View Full Version : Thus Spake The Lord
Time is invaluable; do not waste even half a minute. The hours that have passed cannot return; the wheel of time will not halt for any person. So, examine your thoughts, words and deeds and find out whether spending precious time on them is worthwhile or not. Death is always waving its sharp sword over the head, but unmindful of this imminent and inescapable fate, many are lost in plans to build rich, prosperous and luxurious lives for themselves. They live in hope and dreams of better days. The Fire of Wisdom alone is capable of reducing these plans and hopes into ash.
Time knows no mercy; when the time is over, you have to leave. Consider that the allotted span of life is being spent away every moment. In fact, life is an oblation poured in the Fire of Time. The sun when it rises and sets is stealing fractions of your life day by day, relentlessly; steadily, uninterruptedly. So, make the best use of the time you have. Time is as omnipresent and omnipotent as God. The Lord is Kaalaswaruupa (embodiment of Time), remember. If even the minutest fraction of time is wasted or misused, it is treason to God. Make every moment holy, do pious deeds, think good thoughts, and keep the Lord's Name and Form ever in your mind.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks; Vol. XV, P. 2.
Sathya Sai Speaks; Vol. V, P. 125.
The dying person has the rope already spun and twisted round his neck. Yama has only to come and pull! Man spins the rope by every act of his during all the years of his life, now or in the past.
All acts done with egoism, self-interest, an eye on the beneficial consequences, the fruits, give a little more length, a stronger twist, to that rope. Good deeds done in a dedicatory spirit do not add to the length or strength of the rope. They give peace and happiness in plenty.
The Law of Karma holds out hope for you; as the karma, so the consequence. Do not bind yourself further by seeking the fruit of karma. Offer the karma at the Feet of God; let it glorify Him, let it further His splendor. Be unconcerned with the success or failure of the endeavor. Then, death can have no noose to bind you. Death will come as a liberator, not jailor.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks; Vol. V, P. 125.
Sathya Sai Speaks; Vol. VI, P. 55
Motivator007
11-30-2007, 01:46 AM
Hi Brag, I greet you in the Lord Jesus Christ name . God love you very much. The God of Heaven and Earth requirement is that all human being must accept Jesus Christ , His only begotten Son.
Ask the Lord Jesus Christ to show His self to you . He will show His self. Brag, all human being must be save from the warth of God . All you have say to be save is easy. You say Father please forgive me of all my sins and I accept your Son, Jesus Christ into my heart and wash me in the blood of Jesus Christ . God is your real father.
The frist man Adam that our Heavenly Father had created disobey His command in the Garden Of Eden , as a result Our Heavenly Father put Him out of Garden Of Eden.
But God send Jesus Christ , His Son to save all human being. Brag ask God, Holy Spirit to teach you about truth in the Holy Bible. Brag, you must read God Holy Bible. Most Holy and Righteous Father, in name of Jesus Christ I am ask you choose save Brag and his family.Amen
Motivator007
11-30-2007, 01:49 AM
URGENT: IF YOU LOVE TRINIDAD YOU MUST PRAYER AND FAST . CALL THE NATION FOR PRAYER.
Motivator007
11-30-2007, 01:55 AM
Father,in the name of Jesus Christ please save the world make the church wake up right now. Father, I thank Thee.
"I and the Father are one" is among the core teachings of Jesus. As he said, I am a servant of God (distance). I am the son of God (closeness). I and my Father are One (merger). That is true non duality or advaitha philosophy which the writers of the Bible took straight out of Hindu philosophy.
Now I invite you to practice one of the core teachings of Jesus, non duality, since I am doing so. I won't ask you to do something that I do not do, and neither would you. So that should tell you how far apart we are in our beliefs and perhaps practices.
Grief sends you to God. When a child dies, ask yourself the question, 'Is it for my sake that he was born?' He had his own destiny to fulfill, his own history to work out. Gauthama Buddha's father was so overcome with grief when he saw his son with a begging bowl in the street that he told him thus: 'Everyone of my ancestors was a King; what misfortune is this that a beggar was born in this line?' Buddha replied, 'Every one of my ancestors had a beggar's bowl; I know of no king in my line.' The father and son walked different paths, travelled along divergent routes.
You know from the experience of the Cauvery river floods that nothing can save a man from drowning in the floods, neither status, nor caste, nor wealth, nor even health, unless he knows the simple art of swimming. Need I say that crossing the ocean of worldly life and reaching the other shore of the sea of Birth Death, is similarly possible only for those who know the art of spiritual discipline?
Birth and Death are two high cliffs between which the river of life flows.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks; Vol. II, P. 288.
Sathya Sai Speaks; Vol. IV, P. 17.
Sathya Sai Speaks; Vol. IV, P. 145.
You must live in the constant thought of God, as well as another fact, Death. The body is the car in which you are riding to death. You may meet death any moment while riding; some tree or lorry or ditch or slush will bring it. Remember Death. Remember that time is running out every moment...
Man is equipped with a return ticket when he takes birth. Holding it in his grasp, he earns and spends, laughs and weeps, rises and falls, forgetting the end of the journey. Although he forgets, the wagon of life moves towards the cemetery, which is the terminus. It brings no glory to man if he is tied helplessly to the wheel of birth and death. His glory and greatness consists in disentangling himself from the revolving wheel.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks; Vol. III, P. 192.
Sathya Sai Speaks; Vol. VIII, P. 334.
Before death nips life and thrust him onto another birth, man must, by means of spiritual discipline, learn the mystery of the indwelling Divinity. When death comes, one must be glad to meet it, knowing that one has come for the last time.
One weeps when he is born; one should not weep when one dies. One must die triumphantly over death. Otherwise, he lives only to consume food and is a burden upon the earth. One seeks to escape pain and grief, but these are inescapable.
All have to die, sooner or later. No one will be anxious to have the same dress on for years. Death is but the casting off of old clothes. When even Avatars leave the body after the Task is fulfilled, how can man be saved from inevitable dissolution?
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks; Vol. VIII, P. 134.
Sathya Sai Speaks; Vol. VIII, P. 335.
Sathya Sai Speaks; Vol. IX, P. 113.
One common definition of Dharma is that it is the adherence to the rule: "Do unto others what you wish them to do unto you; do not do unto others what you do not wish them to do unto you." Do not have a double standard. Treat all as your own self. That is to say, you must have faith in yourself; then only can you have faith in others. You must respect yourself and respect others. Egoism is the measure of altruism. Mankind is one community; if you harm yourself, you harm all. If you make a man stand erect, that act makes you stand erect. The treatment you wish others to render to you is itself the measure of your duty to them.
The Vedas and the Upanishads which form the Jnaana and Upasaana sections of Sanathana Dharma (Eternal Religion), are the best guides to the path of Dharma for mankind, for all classes, for the family, for society, for the professional group, and for the individual. Just as Delhi is the capital of India, India is the spiritual capital for all mankind. It is the responsibility of Indians to demonstrate in their lives that Dharma confers on them peace and happiness, so that the rest of mankind may get the inspiration to follow the same path.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks; Vol. ll, P. 250-252.
Delusion has to die; then only does the cycle of change end. Then only is man liberated from the bonds of birth, life and death. Call it reaching the goal, or merging in the Absolute or Universal, or Becoming One with the Infinite --- the names may differ, but the finish is the same. Every mortal must attain immortality, for he is a child of Immortality.
"Awake, arise and stop not till the goal is reached," it is said. But one need not march towards the goal. It is not some place where you have to go. It is just the opening of the eye, the removal of the veil, the waking from the dream, the lighting of the light of spiritual wisdom.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. V, P. 124.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. II, P. 81-82.
You must have heard of people seeking moksha (liberation) and realizing it. Many may be under the impression that it is some rare honor that only a few can secure or that it is some area like Paradise or a Colony of the Elect or a Height that some heroic souls alone can climb to. No. Moksha is something which all must achieve, whether they are heroic or not. Even those who deny it have to end by realizing it. For every one is even now seeking it when he seeks joy and peace. And who does not seek joy and peace? Moksha is when you have lasting joy and lasting peace. Tired with temporary joys and transient peace, man will at last endeavor to know the secret of permanent joy and peace, of Moksha, the Liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. V, P. 81-82.
For every kind of fame, there is a specific form of death. Death, however, is born together with birth. And death must come in the way it is bound to come. The Lord is a witness to all happenings. In some instances, He gives prior indications and warnings. When these are heeded, the person concerned gets sanctified. When one disregards them, he forfeits his sanctity.
When does man die? Every moment he dies; every moment he is born. When the next tick does not happen, it is death. When it beats again, one is born anew. Faith is life; absence of faith is death. Only the body dies; the Divine Self is beyond birth and death.
Death comes to all, somewhere, somehow; but the wise man achieves the Vision ere the end.
Reference: Sanathana Sarathi, August 1993, P. 201.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XVI, P. 13.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VI, P. 94.
If one has no birth, there is no death. If there is death, then one must have been born. Birth and death are action and reaction.
Shiva is known as 'He who vanquishes death.' He is also the 'Destroyer of Desire.' These two names show that he who destroys desire can conquer Death, for desire breeds activity, activity breeds consequence, consequence breeds bondage, bondage results in birth, and birth involves death.
You have been born for one purpose: to die. That is to say, to kill the "I." If bhrama (delusion) dies, you become Brahman (the Supreme Spirit), or rather, you know that you are Brahman.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks; Vol. XIV, P. 377.
Sathya Sai Speaks; Vol. XII, P. 15.
Sathya Sai Speaks; Vol. II, P. 242.
The first task is to develop awareness of the Divinity within. The next stage is the realization of the truth that the Divinity that is within oneself is equally present in all others. One must recognize that the veil or barrier that appears to separate him from others is born of delusion and every effort should be made to remove it. Only then will it be possible to experience the oneness of all living things. "I am indeed all this," says the Sruti. The realization dawns: "All this is contained in me." And then there is the consciousness, "I am Divine. The Divine is me. I am Brahman (the Universal Absolute). Brahman is myself. There is no distinction between Brahman and me."
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XXI, P. 42-51.
You must have heard of people seeking moksha (liberation) and realizing it. Many may be under the impression that it is some rare honor that only a few can secure or that it is some area like Paradise or a Colony of the Elect or a Height that some heroic souls alone can climb to. No. Moksha is something which all must achieve, whether they are heroic or not. Even those who deny it have to end by realizing it. For every one is even now seeking it when he seeks joy and peace. And who does not seek joy and peace? Moksha is when you have lasting joy and lasting peace. Tired with temporary joys and transient peace, man will at last endeavor to know the secret of permanent joy and peace, of Moksha, the Liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. V, P. 81-82.
You should constantly remind yourself: "I am the embodiment of the Divine Consciousness. Sat-Chit-Ananda constitutes my form." Man today has forgotten his true nature and looks upon the world entirely through the senses, the mind and the intellect. Behind all these organs there is the Sat-Chit-Ananda, which is fundamental. Because of this Atmic Bliss principle in him, man is ever seeking bliss. The whole cosmos has emanated from the Supreme Omni-Will (the Parabrahman). It appears as a material object. But from the material, we should proceed to the spiritual---the Universal Consciousness.
There is the "Higher Mind" in man. It is present to enable man to transcend the physical and the mental and to reach the Divine. Ordinary life consists of Matter + Mind. But Matter + Being is beyond the mind. It leads to the Super-Mind.
The mind attracts many objects that it sees. It promotes a variety of qualities, attitudes and attachments. Above all, it encourages the inflation of ego. Puffed up by his ego, man loses all his powers of discrimination and forgets what is evanescent and what is permanent. It is only when the ego is deflated and eliminated that man can gradually realize his spiritual essence. Spirituality cannot be understood as long as the ego is dominant. And of what use are spiritual studies and discourses to one who has no understanding?
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XXI, P. 42-51.
Traditionally, on the Vijaya Dasami day during the Dussehera celebrations, weapons of war are worshipped. It is called Ayudha Pooja (ayudha means weapons).
Baba says "the six evil tendencies which envelop man's nature and act as hindrances to his spiritual progress, viz.. kama (desire), krodha (anger), lobha (avarice, miserliness), moha (infatuation), madha (pride and arrogance), and mathsarya (jealousy), should also be likewise worshipped." But here there is a subtle difference. Their worship consists of turning them towards God, so that instead of obstructing the aspirant's progress, they would actually help it. Thus the very tendencies which are ordinarily considered to be evil are metamorphised into good. How can it be possible? Let us hear what Baba says:
"Kama is intense, compulsive desire. Direct it towards God. It then turns into a craving to have Darshan (epiphany) of the Lord to win his favor and obtain his Grace. Kama takes the shape of eagerness to reach God."
(Reference: Tapovanam, page 140.)
Krodha means anger. Turn it towards God and ask angrily:
"Why has He not come to me? How long should I keep waiting? What fault have I committed? Why does He not bestow His Grace on me? Hold it all against Him, and persist with your impatience. Your anger is transformed into determination, a positive beneficial trait in your life."
(Reference: Tapovanan, page 141)
Lobha means avarice or miserliness. When you turn it towards God, you begin to feel intense possessiveness.
"You feel He belongs to to me and to me only. He is my Lord, and I belong to no one else, your mind cries out. It intensely desires to to get hold of God, to possess him totally and exclusively. Lobha transmutes itself into intense craving for God, and helps one to hold on to him with single-minded possessiveness."
(Reference: Tapovanam, page 141.)
"Moha means infatuation, loss of one's sense discrimination. When it is directed towards God, one feels that one cannot live without God; life in this world holds no charm, has no meaning any longer without the company of God. Then the mind refuses to hear to reason, cares for no one; it turns crazy in its longing for God. Moha transforms into blind and compulsive devotion to God."
(Reference: Tapovanam, page 141).
"Madha means pride coupled with arrogance. When you turn it towards God, you feel, "I have the support and grace of God; I have great clout; none can dare to cross my path; I fear nothing; how can God desert me?" Such thinking changes madha into faith and trust in God."
(Reference: Tapovanam. page 141.)
"Mathsarya means jealousy. When it is directed to God, you will feel, "My God my own Lord is being enticed away by somebody; he is distancing me." Such thoughts make you agitated, and you find that your mathsarya is soon transformed into overpowering desire for closeness with God.
Lions in a circus dutifully obey the ring master. Similarly, if man's six evil tendencies are subordinated to their Master, they will lose their natural wildness and become subdued. This is the true meaning and significance of Ayudha Pooja."
Some of the devotees brought pearls, corals and gold to be offered as oblations in the Yajnagundam (ceremonial fire in which the offerings are made to Agni during the yajna). Swami exhorted them, "Make offerings of your gunas in the Yajnagundam. Those are the precious pearls and jewels you will do well to give up". When performing yajna, one should aim at achieving a higher goal of elevating one's soul. That really is the glorious fruition of the ardous process of yajna.
(Reference:Tapovanan pages, 140-142)
"Karma (activity) is primarily movement, motion. Movement results in energy and matter is but condensed energy. Ether, air, fire, land, water---all are the cause as well as the consequence of this incessant movement. To live is to change, to move. You may not move the entire body or any of its parts, but still, movement is taking place in you. Food is being digested, blood is being circulated, air is being drawn in, analyzed, absorbed and exhaled, impressions are welcomed or resisted and conveyed or rejected. Life is karma; the body is a karmakshethra (abode of activity). All living things are engaged in karma, offering themselves in sacrificial rite of ceaseless activity. The fruit of that sacrifice is Self-Realization."
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XII, P. 153.
Do karma which breeds no consequence, no after-effects which have to be lived through---and you need not be born again. Engage in activity, as duty; or engage in activity, as "offering of worship to God"---then, such activity will breed no after-effects. This problem of escaping death, achieving immortality, is the very core of inquiry.
When acts are done as offering to God, one will not be elated at success or disheartened by failure, for He prompts, He helps, He grants joy or grief as He wills, as He cares. The doer will have no attachment to the fruit of the deed, he will not be bound to its consequence; it will leave no trace on his personality which will shape him beyond death.
One's duty is to act---act well, act in fear of God, act within the bounds of morality, act in love. Continue acting; the consequences will naturally follow as the fruit follows the flower. One need not worry or exult. Act enthusiastically, with faith---success is yours. Arjuna acted so.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. X, P. 96.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, P. 59.
The above post explains it all, and is perhaps the only thing one needs to know about how to attain Moksha or liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
How can this stage of yoga be attained? The Gita proposes to teach just this. Its first word is Dharma and its last word is mama (mine). It teaches every one who studies it: mama dharma---"my dharma," "my duty," "my responsibility to myself." And what is that? Yoga. How is this yoga to be attained? By surrendering to God, by effacing one's will and accepting His Will and leaving all initiation of activity to His Prompting, all execution to His Direction, and all consequences thereof to His Plan. This is the lesson driven home by the Hindu scriptures. "Give up all bonds of right and duty, surrender unreservedly to Me; I shall guard you from sin and liberate you from the sad cycle of "entrances" and "exits" on the stage of life. You can remain ever in your own Reality of Eternal Calm," the Lord assured.
The greatest obstacle on the path of surrender is ahamkaara (egoism) and mamakaara (mineness or possessiveness). It is something that has been inhering to your personality since ages, sending its tentacles deeper and deeper with the experience of every succeeding life.
The ego is most easily destroyed by devotion, by dwelling on the magnificence of the Lord and by rendering service to others as the children of the Lord. Surrender can be effected only after the perfection of detachment from sensual pleasures accompanied by discrimination between the real and the unreal. The taints of "I" and "Mine" have to be removed by rigorous saadhana; chief among the disciplines being Naamasmarana. When you dwell on the names of the Lord, His Majesty, His Grace, His Potency, His Pervasivness---these get fixed in the consciousness and one's own capacities and capabilities get eclipsed in the Divine. Humility increases and surrender is possible quite easily. This is the very purpose of human existence---to see God and merge in His Glory. All other activities are futile. The Vedas proclaim this to be the final goal of man. The Upanishads declare the path. The Gita illumines it. The saints and sages proclaim its grandeur. Avatars come when people stray from it and get lost in the wilderness and wastes.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VII, P. 63-64.
Of what avail is the study of the Upanishads and the Gita if there is no transformation in our thoughts or ways of life? There must be the urge to change and progress towards a higher state of consciousness. It is only when we reach the supramental stage that we can grasp to some extent the relationship between the phenomenal universe and the Divine.
In reality we are all embodiments of Sat-Chit-Ananda. Your real "I" exists in all stages of the waking, dream and deep sleep. But in the dream and deep sleep states you are not conscious of your body. The entity that exists in all three states undergoes no change. You must try to understand the nature of this "I".
You must examine where all your saadhanas are leading you. You have to proceed from the purely mental stage to the highest stage of the Over-Mind and experience oneness with the Universal Consciousness. You may regard this as extremely difficult, but if you have the dedication and perseverance it will be quite easy. There is nothing in the world easier than the spiritual path. That is why the Gita has declared: "The earnest aspirant acquires the Supreme Wisdom." If you are deeply interested in anything, you will accomplish it.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XXI, P. 42-51.
"When God comes taking human form, it is very difficult to see Him as the Lord. One see that body and then sees one's own body, and one cannot but relate to the two and put that body at the same level as oneself.
But if the Lord came in all his majesty, people would be afraid, and would have no opportunity to know and love the Lord. For example, people worship an image of a snake in a temple, hoping that when they worship in this way, it will bring them the birth of a child. But if the snake were to become alive, and wriggle across the floor towards them, they would take to their heels .
People could not stand the Lord in super-human form. It is only when the Lord comes in the human body that people are able to approach him, and learn to love him, and know him a little bit. But one should not make the mistake of thinking that is all there is to the Lord." For instance, the airplane, flying high in the sky descends to the airport. But one should not think make the mistake to think it is a ground vehicle, just because they see it on the ground. Once the airplane has taken a load of passengers, it again zooms up high into the sky. In like fashion, although the Lord has made a landing here on earth, so to speak, He is not limited to this human form."
(Reference: Conversation with Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba, page 123-124.)
"I have no special brand of Grace for those who are at My door, nor do I neglect the man at the gate. In fact, I have no geographical “far” and “near”; My “far” and near” are not calculated by physical nearness. You may be at My side, yet, far; you may be far, far away, yet, very near and dear. However far you are, if you stick to Truth, Righteousness, Peace and Love, you are close to Me and I am close to you. Those are the milestones that mark the road to Me."
(Reference Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol VII – Chap 14)
The following quote from Swami is a powerful tool for problem solving. It is among the best tool, if not the best I have ever seen, and I hope it helps all who are interested in self examination as a way for self healing.
"There is a strong thrust of life force, the desire to live. If it goes into action in a favorable field, it becomes love, otherwise it remains as desire.
If desire is is expressed in a favorable field, it is expressed as love, then knowledge arises and then bliss. The force, the energy, the strength, the motivation in desire is God. Whether the desire is good or bad is related to time, place, and person.
In early years, a desire for worldly achievement might be good. In later years, the same desire might be bad. The fruit is good one day, and rotten several days later. One side of the apple may be good and the other side rotten. Discrimination says eat the good side, and discard the bad side.
There is another force in you through which God works, and that is discrimination. That force must be used to to put aside wrong action. The power of discrimination knows right from wrong. The wrong desire is God overshadowed by Maya, whereas discrimination is God less the overshadowing of Maya.
The story of Valmiki is an illustration of a ruthless killer and robber without any doubt about his actions. He at one time, listened to the five sages and started repeating the name "Ram". The same strength and force that made him a terrible criminal was turned to Godly desire and action, and he gained God realization. Rama started to be be repeated by Valmiki and, gaining speed became jumbled up with "Ma" and "Mara". In this, he lost body sense and transcended the senses. Losing body senses should be like that, natural and not forced."
(Reference: Conversation With Bhagawan Shri Sathya Sai Baba, page 120-121.)
More effulgent than the Sun, whiter and purer than snow, subtler than ether, the Paramatma dwells in all, permeating the entire Cosmos, shining in every atom. You are in the Brahman. The Brahman is in you. You are that Brahman. And that Brahman is you. What greater truth can I convey to you?
Man is held to be a tool, an instrument, and not born as primarily for his own fulfillment. Each man has to educate himself through trials and errors and attain graduation by reaching the full knowledge of his own reality. He has a great destiny and he is equipped with the skills needed to achieve that destiny. He is not a helpless victim of circumstances. But the tragedy is that he has allowed the equipment to rust through neglect and he has forgotten the goal. The road he has to traverse is also grown with brambles and the signboards have disappeared. That is why the person who laid the road has come again to lead man along it, after repairs and renewals.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XXI, P. 42-51.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VI, P. 215-217.
Devotion is the state of mind in which one has no separate existence apart from God. The devotee's very breath is God; his every act is by God, for God; his thoughts are of God; his words are uttered by God, about God. For, like the fish which can live only in water, man can live only in God - in peace and happiness. In other media, he has only fear, frantic struggle, and failure... It is only association with the Divine that can confer value and significance. The mind too gets illumined, and feels joy, peace and calm, only because the peace, joy and calm, which are the native characteristics of the spirit (God) within are reflected on it.
(Reference:- Sanathana Sarathi --Divine Discourse, November 1967.)
More effulgent than the Sun, whiter and purer than snow, subtler than ether, the Paramatma dwells in all, permeating the entire Cosmos, shining in every atom. You are in the Brahman. The Brahman is in you. You are that Brahman. And that Brahman is you. What greater truth can I convey to you?
Man is held to be a tool, an instrument, and not born as primarily for his own fulfillment. Each man has to educate himself through trials and errors and attain graduation by reaching the full knowledge of his own reality. He has a great destiny and he is equipped with the skills needed to achieve that destiny. He is not a helpless victim of circumstances. But the tragedy is that he has allowed the equipment to rust through neglect and he has forgotten the goal.
The road man has to traverse is also grown with brambles and the signboards have disappeared. That is why the person who laid the road has come again to lead man along it, after repairs and renewals.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XXI, P. 42-51.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VI, P. 215-217.
New Guy
01-14-2008, 11:09 PM
Hi Guys,
This is my first post on this board, and I thought I would choose this thread to begin speaking. Motivator, I hope you don't mind, but I saw somethings that you said that I'd like to comment on. My response are in blue font.
God love you very much.
I'm not sure if it is truly biblical for a Christian to tell a non-Christian that "God loves them." Consider two scriptures:
Psa 7:11..."God is angry with the wicked every day."
Psa 5:5..."Thou hatest all workers of iniquity."
Not only do we see that God is angry with people who do wicked deeds "everyday," but that he also hates them. That's all of us, apart from Christ, according to the Bible. So again, I do not see any Biblical warrant for us to tell people that God loves them apart from being in Christ. I think the Biblical thing to say is that "God commands everyone everywhere to repent and trust in Jesus for their justification (Acts 17:30), and that if they obey, "God would consider them sons and daughters of God through adoption in Christ" (John 1:12-13).
The God of Heaven and Earth requirement is that all human being must accept Jesus Christ , His only begotten Son.
I know what you're trying to say here, but in the hopes that unbelievers might understand more clear, I'd like to explain more fully. To be honest, the gospel isn't that we must "accept" Jesus. Jesus is King of kings, Lord or lords, and the Uncreated Creator who rules all. We cannot simply "accept" once such as he. Again, he has commanded that everyone repent and trust in Him for their justification, and if they meet that command, he will accept them. Make sense?
All you have say to be save is easy. You say Father please forgive me of all my sins and I accept your Son, Jesus Christ into my heart and wash me in the blood of Jesus Christ . God is your real father.
The popular "sinner's prayer" isn't at all Biblical to be honest. It is a relatively new in church history (about 100 years old). No one in history every received God's forgiveness by saying a mantra prayer, they received God's forgiveness when they trust in Christ and repented of their sins. So again, walking an isle and saying this sort of prayer isn't going to save anyone from God's wrath. What will however, is faith in Christ; which is to say more than just an intellectual assention of certain facts, but a trusting in Jesus alone for one to be justified by God. Moreover - and this is to be noted - true faith in Christ is proceeded by repentance, a turning away from sin.
Thanks for taking the time to speak to Brag!
God Bless!!
All activities of man must result in cleansing his chittha - the levels of awareness. When these are done as offerings to God, they advance this cleansing process a great deal. The way a person works, he/she shapes their own destiny. Work is sublimated into worship which fructifies into wisdom. The flower is Work (karma), the emerging fruit is Worship (bhakthi) and the ripe sweet fruit is Wisdom (jnaana). It is one continuous and spontaneous process, this spiritual fulfillment of the spiritual aspirant. They are like childhood, youth and old age, each imperceptibly growing into the succeeding stage.
(Reference: Sanathana Sarathi--Divine Discourse, November, 1981.)
And the Lord in his present incarnation says "hands that serve are holier than lips that pray."
New Guy
01-15-2008, 11:12 PM
And the Lord in his present incarnation says "hands that serve are holier than lips that pray."
Who is the lord you speak about? Are you a hindu?
Yes New Guy, I practice eternal truth or Sanathan Dharma also called Hinduism. Yes, a Hindu but much more. The Lord of whom I speak is none other than our beloved Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
For liberation from bondage to desire, the mind is the only instrument available to man. Turn it towards the objective world, you are bound; turn it towards God, you are on the road to liberation. The mind refuses to be calm even for a fraction of a second. When a continuous shower of stones is falling on the waters of a lake, how can the surface be calm and unruffled? So, too, man is throwing stone after stone of desire on the calm lake of the mind.
Bhakthas---indeed, all Vyakthis (those who seek to manifest their inner Reality)---should therefore prevent the stones (desires) from disturbing the equanimity of the mind. The fly rests one moment on the sacred food-offerings on the altar of God and the next moment on filth. The mind seeks refuge in holy thoughts and things; the next moment, it revels in some fearsome, foul ideas. The mind is like the elephant. The mahout gives it a nice bath; he scrubs it clean and chains it to a shady tree. But it gathers dust with its trunk and scatters it all over itself! Man, too, urged by the senses, pours in his mind dust and dirt.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XV, P. 251-253.
Ignorance is caused by attachment. Attachment results in identification of the I with the body, senses, mind, etc. Attachment leads to desire; desire results in anger; anger blinds reason and promotes ignorance; ignorance breeds dualities of 'mine' and 'thine', good and bad, etc. These lead to activities to make gains and avoid losses, etc; these produce consequences of merit and demerit. They have to be consumed in this life or future lives, so one has to go through suffering. Suffering is caused by life which presupposes suffering. Karma is due to belief in duality. Duality is the result of ignorance, the product of anger. Anger is the child of affection and attachment is the parent of affection.
Even Arjuna, the greatest bowman and warrior of his age, became a victim on the battlefield itself of this insidious, false and enfeebling attachment. The mind obeys the senses and defiles man. It is well-nigh impossible for man to master the mid and turn it away from the objective world. Arjuna confessed to Lord Krishna that the mind was uncontrollably wayward and could not be stilled. The mind has two phases: the unpolluted and the polluted. The mind affected by desire is polluted; when it is unaffected by desire, it is unpolluted.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XV, P. 251-253.
New Guy
01-19-2008, 06:56 PM
Yes New Guy, I practice eternal truth or Sanathan Dharma also called Hinduism. Yes, a Hindu but much more. The Lord of whom I speak is none other than our beloved Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
Eternal truth? Sai Baba is eternal? What did he do?
Where have you been my dear friend, New Guy? You missed 83 yrs of the presence of the Lord on earth and as many years of his teachings in India. Well, it is not too late to find him always in our hearts. As usual, we first seek him in our spiritual hearts where he dwells as ourselves, and then we find him everywhere in our material world. That is a prerequisite, in order to identify him among us on earth, keeping in mind that many will come claiming to be the Lord, and many will be deceived.
"You must have not only freedom from fear, but freedom from hope and expectation. Trust in My Wisdom. I do not make mistakes. Love My uncertainty, for it is not a mistake. It is My intent and Will. Remember nothing happens without My Will. Be still. Do not ask to understand. Do not want to understand. Relinquish the imperative that demands understanding."
- Bhagavan Baba, Sanathana Sarathi, August, 1984
As written by Baba. Click to see his hand writing.
You as body, mind or soul are a dream; but what you really are is Existence, Knowledge, Bliss. You are the God of this universe. You are creating the whole universe and drawing it in. To gain the infinite universal individuality the miserable little prison individuality must go. Bhakti (surrender to the Lord) is no crying or any negative condition; it is seeing of all in all we see.
It is the heart that reaches the goal; follow the heart. A pure heart seeks beyond the intellect; it gets inspired.
Whatever we do reacts upon us; if we do good, we shall have happiness and if evil, unhappiness. Within you is the real happiness, within you is the mighty ocean of nectar divine. Seek it within you, feel it; feel it; it is here, the self. It is not the body, the mind, the intellect, the brain; it is not the desire of the desiring; it is not the object of desire. Above all these, you are. All these are simply manifestations. You appear as the smiling flower, as the twinkling stars. What is there in the world which can make you desire anything?
With Blessings and Love
Sri Sathya Sai Baba
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It is not possible for anyone to fully cognize or even describe the integral form of the sacred Om. It is an integral word that stands for the Divine. It is:
The audible form of Brahman (Shabdabrahmayee)
Pervading the universe of animate and inanimate beings (Charaacharamayee)
Resplendent, divine light (Jyothirmayee)
Speech (Vaangmayee)
Eternal Delight (Nithyaanandamayee)
Transcendental (Paraathparamayee)
Mother of maya itself - the creative consciousness of Brahman (Maayaamayee)
Auspiciousness (Shrimayee)
Om has the forgoing eight divine treasures. It is divinely precious and should be recognized as the Name of God.
Om is a name of God which can find universal acceptance. The Christians say "Amen" in their prayers everyday. It is only a different form of "Aum."
If you close the ear, you can hear Om announcing the Lord's Presence in every sound. All the five elements produce this sound, Om. The bell in the temple is intended to convey the Om as the symbol of the Omnipresent God. When the bell sounds Om, the Godhead within you will awaken and you will be aware of His Presence. That is the meaning of the bell which is rung in front of the inner shrine of the temple.
Reference: Summer Showers in Brindavan, 1979, P. 124-125.
You will note that the seventh step is dhaasyam (the servant stage). That is the stage of service, which every person calling himself a social worker, or volunteer, or sevak has to reach. It is more fruitful than reciting the Name or counting beads, or spending hours in meditation, though one’s service will be richer and more satisfying if done on the basis of spiritual discipline. You must look upon all as limbs of your own body, and just as you try to heal any bruise or wound on any limb as quickly and as efficiently as possible, you must heal the woes and pains of others to the best of your ability and as far as your means allow.
Sathya SAi Speaks Vol X-Chap 4
Om is the origin of creation; it is the source, the sustenance and the strength. It is the praana (life-force) of every being. Just as air forced through the reeds of a harmonium produces the seven musical notes, Sa-ri-ga-ma-pa-da-ni, so the Om is at the root of all sounds in all the worlds. Know its significance and practice its recitation.
The Pranava japa (the recitation of the Om and the contemplation of the mystic syllable) will help to calm the roaring waves. Om is the sum of all the teachings in the Vedas about Godhead and of all the teachings of adoring the Godhead. Om ithi ekaaksharam Brahma---"Om, that one syllable is Brahman!"
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. X, P. 85.
Of what avail is the study of the Upanishads and the Gita if there is no transformation in our thoughts or ways of life? There must be the urge to change and progress towards a higher state of consciousness. It is only when we reach the supramental stage that we can grasp to some extent the relationship between the phenomenal universe and the Divine.
In reality we are all embodiments of Sat-Chit-Ananda. Your real "I" exists in all stages of the waking, dream and deep sleep. But in the dream and deep sleep states you are not conscious of your body. The entity that exists in all three states undergoes no change. You must try to understand the nature of this "I".
You must examine where all your saadhanas are leading you. You have to proceed from the purely mental stage to the highest stage of the Over-Mind and experience oneness with the Universal Consciousness. You may regard this as extremely difficult, but if you have the dedication and perseverance it will be quite easy. There is nothing in the world easier than the spiritual path. That is why the Gita has declared: "The earnest aspirant acquires the Supreme Wisdom." If you are deeply interested in anything, you will accomplish it.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XXI, P. 42-51.
Om is a composite of three sounds: A (aa) arising from the region of the navel, U (oo) flowing through the throat and tongue, and M (mm) ending up at the closed lip. It has to be pronounced rising in a crescendo as slowly as possible, and as slowly coming down, until after them there will be the echo of the silence reverberating in the cavity of the heart.
Do not take it in two stages, arguing that your breath will not hold so long. Persevere, until you are able to be stirred by the upward sweep and the downward curve and the silent sequel. These represent the waking, dreaming and sleeping, and the fourth, beyond the three stages. It represents also the flower of one's individuality growing into a fruit and filling itself with sweet juice out of its inner essence, and then the final release from the tree.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. X, P. 85.
Spending your life with God, does not mean
that one must stay solemn - No, My child!
Being in the company of the Lord,
is truly being in the light of complete joy.
Refernce: LIVING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD (VOL 1/PT III) - 294
Education is for life Baba says, not just making a living.
"People think that pursuing academic education and acquiring bookish knowledge is real education. No, that is not real education. Education devoid of educare is not real education. What is educare? Educare is that which brings out the latent divinity in a human being."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/25610
'The whole cosmos is made up of thought waves. Hence the scripture declares : The mind is at the root of the cosmos. There is no place or form or action wherein the mind is absent. Hence, all thoughts of man should be turned in the right direction. When good thoughts, good feelings and good intentions are developed, the mind becomes pure. Only when the mind is pure can actions be pure.'
(Sanathana Sarathi August 1993 - pg 211)
Man's mind is too full of the world; his stomach is demanding too much of his time and energy. His desires and wants are multiplying too fast for his capacity to satisfy them. His dreams are far too real for him; they lead him into false victories and absurd adventures, engrossed in the analysis of the material world, he has lost all sense of spirit, sweetness and sublimity. Under this new dispensation, truth has become just a word in the dictionary. Compassion is reduced to a meaningless travesty, and humility, patience and reverence have become invalid as a flameless lamp in the far distance.
The only hold that man has in this dreadful darkness is the Name of God. That is the raft which will take him across the stormy sea darkened by hate and fear, churned by anxiety and terror.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, P. 30.
Simply because tasty food is available and is being offered, one is tempted to overeat. We have air all around us, but we do not breathe in more than we need. The lake is full, but we drink only as much as the thirst craves for. But overeating has become a social evil, fashionable habit. The stomach cries out, 'Enough,' but the tongue insists on more, and man becomes the helpless target of disease. He suffers from corpulence, high blood pressure and diabetes. Moderate food is the best precaution for a healthy life.
Divine Discourse, Sanathana Sarathi September 21, 1979.
Your duty is to keep calm, to pray for the happiness and prosperity of all. Do not pray for your own exclusive happiness and say, “Let the rest of the world go to pieces.” You cannot be happy when the rest of mankind is unhappy. You are an organic part of the human community. Share your prosperity with others; strive to alleviate the sufferings of others. That is your duty.
ReferenceFrom: Sai Veda, The Word of God by Ramadas Gollapudi
A pen, however beautiful and expensive, will be placed close to the heart as long as the ink has not dried. A chair, however decorative is the embroidery on the silk cushions, will be thrown into the store room once one of the legs slightly wobbles. The tapestry of expensive shirt or dress, once it gives away, will force the owner to tuck them into the farthest corner of the closet. A cup is thrown when the handle cracks. The pencil is discarded once it accidentally breaks. As long as objects fulfill their purpose, we treasure them, but once they fail to do so, they are merely discarded. What then is man's purpose?
'What is the purpose of life? What is the goal of life? After getting such a rare gift as a human life, if you cannot make use of it to attain the divine, indeed if you are not able to remember the purpose of life, what is the use of getting such a sacred gift?'
(Divine Discourse Sanathana Sarathi: June 1987 - pg 120)
To develop the taste for liberation, Naamasmarana, or rolling the sweet Name of the Lord, saturated with sugar of His splendor on the tongue and in the mind, is the best course. This is an exercise that can be practiced at all times and places by everyone, irrespective of creed, caste, sex, age or economic and social status. It will keep you in constant touch with the Infinite and so, it will transmit to you something of the Wisdom and Power of the Infinite.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. X, P. 85.
Remembrance of the Lord's Name is the best detergent for the mind. It is the means of crossing the sea. The Name is the raft that will take you safely across. The Name will remove the veil of illusion that now fades the Universal from the Individual. When that veil fades out, man finds Himself before himself; he beholds the Universe that He is.
The Name of the Lord must always be pronounced with joy, thankfulness, exultation, awareness of the uniqueness and splendor. Say it with love, say it with sincere yearning.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. V, P. 11.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. X, P. 32.
Like the honey bee that is always focused on the flower were the sweet juices of happiness are contained, devout Hindus focus on repitition of the name of God.
Like the house fly, on the other hand, some of us repeatedly and indiscriminately jump from filth to sugar without any form of discipline.
Like the worm, some of us are born in filth and live in filth all our lives, going back to the filth we know best in order to perpetuate the species.
We decide with our minds whom we want to be, can be and will be. We blame none other than ourselves for our state of mind and behaviors, as we have all the resources to become whom we want to be.
The atman or divine consciousness that we are is encased in five outer sheets of consciousness that make our true selves accessable only by discipline, determination, and sacrifice that make us different from all other creatures.
The impure or bad foods we eat negatively influence the anamaya kosha (body sheath), pranamaya kosha (life breath sheath), manomaya kosha (mind sheath), vignanamaya kosha (wisdom sheath) and anandamaya kosha (bliss sheeth) and impede easy access to the bliss sheath which is our true nature of happiness and our final state of liberation or moksha. (BR)
Remember the God in whom you move, the God who makes you move, the God who is all this vast universe, every atom, every huge star. Select a Name and Form for all this pervasive immanent God and keep those on your tongue and before your mental eye. That is what is called japasahitha dhyanam (meditation-cum-recitation of the Name).
The Name...must flow in the mind in an uninterrupted stream. Naamasmarana is a yoga, a process of uniting with God; it is a means of chiththa viriththi nirodha---of calming the agitations of the mind, subduing the waves of emotions and feelings. The Naama (Name) must always be associated, while intent on the smarana (remembering, recalling), with the Naami (the Named One). It is not a mere sound; it has a significance, the symbol of a Form, of a Fact. All the obligatory as well as optional acts pertaining to the process of "living" can be gone through with the Name-awareness as the inspiring background.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. IV, P. 122-123.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VII, P. 226-227.
This is a very interesting concept of meditation. Select a name and form and keep the intent as background and meditate upon it.
The Divine Name saves and liberates! It is armour against onslaughts of pride and self-pity. When japam (pious repetition of holy name or sacred formula) is started by you in a systematic manner, fixing your inner eye on the Form which illustrates the Name, you will meet with many obstacles, disquieting thoughts and enticements. They should be ignored, bypassed, treated lightly. Strengthen your habits, stick to your discipline, improve your inner administration, mix more in the company of the good and the godly. The unruly bull has to be roped and tamed, its nose bored and ringed; it has to be yoked and trained to drag heavy loads and become the docile servant of its master.
It is not enough if you know the glory of the Name; it would be like the knowledge of the vitamins that a tablet contains. That knowledge cannot cure. Swallow it, let it be assimilated; then, the tablet will cure. Mere exercise for the tongue is no good; feeling too must saturate the Name and the brain must be reminding one of its meaning. Then is the joy complete.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. II, P. 264-265.
It is no mean achievement to get the Name of the Lord on one's tongue at the last moment. It needs the practice of many years, based on a deep-seated faith. It needs a strong character, without hatred or malice, for the thought of God cannot survive in a climate of pride and greed. And how do you know which moment is the last? Yama, the God of Death, does not give notice of his arrival to take hold of you. He is like the man with the camera taking snapshots; he does not warn, "Ready, I am clicking." If you wish to hang your portrait on the walls of Heaven, it must be attractive; your stance, your pose, your smile must all be nice, is it not? It is best to be ready for the click, night and day, with the name ever tripping on the tongue and the glory always radiant in the mind. Then, when your photo is shot, it will be fine.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. I, P. 214-219
I am not going to preach to those who are devoted.
They know their path well and are progressing quickly. Nor I am
going to preach to those who have no devotion, since it is a waste
of time to do so.
I preach to those who are uncertain, wayward and fickle minded, to those who know that God exists, but have no strong desire to reach Him, to devotees who are not fully eager and half interested devotees. Such people do not know their path and they fear the consequences.
Medcine is of no use to the dead. Health and energy can be restored to a person who is fighting for his life. There is no use giving water to the dead. No help is required by a healthy person to drink water. Help should be given to a person who is suffering and struggling for life.
Therefore, I preach to those who are neither ignorant nor enlightened, but those who are between.
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Sanathana Sarathi.
I will never force you to take up a particular name and form of the Lord. The Lord has a million names and a million forms, and He wants that faith and attachment should be evoked in you by any one of them, as you recite the Names or contemplate the Forms. That is why there is a string of 1008 names to use for worship; the devotee might be drawn closer to the Lord while any one name is being repeated, however distracted or inattentive he might be during the rest of the list.
My suggestion is this: just as you attend to the needs of the body, feeding it three times a day, in order to keep it in good running condition, so too, spend some time regularly everyday to keep your Inner Consciousness also in good trim. Spend one hour in the morning, another at night and a third in the early hours of the dawn, the Brahmamuhurtha as it is called, for recitation of the Name and meditation on the Lord. You will find great peace descending on you and great new sources of strength welling up within you as you progress in this saadhana. After some time, the mind will dwell on the Name wherever you are and whatever you are engaged in; and then, peace and joy will be your inseparable companions.
Like the coldness of the atmosphere which freezes the water, the compelling agony of the devotee's heart solidifies the Formless absolute into the shape and attitude that are yearned for; for, "as felt, so fashioned." He bows to your will, He carries your burden, provided you trust Him with it.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. I, P. 214-219.
What exactly is the meaning of Sai Baba? Sai means Sahasrapadhma (thousand lotuses), Saakshaathkaara (Realization). Ayi means Mother and Baba means Father; it means He who is Father and Mother, and the Goal of all Yogic endeavor---the ever-merciful Mother, the All-wise Father and the Goal of spiritual efforts. When you are groping in a dark room, you must seize the chance when someone brings a lamp into the room. Hurriedly collect your belongings scattered there, or discover where they are located, or do whatever else you need. Similarly, make the best of this chance when the Lord has come in human form to your very door and get ready to save yourself from disaster.
When the Lord appears in person, even then, doubt assails. It is of the very nature of things. I utter no meaningless word, I do no purposeless deed. I plan no significantless action. I never engage in unholy activities. I have nothing that I need. My joy consists in fulfilling your aims, in making you reach the goal. The one thing that I ask for is the Love-filled Heart. Believe; hold fast, without entangling yourselves in a mesh of empty explanations and imaginary arguments. That is the way to profit.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. II, P. 6.
(A) Zero gains value only when the number one is associated with it. The more the number of zeros, the more is the value. When one is removed, all zeros lose their value. Love for the Self can be compared to the number one. Man's life gains value only when he has love for the Self. Isavasyam Idam Sarvam (the entire universe is permeated by God). Who is Easwara? It is the Chaithanya (consciousness) that pervades all beings.
(B) Your lives will be redeemed only when you contemplate on the Divine Name incessantly. All your wealth and comforts will be of little consequence if you do not have love for God. In Bharat, there are millions of people who serve their fellowmen with God's Name on their lips.
Reference: Sanatana Sarathi, July 1989.
The Avatar comes to reveal man to himself, to restore to him his birthright of Atmic Bliss. He does not come to found a new creed, to breed a new faction, to install a new God. If such a thing happens, it is the consequence of the evil in man. The Avatar comes as man in order to be within the reach of Man.
The human mind cannot grasp the absolute, attributeless principle; it is abstract and beyond the reach of speech, mind and intellect.
Fire is inherent in the match-stick, but it is only when it is struck as a flame that we can benefit by it. The Nirguna (attributeless) has to manifest as Saguna (with qualities); the Niraakaara (Formless) has to appear with Form. Then only can man listen, learn, understand, follow and be saved, through the bliss of that experience. The Avatar lights the flame of Realization in each, and the age-old ignorance is destroyed in an instant.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XI, P. 290-291.
Sitting quiet and transferring your emotions and feelings to God is no dhyaana (meditation). You must transmute your emotions, desires and feelings with the help of God into Divine qualities. You should not bring God down to your level; rather you must raise yourselves to the level of God.
Divine Discourse, SAnatana Sarathi, October 6, 1981.
The Kaliyuga is, in reality, very holy; you too are very fortunate. You have the chance to see, touch and converse with the Avatar of the Lord. The Avatars are not ten; there are very many in number. You must distinguish between those who are born as parts of Divinity, as imbued with the Divine Essence, as messengers of Divine Mission, as instruments of Divine Will and purpose, and Avatars. Parashuraama is not an Avatar in the real sense. The Avatars that have come and gone have all cut down trees because they are white-ant infested; but, this Avatar is different and unique. Now, the white ants are removed, the tree is saved, protected, fostered and encouraged to grow. I am not inclined to punish; I am the goldsmith who repairs and re-shapes broken ornaments. Rama came as the embodiment of Truth, Virtue and Peace (Sathya, Dharma and Shanthi); Krishna came as the embodiment of Love (Prema). Now, the embodiment of all the four is needed, for, at the present time, knowledge has increased beyond the capacity of character.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. II, P. 6.
"Nana, the SASTRAS are neither in fault nor are the MANTRAS wrong. But you have not caught their true import. You get into your head a worthless interpretation and then stand waiting for guests. They will not turn up. The term "ATHITHI" does not denote man alone. ATHITHI is whatever creature is hungry and comes on to you, at that time, whether human, insect, bird or beast, seeking food. The real ATHITHI that you get, you do not regard as such. These creatures seek food and come to you. Nana, give up this wrong interpretation. At "KAKABAU" home take plenty of boiled rice outside the house and leave it there. Do not shout or call for any and do not drive any away. Whatever the creature that comes to eat, let not that disturb your mind. You get thus the merit of feeding lakhs of guests."
(Source 26th Convention of Sai Devotees Meet: Sanathana Sarathi.)
(A) Who is the doer? Who breathes, who speaks, who listens, who acts? It is the Self within, which is the same in all. Cultivate this spirit of oneness. The one who does and the one who makes you do are one and the same. Understand that you are not serving others, you are serving yourself. The same truth is proclaimed by the Vedas in the four Mahavakyas: Prajnanam Brahma (Brahman is Supreme Consciousness), Aham Brahmasmi (I am Brahman), Tattvamasi (That Thou Art), Ayam Atma Brahma (This Atma is Brahman). These are the greatest teachings given to mankind by the Vedas.
(B) Unfortunately, man today has lost faith in the teachings of the Vedas. Divinity shines in every breath of man. Truly speaking, man is endowed with Sujnana (wisdom) and Prajnana (awareness). But man, out of his ignorance, is acting contrary to his divinenature.
Regerence: (Sathya Sai Speaks Vol, II, Page 42.)
You cannot realize how much the Lord feels for your concern. His concern is over your wanton-ness and willful disregard for His words, for He is interested in your keeping your hearts pure and unblemished. I am very anxious to make you all reach the goal. My task is to purify your hearts. If you engage in constant meditation of the Name of the Lord, with devotion, humility and faith, the Lord will stand at the door of your puja room, awaiting your wish. Only, you should not allow your mind to waver. Genuine yearning will make your heart pure.
What is important for you is your own experience. What is your basis for understanding the Divine? It is your own bliss, felt and tasted by you. You say, He saved one Dhraupadi from ignominy, one Ahalya from petrifaction, one Prahlaada from torture, one Gajendra from death; but, do you know how many more such have been blessed similarly, through Grace? The stream of Grace is ever flowing fast and full; that Grace has no limit. But, you see it as limited only
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. II, P. 6.
"Genuine yearning will make your heart pure."
I have come now with the limitations that you need. The Lord's activities are three: Creation, Preservation and Dissolution. They are the characteristic attributes of the Lord. His aims are all Saathwik (pious) for the protection of the World, the welfare of the World. My exultation is Mine, My prompting is Mine. I will never abide by another's likes or dislikes. I do not pay heed to such. I am that which is the Witness of everyone and everything. All are in My control; then, who can tell Me what to do?
In a few years, years that can be counted on one's fingers, all of you will realize that I am the embodiment of all Shakthis (powers). The wise, the inquiring and the suffering will gather here from all parts of the world. Have fixity of hold; say, "Whether I succeed in getting from you the external fruit or not, I shall never give You up." Do not get dejected when suffering comes and estrange yourself from the Lord, blaming Him for it. The loss will be yours and the repentance will be agonizing.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. II, P. 6.
The world today is suffering from passionate intellect (Rajobuddhi) rather than inertia (thaamas). People have violent likes and dislikes; they have become fanatical and factious. They are carried away by pomp and noise, show and propaganda; that is why discrimination has become necessary. To reach the goal, an equanimous intellect (Saathwabuddhi) is essential. It will seek the Truth calmly and stick to it whatever the consequence.
I have come to help all to acquire this serene (Saathwik) nature. You might have heard people talk about the miracles; of My "making" this and "giving" that, of My fulfilling all your wants, of My curing your illness. But they are not so important as the poised state (Saathwaguna) I appreciate, promote and instill. Of course, I confer on you these boons of health and prosperity, but only so that you might, with greater enthusiasm and with less interruption, proceed with spiritual saadhana.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. II, P. 62-63.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/25927. And the Lord of Parthi says.
(A) You have been listening to various discourses, going on pilgrimages and
reading sacred texts. But what is the use if there is no transformation in you? Man today has become stonehearted. Heart should be as soft as butter. Mind should be as cool as moonlight and speech should be as sweet as honey. These are the main values that the Sathya Sai Organisation stands for. These are the true ornaments of man.
(B) Though man is endowed with sacred qualities and immense powers, he is leading a meaningless life without making use of them in the service of others. Though God has endowed man with a sweet heart and a sacred mind, man .is not putting them to proper use. Never utter harsh words; always speak softly and sweetly. Make proper use of the faculties given to you by God.
The Avatar behaves in a human way so that mankind can feel kinship, but rises to super-human heights so that mankind can aspire to those heights. The real nature of man can be transformed into the real nature of God, for both are basically the same. Only, you have to switch on to the particular wavelength. Know it, adjust it correctly and the All-pervading will be grasped clearly with no distortion.
If you seek to know the highest and secure the award of the Lord, there can be no place for doubt. The heart should be set on achieving the Lord within you, as the Motivator. The Lord comes in human form to show this.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. III, P. 60-61.
Man's final, irrevocable transmutation is Liberation, Moksha. When you prepare yourself for victory in this battle with your inner foes and the senses, the Lord gives you the reinforcements you need, for you are proceeding to Him and He takes a hundred paces towards you for every ten you take towards Him! The way in which the Avatar has to be used for one's liberation and uplift is: watch His every step, observe His actions and activities, follow the guiding principle of which His life is an elaboration. Mark His Love, His Compassion, His Wisdom and try to bring them into your own life.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VII, P. Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, P. 34.
Man must first decide, after vigorous self-examination and continuous determination, the path that he wishes to traverse. Liberation means the removal of bonds of ignorance that cloud the Truth and create a mirage of untruth.
Shakti (Supreme Energy) is Paramathma; the Vyakthi (individual) is the Jeevathma (the individual soul). The Ocean is Shakthi and the Wave is the Jeeva. All the taste and all the force and roar of the Wave are derived from the Ocean and they disappear into the Ocean itself. The disappearance of the wave form and the wave-name is called Moksha, Liberation: that is, merging of the wave into the ocean from which it seemed to differ. De-individualization is, in other words, Moksha.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XIII, P. 197.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. I, P. 167.
The time will come, My child,
when even a single moment of the loss of His presence
will seem unbearable to your simple and yearning devotion.
LIVING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD (VOL 1/PT III) - 955
Shanthi or Peace does not mean that a person should not react at all, whatever others may say or however they may abuse him. It does not mean that he/she must be silent as a rock. It involves mastery of all the senses and all the passions; inner peace must become one's nature. Shaanthi has detachment as the basic quality. The sea, which likes to gather and possess, lies low; the cloud that likes to renounce and give up is high in the sky. Shanthi endows man with an unruffled mind and steady vision. The prayer for shanthi is usually repeated thrice. "Om, shaanthi, shaanthi, shaanthihi," since Peace is prayed for, in the physical, mental and spiritual planes.
Divine Discourse, October 6, 1981
Every act has its consequence which cannot be escaped, except by the Grace of the Lord. The Grace of the Lord can be won only by virtue and truth. So, develop truth, righteousness, peace and love; remember death which is around the corner and time is fleeting away. Take recourse to the ways of liberation, before you are bound.
The mind is the cause of bondage or liberation. The mind is like a lock and the heart is the key. When the key is turned towards God, there is detachment. When it is turned towards the world, there is attachment. Thus, the mind is the cause of either liberation or bondage.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VI, P. 140.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XXII, P. 270.
Liberation is just the awareness of Truth, the falling off of the scales of delusion from the eye. It is not a social suburb of select souls; it is not a closed monopoly of expert saadhaks. Like the Godavari losing its form, its name and its taste in the sea, Liberation dissolves the name and form, aptitudes and attitudes. You are no more a separate, particular, individual. The rain drops has merged in the sea from where the drops arose. Of course, there was no bondage at any time, and no prison; there was only a fixation in the mind that one was bound, that one was in prison, that one was limited and finite.
Jeeva and Brahman become identical only when Liberation is achieved. Until the sea is reached, the river remains as river. It has a different name and distinct form. So too, with the jeeva, so long as it is involved with the physical case, the senses, the mind and the instruments of consciousness, it does not merge in God. It remains apart.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. V, P. 62.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XV, P. 189.
Is there any end to the list of worldly goods that you crave for? When you secure one, another starts tantalizing you. If you do not get that, very often, your hold on the Lord too loosens. If something is lost or stolen from you, you lose faith in Me. I have not come to guard your jewels and your 'valuables.' I have come to guard your virtue and holiness and guide you to the Goal.
If your goodness is in danger, come to Me. I shall tell you how to cultivate it and reap the fruit. If some one is snatched away by death while on pilgrimage to Kashi or Badrinath, you console yourself that it was an enviable way of quitting. But if you get even a mild attack of headache at Puttaparthi, you start blaming Me. According to you, those who have entered this compound once should not die. If they do, your faith wavers and dwindles. Well, not even an eyelid can open without the Lord's Will. So try to get the Lord's Grace and leave all questions to be answered by Him according to His Fancy.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. II, Chapter 18.
When you have faith in yourself, you will have faith in God. Realize that there is nothing beyond the power of God. Love God with that supreme faith. Then you will be drawn towards God.
-Swami
I have started the work for which I have come down. I have collected the metal, the steel, the stones, the bricks. I have dug the foundation trenches---and the superstructure will rise soon. There can be no interruption. You will see thousands pressing along this road, hundreds on every rock on these hills. The Bhakthas who are at the Nilayam are sad that they have had no chance of even a Namaskaaram (respectful obeisance) for three months. They feel that those who come from afar and leave in a few days are luckier.
To them I say this: You are deluded by a false sense of values. Why worry so much at not being able to touch these Feet? My Feet are within your reach, at all times, wherever you are. "Sarvathah Paani Paadah" --- "Hands and Feet are everywhere." If you wail in agony, "Don't you hear me?" My Ears are there to listen; if you pray from the depths of your heart, "Don't you see my plight?" My Eyes are there shedding Grace on you. Get out of Maaya and become Prema; then you get prema only from Me.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. II, Chapter 18.
When the sun rises, all the buds of lotus in the lake will not open out in full bloom. Only those which are full grown can blossom so; the rest have to bide their time and grow. His Grace is the right of all, but it can be won by saadhana only. I have no hate or anger in My composition; My Life blood is prema, I am the repository of dayaa (compassion). Understand Me and My Nature right. The shadow of the Moon in the depth of the lake seems to quiver and shake because of the waves; but look up and you see the Moon, steady as ever. I am always steady, My Grace is ever there. To the outward eye, My action is magic, miracle; to the inner eye, it is all Leela. Well the Hand that creates is the Hand that gives---there is no keeping back. It is always for you and you alone. That is My Truth; know it and be happy.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. II, Chapter 18.
The body is the temple of God; in every body, God is installed, whether the owner of the body recognizes it or not. It is God that inspires you to good acts, that warns you against the bad. Listen to that Voice. Obey that Voice and you will not come to any harm. A lady wept that her necklace was lost or stolen; she searched everywhere and became inconsolably sad. Then, when she passed across a mirror, she found the lost necklace around her neck. It was there all the time. Similarly, God is there, as the Inner Dweller whether you know it or not.
Divine Discourse, Sanathana Saarathi, February 1961.
You clamour for further experience of my Divine Nature and ask that your faith might be strengthened thereby. To know the taste of sea-water, putting a drop on the tongue should be enough; there is no need to drink the whole lot. It is your waywardness, your egoism, your pride that makes you doubt and deny what you have once tasted. Is not one experience enough? Well, let Me ask: how can the limited know the depth of the Unlimited? How can the ant delve into the mountain? It is beyond you to know how or why I create things in My Hand. Or consider this: you have no patience even to put up with the problems of a single family, though the responsibility is obviously yours. Imagine then what My patience must be, to listen to, tackle and solve the problems of tens of thousands of families, with a prema (love) that is rare even among parents. No. You are incapable of gauging Me. You can never grasp the strength of this super-worldly bond that ties you to Me.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. II, Chapter 20.
"How can the limited know the depth of the Unlimited"
Guru Nanak said that without faith in God, man is blind; without it, you are moving corpses. Your life might be as grand, as beautiful, as rich as the Taj Mahal---but remember the Taj is but a tomb! Whatever the method of worship, whichever the Name or Form, it is Faith that matters; it is that which gives life and energy for higher things.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. II, Chapter 28.
When people do not place faith in the Self but pursue senses only, the danger signal is up and the Lord sends a Messenger or comes Himself, if a great big step in reconstruction has to be taken. Arjuna forgot the basis of Self. Ravana went counter to it. The world is building itself up on the sandy foundation of the sensory world. So, Avatars have to come. Like the monkey which could not pull its hand from out of the narrow-necked pot, because it first held in its grasp a handful of doughnuts which the pot contained, man too is suffering today, since he is unwilling to release his hold on the handful of pleasurable things he has grasped from the world. Man is led into the wrong belief that the accumulation of material possessions will endow him with joy and calm. But Divine Love (Prema) alone can give that everlasting joy. Prema alone will remove anger and envy and hatred.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. IV, Chapter 13.
In this Kali Yuga, the principle of Prema (Divine Love) is not in evidence. It is smothered in jealousy, conceit, hatred, fear, falsehood and greed. That is why it is best referred to as the kalaha-yuga (the age of faction), marked by fights between mother and daughter, father and son, teacher and pupil, Guru and Guru, brother and brother. The recitation of the Name of Krishna is the best method for cleansing the mind of all these evil impulses.
You may ask, "If we engage ourselves in this pastime, how can we earn our livelihood?" Well, let Me assure you, if you have pure and steady faith in the Lord, He will provide for you, not merely food, but the nectar of immortality. You have that mighty potentiality in you, to discover the Lord within and compel Him to grant that nectar.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. IV, Chapter 23.
Do not develop attachment to this body. Why, attachment to any body is not desirable. This hand gives you things, but, My Hand is that which creates all this. This is My Body. My course is unique, different from all that you know. I do not identify Myself with anything. ...You may fall into the quagmire of doubt: "Rama came, Krishna came, Sai Baba came, this Puttaparthi Sai Baba comes and challengingly declares that He is all These! How can this be?" You can never understand this phenomenon. That is the understanding you need. I am incomprehensible. You will see the world coming here in about a year or two. (from Dashaara discourse, Oct. 1961) Remember that in no previous Yuga did the people get so many clear intimations of the nature of the Avataar, as now; you are indeed fortunate. The Lord's Form can be perceived only by means of the eye of prema (love), or the eye of jnaana (spiritual wisdom), or the eye of yoga (divine union), not the eye of sensual activity, the Karmanethra.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. II, P. 6.
"As is the action so is the result."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/26220
"..Birth, bondage and liberation; everything is a result of action. All must attempt to recognize the actions done from dawn to dusk. As is the action, so is the result. Good actions give good intellect. Actions prompted by bad thoughts give bad results. You must have seen bats. They keep flying in the air like all other birds. They also rest on trees. But its posture is upside down. Did anyone tie it that way? No. But its karma is like that. Similarly when man does bad deeds and has bad thoughts, he reaps bad consequences. We just cannot escape the reactions of our actions. Just like a correct answer in the examination yields good marks and a wrong answer yields no marks, the way of life is also such. It is the foremost responsibility of man to do good deeds. Whenever any action is done, think, "I am MAN". Question whether what you are about to do is human or bestial. Otherwise, why God, people themselves will question, criticize and punish you. There is no need to go to God, the actions themselves will confer the consequences..."
Of the Avatars, some are for a definite limited purpose, like Vaamana or Narasimha. They are just manifestations, to counter some particular evils. They are not full-fledged, long-lasting, expansive, like Raama and Krishna. The Lord has no hate in His composition; He is all mercy. That is why Krishna proceeded to the Kaurava court, as a messenger of peace, with compromise proposals. He showed man how patient he should be in spite of provocations, how self-control wins in the end.
Krishna demonstrated that if you practice the saadhana of the constant presence of God, you are bound to achieve victory. Take Him as the charioteer; He will steer you through the heaviest odds. He has no favorites or rivals. Like fire, He spreads warmth to all who are near Him. If you do not feel the warmth, of Him: blame yourself that you are far away from Him. Look at Bhishma! He prayed to the very Krishna who had vowed to kill him; he prayed that Krishna should grant him a vision of His divine splendor! That is true bhakthi, real jnaana! He had the faith, the vision, and Krishna blessed him.
Hiranyakashipu said, 'He is nowhere' and so, He was nowhere for him; Prahlaadha asserted, 'He is everywhere,' and He appeared from the pillar to prove him true. God did not have to run into the pillar in order to come out of it, to reply to the challenge of the father. He was there all along, just as in everything else. He had only to make Himself visible!
I too am like that; if you accept Me and say yes, I too respond and say yes, yes, yes! If you deny and say, no, I also echo, no. Come, examine, experience and have faith; that is the method of utilizing Me.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. IV, Chapter 38.
"Krishna demonstrated that if you practice the saadhana of the constant presence of God, you are bound to achieve victory."
The most desirable Aishwaryam (prosperity) is Ishwara anugraha (the Lord's Grace); that is to say, the most desirable form of wealth is the Grace of God. He will guard you, even as the lids guard the eye, do not doubt this. Faith in Providence is as the very breath of life. The bliss that it bestows has been experienced by many saints and sages, who have, with faith in their hearts, withstood the onslaughts of poverty, neglect and cruelty. Instead of fixing attention on this, man fritters his energy on collecting tawdry tinsel, forgetting the diamonds he could well have. Both are available on earth; but man is led by glitter and not by worth.
When you break a coconut in the temple, you should feel that your egoism is broken too. The coconut offering is not made so that God may consume the kernel! It is a symbol of the destruction of Ahamkaara (egoism), which has to split into two at one stroke, the stroke of wisdom. When do you get that effect? When does the coconut break at one stroke? When the fibrous cover of the shell is removed, is it not? So too, man must remove the fibrous matter that encases his heart---lust, anger, envy and the rest of the wicked brood. Man is the repository of vast power; he is no weakling. It is the dhur-vaasanas (vicious tendencies) that make him weak. Draw inspiration from the Divine in you and earn the glory of being good, sincere, honest, self-sacrificing, lovable. Hear good things, see good, do good, think good; then all the evil tendencies will be uprooted.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. IV, Chapter 45.
The Lord is the unseen foundation on which your life is built. He is the source, sustenance and strength. Without His Will, no leaf can turn, no blade of grass can quiver. What firmer foundation can you desire than this? Once you know that the Lord, the Omnipotent Power, is the mainspring of your life, there will be no fear any more. When you suspect the strength of the foundation of a house, you are afraid to enter it; when you suspect the skill of the manufacturer, you are nervous to ride in the car. Bhishma and other bhakthas as well as Shankara and other Jnaanis knew that the Lord is the Aadhaara (basis), and so they had no fear at all. But that faith has not taken root in men today and so, this has become an Age of Fear and Anxiety, of Ashaanthi (absence of peace).
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. IV, Chapter 51.
Many of you have come with problems of health or mental worry of some sort or other. They are mere baits by which you have been brought here, so that you may contact the Grace, and strengthen your faith in the Divine. Problems and worry are really to be welcomed as they teach you the lessons of humility and reverence. But not all continue the attachment they are able to establish; they lose the fortune that has fallen into their hands. You will see the day when the Chithravathi sands alone can accommodate the gatherings that assemble here from all parts of the world; when the sky alone can provide a roof for them all. Many hesitate to believe that things will improve, that life for all will be happy and full of joy, that the Golden Age will ever recur. Let Me assure you that this Dharmaswaruupa (Righteousness personified) has not come in vain. It will succeed in averting the crisis that has come upon Humanity.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. V, Chapter 11.
"Divinity is the same in everyone, be he/she a Hindu, a Muslim, a Sikh or a Christian. There is only one religion, the religion of love. There is only one caste, the caste of humanity. So develop unity, chant the Divine Name. What an exalted position will the country attain if all its people were to chant the Divine Name unitedly!...One who cultivates the crop of love in the field of one's heart is a true Christian, a true Sikh, a true Hindu and a true Muslim."
Divine Discourse, July 16, 2001.
There are no shortcuts in the spiritual field. As a matter of fact, bhakthi is even more difficult than jnaana. For, to get the attitude of "Thou" not "I", one has to surrender completely to the Higher Power, personified as the Lord. The ego has to be fully curbed. The faith, that "not even a blade of grass can shake in the wind without His being aware of it and thus having caused it," has to be implanted in the mind. Bhakthi is not a leisure time job. Erase sensual desire; clear the heart of all blemish; then, the Lord will be reflected therein as in a mirror.
Spiritual discipline is very necessary. It is not enough if you place charcoal over the cinders; you must fan vigorously, so that the charcoal too is changed into burning cinders. It is not enough if you are at Puttaparthi. You have to engage in saadhana to win My Sankalpa (resolution). You may ask why the burden of the consequences of acts done in previous births cannot be easily brushed away. No, they can be destroyed, as a heap of cotton is burned by a spark of fire. Jnaanaagni dagdha karmaanam---the spark of jnaana will destroy the effect of karma, in a trice. These consequences are like the cloud of dust that follows a bus, when it runs on a fair-weather road. When the bus reaches the gravel road or the metalled road, the dust is less, but it is still there. When at last it enters the tarred road there is no dust. The mud track is karma; the metalled road is upaasana; the tarred dust-free road is jnaana. By human skill and effort it is possible to reduce the burden of past karma.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. V, Chapter 16.
The doctor may assure you that you have no fever, but the thermometer cannot lie. The doctor may say so to save you from panic, but the thermometer declares the truth. God knows and God will deal with you as you deserve. Have the faith. Repent for all wrongs done and resolve not to repeat the mistake; then God will extend His Grace.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. IV, Chapter 39.
You know there is a rule here that you should come with empty hands, without even the traditional offerings of pathram, pushpam, phalam, thoyam (leaf, flower, fruit and water). Come with clean hands, hands that supplicate, not supply. Hands that proclaim that they have renounced attachment to riches. Then, I fill them with Grace. I must say that I accept certain things before giving you that Grace: I demand and take sathya, dharma, shanthi and prema. I seek the gifts of truth, virtue, peace and love. I draw you to Me and then reform and reshape you. I am a kind of smith who repairs broken, leaky, damaged hardware. I repair broken hearts and fragile minds, warped intellects, feeble resolutions and fading faith.
Do not be under the impression that all these people come to Me seeking worldly favors or blessings for worldly advancement or fortunes. At least ninety among a hundred of them ask from Me spiritual guidance only. They do not ask for worldly boons at all. They are eager to be directed along the path of japam, dhyaanam, naamasmarana or some such saadhana. They are full of prema for the Divine Principle and the Divine is full of prema towards them. It is a question of Prema responding to prema; Prema which is saturated with sathya, as Vivekananda was saturated with viveka.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. V, Chapter 43
"I draw you to Me and then reform and reshape you."
Life is a campaign against foes, it is a battle with obstacles, temptations, hardships, hesitations. These foes are within man and so, the battle has to be incessant and perpetual. Like the virus that thrives on the bloodstream, the vices of lust, greed, hate, malice, pride and envy sap the energy and faith of man and reduce him to untimely fall. Raavana had scholarship, strength, wealth, power, authority, the Grace of God---but the virus of lust and pride which lodged in his mind brought about his destruction, despite all his attainments. He could not dwell in peace and joy for a moment after the virus started work. Virtue is strength, vice is weakness.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VI, Chapter 7.
"Raavana had scholarship, strength, wealth, power, authority, the Grace of God---but the virus of lust and pride which lodged in his mind brought about his destruction, despite all his attainments."
"Why did Krishna raise the Govardhana Hill and keep it aloft? It was to announce His Truth and His Nature, to instill Faith and to implant courage. It is just a sign, as is each one of My Acts. There is no task which I cannot accomplish, remember, no weight I cannot lift. You have faith in Raama and Krishna because of the books which describe a part of their achievements and the experience of the saadhakas who attempted to delve into their Mystery. You have not demanded direct proofs of Divinity from either Raama or Krishna, have you? Have faith first and then you will get proof enough. Take up the discipline of the recital of the Name."
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. II, Chapter 19.
To get santhosha and shaanthi, you must develop a pure unsullied mind, unsullied by egoism and its progeny---lust, greed, envy, anger, hatred and the rest. For this, you must seek sathsanga (good company), perform sath karma (good deeds), entertain only sath aalochana (good thoughts) and read sath granthas (good books). You may see a thousand good things or listen to a thousand good words or read a thousand good books---but unless you put at least one into practice, the blemishes in the mirror of your heart will not be wiped off. The Lord cannot be reflected therein.
Constant practice with full faith will transmute Nara into Naaraayana, Maanava into Maadhava (man into God; for Naaraayana is your real nature, Maadhava is your real essence. You are but a wave of the sea; know it, and you are free.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VI, Chapter 8.
You must cultivate the same attitude towards My commands and instructions. Be convinced that if you obey them strictly, you will attain victory. One evening Krishna took Arjuna far out of Dwarka City and while they were alone together, He pointed at a bird flying over their heads and asked him, "Arjuna, isn't it a dove?" Arjuna agreed; he said it was a dove. Suddenly, Krishna turned towards him and said, "No, it is a crow." Arjuna concurred and said, "I am sorry, it certainly is a crow." Immediately, Krishna asked him, "A crow, no, it must be a kite. Is it not so?" and Arjuna promptly agreed, "Yes. It is a kite." At this, Krishna smiled and asked Arjuna, "Are you in your senses? What exactly do you see? Why you say, of the same bird, it is a dove, it must be a crow and it is a kite?" Arjuna said, "Who am I to dispute your statement? You can make it a crow even if it is not one, or, change it into a kite. I have found that the safest thing is to agree with you, in full faith. I know of no other course." It was only after this test, for unflinching faith that Krishna assured Himself of the credentials of Arjuna to receive the Geetha advice.
The inquiry about the identity of the bird was a test. God tests man; so you must welcome tests. Tests are only for giving you greater Grace. They are not to be treated as punishments. It promotes your confidence. You enter a house and decide to live there, only after you are assured that the foundation is secure, is it not? When your faith is fixed, your life too will flow in peace.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VII, Chapter 41.
Life is a pilgrimage, where man drags his feet along the rough and thorny road. With the Name of God on his lips, he will have no thirst; with the Form of God in his heart, he will feel no exhaustion. The company of the holy will inspire him to travel in hope and faith. The assurance that God is within call, that He is ever near, will lend strength to his limbs and courage to his eye.
Remember that with every step, you are nearing God; and God too, takes ten steps towards you when you take one step towards Him. There is no stopping place in this pilgrimage; it is one continuous journey, through day and night; through valley and desert; through tears and smiles; through death and birth; through tomb and womb.
When the road ends, and the Goal is gained, the pilgrim finds that he has traveled only from himself to Himself, that the way was long and lonesome, but the God that led him unto it was all the while in him, around him, with him and beside him! He himself was always Divine. His yearning to merge in God was but the sea calling to the Ocean! Man loves, because He is Love! He craves for melody and harmony, because He is Melody and Harmony. He seeks joy, for He is Joy. He thirsts for God, for he is composed of God, and he cannot exist without Him.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 9.
The most direct method of spiritual success is Nishkaama karma (desireless action), action without any attention or attachment to the fruit therefrom, action as duty, action as dedication, action as worship. But action and the fruit thereof are not two separate entities, the fruit is the action itself, in its final stage, the climax, the conclusion. The flower is the fruit; the fruit is the flower; one is the beginning, the other is the legitimate end. The flower becomes the fruit. The action becomes the consequence.
One's duty is to act; act well in fear of God; act within the bounds of morality; act in love; continue acting; the consequences will naturally follow as the fruit follows the flower. One need not worry or exult. Act enthusiastically, with faith---success is yours.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 14.
"But action and the fruit thereof are not two separate entities, the fruit is the action itself, in its final stage, the climax, the conclusion. "
The most direct method of spiritual success is Nishkaama karma (desireless action), action without any attention or attachment to the fruit therefrom, action as duty, action as dedication, action as worship. But action and the fruit thereof are not two separate entities, the fruit is the action itself, in its final stage, the climax, the conclusion. The flower is the fruit; the fruit is the flower; one is the beginning, the other is the legitimate end. The flower becomes the fruit. The action becomes the consequence.
One's duty is to act; act well in fear of God; act within the bounds of morality; act in love; continue acting; the consequences will naturally follow as the fruit follows the flower. One need not worry or exult. Act enthusiastically, with faith---success is yours.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 14.
"The flower is the fruit; the fruit is the flower; one is the beginning, the other is the legitimate end."
"When you have no faith in God, you cannot gauge the efficacy of Grace. If you discard Raama and Krishna, they cannot stand by you in your hour of need. You do not attach yourself to Sai Baba and so you do not receive His Grace. If you start with cynicism and doubt and try to criticize and discover faults, the result is deeper ignorance and confusion. Unholy thoughts fog the mind with foul fumes. How can clarity come to the vision then?"
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 16.
Below is an old account of one of Swami's leelas. I received it among one of the many regular Emailings from India. I am not familiar with any link to it. A similar account of a Muslim man yearning to make the pilgrimage to Mecca was also related many years ago.
SWAMY WITH THE AUSTRALIANS
A group of six devotees had come to have darshan of Swami from Australia. Swami called them for a private interview.
During the normal course of the talk, Swami looked at one of the devotees and asked --
"Why did you come now? Your mother is not well. She needs you there back in Australia".
He replied saying-- "Yes Baba, I called home yesterday night and this news was conveyed to me. I pray for her early recovery."
Baba replied --
"Go home soon. She is asking for you. In fact go home now."
So saying, Baba created a map of the world with the wave of the hand. He spread it on the wall and the following conversation took place: --
BABA : "Where is Australia in this map?"
Devotee: "Here, Baba." (Pointing to the map).
Baba touched it and the world map changed into an Australian map!!!
BABA : "Where in Australia do you say?"
Devotee: "New South Wales, Baba." (Pointing to the map).
Baba touched it and the Australian map changed into the map of New South Wales.
BABA : "Where in New South Wales do you say?"
When the devotee mentioned the place, Baba touched it and the chart changed to show all the apartments in the area.
Then Baba touched the house in which the man was staying and lo! the wall of the interview room became the door of the devotee's home. Baba opened the door and showed the man his mother sleeping on the sofa. Baba called the man and asked him to go in and closed the door. He rubbed his hands on the door and the door became the wall of the interview room again!
Later when the Australians came out of the interview room, only five came out instead of the six who went in. The students of Prashanthi Nilayam campus saw this & later they called back the man who was sent to Australia, an hour later, who confirmed his safe arrival'!!!
Baba said that ---
"Time and space exist only in the worldly plane. In the divine plane there is no time and space. I can easily cross time and space as and when I want to. That experience of the Australian crossing space to reach Australia from the interview room was my leela to show you that it is possible for me to do that if necessary. Time and space hold no barrier for GOD."
In truth, you cannot understand the nature of My Reality either today, or even after a thousand years of steady austerity or ardent inquiry even if all mankind joins in that effort. But in a short time, you will become cognizant of the bliss showered by the Divine Principle, which has taken upon itself this sacred Body and this sacred Name. Your good fortune which will provide you this chance is greater than what was available for anchorites, monks, sages, saints and even personalities embodying facet of Divine Glory!
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 the moment. Since Divinity is enveloped by humanness you must endeavor to overcome the maaya (delusion) that hides it from your eyes.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 19.
"But any moment, My Divinity may be revealed to you; you have to be ready, prepared for the moment." I am aware of this first hand.
This is a Human Form in which every Divine Entity, every Divine Principle, that is to say, all the Names and Forms ascribed by man to God, are manifest---"Sarvadhaivathwa sarwaroopaalanu dharinchina maanavaakaarame ee aakaaram". Do not allow doubt to distract you; if you only install, in the altar of your heart, steady faith in My Divinity, you can win a Vision of My Reality. Instead, if you swing like the pendulum of a clock, one moment devotion, another moment, disbelief, you can never succeed in comprehending the Truth and win that Bliss. You are very fortunate that you have a chance to experience the bliss of the vision of the sarvadhaivathwa swaruupam (the Form, which is all Forms of all Gods) now, in this life itself.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 19.
"Instead, if you swing like the pendulum of a clock, one moment devotion, another moment, disbelief, you can never succeed in comprehending the Truth and win that Bliss."
Again, how fortunate you are that you can witness all the countries of the world paying homage to Bhaarath; 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, before you. And again, you can witness very soon the restoration of Sanaathana 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 saamarthya (capability). This is not a Bhrama Thathwam (phenomenon of delusion). This thathwam (phenomenon) will sustain truth, it will uproot untruth, and in that victory make all of you exult in ecstasy. This is the Sai Sankalpam.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 19.
"Let Me draw your attention to another fact. On previous occasions when God incarnated on earth, the bliss of recognizing Him in the incarnation was vouchsafed only after the physical embodiment had left the world, in spite of plenty of patent evidences of His Grace. And the loyalty and devotion they commanded from men arose through fear and awe, at their superhuman powers and skills, or at their imperial and penal authority. But ponder a moment on this Sathya Sai Manifestation; in this age of rampant materialism, aggressive disbelief and irreverence, what is it that brings to It the adoration of millions from all over the world? You will be convinced that the basic reason for this is the fact that this is the Supra-worldly Divinity in Human Form."
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 19.
"I have come to light the lamp of love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added lustre. I have not come to speak on behalf of any particular dharma (righteousness), like the Hindu Dharma. I have not come on any mission of publicity for any sect or creed or cause; nor have I come to collect followers for any doctrine. I have no plan to attract disciples or devotees into My fold or any fold. I have come to tell you of this Universal unitary faith, this Aatmic principle, this path of love, this dharma of prema, this duty of love, this obligation to love."
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 22.
"I have not come to speak on behalf of any particular dharma (righteousness), like the Hindu Dharma."
Aloha
04-08-2008, 08:52 AM
Time is eternal! as is God himself in his infinite wisdom, Time changes and so do men!
yet! time is eternal, and in the cycle of life, it's the same as it always was, the only
difference is: Time changes! and we must change with it, in order for things to become
new and re-newed! and that's the wisdom in it, still! time is eternal! It's the same today,
as it was yesterday, and will be tomorrow. Time is eternal! :roll: :mrgreen:
All religions teach one basic discipline: the removal from the mind of the blemish of egoism, of running after little joy. 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 Only God; that all names in all languages and all forms man can conceive, denote the One and Only God; His adoration is best done by means of love. Cultivate that Eka-bhaava (attitude of oneness), between men of all creeds, all countries and all continents. That is the message of love, I bring. That is the message I wish you to take to heart.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 22.
"All religions teach one basic discipline: the removal from the mind of the blemish of egoism, of running after little joy."
Aloha, perhaps I am not well informed, but I have to wonder if time is eternal as God is. I may have to do some more studies about time, as I always thought time was created. Anything that is created cannot be eternal as God. Can anyone shed some light on this principle of time? Is it eternal or not as you understand it.
"The usual activity of a person who calls himself a bhaktha (devote) of Raama or Krishna or Sai Baba is, as you must have noticed, planning to build a temple! A new temple rises up and an old one crumbles. Why should these people run about with appeals and donation lists, clamouring for contributions? Each one is induced by ego to build a temple, not for God, but for himself. "I shall build a house where my God, who has now no roof over His head, can stay," That is the vain and vulgar motive which is at the back of all this mania for raising mandirs (places of worship). The persons who are approached feel superior, the person who appeals for help displays his want of faith in the God whom he adores; people imagine that the Mandir is for a new God, a God who competes with older Names and Forms of Divinity for their patronage and support! Altogether not a desirable activity for a bhaktha, isn't it?"
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 28.
"I have no sense of distinction between bhakthas who worship this Form or that. All can come near, all who crave for heat and light. The heat of this splendor will destroy the chill of sensual pleasure; the light will scatter the darkness of ages. Cultivate Prema (Love) towards all; that is the way to gain nearness. I do not measure distance in terms of meters or miles. The range of Love decides distance from Me.
Another point: You desire that I should come to your houses; you pray to Me to do so, you grieve when I do not come, you start reviling yourself that you are poorer than others, that you are less spiritually developed perhaps, and so on. Now, all this is irrelevant. I have no place in My heart for such distinctions and differences. You may believe this or disbelieve. But I must reveal the real response of My Heart. I have no enthusiasm to visit the houses of people; nor have I any disinclination to do the same. I do not care for the brick and mortar structures in which you live; I care to visit and reside in your hearts. This Prasanthi Nilayam is not My residence; when your hearts are transformed into Prasanthi Nilayams, they are My residence."
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 28.
Baba writes that we are not what we seem to be.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/26563
"You as body, mind and soul are a dream, but what you really are is existence, knowledge, bliss. You are the God of this universe. You are creating this whole universe and drawing it in. To gain the infinite universal individuality, the miserable little prison of individuality must go. Bhakti is no crying or negative condition, it is the seeing of all in all we see............................................... ........ "
"Do not greedily try to overtake others."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/26567
The body is the car in which you are riding to death. You may meet death any moment, while riding. Remember that time is running out every moment, while riding. Remember that time is running out every moment; then, you will not be tempted to waste time in idle talk or vain pursuits, or vulgar entertainment. Travel in the car carefully, slowly, with due regard to the needs of others on the road; do not greedily try to overtake others, or compete in speed; know the limitations of the vehicle and the road! and then, you will not meet with any accident. Your journey will be a happy experience for you and the rest of the people.
"I have been offering you advice and directions about Seva for some years, but I am not satisfied with the extent to which you have been putting them into practice. Your aim should be to please Me, to satisfy Me, to follow My directions. I have come with certain tasks as My Mission. I too have certain vows to fulfill! They have been mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita also. I have to establish the supremacy of Dharma; I have to bear the yoga-kshema (burden of welfare) of those who are immersed in thoughts of Me alone. So, the best way to please Me is to see Me in all beings and serve them just as you would like to serve Me. That is the best form of worship, which will reach Me.
The Lord may have two or two hundred vows; that is His Will. But the Bhaktha need have only one vow, to save himself---the vow of total surrender--- of Sharanaagathi. If you have full faith in the Divinity of every being, the attitude of surrender will automatically be fixed in you. Do not treat them, as nara (human); treat them as Naaraayana, the Lord Himself. You are not alleviating the distress of that other person; you are offering worship to the Lord, in that Form, in that body.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 33.
"So, the best way to please Me is to see Me in all beings and serve them just as you would like to serve Me. That is the best form of worship, which will reach Me."
As the child learns to speak, he says Harry wants water signifiying the beginning of the split mind.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/26585
(A) Children in general are Divine in nature. As they grow up they develop bad qualities like excessive desires, attachments, anger, jealousy, etc. Along with advancing in age, sorrows and difficulties will also increase. Therefore, one should strive for attaining control over one's desires. That is ceiling on desires.
(B) If you can develop this control, you will come under the influence of Divine power. Otherwise, you will be deluded by the power of desires and get into that vortex from which you can never come out. A child like simplicity, purity and innocence, is the road to Divinity.
Today in this Kali Yuga, while the currents of contradiction and controversy are undermining faith and adoration, the good fortune that has brought you face to face with Me is something for which you must thank your merit won through many lives. This is no ordinary good fortune. This incarnation is moving with you, your job and grief in order to console, encourage and cure. This relationship is something unique; it has to be kept unbroken, until the goal is reached.
Devotees who are attached to Me have a special responsibility. Vice-Chancellor Dr. Gokak referred in his speech to My direction that no one shall collect funds for any endeavor connected with My Name. I want that you must replace Dhana-yearning with Dharma-yearning. Yearn for Dharma, not riches. Do not extend your hand before man, but ask of the Lord, and He will fill it with priceless treasure. Have that faith and carry on.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 45.
When you go into the qualifications needed for seva, you will know that a pure heart---uncontaminated by conceit, greed, envy, hatred or competition is essential; also, faith in God, as the spring of vitality, virtue and justice. Seva is the worship you offer to the God in the heart of everyone. Do not ask another which State you belong to, or which caste or creed you profess. See your favourite Form of God in that other person; as a matter of fact, he is not 'other' at all. It is His image, as much as you are. You are not helping some 'one individual' you are adoring Me in him. I am before you in that Form; so, what room is there for the ego in you to raise its hood?
Duty is God; Work is worship. Even the tiniest work is a flower placed at the Feet of God. Approach the pilgrims who come here for the Festival with a heart filled with treasure of Love.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. X, Chapter 6.
"Faith in God, as the spring of vitality, virtue and justice."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabane ... age/26635; (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/26635;)
"Faith can grow only from the root of inquiry. Faith is made firmer by inquiry. Therefore steady inquiry is essential; do not be led by others; awaken your reason, amass your own experience; and decide for yourself, your own path. Then only can you get joy in treading it; if you are forced to take a path by others or persuaded into it by some one else, then, when the first obstacle turns up, you will get dispirited and turn back."
Devotion is no sign of weakness; it is a sign of courage, of wisdom, of discrimination; it alone can give soukhyam and shaanthi (happiness and peace). Every one has one day or other to fall in line with you, for every one is terribly anxious to get these two. They try, in their ignorance or excitement, various other remedies, but this remedy alone can cure them.
Divine Discourse, July 4, 1961.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/26667
OM SRI SATHYA SAI GANESHAAYA NAMAHA!
DIVINE DISCOURSE: AUGUST 28,2004
Embodiments of Love!
(A) Whenever you encounter suffering either bodily or mentally, do not lose your cool. Do not get dejected. Instead, face the problem squarely and undertake activities that will instill a sense of courage and confidence in you. No doubt, situations do arise in life when we have to undergo sorrows and difficulties.
(B) When our loving parents depart from this world, we are in deep sorrow. Instead of losing our poise in such difficult situations, it is advisable to face the ordeal with courage, expressing gratitude to our parents for granting us the gift of this body.
The Lord gives permission to test his omnipresence.
http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_ ... pecial.htm (http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_06/01APR08/14-h2h_special.htm)
......Prashanti Nilayam was not yet built then. We kept quiet and just looked at Him, which meant ‘Yes!’ We couldn’t tell Him directly; He knows everything, why should we? Then He said, “It is but natural! It’s nothing unnatural. How can you believe if somebody just comes and tells you ‘I am God!’? There’s nothing wrong; it is very natural!”
“You must test My omnipresence!” – Baba
We thought He may not like it, but He said it was very natural! So we were happy with ourselves that we had been, in a way, forgiven for our doubts. Then He said, “But there’s one thing you must do to remove your doubts. You can’t always live with doubt, so try it! If I am God, I must show Omnipresence; nobody else can be Omnipresent – only God can do that!”
Ordinary Gurus can’t guide us, the way Baba is doing for us. He said, “You must test My Omnipresence!” And He insisted: “You have to do it! There is no other way! Only then will your doubts go.” How could we test His Omnipresence in Puttaparthi? He is already there! He said, “When you go back to your respective places, test Me whether I am available as Omnipresence! You have to do it for your own sake!”
That in itself proves what a great Guru He is! He didn’t say, “I told you I am God; why should you have doubts? Why can’t you believe?” Instead, He said, “It is natural! Everybody has doubts; but doubts can be removed by your own efforts in your own life.”..................
The fault that you see in another is none but your own weak vision.
LIVING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD (VOL 1/PT III) - 699
Attachments make you lose your freedom. You can move freely, when you are not encumbered with burdens. Less luggage, more comfort, is a slogan for the journey of life. Reduce desires, loosen attachments; you win your freedom. The end of wisdom is freedom; the end of education is character; the end of culture is perfection; the end of knowledge is Love. Self-confidence is the basis of faith in God also. People who do not know who they are and who have no confidence in their strength and power assert that there is no God. But how can they declare that the God in whom you believe and who exists for you, does not exist? They are free to assert that God does not exist for them; but that assertion cannot make God Himself non-existent!
There is a story about a Hindu Pandit in Benaras. He used to pray for five minutes every morning and for five minutes every evening, thus spending ten minutes a day in meditation on God. His colleagues laughed at him for wasting ten precious minutes on this silly, wasteful habit. He replied, "Sirs! If really there is no God, I concede that ten minutes of my time are being wasted each day; but if God exists, imagine, you are wasting twenty-four hours each day, without recognizing Him and praying to Him! I feel that I am using these ten minutes in something in which I have full faith. I am deriving great joy therefrom."
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XI, Chapter 40.
"The end of wisdom is freedom; the end of education is character; the end of culture is perfection; the end of knowledge is Love."
The journey from man to God is but only sacrifice.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabane ... age/26723; (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/26723;)
Embodiments of Love !
(A) A human being can be compared to a pot, and God is the potter. If the pot is not processed in fire of wisdom, it will break when put to use. What is wisdom? Advaita darshanam jnanam (perception of non-duality is wisdom). One should refine oneself in the fire of wisdom and experience non-dualism.
(B) Clay gains value when it is refined and made into a pot. The metal gold gains added value and strength when it is made into a beautiful ornament. Likewise, refinement manifests the latent power in man and increases his value.
All relationships are incidental and temporary. Hence, each one should perform his duties. As long as one is involved in worldly life, the relationships of mother and son, husband and wife, brother and sister, and the like, have to be recognized as natural phenomena. All these relationships have no permanence. Separation is inevitable sooner or later. But between you and God, there can be no separation at any time. Even if you forget God, God will not forget you. Therefore, you have to develop faith in God and cultivate love.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XXIV, Chapter 25.
Do not try to find fault with others; search, rather, for your own. I direct you to implant three ideals in your hearts: (1) Do not forget God; (2) Do not put faith in the world you see around you; it is changing every second and does not last; (3) Do not be afraid. You are the imperishable Atma that knows no fear. I want you also to banish two ideas from your hearts: (1) Forget the harm that anyone has done to you, and (2) Forget the good that you have done to others.
Above all, develop Prema. Love all religions and all nations. Recognize and accept all religions as paths leading men to the same destination. All of them teach love and compassion, humility and forbearance. I bless all of you and ask you to promote love, sympathy and compassion towards all beings; God is present in everyone of them; and it is your duty to revere God in each of them.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XI, Chapter 40.
Babygirl
05-06-2008, 08:30 AM
Do not try to find fault with others; search, rather, for your own. I direct you to implant three ideals in your hearts: (1) Do not forget God; (2) Do not put faith in the world you see around you; it is changing every second and does not last; (3) Do not be afraid. You are the imperishable Atma that knows no fear. I want you also to banish two ideas from your hearts: (1) Forget the harm that anyone has done to you, and (2) Forget the good that you have done to others.
Above all, develop Prema. Love all religions and all nations. Recognize and accept all religions as paths leading men to the same destination. All of them teach love and compassion, humility and forbearance. I bless all of you and ask you to promote love, sympathy and compassion towards all beings; God is present in everyone of them; and it is your duty to revere God in each of them.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XI, Chapter 40.
Beautiful words to live by. :)
The whole world is one vast mansion. It contains many rooms. Each country constitutes one room in this mansion. Hence, the whole world should be considered as one home. When you regard all the limbs as parts of a body, you should consider the function of the heart in it. It is the heart that supplies blood to every part of the body. Likewise, Sathya and Dharma (truth and righteousness) constitute the blood sustaining all countries.
- Divine Discourse, February 13, 1997.
DAILY GUIDANCE
Ask yourselves, "Do I love God?"
If you say yes, then ask yourselves,
"Where do I see Him?"
If the answer to that is not,
"In my Self... in my thoughts...
in my words, in my actions,
in my feelings... at every moment...
in all beings",
then God's love will always be beyond your reach.
Your mind... your intellect...
your heart... your emotion...
your senses is what makes this universe.
If He is not in all of these at every second
then you have not loved God yet!
You have only desired Him
and chased His ghost.
(From : Sri Sathya Sai Chalisa by Seema M Dewan)
Dissolving the Bitterness of Life
Once a young man came to a revered teacher, who was seated under a tree near a beautiful lake, and asked for the solution for his unhappiness. After some minutes of conversation the old master kindly instructed the visitor to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink a few mouthfuls. “How does it taste?” the teacher asked. “Awful,” said the apprentice after he had spat out the revolting liquid a few paces away. The teacher chuckled and then asked the young man to take another handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake and when the youngster swirled his handful of salt into the lake, the old man told him, “Now drink from the lake.”
As the water dripped down the young man’s chin, the master asked him again, “How does it taste?” “Good!” he replied. “Do you taste the salt?” asked the Master. “No,” said the young man. The Master sat beside the troubled youth, took his hands, and said, “The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the level of ‘pain we taste’ depends on the container we put it into. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things. Stop being a glass. Become a lake. And you can become a lake where you broaden your outlook; when you stop looking only at yourself and your own miseries. Look at life as a whole and the many things without which you would not be what you are today – your friends, family, hobbies, nature around you.
When you are confronted with a problem, you see only the problem and ruminate over it endlessly which only makes the situation more tragic. Think of previous instances when things were better. Look at all the blessings that God has filled your life with about which you never give a thought.
Never compare yourself negatively with others. You are a unique person and if you have the faith, God will provide what you need. When you have a pain in your life, put it in front of GOD -then it will surely lessen. Do not put it in front of yourself – as you cannot see beyond it. God is Infinite. Tap this source, with confidence.
The young man left, and his viewpoint on his problems had totally changed. As the saying goes:
Tell your problems how big your God Is.
Source: An email from Ram Chugani.
Ram Chugani
Kobe, Japan
rgcjp@yahoo.com
In this Avathaar (Divine Incarnation), the wicked will not be destroyed; they will be corrected and reformed and educated and led back to the path from which they have strayed. The white-ant infested tree will not be cut; it will be saved. Again this Avathaar will not select some place other than the place where the Nativity took place for the center of Its Leelas, Mahimas and Upadhesha (divine sport, miracle power and divine instruction). This tree shall not be transplanted; it will grow where it first rose from the earth. Another specialty is this: the Avathaar has no affinity or attachment in Its Career to members of the Family wherein it appeared. Unlike the appearances as Rama, Krishna, etc., where the Life was played out mostly among and for the family members, this Avathaar is for the Bhakthas, the Saadhus and the Saadhakas (devotees, noble souls and aspirants) only. It has no japa (recitation of holy name), dhyaana (meditation) or yoga (practising union with God). It knows no worship; It will not pray to anything, for It is the Highest. It only teaches you to worship and pray.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. I, Chapter 2.
In the beginning, the Adored and the Adorer are distant and different; but, as the Sadhana (spiritual practice) becomes more confirmed and consolidated, they commingle and become more composite. For, the individual and the Universal are one; the wave in the sea. Merging fulfils. When merged, the ego is dissolved; all symbols and signs of the particular like name, form, caste, colour, creed, nationality, sect and the rights and duties consequent thereon, fades. For such individuals, who have liberated themselves from the narrowness of individuality, the only task is the uplift of humanity, the welfare of the world and the showering of love. Even if they are quiet, the state of Bliss in which they are, will shower bliss on the world. Love is in all, Love is of all, Love is all.
- Divine Discourse, December 21, 1967.
The first amendment is to accept Me - the rest of the amendments will be made from the strength of the first.
LIVING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD (VOL 1/PT III) - 103
Sairam Brothers and sisters
There is news that Swami has requested all the devotees to chant Gayathri Mantra 216 times each day the coming thursday and friday i.e.May 15th and 16th for the sake of Mother Earth and world peace. All the devotees are requested to chant the Gayathri Mantra as directed by Swami. Please pass this message to all the other devotees you know.
In Service of Sai
Ritha
The holy culture of this ancient land has been spoilt by just one impurity; intolerance of another's success, prosperity or progress. If you cannot help another, at least avoid doing him harm or causing him pain. That itself is a great service. What right have you to find fault with another or talk evil of him? When you say that nothing can ever happen on earth without His Will, why get annoyed or angry? Your duty is to cleanse yourself and engage in your own inner purification. That endeavor will bring you the co-operation of all good men and you will find strength and joy welling up within you.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. I, Chapter 12.
"Your duty is to cleanse yourself and engage in your own inner purification."
Speech is produced cheap, but it has high value. It can elevate as well as demean man. Listening to a speech, a zero can rise into a hero or a hero can collapse into a zero. It can inspire or plant despair. It must be true and sweet, not false and pleasant. Man must endeavour to acquire speech untouched by subterfuge, limbs untouched by cruelty, hands free from violence and thoughts free from vengefulness. Frenzy, fanaticism and gusts of anger have to be controlled, for they lead to disasters whose range is beyond calculation...Be conscious that every word we utter or hear will leave an impression on our consciousness, and provoke reactions which may or may not be beneficial. This is the reason why the company of God and godly people is to be sought.
Divine Discourse, May 20, 1982.
"Be conscious that every word we utter or hear will leave an impression on our consciousness, and provoke reactions which may or may not be beneficial."
Something happens not merely because of your desire, and similarly something is not averted because you do not desire it. Karma follows its own course. Your thoughts and desires cause the illusion that things happen because of your will.
The world is full of mystery and wonder. It is nothing but a manifestation of the five elements. It undergoes changes with the passage of time. Likewise, the physical body, which is also made up of five elements, is subject to changes. Only the Indweller is permanent.
Source: Divine Discourse. 19.10.2004
"Karma follows its own course. Your thoughts and desires cause the illusion that things happen because of your will."
Like underground water, the Divine is there, in every one, remember. The Lord is Sarvabhuutha antharaathma (Indweller in all beings), Sarvavyaapi (All-pervading). He is the Aaathma (Soul) of every being. He is in you as much as in every one else. He is not more in a rich being or bigger in a fat being; His spark illumines the cave of the heart of every one. The Sun shines equally on all; His Grace is falling equally on all. It is only you that erect obstacles that prevent the rays of His Grace from warming you. Do not blame the Lord for your ignorance or foolishness or perversity.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. I, Chapter 18.
"Do not blame the Lord for your ignorance or foolishness or perversity."
The word bhakti (devotion) is derived from the root word bhaj, which means pure, unsullied and selfless love toward God. In this world, no other virtue is greater than love. Love is truth, love is righteousness, and love is wealth. This world originated from love, is sustained by love, and ultimately merges in love. Every atom has its origin in love. There are innumerable powers such as atomic power, magnetic power, etc., in this world, but the power of love surpasses them all. Life bereft of faith and love is meaningless and useless.
- Divine Discourse, March 24, 1965.
Five sheaths encase the Aathma and hide its splendor from revealing itself. Make all these pure and shining. The Annamaya Kosha (physical sheath) must be purified by good, clean, pure food; the Praanamaya Kosha (vital sheath) by calm, steady breathing and an equanimous temper; the Manomaya Kosha (mental sheath) by holy thoughts and emotions, untouched by attachment to senses or unaffected by joy or grief; the Vijnaanmaya Kosha (wisdom sheath) purified by contemplation of the reality and the Aanandhamaya Kosha (bliss sheath) by getting immersed in the ecstasy of God-realization.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. II, Chapter 2.
You cannot realize how much the Lord feels for your sake. His concern is over your wantonness and willful disregard of His words, for He is interested in your keeping your hearts pure and unblemished. I am very anxious to make you all reach the goal. My task is to purify your hearts. If you engage yourself in the constant meditation of the Name of the Lord, with devotion, humility and faith, the Lord will stand at the door of your Puja room, awaiting your wish. Only, you should not allow your mind to waver. Genuine yearning will make your heart pure.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. II, Chapter 22.
"My task is to purify your hearts."
Do not bring God down by foolishly giving Him
the weakness of human characteristics –
Instead, shed them, yourselves,
and rise above to reach the state of His divine nature.
LIVING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD (VOL 1/PT III) - 674
I dwell in the darkest hidden corners -
in the deepest of your secrets -
none can hide from Me, My child,
for I begin your search,
even before you have made the attempt to hide.
LIVING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD (VOL 1/PT III) - 68
A person may boast of the vast treasures in the vaults of his bank, but he will get credit only for that which he has actually earned and deposited therein. Do not fritter away the time allotted to you; offer it to Keshava, who is Kaalaswaruupa (Time personified). Know that waking from sleep is but birth and going to into sleep is death. On waking, pray every morning of your life, "Oh Lord, I am born now from the womb of sleep. I am determined to carry out all tasks this day as offerings to Thee, with Thee ever present before my mind's eye. Make my words, thoughts and deeds sacred and pure; let me not inflict pain on any one; let no one inflict pain on me; direct me, guide me, this day." And when you enter the portals of sleep at night, pray, " Oh Lord! the tasks of this day, whose burden I placed on you this morning, are over. It was You who made me walk and talk and think and act; I therefore place at Thy Feet all my words, thoughts and deeds. My task is done. Receive me, I am coming back to you." Adopt these as your daily prayers. The best thing is to have your own Self as the source of Light, as the Guru. The Inner Intelligence, the Inner Guru will reveal the Truth. This prayerful attitude will so educate your impulses that the Inner Intelligence will be fully revealed.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. II, Chapter 14.
"The best thing is to have your own Self as the source of Light, as the Guru."
You have come, most of you, to get from Me tinsel and trash, petty little cures and promotions, joys and comforts; very few of you desire to get from Me the thing I have come to give, viz., Liberation itself; and even among these few, those who stick to the path of saadhana and succeed are a handful.
Many are drawn away by the outer signs of sainthood, the long gown, the beard, the rosaries, the matted hair; they keep track of many such who move about in this land and follow them into the wilderness. It is very difficult to demarcate clearly the manifestation of the Lord and so, I am announcing Myself and Myself describing My mission, the task, the characteristics, the qualities which mark out the Avathaar from the rest. Do not hunger for comfort or riches; hunger for Aanandha.
If you have faith and if you keep the name of Rama as constant companion, you are in Vaikuntha or Kailash or heaven, all the time. These are not distant regions that have to be reached by tortuous travel; they are springs of tranquillity that are in your own heart. You cannot have this chance of the nearness of the greatest of all sources of joy in any other place. Here it is so near, so easy to attain, 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 bhakthas (devotees); I usually address you as Divyaathma swaruupulara (embodiments of the Divine), for that is you real swaruupa, this Divyathwam (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 swaruupulaara, but, as for bhakthi, since it is a quality that will make you desire the Lord and nothing else, I find you cannot lay claim to it.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. III, Chapter 3.
Divine Grace is like rain, pure, pellucid, falling on all. How it is received and used depends on the heart of man.
The Lord does not test a man just for fun; He does not pile calamity on calamity because He enjoys it. Examinations are held, to measure achievement and award marks and honors. You must ask to be examined, so that your progress may be recorded.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. III, Chapter 3.
"You must ask to be examined, so that your progress may be recorded."
No sadhana would help in realising God, if one is devoid of purity of the heart. The different kinds of sadhana like fasting, meditation, etc., would help to develop one's faith in the omnipresent God who, in fact, resides as the indweller in you. People generally think that God gave darshan to such and such person.
But the truth is God never gives darshan to people who have no purity of the heart. Hence, if you wish to have the darshan of God, you must develop purity of the heart. All kinds of sadhana are meant only to attain purity. The moment you attain purity of the heart, the omnipresent God will manifest right in front of you.
FROM DIVINE DISCOURSE: 9.10.2005
Divinity is manifest in every living being. The same Atma Tattwa (Atmic principle) is present not only in human beings but in every living being in the universe. But one has to have a pure and selfless heart to realise this truth.
In order to realise this truth, every human being has to constantly contemplate on God. By doing so, your heart will become pure and peaceful. The moment you attain that stage, God will surely perceptibly manifest in you. This must be your sadhana.
FROM DIVINE DISCOURSE: 9.10.2005
And then who are these gopees, according to the Bhaagavatha itself? They are the demi-gods who wanted to share in the glory of the Avathaar and who came down to the world as witnesses and sharers in the Divine Leela (cosmic sport). They came for a purpose; they are not ordinary village folk, who could be dismissed as a crowd of voluptuous women. They saw in every gesture and gait, every word and phrase of Krishna the Divine, not the human at all.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. III, Chapter 18.
If you immerse a pot in water, there is water in the pot and also around the pot. The water inside is not different from the water outside. The same is true of God. The scriptures say: Antarbahisca Tat Sarvam Vyapya Narayanah Sthitah - ¡God is present inside, outside, everywhere¢. It is the same God who is within as well as without. You must have unshakeable faith in this truth, in this basic fact concerning the Divine. Never forget God, no matter what the problems or difficulties. Don't you have a mind? Don't you have aspirations and goals? Be firm; be resolute. God must be your goal, and you must pursue it with steadfast determination. Today, man is not doing that; he is following goals set by others, by foolish and thoughtless people. What do you achieve by this? Nothing! On the other hand, you lose even what you have.
- Divine Discourse, May 22, 2000 .
There are many who teach different techniques of meditation today. However, meditation is meant to acquire purity of the spiritual heart, for, without attaining purity of the heart, the seat of awareness, God cannot be realised. Hence, one has to strive to attain purity of the spiritual heart.
We often refer to individuals as my son, my brother, my father, my mother, my wife, etc., keeping in view the worldly relationships. But the truth is that the same God is manifesting through all those individuals. Hence, one has to consider every individual as the embodiment of Divinity. The entire universe is permeated by Brahma Tattwa. All the names and forms attributed to the Atma Tattwa are all our own making.
FROM DIVINE DISCOURSE: 9.10.2005
I am always happy and cheerful. I do not at all pay attention to praise or scorn from any quarter. They are only the outward manifestation in words of one's feelings. I have nothing to do with them. I do not entertain any feelings of difference at all. "All are one, be alike to everyone."
Develop firm faith in the principle of unity in all that you come across in the world. God is one and only one. If you do not develop firm faith in this principle, it is possible that you will worship one form of God and hate another. You should always hold on to the principle of oneness of God. That is the truth. If you are not able to develop such faith, ignore it and do not make it a matter of dispute and strife.
FROM DIVINE DISCOURSE: 9.10.2005
Devotion to God is not to be calculated on the basis of the institutions one has started or helped, the temples one has built or renovated, the donations one has given away, nor does it depend on the number of times one has written the Name of the Lord or on the time and energy one has spent in the worship of the Lord. These are not vital at all, no, not even secondary. Devotion is Divine Love, unsullied by any tinge of desire for the benefit that flows from it or the fruit or consequence of that love. It is love that knows no particular reason for its manifestation. It is of the nature of the love of the soul for the Oversoul; the river for the sea; the creeper for the tree, the star for the sky, the spring for the cliff down which it flows. It is sweet, in bad times as well as good.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. IV, Chapter 12.
"Devotion is Divine Love, unsullied by any tinge of desire for the benefit that flows from it or the fruit or consequence of that love."
The significance of Vibhuti is given below by Baba.
Vibhuthi, as Baba says, signifies triumph over tantalizing desires. Ash or dust is the final unchangeable condition of things and as such it is a symbol of Divinity and Cosmic Dissolution.
Vibhuthi given by Baba constitutes a warning lesson to the receiver to give up all desires and to burn all passions, desires, attachment, and temptations, and make one pure, holy and sacred and hence eligible for liberation.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/27272
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to perform several methods/modes of worship to Mother Kali throughout the day. One day, the divine Mother appeared before him and enquired, "Ramakrishna! You are getting mad day by day. You worshipped Me in a particular form. Why do you confine Me to this form and that form. In fact, all forms are Mine. Whomsoever you come across, consider them as the embodiments of Divinity."
Though God is omnipresent, He assumes a particular form and serves human beings in many ways. Right from now, realise this truth that all names and forms are His. Anybody you come across, consider them as the embodiment of Divinity. When you develop such an attitude, you can see God anywhere and everywhere.
FROM DIVINE DISCOURSE: 9.10.2005
"Why do you confine Me to this form and that form?.. Right from now, realise this truth that all names and forms are His.?
I have heard discordant voices emanating from this town, and whispers that if Sathya Sai Baba is really Divine, why is the Bukkapatnam Tank dry during the greater part of the year? Some of you here might have heard such statements, made by irresponsible persons who have no knowledge of the working of Cosmic Laws. What is the relationship between My Truth and the freshes that fill the tank of your village? It is really an absurd idea: that since Sai Baba is within four miles of this place, the Bukkapatnam Tank must be full all the year round and the lands below it must yield good profit for the owners! Why should I expend My Grace especially on this tank, as proximity gives greater attachment? All places are equally near for Me and, if they turn away from good ways, all are equally far! For Me, distance is not to be measured by miles. A tank in another continent might be as near to Me as a tank across the Chitravathi.
Again, unless the people of this village have deposited amounts in the bank, how can the bank honor the cheques they draw? Have you deposited devotion to the Lord, service to your kind, faith in your spiritual practice? Then alone can you draw upon the Grace that is won by such exertion: Grace is proportionate to exertion.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. IV, Chapter 14.
Here I must tell you something about Myself, like leaving a Visiting Card, here. My task is not merely to cure and console, remove individual misery. It is something far more important. The important task of the mango tree is to produce mango fruits. The leaves, the branches, and the trunk of the tree are useful, in their own way, no doubt; but the main aim is the fruit. So also from the plantain tree, the fruit is the main gain. The leaves, the edible core of the stem, these are all incidental. So too, the removal of misery and distress is incidental to My Mission.
My main task is the re-establishment of the Vedas and the Shaastras in the heart of Bhaarathavarsha and the revival of knowledge about them in the people. This task will succeed; it will not be impeded by any obstacle. It will not be limited or slowed. When the Lord decides and wills, His Sankalpa (Resolve) cannot be hindered; it will not be hindered. You must have heard people say that Mine is all magic, black or white. Well, these people may also say that Krishna lifted Govardhanagiri by means of black magic, or that Rama built a bridge over the sea, by black magic!
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. IV, Chapter 49
Of course, there is magic in the world both white and black; but, the manifestation of Divine Power must not be interpreted as magic. Can the crow's egg and the cuckoo's egg be identified as belonging to one class? Magicians play their tricks for earning a livelihood. They use it for worldly fame and wealth. They are based on falsehood and they thrive on deceit and ignorance.
This Body can never stoop to that level. No; never. This Body has come through Divine Sankalpa (the Lord's Resolve), to come. That resolve is intended to uphold Sathya. Bhagavath-sankalpa (God's resolve) is always Sathya-sankalpa (resolve that comes true). Everyone knows the strict discipline of Prasanthi Nilayam; the order is "Not even a flower is to be brought!" Due to ignorance and vicious motives they do not grasp correctly the nature of Sai Shakthi. They interpret it as something else. That shakthi (power) is unlimited; the fault lies in their vision, if they cannot see it as it is. There is nothing that Divine Power cannot accomplish.
It can transmute earth into sky and sky into earth. To doubt this is to prove that you are too weak to grasp the grandeur of the Universal.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. IV, Chapter 49.
"the fault lies in their vision, if they cannot see it as it is."
"Many of you have come with problems of health or mental worry of some sort or other. They are mere baits by which you have been brought here, so that you may contact the Grace, and strengthen you faith in the Divine. Problems and worry are really to be welcomed as they teach you the lessons of humility and reverence. But, not all continue the attachment they are able to establish; they lose the fortune that has fallen into their hands. You will see the day when the Chitravathi sands alone can accommodate the gatherings that assemble here from all parts of the world; when the sky alone can provide a roof for them all. Many hesitate to believe that things will improve, that life for all will be happy and full of joy, that the Golden Age will ever recur. Let Me assure you that this Dharmaswaruupa (Righteousness personified) has not come in vain. It will succeed in averting the crisis that has come upon Humanity."
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. V, Chapter 11
"Problems and worry are really to be welcomed as they teach you the lessons of humility and reverence."
The consequence of karma can be wiped out only through karma, as a thorn can be removed only by means of another. Do good karma to assuage the pain of the bad karma which you have done and from which you suffer now. The best and the simplest karma is the repetition of the Name of the Lord; be ever engaged in it. It will keep out evil tendencies and wicked thoughts. It will help you radiate love all around you.
The sages of ancient times divided karma into vikarma (that is intentionally done) and akarma (that is done without any intention to gain consequence). Follow the latter and you will save yourselves from suffering. All other activities--the earning of wealth, of reputation, of fame and publicity--result in suffering. Gain internal peace, internal joy; that can be done only when you act without an eye on the gain. The act must be its own reward; or rather, the act must be according to the prompting of the God within, so that its consequence is left to Him. Practice this attitude consistently and you will find great Peace welling within you and around you.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. V, Chapter 17.
"The best and the simplest karma is the repetition of the Name of the Lord; be ever engaged in it."
A story about pleasing God.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/27379
"Pleasing the entire world without pleasing God is of no use. Even if the whole world is opposed to you, so long as God is with you, you need not fear. When God is with you, the whole world will follow you. When God is pleased with you, the whole world will be pleased with you. Therefore, let all your efforts be towards pleasing God."
-BABA
"You can get real urge and inspiration to serve others only when you get rid of the identification with the body. When a man suffers from acute stomach pain, his eyes water. Why? Because, the various organs--eye, stomach,etc.---are all of the same body. So too, when one man suffers, your eyes must shed tears and you must be urged to alleviate it. This will happen if you know that you and he are limbs of the self-same Divine Body. The idea of difference (bheda bhaava), arises on account of the ignorance of the Truth. When people get angry, they gnash their teeth, but, they take care not to bite the tongue, for the tongue is theirs; if by chance, the tongue is bit, they do not knock the teeth out, for the teeth is theirs. So too, the sick man, the poor man, the suffering man, the illiterate man, the wicked man, are all limbs of the same body, of which we too are parts. The same current activates all. To realize this and to merge in that Unity is the purpose of this life in the human body."
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. V, Chapter 38.
"When people get angry, they gnash their teeth, but, they take care not to bite the tongue, for the tongue is theirs; if by chance, the tongue is bit, they do not knock the teeth out, for the teeth is theirs."
The eye scatters your vision in a hundred directions; the ear drags your mind to many false melodies; the hands hanker after hundred flimsy acts. They degrade and demolish man. Man being divine must have the divine all around him all the time, in order to be alive; like fish, he must have the water of divine joy all around him. Instead, he is now seeking to keep himself alive by artificial respiration and borrowed blood. He is himself Amritha-swaruupa and Aananda-swaruupa (Immortal and Bliss personified). So, why should he strive to get aananda from outside?
Above all, recognize this truth: Sai is in all. When you hate another, you are hating Sai; when you hate Sai, you are hating yourself. When you inflict pain on another, remember that the other is yourself, in another form, with another name. Envy causes pain on those who are envied. When another's fortune is green, why should your eyes be red? Why get wild when another eats his fill? Give up this vice of envy; be happy when another is happy. That is more pleasing to the Lord than all the manthras you recite, or all the flowers you heap on His picture or image, or even the hours you spend in japam or dhyaanam.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. V, Chapter 56.
"When you inflict pain on another, remember that the other is yourself, in another form, with another name."
Once the ego is suppressed, that very moment two consequences follow: freedom from grief, acquisition of joy.
To achieve this great consummation, you must take one step after another. Good deeds like ritual worship, repetition of holy names, meditation, observance of vows, etc., are the 'steps'; good thoughts like prayer for greater discrimination, more chance to serve others also help. Slowly, steadily cleanse the mind; sharpen the intellect; purify the senses; and win grace. You have come here, prompted by prema (Love); cultivate that prema, move about with that prema.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VI, Chapter 3.
The Lord is so full of Grace that He will willingly guide and guard all who surrender to Him. When the battle with Ravana was over, one glance from His merciful Eye was enough to revive the vanara hordes which had fallen on the ground and to heal the wounds they had earned during the fight. There were some Raakshasas who had penetrated into the camp in vanara disguise; when they were brought before Rama for summary punishment, Rama smiled and pardoned them, for they had assumed the monkey form so dear to Him; He sent them away, unharmed to the enemy's camp. That was the measure of His mercy.
To win that Grace, you must become permeated with dharma so that every act is God-worthy. With the sharp chisel of intellect (buddhi), shape the mind (manas) into a perfect image of Dharmamurthi, the embodiment of dharma. Then, the rough-hewn idol of humanity that you now are, will shine with the splendor of Divinity itself. That is the task to which you should dedicate yourself today.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VI, Chapter 1.
"Then, the rough-hewn idol of humanity that you now are, will shine with the splendor of Divinity itself."
To get santhosha and shaanthi you must develop a pure unsullied mind, unsullied by egoism and its progeny--lust, greed, envy, anger, hatred and the rest. For this, you must seek sath sanga (good company), perform sath karma (good deeds), entertain only sath aalochana (good thoughts) and read sath granthas (good books). You may see a thousand good things or listen to a thousand good words or read a thousand good books--but, unless you put at least one into practice, the blemishes in the mirror of your heart will not be wiped off. The Lord cannot be reflected therein.
Constant practice with full faith will transmute Nara into Naaraayana, Maanava into Maadhava (man into God); for Naaraayana is your real nature, Maadhava is your real essence. You are but a wave of the sea; know it, and you are free.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VI, Chapter 8.
Once the ego is suppressed, that very moment two consequences follow: freedom from grief, acquisition of joy.
To achieve this great consummation, you must take one step after another. Good deeds like ritual worship, repetition of holy names, meditation, observance of vows, etc., are the 'steps'; good thoughts like prayer for greater discrimination, more chance to serve others also help. Slowly, steadily cleanse the mind; sharpen the intellect; purify the senses; and win grace. You have come here, prompted by prema (Love); cultivate that prema, move about with that prema.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VI, Chapter 3.
To be born as a human being is a great piece of luck. For, man alone can attain the status of the Divine, by recognizing the reality of his being. No beast or bird can reach that height of realization. But, it is tragic that instead of valuing the chance and utilizing it, man fritters his years here and dies, without seeing the light. He is disgracing himself and denying his destiny. A minute's reflection will reveal how far he is from the goal, the precious stage of self-realization. Man is neither a picture, nor a sculpture, which are both lifeless and have no aspiration of their own. He has activity, attainment, a hunger for expansion, for immortality. But, what a pity, he does not dedicate his life to the Divine, he is caught up in the vain pursuit of comfort and cozy living.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VI, Chapter 16.
Individual effort and Divine Grace are both inter-dependent; without effort, there will be no conferment of Grace; without Grace, there can be no taste in the effort. To win that Grace, you need only have faith and virtue. You need not praise Him in order to win His favor. For example, I did not like the fulsome praises with which you flooded Me in the address which was read when this meeting started. I am yours and you are Mine. This is a family gathering; as a matter of fact, all gatherings that I meet are family gatherings. The entire mankind is My family. It sounds very improper when a member of the family is extolled by another before the rest. This is a habit, a ceremonial, that is borrowed from political life, where ministers are given addresses wherein they are praised so that some benefits may accrue to the place which they are visiting and which present those praises.
The present decline in spiritual progress that is so marked among the heads of monastic institutions and leaders of orders is due to this indiscriminate flattery heaped upon them by fawning groups. Praise feeds the fire of egoism and fogs genuine faith. The disciple or pupil should not flatter the Guru, nor should the Guru flatter the pupil or disciple. The relationship should be like that of father and son. If the son flatters the father or if the father fawns upon the son, it would be ridiculous.
Knock: the doors of Grace will open. Open the door: the sun's rays waiting outside will flow silently in and flood the room with light.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VI, Chapter 11.
If only half the prayers addressed to Government are addressed to God, you can win His Grace and solve the food problem, for God alone can give the rains that fill the tanks and reservoirs to irrigate the fields where the crops are grown. Have sincere faith in God and surrender to Him, acting, speaking and thinking in such a way that He is pleased. Be pure, be simple, be sincere and He will answer your agonizing call.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VI, Chapter 20.
"Do not become a devotee of my form; become a devotee of my teachings!" says Baba.
Nowadays, idol-worship which is considered a valuable discipline by Hindus, is being ridiculed. This is a big error. For, as a cup or some other vessel is needed to drink milk, so too to imbibe the Grace of the Lord, a vessel called Idol is necessary. The idol is a means and not the end; it is the outer form; the inner content is Divinity. Western critics laugh at idol worship and say that Hindus reduce God into stone; but the truth is, Hindus elevate stone into God. God is the seat of illumination; He scatters all darkness of Ignorance.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VI, Chapter 40.
Prema is the absence of hate, absence of dislike and prejudice; it also means the positive virtues of sympathy and affection, so that you grieve when others grieve and exult when they are happy. God has four qualities and it is only when you cultivate them that you can understand Him. They are: Divine Love (prema), Beauty (soundarya), Sweetness (maadhurya) and Splendour (shobha). The development of prema is enough to add unto you the other three. When you are so full of love for the Divine in all creation, that stage is beauty; when you are immersed in the sea of Universal Love you reach the acme of sweetness; when your mind loses its identity and merges in the Universal Mind, then there is splendour indescribable.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VI, Chapter 42.
You know that there is a rule here that you should come with empty hands, without even the traditional offerings of pathram, pushpam, phalam, thoyam (leaf, flower, fruit and water). Come with clean hands, hands that supplicate, not supply; hands that proclaim that they have renounced attachment to riches; then, I fill them with Grace. I must say that I accept certain things before giving you that Grace: I demand and take sathya, dharma, shaanthi and prema. I seek the gifts of truth, virtue, peace and love. I draw you to Me and then re-form and re-shape you. I am a kind of smith who repairs broken, leaky damaged hardware. I repair broken hearts and fragile minds, warped intellects, feeble resolutions and fading faith.
Do not be under the impression that all these people come to Me seeking worldly favors or blessings for worldly advancement or fortunes. At least ninety among a hundred of them ask from Me spiritual guidance only. They do not ask for worldly boons at all. They are eager to be directed along the path of japam, dhyaanam, naamasmarana or some such saadhana. They are full of prema for the Divine Principle and the Divine is full of prema towards them. It is a question of Prema responding to prema; Prema which is saturated with sathya, as Vivekaananda was saturated with viveka.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. V, Chapter 43.
You may ask, "Swami! When you find a person behaving wrongly, viciously, how can we love him? How can we revere him, as you want us to?" In such a situation consider one thing: Who is it who committed that wrong? What is it that prompted the act? Who did the deed? The body did it. What prompted the body? The mind. Why was he forced to do it? Through the influence of his karma, the cumulative effect of his activities and attitudes through many lives in the past. The Aathma in him is unattached, to any deed or motive. The Aathma is Divine; love that, revere that. That is My answer.
To put in simpler terms: you observe a big portrait of Swami over the entrance of a house, as you walk along the road. You find that it is the house of a person, who is your relentless foe! But, do you revere the portrait any the less, because the owner of the house does not deserve your love? Of course, you love the portrait, you revere it, wherever it is. Is it not? So too, revere the Aathma in every one; it is the God residing in each. Why should you pay attention to his wrongs and vices? Your duty is to serve, not search for faults. Serve with all your heart, serve with pure undefiled love. Under My unseen supervision and guidance you have to serve them and relieve their pains and troubles.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VII, Chapter 5.
Surrender can be effected only after the perfection of detachment from sensual pleasures, accompanied by discrimination between the real and the unreal. The taints of "I" and "Mine" have to be removed by rigorous saadhana; chief among the disciples being Naamasmarana, because when you dwell on the Names of the Lord, His Majesty, His Grace, His Potency, His Pervasiveness, these get fixed in the consciousness and one's own capacities and capabilities get eclipsed in the Divine. So, humility increases and surrender is possible quite easily. This is the very purpose of human existence, to see God and merge in His Glory. All other victories are futile. The Vedas proclaim this to be the final goal of man. The Upanishads declare the path. The Geeta illumines it. The saints and sages proclaim its grandeur. Avataars come when people stray from it and get lost in the wilderness and the wastes.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VII, Chapter 12.
The aborigine in the forest shoots the birds; that is legitimate so far as his stage of life and his means of livelihood are concerned. But, the ascetic in the forest who is engaged in discovering the spring of Divine Love in himself will be committing a grievous wrong which will undermine his progress, if he denies love to the bird on the tree. So too, every profession, every state of life, each sex, each period of life as fixed by age---childhood, boyhood, adolescence, youth, middle age, old age---has duties and obligations, which set the norm and guide the individual to benefit himself and society.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VII, Chapter 42.
Remember that with every step, you are nearing God; and God too, takes ten steps towards you, when you take one step towards Him. There is no stopping place in this pilgrimage; it is one continuous journey, through day and night; through valley and desert; through tears and smiles; through death and birth; through tomb and womb.
When the road ends, and the Goal is gained, the pilgrim finds that he has travelled only from himself to Himself, that the way was long and lonesome, but the God that led him unto it was all the while, in him, around him, with him and beside him! He himself was always Divine. His yearning to merge in God was but the sea calling to the Ocean! Man loves, because He is Love! He craves for melody and harmony, because He is melody and harmony. He seeks joy, for He is Joy. He thirsts for God, for he is composed of God, and he cannot exist without Him.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 9.
This says it all.
You must have noticed that I do not speak about Sai in My discourses, nor do I sing of Sai during the bhajan with which I usually conclude My discourses. And you must have wondered why. Let Me tell you the reason. I do not want the impression to gain ground that I desire this Name and this Form to be publicized.
I have not come to set afoot a new cult, I do not want people to be misled on this point. I affirm that this Sai Form is the Form of all the various Names that man uses for the adoration of the Divine. So, I am teaching that no distinction should be made between the names Rama, Krishna, Ishwara, Sai--for they are all My names.
When I know that I am the current that illumines all the various bulbs, I am indifferent to the bulbs, which you consider so important. When you pay attention to the bulbs, factions arise, sects are born. Sathya Sai Seva Samithis should not encourage discord and distinctions; they must adore the One, appearing as many, the basic Divine, which illumines all the bulbs.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 19.
Since at this place, those who have devotion are gathered and people of all nations have come, I cannot but tell you one fact. World Conferences dedicated to religion or spiritual problems have, no doubt, been held before; also, conferences of followers of particular faiths. But these have been held only after the demise of the founders and Divine inspirers. This is the very first time that a World Conference is held of persons devoted, while the incarnation is present before every one, with the body assumed for the purpose, bearing the Name that is chosen for it by Itself.
I must tell you this fact, because ninety-nine persons out of hundred among you, do not know My Reality. You have come here drawn by diverse needs, a taste for spiritual matters, eagerness to develop the institutions to which your are attached, admiration or affection, love or reverence or a spurt of enthusiasm to join others and share with others your own exultation.
In truth, you cannot understand the nature of My Reality either today, or even after a thousand years of steady austerity or ardent inquiry even if all mankind joins in that effort. But, in a short time, you will become cognizant of the bliss showered by the Divine Principle, which has taken upon itself this sacred Body and this sacred Name. Your good fortune which will provide you this chance is greater than what was available for anchorites, monks, sages, saints and even personalities embodying facet of Divine Glory!
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 19.
Why do you waste your time and energy to explain me – can a fish measure the sky? If I had come as LORD VISHNU with 4 arms, they would have put me in a circus. If I had come as a man like every other man, who would listen to me? So, I had to come in this human form with infinite powers and wisdom – BABA
Let Me draw your attention to another fact. On previous occasions when God incarnated on earth, the bliss of recognizing Him in the incarnation was vouchsafed only after the physical embodiment had left the world, in spite of plenty of patent evidences of His Grace. And the loyalty and devotion they commanded from men arose through fear and awe, at their superhuman powers and skills, or at their imperial and penal authority. But ponder a moment on this Sathya Sai Manifestation; in this age of rampant materialism, aggressive disbelief and irreverence, what is it that brings to It the adoration of millions from all over the world? You will be convinced that the basic reason for this is the fact that this is the Supra-worldly Divinity in Human Form.
Again, how fortunate you are that you can witness all the countries of the world paying homage to Bharatha; 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, before you. And again, you can witness very soon the restoration of Sanaathana 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 saamarthya (capability). This is not a bhrama thathwam (phenomenon of delusion). This thathwam (phenomenon) will sustain truth, it will uproot untruth, and in that victory make all of you exult in ecstasy. This is Sai Sankalpam.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 19
If we think that the effect of the prarabhda karma (past actions) is inescapable, then what is the use of worshipping God? Even though prarabhda is there, the Grace of God will certainly remove, to a large extent, the bad effects from such actions. Here is a small example: There is an injection bottle. The expiry date written on it is 1970. In the year 1972, both, the medicine and the bottle, are still there, but the medicine has no power. In the same way, in our destiny there may be the medicine or prarabhda; but by the Grace of God we can weaken or blunt its effect. If God is pleased, He will certainly annul the bad effects of past actions. Therefore, the most important thing we have to try is to earn the Grace of God.
Summer Course, 1972.
Cultivate Love; share that love with all. How can you give one person less and another more, when they are both the same as you? If you forget the basic Divinity, hatred sprouts; envy raises its hood. See the Aathma in all; Love sprouts, peace descends like dew. You are prema-swaruupa (embodiments of love). You have been sitting here since hours, in the open, putting up with great discomfort, awaiting Me, eager to hear Me and see Me. I am speaking to you from this dais, only to satisfy that ardor. When I sense your prema, I feel I must share it and allow you to share My prema; that is the best of all communications and communions. The mediation of words is then unnecessary.
I have come to light the lamp of love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added luster. I have not come to speak on behalf of any particular dharma (righteousness), like the Hindu Dharma. I have not come on any mission of publicity for any sect or creed or cause; nor have I come to collect followers for any doctrine. I have no plan to attract disciples or devotees into My fold or any fold. I have come to tell you of this Universal unitary faith, this Aathmic principle, this path of love, this dharma of prema, this duty of love, this obligation to love.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 22.
All religions teach one basic principle; the removal from the mind of the blemish of egoism, of running after little joy. 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 Only God; that all names in all languages and all forms man can conceive, denote the One and Only God; His adoration is best done by means of love. Cultivate that Eka-bhaava (attitude of Oneness), between men of all creeds, all countries and all continents. That is the message of love, I bring. That is the message I wish you to take to heart.
Foster love, live in love, spread love--that is the spiritual exercise which will yield the maximum benefit. When you recite the Name of God, remembering the while His Majesty, His Compassion, His Glory, His Splendor, His Presence-- Love will grow within you, its roots will go deeper and deeper, its branches will spread wider and wider giving cool shelter to friend and foe, to fellow national and foreigner. God has a million Names; Sages and saints have seen Him in a million Forms; they have seen Him with eyes closed and eyes open. They have extolled Him in all the languages and dialects of man; but yet, His Glory is not exhausted.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 22.
How does this Aathma-principle express itself in Man? As Prema (love)! Love is the basic nature that sustains him and strengthens his resolve to march ahead. Without love man is blind; the world, for him, will be a dark and fearsome jungle. Love is the light that guides the feet of man in the wilderness. The Vedas laid down four goals before man, two pairs of goals, rather, dharma-artha (morality-wealth); the earning of the wherewithal for living through moral means and kaama-moksha (desire-liberation); the attainment of liberation from the twin experience of pain and pleasure and the desire for that liberation and for nothing less than that supreme treasure.
All these goals are attainable through the practice of Love. Love regulated by sathya (truth), dharma (righteousness) and shaanthi (equanimity). The Vedas teach that man must earn wealth through the path of Dharma; that is not taken to heart, wealth is accumulated anyhow! The Vedas teach that man should have only one kaama (desire), namely, for moksha (liberation); this too is not respected, man is drowning himself in the maelstrom of desire, the fulfillment of that desire can never quench his deeper thirsts. How can a prisoner have any other desire than liberation? The widespread anxiety, fear and unrest evident all over the world are the consequences of this mistaken course.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 22.
Let Me tell you another point also. Do not delay any more; take hold of this unique chance, even while you can. Ask Me about the saadhana you should adopt for your liberation; begin practicing from this day. Later, it may be difficult to approach Me and ask Me. For, people are coming towards Me in full unending streams, and you may have to take Darshan of Me from miles away! This is bound to grow into a Vishwa-vriksha (a World-tree), that sheds shade and shelter on all. This has come down in this Form with that very purpose. It knows no halting, no hesitation. My name is Sathya (Truth). My teaching is Truth; My path is Truth; I am Truth.
In each Yuga, the Divine has incorporated itself as an Avatar for some particular task. This Incarnation is different in that It has to deal with the crisis which is world-wide and world-shaking. Intellectual conceit has grown so wild, that men have become foolish enough to ask, "What and where is God?" Immorality has put on the garb of morality and is enticing man into the morass of sin. Truth is condemned as a trap; justice is jeered at; saints are harassed as social enemies. Hence this Incarnation has come to uphold the True and suppress the False. I behave like you, moving, singing, laughing, journeying, but watch out for the blow I inflict all of a sudden, to chastise and to warn. I shall scorch the wrong-doer for his wrong and soothe the virtuous for his righteousness. Justice shall be meted out to all.
Discard through saadhana the attachment to individuality, to sense pleasures; welcome through saadhana, the aspiration to expand the heart into the Universal. Do not cloud your minds 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 saadhana.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 28.
The following is an email sent to me from India. I have no other source from which the writing was taken.
"1962: "The Veda Purusha Sapthaha Gyana Yagna" – a Vedic sacrifice performed in the divine presence of Sathya Sai Baba for 7 days. This festival in Puttaparthi is more than 6 decades old. With time, celebrations and events see a lot of change but certain things remain the same
It is a very rewarding experience revisiting those golden moments when SWAMI was in his 40s…and what he said then. (See photos)
Baba said to the assembly of Priests and Devotees: "I am not the person who is doing this Yagna: I am the Person who is accepting it." Ruminate for a moment on that divine declaration and then you will realize the atmosphere of Vaikuntha itself as some of the eminent Vedic scholars announced.
Swami assured the Vedic scholars that He was on the task of establishing righteousness for which He had assumed human form; that they need no longer pine in neglect and dishonor, that He will provide them shade and shelter and reestablish in the world the real value of Vedic religion!
Swami also said, "Some critics are raising a hue and cry that the Yagna is the occasion when a good deal of cow's ghee is wasted and a large quantity of sandalwood is burnt. Perhaps they value ghee higher than life.
They calculate the price of ghee and sandalwood in rupees and paisa and bewail the cost of these purchasable articles forgetting the joy that is attained through the Yagna.
Well, each one of these critics has consumed so far many a bag of rice; what, may I ask is the great benefit they have done for mankind? How is the world better for all the ghee that they have consumed? Do they at least lead joyful lives? Do their relatives lead happy lives on account of them? What are the criteria for condemning a thing as 'waste'?
We have not asked anyone for these articles; I am not obliged to anyone for anything in this Yagna. No one is put to loss on this account. It has given us and all of you great and lasting joy. Let the critics add up the rupee value of things; we shall be happy with the incalculable, unforgettable bliss derived!!!"
From Sanathana Sarathi, October 1962
I would prefer to describe the human body as a house taken on rent by you. God is the Master, the owner. The tenant has taken it on rent and is occupying it. The rent has to be paid in the form of good deeds, good thoughts, good speech and good conduct. But, the tenant ignores the owner and does not pay the rent.
So, the Master has to compel the man to vacate. He sends 'notices' reminding him of the need to vacate, unless he pays the rent. Grey hairs are the first intimation; the tenant dyes his hair and pays no heed to the warning.
The teeth fall out; that is the second warning. The tenant gets a denture fixed and ignores this reminder too.
Cataract in the eye is the next warning of the need to leave the house; an operation helps him to pass it by. Glasses restore his sight.
The skin becomes loose, wrinkled. This warning too is unheeded; the man hides the signal with the help of cosmetics. So, the owner has to send his emissaries - a few fatal illnesses - and force him to clear out of the house.
Fate is the result of your actions. Just as there will be reactions in future for all your present actions, there are reactions to your past actions. They affect your body and mind. Every thought, word and deed will bounce back to you. Therefore, it is not that fate controls you; conversely, you control the fate."
SATYA SAI BABA
The Name of God is the most effective tonic; it will keep off all illness. Do not indulge in Naamasmarana as a pastime or a fashion or a passing phase, or as the unpleasant part of an imposed time-table, or as a bitter quota to be fulfilled each day. Think of it as a saadhana, to be seriously taken up for the purpose of reducing your attachments to fleeting objects, purifying and strengthening you, and liberating you from the cycle of birth and death. Hold fast to it as the means of rescuing yourself in every way, from the bonds of time and change. It looks a frail cure for such a fearful malady; but, it is a panacea, nevertheless.
The common excuse for escaping from this urgent duty to oneself is that one has no time for Naamasmarana in the hectic schedule of activity that has become the lot of man at the present time! If the burden of a hundred odd jobs can be borne because they are unavoidable, can the extra job of Naamasmarana be such an undesirable addition? He who carries a hundred, can surely carry one more. Moreover, this is a continuing basic activity, not part of a schedule of events. It has to become as much a must as breathing; as welcome to the tongue as sugar; as essential for happy living as sleep or food or water. This one ever-present job will alleviate the burden of all the hundred jobs, make them all lighter and more worth-while. Rise every day with the thought of God; spend every day with the Name of God; go back to bed with the thought of His Glory as enshrined in His Name.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. VIII, Chapter 34.
You may say that progress is possible only through My Grace; but, though My Heart is soft as butter, it melts only when there is some warmth in your prayer. Unless you make some disciplined effort, some saadhana, Grace cannot descend on you. The yearning, the agony of unfulfilled aim melts My Heart. That is the Aavedhana (anguish) that wins Grace. How so many Navaraathris and Shivaraathris you may attend at this place, unless you illumine your heart and make it shine clear and pure, it will be shrouded in darkness, immersed in raathri (night) only.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. IX, Chapter 1.
Swami's Divine Commandments of the Tongue
THOU SHALT NOT GOSSIP.
Before any story whispered in the ear is passed on, if it must, it should be treated as the apples for a pie ... first peeled, then quartered, and cored, then what remains is liberally sugared.
The first step in the Sadhana is the cleansing of the speech. Most misunderstandings and factions arise out of carelessly spoken words. When the foot slips, the wound can be healed; but when the tongue slips, the wound it causes in the heart of another will fester for life.
Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol.1 p. 62
THOU SHALT NOT USE A MULTITUDE OF EMPTY WORDS.
Your tongue reveals the nature of your thinking and your character. The Lord Himself admonishes the children of men to "let your admonishes be yes, yes, no, no, for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."
As far as possible, avoid causing harm or pain to others. As you sow, so you reap. Whenever you feel disturbed by a sense of anger, envy, pride, jealousy and the like, become alert and resort to the contemplation of the Lord. Practice silence. That will save you from squabbles, frittering thoughts and faction.
Sathya Sai Speaks Vol II P. 34 - 36
THOU SHALT NOT BOAST.
A small man makes long, loud boasting in order to centre the spotlight of attention on himself; the great man works quietly, Silently polishing the beacon that it may guide the ship safely into the desired haven.
Do not boast of your scholarship or attainments. Those who conquer states and earn fame in the world are hailed as heroes, no doubt; but those who have conquered the senses are heroes who must be acclaimed as the conquerors of the Universe. Be humble, eager to serve; conserve your speech.
Sathya Sai Speaks Vol II p.34-36
THOU SHALT NOT FLATTER.
Someone has said that "Flattery is like soft soap; it is 90% lye" - and you can count on the ratio being just about right.
The less you talk, the more will become your mental power. With the increase in your mental capacity, there will be increase in your power of discrimination too. Consequently, you will give up "individual discrimination". Because of this, you will begin to consider the good of the world at large rather than your own individual welfare. You must cultivate such broad feelings from this young age itself.
Swami, Divine Discourse. Brindavan, 24 May, 1992
THOU SHALT NOT GRUMBLE.
The prescription for this malady is to saturate your life with loving kindness. Let it enter every pore and the process will be absolutely foolproof against the gnawing frets and worries that are worse than termites, to eat the soul out of you.
Do not thrust your sorrows, your needs, your problems into the ears of those who have come here with their own bundle of such things. They are not interested in adding to their troubles. I am here to listen to you, to console you.
Do not by loudness of voice disturb those who are meditating or reading or writing the Name of God.
Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 3 p. 9
THOU SHALT NOT BACKBITE OR SLANDER.
The tongue that backbites or slanders is the weapon that empties churches, pours streams of bickering humans into divorce courts, fills our jails with wretched humanity, and lashes men and woman to Satan's kingdom.
Instead of searching for others' faults, search for your own faults yourself; uproot them, throw them off.. It is enough if you search and discover one fault of yours; that is better than discovering tens of hundreds of faults in others.
Practice the vocabulary of love; unlearn the language of hate and contempt.
From Swami's Discourse on 4th October, 1991.
THOU SHALT NOT MOCK OR MAKE FUN.
Let us learn sympathy and give our fellows a helping hand instead of mockery, no matter how peculiar or odd they may be. Remember angels visit the earth in all kinds of guises.
Practice moderation in speech. That will help you in many ways. It will develop Prema, for most misunderstandings and factions arise out of carelessly spoken words.
Do not pretend or patronise. The mischief-mongering tendency should be plucked out by the roots and thrown off. If allowed to exist, it will undermine life itself.
THOU SHALT NOT LIE.
Truth is of the highest importance whether we consider morality, worldly life or spiritual progress. There are three rules to be observed in promoting collective action. 'Sathyam bruyaath - Speak the truth - Priyam bruyaath. - Speak what is pleasant. - Na bruyaath Sathyam apriyan. - Never speak what is true but not pleasing.
From Swami's Discourse on 20th November 1995 , 6th World Conference .
Om Sai Ram
All religions exhort man to cleanse the heart of malice, greed, hate and anger. All religions hold out the gift of Grace as the prize for success in this cleansing process. Ideas of superiority and inferiority arise only in a heart corrupted by egoism. If some one argues that he is higher or that his religion is holier, it proves that he has missed the very core of his faith. Leaves, flowers, fruits--these may be peculiar to each species; but pay attention to the trunk, and you will find similarity emerging. Saadhana will reveal likewise, the unity in the fundamental teachings of all religions. It is, of course a hard path; but, it is a path that every one has to take now or later.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. IX, Chapter 1.
The first step in spiritual training is to curb the Icchaa shakthi (power of desires), which prompts the senses to pursue objects. If the iccha (wish) is for God, it is good; if, on the other hand, it is for objective pleasure, then it harms the individual... If a dacoit cuts off your hand, it is himsa (injury); if the doctor amputates it, he saves your life and so, it is ahimsa (non-injury). Vishaya vaasana (attachment to sense objects) makes an act low; Bhagavath vaasana (attachment to God) makes it sacrosanct.
- Divine Discourse, December 6, 1963.
You think of Me sometimes.
You pray to Me sometimes.
You want to be near Me sometimes.
You seek My blessings sometimes.
But let Me tell you,
I desire to be near you, with you always.
It is only when you will desire,
To be with Me at all times too,
You and I will merge.
From : 'Sai Darshan' - Part II
(Divine Messages received and recorded by Mrs Seema M Dewan)
Analogies from Sathya Sai Baba.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/27934
1. You must take care of the body. Body is like a boat. Life is like a river. On this side is the world; on the other side is God. And so, to reach the other side, that is to reach God, you must maintain this boat carefully. You can keep the boat for any length of time in the water; there is no danger. But if the water comes into the boat, then there is danger. You can remain in the world for any number of years, but don't let the world take hold.
2. There is the example of the lotus. It stays deep down in the mud. It comes up to the light, and it can't stay without water because it would die. But it does not get mixed up either with the mud or the water. You have seen the lotus; even if the water comes it just goes off again. You need to be like the lotus.
3. Pleasure and pain come together just as the bitter rind and sweet juice coexist in an orange.
4. You cannot enjoy the sweet juice of sugarcane unless it is crushed.
Likewise, gold has to be put in fire, hammered and cut before it is made into a beautiful jewel. Similarly, you will shine only when you undergo trials and tribulations.
5. If there is sugar at the bottom of a tumbler of water, you can make the water sweet by stirring the sugar to dissolve it. Likewise, your heart is a tumbler at the bottom of which there is Divinity. Take the spoon of intellect; stir the heart by the process of spiritual effort. Only then would the Divinity permeate the entire body.
6. The diamond is at first just a dull piece of stone, a hard pebble. Only when it is cut by a skilled artisan does it shine brilliantly like a flame. Allow yourselves to be treated by the Master so that all your dullness will disappear and you will emerge effulgent as a resplendent diamond. You cannot welcome joy and reject grief at the same time.
7. The important task of the mango tree is to produce mango fruits. The leaves, the branches, and the trunk of the tree are useful, in their own way, no doubt; but the main aim is the fruit. So also from the plantain tree, the fruit is the main gain. The leaves, the edible core of the stem, these are all incidental. So too, my task is not merely to cure and console, remove individual misery. It is something far more important. My main task is the re-establishment of the Vedas and the Shaastras in the heart of everyone and the revival of knowledge about them.
8. However high a bird may soar, it has sooner or later to perch on a tree top, to enjoy quiet. So too, a day will come when even the most haughty, the most unbelieving and even those who assert that there is no joy or peace in the contemplation of the highest self, will have to pray.
9. Life is like a flight of steps towards the Godhead. You have your foot on the1st step when you are born; each day is a step that must be climbed; Do not count the steps ahead or exult over the steps behind. 1 step at a time and that well climbed, is enough success to be satisfied with and to give you encouragement for the next one. Do not slide from the step you have got up on. Every step is a victory to be cherished; every day wasted is a defeat to be ashamed of. Slow and steady - let that be your maxim! You just WATCH your 'thoughts, words & deeds'. (See photo)
We must recognize the meaning of the word dharma. We think our duty is our dharma. This is not so. To do something which will give pleasure and happiness to others is our real dharma. Whatever we do should not cause any curtailment of the freedom which others enjoy. We should ensure that we do not do those acts which we consider as bad in others. We should also see how others are being respected, and do only such acts which are regarded as respectful.
Summer Showers, 1977.
Dear all,
Swami has said that Gayatri Mantra can be recited by anyone at any time. There is no time and place for it, since it is addressed to the GOD inside of you. Even while taking your bath it can be recited. He says that if you recite Gayatri mentally while taking bath, you are doing abhiskekam to the GOD who is residing inside of you.
Sairam
Ravi Krishnamurhty.
A Katha About a Father and Son
An 80 year old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along
with his 45 years old highly educated son. Suddenly a crow
perched on their window.
The Father asked his Son, "What is this?"
The Son replied "It is a crow".
After a few minutes, the Father asked his Son the 2nd time,
"What is this?"
The Son said "Father, I have just now told you "It's a crow".
After a little while, the old Father again asked his Son the 3rd time, What is this?"
At this time some ex-pression of irritation was felt in the Son's
tone when he said to his Father with a rebuff. "It's a crow, a
crow".
A little after, the Father again asked his Son t he 4th time,
"What is this?"
This time the Son shouted at his Father, "Why do you keep
asking me the same question again and again, although I have
told you so many times 'IT IS A CROW'. Are you not able to
understand this?"
A little later the Father went to his room and came back with an
old tattered diary, which he had maintained since his Son was
born. On opening a page, he asked his Son to read that page.
When the son read it, the following words were written in the
diary :-
"Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa,
when a crow was sitting on the window. My Son asked me 23
times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a
Crow. I hugged him lovingly each time h e asked me the same
question again and again for 23 times.. I did not at all feel
irritated I rather felt affection for my innocent child".
While the little child asked him 23 times "What is this", the
Father had felt no irritation in replying to the same question all
23 times and when today the Father asked his Son the same
question just 4 times, the Son felt irritated and annoyed.
So..
If your parents attain old age, do not repulse them or look at
them as a burden, but speak to them a gracious word, be cool,
obedient, humble and kind to them. Be considerate to your
parents.From today say this aloud, "I want to see my parents
happy forever. They have cared for me ever since I was a little
child. They have always showered their selfless love on me.
They crossed all mountains and valleys without seeing the storm
and heat to make me a person presentable in the society today".
Say a prayer to God, "I will serve my old parents in the BEST
way. I will say all good and kind words to my dear parents, no
matter how they behave.
(From : Chinna Katha)
Posted by adeline108 at 4:37 AM
Labels: STORIES
Saturday, July 19, 2008
SERVE HIM
There was a judge who used to come to Shirdi; he asked his wife and child to stay with Baba and left to go home for a couple of days. He said to the boy when he took leave, "This is God Himself". After some days the mother left for Manmad with the boy.
There, they fell in with a kathak who was reciting musically some Puranic story. Within a few minutes, they heard him revile Sai Baba as a mad man and a cheat; the child could not stand it any longer. He tugged at the sari of his mother and forced her to return to Baba. Next morning, they approached Baba for His blessings and He asked them why they had returned. The incident of the kathak was duly reported.
The boy heard every one addressing Baba as the Lord. Remembering the harsh words of the kathak, the boy wept, but Baba pacified him humorously, "I am only a man. What the kathak said is true; I am mad and I am cheating people of what they consider very valuable, but what I feel is useless". Then, even as they were talking, one Mr. Patel came there and related how Baba had saved his child from a serious accident.
Baba told him, "Yes, I held him when he fell, with My Four Hands". Patel shed tears of thankfulness, but the boy cried out, "Ah, I told you, You are God, You have four hands like Vishnu". Baba laughed, He took the boy inside and gave him a vision of Himself, as having Four Hands.
That boy stayed on in Shirdi for 26 years after this and left only after Baba 'left'. He then took sannysa and became a great sage.
Ram Chugani
Kobe, Japan
http://living.oneindia.in/yoga-spiritua ... 80708.html (http://living.oneindia.in/yoga-spirituality/shirdi-sai-baba/2008/lord-vishnu-protection-180708.html)
A Father And His Son
An 80 year old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along
with his 45 years old highly educated son. Suddenly a crow
perched on their window.
The Father asked his Son, "What is this?"
The Son replied "It is a crow".
After a few minutes, the Father asked his Son the 2nd time,
"What is this?"
The Son said "Father, I have just now told you "It's a crow".
After a little while, the old Father again asked his Son the 3rd time, What is this?"
At this time some ex-pression of irritation was felt in the Son's
tone when he said to his Father with a rebuff. "It's a crow, a
crow".
A little after, the Father again asked his Son t he 4th time,
"What is this?"
This time the Son shouted at his Father, "Why do you keep
asking me the same question again and again, although I have
told you so many times 'IT IS A CROW'. Are you not able to
understand this?"
A little later the Father went to his room and came back with an
old tattered diary, which he had maintained since his Son was
born. On opening a page, he asked his Son to read that page.
When the son read it, the following words were written in the
diary :-
"Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa,
when a crow was sitting on the window. My Son asked me 23
times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a
Crow. I hugged him lovingly each time h e asked me the same
question again and again for 23 times.. I did not at all feel
irritated I rather felt affection for my innocent child".
While the little child asked him 23 times "What is this", the
Father had felt no irritation in replying to the same question all
23 times and when today the Father asked his Son the same
question just 4 times, the Son felt irritated and annoyed.
So..
If your parents attain old age, do not repulse them or look at
them as a burden, but speak to them a gracious word, be cool,
obedient, humble and kind to them. Be considerate to your
parents.From today say this aloud, "I want to see my parents
happy forever. They have cared for me ever since I was a little
child. They have always showered their selfless love on me.
They crossed all mountains and valleys without seeing the storm
and heat to make me a person presentable in the society today".
Say a prayer to God, "I will serve my old parents in the BEST
way. I will say all good and kind words to my dear parents, no
matter how they behave.
(From : Chinna Katha)
Posted by adeline108 at 4:37 AM
Labels: STORIES
Saturday, July 19, 2008
SERVE HIM
When you spend your hours in thoughts about God, you are also free from evil ways. You will not be tempted to abuse others or harm them in any way. You live in Love, accepting all the events of life as His Gifts. Homes, where people live in such a manner, really speaking, are heavens on earth... Hearts dedicated to these noble ideals are indeed 'golden.' They cannot be tarnished by the ups and downs of life; they can remain unaffected and pure.
- Divine Discourse, March 9, 1974.
When individuals change, society will change. And when society changes, the whole world will transform. Unity is the secret of social progress, and service to society is the means to promote it. Every person therefore should devote oneself to such service in a spirit of dedication. It should be realized that material comfort is not the sole aim of social living. A society in which the individuals are concerned only about material welfare will not be able to achieve harmony and peace. Even if it is achieved, it will only be a patched-up harmony for, in such a society, the strong will oppress the weak. Nor will an equal distribution of the bounties of nature ensure anything but a nominal equality. How will the equal distribution of material goods achieve equality with reference to desires and abilities? Desires have, therefore , to be controlled by developing the spiritual approach and diverting the mind from material objects to the Divine seated in each one's heart.
- Divine Discourse, Oct 31st, 1983.
Hands in the society, head in the forest. - Baba
Convince yourselves that life cannot continue long without others serving you and you serving others. Master-servant, ruler-ruled, guru-disciple, employer-employee, parents-children, all these are bound by mutual service. Every one is a servitor. The farmer and labourer whom you serve produce by their toil your food and clothing as their service to you. Remember that the body, with its senses-mind-brain complex has been awarded to you to be used for helping the helpless. Service is the highest of path of devotion which wins the Grace of God. It promotes mental purity, diminishes egoism, and through sympathetic understanding, enables one to experience the unity of mankind.
- Divine Discourse, November 21st, 1986.
Hands that serve are holier than lips that pray. - Baba
You are calling out but you are not answered often. Why? You address someone other than God. The call does not arise from your heart. The yearning is not total. The motive is selfish and impure. You are knocking at the door and complaining that it is not opened. God is residing in your own heart but you have locked that heart so that love cannot enter. So, He is silent and unresponsive. The door need not be opened, for you to become aware of the God within. It is ever open for Love; knocking is unnecessary. Love will automatically make the heart bright with light and delight.
- Divine Discourse, October 21, 1982
Without firm faith in the omnipresence of the Divine, devotion has no meaning. By developing faith, devotion is nourished and devotion enables one to face all the vicissitudes of life with fortitude and serenity, regarding them as dispensations of Providence. Finally, one-pointed devotion for God leads to union with the Divine...Self-realization is the goal. Love is the means. It is through the cultivation of Love that life can find fulfillment. Everyone must strive to achieve this fulfillment by filling this human adventure with the sweetness of love and transforming it into an expression of Divinity.
- Divine Discourse, January 19, 1986.
Some rare footage of interviews with Swami.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/28223
Following are the links to 3 Wonderful Interview Videos of Swami in 1978. They make wonderful viewing as every single video of Swami does.
Part -1 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x44mpk_V2U
Part 2 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0aKzfC9 ... re=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0aKzfC9uYc&feature=related)
Part 3 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyU2GtvP ... re=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyU2GtvPtf8&feature=related)
Om Sai Ram
Do not exaggerate the importance of things that have material utility; they fade even as you grasp them by the hand. Search for "Sath" - that which suffers no change. Search for "Chith" - the state of consciousness, Search for "Anandha" - the bliss that emanates from Prema, Divine Love. This love has no blemish of attachment, is unaffected by gusts of passion, is pure, and free from egoism or the desire to possess. Then alone can you experience the Light, and illumine the path for others. Be like bees hovering on the Glory of the Lord, sucking the nectar of Grace, silently and joyfully.
- Divine Discourse, 25 April 1961.
In less than a year the superspeciality hospital was operational with the first heart surgery--the Will to succeed is unbounded. Click below to view the hospital.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/features/ ... 270300.htm (http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/features/saibaba/stories/2005112300270300.htm)
http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_ ... 8/home.htm (http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_06/01AUG08/home.htm)
November 23, 1990 was a historic day. Not only because it was the 65th anniversary of the Avatar’s advent on earth, but also because of what Bhagavan Baba said on that important occasion. "There are countless people in this country, who cannot afford the huge costs of going abroad, and seeking a heart surgery…. Next year, we are going to establish a fully equipped, modern hospital at Puttaparthi, at the cost of hundred crores of rupees, where all cardiac patients will be given treatment, totally free of cost. Besides this, patients and their attendants will be provided facilities for their food and stay, totally free of charge. The first operation will be performed on the 22nd of November, next year."
When Baba made this grand declaration, many hailed it; but an equal majority, especially in the medical fraternity, doubted it. And for this, they had good reasons because there was not even a plan on paper for the hospital as on that day. When the students of Bhagavan’s Institute went to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi for training, the medical professionals there mocked them. “Your Sai Baba has no clue; He has no idea what it takes to build and run a hospital completely free of cost. It will not last,” they said. Exactly a year later, the Hospital was indeed inaugurated by the then Prime Minister of India, and today, nearly 18 years later, it has breathed new life not only into hundreds and thousands of patients - rich and poor, theists and atheists alike - but also into the profession of medicine itself! [Read Healing Touch].
This was almost a replay of what had happened ten years prior. On Vijayadasami Day (the last day of Dasara celebrations) in 1980, while inaugurating the Sri Sathya Sai College at Prasanthi Nilayam, Swami emphatically stated: “This [campus] will be transformed as a University next year. We must ensure a stable basis… since Swami’s Will is the almighty Will, the Government of India has agreed to the inauguration of a University by us here. Therefore, this very day, Vijayadasami, the college at Prasanthi Nilayam and the college at Anantapur are raised to the status of the constituents of the University.” Many educationists and eminent men including Dr. Bhagavantam, who was a former Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, said, “It is impossible!” On October 8, 1981, the day of Vijayadasami the next year, Swami announced that the Sri Sathya Sai University will be inaugurated on November 22, that year, one day before His fifty-sixth birthday. When the marvelous edifice which sits atop a hill in the divine valley was unfurled, it was truly, as Prof. Kasturi writes, “The dawn of the Sai era of re-education of man for the establishment of peace on earth and goodwill among all peoples.”
Even after the University came into being, surprises from Swami, in the field of education, never ceased. While there was something new happening every year, five years later, Bhagavan shocked the then Vice Chancellor, Prof. S. N. Saraf, when He expressed His desire to start a management programme, and also said that he had resolved to begin the course in the following year itself! It happened just as He had willed, and on Aug 21, 1986, after inaugurating the MBA programme, Swami said, “In the Sai Institute, we are attaching special importance to cultural and ethical values. Among these, the primary place is being given to ‘Indian Ethos and Values’. The course will cover such matters as the Indian Economic Environment, Personnel Management, Organizational Behaviour and Business Communication. Emphasis will be laid on Personnel Management and Human Values, which do not figure very much in the courses of studies in other management Institutes now….”
And that is how the School of Business Management, Accounting and Finance (SBMAF), Puttaparthi, right from its inception, has been very different. Apart from the regular subjects dealing with analytical skills, production, finance, marketing, etc., it had special courses on Value-based management, leadership and national perspectives, at a time when no other management institute in the world even thought about these topics. The significance of this becomes apparent only if we closely watch the changing contours of the corporate scene in the last few decades.
Though business originally started as a way of serving society by providing a few goods and services, in the last hundred years or so, with the rise of capitalism, its objective has been dangerously redefined to ensure wealth maximization for shareholders. In fact, in 1970, Milton Friedman, Nobel Laureate economist, aggressively propagated the idea that ‘the sole concern of business should be maximization of profit’ and that it cannot accommodate a host of other ‘conflicting interests’.
Even though, most companies today do not concur with this verbally, or in their mission statement and do acknowledge alternate paradigms of business, they do precious little to embrace them wholeheartedly. At best, they engage in a few activities that can be labeled as acts of ‘corporate social responsibility’, ‘sustainable development’, and so on, to appear as ‘responsible companies’ while they pursue their capitalistic goals with undiminished zeal. At worst, they selfishly concern themselves only about their profits, unmindful of the resultant social or environmental damage accruing from their activities. The scene has only become more dismal with the rise of super capitalism in the current times, which is dividing the world into two halves; and increasing the gap between ‘the haves and have-nots’ at an unsympathetic and fast pace. With the capitalistic frenzy taking over the corporate boardrooms, anything other than economic growth of the company is overlooked, and any shortcut to growth, even though questionable, is welcome.
This is precisely the reason why the “Enron Collapse” happened and shook the corporate sphere like the 9/11 in 2001. The next year, it was MCI Worldcom, which filed the largest bankruptcy protection in US history. In the same year, Adelphia, the fifth largest cable company in the US, became insolvent. And this trend continues even till this day, as much in India as elsewhere. Not a week goes by without the news of one big scam or the other being unearthed. And this happens, in spite of so many checks and balances being introduced into the system by the regulatory authorities. Can these unfortunate situations be prevented by introducing stringent regulations? Can corruption at high places in the corporate world be reduced just by introducing more rules? Maybe yes, but it will only be a temporary measure before someone finds another loophole to exploit. The problem truly needs deeper introspection, and if one analyses carefully, it winds its way to the corridors of the world’s business schools.
Rakesh Khurana, an associate professor at Harvard, in his new book From Higher Aims to Hired Hands: The Social Transformation of American Business Schools and the Unfulfilled Promise of Management as a Profession, says, “The university-based business school of today is a troubled institution, one that has become unmoored from its original purpose and whose contemporary state is in many ways antithetical to the goals of professional education itself.” B-schools which started to make management a profession with a commitment to using a body of knowledge for the good of society, have today transformed themselves into a “marketable commodity” with the students often being treated as ‘customers’, he says. This is where the root of all problems of modern business lies.
Bhagavan Baba says, “True business is that which is carried out on the lines of truth and righteousness. Profit earned without these two cardinal principles should be considered as loss, not profit. Giving up life for the sake of truth, love and righteousness is true profit.” To the students of His business school, Swami directs, “This should become the objective of all managers of this institute.” It will be heartening to note that this, in fact, is the life-breath of scores of graduates that leave the portals of SBMAF every year. How do they do it? Can anyone be successful in this highly competitive and ruthless world conforming to one’s sacred values? What are the costs to pay? Are these boys ‘achievers’? Read our cover story, which is in two elaborate parts, to find out.
It will not only enlighten you but also inspire you to shed your inhibitions, believe in your self and go forth for the right courageously. The business of business and the business of life are not different; both have to be played diligently, delicately and with a spirit of dedication to God. Only then can we replace our every moment of pain and pleasure with undisturbed calmness and bliss.
Let us go for the business of bliss! Let us let go the ‘ego’ and let in ‘love’!
Loving Regards,
When faith in God becomes lack of faith in God.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/28294
Here's one of Swami's stories, a story of faith - or rather lack of faith.
Once a village in India was inflicted with severe famine. The rivers were dried up; the trees were reduced to branches and twigs. And there was no sign of any greenery anywhere. The villagers were in torment. A solution had to be found. The elders of the village discussed the matter over and over again. But couldn't come up with a solution.
At last, they met a 'sage' in a nearby village. Hearing their sufferings, the sage replied: "I shall come to your village. Instruct all the villagers to assemble at the village square this coming Thursday at five p.m. We'll pray to get the rains; it is sure such a collective prayer will be answered."
Hearing this, the people were overjoyed. Everyone anxiously waited for the day. At last the day arrived. Even before five o' clock the ground was full. The sage arrived, ascended on to the stage, and looked around. He looked around for quite some time.
And then he said. "However loud you pray, there is going to be no positive result!"
It was unbearable for the villagers. They had expected so much!
But now the sage continued: "You have no faith! All of you have come to pray for rains haven't you? But not even one amongst you has brought an umbrella!!!"
"If we are God, and Swami keeps telling us that we are God, what is the need to pray to God?"
When Swami was asked a similar question, He said, "Yes, that's correct. However, until you realize that you are God, keep praying."
"Beloved Baba, we know that you are with us every moment of our lives; loving us, guiding us, supporting us and encouraging us to have faith in you and faith in ourselves. And to understand that whatever happens in our lives is for our own spiritual growth. Sweet Lord, we love you and put our trust in you."
Actually, this is the prayer that Swami gave to the students and He has told that if we have the steadfastness, the enthusiasm, and the determination to reach our goal, we shall surely succeed.
http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_ ... th-him.htm (http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_04/01JUL06/lets-speak-with-him.htm)
PS: One day, when you will come to see Me, I will receive you very nicely and talk to you; another day when you come, I might ask you, 'Who asked you to come? Please go! I may be very curt and rude! You must treat both evenly! There should be no difference! There must be equanimity for both the treatments! You shouldn't react. When I am kind, you are happy; and when I am not kind, you are unhappy! That is not the characteristic of a true devotee." – Sathya Sai Baba
Prarabdha Karma is the one which we are presently undergoing. and experiencing. Sanchita means the past Karma. Agami refers to Karma that will follow in the future. Prarabdha is in between the Sanchita and Agami. We are experiencing the Prarabdha on account of the previous Sanchita karma. We should not try to worship God, only for the sake of overcoming the consequences of all our actions. If you worship Him to get His Grace, Prarabdha, Sanchita and all other Karma will become ineffective by themselves.
- Divine Discourse, January 6, 1975.
There is no greater blessing than having good thoughts. - Baba
The essence of God pervades everything. It is omnipresent.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabane ... /28327;_yl (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/28327;_yl)
A noted geologist who heads the Geology Department of a major University was witness to one of Baba's materializations. Baba picked up a rough piece of granite to ask the scientist what it contained. The geologist mentioned some minerals. Baba insisted, "I don't mean those, but something deeper." He continued, "Well molecules, atoms, electrons, protons..." Baba wasn't satisfied, "No, no, no, go deeper still." The geologist professed his ignorance.
Then Baba took the rock, blew on it, and gave it back to the geologist. The geologist was flabbergasted, for the rock had been transformed into a statue of Krishna playing the divine flute. Baba admonished him, "You see, beyond your atoms and all, God was in the rock, God is sweetness and joy. Break off Krishna's foot and taste it".
The geologist found no difficulty in breaking the statue and tasting the foot. It was candy with a sweetness all its own. No wonder Howard Murphet one of Baba's biographers, has said, "Science gives but the first word; the last word is known only to the great spiritual scientists like Sai Baba."
If Baba can transform rock into God... and we have the geologist's word for it - then why not the human being already charged with the divine afflatus or divinely imparted knowledge?
Apart from his own prodigious spiritual image which encompasses millions of devotees, Baba uses the 3,000 and more Sai spiritual educational, and social service institutions throughout the world to spread His message with the objective of transforming the common people into a race of enlightened Godmen and Godwowen.
From: Spiritual Impressions, Puttaparthi, Mar-Apr. 1997, pag. 52
http://www.saibaba.ws/miracles/godinarock.htm
Om Sai Ram
Remember that life is precious and should not be wasted in the pursuit of trivial and temporary things. Together with academic studies, students should cultivate spiritual Sadhana. Even in academic studies, students should not confine themselves to merely transferring to the memory, what is contained in the books. They must digest what they have studied and put their knowledge to practical use in the service of the society. Try to absorb what is contained in the books, and make this knowledge, a part of your life. Just as water stored in a reservoir is used for irrigation through canals, the knowledge acquired by you should be diverted to useful channels for the benefit of the society.
- Divine Discourse, June 22, 1987.
When an ordinary boy declared that he was God.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/28366
Prof. (Mrs.) Jayalakshmi Gopinath, Warden, Anantapur Campus, of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, electrified the audience with her touching stories of the Lord's love and glory drawn from her 57 years of association with Him! (12th March 2006)
Jayamaa talked about SWAMI's 1st public discourse in 1951. "Way back in 1951; till then Baba had not given formal discourses in public. That day He called the men devotees and said, "Put a table for me; I am going to speak".
We were all enthralled. Baba was young then.
He came down; of course, none of us had the doubt that Baba could not speak well. We were all waiting anxiously, breathlessly. All fellow devotees, youngsters and elders, if I tell you what He said that day; it will make your hair stand on end.
SWAMI just thumped at the table hard and then said: "Remember, I am God." Take it in. So many of us cannot take it in because we do not know God, we do not love God and if God were to come and tell "I am God", we would be blind to the reality. That was the 1st declaration!!!
The 2nd announcement, He thumped, "I am the Upanishads";
The 3rd announcement, "I am the Vedas";
The 4th announcement, "I am the scriptures"!!!
"I have come down for the sake of humanity." And then He said, "Why are you vacillating? I have nothing that is personal in what I tell. It is for your benefit. Cast off all your doubts, all your vacillations."
He said, "Let us remember this, it is the same people who come to me, adoring me and offering me gifts; the very same people after some time malign me. It does not affect me. Whether you give anything to me or you do not offer anything to me; it makes no difference"!!!
We read about the 10 Avatars and we wonder why God had taken all these forms? It was one such day, when it was evening, almost dusk coming in, it was getting a little dark. We were all there, and suddenly Baba disappeared. Where is Swami?
Because in those days those hills were thickly forested, and we were told there would be cheetahs and tigers around. Baba was small and delicate. Where is Swami? But we heard His voice right on that hill.
"Look here", He said, a stentorian voice, the voice of Divinity which can reach out to the periphery of eternity itself. And dumbfounded, aghast, we were just tantalized. We were just looking upon the hill, a brilliant dazzling light.
The panorama of all the 10 Avatars one by one went across, as if, I would say it was the silver screen. Each one of them perfect, we were just standing there aghast, not petrified, but looking at the whole thing with such wonder. Ultimately, it was Bhagavan's image in a bright halo of light.
Oh! Then we knew the director behind all this. We knew that it was His Will. "Oh ye devotees! Oh ye human beings! Remember, I am the Creator; I am The One who has presented before you all the various aspects of my creation."
http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_ ... m#speeches (http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_04/01APR06/prashanthi-diary.htm#speeches)
PS: "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.
This human form in which every Divine Entity, every Divine Principle, that is to say, all the Names and Forms ascribed by man to God, are manifest.
If you swing like the pendulum of a clock, one moment, devotion, another moment, disbelief, you can never succeed in comprehending the Truth and win that Bliss. You are very fortunate that you have a chance to experience the bliss of the vision now, in this life itself. - SATHYA SAI BABA (Snaps attached)
"You sit in Dhyaana (meditation) for ten minutes, after the evening Bhajan (devotional chanting) sessions; so far, so good. But, let Me ask, when you rise after the ten minutes and move about, do you see every one in a clearer light, as endowed with Divinity? If not Dhyaana is a waste of time. Do you love more, do you talk less, do you serve others, more earnestly? These are the signs of success in Dhyaana. Your progress must be authenticated by your character and behavior. Dhyaana must transmute your attitude towards beings and things; else it is a hoax. Even a boulder will, through the action of sun and rain, heat and cold, disintegrate into mud and become food for a tree. Even the hardest heart can be softened so that the Divine can sprout therein.
You come to Prasanthi Nilayam, as cars come to a workshop. You must go out, with a new paint, with all the damaged and loose bolts and nuts replaced, with the engine cleaned and reconditioned, every part spick and span, beautiful, trouble free, in perfect trim, ready to speed on the journey that lies ahead. Every bad habit has to be replaced by a good one, no trace of vice must be allowed to persist, the heart must be drained of all egoism. This is the fruit of this pilgrimage that you must acquire. Let this be your resolution, on this Uttharaayana Festival."
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. IX, Chapter 1.
Be pure in word and deed, and keep impure thoughts away. I am in every one of you and so, I become aware of your slightest wave of thought. When the clothes become dirty, you have to give them for wash. When your mind is soiled, you have to be born again, for the cleansing operations. The dhobi beats the cloth on the hard stone, and draws over it the hot iron, to straighten the folds. So, too, you will have to pass through a train of travail in order to become fit to approach God. See Me as resident in every one; give them all the help you can, all the service they need; do not withhold the sweet word, the supporting hand, the assuring smile, the comforting company, the consoling conversation.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. IX, Chapter 19.
WHO IS A TRUE DEVOTEE (The meaning of the relationship with the Guru.)
Various paths are prescribed for the progress of the soul to God or to the awareness of its own eternal splendor and joy. Of these the simplest and easiest is the path of devotion.
The devotee looks upon God as his supreme ideal and keeps Him ceaselessly in his thoughts to such an extent as to be filled with the radiance, power and peace of the Beloved. It is now that the veil between the devotee and the Beloved is removed and there is the consciousness of the devotee's identity with Him.
In the contemplation of the Beloved the devotee loses himself, and his individual existence disappears. In its stead the inherent divine life manifests, transforming him into the image of the Beloved.
Devotion therefore leads to complete self-surrender. When the heart is fired with the burning zeal to meet and become one with the Beloved, the devotee's life undergoes a radical change. His attachments to the ephemeral things fall off. His mind and all his senses are a thirst for feeling and sensing God's presence through them.
The devotee's heart cries and longs for Him, eyes to see Him ears to hear Him, hands to touch Him, tongue to taste Him and nose to smell Him. When a devotee thus finds his Beloved, his experience can better be imagined than described-perhaps it is not even possible to imagine it.
- Sri RADHAKRISHNA SWAMIJI
(Source Shri Sai Padananda April 1993)
FROM DIVINE DISCOURSE: 17.10.2003
Embodiments of Love !
1) Human life is meant to demonstrate an ideal to the world. Man is endowed with infinite powers. But, he leads a life of ignorance, being unaware of his innate powers. Though everyone is endowed with divine powers, only a few are able to manifest them. In others, these powers remain hidden. Everyone should make efforts to realise their inherent divinity. Man appears and behaves as if he is an ordinary human, in spite of being one with infinite divine powers.
2) Every man must necessarily make efforts to realise the principle of Atma, which is present in all. The sweetness of Atmic experience is unparalleled. In the spiritual field, what one has to attain is the experience of Atmic bliss. He who realises the inherent divinity in humanity is a true human being.
The heart is referred to as "Hrudaya" (Hrud + daya), meaning that the heart is the seat of compassion. Real education is that, which fosters virtues, morality, truth, compassion, discipline and duty. It is not enough to be merely intelligent. Education must confer wisdom that flows from the heart and not just knack or cunningness... Set apart some time for service. Be balanced. You should neither study continously nor play all the time. Do not slide into lazy habits; laziness must be avoided at all costs. Excessive talking must also be avoided. Too much talk diminishes memory and dulls intelligence. Therefore, talk only when you must, and speak sweetly. When you talk, be always courteous and never fail to respect your parents. Your actions must always be based on love f or you to be called as an educated person.
Divine Discourse, May 15, 2000.
Develop largeness of heart. The heart is not a physical organ. It derives its name "Hridaya" from the fact that it is a seat of daya (Compassion). Develop compassion for all. Go forward from the narrow feelings of "I" and "mine" to "We" and "Ours". It is not easy to comprehend the formless, attributeless, infinite Divine. The truth of the Divine has to be discovered and experienced by each and everyone. The Divine is omnipresent... You must lead a life of truth and Godliness based on this conviction. Strive to make the nation an upholder of truth and righteousness. This is the foremost duty today.
- Divine Discourse, June 22, 1987
India and the world today are suffering from disorder and violence because people have lost Aathma-Vishvaasa (Faith in the Self). They are fostering attachment to the body and ignoring the spirit. This is incorrect. Whatever you do, deem it as God's work. This can be applied to every ordinary act in daily life, whether it is sweeping the floor, cooking or cutting vegetables. Every one of these acts can be turned into a spiritual exercise by the spirit in which you do it. Install the Divine in your hearts and carry on your duties with devotion and dedication.
- Divine Discourse, Sep 17, 1995.
If you want to transform the world, to promote all-round prosperity in the country, pray that "All people should be happy." For the prayer to become a reality, develop faith in the Self. Never forget God.
All beings are manifestations of the Cosmic Divine. The forms are different, but the spirit that animates them all is One, just like the current that illumines the bulbs of different colours and different wattage.
Cultivate this feeling of oneness and do not be critical of any faith or religion. Dedicate your lives to the service of your fellow beings, thereby redeeming your lives.
- Divine Discourse, September 17, 1995.
If there is righteousness in the heart
There will be beauty in character;
If there is beauty in character
There will be harmony in the home.
When there is harmony in the home
There will be order in the nation.
When there is order in the nation,
There will be peace in the world.
So, be righteous; avoid all prejudices against others on the basis of caste, creed, color, mode of worship, status or degree of affluence. Do not look down on any one; look upon all as Divine as you are.
The great evil that undermines the units of this organization is pride and the jealousy that it engenders. When one person exudes the pride that he alone can sing Bhajans well among the group, naturally others develop anger, jealousy, hate, malice and such other deleterious traits. Love alone can root out the weed of pride from the heart. Love all, as so many forms of God, appearing in these various roles.
A heart without Love is as dreary as a town without a temple. Spiritual pride is the most poisonous of all varieties of pride; it blinds and leads the person suffering from it into ruin. Beware of pride; be always aware that you are but instruments in My Divine Mission of Dharmasthaapana---Revival of Righteousness. Try to be more and more efficient as such instruments. The Hand that wields the Instrument knows how and when it has to be applied.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. X, Chapter 1.
DISCOURSE: 17.10.2003
Embodiments of Love !
1) Man's foremost duty is to share his love with others. Only then can he realise the dictum: Brotherhood of man and fatherhood of God. But, unfortunately, such idealism is not found today. You may not believe in the fatherhood of God, but you must have faith in the brotherhood of man; practise it and experience bliss therefrom. Our country, Bharat, will regain its pristine glory only when we achieve such unity. There should be unity and love not only among brothers but also between the husband and wife.
2) There is no point in talking sweetly if there is no sweetness in your heart. Sweetness in speech and bitterness in heart is not the quality of a human being. There should be sweetness in your thought, word, and deed. This is the true sign of a human being.
Righteousness dwells in your heart. It is in your conduct, your thoughts, words and deeds. When the impulses arising from the heart are expressed in words, that is Sathya, Truth . To put into action, such words arising out of purity, is Dharma, Righteousness...Love in action is Righteousness. Love in speech is Truth. Love in thought is Peace. Love in understanding is non-violence. Realize that God is in everyone and practice non-violence.
- Divine Discourse, Sep 17, 1995.
The Shastras (scriptures) say that envy, greed, lust, anger are all Vyaadhi Kaaranam (source of diseases). One afflicted with these qualities may consume the most healthy food, but, it will not confer good health; he/she will suffer from various digestive and nervous troubles. Therefore, one must cut dry the evil tendencies with the sharp sword of Jnaana (spiritual Wisdom). One must pray to the Lord for His Grace, that will enable him/her to control and conquer the evil qualities. With God's grace, one can be saved from contact with these evil qualities.
Divine Discourse, Nov 23, 1966
"Anger, malice, greed and envy are the only obstacles in the path of love and co-operation." - Baba
Be simple and sincere. It is sheer waste of money to burden the pictures and idols in the shrines and altars of your homes with a weight of garlands, and to parade costly utensils and vessels and offerings, to show off your devotion. This is deception; it demeans Divinity, imputing to it the desire for pomp and publicity. I ask only for purity of heart, to shower Grace. Do not posit distance between you and Me; do not interpose the formalities of Guru-sishya (Preceptor-disciple) relationship, or even the altitudinal distinctions of the God-Devotee relationship, between you and Me. I am neither Guru nor God; I am You; You are I; that is the Truth. There is no distinction. That which appears so is the delusion. You are waves; I am the Ocean. Know this and be free, be Divine.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. X, Chapter 16.
People have specialized in the various methods of worshipping God; there is a host of rites, ceremonials, hymns, festivals, fasts, vows, pilgrimages; but, the best form of worship, the one that will bring the Grace of God in ample measure, is to obey the commands of God. Adulation is poor adoration! Placing God at a greater distance from you and praising Him as Omniscient and Omnipresent will not please Him. Develop nearness, proximity, kinship with God. Win him by obedience, loyalty, humility and purity.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. X, Chapter 8.
Naamasmarana can be elaborated also into Nagarasankeerthan (public community singing of spirituals). This has both individual and social consequences. When you inhale foul air, your health suffers. The air is polluted by unwholesome vibrations when people shout hateful, lustful slogans or even talk, without love and reverence. In order to purify the atmosphere, vibrations that are holy, healthy, happy have to be circulated, even before the citizens come out into the open with the break of day. When a group of good men and women move from one end of a street to the other singing aloud the Names of God, each Name redolent with fragrance and resonant with Love, it clears the air and renders it pure for all to breathe. It also calls people living in the houses on both sides to begin their daily round of duties, with the Sweet Name of God in their ears and the charming Form of God in their hearts.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. X, Chapter 35.
You must surrender your judgment to the Lord; then, the Lord will assume full responsibility and be the guardian, guide and motive power. It is such a devotee, a person who has surrendered everything, even his judgment, to Me that I had to save, by taking over this illness and going through it. The signs of that illness have disappeared today and they shall not recur again.
There is also another reason that lies behind that episode. The Divine is recognized by gifted people as the vast, the magnificent, the beautiful, the mighty, the majestic, the awesome. But, for the generality of mankind, the consciousness that each one is a miracle sustained by God, that each breath is a witness of God's Providence, that each event is proof of His Presence, comes but rarely in life.
When this Body, that is apparently human, behaves as if it is filled with supra-human potentialities, then, amazement draws the attention of all towards the Divine that is the inherent nature. Off and on, it becomes necessary to give this lesson to mankind, so that faith in God and power to recognize Divinity are added to human faculties. Then only can the mind of man be turned from the world to the Master of the Worlds.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. X, Chapter 37.
Good and evil, happiness and misery, merit and sin depend on one's actions. As is the action, so is the result. It is easy to indulge in sinful deeds, but it is very difficult to bear the bad results they yield. Therefore, use your sense of discrimination, before performing an action. The upanishads say, "Thasmai Namah Karmane" (Salutations to the action). This means you should perform your actions, giving up the sense of ego, so that it becomes sacred. Then, such actions will bring you good name and will also contribute to the welfare of the world.
Divine Discourse, April 14, 2001.
Embodiments of the Divine! This is the best time to tell you something about the authenticity of this Advent. I am saying this, not for establishing a claim for superiority or importance for this Body; I only wish to communicate the Truth. There are many who cannot bear or tolerate the splendor that I am manifesting, the Divinity that is expressed in every act, the wonders and amazing happenings that are the result of Grace; these people label these as acts of mesmerism or miracles or feats of magic! They hope to bring these down in the estimation of people. Let Me tell you this: Mine is no mesmerism, miracle or magic. Mine is genuine Divine Power.
There are others who cavil at these, and whisper that miracles are not conducive to spiritual development, that they will be handicaps in the process of realization of God, and they persuade you to stray away from the true path. These people are too weak to conceive the Divine; they have no strength or stamina to understand its magnificence and majesty. They have small minds and limited intellects.
Kamsa, the wicked uncle of Krishna, knew that he was to meet his death at the hands of Krishna; so, he was so terror-stricken that he saw Krishna wherever his eyes were turned! He saw him beside him, before him, behind him, above him, all around him! So, he shook his fist against the appearance and saying," Krishna, fie upon your magic! I spurn your tatics to terrify me!" He boasted that his physical prowess could overpower the effects of the direct magic. But, when the little seven-year old boy, Krishna jumped up in the arena and gripped him by the neck, and sat on his chest, when he fell, to pound him to death, Krishna shouted into his ear, "Uncle! This is Magic! Magic! Magic!" You cannot declare that you have understood a phenomenon when what you do is simply to slight it by the use of a certain word!
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. X, Chapter 39.
According to Baba we are all reflections of that sacred I, the Self, the Brahman, the Atman, the God within, the all pervading Spirit. The link below explains.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/28702
"This was not just a roar but this was like an atomic explosion which had to wake us up", says G S Srirangarajan of SRI SATHYA SAI UNIVERSITY. The scene was the Bhajan Hall over here. The occasion – a surprise Divine Discourse to the staff of the Mudenahalli School and our Prasanthi Nilayam Hostel teachers.
Bhagavan was talking about the Mahabharata and the episode where Lord Krishna reveals to Karna the truth that he was actually the brother of the Pandavas. We had heard Swami narrating this story before and hence we were anticipating further details from the Mahabharata story. But most stunningly, Bhagavan gave a sudden twist to the story and said,
"Understand that after Karna realized that the Pandavas were his brothers, he felt so sorry that he was fighting and causing them pain for so long. He was filled with uncontrollable grief."
"My dear ones, one day you too will realize that there is only One Self and that all the others around you are none other than your own reflections – reflections of the one Divine Self."
"At that moment, you too will feel immeasurable pain for having hated and caused harm to so many of your own reflections. Therefore, to avoid such a situation, realize this now and at this moment, that there is only one divine self everywhere!!!"
"This alone is the solution to all the problems of the world.
Manomoolam Idam Jagat.
Therefore all the problems are related to the mind alone.
Mana Eva Manushyaanaam Kaaranam Bandha Mokshayoho."
"This mind is the cause for both our bondage and our liberation. Turn it outwards and it binds us to the world, turn it inwards and it reveals to us our eternal Self and frees us forever. The mind when turned outwards sees diversity in unity, but when turned inwards, it perceives the grand unity in creation and nurtures a world full of love, peace and harmony."
Srirangarajan concludes by saying, "Our dear Lord Sai stands for SAI – 'See Always Inside'!!!" (Photos of SWAMI's DARSHAN attached)
http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_ ... arajan.htm (http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_05/01OCT07/07-Srirangarajan.htm)
GET INSPIRED: Through very small effort, great things can be accomplished. A huge serpent can be destroyed by a large number of small ants. Do not consider yourself small. Seek to acquire the strength and determination to carry out your duties. In the world, difficulties crop up from time to time. Jealousy towards one is quite common. Crows have animosity against the cuckoo. Cranes jeer at swans. Neither the cuckoo nor the swan is worried. The world has many such envious beings. Do not allow yourself to be overwhelmed by such experiences. You have to confront them boldly and stand up for truth."
God can do anything; He has all power in the palm of His Hand! My powers do not abide in Me a while and then, fade away! Indhra jaalam idham---All this is apparent manipulation by Divine Will. My Body, like all other bodies, is a temporary habitation; but My power is eternal, all-pervasive, everlasting! This Body has been assumed, to serve a purpose: the establishment of Dharma and the teaching of Dharma. When that purpose is over, this Body will disappear, like the bubble on the waters.
The other day a very serious illness came upon this Body, in Goa. When they came to know about this, many devoted to Me were plunged in anxiety! Illness can never affect this Body; it cannot approach it. If it comes sometime, that is but a passing phase: it belongs to some one and it comes to Me and goes, just as it came! When it comes, this Body 'appears' to be ill! But, I have no contact with it, no affliction! Many people, when such a thing happens, take courage to even suggest to Me (!) ways of dealing with the situation!
They tell Me, "Why Swami! do you allow the illness of another to come upon you? If he suffers from it, only one person suffers! But, when you allow it to come over You lakhs of people suffer? Leave it to him, Swami!" they say. When this Body is 'suffering', it is the nature, the duty of devotees to suffer in unison; but, I must also follow My duty! To take upon Myself the sufferings of those who have surrendered to Me is My duty! I do My duty, and you may do yours. But, when you look at the Truth squarely in the face, you will know that I have no 'suffering' and you too have no reason to suffer! The entire thing is the play of Love! It has been taken over by Me on account of Love and so, I have no pain or suffering! You suffer on account of Love. It is Love, Love, right through; there is no reason for sorrow or pain or suffering!
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. X, Chapter 39.
"Long ago there was a very pious family on the banks of the Krishna river. It had vast landed estates. The parents had an only son who was well versed in scriptures and who was obedient and well behaved. But when the father died and the properties fell into his hand, the son became a profligate and a libertine, with a gang of evil men always around him. He developed intimacy with a public woman and was so infatuated with her wiles that he swam across a flooded river, holding on to the corpse of his own wife who had earlier committed suicide in despair. He mistook the corpse for a log of wood floating down the stream. Suddenly he became aware of his plight; he blamed his eyes for leading him astray into sin; he blinded himself as a punishment and roamed about the holy land associated with the advent of the Lord as Krishna, singing His Name. That blind singer was Surdas. With the Name on the lip and the picture of the glory on his mind, no evil can attract you. Repentance purifies, contrition cleanses. Krishna appeared before blind Surdas and offered to restore his sight. But, Surdas pleaded for inner vision and discarded the outward-bound eyesight.
God is no stony-hearted despot. He is Compassion, He is Grace, personified. Once you have cleansed yourself by tears, He draws you near and grants you consolation and courage. Without a cleansed heart, realization is impossible. Wisdom can enter only a purified mind. Saadhana---slow and steady---can succeed in purifying it."
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XI, Chapter 45.
Long ago there was a very pious family on the banks of the Krishna river. It had vast landed estates. The parents had an only son who was well versed in scriptures and who was obedient and well behaved. But when the father died and the properties fell into his hand, the son became a profligate and a libertine, with a gang of evil men always around him. He developed intimacy with a public woman and was so infatuated with her wiles that he swam across a flooded river, holding on to the corpse of his own wife who had earlier committed suicide in despair. He mistook the corpse for a log of wood floating down the stream. Suddenly he became aware of his plight; he blamed his eyes for leading him astray into sin; he blinded himself as a punishment and roamed about the holy land associated with the advent of the Lord as Krishna, singing His Name. That blind singer was Surdas. With the Name on the lip and the picture of the glory on his mind, no evil can attract you. Repentance purifies, contrition cleanses. Krishna appeared before blind Surdas and offered to restore his sight. But, Surdas pleaded for inner vision and discarded the outward-bound eyesight.
God is no stony-hearted despot. He is Compassion, He is Grace, personified. Once you have cleansed yourself by tears, He draws you near and grants you consolation and courage. Without a cleansed heart, realization is impossible. Wisdom can enter only a purified mind. Saadhana---slow and steady---can succeed in purifying it.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XI, Chapter 45.
"Bhajan is one of the processes by which you can train the mind to expand into eternal values. Teach the mind to revel in the glory and the majesty of the Lord and wean it away from petty horizons of pleasure. That is all that bhajan or pooja can do. Bhajan induces in you a desire for experiencing the truth, to glimpse the beauty that is God, and taste the bliss that is the Self. It encourages man to dive into himself and be genuinely his real self. Once that search is desired, the path is easy. One has to be constantly reminded that he/she is Divine."
- Divine Discourse, Feb 1971
There are some who declare glibly, "O, I have surrendered my body, mind, intellect, my everything to God." These people have no control over their minds and the emotions and passions they are filled with. They have no mastery over their reason. They are not even able to regulate their bodies. So, it is indeed ridiculous for them to claim that they have offered them to God. How can they give to God what is not theirs? What right have they? How can any one accept the gift of something which does not belong to the giver?
In fact, you need not surrender anything at all. Love all beings---that is enough. Love with no expectation of return; love for the sake of love; love because your very nature is Love; Love because that is the form of Worship you know and like. When others are happy, be happy likewise. When others are in misery, try to alleviate their lot to the best of your ability. Practice Love through Seva (selfless service). By this means, you will realize Unity and get rid of the ego that harms.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XII, Chapter 4.
This is one of the most powerful of all the messages if not the most powerful one given by Baba. See the God in everyone and do it with love for the Lord within. The messsage below clarifies the point.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/28793
"In my 1st interview I was feeling dazed and looking at Swami all the time. Swami spoke to several other devotees, materialised rings and Vibhuti. At the end of the interview with Bhagavan distributed Vibhuti Prasadam to all the devotees. Bhagavan went to the side table picked up the bag and started distributing the Vibhuti. I kept staring at Him the whole time thinking 'This is God and I am so close to Him for the first time'.
Then I saw a young man from overseas rush to Swami and say, "Swami, please let me hold it." Believe me Swami was so pleased; He turned to me and said, "See". I felt so ashamed that I prayed 'Just give me one more opportunity Swami, I will never forget this lesson in my life'.
A few years back I had gone to the Super Specialty Hospital to donate blood. After the donation I was sitting there for a few minutes and suddenly I heard an announcement that Bhagavan had just arrived and there was a request that all the doctors, nurses and staff should continue with their work.
I thought this is a great chance to have a glimpse of Bhagavan, so I just sat for sometime. After a few minutes Bhagavan entered the blood bank. There were some elderly devotees with Swami and Swami was showing them around. He came close to me and smiled and said, "See, he is a lecturer in my institute. Did you give blood?" I said, "Yes Swami, I did give blood."
Then with a combination of love and concern on His face, He said "But you did not give me!!!" I was wondering what Swami meant, and even before I could answer, Swami moved off as the lesson had been taught - only I had not learnt it yet.
Bhagavan says "Whatever you do, do it for me." When I went to donate blood the feeling I had was that I am going to give blood for a patient who will be saved by this blood. I never felt that I am going to donate blood to the Swami in that patient!!!
One of Swami's students had the urge to contribute in a small way to the Hospital when it was being built. Being a young boy he did not know what to do. But he stopped giving his clothes to the washer man and in a few days managed to save 100 rupees.
He then came to Darshan with the money and a letter for Bhagavan that said, "Swami, so many devotees give you so much. I do not have anything to give materially. All I have is this 100 rupee note for the hundred crore hospital. Will you be gracious enough to accept it - for if it can be used for one brick then I will be happy."
Bhagavan rushed out of the interview room came straight to this boy and asked for the letter, read it and then for the next hour kept on mentioning how much love and feeling this boy had!"
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/28793
You wear colored glasses and see everything through those glasses. Correct your vision; the world will get corrected. Reform yourselves; the world will get reformed. You create the world of your choice. You see many, because you seek the many, not the One. Try to subsume the many in the One; the physical bodies of yourself and others, the family, the village, the community, the state, the nation, the world, thus progressively march on towards more and more inclusive loyalties and reach the stage of Unity, in thought, word and deed. This is the saadhana of love, for, love is expansion, inclusion, mutualisation. The individual has to be Universalized, expanded into Vishwaswaruupa (Cosmic Form).
When you enter upon this saadhana, you have to suppress all tendencies of hatred, greed, envy and malice and concentrate on expanding love towards all, at all times. You might have to encounter opposition from all sides; but, consider these as tests of endurance, of sincerity and steadfastness. Your own parents, brothers and sisters, wife and children, kith and kin, friends and favorites, countrymen and others might try to turn you aside by ridicule and threats. You might even develop dislike for God for putting obstacles in the way; atheistic ideas might sprout in you trying to scotch the faith; but, you must overcome these with courage and confidence.
The good are always the target of malice and envy, slander and abuse from the wicked. Be assured that your goodness can be made tough enough to stand these ordeals. Avatars (Divine Incarnations) too are not exempt from the attention of these wicked forces.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XII, Chapter 36.
Persons who cannot tolerate the Glory of the Avatar have indulged in such campaigns, in every Age! They have contributed to the heightening of the splendor and the spread of the message, in every age. Their activities are all instruments to the propagation of the glory throughout the world.
Even today, such things happen; but, all of you must recognize their inevitability and their fundamental falsehood, and carry on your saadhana in full faith and assurance, with undiminished enthusiasm and joy. The Sai Principle, the Sai Divinity can never be affected by any slander; it can never be shaken by any tactics; its progress can never be halted. Do not pay heed to the barkings you hear.
A stray dog stops and looks at its own shadow in the stream; it mistakes the shadow for another dog and starts barking aloud. This sets all the dogs in the neighborhood, and later in the region, bark in unison. The reason why the first dog barked is its own ignorance of fact. The reason why the other dogs followed suit is that the first dog called the tune. A huge scare is built on a patent falsehood. Thus the story goes on, adding one thing to another.
Just as devotees remained unruffled in the Age of Krishna, you too must stand firm and be unaffected. Faith must endow you with courage and calmness. The life of Krishna teaches you this lesson more than others: do not lend your ears or mortgage your minds to purveyors of scandal or lies.
Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XII, Chapter 36
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