Raadhakrishna Swami.1378579741.Talks

SWAMIJI TALKS TO DEVOTEES
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FOREWORD
This is a faithful record of His Holiness Sri Radhakrishna Swamiji's
teachings, wholesome advice, useful suggestions and clarifications of
things spiritual and metaphysical in his talks with his devotees over a
period. This is the first volume of "Talks with Swamiji", edited by Prof.
P. S. Narayana Rao and Sri B. K. Raghu Prasad.
The "talks" cover numerous subjects ranging from simple explanations of
the significance of rituals, to God realisation. Though meant only for
different small groups of devotees, the message, marked by simplicity,
lucidity and spontaneity, is for all those interested in lifting themselves up
spiritually. Commending "abhedam" and "Samathwa bhawd", the
Swamiji prescribes the safe path of Bhakti Marga for people in general
and "grihasthas" in particular, recitation of Vishnu Sahasranama,
erasement of ego, annihilation of kama, krodha, mada and matsarya,
charity and surrender, for realisation of the Self.
The Swamiji in his talks makes profuse quotations from Baba and other
saints as also the Gita, Upani-shads and scriptures to drive home his
points. He does not encourage shortcuts to spiritual progress. Stressing
the need for a Guru for most people, he says: "A Guru is one who imparts
Divine Knowledge. Nothing can be learnt without the Guru. It is
particularly true of spiritual knowledge. The Guru is to be conceived as
God Himself."
Sadhakas will find "Talks with Swamiji" very useful for their welfare and
progress, here and hereafter.
Bangalore, November 10, 1978
- SESHADRI
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PREFACE
The privilege of sitting at the feet of great saints and listening to their
talks and recording them for their and others' benefit is granted only to a
few. The value of their services is inestimable in terms of the
enlightenment, guidance and spiritual sustenance; their notes would give
to the earnest seekers of Truth all the world over.
The 'Talks' being the first volume, is based upon the notes faithfully
recorded by Sri B. K. Raghu Prasad, on the talks held by different groups
of devotees with Rev. H. H. Sri Radhakrishna Swamiji, Patron, Sri Sai
Spiritual Centre, Bangalore. It is earnestly hoped that the book covering
succinctly Swamiji's experiences, spiritual instructions and advice would
prove to be a perennial source of inspiration and enlightenment to earnest
seekers of Truth.
It is a matter of great pleasure and gratification that the book is being
released by Sri Sai Spiritual Centre, Bangalore, on the auspicious
occasion of the celebrations of the 60th year of Sri Sai Baba's Maha
Samadhi and the 25th year of the establishment of Sri Sai Spiritual
Centre. We are grateful to Sri R. Seshadri, News Editor, Deccan Herald,
for writing the Foreword to the book. Special thanks are due to the
printers for the nice get-up of the book and for the keen interest evinced
in the execution of the work. May Sri Sainath bless one and all.
P. S. NARAYANA RAO
and
B. K. RAGHTJ PRASAD Editors.
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Sri VarasWdhl Vinayakaya Namaha

TALKS WITH SWAMIJI
1-5-1970. Swamiji was talking to a group of devotees. He said, "Bhakti is
the safest path having small slips only as compared to Jnana marga. It is
essential that we should overcome kama, krodha, mada and matsarya in
order to kill the little self and realise the real self. Siddhis acquired by a
Sadhaka are a great hindrance to the realisation of the Self."
2-5-70. Swamiji was referring to Vishnusahasra-nama and said, "mere
book learning will increase one's ego. But a person with no learning will
surrender at the Feet of the Lord and utter His Name and get His Grace.
Complete self-surrender should accompany devotion to God. It is true
that one's purvajanma-vasana will make one devoted to God even from
childhood."
7-5-70. Swamiji stated, "Baba wants us to be detached and to know that
the world is temporal and an illusion and that the Self alone is real.
Through the expansion of the Self, we develop universal love and
universal consciousness. This leads us to service and sacrifice which
Baba wants us to develop ultimately."
13-7-70. Swamiji to-day referred to a vision he experienced. "At 3-30
a.m. to-day, I had a vision in which I saw Baba, Ramana, Adi Shankara
and Nara-simha Swamiji, seated together in my room. I then asked,
"Baba, what is your opinion about the Gita?" He said, "ask Shankara for
the answer." Shankara then replied, "Geetha, Ganga, Gayatri. First is
Geetha to be recited, next is Ganga for purification and the last is Gayatri
for realisation. These three Ga-karas are enough." Baba added, "one more
Ga-, is Ganapathi which should be added." On hearing this Shankara was
shedding tears of joy. Then, Ramana said, "Dharma, Artha and
Moksha—-This meant that Self-realisation should be our Goal."
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15-7-70. The occasion is Prathama Ekadashi. Swamiji said, "We should

completely surrender ourselves to the Lord and try to keep Him in our
hearts. This keeps us away from evil. There are primarily three basic
desires for man: wife, money and children. With all these, if one thinks of
God, he is uttama. But if one can go to God without these, he is uttama of
the uttamas. Therefore, one should go beyond these desires in a natural
manner through the path of renunciation. Through constant effort and
grace, we can overcome all the obstacles to spiritual realisation."
Referring to Lord's Name, he said that during moments of crisis, we
should repeat, "Vanamaligadi," etc., which sloka is repeated at the end of
the recitation of Vishnu-sahasranama. Then Narayana will come to our
rescue."
10-10-70. Today, Swamiji explained the importance of
Vishnusahasranama. He said that one should be regular in reciting
Vishnusahasranama at least in the evening."
25-11-70, Swamiji referred to the attitude one should have when one goes
to a temple. "We should hot look at the defects of people in the temple,
including the Archaks. Our main duty is to think of God in the temple and
not to be distracted by anything else, He added, "Lord Narayana is the
cause of prakriti and panchabhutas and thus the whole universe belongs
to Him. He is the cause of the entire universe. We should sacrifice
everything belonging to us for His sake. We should learn to share our
happiness and bliss derived through spirituality, with the entire world."
26-11-70. To-day, Swamiji spoke about Guru-bhakti. He said, "Guru is
God and Guru is the channel through which one has to reach God. Guru
takes us across the ocean of samsara. God sends to us the Guru when
necessary. Even Brahma, the creator had to go to Narayana being his
Guru. It is also said that the Lord speaks to us through the Guru and we
should therefore have intense faith in our Guru. One should be able to see
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Guru-God everywhere and in everyone. Thus, one will see Guru-God as

omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. This actually means that one
should convert Guru's finite form into the infinite form."
Swamiji next referred to the three types of people who visit temples.
Those who are within the temple but who waste their time in idle talk are
in the 'sameepya' of the Lord, but yet do not make use of it. Then, there
are others who do the pooja but do not completely concentrate on Him.
They are in 'salokya’. The best type consists of people who concentrate
on Him within the temple and even after leaving the temple. That is
'Sayujya'."
27-11-70. Swamiji referred to God realisation and said, "Kama, krodha
and lobha should be renounced in order to attain God. These three drag
one to hell as stated in the Gita. Kama leads one to krodha and then to
lobha. Thus, only through the cessation of all the three, one can attain
Self-Realisation. Bhagavan Nama alone can help us to cross the samara.
Actually, God cannot enter the heart of one who has kama, krodha and
lobha. These should be gradually controlled. God comes to us in the form
of sadhus whose company we should seek."
Another Day: The occasion is Thyagaraja Ara-dhana. Swamiji explained,
"Thyagaraja was a great saint whose name is still in glory and will
continue to be so for ever. He was really the king of renunciation, having
sacrificed everything for the sake of Lord Rama. Ramanama sung by
Thyagaraja is the best suited for all of us. Ra - stands for Narayana and
Ma - represents Shiva. One should open one's heart to receive Divine
Grace. Baba has said, "Open the cup of your heart. I shall pour into it
Bhakhti and Jnana." Baba has given us the path of repetition of Lord's
name. We have to follow it whether we have leisure or any work. Then,
surely, Baba will elevate us. May Blessings of Baba and Thyagaraja be
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abundantly on all of us. Whether we are in office, shop or bus, Jet us

remember Him and repeat His name."
27-3-71. Swamiji said, "What is wanted is complete surrender to the
Lord, when only He will come to our rescue. Remember how Droupadi
was saved by Him when she felt that He was her only rescuer. Similarly
was the case of Gajendra. The moment he felt that he was unable to save
himself through his own self-effort, there was a complete self-surrender
to the Lord who came to save him forthwith."
8-4-71. To-day, Swamiji was narrating his experiences of a spiritual
conference at Cuddapah. "In that conference, people of all denominations
had gathered. This was 'samarasa'. Baba is called 'Sama-rasa Sanmarga
Sthapanaya'. It means that He is the great unifier of all in the world,
irrespective of caste, creed and religion. He wants that we should promote
goodwill and harmony. Therefore, we should have no ill-will against any
one. Avoid quarrel. Share what food you have with every one. If you
distribute what you have, Baba will give you more. On the other hand, if
we accumulate and do not at all spend it in the service of humanity, Baba
will give you no further. Possess nothing and thereby you will get every
want fulfilled. Baba had a millionaire devotee known as Buti who could
have built a big house for him. But Baba continued to stay in the Masid,
an old little structure. It was open to all. He belonged to the whole
universe."
9-4-71. Swamiji explained, "What is the difference between elevated
souls and others? The elevated souls who are called 'Apantaratmas' like
Baba, Rama-krishna and others like them, always live in God. They
always think of the welfare of humanity. Actually, they have got the
absolute bliss and want others to reach it. These great souls are present
everywhere. They are all one. There is no difference between one saint
and another. They have showed us different routes to reach the same goal.
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Their mere glance at us is enough. That will uplift us. Great Jnanis like
Baba, Ramakrishna, Sadashiva, Brahmendra, Chandra-sekhara Bharathi,
Kanchi Jagadguru Kamakoti Acharya and others like them can make us
progress further just by their mere look towards us. Apantar-atmas come
into this world at the command of the Supreme Lord. By following any
one of them, we can reach the Supreme Goal. They are always ready to
grant us Bliss. But only a few will succeed in getting it, while others
complain that they do not get any progress at all."
10-4-71. Swamiji was explaining: "One should adopt 'Samarasa' which
means adoption of the principle of friendliness and affection in relation to
one's neighbours irrespective of caste, creed, etc. We should enquire
about others' welfare at least, if we cannot render any help to them. The
principle of Dharma requires us not to accumulate wealth. It should be
spent in service of others. A true devotee of Baba will love all beings
unselfishly."
15-4-71. A devotee asked Swamiji "what is the meaning of Baba's saying
'cast your burdens on me, I will bear them'? Swamiji replied: "It means
that Baba wants complete surrender of oneself, while doing one's duty.
Then He will definitely take care of us. Lord Krishna has said in the Gita,
"Ananyachintayan-tomam.........."
It means that only when one surrenders oneself completely to the Lord,
He will protect us. The Lord will really take care of such a person. But
what we normally do is to think of God only when we are in difficulties.
This won't do. According to our prarabdha, we get our suffering. But by
completely surrendering to Baba and doing our duty, we will not get the
hardships and He will definitely take care of us. He will give us whatever
is good to us. But we should not pray for anything in particular. God will
no doubt take care of us, but it is better to leave everything to His care."
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19-4-1971. Swamiji was narrating his experiences of his stay in Ooty

long ago. He referred to one Shastriar who happened to be his neighbour
who had two unmarried daughters. The Shastriar would often complain to
the Swamiji about the difficulties he had experienced in getting his
daughters married. His daughters were found to be wasting most of their
time in reading the daily newspapers. After gaining sufficient familiarity
with the household, Swamiji asked the two daughters why they remained
unmarried. In reply, they told him that it was because the efforts of their
father in this direction had proved futile. Then Swamiji told them, "Don't
say that. But first leave the habit of going through the newspapers and
idling away your time. Reading of the papers has nothing to do with you.
On the other hand, recite Vishnu-sahasranama every day for 25 days from
to-day. In addition, do pradakshina to 'Tulasi' planted in front of your
house. You must do your best also in regard to your marriage. Who will
look after you when you grow up?" Both agreed to act in accordance with
the advice. Then Swamiji asked their father to advertise in the papers for
obtaining suitable bridegrooms for both. Finally, some people came to
their house for negotiations regarding the marriage. They consulted
Swamiji as a neighbour of the Shastriar about the suitability of his
daughters for marriage with their sons. Swamiji unhesitatingly
recommended the proposal saying that the two daughters would make
vefy good housewives! In due course, the marriages took place and the
Shastriar was very happy.
Swamiji further said, "Once, Shiva called Parvathi to accompany Him for
a journey. But she stated that as she was repeating the Lord's name, she
could not break it. To this the Lord said, "Sree Rama Rama Rameti,
Rame Rama Manorame ..." It meant that it is enough if one recites
Rama's name only once and therefore one need not repeat the whole of
Vishnu-sahasranama. But, you see, the most important point here is
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whether one has attained that level of spirituality. Sometimes people say,
"Is it necessary to repeat all the thousand names of the Lord? Is it not
enough to recite His name only once?" If we have developed ourselves to
that extent, one repetition of the name, is enough. Similarly, can we not
practise spirituality at home? But we will always be distracted from
something or the other at home. Our mind cannot naturally think of God
in such an atmosphere. Thus, we need the atmosphere of a temple for
concentration of our mind on God. It is also very essential that we should
live in this world with detached attachment. It is like a person who
attends to his office without bothering himself about the walls which are
not white-washed, and the need for repairs for the office building, etc. He
concentrates only on his work. In the same manner, when we visit a
temple, our business is only to think of the Lord, without worrying about
whether the authorities of the temple called us in or not and whether they
recognised us or not. Now, take this question: How should we live in this
world? The answer is that we should make our body the lamp. Bhakthi is
the oil and the heart is the wick."
20-4-71. Swamiji said, "Why not allot some time for God? We allot
time for office work, meeting people, purchases, recreation, etc. But can
we not at least allot 10 minutes a day for God? Usually a man of the
modern times tries new things, with a view to get pleasure. Thus, he
tries drinks and so many other things. Why not he give a trial to
prayer? Some people complain that they suffer because of the
influence of the Kaliyuga. Some say, it is because of the bad effects of the
Navagrahas. What could be done? During the play of such evil forces,
one should be in communion with God. At least, one can devote some
time in the morning and the evening for some contemplation on God. In
my 70 years of life, I have come to one conclusion that if we are in
communion with God in the morning and the evening, we can get over
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our difficulties and disturbances which incidentally also brings us

happiness and peace. Especially, evening times will be pleasant for
prayer. In the same manner, we should never forget God when we take
our food. Let us say, before taking our food, "Brahmarpanam
Brahmahavihi..... .etc.", the sloka from the Gita and offer the food to God
and eat it." At this stage, a devotee raised a question: "Swamiji, there are
many who want to offer God something so that He may give them
something in return. Then they also offer some kind of food to God and
eat it themselves. Their devotion is extended only upto that extent. How
do we expect such people to progress?" To this Swamiji replied: "Even
that is much better than not thinking of God. This kind of offering to God
is the first step. Let people go to God in expectation of something. But
even this is not done by most people. You see, people take Anacin when
they get headache. Just like that, when we do not have happiness, why not
try God? Of course, you may say that you do not have any time to pray to
God. It is at least enough if a dwija (the twice-born who has got
upanayana) repeats Gayatri 10 times a day. The others should repeat
God's name. This can keep one safe and free from any danger. Then what
to offer to God? Krishna has said that you need not give Him anything
big as stated in the Sloka, "Patram, pushpam, phalam...". Accordingly,
with full of devotion, even a leaf may be offered to the Lord. In the
pursuit of Bhakti Marga, our ego should be completely given up. But it is
a difficult job. For instance, a man of wealth feels the ego because of the
wealth he possesses. A Bhagavathar who sings devotional songs may
suddenly feel hurt if one more chance to sing is not given to him. We
should try our very best to overcome the ego which is a serious obstacle
in the path of spirituality. It is all due to the ego, one cannot adjust
oneself even to one's wife and children. How could such a person adjust
to outsiders? We must try to adjust ourselves to others as far as possible.
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For instance, in a partnership business, each partner should adjust himself

to the other partners, which is essential in building up the business. We
need to learn a lot from the examples of foreigners. However, their way
of life differs from that of ours. But we have to note carefully how
punctual, prompt and devoted they are, regarding their transactions with
others."
Another Day: Devotees celebrated Swamiji's birthday, despite his
opposition to it. Padapuja was also performed. Later, Swamiji was
talking to a group of devotees. He said, "We have to understand the
significance of OM. If we can do it, we have understood God. That is
realisation of God. In order to achieve this, we have to worship
Ganapathi, who is the remover of all obstacles and finally realise God. On
our part also, we should try our best to detach ourselves from worldly
activities. For instance, if we worry ourselves too much with the
administration affairs of our Mandir, we will be easily distracted from our
spiritual pursuits."
26-4-71. To-day Swamiji was referring to the quick means to realise God
as are believed and practised by some. He said, "See, the other day the
engineer who makes it appear that he will be overcome by spiritual
emotions, held my hands and began to dance. He had put his entire
weight on my feet, with the result, my feet were hurt. I do not see any
God in these dances. I do not know what type of God consciousness it is.
These are the results of trying to reach God quickly. Without worrying
ourselves for such quick results, let us proceed step by step. It must be a
gradual process. We shall not hastily go to God who is everywhere."
Another Day: Swamiji was explaining the need to observe simplicity in
matters related to prayers and bhajans. At this stage, one of the devotees
asked him whether he would be participating in the bhajans conducted
every year by an association. Swamiji replied, "See, I have given up
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attending their bhajans. Formerly. I used to see a lot of simplicity among

the men and women who conducted the bhajans there. But as time passed
on, they have lost all their simplicity. Is this correct for one devoted to
bhajans? After seeing this, I felt that I should not attend such bhajans
devoid of simplicity. Especially, in the matter of spirituality, simplicity
should be basically present among men and women. A. Bhagavathar who
gives discourses on religious topics, for instance, should not demand
money which amounts to selling the name of God. He should accept
whatever the devotees contribute. That is the way of simplicity." Swamiji
then adverted to the ways of pleasing God. He said, "If God is pleased,
everyone is pleased. But how to please Him? Revered Narasimhaswamiji
used to conduct poor feeding every day. If this is not possible, let us at
least arrange for it every fortnight on the Full Moon day and the New
Moon day. Feeding the hungry, is one of the ways of pleasing God."
14-6-71. A certain devotee complained to Swamiji that Baba did not fulfil
his wishes. Swamiji remarked: "Baba deprives one of everything in order
to put one to test. I have seen that Baba subjects one to trials and
tribulations with a view to strengthen one's faith. For instance, I was
leading a comfortable life at Ooty. Then, my contact with Sri
Narasimhaswamiji brought me to Madras. Swamiji gave me a plank of
wood to sleep upon and I had to sleep on that plank without having a
pillow using one of my arms instead. You see, from that comfort which I
enjoyed at Ooty, what a hardship I had to encounter at Madras! This was
a test. God will enter us only when we maintain equanimity of mind
whether it is sukha' or 'dukkha'. Has not Krishna said in the Gita, "Sukha
dukkhe same kritva......"? When a person gets that attitude of making no
distinction between sukha and dukkha, then only the Lord will enter
one. There are several desires for a man. These are money, name, fame,
etc. But as the Lord has said in the Gita, there are three major desires
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which must be renounced completely. These are Kama, Krodha and

Lobha, i.e., Lust, Anger and Greed. He says "Trayamtyajet." But He
gives us tests again and again. The Lord, i.e., Baba gives plenty of luxury,
wealth and other things so as to see whether you attach yourself to these
or distribute them among others. Again, He gives a test in anger. For
instance, you think that someone has disrespected you or scolded
you. Then you become angry. This is another test. By one thing or the
other, maya drags a person away from God. What Baba wants is complete
surrender. Then only the Lord will protect the devotee. Remember
"Ananyaschintayantomam......", where the Lord has given us the
supreme assurance that He will take care of us in every way. In order to
get His grace, we should never work for name and fame and we should
not work in the expectation of getting some reward or money. Baba has
given me several crucial tests so far. Throughout my experience with
Baba, right from 1939 when I started following Narasimhaswamiji, I have
found that Baba gives a number of tests and even hardships. He put me in
Bombay depriving me completely of my contact with my Guru. I became
unhappy but later felt that it was His will and should be quietly followed.
His will be done. Later I had to become a member of the managing
committee of Shirdi Samasthan. He wanted me to serve Him that way.
Then I was put in Bangalore. Now again He has sent me to Madras. All
this Baba will do to make one evolve as a devotee. He will be going on
giving such tests until one passes them successfully. The essence of
Bhakthimarga is such. And when once a person is taken by the Lord
through Bhakthi, he is taken for ever. The Lord will never forsake him."
15-6-71. Swamiji said, "We have come here only to think of God.
Therefore, we should never look at the defects of others and make
distinction between the rich and the poor, the good and the bad, the pure
and the impure. The Lord does not make such distinctions. He has
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'Samatwa bhava.' If one finds differences like these, one is still below the
three steps in Baba's own words: Tamos, Rajas and Satwa, One should go
beyond these three steps. In 1922, when I went to Tiruvannamalai, I met
Sri Sheshadri Swami. The moment I approached him, he put aside three
stones and said, "cook these and eat." Later I reported to Sri Ramana
about this. He explained, "Ah! that means you should go beyond tamas,
rajas and satawa." Sri Narasimhaswamiji also explained to me that Baba
meant the same in his advice that one should go beyond the three steps.
But these, according to Narasimhaswamiji, are also the three Lokas—
Bhuh, Bhuvah and Suvah. The normal man's thoughts centre round his
stomach which represents Bhuloka, or the Earth. But one should strive
hard to go to the next higher region, i.e., Bhuvarloka, which is
represented by one's heart (spiritual heart). Finally, one should try to
reach the Suvarloka, which is represented by the region in between the
two eyes. But this development requires the help of the Guru. The Guru is
the person who leads the aspirant to God. That is why the role of the Guru
has been held in high esteem. So Guru, Poornima is celebrated in order to
evoke the blessings of the Great Gurus. Further, by surrendering
ourselves to God, we get our liberation. See, how a murderer by repeating
"Marat Mara" instead of "Rama Rama" became a great saint and wrote
24,000 slokas of Ramayana. He became the celebrated Valmiki. That is
why Purandara Dasa has said, "Ninna Namada Balavondiddare Sako." It
is enough if we have the power of His Name. Then, we should not find
fault with others. That is the way of samatioa, preached by Baba." At this
stage some one said, "If lust is conquered, anger will remain
unconquered. What should we do?" Swamiji replied, "See, these are all
evils which are to be completely removed. Lust or desire is like the tiger
which has the nature of attacking every animal that it comes across. Like
this, any desire is harmful. Desires never end. Then greed is compared to
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the bear which always collects fruits and honey and stores them in its
cave. Our greed to store and accumulate wealth and property is exactly
like this. But why should we worry about these evils? True, we find it
difficult to conquer them. So, the best way is to surrender ourselves to the
Lord and say, "O Lord! you take care of me." That is enough."
21-6-71. Swamiji was speaking about the role of the Guru in spiritual life.
He read a manuscript which ran thus: "Life consists of the material and
the spiritual aspects. The spiritual aspect is undoubtedly greater. Spiritual
life affords the foundation to one's life, just like the foundation for a
building, without which the building cannot stand. Guru is necessary for
the development of our spiritual life. How should we serve the Guru?
Krishna says in the Gita, "Pranipat Hena, Parisprashnena sevaya." By
questioning inquisitively one should serve the Guru to get knowledge.
Who is a Guru? A Guru is one who imparts the Divine Knowledge.
Nothing can be learnt without the Guru. It is particularly true of spiritual
knowledge. The Guru is to be conceived as God Himself. The Supreme
Guru is Brahma. He is also Vishnu and Shiva. The Supreme is also the
Paramatma. Remember the sloka, Guru Brahmah Gurur Vish-nuh.....,". It
is very meaningful."
2-7-71. Swamiji referred to the need for the Guru and said, "You
see! Only in the case of extraordinary men, Guru is not needed, because
they are already at great heights in spirituality. (The others should
struggle hard to reach the same.) I remember Sheshadri Swami of
Tiruvannamalai stating, "If I die, every one will be happy." He meant that
if the ego in man goes, every one will be happy. Ramana Maharshi also
would say, "The source from where we have come, to the same source we
must go back." Actually, the Lord says, "tatwamittu Mahdbaho Guna
Karma Vibhagayoh......". There are "trigunas'. Only those who have gone
beyond the trigunas can be merged in God. They become God only.
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Sadashiva Brahmendra of Nerur was one such who had gone beyond the
trigunas. This makes one realise that the whole universe has come from
'I’. It is not the small ego in us but the higher self. It is from the higher
self, all beings have come forth. Thus Baba said, "If you look at me, I
look at you." Here what does I mean? This I is not the lower I. But 'you'
stands for the lower self, whereas I stands for the higher self. All that we
should do is to rouse the higher consciousness in us. That will make the
higher self gradually manifest within us. That 'I' is in all the beings. But it
should be made to manifest. It is that Inner Self that guides us and
protects us. The best means is to repeat the Lord's name constantly. If one
is in the practice of reciting Vishnusahasranama regularly, the force of the
repetition is such as to draw such a person back to the correct path, when
one is overcome by anger or anything else."
3-8-71. Swamiji is in a highly elevated spiritual mood. Throughout his
talk, he would be closing his eyes frequently and his face would be
radiating with some extraordinary joy and he was smiling and over-
flowing with happiness and bliss. He said, "In Bhakthi Marga, one should
try to enjoy bliss continuously. Remember, how Sri Ramakrishna would
maintain his concentration on the Divine Mother and would repeatedly
cry "Mother! Mother!" There is also a great 'need to maintain a rigid
discipline in conducting the daily bhajans and prayers. Say, every day at a
particular time, we should sing the Lord's name for at least 1£ hours and
the prayer we utter should be in tune with the particular aspect of God we
are at the moment thinking. For instance, we are singing 'Radheshyam
Radheshyam’. We should think of the Rasalila Dance of the Lord in
company with the Gopis. We should constantly remember that there is the
Lord present for ever in our hearts. When we say, "Om Namah Shivaya",
we can think of the 'Ni aspect of God. Ah! how happy one will feel when
one thinks of 'Nirakara'! When the mind is merged in it, one feels 'I am
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He' and 'I am That'. This is the same as 'Soham'. Until we reach that state,
we have to be removing the weeds, i.e., the unwanted things by saying
'Neti, Neti'. Finally, one comes to the stage where one realises 'I am that
Self which is in all'; 'I am the Heart of Hearts of all'; and 'I am He'.
Remember what the Lord has said in the Gita, "Ahamatma Gudakesha
Sarva Bhutasliaya Sthithaha". The Lord says: "I am the heart of hearts of
every being." If we take this aspect, then we will gradually begin to feel
that we are ourselves the Brahman. You will feel, "I am Vishnu, I am
Shiva. I am He." This is how we come to get the idea of God who is
Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient."
If it is not possible for one to concentrate on 'Nirakara' and if one feels
that one is not competent to think of 'Nirakara', one can say "I am
Thine." How should one try to get Divine Knowledge? You see, there is
the ocean. Remember the example of the deep sea-diver. With all his
equipment, he dives into the bottom of the sea and collects the pearl-
oyster. He cleans it and then gets the real pearl. Just like this, we must
dive deep into the spiritual ocean. But there are wave-lets from which we
should not be deluded. We should not be carried away by these.
We should go deep into the sea. But we need the help of a person who
has already gone deep into the ocean. This is spiritual life. The waves of
this spiritual ocean are 'samsara' and the wave-lets are siddhis by which
we should not be deluded. The deep-sea diver who has already gone into
the depth of the ocean is the Guru, Besides the help from the Guru, we
should also seek the benefit of satsanga. So we should go into sadhanas
in order to reach the depth of spirituality and get the pearl, that is, God-
realisation. We should sing the name of the Lord. There should be a rigid
discipline to be maintained in all our spiritual practices. The equipment
we should use to get to the bottom of the spiritual ocean is devotion to the
Lord. Of course, there are distractions. But what does a person suffering
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from fever do? He goes to a doctor to get medicine. The doctor gives the
prescription on showing which to the dispenser in the dispensary, he gets
the medicine. In the same manner, the Guru is the doctor, who prescribes
medicine. Here, Baba is the doctor as well as the dispensary. In the usual
case, the dispensary is different from the doctor. But here Baba is both
the doctor and the dispensary who gets us the medicine. When such a
convenient arrangement is available, people do not want to make use of
it!"
Swamiji referred to the lunar eclipse on the 6th. He said, "on the 6th.
there will be the eclipse during the period when we get deep sleep. So we
fall asleep at that time as usual and forget about our duties during the time
of the eclipse. The best and the easiest thing we could do at such a time,
is to repeat Vishnusaharanama. You see, in this mundane world there
may be certain people who are jealous of us. They may chant mantras
"which may be directed against us to do us harm. In order to ward off the
effects of such mantras, the only way is to repeat Vishnusahasranama.
During the-time of the eclipse, it may not be possible to repeat Gayatri
continuously. Therefore, one can repeat Vishnusahasranama. This great
stotra is also helpful to remove obstacles that stand in one's spiritual
progress. Have faith in it and repeat it during the time of the eclipse in
particular."
4-8-71. The subject was again the eclipse. Swamiji said, "You see, I told
you that we should repeat Vishnusahasranama during the period of the
eclipse that is on the 6th, between 11.30 p.m. and 3 a.m. Many chant
certain 'siddhi mantras' during that period to gain power. But we don't
need such mantras. We are having the highest mantra, i.e.
Vishnusahasranama. We are calling the Lord by that mantra of thousand
names and praising Him. We are saying, "O! Lord, You have created
those other mantras, but we don't want them. We want you alone." We
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are actually addressing the Lord during the chanting of the sahasranama.
It is enough for us to say to the Lord, "I am thine and you are mine."
What a power does the Vishnusahasranama contain! Baba once said, "I
was keeping Vishnusahasranama on my chest as I was suffering from
heart trouble." Baba Himself did not have such trouble. It must have been
one of the devotees having it. For his sake, Baba would have prayed to
Vishnu. Baba would also say, "Hari has entered my heart. He is my
heart." If Baba could say so much about Vishnusahasranama, should we
not repeat it and get the benefit from it. Lord Vishnu is the creator. He is
the omnipotent Supreme Lord. We should repeat Vishnusahasranama not
only to ward off the evil forces but also for our health. It is helpful for
getting rid of obstacles in the course of our spiritual sadhanas. For
instance, a gentleman recently reported to me that whenever he began his
meditation; he would observe a shadow between himself and the object of
his meditation. I told him, "Do not worry; be chanting
Vishnusahasranama. Of course, there is some obstacle disturbing you. It
will surely go. But don't leave the repetition of Vishnusahasranama."
9-8-71. Swamiji was speaking about the restlessness of the modern man.
He said, "man is driven to-day by many desires. Nothing seems to satisfy
him. Is it ever possible to get all our wants fulfilled? There is no
contentment in the ^present generation. If we analyse about ourselves a
little, we will find that the mind is given to us by God which we can use
for anything. It is therefore better to drive away all the kamas (desires)
and we have to seek 'Rama' in the place of 'kama'. Everybody is busy
thinking of so many things, but not about God. Can we not spend at least
10 minutes every day in thinking of God. Man may feel proud of his
achievements in the physical world. But does he have peace of mind?
Does the present day man have a clean conscience? Then only he will
have real peace. It is basically necessary for us to detach ourselves from
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the worldly attachments. We should pray to God thus: "O Lord, wife,
children and house and any other property that I possess, do not belong to
me. It is all Yours." We should also pray thus: "O Lord, I am also yours.
Even this body is not mine. Even I am yours. It is only 'you' that is in
me." If this attitude is developed, then one's ego will completely vanish
and such a person will not see any difference between one and another.
All will look alike, whether one is related to him or not. In such a person
with this samatuja attitude, there will be no 'dwesha' in existence. The
true test to find out by how much we have neared God is to find out how
much of hatred we have conquered. The Lord has said, "mayyarpita
nwndbuddhi......", you can sacrifice all your wealth to God. But that is not
complete. You must give your mind and heart to Him. Then only He will
come to you. The Lord has also said, "Ananyaschintayanto-mam,.....".
This means we should constantly think of Him only when He will take
complete care of us. Remember what.Sri Rama has said, "Abhayam
sarva-bhuteshu......". What does it mean? Rama says, "whoever
falls at my feet, I will take care of him." But how should we surrender at
His feet? We remove our shirt and pants and have only the barest
minimum dress in order to enter the shrine of the Lord. In the same
manner, we should also keep our body outside, and enter the Lord's place.
This is to say that we must have no other thought but that of God.
Observe also how we conduct our daily pooja. While beginning the
pooja, we say, "parameswara preethyartham......", and while ending the
pooja, we say, "kayenauacha....
Narayaneti samarpayami." So see, here, how fine it is! The pooja is made
to please the Lord, the Parames-wara. Later, everything is offered to
Him. Then, is it not funny, if one says after the pooja is over, "I have
done the pooja and still the Lord has not given me this want or the other
one." When the whole pooja is done to please Him and offered to Him
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only, He alone will take care of us and will grant us what we should get.
He knows what to give us and what not. There should be absolute
sincerity in our prayer to God. When you do bhajan, pooja or prayer, you
should give up everything else and think only of God.
I assure you with all the definiteness I command, that God will surely
come to one in such a case. I am not telling this with the egoistic sense,
but I am telling from my own experience. Normally, man fears that he
will have to lose all his wealth and properties, if he takes to the real
spiritual life. Remember, these are all Asuri forces and in the nature of
obstacles to our spiritual progress and one should gradually and carefully
overcome these, the moment they are noticed. Note carefully that God
will take away abruptly one's favourite or beloved object so that He will
make one go in the right path, i.e. realisation of God." At this stage, one
of the devotees raised the question: "Swamiji, it is said that by the Guru's
grace, one gets all the obstacles removed in one's pursuit of God. Is it
correct?" :
Swamiji: "Of course, provided the Guru is a realised soul and the shishya
is also a suitable one for such a Guru. For instance, in the case of Sri
Rarna-krishria Paramahamsa, who was a realised soul, Swami
Vivekananda was a ripe shishya. Thus, the disciple should be ripe enough
to realise the Supreme with the grace of the Guru. Nowadays, there
appears a craze on the part of people to get upadzsha for dhyana. This
path is alright for a sanyasi. But for the vast majority of people, the
simple path of devotion is enough. One should not suddenly jump into the
path of dhyana. One should be ripe enough to enter that path. So it would
be safe and best for one to repeat the name of the Lord as the only
recourse." The same devotee further asked: "Is it not inactivity to sit and
go on chanting God's name?"
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Swamiji: "How can it be inactivity? Is it not inactivity when you go to a

club or hotel or a picture house? On the other hand, it is the best form of
activity if one engages in spiritual practices for the purpose of God
realisation. After all, I ask you to think of God for at least ten minutes.
How could that be inactivity compared to the hours one wastes in other
types of activities?" Speaking about the attitude one should have while
praying to God, Swamiji said, we should have the attitude of
'sharanagathi' towards the Lord, which is the best way. Remember,
Maruthi is the symbol of sharanagathi. We should pray to the Lord for
granting us that spirit of sharanagathi of Maruthi. Rama will surely save
us if we adopt the attitude of Maruthi. Where is that Rama? He is not only
Ayodhya Rama but He is present everywhere in the form of the Supreme
Spirit. Where is Maruthi? Our mind is Maruthi. That means, our mind
should act like Maruthi. We may also adopt the attitude of the Gopis
towards the Lord. In any case, We should pray ."O" Lord I do not know
from where I have come and 1» where I go. Please take me to the place
from where I came." While pursuing the path of surrender or
sharanagathi to the Lord, we should also cultivate detached attachment
towards the world. While we are moving with the people in this world,
friends and relatives, we should think that we all belong to God. We
should serve every one thinking that he belongs to the Lord." At this
stage, a devotee said that his son was still suffering because of kujadosha
according to his horoscope. Swamiji immediately replied, "Don't worry
about the Navagra-has} when we are trying to get the grace of the Guru,
which is a higher force. We should pray, "Lord, I am thine. I know
nothing. You take care of me." This is sharanagathi. This will give a
great force against the influence of the Navagrahas."
20-8-71. To-day Swamiji was referring to certain places of pilgrimage.
He said "Gokarna is the place where Lord Shiva, who was worshipped by
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Ravana, is there. God blesses individuals according to their tendencies

and temperament. Thus, Rama gave the idol of Ranganatha to Vibhishana
according to the latter's temperament and tendencies. Lord Ganapathi did
not like the idea of the idol of Ranganatha to be kept in Lanka because He
felt that the idol would lose its value there. So, Ganapathi forced that idol
to be kept at Sri Ranga Kshetra and went to the top of the Rock Fort and
sat there. Similarly, Ravana was duped in order to keep the Linga at
Gokarna. We should note that the Lord has not done anything bad to
Ravana. But it is the type of blessing such persons need."
Swamiji then made a reference to the types of desires that man normally
gets and thus gets distracted from God. He said, "See, the two basic
problems that ' take man away from God are, sex and hunger. Sex must
be overcome through the grace of the Lord. We should assume the
attitude of son to every woman we come across and say, "suppose this
lady had been my mother, I would have reacted as her son." When we
come across a woman younger than ourselves, then we should begin to
feel that she is either our daughter or our sister. But if inspite of all our
efforts, we are unable to overcome the feelings of the sex-desire, the only
way is to appeal to God, saying, "O! Lord, please do not give me such
feelings. Drive them away from my mind; please take care of me and
remove such thoughts." This prayer is enough. We must remember
constantly that these desires drive man away from God. The mind can be
easily driven away from God by the force of maya. If the mind is divided
and if each bit of the mind is given to money, wife, children, name and
fame, etc., then the mind becomes shattered and cannot be given to God.
So the divided mind should be made one and then given to God wholly.
We have to remember that even great men have fallen a prey to the sex-
desire. Therefore, we should always be on our guard and overcome the
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many tests given to us by God. Even a small desire can take us com-
pletely away from God. We have got to be careful.
Next, hunger is another problem. We have to eat just to live and not live
to eat. How many mantras our elders have prescribed to go near God? For
eating also there are certain mantras. For undertaking travelling there are
mantras. While eating, we should not think that we are eating for our
satisfaction and liking. Normally one thinks of taste of different dishes
and getting them prepared. This should be avoided and we have to eat to
preserve the body and eat whatever is necessary. That is why eating is
considered to be a yagna. The Lord has said, "Aham Vyshvanaro'.
Vyshva-nara is the Agni in our stomach. While eating, we should say, '0!
Lord, I am eating for your sake in order to please you in the form of
Vyshvanara. Our Shas-tras have prescribed that we should utter,
'Amrutopsta-ranamasi' before eating our food. What a grand concept is
given here! The idea is, 'Let our food be converted into Amruta (nectar).'
If we entertain this feeling while eating, how can there be indigestion or
stomach disorders? Mantras are given to us, as a rich treasure. But we are
not using them. While travelling, we are asked to go round the vehicle in
pradakshina chanting a particular mantra and then occupy the vehicle.
Then there will be no fear of accidents."
21-8-71. Swamiji was speaking again on the different types of mantras.
He stated: "Mantras should not be repeated in the improper way, as it
may harm the person who repeats them. Therefore, books which give
these mantras do more harm than good as they do not teach the way in
which they should be repeated. The mantras should be taught only by
competent persons. For example, "Tryambakam Yajamahe....." is a
Prayoga mantra which should be learnt only from proper guides. There
are also other mantras like the 'Sudarshana mantra.' But there are certain
mantras which, have harmful effects upon the persons against whom they
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are repeated. Those who have not conquered anger should not repeat such
mantras as they have the power to destroy their enemies. There are many
mantras which have the capacity to harm others. But we should not learn
them at all. On the other hand, we should learn those mantras which have
the capacity to bless one and all. Besides, such spiritually potent mantras
are capable of guarding and shielding us from the evil effects of other
mantras chanted by people who are hostile to us. Vishnusahasranama,
Sudarshana, mantra, etc., belong to this group. These build a fort around
us giving us all the protection we require. Remember, mantras should be
pronounced with the correct intonations so that they will be
capable of conferring upon the reciter, the desired results. Take for
example the mantra, "Tryambakam yajajmahe......". At the stage
"mrutyo mukshiya mamrutaat", the portion, "mrutyo" should not be
raised high, but should be kept as low as possible. This means, mrutyu
(death) should not be given prominence. On the other hand, the portion
"mamrutaat" should be drawn longer and raised higher as far as possible.
It represents "amrutatwa" i.e., immortality for the person who recites the
mantra.
Referring to worship of God, Swamiji said, "the different forms of God
exist within ourselves. Of course, we should get that feeling and feel the
presence of God within us. There are three principal ways of realising
God: 1) The Guru is considered as God and he is worshipped as such.
This method was advocated by Baba. 2) Self-analysis or "who am I?" as
advocated by Sri Ramana. 3) The path of devotion of the intense type as
advocated by Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa who used to cry, "Mother,
Mother," so that he might be able to get Her Vision. We can adopt any
one of the three methods. Lord Krishna has said that all the rivers
ultimately join the sea; in the same manner, the different spiritual paths
reach the Supreme only. Realised souls should be worshipped as God
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only because they have identified themselves completely with God. Such
great Gurus have crossed the trigunas and they are beyond praise and
blame, pleasure and pain."
Continuing his talk, Swamiji said, "we should lead a detached life. By all
means live with your wife and children. But practise detachment. We
should act in this world as though we are witnesses of the happenings in
the world. This ' I' should be the witness. Then, the ego won't affect us.
On the other hand, if we identify ourselves with the outside objects, then
comes 'ego' and with that 'anger', etc. If you feel that you are not this
body but the Self, which is higher than this body, then you will not get
hurt or offended by anybody's insults to you, for instance."
The talk drifted to Baba's great mission of peace. Swamiji said. "Baba
never tolerated hatred. He came to unite people. You note how he strove
his best to bring together Hindus and Muslims. Once Baba went for a
walk. Near a pond he noticed a big snake, catching a frog in its mouth. He
immediately addressed both the snake and the frog, saying, "O!
Veerabha-drappa (snake) and Basappa (frog), give up your enmity and
live in peace." The moment Baba uttered thus, the snake released the frog
from its mouth and each went its way in peace. Baba himself told that
both the persons mentioned in this incident were bitter enemies in their
past birth in connection with the dispute over a piece of land and they
were born as the snake and the frog in the present birth and continued
their enmity towards each other. Baba removed their mutual hatred to
make them live in peace. There are many such wonderful things that
Baba did in his life-time. Who can achieve such great feats other than
God himself? Baba is the Supreme God Himself. You may recall how Sri
Shankaracharya established the great Sringeri Mutt on the banks of the
Tunga river, after noticing how a snake gave protection to a frog about to
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give birth to its off-spring. Shankara thought that that place must have
been a hallowed one and accordingly selected that place for the mutt."
Swamiji now made a reference to the incident of a small circus group
visiting Baba during his lifetime, bringing with them a diseased tiger.
Swamiji told, "as soon as Baba saw the tiger, he came to know that its
end had come near. The tiger ascended the steps of the Masjid and looked
at Baba. Baba also stared at it. Then within a few minutes, the tiger
waived its tail and fell down dead. Baba gave mukti to the tiger. I may tell
you how I had a similar experience at Baroda, where I had gone
sometime ago to attend the Sai Devotees' Convention. I was putting up
with a couple who asked me one day to accompany them to the local zoo.
I agreed to go with them just for their sake. After visiting the several
sections of the zoo, we came to the cage of the lion. The lion began to
move up and down as soon as it looked at me. I don't know why I began
to develop a kind of affection for the lion on that day. I continued to stare
at it for some time. It would go to the end of the cage and come again
near the place where I stood and look at me. I addressed the lion within
myself, saying, "my friend, the only difference between you and me is
that I have only one cage, i.e., the human body, whereas you have two
cages, your physical body, and the other cage in which you are placed."
After some time, it stopped moving to and fro and began staring at me.
Suddenly the tiger's incident during Baba's life-time came to my memory.
Then I silently prayed, "O! Lord, Baba, I do not know what is the
relationship between me and this lion, in my previous births. But be
pleased to grant moksha to this lion and free him from this cycle of births
and deaths." The couple who had accompanied me got bored as they
could not understand why I stood at the den of the lion for 10 minutes.
They pressed me to proceed further. Then later on the day, I had to go to
Bombay. I told them, "I have to go to Bombay. Please visit the lion daily
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and see how he is keeping until I return." This was done daily. When I
returned from Bombay, I asked them about the lion. They said, "Swamiji,
from the very day you had seen the lion, it seems it did not take any food.
The care-taker of the zoo tried all his methods to feed it. But he
did not succeed and the lion died to day."' I really felt very sorry for the
death of the Lion. But I am convinced Baba gave moksha to the lion."
Swamiji then made a reference to his Guru, Sri Narasimhaswamiji and
said, "My Guru was completely devoted to Lord Rama. One evening,
when Bhajan was going on here, in Bangalore, I saw my master
Narasimhaswamiji entering Lord Rama's photo. I sensed immediately that
my master had given up his body and entered into eternal samadhi. The
next day, we received the message from Madras that he had passed away
the previous evening. Then I came to the conclusion that my master had
entered eternally into Lord Rama. I had a similar experience when
Jagadguru Chandrasekhara Bharati Swamiji entered into eternal
samadhi. One evening, when I was staying in the Colony, I suddenly felt
that I should keep the photo of Jagadguru Chandrasekhara Bharathi in
front of all the devotees and conduct Bhajan. Accordingly, the photo was
kept and .the Bhajan went on. The next day, we heard that the great
Swamiji had left his mortal coils and entered into eternal samadhi at
Sringeri that day. I had a similar experience when Sri Ramana gave up his
body." Then Swamiji read out a manuscript prepared by himself, the gist
of which was as follows: —
Every human being should adopt the following teachings which would
ensure his or her spiritual uplift: —
a) annihilation of the ego. b) selfless service c) love for all beings, d)
absence of likes and dislikes. This means that we should have neither
aversion nor attraction. This is however very difficult to understand."
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4-9-71. Swamiji made a reference to a vision he had experienced

recently. "On 26th August, I had a-vision in which I was sitting near
Baba. Behind Baba, Narasimhaswamiji was sitting. Close by, Sri Rama
was sitting with bow and arrow in hand. Immediately, Baba touched my
heart with his finger and said, "your destiny is changed hereafter." Baba
repeated this again. I could not understand what it meant. After all, my
destiny was changed for leading this life long ago and what did Baba
mean by his indication? Narasimhaswamiji who was sitting behind Baba
was smiling. Even Lord Rama was smiling. Then I thought that there
must have been some significance in Baba's words. I knew
Narasimhaswamiji had a special love for Rama. The next day, when I
went to Madras, I found to my great surprise, idols of Rama, Laksh-mana,
Sita and Maruthi were kept by the side of Narasimhaswamiji's photo.
Nobody could tell me how the idols came there. I am still waiting for
guidance as to the vision, from my Guru, who guided me long ago to
Baba. To-day, early morning, I had another vision. A middle-aged lady
came with a child in her arms and said, "Swamiji. my husband has
deserted me. You have to give me protection." I asked her who she was.
She replied, "my name is 'Jnana.' and the child's name is Bhakthi." I
asked her to occupy the prayer hall and accordingly she entered it and
rested there. So we can be sure Jnana and Bhakthi have remained
permanently here. In fact, the husband or Purusha of Jnana is Baba or
Rama or Krishna or Vishnu or any other God you like. So those who
come here are indeed blessed. How much of Vishnusahasranama has
been recited here! Will He not enter this place? We should have a great
fervour of Bhakthi. One can have any form of God for contemplation. It
can give us concentration."
7-2-71. Swamiji was narrating details of his first meeting with
Narasimhaswamiji at Ooty. "He asked me what was my name. I told him
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that my name was Radhakrishna. Immediately I questioned him,

"Swamiji, somehow my parents have named me that way. But I want to
know exactly what Radhakrishna means." I do not know why I put that
question. Narasimhaswamiji told me, "Radhakrishna, if you want to know
the meaning of it, follow me to Madras." I agreed. At Madras, I was
putting up with a certain family. I became deeply worried as to the true
meaning of Radhakrishna which had not yet been revealed to me. I made
a vow that I would take to fasting until the Lord revealed Himself to me
in order to show me the significance of Radhakrishna. After this, I
started fastings; I also began running high temperature. The couple with
whom I was staying, got a doctor to examine me and got me medicine. I
refused to take the medicine and continued fasting. After the third day of
the fasting, I had the darshan of Radhakrishna. I was sitting on an easy-
chair and was wide awake, and was deeply thinking why
Radhakrishna had not appeared to me. Immediately, Radha appeared
coming from above, in the form of an eighteen year old girl. After a
while, Krishna came in the same way and stood by the side of Radha.
Both were in the same form that you see in the photo. (Swamiji pointed
out the photo in front of him). Radha was holding Krishna's
hand as seen in many photos. She held me by another hand and took near
Krishna and told me, "this is Krishna," Then the vision vanished.
Afterwards, the fever began to subside. Ah! it was a great vision! I had
actually prayed to Radha to show me Krishna. This had proved
effective. I reported this to my Guru, who in turn asked me to find out
who was Baba. One day, as I was lying in the first floor of the A.I.S.S.
looking at the sky, I was thinking of the real form of Baba and as to who
he was. Suddenly, the entire sky was filled up with the various forms of
Gods and Goddesses, including Krishna, Rama, etc. But I prayed, "O!
Baba, I do not want all these. I want to know your real form, who you
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are and that alone. Please show that to me." Suddenly, all forms vanished
and only the form of Lord Rama remained along with Maruthi. Then it
was clear to me that Baba and Rama were one and the same. I told
Swamiji about this. Then he was very happy at this experience and said,
"So, it is definite Sai and Rama are the same. Sai and Maruthi also are
one and the same." Thereafter. Swamiji asked every one assembled there,
to repeat 'Sai Ram.' Devotees also started writing 'Sai Ram' on bits of
paper and made them into a garland and put it around the photo of
Baba. Narasimha-swamiji would often say that Baba was a great divine
force which had come to help the suffering humanity." Swamiji also
made a reference to the vision of Raja Rajeswari he had some time ago,
being seated on a big Simhasana, and surrounded by all Her attendants.
He further stated. "Once, a sanyasi came to our mandir here. He wanted
to know the greatness of Baba and wanted a proof to show how he being
a human being could be worshipped as God. He was not convinced by
my explanations. Then I prayed, "Oh! Baba, you alone have to convince
this man." After a few minutes there came a lady with the idol of Sri
Rama, along with those of Sita. Lakshmana and Maruthi. She presented
all these to me in the presence of the sanyasi He was stunned with this
proof showing Baba's identity with Lord Rama and began shedding tears
of joy and apologised for arguing about the greatness of Baba. I
asked that lady from where she had brought those images. She stated that
they were from A.I.S.S., Madras. Now this strengthened the proof
showing that Baba was none other than Lord Rama Himself. These idols
are being worshipped in the shrine here."
Swamiji next made a reference to the different forms of God and said,
"you can adopt any form that is after your heart. We must be either like
Maruthi— symbol of surrender or like Gopis—symbol of love for the
beloved, i.e.. God. We can worship God in any form we like. Possession
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of properties and the care and worries attached to them will be a positive
hindrance to spiritual progress. The best property is in two forms,
whether one is a man of the world or a man of renunciation—Gayathri
and Vishnusahasranama. -
12-9-71. To-day is Gokulashtami, i.e. Lord Krishna's birthday. Swamiji,
accompanied by a few of the devotees, attended the Gokulashtami pooja
at the residence of a devotee. Swamiji said, "Satsang and bhajan are
necessary for every one. Bhajan has been held in high esteem by many
saints and Bhagavatot-tamas like Bhodendra, Narada, Ajamiia, Prahlada,
Maruthi, etc. Besides, there is Gayathri Japa also which is essential to
walk in the way of God. Through ell these methods, it is possible to
overcome the effects of maya which is ordinarily very difficult to get
over. That is why the Lord has said in the Gita. "Mania Maya.
Darathyaya, . . ." He who is the creator of Maya alone can help us to get
rid of it. To-day is Krishna Jayanthi. We shall all pray for His grace. We
should remember that the Lord will give us warning so that we do not
desert the path of dharma. See, how Kamsa was warned by Durga as a
small girl who was lifted up by Kamsa for being killed. Remember how
she told him at that moment, after slipping away from him that the child
born in Nanda Gokula was going to kill him later on, But Kamsa did not
take heed of this warning. Finally, he was killed by Krishna. What is
wanted is sincere devotion to the Lord. An ordinary person surrendering
to the Lord, with full devotion may attain Him much earlier than the
person who does tapos for years. We should be in a position to see God in
every one and every thing and every where. Krishna has said, "Sarvatra
Mayi Pashyathi. . . ." By being devoted to Him, we can gradually reach
that stage and we can also get Jnana. Has not the Lord said in the Gita, "I
will give my devotee knowledge also"? He will give us the knowledge to
enable us to know what is wrong and what is right. I had told you about
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Gayathri also. Those who have a right to repeat it, should do so and not
others. For instance, women should not repeat it. On the other hand,
Vishnusahasranama may be repeated by any one without any restriction
whatever. It is as powerful as Gayathri. Gayathri can be repeated at any
time provided it is done as 'Nishkama Karma'. But if one desires any
result from its repetition, one should observe all the rules attached to it,
such as proper time and place, etc. With sincerity and simple faith, one
can achieve one's objectives in spiritual life. When I was in Madras an
Anglo-Indian devotee would meet me occasionally. He was fond of
Krishna. He would ask me whether it was possible for him to see Lord
Krishna. When I told him that it was possible, he asked me the method by
which that could be got. I told him as follows: —
"You have to do the simple sadhana of repeating Lord Krishna's name for
48 days. There must be sincerity and love. Repeat Krishna's name while
doing any act. While sleeping, say,-"O! Krishna, I am sleeping. Take me
in your lap." While eating, offer to Him your food and then eat it. That is
enough. After a few days, he complained to me that he did not have the
vision of the Lord. Then I told him to give up drinking and to observe
strict brahmacharya, in addition to the repetition of the Lord's name as
instructed before. After the stipulated time was over, he met me and told
me that he had the vision of Krishna after 48 days as prescribed. He was
full of joy and bliss. It could not be described. The important question
here is whether one can give up one's desires completely. We need not
abruptly give up our desires. It must be done gradually. That is possible
by offering our desires to God. For instance, a person has a great desire to
eat delicious eatables. He cannot stop this desire suddenly. But he may
offer those delicious things to God and then eat the prasada. This eating
will not be for pleasure. As a result, that particular desire vanishes. The
same thing can be done with regard to any other desire."
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29-10-71. Swamiji made a reference to Ekadasi and its significance. He

said. "What is the significance of Ekadasi? "Ekadasi" comes from the
word 'Ekadas’ i.e., eleven. There are eleven indriyas within man.
Bhagavat Dhyana particularly done on the Ekadasi day with -the control
of the eleven indriyas, will have great value. Doing Bhagavat Japa on the
Ekadasi day means offering all the 11 indriyas to the Lord. Behind the
indriyas, it is the divine energy that works. So, the shakti which makes
one talk, hear and see is divine shakti. We have to repeat the Lord's name,
"Om Namah Shivaya" or "Om Namo Narayana" or any other name of the
Lord which is after our heart. This will have the effect of breaking all the
five sheaths that surround our Self, namely, Annamayakosha,
Pranamayakosha, Manomayakosha, Jnanamayakosha,
Vijnanamayakosha. While doing the japa of the Lord's name, we should
be constantly thinking,O! Lord, you are every where and in every thing
and every being. Then you are also in me. The force in me is Yourself.
Then You and I are not different." This gives us a great bliss and peace.
Every reference to God, and His action to destroy Rakshasas made in the
puratias is nothing but a reference to the human existence. Rama and
Krishna are none other than our own conscience. The Rakshasas like
Havana, Narakasura, Kumbakarna etc., are nothing but our kama, krodha,
etc. The fight between the divine force and demonical force is constantly
going on within us. Rama stands for satya (truth) and Krishna for prema
(love). One can go to consciousness of God gradually. Man will be
guided by his own conscience or the inner-self. We have to pay heed to
the guidance afforded by our own conscience." During this talk, a
reference to Sanyasa Ashrama came up. Swamiji stated: "Sanyasa means
'equi-vision'. Sanyasa is only in the mind and not in the external form. A
sanyasi as a rule should not stay in any place for more than three days. He
should be moving from place to place in order to bless the spiritually
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thirsty. He should not stay at one place and begin to possess property, as
this brings in its train lot of problems and will surely affect his own
spiritual progress.
We have to reach the true goal of our life, i.e. God only, from whom we
have all come. For this purpose, renunciation is necessary, which implies
giving up of all our desires. We may have at least simple desires like
taking food, rest, etc. But that desire which makes us share what we have
got with others is the best What should we pray for? It is for a little food
and shelter necessary for our survival. We should not desire for more than
what is necessary." Referring to the mode of prayer. Swamiji remarked,
"We must open our hearts to the Lord. Then only He will bless us. Any
amount of chanting mantras will be of no use unless we open our hearts
to the Lord. You have heard the great saying, "Shivam dadliami Jnanam".
That means, Lord Shiva will grant us Jnana or Knowledge. The Lord has
said in the Gita, "Dadhami buddhi yogam." He will grant us buddhi yoga
so that we may ultimately reach Him. Why is it Shiva is said to give
Jnana or knowledge. It is because, He has three eyes. He is 'Mukkanna.'
It is only He that can open our Third eye, that is, the eye of Jnana,
wisdom. The Lord was pleased to give this eye to Arjuna, i.e., 'divya-
chakshu’. When the eye of wisdom is opened, we can reach God with the
help of Satsang. How do we receive His grace? He has said in the Gita.
"Mayarpita Manobuddhi". Only when the mind and heart are given to
Him, He will give us His blessing. Don't you remember Baba's assurance:
"You look at Me and I shall look at you." What does this mean? If you
offer your heart and mind, God will take care of you. Note what Baba has
said about those who went to him only for worldly gifts. "Many come to
me to get this and that. But they do not come for God". He told this to
Nanasaheb Chandorkar, Dixit and others. When someone asked him as to
why he kept his vessels upside down in the Masid, Baba remarked: "this
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shows how people close their hearts to the Grace of God, like the vessels
kept there with closed mouths. Then, how is it possible to pour into them
Divine Bliss?"
We should also note that when we are in Satsang, we should concentrate
on Guru's feet or the Lord. Otherwise, thinking of other things will be of
no use. Unconsciously or consciously, we should be singing the Lord's
name, uttering 'Gopala. Govinda, etc. When we offer our mind to the
Lord, He will grant us wisdom by opening the eye of wisdom. He will
open our hearts and grant us wisdom, which is a treasure in our own self'
Another day: Swamiji said, "Our self is comparable to a nest in a tree.
Just as birds go into their nests during the night, we too have to go into
our nest, that is, the Self within. When a person goes into his Self, it is
Sushupthi. We have to see our own Self in every one and everything.
Thus, if any one is feeling hungry, one should understand the hungry
man's suffering. We have to see ourselves in the suffering and happiness
of others. Actually, when one goes into one's own Self one begins to see
one's own Self everywhere. Then only he will feel, 'I am That.'; Thou art
That,' A person who lives in his own Self, can live in the midst of the
world but he will not be disturbed in the least. He is the man of realisation
who can take up Karma Yoga in the interest of the world. He will have
detached attachment. While this is the path of Advaita, there is the path of
Dvaita also in which the devotee begins to feel that _ he is the
Jeevatman and the Supreme Lord is the Paramatman. The Jeevatman is
Radha and the Paramatman is Krishna. Finally, the former merges in the
latter. Kverlasting happiness will come only by establishing ourselves in
the Self."
9-11-71. Swamiji was making a reference to the universal outlook of
the realised soul. For such a person, there is no difference between
Duaita, Advaita and Vishistadvaita, etc. Thus, Baba never worried
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himself with such a difference. He blends all the different schools

of thought. You remember, he would often proclaim, "Look at me and I
shall look at you." What does it signify? It means, "look at the Universal
Narayana, then you are That itself." In practice, it means, ''have a feeling
heart for every one." This is the universal outlook. First purify yourself
and then try to purify others. Every one should be awakened, as Swami
Vivekananda has said. All are equal in the eyes of God. There is no
distinction between the rich and the poor, the high and the low. God's
grace is like sunlight which falls on every one without any distinction
being made. God is merciful What has He said in the Gita? "Apichetsu
Duracharo......". That means even the sinner has salvation by
surrendering himself at the feet of the Lord. We should therefore be con-
stantly thinking of God and not merely when we get difficulties, that is
'Sankata bandaga Venkataramana.' (think of Venkataramana when
difficulties come). Remember, what Kunti, the mother of Pandavas,
prayed for, when Krishna asked her what boons she wanted. She asked
Him, "O! Lord, give me difficulties always so that I may never forget
you." That means, when we are in happiness we are apt to forget Him.
Better we have difficulties so that we will not forget Him. We should
make every effort to think of God. Of course, we are in such a society
which encourages the cinema, magazines and papers. If all these lead one
to God, it is alright. But, you know, how these may degrade a man instead
of lifting him up. It would be necessary to think of God every evening
and not think of going to a film which will take us away from God. Our
Dharma has also enjoined that we should worship the cow which is
Lakshmi. If you want happiness and wealth, worship the cow. If this
attitude is developed - among the people, there is no occasion for the
owners of cows to sell them to the slaughter-houses. The positive
approach is that we should go on preaching to every one, "Please worship
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the cow." We need not tell every one, "Don't kill the cow". The
positive approach is more effective. Cow worship is a great tapas by
itself,"
10-11-71. A devotee told the Swamiji that he had attained the age of 55
years this day and as such, he would like to repeat Vishnusahasranama
55 times.
To this, Swamiji replied thus: "There is no rule as to the number of times
one should repeat Vishnu-sahasranama. Actually, when one gets into the
mood of devotion, one may not know how many times one recites it.
Now, you say you are 55 years of age. Who is 55 years? Is it the body or
is it the soul? It is the body that is aged. The soul within is not affected by
the physical age. From this point of view, it is useless to think of one's
age and then celebrate one's birthday, etc. We should go beyond the
physical sense and enter the Kingdom of God. I personally do not like
birthday festivals for elders. It is meant for children.
Recitation of Vishnusahasranama has a great spiritual value. To begin
with, its recitation has the effect of driving away the stray thoughts from
our mind. We do not need any other punya or merit from its recitation.
Who are we? We are the ageless and deathless Atman. Arishadvargas
have got to be removed in order that we may become purified and
become fit to receive the grace of the Lord. The easiest path is Bhakti
Marga. We may keep near us the Vigrahas of God and sing songs in His
praise. That will give us great peace."
12-11-71. Swamiji to-day made a reference to bathing in the sacred rivers
particularly in the Tula-masa. He said, "It is said that those who bathe in
the Kaveri in the Tulamasa, get the benefit of bathing in the Ganges and
thus get Mukthi. If you bathe in the Ganges twice or in the Yamuna five
times, it is said that you will get Mukthi.
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But it is stated that one can get Mukthi if one bathes even once in the
Kaveri. This is because Kaveri goes round Lord Ranganatha twice.
Kaveri also worshipped Lord Ranganatha at Srirangapatna. In this
context, we should never forget the great good done to devotees by
Ganapathi, son of Shiva. It was through Him, the Lord was established as
Ranganatha at Srirangam; it was He who was responsible for the
installation of Mahabaleswara at Gokarna; it was again Ganapathi that
was responsible for getting the Ganges from Kailas by Agastya to the
Nilgiri Hills. This became Kaveri. Ganesha is the giver of Medha, while
Subramanya is the giver of Prajna. Prajna is consciousness and Medha is
wisdom. Prajna is required to experience Medha- When both Subramanya
and Ganapathi are pleased, Shiva and Shakthi are pleased. In this Kali
Yuga, the best results are obtained by the repetition of the Lord's name.
Thus, simply repeating Vishnusahasranama will take us one day to God.
God is the greatest cleanser who cleans all our impurities and makes us
pure so that we may receive His Grace. Even mechanical repetition of
Vishnusahasranama is good. It is beneficial, however, to think
that the Supreme Being, is within us and we think of Him, as we recite
the Vishnusahasranama. Any name of the Lord may be repeated to the
best of one's advantage. For this purpose, Ramanama is ideal. It is a
powerful Nama, If Rama is worshipped, Trimurthis are worshipped. All
that we have to do is to keep a little of our heart for God. Repetition of
His name will redeem the worst sinner. Has not the Lord declared in the
Gita, "Apichetsu Duracharo......"? The Lord will take the sinner to
Himself. Repetition of the Divine Name consciously or unconsciously
will surely take us to Him by first rousing our spirit and then taking us to
the Truth. Baba has shown us the path, i.e., Rama, even as Namadeva
showed Vittal to the devotees. The Lord is AU Pervasive. This is what
the Vedas have also pointed out. Take one of the great Vedic sayings:
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"Tadvishnoh para-mam Padam." What a grand concept is there! It is

that Divine Force imminent in every being which gives us light, water
and fire. The fire in the stomach helps our digestion. 'Aham
vyshvanaroh......" This means that the Lord Himself is seen as the fire in
the stomach. He does everything and. we do nothing. He is the Creator,
and Preserver who takes us to Himself finally. Now I would like to
explain the importance of the Divine Name. If you repeat Ramanama,
both Vishnu and Shiva are pleased. But you should have complete faith.
As you recite the 1000 names of the Lord, at least one name is sure to
stick to you. For some, 'Krishna,' may stick; for some, 'Rama' may stick.
With the Divine Name we have to progress. The final stage is where we
feel that we cannot live in this world for a moment without Him.
Remember how Purandaradasa says, "I do not leave you and you
cannot leave me." How did Sri Ramakrishna cry for the Darshan of
the Divine Mother! Of course, we cannot go to that stage all of a sudden.
We are still in the world. Only when all our Vasanas are removed, then
we can go to Him. But even the removal of the Vasanas depends upon
Him. Even to get implicit faith He alone should bless us. The Lord has
said, "Bahunam Janmanamante...,.." Only through His Grace, after
several births, we desire for His Darshan and realisation. Without His
blessings, nothing will happen. We have to surrender ourselves at His feet
and say, *O, Lord, I do not know what is good and what is bad for me.
You alone can guide me and take me to you." We have to give up our
Akam-bhava, which is a great hindrance in our progress towards God, It
is because of Ahambhava we say, "I, I." Having taken this human body,
we have to think of Him. The body is the house in which the Lord
resides. Just like the rays going back to the Sun, during sun-set, we
should pray, "O! Lord, I should go back to you." Development of
absolute faith in the Supreme Lord is what is wanted, and no study is
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required to reach Him. Meditate on Him. Arise and awake. This will
give us realisation of the Truth. Remember, Ganapathi is to be
worshipped by us so that He may remove the obstacles in our spiritual
pursuits. Who is Ganapathi? He symbolises sound. Sages, after
contemplation, found that Om is the sound. This sound came from
God only. Sages, in order to explain how this sound came, imagined an
elephant and the sound of an elephant is imagined to be Om. It is the
"Pranava". Ganapathi is "Pranava Swaroopa."
18-11-71. Swamiji was referring to the difficulties being faced by the
Bangladesh refugees in India. He said, "It is the Indian tradition to extend
all the necessary help to the suffering humanity. At the same time,
prayers for the relief of the suffering of such people are also to be done.
Each day, starting from to-day, let us pray regularly for the benefit of the
sufferers. Let our prayer for the refugees be: "O! Lord, shower Thy mercy
on those poor people who are suffering for want of food, clothing and
shelter; they are like us, Your children. Show them Your mercy and bless
them and us."
20-11-71. Swamiji quoted a Tamil sloka, which means "worldly
attachment will spoil spiritual uplift-ment. Spiritual attachment will help
spiritual upliftment."
This sloka had been repeated by a three-year old boy (i.e., Lord Krishna)
who had appeared to Swamiji's vision. This according to the Swamiji was
as follows:— "In my half-sleeping state, I saw a boy of three years of
age. He looked at a large shell and called aloud. "This is the embryo
stage. I came out of this." Immediately, the shell was broken. It resem-
bled a huge egg. This is Hiranyagarbha. Then the boy started repeating
slokas from the Garbhopanisad. First, he began to play the role of a boy;
then that of an adult and finally he began to run away. Stage after stage,
he began to show me his play. I began musing within myself, how he
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happened to come into this earth, breaking the huge shell. So long as we
are on the right path, He takes care of us, i.e.. "yogakshemam
vahamyaham." The boy is none other than Krishna who said the
following sayings: "a) Samatwam yogamutchyate b) Bahwnam
janmanamante c) The day dawns with the bright sun and ends in
darkness. In between, the jivas struggle to have their existence. During
this time, they do not usually think of God. Selfishness is the ruling force'
The vision took different turns. Later, bright light appeared on the head of
the boy. Then He appeared as a sadhu., then as a drunkard, next as a
jivanmukta and so on. Later, the boy asked me, "Every one has come out
of this shell. Now what have they to do?" I replied, "we should be like
children." On hearing this, the boy smiled and ran away. I wanted to
catch him but could not, as he ran swiftly. The entire scene was that of a
vast field and many were behind me. I could also see all types of
creatures having come out of the big shell. Finally, water began pouring
out from above and began to cover everything. The repetition of the
slokas from the Garbhopanishad was very significant. This Upanishad
describes that the child in the womb at the seventh or the eighth month
gets the memory of its previous birth. At the time of the birth 'Vayu'
pushes out the child. Further, according to the Vpani-shad, when the child
is inside the embryo, whatever the mother suffers or enjoys, will affect
the child also. The whole scene I witnessed in that vision was so
wonderful and if I were a director of films, I would have tried to produce
a film depicting the entire vision. But who is there to take the exquisite
role of that Divine Child, who was Krishna Himself? That vision filled
my mind with extraordinary bliss. How can I describe that Ananda?"
21-11-71. Swamiji was explaining about wealth and its possession:
"Whatever wealth you acquire from God is for ever with you; but the
worldly wealth is not so. One who has worldly wealth should spend it
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over dharma karyas which will bring 'kshema' for the doer of such acts
and for those who are benefited by such acts. This is the secret of social
service. Wealth in such a case will further grow (vriddhi). What is
dharma? Whatever is your attractive object in this world, give a part of it
to the man who needs it. This is dharma. We should develop sympathetic
love towards all creatures, which will give us happiness. Giving a piece
of bread to a dog will give you happiness. That is Baba's way. A kind
word and a kind talk will take us a long way. While praying, we should
take up this attitude: "O! God, we have kept ourselves at your feet.
Protect us." While eating, sleeping, travelling or walking, repeat His
name. Similar to the cleansing agent used for cleaning vessels, the
cleansing agent to clean our mind filled with the arishadvargas, is God's
name. An important quality we have to cultivate is, not to look at the fault
of others. If you look at every one as pure, then you will also become
pure. In Kaliyuga. God's name is a mighty force."
23-11-71. Swamiji to-day made a reference to Pitru-Yacgna. He said, "It
should be done faithfully. If one fails in doing this, the progeny in his
household will come to have many physical deformities, like deafness or
blindness. Pitru-Tarpana and Pitru-Yagna are enjoined on us by the
Shastras and they are the duties of the Jivas. If Pitru-Yagna is done, the
Devas are also pleased. The doer of Pitru-Yagna will enjoy good health,
good memory, etc. Parents are our first Gods. We have to first serve our
mother, then father and lastly the Guru. Mother comes first. What
sacrifices she would make for the sake of her children. Can we ever repay
our debt to our mother? Next in the order is the father. We should also
thankfully remember and serve him. So while our parents are alive, we
should serve them to the best of our capacity. We also owe our duty to
them after their death. When a Jiva has departed from this earth, it will be
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restless for some time because of the previous Vasanas. We have to pray
for them."
27-11-71. Swamiji made a reference to the names of the Lord, "Hiranya
Garbho Madhavo, Madhusudha-naha." He asked if any one gathered
around him, knew the meaning. Then, he himself started the explanation:
"Hiranya Garbha is a big shell of the type of an egg. Hiranya itself means
gold. It also means 'Hridaya' (heart). Brahma is also called 'Hiranya
Garbha'. At the time of pralaya, the Lord takes every one into the
'Hiranya Garbha'. During creation, every one will come out of 'Hiranya
Garbha.'
Madhvo: Madhava is one in whose heart Lakshmi resides. Madhava
preserves creation.
Madhusudhana: 'Madhu' is anything which is sweet, like sugar, honey,
etc. This refers to all the acts performed by man out of ignorance but in
which he will have pleasure, but the fruits of which he will bt unable to
digest. The Lord will come to the rescue of such a person. As a result,
that person's conscience will begin to prick him and slowly he will begin
to realise the uselessness of the acts he will be indulging in and gradually
he will turn out to be a true Bhaktha. The Lord becomes the 'sudhana' or
the destroyer of all our evil tendencies. Ultimately, even the worst
criminals whose tamasic nature impels them to indulge in all the anti-
social and sinful acts, will turn towards God and will reach Him, although
it is a question of time. This is what is hinted at in the Puranic story in
which the Lord destroys the demon, 'Madhu'.
Shatrughno: Shatrughna is one who drives or removes all 'Arishadvargas'
within us.
Vyapto: The Supreme Lord Narayana along with Lakshmi resides
everywhere and in every heart i.e., 'hridayakasha'. During Pralaya, He
keeps everything within Himself.
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Vayuhu: Vayu is air which is essential for the preservation of creation.

The Lord in the form of Vayu preserves all the beings.
Adhokshajaha: The Supreme Lord in the form of 'Vayu' has descended
from above, i.e., 'Akasha', to help creation. It is in 'Akasha', 'Vayu' exists.
'Rutuh sudarshanah kalah parameshtiparigrahaha'. 'Ruthuh': God is
described as sun.
'Sudharshanaha,'; This is Surya Bhagavan who also came with the
creation; knowing this, we should perform Gayatri and 'Arghya' to Him
in the morning, noon and evening.
'Kalaha': The Lord is Time itself. He pervades Time and there is no
moment without His presence.
'Parameshti': The Lord is extremely or highly 'shreshta', i.e., the
Greatest. He is the Shresta Guru, i.e., Brahma is the first Guru, besides
being the most exalted Guru. As Saguna Brahma, He is more easily
realisable than as Nirguna Brahma.
Parigrahaha: The Lord receives the offerings from His devotees. But as
the Supreme Lord, He is capable of removing and taking away anything
that stands in the way of the devotees for His realisation. Thus, if the
want of anything creates an obstacle" for God realisation, as for example,
poverty, He will remove it. So, the 'Artharthi' as described in the Gita,
prays for the removal of his difficulties and troubles, which is quite
legitimate and justified as long as one is in the world as samsari. Some
say that the Lord knows what we desire and there is no need to pray for
the fulfilment of any desire. But this is the Jnani's way of thinking and
not for the Bhaktha who has to appeal to God for the removal of his
difficulties. The Lord also waits for the devotee to appeal to Him for the
grant of his wishes, like a mother expecting her child to cry for food or
any other want. The devotee who casts his entire burden upon the Lord,
will be definitely taken care of. (Ananyoschintoyantomam). We have to
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pray thus: "O! Lord. I do not know anything. I am thine. Protect me and
take care of me." We should also tell the Lord, "You have given me
Buddhi. Let me use it in the right way." He should give us proper Buddhi
to use the wealth He has given us in the right way. The Lord also wants
us to be pure, by offering our hearts to Him. We have therefore to say,
"Lord, it is all Yours. What have I to give You? I am like a ray from You
and a day will come when I come back to you." This is the attitude we
should assume. We should pray as follows: "Lord, I cannot remember
You. So make me remember You. I am Your child." The path we have to
follow will be decided by the Guru who knows what is best for us. Our
prayer should also be made to the Divine Mother: "I am Your child. Take
care of me." Will She leave you when you appeal to Her? Through Her
grace, one can get over lust in particular, as one will be able to see Her in
every woman. Who created all this May a"! It is the Lord Himself. He
says in the Gita: "Mama Maya Duratyaya." We have to say: Lord, You
have created Maya. Let me go out of it and be able to lead an exclusive
life." It is through the grace of the Guru, we can overcome Maya. In fact,
Guru is not different from God."
29-11-71. To-day Swamiji made a reference to God-realisation. He asked
the devotees to consider the method of Self-Analysis. He said, "consider
the question, 'Who am I?'" This analysis will gradually take us to the very
root from which the whole of this world is made, i.e., the Atman. This is
of course not easy to realise as it is meant for only a few, who pursue
Jnana Marga. One has to analyse what our bodies consist of. Then, we
must find out whether, "I am the body, or some thing else." Anyhow there
is the easier path of Saguna Upasana, i.e., worship of God in some form.
This is Bhakthi Marga which is easier than the Jnana Marga. Even
through this path, one will ultimately attain' the Supreme. In other words,
Saguna will lead to Nirguna. Thus, the Lord who is being worshipped by
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the devotee, will begin to manifest Himself as the Universal Being. Look
at what Vishnusahasranama says: "Viswamurtir Mahamurtir
Deptamurtira Murtiman". Analyse each name of the Lord here.
"Viswamurthi" means the Universal God who is Omnipresent.
"Mahamurthi" means The Great One. "Deeptamurthi" means the Jyothi
Roopa of the Lord. "Amoorthi" means the formless God. Thus, from the
concept of "Viswamurthi" one will go to "Mahamurthi" and realise Him
as "Deeptamurthi" or as Jyothisujaroopa and finally will realise Him as
formless also. Devotion takes us in a straight path to the Lord. In the
meantime, attachment to the body, possessions and wealth should go. The
body is not ours. It is given to us by God. So let us offer our bodies to
God. What is it that draws us away from God? It is the Chit, which takes
us away from the Sat. Chit first makes Kalpana. The mind reflects on it
(Chaya) and finally illusion is created by it, which is Maya. The essence
of Brahmajnana is to understand the play of the mind and know that we
are basically the 'Sat. The Brahmajnani feels, 'I am the Sat'. This is the
reality in every being. For this reason, God is Vishwatma and
Amoortiman. In order to realise God, it would be better we take up the
attitude of Maruthi, who is Vayuputra. He always sits at the feet of the
Lord. Maruthi represents our own mind. This means that our mind should
be placed at the feet of the Lord, which is the best way to bring it under
control. Through the pursuit of Bhakthi Marga, we can realise God. For
example, Baba taught a rich Marwari devotee who went to him for
getting Brahmajnana, that he should practise Noua-Vidha Bhakthi (nine
forms of devotion) in order to get Brahmajnana. Baba stressed on Waua-
Vidha Bhafcthi in order that one can get over Sattua, Raja and Tamo
Gunas, corresponding to the three steps of Dwarakamayi in Shirdi.
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All that Baba meant in his instructions to the Marwari was that we should
go step by step to attain Brahmajnana and not try to go to it suddenly, as
we do not have the necessary development."
30-11-71. To-day, Swamiji made a reference to the efficacy of the
repetition of Ramanama. He said, "the power of Ramanama is
acknowledged by Shiva Himself. He says, 'Sri Rama Rama Rameti,
Rome Rame Manorame while giving upadesha to Parvathi. Remember
Tulsidas Ramayana. Tulsidas was a great Ramabhaktha. Nabhidas went
from Brindavana to meet Tulsidas. But he was deeply absorbed in
meditation of Lord Rama. Nabhidas took this as an offence because
Tulsidas did not speak to him. Later when Tulsidas went to Brindavana,
Nabhidas deliberately did not talk to him and was indifferent to him. Of
course, Tulsidas did not mind this. He was deeply thinking of his Ishta,
namely, Rama. But Krishna appeared as Rama to Tulsidas at Brindavana.
It is said that Tulsidas was Valmiki in his previous birth. We have to note
the depth of devotion of Tulsidas for his Ishta. When you give your heart
to the Lord, He will pour His grace into it. It is said that when Tulsi was a
mere infant, he was uttering the name of Rama. We all know how
renunciation and dispassion entered his heart. On the day of his father's
ceremony, Tulsi-das got an intense feeling for meeting his wife who was
in her father's home. Tulsidas was mad after his wife. In the midnight,
mistaking a floating corpse on the Ganges, for a log of wood, he floated
on it. Later on, he climbed the house of his father-in-law, with the help of
a snake, taking it for a rope and went to the room of his wife. On coming
to know of all the • hardships he had to encounter in meeting her, she
chastisingly told him: "Had you the same amount of love towards the
Lord, He would have appeared before you and blessed you." She became
his Guru. Later, you know how the Lord took care of him. Once, some
pandits, being jealous of the popularity enjoyed by his Ramayana, tried to
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steal it away. But they saw that Rama and Laksmana stood near the
text of Ramayana and prevented the act of the pandits. We know how
Lord Shiva also blessed Tulsidas. It is believed that Maruthi will come
to hear the recitation of Ramayana of Tulsidas. Therefore, there is the
practice of keeping a plank of wood for Maruthi's seat when Tulsidas
Ramayana is read. ,
Baba had a special liking for Maruthi.^ He would get 'avesha' in front of
the temple of Maruthi in Shirdi."
1-12-71. Swamiji referred to the importance of spiritual atmosphere. He
said, "This Mandir is a social circle in the spiritual field. This creates the
necessary atmosphere for spiritual uplift which is required by every one
of us. Here, we can pray intensely for control over our lower desires. You
know that unless God blesses us and conquers our heart, the lower desires
cannot be conquered. Kabir, Tulsidasa, Kanaka and others
illumined their heart by crying before Him. We may also illumine this
Mandir easily. But how to illumine our inner Mandir, i.e., heart? We
should remember that, for the Mandir of the heart, the Lord's Name is the
key. Open the Mandir through the chanting of the Divine Name. You note
that Baba lighted the Dwarakamayi with lamps and kept them burning
throughout the night. This signifies that we too should likewise be
burning lamps in our hearts through the repetition of Bhagavan-Nama.
That light should not be put off and kept constant. To-day we have
lighted one thousand lamps in the Mandir. Baba who is fond of lamps,
would be highly pleased and in turn will surely bless us. The grace of
God will only come through the great saints like Baba, Sri Rama-krishna
and others. They are ready to bless us but only we have not opened our
eyes, i.e., our mind's eye is to be opened to perceive the greatness and
kindness of saints. You remember how Totapuri opened the third eye of
Sri Ramakrishna. Similarly, Sri Rama-Krishna touched Swami
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Vivekananda which opened up his third eye enabling him to realise

Brahman. This is how great Masters have been kind to open the eye of
wisdom. May the Lord give us good mind, good intellect and
auspicious things so that we travel without trouble in the spiritual
path."
3-12-71. Swamiji addressed the group of devotees assembled thus.
"Every one complains of uneasiness of mind. Mental uneasiness is in
abundance. How to get over it? People do not have the courage to face
difficulties and problems. Only a man of renunciation who has become
completely detached from the world, can guide the people who are in
distress and difficulties. When I listen to the distress and suffering of
people who come here, I am myself so much perturbed and I do not know
how to give them peace. For the whole day, there will be people coming
to meet me, to narrate their sufferings and very few people come to me
with any good news. We should gradually learn to get over the feeling
that we are suffering. How are we to do it? We have to expand our hearts.
We have to begin to feel, "I am in all the Beings; I am He and He is in me
and I am in Him." This is the method of detachment from the world by
identifying ourselves with God. This kind of brainwash will wash every
thing which is worldly. When you have a problem, sit quiet for some time
and invariably something shines and you are able to decide the course of
action. Whether one is a sanyasi or a samsari, one can do this. When you
attend the Bhajan, try to forget that 'I am the body.' Then only you begin
to feel refreshed from the Bhajan. This state should always be developed
by forgetting oneself especially in the course of the Bhajan. Can any one
really concentrate on God during the Bhajan? Of course, this is a
problem. What is the solution? Why not every one feel while entering the
Mandir, "I am entering the house of the Lord. Let me forget everything."
Try to forget the world for about one and half hours daily. Think of Him
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as you listen to the recitation of Rudradhyaya. Feeling that 'I am with the
Lord' when you are entering the Mandir, is not going to give you the false
ego of 'ahambhava'. On the other hand, it is going to be the satwik
ahambhava. Feel that the Lord is within you and in every one, as you are
attending the Bhajan and prayers. That will be real Kailasa. When Rudra-
dhyaya starts, say, 'Shiva', 'Shiva' and that will elevate your mind and you
will get His grace. In Tamil, there is a saying that when you are in
trouble, sit and say, 'Shiva', 'Shiva'. "Jivah Shivah, Shivah Jiva". This
attitude should be assumed. Illumination will come in the heart, as the
Lord is in the heart. In rousing the spiritual consciousness, recitation of
the Mantras will have a significant effect. At home, when you are
troubled by household worries, repeat, "Om Shantih, Shantih, Shantih,"
that is, repeat the word, "Shantih" thrice and that will give you real peace.
This is stated in the Shruthi. The second 'Shantih' is in the five sheaths
covering our self and the third 'Shantih' is in our heart, representing the
inner 'Ananda' i.e., Anan-dam Brahmha. Anandam 'Sarvah'. This Shanthi
is not outside in the ears, eyes. etc. It is only in your heart,"
7-12-71. Swamiji said, "Maya is very subtle. Unless one has received the
grace of the Lord, it is not possible to conquer Maya, The story of Narada
shows how important is the grace of the Lord in this respect. When
Narada did a great tapas, Indra, out of jealousy against him, sent a
batallion of dancers, including Rambha, in order to delude Narada and
detract him away from his tapas. As Narada was full of God-
consciousness, he was not in the least perturbed by the presence of the
dancers who felt ashamed of their base motive and prostrated before
Narada and went their way. This however, filled the mind of Narada with
a sense of pride that he had conquered lust and he later boasted about his
achievement with Shiva, Bramha and Vishnu. However, Lord Vishnu
wanted to teach him a good lesson. Later on, when Narada went to the
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palace of a king, he fell in love with the beautiful daughter of the king
and desired that she should be given in marriage to him. But this could
not be possible as the girl had vowed that she would marry only Lord
Vishnu and none else. Besides, the Lord had made Narada get the form of
a monkey which further lessened the chances of the king's daughter
selecting him as her husband. Later, the Lord Himself appeared and took
her as His bride and disappeared. In the meanwhile, the Lord made
Narada most perfect, in his next Janma, while the Lord became Rama and
the girl he took in marriage became Sita. This story shows how even a
great Tapasvi like Narada fell a victim to Maya, that too, after so much of
tapas to his credit and after so many births. It was his lower ego that
brought his downfall. Finally, it was the Lord's grace that enabled him to
become perfect. That is why the Lord has said, "Mama Maya
durathyaya". The Lord tells us, "You are my devotee and I will not let
you fail."
8-12-71. Swamiji was explaining the method by which one could get
Vairagya which would help one in overcoming Maya. He said "Maya is
not only in the form of lust, but it is also present in the form of anger,
hatred, greed, pride, jealousy, etc. Bhagavan says, Vairagya is important
for the attainment of Jnana. The feeling, 'I am the body’ will have to
vanish but this is possible through the performance of Satkarma, which
purifies the mind. Bhagavan says that Jnana should come. For this,
Vairagya is required, followed by Abhyasa in spiritual practices. Bhakthi
yoga leads to the realisation that 'I am not the body', while in the
beginning, there is the feeling that 'I am the body'. When once the feeling
that 'I am not the body, persists, the purified self will shine from within.
Then one will begin to feel that 'I am everything', 'I am the Universe and
the Universe is in me.' What is essential is that the desires should
completely disappear, after which one will be in a fit condition to get
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Mofcsha. Lust, anger and greed constitute darkness preventing one from
realising God. That is the reason why Krishna says, these should be given
up, i.e., 'Tryam tyajet'. We will be able to do it only through the grace of
the Lord. We should seize every opportunity to think of God which
purifies us. When we become hungry, we enter a hotel to take some food,
or when we feel like having an entertainment, we enter a cinema theatre.
In the same way, we should go to a place of worship, the moment we
think of God. That momentous time should be immediately acted upon,
for, we may not get that feeling and opportunity once again. Such
opportunities are given only by God."
Speaking about the need for maintaining spiritual practices, Swamiji said,
'The Upanishads declare that we should realise our true self. Do you note,
how Swami Vivekananda declared the Upanishidic statement, "Arise,
Awake and Stop not till the Goal is reached."? Our goal in spirituality
should be achieved, for which we need to be wide awake, never to be
indolent and inactive and always continue to make our efforts to reach the
supreme goal."
15-12-71. Swamiji made a reference to the several stages in the Bhakthi
Marga, viz., sravaxia, kirtana, smarana, atmasakhya, dasya and
atmanive-dana. First is Sravana i.e., hearing the Lord's Name, and
Kirtana i.e., singing of the Lord's Name, His qualities, etc. This is
followed by pooja or archana. Then follows Atmasakhya i.e., we develop
relationship with the Lord. It may be as between friend and friend, father
and son, mother and son, husband and wife, etc. Finally, the heart is
offered to the Lord. Then the devotee feels "I am You and You are me".
The whole world is You and You are in every heart."
17-12-71. Swamiji was talking about the Imperishable Atman or the
Supreme Sat. He said, "perishable things put up a show. But Sat alone is
the Supreme One, which does not put up a show. The Immortal is
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Brahma. It is our mind that makes us either attached or detached to the

world. A Brahmajnani is capable of detaching himself from the world
and attaching himself to Brahman. If you move in the world living with
God, then you are surely liberated. It is only in our mind that ideas like
goodness and badness of people come to play. But all these, viz., war,
fight, etc., are only myth (illusion). In this worldly existence, we should
always adopt the policy, "Live and Let Live." If the great powers of the
world follow this principle, where is warfare among nations? God has
bestowed on us land and resources including food, etc. Cannot man live
happily with his family and neighbours?
The Lord is our Sutra Dhari. But we ignore Him, depending on our
senses. We have known that the Lord has said, "Dadami Buddhi. ....."
With the help of the Buddhi the Lord has granted us, we can discriminate
between the real and unreal in this world. It is then only we can adjust
ourselves to this world and go forward towards the Lord. Remember what
the Lord has said, "mameva prapadyante........"
Finally, every devotee gets back to the Lord only. The Lord has also said
in the Gita, "Apuryamanam achala prathistam". So the best way to reach
the Lord is to keep our mind intact with the Lord at all times. He is the
guide, and charioteer. Arjuna really chose the right charioteer. The main
reasons for our difficulties in this world, are the Gunas which have
affected us really. If you take Satwa Guna, you will go further in God's
way. On the other hand, you take to Rajas, then Kama, Krodha, etc., will
be always with you and pull you down to remain in this world of
sufferings. Under Tamos, one will be always in the gambling den or the
drinking bars, etc."
Swamiji continued to explain the way in which one should live in this
world. He said "unless the mind is controlled, it is not possible to live in a
detached manner in this world. Actually, the mind should not rule over
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us, if we have to attain Moksha ultimately. We should learn to train the

mind and control it properly. This is possible through the grace of the
Lord. But to control the mind, the vasanas have also to be eliminated.
We should try to know our true nature. Our true nature is Ananda.
Remember, "Anandam Brahmeti.... etc". What does it indicate? All these
we see and come into contact with, come out of Ananda and go to
Ananda. Each of us should therefore begin to feel, "I am that Supreme
One." All of us are in the Lord. Say, "I am in the Lord". Why should you
bleat like the lamb when in reality you are the tiger? We should feel that
the whole world is ours. You have also heard the saying,
"Ekamevadvitiya Brahma." Then, why should you not say, "I am He?"
Through auto-suggestion’ like this and self-impositions like this, we can
slowly begin to realise the supreme truth that we are Brahaman ourselves.
Begin to feel, "O Lord, You are in me and I am in You." This is enough.
No arguments are necessary at all.
We should also learn to surrender ourselves at the feet of the Lord. This
is the very basis of Bhakti Marga. Did not the Lord say, "Yatkaroshi,
Yat Juho-shi......" That is, whatever legitimate action you do, offer them
to the Lord. We may take any path to realise God—either Janana path or
Bhakthi path. The easier path is that of Bhakthi. Now, how should we
conduct ourselves during Bhajan? We have to detach ourselves during
Bhajan and get into God. Even while attending to our office-duties, let us
think of God. The important matter in the pursuit of sadhanas is patience
as Baba has stressed. Without patience, you aannot learn and attain
anything."
18-12-71. Swamiji was making a reference to the Karma theory in
Hinduism. He said, "What is the idea in the saying that one has to
experience Karma, Prarabdha and so on? If everything happens
according to Karma, then where is liberation? Ashtavakra Geeta says,
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'detach your mind and attach to That and go further.' Then only the
Jnanagni shines. So we have to detach from everything and go further.
This is what the Brahmavadin says, 'You realise that you are the Atman'
God is everywhere, in you, me and others. Then, why should you deny
the statement, 'I am God.'
What actually separates us from God? It is the ego which separates us
from the Lord. When the ego goes, 'I' vanishes and in its place the real 'I*
will shine. The real T says, 'All He does.' A person who has realised the
Self will live in tune with God. We should therefore constantly practice
detachment. So. we should try our best to give up the ego. For this, no
great learning is needed like the acquisition of the M.A. or the Ph.D.
degree. God's grace is what is needed. We should have courage and
conviction to realise God. For instance, Swami Vivekananda had both.
The easiest path is devotion to the Lord. He takes the form which is
desired by the devotee. We may realise the Supreme, either by Jnana
marga or Bhakthi marga. Of course, the former is preferable. But we
should note that realisation is a must. Even if there is a slight trace of
enjoyment in us, we have to take re-birth.
A Self-realised person does not declare in an egoistic-sense, that he is
God. Remember Jesus said, "I and Father are one." Jesus meant that he
had realised the Supreme and thus he had become one with the Lord. The
great saints have declared that one need not search for the Lord. He is in
your heart only. We need not search for Him but have to seek Him.
Keeping the Lord in our hearts, why go about visiting places of
pilgrimage? Of course, as a spiritual sadhana, one requires to visit such
places, but when one attains the Lord, one will not require any more
sadhana including pilgrimages. There is also another aspect in respect of
pilgrimages. One does not gain anything by going on visiting places. of
pilgrimage without getting rid of Kama, Krodha, Lobha. etc."
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19-12-71. To-day, Swamiji was making a reference to the right type of

food one should take both from the health point of view as well as the
spiritual point of view. He said, "It is the limited amount of food that is
needed. That is called Mithahara. Milk products like butter-milk, milk,
ghee and butter are enough to keep the physical body fit for spiritual
practices. It is the Mother (Cow) that would take the responsibility to take
us to God. It is also necessary that we should take Satwik food. This
means that we should not take the hot (pungent) foods, which have the
tendency to make our blood boil. That is, we begin to suffer from Ushna
because of the hot things taken into our system."
20-12-71. Swamiji addressed the devotees on the importance of Bhakthi.
He said, "It is teevra (intense) Bhakthi that is needed. The great saint
Ekanath is a symbol of this type of Bhakthi. Ekanath was an accountant
under a king. At the close of the daily accounts, he would try his best to
balance the accounts before retiring to bed. Sometimes, he would refuse
to take food also until the accounts were balanced for the day. One day,
when such a thing happened, his Guru's wife who had great sympathy for
him, reported this to her husband (the Guru). At that moment, Ekanath
was writing his accounts. All of a sudden, he exclaimed with great joy,
"Ah, I have found out". He discovered some mistake in the accounts
responsible for the discrepancy. What he had found out was only a small
difference of i of an anna (one and a half paise). Then his Guru addressed
him thus: "Had you this concentration on God, you would have attained
Him' This master by name Jagannath Pandit was a great devotee of Lord
Vittal of Pandharpur. From that moment onwards, Ekanath continued to
press his master to get him the darshan of the Lord. The Guru would
console him by saying that at the proper time, the Lord would bless him.
Jagannath would also plead with the Lord that He should show mercy to
Ekanath and give him darshan. Accordingly, the Lord agreed. The Lord
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appeared three times before Ekanath. But only during the third time, he
was able to recognise the Lord. First. He appeared as a Muslim saint, but
Ekanath failed to recognise. Next, the Lord appeared as a saint holding
three dogs in his hand. That is, He appeared as Lord Dattatreya. This time
also, Ekanath failed to identify Him. At last, Vittal appeared in the form
of a- Guru sitting on a horse. Immediately, Ekanath prayed to him to
grant realisation of God. The Guru spat the beetle leaves he was chewing
into the hands of Ekanath and asked him to eat them. The essence of this
incident is to show that Ekanath had Ekagratha Chitta. Ekanath was thus
able to have the vision of the Lord. This points out that we should at least
set a part of our mind to God, so that in course of time, we may reach
Him. But how many can devote themselves to God, with even a little of
concentration? It is true people raise all sorts of questions such as where
is the Lord and what is His purpose and how to realise Him, etc. The best
way is not to raise these questions, but to go straight into sadhana and
realise Him. Of course, one must have a pure heart and mind. Otherwise,
it will take a long time for one to realize God. Devotion is the only means
of crossing the ocean of Samsara. Samsara is nothing but the thoughts
about the world. Ekanath, living a Grihasta's life, has shown what is
Ekaora Chittha for realising God. The path of devotion, though simple in
its outlook, requires constant practice. Just as a child learns walking after
falling many times, but regaining its attempts, a true devotee should
constantly make efforts in getting concentration on God and ultimately
reaching Him. True devotion is derived with an impulse of the heart."
21-12-71. Swamiji spoke about 'samatwa’. He said, 'samattwam
yogamuchyete'. Sam.twam means equal vision, i.e., equanimity.
Equanimity should be there, as everything comes and goes. The person
with equipoised vision will have no likes and dislikes. Such a person will
be indifferent to the happenings in the world. He will have no ups and
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downs in his mind. The main purpose in practising Vratas or hearing

Shrutis is to conquer desires and lust which will ultimately enable one to
have Samatwa. Men of Samatwa, neither long for longevity during
prosperity nor desire for death in difficulties. They live as long as they
like and give up their life at will. Such people exhort us to conduct our
lives with contentment and peace of mind during difficulties. Equanimity
is the only property such persons possess. Take the case of Sri Ramana
Maharshi who was the example of such a person. He was looking at
everything in this world, with equanimity without being attached to
anything. Such a kind of life was led by Sri Chandrashekhara Bharathi,
Sai Baba and others. Baba never lived in a mansion. But how contented
he was! You should be contented with what you get and not feel jealous
about what pleasures other get. In fact, there is no end for this jealousy.
We should remember that the person who is entitled to get more wealth,
gets it. Why should we waste our energy through jealousy against him?
Our Shastras have actually enjoined upon all of us to give up hatred and
jealousy. In fact, we are asked to wish the best for every one in this
world. If we wish bad for others, our mind gets polluted. Men of
Samatwa practise such honesty that they wish well for every one. They
will be liberal and even-minded and upright in spirit. Such a person will
not be shaken up by any happening in this world. He will be able to get
over the pairs of opposites like heat and cold, happiness and misery, etc.
He will be loved by all, friends and foes alike. He does not wish bad for
any one in the entire universe. Even those who have a lot of vices, love
men of Samatwa. They are even-minded people, who will be far-sighted.
We should follow their foot-steps. Therefore, what is the best way open
for us in the world? We should first have faith in God and His acts. This
is the only means by which the worldly fetters will fall off. A person who
has perfect faith in the Lord can extricate himself from all the rituals and
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ceremonial forms of worship. Spiritual knowledge will be shining

brightly in such a person. When you feel the Lord in your heart, where is
the effect of Karma?"
As regards the duty of house-holders, Swamiji said, "So long as you live
with your wife and children, do your duty to them. Know that it is duty to
God. Have detached attachment. Say that everything is for "Parameswara
preethyartoin." A true devotee says, "It is all His." Then only, the Lord's
assurance "Yoga-Keshemam vahamyaham" will be true. This is the spirit
of Samatwa."
24-12-71. To-day, Swamiji made a reference to a vision he had recently.
He saw sage Vyasa 'standing beside him. Vyasa asked Swamiji in the
vision: "How can one go beyond Papa and Puny a"? Immediately after
Swamiji heard this question from Vyasa, he saw a huge river-bed spread
all around which was very beautiful to look at. A person was seen in that
ground washing his horse. Swamiji felt that he was Arjuna. the horse was
found to be shaking its body. Vyasa pointed out the horse to Swamiji.
The shaking of the body of the horse indicated that Papa and Punya could
be similarly shaken off as a result of God-realisation. After this
experience, Vyasa asked Swamiji how could one get rid off the Vasanas.
In answer to this, Vyasa showed Swamiji, a snake moving on the ground
with a pearl on its hood. That meant that the Vasanas are like the snake,
coming repeatedly birth after birth, while the pearl on the hood of the
snake indicated that it was our Jivattnan. Therefore, through the realisa-
tion of the Self, the vasanas could be got rid off and the Jivatman can
attain salvation."
28-12-71. To-day is Vaikunta Ekadashi. Swamiji began by referring to
the value of the repetition of the Lord's Name. He said, "Through the
repetition of the Lord's Name, we can build a strong fort within our
hearts. This fort will protect us against the worldly influences which will
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detract us from the Divine path." Swamiji continued: "If we repeat the
Bhagavannama with intense faith that is sure to take us across the ocean
of samsara. In this Kali Yuga, the easiest and the best means to attain
moksha is through the repetition of the Lord's Name. One should repeat
some name of the Lord. Those who are initiated into the Gayatri Mantra,,
should repeat it regularly and that is sure to take them to the ultimate
goal. But nowadays, who can boldly say that he has been repeating the
Gayatri for at least ten times a day? Remember, why the intellect has
become dull to-day. It is because the Gayatri is not repeated regularly.
People have enough time every day for their food, amusement, meetings,
etc. But they do not find it possible to repeat the Gayatri or the Lord's
Name even for 10 minutes."
29-12-71. Swamiji spoke on the attainment of Jnana.. He said, "Only by
renouncing the results of Karma, Jnana comes. That is the essence of
Karma-phala tyaga. Note the saying '"'Na Karmana Prajaya Dhanena...."
The essence is Self-realisation through Karma-Phaia Tyaga. One gets
'Vishesha Jnana with Self-Realisation. Such Jnana enables one to think
that Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara are all one and the same and that
they all reside one's own heart. At the end of a worship, we repeat
'Kayenavacha manasendriyairva' in order to emphasise Karma Phala
Tyaga. According to Taittiriya Upanishad, person who realises his self
attains Swarajya. That means that one's identity with the jeevatman is
lost. He will be merged in Paramatman. This is described graphically by
Sri Ramakrishna in his analogy of the salt doll going to measure the depth
of the sea and in turn getting itself completely dissolved in the water.
Likewise, Jivatman and Paramatman become one. God is inseparable
from us. But we are searching for Him like the blind-folded men. He is all
pervading. It is the force of the Atman in us that is actually the driving
force during our wakeful moments. During sleep also it is the force of
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Atman that works. The fact that you remember what you had seen in the
dream shows that the soul was present even during sleep. A Jnani sees
the world as delusion, i.e., Mithya. It should be our constant effort to
realise our true nature i.e., the Self, through spiritual practices. But we
begin to feel that we need the help of a spiritual teacher. If we are earnest
in realising God, He alone becomes the teacher. He resides in our hearts.
Think that this body is a fort of Ananda, where the Supreme Lord rests,
It is for the purpose of God-realisation scriptures have prescribed Japa,
Tapa, etc. These are the solutions for getting rid of bondage. We have to
cultivate the sense of surrender to him who is residing in us. Offer
whatever you do, to him. Do not eat anything for the sake of taste. First
offer it to Him. Remember, the Lord has said, 'Aham Vyshvanaro ...' So
food is an offering to this Vyshvanara Agni. I spoke about Ananda. What
is it? It is the 'mystic eternal union.' It is not possible to describe it. But
there are means to attain it. In the Gita,, the Lord has said 'Thrividham .,.
tattrayam tyajet'. What are the three things to be given up in order to
attain Self-realisation? Kama, Krodha and Lobha, i.e. desires, anger and
greed are to be given up. Besides, one has to keep company with the
knowers of God. Worship saints as symbols of God.
Sometimes a question is posed to us in this respect: Why should we
create so many Gods, temples, etc., when God is one—the eternal one?
We should remember that although God is one, there ought to be different
forms of God suited to each devotee's liking and attitude. Thus, we have
many forms of God. i.e. Rama, Krishna, Shiva, etc. One who reads the
scriptures such as Ramayana will realise some day, that all God-heads are
one and the same and that the Lord is Omnipresent, Omniscient and
Omnipotent. In order to get a formation in the mind, we must have a
roopa or form of God. A person who is hungry for God, will not worry
about the material from which God has been made, say, stone or copper,
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etc., just like a person who is hungry, going in search of food without
worrying himself about the kind of food, namely, fruits, vegetables,
cooked food, etc. If one has the thought that Truth is beautiful and Truth
is Ananda, one can see God everywhere. He will see God in everything
which is truth and beautiful. For such a person, the different forms of God
and the material from which the images of God are made, will not matter,
because he will be able to see the same God-hood there. We should note
also that there are many obstacles in the way of realisation of the
Ultimate Truth. These are Kama and Krodha in particular. First of all,
Kama or desires will crop up and will pester us until they are satiated. But
there is no end to the number of desires that will worry us. As each desire
is satisfied, a new desire will rise its head and in this way, there will be a
continuous creation of desires and the consequent worry they create for
man. Then there is Krodha which is anger coming into existence each
time the fulfilment of a desire is thwarted by some one or some thing. We
know from experience that Krodha, it uncontrolled, will burn us
gradually. Next is Lobha or greed. This is in the form of selfishness and
selfish desires as a result of which one always aims at storing everything
for one-self without any regard for other's difficulties or wants. That is
why the Gita pointedly says that the three— Kama, Krodha and Lobha,
which are the gateways to hell, must be given up, if we are to realise God.
How to get rid of all these from our heart? Bhagavatdhyana alone is the
solution. We should make a constant effort to realise the truth. This has
been graphically brought out by the saying of Swami Vivekananda, who
stated: "Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached." This saying
also shows how a Jnani is wide awake while at the same time the world is
fast asleep. Krishna in the Gita has said, 'Samyami Jagrate.' The Jnani is
ever awake as regards the goal he has achieved and the deluding Maya in
the world."
www.saileelas.org
30-12-71. Swamiji was speaking about seeing God in everybody and in

everything we come across. He also stressed the importance of the
repetition of the Name of the Lord. He said, "Vyasa has told us not to
argue about different Names of the Lord. They are one." Referring to the
Jnani, Swamiji said, "The person who sees Bhagavat Swaroopa in all, is
a Parama Jnani. See the same Chaitanya present in you is also present in
every woman, man and child that you come across." Have you not heard
the saying, 'Yadbhavam Tad Bhavishyathi"! That is the Upanishad Vakya,
meaning that as you feel, so will it happen. Thus, with the application of
this principle, we can easily adjust ourselves to any circumstance in this
world. Accordingly, you can feel friendly with a child, a dog, or any
person whatever be his status in life and thus achieve samatwa in this
world.
If you feel that the same Chaitanya exists everywhere and in every one,
the differences among people will cease and you will feel happy and
peaceful. I recall an incident which took place in Tyagarajanagar,
Bangalore, some time ago. I was going through a street in the company of
one of the devotees. I found a little child riding a tri-cycle which also
carried another child at the back. I asked the child-rider, "Will you take
me also on your cycle?" Do you know how the little boy replied! He told,
"Wait, first I leave this child in his home and come to pick you up." After
they left, I continued my walk. Within a short time, he returned to me and
asked me. "Where are you going? After I leave this child, I shall come to
take you.' See, what an affection was shown by the little child! It only
means that if you feel friendly and affectionate towards a child or for that
matter even a grown-up person, be sure you will get back friendliness and
affection."
5-1-72, Swamiji made a reference to the need for complete self-surrender
to God. He said, "God is the remover of all evils. Even a little faith in
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prayer, leads us ahead in the spiritual path. Quite often, people complain
of Prarabdha Karma and the evil effect of it. Put it aside. Have faith in
the Lord and pray. He is capable of removing the evil effects or
mitigating their influence. As you develop a prayerful attitude, your mind
becomes pure and you will be able to hear God's voice. Revered
Narasimhaswamiji would say often, "We must be attentive and alert in
order to hear information given by God. It is each devotee's experience in
respect of God and very often it may not be possible to explain the
several phenomena in which there is the protective hand of God. In my
own case, many incidents have happened where He has come to my
rescue. Once, I had gone to a Government office. I was shown a chair to
sit. The moment I sat on the chair, I felt that the place was unsafe.
Immediately, I changed the seat. At the same time, I asked another person
near the former seat to come away immediately from that place. He did
so. Within a minute or two, the electric fan on the ceiling above the seat I
was shown first crashed down on the chair and broke into pieces. Luckily,
none was there including myself. So, nobody was hurt. Another incident,
happened at the Mylapore All India Sai Samaj. I was staying in a thatched
hut in the premises of the Samaj. One day, a big storm blew over the
entire city and considerable damage to property resulted. I was alone in
my hut, when suddenly a little boy came running inside and told me,
"Swamiji, you are sitting still in this danger. Why don't you go out of this
hut. as there is a big hurricane which may blow off this hut."
Immediately, I got out. Just after a few minutes, the whole of the hut col-
lapsed as the storm became fierce. If I had not regarded the advice of the
little boy. I would have been greatly hurt. One day in Shirdi, as I was
coming down the third floor of the building where I was putting up,
accidentally I rolled down the steps and as there was nothing to hold for
my support, I continually rolled down to the bottom floor. Miraculously,
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there was not even a scratch on my body. You see, this is Baba's way of
coming to the rescue of the devotees. This reminds me of the incident of a
lady who accidentally fell down from a compartment of the train in which
she was travelling. She saw some one dragging her away from the rails
and protecting her from the swiftly moving wheels of the train. It was
none other than Baba Himself. The incident happened many miles away
from Shirdi and while Baba was alive. Later, when I met Sri
Narasimhaswamiji, he asked me if I got a shock as a result of my fall
from the staircase. I replied that I escaped unhurt and did not get any
shock."
6-1-72. Swamiji addressed the group of devotees in the prayer-hall. He
said, "This body of ours is given to us by God. It should be cleaned every
day both externally and internally. Then only it will become a fit temple
for God's residence. Daily bath for physical health is necessary. In the
same manner, meditation, Japa and prayers are essential to keep the mind
pure. We often pray to God to grant us the fulfilment of some desire or
the other. Is such a prayer necessary? Does He not know what is good for
us? I agree people are forced to pray for one thing or the other. But it
would be better to leave to Him to take care of us by assuming an attitude
of humility and devotion. We do not know what is good and what is bad
for us. But God knows what is good for us. It is therefore better to leave
to His sweet will to get us what is good for us. God knows better than our
brains. Therefore, after a sincere prayer, leave every thing to Him.
Suppose your child pesters you to give it sweets, But you know that they
would be bad for its health. What do you do? You refuse it to the child
and may even give it a beating. Similarly, although we may pray for some
thing, God may not grant it. He knows what is good for us. Sai Baba is
that Supreme Para-brahman Himself. We have only to dedicate ourselves
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and surrender ourselves to him. He will surely take care of us both from
the spiritual and the worldly point of view."
OM TAT SAT
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Raadhakrishna Swami.1378579741.Talks

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Raadhakrishna Swami.1378579741.Talks

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SWAMIJI TALKS TO DEVOTEES

Sri VarasWdhl Vinayakaya Namaha

15-7-70. The occasion is Prathama Ekadashi. Swamiji said, "We should

Guru-God everywhere and in everyone. Thus, one will see Guru-God as

abundantly on all of us. Whether we are in office, shop or bus, Jet us

19-4-1971. Swamiji was narrating his experiences of his stay in Ooty

our difficulties and disturbances which incidentally also brings us

For instance, in a partnership business, each partner should adjust himself

attending their bhajans. Formerly. I used to see a lot of simplicity among

which must be renounced completely. These are Kama, Krodha and

Swamiji: "How can it be inactivity? Is it not inactivity when you go to a

Ravana, is there. God blesses individuals according to their tendencies

4-9-71. Swamiji made a reference to a vision he had experienced

that my name was Radhakrishna. Immediately I questioned him,

29-10-71. Swamiji made a reference to Ekadasi and its significance. He

himself with such a difference. He blends all the different schools

"Tadvishnoh para-mam Padam." What a grand concept is there! It is

Vayuhu: Vayu is air which is essential for the preservation of creation.

Vivekananda which opened up his third eye enabling him to realise

Brahma. It is our mind that makes us either attached or detached to the

us, if we have to attain Moksha ultimately. We should learn to train the

19-12-71. To-day, Swamiji was making a reference to the right type of

downs in his mind. The main purpose in practising Vratas or hearing

ceremonial forms of worship. Spiritual knowledge will be shining

30-12-71. Swamiji was speaking about seeing God in everybody and in

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