The Avathaar and the devotees

23 November 1994, Birthday - 69, Prasanthi Nilayam

Published English.

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More effulgent than the Sun, Purer and Whither than snow, Subtler than space, The Supreme Self pervades everything, From the minutest particle. Holding everything within Him, Illumining everything By His Consciousness. The Divine () is in you And you are in the . There is no difference Between you and . What greater truth can I convey To all of you assembled here?

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EMBODIMENTS of the Divine , When the Lord () incarnates in human form, He cannot avoid abiding by the regulations set by Him. You should not forget that even if the Lord is the Director of the Cosmic drama, in His human form he is playing a specific role. If He does not act according to the role assumed by Him, either overdoes or underplays the role, departing from what is appropriate, He will be falling in His purpose. When the Divine assumes human form, He has to serve as an example by ideal actions.

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and , impelled by their hatred, embarked on many enquiries in search of . They felt after their prober that was not in any of the five elements. But the tide of time and circumstances led to situations in which they faced the Lord in His most dreadful forms and met with their end. When made His advent on earth, He also had to play His part according to His role. While was railing at , He allowed him a long rope and destroyed him, when the appropriate time came. The relates the story of how retreated repeatedly in His encounters with . How can the All-knowing, All-powerful, Omnipresent Lord flee from anywhere? Where can He hide Himself? This is utterly fanciful. When one has faith in the ways of the Lord and abides by the will of the Lord, the Lord can be understood and experienced.

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For instance, there is the example of in the . In the court of , although she was humiliated and dishonoured by and , , in accordance with the role He had to play, did not intervene, as both of them were destined to meet with their death at the hands of . During 's life-time, He was the target of attacks and accusations by many wicked persons. But the Divine has no likes or dislikes. The wicked persons suffer from the consequences of their own actions according to their deserts. What one gets in life is dependent partly on what he has earned by his actions. This is called (fate). This is by its nature temporary. What is got as the fruit of a past action will not last long. Forgetting this fact and forgetting also his (true nature) man is carried away by the transient and acts according to his whims. When an actor in a play is assigned a certain role, he studies the entire play, but while acting his role, he has to play his part alone in each scene as required in the play and not all the roles that he knows. He has to suit his actions to the demands of his role in each scene in the play Likewise, the Lord, when He has assumed a role in the Cosmic play, has to act in each situation according to what is appropriate to it and according to the rules of the game.

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Mankind's fall from righteous conduct From ancient times, in accordance with the spirit of Culture, have been according the Highest place to (renunciation or sacrifice). They adored (Righteous Conduct). They were pledged to upholding justice. They adhered to Truth. People today have ignored these values of 's ancient culture. They have fallen a prey to worldly and sensuous pleasures, believing that only earthly existence is real. People in the world today are taking to evil ways and cherishing evil thoughts the like of which have never before prevailed.

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Men are consumed by a limitless passion for wealth and power. No doubt money is necessary for meeting one's daily needs. But even here there should be a limit. The vast ocean, when it swells beyond its bounds, causes disaster. The food that is required for sustaining the body is conducive to health only when it is consumed within limits. Over-eating poisons the physical system. Food may give satisfaction or cause illness. By his food habits man is becoming a prey to disease. Food is essential, but it must be taken within limit for it to be wholesome. Likewise wealth is essential but within limits. When there is excessive wealth, many dangers ensue. With excessive wealth man turns arrogant and loses the sense of discrimination between right and wrong. He becomes a who exemplified greed rather than a (who was noted for his generosity).

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These days men conduct themselves in positions of power without any understanding of how to exercise authority. Every man aspires for positions of power from that of President to the head of the government of the country. In the pursuit of power, men are prepared to use any means, sacrificing morality and justice. All sorts of corrupt practices are being resorted to for securing power. Law and order are being undermined. In this manner, the true nature of man is being forgotten. This is a highly dangerous situation. Those who seek positions of authority should recognise their obligations. They should exercise power with due regard to the restraints to be observed.

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"" Nothing great can be achieved without restraint

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Earn God's grace by getting rid of ego In human society today, egoism is rampant. Ostentation is ubiquitous. Can peace and security be ensured in such a milieu? Can God's grace flow in such a state? No. Whatever one's scholarship or wealth, as long as there is (egoism) God's grace will not flow. Grace, like water, flows from a higher to a lower level. God's grace will be showered on those who have humility and discipline. Humility isessential for securing God's grace. Revere elders. Be content with what you have. Develop goodwill towards 'all. Bear no ill will towards anyone. When you desire that all should love you, you should equally love all.

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The history of bears testimony to the pacific attitude of . They defended themselves when the country was invaded by outsiders, but they never embarked on wars of conquest. The ancient never resorted to wrongful or unrightful policies. Adherence to peace and truth was natural to them. Unfortunately today; in the pursuit of power people are giving the go-by to morality and integrity. In western countries many leaders resorted to violence to capture power. In also, there have been many examples of Muslims who killed or imprisoned their own fathers or kinsmen to seize the reins of power. This greed for power converted men into demons. But look at what happened in the . To carry out the promises of his father, renounced the kingdom and chose to live in exile for fourteen years in the forest. He did not aspire for power or position. He cherished (the code of right conduct).

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's example for cherishing Shortly after their entry into the forest, one day, when and were sitting under a tree, they heard the neigh of horses and cries of elephants. asked to find out the masons for the unusual presence of horses in the forest. climbed to the top of a tree and surveyed the scene. He noticed the advancing of a huge army, but only the flag fluttering high over the haze could be seen clearly. concluded from the emblem on the flag that it was who was coming with the army.

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got down and asked to get ready with his bow and arrows. "What for?" asked . said that at the instance of his mother, was coming with his army to seize them. Amused at 's naivety, told him smilingly: " is not such a person. He will do no such thing. He is coming to see us because he did not find us in when he came back to the city."

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retorted: "If he is coming to see us, why should he bring the army with him?" said: "To allay the feelings of the people, is coming with all the citizens. ! You have failed to realise that no one born in the line will ever shed blood to ascend to the throne. Those who seize the throne by the sword cannot be righteous rulers. No such Kings will ever be born in the dynast. The rule of conduct for the Kings is to inherit the throne by righteous means and rule with the consent of the people. The spirit of service should inspire who seek positions of authority. Without knowing how to serve, one cannot become a true leader. allayed 's apprehensions in this manner.

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Meanwhile, came running towards , crying "Oh Brother!" and fell at his feet. Watching this scene, regretted his misjudgment and sought 's forgiveness. Thus, from ancient times, the rulers in never resorted to violence or unrighteous means to ascend the throne. They were dedicated to the practice of .

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"" Speak the truth, follow Righteousness

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These were the two basic tenets of the ancient . They esteemed them as their two eyes. Today the rule has been reversed - (Kill truth) (Imprison Righteousness). Today it is the reign of falsehood. Unrighteousness is the prevailing moral code. It is because of these tendencies. today is a prey to disorder. Every individual should try to practise and protect truth and righteousness. This is the bounden duty of every citizen of . This is the service they have to do to the nation. The nation will not be protected by an army or by the most modern weapons. If the people safeguard truth and righteousness, the latter will protect the nation and the world.

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's encounter with intellectuals Once, more than two decades ago, K.M. convened a conference of intellectuals in to be addressed by . The so-called intellectuals today seldom have any intelligence. They are filled with conceit. The intellectuals in the gathering were proud and arrogant, gloating over their scholarship and book knowledge. was the Chief Guest at the meeting and was seated next to . requested to clarify the doubts of intellectuals regarding spirituality and right conduct. Many questions were put to and answered all of them clearly and convincingly.

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One member of the audience asked whether it was not necessary for India to equip itself with atom bombs in view of the fact that both affluent America and Communist Russia had huge piles of atom bombs. replied - "What folly is this! When there are millions in the country who lack food, clothing and shelter, the provision of these necessities is the most urgent task and not the manufacturing of atom bombs. Of what use are bombs when you cannot feed the people? are being wasted on armaments. I cannot agree to such wastage."

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Then another member asked - "How are we to meet an attack from outside?" replied: “Our country's name is . For this country the is the authentic guidebook. The heroes in this epic are the five brothers. Among them, and are incomparable warriors. Nevertheless, they submitted themselves to , the eldest of the brothers. If India upholds , America and Russia will have to respect . Confronted by , anyone however powerful, will be cut to size. Therefore, the most vital thing for is ." When gave this reply, the entire gathering cheered for fifteen minutes.

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Thereafter told them. "It is not enough to clap your hands; open the taps of your minds. Take to the path of . There is no use merely applauding my words." There are many in the country who worship the as a sacred text. How many of them honour the words of the father? Of what use is it to recite the without following its precepts? You have discourses on the in every street. But is anyone acting up to even one of its reachings? If you go on learning for years, when are you going to start practising the lessons? The endless study of books is sheer folly; to put into practice a single word is better than such studies. Today is full of such foolish persons.

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Love is 's most potent weapon Many of you have been coming here for over twenty or thirty years. You have listened to 's discourses many times. has been repeatedly declaring that immortality can be achieved only by sacrifice and not by deeds, wealth or progeny How many are making any sacrifice? How many are purring 's teachings into practice? Why are you gathered here? It is all useless unless you practise at least one of the reachings.

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What is My directive? What is it that will please Me? What is it that I desire? Only one thing: Love, Love, Love. That is 's most potent weapon.

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Was any invitation sent to any of you to come here? So many of you have gathered here attracted solely by the power of 's love. There is nothing that cannot be achieved in the world through love. Some things may be achieved by other means, but through love even the Divine can be held in the palm of one's hand. , , , and stood our as exemplars of Indian womanhood. People read books about them, but do not follow their example. The reason is that people are swayed by evil thoughts. These bad qualifies are due to bad habits relating to food and recreation.

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Eschew meat, liquor and smoking Today, let it be anyone, whether one deems himself a devotee or not, he should give up meat eating. Why? Meat eating promotes only animal qualities. It has been well said that the food one consumes determines one's thoughts. By caring the flesh of various animals, the qualities of these animals are imbibed. How sinful is it to feed on animals, which are sustained by the same five elements as human beings! This leads to demonic tendencies, besides committing the sin of inflicting cruelty on animals. Hence, those who genuinely seek to become devotees of God have to give up non-vegetarian food. Calling themselves devotees or devotees of and , they fatten on chicken. How can they be deemed devotees? How can God accept such a person as a devotee? Therefore, whether they are devotees in India or outside, they should give up from this instant meat eating.

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Next, there is the question of drink. The water that one drinks is life-giving. It issues from the head of . It is sacred. Instead of such wholesome drink, it is wrong to drink intoxicants. It makes a man forget his true nature. Alcoholic drink is utterly obnoxious. It degrades the addict. It makes him forget God. The drink addict is not conscious of what he says or does. The very sight of such a person is revolting. The drink evil has ruined innumerable families. Alcoholics have caused misery to their wives and children by wasting all their money on liquor. Of what use to the world are such derelicts?

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You are deeming this day as the sixty ninth birthday of . I have no desire to celebrate such birthdays. As I was coming I was greeted by many wishing Me "Happy Birthday".

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Today, as an offering to , give up meat eating, consuming liquor and smoking. By renouncing these three, you will benefit yourselves as well as society and the nation. 's sole aim is to promote the welfare of the family, the society and the nation. If you wish to carry out 's aim, renounce from this moment itself these three bad practices. Do not put if off to tomorrow. Take the resolve from this moment.

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Expecting that you will carry out 's wish and thereby promote the well being of your family and the nation, I bless all of you.