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In Honour of Jesus Christ by Dr Reet Priiman
The great teachers belong to mankind. It is wrong to believe that Jesus belongs only to the Christians and the Christmas is a holy festival for the West only. To accept one of them as one's own and discard the rest as belonging to others, is a sign of pettiness. Christ, Raama, Krishna - they are for all men everywhere. The various limbs and organs together form a body; various nations and communities together form the world. The stream of love, endowed by divine grace, has to circulate in every state and community to make the world live in peace and joy. If this truth is realised, there will arise no idea of difference. The moving water of a river has the moon in its depths; the still water of a lake has also the moon underneath; the sky has the moon up above. The moon in the flowing river is broken and fragmentary, it flows fast, apparently, with the floods. The moon in the lake is calm, unmoved, undistracted. These two are but reflections of the real moon in the sky. The real moon in the sky is the eternal witness, the absolute, the primal principle. Christ spoke of these three, when He made, one after the other, three statements. Referring to the active individual soul, the flickering moon, he said, "I am the messenger of God;" referring to himself as the Yogi, who has risen beyond dualities, and attained balance, he said, "I am the son of God". Realising that these two are but reflections, and that the real moon is the witness in the sky, that he too is the formless, nameless absolute, he declared, towards the end of his life, "I and my father are one". Jesus taught simple practical lessons in spiritual advancement for the good of mankind; he manifested divine powers to instil faith in the validity of his teachings; he marked out the path that can confer on men the sweet nectar of Aanandha. He exhorted people by precept and example to cultivate the virtues of charity, compassion, forbearance, love and faith. These are not separate and distinct qualities, they are only the many facets of the divine in man, which he has to recognise and develop. Let us pay attention to the sacrifice that Jesus made while free, out of his own volition. He sacrificed his happiness, prosperity, comfort, safety and position; he braved the enmity of the powerful. He refused to yield or compromise. He renounced the 'ego', which is the toughest thing to get rid of. Honour him for these. He willingly sacrificed the desires with which the body torments man; this is sacrifice greater than the sacrifice of the body under duress. The celebration of his birthday has to be marked by your sacrificing at least a desire or two, and conquering at least the mere disastrous urges of the ego. The lives of such personalities are lived out, in order to establish the welfare of humanity, the prosperity and peace of the world, and individual liberation from bondage to sensual desires and passions. This is illustrated by the strange phenomenons that occur at the time of their advent. It is believed that when Christ was born there were such manifestations. Appearances of splendour, and other signs to herald the era that has dawned are natural when incarnations happen on earth. Jesus was to shatter the darkness that had enveloped the world and the aura of light was a sign that announced the event. The masters arrive in answer to man's prayer. "Thamaso Maa Jyothir Gamaya" (Lead us from darkness unto light!). If each one does his duty, in the spirit of dedication, the light can illumine all, but, if the doors of the heart are shut against the light, how can darkness disappear? You cannot sit back, and expect the incarnation to bring peace and joy into you. The incarnation comes to warn, to guide, to awaken, to day down the path, and shed the light of love on it. But, man has to listen, learn and obey with hope and faith. At the moment when Jesus was merging in the supreme principle of divinity, he communicated some news to his followers. The statement itself has been manipulated and tangled into a conundrum. The statement of Christ is simple: "He who sent me among you will come again!" (By Christ's statement "He" is Swami "who will come again"). The great axioms of Bhaaratheeya culture found in the Vedhas - "God is the inner motivator of all beings. All this is Vaasudheva, the divine" - are to be in every one. This is the inner mystery of incarnation, God incarnating in all! All are one; the one is all. (Compilation and extracts from: Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba Divine Discourses "He Whom Christ Announced," 24 December 1972. Bangalore). Light and Love Miraculous world and Swami's visit cards
Merry Christmas, dear 'saibabanews' family. Let Swami's
Blessing flows over our spiritual aspirations as breeze what will bring
us the new experiences, duties and responsibility before the own Selves
and Swami's both (Bodily and Cosmic) forms on the spiritual path to
unity and eternity. Swami notes that at present time the life of His
devotees is His message.
"There is no need to seek Truth anywhere else. Seek it in man himself:
he is the miracle of miracles. Whatever is not in man cannot be anywhere
outside him. What is visible outside him is but a rough reflection of
what really is in him! The ancient belief was that Ishwara (God) ruled
over the World, with Himself being outside it; this, the Indian seekers
put to test through Sadhana and revealed that God was and is in the
world and of it. This is the first contribution of Indians to the
spiritual world - that God is not external to man, but his very inner
core." (Sathya Sai Baba. Sathya Sai Vahini. "The Miracle Of Miracles."
P.19).
The miracles of Lord Krishna may divide under seven grades. "Krishna had already announced His glory to the cowherd maidens by such divine miracles as the uplifting of the mountain Govardhanagiri. He had proved Himself superior to Indhra, Brahma and Varuna. He had manifested the universe in His mouth and showed that He had come on a divine mission to destroy the wicked and save the good." (Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba Divine Discourses "Vishaya, The Visha." 6 September 1963, Prasanthi Nilayam).
Jesus Christ performed the same range miracles with different
accents. He concentrated His miraculous power to healing, levitation
over water, made himself invisible, multiplied food, he raised from the
dead. "The "miracles and wonders" which cannot be explained by the categories of science, are so natural to Me that I am amused when you label them as miracles." (Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba Divine Discourses "Manushya And Manas, Maarkandeya," 22 January 1960. Sanskrit College, Aukiripalli). Swami's miracles are as a call to develop to the new "spiritual-scientific" outlook of Reality. It is true, there are many "classical" scientists who shut their eyes from the evident facts and say, that miracles do not exist because they simply cannot exist by their "home-made" scientific truths. "Incarnation is for the sake of fostering Dharma, for demarcating and directing it and to show mankind the true path of desireless activity. That is the one task I am engaged in, through various channels. Instead of reforming you without your knowledge, it is better to reform you with your own co-operation and knowledge. So, I reveal to you My glory, off and on, to a little extent, through what you call miracles. I do not engage in them for name and fame; I am miraculous by My very nature! Every moment of Mine is a Mahaathmya, a miracle!
Those who have strayed away from Me have to return to the fold,
sooner or later, for I will not allow them to be distant for long. I
shall drag them towards Me. That is My basic nature, love and mercy."
(Extracts from: Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba Divine Discourses "Birthday
Sparks," 23 November 1961. Prasanthi Nilayam). Swami explains the purpose of His miracles: "But, those who profess to have understood Me, the scholars, the Yogis (spiritually advanced persons), the Pandiths (scholars), the Jnaanis (liberated persons), all of them are aware only of the least important, the casual, external manifestation of an infinitesimal part of that power, namely, the "miracles"! They have not desired to contact the source of all power and all wisdom. They are satisfied when they secure a chance to exhibit their book-learning and parade their scholarship in Vedhic lore, not realising that the person from whom the Vedhas (sacred scriptures of the Hindhus) emanated is in the midst, for their sake." (Extracts from: Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba Divine Discourse "Who is Sai," 19 June 1974. Brindavan).
"What exactly has been won by people who have struggled for a
hundred years? They have hungered and eaten, slept and awakened, laughed
and wept - but what is the result of it all on the personality or on the
world? Nil. When humanity flows purposeless and meaningless into the
sands, the Avathaar comes to warn and show the way. The one task has to
be fulfilled in various ways; that is the mission of the Avathaar. Let
me tell you, it is only those who know the scriptures, that can
understand Me. I am determined to correct you only after informing you
of My credentials. That is why I am now and then announcing My nature by
means of miracles - that is, acts which are beyond human capacity and
human understanding. Not that I am anxious to show off My powers. The
object is to draw you closer to Me, to cement your hearts to Me."
(Extracts from: Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba Divine Discourse "Destiny Is No
Iron Cage," 24 November 1961. Prasanthi Nilayam).
Reference:
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