Love is the True Form of God

29 July 1996, Prasanthi Nilayam

Published English.

1

Life in the world is impermanent. So are youth and wealth. Wife and children are also not permanent. Only truth and good name are permanent. , ? (Sanskrit verse)

2

3

4

5

6

Due to the influence of (the age we are in), (righteousness) is declining in (India). I hope that young men and women will resolve to drive away the evil forces of , uphold truth and righteousness, and revive the ancient traditions of , which at one time was the repository of great spiritual wealth.

7

8

9

10

11

12

In the name of fashion, you are behaving in a perverted manner. You are blindly following the whims and fancies of your fickle mind. This is not the culture of (India). How long can you follow the traditions and manners borrowed from other countries? Do not rely on imported culture. Follow the sacred culture of , which is the land of merit, spirituality, and righteous action (, , and ).

13

It is your good fortune that many noble souls and took birth in this sacred land to safeguard and foster its pristine culture. Since ancient times, has been known as the birthplace of charity and sacrifice. It is reputed for the virtues of love, compassion, and sacrifice. Forbearance and empathy have been the main objectives of the people of .

14

But where have all these noble qualities gone from this land of today?

15

Selfishness causes conflicts and dissent During the 14-year exile of the in the forest, one day visited their hermitage. Not finding the other four brothers in the hermitage, he asked , “Where are your brothers?” ’s heart was always filled with feelings of righteousness. At all times and in all situations, his mind was focused on God. In fact, all the were embodiments of peace and righteousness.

16

These noble-hearted were insulted by the wicked in many ways. But unmindful of all the wickedness of the , the continued to follow the path of truth and righteousness.

17

Replying to ’s question, said, “! My one hundred brothers are in and four others have gone into the forest for some work.” Pretending to be surprised at this reply, said, “Are you out of your senses? Aren’t you only five brothers? Your saying that your one hundred brothers are in is absolutely meaningless.” said, “Aren’t the my brothers? As long as there is unity, love, forbearance, and empathy among us, we are 105 brothers. All of us stand united when we have to face an outside enemy. But, when some differences crop up amongst us, we five are separate and they are separate.” You should understand the inner meaning of this statement in relation to the situation prevailing in society today. Due to lack of unity and the rise of conflicts and dissensions in today’s world, every party and community stands fragmented. Each follows their own selfish interest. As a result, there are many factions within a single party and many divisions within a single community.

18

19

Due to the lack of unity in society, this has become the (Age of Conflicts). Conflicts are on the rise day by day. There is utter lack of empathy and forbearance among individuals. There is hatred between man and man, village and village, district and district, and State and State.

20

21

propounded the principle of unity While composing the , was totally lost in contemplation of and wrote the sentence, “The sacred Name represents the fire, sun, and moon ().” In fact, he did not write it. When he opened his eyes, he found that it was already written.

22

mean fire, means sun, and means moon. The meaning of this statement is, “Oh ! You are the embodiment of the fire, the sun, and the moon.” Without the sun, moon, and fire, the world cannot exist. Be one a theist, an atheist, a theistic-atheist, an atheistic-theist, a mendicant, a pleasure seeker, or a renunciant, none can deny this. In fact, the fire, sun, and moon are direct manifestations of Divinity. What do they do?

23

24

25

Our intellect symbolises the sun, and the mind symbolises the moon. That is why the proclaim, “The moon was born out of the mind and the sun out of the eyes of the Supreme Being ().” The mind is the reflection of the moon, and the moon is the reflection of the mind. The sun is the source of power of light in our eyes, and it symbolises the power of our intellect.

26

Where is the fire? It is present in our stomach in the form of digestive fire (). It is also present as the fire of affliction and sin ( and ).

27

Students know this very well. They chant the verse “” before partaking of food. Most of them do not know where resides. They mechanically chant the verse because they consider it a routine practice in the hostel.

28

But God gives a reply from within: “I am present in all beings in the form of digestive fire (). You don’t need to doubt where I actually reside. I am present in your stomach in the form of digestive power, and I digest the food that you eat and give the necessary nourishment.” There is another example to explain the meaning of this statement of , “The sacred Name represents the fire, sun, and moon ().” In the divine Name , Ra stands for , A for and Ma for . When , , and come together, we get the Vedic aphorism, (That thou Art). It means: you and I are one. This is the principle of oneness that taught to the world.

29

Many noble souls were born in this land of (India) to teach this principle of oneness and install divinity in the heart of everyone. In order to understand this exalted principle, you have to imbibe nonviolence in your heart. When you develop the spirit of nonviolence, you will visualise the entire world as the manifestation of .

30

31

cautioned one and all: Do not be proud of your wealth, progeny and youth; The tide of time may destroy them in a moment. .

32

The body undergoes change constantly, and the life principle may ebb away from the body at any moment. Why do you develop attachment to such a momentary body and waste your life? Get rid of your evil qualities, wicked thoughts and bad intentions. Practise nonviolence ().

33

What is the meaning of nonviolence? means not to hurt others by thoughts, words, and deeds. Never leave unity of thought, word, and deed, even for a moment. Only when you observe unity of thought, word, and deed in all your endeavours will divine feelings manifest in you.

34

35

36

37

None can escape the consequences of their actions had no dearth of wealth. In fact, the entire was made of gold. He did not lack anything in the world. He was endowed with physical strength, the power of wealth, and a big army. He also acquired great power by performing penance. In spite of all this, he lost everything due to his carnal cravings.

38

got himself bound by demons to enter the court of to teach him a lesson. The demons questioned him, “Who are you?” He replied in the most humble and pleasant manner, “I am the servant of ().” Prior to this, the demons had not seen any monkey in . In fact, no monkey had ever entered till then. That is why, out of curiosity, the demons started coming out of their houses to see .

39

was highly virtuous and valorous. Yet he got himself bound by the demons in order to show the path of goodness to . He thought to himself, “It is not possible for me to enter ’s court unless the demons capture me and take me to him. When I come face to face with , I will be able to directly talk to him and show him the right path.” The demons tied ’s hands and legs with ropes and took him to ’s court. saw seated on a high platform, while he was standing down. He thought it was an insult to Lord that His servant should at be a lower place and His opponent at a higher place. Therefore, he made a seat for himself higher than ’s by lengthening his tail and coiling it up.

40

asked him, “Oh monkey! You destroyed our garden. Why did you come here?” replied, “I allowed your son to capture me with a purpose, and that purpose is to teach you a lesson. Oh wicked one! Having been blinded by lust, you are causing untold suffering to , who is the mother of the universe. You are ruining your life due to your evil thoughts. What happened to all your power of penance? What is the use of your life if you cannot control your mind and senses?

41

“How should a king be? One who has no control over his senses cannot be called a king. A true king should be ideal and earn a good name. You have committed the worst of sins.” Unable to bear the insult, flew into a rage. He commanded his soldiers to set fire to tail, since the tail is so dear to a monkey. Demons are usually foolish and ignoramuses. They cannot foresee the consequences of their actions.

42

Then, said to :

43

Oh wicked ! I want to teach you a lesson. This does not belong to you any more. Listen to my words with full attention. You did not use your power of discrimination and thus committed a sin. Therefore, you are going to die soon. Oh wicked ! I want to teach you a lesson... is the mother of the universe, and she is your mother, too. You abducted the mother of the universe and committed a great sin. Lord will cut off all your heads with one arrow. Oh wicked ! I want to teach you a lesson... Didn’t you know this was a sinful deed, which you should have desisted from. Your soldiers set fire to my tail, with which I will set all the palatial buildings of ablaze and quietly go my way. Oh wicked ! I want to teach you a lesson... I allowed to capture me because I wanted to see your court and your ten heads. Why should I tell you again and again? You have lost your right to live. Oh wicked ! I want to teach you a lesson... (Telugu Song) Nobody can escape the consequences of their actions. Everyone has to face the consequences of their actions, whoever they may be. No one can know what lies ahead for them in future. But this much is sure: everyone has to reap the consequences of their actions. Even the mighty suffered the pain of separation from His consort and cried like an ordinary person. Even the mighty had to go into exile and live in forest. (Telugu Song)

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

Man should realise the truth that God is the indweller of all hearts (the ). There might be differences in names and forms of individuals, but the five elements are common in all. Firmly imprint this truth on your heart.

51

52

One God has many names (). The same God manifests in different names and forms.

53

God is the light. In order to experience this light of knowledge of (), you have to undertake various practices.

54

55

Truth and love are true divine powers. Truth is God, love is God, live in love. God is one without a second (). When the electric current of truth flows through the wire of righteousness and enters the bulb of peace, you get the light of love (loud applause).

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

Therefore, it is necessary to forget the harm that others have done to you and the good you have done to others. Only then will you develop the purity to experience the and attain God’s grace.

63

Guideposts on the spiritual path You think you are performing some great spiritual practices by doing meditation, penance, and . But all these are related only to the body and the mind, which are not permanent. Then how can the result of these practices be permanent? It is also impermanent.

64

65

When you proceed on a journey, you find guideposts on the way to indicate that this is the way to , this path leads to , is in this direction, and so on and so forth. Similarly, repetition of the Name, mediation, penance, , etc. only show you the way, but they are not the destination.

66

67

Where is God? His hands and feet are everywhere... (...) Wherever you look, He is there. When you go on performing these spiritual practices, you will ultimately realise this truth.

68

69

This is how became a dear servant of Lord . Ultimately, he realised his oneness with . Every pore of his body was filled with the divine Name of . He realised that he was not different from and was not different from him.

70

Once, questioned , “In what way do you relate to Me?” replied, “, I am Your servant at the physical level and Your reflection at the mental level, but at the Atmic level, You and I are one. It is only my body and mind that come in the way of realising my oneness with You.” You can very well understand this. Consider a mansion with a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, a drawing room, a dining hall, and a storeroom. All the rooms look separate from each other. Why? Because there are walls between them. When you remove the walls, you will have one spacious hall.

71

72

The human body is like a fort surrounded by seven walls. In the centre of it is a garden. One who has outer vision does not know how to enter this garden, which symbolises the Atmic principle. The only way to enter the garden is through , which dispels the darkness of ignorance and shows the right path. The light of shines with the wick of truth and the oil of righteousness. When this light ebbs away, your wealth, your relations and worldly possessions will not follow you. Worldly life is like a tree, and cravings for sensual pleasures are the ropes that bind one to the tree. One will be released from this bondage when one develops a sense of detachment and starts leading a spiritual life. (Telugu Song)

73

74

True happiness does not lie in the pursuit of worldly desires. Here is a small example. You can start practising this either from tonight or tomorrow morning. If you drink six cups of tea and smoke twenty cigarettes in a day, your intelligence () will go on decreasing. Your will power depends on the actions you perform.

75

76

77

78

( concluded His Discourse with the , ...)