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A Fire in the Heart

The Lord lives within each of His creations as a Flame. Here, one devotee's experiences with
Swami's Teachings on this spiritual Heart.

That which is Truth is sacred, and is in your heart. Bliss is in you. Happiness is worldly, bliss
is divine. Worldly happiness is always subject to change, but bliss is eternal. The physical
heart is on the left. The spiritual heart is on the right. Follow only the right, not the left. This
is the correct path; to the end.
—Sathya Sai Baba

Baba has frequently spoken of the nature of the spiritual heart. During one memorable
interview, Swami asked us, "Any spiritual questions?"

We had a number of people in our group who were experiencing marriage and relationship
problems. "Swami," I ventured, "when the physical body is cut, it usually heals itself
quickly. But when the human heart is broken, sometimes it never heals. What is this thing
we call heartbreak?"

Swami looked deeply into my eyes, and the light pouring from His eyes was something
unforgettable, something beyond time.

"What you do not realize," He replied softly, "is that you have two hearts. Physical heart is a
pump. Its duty is to pump the blood. Desires lodge in the muscle of the physical heart and
cause pain. Desires are negative energy. You call this pain heartache, heartbreak. To the
right of the physical heart is the spiritual heart." He indicated with His index finger a spot
in the middle of His chest. "It is atomic in size. It is made of light. It is the only point of
positive energy in the body. All else-- body, bones, blood, organs, brain--is negative energy
and will not last. Negative, negative, negative. Consciousness is God. God is within you.
Consciousness is the God within you. Find Me there," He explained, pointing again to His
chest. "When there is pain in the physical heart, shift the attention to the right, to the
spiritual heart. That is My Home. Focus on the spiritual heart. Body is a water bubble, mind
is a mad monkey! Follow the God Within: the spiritual heart."
I had another question ready-- I had so many questions. What did the spiritual heart look
like? What color was it? Suddenly Swami began circling His left hand in a spiraling,
upward movement. His eyes were raised heavenward; He seemed to be addressing unseen,
angelic beings. The love pouring from Him was palpable, immense: memorable beyond
words. I saw a halo of soft, delicate golden light outlining His graceful, beautiful Form.
I felt a powerful upwelling in my own heart, flooding my body with a huge surge, like a
wave -- a radiant, rising, burning fire. All desire to know, all questioning, all words fled.
Everyone in the interview room felt lifted upwards with Him to a place of perfect peace.

1 MOTHER SATHYA SAI -May 06, 2008

 The Spiritual Heart
Artist's Rendering

MOTHER SATHYA SAI - May 06, 2008 2

 That peace remained, and seemed to be an ever-present flame within. After some time He
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lowered His hand, and turned to question another member of our group. I had my answer,
and many more besides.

On returning home, many of the old problems with family and work were awaiting me.
Nothing had changed--or had it? What had changed was that I was trying to picture this
"spiritual heart" that Bhagavan had described so eloquently. I could still feel the warmth
inside when I recalled that last interview. I was still wondering, "What does it look like--this
spiritual heart? If I can find a way to picture it, to focus on it when I am alone and unhappy;
when I feel I can't deal with the heartache and heartbreak of life; when I can't erase this hurt
in my chest that won't go away..."
During my last days in the Sai Kulwant Hall, while waiting for Bhagavan's darshan, I had
noticed some ladies reading from a small blue book titled Veda Puspanjali. This is a
translation of the powerful Vedic chants that echo through the mandir when Swami enters
for darshan. In His inimitable way, Bhagavan answered my question again in a most subtle
and surprising way. On Christmas Day that year,
sometime after that enlightening interview, I picked
up my copy of the Veda Puspanjali, randomly turning
the pages, looking for inspiration. And there it was,
the unequivocal answer to my burning question:
It should be known that the (spiritual) heart
which is located just at the distance of a
finger span below the Adam's apple and
above the navel, is the great Abode of the
Universe, and there shines the Supreme
Principle like lightning.
Like the bud of a lotus, suspended in an inverted position, is the heart, surrounded
by arteries. In it (or near it) there is a narrow space. In it everything is supported.
In the middle of that( narrow space of the heart) remains the undecaying, all-
knowing, omni-faced Great Fire, which has flames on every side, which enjoys the
food presented before it, which remains assimilating the food consumed (the rays of
which spread scattering themselves vertically and horizontally) and which warms its
own body from the insole to the crown. In the center of that Fire which permeates the
whole body, there abides a tongue of Fire, of the color of shining gold, which is the
topmost among the subtle, which is dazzling like the flash of lightning that appears in
the middle of a rain-bearing cloud, which is as slender as the awn one hair) on a
paddy (rice) grain ...

MOTHER SATHYA SAI - May 06, 2008

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Paramatman (Supreme God) dwells in the middle of that Flame. (Although He is

thus limited) still He is the four-faced Creator ..the material and efficient cause of :
the Universe, and the Supreme Self-luminous Pure Consciousness.

Turning the pages, I found another verse:

There is within the heart the bright space known to all; there, let the worshipper
meditate upon and realize the intelligent, the imperishable, the effulgent Soul... that
is the gate leading to the Supreme Lord.

This was what I had been searching for: the Divinity that truly glows inside and is reflected
by the light in our eyes, the fire in our hearts, and in His. The heart--the spiritual heart -- is
an internal, eternal oasis of universal wisdom, timeless peace, pure, selfless love and a
longing to serve others.
As this divinely gifted information began to take hold in my thinking, I found myself drawn
to my cherished collection of books. India, and Baba's physical form, was far away, so I
would curl up in a sunny corner with a cushion or two, pick up an old favorite and open it at
random. More and more often, there would be a passage or paragraph on the subject of the
spiritual heart.
What is Shinto? Not in the shrines the worldly-minded frequent
For gifts, in vain--
But in good deeds, pure of heart
Lies the true religion.
Genchi Kato , sacred Japanese text

He has planted love and kindness in your hearts. Surely there are signs in this for
people who reflect.
Koran, 30:22-25

The Dwelling of the Tathagata is the great Compassionate Heart within all the
living. The Robe of the Tathagata is the gentle and forbearing heart. The Great
Compassionate Heart is the essence of Buddha hood.
Lotus Sutra, ancient Buddhist scripture
And Ramana Maharshi:
The spiritual heart, which is the center of Man's being, is different from the
physical organ that goes by the name "heart" and which is located on the left side of
the body. And it is in the spiritual heart that the transfiguration of the ego into the
True Self takes place. Meditation, breathing, repeating the name of God, are only
aids to control the mind and make it focus. But it is self-enquiry that makes the one-
pointed-mind liquidate itself into the Spiritual Heart.

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Clearly, I had lessons to learn; it was going to take time and practice going within instead of constantly
depending on friends and family for temporary assurances and limited solutions. My ever-questing
mind, constantly posing worldly questions and seeking temporary answers, was never going to be
the place of peace I needed so much when life became overwhelming for me. Beloved books were a
respite, true, but in the end they were only signposts; black and white markers on a road map that was
relentlessly leading me to one destination alone: my spiritual heart. It was there within me; a fire in
the heart. I could feel the warmth burning inside if I concentrated on that space which Swami had
indicated.
Over and over again, I found the comfort I needed in Bhagavan's words--and His unerring directions on
how to achieve that ultimate inner peace.

The human heart is the best teacher in the world. Time is a Supreme Preceptor. This vast Cosmos is
the ideal Book for all. And there is only one true friend and that is God. There is no need to go in
search of a preceptor (teacher); your heart is enough. If you follow the dictates of your heart, every
action will be sanctified. God is your best, unfailing Friend at all times. All others are mere time-
servers. People waste their lives believing in such petty fair-weather friends. Your best friend is
residing in your heart-- as the Indweller..everyone is attracted to the heart. God is not confined to any
particular place. His real Abode is in the heart.
—Sathya Sai Baba

Reference
Roopak, M. S. (2003). Veda Puspanjali. Bangalore: Vagartha. Quotes from pages 90 and 35,
respectively.

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