In this Iron Age, though there
are many facilities to cultivate silence and discrimination, people are
without peace of mind and happiness. The reason is they are not living
according to the sacred teaching of Sanathana Dharma; they have lost
faith in those teaching. Holiness is the basis of way of life which
will make this exalted human birth worthwhile.
There are
even today, just as there were in the past, great sages who can inspire
people, pointing out the heights that man can attain and the vast
potentiality that is embedded in the human body. Dwelling in the Divine
is the very foundation of a genuine human life. It is the fundamental
right of a man. The statements, Soham (He-I), Tattwamasi
(That-thou-Art), Aham Brahmasmi (I-Brahmam-am) which are unexcelled
expressions of Truth do shine as mantras in the Vedas. In the all too
short period of his stay on earth, these mantras can win for man Divine
bliss. We must consider all acts done from dawn to dusk as worship
offered to The Lord. Every single act must be saturated with devotion
and love for God. Man should endeavour to cleanse his heart of all
impurities through righteous, truthful discharge of his duties. It is
possible to realise God by means of the purified heart, purified by pure
activities. Mere scholarship is of no u
se. The teachings of the Vedas, Upanishads and Sastras must be brought
into the fields of action. Faith and steadfastness—without these,
however intense or manifold the activity, knowledge of the Ultimate
Truth cannot be won. The Name of Hari must be ever on the tongue; it
should ever be in the ear. To earn His Divine grace, devotees have to be
constantly engaged in Sadhana and be ever vigilant.
It is no
exaggeration to say that Prasanthi Nilayam is unfolding as Heaven on
Earth. We devotees must, by our Japa, Tapas and Dhyana create here an
atmosphere holier than that of the hermitages of the Krita, Treta and
Dwapara Yugas, extolled in our scriptures.
Through
our good fortune, we have the supreme boon of being contemporaries of
Bhagawan. He is, for us, the visible God. The Sun who is the
manifestation of part of the glory of God is the giver of this to all
creatures, a giver whom we can see and comprehend. So, every day, we
must remember these two with a sincere heart. We must frame a timetable
that we can follow without much difficulty. As was declared by the
sages, the night can be divided into four parts. During 6-9, restrained
persons: 9-12 loose-livers; 12-3 thieves and 3-6 Yogis—these will be
engaged in their diverse activities. For us , devotees, 3-6 is the holy
period of the night. This period must be well utilised for one’s
upliftment, according to the physical condition of each. One has to
rise at least at 4-30 a.m. and after attending to essential physical
needs, one must repeat Sai Ram, until the splendour of the Sun illumines
the eastern sky. Then, it is
good to recite the Suryamantram.
The Name
‘Sai Ram’ can be repeated a hundred times each minute. O, the sweetness
and the joy that can be derived from that Name are beyond my power of
description. You will not be content, however long you might be engaged
in repeating it. It is possible to add to this the Mahamantram ‘Hare
Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna
Krishna Hare Hare’. There are 16 Names in this Manthram. In 3 minutes,
we can repeat a thousand Names through this mantra. In one hour 20000
Names can be uttered. Sri Namabari, a Bengali devotee, who lived at the
same time as Sri Chaithanya Maha Prabhu used, it is said, to recite the
Name of the Lord 3 lakhs of times a day! If one does it with
single-minded attention, it would take at least 15 hours to reach the
total of 3 lakhs per day. But, this is not a task beyond our powers.
