Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

Mind is a sharp sword. Man will be able to fulfil himself if he realises the subtle and mysterious workings of the mind. Mind travels fast, is strong, lighter than ether and subtler than electricity. Man becomes an easy prey to sorrow and suffering by directing the mind on questionable paths.

Mind travels faster than lightning. For example, the programme given by a musician in Delhi is instantaneously heard at our house in Whitefield. This only reveals to us how fast the sound waves travel. Even the mind is made of vibrations as the sound is made of sound waves. There is no end to the waves of thought that emerge from the ocean of man's mind. How is it possible for man to restrain the infinite waves that emerge ceaselessly from the infinite ocean of the mind? In fact it is not necessary to restrain and arrest these mental vibrations.

Though the body is mortal, the thoughts are immortal. The power of thought vibrations run round the world. As the heat waves, the electrical waves and light waves radiate, the mental waves too radiate. The thought vibrations are the cause for man's joy and sorrow, health and disease, woe and weal, birth and death. Man's life becomes meaningful if he conducts himself fully aware of the power of the thought vibrations. The entire world is suffused with mental vibrations. In fact the whole world is the very manifestation of mental vibrations. Hence it is necessary to direct our thoughts on noble paths. Man's mind shines with resplendent purity if he cultivates noble thoughts, ideas and feelings. It is only by developing the purity of mind that we can ensure the purity of action. Only pure deeds can yield pure results.

We sow the seed of thought and reap the fruit of action; we sow the seed of action and reap the fruit of nature; we sow the seed of nature, we reap the fruit of character; we sow the seed of character and reap the fruit of destiny. It is evident from this that our destiny rests on our thoughts. For man's rise and for man's fall, the thoughts are the cause. Thoughts can lead us into dungeons of darkness and also into illuminated halls. The thoughts are the very vital breath of man. It is by harbouring the evil thoughts of hatred, envy, anger and ego that man brings his own downfall. Man harbours evil thoughts to harm his fellow men. But the harm that he does to his fellow man boomerangs on himself with all its power and strength. By abusing, criticising, hunting and scandalising his fellow men, man in fact is abusing, criticising, hunting and scandalising the Lord Himself. Utterly ignorant of the presence of Divinity in others, man indulges in such heinous conduct. The man who takes the sword shall perish by it; the man who wounds another will be wounded in turn; the man who abuses another will be abused in return. As is the thought, so is the consequence.

As is the feeling, so is the result. Utterly ignorant of the power of the mind, and its might, we underestimate the supreme importance of the mind. Our whole life rests on the mind. We should make earnest efforts to understand the power of the mind.

Man makes many an effort to cover up his flaws. The ostrich buries its beak in a heap of sand, deluded by the thought that it is invisible. But it succumbs to the bullet of a hunter eventually. Similarly, the evil man thinks mistakenly that his evil thoughts go unnoticed by others. The mind of man is like a gramophone plate. The good and evil thoughts of man are indelibly impressed on his mind and show themselves up. His thoughts and feelings are easily gauged by an onlooker. The face of an evil man looks dry and lifeless like an earthen pot. The face of a man is like a guidepost, revealing to us the direction in which his thoughts are travelling.

Thoughts constitute the very basis of one's life. It is the mind that lends life, sustains it and ultimately brings it to an end. Mind is the cause for Creation, Sustenance and Dissolution. There is none greater than it.

Man's mind is made of thoughts and desires, and these thoughts and desires are determined by one's character and conduct. Though he harbours hatred and ill-will against others, he pretends as though he loves them. It is sheer self-deceit, for while trying to deceive others, man deceives himself. You are the authors of your own downfall and degradation. Man should make sincere efforts to see that his heart is free from evil thoughts and feelings. The heart of man is an abode of sanctity and the snakes of evil thoughts should not be allowed to slither in it. Can a man rest in peace when venomous snakes slither in his room? These evil thoughts are more venomous than the deadly snakes.

The thoughts are so powerful that they can be used successfully to bring relief to the afflicted minds. Noble thoughts earn for us noble friendship; and this friendship, in course of time, is Divinely transformed.

Like-minded people attract like-minded friends; a drunkard befriends a drunkard; a thief befriends a thief; a musician befriends a musician; a doctor befriends a doctor; and a lawyer befriends a lawyer. The noble-minded people befriend only the noble-minded ones. Even our noble thoughts undergo an evil change in the company of evil people. Even the creation can be changed by thoughts. It is in the light of this that Arjuna said to Krishna, "Chanchalatve manah Krishna Pramadi Balavarthudam." (Oh Krishna! The mind is fickle, capricious, strong and fraught with danger). The thoughts are full of might and danger. Thoughts are not only capsules of danger, but they are capsules of immortality and nectarine sweetness as well.

There is no end to the waves in an ocean. Similarly, there is no end to the thoughts as long as the mind exists. Our love and hatred, pain and pleasure, life and death are based on the mind. Even the five elements, the five senses, the five sheaths and the five vital airs draw sustenance from the mind. It is very hard to plumb and fathom the depths of the mind. Our attitude towards the mind is an attitude of indifference, and it is this attitude of mind that spells doom to the very life of man. It is this attitude of indifference which is responsible for man turning into a demon and beast. The mind is the cause for our selfishness and self-interest.

Man becomes verily Divine when he cultivates a broad mind. The Sadhana (spiritual endeavour) that man should take up is the Sadhana of bringing in the blossoming of the human mind. What is Sadhana? Neither worship, nor the chanting of the name nor even meditation is Sadhana. All these are indeed futile exercises and give only an ephemeral satisfaction. We achieve nothing by these endeavours without transforming the mind first. Man is transformed when the mind is transformed. It is the transformation of the mind which makes man truly Divine. Mental transformation is the main spring of human transformation: human transformation is national transformation; and national transformation is universal transformation. The chaos and the confusion, the agony and the agitation that we witness in the country today are nothing but the manifestation of the distorted mind.

The mind is made of vibrations and there is no end to them. They flow ceaselessly arising every moment. As the waves of the ocean are true to the ocean and are of the same nature as the ocean, the thoughts of man are also stamped by the nature of one's mind. These thoughts shape, mould and guide the very course of the world. Hence, it is imperative on the part of students to make earnest efforts to guide the mind in the right direction. The man who does not realise the power and the might of the mind allows himself to fall into abysmal depths day by day. The evil thoughts will manifest themselves tomorrow, if not today. He may think that the small evil act he has done will in no way harm him, but in fact the evil actions boomerang on him, tenfold. It is only by fostering noble and sublime thoughts that the prosperity of the nation and world can be fostered. The world can be divinised if thoughts are divinised. The evil thoughts in fact decide the very course of a nation and brings disaster in course of time. Hence we should never underrate and undergrade the power of thoughts. As a seed in course of time becomes a mighty tree, similarly an evil thought assumes gigantic dimensions in course of time. Unless evil thoughts are nipped in the very bud, they bring in disastrous consequences. It is said that, "even a tiny snake should be beaten with a big stick." Similarly even a mean thought should be dealt with severely. Thoughts are so powerful and influential that they distort even our sight, speech and hearing.