Shri Sathya Sai Baba Chinna Kathas – Mahabharata 1.- How to absorb good qualities; Analogy from Mahabharatha Bangalore, SSSIHL-BRN (Summer Course )    Your browser does not support the audio element. 1973-05-26 Document Download Audio Social Share Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Description There is a small example from the epic Mahabharata to illustrate the aspect of ‘guna grahana’ the ability to absorb the good qualities. In order to test Duryodhana, Lord Krishna called him. This took place much before the war, (for after the war there was no Duryodhana) when they were on friendly terms with each other. Lord Krishna said, “Duryodhana, I intend to perform a great thing and I need a virtuous and good person for the occasion. Please search the world for such a person and bring him to me.” Duryodhana spent several days searching the world for such person and came back to Lord Krishna and said, “O Krishna! I could not find any person with good qualities. Everyone whom I looked at had some defect or the other and had such qualities that they could not be called a good man. The only person who meets your requirement is I and I am here for your service.” Krishna sent away Duryodhana to some place saying that he would use him later and sent for Dharmaja and said, “Dharmaja, you go and search the world for a person who is very bad and wicked and whose qualities are such that there is none who is worse than him. Bring me the worst of beings in terms of qualities.” Dharmaja too searched the world and in the end returned alone to Krishna and said, “O Krishna! I could not find any bad person. I saw only good qualities in whomever I met. If at all there be any bad qualities they lie in me. I am the only person who answers your requirement. I am here.” and saluted Krishna. For Duryodhana to say that good people do not exist in the world or for Dharmaja to say that bad people do not exist in the world, the basis is not the world, the fault is not with the world. It is the innate attributes and qualities of the respective persons that are responsible for their perception. It is the aspect of ‘guna grahana’, the ability to absorb the good qualities, that is the reason for the apparent perception of good or bad. One neither has the capacity to determine the good or the bad nor has the authority to decide. Hence one must sanctify and develop pure and noble thoughts and tread the path of spirituality with strong faith in God and improve on the qualities in oneself to merge with the divine. Swami ends his discourse wishing that devotees tread this path and benefit by it.   Listen To Full Discourse What is the state of Samadhi Bangalore, SSSIHL-BRN (Summer Course ) Your browser does not support the audio element. 1973-05-26 Document Download this Audio Social Share Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Description The path of spirituality can be compared to the game of fire and to the combat with a ferocious tiger! If one is not alert one can be dragged by Maya (illusion) into the web of worldly affairs. Maya makes all efforts to engulf man in the illusionary world and to forget the human qualities. Therefore before man embarks on the path of spirituality it is essential to have the knowledge of ‘pranayamam’and ‘pratyaharam’.     What is the state of Samadhi Bangalore, SSSIHL-BRN (Summer Course ) Your browser does not support the audio element. 1973-05-26 Document Download this Audio Social Share Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Description The path of spirituality can be compared to the game of fire and to the combat with a ferocious tiger! If one is not alert one can be dragged by Maya (illusion) into the web of worldly affairs. Maya makes all efforts to engulf man in the illusionary world and to forget the human qualities. Therefore before man embarks on the path of spirituality it is essential to have the knowledge of ‘pranayamam’and ‘pratyaharam’.     2.- Analogy from Mahabharatha explaining the importance of aim and concentration Bangalore, SSSIHL-BRN (Summer Course ) Your browser does not support the audio element. 1973-05-26 Document Download Audio Social Share Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Description The tree born out of mud is mud and cannot be anything different from mud. Likewise prakruthi, nature that one sees around, and which is born of Brahman is essentially Brahman and it cannot be anything else. It is an apparent illusory vision, which makes one think that, the nature is different from Brahman. This is the teaching of Vedanta. In order to recognise and realise this truth one must have the ability to comprehend and an aim. A small example to illustrate the aspect of ‘lakshyamu’ or aim: In the epic Mahabharata, Guru Dronacharya while teaching archery to the Pandavas, tied a bird to a tree and asked the Pandavas to shoot the bird one by one. When the Pandavas came forward one by one to aim and shoot the bird, Guru Dronacharya asked them a few questions. When Bheema, the strong man, came to try his hand at aiming and shooting, guru asked him, “Bheema, what do you see?” Bheema, fully aware of his enormous strength, answered, “I see a tree, I see a bird, I see the rope with which the bird is tied to the tree and I also see the sky behind the bird.” Guru replied,” You see so many things; your concentration is not up to the mark, sit aside.” Likewise all the four brothers were called and three of them answered similarly as they saw many more objects around than Bheema. When it was Arjuna’s turn, he answered, “Guruji, I see only the bird and nothing else.” A person with an intense desire to learn a particular thing must concentrate and devote his mind to the task; that is the proof of dedication. But