Sri Sathya Sai International Organization

Cultivate the vision directed inward. The mind will then be illumined with the cool comforting Light of Love, Wisdom. That is why the mind has as its presiding deity the Moon (Chandrama manaso jathah). Hence, the celebration of the Day of Thankfulness for all Gurus and the Prime Guru, Vedavyasa is done on the Full Moon Day. Scatter the dark clouds of ignorance and egoism that cover the face of the Sun shining in the sky of your heart. God will be ever near, ever dear, ever ready with counsel and courage.

Who is your Guru? You yourself are your Guru. Your mind itself is your Guru. The moment you realise this truth, there will be no need for you to have any other Guru.

Today, it is full moon day (Purnima). What does Purnima signify? It means the completion of the full circle by returning to the starting point. One half of the circle is represented by worldly life. It is like the letter "C". This is equated with science, which is incomplete knowledge. The full circle represented by the moon represents the state of the mind when it is filled with Love.

The true meaning of Guru is, “one who is beyond attributes and forms, the Supreme Self (The Brahman)”. When this Self is within you, where is the need to search for a Guru? A teacher who teaches others has had a teacher himself. The one who has no Guru above him is the true Guru.

A true spiritual preceptor (Guru) is required to reveal the real nature of Divinity. Such a Guru has been equated with the Trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The devotee who regards God Himself as his Guru will not have any difficulties. The true guru is like an ophthalmic surgeon. The latter removes the film in the patient's eye and restores his natural vision. The Guru also should remove the veil of ignorance and attachment that blurs the vision of the disciple and restore his natural spiritual vision.

You have to recognise that life is meant for selfless service and not to be lived for selfish purposes. Only through such service can the oneness of mankind be experienced.

When you realise that the same Divinity resides in all, you will never be afraid of anything or anyone. The more you love your fellow beings, the greater will be your bliss and joy.

Through meditation, people reach the divine experience of realising the Atma within themselves. Through meditation, spiritual aspirants are able to cast off sheaths of ignorance, layer after layer. They withdraw their sense perceptions from contact with worldly objective experiences. The process that aims at this holy consummation deserves to be called meditation.

Every individual should regard the enquiry into nature of the Atma as the primary purpose of life. Purity of thought, word and deed is essential for this enquiry.

We must consider that we have taken birth only to render service to society as a sacred duty. Whatever small service we may do, if we do it in the right spirit, serving with no thought of self, we shall be doing something commendable and worthwhile. An act of service by itself may be a small thing. But it must be done wholeheartedly. Just as a cow transforms whatever it may consume into sweet, wholesome milk, any kind of service rendered with a pure heart will result in great good. You should not have any returns in view in rendering service. "This is my duty. I am born to serve" -- it is with such an attitude that you should take up service.

What is the nature of this love? When praying to God, you should have a feeling of total surrender. If you are really keen about realising God, if you are hungering and thirsting for God, then you should cultivate this all-absorbing love. Mere expression of desire is not enough. You should endeavour to experience union with the Divine.

Wherever you go for service, Swami will always be with you. Whatever happens I shall protect you. Do not be carried away by profit or loss. Think of God ceaselessly. Even the great saint composer Thyaagaraaja doubted for a moment, the Shakthi (power) of Rama but immediately repented and said the fault was his to have doubted, but, God was all powerful. Never give room for doubt. The inner current of all the nine types of devotion is Prema (Love for God).

For acquiring selfless love, the quality of kshama or forbearance is a vital necessity (kshama is a word rich in meaning. Besides forbearance, it also implies extreme patience and an enormous capacity to forget as also forgive). Every individual must cultivate this noble quality.

Whoever with discrimination and renunciation (viveka and vairagya), humility and wisdom (vinaya and vijnana) is aware of the knowledge of Reality, whoever is always immersed in the contemplation of my divine play (leela), whoever dwells on my name at all times and under all conditions, and whoever sheds tears of love whenever the Lord's name is heard from any lip -- these are my genuine devotees.