The following discourse has been translated into English from Bhagavan's Telugu speech as heard on this festival's ashram audiocassette. It is a complete, literal translation made with the objective of preserving Bhagavan's precious original poetic style as much as possible.
DISCOURSE BY SRI SATHYA SAI BABA
Seva Conference Valedictory
23 July 2002

Bhogya Bhagyambulu Enniyo Pondi Unna
Manasu Nanduna Santiyu Marugu Padenu
Manavatvamu Gurtimpa Marachiranta
Sathyamunu Telupu Mata Ee Sai Mata

No matter how much worldly enjoyments are gained,
Peace in the mind fell behind.
All forgot to recognize humanness.
This word of Sai is the word of truth that is being conveyed.
(Sanskrit sloka)

EQUANIMITY IN BOTH HAPPINESS AND SORROW
Embodiments of Love!
Man aspires for neither happiness nor sorrow. It is man’s important duty to realise equanimity in both happiness and sorrow, which is his true nature, Divinity. Neither happiness nor sorrow are suitable. They are not suitable for man to achieve. As one is happy with joy, sorrow enters. As one is sorrowful over misery, happiness enters.
From ancient times numerous sages gave up both happiness and sorrow and they recognized the truth that that which confers Divinity on humanity is only sorrow. More than happiness, only sorrow gives numerous types of help to man.

Na Sukhath Labhyate Sukham

Happiness cannot be obtained through happiness.
(Sanskrit sloka)

We cannot obtain happiness through happiness. Happiness is obtained only through sorrow.
In the nine paths of devotion, the nature of love is the important connecting thread.

Sravanam (Hearing), Kirtanam (Singing),
Vishnu Smaranam (Remembrance),
Pada Sevanam (Serving the Lotus Feet),
Vandanam (Salutation), Archanam (Worship),
Daasym (Servitude), Sneham (Friendship)
and Atma Nivedanam (self-Surrender).
(Sanskrit sloka)

Therefore, that which gives important bliss to man is only sorrow. From ancient times all the ancient sages understood from study that it is only sorrow that confers joy. They felt, ‘we should accept sorrow with the same state of mind that we accept happiness.’
Boys and girls, youth with tender hearts, not only in this country of Bharath but in all other countries also, are important directors.

THE WEALTH OF LOVE
More than the object that is bought, the money that is used to buy it is very valuable. If there is money we can obtain anything at all. Therefore, objects are not most important to us. Man of today is wasting his life feeling that money is (most) important for him. Importantly, the wealth that man should have is the wealth of love. If the one thing, the wealth of love, is there, we can achieve everything in this world.
Meetings are going on from these last four days. Youth, elderly people and people of middle age have all come together and they are deliberating on numerous matters. However, what is it that has surfaced in these deliberations?
Though so many types of wisdom are practised, though so many different types of sadhanas are done for so long, if the feeling of love is not in the heart of man, all of these are useless. Hence man should recognize today that the nature of love is the only true effect of devotion.
In the world, whether the parents, husband and wife, or children that are born, all (are interested only in) money, money, money and money. They are aspiring for money but no one desires the Divine, pure, steady and selfless nature of love. With this money is our life lived?
The Love of God cannot be obtained with money. It cannot be obtained by education. It cannot be obtained through the sadhanas that we are doing. The suitable meaning comes only when Love is offered as Love.
Hence, numerous types of difficulties are experienced in the world because people don’t realise the basic foundation of the nature of Love and the true feelings concerning that which is worldly, physical and dharmic.
If one wants to attain Divinity, no one at all can attain God through any other path except that of love. If God is obtained, we can obtain anything. If God is not obtained, all is useless for us. However, man is not trying well to recognize this truth. Saying that wealth and money is most important, he is making numerous efforts aspiring for money.

THE BASIS OF ALL THESE
Embodiments of Love!
Strive for love. Attempt to attain Love. Recognize the truth that Love is your property. We cannot obtain any property that excels this. Though it (other forms of property) is attained, it is useless. Hence, try to recognize the nature of Love that arises in every man’s heart. You will be one who knows your own (true) nature only when this nature of Love is recognized.
The entire philosophy of Bharath teaches, “Know yourself”. You knowing yourself means (you may ask), ‘who am I to know (myself)?’ You are not the body. Yesterday I said, ‘I am not the mind. I am not the intellect. I am not the feeling.’ However, first and foremost one has to attain the state where all of these have come from.
Curds come from milk. Butter comes from curds. Ghee comes from butter. Instead of us spending time in the very foolish delusion of, ‘I want ghee, I want butter, I want curds,’ if we desire the basis of all these, milk, how lucky we would be!
When one does the sadhana of keeping the feeling of samsara (worldly life) Atma the churning rod, it is churned and the smell of ashanthi comes with the samsara. You think that it is butter (pure butter or ghee). However, it is not butter. Due to their being a little water in the butter, it has a bit of a bad smell. Only when we turn that remaining amount of water into vapour, we will get completely pure butter.

TEMPORARY SADHANAS
Embodiments of Love!
You are not the mind, you are not the intellect, you are not the senses, you are not the antarkarana. You are the basic foundation for all of these. Milk is the basic foundation of all of them. If we get that milk, we will get butter from it. We will get curds. We can also get ghee (clarified butter). Hence, we shouldn’t waste time desiring some separate item.
Today people are undertaking numerous sadhanas in the Sathya Sai organization. However, are these sadhanas: sathya (true) sadhana, mitya (false) sadhana or nitya (permanent) sadhana? No, no! They are not sathya sadhana. They are midhya sadhana. Meaning, it may seem to be Truth to us for some time but afterwards this ‘truth’ will change.
We do japa. How long is japa sadhana for you? Japa is sadhana only for some time. Afterwards you will give up the japa. You will enter into meditation. You enter into doing meditation but how far will even that meditation continue for you? We will continue meditation until we experience the object of meditation. After attaining the object of meditation, what becomes of this meditation? Afterwards all will be false.
Therefore, all the sadhanas that are done are only temporary but not permanent. Therefore, it is not a great aim to do these temporary sadhanas, attain a temporary result and to thus live a temporary life. We should undertake that which is permanent, true, eternal, sacred and which gives eternal bliss.

Satatam Dhyana Maha.

Always meditate on God.
(Sanskrit sloka)

MEDITATION AT ALL TIMES
We should always think of God.

Sarvada, Sarva Kaaleshu,
Sarvatra Hari Chintanam.
 
Contemplation of God always,
at all times and in all places,
(Sanskrit sloka)

We should do this meditation at all times and in all situations, in the same way that our inhalation and exhalation are always continuing on naturally. We should complete our whole life with this inhalation and exhalation. This inhalation and exhalation is the true sadhana. This only is the suitable method to (attain) the nature of God.
Soham, Soham, Soham: this is what we have to attain. It came to us: Soham came. However, where from did this Soham come to us? Soham came from the word koham. ‘Koham’ means, ‘who am I?’ Then only the answer of ‘Soham’ came to us. We have to search for an answer in every action of our life. Our sadhana will bear fruit only when we recognize this eternal Truth.
Today we are building the mansion of our life on a water bubble. In which second will it dissolve into water? Therefore, mankind should depend on what is true and eternal but we should not depend on an unsteady water bubble. The entire life of man today is changing every moment. Adi Sankara said this:

Ma Kuru Dhana Jana Yauvana Garvam.
Hasriti Nimisha Kala Sarvam.

Do not be proud of your wealth, progeny and youth.
All will be destroyed in a minute of time.
(Sanskrit sloka)

TRUE AND ETERNAL NATURE
They are destroyed in a moment. It moves on in a moment. Nothing remains permanent for us. Why should we depend on something that is impermanent like this? It is only our Atma that is permanent. Atma is called ‘Brahman’. Brahman refers to Divinity. This nature of Brahman is called to some extent, ‘brihath’ (the macrocosm). The nature of Atma that comes from brihath is the true aham (‘I’). Aham is permanent and Truth. Man must make effort to recognize such a true and eternal nature of aham. First and foremost the unity of the three, Atma, aham and Brahma, has to be recognized. These three are different words but the inner meaning of the three is the same.
Therefore, the nature of Brahman is pure Truth. It is always with, around, beside and in us. It is the only thing that is always with you whether you are in the waking state, dreaming state or in another (deep sleep) state. Therefore, it is only the nature of Brahma that is always with us. That Brahma is humanness that contains Divinity.
That Divinity is within you. You are that nature of Brahma. There is nothing that excels you here. Therefore, when every man tries to search for Divinity, Divinity is not somewhere else. He (God) is with, beside, around and in you. Why are you thinking so much about such a Divinity (as being distant)?
However, man of today is wasting his whole life due to worldly desires, physical likes and unnatural desires. Man wants so many desires and all of them are low. It is the same (desires) in all fields, physical, worldly, righteous, spiritual, secular or political. Yet the whole life of man today contains selfishness and self-interests. If there is no selfishness there would be no self-interests. Both selfishness and self-interests come together and burn up humanness.
One might question, “How can I live without selfishness?” Your life is polluted due to you retaining selfishness. This is not a suitable path. There are also people under delusion thinking, ‘We are doing good to the world. We are doing seva to the world.’ This is not help to the society. (It is only) hurt, hurt, hurt. You are doing harm. Using the name of society, you are polluting your sacred feelings. Who is society?

SAI: SPIRITUALITY, ASSOCIATION AND INDIVIDUAL
For that reason I said yesterday: first individual, second association and third spirituality. But I said first and foremost spirituality is needed. Association is the second and individual is the third. That individual is ‘I’. Association is ‘A’. Spirituality is ‘S’ (Applause) The unity of these three is SAI. (Applause)
Therefore, man has to place Divinity first and foremost. Only when Divinity is kept first, association joins us. Only when there is association, one will investigate into the truth, “Who am I?” Then only you have to recognize ‘who am I’. Only when you recognize who you are, you will understand what society is. Only when it is understood what society is, it will be possible for you to recognize the Divinity which is the very form of all that is in this society.
Hence, from the very beginning our Srinivas said that he (wanted) to educate small children in a primary school. They should be brought up, made to progress and to develop excellent feelings. So today we will start a primary school. What is this primary school?
We have to develop individuality. When we develop the individuality, then society will progress. First and foremost develop your own nature. Find out who you are. Then it will be known what all of this is. Therefore, first and foremost you should try to recognize your own nature.

FOOD FOR HEAD AND HEAD FOR GOD
Embodiments of Love!
However, you cannot understand spirituality so easily. Yet, we should make a few secular and external efforts and in that we should grasp the permanent, true and eternal nature.
First and foremost food is needed for our body. This only is food. Food for head and head for God. (Applause) First and foremost we have to prepare suitable food. Dirty (polluted) food should not be touched at all by the one who wants to attain Divinity. It should be completely clean, sacred, pure, stable and sacred. We should obtain things like that. That only is sathwic food. We should give our body vegetables and greens that we obtain.
We should not take any dirty things like eggs and meat. Due to eating these dirty things, our whole life changes into being polluted. Therefore, first and foremost make distant dirty food.
Afterwards, keep far intoxicating items. Due to taking intoxicants, all the senses in man stand still. So alcohol is not good for sadhana. One should have forgetfulness of his (egotistic) self naturally but he should not lose himself in unnatural ways. (Laughter) Forgetfulness only comes artificially (through alcohol). Forgetfulness (losing oneself in Divinity) is actually natural. Meaning, all that is related to Divinity comes naturally to us. Narada said this:

Yallabdhwa Puman Ichcharamo Bhavathi
Trupto Bhavathi Matto Bhavathi
Atmaramo Bhavathi.

Having attained That,
man gets total satisfaction,
intoxication and ecstasy of the Self.
(Sanskrit sloka)

Hence, we have to be immersed in natural intoxication. We should not give any opportunity at all for artificial intoxications. Mankind is becoming totally demonic due to partaking intoxicants, meat and things like this. Not only this. Afterwards, trivial things are also present among intoxicants.
Intoxicants are also present in food also. So no intoxicants at all should be used. A few intoxicants are also present in a few medicines. However, though it is medicine we should not use it at all. We may be put to difficulty but the intoxicants should not be used at all.

UNDER LIMITATION
Embodiments of Love!
All of you are doing so much sadhana. Many people, thinking that milk and curds are sathwic, are attempting to take them (excessively). They are also not sathwic at all. There are a few intoxicants in those also. Whatever we take, it should be under limitation. Curds should not be taken as much as one likes. So, it should be limited.
All the food that we eat should be eaten under complete limitation. When we are hungry, don’t try to eat completely appeasing the hunger. We should stop when we suspect that a little more can be eaten. Thamo guna begins when we eat fully. Therefore, we should not give an opportunity to thamo guna either.

WHAT IS THIS MEDITATION?
All of you are doing so many sadhanas. Yet in these sadhanas, knowingly or unknowing, a few mistakes are occurring. Saying “meditation, meditation, meditation,” people sit in meditation. However, what is this meditation? What is the meaning of this meditation? What are you doing that you think of it as meditation? You are thinking that it is concentration. Concentration is not meditation. Concentration is going on in our daily life. This does not count as sadhana. This concentration is part of daily life.
Hence we should use this sadhana very carefully. When we do sadhana, we sit without moving. However, all think that this is very great. This is a big mistake. We should move! The mind also should waver. From the mind that wavers, we should attain the Divinity that does not waver. Therefore, from that which moves we should attain that which does not move. That only is true meditation.
Meditation is not sitting with eyes closed, without moving. This is only an individual fault in daily life, which comes through habits. If this continues, gradually after some time it becomes all useless. It begins to waver much more. It is steady only for some time. This is not true meditation.
We have to develop feelings that waver. We should become immersed in feelings that waver. We are not transient beings. We are eternal and true beings. We should try to recognize the nature of Atma that does not waver, in that which wavers.

SADHANAS APPEAR AS DRAMA STORIES
Today numerous people are doing numerous types of sadhanas. However, all of these only work for some time. Afterwards we will be ones who have nothing at all. Therefore, we should not take hold of transient and impermanent things like this. Don’t try to retain God in your heart, feeling that He is outside. First and foremost one should make steady the truth that He is inside oneself. He should only see the nature (of Divinity) that is in oneself. Not only him seeing, it should be shown to others also.
All the sadhanas that we do today only appear as drama knives. These stories only work for dramas but they are useless for killing. So we should attempt to kill the nature of delusion that is in us. The delusion that is in us gradually has to be made distant. There are numerous paths for this.
Types of meditations are numerous, like sankalpa meditation, sthira meditation, chiththa meditation, conducted meditation and condition meditation. However, today it becomes emotional. They become emotional. So it (meditation) should not be related to this type.
NO SADHANAS ARE NEEDED AT ALL
Embodiments of Love!
Whether you know or not, you are doing sadhana feeling that that what you know is steady (correct). So if you want (to know about) true meditation, ask Me. I will tell you. (Applause)
We don’t need anything at all. No sadhanas are needed at all. Follow according to what is said. In a moment you will behold (God). This is something that manifests (naturally) but it is not available through sadhanas.
Therefore, every individual is doing sadhana. These sadhanas are not proper sadhanas. People take some forms (of God) as important and with these forms one is glorifying one’s own form. No, no! One’s own form should be forgotten. Divinity should be developed. Therefore, what is the use of doing so many sadhanas while clinging to one’s own form?
“What am I doing? I am doing meditation.” How do you know that you are doing meditation? Does the meditation that you know about, become meditation? It is not at all. Therefore, that which you forget is meditation. That which makes you forget yourself is meditation. That which makes you forget your nature is meditation. That which increases your sacredness is meditation. That which fills you with your own eternal (nature) is meditation.
Therefore, instead of filling yourself with the eternal (nature), is very deceitful to retain desires and go towards what is ephemeral.
(B-side)

NATURE OF THE MIND
Embodiments of Love!
Develop this love in a sacred way. Numerous people continue to follow certain people, saying they are gurus, elders or people who do sadhana. This is not true gurutva (the nature of a guru or guru-ness). You should maintain the one feeling in your heart, without changing. (Applause) No changes should happen to us at all. If your mind is on one thing only, that only should remain permanent.
At one time Buddha put this into practise. One day he forgot himself. He forgot himself and he was immersed in oneness. He was moving about. Ananda saw this scene. He said, “What is this elder brother, why are you wandering about like this?” Then memory came (Buddha remembered himself).
“Due to me following this physical, transient and impermanent nature of the mind, I became the form of the mind. I should not think of this mind at all. There is only one mind. No matter how many births are taken, the mind is only one. Mind will never change. I should first and foremost attain such a nature of the mind that never changes.”
He saw. I thought wholeheartedly one time, ‘the mind arose from the heart.’ He attained liberation. The root cause for attaining liberation was that he thought of the mind. The mind should not be thought about. The mind gives disturbances in many ways.

Manah Eva Manushyanam
Karanam Bandha Mokshayo.

The mind alone is responsible
for both the bondage and liberation of man.
(Sanskrit sloka)

Therefore, this mind should not be thought about. One should forget the mind, give up the mind, keep Divinity, and merge in Divinity. That only is true liberation. Ananda noticed that liberation (in Buddha). He also practised the same thing. In a few moments, Ananda also attained liberation.
What is the body? Bodies are made up of the five elements. They are created. They are not true and eternal. How can we attain truth when we follow something like this? We should forget the delusion of the body. Attachment to the body should be sacrificed. One should merge in attachment to the Atma. That only is true meditation. That only is true thyaaga (sacrifice or renunciation). That is true yoga. That is true bhoga (enjoyment). That bhoga only is bliss. Bhoga doesn’t mean worldly enjoyments. All is contained in it. Therefore:

Sathyam Bruyath, Priyam Bruyath,
Na Bruyath Sathyam Apriyam.

Speak Truth.
Speak pleasantly.
Do not speak unpleasant truth.
(Sanskrit sloka)

Then only you will attain your liberation.
Therefore, many people say that they want liberation. Liberation is not only something that is attained temporarily. The mind should be forgotten. Wherever one looks, the mind should not be present. That only is true liberation. If you say, “Wherever I look, I can only see the mind,” how can you have liberation? Man will attain liberation only if the mind is forgotten.

JOY
Embodiments of Love!
Importantly, I think that you never tried to do such big sadhana. Let us observe this subject gradually. First and foremost begin with contemplation on God with love. Then only you will get the suitable state.
First and foremost the Pandavas began in the beginning with ‘I, I’. Afterwards, they came to ‘we, we, we’. Afterwards, ‘all’ came. Therefore, first and foremost ‘I’ should not be kept. The ‘I’ should be given up. Then you will have true bliss.
Buddha said, “Joy, joy, joy.” What does ‘joy’ mean? J-o-y, joy. What does ‘J’ mean? He didn’t understand. He didn’t know what ‘O’ was. He didn’t understand what ‘Y’ was. J-o-y. ‘J’ means everything. ‘O’ means the totality. ‘Y’ means liberation. The unity of the three (letters) j-o-y, becomes joy. Hence, there are so many meanings to each letter. So, it is true sadhana to recognize and practise accordingly to these letters.
When one sits temporarily, the mind may be steady but you should not proceed only with that. It is: for some time it is (steady). Afterwards that mind will make one succumb to difficult situations. It won't let you think of even one thing. It will fully criticize the path of truth. Therefore, we don’t need to do sadhana to attain such a temporary thing. Try to attain through love. Develop love in meditation. Then only true meditation will be obtained.
Embodiments of Love!
So, tomorrow is Guru Purnima. I will speak completely about this, on the day of Guru Purnima. (Applause) It is Guru Purnima: the guru is coming as purnima (full moon). However, after we forget that nature of guru, we won't have anything else. We are completely forgetting the guru-nature. This is a big mistake. Keeping the nature of guru in the heart, we should transform it into Divinity and be immersed in that sacred state. Hence, tomorrow try to know the secret of this Guru Purnima to some extent.

(Bhagavan ended His Divine Discourse.)