Divine Proximity Is The Source Of True Happiness

5 April 1996, Sai Shruti, Kodaikanal, TN

Published English.

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Experience Bliss Through The Oneness Of The All names and forms are of the Divine. Every person is the embodiment of the Divine. Human body has been gifted to man in order to know the Divine.

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Union with God is True Happiness True happiness comes from firm faith in God and full blossoming of the body, mind and intellect. It is incumbent on man to see that his body, mind, intellect do not take him to the wrong path. Man should understand that the mind is above and more subtle than the body. Similarly, intellect is above the mind and subtler than it. The intellect controls the mind. But the Master of the body, mind, intellect is the . You say, “This is my body, this is my mind and this is my intellect”. But who are you? You are the . Man should realise this truth and see to it that the body, mind and intellect are put to proper use, so that he can experience true happiness which is in union with God. Union with senses is the cause of man’s misery.

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Nature is the creation of God and God is the Creator. So, Nature is divine. It is the Will of God. Man should develop devotion to God so that the individual will is in harmony with the Divine Will. is the daughter of the earth and represents divine qualities such as sacrifice, compassion, mercy and peace. always willed to be with . Her will was in harmony with the Will of . Man will have peace when he lives in harmony with Nature. Peace is not outside; peace is within; outside there are only pieces.

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Purified Intellect Shines in the Light of The mind is the master of the body, the intellect is the master of the mind and the is the master of the intellect. So, the Master of life is the . If one merges the intellect in God, all the senses will be subjugated. always prayed, “” (Oh God! Give good intellect to all). A purified intellect reflects the light of the . Man will have true wisdom when he purifies his intellect. When man’s intellect becomes divine, he will follow the correct path and experience peace and bliss. If his mind follows the senses, he will invite disaster.

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The Same Indwells all Bodies (intuitive intellect) has the power of discrimination. Discrimination is of two types – Individual Discrimination and Fundamental Discrimination. Fundamental Discrimination is of universal nature like the prayer (May all the worlds be happy!). Individual Discrimination relates only to the individual. It is limited, narrow and selfish. One thinks only of my body, my friend, my relative, etc. This represents untruth. The Fundamental Discrimination is based on Truth. Man should develop Fundamental Discrimination to have goodwill and good feelings towards all to experience oneness with God.

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The is the same in all. There are many tube lights in this room, but the current flowing through all of them is one. All the bodies can be compared to many tube lights. The capacities of the tube lights may be different, but there is one current in all. Similarly, the same indwells all the bodies, though they have different forms. (one God has many names). There is only one Divinity that is present in all. When you experience unity, you will have bliss. The bliss that comes through the experience of the oneness of the will redeem your life. So, spiritual aspirants should not move about here and there; they should meditate in solitude. Then only will they experience bliss. Here is a handkerchief. It has numerous threads. The unity of the woven threads provides strength to it. Similarly, unity of body, mind and intellect provides strength to the individual.

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Man is the embodiment of , , (Being, Awareness, Bliss). When and combine, the result is (bliss). is like sugar, is like water which keeps moving or flowing. If you mix sugar and water, it becomes syrup which may be compared to (bliss). This bliss is not found in the material world. Material world can give only temporary happiness, not eternal bliss.

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Worldly happiness is termed which means temporary happiness. For example, when you are hungry, you eat two and satisfy your hunger. But after two hours, you are hungry again. So, the happiness you derived from eating was only temporary. This was not permanent happiness.

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Consider Tests In Life As Opportunities For Transformation Permanent happiness comes from the heart, not head. The highest goal of life lies in deriving happiness from the heart. The word ‘’ consists of two syllables, and (compassion or kindness). That which is full of compassion and kindness is (spiritual heart). Kindness should grow and blossom in human heart. That is why it is said, the proper study of mankind is man.

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Follow God And Treasure Divine Qualities Human body is like a house in which the senses are the windows and mouth, the main door. Keep this house clean. Do not allow animal qualities to enter this house through the windows or the main door. Do not follow those who indulge in sensual pleasures and harbour bad qualities. Follow God and treasure divine qualities. But, unfortunately, man today welcomes bad qualities and ignores God’s command. Chant the sacred Name of . When you chant , you open your mouth while saying ‘Ra’. Then all bad qualities should go out. When you say ‘Ma’ and shut your mouth, God should enter and stay in your heart permanently. Install God in the altar of your heart and develop love for God. Worldly love is not true love; it is attachment. For example, love between husband and wife is attachment. Worldly love comes and goes but spiritual love comes and grows. Follow the command of God up to your last breath.

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True Devotion Earns God’s Grace Once there was a cowherd named . One day, when he was grazing his cows near a river, he saw a repeating the “”. The cowherd watched the but could not understand what he was doing. After some time, the boy went near the and asked what he was doing. The told him that he was worshipping Lord because he wanted to please Him and have His . The boy wondered, “How does God look like? In paintings, I have seen Lord on a bull and Lord on (eagle)”.

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The innocent boy believed the words of the and wanted to see God. So, he started repeating that with full faith in order to see God. Where there is steady faith, there is success. Seeing the firm faith of the innocent boy, Lord appeared before him. The boy asked Him, “Who are You”? The Lord replied, “I am ”. The boy said, “I am not sure as I have never seen You before. I will call the to identify you”. He tied Lord to a tree so that He may not run away and went to call the . The Lord was very much pleased with the innocence and devotion of the boy. However, when the boy told the , he did not believe the boy’s story. The ’s faith was artificial and the faith of the boy was heartful. As the boy was adamant, the went with him to the place where the boy had tied the Lord. Pointing towards the Lord, the boy told the , “See, there He is”. But the could not see the Lord. When the did not believe the boy, the boy asked the Lord, “Why can’t the see You”? The Lord replied that the faith of the was not firm. The boy then requested the Lord, “At least for my sake appear to the ”. As Lord was pleased with the devotion of the boy, He manifested before the also. This story illustrates that God is pleased with purity of devotion and firmness of faith.

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Pray to God wherever you are by chanting His Name. God is present in all beings as , , (Being, Awareness, Bliss). You sit alone and say, , . But your mind goes to (washerman) as you are not sure whether he will bring your clothes today. and with uncontrolled mind is sheer waste of time. , , (Truth, Auspiciousness, Beauty) are the three attributes of God which are present in your heart. Pray wholeheartedly from the depth of your heart. Develop love and compassion in your heart. If you pray with love but do not have compassion, it is useless. Have both love and compassion in your heart. Think of God constantly, speak softly and avoid bad company and all other disturbances.

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brought His Discourse to a close with the , “ Sukha Nahin...”