1008 PEARLS OF SAYINGS OF BHAGAWAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA - Part XII [401 to 500]

[Guest guest]

1008 PEARLS OF SAYINGS OF BHAGAWAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

Part XII [401 to 500]

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

401

FAITH has to be cultivated, first and foremost. It has to be nurtured in Love.

Love is fostered by Shanti (equanimity). Shanti can be gotten only when there

is full reliance on God and complete surrender to the Divine Will. If one loses

wealth, he may regain it by some means or other. If he loses health, some doctor

might prescribe a tonic to win it back. If one loses status and authority he

may, by sheer luck, gain them back. If Virtue is lost, it is lost forever;

nothing can restore the pristine purity. So one has to be ever vigilant and

should never slacken.

402

THE greatest of the virtues is Love. Love is the basis of Character. You may

have all other desirable things in plenty; but if you have no character, that

is to say Virtue, which is all strung on Love, you cannot have genuine Peace.

Money comes and... goes! But morality? It comes and grows! Morality has to be

grown in the heart by feeding it with Love; then only we can have justice,

security, law and order. If Love declines among the people, nations will weaken

and mankind will perish.

403

THIS created Universe has two aspects. One is impermanence (Antiyam). The second

one is unhappiness (Asutham). In the Gita, Krishna has said "Anityam Asukham

Lokan Imam Papya Bhajaswa Maam", nothing in this World can give happiness that

is, true and lasting happiness. Mistaking this World as "All" and forgetting

the Atman, which alone is eternal and is the only refuge, is the greatest folly

of man.

404

TODAY, man is pinning all his hopes on this slippery World and is madly running

after amassing and hoarding wealth. Of course, material needs are to be taken

care of, but within limits, and not at the cost of spiritual values. Money and

mansions are not the only wealth. Hoard the wealth of the Spirit. Character is

wealth. Good conduct is wealth. Spiritual wisdom is wealth.

405

DEVOTE your body, mind and senses to the service of others. "Paropakarartham

Idam Sariram", it is said. This body is intended to do only good and service to

others. The body is not gifted to you so that you hate and nurture jealousy

against others and live selfishly, worse than an animal. You should devote this

precious gift of the body in selfless and loving service always.

406

ANY one may blame you, but you should ignore all such blame and go forward in

doing service without rancour. Serving is your sole duty. The Universe is a

manifestation of God. So also is the individual. All these three are like

Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara, the Trinity. Actually there are no three; they

are one; it is Unified Godhead. Cherishing this thought of Oneness and serving

Society is true Adyatmic or Spiritual life.

407

SHANTI has detachment as the basic quality. The sea, which likes to gather and

possess, lies low; the cloud, that likes to renounce and give, is high up in

the sky. Shanti endows man with an unruffled mind and steady vision. The Prayer

for Shanti is usually repeated thrice: "OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti", since peace

is prayed for in the physical, mental and spiritual planes. Man should not

bring his blood to boil nor should he yield to fear.

408

MAN has been enslaved by money. He lives a superficial, hollow and artificial

life. This is indeed a great pity. Man should seek to possess only as much

money as is most essential for his living. The quantity of riches one must own

can be compared to the shoes one wears; if too small, they cause pain; if too

big, they are a hindrance while walking. Money too has to be with us only just

enough for a life of physical and mental comfort. When we have more, it breeds

pride, sloth and contempt for others.

409

THE world is becoming more and more deeply immersed in irreverence and cruelty.

Codes of decent behavior are being ignored and laughed at. The material is

receiving greater attention than the moral and spiritual. Faith in the victory

of Truth, Justice and Goodness is fast disappearing; the distinction between

good and bad is seldom recognised.

410

JOY is a deceptive trap; grief is the real preceptor, teaching caution,

circumspection, discrimination, detachment, awareness and vigilance. Death is

not the merciless that he is made out to be; he is the friend and companion,

the teacher, the kindly kinsman, who takes you into his fold and clothes you

with the halo of remembrance. The heart of man has to be toughened, not

hardened; it has to be made soft, not slithery; only the blows of loss, grief

and distress can achieve this. It is God's way of shaping us in the Divine

mould.

411

MAYA can be recognised and driven out only when the mind is purified by Prema

and the avoidance of envy and hatred, born of egoism. No act done without Love

can be commended; there are many who come here, thousands in fact, year after

year, sharing in the Bhajans, listening to discourses, lectures. But, they are

staying exactly where they were when they first arrived. Name without "Bhava"

seldom reaches the mark. The name of the Lord must be recited with awe and

wonder, humility and reverence.

412

THE Sages of this land had known the mine of Ananda that lies in every human

heart and they had discovered methods of developing that mine and working on

that gold. They said that if "Bhoomata" (Mother Earth), "Gomata" (Mother Cow),

"Nijamata" (the Mother) and "Veda Mata" (Mother Scripture) were revered and

fostered and used as best as they could be, happiness is certain and liberation

is assured.

413

YOU will doubtless agree when I say that Ananda is your greatest need. But you

cannot order it from any shop. It has to be earned the hard way - doing good

deeds, moving in good company, desisting from evil and keeping the mind

attached to the Glory of God. Good and bad cannot be kept together in the same

vessel; then the good also will turn bad. Night and light cannot coexist.

414

YOU are getting the great chance of partaking in a huge Sathsang from today.

Thousands are coming to this place, prompted by a keen desire to see, hear and

contact Divinity, and for those who have kindled desires, the chance to move

about in the Sea of Spirit is indeed a sign of Grace. This is the benefit, as

fairs and festivals are held in holy places, the wave of exhilaration,

enthusiasm and exultation lifts men aloft into the rarefied air of Holy

Beatitude.

415

ENDEAVOUR always to promote the joy and happiness of your fellow countrymen in

this continent; be sharers in this joy and happiness. Bharath is so called,

because the people of that country have "Rathi" (great attachment) to "Bha"

(Bhagawan, the God). They are afraid of sin; they are eager to acquire "Jnana".

 

416

HAVE your Prema fixed on the Lord, whether your pretty wishes are fulfilled or

not. Do not let the treasure slip on some silly excuse or other. When Sai Baba

confers success after success on you, you are foremost in singing, "Sai

Sankara, Sai Sankara", but when the shadow of disappointment falls on you,

immediately you turn around and declare. "This Sai is not God".

417

PRACTICE renunciation from now on, that you may set out on the journey when the

call comes, you don't know when . . Or at that moment, you will be in tears

when you think of the house you have built, the property you have accumulated,

the fame you have amassed and the titles you have won. Know that all this is

for the fleeting moment; develop attachment for the Lord, who will be with you

wherever you go. Only the years that you have lived with the Lord have to be

counted as life, the rest are all out of count.

418

THE glory of Bharath, which has illumined for centuries the hearts of humanity,

is awaiting the march of the Sai Movement through proper presentation and

practical application by you, to have an even more brilliant future in the

coming years. As the spark that causes the fire, as a driver in the engine

drawing a long line of coaches along, as the designer and operator of a system

of automatic lights, this Sai is here creating and fostering the World and all

its various communities living and non living.

419

LEARN from childhood the recitation of the Name and Prayer and the Practice of

Silence. Let children contemplate the beauties and the magnificence of God's

Handiwork and be filled with mystery and awe. Do not count and calculate what

the Puttaparthi Sai Baba gives. "I do not give in order to attract you to Me; I

give only to fill you with Ananda. Showering Ananda is My task. I do not want

you to extol Me; I shall be satisfied if you rely on Me. The mysterious

indescribable Superpower has come within reach. It will never engage Itself in

any task without fruit".

420

YOU need not waste time in trying to discover My nature and Me. Understand what

I teach not Who is the teacher, for I am beyond your intellect and your

Shakthi. You will understand Me only through My work. That is why sometimes, in

order to reveal who I am, I Myself show you My "Visiting Card", something that

you call a Miracle. Know the "Marma", or the mystery and carry out the "Karma",

or the duty I assign you.

421

MUSIC, a vehicle of Peace, is universally popular. Men, women and children of

all lands are amenable to its subtle influence. Even animals and plants are

susceptible to music. The Lord has said, "Madbhakthash yathra gaayanthe,

thathra thishtaami Naarad": "Where My devotees sing, there I seat Myself".

422

PEOPLE of all ages, of all states of health and wealth, of various levels of

learning and intelligence come to Prasanthi Nilayam. This Prasanthi Nilayam is

also the refuge for all who have no other place to go to. Do not treat any one

as an alien. Remember all have Me as their guardian and support. Have no anger,

malice, envy or pride against or before anyone. Be full of humility; have faith

in human goodness.

423

PREMA is the motive power in Karma yoga. It is the very breath of Bhaktiyoga. It

is universal and infinite in Jnana; it sees the Lord everywhere and in

everything, when Vairagya has been achieved. The Bhagavata is saturated with

the sweetness of Prema.

424

VEDANTA is like the roar of the lion; it gives courage and enterprise; it makes

a man hero, it does not whine or howl or cry; it drives cowardice away,

instills the highest types of self-confidence; it is the strongest armour

against the arrows of take; it acts like a waterproof medium against the hail

storms on sensual pleasure; it is a curtain keeping out the mosquitoes of

worry, which would otherwise rob you of sleep. With a Vedanta- saturated heart,

you are a rock on the shore, unaffected by the waves of temptation. Vedanta

challenges your spirit of adventure and your own reality.

425

THE spiritual laws that the sages of India have discovered and laid down will

never be overruled. They stand valid forever. Further research can only

strengthen and confirm their authenticity, as further facts only render the

diamond more brilliant. Bharath has contributed to the World the priceless gem

of Truth; "Iswarah Darvabhutaanaam Hrddese, Arjuna, Thishtati". God is the

resident motivator of all beings. Until this fact is realised by the individual

he will be tainted by traces of anger, pride and hate, for he sees others as

distinct and different.

426

ALL Religions teach one basic discipline - the removal of the blemish of egoism

from the mind, of running after little joys. Every Religion teaches man to fill

his being with the Glory of God, and evict the pettiness of conceit. It trains

him in methods of detachment and discrimination, so that he may aim high and

attain liberation. Believe that all hearts are motivated by the one and Only

God; that all faiths glorify the One and the Only God; that all names, in all

languages, and all Forms men can conceive, denote the One and Only God.

427

IF you have the capacity to draw the Lord to yourself, He will Himself come to

you and be with you. Be like the flute - a hollow reed - straight, light, with

no substance to hinder His breath. Then He will come and pick you up from the

ground. He will breathe Divine music through you, playing upon you with a

delicate touch. He will stick the flute into His sash. He will press His lips

on it. In His hand, the Infinitesimal will be transmuted into the Infinite, the

OM will be transformed into the gama.

428

THE Dharma that is the heritage of India is the stuff of life for all men. It is

the backbone of morality and well-being. It is the nectar, which can confer

Immortality. Others may, in their ignorance, laugh at Indians for taking a

stone to be God. But what they do is to realise even the stone as God. It is

transformed into God, an act which is a grand victory. The highest energies of

man in this land are used for conquering death, while in other countries they

are misused in the diabolic attempt to make weapons of mass destruction.

429

DO not attach yourself too much to this body or to the things that bring comfort

to it. You earn three friends in this life: the first is the riches you

accumulate which refuse to come with you when you move out of this life. The

second, Kith and kin, accompany your body to the burial ground or cremation

ghat. The third, the merit and demerit that you have earned, accompany you to

the last.

430

YOU complain that God is invisible, but the fault is yours not to recognise God

in all His various manifestations. You are yourself "a manifestation of God".

But you do not know it; you call yourself a sinner, a worm born in sin,

wallowing in sin, essentially wicked. But let someone who takes you at your

word call you "Hello, Sinner", you resent it. Why? Because your real nature is

purity, peace, and joy.

431

MAN must earn his birthright, namely "Shanti". "Ashanti" is for him an unnatural

state. His real nature is "Shanti". To recover his heritage of "Shanti", man

tries various methods: accumulation of riches, maintenance of health, mastery

of knowledge and cultivation of the arts. But these are not fundamental. Three

basic wants still remain after all these methods have been tried: the need for

Reality; for Light; and for Immortality. It is only when "Sath", "Jyothi" and

"Amrutham" are won that "Shanti" will be established.

432

DO not cloud your mind with cheap desires, transitory hungers, and thirsts that

need but morsels or mouthfuls. Yearn for the enthronement of your soul as the

unquestioned monarch of the Universe, when you merge in the Universal.

Celebrate your triumph over the foes within that hamper your march to victory.

Acquire Me as your Charioteer. I shall lead you to that consummation. Earn that

unfailing Grace by your sincerity, simplicity, and "Sadhana".

433

YOU have two eyes in your Consciousness, namely, "Sathya" and "Ahimsa". They are

the guides, which will take you to the goal, the two lights, the Sun and the

Moon of the inner firmament. If you want to know the way in which you have to

observe "Sathya" or Truth in speech, look into the Gita. It tells you that the

best speech is "anudvegakarm Vaakyam". (Speech that does not create pain or

anger or grief to others).

434

RELY on the Lord and accept whatever is your lot. He is in you, with you. He

knows best what to give and when. He is full of Prema. That is My uniqueness:

Prema. Prema is the special gift I bring, the special medium through which My

Grace operates. That is the basis of all My acts. God is said to reside in

everything. Yes. He resides as Prema. Devoid of Prema, the World becomes a

cauldron of misery.

435

BEFORE pointing to the faults of others, examine yourselves and assure

yourselves that you are free from faults. That alone gives you the right; but

the wonder is that you discover faults in others only when you have faults in

you. Once you rid yourselves of faults, all are pure and good. Whatever you

touch becomes gold. That is the Divine Alchemy of Love, Divine Love, Universal

Love, and Love for Love's own sake.

436

TO have faith you must dive deep into the inner mystery of the Avatars, like

Rama or Krishna, and not lose your way in the tangle of the outer events and

emotional conflicts, the external adventures and activities. Do not take Rama

as a brother, son and husband, entangled in the personal calamity of having his

wife kidnapped and heroically rescuing her. You can be moved into the adoration

only by diving into the cool depths of the inner mystery. The Sages of the

inner mystery specially discovered this process. The Sages of India specially

discovered it, and so, India rose to the status of the whole World.

437

SINCE I move about with you, eat like you, and talk with you, you are deluded

into the belief that this is but an instance of common humanity. Be warned

against this mistake. I am also deluding you by My singing with you, talking

with you and engaging Myself in activities with you. But any moment, My

Divinity may be revealed to you. You have to be ready, prepared for that

moment. Since Divinity is enveloped by humanness, you must endeavor to overcome

"Maya" (Delusion) that hides it from your eyes.

438

YOU can hear adoration to Sathya Sai's Name reverberating throughout the World,

even while this Body is existing - not at some future date, but when It is with

you and before you. And again, you can witness very soon, the restoration of

"Sanathana Dharma", to its genuine and natural status; the "Dharma" laid down

in the Vedas for the good of all the peoples of the World. The revival of Vedic

Dharma is the Sai Sankalpa (the resolve that Sai has), not only drawing people

towards Me, attracting them by the manifestation of My "Shakthi" (Power) and

"Samarthya" (Capacity). This is not a "Brahmathathwa" (phenomenon of delusion).

This phenomenon will sustain Truth, it will uproot untruth, and in that victory,

make all of you exult in ecstasy. This is the Sai Sankalpa.

439

MAN is ill; but he is resorting to remedies that cannot cure. Diagnose yourself.

Discover the root cause; apply the proper remedy; that is the way of the wise.

Do not run after quacks or pseudo panaceas. Sow the seeds of Prema, after

preparing the soil of you heart, and removing the weeds. Let them grow, watered

by Faith and yield the blossoms of "Sahana" (fortitude); later you are assured

of the fruit, "Shanti". This is the task; this is the duty; and this has to be

the vow.

440

WHEN a Namavali extols Shiva, the next one will have to be on Krishna, the next

on Rama and so on. A person whose favorite form is Rama or Shiva will feel

neglected if, out of inadvertence, you stick to only one form. Let the

atmosphere of Bhajan be free from competitive conceit and fanaticism. This is

My advice.

441

YOU are only actors on the stage before the footlights. The Director, who knows

the Play, who assigns the roles, who gives the cues, who calls you in and puts

you on, is behind the curtain. You are a puppet; He holds the strings. If He

must be seen, you have to be His "Sakhaa" (friend) or "Bandhu" (kinsman).

Merely being an onlooker will not entitle you to approach Him and be in His

holy company. Cultivate His friendship or kinship by the attitude of Love and

Dedicated Service.

442

TO realise the One, the Universal Absolute, which personalizes itself into God

and creation, there is no discipline more valuable and more effective than

Seva. All the 1008 Names of the 1000-faced Society connote only the One God

that plays in those 1000 roles. The One appears as if it is enshrined in the

1000 bodies. This is the Truth you have to realise and cherish as the most

precious in life.

443

MAN cannot reap the full fruits of his life here below if he only gathers riches

or collects popular votes, or loads his head with tons of tomes. He has to

cultivate and practice virtues too. He has to adhere to Dharma. The Sruthis

direct that man has to earn just enough for his upkeep by honest means and use

the rest of his time and skill for the general good, Dharma-Artha. Earn Artha

through Dharma. Then he will certainly have plenty of Divine Grace.

444

ONE gets the liberating Wisdom of the Reality through Grace, Prayer, or Prema.

You cannot achieve the Goal through good works alone. In good, there is an

extra "O", something that is a mere Zero; that is to say, the desire which

prompts you, the fruit that entices you, the reputation that tantalizes you -

these are all sheer zeros, a big 0. Leave it off and then we have God who is

Zeroless, with no self intruding. That is to say, we have God. Desire plus Life

is Man. Life minus Desire is God.

445

YOU have to busy yourselves with activity in order to use time and skill to the

best advantage. That is your Duty and Duty is God. The dull and the inert will

hesitate to be active for fear of exhaustion or failure or loss. The emotional,

passionate individuals will plunge headlong and crave for quick results, and

will be disappointed if they do not come in. The balanced persons will be

active because it is their duty. They will not be agitated by anything -

failure or success. The Godly will take up activity as a means of worshipping

God; and they leave the result to God. They know that they are but instruments

in the hands of God.

446

INTELLECT alone can direct man in the path of discrimination, between the true

path and the false, the proper step and the improper. This is the reason why

man has been praying since Ages through the Gayathri hymn; "Illumine me and

prompt my intelligence so that I may walk aright".

447

MAN loses his status of humanness through acts that shame even the beasts. He

does not strive towards revealing and manifesting his latent Divinity! That is

not as big a failing as this sliding back into the animal from which he rose!

If he keeps on with his human attributes and capacities, that will serve him

well enough. A formidable list can be made of the inadequacies and defects of

man but, the basic defect is greed; "Uncontrolled desire", always clamoring for

more, as a result of the ceaseless prompting of the senses.

448

THE human body is a temple chariot; the Atma is installed therein; and it is

dragged by emotions, impulses, passions and urges, along the streets of desire.

Success and failure, joy and grief, gain and loss are the dancers who accompany

this procession of Life. Here too, many pour their attention only on the

chariot; its height, its decoration and its progress. Many others are concerned

with the dance of duality and the pain-pleasure duet, that is part of the

procession. Few pay attention to the Atma, the Crown and Consummation of human

existence.

449

SAGES and Saints have known that the most noteworthy achievement of the senses

of man is the glorification of the God within. "They are not eyes, they are but

globules of glass, that do not earn a vision of God", says one. "They are not

ears, they are but muscular protrusions that do not relish the praise of God"

says another. Surdas condemns the hand that does not worship God and calls such

hands "sticks of wood". The World and its attractions may appeal to your

instincts and impulses but, God draws out your Love, as no worldly being can.

Develop the inner vision and the habit of listening to the inner Voice; and you

are assured of unshakable Peace and infinite Joy.

450

LIVE without hating others, condemning others and seeking faults in others.

Vyasa, who wrote eighteen voluminous Puranas, summarized all the Puranas in one

single line of a small couplet: "Doing good to others is the only meritorious

act; doing evil is the most heinous sin". When you feel you cannot do good, at

least desist from doing evil. That itself is meritorious service! Do not try to

discover differences; discover unity. Creeds, castes and country of origin may

differ; but the inner hunger is the same for all mankind.

451

CONSIDER the word "Nara", which denotes "man". Of these two syllables "ra" means

decline, decay, destruction and death. "Na" means "without". Man or Nara has no

decay; he is immortal as God, for he is God. It is pitiable that man is misled

to believe that he is the decaying, daily dying physical frame. Whereas "Nara"

means Man, "Narayana" is the name for God. Nara symbolises the five

constituents of the Cosmos; the five Bhoothas (projections, elements), which

emanated from God to form the Cosmos. The expression Narayana, which is used in

the Scriptures, implies that Nara is Narayana.

452

THE spark of Love in you has to be cherished and fed, so that it may reach God.

Then, every being will be God, every act will be Divine, every reaction you get

from the outside world will be charged with Prema and sweetened with nectar. You

love the God in all beings and the God in all beings responds with Love. Love

God, though tribulation may be your lot. Love Him, though you are refused and

rebuked. For it is only in the crucible of travail that the metal is purified

and cleared of blemish. Adoration of God has to be through one name and one

form; but, that should not limit your loyalty to that particular province only.

 

453

THE Dominion of God is without horizon. It envelops space and goes even beyond

it. So do not allow the needs of worship or Pooja to put blinkers on your eyes.

Do not have other names or other forms of the same Supra-Cosmic Magnificence,

the Purushothama. For hate breeds fear. Hate is the seedbed of anxiety,

scandal, and falsehood. It drains your mind of peace. You may have light

without oil, fire without smoke, breeze without a bearer fanning you, a

chilliness in the air of your room in the sizzling heat of summer. Unless you

are at peace with yourselves and with those around you, your pulse will be

quick and your blood will be racing in rage and rancour. Love alone can

alleviate anxiety and allay fear.

454

PREMA, when you cultivate it, will remove the weeds of anger and malice. It will

blossom into peace and calm. My teaching is Prema. My message is Prema. My

activity is Prema; and My way of living is Prema. There is nothing more

precious than Love within human grasp.

455

BHARATH is the birthplace of the Vedas and of the Sastras, Epics and Puranas

that have elaborated the principles enunciated therein for the education of the

common man. It is the nursery of music and other fine arts, inspired by the

noble passion of consecrating human skills for adoring the Divine and

communicating the super sensuous. It is the stuff and sustenance of the mystic

and the ascetic, the intellectual and the dynamic adorer of God. It is the

field where the Science of Yoga was cultivated and systematized.

456

WHO is Baba? Who am I? And the answer is: I am the reflected image of Baba. Baba

is the original of which I am the reflection. That is the relationship. That is

the bond, whether you know it or not. Whether the image is distorted or

correct, you do "Dhyana" morning and evening; you do "Japam", you engage

yourself in "Sravanam", "Kirtanam", "Padasevanam", "Vandanam", "Dasyam",

"Archanam", "Sakhyam" and "Atmanivedanam" - all for realising that you are but

an image to become a clean, clear image of the Lord; so clean and clear that

you merge in Him.

457

ENDURANCE, with joyful resignation of the ups and downs of life, is the royal

road to Peace. Everyone craves "Sukha" and "Shanti"; but there is no one to

instruct Youth how to win them. The Ramayana and the Mahabharatha are

reservoirs of Knowledge for the seekers of Peace. They are replete with

examples and precepts which are inspiring and timely. By taking the teachings

to heart, Purity can be attained. The pure heart directed towards God and

reflecting His image is indeed Heaven, Vaikunta, or Kailas.

458

LIVING under the impression that you are the body and you are destroyed with the

death of the body is an illusion which is basically undesirable. Another

illusion is that happiness consists in accumulating money, knowledge, comforts,

or reputation. Trying to be happy through such accumulation is like getting into

the Madras bus and hoping to reach Bangalore. What is happiness? It is the state

of mind which is, by fortune, good or bad. By systematic education, the mind can

attain the state. If activity is done as worship, then the mind can attain the

state. If activity is done as worship, then the mind will be steady and free

from anxiety.

459

THE word Hindu means those who keep away from the path of violence, away from

inflicting injury on others, Hin (Hinsa - Injury; Violence); du (dura-away,

distant) The Sastras declare that the essence of all the 18 Puranas, so highly

revered in India, is: Merit is when you do good to another; Sin is when you do

evil to another. When you are fixed in this path, you will welcome all Faiths

and Religions as kith and kin. All Faiths attempt to train man along the path.

Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Parsis, all aspire to win the same

illumination, through the cleansing of the mind by means of good work.

460

WHEN a tree first shoots forth from the seed, it comes up with a stem and two

incipient leaves! But later, when it grows, the trunk is one, and the branches

are many! Each branch may be thick enough to be called a trunk but, one should

not forget that the roots send food as sap through one single trunk. God, the

same God, feeds the spiritual hunger of all nations and all faiths, through the

common sustenance of truth, virtue, humility and sacrifice.

461

BRAHMA'S lotus is not the stalk that grows in mud and rises above the waters to

catch the rays of the sun and blossom but, the many petalled lotus of the

Heart, each petal being the direction in which a particular tendency attracts

the individual. The Bull on which Siva is said to ride is not the animal called

by that name but, the symbol of Dharma or Righteousness which has the four legs;

"Sathya", "Dharma", "Shanthi" and "Prema". Gopala did not graze cattle but,

protected and fed "Jivis", known also as "Go". In the study of the Veda, you

should look for the meaning, which satisfies the head.

462

THIS Nilayam is "Prasanthi Nilayam". It is the abode of the highest form of

Shanti - Prasanthi. In fact, you are, each one of you, the Nilayam of

Prasanthi. That is why, I very often address you as "Shanti Swarupulaara". My

object is to remind you that your real nature is Shanti, equanimity, peace,

unruffledness and non-attachment. You cannot draw out from within you that

which is not there. Therefore, Shanthi must be deep down, at the very core of

your being.

463

THIS World is full of people who suffer from insanity but, who are still outside

the asylums! Suddenly, when hatred envelops a country, even ordinary sane people

go mad and behave like savages. But sometimes in the Mental Hospital you will

find one type of "mad man". He sits in a corner, resting without a break,

watching the pranks and the wildness of the other inmates. The doctors will be

thankful to him, for he needs no care; he causes no trouble. His madness may be

melancholia or he may be a Jnani. The God bound man is like that. He is the only

sane man in this mad world.

464

BECOME fit for the vision of God that you seek in the temples. Go humbly, with

Prema in your heart for all creation. Take the "Hrudhayapushpa", full of

fragrance of Prema, the "Mano-phala" uncontaminated by the pests of greed and

egoism. Become sweet in word, deed and thought, so that you can dedicate

yourself to the services of God's Plan.

465

YOU will have seen the announcement that you should not bring Me fruits, flowers

etc. Some of you I know are sad that I have announced so. But I tell you; Come

to Me with empty hands. I shall fill your hands with gifts and Grace. If your

hands are full, what am I to fill them with?

466

ALL Worship and Pooja is for "Bhakti" only; for the better comfort and more

luxurious consumption of the Worshipper himself. Devotion has been vulgarised

into a business deal. I shall give you so much, provided you give me so much in

return. If another shrine promises more, this shrine is given up. And if you do

not get quick returns there or somewhere else, some other God, might be more

profitable. That is the way in which worldly men wander about in their panicky

rounds.

467

YOU are as distant from the Lord as you think you are, as near Him as you feel

you are. Well, let me tell you this. This distance from Me to you is the same

as the distance from you to Me, is it not? But, you complain that I am far from

you, though you are approaching nearer and nearer. How can that be? I am as near

you as you are near Me.

468

WHEN a prisoner is taken from place to place, two Constables accompany him. When

man, who is a prisoner in this jail, moves from one place to another,

“Ahamkaram” and “Mamakaram” too, accompany him: Egoism and Attachment. When he

moves above without these two, you can be sure he is a free man, liberated from

prison.

469

DO all the household work as acts of Worship for Him. That is more fruitful than

hours of Dhyana, hours gained by entrusting this precious work to paid helpers.

Men too must feel that frittering away precious time, flitting from one vanity

to another and seeking more and more purposeless means of spending days and

nights, is detrimental to the main aim of life. Spread joy, give strength,

distribute courage, console the distressed, and help the lame to walk, and the

blind to see. That is the real timetable of activities of man.

470

THE wealth that you hoard is not yours. The wealth that you have shared is

yours. For wealth that belongs to you need not be hidden. The wealth that you

have given away is really yours. That is the reason why Vedas have declared:

"Not through actions, not through progeny, not through wealth can Immortality

be won; it can be won only through renunciation".

471

IF only you surrender your wish and will and your fancies and fantasies to God,

He will lead you aright, and give you peace and joy. You must not run after

diverse ends and fleeting pleasures. Leave everything to God. Accept whatever

happens as His Will.

472

GOD is the echo of the hills, the flutter of the leaves, the whisper of men, the

babble of children, and the OM that is wafted everywhere. God is present at all

places but to recognise Him Saints have had to prescribe a thousand methods. He

is in everyone, yet He evades discovery by all but a few, being all-powerful. He

is the Giver of all Gifts, the Providence bestowing upon us all the wherewithal:

"Asvrithya Thishtathi" (He remains All Encompassing).

473

THROUGH sheer ignorance, and perversity, the Sastras have been ignored and set

aside, and man is misleading himself into the belief that his fancies are true,

just, and beneficial. Man has thrown his "humanness" into the crater of cruelty;

forgetting his best interests under the influence of hatred, envy, conceit and

power. He has cast aside the expanse of his culture. As a result, Peace has

flown from the heart of man, from the fold of Society, and the boundaries of

Nations.

474

ONE flower cannot make a garland. All flowers must come together to make one. So

you must equip yourselves with strong bodies, sacred ideals, and unselfish

intentions in order to serve your country. You can achieve any high ideal

provided you are cooperative, well disciplined, soaked in service and

sacrifice, and fully determined to succeed.

475

DO not hope to gain Grace by looking down upon mankind and looking up at Sai.

Remember that your dress, behavior, and appearance will reveal your character

and attitude towards others. Always have sweet, soft words on your tongue. Cast

your eyes only on holy sights. Wear clean, simple clothes and do not imitate

those who are fascinated by latest fashions in dress and style. How can you do

Seva when you move so far away from the common man? I advise you to "Follow the

Master". By "Master" I mean the Conscience within you, the Voice of God.

476

SERVICE is God. Why has God endowed man with a body, a mind and an intellect?

Feel with the mind, plan with the intelligence and use the body to serve those

who are in need of service. Offer that act of service to God; worship him with

that Flower. Put into daily practice the ideals that Sathya Sai has been

propagating and make them known all over the World by standing forth living

examples of their greatness.

477

THE Upanishads proclaim that Thyaga alone can grant "Amrithatva" (Renunciation

alone can bring about the Bliss of Immortality). One has to ignore all bonds of

kinship and comradeship, give up all attachment and affection, and, in the heart

thus liberated, install God in all His Glory. This is the only means to earn

everlasting and undiminished Ananda.

478

WHETHER one is a renowned scholar with expert knowledge of the deepest levels of

religious lore, a monarch reveling in the brilliance of palatial luxury, a hero

of many battles, or a miserable victim of poverty - if one has no devotion to

the Lord, one does not deserve homage, honour, or attention.

479

DO not hesitate to practice humility and obedience, discipline and compassion;

Give up pride of your status, wealth, scholarship or official position. "Can I,

a big Officer, a rich merchant, a great scholar, a man highly respected in

Society, descend to this level of clubbing with this sorrowing man? "Do not ask

such silly questions. Everyone of these qualifications of which you boast will

disappear with death, or sometimes sooner. The Ananda that you give and the

Love that you share will be your lasting possessions.

480

THE great axioms of Bharathiya Culture found in the Vedas -

"Iswarassarvabhuthaanaam", "Isaavaayamidam Sarvam", "Vassudevassarvamidam" (God

is the inner Motivator of all beings; All this is enveloped in God; All this is

Vasudeva and the Divine is to be inside one). This is the inner mystery of the

Incarnation: God incarnating in all! All are one; The One is All. There is only

one God; He is Omnipresent! There is only one Religion, the Religion of Love.

There is only one Caste, the caste of Humanity. There is only one Language, the

Language of the Heart.

481

WHAT is the root of worry? Wants and the efforts to fulfill them, and the fear

of not succeeding to the extent desired. Reduce wants and you reduce worry. You

congregate here on the Nilayam verandah seeking a personal interview with Me,

with a load of wishes in your heart; wishes, that you want me to fulfill! Why

carry all the load? Carry only one load: the desire to win the Grace of God. He

will confer what is best for you. Leave the rest to Him.

482

WHAT is this lifetime? Is it to struggle in the mire or march straight on to the

eternal? You will get millions to tell you what is pleasing to you, but it is

difficult to get one in a million who can tell you what is good for you. What

is good for you is akin to Truth. Truth is hard but beneficial. It is

unpleasant advice to tell a man to stick to the Truth at all costs; Truth alone

pays dividends that satisfy.

483

PEOPLE think that they live on food. Then how is it that, while the wealthy who

can afford all kinds of food, succumb to untimely death, while the poor still

live? Man does not live by food alone. In fact he lives by the power of the

Soul. Without discrimination, what is the use of physical strength?

484

TO presume that either from wealth or kith and kin you can derive mental peace,

is a great error. Such peace only comes from God. In fact, there is no strength

superior to Love. Where Love is, there everything is. So you must live in God;

and live in Love; then everything shall be right. You must make others also

live in Love.

485

WE talk of Moksha. What is it? It is only giving up the "Anatma", the Unreal.

Suppose you want a tumbler of fruit juice. Unless you throw away the water

already in the tumbler, you cannot pour the juice in the tumbler. Similarly,

unless you give up materialism, "Atmabhava" (spirituality), cannot come to you.

"Moksha" is not a distinct and different "Sadhana". It is only giving up

unnecessary desires. Through anger, wisdom is lost. Disharmony is the cause of

anger; of disharmony, jealousy, and of jealousy, ignorance is the cause.

486

MAKE your body and mind pure. This place is like a workshop where broken-down

cars are repaired and made whole. Do not entertain bad thoughts and do bad

deeds. Life is holy and sacred. Go through it with joy and happiness. Do not

carry gloomy, unhappy faces. Happiness is union with God. This period of your

life is sacred. If you can not derive happiness and live in Bliss at this age,

can you be blissful when you grow old? Now, you have only two legs to carry;

you can jump about freely. But when you marry and rear up a family, you will

move like a caterpillar with many legs!

487

SO long as man is bound to the body, his God too has to be in a body like his

own. It is often said disparagingly, that God is conceived as having eyes,

nose, tongue and limbs. When the person who worships has these, the worshipped

too must have them, in order to make the worship meaningful. Only when one is

unaware of his "form", can he adore the "Formless"! It is indeed surprising

that those who laugh at God being pictured as having a body, do not laugh at

their being enclosed in a body! When man has to be corrected and liberated, God

has to come as Man, as Narayana had to do to save Mahabali.

488

THE Vedas are the foundation of the Bharatiya Culture. If in modern Society a

trace of spiritual illumination is visible, we can ascribe it to this Vedic

basis and the way of life I demand. All moral codes (Dharma) have emanated from

the Vedas; and all the Worlds have Dharma as their sustenance: "Vedamulam Idam

Jagath".

489

YOU will learn that I am Prema itself; that I give only one thing, Ananda,

through that Prema. My task is to distribute Solace, Courage, and Shanti. That

is to say, My Characteristics are the ancient authentic ones. Only the

Manifested Form is new. My desire, if I can put it in so many words, is this:

"More and more should yearn for Me. The desire will be realised only if I

assume this Form and come among you".

490

EVERY day, when you sleep, where are you? Who are you? Your senses are

inoperative; your intelligence is in abeyance; your mind creates a World of its

own and, after playing in it for some time, it lapses into inactivity. That is

sleep: the nearest you reach in your journey to Samadhi. Live in the

"Atmathathwam" that will ensure "Shanti". With the poison of "Raga" and

"Dwesha" inside you, how can you be pronounced healthy? If you experience the

"Atmathathwam", you become Bhagawan Himself.

491

ONCE Narada was asked to name the most noteworthy among the things of the World.

He answered that the Earth was the biggest. But, he was told water has occupied

three fourths of the Earth; it threatens to swallow up the balance too, bit by

bit. So, water, he had to agree, was more powerful. However, the Sage Agasthya

too drank up water and he rendered the Oceans dry and he, in turn, is now just

a star in the sky! Is the sky the biggest, then? For it was covered by one

single foot of the Vamena Avatar of the Lord. And, the Lord? O, He enters the

hearts of the devotees and resides there. So Narada had to conclude that the

hearts of Bhakthas are the grandest things in creation.

492

SANKARACHARYA came for the work of Dharma-Sthapana, but he did not wage a war

against the narrow Sectarians, or the wild Theologians who opposed him as a

Pseudo Buddhist. He won them over by argument, persuasion and preaching. He

spoke softly, but with conviction. He gave his opponents a fair chance to

present their cases to the best of their ability and sometimes he even helped

them to clarify their own points of view. Through Bodha alone, can Dharma be

saved in the modern Kali age. That is why I am engaged in Bodha, this task of

reconstruction through Upadesa.

493

A LIFE without character is as barren as a temple without a lamp, a coin that is

counterfeit, and a kite whose string has snapped. A teacher who instructs pupils

with his eye fixed on his salary, and a pupil who learns with his eye fixed on a

job are born missing their vocation. The teacher has to help the pupil unfold

and manifest the skills and qualities inherent in him and encourage him to rise

to the fullest height he is capable of. The Divine is the Core in both the

teacher and the pupil.

494

EVERYTHING in the Universe is vibrant with Sath, Chith and Ananda. We (Sath) are

intelligent (Chith) and blissful (Ananda). These three are attributes of

Divinity, which is our dormant but dominant force. Ignorant of the truth,

structures are built up and paraded on other bases. Mankind suffers from fear

and hatred on account of this fundamental defect in their search for Knowledge.

 

495

PRAYERS for worldly ends do not reach God. They will reach only those deities

who deal with such restricted spheres. But all prayers arising from pure Love,

unselfish eagerness to render service from hearts that are all inclusive, will

reach God. For God is the very Embodiment of Love. We know that we can see the

Moon only through the Moonlight. So too, God, who is Love, can be realised only

through Love. Love is God. Live in Love.

496

THE desires that cling to the mind are the blemishes that tarnish man's inner

consciousness. Control the senses. Do not yield to their insistent demands for

satisfaction. When a corpse is placed on a pyre and when the pyre is lit, both

the corpse and the pyre are reduced to ashes. So too, when the senses are

negated, the mind too disappears. When the mind disappears, delusion dies and

liberation is achieved.

497

VAAK or voice has to be rigorously trained to avoid chatter and wandering

prattle. Keep the tongue under control; do not express all you are prompted to

say; cut that inclination to the minimum. Silence will charge the battery and

you can win through a longer period of "Dhyana". Be full of Prema and then your

words will spread Prema. They will be sweet and soothing like balm to those who

suffer.

498

ATTACHMENT, affection and interest will create prejudice, partiality and

illusion; they hide the truth; and they dull the intelligence. Raga is Roga;

attachment is a disease, so far as the inquirer is concerned. It does not

become a Yogi to have Raga (affection); He must be free from favorites, fancies

and fondness. Once you attach yourself to some person or habit or mannerism, it

will be difficult for you to shake them off.

499

UPASANA means that all your thoughts, deeds and words on those holy days must be

about God; that you should spend the day "Near Him", "in Him" and "for Him". It

means that eating, sleeping and other bodily avocations have to take a

secondary role and that Meditation and Japam have to take the main role. If

your body wastes away as a result of these fasts, God will be blamed. So, you

are only drawing down the calumny of people on the God you adore.

500

WHY must man live for years - a burden on earth, so much of rice or wheat

consumed, year after year with no return in joy or peace to himself or others?

The Petromax light will shine bright only when you pump air vigorously, that is

to say, engage yourself in Sadhana and illumine your mind better and spread

light on all who come near you.

To be continued

With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Divine Lord Sai

Sai brothers

/

http://in.9/

2/

3/ 

 

Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now