Truth Is The Foundation Of Life

23 April 1996, Sai Shruti, Kodaikanal, TN

Published English.

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Take Refuge In The Name Of God Once along with his disciples was going to the river to take a bath. On the river bank, Shankara saw a (scholar) repeating the rules of grammar. On seeing him, Shankara asked, “What benefit will accrue to you by learning the rules of grammar?” The replied, “I will become a great scholar and get a high post in the court of kings. I can then lead a happy life.” Then Shankara said to him, “Oh foolish man! The rules of grammar will not save you when your end approaches. Chant the Name of (). Sing the glory of God and experience the bliss of God-realisation. This is the goal of human life.” Man gets temporary happiness from earning wealth and acquiring high positions in life. But nothing will go with him when he dies. No friend and relative can save him at the time of death. Man should therefore take refuge in the Name of God.

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Redeem Your Life By Following The Example Of dedicated his life to and continuously chanted His Name. When he went to in search of , he met . Then said to him, “How fortunate you are that you have the opportunity to serve ! Though I have much wealth, yet I lack inner peace. I chant the Name of but I am not fortunate to have His .” Then said to him, “It is not enough that you chant ’s Name. You should also serve Him. is here in for so many months. Did you try to save or help her? You should render help in ’s Mission to earn His grace.” also admonished for his evil deed of putting in prison in in . was an exemplary devotee of the Lord. He continuously sang the glory of and spent his life in the service of His Mission. Though he was brave and courageous, yet he was full of humility and devotion. He was so full of devotion that ’s Name emanated from every pore of his body. That is what made him an ideal devotee. There is none equal to a true devotee of the Lord. One can redeem one’s life by following the example of .

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Attain The Goal Of Freedom From Birth And Death When someone goes to an overseas country, all his friends and relatives come to bid farewell to him. He also receives welcome from his well-wishers in the country he goes to. He returns from the overseas country in the same body. But when man goes to the other world on his death, all his kith and kin weep at his departure. Nobody knows what body will he have after his return from the other world. Therefore, man should redeem his life in the present birth. Then he will have no fear of death. We take medicine when we fall ill. But we stop taking the medicine after we are cured; we do not continue the medicine afterwards. Similarly, human birth is gifted to us to come out of the endless cycle of birth and death. We have to learn what we are supposed to know in the present birth and attain the goal of freedom from birth and death. Always pray to God to lead you to the path of realising your reality. This is what the prayer proclaims: , , (lead me from unreality to reality, from darkness to light, from death to immortality).

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Speak Truth And Perform Righteous Actions People are deluded to think that their lifespan is long. Hence, they go on planning all their life. But God has His own masterplan which is known only to Him. How should man conduct his life? He should discharge his duties sincerely and perform selfless service to others with firm faith in God. This is the real penance. Penance does not mean straining and torturing your body. It means giving up laziness and dullness and leading an active life of service to benefit others. Many people go on pilgrimages to holy places like , , and . To take part in a pilgrimage is an expression of devotion. But, unfortunately, devotees today, even on a pilgrimage, are filled with worldly thoughts and negative feelings. So, man should first of all get rid of negative thinking. Since man today is enmeshed in too much negativity, he is unable to experience Divinity. So, man should have sacred ideals. This is what the prayer from the sacred texts teaches: , (speak truth, practise righteousness).

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When was going to the forest for 14 years to fulfil the promise given by His father to His stepmother , became angry with . Then cautioned him, “Do not give up your due to your affection for Me. It is on account of your attachment to Me that you are reacting like that. I am going to the forest for the sake of . protects those who adhere to . I will follow the path of only.” There is no higher than . The power of rests on the foundation of . When we build a house or any building, we have first to lay the foundation. We construct the walls on the foundation because walls can stand on the support of the foundation. Though the walls are visible, the foundation is not visible. Similarly, the walls of are visible but the foundation of is hidden from the view. For the entire world, and are most important. exemplified this in His life by following the command of His father and by sacrificing attachment.

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When went to His mother and told her that he was going to the forest, she insisted, “I will also go with You because I cannot live without You.” Then told His mother, “It is the first duty of the wife to serve her husband.” also said that she wanted to go to the forest with . said to her, “It is not possible for you to do so because life in the forest is very difficult. Moreover, there is fear of wild animals.” laughed and answered, “When You are there to protect me, what harm can the animals do to me? You protect the entire world; how can I believe that You will not be able to protect your wife? As You have told your mother to serve Your father, You cannot deny me the opportunity to serve You because wife is like a shadow of her husband. To serve You is my .”

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In ancient days, people strictly followed even in the face of great difficulties and hardships. But today sons do not obey their parents, wives do not follow their husbands and students do not respect their teachers. The sets high ideals to show how all individuals should perform their meticulously. The demonstrates how there can be harmony in society based on life with divine feelings. Divinity is latent in every human being. He should make it patent by chanting the Name of God and performing acts of service.

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composed the depicting in the beginning as an ideal person and incarnation of God towards the completion of the epic. in his work described as God in the beginning and said in the end that He was the noblest and highest human being. Himself is not separate from the ideal man. He is (Supreme Being). behaved like a human being but within Him was full Divinity. His body was an instrument just like yours. You consider yourself as body. So, you do not recognise your divinity.

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( brought His Discourse to a close with the “”.)