God Is The Indweller

9 October 2002, Dasara, Prasanthi Nilayam

Published English.

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People undertake various spiritual practices to attain Divinity. One may be evil-minded, yet with the blessings of elders and in the company of noble souls, one can easily get rid of evil tendencies and develop virtues. The life of , the highway robber, bears ample testimony to this. His life was transformed as he came into contact with the (seven sages). He gave up his evil ways and unwaveringly followed their teachings and ultimately became the Sage . He set an ideal to mankind and composed the great epic, .

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, the son of demon king , constantly contemplated on Lord and chanted His Name. As a result, he had the same divine effulgence of Lord Himself. Likewise, Charles Darwin resembled his master Henslow in all respects as he continuously thought of him and followed his teachings. Similarly our ancient sages and seers always contemplated on God constantly and adhered to His dictates. As a consequence, their faces radiated divine brilliance.

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Lord has said the same in the , (the eternal in all beings is a part of My Being). He said, ", it is My Divine effulgence that shines forth in all. " God is all-pervasive. He is present in all elements and in all beings in the form of radiance.

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When God is ever present within, why does man suffer? Some people say that they are facing hardships and are leading a miserable life. It is foolish on their part to say so. God, the indweller, has absolutely no sorrow and worries. He is the embodiment of supreme bliss. Is it not a sign of foolishness to think that you are haunted by misery when God is installed on the altar of your heart? God says, "I am present in you. You are but a spark of My Divinity. " Such being the case, how can one be affected by difficulties and sorrows? When you enquire on these lines, you will realise that the demonic and bestial tendencies in you are responsible for this. You will not be able to experience the truth ... unless and until you give up evil qualities.

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Today, man is failing to comprehend that he is an aspect of divinity. He is unaware of the fact that God is within and deludes himself that there is none to care for him. Everyone is endowed with a heart that is divine and by nature full of compassion. God dwells in such a heart. But today man has become hard-hearted, since he has lost this natural compassion. Such a person cannot be called a spark of the Divine; he is verily a demon. The assertion ... does not apply in such case.

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There is a spark of divinity in the heart of everyone. It is because of (delusion) that man is unable to realise his divine nature. In the first instance, man should make efforts to overcome this delusion and realise that God is always with him, in him, around him, above him, and below him. Delusion causes evil feelings to arise in your heart and mind. They are sheer imagination and have nothing to do with divinity.

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Such effulgent divine principle of the Self is terme . has asserted, this is a part of His own aspects. There cannot be any defects or imperfections in such divine principle. Whatever defects you think you see are purely the result of your imagination. God is the embodiment of virtues. Hence, man too should lead a life of virtues. Evil propensities are impediments to the spiritual path. For a start, man should distance himself from all evil actions and undertake good deeds. Only then will he have the right to call himself a human being. Human life is highly sacred.

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The consider human life to be verily divine. Man considers himself to be a weakling because he has forgotten the principle of The Self, which is beyond all attributes. His evil qualities, wicked deeds and misconduct have brought him down to this sorry state. As the company, so are the thoughts. Hence, it is said, "Tell me your company, I shall tell you what you are. " Your friendship influences your nature. became Sage because of his association with the (seven sages). was the son of a demon, yet he was always in the company of noble souls.

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Sathsangatwe nissangatwam, nissangatwe nirmohatwam, nirmohatwe nischalatattwam, nischalatattwe jivanmukti (Sanskrit sloka)

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What is the inner significance of ? People worship the Triune Goddesses , , and during these nine days. Who is ? She is the embodiment of all powers. is the presiding deity of speech and wisdom.

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The begins with ". " means materialisation. It represents matter, which is subject to change. represents life principle, i.e. vibration. is the presiding deity of the life principle. You must have heard the story of , who restored her dead husband back to life with the power of her devotion and surrender. is worshipped as , since she confers good intellect and wisdom. This is described in the as . does not mean worldly knowledge. It is Constant Integrated Awareness, which is changeless and eternal.

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The divine mother has three names: , , and . ( protects those who sing her glory). , being the presiding deity of our senses, helps us to master the senses. , being the presiding deity of the life principle, protects our life. bestows on us the changeless and eternal wisdom.

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, and are present in every man, but he is not able to understand and experience their presence. Consequently, he is giving room to wicked qualities and indulging in evil deeds, thereby ruining his life. His bad habits are responsible for his downfall. First of all, man has to develop good habits and transform himself.

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How could revive her dead husband back to life? She transformed the vibration in her into divine vibration by contemplating on God incessantly. That led to the resurrection of her husband. When you develop divine feelings, nothing is impossible for you. Any mighty task can be accomplished through pure and selfless love.

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Form alone does not constitute a human being. A true human being is one who embodies good habits, helps ever, and hurts never. You should not merely be an (human in form); you should become an (human in practice). Speak good, see good, do good, and be good. Divinity will manifest in you only when your conduct is good. God is not somewhere in a distant land; He is very much in you, with you, and around you, guiding you and guarding you. Develop divine feelings and listen to the divine voice from within. The human body can be compared to the musical instrument . You can enjoy the divine melody only when it is tuned to divine feelings. The divine melody will bestow bliss on you and make you forget yourself in ecstasy. On the other hand, profane feelings will give rise to discordant notes. Hence, let your thoughts, words and deeds be suffused with sacred feelings.

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Do not hurt others. (one attains merit by serving others and commits sin by hurting them). Hence, the teach, Help ever, hurt never. The emphasise the need to cultivate sacred feelings. In fact, the sacred feelings are within, but man has forgotten them.

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The human being is the repository of divine energy. (goddess of energy), (goddess of wealth), and (goddess of wisdom) are present in the human. Man is not poor in any sense. He is not weak or forlorn. He has all the capacity to experience divine bliss. In spite of being endowed with all powers, man is weak. This is the effect of evil company. You should not take it amiss, but the fact is that the modern system of education is ruining the lives of many. Modern education is leading to agitation instead of elevation. It is giving rise to evil qualities like anger, greed, desire, and jealousy. In fact, people who are unlettered have the virtues of humility, obedience, love, and peace. Humility is the hallmark of education. One may acquire high qualification, but all one's knowledge becomes useless if one lacks humility.

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Tyaja durjana samsargam; Bhaja sadhu samagamam; Kuru punyam ahorathram; Smara nityam anityatham.

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was the son of a demon king, yet his thoughts were always centred on Lord . He repeated His Name always. His father and his teachers tried their best to divert him from spiritual path and infuse demonic traits in him. Once asked what he had learnt from his preceptors. replied, "The teachers have taught me many things. I have learnt the principles of and (righteousness and wealth) and studied sacred scriptures. In fact, I have learnt the very essence of all knowledge. "

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was overjoyed to hear all this. He said, "Oh son! Let me have the pleasure of listening to that great knowledge. "

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said, "Oh father, the Name of will destroy all our sins. Of what use is one's education if one does not contemplate on Lord and attain liberation? "

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became furious on hearing this. He pushed him from his lap. But was not the least perturbed. He continued to chant the name of Lord . subjected him to various ordeals. He made elephants trample upon him and set poisonous snakes to bite him. 's unflinching faith in Lord protected him from all these dangers. felt the mighty elephant to be as light as a feather, and the poison turned into nectar by the power of his devotion. Such things can be understood only by experience and not by mere description.

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Though he was young, was firm in his resolve. was overcome fury. He roared, "Oh madcap, you talk very high of your God, where is He? "

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very calmly replied, "Father, never doubt that God is here and not there. In fact, He is present wherever you look for Him. " (Telugu Poem)

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If God is all-pervasive, can you show Him in this pillar? ", he challenged . "Yes, I can ", pat came the answer.

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Such was 's faith and devotion. One can attain divinity only with confidence.

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at once hit the pillar with a mace. Lo and behold! Lord emerged from it. What is the inner meaning of this? The body is like a pillar. One can have the vision of only when one breaks the manacles of body attachment. You can develop (love for the ) once you give up (body attachment). It is only that will protect you always. Learn the language of the heart. It can be taught only by divinity and not by teachers.

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What you need today is unwavering faith in God. Faith alone can protect you. Under all circumstances, at all times, consider God as the basis of your life. Give up evil qualities like anger, greed, and jealousy. Anger can be compared to 's pyre. It keeps burning always. Desire is the cause of man's downfall. Hence, eradicate desire and anger.

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People worship , , and during these nine days. destroyed the demons. Since the weapons are no longer needed, people perform . When you pray to wholeheartedly, she will protect you in all your endeavours.

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(as you think so you become). You are bound to experience the reflection, reaction, and resound of your feelings, be they good or bad. If you see bad in others, it is only a reflection of your bad feelings. It is a mistake to blame others while ignoring your own faults. Purify your feelings in the first instance. Love even those whom you consider as wicked. In fact, nobody is wicked in this world. It is because of (delusion) that you consider some as good and some wicked. Develop (noble feelings) and follow the path of truth. Do not indulge in vain gossip. Instead, sanctify your time by chanting the divine name. There is nothing sweeter than divine name.

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( sang the , ", " and continued His discourse.)

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Remember what taught his minister. This body will be respected so long as there is life in it. Once the life ebbs away, it will not have any value. The same was stated by during his last moments. He said, "I was respected so long as I was alive. Tomorrow, crows and dogs are going to feast on me. "

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The divine vibrations that result from the you have just sung is spreading to all parts of the world. The divine name that you chant purifies the hearts of many. Hence, do not entertain bad feelings. Do not use bad words. Use only sacred words. Sing the glory of God. By doing so, you will render a great help to the whole world. Do not hurt others. Help everybody. When you help others, you will certainly achieve positive results. Make proper use of your time. Chant God's Name and make your heart sacred.