1008 PEARLS OF SAYINGS OF DIVINE SAI - Part I [1 to 25]

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1008 PEARLS OF SAYINGS OF BHAGAWAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

Part I [1 to 25]

[A compilation of THOUGHT FOR THE DAY displayed in Prashanthi Nilayam over years prior to1992]

These sayings by Sathya Sai Baba are posted daily on the Ashram Blackboard. An

ardent devotee compiled them into book form. Since this printed version had

limited copies, another devotee later reproduced the original into a computer

format to facilitate wider publication of the book and to allow for viewing as

a "daily saying" on devotees’ computers worldwide. There is no copyright on the

original book or on this program. These disks are distributed free of charge to

devotees with the hope that they will be spread to other devotees. The only

requirement is that the material continue to be distributed free and cannot be

published for monetary gain.

With Swami's Grace it is hoped that these sayings will fill devotees' hearts

with joy for many days to come. 

**

An ardent devotee, who wishes to remain anonymous, has woven this resplendent

garland of 1008 petals, each one suffused with the honeydew of the Grace of the

Divine Master. Over the last three years, each day, he called out, from the

Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, compiled in English by the

noble soul, Shri. N. Kasturi, a glittering piece to serve as "Thought for the

Day." Not one day passed by without the 'Thought' being written out and

displayed on a Board attached to a tree in the vicinity of the Poornachandra

Auditorium in Prashanthi Nilayam,. It has been to us, in Prashanthi Nilayam, a

common sight, every day, of Devotees congregating in front of the Board, after

the morning Darshan, to have their minds soaked in the "Thought for the Day"

and to gather the strength and competence to take

one step toward the Divine Master.

With the Blessings of Bhagawan Baba, this Devotee has completed this labour of

love – putting 1008 Gems inside the covers of a handy Book that any Devotee can

have as the priceless possession for his lifetime. He has prayed to Bhagawan

Baba to bless him with leave to place copies of this Volume, free of cost, in

the hands of the students and the Teachers of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of

Higher Learning and other Devotees who come with a ardent desire to sit at

Bhagawan’s Lotus-Feet. The contents of the Book, primordial, authentic,

perennially sweet, and ennobling, can be read over and over again, at all times

of the day. By the Grace of Bhagawan Baba, such reading will help to intensify

the process of purification of the reader's mind. The Avatar is here to act as

our Guru. Bhagawan has made his advent on Earth

for our benefit, and to give us the opportunity to learn the Truth, and

establish the foundation for our spiritual advancement. We, who are at the

Divine Lotus Feet, are fortunate because we have been given a chance to move

away from the pattern of life, in which we are enmeshed, in the twilight zone

of Illusion - a state, which obscures the Truth and prevents us from realizing

lasting happiness. At this juncture, we should resolve, with all our hearts, to

surrender to the Divine Master. By this act, we will experience Bliss, the

supreme goal in life, and leave behind the miseries and disappointments of the

past and the present and move into a future full of Divine Grace. 

Says Bhagawan Baba:

"The choice is yours and the timing is yours. I shall always be here, waiting for you."

This Volume, "Thought for the Day”, constitutes a bridge that will help us, when

we are on it, to learn to concentrate, and to acquire the ability to contemplate

and finally reach the stage of meditation on the vision of Reality and the

Divine presence.

In his Avatar as Krishna, Bhagawan has said:

"Knowledge is superior to Practice;

Meditation is superior to Knowledge;

Superior to Meditation is Renunciation of the Fruit of Action;

>From Renunciation arises immediately Peace"

Meditation holds the Golden Key to the Glory of Renunciation and the sacred

Kingdom of ever-lasting Peace. This Volume, "Thought for the Day", is a

powerful instrument placed in our hands to facilitate our entry into the domain

of 'Meditation' that will lead us to 'Divinity'.

The architect of this compilation in English makes this plea:

"Let this sacred text of Divine Thoughts, rendered in the English language, find

its bloom in all the other languages of the World. Anyone, willing to take up

this task, is free to do so, subject to the compassionate condition that the

product will be placed in the hands of Devotees free of cost."

By the Grace of Bhagawan Baba, may this noble aspiration find fulfillment!

With the Book in our hands, we stand immersed in the milky ocean of the Lord's

Compassion. And, then, we are warmed by the Radiance of the Divine Master - a

Radiance that of an order of magnitude so great that no mortal can find words

to describe it. In every breath that we take, in every atom of our behaviour

and in every manifestation of our intellect, we should strive to become worthy

recipients of the Divine Master's Love and Compassion.

AUM SRI SAI RAM

JAI SAI RAM

S. Sampath

Vice-Chancellor,

Prashanthi Nilayam,

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning

May 1992

**

Om Sri Sai Ram

1000 PEARLS OF SAYINGS OF BHAGAWAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA - I

 "Suklambaradaram Vishnum Sashivarnam

Chathurbhujam Prasanna Vadanam Dhyayeth

Saravavignopa Shantaye"

One who wears a white dress; One who is omnipresent;

One who shines like the Moon; One who has four hands;

One who has a beautiful and shining face;

One who wards off all obstacles. I meditate on Him.

1.      TODAY is the Birthday of Rama who is Dharma itself. He is Veda Dharma in

Human Form. He is Anandaswarupa and Dharmaswarupa. On this holy day of Ramnavami

you must immerse yourself in the Atma as Dharmaswarupa as the motivator of the

moral life. Rama is "Atma Rama" in every being. There is no place where Rama is

not. He is imminent and eternal. Rama for you should mean the Path He trod, the

ideal He held aloft, and the Ordinance He laid down. They are eternal and

timeless. Now you worship His Form, you repeat His name; ignoring His orders.

Without practicing the discipline laid down by Rama to purify the mind, all

else is mere show, empty rituals. Contemplate on this unique day to obtain

Godhood. Use it not for feasting, picnics, hikes, watching films, playing

games, gambling, etc. The Immortal had

come in the form of Rama to show the way to Immortality.

2.      THE four brothers Rama, Lakshmana, Bharatha and Satrughna represent the

Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Vedas. When man neglects the Divine aspect of

their natures and the awareness of the Omnipresent and Omnipotent OM, he falls

prey to the impulses and instincts dominated by the ego and develop faith in

material gains. He spends his life in amassing wealth, power and authority over

fellow-beings and believes that holding others under his sway is a desirable

achievement. If there were a vacancy in Heaven, he would surely apply for the

position of God, for he believes that he has all the necessary attributes.

3.     THE Ramayana has a deep undercurrent of significant meaning. Dasaratha

means: he who rides in a chariot of ten, that is to say, Man. He is tied up

with three Gunas or three wives, as in the Ramayana. He has four sons, the

Purusharthas; Dharma (Rama), Artha (Lakshmana), Kama (Bharatha) and Moksha

(Satrughna). These four aims of man have to be systematically realised, always

with the last one, Moksha, clearly before the eye. Lakshmana represents the

Buddhi or intellect and Sita is Truth. Hanuman is the Mind and the repository

of courage, if controlled and trained. Sugriva, the master of Hanuman, is

Discrimination. With these to help him, Rama seeks the Truth and succeeds. That

is the lesson of the Epic to every

man.

4.      RAMA is Dharma personified. "Vignahavak Dharmah". Rama is the Supreme

Exemplar of the Virtues that man must cultivate so that he might live as a

master, husband, son, brother, friend or even foe. The other three brothers of

Rama personify the other three ideals. Bharatha is the embodiment of Sathya;

Satrughna of Shanti; and Lakshmana of Prema. Study the Ramayana with the aim of

imbibing from it the ideals for happy living, for making this life worthwhile

and you will be amply rewarded. Then you can deservedly style yourselves

"Devotees" of the Lord.

5.      THE Ramayana is a guidebook, a sacred text, an inspiring scripture for

every man in all lands, whatever his creed or condition might be. It imparts

poise, balance, equanimity, inner strength and peace. Peace is the best

treasure, without it power, authority, fame and fortune are all dry and

burdensome. Thyagaraja has sung that there can be no happiness without inner

peace.

6.     WHY is it that the world reveres Rama and revolts at Ravana? Rama is not

the uncle's son or Ravana the step-mother's child! It is the kinship of the

spirit, innate goodness, responding lovingly, adoringly to the goodness in

Rama; and reacting revoltingly to the wickedness of Ravana. It is not enough,

nor is it essential that you should repeat the name of Rama loudly; respect it

in the fullness of love and admiration. If you have no spring of love in you,

dig into your heart with external instruments like Puja, Stotra, etc. and it

will start to flow.

7.     VIBHISHANA, Ravana's own brother, chastised him for his willfulness and

lust and urged him to save himself, his kingdom and his kith and kin by

restoring Sita unharmed to her Lord. When Vibhishana went over to Rama, Rama

knew that he had a pure heart and that he could not survive the poisonous

atmosphere of Lanka. So He took him and saved him. The Lord likes to be called

"Aarthathraana-paraayana" more than any other name, for He is most happy when

He rescues those in agony.

8.     YOU talk glibly of Ramarajya, but how can it be established if you do not

emulate Rama? He was "Vignahavaan Dharmah", the very Embodiment  of Dharma. He

never deviated from it. Dasaratha means one who is master of the ten Senses,

the five Karmendriyas and the five Jnanendriyas; that is to say, the successful

Sadhaka. Such a person can have the holy progeny of the four Purusharthas-Dharma

(Rama), Artha (Lakshmana), Kama (Bharatha) and Moksha (Satrughna). Become a

Dasaratha and save that holy progeny as a gift from God.

9.     HANUMAN succeeded in coordinating his thought, word and act. Therefore he

had the unique distinction of being great in physical strength, mental stability

and virtuous character. He shines as an invaluable gem among the personalities

of the Ramayana. He was also a great scholar, who had mastered, of all things,

the six schools of grammar. He knew the four Vedas and the six Sastras. The

Gita says that a scholar is one who sees the same Divine force motivating

everyone. "Pandithaha Samadarsinha". Hanuman was a good example of this

outlook.

10.   HANUMAN spoke to the brothers in sweet, gentle and pleasing words. Rama

was struck by the grammatical accuracy of his sentences. They readily answered

all his queries; and Hanuman was satisfied with their bona fides. He offered to

take them to his Master and Monarch. The Darshan (sight) and first Mana of Rama

had removed all his sins; their Sparshan (touch) burnt away all the

consequences of his deeds in previous lives; and their Sambashan (conversation)

filled his mind with joy. That is the experience of all who welcome the impact

of Divinity.

11.  HANUMAN became the messenger of Rama. There are three classes of

messengers: those who do not understand the orders of the Master or do not care

to understand and who operate to the detriment of the work assigned them; those

who do only just as much as the order literally communicates; and those who

grasp the purpose and significance of the orders and carry them out

unflinchingly until the purpose is achieved. Hanuman belonged to the last

category.

12.   YOU find some one parade all of a sudden some -ism- as new and

revolutionary socialism, for example. Socialism, which means, recognising the

equality of every individual with every one else was in fact practiced in India

long ago. Rama, undisputed Sovereign of a vast Empire, gave heed to the flippant

scandal uttered by an irresponsible laundry-man during a quarrel with his wife,

and sent his Queen, the very dear person for whom had waged a war of tremendous

carnage, into exile, regardless of the fact that she was pregnant at the time.

Every one's voice was given equal weight in the empire ruled over by Rama.

13.   THE Vanaras, while building the bridge across the ocean, carried huge

boulders on their heads repeating Rama-Nama all the while; and that made the

rocks weigh less. It is even said that they wrote the name on the stones and

that made them float. Each time they handled or lifted a stone, they sang

Rama-Nama in unison and so they were a happy lot doing Puja, not work, which is

unpleasant. Rama's Grace helped all to overcome obstacles. Take the name and

make your work light: that is My advice to you.

14.   I INSIST on your seeking and remaining in good company, Satsang. Being in

the midst of such spiritual heroes, you can fight against evil with a greater

chance of success. Once, when Garuda the sworn enemy of snakes went to Kailas,

he saw the snakes that Siva wore round His neck, His arms, His waist, and His

Feet. The snakes were safe now and they hissed with their puffed hoods at the

celestial bird, which could not do them any harm since they were in such Divine

Company. Garuda said: "Well! Glide down from the Body and I shall kill everyone

of you"! That is the value of the Sath one has reached. Satsang is valuable,

for it is like keeping a pot of water inside a tank of water; there will not be

any loss through

evaporation.

15. PRIDE is one of the worst sins in the spiritual field. If you feel conceited

that you are Bhakta of Hare, He will "hare" (destroy, in Telugu) you. Remember,

Sharanaagathi should be like the attitude of Lakshmana. Rama said: "Take Sita

and leave her in the forest". Implicit obedience! There is no other way. That

is Lakshmana. That is Sharanaagathi; the rest deserve, only of "Sarangathi",

the arrow of Rama.

16.   WHEN the queen Kaikeyi persuaded her husband to agree to her two requests

- enthroning her son Bharatha as the Crown Prince and sending the legitimate

heir, Rama, into exile for fourteen years - Lakshmana, another brother of Rama

and Bharatha, did not acquiesce tamely. He argued that man must meet every

little crisis with courage and self-reliance and that he should not yield

craven-like to the machinations of intrigue. He boasted that his arrow could

avert the crisis. But the arrow is an inferior weapon, even a negligible weapon

when compared with the efficiency of Love. Rama heard him coolly and advised him

to desist from that hasty Karma, "Dharma must guide Karma"; then alone can it be

praise-worthy and

successful.

17.   THE path of spiritual discipline, which is most beneficial to man, is laid

down in a simple and sweet manner in the great Scriptures of Ancient India. They

explain, through example and precept, the Divine Principle inherent in the

Universe and inspire mankind to gaze with awe and reverence at the handiwork of

God and His inscrutable Leela (sport). They prompt man to march along the

pilgrim road of sacrifice in the happy company of Sages, so that the body feels

the vision of the Eternal, which can be gained and enshrined in the heart

forever.

18.   WHEN Sri Rama decided to end His Avatar career and walked into the flooded

Sarayu River, a dog too followed the concourse. When asked why it had attached

itself to the entourage, it said, "I desire to enter Heaven with you all. I was

in my previous life a full-fledged Yogi; but I slipped and fell from the

straight path of self-control. I became the slave of conceit. I expounded the

Vedas as my fancy dictated, in strange but attractive ways. So, I have now

become this animal that takes delight in barking, biting and baying. The

persons who encouraged me then by praise are now the fleas and the flies that

crowd on my skin and pester me. Help me, Lord, to escape from the disgrace. I

have worked my Karma; I have lived out my

sentence".

19.   WHEN Rama is installed in the heart, every thing will be added unto you -

fame, fortune, freedom, fullness. Hanuman was a mere monkey-leader until he met

Rama. He was a Minister in the Court of his Master. But when Rama gave him the

commission to seek Sita, that is to say, when Rama was installed in his heart

as Guide and Guardian, Hanuman became immortal.

20.   DASA means "ten" and Ratha means "Chariot". Hence Dasaratha (the father of

Rama) in fact symbolizes "man" who operates with his ten sense organs such as

the eyes, the ears, the nose etc. His three wives symbolize man's three Gunas

(attributes) and his four sons, the four Purusharthas (purposes). Lakshmana

also represents the Buddhi (Intellect) of Rama. Hanuman is the mind, the

repository of courage, while Sugriva stands for Discrimination. With these to

help him, Rama succeeds in finding Sita, the lost Truth. This is the lesson of

the Ramayana to everyone.

21.   THERE are many who spend much time in mechanically reciting the name

"Rama" or systematically reading the Ramayana according to a fixed time-table,

or who worship the images of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman as a daily

ritual, with noisy pomp and pedantry; but like a person who puts a foot forward

only to draw it back again, these persons do not progress at all as the years

elapse. Without gaining purity of thought and intention, compassion and the

urge to serve, these outward expressions and exhibitions are but ways of

cheating yourself for having society applaud you as a great devotee. Your sight

must become an insight; it must be turned within and used to purify and clarify

your mind.

22.   THE greatest formula that can liberate, cleanse and elevate the mind is

Rama-Name, the Name of Rama. Rama is not to be identified with the hero of the

Ramayana, the Divine offspring of Emperor Dasaratha. The Court-Preceptor named

him Rama because it was a Name, which was already current. Vasishta, the

Preceptor, said that he had chosen that Name since it meant: He who pleases.

While everyone pleases the self, nothing pleases the caged individualized self

more than the free universal individualized self. The self is therefore

referred to as Atma-Rama, the self that confers unending joy.

23.   HANUMAN was ordered to discover the whereabouts of Sita and he implicitly,

without question, obeyed and succeeded. He did not calculate the dangers of the

journey and hesitate; and he did not feel proud that he was chosen for the high

adventure. He listened; he understood; he obeyed; and he won. The name Rama

Dootha, Messenger and Servant of Rama that he earned thereby has made him

immortal. You must earn the name, Sai Rama Dootha. Have fortitude and

self-control; use good and sweet-words; and examine each act of yours on the

touch-stone of My preference.

24.   THE toughest fiber is anger. It is the stickiest dirt. When you get angry,

you forget mother, father and teacher; you descend to the lowest depths. You

lose all discrimination in the excitement; even Hanumantha set fire to the

whole of Lanka when the Rakshasas who set fire to the tip of his tail incensed

him; and he lost sight of the fact that Sita was in the Asoka Vana. It was only

after he had exulted in achievement for a little while that he remembered it and

then he started condemning himself for his anger.

25.   RAMA is extolled as the ideal son who acted according to his father's wish

regardless of his own happiness. But Bhishma is a better example in this

respect. He acceded to a whim of his father and in so doing made even a greater

sacrifice than Rama. Dasaratha made Rama an exile in the forest for fourteen

years to satisfy the claims of Truth, while Santhanu made his son give up the

throne as well as a wedded life to satisfy a sensual desire of his senile body.

As a matter of fact, it is not the obedience to the father's whim that is

important; it is the adherence to Sathya and Dharma, which is Rama's forte.

TO BE CONTINUED