Viveka and Vairaagya

Discourse of Sathya Sai Baba, Guudur, 22 July 1958
Published by Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust
Web posted at Feb 8, 2001

You are all standing in the open, on the road and some are even perched on trees; it is really cruel for Me to speak to you for long. But inspite of all this inconvenience, I find you yearn to hear My words and so I shall satisfy you. Well, Man is divine, take it from Me; he is really here on a holy mission, for a divine purpose. To consider him as mean or weak or sinful is a great mistake. That is itself a great sin. Man must earn his birthright, namely Shaanthi (peace). Ashaanthi (restlessness) is for him an un-natural state. His real nature is Shaanthi. To recover his heritage of Shaanthi, man tries various methods: accumulation of riches, maintenance of health, mastery of knowledge, cultivation of the arts. But these are not fundamental. Three basic wants still remain after all these methods have been tried: the need for reality, for light and for immortality. It is only when Sath, Jyothi and Amritham (existence, divine light and divine nectar) are won that Shaanthi will be stabilised.

It is no use indulging in arguments and disputations; he who clamours aloud has not grasped the truth, believe Me. Silence is the only language of the realised. Practise moderation in speech. That will help you in many ways. It will develop Prema, for most misunderstandings and factions arise out of carelessly spoken words. When the foot slips, the wound can be healed; but when the tongue slips, the wound it causes in the heart of another will fester for life. The tongue is liable to four big errors; uttering falsehood, scandalising, finding fault with others and excessive articulation. These have to be avoided if there has to be Shaanthi for the individual as well as for society. The bond of brotherhood will be tightened if people speak less and speak sweet. That is why Mounam (silence) was prescribed as a vow for Saadhakas by the Shaasthras. You are all Saadhakas (spiritual aspirants) at various stages of the road and so this discipline is valuable for you also.

Prema must transform all Relationships

Prema (love) is what the individual and the nation must cultivate now for progress. Hindhusthan became great on account of the flood of Prema which swept over the land for centuries. Prema must again transform all relationship: social, economic, educational, professional, family, religious, legal and others. The father must love the child a little more intensely and intelligently; the mother must spread love to all who come within her influence; children must love the servants. The sense of equality that every one is the repository of the divine essence must transmute social and individual behaviour.

Vairaagya saves you from too much Attachment

You can call Me Premaswaruupa (embodiment of divine love)! You will not be wrong! Prema is the wealth I have and which I scatter among the miserable and afflicted. I have no other riches. The grace of the Lord is always flowing like the electric current through the wire. Fix a bulb, and the current, to the extent of the wattage, will illumine your home. The bulb is the Saadhana you perform; the home is your heart. Come to Me gladly; dive into the sea and discover its depth; there is no use dipping near the shore and swearing that the sea is shallow and has no pearls. Dive deep and you will secure your desire.

Remember, the sword of Prema has to be kept in the sheath of Viveka (wisdom). The Indhriyas (senses) have to be rigorously controlled by Viveka and Vairaagya (discrimination and detachment), the twin talents given exclusively to man. Viveka instructs you how to choose your avocations and your associates. It tells you the relative importance of objects and ideals. Vairaagya saves you from too much of attachment and injects a sense of relief, at times of elation or despair. They are the two wings that lift the bird into the air. They hold before you the impermanence of the world and permanence of the bliss of reality. They prompt you to direct your lives towards spiritual Saadhana and the never failing contemplation of the glory of the Lord.