I am always with you; all of you belong to Me
Excerpts from Baba’s last discourses
I have not come down to deliver discourses on any particular form of God. Divinity is only one by whatever name and form people refer to Him. The goal is one and love is one. The names and forms may be different. Some may refer to Divinity as ‘Atma’; others as ‘Aum’. Yet, both are the same. The names Rama, Krishna, Govinda, Narayana, etc. may be different, but God is only one. You may contemplate on any name, but God is only one. The Upanishads exhort, Matru Devo Bhava, Pitru Devo Bhava, Acharya Devo Bhava, Atithi Devo Bhava (revere your mother, father, preceptor and guest as God). First and foremost, respect your mother. She is very important!
Forbearance is the real beauty in this sacred land of Bharat.
The nectarine feeling in this country is the feeling of love toward one’s mother. (Telugu poem)
Even if the mother and her son go to a court in a property dispute, the mother would tell the lawyer, ‘he is my son’, and the son would say, ‘she is my mother’. Hence the relationship between a person and his parents is lasting. Even after the physical body ceases to exist the motherly relationship exists. A mother is a mother. Hence, there can be no greater, respectabler, and sweeter feeling than motherhood.
Many people write letters to Me, addressing Me as ‘Mother Sai’. They refer to Me as their revered mother. I also address all of you as ‘children’.
You say, my body, my handkerchief, so on and so forth. But who is this ‘my’? That is the Self or I. I means Atma. Without realising the Atma, all spiritual practices like Yajnas and Yaga are of no use. You say, this is mine and that is thine. What is the use of doing any spiritual practice unless you give up the feelings of mine and thine? Get rid of the narrow feelings of mine and thine and realize that you and I are one.
You say, this is my body. Clearly, the body is separate from you. Realize this truth. That is real devotion. Bhagavan called one of the boys and asked him ‘where do you come from?’. When the boy told Bhagavan that he came from Mumbai, Bhagavan said ‘in fact, your body has come from Mumbai, not you. Realize the truth, ‘I am I’. When you say, I am so and so, what does it convey? Your name has been given to you by your parents. You were not born with this name.
Don’t think that your body is permanent. Physical body lasts only for a limited period of time. Ultimately, it has to go. Swami called another boy and asked him, ‘what do you want?’. The boy said, ‘Swami, I want You, I want Your love. Be always with us, Swami’. Then Swami said; ‘I am always with you. All of you belong to Me. Whenever you contemplate on Me in your heart, I will manifest before you. Be happy.’
