Embodiments of Love!
The message of holy Sivarathri is to spread the ideal and sanctity of this
most auspicious day to one and all. The principle of unity is slowly
declining among the people of the world. There is strife and discord between
even two brothers of the same small family.
In the divine family of Lord Siva,
there are only four members, namely, Lord Easwara, his consort
Parvati, and the two sons, Subramanya and Vinayaka. This
is an ideal family. There is no difference of opinion whatsoever either
between husband and wife or the two brothers. There is perfect accord and
harmony in their family. Mother Parvati and Lord Parameswara wanted to set
an example to the whole world in the matter of a most harmonious, perfect
and loving relationship between a wife and husband and between brothers. A
family is the most important functional unit in the world. If the family is
running on sound lines, the world will also run smoothly. If the unity among
the family members suffers even to a small extent, the world will face the
repercussions. Unity gives strength to the lives of the family members.
Therefore, every family should strive for achieving unity and harmonious
relationship among its members. Every family should strive to emulate the
example of Lord Siva's family. Today, even if there are only two sons in a
family, there is no harmony between them. Similar is the case of husband and
wife. This is not the position in respect of Lord Siva's family. The
vehicles they ride, the circumstances in which they function, the wealth
they possess - in fact, in every aspect, the members of this divine family
set an example to the whole world.
For example, Lord Siva's vehicle is Nandi, the bull. Mother Parvati's
vehicle is Lion. The younger son, Subramanya's vehicle is peacock, whereas
the elder son Vinayaka's is the tiny mouse. They move about the whole world
on such strange vehicles which are antagonistic in nature but still lead a
perfect and harmonious family life.
You do not find such harmony in the
present day families. Supposing the younger brother's wife wears some new
ornaments, the elder brother's wife becomes jealous. Similarly, in several
situations in the day-to-day life, you will find internal bickerings in the
family instead of living in peace and unity. Normally, a lion and a bull are
not good friends. The lion looks at the bull as a prey and the bull fears
the lion. But, in the case of Lord Siva's vehicle, i.e., the Bull and Mother
Parvati's vehicle, the Lion, there is perfect harmony and absence of fear.
When do we have fear or anxiety? Only when there is some fault in us. When
there are no faults of any kind in anybody, there is no scope for fear at
all! Today, man is exposed to fear and anxiety even in small matters, since
he is suffering from faults. These faults are responsible for fear, anxiety,
restlessness, hatred and anger. Hence, if we are to live in peace and
harmony, we must strive to remove the faults in us.
In fact, there is no sorrow in man. He is Anandaswarupa, the
embodiment of divine bliss. In spite of that, if he suffers from sorrow, it
is because of his own evil traits. Sorrow has not suddenly descended on him
from somewhere. The sorrow is the reaction, reflection and resound of the
evil qualities in him. If someone is ridiculing you, take it that it is not
the other person, but your own evil feelings being returned to you in the
shape of ridicule.
Lord Siva has no special ornaments on His body. All his ornaments are
the serpents that He wears round his neck, the matted locks, the crescent
moon, the cool water of the Ganga and the Vibhuti that he smears all over
His body. This Divine form of Lord Siva is beautifully portrayed thus:
Lo! Behold The Lord of the icy peak Crowned
with crescent moon Glistening matted locks Bedrenched by heaven
descending Ganga Flaming eye in the forehead, Venomous potion - poison
- Halahala Purpling the beauteous neck Live bracelets of wriggling
Serpents and a belt of Cobra holding up the Elephant hide, his sole
garment. Pearly ash smearing the chest A blinding white Spot of
vermilion on the Forehead beside the searing eye Ruddy lips smeared by
Fresh chewed betel, Diamond studded earrings Of purest gold, dancing
like Stars twinkling in the sky, Vision negating form The fair person
of the Lord Radiating Effulgence Divine.
|
(Telugu Poem) |
Lord Siva has donned this divine
form in order to teach a renunciant outlook to the world, including his
consort, Parvati. His another habit is to beg for alms.
"The opulent form essaying
Total detachment, begging bowl
In hand, seeking alms
For a frugal meal
At the heavenly abode, Kailasa."
|
Parvati, however, did not develop
any aversion or disgust towards her husband, Lord Siva, on account of His
strange attire or habits. She did not run away from Him saying, "How can I
lead a family life with such a person?" She faithfully followed Him,
submitting herself to His wishes and happiness. Both of them lived in peace
and harmony. Now about their sons. The vehicle of the younger son, Lord
Subramanya, is peacock which is by nature an enemy of the serpents worn as
ornaments by the father. The serpents begin hissing at the sight of a
peacock. They hate each other. Similarly, the vehicle of the elder son, Lord
Vinayaka, is the rat, which again is a natural prey of the serpent. They are
bitter enemies. In spite of such divergent natures, all the members of the
family of Lord Siva lived happily in perfect peace. Each member while
discharging his duty provided happiness and joy to others. Even in the form
of Lord Siva Himself, there are apparent contradictions. He has Ganga on His
head and the crescent moon in His matted locks. These are signs of coolness.
In contrast to these, He has literally fire in the third eye in His
forehead. Thus, there is cool water on His head and fire below on His
forehead. These two are conflicting forces. Yet they maintained perfect
harmony and set an example to the world. Thus, there was not even slightest
difference of opinion or discordant note in the universal family of Lord
Siva. It is a perfectly ideal family, which the entire world should emulate.
In sharp contrast to this situation, there is bitter hatred today between
one person and another. Hatred is ruling all fields in the world. Even in
the same family, there is discord between husband and wife, between parents
and children and between brothers. Lord Siva and Mother Parvati by their own
example are exhorting the entire world to shed hatred and enmity. But, who
is listening to such teachings? Who is putting them in practice? People
chant the name of God with great devotion, but fail to emulate the example
shown by God. What is the use of worshipping God, when you do not follow His
ideals? How can you obtain Divine Grace, if you go against the teachings of
God? On account of food and habits, several ill-feelings develop in man.
But, you should try to control them. You should not allow them to manifest
as hatred towards others. You should never allow jealousy to grow in you.
Today, every human being is afflicted with the disease of jealousy and
hatred. In fact, the root cause of all evil qualities in man is jealousy.
Jealousy leads to anger. Jealousy and hatred can destroy a human being
totally. Man can really enjoy great happiness if he gets rid of jealousy and
hatred. In fact, man himself is an embodiment of bliss. It is his inherent
nature. Sorrow is not his nature. Man is an embodiment of love, peace and
bliss. Why then is he afflicted with sorrow? It is because of flouting the
divine commands. This is the reaction of going against the Divine Will. The
reaction, reflection and resound of this calamity is the root cause for all
the sorrows of a human being.
Here is a small example. You see a person approaching you and you think that
he is your enemy. The moment this feeling of hatred develops in you, you
start fighting with him. Instead, you try to greet him saying "Hello
brother! How are you?" When you extend love to others, others also will
extend you love. On the other hand, the moment you see a person if you move
away from him, he will do the same thing to you. As is the action, so is the
reaction. Therefore, we have to ensure that our actions are good. In fact,
there are no bad people in this world. All are good. You say that those who
oppose you are all bad people. If you do not exhibit bad qualities, how can
the other man behave badly? Your own bad qualities reflect in others. Hence,
every person must cultivate good feelings and good behaviour. One should
conduct himself in such a way that he does not go against the divine
commands. Only then you will have peace and security in your life. You may
participate in a number of bhajans, worship God in several forms and observe
ever so many religious vows - yet, if you do not cultivate sacred feelings
in your heart, what is the use? Man should cultivate the noble quality of a
tender heart. Love and compassion should reflect in his heart. If there are
no such feelings, he will become a demon, verily. That is the reason why it
is called "hridaya". The etymology of the word is "hri" + "daya" = "hridaya"
(storehouse of compassion. Among all the living being, human being is the
only one endowed with the quality of daya (compassion). That is why he is
said to be having a "hridaya". An ideal human being is the one having a
compassionate heart.
Embodiments of Love!
You have such a sacred and compassionate heart. Why then you should drown
yourself in sorrow? This is all because of the reflection, reaction and
resound of your inner feelings. You will be going through a newspaper early
in the morning. Wherever you see, you will find unrest, news items of
someone killing another, hatred, jealousy, anger, etc. All this news leads
you to a very unhappy and polluted atmosphere. When you get up from bed
after a sound sleep in the night, you must have a peaceful mind. Only then
there will be no scope for unrest in your life. Right from the early morning
you must lead a life of peace and happiness. You may have sorrows and
difficulties; but they are only passing clouds which come and go. They
should not really bother you. It is only when you take them to heart and
cling to them, you will suffer. If you ignore them, they will not bother
you. You get a postal cover addressed to you. Normally, there will be a
'from' address and a 'to' address on any postal cover. Without these
addresses, the cover will go to the dead-letter office. Man should,
therefore, see both the addresses, i.e., from and to. You must first enquire
into yourself "where do I come from". In pursuance of this enquiry, you must
discover and assure yourself that your source is God. Since you come from
God, you will have noble feelings. Your 'from' address is God and your 'to'
address is human nature. If you remember these two, your life will go on
smoothly. Since your origin or 'from' address is Divinity, you should always
obey the Divine command. Among all the living beings in the creation, only
human being has been given this privilege. In fact, this is the ideal set
before him by God. Further, it is only in the Bharatadesa, such noble ideas
are imparted from generation to generation. In spite of all these ideals set
before us, we are unable to live in peace, since we are not following them.
You may follow any one or all the nine forms of devotion like Sravanam
(listening), Kirtanam (singing), Vishnusmaranam (contemplating
on Vishnu), Padasevanam (serving His Lotus Feet), Vandanam
(salutation), Archanam (worship), Dasyam (servitude),
Sneham (friendship), Atmanivedanam (Self-surrender). More than
following any or all the nine forms of devotion, it is the inner feeling or
motive behind the forms of Bhakti that is important. Your inner feeling must
always be pure. Of all the nine forms of devotion, Sneha (friendship)
is the most important. It is only when you cultivate this feeling of
friendship with God, you can reach the last stage of Atmanivedanam
(self-surrender). For this purpose, you must have a pure heart, which in
turn is based on love and devotion. You must have pure and selfless love
towards one and all. Such love is not a one-way traffic. Today, we are
prepared to receive love from all people, but are hesitant to share our love
with others. It should be a give and take policy. Love begets Love. You must
also be prepared to receive love from others. Love is a gift of God. In
fact, you must rise to such a level that whatever is given by God, you must
be prepared to receive wholeheartedly. At times, God also gives you a bitter
pill like the doctor. This is for your own good. Supposing you have an ulcer
in your stomach. The surgeon opens your stomach with a knife and removes the
ulcer. Since he cut your stomach with a knife, do you charge him with hatred
towards you? No, no. It is only in your interest, he has performed the
operation. Similarly, God also at times will put you to some difficulties.
Even that is in your interest only; for your good only. Both happiness and
sorrow are God's gifts. They are His Divine grace. Nobody can comprehend His
Divine Leelas.
You must always live in unity. Whatever activity you undertake, unity should
be the undercurrent. All people should live in peace and harmony. The
previous morning, you sang some Bhajans. How melodious and devotional they
were! How joyous they were! It was only because all of you sang the bhajans
in one voice. Particularly, the three boys, Prasanth, Kavi Kumar's son, and
Ravi Kumar sang the bhajans in perfect sruthi (tune), laya
(modulation) and thala (rhythm). The boy who played the flute gave
them a good support. They gave so much joy to the audience. Where can you
get such joy and happiness? Where can you see such unity? Nowadays, wherever
you go, you will hear a lot of noise and sound in the name of Sivarathri.
You will not find anywhere in the world, this type of divine atmosphere
surcharged with devotion. Every activity undertaken in Prasanthi Nilayam is
divine and in perfect peace and harmony. Everything is surcharged with love
and devotion. God is love and love is God. God has to be attained only
through love. Hence, all of you should become Premaswarupas
(embodiments of divine love). You should live in perfect harmony wherever
you are. Never give room for hatred. Even if you come across an opponent,
greet him with love. He will automatically respond with love, since the
whole world is filled with reaction, reflection and resound. Suppose there
is unrest in you mind. It is not because of external factors. Your own
deficiencies and faults are being reflected in the form of unrest.
If you wish to attain happiness, live in happiness. The universal family of
Lord Siva, Mother Parvati, Subramanya and Vinayaka are the perfect example
for this principle. Cultivate their example. Worship them. But, a caution -
you may worship a picture as God, but not God as a picture. Therefore, you
worship the Easwara family by following their example. The message of this
holy Sivarathri is to live in unity and harmony with everyone. Particularly,
the brothers in a family should never fight; they must be united, like the
Pandavas. It is only by their unity, Pandavas could obtain the Divine Grace
of Lord Krishna. Anything can be achieved with unity. Take for example, the
five fingers in the hand. It is only when the five fingers join together, we
can accomplish any task. The Kauravas were one hundred in number, but they
were not united for a good cause. Ultimately, what fate had befallen them?
Similarly, Vali and Sugriva in Ramayana. They were in fact brothers. Due to
some differences, they developed hatred against one another. In the end,
Vali met his end in the hands of Rama. The ultimate goal of this Sivarathri
is to develop unity among humanity, whatever be the obstacles, whatever be
the difficulties and whatever be the provocations. You should never make use
of harsh words while speaking to others. Always speak sweetly and softly,
with a loving heart.
Dear students and devotees!
You have all assembled here with a
pure heart on this auspicious day of Mahasivarathri. Wherever you are, you
must always have a pure heart. When the heart is pure and sacred, you can
undertake sacred activities. When the vessel is pure, the contents in the
vessel can also be pure. Even if the vessel is made of gold, if there is
poison in the vessel, the contents get poisoned. On the contrary, even if
the vessel is made of earth, the gold that is kept in the vessel will remain
pure. It is not the vessel, but the material that is important. We must
always keep our heart as pure gold and fill it with sweet love. You are
students of Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. You are growing under
the loving care of Swami. Swami does not expect anything from you. Education
in the Sathya Sai Institute is totally free. Whatever be your requirements,
I am providing them free of cost. Did you come across anywhere in the world
such educational institutions? Today, you will find people booking seats in
educational institutions, even before the child is born. They pay a lump sum
amount to the school in advance for reservation of seats in the 1st
standard. It is only in Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning where
you will not find such advance bookings. There is no advance for anything in
Prasanthi Nilayam. Wherever you go, you must live up to the ideals of your
education. Whatever you have learned here, share it with all.
Embodiments of Love!
Love is My only property. In fact, it should be the same with you as well. I
do not seek anything from anybody. You live in love. Share your love with
everybody. It is only when you lead a life filled with love, your life will
become pure and sacred. In fact, every activity undertaken in Prasanthi
Nilayam will be pure and peaceful. Thousands of people have gathered here on
the holy occasion of Mahasivarathri. Did you here any noise? No. Not even
one child cries. No one sneezes or coughs. Such a calm, serene, peaceful and
divine atmosphere is pervading this hall. If you are not able to get peace
in such a divine atmosphere, where else you can? Never speak harshly to
anybody. Several people today pose themselves as devotees, but take to evil
ways. This is not a mark of devotion. In fact, such behaviour goes against
the concept of devotion. A dissonance between thought, word and deed is the
characteristic of an evil-minded person. That is why it is said, "Manasyanyath,
vachasyanyath, karmanyanyath durathmanam" (those whose thought, word and
deed are at variance are wicked). You should not join the company of such
people. On the other hand you should join the company of real devotees who
live up to the principle of "Manasyekam, vachasyekam, karmanyekam
mahatmanam" (those who maintain perfect accord between thought, word and
deed are great). The most important characteristic of a devotee is good
behaviour. If he does not possess this characteristic, he is not a devotee
at all, he is a great sinner. You are students of this great institution.
Wherever you go, you must be recognised by your good behaviour. There are
several past students of this Institute, living in foreign countries like
America, Japan, Germany, etc. They are still recognised in those countries
as students of Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. They bring credit to
the Institution. You need not give anything to Sai. Lead a life of character
and good behaviour. That is the only thing I want. That is the only thing
that gives me joy. Not only the students, the devotees must also ensure good
behaviour. They must feel that they are the members of the universal family
of Lord Siva. Mother Parvati constitutes the body, whereas Lord Siva
represents the heart. When the body and heart join together as a dwelling,
human nature resides there. This is called Prakriti. The human body
represents Pravritti, whereas the Atma residing in the body represents
Nivritti. The unity of this Pravritti and Nivritti is human nature. Having
been born in such a sacred human nature, people are forgetting their innate
divinity. Lastly, I wish to advise you that you should never give scope for
ego to dominate your actions. Wherever there is ego, there lies danger.
Therefore, shed your ego and cultivate pure and selfless love towards one
and all. There is nothing in this world which cannot be achieved with love.
I conclude My discourse with the blessing that the divine vibrations of
today's namasankirtanam spread to the whole world and grant good qualities,
good practices and good behaviour to all people.
Bhagavan concluded His Divine
Discourse with the Bhajan "Prema Muditha Manase Kaho…"
|