What is Creation? Creation means the expression of the Will of God. It is called Nature. Everything that has emerged from Nature must necessarily have the quality of Nature. Man is born to express the quality of Nature. Creation refers to manifestation of thoughts.

Sathya Sai Baba, Pg. 11 God, Nature, and Man

 

Sathya Sai Baba has spoken extensively on the relationship between God, Nature, and Man in several discourses and articles to prompt us to investigate our true reality. Dr. Ross Woodward has lovingly compiled these divine insights from Sathya Sai Baba into the book ‘God, Nature, and Man’.

 

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Awakening to the Environment

The Lord’s Blessing for Greater Self-Awareness

The environmental crisis is in essence a spiritual crisis. If one looks closely, one will begin to revere Nature, this beautiful home that nourishes us and on which we are totally dependent for our very existence. The Lord’s physical darshan would only be fleeting whereas seeing Him in His creation would be the ultimate experience.

To read more about the universality of all creation and how we can strive to live in constant, integrated awareness with the Divine, click on the link below.

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Unity, Purity, And Divinity in the Trees Around Us

God and Nature are not distinct entities; they are one unified whole. When we observe Nature, we see the divine manifestation of unity and purity, a giving and receiving between all beings. Within Nature, trees are perfect role models for unity and purity. While also teaching us selflessness and sacrifice.

To learn about the ecological and spiritual role of trees and forests please read the below article.

Position paper on trees

Manifestation of the Divine

Below is an excerpt taken from Chapter 3 Nature, pg. 17-19, as we seek to understand the relationship between God, Nature and Man, it’s important to take time to reflect and show gratitude for the Divine manifestations of Nature because ‘Nature is a reflection of God and its majesty and Divine origin is evidenced in the tiniest cell to the enormous inter-galactic clouds of gas’.

Water

In the Cosmos, the first manifestation of the Divine is as water.  Man cannot live without water. Water is present everywhere... The divine is protecting all living beings in the form of water. Water is known by another name as ‘life’. God is making His presence felt in the world in the form of water.

Fire

The second manifestation is fire. It is on account of fire that everything is illuminated and can be perceived. The same fire is present in man as the digestive fire. It is this fire that enables the conversion of the food one consumes into blood, flesh, bone and other things and sustains the body.

Earth

The third manifestation is the Earth. All living beings flourish on the Earth. Birth and death go on, on the Earth. Man secures all the things needed for living from the Earth. Hence the Earth must be regarded as a manifestation of God.

Air

The fourth manifestation is air. Every moment we are engaged in breathing air.  While inhaling, the sound ‘So’ is produced. In exhaling, the sound ‘Ham’ is produced. Together, they make up the term ‘So-ham’, meaning ‘He is I’, proclaiming the inherent Divinity of man.

Space

Space is the fifth manifestation. The distinctive quality of space is sound… Creation itself has originated from sound… Wherever you have sound vibrations, you have space.

Sun

The sixth is the Sun. All living beings are able to survive because of the Sun. Birds, beasts, trees and crops all thrive on the energy got from the Sun. The world will cease to exist without the Sun.

Moon

The moon comes seventh. The moon principle confers tranquility on man. The mind is a reflection of the Moon. Man’s primary goal is to secure peace of mind. The Earth came from the Sun, and Moon from the Earth… These three find their expressions in man in the form of mind, intellect and consciousness.

Vedas

The eighth element is the authority of the Vedas. The Vedas proclaim the eternal Truth. There is the saying: ’There is no greater Righteousness than Trtuh’. God who is the embodiment of Truth, through eternal and formless, manifests Himself  in the eight forms in the Cosmos. When the Divine is recognized in these forms, man will realise his true nature.

Related reading

Visit the Additional Resources page to browse a range of content including the Go Green conference book to short booklets on the Environment.