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Date : 5 April 2000 --- Occasion : Ugadi --- Place : Brindavan
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THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD ACTION
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Kamam Hitwarthavam Bhavathi
Lobham Hitwa Priyo Bhavathi
Moham Hitwam Sukhi Bhavathi
Manam Hitwam Priyo Bhavathi
Embodiments of love,
No one loves a person as long as he nurtures ego, pomp and show. Neither wife nor his children love him. These vices distance him from love. Man has to give up ego, pomp and show in order to be loved.
Krodham Hitwa Nasechite. A man can never be happy if he is full of fury and anger. He will always be miserable. The result of fury, both within and without, is only sadness. Hence the prime cause of human misery is fury. Kamam Hitwa Na Saukhyamam. Man can never be happy as long as he has desires. He will be happy, the day he destroys his desires.
Lobham Hitwa Priyo Bhavathi. Moham Hitwam Sarva Sukham. Man cannot find happiness as long as he is greedy. Get rid of greed and happiness will come to you. The causes of human misery, distress and restlessness are desires (kama), anger (krodha), greed (lobha) and passion (moha).
With the commencement of the New Year, people wonder what lies ahead of them. Whether it is a New Year, a new month, a new day or even a new minute, the prosperity of a nation depends on human actions. These actions depend on the human mind, which in turn, depend on thoughts. As is the thought, so is the action. So, one who aspires for the welfare of the world, should make his thoughts, right ones. Men with right thoughts can only ensure peace and security in the world.
Apart from birth and death, humanity is ridden with other blemishes as well. So everything depends on man's thoughts and actions. Karmanu Bandhane Manushyalake. The entire society depends on human actions. Human actions and their consequences determine the creation (Srishti), sustenance (Sthiti) and dissolution (Laya) of the world irrespective of their being good or bad. Happiness and distress too, depend on these actions. Unable to recognise this truth, man acts accordingly to his wishes and fancies. He does so with a lot of happiness, though it all results in mountain of unhappiness. However small the action is, man has to bear its consequence. So it is essential for man to recognise this truth.
Before you embark on any work, exercise your power of discrimination and evaluate whether it is good or bad, right or wrong. Do not be hasty on this account. Haste makes waste, waste makes worry, so do not be in a hurry. Your hasty actions today may lead to unpleasant consequences tomorrow. The Upanishads therefore advise: Tasmai Namah Karmane - salute Him before you act. Why is it so? Through the prayer we intend to say: 'O Presiding Deity of my actions! Let my actions be sacred. Let them not hurt others. Let me render useful service to others. This is an ancient principle of Indian culture. Here is a small example. A dancer salutes her musical anklets before fastening them to her feet. A tabla player salutes his tabla before beginning to play on it. So does the harmonium player. Hence, salute God before you do anything and consequently redeem your lives.
Great importance is given to action in India since ancient times. It is easy to act, but difficult to bear the burden of its results. Do not be content with what you did yesterday. Though the act is over, its result remains with you. It affects you as long as you live. Since you are born as a human being and have known God, always engage in good work. Human life is wasted without such good work. Therefore truth is morality (neethi), faith is the process (reethi) and sacrifice is fame (khyathi). The amalgamation of these three would lead to ideal humankind. Man's destruction of these three elements has obscured human nature. We even doubt if there is at all a proper human being in this world today.
What kind of person is man? He is one who harmonises his thoughts and actions. But today such harmony does not exist. That is why we feel that the age of Kali is a wicked one.
Manas Anyath, Vachas Anyath, Karman Anyath Durathmana.
One with disharmony of thought, word and deed is a wicked person. One with unity of thought (Manas Ekam), integrity in speech (Vachas Ekam) and harmonious action (Karman Ekam) is called a noble soul (Mahatmana). No man likes to be wicked although he resorts to bad actions. Perhaps he is unaware of what he does.
Embodiments of Love!
Human life is the noblest of all. It comprises of good nature, good character and good behaviour. Human life is sacred and brings man on par with God. Where then is God? Everything is the form of God.
We say with ease: Deho Devalaya Procto Jeeva Deva Sanathanah. This statement contains the very essence of all types of sacred study, penance and spiritual endeavour. But we erroneously scoff it away considering it as a trivial matter. It says, 'The body is a temple.' Who resides in the temple? God in the form of the soul is installed in it. This God does not move, He is ever stable. Do not mistake Him to be wavering or restless (asthiram).
God as the soul is stable (Sthiram), attributeless (Nirgunam), traditional (Sanathanam), ever standing (Niketanam), eternal (Nityam), Pure (Suddham), wise (Buddham), free (Muktam) and lucid (Nirmala swarupam). The human body is the abode of such a soul. Having such a God and a temple within you, why do search elsewhere? There are crores of such temples in this world. What are they? They are human bodies-each of them being a temple. God resides in this temple as consciousness (chaitanya shakti). The Vedas teach: Easwara Sarva Bhutanam-God resides in all creatures. No one believes these words of truth.
Wherever you see a human body, think of it as a temple, because God resides in it as the soul. Therefore never rebuke anyone. Do not hurt or harm anyone nor cause anyone pain. One who realises this truth is a true devotee. How can one become a devotee if he blames and rebukes others, laughs at them and inflicts on them pain? Rebuking others is equal to rebuking the God you worship. Hence consider the body as a sacred temple of God. How sacred do we consider it, when people today are not interested in visiting temples. They are even annoyed thinking of such a possibility. Such thinking is wrong. It may be that they may be decrepit with physical decay-yet they are temples. Do not expect all of them to be beautiful and magnificent. Look for God in the form of the soul, residing within them and relish such experience. Look for the good actions that the temple of the body performs.
Here is a small example. Emperor Ashoka, during his reign, used to collect taxes from his vassal kings. It is difficult to govern a country without collecting taxes. Similar is the problem even today. How can a ruler govern a state without collecting taxes? People nowadays expect the government to provide all amenities without their paying any taxes. What madness is this? Taxes are necessary. By paying taxes, we get all our conveniences and facilities. Emperor Ashoka hence ruled his empire in like manner. Once on his birthday, the vassal kings arrived with the taxes. The collected taxes were kept in mountain like heaps. The king of Magadha however came empty-handed. Ashoka enquired of him, 'Do you not know that today is my birthday? Why have you come empty-handed'?
The king of Magadha said, "My Lord, my country suffered from heavy rain and draught this year." I spent all the taxes I collected for the rehabilitation of the people, providing water supply, preparing welfare programmes and arranging for medical aid. There is no drinking water at present. So I arranged drinking water. I built hospitals for people suffering from diseases. As all the children are going wayward, I built schools for them. That is why all the taxes I had collected had to be spent on these works."
Emperor Ashoka was mighty pleased. He beckoned him to sit by his side and said, "You have done the mightiest deed that none others have done. Arranging drinking water, medical facilities and schooling are three sacred deeds through which the world experiences happiness. For doing such service, I waive you of the payment of taxes as a special gesture."
Ashoka demonstrated that there was nothing mean in his heart. The king of Magadha could melt the heart of such a great man. Therefore, serve the poor by providing drinking water, hospitals and schools, which are their prime needs. Education is related to the head. While medical care is related to the heart, water is related to the body. One who fulfils the needs of these three--the head, the heart and the body--is the greatest of all. Emperor Ashoka taught this lesson. Such emperors have earned reputation through their sacrifice and just actions and advance in the spiritual path. Therefore, I teach you often to render social service.
Why should you participate in social service? You are born and brought up in a society. It is here that you learnt your lessons and earned your livelihood. It is here that you were able to get absolute bliss. Do you not think that you should express your gratitude to such a society? Hence be grateful to it and do so by performing good deeds. We must serve everyone in society, as the human body is the temple in which God resides as the soul.
Embodiment of Love!
Do not worry about the mysterious that you presume lie ahead in the New Year. If your actions are good, your future too will be sacred. The prosperity of the nation depends on your actions. God neither punishes nor protects. It is you who either punish or protect yourself. God only blesses, saying, 'So be it' (Thathasthu, thatasthu). If you utter a bad word, He will say, 'So be it.' If you say something good, He will yet say, 'So be it.' God only blesses; you are the cause behind all your good and bad.
There is utter confusion in the world today. There is hardly any human feelings found these days. What is this humane nature? Is it the body that is made up of desire (kama), anger (krodha), greed (lobha), lust (moha), passion (mada) and ego (matsarya)? Enjoy everything, but do it in the righteous manner. There are some other qualities that emanate from your heart. They are pure thoughts and feelings. Nurture such feelings. But you ignore these god-gifted feelings. You use bad qualities that are nurtured by your ego.
Embodiments of Love!
From where do these desires and anger emanate? They are the products of the food you eat. You are hence, the cause of your bad qualities. Take good and mild food. As a result, good qualities will arise. The good qualities bestowed upon you by God are within you and you do not care for them. From where does the spirit of sacrifice emanate? It is a gift of God. Where are good feeling born? God gives all that is good. What does the bad provide you? It provides you external qualities. Reading, writing, being employed, earning money, accumulating property, having cars and living luxuriously are all manifestations of such external nature. These are acquired qualities. There are some inherent qualities in you, which cannot be acquired. They are kindness, love and compassion. Bad qualities usually generate from the head. Do not allow your head to be moulded by your liking. It endangers you. Ultimately it destroys the head itself. If you follow the dictates of your head, you will be bound by the dictates of this earthly life. Banish such feelings and follow the feelings of the heart instead. Your sacred thoughts should be born in the heart. They are the true qualities of a man.
Sathya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa are born of the heart. Truth generates faith, justice, peace and other related attributes. Let us understand this through an example. We see lights everywhere. The bulb here is illuminated. What is the reason for its illumination? It is the electric current. Similarly, the current of Truth (Sathya) enters the wire of Righteousness (Dharma) which entering the bulb of peace (Shanti) illuminates it with Love (Prema). Therefore Sathya, Dharma, Shanti and Prema unite to make man. With the unfortunate absence of these four, how can man-making be complete? All we have is not a man, but a dead body. Such an entity is useless. To make it useful, one has to practice these four qualities.
Embodiments of Love!
Jantunam Nara Janma Durlabham. Of all creatures, human birth is the rarest. Human life is a gift of God. You can neither borrow nor buy it. Steer the instrument of the human body in the right direction. Make it help others. Some people always indulge in rebuking others. Such a trait may be the consequence of their previous lives. It is wrong to speak words of rebuke and slander.
Hastasya Bhushanam Danam. Sathyam Kanthasya Bhushanam. Charity gives beauty to the hand; truthful words give beauty to the human voice. What is the true necklace that you wear around your neck? It is the necklace of truth (Sathya). The true beauty that God has given us is sacrifice. Why are the ears provided? They are not listening to useless talk and scandals, but for listening to the chanting of God's name and to spiritual talks. Why are the eyes provided? They are there for looking at God's beautiful form; instead, we use them for watching movies, which cause eye ailments in children. I am 75 years old and I do not watch movies. That is why my eyes have not developed cataracts. Do not use the eyes to watch meaningless performances, but see the reality and the form of God and listen to the primal sound 'aum'. Whenever there is a quarrel, people rush there in large numbers. Are you rushing there to listen to a quarrel? How unholy then are the ears? How unholy are your eyes to witness all these things? Sanctify your eyes.
Poddupoka Oorivari Suddulante
Siddha Mavudure Kadu Sraddhatoda.
You lend your ears sincerely to all gossip. This is not what you should be listening to. Never be proud of your beauty, your age and your sensual attraction. The misery of old age awaits you. Youth today are proud of their beauty and age. They waste their youthful energy and kill human quality. Hence, the misery of old age. What happens in old age? You cannot move, you cannot see, your face becomes wrinkled and your hair turns grey. The young laugh at you, making fun of you. Is it your mistake or theirs? Why did you misuse your body? Why did you allow it to take the path of vices? Does your body live for hundreds of years? Many foreigners keep asking me, 'Swami, how can you stay so strong and beautiful even at the age of seventy-five? I have talked about the three P's. Practise these three P's: purity, patience and perseverance. With these three, you can also remain strong.
Beauty therefore is not related to the body. It is related to the mind, so its sanctity and good fortune. People, who are jealous of such fortune, may think otherwise. People who accuse others are the greatest sinners. Accusing others is the worst sin of all. Do not accuse anyone as God resides in everyone. If anyone is at fault, point out the fault and correct it. You will enter the right path when you learn these ways. Renouncing everything and rolling the beads is not the following of the right path. Let good thoughts take birth in you. Always have a smiling face. No one should put up a 'castor-oil' face (have a grim look).
Happiness is union with God, always remain happy. Whatever be the circumstances, at any cost, be always keep smiling. Believe it or not, the problems and crises I had, no one ever had. Yet I always keep smiling. A person, whose desires are fulfilled, always praises me. A person, whose wishes are not granted, always blames me. The praise or censure are both restricted to the lips and not to the good or the bad. Emanating from the lips, it does not reach the mind. Therefor Sai always says, 'Yes, Yes, Yes': Sri Sathya Sai. Three S's are sufficient for others who do not resort to praise or blame. There is however a set of another three: Blame, Praise and Rejection (Dushana, Bhushana and Thiraksha). Sai says 'Yes' to those who say 'Yes' and 'No' to those who say 'No'. There is no 'No' for Sai. 'No' is for you. For Sai, it is always 'Yes'. You have to experience these things yourselves. These things do not affect Me. When someone blames me aloud, such blame dissolves in the air. They do not affect me. If they talk amongst themselves, still they do not affect me. Whatsoever may be the way they blame Me, I remain unaffected. I am always happy. Happiness is My form. There is no special happiness or unhappiness for me. Unhappiness is for one who is body-conscious. I do not have any attachment to My body.
All are divine. If you consider yourself divine, you will not seek the wrong path. I advice children! You are young; the age of the young is a golden age-do not destroy it. Once it is gone, it will not return. Such knowledge is true awareness-does not come, does not go. It stands still. This is the principle of Brahman--never coming, never going but always remaining constant.
Students should learn one essential thing. Your education is complete when you pass in these three P's. One type of knowledge is physical knowledge. The other two (practical and spiritual knowledge) is not to be read from books. Man's education is complete with the acquiring of knowledge and implementing of it. Holding a book in your hand does not make you an educated man. Such knowledge is superficial; it is not even general knowledge. Beyond superficial knowledge and general knowledge is practical knowledge. The final step is spiritual knowledge. These are the true human powers. Acquire them and complete your education. It is not sufficient if you are educated. Put them into practice. Three parts of education go for practice, only one part remains for study. Do not forget the New Year. Fill your heart with new thoughts. Experience the bliss and share it with others, not for money but for love.
Do not leave the door open for desires, anger and greed. Agony and distress are temporary. They are like passing clouds. Let your heart not be destroyed by these passing clouds.
What do you envisage this New Year to be? Human actions determine the quality of the year. It all depends on human behaviour. If your thoughts are good, your future is bound to be good. If your actions are good, your future too is good. The entire nation will then turn good. Take care of yourself. Everyone will be good, if one take care of oneself. Therefore for the prosperity of the country and for world peace, put to practice all that you have learnt.
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