Chant the Name of God and Experience Divinity

30 April 1997, Kodaikanal

Published English.

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St. John digested the contents of the book and started contemplating on its teachings. He spent his life in the service of God. In the Indian ( ) culture, it is said: The knower of becomes verily ( ). If we contemplate on God we become God. In the course of time, St. John’s face started the radiating divine effulgence of an angel.

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In Indian culture, there is the story of , who used to rob and harm people. When he met seven great sages, he began to chant ’s name constantly on their advice. He was so intent on this spiritual discipline that anthills formed on his body. Even then he did not stop chanting ’s name. Ultimately, the radiance of began to appear on his face, and he merged in . The effulgence of radiated on the face of , because he was all the time chanting the sacred name of .

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When black charcoal comes in contact with fire, it also becomes red like fire. means proximity with God. You can find fulfillment in life by developing proximity with God and through performing service. Service to God means service to the world. Wherever it is required, do service to others. But do all actions to please God. This is the primary duty of humanity.

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Ships are guided by a lighthouse. Every divine thought is like a lighthouse to human. always used to address as . Even though had several names, always chose to call him as . Our original name is , because we are born of earth. also means one who has a pure heart. had a pure heart. That is why he was called .

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A mother’s heart is very pure. People may create pollution, but the earth remains ever pure. In case earth takes a rest, all life will come to a standstill. The scriptures say: Of all living beings, human birth is the rarest ( ). People are not different from other animals with regard to sleep, food, and procreation. How then are they better than animals? A person has the power to discriminate between what is permanent and what is impermanent. This is also known as Constant Integrated Awareness. In the absence of this faculty, one is an animal indeed. Only humans have this power. But people today have forgotten his power. This power is God’s gift to humanity. What you receive from God, you should offer it back to Him. You may be engaged in service to fellow people, but you should offer all your powers to God.

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Attain God’s grace by total surrender always followed . He had a wife, mother, kingdom, and also many responsebilities. But he could not live without . So he sacrificed everything, saying, “, You are everything to me. You are my only refuge. I can’t live without You. Wife and children are temporary, like passing clouds that come and go. You were there before my birth, and You will be there even after my death”.

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Truth remains unchanged in the three periods of time: past, present, and future ( ). Truth is God. One day in the forest, pretended to be tired. Sitting on a stone, He said, “, please build a hut.” asked, “Where shall I build the hut, Lord?” replied, “Wherever you like.” was in tears and started lamenting, “What sin have I committed?” was surprised and asked, “What did say to disturb you and bring on these tears?” said, “Do I have any liking of my own? I have surrendered totally to . If says I have my own likes and dislikes, then it means my surrender to Him is not total. This is what has caused pain to me.” was testing to demonstrate to the world the purity of his heart. Depending on the purity of heart, divine feelings originate in a person. This sacred history of (India) demonstrates ideal lives.

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Even had ego, and he spoke to harshly before the battle. He said to , Will the narrow-minded give up all differences and make friendship with us?

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Can the north and south poles meet together? Instead of wasting time, why don’t You tell them that we are ready for the battle? Giving good counsel to the wicked people is like throwing jasmine flowers into fire. Let us stop all this talk of peace. (Telugu poem) But on the battlefield, the same complained, “How can I kill my own kith and kin? Take me back home, I cannot fight this battle.” It was at this point of time that imparted the teachings of the to . From the first to the last verse of the first chapter of the , kept complaining and lamenting, and did not utter a single word.

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When stopped, asked, “Has your entire stock exhausted? Now I will tell you what you have to do; listen.” After listening to the words of , said, “I shall do whatever You command me to do ( ).” First, considered himself a great hero unrivalled in archery. But ultimately he became a servant. Only then did take complete responsibility for guiding and protecting him. When a crocodile caught hold of (the elephant king), at first, fought with the crocodile for a long time, depending all the time on his own strength. Later, he took the support of a tree, but even that was of no use. In water, the crocodile’s power went on increasing, and the elephant became helpless. He then realised that only God could save him. He prayed: Oh Lord, I am exhausted.

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You may do a great deal of spiritual discipline ( ), but God does not want . What is ? + is . means (God) and means wealth. So, means wealth of God. Divine power is real power. You must aspire to attain that power. When you have divine power, your face will shine with radiance. You may possess a lot of wealth and power, but in the absence of divine feelings in your heart, you will have a castor oil face. When you keep on thinking of God, His radiance will reflect on your face.

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When you know God, you become God was a small boy. He was subjected to great ordeals. He was made to drink deadly poison and sit on a pit of fire; he was thrown before wild elephants and poisonous serpents. In spite of all this, he still continued to chant, “ .” When the minions of the king hurled their javelins at him, would not wince or utter a cry, but only prayed to calling Him, “Oh ! (Oh Lord, resting on the serpent couch!).

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Oh (slayer of demons)”. Never did he shed a tear of sorrow, nor was he fear-stricken.

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(Telugu poem) What is the meaning of this? The serpent, the elephant, the fire and the poison - everything became (God). also became God. One who knows God becomes God. We get the form of whatever we contemplate on. A mud pot is nothing but mud. Vessels made of gold are basically gold only, and nothing else. We have emerged from God. Therefore, all of us are God only. Due to our body consciousness, we get into all kinds of troubles.

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God pervades everything from an ant to . People who do not realise this truth get carried away by their pride of intelligence and knowledge. But no one, however great they may be, knows what lies ahead for them in future. (Telugu poem) When people achieve success, they attribute it to their capability; if they meet with failure, they attribute it to God’s will. You can know the truth only when you recognise that everything happens by the will of God, and whatever happens is good for you.

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A true devotee never blames God Sometimes, even staunch devotees lose patience. Some devotees blame God for not showering His grace on them despite their intense devotion. was a great singer, who chanted ’s name incessantly. Once, when he encountered formidable difficulties, he became disgusted and started criticising , “, I think of You every moment; then why are You giving me all these troubles? It is not right for You to do this. Either I do not have perfect devotion or You do not have the power to help me.” The next moment, realised his mistake and began singing a song extolling the greatness of ’s power: But for the power of , could a mere monkey cross the mighty ocean?

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Would , the goddess of wealth, become His consort?

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Would worship Him?

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Would the intelligent offer his salutations to Him?

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But for the mighty power of , would all this happen?

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Indeed, ’s power is beyond all description. (Telugu song) said, “! In fact, I am a foolish person. You have immense, immeasurable, infinite, immortal power. I could not recognise Your power.” In this world, there are three types of people who blame God. The first type are those who lack faith in God. The second type are those who blame Him when their desires are not fulfilled. The third type blame God for their insurmountable difficulties. Sometimes, devotees criticise God due to unbearable pressure of troubles, but there is no hatred in their criticism. Real devotees will never blame God.

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All the people in the world are bound by action. People in the world are bound by action ( ). The purpose of our birth as a human being is to help others.

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Remember that you are the children of the earth. Be like and obey the command of God. said to : Get up, .

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This is the nature of . Know the truth (of what is to come). may be the father of a hundred sons, but there will not be even one to perform the last rites for him.

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(Telugu poem) then said with resolve, “Lord, I shall obey Thy command.” The command of God is always beneficial for us. Obey the command of God and participate in social service, social welfare, contemplation on God, meditation, and worship. If people do such activities, the nation will prosper. Social service is service to God. Serve others and worship God. Worship and service should go hand in hand.

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Chant the Name of God and experience Divinity. (Bhagavan concluded His divine discourse with the , “....”