Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

One who aspires to realise the principle of the Self and teach the same to others should first of all develop purity of heart. One who lacks purity of heart is not eligible to realise the Self and teach the same to others.

Poisonous snakes and scorpions find their way into a room devoid of light. They do not enter a room that is well lit. Likewise, evil qualities like desire, anger, delusion, greed, pride, and jealousy cannot enter a heart that shines with pure love. They enter only the heart that is devoid of sacred love. It is therefore necessary to develop a pure and sacred heart that is full of love and compassion.

The heart of a human being should be full of the noble qualities of tolerance, perseverance, sympathy and contentment. Only then can the human easily understand the principle of the Self and propagate the same. The principle of the Self cannot be attained merely by education, scholarship, and intelligence. Purity of heart is of utmost importance for this.

What education did noble souls like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Kabir. and Surdas have? Ramakrishna was not highly educated, yet he earned worldwide name and fame as Paramahamsa (realised person). His purity of heart was responsible for this.

In order to attain purity of heart, there is no need to perform chanting, penance, and meditation, nor is there any need to study the Vedas, the scriptures, and the Puranas and Itihasas (epics and mythological texts). Love for God is the only requirement to attain purity of heart. There is nothing greater than this. The heart that is full of love for God is truly the heart of a human being.

Those who wish to develop purity of heart should be careful with regard to their food and habits. The human body digests food; the subtle part of it becomes bones, muscles, and blood, and the subtlest part of food becomes the mind. Therefore, food is responsible for the good and bad nature of the mind. As is the food, so is the mind. Hence, it is necessary to eat pure and sacred (sathwic) and wholesome food in moderation. In days of yore, sages and saints lived in forests eating only fruits and tubers to sustain themselves. Because of such pure (sathwic) food, they could lead their lives peacefully.

You may not be aware how beneficial sathwic food is. How blissful Sita, Rama, and Lakshmana were, living in the forest and eating fruits and tubers during their exile!

Happiness lies in proper food and habits. Happiness cannot be found in worldly comforts and sumptuous food. It can be found only in natural food created by God. Not only food but also drinking water should be pure. The gross part of water that we drink is excreted as urine, and the subtle part of it becomes the life principle (prana).

For a human being, mind and life principle are most important. Moreover, they are interdependent. When you attain the state of amanaska (beyond the mind), there is no existence of mind. To lead a noble life, it is necessary to have pure food and good habits. People are deluded to think that the power of mind can be developed by following the worldly path. They cannot achieve it unless they follow the inward path. Your heart is the Himachala (Kailasa mountain) on which Lord Siva and Parvathi reside and perform their cosmic dance, which bestows bliss not only on devotees but the entire world. The divine form of Lord Siva is blissful and enchanting.

The Lord of Kailasa has manifested his divine form, with the crescent moon adorning his head, with the cool water of the Ganga flowing between the matted locks, with his radiant eye in the middle of the forehead and the purple neck gleaming like the sheen of a blackberry.

In order to experience the blissful form of the Lord, you need to have purity at the levels of body, mind, and spirit, for which proper food and habits are essential. Therefore, students should give due importance to their food and habits. In fact, their entire future depends on their food and habits.

In order to experience their innate divinity, they should have purity not only in food but in all their endeavours. This purity generates sacred love in your heart. Love has no form, but one can experience the bliss it gives. Fragrance has no form but the flower that gives fragrance has a form.

When there is love in your heart, it is reflected on your face. That is the reflection of the inner being. When one shares one’s love with others, one experiences more and more bliss. This bliss is eternal and everlasting. This cannot be experienced in worldly objects and worldly pursuits. It can be derived by following the path of spirituality (nivritti).

In the waking state, the mind influences you. As long as you have a mind, you see the world around you. And as long as you see the world, you cannot escape from the experience of happiness and sorrow. What really is responsible for happiness and sorrow? It is the mind. In the deep sleep state, there is no mind, and consequently, there is neither the world nor the experience of happiness and sorrow. As far as there is the mind, there is the world; as far as there is the world, there is happiness and sorrow. There is neither happiness nor sorrow when you transcend the mind.

How can you transcend the mind? You can transcend the mind by developing love for God. God is in the form of essence (Raso vai sah). Just as sugar permeates every drop of the syrup, love permeates the entire world. World devoid of love and bliss cannot exist. Love is all-pervasive, bliss is all-pervasive. Human being, nay, any living being. has no existence without love.

I have told you this story earlier also. It was the time of the Mahabharata war. Sage Vyasa was on his way to the battlefield. On the way, he was surprised to see an insect crawling very fast. He conferred the power of speech on the insect and asked, “Oh tiny creature, why are you running so fast? What great danger has befallen you?” The insect replied, “Oh venerable sage, the Mahabharata war has become very fierce. In a few minutes, Arjuna’s chariot will be coming in this direction. One cannot describe the speed with which his chariot runs. I am running away from this place so that I don’t get crushed under the wheels of the chariot.” Not only human beings, even insects want to protect themselves. Every living being wants to be safe and secure and has a desire to lead a life of happiness and contentment. Love is present in all beings, but it is expressed in different ways.

You see the world around you and call it world (jagat). But a wise man will tell you, “Oh foolish one! What you see is not the world but God Himself.” He is a fool who sees yet does not recognise the reality (Pashyannapi cha napashyati moodho).

God is the cause and world is the effect. This creation is nothing but the manifestation of cause and effect. World has no existence without God. Therefore, what you see around you is God Himself in the form of the world. Each one perceives God in their own way based on their feelings and faith.

There is lack of peace and security in the world, because the modern system of education does not develop faith in God in students. Once, a person took his son to a school for admission. He met the headmaster and said, “Sir, my son is very intelligent, but he has two weaknesses.” When the headmaster asked him to tell the weaknesses, the father replied, “He does not know what is good for him, nor does he listen to others.” Similar is the state of an educated person today. Educated people are filled with ego, thinking they know everything. But what do they know? They are fools who do not know themselves. Then what can a fool know about the world?

One thinks that one is very intelligent and has learnt many things. But one who is truly intelligent does not think in this manner. One who lacks intelligence thinks that he is an intellectual!

Your life will blossom and shine as an ideal for others only when you develop love for God. You should become an ideal in all respects. What is important is that you realise the principle of the Atma (Self). In fact, every human being is the embodiment of the Atma. But, because of body attachment, one forgets the principle of the Atma. When you give up body attachment and develop attachment to the Self (Atmabhimana), you will experience bliss.

There are three types of beings in this world. Some beings can live only in water, some can live only on earth, and some can live both on earth as well as in water.

Similarly, some noble souls spend all their time in constant contemplation of God. Some lead a worldly life but once in a while think about spiritual matters. Their life is like a two-horse race. They have one leg in the world and the other in spirituality. There is a third category of people who lead a totally worldly life and have no spiritual inclination whatsoever. Because they are afflicted by the cold of ignorance, they cannot even smell the fragrance of spirituality. People in the world can therefore be classified as theists, atheists, theistic-atheists and atheistic-theists.

It is your great good fortune that you are blessed with human birth. It is not possible for everyone to attain human life birth after birth. Of all living beings, human birth is the rarest (Jantunam nara janma durlabham). Human birth is very noble, exalted, and virtuous. It is like a precious diamond.

But people are ready to barter it away for petty things, which are like pieces of charcoal. Will one who knows the value of the diamond use it like a paper weight on the table? No. One who knows its value will keep it safely in a steel cabinet under lock and key. Therefore, first of all it is necessary to know the value of the principle of the Self (Atma Thathwa).

Equally precious is the name of the Lord.

Mira sang, “I have found the jewel of divine Name (Payoji maine nam ratan dhana payo).” She considered the divine Name as the most precious diamond.

Who can give this precious diamond? How can it be attained? It can be attained only by the grace of God. It is not available in a market or a shop; it is available only with God. God is the master of this diamond. Therefore, when you take refuge in Him, it becomes yours. You know how it looks. It shines with the brilliance of a thousand suns. Even the effulgence of a thousand suns pales in comparison with the brilliance of this ‘sun’.

How does divine love taste? Do you know? Even the divine ambrosia appears tasteless in comparison to the sweetness of divine love. Its sweetness is unparalleled and incomparable. God is the embodiment of sweetness. “His speech, His eyes, and His looks are sweet. He is the Lord of sweetness and sweetness itself too (V achanam madhuram, nayanam madhuram, vadanam madhuram, madhuradhipathe akhilam madhuram).

How can one who has experienced this sweetness desire worldly pleasures, which are fleeting, momentary, and ephemeral? Only those who do not know the taste of Divinity crave for worldly pleasures. What is the reason? The reason is their ignorance, which is the result of sins accrued over many past lives. Today we find people craving for money, position, and power but not God.

People are in search of peace, but it is not available outside. It is present within. Those who strive for real peace will attain everything - wealth, worldly pleasures, power, name, and fame. They need not go in search of them. They will come to them on their own. They need not strain a nerve; liberation will virtually fall into their lap. They will experience the bliss of heaven.

What is heaven? People think having a good sleep on a soft bed in an air-conditioned room is verily heaven. This is not the happiness one should strive for. Real happiness cannot be derived from physical pleasures.

Human birth is a gift of God. You have to understand its significance. If you spend all your time in reading books, what is the use if you don’t practise anything? Time is fleeting and does not stop even for a moment. No one knows when, where, and how the end will come. Understanding the truth that death is certain, you should perform your duty.

Why beg for anything from others? In fact, all are beggars, God is the only giver; He is the only master. When the king of Thanjavur sent material gifts to Thyagaraja, he refused to accept them, saying, “I am not anatha (without a master) as I have Lord Sri Rama as my Natha (master). In fact, Rama is anatha, as He has no master above Him. Therefore, offer these gifts to Him.” Lord Rama is the master of the poor and needy. Sing the glory of Rama. Nothing will give you more benefit than this. Discharge your worldly responsibilities keeping the Lord’s Name in your heart. You don’t need to give up anything.

What you have to give up is the feeling that you are a mortal. You are not a mere mortal. The body is just a vesture you have put on. You do not know how many vestures you have changed. Death is the dress of life. You have too much attachment to the body, but you are not the body.

Always remind yourself, “I am God, I am God.” “I am Brahman (Aham Brahmasmi).” Never forget this truth even in your dream.

All are the embodiments of Brahman. Other than Brahman, there is no other entity. “God is one without a second (Ekameva adviteeyam Brahma).” Though you are essentially divine, you consider yourself low and mean. It is really a great misfortune.

In the story of the Mahabharata, when Yaksha questioned, “who is really blind in this world?”, Y udhishthira replied, “One who does not give up evil qualities in spite of all one’s education is really a blind person.” When you have studied so much, you should put it to proper use and get rid of your bad qualities. That is true renunciation.

Renunciation does not mean leaving your home, family, and property and going to the forest. To give up evil thoughts is true renunciation and true yoga. You should know what yoga really means. It means giving up evil qualities, evil habits, and evil thoughts. Then God will come running to you on His own and shower His immense love on you.

Once, Lord Easwara said to Parvathi that he was under debt to devotees. Parvathi asked him what type of debt it was and what he had borrowed from them. Easwara replied, “Devotees love me. They are giving me their most valuable love. Therefore, I have to repay their debt of love with interest by granting them liberation.” What rate of interest does God give? It is not the 14% or 18% that banks give. God gives 100% interest. Such is God’s love for His devotees that He is ever ready to shower His grace on them. But you do not know this truth and this mystery. Who can describe the glory of God’s love?

God is present here, there, and everywhere, said Annie Besant. People in India go on pilgrimages in search of God. Truly speaking, do devotees search for God or is God in search of a devotee? Where is the need to search for God, who is everywhere? In fact, wherever you look, you do not find a true devotee. Therefore, God is in search of a true devotee, said Annie Besant.

Many people act like devotees when they are in Swami’s presence. “Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are.” When they are in front of Me, they pretend as though they are great devotees. But they lack real devotion.

Is there any meaning in this? Can you call them devotees? Devotion (bhakthi) means total surrender to God. Everything belongs to God. Other than God, there is no second entity. When everything is God, where is the place for a second entity? The same truth was proclaimed by Radha.

What is meant by constant contemplation of God? You should constantly remind yourself of your reality, “I am Brahman, I am Brahman, I am Brahman.” Instead, you are moving about calling yourself so and so, identifying yourself with the name given to your body. It is a big mistake. You say, I am Ramaiah, but Ramaiah is the name given to your body; it is not your name.

The body is like a water bubble. Who knows when this bubble will burst? Always identify yourself with Brahman. Say, “I am Brahman (Aham Brahmasmi).” Then, wherever you go, you will be successful in all your endeavours. When you have complete faith in this statement, you become God.

You may not relish it when I tell you again and again not to have attachment with the body. But that is the truth. I have not come here to earn your appreciation. I have come to teach you the truth. That is My duty, and your duty is to follow the truth.

A spiritual aspirant (sadhaka) should keep in mind four types of purity: purity of place, feelings, body, and the inner being (bhu shubhrata, bhava shubhrata, deha shubhrata, and Atma Shubhrata).

What is meant by purity of place? You should keep all places and surroundings pure and clean with the faith that God is everywhere. More so, when you see God right in front of you in physical form, keep the place all the more clean. For example, keep the place wherever Swami is present absolutely clean and maintain perfect silence. Be free from ego and attachment. This is what is meant by purity of place.

Next is purity of feelings. How should you observe this? God is all-pervasive, eternal, and immeasurable. He is the embodiment of love, compassion, and bliss. Always focus on this truth and contemplate on Him. In whatever form you worship Him, He will manifest before you in that very form.

What is the meaning of purity of body? You should serve everyone with the feeling that God is present in them. Help them in every possible way, understanding their needs with regard to food and shelter. This is purity of body.

Then, what is purity of inner being? “With hands, feet, eyes, head, mouth, and ears pervading everything, He permeates the entire universe (Sarvatah panipadam tat sarvathokshi siromukham, sarvatah srutimalloke sarvamavruthya tishthati). Atma is everywhere. When you realise this truth, you experience real happiness. Whoever you serve and make happy, it amounts to serving God and making Him happy.

You can derive true happiness only from God, not from anyone else. Father, mother, wife, children, and all other worldly relations can give only momentary happiness. Only God can give you eternal bliss. You should take to the path of service to experience this bliss.

There is no God greater than you when you follow this path in your daily life. In fact, all of you are embodiments of God. Believe that you are God, manifest only divine qualities, and conduct yourself with divine feelings.