Happiness is holiness

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Divine Discourse
Tamil New Year and Vishu, Kodaikanal, 14 April 2006

Lord Krishna made this divine declaration: Mamaivamsho jivaloke Jivabhuta sanathana (the eternal atma in all beings is a part of My Being). Hence, do not feel that you are different from God. God resides in you. In fact, you are God.

Nothing is permanent in this world

You think you are a human being because you are endowed with a human body, but the atma that indwells a all manifests your divinity. There are thousands of bulbs that have been put up for decoration. Their colour and wattage may differ, but the electric current in all of them is one and the same. Like the current that makes all the bulbs shine, the atma present in all human beings makes them see, hear and work. But today man is caught in worldly affairs and is ignoring spirituality. If you have spiritual vision, you will know that it is the same God who is present everywhere. Everything from earth to sky is nothing but God. Even this flower, this tumbler, this microphone and the tablecloth that you see here are all aspects of divinity. Divinity pervades each and everything in this universe. But you see differences due to your faulty vision.

Change is the nature of the five elements, and not of God. There are only five elements in this universe; there is no sixth element. Our human form is a combination of the five elements and is sustained by them. Man has relationship with the five elements so long as the body lasts. Once the body perishes, he has nothing to do with even one of them. These elements are present in man in the form of his senses of sound, sight, touch, taste and smell. Our senses are responsible for good and bad, merit and sin. Good and bad are not given by God; they are the consequences of man’s own actions. Sometimes you think that God has given you suffering and sometimes you feel God is responsible for your happiness, but God neither gives happiness nor suffering. These are all man’s illusion. Man suffers due to his own evil qualities like jealousy, hatred, anger and pomposity. Where does anger come from? It comes from within us because of our wrong food and evil thoughts. Desire arises because of your covetous nature. kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada and matsarya (desire, anger, greed, attachment, pride and jealousy) all arise from us.

You think God has a form. But God is formless. God is positive and man is negative. Negative comes and goes, but positive is permanent. Repose your faith in the positive and not in the negative. Everything in this world comes and goes like passing clouds. A boy gets married to a girl. But before marriage, where was the boy and where was the girl? Their relationship developed only after marriage. But even that is not permanent. There is nothing in human life that is permanent. Everything is temporary; it comes and goes. If man wants to become eternal, he has to develop atma viswasa (faith in the Self). You may come and go, but I am with you forever. Divinity is changeless. Instead of aspiring for the changeless, man is running after all that is fleeting and temporary. All that we desire in this world is subject to change. Bodies are subject to change. You may see a body today and may not see it tomorrow. There is nothing in this world that is permanent. There is only one entity that is permanent about whom it is said, Sarvatah panipadam tat sarvathokshi siromukham, Sarvatah sruthimalloke sarvamavruthya tishthati (with hands, feet, eyes, head, mouth and ears pervading everything, He permeates the entire universe). There is only One that is present always, but during our short life-span we develop many illusions.

Pray to God desirelessly

We celebrate New Year and feel very happy. In fact it is not new; it is just a change of time. Today is the beginning of Chaitra (a month in Indian calendar). Next month is Vaishakha. In this way, many Chaitras and Vaishakhas have come and gone, but nothing is permanent. Why should we bother about all that is impermanent and passing? A fruit is at first unripe and after some time it becomes fully ripe and ultimately it decays. Similarly, human body is subject to change; it has childhood, youth, old age and ultimately death. So, there is nothing in this world that is permanent. Whatever you see in this world is just temporary and passing. There is only one thing that is permanent and you have to pray for that. But whom are you praying for? You are praying for yourself, not for God. In fact, you are praying to yourself because God is in you. Because of your identification with the body, you think you are a devotee and God is separate from you. There is no difference between the devotee and God. Whatever you see, it is God; wherever you go, God is there; whatever you do, it is for God. God is present even in a particle of dust. When the wind blows, the dust goes up. When there is no wind, the dust comes down. In the same way, when man has desires, he is engulfed in delusion. When he is without desires, his delusion is also subdued. Sometimes man is peaceful and at other timer he is agitated. These states of man are the result of his food, his habits and worldly relationships; they are not caused by God. God has nothing to do with that. God is eternally present and the five elements are also present forever. Even after man dies, the five elements continue to have their existence. The consciousness present in all the five elements in man is responsible for all his body functions.

When a man is newly married, he loves his wife very much. His love is so intense in the beginning that if she is about to put her foot on a thorn, he pulls her away with great concern, saying, “There is a thorn, there is a thorn.” After some time, when the same situation arises, he merely cautions her, “Be careful, there is a thorn.” When more time has elapsed, he will resort to scolding, “Don’t you have eyes? Can’t you see the thorn?” The love that is there in the beginning gives way to anger with the passage of time. Worldly love is subject to change. Even the love between husband and wife and mother and child undergoes changes with the passage of time. Everything is temporary in this world. It is impermanent and it comes and goes. We are happy when we gain something; we are grieved when we lose anything. Loss and gain are the cause of our happiness and sorrow. But profit and loss are only relative terms.

Embodiments of Love!

There are no permanent relationships in this world. As long as the body lasts, relationships exist. When the body is lost, relationships are also lost. One thing is permanent in this universe and that is what you have to aspire for. Human life is given to man to know himself and to realise God. People worship God and pray to Him. When their desires are fulfilled, they are very happy. If their desires are not fulfilled, they change even the photo of the deity in their altar. If we worship God only to fulfil our desires, then it is not true worship. Our love and devotion for God should be changeless. It should not change under any circumstances. Love is the very form of God. Love is God. Live in love. Love is present in all. Even the person whom we think as wicked has love for his wife and children. If you have love in your heart, you will find love everywhere. If you love a dog or a cat, they will also reciprocate your love. You will not have fear of even wild animals if you do not harm them. Yad bhavam tad bhavati (as is the feeling, so is the result). Everything depends on our feelings.

Desires are the cause of man’s suffering

All of us should consider our body as only an instrument to discharge our duties. Never think that this body is permanent and you have to accumulate wealth to maintain it. It is merely a waste of time and effort when you try to accumulate worldly possessions. Everything else is temporary except love and truth. Sathyannasti paro dharma (There is no dharma greater than adherence to truth). There are many types of duties that we have to perform with the help of the body. But our foremost duty is to develop love. Where there is love, there is bliss. True relationship exists only when there is love. Where there is no love, bliss cannot exist there, can there be true relationship. God is the embodiment of bliss. Nityanandam, parama sukhadam, Kevalam jnanamurtim, dwandwateetam, Gagana sadrisham, tathwamasyadi Lakshyam, ekam, nityam, vimalam, Achalam, sarvadhee sakshibhutam, bhavateetam, trigunarahitam (God is the embodiment of eternal bliss, He is wisdom absolute, beyond the pair of opposites, expansive and pervasive like the sky, the goal indicated by the mahavakya tathwamasi, One without a second, eternal, pure, unchanging, witness of all functions of the intellect, beyond all mental conditions and the three attributes of sathwa, rajas and tamas.) Man should develop the divine quality of love and not the worldly relationships.

Suppose a person has delicious dishes and fruits before him which he loves to eat, he will get happiness when he consumes them. If at that very moment he gets the sad news of the tragic death of his son in an accident in the bazaar, he will run to see his son and throw away all the dishes, because his love for his son is more than his love for food. When the food is before him, he thinks that his entire happiness lies in consuming it. Where has the love for food gone now? In a similar way, man develops love for many things in this world. In fact, there is nothing in this world which you should desire for. Desires are the cause of all the suffering of man. As the Saying goes ‘Less luggage more comfort.’ When there is luggage, you cannot escape from trouble. Here luggage refers to worldly relationships and desires. Only when you get rid of worldly bondage can you be happy. There is nothing in this world that you should desire for. If any worldly desire crops up in your mind, give it up at once. Giving up of desires is true renunciation. Less luggage, more comfort makes travel a pleasure. You can have real happiness only when you reduce your luggage. There are so many millionaires in this world. But, are they able to live forever? They come and go like passing clouds. You find clouds only in the sky. Without sky there can be no clouds. So long as you have body consciousness, you will have the clouds of desires.

Everybody has to leave the world empty-handed

Embodiments of Love!

You should have body consciousness only to discharge your duties. You have to do your duty. Duty is God. You should not develop undue worldly relations. But, you are developing more and more desires and more and more greed. You have to reduce the luggage of your desires. You may accumulate any amount of luggage, but it is not going to be permanent. Alexander, the great emperor, conquered different parts of the world and came to India with a desire to conquer this country. On his return journey, he suffered a grave illness. Sensing that his end had approached, he called all his ministers and generals and told them that he was not going to live any more. He instructed them to take his body to his country after his death. He further told them to expose his hands out of the bier with his palms upwards and take the funeral procession to all the streets of the city. This was to tell the people of the world that in spite of his great conquests in the world and a great name and fame, Alexander left the world empty-handed. This is true of all of us. Whatever we may accumulate, we have to go empty-handed only. In the ultimate analysis, all the worldly possessions are useless. Then why should we worry about all that is useless? Do your duty making best use of the present; do not unnecessarily worry about what is to come in future.

Many things happen in this world; God is the witness of all that happens. God is always blissful; He has no suffering, no difficulty, no worry. God is not the cause of the difficulties and sufferings of anybody. He has no desires. You may think that God has desires, but in reality He has none. He is gunatita (beyond attributes), trigunarahita (devoid of the three qualities of sattwa, rajas and tamas). You become the victim of delusion as you are bound by these three qualities. If someone dies, people lament over his death for a few days and then they forget. In this manner, nothing is permanent in this world. However, we have to do what we are supposed to do. You wear a shawl when it is cold. As soon as the cold is gone, you remove the shawl. Likewise, you don the vesture of human body and nourish it for performing your worldly duties. Ultimately, you have to give up this body.

Do all actions to please God

Embodiments of Love!

You do all kinds of worship, penance and yajnas, but what is the use of all this? They cannot protect and sustain you if you are bereft of the divine quality of love. It will be just a waste of time and energy. What you have to nourish and develop is love. If you have love, you can conquer anything. Except love, there is nothing that can nourish and sustain you. Develop self-confidence. When you have self-confidence, you will attain self-satisfaction which will lead you to self-sacrifice and ultimately to self-realisation. What is the meaning of self-realisation? It means to realise one’s Self. You keep asking everybody, “Who are you?” But you do not ask yourself, “Who am I?” Am I the body, am I the mind, am I the intellect, am I the chittha, am I the senses? When you say, ‘my body’, you are different from the body. Body is like a water bubble, mind is like a mad monkey. Do not follow the body, do not follow the mind. Do not think that the body is permanent. But so long as you have the body and mind, you have to use them to perform your duties. If your mind is not sound and steady, none of your endeavours will fructify. Hence, first and foremost control the mind. Who is man? One who is endowed with mind is man. Do not allow your mind to become a monkey mind. Understand that you belong to mankind. So, you have to conduct yourself with kindness and compassion.

You are running after all that is false and ephemeral giving up all that is true and eternal. In Kali Age, everything is becoming business. Wherever people go, whatever they do, they do it with a business motive. Even trivial matters have become business activity. How long can you do this business? It is all useless. Man should learn to give; he should not try to grab all that comes his way. Body is given to man to do good to others. Paropakaraya punyaya, papaya parapidanam (one attains merit by serving others and commits sin by hurting them). Do not always accept the service of others; rather, try to serve others to the extent possible. When you serve others, think that you are serving God. Do all actions to please God. All your actions will become meaningful only when you do them with the motive of pleasing God. Never do anything with a selfish motive. Today you are here. Tomorrow you may be somewhere else. Nothing is permanent. Only love is permanent in this world. Fill your life with love. You can love others only when you have love within you. Your innate love is your divinity. If you have love in your heart, nobody will hate you. Others will hate you only when you have selfish desires. Never hate anybody, never feel jealous of anybody and never get angry with anyone.

Embodiments of Love!

You have come all the way from distant places because of your love for Swami. Preserve this love forever and live in the presence of God. Never forget this love which is in you, with you, below you, above you, around you. Do not think that God is separate from you. He is the witness of everything. People go to temples with trays full of flowers and fruits.

Is it possible to limit the One to a temple Who pervades the entire cosmos? How can one offer food to the One? Who has the entire cosmos in His belly? How can one give a bath to the One Who is present in all rivers? (Telugu poem)

Worry is a mentally created fear

People offer food to God and afterwards consume it themselves! God does not want anything. God has no desires at all. Sometimes, God may act in a way which makes you think that He has desires. But God has no desires at all. He has no bondage either. Whatever He does is for your sake. Whatever He says, does and thinks is for your sake. Pray for the welfare of all. Loka samasta sukhino bhavantu (May all the people of the world be happy!). Do not wish any harm even to your enemy. Love Ever, Hurt Never. Do not do anything that is contrary to the principle of love. Love is God. Live in Love. Consider love as God. Salute whomever you come across, even if he be your enemy. Love even your enemy. Whomsoever you salute, it will reach God, for God is in all. With these sacred feelings, do not have hatred toward anyone.

All that has to happen will happen. Do not worry about it. Past is past, forget the past. Future is uncertain, do not brood over it. Present is important, live in the present and be happy. Do not worry about past and future. Where is the past? Many people have passed away. Has any of them come back? None. Similarly, we do not know anything about future. Why should we worry about it? You should try to seek happiness in the present. When you have such an attitude, you will never worry about anything in life. What is the shape of worry? It is a mentally created fear. We should never worry. A true devotee will not have any worries. You cannot call yourself a true devotee if you are beset with worries. Hurry, worry, and curry are the cause of heart diseases. One should therefore avoid hurry, worry, curry.

All of you are the embodiments of love and divinity. You are Atmaswarupa (embodiment of the atma). For the sake of identity, you have a name, but in reality, all of you are the embodiments of the atma. Only the atma is eternal.

Today marks the beginning of the Tamil New Year. People of Kerala celebrate it in a traditional way by having the holy vision of Vishukkani in the morning. They will have delicious dishes and all merriment. It is a festive occasion for the farmers who bring home the harvested grain. It is, in fact, a holy day for them as they reap the fruit of their hard labour after toiling hard from morning to evening in their fields all the year round. The farmers lead a very hard life. This is the time of their rejoicing as the harvested grain ensures them freedom from all worries and makes them happy and blissful. Happiness is true holiness. True bliss lies in cultivating the principle of love and leading a life of contentment. We should always be contented. When there is no contentment, worries raise their head. All troubles are created by worrying.

Live always in bliss

Embodiments of Love!

The day you are happy is the holy day. Love is divine. Suffuse your love with the principle of divinity. Keep your heart filled with love forever. Then every day will become a New Year for you. What is New Year? The celebration of New Year does not lie in eating payasam (sweet pudding) and other delicious dishes. The day you are filled with bliss is the New Year. Always live in bliss. If difficulties confront you, drive them away. In fact, suffering and troubles have no real existence. Then why are you worrying? Develop the attitude of detachment. Then you will have no suffering and no worry. Remind yourself, “I am a human being. These difficulties and suffering do not belong to me.” If you develop real body detachment, you will not be affected by any affliction. Physical ailments like stomachache, headache or body pain are natural to the body. Why should you worry about that which is natural? You suffer because you develop too much attachment to the body. However, you have to take care of the body to the extent that you are not dependent on others. You should realise your true nature. Regulate your diet and habits. Since you have too many desires, you have all the problems. If you eat too much, you will have to suffer from indigestion. Hence, control your craving for food. Eat moderately and maintain good health. That is what I advise the children always.

Get up early in the morning 
At the crowing of the cock;
Have a bath after your morning ablutions,
Wear a proper dress.
Eat properly and moderately.
Go to school and study diligently.
Earn a good name.
(Telugu poem)

Develop good health, cultivate good habits, have good conduct, and earn a good name. If you have all these, you will not need anything else in life. Do not run after medicines and doctors for your small problems. If a medicine cures one disease, it will create another. Many doctors have made the medical profession a business. What are you going to achieve if you lead a life full of worries? Nothing at all! Some doctors may exaggerate even your minor ailments as cancer and ulcer. In such cases, even if you do not have such a disease, worry caused to you by the imaginary disease may lead to it. The more you worry about it, the more would be your suffering. Therefore, do not worry about your small physical problems. If you lead a life of moderation and maintain a healthy lifestyle, you don’t need to be at the mercy of doctors.

Embodiments of Love!

Stop the habit of worrying. Even an intelligent student will not be able to write his examination well, if he becomes nervous in the examination hall due to his doubts, though he may know the answers to the questions. Doubts are the cause of your worry. You have to face all difficulties because of your habit of worrying. You should work hard without worrying for anything. When you lead such a straightforward life, you will not have to run after anybody and beg for favours. Experience the bliss that is within your heart without making a show of it to others. Have belief in that which ought to be believed. Have love for that which ought to be loved. You have to love only one thing and that is God. Once you have love for God, you will have everything in life. On the one side is the world and on the other, God. You cannot have both simultaneously. It is like riding on two horses which is sure to prove dangerous. Focus your mind only on God and have total faith in Him. Ekam Sat viprah bahudha vadanti (truth is one, but the wise refer to it by various names). You should always think of God, both in pleasure and pain. If you aspire to have happiness and bliss, you should desire only for God. Do not worry too much about your difficulties. If you have love for God, all your difficulties will vanish in a trice. All difficulties are like passing clouds.

Swami loves His students very much. Once it so happened that a student was trying to tie buntings on a door while standing on a steel stool. As he saw Me coming, he felt nervous and fell from the stool. Both the stool and the boy fell on Me and My hip bone was fractured. Doctors advised rest for three to six months. But I told them that I did not need rest even for three minutes. What is this body for? It is for helping others. The body needs balance. There would be difficulty in walking when the balance is lost. But I do not care even for balance. It is temporary and will become all right on its own. I am able to walk with the support of boys. We should not worry about small problems. Do your duty. Then everything will become all right. Develop love.

Embodiments of Love!

Do not forget the principle of love. Love God. It is nothing great if you help someone who has helped you. Greatness lies in helping those who have done harm to you.