The Sunday Talk Given by Anil Kumar

Christmas Talk # 3

December 23^rd, 2001

OM…OM…OM…

Sai Ram.

With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Parallels in the Lives of Christ and Bhagavan

Christ is very important to all of us; more so are Christ’s mission and his message. Being devotees of Baba, we believe in the fellowship of faiths and congregation of worship. We believe that the essence of all religions is the same. Bhagavan wants us to realize that, at the basic level, the code and the conduct of life, the aim, objective and the purpose of life as explained by various religions, will continue to be the same. We continue to be the same; only the externals (i.e. the name, the rituals, and the traditions) differ based on the culture and the law of the land. However, fundamentally speaking, all religions want us to speak truth, follow righteousness, remain peaceful and love everyone, not hurting anyone at any point of time.

As we go through the life of Jesus Christ and as we experience the life of Bhagavan Baba, who is moving right now amongst us in flesh, blood, name and form, we naturally find parallels and similarities. The babe of Bethlehem born in a manger at midnight speaks of Bhagavan Baba, who took birth here in Puttaparthi village, far from the maddening crowd. A rustic was born in a very poor family in a cowshed over there. Jesus Christ was surrounded by shepherds, innocent people. Bhagavan Baba spent His time in the midst of cows and cowboys (boys tending cows). He was a shepherd as well. He was a cowboy.

We also find Jesus Christ being surrounded by many people who wanted solace, comfort, and who were away from the track of life. We find Bhagavan is always moving amidst all of us. We have a mistaken view of life. We have no identity. We have no knowledge of our own reality. We go by the whims and the fancies of the world. Yes, what a similarity it is!

We also find Jesus Christ explaining things, all essential basics, in parables and stories, so that one can understand easily. Bhagavan Baba’s discourses are full of parables, full of stories. I am yet to meet a person who will be saying, “I have not understood Swami’s talk.” So far I have not met anybody. Right from a tiny tot to an elderly person, from an illiterate to a highly accomplished and educated person -- be it a scientist, an artist, a doctor, or an engineer -- people of all vocations in life, with all their (academic) excellence, understand Bhagavan with equal joy and interest. That is the Divine quality.

I am not tired to repeat again what Howard Murphet said in his second book, The Avatar. Howard Murphet says, “There are two important qualities of an Avatar or an Incarnation, which we should always ponder over and reflect upon. What are those two points? The first point is the ability to communicate or profess things in the easiest, simplest way possible. Most complicated philosophical doctrines, those that could not be comprehended by the human mind in an ordinary way, those that could not be spelt out or narrated by tongue, the Avatar dives deeply enough, making it so simple, so easy that we can understand and make an attempt to follow (practice) later. This is the sign of an Avatar.”

Spiritualizing Human Life

We humans make simple things complicated, whereas God makes complicated things so simple. God is simple; we are complicated. God is so simple. God is so humble. Jesus Christ moved among the poor and the downtrodden, ready to help all the time. God is humble, while we are arrogant and egoistic. God has no consideration of caste, community, cadre or status. None whatsoever. We are full of that. Maybe this Christmas calls for a self-assessment, a self-examination and a self-analysis, so that we understand how distant we are from the Divine Master - Jesus Christ then and Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba today.

Well, most of you will be wonderstruck if I tell you that Bhagavan gets down from His car on His way to Kodaikanal, rushes toward a beggar who is standing in a corner, and gives money to that beggar. How simple, how compassionate our Lord is! If anyone comes to us, we have no time. We have neither time nor money to share and spare. Perhaps the best form of worship of God of any religion is to emulate their example and copy their life and try to translate their teachings in our day-to-day routine life.

It means that spiritualizing human life is the message of every prophet and of every spiritual leader, whereas we are capable of humanizing even spirituality! We are supposed to divinize the human life. However, we often humanize even the Divinity. Why do I say that? Not that I am condemning myself, certainly not. We look at Bhagavan as a simple human being. We say, “Swami looked at me.” We say, “He neglected me.” We are proud that, “I'm picked for an interview,” and we are frustrated that, “We have not been called as yet.” These are all our human reactions, which means to say that we have not yet understood Bhagavan.

That is the reason why, as I said last week, quoting from the Holy Bible, the Lord said, “I'm greater than what you think. I am more than what you estimate”. Because God is the Ultimate, the framework of human thought and verbal expression cannot bring Him down. Human thought and verbal expression fail utterly and leave us in a state of helplessness because God’s mercy, God’s message, and God’s mission is like the fathomless depth of a mighty ocean. It is not so easy to dive deeply into that.

So my friends, Jesus Christ is a Savior. Jesus Christ is a Savior, the chosen messenger of God. He saves everybody from all malpractices, from all practices of violence, from all dogma, from all narrow mindedness. We only go to the temple on Sunday. We go to church on Sunday, but we also kill pigeons over there and eat them. We shall not think of anybody on other days; that too has been the feeling in those days. It was Jesus Christ the Savior who said, “Let that be Sunday or not, let that be an hour of prayer or worship, whatever might be, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

“Better you learn the lesson of Love,” says Jesus Christ, instead of saying, “It’s time for meditation; it is time for prayer and worship,” neglecting your fellow brother, in whom God Himself resides. That’s the reason why Bhagavan says, “A pure heart is the temple of God.” And further He goes on to say, “The human body is so precious. It's so noble and so sacred because the human body is the moving temple.”

What an excellent expression, unheard of until this day, my friends! We have been the students of comparative study of religions. We have been listening to many. We have been reading a lot. Nevertheless, this profound statement, taking the human body as the very temple of God, is the highest of highest recognition, the highest of highest of experiences that one should certainly try to acquire, achieve and then cherish.

The Good Samaritan

Bhagavan further gives a beautiful example. It was a day when people were rushing to the cathedral, the monastery, or a church. People were very busy. But on the roadside, a person was lying and was in dire need of somebody’s help. He was severely injured because robbers hurt him. Nobody turned to help that man. He was thirsty and was bleeding heavily. But nobody cared because they were busy offering their morning prayers. “Sunday is the holy day. Let this man go to hell; I am not bothered. My prayer is most important. Being in the first row there is more important because I'm a VIP!” (Very Insignificant Person.) (Laughter).

This sort of hurrying, this sort of running, forgetting the task of the moment, forgetting the job right on hand, is irreligious, irresponsible, a non-spiritual attitude and behavior. When everybody was passing by, a scholar came. He looked at that man and said, “I'm sorry. I have got the Holy Book in my hand. Let me go straight.” Other devotees said, “It is time to congregate, to sing in praise of Lord.” They passed by. Ultimately a person, a Good Samaritan, a Good Samaritan as the Holy Bible says, passes by the same way. He looks at this man who is on the roadside, bleeding heavily and injured completely. He comes close to him, washes all the wounds, cleans his body and puts on some bandages. Jesus Christ narrates this story of a Good Samaritan to everybody so that we may try to be good Samaritans.

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Organization, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba devotees are to recognize that service is the only way to God. Chanting manthras, singing merely His glory, or reading the scripture does not lead to God. The best and the most needed path is the path of service. Why? Bhagavan went on to say at one time, “The hands that serve are holier than the lips that pray.” So my friends, what a similarity it is! The Divine is always particular. The Divine has concentrated His attention on the need of the hour. Therefore, the call of the Jesus Christ then to serve the fellowman and to “Love thy neighbor as thyself” is translated into reality and prescribed to every Sai devotee by Bhagavan Himself. “Service to Mankind is Service to God,” says Bhagavan.

Jesus Christ is the Savior. Jesus Christ is the Savior and Jesus Christ is the Protector. Jesus Christ is the Protector, yes. I may be anywhere. I may be in trouble; I may be in problems and worries; everybody may forsake me. There lies the moment when Bhagavan comes close to you and tells you, “Yes, you belong to Me. Everybody may say ‘no’ to you because society judges you by virtue of your position, the money and the cadre. However, Bhagavan is not at all bothered about it. “You belong to Me. You may run away from Me. You may not be a member in the herd. You may not be here in the flock. You may run away. You might be missing the path; yet you belong to Me!”

The return of the Prodigal Son, as so nicely dealt by Jesus Christ then, so our most beloved Bhagavan tells today, “Those who might leave Me, better they know that I shall not leave them. You may forsake Me; I will not forsake you. I will be with you, in you, around you, above you, below you. I am you.” That is it. “I am you.” Look at this statement! “You may be anywhere. You may discard Me. You may forget Me but yet you and I, my child, are One. You and I are One.” That is the climax of Love. That is the zenith of Love. That is the true benediction conferred to humanity.

Born Again

As is Jesus Christ the Savior, so is Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba the Savior. As is Jesus Christ the Protector, now is Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba the Protector. As Jesus Christ is the Eternal Teacher, so Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is the Teacher of teachers!

Further, I will also bring to your attention that the life of Jesus Christ has given a kind of new direction. There the Holy Bible says, “Unless you are born again, thou shall not enter into the Kingdom of God.” ‘Unless you are born again.’ Is that possible, to be born again? Shall I discard this body? Shall I be in search of some poison and put an end to my body? What do you mean, my Lord? I am aged  - 90! How can I be born again unless I die? The Lord answers this way, “It is not a question of death. It is not a question of ending your body physically. Unless you are born again spiritually, thou shalt not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Therefore my friends, here we find a parallel. “Today, right now, how old are you?” asks Bhagavan. The devotee replies, “I'm 80 years old, Swami.” He is a physically hefty personality, with grandchildren! But Bhagavan says, “You are eight years old.” Swami said this. Someone may ask, “Hey! Eight years old only? But he is such a big fellow!” What is the meaning? “Swami, eight years back, I came to see You for the first time. That is my real birthday. Eight years ago I came and saw you. Eight years back You blessed me, my Lord, so that is the first day of my life. That is the true life. All the years preceding that were days of a life ill spent, the life of vanity, after all. But these last eight years are so meaningful, purposeful, and fruitful.”

“Unless you are born again” means to be away from the worldly life, away from the material life, away from mundane politics. If we are away from that, the day we walk with God, when we feel God within us in that way, that is the second birth. They call it ‘Dwija’ in Sanskrit. ‘Dwija’: ‘Dwi’ means ‘twice’; ‘Ja’ means ‘born’. ‘Born for the second time’ means ‘spiritually aware’ or ‘spiritual awakening’. That is the real life, as we understand now.

And further, Jesus Christ was always among poor people, consoling them. “O God, why are You here? Why are You here?” Here God says, “I'm amidst the poor people. Why? They shall inherit the Kingdom of God. It may be possible for the camel to pass through the eye of a needle. I repeat: It may be possible for the camel to pass through the eye of a needle, but not for the rich man to enter into the Gates of Heaven. It’s not possible for the rich man to get into the Gates of Heaven.”

My friends, I do not mean that rich people have no place here. I certainly do not mean that we should continue to be poor or work for poverty. I am not that stupid yet! (Laughter) Here ‘richness’ or ‘poverty’, ‘affluence’ or ‘poverty’ refers to ‘poor in spirit’ and ‘rich in spirit’. You should be rich in spirit; we should never be poor in spirit. And here Jesus Christ kindles Love, tries to uphold and to improve humanity, taking humanity to greater heights.

"I Don’t Need Your Services"

Whatever Bhagavan does, His entire mission and all service activities are for the poor and to alleviate the suffering of the sick. It was Jesus Christ who said, “I have come to serve and not to be served.”

A few devotees were blessed with an interview. Then they asked Bhagavan, “Bhagavan, tell us the way to serve You.” They are all members of the Sai Organization. Such people only get doubts. (Laughter) Devotees will never get doubts. It is because of their position or cadre. “How shall we serve? Tell us so that we can prepare and give circulars, ‘Do this, do that’ (all excepting this self)! So, how shall we serve God? Swami, let us know!”

Bhagavan said, “I do not need your services. I am serving you. Look here! Day after day, morning and evening, I walk all along. I come out of the Poornachandra Auditorium and walk a number of times. I move amongst you to serve you. When I am serving, where is the question of you offering to serve Me? It is irrelevant. If you serve your fellowmen, if you serve your neighbor, that is service unto Me,” said Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. “I have come to serve and not to be served.”

If you are fortunate enough to have been granted with an interview, you find our good Lord putting on the switch of the ceiling fan and putting on the switch of the lights, as we don’t know how to put it on. He Himself, when He materializes vibhuthi, He Himself brings out a small paper, makes it into a nice packet like homeo pills, and puts it in your pocket. Ah! That is right. That is a sight for gods, I tell you. “I have come to serve and not to be served.”

We also know that Jesus Christ just rose from the Cross on the third day, though everybody felt, “He’s gone; he left his mortal coil; he’s no more.” But Jesus Christ rose from the dead; he rose from the Cross on the third day. What does it mean? Mrtyormaa Amrtam Gamaya: “From death to Immortality.” Asato Maa Sad Gamaya: “From untruth to Truth.” Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya: “From darkness to Light.” Mrtyormaa Amrtam Gamaya: “From death to Immortality.”

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not a physical phenomenon. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not a simple, biological miracle. It is a spiritual expression of an experience. Resurrection means feeling that I am eternal and the body is mundane. The body, after all, is like a water bubble, while the mind is a mad monkey. Therefore, like a water bubble, this body might vanish at anytime. The body, after all, may go anytime. However, the indweller, the Spirit, the Conscience, shall remain forever and ever. That is resurrection. Resurrection means the awareness of the Self, which is beyond birth and death, which is eternal and immortal.

"Ye Shall Know the Truth"

Jesus says, and it is also said in the Holy Bible, “Ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free.” Wow! What pearls and gems the statements in the Holy Bible are! If people fail to understand them, we are most unfortunate. The Holy Bible speaks of certain statements, which are so endearing, so searching, and so challenging, yes! They strike you, going straight into your heart. ‘Ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free’. Our good Lord Sathya Sai Baba says, “Sathya is Truth.” “Ye shall know the Truth.” Know Sathya Sai Baba and He will set you free. Know Sathya Sai Baba, Sathya, and “Ye shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free.” When once we know Him, He will set you free.

What is Sathya? Bhagavan explains, “Sathya is eternal. Sathya is changeless. That which goes on changing from time to time, depending upon the temperature and pressure outside, is a scientific fact. It is not Truth. That which changes is a fact; that which is changeless is Truth.” “He shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free.” It means know the Truth that you are God. Know the Truth that you have to experience Him some day or other.

He was speaking recently to some small group and I could overhear certain sentences, though I am not supposed to hear in public! (Laughter) Yes. What am I to do? Sometimes you have to be a spiritual terrorist. (Laughter) Well, what did He say? “Know that you are God. Feel that you are God. Say that you are God.” One boy asked, “Swami, how can I feel, how can I say, when I am not?” “If you feel you’re a buffalo, you will continue to be a buffalo.” (Laughter)

If you think you are a buffalo, you will continue to be a buffalo in the next life also! Brahma Vit, Brahmaiva Bhavathi: “As you think, so you become.” Therefore, it is necessary to feel that, “I am the Divine spark”, Mamai Vamso Jiva Loke Jiva Bhuta Sanathanah. Yes, you are the spark of the Divine; you are a member of the Divine; a spark, a flame of the Divinity. You are a drop in the mighty Ocean of Divinity. You are a drop of the Ocean. A drop is not separate from the Ocean. A drop and the Ocean are One and the same. The spark and the fire are One and the same.

‘Ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free.’ This Truth of identity, this Truth of experience, this Truth or point where I find that I am the reflection, reaction, and resound of God Himself - that Truth will set you free. That’s what Bhagavan says.

"Seek Ye the Kingdom of Heaven"

Further, in Holy Bible it is said, “Seek ye the Kingdom of Heaven and everything shall be added unto you.” What does Swami say? “What have You to say on this matter?”

Once Bhagavan asked, “Anil Kumar, are you ready to buy My car?” (Laughter) How am I to do it? I have only a bicycle. How can I buy a car? That too being a Mercedes! I said, “I'm sorry, Swami. I cannot.”

Bhagavan immediately said, “What a fool you are! You can give a simple reply: ‘Bhagavan, when You are by my side, why do I need this car? I can buy the whole world! I can buy the whole world! After all, what is this car?’ Can't you say this?” So, “Seek ye the Kingdom of Heaven and everything shall be added unto you.” When God is with you, when God is by your side, if you just ask Him, everything will be given to you.

It was Lord Shirdi Bhagavan, the earlier Incarnation of Sathya Sai Baba, who said, “My child, I shall go on giving you all that you want, until you want Me.” I am reminded of an anecdote. There lived a king who collected all precious gifts and articles from all over the world and declared to everybody, “Here are the most precious articles from all over the world. I will give to my people free of cost. Anybody can come and pick up whatever they want.” All the people lined up. They started taking the articles of their choice.

There came a girl who just looked at all these articles and returned with empty hands. The king, watching from the top, felt insulted. He felt very much ashamed of himself. “What is it? When all other people could collect very interesting articles here, this girl goes like that, walking away from this museum. Does it mean that I collected worthless riches as per her estimate?”

Well, he came down and called that girl. “Come on, don’t you find interesting articles?” That girl said, “No, your Majesty.” “At least one?” “Yes, Majesty. I find one very interesting.” “All right. I'm promising you, come on. If you ask for that, I'm going to give to you.” And that girl said, “Your Majesty, I want you.” (Laughter) The moment the king belongs to you, the whole museum belongs to you, and the whole kingdom belongs to you. “Seek ye the Kingdom of Heaven and everything shall be added unto you.”

The Forgiveness of Jesus Christ

We also hear of a story of a lady who misbehaved, whose conduct was not satisfactory. She was stoned to death. Many people were pelting stones at her. Jesus Christ, passing by that side, stood there for a moment and inquired what had happened. They said, “Here is a lady who disobeyed the conduct, whose character is questionable. As per the law of the land, she has to be stoned to death.”

Then Jesus Christ said, “Stop for a moment. This is the question: Let anybody here who has not sinned so far come first. Yes, you can pelt stones at her. Let anybody among you who has not sinned till now step forward.” Everyone had to bend his or her head in shame. They left. Jesus Christ came close to her and told her, “Look here, my child. I have not committed any sin. I forgive you. Sin no more.” That is Kshama, the height of forgiveness.

That is what Bhagavan says. Forgiveness is kshama. Kshamame Sathyam. Forgiveness is Truth. Kshamame Dharma. It is righteous. Kshamame Shanti Saukyamulu. Forgiveness confers peace and happiness. Kshamame Vedamu. Forgiveness is the Holy Scripture, Veda.

Therefore, this forgiveness of Jesus Christ is so great. And further He never wanted anybody to criticize. Jesus said, “Judge not, lest thou shalt be judged. Condemn not, lest thou shalt be condemned.” We want to judge people. We criticize people. We want to categorize people. We want to look at people and judge them. This is most unfortunate. “Judge not, lest thou shalt be judged.”

What does Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba tell us? “Seek out your own faults, your own mistakes, and other’s merits.” He said, “You say he’s bad, she’s bad. What is that? How do you locate, how do you identify anything that is bad outside, unless bad is in you? Unless something bad is in you, you cannot identify, you cannot judge, you cannot brand anybody ‘bad’ and ‘good’ like that.” And Bhagavan says the highlighting statement, “Everything is the reflection of the inner being.” So-and-so is bad because you are bad. Your reflection, yes, appears in front of you.

“Judge not, lest thou shalt be judged. Condemn not, lest thou shalt be condemned. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Kingdom. Those that work for Me, those that cry for Me, those that are persecuted because of My sake, they come to Me.” It only means, “Give up all activity. Surrender unto Me,” as declared by Krishna in the Bhagavad Githa. “Give up everything. If you come to Me, yes, I’ll take care of you.” That’s what Jesus Christ said. The Sermon on the Mount speaks of this. What a wonderful promise it is!

Therefore, my friends, we do not consider ourselves separate from Christians. Christians will never consider themselves separate from Hindus, if they are truly spiritual. If you are truly spiritual, you shall never brand yourself because you find the underlying Unity.

There are certain statements, which I want to bring to your attention this morning, to make the talk more (the mike went out temporarily)… and establish credibility, though I am fully aware that you do not doubt me. (Laughter) Yes! Thank God that I have not been doubted by anybody till this day.

Paul, Galatians 3:28

It was Saint Paul who said in the 3^rd Chapter, 28^th verse: “There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free man; there is no longer male or female, for all of you are One in Jesus Christ.”

What does Bhagavan say to this? While talking I said once, “Swami, in our country…” I thought that there was nothing wrong! He said, “Why do you include Me? (Laughter) I am not an Indian!” “Then who are You, Italian or Greek or what?” “I belong to everybody. I am an American, I am an Italian, I am German, Japanese, and I belong to everybody. Why do you say, ‘Our country’? Why do you brand Me like that? Correct yourself,” He said. (Laughter)

So, there shall not be any Jew or Greek, no! We are all here as brothers and sisters, not members or citizens of our own countries. Geography cannot divide us, no! The color, caste, creed, or nationality can never divide us. Take it from me - there flows Sai Love, a Divine connection and a continuous bond of Love. That bond of Love is something like the thread that passes through the flowers, making them into a beautiful garland, or the thread that passes through the precious gems, making them into a wonderful necklace. We are all the beads, we are all the pearls, we are all the gems, and we are all the flowers. The connecting string is the bond of Love of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

Maybe you are from America or from Zimbabwe, whatever it may be. We all belong to the same One. There’s no longer slave or free. I cannot say that I am a slave nor can I say that I am free because in God’s sight, “All are One, my dear son. Be alike to everyone. God is One. All are One, my dear son. Be alike to everyone.” That is the message of Jesus Christ. That is what Bhagavan wants us to adopt and to practice.

You are all Women

There is no longer male or female. Bhagavan said at one time, “Can you consider yourself a man because you have got a mustache and a mop of hair? Is a mustache a qualification to call yourself a man? The cockroach has got enough of a mustache! (Loud Laughter) Rats have got a mustache! So, if you call yourself a man, allow any number of cockroaches around you!

Therefore, it is not the mustache that identifies you, nor your pants or shirt either. We find many girls wearing pants and shirts today in the metropolises. Therefore, your dress is not the criterion. After all, male or female is only the body that differs; but the indweller, Atma, is One. The Consciousness is One. The Divinity is One. It is only the dress that differs. It is only the body that differs. So there is nothing like male or female.

 Bhagavan gave one example. In a woman’s college, on the day of the college anniversary, one girl played the role of a king, another girl played the role of a soldier, and yet another girl played the role of a queen. All are girls only. So Bhagavan said, “You are all women.” I include this batch of people also, so do not fight with me! (Laughter) I am also here. “You are all female basically.” Female does not mean the physical consideration of the form. It refers to prakrithi, the material creation of the body in general. Purusha (male) refers to the ‘wire’ within prakrithi, the current. In the prakrithi, you are all female, whereas the current that passes through the wire within prakrithi is the male or purusha.

So the male or purusha is that current. That is the Divine. He is the Divinity that flows through the body from top to toe. Covering everybody, there we find the Divinity overflowing. That is beyond gender. Bhagavan said at one time, “I'm a man among men. I am a woman among women. I'm a child among children. But left to Myself, I am God.” “Left to Myself, I am God,” declared Bhagavan. That is what we find. What a parallel: “All of you are One in Jesus Christ,” according to Saint Paul.

matthew, 22:34

Matthew, 22^nd, verse 34, ‘You should love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind. With all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, you shall love your God.’ When anyone comes and says, “Bhagavan, I'm serving You”, what does He say? “Yours is a part-time devotion. You’re a part-time devotee, that’s all.” “Swami, am I a part-time devotee?”

“Yes! Because you go for service activity only on Sunday, how can I call you a full-time devotee?” Just as a policeman wears his dress and attends to his duty, or like an attorney or a lawyer wears his dress and argues on behalf of his client, or like a doctor who puts on the surgical apron there in the hospital, you are also acting like a part-time devotee. No. “Thou shalt love thy God with all thy heart, mind and soul.” The 12^th chapter of Bhagavad Githa speaks like this: “If you just worship Me with total identification, having lost yourselves, then yes, you are My devotee.” Bhakthi Yoga, the 12^th Chapter of Bhagavad Githa refers to this point.

Then, “Swami, is it possible to serve You? I have my job; I have my family to look after; I have my business; I should also think of my political stature. Well, how can I love You with all my heart and soul? Is that possible?” And Bhagavan tells us in this way: “Whatever you do, offer that unto Me: ‘O God, let this be pleasing unto You. O God, this is an offering I make unto You.’ So, with the spirit of dedication and with the understanding of surrendering all the fruits of action, whatever you do, then your work is transformed into worship.” Therefore, worship does not mean to categorize or allot a day in a week to serve. “Thou shalt love thy God with all thy heart, soul and mind.” That’s what Bhagavan says.

St. Paul, Ephesians 6:12

Then Saint Paul again speaks in the book of Ephesians, 6^th Chapter, 12^th verse. What does he say? “For our struggle is not against enemies of flesh and blood. No, our struggle is against darkness. It is against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Our fight and our struggle are against the darkness. Our struggle is against the evil forces.”

Just three days back, Bhagavan was walking just in front of us. He said, “Where is terrorism? Where are terrorists?” Terrorists are present all over the world. “Terrorism”, we hear about it from the newspapers. So what shall I say? “Swami, terrorism? It is everywhere. Terrorists, the havoc, the Hazirs and the tragedy, that we know from the newspapers.” Bhagavan said, “No, no, you are wrong.”

I know that I am always wrong! (Laughter) Unless I say something, He will not tell us the correct thing. (Laughter) So I contribute to the correct statements coming from the Divine lips, from time to time, by being wrong all the time! (Laughter and Applause) Yes! If my wrong statements provoke Him and make Him speak, I pray to be wrong all through. Why not? Because of this, it becomes a book of revelations in the years to come. (Applause) Therefore, what does He say here?

Bhagavan said, “Everyone is a terrorist.” Hey! I am here. Will You ask me to get out from here? Or will You call for the Seva Dal to just take me or lift me out bodily, physically, which they are anxious and capable of doing? “Swami, am I the terrorist?” “Yes, you are! Everybody is.” “How do you say that, Bhagavan?”

“Anger and jealousy is the terrorist in every man, in every person. You have to kill the terrorist qualities in you. You have to kill the terrorist mentality in you, the ego and the jealousy. But you kill people. You brand them as terrorist, while you are being a terrorist all along by yourself. You are a terrorist all by yourself, yet you brand the other one as a terrorist.” That is it.

Look at this statement! Our struggle is not against outside enemies of flesh and blood, the other people. No, no, no! We do not fight with them. We are struggling against the darkness of ignorance. The idea that I am the body, that I am the mind, that I am the intellect, that all is the darkness. I struggle to be out of it. I struggle to get rid of it. My fight is against the darkness of ignorance. This fight, this struggle, is against the subtle forces of evil as found in anger and ego. That is the true terrorist.

My friends, I'm sure you’ll all agree with me. We find here parallels between these statements of different times, which clearly demonstrates the basic, underlining Unity or clarion call of God, who is anxious to convey to us the same timeless Truths from time-to-time, according to the age we live in.

Revelations, 19: 11-16

Then we find the Book of Revelation, 19^th Chapter, verses 11 to 16: “On His robe and on His thigh, He has a name inscribed: ‘King of kings, Lord of lords’. On His skin, on His robe it is clearly inscribed: ‘Lord of lords, King of kings’.” Why do I have to collect this statement?

A few years ago, there in Kodaikanal, Bhagavan had just opened the buttons of His gown. For your information, He never wears a banian (undershirt), just the robe, that’s all. He opened it. Please believe me, my friends. I am conscious of the Divine Presence. Though I have not sought permission to tell anybody, I am ready to risk my life (Laughter) because there is no secret in my life until this day. It shall be declared, come what may!

When He opened His buttons, what did we find? We saw the mark of a conch, a sankha. On the other side, we saw a wheel, a chakra. They were big marks on His chest. “Let me see, Bhagavan!” “Come on, you see,” He said. (Laughter) All started looking at this, the sankha and chakra. Suddenly one boy came with a camera, a video camera. He wanted to click it, ah! Swami felt so shy, and closed the robe. (Applause and Laughter).

We have to learn from Him how to be majestic and how to feel shy also. (Laughter) We have to learn from Him how to walk in a royal way, in a majestic style. We should also learn from Him how to float, how to dance, how anyone can walk in tune to the rhythm and the beat. Particularity when that arathi is going on, He gives a beautiful swing, that way and this way, ah! That’s Bhagavan.

So my friends, these are these two marks, the sankha and chakra. The conch and the wheel are the marks on the chest of God Himself, as per the Scriptures. As per the Holy Scriptures, these are the two marks on the physical body of an Incarnation. This what is said: “On His robe and on His thigh, He has a name inscribed, ‘King of kings, Lord of lords’.” So Bhagavan, with the sankha and chakra, is the ‘King of kings and the Lord of lords’. (Anil Kumar breaks out in song:)

Raja De Raja Ramachandra,

Sai Jaga Vandana,

Jaya Jaya Raghu Nanadana,

Jaya Janaki Jivanana,

Ramachandra, the King of kings,

Sai, worshipped by the world,

Victory, victory to the son of the Raghu dynasty!

 Victory to the One, who is the life of Sita!

The King of kings, yes! Because He carries with Him that stamp of authenticity, that stamp of authority, He is the Divinity in total.

John,  14: 2

Then John: 14^th Chapter, 2^nd verse says, “In my Father’s house are many dwelling places.” This is very important for Sai devotees. Let me not consider that I am the only Hindu in this world. You do not consider yourself the only Christian. Do not consider that Islam is the only religion, No, No, No! We find all religions.

 (Anil Kumar breaks out in song, singing Sarva Dharma Priya Deva. It means that all paths are dear to the Lord.) Yes! He is the essence of all religions. So there is nothing that says, “This is the only religion or this is the only way.” All roads lead to Rome. All rivers ultimately merge in the ocean.

As Bhagavan said, “There is a very big building. One room is a dining room; other rooms can be a hall, verandah, kitchen, or bedroom. Like that, the whole world is a mansion! One room is the United States of America, one room is Argentina, and another room is Israel. Different countries are different rooms here. That’s all. But the building is one.”

Therefore, we have to understand that all religions are one. Paths are many, but the goal is one. Names and forms are many, but God is One. Flowers are many, but worship is one. Jewels are many, but gold is one. Stars are many, but the sky is one. Countries are many, but the earth is one. Beings are many, but the breath is one. Therefore, my friends, Bhagavan speaks of this: “In my Father’s house are many dwelling places.” Many religions have many ways prescribed for the upliftment and liberation of mankind.

John, 2^nd Chapter, 10 to 16

John 2^nd Chapter, 10 to 16: “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also and they will listen to My voice. So there shall be one flock and the Shepherd.” Those of you who have gone through Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s messages given at the time of the International Conferences, and also on other occasions, will find Bhagavan repeatedly telling us, “The whole world is going to be here. Everyone is going to experience.” Yes. The whole humanity belongs to Him. The Creator has a claim on the Creation. So He says, “The whole world will come to Me. Wait, watch and you will see.” 

John, 14^th Chapter, 34 to 35 verses

Then John 14^th Chapter, verse 34 to 35: “I give you a new Commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you. You should love one another as I have loved you. By this, if you have love for one another, everyone will know that you are My disciples.” If you have love for one another, we can call ourselves Sai devotees. Without love, but only with jealousy, differences, regional factions, linguistic chauvinism, we cannot call ourselves Sai devotees. We may brand ourselves thus, but we cannot call ourselves Sai devotees.

Therefore my friends, Love is the quintessence of His philosophy. Bhagavan says, “You may not worship; you may not observe rituals; you may not follow the tradition of the land. It is enough if you love because Love is God. God is Love. Life is Love.” Love is most important. That is the reason why Jesus Christ goes on to say, “If you have some difference of opinion, settle the difference of opinion and now offer your prayer.”

Bhagavan Baba sometimes calls one of two who are at loggerheads with each other, who do not see eye-to-eye with each other, and asks him “How is your mother-in-law?” (Laughter) “Ah, uh, yah, fine.” “What does your mother-in-law say?” He does not want us to have a relationship like that of a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law, as per Indian conditions. I am sorry! (Laughter) This relationship is more so in South India, particularly Andhra Pradesh. (Laughter) More particularly, among Brahmans. So, do not have that kind of relationship. Why? No, no, no, no, no! You have to settle your differences.

There was also a time when He called the president and the secretary of a Sai center. He called them in and they went into the interview room. Then immediately Bhagavan came OUT of the interview room. (Laughter) He went around the devotees and came finally, saying, “I want you to fight here also, because you’ve been fighting elsewhere.” (Loud laughter and applause) So, thou shalt not fight like that! Thou shalt not differ like that! No argument. And so, love one another. It is the most important thing.

Saint Mark

Saint Mark: “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” What does Baba say to that? “If you think you’re separate from God, you shall never attain Divinity. You are not separate from God.” “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you”, says the Holy Bible. If I say, “The Kingdom of Heaven is up there, which I will reach after my life,” OK, it will be waiting for you. No! It is within you. “I and My Father in Heaven are One.” How true it is! Therefore, the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’, the moksha or liberation or Nirvana, is not far from you.

So, what shall I do now? Know that it is so near. Know that you are liberated. “Swami, how am I to attain moksha, liberation?” I ask, as if I know what moksha is! Some people say, “How do you attain moksha?” My answer to them is this, “My friend, I have not yet met anybody to tell me the taste of moksha. So how can I tell you? No fellow came to me and said, ‘I got moksha.’ So how can I tell you about it?” So, what is the fun of asking for liberation, nirvana, or moksha, when we really do not know what it is?

Moksha, according to Bhagavan, is freedom from attachment: moha-akshaya. ‘Moha’ means attachment. ‘Kshaya’ means detachment. He said, "When once this attachment is detached, that is moksha. And that is not far from you. It is in your hand." He picks up this pen and says, “I drop it, so simple. To hold on to it for long is difficult; to drop it is so easy. So attachment is tough, whereas detachment is simple and easy.” Therefore, according to Saint Mark, the Kingdom of Heaven is not far from you.

Saint Luke

Saint Luke said: “You should love the Lord, your God, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself. Love thy neighbor as thyself.” I do not know whether I said this earlier or not: It is so easy to love everybody all the world over, but not the neighbor! (Laughter) It is very difficult to love the neighbor because we share the same tap; we share the same electric meter; we walk along the same path; there is the same corridor for both of us. I can love an American, an Italian, but not my neighbor, no, no! (Laughter)

So, though it is said, “Love thy neighbor as thyself”, though it appears so simple, however, it is not that simple. If you love your neighbor enough, you will love the whole world. Yes! That love follows automatically. That is what Christ meant. If you love him, yes, you will love the entire humanity because he is not separate from you. Bhagavan said, “If you look into the eye of the other man in front of you, you find your own reflection in him. He is not the other man; he is only YOU. You and he are One. Therefore, this kind of a feeling should be there.

John, 16^th Chapter, verses 25^th to 28^th

Then John, 16^th Chapter, verses 25^th to 28^{th :} “I have been speaking to you in parables. But the time is coming to give up parables and tell you plainly about Father.” Please, please this is very important my friends. It is not that other points are unimportant. Some students ask me, “Sir, would you please tell me the important questions for examination.” I tell them, “Do you think I teach unimportant things in the classroom?” (Laughter) All that I teach is important. Yes! All are important. Some are more important, and a few are most important. That is all. There is nothing that is unimportant. (Laughter)

So John, in 16^th Chapter, what does he say? If you just go through Bhagavan’s discourses from 1950 until 1980, you will be finding them full of jokes, full of stories and parables. In the recent times, He has been speaking of laser scientists, magnetism, electricity, heat and all that. Wow! Those subjects go above our heads – bouncers! (Laughter) No stories are there because, “It is time to give up parables and convey to you what I really want to convey.” We are going to receive a tough message. We have been receiving a tough message for the last decade and a half. There is less of a number of stories. If you make a comparative analysis, you will understand this.

“Why, Swami, why do You do that? We love stories. We love humor. Please go back to Your olden days.” Bhagavan’s answer is this: “How long would you remain in the state of learning alphabets? If you go on learning alphabets, if you want to remain in the primary class throughout your lifetime, when are you going to learn? When are you going to come to a degree level? When are you going to come to a Master’s level? When are you going to master the mind and be a mastermind? Therefore, it is absolutely essential to rise, to go up from one state or another. So no more of parables.”

“I have been speaking to you in parables, but the time is coming to give up parables and tell you plainly about Father.” Most of the speeches revolve or center on the Divinity, the manifestation, the human values and the process, the spiritual practice or sadhana, to adopt.

The Luckiest and Unluckiest Man

How lucky we are! My friends, if there is anyone who is lucky… At one time, there was a conversation. Very, very few people also know this. Excuse me for making it public. As I told you, this is an age of BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation, and the ABC, Anil Kumar Broadcasting Corporation. (Laughter) Yes!

I said in the course of my talk there in Brindavan, “Who is the luckiest man in this world? Who is the luckiest one in this world?” Bhagavan was there, seated on the swing, listening to me. ‘What this fellow is going to say?’ (Laughter) I said, “The Sai devotee is the luckiest of all.” Why? The reason is as follows: In spite of all our pitfalls, our mistakes, our several wrongdoings, and our endless sinful deeds, still we are fortunate enough to have Your darshan. You cannot escape from me. So I am the luckiest of all. Though I have many weaknesses, yet I can see You. I can sing Your Glory. I can enjoy Your beautiful form and mischievous smile. So, the Sai devotee is the luckiest of all.

Then, “Who is most unlucky in this world?” “Bhagavan, You are most unlucky.” “Why?” Immediately Swami sat up straight and wanted to hear me. I am ready because the people are also ready, on their toes, to send me out. They are only waiting for their orders. (Laughter) What did I say? “You are unlucky because You have been telling us not only today, but also as Rama, as Krishna, as Ten Incarnations, and as Jesus Christ, You also repeated the same theory. Today also You are telling us, but we don’t hear You. (Laughter) You are the most unfortunate because You have to watch our faces, which are so dull, without any reaction. So You are the most unlucky and I am most lucky.” (Swami said,) “Bhaaga Chepaavu, correct, correct!” (“You said it very well, correct, correct!”) (Loud laughter and Applause)

So my friends, God has taken a number of chances to speak to us. Yes, he has been taking and He will continue to take. He is not tired to repeat the same old statement time and again. Some of us, at times we feel, “We heard this before, yet Swami is telling us again! What for?” It is not for recording in the brain. The brain is NOT a tape recorder. It is for your information. The brain is not a computer to say, “I know, I heard.” What for?

Somebody asked, “Bhagavan, how long do You want to speak? How many times You repeat. Time and again, You repeat certain statements. How long do You want to do it?” He said, “Until you practice. (Laughter) Until you practice and experience, I’ll continue to repeat these statements,” Bhagavan said.

Happy Christmas!

So my friends, the festivity, gaiety and the joy of Christmas have already settled on the campus. We find the decoration there in Sai Kulwant Hal already greeting us. Christmas season is a season of joy. It is a season of sacrifice and Love. Jesus’ message comprises three important things: Love, joy and sacrifice. When you love, you will be ready to sacrifice. When you sacrifice, you derive joy. Bereft of Love, you are possessive; you are attached. Bereft of sacrifice, there is no joy. It is only sacrifice that confers Immortality, says the Holy Scripture.

The Son of God, the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, sacrificed his own life on the cross for the entire humanity. What else could be a greater sacrifice than this? Bhagavan sacrifices His time and sacrifices His resources. He sacrifices Himself for humanity so that we will grow further and further, nearer and nearer to Him, dearer and dearer to Him, until the day we become One with Him.

Happy Christmas, Happy Christmas!

(Anil Kumar closed his satsang by leading the bhajan,

“Ksherabdhi Sayana...”)

Om Asato Maa Sad Gamaya

Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya

Mrtyormaa Amrtam Gamaya

Om Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu

Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu

Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

Jai Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ji Ki Jai!

Jai Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ji Ki Jai!

Jai Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ji Ki Jai!

Happy Christmas!

Happy New Year!

Sai Ram!