Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

It is in this context that the statement, “Yad bhavam tad bhavati”, has come to be used. An object is viewed differently from different points of view. The appearance of the world conforms to the colour of the glasses you wear. The change in the colour of the appearance is due to the change in the colour of the glasses. Therefore, many people do not imbibe good ideas from good company because they hold on to their prejudices, preconceived ideas and preoccupations. To them, Kumbhakarna sends messages of sleep and they go to sleep, while others who are awake are troubled by extraneous thoughts of their offices and so on. Yet others keep on looking hither and thither, and therefore only a small minority of participants absorb the good ideas from Sathsanga. There is a small story for this. At one time, there was a pundit who was expounding the Ramayana, and he undertook to do this for a period of seven days. A woman, who had recently lost her husband, used to attend the same for some solace. She was a regular visitor and used to always sit in the front row. The pundit was expounding the Ramayana every day, and this woman was constantly looking at the book and shedding tears. The pundit presumed that she had great devotion. So at the end of the seven days, he announced that because of her regular attendance and devotion, he would give the prasad first to her. While doing so, he asked her if she had enjoyed the discourses on the Ramayana. In great sorrow, the lady replied that she did not know whether the pundit was reciting the Mahabharatha or the Ramayana. She further said that she was, however, in great grief, because the black string at the back of the book was reminding her of the string which her late husband used to wear around his waist. Thus she conveyed that her tears had nothing to do with the pundit’s exposition of Ramayana.