Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

BELIEVING that the body is All, and that there is no entity embodied in it - this is Mistake No.1. Ignoring or forgetting that there can be no wave without the ocean, no body without the Atma (Divine Self), is Mistake No.2. The Atma has no modification or mood. It is the individualised embodiment that undergoes modifications and is caught in moods. Once you know that you are in essence the Atma, you too will be unaffected. Another characteristic of the individual is that he cannot be alone, separate from the rest. Like a drop of oil on water, he spreads; he reaches out and far. 'I' seeks other 'I's and seeks to become We. Life is a march from I to We. But, it usually strays from I to They. And does not reach the God, We.

Intellect alone can direct man in the path of discrimination, between the true path and false, the proper step and the improper. This is the reason why man has been praying since ages, through the Gayathri hymn: “Illumine me, prompt my intelligence, so that I may walk aright." The reasoning power of man is shaped, not only by the education he receives now, but. more by the impact of past lives and the import of future events. If the power is used for selfaggrandizement it feeds delusion; if it is used in service for others, it will promote the Revelation of Reality. Reason must examine the vagaries of the mind and make patent the Divinity, the resides and shines in every individual.

Give away 'Love' to all; give up the ego; display heroism in service; with compassion to fellowmen, feel your intimate kinship with them. Visualise the Atma that illumines all; derive unending Bliss therefrom.

All who come embodied are Avathars, that is to say, advents of the Divine, manifestations of God. What, then, is the special feature of Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Christ? Why do you celebrate their birthdays with such reverential enthusiasm? The speciality is this: they are aware; you are unaware of the Atma which is the Truth. Awareness confers Grace, Glory, Majesty, Might, Splendour. Awareness confers liberation from bounds, from time, space and causation, from sleep, dream and wakefulness. For you, sleep is fiction, dream is fantasy and wakefulness a many-directional storm. Avathars are ever alert, aware, alight. The wise man is he who keeps his reason sharp and clear, and sees things as they really are. He listens to the advice: Life is a Challenge, Meet it; Life is Love, Share it; Life is a Dream, Realise it; Life a Game, Play it.

This is the real Pilgrim's progress. This is the Lion's march across the forest, fearless, masterful and victorious. The roar .of the lion makes all the denizens scamper in panic; so too the Halo of Wisdom scatters the dark brood of fear and doubt. Life sweeps along like a wild typhoon; the allotted years do melt like snow before the Sun; but, man wastes the precious chance, and strays into folly and frivolity. The yearning of the human soul, "From untruth lead me into Truth; from darkness lead me into Light; from death, lead me into Immortality," - this is unrealised. Of what use is it to honour the Avathar and hold the day when the Avathar took human form as sacred?

The message of the Avathar must be born, must become alive, must grow in you, your heart - that is the birthday, you have to celebrate. Celebrate the Avathar's Birthday in your own village. You need not travel long distances to where I physically am. Plant the seeds of Love in your hearts, let them grow into trees of service and shower the sweet fruits of Anandha. Share the Anandha with all. That is the proper way to celebrate the Birthday. I have been telling you that My Life is My Message. I am exhorting you in the Upanishadhic way, "Revere the Mother as Divine, Revere the Father as Divine, Revere the Teacher as Divine, Revere the Guest as Divine." Now I am proceeding to the place where their bodies are entombed to offer, as I have advised you, to express gratitude and respect, to the parents. After that, the Prashanthi Flag will be hoisted on the Mandhir. Hoist it on the shrines of your hearts, shrines where God is installed and realised in actual presence, every moment of your lives.