Paying Tax Of Gratitude To God

Modern education helps to struggle after worldly comforts and pleasures but does not promote social welfare, righteousness or peace. Students and educated people conduct themselves keeping in view higher salaries. The profession is taken as the quality of every man though it is done out of selfishness and not for the welfare of the country.

When you use water, electricity or while occupying a house, you pay the respective tax to the city. God has gifted us with the sun, the wind and the rain. What tax do we pay for their use?

Light, sound and everything is given free. All five elements are Divine. We enjoy them but what tax do we pay? For ephemeral things we pay tax and offer gratitude. God gives us all the essentials but still we complain to God for not giving that and this. Instead of help, we are harming. Instead of paying the tax for you have received, you cry for more.

Because of excess desires, we have bad qualities and become egoistic. These three are not part of the human quality. The true human qualities are of peace, forbearance and sympathy. Today mankind has no satisfaction. A devotee visited Narayana and asked why he built the Meru mountain? You have created a stream, mountains and breeze. Oh God! You gave a lot. You have given the life breath and the oxygen. The carbon dioxide exhaled by man is absorbed by plants. You create mountain to stop clouds and give their rain.

"God is one who has a crown of hair, a third eye, kumkum across his forehead and a charming disposition". For this beautiful world, God made it more beautiful. Moon decorates his head like a lighthouse. The rivers flow out of his hair. God has strength to enlighten and enchant the entire world.

Man should have a heart filled with compassion, love and sympathy. Such a heart should not be contaminated with bad thoughts. Though God gifted such a noble heart, we spoil it. Having been the recipients of God's grace, we have to pay the tax. This tax is called bali or sacrifice. People misunderstood this sacrifice to mean the sacrifice of animals. People misunderstand several words. Narayana and Krishna are called Shikandhi. Shikandhi is one who wears peacock feathers. Similarly bali means tax. The expression of gratitude is the tax due. Gratitude is to be expressed through prayer. Utter true words while paying this tax.

Today we don't pray to God and sing his glory. We should pray without attachment. What is the use of hands that do not pray to God or a voice which does not sing God's glory? Namaskar is symbolic of the union of the 10 senses. Though some have good voices, it is their unfortunate fate that they don't sing the glory of God. Sing the glory of God and hence pay the tax. Therefore the procedure requires us to pay tax or else be indebted.

If you accuse anyone, it amounts to a sin. You think others are there. God Himself is there. You will receive favours from others at one time or the other hence you should never criticize them. Do not hate anyone but rather express gratitude to all.

In a lake, there was a crocodile. Near the lake, on a fruit tree, there lived a monkey. The monkey would drop fruit remnants of which the crocodile would partake. The crocodile grew fat and became friendly with the monkey. One day, the crocodile told the monkey that it was unfair that the crocodile didn't get an opportunity to return the monkey's hospitality. The monkey is our forefather and hence quite intelligent. It was only a monkey called Hanuman that could become the servant of Lord Rama. The monkey agreed but expressed his inability to find transport to reach the crocodile's abode. The crocodile offered to take the monkey across the lake on his back. The monkey agreed. Just before they reached the shore, the crocodile revealed that he brought the monkey so that his wife could eat the monkey's heart. The monkey replied, "I am happy to oblige but I wish you had told me earlier. As a monkey, I jump around a lot. My heart may fall out, so I hung it on a separate tree near my home. Please turn back so that I can get". The crocodile had no sense and so returned.

Oh God! The heart You gave us is Your gift. I offer it to you. You are all and I am nothing. I offer myself entirely to You! This is the nature of Lakshmana. What is surrender? I don't have anything. All is yours. This is the tax to be paid to God, and for non-payment, we have to be born again and again.

Once a boy was bitten by a scorpion in one corner of his room. He ran crying to his father. The father took him to a doctor who in turn prescribed an ointment to be rubbed 'where the scorpion bit.' When asked by his father, the boy said he was bit in the corner of the room. The father applied ointment to the corner of the room!

Similarly, for a stomach ache do you put corrilium?

Thus the cause of restlessness must be known before a solution can be found. We are in search of God. Even in the Himalayas people search for God. God is present in you, with you and around you. To find God, turn inwards. Here and there God is present. God is only one not two. Rama, Krishna, Shiva are all one God. We should have full faith in this. Sai has incarnated to propagate truth and love, Sai has incarnated to show that God is everywhere. Sai has descended for that purpose.

What is the use of needle, thread and flowers, somebody must be there to string the garland. You have oil, wick and lamp that does not entitle you to light. For a train to run fast, a driver is needed. There must be creator for creation. So too, there must be a preacher to preach all the human ideals to the world.

Sai has incarnated to tell you God is everywhere. Avatar has got this purpose. Not only to declare but to share. How much can be taken, depends on the container's size. If you make it bigger, it can hold more!