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VIAJES DE SAI BABA POR EL MUNDO 2015 07 Srilanka English
VIAJES DE SAI BABA POR EL MUNDO 2015 07 Srilanka English
VIAJES DE SAI BABA POR EL MUNDO 2015 07 Srilanka English
Sri Lanka
3 - 5 July, 2015
(Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba arriving at the Taj Samudra in Colombo, Sri Lanka,
while being welcomed by traditional Kandyan dancers and drummers.)
Copyright Sri Sathya Sai Premamruta Prakashana , Sathya Sai Grama, Muddenahalli,
Chikkaballapur Taluk and District 562101, Karnataka, India.
This Booklet contains material protected under Union and International Copyright Laws and Treaties.
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Divine Discourse
10
16
Divine Discourse
17
24
28
35
Introduction
On Friday, 3rd July, 2015, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba set foot on the shores of Sri
Lanka, fulfilling an old promise to a past Head of State who had invited Him to visit his
country, which at that time was ravaged by fierce internal conflict.
A Public Programme was held on Saturday, 4th July, 2015 at the Taj Samudra Hotel in
Colombo. The auditorium was packed with devotees who came from all over Sri Lanka
to witness the supremely sovereign phenomenon of the Subtle Form, and to welcome
their Beloved Lord to Lanka.
In the morning session, opening remarks were given by Smt. Penny Jayewardene,
followed by a talk by the Hon. Minister, Karu Jayasuriya. Bhagawan then asked Mr.
Isaac Tigrett and Sri B. N. Narasimha Murthy to speak. Finally, Swami blessed the
audience with an inspiring discourse, followed by a Question and Answer Session.
Later that afternoon, another session was held, beginning with bhajans. Sri C. Sreenivas
and Sri B. N. Narasimha Murthy shared their thoughts, after which Bhagawan granted
His divine discourse.
The highlight of the evening was Bhagawans announcement of the commencement of
a 50-acre seaside ashram which would include a school and hospital, as well as water
and power projects. A Sri Lankan devotee residing in Singapore, who was present at the
programme, offered his entire 200-acre property in Sri Lanka to Swami, who graciously
accepted his offer. The ashram will be built at Batticaloa, in the Eastern Province of Sri
Lanka, 300 kilometres from Colombo. Bhagawan declared that it will eventually host a
residential school and a super speciality hospital.
On the morning of Sunday, 5th July, 2015 a Youth Meet was held at Alankara Villa,
where 50 young men and women gathered, along with esteemed guests. Two Sri Lankan
youth Sri Chenthuran and Smt. Radheisha Daluwatte spoke about their experiences,
followed by inspirational talks by Brother V. Kumar and Sister Bhuvana Santhanam.
Bhagawan then granted His divine discourse.
That same evening, Swami again stopped by the Taj Samudra and spoke to a group of
150 tea estate workers and their families, Bal Vikas gurus and children from
Talawakelle. Dr. Kurunairesan, the leader of the group, gave an emotional talk about
how he had been bedridden with chicken pox, but his prayers to Bhagawan were heard,
and he instantly got the energy to travel to Colombo for the satsang.
This Booklet, including complete transcripts of Swamis divine discourses in Sri Lanka,
and excerpts of talks given by His entourage, has been prepared at the Lords command.
(Taj Samudra Hotel, the venue of the Public Satsang with Bhagawan in Colombo.)
First and foremost, the dharma that was practised everywhere in the world was Hridaya
Dharma, the dharma of the heart. It is not right to say that Buddhist dharma, Hindu
dharma or Christian dharma are different from each other not at all. The first dharma
that man practised was Hridaya Dharma, the dharma of the heart. What is hridaya?
Hrid (heart) plus daya (compassion) is hridaya (heart). Hridaya is that which is full
of daya or compassion, that is, the heart. If every feeling, every thought, every word and
every action is filled with compassion, it becomes Hridaya Dharma. That is the Hridaya
Dharma, which has been practised since time immemorial.
Synonymous with compassion is love. Compassion is synonymous with dharma, and
love is synonymous with compassion.
It is not just enough to talk about love; you have to transform love into service. Love
without service or service without love, are meaningless. Therefore, the eternal dharma
which arises from the heart in the form of love and compassion, must be transformed
into selfless service and bring joy to everyone.
In the word joy, there are three letters: J, O, and Y. That is the basis of every dharma.
J means Jesus first; O means others next; Y means yourself last. If you want
to experience joy, first and foremost, you have to follow God. God first, others next,
yourself last that is the formula. When you practise this dharma, your hearts will be
full of love and you will be able to serve others selflessly. You will also develop unity
and experience joy with everybody. However, when you keep your body as the basis of
your life, like animals, you give prominence only to food, sleep, procreation and fear,
and you lose your Divinity.
7
Divinity had no fear. Bliss is food for Divinity. There is no such thing as sleep for
Divinity. It has no fear. When you become Divine, you will escape the perversions of
the body and also fear.
Deham devalayam prokto jeevo devas sanathanaha this body is the temple of God.
You must maintain it as a temple; you should not convert it into a garbage bin. Eating
as you like, speaking as you like, and doing just as you like is not the right thing to do.
Many times, devotees confuse the word swecha for freedom. Many people think
freedom is that which gives you total liberty to do what you like. No. If there is no
constraint on the body and senses, you behave like an animal; that is bondage, not
freedom. People must discriminate between morality and immorality, and behave like
human beings.
Once upon a time, the animals got together and had a conference. They all said,
Jantunam narajanma durlabham amongst all the species of life, man is the most
precious. Today, however, mankinds behaviour is worse than that of animals. How
then is it possible that a human being is the most precious amongst all the species? They
only look like human beings, but in their behaviour and conduct, they have become
worse than animals. Animals have a reason and a season; human beings do not. An
animal may kill another animal in order to fill its stomach, but not to harm other animals.
The animal only eats until its stomach is full; it does not store food for the future. This
kind of hoarding of food, this kind of selfishness and self-interest, is in human beings,
not in animals.
This is happening because they are not practising the call of the heart, the voice of the
heart. They are practising what the mind tells them to do. Ekatma sarvabhutantaratma
there is one Atma, which is in everyone. If you can recognise the one Atma in all
beings, you will not subject yourselves to divisions of caste, creed and religion. If there
is a problem for this country or any country, it is because human beings are filled with
selfishness and self-interest. People who have plenty do not share it with others who
lack. They are only struggling for themselves. They are selfish. They are only interested
in earning money, not cultivating love, patience and compassion. For this country, if we
want to set an ideal, it is the Sai devotees who have to practise dharma and transform
others. The dharma of the heart is selfless love. Selfless love should transform itself into
selfless service in the devotees.
Everybody wants Swami. Where do you find Swami? You will find Swami only when
you look for Him where He is. If you leave your mobile phone at home and look for it
at the office, how will you ever find it? You have to look for something where you have
lost it. Divinity cannot be found if you are looking for it outside yourself. When you
look within yourself, giving up your ego and attachment, and loving everybody, then
Divinity will manifest in you. It is complete foolishness to make ego and attachment the
basis of your life; they are temporary, momentary and ephemeral. Therefore, you have
to struggle not for the temporary things but for that which is permanent.
Today, I do not have a physical body, but to work in this world, which is constrained by
time, place and circumstances, a physical body is required. For the physical world, a
physical body is necessary. Since you have physical bodies, you must synthesise your
head, heart and hands and lead a sanctified life. All of you must put your bodies to good
use.
The Vedas declare, Sarvatah panipadam tat sarvatokshi shiromukham, Sarvatah
shruthimalloke sarvamavruthya tishthati God is present in every hand, every foot,
every eye, every face and every ear. If somebody asks you, Where Sai Baba? Has He
left the body and gone?, you must answer with courage. You cant say that He is here
or there; you should say that He is everywhere. You should develop the courage to tell
everyone, I am Sai Baba. I am the very Embodiment of Sai Baba. I have always been
addressing you as Embodiments of Atma, Divinity and Love. I never said that you were
Embodiments of Body and Mind. Whatever Swami says is the Truth. You must give up
your defects and attain perfection. Because of ego and attachment, you are not able to
understand Swamis words properly; that is why you are subjected to all kinds of sorrow.
If you want to use a magnet, you need both a piece of iron and a magnet. Where does
the magnetic power come from? It is because all the atoms are directed in unison. The
atoms in the piece of iron are aligned in different directions, which is why it does not
have magnetic power. You and I are both Divine. I am able to experience it, but you are
not able to experience it. This is because, with thought, word and deed in unison, I have
always served everybody selflessly. Because your thoughts, words and actions are
different, instead of becoming noble souls, you are becoming wicked persons. Even in
a piece of iron, if all the atoms align in one direction, there is magnetism in it. You will
become Divine and become mahatmas (noble souls) when you unify your thoughts,
words and deeds. Whatever you think, you have to utter; whatever you utter, you have
to do. Love should permeate your feeling, your word, and your action. Only when you
demonstrate this love in your lives, will you be able to set an ideal for others.
If you really want to offer homage to Swami, you must make your life, thoughts, words
and deeds ideal. If you ask, Why am I unable to practise such love?, there is only one
answer: because you assume you are the body, you are full of fear. The body may have
fear, but the Atma has no fear. When you know that you are the Embodiment of Atma,
not just the body, you will develop courage. What place is there for fear in that which is
eternal and permanent? Therefore, you should constantly think, I am the eternal one. I
am the permanent one.
Inhalation and exhalation continuously takes place in your body. Whilst breathing is
taking place, you hear a sound. When you inhale, the sound is So, and when you exhale
the sound is Ham. Your breathing is telling you 21,600 times a day, Soham I am
that. I am Atma, I am God, I am love, I am peace, I am Truth. Although your own breath
is teaching you this lesson all the time, you dont listen to it and you are living as you
like. Sanctify your life by practising Hridaya Dharma, the dharma of the heart, filling
your heart with selfless love and serving others selflessly.
Question 1: Beloved Bhagawan, in our country, where we see so much need and
poverty, we sometimes feel powerless to help people as we should. What do we do at
such times? Collective prayer? Can Bhagawan tell us something about prayer and how
it can help situations of mass need and want? What can we all do for others if the scope
of what has to be done is so big and too much for us to handle?
Swami: The problems in the world are plenty, but what you can do as humans with
limited abilities and strengths is only so much. However, you must never forget that man
plus God can achieve anything. There is nothing impossible when both God and man
join together. God alone will not do; man alone cannot do. When they both join together,
anything is possible. However, first and foremost, you must do your part to the best of
your abilities. That is why I say, do your best and then leave the rest to Me.
In the story of the Mahabharata, Draupadi, the wife of the five Pandavas, was put to a
lot of humiliation in the court of the Kauravas. In that moment, she prayed for help from
the elders in the court, but they were powerless. They were bound by their own rules.
She prayed to her own husbands, who were strong and supposed to protect her, but that
also did not happen. They all put their heads down in shame.
10
She tried, herself, to protect her own honour, by holding on to her sari, and not letting
the wicked Duhshasana snatch it away, but soon, she was totally exhausted. When she
had tried everything that she could do, and still could not achieve, for the need was far
bigger than her abilities, Krishna manifested. Krishna took care that what was beyond
human ability was achieved that day, and she was protected.
What is most important is, with all your might, with all your strength, and with all your
abilities, you must do all that you can. If you have done that, and only then if you pray
for succour, help will definitely pour in from all sides. Most of the time, when you do
very little and think that is all you can do, and you give up too soon and start praying to
God to help, its not going to work. If Gods help has not yet come, it means you have
still not exhausted all that you can do. That is how everyone should think. Once you
have totally exhausted all your strength, skills and abilities, then God will manifest to
solve the problem.
Question 2: With Your grace, aside from me, there are many healers in Sri Lanka and
all over the world. This question is not only for me, but for all of us. Many times, after
healing, we become lifeless. Then, we dont know what to do. On more than three
occasions, I nearly died after healing. Swami, please tell guide me and all the healers in
our country and the world as to what we should do in such circumstances.
Swami: My grace is there on everyone equally, just as the sun, which shines on all the
continents, all the lands and all the people equally. The sun does not differentiate, nor
does the wind, nor the water. Similarly, My grace is there on everyone, in all countries,
in all places, and at all times.
Regarding your question about healing if you want to bring water to a boil, you have
to place the container full of water on top of the stove, switch on the stove, and let it
boil for some time. However, the moment a few bubbles form, you switch off the stove,
thinking it will boil by itself. It is too early that you withdraw all that you do, and you
dont wait for the process to continue to completion. Every time you switch it on and
switch it off, without letting it boil, you are only wasting your time and energy. Until
the work is completely done, until the healing is complete, continue the effort. Periodic
efforts are not going to help.
Ultimately, what is it that will cure everyone of all diseases, of the entire illness? It is
nothing but the fear should disappear; the fear of holding on to your ideas, your bodies,
your possessions, your relations. That fear alone creates all the troubles in the body. Fear
is the greatest disease that man is suffering from. The day that you get rid of this fear,
all the healing is complete. This fear will not go with medicines, consultations, doctors
visits, or operations; only faith can remove this fear to its completion.
When you improve a little bit, you give up your efforts. You are not here to remember
God only during times of distress. If you continuously remember God at all times, and
are totally out of this disease of fear, in no way will you fall sick again.
11
If at all the body has to undergo some trouble, let it proceed fearlessly. Everybody that
is born out of the five elements ultimately has to merge with the five elements. What
differentiates each person is whether you go with a sense of fear, or you go with a sense
of faith; that alone defines your achievement in life. One must get rid of this fear; only
then will you be permanently healthy. Fear, not only of being embodied, but also all the
relations and attachments that come along with this body. If that fear disappears, you
will never fall into that situation again. Once and for all, you would have passed the test,
and you wont have to appear for the test again and again. Develop greater faith;
everything else is secondary.
Question 3: Swami, now that You are here in Subtle Form, is there a chance that we
can still see You in the Subtle Form? Or must we learn to communication with the inner
and develop along that path?
Swami: See bangaru (golden one), what you can see
here or experience does not depend on Me; it depends
on you. A TV station continuously broadcasts
programmes, but if your TV is switched off, the
electricity is not flowing, or the antenna is not
correctly oriented, it is not the fault of the TV station.
Whether you can feel Me, hear Me, or see Me, all
depends on whether or not these things are in place:
the TV, the antenna, and the electricity. What are
these three? They are: 1) your hand, 2) your head,
and 3) your heart. When all three work in unison,
selflessly, that is when this is possible. Your head is
thinking of something, hands are engaged in some
other action, and heart feels another way then it is
like, either the antenna is disoriented, electricity is
not there, or TV set is not working. All the three
hands, head and heart must work in unison; not for
destruction, but in a constructive way. If you can fill
your thoughts and heart with love, and hands with
service, you will see Me in every step of your life.
You dont have to make any effort. Not by japa (chanting the name), not by tapas
(penance), neither by reading scriptures, nor by going to places of pilgrimage can you
achieve God. You can achieve God only through acts of selfless service. What is
selfless? No sense of doership. Karta, karana, and karana all three should become
one; that is, the work, the doer, and the reason for doing it everything is one. What is
that one? Bhagawadpreetyartham, that is, to please Swami. If that is the single purpose,
in whatever you think, say or do, then slowly you will get purified.
12
Just like a lake that is calm and quiet reflects the sky, your mind will reflect Me. You
will see Me not only here, in a gathering like this, but anywhere that you move, you will
feel Me, you will hear Me, and you will see Me. It is definitely possible. In fact, the
very purpose of My coming here, and in this way, along with these people, is to tell you
that it is possible, it is doable. If you really want God, you can have it all for yourself.
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was once questioned by a boy, Can I also see God the
way you see? Can I also hear God the way you hear? Can I also feel God the way you
feel? Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was a real Master. Generally, what other teachers
pseudo-teachers or fake teachers do, to get more children and more money, is to say,
The subject is very complicated. You need to take more classes. You need to pay me
more fees. Only then can you learn the subject. Ramakrishna, however, was a simple
Guru. He said, Yes. God is our birth-right. Everybody should be able to experience
God and can experience God.
Then, this disciple asked, How can I do that?
Ramakrishna said, Come, I will show you. God is inside that well.
He took the boy with him and told him, Look inside the well. You can see God.
When the boy looked inside, he said, There is no God inside.
Ramakrishna said, In a minute, you will see, and pushed the boy into the well.
The boy started gasping for breath. He was struggling and started shouting, Save me!
Save me! I do not want to be inside this well! I will die! I cannot breathe!
Then Ramakrishna said, If you really feel the world is like this well, you dont want
this well, you are suffocated in this well of the world, and you look out for the breath of
God, that is, the love of God; if you strive like a man drowning in this well, and you
pray to Me the way you prayed for your life when you were inside the well, God will
definitely come to you.
It is only that the intensity of your desire to be with God is less, and being with the world
is more. Therefore, what you desire is what you get; that is the Law of Nature. If you
want the world, you will get the world. If you want God, you will get God. The reason
you dont get God is that you still dont want Him enough. Once your intensity is greater,
I will definitely manifest. The only way to reach Me is through absolutely pure love and
service. If that is not there, all the other things that you try will be like efforts which are
not good enough. If you yearn for Me with that kind of hunger, that kind of thirst like
a drowning man yearns for breath I will manifest.
Dont think that this is something to pass your time with. You pray to God and God
should appear; then you ask a few questions and then God should disappear. Then you
pray again and He appears. This should become a way of life. It is not part-time
devotion; it should be a full-time effort to be in the presence of God, to feel God with
you everywhere.
13
Not only during times of difficulties, but in all times, if you pray so intensely, only to
have God with you, and not to seek things from God, God will come to you.
Those who ask Me for wealth, I give wealth; those who ask Me for name, I give them
name; those who ask for family, I give family; those who ask Me for Myself, I give
Myself. It is you who has to decide what you want. If you want nothing but only Me, I
will definitely come to you.
What about the lunch? These two questions is very important questions: what is for
lunch, and where is it? (Laughter) See, how hunger is natural for the physical body. If
you dont feed it, after a few hours, it will become weak, it will lose sense of everything
else, it will start falling, and it will crave for food. Unless food is put inside it, it will not
remain silent. It will do everything to attain food.
That kind of hunger from the soul should also arise for God. Until you get God, you
should not stop. You would go anywhere, to any extent, and do anything for the sake of
attaining God. If that kind of natural hunger also develops, you will definitely achieve
God. But what happens? Now you have the appetite for lunch, because you havent
eaten something for a long time, but like little children do, when mother is cooking
delicious, nutritious food, they argue and, because they cannot wait any further, go and
eat junk food and spoil their appetite and their stomachs. Then, when the actual food
arrives, they have neither the capacity nor the ability to eat the good food.
Likewise, if you fill up your minds with the world, where is the place for God? Your
appetite has already been ruined because of the silly desires for the world. Keep the
appetite, keep the hunger, so that only God should satisfy the hunger, and no one else,
nothing else in the world. Like the chataka bird, which waits for raindrops to come to
quench its thirst it doesnt drink dirty water from pools, lakes and rivers; it wants the
purest waters which come from the rainclouds likewise, if you find joy, peace, and
happiness only with God and nothing else, then you will definitely get God, sooner or
later. Dont spoil your hunger with worldly food. Wait for the Divine to serve what He
has got to serve.
14
15
You may tell everyone, I love you, but those who love you today may hate you
tomorrow. Those whom you love today, you may hate tomorrow. Human love exists
only as long as the other person obeys you completely, follows you and does what you
want. When they do not listen to you, and do as they like, your love is gone. It turns into
hatred.
True love is permanent. True love will not change depending on the place, time or
circumstance. Simply saying, I love you, is not true love; it is just a kind of
attachment. The love that exists between parents and children, between students and
teachers, and between husband and wife is not true love it is a only kind of attachment,
because attachment has expectations. True love has no expectations or attachment.
Recently, a child was being treated for a serious heart ailment at our Raipur Hospital.
Around midnight, he developed complications. Surgical procedures were carried out on
him four or five times. At midnight, he suffered several heart attacks. Looking at the
monitor, the nurse came running. At that time, the surgeons had already left the hospital,
but the nurse contacted them and asked them to return immediately, which they did, to
discover that another surgery was required. They got the operating theatre ready right
away and changed into their gowns. On that day I, too, was there in the operating theatre.
There is a very intimate relationship between the heart and the lungs. The heart draws
in bad blood and pumps out good blood. When oxygen in the blood has depleted, it is
called bad blood, which is sent to the lungs, where it is transformed into good blood and
comes back to the heart. The heart pumps this good blood to every limb of the body.
Only when the heart and lungs work together well, is the body well. During open-heart
surgery, you stop the functioning of the heart and use a heart-lung machine.
When they put this child on the heart-lung machine, even the lungs were damaged. The
situation was very difficult, as both heart and lungs were malfunctioning.
The doctors were praying to Swami to save the situation. They could do nothing more.
Then, one of the doctors read on a board there: Sai is the Surgeon. He prayed to Me,
Now I realise that You are the surgeon. All this time, I had been thinking that I was the
surgeon and it was my work which had been ineffective. I surrender to you. Please look
after the child. Immediately, the heart and lungs of the child started functioning. After
four hours of surgery, the child was transferred to the ICU room. Within a few days, he
recovered and was discharged from the hospital.
When you think you are doing the surgery, then you are also labouring. When all their
efforts failed, they knew that it was Swami who was doing everything. When they
surrendered to Swami, everything became alright.
Later, I told the doctor, I will reward you well. He replied, I dont want any reward.
Children come here with a lot of difficulties. Out of Your love, You give them everything
free of charge. Seeing them smiling and returning home healthy is enough for me. There
is no bigger reward for me than seeing those children, who come with misery, leaving
with joy. That is the only reward I want!
19
The Chief Minister of Chattisgarh has given a major award to the Raipur Hospital. In
future, the Prime Minister, too, will visit; he will come and present an award. Today,
there is only one hospital in the whole world which does completely free heart surgery
for children. Sreenivas hesitates to talk about this. Therefore, I am telling you, on his
behalf, what is happening there.
When I sent Sreenivas to Raipur, he was penniless. There was neither land nor doctors
with which to start the hospital. No doctors, no land, no money just a lot of patients!
With great faith in Swami, Sreenivas went to that place, which he had never seen, met
the Chief Minister, obtained the land and started work on the hospital.
What you can observe closely, what you can grasp or hold are
only facts, not the truth. That which you cannot see and yet
believe, is the truth. It is not necessary to satisfy yourself by
seeing everything. Seeing is a fact, but believing in the unseen,
is faith. Therefore, today, if you want to know that Swami is
there doing everything, you have to develop that faith. If you
want to develop love, first you have to develop faith. Where
there is faith, there is love, because it is faith that becomes love.
In love, there is truth. Where there is truth, there is peace. Where
there is peace, there is God. Where there is God, there is bliss.
You start with faith and end in bliss. That is the journey.
Ultimately, it culminates in bliss. Hence, you should believe that
Swami was always there and is always there; He is always there
with you, only you have to experience it.
If a piece of iron is full of rust and dust, it cannot be attracted by a magnet. Just because
a magnet is not attracting such a piece of iron, to say that the magnet is powerless is not
correct. The magnet itself has power; it is because of the rust and dust in the iron that it
is not attracted. However, man generally does not seek to find the rust and dust within
himself. Instead, he says that God has no power to attract him.
When a child has fever, no matter what delicious food is provided, it tastes bitter. It is
not possible for a mind full of worldliness to understand Divinity. If you want to
understand Divinity, first, you must become pure. Only water can merge with water; ice
cannot merge water. A worldly mind and a Divine mind are different. Only when your
mind and My mind become one, will you know that. That is why Sreenivas says,
Whatever I do, whatever I say and whatever I feel, is all Swami who is doing it. It is
not imagination, it is the truth. Whatever is selfless is Swami. You need to know that all
the selfless work and service that is going on is Swamis doing. What is selfish is not
Swami. When you are working selflessly, there is nothing wrong that Swami is doing
things through you, because selfless love and selfless service turn man into God.
I am continuing My mission with the sole purpose of teaching that kind of selfless love.
I am not doing it for Myself; I am doing it for you.
20
I am starting many activities and institutions with only one purpose to grant you the
opportunity for selfless service for your benefit. The Lord has said, I will look after
your welfare. What exactly is it that He will look after? Welfare does not mean giving
you wealth, position, authority, or anything material. When wealth, all the materials and
possessions, and power help take you near God, they are all good, that is yoga;
otherwise, it is not yoga (union with God). Only if there a sense of sacrifice in bhoga,
or enjoyment, is it transformed into yoga. Where a selfish desire is present, even
sacrifice becomes just bhoga (enjoyment). All these things are required, but they are not
the most essential. What you have to think is, by utilizing all these things, how can we
get closer to God?
This body is the greatest gift to mankind from God. However, it is a big mistake to think
that you are just the body. At some time, you may have thought, The car is mine; I am
not the car. The house is mine; I am not the house. Similarly, you must realise, The
body is mine; I am not the body. Your life will find fulfilment when you use this Godgiven gift known as the body for service.
It is My pledge to grant bliss to everyone. If you want to experience this divine bliss, it
is not good enough to attend satsang. Only when you listen to the good things in satsang,
understand them, and practise them, can you experience the truth. The practical
application of this is service. From the satsang, you must understand the principle of
love, develop love, and transform that love into service.
I want to tell you a good news on this occasion. Many devotees have asked Me to build
an ashram, a hospital and other institutions in Sri Lanka. Today, I am ready to do all
that, but you should also be ready. (Applause)
Both positive and negative current should be present; then electrical current will flow
through the wire. As soon as I spoke about the ashram, all of you clapped, but is it
possible to clap with only one hand? You can only clap when both hands join together.
My hand is always there your hand has to come.
One of our Singapore youth members is here. (Asking the youth) Can we build the
ashram on the land?
(The youth replied, Whatever Swami wants, we will be ready for it.)
A part of the land offered by this youth will be utilized for the ashram, hospital and a
school in Sri Lanka. You take just one step, I will take one hundred steps. Whether you
are youth, elderly, or women with children, all of you should become selfless. Get
together to the extent that you can and render selfless service.
During the times of the Ramayana, Rama was building a bridge. Many monkeys united
to help Rama build the bridge. Where did the stones come from to build this bridge?
They came from the mountains. In fact, the monkeys were taking hills and mountains
and placing them in the ocean to build the bridge. Where did they get the mountains?
They were taking the mountains from the Himalayas. The monkeys were taking
mountains and bringing them here.
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When they had completely built the bridge, a small squirrel arrived who wanted to help.
The squirrel was praying to God, Such a great work is happening. I am so small and I
dont have the strength of Hanuman, but I have got bhakthi (devotion). I may not have
yukthi (skill) or shakthi (power), but I have bhakthi (devotion). What can I do to help
with such a huge bridge? Then it got an idea. First it plunged into the water. Then it
rolled on the beach, gathered sand and brought it to the bridge. You can easily
understand what great service that squirrel did.
I never ask for quantity. I want quality. Do service to the extent that you can. However,
simply sitting without doing any service is not right. Even a squirrel helped Rama to
build the bridge as much as it could; it did not simply sit silently. That kind of thinking
should occur in human beings. When such great work is happening, simply sitting
quietly is not good. What the squirrel did that day sets a very good example for today.
Each and every one of you will have to work.
Sri Lanka needs divine grace so much. This is My sign of grace for Sri Lanka. We will
start the work together. You unite that is the great gift to you. You cant do everything
at once. If you every day you do something, one day or another you will be able
complete it. However long the journey, you have to take the first steps. You have to start
moving. If you stay in one place, you will never reach the destination. Thats why I have
given you two feet. The first footstep is love; the second is service. If you take these
steps: love and service, love and service, one day or another, you will reach Me.
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Do not be afraid that it is a very long journey. If you take only one step, will I not take
ten steps towards you? I will take one hundred steps towards you!
When I ask you to build a big hospital, you will naturally pray to Me for help. Only
when I tell you that you have to build a big ashram, naturally, you will pray for Swamis
help. When you depend on Me, your ego will reduce. Even through service, you develop
ego.
Let us build a big ashram here, with a hospital, a school and drinking water. There will
be four kinds of service here: vaidya, vidya, vari, and vidyut (health care, education,
drinking water and solar power). There are many elders and young people here; you
should all be ready. I am sowing the seeds today for this, and then I leave Sri Lanka.
Protecting the seed and nourishing it is your job. Are you ready? How many of you say
yes? Yes, Swami!
The daughter-in-law of the former president sitting here. Her father-in-law and I are old
friends. Many times, he also prayed to Swami, asking Me to come here. How I come to
a place is My choice. If you pray selflessly, it will definitely find fulfilment.
During the times of the Ramayana, when a bridge had to be built, they were devotedly
bringing stones and mountains all the way from the Himalayas. When the bridge was
completed, no more was needed, but one monkey still had a small mountain to use. What
did he do with it? He kept it in Brindavan. That mountain also had consciousness. It was
grieving, and feeling very sad that it could not be useful in the Lords work. This reached
the ears of Rama, who immediately said, I will not use you today, but someday, I will.
During the Krishna Avatar, that mountain become the Govardhana Mountain, which
Krishna lifted up to shelter the people there.
When you aspire and pray with a selfless motivation, God will definitely give. Swami
is telling you this because of your selfless prayers. Today, I have announced that an
ashram is going to be built here. With or without a body, I have never stopped My work;
neither should you. The body is given to you to serve others and you must use it to help
others, not to hurt them. That is why I am giving protection and nourishment. You should
understand that the body given to you is the temple of God and the individual Atma is
none other than Swami. Use your body to serve all.
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Rama is in everybodys heart as the Atma Rama, and He could achieve anything by His
mere will. However, He wanted to give an opportunity to the monkeys to serve, and
make them immortal. That is why He let them build it.
That is the purpose. There is no other purpose. Therefore, understand the truth properly,
develop the personal qualities, and take part in this project.
Amongst the lakhs of species, human birth is very rare. Amongst human beings, only a
few develop devotion to God. Out of those, only a few enter into the spiritual path. Out
of all those who enter the spiritual path, only a few develop determination and move
forward. Ultimately, only one or two will attain the destination. Thus, to enter the
spiritual path, faith and courage are very important.
I am a sculptor; I can make a statue emerge out of stone. The statue does not come from
somewhere it is already there in the stone. I remove what is not statue from the stone.
In order to remove what is not statue, I have to hammer it. When I hammer it, what is
not statue will disappear, and what is statue will remain.
What is there within you in the form of ego and attachment is not statue. When I try to
remove the ego and attachment in you, you should not obstruct Me by saying, Swami,
it is painful. Please dont do it! If you do that, naturally, you can never become a statue.
Therefore, if the statue is to become a true statue, to be installed in a temple and be
worshipped, you should be ready to give up what is not statue. It is a difficult job. You
think that the body and mind are yours and because of that possessiveness, you are
distracted. When it does not really belong to you, why should you suffer for it?
Here is a small example: if you feel hungry, you have to eat; your neighbour does not
have to eat. When you feel sleepy, you have to sleep, not somebody else. Therefore, you
have to do things for yourself; nobody else can do it for you. When you think you are
the body, you are subjected to a lot of worry. If someone is feeling hungry, do you
experience it? You know it is their hunger, not yours. Therefore, why should you bother
about it? In the same way, why are you bothered about what does not belong to you? I
will remove it all. What is Me, what is Truth, is all that will remain. Love is everything,
and only love should remain. All other things should go away. Develop that kind of
deservedness and take part in these service activities.
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(Alankara Villa, a tourist villa, which was transformed into a palace fit for the Lord
by the Organisers, Mithun and Divya, and a team of dedicated volunteers)
27
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After some time, Dharmaraja himself came to look for his brothers, wondering why they
did not come back with the water. Then he reached the lake and realised that a yaksha
was guarding this lake.
The yaksha said, If you can answer my question satisfactorily, I will allow you to take
the water. He asked Dharmaraja, What is the one thing in this world that both amuses
you and surprises you?
Dharmaraja replied, The fact that we all know that death is certain, yet we live as if we
are going to live forever. This is what amuses me and astonishes me the most.
Dharmaraja, who himself had full knowledge of this fact, had forgotten it and was also
trapped by his own mind.
Time is nobodys friend. It wont listen to you; you must listen to it. From the time man
is born, as he grows, and until he dies, everything is bound by the rule of time. God
alone is beyond time, but everyone else is bound by this very powerful rule of time.
Once you have wasted your time, you can never get it back.
Being young is the greatest opportunity. All seva can be done with these three things in
place: the hands, head and heart. If all the three are united, you can achieve anything.
Having hands, but no head, means no intelligence; head without heart, means no
compassion. It is not going to make the seva happen. The hands of King Janaka, head
of Adi Shankara and heart of the Buddha are extremely important.
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When you are young, you have hands, that is, you have the strength to do seva. You
have head, that is, a sharp mind, strong memory, and keen intellect to do things. If you
fill your heart with love and compassion, then all these three together can help you
achieve anything. The problem with modern young people is they have hands which are
very skilful, but they only listen to their heads and forget to listen to their hearts.
The head is full of selfishness. It drives you to do things for your own benefit. It cares
little about what others need, or what others want. It only thinks about itself. I, I, I,
that is all it thinks about; whereas the heart does not concentrate on I. The heart is all
Sai. If there is I, there is no Sai. If there is Sai, there cannot be I. If you listen to Sai,
I will go away.
The heart must tell the mind what needs to be done, and the mind should drive the body
to do what is required. A simple example is that of a car. In a car, there is a driver and a
master. The body is like the car, the mind is like the driver, and the heart is the master.
The driver should drive in accordance with the commands of the master. If the driver
starts driving the car the way he wants without listening to the master, he is a bad driver.
Such a driver is of no use. He will only cause accidents and will not take you safely to
the destination.
The heart is the seat of God. Whatever you think, say, or do, must be guided with one
feeling; whether it will please God or whether it will displease God. Nothing is bad, as
long as it takes you towards God.
Whatever will take you towards God is punya or good. Whatever takes you away from
God is papa, or sin. Every thought, every word, and every act should be analysed.
Man has been given the power to discriminate between what is right and what is not
right, between what is good and what is not good, between what is Divine and what is
not Divine. Animals do not have this kind of a power. They live by instinct. If they see
something and they want to eat it, they immediately go and do so, without thinking for
a moment. Man has been given the power of discrimination in order to decide what is
right and what is not right.
Secondly, nan has been given the power of detachment; to detach yourself from that
which is not right, and attach yourself to that which is right. Using these two powers of
discrimination and detachment, one can move closer to God. With every thought, you
must discriminate whether it will take you closer to Swami or away from Swami;
whether it is good for everyone or not good for everyone; whether it is something that
will make everyone happy or make people sad. If you can continually discriminate and
then have the courage to detach yourself from that which is not correct, which is not
Divine, which is not selfless, then you have played well the game of life.
This is the rule of the game. Life is a game; play it. There are two teams: one team is of
the heart, another is of the mind. The heart should always win, but how? It should use
these rules of discrimination and eventually detachment.
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At this moment, at your age, you have full strength. Do not postpone good work until
the future. Many people advise the young, Why are you in such a hurry to reach God?
There is enough of your life to do all these things once you have retired.
However, let Me ask them a question even after retirement, are they able to go towards
God? They have gone so deep into the whirlpool of the world, that coming out of it is
impossible! If you keep walking towards the West, you are going away from the East.
Every step you take towards the West, takes you away from the East. Likewise, every
step you take towards the world, takes you away from God, and you have to retrace so
many more steps to go back to the same place.
Once, a pundit, was giving a discourse on the Ramayana. Many people were seated
there, including a young boy who was very interested in the Ramayana. His parents had
been searching for him at home, but they could not find him. Somebody told them that
they had spotted the boy in the satsang which was going on. The father, furious, came
running to take the boy away, because it was late at night. As he was dragging away the
boy, who was unwilling to go, the pundit stopped the father and said, Why are you
taking him away? He is so interested in listening to the story of Lord Rama. The father
replied, No! I am afraid that if he keeps listening to your stories, he might develop the
desire to become a renunciant and leave home.
The pundit said, You have been listening to the Ramayana all your life. Have you
developed this kind of mindset?
Letting things go in one ear and out the other is not going to help you. It is like eating
food and immediately vomiting it. That kind of listening is of no use. Whatever you
listen to, you must assimilate it first and think about it.
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Shravanam (listening) is the first step. Mananam (contemplation) is the second step it
is like chewing the food. The third step is Nidhidhyasanam (digesting and assimilating).
Listening, contemplating and practising these are the three steps. No matter how much
I may speak to you about how tasty the afternoon lunch is going to be or how many
items they are going to serve, or how it has been cooked, its not going to fill your
stomach. Only when you go and eat a little and digest it, will your hunger be satisfied.
God cannot be attained by words. God cannot be attained through thoughts. God can
only be attained through practice. Follow in My footsteps and you will reach Me. Once
you reach Me, you will merge with Me. Once you merge with Me, you become Me. The
first step is listening. You must come to understand through contemplation, and then
experience by practising. Practice is very, very important. If you cannot practise at your
age, you cannot achieve it when you grow old.
Once, a man, when he was about to die, called his four sons. He had named them Rama,
Krishna, Govinda and Madhava, because he thought that when he was about to die, if
he chanted the names of his sons, it would be equivalent to chanting the names of the
Lord, and so he would attain liberation; his dying thoughts would be on God. This is
foolish, yet he did it. On his deathbed, he called all the four sons, Rama, Krishna,
Govinda and Madhava. They all came running to their fathers bedside. Looking at
them, instead of thinking of the Lord, the man said, If all four of you are here, who is
looking after the shop? and at that moment, he died! Not only did he die, he was reborn
as a rat in the same shop, always hiding in the shop and never leaving it.
Your dying thoughts cannot be suddenly changed by such stunts. You must practice
continuously.
(To a girl in the audience, who spoke earlier) You talked about swimming. Is it possible
to just jump in the water one fine day and become a swimmer? Many times, you have
to practise. You may drown, you may struggle, you may suffer, but in the end, it is by
constant practice alone, that you can become a good swimmer one day.
A singer cannot become a singer the moment he is born. By constant practice, one day
you will start singing well. Everything needs practice. By continuous practise, you can
achieve perfection. Listening is not enough it should be put into practice, but with
proper understanding. Dont practise like the man who simply used Gods names for his
sons. Is it possible to become God just by using Gods names for your children?
Soon, there will be an ashram here which will also have a school and small hospital,
and eventually a college, a big super-specialty hospital and many other facilities. At the
moment it is like sowing a seed, but dont expect fruits the moment you sow the seed.
It is only when the farmer nurtures the seeds, waters it and protects it, that the seed
germinates and becomes a small plant. The plant grows over a period and becomes a
tree, and then the tree yield flowers, fruits and shade.
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(Talawakelle Tea Plantation, whence workers and their families attended the Satsang)
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The Vedas declare that mother is God, father is God, teacher is God and guest is God.
Today, however, there is a difference. God Himself has become mother, God Himself
has become father, God Himself has become teacher and today, God Himself has
become the guest of Sri Lanka.
The entire world belongs only to God. God alone is permanent, eternal, and timeless.
The world, however, is temporary. It is named as jagat, that which comes and goes.
All that comes and goes has a fundamental basis as God Himself. To explain it to the
children, I shall give an example. Youve come all the way, such a long distance. Youve
come in a bus. The bus is moving, but the road is stationary. The road is permanent, but
the bus is temporary it keeps moving.
You may watch a movie in the cinema theatre. There is a screen on which pictures are
projected. In the cinema theatre, the screen is permanent but the pictures keep coming
and going. Because the cinema is going on and the pictures are moving, you dont see
the screen, which is the basis of the entire movie. In the same way, air is everywhere,
but you cannot see the air. However, because air is around, you breathe air, breathe in
and breathe out that is how you are able to live.
Just as a road is the medium upon which the vehicles moves, just as the screen is the
background for the pictures to move upon, just like air is the medium for you to breathe,
the unseen God is the basis for the entire world, for all that is seen. It is only when you
breathe in and out that you recognise the existence of air. Similarly, when you live in
the presence of God, you will be able to experience God.
How does one live in the presence of God? In a family, there is a father, mother, brother,
sister, teacher, and guest all these are different members of the family. Likewise, when
living in the family, you consider that you are living in the presence of your father,
mother, teacher, friend, brother, sister and other people. In the same way, if you consider
God to be your mother, your father, your friend, and your teacher, then you will believe
that you are also living in this family of God.
In fact, God is always willing to be with all people, but just as children dont want their
parents to accompany them to the playground, devotees sometimes dont want Swami
to come everywhere with them. On occasion, they choose to keep God with them, and
at other times choose not to.
Whether you are playing, bathing, eating, sleeping, you still have to breathe, dont you?
You cant choose to breathe at certain times and not to breathe at others. If you stop
breathing what will happen to you? You will suffocate and suffer! When you start
breathing, you will be back to normal. Similarly, when God is with you and you are with
God, everything is normal. When you forget God and keep Him away, that all the
problems begin. Forgetting God leads to all kinds of suffering.
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Saint Kabirdas said that in good times, nobody remembers God, but in bad times,
everyone remembers God. If you remember God at all the good times, how can you
have bad times? It is because you forget God during good times that He sends some bad
times, so that you will remember Him. Therefore, if a bad time comes, it means that
God is remembering you.
Only when children are hungry do they remember their mothers, otherwise they are busy
playing with their friends. However much the mother calls, they dont come; but when
they feel hungry, they automatically return home. In the same way, it is only when adult
human beings are in trouble that they come to God. Is this not true? The children will
be playing and both father and mother will be calling them, but they dont come back;
they keep playing. So what does the father say? Let them play. When they are hungry,
they will come of their own accord, you wont need to call. That is how, when troubles
come, people run to God. In addition, the hungry, the tired and the hurt child runs back
to its mother and father. However, if you are with God even in good times, you will
never suffer in bad times. It is when you forget God that the problems start.
God isnt the one who decides to give you problems. It just like, if you stop breathing,
you suffer. In the same way, if you forget God, you suffer. Therefore, at all times,
everywhere, in all circumstances, always remember God. The greatest responsibility
that elders, teachers and parents have is to lead children towards God. If there is bhakthi
(devotion), then yukthi, shakthi, mukthi (intelligence, strength, and liberation)
everything will come with it.
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Tenali Ramakrishna was a very intelligent person in the court of King Krishnadevaraya.
He had and answer to every question anybody asked. Just as very intelligent students in
the class always incur the wrath of their lesser intelligent peers, people were jealous of
Tenali Ramakrishna. One day, a person asked a question to King Krishnadevaraya, If
your Tenali Ramakrishna is so intelligent, let him answer my question. Tell us one
sentence comprised of five words, which means the same thing in five different
languages. One sentence, five words, same meaning in five different languages.
Can anybody create a sentence like this? Everybody thought Tenali Ramakrishna would
not be able to answer. Even Tenali Ramakrishna did not know the answer. Finally,
Krishnadevaraya said to him, At least give me the answer by tomorrow, otherwise, I
will lose face in front of these people.
Tenali Ramakrishna thought and thought and thought, but he could not find an answer.
Finally, when left that night, he went to his brother-in-laws place. There were too many
people in the house and so they asked him to sleep in the cowshed outside. Tenali
Ramakrishna was unable to sleep, as he was worried about the answer to the riddle. So
finally, he started praying to his favourite deity, Lord Rama. He prayed, O Rama! You
have to save my honour. I place it at Your feet.
As he was thinking, a cow gave birth to a calf. Immediately, he ran to the door and
knocked on it to call his brother-in-law. From the other side, a voice asked, What
happened? Then Tenali Ramakrishna said, A cow has given birth to a calf. From the
other side, his brother-in-law shouted, Ya avora bava.
In Telugu, Ya avora bava means which cow, O bava (brother-in-law)?, but in that
sentence, there are five words: Ya, in Marathi means, come, Avo, in Hindi means
come, Ra, in Telugu means come, Ba in Kannada means come, and Va, in
Tamil also means come.
Ya avora bava, all five words put together, meant the same thing in five different
languages. Immediately, Tenali Ramakrsihna understood and went and announced it the
next day in court. All were surprised at his intelligence. Then he explained, It is not my
intelligence. I only prayed to Lord Rama to guide me. It is He who has given me this
answer.
This does not mean that you should not study for exams and pray to Me and I will give
you all the answers. No, that is not correct. You must make efforts and then leave the
rest to me.
Our children are very intelligent. They will say, Anyway, Swami is our mother, Swami
is our father, Swami is our teacher. Let Swami be the student too and finish the exams!
They call it devotion, but this is no devotion at all! Devotion means loving God without
any expectations. True love wants to see everyone happy. That means, you do not think
about your own happiness, but always about how you can make others happy. If you
really love God, you should see how to make God happy.
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How can you make God happy? If you are happy, God will be happy. When everyone
is happy, God is happy. Do everything that will please God. Instead, if you hurt each
other, scold each other, and fight with each other, how can you please God? It is not
possible. When everyone around is happy, God will be happy. If you keep God happy,
He will keep everybody happy. So whatever you do, think whether it will please Swami,
or whether it will displease Swami.
For a long time, Dr. Karunairesan, who spoke earlier, has been praying that Swami
should build institutions in Sri Lanka. He used to feel, Such a beautiful ashram is there
in India. There should be one, here in Sri Lanka, as well. There should be a place for
Swami. There should be scope for service activities, bhajans, schools, hospitals all
this should happen in this land also!
In order to serve others, he has sacrificed a great deal. He would give away or sell his
personal things for the sake of helping the poor and the children. As a result, everyone
in his family is angry with him, but the people outside have become his family. He has
given up everything. He had a watch, which he to pay somebodys fee. Whatever he has,
he gives away if only anyone asks. That is how he has given up everything impermanent
and gained something that is permanent.
In this world, everything comes with a price. If you want to buy a chocolate, you have
to pay ten rupees. If you want God, should you not pay something? God is the
kalpavriksha (wish-fulfilling tree) who can fulfil all desires.
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If you have to pay even to buy a small mango sapling, should you not pay something
when the Kalpavriksha Himself is coming? Yes, you have to pay, and what is it that you
need to pay?
In order to obtain God, you have to give away everything that is negative in you, all that
is worldly in you, all that is selfish in you. If you give it all to Me, I will come to you.
Therefore, always yearn for God. If you have God, you will have the whole world. God
is the object; the world is the shadow. It is because of the prayers of such people, like
Dr. Karunairesan that I have decided to build an ashram in Sri Lanka, a big school, a
big hospital, and a water project. All this will happen in the coming years. All the
devotees are working to begin by this November and, eventually, within a year, all this
will be built a small school and a small hospital, which will come into service by My
next birthday. The land has already been identified and given to Swami, and soon the
work will begin.
Are you happy now? Now, all of you should unite in service.
I will see to it that the children of Sri Lanka get the right kind of education, the youth of
Sri Lanka get the right kind of opportunities, and the sick in Sri Lanka get the right kind
of treatment. Hence, all of you, with your hearts full of love and hands full of service,
be ready to undertake this work.
Rama could build an entire bridge with a few monkeys. You are still human beings
you can do better! You have only a monkey mind, but your body is human. If you fill
your mind completely with God, you will definitely be able to succeed. The mind is
selfish; that is why it gets caught up in the world.
In the old times, they used to catch a monkey by putting peanuts in a jar with a narrow
neck. The monkey would put his paw inside and would be unable to remove it. The paw
which went inside, should also come outside, is it not? However, because the monkey
was holding onto the peanuts, he would not be able to remove his paw. If the monkey
released the peanuts, it would be free, but because of its desire for the peanuts, the
monkey would be trapped and caught. It used to be a happy monkey, free in the jungle,
but now it had to dance to somebody elses tune. If the trainer were to say sit, it would
have to sit; if he said stand, stand, and, if he said dance, it would have to dance.
Because of the desire for peanuts, it would suffer for its entire life.
Give up all selfish desires and be free. Otherwise, your whole life will be spent dancing
to somebodys instructions. No freedom.
Therefore, use your hands to serve, surrender your mind to God, fill your heart with
love, and if you want to ask for something, pray, I want only Swami, nothing else,
because if Swami comes, the whole world comes with Him. The kingdom also comes
with the king. So ask for the king, ask for God, ask for Swami, and nothing else.
I am very happy to see you all, who have come a long distance. Again and again, I am
going to visit Sri Lanka and continue with these seva projects. I am very happy.
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