Divine Discourse-Undertake Love of God and Service to Society

A Divine Discourse by Bhagwan Shri Sathya Sai  Baba

You may be aware of the way a soldier in the army has to take training in all aspects before he can be fit to take part inactive service at the front. Anyone joining the armed forces, whether a dhobi, cook, or sepoy, has to qualify compulsorily in two things.  One is handling a rifle and the other is marching drill. Whatever may be one’s avocation in the army, one should have to undergo these two parts of the training.

Similarly, in the spiritual field, one should compulsorily undertake two things, namely, love of God and service to society. These are the two prime components of divine life. They help in the realisation of the Divine. You have to take up the practice at an early age so that you can have the realisation before you leave the world. You do not know when the end will come. You should be prepared for it at all times.

The photographer asks you to be ready when he snaps your picture, and he gives you time to ready yourself. But the divine cameraman will not give you any notice. You should always be ready to meet the situation. If you engage yourself in bhajan and daivachintanam — keerthanam and smaranam —you will not be caught unawares.  Suppose you have a master who has an Alsatian dog at the gate and he himself is at the first floor. There are two ways of reaching him.

One way is to befriend the dog and enter thehouse; the other way is to call out to the master from the ground in a loud voice so that he will come out and allow you to come in by controlling the dog. Maya(illusion) is the dog. God is the master. You either control the maya or chant His name and sing His glory so that He will come down. You have to treasure Him in our heart, since the heart is His altar.

God is Hridayanivasa. Draupadi prayed to Krishna when she was humiliated in Duryodhana’s court. She said, “Oh, Dwaraka Vasa, Brindavan Sanchara, help me!” She could not get a response and she be-came tired. Finally, she pleaded in a faint voice, “Oh Hridayanivasa(Resident of my heart)! Will you not come to my rescue?” Immediately, Krishna saved her from trouble. On a later occasion, she asked Krishna why He took such a long time to respond when she was in distress and prayed to Him sincerely. Krishna responded, “You said, Dwaraka Vasa,Brindavan Sanchara, etc. I had to respect your words, so I had to go from your heart all the way to Dwaraka and Brindavan,which are so far away, and I don’t have a plane to go fast. When you said, Hridayanivasa, where I am actually residing, I came to your help instantaneously. So, everyone should install the Divine in the heart in full faith. It is not correct to think that He is only in a mosque, church, or temple. The seat of God is the devotee’s heart.

That is why the Gita says, “Pasyanapicha na pasyathi(though he sees, yet he is not conscious of God in the heart).Everything you see outside is a reflection of the inner being. “Sarvathah Panipadam thath Sarvathokshi Siromukham.” All feet, hands, eyes, heads are all His. What does this mean? It means that He is in every being. God manifests according to your feeling. One devotee was asking God, “You say You are in me, above me, below me. How is it that You are not protecting me?” God answers, “I am always in you, around you. Don’t look for Me externally.” The devotee asked, “Are You behind me really?” Replied the Lord, “My shadow is your body.” When the devotee turned around to see whether God was behind, he could not see Him. He asked, “Are You speaking the truth? I don’t find You.” God replied, “When you turn back, I too have to turn back, so, you could not see Me. You have not understood the Truth. Suppose you stand before a chair; the chair is in front of you. If you turn around, the chair is at your back.

God manifests according to your bhava(feeling). When you pray, “Can’t you hear my prayers?”, you visualise Him hearing with His ears. When you pray, “Can’t You see my suffering?” you see only His eyes. When you pray, “Why don’t you stay with me?”, you hear His footsteps. You have to maintain perfect silence. Listen to the sound of “Om” from within. The ancient seers spent their time in listening to the voice of God, which is Pranava. Even now, you can experience this. Close your ears gently. You will hear the sound Om from within. God proclaims, “Oh devotee, you are seeing with physical eyes and listening with physical ears. Be in utter silence. You can listen to the footsteps of God.” Such holy paths have been shown by great devotees. One who doesn’t understand this is in ignorance.

Surdas, a great devotee of Krishna, once went after a woman and followed her to her home. Her husband chastised him, saying, “Why have you been given eyes? Is it for this un-holy pursuit of another man’s wife? Why don’t you concentrate on God?” Immediately, Surdas got enlightened and pierced his eyes with thorns of a lime tree close by. He proceeded to Dwaraka to Krishna’s temple. On his way, he was about to fall into a well. Krishna came in the form of a cowherd boy and caught hold of his hand and asked him, “Where are you going?”. Surdas said, “I am going to Dwarka.”Krishna said, “I will show you the way and lead you.” Next day, they rested in a wayside hut. Krishna wanted to go, but Surdas wouldn’t leave him. Surdas put his hand over the boy while sleeping and asked the boy to put his hand on him. Sparshanam papanasam. Because of this divine touch, he was released from all his sins. Then Krishna told Surdas, “I am Krishna, to whom you always pray. I played this drama to show you My form.”  He touched Surdas’s eyes, and Surdas got back his sight, beheld the divine form, and got into blissful ecstasy. When Krishna asked him to retain his vision, Surdas said, “I have seen You; I don’t want to see anything else with these eyes. I don’t want my sight. Many people have eyes. Have they seen you? Many have ears; they are not fortunate to hear your melodious music. I want only jnanachaksus (eyes of knowledge).Krishna kept His hand on the head of Surdas, and Surdas merged with the Divine. No one can know when God will bless! 

Whatever God does is for the good of the devotees. He is selfless. When you have the wish-fulfilling tree in your back-yard, why do you go in search of fruits? Pure thoughts of love should flow from you to God. Then, love of God will flow to you. When you post a registered letter to another person, the proof of this letter having reached the addressee is the acknowledgement slip you get. The proof of sincerity of your love will be the flow of God’s grace to you. With intense longing for God’s grace, you must wait patiently, chanting His name ceaselessly. You will surely perceive God’s form manifesting before you.