Divine Discourse, Oct 2017
October 20, 2017
Discourses of Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Excerpt from the 2nd chapter, ‘Bhakti Tathwa’, of Bhagavad Gita Part – I, Divine Discourses of Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
The Nature of “I”
Lord Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita: Math karmakrith math paramo madbhaktah. What is the meaning of Math karmakrith? It means, perform all actions as belonging to Me.Whatever actions you perform in this Bhuthakasa (the whole objective world), all of them belong to Me. There are no karmas (actions) other than mine, in this world. Bhaktiyoga teaches that, in the first instance, whatever actions you perform, perform them as belonging to Me. The next requirement is Math paramo. You perform the actions for My sake. You are not doing them for your sake. You say, I am doing, I am doing, I am doing. Who is this “I”? It is only I who reside in you as the resplendent Atma (soul) in the minutest form. It is from the Atmic level that this word “I”, “I”, “I” emanates. Therefore the word “I” does not belong to this body. This belongs to the Atma. This is the reaction, reflection and resound of the Atma. The word “I” does not belong to the body, mind, intellect or the senses. Whatever actions you perform, you are doing for your self-satisfaction. Not realising this, people identify themselves with the body and are deluded to think “I” and “Mine” and get lost in the mire of delusion. Whatever you do, you are doing it for My satisfaction, on My behalf and as My Agent. Keep this truth in your mind.
Madbhakta: who is a Bhakta? You must grasp the inner meaning of the word Bhakta. Bhakti is a reflection of Divine Love. This Divine Love emerges from the Atmic level only. It is a reflection of the Atma. It is never, never connected with wordly matters and relationships. Such a love is considered to be Bhakti (Devotion). Whatever you think, whatever you speak, whatever you do, they should be considered as acts done for the Divine. That is, Sarvakarma Bhagavat Preethyartham (all actions are performed for the pleasure of the Divine).
In the normal waking state, you may be deluded to think that you are performing the actions for the sake of your body. But, in the sleeping state, for whose sake are you sleeping? By sleep, your body may get some rest, mind may get some peace. But, for whose sake are these rest and peace? You are performing so many actions for the sake of “I” (Atma thathwa ). While teaching Maithreyee, her husband explained, in ever so many ways, the implications of this proposition. For whose sake are you loving me? The husband is loving the wife for the husband’s sake. We think the mother is loving the child. No, No. The mother is loving the child for mother’s sake. The teacher loves the disciple. He is not loving the disciple for his sake. In fact, the teacher is loving the disciple for the teacher’s sake. The nature of the human being engrossed in the sadhana marga will be like that.
Human Love And God’s Love
The devotees are loving God, but not for God’s sake. For the sake of devotees, devotees are loving God. There is a subtle point to be noted here. God loves a devotee. There is a difference here. God is not loving the devotee for His (God’s) sake. He is loving the devotee for the devotee’s sake. The simple reason being, God is formless. God has no feeling of mine and thine. Where there is self interest, there is a difference of I and you. But, God has no such difference at all. The words Mathkarmakrith, Mathparamo and Madbhaktah relate to the devotees. They are helpful to the devotees to worship God. With the limited knowledge and power at his command, how can a human being comprehend the true import of these words? There is an individual struggling to get some air by waving the hand-fan, but he is unable to get any. But, when there is a typhoon sweeping across the ocean, the waves rise to a great height and tidal waves are formed. When there is a whirlwind blowing with great velocity, the trees are uprooted; whose power is this? The air a human being gets by waving his hand fan is very insignificant. But God’s power blows like a typhoon. When a human being draws water from a well with the help of a bucket or by a pump set, the quantity of water drawn is limited. But, when there is a downpour from the sky, the rivers swell and a number of villages are submerged. This is God’s power and that is human power. When we want light in the house, we light a lamp or switch on an electric bulb. That light can only light our house. But, when the Sun rises over the Sky, there is light everywhere. The Sun shines over the forest, the hillock, the tree and the house as well. The Sunlight is God’s power and the light of the small lamp is the human power. The method by which a human being with his limited power can reach God with infinite power, is called Saranagathi (total surrender).
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