Listening to the Inner Voice
It is something Swami has said more than once, “I have very few real devotees.” These words have challenged us to the depth of our souls, for their mere proclamation suggests that being a devotee of Sri Sathya Sai Baba is limited to a select few. Yet, with Swami constantly telling us that God loves all equally, the evidence points to areas of improvement within ourselves, some error that we must be able to correct, that would put us in the “true devotee” category.
One day, upon reflection of this thought, I asked my inner voice the question “What is a true devotee of God?”
Immediately, my inner voice answered, “A true devotee is not someone who worships Me, rather it is someone who becomes Me.” The words hit me with an absolute knowing that they were correct without any doubt.
To become God; this is a serious area that each of us must look at, for it is the inevitable conclusion of our current journey. In fact, it is the very task that Swami declares as the reason for His coming, that we become that which we’ve always been. Yet, although Swami has declared this, many find the idea of becoming God blasphemous. At best, many look at the idea of becoming God and hold it as some “future event,” something that will happen “some day.” But few ever dare to look and accept the possibility of becoming God now. Perhaps this is the mark of a true devotee.
Yet, how does one go about becoming God? Swami has said over and over that to worship pictures and garland statues is a waste of time. He has even set limits to the amount of sitting meditation that should be done. However, He has told us about a very definite and practical device within each of us that will bring us quickly to our divinity: the conscience, or the inner voice.
Swami has said that this inner voice is the Voice of God Himself. He has told us that this voice will give us definite direction in dealing with all aspects of our worldly lives and will transform us through our lives so that at last we become God.
Even beyond directing our daily affairs through right action, this inner voice speaks to us of our innate divinity. It supplies us with a deep flow of peace and contentment, and a knowing beyond words. It comforts us in our times of strife, and quickly puts us back on the proper road whenever we deviate from it. And when we follow its guidance without hesitation, not only are our lives transformed, but also the lives of those around us.
The inner voice is more than something to be turned to when things get rough. It should become our closest of friends, the one whom we listen to always. This inner voice is Swami’s voice within each of us, and to be in constant touch with it is like having a continuous interview with Him. However, each of us must find this inner voice within ourselves, for God speaks to each of us directly. The means to reach God varies from person to person based upon the individual’s need. However, the destination is the same for all. Thus, taking advice from another’s inner guidance can [result in our] confusing their means as ours. This is why Swami has stressed the fact that He communicates with each of us directly, not through a third party.
It is important and obvious why we should each learn to follow our inner voice. Swami’s mission is now in full swing, and the expansion of this mission makes it impossible for Him to give continual individual direction to each one who comes to Prasanthi Nilayam. Learning to listen to this inner voice gives us the individual direction that is needed in our own process of becoming God. Plus, the inner voice is always with us, whether we are in India, or in our native land. We can be confident and secure knowing that Swami is prompting our every move.
Learning to hear the inner voice does take effort, and many wonder if they truly are hearing the inner voice, or just voices based on thought or emotions. When the inner voice directs, there is no question or uncertainty about it. The guidance is direct and definite. If we are perfectly honest, each of us knows what we should do. All have had the experience of following “another” voice, having disastrous results, and saying in the end, “I really knew I was doing the wrong thing, but I didn’t want to believe it.”
The main problem for not listening to the inner voice is our own desires. In truth, the inner voice is always giving us guidance, but most of the time our desires keep us from listening to it. When we have desires, we try to follow the path that will fulfill those desires. If the inner voice is giving us a direction that won’t fulfill our desires as we visualize, then we will choose not to listen to it, and will even go a step further by projecting this upon God, saying, “The inner voice never guides me.” So, the first step to hear the inner voice is to remove desires.
The second problem is judgment. Oftentimes, we will prejudge the situation in our life and advance in the direction we feel the situation should take. If the inner voice prompts a different direction, again we will choose not to listen to it. So, the fundamental problem is not that the inner voice isn’t guiding us, but that we don’t value it enough to listen to it, as we are afraid that it is contrary to our own judgments and desires. So we mute the inner voice.
This is the great secret that Jesus gave us when asked how He performed His miracles, and He said, “Of myself, I do nothing.” What He meant by “I do nothing” is that He didn’t superimpose His own judgments or desires over the truth, and thus he let it be as it was. He was in touch with the inner voice because He did nothing, and by following only its guidance did He perform his miracles. Thus he became God.
It is not just hearing the inner voice, but learning to value it is our greatest challenge. For when we value it, we are willing to hear it, thus we have taken another step toward God, and He in turn can take ten more steps toward us by letting us hear it. Unfortunately, most of us only learn the value of the inner voice after experiencing the pain of following the “other voices.” The only way to save ourselves is to live in the full faith that God is the only One who knows the play well enough to direct it. By knowing this, we can follow His voice prompting our moves and our lines, leading us to Him, giving us the glorious experience of becoming God. If this is the meaning of being a real devotee then it is a goal worthy of following with every ounce of my being.
~Michael J. Oliver
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, Dec. 1989
