73rd Birthday Celebrations

The following highlights from Swami’s discourses, given during the 73rd Birthday Celebration, are taken from a talk given by Rajan Govindan at the Norwalk Center. (Swami’s words are not direct quotations but a paraphrase by the speaker)

I will try to summarize my six-day experience at the ashram. During that period, Swami spoke five times. I have heard Swami speak many times in the past, but never have I found His discourses so spell-binding.

Special events during this year’s birthday included a worldwide Bal Vikas children’s performance, Ladies Day, the Center President’s Conference, the Convocation and Swami’s birthday. Swami wove a thread through all these seemingly disparate events by stressing two things at all times: duty and unity. In addition, He stressed the importance of the heart. He said to think through your heart, to see through your heart, to speak through your heart, and to act through your heart. If you do that, you will see God everywhere. I wondered why Swami emphasized the heart and not the intellect. Then I remembered Swami explaining that the intellect tends to be cold; the heart is more empathetic. How do you purify your heart? Through meditation and contemplation—reading, understanding and practicing what God says.

In one talk, Swami said: My sankalpa (divine will) confers bliss only after assessing the depth of your sadhana. Sadhana is the essential prerequisite. I measure and weigh the steadiness and sincerity of the sadhana you have imposed on your thoughts, words, and deeds. I frame my sankalpa in accordance with your progress. Many are not aware that the misery they find themselves in can be negated by sadhana. It is important to purify the heart. Swami’s instruction to everyone is to focus on duty and love.

Ladies Day

Swami said that the only reason people achieve glory is because of the goodness and strength of their mothers. Citing several examples, Swami said that Rama became great because of his mother, Sita was responsible for the greatness of her two sons, and Gandhi became Mahatma because of his mother, Putlibai.  A mother’s purity teaches her children purity; otherwise, creeping bad qualities such as jealousy, lust, anger, and greed can entangle the heart.  Swami said:  I have declared November19 as Ladies Day in order to foster respect and love for mothers. Whatever your circumstances, do not forget your mother. Mothers are prepared to give up their own lives for their children. This is sacrifice. Sacrifice, Swami added, is the one of the most important things you can display if you want to win His love. When  you are unable to comprehend and experience the love of one mother, how can they understand the love of a thousand mothers?  God showers his grace on those who make parents happy.  The respect and love you receive from your children will depend on the love and respect you show to your parents.

Swami made special mention of the fact that women, because they teach children through love and caring, make better teachers than men. He also stressed the importance of practicing what you teach.

Bal Vikas

Many adults, says Swami, excuse themselves from playing an active role in Bal Vikas. They say they are too busy at work or something of the sort. But do such busy people find time to go to the club, to play cards, to gossip?  If they do, they have time. Children learn from the example of adults. Some of you have been coming to Swami for many years. Ask yourself the question—how much have  you changed? And then, how many gave changed because of you? It is very important to practice Swami’s teachings.

EHV Inauguration

Education should really be called “educare.”  The element of care is very important. Before you can teach children, they need to be physically and mentally strong. The purpose of educare is to bring out what is latent in youngsters. Swami said that from the head, one needs to bring out qualities of playing the games of the external world. From the heart, one needs to bring out inner qualities, so that the child can play the inner game and find God.

Teach children the value of sincere work, devoted work, honest work, and committed work. Don’t work just to get paid; work to do your duty. The action should be more delightful than the consequences. Set an example for others by your hard work. Work wholeheartedly with faith in God. Don’t be attached to money and property.  Be willing to sacrifice whatever you have. Service means discharging your duty as well as you possibly can. Move away from service of convenience. Service, in order to be spiritual, must have an element of sacrifice. It must also fulfill a need. Sai members should become examples of people engaged in incessant hard work.

Hard work alone is not enough. Members of the Sai organization must work like the five fingers of the hand. If only one is cut off, the rest cannot do their work well. If you work with only one finger, you cannot do your job at all. In the same way, you are useless individually. Apart from the unity of thought, word and deed, you need to move from “I” and “you” to “we.”

What is right action? It begins with physical vision, but it is more than that. Learn to view things from the heart. Then everything seems like God. Speak good words. These come from good listening and they emerge from the heart. Every word must be spoken as if it is from God to God. Another thing necessary for right action is good feelings. The only way you can have good feelings is to replace the external view with a view from the heart. See God in all. Don’t hate, quarrel or fight with anyone. Finally, always remember that whatever you see, hear or do is divine.

Convocation

Swami said that doing your duty is your duty.  You have no other right. Don’t expect anything other than an opportunity to do your duty. He also said, don’t waste time. Your body is not meant for eating and drinking. Use it for helping and serving others. Nowadays, money has become God. The unquenchable thirst for money has made people selfish and devoid of compassion. All values have been crippled. You spend more time bemoaning your fortune, regretting what you don’t have, than you spend crying for God. Do your duty and think of God. If you can do that, you will find happiness beyond anything you have yet experienced.

Birthday

Electric waves, sound waves, light waves, and laser waves are all around you, but you neither see nor feel them. The waves have magnetism present in them. Similarly, divinity is present everywhere—in the food you eat, the water you drink, and the air you breathe. No place is devoid of this magnetism. The mother is a magnet for her child, grass is the magnet for cows, flowers are the magnets for bees, and God should be the magnet for you. The divine attraction for the magnet is present in all; the only difference lies in the intensity. The intensity can be increased through love for God. Cultivate the sense of unity that you and I are one, then you will experience the bliss of unity. God is in you.  You are God. There are thousands of you here. Who invited you here? Were you forced to come here? Your love for Swami has brought you here. The attraction is your love for divinity. That is the divine magnet.

In one of the talks, Swami referred to the word moksha. Literally, the word means dissolution of desires. Moksha is the ability to detach yourself from the body.  The best way to do that, He said, is to attach yourself to God.  Stop denying that everything is God. Everything is God – everything you speak, touch, hear or see. God is with you all the time. People say God is “nowhere.”   Swami said this is because of faulty vision; all you have to do is to move the “w” and you will see that “God is now here.”