Study Circle: 08/26/18
Sathya Sai Speaks: Chapter 21, Vol 6
Proper care of the boat
Like the three blades of a fan which must be activated by the current to rotate like one, in order to make life pleasant; the three–the Cabinet, the Officers and the People–must be activated by the spirit of service and work joyfully in unison, in order to make the people happy. The three must not be disturbed or dislocated by mutual envy or greed or hate or malice; they must all be activated by love and sympathy. Sahana (forbearance) is the lubrication needed. In the firmament of the heart, the intellect (sun) and the mind (moon) revolve on their regular courses. If the passions mentioned above dim the glory, they are to be dismissed as passing clouds that cannot affect the sources of light. The more you reason out things, the plainer will become the reality. Reasoning power will never hinder the discovery of the Truth; only, you have to go as far as reason can take you; then, you can see the vast vistas beyond. Man has been endowed with enormous, immeasurable talents, skills and power. But, he is using all that to journey towards a poor satellite of the earth on which he lives, instead of journeying towards the wonderland of his own inner realms, where he can come face to face with God who is his inner Reality, the inner Reality of this entire phenomenal world.
A man dreams that he is a boy, he grows and marries, he fondles his children and his grandchildren: the story of fifty years is telescoped to a period of two ‘waking moments’. This is within the experience of all. The dream was ‘real’ experience during the dream; it ‘lasted’ for fifty years but, when judged from the point of view of the ‘waking’ it lasted but two minutes. So too, from the point of view of the ‘fully awake’, the jnaani, even the waking stage is ephemeral, illusory. That is why jnaana is declared to be so illuminating; it reveals the Truth that all this is only ‘relatively’ real; the Absolute Reality is the Brahmam.
Questions:
- Swami says that reasoning power will never hinder the discovery of the truth. Reflect a little. What is the truth that Swami is talking about, and what in our daily lives can affect our reasoning power?
- What are some best practices that can help with good reasoning?
Virtue alone can endow love and sympathy
This truth has been discovered and proclaimed in this country ages ago. It is a shame that to-day the people of Bhaarath are not aware of this heritage. The tree of life can yield the fruit of aanandha only when it is watered by virtue and fed on faith. Provision of food, clothing, and shelter will not ensure peace and joy; they can come only through virtue and faith. Virtue alone can endow love and sympathy. We are now putting the cart (the body) before the horse (mind) and providing for the safety and strength of the cart only. The horse (mind) is allowed to grow wild or is starved. There is no love and sympathy between even the members of a household. Kali yuga has become Kalaha yuga, the era of wrangling and wars. Even while foes are surrounding this country, there is wild hate between one State and another, claiming ‘this bit of land is mine’, ‘that bit of land cannot be yours’, forgetting that both are limbs of the same body. Similar is the fate of nations also. Integration of hearts can come about only through the recognition of the Oneness of All, and the renunciation of sensory pursuits. Tolerance is very essential. The body is but a boat, an instrument, for crossing the sea of change, that you have earned through the merit of many generations. When you have crossed the sea, you. realise the Dweller, in the Dwelling. That is the purpose of the body. So, even when the body is strong and skilled, even while the intellect is sharp and the mind alert, effort must be made to seek the Dehi (Dweller), in the deha (body)
This Health Centre helps to keep the body strong and free from handicaps. The boat should be seaworthy. You can make it so, provided you take advantage of this Centre. That is the reason why I have so readily agreed to be present here today. At the opening of the New Building of the Primary Health Centre, Kothacheruvu village, (for which land and part of the cost of building was donated by a villager)
Get the flower, and you have its beauty and fragrance. In colour see harmony, in light see joy. In outward form and in the depths of things, behold your Self. You are the Truth.
– Sathya Sai Baba, Kothacheruvu, 3rd August 1966
Questions:
- Swami says that in colour see harmony, in light see joy, and in the outward form and in the depths of things, we should behold ourselves. How can we see harmony in colour in our daily lives, and what do you think Swami means when He says that in the depths of things we should behold ourselves?
Affirmation: I am not the body.
Life Application Skill: Please come up with one based on today’s reading.