is born, so that he may not get born again. Having been born, man earns and
acquires land, riches, materials, grain, articles of comfort and luxury, which he feels will
give him happiness and which therefore become the objects of his struggle. But, the
object of realising God is forgotten.

Death is considered as something to be afraid of as something that should not be

spoken about in happy circumstances! But, death is neither good nor bad. You have no
choice in the matter. You cant get it sooner if you welcome it; nor can you avoid it if you
condemn it as bad. It is a consummation which is inevitable; from the moment of birth,
the march to the cremation ground has started. Some reach the place quicker than
others, some go by a round about route and arrive late. That is the only difference,
between man and man. But, yet, man walks about as if death is but a distant calamity.
When some neighbour loses his child, you console him saying that it is all a dream, that
Page 66 of 268

children are born and die because they are creditors who have come to realise old
debts incurred in previous births, etc., etc. But, when you lose a child of your own, you
do not console yourselves by the same arguments. They are only for the consumption
of tohers.

Arjuna addresses Krishna as Purushottama, for He only is Supreme amongst the

Purushas. Purusha means He who is in this Puru (fortiOied town), namely, this body.
Each body has the Purusha in it and the entire Universe has the Purushottama
immanent in it. So, after all, what dies is the body, not the occupant of the body, the
Purusha. The faith that you have in the Purusha within you, will cleanse the mind of all
eveil and the sense of all evil propensities. The vessel too must be clean, not merely the
drink. Without that, smarana or dhyana done for however long periods they may be,
will not yield fruit. Without that, smarana or dhyana done for however long periods
they may be, will not yield fruit. That is why the Vedas were entrusted to the Brahmins,
along with rigorous rules of discipline. Without minds cleansed by that discipline, the
study of the Vedas is a barren exercise.

I go round the whole world alone, with no paraphernalia and no publicity, because I am
established in My own Glory, in My own Truth. I have Atmic relationship with all, and
so I am always succeeding.

Discourse 31 (Pranti NIlayam, 24/10/1963)

If you asks me, I will say that the Geeta is like a balance, scale, needle and all. The scale
on the left is shloka 7, of the second chapter, speaking of Karpanya dosha. The fulcrum
is the 22nd shloka of the ninth chapter, beginning with Ananyaschintayanto Maam"
and the scale on the right is the shloka in the eighteenth chapter, speaking of Sarva-
dharman parityajya. See how apt the fulcrum shloka is; it speaks of single-minded
attention, steady, like the needle of a well-adjusted balance! Really, the Geeta begins
with two scales and a fulcrum, the two armies of Righteousness and Unrighteousness,
with Krishna the Teacher in the middle! We have the two scales of Loukika and A-
loukika (worldly and non-worldly), clamouring for attention and respect, jnana alone
can remove the ajnana of Arjuna, that is the Sankalpa of the Lord. The Jnana has to be
put into practice. Otherwise, it is useless? Once the deer of the forest gathered in a
great assembly and discussed their own cowardice in the face of the pursuing hounds.
They argued, Why should we, who are equipped with Oleeter feet and sharp antlers, be
afraid of these insigniOicant dogs? At last, a resolution was moved and passed that no
deer should henceforth Olee before hounds but, even while the cheering was going on,
they heard the distant baying of the nouns and, not one stayed there; all had Oled as fast
as their legs could carry them! The resolution could not be put into practice!

The art of engaging in karma without getting involved is the thing that has to be learnt,
Karma has to be done, because it is part of ones nature, not out of any external
compulsion. Surya (Sun) is a Sahaja Karmachari (worker by nature), He draws the
vapours of water high up to form clouds which pours back as rain; no one taught Him
to do this. When you do the sahaja karma (action dictated by nature), it wont be a
burden. It is when you go contrary to it and do something out of the way that you feel
the misery.

The police constables life is not sahaja (natural; so, he feels happy when he comes
home, and dofOing his uniform, gets into ordinary clothes. When the baby wails, all rush
towards the cradle because its sahajakarma is to smile and be contentedly happy. So
Page 67 of 268

too, karma done for the proOit arising therefrom accumulates consequences which bind
a man. It increases in size like a snowball, but karma done without any thought of the
fruit therefrom, keeps on diminishing and levels you free from all consequence.

The Geeta teaches the lesson of Sharangati; wish for his Will to prevail, not your wish to
succeed. That is what Krishna meant when He said, Be a Sarvaramba parithyagi (one
who renounces all beginnings)

Again, there are some crooked men who refuse to believe in a previous life, because
they cannot recollect the events! These people cannot recollect the events of one
particular Magha Shuddha Dashami, say, 5 or 10 years ago, though they are certain they
were alive on the Dashami! Forgetting the events of that day does not mean that they
were not alive at all; it only means that they did not pay any special heed to them, they
had no lakshyam (objective) or special reason to keep it in memory.

Discourse 32 (Pranti Nilayam, 25/10/1963)

When Krishna knew that Brahma had taken away and hidden the cows and calves and
the cowherds and boys, the whole lot of them that had gone out of their homes into the
pastures, he created anew, the same number, the same types, the same persons, cattle
and all, and nobody suspected for one full year that the genuine was hidden and that it
was the duplicate that was in the village everywhere. All that was thus created was
Krishna Tattva (true nature of Krishna), just as all that was hidden by Brahma was also
Krishna Tattva. You too are Krishna Tattva; what other Tattva is there, really?

Nara is limited and deluded; when that limit is crossed and when that delusion is gone,
he is Narayana and he shines in his Tattva. Every one must be conscious of this Tattva,
which is his reality. To make each one conscious of it is the aim of those who come for
Dharmasthapana.

Whatever you are asked to do, the Oirst question is, How much will be the proOit? This
greed for labha (proOit) has made you sink in lobha (greed)! The highest proOit is the
arrival through this road back at the place where you came, your Svasthana. Brahma
who was born in the lotus that arouse out of the navel of Vishnu wondered how he
came to be there and it seems he searched and searched for the place from where he
came. He could not trace it at all. But, by some little thought, you can know, from where
you came, or, rather, what your real nature is. Then what remains is the attempt to
attain it. That is what is meant by Liberation, or Moksha.

Simple faith in the words of the wise is more proOitable than years of study and
discussion. Meditate on such a Mahavakya as Tat-Tvam-Asi (That Thou Art) and as
you go on revolving it in your mind, meanings will dawn upon you, without the help of
any commentary. Commentaries only tend to confuse you. Think of the Tat (Divinity;
analyse the Tvam (yourself); and then, you will be convinced that asi (is-ness) is the
only solution. You are in the Light; the Light is in you; you are the Light - these are the
steps.

You do not see your breath or weigh it; but, breath is the very sustenance of life. The
unseen is the basis of the seen. If you are caught up in the meshes of the seen, you
cannot know the importance of the unseen.

Discourse 33 (Pranti Nilayam, 26/10/1963)

Page 68 of 268

The greatest wonder of all is that nobody knows himself, nobody struggles to know
about himself, even among those who spend their lifetime in knowing about others.
Your Self is something subtler than water or air or even akasha (space). It must go into
the eye so that you may see; it must move into the hand so that it may hold; it must
move into the feet so that you may walk. The senses are inert materials; the i must
operate so that they may function. That I is Brahman, mistaken to be separate!

The Ghata-akasha (space in the pot) and the Matha-akasha) are identical with the
Maha-akasha (Vast sky space); only the upadhis (disguises), ghata and matra/matha
keep up the illusion of separateness. The senses are the villains, they instil the delusion
that you are the upadhi (body). Curb them as the bull is curbed by the nose-ring, the
horse by the bit in the mouth, the elephant by the goad. When the Pandavas were
traversing the Himalayas towards the end of their careers, Dharmaraja was still
affected by mental anxieties and so he prayed to Krishna to spend some time with
them. On His departure from their dwelling, Krishna gave Dharmaraja a note, which he
was to read to himself whenever he was affected by joy or grief. The note read:
Eppudu undadu (This will not last). That is one method by which mental agitations
can be calmed.

Jonnalagada Sathyanarayanamurthy in his speech was exhorting you to teach, to

reform, to reconstruct and do many other things. But, not all can enter upon such tasks.
First, self; then help, improve yourself, teach yourself, reconstruct yourself - and, then
proceed to solve the problems of others. That reconstruction is quite easy, provided
you inquire calmly into your own personality - Am I the body, or the senses or the
mind or the Buddhi, etc.?

Discourse 34 (Pranti Nilayam, 28/10/1963)

All life is a yajna; when does the yagna meet in samapti (conclusion)? I shall tell you.
Sama means Brahman; aapti means praapti, attainment, reaching. When Brahman is
attained, that day, that moment, the Yagna which is Life can be said to have ended, not
until then.

The parents and the brother and all the relatives objected but, an individual is born to
work out his destiny, not to act a role in some one elses drama. One is born to serve out
ones sentence; when the sentence ends, one is free. You shall not remain in prison, on
the pretext that a dear comrade is still in! Just think of this fact: Rukmini had not met
Krishna before; there was no preliminary wooing. The soul yearned and it won. The
had met in the realm of the spirit.

(in regards to the marriage and relationship of Rukimini and Krishna)

It is merging of Tat and Tvam. The same thing, if it is near, is referred to as this, and if
far, is referred to as that; this is there (that is when it is not here but there). Tat is the
same as Tvam, only it is far; why is it far? Because it is beyond the reach of the intellect,
the sense and words.

Discourse 35 (Pranti Nilayam, Dashara Discourses, Nov 1963)

They speak of two types of Karma: Daihika and Daivika (physical and spiritual). But,
this division is absurd and even dangerous. All acts and activities are spiritual, the body
is but an instrument for spiritual progress and attainment. Modern educetion
emphasises the physical and neglects the spirit, which is crucial. It teaches that joy
derived from the senses alone are worth-while; it does not give even a glimpse of the
Page 69 of 268

deeper and more lasting joy derivable through the spirit which is your real self and it is,
in essence, ananda, nti, jnana - Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram (bliss, peace, spiritual
knowledge - Truth, Goodness and Beauty).

You must have noticed that I never address you as Bhaktulara for how can you be only
that? You are Bhagavan, you become that by just shedding the avidya that makes you
imagine that you are limited. That is why I address you either as nti Swarupulara, or
Ananda Swarupulara, or Divytm Swarupulara. That is your real nature, but, you are
not even told who you are. Your misery is traceable to this failure to know yourself.

Discourse 36 (Srisailam, 5/12/1963)

There are certain dire possibilities which I want all social workers to guard against.
First, cleanse your own minds and then start advising others. Earn mental peace and
strength for yourself and then try to secure them for others. Learn the secret of lasting
happiness yourself and the, endeavour to make others happy. Seek the real limb, not
the artiOicial limb. get the doctor who would assure, hereafter you will not fall ill and
not the doctor who gives some relief to the present attack.

More than food for the stomach, man needs food for the spirit. The anna (food) that
Annapoornadevi (Goddess of Nourishment) gives is not the food, rice and curry. The
bhiksha (alms) that She is asked to give is Jnana bhiksha, not the handful of rice that
you think it means. It is Jnana bhiksha, Prema bhiksha, Bhakti bhiksha, Anugraha
bhiksha. Seek Her Grace to get more jnana, more prema, more bhakti and more of
Grace. Do not lower the standard of service when serving pilgrims in this holy place;
place emphasis here on bhakti, vairagyam and jnana.

Discourse 37 (Srisailam, 6/12/1963)

Satya, Dharma, nti and Prema are the four pillars of Sanathana Dharma, the four
faces of the Ancient Teaching. Of course, these words are on the lips of every one, but,
what they mean is something quite shallow and ineffective. To describe an incident just
as you saw it happen, is truth; to give water to the thirsty and food to the hungry is
Dharma; to suffer calamity in silence is nti and to nourish wife and children is
Prema - that is the General Interpretation! But this is all wrong. Truth is something
that is not modiOied by time or space or characteristic. It must be the same forever,
unaffected and unchanged. Dharma is a body of principles that are fundamental to
social stability and individual progress. There are various branches of Dharma -
Kartavya Dharma, Vama Dharma, Ashrama Dharma (obligatory duty, duties pertaining
to status and stages of life), etc., but, the aim of all is to help man, stage by stage,
towards liberation from grief and from the chain of birth and death. See how grand the
conception of each is; compare this with the common meaning that has been so far
given. Then, take the quality of nti. It denotes the capacity to bear success and failure,
joy and misery, defeat and victory, with perfect equanimity. And, Prema is the quality of
Sarvasamaanata (equality of every one), of not only Ahimsa (non-violence) but the
conscious acceptance of the duty of love, because every being is a spark of Divinity, as
much of a spark as you yourself.

Discourse 38 (Srisailam Project Site - Address to the Workers,

6/12/1963)

You do not remember that you are really and genuinely nti and Ananda, that you are
fundamentally Satya, Nitya and Nirmala (Truth, Eternal and Pure). The anxiety and fear
Page 70 of 268

which haunt you now are caused by this loss of memory. The intention of the Lord is
that you should have nti and ananda, every moment of your life; but, you forget the
springs that well up within you, that have their Source in the Divinity enshrined in your
hearts, and pine for what you feel you have not.

Your ofOicer here gave Me a garland of Olowers just now; it is made up of two things -
Olowers that were buds yesterday, that blossomed today, and will fade before morn; and
the thread that was, is and will be. The Olower is anitya (impermanent); it represents
the jeevi, that is subject to birth, growth and decay; the threed is nitya, it is Brahman,
on which all Jeevis are strung - sutre mani ganaa ira/iva. The jeevas, like these
Olowers, are of different characteristics and natures and vasanas (past impressions),
but the string is one uniform consistent base, the Brahma Sutra, that binds all together,
in one common creation. Dwell upon that unity for some time at least, every day, and
that will save you from all types of anti (agitation).

Without the control of the senses, man is like a horse without blinkers, like a bull that
refuses to yield to the yoke; his sadhana is a waste of time and energy. The special
feature of mans composition is that he has discrimination, detachment and synoptic
intellect; he can discover Truth and be Oixed in it, and gain unshakeable peace.

Discourse 39 (Dronachalam, 8/12/1963)

Of what beneOit is all this burden of information that you seek to carry in your head,
this knowledge of the various regions of the world, without a knowledge of the region
of your own self, the centre of all the interest that you evince? It is no good wandering
all over the world, contacting men of various races, and getting engrossed with earning
and spending without being able to known your own identity!

Vigilance, care, circumspection - these are very important for the sadhaka. Yoga is often
turned into roga, for lack of continuous self-examination.

A man weeping, because he has been bitten by a cobra in his dream, can be cured by
just being woken up! No doctor is needed. So, too when Arjuna who was suffering from
ajnana was given jnana, he recovered and did his duty. The pain and the snake will both
disappear if the dreamer is awakened. He is only imagining that a snake bit him.

Upasana leads to the knowledge that He is in all; when you experience that there is no
second, that is jnana!

Discourse 40 (Bangalore, Shivajinagar, 14/12/1963) (discourse 40 is recorded as

Discourse 41 as well in PDF version of SSS)

Satya is enough; no other God need be worshipped.

Sundaramurthy and his friends and coworkers are happy today because of the Silver
Jubilee. It is a festival for the Institute: but, I consider the Festival of the tm to be
more magniOicent. The tm has an eternal festival! It is Anandaswarupa. It is beyond
time and so does not calculate the passage of time. How can man celebrate a festival, let
me ask, while he is afOlicted by dehabhranti, indriyabhranti, manobhranti and
lokabhranti? He believes the falsehoods (bhranti) that are named the body, the sense,
the mind, the world! He pursues them and tastes joy and grief; and, when a certain
number of years is passed in the pastime, he celebrates a festival! This is maya within
maya. I have not come to announce to you that this Institute has Oinished twenty-Oive
Page 71 of 268

years of existence. I am concerned with the spiritual arts, the Oinest arts, rather than
the Oine arts. I want that Sundaramurthy should depict in dance spiritually elevating
subjects, like Radha and Krishna and their sublime relationship that is beyond the ken
of man.

Discourse 41 (Malleshwaram, Satya Sai Bhajana Mandali)

The proof of the rain is in the wetness of the ground; the proof of bhakti is in the nti
the bhakta has, nti which protects him against the onslaughts of success as well as
failure, fame, dishonour, gain and loss.

Bhakti is the river Ganga. Vairagyam is the river Yamuna and Jnana is the river Sarasvati
of this spiritual Triveni (conOluence of three rivers). Jnana is the through-train; you just
board it, that is enough; it takes you direct to the destination. Bhakti is the through-
carriage; though it may be detached from one train and connected with another, if you
get into it, you need not worry; so long as you stick to your place, it is bound to take you
to the destination. Karma is the ordinary train; if you board it, you have to disembark,
climb in and climb out at every junction, load your luggage and unload it, and do a good
lot of work to reach your destination.

Bhakti alone is enough, even to acquire Jnana. It ends in Samadristi and it destroys
egoism. Jnana too gives you these.

!
Develop a love for God, then you can recognise Him very near you, in your own Self.
!
Discourse 42 (Pranti Nilayam, Dec 1963)

Your reality is tm; your quality is Ananda. What does it matter to you if the
Narakasura of the Puranas is killed, by Krishna or Satyabhama. For you, Krishna is
Paramatama and Satyabhama is the jeevi. Paramtm destroys the evil propensities
with the active collaboration of jeevi: jeevi defeats evil with the active Grace of the
Lord.

India which is Annapurna swarupa (the granary of the earth), ha snow to go about with
begging bowl for food for her children. this tragedy is caused by ill-discipline, by want
of self-control, by what can be called A-sva-rajya (the absence of Self-Government,
Government of the Self).

Satyanarayan, when he acted the role of Satyabhama in the drama, remembered always
that he was Satyanarayana, though he was also aware that he had a part to play in the
drama and he played it well. It would be a failure if he forgets either his Satyanarayana-
hood or his Satyabhama-hood. So, too, act in the world but remember your genuine
Self.

You have heard the story of Gajendra Moksha, the elephant caught and dragged by the
crocodile, appealing helplessly to the Lord and the Lord sending down the Sudarshana
Chakra (discus) to slay the tormentor and save the beast. The story has a deeper
meaning, which has universal appeal. The wild elephant is jeevi, full of sensual greed
and blind with delusion. It enters the tank of samsara of the objective world. There the
crocodile of egoism grasps its leg in the vice of its teeth and pulls it down deeper and
deeper into the mire of Samsara. The individual struggles by itself for a long time until
pride is exhausted and its faith in its own powers is spent. Then, it appeals in complete
sharanagati to the Lord and what does the Lord send? Sudarshana. Mark that word,
Page 72 of 268

what does it mean? Sudarshana - Good sight! BeneOicial outlook! A vision that is
correct, conducive to lasting joy, namely, the inward look, away, from the sense objects,
Aavritta Chaksu. As soon as that sight is cultivated, egoism is destroyed and the jeevi is
freed.

Vol. 4!
Discourse 1 (Pranti Nilayam, 1/1/1964)

Each second is new. It is a gift, a chance, an opportunity, a thing to be celebrated, to be

used for your uplift. That is to say, each second is a fresh chance given to you for
training the mind, reOining the intellect, purifying the emotions, strengthening the will,
for getting conOirmed int he conviction that you are the deathless tm.

Admit the highest wisdom of the scriptures, the wisdom culled out of the crucible of
experience, called anubhavajnanam.

The rope is mistaken to be a snake and the perceiver Olees in fear. The truth is, it is not
the organ-eye that sees; there are many whose eyes are good, so far as doctors can
discover, but they cannot see! The eye sees because it is illumined by a microscopic
spark of the rays of the Sun. The scripture says: Chaksos surya ajayata. For the eye,
Surya was born. The soul is the motive force of all the senses; the eye is but a window
through which the soul peeps out at the external world. Of what use is the eye, when
the vision is not correct? That is to say, when you have no Samadristi. Samam means
Brahman, the Absolute Reality; Samadrishti means, seeing only Brahman, the One, in
all things at all times. This Ekatvam (oneness) is the basic truth. All other experiences
are partial, distorted, false. Dwell on that, in your meditation. Fix it in your inner
consciousness. That is the path of Liberation, which you must start treading and, today
is as good a day as any, for deciding to do so. You have meditated too long on riches,
status, salary, children, relatives, fame and the standard of living. They are all of minor
interest, momentary value, dubious proOit. Meditate, Oix your urge on the Nitya, the
Satya, the Nirmal, the Nischala - the Eternal, the Real, the Pure and the Immovable.

There are two birds sitting on one tree, the Upanishad says: the jeevtm and the
Pararmtm - the individual soul and the Supreme Soul - on the three of this body, this
World. One bird eats the fruits of that tree, while the other simply looks on, as a
witness. But, the wonder is, the two birds are really one, though they appear as two;
they cannot be separated, since they are two aspects of the same entity. Steam in the air
cannot be seen; it has no shape or form; but it is of the same as ice, which is hard, heavy
and cold. Nirakara and Sakara (without and with Form), are just two ways in which the
One manifests Itself.

The minute hand of the clock is the individual soul, the bird that eats the fruits. It goes
round and round but, the hour hand moves silently and slowly, with a certain dignity.
The hour hand can be said to be the Supreme Soul. Once an hour the two meet, but, the
individual soul does not get that consummation Oixed for ever. It loses the precious
chance and so has to go round and round again and again. Liberation is when the two
merge, and only one remains. When the obstacles in the path of truth are laid low,
deliverance is achieved. That is why moksha is something that can be won, here and
now; one need not wait for the dissolution of the physical body for that. Action must be
felt as a burden, for that feeling is a sure sign, indicating that it is against the grain.

Page 73 of 268

On the banks of the river near Lucknow, there was a sage who addressed dogs, crows
and men equally as God; he had realised the unity of all in the Divine Essence. That is
the result of Divine knowledge, or intense Bhakti, where you do not see anything other
than your Ishtadevata (chosen deity) wherever you turn. Be ever in that Divine Bliss,
the bliss that comes from God-consciousness, always and everywhere. That is the
eternal bliss (nityananda) which the wise enjoy.

Discourse 2 (Pranti Nilayam, 14/1/1964)

Weakness is born of accepting as true a lower image of yourself than what the facts
warrant. You believe you are the husk, but, really you are the kernel. That is the main
mistake. All spiritual practice must be directed to the removal of the husk and the
revelation of the kernel. So long as you say, I am, there is bound to be fear, but, once
you say and feel, Aham Brahmasmi (I Am brahman), you get unconquerable strength.
The body is the Oield (kshetra) of the Master who knows all kshetras. One day, when
Vivekananda was in his room, at night, sleepless because he was tossed about by
conOlicting thoughts, Ramakrishna who was asleep, was talking as if in a dream but his
talk was clearly heard by Vivekananda. He said, O Manas! (O Mind)! O Manasa
Rajahamsa (Royal Swan of the Mind) O Nitya Ananda Rasika Nilaya (Repository of
Eternal Bliss only)! You are Divine in nature - Daivaswarupa. Sport in the pure lake of
meditation of the Divine; instead, why do you crave for the dirty pond of sensual
pleasure! That was the advice of the Guru to Naren. Naren immediately resolved to
take that advice to heart.

This Nagayya when he acted the part of Thyagayya in the Oilm, never forgot that he was
Nagayya. If he forgets that, the Oilm will fail. So too, never forget that you are the InOinite
Consciousness (tmn); with that consciousness, you can play any role on the world
stage. This fact will get stabilised in you, if you read the Geeta in the light of Krishnas
actions in the Bhagavata and the Mahabharata.

If God is implanted in the heart, you will see only God everywhere, even in the objective
world. For, Sarvam Brahmamayam is a fact.

Freedom is independence from externals. Perfect freedom is not given to any man on
earth. Lesser the number of wants, the greater is the freedom. Hence perfect freedom is
absolute desirelessness.

Discourse 3 (Trichinopoly, 3/2/1964)

What are problems? Whatever they are, they are all transient in relation to eternity and
of no lasting consequence.

Discourse 4 (Pranti Nilayam, Shivaratri, 11/2/1964)

Pandit Umamaheshwara Shastry and Veerabhadra Shastry both spoke on the Principle of
Godhead (Bhagavath-Tattvam), as far as they had grasped it, and as far as language can express
it; for, it is something beyond expression and explanation. It has to be experienced and once
experienced, the richness, the fullness, the extent, the depth of that experience can never be
communicated to another. Man must feel that his highest destiny is to have that experience. he is
not a despicable creature, born in slime or isn, to eke out a drab existence and be extinguished for
ever. He is immortal; he is eternal. So, when the call comes from the region of immortality, he
responds with his whole heart. He refuses to believe that he will die. he laughs at Death and treats
him as a harmless casual visitor. For, there is something in him that whispers a challenge to death.
he is a mixture of deja and deva - of the mortal and immortal. If liberation means the stoppage of

Page 74 of 268

grief and the acquisition of joy, then, it is easy. What you have to do is to place all your burdens on
God; that makes you care-free, grief free. Then, when you take everything as the Leela (Divine
Play) of the Lord you love, you clap your hands in bliss whatever may happen, for it is all His
Divine Play and you are as happy as He is, when His Plans are going through!!

Ishvara Sarvabhootanam Hriddeshe Arjuna Tisthati - O Arujuna, the God resides in the heart of
all beings, says Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita. He is not to be found specially in cities like
Amarnath, Kashi, Tirupati, Kedaram or Gokarnam. Just as every drop of the ocean has the salty
taste the composition and the name of the ocean, so too every single being has the divine taste
and composition, and the name of the Lord. Only you do not realise it so clearly. The river
Godavari realises itself by reaching the Sea; man realises himself by merging in the Absolute. That
which merges with the goal is Linga: Liyate gamyam iti lingam. !

The space encased in the pot must become one with the Space that traverses the entire Universe,
by the negation of the attachment, which is just an artificial creation of the deluded mind. That
attachment must disappear; that inferior status of manhood that now satisfies him must give place
to the status of Reality of God (Madhavatvam) which is the genuine status. That is the task for
which Sai is calling you; that is the work for which I have come. A judge of the Supreme Court may,
while at home, play with his grandchild and bend on all fours for the little fellow to mount his back
and then He may crawl on the floor when the child cries Holla; but, all the while his status as
judge does not suffer diminution, nor does he forget it. So, you too must always be conscious of
the high calling on which you have come; you should not disgrace it by any mean or meaningless
act or word or thought. I have come to give you the courage to conceive yourself as the Supreme
Truth (Paramtm) you really are; to give you the intellectual power (dheeshakti) to grasp the
reality. That alone can destroy the delusion born of ignorance. !

Shiva, it seems, laughed when He took a good look at the Chariot that was provided for
Him when He started out to slay the Tripura-asuras, the demons of the three bodies,
Sthula, Sukshma and Karana - the Gross, the Subtle and the Causal. Vishnu, the
Charioteer, was mostly in Yogic Sleep (Yoganidhra), the stable Earth was the Chariot,
and the two wheels were the Sun and the Moon, two sphere which never revolved in
unison! That laughter laid the demons low; there was no more need to proceed against
the demons. How did the evil forces that dwelt in the three bodies die? They could not
exist where there was Divine Bliss; for, they are products of grief. Develop Ananda; then
evil impulses and tendencies will vanish, for they will not get any foothold int he heart.

When I direct you along a line of action, reOlect on My advice; you have full liberty to do
so; in fact, I shall be happy if you do so; I do not like slavish obedience. If you feel that it
will help you to reach the goal, follow it; if not, go to some other place; but, let Me tell
you one thing: Wherever you go, you meet only Me. I am everywhere.

Have you heard the story of the rabbit that had borrowed from Mother Earth four nays
paise? She thought that if she moved into a new region she would be free from the
obligation. So, one day she ran as fast as her legs could carry her and went far far away
from the place where the amount was originally received. At last, she sat down in great
relief and said to herself, Now no one will ask me to repay. What was her surprise
when from the ground underneath she heard a voice, Mother Earth is right under your
feet, here. You cannot escape from me, however far you run! So too, you cannot run
away from Me.

Discourse 5 (Pranti Nilayam, 12/2/1964)

Page 75 of 268

What exactly is the aim and purpose of all the Shastras (scriptures), the Bhagavatam,
the Puranas, these discourses and the Harikatha? Just try to answer that query. It is to
tell man the truth about himself.

Man does not realise that the end of this cycle of birth and death is in his own hands.
The tree came from the seed and the seed from the tree and so on, from the beginning
of time. Yes; you may not know which came Oirst, tree or seed; but, you can easily put an
end to the cycle, by frying the seed. It wont sprout again.

Strive to acquire Grace; Grace is the reward for spiritual practice; the highest spiritual
discipline is to follow the instructions of the Master.

Discourse 6 (Pranti Nilayam, 3/2/1964)

Life is only relatively real; until death, it appears to be real, that is all. For the
procession of the bride and groom, the father of the bride had brought an elephant or
rather the model of an elephant, correct to the minutest detail; the model was taken by
all who saw it to be alive. Then, while all were admiring the wonderful work of art and
arguing that it was alive, it exploded, shooting forth lovely little stars and snakes of
light that gleamed through the sky. It was Oilled with Oireworks and when it was lit, the
entire stock Oilling the inside emerged, with a burst of noise and a brilliant riot of light
and colour. Man is like that elephant, true, until the explosion! Before that explosion
happens, man must realise himself. The Oireworks are desire, anger, delusion, pride and
jealous etc., and they now Oill this artiOicial animal, useful only for the show. Man is
saved from such calamity by Vedanta, which is like the roar of the lion; it gives Courage
and Enterprise; it makes man a hero. It does not whine or howl or cry. It drives
cowardice away; instils the highest types of Self-conOidence. It is the strongest armour
against the arrows of fate. It acts like a waterproof against the hailstorms of sensual
pleasure. It is a curtain keeping out the mosquitoes of worry, which would otherwise
rob you of sleep. With Vedanta-saturated heart, you are a rock on the shore, unaffected
by the waves of temptation. Vedanta challenges your spirit of adventure, your own
reality. Get into the train of spiritual discipline now; station by station, you will reach
the terminus, which is jnana of you and of all this.

The comparison (of superiority or difference in Avataras) itself diminishes the integrity
of the inquirer. If he has any reverence, he would not attempt an intellectual estimate;
he would try to get an intuitive experience, as Ramakrishna Paramahamsa did; and,
then he would realise that one is as sweet as the other.

I am here since three hours and you are having sight of Me (darshan) so long; but, yet,
as soon as I go up into My rom, you rush to the Nilayam to get another darshan, as I
come out into the verandah! What greater sign of devotion is needed than this yearning
for darshan? But, this love alone is not enough. In fact, it does not mean much at all.
What is wanted is the regulation of that Love, in the form of virtue and service. If you
achieve that, then there is none to equal you, in this age. As the seed, so the sapling; as
the status, so the behaviour; as the teacher, so the students; as the food, so the belch.
Here, renunciation and divine love form the atmosphere, and silence is the discipline.

The play is His, The role is His, The Lines are written by Him. He directs, He designs the
dress and decoration, the gesture and the tone, the entrance and the exit. You have to
act well the part and receive His approbation when the curtain falls.

Page 76 of 268

Discourse 7 (Penukonda, Jubilee Celebrations of the Coronation of

Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire, 17/2/1964)

People have become too weak to the the recipients of the tremendously powerful
Message of the Eternal Religion, Sanathana Dharma! The individual is called by us,
vyakti, do you know why? Because we expect him to make vyakta, that is to say, to
manifest his Divinity! Ishvarassarvabhutanam Hrddeshe Arjuna Tishtati - The Lord
is residing in the heart of all beings, O Arjuna! thus said Lord Krishna to Arjuna in the
Bhagavad Gita. Demonstrate that it is true, realise Him within your heart, let Him
become manifest, that is the obligation of the individual.

Man is tmswarupa, that is Abhayaswarupa (Embodiment of Fearlessness). If he

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

That is the main aim of culture, to cultivate mental calm, mental courage, to make every
one feel kinship with every one else. You are born with the cry, koham (who am I?) on
your lips; when you depart, you must have the declaration, Soham (I am He) on your
smiling face. This is the message of the Dharma with Krishnadevaraya fostered. Take
that lesson home from this meeting. You are now seeing with the eye - a three-lettered
physical apparatus, the three letters representing the three qualities: Sattva, Rajas and
Tamas. See with the clariOied, unprejudiced, unattached I; then, you see only One,
though you see yourself you are indeed everything that refers itself as I. It is because
this single aim (lakshya) has been given up, that all this confusion (avalakshana) has
come about!

I always exhort people to win, not the titles that come to those who canvass support,
but the title that the Upanishads proclaim as the highest decoration for spiritual
aspirants: Amritasya Putrah, Children of Immortality. Of what use is it if a man boasts
that his grandfather was a great scholar? Manuja, the Sanskrit word of Man, implies a
noble ancestry, from Manu Himself. Boast of your inner Divinity which is your greatest
treasure.

Penukonda, the town that derives its name from the mountain, has been too long a
heap of stones, albeit a huge heap. Your hearts must become kondas, that is, huge
mountain peaks, and on the top, as in Arunagiri, the Jyoti (light) of knowledge must
shine like a beacon.

It does not matter a bit if you have no faith in Me or God. Have faith in yourselves, that
is enough. For, who are you, really? Each of you is Divinity, whether you know it or not.

Discourse 8 (Venkatagiri, 18/2/1964)

Every ones heart is a a Dharmakshetra (scene of Mahabharata war) where the battle
between the forces of good and evil is fought. Why, the whole country is
Dharmakshetra. So, the mothers and children of this land must be devoted to Dharma,
above all. The Gita begins with the word, Dharmakshetre, and ends with the words,
Sarva Dharman Parityajya; through Dharma, you have to transcend Dharma.

Discourse 9 (Venkatagiri, 19/2/1964)

He is able to gather information about all kinds of things from all corners of the world,
but he is unaware of what happens in the corners of his own mind. He knows who is
who among all the rest, but, he does not know the answer to the simple question, Who
Page 77 of 268

am I? The fact is, he has to ask it himself and seek out the clue to the enigma himself.
He has not felt that it is essential to know the answer; he is content to move about
blindly in the world, groping his way in the dark. Without knowing who he himself is,
he is rashly judging, labelling and even libelling other men! This is the fundamental
reason for the hollowness of human life today, for the hate and fear that stalk the world.

The Vedas and Shastras of India have the key to that answer; they can teach you the
process by which you can discover it for yourself if you are so inclined. There are only
twenty-six letters in the English alphabet; yet by combing them in various ways,
thousands of books are written. So too, the ideas and hints given in the Vedas may be a
few, their application explains the entire literature of Akshara, which means both
letter and indestructible. Every person born in Bharat must be an exemplar of these
disciplines; for, Bha implies splendour, prakasham, the splendour that is encased in
man, and Rati implies the desire to manifest it, to taste it. Live up to that glory and
you will all be transformed into fullness. You are the Formless (Nirakara) come in the
form of Man (Narakara), the InOinite come in the role of the Oinite, the Formless InOinite
appearing as the formful inOinitesimal, the Absolute pretending to be Relative, the tm
behaving as the body, the Metaphysical masquerading as the merely physical. The
Universal tm (Self) is the basis of all being. The sky was there before houses were
built under it; it penetrated and pervaded them for some time; then, the houses
crumbled and became heaps and mounds; but, the sky was not affected at all. So too,
the tm pervades the body and subsists even when the body is reduced to dust.

The same inexplicable, invisible, electric current, when it enters a bulb, a fan, a stove, a
cooler, or a sprayer, activates each one of them or all of them together. Similarly,
Ishvara sarva bhootanam the Divine Principle activates all beings. That is the inner
core, the Divine Spark, more minute than the minutest, more magniOicent than the most
magniOicent.

You must tackle this problem, straight from where it starts. Ignorance can be cured
only by knowledge; darkness can be destroyed only by light. No amount of argument or
threat or persuasion can compel darkness to move away. A Olash, that is enough; it is
gone. Prepare for that Olash of illumination; the light is there already, in you. But since it
is heavily overladen by repressing factors, it cannot reveal itself. The liberation from
night which happens when the light is revealed, is called Moksha. Every one has to
achieve it, whether he is striving for it now or not. It is the inevitable end to the
struggle, the goal to which all are proceeding. But, please do not be afraid of treating
the goal of liberation (Moksha)! Do not conceive that stage as a calamity. It is the end of
calamity. It is death to all grief; the birth of joy - a joy that knows no decline, the death
of grief, grief that will never more be born. Well, how do you prepare yourself for the
stage? I must tell you that the answer is in that very word Moksha, itself. It is self-
explanatory. Mo indicates Moha (delusion; being deluded by the scintillating, the
gaudy, the transitory, the temporary trash) and ksha' means kshaya (decline;
disappearance, destruction). It requires you to keep the Olights of your mind away from
these deluding attractions, and on the straight path towards liberation.

You yourselves create the illusion of which you are the slave; deny it, dont give it a
change to lord over you, then it will not harm you. Someone was told, There, inside
that well, lies your shadow. He said, No; it cannot be. But, he decided, nevertheless, to
go and verify the fact. He walked up to the well and peeped in. And, lo, he found it was
true. The well had his shadow inside! Poor fellow, he did not know that the shadow
would be there only when he looked in! Do not test Maya. Try to locate it, it will present
Page 78 of 268

itself. You can avoid it only by denying it; you can escape only by concentrating on the
substance; do not attach any value to the shadow, whether inside the well or outside it.
For, after all, it is just a shadow!

Do not respect who are caught up in the tangle of the senses. Give respect according to
the knowledge each possesses of himself, i.e. of the Immanent and the Transcendent.
How do you Oix the price of cane? According to the sugar content, is it not? You evaluate
oranges in proportion to the juice they contain, is it not? So too, a man is worthy of
honour in proportion to the knowledge of the Self he has acquired. This knowledge
alone can confer steadiness and strength. Without it, all profession of renunciation, all
pretence of devotion, all performance of charity are but tongue-deep or skin-deep!

Ravana craved for Prakriti (Sita) discarding the Purusha (Spirit) which gave it values
and meaning, viz. Rama. If you crave for Prakriti, the objective world, you degrade
yourself, you deny your reality, and you join Ravanas brood. Do not also imagine that
the Lord is outside Prakriti, or even of you, who are really a part of the objective world.
He is in you, behind you, beside you, before you. He is the eye of your eye; the I of your
I. Yearn for the yoga or union with Him, through the unwavering awareness of His
being the real You.

Live in the consuming conviction that you are the tmn. That is the hard core of the
Eternal Teaching. The tm it is that sees through the eyes, hears through the ears,
handles through the Oingers, moves through the feet. That is the basic you. That you is
not elated by praise or deOlated by blame. When some one carps at you, reason out thus
within yourself: Is he casting aspersions on my body? Well, why should I be worried?
He is doing just what I should myself do, casting out the attachment to the Olesh, this
paltry prison. Or, is he throwing them at the tm? Nothing can affect its purity, or
tarnish its glory. So remain calm and unperturbed. You may ask, what happens then to
the strings of abuse? Like the letter sent by post and refused by the addressee, it
returns to the sender!

Sanathana Dharma recommends the three-fold course of listening, recapitulating,

concentrating. Listening makes you learned only. Concentrated meditation on the
meaning of the thing heard gives you the fruit of the teaching as intended by the
Teacher.

Discourse 10 (Venkatagiri, 20/2/1964)

Your duty is to concentrate on the development of the Divinity latent in you; once you
do that, all hate and all pride will disappear; you will become humble fellow-pilgrims
with the Brahmins to the same goal, though along parallel paths.

The cottage and the castle are both built on the earth: so too, all faiths and religions, all
disciplines have the Veda as the basis. The special feature of Indian culture is that here
the dress and demeanour, the language and literature, the manner and mode of living,
the ideals and institutions are all attuned to the spiritual progress of man, emphasising
as they do the superiority of the spirit over the body, the subtle over the gross.
Everything is subordinated to that supreme task. The body should be fed and kept free
from disease. Why? So that it may be Oit for spiritual discipline. Spiritual discipline for
what? For the realisation of the truth about oneself. The subtle is the basis for the
gross; the Divine is the basis for the Human. Indian Culture turns your eye to the basis,
not to what is built upon it.
Page 79 of 268

Remember, freedom is your birthright. Concentrate on that and practise the means of
attaining it.

Remember that with every step, you are nearing God. And when you take one step
towards Him God takes ten steps towards you. There is no halting place int he
pilgrimage! It is one continuous journey, through day and night, through tears and
miles, through death and birth, through tomb and womb. When the road ends and goal
is gained, the pilgrim Oinds that he has travelled from himself to himself, that was long
and lonesome; but God that lead him unto, was all the while in him, around him, with
him and besides him. He himself was always Divine.

Discourse 11 (Rajamundry, 24/2/1964)

Vedas yield Ananda; Veda Mata (Mother of Vedas) is the Ananda Mata. They provide the
answer to the Question of questions: Who am I? Every one of you has to know that
this question has to worry you sooner or later. And, every one has to discover the
answer. The senses, each specialising in one small Oield of cognition, are powerless to
give the answer, they at best are very inadequate even in their own specialised
provinces; there are sounds the ear cannot hear; there are colours the eye cannot take
in and interpret to us and tastes beyond the ken of the buds of the tongue. They are
imperfect instruments for the study of the external world. How can they serve to teach
us about the intangible, invisible, inner world of the Self? The Vedantic vision alone can
reveal to you the smaller than the smallest, the bigger than the biggest (Anoraneeyan
mahato maheeyan).

When you are boring and Oixing a pipe to draw the water up, you have to take good
care, lest water or air gets into the pipe and spoils the creation of the vacuum that is
needed. So too, if you desire success in your effort to unravel the truth of your inner
Self you have to take good care that the outer self does not enter and spoil the
concentration. You have to prevent thoughts of the outer world from entering the mind.
The senses are positive handicaps in that Oield of research.

If you can inquire deeply and reason fearlessly, you can appreciate the Indian point of
view that, instead of seeking a lower standard of ananda by feeding the senses, one can
get lasting Ananda by training the mind to be ever in the eyes of the Cosmic, the
Universal, the Lord, as it is called, when you impose a Name and a Form upon it, to
enclose it in your Consciousness. Why does man get Ananda when he contemplates the
Cosmic and the Universal? Because he himself is the Cosmic, the Universal! It is the
tvam (thou) called to the Tat (That); the Tat responding to the kindred voice of the
Tvam. Man is basically, essentially, fully, Immortal; he is Amritaswarupam. But, yet he is
afraid he would die! He is Anandaswarupam; but, yet he is it that weeps that he is
miserable. He is ntiswarupam; yet, everywhere he is overlaid with anxiety. This
absurd self-deception is the root of tragedy from which the world suffers today.

A business magnate from the West, Mr. Kilman, came to Puttaparti and, during the
discussion on various spiritual problems, he asked Me, Why build temples, when what
we want are wells, dams, hospitals and factories? I told him to Oind out from the well-
fed and well-employed whether they are happy, whether they have inner calm! The
tm alone is the source of inner strength, it is the fountain-spring of Joy - joy
unaffected by reverses or victories.

Page 80 of 268

You may ask, How do you know, or rather, how are we to know that there is an entity
called the tm? Well, how do you know that today is the 24th day of February? The
Sun did not rise today, after an announcement from the skies that it is the twenty-
fourth day of the month called February. Some person whom you respect, said that
today is the 24th February, that is all. You accepted their word and you were glad that
your acceptance made things smoother for you. Similarly, when the Vedas and the
Scriptures declare that you are tmn, instead of mistaking yourself to be the gross
body, accept it and Oind in it a great source elf peace and step by step, the truth will be
revealed to you in your own unmistakable experience.

From illusion, you must get interested in the Author, the Master, the Lord. Once you see
the world as the arena of His activity, the stage for His play, then, you will never more
be misled; you will not be deceived by any tricks of the play or of the stage-effect; you
will not be distracted; you will not be led to believe it as genuinely real. It is valid so
long as it lasts, and you are in the theatre.

Take the base (Adhara) as more real than the structure (Adheya); the Lord as more real
than the world. This is the basic lesson of Indian thought. Among all the principles of
Vedanta, this is a pearl. The world is like a mirage; the mirage does not originate from
any rain; nor does it reach any lake or sea. It was not there before the Sun shone, nor
will it be there when evening falls. It is just an intervening phenomenon; it is best left
alone.

The Pandits are not with Me to extol Me; nor is there any need to extol Me or them. I
have no other purpose than this: to lead you to the path of Ananda. I have no special
attachment to the Vidvanmahasabha because I have established it. All Sabhas and
Sangas (Associations) and individuals that do this same task, according to their
capacity and means, are dear to Me. I do not call upon you to cultivate Faith in Me or
worship Me. I want only that you should cultivate faith in yourselves, and worship the
Lord who is utilising you as His instrument.

!
Realise that your essential core is the tm.
!

Of course, I love all; those who come to Me, as well as those who stop coming; those
who stay at the Nilayam, as well as those who stay away; those who praise, as well as
those who blame. For no one is beyond the boundary of My love.

Hold your right palm, spread it vertically before you! You Oind that the thumb points
towards you and is keeping apart from the other Oingers. That represents the
Paramtm which is aloof and unaffected. The foreOinger is the jeevi, the self attached
to the three gunas, the three-stranded complex of the objective world. It seeks to mix
with this, that and the other, to show this and mark out that; it is ever busy identifying
objects and so it gets the company of only the three qualities (gunas). But, once let it
turn towards the Paramtm, let it achieve Sameepya (proximity) with it! Then it will
lose the contact with the tunas; it and the thumb will form the Chin-mudra - the sign of
the Poorna (full), the completed Consciousness. I bless you that your attention and
activity be always focused on the Self within you; that is the purpose for which the
Pranti Vidvanmahasabha has been established.

Discourse 12 (Rajamundry, Hindu Samaj, 25/2/1964)

Page 81 of 268

Devotion is Divine Love, unsullied by any tinge of desire for the beneOit that Olows from
it or the fruit or consequence of that love. It is love that knows no particular reason for
its manifestation. It is of the nature of the love of the soul for the Oversoul; the river for
the sea; the creeper for the tree, the star for the sky, the spring for the cliff down which
it Olows. It is sweet, in bad times as well as good. It is not like pepper or salt with which
you savour your dishes; it is the very bread and butter, the essential substance itself. It
is not the pickle, which only lends a twang to the tongue and helps you to consume a
little more of the food. It is an unchanging attitude, a desirable bent of the mind,
standing steady through joy and grief. For the Divine Bliss comes through knowledge of
the Self; the Devotee is the true witness.

Wavering and indecision affect you in the realm of Dharma when you are not stabilised
in the knowledge of the Self, which gives you a correct sense of proportion and also a
sense of direction and achievement. That is why the Gita lays so much emphasis on the
necessity to know both the kshetra and the kshetrajna. Know both, and then, you are
entitled to the title, Amritasya Putrah : Children of Immortality. Other titles are
burdens on the head that wears then. Of what beneOit are they, those that vanish in a
whiff, and do not deceive any one, for more than a few years?

Through devotion to God alone can that knowledge be attained. Bhakti puriOies the
heart, elevates the feelings and universalises the vision. It also brings down the Grace
of God; for, the clouds have to come over the Oields and pour rain; the plants cannot rise
up to drink the life-giving Oluid. The mother has to bend to the cradle to fondle the
child. Bhakti has that power, to bring the Lord down.

That is why I condemn all signs of weakness and call the sense of weakness itself a sin,
an unpardonable sin. It is an insult to the heritage of Immortality, the title Amritasya
Putrah, which mankind deserves and must earn. Weakness, vacillation, despair, all
these bring dishonour on Him who conferred on you the honour of child of
Immortality; you are Bala-swarupa (of the nature of strength). Whenever accosted,
you must declare yourself so, and not otherwise. Do not bend and cringe and barter
your self-respect. Do not believe that you are this little lump of body. You are the
indestructible, immortal tm, of the same nature as the Absolute Reality, Brahman
itself.

Discourse 13 (Bhadrachalam, 28/2/1964)

When people do not place faith in the Self but pursue the senses only, the danger signal
is up and the Lord sends a Messenger or comes Himself if a great big step in
reconstruction has to be taken.

Reawakening of man is at hand. Reawakening to the knowledge that man himself is

God. The human body is not you, it simply houses the soul or the spark of Divinity
within, for God dwells in the heart of every man and that dwelling spark of the divine is
you - yourself. All else is illusion.

Discourse 14 (Bukkapatnam, 13/3/1964)

Life is a mirage; it comes from no visible rain; it falls into no recognisable sea. There
was a man once who was pestered by a host of relatives when he was dying. Parents,
wife, children, brothers, sisters - all surrounded his bed during his last moments and
wailed. They asked him What is to happen to us? The dying man lifted his head a little
from the pillow and asked in return, What is to happen to me? I am now interested in
Page 82 of 268

that problem, than being worried about what is to happen to you. Well, it is better
every one asks that question even now and equips himself with the answer rather than
wait until it is too late. What am I For? What ought I to do? These questions you
must pursue, and arrive at the answers.

You nature is Sat, Chit and Ananda, believe Me. That is why you behave in the way you
do. You desire to exist for ever; you enjoy continuing to live; you avoid all talk of your
own death. That is enough evidence to conclude that you are Reality in essence (Sat-
swarupa). Then, again, you are Oilled with wonder and curiosity and a desire to know
the world around you. You ask continuously what, why, how and when, about all and
sundry. This is the prompting that is given by the Consciousness (Chit) that is in your
make-up. Lastly, you are always seeking joy, through some means or other. You try to
avoid grief, you try to taste joy instead. It is the nature of man to do so. For, he is
essentially of the nature of Bliss (Anandaswarupa). When he seeks Ananda, it is like the
call of the deep for the deep. When some one asks you, How do you do?, and you
answer, Quite well, thank you, he does not stop to enquire why you are well. It is only
when you answer that you are ill, he stops and expresses concern and probes into the
causes, symptoms and cure of the illness. Well-ness is natural; ill-ness unnatural.
Anxiety is caused by the unnatural only. So, you are happiness in essence
(sukhaswarupa) also.

Sat, Chit, Ananda are the attributes of the tm and you are the Self not the body. There
was a king who had an abiding faith in astrology. So, when his son was born on a day
when the Moola Nakshatra (star) was in the ascendant, he feared that the child would
bring calamity to the line; he therefore asked his soldiers to slay it and throw the
carcass in the jungle. The servants were so overcome by pity that, instead of killing the
child, they just cast it away in the jungle and came away. The child was discovered and
fostered by a washerman for many years. The boy was engaged in washing the clothes
and spreading them out to dry, when one day, the king lost his way and strayed into the
village where the washerman lived with the Prince. While resting in the washermans
house, the king discovered that the boy who washed the clothes was his own son. He
took him back and crowned him Yuvaraja. Now, even when the boy was with the
washerman, he did not lose his status as a Prince. Only he did not know his reality. You
are all in the same plight: Princes, misled into believing that you are washermen, souls
ignorant of the magniOicence of the status, but declaring that you are only he shortlived,
easily-destroyed bodies.

Your time in school has to be used not only in the task of collecting information and
earning certain skills that will give you an income on which you can live; it must also be
used to acquire the art of being content and calm, collected and courageous. You must
also cultivate at school an ardent thirst for knowing the truth of the world and of your
own self.

I want you also to read such books as will prompt you to ask and answer questions
about your Self.

Discourse 15 (Brindavan, Whitefield, 13/4/1964)

The Vedas, Upanishads and Shastras are like trafOic signs on the road; if they are
removed, the journey is rendered slow and difOicult, replete with accidents. We cannot
afford to destroy them. We have to restore them in the interest of humanity itself. Caste
(Jathi) has to be determined on the basis of Gunas though a man belonging to a caste
Page 83 of 268

can be judged Oit or unOit, on the basis of his Karma. If Jathi (Caste) has to be decided on
the twin bases of Guna and Karma, as evidenced by the character and activities of the
individual, a person will have to be labelled differently every hour or every minute of
his life! It is only in pitch darkness that the ground appears level; day reveals the
heights and hollows. So too, it is only ignorance that makes people talk of equality;
knowledge reveals basic differences in health, equipment, attitude and tastes!

I want that the knowledge embodied in the Upanishads should be handed down to
every one. Bhakti-directed education must take precedence over the Bhukti-directed
(enjoyment-directed) schooling that prevails today in most countries of the world.
Bhakti is the Aashakti or yearning which goads you on to the spiritual discipline which
will endow you with that Jnana. Have both faith and steadiness - and you will win.

!
For the Wisdom of the Sages is the Heritage of Humanity.
!
Discourse 16 (Brindavan, 15/4/1964)

To conquer this egoism, no rigorous system of exercise or breath control is necessary.

No, not even complicated scholarship. The Gopikas conOirm this truth. They were
simple rural folk, untouched by the conclusions of deep study. Narada was once so
shocked at their ignorance of the science of spiritual progress that he volunteered to go
among them and put them through some lessons in Jnana. He found on entry into
Brindavan that the gopees selling milk or curds in the street forgot to shout the names
of their ware but said, Govinda, Narayana, instead; so immersed were they in God-
consciousness. They did not know that they had sold off all the milk; they still
wandered on, calling out the names of the Lord, for the dust of Brindavan was so sacred
for them. They had no vishayavasana, that is, no wish for sensual pleasure; and so, they
had no Ajnana. Hence, Narada concluded that they had no need for the lessons he had
planned to give. He prayed to them to teach him the means of getting that yearning and
that vision of the all-pervading Krishna.

There was a gopee, for example, called Suguna, who had no other thought than those
related to Krishna. Now every evening, it was the usual routine in Brindavan for every
housewife to light the lamp from the Olame of the lamp at the house of Nanda; they
believed that getting light from the Olame of the lamp of the eldest and highest is
auspicious. Suguna went with the lamp of Nandas house and when she reached the
house, her mind was lost in the thrill and joy of seeing the very house where Krishna
spent his childhood days, to which his pranks and prattle drew all the cowherd boys
and girls. She stood there with her unlighted lamp for a long while, near the big oil
lamp, illuming the central hall. She was holding the lamp near the Olame, but not near
enough. She had her Oinger right over the Olame. She was not aware that her Oinger was
being scorched by the Olame; she was too full of Krishna-consciousness to be aware of
the pain. It was Yashoda who saw her plight and woke her from the reverie, or shall we
say, vision? For, to her, the house was alive with Krishna wherever her eyes turned.
That is the tanmayatvam (identiOication) one must achieve. There is no use if the
Oledgling stays in the nest; it should develop wings and Oly into the sky. There is no use
if man grovels in the dust; he should take to his wings and Oly.

Discourse 17 (Mallesvaram, 16/4/1964)

The Shastras direct you to the Reality easily and without hesitation. You have heard
people pointing to the faint crescent moon in the sky and saying, There! Right on top
of that mango tree, a yard from the lightning-conductor on that spire, to the left of it.
Page 84 of 268

That is just the kind of help that the Shastras give about the Universal and the Absolute.
You have to run your eye along the tree, the spire and the lightning conductor, and see
the moon yourself. Shastras guide you to the truth and lead you to it, in easy stages.

It is a hard job to know about your own Self. Take the case of the food that you eat with
your own mouth. You feel it in your stomach and after that, you do not experience what
happens to it at each stage. How then can you know, without acquiring the special
means for it, the Truth that lies behind the sheaths that encase and enclose you - the
Annamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya, Vijnanamaya and Anandamaya? Clear your intellect
or intellectual power (dheeshakti) of the cobwebs of the ego, the dust of desire, the
soot of greed and envy, and it becomes a Oit instrument for revealing the Swarupa - the
Inner Truth. Know yourself, know the Inner Motivator, the Antaryamin - that is the
exhortation of the scriptures of all faiths. For, unless you are armed with that
knowledge, you are like a ship without a compass, sailing on a stormy sea.

You may ask - Where can we Oind the Lord? Well, he has given His address, in Chapter
18, Shloka 61 of the Bhagavad Gita. Turn to it and note it down.
Ishvarassarvabhootanam Hriddeshe, Arjuna, Tisthati - O Arjuna, the Lord resides in
the heart of all beings. Now, after knowing that, how can you look down any living
being in contempt or how can you revel in hating him or indulge in the pastime of
ridiculing? Every individual is charged with the Divine Presence, moved by Divine
attributes.

Listen to the primeval Pranava AUM resounding in your heart as well as in the heart of
the Universe.

Discourse 18 (Pranti Nilayam, 16/5/1964)

The sound of a Mantra is as valuable as its meaning. Even a poisonous cobra is

quietened by music; Nadam has that allaying property. The child in the cradle stops
wailing as soon as the lullaby is sung; it may not carry any meaning; it may be a
nonsensical rhyme or a jingle, but, it quietens, soothes the nerves and induces sleep. In
the case of the Gayatri, the meaning too is easy and profound. It does not ask for mercy
or pardon; it asks for a clear intellect so that the Truth may be reOlected therein
correctly, without any disOigurement.

When someone ridicules, you should argue like this within yourself: Is he ridiculing my
body? Well, he is doing what I myself would wish to do; for, I too want to escape out of
this attachment of this body. Is he ridiculing the tm? Well, he is doing the impossible,
for, the tm is beyond the reach of words or thought; it is unaffected by praise or
blame. Say to yourself, My tm Tattva is Nischala (immovable), it is Nirmala (pure),
and carry on.

Reason out and get convinced of the Truth, Sarvam Brahmamayam. You know there are
Oive elements or bhootas, which constitute, by their permutations and combinations,
the world called Prapancham, the Five-constituted. Prithivi or the Earth-element has
Oive qualities, the maximum, and so, it is the grossest. It has its own special
characteristic of gandha (smell), as well as the characteristic of the other four, namely,
sparsha, rasa, rupa and shabda (touch, taste, form and sound). The next one Jala, the
water-element has only four, its own special one - taste and touch, form. So it is subtler
than the Earth-element. Agnis is subtler still, because apart from its special
characteristics of form, it has only two others, sound and touch. Vaayu, the Air-element
Page 85 of 268

has touch as its special and one more quality, sound. Finally the lightest and subtlest of
all the Oive, Akasha, the Sky-element, has only one characteristic, its own, namely,
Shabda. Now, God is subtler than even Akasha and so He is all-pervading, even more
than ether or anything more pervasive than that. His nature is beyond all human
vocabulary, beyond all human mathematics. Have this conviction well-stabilised in your
intellect.

Be steady in spiritual practice, and never hesitate once you have decided on it. When
the bus is moving on, the dust will be Oloating behind as a cloud: it is only when it stops
with a jerk that the dust will envelop the faces of the passengers. So, keep steadily
engaged in the practice. Then, the cloudy dust of the objective world will not cover your
face.

Through Bodha (knowledge) alone can Dharma be saved in the modern Kali-age. That
is why I am engaged in bodha (imparting knowledge), in this task of re-constructing
through upadesha (instruction).

Discourse 19 (Pranti Nilayam, 17/5/1964)

When you pour oil from one tin to another, the hand that pours must be steady and the
tin from which it is poured must not shake; nor, should the tin that receives shake, for,
that will also make the oil spill on the ground. You should be nischalam (not moving);
then only can you accept the Bodha (imparting of knowledge) straight into your hearts.

Now, there are some who say that Jeevi will be jeevi and Deva will be Deva (God) and
the two can never be the same or merge. If that was true, then, what is the use of
Japam, Dhyanam, Sat-karma and all the other varieties of Sadhana recommended by
the Shastras and the sages? There is no doubt that Nara can become Narayana; Tvam
can become Tat. That is the doctrine of the Upanishads and the experience of the
saints.

Once a quarrel ensued between the Advaitin who said that the jeevi is really God who
falsely identiOies himself with the limited Name and Form which he appears to have
assumed, and the Dvaitin who said that the jeevi is distinct from the Deva. When the
quarrel boiled over, the Dvaitin said, See, even this dhobi knows that Advaitism is
wrong. The Advaitin said that the dhobi too is subject to the ajnana, the delusion that
he is the limited Upadhi (adjunct) of name and form, which are but temporary adjuncts
of the personality. The knowledge of the Kshetra and the Kshetrajna will alone help to
overcome that delusion. Kshetra is the Oield, the Oield of the senses, the Oield of the
dualities, and the Kshetrajna is he who knows the Oield and is its Master.

Well, this Prakriti or Nature is also just svabhava of the Lord, his Sankalpa (Will), a
manner of His manifestation. All this is, as Kasturi said in his speech, while quoting
some experiences of Bhaktas, His Hands and Feet, His manifestation. That is why it is
said that Sarvam is Brahmamayam.

With just a little paint and a piece of white paper, the painter can draw a frightening
picture of a demon, or a charming picture of a smiling baby or an inspiring picture of a
yogi meditating on the Absolute. All those different reactions are the result of the
combinations of colours; the basic reality is just colour. So too in the picture house, the
screen is the stable substance, the shadows come and go. When the picture is being
Page 86 of 268

Olashed on the screen, the screen is not noticed; it is the base, the foundation, the whole
of it has become the picture. Sarvam Vishnu Mayam Jagat.

Every one calls himself I, is it not? Now, who gave that possession? Was it any
company? Or, did you get it as part of the dowry? Or, from the rulers? Or from some
organisation? You say it is your birthright; well, let it be so. That I is the entity which
is posited as Brahman in the Mahavakya, Aham Brahmasmi - I Am Brahman.

When the One became many, when the One manifests as Prakriti composed of the Five
Elements, do not imagine that its value is affected thereby. When a rupee is changed
into ten-naya paise coins, its value is not decreased at all. So, see Nature as Supreme
Soul, not as multiplicity of sense-impressions and sense-attractions. Wherever your eye
turns, whatever your eyes hear, your Oingers touch, your tongue tastes, and your nose
smells, whatever has form, sound, touch, taste and smell, take that also to be God-Oilled.
Do not allow the mere sound, the mere taste, etc. to captivate your senses. See the
divine in each, welcome and accept only that.

Discourse 20 (Pranti Nilayam, 24/7/1964)

Vyaasa is the Lokaguru: he is Divine Effulgence. Even Vyaasa can only show you the
road. YOU have to traverse it alone.

You pray, not for grace, but fore petty impermanent pleasures; you do not try to know
the ordinances of God and decide to follow them. Look at Dhruva. He started his
penance, with the low aim of getting mastery over his step-mothers son; but as he
progressed, he saw that he could get something far higher than even imperial honours,
namely, the grace of God.

Learn to appreciate the tm and to detach your mind from that which is not tm.
Become wise and discriminating.

Once you have secured a Guru, leave everything to him, even the desire to achieve
liberation. He knows you more than you yourself ever can. He will direct you as much
as is good for you. Your duty is only to obey and to smother the tendency to drift away
from Him. You may ask, how are we to earn our food, if we attach ourselves to a Guru
like this? Be convinced that the Lord will not let you starve; He will give you not merely
money but even Amrita, not only food but the nectar of immortality.

If you have daya, dhama and dharma (compassion, self-control, righteousness), that
will take you beyond the realm of the three tunas; there is no need then for getting a
Nama from the Guru and repeating it. The aajna of the Guru or the Lord is even more
important than the Name of the Guru or the Name of the Lord. Of what use is the
repetition of the Name, without at the same time purifying the impulses by the
observances of His commands.

Maya itself has caused multifarious forms. This is a clever stage-play, a kind of fancy-
dress. The objective world or Nature assumes many forms through the manipulation of
Maya, the deluding urge.

Discourse 21 (Pranti Nilayam, 29/7/1964)

Page 87 of 268

The Shabda, the Pranava are all very important keys to bliss; the Vedas are to be heard
and recited. They are Shruti, that which was heard, in moments of supra conscious
ecstasy, by puriOied scholars doing sadhana.

You can give Ananda by your speech, only if you have attained the state of Ananda
yourself. A lamp burning under a pot with Oive holes: that is the symbol of man, who
has the Flame of Wisdom shining through Oive sense. Cover the pot with a thick cloth
and no light emerges. The cloth is the cover of ajnana, of tamas. Remove it; it shines
feebly through the sense, that is the symbol of rajas. Remove the pot itself, that is to say,
remove the identiOication with the body (dehtm buddhi); then the tmjyoti (light of
the Self) shines full and bright. The jyoti or Ananda is ever there but, it was obstructed
by the pot and the cloth. Ananda is your native character, your real stamp, your very
reality.

The patient must himself drink the drug. There is no vicarious cure. The balm must be
applied where the pain is. The cause of the illness and of the misery is in your mental
vision, for, you see many, when there is only One. You say My God, Their God, Your
Baba, as if there are so many Gods existing to help you quarrel and riot among
yourselves.

Discourse 22 (Madras, Pranti Vidvanmahasabha, Inauguration by

Sri M. Bhaktvatsalam, President: Mr Justice Sadashivam, 13/8/1864)

One has only to recognise ignorance, in order to make it vanish. One has only to know
one-self in order to contact the springs of Bliss and Immortality and of kinship with all
beings. In Sanskrit, the individual is known as vyakti, because he has to make his innate
divinity vyakta (explicit). That is your reality; discover it, dwell in it, desire to divulge it.
Discard all low desires for a few acres of land, or a fat account in the bank, or a few
more bungalows or cars or radios; desire rather the joy that will never fade, that will
never cloy, deep, steady and strength-giving, the joy of Divine Realisation.

Discover your holiness, your divinity, your truth. You may have doubts which is
dharma, which is satya, which is prema, etc. I admit; but, you can have no doubt about
yourself, is it not? So, Oind out who you are and be Oixed in that truth. That is enough to
save you, to give you everlasting joy. That is why the Vedas and the Upanishads teach,
what the sages and the saints experienced, what these Pandits remind you in their
discourses.

They are afraid of being alone; they avoid silenced as something detestable! But, you
can discover your own truth only when you are alone with yourself and there is silence
all around you.

As a matter of fact, there are no atheists at all but, only ignorant people. They do not
know that God is their innermost core. They deny God because they do not know that
their very breath is God. It is like Oish denying the existence of water. You have to pity
them for their colossal ignorance, not get angry with them for saying things you do not
like. God dwells in you as Ananda; that is why you seek Ananda automatically, always,
in every object around you. To become as full of ananda as Radha or as Ramakrishna
Paramahamsa or as Vivekananda, you have to sacriOice your ego and saturate yourself
with the consciousness that the Lord is your very being.

Page 88 of 268

So long as you have a trace of ego in you, you cannot see the Lord clearly. That is the
thera (curtain) which Saint Thygaraja prayed Lord Venkateshvara to remove from his
mind. Egoism will be destroyed if you constantly tell yourself, It is He, not I. He is the
force, I am but the instrument.

!
Mother is Love. Worship the Mother as God. Father is Truth. Worship the Father as God.
!
Discourse 23 (Madras, 14/8/1964)

But, develop the thirst for Krishna, you discover the cool spring of Ananda within you.

You may ask, If we engage ourselves in this pastime, how can we earn our livelihood?
Well, let me assure you, if you have pure and steady faith in the Lord, He will provide
for you, not merely food, but the nectar of Immortality. You have that mighty
potentiality in you, to discover the Lord within and compel Him to grant you that
nectar.

Dharma: What is dharma, why should it be followed, what does it allow, what does it
condemn, etc. - these have to be clearly known. The Gita is the best text on Dharma:
the Oirst word in it is Dharma and the last word is Mama (mine). So, it teaches each
student what exactly he should consider as the dharma which is mine! Each one must
evolve his own dharma based on tmdharma, the faith that the tm is his true
reality.

Bhakti is like a king, who has two aides-de-camp called jnana and vairagya. Without
these two bodyguards, bhakti is never secure or safe. Bhakti must be built upon the
foundation of jnana; it must Olower as detachment from the world. The jnani is the
sthita-prajna (conscious of His position), unshaken by the storms of fortune, good or
bad; the vairagi is the person who has rid himself of the three tunas; and the bhakti is
he who is all prema. Bhakti, jnana and vairagya are three peaks of the same Himalayan
range. Prema creates daya; vairagya induces dams; and, jnana leads you along the path
of dharma.

Join the company of the good, the striving, the yearning sadhakas and you will soon
reach the stage of peace within and harmony without.

Discourse 24 (Madras, 15/8/1964)

The three tunas have to be transcended one after the other; tamas being transmuted
into rajas and rajas into sattva and sattva too, at last into characteristiclessness. The
gunas bind man and leave impressions. Tamas is like the worm that creep and crawl in
offal; Rajas is like the Oly that sits on foul things as well as fair; Sattva is like the bee that
visits only fragrant Olowers. But, all three are drawn towards objects, whereas one
should be free from all traces of attachment.

The Guru must have the awakening touch and the sishya must have the eagerness to
awake. The relationship should not be like the snake with a frog in the mouth, the frog
too weak to escape, the snake too full to swallow. The Guru must be able to save; the
sishya must be ready to be saved.

The Lord cares for ekagratha and chitta-shuddhi (concentration and purity of mind).
You need not feel that you are physically away from Him. He has no near and far.

Page 89 of 268

While in Dandakaranya forest, Rama was once reclining with His head on the lap of
Sugreeva and the vanara leaders were around Him. The moon was shining overhead in
full glow, but, there was the tell-tale spot which marred the fullness of the effulgence.
Rama asked each one of them what the spot indicated. Each one gave a different
explanation; the reOlection of the sea, one said; a deep pit, said another; a mountain
range, said a third; but, Anjaneya said, It is your reOlection I see on the moon, your
colour, nothing else. That was the measure of his devotion. He saw everywhere, every
time only Rama.

Discourse 25 (Madras, 16/8/1964)

Man is a pilgrim towards Dharmakshetra, the pride of Dharma, which is the abode also
of nti; but, on the way, he is led into the by lanes and alleys of objective pleasure by
the senses to which he has become a slave. Man is eager to know about all kinds of
trivialities, like the details of other lives and other places, but, he has no keenness to
know about himself or the place from where he himself has come. Man is sunk in
ignorance about himself, his source and substance, his goal and fate. He reduces
himself to just one individual; he, the inheritor of unlimited wealth and fortune, feels
himself a pauper. Remove this ego boundary; then only can you recognise the vastness
of yourself.

Diwan Bahadur Raamaswamy Shastry, Yogi Shuddhananda Bharati, and others

addressed you now, each one on a separate note, but, all described only the self-same
Kshetrajna, the Universal Knower, who is known by all names and who is in all forms.
He is the impersonal person described in a hundred different ways in the Vedas, the
Shastras, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and the Bhagavata. Hold on to Him and live
your lives; you will not slip. Build your activities on that basis; your career will not cave
in. You will also develop courage, consolation and faith in yourself and in your destiny.

!
Egoism is a tough enemy and it requires constant vigilance to conquer it.
!

Pride raises its head in every stage and state. Like grass which covers the earth with a
green carpet, as soon as the rains fall even in places which appeared dry waste, pride
thrives upon opportunity. Shikadhvaja, the King, got a feeling of extreme renunciation
and left for the forest for ascetic practices. His queen Choodala had the spirit of
detachment in greater measure, but, she did not make a show of it as her husband did.
The queen put on a male attire, wore ochre, spelt a rosary and sought him in the jungle.
Discovering him at last, she asked him who he was. The king replied that he was the
ruler of the realm, that he had given up his riches, his treasure, his army, his court, etc.
For the sake of what did you give up these? asked Choodala. For the sake of peace,
replied the king. But, he had to confess that he had not attained it. Then, CHoodala
taught him that the giving up of things will bear no fruit, that the desire for things, the
pride of possessing things, of having once possessed them, has to be given up, that one
must be detached from the objective world so that he might turn his eyes inward and
conquer the foes of the inner realm and become a master of himself.

You must develop the devotion of the gopees, of Radha, of Uddhava, of Hanuman.
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa did intense sadhana, transmitting/transmuting himself
into the attitude of Hanuman and even his physical attributes changed to suit the role.

When a mother is feeding her child, you can see her with the child on her hip and the
plate in her hand, inducing the child to eat, by means of harsh words or a smile, a joke,
Page 90 of 268

a threat or a story, diverting its attention, showing the child a dog or a Olower or the
moon. I have also to adopt the same tactics to make you listen and assimilate the
valuable food that is so necessary for your growth. That is the reason why I relate
stories, sing, recite poems, etc,. in My discourses!

Birth and death are two high cliffs between which the river of life Olows. The force of
tm-shakti is the bridge that scans the chasm, and for those who have developed that
force and faith, the Oloods are of no concern. With tm-shakti as their safe support,
they can reach the other bank, braving all dangers.

Discourse 26 (Madras, 17/8/1964)

The gods once imagined that they were able to get victory over the demons because of
their own process. When they were celebrating the victory, a deity appeared before
them and cast a blade of grass on the ground. It asked Agni to burn it; but it could not.
It challenged Vayu to lift it, but he could not. It provoked Varuna to wet it, but, in spite
of his best efforts, he could not. Then when their pride had been pricked, the deity
taught them the Brahma Vidya, which reveals the inner source of all strength. This is no
ordinary story; Agni is the presiding deity of vaak (speech) and so it tells us that speech
has to be humble, that it derives its power only from the basic Universal Principle. Vayu
is Prana; Indra is buddhi.

Arjunas vishada (dejection) is also a case of Oinely disguised egoism, which revealed a
fault in his make-up. He was a dheera (hero) until he came on the battleOield and was
transformed into a bheeru (coward). It was all a case of I and Mine. I will go to hell, I
would rather beg. I will not Oight my Guru, my uncle, my cousin, etc. I and Mine are two
poison fangs; they have to be removed to make man harmless.

Krishna told Arjuna, I am surprised that you should weep so, for you are Gudakesha,
the conqueror of sleep, of ignorance. You do not kill, dont be so conceited as all that;
nor do they die, they have many more things to do, and the real they are deathless.
The sentence of death has been already pronounced on their bodies by Me and you
have but to carry out My orders.

Discourse 27 (Madras, 18/8/1964)

Therefore, the Pranti Vidvanmahasabha has been established, and Pandits have been
entrusted with the task of revitalising the dry sources of nti, by the teachings
contained in the Shastras.

The Vedas tell you those things that cannot be known by anything else. The word Veda
means knowledge, knowledge that cannot be acquired by the senses or the intellect or
even by unguided intuition. Advaita is something that no one in the dual world can
understood. It is aprapya manasa saha - beyond the reach of even the mind. In fact,
intellect and mind must each be transcended, before one can grasp the magniOicence of
that Unity. If dvaita has to be taught, why should the Vedas take up that task? Dvaita -
the seer and the seen, the creator and the created, the good and the bad, the right and
the wrong - this is the daily concrete experience of every one. Prakriti is patently
dualistic. The Vedas endeavour to open the eyes of man to the falsity of dualistic
experience, the reality of the only One, Advaita. They proclaim it, loudly and with
enthusiasm.

Page 91 of 268

It is only through action that devotion can be deepened. Action cleans the mind and
makes it Oit for spiritual knowledge.

Sravana is a tamasik act, maana is rajasik, while nidhidhyasana is Sattvik. When you
are simply listening, quietly receiving without responding, you are just dull (Satvik);
when you turn it over in your mind, attempting to assimilate it, then you are active
(Rajasik); when you are sunk in the sweetness of experience in dhyana you have pure
exultation (Sattvik). That is the fruit of Bhakti, this nidhidhyasana.

There is no need to Oight against the fundamental delusion of deha bhranti (attachment
to body) with overwhelming force and argument! As Agnihotram Ramanuja
Thattachariar said now, the delusion will disappear only if one sits quietly for a minute
and analyse for himself the world and his experience of the world. Jnana is not
Aprapta- prapti, something new that is acquired, like gifts by some one, of money that
the donor had, but which the recipient did not have. it is prapta-prapti, like some one
giving you a ten-rupee note which you had kept between the pages of a book you were
reading. You had lent him the book; when you needed a loan, you asked him for a
tenner; and he gave you back your own note. That is how jnana reveals to you your own
glory. The Guru gives you from out of your own hridaya-pustaka (heart-book) the
treasure which was there unrecognised by you. You are afraid because you have
forgotten your own strength. Agnihotram Thatachariar said that the Lord had Sarvatah
Pani Padam: His hands and feet are everywhere. It is through him that you are able to
see; your eye required His eye in order to function. It is the reOlection, the tm in the
antahkarana, that activates it and makes it Olow through the senses towards the
objective world.

Liberation is attained when the tm shines in its own glory; it is not a clonoy or a
suburb where aristocratic residents have secured good sites in paradise. It is the
condition of the jeeva which has shed delusion.

When delusion is shed, grief gets destroyed; joy is established: dukha nivritti (removal
of grief) and ananda prapti (attainment of bliss) both happen at the same time. The
mind is the villain; it is another name for desire; the texture of the mind is just desire;
both warp and woof are desire and nothing else. If desire goes, the mind disappears.
When you pull out all the yarn from a piece of cloth, you have no more cloth. So too,
pull out desires from the mind, it disappears and you are free. Grief and joy are the
obverse and reverse of the same experience. Joy is when grief ends; grief is when joy
ends. When you invite a blind man for dinner, you must set on the table two plates, for
he comes along with another man who will lead him in. Grief and joy are inseparable
companions.

Bhakti is very difOicult to acquire; do not think it is easy to become a bhakta. As a

matter of fact, it is even more difOicult than jnana, for it means complete surrender, full
contentment whatever may happen.

For like the body which passes through childhood, boyhood, adolescence, middle age
and old age, bhakti too has stages in its growth. The tender fruit is love, the grown one
is devotion and the ripe fruit is surrender.

This ananda that you experienced here now iso not something that came from outside;
it was your own ananda that you experienced; you are Anandaswarupa; and so it
welled up from inside your own heart.
Page 92 of 268

Discourse 28 (Madras, 19/8/1964)

Today this Saptaha celebrates its Samapti (conclusion). That word means, according to
most people, the Oinal function; but it has a profounder meaning too. Samapti means,
the attainment (Aapti) of Samam (Brahmam). That is the Oinal fruit of sravana, maana
and nidhidhyasana of spiritual lessons and discourses. In the worldly sense, it means
the conclusion of a period of time; in the spiritual sense, it means transcending time.

What is the sum and substance of all these discourses? It is that man has to give up his
pursuit of sensory objects if he seeks lasting peace and joy. Material wealth brings
along with it, not only joy but grief as well. Accumulation of riches, multiplication of
wants - these lead only to alternation between joy and grief. Attachment is the root of
both joy and grief; detachment is the Saviour. Ashakti (attachment) is maaraka (death);
anashakti (non-attachment) is taaraka (saviour).

A millionaire pays income-tax with tears in his eyes; a headmaster joyfully gives up the
furniture and laboratory appliances of his school when he is transferred to some other
place. Why? Because the headmaster knows that he is only the caretaker, not the
owner. He is not attached to these articles; he knows that they belong to the
government. So, too, feel that your family, your house, your Oields your car, are all the
Lords property and that you are only the trustee; be ready to give them up without a
murmur at a moments notice.

Thyaga does not mean that you should not value things; you may, even care for them.
But, remember always that they are transient, that the joy they give is trivial and
temporary. That is to say, do not develop moha towards them. Know their real worth;
do not over-estimate them.

This objective world is as ageless as God. Who knows when god resolved upon the
Universe? It is as anadi (beginningless) as God; we cannot determine when it came into
being but we can determine when it will end, at least for each of us. When you look into
the well, your reOlections is always there; so far as you are concerned, your reOlection
can be removed from the well moment you decided you will no more seek the well, or
pay attention to it.

While speaking of God as guarding you, I am reminded of a note that some has sent Me
from this gathering. The note wants Me to explain why I have not mentioned Sai Baba
in any one of my discourse so far, though I bear the name as the avatar of Sai Baba.
Evidently, the writer of the note had in the mind the people who engage themselves in
publicity work of Rama or Krishna or Sai Baba. For those who know, Sai, Rama,
Krishna, Vishnu, all are One; the distinction is only in the Upadhi (the form and the
name). The power, the glory, the mission, the message are all the same, though the
particular achievements may be different, according to the needs and purposes of the
age. That is why, though you believe that Rama and Krishna are the same, you do not
approve when some one says that Rama lifted the Govardhanagiri or that Krishna
broke the Shivadanush (Shivas bow). I do not appreciate in the least, the distinction
between the various appearances of Godhead, Sai, Rama, Krishna, etc. I do not proclaim
that this is more important or that the other is less important.

There are many attempts to construct mandirs for Me, and people go about collecting
donations for the same. I do not like this enthusiasm. Worship in any temple, any form,
Page 93 of 268

under any name. You neglect the ancient temples of your town, and start building new
ones. And, very soon, the new ones too will be neglected, when you discover reasons
for building newer ones.

No bhukta can be a bhakta ; that is to say, he who has an eye on the proOit he can derive
from service to God, cannot be a true devotee.

Those who declare that Sai Baba is great and others are small, do not know the
elements of spiritual discipline. They are unOit for entering the Oield of spiritual service.

Discourse 29 (Pranti Nilayam, Sri Sathya Sai Hospital Day,

8/10/1964)

Health is sought by man, not for its own sake; he tries to cure his illness, for illness
means grief; he tries to secure health, for health means joy. he is after Ananda. At all
times, through all acts, he seeks only Ananda. A Oish thrown on the bank of the lake
wriggles and struggles to enter the water again. Mans struggle to get back into Ananda
is also of the same nature; he was in Ananda and he has been thrown into misery. His
native element is Ananda. He was calm, experienced, concord, nti and Prema, when
he was in the realm of Ananda. Now, this Ananda has to be won back, each for himself.
No other can get it for him. The minister described how the Plan is providing food,
clothing and shelter for all. But, even those who have these three in ample measure are
not free from misery; they have not been restored to Ananda. Ananda is an inner
treasure, won by detachment and discipline. We must have a plan for Ananda, a plan
for nti and Santosha.

!
Have faith in the Lord or the tmtattva; it will vitalise you.
!

Emperor Janaka was listening to the soothing strains of music in the Darbar Hall, and
he fell asleep on his throne. Slowly and silently, the courtiers and musicians slid out of
the hall leaving him to himself. He had a dream. His kingdom was invaded, over-run,
pillaged. He was captured and imprisoned. But he escaped, he was wandering alone, in
enemy territory, overcome with hunger and thirst. The jungle was dark. He groaned
aloud. The queen heard the groan and woke him! He saw himself as Emperor on the
throne, surrounded by servants. Then, a doubt started haunting Janaka: Which is true,
that or this? While dreaming, the dream was as true as the experience of the palace
when awake. This is true, while awake; that was true, while dreaming. Each has only
relative value, while at that stage. Nothing is absolutely true, really real. The waking
experience is as unreal as the dream experience. When you are in deep sleep, there is
no world at all. When you attain the super-conscious fourth stage, the I alone remains,
the Universal I, which was mistaken even in the sleeping stage as limited and
particular. A few minutes of quiet thought will convine you of this.

Discourse 30 (Pranti Nilayam, 9/10/1964)

Samskriti, the word for culture and cultivation, is derived from the word, samskara,
which means the dual process of removing the dust and dirt and vice and planting the
virtues of Satya, Dharma, nti and Prema. Samskara is also the name for certain
obligatory rites of initiation and puriOication prescribed the Vedas for the spiritual
upliftment of man. Their number is forty-eight in all; but, they could be reduced to ten
and, if needed, even to one; the Oinal and FulOilling One, of recognising ones identity
Page 94 of 268

with Madhava or Shiva or Brahmam. Nara is but Narayana; Jeeva is Brahman, seen
through the limitations of primal ignorance.

Though the tongue of the penitent might repeat the shloka, Paapoham
Paapakarmanam (I am a sinner, committing sins) the inner Dweller, as the real You,
will not agree to the description and that self-condemnation! Hence, you turn around in
anger when you are accosted as a sinner (paapi). In your heart of hearts, you know that
you are the Pure, the Full, the Eternal. You are the limitless, timeless, spaceless tm,
the changeless, characteristic less Self. That tm persists in your dreams, in deep
sleep, in the varied activities of the waking stage. It persists during childhood, youth,
middle age, old age and senility. It is the entity which declares itself as I: I slept, I
dreamt, I awoke, I was a child, I am too old to walk erect, etc. My eye, my word, my idea,
my plan, my resolution, my experience, you say; thereby, you announce that you are not
any of these. You are separate from these, but yet, you are involved with them.

!
Develop close association with Him and He will reveal Himself to you.
!

If the place you must reach is very near, you can just step across; if the distance is more,
you may need a vehicle, bullock-drawn or horse-drawn; for longer distances, you may
require a car or a plane. But, the Lord is nearest to you. Slide ajar the door of delusion;
part the curtain of ignorance; open the closed eye; He is right there, before you! The fog
of sensual pleasure is hiding Him from you. Switch on the light; the darkness
disappears and He becomes visible.

You heard the Bhagavata, portions of it, today. All the teaching you need for liberation
from grief and worry, you can get in that one book.

Whichever the book, whoever the guru, whatever the peetam (institution), the goal is
the same. The path is the ancient one, laid down by the saintly pioneers.

Prema is the motive power in Karma Yoga; it is the very breath of Bhakti Yoga. It is
universal and inOinite, in Jnana; it sees the Lord everywhere and in everything, when
vairagya has been achieved. The Bhagavata is saturated with the sweetness of Prema.

The sweetness of Krishna is Oilling this Nature or objective world and Radha is tasting it
and being thrilled by it. Who is Radha? She is Nature, the Prakriti, the Maya Shakti, the
Hlaadini Shakti (power of joy) of Krishna Himself, His Mahabhava (Great State). She
has stolen and treasured in her heart the Ananda of Krishna which manifested as
prakriti and so, like the owner who roams round and round the house of the thief until
he gets back his property, Krishna too is ever around Radhas residence, seeking His
Ananda.

Intensify the prema that is within you, as a sacred grift. Expand it so that all beings can
share in it. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa had that prema; when someone around him
was sad, he felt sad; when some one was glad, he felt glad: He made himself one with
all, in his great prema bhava. Have your prema Oixed on the Lord, whether your petty
wishes are fulOilled or not. Do not let slip the treasure, on some silly excuse or other.

The mistake is, you give the brain more value than it deserves. The Paratattva
(Supreme Truth) is beyond the reach of the brain; standing on the rock, you cannot lift
it! Standing in Maya, you cannot discard it.

Page 95 of 268

Discourse 31 (Pranti Nilayam, 10/10/1964)

Moksha means liberation from bondage to both joy and grief, which are the obverse
and reverse of the same coin. Moksha is the recognition of the truth; but, though it is so
simple, it required the cultivation of viveka, vairagya and vichakshana (discrimination,
detachment and ability) to know the Truth and escape from the temptation to hug
falsehood. Viveka is necessary to decide what is dharma - the very Oirst of the
Purusharthas. Each one must decide for himself the dharma he must choose for his
uplift; this required viveka, the recognition of the permanently beneOicial source of
pure and lasting joy.

It is for the sake of jnana that dharma has been laid down. Bhakti and karma are the
two feet and the head is jnana; walk on with the help of these two.

You cannot get liberation by merely coming here; you cannot get it even by darshana,
sparshana and sambhashana. You will have to follow the instructions, the Aajna and the
directions: You will have to follow the path of Radha, Meera, Gouranga and Tukaram.
You must feel an inseparable afOinity with the Lord, as inseparable as the wave and the
sea. You are really of the same essence, the same taste, the same quality as the sea,
though you have the name and form of the wave. The Lord is the Saguna aspect of the
Paramtm, that is the Universe. Butter, when in the milk, is immanent in it, has not
separate name and form; but, take it out and it has a name and form which makes it
distinct from milk. Ghee too when liquid has no particular form, but when it hardens, it
has a form. So to, Madhava-tattvam when it assumes a form, is Manava.

When you are immersed in yourself, you are happiest. The child in the womb is in
Soham (I am he); but when it is born in the world, it starts the question, Koham (Who
am I?). For it forgot its truth; it identiOies itself with the body and the senses. Until it
becomes a jnani, it will never regain in Soham knowledge.

There was a man living in a ramshackle hut when a huge big storm came along
threatening to scatter it to the far corners, he sat inside and prayed to Vayudeva. O
Vayu! Abate thy fury, but the storm raged wild and furious. He prayed to Hanuman, the
son of the wind god, Vayu. O Hanuman, soften the fury of your father and save this
poor fellows shelter, and the storm blew with even more ferocity. Then he prayed to
Rama to command His servant, Hanuman, to persuade the wind god to reduce His
overpowering sweep. he found that too had no effect. So, he came out of the hut and
coolly said, Let it be pulled asunder and lifted by the storm out of sight. I do not care.
Thus, he got his peace of mind back.

The eagle is pestered by crows so long as it has a Oish in its beak. They swish past that
so they could steal the Oish out of its mouth. They pursue the bird wherever it sits for a
little rest. At last, it gives up the attachment to the Oish and drops it from its beak; the
crows Oly behind it and leave the eagle free. So leave off sense pleasures and the crows
of pride, envy, malice and hatred will Oly away, for they want only carrion.
The snake moves in curves, not in a straight line; man too when he is following the
senses has to move in a crooked path. he has greater poison in him than the snake; his
venom is to be found in his eyes, his tongue, his hands, his mind, his heart, his thoughts
- whereas the cobra has it only in its fangs. The cobra raises its hood and sways in joy
when it hears music; so too man when he realises the stage of Nirvikalpa - steady
unchanging establishment in the Ultimate Reality - dances in heavenly bliss.

Page 96 of 268

You must realise the Dehi in the deha and the Nami by the Nama. There was a wife who
got bangles of gold made when she became a widow - for, she argued, her husband had
now become indestructible like gold, whereas he was, while alive, breakable, like the
glass bangles she wore then. He had merged in the Akshara Brahman.

But, I never care for praise or blame; I just discard both. I am ever intent on the task for
which I have come, the laying down of Satya Marga, of Dharma and the spread of the
knowledge and practice of Dharma.

This aged Shastry is a sweet fruit, ripe with age and experience; he knows and has
actual experience of the life laid down in the Gita. When I asked him to share his
wisdom with the world, he was indeed happy beyond words. He is exulting over the
opportunity he has got to partake in the revival of Vedic scholarship and in the re-
establishment of Dharma. He knows and I know, and no one else knows, the intensity
of his joy at the chance he now has secured. He has but one desire in him now, a very
sacred desire: to see the era of Dharma established on earth through My Sankalpa.
What a rare relationship is this, between him and Me! It is Sanatana Sambandha; hence
he got Me.

Discourse 32 (Pranti Nilayam, 11/10/1964)

The prema of the gopees towards Krishna was super-physical, the love of the soul for
the Over-soul, of the river for the sea. Persons deep in this type of love see nothing else,
hear nothing else; they behave like made persons, as the world goes.

You may know that the Lord of the Holy Shrine Srishailam is called Mallikarjuna, the
white jasmine; and the Goddess, the Consort, is called most appropriately,
Bhramaramba, the Bee! For the bee is drawn inescapably to the Olower and it forgets
itself while tasting the Glory of the Flower. The union of Jeeva and Brahman is of the
same signiOicance as the union of Krishna and Trishna - Krishna and the Thirst, the
Lord and the Love.

!
Dvaita, Vishistadvaita and Advaita are also only three stages in spiritual awareness.
!

Somashekhara Shastry spoke of the Dvaita and Advaita attitudes which colour peoples
outlook in every Oield. But, they are not distinct; they are stages of mental
transformation. The fruit is the same; the soul and the sun make it reach the ripe stage,
through the intermediate stages of tender fruit and mature fruit. When you realise that
the Lord is at the address that He has given towards the end of the Gita in the 61st
sloka of the 18th chapter, namely, Ishvarassarvabhootanam hriddeshe Arjuna tishtati,
that He is in the heart of every being, then you know the one, with no other.

To realise the Lord in every being, you must cultivate Prema and drive out the bats that
infest the dark caverns of your heart, the bats of hate, envy and malice. Let the light of
Prema illumine your thoughts, your words, your movements, your activities, your
judgments. When you become transmuted into Prema, the Lord who is Premaswarupa,
will reveal Himself to you, and play on the Flute, awakening your higher consciousness
in the Olood of Universal Love.

You must be devoted, as devoted as a boy who studied in the ashram of Dhoumyarishi.
When the guru was conducting his lesson assiduously, the rain came in torrents and the
boys ran helter-skelter to roll up their beds or collect their clothes or save their kusa
Page 97 of 268

grass bundles. But, one boy reasoned out within himself; we had heavy rain last
evening too, so this downpour will certainly damage the dike. So, to save the two acres
of land that the guru owned, he went and laid himself across the breach. You must so
act that the heart of the Guru melts at your devotion. Only that will cleans the mind of
evil and vice. If you develop devotion and steady faith you will achieve the Glory of Self-
Realisation.

After long searches, here and there, in temples and in churches, in earths and in
heavens, at last you come back. Completing the circle from where you started, to your
own soul, and Oind that He, for whom you have been seeking all over the world, for
whom you have been weeping and praying, in churches and temples, on whom you
were looking as the mystery of all mysteries, shrouded in the clouds, in the nearest of
the near, is your own self, the reality of your life, body and soul.

Discourse 33 (Pranti Nilayam, 12/10/1964)

Sristi, Sthiti and Laya are the three forms of the Divine will; you have to penetrate the
inner meaning of Sristi, by means of Karma Yoga; you have to grasp the signiOicance of
Sthiti, by means of Bhakti Yoga and when you master the Jnana Yoga, you arrive at the
experience of Laya, of manifoldness in the One.

Bhakti makes you aware of the Lord who sustains and supports every being; it is
Prema, which is Nitya, Satya and Nirmala; that is to say, Love which is unchanging,
sincere and pure. There is no one who is devoid of bhakti; deep down in his core, every
one has the feeling of kinship with all creatures.

The jnani too has to do karma, but, like swans coming out of the water, they can swish
their feathers and wings and be as dry as when they entered it: karma will not affect
them at all. They do it with no ego, with no desire. It is their nature to wish well of the
world and to engage in work that promotes the welfare of the world. When a woman
who is pregnant is widowed, she does not immediately rid herself of the marks of a
married woman, for she can discard the nose-screw, the ear-rings, the mangala sutra,
etc., only after the child is born! Until then, though she has the outward marks of a
woman happy with her husband, she knows she is a widow. The jnani is also of the
same type; he knows that he is free, but, to the world he appears bound. Frothy youth,
suffering from the fever of cynicism, laugh at jnanis and treat them with dishonour.
There is no use blaming them, either. The elders set the example and what else can they
do?

Prema is the seed; tanmayatvam, over-powering experience of merging, is the tree;

inexhaustible Ananda is the fruit. For this consummation, Shraddha (Faith) is essential.

The Lord can be understood only if you approach Him, develop attachment for Him,
have faith in Him, and maintain unswerving loyalty to Him. He is understood only when
you feel that you are but the instrument and that He wills every little movement
everywhere. Who is there so bold that he can say, the Lord must wear only this dress,
the Lord must act only in this manner? Who can limit His Glory or set its direction! He
is immanent in all beings and He gets done all activities through them, just as
electricity makes the bulb shine, the mike to transmit the voice, the stove to cook, the
refrigerator to cool.

Page 98 of 268

Cross the ocean of death and birth and be children of immortality, (Amritasya Putrah)
every moment of your lives.

Once you rise to the higher level of consciousness and live at that level, all those events
cease to have the same meaning and so have less and less effect on you. Instead, you
remain happy and calm at al times, merely observing events as they come and go, for
that is what they do.

Discourse 34 (Pranti Nilayam, 14/10/1964)

If you are drawn towards pleasure-giving objects and other material gains, you are in
for unending worry, fear and anxiety, anti in fact. The happiness they contribute is as
unreal as the happiness you derive from similar things in your dreams. The experience
of the waking stage is as unreal and Oleeting as the dream. The seen is a dream; the
unseen is the real. There is a mixture of reality and unreality in the variety of the
universe. That is why it deludes; that is why joy and grief are Oleeting.

It is dedication to the Lord that sanctiOies all activities. He is the raison dtre for
activity. He is the prompter, the executer, the giver of the required strength and skill,
the enjoyer of the fruit thereof. So, dedication must come naturally to you, for, all is His
and nothing yours! Your duty is to believe He is the impeller of your activities, and
draw strength from that belief. Until the wound heals and the new skin hardens, the
bandage must protect the place. So too, until Reality is realised, the balm of faith, of
holy company, and holy thoughts must be applied to the ego-affected mind.

This ajnana is imported from outside; what is native to man is Jnana. His Jnana is
fogged by the smoke of delusion, which makes things appear many or confused. Man
has burdened himself with information on a multiplicity of things; he has acquired a
variety of skills, but, he has no vision to see things as a whole, to see the basic unity of
the objective world. Moreover, he has no equipment to live lovingly with others, to
recognise the humanity of all men, to feel that the same Lord activates each of them.

Do you say that the Lord appeared from the pillar in the palace of Hiranyakashipu
though He was not there? Or do you say that He appeared there, since He was there? He
was there; He is everywhere. But since Hiranyakashipu said He was not there, he could
not see Him; since Prahlada said that He was there He could be seen there. If you are
blind, how can you see Him, though He may be right in front? You are blind to his
Omnipresence; how then can you see Him everywhere? When the magnet does not
attract the needle, the fault lies in the dirt that covers up the needle. When the Lord
does not approach the devotee, the fault lies in the heart of the devotee; it is not pure
enough.

Discourse 35 (Pranti Nilayam, 15/10/1964)

The scholarship which revels in the number of texts mastered is of no use; one may
know the Shastras and the Upanishads upside down; he may have all the seven
hundred shlokas of the Gita in his head, but, if cra and vicra are non-existent, it is a
burden which is best avoided. cra means application in practice. vicra means
continuous self-examination.

What is Brahmacharya? It means charya in Brahman - moving ever in Brahman.

Cognise that your existence is in Brahman, through Brahman, for Brahman. It is that
awareness that makes acts sacred and successful.
Page 99 of 268

Religious institutions must make people aware of God and of their own evanescence.
But, these create a paraphernalia of ofOicers, various grades of members, a secretary, a
treasurer, a president and a batch of committee members, who strut about with their
badges and revel in their own assumed greatness. A society named after God must help
in the removal of jealousy, envy, vanity, egoism and greed; but, these foster them and
allow them to grow wild. Real Bhaktas will never crave for such positions; they will
avoid them as traps which could lay them low.

If you deny God, it is as if you deny yourself. There is no God, you declare; but, you
assert that I exist. Well, who is that I that exists, that exists throughout the varying
stages of growth, physical and mental, in joy and grief? That I is God; believe It. For
that I sees with eyes, tastes with the tongue, walks with the feet, argues with the
intelligence; but, all the while, it is conscious that it is separate from all these. When
you afOirm There is no God, you Oirst assert and then declare the absence of that entity.
You assert the non-existence of something that is. That I must be conceived as a
wave of the ocean of God, not as the Oirst person singular.

To describe the inOinite aspects in terms of limited words and limited experience, is not
possible. The Maharishis who were well versed in the Vedas and Mantras realised that
it is not possible to explain and describe the aspects of Brahman in terms of words, and
they were only indicating by their silence.

Discourse 36 (Pranti Nilayam, 16/10/1964)

The Shastry elaborated on the assurance given in the Gita, Yogakshemam Vahamyaham.
This does not mean that the Lord will ensure for you sukham and santhosha - but, it
means that the Lord will endow you with steady unshakeable peace, inner equanimity.

Yoga means the acquisition of that which you do not have and kshema means the
preservation of that which you have acquired. So the assurance means that the Lord
will ensure that you acquire the nti that you do not have and create conditions under
which you can preserve that nti. For the greatest happiness is nti, inner peace. How
do you get it? By knowing that you are the tm, which has no birth or death, no joy or
grief, no up and no down.

Just as underground water is the sustenance of all trees, the tm is the underlying
source of all the Ananda that the jeevi experiences. You bring that subterranean water
up by the process of boring; steady hitting, digging, thumping through a pipe, which
contains and directs the drill. The borers have to take care that they do not allow air to
go into the pipe; for, then the drilling cannot succeed. So too in the japam that you do,
the drilling the Ram, Ram, Ram, you must be very careful not to allow vishayavasana to
enter and interfere with the smooth working of the chill. If you do, the tm cannot be
experienced.

Many people say that Bhakti Mrga is much easier than Jana Mrga; but jna is
easier. For, it comes in a Olash to those who can just sit quiet for a few minutes and
analyse themselves.

You must reach the terminus where ignorance dies and jna is born; then, there is no
more journey.

Page 100 of 268

Do not seek more and more sukham; seek more and more jnam. The mind is a fertile
Oield for ignorance. Wipe out all traces of the mind (Man Nanam) - that is the task of
the Jni (man of realisation). How to destroy the mind? It is easy once you know what
it is. The mind is stuffed with desire. It is a ball Oilled with air, like a football. Puncture it
and it will not move from place to place. Nirvn means, without air. In a square Oilled
with water from an irrigation canal, it appears square; if the Oield is circular or oblong
or rectangular or triangular, the sheet of water that Oills it will have some geometrical
shape. The mind takes on the form of the desire that Oills it. To take another example, it
is like a piece of cloth, the warp and the woof being the yarn of desire. The texture, the
colour, the durability, the feel, the shine of the cloth will depend upon the desire that
constitutes the warp and the woof. Remove the yarn, the warp and the woof, one by
one - the cloth disappears. That is the technique of man nanam.

Vsudeva Sarvamidam does not mean that all this is just Krishna, the son of Vasudeva.
It means that all this is God, by whatever name he is known. So, if you decry any one,
you are decrying God, that is, His real core. If you become aware of the God in you and
the God in all else, there is nothing to equal the peace and joy that you get. I bless you
that you may attain that bliss.

Discourse 37 (Prashanti Nilayam, 23/11/1964)

Of course, you will get faith in God only when you have yourselves discovered that the
universe must have a creator, a protector, an agency for both evolution and involution
or a power that exercises all these three functions. To grasp that idea, the heart must be
pure, the mind must be clear. For this, karma is very important. The Karmaknda
(section dealing with rituals/actions) in the Veds is the major part of the ruti, for
jna is but the Oinal stage of karma. The army will have many soldiers but only just a
handful of ofOicers; so too, karmas are many, and they all obey the jni. Of the hundred
parts of the Vedas, 80 will be karma, 16 upsana and 4 jna. Karma has to be done for
educating the impulses and training the feelings. Then, you develop the attitude of
upsana, of humility before the great unknown, and Oinally, you realise that the only
reality is you, which is the same as He.

The mind, the body, the word - all three must work in unison. By such disciplined
karma the senses will be sublimated and pranti won; then, out of this pranti will
arise praknti (the great light), and from that will emerge param-jyti. That
illumination will reveal param-tm, the Universal.

The Olag represents the spiritual discipline I have laid down for you: conquest of km
and krdha, achievement of prem and the practise of japa yoga, leading to the
blossoming of the lotus of the heart and the emergence of the jyoti of jna therein.

Discourse 38 (Prashanti Nilayam, 23/11/1964, 8 p.m.)

Seek the basis for the seen, in the unseen. The tall skyscraper has a deep base reaching
into the earth. This seen world has, as its base, the unseen Paramtm; your body is but
the vehicle through which you can search, investigate, and discover that base.

!
The easiest path to self-realisation is the surrender of the ego, aragati.
!

Do not pit your tiny ego against the Almighty; leave it to His Will and you will have
lasting peace.

Page 101 of 268

The tma-svarpam is not alpa-svarpam! The tm is not anaemic. It is a powerful

dynamo, capable of generating enormous power. The guru shows you the guri (goal);
but, you must generate the power yourself, by your own sdhan.

Discourse 39 (Prashanti Nilayam, 25/11/1964)

You complain that God is invisible; but the fault is yours, not to recognise God in all His
various manifestations. You are yourself manifestation of God. but you do not know it;
you call yourself a sinner, worm born in sin, wallowing in sin, essentially wicked. But,
let some one, who takes you to your word, call you, Hello sinner! - you resent it! Why?
Because your real nature is purity, peace, joy. Manas, Buddhi, Cittam, Ahakra, indriya
- these are like the bricks, iron rods, cement, wood, etc., that go to make up a house for
the tm to live in. They are jewels that the tm wears. They are not you; they are
only incidental. The real you is the tm. This can be learnt only by constant
meditation, by moving in good company, by listening to the talks of realised men, by
following some prescribed course of discipline. That is why I lay so much emphasis on
discipline.

You feel that there is something behind and beyond all this Oleeting fantasy; something
that persists through all the successes and defeats, all the tears and smiles, all this
mirth and moan; but, you are unable to grasp it and realise that it is the same entity
that underlies the entire universe. You are one with the most distant star and the least
little blade of grass. You shine as dew on the petal of the rose; you swing from star to
star; you are part and parcel of all this manifestation. The astrs teach you this truth
through many a parable and story, and even directly, supported by the experience of
sages and mystics.

Mud existed before plates and pots; pots and plates are mud; mud there will be when
plates and pots are no more. The plate and the pot must be aware of their being always
mud; that, in other words, is self-realisation. When that is achieved, wherever your
eyes are cast, you Oind yourself; wherever your attention is directed, you Oind your
reOlection. Begin to feel for it now, this very moment.

Life is a game: Play it. Life is Love: Share it. Life is a challenge: Meet it. Life is a dream:
Realise it.

Discourse 40 (Prashanti Nilayam, 26/11/1964)

How did this fatal ignorance enter into your makeup? Well, there was once a huge
mirror inside a room in a rural home. They wanted to take it out, but the door was
found too narrow and too short! Some suggested that the wall be broken open while
others said that the mirror itself be cut into two! How did they place it in this room, one
shrewd villager asked. Yes, how did it get in? If they only knew that, they could manage
to take it out too. Before the room was ready, the mirror had got in. So too , ere this
body was formed, ignorance had established itself; it is a product of the sloth of
previous lives. Do not worry about the house, and the mirror will cease to be a
problem. Give up the idea that you are the body and ignorance will vanish. you can see
yourself in the light.

The miasma that makes you miss these points and drags your imagination into the
mire is called My. Identify it as a false enchantress - that moment she will vanish and
you are free.

Page 102 of 268

First save yourselves and then save others, or try to. Being yourselves caught by the
wily slush, how can you pull another out?

Have the tmic experience; only then can you understand the Bhgavata and explain it
to others.

When the Gops pleaded, Krishna! Is it dharma for you to treat us thus? Krishna
replied, My act is not adharma; but yours is, for body-consciousness is against the
highest spiritual dharma.

Vys once asked some persons, who came to him for advice to cross the Yamuna near
his rama, to bring him milk and fruits and after eating his Oill, he told them, Well! If I
have maintained my vow of fasting go now and the Yamuna will make way for you!
They said, Then we are lost; for, we saw you eat your Oill with the things we ourselves
brought you. But, Vys said, I did not eat them. I offered all to Krishna; I have no
body-delusion. I am the tm dwelling in this body. His tm-consciousness was so
well grounded that he could assert that he had not broken his vow!

What is realisation? The moment you see your own beauty and are so Oilled with it that
you forget all else, you are free from all bonds. Know that you are all the beauty, all the
glory, all the power, all the magnitude of the Universe. This Nature is but an
inOinitesimal fraction of His Glory; yet, you feel content with the pleasure it gives, the
knowledge you gather about it, the wonder it reveals. The reOlection of Shivam in the
mirror of Prakriti is jv.

Look ingot he mirror and see your own image; you assert - That image within is mine;
but, I am different. So too, the jv is iva but iva is not jv. The image of the Sun in
the water shakes, though the Sun is steady, up above; that is the nature of water, not the
Sun; so too Prakriti is changing, but Shiva is steady, unchanging, ever the same. You do
not believe that dreams indicate reality, because the dream is negated on waking. When
you get knowledge, the waking experiences will also be negated. Until then, you will
take all this as real; after that, you will Oind that this has only relative value.

Discourse 41 (Prashanti Nilayam, 27/11/1964)

People attach more value to the many and they forget the One; they do not seek the
One Persistent Truth; they follow the ever-changing falsehood and so, naturally, fall
into grief and resentment. Take the simple act of namaskram - the folded palms with
which you great reverentially elders and others. What does it signify, that gesture? The
right palm is Tat and the left palm is Tvam. When the two palms are brought together
and kept in contact, the One-ness of that and this, of all that is outside you, and all that
is in you, is emphasised and demonstrated: Aham Brahmsmi in fact. What greater and
grander greeting can human aspiration discover and prescribe? You greet the other
with as much joy as you would greet yourself; no man loves another more than himself;
all are loved for the sake of the self.

Be like the tortoise that is able to withdraw its feet under its shell; withdraw into
yourself the outgoing senses and be happy in the contemplation of your reality.

Vednt, really practised, makes you fearless, like the lion in the forest. You roar and
they Olee in terror. The Brahma Tatvam expounded in Vednt will make you master of
the universe.
Page 103 of 268

Discourse 42 (Kurnool, 4/12/1964)

But the giving of Bhakti in exchange for mukti is the most proOitable business of all; and
I am interested in telling you about that only.

Yes; the Lord has a thousand names. In fact, all names are His; there is no name that is
not His. Krishna, Srnivs, Sai Bb - all are names of the same entity. The body is worn
by the jv in order to realise God, the source from which the jv came.

India has been announcing this Truth to the world since ages; this is the land where
hoody personages, divine personalities, saints and sages, avatars, carrying the
authentic stamp of God, have demonstrated that nothing else can give man the peace
and joy that the contemplation of the Universal tm can give.

Discourse 43 (Kurnool, Zilla Parishad Hall, 5/12/1964)

What exactly is a dram? It is a dream within a dream. It is a dream which unfolds before
you, even while you are awake, another dream. It tries to shed some light, some joy,
some courage, some faith, some hope, some meaning on the dream called life. Naturally,
man has to seek all means of discovering the meaning of life.

(Having talked about Ramakrishna developing feminine qualities when in bhava of

Radha, and tail when in bhava of Hanuman and extolling the use of bhava for self-
effacement)
Use the dramatic art and the chances it gives you to develop the sdhan of self-
effacement, for that is the quickest means of realisation of the real Self.

Discourse 44 (Venkatagiri, Prashanti Vidvanmahasabha, 12/12/1964)

Life should not be frittered away in accumulating riches; it should be spent in knowing
about the glory of God and in realising Him in the innermost being of oneself. To
discard this attempt as only seeking to discover the unknowable, as some men are
prone to argue, is the height of foolishness. They are labelling the true as trash and
cherishing the trash as true!

Do not be content merely with being in satsanga or thinking of God, or listening to such
discourses; they are but preliminaries, helping to awaken interest in farming. Many
people spend all their time in fencing; they have little time left for attending to the crop
which the fence is designed to protect!

What is the jna that you should achieve? It is the giving up of deha, the escape from
the belief that you are the body. You say, My hand, My foot, just as you say, My
watch, My shoe; but, yet feel you are the body. Examine th reality of the bdy, and
escape from this false identiOication; that is the hallmark of Jna. The I that sees,
experiences, feels, knows - that I is the Paramtma.

!
The truth can Olash only in a mind clear of all blemishes.
!

Then, there are people who dispute among themselves whether God is Saguna or
Nirguna, Skra or Nirkra! Now, who are you, among these? Are you Saguna or
Nirguna? Are you Skra or Nirkra? Of course you are Saguna and Skra, because
you are with body. So long as you feel you are with body, you cannot transcend the
Page 104 of 268

Saguna, and realise the Nirguna. When you liberate yourselves from bondage to this
limitation, you become Nirguna. That happens in a Olash. When the Truth dawns, all is
Light. There is no more darkness. There is no more fear or hate or even love. All are
subsumed into the One without a Second. You do not know the gem shining inside you,
the Divinity whose effulgence is your intellect, whose reOlection is the Prema you
evince. You know many other things other than this, but not this essential thing.

You must recognise the Higher, the Highest. Death stalks you at every step. Before he
mauls you mortally, know the Truth and be blessed.

Reawakening of man is at hand - reawakening to the knowledge that man himself is

God. The human body is not you, it simply houses the soul, or the spark of Divinity
within, for God dwells in the heart of every man and that indwelling spark of the Divine
is you - yourself. All else is illusion. Contemplate on that thought and, when the truth
unfolds, you will Oind your true identity; then your whole lief pattern will change, and
you will see everyone in the same light.

Discourse 45 (Venkatagiri, Prashanti Vidvanmahasabha, 13/12/1964)

Sit quiet for just a moment and inquire within yourself what is it that stays and what is
it that does not. You try to know the news of the world, the changing fortunes of men
and movements, in all the countries of the world; but you have no thirst to know about
the conditions and conOlicts of your own inner world happening against the permanent
backedrop of the unchanging Atman, which is your innermost core. Know that and
everything becomes known; act and no other act is needed; possess that and all things
are possessed by you! That Atma is the Universal Atma; that I is the Universal I.
Consider the magnitude of the Ananda that will Oill you when you know that you are all
this, that all this is you! The joy that you experience through the senses is a minute
fraction of this Anandam; you will not get it if the Atmic bliss is not reOlected through
the senses. When a pot with nine holes is placed over a burning lamp, the light that
comes through the holes is the light of the lamp, is it not? When the body is negated,
that is to say, when the lamp is revealed, the jyoti is seen fully the Atma is realised. But,
when the thick cover of ajna is placed over the pot, you cannot even recognise that
there is a lamp inside, which illumines the senses.

There is a deep urge in man to visualise the One behind the many; scientists seek to
Oind a law that will explain all sources of energy and all forms of matter. You can also
know that, which, if known, all else can be known; only, you have to get immersed in
the Bliss of Atma. In the grindstone the base is steady, unmoving; the upper grinder
moves; but both are stones. So too, the chara and the achara, the base and the
superstructure, are all Brahman. Prakriti moves; Brahman is steady; both are
inextricably inter-related, the one with other in Avinbhva-sambandha (relationship
of interdependent existence).

When people forget the One and run after the Many, Dharma declines; for, there can be
no love, no sacriOice, no detachment in human affairs then.

What is the basic teaching of the Vedas? It is that, to whichever economic or social or
intellectual group you belong, you are Child of Immortality, Amrtasya Putr! It says
that man is not a product of slime or mud; man is one who manages to live with viveka,
so that he is able to attain the Divinity latent in him. M means Ajna, a means
Page 105 of 268

without. He who is without ignorance, who is wise, who knows himself, who knows
that he is immortal, is Man.

Once you have tasted Amrit, can you relish any other food? India has once tasted the
Amirt of Santana Dharma; how foolish is it then to run after foulness and frivolity?

Discourse 46 (Yerpedu, 14/12/1964)

The Olowers of this garland were buds yesterday; they bloomed this morning; they have
started to fade now and tomorrow they will rot and dry. But, the string that holds them
together interpenetrating them, is not subject to such change; It was string yesterday, it
is string now and it will be string tomorrow. The unchanging Atma and the changing
body - analyse them thus and be convinced of the eternal universal core of your being.
As a thinking, discriminating human being, it is your responsibility to discharge this
duty to yourself. And also to your country! For, India deserved the honour of the World
Teacher because her people always insisted on this great responsibility and tried to
discharge it. But, when Indians neglected this and attached value to physical comfort
and social status, the land fell into the morass of competitive struggle.

Discourse 47 (Naayudupet, 16/12/1964)

You have come from your villages, so many thousands of you, to this place to see Sai
Baba and to hear Him, is it not? Well, over and above those two aims, you must have a
third one too. You must also see yourself and hear your inner voice, urging you to
discover your own truth. I am prompting you to discover your Reality. That is My
Mission.

You are born for your own sake, not for the sake of any one else. You have to cure
yourself of the disease of ignorance, just as you have to cure yourself of the disease of
hunger. No one else can save you from both. Uddharet Atma na Atmnam - Save
yourself by yourself.

God is in you, but like the woman, who fears that her necklace has been stolen or lost,
recognises that she has it round her neck when she passes a mirror, man too will
recognise that God is in him, when some Guru reminds him of it. The joy that you then
get is incomparable. Every Indian must realises that the science of self-discovery is self-
heritage. He must value it and earn it.

!
Seek jnam, which is the seat of sweetness.
!

Be a true Bhakta and become so small that you wriggle out of the shackles of the senses
or be a true jni and become so huge, that you escape by breaking the shackles.

Every being needs Prema inhales and exhales Prema, for Prema is the basic breath;
everyone is the embodiment of Prema. Love knows no fear, so love needs no falsehood
to support it. Love seeks no reward; love is its own reward.

Discourse 48 (Village Level Workers Training Centre, Kalahasti,

17/12/1964)

Dedication is different from serve; in service, there is the element of ego. I serve, He is
the master, He requires my service, I am necessary for Him. But, in dedication, the I is
wiped out. There is no desire for the fruit; the joy consists in the act being done.
Page 106 of 268

The most chronic disease of man is Ajna - ignorance of the undying Atma within him.
On emus know the reason why he caught this aphasia and try to get cured. The general
cause of this illness is infatuation for the objective world and subservience to senses.
There is even a deeper cause - the undue prominence given to the body, imaging it to be
the touchstone fo value. The body is like a temporary shelter where you reside for a
short while, on your journey. The gamyam is kaivalyam - the goal is liberation.
Liberation gives the highest Bliss.

!
Have faith in the Ocean, not the wave; believe in the Lord, not in little things.
!
Discourse 49 (Vyaasashram, Yerpedu, 17/12/1964)

The Vedas have to be practised; that is the purpose of these revelations. Merely
learning them by rote is of no use. The Uttarammmsa section provides the knowledge
necessary to liberate oneself from bondage and blindness. That is called Brahmajna,
for, when one reaches a certain stage in sdhana, he realises that all this is identical
with Brahman, which is cause and effect, being and becoming, both.

They (Karma and Upasana Kanda) say that He is known by many Names and appears
under many Forms. Ekam sat, they say: only One exists; but, Vipr bahudh vadanti -
but, the same One is known and described in many different ways by the wise. TO
know that you are that One, and therefore Immortal, is your right, your heritage, that is
why the Vedas acclaim man as Amrtasya Putr: Children of Immortality.

The generality of people are unaware of the Glory and Grace of God; the Malayala
Swami made every one who came to him understand the Real behind the Unreal. He
had known it by study and sdhana. The Guru is the teacher of Atma-vidya; he dispels
darkness, like the Sun.

Every one should be prompted by reverence to the Guru which means not worshipping
his photograph, but acting according to his orders, his commands, his ja.

Here I must tell you something about Myself, like leaving a visiting card, here. My task
is not merely to cure and console, remove individual misery. It is something far more
important. The important task of the mango tree is to produce mango fruits. The
leaves, the branches, and the trim of the tree are useful, in their own way, no doubt; but
the main aim is the fruit. So also from the plantain tree, the fruit is the main gain. The
leaves, the edible core of the stem, these are all incidental. So too the removal of misery
and distress is incidental to My Mission. My main task is the re-establishment of Vedas
and strs in the heart of Bharatavara and the revival of knowledge about them in
the people.

Discourse 50 (Hyderabad, Prashanti Vidvanmahasabha: 1st Day,

7/12/1964)

We are beggars living in a house of gold. The fact that it is precious metal that
surrounds us is unknown. Discover it and you are saved! This is called Prpta-prpti
(attaining the already existing). This mike was purchased from a shop; it was not in the
possession of the man who wanted it. But, peace and joy are not like this mike. They
are not available in shops; they are in the possession of the very men who are in need
of these.
Page 107 of 268

!
The Guru reveals the treasure within.
!
More than the Guru, the Guri (goal) is essential for attaining the Divine.
!

The body is the tabernacle of God, the chariot in which He is seated in all majesty. Do
not identify yourself with it and its modiOications and transformations. You are the
Atma and so, you are above these affections of the body.

Discourse 51 (Hyderabad, Prashanti Vidvanmahasabha: 2nd Day,

8/12/1964)

Arjuna is addressed in the Bhagavad Gta by Sri Krishna as Kurunandana; kuru means
karma; the expression means that one is the product of ones karma or actvities. One is
shaped inevitably by the words and deeds and thought which one indulges in. So long
as one has a trace of Ajna one is kurunandana; so, Krishna addresses Arjuna thus in
order to entice him into the realm of bhakti and jna, from the region of karma. The
immortal spark in Man can be discovered.

The Lord is everywhere, in the house, outside it, before, behind, beside the bhakta; but,
men do not recognise Him or realise the value of so recognising Him. The Lord is the
unseen foundation on which your life is built. He is the source, sustenance and
strength. Without His Will, no leaf can turn, no blade of grass can quiver. What Oirmer
foundation can you desire than this? Once you know that the Lord, the Omnipotent
Power, is the mainspring of your life, there will be no fear any more.

Know the Atma which is your reality; know that it is the same Inner Force of this
Universe. Let your intelligence penetrate into the truth. Analyse yourself and discover
the several layers of Consciousness - the physical, the sensory, the nervous, the mental,
the intellectual - and arrive at the very core of even the last layer, the layer of joy. The
Oive sheaths have to be transcended, so that you may attain your truth, which is Atma.
The Atma can be grasped only by a sharpened intellect and a pure mind. How to purify
the mind? By starving it of the bad food it runs after, namely, objective pleasures, and
feeding it on the wholesome food, namely, thought of God. The intellect too will be
sharp if it is devoted to discrimination between the transient and the eternal. Let your
thoughts be concentrated on God, His Name and His Form; you will then Oind that you
are always with the Pure and Permanent; you will then derive pure and permanent joy.
That is the reason why I attach so much importance to Nmasmarana as a Sdhana.

Discourse 52 (Hyderabad, Prashanti Vidvanmahasabha: 3rd Day,

8/12/1964)

The Oirst requisite for the seeker is the quality of detachment, of Vairagya, a quality that
is the product of deep discrimination on the nature and characteristics of the senses,
the mind and the intellect, besides the nature of the objects around us. Think deeply of
the relative validity of experiences during the waking, the dream and the deep sleep
stages and of the I or Self that is the witness of these experiences. That witness is you,
the real you, a spark of the Eternal Universal Witness.

!
He who tells you of this all-pervasive God is the real Guru.
!

Whatever God grants is for your good, for your liberation, not for your fall or bondage.
Page 108 of 268

Vol. 5!
Discourse 1 (Prashanti Nilayam, 13/1/1965)

The heart full of sattvaguna is the ocean of milk. The steady contemplation of the
Divine, either as your own reality or as the ideal to be reached, is the Mandara
mountain plated in it as the churning rod. Vsuki, the serpent that was wound round
the churning rod as a rope, is the group of the senses, emitting poisonous fumes during
the process of churning and nearly frightening the Asuras who held the head. The rope
is held by the good and the bad impulses and both struggle with the churning process;
eager for the results which each has set its heart on. The Grace of God is the Tortoise
incarnation, for the Lord Himself comes to the rescue, once He knows that you are
earnestly seeking the secret of Immortality: He comes, silently and unobserved, as the
tortoise did, holding the manana process unimpaired and serving as the steady base of
all spiritual practice. many things emerge from the mind, when churned, but the wise
wait patiently for the appearance of the guarantor of Immortality, and seize upon it
with avidity. That is the lesson of the legend. It is a summary of Atmavidya.

There are many who ridicules these yogis (God-centred men) and scoff at them. They
call them selOish, anti-social, self-centred idlers who run away from their obligations
and seek asylum in solitude and silence. but, being near does not ensure usefulness.
Being far does not imply hatred or fear of company or uselessness. Viruses enter the
very blood stream and surely, nothing can be nearer to you; yet, they are mortal
enemies. Members of the same family are envious and suspicious of one another; those
born as brothers or sisters Oight in courts of law and Oill the pockets of lawyers. Even
twins seldom love each other. it is not being near that counts. These yogis moved out
into lonely spots and sought teachers of the inner path, much as young technicians do
today, going to Japan or America or Russia in order to learn skills that will help to build
a better India. They do not gee up kith and kin and all chances to make a fortune,
because they are afraid of facing the hard realities of life; they do not Olee from loss or
defeat. They go, to seek the secret of eternal joy; they win it for themselves; and, but
heir lives, they inspire others to win the precious secret, by treading the path they have
found useful. No one calls the man who has gone abroad to equip himself better, as an
engineer or doctor, selOish; why then should the man who undergoes greater
deprivations to equip himself better as an engineer of the mind, utilising its undoubted
powers, not for bondage, but, for liberation, be tarred as ego-centric? This only shows
ignorance of true values. There are isolation hospitals where patients suffering from
chronic infectious diseases are treated and cured. The hermitages in the forests are
such hospitals, where people who want to be cured of the infection of worldly life can
undergo the treatment and come out free in order to serve other patients.

Man too is the child of immortality; that is the reason why he cannot force himself into
the conviction that he would die. he sees his neighbour die, but believes that he would
somehow escape it. The man of realisation, however, is ever ready to cast off this
encumbrance and escape from the prison of name and form. Emperor Janaka was such
a person of realisation. He never lost the consciousness of the Oneness. Once, Sulabha,
the celebrated woman dialectician, visited his court and during the discussion, she
challenged Janaka to treat her also as his queen, for, as a jni, you should make no
difference between persons, as men of realisation see the same self in all. But, janaka
retorted, As a jni, you should recognise Oneness; there is no validity in talking of
men and women as distinct. Thus, he taught her real Jna, the highest wisdom.
Page 109 of 268

Everything that is born must die; everything that is constructed will disintegrate. But
you can escape death, by not being born again. When you know that you are the
limitless atman, then you are no longer subjected to the limitation of birth. That is the
secret.

But, what is the real core? It is not the particular religious belief or the name or the
language that one has learned from the mothers lap. It is the Absolute Reality which
you are. You know in the very depths of your being that you are and will be, that is the
characteristic of Sat. All beings have it. You are also eager to know, to expand by
knowledge, to reach out. All beings have it, this urge for expression. That is the
characteristic of Chit. You seek joy; all beings do so. That is the characteristic of
Ananda. The Ananda is you seeks its kin everywhere, in everything. That is why it is
said, Sat-Chit-Ananda is the link between Tat and Tvam, the particular and the
universal. Everything is asti (exists), for, it is sat; it is bhati (expressing itself), because
it is chit; it is priya (pleasant) because it is ananda. If you are able to equip your mind
with this consciousness you are a Person of Realisation.

The seer should not attach himself to the seen; that is the way to get free. The contact
of the senses with the object arouses desire and attachment; this leads to effort and
either elation or despair; then, there is the fear of loss or grief at failure and the train of
reactions lengthens. With many doors and windows kept open to all the winds that
blow, how can the Olame of the lamp within survive? That lamp is the mind, which must
burn steadily unaffected by the dual demands of the world outside. Complete
surrender to the Lord is one way of closing the windows and doors, for, then, in that
stance of arangati, you are bereft of ego and so, you are not buffeted by joy or grief.

Discourse 2 (Prashanti Nilayam, 14/1/1965)

There are two kinds of accomplishments: aprpta prpti and prpta prpti. The
acquisition of something which you did not have is aprpta prpti; if you do not have a
mike, you go and purchase one or hire one. It is prpta prpti if you become aware of a
thing that you had with you, but imagined that you did not have. A friend comes and
asks a loan of ten rupees from you, you are sorry that you have not got the tenner and
that you are not able to come to his rescue when he is in dire need. An hour later, when
you sit down and open the pages of the Gta, you discover a ten rupee note that you had
placed between the leaves long ago and forgotten. How happy you are at this! The ten
rupees are so good as newly earned. The Guru asks you to search between the leaves of
the book of your heart, and lo, the treasure is there ready to render you rich beyond
compare.

The aspiring disciple must have an inkling already of the Truth; or else, he cannot
master the secret. The telegram is sent in the Morse Code; so the man who sends as
well as the man who receives must be aware of the code.

The disciple washes the clothes of the guru and they were hung for drying on a line in
the hermitage. The guru wanted them dried quickly, but the disciple could not avoid
delay! He had hung them folded into four; human intelligence must have inspired him
tot hang them in single fold, so that they would have dried quicker. Likewise, one
should use his intelligence in the spiritual Oield and carry on his spiritual practice
unimpaired. After all, the quickest way to dry clothes, the best way to prepare a tasty
dish, these are secondary skills; the primary one is the skill to overcome the
Page 110 of 268

temptations of the senses, to journey inward into the region of the impulses and give
them a higher purpose. Of what use is it to cleanse and polish the exterior of a
drinking-cup? Cleanse the interior, instead.

Remembrance of the Lords Name is the best detergent for the mind. It is the means of
crossing the sea. The Name is the raft that will take you safely across. The Name will
remove the veil of illusion, that now hides the Universal from the Individual. When that
veil fades out, man Oinds Himself before himself; he beholds the Universe that he is.

Man has inOinite power and inOinite potentiality, for he is a wave of the Ocean of InOinity.
You can be aware of this, if you only dare reason a bit.

There was a grandchild once who sat on the lap of his grandfather and asked him the
very plain query, Grandpa, do you love me? and the old man immediately replied, I
do. The child asked next, Do you love God? for which too the old man said, Yes.
Then, the child retorted, If you love God also, then, you cannot be loving me; if you love
me, you cannot be loving God at the same time, or to the same extent. That is true. You
have to choose. Love Nature and you have to ignore God; love God and you will realise
the Nature is but His Raiment.

Above all get convinced that life is as unreal as a dream; do not get attached to it
beyond reasonable limits. A man once suddenly gave up heart and home and went out
of the village, because he was too poor to maintain his wife and children. On his
leaving, conditions became even worse and the poor woman had to witness the death
of their little child, due to starvation. The next day, the husband happened to come back
and when the wife reported the sad news and wept; he said, Woman! Last night, I slept
in a choultry and I had a dream. I was a very rich man, with a Oine bungalow and a
happy family of six buxom children; I had Oine swings and posh chairs in the garden,
plenty of servants to order about. When I woke up, I lost all of them. For whom am I to
weep now? For the six children I lost in the morning or the child that was lost
yesterday? Those six will never play again; this one too cannot run about. When I
dreamt, the child was non-existent; when I awoke those six are non-existent. What
exists is only the perceiver of both the dream and the waking state, the I. Know that I,
know that I is the same as He.

Like the tadpoles tail, the ego will fall away when one grows in wisdom. It must fall
away; if it is cut, the poor tadpole will die. So, dont worry about the ego; develop
wisdom, discriminate, know the ephemeral nature of all objective things; then, the tail
will no longer be evident.

Each one from ego takes his birth and clad in ego dies and comes and goes, gives and
receives and earns and spends and deals in lies or speaks the truth, in ego all the while
Those who do away with their ego attain salvation. Remove the roots of egoism from
the Oield of your heart. That is enough.

Discourse 3 (Prashanti Nilayam, 29/1/1965)

The Lord will manifest Himself only when the pillar is split in twain, with the sword of
yearning, Hiranyakashipu did it and immediately, the Lord appeared from within that
pillar. He had not hidden Himself there, anticipating the contingency. He is everywhere;
and, so, He was there also. The lesson that Hiranyakashipu learnt was that the deha-
tattva must be split as under if the dehi-tattva must reveal itself. That is to say, the I-
Page 111 of 268

am-body consciousness must go, if the I-am-embodied consciousness, must emerge.

So long as you are in the dehi consciousness, no pain or grief, pride or egoism can
tarnish you. It is like sea water. Take a small quantity of sea water and keep it separate
in a bottle; it will get could in a few days. but, so long as it was in the sea, nothing could
could it. be in the sea, as part of it; do not separate yourself, do not individualise
yourself, do not feel that you are the deha, apart from the dehi.

Bhakti or jna or karma must all lead to the achievement of equanimity; otherwise,
they are simply pseudo.

Detach yourselves from the senses; then, only can the Atma shine. The mind must be
withdrawn from its present comrades, the senses; it must be loyal to its royal master,
the intellect or buddhi. That is to say, you must separate the grain from the chaff,
through the exercise of viveka and then, Oix your desire on the things that last and
nourish, rather than on things that are Olashy and corroding.

The Shastry said that Yashoda reached the place where the child Krishna had hidden
himself, by following the footprints he had left behind him, with his curd-besmeared
feet. He could not be caught when she attempted to tie a rope round his waist and drag
him to herself. That rope was the rope of ego; how can the Lord be bound by your ego?
It was found to be always short, two Oinger breadths short, every time! What does that
indicate? It means that there were two virtues short - and that explains why every rope,
however long, was too short. The two virtues were: Dharmania and Brahmania.

Advaita means, all this is Atma; then, why this apparent variety? Variety is the picture
drawn by the delusion that you are the body, that you are the character the dram has
cast on you! In the drama, you sing and speak, weep and laugh, always aware that you
are yourself and not what the apparel and acting make you appear to be. Chandramathi
bursts into tears when her son dies of cobra bite; the spectators weep at her plight,
but the person who acts so well is untouched by grief. Do not yield to grief because the
reOlection is broken; it is due to the weakness of the medium, water. So too, when you
think you are the body, which grows and withers, is elated or disheartened, you see the
reOlection as broken; but the genuine thing, the Reality is unaffected.

You must have heard the beggar at the door calling out in his crude jargon, I am andi
meaning I am antha. He wants to tell you that he has none to support him but, his
words mean, I am beginningless. Yes, he is revealing to you the Great Mystery that
makes all beings his kin! And then, when he says, Bhikm dehi, you take him to
mean, Give me alms. Just consider the word he uses for give. He calls out dehi
meaning also, he who is the owner of this body, he who resides in this body, the Atma.
He is teaching you that you are really the Atma, wearing the apparel of the body and so,
you and he are one.

Discriminate before you develop attachment. If you have attachment towards wife and
children, land and buildings, bank accounts and balances and when these decline, you
will come to grief. Develop attachment towards the Universal and you too will grow in
love and splendour.

Always have the meaning and purpose of life in view. And experience that purpose and
that meaning. You are That; that is the truth. You and the Universal are One; you and
the Absolute are One; you and the Eternal are One. You are not the Individual, the
Particular, the Temporary. Feel this, know this. Act in conformity with this. Some one
Page 112 of 268

came to Ramanamaharshi and asked him thus' "Swaami! I have been doing intense
dhyaana for the last 18 years; but I have failed to realise the Ideal on which my dhyaana
is concentrated. How many more years should I continue thus?" Ramana answered, "It
is not a question of a certain number of years. You have to continue dhyaana until the
awareness that you are doing dhyaana disappears. "Forget the ego; let it melt and
merge, with all its layers of consciousness.

There are some who, while meditating, strike at the mosquitoes that pester them! No,
Immerse yourselves in dhyaanam until you transcend all physical and mental urges and
impulses. Vaalmeeki was covered by the ant-hill that grew over him; people discovered
him by the sound of Raama naama that emanated from that mound. Ignore the deha
(body) so that you may discover the dehi (indweller); do not get engrossed in outer
Oinery but delve deep and discover the inner splendour.

You can be really healthy and happy only when you are immersed in the Universal. If
you are in aathma thathwa (essential nature of the Self), you will be fresh, happy and
healthy. When you separate, and feel that you are in deha thathwa (principle of body),
you start declining.

!
!

Discourse 4 (Prashanti Nilayam, 30/1/1965)

Take the hymn that describes Krishna as, "Kasthuri thilakam". Outwardly, it delineates
the beautiful form and describes the ornaments and appurtenances of the Lord. But
each of these words has a deeper signiOicance which should not be missed. The
thilakam or dot of kasthuri or musk on the forehead of Krishna is the symbol of the Eye
of Wisdom, the Inner Eye, the inward-directed vision, like the third eye on the forehead
of Shiva. Kasthuri means jnaanam or supersensual knowledge or wisdom. Then the
hymn speaks of kowsthubha gem on the chest. It indicates the aananda in the heart, the
untarnished aananda of the Lord who is Aananda swaruupi (bliss personiOied). Next in
the poem is the shining pearl on Krishna's nose-ring. Well, the Navamoukthikam on His
naasaagra (nose-tip) is indicative of the success that attends one-pointed concentration
on His Glory for which the tip of the nose is considered by adepts in yoga as a point of
help. And, the pearl is, in Hindu mythology, produced out of the rain drop, from the
Oirst, pure, unsullied showers that is swallowed by the oyster that has been waiting
long for the precious gift from the heavens. It indicates the transforming effect of
yearning and the natural thirst for the pure and the true which irks the human heart.

You should cultivate an attitude of inseparable attachment to the Lord, who is your
very self. If He is a Olower, you should feel yourself a bee that sucks its honey; if He is a
tree, be a creeper that clings to it; if a cliff, then feel that you are a cascade running over
it; if He is the sky, be a tiny star that twinkles in it; above all, be conscious of the truth
that you and He are bound by Supreme Love. If you feel this acutely, not with the gross
intelligence, but with the subtle intelligence, then, the journey will be quick and the
goal can be won. The sthula buddhi (gross intelligence) keeps you walking but, the
subtle intelligence Olies you to the destination. The gross is too much weighed down by
the body; the subtle transcends the body and lightens the burden.

The Shastry mentioned the axiom, Ekamevaad-witheeyam, One only, not Two. If it is
not two, it may be three; so, it is deOined also as One only. It is the inner motivator of all
(Sarvaantharyaami), like the string running through all the beads. If it is inside all, why
is. it not observable in all, you may ask. Picture a rosary of several types of beads' coral,
Page 113 of 268

pearl, tulsi, rudraaksha, crystal or conch, etc. The string passes through each and holds
all the beads together, no doubt; but it is only in the transparent beads that it is visible.
So too, you have to make yourself transparent, free from wish and will, that hide or
befog: then only, can the Inner Motivator be seen. You cannot argue that since it is not
seen, it is not there. To earn transparency, purity of intention, impulse and instinct is
essential; that is achieved by systematic and sincere spiritual discipline.

Guard the wisdom gained from the snares of attachment and aversion---this must be
the theme. For, where there is duality, there is fear, there is decline and death.

Winnow the real from the apparent. Look inside the event, for the kernel, the meaning.
Dwell over on your Aathmic reality; you are pure, you are indestructible; you are
unaffected by the ups and downs of life; you are the true, the eternal, the unchanging
Brahmam, the entity which is all this. A mere Oive-minute inquiry will convince you that
you are not the body, or the senses, the mind or the intelligence, the name or the form,
but that you are the Aathma Itself, the same Aathma that appears as all this variety.
Once you get a glimpse of this truth, hold on to it; do not allow it to slip. Make it your
permanent possession.

Discourse 5 (Penukonda, School Day, Zilla Parishad Higher

Secondary School, 20/2/1965)

The best way to get rid of weakness is to strike at the very taproot of the tree---the
mistake that you are the body, with this name and this form, these senses, this
intelligence and this mind. These are all the luggage you carry. Don't you say, my nose
my mind, my hand, my reason, just as you say, my book, my umbrella? Who is this T
that calls all these 'mine'? That is the real 'you'. It was there when you were born, when
you were sleeping forgetful of all else, forgetful even of your body with all its
equipment, internal and external. That T cannot be harmed; it does not change, it
knows no death or birth. Learn the discipline that makes you aware of this Truth and
you will be ever free and bold. That is real vidya, the Aathmavidya, which the sages
have gathered for you. The thousands who come to Puttaparthi are coming there for
this precious wealth; you too must, one day or the other, learn this and save yourselves.
All men have to reach the goal, travelling along the path of wisdom.

!
!

It is dedication to the Lord that sanctiOies all activities. He is the raison d'etre for all
activity. He is the prompter, the executor, the giver of the required strength and skill,
the enjoyer of the fruit thereof. So, dedication must come naturally to you, for, all is His
and nothing is yours. Your duty is to believe - He is the impeller of your activities, and
draw strength from that belief. Until the wound heals and the new skin hardens, the
bandage must protect the place. So too, until reality is realised, the balm of faith, holy
company and holy thoughts must be applied to the ego-affected mind.

Discourse 6 (Prashanti Nilayam, 24/2/1965)

If you have prema towards Me, you will have prema towards all, since Sai is in every
one. You sing at the bhajana (congregational chant), Anthaa Sayi mayam; ee
jagamantha Sayi mayam---"All this is Sayi-full; this World is Sayi-full". So, how can you
have love for this Sai alone? You have on the walls of this Prayer Hall many pictures of
Swaami; you revere the pictures; you take each of them to be Me. If someone speaks ill
of any of them you do not like it, do you? You stand before the picture and exclaim in
Page 114 of 268

joy, "O! Swaami!" Remember every human being is My Picture. Why, every being is Me.
Anthaa Sayi mayam, isn't it? So, when you treat any one harshly, you are treating Me
harshly. When you are insulting any one, you are insulting Me.

It is only those who identify themselves with the body that are exulted or pained; you
must feel that you are the dehi, not the deha (the self, not the body), that will give you
the strength to serve best.

Detachment is generally called vairaagya, or the absence of raaga. It is a precious

spiritual quality, which, if it must sustain you, must be based on jnaana.

At Thirupathi, when you stand before the Venkateshwara idol, if you think about the
stone, its colour, its geological structure, its weight, etc., there can be no Venkateshwara
in your mind; Oill yourself with the thoughts of the Lord of the Seven Hills, and then,
there is no stone before you! So also, see everywhere, in this carpet, this towel, this
vessel, this wall, the basic Brahmam (the Eternal Absolute), and you will be Oilled with
spiritual knowledge, jnaana. There will be no attachment; this is the "Sarvam
Brahmamayam" (All Oilled with Brahmam) Oinale of all saadhana (spiritual practice). Do
not despair; practice it from now on, step by step; at least see everything as His; offer
everything to Him; do everything, as for Him, leave everything to Him. Be an
instrument; an instrument has no likes and dislikes; be just a tool; be an efOicient tool.

Discourse 7 (Prashanti Nilayam, Upanayanam Day, 25/2/1965)

Every man is burdened with one body and four births! He is born a Sudra; for, as a child
he has no sense of cleanliness or deOinite ideas of right and wrong. By the rite of
initiation into spiritual life, that is to say, when he is taken as a pupil by a guru, who
takes up the responsibility of leading him to the Goal of Human Life, he becomes dwija,
twice-born, entering into the second chapter of his human career. When he has Oinished
the spiritual disciplines and studied the scriptures, he becomes a Vipra (the wise); at
last, when as a result of those practices and experiences, he visualises Brahman as
immanent in all, he is a Braahmana. A Vipra attains Brahmajnaanam and becomes a
Braahmana. This is therefore the Oirst step, but the most important step, in the process
of self-realisation.

The parents endow you with the material body, the deha; the Guru points out to you the
Dweller within the Body, the dehi. So, he is entitled to be honoured as a God, say the
Vedhas. Maathru Devo bhava,' Pithru Devo bhava; Aachaarya Devo bhava (Honour
mother, father, teacher, each as God). To make gold more amenable to the operations
attendent on ornament making, it is alloyed by the addition of a little silver or copper;
so too in order to manifest the multiple variety of Nature, the Brahmathathwam
(essential nature of Brahman) is converted into an alloy, with the addition of a little
egoism or Mamakaaram; the Guru teaches you to regain the pure unalloyed Brahmam
by the processes of sravanam, mananam, and nididhyaasa (listening to, recapitulating
and concentrating on God's glories) in the crucible of the intellect. The jeevathathwam
and the Brahmathathwam (essential nature of the self and Brahman) are then clearly
understood as facets of the same entity.

The aim of all human effort is to achieve this One (Ekam), that lies behind all this
plurality. Without achieving it, man can have no peace, within or without.

Page 115 of 268

Gaayathri means 'that which saves, when repeated'! It is the torch of jnaana, given into
the hands of these lads venturing into the regions of intellectual inquiry and sensory
restrictions. As paddy is treated to a process of pestling and winnowing and cleaning in
order to get rice that can be cooked and eaten, these boys have to de-husk the
individual, discover the Aathma hiding inside the Oive sheaths of physical matter, vital
energy, mind, intelligence and bliss (Annamaya, Praanamaya, Manomaya,
Vijnaanamaya and Aanandamaya Kosas).

This samskaara is fast losing its signiOicance; the recital of the Gaayathri and the
performance of the Sandhya rite are both being neglected; so, they have to be restored
to their pristine glory. This is an important step. Until you see the Akshara (the
Unchanging), you must practise the kshara (the changing), which helps you to
transcend it. When once you are able to pronounce 'cat', you can give up reading the
word as 'c-a-t'. The Gaayathri will help you to reach the Akshara; practise it, three times
a day, in the Sandhya rite.

Discourse 8 (Prashanti Nilayam, Mahashivaratri: 8 am, Flag Hoisting

Ceremony, 1/3/1965)

All qualities, attitudes, habits that remind you of the Absolute into which you have to
merge, have to be retained and developed; all that draw you away into the relative
world of Time and Space, have to be discarded or at least recognised as having but
temporary value.

All the joy you crave for, is in you; but, like a man who has vast riches in the iron chest,
but, who has no idea where the key is, you suffer. With proper directions, dwelling
upon them in the silence of meditation, it is possible to secure the key, open the chest
and be rich in joy.

A clean Consciousness is as a lamp; pour into it the oil of Grace; place in it the wick of
Self- control; keep in position the chimney of Naamasmarana, so that the gusts of Joy
and Grief might not scotch the Olame. Light the lamp, with some Mahaavaakya (Great
Statement), like Aham Brahmaasmi (Self is Brahman) or Thath thwam asi (Thou art
That). Then, you will not only have Light; you will be a source of Light.

There is a meaning in whatever I do or speak; I never indulge in signiOicance-less acts.

These gates too have a lesson for you.

Discourse 9 (Prashanti Nilayam, Mahashivaratri, 1/3/1965)

Shivaraathri is the day on which Maheshwara takes up the Linga form for the beneOit of
spiritual seekers; what they have to seek from Maheshwara is Jnaana (spiritual
wisdom). "Jnaanam Maheswaraa dhichched."--- It is jnaanam that makes manifest the
Divinity latent in man. It is the Oinal achievement of all thapas (penance), all yoga and
yaaga. You cannot get that joy or even a fraction of that joy, pursuing earthly pleasure.
To cure you of the bite of a cobra in a dream, you have to be awakened, that is all.
'Waking' is the acquisition of jnaana. That jnaana (knowledge) is got by ceaseless
dhyaana (meditation) of the glory and potence of the Almighty.

It was said by Shastri that sages retired into the silence of the forest and by means of
hard mental toil won for mankind the great treasure of spiritual experience and
inspiration. He gave many examples of such seers; but, there are some who condemn
Page 116 of 268

this retirement from the jostling crowds and call these heroes, cowards afraid to face
the stern demands of life! They label them as selOish, desirous of their own salvation,
regardless of the rest. The real reason for their taking refuge in lonely places is to learn
the secret of liberation for the beneOit of humanity. It is like the young man who goes
abroad now for higher technical training; you cannot condemn him as a coward or
socially useless individual, when the very purpose is to sharpen and deepen experience
and become more useful! The purpose of the sages is only to keep the senses away
from things that delight and deviate, to escape the infection that will damage the
springs of joy.

The Aathmavidya that they specialise in when they are in the ashramas and thapovans
(hermitages) of the forest brings salvation to all those who later come in contact with
them. Their calmness and joy will inspire others too. You Oind fault with them for
leaving you; but what good does the man who stays, achieve? People behave in the
same family, though living together, as snakes and scorpions to each other. Many a
home reminds you of a menagerie rather than a cosy abode of joy and peace!

This morning, I spoke of anger, hatred, envy and pride as Olames of Oire consuming the
mind. Now, the Shastri from Delhi said that such passions are only apparent and that
the real You are not bothered by them! This reminds Me of a story. A boy offered to
label the names of the articles contained in tins and cans and pots in the kitchen of his
house and his mother agreed; he wrote and pasted correctly on all except the sugar tin.
Upon that he placed the label, RED CHILLIES! When reprimanded, the boy said it was
only to deceive the ants, which will not swarm over a red chillies tin! SuperOicial
Vedhaantha (Vedic philosophy) will not keep the Oire away.

Cultivate jnaana (Supreme Knowledge) and visualise the Lord in things and activities.
That makes this human birth worth while, Do not seek faults in others; for the others
are but manifestations of the Lord you are seeking to realise. It is your own fault that
you see in others. There are only two things in this world, one apparent, the other, real;
the kshethra and the kshethrajna. The kshethra is the deha (body) and the Kshethrajna
is the Dehi (Self). The loka (world) is the Form of the Lokesha (Lord of the world); the
World is the Body of God.

You are awake when you feel that you have full knowledge; but, when awake, you are
aware only of the many, not of the One. It is only when you are in deep sleep that all the
multiplicity vanishes; then you are not aware of the world and of your deluded picture
of it. Examine even while awake the stages of dream and deep sleep and realise that
wakefulness is a handicap to the seeker of Truth; the senses are deceptive; they are
inefOicient instruments.

Do not die in spirit, though the body may fall away. Know that the real "You" is
deathless; make death a sublime act of liberation. Such knowledge can come only
through a life devoted to Dharmanishtha (steady pursuit of the moral code) and
Karmanishtha (steady devotion to the duties of one's stage of life). These two must end
in the evolution of a third Nishtha like Oire and Water producing steam to haul the train
of wagons, or, like oil and air producing gas in the engine to haul the car. The third
Nishtha is Brahmanishtha---the steady contemplation of the One Basis of all this
seeming multiplicity, namely, Brahmam. The Nishtha becomes steady by practice that
your separate individual existence is merged in the great Deluge of Wisdom, which
merges you in Him, restores you to Him, rather.

Page 117 of 268

In the spiritual Oield, why, in all Oields, there is no chance at all.

Enter into prayerful silence and be blessed by the Great Vision of the Emergence of the
Aathmalinga.

Mind does not have any powers. The only power is Aathma Shakthi, the power of
Aathma. Mind has no form. Mind can be said to be woven of desires. The Aathma shines
on the heart, whether the heart be pure or impure. If the heart is puriOied and if the
strongest desire is for God, that is the best.

Discourse 10 (Prashanti Nilayam, 2/3/1965)

Truth that is won by one's own struggle with untruth will be lasting treasure; the
struggle strengthens one to treasure the treasure, for not all can bear the revolutionary
consequences of that possession.

A king was once out hunting in the forest and while pursuing a Oleeing stag, he fell into
a forsaken well which was very deep, No one of his retinue knew of his plight, for the
stag had taken him far away into the woods, before his men could get trace Of him.
Luckily, even as he fell, he grasped the root of a tree that was hanging aloof from the
side of the well, and thus escaped the death that yawned underneath. After a few
agonising hours, he heard some one reciting aloud the names of the Lord, near the
mouth of the well. It was a holy man and when he caught the faint echo of the
unfortunate king's cry, he let down a rope and called out to the King to hold on to it
tight, so that he might be pulled up into safety. The question now before the King-was
Root or Rope? Of course the root helped him to survive, but, it had value only until the
rope was offered. It would be folly to stick to the root even after the rope was ready to
save. The root must be appreciated, but, thankfulness should not be exaggerated into
attachment. Samsaara or worldly existence is like the root; the rope is the secret of
liberation, through some Mahaavaakyaa (sacred utterance of Truth), that discloses in a
Olash the Truth.

Liberation is just the awareness of Truth, the falling off of the scales of delusion from
the eye. It is not a special suburb of select souls; it is not a closed monopoly of expert
saadhakas. Like the Godaavari losing its form, its name and its taste in the sea,
liberation dissolves the name and form, aptitudes and attitudes. You are no more a
separate, particular, individual. The rain drop has merged in the sea, from where the
drop arose. Of course there was no bondage, at any time, and no prison; there was only
a Oixation in the mind that one was bound, that one was in prison, that one was limited
and Oinite!

No one can liberate you, for no one has bound you. You hold on to the nettle of worldly
pleasure and you weep for pain. The kite is pursued by crows so long as it carries the
Oish in its beak; it twists and turns in the sky trying to dodge the crows who seek to
snatch the Oish; tired at last, it drops the Oish. That moment it is free. So give up the
attachment to the senses, then grief and worry can harass you no more. The kite sits on
a tree, preening its wings, enjoying its happiness. You too can be so happy, provided
you drop the Oish you have in your beak.

Why do you immerse yourselves in distractions like building houses, piling bank-
balances, celebrating picnics, contesting elections? Engage yourselves rather in things
Page 118 of 268

that will make you immortal, serve your best interests by service to the world. Seek
your own reality? That is what a wise man should do.

Discourse 11 (Prashanti Nilayam, 3/3/1965)

The body is the temple of the Self; the world is a structure raised on one strong pillar,
"I". For, when this "I" is dormant during deep sleep, there is no world, so far as you are
concerned. You are alone, when you sleep. Before you were born, there was no world
for you. After you die, there is no world of which you are conscious. To get this jnaana
(knowledge) Oixed, you have to pass through the preparatory schools of karma and
upaasana. Karma (dedicated activity) helps to cleanse the heart of egoistic impulses;
upasaana (contemplation) helps to focus attention on the Universal and the Absolute.
Then jnaana emerges. This is what the Shastri referred to as the conjunction of three
rivers, in the poem he read now. Once you win that jnaana, you are the equal of the
wisest, for there is nothing more to know.

Today, the Sanaathana Dharma which is the robe of Bhaaratha maatha (Mother India)
is sought to be taken away by her unworthy and deluded sons and so, the Lord has
come to grant solace and strength. You will see splendid saris pouring into her lap from
every door of the Durbar Hall, where she is being insulted. You will witness this great
miracle, by the Avathaar (God incarnate) come to protect her honour, her heritage of
Aathmic treasure.

Finally, when you realise that your true 'Nature is the Aathman, you become a jnaani.
But, this is an arduous path and so, many who are attracted to it leave off and lose
themselves. Then, like the winner of a cash prize, who revels in some city like Calcutta
or Poona or Madras or who dwells in some place of pilgrimage like Shirdi or Rishikesh
until the entire prize money is spent, later they are harassed by the police for loitering
in public places for want of a place to rest their heads. Heaven too is like this' a place
where you can stay, until your last pie, but only until then! Moksha alone is unchanging,
eternal.

When you say, Thath thwam asi (Thou art that), you must have the traits of that which
you claim to be. You say, "that and this" are the same; then, reviling that or revering
'that' is the same as reviling 'this' or revering this.

Discourse 12 (Sulurpet, Changalamma Temple, 22/3/1965)

The four Mahaavaakyas (great truths) which the Vedhas proclaim, announce that all
this is Brahmam, one unitary uniform substance, appearing only to the diseased eye as
many. Aham Brahmaasmi---"I am Brahman"---you must assert; then, you transmute
yourself into sons of Immortality; (Amrithasya Puthraah); now, since you bleat aham
dehaasmi---I am the body (the combination of Oive elements, that one day splits into
those elements)---you degrade yourself into Amrithasya Puthraah---sons of Illusion.

This building is named a Dharmashaala, a Hall of Dharma, a School of Dharma. It

should not be merely a free lodging house for pilgrims. It should have an atmosphere of
dharma, which the pilgrims must inhale and get inspired thereby. The temple will
inspire Aathmadharma, leading the pilgrim into himself, to search for the Mahaasakthi
that is behind the Icchaasakthi, the Kriyasakthi and the Jnaanasakthi (power of the will,
the work and the wisdom) that man is endowed with.

Page 119 of 268

Dharma is the path by which the Mahaasakthi in the temple of your heart can be
tapped, experienced and realised; without adherence to dharma, it can never happen.

He has forgotten his unity with all men, all beings, and all worlds. The contemplation of
that unity alone can establish .world peace, social peace and peace in the individual. All
other efforts are like pouring sweet-scented rose water on a heap of ash, ineffective and
foolish. I bless all efforts made by each of you to build shaanthi (peace), on this
foundation of Aathmajnaana, knowledge of Aathmic unity.

Gatherings like this must be arranged to spread the message of the Prashaanthi
Vidwanmahaasabha in order that you may know the truth about yourself and seek to
experience it.

Discourse 13 (Kaakinada, 24/3/1965)

There are only two entities at Oirst: "I" and "You", Thath and Thwam, Aham and
Brahma. But a third, this Prakrithi (world), has come between, or rather deludes us as
being in between. You know some people who go about carrying proposals of marriage,
the middlemen. They go to the bride's parents and suggest a certain groom and they
praise him to the skies and create a desire for securing him in marriage for the
daughter; then they move on to the bridegroom's village and persuade that party to
insist on a large sum as groom-price before agreeing to accept the daughter of the Oirst
party; when at last the marriage is concluded, they disappear. Prakrithi is like this
middleman. When "I" and "You" have united, Prakrithi disappears. Its role is to reveal
the "you" to the "I"---that is all.

As a matter or fact, the "I" is of the same nature as "You," like the river and the sea, or
like the wave and the sea. That is the reason why I always address you as Amritha-
swaruupulaara---You, whose nature is immortality! Prema-swaruupulaara---You, whose
nature is Love? Shaantha- swaruupulaara---You, whose nature is Tranquillity!

Discourse 14 (Kaakinada, 25/3/1965)

Dharma supporting artha, and moksha being the only kaama or desire. However much
you may earn either wealth or strength, unless you tap the springs of aananda (bliss)
within you, you cannot have peace and lasting content. There is Sathyathwa,
Nithyathwa (reality of truth and eternity) in you; you need not earn them from any one
else. The four pillars of Purushaartha (goals of human effort) are made Oirm and stable
by Oixing them on the bedrock of the Nithya Sathya Thathwa (reality of eternal truth) in
every man, the Divine in fact, on which the human is superimposed.

You must have heard of people seeking moksha (liberation) and getting moksha; many
may be under the impression that it is some rare honour that only a few secure or that
it is some area like Paradise or a Colony of the Elect or a Height that some heroic souls
alone can climb up to. No; moksha is something which all must achieve, whether they
are heroic or not; even those who deny it have to end by realising it. For, every one is
even now seeking it when he seeks joy and peace; and, who does not seek joy and
peace? Moksha is when you have lasting joy and lasting peace. Tired with temporary
joys and transient peace, man will at last endeavour to know the secret of permanent
joy and peace, that is to say, of Moksha, Liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

If only men knew the path to permanent joy and peace, they will not wander distracted
among the bye-lanes of sensual pleasure. Just as the joy felt in dreams disappears when
Page 120 of 268

you wake, the joy felt in the waking stage disappears when you wake into the higher
awareness, called Jnaana. So, the Upanishads say, "Get up, arise, awake"; time is Oleeing
fast. Use the moment while it is available, for the best of uses, the awareness of the
Divine in all. When you die, you must die not like a tree or a beast or a worm, but, like a
Man who has realised that he is Maadhava (God). That is the consummation of all the
years you spend in the human frame.

This essential teaching is absent in modern curricula; men and women live many years
without knowing the secret of joyful, peaceful living. The educated are today more
discontented than the uneducated, whereas they ought really to be calmer and less
subject to agitations of the mind. Education today is a thin veneer that heightens
egoism and hypocrisy.

!
Never be afraid of death. Never forget God, Never take this World as real.
!
Discourse 15 (Samara, 26/3/1965)

If you plan to give joy to others, you will yourself be joyful. Who are these others? Even
when the Lord has come with a deOinite human body, all human beings that you come
across are but parts of His glory and His splendour. lshwarassarvabhuthaanaam
hriddese Arjuna thisthathi---"O ! Arjuna, the Lord dwells in the region of the heart in all
beings", says the Lord in the Bhagavad Geetha.

You may claim to be a devotee and declare yourself as such, when you speak; but,
unless your egoism has gone and you love all equally, the Lord 2will not acknowledge
your devotion!

Discourse 16 (Kaakinada, 26/3/1965)

Nor is the message I bring anything new! It is the message of the Vedhas, tested by time
and guaranteed by the experience of many who put it into practice.

The special feature of man's composition is that he has discrimination, detachment and
synoptic intellect; he can discover Truth and be Oixed in it, and gain unshakable Peace.

The Vedhas have three sections Karma, Upaasana and Jnaana. Karma is the section
dealing with the activities that strengthen and purify faith and devotion; Upaasana is
the section dealing with worship of the personal God, the dedication Of all acts to the
Highest, the Inner Witness, the surrender of all skills and experiences unto the
Immanent Power---these two endow man with one-pointedness, ekaagratha. As a
result of these two, consciousness is able to recognise in a Olash jnaana (knowledge)- --
the fact of its being Divinity itself. All these three stages have to be gone through.

No one stands Oirm for they have not found the rock of the Aathma; they have no
knowledge of their Aathmic reality. The teaching of all the scriptures and of all the
sages and saints is to recognise the Aathma within and to build life upon that bedrock.
What is required for the discovery of that bedrock? You must be able to withdraw into
yourself and meditate on your own true nature, and the truth of Nature. It is the
privilege of every child of India to know the science of this inquiry and to practise it. It
is the right of every seeker from every land.

There are no short-cuts in the spiritual Oield. As a matter of fact, bhakthi is even more
difOicult than jnaana; for, to get the attitude of 'Thou" not "I" one has to surrender
Page 121 of 268

completely to the Higher Power, personiOied as the Lord. The ego has to be fully curbed;
the faith that "not even a blade of grass can shake in the wind without His being aware
of it and thus having caused it". has to be implanted in the mind. Bhakthi is not a leisure
time job. Erase sensual desire; clear the heart of all blemish; then, the Lord will be
reOlected therein as in a mirror.

You may ask why the burden of the consequences of acts done in previous births
cannot be easily brushed away; no, they can be destroyed, as a heap of cotton is burnt
by a spark of Oire. Jnaanaagni dagdha karmaanam---the spark of jnaana will destroy the
effect of karma, in a trice. These consequences are like the cloud of dust that follows a
bus, when it runs on a fair-weather road; when the bus reaches the gravel road or the
metalled road, the dust is less, but it is still there. When at last it enters the tarred road
there is no dust. The mud track is karma; the metalled road is upaasana; the tarred
dust-free road is jnaana. By human skill and effort it is possible to reduce the burden of
past karma.

Life is a market. In life, giving and taking, bargaining and speculating, is a part of the
game. Life has its ups and downs, its proOits and losses, its joys and sorrows,
depreciations and appreciations and balance sheets. But the giving of bhakthi
(devotion) exchanging for mukthi (liberation) is the most powerful business for all.

Discourse 17 (Pithaapuram, 26/3/1965)

Your aananda is My aahaara (food). I do not feel like talking to you at all, for I desire
only to communicate to you My Joy and to get into communion with your Joy. This
mutual fulOilment is the essential thing; talking and listening are subsidiary.

There is no living being without the spark of love; even a mad man loves something or
somebody intensely. But, you must recognise this love as but a reOlection of the
Premaswaruupa, (the embodiment of Love) that is your reality, to the God who is
residing in your heart. Without that spring of Love that bubbles in your heart, you will
not be prompted to love at all. Recognise that spring, rely on it more and more, develop
its possibilities, try to irrigate the whole world with it, discard all touch of self from it,
do not seek anything in return for it from those to whom you extend it.

!
Be in the World, but let not the world be in you.
!

Discourse 18 (Vishakapatnam District, Yelamanchili, 27/3/1965)

The same God who revealed, out of His Grace, the Vedhas, has to come again and again,
whenever people seek to pitch their petty intelligences against the Eternal Intelligence.
The petty intelligences are but the bond-slaves of the senses; they lead man astray,
fascinated by the 'will- of-the-wisp' of sensual pleasure. The Vedhas, on the other hand,
beckon them towards eternal, undiminishable joy; but man does not pay heed. He
wanders in the dark, seeking in the outside world what he has lost in the inner world of
the spirit!

As a child is fed on breast milk for some months and then, on cow's milk, and later
given bread and crisp bitable bits when the teeth have grown---so too, man is given by
the Vedhas spiritual food suited to digestive development. In the early stages, the
jnaana of the Unity (which is misread as Diversity) cannot be grasped. So bhakthi or
upaasana is recommended. Bhakthi comes naturally for it is only the expansion of the
Page 122 of 268

love that is inherent in man. To get grounded in bhakthi, good activity, good company,
good listening and good behaviour are essential.

All the senses are self-centred, egoistic. They must be educated to be "inward-directed",
towards the Aathma which is Universal. That is gained by trusting to Go-paala by
entrusting the senses to Him. Every one must pass through sath-karma or good deeds,
into the realm of expanding Love and from Love he learns the lesson of sacriOice, of
dedication, of surrender to the One Overlord. This takes him on to faith in the
supremacy of Godhead, everything else being but His shadow, His being the One and
Only Reality.

Struggle to realise Aathma to visualise God,' even failure in this struggle is nobler than
the success in other worldly affairs.

Discourse 19 (Amalapuram, 28/3/1965)

You know from experience that deep sleep gives you maximum happiness. Think over
it for a while; have you ever, in the waking stage, experienced that degree of calm; of
quiet, of equanimity, of happiness? That is why nidhra is said to be the nearest
approximation to samaadhi. If even the impulses and. instincts and thought-waves
dormant during sleep disappear, then, the joy becomes perfect and full. This happens
when the Sun of jnaana illumines you. That drives away even the minutest speck of
darkness; in fact, darkness is just the absence of light.

There are three principles that have to be overcome before knowledge (jnaana) can
dawn: the Physical (Dehathathwam); the Sensory (Indriyathathwam) and the Mental
(Manasthathwam). Even the mind has to be overcome before the One can be cognised;
for, the mind seeks variety and change; it revels in the contact with the objective world
called vrittis. The prevention of these vrittis in the mind, of the ever-widening circles in
the Maanasa- Sarovara (the Lake of the Mind), whenever a wish or thought or a
resolution is dropped into it---that is the function of the science called Yoga, Union.
Union of what, with which? Union of "Thath" with "thwam", of you and the rest,
resulting in the One, without a Second.

Karma leads to the consciousness of the ever-present, immanent, all-powerful God.

Upaasana (adoration of that God), leads to the knowledge that He is in all; when you
experience that there is no Second, that is Jnaana!

You do not see your breath or weigh it; but, breath is the very sustenance of life. The
unseen is the basis of the seen. If you are caught up in the meshes of the seen, you
cannot know the importance of the unseen.

Discourse 20 (Amalaapuram, 29/3/1965)

All the thousands of individuals here before Me now are so many thousand Olowers,
strung on that one thread, Brahman. In Brahman, you all Oind unity, the unity you have
missed, because you were engrossed in your own separateness. That is the truth; all
else is delusion; you have let this unity go un-noticed, because the men who know it are
neglected, their declarations are dismissed as depraved! There is no dearth of
sustaining spiritual food in our country; but, yet, we have this pitiable spectacle of a
people starving in the midst of plenty.

Page 123 of 268

here are disciplines suited for each of them in the Sanaathana (ancient) scriptures:
Bhakthi, Jnaana, Karma, Upaasana, Yoga, etc. The milk in which butter is immanent,
implicit in every particle, in every molecule, is the One. The curd into which it is broken
by fermentation has the butter separate, but yet 2s part; that is the One, with the
Second, as an integral part of it, Vishishta - adwaitha (qualiOied non-dualism). The
churning separates the butter clearly and it is rolled into a ball, it is kept Oloating in the
liquid from which it has been taken. The two have become clearly distinguishable; they
are spoken of as two, dwaitha (dualism). These are but three names for three stages of
the same substance.

The One is the reality. It is not to be found exclusively in one place only, however hoary
the place. Neither Arunachalam, nor Thirupathi nor Kedaaram can claim to be the place
where It is to be found. Its address is given in the 61st shloka of the 18th chapter of the
Bhagavad Geetha: "in the heart of all."

Pandits who are versed in the sacred scriptures of this land are the real leaders of the
people, for, they can show the path of self-realisation, which is the highest duty of man.

The string of the rosary is patent only in the sphatika or the crystal beads, not on the
coral or rudraaksha beads. Though the string runs through these latter also, it can be
seen only by splitting those beads; that is the meaning of the story of Hiranyakashipu
who split the pillar; when he did that, he could see for himself the Lord who is the core
of every object and being.

Some people have their minds and senses like cotton balls and a spark of jnaana will
set them ablaze and they achieve victory! Some others have them like dried faggots;
they take longer time, but, victory is certain. Most have minds and senses like green
fuel and even the raging Oire of jnaana may be put out by the onslaught of the moisture
contained in them.

Discourse 21 (Amalaapuram, 9:30 AM, 29/3/1965)

God can be felt and experienced only in the deepest silence. All noise must subside;
then, His Voice can be heard clearly.

Cultivate the heart and garner the grain of Aathma-aananda. That aananda is your
heritage; it is yours for the asking. But, you do not know how or whom to ask. Ask grief
to quit and aananda is patent, as the very basis of your "I-ness", your Sath (existence)
and Chith (consciousness) It is very simple. Grief will disappear as soon as you discover
its real origin, for it has arisen out of ignorance only.

Discourse 22 (Amalaapuram, 11:30 AM, 29/3/1965)

What you have heard and seen must be spoken out, without exaggeration or
abridgement; that is sathya or truth speaking. Of course, when the mind is controlled,
the intelligence is sharpened and puriOied; you see only the one everywhere, in
everything, at all times; then that one becomes the only Truth, which you see, hear and
speak of---for, there is nothing else to see or hear. "Sathyaannaasthiparo
dharmah"---"There is no duty higher than Truth."

Arjuna was overcome by human sympathy when he refused to slaughter his kith and
kin and seek regal luxury through such sinful means; he preferred being a mendicant.
Then, Krishna had to remind him of other levels of dharma, which override the purely
Page 124 of 268

natural dharma. They were: (i) the Varnadharma of a Kshatriya, which insisted on his
Oighting the forces of evil and which branded withdrawal from the battleOield as a
heinous sin; (ii)Aathmadharma, which urges you to concentrate on the Aathmic reality,
and not worry about defeat or success, fame or dishonour, but be an instrument in the
hands of the Lord.

Discourse 23 (Rajamundry, 20/3/1965)

The Vedhas have three sections karma, upaasana and jnaana. Karma or activity
engaged in with a dedicatory attitude, regardless of the beneOit it may result in, builds
up purity of mind. Upaasana or systematic worship of God contemplating on the glory
and splendour and His manifold expressions equips you with concentration. These two
lead to a clear grasp of the Reality, that is to say, you acquire jnaana (spiritual wisdom);
the veil of delusion drops and glory stands revealed. Now, these three are neglected
and even scoffed at. Know that no object is per se pleasing or joy-giving. It is you that
Oind it so, the joy is in you. You pour it on the object and ascribe it to the object, by the
trick of projection. If an object itself is capable of producing joy, it must be welcomed by
all at all times and places. This is not the case so far as any object is concerned; the joy
is only projected on it by the mind of the individual. Delusion has to die; then only does
the cycle of change end. Then only is man liberated from the bonds of birth, life and
death. Call it saayujyam (reaching the goal, or merging in the Absolute or Universal), or
Brahmasaakshaathkaaram or Aikyaanusandhaanam (becoming one with InOinite)- --
the names may differ, but the Oinish is the same' Every mortal must attain immortality;
for he is Amrithasya puthrah, a child of Immortality.

Be like the seed in the ripe fruit; feel that you are unaffected by the blows of fate; when
you get the jnaana that you are not the body (deha) but the Self (dehi), then. no blow
can hurt you.

Earn the riches of jnaana, as Janaka did, through association with the great sages of the
day, as Dasharatha did from Vasishta.

I am Anaanda, Shaantham, Dhairyam (Bliss, Equanimity and Courage). Take Me as your

Aathmathathwam (Reality of Aathma); you won't be wrong.

!
Life is just a chance to see for yourself your beginning and your end.
!
Discourse 24 (Rajamundry, 31/3/1965)

Grief is caused, as joy is caused, by the attachment of the senses to objects; once you
know that you are not the senses or the mind, but He, who operates the senses and
wields the mind, you cross the bounds of pleasure and pain. The President of India had
a recent domestic bereavement; but he did not import that grief into his role as
President, did he? No. The duties of the President were performed without any
hindrance or loss of interest. Separate yourself from the grief; you are the President of
your Realm. The senses and the mind, with all the attendant impulses, desires,
attitudes, etc., are your servants, instruments that have to carry out your orders.

Once, as part of a marriage procession, an elephant was also pushed along: a wicker-
elephant, life-size. People looked at it in wonder and some even dared to Oind fault with
it, saying the legs were too short, the ears were inadequate, etc. But, the thing was Oilled
with crackers and, in a few moments, when it was lit, the whole contraption exploded
in a blaze of brilliantly-coloured shooting stars with a tremendous bang. Why should
Page 125 of 268

there be so much criticism of a thing which, like the body, will soon go up in Olames?
The body is but an instrument for a high purpose, the realisation of the Glory that Oills
the Universe, of which you are a fraction!

You Oind now a number of people who open their mouths wide in admiration of
Western countries who prepare rockets to travel to the moon and go round the earth.
They may circle lakhs of miles in space, but, they know not how to proceed half an inch
more towards their neighbour, or brother; they do not dare explore their inner reality,
though they are eager to explore the outer illusion!

Know that which, if known, makes known everything that has to be known. This was
the advice given to Uddalaka by his Guru, as mentioned in the Upanishads. You are the
core, the centre of your world. Without you there is no world for you. Unless you know
yourself, you cannot know the world which is your creation. Now, you ask every one
you meet, "How do you do?" But have you ever asked the question to yourself, "How do
I do?" You ask every third person, "Who is he?" But, have you asked the Oirst person,
"Who am I" and searched for the answer? That is what the Vedhaantha teaches, that is
what these Pandits are eager to tell you.

That is why I want you to read the Bhagavad Geetha; this learning of the Geetha is like
learning eetha (swimming). Eetha saves you from drowning. Geetha saves you from
drowning in the trecherous Olood of worldly desire. The Geetha is the real purpose for
which the Avathaara of Krishna was undertaken.

Discourse 25 (Rajamundry, 1/4/1965)

Some people carp at Vedhaantha and say that it makes men lazy and encourages them
to run away from their responsibilities; but, the Oirst responsibility of every one is to
himself; he is the source and centre of all his attention.

If you yield to alpabuddhi (inferior thoughts), you will be losing the akhanda-thathwa
(principle of the Universal).

A volcano throws up its lava on the screen of the picture house; a dam bursts and the
Olood waters it had impounded roar along towards the sea, submerging vast states; but
the screen is not burnt, nor does it get wet in the least. The screen is the truth; the Oilm
is an illusion, however realistic it was, however genuine the feelings it aroused. Know
this and so direct your life that this knowledge is the background of all your actions.
Thus, you will have great peace and great joy.

There was a bhaktha coming to the previous sarira (body) called Raadhika at Shirdi; he
was always suffering misery, but, only for those who observed his external movements.
At heart, he was supremely happy. Develop that inner joy; it is everlasting, full.

You will be wrong if you thought I am having all these Pandits about Me and that I am
going from place to place with them to get publicity for Myself or for them. I do not
need any publicity, nor do they. They have to know themselves and they have to help
you to know yourselves, that is all. The Vedhas and the Shaastras speak only of this.

Discourse 26 (Rajamundry Hindu Samaja, 2/4/1965)

There are two statements in the Geetha, both complementary: Shraddhaavaan labhathe
jnaanam (the man with steady faith wins wisdom) and samsayaathmaa vinasyathi (he
Page 126 of 268

who doubts perishes). The doubt that overpowered Arjuna was removed by the
teaching of Krishna and the necessary shraddha was inculcated. As a matter of fact, the
Geetha is a conversation between the jeeva and Brahman, the limited or, rather 'the
idea of the limited', with the Unlimited. The dehavasthra is worn by the dehi: the body
is but a vesture of God, who is eternal and permanent.

Seeing one's own reality is the opening of the doors of liberation; for this, the mirror of
the heart has to be prepared, by coating the back of the heart with sathya and dharma.
Otherwise, the image will not appear. In every act of yours, if you observe truth and
justice, then you can see your own reality revealed. You may say that the burden of past
acts and their inevitable consequences have to be borne; but, the Grace of the Lord can
burn that burden in a Olash; the revelation of reality will, in a Olash, save you from that
burden. If you see yourself in all and all in you, then, you have known the reality, says
Krishna in the Geetha. Therefore, you have to develop the same quantity and quality of
Love that you have for Me, towards all others. When you are the Universal, where can
you say, your street is or your house is? You are then no longer an individual; you are
the Universal. Get that idea Oixed in your mind.

I am sorry these Pandits, who are great scholars, did not speak longer because they
wished Me to address you for a longer time. Whether they speak or I speak, the subject
is essentially the same; liberation from delusion and escape from darkness, by the
recognition of the light that is effulgent within.

Discourse 27 (Satyavada, 4/4/1965)

Of what avail is all the long years spent in this body if you have not discovered the
answer to the essential question: "who am I?" Know that, become masters of your own
realm, the realm of the senses, the intellect, the feelings, the impulses, the instincts, the
attitudes, the prejudices. Then only can you claim to have Swaraajya. When in your own
household, the sons rebel against the parents and brother harbours hatred against
brother, how can you call yourself 'master'? So, too, when your senses drag you in one
direction and your intellect in another, how can you claim to have Swa- raajya?

Discourse 28 (Repalle, 6/4/1965)

The body that is sustained on food which will not keep fresh for even a few hours, how
can it be fresh for long? That which is made and marred cannot for that very reason be
truth; for, truth cannot be made and marred. It is, was and will be, without any
modiOication.

Discover the immortal 'I' and know that it is the spark of God in you; live in the
companionship of the vast measureless Supreme and you will be rendered vast and
measureless.

When you hold a currency note in your hand and say proudly, 'This is mine" that note
laughs at you, for, it says, "O, how many thousand persons have I known, who have
prided themselves like this!" The body is but a tent. Don't fondle that delusion; pant for
the dehi (indweller), He who resides therein and makes it active, makes it ponder and
conclude and act.

Discriminate; discriminate all the time; use viveka and vijnaana (spiritual knowledge)
and experience of the waking stage, the dream stage and the stage of deep sleep. In the
Page 127 of 268

dream stage the senses are negated; buddhi (intellect) does not work; only the mind is
the master: it creates its own 'world'. A tiger mauls you in the dream; a snake strikes
deep into your leg. You feel all the pain and all the fear. How do you cure the unhappy
man? There is no need to bring a doctor or a magician with his charms. Wake him; he is
cured! He knows that there was no tiger or snake or bite or pain. So too, jnaana will
immediately remove all the dual experiences of joy and grief, derived from these non-
real objects.

You say, "I was awake," "I dreamt," "I slept soundly". Now who is this "I"? Who is this "I"
that has none of the three stages, that persists from birth to death, that deals with the
body and all the organs and senses, all the various feelings, impulses and experiences
as 'its', 'its possessions', 'its instruments'? That 'I' is the thing to be known and once
known, you must not allow your mind to stray away from it.

Contact your own reality in the silence that you create by quietening the senses and
controlling the mind. There is a Voice that you can hear in that silence. The true witness
of your having listened to that Voice is your behaviour. A tree is held and fed by the
roots that go into the silent earth; so also, if the roots go deep into the silence of your
inner consciousness, your spiritual blossoming is assured.

You are the whole, the inOinite, the all. You as body, mind and soul are a dream; but
what you really are is Existence, Knowledge and Bliss. You are the God of Universe. You
are creating the whole Universe and drawing it in.

Discourse 29 (Venkatagiri, 10/4/1965)

The word Raama itself indicates Aanandam. Raama is Aanandaswaruupa. In every

being, He is the Aananda in the innermost core, the Aathmaaraama. How then are you
being affected by grief? Because you ignore the core, you identify yourselves with the
shell, the body. Today, the holy day of Raamanavami, you should immerse yourself in
the Aathma as Dharmaswaruupa, as the motivator of the moral life. There is no place
where Raama is not; no being to whom He denies Grace. He does not arrive or depart;
He is immanent, eternal. So, to celebrate a Day as the day on which He was born, is
itself a sacrilege. Raama for you should mean the Path He trod, the Ideal He held aloft,
the Ordinance He laid down. The path, the ideal and the ordinance are eternal, timeless.
Follow the Path, stick to the Ideal, obey the Ordinance---that is the true celebration.

I have heard many complain that it is difOicult to achieve ekaagratha (one-pointedness);

even some so-called great men have told me so. But the fault is not with the times, it is
in themselves; they have no adequate shraddha---faith and steadiness. The steadiness
they exhibit in the pursuit of worldly goods and worldly comfort they do not transfer to
the pursuit of inner calm. They complain of lack of time, as if all their waking hours are
now utilised for worthwhile purposes!

f you take pleasure in the pain of others, you only scotch the divinity in you and bring to
light the demonic nature. "Ishwarassarvabhoothaanaam"---the Lord resides in all. He is
in you as much as in the 'other' whom you try to harm. Know this and give up all efforts
to ruin others. You cannot help another; you can only help yourself by that act; you do
not harm another, you harm yourself by that wicked act. The attachments are different;
but the inner reality is the same in you and "other."

If you are established in Aathmatha-thwam (Reality of Self), you need not fear.
Page 128 of 268

Discourse 30 (Prashanti Nilayam, 26/4/1965)

The rishis or sages struggled with themselves and elevated themselves into the purer
regions of thought, to discover their own truth. They felt the thrill of that discovery and
sang of the freedom they gained. These songs serve as sign-posts and all who derive
beneOit therefrom have to acknowledge the debt. How to repay the rishi-rna, the debt of
the rishis? By study, by reOlection on what they have sung of their liberation, by
practising the saadhana they adopted, by proving them right out of your own
experience.

Dive deep into your own divinity. The crocodile is happy and unharmed and it is
undefeatable, in the depths of the lake or river. Once it sprawls on land, it becomes the
plaything of man, an easy target for death. The depths: they are your refuge; the source
of your strength. Do not stray into the shallows or the sands.

You know that the Garuda bird feeds on snakes. Well, once the Garuda went to Mount
Kailasa to pay respects to Shiva, who wears snakes on His head, arms, wrists, neck,
waist and ankles. When the snakes saw Garuda, they were unafraid; they even dared
put out their forked tongues at Garuda and challenged it to come near them. That was
the extent of the courage lent to them by the place where they had established
themselves. So, establish yourselves in the Aathma; no worry or grief or pride can harm
you then.

Several types of prema were spoken about today, but all types are based on the 'I'
feeling; it is like a drama in a Oilm story, a plot within a plot. You must feel that all this is
just a passing show, that you are the central Oigure, the only Oigure, the entire Oigure.
Thathwam asi: That thou art. That is this. The external world is fundamentally One, is
really Brahmam, appearing as many. Thwam is you, yourself. And, what does the
experience of all the sages tell him? What is the profound discovery embodied in the
wisdom of the Vedhas? Thath is thwam, thwam is Thath; there is no second, there is
only One.

If you act or feel or talk contrary to your nature you demean yourself; you deny your
reality. The Brahmathathwam (Reality of Brahmam) is Vimalam, Achalam--.Pure,
Unshakable; be pure and unshakable. It is thriguna rahitham, devoid of the three
qualities: dull, active or balanced; it is pure consciousness. You too must not be agitated
by the storms of feeling, or the fog of dullness and sloth. Play your role, as a puppet
does; the unseen Director unfolds the drama, which He has willed.

Also, train your hands to do acts that serve the Lord that is shining in every being. All
men are He; He shaves as the barber, He makes pots as the potter; He starches and
irons clothes as the dhobi. He prompts, He inspires, He devises, He fulOils. You take a
sheet of paper on which My Form is printed, as Myself; you revere It; you fall to the
ground before It in reverence; why cannot you then revere all human beings, believing
that I am in each of them, in an even clearer Form?

It will surely help you to achieve the goal. Every religion looks for God and they look far
and wide, but man should know that God is Omnipresent and resides in the heart of
man.

Discourse 31 (Malleswaram, 22/5/1965)

Page 129 of 268

You are eager to spot the lighthouse that will show you where the harbour lies, to take
refuge from the stormy sea. That light is the Aathmajyothi (light of self) which the
sages proclaim as existing in every one. Some deep visual defect has hidden that light
from men and so they struggle in the darkness.

Leave these gurus to themselves and concentrate on the task of uplifting yourself.
When you are earnest about it, the Lord Himself will guide you, either from within or
from without, through some one He will send or through illumination from within.

Repeat Soham (I am He), with every breath: 'So' when you take in and 'ham', when you
exhale, 'So' means He and 'ham,' means I and when you complete the inhalation and
exhalations, feel that 'So' namely, the Lord, and 'ham', namely, 'I' i.e., (you) are One.
Later, after long practice, the idea of He and I as two separate entities will disappear
and there will be no more So and ham. Those sounds will be reduced to O and M, that is
to say, it will be Om or the Pranava. Repeat that sound afterwards with every breath
and that will save you from bondage to birth and death, for it is the Pranavopaasana
(contemplation on Pranava) recommended in the Vedhas.

Do not pay more attention to the outside world than necessary; but, concentrate more
on the inner springs of joy. In a car, the wheels that are underneath are the outer
wheels; pay more attention to the wheel inside; the wheel that guides and turns the
outer wheels! The driver of the car is inside; you, too, must care more for the inner
motivator. If you are master of your feelings and impulses, you can be anywhere,
engaged in any profession. You will have peace.

Discourse 32 (Malleswaram, 23/5/1965)

If you see yourself as really the undefeatable Aathma and others as reOlections of
yourself, as the Shaastras declare them to be, then there can be no provocation to get
krodha or anger. What you must resolve upon for the New Year is to manifest your
reality, more and more; that is to say, to reveal your Divinity more and more.

Karma is the seed out of which the individual emanates; the jeevi feels separate and
limited, on account of the illusion created by karma or activity. As the karma, so the
consequence.

Whatever else you may or may not do, do at least this: know the Lord that resides in
you. Recognise Him, let Him manifest Himself in and through you. This is what
Vaaranasi Subrahmanya Shastri meant when he spoke of punya and dharma---good
deeds and right conduct.

Fundamentally, the fault lies in not understanding that this body and all things
connected with it are not permanent. When Bharthrhari the King was lamenting the
death of his queen, and weeping over her grace, an old man appeared before him in
great distress, weeping as loud as the King himself. His tragedy was that a mud pot he
had with him for long had broken. Bharthrhari told him that there was no use weeping
over a broken pot; no quantity of tears would ever make it whole. The old man, who
was no other than his Chief Minister, said that a person who believed that weeping
could bring the dead back to life had no right to tell him that his pot would not be made
whole again. This drove some sense into the King's head and he became sane again!
When you weep for the dead you are only announcing your colossal ignorance.

Page 130 of 268

Though in principle all is Brahmam, in dealing with them in the Vyaavahaarik stage
(day-to-day activity), you cannot follow the adhwaithic line. There should be Bhaava-
adhwaitha, not Karma- adhwaitha, that is to say, the underlying faith should be in the
Unity of all, though the outer activity may be different for different entities. The activity
must not leave any scar on the faith in Unity. There is no scar on the sky, though clouds
and stars, the sun and moon, all appear to steak across it. So too, let a thousand ideas
steak across the mind; but, let it remain unaffected and serene.

Discourse 33 (Prashanti NIlayam, 19/4/1965)

Raama was wakening Bharatha from the sleep of ignorance; the poor fellow was
overcome by his own grief, as if the father, mother, brothers, kingdom, power and
position--- these mattered, as if they were real, eternal. Raama reminded him that they
are all but instruments one must utilise for the exercise of dharma.

In spiritual matters, faith is the very essence. Doubt shakes the foundations of
saadhana and is therefore, to be avoided. Have faith in the wisdom of the ancients; do
not pitch your tiny little brain against the intuitions of the saints and their discoveries.

In the Vivekachuudaamani, Shankara says, "If the Nikshepa or Treasure that is

embedded in the bowels of the earth must be brought up, mere calling it up by name
will not help. You must know exactly where it is, through the advice of experts; you
have to excavate the spot; you have to move away rock and stone and sand that come in
the way; you have to grasp it and heave it up to the ground". So, too, the reality of the
"self" has to be Oirst learnt by means of instruction from a knower of Brahman; then the
processes of manana, dhyaana, nididhyaasana (refelction, meditation and
concentration) have to be gone through; Oinally when, in a Olash, the Truth is revealed,
the Self must be Oirmly established in the Aananda of that moment.

The Brahmasuuthra begins with the statement, Athaatho Brahmajijnaasa---"After this

the consideration of Brahmam". After what? What are the preliminary steps? When
does a person become entitled to participate in the discussion and study of Brahman?
We have two other texts which have to be studied earlier, one which says, "Athaatho
Karma jijnaasa", "after this consideration of Karma, activity", and the next one begins
with, Athaatho Dharma jijnaasa "after this, the consideration of Dharma
(righteousness)". So, man becomes entitled to the knowledge of the Universal Principle
that is the very substance of everything since eternity, only after his mind is puriOied by
karma and dharma.

It is only after you place a morsel on your tongue that you discover whether the salt in
it is enough or whether it has not been salted at all. Pappu (dhal) requires uppu (salt);
that is to say, the boiled dhal must have salt in it for taste. So too, it is only when you
have moved in the world and taken a share in its activities according to a moral code,
you discover that without the salt of jnaana, it does not taste well; take it with a
sprinkling of the salt of jnaana, the knowledge that you are not the body but the
resident of the body, that you are but the witness of the ever- changing panorama of
Nature and you feel happy and peaceful. Slowly, step by step, conOirm yourself in the
thought of the Unity of the World in Brahman. Then, even without praying and
pleading, everything worthwhile will be added unto you.

To dwell in Raama thathwa (Raama principle) constantly, one has to be vigilant about
food and drink consumed by both body and mind. Raama thathwa is essentially
Page 131 of 268

Aananda thatwa. Raama means "He who pleases", "He who Oills with Aananda", "He
who is the spring of Aananda in every heart." So, when you repeat Raama naama, you
are but touching the very source of Aananda, the Aathmaa-Raama (God as self). Just as
you have come by various routes from various villages and towns, all persons have to
reach that Source for, there alone can they get the Aananda without which there is no
peace.

Out of the long churning of this milk of the world comes butter,
and this butter is God. Men of heart get the butter and the buttermilk is left for the
intellectuals.

Discourse 34 (Prashanti Nilayam, Guru Poornima, 13/7/1965)

Man is a mixture of two strands of the same substance, maaya and Maadhava, moha
and Raama, deha and dehi, jada and chith, sareeram and sareeri, jeeva and Brahmam
(Divine illusion and God, delusion and God, body and soul, inert matter and
consciousness, body and the embodied, individual soul and the Supreme Soul). Like the
two circular stones of the grinding mill, the Brahmam one is stable, the Jeeva one is
revolving. The stable is the base; the revolving is the 'dependent'. The Guru is the
Teacher who removes the fundamental ignorance, which hides the knowledge of this
truth from us.

The secret is, discover the fountain of joy within; that is a never-failing, ever-full, ever-
cool fountain, for it rises from God. What is the body? It is but the Aathma encased in
Oive sheaths, the Annamaya (the one composed of food), the Praanamaya (the one
composed of vitality), the Manomaya (the one composed of thought), the Vijnaanamaya
(the one composed of intelligence) and the Aanandamaya (the one composed of bliss).
By a constant contemplation of these sheaths or koshas, the saadhaka attains
discrimination to recede from the outer to the inner and the more real. Thus, step by
step, he abandons one kosha after another and is able to dissolve away all of them, to
achieve the knowledge of his unity with Brahmam.

Discourse 35 (Prashanti Nilayam, 14/7/1965)

Man cannot afford to forget who he is and for what purpose he has come. He must
know the answer to the questions' "Kasthwam, koham, kutha aayaathah?" as Shankara
said. "Who are you, who am I, where am I going, where did I come from, what is the
nature and purpose of all this movement and change, is there any stable base, any goal
or aim, direction or director?"--these questions cannot be brushed aside from the mind
of man. They come to him and harass him, when he is alone with something grand and
awe-inspiring in Nature, or with some incident, terrible and shocking, in his own
experience. It is not wise to forgo these precious moments and turn once again to the
humdrum of life, without pursuing the inquiry to which one is prompted. But, man
forgets: he ignores. He mistakes the unreal to be the real. He is deceived by appearance;
he does not peer behind the veil.
The baby sucks its thumb and derives immense satisfaction and joy therefrom; we
know that it has no taste, no sweetness. But, the baby weeps when the thumb is pulled
out. The sweetness in the thumb was imposed on it, by the baby itself. So too, the
happiness that one derives from the world is not the nature of the world; it is
subjective; it is only the projection, upon the world, of the happiness the Aathma (the
self) is capable of deriving, of which it is the source and goal. The baby imagines the
thumb to be an external object which is providing it with pleasure; but, it is only itself.

Page 132 of 268

One has to practise detachment at every step, or else, greed and miserliness will
overpower the Oiner natures of man. That nature is Divine, because, God is the very
substance of which man is but a name and form. To realise it, one has to possess and
develop the discrimination between the unchanging and the changing, the permanent
and the temporary. Saadhana-Chatushtaya: Nithyaanithya Viveka i.e., knowing that the
Universe is constantly subject to change and modiOication and that Brahman alone is
unmodiOied; Iha amuthra-phala-bhoga-viraaga-- detachment from the pleasures of this
world as well as the pleasures obtainable in Heaven after attaining the conviction that
they are evanescent and fraught with grief; Sama damaadi-shatka sampaththi---
attaining the six desirable qualiOications' the control of external and internal senses
and sensory promptings: fortitude in the midst of grief and pain, of joy and victory;
uparathi--- withdrawal from all activity that brings about consequences that bind;
shraddha---Oirm faith in the Teacher and the Texts that he expounds; samaadhaanam---
even contemplation on the basic Brahmam, without being disturbed by other waves of
thought. Though milk is under formation throughout the body of the cow, you have to
resort to the four teats, in order to get it; so also these four saadhanas or teats have to
be pressed (into service) if spiritual knowledge is to be gained.

This world is 'unreal', in the sense that a dream is unreal. You sleep in the verandah of
the Mandhir (temple) here and you dream you are in Kasi, bathing in the Ganga. You
feel the cool comfort, the holy satisfaction. It is very real at the time. But, when did you
actually go? And how did you transport yourself? The Jnaani (the liberated person),
from his more genuine awareness, asks the same question about the experiences of
your waking state!

Perfect freedom is not given to any man on earth. Lesser the number of wants, the
greater is the freedom. Hence perfect freedom is absolute desirelessness.

Discourse 36 (Prashanti Nilayam, Gokulashtami, 19/8/1965)

Provided your intellect is sharp and free from prejudices and predilections, the Reality
will reveal itself to you in a Olash, for it is quite a simple thing. Only, it must be capable
of seeing the problem in its basic essence, apart from all the jumble of irrelevancies.

The Gopees, however, are a class of devotees by themselves. They reached the highest
peak of devotion. They had no consciousness of anything other than the Lord; they had
renounced the consciousness of the senses and the body. They were attached only to
the Principle of Krishna that was resident in that body. They were eager to know the
"other", not to experience "this". When King Pareekshith asked Sage Shuka, who was
relating to him the wonderful tale of the Gopees and their love towards Krishna, about
the nature of that love, Shuka replied that since they had no body-consciousness they
were always immersed in God-consciousness only; therefore there was no touch of the
gross or material or physical in their love towards the Lord. It is the identiOication with
the body and the slavery to the senses that it breeds that cause all the cruelty, injustice
and violence that stalk the world.

Discourse 37 (Prashanti Nilayam, Dasara, 26/9/1965)

Holy company such as this helps to arouse the desire to know oneself, to know the true
nature of the world around us and to know how best we can discover and experience
the Unity of both, expressed in the Vedhic dictum (Mahaavaakya), Thath-thwam-asi,
"That-thou-art".

Page 133 of 268

The Oinal victory is for those who have faith in the invincible Aathman, Reality. Such
men will have no hate in their hearts; they will only be sad that others are greedy and
envious and their prayers will be for the granting of wisdom, humility and love to their
opponents: "O God, grant them sad-buddhi, discrimination, the power of cool, calm
judgement."

Now, the mind Olutters about and squats on all and sundry objects in the Universe. It
refuses to stay only on one idea, God. Like the Oly that sits on fair and foul, but denies
itself the pleasure of sitting on a hot cinder, the mind too Olees from all thought of God.
The Oly will be destroyed, if it sits on Oire; the mind too is destroyed, when it dwells on
God, for, the mind is but a pattern of desire woven with the warp and woof of the same
material. When Raama enters the mind, kaama has no place therein. Desire ceases,
when God seizes the mind. In fact, since desire is the very stuff of which the mind is
made, it becomes non- existent and you are free. This stage is called, mano-nigraha,
mano-laya or mano-naashana---the death of the mind, the merging of the mind or the
killing of the mind.

Discourse 38 (Prashanti Nilayam, Dasara, 26/9/1965)

The Aarogyanilayam (hospital), whose anniversary we are celebrating today, is

superOluous if the Aanandanilayam (the abode of bliss) is efOiciently utilised by you, for
when the mind is immersed in Aananda, the body will not suffer from illness. The body
is the vehicle which you have to use for attaining the state of bliss and so, it has to be
kept safe and strong for that high purpose. It is an instrument for spiritual effort, which
has been earned by the merit of previous births. Every moment, it is proceeding
towards dissolution and so time should not be wasted in vain pursuits. It is even better
to think of the body as mean and low, rather than raise it to the level of the be-all and
end-all of life. Treat it as a wound, which has to be covered by bandage (clothes),
treated with drugs (food) and washed (drink); you can get rid of this inordinate
attachment, only by that method.

You can get real urge and inspiration to serve others only when you get rid of the
identiOication with the body. When a man suffers from acute stomach pain, his eyes
water. Why? Because, the various organs---eye, stomach, etc.---are all of the same body.
So too, when one man suffers, your eyes must shed tears and you must be urged to
alleviate it. This will happen if you know that you and he are limbs of the self-same
Divine Body. The idea of difference (bheda bhaava), arises on account of the ignorance
of the Truth. When people get angry, they gnash their teeth, but, they take care not to
bite the tongue, for the tongue is theirs; if by chance, the tongue is bit, they do not
knock the teeth out, for the teeth is theirs. So too, the sick man, the poor man, the
suffering man, the illiterate man, the wicked man, are all limbs of the same body, of
which we too are parts. The same current activates all. To realise this and to merge in
that Unity is the purpose of this life in the human body. For this consummation, the
seeds of vishaya vaasana (attachment to sense-objects) have to be scrupulously got rid
of. A Oield may look barren and dead; but the Oirst shower of rain will convert it into a
green carpet; the seeds of grass in the soil sprout at the touch of dampness. So too, at
the Oirst contact with temptation, the vishaya vaasana of people sprouts and prevents
the growth of spiritual discipline.

To visualise the Lord as resident in all and as responsible for everything (for He is the
Director of the Play) is the hall-mark of devotion.

Page 134 of 268

Reality can be grasped in a Olash of illumination, as happened to Emperor Janaka. One

evening, Janaka was in his Durbar Hall, surrounded by his courtiers and a bevy of
female musicians; they sang sweet melodies and the Emperor enjoyed the music so
well he slept off, while on the throne. No one had the temerity to awaken him', they all
quietly slipped into the inner apartments, lest their talk and movements should disturb
him. He was left alone with an attendant and the queen. At about midnight, he
screamed pitiably and awoke at the sound. His queen ran towards him; the Emperor
asked her, "Is that real? Or is this real?" She could not Oind an answer to this question,
for how could she know which was 'that' and which was 'this'? The Emperor asked
every one the same question; in fact, he spoke no other word. That question was
continuously on his lips. News spread that Janaka had gone mad; there was mourning
everywhere. A sage who heard of this came to the palace and was brought to the
Imperial Presence. He assured Janaka that he will answer his question provided he told
him what he saw in his dream, while sleeping on the throne and why he screamed so.
Janaka had a dream. He dreamt that rival kings joined forces and invaded his dominion
and captured his capital and that to save himself from them he ran into a forest. Fleeing
from his foes, he had no food for days together. He was too exhausted to move. But,
hunger dragged him on. When he came to the outskirts of a tribal village, he saw a man
washing his plate after taking food; he shouted to him asking for a few particles. The
man gave him a small morsel, but, as bad luck would have it, a crow Olew in at that
moment and snatched it away! That was the reason why he screamed in agony.
That was why he asked, "Is that real? Or, is this real?" The hunger was as real as the
throne; ruling over the Empire is as real as the loss of empire was, in the dream. The
sage told him, "That is unreal; this too is unreal. That was a swapna (dream-state) this
is jaagrath (waking- state)---both are mithya (illusory); not false, because they are
relatively real, though not absolutely real; they have temporary reality, a reality that is
negatived by subsequent investigation and experience. But, you dreamed, you woke,
you screamed, you asked; therefore, you existed during both stages; so you alone are
real. The 'I' that persists in all the three stages waking, dream, deep sleep--- that 'I' is
the only reality: it is the 'I' that appears as all this manifested Universe."

In the sathya, there is no mithya; but, in the mithya jagath (illusive world) you have to
search for sathya (truth) and experience it. You can do it if you rid your mind of all
modiOications and modulations. Let it be transformed from its present complex
confusion into something like the sky, which does not bear any mark though millions of
birds Oly through it and thousands of planes move across it. Be unaffected, untouched,
unattached. That is the spiritual discipline which will reveal the Reality, and which will
ensure both physical and mental equanimity.

Discourse 39 (Prashanti Nilayam, Dasara, 27/9/1965)

Man must understand that the journey to his own inner realm and the discovery of its
treasures are far more important than these engineering feats. That inner journey
spreads love; this outer journey infects continents with fear.

!
!

Discovering that there is nothing the matter with one, is the illumination one gets, with
the dawn of spiritual knowledge. Just as there are four stages in the life of everyone---
boyhood, youth, middle age and old age--- there are four stages in his acquisition of
jnaana (knowledge of Supreme Being), contemporaneous with these stages. Jnaana is
the ripeness of the fruit; which is the consummation of a long process, from the Oirst
appearance of the Olower in the tree. The Oirst stage is the apprentice stage: being
Page 135 of 268

trained by parents, teachers, elders; being led, guided, regulated, warned, reprimanded.
The second stage is the junior craftsman stage: eager to establish happiness and justice
in society, eager to know the world and its worth and values. The third is the craftsman
stage: pouring out energies to reform, reconstruct, remake the human community. The
fourth stage is the master stage' realisation that the world is beyond redemption by
human effort, that one can at best save oneself by trying to reform the world, that it is
all His Will, His Handiwork, His World, Himself.

Along with this dawn of jnaana, there must also dawn the will to direct all activity in
the light of that vision. When you realise that He is the innermost Reality of all, you can
worship one another, with as much fervour as you now employ when you worship an
idol. But, since the worship of an idol is more feasible, this is recommended; but the
attitude must be that He who is in the idol is also equally found in all. Have the sense of
equality feeding all your activity, but do not make all your acts equal with all, and for
all.

When the mind of man is unattached to the ups and downs of life, but is able to
maintain equanimity under all circumstances, then even physical health can be
assured. The mental Oirmament must be like the sky, which bears no mark of the
passage through it of birds or planes or clouds. Illness is caused more by malnutrition
of the mind than of the body. Doctors speak of vitamin deOiciency; I will call it the
deOiciency of Vitamin G, and I will recommend the repetition of the Name of God, with
accompanying contemplation of the glory and grace of God. That is the Vitamin G. That
is the medicine; regulated life and habits are two-thirds of the treatment, while the
medicine is just one-third only.

Discourse 40 (Prashanti Nilayam, 28/9/1965)

The mind has to be brought under your grip; then, the servants will fawn at your feet.
The mind is the monarch; the senses or indriyas are the soldiers; the soldiers are now
ruling the king, because he lends his ears to them and not to buddhi (intellect), who is
the Prime Minister. Let buddhi take charge; in a moment, the senses will be forced back
into camp and the mind can save itself. The Aathma is the Sun in the Oirmament of the
Heart. Now, the light of the Sun is obstructed by the thick clouds of vishaya-vaasana
(desire for sense objects and objective pleasure); let the strong wind of paschaath-
thaapa (repentance and resolution) scatter the clouds, so that the Aathma may shine
forth brilliantly.

The truth of Thath-thwam-asi must lead to Bhaava Adwaitham (nonduality of self), not
Karma Adwaitham (duality of action), for, when you come down into the Oield of karma,
duality is inevitable.

Saguna and Nirguna (with Form and Formless) aspects of God create the same doubt in
the minds of saadhak, whether they can both be true. It is like hardened ghee and
liquid ghee. Ice and water are the same; water takes the form of the vessel which
contains it. It is formless. But, yet, there is no distinction between ice and water. In
saadhana, the saguna worship and the nirguna meditation are like the right and left
feet for the journey. During the saguna worship, the basic nirguna aspect of God has to
be sustaining the mind; no description can exhaust the Glory, no word can approximate
the Majesty. During the nirguna meditation, the faith that God does not diminish His
Glory or Majesty by being with Form, attributes and name must be the sustaining force.
The Oinal step, however, must be the right foot, considered auspicious, the nirguna step.
Page 136 of 268

The jeeva (individual soul) is destined to lose its separate Name and Form and merge
in the formless and the nameless. All must Oind their ultimate destiny in the nirguna.
But, there are some who say that since the jeeva is caught up in birth and death, it can
never attain the merger with the Eternal; it has to be eternally separate and distinct.
The jeeva is born in sin, immersed in sin, revelling in sin and so it can at best be
granted only admission to the presence of the Lord. A person who held this opinion
once went to a village and gave a discourse on the impossibility of man attaining
merger with the Absolute and the Universal. One adwaithin (non-dualist) who was in
the audience got up and said, this declaration is being made by even the most illiterate
ryot here; why, our washerman will make it. He called the washerman in and asked him
"Who are you, tell me, truly." The fellow got frightened at this sudden invitation to
announce his nature. He said, "I am a low mean sinner." Turning to the Pandit on the
platform, the adwaithin said, "If you can tell us something more than what this
washerman can tell us, then, speak on." Man must strive to break the bonds, to cleanse
the sin, to regain lost glory, to attain to the highest majesty. That is the goal worth
striving for, with all the equipment he is provided with.

God is Truth, Truth is Goodness, Goodness is beauty. Truth, Goodness, Beauty, Sathyam,
Shivam, Sundaram is yourself. Be yourself.

Discourse 41 (Prashanti Nilayam, Dasara, 29/9/1965)

The potter takes clay and makes pots and pans; they are mrnmaya---of the earth,
earthy. The potter, Brahma, makes men; they are chinmaya---of the nature of Aananda,
Sath and Chith--- absolute bliss, existence, consciousness. Note the difference and
shape your activity accordingly. Act in accordance with what you profess to be; that is
the real Dharma.

Man's dharma is to cultivate his faculties for the great adventure of realising his
oneness with the basic substance of the Universe, a substance that is attributeless, but,
yet is mistaken to have attributes like names and forms and functions. This is declared
in the Mahaavaakyas (Vedhic Dicta) enshrined in the Vedhas and elaborated in the
Upanishads. To get the mind and the intelligence Oixed in that oneness, man must
meditate on them in silence and solitude, under the guidance of a Guru.

Practising meditation in silence and solitude, one can in due course establish silence
and solitude in the heart, even in the busiest thoroughfares. Now, the puja room or
domestic shrines are invariably found next to the kitchen; there, the smells of cooking
attack the nostrils, the sounds of frying and boiling attack the ear, the mind is
distracted by voices and noises. How can concentration grow in such an atmosphere?
Silence has to be started with oneself; that is to say, one must talk less, and think more
deliberately, more discriminatingly. One must try to empty the mind of impulses and
prejudices and preferences. Thus, man must strive to reach down to his real nature or
dharma, which is Divine, Dharmaswaruupa (righteousness personiOied). This sahaja-
swabhaava (innate nature) is to be found in children; at that stage man is untouched by
the pulls and stresses of the senses. So, he revels in his own reality, that is, in joy, in
shaanthi and in prema. Make that stage steady, so that you may lead a dharmic life.
That is the swadharma of Man. This,dharma saves those who rely on it.

To discover one's reality and to dwell in that Divine peace, one need not give up the
world and take to asceticism. There was a guru who advised one seeker to go to the
Page 137 of 268

forests and live there. "Go," he said. "How can you have peace in the market-square?" To
another seeker, he said, "Stay where you are". The two seekers, later met and compared
notes. "How is it that he gave such contradictory advice? Perhaps, we did not hear him
correctly", they said and returned to him; but, he said, that his advice was based on the
attainments of each of them and what was best for each. Detachment is the crucial gain;
one cultivates it either in the jungle or at home.

There is no one higher than a bhaktha whose mind is Oixed in the Truth. He is more
than an emperor.

Discourse 42 (Prashanti Nilayam, Dasara, 30/9/1965)

As Ramana Maharishi used to tell every one who went to him, "Know who you are".
When asked, "Who are you?" you invariably give the name that some one Oixed on you
as a label. But, who are you, really? Have you tried to know that correctly and well?

There are some who write and speak as if they have known Me, all that is to be known
of Me. Well; I can only say this' they can never know Me and My nature, even if they are
born and reborn a thousand times. To know Me one has to be like Me, rise to this
height. Can ants discover the depth of the Ocean?

Establish the status of the mother in the home, as the upholder of spiritual ideals, and,
therefore, the Guru of the children. Every mother must share in this effort the
expansion and steady manifestations of the God-Consciousness latent in every child.

Discourse 43 (Prashanti Nilayam, Dasara, 1/10/1965)

All the scriptures that are revered in all lands and climes proclaim that love alone
prevails, detachment alone is the lasting wealth, unity alone is the truth, God alone is
the goal.

Ice and water are but one in two names and forms; hard ghee and liquid ghee are one
and the same; so too, the Nirguna (Formless) and the Saguna (with Form) aspects are
both the same Godhead. But, yet, man uses this simple problem for perpetual
argumentation and dispute.

Even about Me, there are some who have had a glimpse of the Truth; there are others
who have not been able to achieve even that. But, My prema is showered equally on all;
I do not reveal or refuse; it is for you to discover and decide, derive divine bliss by
diving into the depths. How can an ant calculate the depth of the sea? How can a man
on the ground describe the features of the pilot of a plane in the sky? Unless you rise to
the heights, by following certain disciplines, you cannot experience Godhead. Once you
do that, all judgements, all disputations and even sense of victory, disappear.

People may laugh at you for going on pilgrimages or coming to Puttaparthi, especially if
you are young and have no problems of illness or no crisis in fortune. They cannot
appreciate the urge for liberation or for everlasting joy; they cannot sympathise with
those who long to answer the call of the vast magniOicence that surrounds them. They
try to scotch the beginnings of spiritual yearning in children, not knowing that they will
grow into a strong armour for them in future years. They are afraid their children may
become monks in later life and leave their homes. So they try to plunge them deeper
into pleasures, so that by developing their own type of madness they may be cured of
divine madness!
Page 138 of 268

Above all, insist on the senses obeying you, when you command them to desist from
dragging you. Or else, you are like a horse without a bit in the mouth, a car without a
brake. With the senses under control, your intelligence will become clear to reOlect the
Glory of God that pervades the Universe. That is the teaching of the Vedhas and of
Vedhaantha.

A man or an institution is to be judged by his its integrity, whether acts are according to
the principles professed The mind, the body, the word all three must work in unison.
By such disciplined karma the senses will be sublimated and prashaanthi won; then,
out of this prashaanthi will arise prakaanthi or the great light, and from that will
emerge Param-jyothi, the suprasplendour of illumination. That illumination will reveal
Param-aathma, the Oversoul, the Universal.

Discourse 44 (Prashanti Nilayam, Dasara, 2/10/1965)

The body is the temple of God; He is resident in the heart; buddhi (intelligence) is the
lamp lit in that altar; now, every gust of wind that blows through the windows of the
senses affects the Olame of the lamp and dulls its light, threatening even to put it out. So,
close the windows; do not keep them open for dire attraction from objects. Keep
buddhi sharp, so that it may cut the mind like a diamond and convert it into a blaze of
light, instead of being a dull pebble. Discrimination, (Nithyaanithyavasthu viveka), is an
important instrument of spiritual progress. The reasoning faculty must be employed to
distinguish between the limited and the unlimited, the temporary and the Eternal. That
is its legitimate use. Shankaraachaarya names his work on the principles of Adhwaitha
as "Viveka-chudaamani", for, he wanted to emphasise the value of Viveka for the
realisation of the evanescence of life and the Oneness of the Universe.

Attachment, affection, interest---these will create prejudice, partiality, illusion; they

hide the Truth; they dull the intelligence. Raaga is roga (attachment is a disease), so far
as the enquirer is concerned. One does not become a yogi to have raaga (affection); he
must be free from favourites, fancies and fondness. Once you attach yourself to some
person or habit or mannerism, it will be difOicult for you to shake them off.

Discourse 45 (Prashanti Nilayam, Dasara, 3/10/1965)

Naamasmarana saved Prahlaadha from the agony of torture. He was a Raakshasa boy,
but, somehow, he learnt the sacred name and knew how sweet it was. He repeated it
and imbibed its nectarine taste. Even when the enraged elephant rushed towards him,
he did not cry out, "O Father", or "O Mother", to persuade his physical parents to rescue
him; he had no consciousness of their existence at all; he called on Naaraayana and no
one else.

If your thoughts centre round the body, you will have worries about pains and illnesses,
real or imaginary; if they are centred on riches, you will be worried about proOit and
loss, tax and exemptions, investment and insolvency; if they roam round fame, then,
you are bound to suffer from the ups and downs of scandal, calumny and jealousy. So,
let them centre round the seat of power and love which deserve willing submission and
let your whole being surrender to it. Then, you will be happy for ever. For the sages of
the Vedhic culture, the rishis, the Name of the Lord was the very breath; they lived on
the sustenance, which contemplation of the glory, inherent in it, provided.

Page 139 of 268

Discourse 46 (Prashanti Nilayam, Dasara, 4/10/1965)

Raamakrishna Rao spoke of the work being done by the Prashaanthi

Vidwanmahaasabha in propagating the teachings of the Vedhas and Shaastras among
the people and arousing in them the Aathma-consciousness, which is the greatest
single factor enabling men to have courage and conOidence in the midst of the travails
of life. The discourses of the Pandits during the session of the Vidwanmahaasabha are
only reminders; they have to kindle the thought-process (vichaarana shakthi), in the
listeners; then only can they can be considered beneOicial.

In fact, the truth regarding God, man, nature, etc., is so simple that a few minutes of
quiet contemplation can reveal it to any one of ordinary intelligence. Everyone will
admit that anything which undergoes change cannot be truth. Truth must remain as
truth, in the past, present and future. Now the world and all objects of nature are
constantly being subjected to change---building up or breaking down, evolving or
mutating, Olowing or festering, growing or dying. How then can it be true? The
subjective feelings, attitudes, impulses, beliefs instincts, intuitions---these too are
changing; they are pleasant one moment, unpleasant the next moment; the same thing
is welcome at one time, repulsive at another time; malaria makes sweet things turn
bitter; jaundice turns all things yellow. So, there must be something stable and
permanent and eternal as the background, the base, the foundation, for this changing
scene to appear on. Appearance is untrue; reality is eternal.

Again, a few minutes of investigation will convince any one that he is not the body
which he carries about with him, as the snail carries its home; he is not the eye or ear
or tongue; he is not the mind or intelligence for, he refers to them as "my mind is not in
it" etc., meaning that he is separate from his mind; "my intelligence failed me", meaning
that he is different from his intelligence. He is a witness; it is the body that dies; he
survives; he is reborn when he takes on a new body. Physical beauty is just a matter of
health; a couple of days of fever or purging makes an angel a scarecrow. Insanity
pounces upon a genius some day and reduces his talk to unintelligent blabber. When
the mind is deranged, the eyes see strange sights that are not there; the ears hear eerie
noises that never were. It is only when man discovers the ultimate unchanging base
that he can derive permanent peace; until then, he too will have to swing and sway in
the changing world, between joy and grief.

Like Vivekaananda and Naagamahaashaya, people must be urged by the thirst to know
the Creator behind Creation, the person behind the puppets. Naagamahaashaya started
from the attitude of Daasoham (I am the servant), and he made himself so small by
shrinking his individuality that he was able to wriggle out of the shackles of delusion
and escape into the Universal Eternal Truth. Vivekaananda, on the other hand, started
from the attitude of Soham (I am He); he made himself so vast and grand, that he broke
the shackles and merged with the Supreme Sovereign Truth. When you have earned
that jnaana of the identity of your reality with the reality behind the Universe, Maaya
(illusion) cannot affect you. The Oly sits on all objects, fair and foul; but, it does not sit
on Oire, for, it will be scorched to death.

There are many who have stacked libraries in their brains; who have visited and
venerated all the holy places between the Himaalayas and the Cape; who have sat at the
feet of every one of the contemporary sages and saints; who have performed all the
rites prescribed in the sacred texts, but, who do not know the answer to the simple
question: "How to bring about the union between jeeva and Brahmam, the individual
Page 140 of 268

and the Universal?" Or rather, they do not set about the practice of what they have
heard or learnt.

The erection of temples, the installation of images or idols, the pomp and show,
Oireworks and fanfare, processions and pedantries---these are helpless in the realm of
jnaana.

When a seeker went to a Guru for some Upadesh (instruction), he inquired what he had
read so far; when the man said. "I have read the Sundarakaanda of the Raamaayana, the
Bhagavad Geetha, and the Yogavasishta", the Guru said, "Why then do you want
upadesh from me? If Sri Krishna speaking through the Geetha has not succeeded in
creating faith in you, what can poor I do?" and sent him off. When a man has known
that he has no desh (native land), why should he crave for upadesh? Man does not
belong to anywhere except to God. That is the desh. Journey to His desh or his native
land, is his mission in life.

The best upadesh (spiritual instruction) is the Pranava, the sacred syllable OM, which
summarises many principles of theology, philosophy and mysticism. Little children just
learning to toddle about are given a three-wheeled contraption which they push
forward, holding on to the cross-bar. The OM is such a 'vehicle' for the spiritual child.
The three wheels are a, u and m, the three components of the manthra. OM is the
primal sound inherent in the lifebreath. Every time we breathe, we say Soham; 'so'
when we inhale and 'ham' when we exhale, meaning "He-I", instilling into ourselves the
conviction that "He" who is all this external world, is "I" who is all this internal world,
the convinction of Unity. During deep sleep, when the senses, the brain and the mind
are dormant and defunctionalised, the "He" and the "I" are not cognised as separate;
the So (He) and the ham (I) both fade and the sound Soham is transformed into OM,
indicating the merger of the external with the internal into one Truth. OM has also
many other signiOicances and the meditation on the OM is a valuable saadhana for the
seeker of reality. It is like the seven colours of the sun's ray merging into one colourless
(white) brilliance.

The best saadhana is to discover your Aathmic reality and to recognise your kinship in
the Aathmic fold with all others.

Praise and blame are but twists of verbiage, the magic of words in the clever hands of
Olatterers or traducers. Treat both with a grand indifference; then, your real worth will
become patent.

Discourse 47 (Prashanti Nilayam, Dasara, 5/10/1965)

A person may appear strictly orthodox, but his heart may be Oilled with the poison of
hatred and envy. Has he realised that God is the God of all, that He is present in every
being---Sahasraseersha-sahas-raaksha-sahasrapaad---(thousand-headed, thousand-
eyed, thousand-legged), as He is? This Vedhic description means that God is
Omnipresent, not that He has just a thousand heads only. In that case, He should have
had two thousand eyes and two thousand legs, at the rate of two per head. The
statement is not as mathematical as all that; it is intended to convey the truth of God
being immanent and transcendent at the same time. God is the unseen ever-present
immanent energy in all things; this has to be realised by every aspirant, or else, his
aspiration can never be fulOilled. Reasoning by itself will lead one to this conclusion of
the unity of all matter and of all energy.
Page 141 of 268

Discourse 48 (Prashanti Nilaya, Dasara, 6/10/1965)

External nature can be inhibited, negatived; it ceases at a certain stage of saadhana,

though no one can say when it began. It ,has no basic reality, though it has validity up to
a certain stage. So, it cannot be dismissed from attention; nor can it be accepted as
eternally valid. So it is neither true (sathya) nor false (asathya); hence, it is called
mithya, something that is partly true (sath) and partly false (asath).

Vishwaamithra was upset that, inspite of years of asceticism, his great rival, Vasishta,
addressed him only as Raajarishi, and not by the coveted appellation, Brahmarishi; so,
he crouched stealthily behind the seat of Vasishta one moonlight night, when he was
teaching a group of disciples, determined to kill him with the sharp sword he had taken
with him. He sat unseen amidst the bushes for a moment to listen to what Vasishta was
telling them. What was his surprise when he heard Vasishta describing the charming
moonlight and comparing it to the heart of Vishwaamithra, cool, bright, curative,
heavenly, universal, all-pleasing! The sword fell from his grasp. He ran forward and
prostrating at the feet of his rival, he held the feet. Vasishta recognised Vishwaamithra
and accosting him, "O Brahmarishi, rise up", he lifted him on to his own seat. Vasishta
explained that be could not be styled Brahmarishi, so long as the ego persisted in him.
When the swelling of the head disappeared and he fell at the feet of his rival, he became
entitled for the honour he no longer coveted, and so deserved.

Do not contemplate on death; it is just an incident in life. Contemplate on God, who is

the master of all life; beware of Him all through life.

Discourse 49 (Prashanti Nilayam, Deepavali, 24/10/1965)

Earthly domain, earthly riches are powerless before spiritual domain over the senses,
spiritual riches of self-knowledge and self-conOidence. Man goes out into space with his
rockets and space ships and sputniks, only to acquire superior striking power over his
rivals on earth. Man must know the Universe as basically Brahmam and so as
fundamentally knowledge and love and peace. He and the Universe are one; they are
subsumed in the same unique entity. The cosmic vision can be acquired either by
watching the Universe or one's own inner Cosmos. Man has only to discover himself. In
the citadel of the body, there is the lotus temple of the heart, with subtle aakaasha
(space) within. In it are contained heaven and earth, Oire and air, sun and moon, stars
and planets---all that is in the visible world and all that sustains it and all into which it
submerges. Instead of rotating round the earth in the higher realms of space and
planning to land on the moon or Mars, if only man plans and prepares himself to travel
into his own inner realm, what sublime joy and peace he can attain! His attainments at
present in the vast silence of outer space are all prompted by fear and spread only
further fear.

Truth is one's real nature and when you are yourself, there comes a great Olood of joy
welling up within you.

Devotion and faith ensure the gift of knowledge of the Spirit---the great prize for the
great adventure of birth, life and death. When the mind weds pravrithi (worldly
activity), the progeny is bondage; when it weds nivrithi (spiritual renunciation), the
progeny is freedom.

Page 142 of 268

Discourse 50 (Prashanti Nilayam, Deepavali, 25/10/1965)

Bhakthi cannot come into man from outside him; it has to be grown from within by an
effort to cleanse the mind, to know the nature and origin of man and the universe, to
grasp the relation of man with all the external objects which now fascinate and foil him.
Janaka was such an indefatigable enquirer. Though the ruler of a vast kingdom, he held
court mostly to be in the midst of scholars and sages and learn from their discussions
the many facets of Truth. He confronted every scholar who came to him with the
question, (which he put to Yaajnavalkya, for instance), "With what object have you
come? Desiring some cattle, or, some questions for subtle decisions?" And, most of
them answered like Yaajnavalkya, "Both, indeed O Emperor. The Brihadaaranya
Upanishad devotes many sections to these discussions in Janaka's court and to the part
played by Yaajnavalkya in clarifying many philosophical issues by his mastery of
spiritual science, in theory as well as practice. Once Janaka performed a sacriOice
during which he gave away a large number of gifts. He had set apart a thousand cows,
with gold jewels on the horns and hooves, as a special prize for the person acclaimed
by the assembly of scholars as the most learned, the greatest scholar in the science of
Brahmam. As soon as he came to know of this, Yaajnavalkya who was singularly
conscious of his unbeatable scholarship, asked his pupil, "Drive these cows home, my
son". The Brahmins were enraged at this impudence and they challenged him to
answer the questions they showered on him, in order to justify his driving away the
cows. The priest in charge of the sacriOice asked him about the effects of Yajna.
Questions were asked about the sense organs and objects and the relationship between
them; some scholars like Bhujyu tried to puzzle him and overpower him by suggesting
a superhuman source for knowledge. Others moved on to the subject of the Aathma, as
Sarvaantharyaamin. The most formidable of the intelocutors was a woman, Gaargi who
had a plentiful sheaf of arrows to let go at Yaajnavalkya. At last she rose from her seat
and declared: "I shall now ask him two questions. If he answers those two satisfactorily,
then none of us can ever defeat him in expounding Brahmam. "What is it that pervades
like the warp and the woof, that which is above heaven and below the earth, that which
is heaven and earth, and between them both, that which was, is and will be?" Gargi
asked and Yaajnavalkya answered, "Aakaasha". Gaargi appreciated the answer. Then,
she asked again, "What pervades the Aaakaasha as warp and woof?" And Yaajnavalkya
replied, "It is the Akshara, neither sthula nor anu, neither short nor long, neither air
nor ether, without eyes or ears, with neither exterior nor interior. It is never seen, but it
is the Seer; it is never thought, but it is the Thinker; it is never known, but, it is the
Knower." And, Gaargi accepted that he was supreme and undefeatable. Janaka grew
wise as a result of such deliberations and discussions in his court.

While in my previous body, I told Naanaasaheb that I am in ants, insects and animals,
besides all men. When a dog ate off offerings intended for Baba, it was declared to have
reached Baba, for he had eaten it in that form: "Naanaa says he is giving me food; but
when I go in the form of a dog he drives me off'.

TO believe that God is manifest only in one place or location, and to journey thither is a
superstition much to be deplored. He is everywhere, in everyone, at all times. He is the
energy that Oilled space and time and he is the energy that manifests as causation.

Discourse 51 (Hindupur, Rotary Club, 4/11/1965)

The science of mind-control called Yoga has been developed here, since ancient times,
and thousands in every age have practised it with success, until they have achieved its
Page 143 of 268

fruit, self-realisation. One result of this self- realisation has been the recognition of
every one else as but the reOlection of oneself---the true basis of the Unity of mankind.

The lesson that Sanaathana Dharma has been holding forth is "the unity of all created
beings, of all sections of the human community, in One Cosmic Body which is
God." (Ishaavaasyamidham Sarvam, Vaasudevassarvamidam) , The query, "Who
belongs to whom?" is alien to Indian thought. Each belongs to all, all belong to ONE---
this has been the daily diet of India since the beginning of Time.

I Oind that you use the word 'Antharjatheeya' for indicating that there is an inter-
national body. Anthar or Inter shows that yours is an inter-connection, an anthar or
inner link, a wire that supplies current to all, an inner motivator which operates and
oversees every part or limb, not only in the body---the dwelling place of the
individual---but in the world which is the temple of God. The Lord has declared in the
Geetha that He is Sarvabhuutha-antharaathma---"the Inner Reality of all beings." Try to
be ever in the awareness of this Unity in God; this is the one truth that has to be seen,
experienced and announced; this is the soundest basis for individual and social life.
This will serve as an unshakable foundation for your international outlook.

I asked your president what the ideal of Rotary International was and he told me that it
was, in one word, paropakaaram---"Doing good to others." For this ideal, India is a very
congenial country, since you will Oind willing co-operation from the people and
plentiful opportunities for exercising the talent, the skill and the urge for doing good to
others and helping others. But I would like to remind you that there are no para
(others) to receive the upakaaram (favour) from you; the 'para' persons are your own.
your very selves. All are waves heaving and falling, rolling and receding, on the ocean of
which they are integral parts. Therefore, who can help whom? Who does whom a
favour? Whose is the helping hand? All help is to oneself, from oneself. The pain that
another suffers from, which you seek to assuage, is really your own pain; when you
stop his pain, it is your pain that stops. Service can be effective only when the feelings
of 'I' and 'Mine' give place to 'God' and 'God's'. It is only when your attention is
monopolised by the body and its needs, that egoism will grow in strength. When you
direct your attention to the Anthar- aathma (Inner-self) which is God, then, you Oind
the same God in all and a Olood of reverence Oills you and fertilises every act of yours.
Saadhana is needed for redirecting the attention from the deha to the dehi---body to
the soul.

All beings are as Olowers that bloom and fade before the day is over; but, like this
garland you offered Me when I came amidst you, they are strung on one eternal
indestructible thread, the Suuthra that is called Brahmam. Establish this Bhaava-
adwaitham (non-dual attitude) in your mind; it will render your service more
enjoyable, more fruitful, more sweet and pleasant to the recipient. Without that
attitude, paropakaaram becomes help, doled out to lesser men and poorer folk, by
superior persons. All such help will be suspected and resented; it is contaminated at
the source as well as at destination. Of course, one should not treat all equally, have the
same prescription for all. Serve each according to the speciOic need and capacity to
beneOit by the help. The Antharaathma is the same in all, but, you should not give a
knife into the hands of a mad man, or a gold necklace to a child. The child will cast it
away; the man may gash some one's throat.

Shaanthi comes from within; contentment is a mental condition. Do not feed the roots
of attachment to worldly comforts more than is absolutely necessary. They lead only to
Page 144 of 268

anxiety and fear; they can never satisfy the innermost craving of man. Lead them into
the path of devotion and dedication; for them that will be the path of contentment and
joy. Emphasise the universal Aathma thathwam---essential nature of the Self;
encourage prayer, meditation, quiet contemplation of the grandeur and glory of God,
reOlected in Nature; repetition of the Name of the Lord; encourage silence and solitude,
for the sake of introspection and contact with the springs of joy inherent in man.

Everything is held together by God's strength. God is present everywhere. You are only
a means through which God is seeing every one in this world. You are only imagining
that you are seeing with your eyes, but you are, in fact, seeing with God's eyes. First
thing to do is to Oind who you are.

Discourse 52 (Hindupur College, 14/11/1965)

But, man needs things much more satisfying, much more essential, than comfort. He
must have faith in himself, so that he may respect himself. This Aathma vishwasa (trust
in the Self) lies at the very root of joy. In India, the education that leads to the
knowledge of the Aathma and faith in the Aathma has been perfected since ages. That
education teaches a proper sense of values; giving the Vishayas (the objective, world),
relative importance for temporary periods, for transient ends and encouraging man to
hold fast to disciplines that confer inner peace. The Aathma thathwa (principle of the
Self) grants Amritha (Immortality). The deha thathwa (principle of the body) is anritha
(invalid), and so, cannot give absolute Bliss. Man is not an improved type of monkey; he
is a child of this Immortal Entity. That is why he refuses to accept that death is his end.
That is why he strives to perpetuate himself for ever. The hunger for escaping death is
strong in man; he does not believe that he is a bubble, that can be pricked out of
existence by chance.

The system of education has to be recast in order to allow the children of this land to
grow up as the seers and sages of this land, to hand over to the sons and daughters of
Bhaarathamaatha the precious heritage, which the world too is anxious to share. The
signiOicance of yajna, dama and thapas (sacriOice, self-control and penance); of sahana,
saadhana, samyama (forbearance, spiritual discipline and sense restraint); of the great
Mahaavaakyas (Vedhic dicta) enshrined in the Vedhas; of the three Yogas---bhakthi,
karma and jnaana---as elaborated in the Geetha; of the Daivi and Asuri (godly and
demonic) natures---all these and many more of the fundamentals of Indian culture
have to be taught to the children in schools and colleges. They must be encouraged to
practise them, for their own as well as for the country's good.

Discourse 53 (Hindupur Municipal High School Diamond Jubilee,

14/11/1965)

The Jubilee which has to be celebrated by every individual is not the Diamond, but, the
"Die- mind", the occasion when through saadhana, the mind is mastered. Modern
civilisation is based on competition in which the interests of the individual precede the
interests of society. Therefore, fear haunts men wherever they turn, fear of poverty, fear
of loss, fear of death and destruction of property. The mind urges the senses to seek
and secure softness, sweetness, fragrance, melody and beauty, not in God whose heart
is soft as butter, whose story is sweet as nectar, whose renown is fragrant as the
jasmine, whose praise is melodious to the ear, whose Form is the embodiment of
perfect beauty, but, in the shoddy contraptions of material things. So, the mind has to
die, so that it may be recast as an instrument for liberation, through fulOilment.
Page 145 of 268

The neglect of the study of the Sanskrit language and literature is denying our students
the spring of wisdom, from which generations have imbibed courage and conOidence to
face life. Consider Oirst things Oirst---that is the message of the Shaastras. The true
culture of India can be experienced only then. Bhaarath is the only country where the
process of exploiting

God is omnipresent; He is immanent in every being in equal measure. So, man must
visualise Him equally in himself and in others. That is to say, he sees only God in all. So,
how can he injure others or fear that he will come to harm through others? This is the
basis of the Indian ideal of Ahimsa. We have such world-transforming truths embedded
in the ancient texts, but having them there or even inside the heads does not help; they
have to be put into practice, steadily and with faith,

You are happy when you have a watch; you are happy when you have a transistor radio
hanging round your neck; the happiness is due to the fact that you have them and that
others have no right over them. The sense of possession, the sense of
'mine' (mamaakara), that is at the root of the joy. The thing by itself is powerless to
evoke joy; for, if the thing itself was the source, every one having it must derive the
same quantity of joy. When a neighbour gets a transistor, you do not feel happy at all;
you might even feel it a nuisance. Analysis will show that all joy is in us, for us and from
us. And it is but a reOlection of the boundless joy that the Aathman is. So, instead of
scattering attention in many directions, man must endeavour to attain that Aathmic joy
while here, with body. The moon that shines in the waters of a million lakes is one; the
shine in the lakes is due to the reOlections; look up and know the truth. Do not be
deluded that inside each lake, there is a distinct moon. The bodies are many but God is
reOlected in every one of them.

Establish contact with that Almighty Power, that Omniscience, that Omnipresent Entity
and all things will be added unto you---power, wisdom, vision, liberation.

Discourse 54 (Prashanti Nilayam, Birthday Festival, 22/11/1965)

In the Principle of the Self (Aathma thathwa), he and you are the same; he and you are
but two waves of the selfsame sea.

The main plank of the programme of saadhana is the overcoming of the ego, the feeling
of "I" and "Mine". That, in a nutshell, is Aathma vidya.

Bhakthi merges in Jnaana and becomes identiOied with it. Bhakthi ripens into Jnaana, so
do not speak of them as different. At one stage, it is called Bhakthi, at a later stage, we
refer it to as Jnaana. Once it is cane, later it is sugar.

Discourse 55 (Prashanti Nilayam, Birthday Festival, 23/11/1965)

The search for truth must become your daily spiritual discipline; every moment must
be used for this primary duty. Truth can reOlect itself in your intelligence only when it is
cleaned by thapas.

The Olag contains the picture of the emblem that is represented in concrete shape in
front of the porch here; it is the summary of the progress of the pilgrim to the throne of
the Lord in the altar of his heart. The pilgrim must traverse and overstep the vast
wastes of worldly desires (kaama) and overcome the thick slushy growths of anger and
Page 146 of 268

hate (krodha) and negotiate the cliffs of hatred and malice (dwesha), so that he might
relax on the green pastures of concord and love (prema). Having thus become master
of his inner foes, he has to rest in the silence of his own heart, as a Yogi, with all the
agitations of his inner realm stilled. That is the meaning of the six-ringed pillar in the
centre of the circle here; the six rings are the six chakras (centres of energy) of yogic
discipline in the central spinal naadi (nerve current) of man.

Fixed in the undisturbed calm of his deepest consciousness, man Oinds that the lotus of
the heart blooms into a thousand petals and then, the Olame of awakening into the truth
lights itself, as Prashaanthi. That moment, the seeker knows that he and all else are
One, that the One is Brahmam. This progress that every one has to make, today or
tomorrow, in this life or in the next, is outlined as a clear picture in the symbol on the
Olag; so, when it Olutters above this Prashaanthi Nilayam, resolve to hoist it on your
heart too.

Discourse 56 (Prashanti Nilayam, Birthday Festival, 23/11/1965)

Every man is engaged in searching for something lost. Life is the chance afforded to him
to recover the peace and the joy that he had lost, when last he was here. If he recovers
them now, he need not come again. But, he loses them through ignorance of their value
and of the means of retaining them. If only he would stay in the consciousness of
Shivoham---"I am Shiva; I am immortal, I am the source and spring of Bliss"---he would
be supremely content; but, instead of this correct evaluation of himself, this recognition
of his innate reality, man goes about weeping at his helplessness, his inadequacy, his
poverty, his evanescence. This is the tragic fate from which man has to be rescued.

Man must demonstrate his superiority over the animal, by conquest over the senses. He
must wriggle out of his animal shackles and assert his "humanity", which is essentially
"divinity". When Emperor Bharthrihari gave up his throne and went into a hermitage in
the forest, the subordinate rulers who were his tributaries laughed at the stupid step
and asked him how he got the idea and what he gained. Bharthrihari replied, "I have
now gained a vaster empire, a richer and more peaceful empire; I gave in exchange a
poor barren torn empire; see what proOit I have made."

You talk of international understanding, but it can come only when the idea of
difference and separateness inherent in the word "nation" disappears and when man
sees the Lord in all men. When a thorn pricks your foot, you get tears in the eye. For,
they are of the same body; so too, when a worm is crushed, your heart must react to its
pain. This must be cultivated as a saadhana and practised until it becomes one's nature.

A parrot taught to utter Raam Raam Raam was caught by a cat and when the cat dug its
teeth into it, it forgot Raam Raam Raam, it screeched like any parrot when it is in great
pain. Raam Raam Raam was forgotten! So too, all talk of the unity of mankind, of the
immanence of God and the pervasiveness of the Divine is forgotten, when self-interest
demurs!

The eye scatters your vision in a hundred directions; the ear drags your mind to many
false melodies; the hands hanker after hundred Olimsy acts. They degrade and demolish
man. Man being divine must have the divine all around him all the time, in order to be
alive; like Oish, he must have the water of divine joy all around him. Instead, he is now
seeking to keep himself alive by artiOicial respiration and borrowed blood. He is himself
Page 147 of 268

Amritha-swaruupa and Aananda-swaruupa (Immortal and Bliss personiOied). So, why

should he strive to get aananda from outside?

Above all, recognise this truth: Sai is in all. When you hate another, you are hating Sai;
when you hate Sai, you are hating yourself. When you inOlict pain on another, remember
that the other is yourself, in another form, with another name.
The proof of the rain is the wetness of the ground. Likewise, the proof of true devotion
is in the peace of mind, that the aspirant has been able to attain, the peace which
protects him against the onslaught of failures, the peace in which he is unrufOled by loss
and dishonour.

Discourse 57 (Prashanti Nilayam, Birthday Festival, 24/11/1965)

An aspirant after spiritual realisation went off into a jungle and was plodding across
the infested region, through the thick undergrowth, when he heard the angry roar of a
lion; he climbed a tree to escape from the beast, but the lion saw him among the
branches and roamed round and round the trunk in terriOic rage. On the tree, he was
attacked by a bear and so, he slid down the roots that descended from one of the
branches of that banyan tree. Luckily, there were two roots hanging from the branch, so
that he could hang on in mid air clinging to them, one in each hand. Just then, he saw
two rats, one white and the other black which were gnawing at the base of the roots,
endangering his life with every bite. While in this perilous state, a honeycomb which
was full of sweet nectar situated on one of the top branches leaked a few drops which
fell his way; so, the unfortunate man put out his tongue to catch a drop so that he may
taste the delicious honey, But, no drop reached his tongue. In despair and terror, he
called on his Guru, "O Guruji come and save me." The Guru who was passing by heard
his appeal. He sped to the rescue; he brought bow and arrows and slew the lion and
bear, frightened off the rats and saved the disciple from the fear of death. Then, he led
the man to his own Aashram and taught him the path of liberation. This is the story of
every one of you. This world is the jungle in which you roam; fear is the lion, which
drives you up the tree of samsaara---worldly activities. Anxiety is the bear that terriOies
you and dogs your steps in samsaara; so, you slide down into attachments and binding
deeds, through the twin roots of hope and despair. The two rats are day and night,
which eat away the span of life. Meanwhile, you try to snatch a little joy from the sweet
drops of egoism and 'mine- feeling'. Finding at last that the drops are trivial and out of
reach, you shout in the agony of the renunciation, calling on the Guru; the Guru
appears, whether from within or without, and saves you from fear and anxiety.

Discourse 58 (Dharmavaram, Zilla Parishad High School Day,

27/11/1965)

Service is best built on the strong foundation of Thath-thwam-asi---That and This are
the same; That is This; This is That. There is no Other; there is only One. Kites Oly high;
but all are lifted and kept high by the same air, the same wind. The kites have no
separate wills. The pots of water in which the Sun is reOlected may be many, but the Sun
is One and unaffected, when the pots break or the water is dried up. All help you give is
therefore help given to yourself; all service is to the Self alone. When another is poor,
you cannot be rich; when another is in distress, you cannot have joy. The same current
runs through and activates all. Isaavaasyam idam sarvam--- all this is God;
Vaasudevassarvam idam---all this is Vaasudeva (God), nothing more, nothing less.

Page 148 of 268

The most reliable source of strength is in you, not in money, or kinsmen, or physical
acumen, but, in yourself, the Aathman. Know it; delve into it; draw sustenance from it;
see it in all; serve it in all.

Vol. 6!
Discourse 1 (Uttarayana Day, 11/1/1966)

A king became insane; he imagined he was a beggar, that he was ill, that he had become
decrepit, and he wept. Now, how is he to realise that he is a king? You have to restore
his reason; that is the only way. So too, the Immortal, Blissful, Invincible imagines
himself to be limited, and little. He blames himself and calls himself a sinner, born in sin
and revelling in sin, praying on his knees to be saved. Of course, if he knows he is
divine, he will never stoop to sin or vice or weakness.

Discourse 2 (Shivaratri Festival, March 1966)

So many thousands of you have come here to the Prashaanthi Nilayam for the festival.
In most homes, guests and relatives are welcomed only when it is known that their stay
will be short. But, here, however often you come, however long you stay, the joy you
derive is undiminished; for, the kinship is not worldly, it is Aathmic. And, Aathmic Bliss
knows no decline or change.

The relationship with the Lord is described as developing from Saalokya (in the
vicinity) to Saameepya (nearness), and from Saameepya to Saaruupya (Form of the
master) and then on to Saayujya (absorption into the Form). You can understand this
clearly, if you take Saalokya to mean, being in the kingdom ruled by the Lord as
monarch, or as a servant in the palace where He dwells. You are under His pari-paalana
(fostering care); you are aware that it is He who sustains you. In the saameepya stage,
you feel you are a personal attendant on the Lord, in His entourage, privileged to be
near Him and to be called upon by Him when occasion arises, for some personal
service. You have neared the principle of Godhead, intellectually; you feel His presence
ever, emotionally--that is Saameepyam. Then, the Saaruupya stage is reached when the
devotee is so near, so kin, that he wears the "royal robes"--a brother, for example, can
wear the same robes. So he has the same ruupa, he has the splendour, the glory that
bespeaks the full blossoming of the Divine that is latent in him. Lastly, when you are the
son, the Heir Apparent, the Kumaara Raaja, you approximate as much as possible to the
Royal Power and so, you can say, "I and My Father are One." That is Saayujya, becoming
One--Retainer, Attendant, Kinsman, Heir. These are the stages of the soul's journey to
Realisation of the Oversoul.

Discourse 3 (Prashanti Nilayam, Shivaratri, 18/2/1966)

The Lord is described in the Purusha Shuktha scripture as thousand headed; it does
not mean that He has just thousand heads, no more, no less. It means that "the
thousands of heads before Me now have just one heart, which gives life and energy to
all, and that heart is the Lord. No one is separate from his neighbour; all are bound by
the one life-blood that Olows through the countless bodies. This is the special teaching
of Sanaathana Dharma (Eternal Religion), which the world needs. And this one
precious message, the children of Bhaarath have unfortunately forgotten.

Brihaspathi, the teacher of the Gods, was one day asked by his son whether he had no
means of liberation from the recurring pain of birth and death. He replied that he had;
Page 149 of 268

only, he must earn and practise and win it himself. Many begin with a weakening want
of faith: Will I, can I, succeed? How long will I have to spend in the task? But, sathya,
dharma and prema (truth, virtue and love), if practised, will give the strength needed to
win the shaanthi that comes of liberation. Then, the son asked what he has to do. The
father told him that complete renunciation of all worldly attachments (sarvasanga-
parithyaaga) alone can endow him with freedom. He was happy that he had a son who
sought these higher things of life. He was quite different from the fathers today, who
invite their sons to play cards with them and waste the precious hours in trivial games.
If such a question is asked by a son today, the father will conclude that the son has gone
mad and he will become prey to all kinds of wild fears; he will start thinking of frantic
remedies. That is the tragedy of our country. The son went, far from hearth and home,
and after eight years of ascetic practice, he returned with a victory over hunger and
thirst. The father put him to test. Tests must be welcomed, for they alone can give
conOidence. When you drive a nail into the wall, you try to shake it a little, to ascertain
whether it has been driven Oirm. Tests are essential everywhere and more so, in the
spiritual Oield, where success is often deceptive and short- lived. The son admitted that
he had not earned peace of mind, unshaken fortitude. The father said he ought to
acquire sarva-sanga- parithyaaga. The son went again into the forest and spent one full
year there, without caring whether it was shade or sun, hot or cold. When he came
back, the father was still not happy, for he had not discarded the one fundamental
attachment, the attachment to the ego. He was still involved in the mesh of I and mine.
Once the ego is suppressed, that very moment two consequences follow: freedom from
grief, acquisition of joy.

Discourse 4 (Prashanti Nilayam, Shivaratri, 19/2/1966)

To see your own eyes, you need a mirror; to see yourself in your native grandeur, you
need a guru (preceptor).

Discourse 5 (Prashanti Nilayam, Shivaratri, 20/2/1966)

In the past, Shankaraa strove to re-establish in the heart of man the faith that he is the
Limitless Almighty; he tried to remove vicious traits that had taken residence there, so
that man can move towards his Reality. When he has even a glimpse of that reality, man
becomes free from ego, free from pride and despondency, so that praise does not
please him or abuse sadden him. He is rendered stable and secure, like a mountain
peak, which no storm can shake. Like the screen in the cinema hall, he is not affected by
the Oire of calumny or the rain of extolment.

Many of you are pained by the calumny that some papers are indulging in regarding
Me. Many are urging that something should be done about it. But, I am holding every
one back, for, that is the best way to deal with both praise and blame. The ocean knows
no overOlowing or drying up. It is ever full, ever majestic, ever unconcerned.

When you are immersed in the aanandha of the Lord, you are master of all the lesser
aanandhas also. When you dive in the sea, you must seek pearls; when you go to the
Kalpavriksha (the wish fulOilling tree) ask for the Highest Bliss. Do not crave for the
smaller when the vastest is available, for just a little more effort. There is a natural
craving in man to become one with the vast, the supreme, the limitless, for, in the cave
of his heart, there resides the self-same Supreme. It is like the young calf pining for the
cow. Each calf knows its mother. You may have a thousand calves and a thousand cows.
Let loose the calves and each will Oind its own mother. So, too, you must know where
you get your native sustenance and support. They are available only with God, from
Page 150 of 268

whom you came. There must be a sense of urgency in you when you take to the
spiritual path. For, death is lying in wait to snatch you off.

Sugar dolls are valued for the sugar, not the shapes they are given by the manufacturer.
Their sweetness makes men purchase them. Elephant, dog, cat, rat, jackal or lion ,it
does not matter. That is a matter of individual fancy. Each is sweet, that is the essential
thing. The sweetness draws the maanava (man) towards Maadhava (God): the
pravrriththi (deed) towards nivriththi (dedication), the aanandha (joy) towards Sath-
chith-aanandha (Bliss in the awareness of the Supreme Being). When the appetite for
these grows, all low desires and hungers cease.
Sugar dolls are valued for the sugar, not the shapes they are given by the manufacturer.
Their sweetness makes men purchase them. Elephant, dog, cat, rat, jackal or lion ,it
does not matter. That is a matter of individual fancy. Each is sweet, that is the essential
thing. The sweetness draws the maanava (man) towards Maadhava (God): the
pravrriththi (deed) towards nivriththi (dedication), the aanandha (joy) towards Sath-
chith-aanandha (Bliss in the awareness of the Supreme Being). When the appetite for
these grows, all low desires and hungers cease.

Practise the attitude of offering every act at the Feet of God as a Olower is offered in
puuja. Make every breath an offering to Him. Do not upset by calamities; take them as
acts of Grace. If a man loses his hand in an accident, he must believe that it was the
Lord's Grace that saved his life. When you know that nothing happens without His
sankalpa (resolve), everything that happens has a value added to it. You may be
neglecting a creeper in your back-yard, but, if a sage passes by and says it is a rare drug
that can cure snake poison, you erect a fence around it and do not allow children to
pluck its leaves even for fun! When you know that the Lord is the cause, the source of
all, you deal with everyone in a humble reverent manner. That is the path which will
lead you quick to the Goal.

Service in all its forms, all the world over is primarily spiritual discipline, mental clean
up! Without the inspiration given by that attitude, the urge is bound to ebb and grow
dry, or, it may meander into pride and pomp. Just think for a moment: Are you serving
God? Or, is God serving you? When you offer milk to a hungry child, or a blanket to a
shivering brother on the pavement, you are but placing a gift of God into the hands of
another gift of God! You are reposing the gift of God in a repository of the Divine
Principle! God serves; He allows you to claim that you have served! Without His Will,
no single blade of grass can quiver in the breeze. Fill every moment with gratitude to
the Giver and the Recipient of all gifts.

Discourse 6 (Bombay, 16/3/1966)

The recognition of one's innate Divinity and the regulation of one's daily life in
accordance with that Truth are the guiding stars for those who are caught in the
currents and cross currents of strife and struggle in populous cities like this. Without
that Aathmajnaana, life becomes a meaningless farce, a mockery, a game of fools. It is
the acquisition of that awareness that makes life earnest sweet and fruitful. Man is not
aware of the grand goal of his pilgrimage. He is straying into wrong roads which lead
him only towards disaster. He puts his faith in things outside himself and plans to
derive joy, from and through them. He does not know that all joys spring only from the
spring that is inside him; he only invests the outer things with his own joy drawn from
inside himself; he envelopes the outer things with his own joy and then, experiences it
as though from that other thing--that is all!.
Page 151 of 268

When you try to prepare a meal, you may have with you all the materials you need: rice,
dhal, salt, lime, spices, vegetables. But, unless you have the Oire in the hearth, you
cannot get the edible meal. So too with life Jnaana (of your own reality, as just a wave of
the ocean of divinity) is the Oire which makes the material world and the external
activities and experience, edible and tasty, assimilable and health-granting and joy-
giving. That joy is called Aanandham; it is uplifting, it is illuminating, it is constructive.

Life 'here' is for the sake of reaching 'there'. That is to say, iha-nivaasam is for para-
praapthi. And, let me tell you this. You cannot attain sukham through sukham. That is to
say, the joy of release can be won only through travail and trial. Through pain is
achieved by woman the bliss of mother-hood. Through toil, the coveted grain is earned
by the farmer from the Oield. Through long days and nights of steady swatting is the
examination passed and the Diploma won by the student. Deprive yourselves luxury
and even comfort, detach yourselves from what you hold dear and near through sheer
ignorance of what is the thing most dear and most near to yourself; pine, struggle,
strive ceaseless-ly---and, then you are blessed with the inexpressible Bliss of merger
with the Universal, of Saakshaathkaara. It is grief that makes joy worth while, a
precious possession; it is the pitch-dark night that prompts the seeker of light; it is
death, that lends zest to life.

Each one must proceed from the place where he is, at his own pace, according to own
light. But, if each has caught a glimpse of the Aathmic Reality, of the source from which
he has emerged and the goal into which he is to merge, then all will reach the goal of
the journey, sooner or later. Once that glimpse is received either through grace or
through a Guru or through some other means, the fascination for the body and the
senses which dominate it, and the world which feeds the senses, the fascination for the
vainglorious adventures in search of fame and fortune, will become meaningless and
will fade away; man will then have instead of the deha-bhraanthi (yearning for body)
which now torments him, the yearning to know and be established in the Dehi, the
Divine Indweller.

For that yearning and the pursuit that is impelled by it, the Oirst equipment that is
necessary for the individual is 'a rigorous self-examination' to remove all evil from
oneself. Do not try to cover up the defects, the down-dragging tendencies and habits.
When people go to a shop to purchase cloth to have dresses prepared for themselves,
have you noticed that they prefer coloured materials to white? The answer they will
give when you question them why they choose coloured materials is, "It will not reveal
dirt"! So, you see how anxious people are to hide their defects, instead of striving to
remove them. They are so much attached to physical comfort and objective pleasure.
Really speaking, the body has to be treated as a wound that has to be washed,
bandaged, and treated with medicated ointment, three or four times a day. That is the
real purpose of food and drink and raiment. Thirst is the disease; drink is the drug.
Hunger is the disease; food is the medicine. Craving for pleasure is the disease for
which detachment is the medicine.

Once the Aathma is cognised, all is Unity; you will Oind that all is really One. This is the
goal prescribed by the ancient scriptures of this land. But, the children of this sacred
land have neglected the path and they are today struggling in the quagmires and
cesspools of faction and fear. When the four bulls that grazed in the jungle were united
and watchful of each other's safety (for they felt they were all One) the tiger dared not
approach them; but, when discord broke them and created out of the One, four
Page 152 of 268

separate individuals, they were attacked one by one, and destroyed by the tiger. That is
the fate of those who feel separate. Know that though vyakthis (individuals) may be
separate, the shakthi (power) is one; that Shakthi is the Param-aathma- thathwa.

The Vedhas and Shaasthras, since they were won by penance and travail by sages and
seers who were interested only in the welfare of humanity and the liberation of Man
are the greatest repositories of hitha. They advise that Man must regulate his 'out-look'
and develop the 'in-look'; the inner reality is the foundation on which the outer reality
is built. It is like the inner wheel in the car, which directs the outer wheels. Know that
the basic reality is God, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent. Become aware of it and
stay in that awareness always. Whatever the stress and the storm, do not waver from
that Faith.

Among all the millions who were taught the Geetha, Arjuna alone had the Vishwaruupa
Darshana, the realisation that this Universe is but a partial manifestation of His
immeasurable glory; why is it that these great Pandiths had no such experience?
Realisation of that reality can come only to the aspirant who deserves it. Arjuna had
reached the highest stage of surrender when the teaching started and during the
process, he had unexcelled Ekaagratha or concentration. No wonder he was blessed.
Unless one has the same degree of surrender, the same yearning and the same
concentration, how can one expect the result that Arjuna attained? It is no easy path,
this path of Sharanaagathi, of Prapaththi, that the Geetha lays down. The seed that is
dried in the sun will sprout when planted in the soil; it has janana (birth) and marana
(death); the cycle of birth and death cannot be got rid of by study and scholarship. Most
saadhakas are like the dried seed only. But, Arjuna was not a dried seed; he was a fried
seed. He was gudaakesha, who had mastered the senses. He had repelled the advances
of Uurvashi, whom he defeated, by his attitude as a son towards his mother. For all who
seek to cleanse the mind and climb upwards to the realm of spiritual bliss where 'this'
and 'that' are discovered as ONE, the uninterrupted remembrance of the Name is the
most effective saadhana.

The primary aim should be to become Masters or yourselves, to hold intimate and
constant communion with the Divine that is in you as well as in the Universe of which
you are a part.

Discourse 7 (Sardar Patel Stadium, Bombay, 16/3/1966)

The knowledge of the Aathma is the Light which will disperse the darkness as well as
the doubts and diversiOies which it creates. Without this knowledge, man is lost in the
wilderness; he behaves as if he has lost all memory of himself, as if he has forgotten his
name, native place and the place to which he is proceeding. He evokes pity among the
wise!

Awareness of his identity, of his being Aathma, is the sign of wisdom, the lighting of the
Lamp which scatters darkness. That Aathma is the embodiment of Bliss, of Peace, of
Love but, without knowing that all these exist in oneself, man seeks them from outside
himself and exhausts himself in that disappointing pursuit. Birds that Oly far from the
masts of a ship have to return to those very masts, for they have no other place to fold
their Oired wings and stay. Devoid of this jnaana, all efforts to seek spiritual bliss and
peace are futile. You may have rice, dhal (lentils), salt, vegetables and tamarind; but,
without a Oire to cook them soft and palatable, they are as good as non-existent. So too,
japam, dhyaanam, puuja, pilgrimage---all these are ineffective, if the knowledge of one's
Page 153 of 268

basic Reality and Identity is not there to warm up the process. The Aathma is the
source and spring of all joy and peace; this has to be cognised and dwelt upon. Without
this cognition, human life is an opportunity that is lost.

Man suffers from the fever of the senses and he tries the quack remedies of recreations,
pleasures, picnics, banquets, dances etc., only to Oind that the fever does not subside.
The fever can subside only when the hidden virus is rendered ineffective. That virus
will die only when the rays of jnaana fall upon it.

Arjuna became entitled to the Geetha Upadesh (spiritual instruction) from the Lord
Himself, because he evinced the vishaada, the vairaagya, the sharanaagathi and the
ekaagratha---essential to assimilate the Great Message. When the yearning for
Liberation has become intense beyond expression, man can set aside all social
conventions, worldly norms and codes of conduct, that do not subserve that high
purpose. Then, Prahlaadha can give up his father, Bheeshma can counter his Guru,
Meera can desert her husband and Shankaraachaarya can play subterfuge with his
mother.

Discourse 8 (Bombay, 17/3/1966)

Bhaarathamaatha is the mother of Vaamadeva, who knew his identity with the
Universal Parabrahmam from the moment of his birth; of Prahlaadha, who from the
day he lisped uttered the Name of Naaraayana; of Shuka, who had the unique
Adhwaithic Realisation even while a boy; and a Shankaraachaarya, who mastered the
intricacies of Vedhaantha even while in his teens. She is the mother of heroes like
Bharatha, who gambolled with lion cubs, Arjuna who could wield his undefeatable bow,
in either hand; of Shivaji, who faced fearful odds to fulOil the smallest wish of his Guru
Samartha Raamadaas. Among her children, we have men like Shibi, Harishchandra and
Karna who are shining examples of the spirit of renunciation and women like Seetha,
Saavithri and Damayanthi who are brilliant stars in the Oirmament of virtue. No wonder
India rose to the position of the Guru of the Globe, the Teacher of all Humanity. This
heritage is fast being forgotten and India started a journey away from her legitimate
direction.

The mano-naasana (extinction of the mind)--with all its likes and dislikes, its Olowing
out into the objective world in search of joy---can be effected, if the senses are rendered
ineffective. Then, like the faggots on which the corpse is cremated, in the process of
cremation, the corpse as well as the faggots both become ashes. Sensory activity is the
warp as well as the woof of the mind; when that ceases, the mind vanishes. It starves
and dies.

Constant practice with full faith will transmute Nara into Naaraayana, Maanava into
Maadhava (man into God); for Naaraayana is your real nature, Maadhava is your real
essence. You are but a wave of the sea; know it, and you are free.

Discourse 9 (Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, Bombay, 17/3/1966)

This mother has given birth to Vaamadev, who had realised that he was no other than
Brahmam, even in the womb; to Prahlaadha, who recited the holy Name of God even as
a child, who revelled in the midst of unbearable torture in the recitation of the sacred
manthra, Om Namo Naaraayana (Salutations to God Naaraayana, the Supreme); to
Shukadev, the unexcelled anchorite, unattached to the world of the senses from
childhood; to Shankaraachaarya, the supreme ascetic and interpreter of the Vedhas and
Page 154 of 268

Upanishads and the two other basic texts of Sanaathana Dharma, the Geetha and the
Brahma Suuthras, the Master who revived Bhakthi and sang in praise of every great
Hindu shrine; to Prince Bharatha who played as a child with a gambolling lion cub; to
Arjuna, the greatest bowman who could shoot arrows with both his hands, the
disciplined disciple of the Lord who won from Him the sublime teaching of the
Bhagavad Geetha; to Shivaji, the devoted servant of Samartha Raamadas, who built an
empire where Sanaathana Dharma reigned; to Shibi and Karna, unique examples of
selOless renunciation; to Seetha, Saavithri, Dhroupadhi, Shabari, Meera, Andaal and
many other women who proclaimed the supreme signiOicance of Dharma to purify and
liberate the mind, who gladly entered the raging Olames rather than suffer the ignominy
of disloyalty to the ideals of that Dharma; to Empress Chandramathi and Dhamayanthi
who welcomed every disaster as but one more example of the loving interest that the
Lord had in their progress towards His Feet.

Discourse 10 (Sardar Patel Stadium, Bombay, 23/3/1966)

Really speaking, nothing new has happened today. It is not the year that is new; it is the
second that follows this present second that is really new. Do not wait for the
celebration of something new in Time until the minutes, the hours, the days, the
months add up to a year. Celebrate the immediately succeeding second by an honest
effort to get lasting joy. There is no touch of meanness in trying to get joy or aanandha.
It is only the means that make it unworthy and futile. As a matter of fact, it is to Oill
himself with aanandha that man has come to this world, equipped with mind and
intelligence, memory and speech, courage and conscience.

Discourse 11 (Poona, Ananda Association, 27/3/1966)

Spiritual discipline is based on faith in the unity of all beings on the basis of the all-
pervasive immanent indwelling Aathma. There are thousands here before Me, listening
to My words, but fundamentally they are all One; for they are but a thousand waves on
the face of a single underlying Ocean. Food earned by all the limbs and organs of the
body making co-operative effort to procure it and make it ready for consumption is
converted by the stomach and other organs again by co-operative effort into strength
which is shared by all the limbs and organs. Not one part is neglected. You are all the
limbs of that One Cosmic Body, the Purusha, who is far more expansive than the
Universe, this Universe being but a small fraction of His Splendour. Individuals--as
individuals--may be deluded into the belief that they are different from the rest. But the
Aathma in each is the Aathma in all.

In this garland, quickest to strike the eyes are the Olowers, while the thread upon which
they are strung has to be inferred; it is not so patent. But, without it, they will all fall off.
So too, without that bond in Brahmam (the Supreme Absolute), you will fall off as
unrelated entities; in fact, you are entities on account of the Divine spark within, the
Divine current that Olows through each and activates each, On that Ekam (one), all this
anekam---is strung (many); On the One, the many secure support.

It is the mind that weaves the pattern called the 'I'. The way in which it establishes this
ego and elaborates it into a multitude of shackles is called Maaya (deludious force). The
mind prompts the senses to project into the outer world of objects, for it builds up
notions of pleasure and pain, of joy and grief and constructs a whole array of urges and
impulses. It resists all attempts to escape into the Eternal, the Universal, the Absolute.
It protests when the individual is eager to become conscious of his identity with these;
but when it Oinds determined opposition to its tactics, it surrenders and disappears.
Page 155 of 268

When this handkerchief is recognised as a mere arrangement of yarn or better still as

mere cotton basically, the warp and the woof disappear from the consciousness. The
mind is composed of the warp and woof of desire; when man is established in the
experience of the ONE, there is no desire, for who is to desire for whom or what? So,
mano layam or mano naashanam (dissolution or destruction of the mind) is
accomplished. So, man has to diminish desire to become free from delusion; desire
comes of attachment; deliverance comes from detachment.

Or, keep yourself surrounded always by persons devoted to the higher life; persons
who will encourage you to move forward along the road towards the goal. By these
means, you can achieve chiththa shuddhi ( cleansing of the mind), so that the Truth can
be clearly reOlected therein. Sath-sanga (company of pious and holy men) leads
gradually to withdrawal from the entangling activities. When a cold bit of coal is placed
in the midst of glowing cinders, and when the Oire is fanned, the coal too gets glowing
with Oire. Jnaana-agni or the Fire of Wisdom operates similarly.

The disciple or pupil should not Olatter the Guru, nor should the Guru Olatter the pupil
or disciple. The relationship should be like that of father and son. If the son Olatters the
father or if the father fawns upon the son, it would be ridiculous.

Discourse 12 (Anantapur Basic Training School for Girls, 18/4/1966)

The root is education and the fruit is virtue. Otherwise all the schooling is a waste of
time and money. This is a temple of Goddess Saraswathi, who grants the wisdom to
grasp the ultimate Truth and to acquire the knowledge which dispels ignorance for
ever. This is the alms that Shankaraachaarya begged from Annapoorna, the Goddess at
Kaashi; not the alms of a handful of rice for relieving physical hunger.

In ancient times, the voice of the teacher was supreme. Even emperors did not interfere
with the freedom of the teachers to train and punish their sons. The son was handed
over to the teacher and they supported him in all his efforts to instruct and improve
him. They never sided with the son against the teacher. But now the children are the
masters; they dictate terms; if they get poor marks, the parents declare war against the
unfortunate teacher who cannot inOlict even the slightest punishment on the pupil.
That is why the standard of teaching and learning has fallen so low today.

If you deny God, it is as if you deny yourself. There is no God, you declare; but, you
assert that I exist. Well, who is that "I" that exists, that exists throughout the varying
stages of growth, physical and mental, in joy and in grief? That "I" is God; believe it. For
that "I" sees with the eye, tastes with the tongue, walks with the feet, argues with the
intelligence; but, all the while, it is conscious that it is separate from all these. When
you afOirm there is no God, you Oirst assert and then declare the absence of the entity.
You assert the non-existence of something that is. That "I" must be conceived as a wave
of the ocean of God, not as the Oirst person singular.

Discourse 13 (Anantapur High School for Girls, School Day, 1966)

The Vedhas and Shaasthras have declared that man can attain that stage of happiness
through activity considered as duty, as 'worship' considered as dedication and
revelation of the Oneness of the Universe, in an Intelligence cleared of the dust of doubt
and delusion, by that dutifulness and that dedication. Saab;am Vishnu mayam jagath---
the Universe is saturated with Divinity; there is nothing here which is not HE:
Page 156 of 268

Ishaavaasyamidham sarvam. He is the base and the superstructure, the material and
the manner, the inner motive and the outer movement.

The child has its tongue and the mother has hers. The mother keeps the child on her
lap and pronounces the words so that the child may learn to speak. However busy the
mother's tongue may be, the child has to speak through its own tongue. The mother
cannot speak for the child and save herself all the bother! The Guru, too, is like that. He
can only repeat, remind, inspire, instruct, persuade, plead; the activity, the disciple
must himself initiate. He must jump over the stile himself No one can hoist him over it.

Discourse 14 (An article written by Swami for the Mandalothsava

Sanchika, Sanathana Vedanta Sabha)

Dharma (righteousness) is the way of life that confers lasting joy; the Shaasthras are
the source of dharma; they lay down the rules of dharma. The Shruthis and Puraanas,
the Shruthis and Ithihaasas are all included in the term Shaasthra. Of these, the
Shruthis are the most authorita- tive. The others all follow the Shruthis and keep in
step with them. Bhaaratheeya culture is the expression of such sacred ideals.

Those who study the Vedhas and understand the principles direct from them are called
Shrothriyas and Naais-thikas. They are the highest grade of seekers. Those who
understand them from the popular texts like the Puraanas and base their conduct on
that knowledge are of the middle grade. They get inspired from some excellent poems
and dramas also and they follow the dharma that is sought to be explained through
those media. Thus, Hindus have tried to spread the principles of their culture through
various means among the masses.

Bhaaratheeya culture teaches not merely the truth about the visible objective world; it
lays bare the truth of the subjective invisible world of the spirit also. This is the task of
Sanaathana Dharma or Vedha Dharma. This religion has in it the principles of all
contemporary religions. Those who doubt this should examine the scriptural sources in
an impartial spirit.

Hindu culture is the pillar and support of the nation; it is the backbone of the spiritually
adventurous; it grants both this world and the next to all beings. It is really World
Culture, the culture that the world needs. Other cultures assume various forms in
various climes. But, the culture of Bhaarath has asserted eternal values, values for all
times and all climes--like dhaya, dharma and dhama (compassion, virtue and self-
control). It has not bent before the pressure of patronage or persecution. The impact of
Western civilisation has given rise to certain new sects that attempt to re-form and
modernise Hindu religion. Hindusim has the strength to correct their egoism and
establish concord. Hinduism is the one religion that proclaims the truth that there is
nothing separate from God and it proves it too. Because people are not able to
understand this fundamental integrating principle, hatred and malice have grown in
the followers of other faiths.

Others attempt to design a composite religion, without Oirst seeking to manufacture a

composite mind. Unless all become of one mind, all cannot welcome a single religion.
Religion has its root in the mind. Correct the source; the end will be corrected.

The chief purpose of religion is to make man aware of his relationship with God. Every
person has full rights for worshipping God and winning His Grace. But, whatever the
Page 157 of 268

road, whichever the path, the Goal is the same. Vedhic religion will not permit you to
quarrel with any other religion, or hate it or decry it. It insists on tolerance and respect.
If you seek to develop love towards all men and the spiritual outlook that will sustain it,
you will have to follow the discipline laid down in the Shaasthras, for your stage and
state.

Religion has to confer knowledge of the Self; that is its real purpose, not providing
matter for club conversation or coffee-hotel-debates. Every one has to strive to know
his own truth and experience it. That striving is the heart of religion; it is the goal of
life. Without it, life is as bad as death. Only when superOicial activities are transcended
does true religion begin. It leads to Brahmaanandha, through the awareness of one's
identity with Brahmam.

Bhakthi is the foundation for all religions. Of course, japa or homa or offering of
Olowers, or going on pilgrimages to holy places cannot be taken as bhakthi! They are
good acts that help promote bhakthi. True bhakthi opens the door of jnaana. Faith in
God and His Glory and His Grace must be supplemented by discrimination of the Real
and the unreal and the control of the senses. Those who argue whether bhakthi or
jnaana is superior for God-realisation are travellers in the dark, for, they argue from
ignorance. The unripe fruit and the ripe fruit have different tastes, but, they are the
same fruit; the unripe fruit becomes later the ripe one.

Discourse 15

There is a story about Kaalidaasa which illustrates this point. It is said that the other
poets and scholars in the court of Emperor Bhoja were green with envy at the quick
rise to fame of Kaalidaasa and at the largesses that the Royal patron showered upon
him. So, they poisoned the ears of the Emperor against Kaalidaasa and when he
challenged Kaalidaasa to disprove the allegations he was alone and helpless against his
traducers. Kaalidaasa could appeal only to his other patroness, Kaali maatha, Mother
Kaali. He told the king that they could all come to the temple of Kaali and when he
prayed to Kaali, to stand witness to his integrity, they could hear the answer that the
Goddess would give. He had such faith in his Mother. The entire court was present next
morning at the Temple; Kaalidaasa prayed. Then, in the tense silence, they all could
hear a Voice..."Kavirdhandee, Kavirdhandee, Bhavabhoothisthu pandithah" (Dhandi is a
poet, Dhandi is a poet; Bhavabhoothi is a Pandith). That was all. No reference was made
to Kaalidaasa, when all that was wanted was a judgement about Kaalidaasa and his
merits. Naturally, Kaalidaasa was enraged. He forgot himself in his rage and shouted
Koham rande? (Who am I, you slut?"). Kaali kept calm; Her temper was not roused.
After a mo- ment she replied, 'Thwamevaaham, thwamevaaham, thwameva aham, na
samshayah" (You are Myself, I am thyself, undoubtedly"). That identity is the destiny of
man.

Discourse 16 (Madras, 23/5/1966)

You are born as a consequence of the activities you were engaged in, in past births.
When a bus is speeding along, a cloud of dust follows it; when it halts, the passengers
get the dust all over. But, how far can you travel without bringing the bus to a halt? The
one consolation is: you need not always speed along the mud road; better roads are in
store. The mud road, the fair weather road is the Samithi Road; the metalled road
which comes later is the Zilla Parishath Road; at last, you get on into the asphalt road,
the road of the Highways Department, where the bus will not drag behind it any cloud
of dust. The mud road is the Karma maarga (road of activity), the metalled road is
Page 158 of 268

Upaasana maarga (road of worship, contemplation) and the asphalt road is Jnaana
maarga (road of divine knowledge, wisdom), join the Jnaana maarga soon; then, there
will be no dust.

Discourse 17 (Prashanti Nilayam, Guru Poornima, 2/7/1966)

It is as if Oire has forgotten its capacity to burn or water its nature to wet; man has
forgotten his nature to reach out into Godhood, his capacity to seek and secure the
Truth of the Universe of which he is a part, his capacity, to train himself by virtue,
justice, love and sympathy to escape from the particular to the Universal. He can attain
the consummation and climax of merging with the unchanging that is behind all this
change. It was Vyaasa, whose memory is enshrined in this Festival of Vyaasa Poornima,
who held before erring man this destiny and this discipline, in the various texts that
bear his name.

Kaalidaasa knew of only one Person who was free from jealousy and pride and that was
Kaali, the Mother. So he went to the Kaali temple and prayed before the Mother to
assure him of high status among poem. After a long time spent in intense prayer,
Kaalidaasa heard a Voice emanat- ing from the shrine and it extolled Dhandi and
Bhaava-bhuthi as great geniuses and scholars. There was not even a whisper about his
attainments! So, he got hurt and even enraged; he gave vent to his ire in harsh words
and insisted that She should declare the truth, however unpleasant. Then the Voice
announced, Thwamevaaham, thwamevaaham, thwamevaaham, na samshayah"--- "You
are Myself, you are Myself, you are Myself, without doubt!" What greater status did
Kaalidaasa need than this? That is the reply that every seeker will get, for that is his
truth, his reality, his prize and consummation.

By imbibing the teachings of the Bhaagavatha, your thamo guna (quality of inertia) will
be raised into rajo guna (quality of restless activity) and puriOied into sathwa guna
(quality of poise and serenity). It is like the fruit growing by the combined inOluence of
the earth and sun Oirst into full sourness, then to partial sweetness and Oinally complete
sweetness, in three stages. Man too by the twin forces of the Grace from without and
the yearning from within, grows into the complete sweetness of aanandha and prema.

Discourse 18 (Prashanti Nilayam, 3/7/1966)

By an inordinate attachment or raaga to the seen, man has become an alien to the
realm of the unseen. But the unseen is the basis of the seen; the thing that gives
stability and value to it, the thing that is true and valid. In spite of the warnings
administered by countless saints and teachers through the centuries, man has today in
this land of Bhaarath forsaken the unseen for the sake of the seen. The unseen alone
can confer contentment and courage to face fortune as well as misfortune. Ignoring it
has caused the discontent and distress prevalent in every heart and home today.

There was a merchant who asked the sailor about his grand-father and father. It seems
they both died on the sea. So the merchant asked the sailor whether he was not afraid
of sailing on the sea. The sailor asked the merchant where his forefathers had died. He
was told that they had all died in bed, so he too asked the merchant whether he was
'not afraid to go to bed! Death comes to all, somewhere, somehow; but the wise man
achieves the Vision ere the end.

Page 159 of 268

The Geetha speaks of bhakthi, jnaana, karma, as yogas and by yoga is meant what
Pathanjali intended it to mean: chiththa vriththi nirodhah, that is, the stilling of the
agitations of the Mind- stuff.

The poets used to ask for patronage with the word, dehi, which Kaalidaasa once
interpreted as, They are not asking you; they are addressing you as 'dehi', 'the one with
the body', 'the One who has encased Himself in this physical equipment', 'the Aathma,'.
They are reminding you that you are essentially the dweller in the body, not the body
with which you are likely to identify yourself.

Discourse 19 (Prashanti Nilayam, 14/7/1966)

That other Bank, dealing with spiritual accounts, has also a safe deposit vault.
Surrender your jewels of intelligence, cleverness, capacity to serve and the gem that
you most value, namely, your EGO to the care of God; then, you can be happy. Maam
ekam sharanam vraja, He invites. Surrender to Me alone. Then, He assures Maa suchah:
You need not grieve at all. Arjuna is called by the Lord in the Geetha, 'Dhananjaya';
people explain the word dhanam to mean booty gathered by him from the kings whom
he defeated. Dhanam means 'any valued possession, an object of affection'. The most
valued possession is self-knowledge. Arjuna has earned this; so he is called
Dhananjaya.

Discourse 20 (Kothacheruvu Village, Opening of the Primary Health

Centre, 3/8/1966)

Planning for food, clothing and shelter is only promoting the well-being of the cart;
plan also for the horse, the mind of man which has to use the food, the clothing, the
shelter and other material instruments for the high purpose of 'escaping from the ego
into the universal'.

Three quarters of your attention should be paid to the dehi---the occupant of the deha
or body--- who always speaks of the body and its components as 'mine'. For this body
and all experiences which one gains through it are as unreal as dreams. You have now
seen and experienced the procession through the streets of your village of Swaami and
the Minister; you have seen Me and heard My speech; but when you go to bed within a
few hours and dream during sleep, you are not aware of all this; you see and experience
a new set of events, which at the time are as real, as impressive, as signiOicant as these;
and when you have deep sleep, nothing is, except probably the inner consciousness
that you are you. When you dream, the dream is real; when you wake, the waking
experience is as real as the dream was. The fact is, it is all a dream, a creation of the
mind when the aathma (the true self) is reOlected in it. Remove that Mind, have nothing
on which the aathma reOlects and then the aathma shines in its own splendour in its
own solitariness.

Once you attain this jnaana, the waking experience of Oifty years will appear as of Oive
seconds only, as in a two seconds dream one passess from childhood to
grandparenthood and experiences passage of 50 years of time! Jnaana is as passing
from swapna (dream) stage to the jaagrath (waking) stage which judges the dream
stage as unreal. Seek the springs of aanandha (bliss) within you and happiness will be
your lot, here and for ever. Believe that the aanandha within you is derived from God
who is your Reality.

Page 160 of 268

Discourse 21 (Kothacheruvu Village, At the Opening of the New

Building of the Primary Health Centre (for which land and part of the
cost of building was donated by a villager, 3/8/1966)

If the passions mentioned above dim the glory, they are to be dismissed as passing
clouds that cannot affect the sources of light. The more you reason out things, the
plainer will become the reality. Reasoning power will never hinder the discovery of the
Truth; only, you have to go as far as reason can take you; then, you can see the vast
vistas beyond. Man has been endowed with enormous, immeasurable talents, skills and
power. But, he is using all that to journey towards a poor satellite of the earth on which
he lives, instead of journeying towards the wonderland of his own inner realms, where
he can come face to face with God who is his inner Reality, the inner Reality of this
entire phenomenal world.

A man dreams that he is a boy, he grows and marries, he fondles his children and his
grandchildren: the story of Oifty years is telescoped to a period of two 'waking
moments'. This is within the experience of all. The dream was 'real' experience during
the dream; it 'lasted' for Oifty years but, when judged from the point of view of the
'waking' it lasted but two minutes. So too, from the point of view of the 'fully awake',
the jnaani, even the waking stage is ephemeral, illusory. That is why jnaana is declared
to be so illuminating; it reveals the Truth that all this is only 'relatively' real; the
Absolute Reality is the Brahmam.

Even while foes are surrounding this country, there is wild hate between one State and
another, claiming 'this bit of land is mine', 'that bit of land cannot be yours', forgetting
that both are limbs of the same body. Similar is the fate of nations also. Integration of
hearts can come about only through the recognition of the Oneness of All, and the
renunciation of sensory pursuits. Tolerance is very essential.

Get the Olower, and you have its beauty and fragrance. In colour see harmony, in light
see joy. In outward form and in the depths of things, behold your Self. You are the
Truth.

Discourse 22 (Prashanti Nilayam, Krishna Janmashtami, 7/9/1966)

God incarnates to foster saadhus, it is said. By saadhus, they do not mean the dwellers
in Himaalayan retreats; they mean the virtuous person who forms the inner reality of
everyone of you, the outer appearance being but a mask which is worn to delude
yourself into esteem. Every. one is a saadhu, for he is prema swaruupa, shaanthi
swaruupa, amruutha swaruupa (embodiment of bliss, peace and immortality). But, by
allowing the crust of ego to grow thick and fast, the real nature is tarnished. By the
action of sath sang (the company of God-minded persons), by systematic attention to
self-control and self-improvement, man can overcome the delusion that makes him
identify himself with the body and its needs and cravings.

Dwell also on the supreme prema (Love) of the Gopees, their surrender of everything
gross and subtle, of ego and egoistic attachment at the feet of the Sovereign Purusha or
the Purushottama, the Supreme being. They spoke no word except prayer; they moved
no step except towards God, they saw and heard only Krishna; they spoke only of Him,
to Him, whoever might have been near them; Krishna had Oilled their hearts. He
transmuted them into the most self-effacing group of devotees that the world has seen.

Page 161 of 268

Discourse 23 (Prashanti Nilayam, Krishna Janmashtami, 8/9/1966)

Maaya is of the nature of thamas (darkness and ignorance). In deep dreamless sleep,
the self alone exists, but it is there supervened by maaya or ajnaana (ignorance) only.
You are not aware then that you are Brahmam; that is the difference between the
jnaana (spiritual wisdom) and the sushupti (deep sleep) stage. The jnaani knows he is
One with Brahmam; the person in deep dreamless sleep does not know. All persons
experience it; so it is universal. It is not real, it is not explicable. We cannot pronounce it
as a-sath, (non-existent), for its effects are everywhere; we cannot pronounce it as sath
(existent), for when the Reality is experienced, there is no duality at all. From the
standpoint of wisdom, maaya is unreal; in the vision of the enlightened saint, maaya is
absent. It is a peculiar, anirvachaniya (indescribable) phenomenon. To the jnaani, who
has crossed the shores of change and difference, it is non-existent; to those relying on
reason, it is inexplicable; to the ordinary man, it is a fact.

As the shadow that you cast is reduced bit by bit with every step that you take towards
the Sun, until the Sun shines right on the top of your head and the shadow crawls under
your feet and disappears, so maaya too becomes less and less effective as you march
towards jnaana. Then it is well established in your understanding and maaya falls at
your feet and is powerless to deceive you further; it disappears, so far as you are
concerned. Though you cannot know while in this dual world how maaya originated,
you can know how it can be terminated and can succeed in exterminating its effects.
Maaya has no beginning but it has an end, for him who wins the light by which the
darkness can be negated.

A merchant had four wives; he had to go to Bombay once on business for a long stay; he
posted letters to them asking them what they wanted him to bring from Bombay
when he returned. The Oirst wife (symbolic of thamas or dullness) wrote for some
effective drugs which would ameliorate her physical illnesses; the second wanted him
to bring fashion saris and choli pieces as well as jewels of Bombay design. Her
behaviour marks her out as a symbol of the raajasik temperament. The third wife (the
saathwik type) wrote that he should bring her some good books like Dhyaaneshwari,
Sai Sathcharitha, etc. The fourth wife, however, (the jnaani, who had gone beyond the
three gunas) wrote "I require nothing, I want only you." Of course, every one of them
got what they had asked for; the fact one became the happiest of all. Have no desire,
empty your mind of all cravings, become hollow and straight--be-come a Olute and
Krishna will breathe through you sweet melody to still the agitation of the world.

You should give up Iokabhraanthi and dehabhraanthi (attachment to the external

world and to the body), if you yearn for God. There is no use trying to have one foot in
one boat and the other foot in another boat. You may be in this Prashaanthi Nilayam
area for 20 or 25 years, but if you worry more about physical needs and comforts than
japam and dhyaanam, your stay is a waste. You have made no progress at all.

Discourse 24 (Madras)

Krishna is said to have been born in Gokula, He grew up in Brindhaavan, He proceeded

to Mathura and He established His home Oinally at Dwaaraka. The signiOicance of this to
the saadhaka is, "Let Krishna be born in the Gokula of your Mind; let Him grow and
play prankishly in the Brindhaavan of your Heart; let Him then be Oixed in the Chiththa
of Mathura; and, Oinally, let Him rule over the agitationless Consciousness as the Lord
and Master of Dhwaaraka." The Nirvikalpa aanandham is the Oinal result of His
Kingdom established at Dhwaaraka, in the centre of the waves.
Page 162 of 268

No person afOlicted with lust or envy or greed or attachment or egoism can pronounce
judgement on the ethereal, formless, nameless principle that concretised as Krishna.
Krishna is described as blue in physical colour, for, He is as deep and inscrutable as the
sky; the blue is the colour which the eye comprehends, though the sky has no colour at
all. So too, Krishna has no colour or attributes but, in order to comprehend Him, the
mental eye attributes a colour.

No person afOlicted with lust or envy or greed or attachment or egoism can pronounce
judgement on the ethereal, formless, nameless principle that concretised as Krishna.
Krishna is described as blue in physical colour, for, He is as deep and inscrutable as the
sky; the blue is the colour which the eye comprehends, though the sky has no colour at
all. So too, Krishna has no colour or attributes but, in order to comprehend Him, the
mental eye attributes a colour.

Discourse 25 (Poona)

It speaks of the reality aspuurnam (fulOilled), and of this world too, as fulOilled,
puurnam. From the full, this full has manifested. It does not posit any incomplete,
unsatisOied vaccum or discontent. For, it taps the very spring of eternal Joy and Strength
and Wisdom. That is the path of spiritual discipline, steady intellectual and moral
discipline. That is the basic, the essential study. The cultured person is the person who
has cultured the spirit, not the person who caters to the senses and enslaves himself to
their attractions.

Our thoughts now build up only castles in the air; our plans are like bubbles on the
surface of the waters. They are ephemeral, because they have no grounding in the
permanent, the eternal base.

Our thoughts now build up only castles in the air; our plans are like bubbles on the
surface of the waters. They are ephemeral, because they have no grounding in the
permanent, the eternal base. Life on this world is a bubble that is formed in a second
and bursts the next second. It is a fair, that lasts a portion of a day. The entire career of a
person starts and Oinishes in a matter of two hours. All the pomp and paraphernalia
that man seeks and Olourishes are of the stuff of dreams. Which among these is true?
Which among these lasts for all time, without degenerating or declining or dying? You
are all present now; you are seeing Me and listening to Me; you feel now that this is
true. But, how long is this true, how true is all this? This is real experience for you, so
long as you are in the waking stage. This night, when you lie down in bed and start
dreaming, the dream is as real to you as all this. This waking stage and all this
experience are then unreal. You experience fears, delusions, joys and pleasures in the
dream and they are all true, so long as you dream. But, wake up; and, the dream is
negated! Both are dreams, a night dream and a day dream. Only one idea is permanent,
throughout the dream, the deep sleep and the waking, the idea of the 'I'--I dreamt, I
slept and I woke. That 'I'--the I behind all the manifold millions--that I is the Truth and
nothing else. The question may arise, if there is only one 'I', which is the Eternal and the
Absolute, why do all the individuals have different experiences? The newly educated
worry themselves with such questions. But, they are due to a false cleverness, not deep
inquiry. For, the same current activates the fan and gives air, illumines the bulb and
gives light, heats the stove and cooks, moves the wheel around and works the machine.
The instruments are different, but, the inner energiser is the same. Some bulbs are 40
watts and some 60, or 100 or 1000 watts. The current is the same, but illumination is
Page 163 of 268

different. Have a powerful bulb, and the light is strong. Change it, it is dim. Name and
form are not essential; the inner current is the truth. Take the body; that itself has the
hand as a limb; the hand has Oingers, the Oingers have nails, in their turn. Through every
part of every limb Olows the same life force. So too in this Universe which is the Body of
God, every being is a part of a limb, that is sustained by the same divine essence.

Discourse 26

Why should the body be kept in good trim? Why should man be fed, clothed and
housed comfortably? Why should man live well or rather, live at all? Who is exactly
deriving happiness? Is it the sense or mind or intelligence or consciousness? Who is
this I that seeks happiness and is happy or is not happy? Try to think of answers to
these questions. After knowing who this I is, you must try to know what this outside
world is. You see these Olags Oluttering; now, what is it that Olutters? Is it the cloth, or the
rope or the wind? You know it is the unseen wind that causes that Olutter. So too, you
see the effect, not the cause, when you observe Nature around you. The bungalow is
seen, not the foundation under the earth; the tree is seen with all the crowning glory of
leaf and blossom and fruit but, the roots that grip it and feed it are not visible. You
cannot therefore deny them. So too, for everything that can be seen, heard, smelt,
tasted and touched, God is the cause. Man is born as man because he is to realise this
truth, and feel the presence of God in all beings and things.

Discourse 27 (Prashanti Nilayam)

When the seven colours of the spectrum revolve together, the effect is "no colour";
when they stop revolving, the seven colours can be separately identiOied. When the
three blades of the electric fan revolve fast and no blade is separately noticeable, they
give cool comfort. So too when the different qualities of Sathwa, Rajas and Thamas are
unrecognisably integrated, then only is man happy. Supaari is brown; pan is green;
chunam is white, but, when these three are together chewed, the colour is red! When
the three gunas are equated in saadhana (spiritual practice), the result is shaanthi. The
lamp is the sathwa guna, the wick is the thamo guna and the oil is the rajo guna. When
the three are integrated, they give the Light of jnaana which illumines all problems.

Naagamahaasaya, the householder disciple of Shri Raamakrishna Paramahamsa, was

able to escape the chains of samsaara by becoming humbler, and humbler smaller and
smaller, with less and less egoism, and so tiny, that he could creep through to safety.
Vivekaananda on the other hand expanded himself until he identiOied himself with the
entire Universe and so, the chain broke, unable to contain his majesty. Naagamahaasaya
felt "I am the servant of the servants of God", Daasoham. Vivekaananda felt that he was
the Master, the Isa who was Idam Sarvam, Sadaa Soham, He was always steady in the
conviction that he was That. This is called Jeeva-Brahma-aikya-anusandhaanam---the
practice of the Consciousness of the identity of the Individual and the Universal. This is
the real Kalyaana or Holy Rite, which man must endeavour to celebrate. The identity
will not develop Ahamkaaram or Egoism. It will merge the ego in the Universal; the
idea of I will disappear in the Thee, which is the only entity one becomes.' aware of.

The essential attitude that one should cultivate is, to engage in all activities that are
one's duty without getting attached to the work. As the sky's clear blue is not affected
by the clouds or rainstorms, lightning or thunder, but, remains the same in spite of
those temporary disturbances, the mind of man too must be clear and clean, in spite of
all the storms and stress of life.

Page 164 of 268

Edison, the great scientist and inventor, used to be in his laboratory for hours and even
days together, concentrating on some experiment on which his whole attention was
bent; milk or bread or tea was pushed through the door, but, they were all untouched
by him. So great is the concentration that science demands. Consider then how much
more should the saadhaka be Oixed in ekaagratha (single-mindedness), in order to
achieve success in the subtler and more slippery sphere of spiritual conquest.

By simply shouting Shivoham, you cannot become Shiva; develop the qualiOies of
Divinity like Universal Love, absence of attachment, etc. Then, you will be entitled to
assert Shivoham, though you may not assert at all, for you will have no aham feeling
then!

I am Nataraaja The King of dance-masters. I know the agony of teaching you each step.
Bear all and do nothing; hear all and take nothing serve all and be nothing.

Discourse 28 (Dasara, 15/10/1966)

Prakrithi (Nature) is in essence Divinity itself, lshaavaasyam idam sarvam: all this is
divine. Vaasudevassarvamidam: all this is Vaasudeva, God.

Discourse 29 (Prashanti Nilayam, Dasara, Hospital Day, 15/10/1966)

The deha (body) is a vehicle that even gods aspire to possess. You know that gods seek
to come into human form so that they could utilise the intelligence, discrimination,
detachment, etc., that the human body alone is capable of exercising, to realise the
Ultimate Reality, which when known makes everything else known. The body with
which the hospital is concerned is the ratha (the chariot) of the individual or the jeevi,
the dehi, the resident, the master. It is the castle from which one can Oight against the
foes of attachment and egoism; it is the boat by which one can cross the sea of change
and chance. The realisation of the reality, through Adhyaathmic saadhana (spiritual
discipline) is an arduous enterprise, as fraught with calamity, as playing with Oire or
duelling with tigers or battling with barbarian hordes. One has to be alert; vigilant and
fully trained to meet all emergencies. Many quail before its impossible demands. The
Upanishads have compared the aspirant's path to a razor's edge.

At last, when man is about to leave the world, as leave he must, he is surrounded by his
wife and children who lament loudly, asking, "What is to happen to us when you
leave?"; but the poor fellow is confronted by a more urgent, a more personal problem:
"What is to happen to me?" And he has no more time to discover the answer or to
prepare for something good to happen. In fact, if he had tried he could have known the
reality and gone with a smile, instead of a groan or a whine.

Discourse 30 (Dasara, 17/10/1966)

Be free from desires that drag you down; have only the yearning to come face to face
with the Truth. That Truth is shining inside you, waiting to be discovered. Like the
dhobi (washerman) in knee-deep water dying of thirst, man too suffers with the
panacea in easy grasp.

God is the antharyaami (Indweller), and so, when He is sought in the outer world He
cannot be caught. Love Him with no other thought; feel that without Him nothing is
worth anything; feel that He is all. Then you become His and He becomes yours. There
Page 165 of 268

is no nearer kinship than that. Fifty others may be peeping into the kitchen, hungry and
expectant, but if you are the child of the master, you will be served Oirst.

Jnaana-agnidagdha-karmaanam--"The Olames of jnaana reduce to ashes the effects of

all activities" says the geetha; they do not affect man any more. Like a rope that has
been reduced to ash, it can bind no more. So long as the consequence of karma persists,
man is bound to be born, to Oinish the consumption thereof. For, the slate of karma has
to be wiped clean so that the account of birth and death can be closed with nil balance.
Desire is the prompting behind all activity. Desire is the urge. No activity, arises in those
who have attained all desires, for they rest in the aathma which has no desire.

Discourse 31 (Dasara, 17/10/1966)

The mind is the villain; it is another name for desire; the texture of the mind is just
desire; both warp and woof are desire and nothing else. If desire goes, the mind
disappears. When you pull out all the yarn from a piece of cloth, you have no more
cloth. So too, pull out desires from the mind; it disappears, and you are free.

Discourse 32 (Dasara, 19/10/1966)

Every being needs prema (Love), inhales and exhales prema. For prema is the basic
breath; every one is the embodiment of prema. Love knows no fear and so, love needs
no falsehood to support it. It is only fear that makes people warp the face of truth to
make it pleasant for those whom they fear. Love also seeks no reward; love is its own
reward. That is the sole gain, the joy of loving and being loved. When it is directed to
God, it is called bhakthi. Who would not love God when once he is aware of His Glory,
Majesty, Might and Mercy? Love removes all egoism; the self is forgotten, it is
superseded, it is transcended. Any trace of greed for gain, vishaya vaasana as it is
called, degrades prema into a bargain over the counter. Whatever the Loved One does
or gives is satisfying to the Lover, the Adorer.

Take the ups and downs of life as natural; they are incidental to the world of
compounds and components. A sanyaasin (ascetic) named Raamakrishnaswamy was
informed by a disciple who rushed into his presence that his son had died. The Swamy
sat unmoved; he only said,"Water Olows; Oire burns; the wind blows", meaning that the
corn pound of Oive elements has some day to disintegrate. The Swamy laughed at the
concern of others; he was brave because he knew. Those who know are called guru:
heavy, weighted. They will not be moved by storms; the leaf on which no dish is served
tends to rise up in the wind and Oly, but when it is weighted by servings of food, it will
remain unshaken.

When you have attained true wisdom, you will Oind that good fortune should not be
gloated over, nor bad fortune grieved over. The hero treats both with equal unconcern.
They are breezes and storms that cannot affect the depths of the ocean of bliss in the
heart of man.

When his son completed his education and came home, a father asked him various
questions, eager to discover whether he had used his years of study to the best
advantage. The son made him exceedingly glad by his answers. At last, he asked him to
describe the glory of God. The boy sat silent and did not answer. In spite of hours of
sweet persuasion, and even threats of drastic punishments, the boy was adamant; he
did not open his mouth. The father lamented his fate in having a son, who though
proOicient in many branches of learning, had turned out to be an atheist. When he was
Page 166 of 268

on the point of bursting into tears at the calamity that had overtaken him, the son said
that he was answering his question in the best manner possible---by silence; for how
could words describe His Glory? That son was a remarkable son; the father too by his
question and by his reaction to the silence of the son demonstrated that he was a
remarkable father.

When the Poorna (full) is subtracted from the Poorna, Poorna is found to be the
balance. *
* Ishaavaasya Upanishad says:Poomasya Poomamaadaaya Poomamevaavasishyate:
From the Full (Brahman) proceeds this Full (Universe). That (Brahman) remains Full,
even though this (Universe) has come out of it.

He also announced that he had decided on improving the road that leads to
Prashaanthi Nilayam. I am not too enthusiastic about this amenity because, when you
improve the means of access and make them easy and quick, the really earnest seekers
will be swamped by others who are actuated more by curiosity or the urge for a new
type of week-end. Wen pilgrims had to ascend the steps up the Seven Hills to have the
darshan (audience) of Lord Shrinivasa they pinned their faith on God; they called out
'Govinda, Govinda' so that they may have strength and stamina added to them by His
Grace. Now, when cars and buses go up in a matter of minutes, the Hills do not resound
to the name of God. The mind is not cleansed by that discipline of physical endurance
before the pilgrim stands infront of the shrine to offer his heart to the Lord. But I do not
stand in the way. Provide only such facilities as will complement the atmosphere of this
place---that is My suggestion.

Discourse 33 (Dasara, 20/10/1966)

Eyes made of earthly material, intelligence shaped out of incompetent senses--with

these you cannot comprehend Me. The jnaana-nethram (the eye of pure wisdom), alone
can see the Lord in all His Glory. That eye is won by shravana, manana and
nididhyaasana (listening, reOlecting and meditating). Listen with faith; reOlect with
discrimination; meditate with one-pointed devotion. Then the truth will be revealed
and doubts will disappear. Arjuna, Janaka and Parikshith all had the fortunate chance of
shravana; they followed it up with reOlection and meditation and so were blessed by
realisation. The process is an inner transformation, an inner discovery. The fog is inner,
the veil is across the heart's door: the veil which Thyagaraaja prayed to Lord Shrinivasa
to move out of the way

When the veil is removed, God can be experienced everywhere in full. When some one
told Socrates that he could not see God in the sky or the upper regions of space, which
were pointed out by men as the dwelling place of the Deity, he said that He can be seen
only by wearing a three-fold lens over the eye: bhakthi or prema or adoration; viveka
or discrimination; and vairaagya or renunciation. Prahlaadha wore these lenses and he
saw Him everywhere, in pillar and plant. His father had bandaged his own eye with
cynical doubt and so he could not see Him.

Ghandikota Shastry said just now that I gave him a Shivalinga for puuja with the
remark that it was My Swaruupam. I do not like this contribution to publicity; I want
publicity for the teachings and the message. I want thathwa-prachaara, not vyakthi-
prachaara---publicity to principles, not to individuals. That is more important. About
Me there is no need to talk.

Page 167 of 268

Thothapuri wanted that Raamakrishna must give up even his Ishtadevatha

Kaalimaatha, when he sought the highest bliss, and he helped Raamakrishna to
overcome his deep-rooted attachment to that Name and Form.

!
Discourse 34 (22/10/1966)

!
Discourse 35 (23/10/1966)

Karma (action) and Upaasana (contemplation), the two stages of saadhana devoted to
the attainment of God-realisation, can be noted and seen; but jnaana the stage of
ripeness cannot be seen. The karma symbolised by the Yamuna, and bhakthi (devotion)
symbolised by the Ganga, meet at the point where the jnaana or Saraswathi Olows
unseen. But today, people have lost the enthusiasm for karma, the exultation for
bhakthi and the eagerness for jnaana. The true vidhya is that which reveals the aathma
(the true self) to man. When these facts are neglected, the Avathaara (incarnation)
takes place to re-teach the duty of man, the dharma. What is the dharma (the moral
code) that has to be re-established today? It is Sanaathana Dharma (the eternal law),
nothing less.

A student approached a guru and asked for the road for shaanthi. He replied that he
must develop sahana (tolerance) towards all men and all things and all events. Nothing
should arouse interested reaction, disgust or desire. The highest alone must be sought;
God alone must be desired.

Prema steady, unchanging, undiminishable, can only be Vishweswaraprema--Love

towards the Lord of all the worlds. Chala-prema (changing love) is love towards the
changing world.

In one of the poems read today, the question was raised why God should give eyes that
look outward and then blame when they wander in the outer world. No, the eyes do not
wander; it is as the messenger of the mind that the eye wanders. If the mind orders
them to keep aside, the eyes have to obey. The poet also charged God for equipping
man with an insane mind; no, the mind is not insane; it can be used for tightening
bonds as well as for loosening them. Bandha and moksha can both be effected through
the mind. You have the choice. It is an in--merit for either. Condemn the use, not the
tool.

Discourse 36 (Dasara, 24/10/1966)

It is part of human nature that man desires to reach the presence of the Almighty, see
Him and be ever with Him, for deep within the human heart is the urge to reach the
place from which he has come, to attain the joy he has lost, the glory which he has
missed. Man is himself divine and so it is a matter of the' deep calling unto the deep, of
the part calling for the whole, of the sky in the pot yearning for the sky surrounding
it.Attempts to reach the presence have to be made quick and fast, for death lies in wait
to snatch man away. Birds soaring in the sky can see carrion on the ground; but they do
not see the net laid to catch them. So too, man is able to see far into the future by means
of his intelligence, but when it comes to the Oinale of death which awaits him, he is
blind.

The mind fancies that it can get joy from the objects around, about which the senses
give it information. The mind can be mastered by jnaana (Supreme knowledge), that all
Page 168 of 268

is Brahmam or that all is His Play. To realise that the world is but the Lee/a of God and
that you are but a puppet in His hand, you must learn bhakthi from the Gopees. They
were so saturated with the attitude of surrender that they lost all body-consciousness
and had only one Form before their eye, one thought in their mind, one song in their
hearts, that of Krishna. Their bhakthi was not a superOicial pose, an escapist stratagem,
or a temporary aberration. It was the very breath of their life; the very reason for their
existence.

When thieves like egoism slyly try to rob you of the gem of jnaana that you have
treasured in your anthahkarana (inner consciousness), seek His help to overcome
them. And help will be rendered.

The mind is the enchanter, the usurper who has established sovereignty over you.
During a marriage festival in a certain town, there came into the house an elderly lady
whom the bride's people revered because they believed her to be the kins-woman of
the groom, and the groom's people honoured her because they took her to belong to
the bride's party. She managed to enjoy the hospitality of both parties for weeks, until
someone with a sense of curiosity started an enquiry into her bonaOides. Each party
disowned her and as soon as the enquiry started, the lady disappeared. The mind too
will disappear as soon as the enquiry starts, for it is like cloth composed of the warp
and woof of yarn. Each yarn is a desire, a wish, an attachment. Remove them and the
cloth vanishes. Delusion is the cotton, desire is the yarn, mind is the cloth. Through
vairaagya (detach- ment), the warp and the woof can be pulled out. The saadhaka
(spiritual aspirant) must have as his security personnel, viveka (wisdom) and
vairaagya. Then he can move through the world unharmed.
Give the world only secondary importance; the primary place should be reserved for
loosening its coils. The Jagadjanani (Mother of the Universe) will hurry towards you
and caress you only when you cast off the dolls and cry. Yearn from the very depths of
the heart, yearn with your whole being. Leave no sesham (balance) of attachment in
the mind; then only can you get the grace of Sesha-saayee ---He who reclines on the
Supernal Psychic Serpent.

So, when you read about the prema of the Gopees, remember that all beings are
'feminine' and the Lord alone is the Purusha. It is only through prema that God can be
persuaded to reveal Himself and jnaana earned.

Now I must stop; because these devotees from Bangalore have put up a Oloral jhoola
(swing) and they are insisting that I should sit in it and swing. I do not appreciate this.
How happy I would be to swing in the jhoola of your hearts! In the jhoola of Omkaara,
to swing to the tune of That- thwam-asi (thou art that) rising from the hearts of living
beings from all the seven worlds--how magniOicent that would be! You seat on the
jhoola set up in your hearts, not Maadhava (God) but manas! That is why mankind is
denied peace and joy.

Discourse 37 (Dasara, 25/10/1966)

The Olood Olows from the heights to the depths; only the Olames of Oire do ever rise from
the depths to the heights. That is why we say, jnaanaagni, the Fire of Wisdom or
Realisation.

There are millions of stars scattered all over the Oirmament, but we have only darkness
at night; during day, the sun which is a minute dot of light when compared to most of
Page 169 of 268

those stars gives us brilliant illumination. The reason is: the stars are far far away; but
the sun is near. The star of jnaana is far far away; we do not bring it near, nor attain
nearness to it. We are content with the dusk, that information, skill, scholarship and
intelligence provide. We do not seek the magniOicent vision that intuition clariOied by
saadhana can confer.

A lion saw its image in the limpid lake; it grew envious of another lion as strong, as
young, as Oierce as itself; it essayed to destroy it, by jumping upon it and tearing it to
pieces. It was drowned in the process; that is the fruit of envy. Others, who are our own
images, arouse envy and lead to disaster. Bhakthi or the attitude of devotion and
dedication makes you humble and kills envy; jnaana or the awareness of your being an
integral part of God, who is all this, makes you kin with all, and there is no place for
distinction, which breeds envy.

To remove the darkness of ignorance, light the lamp of the heart with the oil of
devotion, the wick of the Name of the Lord and ignite it with a Mahaavaakya (great
Vedhic dictum). Let devotion help in leading you to God, in removing ignorance of His
Glory and Omnipresence. Use it as oil for the lamp of aanandha.

!
!

The butter the Lord covets is the fruit of yoga, the Oinal product of the churning of the
mind by viveka. He loves to feast upon it; and He moves away with it into the solitude of
self-realisation. We too can discover the Lord through His Footprints, which can be
discovered everywhere, provided sincere search is made with trained eyes. You can
Oind the footprints wherever there is beauty, virtue, humility, justice, truth, love and
peace. The eye has to be trained to discover the footprints of God; in this process, the
mind has to be mastered. The mind is the pivot of thoughts and feelings. The mind is
the thinking aspect of Brahmam, the Absolute Consciousness. The Absolute Self
manifesting itself in imaginative activity is Mind. However, instead of turning towards
the Absolute, it turns outward and starts using the senses as its instrument; it forgets
its source, the Aathma. How and why this happens is inexplicable; we know that this
happens and that it can be avoided and prevented. The intellect cannot grasp the secret
of worldly delusion, which is called maaya, for it too is bound by it. One has to
transcend the intellect in order to understand it. That is a fact and the fact has to be
faced. The mind is the background for the world. If thoughts and activites of the mind
are sound, healthy, non-violent, Oilled with love, morally harmonious, then, Peace is
near at hand and Brahmam (Supreme reality) can be attained. That is why saadhana is
to be strictly pursued to train the mind inward, towards God, its source.

Remember the God in whom you move, the God who makes you move, the God who is
all this vast universe, every atom, every huge star. Select some Name and Form for this
all-pervasive, immanent God and keep those on your tongue and before your mental
eye. That is what is called japasahita dhyaanam (meditation-cum- recitation of the
Name).

Discourse 38

Seek refuge at the Feet of the Lord even before the life-breath Olies out of the cage of the
body. It is an open cage! Any moment, the bird may Oly into the outer regions. That is
the fact. The ignorant do not realise this; they beat their drums and proclaim proudly
how rich they are or how happy they are, surrounded by their sons and grandsons.
Alas, the very physical frame which is so carefully nourished since birth rots and falls
Page 170 of 268

aside. What then shall we say of those who feel that these other things are "mine"?
Theirs is but the delusion of an insane mind. Everything is untrue, everything is
impermanent; castles in the air, constructions in dreams. Contemplate on this Truth

When the clouds that hide the face of the moon are wafted by the winds, the moon
shines clear and cool; so too, when the clouds of egoism are wafted away, the mind of
man will shine pure and full, with its own native light. That is the stage of Bliss. When
that is attained, there is no more grief. Where there is the lamp, there darkness cannot
exist. The lamp of jnaana once lit never dies, never fades, never Olickers. The aanandha
and the shaanthi too never fade, never Olicker. But the aanandha and the shaanthi that
men seek from the objects of the world prompted by their senses Olicker fast and fade
and die. They satisfy for a moment a foolish craze. They are attained through lust,
anger, hate and envy and so, they are false and Oickle. Control and conquer these; then
only can you acquire real Aanandha and Shaanthi. You can not only acquire these, you
can become these.

You should not be ever entangled in the meshes of this world and its problems. Try to
escape into the purer air of the spirit as often as you can, taking the name of the Lord
on your tongue.

Discourse 39 (Deepavali, 11/11/1966)

The joy one has lost has to be recovered from the inner consciousness which has been
covered by the darkness of ignorance. How can the bangle, lost in the Oield where dhal
(lentil) was grown, be recovered from the vessel in which the dhal is being boiled?
Search for the joy in the inner vision; set it right and you can discover it there.

Smarana must be the unseen spring of every activity of man, every minute of his
waking life; then it will become the spring even during dream and will help the 'I'
during deep sleep to merge in the 'He', for ever. Like the mother whose attention and
anxiety are centered on the baby in the cradle, whether she is near the well or in the
cow-shed, in the kitchen or the temple, man too has to keep his mind at the Feet of God,
wherever his body may be.This state of constant remembrance can come only through
long practice; it will not be acquired suddenly. So, strive for it steadily.

A priest who was employed in a Shiva temple had to go to some village some day and so
he asked his son to do the puuja (ritual worship) and perform aarathi. The son was a
novice; while doing aarathi, he has to wave in a circle the lighted camphor cube with
his right hand and at the same time ring a bell vigorously with his left hand. But both
his hands automatically made the same movements; both waved round, or both shook
vigorously. A little practice is wanted to succeed in coordinating the two different
movements. So, too, a little practice will teach you to hold fast to the Feet of God, while
roaming about in the world doing all duties and carrying all responsibilities as
dedicated to Him.

That sense of real value must inOluence every choice that you make. The lakshya (goal)
is God- realisation, the realisation of the reality over which all this is but appearance.
That should not be allowed to fade.

Reference was made to the bond of prema which binds you to this place. Your prema
towards Me and My vaathsalya (affection of mother to the child), these two are the
bonds. I have no desire to keep you here at the Prashaanthi Nilayam; I know you have
Page 171 of 268

duties and obligations to individuals and institutions who depend on your service.
They are also Mine. I also want to give you the experience of My being everywhere, not
restricted by time or space, or causation.

Discourse 40

I am amused when I see man behaving like this. He is like the bird that sees the lump of
Olash and hops towards it, unaware of the net which is laid to trap it. Man is unaware of
the trap, of his being bound. Through the contemplation of the Name of the Lord, he
can escape from the net. But, for the Name to liberate him, his heart must be rendered
pure. Otherwise, like the untinned copper vessel which turns food cooked in it into
poisonous stuff, the vicious heart will turn all discipline into springs of dire pain.

People read the Raamaayana from beginning to end continously for 50 or 60 years, but
they do not evince even an iota of the devotion of Hanumaan. They make no attempt to
bring the Raamaayana into their daily life. They discourse on the bhakthi of Hanumaan
or of Raadha or they talk loud and long on Chaithanya, but, of what they speak, they do
not practise a bit. They sing songs on the glory and the grace of God. Even radio
receiver sets do; and tape recorders also sing. God seeks sincerity and steady faith, not
outer pomp and show.

Saadhana is essential because the effects of karma have to be removed by karma alone,
as thorn is removable only by another thorn. You cannot remove it by a knife or a
hammer, or even a sword. The knowledge that the world is unreal was itself spread by
Shankaraachaarya by means of activity in the unreal world, the establishment of mutts
and the writing of books, the partaking in disputations. You cannot desist from karma;
only, you have got to take care that it is saturated with prema and promotes the welfare
of the world.

Discourse 41

Man is the child of immortality. All men are brothers, for all are speaks of the same
Divine Flame. All the fundamentally Aathman; the love for the Aathman and the
endeavour to realise it are the birthright of each individual. There must be mutual love
and there must be universal aanandha, resulting from this mutual love.

Well; the world itself is a mystery to man. It is beyond the reach of human intellect and
imagination. And, each man is a fragment of that mystery. Of course there are some
who have seen through the nature of the world and have succeeded in realising its true
condition. But, man neglects such sages. What then can be do, to live in peace upon it?
Eat, and then you know the taste. Enter, and then you know the depth. Consult them,
and then you get a true sense of values.

The wheel of time revolves relentlessly with no interval. The evil of one day emerges as
the good of another day; the morals of one sect becomes in the eyes of another,
immoral. What is right for one is wrong for another. One man's foe is another's friend.
Caught in this trap of duality man swings like a pendulum, unaware of the underlying
unity; he struggles with many a fall, many a blind search, stumbling along the track of
life. He weeps and laughs, he rejoices and regrets, he halts and hastens---since the
beginning of his history. This is the tale of man's sojourn on this world. But, however
hard the track, he must sooner or later reach the Summum Bonum, the Parampadha
that is the inescapable destiny.

Page 172 of 268

Discourse 42 (Birthday Festival, 23/11/1966)

Samsaara has only some saara, that is to say, a little reality, a microscopic quantity of
truth. It is called in the Bhagavad Geetha a tree named Aswattha, a name which means
'that which will not exist another day'. This appellation brings out the fact of illusion,
which is mistaken as lasting and real. But being a huge big tree, it can be destroyed only
by the axe of jnaana or, as the Geetha says, by jnaana-agni (Oire of spiritual wisdom).

Prema is enough to realise the Supreme. Prema is the absence of hate, absence of
dislike and prejudice; it also means the positive virtues of sympathy and affection, so
that you grieve when others grieve and exult when they are happy. God has four
qualities and it is only when you cultivate them that you can understand Him. They are-
Divine love (prema), Beauty (soundarya), Sweetness (maadhurya), and Splendour
(shobha). The development of prema is enough to add unto you the other three. When
you are so full of love for the divine in all creation, that stage is beauty; when you are
immersed in the sea of Universal Love you reach the acme of sweetness; when your
mind loses its identity and merges in the Universal Mind, then there is splendour
indescribable.

Whatever you do in the spiritual Oield, you should do it as a spiritual exercise, with full
knowledge of its signiOicance for progress. Many people do not know that Om or
Pranava is the merging together of three sounds, A, U, and M. When you write GOD, you
do not pronounce it jeeohdee, you voice it as GOD. So too, AUM is pronounced Om. Om
has a sequel, of a fading M sound which Oinally tapers into silence, a silence that is felt
and experienced. The pranava was taught to every child as the very Oirst sound, when it
was initiated into) the alphabet. We call letters akshara---the unchanging. Om is the
symbol of the unchanging, eternal, universal, supreme God. So that was the very Oirst
letter taught to the children of India. Now Om has given place to A, B and C. Om is the
sound of the movement of the stars in the Oirmament; it is the sound that manifested
when the dawn of creative Will stirred the Niraakaara (the Attributeless) into activity.
As a matter of fact, every little disturbance of equilibrium produces sound, however
minute. The meeting of the eyelids when the eye winks results in sound, however faint.
There are inOinitesimally faint sounds which no ear can hear. So, you can understand
that when the Elements originated and Creation started, the sound Om was produced.
That sound is the primal, the primeval One. When you are in the dual world-Ting to
overcome the duality, you identify 'Him' with 'yourself' by the japam of soham; when
the 'I'-consciousness and the 'He'- consciousness disappear, you repeat only Om, that is
to say, Soham minus Sah (He) and aham (I).

In the Geetha, the Lord has assured that the person who dies with the Pranava Oilling
his last breath is sure to be liberated. Of course, mere calling to memory is of no
beneOit. The sound 'OM' will not help when the mind is Olitting from one desire to
another; and weeping over the imminent departure from the world and shivering at
the world to come, how can the sound help? The glory of OM has to be apprehended
throughout life, if it is to stand out before the mind at the moment of departure.

Krishna too does not say that whoever among men who pronounce the Pranava at the
moment of death, etc. The word He uses is, whoever without any qualiOication of sex.
He does not say, whoever who is authorised" or whoever among the deserving. The
clear intention of the Lord is to encourage women as well as men to take up Pranava-
upaasana (contemplation on OM). You will have seen that I do not discourage any one
from the upaasana. It is the royal road to spiritual victory, which all are entitled to use.
Page 173 of 268

Discourse 43 (Trichirapalli, Prashanti Vidvanmahasabha, 18/12/1966)

Man is endowed with the capacity to separate himself from his body and the senses
and the mind and the intelligence. He feels and says, My eyes, my ears, my feet, my
hands, my mind, my reason, etc. He knows, deep down in his consciousness, that he is
apart from all these; that he is their user, owner and master. No animal feels itself
different from the body; for them, they are the body. They do not know that they are
occupants of the physical frames. Man can, by a simple exercise in silent reasoning,
discover that the physical frame is unreal and temporary. This should lead to vairaagya
(detachment), achieved through vichakshana (analysis), the result of viveka
(discrimination).

Once man is free from undue attachment to the body and its appurtenances, he is
liberated also from the pulls of joy-grief, good-bad, pleasure-pain, etc. He is Oirmly
established in equanimity, fortitude, undisturbed balance. Then man discovers that the
world is one kin, in God; that all is Joy, Love, Bliss. He realises that he himself is all this
apparent world, that all the multifarious manifestations are the fantasies of the Divine
Will, which is his own reality. This expansion of one's individuality to cover the ends of
the Universe is the highest leap of man. It gives supreme aanandha (bliss), an
experience for which sages and saints spent years of prayer and asceticism.

Discourse 44

Devoid of the principle of Godhead, no activity can be worth while. Brahmam, the
Universal Absolute, is all this; It is the source, the substance, the sense; it is as cotton in
the cloth, mud in the pot, wood in the chair, the basic substance. One must be
established in the awareness of this fundamental Unity, not simply be carried away by
the apparent multiplicity of Name and Form. The multiplicity is unreal. It is temporary,
evanescent.

Is man a bundle of the senses? Is he just the physical frame? Is he the mind? Or is he
consciousness, with all it levels? Where did all these come from? Where are they
journeying to? How far can one decide the shape of one's journey? These are the
questions to seek answers for. Now you run about asking every one you meet, "Who are
you?" but, you seldom stop to ask yourself, "Who am I?" You are drawn by the news of
the world, not by news of your own inner world. Of what avail is all the knowledge you
gather, if the knowledge about yourself is absent?

The truth is: man has emanated from the Aathma thathwa, the Brahmam; he has to
rejoin I. As the waters of the sea evaporate and form clouds to fall as rain and Olow as
streams and rivers to rejoin the sea, so, man too must reach the source, after all this
peregrination! Now, man is unaware of the "From address" and of the "To address"! He
knows only the address where he is. One can know the two addresses only by contact
with the good and the godly. Attach yourself to the good and earn detachment;
detachment will liberate you from illusions; that will make you steady in the faith, in
the Principle; that faith will liberate you. So, certain disciplines have to be followed to
realise the truth about oneself.

This is emphasised in Sanaathana Dharma. But, due to political and cultural forces,
Sanaathana Dharma(Eternal Religion) itself is being neglected. The goal of life should
be the earning of Aathmic faith. That alone confers great joy, that alone is true religion.
People glibly say that religion too is a convention of man, fashioned for the moment.
Page 174 of 268

No, religion is much more useful than that, much more established. It is rooted in
intelligence, individual discrimination. It insists on unity of all this in one basic
principle, Brahmam. It does not advocate or preach difference and manifoldness.

The question may arise, why then all this distinction, this superiority and inferiority,
when all are activised by the same Brahmam: That is a question dealing with the outer,
the exterior aspects of man. In the basic substance, there is no high or low; the
difference is caused by difference of the instrument, the upaadhi (the container). The
current is the same, but the wattage of the bulb differs and causes the difference in
light. People say that the body is real, that it is permanent, that the senses give correct
information, that the emotions are real. The mind has to be Oixed on any object so that
it can be seen or heard or become the target for any sense. The eye for example is the
bulb in the torch (body); the switch' is concentration; if the mind does not concentrate,
the eye cannot see. No object has any particular taste; the malarial tongue feels all
sweet things bitter. The ajnaana---afOlicted mind will feel objects to be pleasurable and
permanent. The ajnaana has to be overcome by means of spiritual discipline.
Sanaathana Dharma teaches us the method; but, we have started ridiculing our own
culture and extolling other systems and faiths.

Really speaking, there is no other system or faith. All religions, all faiths are but phases
or facets of the same Universal Faith and Discipline. It is like the seven blind men who
examined the elephant and described it to others. The man who held the tail in his
hand saw it as a snake; the man who felt the leg said it was a pillar; the man who
examined only the ear swore that the elephant was like a winnowing basket. This story
has a deep inner meaning. The Aathma is one, but, each one sees a fraction and judges
it differently. It is the integrated sum of each of these facets of reality.

We must strive for this victory. People boast that they know much, but, of what use is
all that knowledge if they do not put into practice and win peace and contentment?
Fundamentally, the inquiry that makes living worth while is, "Where-from have I
arrived? Whither am I going?" King Janaka used to gather many rishis in his palace and
take delight in discussing with them about spiritual problems; he was a great adept at
saadhana and he attained the highest stage of samaadhi through Raaja yoga. One day,
while in the midst of the court, with the Queen and the maids, even while he was
conversing with them, he fell asleep. He had a dream, during that sleep. He dreamt that
he was deprived of his kingdom, that he was roaming half-mad, hungry and deserted in
the jungle, begging for food from whoever he met, that he came upon some men
washing dishes and vessels after a feast which they had shared, that he ran towards
them seeking some crumbs, that they gave him some little quantity of rice scraped
from the vessels, that he was about to put it into his mouth when a big bird Olew in and
swooped it out of his grasp; so, he yelled in pain and grief, and the Queen heard it and
she woke him up. Of course, when he woke, he knew he was the King. He remembered
that a second previously, he was a beggar. "which is real? This or that?" he wondered.
He questioned within himself, which is real, this or that? To every one who inquired
what the matter was, he put the same question. "Am I a king or a beggar?" He wanted
each one to tell him which was real. The queen and others were frightened at this
behaviour; they sent for the ministers and with them came, Ashtaavakra, the preceptor.
He discovered the situation as soon as he saw the King; so, to the question that the King
put him, he answered, "Raaja! This is unreal; that is unreal; you, who experienced this
as well as that, you alone are real."

Page 175 of 268

You too have spent this day in various activities and now you are listening to My words
and feeling happy. How long is this real? Only until you go home, spread your beds and
sleep. The waking stage is real until the sleeping stage; the sleeping stage is real, until
the waking stage. But, both are unreal, because one cancels the other. So, why take life
so seriously, so frantically? All efforts, all talk, all pleasures end with the graveyard.
Every step takes man nearer to that, not farther. Then, why revel while living, believing
this to be real and lasting?

Devotion implies faith in God. Without that faith, man lowers himself to the level of
birds and beasts; he does not live up to the faculties that he is endowed with. A tiny
bird that perches on a bough is not scared when the bough sways in the gale. Why?
Because it relies not on the bough, but, on its wings. You on the other hand rely on the
grip you have on the branch of samsaara, or the world and its ramiOications; you do not
rely on the Aathma or the God within, who buoys you up. That is the reason why any
little shake in the bough frightens you. Have faith in your Divinity, in Divinity as such,
and nothing can harm you. That is the crucial skill you must develop.

A man was crossing the Ganges in a boat; he asked the boatman if he had no watch and
when he laughed at it, the man said," No; need or no need, whether you know how to
consult a watch or not, unless you own a watch, a quarter of your life is as good as
having gone into the Ganges." Sometime later, he asked the boatman whether he had a
radio receiver and when he learnt that he did not possess one, he said that another
quarter of his life can as well be considered sunk in the Ganges. '"You are not up-to-
date at all; every one worth anything has a barber's box contrivance called transistor
hanging round his neck at the end of a strap." A few minutes later, he asked, whether he
read any newspaper and when the boatman apologised for his illiteracy and his lack of
interest in news, the man squarely said that another quarter of his life can be
pronounced to be liquidated in the waters of the Ganges! Just then, the overcast sky
became dark and furious and forks of lightning threatened a thunder-storm and a
heavy downpour of rain; it was now the turn of the boatman to ask a question. He said,
"Do you know swimming?" and when the man pleaded that he did not have the skill,
the boatman replied, "In that case, your whole life is as good as liquidated. Learn the
art of swimming across the sea of life, with its waves of success and failure. That is the
real skill to acquire.

Discourse 45

The wise hold that there is another gain which is far more desirable---attaining the
Presence of God, merging in the Supreme Bliss that God is, liberating oneself from the
little pleasures which divert us from the pursuit of the highest pleasure, Divine Bliss

To slake your thirst, you do not crave for all the waters of all the rivers; a glassful
sufOices. Similarly, one lime act of surrender is enough to win His Grace for ever. Years
of asceticism or study or saadhana are not called for. "You and nothing else," Oix this in
the mind and live in that conviction. That will transmute all your acts into worship
invaluable puuja.

First, self-assurance that you are dhaasoham (I am his instrument); then, through the
winning of His Grace, the consciousness that you are Shivoham (I am Shiva) or Soham
(I am That) will become your unshakable experience. To grasp this grand truth of the
immanence of Godhead (Sarvam Vishunumayam Jagath), the Oirst path is bhakthi
(devotion). For, generally through bhakthi, when it is intensiOied, one sees in all, the
Page 176 of 268

form of God that he reveres. It is difOicult to understand the Adhwaithic conception that
"My reality and the Reality of the Universal are the same." "I am That"; this can be
realised only through the sharp intellect and clear discrimination. This cannot be
established in the consciousness, by external argument or efforts. One has to be an
adept in dhyaana and vichaara (meditation and enquiry). Once the illness of a rich lord
was diagnosed by stranger monk as a defect in the eye and he was advised to cast his
eyes on a single colour only. The lord collected all the paint he could get and all the
painters of the region and daubed everything green---walls, roofs, fences, roads, tree
stumps. When the monk returned after some months, he was surprised at the stranger
appearance of the town. He asked the lord the reason for this and he was told that it
was in accordance with his own prescription! The monk chided him for taking all that
trouble and spending all that money, for, he could have gained the same end by putting
on a pair of green glasses! When the vision is clariOied into Brahma thathwam, then, all
will be seen as the One Basic Brahmam. No amount of external asceticism or attire can
instill that conviction.

The basic Brahmic unity makes every one equal; this equality can be realised only at
that high level of experience. Until then, all talk of treating all as equal to one another is
more self-deceit. Why, even such a simple thing as the advice to speak the truth leads to
complications which can be resolved only by compromise.

There are people who complain that their devotion to the Lord is limited and shaped by
the wordly bonds that bind them. It is not the world that binds them; it is they who
bind themselves to the world! People trap monkeys by placing big pots with small
mouths in the gardens and putting some groundnuts inside them. Then they wait
nearby. The monkeys come and put their hands inside the pots and Oill their Oists with
the nuts. Now, they Oind that the hands full of nuts cannot be taken out of the pot, for
the mouth is too small for the Oists. In this helpless condition, they can be caught easily.
They fall a prey to the trappers. If only they drop the nuts, they could escape from the
burden of the pot and get free. But the attachment to the nuts spelt disaster to them. So
too, man gets attached to sense-objects which he is loth to give up and so, he gets
entangled in the world forgetting the purpose for which he has come. This is the
supreme ignorance. You must try to make the best use of the time allotted to you.

You do not try to Oind out what you were before birth, after birth, and after death. The
potter digs up clay to make his pots; that creates a pit but, before his house, the clay has
become a heap. And after the process on the wheel, they become pots, which become
clay again, when they break and disintegrate. Clay persists in the pit, the heap and the
pots. The pots are short- lived and so, they represent the jeevas, the individuals. Clay is
the Brahmic substance, which underlies all creation. Know this and get established in
the Absolute.

Vol. 7!
Discourse 1 (Sri Sathya Mandali, Guindy, Madras)

But if you only ponder for a minute, you will realise that every second is new. Every
second marks a new birth; it is a fresh chance for achieving a new victory. For, the goal
as envisaged by Indian culture is the realisation of the Aathma by the individual, not
the acquisition of wealth or scholarship or fame. The chief duty of man is investigation
into Truth. Truth can be won only thorough dedication and devotion. And they are
dependent on the Grace of God, which is showered only on hearts saturated with Love.
Page 177 of 268

The question, "Where does God exist," is often trotted out by people nowadays. By
unceasing recitation of the Name of God, Prahlaadha knew that God is everywhere; it is
not correct to assert, "He is only here" or that "He is not there." The realisation of this
Truth can come only after intense saadhana (spiritual practice). You may see all kinds
of attractive articles in a departmental store; they cannot be yours merely for the
asking. Only those articles for which you pay the price can be secured by you.
Realisation may be an attractive article for you to carry home with you; but, you have to
pay the price. It cannot be yours if you have only argument of appeals in your
possession.

In India, we say we have won Swaraajya (Freedom); but, Swaaraajya (identiOication

with the self-effulgent Brahman) is the status we should each aspire to win. Swaraajya
is political independence, freedom from the humiliating yoke of an alien ruler.
Swaaraajya is freedom from the degrading dependence on passions and emotions.
When external shackles are broken we have Swaraajya. When internal shackles are
broken we have Swaaraajya. Swaaraajya alone can ensure peace and joy.

Of course, you have to be in the world, but you." need not be of it. The attention has to
be Oixed on God, the God within. In the Kannada country, there is a festival called
Karaga. The central Oigure of this holy rite keeps many pots on his head, one over the
other, and moves in the procession, keeping step with the music; he has also to sing in
tune with the rest and keep time to the beat of the drum. But, all the while, he has his
attention Oixed on balancing the precarious tower on his head. So, too, man must keep
the Goal of God-realisation before him, while engaged in the noisy, hilarious procession
of life.

People boast that they are interested only in inquiry and reason, that they follow only
the path of jnaana (spiritual knowledge). They aspire to be jnaanis (liberated persons
possessing spiritual knowledge)! But jnaana cannot be won without a pure mind. He
must discover who he is, before he ventures upon the inquiry, "Who is God?" Once he
has discovered who he is, there is no need to know who is God, for, both are the same.
When you come to know that God is in you, you will value yourself much more, for
when a man knows that the piece of 'glass' he has picked up is a diamond, he will keep
it in an iron safe, for better security. When a boulder has been carved by a sculptor into
a charming idol of God, it will be prized high and installed in a magniOicent temple and
worshipped with ritual ceremony by generations.

Discourse 2 (Prashanti Nilayam, Uttarayana, 14/1/1967)

It is Maayaa (illusion) that makes man take the Naama and Ruupa (the name and the
form) as real. Attachment is born out of this Maayaa only. It acts like a veil to hide the
reality behind all this multiplicity. Maayaa is the vesture of Maadhava (God); he who
believes it to be true is Maanava (Man). By saadhana, a man can escape from the
enticement of Maaya and realise that it is all false, for it does not subsist for all time.

Thyaaga (renunciation) alone can grant the immortality of merging in God. You must be
unaffected, ever in calm joy, in the inner depths; it does not matter if the waves play on
the top, heaving and falling, for that is but the action of wind upon water! Do not lose
the inner equanimity; maintain it with all your strength.

Page 178 of 268

How long can you stagnate in the same class? Have you no wish to get promoted to the
next higher class? In Bhakthi (devotion), there are two classes, Sahajabhakthi and
Viseshabhakthi. Sahajabhakthi is satisOied with worship, bhajan, naamasmaran, vratha
(group singing, remem- brance of Lord, vow-keeping), pilgrimage, etc. Viseshabhakthi
craves for purity of character, suppression of impulses, practice of daya, prema,
shaanthi, ahimsa (compassion, love, peace and non-violence), etc., and inquiry into the
why and wherefore of man. It is a matter of shame that people stick to the same class
year in and year out. Then there is another higher class named Paraabhakthi, too.

Four friends once started dealing in cotton. They had a godown for the storage of the
bales; Oinding that the cotton seeds attracted rats into the godown, a cat was
introduced by them to scare the rodent throng. They tied jingles to her feet and since
they loved it much, the jingles were of gold! Once, when the cat jumped from the top of
the pile of bales, it started limping on one foot. So they applied some balm and tied a
long strip of bandage round the injured foot. The bandage got loose and the cat
unaware of the long narrow cloth she was trailing behind her, sat near the Oireplace.
When the cloth began to burn, she ran helter-skelter and Oled into the godown itself,
where the entire stock of cotton was reduced to ashes in a trice. The four friends had
assigned to themselves each one of the feet of the joint cat and the injured foot
belonged to one Of them; so the other three charged him with the damages which they
claimed from him. The matter went to court and after hearing arguments on both sides,
the judge said, "The injured leg has no responsibility, for it was taken into the godown
with the trail of Oire by the three healthy feet. So, damages have to be paid by the
owners of the healthy feet to the owner of the limping foot." What may thus appear
correct at Oirst sight, might prove wrong on second thoughts. There is a correctness
from the worldly point of view and a correctness from God's. Find out what the point of
view of God would be, by association with godly men; they can give you proper advice.
You should seek and not avoid good men.

Let His Will be done---this should be your guide-line. The Emperor of the Cholas sought
to visit the Shrirangam Gopuram Temple, of which he had heard much. He got his
chariot ready and moved forward many times in six months; but every time a recluse in
ochre robes with a rosary round his neck and a halo around his head intercepted the
vehicle. When the emperor alighted to honour him, he kept him engaged in
conversation which was so enchanting that he forgot his journey and its goal. One day,
when he lamented over his failure to Oill his eyes with the glory of Shrirangam, the Lord
appeared before him and said. "Why do you lament? I am the Master who came to you
so often as soon as you set out for Shrirangam; recognise Me in all, that is the genuine
pilgrimage to Shrirangam." Consider all whom you meet as the Lord of Shrirangam,
your Master. Show untarnished Prema towards all who come to you.

Just as you prescribe minimum qualiOications for every profession, the minimum
qualiOication for Grace is surrender of egoism, control over senses and regulated
aahaara and vihaara (food and recreation).

Discourse 3 (Prashanti Nilayam, 22/1/1967)

There are two roads to fulOilment' Praarthana and Dhyaana---Prayer and Meditation.
Prayer makes you a supplicant at the Feet of God; meditation induces God to come
down to you and inspires you to raise yourselves to Him. It tends to make you come
together, not place one in a lower level and the other on a higher. Dhyaana is the royal
road to liberation from bondage, though by prayer too, you earn the same fruit.
Page 179 of 268

Meditation needs concentration, after controlling the claims of the senses. You have to
picture before your inner eye the Form on which you have elected to contemplate. Or,
as Indhra Devi has said now and as she is teaching her pupils in the West, you can elect
to meditate on a Flame, a steady straight Flame of Light. Picture it as spreading on all
sides, becoming bigger and bigger; enveloping all and growing in you, until there is
nothing else except light. In the glory of that all-enveloping Light, all hate and envy,
which are the evil progeny of darkness, will vanish. Know that the same jyothi or light
is in all. Even he, whom you were treating as your worst rival, has the selfsame light in
his innermost heart.

When you see in a house, on the walls of the shrine room a picture of Mine, do you not
feel a wave of reverence and kinship, surging within you? You may not like him for any
other reason, but this picture will bring him closer to you though the owner of the
house may be your rival in the professional Oield. So, too, know that every other person
has in his heart of hearts a picture of the God you revere.

Invitations are sent out, bands strike music, Olags are hung, guests are fed,
announcements are made---all with the intention of having many witnesses for the
marriage of the groom with the bride. Similarly, festivals, holy days, vows, rites,
pilgrimages, fasts are to invoke the blessings of the good and the godly upon the
marriage of the soul with the Oversoul. The fundamental rite is simple; the recognition
by the soul that it is the Oversoul overcome by the illusion that it is not. That is the
stage of Samaadhi, equal awareness, equipoise, levelness of consciousness devoid of
ups and downs.

Merge yourself with the whole of creation; allow the whole of creation to enter the
portals of your mind in one happy joyful family re-union. Envy, which like a mistletoe
saps vitality out of all Saadhana, can creep in only when you feel your neighbour as
different, distinct, disturbing. You do not feel your hand as a nuisance, because it is
yours, a part of you. Your neighbour is also as much you. All men are lamps lit from the
same Olame which is God. From one tiny seed, the giant banyan tree bearing billions of
tiny seeds is born. God alone knows the secret of His mighty Majesty. Out of the one
seed called Brahma, all this Universe has emanated, with each country as its branches
and each individual as one single seed. That is why it is said that Ishwara resides in the
region of the heart in all beings. The seed is hard inside the fruit; when the fruit gets
rotten, the seed does not rot. The Aathma is unaffected by changes in the complexion of
the body. Man has come with a deOinite allotment of time to engage himself in activities
which will award him Liberation and merge him in the Universal of which he is a drop.
Remember this mission.

If for any reason, say, a train journey, you are Unable to keep to the schedule, remember
at the same hour Prashaanthi Nilayam, recall to memory the thrill of dhyaana there at
that hour and Oill yourselves with the holiness. That will give as much joy as real
dhyaana at Prashaanthi Nilayam. Know that the external is only the reOlection of the
internal. The bimba (object) is inside and the external world is but its prathi-bimba
(images). See the Lord within; see the world as the reOlections He casts. This jnaana
(spiritual wisdom) alone grants liberation-- -Jnaanaath eva thu kaivalyam.

The aspirant who goes along the path of bhakthi Oinds at the gate of the mansion of the
Lord, the Mastiff, maaya, blocking his entry. He has to cry out in his helplessness,
"Swaami, come and take me in," so that the Lord, out of His divine pity, comes down,
pushes the Mastiff aside and gives him lasting refuge in His Presence. The jnaani
Page 180 of 268

(liberated person), on the other hand, overcomes the Mastiff by becoming himself the
same as the Master.

Indhra Devi said that when you meditate on the Lamp and the Flame, you must
visualise that the Light spreads and illumines the parents, kinsmen and later, friends
and even enemies. There is no need to remind yourselves of physical relationships,
which are causal; convince yourselves that the light within you is spreading all around
you, encompassing all, lighting millions of lamps in all lands and climes. Remove the
hardness, the imperviousness that hides and smothers the light inside you; that is the
most difOicult and the most essential task for the aspirant. The Aathmajyothi (Light of
Self) will shine only when the Dhehabhraanthi (false idea of body) is absent. How can
the Aathma shine when you identify yourselves with material encasement? The reality
is Param-aathma (Super Consciousness) only. It had the Oirst inkling of desire Ekoham
bahusyaam---"Being One, let many become"; and all this manifested from It, of It, by It.
For there was nothing other than It. This body is like the earthen lamp, in which the
impulses inherited from previous births are the oil and the ego is the wick. When
Jnaana lights it up, the oil is consumed more and more quickly and the lamp burns
brighter and brighter. Finally, when all the oil is exhausted, the wick too is burnt out.
The earthen lamp is then thrown away and becomes dust.

Do not try to start as an adept in social service unless you have won this Aanandha and
Shaanthi yourself. First self; then, help. Love is God; live in Love. People ride on
elephants into wild life sanctuaries to watch elephants! Being on elephants they seek
elephants somewhere else. So, too, man being himself the residence of God, seeks God
outside himself, in the complex entanglements of Nature.

Today is Tuesday, called Mangala-vaara, the auspicious day. It is called so because

Hanumaan conveyed the good tidings of Raama coming to rescue her on that day to
Seetha; she declared, "Let this day be named Mangala from now on." This was the day
of the week when Raavana, the evil force that caused much terror, was overpowered by
Raama and killed. So, I bless that you too will overpower and destroy the wrong
tendencies and attitudes and progress fast on the path of saadhana.

Discourse 4 (Prashanti Nilayam, 22/1/1967)

Yoga is chiththa vriththi nirodha---the cutting off of all agitations on the lake of one's
inner consciousness. Nothing should cause a wave of emotion or passion on the calm
surface or in the quiet depths of one's awareness. This state of equanimity is the hall-
mark of Jnaana (spiritual wisdom). Saadhana (Spiritual discipline) is the drug and
Vichaara (Inquiry) is the regimen that will cure man of all waywardness and agitation.

The process of meditation on the Light of the Lamp which Indhra Devi has told you has
to be understood thus Oirst feel that you are in the Light; then, proceed to the
realisation that the Light is in you; later, become aware that you are the Light, no more,
no less. But it is easier and better to project the light which you Oirst visualise within
you, to the outside world, illumining, more and more of the world, and visualising them
all as soaked in the Divine Glory that is in you too. When you feel you are all Light, you
will have no weight; everything will be bright. That is why on the Prashaanthi Flag, the
Aathma-jyothi is represented as emanating from the Hridhayakamala when the Lotus
blooms at the Oirst touch of the rays of the Sun, Jnaana.

Page 181 of 268

You can have other things besides Light to overcome the darkness. Anything that
awakens the awareness of the Universal---the InOinite, the lmmanent, the Transcendent,
All pervasive, Vast, Brahman---is beneOicial. You can have some Form of the Universal,
like Krishna whose blue colour is redolent with the vast deep sky or sea. Contemplate
on that Form, picture it in your mind, spend time slowly and with full attention on that
holy picturisation .... peacock feather, the kasthuuri (black) dots, the brows, the eyes,
the nose, the nose-stud of pearl, the mouth, lips, teeth, the Olute-Oh, you can spend
hours painting Him on the canvas of your heart. (Your attention will wander far in the
initial stages, but do not lose heart). It is a very proOitable exercise to sublimate your
thoughts and feelings. Every minute spent in this dhyaana will take you one step nearer
Liberation, nearer Mokshapuri, the 'City of God,' of Freedom from Bondage.

You are forsaking your real mother and attaching yourselves to the aayahs (maids) who
fostered you. Your real mother is Sai, who has affection untouched by ego. That is why
Raamakrishna cried out for Her and for Her grace. There is in every one an inner urge
goading him forward to the merger in his own reality, as a river is led along to the sea
by the compulsion of the Olow. The pendulum will swing from Oight to left, only when
you wind the clock. Leave off winding, it will come to a halt. So too, the mind will waver
from Oight to wrong, from mirth to moan, only when you urge it on and encourage it.
Desist from winding the mind; it will cease its antics.

Disappointments and distress are like the skin of the plantain, to protect the taste and
allow the sweetness to Oill the fruit. In such dire straits, let your mind dwell on the
splendour of the Aathma and its majesty; that will keep you alert and brave. The antics
of the senses and the mind can be arrested by the whip of Aathmajnaana (wisdom of
the true Self). Do this concentration of your reality every day in Dhyaana.

Train yourself to waken when Brahma-muhuurtham begins---that is to say, at 3.00 a.m.

You may require an alarm clock at Oirst for the job; but soon, the urge for Dhyaana will
rouse you. Do not take a bath before you sit for Dhyaana, for the ritual of the bath will
arouse the senses and you will be too full of pulls in different directions for the process
of Dhyaana to succeed. Regularity, sincerity, steadiness--these will reward you with
success.

When the mind of man is unattached to the ups and downs of life, but is able to
maintain equanimity under all circumstances, then even physical health can be
assured. The mental Oirmament must be like the sky, which bears no mark of the
passage through it of birds or planes or clouds.

Discourse 5 (Prashanti Nilayam, 8/3/1967)

You may ask, "Swaami! When you Oind a person behaving wrongly, viciously, how can
we love him? How can we revere him, as you want us to?" In such a situation consider
one thing: Who is it who committed that wrong? What is it that prompted the act? Who
did the deed? The body did it. What prompted the body? The mind. Why was he forced
to do it? Through the inOluence of his karma, the cumulative effect of his activities and
attitudes through many lives in the past. The Aathma in him is unattached, to any deed
or motive. That Aathma is Divine; love that, revere that. That is My answer. To put in
simpler terms: you observe a big portrait of Swaami over the entrance of a house, as
you walk along the road. You Oind that it is the house of a person, who is your relentless
foe! But, do you revere the portrait any the less, because the owner of the house does
Page 182 of 268

not deserve your love? Of course, you love the portrait, you revere it, wherever it is. Is it
not? So too, revere the Aathma in every one; it is the God residing in each.

Practising meditation in silence and solitude, one can in due course establish silence
and solitude in the heart, even in the busiest thoroughfares.

Discourse 6 (Prashanti Nilayam, 9/3/1967)

The state of the Indian nation can be summarised in the proverb: "Father is happy with
his second wife; children miserable with their step-mother." The technological
civilisation of the West, the culture that places the standard of living in a more
honourable place than the means by which that standard is attained, the culture that
Olies to the moon but is afraid to peep into the mind, has become the favourite wife; the
children who are to be fed on mother's milk of Sanaathana Dharma (the eternal
religion), are miserable, for they have no training to secure it. Born to a rich heritage,
the children are growing up destitute and helpless. Each one is the repository of Divine
Might, of the Imperishable Aathma. Contacting this Reality is the prime purpose of life.
But, this is neglected; precious days are spent in inferior pursuits.

Raamakrishna Paramahamsa bewailed every night that one more day had gone by
without His being able, by His prayers, to visualise the Mother as a living Mother. That
is the yearning that man must cultivate, not the competitive greed for sensory
pleasures that are false and Oleeting.

Life is a short and fast-Olowing chance; you will have to put every minute to the best
use: that is, the discovery of your own Reality, which gives you the highest joy. Do not
spend time inquiring about the whence and wherefore of others. Inquire about
yourselves.

What is the sanctity of Shivaraathri? You answer, "Linga emerges from Swaami's
Udhara (abdomen)." In fact, the Linga is in every one of you. In the Angam (body) there
is Jangam; (in the body composed of limbs, there is always the movement of the mind
towards the external objects); in Jangam, there is Sangam (through this movement,
there arises attachment); in Sangam there is Lingam (through attachment and
consequent suffering, the individual learns the need for and the efOicacy of the Linga, or
God, who is His innermost core). Witness the Aathma Linga (Spirit of the Soul) that
emerges; derive bliss therefrom. But, make yourself worthy for deriving it.

Discourse 7 (Prashanti Nilayam, Maha Shivaratri, 9/3/1967)

WHEN the word 'Lamp' is uttered, darkness does not vanish; when a patient is told of
the properties of a drug, his illness is not cured by attentive listening; when a man
suffering the agonies of penury is told of the various ways in which funds can help him
to overcome it, he does not feel a bit relieved; a hungry man is hungry, even after
hearing a tasty description of a magniOicent banquet. If Sanaathana Dharma (the
eternal religion) is extolled to the skies, as the cure for all the individual, social and
national discontent prevalent among mankind, the discontent will not decrease a bit.
You must extol it with faith; extol it out of the depth of your experience. You have to
experience it and stand witness to its validity; you have to attain the state of perfect
and lasting joy. Instead, you have ignored the cure and thus heightened the disease.

For what end is all this effort in life? You spend great effort in inviting your kith and kin,
in decorating home, in preparing a feast, in providing music and dance, all for the
Page 183 of 268

marriage of the bride and the groom so that they may live together happily ever
afterwards, isn't it? So too, all the earning and spending, all the yearning and sighing, all
the reading and reciting, are for the individual to be wedded to the Universal, from
which it has broken away, so that it may have bliss for ever. The Universal can be
cognised in the wink of an eye; the Bliss is available within a Olash; but, you have to
know the technique.

But God cannot be won by tricks or through short cuts. He can be won only by the hard
way of straggle, detachment and tough discipline. Yearn desperately for Him, cling
steadfastly to Him, Oill your mind with His Form, His Majesty, His Glory and His Grace.
Man is innately Divine; the Divine comes automatically into his consciousness. But the
curtain of maaya (illusion) prevents that thrilling contact, that illumining revelation.
This maaya is also a Divine ArtiOice, it is a vehicle or Upaadhi of the Lord.

There is a story that once the Lord got angry with maaya and wanted 'her' to disappear,
for people are being led astray by her wiles. Maaya said, it seems, "I am the veil that you
wear; I am the fog that has arisen out of your own will; I am as widespread as You are; I
am wherever You are; give me a place where You are not; I shall take refuge there."
Each one of you can tear the veil by attaining the knowledge of the Reality of God; or,
you can plead by prayer to the Lord Himself to lift it a little so that you may have a
vision of His Reality.

Move about in the world like an actor, but be conscious all the time that you are on the
way home, to be with the Lord from whom you have come. Whenever the feeling that
the drama is real enters the mind, deny it Oirmly. Do not identify yourself with the role
that you play. Such identiOication will retard your progress.

You must learn and practise what is called Vibhaaga-yoga in the Geetha. What does
Vibhaaga mean as in the Geetha expression Kshehtra-Kshethrajna-Vibhaaga-Yoga?
Vibhaaga means division, differentiation, discrimination, separation of one thing from
another. Understand the distinction between the Kshethra (the body, the Oield) and the
Kshethrajna (the Knower in this body), He who is aware of all that happens, who is
witness, the Dehi (the embodied) who is above all the dualities of pleasure and pain,
good and bad.

Man feels that he is the master of the Universe and that the Universe is existing only
under his sufferance. How then can he have peace? This conceit will bring about his
fall; man must be. humble and realise that he knows so little; even about himself.
Without the knowledge of his own self, What is all the lumber now Oilling his brain
worth? Make yourself humble, pure, useful for others. That way lies peace and joy.

In the Oirmament of the heart, the Names of God must shine as stars and the conOidence
arising out of the knowledge of Aathma must shine like the Moon when it is full and
bright.

The highest awareness to which all spiritual effort leads is: "Brahma sathyam, Jagan
mithya"--- "Brahman is real, the world is mythical." Every atom and cell is a bundle of
energy, expressing the Divine will. Matter and energy are not really separate. It is all
one Will concretising, pervading, prompting and continuing. To experience the world
as such, one must transcend all dual categories and reach the unique, unitary base,
identifying It and establishing oneself in It. When the eye is Oilled with Jnaana (Vision of
God), the world will be seen as Brahman (the Eternal Absolute). Then the world and
Page 184 of 268

the entire complex of being and becoming will assume one colour, the Brahman colour,
and you will have perfect equanimity, unaffected by any modiOication. No mirror, no
image! There is only the Person, the Bimba, alone. Yearn to reach that stage of perfect
unshaken Bliss.

This stage can be known and appreciated only when you strive to be in the company of
Saadhakas (spiritual aspirants) and Saints. When a sandalwood tree is felled by an axe,
the axe edge too smells of sandal! That is the nature of the good: they bless even those
who harm or malign them.

It is the height of foolishness to lose faith in God when some one you cared for dies. The
sentence that he earned is over and he is released. No one is born and allowed to live
for the sake of another.

Discourse 8 (Prashanti Nilayam, 10/3/1967)

Life is a battle; the battle is fought until victory. The goal of victory is the 'Crown' of
Aathma, the 'Sovereignty' of the Realm of Liberation. That is attained and won by the
process laid down in Vedhaantha. Vedhaantha is the consummation or the Oinale of the
Vedhas. Milk when curdled is rendered separable into butter and whey, and butter
when melted and clariOied becomes ghee; ghee is the Oinale, the anta (the Oinal stage) of
milk.

So, do not call yourself as a Dheena (weak person); how can you be a dheena when you
are endowed with dhhee? (Dhhee indicates Intelligence, Discrimination). With this
dhhee as support, start your saadhana, without wasting precious time in wails. That is
the highest duty you owe to yourselves. The saadhana can be to realise God as Formless
(Nirguna) or with Form (Saguna). When one walks, the right foot and left foot are both
necessary, you cannot hop long, on one foot! The Saguna Saadhana and the Nirguna
Saadhana are as the two feet. When the pilgrimage is over and the shrine has to be
entered, place 'the right foot forward! The right foot is towards the Nirguna Saadhana--
the Formless aspect of God.

Sow in the Oield of your heart the seeds of good thoughts, charged with humility;
irrigate it with the waters of Love; protect the growing crop with the pesticide called
Courage; feed the crop with the fertiliser. Concentration; then, the
'bhakthi' (devotional) plants will yield the harvest of jnaana, the eternal wisdom, that
You are He, and when that revelation comes, you become He, for, you were always He,
though you did not know it so far.

In spiritual matters, faith is the very essence. Doubt shakes the foundations of
saadhana and is therefore, to be avoided. Have faith in the wisdom of the ancients; do
not pitch you tiny little brain against the intuitions of the saints and their discoveries.

Discourse 9 (Bombay, Matunga, 19/3/1967)

THIS land of Bhaarath is indeed a holy country. Here the sages have sought to discover
the means of peaceful life, of happy life in communities of men, of a type of life that will
put an end to grief. They discovered and taught the Aathmavidhya (Science of the Self),
the chief component of which is Prema or Love. God is .where Love is---Love expressed
as sympathy, charity, reverence, affection, sacriOice. God is Love, Premamaya,
Premaswaruupa, Premabhaaskara (full of love, Embodiment of Love, Sun of love), as He
is described by those Who have realised Him. So, He can be attained only through Love.
Page 185 of 268

Bhakthi is deOined as Parama-prema- swaruupa---of the nature of the highest love. It is

not blind love; it need not be blind love.

I always advocate deep inquiry to strengthen the foundations of faith. Inquiry will only
reinforce the springs of Love. Can there be anything more lovable than God, who is
Beauty, Strength, Glory, Fame, Splendour, Wisdom, in their fullest bloom? Love of God
creates in man the love for all examples of His majesty, His mercy, His magniOicence, His
manifoldness. Raamakrishna saw in a Olower His charm; He saw everywhere His
grandeur; heard from every throat His melody, His Flute song. Even Oilth and
wickedness are loved, for God allows them to be!

The great men and women of this land did not waste their lives into the pursuit of
earthly possessions, but cast them off as encumbrances hampering progress on the
path to God. They abdicated thrones and kingdoms, renounced war, learnt philosophy
on battleOields and trekked far and wide in search of spiritual guides. Like men who
had forgotten their names, they asked the wise who they were, until they knew their
identity. They did not ask all whom they met, as most men do, "Who are you?," but
inquired from all the wise men they met, "Please tell me who I am." That is the way to
acquire full content and peace.

The I is the foundation on which you build your Divinity and the Mansion of Dharma
(righteousness). This truth can be known through Karma and Upaasana (activity and
dedication, deeds and devotion) which purify and clarify. Just as water and Oire get
transformed into steam, which moves a locomotive and drags heavy wagons along the
rails, Karma and Upaasana generate Jnaanam (spiritual knowledge), which moves
man's life smoothly along the rails of Peace and Joy. Karma and Upaasana create
detachment; they teach the true sense of values; man learns that peace can be won only
by withdrawing the mind from the objective world, not by allowing it to graze in the
poisonous meadows of sensual pleasure.

Discourse 10 (Sardar Patel Stadium, Bombay, 21/3/1967)

The teachings of these ancient seekers attracted the respect of men like Dhara Shukoh,
the brother of Aurangzeb, as well as women like his sister, Zebunnissa Begum. Dhara
had the Upanishadhstranslated into Persian; he adored them as the highest wisdom.
Zebunissa was also an ardent student of the same culture. One day, when her maid was
holding the mirror to her while combing her hair after her bath, it slipped and broke.
She was morally afraid to be near her mistress and stood shivering in dread of her
anger. But the Princess consoled her saying, "Why worry over the damage to the
mirror? Even the body to which all these articles cater is liable to damage and
destruction." Like a bird that sees a lump of Olesh in the far distance, but does not notice
the net spread over it to catch, man too sees but the charms of material objects; he does
not notice the entanglements which they cause.

You say, "Seeing is believing; I believe in God only if I see Him, but are all things seen or
heard or touched or tasted as real as they seem? Is it the eye that sees? Your eye may be
open and turned in that direction, but if your mind is wandering elsewhere, you will
not notice anything at all. You see things only through the illumination of the Aathma;
you love only because the Aathma is Love; you know because the Aathma is knowledge.
You have shaanthi, for the Aathma is the source and repository of shaanthi.

Discourse 11 (Sardar Patel Stadium, Bombay, 24/3/1967)

Page 186 of 268

All the manifold rules, regulations, limitations, directions, do's and donts, have just this
aim: to merge the soul with the Oversoul---the Jeevaathma with the Paramaathma. The
Shaasthras prescribe yama (various forms of abstention from evil-doing), niyama
(disciplined observances), aasana (physical posture), praanaayaama (control of
breath), prathyaahaara (withdrawal of the mind from sense objects), dhyaana
(meditation) and samaadhi (super-conscious state of absorption in the Aathman), etc.,
as limbs of Yoga; besides japam (repetition of Lord's name or mystic formulae),
shravanam (listening to God's glory), mananam (recapitulation of what was heard),
nidhidhhyaasana (constant musing on God's glory), etc.---all with this one end in
view--- of merging the Jeevaathma with Paramaathma. Spiritual saadhana is like a duel
with a tiger, maaya; it is like playing with Oire, maaya. By means of the hammer strokes
of joy and grief, the iron piece is shaped into a hollow vessel, so that it may not sink in
the sea of maayaa (world illusion).

Mix honey and sea water; the concoction will be undrinkable. In the same way, do not
mix the nectarine Grace of the Lord with the greed for sensual pleasures. Develop
Prajnaana---the pure, unsullied vision of Reality; then you can visualise the One that is
appearing as this Many. Prajnaanam Brahma, says the Vedha; "the constant integrated
awareness is Brahma." It is that by which the intelligence integrates, that by which the
senses co-operate in bringing about workable conclusions. The physical body and the
Prajnaana are related through the senses and the intelligence. When man and God
operate together, like the positive and the negative, Prajnaana, the current, is
generated. It is this Prajnaanam that establishes in you the conviction, Aham
Brahmaasmi, I am Brahman; not that there are two entities, Aham and Brahman, but, as
in syrup, where water and sugar have merged, Aham has merged in Brahman and there
is only one entity, Brahman. The Saama Vedha has the great statement, Thath thwam
asi (That thou art), meaning 'What which is beyond Ruupa and Naama (name and
form) is you, who now pitiably differentiate yourself and feel distinct, by means of
name and form, two transient changing insignia of individuality." Contemplation on
these grand expressions of the Truth Oills one with inexplicable joy. Not being aware of
these and their sweetness, man misses the great opportunity.

The Prashaanthi Vidwanmahaasabha is designed to bring this rich treasure to the door
of every one in this world, for every one is entitled to it. Not only these; the Geetha, the
Raamaayana, the Mahaabhaaratha, the Bhaagavatha---these too contain the message of
God; they should also be taken to the doors of every man. He must be fed on it, so that
he may grow in health and strength, courage and conOidence; because this is something
which once you get, you can never lose' Jnaana (Self-Knowledge). There is another
thing which if you once lose, you can never get back; that is, maaya. There is a third
thing, which you can never get, for it is You yourself; you can never lose also, for it is
You yourself that is Brahman.

He said that Sathya Sai Baaba knows all that happens in all. That is because I am in
every one---Ishwarah sarvabhoothaanaam---as the scriptures say. This current is in
every bulb; only, some are of low wattage, some of high wattage. There is no
fundamental difference between Jeevaathma and Paramaathma. The Upaadhis
(vestures) or bulbs have differences in power, depending on the Oilament and its
strength. The cow eats grass; the pig eats offal, the lion eats Olesh. That is the speciality
of the Upaadhi; how can there be any comparison or competition between these?

This world is the jungle in which you roam; fear is the lion, which drives you up the tree
of samsaara---worldly activities. Anxiety is the bear that terriOies you and dogs your
Page 187 of 268

steps in samsaara,' so, you slide down into attachments and binding deeds, through the
twin roots of hope and despair. The two rats are day and night, which eat away the
span of life. Meanwhile, you try to snatch a little joy from the sweet drops of egoism
and 'mine-feeling.' Finding at last that the drops are trivial and out of reach, you shout
in the agony of the renunciation, calling on the Guru; the Guru appears, whether from
within or without, and saves you from fear and anxiety.

Discourse 12 (Jamnagar, 27/3/1967)

All the sufferings of man today can be traced to this false sense of values. First things
must come Oirst. First, self; then, help. Nowadays, people start helping others on the
spiritual path without traversing that path themselves. So both the guide and the led
fall into the pit. Serve yourself Oirst, that is to say, understand who you are, whither you
are going, whence you came and why you journey. After having discovered the answers
to these questions from the scriptures, the sages and one's own undisputed experience,
man can dare lead others.

People also are not trained to recognise the true from the false, the temporary from the
eternal, the right from the wrong, the socially beneOicial from the socially harmful. They
dismiss all old customs and manners, old texts and rites, as useless simply because they
are old; they adopt new customs and fashions simply because they are new. Time is a
good tester; things that have stood the criticism of centuries, the blows of many alien
cultures, the attractions of strange fancies--- these must have an essential core of truth
and validity.

This word yoga is used in order to emphasise the importance of Chiththa-vriththi-

nirodha---the overcoming of the agitation of the mind. The waters of the maanasa-
sarovara, the lake of the mind, are never calm; they are seldom level. The slightest
shiver in the air affects the layer and creates a series of wavelets which takes a long
time to spend itself out. The mind too is stirred by the objects of the outer world and
the impressions they make on the inner senses; the mind is either disgusted or drawn
towards the objects. This disturbs equanimity; duality is ever the basis of sorrow and
pain. Sorrow is the temporary absence of joy; joy is the temporary disappearance of
sorrow. Both are not everlasting, except when joy is won by spiritual means.

How can this stage of yoga be attained? The Geetha proposes to teach just this. Its Oirst
word is Dharma and its last word is mama (mine). It teaches every one who studies it
mama dharma--- "my dharma," "my duty," "my responsibility to myself." And what is
that? Yoga. How is this yoga to be attained? By surrendering to God, dedicating every
word, thought and deed to God, by effacing one's will and accepting His Will and
leaving all initiation of activity to His Prompting, all execution to His Direction and all
consequences thereof to His Plan. "Give up all 'right' and 'wrong' and surrender your
will to Me. I shall save you from falling; I shall guard you against grief'---this is the
assurance the Geetha gives, that is the prop you need.

Surrender can be effected only after the perfection of detachment from sensual
pleasures, accompanied by discrimination between the real and the unreal. The taints
of "I" and "Mine" have to be removed by rigorous saadhana; chief among the disciplines
being Naarnasmarana, because when you dwell on the names of the Lord, His Majesty,
His Grace, His Potency, His Pervasiveness, these get Oixed in the consciousness and
one's own capacities and capabilities get eclipsed in the Divine. So, humility increases
and surrender is possible quite easily. This is the very purpose of human existence, to
Page 188 of 268

see God and merge in His Glory. All other victories are futile. The Vedhas proclaim this
to be the Oinal goal of man. The Upanishadhs declare the path. The Geetha illumines it.
The saints and sages proclaim its grandeur. Avathaars come when people stray from it
and get lost in the wilderness and the wastes.

Discourse 13 (Bhavanagar, 28/3/1967)

The Lord does not insist on all men following one path and accepting one discipline.
There are many doors to His Mansion. The main entrance is, however, moha-kshaya
(the overcoming of attachment). This is what Krishna exhorted Arjuna to achieve.
Arjuna lost heart and allowed the bow to slip from his hand, because he was
overwhelmed by a deluding type of attachment. Krishna had to demonstrate to him
that the kinsmen whom he dreaded to kill, the teachers whom he wished to live, those
whom he loved and hated, all were but instruments of His Will, puppets pulled by His
Hand. This destroyed his attachment and he resumed his task, without any attachment
to the consequences. That made him the recipient of the greatest lesson in history. This
lesson is valuable for the theist as well as the atheist, for both have attachment to the
consequences of their tasks, an attachment which will colour their eagerness and
double the distress when disappointed. Moha-kshaya is necessary for both Aasthikaas
(theists) and Naasthikaas (atheists), in order to secure lasting joy.

When the tree of life sends its roots into the Aathmic reality, the unchanging, eternal,
universal, immanent entity of which the individual is but a spark, it will Olourish
grandly, yielding fragrant blossoms of loving service, sweet fruits giving nourishment
and joy to all, the sweetness of virtue rendering every bite and chew delightful.

This does not mean that you have to renounce hearth and home and Olee to the forest.
There is no guarantee that the hearth and home will not follow you into the silence and
solitude of the forest; for, if your mind clings to worldly desires, you cannot escape
them by simply putting some distance between you and them. You may be in the jungle,
but your mind may wander in the market place. Similarly, you may be in the market
place, but by Saadhana you can still secure a patch of peace in the heart in the midst of
the busiest thoroughfare.

Discourse 14 (Bombay, Andheri, 29/3/1967)

But do not believe that you can by means of Seva re-form or re-shape the world. You
may or you may not. That does not matter. The real value of Seva, its most visible result,
is that it reforms you, reshapes you. Do Seva as a Saadhana; then you will be humble
and happy. Do not strut about that you are improving others; improve yourself. Make
Seva an extension of your Japam and Dhyaanam---Japam and Dhyaanam put into
practice, so to say. How can any one contemplate on a God who loves the poor and the
grief-stricken and yet be cold when the poor and the stricken are around him?

External beauty and charm are Olimsy, they are ephemeral. Real beauty consists in
virtue, self- control and selOlessness. Sundaram (beauty) arises from Shivam
(goodness)and Shivam from Sathyam (Truth). Be guided by this rule.

A sevak must be neither elated nor dejected; he must adhere to the middle path. When
Raama asked Hanumaan to proceed towards the Southern region and described the
dangers of the route, he was not dejected; when He gave him the ring to be handed over
to Seetha, he was not elated that he had been chosen for the supreme task and given
the glorious chance. He just obeyed. SufOicient unto him was the order of his Master,
Page 189 of 268

"Go." Hanumaan is the ideal volunteer; efOicient, humble, silent, serviceable, intelligent,
eager, devoted.

Discourse 15 (Poona, Meeting of Headmasters, 3/4/1967)

Sanaathana Dharma is the only religion that declares that there is no religion that can
be labelled 'one and only.' It says that all religions are but facets of the 'one and only.' It
says that all Names are names of God, that all Forms are but His Forms. No religion can
claim to represent fully the Universal, Eternal, Truth. This is the teaching of Sanaathana
Dharma. Therefore, if any one Oinds fault with another's faith, he is casting a slur on his
own faith. If any one defames another religion, he only reveals his ignorance of the
nature of religion and the glory of God.

It (Education) is the process by which man makes the best of his own inner equipment,
his Anthahkarana (inner consciousness), to know himself. It should open his inner eye,
more than his outer; the outer must reveal the glory of God, the inner must reveal the
God within. Food must contribute to the development of the head; the head must
discover the existence of God everywhere.

Faith in the God within him who makes him say, I, I, I, when referring to what he was
made to say and act and do by the prompting from within--- faith is the sustenance on
which Love and Courage, Contentment and Joy grow. Children can be easily made
aware of this inner I, which has the body as its apparel; they will grow in mutual love
and cooperation with all men of all lands, when they Know that colour and caste are
but apparel which do not affect the real Reality.

Discourse 16 (Poona, Andhra Association, 3/4/1967)

The education of the emotions and the control of passions are both included in the
deOinition of Yoga, the spiritual discipline that puriOies the intelligence. To penetrate the
thick fog that ignorance spreads over Reality, the intelligence must be built on the basis
of virtue. When Karma (action) is done as dedication and Upaasana (worship) is done
as the essential for very life, the Intelligence is clariOied so much that the fog disappears
and the truth is revealed. Karma, when engaged in as dedicated to God, loses its
deleterious effects for the doer, leaves the consequence to God; moreover, he considers
every act as an act of worship and so does it to the best of his ability. Karma thus
becomes transmutted into Upaasana. Upaasana starts with some concrete image or
idol or Name and Form; then, as the signiOicance of the Name and the Form sinks into
the consciousness, all names are seen to be God's; all forms are felt to be God's.
Gradually, the truth that the worshipper too is the same entity, deluding himself as
separate, because of a separate name and a distinct form, labelling the upaadhi (the
bodily encasement), becomes evident; this is the dawn of jnaana (spiritual wisdom).

The fog is egoism, which hides the Universal and induces the belief in distinctness; it is
a cloud of dust, that smothers the truth. People now love the fog and the cloud, they
make no effort to remove them. When you enter a shop and select cloth for pants or
bush shins, you ask for black; and the reason why you prefer that colour and dislike
white or light shades is that the black will not reveal dirt! The desire is not to remove
the dirt, but to hide it from gaze. This has become a universal weakness. People are not
ashamed of dirt; they do not seek cleanliness in the heart.

When Maithreyi was given by Yaajnavalkya vast wealth in the shape of gold and cattle,
when he left hearth and home on his spiritual quest, she asked him whether they
Page 190 of 268

would be of any use for her in her quest. When her husband replied that they were
transient and cheap when compared to the wealth of spiritual experience, she cast
them off and sought the precious wealth of thapas and shraddha (penance and
religious faith). She got eternal joy through them.

You must see Nature as Oilled with God, shaped by God, as God, in those shapes and
smells and sounds. We see the image in the mirror because the light rays are reOlected
back from the surface of the mirror. You are the reOlection of the rays of God from the
mirror that is Nature. If that mirror were not there, the Jeevi (individual soul) does not
exist as a separate entity. Remove the mirror, then 'you' merges in 'He,' and there
remains We. It is Prakrithi (Nature) that induces the belief that you are the body, the
deha. You feel you too are Name-Form like Prakrithi. This identiOication has led to an
inordinate degree of attention to the body and consequently, worry and misery.

The principle that food is only a drug to cure hunger is ignored and man is enslaved to
the tongue. All the twenty-four hours are spent in attending to the care of the body, the
prevention of disease, the promotion of health, the development of muscle, etc. No care
is spent on the dehi--- the God resident in this physical tabernacle, who has to be
recognised and revered. The weighing machine, on which you stand and read your
weight with pride, laughs at you for the silly exaltation. It sneers at your conceit over
physical victories; it warns you against too much concern over paltry gains. It knows
that death is lying in wait to snatch you away, however heavy you may grow. Develop
dhrishti (vision), not deha (body). Concentrate on the Maker, not the 'made.'

During the battle at Lanka against the Raakshasa (demonic) hordes, a boy sitting on the
hip of an ogress was wounded by a chance arrow. The mother dropped the child and
Oled. Lakshmana pointed her out to Raama and said, "See, how hard-hearted are these
ogresses; they have no love in their hearts even for their own children." Raama replied,
"Brother, do not condemn them so harshly. She may have other reasons for running
away." Raama asked him to Oind out for himself. She told Lakshmana that not all ogres
were hard-hearted. "Do you not know Vibheeshana, who serves Raama so devotedly?
Are there no ogres among you, men? Do not damn all indiscriminately. Listen. I know
that when it is a question of salvation, each is a distinct unit. Mother and child may go
along different paths and reach the goal, soon, or late; each in his or her own time. I
must seek my own good. I felt that if I Olee and keep alive, Raama may take me captive
to Ayodhya and grant me the dharshan (audience) that will save me from this recurring
fate." She had faith in Raama's Divinity and her own ultimate liberation.

When Bhasma (holy ash) is given, doubt haunts some people whether Swaami is
wishing that the recipient should be a Shaivite (devotee of Shiva)! It is a symbol of the
indestructible basic substance which every being is. All things become ash; but ash
remains ash, however much you may burn it. It is also a sign of renunciation, of
sacriOice, of Jnaana which burns all karma- consequence into ineffective ash. It is a sign
of Ishwara, and I apply it on your brow, to remind you that you too are Divine. It is a
valuable Upadesha (instruction) about your identity. It also reminds you that the body
is liable any moment to be reduced into a handful of ash. Ash will be a lesson in
detachment and renunciation.

Prahlaadha, when chastised by his father for disobeying his orders, replied, "He alone
is entitled to obedience as a father who orders his son to bow to Hari, and to merge in
Hari---not others."

Page 191 of 268

Attachment, affection, interest,---these will create prejudice, partiality, illusion; they

hide the Truth; they dull the intelligence. Raaga is roga (attachment is a disease), so far
as the enquirer is concerned.

Discourse 17 (First All-India Conference of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai

Seva Organisations, Madras, 20/4/1967)

LIKE food to a starving man, like showers on a parched Oield, the Vedhic science of
spiritual self-discovery is the life-saver for humanity sliding down to destruction
because it has lost its hold on truth, morality, peace and love. You are the instruments
in the spread of Vedhic science among the farthest corners of this vast land; you are the
chosen ones! You have to show by precept and by example that the path of self-
realisation is the path to perfect joy. Hence on you lies a great responsibility; the
responsibility of demonstrating by your calmness, composure, humility, purity, virtue,
courage and conviction under all circumstances, that the Saadhana you practise has
made you a better, happier and more useful person. Practise and demonstrate, do not
simply assert in words and deny in deeds.

The Aathma which can confer eternal joy is ignored and man rushes wildly under the
sea or out into space to cater to his craving for pride and pomp. Some persons have to
step forward boldly now to declare from their own genuine experience that the joy of
reaching the moon is as nothing when compared to the joy of reaching the inner moon
of Aanandha, and the source of all Aanandha, the Aathma.

Discourse 18 (First All-India Conference of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai

Seva Organisations, Madras, 21/4/1967)

The Vedhas and the Intellect, which man is endowed with as a gift from God to separate
good from evil, are the means by which the culture of this land is to be preserved and
promoted. When the Vedhic treasure house is explored with intelligence, the Aathma-
thathwa (essential nature of the Self) becomes clear and when that is recognised, man
becomes eternally happy and full of peace.

You are allotted the task of bringing once again to the homes of the people the message
of Aathmic strength and Aathmic unity. Transmuting 'man' into 'God' and experiencing
that Aanandha (Bliss) is the one and only achievement for which life is to be devoted.

The Universe is the Body of God; in the Body, the Unity Consciousness is Bhaarath, the
Eka- bhaava (feeling of Oneness). "Ekam Sath," (The Reality is One) the Vedhas
declared aeons ago! That is the heart-beat of Bhaarath today. This is the reason why
sages, saints, Divine personages and Incarnations of God appear here and proclaim
their message to mankind from this land.

Inner transformation, which is the fruit, can be acquired only when these are done with
faith. Faith can grow only from the root of inquiry. Faith is made Oirmer by inquiry. You
must encourage inquiry by the members whom you contact and welcome their efforts
to gain Oirst-hand experience.

The mind is the instrument, the Oly-wheel, the thickest comrade of man. Through it, one
can either ruin oneself or save oneself. Regulated and controlled, channelised properly,
it can liberate; wayward and let loose, it can entangle, and bind fast. Try to Oind out
when exactly man is having peace, full undisturbed peace. You will see that he is at
Page 192 of 268

peace only during sushupti (deep sleep). For, at that time, the senses are inactive, the
mind is inert and unattached to the senses or their targets. So, when senses are made
ineffective to drag the mind out, man can attain peace. That is the real saadhana, the
basic saadhana: the withdrawal of the senses from the objective world
(Nivritthimaarga).

Train the mind to dwell on the inner equipment rather than the outer attractions. Use
the mind to cleanse the feelings, impulses, attitudes, tendencies and levels of
consciousness. Let it not accumulate dirt from the outer world and deposit them within
itself. If it is attached to work (Pravritthimaarga) the consequences of work get
attached to it. Unattached work is the purest; it does not encumber the mind with
elation or disappointment. 'I did it,' 'This is mine': these are the two fangs that make the
individual poisonous. Pull out the fangs, the snake can be handled and played with as a
pet. These organisations must be vigilant to see that egoism and the sense of personal
possession, pride or achievement, do not invade them. That is the goal to be kept in
view.

Service has become a word of common currency, but its value is very much reduced by
the hypocrisy of the users. Really speaking, only those who are afOlicted with agony,:
equal agony, at the sight of pain and suffering, distress or disease, have the Oight to offer
service; for, they are not serving others, they are serving themselves, serving to remove
as fast and as intelligently as they can, their own agony. Service to others is the
medicine one needs to alleviate the distress which Oills one at the sight of distress in
another being. Feel that you are serving yourself, that you are curbing your own ego.
Otherwise service heightens your self-esteem and develops a sense of superiority,
which are both harmful spiritually.

A spiritual organisation is really above all rules and regulations; the realm of the
Aathma is beyond the limits of regulations. In this sense, rules are either meaningless
or superOluous in Sathya Sai Organisations. But at least, to satisfy the law of the land
dealing with associations of this kind, some rules have to be adopted.

Another point I want to emphasise is this: There are many other organisations with
spiritual objectives in this land, run under different names, attached to other Names
and Forms of God, like Raama, Krishna. You know that Indian culture insists that you
should offer reverence to all the names and forms of the One God-head. In your
organisations, there may be some who insist that only Sai Bhajan should be sung, only
the Name and Form of Sathya Sai be used. This is a great mistake. You are thereby
dishonouring Sai. If you attach yourself to Sai and detach yourself from Krishna, you get
a plus there and a minus here; the resultant gain is zero. In this matter do not develop
fanaticism or sectarianism. Others may have these, but that is no reason why you
should meet them with the same failings. Try your best to avoid such infection. When
the other organisations require help, go and help them. This will make them realise the
loving universal nature of your attitude.

If you offer all activities at the feet of the Lord and free them from any trace of egoistic
attachment, the consequence will not bind you: you are free, you are liberated, you
have Moksha.

Silence has to be started with oneself; that is to say, one must talk less, and think more
deliberately, more discriminatingly. One must try to empty the mind of impulses and
Page 193 of 268

prejudices and preferences. Thus, man must strive to reach down to his real nature or
dharma, which is Divine, Dharmaswaruupa (righteousness personiOied).

Discourse 19 (Prashanti Vidvanmahasabha, Madras, 22/4/1967)

Three texts are considered authoritative by the seekers of this land: the Upanishadhs,
the Bhagavadgeetha and the Brahmasuuthras. These three teach the essentials for the
higher life of the spirit. In order to make the teaching clear to the uninitiated, three
great commentators, one after the other, wrote elaborate interpretations of these texts,
and since each of them had one particular viewpoint, the three saw in the selfsame
texts three different but not divergent paths to the goal of liberation. Shankaraachaarya
elucidated them from the Adhwaithic (non-dualistic) point of view,
Raamanujaachaarya from the Visishthaadhwaithic (qualiOied dualistic) and
Madhwaachaarya from the Dhwaithic (dualistic) point of view. Dhwaitha philosophy or
the dualistic point of view declares that the Jeevi (individual) is Jeevi and Dheva
(Universal) is Dheva and the twain shall ever be only two. The Adhwaitha school of
philosophy declares that there is only one Entity (Dheva) and that the Jeevi is a false
improvisation which ignorance conceives, because it is not able to realise the Universal
which alone exists. There are no two; Adhwaitha means 'No-two.' Visishthaadhwaitha,
special or peculiar 'no-two-ness,' declares that Jeevi is a limb of the Universal, a
component, but a distinct component of the One. All three are genuine paths to the
same goal; and, those who follow one cannot change over to another all of a sudden. A
car cannot change over to another all of a sudden. A car cannot Oly in the air, nor can a
plane taxi along the road to the destination. 'I am the Son,' 'God is My Father,' 'I and My
Father are one'---these declarations of Christ are signiOicant in this context. As one's
vision gets clearer and sharper, one's knowledge of oneself and the Universal in which
he is involved becomes clearer, sharper and truer, until it becomes the very breath, the
very core of his existence.

A hermit was one day bathing in the Ganga, when he saw Oloating downstream on a
piece of wood a scorpion. This is God encased in the scorpion form and name, he felt;
he wanted to save the scorpion. So, he took it on his palm; but, when it stung him, he
dropped it on the waters. Then he was stricken with remorse and so, he lifted it up
again. Thus is stung him Oive or six times; but, he persisted in his mission of mercy and
at last, managed to drop it on dry land so that it could go its way, alive and happy. Many
people watched his efforts and laughed at him for his stupidly exaggerated sympathy.
The hermit told them that the scorpion had taught him a lesson and he was thankful for
it. They asked him what it was. He said: "Stick to your innate nature, whatever may
happen---that is what it has taught me." Its nature is to sting; it stung, regardless of
whom or when. Man's nature is to achieve Jnaana; Aanandha is man's essence. Love is
the bloodstream that sustains him; peace is the vision that guides and directs him. That
is the reason why he is addressed as 'Amrithasya puthra,' in the Upanishadhs---he is the
son of immortality; he is eternal; he has no birth nor death. In the Geetha, Krishna
declares that among the mountains, He is Himagiri, the Himaalayas. From this, you
should not infer that Krishna was a patriot who spoke a good word about a physical
feature of His mother-country. To reach the Himaalayas, the abode of the pure, white,
cool, snow (symbol of the Saathwik virtues)you have to pass through Haridhwar (the
gate way of God-awareness) and through Hrishikesha (control of the senses). Then only
can you be the liberated soul, which is of the same essence as He. That is the inner
meaning of this statement by Krishna. Unless you know the inner and the correct
meaning, faith will be uncertain and practice spasmodic.

Page 194 of 268

The consequence of avoiding the knowledge and practice of Vedhaantha is the increase
of three tragedies: Paapam, Thaapam, Ajnaanam (Sin, Suffering and Ignorance). The
Name usually given to the Reality that you are, namely, Raama, is the cure for all three.
Aathma is known as Aathmaaraama because Raama means that which pleases and
nothing confers such vast inexhaustible joy as the Aathma. So, the word Raama means
the Aathma. That word consists of three components: Ra, and ma. 'Ra' is the mystic
representative of Agni (Fire) principle; it burns sin into ash, 'a' is the symbol of Suurya
(Sun) principle; it destroys the darkness of ignorance. 'Ma' is the symbol of Chandra
(Moon) principle; it cools the Thaapam or heat of suffering. So, 'Raama' overcomes all
the three tragedies and reveals the Truth, the Beauty and Goodness. Repeat the Name,
Raama with this signiOicance in mind and you can feel its effect very soon. Man is
Aathmaswaruupa (of the nature of Aathma), which is Truth, Beauty, Goodness, Peace
and Love. But he craves against his nature, for the false, the Oleeting, the crude, the inert
and the chaotic. This is demeaning and disgraceful. Man must turn his face away from
these and seek in himself the source of strength and joy. He must always have in view
God, of whom he is an expression, when he does any act.

The Karmakaanda of the Vedhas which prescribes Yaagas and Yajnas (Vedhic rituals of
sacriOice) is designed to secure for man the Grace of God and not, as is often assumed, a
happy life in Paradise. The prompting should arise not from desire for Paradise, but
from desire to obtain Grace, to dedicate the Yoga to God, leaving the beneOits therefrom
to the will of the Bestower. Nachiketa taught his father this superior outlook on the
subject of Yaaga and Yajna. The emphasis must be not merely on ritual correctness, but
unconditional surrender to the God who is invoked and propitiated in these rituals.

When you go to a shop to provide yourself with something you need, you know that
you cannot get it without paying its price. You have come here in order to get some
inspiration, or information, or some glimpse of the inner treasure that you possess and
of the means of beneOitting by it---call it Aathmasaakshaathkaara, Moksha,
Aathmathathwa or Liberation, Nirvaana or anything else. You have come to this shop
for it; we are selling the thing you need. But you are hesitant to pay the price. 'The
mouth is closed tight when the bit and the bridle are brought; it opens wide when gram
or grass is brought" is said of horses. It should not be said of men. So, when you come
to gatherings like this you must come, aware of the precious ware that is here available,
and anxious to assimilate as much as possible. Eager attention now, reOlection later on
what has been heard---that is the price you have to pay.

If you are told that Nachiketa did this or Svetaketu said that, of what avail is it? Unless
you adopt them as your ideals, exemplars, guides, these Upanishadhs and scriptural
texts are only fairy tales! Try to understand their steadfastness, their faith, their sense
of values, their virtues and their uprightness. And yearn to acquire them. They only can
we have another Nachiketa and another Svetaketu. Or else, in the entire course of
human history, there will be only one Nachiketa and one Svetaketu!

A celebrated sage once advised an aspirant that he could get God-realisation, in thirty
days, if he spent all the twenty-four hours in the contemplation of God. He went to his
place, did as he was told and after thirty-six days (he continued for six more days!) he
hurried to the sage, in great rage, for he was sadly disappointed. The sage asked him for
an account of his daily schedule of activity during the thirty-six days. The disciple said,
"Well, I rise from bed at four o'clock wash and get ready for Dhyaana by Oive, meditate
until six, move about until eight, have something to eat, doze off for a few minutes, read
a few pages, converse with friends for a while on the happenings in the world, bathe
Page 195 of 268

and drink something hot afterwards, etc., etc., with Raamanaama now and then, in the
intervals." The sage answered, "Wonderful indeed! I did not anticipate you will behave
so crudely. I directed you to use all the twenty-four hours in the contemplation of God,
without wasting a single moment. I did not lay down any other schedule. Spend as
much time as there is in thirty days, in the unalloyed contemplation of God; you will
attain liberation. The best method of carrying out the sage's direction is to believe that
this body is the residence of God; that the food you take is the offering you make to
Him; your act of bathing is the ceremonial bathing of Him who is in you; the ground you
walk on is his domain; the joy you gain is his gift; the grief you experience is His lesson.
Remember Him ever, in sun and rain. day and night, asleep and awake. That is the
unalloyed contemplation he advised the pupil to do.

Discourse 20 (Prashanti Vidvanmahasabha, Madras, 23/4/1967)

Children are happy since they have not yet got involved in such activity. They scatter
joy and enthusiasm, innocence and conOidence. How comes it that they are so fresh and
gay? Their minds are free from the infection of sense-pleasure-seeking. They are
ravelling in the untainted joy of their own innate nature. That is the reason why Christ
fondled a child, and advised all the grown- ups to become children, so that they may be
saved. How sweet is the smile of the babe in the cradle or of the child playing in the
garden? That is the genuine nature of man which he tarnishes foolishly, year by year, as
he grows.

The stage of life, the status in society, the profession, the company into which you are
ushered, the recreation you like---all these are to be used by you for cleansing the inner
mirror, so that God may be reOlected clearly therein. Grihasthaashrama (the
householder stage of life) is a step in the ladder to God-realisation. You do not settle
down on a step, or stay on a rung, or build a home on a bridge. Move on, climb ahead,
cross over, towards the goal of God. From Iham (this world) you proceed to Param (the
world beyond); through the practise of the Dharma (code of virtuous conduct),
pertaining to life in the world as a member of the human community, you transcend it
and earn the right and the qualiOication to know about the Dharma of the beyond, the
Nature and Glory of the Divine. Iha dharma gives Aanandha; but Paradharma reveals to
you the source of Aanandha and merges you in that source.

The Lord, who incarnates to restore Dharma, Himself advises the renouncing of all
Dharma for the sake of the ultimate Liberation or Moksha and in the same
Bhagavadgeetha He recommends in the last chapter the giving up of even the craving
for Moksha or Liberation, for there is in reality, "no bondage and no release." It is only a
delusion born of ignorance, which disappears when the Light of knowledge is allowed
to illumine the place where Darkness prevailed.

You can Oind God if only you look into yourself and understand yourself. He can be
realised only after a long process of cleansing and at the end of a systematic disciplined
preparation. Without learning the alphabet, how can any one dare condemn a classic?
The culture embedded in the ancient texts promoted the composure and mental poise
that is needed to delve into the depths of one's being. It is concerned with making every
one aware of the Aathma, the basic Truth, the only entity of which everything else is a
by-product.

You can pluck a few leaves off the tree or chop off a few of its branches, but the Tree of
Religion is deep-rooted in the human heart; it can never be destroyed or ignored. The
Page 196 of 268

fact that the body is but a shaky receptacle that is liable to crash any moment, that the
senses are imperfect instruments of knowledge, that objects are not per se sources of
pleasure or happiness, that the sense of 'I' persists in deep sleep too--these cannot be
denied by decree or by swearing them off. Like all attainments, the attainment of self-
realisation also involves hard discipline and concentrated effort. The price has to be
paid!

Let us suppose you are abused, reviled, and grievously hurt, in a dream! Though you
are pained at that time, when you awake, you are not aware of what has happened so
realistically a few minutes ago. So too, when you awake into the higher consciousness
of Jnaana (spiritual wisdom), all the grief and joy, the pleasure and pain you experience
in the waking stage are found to be as ephemeral as dreams. Report to the police that
you killed a person; they will throw you into the lock-up. Tell them you killed him in
your dream, they will brush you aside as a nuisance. Having come upon the world stage
as 'man,' one should act the role effectively. The tree is known by the fruit. The human
body is the temple of God. He is installed there. Yearn for the realisation of this Truth,
seek to discover It and derive Bliss therefrom---that is Bhakthi (Devotion, the path of
Love to God). Love the Highest, Love the most Lovable; do not love anything.

I shall give an example from the Raamaayana, which will make this point clear. When
Dasharatha the Emperor died, there was no one at hand to perform the obsequies and
so, they sent word to the younger sons, Bharatha and Shathrughna, who had left for
their kinsman's capital. They were not informed of the death, and when they came and
saw the body, they were too shocked at the inert silence of their dear father, that they
ran to Kaushalya, the Queen, their step-mother. She burst into tears when the two boys
ran into her apartments. They were shocked at this and inquired why. It was then that
she broke the sad news of the death of their father. Bharatha was plunged in grief at
this tragedy; he wept aloud, beating his breast. It was inconsolable agony. Then amidst
the distress, he said, "Mother, how unfortunate I am. I had no chance to nurse him in his
illness, during his last days. Alas, dear brother, you too lost the, precious chance of
service," he said, patting Shathrughna on the head. After some moments, he continued,
"Mother, how fortunate are Raama and Lakshmana. They were with him. They nursed
him and ran on little errands for him. They were with him when he breathed his last.
Since we were far away, did father leave any command for us? What was his last wish
regarding us? Did he remember us, ask that we should be sent for?" Kaushalya said,
"Son, he had only one word on his lips, one form before his eye; that word was Raama,
that form was Raama." Bharatha looked surprised. He asked, "How is it that he uttered
the name and craved for the form of Raama, who was by his bedside, and did not yearn
for me who was far away? O, how unlucky I am? Have I lost the affection of my dear
father?" Kausalya replied, "Well, if Raama was by his bedside or near him, he would not
have passed away. Bharatha ejaculated, "Mother, where had Raama gone? Why was he
away? Where is he now? Did he go a-hunting to the forest? Was he on a pleasure trip on
the Sarayu?" The mother said, "No, no. He went into the forest for fourteen years."
Bharatha Could bear it no longer. "Alas, what an outrageous tragedy, this? What crime,
which sin, did Raama commit to deserve this exile? Why had he to go?" "Your mother
wished that he should go, and so he went:" said the Queen. When Bharatha heard this,
the grief that he sustained on heating of the death of his father paled, and the grief that
arose at his mother sending Raama into exile for fourteen years supervened
overwhelming all else. The greater grief scours off the smaller.

So too, the greater yearning will dominate and deluge the lesser. So, yearn for God, and
all lesser yearnings will disappear. Loss or gain, honour or dishonour, health or ill-
Page 197 of 268

health, joy or grief--- keep the mind steadily pointed towards God; that is the goal; that
is the prize,for the race of life. Overcome all obstacles by means of that faith, treat the
obstacles as ineffective and futile and have the goal alone in view. Visualise God, seek
God and merge in God---that is the duty of man.

Discourse 21 (Prashanti Nilayam, 23/5/1967)

Peace and joy can be secured only by realising that they are one's own real nature.

The bhaktha must be a daksha (an expert), with the knowledge and skill, the know-
how of controlling the senses and sublimating the mind. In the Puraanas there is
mention of a Daksha, a supreme sovereign, who had a daughter, Sathi. Yes; if you are
such an expert in the science of spiritual progress you can call Sathi (the wisdom
relating to the Aathma) your own. Sathi is wedded to (Shiva) God, according to the
Puraana story. Yes; Aathmajnaana is wedded to God and so, one can merge in God, if
one has the knowledge of the discipline and one practises them. A person who has not
acquired this skill is merely a human biped; he does not deserve any higher
nomenclature. He is as unimpressive, as inglorious, as insigniOicant, as purposeless, as a
chariot without axle, as skimmed milk; as a moonless night; as a lotus-less lake.

The mind Olutters about and squats on all and sundry objects in the Universe. It refuses
to stay only on one idea, God. Like the Oly that sits on fair and foul, but denies itself the
pleasure of sitting on a hot cinder, the mind too Olees from all thought of God. The Oly
will be destroyed, if it sits on Oire; the mind too is destroyed, when it dwells on God, for,
the mind is but a pattern of desire woven with the warp and woof of the same material

Discourse 22 (Prashanti Nilayam, 23/5/1967)

Life is a long garland of blossoms, fair and faded, fragrant and futile. They are, so to say,
the good and bad of life. Man recognises only the blossoms, happy over some, unhappy
over most; he does not see the string on which they are bound together, the
Brahmasuuthra, the lasting fade- less Brahma-principle that gives stability to the short-
lived Olowers. Just as sparrows during a storm Oly towards a warm shelter. Man too
must take shelter in the Divine Principle to escape from the storms of life. He will be
welcomed by the Divine, only when, as Jesus said, he becomes a child. Allow the
children to come to me, he said. Children have no strong wishes to run after; they have
no overpowering passion of hate or greed; so they are embodiments of Peace.

When children grow older, egoism, pride, envy, malice, hatred, anger begin to enslave
them and they are overcome by anxiety and fear. So, one must recapture the years of
childhood, to be in Prashaanthi (tranquility). Saadhana (spiritual practice) can
accomplish this seemingly impossible transformation. Of course, the snake inside will
not die, if you rain blows on the mound under which it lives. You will have to forego
sleep and rest and food---that is to say, be content with what you get---and follow the
discipline prescribed. Then only can you know yourself, and know that you and the
Universe are one. This the Naaraayanathathwam that is in man; it is that thathwam
(reality-principle) that urges you to discover it, through the guide-lines laid down by
Vyaasa and others who came after him.

If you become a daksha (skilled person) by means of anapeksha (desirelessness), then

you can merge in the Shivathathwam, unlike the Daksha of Dakshayajna who had
apeksha (craving for the fruits) and so, lost the Shivathathwam he had become akin to.
Page 198 of 268

Prema which is the essence of bhakthi is built on anapeksha; if there is apeksha, it

becomes bargaining and not Love unsullied by gross considerations.

You may become a master of all the texts Vyaasa composed, the Mahaabhaaratha, the
Bhaagavatha and the 18 Puraanas, the Brahmasuuthras, etc, but, if you have no Prema
welling up in your heart, you cannot hope to contact the Premaswaruupa (embodiment
of Love), the Lord.

To confer on Man this Jnaana, God in His InOinite Mercy comes down as man, or else,
man will degrade himself to the level of beasts. Unless he learns to surrender his ego
with full satisfaction, in complete sincerity, with no reservations, to the Lord, he cannot
realise Him, though He is resident in his own heart. The anguish that Oills the penitent
seeker will move the Lord to manifest Himself. In the ecstasy of that moment, man will
experience: I am Thou, Thou art I. It is not a remarkable achievement to earn two meals
a day and have a roof over the head.

Vyaasa grouped the Vedhas into four. The Olower of the Vedhic Tree is Vedhaantha (the
concluding essence) and its Fruit is Aanandha-phala. To recognise that fruit, to crave
for its taste and to discover the means of winning it, the mind has to be trained and
disciplined. The mind is an extrovert instrument; when it Olees into the mesh of the
outer world, do not accompany it, let it go alone. Watch it struggling and suffering. Do
not attach yourselves to it. Then, it will surely come back, chastened and cleansed. This
spiritual discipline will certainly control the mind and make it an instrument, not for
bondage, but, for liberation.

Vairaagyam (detachment), Bhakthi (devotion and surrender) and Jnaanam (realisation

of the Supreme Reality) to which they lead---these three are represented by the
Thrishula in Shiva's Hands. Develop Jnaanam through the stages of Vairaagyam and
Bhakthi, then, you can yourself be identiOied as Shiva-swaruupam. The mind has to be
melted out of shape in the Fire of Jnaana (Jnaanaagni dagdha karmaanam), in order to
manifest Shiva thathwa (essential nature of Shiva). That was what Raamakrishna
accomplished at Dakshineshwar. He transformed himself into a brilliant gem by
intensive process of Saadhana.

Dedicate yourself to Him. That is the meaning of the Lord's injunction in the Geetha:
Maamekam sharanam vraja. Surrendering to His Will is the only duty you need
accomplish, the only task you have to carry out. If you do that, He assures you that no
harm shall approach you."Maa suuchah--do not grieve; He says. This does not mean
that God is anxious that mankind should fall at His Feet; man should cleanse his mind;
he must worship the Grand and the Glorious, the Supreme and the Universal; he must
merge his will with the Divine Will, which is what is meant by surrender. That
Universal Grandeur is Naaraayana; Vyaasa revealed the Naaraayanathathwam in all its
Glory through his Bhaagavatha and so the world must be ever grateful to him.

Choose, not Kaama but Raama, the Aathmaaraama; meditate on that and draw bliss
therefrom. Or, practise meditation according to a Oixed time-table, until you overcome
the need to remember the time-table, until you are not even conscious that you are
engaged in meditation.

Whenever you are serving another and relieving his distress, remember it is your own
distress that you are relieving. A cow was caught in a bog and it was Oloundering
helplessly. A throng of idlers was watching its struggles with great relish. A Sanyaasin
Page 199 of 268

(monk) passing along the road saw the unfortunate animal; he removed his shin. He
threw away his head cover; he jumped into the slush, and lifted the cow on to the bank,
in spite of its kicks and frantic movements. The throng laughed at his bravado and
weight-lifting prowess and some one asked him, "Why could you not go your way,
unconcerned? The Sanyaasin replied, 'The picture of that cow's agony cut into my
heart; I could not go one step further. I had to get rid of the pain in my heart. This was
the cure for that pain. I did it to save myself, not so much to save the cow." You serve
yourself; you harm yourself, when you gloat on the harm you have inOlicted on another.
There is no ANOTHER! Only those who have reached that stage of spiritual progress
have a right to advise on service.

If you have attachment to sense-objects (Raaga) you can never be free from disease
(Roga). Thyaaga (renunciation, detachment) alone can ensure true bhoga (joy, bliss).
This does not mean that you can Olee from the world; you can never do that. The world
will always be with you. While in this world of A-shaanthi (turmoil and agitation) you
must win Pra-shaanthi (the highest type of equanimity).

Discourse 23 (Prashanti Nilayam, 24/5/1967)

Jnaana is the treasure that man has to accumulate, so that he can so realise and merge.
Cows may be of different breeds, or colours or sizes; but, the milk they yield is the
same, the world over. So too, all religions, whatever their origin or extent of inOluence,
are all means to teach man this process.

Struggle to realise the Aathma, to visualise God; even failure in this struggle is nobler
than success in other worldly attempts. The buffalo has horns; the elephant has tusks.
But what a difference. To live in the body, with the body, for the body is the life of a
worm; to live in the body, with God, for God, is the life of man.

You have to proceed from the known to the unknown. Then the love expands in ever
widening circles, until it covers all nature, until even plucking a leaf from a tree affects
you so painful that you dare not injure it. The green vitality of the tree is a sign of the
Divine Will, which sends its roots deep into the soil. The roots keep the tree safe from
storms, holding it fast against the violent tug of the wind. So too, if the roots of love in
man go down into the spring of the Divine in him, no storm of suffering can shake him
and crash him into disbelief.

Discourse 24 (Babas Message to Divyajeevana Sanga, June 1967)

FROM time immemorial, scriptures and the experience of saints and seekers have
agreed in declaring that there is One Supreme lndweller in all beings, and only One. All
efforts to distinguish between the devotee, the object of devotion and the means of
devotion have concluded, at this point only. Prahlaadha, the greatest devotee of that
Supreme Godhead has declared in the Bhaagavatha, "Why doubt and discuss whether
He is here or there? Seek Him anywhere and you can see Him there itself." He is near
and far, before, behind, beside and inside everything in the known and unknown
worlds. People dare describe Him as thus and thus; that reveals only their faculty to
guess; no description can exhaust Him or delineate Him, in full. Such description is
based on their experience of the transitory outer world and will surely be affected
when direct realisation is won of the Highest Bliss. It is beyond the reach of human
intelligence or imagination to realise the Full and the Eternal; in proportion to the
development of the faculty, man seeks to picture the Vast MagniOicence and locate it in
Ayodhya or Dwaaraka or some such spot and give It a Name and a Form, so that he can
Page 200 of 268

approach It and adore It. He might even revere It as Full, but, how can a fraction be
Full? How can a facet be the entire Diamond? Consider each fraction as a value, as valid;
do not deride it as incomplete. It is impossible to experience the Complete and
communicate the experience. Fractions too are facts. They share the splendour and
glory; they are sustained by the same spring. When the Full is seen as a part, the
Fullness does not suffer dimunition. Raama, Krishna, Vishnu, Shiva---these are Names
and Forms of the many-faceted One; when you pay attention to one facet, the rest are
not neglected or negated. When the devotee dives into the Olood of Bliss that the one
Name-Form confers, he is diving into the same Ocean of Bliss that the Full IS. The
waters of the Ocean are not separated by lines drawn on them to demarcate this God's
region or that God's. Plunge anywhere; you are plunging into the self-same Bliss.

All this variety is the play of Name and Form; without the multiplicity of names to
distinguish one from the rest and the vast phantasmagoria of form to identify and
cognise, knowledge of the many is impossible; then, all will be seen and felt and
experienced as One, which it really is. To remind man of this fundamental Unity so that
he may not get lost in the conOlicts and complexities of manifoldness, the One assumes
Name-Form and comes as Avathaara (Divinity incarnated in human form) among men.
Then man is drawn towards the Avathaara by means of Grace and Prema, and led into
the path that will give him the vision of the Full, the One. The One can best be deOined
as Prema, Love; for, all Nature is immersed in Love, all beings are bound by Love, all are
drawn by Love. Love is in all, Love is of all. Love is all.

As affection, sympathy, attachment, fraternity, loyalty, reverence, adoration, patriotism,

Love expresses itself in many directions. Adhwaitha (non-dualism) proclaims that! this
One is inseparable and unique; Dhwaitha (dualism) emphasises the excellence of Its
Names and Forms; Visishtaadhwaitha (qualiOied dualism) speaks of the Names and
Forms as integral parts of the One. All reveal Its Glory.

Adoration arises when awareness of the glory is effected; then, it is a continuous

process, called Saadhana. In the beginning, the Adored and the Adorer are different and
distant, but, later, they commingle and come to be more and more composite. For, the
Individual and the Universal are ultimately One. The wave must yearn only for losing
itself in the sea, it should not have any lesser wish, any other aim. Merging gives full
content. The ego will be dissolved; all signs and symbols of particularism like name,
form, caste, colour, creed, nationality, church, sect and the Oights and duties attendant
thereon, will fade. For such liberated individuals who have merged their ego, the only
task that will adhere will be the uplift of humanity, the welfare of the world. Their stage
of Bliss will react on the world beneOicially, without any conscious effort on their part.
They have been rendered Amrutha- swaruupa and so, they are embodiments of the
sweetest Aanandha; Endeavour to reach that Goal and do that Seva, to the world.

Discourse 25 (Prashanti Nilayam, Krishna Janmashtami, 28/7/1967)

Like all avathaars, Krishna announced His advent to the world, bit by bit, step by step,
testing every time how far the Reality will be accepted by the masses. The signs and
miracles were intended, then as now, to proclaim the Avathaar. Even while in the
cradle, Yasodha had a surprise from the child one day. She was singing lullabies and
relating stories to send the child to sleep. One day, she told the Raamaayana story---
how Dhasharatha had four sons, how the eldest son, Raama, grew; how Raama was
about to be enthroned as Crown Prince; how his step-mother persuaded his father to
send him as an exile into forest for fourteen years; how a golden deer appeared before
Page 201 of 268

his dearly beloved wife; how he pursued wicked Raavana who had played this trick to
get Raama out of the way, came to the hermitage at that time and carried her away to
his island kingdom! As she said this, the child seemed to be terribly angry. It held forth
Its hand, and cried, "Lakshman! Give Me My bow and arrow." The mother remembered
that Lakshmana was the brother who accompanied Raama to the forest and she was
convinced that He who was Raama had come as Krishna to the world again.

All Avathaars teach, as the Oirst step in the long road of Saadhana, the giving up of
attachment. In the Threthaayuga, the Yoga-Vaasistha taught the same rule. In the
Dwaparayuga, Krishna taught Arjuna to give up Vishaya-Vaasana (attachment to the
objective world).

Discourse 26 (Anantapur Engineering College, 30/7/1967)

The rulers who frame and foster the educational system of the country are responsible
for the discontent, disillusionment and consequent delinquencies and disturbances of
the students. They pay attention only to the physical and intellectual training of the
youth; they forget the attention must also be paid to mental, moral and spiritual
development, so that an integrated personality can emerge. Now, a child is put to
school so that years later he may get a cushy job! Schooling is for gaining a living, not
for gaining the ultimate in life. In all countries, it is the same. Nowhere is youth trained
to earn Shaanthi (equanimity, peace); everywhere, the aim is a comfortable life, not a
life of peace and undisturbed joy. Comfort is a passing phase; it is a relative stage,
between two discomforts. The search for comfort, for riches, for fame, for power over
others---these will make a man so egoistic that he is a danger to himself and others.
The only safe path is to seek Aanandha within oneself, not in or through others.

!
Discourse 27 (Prashanti Vidvanmahasabha, Anantapur, 31/7/1967)

!
Discourse 28 (Prashanti Nilayam, Guru Poornima, July 1967)

GOD is Premaswaruupa; God is in every being; so, the fruit of every life is full of the
sweetness of that Prema. Like the bitter skin of the fruit which is sweet which casts the
cover of ignorance over the precious juice within, so too the bitter skin of envy, egoism,
hate, malice, greed, lust and pomp does not allow the sweetness to be patent to all.
Every being is entitled to partake of that Prema, irrespective of nationality, colour,
creed or status in society. When God and God's Prema are activating every atom, who
dare say, 'Stand out' to any one? Ishaavaasyamidham sarvam--- All this is God, is Prema.

The lights that Vyaasa lit to reveal this great reality have become dim; no one is pouring
oil into the lamp; all are interested in pursuing false ideals and Oleeting pleasures.
Vyaasa taught Dharma in the Mahaabhaaratha, bhakthi in the Bhaagavatha, and
shaanthi and prema in the 18 Puraanas; he taught the knowledge of "knowledge,
knower and the known" in the Brahmasuuthra. He emphasised that harming others is
the seed of sin and serving others the seed of merit. That is the lesson of Prema, pure
and simple.

The person who has delved into his depths and discovered his inner reality is the
embodiment of shaanthi.

Prema is the Amritharasa (essence of nectar) which Oills the Upanishadhs. When man
realises the inefOiciency of the senses, the mind and the intellect, to grapple with the
Page 202 of 268

Reality and know the inner core of his truth, then, he discovers he is the Aathma which
is Sathya, Dharma, Shaanthi and Prema. Or, He realises that there is God who is the
basis of all this superstructure, who has designed and contrived all this and he
surrenders his ego to Him. "Let Your will prevail," he proclaims and resigns himself
fully to His plan. That moment is a supreme moment of joy, Aanandha. Troubles,
miseries, handicaps, grief and pains that were hitherto causes of distress suddenly take
on a new and magniOicent r01e: they are "His handwork, His gifts, His Grace." They are
no longer unwelcome; they are as welcome as the successes, the pleasures, the
happiness are. Both are His Will. When you go to a new place, you seek out a friend and
hand over to him all the money you have for safe keeping; but, if you start suspecting
him later, you will have no peace. Have faith in him; you are free; you have no worry. So
too, give all your desire-driven activities to God; have faith in Him and be unconcerned
for ever. Sarva dharmaan parithyajya, (giving up all your desire-driven activities
through various codes and regulations) maam ekam sharanam vraja (give everything
to Me and have full faith in Me).

Prema too is of three kinds, depending on the guna (quality) that predominates in the
individual. Thaamasik Prema conOines itself to "me" and "mine," it does not Olow
beyond that little circle. The Raajasik Prema Olows only towards those in power, or have
wealth, or to those who will: give it a spectacular effect. Saathwik Prema, on the other
hand, always Olows towards the good, the pure, the detached, towards awe and wonder,
towards God.

Just as the sugar that your eyes can see and your hands can put into water becomes so
dissolved in it that neither eye nor hand can cognise it again, the senses and
intelligence cannot cognise that immanent God; chiththashuddhi (cleansing of mind)
alone can recognise God, just as the tongue alone can recognise the sugar that has
dissolved in the water.

Believe in that Supreme Paramaathma and engage yourselves in the practice of living.
You will then Oind that you can manage to detach yourselves from the world, though
you are in it. You will be like the lotus which grows in water but which Oloats on it and
does not allow it to wet it, like the tongue which is unaffected by grease though it may
eat ghee and oily articles. The chiththa (the mind-stuff) should not be contaminated by
contact with the sensory objects, that is the means of saadhana.

Discourse 29 (Prashanti Nilayam, October 1967)

Grasp this maaya and in an instant, the postulate of mind is seen as illusion. You can
know the 'I' principle. When this "I" is not cognised, how can you answer the query,
"Who are you?" You are not the name or label Oixed on your material body---Yellappa,
Raamappa, Mallappa, or Lakshmanappa. You are not the bodies which your parents
named so. Your genuine name is different. You declare, 'This is my leg, my head, my
stomach;" but who is this 'I' that possesses these? Discover who this 'I' is; understand
that the 'I' is not the body. When this is realised as a true fact, it follows that 'I' is not
the sense, nor the mind. So, the 'I' is the resident of this body, whose residence gives all
these their validity and value. That is to say, 'I' is the breath. So long as breath resides,
there is no death. So long as there is current Olowing, the bulb illumines. When the
current does not Olow there is no light. You attach importance to the coming and going
of the light in the bulb; you do not observe that the current is ever Olowing. The
connection is broken, that is all. The body is a bulb; when the current Olows through it,
the parts inside it are activated and function effectively. The breath is the current; the
Page 203 of 268

breath is 'I'. The Vedhas rely on three categories: Direct, Indirect, Inferential; but, there
is a fourth also: Shabdha, the Sound, the authenticity of the Sound. The breath is
inhaled, retained and exhaled as the sound: Soham Soham, Soham. This means: I am
Brahman, I am Brahman.' So, you are not a jeeva (individual soul)or a deha (body), you
are Brahman---the Universal, Eternal, Unchanging. The illusion you are now hugging
that you, with this reality of Brahman as your core and substance, are only this
particular body bearing this particular name---this is what is referred to as Maayaa
(worldly illusion). That is the effect of the mind. The mind has no special individuality;
it has no innate, inherent capability. All its powers of mischief are activated and
multiplied by man himself. It is agitated by the winds of delusion that blow on it.

Now, here is a piece of cloth, though it is just an assortment of yarn. Some yarns are in
this direction and some are in the other direction, and so the cloth was created. If we
pull out the yarns one by one, there will remain nothing of the cloth. So too, the desires
of man are the warp and the woof that has woven this new thing called 'mind'. Remove
desire; the mind disappears and is no more.

Discourse 30 (Prashanti Nilayam, 4/10/1967)

Look at the trainers of wild beasts. They bring the tiger, the most ferocious of animals,
like a cat into the circus ring, and make it jump through a hoop of Oire or lap milk from a
plate, face to face with a goat, sitting on a chair! They are able to subdue its ferocity and
tame it, reduce it to the position of an unassuming toy! How could they do it? They did
Saadhana, they made the tiger also go through a regimen of Saadhana and they
succeeded! If you could succeed with the tiger, can you not succeed with the ferocious
denizens of your mind? You can. That is the message of Navaraathri, the Nine Days'
Festival celebrating the victory of the Primal Energy. That energy, when it is manifested
in its Saathwik (quiet) aspect is delineated as the Great Teacher and Inspirer, Mahaa-
Saraswathi; when it is Raajasik (active and potent), the great Provider and Sustainer,
Mahaalakshmi; when it is Thaamasik (dull and inactive), but, latent and apparently
quiet as the Great Dark Destroyer and Deluder, Mahaa-kaali. Since Shakthi is all-
pervasive, omnipotent, inOinitesimal as well as all-comprehensive, it can be contacted
everywhere, in outer nature or inner consciousness. Prahlaadha told his doubting
father: "Why doubt, discuss and delay? Seek it anywhere; you can see It." It is near and
far, before, behind, beside and inside everything, in the known and the unknown world.

People dare describe Her or Him, as thus and thus; that reveals only their faculty to
guess. No description can picture the portrait in full. When direct realisation is won,
the tongue is rendered dumb; the portrait is unlimnable. It is beyond the reach of
human intelligence or imagination. But, man seeks to picture the vast magniOicance
within a limited frame and locate it in Ayodhya or Dhwaaraka or Madurai or
Kanyaakumari or some such spot, and give it a Name and a Form, so that he can
approach It and adore It. The Name and Form identify It, they do not limit It. When you
dive into the Sea at one place, you are diving into the Full, not a Fraction, for the ocean
is the same everywhere. You cannot separate it into sections by drawing lines on it.
Plunge any where; you are plunging into the self-same Bliss.

Discourse 31 (Prashanti Nilayam, 4/10/1967)

The Oire of detachment will fry the seed of desire, down to the last trace of life in it.
Mere transitory Oits of renunciation will not succeed in preventing sprouting.
Detachment has to be supplemented by the knowledge of the hollowness of the
objective world.
Page 204 of 268

When one of your Oingers pricks your eye, you do not turn against it and retaliate, do
you? The person who was harsh is as much you as your own Oinger.

Discourse 32 (Prashanti Nilayam, Hospital Day, 5/10/1967)

When two people meet, it is considered good manners that each should inquire about
the health of the other. This is true of the peoples of both East and West. You ask each
other, 'How do you do?' regardless of the fact, that both are every moment approaching
death, nearer and nearer. Really speaking, both are undergoing kshaya (decline), not
kshema (the security of health)! With each exhalation of breath, a fraction of life-span
escapes from our hold. So, each should warn the :her, remind the other, instruct the
other, to use the available present for realising the God within the Universe and within
oneself.

The best preventive of ill-health is the Aanandha that comes of unconcern. Look at Me. I
have come with this body, and you can see that there is no difference between this body
and any other human body. But yet, illness has never affected this body. It cannot, any
time. Even if I welcome it, it cannot approach Me. Nor am I taking any precautions
against it. I take all manner of foods, at all kinds of places, in all types of homes. The
dhobi's room will be full of varied assortments of clothes, isn't it? My dining table has
an equally varied assortment of dishes, brought by devotees at the Nilayam belonging
to all the comers of the world. I have no Oixed menu at all; I do not care for one. I move
about in all varieties of weather, sun or rain, summer or winter, valley or plateau; I
drink water from one well today, another tomorrow. But, I am Aanandha- swaruupa
(Divine Bliss personiOied) all the time and so, I am never ill. Nor am I in the least
disturbed by either the praise or by the maligning, that people pour. When I am spoken
of, either in derision or in adoration, My Aanandha is the same. A wayside tree having a
load of fruits with sweet juice, is admired by some; but, most people are tempted to
throw stones. Even lunatics and senile old men will cast stones at it.

Discourse 33 (Prashanti Nilayam, 6/10/1967)

Man must know the way to attain God, must be led and guided to attain Him, must be
educated to rid himself of distractions on the path, must know that, which if known, all
else is known. The rest is all secondary, incidental, unnecessary. The Vedhaantha,
meaning "the goal or Oinale of the Vedhas," is the repository of this knowledge, the
knowledge of God and of the journey which leads to Him. The different hypotheses
about His Nature and characteristics and how to test their validity, the different
disciplines that will render the intellect of man sharp enough to grasp the Glory of God,
the immeasurable thrill that the revelation of the Glow of God as one's own inner glory
will confer, all these are indicated in the Upanishadhs, which form the Vedhaantha.
Every good book written by Man is acclaimed so because it has a vein of this golden
glory in its pages.

Vedhaantha means the Oinal product of the fund of knowledge---liberation. The Oinal
product of milk is ghee---for, when milk is heated, curdled, churned and the resultant
butter is clariOied, ghee is secured and it cannot be turned into anything else. That is the
end-product. Vedhaantha is Jnaana---the knowledge that reveals, that loosens 'the
knots of the heart' and the bondage to external objects, that discloses in a Olash the
Unity that is the Truth of all this multifarious Creation. That alone can give shaanthi
and sukha (peace and happiness). Man can be happy only in vastness, in overOlowing
into greater and greater power and magniOicence. People run up to Nainital or
Page 205 of 268

Kodaikanal or Mussorie during summer, in order to escape the heat of the plains. So
too, people seek vastness, in order to escape the stufOiness of 'individualised' life. They
want the Eternal, the Absolute; not, the temporary and the particular. So, books must
deal with the eternal verities, the absolute certainties, the vast immeasurable joys.

The fascination that the temporary has over the mind is called Maaya or Delusion. For
example, under the delusion that white or greying hair is something to be ashamed of
and postponed, men and women dye their hair---though for all other purposes, white is
considered more desirable than black! The mind is never still Oixed on any one ideal. It
is ever wavering, Olitting from one object to another, hopping from one satisfaction to
another. To allow oneself to be led by the mind and bypass the intelligence is the folly
called Maaya (illusion). The world is a labyrinth in which man has become entangled;
he must Oind a way out. The mind, however is no guide, for it is an aimless wanderer.

Discourse 34 (Prashanti Nilayam, 7/10/1967)

INDIA is the land where the dichotomy of 'that' and 'this,' of 'Creator' and 'Creation,' of
'energy' and 'matter,' was resolved in one grand Unity, by both theory and practice, in
philosophical schools and in hermitages.

Indian thought afOirms that T and 'He' are one; that all is integrated in the composite
whole, true, good, and beautiful, through and through. Indian thinkers have reached the
dizziest heights of speculation and the clearest depths of intuition; they have found that
the experience of fundamental unity is not negated by most rigorous logic. Therefore,
all other faiths are but facets of this supreme Truth, this sublime experience. And, each
little duty cast upon man in the Hindu Code of Morals reOlects this awareness of Unity.
For example, it is laid down that when a person dines without Oirst feeding the chance
guest or the hungry man at his door, he is committing theft, eating a meal of sin,
partaking a feast of foulness!

So too, India, that is to say, Vedhamaatha (the mother who speaks with the voice of the
Vedhas) has to warn the nations of the world, sleeping the sleep of sense-satiety, that
wildness is rushing in to destroy them. This is the role of Bhaarath-,--to assert that God
is a present and persistent factor in human life, in every atom, in the Universe and that
God is Sath, Chith and Aanandha (Existense, Conciousness and Bliss Absolute). She
must nurse the tree of Dharma and garner from it, for the welfare of the whole world,
the fruits of Ahlaadha (spiritual exhilaration), Aanandha (bliss) and shaanthi (calm
equipoise).

Discourse 35 (Prashanti Nilayam, 8/10/1967)

BIRTH is the consequence of Kaama (desire, lust): Death is the consequence of Kaala
(Time, the lapse of Time). The God of Desire (Kaama) was reduced to ashes by Shiva;
the God of Time is Kaala or Yama. He was subdued by Shiva. So, one has to surrender to
Shiva (God) if one has to escape the consequences of these two frightfully fatal forces. If
between Kaama and Kaala, you take refuge in Raama, then you can escape the rigour.
For Raama is the Aathma and Aathma (self, inOinite) has no Kaama and is unaffected by
Kaala.

Nature---both outer and inner---is ruled by the Sovereign Aathma, the Universal Soul,
the Paramaathma. So, if you earn the Grace of the Paramaathma, Nature becomes your
docile instrument. The body is nature; the vital air is Paramaathma. Living beings are
pictures moving on the screen; the screen which is unaffected by the emotions, the
Page 206 of 268

raging Oire or roaring Oloods that pass over it, is the Paramaathma. The worldly will be
fascinated by the pictures, which through delusion, appear as if they are all real living
incidents; the wise will concentrate on the screen, which is pure, white and clear. When
water is poured into milk, it too takes on the nature of milk. Nature too appears to be
capable of giving us stability, joy and peace; but, these are really the qualities of the
Ultimate, the Paramaathma. Like the water mixed in milk, these qualities do not belong
to Nature at all.

The Hamsa (a legendary swan) has the property of separating the milk from the water
and drinking the milk only. So too, Paramahamsa (realised person, who has achieved
Truth) can separate the Illusory from the Real and experience the Bliss, communicated
only by the Truth. Raamakrishna was a Paramahamsa; he knew how to separate milk
(Truth) from the water (untruth) added to it. When he was suffering from cancer of the
throat, unable to swallow food, his disciples entreated him to pray to mother Kaali, that
the cancer may be cured; they felt that Kaali will certainly answer the prayer if he but
made it. But, Paramahamsa refused to ask any such boon from God. His attention could
not be diverted to any such low desire. "Why pray? If it is Her will, it will happen; if not,
that too is Her will," that was the reply.

There is a great deal of useless discussion and controversy about the paths to attain
God; some demarcate three paths, Bhakthi, Karma and Jnaana. But there need be no
controversy on their relative efOicacy. They are like the conOluence of the three holy
rivers at Prayaag, the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the unseen underground Saraswathi.
Ganga is the Bhakthi-maarga (the Path of Devotion)---surrender, control of selOish,
sensual pursuits; Yamuna is the Karma-maarga (Path of ritual and ceremonial worship,
of dedicatory acts)---engaging in activities, irrespective of the beneOits therefrom, doing
all duties as worship, eliminating all attachment, all pride of I-am-the- doer type;
Saraswathi is the Jnaana-maarga (the Path of Knowledge; of acquiring true awareness
of the Reality)---cognising that ideas of bondage are all delusion that One is ever Free,
devoid of change, full of Aanandha. The three Paths are like the wheels of a tricycle---
the wooden push-cart, which children are given, to train them to take the Oirst steps,
while learning to walk. Bhakthi and Jnaana are two wheels in one line at the back and
the forward one is Karma. The child learns the steps and walks towards the "City of
Freedom from Fear and Illusion."

Discourse 36 (Prashanti Nilayam, 9/10/1967)

Everything is judged by us on the touchstone of the ego. The mind is a double-edged

sword---it can save, but it can also bind. Yoga is the restraint of the waves natural to the
mind. By learning and practising the disciplines of yama, niyama, aasana, pranaayama,
prathyaahaara dharana, dhyaana and samaadhi (abstention from evil-doing, various
observances, postures, control of breath, restraining the sense organs, concentration,
meditation, absorption in the Aathma), the seeker can overcome and eliminate the
mind. When the mind is eliminated, the Reality will become patent! It is like the
discovery of the lost "tenth man." Ten friends waded across a river in Oloods, and when
they reached the bank opposite each one took a count and found only nine, for he did
not count himself! So, they inferred that "the tenth man" was drowned and began
lamenting his loss. Then, a passer-by came along and counted them; he found that all
were there; the tenth man too was there; only ignorance had kept him unrecognised.
This is the consequence of Illusion. Since you do not know the real nature of the Self or
Aathma, you do not recognise the Self at all; when this knowledge is communicated by
the Guru or scripture, the ignorance of the Self disappears.
Page 207 of 268

The senses are the prime motive forces for the mind and the illusion it suffers from.
The Five Elements have each a characteristic that affects and attracts one of the Oive
senses: Sound (Ether), which fascinates the mind through the ear; Touch (Air) which
draws the mind to itself through the skin; Form (Fire) which manipulates the mind in
its favour through the eye; Taste (Water), which enslaves the mind through the tongue
and Smell (Earth), which attracts the mind through the nose. Contact with the external
world is maintained by the senses for the sake of these experiences---which yield joy or
grief. In order to escape being tossed about on the waves of joy and grief, one should
cultivate unconcern (upeksha), an attitude of welcoming either, as a sign of Grace. Shri
Raamakrishna said that if you must avoid the sticky Oluid in the jack-fruit from
contacting your Oingers when you peel it, you have to apply a few drops of oil on them.
So too, said he, "if you do not want the world and its reactions to stick to you, have a
few drops of 'unconcern' applied On your mind."

This unconcern leads to the deepest yearning for God. Chaithanya went to Brindaavan,
where every particle of dust was sacred for him, since Krishna trod that soil centuries
ago. He did not see or hear or touch or smell or taste anything except Krishna at
Brindaavan. He was rendered so forgetful to the world around him that he ignored the
demands of hunger, thirst and social etiquette. He yearned for the consecrated food
that was offered to Krishna in the Temple. But, one night, the Lord appeared before
him, and admonished him for entertaining that one desire too! When at last, he gave up
that desire also and was overwhelmed with the thirst for Him and Him alone, Krishna
manifested before him, from within him. The Divine Chaithanya (Consciousness)
illuminated the Chaithanya in human form. Learn therefore the discipline that can
make the mind settle on God only and never waver therefrom.

Discourse 37 (Prashanti Nilayam, 13/10/1967)

WITHOUT self-conOidence no achievement is possible. If you have conOidence in your

strength and skill, you can draw upon the inner springs of courage and raise yourselves
to a higher level of joy and peace. For, conOidence in yourselves arises through the
Aathma, which is your inner Reality. The Aathma is peace. It is joy, It is strength. It is
wisdom. So, it is from the Aathma that you draw all these equipments for spiritual
progress. There are two eight-syllabled axioms in the Geetha, which are the basic
beliefs man must have' Shraddhavaan labhathe jnaanam (with Faith, wisdom is won)
and Samsayaathma Vinasyathi (the doubter is destroyed). They are two embankments
between which the river of life can Olow, safe and steady, towards the Sea of Divine
Grace. During the years of youth, the river is subject to sudden Oloods which may eat
into the embankments and damage the region. So, special Care has to be taken to
render them strong.

You must know your own Reality before you die and merge in that supreme Joy. Eat just
enough to keep the body in trim; use the body to discover this Reality, namely, God.
Mention was made here of the fear that the childless suffer from; the fear is that unless
you have a son, who will do the rites prescribed for the departed, the dead parents will
have to sperm ages in a special section of hell! This emphasis on begetting a son was
made only for royal dynasties. Since, in the absence of direct successors, the kingdom
will have to pass through strife and bloodshed. Dhritharaashtra had a hundred sons;
not one of them survived him and performed the rites to save him from hell! Suka, the
incomparable Sage, had no sons; can you say that he missed Moksha (Liberation) as a
Page 208 of 268

punishment and spent ages in hell? Not to have a son is no spiritual disaster, I assure
you.

Some worship God as Shiva and call Him as Pashupathi (Guardian of cattle), 'pashu'
meaning living beings, the bound; some worship God as Vishnu or Krishna and call Him
as Gopaala (Protector of cattle), 'go' meaning living beings, the bound. And these two
sets of devotees refuse to revere each other! Shiva is extolled as the Creator, Preserver
and Destroyer, by those who adore Him. Vishnu or Krishna is extolled as all these three
by these that adore Him; but, they don't take the next step of recognising that there
cannot be any legitimate reason for their differences. You must welcome all Names and
Forms, though you might have a personal attachment to one Name and one Form. You
have to admit that the God whom you adore is universal enough to have many Names
and many Forms.

Repeat the Gaayathri - it is a universal prayer. It has three parts, dhyaana---meditation

on the Glory of God as the Illumination immanent in the worlds, upper, middle and
lower (Om Bhuh- bhuva-swah; thath savithur varenyam); it has Smarana or
picturisation of the Grace (bhargo devasya dheemahi) and Praarthana, prayer for
compassion for the sake of liberation, through the awakening of Intelligence that
pervades the entire Universe, not to any particular Name or Form of that Intelligence;
and so, all can use it and be saved by it. There can be no fanaticism, no hatred, no
rivalry, if the Gaayathri is adhered to; its japa (pious repetition) will clarify the passions
and promote Love.

Discourse 38 (Prashanti Nilayam, 14/10/1967)

NO other human community has gone so deep into the problem of birth and death, of
thoughts after death and the continuity of the consequences of thoughts, words and
deeds, as the Hindus. The solutions they discovered and veriOied are so universal, so
convincing and so beneOicial for individual and social uplift, that they have stood the
test of centuries of critical assessment by scholars and sages of all lands. One
commendable feature of this investigation is that reason has never taken a second
place. At every step, the saadhana is to be reinforced by reason. The saadhana (spiritual
discipline) is the drug, the intelligent appraisal of the results and difOiculties is the
regimen. The disease o Ajnaana (spiritual ignorance) is cured by the 'tablet,'
Prajnaana (science of the spirit); that is to say, the damaging consequence of Ignorance
is cured by the Higher Knowledge.

So do not adhere to the 'aloners' in religion, who say the 'He alone is God'; change over
to the 'also-ers' who know that 'He also is God.' Every head before Me, all the Oifteen
thousand, is My Head; for, it is the head of God, as mentioned in the Vedhas. Every bulb
is illuminated by the same inner-Olowing current. Let not the bulb think that it is
shining through its own will; let it be humble that it is but an instrument, used by the
current, to shed light.

If each one follows his own nose, there will be chaos. If each one decides to pursue his
own wish or even his own reason (for after all, reason may be used to justify one's own
predilections and pet prejudices), man will descend to the level of the apes or worse.
So, man has to be guided by the wisdom of the past, the bounds prescribed by his well-
wishers, the sages, the Shaasthras or moral codes laid down to map the conscience in
him. The Shaasthras only channelise the urges that arise within men. Like the seed,
which can sprout into a plant only from under the soil, all the various emotions,
Page 209 of 268

feelings and impulses sprout only from within the mind of man. If the mind is steady,
nothing can shake you into indecision or indifference.

The Jeeva struggling to merge with Brahmam wails plaintively, as the pilgrim to
Thirupathi wails, "O, Lord! You are atop the Seven Hills, I am on the plains below."
Therefore, it is said, the Jeevi must either rise up to that level or he must, by his
prayers, persuade the Lord to come down to him and bless him, by His Presence. This is
a wrong inference. The Lord is neither up nor down. He is within, not seen because the
heart is unclean. Engage in Karma, until this cleansing is accomplished; then, when the
Lord in you is cognised, all your acts will promote the welfare of the world.

Discourse 39 (Prashanti Nilayam, 15/10/1967)

The Thaittireeya Upanishadh takes the student from the gross to the subtle, step by
step, in its effort to teach him the Divine Principle. When Bhrigu, the son of Varuna,
approached his father, saying, "Teach me Brahman," he was told in a general way,
"Brahman is that from which all this originates, that in which they live, and that in
which they enter when they depart," and he was asked to investigate it through
meditation himself. Bhrigu declared that 'Food was Brahman,' and when asked to
proceed with the investigation, he proceeded to the next hypothesis, that Brahman was
Praana (life); later, he found that Manas (will, sankalpa, ichchaashakthi) was Brahman;
then he reached the stage when he could declare that Brahman was Vijaana
(intelligence); the next step was reached when he identiOied Brahman with Aanandha
(bliss); thus the Upanishadh teaches the subtle, supreme, non-dual Bliss, hidden in the
cave of the heart. From the material to the spiritual---that is the process of
Upanishadhic teachings.

The new born baby does 'kevvu' (onomotopoeic word in Thelugu for baby's wail); the
dying person, as a result of his experience of life, must do 'navvu' (laugh, in Thelugu).
The baby wails, since it does not know its name, its Reality; the dying man must laugh,
since he should know it. He must die happy that his life-work has been accomplished.
Koham? (whom am I)---the question with which he emerged into this world has been
answered; he knows: Soham (I am He). He is born ignorant; he dies a jnaani
(possessing spiritual knowledge).

Discourse 40 (Bombay, 6/11/1967) (They called this discourse Seva as

Sadhana ???)

THE Vedhaantha declares that the mind (Manas) leads man, either into the cage of
bondage or into the vast open spaces of liberation. If it involves itself in sensual
pursuits, it drags man down into the sub-human level; if it engages itself in seeking the
higher truths, the deeper realities, the more lasting joys, then, it enables man to rise to
the level of the Divine.

Man too can transform himself into a priceless instrument for God-realisation through
the proper use of his mind and intelligence. By the forceful alchemy of the mind, he can
attain jnaana (spiritual knowledge) and see the Truth that satisOies and illumines.

We feel that the people of our country will be happy, if we only provide them with food,
clothing and housing. We feel that they are suffering, because they have not got these
things in an adequate measure. That is an illusion, for, contentment and happiness are
attributes of the mind. The mind must be trained to achieve peace and acquire joy.
Page 210 of 268

Ask yourself the basic question: Is there something that can be called sukha? Can it be
attained by the accumulation of material things? No. Sukha (happiness), can be got and
retained only through Aathmajnaana (the knowledge of the Self) through the Aathma
which is the source and spring of Aanandha. We delude ourselves when we argue that
happiness can be derived from things outside ourselves.

Life as man is the chance given to every one to achieve one glorious end, namely,
realising the Aathma and its Universality. He queries every one about his name and
whereabouts; but, does not know an iota of his own identity. Who are you, really? You
are not the body or the senses or the intellect or the mind, for you speak as if you own
them and are different from them, when you say, my body, my senses, my intellect, my
mind. He who is the master of all these is the 'I', the 'I' that makes every one else also
feel similarly. With every breath, man inhales the consciousness that the Universal
eternal Principle that pervades and persists in the entire Creation. That is why he is
repeating silently, Soham, with the inhalation and the exhalation, Soham. During deep
sleep, two ideas, (the very duality) disappear. The idea of "that" and the idea of "this"
go, leaving only the sense of 'I'; sa and ham fade out leaving only Om, in the sounds
soham. That is the seed sound, the Pranava, which is the Praan (breath). Merge in that
Om, the Primal Universal Sound and you lose your separateness and your misery and
pain.

That is the ultimate stage of man---his Antha Vedhaantha---the Oinal stage of man, his
Vedhaantha, his. jnaana. Man starts as a Brahmachaari, a student of the Brahmic, the
Aathmic path; he enters the Grihastha (householder) stage, the stage of apprenticeship
in the joys and pleasures of the world; then he promotes himself into the Vaanaprastha
(recluse in the forest) stage, of detachment and discrimination; that leads him on to the
Sanyaasa (ascetic) stage, of intense spiritual exercise. This ends in the consummation
of Samyoga (merging in the Absolute), like the river merging in the sea, losing in the
process, its taste, its form and its name. He who knows Brahman becomes Brahman;
the river that enters the sea becomes the sea.

The person who serves is the person served; you serve yourself when you serve
another. You serve another because his suffering causes you anguish and by relieving it,
you want to save yourselves from that anguish. Unless you have that anguish, your
service will be hollow and insincere.

We say 'peace of mind'; but, unless the mind is eliminated, there can be no peace. The
mind is but a pattern of desires, warp and woof of wishes, resolutions, plans, ambitions,
attempts, attachments.

You can develop detachment by dwelling on the great heritage of man; then, you will
not engage yourself in low deeds and thoughts. Man is called in the Indian texts, manu-
ja, he who is born of Manu, the great exponent of Dharma-shaasthra. So, Dharma
(righteousness) is his heritage; he has no right to deny Dharma or act contrary to it.
Contemplate on that Dharma, on Sathya and Prema which are the foundations of that
Dharma, and then, all your acts will be in consonance with real Bharatheeya culture.
See your self in all and in yourself. That alone entitles you to be a sevak, to serve.

Meditate on the God who Oills the Universe and transcends it; then, that glory will Oill
you and you can never more be small-minded or mean. Your acts and words will echo
the glory of God. Seva that comes from such experience will certainly bear fruit.
Page 211 of 268

Try to offer people your Prema; they will respond with lasting gratitude. Give them
clothes, houses---they are apt to lose them. Give them education; they may or may not
use it for their good. But, give them Prema; they will imbibe it gratefully and Oill their
hearts with it and be happy as never before.

Discourse 41 (Prashanti Nilayam, 22/11/1967)

Do not imagine that this is a temporary responsibility (being a Sevak), which you
shoulder today and lay down in a few days. This is a form of worship into which you are
initiated so that your hearts may be cleansed and God reOlected therein. This training as
a volunteer will lead you to see the bliss of Aathmaanandha and the Light of Reality. It
will induce you to search for your own inner truth, your swa-swaruupa (own natural
form). All the acts you perform must be directed towards one end: drawing down on
you the Grace of God. All the provisions stocked in the store-room in your house are
there to meet one purpose: appease your hunger. So too all Karma is for attaining God.

But, caught in the darkness of Ajnaana (spiritual ignorance), man mistakes the
purpose. He imagines that he can be happy, if he caters to his senses; this is only self-
deception. The ego is not the cause of this; the real culprit is the darkness produced by
ignorance of the goal of life. Believe that God resides in every one as the Aathma, which
illumines his senses and the vision. Then, the darkness will disappear and Light will
prevail. Learning the process of getting Oixed in that faith is the genuine education. The
others are lamps that have no Olame, that cannot dispel darkness. They may be
designated so, but that name is misnomer.

When you call yourself a Sevak, offering service to another, have also reverence in your
mind that the person whom you serve is the Lord Himself in that form. This attitude is
very helpful for the Saadhak. Maanava seva is Maadhava seva---the service of man is
service of God. But, when? When we feel in the depth of heart that the person whom
you serve is a wave of the same sea from which you derive your individuality, your
taste, your name and form. I have called you in today and I am naming you as
"Volunteers" in order to give you an opportunity to practise this Saadhana of Maadhava
seva through Maanava seva.

Do not therefore take this as a new authority conferred on you, or as a burden landed
on your shoulders. Acceptance of the Will of God has its own advantage; it yields rich
fruits. Hanumaan did not become conceited when Raama selected him for the crucial
southward search and when Raama gave into his custody the Ring to be given to Seetha
(assuring him in the process that he would certainly succeed in discovering her); nor
was he affected by fear, at the tremendous responsibility that was heaped on him. He
just accepted what was given; he was neither happy nor unhappy. He felt that Raama
the Lord knows all and so his duty was only to obey.

You must cultivate the same attitude towards my commands and instructions. Be
convinced that if you obey them strictly, you will attain victory. One evening Krishna
took Arjuna far out of Dwaraka City and while they were alone together, He pointed at a
bird Olying over their heard and asked him "Arjuna, isn't that a dove?" Arjuna agreed; he
said it was a dove. Suddenly, Krishna turned towards him and said, "No, it is a crow."
Arjuna concurred and said, "I am sorry, it certainly is a crow." Immediately, Krishna
asked him, "A crow, no, it must beazkite. Is it not so?" and Arjuna promptly agreed. "Yes.
It is a kite." At this, Krishna smiled and asked Arjuna, "Are you in your senses? What
Page 212 of 268

exactly do you see? Why you say, of the same bird, it is a dove, it must be a crow and it
is a kite?" Arjuna said, "Who am I to dispute your statement? You can make it a crow
even if it is not one, or, change it into a kite. I have found that the safest thing is to agree
with you, in full faith. I know of no other course." It was only after this test, for
unOlinching faith that Krishna assured himself of the credentials of Arjuna to receive
the Geetha advice.

The aged have accumulated much more experience than you; they are Oilled with
sweetness, like ripe fruits. The wise men or Jnaanis have also to be served and revered.
What is the sweetness, in these? It is the quality of Shaantham, of being unrufOled at the
ups and downs of life.

The asceticism that you have to adopt is just this: Obey the Aajna, the order of the Lord.
You have no need to fast and torture the body: can you kill the snake by beating the
mound, which has it in its hole? Can torment teach you the truth? Control thoughts;
divert feelings; canalise the currents of the impulses. The pendulum will stop its swing
only when you stop winding the clock with its key. Stop winding; then the pendulum
will remain at one point; the mind will remain at the Feet of God.

Wishes can never win peace; a wish is tiny seed from out of which a huge tree
emanates, the tree in its turn scatters a crore of seeds, which sprout into crores of trees.
Fry the seed and it will not sprout again. When wishes multiply quick and fast,
concentration is impossible; when water is poured on a height, it Olows along the
inclines, down into the hollows. Concentration is the reverse process: rolling a rock
uphill. This requires unintermittent effort, unbroken attention, and ceaseless striving.
Allow conOidence to slacken but a moment---the rock will come rolling down.

You have another great responsibility, too. This land, Bhaarath, has to guide others in
selOless service, in the development of an attitude of detached devotion to duty. From
ancient times, India is famous as the land of dedicated Karma, of holy living and
thinking, of incessant subduing of the harmful passions surging in the mind, of the
tireless pursuit of the goal of Peace. But, latterly, Indians too have been infected by the
diseases prevalent in other parts of the world; they have started spuming holy
company, sacred books and spiritual discipline. This is a tragedy; once again, the
ancient modes of life have to be revived; the ancient attitudes have to be appreciated
and adopted. That faith in the imperishable Aathman (which is the reality of both the
individual and the Universe) has once again to vitalise activities.

Karma is the Olower and Jnaana is the fruit. The Olower becomes the fruit, in the fullness
of time. Only, one has to guard it and keep it free from pests. Charcoal is wood that has
undergone but a part of the baptism of Oire; let it undergo that baptism to the full; it
becomes white, light ash that Olies with the wind into the four quarters. The
puriOication of mind from the passions have to be taken up through the Oire of Jnaana
until success is gained. In saadhana, there is no half-way house, no resting place.

Your installation on the throne of Aathma-realisation, as the monarch of your own

inner consciousness, is the consummation of saadhana of life itself. One can sacriOice
everything for the sublime success. The Paandavas gave up the empire for which they
struggled long and sacriOiced four million lives on the battleOield, so that they may get
enthroned as such monarch. They sought the peace of the Himalayas in the later phase
of their life. Only by "giving up" can that status be won. The Upanishadhs say that
immortality can be achieved, not by sacred acts, nor by virtuous progeny, nor by
Page 213 of 268

accumulated wealth, but only by "giving up," Thyaaga. You have to give up all
attachment to food and recreation, to I and Mine when you yearn for the Lord.

In the silence alone, can the Voice of God be heard. Serve the thousands who are
arriving here, in this spirit and with these objects in view; that is the way to obey the
Will, the Aajna. The aajna (command) is the boat that will take you across the Sea of
Change, into the Eternal and the Absolute.

Discourse 42 (Prashanti Nilayam, 23/11/1967)

BHAKTHI is the state of mind in which one has no separate existence apart from God.
The Bhaktha's very breath is God; his every act is by God, for God; his thoughts are of
God; his words are uttered by God, about God. For, like the Oish which can live only in
water, man can live only in God--in peace and happiness. In other media, he has only
fear, frantic struggle, failure.

The Nandhi (Bull) is the lower nature of man; when it is used as the vehicle of God it
secures a place in front of the central shrine of God and it shares some of the adoration
offered to God. It is only association with the Divine that can confer value and
signiOicance. The mind too gets illumined, and feels joy, peace or calm, only because the
peace, joy and calm, which are the native characteristics of the Aathma (God) within
are reOlected on it.

There is no attempt on the part of man in recent times to grasp this truth and to gain
the constant Awareness.

When Seetha was Oixed in the Dharma of the wife, she saw Raama in all beings. Though
she was surrounded by frightful female monsters, she did not notice them; though she
was interned in a charming garden, named Garden of No-grief (A-shoka), she did not
see any Olower around her. Her eyes, her mind, her thoughts were Oilled with Raama
only. This is the condition of Prapatthi---surrender of all faculties to the Lord.

The ego has to sacriOice itself so that man's divine nature can manifest itself. "Mine" is
death; 'not mine' is immortality. Renunciation results in peace. The golden key of non-
attachment opens the lock which keeps the door to heaven shut. "Give up; I shall Oill the
gap" says Jesus.

Discourse 43 (Prashanti Nilayam, 24/11/1967)

WHEN Arjuna plaintively approached Krishna for courage and consolation, the Lord
advised him, "manmanaabhaava"---"Fill your mind with Me. Let all urges be for Me, let
all acts be dedicated to Me." The mind has no strength of its own; it has to lean on some
person or thing all the time. It is like the stray cow that trespasses into Oield and eats off
growing crops. If you feed it well in your own farm its trespassing habit will vanish.
Your pet dog will wander in the bazaar for scrapings from dustbins, if you do not feed it
full at home. Give the dog a nice full meal; it will lie under the porch and guard your
house! The mind too can be weaned away from vicious desires if you feed it on good
thoughts, good resolutions, tenderness and love. Then only will it serve your best
interests.

Raamakrishna Paramahamasa told an addict that he must not consume more than a
given quantity of opium; he gave him a piece of chalk, to weigh every day the quantity
of opium he can eat---no more, no less! But, he imposed a condition, whose usefulness
Page 214 of 268

in helping him to conquer the bad habit the addict did not realise then. It was that
every time he used the weight he had to write on a slate, the Pranava (Om), before
putting it on the scale of the balance. The fellow obeyed; the chalk was reduced in
weight with every Om, until it was eliminated in full; the opium habit too was reduced
out of existence! The Om also helped to transfer his attachment from the opium-
induced tranquillity to the everlasting Bliss of God-intoxication.

You should also gather, grain by grain, act by act, the wherewithal to build a secure
future for yourselves, a mansion of Dharma. You must swallow the drug that will
render drugs unnecessary; you should do the Karma, which will make further Karma
unnecessary. But, the drug that is eaten now intensiOies the drug habit; one Karma
leads to a thousand, in order to cover up the consequences. The Incarnation has come
to point the way out of this vicious circle.' Hand over to Me your hundred thousand
paltry Karmas and worries---each one, a paisa. If they are genuine and sincere, I shall
take them all and give you a thousand-rupee currency note (Grace) which is lighter and
easier to keep. Of course even if one pain or grief or worry or fear is counterfeit, the
Note will not be given.

The Upanishadhs were not composed or collected by persons who craved fame or
fortune; nor are they the vapourings of idlers and scribblers. They have the true ring of
actual experience. They arose out of compassion for others wandering in the
wilderness, out of concentration on the means of liberation from the dual chain of tears
and triumph.

Care kills quicker and surer than disease. Man misuses his intelligence and memory to
grieve over the past and plan far into the future. Thereby he loses his heritage of peace
and joy.

Creation, preservation and merging are the three forms of the Divine Will. By Karma
yoga, you grasp the meaning of creation and the created; by Bhakthi yoga, you
understand the preserver and the preserved; by Jnaana yoga, you merge into the
principle from which you have emerged

Discourse 44 (Prashanti Nilayam, 26/11/1967)

DIAMOND cuts diamond. Thom removes thorn. Karma cures Karma. Karma, derided as
causing the dualities of grief-joy, pain-pleasure, birth-death, also brings about
liberation from the chain of duality. Karma causes both bondage and liberation. The
sun rises; that act unfolds the petals of the lotus Olower, but, folds the petals of the
kumudha Olower! The sun sets; that act makes the good men hurry home to the
company of their family, but, it makes bad men hurry out of their dens to the places
where they revel and rob. The palm falls on the mridhuanga; the sound is pleasant to
the ear. It falls on an empty tin; the sound grates the ear. Karma ruins; Karma saves.
What is the nature of the Karma that saves? Holding fast to Shivam (God), as the boy
Maarkandeya did. By this, you can foil death and earn eternal joy. What is the nature of
the Karma that ruins? Holding fast to Shavam (corpse). By this, you earn endless toil in
slime and sorrow. What is Shavam? It is the delusion that you are the 'body'; what is
Shivam? It is the consciousness that you are the Indweller, the Inner Motivator, the
Anthar-yaamin.

The Name must, however, Olow in the mind in an uninterrupted stream. Naamasmarana
is a yoga (process of uniting with God); that is to say, it is a means of chiththa viriththi
Page 215 of 268

nirodha---of calming the agitations of the mind, subduing the waves of emotions and
feelings. The Naama (Name) must always be associated, while intent on the smarana
(remembering, recalling), with the Naami (the Named One). It is not a mere sound; it is
a signiOicance, the symbol of a Form, of a Fact. All the obligatory as well as optional acts
pertaining to the process of 'living' can be gone through, with the Name-awareness as
the inspiring background. The mind must be merged in the Godhead; it must be
transmuted into the essence of Godhead. When the branch of a tree rubs against
another, heat is generated and in the depths of a forest, Oires are started when this heat
grows strong. Rub a stone over another; heat is generated. But, the process must be
without break; breaks only decrease the heat. So, the repetition of the Name in the
mind must be without break. Then the Oire of Jnaana (Realisation of the Reality) will
burn out all weakness and delusion.

Indulal Shah spoke to you now of the World Conference of Sathya Sai Organisations to
be held at Bombay, 1968. Such Organisations have been established and are working in
many countries in order to spread Light and Hope among all peoples. For me, all
countries are equally dear; the Universe is the Body of God. Ideas like my country, are
all for limited minds, intellects that are bound within boundaries.

Discourse 45

ALL acts must be done as offerings to him, dedicated to Him, prompted, planned,
executed and blessed by Him. The smarana (remembrance) of the Name will help this
Saadhana. The name has to be repeated with the heart yearning for the Named. It
should not be like a tape-recorder reeling off the names of a gramophone plate that has
stuck, repeating the same note. Know that this life is for realising Him, not for winning
petty triumphs. Your ideal, your determination and your activity, all three must be
directed to the same consummation, the attainment of Supreme Bliss. The Name will
make all activity as welcome as worship; it will add witness to worship itself; it will
concretise the Named. It will confer the Wisdom that reveals the Truth.

Do not listen to people who canvass for one particular Name and cavil at others. Do not
be misguided by people who make pompous polysyllabic formulae and recommend
them as superior to other similar Names. Vasudeva, Krishna, Gopaal, Gopeevallabha,
Govind, Giridhaari---all these indicate the Lord who is known to most as Krishna. But,
Meera was affected most by one Name: Giridhaari. That gave her inexhaustible joy,
more than any other name. There is no superior or inferior grade of Names so far as
God is concerned. You must have noticed that I do not recommend any one name for
adoption by you; no, I do not insist on the Sai Name, either of this body or the previous
body. All Names are the names of Sai Baaba, they are all mine.

This is the greatness of the Sanaathana Dharma (Eternal Religion)---this insistence on

the Oneness behind all the apparent multiplicity. The Aathma that it declares to be the
basic Truth does not contradict the doctrines of any faith. God is unlimited by space or
time. He is undeOinable by names or forms. He owns all names and will respond to any
one of them. Picture Him in any form while meditating on him; He assumes that form,
while conferring Grace. It is because India stressed these characteristics of the Highest
Principles that she has been for centuries the Beacon of Spiritual Light and Hope.
Each and every conscious being has a Dharma of its own. Man's Dharma is to realise his
own Reality. The word Maanava reminds him of this. Maa (ignorance), na (without), va
(action)---He who acts without ignorance or ajnaana, that is, He who is jnaani is a Man.

Page 216 of 268

Discourse 46 (Emakulam (Kerala), 20/12/1967)

You know that these organisations---Seva Samithis, Bhajana Mandalis, Seva

Sanghams---are for awakening in man the consciousness of the Divinity inherent in him
and to encourage him to cultivate it, so that he could blossom into a real Saadhaka and
then into a Saadhu (detached, devoted, virtuous, wise, aspirant), and Oinally into a
Liberated Personality merged in the Supreme.

You are about a hundred and Oifty in number; your President said that the number of
Organisations is still small, but I am not enamoured of mere numbers. For, this is not
like any other Organisation. This does not seek to establish a new cult or sect, a new
type of Japa or Dhyaana, a novel ritual, an initiation that separates people as 'disciples'
within the fold and 'non- initiates' without the fold. It seeks to restrain Thamoguna
(dullness, ignorance, and all the evils that arise from these) and Rajoguna (passion,
violent emotion, desire, egoism and consequent evils); it instills in men the Truth that
all are kin in Aathma, that the stranger is but oneself in another habiliment, and that
service to another is the best service that one can do to oneself.

All are limbs of one body, nourished by the self-same life-blood, motivated by the same
Will, the Will of God; bound by the same Divine Law. That is the Vishwaruupa (Cosmic
Vision), that one must see and experience: God in all, God everywhere. That endows
you with everlasting Aanandha.

Feelings of hatred, malice, envy and pride that create separation between men who are
kin, arise from identiOication with the body. You feel and believe you are the body; you
know your body is separate from the other bodies; your hunger, your thirst, your
comfort, your family, your community, your state--'thus, you create bounds for your
love, and crib yourselves, treating all outside the bounds as enemies, strangers,
competitors. But the source is one, the sustenance is one: God the Father, mankind the
children. Pay attention to the Fatherhood, more than to the brotherhood. That will
underline the brotherhood more and more in your heart and remove the poison of
distinction that has come through ignorance.

Don't have hypocrisy or crookedness in your speech. Both unpleasant truth and
pleasant untruth have to be avoided. Sathya is God Himself, as the Shruthi says, Sathye
sarvam prathishtitham--- "All this is established on the Oirm foundation of Truth," say
the Vedhas. So, see that no trace of falsehood contaminates your transactions in these
organisations. Truth is My nature, My Mission, My Message. Organisations bearing My
Name have to be strictly adhering to Truth.

Ahimsa (non-injury) is another phase of Sathya. When once you are aware of the
kinship, the Oneness in God, the fundamental Aathmic unity---no one will knowingly
cause pain or distress to another. Let your Organisations promote Love, scatter Love, be
fragrant with Love, and preach the Gospel of Love, through example.

The one advantage that Man has over lower animals, is the vast treasure of human
experience he has inherited from his ancestors through language. This is the treasure
called Shaasthra; if he ignores Shaasthra, he is doomed to drag out an animal existence.

Discourse 47 (Ernakulam, 20/12/1967)

Page 217 of 268

Gather the helpless girls and try to provide them with some means of honourable
livelihood. Sweeten their lives with bhajan and the Saadhana of japa and dhyaana.
Women too have a right to know that they are the Aaathma, encased in human form,
and they too can tap the strength, the joy and the peace that the Aathma holds.
Inculcate in them the prayer habit; that will cleanse the mind of all impurities, and
make God shine in His full splendour.

Discourse 48 (Tirupunithura, 21/12/1967)

A healthy body is the best container for a healthy mind; illness makes the mind agitated
and anxious. The material and the spiritual are the two pans in the balance; they have
to be attended to, in equal measure, at least until a certain stage of progress is attained
in spiritual development.

Service to man can be done in either of these ways; but, serving him, by example is best
of all. Do not be a bad example to your neighbours or family members. Be good and
radiate goodness. That is why, when the education of a pupil was over, the teacher in
ancient times exhorted the pupil to speak the truth and observe righteousness
(Sathyam vadha, Dharmam chara). Because after the period of study, the young person
is to engage in works, so, he has to be given the most beneOicial advice, at the
appropriate moment.

The service in the Hospital, the service in the Bhajan Group---all have to be done, with
humility and reverence. Then only can they yield chiththa- suddhi (puriOication of mind
and thought), which is the main beneOit derivable from Seva.

In the beginning, the Adored and the Adorer are distant and different; but, as the
Saadhana becomes more conOirmed and consolidated, they commingle and become
more and more composite. For, the individual and the Universal are one; the wave in
the sea. Merging fulOils. When merged, the ego is dissolved; all symbols and signs of the
particular like name, form, caste, colour, creed, nationality, church, sect and the rights
and duties consequent thereon, will fade.

For such individuals, who have liberated themselves from the narrowness of
individuality, the only task is the uplift of humanity, the welfare of the world and the
showering of love. Even if they are quiet, the state of Bliss in which they are, will
shower bliss on the world. Love is in all, Love is of all, Love is all.

Vol. 8!

Does Sai speak these words into avid ears and arid hearts? No!... It is our Mother
speaks, caressing, cajoling, crooning lullabies to relieve the pain, bless with bliss,
Mokshayishyaami, maa suchah! Don't weep, she cradles us! She leads us softly along
the road, over pebbles, thorns. When the path is bitter, uphill, hard, she sings us
through Yogakshemam vahaamgaham---our Mother speaks.

Does Sai speak these words into tingling ears and twinkling .hearts? No! ..... It is our
Father that speaks, reOining, revealing, reminding our Name to us, long forgotten, long
begotten! Abhayam Sarva bhoothebhyo! Don't fear, He armours us. Upward, onward;
goodward, Godward---guides us, guards us. When the path is tortuous, twisted, He
pulls us through. Na Sukhaal---labhyathe sukham---our Father speaks.
Page 218 of 268

Does Sai speak these words into mazy ears and crazy hearts! No!...It is our Master that
speaks, advising, admonishing, Heating us crucibly, treating us crucially, leading to God
within.

Eesaavaasyam idam sarvam! There's no two; He opens the lid of Divine Box, with
treasure encased in koshas Oive, Sathyam, Jnaanam, Anantham Brahma---the Master
speaks.
Does Sai speak these words into searching ears and seeking hearts?

No! It is God that speaks, stilling the mind of waywardness, Brahmavid Brahmaiva
bhavathi! Become and be, He wakens. "Dear wave! emerging; merge; dear ray! run
back," He calls. Dear spark! re-enter Oire; You are I, I am you. Soham loses as sa and
ham; Om alone is He and We, Ekam-eva-asksharam BrahmanIsness---Om.

!
This is how our Sai speaks.
!
- Professor N. Kasturi
!

Discourse 1 (Prashanti Nilayam, 11/1/1968)

THIS is a twice-blessed day, for it is a Thursday; otherwise called Guruvaar (the day of
the preceptor, the guide to spiritual Liberation); it is also the day on which, centuries
ago, the Geetha was taught to Arjuna by Krishna, the day when man got from God the
key for his progress from falsehood and delusion into the light of his own inner reality.
Arjuna was directed to engage in battle, win back his share of the Kingdom, and ensure
for the people righteous administration and atmosphere wherein they can strive
successfully to attain salvation. This he had to do in a spirit of dedication and surrender
to the will of God, irrespective of his own likes and dislikes and the consequences that
might Olow from his unselOish activities. Therefore the Geetha advises that service to
the sangha (society) is the highest seva (service), as well as the most beneOicial
saadhana (spiritual discipline). You cannot run away from this obligation; you have to
use the community of men wherein you are born for sublimating your egoism and
saving yourself.

Seva taken up as saadhana teaches sahana (fortitude). Even Avathaars (divine advents)
demonstrate, in their lives, the supreme importance of seva. When Dharmaraaja
performed the great Raajasuuya sacriOice, on the advice of the sage Naaradha, in order
to propitiate his deceased father, Lord Krishna attended the sacriOice and asked to be
allotted some service; He preferred the service of removing the leaves on which food
was served for the thousands who were fed every day! Since service was so dear to
Him, He was revered as the King-maker of the Age, the Law-giver for all.

Today being Vaikuntha Ekaadhashi, many of you are yearning to get Amrith (nectar)
from Me. But, of what beneOit is it merely to swallow a few drops of nectar created by
Me? It is when the saathwik (good) quality wins and subdues the raajasik and the
thaamasik (passionate and ignorant) qualities in the battles between them that go on
in every heart, that amrith arises therein! The amrith that confers immortality is the
amrith which one wins through one's own saadhana. One word that is used in dhyaana
(meditation) is uurdhwa-dhrishti (upward vision) to indicate an exercise in which the
two eyes are directed together upwards, to a point between the eyebrows. Uurdhwa
means upward and dhristhi means look; so, the word means, not a physical exercise,
but a general wholetime effort of the mind to avoid lower desires, and to uplift itself to
Page 219 of 268

higher values. Such an effort will win Amrith; it will Olow from the spring of the heart!
Amrith means immortal; it does not follow that he who takes in amrith will live
eternally; even Avathaars (Divine incarnations) cast off the body when their task is
accomplished. It means Oixing the mind on the Reality, becoming aware of the
imperishable entity that one is and merging the consciousness in it.

Today, in certain Vishnu temples, a special door called the Vaikuntha-dhwaara is

opened, and people can pass through it into the presence. Vaikuntha-dhwaara is the
Gate to Heaven, that is to say, the gateway to self-realisation. The gateway to that
heaven is not to be found only there; it will open, right in front of you, wherever you
are. Knock and it will open. Vishnu means, sarva vyaapi (He who is everywhere). So, his
residence Vaikuntha (heaven) must be every where. You can gain entry, by knocking
with the correct password on your lips. Your heart can become Vaikuntha, if you but
cleanse it and purify it and allow God to manifest in it. Vaikuntha means "the place
where there is no shadow of grief." When God manifests in your heart, all is full and
free.

Move forward step by step as beOits persons striving to realise their own liberation. Ask
Me about steps in spiritual discipline, not petty, trivial, binding desires. The time is fast
coming when the whole world will gather here, and you will have to struggle from
miles afar to get even my dharshan.

Discourse 2 (Prashanti Nilayam, 12/1/1968)

SHUKA was unattached to the world around him :he was aware of the Immanent
Brahman from the very moment of his birth, and he was steadily Oixed in that
awareness throughout life. He can be said to be the greatest jnaani (spiritualist) in
history. Yet, he declared that the story of the Leelas (Divine sport) of Krishna, the
Saguna (endowed with divine qualities) incarnation of the divine principle, gave him
inexhaustible joy. He said that the Krishna-principle was beyond the ken of his analysis;
it could only be experienced and tasted. No words can spell it out to another. Rasa
(sweet essence)--that is the true characteristic of the Divine. He tastes inexplicably
sweet, everything related to Him, concerned with Him. That is the reason why Shri
Raamakrishna declared that he did not desire to merge in the Divine; he was content to
taste the sweetness of the Divine. This is the path of Bhakthi (devotion). Through
listening to the glories of the Lord, you become avid to praise Him; serve Him and His
devotees, worship Him as if He is present before you, and be in His company all your
life, with no other thought than that Joy. For such dedicated seekers all else will seem
bitter and unattractive.

Discourse 3 (Prashanti Nilayam, 13/1/1968)

But, I must tell you that you must be concerned more with the Sun in your inner
Oirmament than in the depths of outer space. You are concerned with the inner
illumination, more than external light and energy. What is the saadhana that will send
the inner Sun Godward? God is hidden and obstructed by the clouds of egoism. Getting
rid of egoism is the saadhana to be practised.

Learn a lesson from the tree. When it is heavy with fruits it does not raise its head aloft
in pride; it bends low, stoops, as if it does not take any credit for its accomplishment
and as if it helps you to pluck the fruit. Learn a lesson from the birds. They feed those
who cannot Oly far; the bird relieves the itch of the buffalo by scratching it with its beak;
they help and serve each other, with no thought of reward. How much more alert must
Page 220 of 268

man be, then, with his superior skills and faculties? Service is the best cure for egoism;
so, engage in it to relieve pain and grief to the extent that you can.

You have to put the right foot, the Brahman step, when you enter the region of
realisation. The senses have to be conquered by then. 'Go' means 'senses' and 'Go-pee'
means a person who has subdued the senses, as a result of surrender to Go-paala, the
master of the Go (senses). Krishna once told Arjuna that he can enter Vrajamandala
(the region where the Gopas and Gopees lived), only after mastering his emotions and
impulses and his tendency to yield to the senses.

Naaradha saw a woman, shining as a star, lost in meditation; he was amazed at the halo
of splendour around her crown. Naaradha wondered whether he could reach that
depth of experience any time in his career. His presence awakened her and when
accosted, she revealed her identity. She was Brahma-Vidhya-dhevatha (the Goddess of
the Science of the awareness of Reality), the truth that jnaana reveals! Naaradha's
amazement was doubled by this revelation. "What need have you to meditate? Why this
intense dhyaana (meditation), that has silenced all Nature around you? What are you
meditating on?" he asked. She declared, "I crave the supreme joy of contemplating on
the Lotus Feet of Krishna; I meditate on them, making myself a gopee, who has
surrendered to Him." Such is the sweetness derivable through that contemplation, that
bhakthi (devotion).

The bhaktha (devotee) is content with the vision of a part; he tastes the sugar, grain by
grain. He Oinds no joy in becoming sugar, or merging in the mountain of sugar himself.
No one can see that entire region of the sky. For, there is no sky at all, when you
examine it. His sky is limited by his horizon. From each point of observation there is a
different horizon, but no one can see beyond it. Limit the sky and enjoy its vastness and
beauty. That is what the bhaktha (devotee) does. So long as you are embodied, you can
picture only an embodied Divine.

Discourse 4 (Prashanti Nilayam, 14/2/1968)

You must have observed how Dr. Modi was conducting so many operations so quickly
and so successfully; it is the result of concentration, of single-pointed attention on the
work on hand. Learn to have ekaagratha (single-pointedness). Through that
concentration, it is possible to open the inner eye also, clear and complete, so that man
may visualise God. By taking to repeating the Name of God and picturing in the mind
the glory of God who has that Name, as well as a thousand others, slowly the cataract of
the inner eye will disappear and, man can see the God who is in his innermost heart,
installed in the altar therein. Resolve now to enter upon this saadhana (spiritual
practise) from this moment onwards.

Gain internal peace, internal joy; that can be done only when you act without an eye on
the gain. The act must be its own reward; or rather, the act must be according to the
prompting of the God within, so that its consequence is left to Him. Practise this
attitude consistently and you will Oind great Peace welling within you and around you.

Discourse 5 (Prashanti Nilayam, 22/2/1968)

Education is not the acquisition of burdensome information regarding objects and men.
It is the awareness of the immortal spirit within, which is the spring of joy, peace and
courage.

Page 221 of 268

Unless each one is respected, whatever his status, his economic condition, his spiritual
development, there can be no peace and no happiness in life. This respect can be
aroused only by the conviction that the same Aathma (Self Reality) that is in you is
playing the role of the other person. See that Aathma in others; feel that they too have
hunger, thirst, yearning and desires as you have; develop sympathy and the anxiety to
serve and be useful.

Make your home the seat of virtue, of morality, of love. Control anger and greed. That is
the sign of the genuine bhaktha, not unrestricted speech and movements. You may
claim to be a devotee and declare yourself as such, when you speak; but unless your
egoism has gone and you love all equally, the Lord will not acknowledge your devotion!

Discourse 6 (Prashanti Nilayam, 23/2/1968)

This is the message of Sanaathana Dharma (Eternal Religion), the goal to which all
spiritual endeavour leads. The sages of India gave up the paths of superOicial pomp and
temporary security; they sought to gain inner peace and lasting joy. They discovered
that these can be gained only by drawing the sap of life through the roots of one's own
inner reality called Aathma (soul). Though this lesson, that was revealed to them by
God, is repeated, elaborated and propagated all these centuries by countless scholars,
poets and speakers, very few accept it as the basis of life.

Millions all over the land recite the Name of God, but few have steady faith; few seek
the Aanandha (bliss) that contemplation on the Glory of God within the Aathma can
confer. They do so out of habit or for social conformity or to gain reputation for
religiousness. Therefore the japam (recitation) does not cure pain, grief or greed.

The Aathma does not die; only the body dies. When man knows this, death loses his
sting, death is not feared, death is but welcome voyage into the known harbour.

The Organisations named after Me are not to be used for publicising My Name, or
creating a new cult around My worship. They must try to spread interest in japam
(recitation of God's Name), dhyaanam (meditation) and other saadhanas (spiritual
practices), which lead man Godward; they must demonstrate the joy derivable from
bhajan (devotional group singing) and Naamasmarana (remembering God's Name), the
Shaanthi (peace) that one can draw from Sathsang (good company). They must render
seva (service) to the helpless, the sick, the distressed, the illiterate and the needy. Their
seva (selOless service) should not be exhibitionistic; it must seek no reward, not even
gratitude or thanks from the recipients. Seva is saadhana, not a pastime of the rich and
well placed. Each one must realise his own truth. That is the purpose of all the teaching,
all the curing, all the counseling, all the organising, all the advising that I do.

I have no special attachment to any one; nor, any special aversion. I am like the electric
fan that you see here: switch it on, you get the breeze; switch it off, you get no breeze.
The fan has no attachment or aversion.

Discourse 7 (Prashanti Nilayam, 26/2/1968)

The hum of the bee ceases and it is silent when once the drinking of the nectar begins.
Man too, sings, extols, argues, asserts, only until he discovers the rasa (sweet essence).
That rasa is prema-rasa (the sweetness of love). Where there is love, there can be no
fear, no anxiety, no doubt, no ashaanthi (absence of peace). When you are afOlicted with
Page 222 of 268

ashaanthi you can be sure that your love is restricted, your love has some ego mixed in
it.

The experiencer of the prema (love) is the inner I, which is the reOlection of the real I,
the Aathma (soul). When the senses are out of action, that I will shine in its full glory.
The senses are one's deadly foes; for, they drag your attention away from the source of
joy inside you, to objects outside you. When you are convinced that they are at the
bottom of this conspiracy to mislead you, you will certainly stop catering to them.

The angler uses rod and line; that line has a Oloat from which hangs inside the water a
sharp hook with a worm. The Oish is drawn by the worm to the hook, the Oloat shakes,
the angler feels the pull of the Oish on the line, and he draws it on the land, where it is
helpless, unable to breathe. The body is the rod, the yearning, the eager longing, is the
line, intelligence, is the Oloat, discrimination is the hook; knowledge is the worm;
Aathma, the Oish, is caught thus by the clever angler. When you get (spiritual wisdom),
Kaivalyam (divine status) draws towards you.

Kaivalyam is the state in which the Divine is experienced as all-comprehensive, as Will,

as Activity, as Bliss, as Intelligence, as Existence. You must suppress your thamas
(ignorance), sublimate your rajas (passions) and cultivate sathwa (purity) in order to
be established in Kaivalyam.

Now, you must take the lesson of the symbol of the Flag of Prashaanthi (supreme
peace) to heart. It instructs you to travel beyond the realms of lust, anger and hate,
reach the broad green region of love. Be seated therein in concentrated meditative
prayer, and open the petals of your heart through yoga, so that the Supreme
illumination may be gained. Fix your mind on that illuminated Lotus and Prashaanthi
will reign in your hearts. That is the best preparation for understanding the mystery of
Lingodhbhava (materialisation of Lingam).

Discourse 8 (Prashanti Nilayam, Mahashivaratri, 26/2/1968)

Do not imagine yourselves as Hindhus for the reason that you are born in Hindhusthan.
You are too entangled in the rules of caste, the ceremonial of rituals, and the coils of
astrology to grasp your own inner reality. You do not realise the spark of divinity in you
and try to raise it into a Olaming Oire of Divine Splendour, reducing your pretty 'I' into
ashes. Sanaathana Dharma tells you about that spark and teaches you how to foster it
and develop it. When you ignore this Dharma and allow science to entice you, you are
bringing disrespect to your culture, and disowning your country.

The Truth that there is perfect identity between the individual and universal is
proclaimed at every breath by the silent announcement your breath makes' Soham (I
am He).

Reason is a bad guide in spiritual matters, unless it is rinsed of all traces of ego. Else, it
discovers arguments to support the point of view that is pleasant to the person. A
merchant had a Oierce dog in his garden, to guard his house against trespassers. One
day, when a traveller was passing along the road, the dog Olew at him with bared teeth;
so he hit it on the head with the thick stick he was carrying. The dog gave a howl of
pain and slunk into the house. The master was enraged at this; he was not satisOied
with the explanation of the traveller. He dragged him to the magistrate where he
charged him with cruelty to his pet. "Why should he hit him on the head? He could have
Page 223 of 268

hit him on the tail," he argued. The traveller replied, "He jumped towards me with
intent to bite me head foremost; if he had threatened to bite me with his tail, I would
have certainly hit the tail." The magistrate let him off.

God resides in every one as Lingam, in the subtle Form. In the anga (body), there is
sangam (contact with the outer and inner world); in the sangam, resides the jangam
(the moving, traversing, changing place) and as the basis of the jangam, there is the
Lingam. Linga is a word of two syllables; Lin and ga, Lin means "that into which
everything merges (li-yathe),"ga means "that into which everything goes (gam-yathe)."
The Linga is a symbol of the universal into which all particulars merge, from which all
particulars emerge. The Linga is the Swa-swaruupa (the real Form of the Reality).

Discourse 9 (Prashanti Vidvanmahasabha, Hyderabad, 5/3/1968)

Remember that with every step, you are nearing God; and God too, takes ten steps
towards you when you take one step towards Him. There is no stopping place in this
pilgrimage; it is one continuous journey, through day and night; through valley and
desert; through tears and smiles; through death and birth, through tomb and womb.
When the road ends, and the Goal is gained, the pilgrim Oinds that he has travelled only
from himself to himself, that the way was long and lonesome, but the God that led him
unto it was all the while in him, around him, with him, and beside him! He himself was
always Divine. His yearning to merge in God was but the sea calling to the Ocean! Man
loves, because He is Love! He craves for melody and harmony, because He is melody
and harmony. He seeks Joy, for He is Joy. He thirsts for God, for he is composed of God,
and he cannot exist without Him.

God is to be recognised in all that exists, all that is charming, or suffering, blooming or
drooping. He is Intelligence in the insect, Faithfulness in the dog, Latent Energy in the
rock! Vivekaanandha announced at Chicago that Hindhuism uncovered the upaadhi
(body encasement) and sought the inner core of the Divine in all things, animate and
inanimate. A gentleman may wear morning dress, evening dress, dinner coat or
luncheon slacks; he is the same inside all these dresses, isn't he?

Be in the world but, do not let the world be in you. Work disinterestedly, content to do
your duty as best as you can. Have no desires to place before God, for, whatever He does
with you, however He treats you, is the gift He likes best to give you!

Discourse 10 (Prashanti Nilayam, 11/3/1968)

Iron and Steel are produced in blast furnaces, where ore is melted and other
components are added. The molten iron is carried in pails by cranes and poured by
ladles, which though they handle heat are themselves immune to heat. The crane holds
other materials, but does not hold itself! The mind is like that. It holds, it manipulates,
it handles, all other things; it cannot carry itself, it cannot manipulate and transmute
itself! The mind cannot hold the holder, that is to say, the Inner Motivator, God. So, in
order to save yourselves from the waywardness of the mind and its minions, you have
to hold on to the 'holder.'

There is iron; there is, also, a magnet. The magnet will draw the iron to itself; that is the
destiny of both. But, if the iron is covered with the rust, the grace of the magnet may
not operate strong enough to draw the iron near. Greed for sensual pleasure will
certainly act as rust! It acts as dust, which induces rust; the rust will ultimately burst
the iron itself and change its innate nature. So, it has to be tested constantly and dusted.
Page 224 of 268

Then, when it contacts the magnet, it too earns the magnetic quality and it gets rest
from its quest. That achievement is the best, for both magnet and iron.

Sharpen the intellect, then the Unity in nature will become evident. The most revered
and the most popular manthra (prayer clothed in ritual formula) in the Vedhas is the
Gaayathri; it seeks the grace of the Source of all Light, to foster one's intelligence, and
for nothing more!

God loves those who have the self- conOidence and the courage of conviction and who
seize every opportunity to improve their spiritual status.

I do not accept from you Olowers that fade, fruits that rot, coins that have no value
beyond the national boundary. Give Me the lotus that blooms in your Maanasa
sarovara---the clear pellucid waters of the lake---of your inner consciousness; give Me
the fruits of holiness and steady discipline. I am above all this worldly etiquette, which
enjoins you to see elders with some fruit or Olower in your hand. My world is the world
of the spirit; there, values are different. If you are happy, with faith in God and fear of
sin, that is enough "service," enough kainkaryam for Me. It pleases Me so.

Discourse 11 (Vijayanagar Colony, Hyderabad, 1/3/1968)

The instrument through which he is able to master nature is itself not really
understood by man. When once that is understood, all that is understood through it,
will become plain. This is what the sages of India did; they sought to know that which if
known, all else can be known. The Upanishaths lay down the process of this discovery.

The expression of that discovery, in practical life, is Love; for, it is Love that creates,
sustains and engulfs all. Without Love, no one can claim to have succeeded in
deciphering God and His handiwork, the Universe. God is Love; live in Love---that is the
direction indicated by the sages.

Discourse 12 (Vijayanagar Community Hall, Hyderabad, 9/3/1968)

See God in every one you meet; see God in everything you handle. His Mystery is
immanent in all that is material and non-material; as a matter of fact, it has been
discovered that there is no matter or material. It is all God, an expression of His
Mystery! Derive joy from the springs of joy within you and without you; advance, do
not stand still or recede. Every minute must mark a forward step.

Venkataavaadhani said that the lamp will burn clear and bright when you pour any one
of the three oils---bhakthi (devotion), jnaana (spiritual wisdom) or vairaagyam
(detachment). No. You must have all three; they are all components of one lamp only.
They are like the plate, the oil, and the wick. Devotion is the plate, detachment the oil,
and spiritual wisdom, the wick, which can be lit by striking the match, shraddha
(steady faith).

Discourse 13 (Venkatagiri, 26/3/1968)

The Sun is but a star among billions in space. The earth is but a speck, rotating around
the Sun. The nation to which he belongs is but a fraction of that spark; his village is a
microscopic dot in that fraction and he is but one among the thousands or lakhs of
people residing therein. He struts about for a few winks of the eye of time, and prides
himself most stupidly, as if he is the lord and master. But his real title to joy is not this.
Page 225 of 268

It is that he is the child and inheritor of immortality; he is the repository of Divinity, he

can by various paths attain the state of Divinity itself! A machine without the power to
activate it is of no use; so too, a human body without the Divine Spark is of no avail.
Without that spark, man is a tree that bears no fruit, a cow that yields no milk; he must
become aware of the spark, he must know how to illumine oneself with it and cover
oneself with its splendour. You are living now in the dark, in ignorance. The knowledge
that you are the Divine Spark, encased in the sheaths of bliss, intelligence, feelings,
sensations and organic substances---this knowledge is the light. You must light your
own lamp. You cannot walk in the light of another's lamp. You cannot exist on the
money in the purse of another. Have your own money; then alone are you free. Earn the
knowledge yourself. Even knowing it is not enough; you must experience it. The well
has water; but that is not enough. It must be brought up in the bucket and used to wash
and to quench, the thirst.

Individual effort and Grace, both are essential. Shankara says, "Ishwara anugrahaath
eva pumsaam adhwaitha vaasana"---"through the Grace of the Lord alone can man
develop a desire for the non-duality of the Universe," for the One without a second.
Seeing only the One is jnaana (spiritual wisdom); and jnaana alone confers kaivalyam
(liberation).

This conquest of the ego is a very hard task; years of persistent effort are needed to get
success in this endeavour. For getting a Degree you struggle in the University for a
number of years, poring over books night and day; how much more difOicult is this
examination, success in which guarantees lasting happiness, and escape from the
weary round of birth and death?

Discourse 14 (Venkatagiri, 27/3/1968)

The most direct method of spiritual success is Nishkaama karma (desireless action),
action without any attention or attachment to the fruit therefrom, action as duty, action
as dedication, action as worship. But, action and the fruit thereof are not two separate
entities, the fruit is the action itself, in its Oinal stage, the climax, the conclusion. The
Olower is the fruit; the fruit is the Olower; one is the beginning, the other is the
legitimate end. The Olower becomes the fruit. The action becomes the consequence.
One's duty is to act; act well, act in fear of God; act within the bounds of morality; act in
love; continue acting; the consequences will naturally follow as the fruit follows the
Olower One need not worry or exult. Act enthusiastically, with faith---success is yours.
Arjuna acted so.

Pravrtthi (worldly activity) must result from nivrtthi (spiritual detachment); activity
must result from the awareness of detachment. That is the secret of a happy life!

The controversy about the adequacy of one or other of the four Yogas---Bhakthi,
Jnaana, Karma and Raaja---is needless waste of breath, for, all four are needed, and all
four contribute to the ultimate victory. Karma yoga is the earthen lamp; Bhakthi yoga is
the oil in it; Raaja yoga is the wick; Jnaana yoga is the light! Good karma will lead to the
attitude of devotion and dedication, seeing God in all beings, witnessing the hand of
God in all happenings, and this leads to worship; as a result of worship, breathing of the
vital airs, the process of concentration---all set themselves right; and, as the climax of
all this saadhana (spiritual practice), the Reality is revealed in its full splendour.

Page 226 of 268

Resist the temptation to satisfy the senses, to acquire what the world can give, to
accumulate material gains. Set limits to your wants. There was a pupil once, in the
kingdom of Raghu, who asked his preceptor at the conclusion of his studies what
Dakshina (thanksgiving offering) he will accept from him. Dakshina means offerings
made in gratitude for service rendered. The Guru told him that he needed no other
dakshina than his gratitude; it was enough if he lived according to his teachings and
brought honour to his preceptor thereby. But the pupil insisted that he must indicate
his need and tell him some sum of money or gifts that he would accept. So, just to ward
him off and get rid of him, the Guru named an impossible sum of money; "You learnt
sixteen Vidhyas (branches of knowledge) from me; well, bring me sixteen lakhs of gold
nishkas (coins)." At this, the pupil went off, to collect the sum. The disciple went to
Emperor Raghu, and got from him the promise that he will fulOil his every desire; then
he placed his petition for sixteen lakhs of gold nishkas before him. Raghu was rendered
desperate by the vast sum needed; though Emperor, he was too deep in austerity to
have the sum on hand. Still, in order to keep his plighted word, he invaded the realm of
Kubera (the God of wealth), and brought back as loot enormous stocks of gold. "Take all
this and give your preceptor what he has asked for; keep the balance for yourself" the
king said. The pupil refused to take a coin more than what he had to offer as Dakshina
to his Guru. "I have brought them for you; it is all yours, take them," insisted Raghu. But
the young man resisted the temptation and stood his ground. That is real heroism.
Asanthushtah dhwijo nashtah---"the discontented man is as bad as lost." Rely on the
Lord and accept whatever is your lot.

!
Saadhana is only one-fourth of the process; vichaara (enquiry) is the other three-fourth
!

To get the attitude of surrender, of dedication, you must have Faith in God. This world is
His play; it is not an empty dream; it has purpose and use. It is the means by which one
can discover God; see Him in the beauty, the grandeur, the order, the majesty of Nature.
These are but shadows of His Glory and His Splendour. Upaasana (adoration of God),
leads to the knowledge that He is all; when you experience that there is no Second, that
is Jnaana (Spiritual Wisdom)!

Discourse 15 (Venkatagiri, 28/3/1968)

THE mica which is available in this Gudur region has to be dug out of the ground after
separating it from surrounding rocks, with a great deal of effort. The exertion adds to
the joy of achievement. If it could be collected from the surface, perhaps, it would not
provide so much of joy. Through effort, Aanandha (bliss) is won; through a long period
of suffering, of insult and calumny man sees the reality and derives supreme joy.

God is above all gunas (qualities); He has no Aagraha (anger). He is ever the
embodiment of Love. He is in gunas, but gunas are not in Him. There is clay in pots, but
there is no pot in clay. One should not fear God; One must love Him so much that all
acts He disapproves are discarded. Fear to do wrong; fear to hate another; fear to lose
Grace. Yajnas (ritual sacriOices) are valid so long as you feel that you are the body
(Aham dhehaasmi). When you know that you are Brahman, yajnas lose value. Or, when
you perform the yajna as a sacred act of thyaaga (renunciation) dedicated to God,
regardless of the fruit thereof, with no calculation of the gains therefrom, then the
yajna is worth while.

Before pointing to the faults of others, examine yourselves and assure yourselves that
you are free from faults. That alone gives you the right; but the wonder is' you discover
Page 227 of 268

faults in others only when you have faults in you. Once you rid yourselves of faults, all
are pure and good.

Discourse 16 (Venkatagiri, New Year Day, Ugadi, 29/3/1968)

God's Grace is as the shower of rain, as the sunlight. You have to do some saadhana
(spiritual practice) to acquire it, the saadhana of keeping a pot upright to receive the
rain, the saadhana of opening the door of your heart, so that the Sun may illumine it.
Like the music that is broadcast over the radio, it is all round you; but you must switch
on your receiver and tune the identical wave-length so that you can hear it and enjoy it.
Pray for Grace; but do at least this little saadhana. Grace will set everything right. Its
main consequence is Aathmasaakshaathkaara (Self-realisation); but there are other
incidental beneOits too, like a happy contented life here below, and a cool courageous
temper, established in unrufOled shaanthi (peace).

There was a Guru (spiritual preceptor) once, who gave back to his pupils the fruits
offered by them, with the direction, "Take, each one, what he likes most." One pupil did
not take any fruit but sat unconcerned, in a comer. The Guru asked him, "What do you
like most?" He answered, "Myself." That is the proper attitude; if you like yourself most,
make the most of your sell know your self clearly and truly, revere your self deeply, be
your best, make fullest use of your talents and skills, and lead yourself into lasting
peace and joy.

You are truly the embodiment of truth, goodness and beauty. But you have misplaced
the key which helps you to tap the springs. That key is in the realm of your inner
consciousness; but, like the old woman who lost a needle in her dark hut, and searched
for it under the street lamp (because, as she said, there was a patch of light underneath
it), man is searching for it in the region of material objects in the outer world.

The strongest foundation is ever-present Faith in the Almighty. Some may ask, "If He is
Almighty, why then is he not patent?" Well, He reveals Himself only to the person who
yearns for the answer, not the one who puts questions out of impudence or ignorance.
He will be patent only in the transparent heart, the heart that is not clouded by egoism
or objective attachment.

Discourse 17 (Bombay, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Campus, 12/5/1968)

Man is not merely a creature thrown up by nature in the process of an evolutionary
gamble. He has a special meaning, a special mission, a unique role. He is Divinity,
encased in the human frame! Lord Krishna afOirms in the Geetha (Chapter XV verse 7):
mamaivaamsho jeeva loke, jeeva bhuuthaah (a portion of Mine in the world of life is
transformed into the individual). It is He who moves and motivates man. So, man is a
unit of that unity, he is a child of immortality, set in the background of this mortal
world, in this mortal Olame. His mission is to merge in the God from whom he has
emerged. Heaven is not a supra-terrestrial region of perpetual Spring; it is an inner
experience, a state of supreme bliss.

When asked where you have come from, you quickly reply, "From Delhi" or "From
Calcutta" or "From Thiruvananthapuram;" but those are the places from where your
bodies have come to Bombay. Within the body, as its source, sustenance and support,
there is the dhehi (the embodied one) distinguishable from the dheha (the body)
where has it come from. That is beyond your ken. Investigate into that; discover the
answer; that is the task of man. You will be released from this role only when you have
Page 228 of 268

overcome this colossal ignorance and realised the source, the sustenance and the
support of, not only your seeming individuality, but of all the manifold million-faced
sparks of that one Divine Force. Do not delay any further; the minutes are Oleeing past;
be inspired by the yearning to drink the nectar of the realisation of your true worth.

Knowledge is said to be acquired when you pursue the analytical method and divide
things, feelings, experiences into categories, pleasant and unpleasant, harmful and
beneOicial, lasting and temporary. The higher knowledge however uniOies, it makes one
aware of the one which appears as many, it reveals the truth, on which falsehood is
superimposed. To discover this truth, the classic texts have laid down two codes of
discipline, one external and the other internal--the outer and the inner. The outer is
Nishkaama-karma (desireless activity)---activity that is engaged in as dedication and
worship; or, activity that is gladly carried out, from a sense of duty, regardless of the
beneOit that may accrue, with no attachment to the fruits thereof. The inner is dhyaana
(meditation on the splendour of which one is but a spark). Karma (activity) has to be
regulated by dharma (righteousness) then it will lead one on to Brahman (the basic
truth of the Universe, including oneself).

The experience of the Truth alone can foster Love; for, Truth is so all-embracing and
integrating, that it sees no distinction. Truth is the current and Love is the bulb, it has
to illumine. Through Truth, you can experience love; through love, you can visualise
truth. Love God and you see God in every creature. Or you can start with the individual,
and widen the circle of love, till it envelops all creation.

Let the mind dwell ever on God; let it see all as God. That is what is described as one-
pointedness. If it is so Oixed, it will give up its tendency to search for faults and foibles in
others; it will not run after the foul and the frivolous; it will not accumulate the trivial
and the transient.

Discourse 18 (Inauguration: World Conference of Bhagavan Sri

Sathya Sai Seva Organisations, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Campus,
Bombay, 16/5/1968)

Mohammad, who sought to establish the primacy of the One Formless Absolute had a
large share of persecution, defamation, and privation. Jesus who attempted to rebuild
mankind on the basis of Love was cruciOied by little men who feared that their tiny
towers of hate and greed will be toppled by his teaching. Harischandhra who had
resolved never to waver from truth was subjected to ordeal after ordeal, each more
terrifying than the previous one. Those who seek to know God must steel themselves to
bear insult, injury and torture, with a smile.

The search is for the same treasure; the summit is One, the tracks leading to it are
many; the guides are also many; they clamour and compete among themselves. Seven
blind men examined the elephant and imagined that it was what each one was able to
touch; each one interpreted his touch--they could not get a complete and correct
picture of the animal. Hindhuism is the stomach of the elephant, supplying strength
and stamina to all other faiths; but one has to admit that the stomach is not all! The
limbs are the other faiths.

The greatest formula that can liberate, cleanse and elevate the mind is Raamanaama
(the Name of Raama). Raama is not to be identiOied with the hero of the Raamaayana,
Page 229 of 268

the Divine offspring of Emperor Dasharatha. He was named Raama by the Court
Preceptor because it was a Name which was already current. Vashishtha, the preceptor,
said that he had chosen that Name since it meant, "He who pleases." While every one
else pleases the selfs nothing pleases the caged individualised self more than the free
universal Self. The Self is therefore referred to as Aathma- Raama, the Self that confers
unending joy.

The Vedhic declaration, Thath-thwam-asi (That-thou-art) is enshrined in the word

Raama, which consists of three sounds: 'Ra,' 'aa,' and ma. Of these, Ra is the symbol of
Thath (That; Brahman, God) Ma is the symbol of Thwam (Thou; jeevi, individual) and
aa that connects the two is the symbol of the identity of the two.

Discourse 19 (World Conference of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Seva

Organisations, Bombay, 17/5/1968)

The Presidents, Vice-Presidents and Secretaries of Sathya Sai Organisations from all
over the world are here. You are OfOicers of the Sai Army. How can you lead soldiers
into the fray when you are not aware of the intricacies of warfare, when you are
yourselves inefOicient instruments? You can attempt to lead others only after practising
the disciplines to perfection. This is true of all Oields of human activity. Aanandha (bliss)
and Prashaanthi (supreme peace) have to be acquired Oirst by you and then can be
communicated to others.

It can be Madhurabhaava (sweet emotion) as Raadha was over-powered with. She saw,
heard, tasted, sought and gained only that sweetness at all times and all places. Raso
vai sah (divine sweetness is He). She made no distinction between Nature and Nature's
God; it was all God, all Krishna. She felt, experienced, and knew that Krishna was ever
present, in the waking, dreaming and deep sleep stages. She realised the truth of the
Geetha declaration of Krishna that His hands and feet, His eyes, face and head were
everywhere. Her adoration of God is the supreme example of Madhura Bhaava
Naamasamkeerthan.

I am emphasising Raama-Naama (the name Raama) because the Raama principle is the
Aathma. Raama means that which is pleasant and which pleases. Now, the Aathma is
the source of all joy; its nature is bliss.

God is all Names and all forms, the integration of all these in harmonious charm! Gods
designated in different faiths, adored by different human communities, are all limbs of
the One God that really is. Just as the body is the harmonious blending of the senses
and the limbs, God is the harmony of all the forms and names that man gives Him!

Only those who are ignorant of the Glory of God will insist on one Name and one Form
for his adoration and what is worse, condemn the use by others of other names and
forms! Since you are all associated with Sathya Sai Organisations, I must warn you
against such silly obduracy. Do not go about proclaiming that you are a sect distinct and
separate from those who adore God in other forms and names. Thereby you are
limiting the very God whom you are extolling. Do not proclaim in your enthusiasm, "We
want only Sai; we are not concerned with the rest." You must convince yourselves that
all forms are Sai's; all names are Sai's. There is no 'rest'; all are He.

You must have noticed that I do not speak about Sai in My discourses, nor do I sing of
Sai during the bhajan with which I usually conclude My discourses. And you must have
Page 230 of 268

wondered why. Let me tell you the reason. I do not want the impression to gain ground
that I desire this Name and this Form to be publicised. I have not come to set afoot a
new cult, I do not want people to be misled on this point. I afOirm that this Sai form is
the form of all the various names that man uses for the adoration of the Divine. So, I am
teaching that no distinction should be made between the names Raama, Krishna,
Ishwara, Sai---for they are all My names.

When I know that I am the current that illumines all the various bulbs, I am indifferent
to the bulbs, which you consider so important. When you pay attention to the bulbs,
factions arise, sects are born. Sathya Sai Seva Samithis should not encourage discord
and distinctions; they must adore the One, appearing as many, the basic Divine, which
illumines all the bulbs.

I have not got the slightest intention to utilise the Seva Samithis (Service
Organisations) for propagating My Name or canvas homage for My Name. No! I am
content only when spiritual endeavours and disciplines to elevate and purify man are
progressing everywhere. It is only through these that My universal reality will be
revealed. So, do not limit Me to the boundaries of any one name and form. Your aim
should be to see the self-same God in all the Forms that are worshipped, to picture Him
in all the Names, nay, to be conscious of His presence as the inner motivator of every
living being, in every particle of matter. Do not fall into the error of considering some to
be men worthy of reverence and some unworthy. Sai is in every one; so, all deserve
your reverence and service. Propagate this truth; that is the function I assign to the
Seva Samithis.

Of what avail is it if you simply worship My Name and form, without attempting to
cultivate the samathwa (equal love for all) that I have, My shaanthi (unrufOled
equanimity) My prema (love), My sahana (patience and fortitude), My aanandha (ever-
blissful nature)?

You elaborate in your lectures the unique powers of Sai, the incidents that are
described as 'miracles' in books written on Me by some persons. But I request you not
to attach importance to these. Do not exaggerate their signiOicance; the most signiOicant
and important power is, let Me tell you, My prema (love). I may turn the sky into earth,
or earth into sky; but that is not the sign of Divine might. It is the prema, the sahana,
effective universal, ever-present, that is the unique sign.

Since I move about with you, eat like you, and talk with you, you are deluded into the
belief that this is but an instance of common humanity. Be warned against this mistake.
I am also deluding you by My singing with you, talking with you, and engaging Myself in
activities with you. But, any moment, My Divinity may be revealed to you; you have to
be ready, prepared for the moment. Since Divinity is enveloped by human-ness you
must endeavour to overcome the maayaa (delusion) that hides it from your eyes.

Discourse 20 (World Conference of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Seva

Organisations, Bombay, 18/5/1968 - Morning)

Arjuna complained to Krishna against the wildness of the mind; he said, it was
chanchala (always changing its objectives), pramaadhi (full of dangerous possibilities
since it makes man a slave of the senses), balavath (uncontrollable) and dhrudham
(difOicult to destroy). But, the mind can be controlled and even eliminated by means of
intense dhyaana (meditation) on the Immanent God. When that stage is reached, anger,
Page 231 of 268

anxiety and envy will cease bothering you; the bonds of 'I' and 'Mine' will break; and
you will have shaanthi (undisturbed peace). Your efforts must be in proportion to the
grandeur of the gain you envisage, isn't it? You crave for bliss, but cling to smaller
pleasures and refuse to stake as much as is needed to win it.

Every member of the Sathya Sai 0rganisation has to be a saadhaka (spiritual aspirant),
one who is practising the discipline of conquering his egoism and greed, mamaakaaram
and abhimaanam (the sense of 'I' and 'mine'). The President, Vice-President and
Secretary must be keener than the members in this endeavour, and must be examples
for the rest.

Samskrith is the language of the Shaasthras and the sacred texts of Sanaathana Dharma
(eternal universal religion). So, Sathya Sai Organisation must provide facilities for the
study of Samskrith, by elders and by the children. This is one of the Oirst things that
they must take up.

Anger and hatred can be used to ward off the evil that stalks the spiritual aspirant; be
angry at things that hamper you; hate the habits that brutalise you. Cultivate Jnaana
(Supreme Knowledge) and visualise the Lord in things and activities. That makes this
human birth worth while.

Discourse 21 (World Conference of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Seva

Organisations, Bombay - Evening, 18/5/1968)

So long as man is attracted by outer Nature, he cannot escape the blows of joy and
grief, of proOit and loss, of happiness and misery. But, if he is attracted by the glory of
God within him as well as within Nature, he can be above and beyond these dualities
and in perfect peace.

The car can move only when the fuel of vijnaana (higher knowledge) is poured; the
tyres are to be inOlated with faith. The goal is liberation, immortality merger with the
Divine, getting immersed in the inner and outer glory. Knowing this is the real aim of
man; he who is unaware of this is ignorant. However profound his scholarship may be,
he does not know the answer to the only question that is worth asking: "Who am I"? He
may travel to the Moon, but, he has failed to explore his own inner Moon, the Mind.
When he knows the mind, its composition and behaviour, he can know all about the
Universe too, for the Universe is only a creation of the mind.

Some people afOirm that the bhajans used at the Prashaanthi Nilayam alone should be
sung; but God is omnipresent, He is the indweller in every heart; all Names are His. So,
you can call on Him by any name that gives joy. Members of Sathya Sai Organisations
must not cavil at other Names and Forms of God; they should not become fanatics,
blind to the Glory of other Names and Forms. They should join the Groups that honour
those other manifestations and demonstrate that all Names and Forms are Mine. They
should contribute to the joy and happiness of all without giving up their faith.

Some people have their minds and senses like cotton balls and a spark of jnaana will
set them ablaze and they achieve victory! Some others have them like dried faggots;
they take longer time, but, victory is certain. Most have minds and senses like green
fuel and even the raging Oire of jnaana may be put out by the onslaught of the moisture
contained in them. Make your mind and senses like clean Oinely ginned cotton.

Page 232 of 268

Discourse 22 (Nairobi - Kenya, East Africa, 4/7/1968)

YOUR reality is the Aathma, a wave of the Paramaathma (Supreme Self). The one object
of this human existence is to visualise that reality; that aathma, that relationship
between the wave and the sea. All other activities are trivial; you share them with birds
and beasts; but, this is the unique privilege of Man.

Man is endowed with two special gifts; Viveka (the faculty of reasoning) and vijnaana
(the faculty of analysis and synthesis). Use these gifts for discovering the truth of
yourself, which is the truth of every one else, of everything else. All countries are borne
and sustained by this earth; all are warmed by the same Sun; all 'bodies' are inspired
by the same Divine Principle; all are urged by the same inner motivator.

The Vedhas are the earliest testaments to the victory of man over himself his discovery
of the underlying Unity in all creation and his pulsating contact with the truth that
uniOies. They declare, God is Sarvabhuutha antharaathma (God is the inner Reality of all
beings), Ishaavaasyamidham sarvam (All this is enveloped by God), Vaasudhevah
sarvamidham (All this is God, Vaasudheva).

The Divine principle that is in every one is like the electric current that illuminates the
bulbs before Me here, of different colours and different candle powers. The same God
shines in and through everyone, whatever be the creed, colour, tribe or territory. The
current animates and activates all bulbs; the Divine animates and activates all. Those
who see difference are deluded; they are befogged by prejudice, egoism, hatred or
malice. Love sees all as one Divine family.

How does this Aathma-principle express itself in Man? As Prema (love)! Love is the
basic nature that sustains him and strengthens his resolve to march ahead.

The Vedhas teach that man should have only one kaama (desire), namely, for moksha
(liberation); this too is not respected; man is drowning himself in: the maelstrom of
desire, the fulOilment of that desire can never quench his deeper thirsts. How can a
prisoner have any other desire than liberation?

The purpose of 'living' is to achieve "living in God." Every one is entitled to that
consecration and consummation. You are the Truth; do not lose faith; do not belittle
yourselves. You are Divine, however often you slide from humanity to animality or even
lower.

Cultivate Love; share that love with all. How can you give one person less and another
more, when they are both the same as you? If you forget the basic Divinity, hatred
sprouts: envy rinses its hood. See the Aathma in all Love sprouts, peace descends like
dew. You are prema-swaruupa

I have come to light the lamp of love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with
added lustre. I have not come to speak on behalf of any particular dharma
(righteousness), like the Hindhu Dharma. I have not come on any mission of publicity
for any sect or creed or cause; nor have I come to collect followers for any doctrine. I
have no plan to attract disciples or devotees into My fold or any fold. I have come to tell
you of this Universal unitary faith, this Aathmic principle, this path of love, this dharma
of prema, this duty of love, this obligation to love.

Page 233 of 268

All religions teach one basic discipline; the removal from the mind of the blemish of
egoism, of running after little joy. Every religion teaches man to Oill his being with the
Glory of God, and evict the pettiness of conceit. It trains him in methods of detachment
and discrimination, so that he may aim high and attain liberation. Believe that all
hearts are motivated by the One and Only God; that all faiths glorify the One and Only
God; that all names in all languages and all forms man can conceive, denote the One
and Only God; His adoration is best done by means of love. Cultivate that Eka-bhaava
(attitude of Oneness), between men of all creeds, all countries and all continents.

Discourse 23 (Kampala, 7/7/1968)

GOD is the source of all Love; Love God, Love the world as the vesture of God, no more,
no less. Through Love, you can merge in the Ocean of Love.

You must have the skill to swim across the waves of joy and grief, of pain and proOit. You
must be a master of the art of being fully at ease, perfectly calm and unaffected,
whatever may happen to the body or senses or mind; they are all inert when they are
not urged by the inner I, which is Intelligence, Awareness. Learn the skill of achieving
and maintaining inner peace, the art of being ever aware of the aathma, as the inner
Reality, and then you can safely gyrate in the world, as fast as you care.

Life is a newspaper; read it in a casual manner, headlines, a few columns that catch
your fancy and throw it aside. Do not make it more important than that. Tomorrow, it is
'waste paper.' So too, life is worth only a casual perusal; do not lay it aside for a second
perusal. One birth is enough; let the death coming to you be the last.

Those who carp and criticise, and ask questions like, "If there is God, where is He?"
"How does He look?" have not proceeded beyond the Oirst letters of the alphabet of
spiritual enquiry. It is only when the entire alphabet is mastered that you can read
words; then, you can proceed to sentences, paragraphs and books. Unless you know the
I, how can you know the I of all Is--the I that makes every I experience its I-ness? The
smog of ignorance hides from you this I behind the Is. It is called Maayaa in Hindhu
philosophy. It is compared to an enchantress, a danseuse, a wily woman who entices
away your intelligence by her dance, a Narthaki. This Narthaki can be immobilised by
Keerthan (Singing the glory of God, with full Faith in His Grace). Note that keerthan is
but Narthaki transposed; Wisdom is ignorance overcome. Keerthan will keep the vision
dear and direct it on the sublime and the Supreme.

Just as when you awake from sleep, you know that the dream which you had was a
matter of minutes, though the chain of events dreamed spanned many years, this life
will appear a transient affair when you awake into jnaana after this brief 'dream of life.'
Be always full of joy so that when death calls, you can quit with a light laugh, and not
whimper in grief. I bless that you may so shape your lives and activities that this
supreme joy will be your lasting possession.

Discourse 24 (Kampala, Uganda, East Africa, 8/7/1968)

Man is born for a high destiny as the inheritor of a rich heritage. He should not fritter
his days in low pursuits and vulgar vanities. His destiny is to know the Truth, live in it
and for it. The Truth along can make man free, happy and bold. If he is not prompted by
this high purpose, life is a waste, a mere tossing on the waves, for the sea of life is never
calm.

Page 234 of 268

God is the source of the highest joy. People yearn for joy, but they accept as genuine the
counterfeit joy given by the senses. No one knows that Nature is but the vesture of God.
There is nothing real except He. When the morning Sun is above the horizon and you
walk away from it towards the west, your shadow lengthens and struts before you.
That shadow is Maayaa---the primal illusion, the basic ignorance; it deludes and hides
truth and clothes it in the costume of falsehood. To discard Maayaa and escape from its
shadow, you have to walk sun-wards. Then the shadow will fall behind you. When the
Sun (the source of reason and Intelligence) climbs higher and higher, the shadow
becomes shorter and smaller. Until at last, when he is right on top, the shadow
(Maayaa) crouches at your feet, surrendering to you; you can trample on it. So too,
when your Intelligence is supreme, Maayaa cannot cast her evil spell on you.

Bhakthi is also a yoga, a process of eliminating the mind or transforming the mind into
an instrument for realising God. Bhakthi, however, has been watered down into a
routine ritual--- like turning the beads of a rosary, squatting a speciOied number of
hours before an image, offering of incense, waving of lights, ringing of bells, dipping in
holy waters, or climbing hills to reach shrines. These are acts that quieten some urges
and quicken others, which may or may not be congenial.

Bhakthi is not a penitential uniform that can be put on or off, as occasion demands. The
constables on duty here wear uniforms, complete with ribbons and medals; but, when
they reach home after their hours of duty, they take it off and wear other dresses.
Devotion cannot come upon you during stated hours and fall off when you relapse into
normalcy. It is a continuous, constant condition of the mind, a conOirmed attitude, a way
chosen and adhered to with avid attention.

The true devotee is deeply aware of the transitoriness of earthly triumphs. He knows
that death is the Oinal arbiter, that God is the only dispenser, and so, he is Oirm and calm,
whether it is foul or fair. He will not slide or climb whatever happens. He knows that
the God whom he adores is the indweller in the blade of grass and in the most distant
star. God gives ear to the prayers that rise in all languages and even from the silence of
the dumb. He has no trace of anger or worry. You too have no reason to develop anger
and anxiety.

When the teeth bite your tongue do you get angry at them for hurting? Do you break
the teeth that hurt it so? No. For, teeth and tongue are both yours, both you. Similarly,
he who hurts you and you, are both limbs of the same Body, God. Feel that one-ness and
avoid hate. God is on the look-out for his inner vision; He blesses those whose hearts
are so vast that they can take in all His children. How can He be pleased when you are
so selOish and narrow-minded that you send away His children from the door-step of
your heart? You must Oirst have a clear understanding of the nature of the Goal---God or
Goodness or the Universal Absolute---whatever the name, its grandeur, its beneOicence,
its magniOicence. Then, that understanding itself will prompt and urge you towards it.
The Universal of which you are a unit is pure, true, egoless, unlimited and everlasting.
Contemplate on It and your innate egolessness, truth, purity, and eternality will
manifest itself, more and more every day.

You may have accumulated riches, acquired deep scholarship and achieved health and
strength. But, unless you have gained, in addition, a vision of the Supreme Sovereign,
and an aspiration to be ever in the ecstasy of that vision, all that has been garnered by
you is mere lumber.

Page 235 of 268

"Give up all bonds of Oight and duty, surrender unreservedly to Me; I shall guard you
from sin and liberate you from that sad cycle of 'entrances' and 'exits' on the stage of
life. You can remain ever in your own Reality of Eternal Calm," the Lord has assured.

Freedom and Light are what man needs more than anything else. He needs them even
more than breath. That is why he is miserable when bound and in the dark. Man
struggles like a Oish in a dry bowl, frantically, to return to God, which is his home, and
Aanandha (divine bliss), which is his element. He seeks God or Aanandha, which is but
another Name of God, up in space, down in the bowels of the earth, alone or in crowded
congregations, in silence or in noise. But all the time the spring of aanandha lies in his
own heart. He can tap it if only he knows how to delve into the poise of deep
meditation.

I shall give you now .the most universal and the most effective. Set aside a few minutes,
every day, in the beginning for this; later, you are sure to extend the period, when you
experience the thrill of peace. Let it be the hours before dawn. This is preferable
because the body: is refreshed by sleep and the peregrinations of day-time have yet to
impinge on the senses and distract physical and mental energy. Have a lamp, with a
bright little Olame, steady and straight, or a candle, before you. The Olame does not
diminish in lustre, however many lamps may be lit therefrom. So, the Olame is the most
appropriate symbol of the eternal Absolute. Sit in the padmaasana (lotus posture) or
any comfortable aasana, in front of the Olame. Look on the Olame steadily and closing
your eyes, try to feel it inside you, between your eyebrows. From there, let it descend
down into the lotus of your heart, illumining the path. When it enters the heart, in the
centre of the chest, imagine that the petals of the lotus bud open out, one by one,
bathing every thought, feeling, emotion and impulse in the Light and removing
darkness. There is no space now for darkness to take refuge; it has to Olee before the
Olame. Imagine that the Light becomes wider, bigger, brighter. It pervades the limbs;
they can no more busy themselves in dark, wicked, suspicious activities. They have
become, you are conscious of it, instruments of Light, that is to say, of Love. The Light
reaches the tongue. Falsehood, slander, bragging, spite vanish from it. It reaches the
eyes and the ears. All dark desires that infest and infect them are destroyed by the
brilliant Light of Wisdom and Virtue. No more puerility, no more poisoning of the ear.
Let your head be charged with Light; all wicked, vicious thoughts disappear, for, these
are denizens of darkness. Imagine that Light in you more and more intensely--and it
will be so. Let it shine all around you, enveloping you in the brilliance of Love; let it
spread from you, in ever widening circles, taking into its fold your kith and kin, the
loved ones, friends, companions---nay, strangers, foes, rivals, enemies---all men all over
the world, all living beings--all Creation. Do this every day, without break; for as long as
you enjoy it; do this deeply and systematically; a time will certainly come when you can
no more relish dark and evil thoughts, no more yearn for dark and sinister books, no
more crave for toxic food and drinks, no more handle ugly demeaning things, no more
suffer inOliction of infamy or injury, no more formulate evil designs. You are then in the
realm of the Divine, of Peace beyond words. Stay on in that thrill, witnessing Light,
being Light, everywhere, for all. If you are used to adoring God in any form, visualise
that Form in that Light. For, Light is God; God is light. When light meets light, it is all
Light. There is no boundary between your light and His Light. They merge, they fulOil.

In this a-shaanthi (peacelessness), that is confounding the world, you must seek
prashaanthi (the higher spiritual peace); in that prashaanthi, you can visualise
prakaanthi (Supreme Splendour) and in that prakaanthi, the all-embracing Paramjyothi
(immanent and transcendent splendour, boundless, benign) is experienced; in that
Page 236 of 268

Paramjyothi, the Universal Eternal Absolute, the Paramaathma is experienced. When

the individual meets the Universal it becomes Universal. I and I become we; we and he
become only we.

Why is silence said to be golden? The silent man has no enemies, though he may not
have friends. He has the leisure and the chance to dive within himself and examine his
own faults and failings. He has no more inclination to seek them in others.

Discourse 25 (Dharmakshetra, Bombay, 14/7/1968)

The spiritual laws that the sages of India have discovered and laid down will never be
over-ruled; they stand valid for ever. Further research in spiritual laws can only
strengthen and conOirm their authenticity as further facets only render the diamond
more brilliant. Bhaarath has contributed to the world the priceless gem of Truth:
"Eesvarah sarvabhuuthaanaam hridhese, Arjuna, thishthathi"---"God is the resident
motivator of all beings". Until this fact is realised by the individual, he will be tainted by
traces of anger, pride and hate, for he sees others as distinct and different.
Karna, the eldest born of the Paandavas, did not know that he was the brother of the
other Oive. Nor did the Oive brothers know this fact. As a consequence of this ignorance,
Karna was saturated with hatred towards the Oive; he longed to destroy them; he
prepared himself for battle against them with unabated vigour. The Oive younger
brothers too, planned to destroy him and behaved towards him as if he were their
deadly enemy. When Dharmaraaja, the eldest of the Oive, came to know---after the death
of Karna, which they effected successfully---that Karna was his brother, his agony knew
no bounds; he was struck disconsolate and was torn by despair. If only Dharmaraaja
had known the truth, all that grief could have been avoided, isn't it? So too, until you
know that all are altars where the same God is installed, all are moved and motivated
by the grace of the self-same God, you are afOlicted by hate and pride; once you know it
and experience it, you are full of love and reverence to all. The barbarous remedy of
war will be given up when this basic brotherhood is felt in the deepest core of man.

It was this principle of Love, based on the recognition of Oneness in God, that was
planted by Me in East Africa. The Aathma-thathwa (which is the wave-God of the
Ocean-God that is in the hearts of all men) was declared by Me, at Nairobi and
Kampaala, in My discourses.

You do not wait with folded hands for the cup of coffee to cool down to the required
warmth; you ask for an extra cup and you start pouring the coffee from one cup to the
other, is it not? The same anxiety, the same saadhana has to be shown in spiritual
matters also, to take in the beverage of Divine Grace.

Discourse 26 (Inauguration of Sri Sathya Sai Arts and Science College

for Women, Anantapur, 22/7/1968)

Prahlaadha told his father that "the father who leads the son to God is the only father
who deserves the reverence due to that status." Fathers who lead their sons into the
vortex of sense pleasure, the volcanoes of physical passion, the boggy marsh of pride
and pomp---are unaware of their duties and responsibilities. So too, an educational
system that keeps children away from God---the only refuge, the only kinsman, the only
guide and guard---is really a system where the blind are engaged in blinding those who
depend on them.

Page 237 of 268

Aathma-vidhya (science of the Self) alone can Oix the mind in Dharma. The students
here will be given a glimpse of that Aathma- vidhya; they will develop a keen desire to
know about it--- knowledge and desire that will stand them in good stead, when they
encounter the problems of life.

But the battle between Jeevi and Maayaa, the individual and the fascinating, deluding
wiles of the really unreal Nature with its enticing multi-fariousness---this battle is
continuous (compared to Kurukshetra war which Swami had just compared it to); the
earliest man got entangled in it; the last man on earth will have to Oight it. It can bring
victory to the Jeevi (individual) only when, like Arjuna, he chooses the Lord as his
charioteer and surrenders his judgement, his desires, to Him. Maayaa can be conquered
only by allying yourselves with the Master of Maayaa, Maadhava. This is the lesson that
Aathma vidhya teaches, this is the lesson that children in India have a right to imbibe;
children from all over the world can beneOit immensely from it.

Discourse 27 (Prashanti Nilayam, 16/8/1968)

Man forgets that with each sunrise and sunset, a day is clipped off the allotted span of
years; he leads life in a wobbling line from the cradle to the grave. He denies himself
the Light of the Spirit when struggling through the trackless jungle of matter. That light
will reveal the Spirit that resides in every thing and being; it will deify and therefore,
unify.

With or without Form, It is Aanandha. Welcome It into the heart, as Raama---He who is
joy and grants joy---or as Krishna---He who draws you by means of the joy. He
imparts---and live all your moments with It, offering It your dhyaana, your puuja, your
japam. That will open the doors of jnaana (wisdom) and of Liberation. This is the mark
of the wise, while those who are otherwise, wander in the wilderness, Oilling their
moments with meaningless triOles, toys and geegaws.

Harischandra sold his belongings, sold his wife and son into slavery, and himself served
as a watchman in order to scrape together the amount for the saint. "Am I to bewail loss
of the empire or the fate of wife and child or my own heinous occupation? No. I shall
weep, I shall shed tears only because I have not yet realised Him, visualised Him," he
cried. "I for you, You for me"--- that is all one needs, one need pray for.

Krishna told Uddhava that the supreme stupidity is "Dhehaathma buddhi" (the belief
that the body is the self). That is the fundamental fault. When that is removed,
liberation follows.

For, sarva dheva namaskaaram (obeisance to all the Gods) which is declared as
sufOicient to attain God, is only half the process; the other hall the reverse, is the sarva
jeeva thiraskaaram (detachment from all beings). Between these two embankments,
attachment to the Divine and detachment from the mundane, the stream of life can
Olow unimpaired in speed and direction, towards the Ocean of Divine Grace. See
yourself as Divine; see others as Divine. Turn away from all else in you and in others.
That is the essence of saadhana.

Naaradha asked Vishnu once: The Rishis (sages) who had attained the purest Wisdom
relating to the Universal Aathma could not win your Grace; but, the illiterate milkmaids
of Gokul who were charmed by Your beauty, Your sport, Your music, Your prattle, Your
sweetness, Your inscrutable mystery---they won Your Grace. How did this happen?
Page 238 of 268

Naaradha himself came to know later that the Gopees had Krishna (the Lord) as the
very breath of their lives, as the very sight of their eyes, the very sound of their ears,
the very taste of their tongues, the very touch of their skin. While tending the cows and
calves, attending to their husbands and children, doing the thousand and one chores of
worldly life, they lived in Krishna, with Krishna and by means of Krishna only.
Sarvadhaa sarva kaaleshu sarvathra Hari chinthanam---"Under all conditions, at all
times, in all places, their minds dwelt on Hari (Krishna; the Lord)." How then can God
deny them Grace?

When Naaradha went to Gokul and called the Gopees to gather around him so that they
can listen to his teachings about the attainment of jnaana, the Gopees gave no heed;
they said they did not like to waste precious minutes. "The hours of day and night are
not enough for us to dwell on the Name of the Lord. We do not require your verbal
acrobatics to convince us that God is Sath-chith-aananda-swaruupa; we know, we feel,
we experience the Bliss every moment." It was after this revelation of the supremacy of
Bhakthi that Naaradha composed the Bhakthi Suuthras, which have become the
guiding lamps for the aspirants.

From the inexhaustible reservoir of Grace, you draw joy through one outlet, Raama,
another derives the same delight and the same strength from another outlet, Krishna.
That is only a distinction with no difference.

Through work Oilled with Dharma you progress towards worship that is Oilled with the
consciousnes of Divinity in all and through that worship you attain wisdom when you
experience the Divinity that Oills all this. Work, Worship, Wisdom---fruitling, mature
fruit, juice-Oilled fruit; this is the order of spiritual progress of each individual. When
the fruit is saturated with sweetness, it drops. That is the consummation.

Naaradha once asked Krishna the secret of the attraction that His Olute-play had on the
cowherds of Brindhaavan. "Do they run to you, or do you run to them?" he queried.
"Among us, there is neither I nor they; how can a picture be separated from the cloth on
which it is painted? I am imprinted on their hearts so inseparably, so inextricably",
Krishna replied.

You can be free from fear only when you are conOident of the strength of the foundation.
You do not see your breath or weigh it; but, breath is the very sustenance of life. The
unseen is the basis of the seen. If you are caught up in the meshes of the seen, you
cannot know the importance of the unseen.

Discourse 28 (Prashanti Nilayam, 18/8/1968)

Only those who are engaged in puuja (worship) in order to impress others, will give
them up when fortune takes an adverse turn. The rest will accept whatever comes with
the supreme indifference of the saint; fortune, good or bad, is for them only the observe
and reverse of the coin of Divine Grace. The true sign of a Sai Bhaktha is this steadiness.
He cannot swerve from this chosen path by cynicism or the call of luxurious pomp. He
puts spiritual teachings into practice and knows the immeasurable gain it gives.

This Prashaanthi Nilayam is not my residence; when your hearts are transformed into
Prashaanthi Nilayams, they are My residence.

Page 239 of 268

Let Me tell your another point also. Do not delay any more; take hold of this unique
chance, even while you can. Ask Me about the saadhana you should adopt for your
liberation; begin practising from this day. Later, it may be difOicult to approach Me and
ask Me.

!
My name is Sathya (Truth). My teaching is Truth; My path is Truth; I am Truth.
!

Discard through saadhana the attachment to individuality, to sense pleasures; welcome

through saadhana, the aspiration to expand the heart into the Universal. Do not cloud
your minds with cheap desires, transitory hungers and thirsts, that need but morsels or
mouthfuls. Yearn for the enthronement of your soul as the unquestioned Monarch of
the Universe, when you merge in the Universal; celebrate your triumph over the foes
within that hamper your march to victory. Acquire Me as your Charioteer; I shall lead
you to that consummation. Earn that unfailing Grace, by your sincerity, simplicity and
saadhana.

Discourse 29 (Prashanti Nilayam, Youth Camp, Dharmakshetra,

13/5/1968)

The truth, that the Vedhas reach man is: "Soham: That is I; the Principle that is
Immanent in the Universe is the same Principle that is immanent in Me, too."
Meditation on this grand thought gradually leads man to know that there is no
distinction between That and I, that both are One, that there is no separate Sah and
Aham and so there is only Om.

Discourse 30 (Prashanti Nilayam, 19/8/1968)

The heart yearns for His voice, His Form, His Olute. His smile, His sport and His pranks.
That is the thapas (penance) which is rewarded by His grace. The yearning is so deep
that all body- consciousness is lost, the senses are ineffective, and the mind is inactive,
the intelligence is at a standstill, ideas of duality disappear. The individual sees before
him only step after step of Aanandha leading him to the highest bliss of merging in Him.

Some one asked me during the interview he had, "Swaami! May I ask you a question?" I
told him I always welcomed questions, for, it was not wrong at all to use Me for solving
one's doubts. Then he asked Me, "Swaami, can I know from you who you are?" I
answered, "But, Oirst, you must know who you are; learn Oirst what you mean when you
say I,I,I". That I is this I. The I in that, is the same as This. The difference is due to the
degree of manifestation of illumination, to the difference in the power of the bulbs.

Discourse 31 (Anantapur, Teachers Day, 5/9/1968)

Of course, you were students some years ago, and naturally, as teachers, you try to
shape your methods and manners on lines employed by your teachers. Perhaps, they
do or do not approximate to the ideals I now spoke about. But, your duty is to delve
into the Inner Reality and discover the spring of joy therein, so that the exacting task of
moulding the children, into "children of Bhaarath" will be a re-creating job for you,
highly refreshing and rewarding.

Discourse 32 (Sathya Sai Womens College, Anantapur, 5/9/1968)

Aathmavidhya (science of the Self) is the only Vidhya that can save and sustain, when
man is tossed about on the sea of life. The art of living should help to attain liberation.
This Vidhya is a special feature of Bhaarath, and that is why Bhaarath has been
Page 240 of 268

considered as a teacher of Humanity. She has to take up that ancient role, in spite of the
apathy of the people and the short- sighted attitude of the rulers. The God who dwells
in the dewdrop and the star, in the scientist as well as the atom he studies, can be
visualised only by a puriOied inner consciousness. The tongue alone can taste
sweetness, and that too, when it is healthy. So too, only a pure consciousness can
recognise the grandeur and glory of God. Purify this through the constant repetition of
the idea of Soham, (He is I, I am He), so that He and I will merge and only He remains.

Discourse 33 (Prashanti Nilayam, 22/9/1968)

The word for volunteer used here is "Swayam Sevak" (Servant of Myself) meaning that
you have chosen yourself to be the servant. Servant for whom? Swayam...that is to say,
of yourself, you serve your own best interests by serving others. You do not serve
others; you serve yourself. Harm another; you but harm yourself For, there is no
another. He and you are but two waves of the same Ocean. The same God that is in you
is in him too.

You have an avidity to know who this or that person is. And, you satisfy your curiosity
by noting down their names and addresses, their status, their condition. But, you have
not come to discover this; you have no need to know all that. You need know the
answers to two questions only; Who is Baaba? Who am I? And the answer is, I am the
reOlected image of Baaba; Baaba is the original of which I am the reOlection. That is the
relationship; that is the bond, whether you know it or not, whether the image is
distorted or correct.
Seva is the adoration of the Lord, as Vishwa-Viraat swaruupa---as having the multifaced
Form and Immanence in the entire Universe. The Vedhas describe Him as 'thousand-
headed, thousand- eyed, thousand-footed.' The thousands of hands and eyes and feet
that have come here for the Festival are all His, the Lord's. Worship Him; that is the
purpose of your seva. And He is none else than your own self. Do not count an
individual as just an individual; he has God in him, as his Reality. Be aware of that.

The Lord may have two or two hundred vows; that is his will. But, the Bhaktha need
have only one vow, to save himself---the vow of total surrender---of Sharanaagathi. If
you have full faith in the Divinity of every being, the attitude of surrender will
automatically be Oixed in you.

Padmapaadha, the favourite disciple of Shankaraachaarya, Confessed that Guruseva

(service of the preceptor) is enough scholarship for him. Prahlaadha declared that the
name Naaraayana is enough for progress and liberation from grief. University degrees
without mental equanimity and the control of the senses are but handicaps, extra
burdens that one has to jettison, before becoming free and happy. If you seek to fulOil
low desires, why come here? Come here only if you seek to earn Grace. Go to a hospital
only when you are resolved to take the drug the physician prescribes and go through
the regimen he lays down. So, obey the directions that I give, whatever others may say
or however difOicult they may appear to be. You have not come to Prashaanthi Nilayam
to please those others; you have come to please Me.

Discourse 34 (Prashanti Nilayam, 23/9/1968)

The chief causes of ill-health and death are fear and loss of faith. If one concentrates on
the aathma, which has no change or characteristics, no substraction or senility, no
decline or damage, man can conquer death. Therefore, the most effective prescription
is the injection of aathma-vidhya (knowledge of the Soul as one's real Self).
Page 241 of 268

Earn the sword of jnaana to cut as under the veil of Maayaa. Discriminate between the
real and the un-real early enough, during the journey towards the Goal. If the eye is not
helping you to derive the unending joy of visualising God in everything it brings before
your mind, then it is far better to be blind; if your ear drags you into the realm of Oilthy
cacophony, it is far better to be deaf. The senses must not plunge you into the sensual;
they must serve your real interests and sublimate your desires and appetites. That is
the only way to ensure health and happiness.

Discourse 35 (Prashanti Nilayam, 24/9/1968)

The narratives and descriptions which these books contain purify the ichchaa shakthi
(the urge to desire) latent in man, and sanctify the kriyaa shakthi (the urge to act), and
Oinally invigorate and clarify the jnaana shakthi (the urge to know). By this process,
man attains chiththa suddhi (the puriOication of the consciousness). It is only in the
consciousness that is so transformed that the Aathma can be reOlected and understood.

The wise will not give place in their hearts to covetousness and possessiveness. They
know that there is a kshethrajna who is the motivator of this kshethra---a knower-of-
the-Oield who is the master of this 'Oield.'

Be like the tortoise, which can live in water or land. That is to say, cultivate the inner
calm that helps you to be with the thought of God, whether you are amidst men or
alone. Ekaantha (solitude) is when you are not aware of the crowd around you. It is
what you create out of the solitude of your own mind. Here, for example, where you are
undisturbed by others, each of you has perfect Ekaantha!

Discourse 36 (Prashanti Nilayam, 27/9/1968)

MAN is endowed with many skills; he is offered many lives; he is shown many paths.
The purpose of all these gifts is to develop in him the spirit of devotion and dedication
and release him from the dual dribble of joy and grief. When man visualises the
Universe as God, its capacity to colder the dual experience disappears; he knows the
truth and is calm. God is One and Only: 'Ekam eva adhwaithiyam Brahma' (One only;
without a second---Brahman), which is the transcendent and immanent principle. So
one must endeavour to know God, who is Truth. A soldier is honoured and welcomed
home only when he has won the battle; not when he has Oled in fear, or has had no
contact with the enemy, or when he has meekly surrendered, or gladly gone over!

The internal foes can be destroyed by the light of jnaana (the illumination that
accompanies the realisation of the Reality). To acquire that illumination, one has to
cultivate the spirit of impartial, steady, un-Oluctuating inquiry, based on the revelations
made in the Vedhas about the nature of man and God, and the relation between the
two. The Vedhas have to be studied reverentially, for, they give us the key to this jnaana.
The Vedha is the philosopher's stone that turns all metals into gold, all students into
saadhakas and all saadhakas into sages.

Whoever speaks, whatever is spoken about the vedhas and Vedhaantha (the concluding
metaphysical part of Vedhas), if spoken with reverence and sincere yearning, is worth
listening intently. I notice one great defect in you. When I am discoursing, you listen to
every word, with marked avidity and enthusiasm. But, when Pandiths and others are
speaking to you, on subjects that are valuable to you, out of their own deep study and
saadhana, though you sit silently and dutifully, I do not Oind the same avidity and
Page 242 of 268

enthusiasm. This is wrong. Rain water is rain water whether it falls from a spout, or the
caves, or through a canal or sluice. What they speak is also authentic and beneOicial.
What you should care for and treasure in your memory is the "curative property of the
drug," not the label on the bottle or the name and status of the manufacturer or dealer.

!
BeneOit from the drug; cure yourself; become illumined; realise your Reality.
!
Discourse 37 (Prashanti Nilayam, 29/9/1968)

No bird casts seed on land to grow food for itself; nor do beasts plough and enclose
Oields, claiming 'this is mine, this is for my children and children's children.' Nishkaama-
karma (selOless action) is the natural face of activity for the children of God, the
progeny of Immortality. They sing and swim, they dance and dive, they talk and walk,
they pray and pine, because they must; it is their nature too. They do not know what
will happen; as a consequence, they do not care; they do not anticipate any result. They
are just themselves, when they do these things. It is sahaja-lak-shana (their innate
nature) their inborn characteristic.

A man, let us say, has three wives; when he dies, all the three become widows and have
to wear widow's weeds, remove jewellery, and put on the outer symbols of mourning.
That is the convention. But, if one wife is pregnant, this convention does not apply; it is
only after the child is delivered, that she can be declared as a widow! She knows until
then that she is a widow, but the world will think, on seeing her that her husband is
alive! This is the position of the jnaani too. He knows that the world is transient, that
God is all, that dedicated activity alone can save him from consequences that bind---but
the world thinks, on seeing him, that he is one like themselves! He is like a lotus
blossom on water, wherein it grew, above the mud, where its roots lie, unaffected and
untouched by either.

The agony to know God is the jewel to be proud of This jnaana is not an attribute of the
Universal Absolute (Param-aathma); it is Paramaathma itself. The Upanishaths declare;
Sathyam, jnaanam, anantham Brahma (Truth, Wisdom, inOinity is Brahman). Jnaana is
the fulOilment, it is the goal, the consummation. Man is as ugly as a noseless face, if he
has no wisdom, whatever other attainments he may decorate himself with! The
yearning, the agony, the endeavour, to know Him and His Might and Mystery is the
jewel to be proud of. The consciousness that God is the Indweller, who prompts and
executes all that we feel, think and do, that gives the inspiration to surrender the
strength to dedicate, the urge to be but an instrument in His Hands for His purposes, is
jnaana.

The striving must be alert and active, until the goal is reached. Some one asked Ramana
Maharishi, "How long am I to engage myself in dhyaana?" The Maharishi replied, "Until
you lose all awareness of the experience of dhyaana."

In real dhyaana, you soon get over the consciousness that 'you are doing dhyaana. It
fact every moment in life must be a moment utilised for dhyaana.

Some people raise the question, "How can we make a living if we adhere to Truth?"
Well, you cannot escape death, whatever way you spend your days. It is far better to
die, adhering to Truth, than die, sliding into falsehood. Do this duty to yourself Oirst;
then, consider the rights of others.

Page 243 of 268

Discourse 38 (Prashanti Nilayam, 29/9/1968)

THE teachings of the sages and seers of this land all centred on the way of life, the
discipline in daily are practice, the modes of family and social behaviour, the attitudes,
and impulses, the obligations of community life, the bonds of service and sympathy.
They emphasise practical aspects of Vedhaantha; in fact, there is no other Vedhaantha.
Its purpose is to cleanse the mind, to sharpen the intellect, to purify the emotions, to
concentrate the thinking faculty so that the reality could be experienced in its full
clarity. Liberation from the blows of joy and grief can come only through the realisation
of that reality, which is One and Indivisible.

The removal of the moss that Oloats thick on the surface of the lake reveals the water
beneath; the removal of the dust that lies thick upon the mirror enables you to see
yourself. When the person sees himself as an image, it is only partial truth; when he
knows he is the person, not an image, it is the truth. The bimba (object) must know
itself as the bimba; the I must become aware of the I; that is self-realisation. The eye
can see the star that is billions of light years away; but, it cannot see itself! The eye
must see the eye, so that it can claim to have self-realisation, a vision of itself as it truly
is.

Unless you know yourself you cannot know Me. When you see a plane above, you know
that it must have a pilot; but, if you want to see him, you have to get into it and be in the
plane, after purchasing the requisite ticket. Earn the qualiOication; win the
visualisation. Vivekaanandha once said that no A-viveki (a person devoid of
discrimination and sharp intelligence) can understand him and his mission. The
students in the medical colleges dissect cadavers trying to learn about the living body!
The knowledge gained of God by an analysis and study of the world will be more or less
of the same category. When the doctor handles a patient and treats him, and the patient
submits himself to the treatment, both do not know that between them, there is a third
force, more capable and more decisive.

Jnaana (spiritual knowledge) alone can grant the vision of the ultimate Truth. That is
why the Gaayathri: (a Vedhic prayer to the light that Oills the Universe to illuminate the
intelligence) is a prayer for prompting the spirit of inquiry and illuminate the path by
the inner light of the spirit. That is why Krishna says in the Geetha, "I am of living
beings, the Intelligence."

Discourse 39 (Prashanti Nilayam, 30/9/1968)

WHEN asked, "Who are you?" each one of you gives out the name some one gave you
years ago, or which you gave yourself. You do not give the name that has been with you
life after life, that has survived many deaths and births, the Aathma that you really are.
That name you have forgotten; it has been enveloped by three thick veils---mala,
vikshepa and aavarana. Mala is the dirt of vice, wickedness and passion. Viksehpa is the
veil of ignorance, which hides truth and makes falsehood attractive and desirable.
Aavarana is super-imposition on the eternal Of the transitor3 on the Universal, of the
boundaries of individuality. Now, how is man to wash off or remove these three layers
of dirt? By soap and water, certainly. The soap of penitence and the water of cognition
will remove all taint of mala. The wavering mind that causes the frantic search for
happiness from sense objects and external appurtenances will be transformed by
Upaasana (steady application in worship) and adoration of the source and sustenance
of all. The Aavarana veil can be tom off by the acquisition of jnaana which reveals the
Aathmic essence of man, the Aathmic Unity of all creation. Mala is therefore removable
Page 244 of 268

by karma, vikshepa by bhakthi (devotion) and aavarana by jnaana. That is why Indian
sages have laid down these three paths for aspirants.

There is no short-cut to any laudable achievement. Steady struggle alone can ensure
victory. Things that are gained with little or no effort are not worth exulting over. The
process of yama, niyama, aasana, pranaayaama, prathyaahaara, dhyaanaa and dharana
(control of the inner and outer senses, regulation of posture and breath, withdrawal
into one's inner consciousness, meditation and concentration) is hard; but, the Oinal
stage is Nirvikalpa Samaadhi, the condition of perfect undisturbed equanimity.
Whereas the pursuit of material pleasures will be "agre amruthopamam, parinaame
visham" (like nectar at Oirst but like poison at the end), the pursuit of equanimity will
be "agre visham parinaame amrutho-pamam" (like poison at Oirst but like nectar at the
end).

There was a seeker once who prayed to his elder brother to initiate him into spiritual
life, with the imparting of a saving manthra; but the brother said, "It is always a hard
job to teach one's kinsman, and to teach a brother is harder still. You should go to
Dakshinaamuurthy, who is Shiva Himself come as teacher." The brother inquired how
to discover that preceptor. Then the brother said, "He who considers all men and all
things equal---he is the preceptor I have indicated. So, the young man started his
search. He went among the hermitages, with a gold ring on his Oinger; he interrogated
the hermits, what the metal was. Some declared it was gold, some brass, some copper,
others said it was tin or some alloy. So, he moved on. Then, he came upon a young
ascetic, with shining eyes. He asked him whether it was gold; he said 'Yes.' He said, 'Is it
not brass?' He replied, 'Yes it is brass.' He said yes, to whatever he said it was. He could
not recognise any distinction. So he concluded that the ascetic before him was
Dakshinaamuurthy. Equanimity comes as a result of the awareness of unity, not
otherwise.

Sanathkumaar was engaged in extreme austerity when God appeared before him. He
asked him to place before Him his needs. But Sanathkumar said, "You are my guest
now. You have come to this place, where I am residing for some time; so you may ask
anything you need; I am bound to honour the guest, granting him what he needs."
Having known Brahman, he had become Brahman Himself. So he could talk as an equal
to God. "I am you," that was the stage reached by Sanathkumar. No wonder he spoke
like that. He is ever present; I is born only after the Individual separates himself from
the He. So, with the birth of the jeevi (individual soul), the idea of Dheva (God) must
also be born in the mind. That is the sign of safety and success. Embrace the Shivam
(God) in the core of your heart; you become immortal. Embrace the shavam (corpse)
which the body is without Him; you are mortal.

The spiritual preceptor has to emphasise that fundamental lesson. He should be like
the Drill Instructor, among the teachers in the school. The others step into the class and
instruct and leave. The history master holds forth on his subject and leaves. The science
master does the same. The drill instructor has himself to stand before the pupils and
swing his hands Oight and left, so that they may do the same. He has to bend and rise, as
often and as fast as he wants his pupils to. The Guru has to be Brahman so that he may
lead others to a knowledge about Him. He must be aware of the Named One, and not
merely the Name.

There are only three ways of saving oneself-Pravritthi, Nivritthi and Prapatthi.
Pravritthi (action, external activity) is a method of sublimating the instincts and
Page 245 of 268

impulses. Nivritthi (detachment, internal quiet), is a method of subduing the thirst of

the senses and of the ego. Prapatthi (surrender) is a method of utilising the senses, the
instincts and impulses, the intelligence, the emotions, for the gloriOication of the all-
knowing, all-directing Divine. Do and dedicate; work and worship; plan and protect;
but do not worry about the fruit. That is the secret of spiritual success.

Discourse 40 (Prashanti Nilayam, 1/10/1968)

The sole object of Sathya Sai Seva Samithis, the very breath on which they thrive, is the
consciousness of unity, of all as One.

The a-shaanthi (peacelessness) from which man suffers should disappear; man should
attain pra-shaanth' (inner, deep- rooted peace); that is the aim of the institutions
initiated by Me.

First, serve the self; then, help others. This is the highest form of selOhelp, for it leads
you to God and you will be a good example to others.

Dive into the depths; you secure the pearls. The person who does not dive secures the
foam; the person who dives, gets the truth. Dive, know and experience; then, you have
the authority to lead and guide, not otherwise.

Discourse 41 (Prashanti Nilayam, 2/10/1968)

The coconut tree thrives best on the sea coast; the tree of Brahma-thathwa grows best
on the soil of prema (love). The region of the heart has to be transformed into a region
of compassion. Man's native characteristic is prema; his nature is prema, his breath is
prema. The fog of desire clouds prema and distorts it. Like the dog which took its image
in the canal as another dog and started to bark it off, man too barks at his own image
(fellow- men) who are as much images of Brahman as he himself is. To separate the
image from oneself is the basis of conscience. Fix your attention on the identity, not the
difference. That is the road to peace.

Investigate the Truth as far as your intellect leads you; you will come up against the
principle of love. Yaajnavalkya was questioned by Janaka about the basis for all activity;
he replied, "It is Light." When the Sun sets, the Moon sheds light; when there is no Sun
or Moon, the ear is the guide; behind the ear is the mind, behind the mind is the
Aathma (Supreme Soul), which is a spark of the Supreme. The Oinal offering in the
sacriOicial Oire which you saw is called Poornaahuthi (the full offer). It is when the
Olames rise high that darkness is fully destroyed. Surrender all that you have---all that
you have so far believed to be valuable---in the sacred Oire. See them being reduced to
ashes before your very eyes; look on it without a quiver, as Janaka saw, when Mithila
was aOlame.

All is Brahman; the yajna manthras delineate Him in various ways; they declare that all
creation is Brahman; it is not something different and distinct. You should revere
Nature as Brahman; Sarvam Brahma-mayam (all this Nature imbued with Brahman, is
Brahman, is immanent Brahman). It is to cure the vision that perverts Nature as 'not-
Brahman' that yajna is ordained. You have to pour into the Oire the limited vision and
earn in exchange the larger vision. The yajna is saadhana (spiritual exercise) in
sacriOice and surrender.

Page 246 of 268

Believe that you are the imperishable pure Aathma. Then, no gain or loss can affect you;
no sense of humiliation or despair can torment you. Only men with weak foundations
can dread these. The strong man casts them away without any regret. When the senses
are dominant, equanimity is a dream. Be their master; you can be yourself undisturbed
and free.

Discourse 42 (Belgaum, 24/10/1968)

The experience of this one life must be enough to show you that there is no joy
unmixed with grief, that both grief and joy are short lived and they both depend on the
mind and its control. You do not require the experience of a series of lives to grasp this
patent fact. This world is keeping you in bondage; it is a prison from which you must
get released; you should not plan to return to it again and again. The means of this
permanent release are' saadhana (spiritual effort), sathkarma (good deeds), bhakthi
(devotion), upaasana (worship). All these help you by reducing your wants, by
curtailing your wishes, by teaching you detachment from sensory pleasures. These are
the shackles which bind you to the body and the senses, to the limiting emotions of
greed and hate, to the blinding passions of anger and lust. Escape from them and you
will have lasting peace.

The eye which is scarce two inches long can see millions of miles into space, but is
incapable of seeing itself! Man too is as shrewd and as weak as the eye. He can analyse
others' motives, count others' faults, map out others' skills and capacities but he is
powerless to analyse himself his feelings and emotions; he is unwilling to discover his
own faults; he cannot assess his innate skill and realise his inner reality!

By anga (limbs), you cultivate sanga (company). By means of the proper use of the body
with its limbs and senses, you are enabled to be in the midst of devoted and dedicated
persons. Through sanga, you become jangam (detached). This association removes
attachment to worldly things and you become a wandering mendicant type of person, a
jangam not rooted to any spot or status or standard of life or any family or group of
kinsmen. Through jangam you discover the lingam (the subtle form of God). This life of
true renunciation promotes spiritual progress to such an extent that you realise the
formless, attributeless, absolute, symbolised by the linga. You seek God in temples and
light lamps there, to see Him more clearly; learn to see Him in your own heart, in the
hearts of all beings. He is now not visible, due to the thick dust-cloud of ignorance and
egoism. The cow ignores the health-giving milk it has in its own udder; it craves for the
water in which rice is washed!

The boulder on the hill from which a portion has been blasted away, to carve an idol for
the temple, tells the idol, Thath thwam asi (You and I are the same); that and this are
one substance. Yes; of one substance---but, what a difference? The hammer and chisel
have made one a thing of beauty and a joy for ever, an inspiration to make life beautiful
and holy. You too must subject yourself to the hammer of discipline and the chisel of
pain-pleasure, so that you become Divine.

Take My own instance. I never exult when I am extolled, nor shrink when I am reviled.
Few have realised My purpose and signiOicance; but I am not worried. When things that
are not in Me are attributed to Me, why should I worry? When things that are in Me are
mentioned why should I exult?

Discourse 43 (Prashanti Nilayam, 21/11/1968)

Page 247 of 268

To reach Shiva, the shira (head) is the maarga. To reach the Lord, intelligence,
discrimination between the false and the true, the transitory and the eternal, the unreal
and the real is very essential. That is why the Gaayathri is taught to the boys while still
in their tender age, for, it appeals to the intelligence that Oills the Universe, to illumine
the lamp of the little child and to enable him to use that intelligence more and more
usefully for his liberation from the bonds of the senses.

You are not engaged in social service through these organisations; you are engaged in
your own service. All the items of work are aimed at expanding your heart and
purifying it. That is the call of the sages of this land and all the scriptures and texts.

Remember each person has three sources of power in him' as an individual, as a child
or limb of God and as a shrine where Aathma is installed. You must have read that
Hanumaan once told Raama, "When I feel I am this body You are my Lord; when I feel I
am distinct jeeva (soul), I know I am the reOlection and You, the Original; when I know I
am the Aathma, I know I am You and You are I. Be ever in the consciousness that you
are but the shadow of God, His image. Then, no harm can hamper you. God walks along
the royal road of truth; the shadow, holding on to Him by the feet, falls on hollow and
hill, Oire and water, dirt and dust. So, if you hold on the feet, you can be as unaffected as
the shadow by the ups and downs of life.

Discourse 44 (Prashanti Nilayam, 21/11/1968)

There are thousands of organisations already working with such aims, but what is the
special need for an organisation bearing My Name? You must realise Me in all, and
serve all in a spirit of worshipful dedication.

Sathya Sai Organisations must take up seva (service) as saadhana (spiritual discipline),
must see Me as sarvaantharyaami (inner motor of all), and do seva as puuja.

Men who were together are drifting apart; Thath and Thwam (that and this), are the
same; but, you are forgetting it and becoming distant from This. When you approach
the senses, the spirit is far; when you approach the spirit, the senses will be afar. Attach
yourselves to the sensory and the worldly---that is to say, develop Apeksha---and you
bind yourselves with the chain of likes and dislikes. Detach yourselves from the craving
for fame and comfort---that is to say, develop Upeksha---and you are free! Upeksha
alone can save you from entanglement and reveal the ultimate truth.

Discourse 45 (Prashanti Nilayam, 23/11/1968)

This is a pot; this a thatch; this a house; this a wall; this jungle; this a hill; this the
ground; this the lake; this the Oire; this the wind; this the sky; this the maker of the day;
this the light of night; these the stars; these the planets; these the inert, these the vital;
this is he, that is his person; these are all distinct from Me; this material world is
different from Me---thus as a witness, I cognise all this and Oill each with the principle
of existence without the help of any disciplinary process, for I 'am above and beyond all
this.

In order that you may attain the only goal of human life, namely, realising the Divine
and becoming Divine, the Eternal has limited itself and come in this human form. It will
reveal the ideals again, and re-establish it among all men.

Page 248 of 268

Your devotion to God is best expressed by achieving the control of the senses. For, the
senses rush towards the temporary and the tawdry; thus, they foul the heart. I require
from each of you no other gift, no more valuable offering than the heart I have endowed
you with. Give Me that heart, as pure as when I gave it to you, full of the nectar of love I
Oilled it with.

I am now hoisting the Prashaanthi Flag on this Prashaanthi Nilayam. The Olag is a sign
that is signiOicant for each one of you. It is a reminder of your duty to yourself, and so,
when I hoist it on this building, you must unfurl it on your own hearts. It reminds you
to overcome the urge of low desires, of anger and hate when your desires are thwarted;
it exhorts you to expand your heart so that you embrace all humanity and all life and all
creation in its compass; it directs you to quieten your impulses and calmly meditate on
your own inner reality. It assures you that, when you do so, the lotus of your heart will
bloom, and from its centre will arise the Olame of divine vision, which guarantees
prashaanthi (inOinite peace).

Vol. 9!
Discourse 1 (Prashanti Nilayam, 13/1/1969)

From this day of the Tropic of Capricorn, Makara Samkramana, as it is called, the Sun
appears to move from South to North, and so, this Summer Solstice Day is celebrated as
an auspicious festival, since ages. But, you must be concerned more with your own
journey which is nearing its end with every sunrise. You are engaged in an incessant
struggle with the Sun, to survive the onslaught of Time, which he measures with His
steps. You yearn to escape the consequences of birth and the aftermath of death. You
desire peace and joy; for this, you have to cleanse the mind so effectively that it is well-
neigh eliminated. This is possible only when you identify yourself with the Aathma,
rather than with the body, which is the casket of the Aathma, earned as a reward for
ones activities of mind and body. When you live in the consciousness of the
omnipresent Aathma, you live in love, love Olowing and Olooding in and through you,
and all else.

Every morning, as soon as you sit up in bed, ask yourself this question: "For what
purpose have I come into this world? What is the task set for me? What is the triumph
for which this struggle is preparing me? Which is the grand victory for which I have to
strive?" You must have witnessed car festivals in the famous pilgrimage centres. The
colossal chariots of the temple will be gorgeously decorated with Olags and festoons;
stalwart bands of men will draw them along the broad roads to the music of blowpipes
and conches; acrobats, dancing groups, chanters, minstrels, all precede it and add to
the exhilaration of the occasion. Thousands crowd around the holy cars and line the
streets. Their attention is naturally drawn towards the entertainments provided, but
they feel happiest only when they fold their palms and bow before the Idol, installed in
the chariot. The rest is all subsidiary, even irrelevant to many. So too in the process of
life, the body is the chariot, the Aathma is the Idol installed therein. Earning and
spending, laughing and weeping, hurting and healing, and all the various acrobatics of
daily life are but subsidiary to the adoration of God, the attainment of Aathma.

The very embodiment of Aanandha (God) is in you, as in others, as in all else. In spite of
a multiplicity of containers, the contained is the same. That is the principle of Sath,
Chith and Aanandha (Being, Awareness, Bliss). The minutest atom, the mightiest star---
both are basically one. All are, in truth, Brahman, Divine. You read in the sacred books
Page 249 of 268

that Vishnu (God engaged in Preservation, Protection and Fostering the Universe) has
as His vehicle, the Garuda (Eagle); that Shiva (God engaged in the Mergence, the
Disintegration and Destruction of the Universe) has the Nandhi (Bull) as His vehicle;
that Brahma (God engaged in the Emergence, Evolution and Creation of the Universe)
rides on a Hamsa (Swan); Subrahmanya (the Generalissimo of the Divine army) rides
on a peacock; Shani (the God who directs Saturnine inOluences) has the crow as his
vehicle. Ganesha (the God who helps in overcoming obstacles) rides on a mouse,
though he is stupendously corpulent and has the head of an elephant! This does not
mean that the Gods are helpless without these animals and birds as instruments of
locomotion. It only reveals that no bird or beast is to be despised; for, the Divine is
using each as His vehicle. Seen as deha (body) all are distinct; seen as dehi (the
embodiment), Brahman, all are One.

There was a fellow who clamoured for Moksha (Liberation) the easy way. He
approached a Guru and asked for the quickest means of attaining it. "Know yourself,"
said the Guru. "0, that I know. I am just now your disciple. So, have I the moksha I
want?" he asked; but the Guru said, it was not so simple as all that. He was, the Guru
told him, behind and beyond the body, manipulating the senses, the intelligence, the
ego; he was the Aathma, in the very core of the Oive sheaths---the Annamaya (the food
or physical sheath), the Praanamaya (the vital, the nerve-centred), the Manomaya (the
mental, imagination-centred, symbol-dealing), the Vijnaanamaya (intelligence centred,
reason-based, logical) and the Aanandhamaya (intuition-centred, experience- based,
blissful). The Guru, however, gave him a tabloid prescription: "Repeat the Name of God,
from the hear[, with yearning to visualise Him." He said, "If you remind yourself
continuously of God being your innermost Being, this awareness will come to you in a
Olash, through His Grace." The fellow shied at this; he queried whether he cannot
employ any one to do the repetition for him! At this, the Guru asked, "Do you employ
some one to eat or sleep on your behalf? When you fall ill do you get someone else to
swallow the drug or take the injection?"

!
Discourse 2 (Sri Sathya Sai Convent School, Rajamundry, 19/1/1969)

!
Discourse 3 (Shivaratri Day, February 1969)

It must be remembered that the chief aim of all saadhana (spiritual striving) is to
eliminate the mind, to become A-manaska. Then only can maayaa (illusion) be rent
asunder and the Reality revealed. During the dark fortnight of the month, saadhana has
to be done to eliminate each day a fraction of the mind, for, every day, a fraction of the
Moon too is being taken out of cognisance. On the night of Chathurdhasi, the 14th day,
the night of Shiva, only a fraction remains. If some special effort is made that night,
through more intensive and vigilant saadhana, like puuja or japam or dhyaana (ritual
worship, one-pointed repetition & holy names, and meditation), success is ensured.
Shiva alone has to be meditated upon that night without the mind straying towards
thoughts of sleep or food. This has to be done every month; once a year, on Mahaa-
Shivaraathri a special spurt of spiritual activity is recommended, so that what is
shavam (corpse) can become Shivam (God), by the perpetual awareness of its Divine
Indweller.

Just as Om is the sound symbol of God, the Linga is the Form symbol or the visible
symbol of God, the most meaningful, the simplest and the least endowed with the
appendages of attributes. Lingam means, that in which this jagath (world of change)
attains laya (mergence or dissolution), Leeyathe. All Forms merge in the Formless at
Page 250 of 268

last. Shiva is the Principle of the Destruction of all Names and Forms, of all entities and
individuals. So, the Linga is the simplest sign of emergence and mergence.

Man is called so, because he has the skill to do manana; manana means inner
meditation on the meaning and signiOicance of what one has heard. But, you have not
yet emerged out of the stage of Shraoanam (listening) ! All the joy you crave for is in
you. But, like a man who has vast riches in the iron chest, but, who has no idea where
the key is, you suffer. Hear properly the instructions, dwell upon them in the silence of
meditation, practise what has been made clear therein; then, you can secure the key,
open the chest and be rich in Joy.

Resolve, on this Holy Shivaraathri, in the Presence of Shiva Sai, to visualise the Shiva as
the inner power of all. With each breath, you are even now, asserting "Soham," "I am
He," not only you, but, every being that breathes, every being that lives, everything that
exists. It is a fact which you have ignored so long. Believe it from now on. When you
watch your breath and meditate on that magniOicent Truth, slowly, the I and the He (the
Sah and the Aham) will draw nearer and closer, until the feeling of separateness will
fade away---and the Soham will be transformed into OM, the Pranava, the Primal
Sound, the Fundamental Formula for God. That OM is the Swaswaruupa---the Reality
behind this "relative reality."

Discourse 4 (Prashanti Nilayam, 15/2/1969)

MAN is wasting precious time, ignoring his status among all living beings, his
equipment for the grand spiritual pilgrimage to Divinity, and his one fundamental task'
achieving liberation from the cycle of birth and death. The sages of the past have
realised the value and dignity, the worth and responsibility, of human life and they have
laid down disciplines like the vigil and fast on Shivaraathri Day, in order to inspire man
and instruct him, on the upward path to God. Shivaraathri is a word that connotes the
dual nature of man and his duty to discriminate between the higher and the lower.
Shiva means Jnaana (the Higher Wisdom, the Unifying Universal Vision); it also means,
the lasting, the timeless, and the beneOicial, the holy, the auspicious. And the second
word, raathri, means darkness of ignorance, the blind pursuit of tawdry pleasures, the
bewildering will-o'-the-wisp of sensory joys. It also means the transitory, the Oleeting; it
connotes the maleOicent, the inauspicious, the sacrilegious. So, the message of
Shivaraathri is: discriminate between Shiva and raathri---the Praana (life energy) and
the Body, the dehi (indwelling of spirit) and the deha (body), the spiritual and the
material, the Kshethrajna and Kshethra, called in the Geetha as Vibhaaga-yoga (the
yoga of discrimination between matter & spirit).

And, Jaagarana (Vigil) ! It means keeping awake, shaking off the sleep of the senses and
being fully aware of the Light of Love, that is the Divine essence, in all. It means,
shaking off the drowsiness and laziness, and deep concentration in meditation and
saadhana. Look at the word for heart in Sanskrit: hrudhayam. It means, Hrudhi-ayam,
that is to say, "the divine heart"; the place where He resides, where He is installed. By
vigilance and the practise of the constant presence of God, you must instal Him in your
heart and see Him as installed in all other beings as well. That is the main purpose of
these holy days and the regulations laid down for their observance.

The Sages addressed all human beings as "Children of Immortality, Amrthasya-

puthraah." But, in spite of this deOinite assurance and the inexhaustible joy that can be
experienced therefrom, man degrades himself into an Anrtha-puthra (child of
Page 251 of 268

falsehood) and starts wailing that he lacks this, that or some other comfort or
contraption! Thieves who rob him of valuable treasures, like peace and contentment,
equipoise and courage, are being honoured as masters and masters who ensure peace
and happiness are treated with irreverence and disgust. You can bolt your doors and
windows against thieves, but, who can bolt the door against Death? The thieves---lust,
anger, greed, attachment, pride and hate---are honoured as welcome guests and the
real well-wishers like tranquillity and humility are shown the door!

Discourse 5 (Prashanti Nilayam, 15/2/1969)

THE Glory and Majesty of the Lord is immanent in the Universe, as fragrance in the air,
of heat in Oire, or as butter in milk. He is the string that passes through and holds
together all the beads. To know Him as such, to realise that He is the source, sustenance
and summum bonum of all this Creation is the end and aim of human life. That is the
sum and substances of the teachings of all the scriptures that man has inherited from
the past, in all languages and in all climes.

Discourse 6 (Dharmakshetra, Bombay, 10/5/1969)

What is saadhana, fundamentally? It is 'upavaasam,' 'upaasana.' Upa means near,

Aasana means sitting and Vaasam means residing. We sit near a cooler so that we may
feel cool. We sit near God, so that we might derive some Godly qualities and get rid of
ungodly characteristics. God is not an external contrivance or convenience like the air
cooler. He is the Antharyaamin, the Inner Director, the Inner Reality, the Unseen Basis
on which all this seeable world is built. He is like the Oire-principle that is latent in
wood, which can be made manifest, when one piece is rubbed vigorously against
another. The heat that is produced consumes the wood in Oire!

Sath-sangh means Meeting the Sath, the Sath which is spoken of while extolling God as
Sath- chith-aanandha. Sath is the Existence Principle, the IS that is the basic truth of the
Universe. Align with the Truth, the Sath in you, the Sathya (Reality) on which the
Mithya (false) is imposed by minds that do not see light. By dwelling in that Sath, the
Olame is lit, light dawns, darkness Olees and Jnaana Bhaaskara (the Sun of Realisation)
rises.

If the mind is stilled and free from waves produced by the wind of desire, then he
becomes a Yogi and the Lord is the highest Yogi, for He is the ocean that is unaffected by
the waves which agitate the surface. Krishna danced on the hood of the serpent Kaliya
and forced it to vomit its poison, it is said. This is only another way of saying that he
forced sensual desires to divest themselves of pernicious effects. Yoga of this type is the
best means of attaining the Yogeeshwara (the Lord of yogis); not breath control, but
sense control is the prescription.

Transcend anekathwa bhaava (the consciousness of the many) and cultivate ekathwa
bhaava (the consciousness of the One), that will end strife, grief, pain and pride. See all
as but expressions of the same God, as appearances on the same screen, as bulbs lit by
the same current, though of manifold colours and wattage.

Feel that you and they are able to talk and walk, think and act because of the God
within. Differences that strike you while you cast your eyes are illusory; you have not
yet developed the vision that makes you apprehend the unity which is the truth of all
the seeming diversity, that is all! The fault is in you, not the world. The world is One;
Page 252 of 268

but, each takes it to mean what pleases him most! The world is One, but, each sees it
from his own angle and so, it appears as if it has multiple faces.

The japamaala teaches you the Unity, though it has 108 beads! If it is a sphatika maala
(garland of crystal beads) you can see the string running in and through each bead, the
inner reality on which all this is strung! If the beads are not transparent, you still know
that the string passes through, holds together, and is the basis for the maala to exist!
Why 108 beads? 108 is the product when 12 is multiplied 9 times, 12 is the number of
Aadhithyas (Luminaries), that reveal the objective world, and so, symbols of the
Sakaara aspect (the world of name and form, of manifoldness, the seeming variety, the
Oleeting pictures); 9 is the screen on which the pictures appear, the basis, the rope
which deludes you as the snake in the dusk, Brahman, the Nameless, Formless, Eternal
Absolute. 9 is the Brahman Number, for it is always 9, however many times you
multiply it! It is immutable, for 9 multiplied by any number Oinally adds up to 9 only. So,
when you turn the beads, impress upon yourself the fact that there is both truth and
travesty in the world, that the travesty attracts, distracts and delights in deceiving you,
diverts you into devious paths; the truth makes you free!

The thumb represents Brahman, the eternal Absolute, the Immanent Principle. The
foreOinger, the index one, which indicates this and that, you and other, is the Jeevi, the
Individual, feeling separate and distinct. When these two are joined at the tip, held in
that position, it is the Jnaana mudhra, the Gesture of Wisdom, for, wisdom consists in
the Jeevi becoming One with the Brahman, the Mergence of that which felt that it had
emerged! The other three Oingers, represent Prakrithi the Objective World, which is
negated when the mergence is effected. They are the three Gunas, the Saathwik, the
Raajasik and the Thaamasik (qualities of purity, passion and inertia), that by their
interplay create the phenomenal world.

Hold the rosary over the middle Oinger, keeping the three Guna Oingers together. This
means that you are now transcending the world of attributes and qualities, of name
and form, of multiplicity that is the consequence of all this transformation, and
proceeding towards the knowledge of the UNITY. The Jeevi Oinger now slowly passes
each bead towards the thumb (Brahman), touching the tip of the Brahmam Oinger when
the bead passes over, so that the mergence is emphasised with every bead and every
breath, for, while the Oingers learn and teach the lesson, the tongue too repeats the
manthra (holy formula) or the Name, with the Pranava (the primal sound of OM).

Discourse 7 (Dharmakshetra, Bombay, 12/5/1969)

SATHYA and Dharma are the two cardinal principles of Sanaathana Dharma (ancient
but eternal spiritual code). They are the goals of all faiths, the teaching of all saints, the
core of the achievements of all sages, the under-current in all scriptures. They spring
out of the Aathmathathwa (essential nature of the Self), which is the lesson taught in
the Geetha. The Geetha is the essence of the Upanishadhs, the Vedhaantha (the
concluding essence of Vedhas).

On the day when you are celebrating the anniversary of the Inauguration of Dharma-
kshethra, it is necessary to remind yourselves of this. The Vedhaantha declares,
'Ihsaavaasyamidham sarvam' (All this is enveloped by God), and so, how can man hate
or deceive another? The rules and disciplines laid down in all religious systems have as
their aim the application in daily life of this great Truth, the Immanence of God.

Page 253 of 268

Karma illumined by Jnaana brings about success. Jnaana alone---the discovery that God
is all--- that alone can win the Grace of God; self-effacement is the Oirst criterion of the
saadhana that can save man from bondage. Dhritharaashtra was blind, because, as that
name itself implies, he held on to the raashtra, held on to all things that were not 'he'!,
the real 'He,' that passes from birth to death, and again gets born only to die, unscathed.
Everything that is not 'you' is an object; it is luggage for the journey; the less of it, the
more comfortable the journey!

Dharmakshethra and Kurukshethra are not to be looked for near Delhi or

Hasthinaapur, on the map or on the ground. Nor are the Paandavas and Kauravas
merely princely clans Oiguring in the tale. The human body is named kshethra, and so
Dharmakshethra, is in every one. When the owner of the body discards all desires, all
passions, all impulses and all propulsions, then the body becomes Dharma-kshethra! A
child has in its heart only Dharmakshethra, for, it has not yet developed sensual desires.
It accepts whatever is offered. Its ego is not yet ramiOied into the objective world of
multiplicity. But, later, when it grows branches and foliage, the Dharmak- shethra takes
the shape of Kurukshethra!---the battleOield where the mind struggles between hope
and despair, and is compelled to consume the diverse fruits, sweet and bitter, of one's
xacts.

The Aathma is described as a Vidhyullekha (a streak of lightning), of the splendour of a

crore of suns! The word Geetha also means 'Lightning' and so, that Vidhyullekha is the
Krishna in us, that is to say, the Geetha in us, the Aathma that is counselling us and
correcting us, as the God within.

God is One; there are not many Gods, one for each tribe among men! Love is One; it
transcends caste, colour and creed, if it has to be genuine. Truth is One; there cannot be
two. For, two can only be One, occurring twice. The Goal is One; for, all roads must lead
to the One God. Why then should men quarrel and Oight over the Eternal and the
Absolute?

Attachment causes pain and detachment results in joy. But, you cannot easily detach
yourself from activity; the mind clings to something or other. Make it cling to God, let it
do all things for God and leave the success or failure of the thing done to God, the loss
and the proOit, the elation or the dejection. Then, you have the secret of Shaanthi and
contentment.

Discourse 8 (Ahmedabad, 15/5/1969)

The chief means by which you detach your mind from distractions and attach
yourselves to the search of God are Yoga (communion with God) and Thyaaga
(sacriOice). Kaama (desire) has to be got rid of by Thyaaga and Raama (God) has to be
secured by Yoga. Desire discolours the intelligence; it perverts judgement; it sharpens
the appetites of the senses. It lends a false lure to the objective world. When desire
disappears or is concentrated on God, Intelligence is self- luminous, it shines in its
pristine splendour, and that splendour reveals the God within and without. That is the
real Aathma Saakshaathkaara (Realisation of the Self).

Discourse 9 (Dharmakshetra, Bombay, 16/5/1969)

Remember that there is God inside your heart, as well as in the hearts of all rest. He
hears and sees all things. Do you not say, "My head, my hands, my eye, my mind, my
Page 254 of 268

idea." Now, who is this I, that owns the body, the mind, the brain? That I is the spark of
God that is in you. That spark is in every one.

Discourse 10 (Dharmakshetra, Bombay, 19/5/1969)

Seva in all its forms, all the world over, is primarily saadhana---spiritual discipline,
mental dean up. Without the inspiration given by that attitude, the urge is bound to ebb
and grow dry; or, it may meander into pride and pomp. Just think for a moment: Are
you serving God? Or, is God serving you? When a pilgrim stands waist deep in the
Ganga, takes in his palms the sacred water and, reciting an invocatory formula, pours
the water as an offering to the Deity, or Arpan as he calls it, what he has done is only
poured Ganga into Ganga. When you offer milk to a hungry child, or a blanket to a
shivering brother on the pavement, you are but placing a gift of God into the hands of
another gift to God! You are reposing the gift of God in a repository of the Divine
Principle! God serves; He allows you to claim that you have served! Without His Will,
not a single blade of grass can quiver in the breeze Fill every moment with gratitude to
the Giver and the Recipient of all gifts.

Discourse 11 (Guindy, Madras, 22/6/1969)

THE word, Vishnu, means 'That which pervades everywhere,' the Omnipresent. When
people are told about an idol of Vishnu, they laugh and condemn it as foolish. But, when
we desire to drink the ambrosia that the all-pervading Vishnu is, we require a spoon, a
cup or a vessel. The idol is only such a contrivance, by which it is possible to consume
the bliss. The cup can be of any shape or design; the joy consists in the nectar that it is
able to convey to the person who is thirsty and anguished. Raso vai sah---God is
ambrosia, sweet, sustaining, strength-giving. You can imbibe Him through a cup shaped
as Nataraaja or Durga or Krishna, or Linga, or Ganesha, or Christ or any other Form
that will arouse the ardour and satisfy the agony.

These are days of strikes and bandhs. Groups of persons stop work, start shouting, or
desist from activity, in order to gain some end, causing loss or dislocation to others. I
would advise you all to declare a strike against the mind! Do not obey its vacillations
and temptations. Be Oixed in your own determination, to pursue only what your
discrimination advises you as beneOicent. Ignore the mind; respect the intelligence.
Make the senses the servants of the intelligence, not the overlords of the mind. Tell
them that the mind is dethroned, it is non-existent! Sensuousness is a disease. It denies
you ease and peace. The roga (disease) can be cured by Yoga, not by bhoga (material
enjoyment). Bhoga means catering to the whims and wildness of the senses; Yoga
means the regulation and reform of the impulses of the mind which run after goals laid
down by the senses! If the water is saltish, how can adding sugar make it more potable?
There are other ways to make hard and brackish water, harmless and tasty.

God is all-pervading, but, yet, we have some scientists who assert, "We have searched
all outer space, we have looked for Him on the Moon; no; He is nowhere to be found. He
does not exist." They do not know what to seek and where; still, they have the
impudence to assert that it is not found. Is God an occupant of an identiOiable body or
Form, has He a habitation and a habiliment that is traditionally His? God is all this and
more, He is in all this and beyond. He is the inner motivator of the very scientist who
'denies' Him! Man himself is God; all matter, even in the Moon, is suffused with the
Divine Presence.

Page 255 of 268

To search for God with the instruments of the laboratory is like trying to cure pain in
the stomach by pouring drops into the eye! There is a technique and a special
instrument for that purpose, which the pastmasters in that science have developed and
spoken about. Equip yourselves with a clear eye, through detachment and love,
sharpen your sense of discrimination, Viveka, so that it has no prejudice or
predilection, then, you can see God in you, around you, in all that you know and feel
and are. The doctor asks you to remove your shirt, before he applies the stethoscope
and tries to diagnose your illness. You have another shirt covering your chest, the
desires that surge in your heart! Remove that shirt, so that your real nature, that is
Divinity, can be revealed to you and all who seek to know you.

All men are caskets, containing Divine Glory. But you love some of them as friendly,
hate some others as unfriendly, and divide them into camps and companies. When a
man is good to you, attribute that goodness to the godliness in him; when a man is bad
to you, be happy that you have given him some satisfaction, by becoming the target for
his attention! If he harms the body, sages are unaffected, because they know that they
are not the body! If they try to harm the soul, sages know that it is impossible, for the
soul is ever in Bliss! By means of saadhana, become that type of sage, unaffected by
pleasure and pain, loss or gain, victory or defeat. Be a witness, a disinterested witness
of all the gyrations of fortune. Vichaara (inquiry), will reveal to you that they are
Oleeting fantasies of your mind, and not real. By means of Japa and Dhyaana, you can
attain that identity with the Reality, which will convince you of the unreality of all
except Brahmam (the Universal Absolute).

Gain internal peace, internal joy; that can be done only when you act without an eye on
the gain. The act must be its own reward; or rather, the act must be according to the
prompting of the God within, so that its consequence is left to Him. Practise this
attitude consistently and you will Oind great Peace welling within you and around you.

Discourse 12 (Prashanti Nilayam, 26/6/1969)

Heads bloat only through ignorance; if the Truth be known, all men will become as
humble as Bharthrhari. He was a mighty emperor, who ruled from sea to sea; his decree
was unquestioned; his will prevailed over vast multitudes of men. Yet, when he realised
in a Olash that life is but a short sojourn here below, he renounced his wealth and
power, and assumed the ochre robes of the wandering monk. His countries and vassal
princes shed genuine tears, for they loved and adored him. They lamented that he had
donned the tattered robe of the penniless penitent, and lived on alms. "What a precious
possession you have thrown away? And, what a sad bargain you have made?," they
wailed. But, Bharthrhari replied, "Friends, I have made a very proOitable bargain. This
robe is so precious that even my empire is poor payment in exchange." That is the
measure of the grandeur of the spiritual path that leads to God.

Bend the body, mend the senses, and end the mind---that is the process of attaining the
status of 'the children of immortality,' which the Upanishadhs have reserved for man.

Little children are trained to walk, by means of a three- wheeled contraption which
they hold and push along. The Pranava is such a contraption, with the three wheels of A
U and M, the Omkaara Tricycle. Holding it, man can learn to use the two feet of bhakthi
and vairaagya. If he gives up his hold on the Omkaara, he plumps down on the ground
helplessly. If he walks on with the help of the Pranava japa, he can certainly realise the
glory of the Brahmam, which is the very substance of the Universe.
Page 256 of 268

!
Discourse 13 (College of Home Science, Bangalore, 26/7/1969)

!
Discourse 14 (Guru Poornima, Prashanti Nilayam, 29/7/1969)

THE seeker has to be very vigilant about his point of view, the things he seeks to
visualise, the things he longs to cast his eyes on. For, it is dhrishti (the view) that
decides attachment, sorrow, passion, etc. You are the noblest being yet created, and so,
you have to develop a sight that sees no high or low, that sees all as suffused with
divinity, and therefore, not different one from another. Shankara declared, "Make your
dhrishti charged with jnaana; then, the seen will appear in its true light as Brahman.
Such sight is called divine, supernatural, super-sensual and auspicious. Each body that
you see before you is a mirror in which if only you open your eyes you can see the
image of God. The Go in you is in each of them, too. Do not imagine the others to be
distinct, they are only you, in so many mirrors. The world is Oilled with your kith and
kin; all are sparks from the same Olame. The Geetha says, "Pandiths (the learned) see
Brahman in the scholar, the sage, the venerable and the venerator, the cow, the
elephant, the dog and the eater of canine Olesh." Such Pandiths are very rare on the face
of the earth; men claim to be Pandiths on the basis of the scholarship they parade, not
the vision they have won.

Some Pandiths explain the Geetha verso, which declares that God incarnates when
Dharma (virtue) declines, in this way: "Dharma stood on four legs in the Kritha (golden
or fulOilled) Age; it had only three in the next age, the Thretha; (three legged) later, in
the Dhwaapara (twin based) Age, it stood precariously on two and now in the Kali (iron
or harsh) Age, it has only one leg to stand on!" They say also in the same breath, that
God incarnated as Raama in the Thretha Age, and as Krishna hi the Dhwaapara Age,
with the avowed purpose of restoring Dharma! According to them, when Krishna
incarnated Dharma had two legs, but, when His human career was dosed, Dharma lost
one more leg and had to suave in agony, having only one solitary leg!. Can such
absurdity be ever believed? No. The Incarnations of God have always fulOilled their
tasks. Dharma has always been restored, in full. What they re-established on Oirm
foundations is Sathya (Truth). For, as the Vedhas (sacred scriptures) announce, there is
no Dharma higher than Truth. Truth gets hidden, appears distorted, is declared as
failing, so, the Avathaar (divine incarnation) asserts its validity and value, once again.
God wears Truth; the good seek Truth; the bad are rescued by Truth. Truth liberates;
Truth is power; Truth is freedom. It is the lamp that illumines the heart and dispels
doubt and darkness. The effulgence of God is Truth. Welcome God in your heart. Install
Him there as a result of Yearning. Be always concerned with Brahman; then, you are
entitled to be known as a Brahmin; if you are concerned with the skin and all that it
contains, that entitles you only to be known as a Chandaala, who works on leather and
skin!

Yearning was rewarded with Grace. Yearning leads to surrender, and surrender gives
the highest joy. Leave everything to His Will, accept whatever happens, whether
pleasant or painful.

There was once a rich merchant in Baghdad, who was leading a virtuous God-fearing
life. He had a daughter whom he adored greatly, for she was the very embodiment of
virtue. The father decided that he would give her in marriage only to a young man who
was intimately devoted to God, regardless of any other excellence or handicap. He
searched for such a groom in caravanserais, mosques and places where holy persons
Page 257 of 268

were likely to gather. One Friday, he noticed in the mosque a fair young man, on his
knees, even after all else had left, crying out to God most endearingly and with great
sincerity. He approached him and asked whether he would marry his daughter. He said:
"I am the poorest of the poor; I have a leaky roof over my head, and a gravel Oloor
whereon I sit. Who will wed such a beggar? I shall marry if someone who would not
object to my spiritual saadhana, consents to share my poverty. The merchant felt that
he was the most eligible groom and the wedding was celebrated soon. His daughter
came to the fakirs (mendicant's) residence and started cleaning the Oloor. She was
happy that her husband was of her own heart; she too was pilgrim on the road to God,
a practioner of spiritual exercises. While sweeping the Oloor, she found in a corner a
plate with a piece of bread on it. She asked her husband why it was kept there, and he
replied: "I kept it by, lest tomorrow when I go on my rounds, we may not get enough to
eat." At this, the wife replied, "I am ashamed of you. You have so little faith in Allah. He
who gives us hunger, will He not give us bread too? I shall not live with a person of this
nature. You have no faith in Go and His Compassion." After saying this she left the fakir
to himself. The Geetha says that if you give up all Dharma and take refuge in Him alone,
then He will save you from sin and wipe your tears. Giving up Dharma does not mean
that you can bid farewell to virtue and righteous action; it means, you have to give up
the egoism that you are the 'doer,' be conOirmed in the faith that He is the 'doer' of
every deed. That is the genuine 'giving up.' There are in the world Bhojanaalayas
(hotels), Vaidhyaalayas (Hospitals), Vilaasaalayas (Homes of Entertainment, Theatres),
Vihaaraalayas (Places of sport, gymkhaanas), Vichith-raalayas (Museums, Palaces of
Art, etc.), etc. But, however they are named, they are all Duhkhaalayas (Homes of
Sorrow). The only Aanandhanilaya (Home of Joy) is the Dhevaalaya (Temple of God),
that is to say, one's own body where God is the inner Guide and Guardian.

On this Guru Poornima Day, the counsel that I can give you is this: Do not hate anyone,
follow the Geetha prescription to spiritual health, Adhweshtaa Sarva bhoothaanaam,
'without being inimical to any being.' The reason for this injunction is that God is the
inner Aathma in everything that exists. So, injury inOlicted on any being is sacrilege,
self-injury. Love is transformed into poison if hate contaminates it. Love some, but do
not hate the rest, for that hate will foul the love and make it mortal. Love comes
automatically to the realised soul; but, the spiritual aspirant has to cultivate it by
means of service and inquiry into the unity of the Aathman. Love must Olow not from
the tongue, or from the head only, but chieOly from the heart.

On the Guru Poornima Day, people generally take initiation into spiritual life from some
Preceptor or get directions for some vow or fast or vigil. These preceptors cannot claim
the status of the Guru as delineated in the sloka, Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru
Dhevo Maheswarah; Guru saakshaath Parabrahma, etc. The Guru extolled therein is the
sage who has transcended Name and Form and is beyond the effect of the three gunas
or attributes; he is neither good nor bad; neither passionate nor dull; neither
enthusiastic nor uninterested. He is unaffected, calm, content. He is the Aathma, having
realised that the Aathma is the One and 0nly. He makes you cast off the fear of death
and birth, he renders you Oit for the vision of the eternal absolute Truth.

He who seeks a Guru can Oind him in every word spoken within his hearing, in every
incident that happens around him. The Deity, Dakshinaamurthi (primal divine teacher
of eternal spiritual wisdom) was walking along a wide seashore alone, immersed in
deep meditation. He turned towards the waves and watched the unending succession
of breakers. He saw a dry little twig on the crest of a wave in the distance; it was being
passed on from one wave to another, from trough to crest, from crest to trough, until it
Page 258 of 268

was cast on the sands on the shore, near where He stood! Dakshinaamurthi was
astounded at the egoism of the Ocean that would not give asylum to even a tiny twig.
Sensing His reaction, the Ocean declared, in words that He could understand, "Mine is
neither egoism nor anger; it is only the duty of self- preservation. I should not allow the
slightest blot to deface my grandeur. If I allow this twig to mar my splendour, it will be
the Oirst step in my downfall." Then, Dakshinaamurthi smiled within Himself, admiring
the vigilance of the mighty Ocean. He pictured the incident as a great lesson in spiritual
endeavour. The slightest twig of desire, if it falls on the mind, has to be immediately
lifted out of the pure waters and thrown off. That was the lesson to be learnt.

Each religion exhorts those who are attracted by it to meditate on God in certain Form
known by a certain Name; but, one who is aware that He is all Names and all Forms will
adopt a sound which is profoundly signiOicant, which summarises all Names, namely,
the Pranava (OM) sound, the Akshara (Unchanging, indestructible). Through the
changing to the unchanging, that is the journey. From the kshara to the Akshara. There
are three steps or stages in this journey. "I am YOURS"; "YOU are Mine!" and, Oinally, "I
am YOU!" Every saadhaka has to walk from one to the other, and reach the journey's
end. Move on, don't halt.

It is good to be born in a church, but it is not good to die in it. Grow and rescue
yourselves from the limits and regulations, the doctrines that fence your freedom of
thought, the ceremonials and rites that restrict and re-direct. Reach the point where
churches do not matter, where all roads end, from where all roads run.

Have faith in the Guru, for then alone will your steps be steady and Oirm, on the path to
Self-realisation. Faith in the Guru should bring faith in the Aathma (free Self), or else,
the Guru is a handicap.

Discourse 15 (Prashanti Nilayam, 29/7/1969)

THIS day, Guru Pournami, is celebrated by people as thanksgiving Day for their
spiritual preceptors, those who initiated them into spiritual disciplines, manthra
recitals, meditation, japa and the study of sacred texts. We have a popular saying,
"Without a preceptor, all learning is blind." But, this refers to authentic Gurus, those
who have the double qualiOication of gu and ru: gu meaning, devoid of gunas and ru
meaning, devoid of ruupa---that is to say, those who have transcended Form and
Flavour, those who have merged in God, or the Aathma Itself. It is only these who can
help you to attain.

Take the example of Seetha. She was the daughter of the greatest jnaani and
philosopher of the age, Janaka. She was the consort of the Lord; her father-in-law the
mighty emperor Dasharatha. Nevertheless, when her lord was exiled and sent into the
forest for 14 years, she gave up all the luxuries to which she had become accustomed,
and insisted on being taken by Him into the same forest, as His companion. What
tremendous detachment, what admirable adherence to the dictates of morality! But,
when she saw in the woods, a 'golden deer', desire entered her heart; as a result she
had to suffer the agony of separation from the Lord. That is the tragedy of desire,
arising from the senses and the mind. He who instructs you to give up desire is the real
Guru.

Each religion emphasises one name and one Form of and recommends them for
acceptance. Some even insist that God has no other Name or Form. But, the Reality is
Page 259 of 268

beyond name and form, Akshara (the indestructible, eternal) as the characteristic and
Om as the Form. You reach the Akshara stage---the stage of attributeless unity---in
three steps of Saadhana: (i) I am Thine, (ii) Thou art mine, and (iii) Thou art myself.
Through Saadhana, one must transcend the duality of I and You. I is only the reOlection
of You in this body. The consummation is reached when duality is superseded. That is
why it has been declared, "It is good to be born in a church; but, it is not good, to die in
it." That is to say, before life ends one must go beyond the limits set by institutionalised
religion and reach the vast limitless expanse of the Aathman, which pervades all.

Discourse 16 (Prashanti Nilayam, 29/7/1969)

ADWESHTAA Sarva Bhoothaanaam (with no ill-will against living being), Sarva

Bhootha hithe rathaah (always engaged in promoting the well being of all beings),
Samah shathrou cha mithre cha (considering foe and friend alike)---jewels like these
contained in the Geetha, are, as known to all, pointers to the need for Universal Love.
The Geetha offers plenty such, to help the worldly to swim across the sea of sorrow. In
the Geetha the Lord lays down the ideal, "Do all acts for Me; become Mine; be devoted
to Me, giving up all other attachments."

By declaring that man shall not bear ill-will towards the entire world of living beings,
the Geetha is positing a lesson with invaluable inner meaning:, that in all beings and
even things, there is moving and revolving, as an active illumining Principle, the Divine,
appropriately called as Aathma. The Vedhic assertions, Ishaavasyamidham Sarvam (All
this is enveloped in God), Sarva Bhootha antharaathma (The inner core of all Beings is
He), Vaasudhevah sarvamidham (All this is God, Vaasudheva)--Oirmly establish this
profound Truth.

Until you become aware of your own Divinity (Devathathwa) so long as you are
conscious of your distinct individuality (Jeeva-thath-wa)---so long as you feel you are
you and God is God, you cannot but struggle, with some attitudes and objectives. This is
the stage called the Saadhaka stage.

Love is no merchandise; do not bargain about its cost. Let it Olow clear from the heart,
as a stream of Truth, a river of wisdom. Let it not emanate from the head, nor from the
tongue. Let it emerge, full and free, from the heart. This is the highest duty, the noblest
Godliness.

Discourse 17 (Prashanti Nilayam, 3/9/1969)

It is said that during the Kurukshethra battle which lasted for 18 days, Vyaasa had his
mind torn with contrition, for the contestants were both of his lineage. So, he could not
cast his eyes on the fratricidal carnage! One day, he was so overcome by remorse that
he hastened beyond the blood- soaked plain, where another day's holocaust was about
to begin. Hurrying along, he saw a spider scurrying forward on the ground! "Why so
fast?" inquired the sage; the spider ran off the road, climbed up an ant-hill by its side
and from that eminence, it replied, "Know you not that the war chariot of Arjuna is
about to pass this way! If I am caught under its wheels, I am down." Vyaasa laughed at
this reply; he said, "No eye gets wet when you die! The world suffers no loss when you
are killed! You leave no vacuum when you disappear!" The spider was touched to the
quick by this insult. It was shaking with rage. It ejaculated, "How is that? You are a
bloated sage! You feel that if you die it will be a great loss, whereas I will not be missed
at all. I too have wife and children whom I love. I too have a home and a store of food. I
too cling to life with as much tenacity as you folk. I have hunger, thirst, grief, pain, joy,
Page 260 of 268

delight and the agony of separation from kith and kin. The world is as much in me and
for me, as in and for human beings and others. Vyaasa hung his head and moved on in
silence, muttering the line, "Saamaanyam ethath pasubhir naraani"--for man and beast,
these things are common." But, he told himself, "Enquiry into the Ultimate, yearning for
beauty, truth and goodness, awareness of the underlying unity, these attributes of
Wisdom are the unique treasures of mankind," and went his way. Through this wisdom,
man can see the indwelling God in the spider and in every being that exists within the
bounds of space. The receptacle may be different, but the Divine content is the same.
The taste of sea water will be saline whether you test a truck-load, a bowlful, a potful,
or a sip or a drop on the tongue! The taste of the Divine can be experienced in the atom
or the cosmos, the friend as well as the foe, the virus and the Universe. This is the
Realisation, the Liberation, the Illumination, the Revelation! "Sarvam Vishnumayam
jagath (the world is God Oilled)." This sphere of change is surcharged with the
Omnipresent Divine.

Discourse 18 (Lions Club, Rajamundry, 10/9/1969)

The plan and purpose of the ancient religions of India are to plant the seeds of Love in
the human heart so that they may sprout into saplings of endurance, and blossom into
tolerance, yielding ultimately the fruits of Peace. The pinnacle of Indian thought in
Adhwaitha, the experience of the One, of the negation of duality. Some countries
proceed towards the ideal of individual freedom; others aim at State sovereignty and
the suppression of the individual right to freedom. But, Bhaarath has, from time
immemorial, sought to infuse in the individual, the lesson that he can be free only when
he realises his identity with all--not just the inhabitants of his own state or those who
use his own language, or those of his own colour or creed, but all mankind and all
beings, alive and inert. Expansion is the key to happiness, and Love is the unfailing key
to expansion. Man is kin to all, that is the teaching of Sanaathana Dharma (eteral
religion).

Discourse 19 (Prashanti Nilayam, 11/10/1969)

You have the unfailing spring of Aanandha in the Aathman, which is your reality; why
then ruin your health, your peace of mind, running after senses which drag you through
the objective world in pursuit of trivial transient joys?

Discourse 20 (Prashanti Nilayam, 12/10/1969)

The Prashaanthi Flag which will now be hoisted is the symbol of this consummation--
the conquest by man of the six enemies and the illumination within him of the Flame of
Wisdom, installed in the Lotus of the Heart. It is the Flag of Swa-raaj (Dominion over
Oneself), the true Independence, when you can genuinely claim to be master of the
realm most intimately related to you. It is the Flag that Olutters in the breeze of
Aanandha; the Flag that announces the arrival of Inner Splendour. It is the Flag that
heralds the Dawn of the highest wisdom and the deepest peace.

Swa-raaj means full mastery over your senses, mind and intelligence, through the
recognition of the Aathma.

Discourse 21 (Prashanti Nilayam, 12/10/1969)

You should cultivate an attitude of inseparable attachment to the Lord, who is your
very self. If He is a Olower, you should feel yourself a bee that sucks its honey; if He is a
tree, be a creeper that clings to it; if a cliff, then feel that you are a cascade running over
Page 261 of 268

it; if He is the sky, be a tiny star that twinkles in it; above all, be conscious of the truth
that you and He are bound by Supreme Love. If you feel this acutely, not with the gross
intelligence, but with the subtle intelligence, then, the journey will be quick and the
goal can be won.

!
Discourse 22 (Prashanti Nilayam, 14/10/1969)

!
Discourse 23 (Prashanti Nilayam, 15/10/1969)

He can derive Aanandha (Divine Bliss) through the contemplation of his Divinity, or the
Divine as represented by all that he sees, hears, tastes, touches or smells outside
himself. "Sarvam Brahmamayam"-- Brahman is immanent in all What an inexhaustible
source of lies inside or outside you! Only you have to develop the mind that will
respond to the call, that will recognise the Truth. The baby in the cradle is the very
picture of Aanandha; when it cries out of grief, we run towards it, for, it is against its
nature to be sad. Man too is essentially Bliss. Misery is alien to his make- up.

Recognising the immanence of the Divine, one has to dedicate all acts to the Divine.
What is the act, when you analyse it deeply? It is the manipulation of the Divine by the
Divine, for the sake of the Divine through the skill endowed by the Divine; there is no I
or mine in it, except the Universal I and the Divine My.

Grace is showered on those who seek. Knock, and the door shall be opened; ask, and
food will be served; search, and the treasure will be yours. You may complain, Yes!
Swaami! We have been knocking, asking, and searching, since years...but, the door is yet
unopened, the food is still not forthcoming, the treasure is still beyond our reach! But,
let me ask you this. You have been asking the devil not the deity, knocking at the devil's
door and digging for the treasure at the devil's realm. The devil's realm is the objective
world, outer nature, Prakrithi! She is a clever enchantress! You have been propitiating
her, believing that she can confer peace and Aanandha! She tantalises you and leads
you from one disappointment to another. She enhances your ego and sense of
achievement, until you collapse from swollen head! You are knocking at the wrong
door---the door of hell, which is ever open! You are searching for paltry pleasure, not
permanent treasure!

You tell me, "Swaami! I have been practising intense meditation since 50 years, but, I
have yet to gain concentration. This is a shameful confession. Dhyaana is the seventh in
the series of steps, leading to the eighth Samaadhi (conquest of the Mind). Unless you
have secured a strong foothold on the six previous steps, you will slide back from
Dhyaana, however many years you may try to stick to it. The Oirst step is the control of
the senses, the second is the control of the emotions and impulses. The third is the
mastery of balance and equipoise, the fourth is the regulation of breathing and
movements of the vital airs, the Oifth is the prevention of outer inOluences from
deviating the mind, the sixth is one-pointed attention on one's own progress, and then,
we come to real Dhyaana---meditation on one's Reality---which easily leads to its
realisation in Samaadhi. Without the preliminary rungs, you cannot hop straight on to
seventh! And then, skip on to the eighth!

Reduce the luggage you carry about, when on the journey of life. Remember, all that is
not 'you' is luggage! You are not the. body. So, the body is an item of luggage. The mind,
senses, the intelligence, the imagination, the desires, the plans, the prejudices, the
Page 262 of 268

discontent, the distress--- all are items of luggage. Jettison them soon, to make your
travel lighter, safer and more comfortable.

Discourse 24 (Prashanti Nilayam, 16/10/1969)

The Raama Principle is the Principle of Love, that descended from Heaven, as the gift of
the Gods, as a result of the great sacriOice. Raama means Delight! Nothing delights more
than one's own innate self, and so, Raama is also known as Aathmaa-Raama. How then
could Bharatha accept to usurp the throne, of which Raama is the rightful heir?

Discourse 25 (Prashanti Nilayam, 17/10/1969)

The Raamaayana teaches also another lesson. The search for Seethe is symbolic of the
secret of self-realisation, in the Oield of experience. Raama, when she was recovered,
recovered the wisdom of self-realisation, now conOirmed by experience. Jnaana had
become Anubhava-jnaana. The Raamaayana teaches that, when a person is yearning for
the precious goal of self-realisation, all the forces of Nature and all Creation will help
him and render all assistance. Monkeys, birds, squirrels, and even bounders and rocks
were his comrades in the task. Aim high, resolve on the supremest adventure---
everything will be set right to lead you on, to the goal.

In fact, you are urged on towards this adventure by your very breath, which repeats
21,600 times a day Soham (He-I), emphasising the identity of the Indweller with the
Principle that is Immanent in the Universe. You may declare with your tongue, "There
is no God," but, the breath repeats, SO as it goes in and HAM as it goes out, making it
clear that the He who is Immanent is the I that is resident!

The sages discovered the truth Thath Thwam Asi (That Thou Art). That is the Divine,
out of which all this arose, of which all this is, into which all this merges. I t can be
known by the Bhakthi maarga--the path of dedication, of devotion and surrender of the
Self. The 'thou,' that is to say, the Individual can be understood by the Karma maarga--
the path of selOless activity, of the abnegation of the consequences of all activity, done in
a spirit of adoration and with as much sincerity as an act of worship. Then, the process
of identiOication of Thath and Thwam (That and Thou) called the recognition of the Asi
has to be consummated, through Jnaana maarga--the path of knowledge, of sharp and
relentless discrimination. When Bhakthi and Karma merge, it leads to Jnaana. Bhakthi
everything as Thath; Karma wipes out the separateness of the The. So, the Asi
(identiOication) process becomes easy.

For, God is described by those who have tasted Him, "Rase vai sah" (He is nectar itself)!
His story is bound to be sweet beyond words. The universe is sweet on account of Him;
it gives joy because it is He. You do not know how to grasp that joy and hold on to it; so,
you swing between joy and grief. Acquire it to the full and for all time; then, there is no
birth, no death. You are immortal, you are Bliss, Power, Wisdom.

Discourse 26 (Prashanti Nilayam, 18/10/1969)

The world into which he is born has to be watched and studied with care and
discrimination; the word, 'world,' means all that is not I, everything that the I calls
mine: body, senses, mind, intelligence.

!
Discourse 27 (Prashanti Nilayam, 19/10/1969)

!
Page 263 of 268

Discourse 28 (Dasara, Prashanti Nilayam, 20/10/1969)

The texts declare that you are not Ramiah or Kamiah or Bheemaiah--the name-labels
you now parade as your own---but, you are really the Aathma, (the Being)the same that
animates all Creation! Geetha teaches this very truth: he who knows this is "Arjuna," he
who does not, is the blind King, "Dhritharaashtra!" Dhritha means, 'holding fast to and
raashtra means 'the state'. The blind King held fast to the state and refused to yield
even Oive villages to the rightful owners of half the kingdom! He was so tenacious in his
greed. He was attached to something that was not 'he'; and that brought about his
destruction. Love everything as you love yourself; you cannot possibly love them more
than that! For, a vessel can contain only its full. You cannot overOill it; you love yourself
best; that is to say, 'God,' who is your real self?

The poet is known as kavi, a word pregnant with supreme value in our ancient
language, Sanskrit. Kavim puraanam anushaasithaaram---the kavi (seer-poet) is
'timeless'; he is the maker of laws for human progress. He has, by means of his
heightened intuitive faculty, realised the beginningless and endless expanse of Time; he
has experienced the God dwelling within him and others; he knows the Object, the
Mirror and the Image. It is indeed a sovereign role, the role of the true poet in the
human community.

The name will remove the veil of illusion, that now hides the Universal from the
Individual. When that veil fades out, man Oinds Himself before himself; he beholds the
Universe that he is.

Discourse 29 (Prashanti Nilayam, 21/10/1969)

The sages have laid down three categories which comprise the knowable world: God,
Nature and the I. (Ishwara, Prakrithi and Jeeva). God when seen through the mirror of
Nature appears as I. Remove the mirror; there is only God; the image merges in the
Original. Man is but the image of God. Even Nature is but an appearance of God; the
Reality is He alone. The principle of appearance that deludes as multiple
manifestations, is maayaa. It is not external to God; it is inherent in God, just as all
powers are inherent in Him. When the I image is conceived as distinct, we have dualism
or dhwaitham. When it is recognised as only an unreal image, but yet, when it is given
some relevance as related to the Original, then it is Visishtha-adhvai-tham (QualiOied
Monism). When both the T image and the mirror are recognised as illusions and
dismissed as such, only One remains---this is the Adhwaitha Darshanam (the Vision of
the One, without a Second). The search for the one, without a second, is the search of
India, since ages. The endeavour has always been to discover the One, which when
known, all else can be known. The knowledge that is worth while is the knowledge of
Unity not Diversity. Diversity means doubt, dissension, dispiritedness. The seen is
different from the seer; the seer in everyone is the same.

The mind that does not know the One is a dry leaf, rising with every gust of wind, and
falling when it subsides. But, the mind Oixed in the awareness of the One is like a rock,
unaffected by doubt, stable, secure. God, as amenable to worship and contemplation, is
referred to as Hiranyagarbha--Golden Womb, the Origin of Creation, the Immanent
Principle that has willed to become manifest and multiple. The term Gold is
appropriate, for gold is the One from which multifarious jewels are shaped by the
craftsman, to suit the needs, fancy, foibles and fashions of wearers. God too is shaped by
human imagination, inclination and intellect into various forms, grand or grotesque,
frightening or charming. Man erects these images, and pours out before them, his fears,
Page 264 of 268

fancies, desires, dreads and dreams. He accepts them as masters, comrades, monarchs,
teachers, as the moment dictates. But whatever man may do with God, God is
unaffected. He is Gold, which subsists in and through all the jewels.

He is in you, and it is He that has prompted you to project Him into the outer world, as
this idol or that image, to listen to your outpouring and give you peace.

Really speaking, you are He; not this body which you are carrying with you, like the
snail, loaded with its own house, the shell! When the fascination for the body goes, the
Light of the God within will shine and illumine your thoughts, words and deeds.
Krishna says in the Geetha that He will release you from bondage, the moment you
renounce Sarvadharma--all feelings of obligation and responsibilities, of rights and
duties, of 'from me' and 'to me'; that is to say, He requires the renunciation of the
identity of the individual with the Body. That is the Dharma, the Supreme Duty which
Krishna had come to teach. Man has a duty to himself---recognising that he is Divine,
and nothing else. When he neglects this, and strays into the by paths, God incarnates
and brings him on the right path again.

If the ruler bases his rule on the faith that God resides in all, and that every individual is
to be seen as such, then them will be no discontent or discord. That is the Vedhaanthic
foundation on which aspects of living have to be built. The Buddha too built his religion
on the Vedhaantha, though he might not have acknowledged the source; the Source was
something taken for granted, it was never disputed. It was inescapable.

Discourse 30 (28/10/1969)

Learn from the saints and sages who have realised the Truth about the path you shall
tread and the goal you have to attain. That Goal is God. He is beyond all notions of good
and bad, Oight and wrong. These are earthly measures, by which the temporary is
weighed and judged. He has no form, no limbs, no dualities, no preferences, no
prejudices, no predilections. To say that He is Sathyaswaruupa, (having the
characteristic of Truth), Jnaanaswaruupa (having full wisdom) and Aanandhaswaruupa
(full of Bliss) is also not correct. For, He has no Swaruupa or Swabhaava (individual
form or individual nature); He is Sathya; He is Jnaana; He is Aanandha. That is the
experience of those who have tasted.

There are no pots, in the clay; but, in the pots, there is clay. So also there are no
characteristics in God; but, in the characteristics of Sathya, Jnaana and Aanandha, there
is God. God is everywhere, but, no spaceship can hit against Him, no space pilot can
espy Him. He is too subtle for all that type of contact, subtler than ether (Aakaasa). So,
do not lend your ears to people who swear there is no God. God is too vast, too far
above the reach of reason or imagination. You can only get glimpses of the Bliss
derivable from the contemplation of His MagniOicence.

Discourse 31 (Anantapur: Foundation laying ceremony of the College

by the Vice-President of India, 7/11/1969)

To understand aright the culture of Bhaarath, people have to study the Puraanas
(spiritual legends), which are the Pramaanas (authority) and the Shaasthras (spiritual
sciences) which are the Nethras (eyes). Both these are designed to elaborate and
simplify the profound teachings of Vedhaantha, and so, they can be called "popular
manuals of spiritual science."
Page 265 of 268

Discourse 32 (Inauguration of All India Conference, Prashanti

Nilayam, 20/11/1969)

Discourse 33 (All India Conference, Prashanti Nilayam, 21/11/1969)

You multiply grief by recollecting the past and picturing a lurid future. You Oill the
present moment with dread, recapitulating the past and reOlecting on coming events!
The needle runs over the gramaphone record and causes the music to play. The record
is inert matter. When the mind (the needle) concerns itself with Nature, contacts
Nature, the song of joy-grief is heard. The fault lies not in Nature, nor in the mind but in
the contact! Keep aloof, be detached--then, there is no reaction at all. That is the path to
earn mental peace.

The child has his tongue and the mother has hers. The mother keeps the child on her
lap and pronounces the words so that the child may learn to speak. However busy the
mother's tongue may be, the child has to speak through its own tongue. The mother
cannot speak for the child and save herself all the bother! The Guru too is like that. He
can only repeat, remind, inspire, instruct, persuade, plead; the activity, the disciple
must himself initiate. He must jump over the stile himself. No one can hoist him over it!

Thath (That) is a word that refers to something in the distance. That, means something
far away to which you point. Thwam (You) is yourself. It is the thing nearest to you,
namely, you yourself. You know yourself most; what you have now to know is only this:
that, "you" and "that," are the same! There is only One and no Two. It is spoken of as
'buddhi graahyam, atheendhriyam'--- graspable by the intelligence, beyond the grasp of
the senses of touch, hearing, seeing, taste and smell!

Discourse 34 (All India Conference, 22/11/1969)

INDULAL SHAH informed you about the resolutions adopted by the various sub-
committees, suggesting modiOications and additions to the rules already current, so far
as the organisation is concerned. The main purpose running through all these
regulations is known to you; it is the establishment of Sathsang (Company of the
pious), which will help the Realisation of the Reality, Aathma-Saakshaathkaara. It is to
recover, in and through this agitated world, the peace that is your birthright, and utilise
that peace for the illumination of the heart, which will reveal the splendour of the
Aathma which you really are. So long as Arjuna believed that he was the doer and the
enjoyer of the rewards for the deed, he was miserable. But, when the Lord taught him
and demonstrated to him that he was but an instrument, that his duty was only to
surrender to the Will of the Lord, that those whom he sought to kill had already been
killed by the Lord, he was freed from grief; he was Oilled with unspeakable peace.

To suppress the assertive ego, disciplines have been laid down in every religion, by
every compiler of moral codes, by every educator and reformer of human morals. But
the oldest, and most effective, and the most successfully practised system is the body of
directives laid down in the Vedhas and Shaasthras of India.

In a household, when the wife is a shrew, there can be no joy or peace. Or, if the
husband is a drunkard and a cruel tyrant, the atmosphere is charged with hatred and
grief. So too, in the body, when the mind is a shrew or when the intelligence is a tyrant,
there can be no peace. The master of the household is the Aathma who is seldom
Page 266 of 268

recognised or identiOied as such. When the Aathma is discovered as the master, and
recognised as such, joy reigns undisturbed in the home. Now, there is a certain T used
in speech and thought as possessing the body and the limbs, the senses and the mind
and the reasoning faculty, but there is no attempt to probe into the idea of the T and no
keenness to spot out its whereabouts and characteristics. This is what is called
Aathma-vichaara (deliberation on the Self); every unit must encourage its member to
develop this Aathma-vichaara and not be content with the conventional items of club
activity, like the unveiling of portraits. This search for the Aathma will be facilitated by
a study of the Upanishadhs and the Bhagavadgeetha, which is but the essence of
Upanishadhic teachings.

Or, it is enough if Prema is cultivated, the Prema that knows no distinction between
oneself and another, because all are but limbs of the One Corpus of God Almighty.
Through Love alone can the Embodiment of Love be gained. Here, no scholarship is
needed; in fact, scholarship will be an impediment, for it caters to egoism and it breeds
doubts and the desire for disputation and laurel of victory over others preening
themselves as learned!

Repeat the Om slowly, contemplating its vast potentialities. The A emerges from the
throat, the U rolls over the tongue and M ends on the lips; that is to say, Om which is a
composite of A U and M is the sum and substance of all the words that can emanate
from the human tongue. It is the primordial, fundamental sound, symbolic of the
Universal Absolute. After the M there must be the unheard resonance, which
represents the attributeless, formless, Abstract, the Niraakaara Parabrahman. The
ascending voice of the Pranava or Om must take a curve at M and descend as slowly as
it rose, taking as much time as when it ascended, disappearing in the silence, which
echoes in the inner consciousness.

Devotion must confer peace and joy; do not therefore use the Mandalis and Sathsangs
of which you are members to disturb your peace or the peace of others. If you
remember that the one goal you must place before you is Aathma-saakshaathkaara,
and if you enter upon Saadhana, then, such tendencies will not develop in you.

Some people have their minds and senses like cotton balls and a spark of jnaana will
set them ablaze and they achieve victory! Some others have them like dried faggots;
they take longer time, but, victory is certain. Most have minds and senses like green
fuel and even the raging Oire of jnaana may be put out by the onslaught of the moisture
contained in them. Make your mind and senses like clean Oinely ginned cotton.

Discourse 35 (All India Conference, Prashanti Nilayam, 22/11/1969)

No one seeks grief; all seek only joy. But, those who know that grief is the interlude
between two joys and joy the interval between two griefs, will seek to attain the stage
when they will not be agitated either by the Oierce or the friendly storm! That stage of
equanimity is the most desirable. It is what is called Nirvaana, when the mind is in
perfect equilibrium, unaffected by the blows of fortune, good or bad. For, he knows that
he has no right to judge, whether what happens is good or bad, beneOicial or other.

Yearn to realise your Reality; that yearning itself will endow you with steady endeavour
and the Grace of God which will remove all obstacles.

Page 267 of 268

Bhakthi cannot come into man from outside him; it has to be grown from within by an
effort to cleanse the mind, to know the nature and origin of man and the universe, to
grasp the relation of man with all the external objects which now fascinate and foil him.

Page 268 of 268