Highlights of Swami's latest discourse from 17th April

April 17, 2006 : After the festivities on the 14th, Bhagawan did not give darshan on the morning of the 15th. On the 16th, He made the students sing songs again in the evening, concluding the bhajan session. On the 17th, during the evening bhajan session, Bhagawan indicated that He was going to speak, and the Discourse table and mic were hastily brought up.

Swami started His Discourse with verses about Abhimanyu, the martyred son of the Pandavas, going to war against the mighty warriors arrayed against him in the Mahabharatha war. Dharmaja attempts to stop Abhimanyu from going to battle, but Abhimanyu goes ahead boldly, with the blessings of his mother. Whose mistake was the defeat of Abhimanyu? Apparently it was Krishna's, since He was the one who prevented Arjuna from explaining the Padmavyuha battle formation completely to Subhadra who was enciente, carrying Abhimanyu. When someone knows only some things, and does not know some other things, misfortunes occur. Similarly, devotees and our students are humble and devoted in the immediate presence of Swami, and make all sorts of promises. But once they go out, they change completely.

Today's youth are like pots. If the pot slips from the hand, it breaks to pieces. As long as the pot is in the water, the water remains full and cool. But when the pot is removed from the water, the water slowly evaporates. In the same way, My students, right from Primary School, Ist standard, upto PhD, make many promises. But when they go outside, they forget everything. Why? When the pot is removed from the water, the water level decreases since it is a porous mud pot, and also due to the wind. When the students are with Swami, they are full of bliss. But when they go out, their intensity of faith decreases, because of their bad company.

This body is a mud pot. It gradually decreases the spiritual content and increases worldly desires. This change in Man does not occur just by himself - bad company is responsible. The kind of feelings we get depends on the type of friends we have. Due to the worldly atmosphere outside, our devotion vanishes. We should not enter too much into worldly matters. When students go home for the vacations, I tell them, "Be careful, be good." It is not all who change, but some. Some are steady in the values inside them.

Good company can bring us up, bad company brings us down. Our attitude is responsible for the waxing of waning of devotion which is seen in the world today. This is also dependent on the company we keep. Before joing with friends, we should discriminate: is it going to help me or harm me? But today's students don't discriminate like this.

So, Men are like pots. When a pot is intact, it is useful, we can even cook food in it. But when it is broken, it is useless. When it breaks on the road, it merges back into the mud. So, keeping all this in consideration, to protect our own body, we should discriminate whether our actions are good or bad. Every scripture has taught this. Burial of dead bodies in many cultures is symbolic of this return from whence it has come - just as when ice melts, it merges back with the water from which it came.

Subhadra gave so many types of blessings to her son Abhimanyu. But they did not bear fruit. Why? Only when we understand the inner significance and conduct ourselves accordingly will such blessings be fruitful. If we act in a wayward manner, even such blessings will fail to protect us.

During marriages, in the invocatory verses chanted by the priests, they declare, "This is the best moment, this is the auspicious moment, this is backed by the stars and the moon", and so on. But instead of understanding the inner meaning, we go by the mistaken notions of some days being good and some days being bad. The moment when the mind is amenable is the good moment, and when it is not amenable is the inauspicious moment. Not the dates fixed by Brahmins for the sake of payment of Dakshina! In this way, the external ritual is alone followed nowadays, not the heart of the inner meaning.

Everyman must be very careful in the work done, in the words spoken, and the actions undertaken. Once we make a promise, we should uphold it. But today they promise and tomorrow they "miss" the promise!

Abhimanyu explained, "It is better that I die than cause bad name to accrue to my father". Arjuna, his father, was renowned with many titles. His mother then extolled him, saying that he did not need anyone's blessings: his self-confidence alone would be enough. Draupadi lost all her sons when they were asleep. This one son of Subhadra's upheld the name of his father.

If the son humiliates his parents and defies them, it is the worst sin. In the same way, among devotees: when so-and-so is called a 'Sai Devotee' or 'Krishna Devotee', they should have the heart to keep up the sacred name of Sai and Krishna. Being called a 'Sai Devotee' and doing contradictory actions is the worst of the sins. Calling yourself a 'Rama Devotee' and then misusing Rama's name! Among devotees and among students, there should be strong determination. When once people know that this student has studied in this Institution, they should be filled with joy. Our students went to Tibetan shops today. The Tibetens recognised them as Sai Baba's devotees and welcomed them. When we earn that kind of recognition by our acts, our lives will be fulfilled.

So, students or devotees, when you go outside, you should not be swayed by the company you keep. Our own ideals should be firm. We should be able to win over the bad influence of others. Then we get real Liberation, Mukthi or Moksha. Moha Kshaya - giving up delusion - is Moksha. When we feel we should talk pleasingly to friends and that we should move around with them - that is Moha or delusion. Then this friendship becomes our enemy. Whatever friend it may be, don't go beyond the 'courteous greeting' stage - Hello, Hello, Good Morning - not more than that. Respect them, but don't become one among them. Don't listen to the words of all and sundry. Listen to your Heart. Without the determination to follow the Heart, we are not human at all. In any circumstance, we should not change. Sorrows and misery are passing clouds. Why worry about them? See to it that we don't spoil our feelings with the company of others.

Whether it is mother or father or husband or wife or child - if they speak against your conscience, you should be able to resist them and proceed. What did Hiranyakashipu tell Prahlada? Utter any name, but not Hari's name. Prahlada replied that there is nothing higher than Hari's name in this world. In order to change Prahlada, Hiranyakashipu sent him to a school which would teach him all manner of things against Hari. Teachers there, under the orders of their king Hiranyakashipu, indoctrinated Prahlada against uttering the name of Hari. Prahlada did not contradict his teachers, he just nodded. When the father called him again, asking him to narrate something he learnt at school, Prahlada happily said he had learnt the secret of all education: Aum Namo Narayanaya! The father threw him down from his lap in fury. From then on, Hiranyakashipu ordered all kinds of torture for Prahlada - being thrown from a mountain, being trampled by elephants, being thrown into the sea, being bitten by snakes, and finally throwing him into fire. Hari protected him from all these. Hari is ever present - His hands and feet are everywhere.... Hari alone is. There is no place without God, there is no form that is not God. Some people like some names and some forms. But all names and forms are His. So, never misuse anything.

Every human comes with a body into this world. Names and forms are many, but God is one. There are tubelights here and bulbs there. The tubelights are long, the bulbs are round. But the electric current in both is the same. We have to be firm in our conviction of the same Divinity in all. Let people blame you if they want. Where will calumny go? It just flies away in the wind - all talk is borne away by the wind. So can we care for such words? No. Our Heart is unchanging and True. Don't waver from it.

Students, Devotees, as long as you are here, you sing devotional songs. As soon as you reach your native towns, you start singing other tunes. Don't change like that. This morning, something happened. Swami was behaving in a different way. All said that they will even give up their lives for Swami. Swami told them, I have no worries, I have no problems, I have only one worry. My children, when they are here, they are so good, what will happen when they go out.... Day and night I toil for their sake. I have no other desire. I am Desireless. Only one desire - the students who go from here must be ideals. If you become ideal boys, that is enough for Me. That is the gratitude you should offer Me. When they went for shopping, one of the boys bought a clove box for Me. I took a clove and told him to keep the box. I don't desire anything. Is your life yours to give? No! Your life is Mine! What is the greatness in offering Me what is already Mine? So, don't offer to give Me your life - use your life well. That is what I want.

In the world, people have many desires, they expect all sorts of remuneration. I don't desire anything of that sort. All the time, Swami is giving and giving. So, why should you give Me anything? Use properly what has been given. Students, Devotees, all should cultivate good qualities. The kind of devotion you have here and now, should persist for all time, giving permanent joy.

Do selfless pure service. Serve anyone, with the feeling that you are serving God. There is God in everyone. "Mamaivaamso jeevaloke jeevabhootah sanaatanah" - all are the sparks of Myself, the Divine, as Krishna declared. Never feel that you are serving a beggar - he is also God. He is not a beggar - he is bigger than anyone. A beggar, or an old man, or a small boy - God is in all - never doubt that He is here and not there. We cannot view such a Lord with petty differences. One may say Allah, one may call Jesus, Rama, Zohrashtra or Krishna - all are God's names. We chant Sahasranama - 1000 names of God. All names are equally valid.

Embodiments of Love, keep Love as the important basis. Keep it as the one Truth. Keep it in your Heart. No sadhana can excel Love. Love is your life. A heart devoid of love belongs to a dead body. Only with love can it be a living body. You must experience this Love during your lifetime. This is the characteristic of a true devotee and the duty of every student.

Embodiments of Love, you have put yourselves into difficulties to come here. You have faced the cold weather and the rains, and have trouble with accomodation. What is important is your Love, because of which you have come. Keep that kind of Love for all time. God is Formless, Pure, Selfless. Selflessness is the source of true devotion. Asking "I want this, I want that" becomes selfish. Even the statement "I want liberation" is selfish. Aspire only for "I am You, You are I". Love is the only remuneration for Love. Not any other object. Many people do puja - they offer a flower saying "I offer my eyes". Then another flower saying "I offer my tongue". They say eye and tongue, but offer only the flower! What you think and say must match what you do. "Trigunam tridalaakaaram..." That is the significance of offering the three-petalled bilva leaf. But if you just say you are offering and actually do not, that is cheating. Thought word and deed coincide for the great ones, and diverge for the wicked. Do not do that, Bangaroo, dear ones. That is My only worry - I think of only My Devotees and students, not of Myself. I have no selfishness. If I were selfish, I would not be moving around like this. Only God is totally Selfless.

Embodiments of Love, keep the Love in your Heart pure, sacred, super-human. Don't have too many connections with others. In a worldly sense, we may have connections. But leave it at that. "Hello, good morning." That's all. Give appropriate responses. But your mind should be firm. Live as a human, not like an animal. Swami thinks of students all the time. Why? Devotees come and go, they listen to what Swami says and think about it later. But students are the foundation. When the foundation is strong, the building will be strong. Self confidence is the foundation, self satisfaction is the wall, self sacrifice is the roof, self realization is life. The foundation is the basis. If that is shaky, the walls and the roof will fall. Then you will not be protected from the sun and the rain. Be firm and steady in your devotion all the time. As one of the Alwars sang, have purity of thought for true worship, or else it is useless. You have come here with difficulty, don't disappoint yourselves.

Meera underwent a lot of trials at the hands of her husband and in-laws. She went to Dwaraka and declared, "The pearl of Your name I have obtained with much effort diving deep into the Ocean. Lord, see to it that it should not slip from my fingers now..." Her Lord was the one who held aloft the mountain. That valuable mountain is the Chittha. "Lord, I have no other refuge," prayed Meera. Meera called Him Giridhaari, Sakkubai called Him Ranga, both are the same. All names and forms are His, so whatever you do, speak or think, offer it to Him. Don't keep changing your mind.

Saying one thing in front of Swami and doing otherwise when you go outside is treachery to God. Do not betray God, your mother, your father or your preceptor. The mother uses her own blood to shape the child. Troubling the mind of such a mother is a sin. But there are some who trouble the mother, and repent later when the mother is no longer with them. Repentence is absolution. But there are those who do not even repent! Mother, wherever she is, wants the welfare of her child. Mother, father and preceptor come in that order. Many put the third one first and forget the mother! Respect and love your mother, who has given your body, whether she is alive or not. You pray "Sai Mata", but don't usurp the place of your mother. Bharat is the place where the mother is respected. In other countries, they divorce, remarry and give up their children. The children do not know who their parents are. Such children will then take to wrong paths. Mother's love is your life, uphold the word given to her. Whenever we are hurt, we exclaim, "Amma!", calling for the mother. Mother's love is so protective. Father may aspire that the children get high marks, get good jobs and hefty salaries. But the mother always aspires that whatever happens, if her child is good, that is enough.

You needn't aspire for liberation. If you have God's Love, that is enough. That Love will attract everything else. A magnet attracts only iron filings, not diamonds. It says, even if it is a small piece, it is iron, that is enough. Similarly, God and Love attract each other. Riches and diamonds, devotees' praise and titles are not required. God's satisfaction is only in your Love. Chant His name with Love. Even you don't know the tune or pitch it is not important.

Wherever you go, don't change your feelings. Think of yourselves as a pot. Preserve it carefully, without breakage. If it falls, it will break. Then you have to be reborn again. Once you are born, aspire deathlessness. That is permanent liberation. When rivers enter the ocean, the ocean tests the rivers for two days, pushing them back. That is what you call backwater. But finally on the third day, the ocean accepts the rivers. The river water goes down, the ocean comes on top. That sort of determination is required. Under any circumstances, in any trials, never give up Love. Man has myriad worries. Face all of them and sanctify your lives. Then you can be true devotees or students. Never give up the promise given. Uphold Truth. With that determination, you can sanctify your life.

After Bhagawan's Discourse, the students sang a Telugu song "Repalle Baalunivale...." and then the session concluded with Arati.