Brahmanda Linga
In this epic discourse delivered nearly 50 years ago on the sacred Maha Shivaratri day, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba urges everyone to achieve the sole purpose of life—merging with the Divine. Promising His complete support for the exercise of this union, He reveals that the lingam He took out that day symbolized that union.
Pundit Umamaheswara Sastry and Veerabhadra Sastry both spoke on the principle of Godhead, (Bhagavat‑tatwam) based on what they had grasped, and what the language allowed them to express; however, it is something beyond expression and explanation. It has to be experienced, and once experienced, the richness, fullness, extent, and depth of that experience can never be communicated to another.
Man must feel that his highest destiny is to have that experience. He is not a despicable creature, born in slime or sin, to eke out a drab existence and be extinguished forever. He is immortal; he is eternal. So, when the call comes from the region of immortality, he responds with his whole heart. He refuses to believe that he will die. He laughs at death and treats him (death) as a harmless casual visitor. For, there is something in him (man) that whispers a challenge to death.
Man is a mixture of deha and deva—of the mortal and the immortal. It is easy if liberation is understood as an end of grief and gaining of joy. What you have to do is to place all your burdens on God; that makes you carefree and grief‑free. Then, when you take everything as the divine play of the Lord you love, you clap your hands in bliss whatever may happen, for it is all His divine play and you are as happy as He is when His plans are going through.
The genuine status of man
“Eashwara sarvabhoothaanaam hriddese Arjuna thishtath—Arjuna, God resides in the heart of all beings,” says Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. He is not to be found just in (holy) cities like Amarnath, Kasi, Thirupathi, Kedaram or Gokarnam. Just as every drop of the ocean has the salty taste, composition and name of the ocean, so, too, every single being has the divine taste, composition, and the name of the Lord. Only you do not realize it so clearly. The River Godavari (a river in South India) realizes itself by reaching the sea; likewise, man realizes himself by merging in the Absolute. “That which merges with the goal is lingam—Leeyathe gamyam ithi lingam.”
The space encased in the pot must become one with the space that traverses the entire universe by voiding attachment, which is just an artificial creation of the deluded mind. That attachment must disappear; that inferior status of manhood that now satisfies him must give place to the status of reality of God that is the genuine status. That is the task for which Sai is calling you; that is the work for which I have come. Although a Supreme Court judge may while at home play with his grandchild, bend on all fours for the little fellow to mount his back, and even crawl on the floor when the child cries “Holla,” his status as a judge does not suffer diminution, nor does he forget it.
Similarly, you, too, must always be conscious of the high calling for which you have come. You should not disgrace it by any mean or meaningless act, word, or thought. I have come to give you the courage to conceive yourself as the Supreme Truth (Paramatma) you really are, and to give you the intellectual power to grasp the reality. That alone can destroy the delusion born of ignorance.
Have the resolve first
Step by step, you have to reach the end of the road. One act followed by another leads to a good habit. By repeated listening, you get prodded into action. If you resolve to act, mix only in good company, read only elevating books, and get into the habit of (constantly) remembering the Lord’s name (namasmarana), then ignorance will automatically vanish. The divine bliss that will well up within you by the contemplation of anandaswarupa (bliss personified) will drive out all grief and worry.
Shiva, it seems, laughed when He took a good look at the chariot that was provided for Him when He started out to slay the Tripura‑asuras, the demons of the three bodies, sthula, sukshma and Karana—the gross, the subtle, and the causal. Vishnu, the charioteer, was mostly in yogic sleep while the stable earth was the chariot, and the two wheels were the Sun and the Moon, two spheres that never revolved in unison! That laughter laid the demons low; there was no more need to proceed against the demons. How did the evil forces that dwelt in the three bodies die? They could not exist where there was divine bliss, because they are products of grief. Develop ananda (bliss), then evil impulses and tendencies will vanish, for they will not get any foothold in the heart.
Move forward toward the light and the shadow falls behind; however, you move away from it and you have to follow your own shadow. Go one step nearer to the Lord every moment and then maya (illusion), the shadow, will fall back, and will not delude you at all. Be steady; be resolved. Do not commit a fault or take a false step, and then repent! Have the tapam (the deliberation, the decision, the discipline) first, and that is better than paschatapam, (regret for the mistakes made). Arjuna had tapam; he saw the consequences even before the battle (of Kurukshetra) began and wanted Krishna to advise him what to do. But, Dharmaraja, the eldest brother, had paschatapam, sorrow after the war was over, repentance after the loss incurred.
Reason out and discriminate
Above all, you must take every step in spiritual practice or in the worldly life, only after deep deliberation and satisfying yourself that it will be for your good. Otherwise, it will be like the story of the weeping city. One day, a close female attendant of the queen came to the palace weeping in great sorrow, and so the queen began to shed tears. Seeing the queen in tears, the entire entourage of female attendants wept, and soon the weeping spread to the male attendants. The king, finding the queen inconsolably sad, also wept profusely in sympathy, and the sight made the entire city weep loud and non‑stop.
At last, one sensible fellow set in motion an inquiry, which passed through person after person until the queen herself was accosted. She said that her attendant was in sore grief, and when she, a washerwoman by caste, was interrogated, she confessed that it was all due to the sudden demise of her favorite donkey! When this news spread, the weeping ceased and there was widespread laughter and shame. Reason out, discriminate; do not rush to conclusions or be led away by mere hearsay.
I have come to reform you: I won’t leave you until I do that. Even if you get away before I do that, do not think you can escape Me; I will hold on to you. I am not worried if you leave Me, for I am not anxious that there should be a huge gathering here, around Me. Who invited you all here? There was not even a little notice in print, but yet you have come here in thousands. You attach yourselves to Me. I am unattached. I am attached only to the task for which I have come.
But of one thing be assured. Whether you come to Me or not, you are all Mine. This Shivamata, this Sai Mata (Mother of all) has the love of a thousand mothers toward Her children; that is why I do so much laalana (fondling), and so much paalana (protecting). Whenever I appear to be angry, remember that it is only love in another form. I do not have even an atom of anger in me; I just evince My disappointment so that you shape as I direct. When I direct you along a line of action, reflect on My advice. You have full liberty to do so; in fact, I shall be happy if you do so. I do not like slavish obedience. If you feel that it will help you to reach the goal, follow it, if not go to some other place. But let Me tell you one thing: Wherever you go, you meet only Me. I am everywhere.
Have you heard the story of the rabbit that had borrowed four naye-paise (pennies) from Mother Earth? The rabbit thought that if she moved into a new region, she would be free from the obligation. So, one day she ran as fast as her legs could carry her and went far away from the place where the amount was originally received. At last, she sat down in great relief and said to herself, “Now, no one will ask me to repay.” To her surprise, she heard a voice from the ground underneath, “Mother Earth is right under your feet here. You cannot escape from me, however far you run!”
So, too, you cannot run away from Me. I will demand good conduct, habits, thoughts, and company, wherever you go seeking for refuge. What reason have you to leave? Only those who ignore the joy, consolation, courage, love, and blessing they have received here will do so. Only those who believe the ear and not the eye will do so. In a short time, you will be witnessing the emergence of the linga that is formed within (Me); the auspicious time for the emergence for the linga is approaching. You will see it and receive the blessings. Yet, there will be some among you who will doubt it and deny it. That is the karma of such; what else can they do?
(Here, Baba stopped the discourse; the movements in Him started, first in the region of the abdomen, then in the chest and the throat. Baba swayed from side to side; leaned on the table; drank water; and finally, after about 20 minutes, an egg-shaped pink linga emerged from His mouth. Holding it between the thumb and forefinger of His right hand, Baba discoursed further about it.)
Ah! This is the Brahmanda Linga, the symbol of the Universe. Inside it, the nine planets (navagrahas) revolve; the entire Universe is represented herein, with all the planets and their satellites, the primal fire, and clouds of primal dust; and, over the anda [egg], there is an eye imprinted, the Jagadekachakshu (the eye of the One eternal witness). You are indeed blessed. The merit accrued over many lifetimes has brought you here to see the great phenomenon, this rare creation. Remember that years of worship and ritualistic vows and fasts cannot give this unique chance that you now have had. Use this good luck to hear good Godly advice, select good company, and strive more earnestly to reach the goal.
Source: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 4
