Sacrifice
Just as a seed sprouts and grows into a plant wherein a flower blossoms, so does the Divine seed grow in the heart of man and blossoms as a flower, Sath-Chith-Anandha. Just as it is natural for a seed to become a fragrant flower, so is it natural for man to experience the bliss of the Divine—Sath-Chith-Anandha.
There is much evidence to demonstrate the Divinity that is inherent in man. But few men are ready to make the sacrifice that is required to experience this, Divinity. The ancient sages regarded human life as full of fragrance to be enjoyed. They considered life as full of nectarine sweetness. When man is oblivious of this sweetness, he ceases to be human. Tyaga (sacrifice) is the sweetness in manavatva (humanness)
~Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 28 (1995)
The sacred and fragrant articles that are offered and the precious gems that are placed in the sacrificial fire are symbolic of the offerings that man should make in life. He should offer his pure heart and good qualities such as sathya, dharma, shanthi and prema (truth, virtue, peace and love) to the Divine. The real spirit of giving to society and the community the wealth, knowledge and skills one possesses is the true yagjna (sacrificial rite). Without the spirit or sacrifice the performance of external rituals has no meaning. Life itself is a yajna. To make human life an oblation in the sacred fire of duties and actions is itself a yajna. To get rid of one’s bad qualities is yajna. Every individual who seeks to lead an ideal life, to achieve bliss and attain Self-realization must cultivate the spirit of sacrifice. Yajna is the means to lead one from sorrow to happiness, adversity to prosperity, darkness to light.
Human life can be worthwhile only when it is based on sacrifice or the quality of renunciation. Thereby, not only can it become meaningful, but Divinity can also be experienced. Life does not consist of eating, sleeping and such activities. The Vedanta (concluding essence of Vedas) has declared that the human goal is moksha (release from bondage). What is this bondage? It is not association with wife and. children, with property or attachments and hatreds. Even the sense of ‘I’ and ‘Mine’ do not constitute bondage. It is the ignorance of one’s true Self that constitutes bondage. The process of liberation begins with the attempt to discover one’s own Self. This yajna is intended to reveal to man the truth about himself and lead him to the Divine.
~Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 16 (1983)
Bali is the symbol of tyaga (sacrifice). He controlled everything by his spirit of sacrifice. The Gayatri mantra begins with the utterance: “Bhur-Bhuvas-Svaha.” These represent the three worlds that are in the body itself. Bhur represents prakrithi (Earth), which is the physical body. Mind is Bhuvarloka. Prajnana (spiritual awareness) is Suvarloka. Body represents materialization as it is made up of five physical elements. The mind is vibration andprajnana is radiation. If you enquire into their inner significance, all three are in your body itself.
The battle between Bali and Indra represents the mind battling to control the senses. When the mind is controlled, one attains Divinity. This is the spiritual state. Bali performed many sacrifices to attain this state. Bali means tax. You pay taxes to the Government for electricity, water, drainage, etc. What tax did Bali pay? He gave all his possessions, body, mind, and soul, to the Lord. The Lord’s first foot covered this world, and the second foot covered the other world. How huge the Lord’s feet would have been to cover the whole world? How can such a huge foot be kept on Bali’s head for the third step of land? The inner significance of this action is that Lord entered Bali’s body, mind, and soul. Once the ego or body consciousness is surrendered, then there is no bar to one’s realization. It is the body consciousness that stands in the way and makes you forget God. Vamana opened Bali’s eyes to help him realize the Divine. The imprisoned man had to be freed. Bali offered his body, mind, and soul to the Lord.
~Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 27 (1994)
