Only persistent effort, personal experience, and intensive feeling can realize the existence of God. Once the "I" in you is erased, you become one with God. For He is the only Reality. You see Him in all humanity. The ultimate reality can be perceived only by constant practice. Even the highest learning of shastras supported by logic and creative imagination can take us only to the lower level of awareness. Man is not the mere physical body. He is the Atman (self) encased in the body. The Atman seeks release to join the Paramatman. The sacred mission of Man is to help this process.

Logical arguments and eloquent speeches do not help to feel the presence of God. In the process of material progress, one should not lose oneself in the trifles. Man should not forget the real purpose for which he is created on earth. One who cleans his inner self is ready to receive the grace of God. His inner self reflects in good conduct (sadachar) which is the excellence of his external conduct. When youth vanishes, you cannot control the mind. When body is worn out, you cannot do sadhana. Strive now earnestly to attain spirituality and the highest perfection.

The whole world lives, moves, and has its being in God. Dharma is the means to elevate mankind to the level of feeling the presence of God. Man should practice Dharma to react this Divinity. Saints attained their sanctity through the adoration of God. Seeking refuge in God solves all your problems.

Let your minds be imbued with love and devotion to God. Seeking refuge in God solves all your problems. External enemies of man can either be conquered or befriended. However, his internal enemies like desire, anger, greed, pride, attachment, and jealousy remain concealed, causing untold havoc. They can be vanquished only through His Grace. So let us pray and fit ourselves to be the recipient of His Grace.

Control over sense organs is very much needed for the realization of God. Singing the names of the Lord devoutly and fervently enables such control. True spiritual pursuit leads the Saadhaka into Samadhi in which the Jagat (universe) and the Jeeva (life) disappear. All relative existences vanish leaving behind only the Brahman, the Absolute.
Thoughts and feelings rise in the minds of the ordinary people like waves on the sea. But the mind of a yogi is like a wave-less sea. This placid state is due to his mastery over the self. The yogi is a Sanyasin as his individuality subdued and his desire utterly annihilated. This state of actionlessness is the blissful state or Brahmavastha.

Those who make an exhibition of their temple going without real devotion are hypocrites. Temple-visit is in reality an outward manifestation of the inner urge to see His Idol, which is symbolic of the ideal, and to fill the mind and heart with His thoughts.
Listen to Guru's teachings and follow them in practice. It is by the triple process of Sravana, manana and Nidhi-dyasana that knowledge is attained. When the mind is stilled, the Bliss in the self can be directly grasped. Forget yourself when you are in sorrows. Then peace comes to you of its own accord. Zeal and courage of the mind can be acquired by serenity. Draupadi's episode reveals that absolute surrender to the Lord alone makes Him shed His Grace on the devotee. The progress to perfection is through pain and suffering. Hard flint must come into collision to produce sparks.

Grief grows from desires and attachment. Happiness cannot be attained from satisfying the desires as new desires crop up. Hence, happiness lies in contentment. Happiness leads to peace of mind. Peace of mind results in concentration. Concentration is the basis of meditation. Through meditation mind is united with Sachchidanada. There is no happiness higher than this. Experience of the supreme Bliss is the greatest happiness.

One should not proclaim that he knows everything. One should be free from ego, pride, and prejudice. One should develop self-confidence. Man aspires to enjoy the Supreme Bliss. This can be possible by renouncing the worldly things and by offering the following eight flowers: Nonviolence, Control of senses, Sympathy, Patience, Peace, Austerity, Meditation and Truth. Saga Kapila offered these eight flowers to God and attained union with Him.

One cannot realize one's soul until the ego vanishes. When the ego is submitted, then occurs a total surrender to God. One can experience supreme bliss by feeling the presence of God. In such a state, the minute soul will be merged with the Universal Soul and there will be no difference between Nara and Narayana.

All agonies can be easily averted if only man feels that God is the responsible spirit behind all the progress. Bhakti, Karma, Jnana are just means to the same end. Each charts out for us a route towards God. When the highest knowledge dawns on us, the final release is obtained. Manava Jeevans has come to us as God's greatest boon. Let us not throw it away in ignorance.

(Excerpts from Poojyasri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji’s discourse)
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Experiences of Devotees

Thakore, Canada

My most recent experience was on Wednesday, January 20, 1999 in Canada. I am a financial planner. On August 5, 1998 at 8.30 PM I was returning home with my colleague. As we came out of the parking lot there was Four-way stop sign. My friend who was driving the car was followed by the cops, issued a traffic violation, and got the ticket. This was not appropriate since he did stop at the sign. We both had decided to plead not guilty. We took the court date and later we had to change the date as my friend was not in a position to attend. So I went to the court for change of date and to my amazement, the officer did not turn up. I was not aware that I could have proceeded with the case without my friend; however, I got the date postponed to January 20, 1999. On that day (January 20, 1999) when we entered, we saw the officer standing in the corner. I walked up to him, greeted him, and had some discussion with and came. Then, officer came up to us and said that he could reduce our charges to 65 dollars from 105 dollars, and that would reduce the points from 3 to 2. However, my friend declined his offer and said we would go ahead with the case. After a wait for 45 minutes, our case was called. In the mean time, I was praying to Sai Baba and said that He should only help us. We were really down. The officer was very stubborn, accusing, and we thought the case is out of our hands but continued to pray. I was called as witness and I told what I thought was right, still keeping my finger crossed. My friend was also cross-examined. My friend of late, started to utter Jai Sai Nath, especially with family members, as a way to wish for good luck. At the end of the proceedings, to the utter disbelief of everybody, the judge with long closing statements concluded the case as not guilty. The officer was surprised and was upset with decision. But I say it was Sai Baba who did it! Jai Sai Nath!!

BOW TO SHRI SAI, PEACE TO BE ALL. AMEN.
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Devotees say...

A Sai devotee
I am in dilemma, I hope you can help me by your advice. A friend of mine who does not have a child after three years of her marriage, was told by her astrologer that her life would be in danger if she conceives. She is a devotee of Baba, but is wondering what to do. Whether to leave everything to Baba and not believe what the astrologer has predicted, or to go by what astrologers suggested? Which one is greater astrology or faith on Baba? Please suggest soon. I would like to help her.

"Tell your son to believe in Me; to throw aside horoscopes and predictions of astrologers and palmists, to go on with his studies. Let him appear for the examination with a calm mind, he is sure to pass this year. Ask him to trust in Me and not get disappointed" ....Thus he got through the examination that year successfully, by Baba’s grace, though the stars were against him. It is to be noted here that doubts and difficulties surround us just to move us and confirm faith. We are tested as it were. If we only hold on steadily to Baba, with full faith and continue our endeavours, our efforts will be ultimately crowned with success. - Sai Satcharitha, Ch. XXIX

A devotee
I am a subscriber of this newsletter for quite sometime now, and had a question to which I hope you will be able to shed some light. They say when god created you, he also already planned your life in a certain sequence. In short, he already knows what is to happen in your future. They say prayers can move mountains, can prayers also change what God has already written for us to happen?
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Question of the Week

Bhakthi vs. Gnana which is the easier way to realize God? Why?

Srinivas Kompella
Let us make an assumption, that if it is 'popular' it must be 'easier'. In general, Bhakti is easier. Demonstrated by the fact that most saints/gurus are not scholarly persons. By "not scholarly" I mean that "knowledge" was not their mainstay, but by no means do I imply that they were "ignorant". e.g. Sai Baba, Ramadas, Akkalkot Maharaj, Thyagaraja, Avval, etc. These people were commoners. They had faith, faith and more faith and a little more faith. And through faith, they elevated themselves as Saints and gurus.

Examples of Gnana path are demonstrated by Adi Sankaraacharya, Ramana Maharshi, Saraswati Swami (Kanchi), etc. These people read the Vedas, Upanishads etc. day in and day out and analyzed it from various perspectives.

Bhakti is solely in your mind, i.e. you can have faith or not. There are by far no pre-requisites. It helps if you have a group, but it is not a requirement. You could sit on a deserted island and have 'faith' (Bhakti) in Sai. Bhakti implies Dhyana or Seva.

Gnana requires knowledge of language, access to other scholars, and their interpretations, and the ability to "analyze" various perspectives. If you sit on a deserted island, you will at a bare minimum need written material or memories of what you have read earlier -- to ponder upon. Gnana implies "prasna".

An analogy -- Bhakti is like a candle, all you need is one lighted candle (guru) for just a second to light another candle (bhakta) and it continues to provide light. Gnana is like Agnihotram, you need a bunch of wood (scholars) put together, and they continue to provide light. In modern world, there are no "pure bhakti" and "pure gnana". They are interspersed and yet, Bhakti is more popular. Must be easier. In the end, both paths lead to the same destination.

Kishore Asthana, Muscat, Oman
Bhakthi vs. Gnana which is the easier way to realize God? Why? This question is like asking: Is Indian food easier to eat or Chinese food? There are two main factors influencing our choice :
a. Whether, by temperament and upbringing, we like Indian food or Chinese food.
b. How much effort has been put into the preparation of the dishes and how well they have been prepared?

Similarly, in the case of Bhakti vs Gnana, we cannot compare directly, as we do between, say two cars. Neither is easier or more difficult than the other. It all depends upon the temperament/inclination (pravritti) of the seeker and the amount of effort he puts into, in his search. For some, Bhakti marg is better, as they are of the type who would like to seek refuge in the object of their Bhakti. For others, who cannot take things on faith alone, Gnana marga is better, as they can use logic in their seeking. The goal remains the same. From the summit, one can see not one or two paths but, perhaps six or more. Apart from the Sanatan Dharma, these also include the Bhakti marg defined by Islam, Christianity and Judaism and the gnana marg postulated by Buddha, which his followers have since changed to a mixture of gnana marg and bhakti marg. All these lead to the summit.

Which path is less steep? It really depends upon the earnestness of the seeker and the guidance of the Guru. From the point of view of attaining enlightenment, one thing remains common in all paths. This is the need for absolute identification with the object of your search. Eventually, this is recognized to be the Self.

In Gnana marg, the path of enquiry is direct and "know thyself" is a teaching, which is common from Jesus to Sai Baba to Ramana Maharshi. However, most people do not find emotional satisfaction in this and naturally gravitate towards Bhakti marg. This was the experience of even close followers of Ramana Maharshi who ended up deifying him. Same with the followers of Buddha. And few heard Sai Baba's teaching to know their Selves.

In Bhakti marg, the seeker seeks refuge in the object of his devotion. While this is prima facie easier to follow, very few people manage to then identify themselves with their isht-devata and discover that there is no difference. By its nature, Bhakti people manage to then identify themselves with their isht-devata and discover that there is no difference. By its nature, Bhakti marg promotes a duality which is difficult to overcome. The object of the worship is powerful and divine whereas the seeker sees himself or herself as the supplicant and mortal. Some religions institutionalize this duality and keep the position of God far 'above' that of the seeker. Thus, the Self, who the seeker really is, remains hidden away under the burden of worship-created duality.

We should concentrate on whichever path our tendencies guide us towards. Then, when we are on this path, we should make the effort to get to the essential truth - that of removing the duality inherent in our conventional thinking. Only then would the search be successful. In the analogy mentioned at the beginning, we should prepare whichever type of food we like best. Then, we should gather the best ingredients, find someone capable to guide us in preparation of the food and once the feast is ready, consume it and become one with it.

It does not matter whether the food is Indian, Chinese or French. What matters is the inclination of the chef, the quality of the ingredients and the patience and effort which guide the cooking.

Sunil Naik
Bhakthi can not be achieved without Gnana. Realization of God is not possible since for an entity called as realization you need to be in a Gnana stage which is far from God, and stage "Bhakti" which is closer to God has got no factor called as realization.

Let us consider one example. Earth revolves around the Sun. We say that it is because of gravitational force. i.e. lighter objects revolve around heavier ones. It is observed in many events happening around us. But we are not able to throw a focus on a question " why a lighter object should revolve around a heavier one " Our this shortcoming is because of the fact that analyzing higher things can not be done using gnana because for gnana ,you need to be isolated from the object of your analysis . If you succeed in isolating then it is no higher level for you. In addition, again you are at same point where you left.

So, the understanding of the higher things is based on observations only. Earth revolves around sun, moon around the earth. With these observations you conclude lighter objects revolves around heavier one and you do not attempt to further analyze it because in analogy you being the lighter object revolving around higher, you are unable to analyze because you are constantly moving . A constantly moving object can not analyze a steady object. With all these feelings what you achieve is called as Bhakti. Some may say that Bhakti can be achieved without Gnana . But what I think is that if it is achieved without Gnana then it is not Bhakti but a slave of a God. ( a person who is afraid of God because he thinks that God can do bad to him).

Sai Prasad, USA.
Sri Adi Shankaracharya gave the best explanation to this . As most of us already know this can be heard on MS Subbulakshmi's Vishnu Sahasranama cassette, as opening remarks by Dr.C. Rajagopala Chary.
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