Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

Man is bound by seven types of ropes. They are (1) Dheham (body); (2) Kamam (desire); (3) Krodham (anger); (4) Ahamkaram (ego); (5) Karma (fate); (6) Ajnana (ignorance) and (7) Aviveka or Avidhya (lack of discrimination). Ignorance is the cause of ego, which breeds Raga and dhvesha (attachment and hatred). For getting liberation one has to get rid of the ego, ignorance and attachment. The ego gives rise to Raga (desire) which plunges man in Karma which, in turn, causes Janma (birth). Ego is like an inflated football. When one is inflated with the air of ego, both the good and bad qualities kick the body. The moment ego is gone, the kicking stops and one attends to his legitimate duties with the feeling that he does not do anything but is only an instrument. In spirituality, experience is the method of gaining wisdom while in science it is experiment. When you put some sugar in a glass of water you can't see it or touch it as it gets dissolved. But you can find out its presence by tasting the water. Similarly you can realise Divinity, which is present in every being and within you, only by experiencing Bliss by Sadhana. When fire on a piece of charcoal is left unattended for some time, you find that ash is covering the fire. This ash came out of the fire only because of negligence. If you blow off the ash you can see the fire. You are not bringing it afresh from outside. Similarly, Jnanagni (the fire of wisdom) in you is covered by the ash of Maya (illusion) which obscures it from your vision. Just blow off the ash of Maya, covering the fire of wisdom, by vairagya (renunciation or sacrifice), you can realise the wisdom within you, which is constant integrated awareness. Everyone is busy in protecting, decorating and painting the chariot of the body but does not have any concern for the charioteer. How do you expect it to move without the direction of the charioteer? The senses are the horses of the chariot of the body, the mind is the rein to control them.

The way to realise the Divinity that is in everyone is to cultivate love, which is the only divine trait. There are three sides to love forming a triangle. They are: (1) Love gives and never receives; (2) Love is fearless; (3) Love is changeless. The love that develops between a mother and child or a husband and wife is subject to change as it pertains to the body. It is only Bhrama (illusion). You should become Brahman shedding Bhrama. The divinity in you is changeless, blemishless, without beginning or end. Just as a dhoby removes the dirt in a cloth and restores its original whiteness by washing with soap beating it on stone, man should try to regain his vision of the pure effulgent Atma by washing his heart in the water of love with the soap of Shraddha (earnestness) on the stone of Thyaga (sacrifice). This is the way to realise one's Inner Reality, which is Sathyam, Jnanam, Anantham and Brahma.