Cultivate love in your heart

14 February 1999, Shivarathri, Prasanthi Nilayam

Published English.

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One who cultivates the crop of love in the field of one’s heart is a true Christian, a true , a true and a true Muslim. In fact, he is a true human being on earth who cultivates love in his heart. [Telugu Poem]

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There is the principle of within every individual. means gold. When gold is mixed with other metals such as copper, silver, brass, it loses its brilliance, value, and identity. Then it becomes impossible to ascertain whether it is gold or silver or brass or copper. Similarly, man’s heart, which is , is losing its brilliance, value, and identity on account of its association with (sensual desires). Consequently, it is impossible to ascertain whether one is a human being or an animal or a devil or a demon.

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Here is a small example. During the exile of the , visited them to enquire about their welfare. He spent a night with them. The had to undergo untold suffering during the period of their exile. Since they had also with them, the would keep vigil in turns for one hour each every night. also volunteered to keep vigil for one hour.

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wondered, “When You are the protector of the entire universe, what is the meaning in Your offering to do security duty for an hour to protect us?” But at the same time he cautioned saying, “, beware of the devil in the vicinity. My brothers and I encounter it every night. On many occasions, it tried to attack us. Therefore, we pray to you to desist from this act. You have come to enquire about our welfare. It is not proper on our part to put you in danger. So kindly take rest.” replied, “, is this what you have understood of My divinity? On the one hand, you extol Me as the protector of the entire universe and on the other you are apprehensive that I cannot protect Myself. You are worried that the demon will harm Me. Rest assured that no demon can touch Me. Therefore, permit Me also to join you all in doing the security duty.” Having completed one hour’s duty, sat on a rock smiling to Himself. Thereafter it was ’s turn. He rushed to , a bit worried thinking that the demon might have attacked Him. Seeing smiling, fell at His feet and enquired whether He had vanquished the demon.

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replied, “, I have never created demons and evil spirits. Then, how can the non-existent demons appear in the forest? The demon you are referring to is not a demon at all. It is just a reflection of the evil qualities within you such as hatred, anger and jealousy, etc. The anger in you is manifesting in the form of a demon. Its power is increasing in proportion to the intensity of anger in you.” Good and bad are man’s own creations The evil qualities of man are the real demons troubling him today. Man is under the mistaken notion that demons exist and that they are responsible for his suffering. These are all nothing but creation of his imagination and psychological fears. In fact, it is only man who puts another man to suffering. There are no demons and evil spirits in this creation.

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realised the truth of ’s words and thereafter did not encounter any demon. was beholden to for opening his eyes. He fell at His feet and expressed his gratitude. Good and bad are man’s own creations.

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After became a renunciant, he traveled far and wide. People were wonder-struck to see his brilliant and handsome form. Attracted by his effulgence, a lady named approached him and said, “O great one, you look like a prince in ochre robes. May I know the reason behind your donning ochre robes at this young age?” replied that he had taken to the path of renunciation in order to seek the solutions to three problems: “This body, which is young and handsome, is bound to become old at some point of time and will be subjected to sickness and will perish ultimately. I want to know the cause of old age, sickness and death.” Impressed by his quest for truth, she invited him for lunch. In no time, the entire village came to know of this. The villagers started coming to one by one and requested him not to accept her invitation, since she was a woman of bad character. listened to all their complaints patiently.

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Then he smiled and asked the village headman, “Do you also affirm that she is a woman of bad character?” The village headman replied, “Not once, but a thousand times I will vouch for the evil character of . Please do not visit her house.” Holding the headman’s right hand, asked him to clap. The headman said that he could not do so as one of his hands was in ’s hold and it was not possible for anyone to clap with a single hand.

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replied, “Likewise, cannot be bad by herself unless there are men of bad character in this village. If all the men in this village were good, this woman would not have turned bad. Therefore, it is men and their money that are responsible for the bad character of .” Saying so, he wanted to know if there was any individual in that gathering without any trace of evil in him, so that he could visit his house for lunch. No one came forward. Then said, “When there are so many bad men in the village, it is not proper to point an accusing finger at one woman. She turned bad due to bad company.” That is why it is said, “Tell me your company, I shall tell you what you are.” Realising their folly, the people fell at ’s feet and sought his forgiveness. Since then they started treating as one amongst them. Inspired by the teachings of , also took to the path of renunciation and led a pious life.

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He is a true Christian, a true , a true , a true Muslim, who cultivates love in the field of his heart. Unfortunately, today no one is sowing the seeds of love in his heart. Then how do you expect the harvest of love? How do you call a person a true if there is no love in him? When the members of the came to Me, I asked them the meaning of the word ‘’. Many answers came forth. One said, the word ‘’ refers to a person with compassion and righteousness. I asked them for the spelling of the word in English. They replied H-I-N-D-U. Then I told them: H stands for Humanity, I for Individuality, N for Nationality, D for Divinity, and U for Unity.

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A true is one who embodies these qualities in him. Love is the underlying principle in all these five qualities. A true or a Muslim or a Christian should be the embodiment of love. Muslims pray “,” which means God is great.

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Islam means peace. So, a true Muslim is one who leads a peaceful life. Peace originates from a heart that is full of love. Without love one cannot be peaceful. So, for any caste, creed or religion, love is the basis. Love is and , which means auspiciousness. Love does not hurt anyone. That which does not hurt is referred to as (corpse). The one with love is (embodiment of auspiciousness).

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Do not distort scriptural teachings Today we are celebrating . What does it mean? (night) is associated with darkness. The declare, “ (the moon was born out of the mind and the sun out of the eyes of the ).” Moon is the presiding deity of the mind. So, mind should be pure and unsullied. There is an immense significance in every statement of . Confusion prevails when these are misunderstood.

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There is a practice of sacrificing innocent and dumb animals such as goats, sheep, etc., on this day in the name of and . One day, a noble soul noticed some animals being taken in a grand procession. On enquiry, he was informed that they were being taken to the sacrificial altar. He asked the owner of the animals what benefit was derived from sacrificing the animals. The reply was that the animals would attain liberation as a result of being offered to God.

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Then the noble soul said, “O man, your mother, your father, your wife and your son - all crave for liberation. Why don’t you sacrifice them and fulfill their desire in the process? Why don’t you grant liberation to the people who aspire for it instead of the innocent animals, which do not know what liberation means? If you firmly believe that sacrifice grants liberation, then why don’t you sacrifice your parents, your wife and your children?” Attachment leads to suffering Today, some people advocate the need for , charity, and service, saying that they confer (liberation). If they really believe in what they are saying, why don’t they practice what they preach? It is easy to preach, but difficult to practice. . (Total detachment is liberation). Attachment leads to suffering. So first and foremost, give up attachment.

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and declares, “ Know thyself.” A person who follows (outward path) is interested in collecting information about others and their whereabouts. He keeps asking others “Who are you?” “Where do you come from?” etc. A person who treads along (inward path) looks within and enquires, “Who am I?” “Where do I come from?” is positive and is negative in nature.

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Worst of sins is to search for mistakes in others The feelings that emerge out of the heart are immortal and nectarine. But are you making use of at least one of them? It is enough if you can develop peace. Everyday at the conclusion of the bhajan session, you chant (peace) three times, but there is no trace of in you. Even if there is the slightest disturbance caused by the person sitting beside you, you feel irritated and your tone of becomes harsh, due to anger. Even while chanting , there is no trace of in you!

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If you do not grow the harvest of love in your heart, you are not a true Christian, true , true or true Muslim. You are a demon in human form. When you develop love in your heart, you are verily God. You become God or demon on the basis of your feelings. Do not find fault in others. was criticised by many when he accepted the invitation of . She alone was not responsible for her character. There were many who encouraged her.

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When was being humiliated by and in the court, elders like and remained as spectators. They did not oppose ’s heinous act. It is in this context that has pointed out that not only the sinner but the other four persons mentioned above will also go to hell. Since , the one of wisdom, was a silent spectator to the humiliation of , he had to lie on the bed of arrows for fifty-six days. Had he prevented the humiliation of , he would not have suffered thus.

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For instance, if someone offers a donation of 10 for a charitable cause, another person may come forward with a donation of 15 only to attract public attention. In reality, he may not give even 10 . Such people are heroes at platform and zeroes in practice. There should be unity in thought,

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One should shed only tears of joy, not tears of grief Embodiments of Love! In order to redeem yourselves, you should grow the harvest of love in the field of your heart; water the field of your heart with love. Water is the very life of man. How can you sanctify your life if you cannot provide at least drinking water to the people who are in need of it? Water is divine. Water in Sanskrit is called . Eye is known as . So, the , which comes out of , should be for the sake of (God) alone. One should shed only tears of joy, not tears of grief. When do you get tears of joy? Only when you are successful in your endeavours.

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You all know that here are many people from and districts in this gathering. has consented to provide drinking water to these two districts. Many people hailing from these two districts have never seen before. Their joy knew no bounds when they came to know the love and grace showered on them by . Men and women, young and old, were ecstatic. Every week many people from these two districts come to to express their gratitude. You should all plunge into such sacred activities for the benefit of mankind at large.

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Sage declared, “ (help ever, hurt never).” If possible try to help others. Never hurt anyone. Love even your enemies. Never use harsh words and hurt the feelings of others. If you hurt someone today, you will have to suffer ten times more in future.

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You will be observing in the true spirit of the term only when you give up bad qualities and cultivate divine love.

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Merely observing vigil on is not sufficient. You have to contemplate on God incessantly. Many people claim that they have observed (vigil) on night by playing cards. The fisherman goes on watching intently to trap the fish in the net. Can this be termed meditation? If one abstains from food on account of quarrel with one’s wife, can it be called fasting? No. Similarly, observance of sacred vigil on night is not achieved by playing cards the whole night. You should spend this night chanting the name of God, using the time in doing good deeds.

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When someone appeared at the doorstep begging for alms, the people in the household would say ‘not now, not now,’ but I would surreptitiously dole out alms. If anyone needed clothes, I would provide them. The (mother of this body) used to recollect and narrate all these incidents. Believe it or not, I had only one pair of school uniform to be used throughout the year. Everyday after returning from school, I used to don a towel and wash My only dress, put it up for drying, and then press it by using a container with embers as an iron box. When I was provided with a new dress, I used to give My old dress to the poor and needy. The (father of this body) never reprimanded or punished Me. He would compliment Me by saying, “You are a (one of great sacrifice). It is impossible for us to be like You.” He would endearingly address Me as (philosopher).

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The same was the case with . She looked after Me with great love and affection. People used to fall at her feet, pour out their tales of woe and plead with her to recommend their case to Me. But, I used to put her off softly by saying, “Don’t worry about others’ problems.” In spite of this, she used to carry on, saying, “, what is the use of My human birth if I don’t help people in distress? My sincere feeling is that they will be relieved of their suffering if I convey their problems and feelings to You. So, I will not refrain from doing this even if you object or scold Me.” In this manner, the parents of this body led a very pious and sacred life. The whole clan has benefited from this.

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You trust your friend whom you have met only a few years ago, but not God who is with you, in you, around you, throughout your life. You believe in the and part with your valuable clothes. You are prepared to bend your head in front of the barber. You are prepared to put your life in the hands of the driver. But you do not believe in the omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient divinity. Why can’t you bend your head in front of God? There are some evil-minded persons who criticise people for bending their heads before God. Such people will never have the good fortune of bending their heads before God.

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The real worth of the human head One day, King was proceeding to a village in his chariot along with his minister. On the way, he found a Buddhist monk coming from the opposite direction. Immediately, he got down from the chariot and paid his respects to him by placing his head on the feet of the monk. The minister did not relish this act of King . He said, “O king, how could you keep your most valuable head on the feet of an ordinary monk?” The king waited for an opportune moment to give his reply. One day the king, giving his minister the head of a sheep, a goat, and a human being, asked him to sell them in the market. The minister succeeded in selling the head of the sheep and the goat, but not that of a human being. He returned to the king and said, “O king, no one is willing to buy this human head.” Then the king said, “O minister, do you remember the day when you objected to my falling at the feet of a Buddhist monk saying mine was the most valuable head. At least now you would realise the value of the human head.” One should prostrate at the feet of noble souls when one is alive, for even the vultures and dogs do not value human head after death.

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Emergence of Embodiments of Love!

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As pointed out by the Vice Chancellor in his speech, I used to bring out from this body on the occasion of in the earlier years. (emergence of ) used to take place on every . To witness this sacred event, would gather in a small hall. Consequently, there used to be stampede resulting in injuries to devotees. Due to this, I discontinued in public.

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There is a specific time for this. It may take place at any moment between 8 and 10 in the night. It takes place at the right time irrespective of the place I am in. It is bound to take place. It is natural on night. Those who are fortunate to witness this sacred are freed from all sins. One must see how it emerges. But, some people may not be able to see this even if they are sitting close by. Witnessing the emergence of the is of utmost importance. Once it emerges, everyone will be able to see it and it has its own benefits. There are many such important aspects attached to this auspicious occasion.

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You will be immensely benefited if you keep awake and sing the glory of God at least on this night. Moon is the presiding deity of the mind. Moon has 16 (phases). On , 15 merge in God and only one remains. By constant remembrance of God, the 16th phase also merges in God. Can you not spend a single night in the whole year singing the glory of God? Sanctify this night by participating in bhajan. The bliss that you get from bhajan, the sweetness you experience in the divine name, the happiness you derive from visualising the divine form cannot be obtained elsewhere. Everything is possible only through love. So, cultivate love and sanctify your life.