December 18th, 2005 -  “Christmas 2005”-  Part 2



OM…OM…OM...  Sai Ram,    With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Swami accepts all religions. Next week will be very busy here with the Christmas celebration in Sai Kulwant Hall in the Divine presence of our most beloved Bhagavan. I doubt it will be possible for us to meet then, and therefore I would like to finish the discussion that we started last week on the significance of Christmas.



AWARENESS OF opportunities
God gives us opportunities and it up to us to make the most of them. He grants us whatever we pray for and, until we realize that we have nothing to ask for but His grace, He goes on granting us whatever we pray for. In doing this, our merciful God gives us any number of opportunities to flower, to blossom, and to grow. He leaves it up to us to decide how to best make use of the opportunities extended to us by Him.



For example, we may pray for wisdom.



“Oh God, let wisdom dawn on me. Let me have this treasure of wisdom.”



If that is my prayer, God will give me a number of opportunities to be wise in this world. It is for me to recognize these opportunities that He has so mercifully granted so that I may receive and cultivate the wisdom that He has given. We must be alert, we must be aware, in order to recognize and make the most of the opportunities that God has given us.



If I pray for patience, God will give me any number of opportunities to learn to be patient. I am not being negative, but the fact is that the circumstances under which we best learn patience are those in which no one talks to us obligingly, (laughter), those when nobody is willingly to help us. Those are the best circumstances through which to learn patience.



If we complain or reject these opportunities given, we will not learn anything. On the other hand, if we take these challenges as an opportunity to learn patience, then we will certainly grow.



If I pray for love, God will grant me any number of opportunities to cultivate love so that I can learn to share, to give, and to serve. We have a number of opportunities to share. We are given many things which we can share with the poor and needy. The only thing is that I have to recognize these opportunities that God has given me. Basically, what I want to emphasize before I move on is that we have to be alert. We have to recognize and be aware of the opportunities that God grants us to grow in what we have asked for - be it to grow in wisdom, or in patience, or in love.

wise men in our action
The other point to which I want to draw your attention this morning is this:



Someone asked Christ, “Who among men is truly wise?”



His answer was simple and straightforward. “Not he who speaks wisely, but he who acts wisely.” Therefore, a wise man is the one who acts wisely, and not one who speaks wisely.



This is the reason that Baba once said, “Heroes on platform, zeroes in practice.” (Laughter).



He added on another occasion that people don’t mind talking, but they hesitate to act. Where there is harmony of thought, word, and deed, there is Bliss and Divinity. Therefore, let us be wise in our actions, not only in our words.

humility
Somebody asked Christ (Bhagavan, Swami, Christ himself), “Lord, I want advice from you. I want to understand what it is that you want me to know.”



Christ simply said to them, “Always consider where your bread comes from. Always consider where your bread comes from.” Here the bread does not mean that which comes from the bakery. By bread, he meant the very sustenance of life. Let us understand where our bread comes from. By understanding that, we will understand the need to be humble and meek.



Baba said on one occasion, “What is it that you boast of? What is it that you can feel proud of in this world?”



In the entire cosmos, in the entire universe, our earth is one of the smaller planets. On this little planet earth, so small in the vastness of the universe, two-thirds or three-fourths of the surface is covered by water. That leaves only one-third or one-fourth of this little planet that is covered by inhabitable land. Of this land, you belong to one continent and one country, which is now the size of an ant compared to the vastness of the whole universe. In this ant-size country where you are born, you belong to a state or a province or a county. Within that, you belong to a town or a village that would not even be the size of a speck in the eye of an ant. (Laughter).



So what is it that you feel proud of? If I am to feel proud of anything in this world, it should only be about this one thing – that no other man can ever equal me in my foolishness (Laughter). No one can compete with me in my stupidity (Laughter). No one could ever attempt to be my equal to me in arrogance (Laughter). So what is there to feel proud of? Should we feel proud of our madness, foolishness, arrogance, and hatred? Truly, there is nothing to feel proud of.



The need for humility comes down to the fact that all good things are accomplished by God through you. That is what Christ said. Bhagavan Baba repeatedly tells us this when He says, “After all, you are instruments.”



An instrument cannot say, “I am everything.” Scissors or needles cannot say that they are the surgeon. After all, scissors and needles are only tools in the hands of the surgeon. They cannot claim any success of their own and similarly, my friends, we cannot claim any achievements as our own. All good things are only accomplished by God through us. We need to be grateful to Him for the lovely opportunity that He has given to us to be His instrument. We need to be respectful and offer praise to God for the opportunities and occasions He has given to us to love.



service in prashanti nilayam is a blessing given by god
Once Bhagavan said, “You know why I want people to work here?” I think you won’t be surprised if I say that many Sai people working here in Prashanti are over 60 years old. In some centers, few people are above 70, but people don’t age here in Prashanti Nilayam. Age is afraid of them (Laughter). People get younger and younger here.



Anyway, Baba said, “I can get things done by employing a few people here and, in doing so, also provide employment opportunities to the unemployed in the process. I myself can get things done better than this, yet I give you this opportunity to serve and to participate in the Divine mission.”



This is His blessing. The service that you do here is not routine, monotonous, programmed, or conditioned activity for which you are remunerated. No. This is spiritual sadhana. Service in Prashanti Nilayam is sadhana, a spiritual activity. Service in Prashanti Nilayam is an opportunity and a blessing given by God. Therefore, my friends, whatever good we do, the whole and sole credit goes to Him. That is a fact.



A good number of senior people over 70 years of age are employed here, yet we find them dashing about faster than youngsters. It is a surprise. The moment Swami goes to Kodaikanal or Bangalore, people here start complaining (Laughter). They complain about their arthritis. They complain about their bronchitis. They complain that their blood pressure has risen.



Where were these complaints during the ten months when Swami was here? In a calendar year, Bhagavan spends ten long months here and only two months in Kodaikanal and Bangalore. During those two months he is away, high blood pressure and arthritis become commonplace in our bodies here. It is almost as if they say, “This man’s body is a seven star hotel for me. He is a holiday summer resort. Let me enjoy this man.” (Laughter)



What has happened during the last ten months? Let us ask ourselves this question. The one who made us active, dynamic, efficient, and proficient during these past ten long months was not you. No. It was not due to your skills or talent. It was because of the Divine force. It was because of His Divine grace. It was because of His inscrutable Divine will that works on us all through the ten month long period that He is with us. This should make us feel very humble.



names are many; god is one
The moment you look at a picture of Christ, what do you feel? If you say that you do not feel anything, well, I think something is wrong with you (Laughter). Christ’s picture has a message to convey. Just as you are thrilled and excited and feel your prayers answered when you look upon Bhagavan’s face, just as you feel solace, comfort and bliss when you see Swami’s picture, you should have the same feeling when you look upon a picture of Christ.



If you say you don’t feel that then something is wrong with you because you must then consider Christ to be different from Baba and that Baba to be different from Christ. You are biased, partial to Baba. If this is so, you have not yet understood the principle of unity. Baba is the second coming of Christ. Baba is the cosmic Christ Himself. Once you understand this, you will get thrilled and excited seeing these Holy Men, be it in person or in a picture.

unity is diversity
I know a lady who is the mother of a pastor who works in a church in my native village. She is an elderly lady of some 70 years. Every Sunday she religiously attends church because her son is a pastor who works there. They live in the Church compound. One day, at the end of a prayer, she suddenly called to me, “Please come here.” When I went, I saw red marks and blood stains in the form of a Cross on her palm. I noticed this not once but several times. That made me feel absolutely convinced that whatever name you may breathe or utter or sing to the glory of, all of the Holy Men are of the same one Divinity.



Names and forms are many, but God is one. Cows may be many, but the milk is one. This oneness, this unity, is the quintessence of the message of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. When we do not understand this principle of unity and instead maintain feelings of separation, division, and fragmentation, our mind is dual, and Baba has said, “A dual mind is half blind.”



We said, “Swami, why half blind? It is totally blind.”



So, let us not be blind by being dual. Let us understand that unity is diversity. The feeling of oneness is most important as we step into this hall on Christmas Eve.

give, give and forgive
What is the message of Jesus in the scriptures? Only four letters—G-I-V-E. Give, give and give! Yes. Jesus always gave. His life was an endless process of giving. Of course, we are at the other extreme. We always want to get. While God is at one end, giving and forgiving, we are at another end, getting and forgetting.



So the Christmas message, and message of Jesus Christ to all of us, is to give and give and give continuously, not only on Sai’s birthday or on Sunday, not only on Christmas or when we have had special ceremonies in Church. We should learn to always give, give, and give. That is the message of Christmas, of Christ, and of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.



I once asked Baba, “Swami, why are you so anxious to give? Swami why don’t you take some time before you give something? The moment you receive something, you want to give away immediately. Why? Why don’t you take some time first?”



This was a foolish question I had asked - being a fool myself (Laughter).



“Why don’t you take some time? Why do you start distributing everything immediately?”



Do you know what Baba said?



“I feel very happy giving.” Furthermore, He also says, “I give so that you may learn to give, so that you may learn from my example.”



Therefore my friends, Jesus’ message to everybody is to cultivate the habit of giving. It does not have to be financial or monetary. It may be your talent, your time, or your resources that you give. Give whatever you can. You may give your time or knowledge. That is sacrifice, and that is the Christmas message that we have a chance to learn, to come to understand and live.



Jesus once said, “If a beggar comes to your doorstep and you turn him away, or ask him to leave, know that the angels will not visit you for seven days.” What does this mean? He is not talking about an angel in form. Here, angels represent auspiciousness. Angels here represent sanctity. Angels here represent that which is valuable and precious. Therefore, when I hold back and ask a beggar to go away, it means I am denying myself the auspicious moments of life. That’s what Jesus said.



What does Baba say in this regard?



If anybody comes to you begging, understand that he is there to teach you a lesson. What is the lesson? Since I did not give to anybody yesterday, today I am begging from you. If you do not give to me today, you will join me tomorrow so that we can beg together (Laughter).



A beggar has a lesson to convey. Moreover, remember and realize that you are not superior to that beggar because in both of you there is God. That is the second point Baba made. God in you is helping God in him, and both of you are the same.



Therefore, if you judge according to the name and form, then you will feel that you are superior to the person you are serving. No one is superior to anybody simply because you are giving money to them and they are receiving. You are never superior. The truth here is that in this, you are being give an opportunity by God. We should be grateful to the receiver. We should be grateful to the person we helped. That’s what Baba says to people. “Why do you thank me? I should thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you.” This means that I have to be thankful to the recipients and beneficiaries of my help.

serve the poor with tears in your eyes
Jesus was once asked, “How may I bear witness to Thee in my daily life? How can I witness Divinity?”



Christ answered, “Serve the poor with tears in your eyes. When tears are there, the witness of My presence in your daily life is also there.”



Why tears? Should I shed tears because I am parting with some part of the whole that I have? Why shed tears? Is it because I am losing something? Why tears? No, these are tears of joy. Shed grateful tears of joy. “Oh God, thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve them! Oh God, you have appeared before me in this form so that I can serve You.”



Someone asked Baba, “Please show me how to serve You.”



Baba said, “I am serving you; you don’t have to serve Me.”



Further, He said, “Whosoever you serve, understand that it is service to Me. Whosoever you deny or reject, understand that this is a total denial of thy God. Understand this.” That is what Bhagavan said.



Let us try to be aware of the Divinity within us by serving the poor with tears of joy whenever the opportunity is given. It is an opportunity and a blessing given to us. That is the message of Jesus Christ.

divine adjustment
We have to make a kind of spiritual or Divine adjustment as Christmas is fast approaching. Our understanding needs a Divine adjustment. What do I mean by a Divine adjustment? It is not said to manipulate you. No. We look to God when we are in trouble, when we face trials and tribulations in our lives. We look to God when we face challenges in life, but to this we must make some adjustments.



I am really surprised and very often shocked when people speak about how Swami saved them when their life was in danger.



“I was sick, I was lying in bed, I was almost dying, and Baba saved me.”



So, you want to be sick in bed again so that you may experience Him? (Laughter).



“I was driving my car and I had an accident, but Swami saved me.”



Does it take an accident to make you feel His presence? Should only being at the threshold of death make you feel His presence? My friends, this is a negative way of seeing things.



Right now we are happy. We should feel His presence. Right now we are healthy. We should feel His presence. Right now we are not under any litigation. We are not in a hospital. Right now we are not in the Intensive Coronary Care Unit, the ICCU. Now we are fine. Let’s feel His presence now. Why don’t we think of Him and feel Him during our moments of pleasure? Why don’t we think of God when we are fine? This is the Divine adjustment that we need to make.



Let us think of how God has made us happy, blissful and healthy. Let us be grateful to Him for the peace, harmony, unity and security that He has given to us. This is the Divine adjustment we must make, going beyond thinking of God only in our times of trial and tribulation.

divine adjustment #2
Another adjustment that we must make is to learn to truly surrender, rather than just paying lip service to doing so. I do not think that we surrender totally.



“Oh God I am grateful to you for what You have provided. Please give me a green card to settle in the United States of America.” (Laughter).



“Oh God, I will see you again only if you help me win the state lottery.” (Laughter)



“Oh God, I will jump for joy if I get first row this afternoon during darshan.” (Laughter)



This is not surrender. This is only conditional love. This is a selfish approach. Surrendering is accepting things as they are, not as you wish them to be. Let your desires, your choices, and your preferences never be a bottleneck between you and God. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven means, “Oh God, let Your will prevail. Let my will never interfere with Yours.” Therefore, Divine adjustment means that we must learn to make our surrender total, not conditional.

THE ETERNAL witness ALONE CAN JUDGE
On this Christmas day, let us also resolve not to judge anyone. “Judge not lest thou shall be judged. Condemn not, lest thou shall be condemned.”



We are interested in judging everybody. Who says he is a good man? How do we know? (Laughter). Is he a good man just because he says ‘Sai Ram’ to you? (Laughter). How do you know that he is a good man? Is it because you share the same dining table? How do you know that someone is good? How do you decide that a person is bad? These judgments represent a negative quality in us. These judgments are non-spiritual, non-religious, and a gross injustice. They are acts of madness.



How can you judge? When I oblige you, you say I am good and great. The moment I say ‘I am sorry, but I cannot do that for you,’ you will say that I am horrible. So your judgment is based only on your mutual relationships. Let us not judge anybody because there is a Judge of judges within us - The Eternal Witness. The Eternal Witness within us will judge. He alone can judge.



Here is what Baba says. Chitra means peculiar, mysterious, and incomprehensible. Gupta means that which is confidential or secret. Chitragupta is the name of a person. Chitragupta is the name of a person within us. The Eternal Witness is makes and keeps a record of everything that I do, and He is a very good accountant indeed.



In the eye of public, I may be a good man, but Chitragupta, the one within me, secretly records everything that I have done in His own inimitable unique style. I may be a man of truth to you, but I may be a man of blatant lies according to the accountant within. Therefore, my friends, it is important to not judge people, because God alone can judge. None of us can judge.



body is the moving temple
If you think that God is in a temple and that we can see him only on Saturday because Saturday is very dear to Lord Venkateshwara, that is up to you. If you think that God will judge me on Thursday because Thursday is Sai Baba’s day, then you are free to believe that, but I must tell you that I don’t ascribe to that view.



Bhagavan Baba Himself said that the body is the temple of God. The body is a moving temple. When the body is a moving temple, where is God? The indweller of the temple is God Himself.



According to Christian theology and faith, what is meant by ‘God being within you?’ It means that the Kingdom of God is within you because the body is the temple of God. Therefore, my friends, let us not judge. He is there to judge. Let us not assume His role.

judge yourself first
Now I would like to bring a small anecdote to your attention.



A couple once visited a garden close to their home. They were intimate, holding hands as they walked, something which is not acceptable in the Indian communities (Laughter). We Indians can argue, but at a distance (Laughter). We don’t see eye to eye at home, but still we maintain a respectable distance (Laughter). We don’t walk around hand-in-hand here. Because of this, everyone took notice of the couple who were holding hands as they walked. In fact, the other people in the same street could not bear the sight of this because they wanted to walk like that but could not (Laughter). We deny and condemn certain things, not necessarily to maintain the social norms and dharma, but instead simply because we feel that we cannot do it ourselves. “I want to do that, but I cannot, yet you are doing it. Therefore, I must condemn you” (Laughter). It is a convenient philosophy (Laughter).



Anyway, people in the street could not bear to see this couple walking so intimately, always hand-in-hand. A week passed and finally some of the people approached an elderly gentlemen. “Sir, you are a senior citizen here. Your word is respected by everyone. Why don’t you ask the couple to maintain some distance?”



This old man thought that he was the custodian and steward of all dharma. Fool number one! The fellow who thinks he is the custodian of dharma is a fool! Who are you? How can you say that you are the custodian? Anyway, this elderly man went to the couple and said, “This is not the Indian way. You cannot act so intimate here. Please put some distance between you.”



The husband apologetically said, “Sir, it is not that we want to walk like this. Let me humbly submit to you that she lost her sight in an accident. She is totally blind and I have to guide her.”



Hearing this, the old man felt like committing suicide (Laughter).



Who are we to condemn? Under what circumstances do things happen? How do we know? Without total knowledge, without complete understanding, who are we to judge? Baba says that it is ourselves whom we should judge first. How bad, how proud and how self-centered we are! In a polished way, He says, “Seek out your own faults, and seek others’ merits.” Know your own faults and the merits of others. That is the message of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.



The Holy Bible says, “Condemn not lest thou shall be condemned. Judge not lest thou shall be judged.”



Baba says, “Judge yourself and know the merits of others.”



divine intervention
We know how Baba has saved the lives of many all over the world. No one knows what form He will appear in to do this. It could be as a stranger, or as a relative, or as your boss or as your maid servant that He may come to your rescue. That is Divine intervention. It is not interference, but rather intervention. The Divine intervenes when it is necessary. God acts in His own style.



How do you know that God has come to you? He will not show you His identity card, nor does He need to show anything because He doesn’t want or need your acknowledgement. Acknowledgment is possible when all the senses are functioning. When I see, I can acknowledge. When I hear, I can accept. When I taste, I can be clear. But God is beyond the senses. When God is beyond the senses, how do you ask for His identification? We have to be aware that God may come to us in any form at any time.



In the previous incarnation of Baba as Shirdi Sai Baba, He once appeared as a dog. Shirdi Baba also once appeared in the form of a buffalo. I share this simply as a matter of reference, without an iota of ego. This is written in an article published in a magazine named Srivani, and reflects the experience of a professor working in the Business Management Department in the Kaveli district in Andhra Pradesh.



In 1985, when I was transferred from Bangalore to Parthi, this professor wrote to me and said, “I saw you in Bangalore. How is that possible? Was it Baba who appeared to me in your form?”



I told him gently, sweetly, gracefully, and respectfully that, “In all humility my friend, I am so happy that Baba has chosen this form to appear, but it is nothing for me to feel proud of because Shirdi Bhagavan once appeared in the form of a buffalo (Laughter). Shirdi Bhagavan appeared in the form of a buffalo so this fellow, Anil Kumar, is as good as the buffalo.”



There is nothing special about it because He is the chooser. He chooses whatever form He likes. It is not up to you. Therefore my friends, God may appear in any form that He chooses. He establishes His own Divine contact to save His children.



let us live in his presence

Another simple anecdote: A man received a phone call at about 10:00 pm when he was very tired and frustrated. He answered and found to his utter dismay that it was a wrong number. Disgusted, he hung up.



At midnight, he again got a call. Again it was a wrong number, and again he was very upset and he hung up. He was already frustrated, tired, and exhausted, yet he kept getting these repeated wrong numbers.



Somehow he could make out the caller’s number, and the next morning he got a phone from the same number (Laughter). The caller apologetically said, “I am sorry Sir. I disturbed you several times last night. Please excuse me.”



The man replied, “You did not disturb me. You don’t have to be sorry. I was upset last night. I was so frustrated last night that I was about to commit suicide. Here I was holding a pistol, holding a loaded gun, preparing to shoot myself. I wanted to die. I wanted to shoot myself. I wanted to commit suicide, and it was at that time that you called. Before committing suicide, I had one thought—‘God, if You don’t want me to die, show me one sign of grace that You want me to live.’ It was at that moment that I got your call, so here I am still today.”



So the kind of rapport that God establishes with you and the form God employs when He comes to rescue you is known only to God Himself. We should just concentrate our mind on God.



What does that mean? We think that God is here to look after us and that we can do whatever we want. God is not a servant. Let’s understand that God has His own will. He is not a servant or a storekeeper who simply is here to give you whatever you want.



Let us live in His presence. Living in God’s presence means being aware of His Divinity. God is in me. He is talking now. He is listening now. He is watching now. He is the Witness. Understanding this is what is meant by living in the presence of God, so that all of our acts can be dedicated to Him.



At this moment my friends, I want to draw your attention to a very interesting incident that happened here. Sometimes people come to me and ask, “Anil Kumar, can you tell us some stories about Baba?”



I am not a storyteller (Laughter). I am not a grandfather here to engage you (Laughter). I relate facts. You can concoct stories, but facts cannot be concocted.



cosmic christ is In Our midst

In this context, I want to draw your attention to the fact that Baba is the second coming of Jesus Christ, as promised in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, it is clearly stated that He will have a halo of hair and will wear a red robe. All Baba’s identifying marks are discussed in the New Testament. That’s why, while so many people look forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ, we are lucky. With His grace, we know that Cosmic Christ is among us. He is eighty years old, and he walks in our midst today.



Jesus was born in a manger, into a poor family, in a tiny hamlet. Bhagavan Baba’s birthplace also happened to be a village, a tiny hamlet. He was also born into a very poor family, in total poverty. Jesus was surrounded by shepherds. Baba was surrounded by cowherds (Laughter). Jesus and Baba were equally educated, but uneducated from the worldly point of view. Still, they can command the whole world because of their wisdom.



vision is restored

I should also bring to your attention something I noticed in the interview room. I think I told you this long ago but some things are worth repeating.



Jesus was traveling when He came upon an old blind man. This blind man said, “Oh Lord, I want to see you, but I am blind and helpless.”



The merciful Lord looked at him with concern and mercy and touched both his eyes gently, and then the man’s vision was restored! This man then said to Jesus, “Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” The blind man could see again after receiving the touch of Jesus Christ.



A similar thing happened here in the 1970s. Bhagavan granted an interview to a group of devotees from a village. Among them, there was an elderly person who could not squat on the ground. Swami made him sit on the chair while the others were seated on the ground. Swami looked at a younger man and said, “You, fellow, you are irresponsible. You have not realized that your father is an old man and that he cannot work any longer.” He scolded him.



Further, Baba said, “I named you. I got you married. How thin you were then! And today, I have to widen my doors for you to enter. You don’t regulate your diet.”



Bhagavan reprimands in heavy doses, and this fellow put on a long Shakespearean face. Swami then went to the father and said, “How are you?”



“Swami, I am sorry, but because of my diabetes, my situation has totally changed. In the past, I could come here and have your darshan repeatedly, but now, even if I am here, I can’t see you my Lord, because the diabetes has left me blind.”



Baba said, “Why do you feel sorry?”



Baba then gently touched the man’s eyes, and then he could once again see. He immediately shouted, “Sai Ram Sai Ram!”



Everybody soon heard that the blind man could see again after receiving Bhagavan’s touch. What Jesus had done was repeated again for us so that we might be aware of the second coming of Jesus Christ.



One day, the Lord Jesus came upon a lady who was very sick and had heavy bleeding. As Jesus passed by, she wanted to touch his feet but she could not. Finally, she managed to just barely touch the hem of His garment as he passed. When Jesus left, her sickness also left her. Praise the Lord. Somebody brought this to Christ’s attention, saying “Oh Lord, that lady’s health was restored just by touching your garment.”



Do you know what Christ said? “Thou have touched the hem of my garment.” Of the entire garment I wore, she touched only the hem, the edge, that’s all. When that hem could bring about such a miracle, imagine the power of Divinity as a whole.



That’s why Baba says, “You speak of miracles which are the size of a mosquito while My Divinity is the size of an elephant.” Let us think of the gigantic, Herculean, tremendous, magnificent, Himalayan Divinity of Bhagavan compared to which these miracles are just mosquitoes.



We also hear of Jesus Christ raising Lazarus from death. Lazarus rose from the dead says the Bible. His body was declared dead for three days and was on the verge of decaying.



Once here in India, a man had died, and the near and dear refused to cremate his body. They were waiting for the arrival of Bhagavan. Bhagavan arrived and said to the dead man, “What is wrong with you?”



They said, “Swami, is this the time to joke? He is lying there dead. Is this the time to joke?”



Swami said, “He is not dead. Bring him a hot cup of coffee.” (Laughter). With that, the man got up. This was recorded by Howard Murphet in Man of Miracles Volume I. With the touch of Bhagavan, the dead can rise.



nothing is everything



Jesus Christ’s message was conveyed through stories, parables and anecdotes. Baba’s message is also full of stories and anecdotes. Jesus Christ had nothing but was everything. Once he said, “I didn’t have anything in the morning, and I don’t have anything this evening, but I am the richest.” Baba says that He has no separate bank account. He asks why we have so many new pairs of clothes when he dresses similarly every day. He doesn’t have anything, but He has everything. He is everything.



Baba once opened his palm and asked a group, “What is this?”



Somebody said, “Nothing.”



Baba immediately said, “Nothing is everything. Everything is nothing.”



So my friends, as we think of Christmas, we are reminded of the qualities of merciful Lord Jesus. God gave his only Son for the salvation of humanity, reminding us of the spirit of sacrifice. Similarly, Bhagavan is sacrificing His life, energy, and resources for the emancipation of humanity. Understanding this helps us understand the meaning behind the Christmas celebration. The life of Christ was quite similar to that of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.



giving and forgiving lord

When a lady who was guilty of committing adultery was about to be stoned to death as per the code in those days, Jesus happened to pass by and said, “Let he who has committed no sin be the one to throw the first stone.”



Everyone began questioning themselves. There is no person who has never committed a sin. Everyone is guilty in his own way. How do you point the finger at others when you yourself are guilty? You have a bean in your eye, so why do you want to show the other the mole in his eye? Is this not foolishness? It is.



Then Jesus told this woman, “Look here, I have not committed any sin, but I am not going to throw stones at you. Go forth woman. Go woman, and sin no more,” said Jesus Christ.



Giving and forgiving was Lord Jesus. His life was His message. Giving and forgiving is God, is Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.



knowledge of the self is supreme



Bhagavan says if you know yourself, you don’t have to know anything else. In the knowledge of the self, all forms of knowledge are contained. Jesus said, “Seek ye the kingdom of Heaven and everything shall be given unto you.”



My friends a lot more can be said about Jesus and Christmas and the meaning of it. I reverentially recall my days spent in the campus of the great Christian college where I spent 30 long years. There I was exposed to many Christian missionaries. The credit for me being what I am today goes to the Christian college where I studied and worked. Particularly during this season, we had every hostel celebrating Christmas. We had Higher Hall Christmas, staff Christmas, community Christmas, college Christmas. The whole month was full of Christmas celebrations, full of fun, frolic, festivity, and decoration. I really thank you for being here and helping me to return to my Christian college days as a student and a staff member.



May Bhagavan, may the Almighty Jesus, shower His choicest blessings on each one of you here!



Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! God Bless You!





(Bhajans)



OM…OM…OM…



Asato Maa Sad Gamaya

Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya

Mrtyormaa Amrtam Gamaya



Om Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu

Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu

Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu



Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

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