Sri Sathya Sai International Organization

Austere spiritual practice (tapas) does not mean going to the forest or standing upside down and doing some meditation or the other. Keep your word, adhere to truth, show gratitude where due and stay firm in your self-confidence. These are the true qualities of a good individual. If you adhere to these tenets, you will easily overcome any obstacle that may come your way.

The Universe is permeated by the Divine, say the Upanishads. The Lord resides in every living entity. When man respects his human character and realizes his obligation to discover his divine nature, the divine in him will manifest itself. Experience of the Divine must be sought in the company of good people.

The Universe is the manifestation of God. Divinity, subtle and invisible, exists in every human being. Association with good people and spiritual discipline (sadhana) are essential for discovering the Divinity that is latent in the individual.

Only the divine is present with you, in and around you before your birth and throughout your life's journey. Bear in mind this basic and permanent truth. Birth and death relate only to the body and not to the Atma (Spirit). Temples may go up or decay, but God is unchanging and imperishable. The eternal divine is dwelling in the temple of the human body.

Whatever activities you may undertake, you must constantly contemplate the "Soham" mantra, which reminds you of your innate divinity with each inhaling and exhaling process. The same principle has been explained in the great aphorism "Aham Brahmasmi" (I am Brahman) in the Vedas. From the time you get up from your bed till you go to sleep, you must constantly remind yourself that you are verily Brahman and not merely a human being made up of the five elements.

Everything in this world is susceptible to change. It appears to be unchanging, but it is not true. God is the only changeless principle. Therefore, we must install such a changeless and eternal God in the altar of our sacred hearts and offer our love to Him. Thereby, we can experience bliss. That is the foremost duty of a human being.

The divine permeates the cosmos, but this can be realized only when one is filled with love. As long as one is full of hatred, the world will appear as a hate-filled world. Only when you develop love can the dualism of good and evil be transcended and the joy of oneness with the divine will be experienced.

One who is attached to the body can never experience a formless, incorporeal God. One can recognize the transcendental divine only when one gets rid of the body consciousness. Hence, as long as one is attached to the body, one must adore God physically.

The Divine comes as Avatar to proclaim the pure, unsullied, and unselfish love of devotees toward God. People may consider that the Avatar's activities include punishment of the wicked, protection of the good, weeding out of unrighteousness and restoration of righteousness. This is how they may look at the Avatar's doings. But that is not the way the Lord sees things. There is nothing bad in God's view. Hence there should be no hatred or ill-will toward any being. It is only when you love all, that you can be said to love God.

The concept of total surrender is related to Self-realization (oneness with the divine). God, in fact, dwells in every human being as the Atma (Spirit). The body is the sacred abode of the Atma. Hence, the scriptures declare - "The body is the temple of God in which the individual Spirit dwells as the Ancient One."

With a mountain of desires in their heart, a devotee offers a petty coconut to the Lord! This is not the way to pray to the Lord. This is not devotion. This is not Love. To seek a favor is not prayer at all. Only a selfless person can engage in service to society. Only such a person is entitled to serve God. The first prerequisite is the spirit of sacrifice, which can be developed only through love. A person filled with love is ready to make any sacrifice.

It is essential to please God and win His grace by regarding Him as a friend and not indulging in excessive praise. For this, supreme love is the primary means. This love should be firm and unchanging, unaffected by trials and tribulations and the ups and downs

The supreme primal energy (Shakti) manifests as Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. Durga grants us energy - physical, mental, and spiritual. Lakshmi bestows on us all forms of wealth - not just money but intellectual wealth, the wealth of character, and others. Even health is a kind of wealth. She grants untold riches to us. And Saraswati bestows intelligence, the capacity for intellectual inquiry, and the power of discrimination on us. The festival of nine sacred nights (Navaratri) is celebrated to proclaim the power of the goddesses to the world. One's mother is the combination of all these divine beings. She provides us with energy, wealth, and intelligence. She constantly desires our advancement in life. So, she represents all the three goddesses we worship during the Navaratri festival.

Love should be free from feelings of expectation of any return or reward. Love which arises out of a desire for something in return is not true love. Utterly selfless and motiveless love should be developed. This is the duty of mankind. You should not pray to God seeking favors. No one can know what immensely precious and magnificent treasures lie in the treasure-house of divine grace.