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Discourses
21 Oct.
2007 |
Bhagawan’s
Vijayadasami Discourse - Dasara |
Puttaparthi |
Excerpts from Dasara Divine
Discourse By Bhagavan Sri
Sathya Sai Baba Note: Discourses of Sri Sathya Sai Baba on this SBOI -
website/group are unedited, authentic & only sourced from the
official Sai baba Org.
Dasara 2007 Photos & Report
“MAKE SATHYA AND DHARMA YOUR STEADFAST
COMPANIONS
Today is the festival of Vijayadasami. All people
celebrate this festival with great joy and enthusiasm. However, for some
people this day brought sorrow, for, it was on this day that Sai cast off
His ‘old body’. The human bodies are, of course, merely material. Once a
long-time devotee Lakshmibai approached Baba. Baba gave her two gold coins
and told her, “Lakshmi, keep these two coins with you. Preserve them
carefully.” The date of Baba’s departure from this mortal world was
imprinted on the two coins. (Swami at this point created two gold coins
with His divine hands). Showing them to the devotees sitting in the Sai
Kulwant Hall), Swami said, “Look, here are those two coins.” The two gold
coins gifted by Shirdi Baba to Lakshmibai represent Sathya (Truth) and
Dharma (Righteousness) that help the spiritual progress of human beings.
Swami frequently exhorts the devotees, “Lead your life’s journey with the
help of human values. Let your daily life be suffused with Sathya (Truth),
Dharma (Righteousness), Shanthi (Peace) and Prema (Love). Truth is Atma.
Dharma is the duty that we have to perform. Hence, discharge your Dharma
with Truth. These two are in fact the sadhanas you have to undertake.
These two only will protect you in every way. They alleviate all sorrows
and difficulties. No human being, during the course of his or her life’s
sojourn in this physical world, should give up Sathya and Dharma (Truth
and Righteousness). Truth has to be experienced in one’s heart, while
Righteousness has to be reflected in one’s deeds. These two are enough. No
other sadhanas are required. The names Rama, Krishna, Govinda or Narayana
are only names ascribed to God; but Divinity has no particular name or
form. Truth comes first and Righteousness next. If Righteousness follows
Truth, all sorrows and difficulties will be removed. There are millions of
people living in this world. But, the Divinity present in all is only one.
This has been described in the Gita as Mamaivamsho jivaloke jivabhuta
sanathana (the eternal Atma in all beings is a part of My Being). There
may be any number of people, but they represent only the number. Only one
Divinity is present in all of them. And, that Divinity is the only Truth.
You may call Divinity by any name – Rama, Krishna, Govinda, Allah or Jesus
– but God is one and only one. Hence, realise the oneness of Divinity;
contemplate on that Truth; consider that Truth as God and spread that
Truth to one and all. What we are expected to do is not giving alms or
charity. Whatever activity we undertake, it must be suffused with Truth.
When people follow such a path, all will be happy. The entire universe
represents only one Truth. But, people express it in different ways. Ekam
sath viprah bahudha vadanti (truth is one, but the wise refer to it by
various names). Truth alone is permanent in this world; all other things
are ephemeral like the passing clouds. Names and forms are not permanent.
Truth alone is permanent. It is the changeless principle. Keeping such an
eternal Truth in your heart, whatever you do becomes Dharma.
I must
tell you one thing in this context. There are many youths in this
assembly. They should not take it amiss. In the name of modernism, many
youths are taking to perverted ways of living these days. This
permissiveness is not limited to a particular country or society. It has
become a global phenomenon, irrespective of caste, community, religion or
country. Right from the primary school children to boys studying in
graduate and post-graduate courses are afflicted with this mental
aberration. Love is God. Whatever activity you undertake with Love, it
becomes success. Unfortunately, today, the term ‘Love’ is highly misused
and misplaced and often misunderstood as relating to the body. No; this is
not true love. It is fleeting and ceases with the bodily relationship.
True love is heart to heart. It is changeless.
The body is made up
of five elements and is bound to perish sooner or later, but the indweller
has neither birth nor death. The indweller has no attachment whatsoever
and is the eternal witness. (Telugu poem)
The body is not
permanent. Hence, do not give importance to the deha (physical body). The
dehi (Indweller) is important. He alone is the embodiment of Truth. It is
a serious mistake to ignore such an indweller. When you repose confidence
in the Indweller and rely upon Him, He by himself will look after
everything. We should never forget the dehi (Indweller), who is niramaya
(free from all ailments).
When Shirdi Baba left His physical body,
it was Vijayadasami day. During His last moments Baba told the people
around Him, “Do not rely upon this physical body. It will fade away and
whither out in a few minutes. Why do you treat such an ephemeral body as
Truth? None should shed tears on this occasion. This is but natural in the
case of physical body. Enjoy this physical body as long as it is alive.
Thereafter, treat the passing away of this body as a dream.” The physical
body will retain its shape for a short period after death. Hence, people
around the body of Baba kept it as it is for sometime, with the hope that
Baba might come back to life as it happened on an earlier occasion.
Meanwhile, one of the devotees, Abdullah, came there and reminded them,
“We are forgetting all that Baba had told us. Baba’s word is Truth. We
have to follow it. Accordingly, we have to perform His obsequies, which is
our duty.” Thus, all the devotees discussed among them what needed to be
done and came to a conclusion. They shifted the body to the Wada (a stone
structure built by a devotee called Booty) and buried (Samadhi) it there.
Thus, the bodies are impermanent however long a person might live. The
physical body is subject to certain limits. This body as well as all other
bodies are bound by certain limits. Each body has its own limit. None can
cross that limit. As the days progress, the limit approaches fast.
Embodiments of Love! Please, therefore, treat love as your
foremost concern. Establish Truth in your heart firmly. Whatever activity
you undertake, do it with Dharma (Righteousness). It is Truth that
sustains Dharma and Dharma in turn will protect Truth. It is for this
reason that Lakshmibai kept with her the two gold coins given to her by
Baba. She felt, “These coins are given to me by Baba. These are gold
coins. These coins are very valuable; more valuable than diamonds. There
can be nothing greater than these coins. I do not need anything else.
These two coins represent Sathya (Truth) and Dharma
(Righteousness).”
Truth and righteousness alone protect the world.
We are undertaking several types of sadhanas in order that the world is
protected. But, they are all pompous sadhanas only! You must install these
two values in the heart and follow them at all times, day in and day out.
Presently, you are just chanting these words by mouth. This is not enough.
When you practice these values with all the sincerity at your command, you
will achieve the desired results. There is no use repeating these words
like a parrot. Even record player does such an exercise. One has to
develop conviction in these values with all sincerity. Only then will they
be imprinted in your heart forever. They always remain in you, with you.
You have to put forth efforts to achieve such type of sadhana.
One
day the daughter of Lakshmibai approached her and requested, “Mother,
please hand over to me those two coins which Baba had given you sometime
back.” But Lakshmibai refused, saying, “No, I cannot pass on these coins
to you. They have to reach the same Person who gave them to me and none
else. I have no authority to deliver them to you. They shall reach Baba,
the Embodiment of Truth and Dharma.”
You may chant any number of
names; any number of mantras; you may perform any number of yajnas and
yagas. But, what ultimately remain are Sathya and Dharma. Follow these
two. You are not separate from Me. You are all My amsas! (parts), as
declared in the Bhagavad Gita. Sathya and Dharma are following you since
several births. Today, you are undertaking several sadhanas. In the end,
they are all going waste. You chant the Ramanama saying, “Ram, Ram, Ram.”
The japamala in your hand is rotating, but your mind is not turning
towards Rama. It is only when your mind is fixed on the name you chant,
your japa becomes fruitful. Whatever activity you undertake, let it be
truthful. Adhere to Truth always and under all circumstances. In fact,
Truth is your very life principle. It is your swasa (life breath). Devoid
of Truth and Righteousness, any number of discourses, Upanishads, Gita
chanting, reading of spiritual texts, etc., will become a futile exercise.
They may be useful for passing your time. Such exercises cannot sanctify
your life. Truth and righteousness are the two most important sadhanas
that will liberate you from this mundane world. You should always remember
that you are an amsa of God. You should realise your relationship with
God. This is the only relationship that will last forever; you may belong
to any country or religion. But do not entertain any differences on that
basis. All religions teach the same truth and will lead to the same God.
Not a single religion (Matham) is bad, provided your mathi (intellect) is
good. Hence, you have to keep your intellect in good condition. You have
to understand religion in its proper perspective. Your mind may be
changing constantly, but the matham (religion) does not change. Hence, do
not give scope for doubt in every aspect. Do not entertain any doubts.
Keep only one thing in mind – truth and love. Truth is Atma. What is the
meaning of the word ‘Myself?’ It means Atma. Follow your Atma. That is
your Dharma. If you do this, you will not encounter any calamity.
Everything will merge into this Divine Atma. Realise the Truth. Then your
life will be sanctified.
Embodiments of Love! May you all hold
on to the two principles of Sathya (Truth) and Dharma (Righteousness).
Dharma does not mean charity. You have to follow the dictates of your
conscience, which is based upon Truth and Righteousness. You are all
embodiments of Truth! You are all Embodiments of Sathya Sai! Remember this
truth and march forward in your life’s journey. Often times you worry,
“Swami did not talk even once during these Dasara days.” Today is
Vijayadasami day. It was the day when Sai shed the old body. Today, Sai
who has donned a new body is narrating to you incidents that happened
while He was in the old body.
You should not join the bad company
of friends. If you do so, you will also become bad. You must always move
in good company. What is meant by good company? Sathya and Dharma. Hence,
you should always move in the company of Truth and righteousness. If you
hold on to these two values steadfastly, your life will go on happily and
smoothly.
Very soon, the entire country will become one, shedding
once for all, all divisive tendencies. In fact, the whole world will
become one; shedding the differences of nation, religion, caste, etc., and
all the people will experience Divinity. All people will move like
brothers and sisters. You address each other as ‘brother’ and ‘sister’.
You say ‘hello’ to one another. But, of what use it is if there is
hollowness inside. You should always greet each other with a pleasant
smile on your face. You should never exhibit your feelings with a wild
laugh saying, ‘Ahaha …’ You should put on a sweet and soft smile on your
face. That is the real laughter. If you make a loud noise while smiling,
it amounts to insulting others. You are very fortunate to be here. I have
explained the real meaning of the two gold coins gifted by Shirdi Sai Baba
to Lakshmibai. Several people tried their best to snatch those coins from
her. But, she did not oblige anyone. She returned them to Baba saying,
“These coins belong to You. I am giving them back to You. Neither my
children nor anyone else has anything to do with them.” The children are
born. The relationship between a husband and wife comes only after
marriage. If there is no bond of marriage, neither is there a wife nor a
husband. If the husband and wife are not there, there is no scope at all
for the child to be born. Thus, no one is related to the other. Each one
for himself or herself only! That is the message conveyed in the famous
“Bhaja Govindam” song composed by Adi Sankara.
Bhagawan concluded
His Discourse with the song, “Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam …”
-
From Bhagawan’s Vijayadasami Discourse in Sai Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi
Nilayam on 21st October 2007.
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