In plain words
‘Śaṅkara’ is another name of Īśvara. ‘Śaṃ’ means Cidānanda, Ātmānanda. ‘Kara’ means the one who bestows. Śaṅkara is He who bestows Ātmānanda and Cidānanda. What is the inner meaning of the word ‘Sathya Sai’? ‘Sathya’ means the Ṛgveda. ‘Sā’ means the Sāmaveda, ‘a’ means the Atharvaṇa Veda, ‘ya’ means the Yajurveda. So this Sathya Sai is the essence of all the Vedas.
Liṅga means a sign. The form of the liṅga belongs to the Ātma alone. In the shape of the liṅga you cannot tell which way the face is and which way the feet. So the liṅga is the emblem of the form of God, which has no beginning and no end. The Īśvara principle is the embodiment of every splendour. Our Buddhi, Jñāna, health, wealth and learning all belong to the Īśvara principle. All that we see in this world is the Īśvara principle itself. Īśvara dwells in the heart. The heart is that which is filled with compassion. So the Īśvara principle is the principle that is compassion itself. Man is unable to understand this divine Īśvara principle. Today many kinds of worship go on in the world. But all these forms of worship belong to the one Divinity. Whether you say Rāma, Kṛṣṇa or Īśvara, it is one and the same. Some believe deeply in Īśvara. Some others worship Rāma. The names differ, but the Divinity is one.
There is Caitanya even in the inert
You should not think the worship of images is foolishness. That itself is what shows you the true Form. This finger shows that this is a flower. What is shown is the flower; what shows it is the finger. In the same way, what is shown is God; what shows Him is the image. So you must not neglect the worship of images. Do not think that images are inert. In your eyes they may be inert, but in the eyes of the Veda all is Caitanya. Even in the inert there is Caitanya. There is Caitanya in every atom. In all forms there is the power of Caitanya. “Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān”: from the atom to the vast, Caitanya pervades all.