Adhere To Truth: Realize Divinity Within

1. Adhere To Truth: Realize Divinity Within

2. Truth – Life sustaining energy • Factual Truth vs Eternal Truth: Factual truth is true at a given time whereas eternal truth remains true at all points of time • You are three people in one. • 1. The one that you think you are at the physical (body) plane • 2. the one others think you are (mind); • 3. the one you really are: Aathma. • Sathyam stands for life-sustaining energy. Sa-thaya, on the reverse it is ya-tha-sa. "ya" denotes outer and inner discipline as part of Thapas or "tha". When you do much Thapas, you acquire divinity or "Sa". Thapas is triple purity, that is purity in thought, word and deed. • When you have pure thoughts your heart is pure and full of love, radiating human values. In the term MAN, 'M' represents mind, 'A' represents Aathma and 'N' stands for merger of the two. It also indicates 'Nirvana' or Liberation. 2

3. Truth – Consciousness • Earth has the five attributes of senses such as sound, touch, form, taste and smell. Hence it is very heavy and cannot stretch out. Water has all the other attributes except smell and it spreads to a limited extent. Fire has three attributes only, namely, sound, touch and form. It spreads more than water. Next comes air which has two attributes only, sound and touch. It spreads around. But, Aakaasa or Ether has only one attribute, Sound. Hence it is all pervasive. God who is attribute less is present everywhere in every object • God is consciousness. Consciousness which is all pervasive and in all beings can be comprehended only by human beings. From this you get 'Conscience' which is limited to Body. The word 'Conscious' is related to Senses. All these three are in man. From the body identification you have to rise to pure Aathma (consciousness). • The Upanishad says: "Sathyam Bruyaath" (speak Truth). This is the physical aspect of the directive. "Priyam Bruyaath" This is the Dharmic or virtuous aspect which means you should speak the Truth in a nice and palatable way. Next is "Na Bruyaath Sathyam apriyam". This is the spiritual aspect. You should avoid speaking even truth when it is not pleasing the person. At the same time, simply because it satisfies the other person, don't speak untruth. You should be able to distinguish truth from untruth. It is written on the board "Truth is God". This is not enough. You should have this imprinted in your heart. Truth is changeless and eternal. This conviction is not traceable among persons in the modern world. 3

4. Techniques and Sai Challenges – Truth • Sai Challenges • Try to see Swami in every person you interact with. • Identify one good trait about one person everyday. Make a note of it and acknowledge to the person about his trait the next time you see him/her. If you find this easy, do it with a person you dislike. • Act according to the convenience of others rather than your own – purposefully make a commitment that requires you sacrificing something out of your daily routine, and keep it. • Techniques • Identify eternal truth by filtering the situation through time capsule. Eg: What would the situation mean to you after a significant amount of time (20 yrs, 50 yrs, lifetime). • Keep good company, it will help you to think, do, and say good things. • Just as a piece of cloth is a bundle of threads, Mind is a bundle of thoughts. If threads are removed there is no cloth. When you remove the thoughts there is no mind and no worry. • Conscience warns you when you move on the wrong path. You should not entertain any thoughts, which do not conform to the dictates of your conscience. 4

5. Peace – Conservation of resources • Food is God, Time is God and so you should take care not to waste them. • Propagation is "quantity" while practicing is "quality". Quality is always important: Youth should turn their minds away from distractions and concentrate on practicing human values. • I always advise people to avoid waste of time, energy, food and money. • Love is the most essential undercurrent of your talk and work. Speaking with love is Sathya and doing work with love is Dharma. It will give you peace (Saanthi). • We always chant at the end of all prayers and bhajans: Om Saanthi! Saanthi! Saanthi! Why are we mentioning 'Saanthi' three times? It is to invoke peace for Body, Mind and Aathma (Inner Self). Aathma Saanthi can't be there without, Saanthi of Body and Mind. Hence we invoke peace of all the three entities. 5

6. Techniques and Sai challenges – Peace • Techniques • When you switch on the Radio and listen to all unnecessary programs the current is wasted. The body is like a Radio Receiver. While you indulge in unnecessary gossip, the energy is wasted. In doing wicked deeds also, you waste energy, thereby facing dangerous consequences too. Chanting the name and singing the glory of God are useful. • When you talk too much, you may stray away from Truth. That is why, the ancients practiced "less talk-more work". • To feel close to Swami, you should have an unpolluted heart and engage in unblemished action. • One who is bereft of desires is peaceful. Desire is like the luggage during a journey, if you have less luggage, travel will be more comfortable. So also in life's journey you should restrict your desires which burden you. • Sai Challenges • Identify at least one way in which you waste food and time and eliminate it till WYC. • Practice whatever you suggest to someone else. • Identify the factors that pollute your heart. Reduce them by half in the next week and remove them completely by WYC. • Classify your desires into needs and wants. Concentrate on giving up the wants. 6

7. Self-Realization Self-Sacrifice Self-Satisfaction Self-Confidence Right Conduct – Self Confidence • Be good, see good, hear good, talk good and do good. The basis for such a discipline is to think good which entails the control of mind. You must perform all actions as offering to God. • When you have the feeling of Divinity in you, you will not think, see, hear talk bad or do any evil. • Having full faith in the Divinity within is self-confidence. This is the foundation on which the walls of Self–satisfaction have to be raised with Self sacrifice as roof, so that the mansion of Self-Realization is complete. • Dharma (Righteousness) is the weapon (Astra). Sathya (Truth) is the attitude (Bhaavam). Truth is common to all countries in the world. You should practice Truth and Righteousness. 7

8. Right Conduct – Good Company, Service • "Tell me your company, I shall tell what you are". What is good company - Sath Sanga? Sath is Truth, that is, God. So this means you should always be with God. Sathsanga does not mean Bhajan participants. If you realize your Reality, which is Divinity, there will be no trouble. • By using harsh words even to your mother, you will ruin yourselves. Consider mother, father, teacher and guest as God. • What is service? It is to do good and share your knowledge with others without selfishness. • You must become truly embodiments of love and serve to remove fear. Be good and get happiness; Do good and you will be good. Through sacred action, make life sacred with the principles of Truth and Righteousness as your guide posts. 8

9. Techniques and Sai challenges – Right Conduct • Speak sweetly, softly and respectfully with everyone. • Meditate on God for achieving steadiness of mind. • Performing work as worship is also tantamount to meditation. • Try to identify the activities in your daily life that you would not be proud of. Try to minimize these activities and ultimately eliminate them completely. • Try to keep a tab of how many negative thoughts you have in a day. Try to reduce the number and intensity by half over a couple of weeks. Ask Swami to help you in this process. • Develop self-confidence – confidence in Swami. Swami says… • Your faith should give you total confidence in Me. You should have the implicit confidence that I will look after you, take care of you and provide for you. You should have the confidence that My Grace is always with you and that I am always watching over you and protecting you. You should have the confidence that I will never let you down, that I am always there beside you, helping you, supporting you, comforting you and carrying you through troubles and hardships. Just as you lean against the wall knowing that it will not collapse, lean on Me and depend upon Me entirely. I will then look after you and take care of everything for you. …if you depend upon Me with complete faith and confidence, I shall provide for your welfare and look after all your needs in this world and the next. Amritha Varshini, P.8 • Use one of the techniques to practice Constant Integrated Awareness (CIA) – namasmarana, selfless service, live in love, practicing unity of thought, word & deed. 9

10. Aum Sri Sai Ram 10