Make God The Charioteer Of Your Life

24 April 1993, Sai Shruti, Kodaikanal, TN

Published English.

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Human life is endowed with great divine power. Some people perform noble and sacred deeds and earn great name and fame in society. On the other hand, some others earn bad name by their unsacred and evil deeds, even if they might be possessing glittering riches and all comforts of life. Through good deeds, one’s name, fame and credibility gets enhanced in society. The contrasting causes and effects pertaining to these two categories of people have been beautifully depicted in the great epic, the .

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Good And Bad Coexist In The World It is said, (what is not there in Bharat cannot be found anywhere else). The performed noble deeds and earned great fame by adhering to sacred and righteous path of life; whereas the took to evil path and indulged in unrighteous, unjust and wicked deeds. In fact, the became unwittingly instrumental in enhancing Pandava’s fame.

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It is said, (one cannot derive happiness out of happiness). When sorrow is mitigated, one gets happiness. Pleasure is an interval between two pains. Could the be reckoned for the righteousness in the absence of contrasting wicked deeds of the ? One’s good qualities are highlighted when juxtaposed to the negative qualities of others. The were beset with evil qualities of lust for power, ostentation and jealousy due to which they were destroyed. By being in proximate contrast, the salubrious qualities of the have been described by people as glorious. There can be no distinction for light when there is no darkness. Happiness and sorrow follow each other in the rigmarole of life.

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Many people today lack humanness. However, there are some very good people also in the world. But their goodness does not become visible because of their shortcomings. This is a matchbox. If you dip it in water and try to strike a matchstick, will it produce fire? You may use it only after drying it in the sun. Man has the fire of (knowledge), the fire of divinity and the fire of sacredness in him. With constant practice or , this sacred fire has to be made manifest.

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Without Renunciation Is Useless People do meditation, , , etc., and read sacred texts like the , the , the , etc. In spite of all this, why does not their inherent divine power become manifest? The reason is that their mind is mired in the transient objects of the world. In this condition of the mind, however much one may pray, there cannot be any use. It is like striking a wet matchstick on a matchbox. When the matchstick is kept in brilliant sunshine of renunciation, then only will the fire be produced. Without renunciation, all spiritual practices will give only temporary satisfaction, not the bliss of eternal truth. External prayers and practices will not yield positive results as long as the mind is craving for temporary worldly joys. The say, (immortality is not attained through action, progeny or wealth; it is attained only by sacrifice). Without cultivating the spirit of renunciation, no one can attain peace and spiritual effulgence. After eating food if you do not discard the waste, your health will be spoiled. After inhaling air, if you do not exhale, your lungs will be spoiled. You should renounce all that you accumulate; otherwise, you will lose peace of mind.

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All Powers Are Useless Without Divine Power was endowed with great strength and valor, but he lacked the grace of God. Despite being so mighty, what was the fate of at the end? This is the truth I am explaining. You must try to understand the power of humanness. wielded great power, enjoyed great wealth and ruled over a vast kingdom. All mighty warriors like , , and were on his side; and was also with him. What was the use of all Aacharyas when , the Aacharya of all Aacharyas, was on the other side? What is the use of so many Aacharyas bereft of God’s grace? What is the use of other switches when the main switch is put off? This is what happened in the war.

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When both and approached to seek His support in the war that became inevitable, enacted as if He was asleep. , despite being the playful director of the drama of the world, having donned the vesture of human body, enacted the role of a kingmaker. He never desired to be a king even though he had great influence and support from all people. The describe Him as (ancient), (having the absolute power of ruling), (having effulgence like the sun) and (beyond the realm of darkness). had come to crown good people as kings and to destroy the wicked. So, easily grasped the respective intentions of these two relatives. He laid himself on the bed pretending sleep. entered the room first. With all his pomp and arrogance, he thought it below his dignity to sit near the feet of . So, he pulled himself a chair and sat near the head of . Meanwhile, came, and reverentially bowed to sleeping and sat in a chair at the feet of . What was doing? He was pretending as if in deep sleep. was neither in sleep nor in a state of wakefulness; but in a state that was in between. Can anyone awaken Him in such a condition? This was what the said about Him.

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After a while, got up and naturally looked at first because he was sitting near His feet. felt angry because did not look at him. While was conversing with intimately, ’s anger grew plus plus and plus. It is said, (as are the feelings, so is the result).

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Mind alone is witness to the mind. It is a constant witness to the body as well as thoughts. So, ’s foolish mind became a foolish witness. At last turned towards him. After hearing ’s plea for help, asked him to choose either Him as standing alone, or His entire army. Foolish was happy to choose ’s army as a support in war. And insisted that he needed nobody other than and His grace. God is like the engine to the train, while all other forces are like compartments. What is the use of so many compartments without an engine?

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told what was going to happen in future. He said, out of the hundred sons of , none of them would survive to perform his last rites because the were after wealth, pomp and pelf, forgetting God and totally. said to , “Righteousness would be the winner. All mundane objects are nothing but reaction, reflection and resound; there is only one reality, that is God. When God is on your side, you can achieve anything. So, be courageous and go”.

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The provides wonderful ideals of life. In the constant struggle between good and bad forces in the world, God always stands by the good. is . Who is ? is the son of earth. So, God is the charioteer of all people on earth. He leads everyone from within. All are the sparks of the Divine.

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Develop Love for God in Your Heart (truth is one, but the wise refer to it by various names). (God is the indweller of all beings). (the entire universe is permeated by God). When the Lord of universe is with you, why do you crave for worldly objects of no value? Food, shelter, etc., are no doubt basic necessities of life. But if you develop faith in God, will He not look after you? Oh man! You crave for comforts from dawn to dusk. But what is it that you have achieved? Man has the responsibility to sanctify his body and time. But, unfortunately, people today are fighting for rights, forgetting their responsibilities. Rights and responsibilities are like two wheels of a vehicle. (performing your duty properly is indeed Yoga). After performing his family duties, will any son demand wages from his father? He who works for wages is a servant. The one who serves with a feeling of responsibility is the master. The master has right over the valuables of the house, and a servant has no right.

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(one dwells in all beings). You must endeavour to become a master. When you understand the truth, you will realise your true nature. Then there would be no need to search for God. Does anybody search for himself outside? God is in you, around you, above you, below you and He is everywhere. (That all-pervasive God is present within and without). You need not extend any special invitation to Him to visit you. He Himself will come to you when you develop love for Him in your heart. When the flower blossoms, it does not invite bees; the bees gather on their own in order to enjoy its nectar. Heart is the flower. Fill it with the nectar of Divinity. The expressed their feeling to , saying,

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Were You a tree, growing upwards, I would cling to You like a creeper; Were You a blossoming flower, I would hover over You like a bee; Were You the mountain , I would cascade like a river; Were You the boundless sky, I would be in You like a star.

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This is how the expressed their feelings of unity with God, who appears in diverse forms. They said, “You and I are one, we and we are one”. God is there in rivers, in oceans, in mountains, in trees and everywhere. (the knower of becomes verily himself). The were the living examples of this dictum. This is the quality of total surrender that was naturally displayed by the . That is unity in diversity. But today devotees say, “You are You and I am I”. Then how can you realise unity? We should say, “You and I are we; we and we are one”. Here, there, everywhere only One exists.

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, , , , – all rivers flow with different names and forms. Ultimately, they merge in the ocean. Having merged in the ocean, where is ? Where is water? Where is ? Where is ? Everything becomes ocean water. Everything becomes one. It will have the form of the ocean, the name of the ocean and the taste of the ocean. First, we have to sacrifice our name and form. We should merge in that divine form and name. That is true enquiry. However, we have to discharge our duties. Whatever you do, say, I am doing for God’s sake. Go to office, do business, do your duty, do many actions. No need to stop. Whatever you do, take it as Lord’s action. Then work will be transformed into worship. Swami never said,’ leave your work and go to the forest’. What is it you get there in the forest? That is not forest, it is for – rest. Do your duty sincerely. Rest is rust and dust. Divinity is shining all the time in every human being. Therefore, think of the Lord all the time. Offer all your actions to please Him. Have the feeling that God is everywhere with you.

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Always engage yourself in reciting God’s Name. The radio waves emanating from station are reaching instantly. That is sound. That is Shabda ( in the form of sound). God is called , , , , , , and (embodiment of sound, mobility and immobility, light, speech, eternal bliss, perfection, delusion and wealth). God has all these eight Aishvaryas (wealth). All these divine powers are present everywhere. Do your duty sincerely and offer all to God. He will take care of all your responsibilities. said, “You are everywhere. You make me speak. You make me listen. You make me think. Everything is You”. But, he said, “The good and bad to You, not to me. Bad also goes to You. Even good also goes to You”. When anyone comes to that stage of evolution, God will take care of everything. But today that sincerity and devotion are not to be found. If man achieves success, he will credit himself for it. When he has failure, he attributes it to God. No! Consider success and failure, good and bad as equal. To reach that state of equanimity, sense control is needed.

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