Divine Discourse 2 September 1996 Develop Purity of Heart Sri Sathya Sai Baba Prasanthi Nilayam 2 September 1996 Editor’s note. This discourse does not appear in the Sathya Sai Speaks series. It appeared in San- athana Sarathi, October 2014. How can a mean-minded person lacking What education did noble souls like Rama- purity of heart realise the principle of krishna Paramahamsa, Kabir. and Surdas the Self? have? Ramakrishna was not highly educated, Only those with purity of heart can realise yet he earned worldwide name and fame as it. Paramahamsa (realised person). His purity of Do not forget these words of wisdom. heart was responsible for this. (Telugu poem) In order to attain purity of heart, there is no need to perform chanting, penance, and medi- Embodiments of Love! tation, nor is there any need to study the Ve- One who aspires to realise the principle of the das, the scriptures, and the Puranas and Iti- Self and teach the same to others should first hasas (epics and mythological texts). Love for of all develop purity of heart. One who lacks God is the only requirement to attain purity of purity of heart is not eligible to realise the heart. There is nothing greater than this. The Self and teach the same to others. heart that is full of love for God is truly the Poisonous snakes and scorpions find their heart of a human being. way into a room devoid of light. They do not As is the food, so is the mind enter a room that is well lit. Likewise, evil qualities like desire, anger, delusion, greed, Those who wish to develop purity of heart pride, and jealousy cannot enter a heart that should be careful with regard to their food shines with pure love. They enter only the and habits. The human body digests food; the heart that is devoid of sacred love. It is there- subtle part of it becomes bones, muscles, and fore necessary to develop a pure and sacred blood, and the subtlest part of food becomes heart that is full of love and compassion. the mind. Therefore, food is responsible for the good and bad nature of the mind. As is the Fill your heart with love for God food, so is the mind. Hence, it is necessary to The heart of a human being should be full of eat pure and sacred (sathwic) and wholesome the noble qualities of tolerance, perseverance, food in moderation. In days of yore, sages and sympathy and contentment. Only then can the saints lived in forests eating only fruits and human easily understand the principle of the tubers to sustain themselves. Because of such Self and propagate the same. The principle of pure (sathwic) food, they could lead their the Self cannot be attained merely by educa- lives peacefully. tion, scholarship, and intelligence. Purity of You may not be aware how beneficial sathwic heart is of utmost importance for this. food is. How blissful Sita, Rama, and Laksh- 1 Divine Discourse 2 September 1996 mana were, living in the forest and eating should give due importance to their food and fruits and tubers during their exile! habits. In fact, their entire future depends on Happiness lies in proper food and habits. their food and habits. Happiness cannot be found in worldly com- In order to experience their innate divinity, forts and sumptuous food. It can be found on- they should have purity not only in food but ly in natural food created by God. Not only in all their endeavours. This purity generates food but also drinking water should be pure. sacred love in your heart. Love has no form, The gross part of water that we drink is ex- but one can experience the bliss it gives. Fra- creted as urine, and the subtle part of it be- grance has no form but the flower that gives comes the life principle (prana). fragrance has a form. For a human being, mind and life principle When there is love in your heart, it is reflect- are most important. Moreover, they are inter- ed on your face. That is the reflection of the dependent. When you attain the state of ama- inner being. When one shares one’s love with naska (beyond the mind), there is no exist- others, one experiences more and more bliss. ence of mind. To lead a noble life, it is neces- This bliss is eternal and everlasting. This can- sary to have pure food and good habits. Peo- not be experienced in worldly objects and ple are deluded to think that the power of worldly pursuits. It can be derived by follow- mind can be developed by following the ing the path of spirituality (nivritti). worldly path. They cannot achieve it unless In the waking state, the mind influences you. they follow the inward path. Your heart is the As long as you have a mind, you see the Himachala (Kailasa mountain) on which Lord world around you. And as long as you see the Siva and Parvathi reside and perform their world, you cannot escape from the experience cosmic dance, which bestows bliss not only of happiness and sorrow. What really is re- on devotees but the entire world. The divine sponsible for happiness and sorrow? It is the form of Lord Siva is blissful and enchanting. mind. In the deep sleep state, there is no The Lord of Kailasa has manifested his divine mind, and consequently, there is neither the form, with the crescent moon adorning his world nor the experience of happiness and head, with the cool water of the Ganga sorrow. As far as there is the mind, there is flowing between the matted locks, with his the world; as far as there is the world, there is radiant eye in the middle of the forehead happiness and sorrow. There is neither happi- and the purple neck gleaming like the sheen ness nor sorrow when you transcend the of a blackberry. mind. He wears serpent bracelets and a snake belt, his entire body is smeared with vibhuthi, his How can you transcend the mind? You can forehead is adorned with a kumkum dot, his transcend the mind by developing love for ruddy lips glow with the juice of the betel, God. God is in the form of essence (Raso vai diamond-studded gold earrings dangle from sah). Just as sugar permeates every drop of his ears, and his whole body glows with di- the syrup, love permeates the entire world. vine effulgence. World devoid of love and bliss cannot exist. (Telugu Poem) Love is all-pervasive, bliss is all-pervasive. Human being, nay, any living being. has no World cannot exist without love existence without love. In order to experience the blissful form of the Lord, you need to have purity at the levels of body, mind, and spirit, for which proper food and habits are essential. Therefore, students 2 Divine Discourse 2 September 1996 Realise the Atmic principle When the headmaster asked him to tell the I have told you this story earlier also. It was weaknesses, the father replied, “He does not the time of the Mahabharata war. Sage Vyasa know what is good for him, nor does he listen was on his way to the battlefield. On the way, to others.” he was surprised to see an insect crawling Similar is the state of an educated person to- very fast. He conferred the power of speech day. Educated people are filled with ego, on the insect and asked, “Oh tiny creature, thinking they know everything. But what do why are you running so fast? What great dan- they know? They are fools who do not know ger has befallen you?” themselves. Then what can a fool know about The insect replied, “Oh venerable sage, the the world? Mahabharata war has become very fierce. In a One may acquire a high academic qualifica- few minutes, Arjuna’s chariot will be coming tion such as M.A. or B.A. and attain exalted in this direction. One cannot describe the position, speed with which his chariot runs. I am run- One may amass wealth, perform acts of chari- ning away from this place so that I don’t get ty, and attain name and fame, One may have physical strength and enjoy a crushed under the wheels of the chariot.” long and healthy life, Not only human beings, even insects want to One may be a great scholar, studying and protect themselves. Every living being wants preaching the Vedas, to be safe and secure and has a desire to lead a But none can equal a true devotee of the Lord. life of happiness and contentment. Love is One cannot attain liberation (mukthi) without present in all beings, but it is expressed in dif- devotion to the Lord (daiva bhakthi). What else is to be conveyed to this assembly ferent ways. of noble students! You see the world around you and call it (Telugu Poem) world (jagat). But a wise man will tell you, One thinks that one is very intelligent and has “Oh foolish one! What you see is not the learnt many things. But one who is truly intel- world but God Himself.” He is a fool who ligent does not think in this manner. One who sees yet does not recognise the reality (Pash- lacks intelligence thinks that he is an intellec- yannapi cha napashyati moodho). tual! God is the cause and world is the effect. This Your life will blossom and shine as an ideal creation is nothing but the manifestation of for others only when you develop love for cause and effect.