Sathya Sai Speaks Vol 6, Chapter 32
Study Circle: 09/16/18
Poorna (full or infinite) minus Poorna is Poorna
Every being needs prema (Love), inhales and exhales prema. For prema is the basic breath; every one is the embodiment of prema. Love knows no fear and so, love needs no falsehood to support it. It is only fear that makes people warp the face of truth to make it pleasant for those whom they fear. Love also seeks no reward; love is its own reward. That is the sole gain, the joy of loving and being loved. When it is directed to God, it is called bhakthi (devotion). Who would not love God when once he is aware of His Glory, Majesty, Might and Mercy? Love removes all egoism; the self is forgotten, it is superseded, it is transcended. Any trace of greed for gain, vishaya vaasana (desire for objects) as it is called, degrades prema into a bargain over the counter. Whatever the Loved One does or gives is satisfying to the Lover, the Adorer. A child is all love; its smile is most innocent; it has not learnt to work for gain. It has no vaasana — attachment to the goods of the world. It plays with a doll for a while and throws it off the next moment. The love-full heart of the child hardens with age because greed breeds hatred and envy. It is only prema that can successfully carry out schemes for service and uplift. Love creates sympathy; love will show the way where hatred can only confound. When a toddler is learning to walk, love will place no obstacle in the path; on the other hand, it will encourage; welcoming each forward step and overlooking each fall. The plans for the uplift of the villagers, which the Minister derailed just now, have to be executed with love and sympathy. Many a beneficial act in the country is rendered barren because of harsh criticism and wanton disparagement. Bhakthi alone can transform people’s hearts into Sathya and Dharma.
Questions:
- Reflect a little. In your opinion what is Love?
- Swami says that, “Love also seeks no reward; love is its own reward. Reflect a little. What do you understand by this statement? Please share your thoughts.
- Swami says that, “A child is all love; its smile is most innocent.”Reflect a little. Why do you think that when one is filled with love, one can look as innocent as a child?
Words cannot describe God’s glory
Parents do not encourage them to proceed to the Presence of the Great, to listen to the discourses of genuine teachers, to visit sacred places where the atmosphere is fragrant with saadhana (spiritual discipline) and study. Arjuna was called Dhananjaya, not because he somehow managed to bring from various sources much wealth, but because he was rich in viveka (wisdon) , vairaagya (detachment) and vichakshana (discrimination) (wisdom, detachment and discrimination). These are the riches one has to earn and accumulate. When his son completed his education and came home, a father asked him various questions, eager to discover whether he had used his years of study to the best advantage. The son made him exceedingly glad by his answers. At last, he asked him to describe the glory of God. The boy sat silent and did not answer. In spite of hours of sweet persuasion, and even threats of drastic punishments, the boy was adamant; he did not open his mouth. The father lamented his fate in having a son, who though proficient in many branches of learning, had turned out to be an atheist. When he was on the point of bursting into tears at the calamity that had overtaken him, the son said that he was answering his question in the best manner possible—by silence; for how could words describe His Glory? That son was a remarkable son; the father too by his question and by his reaction to the silence of the son demonstrated that he was a remarkable father.
Feel that God is the Father of all beings
The Minister appreciated the discipline you maintain here, though I am yet not quite satisfied. The silence maintained here must be carried over to wherever you go; it is to be taken as an exercise in the control of the senses that are exterior oriented. The tongue should not talk evil; the eyes should not look out for evil; the ears should not seek evil. The presence of God in every being makes every one holy; thinking low of others amounts to thinking low of God. When you follow the convention of addressing others as Sodara Sodarimanulaara, (“Brothers and Sisters”), you must cultivate the feeling that God is the Father and that you are all brothers and sisters, each to the rest. This brotherhood is more real and binding than the blood brotherhood, for here the paternal property for which you struggle can be shared without the share of each being diminished in any way. When the Poorna (full) is subtracted from the Poorna, Poorna is found to be the balance.*
* Ishaavaasya Upanishad says:Poornasya Poornaamaadaaya Poornamevaavasishyate: From the Full (Brahman) proceeds this Full (Universe). That (Brahman) remains Full, even though this (Universe) has come out of it.
Questions:
- Swami says that words cannot describe the Glory of God. In your opinion what do you think are some best practices to describe the Glory of God?
Affirmation: I am Love
Life Application Skill: Please come up with one based on today’s reading