Sathya Sai Speaks 1965 · The basic hypocrisy

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The basic hypocrisy
April 1965, Prasanthi Nilayam
Professor Kasturi's English.
1
This day, as well as yesterday, spoke to you about (Eternal Religion) and its greatness. I too shall speak only about that, for there is nothing more important than that for material and spiritual happiness. calls on you to revere the , for he is seeking to save you from disaster, the flood of birth and death into which you are slipping, through ignorance. You have to learn (swimming) to escape from the swollen river; or the Lord's teaching you have to learn to escape form the swirling torrent of birth-death. The points out the (goal) to you; he reveals the (Reality of Self). A man struggling in a bog cannot be saved by another who is also caught in its slime. Only one standing on firm ground can pull him out. So the must have a secure footing, above and beyond the slush of (worldly way). The or sages struggled with themselves and elevated themselves into the purer regions of thought, to discover their own truth. They felt the thrill of that discovery and sang of the freedom they gained. These songs serve as sign-posts and all who derive benefit therefrom have to acknowledge the debt. How to repay the , the debt of the ? By study, by reflection on what they have sung of their liberation, by practising the they adopted, by proving them right out of your own experience.
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The three debts to be discharged There are also three other (debts), mentioned in the scriptures - , and - the debt to the father, to the mother and to the Gods. Once there was a great sage named , famous for his scholarship. He had a son, , and a daughter . Among his disciples was , a young man who was well behaved, virtuous, devoted to the teacher and earnest in his studies. But he could not keep pace with the other bright lads and so became the target for taunts. The loved him all the more on account of this. Sympathy with his lot grew into Grace; Grace resulted in the offering his own daughter in marriage to ! While was pregnant, recited the as laid down in the Disciplinary Rules, but within hearing of the child growing in the womb. It heard the recitation but, since it was already aware of the correct pronunciation of every syllable, whenever spelt a syllable wrong, it squirmed in distress. So, when the baby was born, it had eight bends, crooked in eight places, in fact! Naturally, he was named . (Eight Bends) When was still in the womb, had persuaded her husband to seek some monetary help from King to relieve their dire poverty and when went to , in the midst of a big (ceremonial sacrifice) which the king was celebrating, he had to stay on till it was finished; later, he was forced by circumstances to join a competitive disputation with a celebrated scholar called , and accept the terms laid down by the challenger, namely, whoever gets defeated in argument was to be thrown into the sea. Meanwhile, , in spite of his physical deformity, became an erudite Pandit full of intricate scholarship, even while in his teens. His father's fate was kept from the lad by both and for many years, but, one day, he was taunted by some one as one who was ignorant of his father's fate and the sad tale was revealed to the son. Immediately, he proceeded to and sought entrance into the audience-hall of King . The guards laughed when he wanted them to report to the King that a Vedhic scholar eager for disputation with the court had come. They slighted him for his tender age, but he said that age was no criterion. At last, he pleaded that his deformity, at least, entitled him to hospitality and sympathy.
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Parents should encourage their sons by good example was struck by the boy's persistence and courage; he ordered that he should be admitted and arranged for the disputation the boy sought! If I start telling you the absurd questions that the court teased him with and the replies with which sparred them with, it will take so much time that perhaps we will have to sit beyond even! tried his best to dissuade him; he told him that he was too young to risk death in the sea. But, argued that does not take account of the , the physical principle of the body. entered the fray with the deformed lad resplendent with spiritual scholarship; to the great astonishment of all, the boy gained the upper hand; the aged pandit squirmed under the questions; he failed; he had to be thrown into the sea; the deformed son of had triumphed over the victor who had consigned his father to the waves. The mother was delighted that her son had discharged the debt, and retrieved the honour of the line. The father must encourage the son by example more than by precept. told his father that only the parent who directs his progeny to God deserves obedience and respect. All others are, so far as the sons are concerned, human ogres like . There are some parents who are sorry that their sons are coming to and who dread that they would start doing or or , and give up the habits of smoking or drinking or gambling, which they have learnt from their fathers! Such people do not know the value of (spiritual company), for peace and happiness. They fail to equip their children or themselves with armour against the blows of fate or fortune.
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Dive deep into your own Divinity The develops the (power of discrimination) and, so its consequence will be the giving up of evil company, and the seeking of kindred souls. If is not available, you can keep company with your own higher impulses and noble thoughts. Dive deep into your own divinity. The crocodile is happy and unharmed and it is undefeatable, in the depths of the lake or river. Once it sprawls on land, it becomes the plaything of man, an easy target for death. The depths: they are your refuge; the source of your strength. Do not stray into the shallows or the sands.
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You know that the bird feeds on snakes. Well, once the went to Mount to pay respects to , who wears snakes on His head, arms, wrists, neck, waist and ankles. When the snakes saw , they were unafraid; they even dared put out their forked tongues at and challenged it to come near them. That was the extent of the courage lent to them by the place where they had established themselves. So, establish yourselves in the ; no worry or grief or pride can harm you then. Several types of were spoken about today, but all types are based on the 'I' feeling; it is like a drama in a film story, a plot within a plot. You must feel that all this is just a passing show, that you are the central figure, the only figure, the entire figure. : That thou art. That is this. The external world is fundamentally One, is really , appearing as many. is you, yourself. And, what does the experience of all the sages tell him? What is the profound discovery embodied in the wisdom of the ? is , is ; there is no second, there is only One.
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Play your role as the puppet does If you act or feel or talk contrary to your nature you demean yourself; you deny your reality. The (Reality of ) is , - Pure, Unshakable; be pure and unshakable. It is , devoid of the three qualities: dull, active or balanced; it is pure consciousness. You too must not be agitated by the storms of feeling, or the fog of dullness and sloth. Play your role, as a puppet does; the unseen Director unfolds the drama, which He has willed.
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Once it happened that a village drama, , was put on boards, with and his son, , selected from one of the two rival factions and being acted by a man from the other! fell dead, bitten by a cobra, as required by the drama and the mother had to wail. Every one expected the actor to do that very realistically; but, since the boy belonged to the rival party, refused to weep! This led to a minor riot. The 'puppets' had deluded themselves into attachment. They had failed to remember that they were acting 'roles'. This is the basic hypocrisy; claiming to be a character in the play, but, not speaking the lines; exhibiting emotions, going through the movements and not making the role a success.
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Many claim to be exponents of the and , but it is not what they teach that tells, but how they live. Many sing the glory of the Lord, but, few live in His constant Presence and in the constant awareness of that Glory that fills the Universe. !, they sing; but, they don't make their hearts , so that may come and be installed therein.
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Revere all human beings as your Lord There are certain special hours when you have to perform and repeat . This is very good discipline. Just before the Sun rises, the morning rite has to be gone through. described very poetically the calmness, the colour, the eloquent silence of those hours, the waking birds and flowers, the earth that thrills to the touch of dew - that is the time when you too should acclaim the rising Sun with the . Yesterday, one speaker described the as equal to , today another said it was the elaboration of and the . I ask you to fix your mind on any name of the Lord that brings up into your consciousness the Glory and the Grace of the Lord. Also, train your hands to do acts that serve the Lord that is shining in every being. All men are He; He shaves as the barber, He makes pots as the potter; He starches and irons clothes as the . He prompts, He inspires, He devises, He fulfils. You take a sheet of paper on which My Form is printed, as Myself; you revere It; you fall to the ground before It in reverence; why cannot you then revere all human beings, believing that I am in each of them, in an even clearer Form?
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The is a prayer for the development of your Intellect, so that you might reach this Vision. So let Me advise the elders who are here, this. You have brought your sons or grandsons or wards for and here to My presence. You are happy at their fortune; but, they will repeat the only if you too repeat it, sincerely. And it is good for you also. Repent, therefore, that you have given up taking that priceless drug; start from today the (worship of Sun God). Learn it from your son or grandson, keeping aside your sense of superiority. When you have the royal road to reach the Goal, why scramble through thorny jungle tracks? Do the as prescribed, and you will not be shaken by any storm. You need not flee to a Himalayan valley; you can make your heart that Valley, by the discipline of the .