The presidents, vice-presidents and secretaries of Sathya Sai Organisations from all over the world are here. You are officers of the Sai Army. How can you lead soldiers into the fray, when you are not aware of the intricacies of warfare, when you are yourselves inefficient instruments? You can attempt to lead others, only after practising the disciplines to perfection. This is true of all fields of human activity. Ananda and Prasanthi have to be acquired first by you and only then can they be communicated to others.

Teachers in schools have to be examples themselves of what they expect from the pupils. Men in authority who exhort others to follow the path of love and co-operation, have to first practise those virtues themselves. People today are not willing to be led; the so-called leaders have no capacity to lead. Progress is the result of mutual trust, between the leaders and the led. The rampant unrest of today now in all sections of people everywhere is due to the irresponsibility of parents, teachers, administrators and leaders as well as of those who hunger to benefit from them.

Namasmarana, is one of the basic disciplines, to which this conference is paying great attention. The scriptures say that in the age of materialism, it is the only hope for man. Meerabai sang of the Nama-rathna (the precious Gem—the Name). So you should not brush aside the Name as a piece of glass, or pebble. There was once a boy, who picked up a precious gem, bright and round, and used it for playing marbles on the road, with his comrades. A merchant dealing in precious stones chanced to pass along the road, and his discerning eye fell on the gem. He approached the boy, took him aside and offered to pay him fifty rupees in exchange. If the boy had known the value of fifty rupees he would have known the value of the gem! He went to his mother and told her that a stranger had tempted him with fifty rupees in return for the marble he played with. She was surprised that it was so expensive and she said, "Do not go out of the compound with it; play in the garden with your friend." When the value was revealed limits were set.

The merchant had no sleep that night; he was planning to secure the gem from those simple folk, so that he could sell it for a huge profit to some millionaire or Maharaja. He discovered the house of the boy and walked up and down the road hoping to see the boy. When he saw the boy play with it as if it was cheap as a marble, his heart was wrung in agony. The boy threw it on the floor, just as his mother emerged from the inner apartments and it struck her foot and fell under a bush. He spoke to the boy asking for the gem in exchange for a hundred rupees, and again, for five hundred rupees! The son ran into the house in tears, complaining about the stranger who would not let him alone. The mother came out into the garden and begged the merchant to go away.

The merchant grasped at the chance; he told the mother that he was ready to give a thousand rupees on the spot, if the marble was placed in his hand! On hearing this, she forbade the child to play with it outside the house; he could only play inside. The merchant could not be shooed off like that. He appeared the next day with another offer for the marble; the mother refused to part with it but now kept it in an iron safe, under lock and key! When the merchant came the next day with fifty thousand rupees, she took it to a bank and deposited it in their safety vaults. You are also playing marbles with the Name of God, unaware of its value. Once you realise its worth, you will keep it in your heart of hearts as the most precious treasure. Know that the Name is the key to success in your search for consolation, confidence, courage, illumination and liberation.

Another illustration can be given from the ancient texts. On one occassion, a competition was arranged among the gods for selecting the leader of the ganas (troops of demi-gods who are the attendants of Shiva). Participants had to go round the world quickly and come back to the Feet of Lord Shiva. The gods started off on their own vehicles. The younger son of Shiva also enthusiastically entered the competition. He had an elephant’s head and body; his vehicle was a mouse! Therefore, his progress was severely handicapped; He had not proceeded far, when Narada appeared before him and asked him, "Whither are you bound?" The son was very annoyed and fell into a rage. For, what happened was a bad omen, doubly unpropitious—before going on a journey it is inauspicious if the first person you come across is a single Brahmin. Though the foremost among the Brahmins (he was the son of Brahma Himself), Narada was a bad omen! Again it is a bad omen, if someone asks you, "Whither are you bound?" when you are going somewhere. Narada put him that very question!

Nevertheless, Narada was able to assuage his anger. He drew forth from Shiva’s son, the sadness of his predicament and his desire to win. Narada consoled him and exhorted him not to yield to despair, and advised him thus: "Nama—the Name—is the seed from which the gigantic tree called the universe has emanated. So, write the Name on the ground, go round it once, and hurry back to Shiva, claiming the prize." He did so and returned to his Father. When asked how he returned so soon, he related the story of Narada and his advice. Shiva appreciated the validity of Narada’s counsel and the prize was awarded to the son, who was acclaimed as Gana-pathi, (Master of the Ganas) and Vinayaka (Leader of All).

The Name undoubtedly brings the Grace of God. Meerabai, the Queen of Rajasthan, gave up status, riches, fortune and family, and dedicated herself to the adoration of the Lord, ‘Giridhara Gopala’. Her husband brought a chalice of poison and she was ordered to drink it. She uttered the name of Krishna while she drank it; it was transformed into nectar, by the Grace of the Name evoked! Kirtan is the word used for the recital or singing of the Name and Glory of the God. Sam-kirthan means, reciting or singing well, or aloud and with joy or in ecstasy. We can distinguish four different forms of where the Name is sung with emotion or mental attitude (Bhava) towards that Lord can be Madhura Bhava (sweet emotion) as was Radha’s who was overpowered with devotion. She saw, heard, tasted, sought and gained only that sweetness at all times and all places. ‘Raso vai sah’ (sweetness is He). She made no distinction between Nature and Nature’s God; it was all God, all Krishna. She felt, experienced, and knew that Krishna was ever present, in the waking, dreaming and deep sleep stages. She realised the truth of the Gita Declaration of Krishna, that His Hands, Feet, His eyes, Face and Head were everywhere. Her adoration of God is the supreme example of Madhura Bhava Nama-samkirtan.

Then we have the Vatsalya Bhava (mother-child feeling) Nama-samkirtan. Yasoda, the foster mother of Krishna can be taken as the ideal for this type of Bhava. Thought she had a series of experiences of Krishna being Divine, she prefered to serve him as mother and to adore Him as her son. Anuraga Bhava (lover-beloved feeling) Nama-samkirtan is exemplified best and in the purest form in the Gopis. They installed the Lord in their hearts, rid themselves of all earthly attachments and lived only in His contemplation, all thoughts, deeds and words being dedicated to Him.

Then, there is the Sakya-Bhava (comrade-feeling) Nama-samkirtan—as found in Arjuna, who believed in Krishna as his most intimate friend and brother-in-law (for he married Krishna’s sister), and confided in Him as a comrade. This too is an attitude that will attach you to Divinity and sublimate the lower impulses. Dasya Bhava (servant-master attitude) Nama-Samkirtan is another type. Serve the Lord, as His faithful unquestioning servant-this is the path of Hanuman in the Ramayana. He had no will or wish of his own. His prayer was to be a fit instrument for the purposes of the Master. The last attitude is Santha Bhava (unruffled unconcern) Nama-samkirtan—praising the Lord, whatever may happen, unsettled by ups and downs, bearing up with all the vagaries of fortune, as His play. In The Mahabharata, you will find Bhishma saturated with this attitude; He adored Krishna, even when Krishna was advancing towards him to kill him.

Another method of Nama-samkirtan is, to remind oneself of the various exploits and sports, the various acts of Grace and Compassion, which the Lord has manifested in the world, while reciting His Name. This is called Leela (sport) Nama-samkirtan. Chaitanya and Thygaraja realised the Lord through this path. Others recollect more of the majesty, the glory, the might, the mystery, the magnificence, the munificence, the love with which God has clothed Himself, while reciting His Name. This attitude is spoken of as Guna (attributes or characterstics) Nama-samkirtan. Most of the saints gratefully honoured in many lands are of this category. Another category is denoted by seekers who attach value to the syllables and sound of the Name as such, irrespective of the meaning thereof. They say, when the Name is pronounced, it draws towards the aspirant, God and His Grace—whatever may be the Bhava, or whether the Leela or Guna is associated with the samkirtan or not. The name has a strength, a power, a capacity to redeem, cure and save, alone and unaided, they aver.

The name, ‘Rama’ was once indicated by Rama Himself as a potent liberator. When Rama was passing through the forests, with Sita and Lakshmana, the hermits who recognised Him as Divine gathered around Him with a prayer that they be initiated by Him and given some Mantra which they could repeat for spiritual uplift and victory. Rama replied that He was a prince in exile, wandering in the forests, and so, He could not assume any authority to initiate hermits into the spiritual path. He moved on, along the jungle tracks. Watching Him walking fast, with Sita immediately behind Him and Lakshmana following in the rear, an aged hermit exclaimed, "Friends! See! Rama is initiating us! He is blessing us with the Mantra! God is leading, Nature (His constant companion, His shadow) is following; the Individual (jivi), part of the Lord, the wave of the Ocean, is following in the rear; he can see the Lord only if the delusion of Nature is propitiated or by-passed. This is indeed a silent lesson in Sadhana. ‘Ra’ is God; ‘Ma’ is the individual, who was fallen behind. ‘Aa’ is Nature, Prakrithi; ‘Rama, Rama’ is the mantra He is vouchsafing so graciously. Take it and save yourselves. For me, there is no other course" he said.

I am emphasising Rama-Nama (the Name, Rama) because, the Rama principle is the Atma. Rama means that which is pleasant and which pleases. Now, the Atma is the source of all joy, its nature is Bliss. Moreover, as Thyagaraja discovered, Rama is the Name which worshipers of both Narayana (Vishnu) and Shiva can adopt. The syllable ‘Ra’ is the key syllable of the Narayana Mantra (Om Namo Narayana) and the syllable ‘Ma’ is the key syllable of the Shiva Mantra (Om Namah Shivaya). The prejudices and factions among the worshipers of the Narayana Form of God and Shiva Form is meaningless, because both represent the One Ultimate Universe.

They are distinguishable, it may be said, by the different Divine equipments they carry: Sankha (conch) and Chakra (discus) in the case of Narayana and Damaru (small drum) and Trisula (three-pronged spear—trident) in the case of Shiva. But, the Conch and the Drum both symbolise God being the maker and master of Time, Discus, representing the wheel of Time and the three prongs of the Trident, the past, the present, and the future. Narayana is referred to as Hari and Shiva as Hara; both these Names are derived from the same root, Har, to destroy, to remove, to captivate, to attract, functions which God has clothed Himself with.

Man’s duty is to sanctify his days and nights with the unbroken smarana (recollection) of the Name. Recollect with joy, with yearning. If you do so, God is bound to appear before you in the Form and with the Name you have allotted Him, as most beautiful and most appropriate! God is in all Names and in all Forms. The Gods designated in the different faiths, adored by different human communities, are all limbs of one God, that really is. Just as the body is the harmonious blending of the senses and the limbs God is the harmony of all the Forms and Names that man gives Him! Only those who are ignorant of the Glory of God will insist on one name and one Form for His adoration; and what is worse, condemn the use by others, of other Names and Forms! Since you are all associated with Sathya Sai Organisation, I must warn you against such silly obduracy. Do not go about proclaiming that you are a sect, distinct and separate from those who adore God in other Forms and Names. Thereby, you are limiting the very God whom you are extolling. Do not proclaim in your enthusiasm, "We want only Sai; we are not concerned with the rest." You must convince yourselves that all Forms are Sai’s; all names are Sai’s. There is no ‘rest’; all are He.

You must have noticed that I do not speak about Sai in My discourses, nor do I sing of Sai during the Bhajans sessions, with which I usually conclude My discourses. And you must have wondered why. Let me tell you the reason. I do not want the impression to gain ground that I desire this Name and this Form to be publicised. I have not come to establish a new cult, I do not want people to be misled on this point. I affirm that this Sai Form is the Form of all the various Names that man uses for the adoration of the Divine. So, I am teaching you that no distinction should be made between the Name - Rama, Krishna, Iswara, Sai - for they are all My Names.

When I know that I am the current that illumines all the various bulbs, I am indifferent to the bulbs, which you consider so important. When you pay attention to the bulbs, factions arise, sects are born. Sathya Sai Seva Samithis should not encourage any such distinctions; they must adore the one, appearing as many, the basic Divine, which illumines through all the bulbs. I do not have the slightest intention to utilise the Seva Samithis, for propagating My Name or to canvas homage for my name. No! I am content only when spiritual endeavour and disciplines to elevate and purify man are progressing everywhere. It is only through these that my Universal Reality will be revealed. So, do not limit Me to the boundaries of any one Name. Do not fall into the error of considering some to be men worthy of reverence, and some unworthy. Sai is in every one; so, all deserve your reverence and service. Propagate this Truth; that is the function I assign to the Seva Samithis.

You can observe Me and My activities; note how I adhere to righteousness, moral order, truth and universal compassion. That is what I desire you to learn from Me. Many of you plead for a ‘Message’ from Me, to take to the samithi of which you are members. Well. My life is my Message. You will be adhering to My Message, if you so live, that your lives are evidence of the dispassionate quiet, the courage, the confidence, the eagerness to serve those who are in distress.

God is immanent in the world. So, treat the world lovingly, as you will treat your Master. Krishna served the Pandavas; He drove the chariot of Arjuna. So, though He was not a King, He become much more, a king-maker! Serve, whatever the obstacle, whatever the cynical ridicule you may attract. Such reactions are inevitable, when one is engaged in doing good. Take My example. Praise and calumny have accompanied me, throughout the Ages. Opposition and obstacles only tend to highlight the good and strengthen resolve. The torture that his father inflicted to turn his mind away from God helped to bring out the unflinching devotion of Prahlad. The wickedness of Ravana served to reveal the might of Rama’s bow. Traducers like Sisupala, Danthavakthra, Ravana, Kamsa are inevitable accessories of every incarnation. This Sai Rama, too, has that age-old accompaniment. Now, too, their brood is evident. On one side adoration and homage are piling high into a peak; on the other, abjuration and slander are also found. Standing between them, I bless them both, with lifted hands, for I am not elated by one or depressed by the other. For, the traducers will be rewarded with the crown they deserve; I will be crowned with My own Glory.

Of what avail is it, if you simply worship My Name and Form, without attempting to cultivate the Samathwa (equal love for all) that I have, My Santhi (unruffled equanimity), My Prema (love), My Sahana (patience and fortitude), My Ananda (ever-blissful nature)?

You elaborate in your lectures the unique powers of Sai, the incidents that are described as ‘miracles’ in books written on Me by some persons. But, I request you not to attach importance to these. Do not exaggerate their significance; the most significant and important power is, let Me tell you, My Prema. I may turn the sky into earth, or eath into sky; but, that is not the sign of Divine Might. It is the Prema, the Sahana, effective, universal and ever-present, that is the unique sign.

When you attempt to cultivate and propagate this love and this fortitude, trouble and travail will dog your steps. You must welcome them, for without them, the best in you cannot be drawn out. If gold was as plentiful as dust or diamonds as easily available as pebbles, no one would care for them. They are won after enormous exertion and expense; therefore they are eagerly sought after.

Since at this place, those who have devotion, are gathered and people of all nations have come, I cannot but tell you one fact. World conferences dedicated to religion or spiritual problems have, no doubt been held before and also, conferences of followers of particular faiths. But, these have been held only after the demise of the Founders and Divine inspirers. This is the very first time that a world conference is held, of persons devoted, while the incarnation is present before everyone, with the body assummed for the purpose, bearing the Name that is chosen for it by itself. I must tell you this fact, because, ninetynine persons out of hundred among you, do not know My Reality. You have come here drawn by diverse needs, a taste for spiritual matters, or by eagerness to develop the institutions to which you are attached, or by admiration or by affection, love or reverence or a spurt of enthusiasm to join others and share with others their own exultation.

In truth, you cannot understand the nature of My Reality either today, or even after a thousand years of steady austerity or ardent inquiry even if all mankind joins in the effort. But, in a short time, you will become cognisant of the Bliss showered by Divine Principle, which has taken upon itself this sacred body and this sacred Name. Your good fortune which will provide you this chance is greater that what was available for hermits, monks, sages, saints and even personalities embodying facets of Divine Glory!

Since I move about with you, eat like you, and talk with you, you are deluded into the belief that this is but an instance of common humanity. Be warned against this mistake. I am also deluding you by My singing with you, talking with you, and engaging Myself in activities with you. But, any moment, My Divinity may be revealed to you; you have to be ready, prepared for that moment. Since Divinity is enveloped by human-ness you must endeavour to overcome the Maya (Delusion) that hides it from your eyes.

This is a Human Form, in which every Divine Entity, every Divine Principle, that is to say, ‘all the Names and Forms ascribed by man to God’ are manifest. (Sarvadaivathwa swarroopaalanu dharinchina maanavaakaarame eeaakaaram). Do not allow doubt to distract you; if you only instal, in the altar of your heart, steady Faith in My Divinity you can obtain a Vision of My Reality. Instead, if you swing like the pendulum of a clock, one moment with devotion, another moment with disbelief, you can never succeed in comprehending the Truth and win that Bliss. You are very fortunate that you have a chance to experience the Bliss of the Vision of the Sarvadaivathwa-swaroopam (The Form which is All Forms of all Gods) now, while in this life itself.

Let Me draw your attention to another fact. On previous occasions when God incarnated on Earth, the Bliss of recognising Him in the Incarnation was vouchsafed only after the Physical Embodiment had left the world in spite of plenty of patent evidence of His Grace. And the loyalty and devotion they commanded from men rose through at their imperial and penal authority. But, ponder a moment on this Sathya Sai manifestation; in this age of rampant materialism, aggressive disbelief and irreverence, what is it that brings to it the adoration of millions from all over the world? You will be convinced that the basic reason for this is the fact that this is the Supra-worldy Divinity in Human Form.

Again how fortunate you are that you can witness all the countries of the world paying homage to Bharatha; you can hear adoration to Sathya Sai’s Name reverberating throughout the world, even while this Body is existing — not at some future date but, when it is with you, before you. And again, you can witness very soon the restoration to its genuine and natural status of Sanathana Dharma, the Dharma laid down in the Vedas for the good of all the peoples of the world. The revival of Vedic Dharma is the Sai Samkalpa (the resolution that Sai has). This is not a Bhramathathwam (phenomenon of delusion). This phenomenon (thathwam) will sustain Truth, it will uproot untruth and in that victory, make all of you exult in ecstasy.

This is Sai Samkalpam.

Some persons, even those who have reached a certain stage of leadership and authority have started exchanging the Vedic formulae and the principles of bharathiya culture for lucre and, in fact, selling them and Westerners too are inclined to purchase them! These truths and discoveries are not merchandise, to be sold and bought.

Utilise then the chance of association with Me as much as possible, and endeavour as quickly and as best as you can, to follow the directions that I have been giving. Obeying My instructions is enough; it will benefit you, more than the most rigorous asceticism. Practise Satya, Dharma, Santhi and Prema, which are dear to Me; resolve to keep those ideals before you, ever, in all your thoughts, words and deeds. That can confer on you the summum bonum or mergence in the supreme substance of Divinity.