Tread the Path of Truth

5 October 2000, Dasara, Prasanthi Nilayam, AP

Published English.

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Truth is the supreme goal of man. Irrespective of the land and the time in which he is born, the moment he takes birth as a man it becomes his primary duty to pursue this Truth. In our culture it is said that mother is God and father is God. These two principles, which stand as the pillars of our culture, are not being put into practice today.

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The bliss conferred by the practice of teachings cannot be experienced in worldly activities. Hence some people took up the task of chanting and preaching and thereby uplifting the world. In the sacred , Divinity is the undercurrent. Peace and security are very essential in our daily life. These originate from man’s heart. One can never correctly define what is peace and what is security. abound in such sacred secrets.

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The is proclaimed to be smaller than the microcosm and bigger than the macrocosm. Thus clarify the principle of for the common man. There is no question, which is not answered in the . For example, you identify the day and date by referring to the almanac prepared by an astrologer. Similarly help you understand the principles like God, , , , and .

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‘ is subtler than the atom and vaster than the cosmos. Being all-pervasive and as the eternal witness, this is and is .’ This is the very essence of the phrase - ‘.’ How can one ever describe so subtle a principle? How can one limit such an all-pervasive principle to one place? Only on delving deep into the teaching can one comprehend such profound Truths. Inspite of the bright sunlight, a blind man cannot see anything. Similarly, an atheist refuses to accept this Truth that is clearly manifest all over the world. In the it is said - ‘As is the feeling so does it happen’ and also ‘whatever you see, perishes.’ Based on such declarations one should try to comprehend the true nature of Love. True love is not a delusion of the mind. It is a pure and unsullied principle. It is a natural feeling and not an artificial one. As natural is the flow of the river towards the sea, the clinging of creeper to the tree, glittering of the stars in the firmament, so natural is the spontaneous flow of man’s love towards God. Love has no reason and it is not bound by any rules and regulations. Selfless love that does not expect any reward, directly reaches God. The worldly love does not arise from the true source of one’s heart but it arises out of compulsion. True love should flow directly from the heart. The love that you try to cultivate by spiritual practices is not true love.

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Spontaneous Love True love should be spontaneous. ’s was such love. Even when his wife was humiliated in the open court, he fixed his unwavering mind on . Even when slaughtered the innocent , he continued thinking of God with a steady, pure, and unagitated mind. was bound hand and foot and thrown into a river with venomous snakes. In such situations too maintained his equipoise. This was because he was able to transcend both joys and sorrows and attain the non-dual principle of Godhead. Thus it is only by the perception of the fundamental Truth that one develops a steady mind.

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- Unwavering Mind The intellect transcends the mind and the purity of the intellect is therefore reflected on the mind. It does not suffice if we confine ourselves merely to meditation or chanting in the name of . The cultivation of purity of the heart is the true we must undertake. In fact purity of the heart is itself the attainment of wisdom and it is in this state of wisdom that the mind remains unwavering. had attained this state. There are innumerable such devotees in this world. But there are others too whose equipoise is disturbed by joys and sorrows of the world. To overcome this fickle nature of the mind, one has to realise one’s divine nature that fosters equanimity. One should realise that whatever one does and experiences in this world should be soaked by feeling. Hence one should develop Self-knowledge. Only then can one endeavour to understand the . The principle of is verily the power of consciousness. What is meant by awareness? It is not partial knowledge of things but it is total understanding. When I show you this folded handkerchief you say that it is a piece of cloth. But when I open the piece of cloth and show it to you, you recognise it as a handkerchief. Hence one can decide conclusively that it is a handkerchief only when one has seen it completely. But man today does not aspire for this complete understanding. Complete wisdom does not manifest in him because he lacks total faith. A devotee should never swerve from his faith. If he does it how can he ask for liberation?

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Today, unity of thought, word, and deed is absent in man. He is not able to implement what he has thought and what he has said. Oneness of thought, word, and deed makes a person (Great soul). If there is no unity in his thought, word, and deed, he becomes a (wicked person). Because of bad behaviour and bad conduct, man is becoming vicious (). He has lost his purity, but claims that the world is impure. Many people complain to Me, “, the world is changing day by day and the wicked are multiplying. Is there no remedy for these problems of the world?” There is no wickedness in this world. It is utter foolishness to blame the world. In fact, wickedness is there within man.

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(Poem) Modern man is succumbing to the pleasures of the world and losing his character. In the present age, it is not possible for anyone to decide what is good or what is bad. Good people often suffer and the bad prosper. Here is an example. Thirty years ago, I travelled the length and breadth of the country to propagate My message. I would visit Bombay four times a year. Now, Bombay has changed a lot. Institutions have multiplied. In every nook and corner ’s name is heard.

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During one of those days, the headlines of some leading newspapers carried an open challenge by a . He dared to challenge to perform some absurd feats like swallowing a living fish, eating glass pieces, drinking acid and walking on water. He claimed that he would perform the above-mentioned feats with ease. This angered and pained the devotees all over. The devotees requested to give a fitting reply to the challenge. I answered, “Foolish fellows! It is not mandatory to reply to his challenge. In fact, replying only shows one’s weakness.” The devotees said, “, if you don’t reply, we shall do it.” was on his toes to reply.

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I went to Madras from Bombay. At Madras, the was fuming. The furious asked Me, “, who is this wicked fellow? For earning his livelihood, he is tarnishing the image of . I shall reply to him.” I said, “, do not react to it.” A week later the convened a huge gathering. The meeting was attended by many from and . The discussed this matter. They were convinced that only people jealous of others’ fame and name would indulge in such cheap activities. The considered to be the very breath of his life and loved very much. I tried to pacify him, but he would not stop. When one of the asked Me, I replied, “Friendship or fight should be between equals. He should be My equal to challenge Me. I do not accept challenges from any person roaming on the street. My dear son, the cow eats grass, the pig eats excreta and man eats rice. It makes sense when a man challenges another to eat as much rice as he can. If a pig challenges a man to eat excreta, should he respond? Therefore, I will not respond to the challenge.” This reply delighted the gathering.

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A week later, the came to Bangalore. At that time I was at , in Ooty. He wanted to meet Me and seek pardon. I sent word to him that he need not beg pardon or repent. I also advised him to tread the path of Truth. He had announced that he would walk on water on a particular day. People flocked to buy tickets for this show. The people of Bombay have too much of money. I told them, “Misuse of money is evil. Do not waste your money.” On the scheduled day lots of people thronged the venue. Our devotees too waited near the gate with sticks. Were he to fail, they were ready to even kill him. Immediately, I sent a telegram telling them not to involve themselves in this matter.

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The placed his feet on water and he sank. The police fished him out and with great difficulty managed to get him home through the back door. For the sake of earning money, some people indulge in challenging well-known people. They think that they can attract the attention of the world by doing this.

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During the times of too there was an imposter who went around proclaiming that he was the real . In fact he dressed like and pretended to be . The same was the case during the time of . Jealousy is the root cause for such perverted actions. It is said, ‘’- there is no higher than (Truth). Truth is invincible. Truth is My principle. None can make Me swerve from the path of Truth. When My life embodies , , , and , how can a person devoid of these values challenge Me?

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When we have Divine qualities, we need not be afraid of demonic designs of others. , who was endowed with physical and intellectual prowess, ridiculed . But paid no heed to this. , angered by this, tried to attack . pacified him saying, “ this is but natural for . Allow his evil feelings to come out.” At the time of too mocked at for fleeing whenever he attacked. He challenged to stay and fight. But knew that ’s main weakness was his anger. Whenever attacked, would deliberately flee from the place. This angered and thereby weakened him further. Once weakened it was a child’s play to kill him. Pay no heed to the strange and crooked ways of the world. Stick to the path of Truth and put into practice ’s words. Then no one can point a finger at you.

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Today is , . What is the significance of ? After the slaying of and other demons by , there was no more use for Her weapons. So the weapons were kept aside and worshipped. This is being celebrated since ancient times. But of what use are such weapons to us? In fact, our weapons are the values of , , , and . is more powerful than the hydrogen and atom bombs of today. Why worry when such power is within us.

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Conduct yourselves in a pleasing manner. Your white dress symbolises purity. When dirt shows up on your dress you clean it up. People who see you should be able to recognise you immediately as the students of Sri Sathya Institutions. Here is another important thing you should take note of.

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(Love) is immanent in you, but this is polluted into forms of physical and transient affections. Enjoy the true, eternal and ever-pure Bliss by developing true love.