Brahman is Within You and is Realisable by an Unwavering Mind

Discourse of Sathya Sai Baba during the Summer Course in Spirituality and Indian Culture
held for College Students at Brindavan, Whitefield, Bangalore District in May/June 1974
Published by Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust
Web posted at Jun 20, 2002

Morality and discipline bring respect and reputation to man. Whatever one acquires in his young age remains with him in his later life. People who could convey such noble ideas were accepted as teachers in ancient days. In the human body, such particular organs in which the power of life is not specifically present gradually decay and perish. On the contrary, such organs in which the power of life is present will remain healthy and will continue to show vitality. One can say in this context that life is the essence of all organs. For this reason, the life force has been called in our Vedanta by the names 'Angirasa' and 'Angirasa Bhuta'. Such 'Angirasa' taking the form of essence of life protects all the organs and enables people to live in this material world composed of different forms and names. This 'Angirasa' has also been called the God of life. Because this God of life with the name 'Angirasa' is closely associated with Brihaspati, 'Angirasa' has acquired an alternative name 'Brihaspati'.

Sruti demonstrated that Angirasa and Brihaspati are synonymous. The word Bruhati means voice. One who is the master of Bruhati or voice is called Brihaspati. It is in the context of such Brihaspati that words which have a special significance have been named 'Riks'. Sama is another name for such 'Riks'. These 'Riks' are associated with Bruhat and are called Brihita prosody. There is another meter by name Anushtap. This meter is associated with the Riks. Thus Anushtap, Brihita, Brihaspati, Sama are all synonymous words. In the word Sama, there is something which we have to know by a special effort. 'Sa' here signifies voice, 'Ama' signifies life. The combination of voice and life is the meaning of the word 'Sama'. Thus Bruhu, the word which is a combination of voice and life, is equivalent to Brihaspati and it has manifested itself as Sama or Brahman in this material world.

The material world which is made up of name and form has been taken by people as the manifestation of Purusha. Brihaspati, Brahman and Sama have all appeared in this world as the Purusha. Name and form have an inseparable connection between each other. It is not possible to separate the name from a form in this world. When we point our finger towards the eye, we call attention to the eye. The name eye and the form of eye which the name indicates are inseparably connected with each other. Thus Angirasa and Brihaspati who have created the name and form for each item in this material world are closely connected with each other. In fact, Angirasa is Brihaspati and Brihaspati is Angirasa. Brahman does not have one name and one form. It encompasses all names and all forms that we encounter in this world and signifies everything that we find in this created world. All the business of this material world is contained in the words that signify all forms and names. Whether it is in the tiny insects or in the huge forms that we see in this world, the all-pervading aspect is that of Brahman. Since the aspect is equal in all living things, Brahma is also called "Sama", one who is equal minded. Because this aspect of Brahman is not confined to equal mindedness to living things only but since it is all pervading and covers the entire creation, it has been said that Iswara is present everywhere and envelopes the entire universe.

Just as from the shining sun, the sun's rays come spontaneously, so also from God who is the source of all energy come spontaneously all the words of the Veda which are like the rays of wisdom. The kind of inseparable relationship that exists between the sun's rays and the sun also exists between the Vedas and God who is their source. If today, students recognise such sacredness in our Vedas, you will turn into future citizens of this country who will have the capacity to re-establish the supremacy of Vedic culture. Our elders have also taught us that the understanding of God is above the sensory capacities of man. To be able to experience the aspect of Brahman which itself is above sensory capacities, we should also rise above the senses. How can we understand something above the senses, while we remain in a stage which is below the senses? When we become equal minded we can rise above the trivialities of name and form.

There is deep significance in saying that all the world is filled with Brahman. We recall that Sankara has said that Brahman is truth and the world is an illusion. This is a piece of cloth. How can this be made without the yarn? Here is a golden ring. Can this be made without the gold? Can there be a pot without the mud? Thus cloth without the yarn, pot without the mud, ornaments without the gold, world without Brahman cannot exist. Thus the world is filled with Brahman. Without Brahman, there is no world. The whole universe is only an illusory manifestation of Brahman.

One devotee described this situation by saying:

When the whole universe is the Lord's mansion where do we search for a main entrance to this mansion. Play on the strings of life as you play on the strings of a Veena so that tears of joy and bliss flow. The door to the Lord's mansion is always open. There is something unreal in asking such an open door to be opened for you. Queries and doubts are only the result of distortions of one's mind.

One does not have to search for Brahman in some distant chosen place. One should find Brahman in one's daily life in all things from the smallest thing that one comes across to the biggest thing that one sees. If with some reason and with some depth, we make an enquiry there is a chance of finding Brahman in our own heart and within ourselves. Provided we get into a state of meditation, we can enjoy the bliss of recognising Brahman everywhere. If the mind is made steady and unwavering, we can enjoy the permanent bliss and see the aspect of Brahman.

If the mind is wandering like a monkey, we can never enjoy all this. If in the Adhyatmic path, we wish to attain the bliss of Brahman, we generally go to a pilgrimage centre or meet elders and learned people. Brahman is not to be sought in a pilgrimage centre nor is it to be looked for in the teachings of elders. It is within you and is knowable by you by controlling your own mind.

It is in this context that Meera sang:

"Oh! Mind, travel to the banks of Ganga and Yamuna, Ganga and Yamuna represent the two Nadis Ida and Pingala. Move on to where these two Nadis through which one takes in breath and gives out breath meet. Move on and locate yourself in the clear, clean and pure place, the centre of your forehead."

When one tries to understand the inner meaning of what has just been said, he comes to the conclusion that Brahman can be realised only in a quiet, clear and pure place. Is there such a place in this world and how can we find it and reach it? Such a place does not exist outside you. It is present in your own internal self. From time immemorial, Maharishis have searched for a place of that kind all over and in the end came to the conclusion that they should turn their vision and their thoughts inward to find such a place and by such a process they could get a glimpse of Brahman and enjoy the bliss thereof. They spread these processes which they discovered to the rest of the world.

While such an omnipotent, all knowing and sacred Brahman is present within one's own self, it is un-understandable that one goes about searching for it in all places external to himself. When you have the wish fulfilling tree, the 'Kalpa Vriksha' available to you, why look for ordinary fruits. When you have the 'Kamadhenu' available to you, why look for milk from ordinary cows. When you have the mountain of gold available to you, why go about purchasing silver. Today we have turned ourselves into persons who while having rich food in their own homes, go after stale food that one can get by asking for it from one's neighbour. The aspect of Brahman is not outside yourself. You should not waste your time and life looking for it externally. Time is Brahman. Rendering such time unsacred is wasting your life and rendering Brahman unsacred for the sake of Brahman. What we should do today is to make an attempt to develop an inner vision to realise the divine strength of Brahman which is omnipresent.

I will give you an illustration for this which I had given you several times earlier. There are two important statements. The entire world is filled with Vishnu. While Brahman is the only truth, the world is an illusion. Both these statements arise from the Veda but people are likely to get a doubt as to which one of them is correct as there is an apparent contradiction between them. I will now cite an example from daily experience.

99% of the boys and girls assembled here are used to go to a cinema. When you go to see a picture, you sit looking at the screen. One would not like to sit looking at a blank screen like that for too long a time. After some time, when pictures appear on the screen you feel relieved. But if the same pictures remain there, you feel impatient. You like the pictures to change. Even as you feel that a set of pictures are real, they disappear and others come. The pictures are not real. Their disappearing and others appearing in their place is a reality. Thus this is neither truth nor untruth. In Vedantic language, this phenomenon is termed true untruth, a mixture of truth and untruth also called by a special word "Mithya". These pictures which are coming and going depend on the screen for their appearance. The screen neither comes nor goes. The pictures are not stationary. They come and go. The screen is a reality. The pictures are a "Mithya". In this analogy, the screen is comparable to Brahman and is a reality. The pictures are comparable to the creation, the men and women, who come and go and are a "Mithya". That is why, we say Brahman is truth and the world is a "Mithya". The illusory world is like the pictures that depend for their manifestation on the screen or in this case on Brahman.

The second statement talks of the entire world being filled with Vishnu. When the illusory pictures come on the screen, the true screen is mixed up with the unreal pictures. Just like this, the true Brahman is mixed up inextricably with the "Mithya" of creation. If there is no Brahman, there is no creation. We are like pictures which come again and again on the screen of Brahman.

It is in this context, that Sankara described our coming into this world and going out of this world by saying, we are born and die again to be born and so on, the cycle of birth and death envelopes us. If we live a life, die and are reborn again, what is it that we are achieving in each life? We must try and make an attempt to see that once we come into this life and go, we should not come back again into this world.

Boys and girls! This world is like a newspaper. Once we read a newspaper from the beginning to end, we do not want to read it again. It becomes a waste paper and we throw it away in the basket. In the same manner, once we see this newspaper of the world, we do not wish to see it again and again. All our experiences in this world are like a newspaper. This has been described as no birth, rebirth. What is the meaning of these two. To be born again is rebirth. Not to be born again is no birth. When does one get rebirth. It is only when there is a residuary life force in him that one gets rebirth.

There is a small illustration for this. We have the case of paddy. If we put paddy in the earth and water it, we note that it sprouts. There is some rice inside the paddy covered by husk. This is the reason why it sprouts. If we remove the husk and plant the rice alone it does not sprout. Because of the presence of husk, we call it paddy. If there is no husk, we call it rice. If the grain with husk is planted, it sprouts. In this analogy rice has no rebirth and paddy has rebirth. Our life when it is covered with the husk of desire has rebirth. Once we remove this husk of desire, there is no birth. In this context, it has been said that man's mind alone is responsible for his bondage as well as for his liberation. Thus in the content of Brahman, life plus desire is man and life minus desire is God. How can it be possible to live without desires? It is not possible to eliminate all desires. If, however, we turn all our desires towards God and whatever we do, if we do remembering that we do it in the pleasure of God, those desires will not bind us for rebirth. Whatever work we wish to undertake, we should do so without the desire to claim the fruit thereof. We have the right to do work but we have no right to the fruit thereof. This is what the Gita also says.

One may ask what does it matter if we desire to enjoy the fruits of work. It is possible to have peace in our life only if such desires are limited and kept under control. Take your own experience as an example. You have come here for a stay of one month. You would have argued that if you carried a small bag with a limited number of clothes in it, that would suffice. A big bag would be a burden and would make your journey uncomfortable. Not only this, there are instructions in the railway carriages to the effect "Less luggage gives more comfort and makes travel a pleasure". Thus, when in a trivial journey which lasts for a few days, we try to lessen our luggage, should we not diminish the luggage in the long journey of our life? Desires constitute the luggage of our life. In Vedantic language, this is called "Vairagya". Vairagya does not consist in giving up one's home, one's family and going away to the forest. There is also another meaning for this word. It does not matter if you live in the world but do not let the world live in you. You may participate in the work needed for living in the world to the extent necessary but do not let the consequences and results fill your mind and bother you. Do not have high desires in your heart and if you wish to fulfil them, you will be subjected to troubles. Are such desires appropriate to us? Are they such that you are entitled to entertain them. In promoting your desires do not be selfish. You should also consider the well being of others. Your life should be such that you do not give trouble to others and to yourself. Be good to others. Giving trouble to one aspect of Brahman and worshipping another aspect of Brahman is not the right path. Follow a good path. Do not harm others. Do not harm yourself. Recognise the aspect of Brahman in every living thing and in all the work that you do. Promote this aspect in you and lead a life filled with such ideals and principles. You will be happy and will have no worries.