God is All-encompassing
God is the echo of the hills, the flutter of the leaves, the whisper of men, the babble of children, the Om (primordial sound) that is wafted everywhere. God is present at all places, but to recognize Him, saints have had to prescribe a thousand methods! He is in everyone, yet he evades discovery by all but a few. Being all-powerful, He is the giver of all gifts, the providence bestowing upon us the entire wherewithal. He remains All-encompassing.
…Since the jeeva (individual being) limits his viewpoint to the physical frame he occupies, and confines his attention and interest, love and attachment to a small circle of relations and friends. He limits God also to a certain name and form, and sees His compassion and grace, blessings and benediction, limited to a small circle of devotees who adore that specific name and form. Human desires are narrow, so He who grants fulfilment is also imagined to be narrow in His grace. Ideally, therefore, when one prays, one should, in complete resignation say, “Thy will be done,” and ought not to ask for this or that, for he has neither the wisdom nor the foresight to know what is best for him.
When man neglects the divine aspect of his nature and fails to pursue the saadhana (spiritual discipline) that ensures the awareness of the Omnipresent and Omnipotent Om, he falls prey to the impulses and instincts dominated by the ego and develops faith in material gains. …
The divine aspect of your personality will encourage humility, adherence to truth, love and eagerness to serve, fortitude and detachment. Cherish the first manifestation of these qualities in your life and practice them whenever you get a chance. The innate brotherhood that sanctifies the human race is destroyed by the weeds of envy that grow in the mind. These weeds ruin one’s personality. They grow so rank that they strangle the individual himself.
March on with your eyes on the goal. Do not worry about the past, its mistakes and its failures. Do not follow the whims and fancies of the mind any longer. They will fill the ear with praise or blame and drag you away from the adhyaatmik (spiritual) path. Follow the call of the divine arising from the hearts of all living beings. Serve them in an attitude of worship, not expecting something in return. Do not accept even gratitude, having dedicated all your acts to the indwelling God. This will purify you so that you shall be able to listen to the ‘Soham [That I am]’ that your breath repeats every moment. Soham transmutes itself into Om when the distinction between He and I has dissolved in the process of samadhi[intense concentration achieved through meditation.]
Source: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 14, ‘Music of the Spirit’
