Lead Your Life In The Company Of Truth

11 April 1996, Sai Shruti, Kodaikanal, TN

Published English.

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In the story of , was the embodiment of virtues and charity. But he lost his goodness and virtues when he associated with wicked . So, such a noble and mighty also became bad because of bad company. Consequently, he lost all his power and might. In this world, it is difficult to know who is noble and who is wicked. But one can know a person by his actions, behaviour and words.

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Do Not Delay Good Actions True spirituality lies in removing bad and animal qualities and developing virtues. Then only can man attain Divinity. Mere practice of (chanting) and (meditation) are not enough for spiritual progress. Among all the beings in the world, man is the noblest because he is endowed with the power of discrimination to know what is good and bad, what is temporary and permanent and what is right and wrong. He is gifted with intellect and wisdom. It is these qualities which make man different from animals and other creatures. Food, sleep, fear and procreation are common to both men and animals. But man has a higher mind. That is why he is called (man). Man’s thoughts originate from his intellect and his behaviour is based on his thoughts. One who follows the wrong path will have wrong and negative thoughts. Such a person can never recognise Divinity. So, run away from the company of evil people who do not believe in God. Otherwise, you are bound to suffer. A serpent has poison only in its mouth, but an evil man has poison in all his limbs. So, keep away from wicked people who are against goodness and spirituality. Always have , the company of those who adhere to a noble path. means Being which never changes and is not affected by what happens. It is always true. So, follow in life; do not run after the changing world. For this, associate with pious and noble people. This will help you to develop spirituality within you and remove worldly thoughts.

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was known for his charity. He never refused anyone anything. Once when he was taking a head bath, holding in his left hand the oil for his head in a cup of gold, a came to seek his help for his son’s marriage. immediately gave to the the gold cup he was holding in his left hand. But the told him that it was proper to offer the gift with the right hand and not the left hand. thought, "The mind is very fickle and ever-changing. By the time I transfer the gold cup from the left hand to the right, my mind may change. It is better that I give spontaneously with my heart instead of thinking about which hand to use." A person may wish to give a ten note to a poor beggar. But by the time he goes and fetches the note from the box, his mind may change and eventually he may give only two . The reason for this is man’s attachment. This is the difference between (charity) and (wealth). So, always do good immediately, do not bother whether it is day or night. Don’t delay in doing good acts. At whatever time a person comes to you, you should do good to him. This is the real meaning of (the company of Truth).

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Attain Nearness And Dearness To God We think helping others is . The word consists of three syllables – , , , wherein means the and means near. So, the true meaning of is going near the or the Self. The being the same in all, you realise that you are close to all. From the worldly point of view, Paropakara means charity and helping others. But from the spiritual point of view, it means nearness and dearness to God. The essence of ParopakarA is devotion. A true devotee thinks that he is the . But man limits himself and thinks that he is a lawyer, a businessman, etc., when in truth he is the . Man should always remain a considering that he is close to everyone as all have the same . But man observes differences. People act in one way when they are in the sanctum sanctorum and in another way when they are in the dining hall. Man’s life is momentary like passing clouds. It is always changing. Like a day, it has morning, afternoon and night which connote childhood, youth and old age. In childhood, he has four legs as he crawls, in youth he has two legs and in old age he has virtually three legs as he uses a walking stick. Man should realise the transitory nature of life and make efforts to become near and dear to God. Those who attain God’s nearness and dearness are fortunate indeed. Always do everything with godly feelings and attain the good fortune of being close to God.

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The teach that man should make efforts to be close to God. The word Upanishad consists of three syllables: +ni+. means near, ni means below and means sit. So, the very name Upanishad connotes sit down near God.

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God Is The Basis Of Everything We call a poet () and think that is one who is a scholar and a composer of poetry. No. The real is God who has the knowledge of all the three periods of time – past, present and future. Truth, which cannot be divided, is true poetry. God created everything from Truth; from the pure unsullied Truth came poetry. (truth), (knowledge), (bliss) is Truth. God created , the sound from which all sounds and entire vocabulary came. God is Sound, Light, Eternal Spirit. He created the word . The originated from eight sounds in the beginning. From these eight, five were derived. The five sounds became three: . In the word God also there are three letters: GOD. is God. We chant with three organs – throat, tongue, and lips. The sound which comes from these three parts of the body gets unified into one sound: , similar to saying God. So, God is the basis of everything. He is the (poet) for the and other epics.

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Divine Energy Makes The Body Function It is the divine energy which makes the body function from top to toe. Human body is the Pura (city) and (Supreme Being) is the indweller. If someone asks where is God, our usual answer is that He dwells in the heart as . But the dwells between 9th and 12th vertebra of the spinal column. There is a subtle channel in the spinal column called . The physical heart is only the switchboard but the divine current is in the spinal column. The nerve moves in the spinal column like a powerful electric current just as we see lightning flashings in the sky on a rainy night. This is the divine electric current which makes the body function.

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God is the source of the divine energy which pervades the universe and also the human body. He is ancient, eternal and all-powerful. So, remember God always. Never forget God. This is the lesson which we can learn from ’s folly. was very knowledgeable and had many good qualities. But he was defeated by because while spent most of his time with , associated with wicked . One can attain success and happiness through nearness to God. All the gold of the world cannot give that happiness. or Being is the nature of God. When one has devotion for God and godly feelings, all one’s worldly thoughts will go. That is true life. So, never lose the opportunity for nearness to God because this will lead you to liberation. Treasure this sacred feeling in your heart. This will give you peace and happiness. When you have mental peace, you can successfully face the challenges of life.

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Everything in the world is temporary like passing clouds. Know this truth, do your duty and be in good company. When you disassociate from bad company, you will automatically be with good company and then you will experience truth. You cannot experience God if you have both good and bad qualities and thoughts. When you buy an orange, you understand that you cannot eat the rind even though you have paid five . This is discrimination. The rind symbolises bad qualities. So, get rid of bad qualities as you throw away the rind. You can then enjoy the sweet juice of the . Chant the Name of God and sing His glory. No one will save you in the end except God. But man today never thinks of God. That is why he goes through the cycle of birth and death and lies in mother’s womb again and again. Is this the purpose of man’s life? No. When once you are born as a human being, you should make efforts not to be born again. That is how you can redeem your human birth. It is sheer ignorance to go through the endless cycle of birth and death. You read the newspaper only today. You do not read the same newspaper tomorrow because it has already become waste paper. The is like the test paper. Pass the test with first class. Then only will you become eternal. This is the real purpose of human birth.

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( brought His Discourse to a close with the “, He Gopi Gopa Bala…”.)