God never forsakes His devotees

(Text of the Divine Discourse delivered by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on the occasion of Christmas Day on 25th December 2001 in Sai Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi Nilayam)

" It is only when people banish hatred and violence, develop love and realise that all are one can the earth be transformed into heaven. "

(Telugu Poem)

Embodiments of Love!
Sathyam Bruyath, Priyam Bruyath, Na Bruyath Sathyamapriyam (speak the truth, speak pleasantly and do not speak unpalatable truth). These three correspond to moral, righteous and spiritual values, respectively. Man is the combination of these three values. Without waves, there can be no ocean. Without rays, there can be no sun. Likewise, the one without love cannot be called a human being. Just as waves are for ocean, rays are for sun, so also love is for man. Hence, man should fill his life with love. He should neither hate anyone nor indulge in violence. He should fill his heart with compassion. One with Daya (compassion) is Hridaya (heart). Ego and unlimited desires are responsible for wicked qualities in man. One with ego cannot have compassion in his heart.
One should not lead a life of selfishness and self-interest. One should keep in mind the prevailing situation in the country and act accordingly. Man cannot lead a totally independent life. He has to depend on society. Prakriti (nature) is a combination of Vyashti (individual), Samashti (society), Srushti (creation) and Parameshti (God). Vyashti should serve Samashti and try to visualise Parameshti in Srushti. Jesus said that the life of an individual was useless if he did not realise his duties towards society. Where there is unity there is purity, where there is purity there is divinity, where there is divinity there is bliss. People should recognise the intimate and inseparable relationship that exists between unity, purity and divinity.
When Jesus was born, three Arabian kings visited him to pay their respects. One of them felt that the child would be a lover of God. The second one said that he would be the beloved of God and the third one felt that he was verily God. Opinions vary from person to person as each is different from the other. Our ancients visualised unity in diversity, whereas the modern man, due to the impact of Kali Age, fragments unity into diversity.
According to Vedanta, man is a combination of Bhutakasa, Chitthakasa and Chidakasa. Bhutakasa corresponds to the body and all that is seen by the naked eye. All that is seen is bound to disappear, which means Bhutakasa is transient and ephemeral. The sun, the stars and the milky way which are crores of miles away from earth also come under Bhutakasa. The rivers, seas, forests and mountains, all form part of Bhutakasa. It constitutes all Bhutas (elements) and living beings. Such a vast Bhutakasa is engulfed by Chitthakasa. You can very well imagine the vastness of Chitthakasa. Bhutakasa consisting of sun, stars, rivers, oceans, etc., forms a tiny part of Chitthakasa. You may wonder how it is possible. Whatever you see, for example, the sun, the stars, the oceans, the mountains, etc., get imprinted in your Chittha. Likewise, the apparent world is contained in you as a small entity. Bhutakasa and Chitthakasa relate to the body and mind, respectively. There is a fundamental basis for these two which is referred to as Chidakasa by the Vedanta. This corresponds to the Atma. Human being is a combination of these three - Bhutakasa (body), Chitthakasa (mind) and Chidakasa (Atma). The first refers to the one you think you are, the second, the one others think you are and the third, the one you really are.
Man's nature is infinite and immortal. Such a human life is looked down upon as low and mean. People deny the existence of the Atma as it cannot be perceived. Chidakasa symbolises the Atma. It has no form. It is changeless and transcends time and space. The Vedanta describes this as Nirgunam, Niranjanam, Sanathana Niketanam, Nitya, Suddha, Buddha, Mukta, Nirmala Swarupinam (attributeless, pure, final abode, eternal, unsullied, enlightened, free and embodiment of sacredness). Bhutakasa corresponds to Jagrat (waking state), Chitthakasa to Swapna (dream state) and Chidakasa to Sushupti (deep sleep). In Chidakasa, one experiences only bliss. This can be understood by the fact that you experience peace when you have a good sleep at night.
When you say, it is my body and my mind, it means that you are different from them. In fact, you are the master (Atma). Master the mind and be a mastermind. How can man, being the master of everything, consider himself low and weak? Chidakasa is the true form of man. Bhutakasa, Chittha-kasa and Chidakasa correspond to Pratyaksham (direct), Paroksham (indirect) and Pavitram (sacred). Chidakasa transcends name and form. It is described as Sabda Brahmamayi, Chara-charamayi, Jyothirmayi, Vangmayi, Nityanandamayi, Paratparamayi, Mayamayi and Sreemayi (God is the embodiment of sound, mobility and immobility, light, speech, eternal bliss, supreme majesty, delusion and wealth).
The Atma transcends the limitations of form. Buddha and Jesus made concerted efforts to have the vision of the Atma. Buddha realised that names, forms and physical relationships are transient. He said one should not get deluded by them. Yad Drishyam Thannasyam (all that is seen is bound to perish). He studied various sacred texts and had an audience with many scholars but he was not satisfied. Ultimately, he came to the conclusion that one could attain Nirvana only through proper use of the five senses. No spiritual practice can yield the desired result if the senses are misused. Have sacred vision. Speak good words. Hear only what is good. Entertain noble thoughts. There is no greater spiritual practice than this. This was the teaching of Buddha. The same was taught by Jesus too.
The fishermen wanted Jesus to fulfil their worldly desires. Peter wanted more fish. But ultimately, he realised the futility of worldly desires. He wanted to go beyond the level of body and the mind as per the teaching of Jesus. Jesus told them to give up hatred and to love all and serve all. He exhorted them to develop faith in the principle of unity. Many disciples of Jesus interpreted the teachings of Jesus in their own way.
When he was being crucified, he heard an ethereal voice, "All are one my dear son, be alike to everyone ". When the mother Mary was shedding tears, Jesus told her, "Death is the dress of life." Death is like changing of dress. Do you find anybody wearing the same dress every day? Just as you change your dress every day, you change the body from birth to birth. It is the body that dies, not the life principle. The Spirit is immortal and non-dual. To realise the non-dualistic nature of the Spirit was true wisdom, said Jesus. Advaita Darshanam Jnanam (perception of the One without a second is true wisdom). Ekam Eva Adviteeyam Brahma (God is one without a second). Man attributes names and forms to God because of his worldly feelings and external tendencies (Pravritti).
Truly speaking, there is only one God. We sing in our Bhajans, Ek Prabhu Ke Anek Nam (one God has many names). Give up body attachment. Only then can you develop attachment towards the Atma. As you are endowed with a physical body, you have to discharge your duties diligently. However, do not be deluded with the feeling that this is permanent. All the physical relationships are like passing clouds and are subject to change. Truth alone is that which does not undergo change. That is Chidakasa, the principle of Atma.
A mother has four sons. The first son asks her for red colour juice, the second for green colour juice, the third for black colour juice and the fourth for white colour juice. Then what does the mother do? Being an intelligent mother, she pours the same juice in red, green, black and white colour glasses to satisfy her sons. Our bodies are like those glasses. We should not go by differences in bodies. We should realise the oneness of the spirit within. The cups and colours may be different but the sweet juice (Atma) is the same in all. Body is bound to perish one day or the other. You will have to face misery if you are attached to the body. In order to attain immortality and experience bliss, you have to transcend name and form. So long as you have a body, you have to take care of it. But you should not be unduly attached to it or worried about it. Ignorance is the root cause of worry. Whatever has to happen will happen. So, never give scope to worry. Develop faith in the principle of Atma. This was the main teaching of Jesus.
Mathew was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He was an income tax collector by profession and used to meet the fishermen to collect taxes. Jesus used to impart sacred teachings to the fishermen everyday. Mathew noted down all his teachings and wrote the holy Bible. Later on, many others wrote the Bible based on their own feelings. Nowhere has Jesus ever stated that he was God or the Master. He always addressed God as his Father. He has shown the path to experience unity. He never gave scope for multiplicity. He always said that all were divine.
Hundreds of years ago, in North India, there lived a person who used to constantly repeat, "I am God". People used to wonder at this declaration and considered him to be a mad person. But, some scholars developed hatred towards him. They felt that even after studying various texts and acquiring knowledge, they did not dare make such a claim. They approached the king and lodged a complaint against him. Who is a true scholar? Pandita Samadarshanaha (one with equal-mindedness alone is a true scholar). But those scholars lacked equal-mindedness and threatened the king that they would leave the country if that person was not punished. The king asked the scholars as to what could be done.
At the behest of the Pandits, the king ordered that his legs be cut off. Even when his legs were being amputated, he did not feel the pain. He was saying , "I am God, I am God." Even the blood oozing from his tortured limb was proclaiming, "I am God. I am God". Then the king felt repentant for having paid heed to the words of foolish scholars.
From the beginning, Jesus never said that he was God. He only said that God was his father. He taught people that there was only one God and all were his children. His critics complained to the head priest against Jesus. The priest knew that Jesus was speaking the truth. But they did not support Jesus in order to safeguard their own position. It was decided that Jesus should be crucified. The Governor issued the orders, but later he repented. When Jesus rose from the cross, he went on propagating the glory of Jesus.
The Romans addressed Jesus as 'persona' meaning one of sacredness. The English word person has been derived from this. It means that there is divinity in everyone. That is why I address you as embodiments of divinity. I and you are one. There is divine spirit in everybody. The very Self is called 'persona'. There is no life principle without divinity. Sarvatah Panipadam Tat Sarvathokshi Siromukham, Sarvata Sruthimalloke Sarvamavruthya Thishthati (With hands, feet, eyes, heads, mouth and ears pervading everything, He permeates the entire universe). Divinity pervades all forms. The Bible and the Quoran contain many sacred teachings. But foolish people who do not understand their teachings are taking to wrong ways.

He who is known as Allah by Muslims,
As Jehovah by Christian aspirants,
As the Lotus-eyed Lord by the worshippers of Vishnu,
As Sambhu, by those who revere Siva,
Howsoever He is worshipped, He gladly responds,
Grants the grace of fame and fortune,
And showers happiness and joy. He is the One,
The Supreme Self. Know Him as Paramatma.

(Telugu Poem)

Embodiments of Love!

Understand that God is the embodiment of love and so also is man. Daivam Manusha Rupena (God takes the form of man). So, you are God. There is Divinity even in animals. One hears cows and buffaloes mooing, Amba (Divine Mother). It only proves the existence of Divinity in them.
When Jesus was a small boy, his parents took him to Jerusalem. After some time, mother Mary not finding her son Jesus by her side thought that he had lost his way in the crowd and searched for him frantically. Ultimately, she found him listening with rapt attention to the sermon of a priest in a synagogue. She hugged him and shed tears of joy. Then Jesus said, "Mother, why should you be worried when I am in the company of God, my Father."
In those days, people used to sacrifice pigeons in the temple of Jerusalem thinking that God would be pleased. Jesus sought to put an end to these cruel practices. Like Buddha, he preached non-violence. He went to the place where pigeons were sold and let them all free. The affected persons turned against him. But Jesus carried on regardless of their hostility. He did not attach any importance to praise or blame as they pertained to the body, not the Self.
The same is stated in the Mahabharata also. When Krishna was given the Agratambulam (chief offering) by the Pandavas, the wicked Sishupala started showering abuses on Krishna. He said to Krishna,

"Do you think that you deserve this honour because you stole the Saris of the Gopikas when they were having a bath? Do not indulge in self-aggrandisement, shut up!"

(Telugu Poem)

Hearing Sishupala abusing Krishna in this manner, Dharmaraja shed tears. Krishna hurled the very plate in which the offering was made to Him at Sishupala which turned into a discus and beheaded him. At that moment the blood of Sishupala splashed at the feet of Krishna. Seeing this, Dharmaraja became perplexed. He said, "Krishna, Sishupala abused You to no end. How is it that his blood fell at Your feet?" Smilingly Krishna replied, "Dharmaraja, praise or blame relates to the body and not to the Atma. Moreover, Sishupala was thinking of Me and repeating My Name all along. He might have done it with hatred but I am not concerned about it."

"In the Kali Age, chanting of the Lord's Name is the only way to liberation."

(Sanskrit Verse)

Any mighty task can be achieved by chanting the Divine Name. For spiritual practices like meditation and penance, a specific time and place are required. But for chanting the Divine Name, no such restriction need to be followed. Wherever you are, whatever you may be doing, you can chant the Divine Name. Sarvada Sarva Kaleshu Sarvatra Hari Chintanam [everywhere, at all times, under all circumstances contem-plate on Hari (God)].

One of the previous speakers, a member of the Messengers of Sathya Sai, prayed that Swami should never forget them. To think that God forgets anybody is only your imagination, the reflection, reaction and resound of your inner feelings. God never forgets anybody. It is only the devotees who remember or forget God. God loves all equally. So, develop love. Eschew all evil tendencies.
The modern education system is giving rise to bad qualities in students. One with bad qualities cannot be called a student at all. As Srinivasan said, Sai students are not like that. Some people pose to be Sai students and indulge in wicked activities. But our students are highly sacred and virtuous. None can point an accusing finger at them. Today many people are misusing the name of Sai for their own selfish gains. I am happy even with such people because any way they are chanting the Divine Name. Only repetition of God's name will liberate you. Do not give scope to any evil qualities. Never give a chance for accusation. Lead your lives suffused with love. Consider love as God. There is nothing greater than love.


Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajan, Prema Mudita Manase Kaho…

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