Posted on: 12 Feb 2017
Chapter 6 (By P. V. N. M. Sharma)
Knower of the Deepest Secrets of Souls
[20-09-1993] The couple along with Shri Swami visited a saint called Swami Narendra Maharaj. As all three of them submitted their salutations with respect at the feet of Maharaj, Maharaj felt some divinity in Shri Swami. That evening, the couple and Shri Swami went to the temple as usual. Maharaj also came to the temple. He was standing far behind and found Swami and the couple in the crowd. Maharaj thought that if this Swami has some divinity in Him, He should come back a little and ring the old bell, which had been tied up to prevent it from being used. Shri Swami looked back, smiled at Maharaj, came back a little, jumped high and rang the old bell. Next day, when the three visited Maharaj, Maharaj told them about what had happened in the previous evening at the temple. Shri C. B. K. Murthy was happy and told Maharaj that Shri Swami has had a vision of Lord Dattatreya. Suddenly, the colour of the face of Maharaj changed with jealousy and he shouted angrily “A vision of Datta! In this Kali age, Datta is not seen by any human being. This is an utter lie. You have seen a ghost and not Datta”. Shri Swami replied to Maharaj “You are the one who deals with ghosts while doing black magic. You even tried to do black magic on your own preacher. The preacher gave you a slap and threw you out of the asylum”. Maharaj said that whatever was told by Shri Swami was another utter lie. All the three saluted to Maharaj as usual and returned to the residence at night. The couple was afraid of Maharaj’s anger. As they were going to sleep, Shri Swami told the couple “The divine Lion, which is the vehicle of Goddess Shakti, is moving around our residence since Maharaj is trying to do some black magic on Me. Do not fear.” The couple felt more scared and could not sleep at all! Shri Swami slept as usual. At 04.00 am, the bolted doors of the residence were violently beaten by somebody. The couple woke up and were terrified and shocked. Shri Swami asked them to open the door. He also asked for their apology for disturbing their sleep by telling them about black magic and the lion. As the couple opened the door, Maharaj rushed inside and fell at the feet of Shri Swami. Shri Swami also caught the feet of Maharaj saying “You are a saint and I am a householder. I should catch your feet and not the reverse”. Finally, Maharaj removed his hands from the feet of Shri Swami and then, Shri Swami also removed His hands from the feet of Maharaj. Maharaj wept loudly, asking for an apology from Shri Swami again and again. Maharaj said “Due to jealousy, I tried to perform black magic on Shri Swami, for which I worshipped Goddess Mahakaali last night. The Divine Mother appeared and hit me on the head with her fist having diamond rings. With that hard blow, I saw all the stars before my eyes! She told me that You are Lord Datta and that I should fall at your feet and apologize. I immediately ran to this place. Whatever You had said about my preacher yesterday, is totally true and I had kept it hidden as the topmost secret”. Shri Swami consoled him by saying “Don’t worry. Go back to your asylum. Your preacher (Guru) will receive you with love since I have recommended your case to him”. From that day onwards, the couple became totally devoted to Swami.
Agony of Death
24-09-1993, 04.00 am.
When the soul embedded in the subtle body leaves the gross body in death, it faces a lot of inconvenience during its exit. This inconvenience gives some pain because the soul was so far attached to the property earned by it and to its family members. Leaving all of them in an instant, forever, gives a lot of pain. Just before death, the soul, which is highly fascinated by wealth and family knows that it is his or her last minute with them. As much fascination you develop with these worldly bonds in your life, that much will be the pain! The inconvenience in leaving the gross body is just like removing a tight shirt from the body. The fascination developed for this gross body is the inconvenience, which also adds to the pain. The two names of the gross body ‘deha’ and ‘sharira’ should always remind you that one day the gross body will get destroyed. Deha means ‘that which is burnt in fire’ (dahyate iti). Sharira means ‘that which decomposes into the five elements’ in case the body is not burnt but is buried instead (shiryate iti). Whenever, you refer to your gross body, you must use these two words so that your fascination for it does not grow much.
Apart from the above-said pain, a lot of intense pain is also developed for reasons that I have explained in two verses some time back. They are the last flash of intelligence and the last agony that develops subsequently. That pain is far greater than the pain experienced by the soul due to the inconvenience in relieving itself from the gross body. To understand this clearly, I give an example: A person travelled in a bus, which was very crowded. The person felt a lot of inconvenience and pain during the journey. After reaching the next city, he attended an interview in which he failed, since he could not answer any question. Even while he was travelling, he knew very well that he was zero in the subject and that he would certainly fail in the interview. He was attending the interview forced by his parents and hence the journey was inevitable for him. But the pain caused due to the inconvenience in the journey was far lesser than the future pain that he could imagine, as a result of his certain failure in the upcoming interview. Hence, the pain in the inevitable death is far lesser than the pain the soul will certainly receive in hell in the immediate future. In hell, the soul cannot expect any protection from God, since the soul never cared for God during its lifetime. The family for whom the soul cared throughout its lifetime, cannot protect the soul in hell. This knowledge and its frequent memory in life, will help any soul in developing care for God and in reducing the fascination for one’s worldly bonds.
Cause of Variations Among Souls
[Shri C.B. K. Murthy asked for explanation of the terms prarabdha, aagaami and sanchita. The three are the types of fruits of one’s deeds as per the theory of Karma. Shri Swami first explained how variations develop among souls.]
Prarabdha, Aagami and Sanchita are terms used to explain the wheel of deeds of a human being. They refer to the treatment of God given to souls, which changes from one human being to another, depending upon the case. The deeds done by a human being are generated from its specific psychological pattern, which is called as samskaara. This pattern depends upon the past history of several previous births including births as trees, animals, birds, insects, worms, demons, angels and human beings. People often raise a question about the situation of souls at the very beginning of creation. At that stage, differences in the psychological patterns of souls could not have existed. It is true that all souls are made of awareness and that originally, their thoughts were similar and were of the best quality. They all followed the single right code of conduct prescribed by God. Souls were like the present-day robots, which simply follow the uniform input that is programmed into them. By the advanced part of Kruta age, souls were bored with the routine input and craved for freedom. It is just like the case of children who are raised in perfect discipline by parents from childhood. They want to have freedom when they become youths, since they are irritated by the boring discipline. Even the ethical scripture says that once one’s issues become sixteen years old, the parents should treat their issues as friends. For the first five years, the issue should be served as a king. For the next ten years, the issue should be forced into discipline like a servant and from the sixteeenth year, the issue should be treated as a friend (Rajavat pancha varshaani, dasha varshani daasavat, praaptetu shodashe varshe putram mitravadaacharet). The earlier part of Kruta age was like the childhood-phase of humanity and the latter part of Kruta and other ages were like youth. Hence, after some time, one’s issues must be given full freedom and parents are expected to treat them as friends. Parents may only give advice and not orders. Once the earlier part of Kruta age ended, souls became youths and God gave them freedom to think and to act. God framed the constitution explaining fruits of deeds and passed it on to the Prajaapatis like Manu to propagate to humanity. He started advising the souls like a Friend (Pravrutti dharmam bodhayaamaasa- Shankara). Due to this freedom given by God, souls have gone in different ways, developing different psychologies, which vary in the proportions of the basic three qualities called Sattvam, Rajas and Tamas.
In the earlier part of Kruta age, only heaven existed and there was no hell. All souls went only to heaven because they always had the right character and conduct as directed by God. In the latter of part of Kruta age, hell was also created by God since some souls followed the ethical commands of God while other souls violated them and became demons. Some demons like Somakaasura and others were directly punished by God on Earth, since their behaviour was greatly disturbing society. Other sinful demons were punished in the hell. Intensely good and intensely bad deeds are given immediate fruits here itself (Atyutkataih...). Any deed after receiving its fruit must end as per the rule. But the psychology that causes the deed, which is called as the mentality or attitude (Vaasanaa) does not vanish even after the fruit is enjoyed. The enjoyment of the fruit of a good deed encourages the soul in its (good) attitude. The enjoyment of the fruit of a bad deed discourages the soul in its (bad) attitude. But the bad attitude never vanishes by the punishment. Yet, since the force of the bad attitude is reduced by the punishment, society is benefited at least temporarily. The attitude of doing the bad deed can vanish only by divine spiritual knowledge. The purpose of hell is only to send bad souls to Earth with reduced intensities of bad attitudes. Such souls will not do bad deeds and disturb the society at least in the beginning, i.e. during childhood. Once the human being becomes a youth, its attitudes (vasanas) come out and grow as a tree which is provided with conditions that are congenial for its growth. Each soul is naturally attracted to an environment that is similar to its attitudes. So a soul having bad attitudes, will usually be surrounded by a bad environment in which the bad attitudes will grow as the soul becomes a youth. If the same human being is accidently subjected to a good environment, the bad attitudes will remain hidden in seed-form without germinating. If the soul is provided with a special good environment consisting of true spiritual knowledge given by God in human form, the seeds of bad attitudes are blasted and turned to ash by the true knowledge-fire (Jnanaagnih... Gita). The choice of choosing the environment is again left to the soul in view of the freedom given to it.
At the beginning of creation, up to a certain span of time during the Kruta age, the all souls homogeneously had good qualities of Sattvam. When God gave freedom, heterogeneity developed among souls in their psychologies. These differences in psychology developed only because of situations created by the souls themselves. Situations created by souls lead to a state where a variety of thoughts and mentalities emerge, even though the initial state had a uniformity of thoughts. This point is clarified as follows. There were ten good people. They were all equally good. i.e. there was a homogeneity of goodness both qualitatively and quantitatively. These ten people created a new situation. They elected a leader of their group. Any person of that group could have become the leader. But whoever became the elected leader, developed an ego, while the rest nine developed jealousy towards him in due course of time. Thus, variation started in the psychologies of these equally good people. This variation developed even though all the ten were equally good and there was no initial heterogeneity. Hence, you need not wonder how variations in the psychologies of the souls developed, when initially, all were equal without any differences.
Even in the early part of Kruta age, even though all souls were sages, ego and jealousy were developed in some souls, in situations like arguments between sages regarding some concepts. Ego and jealousy arise from the basic qualities, Rajas and Tamas. The sages themselves were responsible for such arguments and hence the souls alone are responsible for the variations in psychologies. But in that age, Rajas and Tamas were present only in traces. So the sages did not fight physically like the kings of later ages, in whom Rajas and Tamas had strengthened. Thus, even in the beginning of creation, when Sattvam was almost 100% in every soul, Rajas and Tamas also existed in traces in every soul. At least traces of Rajas and Tamas are inevitable in any soul due to the influence of inert Rajas and Tamas that always exist in Nature. Hence, the scripture says that no single quality exists as that absolute 100% pure quality. Situations created by souls bring in variations just as an argument between scholars provokes traces of Rajas and Tamas in both the defeated scholar and victorious scholar. Hence, the freedom given by God, associated with situations created by souls, is responsible for the variation of psychologies. This means that souls themselves are responsible for this variation and not God.
God created creation, which has pure awareness (Sattvam), pure inert energy (Rajas) and pure matter (Tamas). The non-inert souls (awareness) are always associated with inert energy and matter. At this initial stage there was no variation among souls in creation. But since the three qualities are always intermingled in creation, they always affect each other and no single isolated 100% quality can exist in this creation. As a result, the awareness (Sattvam) of souls, which mostly contained good thoughts of Sattvam in the beginning, also had some traces of bad thoughts of Rajas and Tamas. Since Rajas and Tamas were present only as negligible traces, there was no problem of any significant bad effects on the thoughts of the souls. Besides, those traces of Rajas and Tamas were uniformly present in all souls in that initial phase of the Kruta age. The influence of the Rajas and Tamas qualities on Sattvam (awareness) is generally small, since they are inert (energy and matter).
As time progressed and freedom was attained, the situations created by souls brought in variations in the thoughts of the souls. Souls are lumps of awareness, which is the quality of Sattvam. The development of variations in thoughts means the growth of the Rajas and Tamas qualities (thoughts) and the suppression of Sattvam. Clearly, God is not responsible for the variation in psychologies and only the soul is responsible for it. Also, the variation was not present in the beginning but it developed in due course of time due to situations created by souls. A human being having more inert energy (Rajas) becomes egotistic. He becomes the king and owns more wealth or matter (Tamas). The inert energy and inert matter is in no way responsible for these thoughts of Rajas and Tamas. But the person’s thoughts and awareness (Sattvam) got influenced by the inert Rajas and Tamas.
God is responsible for the creation of thoughtless awareness in souls in the beginning. He is also responsible for subsequently filling that thoughless awareness with good thoughts. Souls are responsible for the creation of bad thoughts in that good awareness, by creating situations that cause variations. Hence, Ishwara (Datta) is said to be mediated by Sattvam alone. I have dealt with this topic in detail before explaining the three types of deeds asked by you. This is because every fellow poses a question to God asking how come variation among souls developed from the foremost situation of equality and homogeneity among souls.
Punishment and Reformation
24-09-1993, 4.00 pm.
I have already explained the background of deeds, which is the variation in psychologies in terms of the proportions of the three qualities called Sattvam, Rajas and Tamas. Sattvam stands for the original thoughtless awareness in creation with which, inert energy (Rajas) and inert matter (Tamas) are (always) associated. When the process of thought-generation started, due to the initial guidance of the discipline enforced by God, good thoughts were developed. These thoughts come under the name Sattvam. The influences of inert Rajas and inert Tamas in traces had already developed thoughts of Rajas and Tamas in traces, but they were negligible. The influence of inert items in Nature on the non-inert thoughts of awareness, is clearly explained in the Gita. In course of time, situations created by souls provoked the thoughts of Rajas and Tamas to become stronger and stronger. The variation developed is the heterogeneity in psychologies. It is continuing till today and it will continue even tomorrow. These thoughts generated deeds. The good thoughts of Sattvam result in good deeds and these thoughts are encouraged by the fruits of heaven. The bad thoughts of Rajas and Tamas are discouraged by the punishments in hell. A soul taking rebirth on Earth has a specific ratio of these three qualities after the encouragement of Sattvam in heaven and the discouragement of Rajas and Tamas in hell. Depending on that ratio of the three qualities, the soul is attracted to an environment with similar qualities, which it finds congenial. This ratio of the three qualities which is responsible for the soul taking birth in a particular environment on Earth, is called as Prarabdha. The soul after birth on Earth, is mild in Rajas and Tamas due to the severe reduction of both in hell. But neither the qualities nor the ratio of qualities vanishes due to the punishment in hell. There is only a quantitative reduction. It is based on this very ratio, that the soul is dragged to an environment congenial to it, where it takes birth. As the child grows into an adult, the quantity and proportion of the qualities in this ratio also changes gradually. In general, the congenial environment enables the corresponding qualities to grow, generating the corresponding deeds. After death, again the soul is processed through heaven and hell, before taking another birth on this Earth. When the soul leaves the gross body in death, the balance ratio accompanying the soul is called as sanchita. When the soul comes to Earth, the sanchita ratio with the soul is changed quantitatively. Sattvam is enhanced in heaven and Rajas and Tamas are depressed in hell. On Earth, Rajas and Tamas get enhanced again and Sattvam gets relatively reduced. The deeds on Earth add their influences to the sanchita ratio and these deeds are called as Aagaami.
This Earth is world of deeds and not a place of punishments and awards, except the case of intensive deeds. God is always trying to help the soul by preaching spiritual knowledge, which can tremendously change this ratio so that Sattvam can become almost 100% with only negligible traces of Rajas and Tamas. Spiritual knowledge has such unimaginable power due to which even 100% absolute Sattvam can result. This happens very rarely in the case of a highly deserving soul. God will not directly interfere with your wheel of practical deeds. But, through theory (spiritual preaching), God can smash all your sins practically! If total reformation happens through spiritual knowledge, all the pending sins are cancelled because the aim of punishment is only the reformation of the soul, at least temporarily. There is no need of any punishment once permanent reformation is attained through spiritual knowledge. If God feels that there is some hope of reformation in the case of a soul, He can order the postponement of punishments with interest to sometime later in this birth, or even to some future birth. This ensures that the soul is not disturbed in its effort. He also has the power to change one mode of punishment to another to suit the convenience of such a soul. An employee, who has been given punishment of six months imprisonment will lose his job forever. God changes this imprisonment to the payment of some fine so that the employee is not disturbed at all. Even the fine may be cancelled by the will of God so that there is no black spot on the employee’s career. But the fine will have to be paid in the next birth with interest. Alternatively, some financial loss might occur in this birth itself. Like this, God helps the soul like a doctor helping the patient to get cured. During such treatment, God is very careful in not hurting His beloved wife, the Deity of Justice, in any practical way. So He follows the rules, regulations and provisions of the constitution written by Himself. God tries to show maximum love for any soul without disturbing the disciplined and justified code of administration of this universe, which is run by the Deity of Justice.
Four Pillars of Spirituality
27-09-1993, 12.00 noon.
Hanuman used Himself as a servant in the service of Lord Rama and the benefit of all His service went to the Lord only by getting back Sita. Hanuman is not benefited in any way since He did all the service without aspiration of any personal fruit in return. Hence, Hanuman is worshipped as God and several temples for Hanuman are seen. In the case of Arjuna, even though Arjuna fought as a servant in the service of God for establishment of justice, the fruit of the war was totally attained by Arjuna only and not even a trace of fruit went to Lord Krishna. There is no temple of Arjuna anywhere. In the Ramayana also, Sita asked Rama to get the golden deer due to her fascination towards it. Sita used the Lord for her desire and was caught by a chain of tragedies till the end. She has to enter the fire also and finally has to merge with the earth. Sati Devi also went to attend the sacrifice done by her father even though Lord Shiva objected. She also ended her life in the fire.
Knowledge gives all the details regarding God. Devotion gives the highest fascination for God. Action gives practical service with sacrifice to God. Yoga gives the talent in preserving the energy, time and wealth to be used for God. All these four are the foundation pillars of spiritual knowledge.
From Desire to Desirelessness
28-09-1993, 06.00 pm.
Association with worldly people is not holy. Association with spiritual people makes you holy. Don’t aspire to become popular in this society of worldly people. This is the reason for the sages to go to forests to live in association with birds and animals, who do effort for the meals of that day only. The worldly people in cities and villages always put efforts even if they have earned wealth sufficient for 10 future generations! Take even simple food offered by spiritual people and don’t take even a feast offered by worldly people. You have to spend 1/3rd time of day (24 hrs) for sleep. Sleep is very essential for the brain and body. In the rest 2/3rd time (16 hrs), spend as much as possible for the sake of God after finishing your duties for earning and other responsibilities of your family. Rest a while after lunch and walk a while after dinner. The food taken should be 1/4th of your stomach. Water should be in another 1/4th part. Another 1/4th part should be for the movement of gas. The last 1/4th part should be free space. The scripture of Yoga prescribes this. Control of external and internal senses is the very foundation of Yoga. Doing regular exercises and avoiding polluted air by exposing to fresh and pure air are the associated steps for good health. You must take lot of care about your health, which is very much essential for the spiritual journey.
You must know clearly what you are asking God. You ask God for salvation (Moksha) about which you have the highest impression. But, you do not know its real meaning. Moksha means liberation or detachment from your strong and nearest worldly bonds. If this real meaning is known, 99% of devotees will never pray God for salvation! You ask liberation from your closest and strongest family bonds (Moksha). When God Datta starts cutting your strongest family bonds, you blame and scold Datta as ‘Dattam Chinnam’, which means that this bloody God is cutting your closest, strongest and dearest family bonds! You say that Datta appears as a mad person (unmatta Datta). Datta became really mad by your above said mad behaviour! The souls in all other worlds are in energetic bodies. Soul is awareness or Sattvam. Body is energy or Rajas. God can deal with all the souls in the energetic bodies in a proper reasonable way. This world of human beings is only a sub-world of one world called as Bhuloka, in which Pitruloka, Narakaloka, Pretaloka and Martyaloka (sub-world of human beings) exist as the four sub-worlds. There is no other sub-world or world of human beings with materialized bodies in the entire creation because dealing with human beings is the climax of headache! Somebody asked God “is there another world of human beings in this universe?” God was terribly shocked saying “Oh God! Another world of human beings! No. No. This sub-world of human beings itself is eating Me!” You see that God Himself says “O God!” This is the greatness of the humanity! The materialized bodies are made of Tamas or matter, which is the climax of ignorance! The human body is made of not only matter but also energy and awareness. This is not a case of total ignorance, which can also be easily dealt. It is a mixture of ignorance (Tamas), ego (Rajas) and knowledge (Sattvam) and none of these three components is full! It is a mixture of ignorance and ego of little knowledge. Even the omniscient and omnipotent God is unable to deal with human beings of such composition (Brahmaapi na ranjayati).
Difficulties come to you by My grace since those purify you by driving you to Me. Difficulties make your brain very alert and yourself very active. Intensive devotion and concentration on Me is developed even though the devotion and difficulties are not true love on Me since your aim is only to get rid of the difficulties with My help. At least you are introduced to the process of intensive devotion, which in course of time may transform into real devotion also. Difficulty and desire bring you to Me like two constables arresting a thief bring to court! I will react in a positive manner hoping that you will develop real devotion to Me in future. But, My hope always remains as hope only even though millions of births pass on! Happiness makes you inactive and inert developing ego and drags you away from Me. Hence, happiness comes to you by My anger only. When Krishna asked Kunti to ask for a boon, Kunti asked the Lord to continue the difficulties so that she will be always praying the Lord! Actually, happiness is the fruit of your good deed and difficulty is fruit of bad deed. I pick up both fruits and arrange your life cycle with both fruits in alternative fashion. Whenever you press Me through your devotion I drag the good fruits from the future cycles with some reduction like premature deposits and postpone the present bad fruits to future cycles with interest like re-casted pro-notes. A time will come in future in which you are having the life cycles filled with only bad fruits. You will blame and scold Me in the future on such occasion “O cruel God! Even though I am strong devotee, from my birth, I am suffering continuously throughout my life!” What can I do? I can’t create fruits without deeds, which is against the very basic norm of divine administration. At least, if a tiny fruit exists, I can multiply it. Draupadi tore her sari for a piece of cloth for bandage when My finger was cut. I multiplied that piece of cloth in to hundreds of saris when she was going to be made naked. If you worship Me without any desire in return, I can create any number of fruits whenever you are in need. Draupadi always worshiped Me for her protection in her life and hence a tiny fruit was needed for multiplication. Kuchela always worshiped Me without any desire and didn’t express even a trace of desire when he came to Me in spite of his severe poverty. Hence, I gave him fruits created in infinite quantity. Hence, try to develop true love on Me without aspiration for any fruit in return as you love your children. In such case, I shall give you any fruit needed by you to any extent without your asking for it. If you develop this special line of love without any account between us, such line is said to be Nivrutti. Love on Me for the sake of fruits is the line of Pravrutti. Pravrutti is better than atheism, but, Nivrutti is far far better than Pravrutti. The devotion of Gopikas, Hanuman, Prahalada, Kannappa etc., is the climax of Nivrutti.
Who Am I?
20-11-1993, 8.00 am.
[This day was the 63rd birthday of Shri C. B. K. Murthy and the couple worshipped Shri Swami following all the 16 modes of worship. Shri Swami sang the following song.]
Do you know who am I? Who am I?
I am Kalabhairava, personified Veda,
Light of spiritual knowledge of Datta,
Solidified rock of faith in My master. (Do you know...)
I am path in the name of Kalabhairava,
I am also goal in the name of Dattatreya,
Both of us are one and the same entity,
Path in journey, goal after the journey. (Do you know...)
If you see the goal now itself, you will die,
Do you like to eat the unripened fruit now?
Have patience, don’t stop your spiritual journey,
You will see Me when the destined day comes. (Do you know...)
Follow Me, the Divine Dog, I will lead you,
Up to the house of My Master, Lord Datta,
I am originally unimaginable to any soul,
All these forms are only to help you here. (Do you know...)
Symbolic Models and Incarnations of Unimaginable God
21—11—1993, 04.00 am
This creation can never touch Me and hence I am called as Nirguna. I can’t be captured by any extent of imagination or logical analysis and hence I am the real Avyakta. The soul is only a part of My creation and I am always beyond the creation. The real root-spiritual knowledge is the knowledge of My unknowable nature only. You can worship Me as this infinite cosmos or any part of it you like that stands as My representative model. The model is always totally different from Me. But, since you believe it as Myself, certainly it will help you to develop your theoretical devotion in Me. Theory generates practice. For the sake of practical devotion to be served by you, I come down to this earth to possess a devotee selected by Me. I merge with that devotee fully so that such human being is directly Myself only, called as human incarnation. The inert models can’t receive your practical service. Behind these models, clever priests get the benefits of your service or your service gets wasted. A via-media policy is to select a devotee as My model and serve him/her with your practical devotion so that at least the living devotee receives your service to become pleased. The pleasure of My devotee also pleases Me. Even though this is not the direct worship of human incarnation, in the end since I am pleased, it also can be treated as direct worship. When you serve the inert models and if your service is wasted, I become furious towards your foolishness. Instead of such wastage, let the priests receive the benefits of your service since they are also devoted to Me in the basic level. The practical service to human incarnation, devotee and priest is in descending order. Practical service to inert models is worst. The inert models can be served by limited modes like bath, clothing, decorating with jewels and flowers for the sake of vision that inspires your theoretical devotion. You can offer materials to the model, but, such materials should be donated to living beings as said above. Instead of wasting the materials like milk in bath, burning oil in lights and ghee in fire altars, at least, you donate them to poor in the name of God. If a poor human being is supported by you in this way, you are helping a soul to divert its time to God since its time spent constantly in earning can be reduced. Even if the poor person is an atheist, help him/ her so that there may be a chance in the future to become theist and sometimes may become even a great devotee. Such cases exist.
In between unimaginable God and human incarnation lies first energetic incarnation called as Datta or Eshwara (Father of heaven), who on merging with other energetic forms make those also as energetic incarnations like Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Ganapati, Subrahmanya etc. All these energetic incarnations are for the upper worlds only, in which similar energetic beings exist. Energetic incarnations are not even seen and are totally irrelevant to humanity for service. You must always search for the relevant human incarnation. Hanuman and Gopikas always worshipped their contemporary human incarnations only and not statues or energetic incarnations. Are you greater and wiser than Hanuman and Gopikas to neglect your contemporary human incarnation and run after statues and irrelevant energetic incarnations? It is alright, if you are in LKG class of spiritual journey since it is difficult to conquer the ego and jealousy causing repulsion towards co-human forms. I am not criticizing a boy or baby sitting in LKG class. That boy and baby are sitting in LKG class even after becoming 60 yrs old! I am criticizing such old LKG students only.
The practical devotion in the form of service and sacrifice must be associated with pure theoretical devotion. Love is always theoretical only. Theory is the generator of practice. Theory comes from spiritual knowledge. True theory comes from true spiritual knowledge only given by human incarnation. If there is mistake in the spiritual knowledge, theory is also defective and the direction of practice resulting from theory will be in wrong direction only. Hence, the practical devotion must be always associated with pure love without aspiring for any fruit in return. Practice is only a proof of the reality of love in terms of service and sacrifice. When you serve and sacrifice to your issues, are you not filled with pure theoretical love in your heart? For this concept, issue is always the best example and hence hats off to issues! The example must be fully effective to induce the concept. After generation of practical devotion, don’t throw away the theoretical devotion like throwing away the wife after delivering issue!
Same Actor in Various Roles
12—12—1993, 04.00 am
All My incarnations are only various dramatic roles, which are external dresses only, decorated on Myself, the single actor. You should not call My incarnations as various forms since a form is modification of the original substance like curd of milk. I am the same actor existing in all incarnations without any modification. Hence, it is not correct if you call various incarnations as different forms of God. You should say that these are different roles of the single actor, God. The actor without any external role of dress having original dress is called as naked (digambara) Datta. Naked means Myself in My original dress. As Datta, I have My original form and name. Some people think that the unimaginable God is formless (Niraakaara). The original unimaginable God is beyond form-full and formless concepts. A hill is form-full and space is formless, both being imaginable items only. The unimaginable God gets mediated by first energetic form called as Datta. The power of Datta is formless root cause-energy that is modified as creation, which was already created by unimaginable God and from which only My energetic form was also created. Both the unimaginable God and unimaginable power are unimaginable and you can’t say that unimaginable power is also formless like imaginable power. The difference between unimaginable God and unimaginable power is only just for our convenience since our minds are always based on logic of imaginable items like form-full Sun and His formless power (solar energy). Both unimaginable God and unimaginable power are one and the same since there can’t exist two or more unimaginable items. Any number of unimaginable items can be only one unimaginable item. Hence, in the original absolute unimaginable level, there is no need of quarrel between the school of Brahman or more accurately Parabrahman (unimaginable God) and the school of power or Shakti.
The root cause energy (Mula Prakruti) is imaginable power created by the unimaginable God through unimaginable way. The relationship between unimaginable God and imaginable root cause energy is not possessor of power and power, but, the relationship is creator and creation. The imaginable root cause energy (Mula Prakruti) is the product of unimaginable process of creation of the unimaginable creator. This product is also called as creation, which is imaginable. The process of creating this product is also called as creation, which is unimaginable. The unimaginable God, His unimaginable power and the process of creation of imaginable Mula Prakruti (also called as creation) – these three are unimaginable items. This means that we can say simply that imaginable Mula Prakruti simply came out from unimaginable God. Later on, the imaginable Mula Prakruti generated imaginable world. The process of generation of imaginable world from imaginable Mula Prakruti can be easily understood because the process of imaginable cause generating imaginable product is imaginable as can be observed in this imaginable world. The unimaginable God creating imaginable Mula Prakruti can’t be understood since unimaginable generating imaginable doesn’t exist in this imaginable world.
Here and Now
12—12—1993 04.00 am
In the theoretical devotion, love of mind is greater than the word spoken by tongue. The love (devotion) can become firm by the decision and determination of intellect only. The correct decision always comes as fruit of well analyzed spiritual knowledge of intelligence. Hence, the Lord started the Gita with the subject related to intelligence (Buddhi Yoga). Such true spiritual knowledge will transform theory in to practice. Love or devotion strengthened by true spiritual knowledge alone brings practical implementation, which alone gives divine fruit. Mere love without practice and mere practice without real love on God are useless. The theoretical love (mother) should be pure without aspiration for any fruit in return as in the case of your issues, which transforms theory into practice (child) in a fraction of second and also always accompanies the practice like mother associated with her child. Practical service or sacrifice should be along with the pure real love only and not along with fear or aspiration for a more valuable fruit. The food with good scent is eaten by any person even without hunger. Even a person with lot of hunger will refuse to eat food giving bad odour. Spiritual knowledge (grandmother) generates love and also strengthens it always by accompanying her daughter (love or devotion), who generates practice as her daughter. Grandmother (spiritual knowledge), daughter (devotion) and grand-daughter (practice) are always together. You must be very careful about the foundation (spiritual knowledge), which alone is the strength of many floored building of Yoga. A devotee without spiritual knowledge has to collapse one day or other.
Don’t waste your time to earn more money beyond the need of basic needs. The excess money earned beyond this will not follow you after death, which remains here only. People enjoying your unjust money here will not even identify you there. If you enjoy more, diseases are ready to attack you like the IT officers to attack your unjust money here and like the cruel soldiers of death (Yama) attacking you there. Such person is a real Yogi, who spends time and energy for the basic needs only and spends the rest of time and energy in My service. You can dedicate the excess fruit of work also for My service. Service and sacrifice in practice are the two divine soldiers, who will take you there to My abode. Both service and sacrifice must be with the sweet scent of devotion. Both these without devotion or with devotion for selfish fruit become waste. Gold is the real valuable item, but, scented gold will be accepted with full pleasure even though the scent alone has no value. The fundamental power is only true spiritual knowledge that makes you to give both gold (practical devotion) and scent (theoretical devotion) together.
When I lift you up, your worldly bonds are cut and for this the devotee starts weeping and even scolds Me. This fellow again weeps everyday to lift him/her up! In his language, lifting up means reverse suppression to downwards! I created this world just to enjoy by seeing a devotee, who has no ambition for this world and has ambition only for Me. You leave the two words: ‘some time and somewhere’. You catch the other two words: ‘Now and here’ only. I will help you if you follow the latter couple of words. My help comes to you after your effort only. If I help you without your effort, the deity of justice will ask Me “why not help every soul in similar way?” She is satisfied if I help any soul in its effort towards Me. My help is so much as much as your effort. Bread is proportional to flour. What is there that can’t be given to you, if you prove your true love for Me in practice associated with the scent of true love. This is the only way for salvation.
There is no guarantee that your next birth will be human birth. Even if you are born as human being, is there guarantee that you will catch Me again! Hence, follow the two words ‘now and here’ only. You can’t get more bliss from even crores of rupees than the bliss you get from each sentence of My message. Only a fool rejects My message like a monkey throwing out a chain of diamonds! It tries to eat each diamond thinking it as small fruit. When it feels that it is not a fruit, it will throw away the chain without knowing its value. Similarly, a materialistic passionate fellow sees whether any statement of My message will help him or his/her family. Finding no worldly use, My message is thrown away! You can know the value of the above chain in market and not from a monkey. Similarly, you will know the value of My message in your last minutes here and afterwards there. The monkey will laugh at the chain thrown away. Similarly, the fool will laugh at My message.
The True Devotee Strives for God’s Pleasure
13—12—1993, 04.00 am
Hear Me attentively. Devotion means to feel that My pleasure is your bliss. If God is pleased with others and not with you and if you like God to be pleased with others only without any jealousy, that it true devotion! If God is pleased by giving difficulties to you and if you are pleased by such action of God (appearing as sadist), that is true devotion! The liking of a true devotee is always the liking of God only. That, which pleases God, pleases a true devotee also. I wrote a verse in the Krishna Bhagavatam, an epic written by Me in Sanskrit. The verse is – Gopikas say “Why sages have written so many ethical scriptures to decide what is justice and what is injustice? We can say in one sentence what is justice and what is injustice. Justice is that which pleases God and injustice is that which displeases God (paapa punya vivekaaya, kutoyam grantha vistarah? Hareh kopakaram paapam, punyam tasya priyapradam).
There should be no selfishness of devotee in the true devotion. All these worldly loves are not true if one analyses perfectly without any bias and prejudice. One, attracted to a human being of opposite sex hidden in the attractive cloth of skin, runs away with hatred on removing that skin-cloth on finding bones and flesh (Etat maamsa vasadi... Shankara)! You may be attracted to a robber hidden in saffron cloth, but, will run away on seeing that cruel fellow after removing the cloth! Hence, identify the attractions which are not only temporary, but, also unreal. Even the love of one’s parents is similar. If one doesn’t serve them in their old age, they will scold him saying that they have served him and spent so much on him expecting that he will take care of them in their old age! When you become great, they are pleased that their son has become great. This is not the pleasure for the greatness. If it is so, they should be pleased with any great person! The great son is equal to them in all the ways! He cares for his family only forgetting their unimaginable love and service done to him from his childhood! Even if he cares for them, such care is based on remembering their previous service to him or remembering their property going to be given to him! He is always attracted to his wife and the same attraction disappears in her old age! The main reason for this unreal love in worldly bonds is that any love is based on selfishness only and not based on sacrifice for others! In the Veda, sage Yajnyavalkya says that every worldly love is selfish only (Aatmanah kaamaaya sarvam priyam). Parents love their child for its future service to them in their old age! Issues love parents for their future profit of property from them! Husband and wife love each other for their selfish pleasure only! No love is for the sake of others! Only God loves you without any selfishness since God is not in need of anything from you. Similarly, you should love God for the sake of God’s pleasure only and not for your aspiration of any fruit in return from Him. Such love alone is permanent and real! Intensive test involving very sharp analysis is the test of Datta to bring out truth of such permanent and real love. This test is not due to sadist nature of Datta!
The Divine Trinity and the Three States
14—12—1993 04.00 am
People say that there is no worship for Brahma, who do not understand that the absence of worship of Brahma is because He is unimaginable God existing before creation. One can’t even imagine Him and one can’t think about His worship! As soon as creation is over, Brahma becomes silent. This knowledge of God that He is unimaginable is related to awareness. This Praajna state involves only awareness (Saraswati) with bliss and God Brahma is called as Hiranyagarbha as indicated by the Sanskrit Dictionary. The next Taijasa state involves a new item called as Tejas or inert energy (Parvati) apart from awareness, in which God Shiva is represented by a stone in wave form (Linga) for worship. Inert energy propagates in the form of waves. The next Vishva state involves a new item called as matter (Lakshmi representing materialized wealth) apart from awareness and inert energy in which God Vishnu is represented by a materialized statue for worship. Vishnu is called as Vishvam (Vishvam Vishnuh).
Eighteen Steps Before Ayyappa
[Shri C B K Murthy asked about significance of the eighteen steps before Ayyappa or God Manikantha. Shri Swami replied as follows.]
Removal of six vices using the worship of three divine forms called as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva represent these 18 steps (6x3= 18). God Manikantha represents the co-relation of Shiva and Vishnu as father and mother. If you add the co-relation of Brahma to Manikantha, you will understand God Dattatreya. You should not call a devotee travelling to temple of Ayyappa by the same very name of Ayyappa. This may lead to a false seed of monism of God and soul in the case of every human being. “I am God” (Aham Brahmaasmi) is the statement of human incarnation only. The verbs in the three great sentences “I am God, you are God and he is God indicate that every human being has a chance to become God through human incarnation in short future and thus, the verb of presentence in these three statements should be taken as a good wish going to take place in shortest possible future. When Shvetaketu was told like this (Tattvamasi) by his father, it shows the excess love of father towards his son to bless him to become God in nearest future. The fourth statement is ‘awareness is God’ (Prajnaanam Brahma) indicates that God always incarnates in living beings only having awareness. This sentence indicates a more accurate meaning that God becomes a human being only to preach excellent spiritual knowledge, which is the actual meaning of the word ‘Prajnaanam’. The word ‘Prajnaanam’ in this sentence does not mean simple awareness present in living beings since it only indicates excellent knowledge. The prefix ‘Pra’ means excellent. The word ‘Jnaanam’ means knowledge. Hence, Prajnanam means a specific human being in which the excellent spiritual knowledge is found. It does not mean any living being like bird, animal etc., which has mere awareness. Of course, excellent knowledge is also a specific mode of awareness only and can be called as awareness in loose sense. A special jewel made of gold can be treated as gold, but, its special design has separate value and significance.
If you are involved in the propagation of spiritual knowledge in this world for the sake of its peace, miraculous powers are required by you and I shall give them without your effort. If you have become a soldier fighting for country, the Government will give you the gun that is needed in the war for which you need not ask.
Three Qualities in the Spiritual Journey
01—01—1994 04.00 am
Sattvam is knowledge. Rajas is practice. Tamas is firm decision and the force of love needed for transformation of knowledge into practice. Tamas is also ignorance, which is needed for spiritual effort since you require the ignorance of worldly knowledge that provokes you to involve in worldly activities. Hence, all the three qualities are useful in your spiritual effort. I have started helping you even while creating these three qualities in the beginning. A stone doesn’t have these three qualities. These three qualities represent My three divine forms: Brahma (Rajas), Vishnu (Sattvam) and Shiva (Tamas). Hence, the help from these qualities is the help from Me. These divine forms may exchange these three fundamental qualities for a specific context. Tamas is Shiva. Hence, a devotee of Shiva has ignorance of worldly knowledge and is totally involved in the knowledge of God. Sattvam is Vishnu. The devotee of Vishnu has the full knowledge of God only. Rajas is Brahma. The devotee of Brahma is always involved in the practical activities of service to God. You must be the devotee of all these three forms, which means that you shall become the devotee of Datta in your spiritual journey.
Avoid Cheap Displays
22—02—1994 05.00 am
There are similarities between God and world. You neither know the beginning and end of this world nor know My beginning and end. In this world, there is lot of hidden knowledge in the deeply hidden planes as agreed even by scientists. Similarly, you can’t understand Me in depth, which is the plane of unimaginable God. The Sun is very hot and Moon is very cool in this world. I am also very hot for people of injustice and I am very cool to people following justice. This world shows many items similar as well as different with each other. Similarly, My incarnations are many having similarity in the spiritual knowledge and difference in the external qualities of the media.
In worshipping Me, there is no importance of time, place and mode of worship. The most important in the worship of God is intensity of real love to Him, which can be expressed anywhere, anytime and in anyway. You are worshipping God in your room of worship in the morning after taking bath. Why don’t you show your real love to your issues also in every morning after taking bath in a specific room only? You worship God by uttering some prayers and songs in that specified morning time only. Why don’t you express your love on your issues to them through poems and songs on every morning only? You are always showing theoretical love on God in single mode only. Why don’t you express your love only in theoretical mode to your issues also without other modes of service and sacrifice? You select the mode of love as per the context of the need of requirement. Once you praise your issue with sweet words. Once you serve it. Once you give it sweets. As per the context of need, the mode of expression of love is changing and it may be any time and may be any place. Be natural in expressing love to God as in the case of your issues. You are always artificial in your worship minding about place, time and mode of worship. When your natural and real love comes up as flood, express your real love in anyplace, at anytime and through any mode of worship. The Veda and the Gita say that worship can be in any way at any time in any place (Aranye graame vaa— Veda, Ashnan gachchan— Gita). When you do worship in a specific time and at specific place through a specific mode of worship only on every day, not only I am bored, but also you are bored by such mechanical repetition, which proves that truly it is artificial. The most boring mode of worship to Me is repeating My name or writing My name again and again. Suppose I repeat your name continuously in your ear, certainly you will run away and even beat Me! Just by repetition of My name again and again (japa), what type of love you are experiencing? Your aim is that by such constant repetition of My name, you want to create headache for Me so that I will grant you any boon desired by you to escape such continuous headache! It is just like to get your desired work from a fellow by constantly beating him! Instead, you remember My stories by which your interest on Me increases continuously. Devotion is increased interest and love on a person through understanding his personality in several incidents.
It is said that one should worship God for the upper world and salvation. The petty materialistic benefits in this world are given by My wife. If you go to your friend’s house for a loan of Rs.1,000/-, you have to request the house owner, your friend for such purpose. When you go to his house, his wife will serve you with coffee and Tiffin, even without any instruction from her husband since she knows that you are friend of her husband. Similarly, My devotee is served in all needs by My wife Anagha (united form of Sarswati, Lakshmi and Parvati) even without My instruction. If you ask your friend’s wife for RS.1,000/- loan, she will say that it is beyond her scope and will advise you to ask her husband. Hence, don’t ask Me petty worldly boons like coffee and Tiffin. You have come to My house and you are talking with Me. Can’t you wait for some time since she is preparing food for you? As soon as you come to My house, your first statement is “please give me coffee and Tiffin”. You become cheap not only in My eyes but also in her eyes! Before the worship itself, you utter sankalpa, which says that you need such and such favours from Me. What a cheapness it is! The priests have built-up this worst procedure of worship. When you are involved in My spiritual knowledge, I shall give you the miraculous powers (Ashtasiddhi) whenever the need arises because you are doing My work only. You need not ask any favour from Me in doing My work! These miraculous powers shall be expressed in the proper context by Me through you. If you attain the miraculous powers to be used whenever you like, you are finished like Kartaviryarjuna. Avadhuta means resisting the entry of worldly knowledge in to your brain like virus and hence it is thrown away (Avadhuta means thrown away) by force so that you are not dragged back in to the world again. Without doing this and becoming naked to be called as Avadhuta is climax of foolishness!
Mere knowledge without practical service and sacrifice is of no use. You know that Sai Baba is the incarnation of Lord Datta, but, you don’t worship Sai Baba. Another devotee doesn’t know that Sai Baba is Datta and worships Sai Baba as Sai Baba only. The worship done by second devotee to Sai Baba without spiritual knowledge is far better than the first devotee knowing the Sai Baba is Datta. The second devotee’s worship of Sai Baba reached Datta only and Datta became happy even if He is not recognized. What is the use of knowledge and recognition without practical worship? The fact is that Sai Baba is another name of Datta only and hence worship of Sai Baba is the worship of Datta only. One practical step is far better than 100 theoretical points. But, knowledge of 100 theoretical points is essential before you put a practical step since these points make you to put your practical step in right path.
The Veda says that you shall cross death by ignorance and attain God by knowledge (Avidyayaa mrutyum...). Here, death means slip from God since the Sanatsujaatiya says so (Pramaadaakhyo…). Ignorance means absence of worldly knowledge that drags you from God to world. If you are ignorant of world, you can’t be dragged from God and hence you are crossing death (slip from God). By knowledge, you catch God. This means that the knowledge of God will lead you to God without any hurdle of attraction to world crossed by ignorance of world. The heavenly dancing ladies taking bath didn’t mind to be naked even if young Shuka is walking before them. The reason is Shuka is full ignorant of world except God. Afterwards, when the old sage Vyasa (father of Shuka) came, the ladies hurriedly covered their bodies with saris because the sage Vyasa has not only having the knowledge of God, but, also knowledge of world. Shuka attained God very easily due to lack of hurdle (worldly knowledge). Sage Vyasa struggled a lot to attain God since the hurdle (worldly knowledge) existed with him! While explaining the verse of the Gita to Nanachandolkar, Sai Baba told that scholars will preach first ignorance and then only knowledge (Upadekshyanti te Jnaanam/ Ajnaanam) this means knowledge of God and ignorance of world. Hence, don’t have much worldly knowledge and have much knowledge of God. The devotee having full ignorance of the world and full knowledge of God alone is called as Avadhuta. Fools only think that Avadhuta is naked by throwing cloths. You can have minimum worldly knowledge required for the basic needs. Hence, avoid your association with worldly experts for a long time. Every person is spending with worldly experts in talking worldly points for long time! This is the reason for not getting success in the spiritual effort.
Will you kiss your child on the road before all? Similarly don’t worship God in the presence of public to impress the minds of people to project your devotion. The reality of your devotion shall be expressed to God with secrecy only. Your worship to God should not be for fame in public. Today, the holy places are not congenial for spiritual development.
(To be continued...)