Download – Leela Kaivalya Vahini

Stream of Divine Cosmic Play

Spiritual exercises like worship, singing hymns of adoration, and meditation are prompted by devotion to higher powers. Controversy about their efficacy should not be indulged in by those who are unaware of the depths and heights to which they can lead. These depths and heights can be gained and judged only through actual practice. The proof lies only in one’s personal experience.

The longing for the supersensory spiritual life is aroused in the seeker either by a quest for fundamental principles or by the feeling of a need for lasting joy. Mere longing will not grant success. Spiritual exercise has to be undertaken. It is important also to examine oneself and assess in detail one’s aspirations and attitudes before embarking on the process.

Wisdom through meditation becomes authentic

Contemporary religions, which profess to guide seekers in this task, don’t infuse confidence in youth. The youth feel that some of these religions have been shaped by conditions of the era in which they emerged. Many have become outdated. Some are specifically linked to regions or states. Some have been imposed and moulded by foreign people. And some strike them as indecent and injurious. Young aspirants for higher life feel they will be ridiculed if they practise these religions. So, instead, they indulge in incessant talk and the turning over of pages of thousands of books! They stay away even from the first step of spiritual discipline as prescribed in any of the many religions. Such are the critics and controversialists who relish the confusion they create.

Far more valuable than the scholarship gathered from a million books is the grain of wisdom gained through a session of meditation. That flash of wisdom (jnana), however slight, is a precious acquisition. It is the product of personal spiritual exercise (sadhana) and indisputable authentic experience. As one cultivates and develops this grain of wisdom, controversy and criticism will cease. All arguments will be only with one’s lower self, until the truth stands revealed. Self-confidence is essential for a person to enter on this path of spiritual practice.

Joy and peace of a spiritual life

A word to those who are overwhelmed by the burden of worldly responsibilites and anxieties and to those who find themselves unable to pray to the Highest, either because they have condemned themselves as undeserving or because they have no faith in the Highest. Enormous is the number of those who live their days in joy. You too were joyful and are so now. But everyone is destined to disappear one day, as generations have already done. Therefore, everyone must desire and adopt every means to attain not only joy but, what is far more valuable, peace of mind and an ideal exemplary life.

Born as a human being, one should not disown the unique nature of humans. One should not forget even for a moment the genuine characteristics of humans. One should never degrade oneself to the level of beasts – or a level that is far worse and despicable, that of demonic beings (asuras). One must firmly resolve not to allow themself to fall into these depths. Only the spiritual path can arouse and sustain that resolution, that alone can awaken and strengthen such yearning.

It is necessary to emphasise that, in order to successfully confront the problems that arise in one’s daily living, one has to possess intelligence and skill, in addition to the qualities of justice, virtue, and spiritual excellence. Both intelligence and skill are essential for progress, as essential as two wings for a bird or two wheels for a cart. The importance of the higher path that leads to the Highest can be realised only by experiencing and understanding the world.

The world is a cosmic play

The world is enchanting, because it is a tantalising appearance, though it is fundamentally untrue. It is a phenomenon that is fading out. When this truth is realised, one becomes aware of the cosmic sport of God and the eternal universal Being.

This state of consciousness cannot be won through the piling of wealth or worldly power or the acquisition of knowledge and skill. It can be won through the puri cation of one’s consciousness in all its facets and the earnestness with which the search is pursued.

During that search, there naturally arise various obstacles, like doubts and dogmas, purposeless arguments, and flimsy fancies. From the coming New Year Festival Day (Yugadi), this series, under the name “Divine Cosmic Play (Leela Kaivalya Vahini)” will dissolve all such obstacles and fill you with spiritual bliss (ananda). It will lead you to the path of spiritual progress. Meanwhile, await the message.

Veda is the very breath of God

Spiritual aspirant: All those who are loyal to Bharathiya (Indian) culture accept the Vedas as authoritative sources for every aspect of life. They assert that the Vedas are the roots of their faith. What exactly does Veda mean Why has the Veda acquired such importance

Sai: My dear fellow! You were born in India, that is, Bharath, and you parade yourself as a Bharathiya, but you aren’t aware of what Veda means! Well. Veda is the name for a mass of divine knowledge. Veda teaches the truth that cannot be revised or reversed by the passage of time through the three stages – past, present, and future. The Veda ensures welfare and happiness for the three worlds. It confers peace and security on human society. The Veda is the collation of words that are truth, that were visualised by sages who had attained the capacity to receive them into their enlightened awareness. In reality, the Word is the very breath of God, the Supreme Person. The unique importance of the Veda rests on this fact.

Veda includes all spiritual knowledge

Spiritual aspirant: But in the field of worldly life, on the daily, material stage, what light can one expect from the Vedas

Sai: Every being that lives in the world strives to possess what it desires and avoid what it dislikes. Know that the Veda instructs how to succeed in both these endeavours. That is to say, it lays down what has to be done and what should not be done. When these prescriptions and prohibitions are followed, one can earn the good and avoid the evil. Veda is concerned with both the material and the spiritual, both this world and the beyond. If the truth must be told, all life is Veda-filled. One cannot but observe its injunctions.

Veda is derived from vid, which means “to know”. So Veda means and includes all spiritual knowledge (jnana). People are distinguished from other animals by the spiritual wisdom (jnana) with which they are endowed. Devoid of spiritual wisdom, they are only beasts. One Veda, divided into five collections Spiritual aspirant: They say that the Vedas are numberless, without end (an-antha). Are they all full repositories of spiritual wisdom (jnana) Sai: “The Vedas are in nite (anantho vai Vedah).” But note that, in the beginning, there was just one Veda. Later, it was dealt with as three and subsequently as four. Spiritual aspirant: Why was the one divided into many What special need was met thereby Sai: Since the Veda was vast and limitless, it was dif cult for ordinary men to study it. Moreover, it would take endless time to complete the study. So, those who wished to learn were overwhelmed by fear, and very few showed earnestness to study the Veda. Something had to be done to bring the study within reach of those who sought to learn. Therefore, the hymns of praise in the Veda were separated from the rest and grouped under the titles Rik-samhitha and Yajus-samhitha. The verses capable of musical rendering (sama verses) were collected under the title Sama-samhitha, and the mantras (formulae and spells) were grouped under Atharva-samhitha (fourth collection). Spiritual aspirant: Who grouped them into these collections Sai: It was Vyasa, who was a partial manifestation of Narayana (God, Vishnu) Himself and son of Sage Parasara. He had mastered the scriptures and spiritual treatises. He himself was a great sage. He was a skillful coordinator. In order to promote the welfare of mankind, he compiled the Veda into four parts and facilitated righteous living by all. He divided the Veda into four and prepared five collections (samhithas). Divisions of Veda correspond to spiritual stages Spiritual aspirant: The four Vedas are the four collections, as you just explained. How did the extra one arise What purpose does it serve Sai: The Yajus-samhitha has separated itself into two, the Krishna Yajur veda collection and the Sukla Yajur veda collection. So the total became five. The process didn’t stop there. Each collection developed three separate complementary components. These scriptural texts emerged in order to enlighten people in different states of awareness and different levels of consciousness. The purpose was to enable everyone to bene t by the guidance and thus to cross the sea of suffering. Therefore, there is no trace of conflict in any of these texts. Spiritual aspirant: What are those three elaborations, those three subsidiary texts, called Sai : Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and Upanishads. Spiritual aspirant: What are the Brahmanas Sai: They are explanatory texts that deal with ritual formulae (mantras). They describe clearly the sacrificial rites and ceremonies that have to be observed while performing them. There are many such texts, for example, Aithareya Brahmana, Taithiriya Brahma-

always called the last. Beneficent and maleficent aspects of God and creation Spiritual aspirant: How many forms are ascribed to the Supreme God (Parameswara) in this Veda Sai: It is said that God is described as having two distinguishable forms: the serene and the terrible (Yatho Rudrassivathanooraghora papa nasi-nee). Spiritual aspirant: I crave illustration by examples. Sai: The Narasimha (man-lion) form of God that emerged from the pillar was mild and serene, beautiful and beneficent for Prahlada, the staunch devotee. At the same time, the form was terrible for Hiranyakasipu, the father, who hated God to the utmost. Even nature, the concretisation of the will power of God, has these two mild and the fearful aspects. And water, an essential ingredient for susaining life in beings, is vital and health-giving as well as fatal and death-dealing. Spiritual aspirant: Pardon me for asking again for some examples. Sai: All living beings exist because of food. According to the scriptures, food is of three kinds: sathwic (promoting peace and harmony), rajasic (promoting passions and emotions, activities and adventures), and thamasic (promoting sloth and dullness). If one chooses food with discrimination and control and limits its intake, food will be health-giving medicine. On the other hand, if food is consumed indiscriminately and beyond limit, it produces illness and causes grief and pain. It assumes a fearful role. This fact is made clear in the Vedas by the probe into the word “anna (food)”. The word anna has ad as its root, which means “eating”. That which is eaten by living beings and at the same time eats the person who eats it, that food is both beneficent and maleficent. The sages (rishis) Atharvan and Angiras, who visualised the mantras of this Veda, recognised this twin nature of both God and creation. The mantras appear mild or terrible in accordance with the credentials of the experiencer. But in total effect, and in a deeper sense, these mantras are intended to reveal the Atma and to promote the peace and prosperity of humanity. Selected Excerpts From This Discourse $(“.alert.alert-block.alert-danger.messages.error, .alert.alert-block.alert-success.messages.status”).remove(); Index of All Discourses Choose Collection and Title to navigate to the Discourse Discourse Title   Discourse Search Akhanda Bhajan Discourses Avatar Day Discourses Birthday Discourses Devotional Songs Search Sai Rhythms App for Android Sai Rhythms App for iOS advaita: 3 age: 1 ant: 2 anxiety: 1 arjuna: 1 avatar: 3 Bhagavad Gita: 2 bhagavatham: 14 bhajans: 1 bird: 2 birthday: 1 brahmacharya: 1 brahman: 1 buddha: 2 character: 2 chastity: 3 compassion: 2 cooking: 1 creation: 2 daya: 2 declaration: 3 desire for god: 1 detachment: 4 devotion: 9 dharma: 2 difficulties: 1 discipline: 2 discrimination: 1 do not judge: 2 doctor: 1 easwaramma: 4 education: 4 ego: 1 ehv: 1 ekadasi: 4 equanimity: 1 faith: 3 feeling: 2 five principles: 2 flute: 2 food: 8 forbearance: 1 freewill: 1 gayathri: 8 gita: 36 god: 3 god is one: 4 god&