SADHANA, THE ROAD TO SELF REALISATION

My Dear Alumni,

Sai Ram!

I thank Divine Mother Sai for this opportunity to share a few thoughts about beloved Bhagawan’s love for His student’s and Students’ love for Bhagawan. It is that love, which has made our Alumni, perform as well as reported in the publication ‘Sri Sathya Sai Alumni Pulse – 2012’. Love performs miracles. It is heartening to learn that our students are occupying positions of responsibility in various fields in India and abroad. It is Sai’s love that has inspired our students to turn out such stupendous work as the Sri Sathya Sai Students Portal (portal by alumni for alumni) – the labour of love. What Bhagawan wants from us is to progress and move towards the goal, i.e. self-realisation, through service. Service to society is the royal road that can lead us closer to Bhagawan in mind and heart. Wherever we are, whatever profession or work we do, what He wants from us is to remember Sai, chant His Name and live the ideals in which He has trained us. Thoughts or words are no substitute for action. We should not give reasons for not participating in His mission, but we should find a way to participate in Sai’s mission and sanctify our lives.

He is interested in us, our happiness, our welfare and our progress in our journey to reach the goal of life. Work, for Him, is only a means, a Sadhana. Work should be our worship of Him. Our hands on work; mind and heart with Sai. He wrote “Our body should be used for discharging one’s duties, but our feelings should be to drink the nectarine love of Sai”.

As you are aware, this is only to recall and remind ourselves that our lives should be transformed into His message – the message of universal love. He cautions us not to be in great haste or hurry. Our efforts must be sincere and constant. Overdoing can lead to frustration and failures. Sai says even if you fail a thousand times, you should try once more! We should never give up; our determination must be firm, we should be resolved to fulfill His expectations of us.

Sai, our beloved mother in one of His letters, wrote to students thus “The need of the hour is not to picture life as a garden of happiness and romantic love, but to hold it out as a battlefield meant to be lived as ideal of heroism and courage, in the present circumstances, a play with words is of no use at all. By obtaining degrees, we can make neither your motherland glow with glory nor can you blossom forth yourselves.

Seeking truth you should transform yourselves into great devotees, lovers of God and be ready for any supreme sacrifice, including laying down life itself. Bidding goodbye to all selfishness and self-interest, making divine love as the bow and wisdom as the arrow you should shine forth as heroic students placing your faith in transcendental truth and God.

You should know that you are born to achieve great tasks in life. You are the children of God, heroes in action, great soldiers in the age of Kali, full of compassion and divine love and resolved to make divinity resound with success in the world.

This is not time for rest and sleep. The future emergence of a glorious new Bharath is dependent on you. The mother is waiting for your arrival on the scene.

If the morality of Bharat is destroyed, the world will sink into utter ruin. If the spirituality of Bharat suffers any set back, it will be to the detriment of the rest of the world. The unity and integrity of the nation would suffer a setback. The morality of Bharat is its sweet experience of divine love. The love for God should saturate and flow as the very life blood.

Hearts should fill and overflow with waves of idealism. Do not become slaves of external life and education and destroy the small saplings of spirituality in your heart. Light the lamps of truth and dispel all weaknesses in your heart. You are the messengers of God and not servants of the Lord of Death

Establish the kingdom of devotion. Earn the love of God. Make transcendental love as your own goal of life.”

These are words from our divine mother that should enthuse His children to further enhance the wonderful labour of love that has already begun.

I have attempted to communicate what I, as a teacher of His great college, should do to please Bhagawan. There have been many occasions when Bhagawan instructed me to convey messages to His students and so here too, I have felt it appropriate to share His words directly from a letter to His students. I consider (as I have always considered) all the Sai students as dear children. I want you to take whatever is applicable and relevant to you and benefit thereof. This is not to preach, but to reinforce to myself to practice and sanctify my life.

I pray to Mother Sai to bless us with success in our efforts to please Her and to live for Her.

With best wishes and Sairam!

– Nanjundaiah

(Prof. M. Nanjundiah, Former Controller of examinations, SSSIHL)