The Divine Voice
An aura is present in everyone as lust, anger and greed, and as fear and grief, all of which are contrary to the nature of man. Just as one needs a waterproof umbrella to adequately protect oneself from the rain, so too, in this storm-prone world, which is incessantly battered by torrential rain, one needs a lust and anger-proof umbrella. The five elements, namely fire, earth, water, ether and wind cannot harm one who is equipped with such a shield. The five fortresses in which Narakasura [a demon] is said to have taken refuge are the five elements. There is unmanifested power inherent in every person.
He alone deserves to be called Vyakti, which refers to one who manifests the divinity within him, in whom that power is made to reveal itself. When the unmanifested power is made manifest, the demon in man is automatically destroyed. The soul is your reality. Whether or not the Narakasura of the Puranas, is killed by Krishna and Sathyabhama [Krishna’s consort] is immaterial. For you, Krishna is the Super or Omni Self and Sathyabhama is the individual self. The Super or Omni Self destroys evil propensities with the active collaboration of the individual self, and the individual self defeats evil with the active help of the Lord.
Make desire Rama’s servant
India is the storehouse of spiritual power. Today, however, scarcely anyone lives a disciplined life, which is the mark of that power. Millions of people undertake pilgrimages; millions of copies of sacred texts are bought and read; there are thousands of ascetics and gurus throughout the land to whom people pay homage. Yet, there is no peace in the heart. Basic necessities such as food, and clothing to ward off the cold are lacking. India, which is the granary of the earth is now begging for food on behalf of her children. This tragedy is caused by ill-discipline, lack of self-control, and by what can be called the absence of self-mastery.
Sathyanarayana, when he enacted the role of Sathyabhama in the drama, never lost sight of the fact that he was Sathyanarayana. He knew all along that he was enacting a role in the drama, and enacted it well. To forget his true identity, that is Sathyanarayana, or the role he was enacting, in this case that of Sathyabhama, would be a failure on his part. One must act the part that one has been assigned in the world, all the while remembering one’s true self. When humanity confuses reality and fiction, the Lord incarnates to set things right. Otherwise, when the execution scene is enacted, heads will fall; when Lanka [Sri Lanka] is set on fire in the drama, the theater itself will be consumed. Do not take the world more seriously than it deserves to be taken.
Remember that there is space for only one throne in your heart. You are inviting too many to occupy it or trying to make place for two thrones, one for Rama, and the other for desire. When you find it difficult to do so, you invite Rama and desire to squeeze themselves into that one seat! Or, you install desire on the throne and want Rama to sit down below as his henchman! No wonder Rama eludes you. Give Rama His rightful place on the throne and have desire serve Him. Then no harm will be done.
Cultivate the inward vision
The mother cat, it is said, takes hold of her newborn kitten and shifts it from place to place seven times within a few days of its birth, so that its eyes might open and it might see! The kitten is able to see after being so shifted. Man, by contrast, does not recognize that he is in reality the deathless, birthless, infinite soul even after he is shifted from womb to womb a million times! This is the tragedy of ignorance and sloth.
You have all heard the story of Gajendra moksha [liberation], where the elephant was rescued from the jaws of a crocodile after it cried out to the Lord for help. The Lord deployed His discus to slay the tormentor and save the beast. This story has a deeper meaning, which has universal appeal. The wild elephant represents the individual self who is filled with sensual greed and blinded by delusion. It steps into the lake of worldly existence. There the crocodile of egoism grabs hold of the elephant’s leg and drags it deep into the lake.
Process for God-realization
The individual struggles by himself for a long time until pride and faith in his own powers are exhausted. He then appeals to the Lord in a spirit of complete surrender, and what does the Lord do? He sends His Sudarshan [chakra—discus] to save the individual. What is the meaning of the word “Sudarshan”? Sudarshan denotes proper vision, the kind that is directed inward and away from sense objects, and is conducive to lasting joy. Once inward vision is cultivated, egoism is destroyed and the individual self is freed.
Live and act in the world, by all means, but deal with samsara [worldly life] as you apply collyrium [a medicinal lotion to comfort the eye] to the eye. The eye is not blinded by the collyrium, it is rendered more efficient, more charming, that is all. So too, samsara must make your sadhana (spiritual effort) more efficient and more pleasing to yourself and others. Be like the lotus, which though born in mud rises above the water where the rays of the sun can reach it. The lotus is dependent on both mud and water, but is not defiled by either.
A great sage once encountered a gang of non-believers in an atheist settlement. The atheists crowded around him, plied him with impertinent queries, and insisted that he show them the God in whom he believed. The sage promised to do so and asked for some milk. A vessel of milk was brought and placed before him. He sat silently for a long time, stirring the milk with his finger, which drew exasperation from the crowd. Asked what he was up to, the sage replied that he was trying to find out where the butter was, on top, in the middle, or at the bottom of the vessel.
The crowd shouted saying that it was everywhere, in every drop of milk, and that he would see it only when the process of churning had been completed, to which the sage responded, “The Lord too is immanent in every atom of this universe. He can be perceived and experienced only when spiritual practice is undertaken. There is a clear-cut and well-known process for God-realization, just as there is a clear-cut and well-known process for butter “realization.”
Source: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 3
