Honour the plighted word

24 August 1991, Onam, Prasanthi Nilayam

Published English.

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Human existence is a journey This principle of unity in diversity is clearly expounded in the . This has compared the human body to a chariot and the (Indwelling Spirit) to the charioteer and pointed out that human existence is a journey in this chariot. The body and the Spirit are integrally related to each other. But man in his ignorance has separated the one from the other and developed divisive tendencies. For all man's joys and sorrows, difficulties and enjoyments, his own thoughts are responsible. His happiness and distress are related to his actions. As he thinks, so he becomes. When the thoughts are misconceived, the results also go astray. Hence, the primary goal of man should be to develop right thinking.

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The secret of real happiness Unfortunately men today misuse the God-given gifts and thereby ruin themselves and cause harm to the world. The reason for this is the encouragement of divisive forces in the place of unity, and the growth of the acquisitive tendency. "" (The feeling of 'mine' is the cause of great sorrow; absence of possessiveness is the cause of supreme happiness). Real happiness lies in giving up acquisitiveness, surrendering to God and experiencing . (the bliss of the Spirit). Men should strive to achieve this kind of happiness by shedding narrow ideas, developing a broad outlook and realising the Divinity that sustains everything. Contemplation on the Divine is the key to all happiness and prosperity. Man should dedicate all thoughts and actions to God at all times and in all situations. "Whether one is immersed in or physical enjoyment, in society or in solitude, if he devotes his mind to the Supreme, he experiences ecstasy alone" ( recited a stanza from 's "") When one enquires into the Reality earnestly and objectively, he will realise that Divinity pervades everything. God is eternal and bliss incarnate. Among the myriad names of the Lord, the most significant is . This means that the cosmos is the embodiment of - - (Being-Awareness-Bliss) and vice versa. They are inextricably united.

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Divine is unified form of Everything in the universe, from an ant to the Absolute, is a manifestation of . is that which transcends the three categories of Time Past, Present, and Future. refers to (total awareness). Where these two are shining in unison, there is the Bliss Divine. Hence, (Bliss) is not something separate from the other two. They cannot be trisected. The One is radiant in the three as an integral expression. For instance, fire has three qualities: heat, light and redness. These are not separate from each other. Likewise, the Divine is the unified form of . Today men, who have read the scriptures or listened to the discourses of scholars, imagine that abides in some special place. This is the root cause of their ignorance of the Real. You are the embodiment of . Everything around you is a manifestation of . Forgetting his own true nature and separating himself from the Divine, man becomes a prey to numerous troubles. A blind man knows that the world exists, but is unable to see it. Likewise, people believe from the teachings of the scriptures and of the learned ones that exists, but very few have direct experience of the Divine. They must strive for such direct experience. This is the primary goal of man. The have declared that what does not exist cannot be made to exist. What exists cannot be wished away. Hence, man has to accept what exists and base his life on it. is the essential nature of everyone. Realisation of this calls for spiritual endeavour.

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True devotion is recognition of God within Most people today have no real idea of what is devotion and what is spiritual discipline. Different forms of worship, pilgrimages, meditation and the like are equated with devotion. These are not the indices of (devotion). They are all actions which can confer some mental satisfaction. To realise your inner nature, your efforts must be directed internally As long as you think God is somewhere outside you, you cannot qualify for Divine Grace. The true mark of devotion is to recognise that God is within you and around you, everywhere. You must develop the faith that you are a manifestation of God. The scriptures call upon everyone to find out, "Who are you?" There is no other path than the path of dedication to God and complete surrender to the Will of the Divine. The emperor was an exemplar of this doctrine of (complete surrender) to God. Despite the protestations of his preceptor , felt that it was his duty to offer everything to the Lord and, acting against the advice of his , he made a gift of all he had to the Lord who had come in the form of (the young celibate). In making an offering to God there is no need to abide by the instructions of the preceptor. The Lord is the supreme preceptor manifest in every Divine form. Emperor adhered to two resolutions. First: to give to anyone whatever he sought. Second' never to go back on the plighted word. held that there was no greater sin than going back on one's word. He firmly declared that whatever might happen to him, even if it cost him his life, he would not go back on his promise. Thereby, became a glorious upholder of truth. Who is a real emperor? Not the one who has conquered many countries and ruled over a vast empire. Once, summoned his disciples and put them the question: “Who is a real conqueror?" The disciples gave various answers. told them that the real conqueror is the one who has subdued his mind. Of what use is it to accomplish many things without mastering the mind? This was precisely the question which put to his father, , who had acquired control over even the elements but had not acquired mastery over his senses.

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Truth is the life-breath of the spoken word Men should learn to honour their promises. They should never go back on their word. Truth is the lifebreath of the spoken word. Many ancient rulers were prepared even to give up their lives for honouring their plighted word. Emperor was Truth incarnate. Always devoted to the well-being of his subjects, he constantly strove to lead them in the path of truth and to ensure prosperity in his realm. 's grandfather, , had the same noble qualities. Once there was an argument between 's son and the son of the sage . 's son said that the debate should be conducted before a judge who should decide who was the winner in the argument. He said 's father, , should be the judge. Both went to . They agreed that whoever lost in the debate should forfeit his life to the winner. listened to the arguments impartially and declared that , his son, has lost and that 's son has won. Recognising 's total commitment to justice, without any concern for his relationship with his son, and admiring his sense of justice, 's son told that he was giving back 's life that had been forfeited to him.

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's reaction to his preceptor's warning Embodiments of Divine Love! Uphold truth even at the cost of your lives. That was what Emperor did when he had to honour the word he had given to . His preceptor warned that the dwarfish lad was none other than the Lord Himself, and that it would be disastrous for to make the girl; sought from him by . You must note how reacted to the preceptor's warning. He declared that when the Lord of the universe had Himself come to him with an outstretched hand, seeking a gift, what greater good fortune could befall him () than to make the gift? "The palm that showers its grace on the whole world, the palm which can rid men of all their griefs and pains, which holds within it the entire process of creation and dissolution, the palm that holds out freedom from fear to every devotee, is now held out before me seeking a gift. My hand has been giving generously to all. How fortunate am I that it is now held over the palm of the Lord! The coming together of the two hands signifies the union of the individual soul with the Omni-Self. , this is a supremely auspicious occasion. Hence, I will not go back on my word, despite anyone's opposition." Emperor was the embodiment of sacrifice. He was the repository of all good and noble qualities. He explained the significance of the advent of the on earth "Out of love for the people, God descends to their level on earth. Together with his Divine Consciousness, He maintains His human consciousness." declared that he had discovered that day this sacred truth.

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was supremely happy when the Lord sought a gift from him. Today people would turn the other way if the Divine sought anything from them. God needs nothing from this world. declared in the : "There is nothing that I need from the three worlds. Nevertheless, I do my duty."

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duty is to promote devotees' welfare Why am I engaged in various activities? Why am I concerned so much about the devotees? Why have I established so many institutions? This is my duty (as declared to ). To promote the welfare of devotees is the duty the Lord has taken upon Himself. I am undertaking so many activities for their sake. But people do not recognise this fact. And owing to this failure, they are missing their good fortune. The reason is their selfishness. At least in the days ahead, they should try to experience happiness and prosperity by leading meaningful lives. They should sanctify their thoughts, because "as they think so they become." 's daughter developed a maternal feeling towards on seeing his beauteous form as a boy. Later when she recovered from a trance and found the foot of the Lord - -as - on 's head, she was seized with rage and rushed to kill Him. warded her off. was reborn as , the ogress, during the , when she first fondled and then sought to kill him. The moral from this episode is that one's thoughts have their consequences sooner or later.

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Hence, it is essential to have good thoughts and do good deeds to escape from the cycle of birth and death. This was what Emperor sought from the Lord.

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Follow Emperor 's example The glorious qualities of Emperor are rightly praised. But how many are cultivating even a few of these qualities? promised to his subjects that once a year he would appear before them. The celebration is intended to rejoice in the appearance of in their midst by observing this day as a festive occasion. Sweet dishes are prepared on this day. But it is not who consumes them. What should be offered to him is the sweet feelings in your heart. That is the right way to celebrate . You have to manifest your genuine love for . You must practise the ideals for which he stood. Look at the many ways in which he served the Lord. He was utterly dedicated to the well-being of his people. Develop the quality of love. Eschew differences of caste, creed and nationality. Promote unity among all people. Regard all as the children of one God.

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Having been born in the sacred land of , if you do not practise at least some of 's ideals, you have no right to call yourselves as . The greatest need today is for all people to cultivate unity. Only then will the nation be rid of its troubles and experience prosperity.

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The people of are extremely fortunate in many respects. Despite various political changes, the Keralites have adhered to their cultural heritage and observed festivals like with scrupulous regard for tradition. Devotion to God is deeply entrenched in their he arts. Even if some of them do not exhibit their devotion openly, for various reasons, it is imprinted in their hearts. It is because of this, they observe the sacred festival of with enthusiasm and joy year after year. You can realise the depth of their devotion from this single fact. Among the score of States in India, the people of are the only people who celebrate their unique festival in with boundless fervour and devotion. People from none of the other States have held any such celebration in . The manner in which Keralites, with all their women and children, celebrate the festival here testifies to their devotion to which transcends regional attachments. "" is everything for them. The devotion to the Lord is expressed in today in many forms. Their enthusiasm and devotion are highly commendable. The Chief Justice of , , and the Transport Minister of have expressed the desire on behalf of the people of that should visit their State and bless the people.

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To confer joy on all of you on this sacred day, I am giving this assurance that I shall be visiting very soon. I give you My promise that I shall share My joy with you and enjoy the bliss you feel in My company and shower My blessings to all the people of !