All this world is under the control of Divine Will. That Divine is based on Truth. Truth is God. The same Truth is governing the noble and sacred people. Man today has to follow Truth only since he is embodiment of Truth. The entire creation comes out of Truth and finally merges in Truth. Everyone originates from Truth, lives in Truth and finally merges in Truth. Everyone is embodiment of Truth. If only every body realizes this, there will be peace in this world.
Pain and pleasure are part of life and one has to lead his life fully conscious of this principle that there is no pleasure without pain. All the great saints, seers and noble souls have gone through plenty of grief in their lives. Man does not understand the truth that it is only by meeting the challenge of grief one gets the strength to progress upward in spiritual path. Sukham (happiness) and dhukham (grief) cannot be separated. You have to treat them equally. You cannot find absolute happiness anywhere. Now people, especially the youth, are hunting for happiness. Where from can you get it? It is only when you experience the fulfillment of desires you feel happy.
You experience various things in the wakeful state (Jagratha); some other experiences you have in dream state (swapna avartha) and you also create several things in this state. It is the making of one’s own mind. Here also you experience pleasures and pain. In deep sleep (sushuptha) you merge into universal peace with the self. All these experiences are based on your state of mind. Success or failure, profit or loss, pleasure and pain are all experienced by everyone in different states.
God is siddha swaroopa who fulfills all your ambitions. He is infinite and limitless wealth. He is beyond description (aprameya). We have to take everything as gift of God whether it is pleasant or painful. Our happiness lies in this. One may suffer for the time being but can enjoy later the Divine Grace. There can be no happening in the world without cause. All are governed by the cause and effect principle. Main cause behind everything is PREMA (LOVE). There is nothing greater than Prema in the world. You can buy anything in the world with money. But you cannot buy happiness and bliss arising out of Prema. Without Prema, you cannot be happy. The greatest wealth is the wealth of Prema. One who has this will be happy always. You may go through patches of misery but soon they may pass off and peace will follow.
New years come and go. Every second is new, every minute is new, every hour, every day, every month, every year and so on are all new. Happiness is not brought about by the month or year which are only measure of time. You should spend every moment with sacred thought and action. Then every year will be sacred.
The postman delivers letters to the addressees
at their home. One letter may bring joy to the recipient
and another in the next house may get a letter
containing some information causing grief to the recipient.
For the joy and grief, the postman is not responsible. It is the
letter for the particular person that causes pleasure
or pain. Similarly God is delivering the letter
of
pleasure or grief to different people like
the postman. When you do good deeds
you get good results and if you indulge in wicked
actions you have to suffer the consequences corresponding to your action.
Good and bad experiences depend on your deeds.
The boys sang the prayer "Sahanaa vavathu" which means "Let us study together" etc. But they didn’t say, "Let us live together". This is very important. People must make efforts to live in unity. When you have no difference of opinion and cultivate spirit of unity there will be peace in the world. For this, the prime requisite is "Divine Love (Daiva Prema)". God is Embodiment of Love and Divine Love pervades the whole universe. "Viswam Vishnu swaroopam". "Vis" means world, "wa" means enters or steps into. He is called Vishnu as He pervades the entire world. Without "Vishnu" there is no "Viswam" or world. This is "Atma" or "Brahmam". Even the creator Brahma came from the navel of Vishnu. He is all pervasive. "Atmaha" means daytime which indicates light that dispels darkness of ignorance. That is why you have the Upanishadic prayer, "Thamaso maa jyothir gamaya" (Lead me from darkness of ignorance to light of wisdom). Bharat has such highly noble thoughts. But people are not able to realize their significance.
People indulge in meditation, worship, penance etc. But these will be just exercises to still the mind. If you miss the main basis of Premathathwa (Love Principle) all these will be wasteful exercises. You should never swerve from the path of Love. "Bhava suddhi", purity of feeling, should be cultivated. Only with this you can get Jnana suddhi (attainment of wisdom).
Because man is not seeing Unity in diversity, he is missing the goal of life.Very few people pursue this. Many see only diversity or plurality. One who sees Divine in every being is a good person, one who sees even Divine as human may be great but not good. For example, Hiranyakasipu, Prahlada’s father, was great. He saw God as human! But Prahlada was good because he saw the Divine pervading the whole universe. Nowadays people want their sons to be great but not ‘good’. Ravana was great in scholarship, but Rama was ‘good’ as he made right use of knowledge. Ravana’s knowledge became waste and useless. Everyone of Rama’s thought, word and deed was good. Students should follow Rama’s ideal example. The first motto should be "sarva lokha hithe rathaha", work for the welfare of the world or humanity. Secondly, you should cultivate noble qualities. Thirdly, you should acquire wisdom (jnana sampannaha). Love is the basis for all these three.
Embodiments of Love, When your wish is fulfilled you praise me to sky. When it is not fulfilled, you blame me. This is absolutely incorrect. Whatever you sow, you reap. Having done bad deeds, you cannot expect good results. If you want to enjoy good life, take up sacred activities of selfless service. Develop Divine prema. Though you have this in you, the worldly pursuits pollute you. You see the external world as the same color as that of the [eye] glass you wear. Put on the glasses of Prema and the world will appear full of love! Drive away feelings of jealousy, hatred and anger. Today the new year 1998 has commenced. At least from now on, develop feelings of Divine Love. You are fragment of the Divine as declared in the Gita (Maamaivamso jeevalokhe jeevabhoothas sanaathanah). If you do not radiate Divine Love how can you justify your being Divine fragment (daivaamsa).
Today thousands of you have assembled here from several corners of the world.Why? Because you expect something here which you don’t have with you or in your place. What is it? It is Divine Love. Take this divine love with you. You go to hospital only when you are ill. You take medicines even when you are an in-patient. So also have this Divine Love here and also take it with you wherever you are and radiate it to all.
See everyone as Divine. Human love is based on selfishness. Divine Love is selfless. You have to fill the hearts with love and transform all those you come across as treasures of the love too. You should make everyone happy. On December 30, we had the one day cricket match. Everyone played to the best of their ability abiding truly to rules and regulations but friendly feelings on and off the field. Even the spectators were happy. Modern youth even from villages enjoyed the game.
Life is a game. Play it.
Life is a dream. Realize it.
Life is a challenge. Meet it.
Life is love. Enjoy
it.
This is the way to God.
Having a heart filled with the potential for love, man is forgetting God and indulges in worldly pleasures. You should aim for Eternal Bliss and not for fleeting pleasures of the world. All thoughts should be Divine. You need not give up duties. Do them with Divine Love. Don’t waste time. Body is not permanent. You have to cast it off one day. It is given for helping others and doing your duties.
You should cultivate good thoughts, consider yourself part of society and serve the society. Human life is precious. You should conduct yourself without the evil feeling of greed, lust, etc. You are not new because you are the Eternal Atma. Sunlight is hot, moonlight is cool though it gets its light from the sun only. Sun stands for Vision and Moon stands for mind. man should shine with the light of wisdom (sun) keeping his mind cool turning it towards God. If you develop such feelings in the New Year it will be useful for you and the world.
Students should understand that they are in the best part of the life in this age. This is the golden age and they should not misuse this going after caral pleasures of the world. They must utilize time usefully serving the society. That is the ideal aim of education. Education should teach humility. Adhere to good qualities to mark you as really educated. Be happy and make others happy. If you can’t oblige, speak obligingly.
I have no connection with money or property. I have given up my connection with these. You devotees and students are my property. Having such limitless property why should I go after the material things? It gives me joy to have ideal students. We charge no fees of any kind but give them very valuable education. The only fees I want is "Prema". If you pay the fee of "Prema" you need Not worry about anything. You must take the example of Lakshmana, who had his family, property etc but dedicated his service selflessly to Rama. He sacrificed everything for "Rama seva" sanctifying his life. He considered Sita as his mother and never looked at her face as looking at others’ wives is a sin.
You must think good, no evil; see good, no evil; hear good, no evil; do good,no evil. You thought should be concentrated on God.
Today is English New Year. We have our own New Year based on solar and lunar systems. Whatever it may be, you must dedicate yourself to radiate Divine Love. Harischandra sacrificed his kingdom, wife and son too for the sake of Truth. Finally all these were restored to him by Lord Siva. When you sacrifice for the sake of Truth and Love, you won’t lose anything but get Divine Grace.
I bless all of you on this New Year day to be joyful, peaceful and lead a healthy, long and happy life (Sathamaanam bhavathi...) Since ancient days, great souls used to bless people like this. It means you must lead a long life for hundred years - not a bad life - but a good life of peace, love and happiness. I bless all of you to lead a life filled with Divine Love.
(Swami concluded His Discourse with
the bhajan "Prema mudhitha manasu kaho" )
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ps: borrowed from Advent of the Sai Avatar.