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Kodaikanal Diary 19th May, 2014

Divine Discourse Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

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Below is the transcript of a Divine Discourse given by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba towards the end of His Divine Visit to Kodaikanal in His Light Body from 12-21st May, 2014, a famous hill-station in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Over 100 students and guests accompanied Swami. Every day, He spoke on various topics.

A gentleman was asked to speak before Swami. He was very emotional and could not hold back tears at being in Bhagawan’s Divine Presence.

If you cry in front of children like this, what will they think of you?

Swami did not realise that one week has already passed, because there was so much joy Swami experienced here through all of us.

This morning, Swami was reading some letters which were kept on His table. Swami pulled out one letter. The letter is written in Hindi by a boy.

Priya Sai,

Pehle main pranaam aapke charanon mein anantakoti pranam. Swami,

main vinati karta hoon ki aap hamaare Bidar main teen shaala sthapana

karaayein. Swami, main vada karta hoon ki main is shala main apni seva

karoonga. Mere pas jitni shakti hai, utni seva karoonga. Magar mujhe

Bhagawan jitna shakti diye hain, utna karoonga. Main maan loongi ki

Swami, aap shala sthapana karenge.

Apka priya baccha,

Mahadev

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(Dear Swami,

First, I offer my pranams at Your Feet. Swami, I pray that you establish a school in my Bidar. Swami, I promise that I will serve in this school. I will serve to the maximum of my capacity. However much energy you give me, I will serve to that extent. I presume, Swami, that you will establish the school.

Your Beloved Child,

Mahadev)

Stand up, Mahadev. Where are you? As such you are short. If you sit there, who can see you? This boy did Sai Baba role in one drama, “Cheppinatlu chestaara?” Swami’s Telugu drama. In Kannada they have done that. He has acted like young Sai Baba.

Yesterday Swami asked, “Should I set up a school in Bidar? Will you like?” And today you write the letter saying, “I promise, Swami. Please set up this school. I am already assuming that you are setting up this school. There is no request here. I will work!” (Applause)

Bhagawan called Narasimhamurthy in the morning and said, “See there is one boy requesting for a PU College in Bidar. What shall we do? Should we make a school there, or should we make a PU College?”

Narasimhamurthy submitted to Swami, “There are a lot of schools coming up in North Karnataka. In Gulbarga, Bijapur, Bagalkot, and we are even going to have one in Belgaum. Then, it is better if we have a PU College in Bidar.”

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Today, Swami declares that in three years time, Swami will start a PU College also in Bidar. (Loud applause)

(To the boy who wrote the letter, Mahadev) You study well and come back to Bidar. That is your own home-town, and serve in the institution. Are you happy? Ok, sit down.

God is always willing to shower His Grace on everybody, but somebody has to pray for it. He needs only an excuse – a karanam – that is, one reason for somebody, a pure-hearted person to pray. The moment that prayer happens, immediately God is there and all His assisting Gods, Goddesses, and Angels are there to come and execute the tasks.

You children, you might think that you are ordinary children – saamaanya purushulu – ordinary men. That is because you only know so much about yourself. You are not saamaanya purushas, you are shuddha purushulu. You are all attained or yogi purushas. Not ordinary boys. You are all yogis. Many of you have written, I have done nothing, Swami. Why are you showering so much of Grace on me? Such letters, a lot of children have written. If I were to tell you very briefly what you have done in the past, it will take one year for Me to narrate each person’s life.

In the Treta Yuga, when Lord Rama was on a mission to rescue Mother Sita from the clutches of the Demon-King Ravana, He was helpless because He had no army, no weapons, no chariot, no kingdom. He and Lakshmana were two ordinary men walking, searching for Mother Sita in the forest. He met Sugriva. He conquered Vali.

Finally, Sugriva offered His whole army for Lord Rama’s mission of rescuing Mother Sita. But the army was not enough. The number of soldiers in Lanka was more than one lakh (100,000), whereas Sugriva’s army only had 6,000 monkeys.

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There was no way Sugriva’s army could have fought such a battle, that too so fierce, because the demons had a lot of weapons. They also had a fort from where they could fight. Rama was not even having a chariot, not even having proper shoes to walk on that rough terrain.

They had to build a bridge to reach Lanka because they did not have any airplanes to fly across. All these efforts had to be put in. It was not easy.

Then, Rama called Sugriva and told, “I cannot manage with 6,000 monkeys. We don’t have weapons. We don’t have armour. We don’t have chariots. How can we fight such a big army of Ravana?”

Sugriva said, “Rama if you command, I will go across the country, talk to all the Monkey Kings and I will collect all the monkeys possible in the country and bring them to Your Feet.”

Rama said, “Yes, while some monkeys build the bridge, you go around the country and collect as many monkey soldiers as possible.”

So Sugriva, jumping from one tree to the other, went all the way to the Himalayas and came back, to collect monkeys. How many monkeys came, do you know? It was not 50. Not 600. Not 6,000. But 60,000 monkeys came from all around the country to the shores of India.

And do you know how they fought? They did not have any weapons. So they collected a lot of stones and a lot of sticks. One monkey would throw the stones, the other would hit with the sticks. That was the war strategy. Two monkeys would attack one rakshasa. That is how they fought. One would hit would the stone. The other would hit with the stick, on the head. This is the way the monkeys fought, because there were no weapons.

Every evening, hundreds of monkeys would die because they would be slaughtered by the weapons of the rakshasas.

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And every evening, Lord Rama would walk, after the fierce battle of the tiring day. There was a rule of the battle, that when the sun set, you had to stop the fight for that day. When the sun rose, the fight would start again. No lunch, no tea, no coffee, no tiffin. You had to keep fighting till the end of the day.

So then, Lord Rama would walk and all the monkeys who were dead on the shores of the sea, He would bless them personally by touching their heads with His hand, and those monkeys that had any life left, they would tell Rama, “We could not win the battle for you, but give us another opportunity so that we can fight again and win for you.” And they would pass away. Then other monkeys would carry them and bury them. That is how the war was fought.

Though the monkeys were small, only 2-3 feet tall – the rakshasas were 8-9 feet tall, sometimes even 12 feet tall. They were huge! That is how they fought the war. The rest is history, how Lord Rama won over the Kingdom of Lanka. He offered His badge to Vibhishana and did not rule over that Kingdom. This is the gratitude that Lord Rama carried in His heart. Avatar after avatar after avatar.

Rama was an adarsha purusha. He was the ideal example of a man. Your relationship with Swami goes back to those days with Rama. However, some of you are still remaining monkeys only. That is why you keep jumping all around. I keep watching from above. Today, like monkeys, they were all sitting on the garden there, eating their food. They did not sit on tables and chairs like humans. So Swami got reminded of those days when these monkeys would hang around in the jungle, on the beach, and they would be eating their meals for the day. The only thing is that, now they know how to wear pant and shirt. And the tail has disappeared! (Laughter)

When the Lord has so much of gratitude for His devotees, for His sevakas, His servants, how much gratitude should servants have for having got this opportunity to serve the Lord?

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They can see Bhagawan and they know His presence in His place. And a lot of beings are there in the sky of Kodaikanal. One with an antara-drishti, with inner vision, can actually feel the presence of these Beings and even see them, if need be.

Once, Kasturi asked Swami, “Swami you are here. It must be very lonely in Kailasa and Vaikuntha.”

Swami said, “No, where I am, that is where Kailasa is! That is where Vaikuntha is!” And Swami said, “Andaro ikkade unnaru – All are right here. In the sky, all are there.”

If you meditate and you develop that inner vision, the third eye, you will be able to see beyond the physical. Then you will be able to see.

Like all the science students now. There is visible light. There is a frequency, a wavelength which is visible to us. There is light below and above this range, which a common eye like ours cannot see. Not only light. Take sound. There is a range within which we can hear. Anything more than that range or below that range is inaudible to human ears. Because our ears and eyes are tuned to only a certain range of wavelengths or frequencies. But it does not mean there is nothing existing below or beyond this range. Your limitation is only so much. The yogis, by the power of their yoga, their meditation, developed the capability to see what is not seen and to hear what you cannot ordinarily hear. That is why these people quickly understand the presence of other creatures.

All are there. Gods are there. Demi-gods are there. Even sub-demi-gods are there. There are servants of these Gods also who are there. These are all like departments in a company. There is a water department, electricity department, fire department. There is a department for land and a revenue department. Likewise, in God’s mechanism also, these many departments are there. There is a God for rain. There is a God for sun. There is a God for water.

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There is a God for air. There is a God for Earth. There is a God for life. There is a God for death, for crops, for health, for wealth, for education. All these are various kinds of Gods that are there, and each God or Goddess does His or Her job accordingly.

All are here right now, in this holy atmosphere, and if one meditates deeply, one can feel the presence of all of them.

Why I am telling all this is, to let you know that what is seen alone is not real. What is not seen is more real than what is seen. The world which is not seen is far, far, far bigger than the world that is seen.

You are sitting in this room. You cannot see beyond the walls of this room. That is the world that you are living in. Once, either the wall is broken, or you can walk to the other room, that is when you can see what is in the other room. The difference between you and Swami is, He is sitting in the other room. You have to open the door, walk into the other room to see what Swami is doing. This door is the door of the mind. If you look inward and if you meditate, this door opens. Once it opens, you can see the inner world, which is far bigger.

Many people have taken to the path of meditation and they have experienced such things in their life. They have seen Gods, Goddesses. They have seen demons. They have seen Angels. They have seen a lot of other Divine Beings in various places. Otherwise, you tell me, why would somebody worship a stone Ganesha, a stone idol, if there is no Ganesha in it? Why would somebody offer a sari to a Goddess in a temple, if there is no Goddess to accept the sari? Why would we feed milk to a stone snake if there is no snake inside the stone?

All these offerings, all these things finally reach God in another way. We do yagna, that is, we do fire oblation. Fire is like a postman. Whatever we put into the fire, it converts it into energy and takes it to the Being to which it is being delivered.

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That is why mantras are very important. Each mantra is like a postal address, written to that particular God. So we have a separate mantra for Ganapathi, separate for Shiva, separate for Durga or Saraswati. That is how all poojas are performed, so that it reaches the right person.

Suppose you have a problem of water at home. Would you write to the water department or the electricity department? If you write to the electricity department, your problem will not get solved.

Likewise, if you want to pray for your buddhi, you have to pray to Ganapathi. If you pray for shakthi, you have to pray to Shiva. So this is the way these various Gods have been prayed to for various works.

You know who is the boss of this company? I, in my Divine Form. I am the Boss of this whole company. (Applause)

Next year again, Bhagawan will come to Kodaikanal. Swami expects all of us to go back to make others feel they also should be ideal boys like these, so that they also get an opportunity to come to Kodaikanal with Bhagawan. Now, we may go away to our respective campuses, but always have this firm faith that Swami is in you, above you, around you, and within you. He is only one call away. If we call sincerely, from the depths of our heart, He will make Himself available the very next moment. That experience you must develop before you come back again to Swami. Talk to Swami. Pray to Swami. Write to Swami. Whatever you do, it will reach Swami, if it is done with a pure heart. Purity is the greatest wealth that one human can ever develop. Any questions are there?

Student: Swami, suppose telling a lie makes one’s situation better. What should we do then?

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Swami: I will answer this with a story. There was a king who was known for his ill-temper. If anybody told him anything that did not please him, he would behead that person then and there. The king got a son, a new-born baby, and a lot of astrologers were called to tell about the future of this baby. Many astrologers came, and one such came and said, “O King! Your son has a very short life.” And what did the king do? He cut of his head. He said, “You are giving me such ill news!”

Another astrologer came. He had heard about this king’s ill-temper. He said, “O King! You have got a great son. Because he has brought you good fortune, you will live longer than your son.” And the King gave him gifts and awards.

You should not tell a lie. Telling a lie is definitely a sin, because Truth is the only dharma. Telling lies is adharma. But tell the truth in a way that will not hurt others. Do not tell a lie. God has given you a head to think. Head of Shankara. Use that intelligence to answer in a way that it should not be a lie.

Once a person called a priest. “Can I smoke while I am praying?” The priest said, “You are wrong. You should not do this. Such a thing is a crime,” and sent him off. The other person came and asked, “Can I pray while smoking?” “Definitely! You can do that.” Both mean the same, but the way you say it, it depends on that. So remember, never tell a lie. Tell the truth, even if it is bitter. But tell in a way that will not hurt others.

A lot of teachers will tell the student, “You are very poor. You are poor in studies.” That is not the way. They should tell, “I think you can do much better than what you are doing right now. I see that potential in you. If you work hard, you definitely can do better.” That will give the student the courage to study. Saying that, “You are wrong! You are wrong!” is negative. Negative thoughts should not be developed at all.

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Negative thoughts are like parasites. They will sit on you, they will drink your blood, and they will become stronger and stronger, and you will become weak.

Remember, you are strong. You are daiva putras. You are born out of the Divine. You are God’s children. So there cannot be anything negative in you. That is what Swami Vivekananda always said, “Be strong! Be strong!” Never bring any negative thoughts. Negative thoughts are very dangerous. Even if you seal all the windows and doors, and leave a one inch gap in the main door, mosquitoes will enter. What is the point of sealing all the doors and leaving a small gap somewhere? Seal it fully. Let no negative thoughts ever enter your mind. Always think positive. If you lose something, you must think like this, “I have to work harder. That is the lesson I have learned. It is not that I am incapable.” If you see your brothers winning, you should feel happy that they are your brothers and they have won, or they have scored better than you. You should not develop jealousy. Always replace all negative thoughts with positive thoughts, because there is only positivity in Divinity. Negativity is demonic.

Student: Swami, how can we detach ourselves from worldly desires?

Swami: What worldly desire do you have? At such a small age, what worldly desire do you have?

Student: We get attracted to everything, Swami. Like, sometimes while doing bhajans, if you see something outside, you will get attracted to that.

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Swami: Life is like a vessel. You can only fill so much of water in it. Suppose you fill that with water, there is no place for milk. If you fill it with milk, there is no place for water. The more the world gets in, the lesser the place for God. The more God gets in, the less will be the place for the world. It is a limited-capacity vessel. Attachment to all other things come because of fickleness of mind. Mind has the habit of running outwards. It doesn’t want to go inwards. It is like a little child. The more you tell it to sit inside the house, the more it wants to get out of the house.

There was a small child that was making a lot of noise in that corner. How much ever the mother was telling, he was not willing to sit inside. He wanted to run outside. This is the nature of the mind.

One can learn to detach oneself by training the mind. In one day, nobody learned to how to walk, how to talk, how to ride a bicycle, how to cook food, how to read a book, or how to drive a car. All these things have been learned over a period of time. The idea is to be careful. The moment you get a destructive thought, watch yourself.

That is why Swami gave you all watches. It is not for seeing the time. It is to remind that every moment, you have to watch your words, actions, thoughts, character, and heart. What you are thinking, what you are saying, what you are feeling, what you are doing, where you are going – all these have to be watched all the time. The moment you watch that the child is running out of the house, you have to catch the child and bring him back inside the house. If you don’t watch, the child will run and disappear in the forest. So, being watchful of your thoughts is the way to get your mind back to what you want to do. You have to practice.

Devotee: Swami, my pranams at Your feet. You put this question in my subconscious ever since I was in school.

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Swami, there are billions of people, some who belong to the Islamic sect, some who belong to the Jewish sect, some who belong to the Christianity sect, some to the Parsi sect, and other religions that we don’t even know about.

Swami, there are people around the Kaaba. Swami, there are people who are serving the Kaaba. There are people serving in the Holy Land in Israel. There are people who are all around the shrines of Zoroashtrianism as well.

There are people who staunchly do namaaz prayers, who leave work and go and pray their namaaz no matter how important their work is. I know so many friends who are Muslim who take 40 days every year no matter how big their business and serve in going and doing jamaat, Swami. You have promised in the Koran that whoever reads the Kalma will be free from the bondage of life.

Swami, they are very devout too, but you have chosen these 150 people in this room, Swami to show your Omnipresent Self. There is not a dilemma. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for personally inviting my wife and me. We don’t know what we have done to deserve this Grace, and we hope this Grace remains on us. But can you throw light on this situation, as to all those beautiful people who have also served you. How come they are not here, at Your Lotus Feet, Swami?

Swami: Have you seen fish? Have you seen the Ganges? There are fish in the Ganges. But do they attain moksha? There are mosquitoes who might even bite Swami, by drinking Swami’s own blood. Do they attain moksha? Do cockroaches inside Swami’s room, who are always in the presence of Swami – do they attain moksha? No, no. In Kodaikanal, there are a lot of insects that enter Swami’s room, but do they attain moksha? No, no.

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There was once a big businessman, who was very, very devoted to Lord Shiva. Every Shivarathri, he would go to Kashi and do all the poojas to all the Shivalingas available in the whole area of Kashi. Then he would go and take a bath in the Holy River, and then come back. After he went back, again he would go and do the same business. He would cheat people. He would lend and borrow money. He would charge a lot of interest, which is unethical, and if not, he would pick up their household items and things like that. And every Shivarathri, he would come back again to Lord Shiva to wash his sins in the Holy River.

One day, after many, many years also, he was not able to get rid of his greed for money. He was thinking, despite so many holy baths, so much worship, so many hours, why was he not able to do that? He was feeling very bad. He was crying and praying to the Lord. The Lord appeared to him in his house. The Lord said, “What is it that is troubling you so much? Why are you criying?”

He said, “Lord, I am going every Shivarathri to Kashi and worshipping you as Vishwanatha. I am bathing in the Holy River. I am doing everything possible. Why is it that I am not able to get rid of this greed, and why is it that I am not experiencing joy?” The Lord said, “The problem is that, whenever you plan to start for Kashi, the greed inside of you stays back in your office. You go bathe and come back. Once you come back, the greed again enters you. It is like a ghost, which sits here in the office, and when you come back, it again enters you.”

Such kind of worship, which is not purifying the evil qualities in us, doing it for 40 days or 400 days or 40 years is also not going to help. Every moment should be worship to Lord Shiva. Every moment should be offered to Lord Shiva. Not many have the purity of heart. They might have a pure, bright body outside, but they don’t have the inside very pure.

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Ask all these people being devoted, what are they praying to the Lord for? They are praying to the Lord that their business should grow. They are praying to the Lord that they should get children and grand-children. They are praying to the Lord that their families should be wealthy and prosperous. They are praying to the Lord that they should become ministers and prime ministers and presidents. Such people will never experience this joy of Divine sannidhi (proximity0, because their prayers are directed towards a particular goal.

In the Bhagawad Gita, there are four types of devotees that come to the Lord. Aarthis, that is, those who are coming for a cure, physical or mental ailment, they want it to be cured. Out of pain, they come to the Lord to cure them. A lot of devotees have come to Bhagawan like this. Why go beyond that?

Then there are arthaarthis. These are the people who want wealth or prosperity. For that sake, they come to the Lord. Many have come to Bhagawan for that, and Bhagawan has also blessed them for their prayers.

Then there are jigyaasus, who want to know the ultimate Truth. What is behind the maya of the world? What is behind the curtain? They want to come to the Lord so that He parts the curtains and shows them what the Reality is. They don’t come for pains and wealth and other such motivations.

Finally, there are people who are gyaanis, who know that the Lord is all compassionate, who is all Divine, who is all Love. They only come to enjoy that Divinity, that Love, that compassion of the Lord. They only come to experience the Lord’s Love. They have nothing to expect or give.

Knowingly or unknowingly, most of you are in that 4th category of people who have come only to experience the Love of the Lord, and have no ulterior motives or desires behind your coming here.

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That is what you all are here. I have no other qualification for any devotee. But I bless all the four categories because the one who gets 20 marks in the exam, now he will get 40. The one who gets 40 marks, may get 60. The one who gets 60, may get 80. And the one who is getting 80, may get 100. They are all at different levels of their evolution. But all are my children. I have equal compassion for all. It is just that they are still lagging behind, and Swami is slowly moving them forward.

If a child is hungry and you tell him to study mathematics, do you think the child will study mathematics? First, you feed him, give him what he requires. Once he is satisfied, only then will he study.

For example, yesterday it became dinner time. A lot of children were hungry. Nobody was listening to Umesh Rao’s speech. He said, for them, food is important. So I give food to them. For some, family is important, so I give family to them. For some, business is important, I give business to them. For some people, only I am important, so I give Myself to them. You have to be in that fourth category, who only come for Myself. You all have come for Swami, and that is why you all are here.

Out of millions of people, only one or two develop such kind of desires. So it is not a surprise that out of how many ever crores of people on Earth, only 150 are here in this bungalow. (Applause)

Swami: Any more question?

Student: Swami, as it was said in the Bhagawad Gita,

yatra yogesvarah krsno, yatra partho dhanur-dharah

tatra srir vijayo bhutir, dhruva nitir matir mama

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(Meaning: Wherever there is Krsna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence,

victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion. Bhagawad Gita, Chapter 18, Verse 78)

Dear Swami, You are with us as Sai Krishna, but still we are failing. What does it mean, “Dhanur dharah”?

Swami: Partha’s duty was to fight the war. If he would not have picked up his bow and fought the war, he would have failed in his duty. As a student, your duty is to study well, behave well, be disciplined, be humble, and be ideal. If you do your duty, I am always with you to give you success. As a teacher, your teacher is to teach well, to behave in an ideal way, to be compassionate, to be loving, and impartial to all the students. Then, I am there with you also to give you success. For people running business, their duty is to run it in an ethical way, in a moral way, without breaking the laws, without hurting the interests of others. If they run businesses like this, then I am there with them too. There is a singer. His job is to sing in a way that pleases the one who hears, and sing with all his capacity and all his ability. If he does that, I am with him. In this way, there are doctors, engineers, teachers, students, drivers, cooks, gardeners, security. All of them, if they do their duty well, I am there with all of them. The problem starts when you don’t do your duty well. That is when there is no success.

Even the sunlight is there. If you don’t open the doors and windows, your room will remain dark, and slowly, cockroaches, mosquitoes, scorpions and snakes will enter there and make it their permanent dwelling.

So, if you do your duty and open yourself to the Grace of the Lord, obviously there will be success.

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As Swami explained a while earlier, the essence of the whole Bhagawad Gita, is mama dharma (my dharma), the first and the last shloka. If you do your duty, the Lord will be with you, and success will definitely happen, there is no doubt about it. Arjuna only represents a person who fails to perform his duty out of attachment for the world, attachment for himself. That is when the Lord comes and reminds him, through the Bhagawad Gita, that he must do his duty. Only then, will I be there with you to grant you success in your endeavours. That is the essence of this shloka.

Devotee: (Very emotionally) Swami, I have a deep prayer in my heart before I ask this question. We have experienced your Divinity, Love and Bliss when you were in body, and you have left the body. We have given a lot of messages, 180 messages, and a lot more messages through many books. These messages will help those people who haven’t seen your body and experienced your Divinity. Can you give us an opportunity to take these messages to relevant schools and colleges by reading them out day in and day out?

Swami: I have only one message: the message of Love. Reading out messages can help you, but it is like allopathy. It will have a temporary cure. The permanent cure is, I have given this opportunity to you to be a teacher, a warden, a caretaker of my students, my institutions. If you rather pass on My Love through you to all My children, you would be spreading this message of Mine much more efficiently. That is more like homeopathy, which will take time, but will cure you completely. Don’t try to apply these bandages and balms. Look for the real reason for the sadness, for the grief. The real reason is lack of Love in the hearts of people. You develop this Love and give that Love to others, and the world will believe that I have not gone anywhere.

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I am living through you, through the Love you are giving to all that come across you. That is My more important message.

Whatever you want, you can definitely read out to others. But more important is that you have to live My message of Love, and let you be a channel of My Love to reach out to My students. I am the tank. You are the tap. If you don’t deliver pure water in the tap, in the same form to My students, then My students will go thirsty, and they might think that the tank is empty. No. The tank is always full. The tap is faulty. So, you become My messenger of Love, and not messenger of books. Books people can read, but Love people can feel. Go to Bagalkot and serve there with all My Love. Give it to all the children who have not experienced Me.

It is the greatest responsibility of all those who have seen Me and experienced Me while I was in the body, that the same Love and experience they must spread to the others, through their own life. This is a great responsibility that we must all decide to shoulder, and that is all Bhagawan expects – to live the Message, not talk the Message.

Professor: Swami, in two days time, I will be back in Prasanthi Nilayam, and obviously my coming to Kodaikanal will no longer be a secret.

There will be a lot of questions from my students, colleagues, friends, and family, as to what I have experienced here. I seek your advice in this regard, Swami.

Swami: Tell fearlessly what you have experienced. If there is a mistake, only then there has to be fear. There is no mistake, so there is no scope for fear. Tell what your heart has witnessed. For those who ask sincerely, ask with feeling, let them know that there is a way to experience Swami still, and that is through the path of humility and open-mindedness.

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If somebody is humble and broad-minded, definitely he will understand. There is no point in chanting Vedas to buffaloes. They will not understand anything. Teach them to those who will understand. For the others, silence is the best answer.

Devotee: Swami, every Avatar has some purpose. Sathya Sai Baba, when He was in physical form, there was a purpose, and it was to spread Love, and we all have experienced that Love. There are questions in our mind, that in this Form, what is Swami’s purpose?

Swami: The purpose that was there, whether I was in body or not the body is just the same. It has not changed. Whether I was Rama or Krishna, Allah, Jesus, Buddha, the purpose has always remained the same. I have come for transformation of the human heart, and that I continue to do. If there were circumstances in which I could have stayed in the physical body, I would have continued to do the same things. There would not have been any change.

Unfortunately, for loka kalyana, for the benefit of the world, Swami underwent a lot of trouble. There is a law of karma, like the rules of a game. For example, in a cricket game, one has to stay inside a line to hit a ball. If he crosses the line, he can get out. Similarly, there is a race. Till the whistle is blown, nobody should start. In a traffic signal, when it is red, all vehicles must stop.

There is a rule to everything. Otherwise, there will be chaos. The rule of the Universe, which is bound by time, space and circumstances, is the law of karma. Every action has a reaction. Whatever you think, you say, you do, there is a resound, reflection and reaction to it.

Out of My compassion, a lot of the karma of these devotees, I took upon Myself.

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Every time you write to Me saying, “Swami cure me of this, save me from that,” all these what you had to suffer, somebody in the Universe has to suffer. That is what I underwent, which made Me give away that old car much sooner than I desired. However, I continue in this new car towards the same destination for which I had started, right since the beginning of time. The destination is the transformation of human into Divine. Don’t ever think it is only opening educational institutions under the name Sathya Sai, or opening medical facilities under the name Sathya Sai, or giving drinking water only under the name Sathya Sai.

All good work is God’s work. I am not bothered by name or fame. Sathya Sai is not important for Me. Even hospitals, schools, water projects, Narayana Seva, bhajans, all are not important to Me. If after doing all these things, there is no transformation, it is of no use to Me. I am creating these opportunities for my students, teachers, doctors, nurses, engineers, and all the others, lawyers, only because they will think more of the others by participating in these works, and think less of themselves. When they become less, less, less of self, they will become selfless one day, and they will become Divine. That is why I am creating these opportunities.

Think of it. If there was no Kodaikanal trip, would you have spent seven days thinking only about the Lord? Thinking only about these good things? You would have lived your life in the ordinary fashion, as you were living earlier. I create these opportunities only for transformation. It is not to favour somebody or to disrepute somebody else.

It is not that I like some children and I don’t like the others. It is just an opportunity created, which helps you participate in service, which make you selfless. Love lives by giving and forgiving. Self lives by getting and forgetting. Swami wants you to become selfless so that your heart is full of Love.

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Just now I told the teacher, your greater responsibility is to give Swami’s message. Swami’s message should become your life and then you should spread it.

Student: Swami, how can I control my mind and ego?

Swami: What is your age?

Student: 14, Swami.

Swami: Ego is a feeling of ‘I’. There are three stage of ego: Small ‘I’ is the body. Medium ‘I’ is the mind. And the greatest ‘I’, that is the ‘Divine I’, is the Divinity or Self. This is what has been called Dwaita, Vishishtadwaita, and Adwaita - dualism, special non-dualism, and non-dualism. You tell where you don’t understand, okay?

There is a factory owner. He has a factory which has a machine which produces plastic cups, for instance. If you are an employee of the factory and the owner is different, then you are an employee and there is an owner. So there are two people. Now, suppose you are the son of the factory owner. Then you know that the factory will come to you. You are a part of the factory owner. And finally, if you only are the owner of the factory, then there are no two things. You are the only one.

The best way to get rid of ego is, start thinking that you are the servant of the Lord, that is, the employee of the Lord.

Everything that has been given to you has been given by the Lord and you are here only to use it in a dharmic way, without hurting anybody, helping always, and all these good things.

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Slowly, you should develop a feeling that, “I am not just an employee of the Lord. I am His son. He is my father. Therefore, it is my duty to look after His factory.” Then, the ego will become special, that is, from more human, you will become more Divine. Finally, one day you will realise that you and your Father are One. You are only Divine. It takes time.

The best way to get rid of your ego is to think that you are the servant of God. Everything that you have been given - education, mind, body, every breath has been given by Swami. That is what Hanuman said, “When I think I am the body, then I am only a servant of the Lord.” So He remained humble. “When I am a jiva, that is, a part of You, then I feel I have come from you. I am a part of you.” And finally, He says, “When I think I am Atma, then you and I are just the same.” It is different stages.

For you, at your age, the best thing to do is, either assume, “I am a servant of the Lord,” or still better, “I am the son of Swami.” So if my Father is like this, I cannot be different from my Father. If my Father is Love, I also should develop Love. If my Father is all positivity, I also should develop positivity. If there is anything negative coming in you, then it is unbecoming of you, as a son of Swami. So you should just avoid that. This will help you get rid of your ego, eventually.

Swami: Em Subbulakshmi? Neeku leda, doubts? You don’t have any more doubts? He has only one doubt. How to say, “No,” when he looks at sweets.

Subbulakshmi: It is a genuine doubt, Swami, because I have promised that before your birthday, I will reduce my weight. I can’t control my hunger, Swami. (Laughter) I am being honest, Swami. I cannot control my hunger.

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I need guidance from You so that I follow your command, that’s a simple command, and reach my ideal weight, Swami. What do I need to do?

Swami: There is nothing wrong in being hungry. You are supposed to become hungry. If you are not hungry, then there is a problem. If you have a body, it has to be fed. A car has to be filled with petrol, otherwise it will not move. Hunger is not a problem. Desire is a problem. Hunger is in the stomach but desire is in the mind.

Eat what does not cause you to put on too much of weight. Each satwik food. If you eat satwik food, it will help you. This rajasik food is the trouble. In small age, like these children, it is okay to eat rajasik food, because the body requires a lot of energy, as it is growing. But after a certain age, the body stops growing. It stops growing vertically and it starts growing horizontally. It doesn’t go up, it only goes sideways. So then, you should not feed it with these rajasik foods. With age, you have to change your diet. An old man cannot keep eating ice cream, chocolate and all these kind of spicy things. The body will not support. Children are allowed.

(To the children) You don’t go and start eating satwik foods. But as you grow up, you have to exercise caution. It is also to do with disciplining your mind and Ceiling on Desires, which is what will help you ultimately to give up all attachments. This is just a small test and you are going on failing in it.

Eat what is satwik. That will help you. Don’t eat all kinds of rajasik stuff. Next to you there is one yoga guru sitting. You should learn from him. (Laughter) What is your age, sir? What is your weight? His age is 66, but weight is only 56, because of satwik lifestyle. You don’t eat too much of all kinds of things. Maintain a discipline.

Swami: Ramgopal, neeku em doubt leda? You don’t have any doubts?

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Ramgopal: Doubts em raledu, Swami. Swami ninchi nerchkondanu. (I don’t have any doubts, Swami. I learned from you.)

Swami: Because he reads a lot of books, he already knows everything that Swami has spoken. What Swami had spoken, the same thing Swami is speaking. There is nothing new in it. Many people who have lived with Swami earlier, we easily understand that there is nothing new that Swami speaks. What He has already said, the same thing Swami repeats. I am the same teacher. The students are different, so I have to repeat the lesson again and again.

Student: Swami, many times when we come to service, we feel, “I should do it and not he.” I have a doubt. Is this selfishness? Is it good to have that selfishness for God?

Swami: There is no selfishness when it comes to God because, “One can own God and others cannot own it,” such a thing does not exist. God is there in equal measure for everybody to experience. He is like a river that is flowing. You can only have so much of water, as big as your vessel. If your vessel is small, you will have less. If your vessel is big, you can collect more. It has nothing to do with the size of the river. Not one single person can have all of God for Himself, because nobody can take away all the Divinity for one’s own self. You can’t afford to become selfish in that way.

When it comes to service, yes, you should be the first to grab the chance to serve, and not wait for the others to follow. But if you see that another brother wants to do the service, the greater selflessness would be to get that joy of doing the service, and you derive the joy out of seeing the joy of your brother. That is a better attitude. (Applause)

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But then, I know some students will take it in the other way. They will say, “You only go and serve.” And they will sit peacefully. That is wrong. You should be willing to serve. But if there is anybody else wanting to do it, you should have the heart to allow him to allow the service, and you take up some other service. There is no dearth of service.

Swami: Tigrett, you have no doubts?

Tigrett: No.

Swami: Good, Tigrett. So many years he has been with Swami, that all doubts have been cleared. Very happy.

If you have any doubts ever, and it is coming as an obstruction in your understanding or in your growth, you should fearlessly write to Swami. In some way or the other, Swami will come and clear your doubt - through a friend, through a teacher, through Swami Himself, through a book, through Narasimhamurthy, or anybody. If you have a doubt, don’t let that doubt lie like this in the mind.

These are the foundation years of your life. If the foundations are weak because of doubts, how can the building be strong? Clear all your doubts. Have a firm, strong foundation on which you can build as much as you want. At this age, at this juncture, do not keep any weak or stumbling stones in the foundation because of doubts. Let it be perfect, so that whatever you build on it, it will last forever.

Swami has enjoyed this trip to Kodaikanal. It has given Him so much of joy to see all the children, teachers, and all His beloved devotees so close to him, because now it is very difficult for people to understand and experience this.

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Only those who have great love for Swami and great humility, only they have this opportunity to experience these things. Protect these feelings in your heart as you protect a candle in the wind. It can go away any time because the breeze is so strong. So be very careful to preserve this feeling in your heart and carry it wherever you go, and spread this light of the candle to all the dark corners of the world. This is My blessing and message.

We will go group-wise. All of you should assemble there. Whatever the groups have been decided, we will take photographs, so that we can keep it with us as a memory of this wonderful Kodaikanal trip.

Every single session, the first question Swami has asked is, “Did the boys eat? Are they happy with the food?” Every single session, He has asked the food to be tasted, and only after the elders were convinced that it should be given to the boys, did He say, “Boys should be given.”

Swami has taken every single precaution. He has asked, “How are they sleeping? Is there enough space for them? Are they feeling cold? Do they have hot water to bathe? Are they having enough space to sleep and keep their things?” and kept on feeling bad that He has not been able to provide enough for His students, and they have had a very, very tough time staying in Kodaikanal. (Students all respond, “No! Swami.”)

I know. You are saying like this because you are all very good children. You don’t want to complain.

Next year, so that things are much smoother, we will bring the Dining Hall right next to this building where all of you can eat together, and you don’t need to sit like monkeys on the fence. Because, seeing you, real monkeys have come in! They will take away your plates.

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As soon as possible, Bhagawan will build small, small cottages right outside this bungalow so that you all don’t have to stay in those unhealthy, negative places, because a lot of people stay outside. It is not a good vibration there. It is not a good thing to stay outside. If you stay near Swami, you all will be very happy. It will be a positive place, and you all will be protected.

All will not get the opportunity to come back again. Asking only for yourself will be selfish. So take it that this was an opportunity given to you. Keep it in your heart. Preserve it. Next year, Swami will give opportunity to some other boys, because they also should experience and become better. But you can go and share this joy and all the lessons that you have learned with your friends. It should not happen that all that you hear from this ear comes out of the other ear by the time you go to your campuses. It should go into your heart and stay there. Digest it.

We will start the photo session. Batch by batch.