“A man was wandering everywhere for many, many days from one town to the…”

A man was wandering everywhere for many, many days from one town to the other in search of a good spiritual master. But he could not find one. At last, while he was walking through a forest, he decided to himself that if any one came in his path at that time he will take that man himself as his master. It was his bad time that a thief was just then coming along that way. This man immediately fell on the feet of the thief and holding his feet, requested him saying, "You only are my teacher, you are my master; you only have come to save me. I will not leave you." But that thief said, "Oh! No, no. Leave me. I am a thief actually. I have just now committed a theft and am coming from there. You can see yourself. Policemen are chasing me. Leave me. I must run away now." He shouted like this. But this man said, "No. No. You are only my saviour, good teacher, master. You alone have to show me the way for my salvation. I will not leave you at all." The thief was again and again refusing. But this man would not leave him at all. He said, "Unless you show me the way I will never leave you." Finding that there was no other go for him, the thief agreed and said, "All right, you now close your eyes and sit here. You should not open your eyes until I ask you to open." This man immediately sat down there and closed his eyes. After saying this, the thief quickly ran away.

As the man sat there with all clear sincerity, time was just passing. One day passed. Two, three days rolled on. He was just sitting, sitting... with eyes closed tight and with great sincerity, with a clear and sincere determination not to open his eyes. There was the fire in his sincerity, the penance. The heat was so much that it reached up to Mount Kailash that Lord Shiva Himself appeared before him and gave him darshan, the puranas (Ancient legend, traditional history) say.

It does not matter as to who the teacher, the master is. It is not necessary. But the very sincerity itself has got that much of energy and strength. This one is at least a puranic story. But there is a story which actually happened in Kashi, also called as Varanasi in North Bharat. Ramadasa was a sincere and devout devotee. He was born in a low caste. He did not belong to any high caste. He was eager to get initiation (Deeksha), wisdom etc. from somebody. In that town there was a pundit, a learned man who had given initiation to a lot of people. Ramadasa goes to him and requests him, 'Please give me Deeksha (Initiation)'. But he drives him away saying, 'I will not give you initiation as you are from a suppressed caste. You go away'.

What does Ramadasa do? He thinks, 'Let me do some idea; the pundit will come for taking bath in the early morning. He will come at 3 in the morning to take bath in the river Ganges. At that time let me lie down on the steps on the bank of the river. (There are big and wide steps leading to the river water). Somehow or the other when the pundit comes and walks, his feet will touch my head or my body. What will we do if some thing suddenly obstructs in our path? Will we not say some thing like Rama, Rama or Siva, Siva due to the shock? Whatever it is he is a big pundit. What he will say due to the shock? He will say 'Rama, Rama', is it not? I (Ramadasa) will take that itself as Deeksha (manthra initiation)'.

He intends to take the touch of his body by the pundit as 'Sparsa Deeksha' (Initiation by touch), and whatever the words that come out of his mouth as 'Manthra Deeksha'(Initiation by taking a manthra from the teacher). So thinking he lies down on the steps. Early morning time. The pundit comes for taking bath, goes down the steps and he actually steps on the head of Ramadasa. What will we say if there is any sudden obstruction. Will we not say Rama, Rama etc.? But somehow due to the bad (or good?) time for Ramadasa, the pundit, without saying 'Rama, Rama', he says 'Buffalo'! Ramadasa has been thinking that the pundit, being well read and wise, will only say 'Rama, Rama', but he says only 'buffalo'. He actually shouts so. Due to his sincerity, Ramadasa takes that word 'buffalo' itself as manthra, just sits there and starts chanting, 'Buffalo, buffalo...' He says that word 'buffalo' as a meditation itself and goes on repeating it as a japa.

This is a true story which actually happened. Ramadasa continues doing the meditation. Deepavali festival came. During Deepavali day, it is customary to bring out the gold idol of goddess Annapoorani.from the temple in a chariot. The chariot will be made of Laddus (a kind of sweetmeat), and the gold deity of goddess Annapoorani will be brought in that chariot. The festival day came to bring out that deity. They started to bring out the idol of the deity from the temple. They could not bring it out from the entrance. Some thing was obstructing and the idol could not be brought out. The idol is only of about one to one and half feet height. The entrance was ten feet high. But still some thing was obstructing on the top of the idol and the idol could not be brought out. The pundits tilted the idol this way and that way but it could not be brought out of the temple at all. Ramadasa comes that way. On seeing the struggle of these people in bringing out the idol, Ramadasa says, 'The horn of the deity is knocking against the top of the entrance. That is why the idol is not coming out. Just lower the idol'.

But those attending on the idol do not at all understand what he says. They tell him, 'You are a suppressed caste man. Why do you come on to the temple side and all? Why are you blabbing some thing like a mad fellow? Mind your work and go away. Why do you madly think some thing like that? You go away from here'. Ramadasa says, 'Goddess is giving her darshan as a buffalo and her horn is knocking against the top of entrance and so lower it and take.' But those people are not at all able to understand any thing what he says. Again and again they try to bring out the deity, but it does not come out at all.

Ramadasa himself goes and lowers the idol and as the horn does not hinder now, he brings it out. The idol comes out easily. This is a story which actually happened.

That is the goddess separately gives him a darshan in the form of a buffalo. Even today, if you go to Kashi and see, on the Deepavali day, in front of the deity goddess Annapoorani, they keep the idol of the god Ishwara and also a silk cloth woven with the picture of a buffalo on it made of gold. The town people there know it. If you have not seen it yet you can go and see it. It is only in memory of Ramadasa that this is being done.

Because the goddess has given darshan to him in this manner, it is clear that even though a devotee, with all sincerity and earnestness, chants the word 'buffalo' repeatedly as a manthra, bound by his sincerity and devotion, the goddess gives him darshan in the form of a buffalo itself. Parasakthi has appeared in the form of a buffalo itself. To explain it a letter written by his own hand is available. Otherwise we would not have known that. The power of sincerity. The power of faith. If there is sincerity and faith, a new dimension of life will be shown to us.

A man blind by birth, goes to a doctor. He asks, 'Sir, why don't you do some thing and give me eye sight?' The doctor tells him, 'Don't worry. I will do an operation. You will get eye sight and then you can walk without the stick.' The blind people will have a stick, to feel every now and then (to know whether there is any obstruction or not), is it not? The doctor says that he can walk without the walking stick. The blind man asks, 'Sir, I understand that you will do an operation. I also understand that I may get the vision. But without the stick how can I walk? After I get eye sight also, how can I walk without the stick at all?' Only after he gets his eye sight it will be known that it is possible to walk without the stick. Until he gets his eye sight, can any one make him understand that after he gets sight, he can walk without using the stick? No, it will not be possible.

In the same manner, in our life, only when faith and sincerity comes, it will be understood how our life gets a new dimension. Sincerity and faith will show us a new dimension itself in our life. When we live without faith and true sincerity, we may not know what we are missing. Can a blind man know what he is missing? For a man who is born blind will not know as to what he is missing while living. You only can tell him. Same way, those who live without faith and sincerity, will not know what a mighty dimension of life they are missing. Those who possess the faith and sincerity only can make them understand.

Kabirdas used to be always dancing. Chaitanya used to be always singing keerthans (songs). Meera was always singing. Ramakrishna used to be dancing with joy. Saint Gnanasambandhar says, 'Aadippadi annamalai kaigal odipponathu ullamae'...... Arunagirinathapperuman...... Manikkavachagar sings.....

(Not clearly audible here....)

If you see our Gnanis, Yogis and Siddhars, they say our life itself is blissful only. All gnanis (enlightened masters), all rishis, all siddhars say the life is a blissful festival. Krishna says that there is no life at all. Every one says the life is a blissful granary but for us it does not appear to be so. Why? The reason: They look at life with an eye of belief. When the belief comes to us that when all these things are being looked after by Parasakthi, the same would also look after us, then itself, all our mental troubles and tribulations come to an end and we come to a state of mind of peace and tranquility. That is, I will tell you a small matter.

I will tell you how your mental energy and power will be useful if faith comes. How sincerity and faith make things favourable to us. We can understand from a small matter. Right from morning to evening there will be continuous flow of thoughts in our mind. If we start recording them, it will come at least for ten tapes. That means our mental energy is ten tapes long. When our mind is in a confused state....................................do you know? I cannot at all do, I do not know any thing ..... Like this all thoughts will be flowing like this and hence out of ten tapes, eight tapes will be depressing you only. That is out of your ten energies, eight energies would have pushed you into sorrow. 80% of your mental energy would have led you to depression.

On the other hand, if your mind had faith and belief in god, or in a master, or intense sincerity is there, what will it do? You will say God almighty is there, Lord Muruga is there, He will look after. We need not worry as to what has happened so far. Further He will show us the way. Somehow good things will happen. There is no need to bother. We will do this thing or that thing. Within you only such words which give you courage will be running. Then what will happen is that out of ten tapes eight tapes will be running full with good words which give courage only. Then 80% of the mental energy will be used to make you blissful and uplift you. If you don't have belief, 80% will be of such words which give you only depression. 'Nothing is going to be all right, whatever I do will not be all right' – only such thoughts will be there. When there is faith and belief, the thought such as ' It is definitely possible for me, there is a divine energy, which will save me ' only will be running. Gita says beautifully, 'Uthhareth aathmanam aathmaanam avadarayeth'. Aathman yeva bandhuhu ... That is, it is only you who have to uplift yourself or you also act and function as an enemy to yourself. If you do such jobs to uplift you, you yourself are the friend of you, and if you do things to pull you down, then you only are your own enemy.

If you have faith, sincerity and devotion, let it be on any god, any master, it will make your life blissful. Lack of faith and insincerity will take your life downwards.

Therefore let faith and sincerity flower in your life, let bhakthi yoga happen in your life, for you to be in bliss, reach blissful state, and become blissful, I bless you all whole-heartedly.

Be blissful.

Thanks.

Nithyananda,

Nithyanandam.