Shivarathri 2005– Evening Discourse
Related links:
Shivaratri Morning Discourse
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YOU ARE
ALL AMRUTAPUTRAS – SONS OF IMMORTALITY
In this supremely holy land of Bharat
Tolerance is the towering quality of our character;
Of all the religious vows, the foremost is
Adherence to Truth, which is difficult to practise;
The sweetest and most respectable feeling in this land of Bharat
is the feeling towards mother;
Consigning to flames the moral fabric of our country
which ordains self-respect as greater than one’s own life,
The dagger of unrestrained freedom has been given to people
Imitating the Western way of life;
Alas! What can I say about the rulers of this land of Bharat?
Just as an elephant cannot realise its own strength
So are the Bharatiyas today. (Telugu poem)
Embodiments of Love!
No one has been able to realise the uniqueness, greatness and sanctity of this
holy land of Bharat so far. The culture of Bharat is nobler and holier than all
other cultures in the world. This unique culture is pervading from the microcosm
to the macrocosm equally. Unfortunately, nowadays, the Bharatiyas have forgotten
this great culture and are practising the alien culture. The great human values
of Sathya (Truth) and Dharma (Righteousness) have declined in this holy land of
Bharat. However, fortunately, none has been able to root out these great human
values so far. There is nothing more sacred than Truth and Righteousness. They
are like the two eyes to a human being. Unfortunately, today, people are losing
the vision in these two eyes and thereby becoming blind. Though the students of
the present times are pursuing higher education and acquiring degrees, they are
losing sight of these great human values. Instead of fostering such a sacred and
noble culture and leading their lives in accordance with the principles laid
down in this great culture, people are wasting their time in vain pursuits. It
is only the practice of these great human values of Sathya (Truth), Dharma
(Righteousness), Santhi (Peace) and Prema (Love) that had made the country of
Bharat the great spiritual leader of the entire world. It is only when we foster
these great human values, we are entitled to be called Bharatiyas in the real
sense. Losing sight of even one of these values will not entitle us to the great
name of Bharatiyas. The real thyaga (sacrifice) is leading a life of constant
practice of these human values in our day-to-day lives. Our life must be a
continuous journey from Sathya (Truth) to Prema (Love) in the order of Sathya,
Dharma, Santhi and Prema. These values must enter the core of our heart and flow
in every cell of our body.
The whole creation is from Truth,
In Truth all creation merges.
Is there a place in this universe where the grandeur of Truth is not felt?
The entire universe is a manifestation of
Pure consciousness; know this reality. (Telugu poem)
From the time a human being is born from his mother’s womb, it is Truth and
Righteousness that are sustaining and fostering him. The women of Bharat have
undergone many ordeals in sustaining these great values amidst their household
duties and domestic chores. Yet, they have continuously taught these values to
their children. Swami knows too well how much suffering the parents of these
children undergo in bringing them up. What the students of the present times are
expected to acquire is not education and high degrees, but the essence of Truth
and Righteousness. One has to understand the real meaning of Sathya and Dharma.
The word “Sathya” consists of three letters “Sa”, “Tha” and “Ya”. The letter
“Sa” signifies the Sattwic quality, “Tha”, the quality of Thyaga (sacrifice) and
“Ya” the qualities of Yama and Niyama (inner and outer sense control). Hence,
the word “Sathya” means fostering the Sattwic quality with a spirit of sacrifice
and by observing sense control. Unfortunately, today, we are losing sight of
such great human values which formed the core of Bharatiya culture. Man today
does not know what Sathya and Dharma are. Dharma is taken to be duty. This
interpretation is not correct. This is only an English translation, rather
inadequately expressed! The real interpretation of Dharma is Dharayati iti
Dharma (that which sustains is Dharma). It sustains the human life. Sathya
(Truth) emerges from the Hridaya Nabhi (Heart region) of a human being. Thus,
when a man led a life of Sathya and Dharma, he will become sacred. The Pandavas
and Droupadi led such a noble life by following Sathya and Dharma. All your
present difficulties and humiliations are due to non adherence to Dharma.
One should obey the divine command with total faith and without any disputation
for or against. Markandeya was born out of a boon granted by Easwara to his
parents. Easwara asked his parents whether they wanted a virtuous son with a
short life-span or a son not so virtuous but who would live long. The parents
opted for a virtuous son. Accordingly, Markandeya was born. He was one of good
thought, good behaviour and good conduct. Easwara informed his parents that he
would live only for sixteen years. Nevertheless, the parents were joyous as they
had been blessed with a virtuous son. Years rolled by and Markandeya entered his
sixteenth year. Remembering the words of Easwara, his parents became
grief-stricken. His mother would often shed tears thinking of the impending
death of her son. Markandeya could not understand the cause of her grief and
wondered why she was shedding tears. One day, he found his parents steeped in
sorrow. On enquiry, they revealed that his death was very near as willed by the
divine and that was the cause of their sorrow. Markandeya felt sorry that
Easwara’s will was not revealed to him till then because of which he had wasted
the precious time allotted to him. He did not want to waste any more time. He
had an early bath, went to the temple of Easwara and started chanting the sacred
Shiva Panchakshari mantra, Namah Shivaya, with all sincerity and devotion. He
lost himself in the contemplation of Easwara. He did not expect any reward for
his prayers. He considered it as his primary duty to contemplate on God. The
following day was supposed to be the last day of his earthly sojourn. Hence he
remained in the temple. As he had not returned home, His parents went to the
temple and sat at the entrance. They were shedding tears thinking of the
impending end of Markandeya’s life. As ordained by the Lord, Markandeya left his
mortal coil the moment he completed his sixteenth year. His parents were in deep
sorrow. As Markandeya left his mortal body in the external world, his jiva
(soul) reached Lord Shiva in the divine world. The Lord was immensely pleased
with the sincere devotion of Markandeya. He said, “Markandeya! Today marks the
completion of your sixteenth year. You have come to Me in a happy frame of mind.
You have bowed down to My Will with implicit faith and obedience. I am pleased
with your devotion.” As Easwara was speaking to Markandeya in this manner,
Mother Parvati intervened and said, “Oh Lord! Why don’t You send him back to his
parents as he has obeyed Your command implicitly.” Easwara wanted Parvati also
to accompany Him. Together they restored life into the body of Markandeya. The
parents’ joy knew no bounds when they noticed some movement in Markandeya’s
body. He got up and said, “My dear mother and father, Lord Easwara and Mother
Parvati have brought me back to life.”
It is only God, who can save the life of a human being. Some doctors claim that
they can give good medicines or perform surgery to save the life of a person.
They make several promises thus, but they fail. Except God, none else can save
or prolong the life of a person. He only can interfere in the law of Karma. With
God’s grace, one can achieve anything in this world. Dear students! You must
strive to earn the grace of God right from your childhood. When you pray for His
grace and strive for the same, you will be protected by God.
Embodiments of Love!
Today is the holy day of Shivarathri. Shiva means auspiciousness. Where there is
Shiva (auspiciousness) there cannot be Shava (inauspiciousness). This holy day
of Shivarathri must be spent in the constant contemplation of God chanting the
holy name of Shiva right from early in the morning till you go to bed. The
Lord’s name must dance on your tongue. Divinity is eternal. It cannot be
achieved so easily. Nobody has been able to explain Divinity so far, though some
vague definitions like eternal, changeless, etc., have been given. The proper
definition of Divinity would be Ekam, Nityam, Vimalam, Achalam, Sarvadhee
Sakshibhutam Bhavateetam Trigunarahitam (One without a second, eternal, pure,
unchanging, witness to all functions of the intellect, beyond one’s imagination,
beyond the three Gunas (Sattwa, Rajas and Thamas).
One of the names attributed to Lord Shiva is Mrityunjaya, which means one who
has transcended death. This is from the worldly point of view. But if one wants
to understand the true and eternal nature of Divinity, one has to understand the
relationship between Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati. Once there was a slight
difference of opinion between them about giving an appropriate name to their
child. Parvati wanted to name the child by a particular name from among the
several names Lord Shiva has. Lord Shiva however, chose to name the child as
“Amrutaputra” (son of immortality). In fact, every human being is an
Amrutaputra. Even the Upanishads declare him so. The Upanishads reveal the true
identity of a human being by addressing as Srunvantu Viswe Amrutasya Putrah (Oh
the children of immortality! Listen).
Dear Devotees and Students!
You are also Amrutaputras, not Anrutaputras (sons of immortality, not
falsehood). One who is an Amrutaputra is not affected by change and death. You
verily are the embodiments of the changeless, eternal principle. Once Mother
Parvati was putting child Ganapati to sleep by rocking the cradle and singing a
lullaby, “Oh Amrutaputra! Sleep my dear! Sleep. If you are awake, the whole
world will be awake.” Lakshmidevi, the consort of Lord Vishnu came there and
witnessed the scene. She felt that it was rather a strange lullaby. She enquired
about the name of the child and Parvati told her that His name was Amrutaputra.
Lakshmidevi further enquired from where did she get that name. Parvati replied
that it was Lord Shiva who gave that name to the child. One who had descended
from Easwarattwa is Easwara Himself.
Embodiments of Love!
You are not reading the sacred texts of yore. Unless you read those texts also,
you will not be able to understand what is being related to you. Dear Students!
You are all Amrutaputras. People would naturally expect that you should live up
to that great appellation. In fact, the names given to children by elders in our
country have a lot of significance and meaning. They are not given just casually
or for fun. In order to understand the underlying meaning and sanctity of these
names, we must read the sacred texts like Puranas. Unable to realise the eternal
reality of the values of Sathya and Dharma, we are taking to wrong ways. We are
simply repeating the words Sathya, Dharma, Santhi and Prema like a parrot. But,
we are not making any effort to understand the true import and significance of
these great human values. All of you are Amrutaputras, not Anrutaputras.
Dear students!
Try to understand the true nature and significance of the names. It is a fact
that nobody has ever seen Lord Easwara in person. People call Him “Kailasavasi”
(the Lord who resides in Kailasa). Where is Kailasa? It is only when you
contemplate on Him in the depth of silence that you can visualise Lord Easwara
in Kailasa. Therefore, one has to practise “Mouna” (silence). And that silence
implies total stillness of thought and word.
Embodiments of Love!
You are all Amrutaputras. Hence, constantly remain under that awareness.
Proclaim yourself to be Amrutaputras. Whatever name has been already given to
you, prefix that name with “Amrutaputra”. If you consider yourself as
Anrutaputra, it is a great mistake and a misnomer. Hence, realise your true
nature and call yourself Amrutaputra.
(Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajan, “Prema Mudita Manase Kaho…”)
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