Bhakti alone is enough to acquire Jnana

Sairam,                                   

Naradha once offered to teach Vijnaanabodha i.e., the principles of philosophy to the Gopees (illiterate cowherd women) with the permission of Krishna. Gopees said, "We do not care for your learning and your discourse. We see Krishna everywhere and in everything and so, we have no hate or envy or malice. We have Samadhrishti and we have no ahamkaaram (egoism). We believe this is enough for us."  Naaradha found that what they claimed was correct and left discomfited. Bhakthi alone is enough even to acquire Jnaana. It ends in samadhrishti (seeing only Brahman in all) and it destroys egoism. The proof of bhakthi is in the shaanthi the bhaktha has, which protects him against the onslaughts of success as well as failure, fame, dishonour, gain and loss. 

Lord is the Moolasthaanam (sanctum sanctorum) of Sathya, Dharma, Shaanthi and Prema  (Truth, Virtue, Peace and Love). He has been holding forth these ideals and emphasizing their practice in all his avathars. You will gain full, free and undiminishable Aanandha by practicing Aachaara and Vichaara (conduct and deliberation which is a god-given gift) and by following the course of discipline recommended in the ancient scriptures for ages that is suitable from the cradle to the grave. Lord like the people who are God-loving but not God-fearing.

Prayer and Bhajan always give aanandha and shaanthi. They will remove many factions and misunderstanding festering the mankind and join the hearts of the people. See that they are not used for increasing your egoism, mutual recrimination, envy and pride. Be humble, calm, tolerant, co-operate with all and treat everyone with courtesy and kindness.

Man is a compound of animal and angel. He has pure spark of divinity beneath the animal qualities. It is the duty of even man to transform the low values into higher values. Man tastes joy and grief as he believes and afflicted by falsehoods (bhraanthi i.e., by Deha bhraanthi, Indhriya bhraanthi, Mano bhraanthi and Loka bhraanthi and pursues the body, the senses, the mind and the world. Be concerned with spiritual arts and give up them such as drunkards, evil men, power-drunk personalities and clowns that cater to vulgar tastes.

You continue to do a thing knowing it is improper by curbing your conscience and suppressing your nobler impulses. Saadhana (spiritual effort) with full of vairaagya (detachment) is essential to win Bliss that is incomparable to the joy got from the external world. Prema will well up only when the attachment to worldly things, sensual pleasures and personal pride do not invade the mind. You can achieve the richest reward with silence, prayer and communion with Master. Jnaana is obtained by Upaasana (adoration of God) that leads to the knowledge that he is in all and there is no second. Simple faith in the words of the wise is more profitable than years of study and discussion.

You should resolve and take the responsibility to maintain the honour and dignity of the mankind. Do not fritter away your hard-earned incomes on tinsel, entertainment and temporary pleasure; Most of you are leading a double or treble life. All the worldly activites only serve to hide the real nature of the individual, to overwhelm it under a mass of trivialities, to suppress the natural influence of the real truth of man. The success in conquest of the ego is a very hard task and needs years of persistent effort but guarantees lasting happiness and escape from the weary round of birth and death. You can recognise Lord in your own self by developing love for him.

Source: Bangalore, Shivaajinagar, 1963 Malleshwaram, Sathya Sai Bhajana Mandali, 1963

--SATHY SAI

Omsai Srisai Jaijaisai