Truth Is The Lamp
That Dispels Darkness
What Avatars
re-established on firm foundations is Sathya (Truth). For, as the Vedhas
(sacred scriptures) announce, there is no Dharma higher than Truth. Truth gets
hidden, appears distorted, is declared as failing, so, the Avathar (divine
incarnation) asserts its validity and value, once again.
God wears Truth; the good
seek Truth; the bad are rescued by Truth. Truth liberates; Truth is power;
Truth is freedom. It is the lamp that illumines the heart and dispels doubt and
darkness. The effulgence of God is Truth. Welcome God in your heart. Install
Him there as a result of Yearning. Be always concerned with Brahman; then, you
are entitled to be known as a Brahmin; if you are concerned with the skin and
all that it contains, that entitles you only to be known as a Chandala, who
works on leather and skin!
There was Kanaka, born in
a low caste. He was an ardent devotee, yearning in unbearable anguish to see
Krishna. So, he went to Udipi, where there is a famous Krishna Temple,
established by the great sage, Madhwacharya himself. Being of low birth, he
could not enter the temple and see the charming idol of Krishna. He stood
before the outer door, but the idol was hidden by the Flag- post in front of
the shrine. He went round the outer wall and sought some crevice amidst the
stones through which he could earn a faint glimpse. He saw a stone was loose:
with his fingers, he scooped out the mortar and he made a narrow chink, and
when he looked eagerly through it, he saw only the back of the idol. But he was
overcome with delight! He danced in ecstasy, singing the glory of Krishna. Just
at the moment, the idol turned towards him and Krishna granted him the full
vision of His Charm and majesty.
Yearning was rewarded
with Grace. Yearning leads to surrender, and surrender gives the highest joy.
Leave everything to His Will, accept whatever happens, whether pleasant or
painful.
Divine
Discourse
29 July
1969
