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SANDEHA NIVARINI SATHYA SAI BABA DISSOLVING DOUBTS
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Bondage and liberation, which are conjured up by
Maya, do not really exist in the Atman, one's
Reality, as the appearance and disappearance of
the snake do not abide in the rope, which suffers
no change.
-Shankara, Vivekacudamani 569
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The Five D's
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The universe is itself a university in which every human being is a
student. Every student pursues one subject and acquires a degree.
Each one chooses the subject he likes. But whatever different
subjects any may stdy, there is one thing common to all of them, one
common pursuit and goal: to obtain the degree of Divine Love. In an
army there are a variety of jobs to be done and a hierarchy of ranks.
But whatever the job, whether it is that of a washerman, an orderly, a
sentry, or a commander- disciplined drill at the parade and the
ability to use the rifle are essential requirements for everyone.
Likewise in the Cosmic University, though there are scientific,
political, economic, and other studies, what is fundamental to al
of them is ritual knowledge.
Even in the spiritual field, there are special subjects. There is
one group which may be described as the Five D's: Dedication,
Devotion, Discipline, Discrimination, and Determination. Those who
have mastered the Five D's are qualified to receive God's Love.
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DEDICATION
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Dedication: It means offering. As soon as Swami arrived (in the
Auditorium) teachers and students made offerings of flowers and
offered their salutations. The flower symbolises the heart. When you
offer the flower of your heart to the Lord, it should be free from
the pests of desire, hatred, envy, greed and the like. Only pure
flowers are offered to the Lord or to those whom you revere. The
flower of the heart is subject to infestation by two evil creatures-
one is self-conceit (Ahamkaara); the other is envy (Asooya).
Self-conceit is based on eight different factors: wealth, physical
prowess, birth, scholarship, beauty, power and penance. Of these, the
arrogance born of wealth or scholarship is to be despised most. As
long as this conceit (Ahamkaara) is predominant, it is impossible to
recognise the Divine or one's spiritual reality. Self-conceit is a
great barrier between the individual and God. It has to be utterly
demolished.
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ESCHEW PRIDE
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Pride of wealth is another grievous human failing, which causes the
downfall of man. All forms of pride, based on birth, wealth, power or
scholarship, have to be given up totally. Only when egoistic pride is
offered as a sacrifice at the altar of the Divine can man discover
his true nature. This is the Dedication that is called for as the
first step in the spiritual journey.
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DEVOTION
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Next comes Devotion. This is the highest form of your love.
"Service to Hrishikesh is known as Bhakti," says the Sutra. Devotion
means constant contemplation of God. The term Bhakti is derived from
the root "Bhaj" (to worship). Devotion means loving contemplation of
God, repetition of His Name, worshiping Him and doing penance for
Him. Service to the Lord is the highest expression of devotion.
There is nothing which is not attainable through loving service to
the Divine. Once Tulasidas was engaged in meditation at the
confluence of the three rivers (Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati). Rama
and Lakshmana appeared before him as two young boys. They asked him:
" Kakaji! What is it you are doing?" Tulasidas replied: "Children!
I am doing service to Rama." The boys asked: "What is the use of
doing service to Rama?" Tulasidas replied: "Through service I get a
sweet." They said: " What is the use of getting a sweet? Once you
have eaten and digested it, nothing remains." Then Tulasidas
explained that the sweet gotten from others is digested in a brief
time. But the sweet given by God is His love, which is not
digested and cast away. When it is eaten, all hunger is appeased.
The sweet of Divine love illumines the spirit. When the oil of
Devotion is put into the lamp of the Antahkarana (the indwelling
motivator) and the wick of integral consciousness (Prajna) is lit by
the fire of spiritual enquiry, the flame of Self-knowledge shines
effulgently.
Devotion does not mean merely doing bhajans or performing puja.
These forms of devotion at present are based on some kind of self-
interest and self-seeking. True devotion should be free from selfish-
ness of any kind. For the external observer all appear to be devotees,
filled with humility and piety. But internally, their hearts are otherwise.
Judging a student by his marks, he may have a high rank. But as regards
his conduct he is a blank. Likewise, judging from external practices a
person may appear to be a devotee. But his heart and mind may be filled
with evil. This sort of duplicity should be given up. There should be
the same loving devotion both inside and outside. Devotion is not something
to be proclaimed or demonstrated. Exhibitionistic devotion may result
in disaster. True devotion should be an expression of love both internally
and externally,
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DISCIPLINE
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Next comes discipline. This is most essential for students. From the
moment you wake up, you have to carry out your morning ablutions,
meditate on God and then do your prescribed duties in an orderly manner
without deviating from the regular routine. Variations in the routine
from day to day are undesirable. You should not wake up at one hour on
one day and at a different time on another day. The day`s activities
should be regulated by the same schedule. Immediately after finishing
the morning chores, one should devote, in the calm and serene atmosphere
of the morning, at least a few minutes to loving meditation on God. The
human estate is based upon regulations and self-control. These have to be
strictly adhered to in daily life.
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DISCRIMINATION
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Then comes discrimination. The world is a mixture of good and bad, of
joy and sorrow, right and wrong, victory and defeat. In a world
replete with such opposites, man has to make constantly the choice
between what is right and proper and what is wrong or undesirable. A
man who has no such discriminating faculty is an animal. Man should
not let himself be guided by the mind. He should follow the directions
of his intelligence (Buddhi). As long as you follow the mind, you
cannot obtain Madhava (Divinity). Young people in their tender years
tend to follow the inclinations of the mind. They do not rise to the
level of their intelligence. Consequently, they are subject to various
agitations and frustrations. They have, therefore, to learn to use
their powers of discrimination. `I am a human being. I am also a
student seeking knowledge. In this condition, how should I conduct
myself so that I may win the respect and regard of others?' These are
the questions which each student should ask himself. He should enquire
on every occasion as to what is the right course and what should be
avoided. He should decide on what he should do and where he should go
after due enquiry. Having acquired knowledge, he should not behave
like an illiterate, uneducated person. His conduct should be in
keeping with his learning. Humility is the index of true education.
Without humility, scholarship will lack lustre. Discrimination is
essential for every student and educated man.
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DETERMINATION
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Determination is the fifth D. It is like the reins for a horse. When
you want to achieve something, you must have the determination and
persistence to secure it by all your efforts. No room should be given
for doubts and hesitations. There is nothing on earth which cannot be
achieved by firm determination.
Starting with Dedication, you end with Determination. There is no
use of relying solely on book knowledge or mere intellectual cleverness.
There must be firm faith in God as the basis of everything.
There is one kind of pest which affects the leaves and branches of a
tree. There is another which destroys the roots of the tree. Likewise
a hypocrite is a human pest that can spoil a good man. The hypocrite
is not merely an actor. He poses as a devotee externally, but is
really evil-minded. He leads a double life. It is dangerous to
associate with such persons. Many good men in the world have come to
grief because of association with such pretenders.
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WORLDLY AND DIVINE LOVE
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Love is of two kinds: One is related to the physical and the other
relates to the Divine. All the fears and delusions afflicting the
world, all the chaos and violence prevalent today, are due primarily
to physical attachments. These are also responsible for the falsehood,
corruption and other evils rampant in society. Preoccupation with the
physical accounts for the evils in the administration and even for
international conflicts. Divine love knows no differences among
individuals or nations. Egoistic attachments and selfishness are at the
root all human troubles and conflicts. The Mahabharata war was also the
result of selfish and narrow attachments. Dhritarashtra made a
distinction between his own sons (Maamakaah) and the Pandavas (the sons
of his brother Pandu). This narrow attachment was responsible for the
complete ruin of the Kauraavas.
Physical love should be confined to strict limits. If the divine
consciousness were not present within, of what use would the body be?
It would be as useless as a school without teachers, a farm without
water, a temple without a deity.
You must develop Divine Love. You must be resolute in striving to
achieve what you aim at. Only then will your devotion and discipline
bear fruit. There is no meaning in parading one's devotion. The
external human form has no significance. You must be human in your
actions and feelings. By reforming your conduct and purifying your
thoughts and actions, sanctify your lives. That alone is true education,
which will lead you to Self-realisation.
-excerpts from Bhagavan's address at the Institute
Auditorium on January 16,1988
{ If you should wish to discuss the person or
teaching of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, or have any
fact or doubt you wish to reveal, you are
invited to attend an ongoing long-established
thread dedicated to just that purpose: it is
entitled
SANDEHA NIVARINI SATHYA SAI BABA DISSOLVING DOUBTS
within the newsgroup `soc.culture.indian'. If
that group is not available to you, feel free
to email me for further conversation.
Please consider one of those two options,
since I don't usually stop in other areas any
too often.
Thank you for your attention;
may the Lord of Creatures
grace all
readers with the
focus required
to discern truth and fact
from fancy and gossip. }
All best wishes
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