Sairam,

 Prashaanthi Nilayam, 1963

The Lord is all pervading prema.

Once at Shirdi, Dr. Pillai came with much suffering and he fell at the feet of Baaba and prayed that he might be given ten births with the chance of dividing the pain into ten parts so that he could suffer a little each time and pay off his kaarmic debt without being hard put to it having to pay it all off in one! Baaba heart melted and got the pain transferred to himself out of his love towards his bhakthas. Baaba relieved Dr. Pillai from his pain by suffering himself for ten minutes at the rate of one minute for each janma (birth) and was quite normal as soon as the 10 minutes were over. The lord has no dhwesha (hatred) in him and he is all pervading prema.

 

You must recognise the spark of love in every living being as a reflection of the Premaswaruupa (the embodiment of Love) of the God who is residing in your heart. Recognise this spring of love that bubbles in your heart, rely on it more and more, develop its possibilities, try to irrigate the whole world with it, discard all touch of self from it and do not seek anything in return from those to whom you extend it.

 

Prema must be many-stranded because single stranded love is too weak. Have it many-stranded, one towards the mother, another towards the father, others strands towards husband, wife, friend, son, daughter, etc. Prema is all embracing and it cannot be confined to one item and denied to another. It is the current that flows over all meditation on the Lord and his prema will help you to tap the spring of love from the depths of your heart.

 

Ahimsa (non-injury) is the rice; Arpitha (dedication) is the gram; praayaschittham (expiation) the raisins; paschaaththaapam (repentance) is the jaggery. Mix all these well with the ghee, sadhgunam (virtue). That is the offering you should make to your Ishtadevatha (chosen deity), not the paltry stuff that made out of articles got for a paisa in the shops! Those who knew this secret passage to the heart of the Lord, realise him quick and fast. Some persons feel intoxicated by the emotions and they get nearly mad on account of the devotion they have. But such overpowering emotions have to be mastered and One has to transform bhakthi into jnaana and become stronger thereby.

 

The sadhanas other than Naamasmarana are fraught with difficulties and need rigorous discipline and much preliminary effort. During Naamasmarana, as soon as the name is uttered the owner of the name comes into view and the form automatically appears before the mental eye. The name of the lord is a limitation of the Universal and it identifies the un-identifiable through one of its aspects. Take the name as the Upaadhi (disguise) as a means of saving yourself; take it as a boat that will take you across the sea of birth and death.

 

Remove the feeling of inferiority that you are this body and feel that you are Aathma-swaruupa, Nithya-swaruupa and Aanandha-swaruupa (Absolute, Eternal and Blissful); then, every act of yours becomes a yajna and puja (sacrifice and ritual worship). The ear, the eye, the tongue and the feet all become tools for your uplift but not traps for your destruction. Transform thamogunam (quality of inertia) into thapogunam (quality of austerity) and save yourself.

 

--SATHY SAI

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Omsai Srisai Jaijaisai