Experiencing love

I have come to light the lamp of love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added luster. I have come to tell you of this universal, unitary faith, this spiritual principle, this path of love, this duty of love, this obligation to love. Every religion teaches man to fill his being with the glory of God and to evict the pettiness of conceit. It trains him in the methods of unattachment and discernment, so that he may aim high and attain spiritual liberation. Believe that all hearts are motivated by the one and only God; that all faiths glorify the one and only God; that all names in all languages and all forms man can conceive denote the one and only God. His adoration is best done by means of love. Cultivate that attitude of oneness between men of all creeds and all countries. That is the message of love I bring. That is the message I wish you to take to heart.

I have come not to disturb or destroy any faith, but to confirm each in his own faith – so that Christian becomes a better Christian, the Muslim, a better Muslim, and the Hindu, a better Hindu.

Let the different faiths exist, let them flourish, and let the glory of God be sung in all the languages and a variety of tunes. That should be the ideal. Respect the differences between the faiths and recognize them as valid as long as they do not extinguish the flame of unity.

Whom the Muslims adore as Allah, Whom the Christians adore as Jehovah, Whom the Vaishnavas adore as Vishnu, Whom the Saivites adore as Sambhu, Who grants in answer to their several prayers, health, prosperity and happiness to all, wherever they may be, He, the One God, is the God of all mankind. God is One and only One. Have His thought in your minds.

There is only one religion, the religion of Love.

There is only one language, the language of the Heart;
There is only one caste, the caste of Humanity;
There is only one law, the law of Karma;
There is only one God, He is Omnipresent.

Religions are many, but God is one; Jewels are many, but Gold is one; Appearances are many, but Reality is One; Cows may be of different breeds or colors or sizes, but milk they yield is the same, the world over. So too, all religions, what ever their origin or extent of influence, are means to teach man this process.

Do not give room for differences based on language, religion, caste or nationality. Develop the feeling that all are children of God. You may worship God in any form of your choice, but always bear in mind that God is one. Cultivate love and promote unity and harmony among all. – Selected quotes from the Discourses of Sri Sathya Sai Baba

People worship the Supreme Lord (Paramatma) as existing in some faraway place – say Ayodhya or Dwaraka and nowhere else, or as found in places where some image or picture exists and nowhere else. They worship that form itself as complete (Purna). Of course, it is not wrong to do so. What is wrong is to proclaim that only their belief is the truth, that the names and forms that they have ascribed are the only names and forms of the Divine, and that all other forms and names are worthless and inferior. It should be realized that the names and forms that are the ideals of others are as dear and sacred to those others as such names and forms are to oneself. Everyone should acquire the vision that all forms of the ideal are equally valid and true, without giving room to senseless hatred. Without internalizing this wisdom, it is impossible to realize the Divine. – Prema Vahini Chap. 36

God is love, God is truth, God is peace. God is bliss. Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in His subtle form has broken free from all preconceived concepts of Desha (place), Kaala (time) and Paristhiti (circumstances). God does not belong to one place, one community or one sect, He belongs to the whole universe. He is one but seen as many, the scriptures describe this as “Ekam Sat Vipra Bahuda Vadanthi”.

Devoid of all names and forms He is, Yet all names and forms are His. God is formless and attributeless, but He also assumes a form with attributes. There is sakara (with form) in nirakara (formless) and nirakara in sakara. Likewise, there is saguna (attributes) in nirguna (attributeless) and vice versa. A block of ice has a form, but it is not different from water. There can be no ice without water. When drops of water freeze, they form ice. The difference between sakara and nirakara is the same as the difference between ice and water.

If a Muslim wanted to study the Hindu scriptures, Swami would say, “First know your own religion well and deeply. All that is there in other religions is there in yours too”. We know of great Hindu saints, Muslim pirs and religious heads, Buddhist monks from Thailand, Tibet and other parts of the world, Devout Catholics, Protestants, Jewish Rabbis and revered heads of other religions who have to come to Swami and have been astounded on how much He knew about their religion. These religious heads who were dedicated to the serious study of their faiths for decades, would often be corrected on their interpretation of their Holy texts by Swami Himself. Please read Sai baba and the Muslim Mind by Prof. Zeba Bashiruddin (http://scriptures.ru/sb_mm.htm) to gain insights into universality of Sai Teachings.

Sarva Dharma Priya Sai

Prophecies say that: Muslims will recognize him only nine years before His passing from the world. -Bihar-ul-Anwar (Source: Sai Thy Kingdom Come Chapter 7, page 42)

Before Darshan was meditation. Now Meditation is my darshan. Develop ‘Ishq’ and ‘Mohabbat’ in your heart and feel me in your heart.

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“I have come to light the lamp of love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added lustre. I have not come to speak on behalf of any particular dharma (righteousness), like the Hindu Dharma. I have not come on any mission of publicity for any sect or creed or cause; nor have I come to collect followers for any doctrine. I have no plan to attract disciples or devotees into My fold or any fold. I have come to tell you of this Universal unitary faith, this Athmic principle, this path of love, this dharma of prema, this duty of love, this obligation to love.”

Swami’s Divine Message During His Visit to Nairobi(Kenya, East Africa) in 1968 (Click on the link above to download the entire discourse)

Sri Sathya Sai Baba in East Africa in 1968

Many devotees outside India invited Swami during His physical presence to visit their respective countries; often pleading with Him repeatedly at every given opportunity. Despite their numerous requests, Swami never accepted those invitations. “I have no need to see places. I am everywhere, always!” was His stock answer to all such requests. When Swami suddenly announced that he is going to visit East Africa in 1968, Mother Easwaramma was the most concerned of all as she was extremely fearful of Swami leaving Puttaparthi even for a short trip, let alone travelling to an unknown continent full of wild animals, savages and cannibals as it was rumoured in those days. She sought out a senior devotee and conveyed her worst fears to him. This devotee said, “Mother, it is true that there are many dangers in Africa. But how can they affect Swami? He is God, is he not?” Hearing this Mother Easwaramma became furious and shouted back, “You fool! I know Swami is God and you know he is God. But do those savages and wild animals in Africa know he is God?”

On the 7th July 1968, Baba addressed the first public meeting at Kampala. He told the multi-racial, multi-credal gathering, “Just as the same bloodstream circulates in all the limbs of the one body, the One Divine Principle activates the entire Universe. Do not get too involved in the turmoil of living and ignore the kinship in God that you have with all beings around you. Do not over-emphasise individual variations, but fix your attention on the universal kinship. Ignore the beads, contemplate upon the unifying eternal ever-present thread.” This was a heartening message, and it was received with enthusiastic approval by Muslims, Christians, Baha’is, Hindus and Parsis alike.

“God is the source of all love. Love God, Love the world as the vesture of God, no more no less. Through Love, you can merge in the ocean of Love. Love cures pettiness, hate and grief. Love loosens bonds; it saves man from the torment of birth and death. Love binds all hearts in the soft silken symphony. Seen through the eyes of Love, all beings are beautiful. If you pay attention to the individual, differences thrust themselves on you. Fix your attention on the Samashti (the collective), All differences vanish. Some among you relish one sweet dish more than another, others may not agree that your favorite dish is the tastiest. But whatever the dish, they are all sweetened by the same substance, Sugar; similarly, all things and all beings are sweetened by the same principle, God. – Divine Discourse at Kampala, East Africa

Seen through the eyes of Love…

During the group meetings, a variety of questions were asked. “If there is a God, why cannot we see Him?” Baba replied, “Why should you seek to see God? You are God. There is nothing that is not He. Experience Him that way.” “How can we be happy always?” Baba said, “Derive joy from within. You are the Atma, the eternal spring of Ananda. Love all; no one will then hate you or envy you.” He said to the doctors: “Jealousy is the professional disease of doctors and lawyers! Be glad when another doctor earns a good reputation or remuneration; honour the affirmations you made at the Convocation where you took your degree.”

As is the Feeling, so is the Result

“When I went there, the devotees of East Africa arranged small aeroplanes. I went round the forest in one such plane. There were thousands of wild elephants in the Kampala forest. It looked as though the entire forest was full of elephants. I had taken bananas with Me and gave one each to some of them. All of them enjoyed eating it. Bisons were also seen in thousands. We saw lions lying on the road here and there. Even when we drove our jeep over their tails, they did not react. Even fierce animals will not harm us if our mind is good. They will attack us only when we try to harm them. When we look at them with love, they also will look at us with love.

Yad Bhavam Tad Bhavati (as is the feeling, so is the result). Our thoughts are the cause of their enmity or trust. As we went forward looking at the animals, we saw fifteen lions lying near the road. Some were suckling their young ones, some others were eating the meat of an animal brought by them. I said to Dr. Patel and others who accompanied Me, “When we do not harm them, they also do not harm us.” Taking a camera from one of those who accompanied Me, I went near the lions and took their photographs. All of them were happy to see Me. You can see, none of the lions did any harm to us. When you approach them with the evil intention of harming or killing them, they will also try to kill you. We should never go to them with such wicked thoughts. In fact, we should not look at any being with evil intentions.” – Excerpt from Swami’s 2007 Easwaramma Day Discourse

Love my Uncertainty

During his physical presence, Bhagavan has been invited umpteen number of times by overseas devotees to visit and bless their countries. Usually, Swami would just smile in reply and leave it at that. At other times, he would say, “I will come.” When devotees pressed and asked, “When Swami? We want to charter planes and start making preparations,” Baba would say enigmatically, “Wait!”

When people grumbled, “Swami, you have told so and so you will visit his country. When exactly would you do so?” He smiled and said, “Do I have to go only by plane?”

Let’s all develop the purity of heart to experience His divine presence within us and around us all the time. Let’s continue to watch the divine drama unfold by our beloved Swami and not get rattled by questions like what, when, where, why etc. May Swami bless us all.