Posted on: 22 Jan 2017
Chapter 5 (By P. V. N. M. Sharma)
03-04-1993, 1.00 am.
Smt. Bhavani got a dream in which Lord Datta appeared to her saying “I will now tell you three important points…”. Before He could complete the message, she woke up suddenly and found Swami sitting on His bed. Swami simply continued the message of Lord Datta “Following are the three important points: 1) Don’t brood over the past and plan for the future dream, 2) Concentrate on the present time, to do the important work and 3) No soul here, about whom you are so fascinated, will even recognize you there, after death.”
She was shocked to realize that same Lord Datta, who had appeared to her in her dream, continued the message through Swami! That was the last day of their visit to Srisailam and their next visit took place on 20-07-1993.
After the above incident, the couple, Smt. Bhavani and Shri C. B. K. Murthy, returned home to Vijayawada along with Swami. Smt. Bhavani became very anxious to know whether Swami is actually Lord Datta or not. Every day she would test Swami in one specific manner. She would frame a sentence in her mind and immediately ask Swami to repeat the statement exactly as she had thought in her mind. Every day Swami would reveal exactly whatever she had thought in her mind, word-by-word. Since it was just the beginning of the program of Swami, Swami was expressing miracles very frequently, for the sake of initial attraction. This way of testing Swami continued for one month. Nobody in the house noticed it because she would test Swami only when she and Swami were present, without anybody else nearby. Hence, this testing was known to only Swami and Smt. Bhavani.
One day, a month later, suddenly Smt Bhavani’s son, Shri Ramana, came from Hyderabad to their house. He was immediately possessed by Lord Datta. He started shouting and roaring at his mother with a lot of anger. He asked his mother in a very loud voice “Are you so competent to test Lord Datta, who tests everybody including angels and sages? Is this the way to test God? How many days more do you want to test? When will you reach a conclusion?” All the people in the house were very much astonished and came to know of the whole episode of testing Swami through her mouth. She fell at the feet of Swami praying for an apology again and again!
21-07-1993, 4.00 am.
Worship without aspiration for any fruit in return from God is the essence and the life of the entire spiritual knowledge. You must concentrate on yoga, which is maintaining the health of the body through walking and exercises followed by controlling the wastage of energy in the forms of work and money. This should be practiced so that you will become a store of energy for constant spiritual effort. I will not bless anyone without effort, in which case I would have to bless all the souls in this world! If I bless only you, without your effort, I will be criticized for showing unjust partiality. My blessing will also be proportional to your effort and this is justice in any context. You must lose your desires due to your desire for Me. Desire is the nature of the mind and hence the mind can’t be without a desire for a long time. Hence, desire for Me will remove all other desires and the mind also gets satisfied since it is never in the state of ‘no desire’. If you store all the energy and go on taking rest without any activity, such stored energy is snatched away by death just like the stored money of a greedy person is snatched away by the income tax department in the end. Storage should always be done for a proper expenditure. You have saved money, controlling all the unnecessary expenses so that you can spend it on the day of the marriage of your daughter. It is very good and commendable. The marriage day has come and is also coming to an end. But you are not drawing a single rupee even on that day for expenditure! Hence, if the energy is not spent even for God, what is the difference between you and a stone? It also doesn’t spend even a trace of energy for any purpose and in such a case, you are just an inert stone!
Your worship to God must be in two ways:
Both must be done with highest purity and must be scented with real love as shown by parents to their issues. I am sorry to compare this real love to the love for one’s issues again and again since no similar love is found in this world. Except God, everything is unreal and similarly, except the love for one’s issues, every other love, including the love for God, is unreal!
Don’t recommend the case of your issue to Me for protection. By this, are you not insulting Me? You are a father to him only in this birth. I am his Father and also your Father from the past millions of births. Who has more real love for him? Will anybody recommend you to favor your own issue? I have millions and millions of times of real love for that soul since the beginning of this creation. Your love is just a drop before the ocean of love in Me for him!
22-07-1993, 4.00 am.
Upanayanam is the holy thread marriage done to a human being in whom the Gāyatrī is initiated. What is meant by upanayanam? What is meant by Gāyatrī? Nobody knows the real meaning. Everyone is blindly carried away by the ignorant tradition without any analysis! Upanayanam means taking the child near to God (upa = near to God; nayanam = process of leading). You are initiating the child into worship (theoretical devotion) of God. Theoretical devotion is praying to God with full love. Prayer can be in prose, which is the Yajur Veda or it can be in poetry which is the Ṛg Veda or it can be in song called as the Sāma Veda[1]. Song (Sāma Veda) is the best since song gives you full inspiration. Gāyatrī[2] means the way of praising God through song and getting protection from Him (Gāyantaṁ trāyate iti). God likes the mode of song very much as said in the Gītā (Vedānām sāma vedo’smi…). In fact, any human being likes songs very much. Mantra means the spontaneous repetition of a prayer without any effort (mananāt trāyate iti). Such possibility of spontaneous repition (mantra) exists only for Gāyatrī (song). [Only songs tend to get stuck in our mind. If prayers are in the form of songs and they get stuck in our mind, we will be spontaneously repeating the prayer over and over again, without any effort.]. Hence, it is said that Gāyatrī mantra is the highest (Gayatryā nāparo mantraḥ).
In this context, it is clearly told that the deity is Savitā, which means the Creator or God Brahmā (Savitā Devatā)[3]. We also say that Gāyatrī is the name of a poetic meter in which a specific verse[4] is created (Gāyatrī chandaḥ). The sage of this Gāyatrī is Viśvāmitra. The word ‘Viśvāmitra’ means that he is a friend of every human being in this world. Hence, Gāyatrī means a specific way of praying to God through sweet songs in any language. Every soul, irrespective of caste and gender is eligible to sing on God[5]. The specific verse mentioned, which is in the meter called Gāyatrī, is not the actual Gāyatrī. Gāyatrī is not a deity; it is only the name of a Vedic meter. For singing songs in praise of God, every soul is eligible.
You may say that Gāyatrī is a female deity because Gāyatrī (morning), Sāvitrī (noon) and Sarasvatī (evening) are the three wives of God Brahmā, who is called as Savitā or the Creator. If you so claim that Gāyatrī is a female deity, how can you then restrict females from worshipping her? In fact, the real Gāyatrī (singing) is with women alone and not with males! You are offering the holy thread (yajñopavītam) to every goddess during the worship[6], indicating that females are eligible for the thread marriage.
The three strands in the thread, represent the three fundamental qualities or the three divine forms. Why do you give so much importance to that thread, which is thrown away when a person reaches the highest stage of sainthood (saṁnyāsa)? The holy thread for your daughter[7] is given by you to your son-in-law due to which his wife (your daughter) gets half the fruit of his worship. He in turn enjoys half of the food cooked by your daughter. It is just an adjustment. Therefore, you must never have the ego of caste or gender in this context.
Remember that the singing (Gāyatrī) should be simple and not complex with long stretched notes or with hectic exercises[8] using the seven notes (sa, ri, ga, ma, etc.)[9]. The singing should be very brief and sweet so that the meaning of the lines of the song should be immediately expressed. Your musical talent should not be the aim. The expression of the meaning of the song, which alone creates devotion is important. Brief singing is sufficient. It is just to give melody for the ear. Such song is called as gītam whereas songs with long music is called as saṅgītam. Gāyatrī means gītam (gāyantam) and not saṅgītam (not saṅgāyantam).
22-07-1993, 8.00 am.
Full freedom given to souls
I have given full freedom to souls and the direction of any action is totally left only to them. This entire creation works with My power alone. But I am not responsible for the direction of an action done using My power. The direction is given by the soul and hence the soul is doer (kartā). The direction decides fruit and hence the soul is the enjoyer of that fruit (bhoktā). I am also the doer and the enjoyer of the fruit for the direction given by Me in the action of creation. According to My direction alone, this universe was created and is also running in this way. Hence, due to such direction given by Me, I am the doer of this process of creation. My such direction is giving Me enjoyment of the fruit also, which is the entertainment for which this creation is done. Both of us (God and soul) are doers as well as enjoyers. But, our doer-ships are different and enjoyments of fruits are also different. Without understanding this, ignorant people blame Me for creating this world as a sadist and say that the tension of the soul is My enjoyment! Department of electricity completed wirings of all houses and gave current to all. It also told that you can enjoy fan, light, T.V. etc., by using the switches and warned that if any one touches the wire in meter will receive shock. Several people enjoyed using the switches, whereas one fellow committed suicide by touching the electrified wire. The parents of that killed person are blaming the department of electricity for that suicide! All didn’t commit suicide so that you can blame the department. Similarly, in this creation, God has given all instructions following which several are happy. Why don’t you talk about these happy people? We always talk about the people, who neglected instructions of God (scriptures) and got punished! A rich man established the college and setup everything (teachers, laboratories etc.) as per the standards of University. Several students passed exams, got degrees and flourished in life. One fellow never cared about classes and went on seeing pictures to waste all the time, failed in the examination and committed suicide. The parents are filing a criminal case on that rich man saying that their son died since the rich man started the college! The rich man is certainly enjoying in passing time in the administration of the college. But, at the same time, the establishment is fully justified because very good teachers took classes, examinations were conducted with perfect discipline without any injustice in valuation etc. In such justified system, several passed. Only one fellow failed for not caring for the system. Is the entertainment of rich man in the establishment and running of the college to be blamed as the cause for his suicide?
God enjoys in ignorance in His Incarnation
When I come here in human form, you think that I know your future since I am omniscient. I always come here binding ignorance on My brain so that I don’t know even My future, not to speak of your future. Then only, I get real enjoyment in the entertainment due to anxiety. If you know the story of cinema in advance, you can never enjoy it since you never get the suspense. I keep My third eye of omniscience suppressed into My forehead so that I am also ignorant of even My future like you. Then only the entertainment is in climax. You want to fully enjoy the cinema through ignorance and don’t you like Me also to have same enjoyment especially when I have created this world-cinema for such purpose only? Enjoyment in full entertainment is the meaning of the word Rāma (ramate iti). He fully enjoyed by identifying Himself with the role of human being only. The word Kṛṣṇa means dragging (karṣati iti). Since devotees pressed Him often, He is often dragged to the state of God to do miracles and His third eye was also frequently opening! He couldn’t enjoy the real dream like Rāma. In the case of Kṛṣṇa, His dream-sleep was frequently disturbed by devotees. Rāma was recognized as God even without miracles since the receivers were high level sages. Kṛṣṇa was received by human beings of very low level because Kali age was almost starting in His lifetime and hence He has to show often the miracles. Of course, I will behave like Kṛṣṇa to protect always My real devotees using My status and power here as well as there. Since real devotees are very very rare in this Kali age, I remain always in the state of full undisturbed ignorance and enjoy by this entertainment throughout My life. For the sake of My real devotee, I shall go to any extent since I am his/her slave. I have ethics in business. For theoretical devotion, I give theoretical fruits from the store room of Goddess Sarasvatī. For practical devotion I give practical fruits from the store room of Goddess Lakṣmī. I give all the miraculous powers from the bank of Goddess of Pārvatī to My real devotee, who is not aspiring any fruit from the above two banks. Such real devotee is involved in the propagation of spiritual knowledge and needs the support of miraculous powers.
Levels of justice
If one is grateful to Me for creating all this world with so many facilities (including creation of himself/herself), such soul is standing on +100 justice. Any sin done by such soul can be only lesser than -100. Such soul will have +ve sign of some justice as remainder (sādhureva sa mantavyaḥ— Gītā). Due to devotion to Me, such soul will shortly be purified doing no sin and shall reach the state of maintaining always +100 justice only (kṣripraṁ bhavati…—Gītā). If one is ungrateful to Me, such soul will stand on -100 justice. Any good deed done by such atheist gives a value lesser than +100 and the remainder is some value of injustice with –ve sign only. Hence, theist has always some chance of uplift and atheist has always some chance of going still down only. Demons were theists, but, still went down only and this looks like opposing the above point. Actually, demons must be considered as atheists only since the human incarnation, which is relevant to this earth was not accepted and was also insulted as you see Ravana, Shishupala etc. A person neutral towards Me and interested only in worldly pleasures shall be thrown to the cycle of animals etc. There is no higher sin than to deny the existence of God.
Different qualities of human incarnations
The human incarnations are with different qualities to suit mixing with different souls. Hence, you should not dislike any human incarnation because the same God exists in all the human incarnations. The same drink is in every cup. Your liking to the material and shape of the cup may be specific and you can select such cup only, but, don’t criticize other cup because other person is also drinking the same milk as you drink. You may drink milk from round gold cup. The other person is drinking milk of same quality and quantity from a cylindrical silver cup. Both of you are not eating the cup even a little. Different cups are placed based on different likings of various visitors. Jambavān liked Rāma but not Kṛṣṇa. In his case, even the round gold cup is transformed in to cylindrical silver cup with same milk inside (Kṛṣṇa appeared as Rāma) to show that the difference is only in the color and shape of the cup only and the metallic material of cup is one and the same. Similarly, both bodies of Rāma and Kṛṣṇa are made of five elements only (like metallic material). Some features of body (like shape) and qualities (like color) differ.
The thermodynamics of service
When you do work even in world, concentrate on the work only and never think about the fruit. This means all your energy is spent in work only and not even a trace of energy is spent in thinking or in excitation about fruit. This is based on the law of Thermodynamics (Q = E + W). Q is the energy supplied to the system (energy available in your body for work). E is the rise in internal energy (thinking and excitation about fruit). W is the work done by the system (by your brain and body). When you are detached from fruit E = 0 and then Q = W. This means, all your energy is spent for work only and no trace of energy is spent in raising your tension (internal energy) for fruit. In this way, you will succeed in achieving the fruit since you have put all your effort on work only. I give a good example of this concept, which is the student attending the examination. Due to attachment to fruit of pass, excitation results and all the energy supplied to the student (by the food already taken and digested) is spent in the excitation so that Q (energy supplied) = E (energy spent in tension). Now, there is no energy left over for work (W). Now, the brain can’t work to remember the answers, which were well studied in the previous night only. The answers were stored well in memory (Chittam), but, there is no power to display the information from memory, just like the case of computer with information disk, but, not working due to lack of electric power! If the attachment for fruit is cut, there is no tension regarding pass or failure, E = 0 and Q = W. The answer, which was heard long back in the class, also gets displayed!
Detachment from the fruit of action
How to detach from fruit? If you think that fruit is given by God and not by your work, then you will be detached from tension about fruit. You may doubt that you may get detached from work also due to this discouragement. It need not happen so, because God will not give any fruit to a lazy person without doing work. Hence, you must concentrate on work without tension for fruit (mā phaleṣu kadācana…—Gītā). In this way, you are sure to achieve all the worldly fruits by concentrating on work and detaching from fruit.
This detachment from fruit should also continue even after achieving the fruit because the fruit of your work should be dedicated to God, the real giver of fruits. This is called as karmaphala tyāga in which you have to always maintain concentration on work and detachment for fruit. The detachment for fruit is not meant for achieving the fruit successfully as explained above, whereas it is for sacrificing the fruit to God. You are adapting this technique till you achieve the fruit and then forgetting this clue so that you can avoid sacrifice of fruit to God. The reason for this is your fascination for yourself and for your family. As the fascination is diverted to God, the fruit of work also gets diverted to God.
Similarly, the dedication of work is called as karma saṁnyāsa. People while translating the Gītā say that the meaning of karmaphala tyāga is to detach from liking for fruit and not actually detaching from fruit. Fantastic! You say that you have no liking for your salary (fruit of work) and take the salary for your enjoyment! In fact, if you are detached from liking to salary, certainly, you will work in the job in excellent way. This is a good policy in worldly activities but not in the divine activity for God. In the case of God, you should be detached from the fruit as well as liking from the fruit, whereas in the case of worldly job, you must be detached only from the liking for the fruit and not from the actual fruit since your selfish employer is not God. In worldly work, you must work by converting all energy into work and not spending even a trace of it in liking for the fruit, but, you shall take the fruit because your employer is not God. You must work for God by detaching yourself from your liking for fruit and from the actual fruit also. The Gītā says about your delink from fruit and not about your delink from liking to fruit! (phalaṁ tyaktvā…). Delinking from fruit includes delinking from your liking for fruit also, but not vice versa. Both should be delinked in the case of God, whereas delinking from liking for fruit (for doing work more efficiently) should be done in the case of worldly employer and in the end, you should not delink from fruit and you shall accept the fruit. The translators of the Gītā feared this that the Gītā says to delink from fruit (salary) after doing the worldly work and hence modified this delink from fruit as delink from liking for fruit.
This should not be extended to the case of God also. The Gītā always said about work (karma) and its fruit only in the case of God everywhere, which should not be generalized and applied for worldly works also. The work for God is called as Karma yoga, where yoga indicates the association with God. The highest level of true love is only in the sacrifice of fruit (karmaphala tyāga) to God by giving butter meant for their children to Kṛṣṇa as seen in the case of Gopikās, the house-holders, in the Bhāgavatam. The sacrifice of work in the case of house-holders is certainly secondary as we see the case of the Bharatam, where Arjuna, a house-holder, sacrificed only work (fighting in the war for destroying injustice, the work of God. The fight of Arjuna was certainly sacrifice of work to God and not for selfish goal to achieve kingdom since he refused to fight for kingdom in the beginning itself. After hearing the Gītā, he realized that his fight is not for selfish desire, but, for participation in the work of God to establish justice).
Hence, the Veda said that sacrifice of fruit of work alone is the path of real love to the God as in the case of issues (Dhanena tyagena…). Based on this crucial point, the Bhāgavatam is greater than the Bharatam. I know, a friend of mine told Me “The vacation of Dasara is given and there is no tuition since students also have gone to homes. Let me go to Puttaparti (Satya Sai) and serve there so that at least I can have free meals there, which is also an earning”! This concept of sacrifice of work along with fruit of work is for house-holders only and not for saints, who can sacrifice the work alone. Therefore, the sacrifice of work alone is meant for Samnyasins or saints and this is indicated by the word Saṁnyāsa in karma-saṁnyāsa or sacrifice of work. Hence, the sacrifice of work should be always accompanied by sacrifice of some fruit of work also as divine offering (dakṣiṇa) in the case of house-holders.
Worship of Śakti
While worshipping Śakti or power (represented by Goddess Bhramarā in this holy place), it is said that she is ‘Svādhīna Vallabhā’, which means that her husband is controlled by her. This world is created by the construction material called as power or energy (Śakti). Every part of this creation is a part of Śakti only. A human being is also a part of Śakti only and hence the word Śakti means a human devotee also, who has reached the climax stage of devotion in which the devotee is the controller of God or husband (Vallabha). The worship of Śakti is worship of the devotee, who has reached such highest state. A human incarnation is also same Śakti (human being) with whom God got merged as you see in God Śiva here. Śiva is the energetic incarnation with which the unimaginable God merged. In both cases, you are worshiping God only indirectly (Śakti) or directly (Śiva). As soon as you enter the temple, you have both direct (energetic incarnation) and indirect (top most devotee controlling God) types of worship. Here, you can see that the temple of Śakti is in higher level than the temple of Śiva. This indicates that Śakti or devotee controlling God as master is greater than Śiva, the incarnation, in which equality exists between God and devotee. You worship Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā or Viṣṇu and Lakṣmī etc., in the same way.
Blind traditions lead to wastage
While doing worship, be careful to utilize materials properly and don’t follow the blind traditions thinking that such traditions were established by ancient sages. All traditions are not from the time of sages. Many traditions followed today are blind, developed by middle-age priests, who were really uneducated, spending all their time in blind recitation of the scripture without knowing its meaning. Such traditions can be very easily proved to be meaningless. Wastage of any material, especially food, in worshipping the representative models as statues and photos. This is foolish and irritates God with anger. For example, a light lit before statue or photo of God has nothing to do with God. First of all, God is not in any inert medium. He always enters a human being only for the sake of preaching right knowledge to humanity. Except this one case of human incarnation, worship of any item of creation as God is only indirect worship of representative model (any item of creation selected by you) of God.
You can worship any item of creation as God and you should remember that such item stands for God and not really the God with which God merged. Such indirect worship is also not wrong, especially in the case of beginners, who are trained in theoretical devotion and the fruit is development of theoretical devotion in which no material is to be wasted. Such inert models can be washed with water, be wiped with cloth and be decorated with flowers and other ornaments so that the vision of statue or photo can inspire to develop theoretical devotion in the minds of devotees. Except these modes required to maintain an inert model, other modes of worship are foolish, which involve wastage of food materials.
You need not lit a light with oil or a candle before the statue in the day time or in night when electrical lights are switched on. Light is required for you only and not for God at all. God is the light of the lights in this world (Tasya bhāsā… Veda). Actually, God is not in the statue and even if present, He does not require any light. You alone require light for the vision. When light is there alternatively (like Sun in the day or electrical bulb in the night), what is the necessity of this oil-light or candle? In the ancient days, there is no electrical bulb in the night. Hence, oil lights or candles were lit in the night for the sake of vision of people. Hence, you are wasting material that can be donated to poor people, who do not have electrical bulbs in the night. The oil donated to poor people can be used in their food so that their life lights can be lit through which they can also serve God! God will be pleased by such donation and will be furious by such wastage due to foolish tradition.
Similarly, why do you waste milk etc., in washing statues? It is again wastage of food, which can be donated to poor and beggars. If you are rigid in pouring milk on statue, collect it carefully in a plate kept below the statue and use it as food. Food is created by God to maintain the life lights of human beings and not to waste like this! I assuredly tell all of you that God is furious to such foolish actions. Don’t pour milk in the snake-abode, which is simply wasted, being absorbed by the soil. If you want to give milk to serpent, you leave some milk in a cup so that the serpent may drink it when it reaches its abode or some other poor creature may drink it. You should watch the consumption of milk properly by standing far to see that it is not wasted. All this is giving food to other living beings (bhūta yajña). Sometimes, you are burning one lakh oil lamps or candles! Be sure that God is terribly furious for such blind action. You are burning ghee, the most precious food material in the fire altars. The fire in which the ghee or food fried by ghee is to be burnt is not this physical fire. It is the hunger-fire of a beggar in which precious food material is to be burnt.
The fire burning on sticks is laukika agni or bhautika agni. The fire in the form of electricity is also another form of the above fire only called as vaidyuta agni. Both these fires are inert and no food should be burnt in these two forms. Both these forms are only used to cook food, called as instruments of sacrifice (yajna-sādhanam) and not to be worshipped in sacrifice (yajña-upāsyam). The fire, which is to be worshipped by the sacrifice of ghee-food (called as ghee like calling an oily food as oil through ‘lakshanāvṛtti’, which is calling one part by its associated part) is the vaiśvānara agni or devatā agni or hunger fire existing in poor hungry people (ahaṁ vaiśvānaro…—Gītā).
Kṛṣṇa asked the wives of sages to sacrifice the food (prepared to burn in physical fire due to blind tradition) for His hungry friends. God Kapila preached her mother in the Bhāgavatam that a fool alone burns ghee in fire altars! You must analyze and get true knowledge for correct practice to get the grace of God without being trapped by foolish people following blindly such ignorant traditions. Such ignorant traditions are not from sages, but, from the foolish priests of middle age, who never understood the meaning of the Veda. Similarly, don’t burn sticks in the temples of Sai Baba in the name of Dhunī. He burnt so since He lived in an abandoned mosque in which poisonous creatures were constantly moving. Why do you waste so many sticks to just tell that Sai Baba maintained a Dhunī? You must understand the context of circumstances in which He burnt such Dhuni. He will be extremely pleased if you donate these sticks to poor people to cook food.
While serving poor and beggars, treat such human beings also as representative models of God in the place of statues and photos so that you do not waste any material and at the same time you are trained in the theoretical devotion, worshipping them as representative models (Pratīka) of God. Both targets (1. Not wasting food materials and 2. Worship of representative models of God) are served by this way. You can serve a spiritual preacher also in this way which is coming from sages as good tradition. Such path is called as ‘service to human beings is service to God’ (Mānava sevā mādhava sevā). By this way of worship, don’t conclude that every human being is God since human being is only kept as representative model of God. Direct service to God is possible only when the served person is human incarnation. Indirect service is a training, which improves the theoretical devotion. This training (in which human beings are worshipped as representative models of God instead of statues) also helps you to reduce jealousy towards co-human beings due to which only you are missing the human incarnation. Even the statues are in human form indicating towards worship of alive human incarnation only as the next stage.
The one Unimaginable God gives fruits of action
I am the unimaginable God giving any fruit to anybody through any divine form of any religion in this world. I give any fruit only after testing you. If a devotee worships Me through knowledge, devotion, sacrifice and service without aspiring any fruit in return, such devotee has invested his worship in My bank without any withdrawal and the interest goes on accumulated. Whenever a real need comes, even though the devotee doesn’t aspire, I draw from his interest only to save him. I am always indebted to him since his principle is always in My bank and My bank allows only such type of investment.
Atri means a devotee, who has defeated the three types of ego generated from three qualities (ego of knowledge and caste is from Sattvam, ego of energy and power is from Rajas, ego of gender and wealth is from Tamas). Anasūyā means a devotee, who defeated jealousy towards co-human beings. I shall be attained by such devotee, who is both Atri and Anasūyā. I am greater than the deity of justice, who surrendered to Me in the form of this cow for protection. Sumati gave Me food secretly in the kitchen on the day of annual ceremony of departed ancestors even before the priests dine. It is the highest injustice in the tradition and highest insult to the deity of justice. Still, she served Me the food secretly and attained Me as her son called as Shripaadavallabha.
I am in the energetic form called as Datta, who is the energetic incarnation given to the world for worship. The word Datta simply means ‘given’. When I was born to Anasūyā and Atri, I am called as Dattātreya. You can’t see Me as Datta with these physical eyes because the radiation of My energetic incarnation (first energetic body created by unimaginable God even before creating the world) is tremendous to burn your eyes in to ash. Unless I bless you and wish to show My energetic form, you can’t see Me. I gave energy to the eyes (Divyachakshu) of Arjuna to see My divine energetic form having the three faces of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva in the centre. In the human incarnation, I merge with the human form so that you can see Me without any inconvenience. My energetic form is masked by the human form. Due to unimaginable power, there can exist several human incarnations in the same time. Through human incarnation, you are worshipping not only Me (Datta), but also, the unimaginable God present in Me forever. Any human incarnation of any religion on this earth is exactly one and the same.
The six vices are the six major diseases creating various types of illness through different ratios of their combinations. Such person must be admitted in to My spiritual clinic and should follow My instructions since I am chief doctor in My clinic. Such patient should take My messages as medicines from time to time in regular way. He should not touch the fascinations, which are forbidden food items. The tongue (mind) craves for such forbidden food. After curing all types of illness, I will discharge the cured patient into the world and My fees is to be paid, which is propagation of spiritual knowledge to other human beings.
26-07-1993, 5.00 am.
Look at My Kamaṇḍalu (vessel containing water) and Bhikshaapaatra (vessel for collecting food on begging). Both are small indicating that you should have minimum eating and drinking habits. If the food and drink are pious and pure, your health is maintained with happiness. Similarly, your association with spiritual people gives you mental happiness. You must always try to preach spiritual knowledge to your family, relatives and friends so that these people will not at least disturb your spiritual efforts. When these people suffer with problems, show My feet as the true solution. Tell them that at least if they don’t disturb you in your spiritual effort, they will be blessed by God. Tell them also that if they disturb you, they will be punished by God. Like this, you must change atmosphere to promote your spiritual journey. Food, sleep and associating human beings are the three items that control yoga.
27-07-1993, 5.00 am.
I am not wearing jewels and this shows My detachment. Detachment should be always an indication for attachment to God. Mere detachment is of no use. The deity of justice in the form of cow is behind Me indicating to you that you should push back the justice and keep Me in front whenever there is a competition between Me and justice. After all, justice is the path to get My grace. These Vedas in the form of dogs are before Me. The Veda is the spiritual knowledge and this indicates that you can attain Me through spiritual knowledge only which is in My front. These dogs are your preachers. See their unshakable faith in Me! They eat My remains only. They lick My feet. They don’t leave Me even if I beat them. This dog is kept before Me indicating the importance I give to My true devotee. If you follow justice only, neglecting Me, you will be pushed back to stand behind Me. The dog is treated unholy and cow is treated as holy. But, it is reversed in My presence. Justified practice with selfishness is behind Me. Even unjust and unholy devotee having no selfishness except surrender to Me is kept before Me.
I punished the god of justice called as Yamadharma Raja with death sentence. He gave life to the husband of Savitri since he was pleased with her. He violated the rule of his duty in the case of Savitri since he was pleased with her devotion to him. But, in the case of My devotee, he insisted on the rule of his duty! Had he not violated the duty in the case of Sāvitrī, I would have not interfered in his duty even in the case of My devotee, Markaṇḍeya. To teach him the discipline of duty I created the story of Markaṇḍeya. The justice may violate justice, but, I will never violate the justice since I am the justice of justice, light of light and truth (absolute reality) of truth (relative reality).
04-08-1993, 5.00 am.
Godless justice is like a lifeless body
A real preacher always criticizes you showing you the steps you have to climb further and never praises you seeing the back steps already climbed by you. You must always look forward and should not look backward to get ego. The four dogs represent knowledge. The cow represents the social justice (pravṛtti) you have to follow. I am between the cow (social justice) and dog (spiritual knowledge) indicating that the goal of knowledge is God and God should be first and then only the social justice. The social justice without association of devotion is like a dead body without life. Atheists say that social justice is sufficient and that there is no need of God. This is the greatest hypocrisy in the entire creation. In absence of God, hell is absent. Now there is no fear of violating justice secretly by misleading courts here. The omniscient God catching the secret injustice to punish in the hell is done away since He is absent! The superficial slogan of justice will be useful to mask the eyes of public from doubting the secret injustice done! If all become atheists, the creation is totally blasted!
Lord Datta’s form represents His philosophy
My saffron cloth indicates the matured spiritual knowledge expressed in practice. The garland of beads indicates the repeated prayer in spontaneous manner without any effort since the attraction to God is continuing like the thread in the beads. This vessel of water indicates the cool and peaceful mind without tensions since water always subsides fire. The three edged Triśūla weapon indicates the control of three eshanas with the help of the knowledge of triad (knowledge of your-self that you are not God, knowledge of God that God is the human incarnation and knowledge of path that is knowledge based-devotion based-sacrifice and service to God). The Ḍamaruka (small drum type of music instrument) indicates the spiritual knowledge of scriptures based on sharp analysis. The conch shell indicates singing of prayers. The wheel indicates the cut of six vices. The three faces indicate the creation, ruling and destruction of world by God. My wife, Anaghā, standing by My side indicates My devotee in the highest state controlling Me. My wooden sandals indicate top devotees catching My feet for divine protection in the spiritual journey. The indicated concepts are more important for you to help your devotion than the indicating items, which taken as themselves become items for entertainment for some time.
A thorn is picked up by another thorn only. If you like to delete this world standing as hurdle before God, you must use an instrument, which is same as the world. This world is made of inert matter, inert energy and non-inert awareness. You can eliminate this world with the help of human incarnation only, which is made of the same three components of the world. The statue or photo is devoid of awareness and can’t help you in clarifying your doubts. Unless doubts are cleared, you can’t proceed in the right direction. My left half is God (Bhagavān) with miraculous powers, who is useful in the establishment of existence of God. My right half is preacher (Guru), who gives the right direction to reach God. My left half turns atheists into theists. My right half leads the theists to Me. Both are important, but, right half is more important. In fact, both constitute Myself.
Datta, the Remover of Ego
I appear as a boy to remove the ego of old age, which is valued in the world due to vast experience. I appear as untouchable cobbler to remove ego of upper castes. I appear with My wife Anaghā to saints to remove their ego of the final sainthood. I appear in association with several prostitutes to house holder following ethics to remove his ego. I appear as drunkard to a disciplined person to remove his ego of control over vices. I appear as a person belonging to different religion to a religious fanatic to remove his ego about the greatness of his religion. I appear as non-vegetarian to a vegetarian to remove his ego of pious food habit. I appear as ugly person to a smart person to remove his ego of beauty. I appear as beggar to rich man to remove his ego of wealth. I appear as a mad fool to an intellectual to remove his ego of knowledge. Every effort from My side is only to help you only by always removing your ego. I always appeared as a Muslim riding on horse with leather belt (hunter) in hand to Shri Vasudevānanda Sarasvatī, a Hindu fanatic Brahmin! I preach spiritual concepts through every vision. Even when I appear as drunkard and fond of prostitutes, I preach the point that as you can’t leave wine and prostitute even though they harm you in every way, similarly you should not leave God even if He harms you in every angle! That is true love as seen in your issues because even if they insult and harm you, you will still love them!
07-08-1993, 5.00 am.
Mind and Intellect
Mind is very important, which is the asylum of thoughts. Word and work always follow thoughts. The thoughts come to mind from the external atmosphere surrounding you only. In this atmosphere, a non-inert atmosphere (human beings) is most important than the inert atmosphere. It is very difficult to control the mind by eliminating thoughts just like it is impossible to control a drunkard from drinking wine. What you have to do is to adapt yourself to the atmosphere of spiritual people instead of worldly people just like a drunkard is to be adapted to divine nectar (amṛtam) in the place of wine. Thoughts from surrounding atmosphere are inevitable like the habit of drinking some drink. We are only introducing a better atmosphere (amṛtam) and certainly you will feel the highest happiness (bliss) in the spiritual atmosphere. A drink can be avoided only when another drink of better taste comes in to your hand. All the senses are associated with the external atmosphere only through mind. Senses transport the external information to mind. Mind forms thoughts based on that information. This thought comes to word and work (action). When thought is formed in mind, you must involve the highest faculty of awareness, the intelligence, (buddhi or vijñānam) to deeply analyze the thought and give right decision. The Gītā starts with the concept of Buddhi yoga (analysis) only and also ends with it only as Lord says in the end that Arjuna should analyze what all He told before practice (vimṛṣyaitadaśeṣeṇa...). Such thought passed through filter of intelligence alone should be connected to word and work. If intelligence is not used, there is no difference between animal and yourself. Even animal uses intelligence to some extent before every activity!
God possesses a soul to become a human incarnation
Soul (antarātman) and God (Paramātman) are different. Soul is not omniscient, which does not know all the information of various systems present even in its own body and not to speak of this entire world. God is the soul of soul. The soul doesn’t have any power to control the inner systems. It has only very little power to control the work of external limbs like hands, feet, etc. and this little freedom is also given by God since we see that a paralyzed person can’t move even these external limbs. God enters the human body of human being as a guest and we say that such human being is possessed by God. God quits that human being after very short visit. During this short visit, the owner of the body (soul) serves the guest-God with total surrender. For this reason only, a guest is treated as God. Every guest is not God, but, in a person possessed by God, God is the guest. In this stage of temporary possession, both God and soul co-exist for sometime separately and the soul talks through its mouth whatever is spoken by God. An evil ghost (evil soul in energetic body) may also enter the human being and similarly God (unimaginable God in energetic body called as energetic incarnation) also enters the human being devoted to Him.
I tell you an incident which was frequently seen by Me and several others also in My village. Smt. Annapurna was the sister of My grandmother, who was totally uneducated and was unable to read or write even a letter or even sign. Almost every day, she was possessed by a Vedic scholar. As soon as the possession starts, she starts reciting the Veda and answers the question of any scholar in any branch of knowledge (Śastra) in Sanskrit! A scholar, who has not preached the knowledge to others, after death, becomes ghost called as Brahmarākṣasa.
Recently, My devotee Ajay asked Me to show a practical proof of ghost. He was present in an asylum for doing last rituals, participating in death rituals of his close relative. He asked Me to show ghosts in that place. I told that he will be frightened for a long time by such vision. I promised him to show a proof. I asked him to close all the doors and windows of that house in the night. After sometime, I asked him to verify the bolted doors and windows. All were totally opened! By that itself, he shivered for several days on recollecting the incident!
Hence, the existence and possession of spirit is very clear as per practical proof. This helps us to understand possession by God. The ghost is a soul in energetic body and God is unimaginable God in energetic body. If this possession continues forever without exit of God through perfect merge, such human being possessed by God is the human incarnation. Even temporary human incarnation (Āveśa avatāra) can exist. God Viṣṇu left Parashurama once the work of killing all the evil kings was over and he was insulted by Rāma, who is a permanent incarnation (Pūrṇa avatāra). Incarnations are of various types. A ray of power of God entering makes human being as Kalā avatāra as in the case of Vyāsa. A part of power of the God makes Aṁśa avatāra like Kapila. Temporary possession of God makes Āveśa Avatāra like Paraṣurāma. Lifelong possession of God is Purṇa avatāra. Lifelong possession with full expression of power is Paripūrṇa avatāra like Kṛṣṇa. In Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, there is no difference because same power is possessed in both. The difference is only the extent of expression.
God is the mother, father and preacher
Take Brahmā as preacher of spiritual knowledge, who possesses the Veda in His hand and Sarasvatī on tongue to speak well. Take Viṣṇu as mother, who has wealth (Lakṣmī) in heart to clear your materialistic problems to get liberation from tensions. Viṣṇu is said to be linked to liberation (mokṣamicchet Janārdanāt). Take Śiva as father, who is interested in your uplift through knowledge (jñānaṁ Maheśvarāt…) His power, Kālī (Pārvatī) is source of miraculous powers to relieve your tensions beyond wealth and also to help you in the propagation of knowledge. Brahmā is represented as son of Viṣṇu and Viṣṇu as Mohini is represented as the wife of Śiva. These three appear as we see a couple with one issue in advertisement of family planning! This means that bond between husband and wife disappears after getting one issue only as per ancient ethical scripture. Husband (Pitṛdeva), wife (Matṛdeva) and son (Achāryadeva) stand for worship as said in the Veda. The meaning of these words should not be taken as the worship of father, mother and teacher as God (Karmadhāraya Samāsa), which should be actually taken as the worship of God as father, God as mother and God as the preacher (Bahuvrihi Samāsa).
You become holy not due to bath, silk cloth etc. You become holy when you are in association with spiritual people. Similarly, you become unholy due to association of worldly people. Of course, by bath etc., you become holy to some extent initially, which is very little and hence is not rejected.
08-08-1993, 6.00 am.
Human degradation over the ages
In the first quarter of this time river called as Kṛta Yuga, unless the last two parts of yoga (dhyāna or meditation or concentration on spiritual knowledge and samādhi or firm determination) were achieved, people did not stop their effort. In the second quarter, Tretā Yuga, unless two prior parts (pratyāhāra or withdrawal from world and Dhāraṇā or catching human incarnation) were achieved, people did not stop effort. In the third quarter, Dwapara Yuga, people didn’t stop their effort unless the prior two parts (āsana or stability and Praṇāyāma or perfect health by exercising respiration) were achieved. In the Kali Yuga, people don’t stop effort unless the first two parts (Yama or physical health and Niyama or control on habits spoiling health) are achieved, which are the two fundamental steps to achieve good health. Thus, in this Kali age, yoga means just medical education to have good health so that people can enjoy the worldly luxuries perfectly. Today, the ultimate aim of yoga is lost, which is to search the human incarnation and serve it as we see the case of Hanumān catching Rāma. Perfect health was achieved by Hanumān to serve Lord Rāma effectively.
Three qualities of the Divine Trinity
Viṣṇu is of white sattvam quality and should be white in color. Śiva is of black Tamas quality and should be black in color. Viṣṇu is middle, engaged in administration, requires Tamas also to punish sinners and hence attracted the quality of Śiva on to Him to become black. Śiva has no work up to the end of this creation and hence desires to be in self-meditation (please note that this self of Śiva is God and the self of you is soul only and hence, you need not go into self-meditation) and for this the quality of Viṣṇu is required, which was attracted by Śiva to become white. Brahmā remains in His red colored quality, red Rajas, which is the quality of work (Rajaḥ karmaṇi— Gītā) or process of creation of new human beings for the extension of humanity.
The ritual of Punyāhavācanam
(Shri C B K Murthy asked to explain the internal meaning of a ritual called as Puṇyāhavācanam, which was just completed by him. Swami explained.)
You see three vessels standing on the tips of a triangle. The east- vessel is of Brahmā. The North-vessel is of Viṣṇu. The south-Vessel is of Śiva. First, you lifted southern vessel and poured its water in the water of East-vessel. This means that the father approached the preacher, requested him to preach spiritual knowledge to his issue so that his issue becomes the preacher and preacher agreed. Then, you took both vessels from south and north and poured both waters into East-vessel. This means that both father and mother took their issue to the preacher for learning. Then, the water from the East vessel is sprinkled everywhere for purification. This means that the issue became preacher and propagated spiritual knowledge everywhere for purification of humanity.
[Shri Kṛṣṇa Aṣṭamī]
09-08-1993, 6.00 am.
The secret behind dancing with the Gopikās
I was born as Kṛṣṇa in the dynasty of Yadavaas on the prayer of Yadu. In the previous incarnation as Rāma, the sages prayed Me to allow them in female forms to embrace Me. Their concept was that God alone is male (Puruṣa) and all the souls are females (prakṛti) as said in the Veda. They conquered the ego of gender. I told them that they shall be born as real females only so that the ego of gender can really disappear. I told them that I will test them regarding their bonds with life partner (Dāreṣaṇa) while dancing in Bṛndāvanam. I also told them that I will test their liberation from the bond of issues (Putreṣaṇa) and bond with wealth (Dhaneṣaṇa) by stealing butter, which is meant for their issues. I also told them that they shall be liberated from the ego of caste and knowledge. Hence, they were born in low caste without any education. That was their last birth in the network of worldly bonds. Many failed in My test and a few only reached Goloka, higher than the highest plane. I performed the dance secretly in the midnight and stealing butter also secretly in day time so that their family members are not hurt to punish Gopikās, who thought Gopikās as ordinary human beings. I danced for two years when I was 16 to 18 years old. Even in that birth, Gopikās approached Me for dance, but, I warned them that they will go to hell. They replied that they are prepared for it for My sake and threatened that they will jump into Yamunā river, if denied! After leaving Brundavanam, I neither returned, nor repeated this stealing and dance anywhere at any time throughout the rest of My life. A characterless fellow accustomed to illegal sex and theft will never keep silent just after one case! When I got Jarasandha killed, 16,000 daughters of kings were liberated by Me from prisons. All of them told Me that they love Me only and threatened that they will die without Me. Then I married them and followed justice because kings had the facility to marry any number of girls (Rājāno bahuvallabhāḥ). I didn’t dance with them secretly because they were not sages born as Gopikās in the last birth to be tested by Me without hurting the other ignorant souls.
Do you think that I am characterless? Do you want to imitate Me? Ok. You lift not a huge hill, a big stone, not on finger, but by two hands, not in one minute, but, by trying throughout your life! You may bring your leader Ravana (to justify his rapes and looting the wealth of other kings), who already lifted a huge hill. Let him preach spiritual knowledge in the form of the Gītā as I did! Both miracles and true spiritual knowledge are the characteristics of God. Of these two, knowledge is the unique sign of God as the Veda says “Satyaṁ Jñānamanataṁ Brahma” “Prajñānam Brahma”. The leader of the Gopikās, Rādhā was the incarnation of sage Durvāsa, who was the incarnation of Lord Śiva! I (Viṣṇu) became female Mohini before the male Śiva. We both exchanged our past roles and I was born as Kṛṣṇa and Śiva was born as Rādhā. Viṣṇu and Śiva are one and the same God Datta and hence I was just in dual role! It is not illegal stealing and illegal sex as taking place in the human beings. Both munī (sage maintaining silence) and dumb look like apparently, but, both differ a lot. It is the final spiritual test of the liberation from the three strongest worldly bonds (eshanas) apparently looking like illegal theft and illegal sex. No female is more beautiful than My wife, Goddess Lakṣmī, in this entire creation and she selected Me by putting garland in My neck! Will I steal a pot of milk, who is lying on Milk Ocean? This Bhāgavatam alone, heard, gave salvation to Parīkṣit in seven days. Scholars say that understanding this Bhāgavatam is a test in depth of spiritual knowledge for any scholar (Vidyāvatām Bhāgavate Parīkṣā).
[1] The first three Vedas, namely Ṛg Veda, Yajur Veda and Sāma Veda are composed in the form of poetry, prose and song respectively.
[2] During the Upanayanam ceremony, the child is taught the so-called Gāyatri mantra, which he is supposed to recite everyday from that day onwards. The actual significance of this tradition is that a person should sing prayers in praise of God everday. Singing of prayers or devotional songs which bring the protection of God, is the real meaning of Gāyatrī mantra.
[3] In the Veda, hymns (mantras) are addressed to specific deities. The deity being worshipped and the ṛṣi (sage) who composed the hymn, is clearly announced.
[4] It is commonly thought that the mantra “Om bhurbhuvaḥ svāḥ…” is the Gāyatrī mantra, which is supposed to be recited during and after the Upanayanam. In reality, that particular mantra is the Savitṛ mantra. It is a mantra in praise of the deity Savitā (Savitṛ). There is no specific mantra called as the Gāyatrī mantra. The Savitṛ mantra is composed in the poetic meter (chandas) called the Gāyatrī meter. Being one of the most common mantras in the Gāyatrī meter, it is commonly called as the Gāyatrī mantra.
[5] During the middle ages, selfish scholars restricted the holy thread ceremony and the Gāyatrī mantra to males from the Brahmin caste (priests) alone. Women and people from other castes were not allowed to undergo the ceremony or recite the Gāyatrī mantra.
[6] During the ritualistic worship of idols of goddesses in temples, they are offered the holy thread, indicating that in ancient times women were certainly allowed to undergo the thread ceremony and recite the Gāyatrī.
[7] While giving a daughter in marriage, her holy thread is handed over to her husband as part of the traditional marriage ceremony.
[8] Indian classical music, in particular, is characterized by stretching notes and elaborate combination of notes.
[9] The seven notes: do, re mi…