1008 PEARLS OF SAYINGS OF BHAGAWAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA-Part XV [701 to 800]

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Om Sri Sai Ram

1008 PEARLS OF SAYINGS OF BHAGAWAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

Part XV [701 to 800]

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

701

IN order to live up to the high standards of morality which Indian culture

exhorts, you must cultivate Love, non-violence, fortitude and equanimity. The

last three guard and foster the first, Love, which you must cultivate. Many

people have succeeded, with the help of the latter three qualities, to get

their minds established in universal Love; but a large number of Sadhakas give

up the ascent midway, because they lose confidence in their true selves. They

do believe in God, who is the embodiment of Love and is their Real sustenance.

702

YOU must have heard some people say that no living person can be adored as God,

even though the Sruthi declares: "Daivam Mansushya Roopom" (God is to be seen

in the human form). Perhaps they can revere only a corpse. Not Sivam, but

Savam, is what they wish to revere.

703

OM must be recited slowly and with deliberation. The sound must be like an

aircraft, first approaching from a distance to the spot where you are and then

flying away again into the distance (soft at first but gradually becoming

louder and louder and then slowly relapsing into silence; this silence, after

the experience being as significant as the Pranavas). "U" is the zenith, the

Kailas, reached by the sound in its adoration. "A" is the initial nadir and "M"

the final.

704

YOU must realise that the Divine current that flows and functions in every

living being is the one Universal Entity. When you desire to enter the Mansion

of God, you are confronted by two closed doors - the desire to praise yourself

and the desire to defame others. The doors are bolted by envy; and there is

also the huge lock of egoism preventing entry; so if you are earnest, you have

to resort to the key of Prana (Love) and open the locks, then remove the bolt

and throw the doors wide open.

705

THE day on which Jesus was born is a holy day. He announced himself as the

Messenger of God. In fact, all humans are born as Messengers of God. The sole

purpose of this human career is to propagate the Omnipresence of God, His Might

and Glory. No one has incarnated for merely consuming food and catering to one's

senses. Human life is much more precious than that. That is why the capacity to

appreciate beauty, truth and goodness has been endowed only on man.

706

THE Brahmin, when born, is just a Sudra; birth does not entitle him to take up

the study of this Mystery, even if the boy happens to be the son of a great

Vedic scholar. It is only when he has been formally initiated by a special

ceremony that he can start the study of Sacred Scriptures. The ceremony makes

him a Brahmin; he is then born again into a sacred world of study and

responsibility.

707

MY Prema towards the Veda is equaled only by My Prema towards Humanity. My

mission, remember, is just fourfold; Vedaposhana, Vidwathposhana, Darmarakshana

and Baktharakshana. Spreading My Grace and My Power along these four directions,

I establish Myself in the Centre.

708

WHAT profit is it for the children to know the length of the Mississippi River

or the height of the Vesuvius? Why load them with information they may never

require? On the other hand, give them the tonic to strengthen their spirit, the

tonic of the Repetition of the Name of the Lord, the tonic of meditating on the

Glory of God in the silence of the heart. Formerly, children were learning Rama

Nama and the Akshara Mala together: "Suddha Brahma Paraathpara Rama". They were

taught to read and write. Now, they sing, "Ding dong bell, Pussy is in the

well". This type of silly meaningless jargon is spreading everywhere likes a

poisonous infection, destroying the seeds of peace and joy.

709

LIVING becomes a glorious experience only when it is sweetened by Tolerance and

Love. Willingness to compromise with others' ways of living and cooperation in

common tasks make living happy and fruitful. Certain modes of behaviour have

been laid down and proved beneficial by centuries of practice. These have to be

observed with modifications to suit the conditions of today. We are developing

in each department of life, but it is a pity that we are not developing the

unique qualities of human beings. Develop the Atmic awareness, the

consciousness of the Divine and the acquisition of Divine attributes. Expand

love and understanding.

710

WITHOUT mastery over the inner instruments of emotion, no man can be deemed to

be educated. The latent has to be cleansed so that the patent can flourish.

Experience is essential for the confirmation of consolidation of what is learnt

from books. We do not see any sign of this in the present educational system.

There is no attempt to awaken the Divine in Man and awareness of the

possibility of rising to the psychic plane.

711

EDUCATION must produce wisdom and moral character. It can be acquired only by

hard living and spending days of toil, with no respite even for sleep. But

present day education makes those who undergo it mere bonded-slaves to their

senses. They do not know how to avoid this bondage, so they revel in envy,

greed and egoism. What the country expects and demands from the educated person

is, however, that he should set an example of honest labour and light the lamp

of knowledge in every home.

712

SANKARA asserted that God is Formless and without Attributes and is best

described as Supreme, Effulgence or Jyothi. He also said that the individual is

not different from the Universal that Jiva is Brahman itself that the manifold

nature is also Brahman itself and seen through a strange veil as a mixture of

truth and falsehood, a peculiar make-believe called Maya or Avidya.

713

BRAHMAN is the cause and Prakriti (Nature) the effect. Nature is the deluding

manifestation of Brahman. It is what can be called Leelavibhuthi or an

expression of Glory (Vibuthi) done as more sport (Leela). When the Leela is

perceived as apart from Brahman, it is a false and incomplete perception. The

Leela is manifold, Brahman is all. To discover the One in the many is the

purpose of human existence. Brahmam is eternal. It is the Nithyavibhuthi, the

everlasting Splendour. It is named the Kingdom of God. Leelavibhuthi is

Prakriti or Maya or Avidya or Nature with deluding, deceptive diversities.

714

SPIRITUAL health is preserved and promoted by attention to three Gunas:

Sathvika, Rajas, and Thamas. Health is preserved and promoted by attention to

three humors: Vatha (wind) Pitha (bile) and Kapha (phlegm). Thri-dosha has to

be avoided, that is to say, the three humors must not get vitiated or

unbalanced. A healthy body is the best container for a healthy mind, illness

makes the mind agitated and anxious. The material and the spiritual are the two

pans in the balance. They have to be attended to, in equal measure, at least

until a certain stage of progress is attained in spiritual development.

715

THERE is a conscience in Man, a whispering right advice, restraining unjust

hands, which man has almost succeeded in silencing; but it is the voice of God;

it can never be made dumb. Make the children cognizant of it. In Kerala there is

a practice, still happily existing in rural parts, of the elders gathering the

children around them every evening and spending an hour or so reciting aloud

the Stotras in praise of God. It is essential that it must be revived. Time

thus spent is well spent. It will give great peace and joy.

716

THE Upanishads were not composed or collected by persons who craved for fame or

fortune; nor are they vapors of idlers and scribblers. They have the true ring

of actual experience. They arose out of compassion for others wandering in the

wilderness, out of concentration on the means of liberation from the dual chain

of tears and triumph. Those, upon whom the people are traditionally depending

for guidance, have become callous, forgetting their task, or involved in

darkness and dialectics. So, there is need to spread the message of Love, which

is the message of God. Simplicity is the sign of Divinity. Pomp, Paraphernalia,

Jaw-breaking formula, abracadabra and dark mysterious mumblings are alien to

the spirit of true Religion. These are tricks by which man wants to monopolise

or gain God.

717

PEOPLE do not understand the ways of God. How can they know why a particular

event takes place at a particular time, in a particular manner? He alone can

know. But people try to sit in judgment and talk ill when, for example, someone

dies of illness at this place. How can anyone escape death? Even Avatars cast

off the physical form when the task for which they have come is over. It is the

height of foolishness to lose faith in God, when someone you cared for dies. The

sentence that he earned is over and he is released. No one is born and allowed

to live for the sake of another.

718

I ADVISE you to utilise every moment of your lives in the most beneficial

manner, to serve your fellow men to the best of your capacity, to cultivate

Love towards all mankind and to give up hate and malice. Believe that your God,

the Form that you revere, is in every one and sanctifying every act as worship

of that Form.

719

MONKS are instructed to shave their heads so that they can move about

unrecognized by former friends and companions, but now, we find that they

desire recognition and even appreciation, adulation and adoration, things that

cater to the ego, things they are asked to flee from. A monk should, strictly

speaking, eat like a dog and sleep like a fox-that is the popular saying. Eat

whatever one gets and appease the hunger; and sleep wherever one finds shelter.

Do not store food for another day or build a house wherein to pass one's days.

Escape the entangling coils of the senses and of the ego that prompts them.

720

OF what benefit is the discourse of Mine if you do not receive it into your

hearts and act accordingly? I find that all the efforts, all these years to

awaken you to your duty are not fructifying in you. You are like the rocks on

the seashore that unflinchingly face the beating of the waves. The rock does

not move; the wave will not stop. This predicament should end. Awake and avail

yourselves of this unique chance.

721

DRAUPADI moved into the tent and fell at the feet of Bhishma who blessed her

spontaneously as was his wont: "May you have many years of married life".

Draupadi revealed herself as soon as she was blessed. She prayed that the

Pandava Brothers, her husbands, might be saved from arrows. Bhishma guessed

that Krishna must be the author of this stratagem. "We are but puppets in His

hands", he said; and when he found Krishna at the entrance of the tent, he

inquired what the bundle contained. Imagine his dismay when he was told that

the Lord had condescended to carry under His arms the sandals worn by His

devotee. Have faith in Him; He will never give you up; He will guard and guide

you until victory is won. Sincere devotion and unshaken faith can never fail to

earn Grace.

722

IN this Kali Age, the wicked have to be reformed and reconstructed through Love

and compassion. That is why this Avatar has come unarmed. It has come with the

message of Love. The only weapon which can transform the vile and the vicious

is the Name of the Lord uttered with Love.

723

BEFORE every Incarnation, two collaborators for the task, which causes the

incarnation to come, also appear as Mayasakthi and Yogasakthi. Maya comes, as

the elder sister, to warn the wicked; Yoga comes, as the elder brother, to

enthuse and keep constant company. Maya thrusts Kama deeper and deeper into

perdition, so that his downfall will be more terrible.

724

YOU cannot have this chance of being near to the greatest source of joy in any

other place. Here it is so near, so easy to attain and so full of grace. If you

fall back, you will seldom get the chance again. Ask and get what will save you,

not what will bind you. You ask from Me a thousand things of the World, but

rarely do you ask for "Me". That is why I seldom address you as Bhaktas; I

usually address you as "Divyatma Swaruplara", for that is your real Swarupa.

This Divyatman is Divinity. Though you do not know it, it is a fact. Therefore,

I can address you so, with confidence. I can even call you "Divya Divya

Swarupalara" but as for Bhakti, it is a quality that will make you desire the

Lord and nothing else.

725

WHEN the pot of milk on the hearth boils over, you pour cold water on it, and it

settles down. Durvasa is the example of the pot of milk boiling over; and Narada

of the pot of milk that does not. Narada had the Name of the Lord always on the

tongue and so the senses did not establish mastery. If you too keep your senses

and your wishes in check, you will gain by listening to these talks and by this

visit; and I will be happy that you have taken to the path that will give you

real strength and joy.

726

IN the past Ages, Avatars rid the world of evil, by destroying the few fanatics

and heroes who wrought it. But now, fanaticism and felony reign in every heart.

The number of Asuras or evil men is legion. All are wicked to some extent or

other. Therefore, everyone needs correction; and everyone has to be educated

and guided into the right path. Every being is a pilgrim destined to reach

Madhava and merge in Him; but most people have forgotten the road; they wander

like lost children, wasting precious time in the by-paths.

727

BHAKTI involves dedication with nothing held back; not even a wisp of ego should

remain. His command alone counts; His will prevails. Like a drunkard, the Bhakta

has no sense of honour or decency, pride or conceit. He is a Matha, as Unmatha,

a mad person, unconcerned with all that is unrelated to his ideal. He is deaf

to the call of hunger and thirst; he misses steps in logic and he calculates

wrongly while dealing in the marketplace.

728

Kurukshetra must be made a Dharmakshetra. Kurukshetra is the field where

brothers fought over a handful of earth; but it must be made a field for the

uplift of man through the practice of Dharma. It is for the sake of Jnana that

Dharma has been laid down. Bhakti and Karma are the two feet; and, the head is

Jnana; walk on with the help of these two.

729

WHEN the heart is pure, the Lord is revealed, He is the judge. He cannot be

bamboozled. The doctor may assure you that you do not have a fever, but the

thermometer cannot lie. The doctor may say so in order to save you from panic,

but the thermometer declares the truth. God knows and God will deal with you as

you deserve. Have that faith. Repent for all the wrongs done and resolve not to

repeat the mistake; then God will extend His grace.

730

YOU are the citizens of no mean land. Bharath is indeed a Divya Bhoomi: a land

saturated since the ages with Devotion and dedication to God, the path to God

was sought for by even the common folk; and spiritual discipline permeated

every activity of life and every detail of daily life. You are the inheritor of

a great culture, which has survived the onslaughts of alien rule and political

suppression.

731

WHEN someone sitting near you is immersed in sorrow, can you be happy? No! It

may be that a that when a baby weeps within hearing range, you will get tears

in your eyes in sympathy. Why? There is an unseen bond between the two. Man

alone has the quality of sympathy. He alone can be happy when others are happy,

and miserable when others are miserable. That is why he is the paragon of

creation and the acme of animal advance. Man alone is capable of Seva; that is

his special glory and unique skill.

732

GOOD ideas have to be accepted and bad ones eschewed. Each idea has to be judged

in the Supreme Court of Viveka (Intellect). And the ruling has to be treated as

inviolable. It is in this context that we have to remind ourselves of the

prayer of Gandhiji; "Sabko Sanmathi de Bhagawan", "Oh, God bestow the right

understanding on all".

733

YOU must devote sometime regularly for study and for Sadhana. Now you are

wasting time till late at night in clubs and frivolous company. A portion of

that time, if spent with God, can confer valuable results. This Motherland has

given you a culture that is attracting distracted people from all parts of the

world. Be grateful, study the culture and practice the disciplines it lays

down. Serve the poor and the helpless and those who eke out their livelihood by

hard work.

734

TODAY, we have factions everywhere at home, between husband and wife, in the

school between teacher and the pupil, and in Society between group and group,

this is deterioration indeed. Peace and harmony between members of the same

family are the foundation for peace in the land. The individual must be at

peace with himself. The coordinated effort of all the organs of the body is

essential for the healthy life.

735

FEEL happy that this is your mother country; love of the country is the basis on

which you can build love for the World Community. Love expands; it does not

limit itself to boundaries. Love your mother tongue; then you will discover

that all languages are as sweet as yours, for a language is as sweet as the

tongues of the speakers.

736

DO not preach; practice. In politics, in the field of administration, in schools

and colleges, in spiritual institutions, everywhere, we have a surfeit of

preachers but a famine of practitioners. Heroes on platforms prove themselves

to be Zeros when they descend to the ground. Therefore, demonstrate in your own

lives how Love can confer peace and joy; how all faiths lead to the same goal;

and how all men are brothers of one another.

737

THE only Message, the only lesson I can impart to you today is to remind you of

the great traditions of Bharath and ask you to spread Love throughout the

length and breadth of this great Land. Then, India can again be the spiritual

leader of humanity and fill the whole World with Divine Love.

738

STRIVE to move away from Untruth towards Truth; attempt to acquire knowledge of

yourself and of the origin of all selves and thus shed your fundamental

ignorance. Move away from the thoughts and anxieties about this body, subject

to decay and death, and become aware of the immortal soul which you really are.

 

739

WHO is the real resident of the body? You are the positive aspect that is

activating the negative aspect, the body. The life-breath repeats Soham, every

time you breathe. It means: "I am He, I am God"! What a profound authentic

declaration the breath is making every moment of your life while waking,

dreaming or in a deep sleep, whether you listen to it or not! If this simple

lesson, this Truth, which is being dinned all twenty-four hours of the day,

does not alert you or inform you of your real task, how can you understand your

Reality by the mere study of books?

740

DO not get involved with borrowed ideologies, imported fashions or attitudes or

apparels and exciting notions of social behaviour. Youth today is ruined by

this fascination for the false. Borrowed ideas cannot fit into the pattern of

our Culture. Sanathana Dharma is the Culture that has grown on this soil and is

best suited to maintaining peace and joys. You cannot shine in borrowed feathers

for long. They can give only temporary delight. So, do not distort or disfigure

your culture by limitation or neglect.

741

I AM neither a Sastravadin nor a Budhivadin. I am a Premavadin. So I have no

conflict with either the scholar who adheres to texts or the devotee of Reason.

Both have their good points as well as their limitations. If you acquire Prema,

then you can dispense with the Shastras, for the purpose of all the Shastras is

just that: to create the feeling of "Sarvajnana Samaanaprema" equal love for all

and to negate egoism which stands in the way.

742

PILGRIMAGES too are for elevating the heart, sublimating the impulses and

leading the lower self to higher levels of thought and action. Reason serves

the same purpose, or at least it ought to. Reason seeks to know the unity of

the Universe, the origin and goal of it all, the laws that govern the anu and

brhath, the microcosm and the macrocosm, and it peeps behind the curtain to get

a glimpse of the "Suthradhara", who pulls the strings.

743

JUST as you tend to the body with food and drink at regular intervals, you must

also tend to the needs of the inner Atmic body by regular Japam and Dhyanam and

the cultivation of Virtues. Satsang, Sath Pravarthana and Sath-Chinthana are all

essential for the growth and the health of the inner personality. The body is

the Bhavanam of the Bhabaneswara, His Bhuvanam. In so far as you are particular

about coffee or tea at regular intervals, be also particular about Dhyanam and

Japam at fixed times for the health and liveliness of the spirit.

744

IT is only when attachment increases that you suffer pain and grief. If you look

upon Nature and all created objects with the insight derived from the Inner

Vision, then attachment will slide away though the effort will remain. You will

also see everything much clearer and with a glory suffused with Divinity and

splendour. Close these eyes and open those Inner Eyes and what a grand picture

of essential unity you get. Attachment to Nature has limits but the attachment

to the Lord that you develop when the Inner Eye opens has no limit. Enjoy that

Reality not this false picture. The Lord is the immanent power in everything.

745

IT is here in India that there is a mine of Spiritual Wisdom and Spiritual

Treasure. The Dharsanas, Upanishads, Gita and the Vedas have to be distributed

pure and unsullied, guaranteed in value and quality to eager aspirants

everywhere. We have had a succession of Sages and Saints. On account of the

teachings and the lives of these people, there is a vast field of spiritual

virtue in this Land which needs only a little more care to yield a rich

harvest.

746

YOU must each one try to become ego-less; and then the Lord will accept you as

His Flute. Once, when a number of people were asked by Me what they would like

to be in the hands of God, I got various answers. Some said the Lotus; some the

Sankha; some the Chakra; but no one mentioned the Murali. I would advise you to

become the Murali, for then the Lord will come to you, pick you up, put you

upon His lips and breathe through you and out of the hollowness of your heart,

due to the utter absence of egoism that you have developed, He will create

captivating music for all creation to enjoy.

747

YOU have to carry on certain processes of thought and action in order to get to

the hard core of faith that this World is a funny mixture of Sathya and

Asathya, which is Mithya in fact. The Divine Life does not admit to the

slightest dross in character or delusion in intellect. So, people dedicated to

it must emphasise this by precept and example. Wipe out the root causes of

anxiety, fear and ignorance. Then only can the true personality of man shine

forth. Anxiety is removed by faith in the Lord; the faith that tells you that

whatever happens is for the best and that the Lord's will be done.

748

YOU are all Sath-Chith-Ananda Swarupas; only you are unaware of it and imagine

yourself to be this individual or that, and subjected to this limitation or

that! This is the myth that must be exploded in order that Divine Life may

start. It is the Divine that inspires, activates, leads and fulfills the life

of each being, however simple or complex its physical structure may be. From

the "Anu" to the "Brahath", every single entity is moving towards the estuary

where it merges in the Sea of Bliss.

749

THE Guru very often tells you that you have forgotten your real name or that you

have lost the most precious part of yourself and yet are unaware of the loss.

The Guru is the physician for the illness, which brings about the suffering of

alternate birth and death. He is an adept at the treatment needed for the cure.

If you do not get such a Guru, pray to the Lord Himself to show you the way and

He will surely come to your rescue.

750

WHEN the sun is over your head, there will be no shadow; similarly, when faith

is steady in your head, it should not cast any shadow of doubt. When man loses

his way and strays into the wilderness believing that he is the body, the Gunas

or the object, then the Avatar comes to warn and guide. Keep the faith in the

Lord undiminished, you can then safely move about in the World. No harm can

come to you.

751

HUSBAND and Wife are like two pieces of Wood, drifting down a flooded river,

they float near each other for sometime and, when some current comes between

them, they are parted. Each must move on to the sea at its own rate and in its

own time. There is no need to grieve over the parting of the two. It is the

very nature of Nature that it should be so.

752

DIVINE family exists in peace and concord. Siva has snakes on His arms, on His

head and around His waist. One of His sons, Kumara, rides on a Peacock, which

attacks snakes; another rides on a Mouse, which the snakes feed on. One son has

the head of an Elephant which whets the appetite of the Lion, which is the

vehicle used by Durga, the consort of Siva, who is so inseparable that She is

the left half of the body of Siva Himself. Nor is the Lion friendly by nature

to the Bull, which Lord Siva Himself has as his vehicle! Siva has Fire on the

central part of His Brow, and Water, the River (Ganga), on His head, both

incompatible. Imagine how loving and how cooperative the various components

have to be to render life on Kailas smooth and happy.

753

CARRY to every door the name of God and let the clouds be illumined by love and

reverence. Let every street in the towns, every village in the State ring with

the adoration of the Almighty; every sunrise sing of Rama, Easwara, Sankara,

and Krishna. Any Name is effective, provided it is suffused with the Divine

Essence. Love the branches, twigs, leaves, flowers and fruits. They may appear

to be different in colour, feel, taste, smell, etc. but they all are products

of the Earth, drawing sustenance from the Soil and the Sun. Live together in

Love; live in Peace; and live in Service.

754

WHEN clouds gather in the sky, lightning illuminates the clouds; similarly,

wisdom must illuminate education. The word of Sai is the path of Truth. Smaller

than the smallest atom; bigger than the biggest thing. The Atma is Brahmam;

witness of everything, and Brahmam is Atma.

755

BAMBOO is valued for its form and strength and beauty. Similarly, the real worth

of man lies in his intelligence. His intelligence has come to him over many

lives and the real value of his Buddhi is to practice Thyaga or renunciation.

But the Buddhi is covered by illusion, which is only the real reflection of the

Truth. When we throw away the water in the pot, we throw away the reflection of

the Sky in it as well. The reflection of Truth in our minds is only the

conglomeration of our desires.

756

THERE are three types of Knowledge: Knowledge of matter energy; Knowledge of

mental energy; and Knowledge of cosmic energy. Cosmic energy works in every

person in the form of Divine knowledge. Matter, in all form, is only energy.

Without atoms, you cannot have any matter; and in the atom, energy is in the

form of electron, proton, neutron etc. Energy springs from the structure of the

atomic constituents.

757

VOICE breeds disease. Bad thoughts and habits, bad company and bad food are

hostile grounds where disease thrives. "Arogya" and "Ananda" go hand in hand. A

sense of elation and exultation keeps the body free from ill health. Evil

habits, in which men indulge, are the chief cause of disease in the physical as

well as the mental state. Greed affects the mind; disappointment makes man

depressed. Man can justify his existence as man only by the cultivation of

virtues. Then he becomes a worthy candidate for Godhood.

758

ANYONE may blame you; but you should ignore all such blame and go forward in

doing service without rancour. Service is your only duty. The Universe is a

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

Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwara - the Trinity. Actually, there are no three,

they are one - it is the unified Godhead. Cherishing this thought of Oneness

and serving the Society is true Adhyatmic or spiritual life.

759

YOU should take to "Sarvada, Sarvakaleshu Sarvatra Haricharithanam". It is just

not sufficient holding a mala and doing Japa, once in the morning during Brahma

Muhurtha time, once in the afternoon and once in the evening. All the

twenty-four hours you should be in the remembrance of God. You should all the

time be striving to awaken the spirit within you and for its blossoming (Atma

Vikas). This is the real purpose of life.

760

MAN has in him vast resources of power. When he does not utilise them while

discharging his duties to himself and to the Society, which sustains him, he is

only becoming a target for ridicule. When you are on a railway station platform

waiting for the train that is due, and when you come to know that it arrives

five hours late, how do you react? You fling abusive words at the train. When

the coaches receive from you such treatment, how much worse treatment you

deserve for not fulfilling your duty and for disappointing the expectations

that you have raised by your being a man? Utilise your skills and learning as

consistently and as effectively as duty demands.

761

MOHAMMED preached monotheism and was driven out of Mecca. Jesus preached mercy

and charity and he was charged with treason. Harischandra refused to give up

his allegiance to Truth and was driven to such straits that he had to sell his

wife and son as slaves. So, when you stick to the path of Truth and

Righteousness, pain and poverty haunt you. But they are only clouds passing

through the sky, hiding for a little while the splendour of the Sun.

762

THE motherland is not a mere lump of earth. When we desire its progress, we have

to promote the progress of the people who dwell therein. The skill needed for

resuscitating and reforming man are found only in students. The reforming

process involves the removal in daily living of bad conduct and bad habits and

the practice of good conduct and good deeds. A man's worth can be measured by

his efforts to reform himself. This day, the Government has no authority to

reform the people; and the people have no authority to reform the Government.

763

THE Pranava is the essence of all sustenance, the embodiment of Rasa; of the

Earth, Water is the Rasa; of the water, Physic (Oshadi) is the Rasa; of the

Physic, the Human Person is the Rasa; of the Human Person, the Word is the

Rasa; of the Word RK is the Rasa; of the RK, Sama is the Rasa; of the Sama

(Veda), OM is the Rasa. These eight Rasas, the Earth, Water, Physic, Person,

Word, RK, Sama and OM lead to the ninth Ananda (Bliss). These are the

Navaratnas, the nine Essences, the nine Sustainers; and Ananda is the goal

which man is seeking, the aim of human life.

764

THE A of AUM is the Vishwa; the U is Tejas; and the M is Praajna- this is

another interpretation in the Scriptures. Vishwa is the Walking; Tejas is the

Dream; Prajna, the Deep Sleep stage. The Pranava Sadhana (the spiritual

exercise of meditation on OM) is therefore very important for Seekers. The

Vedas prescribe the repetition of the Pranava, while studying holy texts,

reciting the Name of the Divine, carrying out daily duties and offering gifts.

765

YOU have a Kalpavruksha, ready to give you all that you want; you have the Lord,

who protects and promotes all. The virtues of the people are treasures of the

State; the Smarana of the Name of the Lord is the root of all virtues. Narada,

who was afflicted with conceit that there was no other who had dedicated his

very breath to the recital of the Name, was once humbled to find that a ryot,

who managed to repeat the Name three times in the course of his overwhelming

multitude of distressing preoccupation from cock-crow to dusk, was judged a

great Bhakta.

766

JOY is your birthright; Shanti is your in-most nature. The Lord is your Staff

and Support. Do not discard it; do not be led away from the path of faith by

stories invented by malice and circulated by spite. Take up the Name of God,

any of the in- numerable ones, any that appeals to you most and the Form

appropriate to that Name and start repeating it, from now on. That is the Royal

Road to ensure Joy and Peace that will train you in the feeling of brotherhood

and remove enmity towards fellow men.

767

BECAUSE you have taken residence in this body, you cannot call the body "I".

When you sit here in this Hall, you do not call the Hall "I". You know you are

separate and that you are here only temporarily. When you go about in a Tonga,

you do not say that the Tonga is you, do you? You do not take the Tonga inside,

when you step down from it on reaching home. So, you also have to drop this body

when you reach "home".

768

PARAMATMA reveals its Glory in man; Prema appears in various forms, attaching

itself to riches, parents, children, one's life mate or friends. All these are

sparks of the same flame and the Love of the Universal is its highest

expression. Reading essays, guidebooks, and made-easy lessons and learning the

steps by note cannot cultivate this Prema. It has to begin with yearning for

the Light and an unbearable agony to escape from the Darkness as in the prayer

"Thamasomaa Jyothir Gamaya". The yearning itself will draw the light. The Love

will grow by itself and, by its own slow alchemy, turn you into God.

769

YOU must cultivate non-attachment towards Prakriti and attachment to the Lord. I

am reminded of the story of Sankara Bhatta. He was a great Sadhaka intent on

Japa and Ahgama to such an extent that he was reduced to skin and bone. He

worshipped Saraswathi or Vidya, which is the key to open the doors of Mukti.

Goddess Lakshmi saw his sad plight and was moved with great pity. She chided

Saraswathi for denying Her votary even the common joys of life and she hid in

his leaky hut to pour on him Her Grace. She offered him plenty, prosperity,

fame and fortune. She derided Saraswathi for neglecting to award comfort and

joy on Her hapless servant. But Sankara Bhatta turned a deaf ear to her

allurements; he said politely but firmly, "No, Saraswathi has blessed me with

the most precious wealth, the gift that liberates me.

I do not crave your Grace. Please remove yourself from my presence".

770

JEWELS give Joy, not Gold. You can experience the Name, you can imbibe the Form;

you can take them to heart and dwell upon them and fill yourself with the joy

that they evoke. That is why Jayadeva, Gomanga, Ramakrishna and others wished

to remain ants, tasting Sugar rather than becoming sugar itself. The Name is

like the seed implanted in your heart; when the shower of His Grace falls upon

it, it sprouts into a lovely tree. All trees that sprout from the Name are

equally lovely and shady.

771

MANAVA can become Madhava by engaging himself in Madhava Karma; he can then

discover his "Narayana - Tattwam". What is the use of doing only Manavakarma or

even Danavakarma and claiming that man is divine? Virtue is the life-breath and

character is the backbone. Without these, no meritorious act will fructify. A

man without character is like a pot with many holes, useless for carrying water

or for storing it. Renounce and win Peace.

772

HOW far have you progressed using the chance of these Discourses and the Darshan

and Sparshan? Bring something into your daily practice, as evidence of your

having known the secret of higher life from Me. Show that you have greater

brotherliness, speak less with more sweetness and self-control and that you can

bear defeat as well as victory with calm resignation.

773

WHILE speaking of God, who is guarding you, I am reminded of a note that someone

has sent Me from this gathering. The note wants Me to explain why I have not

mentioned SAI BABA in any of my Discourses so far, though I bear the name as

the Avatar of SAI BABA. Evidently, the writer of the note had in mind the

people who engage themselves in publicity work of Rama, Krishna or SAI BABA.

774

FOOLISHNESS, egoism, and sheer ignorance are the causes of misery of man today.

The eye, the ear and the tongue lead man to anxiety and malice instead of

making him a messenger of Peace and Harmony. Intellect is the root of pride and

envy. Vishnu is Jagannath at Puri; at Kasi Siva is Visweswara; where then is any

room for rivalry between those who worship at Puri and those who worship at

Kasi? Vishnu is Gopal (protector of cows) and Siva is Pasupathi (master of

cows). Still, the innate urge to fight comes up in the heart of man and he uses

the name of the Lord as an excuse for provoking the fighting tendencies.

775

THE airplane has to land at a certain place to take those who have reserved the

right to fly with the tickets they have purchased. So too the Lord has to come

down so that those who have won the right to be liberated may be saved.

Incidentally, others too will know of the Lord, of His grace and ways of

winning it, of the joy of liberation. There are some who deny even today the

possibility of air travel; they curse the contrivance. They cavil at it.

Similarly, there are many who cavil at the Avatar who has come to save them.

776

YOUR minds are wayward like monkeys that skip and jump from bough to branch.

Give them to Me. I can make them steady and harmless. When I say "Sit", they

will sit; when I say "Stand", they stand. That is what Shankaracharya offered

to do; he told Siva that he would hand over to him the monkey that was his mind

to Him so that it might be tamed and used for his delight. But it must be a

complete handing over with no reservations.

777

MAN comes into the World, burdened with Maya and its instrument, the Mind. The

Mind expresses itself through Attraction and Repulsion, Raga and Dwesha,

Affection and Hatred towards the external World. Raga is Rajasic in its effect

and it can be used for one's uplift as Narada used it to fix attention on the

Lord. Dwesha is Tamasic as Durvasa expressed it in his dealings with Ambarish

and others. Without Raga and Dwesha, the Mind cannot function at all. If these

two are removed, there can be no mind and no Maya; and you get fixed in Jnana.

778

THE study of the Vedas is the highest type of learning since it leads to the

conquest of Death. All other studies deal with the means of living or the

surroundings which you have to live; they deal with earning and spending,

deriving a little pleasure by this trick, escaping a little grief by that

trick. The Vedas show the path to the Realm of Eternal Bliss, where there is no

Birth or Death. People learn details about China, Russia and America; they know

about the volcanoes of the Pacific or the islands of the Arctic regions; but

they do not know an iota about the features of their own inner realms.

779

THE Karma Kanda is the biggest part of the Vedas, because Karma or sanctified

activity is the means by which the tree blossoms and the fruit matures and

grows. The Upasana Kanda deals with Upasana, the method by which the fruit

ripens. The Jnana Kanda describes Jnana, the process by which the fruit fills

itself with sweetness. The first stage takes the longest time. Also, it

comprises the largest portion; the second and the third are quicker by

comparison. And so they are shorter. The third stage can be accomplished, even

apart from the tree, by keeping in a warm place amidst straw or a hot room.

780

MAN can acquire the sweetness of Jnana by keeping himself in Satsang or even by

remaining in a solitary place by himself with Dhyana, for example. But, by

whatever means, the sweetness (Jnana) cannot be injected from outside; it must

grow from within. It is the transformation of the inner nature won by a

struggle with the inner foes.

781

JUST think of this for a while. You are in this body, in this receptacle, in

order to realise the God you really are. This body is the cocoon you have spun

round yourselves by means of your impulses and desires. Use it while it lasts,

to grow wings so that you can escape from it. You came into this world crying,

announcing your grief at being thrust into it, grief for having lost hold of

God. Having come with grief, decide not to go with it from here. Get rid of it

in this life.

782

BECOME entitled to the honoured title of Bhakta. My glory is spread daily

through those who call themselves My Bhaktas. Your virtue, your self-control,

your detachment, your faith and your steadfastness are the signs by which

people read of My Glory. Not that I want any such prop. But it just happens

that in this World, where men estimate others indirectly rather than directly.

Let me tell you, such Bhaktas are very rare. That is the reason why I do not

address you as "Bhaktulara". You can lay claim to that name only when you have

placed yourself in My hands fully, completely, and with no trace of ego kept

back to cater to your vanity.

783

ALL ills are traceable to faulty living. And what is that traceable to? The

ignorance of one's real Nature, ignorance so deep-rooted that it affects

thoughts, words and deeds. The drug that can cure it is presented under

different Names: Jnana; Karma; Upasana; and Bhakti. They are all the same in

potency and curative power. The difference lies only in the method of

administration: either as a mixture or as a tablet or by injection.

784

THIS Nilayam should not be treated with scant reverence. Make the best use of

your stay here. Do not treat this chance lightly. You come, spending lots of

money and you have put yourselves to much trouble to reach here. But you do not

bloom as fragrant offerings at the Lord's feet by learning the Sadhana path. The

senses have to be curbed into obedient servants of the Sprit. For example, I

insist on silence. Talk less. Talk low when you must talk. Do not thrust your

sorrows, your needs, and your problems into the ears of those who come here

with their own bundles of such things.

785

IN this Prashanthi Nilayam, there are certain limits laid down, certain modes of

spending time usefully recommended by Me. All who come here, whether longtime

residents or new arrivals, have to observe them. You have seen Me, stayed here,

and heard the Discourses. Let me ask: What is the gain? Are you going back

unchanged, unaffected? Dogs do not chew sugarcane; they seek a bone instead.

Ill-fated mortals recoil, when the talk is about God, Goodness, Sadhana, and

Sakshathkaram. But you must pull yourselves away from slums and bylanes and

travel on the highway to God. Dwell always on the Glory of God then you will

shine in that Glory. Adhere to Truth. That is the surest means of removing fear

from your heart. Prema can grow only in the heart that is watered by Truth.

786

THE Shastras warn you of false steps. They console you in times of stress and

they strengthen you in distress. They give correct interpretations of moral

dilemmas. They prescribe the dress, the food, the manner of speech, the methods

of social conduct, the mode of mutual behaviour and the lines of onward march.

They are the conscience of Society.

787

THE whole World knows what sacred ideals inspire the Sathya Sai Organizations.

It is true that a big bag of rice might contain a few grains of sand. Any human

organization is bound to have a few black sheep. But that will not affect the

Organization as long as it is true to its principles. The kind of service and

sacrifice the Sathya Sai Organizations are rendering is colossal. The basis for

all is the Love that prevails among the members. From ancient times, the

Upanishadic prayer said "Sahanaa Vavathu; Sahanaa Bhunaktu" (May He protect us

all; may He nourish us all.) The spirit of Oneness proclaimed in these Mantras

is operative today only in the Sathya Sai Organization.

788

SANATHANA Dharma is bound to overcome today's rampant materialism, for it can

harmonize the secular and the spiritual into a single way of life. It can bring

into closer kinship both man and God. It is based on the Divine, which is the

reality of the Self. So, it is not limited to one country, one individual, one

period or one set. It has a variety of procedures, points of view, disciplines

and guidelines, in accordance with the special features of the region, the age,

and the environment.

789

THE human body is the home of countless microbes and other parasitic beings. No

one can be free from these disease-inducing causes. But one can easily overcome

this sorrow by developing feelings of compassion towards all beings, and by

thoughts, which thrive on, and spread Love. Illness, both physical and mental,

is a reaction on the body caused by the poison in the mind. An uncontaminated

mind alone can ensure continuous health.

790

MAN struggles variously to attain Ananda. Ananda is the height of happiness, the

embodiment of joy. It is sought in three different ways, according to the innate

quality of the seeker - the Satwic, the Rajasic and the Tamasic. The Satwic path

is poison in the early stages and nectar while coming to fruition. It involves

firm control and regulation of the senses of cognition and action. This will be

very hard to accomplish. But as one progresses in practice, the joy increases

and bliss is attained. How can such a goal be secured, without undergoing

hardship?

791

THE Scripture says: "Happiness cannot be won through happiness (Na Sukaad

Labhyathe Sukham). Happiness can be won only through misery". Pleasure is but

an interval between two pains. To achieve the Satwic happiness that is positive

and permanent, man must perforce take on trials and tribulations, loss and gain.

 

792

TECHNOLOGY must be dedicated to the promotion of high ideals, those which are

cherished in Bharathiya culture. For without the background of the culture,

educated people are easily turned into slaves of other cultures. Those who

belong to a country have to proceed along the special circumstances and

resources of the country. Of course, one must love all mankind; all are

children of God. One must not emphasize the differences between Nations or

between castes and creeds. Cultivate Universal heartfelt Love.

793

MAN must withstand praise and blame, success and failure, pleasure and pain,

like the Meru Mountain Peak. He must strive to be steadfast and unmoved. Once

you collect desires, you become their slave; you will find no end to them. When

they are attained, others assail you and still leave you discontented. Be aware

of your innate Divinity and show these recurring desires their due place. The

Atma in you is unaffected by desire, defeat or victory. They are passing

clouds.

794

SENSE-Control will guard you against a host of evils. Do not believe that

because you are equipped with the senses nothing harmful can happen. Through

their free exercises, you may have your car registered in your name and be

driving it yourself, but, if you do not apply the brakes in a timely manner,

accidents are bound to be your lot. Your body can be compared to a car. Your

eyes are like the lights. Your stomach, the petrol tank; your mouth, the horn;

your mind the steering wheel; Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha, the wheels; the

air within the tires is faith; and intelligence or Buddhi, the switch.

795

FAITH is the basis of every act. You do not run away from the barber because he

is armed with a sharp razor. You place faith in him and allow him to cut your

hair, quietly submitting to his idiosyncrasies. You give away costly clothes to

the dhobi since you have the faith that he will return them washed and ironed.

You have faith in the driver of your car and in the engineer who built your

house. So too, believe in the inner Motivator, the Atman within, the voice of

God.

796

THE awareness of the Atman or the Divine in man can neither be gifted to another

nor be accepted from another. It is all the time hidden behind the veil of

ignorance. When the false image disappears, the Truth shines in all its Glory.

It is like the Sun behind the passing cloud. Your duty is to draw this veil and

let the Sun of Awareness shine forth and illumine your thoughts, words and

deeds.

797

ACTIVE participation in Society, in a spirit of dedication and surrender,

conceiving all acts as worship and all men as the embodiments of the Supreme,

is a more beneficial form of Sadhana. For there is no spot where He is not, no

object, which is not He. For, as the Sruthi declares, He willed that He becomes

all this. Worship, adoration, and pilgrimage cannot be the end-all. The goal is

the realization of "I am He; He is I". That alone can fill the heart with

Bliss.

798

IT has been proclaimed that God is one, and that He is known and can be known

through various Names and forms. It has been declared that God is installed in

the heart of every being. Look at the emblem of the Sathya Sai Organization. It

tells you that the Hindu, the Muslim, the Parsee, the Buddhist and the Christian

are all adoring the same God for the same consummation. The mind of man has to

be a garden of many coloured flowers, a Nandavanam. Krishna will certainly

delight in dancing there and playing on the enchanting Flute in the bowers of

the garden.

799

THE knowledge derived through the mind utilising the senses is always

incomplete, but the knowledge that is earned through the Buddhi or intellect,

illuminated by the Atma, is full, freeing and revealing the Truth. The first is

termed "Manojnana" and the second "Atma Jnana". "Manojnana" informs that you are

distinct from others; that God is at Kailas, Tirupathi, Kasi, or Prashanthi

Nilayam. But Names, Forms and Temples are only for the Kindergarten stage.

800

THE prayer that rose from millions in this country from all its temples,

yapiaskas, theerthas, holy sea fronts, shrines and altars for centuries has

been, "Sarve janaah Sukine bhavanthu", Let all the peoples of the World be

happy and prosperous. "Samastha Lokaah Sukino Bhavanthu", May all the Worlds

have peace and prosperity. So pray for all humanity, for the welfare and

happiness, the peace and progress of Russia, China, Africa, Pakistan and all

the countries of the World and all beings everywhere.

To be continued

With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Divine Lord Sai

Sai brothers

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