My power is the power of love

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Divine Discourse
Christmas, Prasanthi Nilayam, 25 December 2004

How is it that the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening with utmost regularity everyday? How is it that the stars twinkle beautifully in the sky at night and hide themselves during the day? How is it that the wind blows incessantly and sustains the living beings without taking rest even for a moment? How is it that the rivers flow perennially making gurgling sounds? (Telugu poem)

Embodiments of Love!

Jagat denotes that which is subject to creation, sustenance and dissolution. God, who is responsible for these phenomena, has no specific form. He pervades the entire world in the form of the five elements, namely, space, wind, fire, water and earth.

Food and water are the gifts of God

In man, these elements connote the faculties of sabda, sparsha, rupa, rasa, gandha (hearing, touch, sight, taste, smell), respectively. There is no place where these five elements are not present. Sarvatah panipadam tat sarvathokshi siromukham, Sarvatah sruthimalloke sarvamavruthya tishthati (with hands, feet, eyes, head, mouth and ears pervading everything, He permeates the entire universe). That is why it is said that all hands, feet, eyes, heads, mouths and ears are His. The elders in the past therefore declared that God is present everywhere; there is no place where God is not present. How can we comprehend the principle of this all-pervasive divinity? People attribute various names and forms to God. They celebrate the birthdays of their chosen deities, worship them and derive joy therefrom. But it is not possible for anyone to fathom fully the nature of divinity. It is not possible to attribute any form to God. He is beyond all names, forms and attributes. God has neither birth nor death. How can anyone give a specific name to God who is all-powerful and all-pervasive?

God is eternal without birth or death. He has no beginning, middle or end. He is omnipresent and is the eternal witness. (Telugu poem)

When a child is born from the womb of its mother, it starts crying. However, it stops crying the moment you put a drop of honey or milk on its tongue. From this, we can deduce that everyone is born with hunger. What type of hunger is that? Is it worldly or spiritual? It is difficult to judge who is born with what type of hunger. Though food is of various kinds, hunger is common to all. Food is essential to satisfy one’s hunger. So, every individual has to eat food. It is also his duty to share it with others.

It is the earth which provides food to man. It absorbs rainwater and supplies it to the crops. In this way, we grow crops. Thus, mother earth sustains our life by providing food to us. Water is also very essential for our survival. One may live without food for a few days, but not without water. Water is very necessary for growing food also. It can be acquired only through prayer and not by any other means. People perform worship and offer special prayers to invoke divine grace for water. Everyone should pray to God whether one is a pauper or a millionaire, for it is God who provides food and water to man. Food and water are the gifts of God. Man cannot create food and water by himself. He does not even know what type of food is essential to lead a healthy life. He should, in fact, make efforts to understand this.

Anything can be achieved through prayer

Whatever God does is for the welfare of the world. You must understand that world is the very form of God. The Creator and creation are not different from each other. We should not worship God for the fulfilment of worldly desires. We should pray to God to attain Him. He showers His grace on all. It is God who gives us everything. He alone knows what is good for us. Everything that we need is provided by Him. However, it is not the quality of a true devotee to feel disappointed and to blame God if his desires are not fulfilled. It is our duty to find ways and means to earn God’s grace and make efforts to attain Him. Nobody can understand or explain divine plans. God alone knows His plans and He only can reveal them. No one can comprehend the ways of God as stated by Thyagaraja:

Not even a blade of grass will move without divine Will,

Right from an ant to Brahma, God pervades everything,

But some people do not understand this and take pride in their intelligence,

But no one however mighty knows what is going to happen in the next moment.

(Telugu poem)

No one can predict when God will shower His grace on an individual. Only God knows the answers to the questions like who, when, where, why and how. If one forgets God and gets carried away by ego and sense of doership, one will not meet with success in one’s endeavours. Anything can be achieved through prayer. There is nothing greater than prayer. Hence, everyone must necessarily offer his prayer to God. However, one should not pray for worldly gains. “Oh God! I want Your love and nothing else.” This should be your constant prayer. Once you become the recipient of God’s love, you can conquer the entire world.

Do not pray to God for the fulfilment of your worldly desires. Instead, leave everything to God’s Will. Have full faith that He will do what is good for you. Pray to Him, “Oh God, please take care of us every moment of our life.” When you discharge your duties surrendering everything to God’s Will, you will certainly achieve success in all your endeavours. But God’s Will takes shape at the appropriate time without any prompting or planning.

All are the children of God

Any mighty task can be accomplished by prayer. Hence, pray to God silently. Do not pray for the fulfilment of your petty desires. Give up all desires and pray to God wholeheartedly with love. You will certainly find fulfilment in life. You can understand and experience divinity only through love. Nothing can be achieved without love. Love makes all your tasks successful. Some people complain, “Swami, we are making fervent prayers but our prayers are not fruitful.” I tell them, “The mistake lies in your prayer and not in God.” If your prayers are sincere, they will certainly be answered. There is nothing that God cannot accomplish.

The stories of the Lord are most wonderful and sacred in all the three worlds. They are like sickles that cut the creepers of worldly bondage. They are most ennobling and elevating. They confer bliss on the sages and seers doing penance in forests. (Telugu poem)

Today we are celebrating the sacred festival of Christmas. We should celebrate it in the true spirit without entertaining petty desires. Jesus was the son of God. While he was being crucified, he said, “Oh Father, Let Thy Will be done.” When you surrender yourself to God’s Will, He will take care of you. Do not develop pride. Give up ego and ostentation. Pray silently and sincerely. Then your prayers will surely be answered. God is not confined to a place somewhere in a distant corner. He always resides in your heart. He can accomplish anything. He is ever ready to perform any task, big or small, for His devotees. All are His children. Hence, He will certainly answer your prayers. Jesus taught, “All are the children of God.” When you have such firm conviction, you can accomplish any task. You need not read voluminous books. Fill your heart with love and leave everything to His Will. You will certainly achieve success in all your endeavours.

Embodiments of Love!

Love is the quintessence of My teachings. My power is the power of love (loud applause). There is nothing greater than love. When you develop love, you can easily face the challenges of life and emerge victorious. God will always be with you, in you and around you and will take care of you. Any mighty task can be accomplished through prayer. However, your prayer should be sincere. Say what is there in your mind. Swami is within you; He knows your thoughts and feelings. Develop unity of thought, word and deed. Have faith that Swami is in you, and He always listens to your prayer. If you think that Swami is outside, how will your prayer reach Him?

Embodiments of Love!

It is only love that will help you to achieve success in your life. Hence, develop love. That is the true prayer God expects from you.

Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with the bhajan, “Prema Mudita Manase Kaho”.