Sathya Sai Baba The World-Avatar Teaching and Revelations

Sathya Sai Baba • The World-Avatar
Teaching and Revelations

SATHYA SAI BABA
The World-Avatar
Teaching and Revelations
compiled by
Annrose Künzi

Publisher's note:
The publication of this book has been made possible by the Rosenkreis Edition
Publishing House and friends. The earnings flow back into a fund in order to
spread further books about the “Timeless Wisdom and Truth”.
A3-04
ISBN 3-9521968-3-5
Copyright © 2001 by Rosenkreis-Verlag, Reinertstr. 6, 4515 Oberdorf, Switzerland.
All rights reserved. Website: http://www.rosenkreis.ch
Copyright © of the english Sathya Sai Baba source-textes by Sri Sathya Sai
Books and Publications Trust, Prashanti Nilayam, A.P., India
Fotos:
Copyright © Sai Datta, Puttaparthi, India
Copyright © R. Padmanaban (Sai Tower), Puttaparthi, India
Printed by WB-Druck GmbH, 87669 Rieden/Allgäu, Germany

Contents
Cross-Reference 7
What's the Purpose of this Book? 9
Foreword 10
Introduction 13
I. GOD - ATMAN - BRAHMAN
God is a Fact 17
God - Creation - Human 21
Trinity 43
II. OM - GOD, INCARNATED AS SOUND
OM 53
Meditation on OM (pranava) 56
III. INCARNATION OF GOD - AVATARS
Avatars 63
The Divine Embodiment Sathya Sai Baba 71
Misunderstandings and Doubts 149
The Teaching of Timeless Wisdom and Truth 159
Revelation 170
IV. LOVE OF GOD - HEART OF GOD - HUMAN HEART
Relationship between Humans and God 175
The Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of Mankind 184
Religions - Origin - Unity 186
Kingdom of God - Fifth Kingdom of Nature 204
Divine Order - The New Religion 211
V. MANKIND
Evolution of the whole Mankind 227
Spiritual Laws - Natural Laws 235
Duty of Mankind and Nations 245
Human Values 262
Truth 262
Righteousness 270
Peace 273
Love 280
Non-Violence 283
Education 285
Sleep 294
Restlessness 295
Entanglement 295
Struggle against the Blindness and Illusion of the World 349
International Sathya Sai Organization 352

VI. MAN - INDIVIDUAL
Path of Light - Path return to God 371
Gayatri Mantra - The universal Prayer 404
Meditation 412
The Body as Temple of God 424
Women and Men 429
Duality - Unity - Oneness 439
Death and Return 445
VII. THE NEW EPOCH - AQUARIAN AGE
The Ages 453
VIII. VISION - FUTURE
Golden Age 459
Sathya Sai Baba Gayatri 460
APPENDIX
Glossary 463
Index 469

Books by Sathya Sai Baba
Cross-Reference
1. Dhyana Vahini (practice of meditation)
2. Gita Vahini (the Divine gospel)
3. Prashanti Vahini (the supreme bliss of Divine)
4. Prema Vahini (the stream of Divine love)
5. Bharathiya Paramartha Vahini and Sathya Sai Vahini (spiritual message of
Sri Sathya Sai Baba)
6. Sutra Vahini (analytical aphorisms on supreme reality)
7. Vidya Vahini (flow of spiritual education)
8. Dharma Vahini (the path of virtue and morality)
9. Bhagavata Vahini (the story of the glory of the Lord)
10. Ram Katha Rasavahini (part I) (the story of Rama's glory)
11. Ram Katha Rasavahini (part II) (the story of Rama's glory)
12. Leela Kaivalya and Prashnottara Vahini, and Sandeha Nivarini (the cosmic
play of God)
13. Upanisad Vahini (essence of Veda knowledge)
14. Jnana Vahini (the stream of eternal wisdom)
15. Sathya Sai Speaks Volume - I
16. Sathya Sai Speaks Volume - II
17. Sathya Sai Speaks Volume - III
18. Sathya Sai Speaks Volume - IV
19. Sathya Sai Speaks Volume - V
20. Sathya Sai Speaks Volume - VI
21. Sathya Sai Speaks Volume - VII
22. Sathya Sai Speaks Volume - VIII
23. Sathya Sai Speaks Volume - IX
24. Sathya Sai Speaks Volume - X
25. Sathya Sai Speaks Volume - XI
26. Divine Discourses
27. Sadhana (The Inward Path)
28. Unity is Divinity
29. Sai Avatar Vol. I
32. Bhagavadgeeta
33. Meditation
34. Summer Showers in Brindavan 1972
35. Summer Showers in Brindavan 1973
36. Summer Showers in Brindavan 1974
37. Summer Showers in Brindavan 1977
38. Summer Showers in Brindavan 1978
39. Summer Showers in Brindavan 1979
40. Summer Showers in Brindavan 1990
41. Summer Showers in Brindavan 1993
Annotation: The reference numbers at the end of the quotations refer to the respective
source texts. “(23-68/70)”, for example, is an extract from “Sathya Sai
Baba speaks”, Volume IX (23), beginning on page 68 and ending on page 70.
7

What's the Purpose of this Book?
During the long time I have been studying the teachings of Sathya Sai
Baba, people have quite often mentioned the fact to me that such studies
are made rather tiresome by the use of the many Sanskrit words
and the numerous examples cited from the history of India. I myself
have often felt the wish to unfold the innermost core of his teaching that
deals with the burning world problems. This is what I have finally done
now. The rays of the teaching are gathered such that they are directed
- as through a burning glass - at the burning problems of modern man
so that we may recognize and solve them together. For this reason, this
book is intended for those who are doing their own unique work at any
place of the great human endeavour and who are aware of the fact that
we have now the chance to take a big step forward in our evolution.
All the years in which Sathya Sai Baba has been teaching and guiding
us, have clearly shown how he has made the unity of religions a certainty,
how he has made the doctrine of reincarnation an established
fact by his own example, how he has demonstrated the great Divine
law of our evolution and that of our own responsibility, how he has explained
the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Mankind, thus
bringing peace to the nations, how he has tackled the problem of education
on a worldwide scale, and even how he has established the
power of wise leadership. He admonishes the devotees: "The first step
is to purify your own heart, then, and only then, can you take the second
step, which is to devote yourself to your nearest surroundings, e.g., to
your own village. If the people in your village have changed, go out and
do your work in the district. If the district has changed, then go out and
work in the federal state. If the latter has changed, then you will be in
a position to take the leadership in the country."
That he makes us experience the Love of God, of which Jesus has spoken,
that he constantly reminds us of our own innate Divinity, this is testified
by all those who have found their way to him. To reveal these tremendous
facts to the consciousness of all human beings - this is what
I am living for. The announcement has become true. We are living in
a marvellous time now. The whole of mankind is blessed by the fact
that the world avatar is dwelling among us, in order to again give proof
of the Love of God, in order to guide us, to teach us and to make known
to us the new revelations.
However, this book does not replace the study of his books, but what
it does: it points to the source!
Annrose Künzi
9

10
Foreword
Since time immemorial, all beings on this earth have been confronted
with a living space which is understandable and explicable for them only
very fragmentary. In resonance with that, Nature has developed strategies
in lavish profusion for billions of years which, without really being
understood, guarantee the continuance and advancement of creation.
The wisdom inherent in the existence additionally opened an inexhaustible
source of individual capacities and possibilities inevitably culminating
in the first great victory of evolution - the Higher Consciousness.
By a series of special circumstances, this new quality of thinking has
developed particularly fast in the human species. This fact, in combination
with the development of intelligence, enabled it to uncouple
from many natural cycles and to self-determine, to a certain degree,
future paths to be tread. Instinct was replaced by a purposeful course
of action, with the intellectual capacities increasingly determining the
outer appearance of man in all his facets.
However, in the wake of these new capabilities, a paradox has
emerged, which mankind has not been able to get rid of: knowledge
can only be gained at the price of new questions to be resolved! This
dilemma has forced mankind onto its long, adventurous and thorny
path of the search for everchanging truths.
The mere accumulation of knowledge has been accompanied by a desire
to organize the things around us in an understandable and explicable
framework enabling and facilitating not only action in everyday
life, but which is to also give us a spiritual home and feeling of security.
The absolute truth, or let us call it "the lawfulness of the Universe independent
of all human interpretation" harbours a boundless force of
revelation which has been able to impress thinkers open to that stream
of revelation at all times. Those radiant beings have kindled a light with
their teachings which, through time and space, has never failed to attract
seekers of the Truth, helping them to tread their own path leading
onto a higher spiral of evolution.
This group of teachers had some common traits: they were filled with
a perfect love of mankind and the creation, they taught the unity of all
peoples and the existence of an absolute Being, whom, because of a
lack of a more appropriate term, we call "God", but whom for them, was
an undeniable fact. Some of those teachers themselves are still revered
as "God's messengers", "Divine incarnations" or even as a "Personified
God". The religions have arisen out of them and the Holy
Scriptures of those religions claim to reveal the truth.

Now, here we have finally reached a crucial point: it is the ever-recurring
question as to whether God really exists and if He should exist -
how it is possible to find or recognize him. What "methods" can we follow
to find the truth of the matter?
If we should want to go into these questions and others associated
with them in a more general way, there would be no end to our investigation.
The opinions prevalent among men about this subject of supreme
importance are of a too individual and controversial character.
For this reason, this document only throws light onto the life of Shri Sathya
Sai Baba, the holy man from the South of India. Even today, he
is already considered to be the greatest religious and social reformer
of India and he is revered by millions of people from all over the world
as an "Avatar", a Divine incarnation. The following quotation of his
characterizes his teachings briefly and concisely:
There is only one Religion - The Religion of Love.
There is only one Language - The Language of the Heart.
There is only one Caste - The Caste of Mankind.
There is only one God - He is omnipresent.
Today, innumerable people are in the same situation as our ancestors
were when the great founders of religion, such as Buddha, Mohammed
or Christ, were still alive. They too were suddenly confronted with
a Being who entirely exceeded all their attempts at comprehension.
They too had to make use of all means available to them to become
clear about this issue, and they too had the right and the possibility to
believe or reject their findings - in fact, those Beings of Light even invited
them to take such an attitude.
When searching after our own true origin, on this difficult search for
Truth and Knowledge, it seems legitimate to us as well to examine different
sources. Driven by an undying yearning for eternal values, our
common sense, our powers of discernment and our intuition will lead
us to the most diverse teachings involving no risk. We can examine
these teachings on an impartial basis and then reconcile our findings
with what we already know.
Such a source is to be found in the teaching of Sathya Sai Baba whose
essence is of breathtaking clarity and beauty. His teaching, which is
based on the Holy Scriptures of India, i.e., texts belonging to the oldest
spiritual treasures of the world, reveal an immense richness of concrete
information about God's intentions and the destiny of mankind in
11

the everlasting flow of time, with that teaching of his forming a perfect
synthesis with the teachings of the other great religions of the world.
This compilation of texts taken out of their normal context can be of immense
importance for all those people who want to deepen their
knowledge on the life and teachings of Sathya Sai Baba, but also for
those who are on an unprejudiced search for Higher Knowledge.
An open-minded reader will be enabled to improve the understanding
of his own position and task on the great stage of the world and also
to take a look at what may be called the "Divine Plan".
Roland Künzi
12

Introduction
Why should books be written, published and read? Books must reveal,
inspire, educate, inform, lead and guide. Yes; but, what should they reveal?
Whom should they inspire? How must they educate? What information
should they contain? Where should they lead? To which
place or stage must they guide the readers? These questions have to
be answered before you can pronounce the book good, the trouble
and expense worth while and the dedication well done.
Those who believe that there is an all-knowing God who rules and regulates
the Universes - science has progressed from certainty to doubt,
about its capacity to explain the Universe - have to admit that each one
is born as a result of God's will. Therefore, there must be a Divine purpose
in life. Man must know the way to attain God, must be led and
guided to attain him, must be educated to rid himself of distractions on
the path, must know that, which if known, all else is known. The rest
is all secondary, incidental, unnecessary. The Veda meaning the goal
or finale of the Vedas, is the repository of this knowledge, the knowledge
of God and of the journey which leads to him. The different hypotheses
about his nature and characteristics and how to test their validity,
the different disciplines that will render the intellect of man sharp
enough to grasp the glory of God, the immeasurable thrill that the revelation
of the glory of God as one's own inner glory will confer, all these
are indicated in the Upanishads, which form the Veda. Every good
book written by man is acclaimed so because it has a vein of this golden
glory in its pages. Vedanta means the final product of the fund of
knowledge - liberation. The final product of milk is ghee - for, when milk
is heated, curdled, churned and the resultant butter is clarified, ghee
is secured and it cannot be turned into anything else. That is the endproduct.
Vedanta is the knowledge that reveals, that loosens “the
knots of the heart” and the bondage to external objects, that discloses
in a flash the unity that is the truth of all this multifarious creation. That
alone can give peace and happiness. Man can be happy only in vastness,
in overflowing into greater and greater power and magnificence.
People run up to Nainital or Kodaikanal or Mussorie during summer,
in order to escape the heat of the plains. So too, people seek vastness,
in order to escape the stuffiness of “individualized” life. They want the
eternal, the absolute; not the temporary and the particular. So, books
must deal with the eternal varieties the absolute, certainties, the vast
immeasurable joys. 6.10.67, (20-93/94)
Books that prompt person to love God and fear vice are most benefi-
13

cial. Love towards God must be witnessed by love towards man, for
man is the visible manifestation of God, a manifestation whose grief
and pain you can understand as akin to your own. Such books can
come only out of heart that pine and pray. Lead that life and the lines
will emerge. 6.10.67, (20-97)
Sathya Sai Baba
14

I. GOD - ATMAN - BRAHMAN

God is a Fact
Young people generally do not believe in God and they get despondent
asking themselves: “Does God exist or not?” Even the first step towards
having faith in God is possible only for those who have done
good deeds in their past births. (...)
In modern times, people ask questions about their connection with
God. They wonder why they should pray to God and believe in him.
They think they can do anything they like only with the help of science
and technology. In this context, they question the need for God. Young
people today assert that it is a weakness to believe in God, whom they
cannot see, let they do not regard it as weakness to believe in so many
other things, which they cannot see. Today, scientists are able to infer
the presence of air by various aids but are they able to see air? (...)
In the same way one cannot see things like happiness, sorrow, bliss,
mind and so on. When you believe in such things which have no physical
form, what is it that makes you disbelieve in something like God,
whom you also do not see? Thus when you talk of not having faith in
someone or something that you do not see, is it not a weakness that
you regard sorrow, mind, pleasure and so on as real, although you
cannot see them? 1973, (35-36/38)
When you are able to realize and understand the significance of the
statement that God in you and in me is the same, that oneness is nothing
but the atmosphere and that the Atman is identical with Brahman,
the ignorance in you will by removed. This is the one truth and this truth
is independent of the different forms and different names which one
come across in this world. Irrespective of the forms and names, there
is a single reality in all that you see and that is Brahman. (...)
For conveying this message, Shankara taught non-dualism, the advaita
philosophy, to the world. It is absolutely necessary for everyone
to realize this one Supreme being behind all Creation. It is only then,
that you will be able to develop equal mindedness and reach the Divine
spirit of equality of everything. You need not doubt at all the possibility
of realizing this oneness in a manifold world like ours.(...)
When you make an attempt to realize and understand the real situation
and the nature of the Atman then the diverse names and forms that
you see in the world will no longer trouble you. You will be able to fix
your attention on the Divine aspect which is one and not many. 1973,
(35-57/59)
17

Today incredible things are happening in this world. Many people feel
very proud of their knowledge of science and think that this will help
them attain a very high position. These people question the very existence
of God and say that even if there is a God, there is no place
for him in their thinking and in their hearts. This is a ridiculous argument.
Examine what is implied in this statement with care. A person
who claims to be a very knowledgeable person cannot be so, because
if he is really wise, then God must be in his heart, for God is the very
embodiment of knowledge and learning. To say that God has no place
in his mind is only to say that he has no wisdom in himself. God is the
very embodiment of Atman and he is the self that is present in everyone
and to say that such a God is not present in one's mind is to say
that he himself does not exist and is the same as proclaiming that one
does not believe in oneself. (...)
God exists in everyone and therefore to say that God does not exist is
to say that he oneself does not exist. To say that God does not exist
is as ridiculous as saying that one has been born to a barren women.
To argue that there is no God is as bad as insisting that the one that
is arguing cannot speak. All these are meaningless words intended to
make up meaningless arguments. 1974, (36-6/7)
Citizens of Bharata (India) have always liked to move closer and closer
to God and therefore they have created more and more names appropriate
to God. For this reason and because every one is close to God,
each individual has given a favoured name to the Lord. Each individual
has given him the name which pleases him most.
Westerners have questioned why we create different names and
forms while God is only one. They think we ought to have only one
name and form. We have been creating various forms of God based
on ideas and our capacity. 1974, (36-48)
Some people ask the question that while Brahman, the Absolute Reality,
who is self effulgent, omniscient and omnipresent should be seen
by everyone, why is it that he is seen and recognized by only some
people. It is common experience that even the bright shining sun at a
great distance from us is not seen when we have thick clouds intervening
between the bright sun and ourselves. The clouds hide the sun
to some extent. When these thick clouds are blown away by the wind,
then the bright sun presents itself to us again. In the same manner,
however much you might try you will not be able to see your own image
18

when you stand in front of dusty mirror. When you remove the dust on
the mirror and stand in front of it, then you can see the clear image of
yourself in the mirror. Thus to say that you are not able to see the sun
when the thick clouds are hiding the sun is only a result of ignorance
on your part. While the heart is impure and filled with many unclean
things, you cannot have the vision of the Lord but it is not correct to say
that he does not exist. The sun is not visible only for that individual who
is right below the thick cloud, but if he is not directly below the clouds
he can certainly see the sun. For those who are unable to get the vision
of the sacred higher self, Atman, it is necessary to remove the impurity
and uncleanliness from within themselves before they make another
attempt. 1974, (36-202/203)
Oh man! Just as you cannot see the stars during the day, you cannot
see God in the midst of your ignorance. Because of that, do not say
that he does not exist. With faith, you can earn his grace and become
prosperous. 1977, (37-214)
How can you expect the Heavenly Father to respond to your prayers
if you do not respond to the demands of the earthly father? The first
step is righteousness and gratitude; the first duty of the child is reverence
to the parents. When the first step is absent, ascent is impossible.
Another irreverence that is harming progress is the cynical sneer with
which the younger generation has been taught to welcome all reference
to God and religion: “Who is this God? Where is He to be found?
What does He do there?” they ask in derision. When a wandering
monk was accosted thus by a gang of villagers, he asked them casually
to bring him a basin of milk. He looked long at it, stirred it with his
finger, shook it around and was silent all the time. The villagers asked
him why and he replied: “I am trying to locate the butter which they say
is in milk. I do not see any in this basinful of milk.” The gang laughed
at his colossal ignorance. They told him the butter was there, in every
drop of the milk, though he could not see it with his eyes or take it out
with his finger; it had to be curdled, churned and collected, that was all.
The monk declared: “So, too, God is immanent in the universe; he is
in the most distant star as well as the blade of grass under your foot.
You can see him provided you curdle this universe with discrimination,
churn it with renunciation and collect it with faith and trust. In the grain
of sand as well as in the grandest galaxy, God can be found by diligent
19

spiritual discipline. He is the core of every being, as butter is in every
drop of the milk.” 23.3.66, (19-193)
God is not far from you, or away in some distant place. He is within you,
in your own inner altar. Man suffers because he is unable to discover
Him there, and draw peace and joy from that discovery. 1.1.67, (20-2)
God is all-pervading; but, yet, you have some scientists who assert:
“We have reached all outer space, we have looked for him on the
moon; no, he is nowhere to be found. He does not exist”. They do not
know what to seek and where; still, they have the impudence to assert
that it is not found. Is God an occupant of an identifiable body or form,
has he a habitation that are traditionally his? God is all this and more,
he is in all this and beyond. He is the inner motivator of the very scientist
who “denies” him! Man himself is God; all matter, even in the
moon, is suffused with the Divine presence. To reach for God with the
instruments of the laboratory is like trying to cure pain in the stomach
by pouring drops into the eye! There is a technique and a special instrument
for that purpose, which the pastmasters in that science have
developed and spoken about. Equip yourselves with a clear eye,
through detachment and love, sharpen your sense of discrimination,
so that it has no prejudice or predilection, then, you can see God in
you, around you, in all that you know and feel and are. The doctor asks
you to remove your shirt, before he applies the stethoscope and tries
to diagnose your illness. You have another shirt covering your chest,
the desires that surge in your heart! Remove that shirt, so that your real
nature, that is Divinity, can be revealed, to you and all who seek to
know you. All men are caskets, containing Divine glory. 22.6.69, (21-
64/65)
20

God - Creation - Human
The universe is the macrocosmos; the individual being is the microcosmos.
The first is Brahman, the second is the Hiranyagarbha, the
golden egg, the golden sprout. But, the basic truth of both is One, the
same. That One is independent and unrelated to any other fact or
thing. When that is realized in this manner, it can be called Brahman.
When it enters the awareness as the universe, it is referred to as the
Universal Absolute. The basic truth of the universe is Atman. The basic
truth of the individual is also Atman. All that appear as different from
Atman is of the region of delusion. Delusion implies a condition which
before inquiry appears real but on inquiry is known to be unreal. It is
only an appearance, this universe and its supposed basis – an appearance
caused by illusion (maya). The power that deludes you into believing
that the created cosmos is true and real is also an emanation
from the Atman. When this power operates and the Atman is clothed
with it, it is referred to as highest self.
Atman is the existence-consciousness-bliss (sat-chit-ananda), treated
as one inseparable composite. Ignorance (maya) too is a composite
of the three natural modes or qualities (guna) – the pure (tamas), the
passionate (rajas) and lethargic (sattva). They express themselves
wisdom, deed and desire. The quality of lethargy creates the appearance
of diversity, hiding the basic One and Only. The quality of passion
explores the truth and the pleasures of wisdom. The quality of purity
is a clear mirror, it reflects a correct picture of things and events that
happen before it. It reflects the Universal Absolute and reveals God.
God thus manifested becomes the universe created by His Will. The
reflected God does not have the capacity of delusion. As the clear water
of a lake has froth and bubbles on the surface, the Atman’s essential
nature seems to be tarnished by the deluding appearance of ignorance
and its product – the universe, with varied names and forms.
When the three modes of illusion (maya) are in balance and in a state
of unruffled equipoise, the universe is termed unmanifest. This is
termed the “seed-state” since all subsequent variations are subsumed
and latent in it. When lethargy and activity have their impact, creation
is caused and the cosmos comes about. They agitate living beings into
activity. The deluding force is conditioned by the three natural qualities,
as and when each expresses itself and asserts its influence over
the rest. When purity predominates, it is named as Atman-maya; when
activity is ascendant, it becomes non-science and when lethargy holds
21

sway, it becomes dullness. When the Atman is reflected in the purity
mode, the image becomes God; when reflected in activity, it becomes
individual being; and when reflected in lethargy, it becomes matter. It
is the mould, that causes the distinction between God, the living being
and matter; when there is no mould or case, all these are Atman. Since
the universe is God, living being and matter, it can be truly described
as the composite of the three modes. The universe has manifested, in
order to serve the highest interests of living beings and of man, the
most intelligent of them all. While affirming that the Atman is reflected
in the purity, activity and lethargy modes, producing impressions of
God, the individual and matter, one point has to be emphasized. The
mirror that conditions the image has only limited capacity. It can reflect
only objects that are opposite to it. But, when the mirror is either convex
or concave in surface or when its plain surface is soiled with dirt,
the image will suffer contortion or fail in clarity. This, however, does not
affect the object; only the image is distorted or defaced. But, the object
itself is usually condemned on the basis of its reflection or image.
Brahman too appears distorted on account of illusion and ignorance
and this distortion which is a superimposed characteristic is supposed
wrongly to adhere to Brahman itself! The image of the Supreme Godhead
is also a reflection in the illusion mirror. As milk turns into curds,
Brahman has turned into universe. This transformation is the handiwork
of illusion (maya). Brahman is the master of the illusion and not
its subordinate. It releases the maya power and directs it. So, the personalized
Brahman is known as omnipotent and omniscient. The living
being, God and the elements or matter – these three contribute to the
progress of the individual, each in its own way.
The Lord is the fulfillment of all desires; all objects of enjoyment in the
universe emanate from his will and so, He has no desire at all. He has
manifested the universe not for the realization of any desire of His or
filling any vacuity he suffered from, but for the benefit entirely of living
beings. “There is no duty binding on me, Arjuna, in the three worlds”
says Krishna. Creation, manifestation, or emanation are His very nature.
Hence, the description (revelling in play), is often ascribed to him.
It is his willpower that is filling all living beings with consciousness and
helping them to be alert and active. He grants to each the consequence
of thought, word and deed and is therefore described as the “giver of
the fruit of activity”. Without the intercession of the Lord, Activity cannot
result in consequence; nor can certainty arise that a particular act will
result in an identifiable manner. Besides, the sages declare that activity
(karma) is momentary. The thought arises and the act is done. The act
22

is followed by the fruit. It is not possible to predict when the fruit will be
available or what its nature will be. Hence, you have to admit that it all
depends on the Lord’s command. What cannot be interpreted by your
limited intellect has to be ascribed to his command.
However long the interval, however many lives elapse, one cannot escape
the obligation of suffering from the consequences of one’s actions.
There can be no place for inquiry into the origins of the act or
when it happened, for, one has to trace from the beginning of time itself.
One cannot discover the beginnings of the Lord, the universe, the
living being, activity and illusion; they are all beyond the beginning. In
the Bhagavadgita, Krishna declares: “The way of action is elusively
subtle and difficult to discover”. The consequence might confront the
person, even after the passage of many lives. The Lord is the eternal
witness, the power that presides over every act. Looked at from this
point of view, one has to realize and declare that the Lord and the individual
are bound inextricably together. In the absence of living beings,
there can be no Lord. When there are no children, how can the
word “father” be meaningful? So, the Lord, it can be said, manifested
the universe, in order to provide living beings with fields of activity and
in order to grant them the consequences of those actions. The five elements
serve the same purpose; they also help constitute the physical
vehicles of life, in accordance with the quality and quantity of those
consequences. There are also regions called heaven (loka) where beings
which have accumulated great merit or gathered terrible sins
have to go in the hereafter. These have no relation to the regions or
bodies that are visible to us.
Life-principle and individual-principle both mean the same. Both indicate
that they have emerged from absence of the awareness of the truth
or ignorance. This again is due to bondage to tendencies. The individual
is marked by the presence of the active work-prone passionate
mode, though it has the seeds of the other two modes also in its makeup.
The cosmos itself had its origin when the truth veiled itself in delusion.
Individuals differentiated according to the predominance of one
or other of the three chief modes, caused by the total effect of the activity
(karma) gone through in life after life. When he is endowed more with
the purity mode, he is inspired by devotion to God and engaged mostly
in adoring and praising Divine glory. Preponderance of activity traits
renders him a strong intelligent man, content to be a man with no higher
aspirations towards Divinity. If he is ruled by the lethargic qualities, he
becomes as bound to the body and its needs as birds and beasts.
23

The living being on account of an intellect caught in the coils of delusion
imagines that it is an “effect” and so, bound to some “cause”. This
non-awareness of truth has to be conquered by wisdom which urges
towards this adventure and ensures success. It will destroy the distinction,
now believed in, between the subject and the object, man and the
cosmos. To help man in this heroic duel, and to make him aware of the
truth, the Vedas prescribe desirable activities. So long as one is caught
in non-awareness, man and cosmos, the upper and lower worlds, spiritual
law, righteousness and ignorance, activity, devotion and wisdom
– these concepts have to be respected and one’s life shaped accordingly.
So long as one is established in the validity of the “diversity” apparent
in the universe, one acts according to the limits inspired by the
personalized God.
The universe is for each living being its own mental picture and nothing
else, fundamentally. So, unless one unravels the mind and its processes,
the Brahman principle is difficult to understand. Those who
have not understood the real nature of the sky will mistake it as a dome
of smoke and dust; so too, the Atman is mistaken, through non-awareness
of reality, to be enclosed in and embodied as intellect (buddhi),
to be involved in activity, to be caught up in the twin bonds of joy and
sorrow, and to be embroiled in happiness and misery and also in bondage
and liberation. From the angle of change, the higher truth will naturally
appear as different, though they are inextricably interrelated.
Space is one. But, as a result in this sectionalised existence; it is the
one space that exists in all these “containers” – houses, lakes, hills etc.
– which are shapes and forms, with distinct names attached to them
and different modes of behavior and use. So too, individual beings
have different names and forms, peculiarities and specialities of use
and behavior; but, like the string that holds the beads, passing in and
through each and holding them together, the super-consciousness in
all individuals is one.
That is the Atman, which is mistaken as I, through ignorance. As long
as this truth is not won, man cannot release himself from the hold of
multiplicity and change. The scriptures communicate to you this reality
and exhort you to realize it. What is it that, if known, everything else
can be known? When the Atman is known, declare the scriptures
(sruthi), everything can be known. The cosmos is only relatively real;
it is partly false. Knowing it is unprofitable and unnecessary. It is not a
legitimate purpose of life. Life is best spent and human effort best directed
when awareness of the Atman principle is sought to be attained.
The sacred text warns man against other vain pursuits. The Vedas,
24

Sruthis and allied sacred literature do not teach you anywhere how the
cosmos was created or advise you to study and understand the origins
and the process. They do not declare the absence of that knowledge
as calamitous; they even assert that the task is impossible.
“Why worry how the cosmos was born or when it will die? Worry rather
about yourself,” that is the lesson emphasized by the scriptures.
“Know thyself.” Once you know yourself, everything else will be automatically
clear. You are a microcosm in the macrocosm. Just as the
knowledge of one single clay pot is enough to know all about all clay
pots, when you know your self, all else can be known.
In order to persuade a child to stop weeping and regain joy, the mother
relates a fairy tale which pleases it. The mother’s sole purpose is
to calm the child; the fairy tale is only a means modelled on its intellectual
level. In the same manner, the living being, fascinated by the
beginningless attraction of illusion (maya) and bound by tendencies
cultivated during many lives in the past, cannot avoid inquiring into
the origins of the universe which he encounters. The Sruthi answers
such inquiry in words that give temporary relief. For, the question,
how was the universe created, is on a par with the question, how is a
dream created? The dream originates from sleep; the universe originates
from illusion. Just as the dream has no order or law, the universe
too is full of mystery and illusion. There is only one, not two as
often happens in a dream. This is the doctrine of non-dualism (adwaita).
Very much like the question of the origin of creation, another
problem that generally worries man is, how did this ignorance happen?
The solution has been provided by Vasishta, to Rama. “Rama!”
he said, “Rather than entangling yourselves in the inquiry regarding
how ignorance entered man, I would exhort you to be engaged in efforts
to get rid of it”. This lesson is directed not only to Rama but to all
mankind. It helps all who do not possess the realization of the truth
behind the objective world. Ignorance is the name given to ignoring
what is one’s own inner experience – that the universe is an everchanging
phenomenon.
Why then are you troubled by this question? Be convinced that you
have this ignorance, give up the struggle to get rid of attachment to this
changing world with its concomitant birth death cycle. It is only more
evidence of this ignorance to argue whether this ignorance adheres to
Brahman or emanates from the living being. Surely it is much more important
to concentrate on the methods by which the ignorance can be
discarded. For it will certainly yield to wisdom. Wisdom is light; igno-
25

ance is darkness. Darkness can persist only until light shines. (5-152/
160)
The motion of the sun, the moon and the earth takes place regularly
and without faltering. You have to ask who has given them such steady
motion. The creation of this infinite world, the creation of the sun and
the moon which move so regularly or the generation of a steady heat
in a human body, the functioning of the lungs are such mysteries that
unquestionably there is a Divine hand of creation behind them. Who
can create all these things which are so permanent and steady? When
you ask such a question, people simply push it away and say that
these are natural. They do not recognize the creator who has created
all this. Not to accept the existence of such a creator has been recognized
by our culture and has been named Brahman. You may try for
years and years to understand the aspect of Brahman and yet it will
not be completed. The moon that you cannot reach has to be only
pointed at with a finger and shown from a distance. In the same manner,
you cannot understand the aspect of the infinite and unreachable
Brahman and you should only recognize its Divinity in terms of something
you can adopt. The aspect of Brahman is something which is beyond
time and easy reach and if you want to understand it, you yourselves
must adopt methods which are above and beyond time. It is in
this context that our ancients have said: “One who knows the aspect
of Brahman will himself become Brahman”. 1974, (36-26/28)
You should believe that all creation is Divine. Divinity is present everywhere
and is all knowing. It is present everywhere in Creation and
by seeing Divinity everywhere, it will be possible for you to live in this
world by getting correct knowledge of nature around you and by such
spiritual knowledge, you will be able to enjoy happiness in the spiritual
side of the world. Divinity is the embodiment of truth, wisdom and is infinite
and in that form it is present in all the organs that make up your
body. 1974, (36-6)
Name and form have an inseparable connection. It is not possible to
separate the name from a form in this world. When you point your finger
towards the eye, you call attention to the eye. The name eye and
the form of eye which the name indicates are inseparably connected
do each other. (...)
Brahman does not have one name and one form. It encompasses all
26

names, and all forms that you encounter in this world and signifies everything
that you find in this created world. All the business of this material
world is contained in the words that signify all forms and names.
Whether it is in the tiny insects or in the huge forms that you see in this
world, the all pervading aspect is that of Brahman. Since the aspect is
equal in all living things, Brahman is also called “sama”, one who is
equal minded. Because this aspect of Brahman is not confined to
equal mindedness to living things only but since it is all pervading and
covers the entire creation, it has been said that God is present everywhere
and envelopes the entire universe. Just as from the shining sun,
the sun's rays come spontaneously, so also from God, who is the
source of all energy come spontaneously all the words of the Veda
which are like the rays of wisdom. The kind of inseparable relationship
that exists between the sun's rays and the sun also exists between the
Vedas and God who is their source. If today, students recognize such
sacredness in our Vedas, they will turn into future citizens of this country
who will have the capacity to reestablish the supremacy of Veda
culture. Your elders have also taught you that the understanding of
God is above the sensory capacities of man. To be able to experience
the Brahmanaspect of Brahman which itself is above sensory capacities,
you should also rise above the senses. How can you understand
something above the senses, while you remain in a stage which is below
the senses? When you become equal minded you can rise above
the trivialities of name and form. (...)
When one tries to understand the inner meaning of what has just been
said, one comes to the conclusion that Brahman can be realized only
in a quiet, clear and pure place. Is there such a place in this world and
how can you find it and reach it? Such a place does not exist outside
you. It is present in your own internal self. From time immemorial, sages
have reached for a place of that kind all over and in the end came
to the conclusion that they should turn their vision and their thoughts
inward to find such a place and by such a process they could get a
glimpse of Brahman and enjoy the bliss thereof. They spread these
processes which they discovered to the rest of the world. While such
an omnipotent, all knowing and sacred Brahman is present within
one's own self, it is un-understandable that one goes about reaching
for it in all places external to oneself. When you have the wish fulfilling
tree available to you, why look for ordinary fruits. (...)
When you have the mountain of gold available to you, why go about
purchasing silver. 1974, (36-54/56)
27

There is a great deal of argument and agitation because the currency
has been devalued; some say it is a good step, some say it had to be
done whether good or bad, some argue it could have been avoided or
postponed. But the net result has been anxiety and worry for all. More
important, however, and more to be deplored is the devaluation of man
that has been taking place systematically in recent times.
Man is held to be a tool, an instrument, and not as born 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 has allowed his equipment to rust through
neglect and he has forgotten the goal. The road he has to traverse is
also overgrown 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.
Consider how man has been shaped since millions of years for this
high destiny. During the primeval cosmic chaos, there were two phenomena
struggling to overwhelm each other. On one side was the fiery
lava flood vomited by the volcanoes and emanating from the crevices
and chasms that scarred the horrifying face of the earth. The destructive
conflagration swept in all directions scattering panic and death,
heralding the end of everything. On the other side, scarcely noticed,
microscopic amoeba floated furtively on the water's edge or clung desperately
to the cracks of rocks, keeping the faint spark of life unharmed
from fire and flood. Who could have predicted at that time that the future
was with the animalcule or amoeba, whose appearance itself was
due to an accident, and whose survival was an enigma? Who could
have foreseen that these minute specks of life could hold out triumphantly
against the devastating onslaught of heat and cold?
But that speck of life-consciousness won through. Sheer intelligence,
adaptability and perseverance in “willing” to live helped it to defeat the
mortal fury of the elements. By the unfoldment of that life-consciousness,
the amoeba blossomed into various species of living beings, gigantic
and microscopic; at last, it grew into man; in man, it bore fruit
as goodness and virtue, sympathy and sacrifice, oratory and music,
song and dance, scholarship and spiritual discipline, martyrdom and
sainthood, and as repositories of Divinity; nay, even Divine manifestations
assumed the human from.
This is the reason why man is said to be the zenith of creation. This is
28

the purpose for which he has struggled through stone and grass, tree,
bird and beast. Hence, man truth and make the false appear as real,
the real distorted as false. So it becomes essential to cleanse the mind
of these through regular spiritual discipline, to tune the little will to the
infinite will of God, so that it becomes merged in his glory. Scholarship
or skill, however deep and varied, have no cleansing power. They only
add the alloys of pride and competition. Learned men are not necessarily
good, nor are men with spiritual powers over nature above pride,
envy and greed. Truth, righteousness, peace and love are the hallmarks
of a purified heart, a heart where God is enshrined and is manifest.
The world is today in deep distress because the common man and his
leaders are all distracted by lower desires and lower motives, which require
only the lower skills and meaner impulses of man. This is what I
call “devaluation”. Though man is inherently Divine, he lives only at the
animal level. Very few live even in the native human level.
Instead of transforming his hearth, his home, his village, his state and
this world into a Prashaanthi Nilayam, the abode of the peace that passeth
understanding, man has made the world an arena for the wild
passions of anger, hate and greed. Instead of making the senses
(which are after all very poor guides and informants) his servants, he
has made them his masters; he has become a slave of external beauty,
evanescent melody, exterior softness, tickling taste, fragrance. He
spends all his energies and the fruits of all his toil in the satisfaction of
the trivial demands of these untamed underlings.
When the mind is controlling the senses, you have lasting joy; when
the senses are masters, you are dragged in the dust. This is the most
tragic result of devaluation. Every act which lowers the authority of discrimination
and honours the siren-call of the senses devalues man. Intelligence
must be the Lord, the master. Whenever the senses demand
anything, intelligence must start discriminating, asking the
question: “Is this an act in keeping with the Divinity immanent in me?”
That will prevent devaluation.
To accept that man is related to the apes or that he is an animal made
of mud or matter is to devalue him. Man is a spark of God. He can blossom
into God. He is born to be perpetually happy, but is everywhere
in misery. This is a tragedy; it is like the washerman who died of thirst
though he was standing knee-deep in the running stream; or like the
man who closed his eyes and stumbled along in the darkness. The
source of happiness is in him; the source of light is in his eyes. Real
29

education has to teach man how to tap this spring of joy and light. If
this task is not undertaken by schools and colleges, it should be performed
by parents and elders and all who are keen to prevent this devaluation.
18.12.66, (19-309/313)
Brahman is that which has become or appears to have become all this,
the inner motive force. The aspect without attributes (nirguna) is the
primal cause, the Hiranyagarbha of which creation is the manifestation.
Grasping this secret of the universe and its origin and existence
- that is wisdom. (...)
It might be said that Brahman has form while wisdom is formless; but
both are formless in the real sense of the word. The apparent form of
Brahman is the result of ignorance; form is attributed to Brahman only
to serve the needs of the embodied souls during the period of the embodiment.
The absolute is reduced to the level of the conditioned, because
the soul too is conditioned by the body. Not to know that this human
interlude is but the conditioned state of the Atman is to be reduced
to the dullness of the beast. (14-27/29)
For the creation of this entire world, the main roots are sounds. If there
is no sound, there is no world. If there is no sound, there is no creation.
Thus, if the young people who belong to the modern world raise a succession
of questions like: “Where is God? Is there God? Where is he
to be seen?” I get the feeling that they are only displaying a large
amount of ignorance. Does this young man ask a question like that not
realize that the answer to his question is contained in the question itself?
What is the question? The question is: “Is there God or is there
no God?” The fact that the word God is contained in the question
asked, namely “is there God?” is proof that there is God. If there is no
God, then the word “God” would not have come into existence. Can
any of you give a name of something which does not exist? 1972, (34-
86)
Man is not offering anything of his own, except when he is offering his
devotion arising from his heart. God takes care of that devotee who
completely surrenders himself with single-minded devotion at the lotus
foot of the Lord. If one is intoxicated with Divine love and forgets all
worldly responsibilities, God will take upon himself all the responsibilities
of that devotee. 1972, (34-220/221)
30

The world is comparable to a big machine. Each individual is a cog in
that big machine. The totality of all beings constitutes that machine of
the world. You may feel the futility of your lives when you are compared
to a small pin, a bolt, or a screw in that huge machine, forgetting that
the machine is dependent upon a small pin etc. For example, imagine
a railway train travelling at a great speed. This train will not come to a
stop even if lakhs of people try to do so. Those who make an attempt
to stop it may be harmed. But if the driver puts on the brake, with the
help of a small pin, the train will stop instantly. This train, which is travelling
at a great speed, and which could not be stopped by lakhs of
people, has been stopped by the use of a small pin. In the same manner,
when man uses his mind, his ideals, his intelligence and when he
faces sorrow, trouble and untruth in this world, he can have the capacity
to counter the sorrow in the world. This is so, in spite of his being
only a small pin or a bolt in this big machine of the world. Therefore he
must regard himself as a good and useful person in the context of the
prosperity of the world. 1973, (35-174)
Everything is held together by God’s strength. God is present everywhere.
You are only a means through which God is seeing everyone
in this world. You are only imagining that you are seeing with your eyes
but you are in fact seeing with God’s eyes. 1973, (35-175)
You should not be subservient to nature, but make it subservient to
you. Nature is not anybody’s property. It is not even the property of all
the people put together. Nature belongs to God. Therefore, if you want
to keep nature under control, you will have to do so only after earning
God’s grace. If after acquiring God’s grace, you undertake to conquer
nature, she will herself yield to you. Today, by neglecting and forgetting
the Lord and believing that nature is the only thing that is important,
you are attempting to use nature unsuccessfully for selfish purposes.
1973, (35-231)
It is only after a digit that the zero will have any significance and value.
Similarly you must first think of God who is only one, and the living
world after him. The world will acquire some value only if it comes after
God. 1974, (36-99)
God lives in the hearts of individuals who are always conducting themselves
along the path of righteousness and who will not swerve from
31

ighteousness in any circumstances. This is an unquestioned truth.
1974, (36-174)
Acquaintance with the contents of the various Shastras or Vedas is not
going to remove the screen in front of one's mind. On one side of the
screen is the individual and on the other side is God. On one side of
the screen is Creation and on the other side is the basis for all that we
see. The past birth is not known to us, the present birth is not something
stationary or unchanging, the future birth is such that no one
knows about it. Is there anyone who knows about the future? The human
body is impermanent and transient and the living being residing
in the body is indestructible. He is the permanent one and he is Brahman
and the one who is the basis of all that you see. It is his greatness
that manifests in many different ways. I have been reaching, I had
been reaching in the past, I am reaching now for one who understands
the basis of all these manifestations. 1974, (36-248)
There is only one common feature for all living things in this world and
that is the eternal spirit. In all manifold forms of creation in unity and in
diversity, we find only the spirit of Atman and nothing else. It is the realization
of this aspect that constitutes the essence of all learning.
1977, (37-46)
Creation and God are not two distinct things. In your ignorance, you
regard what really is a projection of God's illusion as the world and material
creation. It will appear as the manifestation of the spirit of the Divine,
if you act wisely and with knowledge. It is only when you can think
of both and discriminate between them, will you see the difference.
1977, (37-152)
All things in creation are subject to the law of change and man too is
subject to this law. But, man should use the law for progress, and not
for sliding down in the scale. Intelligence from the higher self, the inward
Divinity, leads man ever on the path of renunciation and service,
for they alone lead to spiritual advancement. The higher self recognizes
the unity of creation like the string that runs through each
blossom. When you win the love of God, his compassion will flow
unto you. (...)
The universe is the field where God sports. Be aware of this fact, and
there is nothing more you need for a happy existence. (...)
32

The attributeless God assumes the mind, the intelligence and the ego,
and the magnificent game is inaugurated. (...)
God is genuine, the living being is the shadow, the delusion. In this
world, which is impermanent and ever transforming, the immanent
power of the Lord is the only permanent and fixed entity.
While proceeding along the road, you can watch your shadow falling
on mud or dirt, hollow or mound, thorns or sand, wet or dry patches of
land. (...)
Similarly, you must get convinced that “you” are but the shadow of the
Brahman, the Atman, and you are essentially not this “you” but Brahman
itself. That is the remedy for sorrow, travail and pain. Of course,
it is only at the end of long and systematic process of spiritual discipline
that you will get fixed in the truth; until then, you are apt to identify yourself
with this body and forget that the body which casts a shadow is itself
a shadow. (27-74/76)
God is the great unseen, the vast unknowable. Recognize that there
is God as the very basis of creation; pray to him, and he will shower
fruit. (27-81)
There are three entities in the universe, with which man has to deal;
they are: God, nature and man. Of these, God has to be worshipped
by man, to be realized by man through nature. Nature is the name for
all the various items that impress upon man the glory and the splendour
of God. It is called illusion (maya) too. Maya is the vesture of God,
which hides as well as reveals his beauty and majesty. Man must learn
to use nature not for his comfort or entanglement to the utter forgetfulness
of the God behind the joy he derives, but, for the better understanding
of the intelligence that guides the universe. How does a tree
grow or a flower bloom, how does man learn about the stars and
space, except by the inspiration of the joy and the intelligence which
he who resides within endows? Approach nature in a humble, prayerful
mood; then your future will be safe. (27-201/202)
If God's creation itself was faulty, all would have suffered equally! Now,
each person has a different version to give, if you ask him whether he
is happy and why. The same person speaks differently at different
times about the acts of the Lord. So, the fault lies in you, the excellence
that you praise is in you. You see yourself in the outside world; what
you like or dislike is your own self! 12.8.63, (17-34)
33

Through devotion alone can that self-realization be attained. Devotion
purifies the heart, elevates the feelings and universalizes the vision. It
also brings down the grace of God; for, the clouds have to come over
the fields and pour rain; the plants cannot rise up to drink the life-giving
fluid. The mother has to bend to the cradle to fondle the child. Devotion
has the power, to bring the God down. (...)
The Lord enters the hearts of the devotees and resides there. So, the
Rishi Narada had to conclude that the hearts of the devotee are the
grandest things in creation!
That is why I condemn all signs of weakness and call the sense of
weakness itself a sin, an unpardonable sin. (...)
Do not bend and cringe and barter your self-respect. Do not believe
that you are this little lump of body. You are the indestructible, immortal
Atman, of the same nature as Brahman itself.
Have gratitude to the creator who poured into you the nectar (amrita)
that ensures immortality; he requires you to stand firm in the face of
joy and grief. 25.2.64, (17-212/213)
You call yourselves devotees. No one can become a devotee by naming
himself so; nor, by others calling him so. Devotion involves dedication,
with nothing held back; not even a wisp of ego should remain.
His command alone counts; his will prevails. Like a drunkard, the devotee
has no sense of honour or decency, pride or conceit. 25.1.63, (18-
1/2)
You should cultivate an attitude of inseparable attachment to the Lord,
who is your very self. If he is a flower, you should feel yourself a bee
that sucks its honey; if he is a tree, be a creeper that clings to it; if a
cliff, then feel that you are a cascade running over it if he is the sky, be
a tiny star that twinkles in it; above all, be conscious of the truth that
you and he are bound by supreme love. If you feel this acutely, not with
the gross intelligence, but with the subtle intelligence, then, the journey
will be quick and the goal can be won. The gross intelligence keeps
you walking but, the subtle flies you to your destination. The gross is
weighed down by the body; the subtle transcends the body and lightens
the burden. 30.1.65, (18-257/258)
Man is a diamond, not a piece of glass. He can scatter brilliance all
round him and shine, provided he goes through the grinding, the cutting,
the sublimation. Sublimation transmutes man into God. By subli-
34

mation, steel worth half a rupee gets transmuted into a watch worth a
few hundreds. By utilizing the mysterious alchemy of the mind, man
can attain wisdom and visualize the truth that satisfies and illumines.
6.11.67, (20-124)
The living being is the child and inheritor of immortality; he is the repository
of Divinity, he can by various paths attain the state of Divinity
itself! A machine without the power to activate it is of no use; so too, a
human body without the Divine spark is of no avail. Without that spark,
man is a tree that bears no fruit, a cow that yields no milk; he must become
aware of the spark, he must know how to illumine himself with it
and cover himself with its splendor. You are living now in the dark, in
ignorance. The knowledge that you are the Divine spark, encased in
the sheaths of bliss, intelligence, feelings, sensations and organic substances
- this knowledge is the light. 26.3.68, (20-182)
The true devotee is deeply aware of the transitoriness of earthly triumphs.
He knows that death is the final arbiter, that God is the only dispenser,
and so, he is firm and calm, whether it is foul or fair. He will not
slide or climb whatever happens. He knows that the God whom he
adores is the indweller in the blade of grass and in the most distant
star. God gives ear to the prayers that rise in all languages and even
from the silence of the dumb. He has no trace of anger or worry. You
too have no reason to develop anger and anxiety. 8.7.68, (20-254/255)
When man is able to master the senses, and direct them along more
beneficent channels -the eye seeing God's footprints in stars and rosepetals,
the ear hearing God's voice in the throats of birds and peals of
thunder, the tongue tasting God's sweetness in all that appeals to it,
the nose discovering fragrance in everything that recalls the glory of
God, the sense of touch content to clasp the hand of the forlorn and
the distressed as the beloved children of God - then, he can visualize
the God installed in the cavity of the heart; that is the lesson the fivehooded
sesha imparts! 22.6.69, (21-64)
Recognizing the immanence of the Divine, one has to dedicate all acts
to the Divine. What is the act, when you analyse it deeply? It is the manipulation
of the Divine by the Divine, for the sake of the Divine through
the skill endowed by the Divine; there is no I or mine in it, except the
universal I and the Divine my. Dedication is to be carried out in various
35

ways. Take the food that you consume. Offer it to God, before you partake
of it. Then it is rendered pure and potent. (...)
Grace is showered on those who seek. Knock, and the door shall be
opened; ask, and food will be served; search, and the treasure will be
yours. 15.10.69, (21-122/124)
The ascent to manhood has been made possible for you all; but this
high status among the animals is to be deserved by merging at last in
the Divine, that is the goal which the pilgrimage of evolution has in
view, since life began on earth as the amoeba on the waters. Faith in
that goal and steady march towards it are the signs of one's being
aware of the responsibility of being a man. The call of the Divine echoes
in every heart; it provokes the reaction of awe, reverence, affection,
love and sacrifice - all ingredients of devotion. It translates itself
into acts of worship, of praise, of adoration and of rituals symbolizing
the majesty of God. Thus, the mind gets saturated with Divine
thoughts, it is recast in the Divine mould, until the flow of bliss is unabated.
Prayer is the very breath of religion; for, it brings man and God
together and with every sigh, nearer and nearer. Meditation is the
process of listening to the song celestial, the flute of Krishna, with the
mental ears alert to the melody. Yoga is the merging of the mind in the
bliss of self forgetfulness, when the music fills the consciousness.
Words like these do not completely denote that inexpressible ecstasy
which one gets while “back home”, after this long exile. 6.10.70, (21-
309)
Man has always tried to conquer nature. In this contest, he has employed
all his physical, mental and intellectual skill. Nature is a composite
of the three natural modes or qualities (guna): purity (sattva),
activity (rajas) and lethargy (tamas). Therefore, it can be overcome
only by developing, the qualities of truth, love and tolerance. When
man taps the energy of the Divine in him, he can easily master nature,
which is only the vesture of the Divine. 11.10.70, (21-335)
One must pursue the search and reach the ultimate truth, the truth that
can explain the atom as well as the most distant star, now and for ever.
(...)
Only God knows the universe. To know the universe, one must become
God. In fact, there is no becoming God: one is God, masquerading
as living being! The I which you feel you are, the I that you were
36

- that I is but a reflection of God in this body-mirror! You are but a wave
on the breast of the ocean, namely, God. Know this, experience this -
that is the consummation, the goal. Know that all are waves, and then,
realize that the wave is but the ocean, with name and form that appear,
last for a short time, and then disappear. (...)
Embodiments of the Divine Atman! It is only through the cultivation of
love that the heart can be enlarged to receive these eternal absolute
experiences; it is only through the practice of truth that the great truth
can be experienced. 18.12.70, (21-405/406)
The cosmos manifested through the will of God, who is the Universal
Absolute. It arose from the Absolute Only, since there was then, only
One, just as even now there is only One, in spite of all this seeming
variety. That Will which emanated from the Absolute persuaded you to
see and experience many; that is all that has happened. The one reality
is still the one, it has not undergone any change. You have superimposed
on the one, the illusion of the many!
God, therefore, is the material cause as well as the instrumental
cause, the gold and the goldsmith, the potter and the clay, the seed as
well as the tree. (...) Nature is his body; the cosmos is his will; the Vedas
are his breath.
The Sankhya School of thinkers declare that the objective world arose
out of the conglomeration and conjunction of desparate atoms; but,
they do not pursue the matter and explain what induced the atoms to
join with their kind in particular designs and groups. How does this
urge arise? How does this awaken, within the minute atom? Who has
planted this desire in the tiny heart of the atom? These questions are
bypassed.
Most philosophers, especially in the West, ignore the problem of identifying
the cause of all the effects we find every moment all around us.
The Upanishads declare: “I am one, let me become many,” willed God;
and God became all this, in response to that Divine desire, the primal
urge. He became all this. 16.10.74, (23-136/137)
The visible universe is the substance of your bodies, the subsistence
of your minds and the source of your progress. The everchanging universe
has in it the neverchanging Absolute principle. Both are aspects
of the ever-full Brahman. The individual is the becoming of that being.
The individual consciousness is the projection of the same Universal
Consciousness and both are complete in themselves. Even after the
37

ody decays and disintegrates, the individual consciousness remains
unaffected; it is as full as ever. (...)
The visible universe has an invisible base! It has a material cause and
an efficient cause. But man pays attention only to the efficient cause
and not the material. This cup has silver as the material cause; the cup
is the efficient cause. The cup is seen, but the silver is not cognized.
The cosmos is seen but God is not cognized. God is the material
cause; he is in and through the entire cosmos as the silver is in and
through this entire cup. (...)
Utilize the world as the means to an end; do not desire to stay on it. It
is a caravanserai, where you can rest awhile during your pilgrimage to
the source. It is a bridge wide and strongly built; can any pilgrim build
a house thereon for himself? The cosmos is changing constantly. The
minutes that are past cannot be retrieved even if tempted by a billion
rupees. The past is not yours any more; the present slips from your
grasp; the future is uncertain. 7.10.81, (25-170/173)
The cosmos has only one master, God, the All-comprehensive Supreme
Consciousness. It energizes and operates the cosmos. It impels
all the activities of man. Man is but an instrument which the Supreme
Consciousness wields. God is not limited by time, space or
circumstance. But, the physical body, the mind, the intellect, the senses
their longings are moulded and modified by time, space and circumstance.
Without believing in this fundamental fact man falsely imagines:
“I am doing this”, “I am planning this”. It is the Supreme all
pervasive Consciousness that unfolds the skills, motivates the senses
and operates the intellect.
All activities of man must result in cleansing his levels of awareness.
When these are done as offerings to God, they advance this cleansing
process a great deal. The way man works, he shapes his own destiny.
Work is sublimated into worship which fructifies into wisdom. 21.11.81,
(25-196)
For, God is the entity closest to man, dearest to man. Your mother and
father might be a little afar but God is right with you, in you. Even if you
do not love him, he will not depart from you or move afar. “Smaller than
the atom” say the Vedas. He becomes expanding beyond the cosmos
and filling all with grace. In every cell, he will be in you. You can earn
this awareness through intense love. 25.12.81, (25-223/224)
38

Students! To see an effulgent light you do not need another lamp. Likewise
to know the self-luminous Divine knowledge there is no need for
any other knowledge. Every human being has in him the knowledge
of his true form. Owing to his failure to know this stupendous fact, man
pursues all kinds of worldly knowledge.
All the diversity you see in creation is a manifestation of the indivisible
one. The cause is the same for both differences and oneness. All the
changing entities are based upon the one that is unchanging.
Creation has to be viewed as a cosmic stage. God is the director in this
play. He assigns all the roles of the characters in the play. All creatures
in the world are manifestations of the Divine. The good and evil in the
world are expressions of the Divine consciousness. Man should not be
misled by these expressions. Behind all the various actions of the actors,
the Divine director is at work. It should be realized that though
names and forms may vary, languages and nationalities may be different,
the human race is one in its Divine essence. All are sparks of
the Divine. The Lord declared in the Bhagavadgita: “All beings in the
world of the living are aspects of my Eternal Self.”
God is the embodiment of love. Love is his nature. His love pervades
the cosmos. This love is present in one and all. Just as God manifests
his love in the world, everyone should manifest his love.
Love has been described as beyond speech and mind, it is said to be
indescribable. This love cannot be got through scholarship, wealth or
physical powers. God, who is the embodiment of love, can be attained
only through love, just as the effulgent sun can be seen only through
its own light.
There is nothing more precious in this world than Divine love. God is
beyond all attributes. Hence his love also is beyond attributes. But, human
love, because it is governed by attributes, results in attachment
and aversion. Love should not be based on expectations of a reward
or return. Love based on such expectations makes it a business deal.
Love is not an article of commerce. It is not like a loan and getting it
back. It is a spontaneous offering. Pure love of this kind can emanate
only from a pure heart. (14.1.95)
God is not somewhere outside. He is the indweller in the body. Sin is
the result of one's own actions. Hence it is folly to seek God elsewhere.
Man wants to know all about the world and ventures to explore outer
space. But he is unable to know his own true nature. How is he to know
his self? The self is called conscience. The spiritual quest means mak-
39

ing use of the vibrations from the conscience to understand the truth.
Today man follows only the body and the mind and becomes a prey
to all kinds of troubles. (23.11.95)
Man is the beneficiary of innumerable gratuitous gifts of God: wind,
rain, sunlight and so on. What gratitude is man showing to God for all
these, while he his paying a big price for every small benefit he derives
from services like water supply and electric power? God is the provider
of all that is essential for life. What recompense is man making to God?
On the contrary he goes on praying for more benefits. This insatiable
desire is the cause of all man's evil qualities. The truly human qualities
are calmness, forbearance and compassion. Man should lead a contented
life.
God has given to man a wonderfully beautiful world, with mountains,
forests, rivers and the glorious moon. Above all, God has endowed
man with a compassionate heart. But he is polluting it. What is it that
man offers to God for all his gifts? (1.7.96)
When you look at the ocean, its endless series of waves and the foam
from the waves, they all appear separate from each other. But the truth
is they are all one. The water in the waves and in the foam comes from
the same ocean and has the same qualities.
Likewise, from the infinite ocean of existence-consciousness-bliss
(sat-chit-ananda), innumerable living creatures emerge like waves.
While the Divine is in the state of truth-wisdom-infinity man is in the
state of being-awareness-bliss.
Embodiments of Divine Atman! When you fill your vision with love, the
whole creation will appear Divine to you,
The cosmos appears to you as a manifestation of diversity, but in reality
there is no diversity. No one makes any effort to discover the unity
that underlies the diversity.
In every human being, both Divinity and the illusion principle are immanent.
How is this to be comprehended? Existence-consciousnessbliss
represent the Divine in man. The names and forms which man
perceives are expressions of the illusion principle.
On the ocean, the wind is the cause of waves, on the ocean of existence-consciousness-bliss,
the wind of illusion gives rise to the innumerable
living creatures. Therefore, the individuals who have emerged
from the ocean of existence-consciousness-bliss are manifestations of
the Divine. Divinity is everywhere. But because of man's ignorance,
man is a prey to numerous troubles. (30.7.96)
40

God is considered and adored as the creator. God created the living
creatures but these beings are “creating” God. Hence these beings are
also creators. God is not created by himself. It is the devotees who are
“creating” God.
The supreme devotee, Prahlada, was able, by the intensity and sincerity
of his devotion, to make God manifest in a pillar. The child Dhruva
could make God manifest himself in a forest. It follows that every
being is a creator. Every human being is Divine. But, because of identification
with the body, man considers himself an ordinary being. The
difference between creation and the creator relates only to the external
form. When the physical form is ignored, what remains is the spiritual
reality. (13.2.97)
Sometime or other what has come from the Divine has to merge in the
Divine. This is the natural destiny of all living beings. Taking birth as a
man, leading a godly life, one ultimately merges in the Divine.
Considering the Divine as formless, some scholars have raised controversies
regarding this process. The truth is that there is no object in
the world which is formless. Even the minutest subatomic particle has
a form. Only the ignorant can think otherwise.
It was for this reason that the ancient sages adored the Divine in various
forms. Holding that all forms are made up of atoms, they recognized
the Divine in all forms. (7.3.97)
All the spiritual discipline such as chanting of Lord's name and penance
will be of no avail if senses are not controlled. You may be under
the impression that it is not possible for a human being to control the
senses. Here control does not mean total cessation. Discharge your
duties as a householder, student or businessman. But whatever you
do, do it with a feeling that it is to please God. Once you develop this
feeling, all your senses will naturally be controlled.
Embodiments of Love! You feel that total surrender to God is rather difficult,
but according to me nothing is easier than this. It may be difficult
to make a garland out of flowers or to pluck the petals of a flower, but
total surrender to God is easier and simpler than this. You find it difficult
because you do not have steady and firm faith in God. God is.
There is no place without God. There is no being without Divinity. Each
and every being is the embodiment of God. Total faith makes surrender
easy. If you have total faith in this truth, you will never have difficulties.
When your faith is defective, you find it difficult to achieve an-
41

ything. Have faith in God and love him. Love is God. You are bound to
be successful in all your endeavours if you have faith in God. Any task,
however difficult it may be, can be accomplished with God’s grace.
(15.2.99)
42

Trinity
It is by the very thought of God (Maheshvara) that we believe that creation,
maintenance and dissolution of the created world is taking
place. It is usual to describe God as consisting of Brahma, Vishnu and
Shiva as three parts. The name Shiva signifies he who gives happiness
and prosperity. On the other hand, Shiva is also the one who
shows you the correct path relating to wisdom, prosperity and gives
various types of wealth. 1973, (35-211)
The entire world of manifestation is the play of Brahma, Vishnu, and
Shiva (Ishvara). Brahma creates, Vishnu sustains and Shiva dissolves
or merges. Brahma determines your next birth according to your previous
karmas. Vishnu sustains the creation of Brahma. A plant cannot
grow of its own accord. It has to be looked after, watered and fenced.
Only then will it become a big tree. In the same manner, it is not
enough for the guru to merely suggest to you to recite the name of the
Lord and to carry on meditation but he has to also look after your practice
and progress by giving you the necessary support and strength.
The work of Shiva is to make things merge with infinity. Dissolution
means merging the soul with the highest self. Shiva dissolves the individual
into the universal. Thus the entire process consists of creation,
sustenance, and merger. The trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva
does not represent the three gurus but relate to the same being functioning
in three different directions at three different times. 1973, (35-
265)
Vishnu, the Lord Venkateshvara is celebrated as a the Lord of the Seven
Hills; his temple is on the seventh hill and one has to traverse and
go over six hills to reach him. This is symbolic of the six obstacles of
lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride and hate. One has to go across
these passions and cast them behind him ere he can stand face to face
with the Lord. (21-172/173)
Vishnu symbolizes the universal aspect of the Divine principle, in the
universe as well as beyond it. Righteousness is the very breath of Vishnu,
for it sustains the stars, it stabilizes society it ensures advance.
Vishnu is that aspect of the trinity that is concerned with sustaining,
fostering, stabilizing, strengthening. So, Vishnu has to incarnate often
in order to save and salvage the world. He has to reestablish right-
43

eousness, so that the world may sail on an even keel and reach the
harbour of liberation, so that the world may be transformed into a Prasanthi
Nilayam. India has the Himalayas, as her shield, as her armour,
as her crown. The range is the sign of majesty, of calm, of cool exhilaration,
the call to the heights which man must climb. From the Himalayas
have flowed over the land the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswathi,
the trinity of (1) spiritual search, (Ganga), (2) mental purification
(Yamuna) and (3) intellectual clarity (Saraswati). The Ganga never
runs dry; it is pure, full, capable of destroying all the bacteria that bring
disease. Indian culture will be alive and active, so long as the Ganga
flows over the land; it can never run dry. It will slake the thirst of generations;
it will confer the boon of immortality on those who crave for
it. 14.1.70, (21-191/192)
In the Vedas, Vishnu, for example, is named “parama”. It means “paramanu”,
the atom: He is omnipresent, as omnipresent as the atom,
found as the substance and substratum of the universe. Vishnu is the
cause as well as the effect, for, there was nothing else when time began.
The one became many; the many disappear, the one remains.
20.2.74, (23-38)
The entire creation is based on three processes: Creation, sustenance
and dissolution. The cosmos is kept going by these three processes.
Should there not be a director for these processes? You cannot have
in this world an action without a doer. The doer and the deed go together.
Who is the doer? What is the action? What is the fruit of the action? It
is only when these three are properly understood that the secret of creation
can be recognized.
It is easy to criticize the Lord's games (leela), but it is difficult to understand
their inner meaning. Your life should be devoted to understanding
the ways of the Lord.
In this understanding, the first aspect to be recognized is creation of
the cosmos. What is involved in this process should be understood.
For instance, if a giant bridge has to be constructed, a large number
of engineers and other personnel are required. Besides a chief manager,
there will have to be engineers and men working under him. It is
only their combined effort that can build a bridge.
In the same manner, for the creation, protection and mergence of the
cosmos, three principal agencies are required. The principal authority
responsible for creation is known as Brahma. He is in charge of all that
44

is related to creation. Next comes protection. What has been created
has to be fostered and protected. The authority responsible for this
function is called Vishnu. After growth inevitably there comes the stage
of dissolution. There is an authority responsible for laying down the
rules for dissolution and enforcing those regulations. This authority is
called Shiva. Thus there are three authorities who share functionally
the responsibility for creation, protection and dissolution. There must
be someone who presides over these three functionaries, like the
Prime Minister in a cabinet. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are presiding
deities for three different functions. There is a supreme authority presiding
over these three. (...)
Members of different faiths have given different names to this authority.
The term that is most widely used in this context today is God or
Bhagavan. Bhagavan refers to the one who governs all the three functions
of creation, protection and dissolution.
In the word GOD, you have three letters: G,O,D. “G” refers to generation
(or creation). “O” refers to organization (that is, keeping creation
going). “D” stands for destruction. GOD combines the three aspects of
generation, organization and destruction. When people refer to God,
they regard Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva as each a God. God is the one
who wields authority over all the three. This Divine entity pervades the
entire universe in the form of atoms. (...)
Hence, the Divine is called Atman. This Atman pervades everything
and is present everywhere. This all-pervading Atman is the Eternal
Witness. This role may be illustrated by a simple example: The sun is
totally unaffected by either the good or bad actions that are being done
by different persons. Each is accountable for his actions. But the sun
shines as a witness to all that is happening. Without the sun none of
these actions is possible. The sun is thus the agency that enables the
actions to be done but he is not the dispenser of the fruits of those actions.
He is only a witness. The doers have to reap the consequences
of their actions. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are responsible for enabling
the actions to be done, for furthering their fruition and for determining
how the fruits should be enjoyed. These three deities have to
be propitiated for favours in these respects. That is what has been
done on Shivaratri night.
How are they to be propitiated? The methods are indicated in the nine
forms of devotion: hearing, singing, remembering the name, prostration,
worship of images, worship of the foot, service, friendship, total
surrender.
45

Today you have to acquire the favours of these deities. With their
friendship you can face any troubles just as, if you have friendship of
a person in power, you can overcome troubles in life. These deities will
help to alleviate the consequences of your actions if they are properly
propitiated. For this purpose, the chanting of the Divine name is essential.
Equally meditation and penance are necessary. All forms of
worship are designed to please the deities. These deities lay down
regulations for observances by the world in respect of their specific
functions. These regulations are like the traffic rules and guideposts
and the road signs that indicate to people using the roads how they
should behave.
For instance, there is Brahma. As creator he lays down the laws relating
to actions and how the consequences of these actions affect people
in their lives from birth to death. In addition, he also effects changes
in the administration of these rules. On the basis of this function, the
Brahma-principle is operative everywhere. The very term “Brahma”
means “pervading”. The pervasiveness of the Brahma-principle is cosmic.
Vishnu also means that which is all-pervading. The Vishnu-principle
permeates everything. Wherever the creation principle of Brahma is
present, there the sustaining principle of Vishnu is also present. Where
there is protection there is also punishment. This means where Vishnu
is present, Shiva is also present.
Where is the Supreme Divinity? It is omnipresent. But not recognizing
this truth, people pray to God in various ways. These prayers are not
to God. They are prayers addressed to the guardian deities of the
Lord. These guardian deities examine the merits of each case and
make their recommendations to God.
Hence, God is a permanent witness. He has no attributes. He has no
specific form. He can assume any form. The attributeless Divine has
attributes also. (...) The Divine is in forms and is formless. (...)
The results of these actions are given a concrete form and the fruits
are made available to each according to his deserts. The Divine cannot
offer what is not there. He will not take away what is one's due. He
lets the respective deities carry out their functions according to the
rules. Hence he is called the “Embodiment of righteousness”. The Lord
will not interfere in the functions of the different deities. He lets Brahma,
Vishnu and Shiva carry out their respective functions according to
the cosmic laws. As he remains a witness, he is described as the “Embodiment
of righteousness and truth.'
46

Today everyone interferes with every other's function. This causes the
break down of the natural order. This is described as the reign of unrighteousness
and untruth. (...)
The Divine is verily the form of righteousness. (...) Even if you are unable
to worship the form of the Divine as righteousness and truth, adhere
to righteousness and follow truth.
The cosmos is governed by the three principal deities. I am letting you
into a secret. So far as creation is concerned, propitiate Brahma and
establish links with the deity. As regards protection, establish links with
Vishnu (by propitiating him). With regard to destruction, establish association
with Shiva. However if your heart is totally pure, you can establish
direct connection with God. You need not approach the lesser
deities. For this, there is a way. That is the way of total surrender.
Through surrender you can establish a direct link with God, heart to
heart.
All the bhajans and chantings that are done now are related to the lesser
deities. The Divine mystery is incredibly marvellous. It is not easy
for ordinary mortals to comprehend these mysteries. People ask questions
from time to time about Swami's actions. “Why is he causing this
trouble? Why is he acting in this manner?” (...)
It should be recognized that the ways of God are governed by cosmic
laws. Even the Divine cannot act against these laws.
Men today violate the code of moral behavior. But the Divine cannot
act against his own moral code. So, on different occasions, God waits
for the appropriate time to enforce the code. On that account, you cannot
say God is powerless or incompetent. God is omnipotent, but that
does not mean he can act arbitrarily. He acts according to the cosmic
code.
God is not like a lecturer who teaches a lesson and leaves the classroom.
God is like a physical director who teaches by his own example.
That is why I say: “My life is my message.” God teaches by demonstration.
Today some people carry on propaganda to cast aspersions on the actions
of the Divine by misrepresentation and misinterpretation. They
declare: “God punishes you, God persecutes you.” This is totally misconceived.
It is not God's business to punish you or harass you. The
punishment and the persecution are consequences of your actions.
God is the giver of the fruits of your actions. He is like a postman who
delivers letters in different homes. In one house the letter brings grief.
In another the letter causes joy. Is the postman responsible for joy in
47

one home or the grief in another? It is the message contained in the
letters that is responsible for the different reactions.
In the same manner, the Lord is an impartial witness. He, merely
hands over the fruits of each one's actions according to their deserts.
In case the consequence is unpleasant God may interfere to get the
pain reduced by proper propitiation. That authority he has. The three
presiding deities over creation, protection and dissolution are the trinity
- Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. But there is a fourth, the Overlord, who
is above these three. He is God. He can overrule the trinity. How? By
mitigating the magnitude of the consequences of action (karma). He
can counteract any kind of situation. That is the Divine prerogative of
God. He can create anything, protect anything. He creates and brings
about its dissolution.
Therefore, God should be regarded as having control over generation,
organization and destruction. To realize God, you have to surrender
yourself completely. When the surrender is total, a direct link with God
is established. Without such surrender propitiating the lesser deities is
a waste of time.
When one surrenders, according to the circumstances, the devotee
becomes subject to some doubts and mental agitations. (...)
Be away from places where evil qualities are rampant. The vibrations
from a place affect persons who frequent them.
Here you have Divine vibration. Elsewhere you have demonic vibrations.
Recognize the difference between these two kinds of vibrations.
Realize that association with good people ultimately leads to God-realization.
You must understand that God's grace is related to your
good actions. When your conduct is good, God's grace comes direct
to you.
People ask: “Where is God?” But, even without knowing it, a so-called
unbeliever believes in God. (...)
Thus, even without being conscious of it, all have some faith in God.
The reason is that God is in everyone. That Divinity manifests itself
without one's knowledge. Faith in God is natural to man. Doubts about
God are artificial exercises of the mind.
Spirituality calls for the removal of the animal qualities in man and the
development of his Divine qualities. This is the duty of all spiritual aspirants.
(...) You must learn to respect the Divine in everyone, while
carrying on your duties.
The path of direct realization of the Divine consists in total surrender
to the Divine. (...)
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To recognize Divinity there is no need to master the scriptures, or
study the Upanishaths. A single visible experience is enough.
The nature of Divinity cannot be described or defined. It is beyond description.
What is needed is development of faith in the Divine, through
weal and woe. In the pursuit of the Divine, perseverance is essential.
The quest should not be given up in any circumstances. Either God
should bless you or you should forget yourself in thinking of him. People
today lack such determination and perseverance. Part-time devotion
can only receive part-time grace.
Adore God with firm determination. The right time for starting on this
quest is when you are young as students. Remain unflinching in your
faith.
You did bhajans all thorough the night. But that is not enough. Contemplation
of God should be kept up always at all places. Whatever
work you do, dedicate it to God. Divinise every word and action.
(28.2.95)
The Sanskrit stanza which hails the guru as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva
and as Brahman is misinterpreted. The right approach is to consider
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva as the guru. These three are symbolized
by the three natural modes or qualities (guna): Brahma is activity (rajas),
Vishnu is purity (sattva) and Shiva is lethargy (tamas). The whole
cosmos is constituted by the three modes. The three modes are
present in man. The Trinity is present in the form of the three modes
or qualities in every human heart.
Hence, you are your own guru. You need not seek him elsewhere. The
so-called gurus of today seek to impart some mantras and receive offerings
as “gurudhakshina” on Guru Purnima day. The mantra is whispered
in the ear and the palm is stretched for an offering. This is what
happens today. It is not the proper sign of a guru.
You are a guru unto yourself. All potencies are within you. This is indicated
by the Gayatri mantra. (30.7.96)
In this human body, constituted of the five elements, God dwells in the
form of the three gunas. Indians adore the Trinity - Brahma, Vishnu,
Shiva. The Trinity are not embodied beings. No one has ever seen
them. Nor is it possible to experience them in any way. The trinity dwell
in the human body as the three qualities: purity, activity and lethargy.
The three qualities are forms of the Divine. Brahma is responsible for
creation. The process of creation is subtle and cannot be perceived by
49

any of the senses. This transcendental process is taught by the mother.
All are creations of the mother. Hence, the Upanishad declares:
“Revere mother as God.” The mother is to be adored as Brahma, the
creator. Revere the mother, serve the mother and trust the mother.
This symbolizes worship of God.
Next comes the father. He protects the child, takes care of his upbringing
and leads him to God. This protective function is attributed to Vishnu.
The father symbolizes Vishnu as the protector. Hence the injunction:
“Revere the father as God.” Thus the mother and the father are
images of Brahma and Vishnu.
Then there is Shiva. He gives whatever one prays for. He never says
no to any suppliant. Such an embodiment of truth cannot be understood.
(23.11.95)
50

II. OM - GOD, INCARNATED AS SOUND

OM
When we say: “One without a second”, so also is OM. This one sound
OM is telling us that it is identical with Brahman. The sound of OM, the
“pranava” represents the entire content of the Brahman. This sound
OM is a combination of three syllables: A, U and M. The isolated sound
A cannot be the OM, the isolated sound U cannot be the OM. Similarly,
the isolated sound M cannot be the OM. A is something which is connected
with the awareness. The next sound U is a subtle one. This has
some inner significance. One will have to say that this is not only subtle
but has some relationship with the dream-state. Now the sound M is
causal. It is connected with the cause and effect and is related in some
way with deep sleep. (...)
If you are desirous of getting to know what is behind this OM, you will
have to make an attempt to (...) combine the three states, the waking
state, the dream state and the deep sleep state if you combine the
gross aspect, the subtle aspect and the causal aspect of the body into
one, you have a chance of getting a glimpse of the Divine soul. 1972,
(34-85/86)
One common basis for all the three aspects is the sound OM. This
sound has been recognized by the Sruti as identical with AUM, the
only letter that is significant. From time to time, our people have been
making enquiries into who can utter this sacred sound and who cannot.
But our Vedas have made no such distinction. Since this sound of
OM has been recognized as universal and is the life in all the Vedas,
it has been accepted that any one can utter it at all times. Without the
sound of sacred OM, the Vedas will become lifeless. Any individual, if
he utters this sacred sound OM towards the end of his life, will become
one with God. The Bhagavadgita has declared that this sound
OM is sacred to everyone and forms the basis of all creation. 1974,
(36-243)
Just as OM is the verbal symbol of God, the linga is the symbolic form
of the Godhead. It is just a form. Everything is delusion and to grasp
it, you must deal with illusion. Otherwise you cannot realize the deluding
power. God is as immanent in the universe. (...)
God is in every part of the world. I prefer the description “inner ruler of
all” to the description, inmost soul of all beings. All are in this hall, each
one has no hall in him, is it not? In the same way, all are in him; which
53

is better than saying, he is in all. It is a illusion (maya) which binds and
limits man; all spiritual discipline is to conquer maya. 7.2.59, (15-115)
The OM is the everpresent voice within, the echo of the Divine call,
from the cavity of the heart. Listen to it, be thrilled by it; that is the inner
adoration, of which the external ritual worship is the outer symbol.
Contemplate the OM, the symbol of the inner flame, which shines
through the waking hours, the dream twilight and the sleep night.
Repeat the OM slowly, contemplating its vast potentialities. The A
emerges from the throat, U rolls over the tongue and the M ends on
lips; that is to say, OM which is a composite of A, U, M is the sum and
substance of all the words that can emanate from the human tongue.
It is the primordial fundamental sound, symbolic of the Universal Absolute.
After the M there must be the unheard resonance, which represents
the attributeless, formless Abstract. The ascending voice of
the OM must take a curve at M and descend as slowly as it rose, taking
as much time as when it ascended disappearing in the silence, which
echoes in the inner consciousness. (27-136)
When one dives into the depth of the silence, one hears oneself, the
primeval cosmic, OM, the “pranava” that emanates from prana, the vital
vibration that fills the universe. To hear that sound, one has to approach,
as near as possible, the core of one’s being. (27-142)
Brahman also means sound, voice, word, mantra (sacred formula),
and, through the sound OM, as well as through various other mantras,
it is possible for man to develop the superfine intellect necessary to
grasp the immanent and transcendent principle called Brahman. Brahman
means the biggest, the vastest. It is described as bigger than the
biggest, vaster than the vastest. The universe is the body of Brahman
that emerged from it when the desire to become many arose in it. The
universe rose when Brahman uttered the first word, and so, the word
is also called Brahman. 1974, (23-98)
The symbol of the full is OM. The Vedas announce: “The one indestructible
sound OM is Brahman, the Universal Absolute.” The moving
and unmoving, everywhere are only paraphrasing OM, elaborating its
nature, illustrating its potentialities. The past that has gone, the
present that is here and the approaching future are all also OM. The
OM is the name, and Brahman is the named. The two are not separate.
All this is indeed Brahman. (...)
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The Vedas prescribe the repetition of the OM while studying holy texts,
reciting the name of the Divine, carrying out daily duties and offering
gifts. (...)
The OM is the essence of all sustenance, the embodiment of rasa. (...)
The eight rasas, earth, water, physique, being, language, spirit, intuition
and OM lead to the ninth, bliss. These are the nine essences, the
nine sustainers. Bliss is the goal which man is seeking, the aim of human
life. 5.4.81, (25-84/87)
55

Meditation on OM (pranava).
1. The best spiritual teaching is the sacred syllable OM which summarizes
many principles of theology, philosophy and mysticism.
(...)
OM is the primal sound inherent in the life-breath. Every time you
breathe, you say so'ham; 'so' when you inhale and 'ham' when you
exhale, meaning. “He-I” instilling into yourselves the conviction
that he who is all this external world is I who is all this internal
world, the conviction of unity, during deep sleep, when the senses,
the brain and the mind are dormant and functionalised, the “He”
and the “I” are not cognized as separate; the so (He) and the ham
(I) both fade and the sound so'ham is transformed into OM, indicating
the merger of the external with the internal into one truth. OM
has also many other significances and the meditation on the OM
is a valuable, for the seeker of reality. It is like the seven colours of
the sun's ray merging into one colourless (white) brilliance.
2. Aspirants would be benefited more if they repeat the sacred formula
(mantra) with the OM added in the beginning. When they
have proceeded some distance thus, they can give up even the
words and concentrate on the form depicted through the sound
and transform the mantra into the Godhead himself. That is why
the Sruthi says: “Brahman is silence, absence of sound”.
3. Constant repetition of OM and intense meditation on its meaning
are recommended for aspirants who seek cognition of the indwelling
Divine. Peace means peace and peace is invoked thrice, in
order to allay the three sources of sorrow; operating through the
individual organism, the deities and the cosmic intelligence.
4. OM is the bow; the Atman is the arrow; Brahman is the target. So
the aspirant must, like the practitioner of the art of archery, be unaffected
by things that agitate the mind. He should pay one-pointed
attention to the target; then the bowman is filled with the target;
he becomes the thing meditated on. In the Sruthis the OM is extolled
in various ways. Therefore this mantra which liberates man
can be recited and meditated upon by all, you need have no
doubts on this point.
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5. Krishna said: “Whatever else a man may not meet during life, he
is certain to meet with death. So each one must be trained to have
at that time the attitude and thought that are most beneficial to
him. Otherwise, life is a failure, a waste. A person unready for this
consummation has to suffer the fate that will befall him. No one
enters a battlefield in order to suffer defeat. So too, no one voluntarily
accepts a fall; he seeks only progress. Will it not be wise,
therefore, to strive for the end that is in your own best interest?
Hence, every man must take earnest steps to secure the thought
of the seventh item, OM, at the last moment of life. Whoever dies
in that thought attains me”.
Repeat the OM at the last moment; that is the reason why constant
remembrance of the Lord is said to have the power of inducing
the Lord to bear the burden of your happiness here and
hereafter. Of course, this too has to be practiced long. Spiritual discipline
gains everything.
6. In the human body there are six nerve centres, all in the form of
the lotus-flower. All the six lotus-forms have letters or sounds attached
to each petal. Like the reeds in the harmonium, when the petals
are moved, each one poduce a distinct sound. Those who follow
this statement intelligently may get a doubt; if the petals are
said to move, who or what is moving them? Yes, the force that moves
them is the OM, the primeval sound, the undistinguished indistinguishable
sound, emanating without effort, irrespective of
conscious will that is the OM. As beads in the string, all letters and
the sounds they represent are strung on the OM. (...)
The mind has an innate tendency to merge in whatever it contacts;
it craves for this. So it is ever agitated and restless. But by constant
practice and training, it can be directed towards the OM and
taught to merge with it. It Is also naturally drawn towards sound.
(...)
Living is struggling, striving, achieving. God has created man so
that he might wield the talent of man and achieve victory. (...)
7. Mantra and recitation are essential for all types of man. What is a
mantra? (...)
Mantra means that which can save you if you meditate on it. Man-
57

tra will save you from being caught up in the coils of this worldly
life which is infested with death, grief and pain. Of all mantras, the
OM is the highest and the best. It is the very head and crown of all
of them.
8. March bravely on. Try to fill every moment with thoughts of God, in
some form or other. Repeat so'ham with every breath: “So” when
you take in and “ham” when you exhale. (...)
Those sounds will be reduced to O and M, that is to say, it will be
OM. Repeat that sound afterwards with every breath and that will
save you, from bondage to birth and death. (...)
This so’ham-recitation is a good means of restraining the mind
from running away with you. Let the mind be ever attached to the
Lord; then, it will not flee, as it fancies, towards all directions. That
is the meaning of the exhortation of Krishna: “Giving up all other
activities, surrender fully to me”. Place the mind completely at his
service. Then, he will save you from failing.
9. Bharata (Indian) is the land where everyone has attachment to
God; but today, people are in fact losing that taste and that attachment.
You may tell me: “We are so busy, we have no time to spare”.
Well, I cannot believe it is true. I know that you are finding time
in spite of the hard work throughout the day, to attend cinemas, to
engage in wayside chats, to promote and partake in factions, in
quarrels and for many other distractions which add to the sum of
your worries. It is best if you stay away from companions who drag
you to such distractions that weaken and worry you; spend a few
minutes every morning and evening in the silence of your own
shrine or home, spend them with the highest of all the powers that
you know of. Be in his elevating and inspiring company; worship
him mentally; offer unto him all the work you do; you will come out
of the silence nobler and more heroic than when you went in.
Just consider - do you come out of the cinema theatre more peaceful,
more heroic, purer, nobler than when you went in? No; your
passions are aroused, your animal impulses are catered for, your
lower nature is fed. Nothing else can give you that rich reward,
which silence and prayer and communion with the master can give.
Not even a decent bank account, nor a string of degrees, nor
the muscle of a prize fighter.
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10. There are many who argue that the OM can be repeated only by a
few and that others are not entitled to it. This is wrong. This false
conclusion has been arrived at since they do not know the truth. It
springs from a mistaken belief.
The Bhagavadgita does not mention this group or that group. Krishna
declares “whoever” without any qualifying words limiting it to
one class or sex. He has not even said, “who deserves or who
does not deserve”. “Who is authorized or who is unauthorized”. He
has only said that for meditation on the OM, some preliminary disciplines
have to be gone through, like the control of the senses,
the concentration of the mind, etc.
For, when the mind is flitting from one fancy to another how can
the production of a sound OM, OM by the vocal organs be of any
benefit? The sound will not help the attainment of liberation. The
senses have to be curbed, thoughts have to be one-pointed, the
glory has to be apprehended. That is why the Lord advised that
from birth to death one must be engaged in the rich for truth. Instead,
if you postpone spiritual discipline, until the last moment,
you will be like the student who turns over the pages of his textbook
for the first time, just before be enters the examination hall!
(...)
No tree will yield fruits the moment you plant the seedling in your
backyard. To reach that stage, you have to follow carefully without
break, the preparatory disciplines. No one can acquire the fruit without
vigilance and steadfastness.
Aspirants must be always aware of this. The yearning must be directed
away from “how to be born” towards “how to die”! For birth
depends on how death takes place. Death comes first, birth happens
later. Folks believe that men are born to die and they die so
that they may be born. This is wrong. You are born so that you
may not be born again. That is to say, the man who dies must so
die that he is not born again. When once you die, you should not
be born again to meet another death. Death is inevitable if you are
born; so, avoid birth and avoid death.
11. Every little moment or incident results in sound; only, you may not
be able to hear, because the range of your ear is limited. The falling
of an eyelid over the eye makes a sound, the dropping of dew
on a petal makes a sound. Any little agitation disturbing the calm
59

is bound to produce sound. The sound caused by the primal movement
that resulted in the enveloping of Brahman by self-evolved
maya is the OM. The Gayatri is the elaboration of that OM and so,
it is now held so venerable and valuable that initiation into spiritual
life is achieved by its contemplation. (...)
In the case of the Gayatri, the meaning too is easy and profound.
It does not ask for mercy or pardon; it asks for a clear intellect, so
that the truth may be reflected therein, correctly, without any disfigurement.
(...)
What are the requisites for spiritual discipline? First, faith - that
can stand the ridicule of the ignorant, the cavilling by the worldly,
the laughter of the low-minded. (...)
Second: Do not worry about ups and downs, loss or gain, or grief.
You are yourself the market of the ups and downs. If you but care,
it can all be one smooth level. You label something as loss and something
as gain. You crave for a thing and when you get it, you
call it joy; when you don't, you call it grief. Cut the craving off, and
there will be no more swinging from joy to grief. Third: Reason out
and get convinced of the truth: All is Brahman. (27-83/91)
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III. INCARNATION OF GOD - AVATARS

Avatars
Krishna said: “When the sun is seen in a mirror, he does not lose either
his status or his glory. He is unaffected, his glory is undiminished. So
also I am reflected in nature; and that does not diminish any of my glory
or status. (...)
I am birthless, immortal. Humans are born as a result of the merit and
demerit of previous births. Perhaps you think that this holds true for
Avatars also, No. You are born of ignorance; mine is a Divine game
(leelajanma). Prayers of the good are the cause of my coming. The
misdeeds of the wicked are also the cause!” (2-63/64)
The Avatar have no merit or demerit accumulated in former births,
which like ordinary mortals they have to pay off in this birth. (...)
As a result of the coming of the Lord, the good will be happy and the
bad will suffer. The Avatar, however, has no joy or grief, even when it
is enveloped in the body it has assumed. The Avatar is not constituted
of the five elements; it is spiritual not material; it can never be disturbed
by egoism or the sense of “mine” and “thine”; it is untouched by the delusion
born of ignorance. Though men may mistake an Avatar as just
human, that does not affect the nature of the embodiment; it has come
for a task and it is bound to accomplish it. (2-65)
There are gurus with far higher stature and far deeper capabilities than
these learned and cultural masters. They are the Avatars, the human
incarnations of God. They confer, by mere willing, the blessing of spiritual
strength. They command and by the very force of that command,
the lowest of the low rises to the status of one who has attained. Such
persons are the gurus of all gurus. They are the highest manifestations
of God in the human form.
Man can visualize God in no other form except the human. God appears
in human form in answer to human prayer, since man can experience
only that vision as real. When he tries to picture God and visualize
God in any other form, he has to contemplate some crooked
ugly form and make great effort to believe that form which is lower than
the real one as he. (...)
So long as you are humans, you will be unable to picture, through imagination,
any form of God beyond the human. So, one has to wait for
the chance of perceiving the reality of the person by oneself reaching
a stage above and beyond the human level.
63

The petty investigation done by ordinary reason, not fed by wisdom,
can help on to perceive only nothingness. When such persons deliver
lectures condemning Avatars, and you happen to be present and listening,
ask the speaker, “Venerable sir! Have you understood the
meaning of the words omnilocation, omnipotence and omnipresence?”
Man is confined to the objective nature which he contacts
through his senses. So he is helpless in understanding these ideas.
The speaker does not know about these concepts, any more than the
common unlettered man. Though they are ignorant of these vast horizons
of thought, speakers of this type create confusion and distress
through their teachings.
Spiritual education is, in reality, experience of the truth, awareness of
the truth. Pleasing oratory should not be mistaken as experiencing the
truth. That experience comes about only in the innermost tabernacle
of the self.
As at present created, man is by nature encased and so he can see
God only as man. There is no escape. (...) So too, man imagines the
Divine principle as a cosmic man with human limbs and human qualities.
(7-27/29)
When you think of service, you seem to think of work which is a lowly
kind of work, usually done by a servant. This kind of association of ideas,
where service is thought of as something lowly, is not correct. In
the context of service, you should realize that God himself does a lot
of service to the world in many ways. You are familiar with the concept
of an Avatar when God takes birth in human form to reestablish righteousness
in its high place thus doing service to the world. 1973, (35-
77/78)
It is only when God comes amidst men as an Avatar, that he will be
close to man, and will be able to set an example to human beings. Only
then, he will be able to correct the ways of human beings. The real connection
that should exist between man and man is always demonstrated
by an Avatar. Because God comes as an Avatar in human form,
man is able to see and experience some ideal examples, in real life situations.
It is natural in that context that God takes human form and creates
situations where man learns the virtue of adherence to spiritual
law. 1977, (37-5)
Every act of on Avatar has to be taken into consideration in the context
of the situation and the time and the happenings at the time in which
the Avatar lives. (...)
64

Man is steeped in illusion in this manner and he cannot free himself
from illusion. He forgets his origin and he does not understand Brahman.
However, if this situation does not exist, there is no reason why
an Avatar has to come. What exists as a reality is only one, but what
you see is manifold. This one thing appears to you as if it is many. (...)
You have put the thick cover of worldly desires on you. If the desires
of the human body should be broken, then you will have the vision of
the Atman. (...) Atman is the embodiment of bliss. You can only experience
the embodiment of bliss and it is not possible to exhibit it in any
other manner. 1977, (37-62/63)
God will also bend himself to help his devotees. For the sake of happiness
to devotees, God will be prepared to undertake any kind of trouble.
Even if you blame God, he does not feel so unhappy as when his
devotees are blamed. God is above natural qualities; he is not affected
by natural modes or quality. So he does not attach importance to blemish.
God is omnipresent. Because he assumes some form, you believe
that God is of a particular form. That God is omnipresent is the truth.
(...)
God has no attributes at all and, therefore, is able to be present everywhere.
If space which has only one quality, namely sound, is present
everywhere, then God, who has no quality or no attribute at all, can be
present everywhere. One may at this point get a doubt that if God is
omnipresent and is above natural modes, how is it that the natural
qualities are not in him but he is in the natural modes and qualities?
The moment you say that he is everywhere, it follows that he is present
in the natural modes also. He is in the natural modes, but the natural
modes are not in him. How is this possible? For example, the mud is
present in the pot but the pot is not present in the mud. The pot is created.
The pot has a form. The form has been given in an artificial way.
However, if God is in his formless aspect, it is not possible for people
to easily recognize the formless aspect. So, he takes a human form,
and comes to the world. 1977, (37-73/74)
Today, if people are taught that human nature is quite different from
Divine nature, man is simply creating these differences and since he
has not got the discriminating power, he believes them to be different.
Man is God, people are Divine. Some day or other, it is inevitable that
man will become God and God will come as an Avatar and will become
man. In that confluence of man and God is the manifestion of all cre-
65

ation. It is this confluence that has been described to us it three different
ways, namely dualistic philosophy, non-dualistic philosophy and
qualified non-dualistic philosophy. 1977, (37-177)
How can you describe the great good fortune of people that are born
in India? God in human form is being born in this country again and
again and he is teaching Divinity and the Divine aspects to the people
who live in this country. He has been treating them like his friends and
relations. Do you not feel this truth around you? 1977, (37-223)
The citizens of India are worshipping Avatars like Rama, Krishna in the
faith that God is born in human form in this world when such an Avatar
appears. They have not understood that Rama, Krishna and Avatars
like that are only ideal examples of human individuals. Such Divine
people who are born in the community constitute ideal examples of human
beings and the moment you learn to practice what they demonstrate,
you should have learnt and understood them. A weak person
who is not in a position to understand even human nature and human
aspects, how is he going to understand the aspects of Divine nature?
It is only when you can understand Rama, Krishna, etc., as ideal human
examples, can you elevate them to the position of Divine Avatars.
Today, you are worshipping such Avatars in the form of idols and photographs
both you are not following the ideals they gave you. As you
have learnt to accept that the Avatar and the Godhead are identical,
so also you should accept that the ideals they have set for you should
be practiced. Unfortunately, today you are addressing an Avatar as
God. You keep on repeating the word “God” and you worship him, but
you do not accept his commands and his statements. You simply keep
them aside. That kind of worship, which is not accompanied by practice,
should be regarded as mere exhibitionism and not devotion.
1977, (37-241)
Avatars seldom give advice directly. Whatever they wish to communicate,
they convey more often by way of indirect suggestions and only
rarely by the direct method of instruction. The reason for this is there
is Divinity inherent spontaneously if favourable conditions are provided;
as a viable seed will germinate and grow into a tree, if suitable facilities
are provided for the manifestation of its potentiality. Man should
be enabled to correct himself by his own efforts, not by merely being,
given timely suggestions, rather than by stultifying his freedom and
66

dignity through directions imposed from without. In short, the best
maxim for helping people either in worldly or spiritual matters is: “Help
them to help themselves” or “Self-help is the best help”. 1990, (40-95/
96)
The Avatar comes when there is yet a remnant of good men, yet a
trace of spiritual law; for what is the use of a doctor when the patient
has collapsed? When a large number of good men are afflicted with
the fear for the survival of goodness, then the Lord incarnates to feed
their drooping spirits and revive faith and courage. 14.1.62, (16-142)
The Avatar of Krishna was a full incarnation, with all the sixteen facets
of glory. In the Avatar of Rama, out of the sixteen, the three brothers
had one each and Parasurama, the contemporary, had one, until
Rama met him and overpowered him and drew within himself the fraction
of the Divine power that he had. Other incarnations were for ad
hoc purposes, the suppression of evil represented by one evil person
or group of persons. The Rama and Krishna Avatars were, however,
for more general purposes, the mission of restoring righteousness and
fostering virtuous living, besides punishing the wicked and teaching
the world that vice will not succeed. Man is an amalgam of humanity,
animality and Divinity. It is a tragedy if he cannot get rid of the animality;
it is a greater tragedy if he cannot cultivate his Divinity. (...)
In this Iron Age (kaliyuga), the wicked have to be reformed and reconstructed,
through love and compassion. That is why this Avatar has
come unarmed. It has come with the message of love. The only weapon
which can transform the vile and the vicious is the name of the Lord
uttered with love. The name is redolent with Divine glory; so when it is
turned over in the mind it transmutes it into an instrument for liberation
from delusion. (...)
Like all Avatars, Krishna announced his advent to the world, bit by bit,
step by step, testing every time how far the reality would be accepted
by the masses. The signs and miracles were intended, then as now,
to proclaim the Avatar. (...)
All Avatars teach, as the first step in the long road of spiritual discipline,
the giving up of attachment. (...)
In each Age, you have the Avatar of the Lord come to redeem, revive
and rebuild. At the present time, the great Divine power, who nourished
and protected this world (mahasakthi), the power of illusion, the
spirit who enchanted (mayashakti) and the spiritual power (yogashak-
67

ti) has come, all together, in one human form; your endeavour should
be to draw near and earn grace therefrom. 28.7.67, (20-70/74)
The incarnations of God have always fulfilled their tasks. Spiritual law
has always been restored, in full. What they re-established on firm
foundations is truth. For, as the Vedas announce, there is no spiritual
discipline higher than truth. Truth gets hidden, appears distorted, is declared
as failing; so, the Avatar asserts its validity and value, once
again. God wears truth; the good seek truth; the bad are rescued by
truth. Truth liberates; truth is power; truth is freedom. It is the lamp that
illumines the heart and dispels doubt and darkness. The effulgence of
God is truth. Welcome God in your heart. Instal him there as a result
of yearning. Be always concerned with Brahman; then, you are entitled
to be known as a Brahmin; if you are concerned with the skin and all
that it contains, that entitles you only to be known as a “chandala”, who
works an leather and skin! 29.7.69, (21-79)
Are all who live in the body and move about with the body attached to
it and to the senses etc., that go along with it. For, God too comes with
a body, as Avatar, and when he moves about, he seems to be only human
as far as one can see. But, there is a fundamental inner difference.
The incarnate God, the Avatar, in unconcerned. (...)
The ego principle is human; Brahman principle is Divine. You cannot
discern the distinction when you look or even listen to. You can understand
only by experience. The Avatar has no wants; It has no egoism.
It is ever alone in the Brahman state.
The Avatar appears as any other human being, equipped with body,
senses, mind etc. But, consider the vast difference in thoughts, feelings,
emotions etc. The Avatar is the total, the All-Comprehensive. The
human is nought, narrow, negative. But, in the human, the Divine exists
as the core and can manifest as bliss. You pay all attention to the
external trappings of knowledge; you do not transform the deeper instincts
and impulses inherited from animal ancestors.
This is the reason why God assumes the Avatar form and decides to
award mankind the power to discriminate between right and wrong,
between truth and falsehood. The Avatar does it through precept and
example. The scriptures teach life is unfortunately short. So, the
Bhagavadgita advises man to appreciate three facts:
1. To be born as a human being is a precious opportunity;
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2. To yearn to realize God is another precious piece of good luck;
3. The greatest good fortune is the chance to be in the presence
of God, to be immersed in the service of God, to be engaged in
fulfilling Divine commands. 12.8.82, (25-267/269)
Everyone should realize that he is the embodiment of the Divine. You
may talk about the Avatars of Rama and Krishna. But your present
Avatar is no less significant. All those Avatars came to tell mankind
that all human beings are Avatars (incarnations of the Divine). Having
taken birth as human beings men should conduct themselves as embodiments
of the Divine (as beings in whom the Divine spirit resides).
Recognizing your spiritual reality you should live always in the Atman.
Man who should progress upwards from day to day is going down the
slope. This is not right learning. Every day you should make the ascent
towards the Divine. “I am God. God is not different from me.” This is
the conviction with men should live. (28.3.96)
Embodiments of love! This vast cosmos, consisting of moving and unmoving
objects, is permeated with truth. All names and forms are
founded on righteousness (dharma). Dharma is the form of God. The
Atman (spirit) which is present in the subtlest of the subtle and vastest
of the vast as a witness, is verily the Brahman (all-pervading consciousness).
All the objects in the universe are made up of atoms. The atom is the
embodiment of the Atman. Hence there is no place in the universe
without the Atman or Brahman.
Forgetting the spiritual basis of the universe man gets entangled in
misery through his worldly attachments. (...)
The role of every Avatar is to establish the reign of truth and righteousness,
banish all that is evil, false and unrighteous in the world, and help
to manifest the Divinity in mankind. (...)
Animating principle of Avatars is infinitely wide. It is the quality of great
men to face obstacles and opposition with courage and calmness. It
is not easy to understand the inner urges of great men or the motives
and actions of Avatars. The animating principle of Avatars is infinitely
wide. Compared to it, the capacity of the ordinary man is infinitesimal.
How can the atom comprehend the infinite? Can an ant measure the
depth of the ocean? Impossible. Likewise the nature of Divinity is beyond
human comprehension. Even the great sages could have no full
understanding of the Divine.
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Instead of trying to understand the Divine, it is better to practice what
you have learnt. (15.5.96)
If you wish to lead an ideal human life, you have to fellow the example
of the Avatars (Divine advents). Avatars can come in human form. But
you should not be misled by this phenomenon. Avatars may appear in
human form, but you should not equate yourself with them. In physical
form both may appear alike. But there is a fundamental difference. (...)
God comes in human form because man has strayed away from the
path of righteousness. To reform man and bring him back to the righteousness,
God has to take the human form. Birds, beats and insects
lead lives according to their specific nature. They do not, need Avatars.
Today, only man has given up all righteousness, forgotten his Divine
essence and degraded his humanness. To reform man in this state,
God has to come in human form. The Avatar has to protect the good,
reform the erring and punish the wricked. The role of the Avatar will be
explained in detail in the ensuing discourses. (20.5.96)
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The Divine Embodiment Sathya Sai Baba
When I was at Uravakonda studying in the High School, you know I
came away one day and threw away my books and declared that I
have my work waiting for me. (...)
Well, that day when I came out publicly as Sathya Sai Baba, that first
song I taught the gathering in the garden to which I went from the telugu
pandith's house was:
“Manasa bhajare guru charanam
dhusthara bhava sagara tharanam”
I called on all those suffering in the endless round of birth and death
to worship the foot of the guru (spiritual preceptor), the guru that was
announcing himself, who had come again for taking upon himself the
burden of those who find refuge in him. That was the very first message
of mine to humanity. “Manasa bhajare.” “Worship in the mind!” I
do not need your flower garlands and fruits, things that you get for an
anna or two; they are not genuinely yours. Give me something that is
yours, something which is clean and fragrant with the perfume of virtue
and innocence, and washed in the tears of repentance! Garlands and
fruits you bring as items in the show, as an exhibition of your devotion;
poorer devotees who cannot afford to bring them are humiliated and
they feel sorry that they are helpless; they cannot demonstrate their
devotion in the grand way in which you are doing it. Install the Lord in
your heart and offer him the fruits of your actions and the flowers of
your inner thoughts and feelings. That is the worship I like most, the
devotion I appreciate most. (...)
I have been all these days generally giving individual advice, like the
packets available in shops and giving answers to individual questions.
This “speech” today, is a new experience for you. I am addressing a
gathering today; but even though it may be new to you, for me it is not
new. I have given advice to large gatherings before, though not in this
appearance. Whenever formless becomes one with form, it has to fulfil
the mission and it does so in various ways. But the one purpose, the
re-education of man persists, whatever the Age or the era.
The first sixteen years of this life have been, as I have often told you,
the period when Divine child sport predominated and the next sixteen
being spent mostly in miracles in order to give joy to this generation.
Joy and contentment are short-lived sensations; you have to catch that
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mood and make it a permanent possession: bliss. After the thirty-second
year, you will see me active more and more in the task of spiritual
instruction - teaching erring humanity and directing the world along the
path of truth, righteousness, peace and love. Not that I am determined
to exclude spiritual games (leela) from my activity after that. I only
mean that reestablishing righteousness, correcting the crookedness of
the human mind and guiding humanity back to the eternal universal religion
will be my task thereafter. Do not be led away by doubt and vain
argument; do not question how and whether I can do all this. The cowherds
of Brindavan also doubted whether the little boy who grew in
their midst could lift the mountain Govardhari and hold it aloft! The
thing needed is faith, and yet more faith. (...)
The Lord loves not the devotee but his devotion, remember. The Lords
grace is like rain, pure water, falling equally everywhere; but its taste
gets changed according to the soil through which it flows. So also the
Lords words are sweet to some, bitter to others. The Lords ways are
mysterious. (...)
You do not know the real reasons behind the actions of the Lord. You
cannot understand the motives of other men who are almost like you
in everything, actuated by the same motives and having the same likes
and dislikes! But yet, how easily you discover the motives of one who
is far, far above the level of man! How glibly you talk and judge something
that is as strange to you as atmosphere to a fish! (...)
God draws the individual towards himself; it is the nature of both to
have this affinity, for they are the same. They are like the iron and the
magnet. But if the iron is rusty covered with layers of dirt, the magnet
is unable to attract. Remove the impediment; that is all you have to do.
Shine forth in your real nature and the Lord will draw you into his bosom.
1953, (15-9/14)
I do not give “speeches”; my talks are more of the conversation type;
I want you to follow every word of what I say with reverent attention,
for your joy is my food. (...)
Devotion is the easiest way to win His grace and also to realize that
He pervades everything; in fact, is everything!
Total surrender leaving everything to his will, is the highest form of devotion.
(...)
Devotion and faith are the two oars with which you can take the boat
across the sea. 1955, (15-15)
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Note this also. In this 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 Avatar will not select
some place other than the place where the nativity took place for the
centre of its Divine sport, miracle power and Divine instruction. This
tree shall not be transplanted; it will grow where it first rose from the
earth. Another speciality is this: the Avatar has no affinity or attachment
in His career to members of the family wherein He appeared.
Unlike the appearances as Rama, Krishna, etc., where life was
played out mostly among and for family members, this Avatar is for
devotees, sadhus and noble souls and aspirants only. It has no recitation
of holy name, 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. To a worldly man, a God-intoxicated
person will appear mad and he will laugh at him. But to the
godintoxicated man, the worldly appear insane, foolish misled, blind.
Of all the insanities that harass man, godmadness is the least harmful,
the most beneficial. The world has suffered untold damage due to
its “mad” rulers and “mad” guides; but nothing but harmony, peace,
brotherliness and love have come out of the “Godmadness” of man!
1955, (15-22/23)
This is just the reason why I came to sow the seeds of faith in religion
and in God.
You might have heard some people say that I became Sathya Sai
Baba when a scorpion stung me! Well, I challenge any one of you to
get stung by scorpions and transform yourself into Sai Baba. No, the
scorpion had nothing to do with it! In fact, there was no scorpion at all!
I came in response to the prayers of sages, saints and spiritual aspirants
for the restoration of righteousness. (...)
The sages, savants, saints, yogis and Divine personalities have had
their try, and they will all be cooperating in the task of reestablishing
righteousness and clearing the path for the world attaining absolute
peace. The greatest defect today is the absence of the inquiry into the
nature of the self. That is the root cause of all this restlessness. If you
are eager to know the truth about yourself, then even if you do not believe
in God, you will not go astray. (...)
Do not be under the impression that I will be angry with you if you do
not accept me as the form for meditation! I am not concerned at all; you
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have perfect freedom to select the name and form that give you necessary
encouragement. (...)
First, when you sit for meditation, recite a few hymn on the glory of
God, so that the thoughts that are scattered could be collected. Then
gradually, while doing meditation, draw before the mind's eye the form
which that name represents. When your mind wanders away from the
recftal of the name, take it on to the picture of the form. When it wanders
away from the picture, lead it on to the name. Let it dwell either
on that sweetness or this. Treated thus it can be easily tamed. The imaginary
picture you have drawn will get transmuted into the emotional
picture, dear to the heart and fixed in the memory; gradually it will become
the sahshathara citram - when the Lord assumes that form in order
to fulfil your desire. Use the body as an instrument for spiritual
practice. 23.2.58, (15-32/36)
You will not be wrong! Love is the wealth I have and which I scatter
among the miserable and afflicted. I have no other riches. The grace
of the Lord is always flowing like the electric current through the wire.
22.7.58, (15-64)
And lastly, about myself. No one can understand My mystery. The best
you can do is to get immersed in it. It is no use your arguing about pros
and cons; dive and know the depth; eat and know the taste! Then you
can discuss me to your heart's content. Develop truth and love and
then you need not even pray to me to grant you this and that. Everything
will be added unto you, unasked. Man and God are the two wires,
the positive and the negative, which combine to bring electricity
through. 25.7.58, (15-72)
Nothing can hold me up or agitate me or cast a shadow on me come
in this human form; be certain of that. Not even a hair can be touched
by forces of calumny or distrust or ignorance. My resolve must prevail;
my task must be accomplished. My mission will succeed. I have come
to illumine the human heart with the light Divine and to rid man of the
delusion that drags him away from the path of peace, the perfect equanimity
born of realization. 9.9.58, (15-97)
It has been said that many people from time immemorial have been
wanting to know what God is and what his qualities and attributes if
any, are. What are his special powers and strengths? This is the kind
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of enquiry that has been going on for many millenniums. There are replies
to these questions. Maharshis in ancient days, did do spiritual
practice and get answers to these questions and they realized that the
self effulgent Lord is present within themselves. They realized that
what they seek to know is present within themselves in each individual.
By using one's external vision one can certainly realize this Divinity in
a limited external way and by using ones inner vision, one can realize
him as the very essence of Atman. (...)
This kind of external coating has not been created to prevent you
from realising the inner content of the human body. It is not a coating
which hides the inner human aspects. The individual who realizes or
recognizes that the human body is intended to understand, the inner
aspect is on the right path. You have already learnt the methods by
which you can experience this bliss and happiness. Mere knowledge
of how to acquire this bliss is not going to bring it to you. It is only
when you are able to put such knowledge into practice that you will be
able to enjoy the real bliss. If you want to find some precious stones,
you will have to look for them in the midst of dust and rubble in the
earth, but if you search for the precious stones in the open sky you
are not going to find them. This body is equivalent to dust and in this
body alone can you find the Lord. Man's duty is to make such an attempt
by which he will find the jewel of the Divine aspect in this human
body. If you take a gold vessel and stud the outside with precious
stones and then use it to boil some ordinary liquid, what you do
is similar or the situation in which you find yourselves. The human
body which is containing the Divine jewel is being used to fulfil the
base human desires and thoughts. Will there be a fool who will take a
golden plough, till a fertile land and finally put useless plants in it? Will
there be a fool who will go round the city begging for food when tasty
food is available to him in his own house? In the same manner while
sacred peace and happiness are present in your own heart, is there
any meaning in your going in search of them everywhere else except
inwards into your own heart. It is foolishness to look for God everywhere
except in your own heart. While you regard God as omnipresent,
in practice, you are looking for him everywhere except within your
own heart. (...)
There are very few people who can describe the true attributes of the
Lord. While the Lord is present in everything and is responsible for
everything, it is not possible for anyone to understand the full significance
of the Lord. Everything is God and every aspect of creation is a
facet of God. While stating and saying that God is present everywhere,
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looking for him in some particular place is not correct. There is no
meaning for this. (...)
In fact, those who have really experienced the glory of the Lord will not
undertake to give a description to others. For one who has not overcome
his own weakness, desires and to describe God as like this or
like that is not correct and such a description can be treated only as a
hollow description. (...)
The ocean is very big and broad and infinite and from this ocean an
individual can bring water according to the size of the pot which he carries
and no more. (...)
How can the unlimited aspect of God be brought into a narrow space
which has been set for certain specific limitations? The devotees of
Vishnu proclaim that their understanding is the greatest of all. The devotees
of Shiva proclaim that the aspect of Shiva is the greatest aspect.
The devotees of Ganapati say that Ganapati is the greatest of all deities.
The devotees of Sarada say that she represents the best aspect
of God. The devotees of Allah proclaim that He is the greatest. - Some
others say that all are the same. How can anyone say who is the greatest?
And what is the true picture? (...)
The universal religion is really the consensus of all these differing aspects
of different people. It is the common harmonized content of all
different religions of the universe. In all these components, the same
kind of healthy blood must flow. It is true to say that love is the blood
that is flowing through all the religions of the world. There is essentially
only one religion and that is the religion of love. This love flows as a
stream through all the religions and this is the essence of all the religions.
Without recognizing this essential stream of love that is contained
in all the religions and by paying attention to only the external
form and ritual, people have been quarrelling with each other about the
status of each religion. Those who have for their aim only the external
form cannot draw true conclusions. In the same manner, with regard
to Sai as well, some people draw conclusions based only on the external
appearances and they try thus to understand the nature of Sai.
They are not making any attempt to recognize the basic truth, the unchanging
permanent qualities of truth that are in Sathya Sai Baba. All
powers are under the control of Sai. Unfortunately many educated
people who call themselves yogis, mahayogis, pandits and people
who have all kinds of qualifications talk only of the miracles that I perform.
They do not make an apparent attempt to recognize the strength
and the true nature of the Sai that they see. Today many people who
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are educated and who are proud of the kind of education they posses
come here and not realising the truth that is present here, they talk of
their knowledge of upanishads, Vedas and Shastras. They do not realize
that the very basis of all that they talk about is present here in
Brindavan. They do not make an attempt to realize this truth. Many of
these people attach great at importance to their own teaching and
knowledge and they are anxious to exhibit their knowledge. Such people
do not realize that they are going to a place which is the very basis
of knowledge and that they should try and get the blessing to see God
(darshan) of this basis rather than make an exhibition of their own
knowledge. When one looks at people with such an attitude it becomes
clear that they do not have any experience of true Divinity, and that
what they have acquired is only acquaintance with several books.
They do not have any wisdom or knowledge of things which matter. It
is not possible for anyone to recognize the true aspect of God. From
ancient time to the present times, although God appeared right amidst
the people, it was not possible for them to realize and appreciate the
true aspects of God. The reason for this is that they are unfortunate.
There is no limitation to my power. There is no reason to limit or confine
my power and my grace to any one place. Infinite powers and infinite
grace are present in my hands. To state these things with regard to
myself becomes necessary sometimes. It is no use telling people who
refuse to know. For people who know, there is no need to tell them. But
for people who know and yet do not know, it becomes necessary to
present what I call my visiting card. Therefore, if today I have undertaken
to tell you about myself, it is with a view to present you with my
visiting card and not for any other purpose which you may have in your
mind. In the whole of our spiritual history, you find that only Krishna
had proclaimed his own Divinity in this manner. Even in the Avatar of
Krishna, there was some superficial set back and there were some difficulties
at certain times. But this is nothing unusual. It is only a put up
appearance and it is part and parcel of the Divine aspect. Such set
backs are put up to make it known to people that an attempt has been
made and that such an attempt was fruitless. (...)
Depending on the nature of the country, upon the people and upon the
environment it becomes necessary for God to enact such situations
and pretend to do certain things. In this Avatar of Sai, there is no room
for such pretensions and there is no place for such set backs at all. (...)
My grace and my duty is to be completely available for the benefit of
the devotees. Because I am like an ordinary individual when I am talking
with you and playing with you, many people do not understand my
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true nature. In this context, even people with great strength of mind
cannot recognize the true nature of this Sai and the difference between
the external appearance and the real internal aspect. My objective
is to establish unity in mankind and to reveal the aspect of Divinity
which is Brahman, the only goal which one should look for. It is also
my duty to make you realize the kind of relationship that should exist
between man and man and to establish that the aspect of Divinity
present and latent in all human beings. Persons are not going to become
great merely by reciting Vedas and making speeches in a very
flamboyant manner and if I do not do such things I am not going to become
small. I have the capacity to solve the most intricate of problems
but simply because I pretend not to have this capacity and I talk as if
I cannot solve the problem, it is very foolish for people to think that I
am just a man of miracles and no more. The kind of feeling which an
elephant gets when a mosquito lands on its body is exactly like what
miracles are for me. These miracles have an insignificant place in my
totality. Sometimes I feel like laughing, at the ignorance of people
when they attach importance to my miracles. People talk of only such
small things and forget the much bigger aspect in me. The most sacred
quality in me is love. This love is immeasurable. However much
a person may try, he cannot get a measure of the extent of my love. It
is immeasurable and unrealizable. Only such people who have recognized
the existence of such love in me can get some idea of what I
am.
Students! Realize and understand fully well that the only royal path to
reach God is the path of love. You will be able to taste this sweet honey
of love only at the lotus foot of the lord. Such honey is available at the
lotus and it is not as if honey is applied to the foot of the lord. When
we refer to the word lotus, we must realize another significant meaning
of the word. A lotus has its origin in the muddy waters and is born in
the mud. Yet it does not assimilate in itself either the mud or the water.
If there is no water, the lotus cannot survive even for a moment. The
interesting thing is that even thought it survives only in the presence
of water, it does not assimilate water. As in this analogy, human life is
born in something external to life which may be compared to mud and
you live in this compared to water, temporal material world which may
be having been born. (...)
That is the reason why all the different limbs of the Lord are referred
to as lotus such as the lotus foot, the lotus eyes and soon. Thus whatever
Avatar does is done with no attachment and He is not affected by
them. The path which He treads is such that the path does not leave
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any mark on him. He is always clean and pure. His vision is never bad
and his mind is never impure. A vision which is clean and a mind which
is unwavering are characteristics of the Lord. (...)
Another meaning for the word wisdom is vision. Sruti has taught us
that the realization of the aspect of non duality is itself a vision. When
you use the word vision, you imply that it is only the eyes that can see
because no other organ in the body has the capacity to see, it is in this
context that you understand that your vision itself is the wisdom. (...)
In the same manner, you want to have a vision of the Lord, you will
have to use the eye of wisdom as the reflecting surface. When you
want to see the worldly things you open your eyes and see very well.
If you are not able to see, you use glasses to help. If however you go
to a temple to have the vision of the Lord, you close your eyes. What
is the significance of this? You go to the temple, want to see God and
then you close your eyes. You should examine the meaning of this.
The physical eye is of no use in your attempts to get vision of the Lord
and you will have to use your wisdom eye. Closing your eyes implies
that you understand that the physical eyes are not appropriate for seeing
the Lord. It follows that all that you see with your physical eyes is
untrue and only those who can use the eye of wisdom can get a true
picture of me. (...)
To always talk of the vibhuthi which I give or to talk of the things that I
materialize and of the miracles that I perform is not correct. Even educated
people are not able to recognize the sacred aspects of me. Is
this the result of their education? What value can you attach to your
education when you are not able to see the inner and more important
aspects but attach significance only to the other details.
Students! You must not take such a path. You must take a path by
which you can see deep in my heart and experience the various Divine
aspects of mine. You must understand the all knowing power in me.
Do not be led away by people who always talk of having got a locket
or a watch - or a ring from me. These things have no deep meaning.
If you can earn my grace, it is as good as getting the entire world. Do
not talk of my miracles but talk of the love which you can get from me
by your conduct. This is what is most important and you must make an
attempt to get it. When there is an invaluable diamond in me, you must
try and acquire that. What is the meaning in your wanting to acquire
smaller things. You must not go away from this invaluable treasure.
You must be as close to it as possible. It is necessary for you to take
it and treasure it. You may ask what the necessity is for us to earn such
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a thing as Divine grace and love. In this context, it is useful if you know
the kind of love which comes form the Divinity present in me. (...)
My grace is always available to all people. The purpose of a talisman
however is that if the individual wearing it is in some danger of difficulty,
then the talisman will immediately bring to me in a flash the news
and goes back with my grace. This is the function which the talismans
that I give performs it constitutes a kind of link between the wearer and
me in times of danger. Such material gifts have been protecting thousands
of people. To give a specific example, I can cite the case of a
person who is right here now. In the month of April this year, he came
with me to Bombay and took part in several programmes. However on
the last day, he had to leave Bombay at mid night to go to a foreign
country. He finished his work there and as he was preparing to return
to India, he became ill and was unconscious. He did not know anything
about himself. There was no one who knew him or any friend with him.
When he came to the Air Port to board the flight, he did not have his
ticket and the relevant papers with him. If one has to come from such
a far off country, it would not be possible for one to do so even if one
tried to get into the place stealthily and without a ticket. He was not
conscious and he did not know himself. He reached everywhere but
could not find his ticket and was in great trouble. At that time, the ring
which he was wearing had brought the message to me in a flash. In
one moment, the Air Port Officer came and put him on the plane even
without a ticket and he does not even know how he came to India.
There is another example of this kind in the case of a devotee from
Calcutta who used to stay in London and who came to this Summer
School a few days ago. When I intended to give him a ring, he said that
as be never wore a ring in his life, he might be excused. I insisted that
he should wear the ring which I gave him. He replied that he would
wear the ring as it would give him Swami's grace. He wore the ring and
went to London. When giving him the ring, I told him that whatever dangers
he might be in, such dangers would be passed on to Swami and
he would be saved. If one looks at the terrific speed with which the cars
move in London, one would feel much safer in an airplane. It so happened
that the car in which this devotee was travelling was hit by another
car and his car was badly smashed up and the parts of the car
were thrown helter skelter on the road and the whole thing was broken
to pieces. So far as the occupant who was the devotee wearing the
ring I gave him is concerned, he did not know what happened as he
was sitting nicely on ground in the centre of the road in apparently
good shape. While he was so sitting, another car came to take him
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away and he looked at the ring which I gave him and found that my
photo in the ring was completely smashed to pieces. By the time he
reached home, he received a telegram from me. If a telegram has to
go from Brindavan to Whitefield, it takes six or seven minutes at least,
but within the few minutes the devotee took to reach his home in London
from the place of the accident, the telegram was already waiting
for him The telegram said “Be happy I am with you; do not worry about
accident”. He looked at the telegram and was very much moved. He
immediately returned to India. Why I am telling this to the young people
sitting here is to make them realize that my aspect is such that it relates
to the heart. These external things and material gifts provide the link
from heart to heart and they function when they are required to function.
Such functioning and heart to heart experiences are happening
not by ones or twos but by the thousands. In fact, such incidents are
as many as there are hairs on my head. The purpose for which I have
come is not to fulfil small desires or attend to the small incidents like
what you have now heard about. There are great truths which I have
to establish. There is considerable change in human outlook which I
have to bring about. No one can stop me or deter me from fulfilling the
tasks for which I have come namely the establishment of the one unchanging
truth. In this task you have a part to play and you will have
to play your part in the fulfillment of the Sai mission which remains
ahead of us. Establishment of righteousness is the task to which you
have to attend immediately and I hope that you will all play your part,
however small it may be in completing the Sai work. Since everything
depends on truth, such truth is not something which has to yield to any
one. Untruth has to subordinate itself to almost every one with whom
it comes into contact. Truth will never subordinate to any one with
whom it comes into contact. This form is the form of Sathya Sai Baba
or the embodiment of truth. In the name Sathya Sai Baba the word Sa
stands for Divine and Sai stands for mother and so Sai Stands for Divine
mother. Baba means father. This name Sai Baba thus means Divine
mother and father. (...)
The words Samba Shiva and Sai Baba mean the same thing. Sa Amba
Shiva mean Divine father and mother and so does the word Sai Baba.
Because there is the aspect of mother and father and because both
are present, this form is rightly to be described as Shiva Sakti. Like
mother, I will be tender and soft and give you happiness and like father,
I punish you, criticise you when needed and through these methods I
take you to a high level. Even you own mother and father, in the worldly
sense, will sometimes become selfish and may punish you in a man-
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ner which smacks of selfishness but this Divine mother and father in
me have no selfishness of any kind in them. They are selfless and such
punishment as I give is intended only to take you to a higher place. (...)
If an individual who has good qualities comes close to me, I am sweet
to him. On the other hand, I am harsh to one who has bad qualities and
I do not let him come close to me. It is not that I like one more than the
other but I give the medicine to cure the bad qualities where they are
present. Also there are people who are believers and people who are
nonbelievers. The believers are always prepared to enjoy the bliss of
being near the Divine.
The nonbelievers feel very much disturbed even at the mention of the
name of God. Here you must examine the reason for the nonbelievers
disliking the name of God. It is not as if they do not like God This is a
disease in them. In functions like marriages or in congregations like
this, you serve sweets to all the guests. While you offer sweets to all,
some persons say that they do not want them. It is not as if they do not
like the sweets but they reject them because they suffer from diabetes.
Such people who do not want to go near God are like diabetic patients.
They are suffering from a disease and if only that disease is cured,
they will enjoy the sweet name of God as much as anyone else. (...)
Only one who cannot love himself may be called an atheist or a nonbeliever
but in this world there is no one who does not love himself.
There are many people who say: “I have no faith in God” but they also
say “I have confidence in myself”. But he does not think who this self
of him is. The self in him is God. He keeps on saying “My body, my
eyes, my mind” and so on but who is this I who is claiming ownership.
In so saying, you are not identifying yourself with the body. You are not
the body. Therefore, mind, intellect and all these things really belong
to the 'I' and are not the same “I”. Thus self confidence is synonymous
with faith in God. All persons who have faith in their own self must be
called believers. They cannot be called nonbelievers. (...) Brahman is
present in everyone in the form of Divine wisdom. (...)
Students! Today I have talked at length and caused you some trouble.
But our conversations are going to come to an end today and the separation
from tomorrow is going to be only in the matter of discourses
and talking. The closeness between our hearts is such that it is not going
to come to an end. Keep the aspect of Sai in your heart. I wanted
to convey to you some aspects of Sai which many people want to know
although it is not possible for anyone to understand or fathom the
depths of Sai. This is the background of my wanting to talk of myself.
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I wished to convey to you some things which others cannot convey.
From tomorrow, try to put all these into practice and enjoy the Divine
bless and become one with Divinity. Do not fill your head with mere information
and knowledge. Fill your hearts with love. I am hoping that
you will thus fill your hearts with the essential content of my discourses
and prepare yourself for meeting the future life. 1974, (36-276/290)
The reputation of our motherland has been known all the world over
from time immemorial. That reputation is now being sharpened by the
Sai ideals and the Sai teachings. You young people should give it a further
shining with your care and attention. 1977, (37-195)
Do not forget God; do not believe in the world; do not fear death. Like
good food that comes to one who has been fasting for the past ten
days, like a heavy down pour of rain that comes to fill the dried and
empty tanks, like a child coming into a family which has for long been
yearning for children like a shower of wealth on a very poor man, has
come Shri Sathya Sai Baba in Puttaparti when there is a total decline
of Divine law among the people. What better can I tell those who are
assembled in this congregation? 1977, (37-248)
Many of you are not willing to go back, but remember that Swami is
with you. You should not have the feeling that to go back is an unwanted
imposition. Sai’s ideals are like this. As a diamond has so many different
facets, Sai has so many different facets. He is in all of you. Although
the diamond has may facets around, it is the central portion of
the diamond that is connected with all these facets. So boys and girls,
all of you should develop into rays that are emanating from the centre.
You should go and establish the form of service that you have opted
to join. The lotus has many petals in it. But all those petals are connected
with the central portion of the lotus. For Sathya Sai Baba who
constitutes the central part of the lotus, you are all like the petals connected
with the centre of the lotus. Young people, you should develop
the spirit of sacrifice. Having developed the spirit of sacrifice, you
should feel that there are no differences which are of religious origin.
You should be able to establish the oneness of all religions. At all
times, you should attempt to be of service to others. You must establish
and maintain the sacred culture of Bharata. By accepting the sacred
essence of our culture which you have learnt during the past 30
days, you have experienced a kind of bliss. In the future as well, you
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must try and continue this. To forget what you have listened to as soon
as you leave this place it, is unbecoming of human nature. Students,
you must exercise great control over your mind. You must see that the
mean desires of your mind do not get control over you. You must serve
your parents, your society and then your country. This is the true form
of yoga. You must experience this kind of yoga in your daily life. You
must acquire for yourself several things, in the dharmic field, the religious
field and the spiritual field. It is not possible for an individual to
practice all those things; but you must choose a few out of them and
put them into practice in your daily life. Most important is that daily from
morning till the night, you must think of the three essential things,
namely do not forget God, do not believe in the world, do not be afraid
of death. These three things are essential in your life. You must forget
any harm done to you by others. So also, you must forget any good
you may do to others. 1977, (37-250/251)
It is to clear the path of spiritual progress of man that the Avatar has
come. The restlessness in which man is immersed has to be curbed.
That is what is meant by the saving of sadhus," the “saving of all good
individual beings” from the tentacles of grief caused by want of knowledge
of the relative unimportance of worldly things. All living beings
must get peace and bliss; that is the mission on which the Lord comes
again and again on this earth. He selects a place full of holiness and
Divinity and takes on the human form, so that you may meet him and
talk, understand and appreciate, listen and follow, experience and
benefit.
The tragedy is that when Godhead is invisible, formless, you concretise
it as you like and pray to it and get consolation and strength out of
it; but when it is before you, concretised in human form, you doubt and
discuss and deny! People fall before the stone snake and pour milk on
it and wash it lovingly with sacred waters; when it materialises into an
actual cobra, they flee in fear! But a true devotee has no fear or disbelief.
10.7.59, (15-129)
Let me tell you that you cannot understand me and my secret without
first understanding yourselves. For, if you are too weak to grasp your
own reality, how can you hope to fathom the much grander reality of
my advent? To grasp my meaning, you have to tear into tatters the
doubts and theories you now have and cultivate love, for the embodiment
of love can be understood only through love. The "miracles and
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wonders" which cannot be explained by the categories of science, are
so natural to me that I am amused when you label them as miracles.
The Lord had announced that he would come down for the restoration
of righteousness and that he would assume human form so that all
might gather round him and feel the thrill of his companionship and
conversation. And the Lord has come, as announced.
For those who are drawn by the pulls of the mind, the intellect and the
ego, things beyond the ken of these three are inscrutable; there is a
limit beyond which the mind and the intellect cannot traverse. That is
why the Supreme power has to envelop itself with delusion and come
down to the level of human comprehension. 22.1.60, (15-153)
All hearts are his property, it is all his domain. (...) The Lord will install
himself only if the heart is cleansed. The Lord has said that: "Where
my devotees sing of me, there I install myself.” I must tell you that you
are luckier than men of previous generations. The accumulated merit
of many previous births must have granted you this luck. You have got
me and it is your duty now to develop this relationship that you have
achieved by sheer good fortune.
In four or five years time, you will see ascetics and sages crowding
here and you may not have such chances of asking me questions and
getting the answers, of approaching me and directly speaking to me.
So do not be like frogs around the lotus; be like the bees. (...) The meditation
on God gives you too the right temperature to ripen yourselves
and become sweet and tasty. 27.9.60, (15-178)
Some persons have said in their ignorance that I am Divine sometimes
and that I become human after that! They say I alternate between Divinity
and human. Do not believe this. I am always of one reality only.
The Lord will never undergo a fundamental change; only the external
form may change, the essence will be the same. There will not be any
decline in value, like becoming human for some time, etc. The Lord will
be characterised by unbounded love and unsullied sweetness.
29.9.60, (15-183)
Sathya is the righteousness, love gives peace. I command you: never
hate others, or wish evil to them or talk ill of them. Then only can you
attain the natural form of peace.
The Lord alone is aware of the plan, for his is the plan! You see only
a part of the play on the stage and so it is all very confused. When the
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entire story is unfolded, then you will appreciate his plan, not until then;
for that, you have to get behind the screen of deluding power and contact
the director himself. While you are an actor on the stage reciting
your role, you cannot grasp the inner meaning of the entire play which
has the “world” as the stage and “ages” as the duration.
If by acting your role well you develop love towards fellow-actors, that
is more important than getting devotion for God. If you acquire peace,
that is a more valuable success than acquiring spiritual wisdom. For a
devotee the seed of love and wisdom is the seed of peace. At least,
devotees should behave as if they were all of one family. Take hold of
the chance so luckily available for mutual co-operation in worship and
spiritual discipline.
All the powers I have are for you. You are my treasure, even if you
deny me. I am your treasure, even if you say no. I shall be affectionate
to you and attach myself to you; I shall take all the trouble to keep my
property safe in my custody! That is to say, in the custody of the Lord,
by whichever name you may be calling upon him. All the powers I have
are for you: I am just the store, keeping them ready to be given to you,
whenever you ask for them. I shall give love even if you do not ask, for
it is your right to share in it.
Some complain that I did not give them this or that, but that is because
their vision is limited to the immediate future or the present; whereas
I know what is in store and so I have to safeguard them from greater
grief. They even blame me and heap abuses but I will not give them
up. I am not influenced by anybody, remember. There is no one who
can change my course or affect my conduct to the slightest extent. I
am the master over all.
But let me tell you this. I speak harsh words and punish some persons
because I have love towards them and I am eager to correct them and
make them better instruments. If they were not mine, I would have given
them up and not cared to take any notice of their lapses. I have a
right to chastise those who I feel are mine. I also know that they still
value my Word and that they will feel sad at my being displeased with
them. It is due to your wayward mind that you are easily wafted away
from me by some silly persons irresponsible words.
Peace can be won only the hard way. I sometimes act as if I keep you
at a distance; that is done to reform you quicker. When a stretch of
road is being repaired, I go by another detour and I do not use that bit
of road for some time. The purpose is to let the repair works proceed
more quickly so that I may use that road again.
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I have come to set the world right and so I have to collect all those who
are ill and treat them in my "Hospital" and restore them to sanity,
strength and wisdom and send them back to their stations in life. I must
intensify your devotion, reinforce your faith and rebuild the foundations
of your moral nature, so that you can counter temptations with greater
confidence. I have come across people who recite a prayer and believe
that they are bringing the world nearer to peace with every occasion
on which they pray. But peace can be won only the hard way, by
eliminating violence and greed from the hearts of individuals. 29.9.60,
(15-184/186)
How do you give me bliss? By taking to heart what I say and putting it
into daily practice. Deciding to move high but attracted by the low, you
betray yourself. Improve your character and conduct; when your feelings
become cleansed and your impulses pure, then you can see my
form in its reality. I shall tell you the thing in a nutshell: Make the intelligence
that has to understand me free from crookedness; let it become
straight and sharp.
Your relationship is Divine, not secular. I have now fallen into your
grasp, the very treasure that you have been searching for, because
your relationship is spiritual, not secular or trained. In all other places,
you are fleeced; for the relationship is based on the purse. In some
places, it is based on caste or scholarship or some other incidental
trait; here, it is the attachment that God has for the living being, the
ocean for the stream, the universal for the particular. Here, every one
must become unlimited, escaping from bonds that limit him.
All can become he; no one is outside the love of the Lord. (...)
Books, pamphlets, meetings, speeches, talks - all these are no good;
every one desirous to know me has to be asked to approach me and
experience me. In order to get an idea of a mountain it is not enough
if you show a stone and say: "The mountain is a million times the size
of this." You will have to see an actual mountain, at least from a distance.
The "beyond" is very incomprehensible. 29.9.60, (15-190/192)
The liberated person can continue in the world free from attachment,
once he has realized that he is of the same substance as the immanent
Brahman. When that Brahman is seen through illusion, it appears as
endowed with qualities and is referred to as Lord (Bhagavan).
Bhagavan has seven chief characteristics: Prosperity, glory, wisdom,
non-attachment, creation, preservation and dissolution. Whoever has
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these seven, you can consider as having Divinity in him. These seven
are the unfailing characteristics of Avatars, of the Supreme power
which persists fully when it has apparently modified itself with deluding
power. Wherever these are found, you can identify Godhead. 30.9.60,
(15-194/195)
The liberated person will not look upon me as wearing this dress, yellow
gown today or pink gown tomorrow; he will penetrate to the real
nature behind this form and know that this body is but a dress worn for
a purpose. The coming Avatar of this basic law will have another
dress. You become a liberated person by the analysis of the knowledge
of the self. Unless you know yourself, you cannot know me.
30.9.60, (15-199)
It was said that this is an auspicious day for you because this is my
Birthday; but let me tell you, I have many birthdays like this. The auspicious
day for you is the day on which your mind is cleansed and not
the day on which I took this human form. I am ever new and ever old,
ever modern and ever ancient. I come always for the sake of reviving
righteousness, for tending the virtuous and ensuring them conditions
congenial for progress. Some doubters might ask: "Can God assume
human form?" Well, man can derive bliss only through the human
form; you can receive instruction, inspiration, illumination only through
human language and human communication.
I will never force you to take up a particular name or form of the Lord
as your wish. 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
they have a string of 1008 names for use to 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.
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 the attitude that are yearned for. (...)
He bows to your will, he carries your burden, provided you trust him
with it.
Therefore, so act and feel and speak that you get joy here, joy hereafter,
joy everlasting all three. I bless you all that you get more success
in the struggle. 23.11.60, (16-11/12)
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Remember, you are all certain to win; that is why you have been called
and you have responded to the call to come to me.
What other task have I than the showering of grace? By seeing God,
contact it, speak with him, you share in that grace. When that melts
and this melts, the two can merge. Treat me not as one afar, but as
very close to you. Insist, demand, claim grace from me; do not praise,
extol and cringe. Bring your hearts to me and win my heart. Not one
of you is a stranger to me. Bring your promises to me and I shall give
you my promise. But first see that your promise is genuine, sincere;
see that your heart is pure; that is enough. 10.10.61, (16-79/80)
Come, I am the repairer of broken hearts of damaged psyche. I am like
the smith, who welds, mends and sets right. Ten years ago, a devotee
prayed to me in song: "My heart has gone dry, my lamp has gone out,
my path is dark, my brain is confused. Lord, make me fit again for life's
arduous journey". The Lord will be waiting outside the door of the altar
room of the devotee, anxious to fulfil his wish! Verily, he who has the
Lord as his servant!
Only, do not allow your faith to falter. Do not become a slave to others;
no, not even to God. Test, test, examine, experience and then, when
you find God, demand as of right. But before you get that right, you
should appear for the examination and pass, is it not? I set tests not
as a punishment or because I enjoy putting you to trouble, but just to
give you the joy of passing! 17.10.61, (16-86)
If you have gold, that is enough; you can have all varieties of jewels
made. Ask for and secure gold - that is all that you need. The astronomical
junction of planets between Feb. 2 and 5 is being made much
of by the astrologers and calendar-minded brahmins and they are
reaping a rich harvest by creating panic and suggesting various counter
measures. Of course, it is good to give things in charity, to pray to
the Gods and to perform rituals; but do it for its own sake, not with a
view to escape the eight planets! Do it, as you should, at all times, not
because of this temporary fear. Do not give way to panic. Nothing will
happen between Feb. 2nd and 5th. You will all becoming happily and
full of joy for Shivaratri to Puttaparthi, let me assure you. All talk of destruction
is just a scare; do not lose courage. 17.10.61, (16-88/89)
Rama and Krishna and Sai Baba appear different because of the dress
each has donned, but it is the selfsame entity, believe me. Do not be
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misled into error and loss. The time will soon come when this huge
building or even vaster ones will be too small for the gatherings of
those who are called to this place. The sky itself will have to be the roof
of the auditorium of the future; I will have to forego the car and even
the aeroplane when I move from place to place, for the crowds pressing
around them will be too huge; I will have to move across the sky;
yes, that too will happen, believe me.
You will witness this Puttaparthi becoming a holy place. No one can
stop this development or delay it. I will not give you up, nor can any one
of you give me up. Even if you lose faith, you will repent and come to
this refuge very soon, clamouring for admission. I shall be in this body
for 58 years more; I have assured you of this already. Your lives are
intertwined with my earthly career. Act always in accordance with that
great privilege. 21.10.61, (16-101)
The experience of that bond will come to you unawares. Your duty is
to await the moment. Believe and be blessed. (...)
When this Divine power decided to leave the previous body in 1918,
Kaka Saheb Dikshit was told that in eight years time this will take birth
again. Abdul Baba was also informed that in seven years this will appear
in Madras State. Three months after death the soul was going out
(mahasamadhi), appearing before a house at Kirkee, the declaration
was made in answer to a query that the body had passed away, "The
body has gone, but I will appear again." It was said six months after
the mahasamadhi, when there was an appearance at Dwarakamayi
with familiar tin can. Word was sent to Das Ganu and Mhalaspati. The
statement made to Kaka Saheb was that the manifestation will take
place after eight years, not "as an eight-year-old body." It was recorded
so, because Kaka Saheb relied on his memory and wrote it down
only much later. The figure seven came true; for this body incarnated
in 1926 after spending nine months in the womb. So even the statement
of eight years made to Kaka Saheb is true.
Your faith in what you have seen and are seeing is not steady yet: you
allow your ears to listen to all and sundry and they tempt you to deny
the evidence of your eyes. What a pitiable state this is! 23.10.61, (16-
111)
I find you reading and appreciating the love of the Rishis and the gopis
and the monkeys of past ages; but you ignore your present responsibility.
For example, examine, each one of you, how far you have put
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into practice what you have heard from me. How far have you profited
by coming to Puttaparthi now or so often in previous years? How far
have you shown love to others, the love that you find to be my all. Recitation
of the name of God, I have told you often, is the best exercise
to acquire love towards God and all that is great. But have you tried
that recipe? Has it become as essential for you as the very breath?
That is the test of your sincerity and of the success of your pilgrimage
to Puttaparthi this dasara. 24.10.61, (16-118/119)
Do not make God modern to suit your fancy. He is neither ancient nor
modern; his countenance never changes, nor his glory. Present him if
you must in a modern manner, in a modern style, so that he might be
understood today. (...)
Take the Lord to be your father or mother, but only as a first step to
your outgrowing that relationship and merging in the Absolute. Do not
stop on the steps; enter the mansion to which they lead. The Atman is
the everlasting unchanging Atman. As a first step, you use the flower,
the lamp, the incense etc., to worship the form. Soon, your devotion
moves on to newer forms of dedication, newer offerings, purer and
more valuable and worthier of your Lord. No one sticks to the slate for
long; you feel that you should place before the Lord something more
lasting than mere flowers; and something more yours than incense.
You feel like purifying yourselves and making your entire life one fragrant
flame. That is real worship, real devotion. Do not come to me with
your hands full of trash, for how can I fill them with grace when they
are already full? Come with empty hands and carry away my treasure,
my love.
Those who get their foot worshipped by their devotees and those who
think that it is a great boon so to worship them are both lacking in
sense. Worship of the foot (padapuja) has an atmosphere of publicity,
both for the guru and the aspirant; besides, why worship the body
which is decaying every moment? It is also very wrong to offer cash or
gold or other articles, whether they are from surplus wealth or from
hard-earned property. For, after all, even these are trinkets that have
no intrinsic value obey the guru, follow his instructions, progress along
the spiritual road, these are the best means of worship the foot; when
you achieve some success in these, the craving for this worship itself
will disappear, must disappear. Nowadays, worship of the foot is done
by people who feel it is a cheap substitute for sincere devotion that the
guru too welcomes and prefers! Offer the heart, clean and pure, broad-
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ened by spiritual discipline to include all living beings in its grasp. Offer
this to the guru and seek only such gurus as do not indulge in declamations
about themselves or in derisive attacks on their rivals.
26.10.61, (16-121/122)
Let me tell you, it is only those who know the Shastras that can understand
me. I am determined to correct you only after informing you of
my credentials. That is why I am now and then announcing my nature
by means of miracles - that is, acts which are beyond human capacity
and human understanding. Not that I am anxious to show off my powers.
The object is to draw you closer to me, to cement your hearts to me.
Getting to know me is also a part of your destiny. The other day, on
Vaikunta Ekadasi, when nectar (amrita) was being given by me a few
who had come weeks ago, who had witnessed the creation of nectar
on the riverbed and who had taken their seats in the long line of devotees,
had to get up and go just when I was approaching their line and
thus, miss the chance of, perhaps, a lifetime. It is all “earned” opportunity.
As a matter of fact, each one of you has to be saved: you have
to escape from this net, when the opportunity comes. I shall not give
you up, even if you forsake me; for it is not in me to forsake those who
deny me. I have come for all. Those who stray away will come again
to me, do not doubt this. I shall beckon them back to me. I bless you
that you earn the vision of the Divine in this life itself, with this body itself.
24.11.61, (16-129/130)
Looking at this vast sea of faces, I do not feel like speaking to you; I
wish to derive bliss by just looking at you from here; looking at your
faith and your devotion your looking at me, me looking at you; what
else is needed for bliss to well up?
You yearn to heat my words and listen to my voice also. That is the
measure of your love. You are so accustomed to hear people speak,
that if you do not hear, your ears ache! If they do not speak, their
tongues become restless and even restive. They are both so used to
activity that it has now become difficult for you to sit quietly for a few
minutes, communing with the silence within you!
Man is called so because he has the capacity to enjoy inward contemplation
of the meaning and significance of what he has heard: not only
this capacity, but also the urge to the inner life. But you have not yet
emerged out of the stage of listening; the teachers too have not progressed
beyond the stage of discourse. 4.3.62, (16-150)
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Naturally, I always speak of righteousness. For, I have come to re-establish
it. I have no other work here. I give what is sweet drinks for the
ignorant and what is amrita (nectar) for the illumined. You cannot infer
that righteousness is declining only in India, because all the Avatars
you know took place here; the Avatar has to take shape in the place
where the spiritual law originated and where it is still studied and valued.
The rest of the world is but the branches of this tree. For me, there
is no native land or foreign land. All humanity has to be brought back
to the path of righteousness. The Veda is not ascribable to human skill
or authorship; the Veda-aspirant is not ascribable to any one country.
Veda emanates from wherever you yearn for it. All religions and spiritual
law are but proliferations of Veda truths.
Human nature has to be chastened, controlled and guided along certain
channels; otherwise, like the flooded Ganga, it will bring disaster
to millions who rest in security, believing it to be harmless. The haste
to secure an immediate advantage has to be cured, the later advantage
may be more lasting and more healthy; benefits to the individual
have to be given up in favour of benefits to the group, the village, the
community, the country or the whole of mankind. Ideas, principles,
laws, customs, codes, habits, actions - all are to be judged on the twin
points of intention and consequence. Is the intention pure, is it born out
of love, is it based on truth? Does it result in peace? If yes, righteousness
is enshrined in that action or law, custom or conduct. Intention
and consequence are the two bunds that guide the flood waters of the
Godavari safely into the sea, which can swallow any amount of river
water.
In fact, it is the rule and the restriction that gives charm to the game of
life. 5.10.62, (16-237/238)
Do not be too conceited, feeling that the Avatar has come for you particularly.
I have come for the sake of spiritual law. And, how is the Avatar
to guard righteousness? Well, - the Vedas are the root of righteousness.
When the Vedas remain unharmed, that is to say, when the
Veda scholars are unharmed, the Veda will remain evergreen in the
heart of man. (...)
You may ask, - well, the Lord has incarnated. Then why should the
world be torn by strife and stricken with sorrow?" Why, even when Lord
Krishna was here, there was war and wickedness, strife and sorrow.
The husk will have to be pulled out, the pure saved always from the
impure. The present suffering is mainly due to the lapses in discipline
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among the professed followers of the Veda path, their disregard for the
morality laid down in the Shastras and their absence of faith in the ancient
scriptures. What use can a blind man make of a lamp, however
bright it may be?
You may ask why pundits and Veda scholars are passing through hard
times now? They are mostly hungry, ill-clad and homeless; that being
the reason why no one comes forward to join Veda schools. Spiritual
centres are becoming defunct. But I want to tell you that the pundits
and saints have come to this pass because they have themselves lost
faith in the Vedas. (...) The Veda will keep them happy. Because if the
Veda cannot make a man happy, what else can? 23.11.62, (16-253/
154)
Talking of faith, I must issue a warning. Many people are collecting
money in various places using my name for various purposes like arranging
receptions, building temple, doing rituals etc. That is unauthorized
and against my wish and command. Do not yield to such requests
and encourage this practice, which I condemn. Then there is another
set of people who trade on your faith. They advertise that I have possessed
them; that I am talking through a medium or a stove or some
other thing. Treat all such people and their agents or brokers as you
treat cheats; if you do not treat them so, then you are also accomplices
in the cheating process.
There are others who gather groups of followers and admirers and collect
money exhibiting some idol or image that has been given by me
or advertising some other sign of my grace. Some of them even declare:
"Baba sent me to you to take from you some money," or "Baba
has given me this," or "Baba blessed me specially thus and thus," and
then ask for your help or your praise or your purse! I ask you to chastise
all these types of men and turn them away-whoever they are.
25.11.62, (16-270)
You will have noticed that I do not address you as "devotee" at any
time. For, to get that name, devotee, you must have dedication, unwavering
faith and steady discipline.
When the Abstract is available here and now as Avatar, you must use
every moment to earn his grace.
You do not realise your unique good fortune. In the years to come,
people will revere you, for you had a chance that millions could not get;
they will worship your pictures in their shrines! Live and love in such a
way that you may deserve that honour. 26.11.62, (16-273)
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Of course, I never deviate from truth. Since I recline on truth, I am
called Sathya Sai; Sai means reclining. The name is very appropriate,
let me assure you. It is only those who fail to follow my instructions and
who deviate from the path I lay down that fail to get what I hold out before
them. Follow my instructions and become soldiers in my army; I
will lead you on to victory. When someone asks you, in great earnestness,
where the Lord is to be found, do not try to dodge the question.
Give them the answer that rises up to you tongue from your heart. Direct
them, he is here in Prasanthi Nilayam. 21.11.62, (16-276)
In past ages, Avatars rid the world of evil, by destroying the few fanatics
and ogres who wrought it. But, now, fanaticism and felony reign in
every heart. The number of evil men is legion; no one is free from that
taint; all are wicked to some extent or other. Therefore, every one
needs correction; every one has to be educated and guided into the
right path. Every being is a pilgrim destined to reach God and merge
in him; but most people have forgotten the road; man has to become
God: that is his destiny, the plan and purpose of his being armed, as
no other animal is, with the sword of discrimination and the shield of
renunciation. Man is the only animal that can picture a previous existence
and existences in a series, with impressions accumulating from
one to the other. What you see and feel in a dream has some basis on
what you have seen and felt in the waking state; so too, what you see
and feel in the present life has, as its basis, what you have seen and
felt in other lives, previous lives.
You can win the grace of the Lord only by righteousness. Righteousness
induces the spirit of self-surrender and develops it. Without the
training that the practice of righteousness gives to your senses, your
feelings and emotions, you cannot have steady faith and steady detachment.
The Lord is righteousness conceived as a personality.
25.1.63, (18-3/4)
The Lord comes as Avatar when he is anxiously awaited by saints and
sages. Sages prayed - and I have come. My tasks are three, or, rather
two, since to protect righteousness, and to protect the Veda are both
practically the same. The two are, therefore: To protect the Veda and
protect devotion: fostering the Vedas and fostering the devotees. Now,
what is devotion? Who are devotees? It is faith, steadiness, virtue,
fearlessness, surrender, absence of egoism. Ceremonies done however
elaborately and pompously, are a waste of time and energy. Why
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pluck flowers and hasten their death? Some of you go round this Nilayam
and satisfy yourselves that you have done so many rituals, but,
they can be called so, only when your mind circles this place along with
your foot. (...)
This Nilayam should not be treated with scant reverence. Make the
best use of your stay here. Do not treat this chance lightly. You come
spending much money, and put yourselves to much trouble to reach
here; but, you do not bloom as fragrant offerings at the Lord's foot by
learning the spiritual path. The senses have to be curbed into obedient
servants of the spirit.
For example, I insist on silence. Talk less, talk low when you must talk.
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.
Meditate if possible, yourselves, alone; read spiritual books if you can;
write the name of the Lord in the quiet of your corner; if you cannot do
these, at least do not disturb others who are doing these. Encourage
one another to march along the path to God.
Become entitled to the honoured title of devotee. My glory is spread
daily through those who call themselves my devotees. Your virtue,
your self-control, your detachment, your faith, your steadfastness -
these are the signs by which people read of my glory. Not that I need
any such prop. But, it just happens so in this world, where men estimate
others indirectly, rather than directly. Let me tell you, such devotees
are very rare. That is the reason why I do not address your gathering
as, "Devotees!" You can lay claim to that name only when you
have placed yourself in my hands, fully, completely, with no trace of
ego kept back to cater to your vanity. 25.1.63, (18-9/10)
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 spiritual practice and
succeed are a handful. (...)
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 Avatar from
the rest, do not hunger for comfort or riches; hunger for bliss. If you
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have faith and if you keep the name of Rama as constant companion,
you are in 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 world, but rarely do you ask for "Me".
That is why I seldom address you as devotees; I usually address you
as “Embodiments of Divinity”, for that is your real embodiment, this Divinity.
Though you do not know it, it is a fact. Therefore, I can address
you so, with confidence. I can even call you “Embodiments of Godhead”,
but, as for devotion, since it is a quality that will make you desire
the Lord and nothing else, I find you cannot lay claim to it. Some of you
claim to be Sai-devotees or Rama-devotees or Krishna-devotees. No,
unless you are perfect instruments in his hand, you do not deserve that
name. 4.2.63, (18-22/23)
The Avatars insist on righteousness; it is declared that the purpose of
the Avatar is to sake righteousness: but, what is righteousness for, if
not for liberation from the bondage of ignorance? 5.2.63, (18-26)
The Avatar behaves in a human way so that mankind can feel kinship,
but, rises to superhuman heights so that mankind can aspire to those
heights. The living being can be transformed into Divinity, for both are
basically the same. Only, you have to switch on to the wavelength.
Know it, adjust correctly and the allpervading will be grasped clearly
with no distortion. 10.2.63, (18-43)
(Baba was brought down the winding stairs into the private room on
the ground floor, because he insisted on giving the blessing of seeing
God (darshan) to the thousands of devotees who had come on that
auspicious day. He had an attack of cerebral thrombosis and was in
bed for eight days from the morning of Saturday, 29th June to the
evening of 6th July. His left hand, leg and eye were affected; his right
hand had also slight palsy; the tongue was indistinct and the face was
twitching. He was placed on the silver chair in the Prayer Hall and his
hand and leg were adjusted in proper position. As soon as he was
seated, he communicated the following message which was interpreted
and announced:)
This is not my illness; this is an illness which I has taken on, in order
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to save some one. I have no illness, nor will I get ill at any time. You
must all be happy; that alone will make me happy. If you grieve, I will
not be happy. Your joy is my food.(...)
(He then signed for water and when it was brought, he sprinkled a little
with his shaking right hand on the stricken left hand and on his left leg.
He stroked his left hand with the right. Immediately, he used both
hands to stroke his left leg; that touch was enough to cure it. He doffed
the disease in a trice! He started to speak! It was the same musical
voice.)
For those who have no refuge, God is the refuge. That is exactly the
reason why I had to take on the disease that one helpless devotee was
to get. He had to suffer this dire illness, as well as the four heart attacks
that accompanied it; and he would not have survived it. So, according
to my duty to save the devotee, I had to rescue him. Of course, this is
not the first time that I have taken on the illness of persons whom I
wanted to save. (...)
The suffering that you saw was too much for this particular devotee
and so, I had to save him, by myself going through it. This is my game,
my nature. It is part of the task for which I have come. (...)
This is perhaps the longest period when I kept the devotees wondering
and worried. That was because of the heart attacks which had to come
later on the devotee, from which also he had to be saved. Then, there
is another reason too, why the eight-day period had to be observed.
Well, I shall tell you why. That means I must tell you about myself,
about something I have not disclosed so far, something which I was
keeping within myself, for the last 37 years. The time has come to announce
it. This is a sacred day, and I shall tell you.
You know I declared on the very day when I decided to disclose my
Identity, my mission and my Advent, that I belonged to the Apastamba
Sutra (sacred teaching from a Rishi) and the Bharadwaja Gotra. This
Bharadwaja was a great sage, a Rishi too, who studied the Vedas for
full one hundred years; but, finding that the Vedas were endless he did
spiritual exercise for prolonging life, and from Indra he got two extensions
of a century each. Even then, the Vedas could not be completed,
so, he asked Indra again for another hundred years. Indra showed him
three huge mountain ranges and said: "What you have learned in three
centuries form only three handfuls form out of the three ranges, which
the Vedas are. So, give up the attempt to exhaust the Vedas. Do a sacrificial
offering, instead, which I shall teach you: that will give you the
fruit of Veda study, full and complete."
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Bharadwaja decided an performing the sacrifice; Indra taught him how
to do it; all preparations were completed. The sage wanted that Shakti
(the wife of Shiva) must preside and bless the sacrifice. So he went to
Kailasa (the holy mountain in the Himalaya, where Shiva and Shakti
reside) but, the time was not opportune for presenting his petition. Shiva
and Shakti were engaged in a competitive dance, trying to find out
who could dance longer. Eight days passed thus, before Shakti noticed
Bharadwaja standing in the cold. She just cast a smile at him and
danced along as before! The sage mistook the smile as a cynical refusal
to notice him; so he turned his back on Kailasa and started to descend.
To his dismay, he found his left leg, hand and eye put out of action
by a stroke. Shiva saw him fall; he came up to him and consoled
him; Bharadwaja was told that Shakti had indeed blessed him and his
sacrifice. Then, Shiva revived him and cured him, sprinkling water from
the waterwessel. Both Shiva and Shakti granted the Rishi boons: They
would both attend the sacrifice, they said.
After the sacrifice offering was over, they were so pleased that they
conferred even more boons on the sage. Shiva said that they would
take human form and be born in the Bharadwaja lineage or Gotra
thrice: Shiva alone as Shirdi Sai Baba, Shiva and Shakti together at
Puttaparthi as Sathya Sai Baba and Shakti alone as Prema Sai, later.
Then Shiva remembered the illness that had suddenly come upon
Bharadwaja at Kailasa on the eighth day of the waiting in the cold on
the ice. He gave another assurance: "As expiation for the neglect
which Shakti showed you at Kailasa for eight days, this Shakti will suffer
the stroke for eight days, when we both take birth as Sathya Sai and
Shakti; on the 8th day, I shall relieve her from all signs of the disease
by sprinkling water, just as I did at Kailasa to cure your illness."
It was the working out of this assurance that you witnessed today, just
now. This had to happen, this stroke and the cure. The assurance given
in the Silver Age had to be honoured. I may tell you now that the
poor forlorn devotee who had to get the stroke which I took over, was
a convenient excuse, which was utilised. You see, a railway engine is
not made available to haul just one bogey; they wait until a number of
bogeys are to be taken along and then, they put the engine into action.
So too, the disease had to be gone through, the devotee bad to be
saved, the assurance to be carried out, the mystery had to be cleared,
the Divinity had to be more clearly announced by the manifestation of
this grand miracle. All these were accomplished by this one incident.
Let me tell you one more thing: Nothing can impede or halt the work
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of this Avatar. When I was upstairs all these days, some people foolishly
went about saying: "It is all over with Sai Baba" and they turned back
many who were coming to Puttaparti! Some said I was in contemplation
(samadhi), as if I am a aspirant! Some feared I was the victim of black
magic, as if anything can affect me! The splendour of this Avatar will
go on increasing, day by day. Formerly, when the Govardhana was
raised aloft by the little boy Krishna, his devotees (gopi) realized that
Krishna was the Lord. Now, it is not one mountain, a whole range will
be lifted, you will see! Have patience, have faith. 6.7.63, (17-20/25)
Yesterday, when I came into the hall, I could see the agony you all felt.
That was because you identified me with this body, that was having the
illness. If you had known my truth, you would not have been sad. In
fact, if you had known your truth, that would be enough. The illness
came and went; I was its master, throughout. One day, when it
reached its climax, I was watching its behaviour and directing it to finish
its duty. For I had taken it on myself and so, I must allow it to do its
duty! All kinds of silly stories were circulated when I was ill! (...)
The true devotee will discard all such news. For the devotee here, the
eight days were days of intense spiritual discipline; they had no other
thought than of Sai. (...)
Using the chance to demonstrate to a doubting world the Divinity inherent
in this human form, I told you yesterday that even this lucky devotee
was just an instrument to work out the promise made in the past
to the sage Bharadwaja; it served to announce my real nature to you
all. You are indeed fortunate that you could witness on the sacred
Guru Purnima Day this magnificent proof of my Divinity. 7.7.63, (17-
26+28)
Some of you may ask why there should be a hospital at all, here! Why
should not Sathya Sai Baba cure diseases by an exercise of his will,
that is the question. Well, for one thing, this Hospital is not my only hospital.
Hanumantha Rao has a hospital in Madras where disabled children
are treated and trained to be useful and self-respecting individuals.
That too is my hospital. In fact, all hospitals everywhere are mine.
I visit them all. Why, all those who call out from their hearts for succour,
in whatever language, from whatever clime, whether from hospitals or
homes, are mine. Do not confine me to these few acres round the
Prasanthi Nilayarn. Wherever a person craving for Prasanthi lives and
prays, there a Prasanthi Nilayarn exists. (...)
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Earn Divine grace, that is the crucial gain. The hospitals can be closed,
especially if the spiritual discipline used for gaining the grace of God
or results in simple lives, spent in contentment and undisturbed calm.
18.10.63, (17-82/83)
I am surprised that you read out a welcome address to me and extolled
me as “Embodiment of wisdom”, “Embodiment of love”, etc. I must tell
you that I am no stranger and therefore need no welcome. I am no
stranger anywhere, much less here, of all places where I took birth. I
belong to you; I am very near to you. Besides, I do not like this praise,
for praise places you at some distance, whereas I take delight in being
with you, beside you, around you. No father likes his children to praise
him! No son approachest hes father with a welcome address, in which
his scholarship, wealth, strength, virtues are listed and extolled. Kinship
evokes kindliness; there is no need or chance for formal ceremonial
behaviour. (...)
You gave me this garland of flowers when I came; but, I would have
been glad if you, every one of you, had become a fragrant flower, free
from insect pests of vice and wickedness, strung on the thread of devotion
to God. That means, you must be united and of one mind, free
from hatred and spite, factionalism and greed. 20.10.63, (17-85/86)
You do not now realise your good luck in getting me as Guide. I shall
not rest until I reform all of you. The basement for my work has been
completed: now, the structure will rise upon it. I go round the whole
world alone, with no paraphernalia and no publicity, because I am established
in my own glory, in my own truth. I have atmic relationship
with all, and so I am always successful. 22.10.63, (17-99)
I live on the bliss that you derive when you sing the name and glorify
the form of the Lord. That is my food, my daily sustenance. So, I have
no need to talk to you; it is sufficient if I sit here and draw in the bliss
that you feel when you are singing the glory of God. 6.12.63, (17-125)
Krishna was the Avatar (Incarnation of Vishnu) come to destroy evil;
but now, the evil is not identifiable in certain persons alone; it is widespread.
The scorpion has poison only in its tail; the cobra only in its
fangs; but, man has poison all over! He has in his eye, his tongue, his
mind, his intelligence, his gait, his brain - everywhere. You may ask:
“O when will this poison be counteracted and destroyed?” It will disap-
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pear, do not doubt it. That is the very purpose for which I have come.
Bring your “flower of the heart” to me, rid of all the pests that infest it,
the six enemies of man - desire, anger, etc. 14.1.64, (17-153/154)
The space encased in the pot must become one with the space that
traverses the entire universe, by the negation of the cause, which is
just an artificial creation of the deluded mind. That attachment must
disappear; that inferior status of manhood that now satisfies must give
place to the status of reality of God which is the genuine status. That
is the task for which Sai is calling you; that is the work for which I have
come. A judge may, while at home, play with his grandchild and bend
on all fours for the little fellow to mount his back and then he may crawl
on the floor when the child cries "Holla"; but, all the while his status as
a judge does not suffer diminution, nor does he forget it. So, you too
must always be conscious of the high calling on which you have come;
you should not disgrace it by any mean or meaningless act or word or
thought. I am come to give you the courage to conceive yourself as the
Divine you really are; to give you the intellectual power to grasp the reality.
That alone can destroy the delusion born of ignorance.
Step by step, you reach the end of the road. One act followed by another
leads to a good habit. Listening, listening, you get prodded into
action. Resolve to act, to mix only in good company, to read only elevating
books, to form the habit of remembering the Lord's name and,
then ignorance will vanish automatically. The Divine bliss that will well
up within you by the contemplation of bliss personified will drive out all
grief, all worry. (...)
Move forward towards the light and the shadow falls behind; you move
away from it and you have to follow your own shadow. Go every moment
one step nearer to the Lord and then, illusion, the shadow, will
fall back and will not delude you at all. Be steady; be resolved. (...)
I have come to reform you: I won't leave you until I do that. Even if you
get away before I do that, do not think you can escape me; I will hold
on to you. I am not worried if you leave me, for I am not anxious that
there should be a huge gathering here, around me. Who invited you
all here? There was not even a little notice in print, but yet you have
come here in thousands. You attach yourselves to me. I am unattached.
I am attached only to the task for which I have come.
But, of one thing, be assured. Whether you come to me or not, you are
all mine. This mother of all has the love of a thousand mothers towards
her children; that is why I do so much fondling and so much protecting.
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Whenever I appear to be angry, remember, it is only love in another
form. For, I have not even an atom of anger in me; I just evince my disappointment
that you do not shape as I direct. When I direct you along
a line of action, reflect on my advice; you have full liberty to do so; in
fact, I shall be happy if you do so; I do not like slavish obedience. If you
feel that it will help you to reach the goal, follow it; if not, go to some
other place; but, let me tell you one thing: Wherever you go, you meet
only me. I am everywhere. (...)
So too, you cannot run away from me. I will demand good conduct,
good habits, good thoughts, good company, wherever you go seeking
for refuge! And what reason have you to leave? Only those who ignore
the joy, the consolation, the courage, the love and the blessing they
have received here, will do so. Only those who believe the ear and not
the eye, will do so.
In a short time, you will be witnessing the emergence of the linga that
is formed within; the auspicious time for the emergence for the linga is
approaching; you see it and you receive the blessings; but, yet, there
will be some among you who will doubt it and deny it. That is the karma
of such; what else can they do? (Here, Baba stopped the discourse;
the movements started, first in the region of the abdomen, then the
chest and the throat; Baba swayed from the side; leaned on the table;
drank water; and finally, after about twenty minutes, an eggshaped
pink linga emerged from his mouth holding it between the thumb and
forefinger of his fight hand, Baba discoursed further about it).
Ah! This is the Brahmanda Linga! Symbol of the universe. Inside it, the
nine planets evolve; the entire universe is represented herein, all the
planets and their satellites, the primal fire, the clouds of primal dust,
and over the egg, there is an eye imprinted, the eye of the One Eternal
Witness. You are indeed blessed, the merit of many births has brought
you here to see the great phenomena, this rare creation. Years of worship,
or ritualistic vows and fasts, may not give this unique chance
which you now have had, remember. Use this good luck to hear good
Godly advice, to select good company and to strive more earnestly to
reach the goal. 11.2.64, (17-164/168)
You might ask me to speak about my own mystery. It is not easy to understand
it. When you have the chance, gather all the joy you can.
There is no use bolting the door after the thieves have robbed and fled.
Seize the chance and do not repent later that you missed the opportunity.
Remember, you have to come to me, if not in this birth, at least
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within ten more births! Strive to acquire grace; grace is the reward for
spiritual discipline; the highest spiritual discipline is to follow the instructions
of the master. 12.2.64, (17-170/171)
I am not attracted by learning or scholarship, which do not lead anywhere
except towards egoism and pride. I am drawn only by devotion.
Bring to me whatever troubles you have; I shall take them on and give
you bliss. When I like my devotees, I like their faults too, though some
here turn up their noses and laugh at the peculiar follies and foibles of
people who come from all the various states. I am drawn by the love
which brings you here from long distances through great difficulties,
which makes you happy in spite of the want of the comforts to which
you are accustomed, which makes you put up with the life under the
trees or in the open sheds.
I know that you do not go to the old temple in the village, for as you
say, from there you cannot see me whenever I happen to pass from
this side of the building to the other! I am here since three hours and
you are having sight of me (darshan) so long; but, yet, as soon as I go
up into my room, you rush to the Nilayam to get another sight of me,
as I come out into the verandah! What greater sign of devotion is needed
than this yearning for sight of God?
But, this love alone is not enough. It fact, it does not mean much at all.
What is wanted is the regulation of that love, in the form of virtue and
service. If you achieve that, then there is none to equal you, in this age.
As the seed, so the sapling; as the status, so the behaviour; as the
teacher, so the student; as the food, so the belch. Here, calmness and
love form the atmosphere, and silence is the discipline. Do not criticise
others; criticise yourselves rather. 3.2.64, (17-174)
There are many attempts to construct temples for me; and people go
about collecting donations for the same. I do not like this enthusiasm.
Worship in any temple, any form under any name. You neglect the ancient
temples of your town, and start building new ones. And, very
soon, the new one too will be neglected, when you discover reasons
for building newer ones. (...)
Make your house itself a temple; meditate in your own shrineroom.
Sing hymn of praise in your own home; above all, be an example to
others by means of sweet speech, humility, reverence to elders, truthfulness,
faith and steadfastness. That way you will bring more into the
fold of theism than by establishing societies, collecting donations and
running temples.
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The Lord looks for sincerity, simplicity and steady joy in the contemplation
of his name and form. 19.8.64, (18-99)
But, I never care for praise or blame; I just discard both. I am ever intent
on the task for which I have come, the laying down the path of
truth, of righteousness and the spread of the knowledge and practice
of spiritual discipline.
The Prasanthi activities are just one of the instruments for this task: the
task of making the Iron Age, a Golden Age. Stage by stage as the task
unfolds, the sound of detractors will also cease; when fully fried, the
evil will make no further noise. 10.10.64, (18-123/124)
Some of you may imagine that it is a source of joy for the Lord to take
a human form. If you are in this state, you will not feel so. I am always
aware of the future, the past as well as the present of every one of you.
So, I am not moved so much by pity. Not that I am hardhearted, or that
I have no pity. If you bolt the doors fast, how can the rays of my grace
be available to you? "Swami," you cry, "I have no eyes; I am yearning
to see you. Won't your heart melt at my plight?" Of course, this pitiable
condition melts your hearts; will it not melt mine? But, since I know the
past, the background, my reaction is different. If only you knew, you
too will react differently. It is the consequence of evil, deliberately done
in previous births, and so, I have to allow the suffering to continue,
modified, often by some little compensation. I do not cause either joy
or grief; you are the designer of both the chains that bind you.
Remove the weight from your head by transferring all burdens to the
Lord; leave everything to his will, his law. Feed your mind with sweet
and wholesome food - company of the holy, speaking of God, thinking
of the Lord of the universe; then you are full of joy. I am of the nature
of bliss; come and take bliss from me and returning to your avocations,
dwell on that bliss and be full of peace. 26.11.64, (18-178/179)
The decline of righteousness is so acute a tragedy; the intensity of affection
that the Lord has for good men is so great that he himself
comes. The Lord is love itself. He comes in human form so that you
can talk to him, move with him, serve him, adore him, and achieve him,
so that you can recognise your kinship with him.
People who discard the precious wisdom of the past are doomed to
disaster. That is why, when people started decrying and disregarding
the Vedas and Shastras, they started to decline in morality and
strength, courage and confidence. 13.12.64, (18-202/203)
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Some people remark that Ramakrishna Paramahamsa said that supernatural
power are obstructions in the path of the spiritual aspirant.
Of course they are; he may be led astray by this power; he has to keep
straight on without being involved in them. His ego will increase if he
yields to the temptation of demonstrating his supernatural power. This
correct advice, which every aspirant should heed.
The mistake lies in equating me with the aspirant whom Ramakrishna
wanted to help, guide and warn. This is merely the nature of Avatar:
the creation of things, ab initio, with intent to protect, guard and give
joy, a creation that is spontaneous and lasting. Creation, preservation
and dissolution - these three, only the Almighty can accomplish; no
one else can. Cynics carp without knowledge. If they learn the Shastras,
they can understand me, or they should cultivate direct experience.
Your innate laziness prevents you from the spiritual exercises necessary
to discover the nature of Godhead. The guru says: "Through activity,
clarify your intellect." The disciple is lazy; he prefers meditation,
sitting quiet in one place. After a few attempts, he asks that some other
path be laid down for him. The laziness should go out of man's nature,
in whatever shape it appears. That is my mission. This is the first step
in converting man into God.
God alone is eternal, man is a momentary flash, a tiny wavelet, that rises
and falls. So, fill yourselves with vast thoughts, magnificent ideas,
indefinable splendour, by reciting the names of God, names that describe
him to your receptive consciousness. That is the main discipline
for this age. 13.12.64, (18-208/209)
Have faith in the ocean, not the wave; believe in the Lord, not in little
things. But, the tragedy is, you put your trust in little men, in wicked
men, in men who you know are vicious and greedy; but you hesitate
when asked to put faith in the Lord, who is more merciful than any father,
more loving than any mother, more powerful than any earthly authority,
more considerate than any kinsman. You do not doubt each
other; but you develop doubt regarding God. Even laymen talk long
and loud when the topic for discussion is “God!” No one asks them
their credentials. 17.12.64, (18-220)
You must have observed that I do not mention in any place for your
worshipping Sai Baba. On the other hand, I strongly discourage attempts
to build temples in my name. I ask you, instead, to renovate and
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utilise the temples existing all over the country. This "Temple construction
scheme" has become a profitable spiritual business. People go
about with lists of likely victims and squeeze donations out of them in
my name. In this business, a great deal of backbiting, malice, envy and
greed are generated and it ends with factions blaming each other in
every place. Why go about doing Meher or Haranath publicity? Pushing
your master's name forward easily degenerates into tarnishing the
name of the other man's guru or God and this leads to defaming both
master and disciple.
Do not believe if any one comes to you and declares: "Sathya Sai Baba
came to me in my dream and commissioned me to do publicity for him.
Please help me as far as you can". I do not commission any one for
such work, either in dream or while he is awake. Such men are cheats;
treat them as such, without mercy. There are others who show you
something and say: "Sathya Sai Baba likes me a lot; he gave me this,"
and then, they beg for help. This is an insult to the Divine principle itself.
26.3.65, (18-327/328)
The beaming joy on the faces of this vast multitude is the food that I
live upon; I am refreshed when you are happy and content. My thirst
is quenched by the joy which lights up your eyes. Your bliss is my food.
I do not feel like talking to you at all, for I desire only to communicate
to you my joy and to get into communion with your joy. This mutual fulfillment
is the essential thing; talking and listening are subsidiary.
26.3.65, (18-332)
Indescribable joy and glory come within the reach of man when the
Universal Immanent Principle decides to assume human form. You
are all standing in the scorching sun for hours and so, you can realise
what it is to be offered a cool drink when you get parched in the heat.
The Avatar comes to offer this cool comforting drink to parched humanity.
Mere repetition of the words, truth, righteousness, peace and
love will not quench the thirst; the words rice, curry and soup will not
satisfy hunger. How can you get bliss from words? Practice them, that
is the message that the Avatar brings, with all the authority that it can
wield. What you have heard and seen must be spoken out, without exaggeration
or abridgement; that is truth or truth-speaking. Of course,
when the mind is controlled, the intelligence is sharpened and purified;
you see only the one everywhere, in everything, at all times; then that
one becomes the only truth, which you see, hear and speak of - for,
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there is nothing else to see or hear. There is no duty higher than truth.
(...)
Along the lines already familiar to you, continue the worship of the God
of your choice; then you will find that you are coming nearer and nearer
to me; for, all names are mine and all forms are mine. There is no need
to change, after you have seen me and heard me. That is what I wanted
to tell you, since the Shastras spoke to you of Avatars and their significance.
29.3.65, (18-357/358)
God takes human form when the godliness that is inherent in man is
submerged, when the moral code and the spiritual discipline that have
been prescribed by the experience of godly seekers are neglected,
when man slides into beast from which he rose and becomes a terror
to his fellow man. (...)
The stars under which these two Incarnations of God descended on
earth are also significant. When Avatars come, they choose the time
and place, clan and the family, and they decide and bring comrades
and co-workers. 19.8.65, (19-36/37)
I know many are puzzled by my practice of listening to your wants,
wishes and desires, calling you individually and spending long hours
with you to satisfy you and to speak to you on these earthly demands.
They say, no Avatar has done this before; it is like catering to worldly
things; people come with all kinds of worldly desires and every one is
welcomed with sympathy and love. But, I alone know the basic thirst
which expresses itself in these desires and wants, the fundamental
discontent.
It is always preferable to approach God for the fulfillment of wants,
rather than cringe before men, who themselves are but tools in the
hands of God. In his own silent way, God will transform the mind and
turn it towards spiritual discipline and successful spiritual pilgrimage.
He cannot allow his children to lose their way and suffer in the jungle.
When you approach God and seek his help and guidance, you have
taken the first step to save yourself. You are then led to accept his will
as your own. Thus, you achieve peace. (...)
Do not be under the impression that all these people come to me seeking
worldly favours 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 spiritual discipline. They are full of love
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for the Divine principle and the Divine is full of love towards them. It is
a question of love responding to love; love which is saturated with
truth. 1.10.65, (19-77/78)
When men degrade themselves and behave worse than the beasts
from which those rose, the Avatar takes place and God moves among
men, warning, exhorting, revealing, encouraging, inspiring, illumining
and leading man towards his destiny. Krishna served as the charioteer
for Arjuna, for the Avatar utilises every chance to uplift man and teach
him the mastery of his impulses and instincts and even of his intelligence.
Krishna told Arjuna: “I have decided to assume a part in the
conduct of your war with the Kauravas.” I too have decided upon a big
task and these “Meetings of Veda scholars” at Prashanthi are the instruments
I have chosen for it. 22.10.66, (19-278)
This love is my distinctive mark, not the creation of material objects or
of health and happiness, by sheer exercise of will. You might consider
what you call “miracles” as the most direct sign of Divinity; but, the love
that welcomes you all, that blesses all, that makes me rush to the presence
of the seekers, the suffering and the distressed in distant lands
or wherever they are, that is the real sign! It is that which declares that
I am Sathya Sai Baba. For me, every day is a festival day, for my love
is showered everyday! 5.10.67, (20-91/92)
The way in which the Avatar has to be used for one's liberation and uplift
is this: Watch his every step, observe his actions and activities, follow
the guiding principle of which his life is an elaboration. Note his
love, his compassion, his wisdom and try to bring them into your own
life. Man has become artificial, crooked, twisted out of his normal
shape. He has left behind the simple natural ways and made his mind
a store-room for ideas, worries, anxieties and terrors. He could liven
very much less, with much greater joy for himself and others. If only he
remembered that he is a treasure chest with Divine spark in it he would
be more loving and more useful.
God incarnates for the revival of righteousness which includes morality,
truth, virtue, love and a host of other qualities that uphold the communities
of men as well as the individual. The other purposes usually
given, such as serving the devoted, destroying the wicked, re-establishing
the sacred tradition - these are all secondary. For, he who is
righteous will be guarded from harm by righteousness itself, he who is
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unrighteous will fall into disaster through the evil that he perpetrates.
The one task includes all else.
I shall fulfil that task, whatever the comments that others may make.
Comment is a natural corollary. I do not pay any attention to it; nor
should you. The higher the hill, the deeper the valley. Praise or blame
will not affect me in the least. The unshakeable foundation on which
my work is proceeding is bliss. I cannot be moved away from it by any
one, at any time. (...)
Dedicate your heart to God; God will be one with you, the heart of your
heart. Do not exaggerate the creation and the manifestation of the linga;
it is only the manifestation of an atom of my majesty. In me, who
can create worlds, and fill the universe, there are things more worthy
of adoration; universal love, the teaching of virtue, the revival of the
Vedas, the fostering of the good, the benediction on spiritual aspirants.
26.2.68, (20-122/123)
Do not go about proclaiming that you are a sect distinct and separate
from those who adore God in other forms and names. Doing so you
limit the very God whom you extol. Do not proclaim in your enthusiasm:
"We want only Sai; we are not concerned with the rest." You must convince
yourselves that all forms are Sai's; all names are Sai's. There is
no “rest”; all are He.
You must have noticed that I do not speak about Sai in my discourses,
nor do I sing of Sai during the hymn 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 publicised. I have not come to initiate 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 Service Organization members should not encourage discord and
distinctions; they must adore the One, appearing as many, the basic
Divine, which illumines all the bulbs.
I have not the slightest intention of utilising the Service Organization
for propagating my name or canvasing homage for my name. No! I am
content only when spiritual endeavours and disciplines to elevate and
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purify man are progressing everywhere. It is only through these that
my universal reality will be revealed. So, do not limit me to the boundaries
of any one name and form. Your aim should be to see the selfsame
God in all the forms that are worshipped, to picture him in all the
names, nay, to be conscious of his presence as the inner motivator of
every living being, in every particle of matter. Do not fall into the error
of considering some to be men worthy of reverence and some unworthy.
Sai is in every one; so, all deserve your reverence and service.
Propagate this truth; that is the function I assign to the Sathya Sai
Service members.
You can observe me and my activities; note how I adhere to righteousness,
moral order, truth and universal compassion. That is what I desire
you to learn from me. Many of you plead for a “Message” from me,
to take to the group. Well, my life is my message. You will be adhering
to my message if you so live that your lives are evidence of the dispassionate
quiet, the courage, the confidence, the eagerness to serve
those who are in distress, that my life inspires you with. God is immanent
in the world. (...)
Take my example: praise and calumny have accompanied me
throughout the Ages. (...)
Opposition and obstacles only tend to highlight the good and strengthen
resolve. (...) This Sai Rama, too, has that Age old accompaniment.
Now too, their brood is evident. On one side adoration and homage are
piling high into a peak, on the other, abjuration and slander are also
peak high. Standing between them, I bless them both, with lifted
hands, for I am not elated by one or depressed by the other. For, the
traducers will be rewarded with the crown they deserve; I will be
crowned with my own glory.
Of what avail is it if you simply worship my name and form, without attempting
to cultivate the equal love for all that I have, my unruffled
equanimity, my love, my patience and fortitude, my ever-blissful nature?
You elaborate in your lectures the unique powers of Sai, the incidents
that are described as miracles in books written on me by some
persons. But I request you not to attach importance to these. Do not
exaggerate their significance; the most significant and important power
is, let me tell you, my love. I may turn the sky into earth, or earth into
sky; but that is not the sign of Divine might. It is the love, the effective
Universal, everpresent, that is the unique sign.
When you attempt to cultivate and propagate this love and this fortitude,
trouble and travail will dog your steps. You must welcome them
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for without them, the best in you cannot be drawn out. If gold was as
plentiful as dust or diamonds as easily available as pebbles, no one
would care for them. They are won after enormous exertion and expense;
therefore they are eagerly sought after.
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 has held
of devoted persons, 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 you 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
aware of the bliss showered by the Divine principle, which has
taken upon itself this sacred body and this sacred name. Your good
fortune which provides you with this opportunity is greater than what
was available for anchorites, monks, sages, saints and even personalities
embodying every 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 endeavour to overcome the delusion that hides it
from your eyes.
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. 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 dock, one
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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 form,
which is all forms of all Gods now, in this life itself.
Let me draw your attention to another fact. On previous occasions
when God incarnated on earth, the bliss of recognising him in the incarnation
was vouchsafed only after the physical embodiment had left
the world, in spite of plenty of evidence 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 Sathya Sai Baba; 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
the spiritual law and righteousness to its genuine and natural status,
the spiritual law laid down in the Vedas for the good of all the peoples
of the world. The revival of Veda teaching is the resolve of Sai not
merely drawing people towards me, attracting them by the manifestation
of my power and capability. This is not a phenomenon of delusion.
This phenomenon will sustain truth, it will uproot untruth, and in that
victory make all of you exult in ecstasy. This is the Sai sankalpa.
Some persons, even those who have reached a certain stage of leadership
and authority, have started exchanging the Veda formulae and
the principles of Indian culture for lucre, selling them, in fact; and Westerners
too are inclined to purchase them! These truths and discoveries
are not merchandise to be sold and bought. (...)
So utilise the chance of association with me as much as possible, and
endeavour as quickly and as best as you can, to follow the directions
that I have been giving. Obeying my instructions is enough; it will benefit
you more than the most rigorous asceticism. Practice truth, righteousness,
peace and love, which are dear to me; resolve to keep
those ideals before you ever, in all your thoughts, words and deeds.
That can confer on you the summum bonum of mergence in the Supreme
substance of Divinity. 17.5.68, (20-222/229)
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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 righteousness, like the Hindu religion. 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 Divine principle, this path of love, this
law of love, this duty of love, this obligation to love. 4.7.68, (20-245/
246)
Do not hope to come nearer to me by such means. I have no sense of
distinction between devotees who worship this form or that. All can
come near, all who crave for heat and light. The heat of this splendour
will destroy the chill of sensual pleasure; the light will scatter the darkness
of Ages. Cultivate 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 for me. (...)
Let me make another point. Do not delay any more; take hold of this
unique chance, even while you can. Ask me about the spiritual discipline
you should adopt for your liberation; begin practising from this
day. Later, it may be difficult to approach me and ask me. For, people
are coming towards me in unending streams, and you may have to
take sight of me from miles away! This is bound to grow into a Worldtree,
that casts shade and shelter on all. This form has 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 Age, 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 of a sudden, to chastise and to warn. I shall scorch the
wrongdoer for his wrong and soothe the virtuous for his righteousness.
Justice shall be meted out to all. (...)
Discard through spiritual discipline the attachment to individuality, to
sense pleasures; welcome through spiritual practice, the aspiration to
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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 spiritual discipline. (...)
Consider all your acts as worship. Duty is God; work is worship. Whatever
happens, accept it gladly as his handiwork, a sign of his compassion.
(...)
Who are you to pass judgement on their validity or value? I do not like
group singing that promotes rivalry, or envy or egoism or that emanates
from intolerance. I appreciate and reward humility, fortitude,
sympathy, service, brotherliness, and constant remembrance of God
or goodness. When you yearn to have my picture on your heart, you
must turn the lens of the camera towards me. Turn your intellect, your
emotions, your feelings, your activities towards me, then certainly, my
picture will be imprinted on your heart. If your lens is facing the world
and worldly things, how can it be imprinted upon your heart? 18.8.68,
(20-283/287)
I am telling you this, because it is a forecast of what you can expect in
the coming days. I have been declaring for six or seven years that the
day when millions will gather to benefit from the Avatar is fast coming;
I am advising you to garner and treasure all the grace and all the bliss
you can, while you may, so that you can sustain yourselves ruminating
on the sweetness of the memories and the experience.
If you live on the level of the body and the individual, you will be entangled
in food, fun and frolic, in ease, envy and pride. Forget it, ignore
it, overcome it - you will have peace, joy and calm. In the Divine path,
there is no chance of failure; it is the path of love. 8.4.72, (22-114)
In order that you may attain the only goal of human life, namely, realising
the Divine and becoming Divine, the Eternal has limited itself and
come in this human form. It will reveal the ideals again, and re-establish
it among all men. Of course, it is difficult for those who are unacquainted
with the scriptures to grasp the mystery of this advent.
23.11.68, (20-354)
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It has been suggested in a letter that, just as there are some days
which are celebrated all over the world as holy days, my birthday must
be on all-world holy day; I have been asked to bless this plan of making
it a day of Sathya Divine Ceremony, the world over. I appreciate this
attachment and devotion, but I do not encourage this adoration of just
one name and one form, or even, my present name and my present
form.
I have no wish to draw people towards me, away from the worship of
my other names and forms. You may infer from what you call my miracles,
that I am working them to attract and to attach you to me, and
me alone. They are not intended to demonstrate or publicise; they are
merely spontaneous and concomitant proofs of Divine majesty. I am
yours; you are mine, for ever and ever. What need is there for attracting
and impressing, for demonstrating your love or my compassion? I
am in you; you are in me. There is no distance or distinction. 23.11.68,
(20-361)
A word spoken in love is balm to the tired foot. You come to Prashanti
Nilayam, by road, rail or bus; you walk into the garden, exhausted and
eager. I ask from the verandah: “O, when did you arrive?” Others may
doubt, why is Baba asking this question? “Does he not know? Surely,
he must know all about him and us. Why then this query?” But you, to
whom this question is put, you are elated that Baba spoke to you, as
soon as I walked in! I seek to give you joy and so, though I know, I ask
such questions; if I do not ask, but keep quiet, you feel forlorn and frustrated,
don't you? You know that I am asking you, not for the sake of
the answer which I am already aware of, but for the sake of the satisfaction
my words give you. So also, I may ask: “How are you?”, though
I know that you are well and that is why you could come or that you
are unwell and that is the very reason that has brought you to me! This
is the spirit that charms; if it speaks, if it casts its eye, if it does something,
you derive pleasure thereby! 18.7.70, (21-174/175)
The devotee decides the form which God takes, in order to instal himself
in the heart that is cleansed by devotion. Mere formal worship or
mumbling of hymns or mechanical routine performance of rituals cannot
induce God to reside in the heart. Such a heart is encumbered by
trivia, by lumber, by cobwebs and impediments. I am not enamoured
of the devotion that desires to show off, to impress others of its depth!
I do not appreciate pompous parading of devotion; I appreciate devotion
that is too deep for words and too intense to care for publicity. (...)
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Do not bewail and say: “I love God, but he does not reciprocate.” God
resounds, reacts, reflects. He gives you back ten times the love that
you offer him. Yearn, dedicate, surrender. Keep steadily on, do not
move forward two steps today and retrace them tomorrow. The ants,
poor little weak things, they move one behind the other in an unbroken
stream, conscious of the goal and of nothing else, overcoming obstacles
that come in the way. Ridicule and contempt must be met with joyous
unconcern. Even Avatars have not been free from such feeble tactics
from small men. (...)
I am not enamoured of scholarship or of boasts that one has read the
Bhagavadgita a hundred times. Observing the daily practice of one
verse is far more important for progress. The barber can shave hair off
the head for an anna and the ochre robe is easy to procure and wear.
(...)
I find some people breaking coconuts before Prashanti Nilayam, disturbing
the silence by the bang! I do not know what benefit they get,
except getting the coconut for the chutney they make for lunch!
I have come for the restoration of righteousness, the right that sustains
the earth, that ensures peace among men and among the nations. Live
in righteousness, promote righteousness by your acts, thoughts and
words - that is the worship I appreciate, for that is paying reverence to
the task which I have set before myself. Foster righteousness, feed
righteousness, fertilise righteousness, encourage righteousness - it is
my work and I will be pleased.
Since I have the responsibility to correct you and lead you into the right
path, I advise you against “the evil of the eye”; do not relish ugly, vulgar,
demeaning, degrading sights, sights such as the horrid film posters
that are paraded in all city squares to draw you into vice and crime.
You must also avoid the “evil of the ear”; relishing scandal, blasphemy,
tidings of hate and greed, talk by the godless and the wicked, who
have no love in their hearts and brotherliness in their deeds. Be guarded
against the “evil of the tongue”; “evil of the mind”, and “evil of the
hand” - that is to say, desist from words that injure another's reputation,
harm his interests, and cause another pain; desist from evil emotions
and passions; keep away from bad deeds. It is only when these evils
are absent that meditation on your ideal can succeed. Any trace of
these will tarnish the mind and create turmoil and turbulence.
Do all acts as offerings to God; do not classify some as “my work” and
some as “his work”. All work is his; he inspires, he helps, he executes,
he enjoys, he is pleased, he reaps, he sowed. He alone exists, for, all
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this manifoldness is but he, seen through the mirror of nature! Everything
is for the attainment of the Supreme, to be utilised for that high
purpose. Nothing is to be used as itself, for itself. For Sai devotees, this
is the only proper way of life. No no object; all only objectives. And, the
objective is realising the reality that is, the Atman, God! 18.7.70, (21-
276/279)
The snows on the mountain peaks soften during the day, as a result
of the sun: they harden during the night, since the sun is absent. So
too, your heart hardens me: your soft hearts soften me. Understand
this: Each of you knows the love of a single mother only. But my affection,
my Love towards each one of you is that of a thousand mothers!
Do not deny yourself that affection, that love, by denying me your love!
4.10.70, (21-298)
It is impossible for any one to understand or explain the meaning and
significance of Sai. There can be no possible means of approach to
this manifestation, from the stage which you can attain. This is an incarnation,
an embodiment, which is beyond any one's comprehension.
Trying to explain me would be as futile as the attempt of a person who
does not know the alphabet to read a learned volume, or the attempt
to pour the ocean into a tiny waterway. You can at best only prepare
yourself to receive and benefit by the bliss I confer, the bliss I grant.
You too have the Sai principle in you, but the difference is a matter of
voltage. You have bulbs of zero watt power, and bulbs of vast quantities
of wattage giving enormous light. The same electric current passes
through them no doubt, but, how incomprehensible must be the Supreme
for the “molecule”. (...)
Do not have low desires and seek low deities that cater to the fulfillment
of these. Yearn for the highest wisdom, the highest bliss, the
highest power, the Atman. Yearn for nothing less than the Highest;
pray to the sovereign giver. Believe that Sathya Sai Baba is in your
heart, as your Atman, unshakable, full of love. 9.10.70, (21-325/326)
You have to outgrow the idol, picture and image; they are the kindergarten
materials in spiritual schools; seek to know the Divine energy,
that is burdened with no name and no form. Rise higher into the empyrean
heights of the pure attributeless transcendent One.
I shall not change my course even by a hair's breadth, as a result of
what people may say about me. I am not afraid of any one or thing.
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Truth has no fear; untruth shivers at every shadow. This body of mine
is named Sathya (truth); the principle that is in this body is also truth.
Truth enclosed in truth has been rendered the truth of truth. This form
has been assumed, in order to lead mankind from untruth to truth.
I eat as you do, move about as you do, talk in your language, and behave
as you can recognise and understand, for your sake - not for my
sake! I turn you towards the Divine, winning your confidence, your
love, your submission, by being among you, as one of yourselves, one
whom you can see, listen to, speak to, touch and treat with reverence
and devotion. My plan is to transmute you into seekers of truth. I am
present everywhere at all times; my will must prevail over every obstacle;
I am aware of the past, present and future, of your innermost
thought and carefully guarded secrets. (...)
I do not manifest these powers in any capricious manner or merely for
display. For, I am an example and an inspiration, whatever I do or omit
to do. My life is a commentary on my message. (...)
Again, I am active and busy all the twenty-four hours of the day. Every
day, the mail brings me thousands of letters, and you hand over to me
personally hundreds more. Yet, I do not take the help of any one else,
even to open the envelopes. For, you write to me intimate details of
your personal problems, believing that I alone will read them and having
implicit confidence in me. You write each one only a single letter;
that makes for me a huge bundle a day; and I have to go through all
of them. You may ask, how I manage it? Well, I do not waste a single
moment.
And, all this I do, not for personal gain, but only because I have come
for your sake. I never seek another's help; I offer help, never receive
it. My hand always gives; it never takes. Conclude from this that this
must be Divine, not human power.
Some of you may be wondering: “How does Swami arrange these
elaborate festivals and functions? Whom does he charge with the various
items of work?” I do not allot work to this person or that, or consult
any one for ideas and suggestions. All this is done by the Divine will,
operating through the force of love. For example, though there are
thousands gathered here, absolute silence prevails. Under what compulsion?
Only the compulsion of love. In other places, where a hundred
people collect, a hundred and fifty constables are present to keep
them quiet! Here, there is no need for any one to see that silence is
maintained. For, here God is the master, and creation dances in joy.
There is no third entity here. Only living beings and causality are here.
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A glance from the corner of the eye is enough to get things going towards
successful conclusion. Love activates, love fulfils. (...)
Go straight along the true path; be not drawn into byelanes, by quacks
and crooks. Some happenings in Madras and in Mysore are to be
drastically condemned. I know there are some who proclaim: "Devotees
have grown out of all proportion in these parts and so, Baba has
allotted this region to me and directed me to take up the work of teaching
and guiding you; so, admire my acts and adore me". I never allot
in this manner, nor do I hand over powers to any one, nor can such low
minds deserve my grace. No, never. For me who has the burden of the
one stupidity which swallows such absurdities and flocks round these
pitiable quacks. They could carry a begging bowl and go from door to
door, that will save them from at least the consequences of a life of deceit
and sacrilege.
Do not lend ear to such and be led astray. Carry on spiritual discipline
for your elevation, from one stage to another. God himself will be your
guru from within. (...)
Do not proclaim that this name of God is superior or more efficacious
than the other. To assert that Rama is superior or that Shiva is superior,
or even that Sathya Sai Baba is the Avatar that is the fullest of all
- all this only reveals that you have not understood what Divinity is. (...)
How can faction arise when each name is so resonant with the lesson
of the unity of all names?
Some persons pray to me: "Swami! All my people go on pilgrimage to
Tirupati; why don't you turn their minds and make them come to you?"
What on absurd question? What colossal ignorance of my reality as
well as of the manifold majesty of God! Cleanse your minds of evil
thoughts. (...)
Carry on the duties of the position in which you are as if they are the
dictates of God. Every act that you dedicate to me reaches me. Do not
grieve that you are not able to come to Puttaparti to have sight of me.
Offer me the homage of prostration wherever you are; it reaches me
at the same time as it is offered. (...)
Return to your homes with these words enshrined in your hearts, ruminate
over them alone and in silence. Then it will be easy for you to
put a few of these ideas into daily practice and ascend step by step the
heights of spiritual achievement. 11.10.70, (21-339/344)
This day marks the beginning of the Christian era, the year of Christ.
Christ sacrificed his life for the sake of those who put their faith in him.
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He propagated the truth that service is God, that sacrifice is God. Even
if you falter in the adoration of God, do not falter in the service of the
living God, who has assumed human shape and is moving all around
you in such large numbers and wearing such manifold costumes of apparel
and speech! Only those who can pour out compassion to fellowmen
can claim a place in the grace of God. This is also the highest spiritual
discipline; it impresses on you the unity of the human community
and the glory of God's immanence. (...)
May the world have peace and happiness, and loving trust. That is my
blessing. I want you to pray for the welfare and prosperity of all mankind.
25.12.70, (21-417)
The Avatar comes to reveal man to himself, to restore to him his birthright
of Divine bliss. He does not come to found a new creed, to breed
a new faction, to instil 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
demonstrate that man is Divine, in order to be within 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 matchstick but it is only when it is struck as a
flame that you can benefit by it. The attributeless has to manifest with
qualities; the 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 on instant. 31.8.72, (22-129)
Avatars manifested in the Golden Age (kritayua) for preservation of
Veda tradition, in the Silver Age (tretayuga) for the protection of righteousness
and in the Copper Age (dvaparayuga) for the promulgation
of the right of property. In the Golden Age, the Avatar saved the Vedas
from neglect, in the Silver Age he saved women from dishonour, and
in the Copper Age he saved property from injustice.
Now, in this fourth Age, the Iron Age (kaliyuga), all these three are in
dire peril. The Vedas are ridiculed, women is tempted into unwomenly
lives, and property itself is condemned as theft! So, the Avatar has a
threefold task. Man has no purity in the heart, no sanctity in his emotions,
no love in his deeds, no God in his prayers.
Though the evil is thickest in this Iron Age, the remedy is the simplest.
In the Golden Age the spiritual discipline of escaping from ruin was
hard. Years of austerity and abstinence were often profitless. (...)
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What is needed today to save oneself from anxiety and fear, here and
hereafter, is dedication, diverting the mind towards God. If that is done,
the pains of the physical body and pangs of the senses will not affect
the mind.
Meditation is that inward journey, away from the objective world and
the senses that run after it. The Upanishads declare: “The Atman cannot
be attained by one devoid of strength”. Strength means physical,
vital, moral, intellectual and spiritual toughness. For all these are essential
to establish mastery over the senses. You may do meditation
but your senses are so awake and active that a tiny mosquito arouses
your passion and you swing your arm to slaughter it! 31.8.72, (22-131/
132)
Life sweeps along like a wild typhoon; the allotted years melt like snow
before the sun; but, man wastes the precious chance, and strays into
folly and frivolity. The yearning of the human soul, "From untruth lead
me into truth; from darkness lead me into light; from death, lead me
into immortality,” - this is unrealized. Of what use is it to honour the
Avatar and hold the day when the Avatar took human form as sacred?
The message of the Avatar must be born, must become alive, must
grow in you, your heart - that is the birthday, you have to celebrate.
Celebrate the Avatar's Birthday in your own village. You need not travel
long distances to where I physically am. Plant the seeds of love in
your hearts, let them grow into trees of service and shower the sweet
fruits of bliss. Share the bliss with all. That is the proper way to celebrate
the birthday. 23.11.72, (22-157/158)
But, those who profess to have understood me, the yogis, the scholars,
the spiritually advanced persons, all of them are aware only of the
least important, the casusal, external manifestation of an infinitesimal
part of that power, namely, the "miracles"! They have not desired to
contact the source of all power and all wisdom, that is available here
at Brindavan. They are satisfied when they secure a chance to exhibit
their book-learning and parade their scholarship in Veda lore, not realising
that the person from whom the Vedas (sacred scriptures of the
Hindus) emanated is in the midst, for their sake. They even ask, in their
pride, for a few more chances!
This has been the case, in all Ages. People may be very near (physically)
to the Avatar, but, they live out their lives unaware of their fortune;
they exaggerate the role of miracles, which are as trivial, when
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compared to my glory and majesty, as a mosquito is in size and
strength to the elephant upon which it squats. Therefore, when you
speak about these miracles, I laugh within myself out of pity, that you
allow yourself so easily to lose the precious awareness of my reality.
My power is immeasurable; my truth is inexplicable, unfathomable. I
am announcing this about me, for, the need has arisen. But, what I am
doing now is only the gift of a “visiting card!” Let me tell you that emphatic
declarations of the truth by Avatars were made so clearly and
so unmistakably only by Krishna. In spite of the declaration, you will
notice in the career of the same Krishna that he underwent defeat in
his efforts and endeavours, on a few occasions; you must also note
that those defeats too were part of the drama which he had planned
and which he himself directed. (...)
Now, I must tell you, that during this Sai Avatar, there is no place for
even such “drama” with scenes of failures and defeats! What I will,
must take place; what I plan must succeed. I am truth; and truth has
no need to hesitate, or fear, or bend.
“Willing” is superfluous for me. For, my grace is ever available to devotees
who have steady love and faith. Since I move freely among
them, talking and singing, even intellectuals are unable to grasp my
truth, my power, my glory, or my real task as Avatar. I can solve any
problem however knotty. I am beyond the reach of the most intensive
inquiry and the most meticulous measurement. Only those who have
recognized my love and experienced that love can assert that they
have glimpsed my reality. For, the path of love is the royal road that
leads mankind to me.
Do not attempt to know me through the external eyes. When you go
to a temple and stand before the image of God, you pray with closed
eyes, don't you? Why? Because you feel that the inner eye of wisdom
alone can reveal him to you. Therefore, do not crave from me trivial
material objects; but, crave for me, and you will be rewarded. Not that
you should not receive whatever objects I give as sign of grace out of
the fullness of love.
I shall tell you why I give these rings, talismans, rosaries etc. It is to signalise
the bond between me and those to whom they are given. When
calamity befalls them, the article comes to me in a flash and returns in
a flash taking from me the remedial grace of protection. That grace is
available to all who call on me in any name or form, not merely to those
who wear these gifts. Love is the bond that wins grace.
Consider the meaning of the name, Sai Baba. Sa means Divine; ai or
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ayi means mother and Baba means father. The name indicates the Divine
Mother and Father (...)
Your physical parents exhibit love with a dose of selfishness; but, this
Sai Mother and Father showers affection or reprimands, only for leading
you towards victory in the struggle for self-realization.
For, this Sai has come in order to achieve the supreme task of uniting
mankind as one family through the bond of brotherhood, affirming and
illumining the Divine reality of each being. The aim is to reveal that the
cosmos rests on a foundation of Divinity, and to educate all to recognize
the Divine common heritage that binds man to man, so that man
can rid himself of the animal, and rise into the Divine which is his goal.
I am the embodiment of love; love is my instrument. There is no creature
without love; the lowest loves itself, at least. And its self is God.
So, there are no atheists, though some might dislike Him or refuse
Him, as diabetic patients refuse to have anything to do with sweets!
Those who preen themselves as atheists will one day, when their illness
is gone, relish God and revere Him.
I had to tell you so much about my truth, for, I desire that you should
contemplate on this and derive joy therefrom, so that you may be inspired
to observe the disciplines laid down by me and progress towards
the goal of self-realization, the realization of the Sai that shines
in your hearts. 19.6.74, (23-89/92)
While on this subject, it is essential that I warn you of another subject.
Do not spend your time trying to understand me; do not waste your
time in the attempt. It is beyond any one's capacity to understand me.
So, trying to do so is impossible, you are only wasting your time and
effort. It is only when you succeed in knowing yourselves that you can
know me.
I need nothing, however great or small, in this universe. At no moment
has desire affected me for any thing or activity. I am the person come
to give, not to receive. And, what you can offer me is just this: pure,
unadulterated love. When you offer me that, I derive bliss. 23.11.74,
(23-170)
The Avatar is the power of the Supreme soul that has put on the raiment
of power of action and power of Divine communion. Generally,
the process of incarnation of an Avatar, is described as a “coming
down” from a higher status to a lower one. But, no! When the baby in
the cradle weeps, wails and clamours for help, the mother stoops and
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takes it up in her arms. Her stoop is not to be described as a “coming
down”. If you earn the necessary credentials, the Avatar will come and
save you. If, on the other hand, you multiply your demerits and descend
lower and lower, how can you be saved? Have love and Divine
bliss in your heart. Bliss comes from pure sight, pure hearing, pure
speech and pure actions.
The day you establish yourselves in this bliss, that day will be my Birthday
for you. Sai's Birthday is being celebrated at Puttaparthi because
so many thousands come here from far-off places, in spite of the expense
and great difficulty during the journey. Do not be under the impression
that because it is Sai's Birthday, therefore you must come.
I have no desire to have my Birthday celebrated; such trivial thoughts
can never enter me. My only desire is to share my bliss with you, to encourage
you to lead lives full of bliss. My Birthday is when you get bliss.
My mission is: "May all the worlds be happy and prosperous." Become
aware of the unity of mankind; promote by love and service the joy and
contentment of every one on earth and fill your hearts with that yearning.
Then it becomes, verily, the Sai temple. From that moment I am
where you are. 23.11.78, (24-229)
After the long pilgrimage to the shrines and holy spots of Bharata,
Rama had a few years, until he was aged fourteen, of apparent introspection
and solitude. He disliked food and regal apparel. He was not
interested in materials and men. He waved his fingers and palms for
no clear reason; he wrote on the air only he knew what. He laughed
without reason. In short, his actions and movements were exactly the
same as when I was in my early teens. The Rishi Vashistha attempted
to bring his mind back to normalcy, but that was only a stage which all
Avatars are in, before they enter upon the task for which they have
come down. Those years, the Avatar was designing his Master plan.
25.3.80, (25-19/20)
It is not by plans of one kind or the other that the world can be bettered.
It is only when a spiritual revolution takes place in man that the prosperity
and welfare of the world can be achieved. If the mind of man is
not reformed and purified, all plans to reform the world will be futile.
23.11.80, (25-59)
The meaning of Avatar is this: to save mankind, God out of his love,
affection and compassion, comes down to the level of man and arouses
the Divine consciousness in man. He makes man aware of him in
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him, when he finds him desperately searching outside of himself for
him who is his very core.
In order to enable you to reach the highest goal of merging with the Absolute,
this chance has been granted to you as a reward for merit acquired
in many previous lives. 24.12.80, (25-64)
This day, I am announcing an event which will give you great joy. Sai
is ever full of joy. Anxiety, grief and unrest cannot approach Sai, even
as near as millions of miles. Believe it or not, Sai does not have the
slightest experience of anxiety, for, Sai is ever aware of the formation
and transformation of objects and the antics of time and space and of
the incidents therein. Those who have no knowledge of these and
those who are affected by circumstances are affected by sorrow.
Those who are caught in the coils of time and space become the victims
of grief. Though Sai is involved in events conditioned by time and
space, Sai is ever established in the principle that is beyond both time
and space. Sai is not conditioned by time, place or circumstance.
8.10.81, (25-176)
You must be thinking about the gift you have to offer Swami on this
Birthday. You can be happy that you have given Swami a proper gift
only when you love your fellowmen, share their sufferings, and engage
yourselves in serving them. That is the only gift I wish for. The present
given to God has to be pure, steady and selfless love.
On this birthday I have only one desire. I am desiring this only to promote
your bliss. You are planning programmes for the coming 60th
Birthday. Even before the 60th birthday, you must adopt at least 6000
villages and improve them through proper means into ideal villages.
Rich people and people in power have plentiful servants. But the distressed,
the poverty-stricken, and those who suffer have no one to
serve them. Go to such people and be their friends, their kith and kin,
their closest well-wishers. Let them welcome you as such.
If you pour spirituality into the ears of those who are tortured by hunger,
it will not be assimilated. First, quench the hunger. Give them God
in the form of food. Give them God in the form of clothes. Give God in
the form of peace to those who are afflicted with anxiety. Give God in
the form of medicine to those who are suffering from ill health. Give
God in whatever form will assuage fear, pain and sorrow. It is only
when this is done that spirituality can soak into the heart. If you act contrariwise,
instead of spiritual feelings you will be promoting atheism.
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Therefore, units of our organization have to provide these 6000 villages
with education, medical service, communication facilities. There are
villages where people struggle for want of water to drink. The Government
cannot by itself provide all these conveniences. Without the cooperation
of the people the Government cannot do anything. Government
is not a free entity. It is based on people's support. It can work
only when the people cooperate actively. Without depending on Government,
you must carry on the development of society through your
own strength. That is real spiritual discipline, real service. Strive to become
embodiments of love. Be ready to offer all your capabilities and
skills to the Lord of all. It is God's love that rewards you when you engage
yourselves in repetition of God's name, penance, ritual of sacrifice.
What greater achievement can you strive for than receiving love
Divine from God?
However, you must understand well the nature and significance of this
love. You are now experiencing and sharing this love at the level of
your awareness of the principle. This is a mistake. It is too literal an interpretation.
The principle of love has no trace of ego or blemish. It is
free from selfish attachments. Whatever Sai does, whatever Sai
thinks, whatever Sai says, whatever Sai observes, it is all for your
sake, not for Sai's sake. My only desire is your joy, bliss. Your bliss is
my bliss. I have no bliss apart from yours. (...)
I am resolved to foster bliss through the revival and re-establishment
of the Veda way of life. This will happen without fail. Indian righteousness
can certainly be offered to other countries. There is no need to
despair or indulge in self condemnation. The days of victory are coming.
You can sound the drum of triumph.
Embodiments of the Divine Atman, you may not be able to see it, but
it is clear before my eyes. As days pass, even those who are now not
able to recognise the truth of Sai will have to approach with tears of repentance
and experience me. Very soon, this will be worldwide. Sai is
now restraining this development. When once it is allowed to manifest,
the whole world will be transformed into Prashanthi Nilayam. So, come
forward, all of you, determined to practice in daily living the ideals laid
before you. In the coming years, you may not get the chances you are
having now. You will not have the opportunity to be so near. Millions
will rush to this place and gather here. This will happen soon and so,
earn the compassion of Sai and his love through service activities and
fill your lives with meaning. 23.11.82, (25-291/294)
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You should offer your knowledge for the benefit of the people. You
should set an example to your fellowmen. Cultivate the spirit of oneness
of all mankind. It is to teach this message that the Sai advent has
taken place. Sai has come to indicate the omnipresence of God. The
Avatar has come down to declare that God is present everywhere.
This is as necessary as the need for some one to light a lamp even if
you have a lamp holder, oil and wick. The Avatar comes not only to
proclaim the eternal virtues but also to shower his love on all mankind.
But each one will get the benefit according to the size of the vessel he
holds. (1.7.96)
Embodiments of Divine Atman! When you fill your vision with love, the
whole creation will appear Divine to you. The cosmos appears to you
as a manifestation of diversity, but in reality there is no diversity. No
one makes any effort to discover the unity that underlies the diversity.
In every human being, both Divinity and the illusion (maya) principle
are immanent. How is this to be comprehended? Existence-consciousness-bliss
(sat-chit-ananda) represent the Divine in man. The
names and forms which man perceives are expressions of the Divine
principle.
On the ocean, the wind is the cause of waves, on the ocean of existence-consciousness-bliss,
the wind of illusion gives rise to innumerable
living creatures. Therefore, the individuals who have emerged from
the ocean of existence-consciousness-bliss are manifestations of the
Divine. Divinity is everywhere. But because of man's ignorance, man
is prey to numerous troubles. (30.7.96)
You have to proceed from the individual to a realization of the Supreme
self. All are manifestations of the Divine. You may ask whether
you can ever acquire the powers possessed by Sai. Follow me. You
are bound to get that power. That power is latent in you. But you are
not aware of it. You want to experience bliss. If you truly follow Sai,
you will discover that bliss within you. Nor is that all. You will find that
bliss all around you, wherever you go. You cannot find that bliss in the
physical world. It is wholly within you. Consider yourself as Divine at
all times and in all situations. You will thereby become one with the Divine.
Turn your mind godward and you will experience the bliss of the Divine.
It is for this reason that Sai gives you advice from time to time as
to what you should do and what you should avoid. All this is not for my
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sake but for your own good, to make you take to the path of God realization,
to teach you the supreme truth about the Brahman and to
make your sacred life an ideal one.
Every man should strive to become an ideal human being. This means
that every one should testify to his Divinity. Imagine how happy everyone
would be if the entire world was filled with this pure, sublime and
sacred ideal.
Recognise that God is your preceptor. He is the preceptor of preceptors.
When you have such an allpervading guru, why should you hanker
after gurus of lesser breed? (30.7.96)
This means that if you have pure, sacred, selfless love for God, the Divine
will appear at that very instant.
How do you realise the presence of the Divine principle within you?
Your body is made up of physical constituents like iron, water, phosphorus
and lead, the value of all of which totals barely a few rupees.
And yet within the body there is a power which can make millions.
Wherefrom does that power come? Does it come from the mother who
gave birth to the child? No. Till the child in the womb is four months and
nine days old, the foetus is just a round mass of jelly. Then a force of
vibration enters the embryo. Wherefrom does that vibration come?
That is the Brahman principle. That is the life principle. From that moment
the child in the womb starts moving. Simultaneously the Brahman
principle enters the foetus. (...)
This is one of the secret doctrines of the Veda. This process is treated
as a human phenomenon. It is not something human. It is a manifestation
of Brahman. (...)
You must realise that whatever scriptures one may master or whatever
power and wealth one many acquire, without love one cannot achieve
liberation. All of you are looking at the external world. Turn your vision
inward. The external vision is useless. It is when you look inward that
you will recognise your true form. The master of a house throws out all
the useless things but safeguards what is most valuable inside on iron
safe in the house. Each of you should realise what is most precious
within you. (31.7.96)
Embodiments of the Divine! If you are really filled with devotion, manifest
your love for God who is the very embodiment of love. If you are
genuinely hungering and thirsting for God, partake of Divine love to appease
your hunger and quench your thirst.
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Divine love is the only panacea for all your troubles and miseries arising
from insatiable desires and frustrated ambitions. God's love is like
a lighthouse beacon. It shows you the right path. Divert the boat of your
life towards the lighthouse of Divine love. You are then bound to gain
the shore of bliss.
You do not need any special type of penance or meditation. Meditate
on love. Fill your mind with love. Even while attending to your daily
chores, regard all of them as offerings to the Divine. God is omnipresent.
See God in everything and every being. Let love grow in your
hearts like the waxing moon. Divine love will not wane like the moon.
Let such steadfast love be enshrined in your heart. (23.11.96)
In Prasanthi Nilayam, there was a devotee who had serious heart attack.
I left the body to protect him and went out of my body at 2 a.m.
And did not return to the body till 3 p.m. next day. The boys who were
sleeping downstairs and those sleeping in my room started crying.
Along with them Chiranjeevi Rao went and brought Dr. Alreja. The
doctor has great devotion to Sai. He has been in Prasanthi Nilayam for
the past 40 years. He came and examined my pulse. There was no
pulse at all, no movement in the body. He started weeping. He remarked
that there was no sign of life in the body. Then Chiranjeevi Rao
observed that it was not unusual for me to go out of my body now and
then and that he had seen it. I told the six boys not to speak about it
to anybody. The six boys were a good lot. These boys took M.B.A. Degree
in Swami's institute and had training in Delhi. They did not want
to leave Swami. Despite Chiranjeevi Rao's appeal, the boys could not
contain their grief. At that moment, I got up with a smile and asked
what the matter was. I asked them, "What is this drama you are enacting?"
They replied, "Swami, who is playing this drama? Is it you or us?"
There is a boy named Srinivas. He has passed Engineering and
M.B.A. and is staying with me. He remarked: "It is not our drama, Swami,
but it is your drama". Then I said: "Many people are waiting outside.
I must go out for give them the sight of God (darshan)". (...) This kind
of thing used to happen now and then. All the boys staying with me
know about it. (...)
Some students prefer to stay with Swami. The students know that at
Kodaikanal Satyajit made a declaration in public even when his parents
were present there. "I am coming out with my doubt in the open.
You must all forgive me. All sorts of officers are coming to Swami. They
seek fulfillment of desires and go back. Many business people also
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come to Swami. They also refer to Swami about their difficulties and
go back after obtaining relief. People with ailments come to Swami and
they leave after getting cured. We students have come to Swami.
Many of us benefit from the free education given by Swami and leave
the Institute. Who is taking care of Swami? Nobody seems to be concerned
about Swami's well being. Many times Swami falls down. Once
when Swami slipped and fell down, a pillar fell on him. Swami did not
care. The boys were very worried during the night. It is necessary that
someone should always be with Swami. Only when one or two people
sit with him, Swami takes some little food. When he goes alone for
lunch, he eats very little". (...)
Satyajit said, he was greatly worried. I told him that he should not
speak about this in public. Satyajit said: "I offer my entire life to Swami".
Swami said that he should not say such things in public. But
Satyajit spoke with courage and boldness. (23.11.98)
On a particular evening, I went to Puttaparthi to see my grandfather.
At that time, he was sifting on a cot, deeply immersed in singing a ballad,
which described Rama lamenting over the fainting of Lakshmana
in the battlefield. He was very fond of this particular episode from the
Ramayana. (...)
I said: "O grandfather, what are you doing?" He exclaimed, "O Swami,
you have come," and fell at my feet. He said: "Swami, I am fully aware
that you are not an ordinary child, but Easwara himself. You are born
in our clan to redeem all of us. But, I pray that you fulfil a small desire
of mine. (...)
Swami, let me also have the good fortune of sipping water from your
Divine hands when my end approaches." I promised that I would certainly
fulfil his desire.
The following week, I went to see him again after visiting Subbamma's
house. Kondama Raju heard that I was coming to his house. Immediately,
he called Easwaramma and told her: "I am not going to live much
longer. Having known that my end is approaching, God is coming to
shower his grace on me." She responded in on innocent way saying:
"Where is God? How do you know that he is coming?" Then Kondama
Raju said: "O mad women, still you are deluded by the feeling of a
mother towards her son! Look there, God is coming." So saying he
pointed at me as I was entering his house. She too was aware of my
Divinity. But she used to get carried away by her motherly affection towards
me. (...)
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Once on a Shivaratri day, after I had completed my discourse, the lingas
were ready to emerge from my mouth. I sat on the chair and was
in severe pain. Seeing me suffering, Easwaramma got up from the
gathering, came up to me and said, "Swami, why do you suffer like
this? Come inside, come inside." I said I would not come inside. She
cried and tried to persuade me, but I did not budge an inch. Unable to
see my suffering, she went inside. (6.5.99)
I used to bring lingas from this body on the occasion of Shivaratri in the
earlier years. Emergence of linga used to take place on every Shivaratri.
To witness this sacred event lakhs would gather in a small hall.
Consequently, there used to be a stampede resulting in injuries to devotees.
Due to this I discontinued to discharge the linga (lingodbhavakara)
in public. There is a specific time for this. It may take place at
any moment between 8 and 10 at night. It takes place at the right time
irrespective of the place I am in. It is bound to take place. It is natural
on this Shivaratri night. Those who are fortunate to witness this sacred
emergence of the linga (lingodbhavakara) are free from all sins. One
must see how it emerges. But, some people may not be able to see
this even if they are sitting close by. Witnessing the emergence of the
linga is of utmost importance. Once it emerges, everyone will be able
to see it and it has its own benefits. There are many such important aspects
attached to this auspicious occasion.
You will be immensely benefited if you keep awake and sing the glory
of God at least on this night. (14.2.99)
Past is past, future is uncertain, only present is in your hands. It is the
foremost duty of man to live in the present and share his joy with his
fellow beings. Truly speaking, human being is the most fortunate one
among all the living beings. Compared to the entire Cosmos, man is
very small like an atom, yet he is able to comprehend the magnitude
and vastness of the creation, which is very startling indeed. He attains
immortality by understanding the unity between the microcosm and
macrocosm. As mentioned by me yesterday, whosoever reaps the
harvest of love in the field of his heart is a true Christian; a true Sikh;
a true Hindu and a true Muslim. In fact he is the true human being on
earth. Man cannot exist without love. This principle of love is the spiritual
heart (Hiranyagarbha). This heart is situated on the right side of
the human body and the physical heart is on the left. The physical
heart on the left side has to be left one day or the other in some cir-
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cumstance or the other. The spiritual heart located on the right side of
the human body is always right. It is immortal, eternal and all encompassing.
It is present not only in human beings, but also in birds,
beasts and all other living beings. The Vedas declare: "God is present
in all the beings”, "God pervades he entire cosmos.” It is love that originates
out of this spiritual heart. The three principles of reaction, resound
and reflection have originated from the spiritual heart. Unable
to recognise his true identity, man is wasting his life in the pursuit of
temporary, fleeting, transient and ephemeral pleasures. As I told you
yesterday gold loses its value, effulgence and identity when it is mixed
with different metals such as silver, copper, brass. So also heart, which
can be compared to gold loses its value, brilliance and identity on account
of its association with the metals of worldly desires. This is the
present plight of the world. Man is behaving like a demon, devil and a
beast because he has forgotten his Divine nature. Divine love originates
from the spiritual heart. This Divine love lives by giving and forgiving,
whereas selfish love lives by getting and forgetting. Such Divine
love is essential for man. (...)
Understand the true meaning and inner significance of Shivaratri;
showing the Hiranyagarbha linga to the devotees. This is present in
everybody's spiritual heart. (...) The principle of Hiranyagarbha is
spread all over the body. It assumes a form when I will it. Whoever has
seen this linga at the time of its emergence will not have rebirth. One
should see its form as it emerges. In order to sanctify your lives, such
sacred Manifestations have to be shown to you every now and then.
Only then can you understand the Divinity in humanity. This linga will
not break even if it is dropped from a height with force. This is immortality.
It is changeless. You cannot see such a manifestation anywhere
else in the world. It is possible only with Divinity.
For the past 20 years devotees did not have the privilege of witnessing.
The reason was lakhs of devotees used to gather in the Poornachandra
hall to witness this grand spectacle. As Poornachandra hall cannot
accommodate large gatherings there used to be stampedes. As a
result devotees were put to lot of inconvenience. In order to avoid this,
lingodbhava was discontinued. Not only this, three types of lingas
emerge. They are Bhur, Bhuvah and Svaha. Bhur refers to materialization
(body), Bhuva refers to vibration (prana) and Svaha refers to radiation
(Atman). I often say, you are not one, but three. "The one you
think you are (physical body), the one others think you are (mental
body), the one you really are (Atman)." On every Shivaratri all the three
lingas would emerge. Just now the other lingas started to emerge, but
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I prevented them, because there are many things to tell you. In future
you will be a witness to many more manifestations of Divinity. Understand
that his bliss can be experienced only in the proximity of the Divine
and nowhere else. Don't get deluded just because I am talking,
laughing, walking and eating like you. Don't get deluded by the body
feeling. All my actions are selfless, selfless, selfless. There is no trace
of selfishness in me. Have firm faith in this truth. If you have total faith,
wherever you are, all your desires will be fulfilled without your asking.
Only those who don't have total faith suffer. Develop self-confidence.
That is the first spiritual discipline you have to undertake. (15.2.99)
Develop Divine love towards the Lord, the Supreme Divine love of
which he is the embodiment. Never give room for doubts and hesitations,
for questions to test the Lord's love. "My troubles have not ended;
why? Why is it that he did not speak to me? How is it I did not get
a room for staying here? Why did he not call me?" you whine! Do not
think that I do not care for you or that I do not know you. I may not talk
to you, but do not be under the impression that I have no love. As a
matter of fact, it is to give you the chance of seeing me that I move
along the verandah from this room to that. Whatever I do, it is for you,
not for me. For, what is it that can be called mine? Only you.
So, do not get shaken in mind; do not allow Faith to decline. That will
only add to the grief you already suffer from. Hold fast - that must be
your vow. Whoever is your chosen deity - Vishnu, Rama, Shiva or
Venkateshvara - hold fast to him. Do not lose the contact and the company,
for, it is only when the coal is in contact with the live embers that
it can also become live ember. Cultivate nearness to me in the heart
and you will be rewarded. Then you too will acquire a fraction of the
Supreme love. This is the great chance. This chance will not come
your way again, beware of that. If you cannot, if you do not, cross the
sea of grief now, taking hold of this chance, when again can you get
such a chance? Really you are the fortunate few, out of millions and
millions of people you have come, though no one specially invited you
to be present here. That is what I call the mark of destiny.
Now, engage yourself in spiritual discipline, spiritual thoughts, spiritual
company. Let the past go its way. At least from now on, seek to save
yourself. Never yield to doubt or unsteadiness. That is a sign of ignorance.
Have faith in any one name and the form indicated by that
name. If you revere Shiva and hate Vishnu, the plus and the minus
cancel out and the net result is zero. 10.10.64, (18-121/122)
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Take the simple rite of greeting - the folded palms with which you greet
reverentially elders and others. What does it signify, that gesture? The
right palm is That (that entity, the unseen base, the other) and the left
palm is Tvam (the I, the separate, the individualized, the thing that
feels limited, alone, apart). When the two palms are brought together
and kept in contact, the oneness of that and this, of all that is outside
you, and all that is in you, is emphasised and demonstrated: I am Brahman,
in fact. What greater and grander greeting can human aspiration
discover and prescribe? You greet the other with as much joy as you
would greet yourself; no man loves another more than himself; all are
loved for the sake of the self.
Or, consider another interpretation of this act of folding the palms. The
five fingers of the right hand are the five organs of action, the five of
the left are the five organs of perception; they are together ten, dedicated
to sage or guru or elder to be used for his service or at his bidding.
27.11.64, (18-180/181)
Here, I must tell you one thing. Which dreams are real? Dreams relating
to God are real. You see me in the dream, I allow you to do prostration?
(namaskara), I bless you, I grant grace - that is true; that is due
to my will and your spiritual practice. If the Lord or your guru appears
in dream, it must be the result of his will, not due to any of the other
reasons which cause dreams. It can never happen as result of your
wish. 14.7.65, (19-31)
Man is but an instrument in God's hands; his plans can win through
only when they are in line with his. And, what are his plans? His commands?
They are declared in the scriptures, which are revelations of
his plan made to the purified intellects of saints. They are also declared
by his Avatars, who appear in human form so that they may speak to
men in their own language to win their confidence and lead them and
teach them. 4.10.65, (19-94)
Love, steady, unchanging, undiminishable, can only be love towards
the Lord of all the worlds. Changing love is love towards the changing
world. (...)
Now, people pray to God to relieve them from pain, grief and loss, to
confer on them health, strength and wealth but if you develop an intimate
attachment to God and make Him yours, then He will give you
all that you need. Do not demean the relationship into bargaining: give
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me this, then I shall give you this in exchange. If you insist on wages,
you become a coolie. 23.10.66, (19-282/283)
It is part of human nature that man desires to reach the presence of
the Almighty, see him and be ever with him, for deep within the human
heart is the urge to reach the place from which he has come, to attain
the joy he has lost, the glory which he has missed. Man is himself Divine
and so it is a matter of the deep calling unto the deep, of the part
calling for the whole, of the sky in the pot yearning for the sky surrounding
it. 24.10.66, (19-286)
The universe is the body of God; in the body, the unity consciousness
is India, the feeling of oneness. “The reality is one”, the Vedas declared
aeons ago! (...)
This is the reason why sages, saints, Divine personages and incarnations
of God appear here and proclaim their message to mankind from
this land. The precious message is now being exported, but very little
is used inside the country. That is the tragedy. 21.4.67, (20-33/34)
When the unmanifested power manifests in an individualized form, it
is a source of bliss for those who recognise it. (...)
Man still believes that bliss can be obtained from the external world.
He hoards wealth, authority, fame and learning, in order to acquire
happiness. (...)
Happiness of material origin is short-lived and has misery as its obverse.
Struggle to realise the Atman, to visualise God; even failure in
this struggle is nobler than success in other worldly attempts. 24.5.67,
(20-66/67)
Rely on the Lord and accept whatever is your lot. He is in you, with you.
He knows best what to give and when. He is full of love.
That is my uniqueness: Love. Love is the special gift I bring, the special
medium through which my grace operates. That is the basis of all my
acts. God is said to reside in every being. Yes; he resides as love. Devoid
of love, the world becomes a cauldron of misery. 27.3.68, (20-
189/190)
God is the source of all love; love God, love the world as the vesture
of God, no more, no less. Through love, you can merge in the ocean
of love. Love cures pettiness, hate and grief. Love loosens bonds; it
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saves man from the torment of birth and death. Love binds all hearts
in a soft silken symphony. Seen through the eyes of love, all beings are
beautiful, all deeds are dedicated, all thoughts are innocent. The world
is one vast kin. 7.7.68, (20-248)
The Lord is most pleased with righteousness. For, in order to save
righteousness and restore righteousness to its ancient purity and clarity,
he condescends to assume human form and walk among mankind
as if he was one of themselves! Therefore, if you yearn for the grace
of God, let righteousness be the inspiration behind every thought,
word and deed of yours. Let the knowledge that all are repositories of
the Divine inspire you with love, tolerance, sympathy and reverence.
Through work filled with righteousness you progress towards worship
that is filled with the consciousness of Divinity in all and through that
worship you attain wisdom when you experience the Divinity that fills
all this. Work, worship, wisdom - fruitbearing, mature fruit, juice-filled
fruit; this is the order of spiritual progress of each individual. When the
fruit is saturated with sweetness, it drops. That is the consummation.
16.8.68, (20-276)
God is love and can be won only through the cultivation and exercise
of love. He cannot be trapped by any trick; he yields grace only when
his commands are followed-commands to love all, to serve all. When
you love all and serve all, you are serving yourself most, yourself
whom you love most! For God's grace envelops you then, and you are
strengthened beyond all previous experience. (...)
God is the embodiment of sweetness. Attain him by offering him, who
resides in all, the sweetness that he has showered on you. (...)
Man is the noblest of all animals, the final product of untold ages of progressive
evolution; but, he is not consciously striving to live up to his
heritage. (...)
Each of you has struggled upwards from the stone to plant, from plant
to animal, from animal to man! Do not slide back into the beast; rise
higher to Divinity, shining with the new effulgence of love. The Divine
is the energy that animates, the urge that circulates the blood in your
veins, that transmits knowledge and experience through the nerves,
that correlates and collects for storage the impressions your senses
gather, the conclusions your intelligence garners keep in line with the
Divine, by means of love, truth and goodness. (...)
Whatever you do, wherever you are, remember that I am with you, in
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you; that will save you from conceit and error. That will make your service
worthy of the people you serve. 26.6.69, (21-68/72)
But, there are many who doubt or question the very existence of the
God to whom all intelligence, vitality, virtue, the urges which lie beneath
activity are to be offered in worshipful activity. For such, the Divine
occasionally, out of innate grace, reveals itself, through the marvellous
manifestation of glory, beyond the limits of the human. The
doubters receive without asking; the door is opened without even a
knock; the answer is proclaimed for all to hear.
Take the illness which came into this body, for example. It is the nature
of the human body to generate disease. You must surrender your
judgement to the Lord, then the Lord will assume full responsibility and
be the guardian, guide and motivating power. It is such a devotee, a
person who has surrendered everything, even his judgement, 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 this episode. The Divine
is recognized by gifted people in 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 superhuman potentialities,
then, amazement draws the attention of all towards the Divine
that is its 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. 12.12.70,
(21-400/403)
And, God is and can be only one, not more!
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There is only one God and he is omnipresent!
There is only one religion, the religion of love.
There is only one language, the language of the heart.
This God has to be visualized by means of constant spiritual discipline.
Do not involve yourselves in doubts and hesitations. If only you ob-

serve the disciplines and purify the consciousness, you can see the
God installed in your heart. 25.12.70, (21-410/411)
Activity is the keynote of the universe; by activity, all beings are born,
by activity they maintain themselves, and through that activity they
perish. Constant breathing, inhaling and exhaling, keeps the body
temperature even and comfortable. The one that is beyond all activity
assumed the forms of the five basic elemental materials - sky, earth,
air, fire and water - in order to act and activate. To be active, yet to be
always aware that it is all mere acting, is the secret of happiness. That
is the virtue which must regulate and sanctify the activity. 11.5.71, (22-
17)
The Divine has in its vision all mankind; it cannot be bound by the limits
of one caste or one creed. This Avatar might have taken birth in a particular
community, but it has come for the weak, the diseased, the distressed,
the downtrodden, the devoted, the Divinely oriented, among
all mankind. You describe yourself wrongly as one without a guardian!
For, to guard you and foster you, here is God, He is ever ready to respond
to prayer, to virtue, to goodness. God has no guardian. He is the
guardian of the universe! No one can control him or command him or
claim to guide him!
Every being who is handicapped by hunger has the right to ask God
for food! He has inflicted hunger; so, it is his duty, his pleasure to provide
the food, which can assuage it! So, you have also the right to pray
that he helps you realise Him. That is the education which you must
encourage among yourselves. 21.6.71, (22-45)
God is sweetness; His words are sweet, His sight is sweet; He sounds
sweet; He is sweeter than sweetness itself. But, when your tongue is
afflicted with illness, He will be bitter. Cure the illness, by cultivating
love to all. There is no need to take refuge in a forest or in solitude. You
cannot give up activity. You have to move along the line to which you
are attuned; you cannot lead a life of renunciation, on the spur of the
moment; it requires long years of preparation. 23.7.71, (22-55)
I have come to restore love among mankind, to cleanse if of narrowness,
and restrictive attitudes. That is the main task, in the revival of
morality. It is not enough, to talk about the prime importance of love in
the task of human rehabilitation. One must set the example, in actual
practice. 1.8.71, (22-60)
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Unless you brighten your vision with love, you cannot see the truth.
Love helps you to see God in everyone, everyone as Divine. The universe
is not false, it is not a trap; it is the splendour of God, his reflection.
He reflected and the universe happened! It is his own substance,
manifesting as multiplicity, as latent or potent energy or matter. When
activity is in accordance with awareness and awareness is befogged
or belittled, dried up or deluded, then, righteousness is descendent,
and the Avatar appears among men! 13.8.71, (22-66)
For a world pursuing ever-receding happiness and peace and, as a
consequence, blinded by the fog of disappointment and disease, the
Divine is the pillar of light, that indicates the path to progress. Man has
inherited this realm of work, this world which is but a vast factory,
where he himself is fashioned from manhood to Godhood, if only he
applies his energy and skill, diligently to the transformation. Man must
work, every moment of his life; he cannot avoid this burden. His very
existence depends upon action, exertion, work. And, work results in either
good or had, big or small; powerful or paltry. So, man has to be
active on the right lines, in order to avoid evil and pain. That is the duty
he owes to himself. 2.1.72, (22-93)
This meeting began with a prayer. Good. But, prayer for some benefit
or gain should not be addressed to God. For, it means that God waits
until he is asked! Surrender to him; he will deal with you as he feels
best and it would be best for you. God does not dole out grace in proportion
to the praise he receives! When you pray for a thing from God,
you run the risk of condemning him if for some reason the prayer is not
answered the way you wanted it to be, or as quickly as you wanted it
to be. This contingency arises because you feel that God is an outsider,
staying in some heaven, or holy spot, fare away from you. God is
in you, God is in every word of yours, every deed and thought. Speak,
do and think as befits him. Do the duty that he has allotted to the best
of your ability, and to the satisfaction of your conscience. That is the
most rewarding worship.
When you stand before another, his image is in your eye, and your image
is in his; haven’t you observed this? You are in me, I am in you,
that is the truth this phenomenon proclaims. When you have faith in
this, and when you cultivate love, humility, reverence for life, and tolerance,
you are on the right path. When you are not on this path, that
is to say, when you are travelling left, you are certainly left out, when
it is a question of sharing Divine grace. April 1973, (22-228/229)
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Of the many billions of living beings, man alone has the privilege of being
entitled to investigate the truth of the universe and to merge in the
bliss of its realization. But, man is lost in the pursuit of wrong goals; he
is struggling in the fog of doubt and divisive loyalties. He is frittering energies
and time in activities that bind him still further in the tangles of
material wants. This type of activity flows from delusion and leads to
further delusion. Man must outgrow this tendency, and turn towards to
the Divine law, that is to say, moral activity, idealistic activity, activity
that sublimates lower instincts and impulses and transforms every
deed into an act of dedication. When this attitude is confirmed and consolidated,
all activity becomes Divine activity. Man merges in the universal
and loses the inhibiting individuality. That is the activity which
the Atman carves for and delights in. 4.7.74, (23-103)
The immortal beings, who have assigned for themselves, this role, this
venture of celebrating a “lifetime on earth”, have as it were, borrowed
a heart from God, the Supreme giver, in a clean condition. When finally
you give it back, see that they are as clean and pure as when he gave
them. That is the code of conduct; or else, he will not accept them!
10.7.74, (23-111)
A devotee once lamented, saying: "O God! You have forgotten me!"
This is never possible; it is the devotee who forgets that he is the child
of God, that God is his never-failing friend and guide. God is all-knowledge,
all-power, all-mercy. Faith in God has to be constant, firm in the
face of every challenge by fate or fortune. 23.10.74, (23-155)
You must have heard that common people in India believe that when
the thunder is threatening overhead, the simultaneous recitation of Arjuna's
nine names keep a bolt from failing on them. This is proof of the
power that not only the names of God but also those of his devoted adherents
ever pure and ever in contact with the Absolute, have over the
elements. That is the reason why worship of the presence is offered
even to great devotees like Thyagaraja and Kabir. They have no identity
of their own, having become one with the limitless through the worship
of the limited. 6.2.79, (24-240)
There are only two roads before man, the road to God and the road to
mammon. Few are those who choose the first and reach the goal that
lies within, where the Atman shines in supreme glory. The multitudes
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trudge along the wilderness to which it leads. There, the beast in man
asserts itself and suppresses the excellences with which he is endowed.
(...).
Otherwise, they become devotees who can only speak; they have no
honest faith in their own words. Since devotees stop halfway and start
extolling the guru and his teachings rather than experiencing their value
and validity, the Atman and the infinite bliss it can confer, remain
undiscovered by aspirants. 25.9.79, (25-2/3)
Man has to encounter sorrow from three sources while a here on
Earth. The scriptures mention these and warn men against them. (...)
The first group of sorrows afflicts man through physical and mental illnesses.
The second (...) group of sorrows is derived from living beings
like snakes, wild animals, worms, insects, etc. (...) The third group of
sorrows torture man through calamities like floods, drought and storm.
(...)
But, one can easily overcome this sorrow by developing feelings of
compassion towards all beings and thoughts which thrive on love and
spread love. Illness, both physical and mental, is a reaction in the body
caused by poisons in the mind. An uncontaminated mind alone can ensure
continuous health. (...)
Yoga is explained as the prevention of the agitations of the mind.
When the mind is withdrawn from contacting the outer world through
the sense-media, no anxiety or agitation can affect a person. The mind
has to be withdrawn from both praise and blame, for they make you
either proud or angry. Pride is deplorable and anger is disastrous. Be
always the same and watch with a balanced mind the ups and downs
of life. (...)
Attaining samadhi does not involve falling flat, shaking the limbs or losing
consciousness. It is not a dramatic trance. It is a characteristic of
the mind, an outlook one has developed, to observe all events and persons
without any attachment or aversion. 13.7.80, (25-31/33)
Everyone should realise that God is with him, beside him and around
him all the time. (...) It is said: "If you take ten steps towards the Lord,
he takes hundred steps towards you." But whither should you take
these ten steps? No one seems to think about that. If you take ten
steps towards evil, falsehood, injustice and wickedness, will I take
hundred steps in that direction? No. Your steps should be in the direction
of what is good. What is good? The steps should lead upwards
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spiritually. So, if you ascend ten steps, I shall help you to climb a hundred
steps. You should move in the right direction, not the wrong one.
To the extent you yearn and pine for God, God will pine for you a thousandfold.
(15.4.95)
The Divine nature of the "I" must be properly understood. That "I" is the
master of the body, the senses and the intellect. It is the power that
permeates the entire cosmos. To worship such an omnipresent power
in a small shrine is hardly appropriate. To confine the infinite Divine to
the limits of a small photograph for worship is hardly befitting. What is
the need to have a number of photographs? It is demeaning the Divine
to adore him in a multiplicity of pictures. (...)
All the forms in which God is worshipped are products of the human
imagination. The proper way to experience God is to feel with all your
inner being that you are the Divine itself. That experience will make
you feel the presence of the Divine in all beings and in all things. (...)
I want you to exercise control over five vital things in life:
Do not waste money
Do not waste food
Do not waste time
Do not waste energy
Do not forget God
Hence, do not waste time. Do not give room for useless thoughts. Do
not waste your love. Love is life itself. Without love one is as good as
dead. Install love in your hearts. (...)
I have no devotees. You may describe yourselves as Sathya Sai Baba
devotees. I am myself a devotee. Whose devotee? A devotee of those
who claim to be my devotees. My duty is to fulfil their desires. I belong
to you and you belong to me. Understand and strengthen this relationship.
This is my sole desire. (23.11.97)
You cannot find in the entire cosmos any place or object in which God
is not present. The Divine is present on the mountains. The Divine permeates
the oceans. The Divine dwells in villages and cities. The Divine
is omnipresent. (...)
Those who recognise this truth can redeem their lives; they alone can
achieve the goal of human existence. The powers of the Divine are limitless.
Every living being in the world is governed by some limitations.
(...)
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The Divine has placed some limitations on the physical powers of man
but has set no limits to his mental powers. Man can achieve whatever
he resolves to achieve. He can even realise God. This Divine power
is given only to human beings.
Ignorant of his limitless Divine potenties, man suffers from various disabilities
by considering himself as a human being.
Man today is soaring in the sky as a bird and moving in the ocean like
a fish. He has been able to land on the moon. But unfortunately he is
not able to live like a true human being on earth. This is indeed a matter
for shame.
Man can accomplish anything if he surrenders to God. When he submits
himself to the will of the Divine, there is no task he cannot accomplish.
(...)
Once a devotee totally surrenders to the Lord, the Divine goes to any
extent to help the devotee. An insignificant little stick, by association
with fire, burns brilliantly. A drop of water held in your palm evaporates
in a trice. But when it is cast into the ocean, it becomes one with it. If
man wants to achieve highest human potentialities, he has to achieve
proximity to God. He has to merge in the Divine. Then he can manifest
his true nature.
Not realising the true nature of the Divine principle, man wastes his
time on rituals and religious practices of various kinds. God cannot be
realized through such practices. It is only by loving God and getting
close to him that one can realise one's aspirations. Sai does not disapprove
of spiritual practices. They are good activities for using time
sacredly. But without service to Godly persons, they are of no use for
realising freedom from the cycle of mundane existence. In the field of
devotion, there is room for making certain offerings to God. God utilises
the acceptance of such offerings to reward the devotee a hundredfold.
Devotees should recognise the significance of such acceptance
by the Divine. (...)
It is to shower his grace on the devotees that the Lord seeks small offerings
from them. What does he need from any one when the whole
cosmos is contained in him?
It is the Lord who protects one and all in innumerable ways. There is
a simple way to secure the grace of God. You must get near to God.
Surrender yourself to him. Become one with him. Instead of following
this easy path, man today immerses himself in petty desires and keeps
away from God. (...)
God's love is not a reflected love. It is love pure and simple. A reflected
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love carries the taint of the original. That is not the case with the Divine
love, which is pure and unsuffied. (...)
God also likes to test the depth and sincerity of the devotee's love. He
seeks to find out whether the devotee is filled with love of God, how
intense is that love and so on. He tests the devotee's love in various
ways.
One should not be content with making offerings to God. One should
love God intensely. One should pine for him. One should lose one's
self in the love of God.
People aspire for liberation. They have no idea what constitutes liberation.
Man seeks liberation from the ills of the body, the senses, the
mind, the intellect and the internal motivator (Antahkarana). All these
are no doubt necessary. But liberation in the ultimate sense consists
from the cycle of birth and death. This means that one should redeem
one's present life so that one is free from rebirth.
Most of people's diseases today have their origin in the mind. Desires
and worries are the cause of many ailments of the heart, the kidney
etc. You can test the truth of this statement in a simple way. I have no
diseases of any kind. I am hale and hearty. Lead a life of courage and
you will be all right. The moment you start feeling your pulse out of suspicion
that it is weak, you will find it weak. It is your mind that is the
cause of the weakness of the pulse. Many diseases are allowed to
grow entirely due to mental factors. Men should pray to God for freedom
from rebirth so that they will not have bodies which are bound to
be afflicted with diseases.
There is no need for rigorous spiritual exercises to secure freedom
from rebirth. Pure love of God is enough. (...)
We are today celebrating Yugadi the beginning of yet another new
year. Many new year days have come and gone. Do you expect the
new year to bring you new happiness? Are you imagining what new
year portends for you? New years do not offer you prosperity and
pleasure. This new year day will be like any other day. (...)
What you should be concerned about is not a new year but a new way
of life. You must seek to secure a new source of joy. But unfortunately
you do not think about this. You speculate on what the new year signifies.
You have to look to ourselves and not to the succession of years
for changes in your lives. Think within yourself about your condition.
Turn your thoughts to God. Then you will realise what you desire.
No one tries to find out how to surrender to God. The whole world belongs
to you. You must declare to God: "I am yours". This is the truth
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you have to understand. You must be ready to offer to God whatever
he asks of you. What is it that God asks from you? First of all, he says:
"Give up your desires". You must give them up immediately. He calls
upon you not to immerse yourself in worldly pleasures. Cultivate love
for all. That will redeem your life. That is the sacred path you have to
follow. (...)
You think that liberation is something which you attain after death. But,
in fact, liberation can be attained here and now. Liberation means no
attachment.
People are not ready to give up attachment to wife or husband, children,
property etc. You have a duty to protect your family. But you must
not be immersed in concerns about them.
What is dharma? Not the obligations relating to the various stages in
life or the various vocations. Dharma means harmony in thought, word
and deed. People equate charity with dharma. That is not correct.
Dharma calls for sacrificing your bad thoughts, feelings and actions.
(...)
I am ready to give you all happiness. Are you prepared to receive what
I wish to offer? Banish all worries. They are temporary like passing
clouds. Do not allow any one - whether it is the father, the mother or
the preceptor - to come between you and your duty to God. (...)
Surrender yourselves to God and dedicate yourselves to the service
of mankind. You have my blessings. Foster love and serve society.
(29.3.98)
In order to experience bliss, you need to develop love. Love is like a
rose and lust is like a thorn. Cut the rose without touching the thorn and
offer it to God. You should offer yourself to God. That is surrender.
Love within you should be merged with the Divine love. There lies the
bliss. (28.9.98)
The present population of the world is 550 crores. But the principle of
"I" is one and the same in everyone. Each one refers to himself or herself
as "I". How can one know these 550 crores people? Once you recognise
the principle of "I", you would have recognized all. Here you find
many bulbs glowing, the same current flows through all of them. Similarly,
the principle of "I" is the same in all. Instead of questioning, "who
are you?", question yourself, "who am l?" Know yourself first, then you
will know ail. What is the cause of conflicts and restlessness in this
world? Lack of recognition of principle of oneness is mainly responsi-
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le for this. If someone were to criticise you, do not get agitated. Remember
that the same Atman principle is present in both of you. The
one who accuses and the accused are not two different entities. There
will be no scope for agitation if you understand this truth. Peace and
security will reign supreme once this principle of oneness is recognized.
Likewise, God and devotee are not separate from each other.
(...)
The devotee worshipping God amounts to worshipping himself. This
principle of oneness is Brahma. Viewing this oneness as many is Bhrama
or illusion. It is this Bhrama that is responsible for the restlessness
in the world. True spiritual practice lies in cultivating the spirit of oneness.
There is no greater spiritual discipline than this. Whatever spiritual
practice one undertakes, one should do it with love. Then there
will be no scope for anger and jealousy. (...)
You are beings of immortality, not beings of falsehood. There is awareness
in physical body. That awareness is true wisdom. (...)
You may think that you are separate from Sai. But in fact, I and you
are not separate from each other. I am not yours, you are mine, you
and I are one. Understand this truth and act accordingly. Experience
of oneness is true wisdom. There is only one without a second. (...)
God exists, but you cannot see him. All the names and forms are his.
Once you develop this faith, love will follow. (...)
Fill your heart with love, then there will be no place for evil qualities like
jealousy, anger and hatred. (...)
All are embodiments of God. Give up body attachment and develop attachment
towards Atman. Today hatred is on the rise everywhere. Ego
is the root cause for hatred. Give up ego and you can have the vision
of the Atman. All this can be accomplished only through love. (25.8.99)
Mere chanting of the Lord's name is not enough. Offer your love to
God. Love is not your property. In fact, it is the property of God. Surrender
to God what is his. What is the use of a long life without this offering?
You have no right to offer your love to anyone other than God.
When you offer all your love to God, he will look after all your needs.
There is nothing that he cannot do in this world. In city or in hamlet, in
forest or in sky, on the high peak or in the deep ocean, God is everywhere.
Space and time are pervaded by him. All beings are his forms.
Realise this truth, transform it into practice and enjoy the bliss. This is
true devotion. Human life attains true meaning only then. (3.9.99)
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It is a rare privilege to be born as a human being. Man is endowed with
a gentle heart and sweet mind. He is gifted with precious time. But it
is unfortunate that man is unable to recognise his true nature. One
cannot be called a human being just because one has a human body.
Man is, in fact, the very form of the cosmic person. He is the repository
of all powers that pervade the cosmos. But he is unable to recognise
his own capabilities and does not make use of even a small fraction of
them. (...)
God does not reside in paradise or Kailasa. These are his temporary
camping stations. The true dwelling place of God is the heart of man.
You don't need to go in search of God. He is not in a foreign land. Similarly,
sin does not exist in some foreign land it is attached to your actions.
(...)
Depending on the thoughts of your mind the consequences vary. In
any event, the year 2000 is not bad in any sense. It will promote very
high ideals and propagate Divine principles. It will foster the principle
of unity. In a very short time, all the people of the world are going to be
united. Today you consider America, Russia, Japan, China, Pakistan,
India as separate from each other. Very soon there will be unity
amongst all these countries. Even those whom you consider as your
worst enemies are going to become your best friends. You should not
hate anybody. You are all brothers and sisters. In a short time, you are
all going to witness "Brotherhood of man and fatherhood of God." With
a pure heart, all of you should pray for this to happen at the earliest.
There are many people in the world in great distress. The people who
have been recently hijacked were under a severe strain. Prayer is the
only remedy for the alleviation of such misery. There is nothing in the
world that cannot be achieved by prayer. Prayer melts the hardest of
hearts. Pray wholeheartedly: "May the whole world be happy!”. Do not
pray for the welfare of your family, friends and relatives alone. Such
narrow-minded prayers are futile. Your prayer should be for the welfare
of all people in all the countries of the world. (...)
Meet all contingencies with love. Transform everything into love and
suffuse your lives with love. Then there shall be peace and stability in
the world. (1.1.2000)
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Misunderstandings and Doubts
Into this tiny hamlet ringed round by pigmy hillocks, there has come
from the far-off Himalaya region, the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, to lay
the foundation-stone of your school building! Really, this should make
at least one thing clear to you that if sincere spiritual discipline is done,
even the most difficult thing can be accomplished. I find the whole village
of Puttaparthi and even the surrounding villages are immersed in
joy today. I too am very happy, for it is not simply a building which will
rise up on this spot. It is a new era of prosperity and of progress. He
lays the foundation not merely for an educational institution but for education
as well. He has not only sacrificed much for the freedom of his
country and earned the respect and affection of the leaders of the land,
but he is also a great scholar in many languages and he is an ardent
believer in eternal religion. To have the village school begun by him is
indeed a very auspicious event.
You can be proud that Puttaparthi is a village that has become famous
from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari, as the Governor said now; but as
he himself added, it is a great responsibility as well. This function is, I
consider, the crown and glory of this year's Birthday Festival, for I see
the faces of the crowds before me beaming with new hope and new
joy. The elders of this village have at last realized what they have
missed all these years due to their own defects. To secure pearls, one
has to go far out into the sea and dive deep; simply wading in the shallows
and declaring that the pearl-story is a myth is a sign of foolishness.
So too, the elders here wondered so long at all stories of my miracle
powers and could not make use of the splendid chances that lay
at their very doors. They saw only the light, but did not feel the warmth.
That itself proves that though they were physically so near, they were
very distant for all practical purposes. They could see the splendour,
the glory, the effulgence but they did not come near and share the
warmth of my heart.
Entangled in the false and the fleeting, men lose the golden chance of
grasping the true and the lasting. They refuse to recognise the fruits
that grow on the branches of the tree in their own garden; they pluck
it before it becomes ripe and they go about decrying it as sour. Such
is the fate of man; he has always ignored God and pursued the paltry
joys of pride and greed.
As a matter of fact, Puttaparthi is a name revered and remembered
with gratitude by millions today and it will be treasured in history as an
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immortal name. No other village has such fortune, but you have been
slow to recognise this. For twenty years now, efforts have been made
to calm the waves of faction in this village, years during which many
other villages sought and won my grace and blessings. There have
been many occasions on which devotees have pleaded with me to
move out of this miasma and settle down in Bangalore, Madras or
some such town, or if I preferred, some other quiet rural spot. But let
me tell you here and now; this tree has to grow at the very spot where
it sprouted; it will not be transplanted; I shall not give up this place, no,
not I. This place will be transformed into Thirupathi and those who are
little boys and girls today will surely see it in all its magnificence.
23.11.60, (16-1/3)
Enter upon that task of spiritual discipline from now on; that is the lesson
you must learn here. Otherwise, pilgrimage leads only to the accumulation
of vessel - you buy vessels from wherever you go: from
Rameshwaram, Thirupathi, Kashi, Haridhwar, Madhura or Kumbhakonam.
That is the merit you get from pilgrimage, a storeroom full of
vessels. You come from long distances, incur heavy expenses, suffer
in the cold, in the open or lie in the shade of trees and wait for days
expecting the longed for interview with me; but in the end, you return
and dissipate the peace and happiness you derive from this place.
Devotion is something sweet, soothing, refreshing and restoring. It
must confer patience and fortitude. The devotee will not be perturbed
if another gets the interview first or if another is given greater consideration.
He is humble and bides his time: he knows that there is a higher
power that knows more and that it is just and impartial. In the light
of that knowledge, the devotee will communicate his troubles and
problems only to his Lord; he will not humiliate himself by talking about
them to all and sundry, for what can a man, who is as helpless as himself,
do to relieve him? It is only those who have that implicit faith in
God, who will deign to communicate only with the Lord and none else,
who deserve nectar (amrita) of immortality.
The gross body should be ever immersed in holy company, the subtle
body, that is, the thoughts and feelings, should be ever immersed in
the contemplation of the glory of the Lord. That is the sign of the devotee
He who shouts and swears and advertises his worries to every
one he meets and craves for sympathy, such a one can never be a
devotee. They make earnest men lose faith in Godly ways; earnest
men feel they are superior to these pseudo-devotees. And this is a
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fact. It is a great responsibility to tread the Godward path. There is no
sliding back, no halfway stop, no tardy pace, no side lane on such a
pilgrimage. It is always up and up, right to the crest of the mountain.
Though your responsibility is greater, take it from me, you are luckier
than others. Do not deny with the tongue what you have relished in the
heart; do not bear false witness to your own felt experience. Do not
carp and talk cynically of the very thing you have revered and adored
when the company into which you fall start such raillery. It is said that
the devotee can get the Lord everywhere easily but the Lord cannot
get a devotee so easily. Yes, it is difficult to secure a devotee who has
that unshaken faith, that attitude of complete self-surrender. Such an
attitude can come only by remembering God's Name, constant sincerely
and continuously, as continuously as the act of breathing is felt
to be essential for life. That is the silent recital of Lord's name, penance
and meditation. Recitation of the names of God like this will immerse
you ever in Divine nectar, not just a drop on your tongue.
Do you know how much I feel when I find that in spite of my arrival and
teaching and spiritual instruction, you have not yet started this spiritual
discipline? You simply praise me and strew compliments; that I am the
treasure-house of grace, the ocean of bliss, etc. Take up the name and
dwell upon its sweetness; imbibe it and roll it on your tongue, taste its
essence, contemplate on its magnificence and make it a part of yourself
and grow strong in spiritual joy. That is what pleases me. (...)
Faith can grow only by long cultivation and careful attention. The old
are haunted by the demon of doubt. I know there are many here who
are afflicted by doubt. They think that I have hidden a vessel of nectar
in a spot in the sands previously fixed and known to me only. That is
why I now asked some from among those people themselves, to decide
where we sit on these sands.
Kasturi suggested this morning that since the thousands who have
come to see the materialization of nectar cannot get a close view on
this flat riverbed, a mound of sand be raised, whereon I can sit. I did
not agree because I knew these doubters would immediately infer that
the nectar was hidden previously under the mound that was heaped
up on purpose! This doubt is truly a component of the demonic nature,
for it eats into the vitals of devotee. It clips the wings of joy, it dampens
enthusiasm, it tarnishes hope. Such men cannot attain the goal even
at the end of a thousand births.
When doubt assails you, welcome the chance to see and experience
and clear the doubt. But do not later deny the very truth of which you
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were once convinced and listen again to the voice of hate or foolishness.
Do not put faith in the words of men into whose hands you will
not entrust your purse; as a matter of fact, it is the words of such men
that are now leading many astray. Really, this is a pitiable state of
things, is it not?
Come to me, eager to learn, to progress, to see yourself in me, and I
shall certainly welcome you and show you the way. You will indeed be
blessed. All scriptures, all texts, the Bhagavadgita which is the milk of
all the Upanishads cows, is intended to instill this thirst in you.
The thirst has to be like that of the creeper for the tree-trunk, of the
magnet for the iron, of the bee for the flower, of the waters for a fall, of
the river for the sea. The pangs of separation must gnaw the heart; the
entire being must yearn for union. Do not vacillate or change or try a
series of name and form. That will only fritter away time and energy.
Ceaseless contemplation of the Lord will give ceaseless taste of nectar
to you.
If you do not follow this path, you are doubly to blame; for you have
contacted me. The form usually creates doubts, for when only the
name is there, you can build around it all your fancies, all that you
want, to complete the picture. Do not be misled by such doubts when
the form has come before you; make the moment useful, the life worthwhile.
28.12.60, (16-16/20)
Baba is beyond the keenest intellect, the sharpest brain. Why, even
the seven Rishis failed to grasp the sublimity of Godhead. (...) They
had just a glimpse. So, do not try to delve into me; develop faith and
confidence and derive bliss through love. That is the utmost you can
do; do that and benefit. 26.2.61, (16-25)
Above all, do not give room for the canker of doubt. Why argue over
me, over this point or that concerning me? Who exactly is the Baba you
discuss and debate! What does it matter to you who I happen to be?
You are concerned about your goal, your ideal, your experience, your
effort is it not? Why then worry about my origin, my nature, my mystery,
my miracle? The basic thing is the hand, the cup it holds is secondary.
The physical matter is less important than the basic reality, the pure
existence. When you cannot reach down to your own basic reality, why
waste time in exploring the essence of Godhead? As a matter of fact,
you can understand me only when you have understood yourself, your
own basic truth.
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The gross can grasp only the gross; its categories of knowledge can
proceed only as far as that. (...)
You must see, hear, study, observe, experience, reflect; then only can
you understand me.
You will learn then that I am love itself; that I give only one thing, bliss,
through that love. My task is to distribute solace, courage and peace.
That is to say, my characteristics are the ancient authentic ones; only
the manifested form is new. My desire - if I can put it in so many words
- is this: More and more should yearn for me. The desire could be realized
only if I assume this form and come among you.
Those among you who have been following the unfolding of my story
will have discovered this by now; though even to the best of you only
a fraction of the mystery is revealed. You are like a Telugu audience
sitting through a Tamil picture, or vice versa. The nuances, the subtler
significances, the deeper meanings are all beyond the grasp. My language,
my role, my career, my purpose can be understood in a general
way only by sitting through the entire film. Watching earnestly and vigilantly
and trying to get at the meaning of every word and act with patient
attention.
As a matter of fact, language is an impediment in dealing with me. All
languages have a place in the concourse of men, bringing out their
feelings, hiding their weaknesses, shaping their thoughts etc., but I
speak and listen to the language of the soul. The words uttered by the
tongues of men confuse and confound; they breed factions and sects;
they erect walls; the words that emanate from the soul radiate love and
concord.
Spiritual discipline has to be done after attaining a good character; that
is very important. In the midst of impurity, wickedness and evil, spiritual
effort will be fruitless. It is as the jewel in the head of the cobra, in the
centre of poison and cruelty. There are some who come here and earn
peace and joy, but after years of sharing and serving, they fall prey to
waywardness and fall back into the old morass, declining to such an
extent that they deny their very experience and play false to their own
conscience! Not that I am anxious that they should worship me or adhere
to me; far from it. I only ask that truth must be proclaimed, regardless
of the company you have fallen into; there must be courage of
conviction, which will help you to overcome the temptation to deny
your cherished joys.
There are again some others who are swept off their foot by hysterical
demonstrations by certain weak-minded individuals, which are de-
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scribed as my speaking through them or acting through them! Take it
from me, I am not given to such absurdities! I do not use others as my
media; I have no need to. I do not swing from side to side and prattle!
Why, even those who torture their bodies and suffer the pains of asceticism
for years, until ant-hills overwhelm them and they become as
stiff as tree-stumps, find it difficult to realise the Lord. How then can
these idlers, who eat their fill and wander about as slaves of their senses,
earn that status so cheap? Their gestures, words and actions are
hollow and vain; those who burn incense before them and revere them
are turning away from me and running after falsehood.
For, how can the full ever dally with the paltry and wear the raiment of
the trifling? When God has come assuming form, take it from me, He
will not fill inferior vessels or embellish tawdry stuff or enter impure
bodies. So, do not extol these falsities and ruin those unfortunates.
Deal with them severely and they will be cured. Those who have seen
the brilliance of the diamond will not be misled by glass trinkets. The
Lord is like the diamond, call it by any name. But a trinket cannot be
turned into a diamond, however loud the praise and however adamant
the claim. 4.3.62, (16-153/155)
Do not listen to destructive criticism and cynicism, which are the poisons
eating into the vitals of spiritual life today. Bear witness to the
truth of your own experience; do not be false to yourself, or to me. My
name is Sathya Sai; it means: “He who reclines on truth.” 4.3.62, (16-
158)
Study well the disciplinary rules laid down for all who wish to be in
Prashanti Nilayam. These rules are for your own good. Wherever you
are, you can make the place a Prasanthi Nilayam. Become parts of my
history. Do not go far from me. You have acquired nearness through
the accumulated good fortune of many births. If you cut this contact
and get away, a time will come when you will weep outside the gates
clamouring for entry. Be free from silly delusions and doubts, be free
from tawdry desires - and I shall take you into me. 7.3.62, (16-171/172)
That is why I very often tell you not to identify even me with this particular
physical form. But you do not understand. You call me by one
name only and believe I have one form only. Remember, there is no
name I do not bear, there is no form which is not mine. 24.11.62, (16-
264/265)
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Here I must tell you something about myself, like leaving a visiting
card. My task is not merely to cure and console to remove individual
misery, it is something far more important. (...)
The removal of misery and distress is incidental to my mission. My
main task is the re-establishment of Vedas and Shastras in the heart
of Indians 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 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 the mountain Govardhari by means of black magic,
or that Rama built a bridge over the sea, by black magic!
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 resolve. That resolve
is intended to uphold Sathya (peace). God's resolve is always Sathya,
resolve that comes true. Everyone knows the strict discipline of
Prashaanthi 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 power. They interpret it as something else. That 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.
I have come to instruct all in the essence of the Vedas, to shower on
all this precious gift, to protect and preserve righteousness. Each profession
has a set of moral restrictions and regulations guiding its exercise;
if these are honoured, then the joy of the participant will go on
adding itself, plus, plus, plus. There are differences of innate characteristics,
impulses, attitudes, prejudices, excellences and character
tendencies which mark out man from man. (...)
Of course, all are equal before the Lord; no one has any special claim
for preference, except probably the miserable and the distraught. But,
in human societies, there must be distinction based on qualification
and merit, whether it be intellectual, moral or spiritual. If all felt that the
goal is the same, there will not be faction and fights on the way. The
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work that each does is important for the whole community; there is no
high or low. 17.12.64, (18-227/229)
Now hear this. I never speak through another; I never possess another
or use another as a vehicle of expression. I come direct, I come
straight, I come as I am, to confer peace and joy
I do not accept from you flowers that fade, fruits that rot, coins that
have no value beyond the national boundary. Give me the lotus that
blooms in your lake of mind (...) of your inner consciousness, give me
the fruits of holiness and steady discipline. I am above all this worldly
etiquette, which enjoins you to seek elders with some fruit or flower in
your hand. My world is the world of the spirit; there, values are different.
If you are happy, with faith in God and fear of sin, that is enough
"service" for me. It pleases me so. 27.3.65, (18-338)
The Bhagavadgita also helps you to recognise the incarnations of
God. Usually, when the Lord appears with form, man is pestered by
doubts and he actually loses the precious chance. He asks himself and
all those whom he meets: "Is it true? Can it be true?" and before his
doubts are removed, he deserts the quest and wanders into the wilderness.
Of course, steady inquiry is essential; do not be led by others;
awaken your own 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. 31.3.65, (18-373/374)
My activities and movements will never be altered, whoever may pass
an opinion on them. Meanness may prompt people to remark on my
dress, this gown of colour, or they may talk cynically of my hair, but I
shall not be affected a bit. My discourses, my plans for establishment
of manna, my movements, I shall not modify at all. I have stuck to this
determination, for 26 years, and I am engaged in the task for which I
have come, to inculcate the path of peace. I shall not stop, nor retract
a step. Does a person become holier by wearing rags? Of course, this
calumny by mean men who cannot endure the brilliance of the sun has
been with me in all the Ages. 30.9.65, (19-72)
Newspapers have a great role to play in this task; but they are content
to cater to vulgar tastes and become waste-papers soon. (...)
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They print without shame their despicable inventions displaying malice
and envy of the lowest order. Of course, such calumny is quite an ancient
experience for the eminent; this is my experience in previous
Ages also. The successors of enemies of Krishna cannot remain idle;
but consider to what low level human wickedness has descended. I do
not care either for praise or blame; I only pity these people who, in order
to scrape together a few paise from the poor, resort to such venal
tricks. For all who are pained by these confusing antics I declare:
"Even if all the fourteen worlds unite together, the work for which I have
come will not suffer a bit even if earth and heaven combine, my truth
can never be fully grasped." 18.4.66, (19-213/214)
Eyes made of earthly material, intelligence shaped out of incompetent
senses - with these you cannot comprehend me. The eye of pure wisdom
alone can see the Lord in all his glory. That eye is won by listening,
reflecting and meditating. Listen with faith; reflect with discrimination;
meditate with one-pointed devotion. Then the truth will be
revealed and doubts will disappear. 20.10.66, (19-272)
Of course, it is only natural that doubt may arise in you on some occasions
based on my form, my words or my action but, when you are eager
to know my reality, you must observe in action my teaching and follow
me. Then, certainly, my Divine reality will be revealed to you.
Having looked at this form through your eyes only you start guessing
and concluding, as your wavering fancy dictates and lay waste your intellectual
and mental efforts; you even allow your devotion and faith to
flow into wrong channels. I am advising you against this, with the force
of a command. 22.11.70, (21-397)
The Truth-love-beauty (sathyam-sivam-sundaram) manifestation of
God responds to prayers addressed to any of Its manifold names; It is
endowed with infinite patience and compassion, though It has now assumed
human form and can be expected to have human traits and
even human failings, for, it has to deal with human frailties and rescue
man from himself. Man has to be shown the means by which he can
enlarge the circle of love, and spread the light of his reason wide. Unless
man is able to see all humanity as one, he cannot be declared a
devotee of God; for humanity is the progeny of God. The Divine is the
string on which all this floral variety is strung into a garland. Yoga is the
method by which the inner kinship is realized, and one's affinity with
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the universe is experienced. Ud-yoga, the word which is now used for
any type of employment, is best used for the highest job on which man
can be employed - the discovery of this innate kinship. 18.12.70, (21-
404)
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The Teaching of timeless Wisdom and Truth
All the Shastras derive their value and validity from their source - the
Vedas. They lay down modes and norms in consonance with the principles
and purposes defined in the Vedas. To discriminate between
good and bad, the Shastras have to be resorted to.
The Vedas have no identifiable human authors. They have emerged
from God himself and they are “heard” by sages attuned to the voice
of the Divine. They communicated the word to their pupils and they in
turn taught them to their disciples. This process of imparting the Vedas
and the wisdom enshrined in them has continued through generation
after generation of gurus and disciples upto our own times.
The Upanishads are the very core of the Vedas, the very essence of
their teachings. The Brahma Sutra and the Bhagavadgita contain the
very essence of the teachings of the Upanishads. These three scriptural
texts are, therefore, designated as the three source texts. Since
these have been learnt by listening to the guru, they are, along with the
Vedas, named Sruthi, the "heard".
Acquisition of the higher knowledge alone can fulfil the main purpose
of human life. Such knowledge makes one aware that one is not the
inert non-sentient body, etc., but consciousness itself manifesting as
the embodiment of sat-chit-ananda (existence-consciousness-bliss).
When this truth dawns and is experienced, man is liberated; he is freed
from the fog of ignorance, even while life endures till its term ends. (6-
1/2)
Then, what exactly is the means? The answer is: Renunciation alone
can confer liberation or immortality. The objective world is unreal, nonexistent;
the misunderstanding that is real has to be renounced. The
understanding that the idea of the cosmos is a superimposition by your
mind on reality is wisdom. Though the cosmos appears real, one must
be aware that it is deluding us so. And as a result, one has to give up
the yearning for deriving pleasure from the objects that appear and attract,
both here and hereafter. That is to say, one is liberated as soon
as one renounces all attachment and all desires. The false knowledge
can be destroyed only when one knows the Atman principle. When the
false knowledge disappears, the sorrow produced by one's involvement
in the ups and downs of the world of change, also gets destroyed.
Ignorance and sorrow cannot be destroyed by rituals, this is the lesson
the Upanishads teach us. In fact, man has forgotten his real nature. He
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elieves that he is the body, the senses etc. They crave for objective
pleasures and he convinces himself that this is desirable and under
this mistaken notion, he seeks to fulfil their cravings. He deludes himself
that he can secure bliss by catering to the body and the senses.
However, he cannot earn bliss through such attempts. Instead, he is
rewarded with disillusionment, defeat and even disaster. He reaps sorrow,
and not joy.
Involvement in objective pleasure ultimately leads to grief. So, man
needs to be directed towards the right means to attain bliss. Wherefrom
can one gain bliss? It is not inherent in external objects. The
pleasure one can obtain from external objects brings with it grief also.
The Brahma Sutra, the Upanishads and the Bhagavadgita - the three
source texts - clarify the truth that you are the very embodiment of
bliss. These three sources work together to help man attain the highest
wisdom. (...)
The awareness of Brahman cannot be won by the accumulation of
wealth or even by giving away riches. Nor can it be achieved by reading
texts, rising to acquiring power, or degrees and diplomas or by the
performance of scriptural sacrifices and rituals. (...)
Only the person who has faith and trust can secure wisdom, it means
steady faith in the statements laid down in scriptural texts. (6-3/6)
Among the preliminary qualifications for Brahman exploration, the first
is discrimination between the transitory and the eternal. In other
words, the discovery that the Atman alone is beyond time, and that all
objects perceivable by the senses of sight, etc., are only transitory. (...)
The second qualification is renunciation of the desire to enjoy here and
hereafter the fruits of one's actions. This is also known as “non-attachment.”
(...)
The third qualification is consistency (sama). Non-attachment (dama),
retraction (uparathi), equanimity (titiksha), faith (sraddha) and deep
meditation (samadhana) are the six virtues in this group. (...)
The mind has two characteristics. The first is that it runs after the senses,
helplessly, inviting disaster. When a pot of water becomes empty,
you need not infer that it has leaked away through ten holes; one hole
is enough to make it empty. So too, among the senses, even if one is
not under control, the result will be bondage. Therefore, every sense
has to be mastered.
The second characteristic of the mind is that the potential of the mind
can be promoted by good practices like meditation (dhyana), recitation
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of holy names (japa), devotional singing (bhajan) and worship (puja).
With strength and skill thus reinforced, the mind can help the world or
harm it. (...)
Man has three chief instruments for uplifting himself: Intellect, mind
and the senses. When the mind gets enslaved by the senses, man
gets entangled and bound. The same mind, when it is regulated by the
intellect, can make man aware of his reality, the Atman. (...)
Now, for the second of the six virtues: Non-attachment means keeping
the body and the senses under control. This can be achieved only by
spiritual exercise and not by any other means. (...)
The third qualification with which one has to be equipped is retraction.
This implies a state of mind which is above and beyond all dualities
such as joy and grief, liking and disliking, good and bad, praise and
blame, which agitate and affect the common man. (...)
The fourth qualification is equanimity. This is the attitude of forbearance,
which refuses to be affected or pained when afflicted with sorrow
and loss, and the ingratitude and wickedness of others. (...)
The fifth among the virtues to be cultivated is faith (sraddha); unwavering
faith in the sacred scriptures or Shastras and in the moral codes
they contain as well as in the Atman and the guru. (...)
The sixth qualification is deep meditation (samadhana). One has to be
irrefutably convinced that what the Shastras make known and what the
guru teaches are both one and the same. One's intellect must rest
upon and draw inspiration from the Atman, at all times and under all
circumstances. (...)
Next, you shall consider contemplation - the longing for liberation. (6-
7/13)
This, the very first Sutra stresses one lesson: He who devotes his life
to earn the knowledge of the Atman that is his Self, must possess holy
virtues, and they must mould his conduct and contacts. For no knowledge
can be higher than virtuous character. Character is power, really
speaking. (...)
For, the stage of equanimity so essential for spiritual progress can be
gained only when the intellect is cleansed of the blot of deluding attachments
and involvements. Devoid of that serenity, the intellect or
buddhi cannot proceed on the path of Brahman. (6-15/16)
The Sutra “janmadyasya yathah”, is intended to lead us to the discovery
of the genuine basis for all that “is” and “was” and “will be”. It an-
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nounces the Supreme principle which is the cause for the being turning
into becoming and the orderly behaviour of the universe. Physics can
probe into matter and explain how it is formed; but, it can not probe and
discover why it is so formed. Surely, for each effect or happening,
there should be a cause. Neither the atom nor the self nor the absence
of these can be reckoned as that cause. The being, must be beyond
both subject and object. But, when you have to delineate the being or
Brahman, it becomes necessary to use words in current usage, such
as Creator, Lord, Providence, God and also Brahman.
When the inquiry into cause and effect is made from the point of view
of the cosmos, you reach the conclusion that God is the cause, and the
cosmos is the effect. When the distinction between subject and object
is transcended you become aware that it is all pure consciousness or
Brahman, and that this is both the primary as well as the subsidiary
factor. That is to say, it is the major, or primordial nescience that invokes
both Brahman, universe and the mergence in Brahman. It is illusion
that causes the delusion that one originates from the other. (6-
20/21)
Some others assert that the universe is a manifestation of Vishnu and
that it has its being in Vishnu himself. They declare that the emergence,
subsistence and merging of the universe are all caused by Vishnu.
Of course, nothing in the universe can be made without a maker.
What, then, must be the nature of the maker of the cosmos? He must
have limitless power, unbounded glory, and perfect omniscience. It is
not possible for every one to visualise such a phenomenon, though it
is the very fulfillment of the purpose of each one's life! It can, however,
be conceived and confirmed by two characteristics:
1. One, called thatastha, and the other, swarupa. Thatastha is the temporary
time-bound indication. It cannot confer a correct picture or view.
It can only reveal signs and glimpses, off and on. 2. Swarupa means
the very reality in its fullness. This is the result of the illumination of intuitive
wisdom. It reveals the immanent and the transcendent, the limitless
source of all. (...) (Sollten die Sanskritworte stehen bleiben?)
The bubble born of water floats in it and bursts on it to become one with
it. All the visible objective worlds are like the bubbles emanating from
the vast ocean of Divinity, Brahman. They are on the waters and are
sustained by water. How else can they arise and exist? Finally, they
merge and disappear in water itself. For their origin, subsistence and
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mergence, they depend on water only. Water is one, bubbles are plentiful.
Water is real, bubbles are appearance. Water is the basis: bubbles
are delusive forms of water imposed on water.
One is struck with wonder at this wonderful manifestation. But, in the
ancient eras of time and in the far corners of space, from the inert unconscious
tangle of nature, the mystery of life emerged and proliferated
into men and god-men. (...)
Each has its own innate speciality, individuality or love characteristics.
This rule applies equally to blades of grass and the stars. The cosmos
is not one continuous flux. It is progressing persistently towards
achieving a totality in quality and circumstance. (6-21/24
The cosmos is a magnificent wonder, a source of continuous amazement.
It cannot but impress anyone as a supreme marvel. When an
object has to be made, you need one who has skill and intelligence and
power. Without a maker nothing can be made. Therefore how do these
objects that are visible to us - the sun, the moon, the stars, the constellations,
their brilliance, movements - move and behave as they do
without a creator? Can these yield to any ordinary power? No. Intelligent
people can easily infer, observing the objects created which have
such mighty capabilities, how immeasurable must be the power of the
Creator Himself.
Look at the marvellous variety in creation. No one thing is the same as
another; no one person resembles another. This can only be the sport
of the phenomenon with limitless glory; God. Anyone can understand
that no lesser power could be the source. On the basis of the mystery
inherent in creation one can easily infer the almighty power that has
created it. Those who are incapable of unravelling the mystery of the
created can never unravel the nature of the creator.
Creation or the cosmos is the manifestation of the will latent in Brahman.
All this is God's will or plan. (...)
The process of projection is happening in this series. Brahma, the first,
man, the last. So, Man and Brahman are closely related. (6-26/29)
The Vedas assert that Brahman is the Primal Cause of the Cosmos.
They do not affirm any non-conscious entity as the cause. The voice
of God or Veda, does not support the view of the non-conscious as being
the origin of creation. On the other hand, being is asserted to have
resolved upon becoming, to have entertained a decision. Resolution,
decision, design - these are acts of consciousness; non-conscious en-
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tities are capable of such exercises of will. Brahman, which is All-conscious,
has therefore to be accepted as the Primal cause. (...)
When the will emerged, Brahman became God. And by that will alone,
God created the cosmos. From the superficial view, God and cosmos
strike one as distinct. But when examined with subtle insight, one finds
that there is not fundamental distinction between the material and the
maker, the living unit and the life principle. (...)
The cosmos - the five-element composite has emanated from the omniself,
the Paramatma, Brahman. There is no spot anywhere where its
manifestation is not. The cosmos is ever in movement; the Lord of the
cosmos is the mover. Worldly love is not genuine love; the love of the
Atman is the source of all such love. (6-39/42)
Fire or water is the product, the effect of the will. The word “projection”
or “manifestation” cannot be interpreted in a secondary or figurative
sense. The Atman alone is indicated as the Primal Entity in the Sruthi
or Veda. The urge or resolution is a happening in the Atman itself, not
in any other entity. The entire cognisable cosmos was just existence
(sat) or is. Whatever form it has assumed in the process of time and
in the perimeter of space, all of it is in reality existence only, that is to
say, Atman! This is the lesson the Veda holds. (...)
The individual believing that it is divided from the whole, the Universal,
is subject to desire and despair, love and hate, grief and joy. He is attracted
by the world of name and form. Such a person is characterised
as “bound”. Hence his need for liberation is urgent. And, to be liberated
he must give up his dependence on and attachment to the world?. (...)
This consummation is reached, the Divine awareness is won through
the grace of Brahman, wherein is the Atman to be sought? Where
does the Atman reside? How can one know the Atman? Adoring the
apparently consciousness-less things too as manifestations of the
Sovereign consciousness or Atman helps the process. The Atman
principle can be genuinely understood only by seekers who are
grounded in the formless, attributeless Brahman. But, even the attributeless
embodiment has the Divine reality in full measure. There are
many examples to illustrate this truth. Brahma wisdom (vidya) is another
name for understanding and experiencing the Atman as the
Brahman, the individual as the universal. (6-44/46)
When the cause is known, one can know all consequences. The entire
universe, that is to say, the moving and the unmoving, everything
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formed from the five primordial elements (...) has been projected by
the Divine will. It is a consequence of the will of God, which is the
cause. No consequence can happen without a preceding cause. The
cause has, however, two aspects, the material cause and the effective
cause. (...)
God is the material cause of creation, of the cosmos, the universe. He
is the substance. He is the effective cause. He is both transcendental
and phenomenal, both being and becoming. As silver in the cup, the
cosmos is all God. He has been manifesting himself as all this. He has
willed to become all this. In every thing he is immanent. In the absence
of this highest truth, nothing can exist. Each one is sustained by the
all-comprehensive reality. This wondrous mystery is beyond man's
grasp. His intelligence cannot unravel it. (...)
Correct vision makes him see the one in the many. It reveals unity in
diversity, and confers supreme delight, for he becomes aware of the
one immanent in the multiplicity, the supreme truth. Liberation is the
realization of this awareness, this achievement of Brahma-hood. Each
and every living being has to attain this consummation, this goal, Brahman.
That is its true destination. Some day or other, the urge to win
release from the shackles of grief and joy and the bonds of "I" and
"mine", will awaken and emerge. The path that is taken then inevitably
leads to liberation. Seeking that path is the sign of the intelligent person.
(6-49/50)
Sleep is very necessary for every living being. Without sleep, man as
well as other beings cannot live. Of all the joys that the world provides,
sleep is the most rewarding. All the rest are arid and dry, trivial and
wasteful. When a living being sleeps, the five vital airs do function
along with the five fires in the body conferring warmth. The breathing
consecrated fire perpetually burning like the flame on the altar in the
shrine room. It energises you in the same steady manner. (...)
The breathing (prana) helps the mind to "reach the region of Brahma
which the person has earned by his karma." In other words, it enables
the person to experience the taste of mergence with God. For, that
which rests in sleep, is happy during sleep, is refreshed by sleep and
derives bliss while sleeping is the living being, the embodied Atman.
The living being is the deity enshrined in the body, its temple. The living
being experiences all that is seen, heard and contacted by the mind in
the outer world, as well as the impact of all that it could not see, hear
or contact by the mind. Besides these, the living being might construct
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and experience in dreams and witness such experiences undergone
during previous lives. It depends on the activities stamped on the mind
of each one. Or, it might happen sometimes, the person gives up at
one stroke the association with the body and the senses and gets immersed
and lost in his basic principle - the Atman, the higher self. The
bliss that fills the living being is the authenticity of the Atman.
During dreamless sleep, the living being enters and revels in the region
of bliss, led thereto by the splendour of the vital air that elevates.
That region is known as the region of bliss. This is the splendid chance
that man gets effortlessly during sleep, the chance to enjoy the proximity
of the Atman which is the prime source and substance of the five
basic elements, the five senses and the inner instrument of awareness.
But this experience is only temporary. Once a person has gained
awareness through the purification of the mind and the clarification of
the intellect he will experience the constant bliss of merging in Atman.
Only in this way can he become omniscient, eternally in the region of
undecaying, imperishable supreme vastness, the Atman, the all, Brahman.
While he sleeps the living person is immersed in dull ignorance. To the
person who is fully realised however, dreams will afford as much bliss
as the realm of consciousness in the waking state. Even while awake
this person is able to rid himself of the impact of the body, the senses
and reason and is saturated with the bliss of his true reality. The individual
self shares the consciousness of the Universal self in which it is
able to merge. (6-54/56)
This material objective world is what becomes visible to your eyes,
what pleases your senses, what fascinates your minds and what informs
your brains. But in and through this very world, there is one
reachable non-material subjective world. When that is known, both
worlds reveal themselves as partial expressions of the same indivisible
consciousness. The two supplement each other into the one fullness.
(...)
The education process teaches one that the cosmos is a manifestation
of the Lord’s sport and nothing else. The Upanishads declare this truth:
This world is the residence of the Lord. Therefore, no one can entertain
a sense of personal possession or even a trace of egoism. Renounce
the feeling of attachment; feel the presence of the Lord everywhere.
Welcome the bliss that the Lord as the embodiment of bliss confers on
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you and experience it with thankfulness and without being bound by
desire. This is the message of the sages (Rishi) and seers. (7-3/4)
The Atman is a spark of the Divine. Its latent existence can be known
by inquirers. God is one. Whatever one’s nationality, whichever religion
one professes, one can realise the Universal Absolute (Brahman)
if one masters the science of spiritual advancement. Faith in the one
God is the crux, the central point. Other beliefs, concepts and conjectures
revolve as the rim, on the periphery. (7-25)
Although born in the human race, and enveloped by human environment
alas. Men have forgotten the essential qualities of the human
race. Amongst all the animals and amongst all the living things that are
born, the birth of a human being is a very unique one. To be able to
earn the gift of being born as a man is an extraordinarily difficult thing.
Having attained that gift from the hands of God and having succeeded
in being born as a man, if you do not make full use of such a gift, you
will be committing a great sin. You must realise that being born as a
man in this birth is the result of having attained and acquired the fruit
of many good deeds that you had done in several previous births. (34-
9)
Because you have taken residence in this body, you cannot call the
body “I”. (...) The”I” in you is Atman himself. The “I” is the tiny wavelet
that plays with the wind for a moment, over the deep waters of the sea.
The wave gives you the impression that it is separate from the azure
and timeless ocean below. But it is just an appearance, a creation of
the two ideas - name and form. Get rid of the two ideas and the wave
disappears in the sea; its reality flashes upon you and you know.
Atman reveals its glory as love in man; love appears in various forms:
attaching itself to riches, parents, children, one's life-mate or friends.
All these are sparks of the same flame and the love of the Universal is
its highest expression. This love cannot be cultivate by reading guidebooks
and made-easies and learning the steps by rote. It has to begin
with a great yearning for the light, an unbearable agony to escape from
the darkness, as in the prayer, - “From darkness lead me into light”
(tamaso ma jyotir gamaya). The yearning itself will draw down the light.
The love will grow of itself and by its slow and inevitable alchemy turn
you into Gold. (...)
Once you take on the name of the Lord which is sweetness itself, it will
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awaken all the sweetness latent in you; when you have lasted the joy,
you can never for a moment exist without that sustenance. It becomes
as essential as air for the lungs. (...)
You suffer now because all your attachment is towards nature, and all
your non-attachment is towards God. This has to be reversed! You
must cultivate non-attachment towards nature and attachment to the
Lord! (...)
There is nothing so grand and so sublime as the Lord in whom you find
refuge. Call on him by any name or speak of him as the nameless one.
It is both, with form and formless. The ocean takes the form of the vessel
which contains a part of it. When that is done, the formless takes
form; the absolute is reduced to the particular. You will find out, however,
that all the joy is derived from the form-full aspect of God; the
formless causes no joy or grief; it is beyond all duality. Jewels give joy,
not Gold. You can experience the name, you can imbibe the form; you
can take them to heart and dwell upon them and fill yourself with the
joy that they evoke. That is why Jayadeva, Gouranga, Ramakrishna
and others wished to remain ants, tasting sugar rather than becoming
sugar itself. The name is like the seed, implanted in your heart; when
the shower of his grace falls upon it, it sprouts into a lovely tree. All
trees that sprout from the names are equally lovely and shady.
23.11.60, (16-7/11)
Expansion is life. Expansion is the essence of love. Love is God. Live
in love. That is the message I give you today. When a lamp is lit from
another, there are two, where there was but one. The first one did not
stop emitting light. You can light a million lamps from one; but, yet, the
first will not suffer a jot! Love too is like this. Share it with a million, it
will still be as bright as when it was alone. There is another lesson too,
which the illuminations on Dipavali-Day tend to teach. Each house in
the street lights a few lamps - rid keeps them on the door sill, the parapet
wall, the gate, the porch, the well-and, what is the effect? The
town is filled with light, the residents are happy, the children dance in
glee and the sky shines in the, glow of earthly joy. Light spreads; it mingles
with the light from other sources of light; it has no boundaries, no
prejudices, no favourites. You may not like your neighbour. But the
light from the lamp on your verandah shines hand in hand with the light
from the lamp on his verandah! You cannot keep it back!
Dipavali is intended to teach you this lesson of light and love; move
out, clasp, spread, expand, give up limits of mine and thine, his and
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theirs, caste and creed in one limitless flow of love. That is the culmination
of all spiritual discipline. Competition, the desire to defeat and
overwhelm the other person, whatever the means necessary for his
downfall, the greed to earn wealth, fame, superiority, these have put
out the lamp of love in the human heart today. Resolve on this festival
day to light it again. When the worship of God starts in the shrine room,
the first act of yours is to lighting a lamp, isn’t it? Without a lit lamp, no
auspicious ceremony is initiated. When the lamp of love is shining,
God manifests! Keep it burning bright and pure, God persists! Allow all
to light their lamps from it, God showers grace! 29.10.70, (21-346/347)
The Atman is in small form in the body, it is termed the body consciousness.
The Atman activates by its presence the individual consciousness.
The Atman is the base on which everything rests. But, man believes
he is the body and ignores the Atman. He thinks he is a living
being but ignores the Atman; he concludes that as an individual, he is
separate; he ignores the Atman. 23.11.81, (25-220)
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Revelation
Remember that with every step, you are nearing God, and, God too,
when you take one step towards him, takes ten towards you. 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.
God is to be recognized in all that exists, all that is charming, suffering,
blooming or drooping. He is intelligence in the insect, faithfulness in
the dog, latent energy in the rock! 5.3.66, (21-3/4)
The body is a vehicle that even God aspire to possess. You know that
gods seek to come into human form so that they can utilise the intelligence,
discrimination, detachment etc., that the human body alone is
capable of exercising, to realise the ultimate reality, which when
known makes everything else known. The body with which the hospital
is concerned is the chariot of the individual resident, the master. It is
the castle from which one can fight against the foes of attachment and
egoism; it is the boat by which one can cross the sea of change and
chance. 15.10.66, (19-253)
Each religion exhorts those who are attracted by it to meditate on God
in a certain form known by a certain name; but one who is aware that
He is all names and all forms will adopt a sound which is profoundly
significant, which summarises all names, OM, unchanging, indestructible
sound. Through the changing to the unchanging, that is the journey.
There are three steps or stages in this journey. “I am yours"; “you
are mine" and, finally, "I am you”. Every devotee has to walk from one
to the other, and reach the journey's end. Move on, don't stop.
It is good to be born in a church, but it is not good to die in it. Grow and
rescue yourselves from the limits and regulations, the doctrines that
fence your freedom of thought, the ceremonials and rituals that restrict
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and redirect. Reach the point where churches do not matter, where all
roads end, from where all roads begin. (...)
Faith in God within the heart, faith in His constant presence and constant
guidance-these will confer courage, virtue, and illumination.
29.7.69, (21-84/86)
The need to surrender was mentioned by some one. Who offers? Who
receives? You are yourself God, to whom then are you offering? Yet,
you use the word, devotion, sacrifice. The problem is epochal; the solution
is dismissed by the use of a word! When you discover that you
are God, there is no devotion, no sacrifice. Wisdom wipes out all; God
alone remains. 4.10.70, (21-298)
Do not feel: “I am the body”. Roar: “I am Brahman, I am all this and
more, I am all this is, was, and will be”, and littleness, time, space, ego,
- all will flee from your heart! You will be love, love, love - and nought
else. That is to say, you will be Divine, one with the one. 29.10.70, (21-
347)
The human heart, which can be compared to a gramophone plate,
contains in it all the traits of past lives. The reaction, echo and reflection
of all that you have seen, heard and experienced are contained in
it. The vast oceans, the mighty mountains and all the different places
that you visited are imprinted on your heart. In short, the entire universe
is imprinted on the human heart. So, it can be said that human
being is the embodiment of Cosmic principle. But, man not being able
to realise this truth considers himself low, and is affected by pleasure
and pain, good and bad.
From where has this universe originated? The Vedas have given a
proper answer to this. The universe originated from where the "I" principle
originated. That is “hridaya”. The Vedas declare that “hridaya” is
the origin of "I" principle. This "I" is all-pervasive. Everyone uses this
letter “I” while introducing himself or herself. There is no place or person
without this "I" principle. Even the birds and beasts have got this
"I" principle, though they are not able to express it. Wherever "I" is,
there is “hridaya”. Hridaya is not limited to body alone, it is all-pervasive.
"I" is the name of the Atman.
So, in everybody, the Atman is present in the form of "I". It is associated
with intellect (buddhi).
Right from an illiterate person to a scholar, everyone defines intellect
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as the power to discriminate between the transient and the permanent.
This is not the correct definition. People use it only in the worldly
sense. In fact, intellect has five aspects. They are faith, Divine order,
truth, spiritual discipline and wisdom. (...)
Today, many people talk of mind (manas) and intellect (buddhi) without
understanding their true meaning. They think that the mind is only
a combination of thoughts, but even actions are associated with it.
When the mind and the intellect unite, humanness reaches a state of
freedom which is referred to as liberation.
It is a mistake to undertake any spiritual practice to control the mind.
The nature of the mind is mysterious. It is unsteady and associated
with ego. Who can control such a mind? So, never try to control the
mind. Follow the intellect, then the mind naturally submits itself. The
master of the mind is the intellect. The master of the intellect is the Atman.
The Atman has no master. So, master the mind and be a mastermind.
(...)
Human body contains all the three worlds. (...) It has all the five senses
of perception that recognise sound, touch, form, taste and smell. The
body is made of five elements and is bound to perish, but the indweller
is immortal. The indweller has no birth, no death and no bondage. Truly
speaking, that indweller is God himself. (28.9.98)
The texts declare that you are really the Atman, the same that animates
all creation. The body of man is a temple where God is installed.
The guards are consistency, and non-attachment and the control of
the senses and of the emotions. If they are inefficient or idle, lust and
greed, anger and envy, hate and pride sneak in, spread and hold sway
over the temple; man is so deluded that he honours these thieves, as
if they are the masters of' the house they have stolen into. Be master
of your own mind. Be awake, arise and confront the thieves, before
they capture your treasure. The Treasure is the awareness of God in
all. (27-63)
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IV. LOVE OF GOD - HEART OF GOD
HUMAN HEART

Relationship between Humans and God
There are many types of breath control but since in this present world
most types are impossible to practice, only those that help for meditation
have to be adopted, They are simplified systems of breath control.
(...)
Two seconds inhalation, four seconds exhalation, eight seconds stop
breathing - in this series breath control has to be practiced carefully for
three months: later the duration of the time can be doubled. When six
months are spent in this steady practice, the activities of the senses
are laid low. If practiced with faith and feeling, breath control will tame
the agitations of the mind; otherwise, it becomes mere physical exercise,
improving just physical health. Pure food, living In solitude, moderate
speech-these conditions too have to be strictly observed. (27-95/
96)
If you plead that you have no time to spare for spiritual practice and
meditation, I will say that it is but laziness that makes you argue so.
How can any lower task claim the time that is legitimately the right of
the one task for which man is born? Rise everyday as if you are rising
from death. Say: "Thus am I born, make me speak soft sweet words,
behave coolly and comfortingly towards all, do deeds that shower happiness
on all, form Ideals which are beneficial to all. May this day be
worth while for thy service." - Pray like this, sitting on your bed, before
you start the day’s schedule. (27-98)
There is, in this world, no spiritual practice higher than fortitude, no,
happiness greater than contentment, no earnings holier than mercy,
no weapon more effective than patience. (4-71)
Above all, it is best that the devotee should be under all circumstances,
joyful, smiling and enthusiastic. Even more than devotion and wisdom,
this pure attitude is desirable. Those who have acquired it deserve to
reach the goal first. This quality of joy at all times is the fruit of good
done in past births. When a person is ever worried, depressed, doubting,
he can never attain bliss, whatever spiritual discipline he may do.
The first task of a devotee is the cultivation of enthusiasm. Through
that enthusiasm, he can derive any variety of bliss. Never get inflated
when you are praised; never get deflated when you re blamed. (4-74/
75)
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In fact, the desire to know God, to love God and be loved by God is
not a desire which binds. When awareness of God dawns in all its
splendour, every worldly, sensual desire is reduced to ashes in the
flames of that awareness. The individual self will turn towards the universal
self as soon as desire comes to on end, and delights in supreme
peace. The self must break off all contact with non-self so that it can
earn immortality. (7-23)
If therefore, you are imagining that God is like this or like that, it is not
correct. You cannot describe God and all your attempts will fail. It is
much better to make your mind clear and clean, fill it with love and devotion
and that will enable you to have the true vision of God. (35-257)
A day will come when even the most haughty, the most wilful, 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: "God, grant me
peace, grant me consolation, strength and joy." 7.2.59, (15-118)
I do not consider intellectual scholarship as very essential for the spiritual
aspirant. I advise you to develop bliss, not through these difficult
and even doubtful means, but through the cultivation of love, which begins
in the home and family and spreads to all creatures. Put down the
sharp-edged weapon that seeks to analyse and chop the arguments
of the opponent, to cut his point of view to pieces. Take up the sweet
of love which spreads joy and wins over recalcitrant hearts.
That is my path, the path of love along which I shall take you. That is
why I offer my visiting card to every one of you when you come to me.
I know your name, your degrees, your profession, your status and your
history. But you do not know mine. I have no need to know all about
you from a perusal of your cards; but I want you to know something of
my glory; and so I give you a glimpse of it, as a Divine miracle. But I
also give you enough of my love so that you can mix a little of it with
whatever you do or feel or think and make it sweet and palatable.
12.4.59, (15-124)
Atman is the ocean, nature is just a wave of that vast ageless, boundless
ocean and the living being is just a drop of that wave. You cannot
give up the wave or the sea. You can only merge the name and form
of the drop. Once you enter the depths of the sea, it is all calm, it is all
peace; agitation, noise, confusion - all are only on the outer layers. So
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also in the innermost recesses of the heart, there is a reservoir of
peace where you must take refuge. 27.9.60, (15-175)
God draws the living being towards itself; it is the nature of both to have
this affinity; for they are the same. They are like the iron and the magnet.
But if the iron is dusty and covered with layers of dirt, the magnet
is unable to attract. Remove the impediment; that is all you have to do.
Shine forth in your real nature and the Lord will draw you into his bosom.
Trials and tribulations are the means by which this cleansing is
done. (...)
God is not involved in either rewards or punishments. He only reflects,
echoes and reacts! He is the eternal unaffected witness! You decide
your own fate. Even creation, protection and destruction follow the
same law, the innate law of the illusion-controlled universe. (27-
77+79)
Activity is based on wisdom, the wisdom that all is one. Let the action
be suffused with devotion; that is to say, humility, love, sympathy and
non-violence. Let devotion be filled with wisdom; otherwise, it will be
as light as a balloon, which drifts along any current of air, or gust of
wind. Mere wisdom will make the heart dry; devotion makes it soft with
sympathy and activity gives the hands something to do, something
which will sanctify every one of the minutes that have fallen to your lot
to live here. 7.7.63, (17-29)
The Lord rushes towards the devotee faster than the devotee rushes
towards him. If you take one step towards him, he takes a hundred
steps towards you! He will be more than a mother or father. He will foster
you from within you, as he has saved and fostered so many saints
who have placed faith in him. 8.9.63, (17-63)
If you do not serve man, who is your kith and kin, with the same feelings,
impulses and instincts as you, who is before you, alive and gladly
accepting with a smile of gratitude, how can you serve God, who is so
far above and beyond you, so different and distant, so potent and mysterious?
Train yourselves to serve God by serving man, in whom God
is installed in the heart. Convince yourselves that the service of man
is worship of God. If you send away some one who runs towards your
house for shelter from the rain back into the open street, you are inhuman,
to say the least; if you do not do all that lies within your power to
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alleviate the pain that you find another is suffering from, you are unfit
to be called human. Be at least human, even if you do not aspire to become
Divine! Being human is at least better than the status of beasts,
for they do not remember the past, nor plan for the future. 4.10.67, (20-
85/86)
You rush forward to touch my foot or to prostrate before me, ignoring
the children, the aged and the sick, upon whom you fall when you
press forward towards me. Do not forget the Sai in those people when
you rush forward towards this Sai!
The merit of all the hardship you underwent to see and hear this Sai
is as good as cancelled when you inflict pain on the Sai who resides
in them. That plus and this minus add up to zero! In your frenzy to offer
homage, you should not forget others who have been waiting long for
the chance. You must provide facilities for their sight of God (darshan),
instead of leaping forward to be at vantage positions from which you
can fall at the foot.
The urge to revere and adore is natural; what should be checked is this
disregard for the yearning of others. Cultivate love, tolerance, respect
for the rights of others. 24.10.68, (20-342)
The Bible says that pious seekers seek God; but, said, Annie Besant,
God seeks the pious seeker! God is seeking for the pure heart that
longs to reach him. The world is reduced to a theatre by man, for, devotion
to God has become a histrionic performance. You find people
weeping in their heart of hearts, but, laughing their lives away. You find
people who laugh in their heart of hearts, but, to all observers, weeping
profusely over their fate. Worship is more for effect, a play acted with
the pit in view; there is no sincerity. 12.5.70, (21-229)
Each individual is born with the question: “Who am I?” (so’ham) on its
lips. “Who am I?” is the question which presses on every breast. And
the answer is given by every breath - “he am I” (so'ham), the inhalation
whispering “so” and the exhalation, “ham”! (...)
But, the question is brushed aside by sure thereby! Realise that your
breath is answering the question correctly and live in the consciousness
that you are a wave of the he, that is, the infinite consciousness,
that is God. You may say that you will riot believe in God unless you
have clear experience personally about him. Well, you believe that
your date of birth is a certain month in a particular year. You have tak-
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en it on trust; you take many things on trust; it is impossible to insist
on personal experience for everything which you have to believe, if life
has to run smoothly. Take this also on trust, for, many sages, saints,
scientists, have accepted it and experienced it. 10.10.70, (21-331)
People are satisfied with the repetition of cliches, even in the field of
religion. Ask any one where God is, the reply is: “Everywhere”. But, the
hearts of many have not been filled with him. Probably, “everywhere”
does not include the inside of their hearts! It means only their tongues,
presumably! “Worship God” that is the road to victory. This is another
cliche. But, God is worshipped only in pictures, images, idols; he is not
recognized in all living beings, in beauty, harmony, melody, truth,
goodness.
Let me tell you one fact, in order to warn you against hoping too much.
Worship such as this, offering of incense, flowers, repetition of hymns
of praise and other rituals are only commendable ways of utilising time;
good activity! Unless they cleanse the heart, widen sympathies and
deepen faith in one's own Divinity, they are unworthy of the name spiritual
discipline. Among those who label themselves as theists (believers),
99 per hundred can be heard complaining, "I believe in God, but,
he is making me miserable; that fellow is an unbeliever, but, the same
God is heaping one joy after another on him!” Can this be devotion,
dedication? Devotion must be undeviating, whatever happens. (...)
Those attached to God, aspiring for God, aware of God, adoring God
have certain distinct marks by which they can be identified. Pronouncing
judgements like this is quite contrary to the nature of dedication.
Again, such people have a compassionate heart. If a person turns the
rosary on the fingers, and is intently engaged in watching the tip of his
nose, unmindful of the distress that dances around him, we can at best
name him a sloth, that is all. Get up, place the rosary in its bag, and
engage yourselves in relieving distress-that is the true spiritual path.
Do not waste all your years with stone images, pictures or idols. Learn
to see in every living vital active person, the embodiment of all energy,
all beauty, all beneficence, namely, God. God is subtler than ether, filling
the smallest crevice with his majesty. Know this and serve his manifestations,
wherever you meet them. (...)
You need not rely on another for success in meditation and spiritual
practice and await contact with some sage in order to get from him a
mantra for recitation. Pray to the God within you and you will receive
the needed guidance.
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Turn your mind towards God; dedicate yourselves to God; then you will
find life one continuous stream of bliss. Have a fan in your hand and
sweep it towards you; then, you feel comforted. So also, use the mind
as the instrument, and turn it vigorously towards God; then, it can give
you the bliss of liberation. 11.10.70, (21-336/338)
God, first; the world, next; myself last! That is the legitimate sequence
for the devotee; and, who is not a devotee? You have to be one, now
or later, so that you can be liberated from this cycle of birth-death!
Now, man, in his callousness towards his own welfare, has turned it
topsy-turvy! It is “myself first, the world next and God is last”. So, God
is lost, too! Hold fast to God; then, you will be safe.
You can hold fast to him, either through wisdom, devotion or activity
(maya). You may travel first or second or third, in the train; the destination
is the same, for all wisdom proceeds an the assumption that
God is immanent and transcendent. Devotion believes that God is creator,
preserver and destroyer, that he is to be adored, and propitiated
by deeds that he appreciates, that God is master and you are privileged
to serve. Activity takes into account a third category nature! It is
not simply God and man. Man has to manipulate nature, live in nature,
live by nature, always dedicating his activity to the further glory of God,
resigning himself to the worshipful activity, unconcerned with the fruits
of his activity, for they are in the hands of God. (...)
Believe that all are God, through wisdom; even then, compassion
compels you to love and serve. Believe that God is master or father
and that you are his children or servants, through devotion. Even then,
his command is to wipe the tears, nourish the sick and help the lame
to climb over the stile, through pity and sympathy. Believe, through
faith in karma, that God has to be adored through dedication; even
then, love says the highest form of adoration is by means of service,
done in love. 29.10.70, (21-347/348)
All Energy, power and intelligence are in you; you need not search for
them outside yourselves. God who is manifesting as time, space and
causation is in you; why then do you feel weak and helpless? 20.2.74,
(23-40)
Without God, life is, like a school without a teacher; it is a wire with no
current passing through it; it is a body with no soul. God is in you,
around you and beyond you; as the air is imperceptible in the absence
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of breezes or of things that it moves; so God too can He known only
by His manifestation in man and beast, plant and bird, in things and beings
all around you. No one yet knows the mystery of the electric current,
why it behaves so, what is the exact nature of its origin and flow;
but, yet it is manipulated into a thousand uses and it is manifesting
through a thousand appliances and instruments.
So too, God is present everywhere; but you can understand only that
part of him that manifests before your cognition. 1.4.74, (23-66)
The conflict between persons who accept God and deny him, those
who declare that God is to be found in this or that place and those who
affirm that he can be found nowhere, is never ending; it has continued
throughout the ages. While considering this situation, one has to remember
that while it is unnecessary to awaken a person already
awake and easy to awaken a person who is asleep, we cannot awaken,
however much we try, a person not wanting to awaken! Those who
do not know, can be taught by means of simple illustrations what they
do not know. But those afflicted with half-knowledge and proud of that
acquisition are beyond any further education. (...)
Of course, man cannot contain in his mind more than he can hold. He
cannot express in words the in-expressible. Only those who have
dived deep and contacted the underlying principle of love, can picture
Divinity with some clarity. The Divinity that is me has not been acquired
or earned, nor has it been added or evinced after the lapse of some
years in the middle of this life.
The Divine has to reveal itself through these manifestations, largely
shaped and modified by the nature of the times, the region and the cultural
environment. The signs and wonders that I manifest are given
names that do not connote the purpose or effect. They can be called
admiration, that lead on to purificating acts, which in turn urge one on
towards helping others and finally result in Divine vision. A wonder is
any act which attracts an account of its inexplicability. This aspect of
attraction is inherent in the Avatar. (...)
Why does the Divine attract? Is it to deceive or mislead? No, it is to
transform, reconstruct, reform - a process called change. What is the
purpose of the reconstruction? To make the person useful and service
able for society, to efface his ego, and to affirm in him the unity of all
beings in God. The person who has undergone to change becomes a
humble servant of those who need help. (...) Service of this kind done
with reverence and selflessness, prepares man to realise the one that
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pervades the many. The last stage is knowledge. The Vedas proclaim
that immortality, the stage when one is merged in the birthless, deathless,
universal entity, is feasible through renunciation and detachment
only, and not through rituals, progeny or wealth. When man renounces
selfish desires, his love expands unto the farthest regions of the universe
until he becomes aware of the cosmic love that feeds all the four
processes mentioned above. It is important that you know this underlying
urge in all as I do. (...)
Once the person is drawn near, the process of improvement starts. (...)
Such transformed persons will spontaneously engage themselves in
the task of promoting human welfare. They will be promoters of the
ideals of the brotherhood of man and the Fatherhood of God. (...)
The Divine can be grasped only through love, faith and spiritual discipline,
surcharged with universal love. Reason is too feeble an instrument
to measure it. Denial of the Divine cannot negate it. Logic cannot
reveal it. All the tirades now being made on the Divine are from atheists
who are opportunists. So your duty is to preserve your equanimity. Be
true to yourselves and do not waver. I am unaffected by praise or
blame. My love and compassion envelop all; my grace can be shared
by all. I am declaring this so that you may face all this with fortitude.
23.11.76, (24-76/78)
People today speak about God having forgotten man. This is not true.
God can never give up the devotee. It is the devotee who gives up
God. God can never forget the devotee. It is the devotee who forgets
God. God is never away from you. Only the devotee is away from God.
You think that God is moving away from you. Not at all. You forget God
and declare that God has forgotten you. Your own feelings are reflected
in your utterances. (14.1.96)
Do not thank me. I am not a third person. Do you thank your mother
who serves you food everyday? You may thank an outsider from
whom you receive a favour, but I am not an outsider. So, never say
thanks to Swami. Consider Swami as your own. Only then you will
have the right to approach Swami. I do not desire anything from you
for myself, nor do I say or do anything for myself. I do not want anything
except one - your love. Even that is not your property, that also is my
property. Love cannot be earned by any means. It is a gift of God. Gift
this gift of love to God. Only then you will have self-satisfaction. That
is your duty. (...)
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God subjects his devotees to tests so that their faith in him can be
strengthened and their hearts are purified. It needs a great effort on
your part to cleanse a stained vessel. Difficulties are meant for cleansing
the vessel of your heart. (...)
Smile is the best answer to criticism. When Paul went on accusing Jesus,
he lovingly went up to him and gave a pleasing smile. The sweetness
in the nectarine smile of Jesus transformed the poisonous heart
of Paul. Be always cheerful, even in times of adversities. Always put
up a smiling face, never a castor-oil face. Happiness is union with
God". (...)
We have been celebrating Christmas every year here. True Christmas
is celebrated only in Prasanthi Nilayam, where people of all religions
join together to celebrate it. (...)
But Christmas in Prasanthi Nilayam is celebrated in a holy atmosphere.
Christmas in Prasanthi Nilayam is a “holy day”, not a "holiday".
(...)
Twenty years ago when Christmas was celebrated for the first time in
Prasanthi Nilayam, I sang a song:
"Love is my form,
Truth is my breath,
Bliss is my food,
My life is my message,
expansion is my life,
No reason for love,
no season for love,
No birth, no death..."
If anyone asks you to tell about Sathya Sai Baba, sing this song. It will
convey the whole message. Tell him, love is His form and His life is His
message. Develop the feeling of brotherhood of man and fatherhood
of God. (25.12.98)
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The Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of Mankind
When your fellow men are in difficulty, you should help them to the best
of your ability. You should feel that there is no difference between man
and man. You should establish the oneness of humanity and realise
the relationship that exists between one human being and another.
You should realise that it is the spirit of Atman that runs through the
entire range of human beings. This alone will enable you to reach the
ideal of “Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of man”. (35-48)
Forms of worship, of the phraseology of adoration or the style of address
may vary; but, all religions are directed towards the same end.
The same bloodstream circulates in all the limbs of the body. The
same Divine stream activates the entire universe. Visualise that supreme
architect, that incomprehensible designer, that unseen lifegiver.
This is spoken of as the realization of the Fatherhood of God and
the Brotherhood of man. Do not get entangled in the business of living;
do not forget in your struggle for survival and success, the God that
made life possible. 7.7.68, (20-249/250)
You know that all are altars where the same God is installed, all are
moved and motivated by the grace of the self-same God. You are afflicted
by hate and pride, but once you have knowledge and experience
of the Divine.
you know it and experience it, you are full of love and reverence to all.
The barbarous remedy of war will be renounced when this basic brotherhood
is felt in the deepest core of man.
All men in all countries are pilgrims proceeding along the path to God.
The progress of each is decided by the discipline adopted, the character
formed, the ideal kept in view, the leadership chosen and the
faith implanted. (...)
Your material eyes see countries as different; in reality, all countries
are limbs of one organism; all bodies are activated by the same principle.
For God, the universe is the mansion. Each nation is a room, a
hall, in that mansion. So, when I move from one room to another and
come back, why do you indulge in all this commotion and celebration?
I do not feel that I have been to another mansion; it was all so familiar
to me. You should not emphasise this apparent distinction; for the Divine,
all are the same. 14.7.68, 20-263/264)
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Repeat to yourself the truth that the world is as much God as heaven
is. There are no two distinct entities or categories called material and
spiritual. All distinctions are apparent, not real. Sai has drawn the old
and the young to himself, and every one of them has Sai in his heart.
The scriptures of different creeds - the Bible, the Koran, the Upanishads
(philosophy of the vedas, the Zendavestha - appear different, but
their aim is the same: to establish the brotherhood of man and the Fatherhood
of God as the basis for peace of mankind. No creed need put
on airs of superiority as each is shaped by the compulsions of time and
space, of language and levels of experience. You are all members of
the Sai family, bound by the religion of love. Though ostensibly you
profess to belong to different faiths, faith in Sai has removed the barriers
in your minds. Love is God. Live in love. 23.11.75, (24-40/41)
All of you are embodiments of the Divine. All of you are embodiments
of love and peace. You are the Divine in human form. Develop that
conviction. Immerse yourselves in Divine love. Offer that love to the Divine.
Thereby you will have love for all. It is only when you develop this
love principle you will be realising the meaning of festivals like these.
Stand up for your belief in God, even as you stand up for your father
or mother.
Render service to society, without which you cannot exist. Your welfare
is bound with that of society. Develop the feeling of oneness with
all, loving all as members of one Divine family. (1.1.96)
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Religions - Origin - Unity
For the consummation of human evolution, and the realization by man
of his highest goal, religion and spiritual discipline are essential. Religion
is the link between the individual and the universe, between man
and God. If that does not exist life becomes chaos. A cow caught on
a hill, wanting to go to the hill opposite, but confronted with a flooded
river in between, needs a bridge between the two. That is what religion
is. Between the hill of individual life and the region of the universal,
there is the flooded river of nature, with all its confusions and complexities.
It is difficult to discover where it comes from, how it accumulates
all that uproar and where it ultimately ends. But fortunately, we have
in every human community bridge-builders, who help people to cross.
We may have more than one bridge, but the purpose of each is the
same. The bridge built by the sages and seers of India is known as the
bridge of eternal law. It is called so because it is an eternal, everlasting
bridge based on the ageless foundation of the Vedas, and can be reliably
used by all, in all countries at all times. That is why it is sometimes
called the Veda bridge and the Veda path. All attempts to trace
those who have laid this path have failed. This is the reason why they
have given up the search in despair characterising the path as undesigned.
They assured themselves that the Vedas or in other words the
Lord himself has been the designer.
All religions and spiritual paths laid through the ages are indeed sacred,
for they have all been designed by messengers of the Lord, chosen
because they are the foremost of men. Buddha, Jesus Christ, Zoroaster,
Mohammed - names such as these are known world-wide.
Their doctrines, ideals, and thoughts, have all become so valid for their
followers that their names have been identified with their religions.
Since the ideal religion at that time was believed to be the message
from God and since that message was communicated and spread by
Jesus Christ his name was given to it. So also the Buddhist religion
was named after Buddha since it was intuited and spread through him
as the Divine instrument. Mohammed who heard the message of God
laid down doctrines and disciplines and those who follow them are said
to belong to Mohammedanism. Therefore it is not wrong to say that all
these religions are products of the foremost among men and the most
ideal messengers of Lord.
Divine intelligence is universal and all-comprehensive. Human intelligence
is confined within narrow limits. Its range is very poor. The scrip-
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tures deal with only one goal but they indicate different paths to reach
it. Each path could be a definite religion and its doctrines and disciplines
considered different from the rest. So the statement that Rama,
Christ, Zoroaster, Buddha, Mohammed, and others are one, is not valid.
In the Christian religion, it is stated that individual beings were created
as they are. It is said that Allah did the same. Even Zoroastrian and
Buddhist religions describe creation more or less on the same lines.
But, Veda religion has a different version. The individual is as eternal
as God. He is a spark of God. If there are no beings there is no God.
This is specially emphasized in the Vedas. Followers of other religions
are, in recent times, recognising this truth. The present life of each is
only an interval between the previous and the future lives. It is but a
step towards the next. This is indicated in the Vedas. The Vedas teach
the relationship between the previous and future births. No other religion
has revealed so much about previous and future births.
Another point: If the four objectives of life are righteousness (dharma),
prosperity (artha), desire (kama) and liberation (moksha), various religions
describe the stage of liberation in various ways; each one lays
down some doctrine and insists upon faith in that doctrine. And therefore
there is no agreement or identity between the experiences they
describe. The Hindu description of the experience can however be
gained by followers of all religions. There may be agreement in the details
of the descriptions in various religions. But the total experience is
not described in the same manner. The reason is: Hindu religion which
has come down from the timeless past is really supreme. Other faiths
are only based on some of the doctrines of Hinduism selected by them
and developed in accordance with the traditions and culture of their
own region. Therefore truths inherent in the Hindu faith often appear
in those other faiths. Hinduism and Hindu culture have been flowing as
one continuous stream.
In the Hindu religion rituals and ceremonies have been laid down to be
observed from sunrise to nightfall without any intermission. (...)
No other religion has so many and so elaborate rules of living. Therefore,
it will not be correct to declare that all religions are the same. They
might have adopted a few or many of these from Hinduism, since Hinduism
has from the beginning laid emphasis on them.
In order to carry out this heavy schedule of activity or ritual, man must
have devotion, wisdom and yoga – faith, understanding and self-control.
Righteousness is the tap root of the great tree of religion. It is the
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eternal source of its strength. It is fed by waters of devotion; the leaves
and flowers are renunciation and other virtues, and the fruit is wisdom.
(...)
Such strict plans for spiritual progress can be found only in Hinduism
and not in any other faith. For Hinduism is the nectar churned and prepared
by the ancient Rishis out of their own genuine experience. It is
not put together from things available in books.
It is not proper for anyone to adopt whichever faith or code that please
him most. For they believe that life is a matter of just three days, and
so they need morality and self-control. Life is a long journey through
time, and religion confers peace for the present and encouragement
for the future. You must believe that you are at present undergoing the
consequences of your own activities in the past.
It is a great source of peace that people can be content with their
present conditions because they know they themselves were the
cause and know that if one does good and meritorious deeds now, it
is possible to build a happy future. This is great encouragement. It is
only when life is run on these two lines that morality and self-control
can have a place in life. The power to adhere to these two ideals consists
in the encouragement and enthusiasm given by religion.
We cannot determine the origin of religion or its end. So it is difficult to
declare the origin and the end of the individual. According to Hinduism
a living being is timeless, the present life is but the latest of the series
brought about by its own thoughts and acts. The living being has not
come now, as a result of either the anger or the grace of God. They
are not the cause of this present existence. This is the declaration
made by the eternal law.
Religion cannot be, at any time a mere personal affair. It may be possible
to assert so, since each one’s faith is rooted in himself and since
each one expresses that faith in his own behaviour and actions. But
how far is that statement valid? It is not valid to assert that there is no
God or religion, as many intelligent people do to their own satisfaction.
We find a large number of people proclaiming the non- existence of
God and declaring that the directives to guide and sublimate one’s activities
laid down in all religions are superstitions. These persons are
not ignoramuses. They are not without education. When such individuals
characterise spiritual beliefs and practices as superstition, what
importance can we attach to their statements! If they entertain such
convictions in their hearts society need not complain, for it suffers no
harm. But they do not keep quiet. For example, intoxicating drinks like
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toddy, brandy, etc., are indulged in by others. Can this be dealt with
as if it were a personal affair? Do others feel happy about it? However
emphatically the matter is declared “personal”, this evil habit does affect
society, subtly and openly in various ways. It demonstrates its nefarious
effects, in spite of everything. When ordinary persons indulge
in such harmful habits, the danger is not so great, but when elders who
have won a name in society do so, the common man too follows the
evil path. (5-116/121)
In the current spiritual beliefs of mankind, one cannot discern anywhere
a harmonising factor. The principles of co-ordination and reconciliation
have to be expanded and expounded. Though there are religions
with separate names, and the doctrines are distinct from each
other, all humans belong to mankind. The Vedas emphasise the common
core. Unfortunately, the apparent differences among the religions
have subverted the amity of men and the feeling of international brotherhood.
The experience and wisdom of great seers who have unveiled
the mystery of the cosmos and their feelings of universal love are not
appreciated, accepted and respected by men today. All religious dogmas
except a few, can easily be harmonised and reconciled. The
same God is being extolled and adored under various names through
varied rituals, in the many religions of man. In every age, for every race
or community, God has sent prophets to establish peace and goodwill.
Since, at the present time, many religions have spread worldwide, they
have lost fraternal feelings and have suffered in validity thereby. There
is an urgent need for harmony. All great men are images of God. They
form one single caste in the realm of God; they belong to one nation,
the Divine fellowship. Each must interest himself in understanding the
practices and beliefs of the others. Then only can every one, with
cleansed mind and loving heart, attain the Divine presence with others.
The principle of harmonising is the very heart of all religions and
faiths. (6-38/39)
The one religion or the essence of all religions of this country is not related
to anything that has come out of the experience of man. It has
not come as a result of any effort on the part of man. In essence, it has
come out of God himself, and that is why it is called the religion of Vedas.
He who established man’s religion in this country, he who gave
the guidelines for man’s religion in this country and he who had really
been the source of religion in this country, is not man but he is the man
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of all men, that is God himself. Vedas are very old, have no describable
origin and are timeless. Vedas do not need support from any quarter
as they support themselves. In fact Vedas are God’s breath and the
Veda religion which has been established in India originated in God’s
breath. Thus it is that God’s religion is the religion of India. Of all the
religions of the entire world, it appears to us that the Indian religion, the
religion that has been at the back of the Indian mind, is the life-breath
and is the stream that is flowing through all the religions of this world.
The religions of other countries are certainly as sacred and sanctified
but for only a certain limited time. On the other hand, the religion of this
country is something which has had no beginning and will have no
end.
Although some religions of the rest of the world show us a slightly different
path and differ from each other in the matter of detail and sometimes
seem to differ in the matter of their destination, you have to accept
and believe that the essential content of all these religions is one
and the same and that it relates to the Divine Atman. Although the human
body is made of many different organs, you know that the heart
is the essential basis and support for all these organs. It supplies the
lifeblood to all other organs. In the same manner, you certainly see
many different religions all round the world but you have to accept that
the Indian viewpoint is like the heart, which supplies the lifeblood to all
other religions in the world. You may have some doubts when I describe
the situation in this manner. Why is it that great saints, great
men of religion were born only in India and the Vedas themselves were
born in India? Why is it that these Vedas and people who expounded
them were not born in other countries? God is present everywhere,
God is omnipresent. Therefore, Vedas which simply constitute the
breath of God are also omnipresent and should therefore be everywhere.
The sounds of Vedas, the essence of Vedas, the fragrance of
Vedas are indeed to be found all over the world. (34-12/13)
You may doubt the omnipresence of God but if you realize that your
own body is the temple of God, your own heart is the seat of God and
that the higher self in you is simply a reflection of God, then your meditation
room is your body itself and so he is present wherever you go.
Therefore in all the deeds that you perform, in all the individuals that
you meet and in all the thoughts that you entertain, you must see the
Divine and act accordingly. In order that you may have these qualities,
you must develop faith and follow the paths indicated by the sacred
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texts like Bhagavadgita, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Bible, Koran and
so on. (35-210)
The Grace of the Lord is a subject dear to every one. It is a subject that
is within the grasp of all. The Lord also can be addressed by any name
that tastes sweet to your tongue or pictured in any form that appeals
to your sense of wonder and awe. You can praise him with all names
or the formless, or the master of all forms. It makes no difference at all.
(...) He is the beginning, the middle and the end, the basis, the substance
and the source, So, any story that brings into your consciousness,
His glory, His Grace and His beauty must appeal to you. 12.8.63,
(17-36)
All of you gathered here may not have the same name and the same
form, for the God whom you adore: you may differ in habits, customs,
manners and styles of food and dress - but the bliss you derive from
them is the same. Everyone of these has been designed by the wisdom
of ages to give you security, safety and satisfaction. 6.12.63, (17-
127)
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 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. 4.7.68, (20-246)
If you pay attention to the individual, differences thrust themselves on
you. Fix your attention on the collective; then points of identity will be
more apparent, concentrate on the outer labels - Hindu, Christian,
Muslim, Parsi, Buddhist - and you will develop pride or contempt or hatred!
But if you concentrate on the struggle that man undergoes to
raise himself from the flesh to reach the level of Divinity - then you find
all labels insignificant. Then, it is all love, co-operation, mutual encouragement
and appreciation. Go into the inner meanings, the deeper
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significances of religious symbols, rituals and ceremonies. The outer
forms and formalities are in accordance with the needs of place, time
and person. Some among you relish one sweet dish more than another,
others do not agree that your favourite is the tastiest. But, whatever
the dish, they are all sweetened by the same substance, sugar; similarly,
all things and beings are sweetened by the same principle, God.
7.7.68, (20-250)
Embodiments of love! Cultivate pure love, unsullied by selfish desires.
Share that love with all your brothers and sisters of all creeds, colours,
climes. If your neighbour prays to God, do you not feel kinship with
him? Is he not asking in anguish for the same gifts, from the same giver?
He may be asking in another language; in another style; in the formalities
of another creed. But, his hunger and thirst are the same as
yours. His bliss and grief are the same as yours. Share that bliss; sharing
heightens it for both. Share that grief; sharing lowers it and robs it
of its bite. Let your love flow into the hearts of others. Stagnant water
becomes foul; flowing waters are cool and limpid, love is bliss; love is
power; love is light; love is God. 8.7.68, (20-260/261)
Truth and righteousness are the two eyes of every religion that has
emanated from the primal eternal righteousness: of Buddhism, Christianity,
and Islam. They are further elaborated and exemplified in the
epics of India. 12.5.69, (21-40)
Indian culture has emphasised the valid ways in which one has to
spend energy and money for service of the distressed, the diseased,
the hungry, the illiterate, the ill-housed, the ill-clothed. It condemns the
spending of energy and money for pomp, for vengeance, for competitive
faction, for material triumphs. Wealth is to be held on trust and
used for promoting the brotherhood of man and the Fatherhood of
God. This culture also lays down that nothing should be done to damage
any one's faith in God or in his own self. Faith is a tender plant and
it needs all the nurture that you can give.
My desire is that you should not censure other religions. Develop
brotherly feelings for all. God is one; there are not many Gods, one for
each tribe among men! Love is one; it transcends caste, colour and
creed, if it has to be genuine. Truth is one; there cannot be two. For,
two can only be one, occurring twice. The goal is one; for, all roads
must lead to the one God. Why then should men quarrel and fight over
the Eternal and the Absolute? 12.5.69, (21-44)
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There are in this huge gathering people speaking many languages.
Each one man understand only his language, and wants to be spoken
to in that language. But, there is a language of the heart, which all can
understand and all would like to hear. That is the language which I
speak, the language that goes from my heart to yours. When heart
speaks to heart, it is love that is transmitted, without any reservation.
15.5.69, (21-45)
The word Hindu means those who keep away from the path of violence,
away of from inflicting injury on others; hin (hinsa-injury, violence); dhu
(dhura-away, distant). The Vedas declare that (...) merit grows when
you do good to another; sin is when you do evil to another. When you
are fixed on this path you will welcome all faiths and religions as, kith
and kin; all faiths attempt to train man along this path Muslims, Christians,
Buddhists, Jews, Parsis all aspire to win the same illumination,
through the cleansing of the mind by means of good works. (...)
So, chronologically as well as logically, the inference is correct, that
the Veda religion is the grandfather, Buddhism is the son, Christianity
the grandson, and Islam the great-grandson. If there is any misunderstanding
between them it is but a family affair. The ancestral property
of which all are sharers is the same. 14.10.69, (21-116/117)
Religion aims at the removal of hatred and enmity between the children
of God; but, you find religions engaged in conflict! Language is
the medium to cement friendships, to promote cordiality and bring people
nearer each other by loving conversation and sympathetic talk; but,
it has become a mortal weapon! Temples are not the abodes of peace:
they are institutions for which people engage in combat! Brother fights
against brother. 1.2.70, (21-202)
He whom Christ announced. Religions arise from the minds of good
men, who crave to make all men good; they strive to eliminate evil and
cure the bad. They religions are many, since they have to be adjusted
to individuals, their activities, their professions and roles, their character
and characteristics. The individual has to start observing the limits
and laws laid down, and derive joy and strength thereby. And, then, his
cleansed mind will lead the way, to higher and higher stages, from
which he and society of which he is a unit will benefit.
It is therefore appropriate to celebrate the birthday of Jesus, who
strove to save mankind, but the celebration must take the form of ad-
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herence to the teachings, loyalty to the principles, practice of the disciplines
and experience of the awareness of the Divine that he sought
to arouse. These days, the world is derives satisfaction from mere
words, and clever rules designed to cover up one's faults. The birthdays
of the Great are honoured by such hypocrisy and external pomp.
There is no examination in the light of the message they gave, nor, any
effort to practice it and derive the bliss it promises.
It is wrong to believe that Jesus belongs only to the Christians and that
Christmas is a holy festival for the West only. To accept one of them
as one's own and discard the rest as belonging to others, is a sign of
pettiness. Christ, Rama, Krishna - they are for all men everywhere.
The various limbs and organs together form a body; various nations
and communities together form the world. The sustenance given by
Divine grace circulates in every part of the body, helping it to function
in unison. The stream of love, endowed by Divine grace, has to circulate
in every State and Community to make the world live in peace and
joy. If this truth is realized, there will arise no idea of difference. (...)
The separation of one member will also be a big loss, for, the grace
that sustains the family will diminish and get lost. (...)
So too, the Divine Grace of love is lost when a country sets itself apart:
it also becomes a weak and functionless limb of the World Community.
Division, difference and distinction cut one off from the life-giving
Grace that feeds every cell of the body and every individual in the
world. The world is sustained by the self-same Grace. (...)
Christ made three statements. Referring to the active individual soul,
the flickering moon, he said: "I am the messenger of God;" referring to
himself as the Yogi, who has risen beyond dualities, and attained balance,
he said: "I am the son of God." Realising that these two are but
reflections, and that the real moon is the witness in the sky, that he too
is the formless, nameless Absolute, he declared, towards the end of
his life: "I and my Father are one." (...)
The essence of all religions and faiths then, is this: the merging in this
unity. The goal of all spiritual endeavour is this: the merging in this unity.
The object of all enquiry is this: to recognise this unity. (...)
All religions insist on truth; but now, the man who sticks to truth is
laughed at as if he were a fool. Cruelty and violence, condemned by
all religions, have raised themselves to the status of weapons of
progress and means for desirable ends. However, the basic truths of
religion are not affected or tarnished by the evil that men practice or
the competitive propaganda they indulge in. (...)
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Jesus taught simple practical lessons in spiritual advancement for the
good of mankind; he manifested Divine powers to instill faith in the validity
of his teachings; he marked out the path that can confer on men
the sweet nectar of bliss. He exhorted people by precept and example
to cultivate the virtues of charity, compassion, forbearance, love and
faith. These are not separate and distinct qualities, they are only the
many facets of the Divine in man, which he has to recognise and develop.
People talk of the sacrifice of Christ as evident by his crucifixion. But,
he was surrounded and bound, crowned by the crowd who captured
him with a crown of thorns, and later nailed to the cross by his captors.
A person bound and beaten by the police cannot say that he has sacrificed
anything, for, he is not a free man. Let us pay attention to the
sacrifice that Jesus made while free, out of his own volition. He sacrified
his happiness, prosperity, comfort, safety and position; he braved
the enmity of the powerful. He refused to yield or compromise. He renounced
the “ego”, which is the toughest thing to get rid of. Honour him
for these. He willingly sacrificed the desires with which the body torments
man; this sacrifice is greater than the sacrifice of the body under
duress. The celebration of his birthday has to be marked by your sacrificing
at least a desire or two, and conquering at least the more disastrous
urges of the ego.
The followers of Jesus have been separated by schisms on various
counts: but, life of Christ is an example of unity. When Christ was an
the cross, ill-feelings towards the men who tortured him troubled him.
Suddenly he heard a voice alerting him: "All Life is one, my dear son!
Be alike to every one!" This was followed by another admonition:
"Death is the dress of life." As one casts off worn clothes and dons another
set, so the soul dons and doffs bodies. Therefore, Jesus was
warned against hate and ill feelings, as well as the lamentation to
which man is heir.
The lives of such personalities are lived out, in order to establish the
welfare of humanity, the prosperity and peace of the world, and individual
liberation from bondage to sensual desires and passions. This
is illustrated by the strange phenomena that occur at the time of their
advent. It is believed that when Christ was born there were such manifestations.
The ruler of the realm had ordered a census, and each had
to be counted in his own village. So Mary and her husband moved
along the road that led to his native village. Mary was with child; the
pains started mid-way; they knew no one in the hamlet through which
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they were passing; so they took refuge in a cowshed. Joseph made a
bed between the cows, and went out into the road at midnight, to seek
some women who could help. But, soon, he heard the baby's cry.
And, the story says, there was a star in the sky, which fell with a new
light, and this led a few Tibetans and others to the place where the
Saviour was born. This story is read and taken on trust by many,
though stars do not fall or even slide down so suddenly. What the story
signifies is this: there was a huge halo of splendour illuminating the sky
over the village when Christ was born. This meant that he, who was to
overcome the darkness of evil and ignorance had taken birth, that he
would spread the light of love in the heart of man and councils of humanity.
Appearances of splendour, and other signs to herald the era that has
dawned are natural when incarnations happen on earth. Jesus was to
shatter the darkness that had enveloped the world and the aura of light
was a sign that announced the event. The masters arrive in answer to
man's prayer: "Lead us from darkness unto light! (...)
Make your hearts pure, your activities holy, and your feelings beneficial
to all. That is the best way of celebrating the birth of Christ.
There is one point that I bring to your special notice today. At the moment
when Jesus was merging in the supreme principle of Divinity, he
communicated some information to his followers, which has been interpreted
in a variety of ways by commentators and those who relish
in piling writings on writings and meanings upon meanings, until they
all swell into a huge mess.
The statement itself has been manipulated and tangled into a conundrum.
The statement of Christ is simple: "He who sent me among you
will come again!" and he pointed to a lamb. The lamb is merely a symbol,
a sign. It stands for the voice - Ba-Ba; the announcement was the
advent of Baba. "His name will be truth," Christ declared. Sathya
means truth. "He will wear a robe of red, a blood red robe." (Here Baba
pointed to the robe he was wearing!). "He will be short, with a crown
(of hair). The lamb is the sign and symbol of love."
Christ did not declare that he will come again. He said: "He who made
me will come again." That Ba-ba is this Baba and Sai, the short, curlyhair-
crowned redrobed Baba, is come. He is not only in this form, but,
he is in every one of you, as the dweller in the heart. He is here, short,
with a robe of the colour of the blood that fills it.
The great axioms of Bharata (Indian) culture found in the Vedas are:
“God is the inner motivator of all beings. All this is enveloped in God,
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all this is the Divine." This is the inner mystery of incarnation, God incarnating
in all! All are one; the one is all.
There is only one God; he is omnipresent. There is only one religion,
the Religion of love; there is only one caste, the caste of humanity;
there is only one language, the language of the heart. 24.12.72, (22-
165/173)
Who can affirm that God is this or thus? Who can affirm that God is not
of this form or with this attribute? Each one can acquire from the vast
expanse of the ocean only as much as can be contained in the vessel
he carries to its shore. From that quantity, they can grasp but little of
that immensity. (...)
Each religion forgets that God is all forms and all names, all attributes
and all assertions. The Religion of humanity is the sum and substance
of all these partial faiths; for, there is only one religion and that is the
religion of love. 19.6.74, (23-88)
The Veda religion has been teaching since ages the message of the
spirit and the means to gain and ensure equanimity and joy. It has
stood forth as the preceptor of the world for centuries. The prayer that
it taught is: “May all people everywhere be happy”. This is the consummation
of Veda thought since time immemorial. Such wholesome ideals
were propagated and fostered by the rulers of this land, the seers
and God-centred persons who guided the populace, and the chaste
mothers who reared generations in the atmosphere of spiritual effort.
But due to vicissitudes in the country's history, when people were subjected
to pressures and counter-pressures, these ideals suffered a set
back. (...)
The goal, the purpose, the key, the essence of all creeds, faiths and
religions is just this: The sublimation of the mind of man to guarantee
liberation for the individual concerned and happiness for the society of
which he is a unit. Principles and practices have grouped around this
prime need, and various creeds are the result.
Religions attempt to plant holy ideals in the heart of man but man does
not allow them to sprout and grow. His egoistic craving for power and
competitive success has, in most cases, persuaded him to use religion
as an instrument of torture and persecution. Instead of uniting mankind
in a common endeavour, it has become a system of walled enclosures,
guarded by hate and fanaticism. So each religion is an armed camp
sunk in self-grandizement, trying to persuade others into itself and pre-
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venting defections from itself. Religion, therefore, is being condemned
as the root of chaos and conflict. In spite of great progress in many other
areas of life, religious animosity is aflame even today in many parts
of the world.
It has to be emphasised that religion is not the root cause of this state
of affairs. The factional fights and fanatic hatred are due to the unruly
ego that is given free play. Religion strives to destroy just this vicious
tendency. So it has to be supported, not condemned. What has to be
condemned is the narrow, perverted attitude of hating those who do
not agree with you or who hold different opinions of the mysterious
force that animates the universe. Religious wars and conflicts breed in
the slime of ignorance and avarice. When people are blind to the truth
that the human family is one indivisible unity, they grope in the dark
and are afraid of strange touch. The cultivation of love, alone, can convince
man of this truth that there is only one religion - the religion of
love. Since no religion upholds violence or despises love, it is wrong
to ascribe the chaos to religion, which is a facet of the whole. 1.10.76,
(24-59/61)
A tender heart is more valuable than all material possessions. (...) Every
living being is on a pilgrimage - whether it is aware of it or not. (...)
Every man has come into this world as a messenger of God. Jesus announced
himself as a messenger of God. (...)
Jesus tried to teach everyone - the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood
of man. Tradition-minded and egoistic men considered Jesus
a false prophet and they tried by every means to thwart his mission.
Jesus, however, did not waver. Faced with opposition, he continued to
be an example of living truth, and to purify society. Many disciples followed
Jesus but throughout history, it has been experience of Rama,
Krishna, Jesus and Mohammed that disciples however close are seldom
fully dedicated. Most are only part-time devotees. Jesus had
twelve disciples, most of whom had faith in him and lived his teachings.
But, Judas yielded to greed. He betrayed his master for a mere 30
coins. He could not find joy in life after this treachery. His mind gave
him no peace. He had to seek refuge in suicide. Betrayal by people
who pretend to adore is as old as the ages. Corrupt, greedy and selfish
people spread falsehoods about their own masters. We hear of a Judas,
2000 years ago. But in the this Age, people are obsessed with
money and Judases have multiplied. (...)
When you become all-embracing infinite love, the Divine will manifest
in and through you. Try to be like Jesus.
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Jesus was a person whose only joy was in spreading Divine love, offering
Divine love, receiving Divine love and living on Divine love.
There are various theories about the date of birth of Jesus based on
the “bright star that appeared an his birth”. (...) But, he was born at 3-
15 a.m. (early morning) on December 28, 1980 years ago. It was Sunday.
The star that appeared that day appears only once in 800 years.
Its appearance had nothing to do with the birth of Jesus. There is no
rule that, when Divine energy or Divine incarnation descends on earth,
a star has to appear. That is the opinion of devotees only. But, Jesus
was himself a “Star” of infinite value, spreading brilliance of infinite dimension.
Why revere another less brilliant glow?
Today is the birth day of Jesus, celebrated amidst December snowfalls
with lights and Christmas trees, and prayers. But it is useless to
pray just one day and forget God the rest of the year. That is an empty
show; it does not emanate from the heart. You are true Christians only
when you live according to the teachings of Christ and practice them
in daily life. Even if you follow two teachings of his, that would be
enough. (...)
God has incarnated in human form, in order to inspire man to follow
higher ideals not only in India but foreign countries also. Men may
have different languages and life styles but God is one and He is
present everywhere. All religions speak of him as love and as attainable
through love. Forms of worshipping God differ, for they are shaped
by time and place but love is the basic content of all the forms. The language
of love is understood and spoken by all hearts. There is only
one race really, and that is the race of mankind. You now consider petty
distinctions of nationality, race, religion and language as vital and
hold back love which must flow to every one from the heart. That was
the life and message of Jesus. Nurture it in your hearts. Experience Jesus
as your messenger sent from God.
Love alone can reveal the Divinity latent in all. Love is God. Live in
love. Love lives by giving and forgiving; Self lives by getting and forgetting.
Love is self-lessness; selfishness is love-lessness. Do not
waste your life pursuing the narrow interests of the self. Love! Love!
Become what you truly are - the embodiments of love. No matter how
others treat you or what they think of you, do not worry. Follow Jesus
Christ. Love for your own evolution and not for what others say. Do not
imitate others. Cultivate your own life. You have your own heart, your
own opinion, your ideas, your own will. Why then imitate? Imitation is
human, they say; but creation is Divine. Follow your chosen path. Let
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your own experience of God be your guide and master. Do not go into
the grave, weakly copying others. You won't find God if you search in
the outside world. Your own heart shining with love is God's love. Follow
the master. Face the devil. Fight to the end and finish the game.
You are God. The true you is God. (...)
The day you see yourself as God, you become God. If you think: “I am
human only”, you will be led astray. Do not allow your body and the
senses to dictate your moves. Develop the inner vision. The body is
the cart, the spirit is the horse. Do not put the cart, before the horse.
Spiritual practice is the only means of acquiring mental peace. (...)
Dedicate your hand to the service of mankind. Jesus teaches infinite
love and compassion. To resurrect love and compassion, you must kill
jealousy and selfishness, purify your hearts. Earn the true mercy of Jesus.
Follow the path shown by him and reach the position he holds.
25.12.79, (25-10/16)
Very often the mistake is committed, of forgetting that Rama came, in
order to lay down the norms of life and that his life has to be observed
and followed by mankind. He is the ideal man, with qualities and virtues
which every man can earn to elevate himself. Mere worship, empty
adoration is not what the Avatar expects. Rama underwent trouble,
disappointment and distress like any man, in order to show that joy is
but an interval between two griefs, that grief is but a challenge, a test,
a lesson. 25.12.80, (25-18)
This day, Christmas is celebrated. Bring to mind the words he uttered,
the advice he offered, the warning he gave, and decide to direct your
daily lives along the path he laid down. His words must be imprinted
on your hearts and you must resolve to practice all that he taught. (...)
The Jews held the rituals and regulations laid down by the prophets in
the scriptural texts as valid for all time and so, they held the teachings
of Jesus as wrong. They were not moved by personal hatred towards
Jesus.
The problem arises in every age - the conflict between the letter and
the spirit - the doctrines that are held sacred, the sacred formula that
is held to be holy, the various do's and don'ts that have to be scrupulously
followed, and the underlying truth. In the Veda faith also, one
can find today this conflict between the upholders of ancient tradition
and the promoters of deeper understanding. These later also base
their teachings on the Vedas.
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The best way to resolve the confusions and conflicts that hamper moral,
ethical, material, technological and spiritual progress is for man to
live as fully as man ought to, and rise to the height of the Divine that
is his reality. That is the one eternal, universal teaching. (...)
The day must be spent in prayer; not merely this day, but cultivate the
spiritual discipline of prayer as a normal way of life. Prayers for worldly
ends do not reach God. They will reach only those deities who deal
with such restricted spheres. But, all prayers arising from pure love,
unselfish eagerness to render service and hearts that are all-inclusive
will reach God. For, God is the very embodiment of love. 24.12.80, (25-
66/68)
Jesus was the target for many mighty obstacles and he braved them
all. As a result his name and story and message are shedding splendrous
light all over the world now.
Not Jesus only, every prophet, messenger of God, teacher of truth and
spiritual leader had to wade through ridicule, neglect and persecution,
Though a diamond is cast in a dust bin, its luster remains: its price will
not diminish. Though a sweet pumpkin grows on a thorny fence, its
taste remains; its attraction will not diminish. (...)
The Divine though it moves among all and sundry, can never be affected
or deflected. Envious folk heaped insults on Jesus. Even
among his disciples, some betrayed him and deserted him. Self-dominated
people turn envious at greatness and goodness. But since love,
the love of Jesus, had no trace of self in it, Jesus was unafraid. The
loveless are enveloped in fear. Love instils courage and promotes adventure.
(...)
Jesus was love. Sathya Sai Baba too is love. That explains the gathering
of all religions, which you see here in this room today. (...)
Names and forms are different naturally, but they are all aspects of the
One. Love must bind all believers together, not only believers but nonbelievers
too must he loved and served as his images.
Love must he manifested as service. Service must take the form of
food for the hungry, solace for the forlorn, consolation for the sick and
the suffering. Jesus wore himself out in such service. The heart full of
compassion is the temple of God. Jesus pleaded for compassion.
Compassion was his message. He was sorely distressed at the sight
of the poor. Today Jesus is worshipped but his teachings are neglected.
Sai is being worshipped but his teachings are neglected. Every
where, pomp hollow exhibitionism! Lectures, lectures, lectures! No ac-
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tivity, no love, no service. Heroes while lecturing, zeros while putting
what is said in to practice. 25.12.81, (25-224/225)
What, then, is the meaning of the call "know thyself"? You have to get
a vision of God. You have to experience the Divine. You have to converse
with God. Man must realize God; see God; feel God; talk to God.
This is religion. Without understanding this true meaning of religion,
people regard various forms of worship and prayers as religion. "Realise
is Religion." This means that to realize the eternal reality is true
religion.
Man is the embodiment of the eternal truth. He is the embodiment of
“existence-consiousness-bliss” (sat-cit-ananda). But he is unable to
recognize his true identity. (22.10.95)
Each should practice his own religion sincerely. A Christian should be
a good Christian. A Hindu should be a good Hindu. A Muslim should
be a good Muslim. Let each one be a true practitioner of his religion.
No one should criticize or hate another's religion. Muslims should not
hate Hindus and Hindus should not hate Muslims. (...)
Embodiments of love! Whatever you may do, never give up your faith
in God. Do not place your trust in the transient things of the world. Regard
all humanity as one family. Transcend the barriers of creed, language
and nationality. The message of the Vedas is universal, meant
for all mankind. The message is one of unity and harmony. Let us live
together, strive together and rejoice together. Develop this spirit of
oneness. (14.4.96)
All religions suffer a decline because those who profess them do not
practice them in their daily lives. People should practice what they profess.
People should live up to the truths in which they believe. People
do not act upon the truths they have learnt. (...)
Unfortunately, people today have only outward vision. The external vision
is characteristic of animals. You must sanctify your vision by turning
it inwards. Then you can get rid of animal qualities and divinises
your life. Hence, develop godly feelings within you. The Divine dwells
in the heart of everyone. You must enthuse those who entertain godly
feelings. Such people should not be discouraged. Divine feelings arise
in one only as a consequence of good deeds done in many lives. Only
a sacred heart can experience the Divine. The pursuit of any object
other than the Divine is a futile exercise. Worldly possessions come
and go. But Divinity comes and grows. (...)
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People talk about spiritual exercises and waste their lives. All these
pursuits are waste of time. It is enough if you develop sacred feelings.
(...)
Whatever pilgrim centre you may visit, try to shed your bad tendencies.
Develop good qualities instead. (...)
People speak about nirvana. It is equated with liberation. You must
aim at achieving this liberation. Nirvana means experiencing bliss in
the last moments of your life. Man does not realise what it is that he
should seek and what he should reject.
There are three things required to be done in life. You should try to do
good to those that have done harm to you. You must forget the harm
done by others and also the good you have done to others. So you
should forget what needs to be forgotten and remember those things
which require to be remembered. (...)
Make all your actions conform to righteousness. Whatever actions you
do remembering God will sanctified them.
See no evil; see what is good.
Hear no evil; hear what is good.
Speak no evil; speak what is good.
Think no evil; think what is good.
Do no evil, do what is good.
This is the way to God. This is the essence of Buddha's teachings.
When you are indulging in evil pursuits through your senses, how can
you get peace? Peace should come from the spiritual heart filled with
compassion. (11.5.98)
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204
Kingdom of God - Fifth Kingdom of Nature
Creation disappeared from existence in the form of a tree and reappeared
in the form of an animal. Again Creation disappeared from being
in the form of an animal and reappeared as a human being. In that
evolutionary series, one should disappear from being as a human being
and reappear only as God. The upward evolution is from a mineral
to a tree, from a tree to an animal, from an animal to a human being,
from a human being to a Divine, each stage improving and learning
from its previous state.
Thus, today, if man can rise to greater heights, he will become a Divine
being, but if he slips lower down, he will become an animal. You should
always try and take the path of promotion and not demotion. In every
human being, the aspect of Divinity is present. The aspect of Atman is
much closer to you than all friends and relations. This kind of consciousness
in regard to the relationship of the Atman to you should be
promoted. All your ideas should be so refined that they are not narrow
but broad. You should not take the view by which you are concerned
only with your family, your home and your self. This will be too narrow
an approach to life. Your ideas should be so broadened that you move
from home to one village, from one village to one district, from one district
to one province, from the province to the country and from the
country to the world.
In the same manner, in your meditation, you should broaden it so that
you regard the spiritual light which is present in yourselves as the
same spiritual light, which is present in everyone else and that is the
same spiritual light which is present everywhere in the universe. By
that feeling, you will be able to broaden your ideas and realize the
meaning of the statement that there is only one truth and that this one
truth is being seen by many people in different forms You are always
looking at things which keep on changing. You are looking at creation
which is not permanent, and you make the mistake of identifying such
creation with Divinity. You do not realize the truth. (37-178/179)
There are grades, slowly passing from one to the other, from the less
intelligent to the fully intelligent. In fact, there are three grades and not
two.
1. This grade is what Christ referred as the kingdom of God. It is
far, far beyond the reach of mind. It is the realm of pure equanimity,
the everlasting glory of the Divine.

2. The earthly kingdom, alternating between repose and activity,
sloth and adventure, the scene of the ever-changing, ever fresh
sport of God.
3. The region of inactivity, ignorance and inertia. (27-75)
Man has set down in all lands and communities, certain rules and regulations
in order to secure orderly and smooth running of his daily
schedule of activities directed to the actual process of living. Since
they have become part of the code of conduct, they are also described
as “discipline”. They are also subsumed under the basic principles of
righteousness. Righteousness promotes peace and happiness, contentment
and joy. In every community, there have appeared, off and
on, great personalities who shaped and burnished the codes and
adapted the details to the needs of the times.
What we must strive for today is not a new religion or a new society or
a new code of morality; they are there already, in each race and country.
We also have the basic plans for spiritual training already laid down
in most religions. But we need persons who have attained purity in all
levels of consciousness. Man can reach perfect bliss only when his
heart becomes free from envy, egoism, greed and other evil traits. We
need persons who can recognise and relish the recognition of the kinship
and the identity between man and man, as well as between one
society and another. They have to move beyond the bounds of the limited
“I” to break loose from the entanglements of the senses. They
have to jump over the battlements of the fort called “body”, and enter
enthusiastically the wide world beyond.
From the narrow vision of “individual need” man must voyage out into
the broad vision of the “Universal”. When a drop of water falls into the
ocean, it loses its narrow individualities, its name and form, and assumes
the form, name and taste of the ocean itself. If it seeks to live
separately as a “drop”, it will soon evaporate and be reduced to nonexistence.
Each one must become aware that he is part of the one
truth that encompasses everything in the universe. It is reprehensible
to stick for one's whole life-time to the low narrow paths of selfishness,
envy, and greed. Make the heart big and the mind pure. Then only can
peace and prosperity be established on the earth. (...)
In fact, all humans are born as messengers of God. The sole purpose
of this human career is to propagate the omnipresence of God, his
might and glory. No one has incarnated for merely consuming quantities
of food and catering to one's senses. Human life is much more pre-
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cious than that. That is why the capacity to appreciate beauty, truth
and goodness has been endowed only to man.
To acquire awareness of the Divine, one need not journey to any special
region or place. It is enough if the eye is turned inwards. In the
Bhagavadgita, the inner reality, the Atman, is described as “resplendent
like a billion suns”. But man has not become aware of the light and
power within; he still flounders in the darkness of ignorance. The scriptures
proclaim that man is the child of immortality. But man is unaware
of this glorious heritage. He feels he is mortal, his end is imminent and
his existence is temporary.
The scriptures also say that the Atman, the real core of the individual,
is the very embodiment of bliss. But man being blind to this truth, invites
sorrow and anxiety to hold mastery over him and discards the joy
that awaits him. Every man is a messenger to fellow-men, entrusted
with the task of spreading knowledge of the joy that is being missed.
If he misuses this mission and fritters away his years in gratifying his
senses, he loses his chance and reduces himself to the level of beasts.
He who announced himself as the messenger of God, developed,
through the blossoming of Divinity and the expansion of compassion
and service in him, to a stage when he declared himself as the Son of
God. And then, finally, he rose to the status of “I and my Father are
One.”
When Jesus declares that he is the Son of God, he becomes entitled
to the paternal majesty and power. These he can claim only when he
grows in the qualities that his Father has. As a result he attains mergence,
which leads him to assert: “I and my Father are One.” The
scriptures say: “He who knows Brahman, becomes Brahman”.
These three stages are referred to as dualism, qualified non-dualism
and non-dualism in Veda thought. Messenger and master, the two are
basically separate, and so this stage is one of dualism. The son and
father, though two separate entities, are bound by affection and kindred
feelings and attitudes. They are like the whole and the part, the
body and the limb. This stage is called qualified non-dualism. And
when the Son and the Father are One, the stage is of non-dualism.
Even a child would be eager to pass from one class to the next higher
one; he would hate being in the same class, vegetating for years. Then
what can we say of persons with intelligence and discrimination, satisfied
with the attainment of the lower steps? Jesus passed through the
entire process and inspired all mankind by his example and teachings,
to be generous and kind, detached and discriminating, and to bring
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light and love to all. He attracted people by his miracles and transformed
them into apostles and exemplary servants of man.
You must realise that the Divine current that flows and functions in
every living being is the One Universal Entity. When you desire to enter
the mansion of God, you are confronted by two closed doors - the
desire to praise yourself and the desire to defame others. The doors
are bolted by envy, and there is also the huge lock of egoism preventing
entry. So if you are earnest, you have to resort to the key of love
and open the lock; then remove the bolt and throw the doors wide
open. Education must train you in this difficult operation.
You undergo training in various subjects of study, but the crown and
prize of all subjects of study is spiritual wisdom. (...)
So, too, the spiritual wisdom if mastered, is the key to all knowledge.
It teaches you that, which if known, all else is known. It reveals to you
that the one is in the many and that the many are really one. “All this
is enveloped by God”, as the sacred text declares.
It takes mental discipline and intellectual effort to realise this unity. Jesus
sacrificed his life and poured out his blood to instil love and compassion
in the heart of man, so that he may be happy when others are
happy and sad when others are sad. It is not by festivity and fun that
you should celebrate Christmas. Celebrate it, rather, by resolving and
putting into practice at least one of the Ideals he lived, or endeavouring
to reach at least one of the goals that he placed before man.
Let me call upon you to give up, in memory of this holy day, two evils
from your mind: self-praise and talking scandal. Adopt one habit: the
habit of loving service to the distressed. If you spend all your time and
energy in worldly comfort and sensual delight, you are disgracing this
human existence. Life is not to be spent in just eating; eating is only a
necessity for living. You consider this habitation of yours as your
body; no, it is the temple of God. God resides therein. Keep it clean,
fresh and fragrant through developing compassion and love. Use the
temple of God only for holy thoughts, words and deeds. Do not demean
it by using it for low, trivial and unholy tasks. Wherever you are,
whatever you do, have this resolution steady and strong. 25.12.76,
(24-83/87)
The followers of every religion, in their own way and style, call upon
the one God who is omnipresent. It is the same God who confers upon
all mankind, health, prosperity, peace and happiness. No religion has
a separate God showering grace upon those who profess to abide by
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that faith alone! It is the destiny of man to journey from humanity to Divinity.
In this pilgrimage he is bound to encounter various obstacles
and trials. In order to illumine the path and help him overcome these
troubles, sages, seers, realized souls, Divine personalities and incarnations
of God take birth in human form. They move among the afflicted
and the seekers who have lost their way or strayed into the desert,
and lead them into confidence and courage. Certain personalities are
born and live out their days for this very purpose. (...)
Such guides, exemplars and leaders, appear among all peoples and
in all lands. They inspire faith in higher ideals, and teach in the voice
of God, counselling from the heart.
Of course there are many aspirants who by their devotion, dedication
and disciplined lives, attain the vision of the omnipresent, omnipotent
and omniscient One. They are content with the bliss they have won for
themselves. There are others who go out to share this bliss with others;
they guide and lead and are blessed thereby. They teach that multiplicity
is delusion and that unity is reality.
Jesus was a master born with a purpose, the mission of restoring love,
charity and compassion in the heart of man. He had no attachment to
the self, nor paid any heed to joy or sorrow, loss or gain. He had a heart
that responded to the call of anguish, and he went about the land
preaching the lesson of love. His life was a libation for the upliftment
of humanity.
Like most seekers, he first searched for the Divine in the objective
world. But he soon realized that the world is a kaleidoscopic picture
created by one's own imagination, and sought to find God within himself.
His stay in the Himalaya monasteries in Kashmir and in other centres
of eastern asceticism and philosophical inquiry, gave him greater
awareness. From the attitude of being a messenger of God, he could
now call himself the Son of God. The bond of relationship increased:
the “I” was no more some distant light or entity; the light became a part
of the "I". With the body-consciousness predominant, he was a messenger.
With the heart-consciousness in the ascendant, he felt a
greater nearness and dearness, and so the son-father bond seems
natural at this stage.
Later as the Atman-consciousness was established, Jesus could declare:
“I and my father are one." The three stages may be described
as: "I was in the light," "the light was in me," and "I am the light," and
may be compared to dualism, qualified non-dualism and non-dualism
as described in Veda philosophy. The final stage is the one when all
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duality has been shed. This is the essence of all religious disciplines
and teachings.
Jesus was honoured by the populace as Christ, for they found in his
thoughts, words and deeds, no trace of ego. He had no envy or hatred,
and was full of love and charity, humility and sympathy. Jesus original
name was Isa which, when repeated, is Sai. Isa and Sai, both mean
Ishwara, God, the Eternal Absolute, the being-awareness-bliss. In the
Tibetan manuscript, at the monastery where Isa spent some years, his
name is written as Isa, which means the Lord of all living beings.
When Jesus proclaimed that he was the messenger of God, he wanted
to emphasise that every one is a messenger of God and has to speak,
act and think like one. This is the true branch dealing with action and
its reaction of the Vedas discipline of work, prayer, service and meditation.
When progress is furthered, Jesus asserted, each one can recognise
all as sons of God, children of God, brothers and sisters of oneself,
and so, deserving of worship. The branch of Vedas dealing with
contemplation is the scripture in the eternal universal religion for this
stage. Finally, knowledge ripens into wisdom and the goal of branch
of Vedas dealing with spiritual wisdom is reached, when each one realises,
"I and my father are one." The birthday of Jesus must be celebrated
by all mankind, for such holy incarnation belong to the whole
human race. They should not be confined to a single country or community.
Jesus found that scholars and ritualists had befogged the true
religion. He engaged himself in teaching both spirituality and morality,
for education is the very light of life. Jesus found that people were running
after glass beads, imagining them to be diamonds and attaching
great value to them. He went round the holy shrines and discovered
that they had become bazaars where grace was being bargained and
commercialized. He condemned the priesthood which tolerated and
encouraged these practices. So he drew upon himself the anger of the
heads of temples and monasteries.
The Roman rulers were told that Jesus was attempting to assert himself
as king and so could be punished for treason. Their insistence
made the Governor order his crucifixion. (...)
Jesus sacrificed himself for the sake of mankind. Carols and candles,
readings from the Bible and acting out the incidents that surrounded
his birth, are not enough to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Jesus said that
the bread taken in the “last supper” was his flesh, and the wine, his
blood. He meant that all beings alive with flesh and blood are to be
treated as he himself and that no distinction should be made of friend
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or foe, we or they. Every body is his body, sustained by the bread; every
drop of blood flowing in the veins of every living being is his, animated
by the activity that the wine imparted to it. That is to say, every man
is Divine and has to be revered as such. You work as a messenger or
servant; later, you worship, as a son does his father, and finally, you
achieve the wisdom that you and he are one. That is the spiritual journey
of which Jesus has shown the way in clear terms. He announced
very early in life that he had come to illumine the spiritual path. Even
as a bud, he emitted fragrance. He had the light in him, or how can the
tiny glow-worm light a lamp?
To elevate man, to raise the level of his consciousness, he has to incarnate
as man. He has to speak to them in his own style and language.
He has to teach him the methods that he can adopt and practice.
Birds and beasts need no Divine incarnation to guide them, for
they have no inclination to stray away from their spiritual law. Man
alone forgets or ignores the goal of life. 25.12.78, (24-230/233)
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Divine Order - The New Religion
Diversities in attitudes and practices are natural and ought to be welcomed;
there is no need for an iron-clad hard faith. Only, there is no
place for one over-all faith. Rivalry among those following different
paths cannot bring peace and prosperity to any country. Without the
freedom to adopt faith, the world cannot progress. (5-31)
The Sai religion, if the name of religion in its literal sense of binding
man to God is accepted, is the essence of all faiths and religions, including
Islam, Christianity and Judaism. The motive behind the formation
and propagation of all these different faiths is the same. The
founders and propagators were all persons filled with love and wisdom.
Their goal and purpose were the same. None had the design to
divide, disturb, or destroy. They attempted to do good, see good and
be good. They sought to train the passions and the emotions, to educate
the impulses and instincts and direct the faculty of reason to paths
beneficial to the individual and society. They knew that the mind, which
is the breeding ground of desire and attachment, ambition and aspiration,
has to be cleansed and properly oriented.
Sai considers that practice of these disciplines is much more essential
than blind faith in a bunch of philosophical theories. No one has the
right to advise others unless he is already practising what he preaches.
First establish the reign of love between the various members in your
own home. Let the family become a centre of harmonious living, sympathetic
understanding and mutual faith.
The holy duty of man is to be ever aware of the Divine spirit, the Atman,
that is installed in every living being. This will make him conscious of
the kinship he has with all. This is the basis of the brotherhood of man
and the Fatherhood of God. Cast away the vice of egoism, the evil of
greed and the poison of envy. When you seek joy from something outside
you, remember that a far greater joy lies in wait within your own
inner consciousness. When you are afraid of someone or something
outside you, remind yourself that the fear is born, fed and fertilised in
your own mind and that you can overcome it by starving it. How can
fear counter the path of a spiritual aspirant? It can hide in no shadow,
it can pester no spiritual aspirant who has God in his heart. Faith in the
almighty God is the impregnable armour that the devotee can wear;
and peoples of all lands are devotees, whether they know it or not. Be
steady, do not waver, keep straight on, hold fast to the ideal without
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despair. Pray until God relents; do not turn away sadly if God does not
shower grace when you expect it.
When a religion wants to extend its influence it has to resort to vilification
of other religions and exaggeration of its own excellence. Pomp
and publicity become more important than practice and faith. But Sai
wants the votaries of each religion to cultivate faith in its own excellence
and realise their validity by their own intense practice. That is the
Sai religion, the religion that feeds and fosters all religions and emphasises
their common greatness. Take up this religion, boldly and joyfully.
1.10.76, (24-64/65)
Singing the name and glory of God, allowing the mind to dwell on that
glory, adoring the foot of the Lord, experiencing gratitude and joy at his
grace, feeling oneself as his instrument, awareness of his being one's
constant and closest companion and dedicating one's full being to him
- these are the nine steps in the path of devotion.
"Listen, o people! Revel in this Iron Age, for there is none so propitious
for liberation such that mere remembrance of the name of the Lord and
adoring him thus are enough to win his grace and set you free." (...)
Singing this intense yearning for God and enjoying the experience of
adoring him, helps to purify the atmosphere. Man is today forced to
breathe the air polluted by sounds that denote violence, hatred, cruelty
and wickedness. Therefore he is fast losing the high potential in store
for him. The vibrations of the heart-felt recitation of the Lord's name
can cleanse the atrnosphere and render it pure, calm and ennobling.
It is with this high purpose in view that this programme of global devotional
singing (bhajan) was designed. (...)
The vibrations travel vast distances and affect the nature of those who
inhale them. The atmosphere affects also the food man consumes.
Pollution in the atmosphere is imbibed by plants, plants supply grain,
the grain is the basis of the meal and the meal shapes the character
and behaviour of the person who consumes it. When the environment
is clean and free from evil vibrations, the food too, is pure, and the person
develops a tendency to be loving and simple. It is to ensure such
an atmosphere that this spiritual effort initiated the world over. (...)
By whatever means God is adored, the path of devotion is the easiest
and the most effective for it is a spiritual discipline of the heart, and results
in love and service to all as fellow pilgrims to the same Divine
goal.
Some people do question the propriety of calling God by means of
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such a multiplicity of names. But each name is indicative only of one
aspect of Divinity. (...)
Liberation means getting rid of bondage. Many people give up hearth
and home, family, property and possessions, and escaping into forest
retreats, pride themselves on their “renunciation”. But this act of flight
cannot be honoured by that name, for such an act by itself cannot confer
release, when the mind still remains bound. The fundamental bond
which has to be got rid of is the bond of a primal ignorance. Death is
sweeter than the bondage that ignorance can impose on man. Cast
away ignorance: you are free, liberated from all bonds that very moment.
All spiritual disciplines have this liberation as their goal. Heartfelt
singing of Divine names too, helps you get rid of this basic ignorance.
(...)
This programme of singing of Divine names continuously for 24 hours
all round the world in all lands, has spread the message of love. (...)
It has saturated the atmosphere with thoughts of God and peace and
joy. The singing of Divine names done here has affected not only this
particular area and its environment, but it will transmute the entire atmosphere.
Continue this attitude of devotion and humility, of service
and tolerance, and the atmosphere will not be polluted by hatred. Do
not contaminate the air by voices of acrimony, scandal, insult or slander.
Keep silent when you feel like expressing such ideas; that itself is
a service to you and to others. (...)
You too must pass your days in song. Let your whole life be a sacred
song believe that God is everywhere at all times, and derive strength,
comfort and joy by singing his glory in His presence. Let melody and
harmony surge up from your hearts and let all take delight in the love
that you express through song. 14.11.76, (24-66/75)
Man must dedicate himself to spiritual law and engage himself in right
conduct so that he may live in peace and the world may enjoy peace.
He cannot acquire real peace, nor can he win the grace of the Lord
through any means other than the spiritual life. Divine law is the foundation
for the welfare of humanity; it is the truth that is constant for all
time. When right conduct fails to transmute human life, the world is afflicted
by agony and fear, tormented by stormy revolutions. When the
effulgence of spiritual law fails to illumine human relationships, mankind
is shrouded in the night of sorrow.
God is the embodiment of right conduct; his Grace is won by right conduct.
He is ever fostering right conduct, he is ever establishing right-
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eousness, he is righteousness itself. The sacred texts proclaim aloud
the glory of Divine law. In the scriptures of the various religions, Divine
law is elaborated in the language familiar to the adherents. It is the duty
of every man everywhere at all times to pay homage to the Lord, the
personification of spiritual law. The stream of spiritual activity should
never run dry; when its cool waters cease to flow, disaster is certain.
Humanity has reached this stage only because Divine law, like the river
Saraswathi, flows unseen, below the ground, feeding the roots and
filling the springs. Not only humanity, but even birds and beasts have
to adhere to spiritual duty, so that they may be happy and survive in
comfort and joy.
Therefore, the waters of Divine law have to be kept flowing perpetually
and full, so that the world might enjoy happiness. Disaster now dances
madly on the world stage, because right is neglected and there is disbelief
in the essentials of spiritual life. So man has to understand clearly
the very heart of right conduct. (...)
Of course, it is a long, long time since the spotless countenance of Divine
law has been tarnished beyond recognition. Beautiful fields and
groves run wild with neglect and soon become unrecognisable bushland
and thorny jungle; fine trees are hewn by greedy men and the
shape of the landscape is changed. With the passage of time people
get accustomed to the new state of things and they do not notice the
transformation, the decline. This has happened to spiritual law also.
Every man has to acquaint himself with the outlines of Divine law, expounded
in the Veda. Misunderstood by incompetent intelligence, unbridled
emotion and impure reasoning, they have been grossly diluted
and their glory has suffered grievously. Just as the rain drops from the
clear blue sky get coloured and contaminated when they fall on the
soil, the unsullied message of the ancient Rishis, the example of their
shining deeds, the bright untarnished urges behind their actions are all
turned into ugly caricatures of the original grandeur, by uncultured interpreters
and scholars. (...)
Whoever subdues his egoism, conquers his selfish desires, destroys
his bestial feelings and impulses and gives up the natural tendency to
regard the body as the self, he is surely on the path of spiritual law; he
knows that the goal of Divine conduct is the merging of the wave in the
sea, the merging of the self in the higher self, the Atman.
In all worldly activities, you should be careful not to offend propriety,
or the canons of good nature; you should not play false to the prompting
of the inner voice, you should be prepared at all times to respect
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the appropriate dictates of conscience; you should watch your steps
to see whether you are in some one else's way; you must be ever vigilant
to discover the truth, behind all this scintillating variety. This is the
duty of man, spiritual conduct. The blazing fire of wisdom, which convinces
you that all this is Brahman will consume into ashes all traces
of egoism, and worldly attachment. You must become intoxicated with
the nectar of union with Brahman; that is the ultimate goal of Divine
law, and of activity inspired by right conduct. (...)
"Sacrifice ignorance and egoism at the altar of wisdom, and install
righteousness therein"; this is the message of the Veda. Every single
unselfish act, which prepares the ground for the merging of the soul
with the Divine-Soul, which broadens the vision towards the basic
Brahman immanent everywhere, is an act of Divine law. Each such act
is a tiny stream that swells the river of holiness rushing towards the sea
of Brahman-wisdom. Your acts and activities are all rituals in the worship
of the Divinity that pervades the universe. Whatever is done in an
attitude of dedication and surrender is a component of the spiritual
path, which leads to realization. The strategy of the Veda way of life is
directed towards the sanctification of every moment and every word,
thought and deed, into a step towards this realization.
You have to understand the ancient fulfillment of one’s duty by entering
into its symbolic meaning. The spiritual field has many a technical
terms, each with its own special connotation. These have to be clearly
understood, so that you can grasp the teaching of the Vedas. Let us
take an example: People used to celebrate rituals in ancient times; and
they sacrificed animals in these rituals. But, the animal is only a symbol.
It was not the dumb creature that had to be cut to pieces. The animal
leads a life of sacrifice, without man completing its career on the
altar! The animal that has to be disembowelled and offered is different;
in the spiritual vocabulary, animal means "the body-consciousness",
"the I-consciousness"; and it is this that has to be slaughtered. (...)
The aim of the highest spiritual conduct is to make the living being give
up the attachment to external nature and the illusion that it causes and
to make it realise its reality or rather, unrealise what it has now taken
as real, so that it may stand revealed in its genuine identity. (...)
The highest goal of the ancient days is turned into the fool's goal. Thus,
every one of the ancient practices, once full of meaning, has grown
wild beyond recognition. Branches have shot out in various directions.
It is not now possible to pluck the tree by the roots and plant a new one.
So, the existing tree has to be trimmed and trained to grow straight.
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The highest goal has to be constantly remembered, and not diluted
into the lowest. (8-1/7)
Divine law cannot be restricted to any particular society or nation, for
it is closely bound up with the fortunes of the entire living world. It is a
flame of light that can never be extinguished. It is untrammelled in its
beneficent action. (...)
Divine conduct, is what I am speaking of practical Divine conduct to
temporary matters and problems and physical needs, to man's passing
relationships with the objective world. The very instrument of those
rules, the human body, is itself not permanent; how can these conducts
be eternal? How can their nature be described as true? The
Eternal cannot be expressed by the evanescent; truth cannot reveal itself
in untruth; light cannot be procured from darkness. The Eternal
can emerge only from the Eternal; truth can emanate only from truth.
Therefore, the objective codes of Divine law relating to worldly activities
and daily life, though important in their own sphere, have to be followed
with the full knowledge and consciousness of the inner basic Divine
law; only then can the internal and external urges co-operate and
yield the bliss of harmonious progress.
If, in your daily life you translate the real values of Divine Conduct into
love-filled acts, then your duty to the inner reality, the Divine law is also
fulfilled. Build your life on a spiritual foundation , then progress is assured.
Nowadays people put a lot of effort into seeing God as a stone.
But how can such effort lead to Truth, when the real task is to see a
stone as God? First the form of the Godhead has to be meditated upon
and imprinted into the consciousness; then that form has to be conceived
within the stone and the stone forgotten in the process, until the
stone is transformed into God. In the Same way you have to imprint
on your consciousness the basic Divine law, the fundamental fact of
Atman as the only entity; then filled with that faith and vision, you have
to deal with the manifold world of objects and all its attractions. You
can only realise the ideal in this way, and in so doing there is no danger
of diluting the authentic meaning or tarnishing the brilliance of Divine
law.
What happens when a stone is worshipped as God? The limitless, ever-present,
all pervading immanent Entity, the Absolute is visualised in
a particular form. Similarly Divine law, which is universal, equal and
free can be defined and tested in a single concrete act. Do not be misled
into thinking that this is not possible. Are you not capable of ac-
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complishing many difficult things which increase your anxiety and
fear? If a man is wise he can choose to take up things which are more
worthwhile and bring him peace of mind. Freedom is your birthright,
but it is only when you guide your steps along the path illuminated by
the universal, unbound Divine law that you are really free. If you stray
away from the light you get bound and caught. Some may ask - how
can Divine law, which regulates and controls, and prescribes thoughts
and words make a person free? 'Freedom' is the name that you give
to a certain type of bondage. Genuine freedom can exist only in the absence
of illusion, when there is no identification with the body and the
senses, no servitude to the objective world. There are very few people
who have managed to escape from this servitude and achieve genuine
freedom. Bondage lies in every act performed with the consciousness
of the body as the self for man is then the plaything of the senses. Only
those who have escaped this fate are truly free. and that freedom is
the goal to which Divine law leads. If one engages in activity with this
goal in mind then liberation is possible.
It is only because you bind yourself that you become bound and stray
away from the Divine path. It is always so; no other person can bind
you; you do it yourself. If faith in God's omnipresence is deep-rooted,
then, you would be aware that he is your self and that you can never
be bound! For that faith to grow, you must grasp Divine law firmly. The
reality of the Atman is the bedrock, the wisdom that is incontrovertible.
Devoid of that foundation, one becomes the target of doubt, despair
and delusion. The maid of Divine law will not wed such.
Therefore, endeavour first to become free. That is to say, as a preliminary
to successful living, cultivate faith in the Atman as the core of
your personality and then learn and practice the discipline necessary
to reach down to that core. With that qualification acquired, you can
engage fully in worldly activities, following the right conduct prescribed
for their regulation. Then you become a moral individual. Those who
hold the physical objective world as the all of life and the body as the
self, lead but wasted lives, as meaningless as making God into stone.
Making the stone into God is the holier, more wholesome task. So, too,
seeing the Divine in every single act of yours transforms it into an act
of worship, elevates it and removes its binding characteristic. If the duties
of worldly life are done with no regard to genuine Divine truth, it is
as unholy as treating God as stone. Righteousness pursued apart
from Divine truth and Divine truth divorced from righteousness are
both barrens of results. They are both inextricably intertwined, and
should be treated as such. (...)
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The sacred text and Divine law - all invite man to live and act as Divine,
and not as bondsman. (...)
The shackles of bondage cannot be avoided by a mere change of the
type of activity. They can be avoided only by changing the point of view
from the living being to the Divine, from the created to the creator. The
moral qualities also will be rendered stronger, thereby. Some persons
hold the opinion that being employed is bondage, while sitting at home
without any specific work is freedom! This is a sign of want of intelligence.
(...)
Egoism (...) is just another form of the Contra-Divine attitude. Who can
remove all the thorns and pebbles from the face of the earth? The only
way to avoid them is to move about with footwear. (...)
With the vision fixed on truth or the reality, with full faith in the Brahman
which is your own essential nature, you can bypass the need to transform
the external world to suit your ideal of happiness and Divinity can
be attained. He who tramples down egoism and declares with conviction
thus: "I am not the bondsman of this body, which is the repository
of all types of servitude; the body is my bondsman. I am the master and
the manipulator of everything, I am the embodiment of freedom", is already
liberated. All codes of duties must help in this process of the destruction
of the ego; they should not foster it and make it grow wild.
That is the road to freedom. (...)
After all, what is a home for? For the enjoyment of the bliss derived
from the contemplation of the Lord, for the opportunity to meditate on
the Lord undisturbed. All the rest can be ignored, but not these. The
true spiritual practice of the individual is to taste the bliss of merging
with the Absolute, and attain true liberation. A person who has reached
that stage can never be bound, even if he is put in the grimmest of prisons;
on the other hand, for a person who is slave of the body, even a
blade of grass can become an instrument of death. The true destiny
of man is to be immersed in Divine bliss, inner vision, steady faith in
the identity of one's real nature with the Absolute, and the realization
that all is God. These four are the authentic discipline. In this physical
existence as particular individuals, these four are named for the convenience
of practice, but saturated with the inner right conduct of Divine
reality are truthfulness, peaceableness, love and non-violence, so
that individuals can follow them in daily life. The mode of pursuit of Divine
law, now as in the past, is to adhere to these high principles in
every act and thought. The truth, peace, non-violence and love of today
are but the steady immersion in the Atman, the vision fixed on in-
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ner truth, the contemplation of one's real nature and the knowledge
that all is Brahman, the one and only. The fundamental and the derived
must be co-ordinated and harmonised. Only then can it be termed
eternal Divine law.
It does not matter what your activity is, or what name and form you
have chosen. A chain is a chain whatever the material it binds, whether
it is iron or gold, is it not? So too, whether the work is of this type or
that, so long as the Atman is the base, and Divine law the root, it is right
conduct beyond doubt. Such work will bless one with the fruit of peace.
(...)
Why, even the feeling: "That is a friend" or: "This is an enemy" is an
error. This delusion has to be given up. The Lord, the embodiment of
love, is the only constant friend and relative, companion, guide and
protector. Know this and live in that knowledge. This is spiritual law
built on the bedrock of understanding, that is life built on the bedrock
of righteousness. Ignoring this fundamental basis, when attention is
concentrated on external polish, the goal moves beyond reach. Attachment
to the world can be destroyed only by attachment to the
Lord. (...)
So too, if you adhere to Divine truth, you must see, the reflection of the
Glory of the Atman in every act. Attachment to the Lord will transmute
attachment to the world into a pure offering. The goal should not be altered
or lowered; that is to say, the essentials should be kept intact. Divine
conduct does not depend on the various names and forms that its
application entails; it depends more on the motives and the feelings
that direct it. (8-8/14)
Acts which are expressions of Divine law are deathless and only those
who know that they are deathless can perform them. That is the highest
destiny of man but instead of reaching it, he is intent on doing acts
against right conduct. Man is degrading himself from his status as a
child of eternity to the status of a child of futility! Holding nectar in his
grasp, he is drinking the poison of sensual pleasure. Neglecting the joy
of the contemplation of the fundamental Divine reality of the universe,
he is entangling himself in the external trappings of the objective world
or appearances. One can only bewail that this fate has overwhelmed
man! (...)
Note the expression used here. Ponder over it and draw inspiration
from it! The nectar of the Lord's grace is deserved only by those who
adhere to the Lord's right conduct. Simple folk believe that they have
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devotion towards the Lord, but they do not pause to inquire whether
the Lord has love towards them! People who pine to discover this are
rather rare. That is really the true measure of spiritual success. (...)
Righteousness is the moral path; the moral path is light; light is bliss.
Righteousness is characterised by holiness, peace, truth and fortitude.
Righteousness is yoga, union, merging; it is truth. Its attributes are justice,
sense-control, sense of honour, love, dignity, goodness, sympathy,
non-violence; such is righteousness that persists through the ages.
It leads one on to universal love and unity. It is the highest
discipline and the most profitable. All this “unfoldment” began with
righteousness; all this is stabilised by truth; truth is inseparable from
righteousness. Truth is the law of the universe, which makes the sun
and the moon revolve in their orbits. Divine law is the Vedas and the
mantras, the wisdom they convey. Righteousness is the course, the
path, the law. Wherever there is adherence to morality, there one can
see right conduct in action. (...)
Divine law is the very embodiment of the Lord; since the world itself is
the body of the Lord, the world is but another name for the moral order;
no one can deny it now or ever. (8- 15/20)
The principles of Divine law will not change to suit the convenience of
man. Divine law is immutable. Divine law persists as Divine law, then,
now and forever. Of course, the practices and rules of applied right
conduct might change according to changing causes; but, even then,
those practices have to be tested on the basis of the sacred text, not
on the basis of advantage. There should be no such calculation. (...)
Here, one point has to be clearly grasped. Many who read the Bhagavadgita
take it that the Lord incarnates when Divine law is destroyed
and when the evil forces begin to prevail. But there is no basis to draw
the conclusion that Divine law gets destroyed. The Bhagavadgita does
not say so. The word that is used is "glaani"; that is to say, when the
indications are that Divine order is in danger: "I will come in order to
protect it from harm". He did not say that he will come down to protect
it and preserve it after Divine law itself has been destroyed! Of what
use is a doctor after life has left? So too, after Divine law, which is the
very life-breath of humanity, has been destroyed, what is the need for
incarnation of the Lord? What is the Lord to protect? This is why the
word “glaani” is used to indicate, not the destruction, but the decline,
the weakening of Divine law. The protection of Divine law is the task
of the Lord, for Divine law is the very breath of the living being.
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Divine law is not an ordinary affair. He who does not practice Divine
discipline is as bad as dead; if he does practice it, he is of the Divine
nature. Now there is need to turn men on to the spiritual path by means
of good advice, tempting them with the attractive consequences of following
the path, threatening to dissociate from those who do not, and
inflicting punishment as a last resort; the traditional methods of equal
(sama), non-attachment (dama), retraction (bheda) and conduct?
(danda). In ancient times, people never gave up the practice of right
conduct even when they were threatened with death at the point of the
sword. Now, without even the slightest pressure from others, people
slide down and fall into godlessness. Indeed, Divine law is interpreted
in various confusing ways and those who strictly follow the real Divine
law are obstructed and laughed at and treated as worse than dried up
grass. Those who are anxiously adhering to dharma are branded as
cheats, hypocrites and ignoramuses. Such calumniators do not know
what Divine law is or what its principles are. Unfortunate individuals!
They have no capacity to grasp the meaning of that word. You can
judge for yourself how it can be understood by persons who do not
know even the literal meaning of the word. What can a person, born
blind, know of the sun or its rays? Of course he can feel the heat, when
the rays of the sun fall on his body; he cannot have an idea of the nature
of the sun, its form, its shape, its brilliance, etc. So too for a person
who has no conception of Divine law, who has no faith in Divine conduct,
the joy derived by its observance is something incomprehensible.
To dilate on Divine law before such a person is as useless a venture
as blowing a conch before a person who is stone deaf. He can
only see the conch at the lips of the person in front of him, he cannot
hear the least bit of sound. So when Divine law is taught to a person
or extolled, care must be taken to see that he has faith and earnestness
and the eagerness to practice it. Only such must be handled and
sought to be corrected. Later, by the promptings of their own experience
and the joy they derive therefrom, even the ignorant will plant in
their hearts the seedlings of spiritual law. (...)
It is only by following the path of spiritual discipline or rectitude that the
sun and moon are revolving unerringly on their orbits; it is only the call
of spiritual law that makes all the Divine powers adhere to their various
duties and responsibilities; Divine law only keeps the five elements
bound to the principles of their nature.
You should derive the greatest possible benefit from spiritual law and
avoid, while following it, causing any injury to yourselves or others.
You must spread the glory of Divine conduct by making yourself a
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shining example of the peace and joy it gives. Do not follow the trail of
dry logic; do not confuse your brain by cynicism and prejudice, do not
get interested in what others do or believe in and try to reform them or
correct their footsteps; have faith in the basic Atman which is your real
truth; test all lines of conduct on that basis, whether it will hinder the
process of revealing the Atman or not; and carry on, in the light of that
faith and that test, your daily duties and rites. Then, you will never fall
into error. You will also derive great joy. (8-34/38)
Next, about the house of God, the residence of the concretised formful
aspect of Divinity, the temple and the rules of spiritual discipline relating
to it. Rules have overgrown and overwhelmed these institutions,
following the whims and prejudices of various authorities. They have
led people away from right conduct and Brahman and even proper activity;
they have confounded the devotees by their variety and unreasonableness.
They are insisted upon blindly and so, they have done
much harm to the welfare of the world itself. In fact, these rules and formalities
form the first steps in the retreat away from God. They have
fostered atheism in a great measure.
Think deeply over the functions of the temple. Temples are centres of
discipline, where the aspirant is guided step by step to attain a vision
of the truth, they are schools for the training of the spirit; they are academies
for the promotion of sacred studies; they are institutes of superscience;
they are laboratories for the testing of the values of life; they
are hospitals for the treatment and cure not only of the "birth-death-disease"
which has persisted in the individual from ages, but even the
much more patent "mental disorders" that trouble those who do not
know the secret of acquiring peace. They are gymnasia where man is
reconditioned and has hesitant faith, waning conviction and upsurging
egoism are all cured; they are mirrors which reflect his aesthetic standards
and achievements. The purpose of the temple is to awaken the
Divinity in humanity, inducing man to believe that the physical frame
in which he lives is itself the house of God. Therefore all the temple formalities,
rites and rituals emphasise and cultivate this Brahma-wisdom,
the truth that the living being is just a wave of the Sea. (...)
Devotion helps most easily the attainment of the bliss of merger with
the basic Brahman, by canalising towards the Lord the mental agitations,
the sensory reaching out, and the emotional urges of man. It is
in this direction that all the details of the worship of the Lord in temples
took shape. (...)
Moreover, though wisdom and non-attachment might be measurable,
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devotion has its own measure. It will assume many a form, according
to the attitude of the devotee. (...)
It is proper that man should have an exalted attitude towards the Lord
as well as the temple of the Lord. This attitude also yields great good.
While it is quite natural and appropriate that man should picture God
in human form, it is not desirable to assume that he is just an ordinary
individual. It is the principle of devotion that he is conceived as an extraordinary
person, with a figure of sublime splendour. (8-56/58)
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V. MANKIND

Evolution of the whole Mankind
You are aware that, at the present day, both in India and outside, there
is a wave of spiritual discontent surging in thousands of hearts and, as
a consequence, we have eager groups who give up everything worldly
and seek God and Godly preceptors. But many believe that this search
concerns only the individual and that society need not get involved in
their yearning or their endeavours. This is as foolish as saying that one
need not worry about the darkness prevailing outside the walls of his
own residence. The individual and society are intertwined inextricably.
There must be illumination for both. Divine bliss must surge out of the
individual and fill the lake of society, and from thence, stream into the
ocean of grace. Society is just a name for a group of individuals; but,
it has no corporeal body. Individuals are the limbs, that nourish and
support the “corpus” called society.
Society shapes the individual, provides the arena for his development
and sets the ideals he should plant before himself. When the individual
is stronger, more intelligent, more service minded, and more efficient
as a worker, society benefits; when society is more aware of its role
and of the need to cleanse that role with humility and wisdom, the individual
benefits.
Sai has resolved to transform the individual and society by promoting
this mutual regeneration, by the action of one on the other; hence, the
formation of this Organization, and the establishment of its units in all
countries for the sublimation of the human into the Divine. 4.1.74, (23-
13/14)
But, today, we are in quite a terrible situation - the very opposite of the
glory of the past. Wherever we look, we find men sunk in utterly low
moral and material conditions. The Divine duties prescribed by the
Lord in the sacred text in order to save mankind from these very evils
have been discarded. Infected by mutual animosity and distrust, we
are spouting the fire of violence and cruelty and jeopardising world
peace. Violation of the laws ordained by God is the chief factor, responsible
for the absence of abiding peace in the world.
Is not the transgression of the commands of God to man the sole
cause of the poverty, despondency, despair, and lack of spiritual
knowledge and effort, that are so rampant at the present time throughout
the world? It is heartening for us all to note that a few people, at
least now, have discovered the reason for this crisis, through the study
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of sequence and negation, and are striving to resuscitate Divine law
which alone can confer prosperity and peace on the world. If the annihilation
of something is causing injury to something else, the only
method for the regeneration of the latter is the revival of the former.
Isn't this principle universally acceptable and applicable? We notice
that the decline of Divine commands has caused the destruction of
world peace. When we plan to bring about prosperity and peace to the
world, isn't it your paramount duty to restore this Divine law? (...)
Resolve to engage yourself in the task of promoting the welfare of the
world; be assured that Sai will be your unfailing support. 14.1.74, (23-
25/27)
What has sociology or the social sciences to do with the sciences of
the spirit or the inquiry into the human spirit? This is a question that is
commonly raised. So many ask: “What has the spiritual student and
spiritual aspirant to do with society and its problems?”
No society can find its fulfillment, no social ideal can fructify, without
the blossoming of the spirit of man. Mankind cannot realise his Divine
whose expression, without careful and constant attention paid to the
cultivation of the spirit. How else can Divinity express itself other than
in and through individuals? You can apprehend only the world of
change, this moving, inconstant fantasia; you cannot see or hear,
smell or taste or touch the director of the fantasia, God. In the same
manner, you can apprehend the individual, but not the entity named
society. Society is not a separate, distinct, complex formed of elemental
components. Society is Divine proliferation produced by supreme
will.
Man is mortal; dust he is and to dust returns. But in him, shines Atman,
a spark of the immortal flame. This is not a term of flattery invented by
the Vedas, the Atman is the source, the sustenance of every being and
every organization of beings. It is the one and only source, substance
and sustenance. Atman is God; the particular is the Universal, no less.
Recognise in each being, in each man, a brother, the child of God, and
ignore all limiting thoughts and prejudices based on status, colour,
class, birth and caste. Sai is ever engaged in warning you and guiding
you so that you may think, speak and act in this attitude of love.
Society cannot justify itself by planning to divide the spoils of nature either
in equal shares or unequal shares. The consummation that must
inspire society has to be the establishment and elaboration, in every
social act and resolution, of the knowledge of the one universal Atman
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and the bliss that knowledge confers. Sai does not direct: "The Atman
cannot die, therefore, kill the physical sheaths, the bodies." No. Sai
does not encourage wars. Sai directs you to recognise the Atman as
your closest kin, closer than the members of your family, your bloodrelations
and your dearest descendents. When this is done, you will
never more stray from the path of right, which alone can maintain that
kinship.
Familial attachment operates even against the performance of one's
legitimate duties. But, attachment to the Divine fills that duty with a new
dedication which ensures both joy and success. It activates man as
nothing else can: it confers on him during the process of doing his duty
the highest wisdom. Hence the advice: “Do not enter the objective
world in the hope of realising the Atman, enter the objective world after
becoming aware of the Atman, for then you see nature in a new light
and your very life becomes a long festival of love.”
There are many who use scholarship and intelligence, even Veda
scholarship, for dreary debate and competitive contests. They are enamoured
of petty triumphs. They declare that society is an arena for
winning such triumphs. But, Sai calls on you to seek and strengthen
another type of society, where there is no room for such trivial desires.
Disputative Veda scholars crave for the fruits of their endeavour and
efforts, through ritual. Nature does not crave so; the clouds bring rain,
as a homage to God who is their Lord. But, they attribute it to the efficacy
of their rites and use it to inflate their ego. They play about,
among the far-spreading branches of the tree of desire. They are entangled
in the coils of the three “ropes” - ignorance, egoism and good.
You have to go beyond the three ropes, the three bonds. You have to
be ever in the unchanging eternal truth. You must be established in the
one, as the one, with no trace or taste of two. Earning and boarding
should not interest you; you must not be caught in the pursuit of Divine
communion and well being; for, you are full already and have no
wants.
The ideal of a high standard of life, instead of a high level of living, has
played havoc with human society. A high level of living insists on morality,
humility, detachment, compassion; so the competitive greed for
luxury and conspicuous consumption receives no encouragement and
will be destroyed. Now, man is the slave of his desires; he finds himself
helpless to conquer the thirst for pleasure and luxury; he is too weak
to keep his nature under control; he does not know how to arouse the
Divine consciousness that is latent in him.
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Mere moral practices or instruction cannot help you to achieve this. It
can be done only by spiritual discipline. It is a basic transformation. It
involves the elimination of the and, which is the arch-obstacle in the
path. Grace of God, if invoked and won, can endow you with power.
And, grace is available within you, awaiting the call.
Man must give up reliance on the vagaries of the mind. He must act
ever in the consciousness of his innate Divinity. When that is done, his
three-fold nature, composed of natural modes or qualities will automatically
express itself through only holy channels. That is genuine manifestation.
Another point. The argument may be raised: "If one has to give up the
desire for comfort, luxury and pleasure, why should one be embroiled
in society?” This presupposes the belief that society is justified only by
the provision of such worldly joys. But, what kind of society can one
build on such a fragile foundation? It can be a society only in name, it
will not be bound by mutual love and cooperation. The strong will suppress
the weak. Social relations will be marred by discontent. Even
when attempts are made to divide the resources of Nature equally
among all, the cordiality will be only on the surface. It will not be spontaneous.
You can limit the resources available, but, you cannot limit
greed, desire and craving. Desire involves seeking beyond the limits
of possibility and has to be plucked out by the roots; man must give up
the desire for objective pleasure, based on the illusion that the world
is manifold, multi-coloured etc., and not on the truth that all creation is
one. When one is conscious only of the one, who desires which? What
can be acquired and enjoyed by the second person? The Divine vision
destroys the desire for objective joys, for, there is no object distinct
from the subject.
This is the true function of society - to enable every member to realise
this Atmic vision. The men and women bound by mutual interests in
society are not merely families, castes, classes, groups, or kinsmen,
kinswomen; they are one Atman, they are knit by the closest of family
ties; not only the one society to which they feel they are bound, but, all
mankind is one. (...)
Natural resources and wealth are now being misused for the boosting
of the ego. But, when Divine unity is realized, it will promote a new way
of life through love. What is now mercy or legally enforced mutual
“help” will then be transformed into “Divine love” that can effectively
purify the recipient and the giver. This consummation is beyond the region
of common politics, ethics or economics. They cannot transform
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the receiver and thrill the giver, however much they attempt to equalise.
They do not have the appeal and they have no power to sustain.
The equality they establish will be haunted by a shadow, the shadow
of the ego. This shadow can disappear only when identity as one is
known and felt.
It may be said that not all desires are wrong; the passionate ones
which harm and exploit others can be condemned; but should one renounce
the pure desires? Desire is desire, though the object may be
beneficial and pure. The fruit of effort, the mind that seeks it, the vitality
that activates the mind, life itself - every one of these has to be turned
towards the Lord, with devotion born out of the vision of the one.
Those who argue that the spiritual path is for the individual only, and
that society should not be involved in it are committing a great mistake.
It is like insisting that there should be light inside the house, and saying
that it does not matter, if there is darkness outside. Devotion towards
God goes ill with hatred towards fellow-men. Fellow-men and the world
must be seen ever in the mirror of being, awareness, absolute bliss.
Only kinship based on this recognition will last. That is Sai kinship.
When you deepen that kinship, the true presence, the constant presence
of Sathya Sai Baba will be yours. Do not be led away by your fancies
into the jungle of words and feelings. Be firm, true to your innermost
nature.
Good and evil are based on the reactions of individuals; they are not
inherent in things or events. Vedanta philosophy or atheism is accepted
or rejected, when one likes or dislikes it. They do not depend on logical
acceptance or rejection. Only experience can establish their validity.
Who can delineate Godhood as thus and thus. Those who do so
are indulging in a futile exercise. They have no authority for declaring
it. If they claim the right, they are but conceited people relying on their
limited intellects.
Divinity is fully immanent in every one, it is patent for the eyes that can
see clearly and deeply. Whoever denies this is only cheating himself
of his reality. He cannot dismiss it by denial, either from himself or others.
The conclusion, therefore, is inevitable, that it is the duty of man to see
in society the expression of Divinity, and to use all his skill and effort
to promote the welfare and prosperity of society. Men must cultivate:
1. This expansive feeling 2. This inclusive thinking and 3. This intuitive
vision. Without these three, man is but an inert being; if he derides
these three, he loses his right to be human.
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The spirit of renunciation, adherence to virtue, the eagerness to co-operate,
the sense of kinship - these are the characteristic signs of man.
Life which considers these as encumbrances cannot be valued as
“life”.
The brotherhood of man can be translated into life only on the basis of
the Divine vision. All men thirst for peace, happiness and bliss. They
are the precious heritage which is their right, for they are God's treasure.
They can be earned only by recognising the bond that knits man
to man. All men are of one lineage; they are of Divine lineage.
All men are cells in the one Divine organism, in the Divine body. That
should be your faith, your fortune, your forte, your fullness. Awareness
of this alone gives you the right to call yourself a man. Learn to live as
man. This is the spiritual discipline, this is the message of Sai. 1.3.74,
(23-50/55)
The task before mankind is to plant the seeds of truth, righteousness,
peace and love in the heart made ready for their reception, to foster
the saplings and watch over them with love and care until they grow
into trees yielding a rich harvest of sweet fruits, and to enable all to
share in that sustaining repast. Sages who had succeeded in this beneficial
culture have laid down the means and methods, the steps and
slips, the helps and hindrances, that men have to consider while engaged
in this task, and millions have benefited by their counsel. But
never before has this become an organized movement in which the
entire humanity was involved. Unless it becomes so, there can be no
liberation from fear, anxiety and injustice. 29.3.76, (24-43)
Today people all over the world are racked by fears of various sorts.
There is no peace anywhere. But people should not give way to despair.
They should face the situation with courage, without bothering
about the results. (25.12.95)
Today the world is afflicted with seven kinds of diseases. First: business
without morality. This is a major malady afflicting the world. Second:
Politics without principles. Third: Education without character.
Fourth: Sustenance without sacrifice. Fifth: A harvest without labour.
Sixth: Humanness without virtue. Seventh: devotion without faith.
What is the use of devotion without faith? What is the use of claiming
to be a man without human qualities? How can you expect a crop without
cultivation? What is the use of education without character?
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Three things are most essential today. One: There must be morality in
business. Politics with principle, education with character.
Today the above mentioned seven diseases are causing all the troubles
to the nation. Wherever you turn, there is disorder, misery and
fear. Everyone should resolve to rid the country of these seven grievous
ills.
How are these diseases to be got rid of? Love is the only means. Love
is God. Live in love. When love is developed, hatred will have no place.
Injustice will be out of bounds. People will not indulge in falsehood.
They will not resort to wicked ways. People will follow the right path.
Therefore, deem love as God. Buddha declared: Non-violence is the
foremost virtue. Sathya Sai Baba declares: Love alone is the form of
the Divine.
Love all. Love is God's only property. It does not belong to man. It is
not a purchasable commodity. It issues from the heart. It alone can be
said to be Divine. Divine love is different from human attachments. It
is timeless. It is omnipresent. Make it your sole ideal. It is inherent in
you. Manifest it in the proper way. (7.3.97)
Sai Avatar has incarnated in this Iron Age with the Divine mission of
making every individual realise his relationship with the community,
and ultimately with Divinity.
Transformation at individual level is absolutely essential. But, today
man is wasting his time in evil practices. He indulges in unholy activities
day in and day out. He demeans himself by his evil habits. He kills
animals and eats their flesh. Instead of purifying his mind, he debases
it by taking intoxicants. He defiles time, which is the very form of Divinity,
by gambling. He nurtures evil qualities by indulging in evil activities.
In addition to this, he involves himself in demeaning activities like
stealing and denigrating others. He reads vulgar books, which generate
evil thoughts and violent feelings in him. As he indulges more and
more in wicked activities, he pollutes and corrupts society also. When
individuals take to evil ways, the entire society degenerates. Teaching
and propagation of spirituality is essential for the purification of the individual
and society.
What is spirituality? That which destroys man's animal nature, nurtures
humanness and finally transforms him into a Divine being is spirituality.
Worshipping, singing devotional songs and performing rituals are acts
of secondary importance. They cannot be identified with true spirituality.
The word SAI spells out to the world the significance of transfor-
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mation at three levels. The letter “S” stands for transformation at spiritual
level, “A” for transformation at association (social) level and "I" for
transformation at individual level. Individual transformation is the basis
for the other two. Therefore, this is the first step. (28.4.99)
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Spiritual Laws - Natural Laws
Natural calamities like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, droughts and
floods are the result of disturbances in the balance of nature, caused
by reckless exploitation of natural resources. Mankind today, appears
like a foolish man who is wielding the axe at the branch of a tree on
which he is sitting. (13.2.97)
The countries of the world fall into two categories, countries where
people are devoted to activities with spiritual motivation and countries
where people pursue the pathways of the senses, with no higher purpose
to guide them. These categories emphasise the ideals of people
down the ages. In India, the people have discovered the proper goal
of all activity, namely the glorification of God, resident within and without.
Karma is inevitable; it is immanent in every thought. It is of two kinds:
material and spiritual, connected with this world and drawn from the
scriptural injunctions. Karma that merely sustains life is material. (...)
The word karma is short and crisp; it is used freely by all and sundry.
But, the idea and ideals it conveys are of great significance to mankind.
Karma is not simply physical; it is mental, verbal and manual.
Each one can read into it as much value and validity as his reason can
unravel.
Karma subsumes every activity of man - worldly, scriptural, and spiritual.
All three strands are, in truth, intertwined; worldly karma entails
merit or demerit; scriptural karma is saturated with the experience of
generations of good seekers; the spiritual devotees itself to the cleansing
of the heart so that the indwelling God may be reflected therein.
Karma is a stream that flows ever faster and faster turning the wheel
of life and keeping it incessantly active.
Karma means movement, or that which urges the movement. Air
moves in space; the moving air results in heat. It is the friction caused
by aerial motion that makes the latent heat manifest. Living beings are
able to maintain the temperature of the body, so long as air is breathed
in and out. The quicker the breath, the warmer the body. Warmth is the
characteristic of fire. Fire is the origin of water. The sun, as one can
see, raises clouds. The particles of water get mixed with other elements
and then harden into “earth” (ground soil). The earth produces
and fosters plants and trees, which feed and foster man and keep him
hale and hearty. These plants give the grain that man lives upon and
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the seminal fluid that produces progeny is the gift of the grain. Thus is
the karma of creation effected and continued. (...)
In short, karma is observable here as movement, as progress, as evolution
and as hereditary effect.
It is only natural and reasonable to expect that this vast flow, this constant
movement must have something fixed and unmoving as a base
and support. This is Atman. The very first vibratory movement on that
base happened when Brahma became Brahman and expressed the
three thirsts for wisdom, wish and will. That very movement was known
as the karma of being, transforming itself into becoming, the karma of
creation.
It is the importance of karma that necessitated the triple aspects of Divinity;
Brahma, who causes creation, Vishnu, who supports and sustains
and Shiva, who dissolves and destroys. It is the law of karma that
rules the motions of the stars, the planets, the galaxies and other heavenly
bodies in space. The same law directs and controls all that happens
in all the worlds. It is inscrutable in its very essence. No one can
penetrate into a time or space when karma was not. What, why, when
and how events do happen is beyond the capacity of man to predict
with accuracy. They are laid down from eternity to eternity.
Just as work being done or activity which is engaging one, can be referred
to as karma, no work and non activity, are also karma! On seeing
a person silent and calm, sitting quiet and doing nothing, we infer
that he is free from activity. How, then, can he be described as doing
karma? What is meant by saying: “He is not doing any work”, “He is
not engaged in any activity”? That statement only means that “he is engaged
in keeping himself away from any work or activity.” So, it can be
affirmed that men sometimes are busy doing work and sometimes
busy with keeping work away from their attention; that is to say, they
are engaged in activity as well as inactivity. If he is not or attached to
the karma he does and is engaged in it as his duty, as his way of worship,
and if he is not attached to the fruit of his action, then he can practice
inactivity even in activity. This is the highest spiritual discipline.
The very first act with which the career of a living being starts is
“breathing and vibration of vital airs”. When one thinks of it, it is wonderful
how it happens. It is an amazing mystery. No human being resolves,
at the moment of earthly life, to draw in and breathe out the air
that exists around him. It proceeds without being willed or wished for.
Not only man but every living organism is evidence of this great marvel.
Doubts may be raised: “How can anything happen to man without
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his knowledge or without his resolution?” It is best to answer this doubt
by confessing that man cannot unravel such secrets. Even if an attempt
is made to reply that “Nature is the cause”, the question still remains:
“What exactly is Nature?” Breathing begins when life begins; it
is an automatic, natural act. But, all this is only saying the same thing
in other words. It does not explain anything. It can as well be said that
we are ignorant how it happens just when it is most essential. It is indeed
surprising that the act of breathing is a mystery even to the person
who breathes.
When we reflect on the fact that yogis exercise their will and stop their
pulsebeats and their inhaling-exhaling process, we realise the power
of will in inducing karma. Karma we can infer, is not something hanging
loose in mid-air! Unless we become doers, deeds do not emanate. “As
one knows, so one wishes; as one wishes, so one acts”, it is said. The
Vedas proclaim the same truth: “That on which the wish rests is the
thing for which deeds are done”. “That for which deeds are done, is
what he becomes”.
The manifest nature of the individual is moulded by desire. He shapes
himself in line with his hopes; aspirations, attempts and achievements.
Even his own future life is designed by him through his decisions and
deeds. The force that his “reason” exerts on him and which directs his
will in specific directions is known as prakrithi, or “nature”. When once
it is discovered that one’s own level of intelligence is the prime factor
in determining one’s inclinations and desires, then, it is easy to follow
the means by which one can win release from the hold of “nature.”
Karma is generally known to mean “work”. Transactions and actions
of all kinds can be designated as “work”. There are no levels of work
like low or high. All work is holy, if it has to be done for the upkeep and
uplift of life. This is the reason why karma is praised as highly sacrosanct
and desirable, and as fraught with meritorious or deleterious
consequences.
The Hindus ascribe good fortune and bad, joy and sorrow, pleasure
and pain, to the inescapable fruit of karma and so, it has happened that
some have labelled as idlers those who do not resist and overwhelm
distress, disease and pain. This is a partial paralytic view, which ignores
the guiding principles and underlying philosophy of karma and
knows it only as reflected in worldly, material activities. This view is
adopted and emphasised to help particular sections to progress, that
is all.
Take some examples from within your own experience. The commuter
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working in an office, the farmer who lives on his own toil, the porter who
depends on his physical strength to gather the meagre means of livelihood,
the blacksmith, the potter, the carpenter, the washerman, the
barber - these are conscious of the activities which they have to follow
and the sense of duty with which they have to follow them. They know
that their lives cannot flow smooth, when each one does not fill his assignment
with dedication. Therefore, they engage themselves in their
profession as best as their intelligence, skills and aspirations allow.
But, where is the need to prompt such people into further activity, to
warn them and encourage them? We have to undertake this task only
when they are unable or unwilling to carry out their duties. (...)
Does “work” connote only acts by which food etc., are procured. Aircraft,
ships, factories, hospitals are products of work. They too can be
said to involve only worldly material “work”. This type of work is important
for living, and happy living here is a preparation for spiritual advancement
in the hereafter. The more faulty one’s activities in his
worldly pursuits, the less success will be for the individual, the society
and the nation. There can be no two opinions on these points. Nevertheless,
men do not exert as efficiently and as enthusiastically for spiritual
advancement, as they do for worldly success and fame. This is
indeed a pity. (22-131/132)
The relation between worldly and spiritual karmas has also to be examined.
(...)
The rulers of worldly states have perforce to lay down hard and fast
limitations and conditions, disciplines and duties in order to ensure
welfare, prosperity and progress. Imagine then how many more such
have to be imposed by the Lord who holds himself responsible for the
entire cosmos! For the smooth and safe working of the various facets
of nature, he has to prescribe flawless rules. Just contemplate how numerous
and universal they have to be! These affect every activity and
inactivity in nature. Each unit must have (and has) its own peculiar restrictions
and regulations. It is, more or less, itself, within the larger
frame-work. It has a separate head with limbs of government, co-ordinating
duties and responsibilities and co-operating with others.
The prayers of the afflicted for timely help or useful guidance are attended
to by the appropriate units only. Therefore, if through ignorance
or want of care, the pleading is addressed to the wrong head, what can
he do? He can only cast it aside, remarking that it does not concern
him since it has been wrongly addressed to him. So, prayers for spe-
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cific benefits and bounties have to be directed to the relevant departments.
The Divinity concerned with rain is Indra. So, prayers for rain
or about rain have to be direct to him, for, he alone is authorized to deal
with such. Similarly, Surya is the head of health and splendour. Ganapati
is the head of the department that deals with prevention of difficulties
that hamper good works. Bhudevi is the goddess in charge of
vegetation. Cultivated crops and medicinal plants are fostered by
Chandra. Thus, each group of Divine manifestations and expressions
has a lesser Divine authority empowered to supervise and manage it.
They are referred to as deities. There are deities supervising, guarding
and guiding each one of the senses of man.
It may be asked: “God is one. Why then can he not listen to and fulfil
our prayers himself?” This question is based on mistake; it is a sign of
weakened faith. Of course, there is only one God. But, in the governance
of the cosmos, there must needs be different fields of activity to
rule and regulate. These have subordinate deities. If you write a letter
to me and address it to another, it will reach only the addressee! It cannot
be presented before the person whom you desire to approach. So
too, you have to address the deity in charge, concerned with the fulfillment
or denial of the desire you have entertained. Then, that deity will
interest himself in your problem and initiate whatever steps he can to
solve it.
It is essential to inquire into the credentials one has before one formulates
the prayer. That inquiry will reveal whether one’s thoughts and
resolutions, hopes and desires arise from firm faith or not. How to test
and discover the truth? People take a piece of gold and draw with it a
line on a slice of stone; then they examine that streak and assess the
quality. The test which will reveal the quality of your faith is whether
you are practising sincerely the injunctions laid down by God. Your beliefs
and actions must be expressions of faith. They must have holiness
as their core. They must be so full of love and compassion that
they attract the grace of God.
Activity emanating from such sacred belief and faith is the goal of karma
segment of Veda scriptures. It is the tap-root of human progress;
it is the very breath of happy human existence; it is the food that can
alone allay the hunger of man; it is the life-sustaining water that can
cure his thirst. Activity or karma is as essentially bound with man as his
need to discover and realise his own reality. Therefore the first and
continuing duty of man is to engage himself in activities that are taught
in the Vedas, or approved therein.
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Three types of activity reach God and earn his grace. 1. Activity not
prompted by personal desire, 2. Activity emanating from unselfish love
and 3. Prayer arising from pure hearts. These are the items to which
the Lord pays heed; they reach God direct. The rest are the concern
of deities who preside over their disposal. Therefore, prayers have to
be unselfish, saturated with love, and free from the taint of “attachment
to the gift that the prayer would bring.” (5-141/144)
The individual’s food and standard of living are dependent on the merit
or demerit accumulated in previous lives while struggling for these two.
He uses his intelligence to overcome the obstacles and cultivate the
skills needed to succeed in this struggle. But, the really valuable guidelines
for human progress are beyond the understanding of man and
even the capacities of his intelligence. Nevertheless, the characteristics
of his conduct and behaviour, his attitudes and aptitudes are delineated
in the Vedas. Activity is as essential on Veda lines as it is for
humans on the worldly level. The learned should realise that activities
recommended in the scriptures promote the best interests of man here
and lead to peace and harmony in the hereafter.
In the art of beneficial activity, the goal of “service to mankind” occupies
the foremost place. Of course, the individual pursuing the goal is
also a beneficiary, since he is part of the living community which he
serves. He is the co-share in the magnificent adventure. Knowing this
and being aware of this truth when engaged in the service are themselves
the highest urges for service. (...)
But, the method of service is not being well thought out by many. The
call for service to mankind is heard and welcomed; but, how and where
that service is to be practiced is not reasoned out and decided. Each
one follows his own inclination and impulse. The most powerful impulse
is self-aggrandizement, which is camouflaged as service. In the
name of “service”, neither worldly prosperity nor spiritual advance is
furthered. More destruction than construction is achieved. Helping
one, co-operating with another, sympathising with others when they
suffer defeat, disease or distress - all these must cater, not merely for
the individual, but also for the harmony and happiness of the world.
The organization of the urge to serve and the directions into which
these were channelled had prevailed since ages as laid down by the
sages who were the forefathers. The forefathers believed that the very
observance of righteousness and justice by the individual contributed
to the welfare of the world and could be evaluated as “service”. (5-144/
146)
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The inescapable destiny of every living being is the attainment of fullness.
By no means can it be avoided or denied. Your present condition
of incompleteness is the consequence of your activities during previous
lives. This is to say, the thoughts, feelings, passions and acts of
past lives have caused the condition in which you are at present. So
too, your future condition is being built on the basis of your present
deeds and desires, thoughts and feelings. In other words, you yourselves
are the cause of your fortunes and misfortunes. This does not
mean that one should not seek and secure assistance from others for
promoting one’s good fortune and avoiding misfortune. In fact, such
assistance is essential for all, except a small minority. When one gets
this help, one’s consciousness is purified and sublimated, and one’s
spiritual progress is accelerated. In the end, one achieves perfection
and fullness. (...)
The system of education which teaches culture and helps the culture
to permeate and purify the learning that is gathered, is the best and
most fruitful.
As a result of the study of books, or in other words, as a result of secular
education, one’s intelligence may be sharpened and expanded.
One can even deliver wonderful discourses on spiritual subjects. But
one’s spiritual life cannot be taken to have advanced in proportion. The
teaching imparted to you by another person might not enter the heart
and transform your nature. This is the reason why learning without intensive
culture of the spirit proves barren.
The great one who has the Divine truth imprinted on the heart is alone
to be accepted as the guru. The individual who can welcome this truth
and is eager to know it, he alone is to be accepted as the pupil. The
seed must have the life principle latent in it. (7-26/27)
The result of all good work will only be good. Whatever work you have
done in the past, Brahma will put all that, the good and the bad together,
as a garland round your neck when you are born. You will be born
with this garland of good and bad round your neck and you have to suffer
all the consequences thereof.
In this world, for all the good and bad your own actions are responsible.
The cause for your birth is your own karma. Whether you do good or
bad, all that makes you take birth again and again and experience the
consequences of your own karma. Your duty, the Hindu spiritual law,
is one which has faith in the doctrines of karma, of rebirth, and of the
characteristics of an Avatar. Of all the faiths in the world, Hindu religion
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alone accepts all these three doctrines. In this context of believing that
karma is responsible for rebirth, you might wonder as to what karma
God should have performed to be born as a human being. Just as for
man's birth, his good and bad karma is responsible; so also for God to
take birth as a human being, there have to be good and bad circumstances.
There is an important distinction that is to be noted here. If
man has done good or bad, the consequences will apply only to him.
The aspect of Avatar is not exactly like that. The bad work done by bad
people and the good work done by good people are both causes for
an Avatar God coming in the human form. (...)
The Lord takes a human form for the karma done by others. He takes
such a form out of his own free will. (37-26/27)
Every human being is born in karma, he grows in karma and gets liberation
from karma. In fact to everyone, work is God and work is the
cause of his sorrow and of his pleasure. In this world, all sorrows are
caused by man's work alone. (37-84)
"From this world which is untrue, lead me to truth. From this darkness
of ignorance, Iead me to light. From death, lead me to immortality."
What does that mean here? Death here means moving to rebirth and
immortality means freedom from rebirth, What is the way to immortality?
Removal of mortality is the only way to immortality. (37-184)
The accumulation of the effects of your past karma are stored and out
of that store what you have selected for present consumption; if wisely
used and cooked, karma can be made sweet, palatable and healthgiving.
Moreover, God's grace can destroy the effects of past karma
or modify its rigour. Never doubt that.
If the law of karma is so unbreakable, then why recommend spiritual
discipline, good living and cultivation of virtue? Karma will melt like
mist before the sun if you win the grace of the Lord! The grace of the
Lord is needed for the dawn of wisdom also. 30.9.60, (15-200)
The law of karma is not an iron law; by dedication, by purification,
which invites benediction, its effects can be modified, and its rigour
mitigated. Do not despair; do not lose heart. When vices hold sway
over your heart it becomes foul and sooty. The flames of desire, anger
and greed char the heart. Grace is proved by the quenching of these
flames. Grace confers bliss, which desire, anger and greed can never
confer. 10.4.65, (18-399)
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If there is an iron law of karma which binds man hand and foot, why
do the sacred text extol the earnest efforts and penance of aspirants?
Those efforts and that penance can surely transmute the evil consequence
of karma, and save man from the fate that he has woven for
himself. (...)
There are countless instances in the earthly careers of all Avatars to
show that grace is greater than accumulated karma. 8.12.64, (19-13)
The prayer from the past: "From this transient world of decay, lead me
to the everlasting world of bliss; "Give me the effulgence of thy grace
and illumine my soul with truth; "Save me from the torture of birth and
death, destroy the cravings of the mind which produce the seeds of
birth”. (27-1)
No other human community has gone so deep into the problem of birth
and death, of thoughts, and the continuity of the consequences of
thoughts, words and deeds after death, as the Hindus. The solutions
they discovered and verified are so universal, so convincing and so
beneficial for individual and social uplift, that they have stood the test
of centuries of critical assessment by scholars and sages of all lands.
One commendable feature of this investigation is that reason has never
taken second place. At every step spiritual discipline is to be reinforced
by reason. Spiritual exercise is the regimen. The disease of ignorance
is cured by the “medicine” higher knowledge. (27-13)
It is only in the eternal moral code that the importance of karma in
shaping the destiny of man, is so strongly and so clearly laid down. The
individual undergoes many births in his progress towards birthlessness,
and the mighty grace of God's coming as man among men to
gather them around him in holy companionship to save them and the
world through them. If you doubt any of these great truths, you are certain
to suffer and grieve. Every one of you must be saved, sooner or
later, by the grace of the All-merciful. Make it sooner rather than later.
Keep the goal clear before the eye and march on. 17.10.67, (20-163)
Man alone has the chance to liberate himself from the wheel of birth
and death, through the most pleasant means, that of serving God. But,
as a result of ignorance or what is worse, perversity, he lets the opportunity
slip from his hands, and suffers grief and pain, fear and anxiety,
ad infinitum. 31.7.67, (20-79)
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Time ticks on relentlessly and man is born, lives and dies, rotating on
the wheel of karma and consequence, unaware of the means of escaping
from the oncoming destiny. Agony and anxiety have not softened
his heart; adventure and achievement have not made him humble.
He is proud of his advance on the path of hatred and haughtiness.
He revels in cruelty and sin. He displays on unholy satisfaction in immorality
and untruth. He has reduced himself to a level lower than that
of a beast. (...)
But those who know that grief is the interlude between two joys and joy
the interval between two griefs, will seek to attain the stage when they
will not be agitated either by the fierce or the friendly storm! That stage
of equanimity is the most desirable. It is what is called “nirvana”, liberation,
when the mind is in perfect equilibrium, unaffected by the blows
of fortune, good or bad. For, he knows that he has no right to judge,
what happens as good or bad, beneficial or otherwise. 22.11.69, (21-
182)
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The Duty of Mankind and Nations
As each individual is a unique entity, so, each nation too has a unique
individuality. Each person is different from others and is endowed with
special characteristics which are his own. So too, each nation has special
features not found in others. Each individual has to play a role as
part of the system; his own previous karma or activity has determined
a special line or path for him. The history of nations too is the same.
Each has to play a role already laid down by its destiny. Each nation
has to deliver a special message of its own to the world community.
(5-27)
This day the principles and practices laid down in Bharathiya culture
and the attitudes and feelings enshrined in it, are not lying low within
the boundaries of this subcontinent. Whether they like it or not, they
cross over to other lands and establish themselves there. The main
ideas, the essential outlooks, penetrate the literature of those peoples
and permeate their thought processes. In some lands, among some
peoples, they have won even dominant roles, with no opposition. For,
India is offers as its contribution to the peace and prosperity of the
World, an invaluable body of spiritual wisdom. This contribution is
more elevating than that from any other country. It is more necessary,
basic and precious; this fact is becoming clearer to all mankind. (5-28/
29)
There are two things which are important for man’s life. One is confidence
in one’s own self and the other is cleansing one’s own mind.
Man cannot live by himself in isolation. The entire world depends upon
the social structure and on the manner in which individuals are knit together
into a society. (35-45)
The prosperity of a nation does not descend from the sky nor does it
emerge of its own accord from the earth. It depends upon the conduct
of the people that constitute the nation. You should recognize that the
country does not mean just the lifeless soil around us. The country
consists of a conglomeration of people and it is what they make of it.
To rectify the world and put it on the proper path, you have to first rectify
yourselves and your conduct. If at on advanced age, you try and
control your desires and senses, you may or may not win God’s grace.
(35-138)
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The concept of the ideal human relationship evolves when it is inspired
by love and based upon truth. Truth and love form the foundation of
this kind of friendship. This connection is divinised with the sincere
mingling of the hearts. Friendship based on altruism adopts the motto:
love for all and malice towards none, keeping in view the well being of
others overlooking personal interests. Such an attitude makes life enjoyable
and also helps to set right the world. Such aptitudes makes
people voluntarily give more and receive less, whereas if egoism
creeps in you, then you like to receive more and give less. The difference
in attitudes of egoists and altruists spells out the contradiction between
the concept of ideal friendship and the actual manner in which
it is interpreted in every day life. (35-258)
The country is not made up of dust. It is a conglomeration of human
beings. It is the human beings that give it the name of a country. If there
were no human beings, it would not be a country. A country is very
much like a human body. The Divine strength of the country is the human
nature in the body. If there is no Divine strength in the human
body, what is the use of it? A body devoid of Divine strength is equivalent
to dust. Today, you see only the human form but human nature
and human qualities are extinct in this human form. The qualities which
are precious and which characterise the human being are morality, adherence
to truth and righteousness etc. and if these are missing then
human nature does not shine at all. You should promote human quality
and human nature. You should not cultivate simply the human form
and appearance. These two are like the negative and the positive. If
the unity and the oneness of these two aspects is not properly brought
about, then both of them are useless. Enshrine Divinity in your heart
and make it sacred. Then you can use the human form in a manner in
which you choose. (36-5/6)
In the world today there are several kinds of powers which you see;
worldly power, rnaterial power and the power connected with politics.
But of all types of powers, the most powerful one is political strength,
by ruling a country. In that context, one is apt to think that Divine or
spiritual strength are not good enough. Students, for us to think that
political power, is even stronger than Divine or spiritual strength are
not correct. You should have the attitude that all these worldly types
of powers are derived from Divine strength. Political powers can cause
changes only to one's body. But spiritual and Divine powers can trans-
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form and will have on effect on the mind. Without transformation of
mind, any change in the body is not sufficient. The change of mind today
is very necessary. (37-106/107)
It is true that today Westerners have made considerable progress in
science and are acquiring mastery over the material world. In spite of
all that, they are not able to give any reply to the challenges posed by
the sacred texts. Because you have such total belief in wordly experience
and things that are based on such experience, you are unable to
know yourselves. Every individual thinks that he has achieved some
great things and such achivements are used for the purpose of proclaiming
his own greatness and to enhance his own reputation. Truly,
without using your strength and your intelligence in the right direction,
you want to use them for the purpose of selfishly proclaiming your own
greatness. You should undertake to promote the total good, the good
of the community in a selfless manner with love and love. (37-113/114)
The cry of equality now being used as a slogan is a vain and meaningless
cry; for, how can men, inheriting a multiplicity of impulses,
skills, qualities, tendencies, attitudes, and even diseases from their ancestors
and from their past be all of the same stamp? And in spite of
all this advertisement for supposed equality, you find more misunderstandings
and factions now than at any previous period of history.
Those who promote inequality are those who most loudly proclaim this
modern doctrine of equality. 2.8.63, (17-32/33)
Those, who are trying to build the human community on a foundation
of wealth are building on sand; those are who seek to build it on the
rock of righteousness are the wise.
People talk loud and long from all kinds of platforms about right conduct,
Divine love, peace, compassion, truth etc.; this gets published in
the newspaper next day and there their purpose ends. The paper of
today is waste paper tomorrow! It is used for packing, thrown into the
dust-heap, and burnt as refuse. That is the story of all platform professions.
Put into practice a fraction of what you preach.
Just as the body is the house you live in, the world is the body of God.
An ant biting the little finger of your foot is able to draw your attention
to the spot, and you react to the pain, making an effort to remove the
tiny enemy. You must similarly feel the pain, misery or joy or elation,
wherever it is evinced in the entire land; you must make an effort to
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protect the land from the enemy, however remote may be the place
where the enemy has presented himself. Be kind with all your kin, expand
your sympathies, serve others who stand in need to the extent
of your skill and resources. Do not fritter away your talents in profitless
channels. 3.2.64, (17-159/160)
Some consider themselves great because they have vast territory,
some because they have finance, some because they have arms,
some because they have vast populations; but real wealth, real greatness
is virtue which earns the grace of God. 4.4.65, (18-387)
There is no one higher than a devotee whose mind is fixed in the truth.
He is more than an emperor. So far as I am concerned, I give consideration
to the devotee. Still, you may wonder why some are given special
seats and places here. You have heard the adage: "As the king,
so are the subjects." The rulers have to be brought here, so that they
may see and hear, and know about things that matter, get inspired by
the devotion to God that fills the air, so that through them it may be
shared by the country at large. The laws they pass, and the administrative
system that they operate are some of the means by which the
ideals of the nation can be worked in practice. They have been selected
by you for this purpose, with this end in view; they have your confidence
and they have won the approbation of thousands of people
and so they have to be treated with some consideration. Those thousands
look upon them with some respect, and so, treating them with
care is tantamount to treating those thousands with care. It is to give
Divine bliss to the devotees that I arrange this festival; I have no other
wish. Do not muddy the pellucid waters of your faith by the slightest
trace of doubt. 29.9.65, (19-68/69)
Truth and righteousness, are the two rails on which the locomotive of
the nation runs; when truth is given up, chaos prevails; when righteousness
is discarded, might becomes right. 14.11.65, (19-124)
India has always laid down disciplines to cultivate universal love; the
Vedas sacrifices and worship which are recommended in the Vedas
are for the welfare and security of all mankind. That is why India is as
the engine which drags the wagons along, all wagons that are coupled
with it. The wagons are the different nations. “May all the denizens of
all the worlds be happy", is the prayer that rises from the children of
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this land, since thousands of years. God is omnipresent; he is immanent
in every being in equal measure. So, man must visualise him
equally in himself and in others. That is to say, he sees only God in all.
So, how can he injure others or fear that he will come to harm through
others? This is the basis of the Indian ideal of non-violence. We have
such world-transforming truths embedded in the ancient texts, but having
them there or even inside the heads does not help; they have to
be put into practice, steadily and with faith. 14.11.65, (19-127)
Some people are envious of the high standard of living reached by the
rich nations, but the poverty of India is much more congenial to the
good life than the luxurious and vainglorious life of the West. The sea
has a vast expanse of water, but can it quench the thirst of man? Similarly,
however much a man may possess, if he has not cultivated detachment,
it is but arid waste. Detachment from sensual pleasures and
objective pursuits helps the growth of love towards God and the Godly.
9.3.67, (20-21/22)
India is the sovereign of all nations, so far as spiritual dominion is concerned;
and which dominion can be richer than that? She alone is capable
of scattering the clouds of doubt, anxiety and fear that darken
the minds of men and turn them to competitive adventures in the realm
of material gain and glory. These clouds have appeared over the Indian
sky also; people here too are admiring darkness and shunning daylight.
(...)
The Vedas of India were not collected or compiled by fools or knaves;
they were put together by people, who gave up the attractions of comfortable
life, as so many heroes of scientific discovery: they retired into
the forests, so that they could concentrate on the solution of the problems
that challenged them. In every statement in the Vedas, you get
the genuine ring of actual experience and personal thrill. 30.7.67, (20-
75)
The planners of this country's future are concentrating on the production
of food, drinking water and housing - but happiness cannot come
through these alone. When morality is laughed at, devotion to God is
dreaded as a disease, cleverness is placed at a premium, and the individual
is humiliated into an instrument to be manipulated and utilised
by the state or some other collective authority, how can happiness be
ensured? 13.10.67, (20-109)
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There are many countries on the very peak of material civilization and
are very proud about the heights which they have reached. But, have
they acquired mental peace? Have they got rid of fear or hate, greed
or pride?
Of course, there must be a certain degree of comfort for man, physical
and mental. But, gaining the things that give comfort should not be the
aim of living; once that path is selected, wants multiply and satisfaction
becomes elusive. The capacity to distinguish between right and wrong
will be dulled; egoism will become sharp and strong, thirst will increase
with each quaff, hunger will gnaw more and more with each morsel of
the food of material possessions. That is their real nature.
Ask yourself the basic question: “Is there something that can be called
happiness? Can it be attained by the accumulation of material things?”
No. Happiness can only obtained through the knowledge of the self,
through the supreme cosmic reality which is the source and spring of
Divine bliss. You delude yourselves when you argue that happiness
can be derived from things outside yourselves. 6.11.67, (20-125/126)
The only steadiness that man has in this dreadful darkness is the
name of God. That is the raft which will take him across this stormy
sea, darkened by hate and fear, churned by anxiety and terror.
People admire the phenomenal advance of science. But the advance
has been from fear to greater fear, from destruction to more destruction.
In prehistoric times, men killed each other using bows and arrows:
now they kill entire populations with the help of atom bombs; this is
praised as a achievement remarkable! The scientist cannot stop the
rise of greed and hate in the human heart; he can only forge the weapons
they require and improve upon their lethal efficiency. Mankind
lives in daily dread of extinction as a result of the discoveries of science;
any moment the storm of hate could rain bombs on their homes!
Science has deprived man of self-confidence. He is not sure even of
himself. He is afraid of himself, for at the slightest provocation, he is
transformed into a wild and vicious beast. (...)
Seekers from overseas are trekking towards this country attracted by
its ancient lessons, teaching the way to acquire inner calm and inner
light. They are apprehensive of the calamity towards which their countries
are heading. They have confirmed the validity of many practices
which you have been led to discard as superstitions. They have
opened your eyes to values which you had neglected, with on air of superiority
born of little acquaintance with science. They have found that
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mantras, sacred formula, have potency to transform nature, that Veda
recital can infuse harmony, that wrong pronunciation of mantras has
deleterious effects.
The name of God, with all its halo of glory and majesty, can cleanse
the mind of passion and emotion and make it placid and pure. When
the name is repeated without concentration and without reverence, it
cannot cleanse the mind. Vice and wickedness will remain. 26.2.68,
(20-175/177)
Body and country are inextricably intertwined. They are both an encasement,
for the spirit of man. Use society for your uplift; try to shape
society so that it will help the uplift of individuals and not turn them
away from God.
Everyone craves for security, peace, joy and happiness. But most believe
that these can be extracted from nature around, so they waste
years in eating, drinking, playing resting, earning and spending. Man
moves from cradle to grave, and again from cradle to grave, ad nausea,
drifting along, knowing neither the place from where he started,
his journey, nor the place to which his steps are leading him through
the ages. Man has won unique qualities of head and heart through a
series of effort-filled lives as members of inferior species; that victory
is now reduced to ashes, by this supine sloth. 7.7.68, (20-248/249)
The world is becoming more and more deeply immersed in irreverence
and cruelty. Codes of decent behaviour are being ignored and laughed
at. The material is receiving greater attention than the moral and spiritual.
Faith in the victory of truth, justice and goodness is fast disappearing:
the distinction between good and bad is seldom recognized.
18.8.68, (20-278)
So called Christians torture each other and slaughter innocent lives
with bestial glee! Religion is not responsible at all. The unrest is due
to want of religion, rather than the plethora of religions. It is blind fanaticism
that is to be condemned; not, religion. Love of country can
also be tainted by fanaticism; it has led man to use the atom bomb to
destroy innocent millions living in another country, hoping thereby to
secure the safety of the country one loves! The mind in which hatred
and egotism grow can never appreciate religion. Is religion the cause
of the calculated cruelty of the atom bomb? No. (...)
The pinnacle of Indian thought is non-dualism, the experience of the
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one, the negation of duality. Some countries proceed towards the ideal
of individual freedom; others aim at state sovereignty and the suppression
of the individual right to freedom. But, India has, from time immemorial,
sought to infuse in the individual the lesson that he can be free
only when he realises his identity with all - not the inhabitants of his
own state or those who use his own language, or those of his own colour
or creed, but all mankind and all beings alive and inert. Expansion
is the key to happiness, and love is the unfailing key to expansion. Man
is kin to all, that is the teaching of the eternal ancient religion. 10.9.69,
(21-97/98)
Man is proud that he is flying far into the sky and even landing on the
moon; but, he is incapable of living at peace with himself or his neighbours.
His life on earth is full of fear and anxiety; but, he proclaims without
shame that he is the summit of creation! He does not know how to
put down the fire that burns within himself; but he is able to destroy entire
cities by fire, emanating from bombs! 12.10.69, (21-108)
By peace, Western countries mean the interval between two wars,
when vigorous efforts are made to avenge the insult of defeat, and
consolidate the spoils of victory and prepare for the next round! That
is no peace! When man thinks good, and speaks good and does good
- peace will ensue; but, he now speaks good, though he thinks evil and
proposes to do evil! He ignores the principle of immortality that is his
core, the principle of love that is the lifeblood of the human community;
he denies himself the boon of peace and rushes towards destruction.
Destroying others, he destroys himself.
It is only in the contemplation of the beauty, majesty and omnipresence
of God that one can be at peace. 14.10.69, (21-120)
A group of scholars who came recently, asked me: "Swami! You talk
of flames of anxiety and fear; but, surely, you appreciate the great step
forward that man has taken by landing on the moon!" I told them: “It
was wrong to spend billions of dollars and roubles on such enterprises.”
They argued that though there may not be any immediate profit
from all that capital lost its potentialities for good are very great. I said:
“It is a question of priorities; first things first. When so many nations
upon the earth are undernourished, undereducated, underhoused, it is
sheer absence of discrimination to spend time, skill and money for this
spectacular competitive adventure. Later, when the earth has been
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made the home of a happy family of peoples, such enterprises can be
planned."
The earth is the natural habitat of man. Why should he venture out of
the range of the elements of which his body is composed and go places
where he has to take water, air and other essential requisites with him?
When he goes to the moon, he does not leave anxiety, fear and falsehood
behind. The moon that man has to voyage into is the mind, not
this dead satellite, with no capacity to illumine itself. 6.3.70, (22-8/9)
Those who plan for the nation today are planning only roads, factories
and farms; they ignore the paths of the spirit, the fields where love and
humility, service and sacrifice can be cultivated. They lay emphasis on
such developments as can be measured, seen, and put into impressive
statistical tables, not the intangible motives that urge man to live
in peace and brotherliness.
Man is now able to soar into outer space and reach up to the moon;
earth and sky are his playgrounds. But, though he is intelligent enough
to sail through space and under the sea and shoot bombs across continents,
he is not moral enough to live at peace with his neighbour! A
few handfuls will satisfy his hunger; a short length of cloth will cover
his nakedness; a few square feet of shelter are enough to shield him
against sun and rain. But, for these, he slaughters his brethren and his
sisters, he steals, he plots, he revels in lies, breaks the law, and destroys
peace in his own heart and society. Schools, colleges and educational
institutes multiply, but the educated are a danger to themselves
and to the country. Hospitals and medical research, drugs and
ameliorative measures increase, but, the percentage of insanity and
illness also increases. Everywhere there is the dark cloud of anxiety,
fear, discontent and agony, disturbing the rich as well as the poor nations
of the world.
The foundation for real peace is, according to the Vedas, the quality
of amicability, friendship, compassion, kindness. It can also be taken
to mean: Word, deed and thought shall be in accordance; that is to say,
you shall speak, think and act in harmony, without friction or faction, in
the atmosphere of love and understanding, that is what is wanted in
the world today. (...)
The love between father and son, husband and wife, friend and friend
is now artificial, not heartificial! The son sues the father in the courts,
the attachment between husband and wife does not last long, friends
fight when selfish interests prevail, man cannot trust brother man, fear
and suspicion haunt relationships between man and man. (...)
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The love that God bears to you or that you bear to God is not so transient
or egoistic. God will never give you up, nor should you ever give
up your hold on God. 10.10.70, (21-328/330)
When an atomic bomb is exploded thousands of miles away in some
far-off country by America or Russia the fall-out travels all over the
world and contaminates the atmosphere, poisons vegetation and distorts
life. The vibrations of hatred and greed, of pride and envy that result
from the shouts and discontent of animosity also pollute the air
equally seriously.
Man exhibits great mental and physical courage on the battle-fields
and during adventures on land, sea and air. Historically he has
evinced, vast resources of courage inside himself, to meet all varieties
of obstacles. But the courage to give up entanglement with the material
world is a great achievement. 22.11.70, (21-389/390)
All are eager to take, none is earnest about giving. The reason is absence
of love, love that transcends caste, creed, colour, and fences
erected by man between man. Fill the heart with love, and distribute
that love to all. Love grows with every gift of love; the heart that pours
out love is ever full. God is there as love and you are only drawing on
him, when you are sharing love with others. (...)
There must be wholehearted co-operation and faith. Doctor members
must visit the slum areas once a week; they must be at the consulting
centre, at the same time, every week. Be punctual and regular, sweet
and courteous. If you talk with a smile, the tablet will act more efficiently.
Lawyers can help them, by drafting documents according to rules;
now, most of litigation is due to faulty drafting. They can also point out
to the villages and the poor how the various Governmental agencies
are prepared to help them; they can instruct them about the methods
of securing that help. Ignorance of the assistance offered is leading
many grants to lapse, and many a good intention to evaporate into
nothing. (...)
Do not feel that I am a stranger, doling out advice. All are mine, those
who serve and those who accept service. I belong to all. Like flowers
of many species and colours and fragrances, you have come together
to make up a garland, for the adoration of God. Fulfil that great mission.
That is my blessing to you today. 18.1.71, (21-460/462)
Not only India, but the whole world is today in the throes of anxiety and
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fear. But, I assure you that very soon the dark clouds shall be scattered
and you will witness a happy era all over the world. Right will be restored
and evil put down. Your duty is to yearn for the attainment of the
consciousness of the one, behind all this apparent multiplicity. Be centres
of love, compassion, service, mutual tolerance, and be happy,
very very happy. That is the blessing I shower on you, this Guru Purnima
day. 8.7.71, (21-537/538)
People tell me that mankind is on the brink of destruction, that the forces
of hypocrisy and hate are prevailing in all the continents, and that
anxiety and fear are stalking the streets of every city and village of the
world; there is no need to tell me this, for, I have come precisely for this
reason. When the world is on the verge of chaos, the Avatar comes to
still the storm raging in the hearts of men.
Prasanthi, (the higher peace, the calming of perturbations) will be established
soon; the demonic deviations from the straight Divine path
will be corrected. Righteousness will be revived, and re-vitalized, in
every human community. 13.8.71, (22-66/67)
Yoga is the name for the system of control. Now, yoga, is neglected;
job is being sought after. Job without yoga will be a handicap, a hindrance.
This is the reason why an insidious disease is now spreading faststrikes!
Strikes everywhere for everything by everybody - from the
cooks in the kitchen to the custodians of law and order! The interests
of the owner and the workers, the employer and the employees are intertwined;
one cannot thrive without the other; they have to be of each
other. Problems and tangles are bound to arise; both parties have the
right and duty to solve them by mutual consultations and adjustments.
The owner is the heart of the organization; those who work in it, in the
various fields of activity necessary to carry out its objectives are the
limbs. The heart has to keep the limbs active; the limbs have to sustain
the heart. Only these two are kin; only they are involved in the endeavour;
the co-ordination is between these two, no third part can set the
problems aright. It is best to solve problems mutually, in love and with
understanding. The welfare of both, should not be hampered by ignorance
or emotion. (...)
Love is the spring wheel of a factory, one has to work along with hundreds
of others, with different temperaments, so one has to learn forbearance
and equanimity. One has to create an atmosphere of tran-
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quility around oneself. No one should be looked upon with envy,
malice or hatred. Tranquility can be promoted, if each one does his duty,
faithfully and efficiently; that is the highest spiritual discipline also.
Duty is God; work is worship. When you do your duty to the best of your
ability and skill, and to the best advantage of the organization of which
you are a limb, you have worshipped God and he will certainly be
pleased. Your life is amidst machines; when you convert your work into
worship, the atmosphere will be one of mantras a formulae of praise
of God. (...)
Peace and prosperity cannot drop down from the sky; they have to be
striven for and acquired by sincere effort, dedicated to God, with intense
and pure devotion; they have to be won by the cultivation of love,
humility and reverence. Let the ideal; brotherhood of man and fatherhood
of God: guide you and lead you from success to success. 2.1.72,
(22-96/98)
India has a great responsibility. She has to preserve the purity of the
culture she has inherited. This is a duty she owes to the world. That
culture enshrines the highest human values and the most valid of keys
to the understanding of human destiny. She must also spread these
teachings among all mankind, in order that the cause of truth and universal
harmony and peace be promoted. (...)
India is a beautiful garden, where multicoloured beds of flowers add
charm and fragrance to life. Every citizen of India has the privilege and
pleasure of guarding and tending this lovely garden of truth, righteousness,
peace and love.
How did this country become the source of this great message of
truth? A long line of heroes and martyrs struggled to set the example
and elevate the ideal; they suffered untold misery and often had to sacrifice
all, including their lives, in their struggle. But, they won in the end
and it is that heritage and memory that you have to cherish and foster.
(...)
Truth and right conduct are the most effective armour for us. While other
countries rely on atom bombs and hydrogen bombs. (...)
India's strength lies in her adherence to right conduct. All other countries
can earn victory only when they surrender ultimately to the force
of righteousness. If you safeguard righteousness, righteousness in its
turn will safeguard you, right conduct is the life-blood of love. Where
there is love, there will be peace. Where there is peace, there will be
Divinity. And, where there is Divinity, there will be bliss.
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These are eternal truths; but, Indians themselves are losing faith in
them and they have started ridiculing them and refusing to practice
them. Such persons are insulting their own mother; mother and mother-country
have to be revered equally, according to the scriptures. You
honour the mother by obeying her and fulfilling her wishes, you honour
mother-country by paying heed to the age-long traditions and ideals
that have stood the test of time. No one honours a renegade. He condemns
himself by denying his country. 29.3.72, (22-103/105)
The world is one vast society. Every individual in it is part of this society,
bound to it by the love that draws man to man, to be kith and kin.
This love is deep in the heart of man, unrecognized, ignored, doubted,
denied, argued away. It is the secret source of all sympathy and service;
it creates the urge to live in and for society. It is the universal love,
that flows from one spark of the Divine to all sparks. When the eyes
shine illumined by the highest wisdom, they see all as the one. 4.2.73,
(22-181)
The whole world is one single tree; the different countries are its
branches; its root is God, human beings are the flowers. Happiness is
the fruit and the bliss of self-realization is the sweet juice therein.
How then can any one justify his anger against another man, or be jealous
on account of another? All are fed by the same sap; all share the
same sun; all are Divine. Divinity is not something separate and isolated,
which has to be earned by toil. It is inherent in every man, women
and child. 22.3.73, (22-203)
Many leaders at the present time have compassion, but, possess no
intelligence. They do not know how to solve the distress that they see
and sympathise with. They talk of the need to establish peace at home
and prosperity abroad; but, their acts betray their ignorance of the
means by which they could succeed. How can they succeed, if they
promote hatred and dishonesty? 24.3.73, (22-207)
The world today is like a school with no teacher, a temple with no idol,
a garden with no plants, a wire with no current. Of course people all
over the world strive to acquire power by accumulating wealth, authority
or knowledge, but unfortunately, along with these, the insidious evil
of egoism is also being accumulated. So man is fast becoming the enemy
of mankind, he is fast losing humanity itself. He becomes less and
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less a man and more and more a demon. Spiritual science alone can
cure him and save the world. But man prefers the short cut, the more
comfortable and attractive material path, and he suffers in despair,
fear and hatred. Egoism is the root and crown of all evil thoughts and
tendencies. Humility towards all else and reverence to those whom
you serve - these alone can elevate man to man hood. (...)
Our country, or any other country for that matter, can be saved today
not by political manipulations or military alliances, but only through the
development of the consciousness in each one, of his inherent Divinity.
Instead of trying to “investigate” the whole universe, man should try
to probe into his own inner world and, removing the junk therein,
should set at rest the evil urges that raise their heads within. World
peace and prosperity can be accomplished only by such explorers and
pioneers. Education and the intellect are not so essential for this adventure.
(...)
Jesus Christ lived for five years in the Himalaya region of India. He settled
in Kashmir and met many exponents and practitioners of non-dualism,
which declares that there is only one God. He realized the oneness
beneath all diversity, and then he spread the truth that “I and my
father are one”.
Today sons and daughters of India, where the lesson of oneness was
first taught, go to Western countries and propagate “the many”; Westerners
come to India from cultures hailing diversity, to learn and propagate
“the one”. It is a complete turn-around! You have to accept the
value and practice the teachings of the great men whom you revere.
1.1.78, (24-138/142)
Cities have today become like turbulent seas, whose residents move
in tossing boats surrounded by darkness. For these desperate people
the shining spiritual ideal, is the only guide to safety. The countryside
is fast getting tainted by city culture and distress is spreading everywhere.
This is the spirit of the times. Entangled in this spirit, man accumulates
all types of desires in his mind which, when not fulfilled,
make him desperate and end his life in unspeakable distress. Man forgets
that his innermost desire, which he should cherish, is the desire
for good and for God. All other desires are base and meaningless. Man
has been endowed with the power of discrimination between the essentially
good and the superficially pleasant, but he does not cultivate
that faculty and benefit from it. 25.1.79, (24-234)
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Your lives are spent largely in the social milieu. Your birth, your residence,
your demise are all bound to social conditions. Without the human
community, man cannot survive at all. This is the truth; this is the
special good fortune of man. (...)
Nowadays, even those who break the law and behave in evil ways
quote the law and claim its protection when their interests are affected.
This is indeed a tragic situation.
Sai has been witnessing this trend advancing in all lands. It is to end
this evil that Sai is establishing these colleges. Here, youth must learn
the art of renunciation; they must acquire character, these are the two
eyes which can guide him safely through life. 18.7.81, (25-125+127)
Every country, wherever it may be and whatever its stage of progress,
must have three requisites: material resources, protective power and
a proper educational system (producers, security personnel and
teachers). The peace and prosperity of the world depend on the work
of these three classes of people. They form the legs of a tripod. Even
if one leg is weak, the other two cannot sustain. When production is
plentiful, it has to be guarded against loot and plunder. When soldiers
and security men become powerful, they turn into a menace to the
country while production declines. When production and protection
are adequate, if the educational system takes a wrong track, the country
is weakened. The development of material resources and the defence
of the country ultimately depend on the kind of education that is
imparted.
But a tripod is not only “three legs”! How can one sit on three legs?
There should be a plank, resting on them - the plank of love, that is to
say, love of the country. "Country" does not mean a specific area on
the map, the soil. It means the human community inhabiting the territory.
And “love” means the sense of inter-relationship and involvement
of the individual with that community.
This degree of love is absent now in many highly educated, highly
placed persons. As a result, the process of education too is suffering
from misuse, and crores of rupees, set aside for it, go to waste. And
since education affects the other two sections too, even the money
spent on the producers and protectors does not yield full fruit.
Education is being confused with the acquisition of verbal scholarship.
This is wrong. Education has to open the doors of the mind. Many describe
science today as a powerful acquisition, but, science holds before
mankind a great opportunity, that is all. It cannot be as great a
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power as it is imagined to be. If it is devoid of character, it brings disaster.
It can then cause evil and wickedness. Intelligence can be found
to be very high among clever thieves. So, too, scientific knowledge can
be misused for destructive purposes. 29.8.81, (25-131/132)
If Westerners renounce everything in their single-minded devotion to
the discovery of the laws that govern the objective world, here in India
men renounced everything for the discovery and experience of the Absolute,
which is the prime cause of the universe and which, if known,
confers unshakable peace.
Westerners renounce for the evanescent; here, the renunciation is for
the Eternal. Ours is for wisdom: theirs is for ignorance. Ours is knowing;
theirs is blindness. That is why even today, the splendour of the
Rishis, sages and yogis shines through the corridor of centuries on the
faces of men; if sometimes the shadows of despair, despondency and
discontent flit across those faces in this land, it is a forewarning of the
decline of faith in righteousness itself. (8-75)
Today we witness humanity racked by innumerable troubles and worries.
No administration or authority can solve these problems. God
alone can save mankind. Men have to develop faith in the Self, to acquire
the grace of the Divine. Humanity is in need of God's grace. To
receive this everyone has to fill his heart with love, render service to
his fellowmen and redeem his life. (14.4.96)
Hence, you should not regard countries as different and languages as
barriers. The underlying unity has to be understood. Different people
use different words to describe the same thing, for example, water.
Whatever be the words used, the substance is the same.
It is essential to see the unity that underlies the apparent diversity.
When more and more people recognise this unity most of the world's
problems will be solved. All social conflicts will end when people learn
to see the one Divinity in all beings. (...)
Religion should help one to realise one's reality. But people have narrow
compartmentalized feelings as Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, etc.
Love makes no difference. It is the basis of all human values and you
should practice it with full vigour to justify your real humanity. (...)
Many people invite me to visit other countries. I do not like to go abroad
before setting this country right and transforming its citizens. Many
people go abroad begging for money. Many also resort to begging in
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the name of Sai. Sai has absolutely no selfish motive. You must serve
your mother country first. Sai wants nothing from you.
You must become true embodiments of love and serve to remove fear.
Be good and get happiness. Do good and you will be good. Through
sacred action, make life sacred with the principles of truth and right
conduct as your guide posts. (12.3.99)
One person from the audience asked me: "Swami, America and Russia
are manufacturing more and more weapons. But, India is lagging
far behind in this respect. Should not India too manufacture weapons?"
I told him: "Dear one, what India needs today is not arms and
ammunition. It needs to uphold righteousness. If you protect righteousness,
righteousness will protect you in return. You should not waste
money in manufacturing weapons!” Some countries are spending
huge amounts of money on defence and as a result the people of those
countries are suffering for want of food. Only Divine love and grace
and not weapons can protect a nation. (28.7.99)
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Human Values
Truth
Righteousness
Peace
Love
Non-violence
Truth
Truth is not something modified by time or space or constituents of nature.
It is the same for ever, unaffected and unchanged. It should not
be proved false by some subsequent event or knowledge. 6.12.63,
(17-89)
The eternal Divine is not the object of knowledge; it is the very source
and spring of knowledge. Self-realization is that which shows the way
to the ripening, the fruition, the freedom, the immortality, the eternal
happiness, and eternal peace. He who is carried away by the vagaries
of the senses cannot attain the spiritual reality. God is One, unchanging,
in this changing world. The eternal Divine is not tarnished by external
transformation or changes, or modifications. Glory of the body
is not Divine nature; the eternal Divinity is impossible to define. It is neither
this nor that. It can be said to be only itself, the eternal Divinity,
God Himself has become truth, love, light, peace, self-relation and
bliss. Through any of these paths, you can attain God; have no doubt
about that. It is the truth.
Divine nature is not these five senses, nor discrimination, nor the
breath nor the life-force; it can only be described as what it is not, not
by what it is. No one can say it is thus etc. If any one says it is thus and
thus or it is this or it is that, we can take it that he does not anything
about it. About something unknown, much can be said; anything, any
name can be ascribed to it. In short, the eternal Divine cannot be communicated
by words; it is impossible to describe it whoever may try. (3-
4/5)
The supreme cosmic reality, the soul is the form of the Lord, it is the
power of the Lord. Man alone has the capacity, the credentials for the
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ealization of that power, for earning that power. It is indeed tragic that,
even after achieving human birth, people do not realize that eternal reality,
nor even make an attempt to understand it. If this chance is
missed, when can they attempt it?
Why, don’t they concern themselves with the very purpose for which
they have come! Did they come only for living like all other animals or
birds or insects - eating, wandering about, sleeping and seeking pleasure?
If the answer is: “No”, then, for what else? Can we say that man
is just another animal, like the rest? He has three things that they have
not, the power to reason, the power to renounce, and the power to decide
on right and wrong. These are special powers in man; but, of what
use are they, unless applied in actual practice? If they are used, then
the name “man” is apt, otherwise the name “animal” has to be used.
(...)
The three powers mentioned above should be applied not only in worldly
matters by man, but, also in the investigation of the ultimate truth. If
discrimination and renunciation and inquiry are carried out while passing
through the joys and sorrows of life, the conviction is bound to dawn
sooner or later that all this is unreal, that all this has no basis in truth.
When such knowledge dawns, man is certain to tread the path of religion
and spiritual wisdom and take up the inquiry that will lead him to
the truth. This is the task which man must be engaged in.
Well! If only every one asks the questions: "Who are we? Whence did
we come? Where have we come to? How long will we be here?", the
truth can be easily grasped. That questioning is the sign of discrimination.
When by means of this discrimination, the idea that the world is
impermanent gets deeply rooted in the mind, all attachments cease
automatically. That is the stage of renunciation. Is it worthwhile to be
caught up in this unreal world? One asks: “Is this false, misleading?”
He then turns his efforts to the realm of the Lord, that is the right decision.
It is through discrimination and renunciation that man understands
who he really is. Without them, it is impossible to know. The Lord has
blessed only man with these two gifts. He has endowed him so that he
might use them for that purpose. Hence man is truly fortunate. But,
alas, man has forgotten the task for which he has come, ignored the
question from whence he came, closed his eyes to where he is, diverted
his intelligence towards amusement and creature comfort, and
wasted all his powers. What a tragedy! If in this most propitious human
birth the Godhead is not sought after, when else can it be found? (...)
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If one's real nature is first understood, the rest can all be easily
grasped. One will thereafter know where one is, whence one is going,
how long one exists etc.
These four issues are interdepend, one on the other. If one is solved,
all the rest can be known; but, not one of these can be ignored. (...)
Who are you? The supreme cosmic reality, the soul, the higher self.
From are did you come? From the supreme cosmic reality. Where are
you going? To the supreme cosmic reality itself. How long can you be
here? Until you merge with the supreme cosmic reality. Where are
you, now? In the unreal, the ever-changing. In what form? As non-self.
What are you engaged in? In evanescent tasks. Therefore, what
should you do? Give up these three and try the other three - to enter
the Eternal, to engage in never-changing tasks, and to enjoy the bliss
of the supreme cosmic reality. This must be the chief effort of the individual
soul, its perpetual aim, the greatest adventure in this world. All
other tasks are humdrum and silly; they glitter a moment and vanish.
You will realize this truth only if you turn your back on them and watch,
wisely. (3-44/48)
There are many who say that the absence of wish and will is best. This
is not so good as having one wish, more than all others; or, rather “one
wish” and one alone, to the exclusion of all else. Even more superior
is the person who has steadiness of effort, in realising that one wish.
For he can promote not only his own good, but even the world's good.
Let your wish and will and effort be directed to your own good; do not
divert them to worldly pleasures, for that will cause harm and destroy
peace. (3-53)
God is a shoreless bottomless ocean. That ocean is the basis for the
ever-shifting waves, the evidence and result of its power. The waves
emerge from the sea, leaps forth from it, falls back into it and dissolve
into it. Though the power of the sea is thus manifested in ups and
downs, rise and fall, the sea is steady and fixed. But, the world is concerned
more with the temporary and the shifting, and thinks that the
waves are very important. So also, the devotee is more concerned with
attainments that are evanescent and changing and not with the unchanging
experience of the principle behind, the Absolute, the impersonal
God. (3-54)
You are not the thing connoted by the word, "I". You are the one, with-
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out a second. The body is subject to change, it is evanescent, liable to
decline. How can it be the supreme cosmic reality? No. The supreme
cosmic reality is one and only. It cannot co-exist with another entity. It
is only when every devotee, every man, is aware of this that equality,
equanimity and exhilaration can be established on earth. (3-61/62)
So, never mistake the "seen", to be permanent or true! You cannot exult
in anything else except the ocean of bliss, of the indivisible undivided
God. You can get real and full contentment only in the significant,
sweet meaningful experience of the Absolute itself; only that can give
solace from this cycle of birth and death. These unreal things can never
afford contentment; the present is without existence and significance.
Nothing other than the supreme cosmic reality can ever, at any
time, in any manner confer any benefit, or bring about any peace. It
cannot put on end to sorrow and shower bliss. (3-65)
Man alone, of all creation, has the qualification to achieve this supreme
joy. What a tragedy that he should neglect his birthright and wander
about seeking petty pleasures empty tinsel! (3-66/67)
Therefore, listen, all devotees! You, whose real nature is Atman! Seek
to discover your true self, your genuine reality; attain the knowledge
that you are the supreme cosmic reality itself; exult in the supreme cosmic
reality alone; taste the undiluted incomparable unlimited bliss of
the awareness of the real self. (3-67)
If there is anything sweeter than all things sweet, more auspicious than
all auspicious things, holier than all holy objects, verily, it is the name
of the Lord - or the Lord himself. Give up the company of the worldly
minded, the association with those infected by demonic qualities.
Keep away from every type of wrong doing. Seek always the company
of the wise, the good. (3-72)
Of what use is it to pursue the fleeting pleasures of the senses? Worship
the God who lives in the cavity of your heart, nearer to you than
your dearest friend, your father, mother or guru, who is all these and
more to you. The physical body for whose sake you crave all this comfort
and luxury is subject to damage and decay, one day, it becomes
food for jackals. God, on the other hand, gives joy and the thrill of holy
love. Surrender your heart to him; he desires naught else from you. He
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can be won by no other means, neither by unlimited scholarship, nor
by pompous vows and colourful ritual. (3-72/73)
Therefore, practice at all times and under all conditions the remembrance,
with love and devotion, of the name of the Lord. That name is
a thunderbolt which will pulverize mountains of sin. It is the unfailing
cure for the dread disease of sheer worldliness. Surely that name will
endow you with peace!
The name of God is as the effulgence of the rising sun, which scatters
the darkness of delusion; it is as luminous, as universal, as sacred. (3-
73/74)
Worldly man is infected with love towards material objects only; but,
the same love when it assumes the form of devotion or love of God
leads one on to the realization of Godhead itself. The word “relationship”
indicates the attraction of worldly objects as well as the longing
for the joy of God-realization.
The consequences of action are diminished by undergoing them and
then, you are born again. But the fruits of devotion to God are never
diminished at all. They last for ever. Liberation lasts; it does not end.
Verily, devotion is the real technique for human liberation. That is the
spiritual discipline par excellence. Every other technique is built upon
that. (3-75)
More than the adherent of the path of action, wisdom or yoga, the follower
of the path of devotion is declared fortunate and superior. (3-76)
Truth is God. An ethical life is the foundation for attaining this stage, a
life based upon discrimination between truth and falsehood. Just as
the pearl is retained while the shell is discarded, the essence, which
is truth, must be accepted and the non-essential rejected. Individual
exertion and Divine grace should both be existent. One should also
constantly practice the great lesson that the body and the higher self
are separate. This is a highly beneficial exercise. Such discrimination
is necessary for all aspects of life secular as well as spiritual. It is indispensable
for realizing the truth, the truth that persists in creation,
existence and destruction - the truth which is God himself. (4-12/13)
The nature and condition of the spiritual path are known only to those
who have journeyed along the road. They know that the path of truth
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and discrimination leads to God. Those who have not trodden that and
those who are not aware of its existence cannot explain it to themselves
or to others.
God alone is real. God is truth, God is love. Meditate on him as truth,
as love. It is possible to realize him, in whatever form you meditate upon.
Be always in the company of his devotees. Through this discrimination
and detachment will develop. These will strengthen the spirit
and endow you with inner peace. Your mind will then merge in God.
In everything that you do, use all the strength and talent with which you
are endowed, speaking and acting truthfully. At first, you might fail in
this and you might encounter difficulties and sufferings. But, ultimately,
you are bound to succeed and achieve victory and bliss. (4-14)
The eternal ancient religion is the mother of all religions, all ethical
codes and all right conduct of this world; and India is the home where
the mother was born.
On account of this it can be declared without doubt that the improvement
attained by the Indians has not been acquired by the people of
any other country. The eternal ancient religion, which teaches the truth
of all religions and tolerance of all religions, is the right conduct for all
mankind. Born in various areas, flowing through various paths, the rivers
at last reach the ocean; so too, born in different lands, practising
different ways of righteousness, people reach the ocean of the presence
of the Lord, through different modes of worship. The eternal ancient
religion is the central point at which all these various paths converge.
Followers of different religions can practice this Divine
discipline, being truthful in speech, avoiding jealousy and anger, and
acting with a loving heart. (...)
The Hindu religion is the only religion that has achieved and maintained
the foremost position among all religions from earliest times.
The only people who have survived without being destroyed, throughout
the ages, are the Hindus. In this religion, more than any other, people
have practiced lives of love, equality and gratitude. The Hindus
have learned their code of conduct through the discovery of philosophic
principles and the Vedas. They have drunk deep the eternal essence
of the Vedas. A land so holy is a spiritual mine to the rest of the
world. Just as the bowels of the earth reveal in mines of different metals,
India has found the mine of right conduct, the essence of the principles
of the sacred texts of the Vedas. Along with the emergence of
the mine of righteousness, leaders, thinkers, commentators, apostles
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and teachers have been originating in this land. From India arose seers,
selfless yogis, wise men, realized souls, and Divine personages
connected with this religion. It is through these persons that spiritual
wisdom, reinforced by experience, flowed throughout the country. In
this way right conduct progressed throughout the world. But, to whatever
land it spread, the “original home” is India itself. (4-34/35)
Nothing can be done without that base. The eternal spring of religion
arose in India and people of other countries benefited from its waters
through great personages and the books they wrote. The base of the
original home cannot be ignored. But it is a matter of some concern to
see today, in India, the birthplace of holy persons who nursed and fostered
this sacred right conduct, new modes being accepted as right
conduct. The eternal ancient religion itself is kept aside for people of
other countries, people who have not even tasted the sweetness of
righteousness, who have not grasped its meaning, and who have
smothered it in empty disputation. (...)
No other conduct has or will have Truth and highest love, above and
beyond that contained in the eternal ancient religion. It is the veritable
embodiment of Truth. It is the heritage of all. There can be no boundary
for holiness. Holiness is one, without a second.
Those who have attained liberation in this life by adherence to this
eternal religion, who have earned the grace of God, who have understood
the nature of truth, who have achieved realization are all Indians.
They have adored those who have reached that holy stage, without
distinction of caste, creed, or sex. The holiness of that stage reduces
to ashes all such limitations. It is only when that stage is reached that
it becomes possible to consider everything as equal. So, it is necessary
to embark boldly on the realization of the eternal ancient religion.
This is the birthright of Indians.
If you examine history since its very beginnings, you can know in detail
what great personages were born, in which sections of the Hindus. Incarnations,
Divine personalities like Rama, Krishna, Janaka and Yogis
like Viswamitra, (...) great pandits, sastric scholars, Veda Rishis, originated
in the Brahman section. (4-36/37)
If you cannot love and respect the one God who has given you life,
your existence, and by whose strength you live, you cannot reach or
comprehend Truth. God is the agent of everything that you see around
you and for you to think that man is the agent and that man is respon-
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sible is wrong. While God in the form of the higher self inside your body
is making you utter the word “I”, it is most foolish on your part to identify
such a Divine “I” with your destructible and material body. Any feeling
of attachment to the body and the illusion that the body is real is tantamount
to death. On the other hand, the realization that you are the
supreme cosmic reality is tantamount to immortality.
You should fix your thoughts on the Absolute and all your actions involving
the body have somehow to be reconciled to the feeling and
recognition of the Absolute. (36-156)
Truth is something that is not modified by time or space or quality. It
must be the same for ever, unaffected and unchanged. Then alone is
it Truth. It should not be proved false by some subsequent event or
knowledge. 6.12.63, (17-122)
In fact, the truth regarding God, man, nature etc, is so simple that a few
minutes of quiet contemplation can reveal it to any one of ordinary intelligence.
Everyone will admit that anything which undergoes change
cannot be truth. Truth must remain as truth, in the past, present and
future. Now the world and all objects of nature are constantly being
subjected to change - building up or breaking clown, evolving or mutating,
flowing or festering, growing or dying. How then can they be
true? The subjective feelings, attitudes, impurses, beliefs, instincts, intuitions
- these too are changing; they are pleasant one moment, unpleasant,
another; the same thing is welcome at one time, repulsive at
another time. (...)
There must be something stable and permanent and eternal as the
background, the base, the foundation, for this changing scene to appear
an. Appearance is untrue; reality is eternal.
Again, a few minutes of investigation will convince anyone that he is
not the body which he carries about with him, as the snail carries its
home; he is not the eye or ear or tongue; he is not the mind or intelligence
for, he refers to them as “my mind is not in it” etc., meaning that
he is separate from his mind; “my intelligence failed me", meaning that
he is different from his intelligence. He is a witness; it is the body that
dies; he survives; he is reborn when he takes on a new body. 4.10.65,
(19-90/91)
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Righteousness
The entire cosmos has emerged from Truth. And it will merge back in
Truth. Where is the place beyond the sway of Truth? Behold, brothers,
that which is the pure Truth!
Embodiments of Divine love, dear students, teachers and patrons of
education! To every man born on earth, Truth is the visible God. The
entire universe consisting of movable and immovable objects has
emerged from truth. Truth is indeed God. Truth is endless. According
to Vedantins, truth is synonymous with the eternal self. Hence truth
alone has to be revered by everyone. Indians are wedded to truth and
Righteousness. (...)
Truth and Righteousness will never submit to anything. All kinds of
power, whether physical, intellectual, monetary, military or political,
have to bend before Truth and Righteousness; but the latter will yield
to none. Truth and Righteousness will always triumph. (40-1)
Today, though in outward appearance people are human, in inner impulse
they are sub-human. (...)
Man has lost his glory and his power and his splendour: he must win
them again by spiritual discipline. So, make yourselves pure by incessant
striving. 28.12.60, (16-14)
Man has to lift himself from the animal level through his own spiritual
discipline. There are three types of men: the animal type, the human
type and the Divine type. Man has evolved from the stone through
plant and tree, worm and insect, bird and animal; but some are still
grovelling in the early stages through they have achieved the human
form. (...)
The world is a huge hospital and humanity is bedridden. Some are
writhing in the pain of envy, some are bloated with pride, some are losing
sleep through hate, some have become blind through miserliness,
some are struck down by selfishness; every one has some illness or
other. 27.7.61, (16-69/71)
That is the reward for humility and reverence. These qualities are fast
disappearing in the cities and towns; the pest is spreading fast destroying
crops in villages also. But, they are still powerless to affect the simplicity
and sincerity of village life. That is the reason why I like villages
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very much. I shall not give up Puttaparthi and live in some other place
or town. In the village, every one will come to the help of a man, if his
house is on fire or if his well has had a landslide.
In the towns, you will find people making merry aloud, when some one
is dying in the neighbouring house. Reverence towards elders, and
faith in the Divine are present and active in the villages. They alone can
help in the restoration of righteousness, the task on which I have
come. 8.7.71, (21-334)
What is the measure of man, already laid down. How has he to live,
so that he does not demean his status? He has to be conscious all the
time that his body and its equipment are his temporary abode; he is the
eternal Divine, the eternal Divine apparently engaged in the physical
cage, as the moon is apparently sunk in the pot of water! 8.7.71, (21-
527)
Man loses his status of humaneness, through acts that shame even
beasts. He does not strive towards revealing and manifesting his latent
Divinity! This is not as big a failing as this sliding back into the animal
from which he rose! If he keeps on with his human attributes and capacities,
that will deserve congratulation enough. A formidable list can
be made of the inadequacies and defects of man, but, the basic defect
is “greed”, “uncontrolled desire” always clamouring for more, as a result
of the ceaseless prompting of the senses! 24.8.71, (22-71)
The individual has to be responsible, for the progress of the world by
upholding the values of life and striving for the good of the community.
Today, scientists and leaders of nations have forgotten the true values
of life and the real good of the world. They are obsessed only with material
progress. Unless they are awakened to the spiritual values of life,
there cannot be any peace and prosperity in the world. Without spiritual
basis, even if men have eyes, they are blind; even if they have
ears, they are deaf; even if intellectually brilliant, they are insane. Spirituality
alone confers true vision, and makes man full and whole.
Today man is a contradiction to himself. His thoughts, words and
deeds are incongruous. Without this harmony how can he contribute
to harmony in the community and in the world? He can only create chaos.
That is the misfortune in the world today. Man has to understand
himself, his own dignity and his inner spiritual reality, then only will he
have the right perspective. 1981, (25-97/98)
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Man means he who marches from the status of self to the all-inclusive
self, from higher self to God. Towards the success of that march, all
nature can provide advice and guidance until the very end. The real
master one must rely upon is nature, saturated with God. God does not
teach you directly; he teaches you through nature which surrounds
you. When you teach OM to children, you pronounce it loud and at the
same time write the letter OM on a slate. God has written OM on every
speck of nature; that is the slate from which you have to learn of him.
So, do not renounce the world or condemn nature. Do not restrict the
God of the universe to any one name and form. Love all names and
forms. 17.7.81, (25-122)
How many of those born are humans when born? How many grow into
human status, after being born? How many who have lived as humans
know the key to right living and right action? It is not by physical appearance
that man is to be distinguished. 23.11.81, (25-215)
What you need today is the restoration of the supremacy of truth and
Righteousness. There are some who cavil at the use of these two
terms. If they do not know what Truth and Righteousness are, they
cannot be deemed human beings at all. Truth and Righteousness are
the inherent natural qualities of human beings. Human life is based on
Truth and Righteousness. What folly is it to declare that one does not
know what they are?
Truth is utterance of what you think. Righteousness is acting according
to your words. The unity of thought, word and action is essential.
(29.5.96)
The whole world is a stage and every individual is an actor. How
should the actors conduct themselves? The primary goal of every actor
should be to carry out his duty in the part assigned to him (or her).
He should set aside his individuality. (...)
He should act his part well. However, who is the director of the cosmic
drama? It is the Divine. Every human being is a manifestation of the
Divine will. He has taken birth as a human being to fulfil his duty. He
has to manifest his humanness. Every individual has to play his role
well and acquit himself worthily.
In the drama of life, there is a mixture of good and bad. Humanness is
present in this mixture. The good implies that man acts on the knowledge
that nothing belongs to him and that whatever words he utters or
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whatever action he does all belong to God. He plays his role in this
spirit, ascribing nothing to himself. The bad represents the attitude of
the actor, who is conscious of the role he is playing and does not forget
his individuality in his actions. He does not consider himself as merely
acting a part but regards himself as the doer. The difference between
the two is that while the former realises the temporary nature of the
part he is playing and is not attached to the things connected with the
role, the other develops attachment to the role he plays and does not
wish to part with things connected with the role. (...)
Human birth is a God-given gift which should be used with due care.
It should be filled with righteous acts. Unfortunately, today men misuse
all their God-given talents for unholy purposes. The mind should be
filled with good thoughts, the heart with compassion and the hands
should be engaged in selfless service. (15.2.98)
Peace
May this stream of love put out the burning fires of disquiet, ignorance,
injustice, and religion that are consuming you and may it slake your
thirst. May it shower on you peace, joy and happiness.
There are many people who are not even aware of the meaning of the
word, Prashanti. For the devotee it is as the very breath. The word is
taken by each to mean something different; many feel that they have
peace; when some worldly desire that was vexing them is satisfied!
But, that is not real peace, it is but a temporary short-lived interval between
one worry and another. The syllable “Pra” in Prashanti means,
expanding, enlarging, and so Prashanti means that type of peace, that
is the absence of desire, anger, greed and hatred. (3-1)
Prashanti means success in the elimination of the qualities, grouped
under activity and anger. This process is essential. The devotee must
be constantly engaged in practising it. What does the devotee strive
for? Fulfillment. In other words, he strives for peace. Now this peace
is the innate nature of man. Peace is the force, which comes to the aid
of those who try to develop discrimination, renunciation and keenness
of intellect. It is a phase of the eternal Divinity itself. Just as the eternal
Divinity, it has no beginning or end; no blemish can mar it; it is equalled
only by itself; it cannot be compared with anything else.
Peace must be manifested in feeling, word, posture and deed. (...)
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Then, it becomes Prasanthi, real peace. Bereft of such peace, one
cannot hope to get either worldly, other-worldly, or trans-worldly bliss.
Peace is the nursery of all happiness and all joy. (...) All men need it.
(3-1/2)
Prashanti has no ups and downs; it cannot be partial in adversity and
complete in prosperity. It cannot be one thing today and another tomorrow.
Maintaining the same even flow of bliss, always, that is
Prashanti. (3-2)
Every single devotee has the legitimate right to earn this Prashanti; so
he must learn the path by which it can be earned. The world is suffering
from selfish politics, nihilistic religion and heartless competition; this is
a disgraceful state of affairs. Man has completely forgotten his fundamental
Divine nature. At such a crisis, the thing that is most urgent is
peace, love.
There are drugs, which will cure this dreaded disease. No other specific
can ameliorate the illness. To get peace, love is the only means.
Love fuels the Divine flame of peace, and love brings about Unity of
all mankind and this unity combined with spiritual knowledge will bring
about world peace. (3-3)
The discipline of the self is the basic foundation for successful living.
Through that alone can man attain real and lasting peace. Without
peace there can be no happiness. Peace is the very nature of the Divine.
It co-exists only with a pure heart, never with a greedy heart full
of desires. Peace is the distinguishing mark of yogis, Rishis, and so on.
It does not depend on external conditions. It will flee from the selfish,
and the sensual. It hates the company of such persons. It is the characteristic
of the inner Divine, wonderful, unshakable, and permanent.
Peace is full of spiritual uplift and the wisdom that is the natural accompaniment
of bliss. Genuine peace is won by control of the senses only.
Then it can be called Prashanti. The experience of that stage is as the
stream of peace. Calming the mental agitation that surges like waves
levelling the swirls and whirls of likes, dislikes, love, hate, sorrow, joy,
hope, despair, peace is earned and maintained, without disturbance.
Peace is of the nature of the spiritual Divinity. Inner Divinity is imperishable.
It does not die like the body and mind. It is universal, it is subtle
and its very nature is knowledge. So, peace also has these characteristics.
Knowledge of the eternal Divine destroys illusion, doubt and sor-
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ow, hence, the source of the Divine confers the steadiest peace, and
with it holiness and happiness. (3-3/4)
Bliss is the innate nature of man, but he is searching for it everywhere
except where it is available. Bliss is not something lifeless and inactive.
It is another name for purposeful living. Peace is the authority under
which the rule of bliss prevails. It lays down the limits and laws for all
activities. It must be made so stable that it is unaffected by the everwandering
mind or the outward-bound senses. It can only be experienced,
personally, through the natural state of self-realization. It is the
most precious treasure. He who grasps that which is deathless, that
which cannot be destroyed, that which is not modified, he is the enjoyer
of peace. He too has no death. (3-5/6)
Peace is a shoreless ocean: it is the light that illumines the world. Having
it, is having all. It confers knowledge of both this world and that. It
leads to the understanding of Divine, the very fulfillment of human life,
which Veda tries to teach.
Pure love can emanate only from a heart immersed in Peace, for it is
an atmosphere that pervades and purifies. Peace is not a conviction
arrived at by means of logic. It is the discipline of all disciplined lives.
(3-6)
Neither Peace, nor devotion can be got through another; they have to
be created and developed, each one for himself. One should also have
the grace of the Lord, which is fundamental. As the sacred text says:
“He whom he chooses, gets it". But the devotee may doubt: "What then
is the need for spiritual discipline?” He who thinks of the Lord with devotion
can overcome any type of karma, inherited or accumulated action.
With His grace, he can experience even unattainable bliss. Do not
doubt the usefulness of spiritual discipline; it can never be fruitless, no,
for any one. Hold firm to that conviction. Unshaken devotion to God will
win the grace of the Lord. (3-10/11)
Each is born for some task, but, all can exist only on the self-same food
and drink, peace; for without it there is no bliss. Peace embellishes
every act; it softens the hardest core of man; it takes you to the footstool
of the Lord and wins for you the vision of God. It knows no distinction;
it is a force that establishes equality. It is the honey of love in
the enchanting flower of Life. It is a prime need for the yogi and the
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devotee. Having acquired it, they can realize reality, tomorrow, if not
today. They should put up with all the obstacles on the way and peace
will give them the strength needed. Through peace alone can devotion
expand and self-realization take root. Self-realization, born of peace,
is the only means of living a full life or life that knows no death; the inquiry:
"Who am I?" clears the path for realization. So, man must wait
patiently and quietly, placing his faith on the Grace and wisdom of the
Lord. Such an inquirer will always be earnest and penitent. Man becomes
fearless and therefore full of peace through the conviction that
the Lord is everywhere, visibly present. (3-11)
To earn peace, its inveterate enemy anger must be laid low. Anger is
the harvest of the tantalizing mind; it enslaves man and fogs his understanding.
Understanding becomes easy when you are full of devotion,
and your devotion is deep-rooted. (...)
Become the messengers of the Peace that has no beginning or end.
Hold forth the light of peace for humanity . Live an ideal life, ever contented,
ever joyous, and ever happy. (3-11/12)
Lustre in the face, splendour in the eye, a determined look, a noble
voice, large-hearted charity of feeling, unwavering goodness, these
are the sign-posts of a developing and progressing will. A mind without
agitation, a joyous and unblemished outlook, these are the marks of a
person in whom peace has taken root.
The devotee can pray for and ask from the Lord, the gift of such a
peace, and also the good character necessary for its growth. Why, the
devotee has this capacity for reaching his goals, this one thing, prayer.
(3-15/16)
So, in the midst of the crazy habits and behavior of today, it is no use
presenting the sacred texts in a language which most people are unfamiliar
with. They can be explained in easy understandable language.
The fundamentals of the sacred texts will not be affected by this. Then
they can be practiced, understood, experienced and enjoyed. As a
consequence, faith in the Veda will also be strengthened, and Peace
too will be built upon faith. So, every devotee must practice the important
direction of the Veda and demonstrate in his life the sweetness of
such dedicated lives, so that all others might appreciate the truth and
value of the ideals and the disciplines. (3-24)
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To earn that calmness, steady constant effort is essential. When
peace is acquired, then, it is all harmony. Equanimity is the very nature
of peace. Everyone should be endowed with that peace and that calmness
and establish an Age of belief devoid of un-Veda behaviour, attitude,
conduct habits and character.
For this purpose, on army of devotees has to be trained in ashrams
and spiritual centres. This is the responsibility, of those who run the
ashrams for; they must have faith in themselves in order to train the
army along sound lines. Otherwise, things will get more confused. (3-
25/26)
The mind should not be permitted to wander as it fancies. It must be
controlled without mercy. If possible, one should aim even at its destruction,
that is to say, keeping the mind away from contact with
worldly objects. It is only when that is done that man can grasp his real
identity. The realization of that reality is the state called liberation.
Then all varieties of troubles and travails, doubts and dilemmas, come
to on end. Man then overcomes sorrow, delusion and anxiety and be
established in the holy calmness of peace. (3-28)
The devotee who wants to attain this peace has to constantly practice
a virtuous life, overcoming all the initial obstacles. Peace is a mountain
of rock. It can stand up against the continuous floods of temptation
from evil. This Prashanti need not be sought anywhere outside: it emanates
in the internal motivator itself. It is the very basis of the urge towards
liberation; it is the root of deep-grounded meditation; it is the
pre-requisite for liberation. Established in peace, reality can be known
and experienced: impulses and mental waves can be stilled. The bliss
of realization of the self is proportional to the decline of I-ness and
identification with the physical body. (3-29)
Do not shape your conduct with one eye on the opinion of others. Instead,
follow bravely, gladly and steadily, the sweet and pleasant
prompting of your own pure mind, your own awakened conscience,
and your own inner self. Associate yourself with those who are richly
endowed with truth, spend every second of your life usefully and well.
If you possibly can, render service to others. (...)
A joyful outlook helps peace to grow, it should therefore be cultivated
by the devotee. His nature should be free from pomp and show. He
should understand the secret of character, and strengthen his will for
betterment. (3-29/30)
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If everything is dedicated to the Lord, there will be no room for worry
or sorrow or even joy. If you rid yourself thus of attachment, peace can
never be disturbed. (3-30)
Peace can also be defined as true love towards the Lord, towards
Truth itself and towards true spiritual discipline. Hence it makes realization
of the Lord possible. Have the Lord as your sole aim, hold fast
to the desire to realize Him in this very birth, remain unaffected by lust
or greed, by joy and pain, praise and abuse or any such pair of opposites.
Fortitude such as this leads to realization. (3-32)
The bliss that transcends all bliss can be achieved, if a single spiritual
discipline, the constant remembrance of the Lord's name is practiced
and, if as a consequence, peace is attained. By this, the evil tendencies
of the lower nature can also be conquered. Know that God is the
goal of man; direct all attention on that goal; control the mind that wanders
away from it, this is the essence of the teaching of all the Vedas.
Practice this one discipline, and you have practiced all sacred commands.
(3-34)
Non-attachment, of course, does not mean the giving up of hearth and
home, or of high estate and even kingdoms. It is the understanding of
the Divinity immanent in everything, the fading away of all the distinct
names and forms, the bliss of experiencing in everything and every
place the Divine which is its reality, that is the true meaning of renunciation
and liberation. So long as one lives in the world of name and
form, one is burdened with attachment. How can it be called liberation
when the mind is immersed in thoughts, feelings and experience of the
objective world? One might have given up all but yet be full of these.
Such a person cannot be said to have non-attachment. Surely, even
for the acquisition of this pure spirit of liberation, peace is necessary.
(3-36/37)
To enjoy peace, mankind must be controlled and directed by ideals of
righteousness. This depends mutual tolerance in the family, based on
individual conduct which is pure, and aiming to at please every one.
Such conduct has a charm, all its own. Avoid in your behaviour, actions
and speech all trace of desire to pain others, to insult them, or to
cause them loss or misery to others. Find out the best means of reforming
yourself, practice this type of living, desist from injury to your-
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self, and always walk in the path of truth. That is the path of beauty,
that is conduct that is charm. (3-38)
Some people declare that prayer can bring about world peace and
they ask people to pray. Of course, it is good to pray, but peace can
never be gained by that alone. Prayer must be united with practice.
You should not pray for one thing and practice another, such prayer is
only self deception. The words you utter, the deeds you do, the prayers
you make must all be directed along the same lines. While repeating
prayers for world peace, if you cannot patiently put up with others, if
you slander others and look down upon them, you yourself will have
no peace; you will have turmoil, instead! and, with the turmoil, attendant
sorrow and pain! (3-40)
By virtue of human nature every one has, the discrimination needed
to strive for the ideal. You should not allow the slightest idea of neglect
to hinder you, or stand in your way. Peace based on wisdom can arise
only out of actual experience; the end and consequence of each and
every act is and must be wisdom. The progress of the individual consists
in activity, done with discrimination. (3-59/60)
In the same manner, every man on Earth wants to have peace. With
a desire for Peace, man makes many attempts and takes part in many
types of work. Where there is right conduct and righteousness in the
heart, good qualities will be promoted. Where there are good qualities,
you will find harmony and where there is harmony, there will be order.
If you find order and discipline, you will find peace in the world. Peace
depends on the quality of the individual. Cultivation of good qualities
and virtuous conduct is the path which leads towards self-realization.
(35-165/166)
After meditation and song of praise you chant: "Peace, peace, peace".
By merely uttering thrice with your tongue, you cannot obtain or ensure
peace. The significance of the three chants is that man is in need of
three kinds of peace: 1. Peace unhampered by other beings, 2. Peace
undisturbed by ones' own body and mind, 3. Peace undisturbed by
forces beyond human control. (40-75)
Take the quality of peace. It denotes the capacity to bear success and
failure, joy and misery, defeat and victory, with perfect equanimity.
6.12.63, (17-122)
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There is no greater gift than the tranquillity of Peace. Peace is the foremost
prize for man. Peace confers beauty on sages. Peace is the fascinating
charm of the Divine. (18.8.95)
This year (1998) is dedicated to peace. How is this peace to be
achieved? The first requisite is purification of one's vision. The second
is the cultivation of sacred feelings within, which will be conducive to
purity in speech. Harmony will promote a climate of peace. The wellbeing
of society is bound up with the transformation of the individuals
composing it. Righteous individuals alone can build a righteous community.
A pure mind is essential for pure thoughts, pure vision and
pure speech. (5.2.98)
Love
If a person is a genuine vehicle of power, he can be recognized by the
characteristics of truth, kindness, love, patience, forbearance and
gratefulness. Wherever these reside, ego cannot subsist, it has no
place. Seek, therefore, to develop these.
The effulgence of the Atman is obscured by ego. Therefore when ego
is destroyed, all troubles end, all discontents vanish and bliss is attained.
As the sun is obscured by mist, the feeling of ego hides eternal
bliss. (4-15/16)
Every aspirant who seeks the eternal through the path of devotion
should strive to acquire the following characteristics: He must keep
away from the turmoil, the cruelty and the falsehood of this world and
practice truth, righteousness, love and peace. This is indeed the path
of devotion. Those who seek union with God, those who seek the welfare
of the world should discard as worthless both praise and blame,
appreciation and derision, prosperity and adversity. They should courageously
keep steady faith in their own innate reality and dedicate
themselves to spiritual uplift. No one, not even an Avatar can escape
criticism and blame. (4-17/18)
God cannot be known without faith and steadfastness; only through
love comes faith; only through faith comes wisdom; only through wisdom
comes Divine power; only through Divine power is God attained.
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How then, is love to be cultivated? It can be done through two methods:
1. Consider always the faults of others, to be insignificant and
negligible. Consider your own faults, however insignificant and negligible,
to be big, and feel sad and repentant. By these means, you avoid
developing bigger faults and defects and you acquire the qualities of
brotherliness and forbearance. 2. Whatever you do, do it, remembering
that God is omnipresent. He sees and hears and knows everything.
Whatever you speak, remember that God hears every word; discriminate
between the true and the false and speak only truth; whatever you
do, discriminate between right and the wrong and do only the right. Endeavour
every moment to be aware of the omnipotence of God. (4-19)
Love, flows from one heart to another, from one place to another, from
one person to another, ultimately reaching the destination called the
grace of God; such love is pure. But the kind of love or love which gets
tied up to one individual by saying: “Oh! He belongs to me, he is mine”,
does not flow but gets tied up to one individual. Such love will be called
love with an attachment to that particular individual. That kind of love,
is narrow, confined to one place and cannot be called love in the real
sense. (34-104)
When this feeling spreads to various things that you like, it takes the
form of desire. If this aspect is shown towards God, we call it devotion.
This love is the aspect of Brahman and because this love is present in
everyone, when we say: “We are stating a truth and an unquestionable
truth“. This is also why we say: “Love is God, live in love”. We also say:
“Start the day with love; spend the day with love; fill the day with love;
end the day with love and this is the way to God”. The one aspect
which fills the day and is synonymous with God is love and so we
should fill the mind with the aspect of love. (36-40/41)
Similarly if you wear the glasses of love, then all that you see in the
world will be love. If your vision is not filled with love, how can the
things that you see with your vision be full of love? (36-107)
The pipe which connects the devotion of the devotee and the grace of
God is love. God is always an embodiment of love and if the devotee
is filled with love, then love can establish this connection. Unless you
have all these three, God who is the original love and the link of love
between the two, a connection cannot be established. God who is love
can be realise only by love and not by any other means. (36-255)
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Love is a Divine quality in man. But it should be shown not only towards
other human beings, but also towards birds, beasts and other
living creatures. True completeness lies in such an expansion of love,
giving up narrowness and developing broad-mindedness which results
in real joy for oneself and for the society as well. Thus human nature
will be sublimated into Divinity. The Vedas, which are the repositories
of Indian culture, have declared that one should not entertain
hatred or ill will towards any living being. Therefore along with their normal
studies, students should acquaint themselves with Indian culture
and put it into practice. (40-6)
Love must be many-stranded in order to be strong and tough. A single
strand is too weak. Have it manystranded, one towards the mother, another
towards the father, other strands towards husband, wife, friend,
son, daughter, etc. Of course love is all-embracing, it cannot be confined
to one item and denied to another. It is a current that flows over
all. Meditation on the Lord and his love will help you to tap it from the
depths of your heart. 6.9.63, (17-55)
Love is the quality of unity, not only non-violence but the conscious acceptance
of the duty of love, because every being is a spark of Divinity,
as much of a spark as yourself. 6.12.63, (17-122/123)
Every being needs love, inhales and exhales love. For love is the basic
breath; every one is the embodiment of love. Love knows no fear and
needs no falsehood to support it. It is only fear that makes people warp
the face of truth to make it pleasant for those whom they fear. Love
seeks no reward; love is its own reward. That is the sole gain, the joy
of loving and being loved. When it is directed to God, it is called devotion.
Who would not love God when once he is aware of his glory, majesty,
might and mercy? Love removes all egoism; the self is forgotten,
it is superseded, it is transcended. (...)
It is only love that can successfully carry out schemes for service and
uplift. Love creates sympathy; love will show the way where hatred can
only confuse. 19.10.66, (19-267)
The chief duty of man is investigation into truth. Truth can be won only
through dedication and devotion. Both are dependent on the grace of
God, which is showered on hearts saturated with love. 1.1.67, (20-1)
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Unless you have love, you cannot claim kinship with the votaries of
God; mere ritualistic exactitude or pompous adoration, or loud acclamation
will not entitle you to enter the portals of higher regions! They
are as tin and trash before the treasure-chest of love. Love is the
bridge which helps pass from birth to deathlessness, from death to
birthlessness. When you rise from the individual-sense to the Godsense,
humanness to Godness, then, there is no more birth or death.
Liberation happens when you love every being so intensely that you
are aware of only one. Soak your heart in love, soak your acts in righteousness,
soak your emotions in compassion: then you attain God
soonest. 13.8.71, (22-63/64)
Love binds one person to another. Love attaches one thing to another.
Without love the universe is naught. The highest love makes us aware
of the Lord in every one. The Lord is equally present in all. Life is love;
love is life. Without God, deprived of God, nothing and nobody can exist.
You live on and through the Divine will. It is his will that operates
as love, in each of you. It is he who prompts the prayer: "Let all the
worlds be happy." For he makes you aware that the God you adore,
the God you love, the God you live by, is in every other being as love.
Thus love expands and encompasses all creation.
Looking a little closer, you discover that life itself is love. They are not
two but one. Love is the very nature of life, as burning is the nature of
fire, or wetness of water, or sweetness of sugar. 25.12.81, (25-222)
Realise that the path of Divine love is the easiest, the sweetest and
surest path to God. (5.7.96)
Divine love lights the lamp of life, which you are not able to perceive.
None can regulate Divine love. Worldly love is fraught with conditions
and expectations in return. Divine love does not expect anything in return.
(19.7.97)
Non-Violence
Good character, good conduct and a virtuous life are essential qualifications
for the aspirant. Of course, floral offerings are commendable.
The sixteen items are good. But, one should progress from this stage
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to the awareness of the Atman. Flowers fade and rot soon. The effect
of offering flowers may not last long. What God loves more are the
flowers blossoming on the tree of man's own life, fed and fostered by
his own skill and sincerity. They are the flowers of his virtues grown in
the garden of his heart. 6.10.81, (25-166/167)
What does non-violence signify? It is not merely refraining from causing
harm or injury to others. It implies also refraining from causing harm
to oneself. One who harms himself cannot avoid harming others?
Whoever desires to observe non-violence must see that he does not
do violence to himself. How is this to be ensured? By constantly examining
whether his conduct is right or wrong. For instance, in the matter
of speech, he must examine whether his words are causing pain to
others or not. He must see that his looks are not tainted by evil intentions
or thoughts. He should not listen to evil talk. All these cause harm
to the individual. (18.1.96)
Non-violence is not merely refraining from inflicting injuries on others
with one's limbs or weapons. Non-violence has to be practiced with purity
of mind, tongue and body. There should be no ill-feelings which are
a form of violence. To cause harm to others through the body is also
violence. No one should be harmed even by speech. Speech should
be sweet, pleasing and wholesome. All actions should be helpful to
others. (15.5.96)
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Education
The end of wisdom is freedom.
The end of culture is perfection.
The end of knowledge is love.
The end of education is character.
There is a desire on the part of all of you to acquire these four qualities,
namely wisdom, culture, knowledge and education and reach the end,
namely, freedom, perfection, love and character. But students should
realise that if these qualities are not properly used, then they cannot
call themselves students. (34-3)
Permanent happiness can be secured only through one science, spiritual
science. That is the science of God-realization, that is the teaching
of the Rishis. That alone can save man and grant him peace. There
is nothing higher than that; this is an indisputable fact. Whatever your
joy and sorrow, whatever the subjects you have specialized in for a living,
keep your eyes riveted on Brahma science. If intelligence alone is
sharpened, without the growth and practice of virtues, and if mere information
is stored in the brain, the world cannot progress and its welfare
will be in jeopardy.
But people now seem to be losing faith in virtues, the educational system
does not assign any place for spiritual teaching or training. True
education does not content itself with filling the brain with cumbersome
junk. Education is beneficial only when it gives full scope to the blossoming
of all the virtues which distinguish man. (4-24/25)
The supreme end of education, the highest purpose of instruction, is
to make you aware of the “universal immanent impersona”. This is the
truth that is loudly proclaimed in the Vedas. The seers and sages of
Bharata courageously entered upon this adventure. The ever-changing
aspects of nature, the appearance and disappearance of its working,
may be a fine subject for study. But, the ancients of Bharata proclaimed
that the science of the transcendent principle that permeates
the universe, the unchanging eternal, the embodiment of everlasting
ever-full bliss, the residence of unaffected undiminished peace, the ultimate
refuge for all time of the individual being, is the highest knowledge
that man must gain.
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The knowledge of the principles governing objective nature can at best
provide man with food and clothing; it teaches man ways and means
of gaining them; it leads to the exploitation of the weak by the strong.
(5-29)
A life lived without mastering one's senses does not deserve the name.
Man has been endowed with many capabilities and if he does not use
them to control his senses and direct them properly the years be
spends alive are wasted. Valid education helps man to achieve success
in this process of mastery. Wisdom confers discipline. Education
promotes humility. Through humility, one acquires the right to engage
in professions. That authority confers prosperity. A prosperous person
has the capacity for charity and right living. Right can confer happiness
here and hereafter. (7-20)
Education must determine and delve into the nature and characteristics
of spiritual search for the Absolute or the higher self. It must prove
its true character by manifesting as a spring of morality, laying down
axioms of virtue. Knowledge is its own visible proof. It is the root of faith
in every faith. It prepares the mind of man to appreciate and adhere to
faith and to direct man's living along that course. This has been named
philosophy.
Philosophy means love of knowledge. Knowledge is a treasure of incalculable
richness. Education is the relentless pursuit of knowledge,
urged by love for its value, undeterred by difficulties. Knowledge tries
to probe behind the forms assumed by things and the appearances
they put on and discover the reality that alone can explain them. The
truth has to be known and lived by; the truth has to be visualized; this
is the function of knowledge.
Wisdom is the effulgence that permeates a full life. In the West, knowledge
deals more with concepts and conjectures; in the East, knowledge
deals more with truth and totality. The principle sought by wisdom
is beyond the field of the senses Man is a triune composite of
body, mind and Atman, the higher self. As a consequence, he has
three natures in his make up 1. A low, animal nature, 2. A human nature,
replete with worldly knowledge and skill, and 3. The genuine nature
of man, namely, the Divine nature. Being aware of this third nature
and establishing oneself in that - is wisdom. (7-21)
The human being is like a seed. Just as the seed sprouts into a sapling
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and grows into a tree, man too has to grow and attain fulfillment. Man
has to master two fields of knowledge in order to reach his goal. The
first is knowledge of the world, knowledge concerning the manifested
universe. The second is knowledge of the other world. The first confers
the means for living; the second confers the goal of life. The means for
living are the things that can satisfy one's day-to-day needs. One has
to acquire them and store them, or acquire the capacity to get them
when required. The knowledge of the goal of life involves inquiry into
problems like: "For what end should one live?", "Who is the creator of
all that we become aware of," "What exactly am I, this distinct individual
l?" This enquiry ultimately reveals the goal. The scriptures of all religions
and the many moral codes derived from them are concerned
with problems that transcend the limits of this world like: "Why are we
here?", "What have we to do to deserve this chance of life" and "What
are we to become?"
What is for man the most beneficial way to live in this world? The answer
is: living a regulated and disciplined life. Real education must
train man to observe these limits and restrictions. You take great pains
and suffer privations in order to master knowledge of the world. You
follow with strict care some one regimen in order to develop the physique.
Whatever your objective, you obey on appropriate code of discipline.
What exactly are the gains of disciplined thought and conduct? The
rules and regulations are elementary at first. Then they enable one to
be aware of regions beyond the reach of the senses. Later, one can
voyage beyond the reach of one's mind, and even beyond the outermost
walls of what is reachable by all powers enclosed in the human
body. Finally, one realises and experiences the truth of truth, namely,
one is the one that is immanent in all, that is, in the entire cosmos. One
is filled with bliss when fixed in this faith and in this awareness. This is
wisdom, the acquisition of real education, the cumulation of the best
educational process. During that process, knowledge instructs incidentally
about the ideal configuration of society, the most desirable affiliations
between man and man, the most beneficial relations between
peoples, races, nations and communities and the best mode and manner
for day-to-day life. Wisdom implants these in the heart as deep as
is necessary for human progress.
Of all the professions, the teacher has to adhere to the ideal of truth.
When teachers stray from truth, society meets with disaster. Thousands
of tender children, unacquainted with the ways of the world,
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pass through their hands. The impact of their teaching and their personality
will be great and lasting. Therefore, the teacher has to be free
from bad habits. For children automatically adopt the habits and manners
of elders. This is an ever-present danger. When the evil influence
is directed towards thousands who receive the impact, society gets
polluted. (7-30/31)
Work done with no concern or desire for profit, purely out of love or a
sense of duty, is yoga. Such yoga destroys the animal nature of man
and transforms him into a Divine being. Serve others, visualising them
as kindred Atmans. That will help one to progress; it will save one from
sliding down from the spiritual stage attained. Service is far more salutary
than even vows and worship. Service disintegrates the selfishness
latent in you; it opens the heart wide., it makes the heart blossom.
So, work done with no desire is the supremest ideal for man and when
his mansion is built on that foundation, virtues will gather unto him
through the subtle influence of this selfless service. Service must be
the outer expression of inner goodness. As one undertakes service,
one's consciousness expands and deepens and one's Divine reality is
more clearly known.
This ideal of service and the urge to practice it form the very heart of
education. Pure love is its chief manifestation. God loves those who do
good to mankind as his dear children. They are ideal brothers for their
countrymen. They deserve and achieve the awareness of the Divinity.
Whoever assigns his wealth, strength, intellect and devotion towards
the promotion of the progress of mankind is to be considered as a person
to be revered. Those who are born for a noble purpose, observe
the holy vow of service, unsullied by thoughts of self.
Prompted by the urge to further the progress of others, a person dedicates
his wealth, skill, intelligence, status and becomes truly great.
Such a one is the purposeful seer for the world. He fulfils the vow of
selfless service. He who is conscious of his duties and obligations and
spends his days putting them into practice will be in supreme peace,
wherever he may be. Through his influence, his neighbourhood too will
share that peace.
Wisdom impels man to pour into the sacrificial fire his narrow ego and
foster in its place universal love, which is the foundation of the superstructure
of spiritual victory. Love, which knows no limits purifies and
sanctifies the mind. Let thoughts centre around God, feelings and
emotions be holy and acts and activities be expression of selfless serv-
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ice. Let the mind, the heart and the hand be thus saturated in good.
Knowledge has to take up this task of sublimation. It must first instil the
secret of service. Service rendered to another has to confer full joy in
all ways. Knowledge must emphasise that in the name of service no
harm, pain or grief should be inflicted on another.
While rendering service, the attitude of doing it for one's own satisfaction
should not tarnish it. It has to be rendered as on essential part of
the process of living itself. This is the real core of knowledge. As brick
and mortar are to a house that is being built, the activity of service
needs knowledge that can strengthen your resolve to purify your
thought, word and deed in order to carry out your duties. Education
such as this is the key to the country's progress.
What exactly is the secret of ensuring peace and prosperity for mankind?
Rendering service to others without expecting service from
them in return. Activity which binds is a huge fast growing tree. The
axe that can cut the roots of this tree is this: Doing every act as an act
of worship to glorify the Lord. This is real worship, the most important
ritual. This sacrifice promotes and confers Brahma wisdom. Note that
the yearning to do service must flow in every nerve of the body, penetrate
every bone and activate every cell. Those who engage themselves
in spiritual discipline must have mastered this attitude towards
service.
Service is the blossom of love, a flower that fills the mind with rapture.
Harmlessness is the fragrance of that flower. Let even your little acts
be redolent with compassion and reverence; be assured that your
character will thereby shine greatly. The highest happiness is contentment.
Where there is no harshness, holiness will thrive and virtue will
flourish. Where greed exists, vice will breed. One must completely destroy
the urge to live an isolated life, like a lone bull. Do not entertain
such a wish even in dreams.
Study instructs you to remember yourself first. After transforming yourself,
try to reform others; that is the advice offered by knowledge. The
delusive attachment to objective world can be uprooted by means of
selfless service rendered as worship to the Lord. Devotion to the motherland,
love of the motherland, these are to be reckoned as far less
than love and devotion towards all mankind. Genuine devotion is characterised
by love for all, at all times, everywhere.
Your nature is revealed by your acts, your gestures, your looks, your
speech, your feeding habits, your dress, your gait. Therefore, pay attention
to ensure that your speech, your movements, your thoughts,
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your behaviour are all full of love and devoid of wildness and waywardness.
You have to develop the humility to believe that you have much good
to learn from others. Your enthusiasm, your strong ambition, your resolution,
your capacity to work, your store of knowledge, your wisdom
- these have to be related to all others and not utilised for your self
alone. Your heart should take all others in. Your thoughts too should
be patterned on broad lines.
Eating food is a holy ritual. It should not be performed during moments
of anxiety or emotional tension. Food has to be considered as medicine
for the illness of hunger and as the sustenance of life. Treat each
trouble you encounter as a fortunate opportunity to develop your
strength of mind, and to toughen you up.
The characteristic of nature is “to manifest as manifold”; the characteristic
of the Divine is “to absorb into unity.” So, whoever dislikes or hates
another or demeans and denigrates another is indeed a fool; for he is
thereby disliking, hating, demeaning or denigrating only himself! Only,
he is unaware of this truth. Education instructs man to establish himself
in this truth and demonstrates the underlying Divinity.
In the garden of the heart, one must plant and foster the rose of Divinity,
the jasmine of humility and generosity as the champak. In the medicine
chest of each student, one must keep in readiness tablets of discrimination,
drops of self-control and three powders: faith, devotion
and patience. By the use of these drugs, one can escape the serious
illness called ignorance. (7-35/39)
World problems are now assuming stranger forms and larger proportions.
They are no longer individual or local. They are global, affecting
all mankind. On one side, science and technology are advancing with
cosmic developments. Through plastics, electronics and computer
technologies, wonder has reached even greater heights. On the other
side, mankind is afflicted with recurring political and economic crises,
national, provincial, religious, racial and caste rivalries, narrow loyalties
and outbursts of disturbance in student campuses. These have
spread indiscipline and licentiousness all over the world. (...)
What the world needs today is not a new order, a new education, a
new system, a new society or a new religion. The remedy lies in a
mind, in a heart filled with holiness. Holiness must take root and grow
in the minds and hearts of youth everywhere, of boys and girls and children.
The good and godly must endeavour to promote this task as the
one great spiritual discipline which they have to undertake.
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Success in this task can be achieved only through spiritual education.
But man today has deep faith only in acquisition and accumulation. He
cannot give up or renounce. He has no faith in truth. (...)
Man yearns to know all things; but he does not make an effort to know
the truth. (...)
Man should know that not even an iota of genuine happiness is derivable
from the “three worlds”, the three “divisions of time” and the “three
levels of consciousness in daily life” (wakefulness, dream, sleep). (...)
Therefore, one should learn spiritual knowledge, the process by which
one becomes aware of one's Divine reality. By learning it and living it,
one can quench one’s thirst and help to quench the thirst of all mankind.
(7-45/49)
Man has to achieve many goals during his life. The highest and the
most valuable of these is winning the mercy and love of God, which will
give him the great wisdom he needs for attaining unshakable inner
peace. Every one should endeavour to have on understanding of the
true nature of Godhead. Of course, man cannot, at the very beginning
of his attempt, grasp the unmanifest Absolute phenomenon. He has,
at first, to impose a form and some attributes to bring it within reach.
Then, step by step, he must try to enshrine it in himself, as the descent
of Divine energy. The person engaged in the pursuit of success in this
effort is not a mere individual seeker entitled to pursue the goal. He has
to cultivate also the spirit of service and be engaged in good deeds
which earn the gratitude of people. Thus only can he accomplish the
task of cleaning the levels of his consciousness and become a fit candidate
for spiritual victory.
Monkhood does not mean the mere acceptance of the fourth stage of
life and its rights and obligations, retiring to the forest after breaking
contact with the world in order to lead the austere life of ascetics. The
monk must move among people, become aware of their sorrows and
joys and impart the instruction and inspiration they need. (...)
True education is that which directs and counsels the mind and intellect
of man towards the earning of pure happiness. Of course, it can
be secured only by untiring effort. The scriptures declare: “Happiness
cannot be acquired through happiness”. By undergoing unhappiness
alone can happiness be won. This truth has to be instilled through education.
When man knows of the bliss that pure happiness can confer,
spiritual education too will be found easy and palatable.
Having been born as humans, all efforts must be directed to acquiring
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this education for immortality along with earth-bound material-centred
education, for it is only education for immortality that can reveal the Atman
and enable man to experience the Divine bliss. (7-50+54)
Just as light and darkness cannot co-exist, education and ignorance
cannot be together. So, all who journey along the path of progress
have to purify their consciousness and illumine their selves through
spiritual wisdom. (7-55)
Do not think that the Vedas lay down a bundle of frightening rules and
regulations and laws. Every one of them has been laid down by the
Lord. All elements in the cosmos, every particle are acting every moment
as ordered by him. This is what the Vedas inform you. No worship
can be higher and more beneficial than serving such a Lord. One
has to offer love to him, more love than one bears to anything else in
this world and the next. He must be loved as the one and only. He has
to be remembered adoringly with such love. That is the fruit that real
education must result in.
The lotus leaf is born under water; it floats on water; but it does not
get wet. Man, too, must be in the world likewise - in it, by it, for it, but
not of it. This is the special feature of higher education, to prepare you
for this role. That is to say, with the heart immersed in the Divine and
the hands busy in work, man must live thus on earth. Love should not
degenerate into an article of commerce. Love fulfils itself in Love. (...)
The natural sciences can provide you only food, clothing and such like.
Spiritual science alone can add strength and steadfastness to the self.
Students should pay special attention to this fact. Consider of what use
are food, clothing and such even in plenty when one has no strength
or steadfastness in oneself. (7-60/63)
The higher self of man is God. Every single act of man has to be elevated
as an act of worship. But students today do not know what exactly
is man and what exactly is God. How can a person claim to be
educated when he cannot identify the God-man principle? They are
the entities denoted by the sacred text as "that” and “you”. He who has
not become aware of these two cannot claim to have known himself.
And the education that does not reveal oneself to one, of what use can
it be to reveal anything else? (...)
Protecting one's motherland is a noble duty. It is the primary duty of
each student. The student cannot claim to have learned much unless
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he is able to discover and discharge what his duty is and what his immediate
role should be when circumstances call for such decisions.
The educated man and the student undergoing education must both
cultivate simplicity; they must discard ostentation. (7-70/71)
Teachers who teach with their minds on their salary and students who
learn with the jobs as their main focus are both pursuing wrong paths.
In fact, the task of the teacher is to discharge his duty of instructing and
inspiring the students so that they develop their latent talents and advance
in the perfection of their skills. The task of the student is to unfold
the Divine in him and equip himself for serving society with skill
and knowledge.
Man has three instruments given to him: the mind which involves him
in thought, the power of speech which enables him to communicate his
thought and the body by which he can execute his thoughts, alone or
with others, for himself and for others. (7-83)
The body with its hands is ready to execute the thought which is expressed
in words. The deed, the work, the labour that the hand of man
is engaged in are the source of all the happiness or misery that involve
man. (...)
Hands are not the only limbs or agents that are involved in human activity.
Whatever is done, whatever is seen, whatever is heard, one
should be vigilant about its purity. Thought, word and deed must be
free from pride, greed and hatred. (...)
Students study only for a few years but teachers, in order to maintain
being in their profession, have to be engaged in studies always, without
stopping. So teachers are to be reckoned as the only genuine students.
To the question, who is a real student, the answer is: "The
teacher." "I shall be the ideal student which my pupils can emulate,"
this must be the motto inspiring the teacher. Such a teacher has surely
recognized his duty. The teacher must come down to the level of the
student; if he does not and still continues to teach, the fate of the student
is best left to the imagination. (...)
Teachers are responsible for the nature and quality of the activities
and characters of students. For they impress the youth by their scholarship
and leadership. (...)
Existence-consciousness-bliss (sat-cit-ananda) is energy. We (sat)
are (cit) happy (ananda). Energy is all and energy is derived from God.
That is the very basis of man. Now, you are building superstructures
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somewhere else, not on the base. The foundational Divine principle is
being ignored. You are fascinated by subjects and studies that promise
to feed your stomachs and make you materially happy and powerful.
But the truth is the Divine beneath all. Man must either know the
supreme Truth of the one being behind all becoming or at least know
the practical truth of love and brotherhood. These two points are the
limits which education must ever keep in mind - the starting point and
the goal. (7-87/91)
As fog before the sun, ignorance melts away before knowledge.
Knowledge is acquired by uninterrupted inquiry. One should constantly
be engaged in inquiry on the nature of Brahman: the reality of the I,
the transformations that occur to the individual at birth and at death
and such matters. As you remove the husk that covers the rice, so too
the ignorance that adheres to the mind has to be removed by the frequent
application of the abrasive Divine inquiry. It is only when full
knowledge is won that one can be liberated. After the attainment of the
above-said spiritual knowledge, one has to follow the path of the Eternal
Absolute and act according to the new wisdom. (...)
When ignorance and delusion disappear, the Atman in every one
shines in its own splendour. All that we see is as a mirage, the superimposition
of something over the real and the mistaking of that for this.
Things have a beginning and on end; there is evolution as well as involution.
When all is subsumed by involution, or pralaya, only the causal
substance endures. Only the unmanifested cause survives the universal
dissolution. (...)
To realize this Atman, this higher self, there are four obstacles to be
overcome: Sleep, restlessness, entanglement and the bliss of the
highest supreme-object. Let us take these one by one.
Sleep
When the mind withdraws from the external world, it enters into deep
sleep, an account of the overpowering influence of the ever changing
world. The devotee should arrest this tendency and attempt to fix the
mind on the inquiry into the nature of the higher self, the Atman. He
must keep watch over the mind so that he may keep awake. He must
discover the circumstances that induce the drowsiness and remove
them in time. He must start the process of contemplation again and
again. Of course, the usual cause of drowsiness and sleep during
meditation is indigestion. Over-eating exhaustion through too much
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moving about, lack of sufficient sleep at night, these too cause sleepiness
and drowsiness. (...)
Restlessness
The mind seeks to run after external objects and so constant effort is
needed to turn it inwards, away from the attractions of sensory impressions.
Discriminate and understand that these are evanescent, temporary,
transformable, liable to decay and unreal, not the Truth. Convince
yourselves that what are sought after as pleasurable and
avoided as painful are only the fleeting products of sensory contacts;
train yourselves in this way to avoid the distractions of the external
world and dive deep into meditation, through rigorous exercise of the
intellect inquiry. (...)
Entanglement
The mind is drawn with immense force to all the unconscious impulses
and instincts of passion and attachment towards the external world
and its multitudinous attractions. It experiences untold misery and
might even get lost in its depths. This is the stage called decline. (...)
Highest subject-object contact: When restlessness and entanglement
are overcome, one attains the bliss of the highest subject-object contact.
This stage is what is called: “The enjoyment of bliss”. Even this is
not the highest or the supreme bliss, which one does not attain or acquire,
but simply is, becomes aware of. The sweetness of the subjectobject
experience is a temptation one has to avoid, for it is only the
second best. It is enough joy to act as a handicap! (...)
When the sun rises, darkness as well as the troubles arising from it disappear.
Similarly, for those who have realized the Divine self, the Atman,
there is no longer any bondage, nor the sorrow arising from
bondage. Delusion comes only to those who forget their bearings:
Egoism is the greatest factor in making people forget their very basic
truth. Once egoism enters man, he slips from the ideal and precipitates
from the top of the stairs in quick falls from step to step, down to the
very bottom floor. Egoism breeds schisms, hatreds and attachments.
Through attachment and affection, and even envy and hatred, one
plunges into activity and gets immersed in the world. This leads to embodiment
in the physical frame and further egoism. In order to become
free from the twin pulls of pleasure and pain, one must rid oneself of
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ody-consciousness and keep clear of self-centered actions. This
again involves the absence of attachment and hatred; desire is the enemy
of liberation, or moksha. Desire binds one to the wheel of birth and
death; it brings about endless worries and tribulations.
Through inquiry on these lines, knowledge is rendered clearer and
brighter, and liberation is achieved. Liberation is only another word for
independence, not depending on any outside thing or person.
If nicely controlled and trained, the mind can lead one on to liberation.
It must be saturated in the thought of God; that will help the inquiry into
the nature of reality. The consciousness of the ego itself will fade away
when the mind is free from pulls and when it is rendered pure, unaffected
in any way by the world; that is the path to self-realization; it cannot
be found in mount Kailasa.
The flame of desire cannot be put out without the conquest of the mind.
The mind cannot be overcome without the quenching of the flames of
desire. The mind is the seed, desire is the tree. Divine wisdom alone
can uproot that tree. These three are inter-dependent: mind, desire
and Atman-wisdom. (14-1/7)
The liberated person (jivanmukta) is firmly established in the knowledge
of the Atman, achieved by dwelling on the unreality of the world
and contemplating its failings and faults. He has gained insight into the
nature of pleasure and pain and developed equanimity in both. He
knows that wealth, wordly joy and pleasure are all worthless and even
poisonous. He takes praise, blame and even blows with a calm assurance,
unaffected by honour or dishonour. Of course, the liberated living
being reached that stage only after long years of systematic discipline
and unflagging zeal when distress and doubt assailed him.
Defeat only made him more rigorous in self-examination and more earnest
about following the prescribed discipline. The liberated man
(jivanmuktha) has no trace of the “will to live”; he is ever ready to drop
into the lap of death.
“Direct perception of the Divine Absolute, the Atman” is the name given
to the stage in which the aspirant is free from all doubt regarding
improbability or impossibility, and is certain that the two entities, living
being and Brahman, are one, and have been one, and will ever be one.
When this stage is attained, the aspirant will no longer suffer any confusion,
he will not mistake one thing for another, or superimpose one
thing on another. (...)
He will not (...) declare, as he did previously, that the effulgence of
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Brahman is not in him. In the heart and centre of every living, God exists,
minuter than the minutest molecule, larger than the largest conceivable
object, smaller than the smallest, greater than the greatest.
Therefore, the wise man who has had a vision of the Atman in him will
never suffer sorrow. (...)
The devotee has to direct his attention away from the external world
and look inwards; he has to turn his vision towards the Atman. He must
analyse the process of his mind and discover for himself where its
modifications and agitations originate. By this means, every trace of
“intention” and “will” disappears. Afterwards, the only idea that will get
fixed in the mind will be the idea of God. The only feeling which will occupy
the mind will be the feeling of bliss (...)
Such a devotee will be unaffected by joy or grief, for he will be fully immersed
in the ocean of Divine bliss, above and beyond the reach of
worldly things. (...)
The sage gets full bliss from his own Atman; he does not seek it anywhere
outside himself. In fact, he will have no desire or plan to find joy
in anything external. He is satisfied with the inner joy he gets. The
greatness of a sage is beyond description, even beyond your imagination!
The sacred texts proclaim: "He who has known Brahman becomes
Brahman itself, he who has attained the Brahman principle has
become the highest”. (...)
All bubbles are but the same water; so also, all the multiplicity of name
and form, all this created world, are but the same Brahman. This is the
fixed conviction of the sage, nay, his genuine experience. As all rivers
flow into the sea and get lost, so also all desires get lost in the effulgent
consciousness of the realized soul. (14-7/12)
Keeping such sacred duties and obligations of man in view, the sacred
texts have established four goals of life, which are: righteousness
(dharma), prosperity (artha), desire (kama) and liberation (moksha).
Almost every experienced and learned scholar will tell us that of these
four goals, the most important aim of your life, the ultimate goal is liberation.
Ask yourselves the question: “If liberation is the supreme and
ultimate objective, why mention prosperity and desire also?” It is not
as if there is no meaning for these two words prosperity and desire.
Liberation is the highest, exalted goal. That is your destination. In order
to reach it you need a ladder to help you in the process. This ladder,
which consists of various steps, must also have some support. This
support is the earth, sometimes called nature. Thus you are making an
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attempt to have this ladder consisting of two sides and the steps, prosperity
and desire, supported on the earth which we have called nature
or Divne order. You want to climb up and reach the exalted position of
liberation. Support is the earth; destination is liberation; the earth
which is the support is like your conduct. It is only when you take the
support and your destination, Divine order and liberation, as your primary
objectives, the two intermediary steps - prosperity and desire, will
be meaningful and will have some significance to you. But if you neglect
Divine order and liberation, the basis and the goal, then prosperity
and desire will become useless.
Every individual, who is born on this earth, should understand the nature
and the meaning of this world. Divine order upholds the entire creation
and you should also follow righteousness in your conduct. (...)
When you try to understand the teaching of your sacred text, you will
learn that OM is the one thing which is the same as Brahman, God.
God is one and only one and there is no second to that one. When you
think of your great seers and the great sayings which have been taught
by them, you will realize that the entire world is one in which there is
non dualism. It is just one and only one. Even though those who follow
the dualistic philosophy do not accept and agree with the truth of nondualism,
the philosophy of non-dualism does not suffer from any special
drawback. Some day or other, when proper enquiry has been
made, the dualistic philosophers as well as everyone else, whether he
is a believer or non-believer, whether he is a yogi or steeped in earthly
wealth and pleasures, no matter who he is he will have to accept nondualism
as the truest philosophy. When you go deep and make proper
enquiries about the world, you will realize that it is one, there is no duality
and non-duality one will make itself evident to you ultimately in this
world. The appearance of plurality is something which is only a reflection
of your own illusion. This is also referred to as ignorance. Differences,
distinctions and plurality have all started from oneness. They
have not started from the basis of plurality. (...)
Brahman assumes the form of one who has attributes and comes into
this world and resides in every being, in everything that you see
around you in this world. It is not possible to get hold of him separately
with your eyes, it is not possible to get hold of him separately with your
hands, but it is only possible to recognize him by experiencing him in
the state of the world. You cannot do anything more with your gross
body than experience Brahman, God, who is omnipresent and all pervading.
(...)
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Take the one truth that God is present in all the living things in the entire
world: If you examine it, you will find on ocean of difference between
one being and another in your experience and in their external
appearance. Take the case of an ant: If an ant comes near you, you
push it away. If a snake comes near you, you are afraid and run away
from it. The fact that you behave so differently towards these two living
things, shows that you are not able to experience the feeling that God
is present and is the same in all living things. How can you expound
what you do not practice in your daily life? (34-118/125)
When you have been able to imbibe the essence that is contained in
the words which describe non-dualism and transform them into experience,
then you do not have to go to a specific place - you do not have
to go anywhere at all. But so long as you are content only with words
and talking about non-dualism and you have no experience at all, you
need to go to certain places. You have to make pilgrimages; for whatever
you call attributes, for whatever you call form, you are seeking
some form. There is a place and a time for that. But once you have got
over this feeling, if you are seeking the one without attributes and the
one without form, then there are no limitations of space or time. (34-
126/127)
Man today lives a life from which sacredness, modesty and all other
qualities have disappeared. Though he has some good qualities, he
does not make use of them. (34-181)
Every student must seek education and not fulfillment of his desires.
Education is enriched by humility. True education is judged from the
cultivation of good character and good conduct, and not merely from
the acquisition of degrees. Education does not mean ignoring the sacrifices
made by your parents at home. It does not mean that you should
dress luxuriously, displeasing your elders, disregarding all those who
are more knowledgeable than you. That is not education at all. Your
parents will always feel happy when they find you endowed with good
character. (34-200/201)
When you get up in the morning sit on your bed and think of the Lord.
Think that your getting up from the bed is like rising from the womb,
that you are just born. As soon as you get up, throw your troubles and
burdens at the foot of the Lord and pray to him to guide you through
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life and give you only good thoughts and noble ideas which always
serve as uplifting factors in life. When you go back to bed at night, imagine
that to be a state of death. Tell yourself that during the day, you
have acted according to the Lord’s orders. Ask for forgiveness if there
is anything wrong and ask to be led on the path of righteousness. If you
begin and end your day with such prayers, it will help you reach higher
altitudes of living. Even during your bath if you remember the name of
God, it will be like bathing the form of God.
When you take food, all evil is eliminated if you offer the first morsel to
God. The food then becomes a gift of the Lord bestowed on man. (...)
It may not be possible to insist that the vessel be pure, that the man
who cooks the food be pure and that the food be pure, but if you offer
the first morsel to God, it becomes utterly pure.
When you return to your homes, you may find the Sathya Sai Organization.
Take active part in it. Try to help those who are in distress,
those who are suffering and the poor. Once upon a time, there lived a
poet and holy man who used to sit on the verandah of his house in front
of the Lord’s picture and chant beautiful songs. One day, it was raining
heavily and he sought shelter in another little verandah in the village.
Another man came and asked him if he could also take shelter there.
The sage said he could. He said: ”There was room only for me to
stretch out, but now that you are here we will sit up.” Later, another
man came and asked for shelter. The sage consented saying: ”There
was place for the two of us to sit. Now that you also have come, let us
all stand.” He thus taught the principle of helping one another and not
sending anyone away who needed help. If you have three morsels of
food and you find another man with no food, you must cultivate the
spirit of serving and parting with one morsel of food for the other man.
You must cultivate this attitude of sharing with others the good things
you have. Then only can you put into practice the great principle of
finding God in every creature. You must practice this principle in daily
life.
All of you have great love and adore Sai but that love and adoration
are of no use if you ignore the teachings of Sai. Even if you do not
adore, if you believe in the truth of the word and enforce it in your daily
life, Sai’s grace will always be with you in your life. It is no use if you
simply utter the name of the Lord and do not follow the good things that
go with the Lord. (34-262/263)
It does not matter if there are no big reforms in your educational sys-
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tem but it is sad that in the name of education, our youth are acquiring
such peculiar habits that their parents are not able to lift their heads in
public because of shame. It is only when the contents of education are
closely linked with ideals of sacrifice, forbearance, truth and love that
the youth will get the benefit of education. Students will never get any
benefit out of education if it is devoid of these noble principles. Education
does not consist of accumulating information and facts from a multitude
of books. Reading of books can only enrich you in the information
that you gather but can never give or promote good qualities. You
will have to regard good education as a process by which your character
is improved and by which you will be able to use your intelligence
and sharpen your mind so as to distinguish right from wrong. Students
must strive to attain strength connected with responsibility. They
should also recognize the necessity for becoming aware of the defects
in society and in mankind in general. Students must necessarily have
three essential qualities – discipline, devotion and duty. It is only when
they have these three qualities that they will become useful to society.
Students are neglecting these three important qualities. They are behave
in a manner which makes others feel that they are only after higher
degrees like M.A. or M.Sc. This can also be summed up by saying
that they are running after so called higher knowledge, not caring for
general knowledge. If one does not possess ordinary common sense,
however much he may think himself to be educated, he will be with
equated an illiterate person. If there is no sense of discipline, if one acquires
proficiency in English education alone and if one is not educated
in matters relating to the Atman or the self, the only result of such
education will be slavery. (35-4/6)
A great many people who are educated, who are in charge of education
and who are in responsible positions are asking what religion
means, what Indian culture is, what ethics stands for and what morality
is. By asking such questions and by displaying ignorance of the basic
tenets of religion, they are confusing the minds of young students. It is
clear from their questions that their knowledge has been derived only
from books and can be described as book knowledge. They do not
seem to have had any Divine experience at all in their lives. Such is
the state of your guardians. I hope that the students will conduct themselves
in a manner that will open the eyes of those who are in charge
of education. All my hopes and aspirations rest on the conduct of
young people. Young people of today have a great chance and a
unique opportunity to set right the future of this country. (35-9/10)
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Today, we do see many situations among the students where they get
spoilt by possessing an excess of money. At first, it may seem difficult
to get on with a minimum amount of money but if they control their desire
for money, they will be come very happy and peaceful. When students
are really in need of ten rupees, they prepare themselves to ask
for twenty rupees. In that context, when the children ask for twenty rupees,
the parents should give only ten rupees. This is essential. The
son may feel hurt if he gets only ten rupees when he asks for twenty
rupees. Even though he feels hurt momentarily, he will get strength later
on. If he is given twenty rupees when he actually needs only ten, he
will get bad friends and spend that money on them. (35-159)
At this young age of yours, you should recognize the present as the
most important time. You must fulfill your duty which is the best work
you can do. Your duty is to respect your mother and father. Your duty
is to keep away from bad things and do whatever work you have undertaken
to do, in the best possible manner. In this way, you will do the
best of things and serve the country in the best possible manner. At
your age you must strengthen the three qualities of discipline, devotion
and duty. This present life of yours will not come back again and so you
must attach importance to good qualities. (...)
Today, we show only part-time devotion and we want full time reward
for this part time devotion. If you give only part of your mind and ask
for full return of the grace of God, it is like asking for full pay for half a
day’s work. If you recognize with the fullness of your heart that everything
that you do is by God’s grace, then surely full return will be given
by God. You try and you will see. (35-177+179)
What is the purpose of education and knowledge, if you do not give up
a habit which you know is bad? No devotee should follow the path of
ignorance he should follow the path of righteousness. You should
have your attention fixed on knowledge and wisdom. (...)
You want to feel important and because of your education, but it is well
known that true education consists of acquiring humility and removing
the ego. True education does not bring arrogance. Education brings
humility in its wake and all educated people look at everyone else with
humility and equal mindedness. If you ask: “Who is a blind man in this
world?”, the answer is that he who knows everything and yet is not able
to see things in the proper perspective, is a blind man. If you are able
to give service and conduct yourselves with humility when you see
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elders, that will be referred to as true education. Without knowing the
essence of education, do not go about saying that you are an educated
person. Your beauty, your age, your strength, your wealth and your position
should not make you feel proud because with your advancing
age all these will vanish. In this context, what is the point of feeling
proud of this leather bag of a body?
Students, you join schools, colleges and universities for the purpose
of getting education. Do not think that the education which you get is
confined only to the colleges or schools. Education comes from the
world over, from a workshop, from a farm, from a profession or a trade.
Moving in the market can give you education. All aspects of life can impart
education. You must regard the world itself as a big university.
From the time you get up till the time you go to sleep again, you are
using education for earning a pittance of a livelihood. If you cannot use
education to be near the foot of the Lord, what is the purpose of all this
knowledge? You must have God in your heart and recognize all living
beings as equal. You must make every effort to overcome the four obstacles,
namely lust, anger, attachment and greed. So long as these
thieves are in your home, there is no certainty that you will get the
treasure of wisdom. But after driving away these thieves, you will get
a bigger thief into your home and that thief is God himself. That is why
he has been called “one who steals your heart”. (...)
Thus, your ego which is very sweet can only be removed by God who
is also very sweet. You must have faith in him and give up your ego
and move closer to God. If you do this, God himself will see when you
have to be respected, what you have to be given and when. The entire
thing will be his responsibility and all will rest on God himself. (35-185/
188)
On the other hand, there are those who feel happy in the midst of sorrow,.
Such people can be compared to gold. If you take a piece of gold
and heat it with a view to melt it, the piece of gold gets rid of its impurities.
In the same manner, when man is in the midst of sorrow, if he
can get rid of the sorrow, and feel happy, he is like a piece of gold.
People who remain unruffled in the midst of joy or grief can be compared
to a diamond. This means that they will always remain in a state
of equipoise. In the case of a diamond, you may try to cut it in many
ways but with each cut, its value only increases. By such treatment,
the value of a diamond is not going to diminish. Persons of this type
always reside in the realm of Divine bliss. (35-199)
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Students! It is essential for you to recognize the qualities that characterize
a human being. In order to acquire these qualities, you have to
develop concentration, a spirit of sacrifice, and faith in God. Wisdom,
thus attained, shines like the sun. In your state of ignorance, the illumination
of wisdom is covered by the cloud of selfishness. So long as
man is not able to push away the clouds of selfishness, he cannot look
at the sun of wisdom. (35-214)
Do not feel proud of your Iearning and think that you are a very knowledgeable
person. What after all is the extent of the knowledge that you
have acquired when you are not able to help others with that knowledge?
To think, because of the limited education you have had, that
you are better than others is a matter of unwarranted pride and ego
and you have to give this up. In truth, you are the embodiment of ignorance.
You must realize that out of your limited knowledge and education,
correct ideas cannot come to you. (...)
You are becoming slaves to the process of birth and death. You should
not allow yourselves to become slaves to this process. You should
make an attempt to become one with the great effulgent spirit. Man
does not make an attempt to understand the basic difference between
the duty that has been entrusted to him as a human being and to others.
He does not ask the question as to what he has achieved during
his life time and how he has been useful to others. He ends his life without
answering any of these basic questions. (...)
For your spiritual life, righteousness is the basis. Righteousness does
not depend on an individual. Righteousness does not depend on a period
of time or a particular situation. Righteousness depends only on
truth. That is why it has been said that there is no right conduct other
than truth. To conduct oneself in a manner which on the spur of the
moment comes to one's mind and to think that is right is very foolish.
To think that to conduct oneself in accordance with one's own ideas is
practice of right conduct is very foolish. To be able to develop equal
mindedness and to be able to develop equanimity are the correct aspects
of right conduct and for this one must have an unwavering mind
and thoughts. (...)
The kind of education that you get today cannot be called true education.
You only superficial acquaintance with a large number of text
books and not their essence or right education. As a result of the vast
amount of information that you acquire, you simply lose all your energy.
We cannot find even one student who has acquired general knowl-
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edge. He chooses one small part of the totality of knowledge or one
special aspect and he tries to acquire higher sense in that aspect and
in this process loses common sense. (...)
Many scientific discoveries are made but because of your inability to
use them for individual and common benefit, you are going very low in
human values. (...)
The fact that you are not enshrining sacred Divinity in your heart but
becoming distant from it so that your body go where it likes is not a human
quality at all. It is animal behaviour. Freedom is necessary but before
you can enjoy freedom, you should understand what it means.
The freedom that is implied here should arise out of wisdom and character
which you build up as a result of education. To make an attempt
to transform the human nature in yourself and elevate it to the sacred
Divine nature should be the purpose of all education that you wish for
yourself. (36-1/6)
From the time you wake up in the morning to the time you go back to
sleep in the night, you spend all your time to earning food for your
stomach. All the education, knowledge and ability that you have is being
spent for this trivial purpose. Think of this, man! and find out what
happiness you get by forgetting the Lord in this process. (36-134)
The Veda has taught you the importance of various teachings such as
right conduct and Brahman. We can say with that true education deals
only with those matters which pertain to righteousness and Divinity. All
education referring to aspects other than these cannot be called true
education. The knowledge of Atman, or the knowledge that relates to
Divinity and the knowledge that gives you some idea of the higher self
alone is knowledge and that is what the Veda says. Everything else
cannot come under the description of knowledge. (...)
True education is that which connects activity with Divine conduct. The
connection between the two must become evident to you, must be accepted
by you and put it into practice in your everyday life. That alone
will be called real and complete education. If there is no appreciation
of the need for action and its spiritual aspects, it cannot be called education.
(...)
The three processes, namely study, reflection and comprehension
which one has to adopt for reaching the end of the sacred formula in
the Vedas have already been mentioned. Without going through these
three processes, mere recitation can be called just scholarship, knowl-
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edge in the context of the world. Such knowledge will not go to the
depths of the heart or reveal the aspect of Brahman at all. The kind of
knowledge where one does not follow up the process of listening with
the process of thinking over and digesting it will at best be learning
without proper background or the requisite culture. (36-198/199)
To make education a prop for life or a breadwinner for your material
life is a mistake. Your life itself should give you the strength to live. Education
should not be made a bread-winner. There are crores of people
in this country who are not educated and who are still living a good
life. To think that education is necessary to enable man to live is quite
wrong. Education should enable you to be an ideal and develop into
an ideal example. Your learning is not to be used just to fill your stomach.
Education is the correct type of education if it enables you to lead
a life which can be an example to others and if it enables you to distinguish
right from wrong. Education should promote humility in you,
and enable you to become more humble than an uneducated person;
it should enable you to serve your mother and father and country and
your service should become a selfless service. If you become a selfish
person and simply acquire degrees which become a burden on your
shoulders, that kind of education is of no use. Selfishness, exhibitionism
and immorality are seen in an extensive measure only in the educated
class of people. Such education which makes you proud and
which removes all the good qualities such as humility cannot add to the
prosperity of the country. It can only cause harm to the country and
create confusion and trouble. As you become more and more educated,
your ideas should become broader and broader. As your knowledge
grows further and further, humility should also become more and
more. At any time and under all circumstances you should be prepared
to give your help, energy and encouragement to those who ask for it.
The moment our students get one or two degrees they become burdensome
to their own parents and they do things which cause great
confusion in the minds of the parents. They bring tears of sorrow to
their parents. The father of the house struggles to do everything for the
family even when he grows old. In spite of the fact that the son sees
the father going through all this struggle, he does not raise even his little
finger to help him. This kind of education which makes one not
serve his father, how is it going to enable him to serve the country?
Mother and father have struggled on many occasions to feed and support
their son as a student and when the parents are in difficulty the
son would not do anything to help them and relieve their hunger and
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trouble. He himself eats and sleeps in a very selfish manner. What is
the use of the education which he has received if it does not teach him
to look after the welfare of the mother and father when they are in difficulties?
(36-257/258)
This land of ours has earned fame beyond its borders. It has given birth
to men of great reputation, has driven away western rulers and earned
for itself independence; this land of ours has given birth to many sons
who are learned and scholars; it has shown great capacity and
achievement in many fields such as music, sacred teaching, fine arts
and sculpture. We have also promoted and sustained things which are
aesthetic and beautiful. This land of ours has been the source of Divine
conduct. Bharata, our motherland, had the great fortune of generating
Divine law and good conduct. The responsibility of maintaining these
and protecting them in the future rests on the shoulders of you young
people. Students, boys and girls! Other people who are assembled
here this afternoon, our country Bharata is one which has handed over
spiritual strength to all other parts of the world. While civilisation, under
the pretext of modernity, is spreading all over the world and bringing
about many changes in man's life, yet you see that the basic spiritual
aspects are not undergoing any change. From this, you should learn
and understand how strong and how very deeply rooted the spiritual
aspects are. It is not possible for anyone to stop or slow down this
stream of spiritual wisdom. As this spirituality goes further and further
you will recognise that the so called individual freedom advocated by
modern civilisation leads one only to paths of ignorance. How long will
this kind of foolishness sustain the spiritual aspects? How long can
walls which have no foundation stand? From time immemorial our ideas
and traditions have stood firmly on the foundations of Vedas and religious
aspects and you have had the strength of spiritual gems behind
them. Such foundations cannot be shaken by modern ideas. The so
called educated people are caught in the fangs of lust and desire and
are not able to come out of their clutches. What one learns these days
cannot to called education as it is not accompanied by the necessary
purification. From time to time it is necessary to introduce reforms in
education. If man is not able to take good education to his heart and if
his education has no culture behind it, he will be worse than an uneducated
washerman. A person who is educated in many branches thinks
he has great wisdom but in reality, he does not know himself. Such a
person cannot give up the meanness of his manner. If one really goes
into the details of the kind of education which one gets today, one finds
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that it is of an argumentative type not helping man to become wise.
Why submit yourself to such education? You should really go through
such education as will lead you to immortality. When you ask the question:
“Who is the blind man in the world?” then the answer comes that
an educated person who in the spite of his education does wrong
things is the blind man. There is no meaning whatsoever in feeling
proud that you are educated persons.
The only kind of knowledge which can be called real education is that
which enables you to open your heart and reveals to you the nature of
Atman, your Divine nature. Education which does not enable you to
understand the Divine aspect or control your sensory organs cannot
be termed education at all. Education should give you Divine feeling
and Divine power and enable you to understand the daily events which
occur in man's life and the permanent truth which links man's life to the
environment and community around him. True education is composed
of character, truth and conduct. Character, truth, conduct and ability to
sacrifice are a must in any education and if what you learn is devoid
of them, it become worthless. True education gives you humility and
from humility you get the deservedness from which you will get wealth
and from wealth you will get righteousness, and from right conduct you
will get happiness in this temporal world as well as in the spiritual
world.
Spiritual law is not something which has been created by man. Man's
ideas have not got the authority to give shape to or change the form
of Divine law. You can only follow Divine law, it is not something that
you can change. Divine order has been in existence much earlier than
you and therefore you have to follow the Divine order; it is not going to
change for you. (...)
How can one get peace by holding the atom bomb in one’s hand and
simply shouting that peace is wanted in the world. So if you always
practice an immoral life and keep on shouting that Divine conduct is to
be protected, how is Divine law going to be protected?
Students! Your hearts are very sacred and pure. In this pure and unwavering
heart you have to feel the sacred aspect as Divinity. Today
you are all wearing white clothes and you are all assembled in Whitefield.
This means that just as you are wearing white clothes externally,
you must make your hearts pure and white internally. You should remember
that the characteristic feature of education that you have acquired
here is to make you clean and pure both internally and externally.
All of you who will become the future citizens of this country have
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to uphold the dignity of the country and uphold right conduct, thereby
uplifting the entire country. You should be prepared, if you find a person
who preaches peace and righteousness but himself practices violence
and an immoral life, to give him a good beating. Students
should be prepared to punish anyone who has his legs and yet behaves
like a lame person, anyone who has his eyes and yet behaves
like a blind person, anyone who has his mental strength and yet behaves
like a weak minded person. The word punish used here should
not be interpreted as causing physical harm or trouble. (...)
You should go to the persons in authority and see that the inconveniences
are removed. Instead of this, if you take the wrong path and get
excited you will bring disrespect to the very name and vocation of a
student and you will be abusing the culture and training that you have
received. By following anarchic practices, you simply ruin the reputation
of the whole country. Excitement is not a good thing. It is a characteristic
of weakness. It is only a weak person that gets excited. In
their excitement, some say that they have achieved their objective but
this achievement is often only temporary. If you look at a problem in a
peaceful manner and spend the necessary time thinking it over and
going into it in depth to arrive at a proper solution, the result will be lasting.
(...)
After you reach home, you will find that there are Sathya Sai Organizations
doing spiritual work. I hope you will join such organizations and
recall to your mind all that you have learnt here and continue to live this
experience. Only when the boys and girls who participated in the summer
camp go back and pass on the bliss and happiness which they
have acquired here to others with whom they come in contact can they
be said to put into practice what they have learnt. The kind of happiness
and the good ideals that you have learnt here must he retained
by you till the end of your life enabling you to enjoy it. (36-291/293)
When you meet with difficulties and come across sorrow, you should
take courage and use whatever strength you have in a good and appropriate
manner to face the situation bravely. Man's life consists of
ups and downs, man's body also consists of ups and downs. This is
only natural. It is a characteristic feature of things in nature that they
go on changing continually. If there is no change, human nature itself
has no value. If there are no difficulties in one's life, life itself will not
work. If there is no sorrow, if one does not meet with sorrow, there is
no value in one's life. If there is no death at all, even a mother cannot
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show affection and love to her child. Sorrow, pain, difficulties and situations
which could bring losses, come to you in many different ways
and on different occasions in your lives. In such situations, you should
not sink. In situations which give pleasure, you should not be elated.
You should have an equal mind and face all-situations with equanimity.
You must take these things with an unwavering mind and attain
bliss. In every life, good and bad are always present together. When
you look at the good, the bad things that always exist alongside appear
to defeat the good. (...)
In the same manner, good and bad give a lot of trouble to the mind of
the ordinary human being and make it suffer. But to great people and
great saints, good and bad are exactly the same. (37-2/5)
More than worshipping God, to regard God as an ideal example of a
perfect human being is important. To worship God and cause pain to
human beings cannot be called devotion. If you want to proclaim to the
world that you are true devotees, then you must show that in your conduct
and in your daily life.
In the world, there are so many people who are educated. But this education
is not giving you happiness. True peace is present within your
heart. To go out and search for true peace of mind is a waste of time.
All that you wish to acquire is within you. You are God. That is why I
often tell you, that you are not one person, but you are three persons.
The one you think you are, the one others think you are, the one you
really are. That is why you say that in the aspect of your body, in the
aspect of your mind and in the aspect of your Atman, the higher self,
you have three different facets of your personality. In the aspect of
your body you do physical work. Take the decision to do good work.
(...) It is in doing your work, that you derive happiness. In the aspect
of your mind, promote good ideas and good thoughts. If in these two
aspects of work and worship, you take the proper path, then comes the
important role of your heart, which signifies wisdom. Wisdom is the
third aspect. (...)
This is the reason why you should not regard work, worship and wisdom
as three things distinct from each other. They are inseparably
connected with each other. What ever work you do, do it in the name
of God. Do it as a task of God, then work will become worship. So l
hope that you will remove the bad ideas, the unsacred ideas that filled
your heart in the past. (37-24)
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When you are able to control desire, it will be possible for you to have
the entire world in your palm. (37-37)
Nature, the material creation around you, is your friend. You can interpret
this by saying that if you have faith, you can achieve any difficult
task. If there is love between you and me and even if we come to blows
with each other, then you will, interpret that it has been for your own
good; those blows have caused your blood to circulate more freely. If
there is no love, if there is no understanding between us, even if I throw
a good rose flower at you, it will be misunderstood and you will interpret
it by saying that the rose has got a thorn and I have thrown the
rose so that the thorn may hurt you. Here the good way in which you
interpret it, or the bad way in which you interpret it, is determined mainly
by the presence or absence of love. (...)
Students, to be born as a human being is not so unsacred as all that.
Amongst all the things that are born, to get a human birth is very difficult.
Not realizing that and acquiring bad qualities will be making your
life unsacred. No life is always and at all times filled with troubles and
pains. Difficulties never come one after another. The interval between
one sorrow and another can be described as pleasure. Thus pleasure
is always an interval between two pains. On the contrary, you treat this
period between pain and pain as a period of leisure and rest. Truly
three-fourths of your life is filled with happiness and only one-fourth is
pain. But you do not take your life in that manner. You think that threefourths
is filled with sorrow and one-fourth is filled with happiness, and
you get vexed and disgusted with human life and say that this human
life is full of sorrow. This simply reflects man's mind in a weak state.
With a view to making such a weak mind strong enough, you have to
accept the path of spirituality. (37-139/140)
Ignorance and darkness are growing enormously among people. Mere
acquaintance with the contents of several books is given more importance
than practice. This must be called ignorance. This will not give
you true wisdom. True wisdom is the Atman wisdom and by using this,
you should make an attempt to understand your own higher self and
the significance of your life. For this, some amount of spiritual discipline
is essential. Spiritual practice here signifies your ability to make
your actions sacred by dedicating all work to God. Make an attempt to
give up passion, and do sacred work with the body and sacred service
to the community around you. Such a change will be valuable. Your
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ody should undertake such work which the sacred thoughts of your
mind will direct it to do. (37-188/189)
It is by faith and trust that one can become wise. If you have faith, it
will be possible for you to acquire any amount of wisdom. What kind
of faith should you promote? Faith in sacred things and faith in how to
help the community. You should also develop this care and trust in
selfless work, in doing things which will give pleasure and happiness
to others. (37-210/211)
You do not find even one of that kind in a million. Many people who
continuously perform worship and meditation and read spiritual texts
do not appear to have any practical experience at all. Truly, practices,
which you only listen to and texts which you merely read, are all a
waste of time. It is not possible for you to purify yourselves merely by
reading books. Today the book and the head appear to have become
one. You are learning how to convert your head into a book, but you
are not learning how to convert the narrow ideas in your head into useful
practical knowledge. The words that one utters are very peaceful
words, but the actions that one indulges in are violent. People who deceive
others have become very numerous and this is the reason why
your motherland is suffering. (37-215)
Students, you should recognize that along with you as an individual,
there is also society and the community. You are not living solely for
yourselves. You are not living solely for the sake of your family. You
are living for the sake of the world. Even before you were born, your
father and mother were there. Your father and mother were part of the
society around you. Having been born into the community, how can
you leave it? This is the opportunity for you to regard service to the
community as service to God. You must push away the selfishness in
you and undertake the task of helping others. You will have read stories
in which the moral is that God will like those people who like the
people around them. On one occasion, Abu Ben Adam was returning
to his home, when he found that there was light coming from the bedroom
window. When he looked in, he saw that an angel was sitting in
his bedroom, and using a golden pen to write in a book. Gently Abu
Ben Adam entered the room and asked: "Mother, what are you doing?"
She replied: "I am an angel, I am a messenger of God. I am writing a
list of names of those have shown affection to God." Abu Ben Adam
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asked if his name was there in that list. She said: "No, it is not here."
Abu Ben Adam told himself: "I am not loved by God. Have I not been
devoted to God? What is my limitation?" He just left it at that and went
to his room.
On the next day he went out, to meet some people. When he returned,
he found the same light shining out of his window. He again asked:
"Mother, what is it that you are writing today?" The angel replied: "Today
I am making a list of people who are loved by God." He asked:
"Does that list contain my name?" The angel replied: "In the whole list,
I find only your name." He again asked the question: "Why does God
love me?" This angel, who is the messenger of God, replied: "You believe
that service to people is service to the Lord. You find God in people
and you have identified people with God; so God loves you because
you feel that God is omnipresent."
In your daily life, you say that God is omnipresent but you do not put
this into practice. You should see God in everyone, everywhere and
you love everyone as you love God. Have a broad vision of God and
regard him as present everywhere. To is confine Him in some small
place is to bring down the status of God himself. Because your ideas
are narrow and small, you think that God is narrow and small. Students,
do not have such narrow ideas. Broaden your vision and regard
God as present everywhere; in that context, you should serve and love
everyone. Young people should put all their efforts into developing
broad ideas. The young people are the saviours of the world. My ambition
and hopes rest on them. The future of the country depends upon
the faith of the young. If you turn out to be good people, the country
will turn out to be good. If you promote narrow ideas and keep them
narrow, you will harm this country.
Students, your hearts are sacred, your ideas are pure and you should
strengthen these qualities in you and serve the people. This body of
yours is weak. It is made up of the five elements that make the world.
You do not know when you have to abandon this body. People tell us,
that it will live for a hundred years. Do not believe that. This body may
disappear at any moment - maybe in your youth, maybe in your adolescence
or maybe in your old age. It may drop down in a forest, or in
a city or on water. When and under what circumstances the body will
drop, no one can say. The only thing which is certain is death. So long
as the body is with you, good use must be made of it. You must use it
only for good and sacred purposes. (37-226/228)
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Truth and righteousness will never submit to anything. All kinds of
power, whether physical, intellectual, monetary, military or political,
have to bend before truth and righteousness; but the latter will yield to
none. Truth and righteousness will always triumph. (...)
Indian culture is unparalleled and wonderful. Having forgotten the
grandeur and glory of their heritage, students of today are enticed by
so-called modernity, and become oblivious to their innate Divinity. The
whirlwind of rapidly progressing science and technology coupled with
industrialization is bringing about undesirable changes in our society,
uprooting moral or ethical values essential for human well-being. Science
and technology have, no doubt, contributed substantially to material
progress but they have undermined spiritual values such as selflessness,
Divinity and dignity inherent in man. In a way they have
devalued humanity itself so that the present generation of young men
and women are unable to recognise their Divine nature. They consider
self-centredness as the goal of life. Demonic qualities like ostentation,
egoism, excessive and empty talk play their evil dance in society. This
country, which has been the spiritual teacher of mankind is becoming
the playfield of evil forces like injustice, indiscipline, licentiousness and
defiance of truth. Having become slaves to modernity, people disregard
truth and righteousness, and ignore Indian culture and traditions,
with the false notion that material self advancement is the “summun
bonum” of life. What the students have to protect today is not the nation.
They have to safeguard truth and righteousness. These two, in
turn will protect the nation. By giving up truth and righteousness, educated
persons are cause damage to the nation, ostensibly in the name
of protecting it.
People do not become wise by mere education. They consider education
as a means of livelihood rather than the art of living. The supreme
goal of life should be kept in view. A small piece of fertile land is more
valuable than a large tract of barren land; so also character is much
more valuable than scholarship. Today everybody is striving to acquire
wealth, power and property which are like passing clouds while nobody
bothers to acquire virtues which lead to the eternal truth. You must try
to become example of virtue, not of wealth and power. (40-1/3)
314
You are not the body, a bundle of flesh, blood and bones;
Neither are you the unmanifested desires, nor the manifested
mind;
You are not the infatuating delusion that thwarts your liberation;

You are the Eternal Divinity, if only you could recognise
your innate power.
Students! Embodiments of Divine love! The body, the senses, the
mind and the intellect are only the garments put on by man. When you
understand the nature and significance of these adjuncts, you can
make proper use of them. (...)
The body which is made up of the five elements is impermanent. But
you who have put on this body are the supreme God who is eternal and
unchanging. It is up to you to use your power of discrimination in using
the body wisely and thereby derive joy from it. (...)
Yet another name for the body is mandir - shrine or temple, because
it enshrines the living being, the individual soul, which in fact is no other
than the eternal God-Supreme soul. Being the sacred and holy abode
of God; the body should not be misused but utilised for entertaining
good thoughts, speaking good words and performing good actions. To
facilitate such right use of the body, it should be kept in good shape.
(...)
Just because you have this body, you should not use it according to
your whims and fancies, forgetting that it is the temple of God, to be
used for sacred purposes. (40-11/13)
Those who wish to use the body properly and ensure that they entertain
good thoughts, perform good acts and reap good results should
scrupulously follow two things, viz., regulation of diet and regulation of
living habits. (...)
As the body is a sacred shrine, you should avoid taking any intoxicating
substances. Articles of food that promote passionate qualities,
should be avoided. What is the meaning of passionate (rajas) food?
The prevalent notion is that fruits and milk constitute pure food. But
that is not all. What is consumed by the mouth is not the only food that
enters the body. The other sense organs like the eyes, the ears, the
nose and the hands also consume objects from the external world.
Just because a person takes fruits and milk through one of the five
sense organs, he cannot claim to have taken pure food, unless the
food taken by him through all the five senses are pure. Through the
eyes you have to see only what is pure. To see all kinds of things indiscriminately
is to spell disaster. The power of sight should be used
only for sacred purposes. Unfortunately, the vision of youth today is increasingly
perverted by lustful vision. (...)
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Students should be particularly careful in this regard. It is only when
they use their eyes in a pure and sacred way that they will receive pure
impressions through the eyes. (...)
The ears too need pure food. This means you should listen only to sacred
words and to accounts relating to the Divine. Let us always hear
good and pleasant things about others. In this way, you must safeguard
the ears from being polluted by hearing bad things. Only thus
can you ensure consuming pure food through the ears. Only fragrant
sweet-smelling scents should be absorbed through the nose. Inhaling
bad odours will result in disease. If you inhale foul air, you will be
breathing in disease producing organisms. You must inhale pure air,
in a clean open space. The hand also should be used to consume pure
food. In other words, you must perform only good acts with your hands,
befitting the appellation of temple, used for the body. When you get rid
of the five evils associated with the pollution of speech, sight, hearing,
thought and action, you will be able to realise your own Divinity and become
supreme soul. If the senses are fed with polluted food, you cannot
become pure merely by taking milk and fruit. You must partake of
pure food through all the live sense organs. Usually a temple will have
many gates. These gateways are intended to let in only devotees who
seek to worship the deity inside the temple, but not all and sundry. Similarly
for this temple of the body there are five gates. What is the purpose
of these doorways? If you build a house and erect doors in it, they
are intended to let in your kith and kin only and not all stray animals
like-dogs, pigs and donkeys etc. If such unwanted animals try to enter,
the doors are shut against them. Likewise, the doors of the live senses
in this sacred body should be kept open for sacred and Divine entrants
alone. Only then will it deserve the name temple. On the other hand,
if unholy objects and ideas are allowed to enter, it ceases to be a holy
temple. Thus it may be seen that pure food is essential for putting the
body to proper use. Next comes movement or association with places,
persons, objects etc. You must consider seriously what sort of places
you visit, in what kind of environment in you should live and what type
of persons you ought to associate with. Tell me your company and I
shall tell you what you are, goes the adage. You should eschew all bad
company, because your thoughts are influenced by the company you
keep. (40-14/17)
What is the reason for people professing different faiths being agreed
on the need to nourish the health and happiness of the body? It is be-
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cause all of them regard the body as the temple of the Lord within.
Therefore it is man's primary duty not to neglect this holy temple called
the body, but to take utmost care for its proper maintenance and use
it for the discharge of one's duties and obligations in life. Persons who
do not recognise this truth, subject the body to various ordeals in the
name of worship, religious vows, fasting and penance. They are missing
the goal of recognising the eternal Divine principle. (...) By subjecting
the body to torture, can you realise the Atman? By giving up good
food and water, can you attain liberation? Self-realization is possible
only through knowing your own real nature. (...)
Likewise can every one that has a human form be considered a real
man? He alone can rightly called a man, who has harmonised his
thoughts, words and deeds. (40-25/26)
There is no difference at all between the sun and its rays, or between
the sea and its waves. Likewise there is no difference whatsoever between
God and love, because God is the source of love. Similar is the
relationship between the body and the Atman which are interdependent
and intimately associated with each other. (...)
Moreover, you have been told about the programme of "Ceiling on desires",
which has four important components. The first one is: "Don't
waste food". Why? Because food is God. Food is indispensable for human
life, since the body cannot survive without food. The second one
is: "Don't waste money". The misuse of money is on evil. Today's youth
especially are wasting money in a number of ways. This will lead to
bad habits, loss of peace of mind and the ruining of your life itself. Our
country is facing grave economic problems and therefore indiscriminate
spending of money for selfish purposes should avoided be in the
interest of society at large. The spirit of co-operation has to be promoted.
National unity and integrity should be safeguarded. A balance has
to be maintained between individual interests and national interests.
Everything in life depends on maintaining the proper balance, whether
it be walking, sitting, cycling or driving a car. Today this balance has
been lost because of excessive knowledge and its misuse. If knowledge
is to be put to right use, it should be transformed into skill. However
instead of skill, young people in particular, are killing knowledge.
You are wasting knowledge and energy in seeing, hearing, talking,
thinking etc., in wrong manner and in excessive measure. Therefore
the third item in the "Ceiling on desires", says, "Don't waste energy".
A small illustration in this connection: you have tuned the radio to a
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particular station. Whether the volume is kept high or low, whether you
listen or not, so many units of electrical energy will be wasted. Likewise
your body is a radio. You are constantly engaged in thinking as well
as talking in a loud or low tone, talking to others or to yourself, talking
while awake and even while asleep. Due to such continuous talking
day and night, how much of energy is being wasted, thereby causing
allergy in your lives. Every action involves the use of energy. If the energy
in the body is properly utilised, then balance will be maintained
and the body will be in good shape. The fourth dictum of the "Ceiling
on desires" is "Don't waste time". Students, only when the body is
strong, healthy and happy can you enjoy the proper state of balance
in life. Man's life is wasted in brooding over the past and worrying about
the future. What is the root cause of man's sorrow and sickness? Not
being content with what he has, and hankering after what he does not
have, man forfeits peace of mind. There is no need to think about what
is past or about what is in store in the future. Of what avail is it to think
of the past which is irrevocable or to worry about the future which is
uncertain? It is a sheer waste of time. Past is past, future is future. You
can do nothing about either. What is most important is the present.
This is not ordinary present. It is omnipresent. The result of the past
and the result of the future are both present in the present. You are
reaping in the present what you had sown in the past. And what you
are sowing in the present, you will reap in future. Thus both the past
and the future are contained in the present only. So, make the best use
of the present. Give up all sorts of worry and lead ideal lives leading
to immortality and fulfillment of the purpose of human life. (40-29/31)
Control of the senses must be the primary aim of students, not the
fleeting pleasures of sense objects, which give momentary joy followed
by endless misery. The sensory perceptions, namely, hearing,
touching seeing, tasting and smelling are more powerful than the
sense organs. The most important among the sense organs is the
tongue. If the tongue is conquered, it virtually amounts to mastering all
the senses. The tongue has two important functions: eating and talking.
Whoever is able to conquer these two faculties of the tongue can
merge himself in the Divine self. When the tongue stops talking, the
mind starts chatting. To control the mind's prattling, the intellect has to
be awakened. Then one should gently persuade the intellect to turn
gradually towards the Atman. (...)
Of all the sense organs, the tongue has an overriding importance and
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influence. Mastery over this one sense organ will enable one to master
easily all the other sense organs. (...)
With a small spark you can kindle a bonfire. The power of speech is
like a spark of fire. By controlling the tongue one can virtually acquire
control over the world itself. The power of speech can be used either
for a noble and sublime purpose or misused in a mean and mischievous
manner. It can be utilised for blessing people or for blaming others.
(...)
A reckless use of your tongue can grievously hurt others' hearts. And
no doctor on earth can heal the wound caused by a harsh word. (40-
55/57)
Man is a combination of body, mind and Divinity, the Atman. These
three together constitute the steps for man's ascent to the highest
stage. The body is the instrument for actions. The mind is concerned
with cognition. The changeless and permanent reality is the Atman,
which is the Divine aspect of man. Thus, doing, knowing and being are
the triune manifestations of the human personality. Although the body,
mind and Atman have different names and characteristics, their harmonization
and unification help man to raise himself from the human
to the Divine level. (...)
The word "Antahkarana" - inner instrument, is used in an every-day
worldly context as well as in spiritual terms. What is its form, its nature,
its role, its importance and its destination? When you enquire along
these lines, you will find that mind itself assumes the subtle form of antahkarana,
consisting of four aspects, namely, mind, intellect, memory
and ego; the last three being the subtle aspects of the mind. The particular
name is given, based on the functions performed, just as one
and the same brahmin is called a priest when he performs worship in
a temple, a cook when he works in the kitchen, a teacher when he
teaches students. (...) In the same manner when the mind is engaged
in wavering thought processes, it is called mind. When it is busy in the
process of enquiry and discrimination between right and wrong, it is
named intellect. When it functions as a repository of memories, when
it identifies itself with the physical body, assuming the doership for various
activities, it goes by the name of ego. Thus, it may be seen that
the mind, although basically one, displays these varied forms on account
of the different roles it assumes. In fact, the mind alone is the
cause of all things. (...) The whole cosmos is nothing but a projection
of the mind.
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Man derives his name from the possession of the mind. As a man
thinks, so he becomes. Man means mind, and mind means man. Mind
is only a bundle of thoughts. Thoughts give rise to actions, and what
you enjoy or suffer in this world are the consequences of these actions.
It follows, therefore, that only when man's thoughts are good, will his
life be good. Thoughts are highly potent. They survive the death of
man. It is essential to keep out bad thoughts from your minds. It is bad
thoughts which separate man from man and make them forget their
common Divinity. When men realise that the Divinity in every body is
one and the same, there will be no room for differences. (...)
The peace of the individual as well as of the world depends on the
mind. (...) The body is compared to a chariot, the senses to horses, the
mind to the reins, and the intellect to the charioteer. This means that
the mind is in between the senses and the intellect. If the mind follows
the dictates of the intellect, it will be safe. If, on the contrary, it follows
the whims and fancies of the senses, it will become a slave of the senses
and a victim of endless sorrow and suffering. Giving free rein to the
senses is the external path while controlling the senses is the internal
path. (40-69/70)
Everyone clamours for peace. But peace is not anywhere outside; it is
right there within you only. However, if you want to enjoy that peace,
you have to resort to practice; what type of practice? First of all give
up selfish thoughts. Then persistently engage yourself in the constant
enquiry of what your really are. If you merely repeat thrice, saying: "I
am a man. I am a man. I am a man", you will be half-a-man only. To
realise your manhood, you should also repeat: “I am not an animal. I
am not an animal. I am not an animal". For, people now-a-days call
themselves men, but behave as animals. (...)
Mind is a priceless possession, it is God's greatest gift to man. The
scriptures have declared that the mind alone is responsible either for
man's bondage or for his liberation. (...)
It serves as the supreme benefactor of those, who engage themselves
in the contemplation of God, in good thoughts, good words and good
actions. On the other hand, the same mind brings disaster to those
who take to the wrong path of unrighteousness or outright wickedness.
(40-73/74)
The concept of "surrender to God" is often misunderstood. Surrender
does not mean the abandonment of all activities, foolishly thinking that
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"God will do whatever is necessary for me, because I have surrendered
everything to him”. That would be sheer laziness. (...)
Let me conclude with a word about gratitude. For want of gratitude,
man degrades himself to a lower level than even the animals. You say
"thanks" to some body who picks up and gives to you your own handkerchief
which you happened to drop on the ground. But how very
strange and surprising that you never think of thanking God for all the
precious things he has so graciously bestowed on you! He has placed
you in this vast and wonderful universe, providing for you pure air to
breathe, clean water to drink, mother earth to live on, etc. In short, but
for the five great elements created by him, you cannot live even for a
moment. Therefore, is there a greater sin than forgetting to offer your
thanks to such on all-merciful God? You buy a plot of land and construct
a house with your own money. But the corporation wants you to
pay the house-tax, just for providing electricity and water, of course
levying separate additional taxes for these amenities. But tell me, what
tax are you paying to God for providing you with facilities like the sun
who illumines the whole world, the wind which refreshes all living beings
with cool breeze, the torrential rain that not only cools the earth
but also sustains life, and so on and so forth? Not to give any thought
to such things, indicates not only ingratitude on the part of man but also
the inertia that is polluting his mind. (40-75/77)
So, however efficient the body, the senses and the mind may be, they
serve no purpose in the absence of the charioteer, namely, intuition -
intellect. In life's journey, the intellect is of supreme importance. (...)
The intellect has the decision making capacity. In daily life, many difficulties,
problems and disturbances arise from time to time. To overcome
all these obstacles, intellect is your mainstay. Without the intervention
of the intellect, none of your problems can be solved. (...)
Inner voice is another name for intuition. Man is guided by this inner
voice in the conduct of his life. Whenever problems arise, he awaits the
directives of the inner voice. (...)
Sometimes you hear people saying: "My conscience is not satisfied”;
or: “my conscience does not approve of this". Here conscience referes
to the inner voice. So when you are exhorted to "follow the master", the
master stands for your conscience. Only when you follow the dictates
of your conscience can you reach the right destination. (...)
Off and on, the intellect tends to be covered by the ego sense. In this
context, one should remember that the senses are subtler than the
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ody, the mind is even more subtle than the senses, and the intuition
far more subtle than the mind. The Atman, of course, is subtlest of all.
In the light of this fact, when we say that ego is able to envelope the
intellect, it means that the ego is subtler than the intellect. Thus, ego,
being extremely subtle, is all-pervasive and permeates all your actions.
This is why man is unable to transcend the ego and experience
the Atman - the higher self. (...)
So, the ego which veils the intuition and leads one to wrong identification
of the body with the self, should be removed before one can realise
the Atman. (40-88/90)
Intellect revels in discussion and disputation; once you yield to the
temptation of dialectics, it takes a long time for you to escape from its
shackles, efface it and enjoy the bliss which comes from its nullification.
You must always be aware of the limitation of reason. Logic must
give way to logos and deduction must yield place to devotion. Intellect
can help you only some distance along the godward path; the rest is
illuminated by intuition. (...)
I have no conflict with either the scholar who adheres to texts or the
devotee of reason. Both have their good points as well as their limitations.
If you acquire love, then you can dispense with the scripture, for
the purpose of all the scripture is just that: to create the feeling of equal
love for all and to negate egoism which stands in the way. Reason too,
if it comes in the way of this love, is to be discarded as “perverted”.
All the time and energy spent in pursuing the sacred texts is a sheer
waste, if study and reflection do not help you to recognise that the mind
is worse than a drunken monkey. Pilgrimages too are for elevating the
heart, sublimating the impulses and leading the lower self to higher
levels of thought and action. Reason serves the same purpose, or at
least, it ought to. Reason seeks to know the unity of the universe, the
origin and goal of it all, the laws that govern the microcosm and macrocosm;
and it peeps behind the ever-receding curtain to get a glimpse
of the puppeteer, who pulls the strings. 12.4.59, (15-119/121)
No one need do anything positive to discover the Atman; when the
“cover” of illusion is denied and destroyed, it will reveal itself in all its
glory. What is needed is the removal of the fog, and the casting off of
all the clinging veils that limit the self into the body and its adjuncts.
How to remove the fog? How to clean the mirror so that the Atman may
be reflected clearly and without distortion? The mind that makes you
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elieve in the Vedas as the ultimate authority and intuition which
makes you believe that reason is the supreme authority - both have to
be scrubbed and polished; they get tarnished pretty quickly! They require
constant attention. (...)
The mind has to be treated with goodness and service, repetition of the
name of the Lord, execution of beneficial plans, taking up good deeds
and contemplation of the welfare of all.
The sun is up here in the sky; it is the passing cloud that hides him from
your vision. The sensory world is the cloud that hides the Atman, ever
shining in the firmament of your heart. The same mind that gathers the
clouds can also disperse them in an instant. 12.4.59, (15-122/123)
The teachers here, are indeed lucky; for destiny has allotted them the
noble task, the golden chance, to serve the interests of the people in
this pleasant manner, spending their time in the company of innocent
children.
The father, the mother and teacher are the three primarily responsible
for moulding the future of the country. Of these, the teacher plays the
most important role for he is specially trained and selected for the job;
he voluntarily takes it up and therefore must carry it out to the best of
his ability; he is implicitly trusted by the child, the parents and the public
alike and the trust must be repaid by honest service. He is honoured
and respected by the children and the public as the guru, with all the
hallowed associations of that word. He may be poor, uncared for by
the men at the top, but the satisfaction he gets from his quiet creative
work is enough compensation.
The teacher should himself follow the advice he gives. He should never
curse his pupils whatever the provocation; he must always bless
them. If he swears like the poor he reduces himself to the level of the
poor. He should watch his behaviour rigorously and find out whether
there is some habit or trait which if imitated by the pupil would be harmful.
He should himself follow the advice that he gives. Otherwise, he
will be teaching hypocrisy to the little children and encouraging them
to acquire the cunning not to be found out. It is mental weakness and
cowardice that allow hypocrisy to develop. If you have the courage to
face the consequences, you will never utter falsehood. The teacher
should not try to rule through fear, for that is full of dangerous consequences
for the pupils. Try rather the path of love.
Teachers should themselves take the discipline of repetition of the
Lord's Name and meditation; this will give them the inner quiet they
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need. They should create on atmosphere of plain living and high thinking,
for pupils unconsciously accept them as heroes and begin imitating
them. They should hand over to the rising generation the riches
that past generations have amassed, the spiritual disciplines and discoveries.
Learn them yourselves and teach them to the pupils under
your care. This will enable you to discharge the debt owe you to the
Rishis, the sages of old. I know that when you sow bitter seeds you
cannot grow sweet grain. Yet, there are certain things possible even
under the limitations of the present curricula and courses of study.
25.11.59, (15-145/146)
For courage, you must feel your own importance; never call yourself a
sinner born in sin, bred in sin and engaged in sin. No; that kind of selfcondemnation
ill becomes a child of God.
In every one of you, God is the moving spirit, the very soul; how then
can you be evil, when you are here fulfilling God's purpose, according
to his will, his plan, his law? He has endowed you with many faculties
so that you may seek him and reach him. You are not a helpless neglected
individual undergoing a sentence of death. You are an embodiment
of bliss, born to a rich heritage, which is yours for the asking.
Only you do not ask. Have faith in your destiny and work gladly and
steadily to attain it.
Devotion is simply the attachment to God, affection towards the Supreme;
you need not fly away from hearth and home to cultivate it.
25.6.60, (15-160)
The pleasures from sensual enjoyment must eventually be converted
into happiness from Divine union; the pleasures of the senses must
gradually be left behind and you must develop a taste for the higher
and more lasting pleasure derived from the springs of your own personality.
For Divine union, devotion to God is the main thing, the head
and the crown; peace and happiness are the other essentials. 10.7.59,
(15-163)
The age period 16-30 is a crucial stage, when man achieves best and
struggles hardest to achieve. Once frittered, these years of life can
never be regained. Take no devious path, but move in the footsteps of
God and the Godly during this period of your life. (27-82)
Limiting birth by artificial means is on absurdly wrong step. This is like
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chopping off the head, since the door is too low and you do not want
to enter with a stoop. What you have to do is to discover means of
growing more food, by, to give one example, utilising the vast resources
of underground waters. Artificial means of preventing conception
will promote licentiousness and bring down on the country bestial promiscuity.
Those who encourage these dangerous tactics must rather
encourage sense control and self-restraint through spiritual discipline
and service, methods advocated in the scripture by sages who knew
the calamities that are the consequences of irresponsible fatherhood
or frustrated motherhood. The innocent victims can be educated to
master their lower urges and sublimate them into more beneficial
channels. Without mental preparation and determination these artificial
methods may cause ill - health insanity and other complexes.
Through the media of films, books, music and the behaviour of elders,
young minds are excited and aroused Into indulgences. Through the
campaign for family planning, they are persuaded to adopt means by
which they have no responsibility for the consequences of that indulgence.
This is indeed, burning the candle of future strength and
progress of the nation at both ends. The best method of family planning
Is the ancient one; making man realize through spiritual discipline
his innate Divinity. (27-217/218)
These are days of doubt, anxiety, fear, division and distress; so, people
need consolation and support. Even scientists who were proud that
they could explain the universe and put it into a formula are getting
humble, seeing the vaster and vaster vistas spreading before them at
every step. One scientist was telling me how scientists are baffled;
they open one door after another with tremendous effort, only to enter
a corridor which has a dozen closed doors challenging them to further
effort! It is a never-ending process, this pursuit of nature, this attempt
to unravel the mysteries of illusion. If you yearn for joy and peace, turn
rather to the Lord who lays down the law; that is the lesson that all
thinking men must learn now.
But attending such meetings, sitting quietly like this and listening to me
is not enough. When a person claims to have gone to the shore of the
sea and played with the waves, he must produce as evidence at least
a pair of wet feet. So too, when you come to this sea of devotees and
share the waves of bliss, the proof is in the eye becoming wet when
another weeps; in the heart that exults when another is happy. Even
when you listen, gather the honey as the bee does when it visits the
flowers. 26.2.61, (16-21/22)
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Do not get panicky over what the astrologer says about the combination
of many planets. They exaggerate the consequences; nothing
much will happen; the pralaya is more in the frightened mind than in
external nature. If you earn the grace of the Lord, nothing can harm
you. If you learn how to secure that grace, you need not worry about
astrology. 17.3.61, (16-32)
The world is suffering today from too much knowledge; virtue has not
increased in proportion to the advance of knowledge. That is the root
cause of the misery in human society. Of the two tyres of the vehicle
that man is riding, the tyre of the Brahman wheel is flat; it has to be
filled by pumping the Lord's name into it. You cannot go far on a flat
tyre. 30.4.61, (16-50)
Know that waking from sleep is but birth and going into steep is death.
On waking, pray every morning of your life: "Oh Lord, I am born now
from the womb of steep. 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 place
at thy foot 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. 27.7.61, (16-72/73)
Children have unselfish love; they are innocent onlookers; they observe
the action of the elders and they learn their lessons from home
much earlier than from school. So, parents have to be very careful in
their behaviour with the children and between themselves. (...)
The child should grow with the mother for the first five years of life.
Many children do not know what the love of the mother is like. The
mother should not hand over her responsibility during those years to
some one else and be called simply: “Mummy” as if she is some doll
with which the child likes to play. Now, the children of rich and-educated
parents are severely handicapped They are deprived of the care
and love of parents. They are handed over to the care of servants and
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they grow up in their company and learn their vocabulary and habits
and styles of thought. This is very undesirable.
When the child is five years old, the father has to take up the task of
bringing him up. Then, he must be entrusted to a guru; the guru must
teach him a standard of value with which to deal with the family, the
village, the country and mankind. Teachers must be aware of their
good fortune as well as their duties; some teachers shirk their duties
and betray the expectations society has of them. (...)
Children are like new cloth: they can be given any colour you like. Just
dip them in that colour, that is enough. Adults are like old clothes that
will not imbibe colour so easily and well. Hearts that are green and soft
will learn habits and disciplines quicker. For learning good habits and
manners, age is no bar; training will make even children learn
them.(...)
Childrens are fearless. (...) That is why it is said that you must either
become as simple and straightforward as a child or as wise and discriminating
as a deeply learned scholar to win the grace of God. (...)
The childhood stage is the pure stage and if you only manage to live
on with that innocence as pleasurably as you did you can achieve
merger quite naturally. The sun's rays wait outside your closed door,
silently and patiently. Open it to the width of a chink - and it gladly rushes
in through that chink. Open it wider; it bathes you in light and
warmth. Children's minds are always open; they have no closed doors,
which bring in the darkness. That is why their smile is like sunlight in
a grief-stricken home. 18.5.62, (16-204/207)
You should hang your heads in shame when you learn from the papers
that human beings like you are inventing and testing weapons which
can wipe out millions and injure even coming generations. But you feel
proud of man's intelligence and cleverness! Some people even admire
such inventors! By all means feel proud of people who invent something
which will help man to live happy lives, but use the proper words
when you have to describe those who manufacture such killers of entire
populations. In the mental hospital, you will find all kinds of madness
affecting man; some spit on others, some bite, some scratch,
some throw stones, some hurl abuses. These mad men are engaged
in hurling bombs, that is their madness.
The world is full of people who suffer from insanity, but who are still outside
the asylums! Suddenly, when hatred envelopes a country, even
ordinary sane people go mad and behave like savages. But in the
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mental hospital, you will find sometimes one type of “madman”. He sits
in a corner, resting without a break, watching the pranks and the wildness
of the other inmates. The doctors will be thankful to him, for he
needs no care; he causes no trouble. His madness may be melancholia
or he may be a sage. The god-bound man is like that. He is the only
healthy man in this mad world. 24.5.62, (16-212/213)
Many people consider all acts of worship as "his" and all acts of earning
and spending as “Mine." But, this is a mistake. All acts are “his."
There is no such distinction as activity for the welfare of man and activity
for God. All activity leads you towards God or away from him. For
example, you say that you fall ill, that you are in good health etc. That
is because you feel that the body is “you," whereas you are really only
the Atman, with the five sheaths: which you have superimposed on it.
This is the result of the system of education now prevalent which
teaches that the bliss one derives from the senses is all the bliss that
one can get. It does not disclose to the individual the eternal source of
bliss that he has within himself. There is no training in the art of acquiring
mental peace. No one is told the secret of attaining the state of
equanimity, amidst the confusion of modern civilisation. Every one is
induced to float with the current that drags humanity down to fear, anxiety
and despair. (...)
The senses revel without limit but the Atman is ignored. Modern education
produces only -”learned fools"; it does not produce wise men
who can meet life calmly and bravely. Its products know how to fill
themselves with information, devise tools or handle them for the destruction
of fellowmen or cater to the whims of the senses - but, they
are helpless to meet the crisis of death, a crisis that is inevitable.
18.10.63, (17-81/82)
The secular state is hesitates to teach the principles of eternal truth to
young children and students in schools, though these principles are of
universal application and do not go against any particular religion. The
members of the committee may, recommend a course of moral instruction
but if it is not emphasising the Divine basis of the individual,
much of the invigorating strength of spiritual law will be lost. A regular
course in the discipline of meditation must also be given to youth, so
that they may realise the depths of their own personality and its infinite
possibilities for ensuring peace and bliss. 14.1.64, (17-157)
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Whatever talent a person has should be dedicated to the service of the
rest of humanity, indeed, of all living beings. All men are kin: they are
of the same likeness, the same build: moulded out of the same material,
with the same Divine essence in each. Service to man will help
your Divinity to blossom, for it will gladden your heart and make you
feel that life has been worth-while. Service to man is service to God,
for he is in every man and every living being and in every stone and
stump. Offer your talents at the foot of God; let every act be a flower,
free from creeping worms of envy and egoism, and full of the fragrance
of love and sacrifice. If you have the talent for acting dramatic roles
well, use it for the glorification of God, for the uplifting of man.
A question often raised when people talk of dramas or films is this: “Are
the people who flock to them bringing down the level of these items of
entertainment? Or, are the artists responsible for lowering it?” I must
say that your responsibility as artists and writers is much greater; you
must not stoop to methods and tricks that will bring in more money perhaps,
but which sow seeds of evil and vice in the minds of the people
who flock to the theatres. A person who comes in to see a play or a
film must leave the theatre a better man, a stronger more courageous
man, and, not a poorer and weaker man, less equipped to resist the
temptations of the world. Remember this when you select a play for the
stage or when you take up your pen to write one, and you will be on
the right path.
To the actors, I must speak a word. You wear the costume and equipment
of noble souls and saints; you impersonate even Divine characters;
you reel off words of high purpose and noble ideals, and exhibit
deeply thrilling experiences. You do all this very realistically. It is a sign
of your skill and your untiring practice. You inspire people to better
their lives; from you, they learn the path of inner peace and devotion,
for you re-enact before their eyes the lives of great saints. (...)
I must mention another point also. The author of this play is here and
you have this day honoured him for his services to your cause of drama.
Whenever you write a play, transform all that is low and worldly
into the high and the other-worldly. Do not treat low things as low, treat
them as lapses, as mistakes, failures, incomplete attempts, errors to
be avoided. Increase the aspect of all relations between people. Human
beings are not mere bodies, appetites, hungers and thirsts, passions
and prejudices. These are impediments, lapses. Consider rather
the aspirations, the ideals, the dreams of unity and universality, the
struggle for truth, for mercy, for grace, for sympathy, for liberation, and
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depict these in the plays you write. That will change the atmosphere
of the theatre and make it holy, sanctifying. You will then be helping
men to become stronger and the nation to become more enduring.
Now, people are sliding down the slope of vice and vanity: arrest that
process. Open their eyes to the chasm that yawns below. 5.12.64, (18-
190/192)
You can be involved in the qualities of life. But, remember, no harm
can accrue if you consider the life of the family as a training ground for
spiritual life. You wear glasses to correct the vision, to improve sight.
So, enter the family, society and politics to correct vision and improve
sight. Use the opportunities confronting you there for developing detachment
and self-sacrifice. 13.12.64, (18-205)
“The fever of arrogant youth" fogs the intellect and makes youth ungrateful
and callous. Parents are neglected; elders are dishonoured;
teachers are ridiculed; scriptures are scoffed at by them. They boast
that they will not bow their heads to any one; but, they have to bow their
heads at least to the barber! They cause grief to the very person to
whom they owe their very life. Do not be led away by the belief that this
is respectable. 17.12.64, (18-221/222)
People, nowadays, know the history of film stars, while they are profoundly
ignorant of their own history. Pay attention to your real needs:
cultivate virtues that will add joy to you and others, not habits that ruin
your health and empty your purse and lower you in the estimation of
others, devotees wont to improve their behaviour and character. It is
no good attending the temple and sharing loudly, with cymbals in your
hands. They are external signs of enthusiasm. God watches the power
behind, not the pomp above. (...)
The unseen is the basis of the seen. If you are caught up in the meshes
of the seen, you cannot know the importance of the unseen. 28.3.65,
(18-342/343)
One pernicious disease has now begun to infect writers and poets in
all countries --- the disease which scorns all that is ancient and welltested
by time, which carps and criticises all that is revered by others.
Flimsy foppery, fiery cynicism - these are held to be “modern” and
modish. That is the literary fashion now. It is doing great harm to the
rising generation, for it perverts their tastes and degrades their ideals.
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He who adores the past is considered a coward who has no courage
to chalk out a new path for himself; he who indulges in some new antic
is acclaimed as a genius. He gets a whole host of imitators. He who
throws mud on established bevies is a hero; he who tries to support
them is a poltroon. Poets must try to escape from this disease. They
must regain their own health and give health-giving stuff to the people.
8.2.64, (19-102)
At the present time, the learned and the scholarly in every field suffer
from a dire disease, namely, "under-development of moral fibre". No
emphasis is laid on the growth of virtue in the plans for national development:
the virtuous man is laughed at as on “ignoramus” who does
not know the act of getting on in the world. But, as the Vedas proclaim,
ail acts must contribute to the elevation of character, the purification of
emotions, passions and impulses that infest the mind, the broadening
of vision and the strengthening of man's bonds with the universal, of
which he is a part. 8.12.64, (19-6)
I shall tell you just one thing which those books teach; one thing which
I want you to resolve to follow, from this full noon day dedicated to the
Divine preceptor: "Do not seek to find fault in others, give up maligning
and injuring others; do not scandalise any one, do not feel envy or malice.
Be always sweet in temperament, in talk. Fill your conversation
with devotion and humility."
Live with love, in love, for love. Then the Lord who is Divine love personified
will grant you all that you need in spite of your not asking for
anything. He knows; he is the Mother who does not wait to hear the
moan of the child to feed it. His love is so vast and deep; he anticipates
every need and rushes with the help you need. You are all waiting anxiously
to know when I am granting “interviews” so that you can place
before me the long lists of wishes, which you have brought.
These wishes go on multiplying; they never end. The fulfillment of one
leads to a new series. Strive to arrive at the stage when his wish alone
will count and you are an instrument in his hands. 13.7.65, (19-26/27)
When young men realise that God is omnipresent and resident in one's
own heart, then, they will certainly follow the Veda injunction. (...) They
will always speak only the truth; they will practice only moral justice.
24.10.65, (19-106)
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Education must include the education of the mind of man, to eliminate
his impulses to hate, to hoard, to tight, to defame. It is not merely the
acquisition of certain skills by which materials found in nature can be
reshaped into utility products: it is not merely the acquisition of information
about the laws of nature. It is the process by which man makes
the best of his own inner equipment, to know himself. It should open
his inner eye, more than his outer; the outer must reveal the glory of
God, the inner must reveal the God within. Food must contribute to the
development of the head: the head must discover the existence of God
everywhere.
Children should grow in the awareness of the brotherhood of man and
the Fatherhood of God. If no provision is made for this atmosphere and
this teaching, you are denying them their due. Faith in man involves
faith in God; faith in God creates in man. Without faith, man is a creature
bereft of roots; he dries and withers quickly. Faith in the God within
him who makes him say, I, I, I, when referring to what he was made to
say and act and do by the prompting from within-faith is the sustenance
on which love and courage, contentment and joy grow. Children
can be easily made aware of this inner I, which has the body as its apparel;
they will grow in mutual love and co-operation with all men of all
lands, when they know that colour and caste are but apparel which do
not affect reality.
Of course, to instil in the minds of the young the value of prayer and
of humility and loving service to others, the homes where they grow
have to be the first schools. Parents have to be imbued with faith in the
basic truths of this universal religion. They must be seen worshipping
at the family altar, meditating in silence, forgiving the lapses of others,
sympathising with pain and grief: they should not be seen by the children
as worried, helpless, discontented and distressed, as if they had
no God to lean upon, no inner reserves of strength and courage to fall
back upon.
Teachers should be simple, sincere, straightforward devotee, radiating
joy and love. Emphasis on the standard of living, income and expenditure,
calculations of costs and prices in terms of rupees and
paise will not make a good teacher. He must be like the Rishis of old:
balanced, contented, quiet, calm scholars who have practiced selfcontrol
and who carry about with them an atmosphere of cool equanimity.
(...)
There should not be separate “moral instruction” lessons in the curriculum;
every subject has to be learnt with moral instruction as the
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thread running through from lesson to lesson. By example and precept,
in the class room and playground, the excellence of intelligent cooperation,
of sacrifice for the team, of sympathy for the less gifted, of
help to the maimed, the weak, the ill and the poor, of love and self-reliance,
of silence and prayer has to be emphasised. The indirect method
of instilling these morals is better than direct teaching through textbooks
and tests. Tell stories from the sacred scriptures and the lives
of saints from all nations and all ages, to illustrate a point while doing
any lesson, in any subject. It is possible to teach even science and
mathematics in a moral or immoral way. Prefer the moral way.
One advantage which will accrue when you take this moral uplift programme
in earnest is that, through the subtle influence of the children,
you are cleansing the atmosphere of the homes also. When the boy
sits in silence and meditates on the Creator of all this wonder and glory,
the parents too will react in the same way and the atmosphere of
the home will be filled with humility and love. 3.4.67, (19-360/363)
The rulers who frame and foster the educational system of the country
are responsible for the discontent, disillusionment and consequent delinquencies
and disturbances of the students. They pay attention only
to the physical and intellectual training of the youth; they forget the attention
must also be paid to mental, moral and spiritual development,
so that an integrated personality can emerge. Now, a child is put to
school so that years later he may get a cushy job! Schooling is for gaining
a living, not for gaining the ultimate in life. In all countries, it is the
same.
Nowhere is youth trained to earn equanimity and peace; everywhere,
the aim is a comfortable life, not a life of peace and undisturbed joy.
(...)
The search for comfort, for riches, for fame, for power over others -
these will make a man so egoistic that he is a danger to himself and
others. The only safe path is to seek bliss within oneself, not in or
through others. There is great joy awaiting the person who radiates
compassion, truth and patience, humility, reverence and piety.
Students must demand a revision of the system on these lines; they
must demand that they be equipped better to meet the challenge of
life. They must convince the administrators that this is essential. After
all, they are your own people, interested in your welfare. 30.7.67, (20-
76/77)
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Teachers are not aware of the nobility of their profession; society has
turned ungrateful. Boys and young men have the stars of the silver
screen as their gods and guides; they learn deeply and dangerously
from films, from horror comics, from crime books. They have no sense
of values implanted in them early in life. They are carried away by the
torrent of triviality. The teacher is a helpless witness of this tragedy, for
he has no strength and sustenance to impart, no ideal to implant, no
enthusiasm to transmit. (...)
The teacher must work in an atmosphere of love and truth, not hate
and falsehood. He must move among the children, happy and content,
not angry and sullen. Then only can he radiate love.
No amount of advice and exhortation can make the teacher rise to the
full stature of his profession. He has to improve himself; he cannot be
improved by external pressure or persuasion. You might have taken
up this profession for various reasons, but they are not relevant now.
Once you have joined this grand association of teachers, you must endeavour
to justify the trust placed in you, and serve the best interests
of the children given unto your care, by parents who expect great
things from you. 5.9.68, (21-18)
Ambition to earn fame in the world, to gain some position of authority
over fellow-men, to lead a luxurious life - this can never ensure mental
peace. Mental peace is the result of quite different attainments. Wealth
cannot command it, nor authority commandeer it! It must be won the
hard way, through meditation, worship and the presence of the almighty.
It must be won on the earth, to which man rightfully belongs;
and, not on any other heavenly body towards which he may dare navigate.
You multiply grief by recollecting the past and picturing a lurid future.
You fill the present moment with dread, recapitulating the past and reflecting
on coming events! 21.11.69, (21-171/172)
Prayer is a good subject to be included in the time-table. Silence is invaluable
and pupils can be asked to practice it. See that they do not
get too agitated or depressed. The pendulum will start to swing only
when the clock is wound up. Let them keep their desire under control;
do not wind them up. Elders, politicians, leaders, and teachers should
not inflame their passions, and enslave them to anger and passion, for
every provocation and at every turn as they do now, (...)
I shell tell you one incident that happened at the Sathya Sai College,
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so that you can picture the kind of change I welcome. At the public examinations
held at the college, the moment the candidates got the
question papers, all the examinees stood up together. The invigilators
were surprised and some of them were struck with fear that perhaps,
they were trying to create a scene and protest against the paper and
the setter! But, they stood up, only for a minute of silent prayer! A very
ennobling and purifying habit. 2.3.70, (21-212+215)
Then again, I advise children not to read horror comics, books on
crime and sex, and novels of vice and wickedness. Avoid films, for
though they may be advertised as very educative and inspiring, the
producers, in their greed for profits, smuggle in low vulgar debasing
scenes in order to please raw undressed minds. Don't allow the virus
of vice to infect your brains. If that happens you descend to levels
worse than the beasts. Do not imagine that it will be possible for you
to live happily, without any anxiety or bother. Do not build castles in the
air, and hope to live in them. Life is a mosaic of pleasure and pain; grief
is an interval between two moments of joy, peace is the interlude between
two wars. You have no rose, without a thorn; the diligent picker
will avoid the pricks, and gather the flower. There is no bee without a
sting; cleverness consists in gathering the honey nevertheless. Troubles
will haunt you, but you must not allow them to deflect you from the
path of duty and dedication. When you go back after some years here
to your villages, seek out the truth join good company in the Sathya Sai
Organization. Share the bliss of voluntary service that they do - visit
the patients in the hospitals, read books sitting by the side of the patients
in the beds, write letters for them, and generally be kind and
friendly to them in their loneliness and pain. Go to the slum areas,
move like lighted lamps full of love and sympathy, and help the people
there to get things done which will improve their health, add to their income,
and advance their education. When the sugar of Divine
thoughts is added to the routine tasteless water of daily life, it becomes
sherbet, and delightful to drink. So, do so yourself and help others to
do so.
Man is the image of God; when you injure his image, when you discard
him, or dishonour him, or keep him at arm's length, how can God confer
grace on you? "Mine is mine, yours in yours" - if you declare, God
too will keep you beyond the reach of his love. Annie Besant said once
that more than man seeking God, it is truer to say that God is ever
seeking man, a man who loves and serves his children, and treats
them as endearingly as he does. April 1973, (22-231/232)
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Education confers humility, endows one with an authority to command
that will entitle one to affluence. With the help of this affluence, charity
and compassion can be made fruitful, and by this means, happiness
in this world and peace in the next can be won. Education is thus a
great constructive force for mankind. But, reformers and reconstructionists
have tinkered so much with the process of education that it has
now been reduced to a caricature of itself. The effectiveness of the educational
system, and the boons it could confer on man have been ignored
and neglected; the name is now given to the art of collecting information
of the objective world. The far more important task of
transforming the nature of man into the Divine is given up, as beyond
its ken. The difference between the ancient ideals of education and the
modern practices is appalling. (...)
The teacher and the pupil will both be immersed in joy only when love
that does not calculate the reward binds them together. When material
gain is the goal, the joy based is on matter and does not thrill the mind.
It cannot be pure, steady and sincere.
As teachers of the Bal Vikas classes throughout the country, you do
not look forward to monetary or material benefits, so you have ample
opportunity to make the child's heart and intellect blossom, through the
rays of love. Let me tell you that most teachers today have specialized
in western types of training, and so they have lost their moorings in our
own culture, and are unaware of the deeper springs of the spirit.
They have been rendered materialistic, worldly, and egoistic. They are
caught up in the pursuit of sensual pleasure and earning money. They
do not know that real education consists in helping the child to manifest
the Divinity latent in him. (...)
Correction of these faults must start with the teachers; they must become
aware of the high purpose of education, and the goal to which it
must guide the children of the land. (...)
You must examine every story or account that you place before the
children from the point of view of individual faith and social harmony.
Does this lead the child to a better, more harmonious, God-oriented
life? That is the question you should ask yourself. 3.1.74, (23-2/4)
A college which does not confer the knowledge of their Divine reality
to the students engaged in the pursuit of various objectives and material
studies is as barren as a sky without the moon, or a heart without
peace, a nation without reverence for law. (...)
Institutions where education is imparted today have no atmosphere of
moral or spiritual value. Discipline is missing; honesty is at a discount;
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politeness and good manners are estimated as outmoded forms of behaviour;
grab and not give is the rule; intolerance is held in high esteem.
(...)
Man should redeem himself from this downfall; he should not sacrifice
his glory and his goal for the petty triumphs of the moment; if he does,
he would only make himself cheaper than clay. (...)
I am depending upon you, students, for a great transformation in outlook,
a great revolution. Students of the Sathya Sai College must lead
this movement. The older generation can only talk; it is you who must
act. You have to prove yourselves worthy of this college. 31.1.74, (23-
32/35)
In the tender hearts of the children, there is much potentiality of devotion
and attachment to higher ideals and objectives; this can be developed
and cultivated by you. Do not think that they do not know anything;
that you can divert them any way you wish; this is a mistake.
Recognise the great potentials of the child; adopt such methods as the
child himself might suggest or indicate. Help the child to reach Godliness
and become aware of its high destiny. Do not presume that the
child is some inferior personality incapable of attaining the heights.
10.7.74, (23-112)
Tell the children what they cannot learn by themselves, by observation,
namely, the sacred texts from the past. Tell them also stories from
the Bible, the Buddhist texts, the Zend-Avesta and the Koran. That a
horse has four legs is a fact which one need not teach the child; it can
discover it in a moment. What is not known to the children are the stories
and verses that embody our culture.
Do not be deterred by people who say that the information and inspiration
you give will be too much of a burden on the tender minds. It is
only grown-ups that find learning new facts burdensome; the tender
age is the best for this kind of instruction. Tell them the importance of
OM and its significance, as the basic sound of all creation. It is meaningful
symbolic sound; it is quite unlike the useless jargon which children
learn today, in the very first lesson at school. 6.1.75, (23-190/191)
Among the educated, you do not find signs of self-knowledge; nor do
you see another quality that we expect every human being to have,
namely, the quality of mercy, of sympathy or compassion. The “un-educated”
have this quality, more than the “educated”! Education seems
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to harden hearts and squeeze out feelings of pity and piety. 23.3.75,
(23-199)
The process of education must render the individual a happier and
more useful person; it must also make him a better citizen, able and
willing to further the progress of the nation to which he belongs. It must
give up its present emphasis on degrees which serve only as bowls,
with which the graduates roam about the country asking for jobs to be
deposited in them. 6.7.75, (23-242)
It has to tend the body, mind and spirit, in addition to the intelligence.
It cannot be confined to the four walls of a building. The universe is a
university for those who care to watch and learn. Awareness is life; the
farmer, the carpenter, the smith, the sculptor, the merchant, all need
to be aware of their duties and responsibilities, their skills and standards,
which education must foster.
Education must include the study and appreciation of all trades, professions
and guilds. It must encourage the acceptance of the good and
the rejection of the bad. Spiritual education is not a distinct and separate
discipline., It is part and parcel of all types and levels of education.
In fact, it is the very foundation on which a lasting edifice can be built.
Secular and spiritual education are like the two halves in the seeds of
pulses; the germ that sprouts is in between; it is fed by both.
The feminine is the foundation on which a peaceful and happy world
is to be raised. When women are true and brave, kind and compassionate,
virtuous and pious, the world can have an era of peace and
joy. Young people has the capacity to grow into strong straight spiritual
aspirants, who can scale the heights of spiritual adventure, but no
proper guidance. On the other hand, they have evil temptation; evil example
and evil advice are spread around on all sides, most attractively.
25.7.75, (23-257/258)
Women students and teachers have to be ever vigilant that they do not
attract the eyes and tongues of young men by their dress, movements,
laughter or behaviour. Be a little behind the times, it does not matter;
it is better than adopting fashions that outrage the traditions and conventions
of this country and its culture.
Do not bring dishonour to your parents or disappoint them by acting
contrary to their dearest plans. The reverence that you offer at the feet
of your parents is, let me assure you, reverence that reaches me.
25.7.75, (23-260/261)
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Education must enable a person to discriminate between light and
darkness. It must foster and promote the precious wealth of moral
strength and spiritual victory and purify the inner impulses of man.
Mere mastery of books does not entitle a man to be called “educated”.
Without mastery over the inner instruments of emotions, no man can
be deemed to be educated. The latent has to be cleansed so that the
patent can flourish. Experience is essential for the confirmation and
consolidation of what is learnt from books. We do not see any sign of
this in the present educational system. There is no attempt to awaken
the Divine in man, no awareness of the possibility of rising to the psychic
plane. (...)
Unity of minds, mutual love and cooperation, are the qualities you have
to develop today. Education is not for securing university degrees.
Give up this mad pursuit of diplomas which cater to the ego and increase
the distance between you and others. Develop the desire to
serve others and equip yourselves through education with the skill
needed to serve others better. Education must enthuse youth to understand
the precious heritage of Indian culture and spirituality, and to
evoke the higher powers they possess. 18.2.80, (24-309/311)
The educationists of those days paid attention to problems, like who
are the most equipped and the most efficient to teach; which subjects
must be taught, when and where and to whom. They tried to adjust the
curricula and the syllabi in accordance with the needs, aspirations and
attainments of the learners. There was no room then in the learningteaching
process for compulsion or force.
Since the classes had only six, seven or ten pupils, the teacher could
discover whether the pupil had assimilated the subject and clarify immediately
any doubt that disturbed his understanding. The teachers
had an overwhelming sense of duty; the pupil had an equally overwhelming
yearning to learn. So, instruction on topics useful for happy
living and for discovering the spring of wisdom, power and bliss, that
lay in one's inner core, were available to the pupil.
Most of the learning was by listening to the preceptor. Not only students
in the seats of higher learning, but also the smith, the artisan, the
artist, the carpenter, the farmer, the potter, the writer, the musician, the
sculptor - all learnt from the elders by the silent process of lovingly listening
and reverentially watching; not through the process of poring
over books.
Those days can be revived, if only you love and revere the heritage
which is yours. India is a garden of multicoloured flowers - the flowers
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of the spirit known as eternal universal religion, Buddhism, Jainism,
Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Islam. The truths they practice, the
hymns they sing, the prayers they voice fill the atmosphere here with
Divine fragrance. Indian has always welcomed and respected all
faiths, with equal ardour.
In spite of this, the wrong impression that people here worship hundreds
of gods, instead of one, is spread by ignorant persons. God is
one; people call on him in several languages - this discovery was
made in India millennia ago. This was the first country in the world to
proclaim it. Of course, the various qualities of this one God - his compassion,
his wisdom, his inexhaustible riches, his inscrutability, his
might - have been given names and forms, but each worshipper of
these is aware that they are only phases of the one indivisible Eternal
Absolute. Each trade, each profession, has a guardian deity, a facet
of the guardian of the cosmos.
People here are aware of God in everything - the truck driver folds his
palms before the steering wheel and utters a prayer, the potter bows
his head before the wheel, the poet worships the pen, the musician invokes
the deity in the harmonium before he starts playing on it. No one
enters upon a task without prayer and making a sign of submission.
This means that the spiritual attitude precedes the secular attitude of
self-praise. (...)
The ancient universities emphasised this immanence and transcendence
of God. Teachers did not calculate and clamour for wages. Their
needs were fulfilled by society. They never worried about material
comfort or discomfort. They were after spiritual treasures. Pupils too
insisted that they should be shown the way to liberation from the
shackles of material desires. Teachers were more affectionate towards
their pupils than to their own children. They were renunciants,
willing and eager to undergo trials and tribulations, ever contented,
happy and joyful.
The pupils too were not learning with cushy jobs in view. They sought
each subject of study as a step towards self-realization. They valued
instruction, for it purified the mind and clarified the intellect and sanctified
the vision. 10.7.80, (25-23/25)
Even the greatest scientist acts according to this apparent experience
and not according to the truth. Though there is no sunrise and sunset,
he believes them to be and though there cannot be any East, West,
North, South he accepts them to be. The scientific standards are observations
and experiments. (...)
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To arrive at the truth, we must go behind what we see, for what we see
with the eyes is not true knowledge. True knowledge is knowing that
for all you see, there is always a hidden cause. It cannot be known by
studying mechanically, but by studying the mind and mental enquiry.
(...)
There are three types of knowledge. Knowledge of material energy,
knowledge of mental energy and knowledge of cosmic energy. Cosmic
energy works in every person, in the form of Divine knowledge. Matter
in all forms is only energy. Without atoms you cannot have any matter,
and in the atom, energy has the form of electron, proton, neutron, etc.
Energy springs from the structure of the atomic constituents. For example
if you take water from the ocean in a vessel, it assumes its shape
and when the breeze blows there are ripples on it, which manifest energy
proportionate to the quantity of water in the vessel. But when the
whirlwind rages over the ocean the big waves can sink ships and pulverise
cliffs. Scientists only work on the external source of energy, they
don't investigate the internal sources. You go millions of miles into
space, but you don't go half-on-inch within, where lies your strength,
the Atman, the supreme power of the self. 21.9.80, (25-27/29)
Sai has not built these colleges and these hostels at the cost of crores
of rupees for his own glory. The world has a million colleges. But these
Sai Colleges aim produce a generation who will live ideal lives. If only
the students could absorb the right ideas and plunge into society with
their thirst for service as a spiritual duty, they would be proclaiming that
their humanness is worth-while. Ask yourself whether you deserve the
“human” nature inherent in you? Humility, readiness to serve, commiseration
at the suffering of others - these are the human traits of which
you should be examples. 18.7.81, (25-128)
Living, not for the sake of food, but for the sake of an ideal, is the goal
of education. The human personality must blossom into enthusiasm
for work, and eagerness to raise society to the highest level. (...)
Even if man does not elevate himself to Divinity, he must at least be
at the level of man! But, he does not live in a human way now. He has
become an inhuman inhabitant of the earth. Science has brought him
to the very brink of total disaster. The duty of science is to promote
love, sympathy, brotherhood and charity. (...)
In order to promote truth, righteousness, and universal love, the Sathya
Sai Trust has established primary schools, high schools, junior
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colleges and colleges where emphasis is laid on spiritual education so
that good character becomes the core of the personality. The will of
Sathya Sai Baba is to offer to humanity, heroes of action and heroes
of self-sacrifice. A few minutes ago, the members of the Executive
Committee of the Kingdom of Sathya Sai, were introduced to you. The
students of Sathya Sai Baba are free from any trace of blemish. No
one can point their finger at them and discover any fault. They possess
the highest virtue; they have enough riches, but they have renounced
desire and attainment; they have come in to serve society. They earn
first classes and ranks in university examinations. Their attitudes and
feelings are not in the least agitated by worldly things or events.
Many old students work in our college without remuneration. Some
may imagine that the alumini grouped under the name "Kingdom of
Sathya Sai" are idlers or revellers. These students, when the truth is
known, will put such people to shame. Our students have no egotism;
they do not cater to the self; they offer all they have and even their lives
for the sacred task of social service. With devotion and duty, only such
persons can ensure for India the happiness she craves for.
You fight for rights, while functioning entirely on wrong lines. Your right
is the fulfillment of the duty laid on you. Discharge your responsibility
without demur or deviation, to the best of your ability. That is your right.
No one should hinder you while doing that duty. 29.8.81, (25-133/137)
The rest are like days dedicated to obsequies for the dead. The world
is witnessing the devil-dance of injustice, anarchy, vice and wickedness.
To establish peace, tolerance, justice, joy and right living, we
have to rely on the young, the students; they must become instruments
for this transformation. This fact has to be recognized by all who desire
a better world. (...)
There are now thousands and thousands of educational institutions in
the world. But, there is a great difference between those founded by
Sathya Sai Baba and the rest. The fundamental objectives of Sai Institutions
are humility, adherence to discipline, and application of what
is learned in daily life. If what is learned is not put into practice, the students
are like a cow that does not yield milk, a fruit lacking in taste, a
book bereft of wisdom. It is not really man's task to stuff his head with
transient knowledge and waste time in acquiring it. He should not engage
in valueless activities and fritter away years of life. When man ruins
himself thus, he descends to the level of the beast. When man uplifts
himself, he ascends to the level of God. Man can raise himself to
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God. We have therefore to promote educational methods by which the
humanness of man can be maintained and sublimated into godliness.
(...)
If those born in villages trek into towns and settle there, villages will decline.
But, towns cannot exist without villages. Villages have to be fostered
first. The village is the heart of the town; without it, the town becomes
lifeless. (...)
Children who come from a village must, after education, settle in the
village itself, develop the village and purify the village atmosphere.
6.11.81, (25-185/190)
Education must teach man to turn to God and discover that nature too
is God. It must awaken the consciousness latent in man so he becomes
aware of the Atman that underlies all its levels. Education
claims to increase man's knowledge. What is that knowledge worth?
Without character, that knowledge is best cast into fire. The educated
person is now more vicious, more greedy more crafty than the uneducated!
This knowledge encourage him to exploit and exterminate others.
This knowledge pollutes and poisons the world. It destroys peace
and prosperity all over the world. Words! Words! Words! A plethora of
words! Nothing is practiced; no one acts. 22.11.81, (25-211)
Teachers are the path-finders of the nation. They prepare the royal
road to a bright future. The skill and efficiency of the people, their reliability
and sense of duty depend on the community of teachers. Their
virtue is reflected in their pupils; their faith inspires the young. Whether
people waste their lives and the lives of others by means of barren pursuits
or whether people lead happy lives promoting the happiness of
others, depends on teachers. (...)
Lack of brotherhood in the teaching community springs from extreme
specialization. This orientation course is devised to give every one of
you a glimpse of the basic philosophy that feeds every faculty. In other
universities, physics is physics and chemistry is chemistry. Here, they
should not be so isolated; philosophy is the link, the sap that sustains
all. The boundaries of each subject are not really so sharply drawn,
they fade into a neighbouring subject; they overlap and become kindred.
Knowledge of this intimate interdependence is the higher learning
you have to strive for.
The syllabi of the various subjects have been expanded and interrelated
by this institute so that an orientation course has become necessary
for the teachers to grasp the pattern. 22.5.82, (25-295/296)
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One must take up work, that is of some use to the world. Move into the
village and help to keep them clean. Instruct the women of the village
in the basic principles of childhealth, child-care and child-training.
When health fails, people become despondent and even desperate.
When health prevails, vitality pervades both mind and body. By the
process of loving service, you can become the promoters of much joy.
Do not consider any act of service as demeaning. Sweeping the
streets, for example, is not below your dignity. Do you not sweep the
floor of your home? Do you not scrub and wash off dirt? When you undertake
such tasks, the villagers will also gladly share in them. Why be
ashamed to be good? The ridicule that may be cast on you has been
the reward of many saints. It will soon fade away. Mohammed was
driven out of Mecca by those who could not appreciate his teachings.
Jesus was crucified. But, their names resound in reverence in the
hearts of millions. So, boldly face ridicule and plunge into selfless, intelligent
service. 1.12.82, (25-306)
Education is necessary for both men and women. But, education for
women has to be in accordance with their special needs. Educated
women are really the promoters of right conduct for the whole world.
Parents too must co-operate in getting them equipped with proper education.
Women should not be given freedom in certain matters. I will
not approve of their being given such freedom. They must be made
into ideal women. (...)
Of course there were educated women in the past also, but they never
gave up their duty, they never forgot the goal of Divine order. Education
must be built on the basis of discrimination. Sulabha, Savithri,
Anasuya, Gargi, Nalayani and other such models of chastity, devotees
of the Lord like Meera, yoginis like Chodala, all were born in this Bharata
and by their adherence Divine conduct, they strengthened Divine
law. (...)
It is through the example of great and holy women, that even today
simplicity, humility and devotion shine in the hearts of the women of
Bharata.
Women should draw inspiration now from them; efforts must be made
by them to live as they did in the past. The women must ever have as
her guide the ideal of righteousness and progress in spiritual discipline.
She can master any subject related to the objective world which
has gained prominence today; but the welfare of the spirit should not
be forgotten; she must be interested in Vedantic study which cultivates
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the inner vision. A women without this training is a rock without support,
a danger to herself and others, a very unbalanced individual. Sulabha
and others who pursued such studies became Brahmavadins of
great fame. India produced several such saints and scholars, among
women. Sages and wise man used to approach such women for inspiration
and guidance.
On what is progress based? The progress of the nation, the community
and the family, depends on the proper education of women. The
country can be lifted to its pristine greatness only through women mastering
the Divine knowledge, the science of realization of reality. If the
nation must have lasting prosperity and peace, women have to be
trained through an educational system which emphasizes moral conduct
and moral qualities. The cause for the present fall in moral standards
and absence of social peace is the neglect of this aspect of women's
education. The earth and sky are still the same; the change is in
the ideal of education from Divine order to ignorance. (...)
The grace of the Lord was the diploma which every student sought to
secure in the old days. That diploma was awarded to those who were
proficient in the cultivation of morality, the knowledge of the Atman, the
sublimation of instincts, good conduct, pure habits, control of the senses,
restraint of the mind, and the development of Divine qualities. Today,
however, things are different. Diplomas can now be gained by
mugging up a few books! By going through modern schooling one cannot
acquire moral and spiritual training.
Every women must be given education in a well-planned manner. She
must be able to understand the problems of the country. She must
render such service and help as she can, within the limits of her resources
and capacity, to the country, the community and the family. No
nation can be built except on the culture of its women. The coming
generation is shaped by the mothers of today; this generation is full of
ignorance and injustice, because the mothers who brought it up were
not vigilant and intelligent enough. Well, what is past is past. To save
the next generation, women have to be warned in time and guided to
take the ancients as their model.
Past, present or future, for all time, women are the backbone of
progress; the heart of the nation, the very breath. They play the chief
role in the Divine conduct of life here below, a key role that is charged
with holiness. Their mission is to lay down the canons of rightness and
morality. They must provide children with moral and spiritual training.
When the mother is imbued with spiritual discipline, the children get
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the benefit and they are similarly saturated. When she is skilled in morals,
the children learn to be moral. Therefore, the level of education
among women decides whether a country is to prosper or decline. Her
acts and conduct are crucial factors.
If the wife feels that the husband's home is sacred, then that home itself
will endow her with every skill and qualification. There is no place
anywhere which excels such a home for her. One saintly poet has
sung that it is her temple, her school, her playground, her political arena,
her field of sacrifice, her hermitage.
Educated women can do useful service to the community around them
according to their skill, taste, inclination, desire, character, educational
status, mode of living, discipline or scholarship. (...)
So too, knowledge can develop discrimination, inspire the springs of
service, prompt inquiry into reality, promote the search for the Absolute,
and even pave the way for attaining Divinity. On the other hand,
it might feed and strengthen the roots of falsehood, hypocrisy, cruelty
and injustice; it might teach man newer means of deceit and ruin the
career of man on earth. It might turn love into poisonous hatred and
truth into a bone of contention.
Therefore, whatever subject a women might have studied and mastered,
whatever degree she has won, whatever the status of her husband
or of herself, she must hold fast to these truths; real charm consists
in good character; morality is the very breath of women; modesty,
the very life force; adherence to truth is her daily duty. She must plant
the seedlings of fear (fear of sin, fear of the Lord) in her heart and cultivate
the charm of humility. In the religious, moral and physical fields,
she must adhere to the strict dictates of righteousness, and take that
as the essence of all education. She must be prepared to sacrifice
even her life for the sake of maintaining honour; she must nourish and
preserve her chastity and her adoration of her husband. This is the
chief duty of women. This is the reason for her very birth as women.
(8-28/33)
A caveat should be said about heart transplant. The operation may be
easy, but how easy is it to get a heart for transplanting? A transplanted
heart may serve for a time, but cannot serve as long and as well as the
godgiven heart.
A word of caution has to be uttered with regard to heart transplant or
transplanting the cornea for the eye. The character of the person from
whom the transplanted heart or cornea has been got should also be
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taken into account. The practitioners of medicine in ancient times considered
these factors in treating patients. (...)
It is better to remedy the original heart of a patient than to try to replace
it with another heart of a person whose antecedents may not be good.
The heart is the most vital organ in the body. To keep it in a healthy
condition, one's thoughts should be healthy. Good thoughts are more
efficacious than drugs.
The doctors who have gathered here are estimable persons. They are
broad-minded, gentle and kind hearted persons. You may receive fees
from rich patients, but you should treat the poor free. Dedicate one day
in a week to render free medical service to people, irrespective of
creed or nationality. Such service will give you spontaneous joy and
enable you to experience the Divine. Make love the capsule you offer
to your patients. (18.12.95)
T.V. sets are installed in every room in the houses of the rich. From the
moment television made its appearance, the mind of man has been
polluted.
Before the advent of T.V., men's minds were not so polluted. Acts of
violence were not so rampant previously. Today T.V. is installed in
every hut. People watch the T.V. even while taking food. The result is
that all the foul things seen on the T.V. are being consumed by the
viewer. Concentration on the T.V. affects one's view of the world. The
scenes, thoughts and actions displayed on the T.V. set fill the minds
of the viewers. Unknowingly, agitations and ill-feelings enter their
minds. In due course they take root and grow in the minds.
Hence while taking food, you should not discuss dreadful incidents. No
room should be given to subjects which excite the mind, Silence
should prevail during eating. Even sound waves enter into you and affect
your minds. Hence people should avoid T.V. while taking food.
There is now what is called "Star TV”. It is doing great harm to human
life. The temporary satisfaction given by it is followed by lasting damage.
It is like a sword coated with honey. As you lick the honey, the
sword will cut your tongue.
Not India alone, but the whole world is suffering from the consequences
of T.V. The world is racked by disorder, discord and frustration.
Men today are plagued by a whole battery of troubles from birth to
death. How can they hope for happiness amidst this sea of troubles?
They have to change their vision, their thoughts, their words and their
conduct. (...)
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Students! Apart from educational programmes, do not look at T.V. at
all, especially while taking food. Concentrate on the work on hand,
whether it be eating or anything else.
You are observing many things in the world today. You must see how
you can make use of your knowledge to make the world better. Students,
boys and girls, must pledge themselves to rid the world of its ills.
Earning incomes is not a great thing. To ensure peace and prosperity
in the world is the highest achievement. You have to strive for peace
in the nation, starting with peace in the home. (...)
Young people ask why they should not enjoy freedom as the fish, birds
and animals do. They should understand that each of these creatures
enjoys freedom in accordance with its own sphere of life. Similarly man
should enjoy freedom related to his human condition. You cannot call
yourself a human being and lead the life of an animal. Enjoy the freedom
of a human being. To be free like an animal is to become an animal
yourself. What is the freedom man can enjoy? Man is governed
by certain restraints. (15.1.96)
All that is related to God is only indirect experience. It is only the parents
whom you can see directly and experience their love. So, consider
your parents as God. God will be pleased and will manifest before
you only when you love and respect your parents.(...)
It is the mother who teaches you the sacred principles like love, compassion,
forbearance, tolerance and sacrifice. Mother shows the father,
father takes you to the preceptor and preceptor directs you to
God. That is why among mother, father, preceptor and God, mother
comes first. (6.5.99)
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Struggle against the Blindness and Illusion of the
World
Christ said once that bliss plays around the tender cheeks of children
in whom there are no desires. Children often exhibit this bliss in a remarkable
manner. The bliss and happiness which children show have
no parallel in anything else in the world. For example, if a mother is carrying
a child and walking on the road, the child sometimes looks back
and laughs. Children have this extraordinary quality in them that they
can make elders laugh too. The reason is that they are under no illusion
about the importance of their bodies. (35-152)
It has become common for you to hide the connection that exists between
the five elements that constitute the basis of creation and of Atman.
Because ignorance covers the reality here. This cover is of two
kinds. One is called untruth and the other is called wrong ideas. The
idea that comes from the feeling that a particular thing does not exist
is represented by untruth. A feeling that one does not know whether a
particular item exists or does not exist, is referred to as ignorance. This
type of ignorance is responsible for repeated birth and death and is the
only hindrance on the path of liberation. Contemplation and meditation
are two processes by which this ignorance of untruth can be eliminated.
(...)
Because of illusion in your mind, you create things which do not exist.
Lack of belief and faith make you forget the existence of what exists.
Although what really exists is the rope, in imagination we think it is a
snake. Why? The reason is the darkness arising in you out of ignorance.
Several consequences follow this thought that the rope is a
snake. Fear enters and you run away from the situation. These consequences
follow; there is no snake. The fear that comes into you is
simply illusion and running away from it is the result of illusion. If with
the help of a light, you remove this illusion and this ignorance and you
discover that there is no snake there, then you can go close to it and
fear will disappear. In fact you will handle it with your hand, take it and
threw it away. In the whole world, what really exists, is only an aspect
of Brahman. Because you do not believe in this aspect of Brahman,
creation which is only a projection on the substratum of Brahman appears
to you as real. By proper experience, you can make an attempt
to unravel this myth. Once you understand the nature of Brahman and
get the meaning of the word, you will be in a position to use the right
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word to describe any particular situation. In a given situation, when you
do not know the correct meaning of words and you are ignorant of the
aspect of Brahman, then you begin to give a misrepresentation. (...)
Today, the tendency to make comparisons between various things has
increased. A very bad quality, by which you present the faults of others,
is becoming widespread. If you can get rid of these two things,
then it will be possible for you to understand this aspect of Brahman
wisdom. What you are experiencing usually relates only to the material
world around you. It is necessary for you to interpret and see what the
subtlety that is contained in your experience. (...)
Today every human being is gets into trouble with both of these illusions.
He is unable to recognize the truth that in the very individual
there is the community aspect as well. The individual aspect of a human
being has become permanently fixed in his mind. (...)
Frequently you recognize each body and its form separately and the
common Divine content is not seen by anyone. You are only looking
at different bodies and forms in an external way, but the real connection
and comparison between one and another is through the Atman.
(...)
This human birth has come to you with the purpose of establishing in
the world the oneness that exists in all Creation. The nature of this oneness
can be recognized by promoting two qualities, consistency and
non-attachment. (...)
When you do not know the nature of yourself, how are you going to
know the nature of the world? The aspect of Divine creation is spread
and present all through the world. The life force in this world and the
life force that exists in you are inseparable aspects of one and the
same Divine aspect. Although air is present everywhere around you,
yet you do not see it. So also, this life force, though present in the
whole world, can be recognized only in some places and by some human
beings. (37-197/203)
The only ray of hope in this fog of violence, cruelty of enforced conformity,
hatred and persecution, is the peace that one can win through
self-control and spiritual discipline. That peace will pervade and purify
the inner consciousness as well as the outer atmosphere. Spiritual discipline
is the life-breath of man; struggle for power, self and pomp is
but the breath of poison. Poor silly man craves for the air that will destroy
him, the food that will torment him and the drink that will defile
him! He revels in ruining his nature and denying his excellence! That
is the tragedy of civilisation.
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He denies the innate excellence of the world around him too. He refuses
to see in it the handiwork of God, evident in beauty, harmony, melody,
truth, goodness, love, sympathy, law and learning, in everything
that strikes the eye and fills the mind. He prides himself in his blindness
and raises it into a philosophy called atheism! (...)
Poison is man's daily food. His eye delights in poison; his mouth
spouts poison; his ears wag when poison is proclaimed; his feet carry
him to dens of poison; his mind cogitates plans to poison others minds!
God alone can swallow the poison and rid the world of the holocaust,
as Shiva did when the halahala-poison threatened to destroy the
world. Meditate on Shiva, the God whose throat is blue as a result of
the poison he drank; poison will then be powerless to harm you. I call
upon you to bring and offer to me all the poison in you; take from me
health, happiness, heaven itself. (...)
See God in every one you meet; see God in everything you handle. His
mystery is immanent in all that is material and non-material; as a matter
of fact, it has been discovered that there is no matter or material. It
is all God, an expression of his mystery! 9.3.68, (21-14/15)
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352
International Sathya Sai Organization
Veda has told us that it is a sin to divide our work into two parts and
say that something is your work and something is God's work. In all the
work that you have to do in your life, there is nothing that you can call
your own work. Everything is God's work. You should do all your work
believing that it is God's work and then the omnipresent Lord will take
care of the results. He will be present in you as the Atman and see to
the success of all work if you have such a view. If you are not able to
satisfy and serve human beings who are with you and who are like you,
then how can you satisfy God who cannot be seen by your physical
eyes and who does not live with you and who is not like other human
beings. If you harm the living beings who are living with you, there is
no meaning in worshipping God in those circumstances. (36-216/217)
You should become selfless and join the organization with a selfless
spirit. So long as you are in this environment, you may feel that these
are very sacred and good ideas. The moment you go outside and enter
the external world, it becomes different. Your ideas are bound to
change when you go out. But when the company outside is also good,
then it is possible for you to retain these sacred ideals for longer periods.
(37-246)
When an organization is started it has to lay down for itself certain rules
and regulations. But our rules are of a different nature altogether. Our
rules emphasise that members must first practice what they stand for.
Whatever you desire others to do, you must first put into daily practice
sincerely and with steadfastness. You must do devotional singing regularly
and systematically, before you advise others about the efficacy
of singing hymns. When you want to be honoured by others, you must
learn to honour them first.
Service has become a word of common currency, but its value is reduced
by the hypocrisy of the users. Only those who are afflicted with
compassion, equal pain, at the sight of pain and suffering, distress or
disease, have the right to offer service; for, they are not serving others,
they are serving themselves, serving to remove as fast and as intelligently
as they can, their own pain. 21.4.67, (20-36/37)
Attempts are made in many places to build Sathya Sai temples. But
Sathya Sai Baba will be happy if he is installed in your hearts; that is

the temple I like. When you seek to build that other temple, you have
to go about looking for donations. Religion has declined in this land
due to this donation-seeking and donation-granting. The most precious
donation is a pure mind; give that to the organization and it will
shine. (...)
Sathya Sai Service must bear in mind the words, service, and take up
service work enthusiastically. Service must be directed towards the removal
of physical distress, the alleviation of mental agony, and the fulfillment
of spiritual yearning. Some regions are affected by floods,
some by drought; the organization must make efforts to bring relief to
the sufferers from these and other natural calamities. (...)
Establish unity among yourselves first; do not seek faults in others or
excellences in your own selves. The Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood
of man - have full faith in this and fill every act of yours with that
reverence and love. 21.4.67, (20-40/43)
You feel that the people of your country will be happy, if you only provide
them with food, clothing and housing. You feel that they are suffering,
because they have not got these things in adequate measure.
That is an illusion, for, contentment and happiness are attributes of the
mind. The mind must be trained to achieve peace and acquire joy.
Without such a mind, man is helpless even under the most affluent circumstances.
A person may be strong and charming; but, when he has
lost his eyesight, he loses joy. (...)
Ask yourself the basic question: “Is there something that can be called
happiness? Can it be attained by the accumulation of material things?”
No, happiness, can be got and retained only through the knowledge
of the self, the Atman which is the source and spring of bliss. You delude
yourselves when you argue that happiness can be derived from
things outside yourselves. (...)
You are all engaged in service of one type or other and I know that you
are frustrated with the result; you are not happy at the service you do,
nor are the recipients happy when they receive the help. But, try to develop
unselfish love, based on truth, righteousness and peace; try to
fill every act of service with that love, try to see every act of service that
you receive with the eye of love; then, there will be no frustration. The
person who serves is the person served; you serve yourself when you
serve another. 6.11.67, (20-125/127)
You know that these organizations are for awakening in man the con-
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sciousness of the Divinity inherent in him and to encourage him to cultivate
it, so that he could blossom into a real devotee and then into a
detached, devoted, virtuous, wise, aspirant, and finally into a liberated
person merged in God. (...)
This does not seek to establish a new cult or sect, a new type of worship
or meditation, a novel ritual, an initiation that separates people as
“disciples” within the fold and “non-initiates” out of the fold. It seeks to
restrain dullness, ignorance, and all the evils that arise from them passion,
violent emotion, desire, egoism and consequent evils; it instills in
men the truth that all are kin in Atman, that the stranger is but oneself
in another form, and that service to another is the best service that one
can do to oneself. (...)
Truth is God himself. The Vedas says: "All this is established on the
firm foundation of truth". So, see that no trace of falsehood contaminates
your transactions in these organizations. Truth is my nature, my
mission, my message. Organizations bearing my name have to adhere
strictly to truth.
Non-injury is another phase of truth. When once you are aware of the
kinship, the oneness in God, the fundamental Divine unity - no one will
knowingly cause pain or distress to another. Let your organizations
promote love, scatter love, be fragrant with love, and preach the gospel
of love, through example. 20.12.67, (20-137/140)
The doctors among you can serve the poor by treating them without
insisting on payment; give the poor all the attention and care that you
lavish on the rich, paying patients. Do it for the sake of God; feel that
it is the worship you are offering him. The lawyers among you can help
those, who for want of a skilled advocate, have to suffer at the hands
of unscrupulous men. Do not publish these acts of sympathy; do them
spontaneously without fanfare. That is more precious than demonstrating
your service with the help of headlines and photographs.
These reduce the worth of deeds of compassion. You must be uncomfortable,
when those around you are unhappy; when you ease their
discomfort, you are making them happy and making yourself happy.
Similarly, you must be happy, when those around you are happy. This
is more difficult, but it is the sign of the truly good.
It is your duty to recognise all men as your kin and to share your skill
with others, so that the maximum benefits accrue therefrom. The skill
is a trust, which must rescue all. Service done in homes for the disabled,
defectives, the feeble minded, delinquents, orphans, refugees -
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is very beneficial and good spiritual discipline. Visit these places often,
give solace and strength; light the lamp of devotion in the inmates.
Help them to write to their homes, give them books or read books to
them. Be the kith and kin of those who have none whom they can call
their own. Your smile will be a lighted candle in their darkness.
Women devotees, if they have enthusiasm and support can start
meetings not only for devotional singing and study of sacred texts and
books, but for service of women. Go among the poor in the slums and
spread light and joy. Gather helpless girls and try to provide them with
some means of honourable livelihood. 20.12.67, (20-142/143)
The organizations named after me are not to be used for publicising
my name, or creating a new cult around my worship. They must spread
interest in recitation of God's Name, meditation and other spiritual
practices, which lead man godward; they must demonstrate the joy derived
from devotional group singing and remembering God's Name
and the peace one can draw from good company. They must render
service to the helpless, the sick, the distressed, the illiterate and the
needy. Their selfless service should not be exhibitionistic; it must seek
no reward, not even gratitude or thanks from the recipients. Service is
spiritual discipline not a pastime of the rich and well placed. Each one
must realise his own truth. That is the purpose of all the teaching, all
the curing, all the counselling, all the organising, all the advising that I
do. 23.2.68, (20-170)
Sing aloud the glory of God and charge the atmosphere with Divine adoration;
the clouds will pour sanctity through rain on the fields; the
crops will feed on it, sanctify and fortify the food; the food will induce
Divine urges in man. This is the chain of progress. This is the reason
why I insist on group singing of the names of the Lord.
Man is Divine: he can purify himself into perfect Divinity by the process
of meditation, taken up with eagerness and followed with faith, by virtuous
individuals. 8.7.68, (20-257)
Sathya Sai Organizations are built on love. They thrive on love; they
spread love. No other emotion or attitude has any place in them. Divinity
is the magnet; humanity is the iron. Love is the force that brings
them together. Man is the iron, God is the magnet. Devotion or love is
the force that draws the two together. 1.10.68, (20-330)
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Ninety out of a hundred among you have not clearly visualized the purpose
for which I have allowed you to form these organizations. It is not
to give some people places of authority or power, or for ensuring fame
and publicity for me. It is to build upon the earth the Fatherhood of God
and the brotherhood of men on strong foundations. This must be understand
by all of you. You are not engaged in social service through
these organizations; you are engaged in your own service. 21.11.68,
(20-345)
I want to tell you that the bliss you derive from service is something you
can never get through any other activity. The thrill that a kind word, a
small gift, a good gesture, a sign of sympathy, a sign of compassion
can bring about in a distressed heart is something that is beyond the
capacity of words to describe. 14.10.69, (21-119)
I cannot accept the excuse that people do not find time to go to devotional
group singing. If a hundred things can be done in the time now
available, surely, the hundred and first thing can also be accommodated
in the time-table. You can stop doing the hundred but this extra one
is as the breath that sustains life itself. Do not join the group only when
the cameraman is around; move with the party and feel the thrill. The
office-bearers must be one with the rest, in all the activities of the unit.
Be filled with joy that you have now got the lucky chance of listening
to and carrying out this command! This chance comes rarely to man.
(...)
Do not have any one in, who would much rather be outside the group
of Sai devotees, either an account of his habits or indifference towards
religious matters, especially towards the directions given by me. For,
my honour is your honour, your honour is my honour. This is not your
unit, your organization; it is mine. In my institution, minds must mutually
harmonise. The hearts of all have to be ploughed by discipline, and
sowed with the seeds of love, so that they grow into the Trees of dedication,
and yield the fruits of wisdom.
Office-bearers, and members of Sathya Sai institutions must have tolerance
of opinions different from their own, truth, compassion and love
towards all. (...)
The Sathya Sai family must have only men and women, who honour
their family obligation of nourishing and nursing their parents.
21.11.69, (21-174/175)
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It is enough if love is cultivated, the love that knows no distinction between
oneself and another, because all are but limbs of the one body
of God Almighty. Through love alone can the “embodiment of love” be
won; no scholarship is needed; in fact, scholarship is an impediment,
for it caters to egoism and breeds doubts, the desire for disputation
and the laurel of victory over others! When love is established, no
member of the Sathya Sai Organization will compete with another, or
look down on another. The bond of love will knit all into a rare type of
family, which knows only one will and one direction. (21-177/178)
Women have an important role to play in the moral regeneration of the
people. That is the reason for the new emphasis on women groups.
They can tell children epic stories of sacrifice and heroism, of saints
who sought God and saw him in truth, beauty and goodness everywhere,
of great men and women, who delved into the secrets of the
universe and the law of all laws, which governs the microcosm and the
macrocosm. Christ said: “Let children come unto me.” They have a
sense of wonder, fresh and free; they have the simple, sincere eagerness
to know; they have reverence towards knowledge and power.
22.11.69, (21-187/188)
The goal is not the proliferation of activities and centres, the multiplication
of units, dotting the map with devotional singing or service to
others, but encouraging devotee to become examples and an inspiration
to others.
What is planned is “inner individual reform and reconstruction” and not
“outer reform and rebuilding”. This is no game of word-building, where
out of one big word a number of small three letter-words are derived
and paraded! This is world building where out of a large number of
straight and sincere individuals the new human community is formed.
(...)
Choose men and women who have unswerving faith in this present
Avatar, with this name and this form. That will save the units from many
complications later on, arising from loyalties which may dissipate or divert
the energies of the office bearers. The leaders of these units lead
because they have the vision and the yearning, not because they have
the votes or the money. The bliss they derive is the only reward they
are after. When men who have no understanding and no vision gain
positions of authority, unrest and confusion follow. Detachment, simple
living, steady spiritual practice - these are the qualities that entitle
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a person to membership of these units. Distribute do not gather - that
is the road to grace. (...)
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 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.
13.1.70, (21-197/200)
The Sathya Sai Organization is working with persons belonging to all
religions. They do so because all religions - Christian, Parsi, Hindu,
Buddhist, Jain, Muslim - have, as their basic doctrines, love and nonviolence.
Develop these qualities. Only then, you have the right to
preach to others and propagate them. Over the ages India has shown
the way of life - “Having crossed over yourself, help others to cross” -
the sea of turmoil and travail, grief and pain. Realise and then help others
to realise. Be an example. That is the best way to learn. (...)
The Sathya Sai Organization is established to translate the principles
of love and non-violence into daily practice. (...)
Love is the scarcest commodity today! There is no love in the home,
between father and son, between husband and wife, between brother
and brother. Is love to be scarce, between member and member, in
our units too? No. You have to prove by your conduct and attitude, that
love, based on the realization of the one Atman in all, can cure the
problems of the world.
Living has become very artificial. Men are moving in blind fear, not
knowing what might happen to them at the next step. Prepare yourselves
to be lamps, to guide them aright.
Be lamps of love. Then, there is no need for recitation of the names of
Lord or worship of God. Love, loving service of others, who are forms
assumed by the Divine, will provide you with the grace of God.
Resolve today to enshrine love in your heart, to cultivate it; make it universal,
free from selfish desire. Become embodiments of love.
20.11.70, (21-352/357)
When we deal with love, we deal with something much more valuable
than money. Where money is collected and kept, misunderstanding
grows, factions are rampant and love departs. Money and the ways in
which men run after it, have caused chaos in the world.
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Base your activities on righteousness, fill your hearts with love - then
I will shower grace and be ever with you.
Where is the need for money for devotional singing, for meditation and
for group singing in the street? For this devotional group singing, you
require only legs to move, tongues to sing and hearts to receive the
name of God. For special purposes and on special occasions, funds
are collected only from members of the organization. This has been
the rule from the very beginning; it is the basis of this organization. For
all other activities, you need no funds. You need only a loving heart, a
pure heart, a wide heart. (...)
In some places, there are units which do not carry on any activity. Or,
if they do, the activities are quite contrary to the principles and practice
of Prashanti Nilayam or the rules laid down for the organization. Wherever
there are such units, the state president or the district president
must take steps immediately to remove them from the organization.
21.11.70, (21-363/364)
In the spiritual organization, members do not discuss what can be
seen or heard, or touched and tasted; they are interested in the investigation
of the unseen, the basic truth beyond the senses (outer and
inner), the processes by which the mind helps or hinders the individual's
journey to God. 22.11.70, (21-369)
What I am about to say in answer to an other question handed over to
me might pain some of you - but, I feel the truth must be told. There
are some who are attracted by various systems and methods like
hatayoga, kriyayoga or rajayoga, which claim to help people to realise
the self. But I must tell you that not one of these can make you realise
God. I must emphasize this. Premayoga - the discipline of love - alone
can lead you to God. Other yogas may calm the mind's agitations temporarily,
improve health and prolong life for a few more years, but that
is all they can do. What good to you hope to achieve with that body in
those extra years? If love is absent, they weigh you down like heavy
burdens; if love is cultivated, then, the body can be used for serving
others, without regard for the interests of the body. 22.11.70, (21-378)
Through the units of the organization of which you are the officer-bearers,
you are worshipping God, for, service to man is service to God.
When God comes embodied as man to serve man, how delighted he
must be to find man himself taking up the role and serving brother man
to get rid of disease, distress or doubt!
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You have no reason to feel proud when you are able to help another,
for your skill or wealth or strength or courage or official position which
gave you the chance to serve was the gift of God-whether you recognise
it or not. You are only offering this God's gift to another God's gift,
namely, the poor, the illiterate, the weak, the diseased, the grieving,
the broken-hearted, who seek your help. 22.11.70, (21-384)
The Sathya Sai Organization has no desire to exhibit any superiority;
it tries to hold forth the ideal, to be witness to the truth of certain spiritual
discipline. 25.12.70, (21-413/414)
I have often told you about the ideals and technique of service, I am
calling upon you once again to experience the joy of service. Render
your hearts cool with delight; share the delight with others; adore God
in this delectable form. The qualifications needed for service, are a
pure heart-uncontaminated by conceit, greed, envy, hatred or competition,
and faith in God, as the spring of vitality, virtue, and justice. Service
is the worship you offer to God in the heart of everyone. Do not ask
“which state you belong to? or which caste or creed you profess?” See
your favourite form of God in that other person; he is not “other” at all.
He is God’s image as much as you are. You are not helping an “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 foot of God. (...)
Wherever you see a sick person, a dispirited disconsolate diseased
person, that is your field of service. Every blood cell, every nerve, must
tingle with love, with eagerness to share that love with the forlorn.
When love has filled your heart, it has really been transformed into Divinity,
for, God is love and love is God. It is this love, and the compassion
that flowed from it that made the great saints of India and of other
countries, immortal like Kabir, Tukaram, St. Francis, Ramakrishna. (...)
You may not get a chance to participate in a gigantic scheme of service
through which millions may be benefited; you can lift a lame lamb over
a stile, or, lead a blind child across a busy road. That too is an act of
worship.
A copy of the Bhagavadgita may be available for twenty-five paise; a
puerile novel may cost ten rupees. Which is more worthwhile? Which
can transmute base metal into gold? Service is more fruitful than all
spiritual exercise, usually recommended for spiritual aspirants. It
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serves two purposes: the extinction of the ego, and the attainment of
bliss.
When someone sitting near you is sunk in sorrow, can you be happy?
No. It may be that a baby weeps pathetically. You get tears in your
eyes in sympathy. Why? There is an unseen bond between the two.
Man alone has this quality of sympathy; he alone can be happy when
others are happy, and miserable when others are miserable. That is
why he is the paragon of creation, the acme of animal advance. Man
alone is capable of service; that is his special glory, unique skill.
Before the festivals of Dasara, Birthday and Shivarathri, every year, I
exhort you to take up the vow of service as a spiritual worship; I must
say that I am not satisfied with your performance yet. But, I have not
given up commissioning you for I hope that you will catch up with the
ideal some day. This is an example of the quality of mercy that is natural
to me. That quality makes me appreciate even the little attempts
you make to practice the ideal of service.
Why have you come such long distances, braving all the expenses and
troubles of the journey? To be in my presence and to win my grace.
Why then do you seek other contacts, others' favours, once you have
reached this place? Why fall into grooves that deny you my presence
and grace? Forget all else, and stick to the orders that I give; I want
only to initiate you into the spiritual path of service and love. (...)
Everyone of you has the yearning to do “foot worship”. And, if I give
the chance to all, what will happen to my foot? And, what a crush there
will be around me! In the very nature of things, all those who yearn cannot
be satisfied. But, know that my feet are everywhere. “In all places,
his hands, his foot”, says the Bhagavadgita. The Vedas says: “God
has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes and a thousand feet”. The
heads, eyes and feet of the thousands who gather here, are my heads,
my eyes and my feet. (...)
The homage that you pay to all the forms of God flow towards the one,
God. I would elaborate further and give you this new mantra: “The reverence,
the service, that you offer to every single being flows automatically
to the one, God (Keshava). What does Keshava mean? It means
the supreme Godhead, whose every hair represents the trinity of Brahma,
Vishnu and Shiva, the creative, the conserving and the disintegrating
powers of the Divine.
Serve the people who will gather here, with love and intelligence, humility
and efficiency. Then, when they return to their villages, they will
tell their kith and kin: "The people we met at Prashanti Nilayam treated
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us much more lovingly than any close relative; they seated us in the
shade; they came to us often to inquire about our health; they brought
the doctor to us; they gave medicine when someone was ill; they
spoke soft and sweet, whenever we asked for some information."
The badge does not endow you with authority to boss those who are
badgeless. It should not be insulted by harshness, pride or persecution.
Once you have been blessed by it, you should not indulge in loose
talk, or loose living, lewd behaviour, or evil habits like smoking, gambling,
drinking and scandalising others. You cannot attain positions of
leadership, if that is your ambition, without years of sincere service to
the people. Unless you build your career on that foundation, leadership
will be but a five-year fair! 4.3.70, (22-1/4)
In this Organization the Master is here, available for help, advice and
direction. You cannot behave in accordance with your whims and
wishes here. You have to be vigilant everywhere and at all times. Discard
the ego and serve. Don't go about with extended hand, humiliating
yourselves. Ask me when you need any help. Extend your hand
only for grace from God. Ask grace as a right, not in a grovelling style.
Ask, as the child asks the father; feel that God is nearest and dearest.
You are His reflections, His images; I am the object reflected. Can
there be any question of difference between the object and its images?
You are all I. I am all you. I know I am the Atman; you believe you are
the body! You are sugar dolls; I am the sugar. Revere any name; the
reverence reaches me, for, I answer to all names. Denigrate any individual;
it affects me; for all individuals are expressions of my will.
14.5.71, (22-35)
When you join the Sathya Sai Organization and share in its activities,
you do so not for the sake of Sai, nor for the sake of the people, but,
for the sake of the righteousness which you have a duty to uphold and
foster. Attachment to righteousness, practice of righteousness and its
varied manifestations as service and love can alone help transform
man into God. 4.1.74, (23-16)
In the Sathya Sai Organization, you have all the opportunities you
need and all the direction and encouragement you want, to make your
names cherished by generations. The organization strives to establish
world peace and prosperity, promote mutual service in society and cultivate
selfless love in the individual. You have only to share in its var-
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ious tasks, gladly and with perfect humility. What is the highest objective
of man? What is his most precious ideal? (...)
There is no rule higher than truth. This mansion named universe
stands on the foundation of truth, Sathya.
You are all members of the Sathya Sai Organization. Remember that
“Sathya” is my name, it is the first and foremost ideal that has to shape
and sustain all the activities of the organization, as well as every one
of its members. Give Sathya the first place in your thoughts, words and
deeds. 4.1.74, (23-20)
Many people imagine that lakhs are spent here for the Dasara celebrations;
but, all who come, serve their best in the fullness of devotion
that dwells in their hearts and so, not a paisa is spent for any purpose.
Those Vedhic Priests who officiate at the ceremony, the lecturers who
deliver discourses - all come and share in the joy, out of love and faith;
their comforts are looked after by the members of the Seva Dal and the
Seva Samithis and by volunteers who dedicate their strength and skills
to make the festival a success. No paisa is spent on any item. Today,
you find the Prashanti Nilayam clean and pleasing. How many sweepers
have we employed, how many coolies are engaged? You may
wonder. Not one. Everyone cleans the place where he is staying, and
the area adjacent. Thus, cleanliness is ensured, without any cost. It
can be asserted that at no place in the world are resources put to such
good use, with the least expense, as at Prashanti Nilayam.
Prashanti Nilayam is holding forth and exemplifying the highest ideals,
in the material, ethical, economic, moral, spiritual, worldly, and even
political fields. There is no place here for anything contrary. This can
be asserted without any possibility of contradiction. In spite of this,
some ignorant individuals rely more on suppositions than facts, and indulge
in spreading wrong conclusions. Let me tell them that if a single
person in the whole world points out a wrong step in Prashanti Nilayam,
he shall be met and heard. For, Prashanti Nilayam is bent upon
the task of upholding and demonstrating high and holy ideals achieving
spiritual realization. It does not seek worldly riches; nor does it
yearn for favours and fame.
Embodiments of the Divine Atman! When you feel the desire to give in
charity, direct your minds towards the development of good educational
institutions, the provision of healing facilities for the sick, and the
amelioration of distress among the poor. Not in this place, but, anywhere,
the members of our organization must be ready and eager to
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help students, the sick, and the poor. Feel that this work, wherever carried
out, is work that pleases me.
You need not offer me anything; I only want you to realise the goal of
life by playing your role in the activities that help and cure, that are carried
out by such institutions.
You are all aware of this: I do not allow anyone to bring here even a
flower, a fruit or a coconut. However, some people, carried away by
their devotion and dedication, or moved by sudden enthusiasm or exultation
post or bring when they come here clothes for me and place
them before me. From to day, I have direct that this should not be
done; observe this as my command. If anyone brings clothes he will
not be admitted to Prashanti Nilayam. Such people will be treated as
acting against Swami's wishes and orders. What you should place before
me is an offering of pure love; only that.
From to day, spend your days and years in activities that help those
who are in need, and make this human existence of yours worthwhile
and fruitful. I wish you to conduct yourselves accordingly and I bless
you. 23.11.74, (23-172/173)
You refer to the gift of food as bliss, the charity of food. But, no one has
the authority to give in charity what has been given by God or be proud
of it or even to feel that he has given something in charity. God gave
the rains, God fostered the sapling and God ripened the grain; what
right have you to call it yours and give it in charity? It is not charity that
you do; you are only offering gratitude to God; you are sanctifying the
grain you have harvested by offering the food prepared out of it to
these Gods in human form. (...) Since you are doing it with love and
humility, in the spirit of Divine worship, I have come to your village to
bless you. Do not cast all responsibility on a committee, or a group of
enthusiasts; join them wholeheartedly and offer to share the burden. I
want everyone to join in this service activity and that it should be done,
not once a month as now, but even at more frequent intervals. 28.1.75,
(23-198)
The swimmer has to push the water behind him so that he might proceed
forward. So, too, while attempting to march forward, man has to
push back from him the evil thoughts, habits, deeds and impulses that
crowd around him. The Sathya Sai service organization has to teach
this lesson, not by precepts elaborately described in elegant language,
but by example that spreads conviction, instils faith and assures success.
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Members of this organization must be examples also of the joy that
can be derived from “giving up” rather than from “accumulating.” The
Vedas proclaim that renunciation alone leads to immortality. In spite of
this man looks for “ease” yet reeks with disease. He pursues pleasure
and is rewarded with suffering. (...)
Truth about oneself is to be learnt first. When man does not known his
own truth, how can he judge others or deal with others? When man
knows that he is the indestructible, Eternal Atman, he is free from fear.
Truth can shine forth only from a pure mind and a clear intellect. The
units of the Sathya Sai service organizations must be active in following
and observing the disciplines laid down for these two processes.
Man has to overcome the animal in him. The beast has to be laid low
and the master of living beings, God, installed in the heart. This aim
has to be constantly borne in mind by the organization and its members;
the journey towards it has to be steady and fervent. Patience, tolerance,
fortitude, equanimity, fraternity - these will prove invaluable
equipment for the pilgrim. Do not distinguish between one fellow-pilgrim
and another on the basis of caste, creed or colour, and do not divide
them into friends or foes. Recognise only the common traits, the
uniting efforts, the basic Divinity. Rich and poor, scholar and illiterate
- these are distinctions that do not hold good for long, for they are but
outer frills. A flower radiates fragrance and charm, whether held in the
right hand or the left. It does not limit that gift to some and deny it to
others. Everyone who comes near, is blessed.
The members of the units of this organization must engage themselves
in the twin processes of purifying the mind and clarifying the intellect.
They have to free themselves from all prejudices and misunderstandings.
They have to speak softly and sweetly, and give every
one the respect and attention due to them. Humility and tolerance must
characterise the behaviour of a Sai devotee. When the wind agitates
the serene waters of a lake, wavelets dance all over its face, and a
thousand suns sparkle. When calm descends and the waters are still,
the reflection of the sun within the lake is one full image. When one fixes
one's entire attention on the sun instead of on the images and the
water that caused them, there is only the one sun that is real. The sparkling
little images in the agitated lake represent the symbol of dualism;
the complete image in the depths of the serene lake is the symbol of
qualified non-dualism; the one sun which is reflected as one or many
is non-dualistic truth. (...)
The organization must help people to realise the unity behind all this
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apparent multiplicity which is only a superimposition by the human
mind on the One that is All. The Vedas proclaim that God is one, that
the goal is the same and that truth stands revealed when the veil of the
world is cast away or torn off.
One simple way to realise this unity is through service, service that is
not tarnished by a superiority complex, or by pride or even by a sense
of duty towards the organization with which you are “bound”. Revere
the dweller within, not the house where he resides. The dweller is the
same in every house, be it a palace or a hovel, so devotion to the dweller
must persuade you to worship every individual through acts of service
intelligently executed with sincere enthusiasm.
Do not fret over the rules and regulations which the organization imposes
on you; they are laid down for your own good. Regulation is the
very essence of creation. The oceans observe their limits. Wind and
fire respect their limits and bounds. The human body has to maintain
its warmth at 98.4'F in order to be healthy and the heart has to beat a
definite number of times a minute. How, then, can this organization escape
the prescription of certain rules and regulations?
Devotion has to be guided and controlled by discipline and duty. What
exactly is duty in this context? By duty I do not mean the items of work
entrusted to you by your superiors or society. Duty means the responsibility
you have not to hinder or harm any one by your movements,
speech, behaviour, or activities. (...)
The units of this organization, too, have to respect other units, and help
them to do their duty. Rules are necessary until the members realise
the spiritual unity of all. When they become incapable of inflicting harm
or transgressing the moral code, rules become superfluous. Protect
the plant from goats for a few years, then when the tree spreads its
branches far and wide, those very goats can lie down under its shade
and rest. (...)
Service to the Sai in the other person must be your daily act of worship.
Of all devotion, this is the most effective. Seek out the slum dwellers,
the poor and neglected in hamlets, and take love and light to them in
plenty. "God is the refuge of those who have no place to rest," says a
proverb. Go to places where you can find such people, and transmit
the message of hope and strength to their hearts. Be grateful to them
when they welcome you and provide you with chances to serve them.
Your happiness depends on their happiness; your health depends on
their health. You keep your houses clean; their houses, too, are yours,
for the same Sai that resides in you resides in them. Until all houses
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and their surroundings are bright and clean, how can you feel clean
and bright?
The organization must promote this high sense of unity and responsibility.
It must constantly enthuse and educate members to be engaged
in the spiritual discipline of service. 19.3.76, (24-43/47)
I must point out to the doctors serving here that perhaps even more
than the drugs they prescribe, the sweet, soft words they speak and
the love and sympathy they evince can cure better and quicker the illnesses
of their patients. Look upon them as your own kith and kin, as
your special guests and as your closest friends, and attend to them
lovingly and with unflinching care. I call upon you to maintain this attitude
in every situation. Remember that the patient has to co-operate
with you in order that you may effect the cure, and when cured, the patient
confers on you satisfaction, joy and a sense of elation. Be grateful
to the patient for all this. 28.8.76, (24-57)
You have heard some basic directions that I have given you. I have
been telling you to deal with them as directions for life: “Duty is God;
work is worship”, and another dictum: “Heads in the forest, hands in
society”. Do deeds that are holy and beneficial, untarnished by ego
and greed. Start on the sacred pilgrimage to the Divine goal and make
every minute of your life holy and purposeful. (24-220)
Today it is the duty of all those who are connected with the Sathya Sai
organizations to promote spiritual discipline and dedicate their lives to
social service for leading a purposeful life. To promote the awareness
of Divinity in human beings and build a genuine sense of brotherhood
should be their primary aim. 22.11.80, (25-45)
Some of the speakers at the conference have said that Swami brings
about transformation in individuals. When does transformation take
place? After a person has received information. The first requisite is to
get information about the presence of the Divine principle in all. The
Sai Organizations have been engaged in propagating this "information."
Service is the ideal means by which this message can be conveyed.
You should all realise that the human body has been given to
you solely to render selfless service. Such service broadens the heart,
destroys the ego and generates bliss. Service also helps to promote
consciousness of the brotherhood of man and the Fatherhood of God.
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Your task does not end there. At the same you have time to propagate
the idea of spiritual oneness of all mankind. Mankind has to be led from
dualism to non-dualism. (...)
Sai Organizations have not been set up for propaganda purpose. We
do not need any publicity. Who invited all of you here? You came out
of your love. It is an outpouring of your love for Sai. What is the nature
of your relationship? Love to love; heart to heart. It is your love for me
and my love for you, which has brought about this enormous gathering
here today. (...)
You are all treading the path of Truth. The whole world is one. Respect
all faiths alike. The world is like a musical instrument with many strings.
When the strings are in harmony, the world will be happy. All should
behave fraternally towards each other. There should be no differences
on grounds of religion. All worship the same God. No religion preaches
hatred. Truth and righteousness are common to all religions. Adhere
to them. Observe morality and integrity in daily life. (21.11.95)
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VI. MAN - INDIVIDUAL

Path of Light - Path return to God
Krishna has mentioned the type of acts which are worthy, in verse:
“Fix thy thought on me; be devoted to me; worship me; do homage to
me; thou shalt reach me. The truth I declare to thee; for thou art dear
to me. This is my teaching, my grace.” - “This is the path to me. Give
up all duties; surrender to me; do not grieve; I shall liberate you from
the consequences of all your acts."
Note the meaning and significance of these two verses. Is not this act
of surrender enough to save you and to liberate you from the round of
coming to - staying in - and leaving this world? Seeing Him in every being,
being aware of Him every moment of existence, being immersed
in the bliss of this awareness; merged in the relationship caused by
profound devotion and love of Him; dedicate all acts to Him, big and
small, everything from beginning to end, the renunciation of all attachment
to the self and the performance of all acts in a spirit of worshipful
non-attachment. This is what the Lords seeks from you.
Of course, it is hard to effect this full surrender. But if you make but the
slightest effort, the Lord himself will confer the courage to pursue it to
the end. He will walk with you and help you as a friend; you will have
Him as a guide; he will guard you from evil and temptation; he will be
your staff and support. He has said: “This course of action, if followed
even to a small extent, will save you from terrifying fear.” To follow Divine
conduct is itself a source of joy; it is the path least beset with hurdles.
That is the teaching of the Lord.
"You will come near me, you will be approaching me” - that is to say,
you will understand my mystery, you will enter into me, you will achieve
my nature. In these terms, acquiring Divine nature existence in God,
unity in God are indicated. When you have attained the state of realising
the Divinity in every being, when every instrument of knowledge
brings the experience of that Divinity, when it alone is seen, heard,
tasted, smelt and touched, you become a part of the body of God and
live in Him and with Him. When this duty to your own progress is instilled,
you will get new strength at the very first step; you will thrill to
a new and purer joy; you will taste the fullness of bliss; you will be refreshed
by new holiness.
This Divine conduct is not laid down or recommended for the extraordinary
among men. It is within the reach of all, for all hunger for God,
all have the discrimination to discover that there is something basic behind
all this change. Even the most heinous sinner can quickly cleanse
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his heart and become pure by surrendering to the Lord in anguished
repentance.
The Lord's command is that each one should pursue the special Divine
conduct laid down for him; each person should plan his life according
to the spiritual foundations of his culture; he should give up the objective
vision and listen to the voice of God. (2-7/9)
When the desire to attain the fruit of action is renounced with full intellectual
awareness, then it becomes what Krishna calls "yogabuddhi."
The intellect has to be purified and trained; otherwise, it is impossible
to give up attachment to the fruits of action and to continue doing
things as either duty or dedication. Such a purified intellect has discrimination
and sees unity. Cultivate this and then, through it, liberate
yourself from the bondage of activity and consequence. The true you
is above and beyond the consequence of activity. (...)
The practice of this type of renunciation ends the state of bondage. (2-
35/36)
So along with the mastery of the senses, you must establish mastery
of the mind. That is the sign of an enlightened, and not an unreasonable
individual. Where does the unreasonable go? To perdition and
nowhere else.
The upward path is for the enlightened. Of these two masteries, if the
mind is controlled, that alone is enough. It is no longer necessary to
conquer the external senses. If the mind has no attachment to objects,
the senses have nothing to cling to; they perish by inaction; love and
hate are both starved out of existence. The bonds with the objective
world are cut, though the senses may yet be affected by it. For he who
has been blessed by an awareness of the Atman, how can anything
worldly bring grief or joy? (...)
As the stars fade into invisibility when the sun rises, so too when the
sun of knowledge rises, grief, agitation and ignorance vanish.
You have three chief instruments; the mind, the intellect, and the senses.
It is when these three work in unison and co-operate with one another
that liberation in the knowledge of the Atman, is realized. (2-42/
43)
If the wheel of creation is to move smoothly, each one has to keep
working. No-one can get round this obligation. Even he who has
achieved the highest wisdom has to observe this rule. Eating and
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drinking, intake and release of breath - these too are activities. Who
can exist without these acts?
You derive benefit from the world and from the community and so
some activity on your part is their due. This universe is really a huge
workshop; every human being is a limb in its organization. The limb is
allotted a task in accordance to its structure and it must find its fulfillment
in doing that particular work. Whatever work one has been allotted
has to be done as on offering to God. There is no single thing in
the universe that does not engage itself in this great task. Plant and insect,
stone and stump, wind and rain, heat and cold, if any of these
does not function according to plan, the world cannot exist. The sun
and the moon carry on their routine tasks; wind and fire perform their
duties without demur. If the earth and the sun refuse to do their allotted
duties what will happen to the world? No one who has a body can be
considered superfluous! It is only when each performs his task with
care, that the wheel will move quickly and smoothly.
You may wonder why wise people should work; not only you, but many
others may ask themselves. Well, people usually follow the ideal set
by those in higher positions. Their acts form the basis of duty for all. If
wise people are inactive, how are ordinary mortals to save themselves?
They have no guide and so they lose themselves in the easy
paths of sensory pleasure. The duty of the wise is to foster right and
practice it before others, so that they may be prompted to follow, drawn
by the hope of becoming as contented and as joyful as the wise. (2-
47/48)
It is only in the action that is your very nature that you can have fortitude.
If it is just an assumed duty, you will find it difficult to put up with
the troubles and travails. (...)
Action (karma) that is the expression of your genuine self, your natural
work will sit light, and work done as sense of duty will induce conceit,
or the feeling “I am the doer”; so it will result in exhaustion or elation,
disgust or pride. (2-53/54)
Well. You will grasp the importance of the task of protecting Divine
conduct only when you consider its origin and purpose. God created
this universe on his own initiative and he ordained various codes for
its upkeep and smooth running. There were rules of correct conduct
for every being. (...)
Not only this country, every single thing in the world, has its own spe-
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cial uniqueness of duty, and nature. Each has its own distinctive style!
Action rules groups and individuals. (...)
Similarly, man has some natural characteristics that are his very lifebreath.
They are also called abilities. He can be identified as “man”
only so long as these abilities are found in him. If they are lost, he is
no longer a “man”. To preserve and foster such qualities and abilities,
certain codes of behaviour and lines of thought are laid down. Your
own special uniqueness of duty (dharma) will not decline if these are
kept up. Your duty is not imported from somewhere outside, nor can it
be removed. It is your own genuine nature, your uniqueness. It is the
thing which makes a man out of an animal. How to observe right conduct?
By being yourself. (2-56/57)
Krishna replied: “Those who seek me are of four types. One is always
worn out by ills that affect the body. Another is worried by the struggle
for prosperity, power, self, property, posterity, etc. A third yearns for
the realization of the Atman, reads the scriptures and sacred texts,
moves ever in the company of spiritual aspirants, acts along the lines
laid down by the sages, and is always motivated by the eagerness to
reach the nearness of the Lord. He is the spiritual aspirant. The fourth
is the wise. He is immersed in the Divine Absolute.
The first worships me only when he is in difficulty and suffers from grief
or pain. When he prays to me, I hear it and I satisfy him only in relation
to that particular difficulty, that particular grief or pain. The second
prays for riches or position or power or high status, I listen and award
him only the particular thing he craves for. The spiritual aspirant is
blessed with chances to do work without the wish for the fruits, with a
proper guru as guide, with an intellect that is sharp enough to discrimine
between the higher self, the Atman, and the lower self, and thus
helped to achieve the goal. I bless him so that he is saved from distractions
and helped to concentrate on the single aim of liberation. (...)
My task is to give to each what he asks.” (2-69/79)
There are two channels of subtle energy (nadi), ida and pingala by
name, subtle nerves; ida to the left and pingala to the right of the main
channel (sushumna). Ida is the lunar path and the pingala is the solar
path. The yogis proceed along the solar and the others along the lunar
path. This is another of the unobserved mysteries. (...)
There is no need to doubt whether such a stage is within the reach of
all, whether all can achieve this victory. Nor is any special effort or pe-
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culiar good fortune or a special act necessary. It is enough if the mind
is always fixed on God, if the Lord is meditated upon without break.
That will cleanse the mind; the delusion clogging it will disappear. This
by itself comprises liberation, for what is liberation but the decline of
delusion? A person who has achieved this stage, will attain the stage
of Brahman, howsoever he might die. Such a person is called wise.
(...)
The types of knowledge you mentioned now are all useful at some
stage or the other of one's spiritual development; but by none of them
can you escape the cycle of birth and death! That which realises you
is known as the knowledge that you yourself experience; that alone
can help you to be free. (2-166/168)
Devotion to the Lord is a form of discipline to reach the goal. The seeker
should not stop with the acquisition of devotion; he should pay attention
not so much to the love that he has towards the Lord, as to the
love and grace that the Lord bestows on him! He must be eager to find
out which behaviour of his, what acts of his, will be most pleasing to
the Lord, will fill the Lord with bliss. Inquire about it, yearn for it, carry
out things that will secure that objective, that is a real devotee.
But people generally do not follow this ideal of devotion, nor do they
think about the implications of that ideal. They only pay attention to the
love of the devotee for the Lord; and in the process, they do not pay
much attention to Divine order and the work of which the Lord approves
and appreciates! This is why Krishna says: "Activity which
pleases the Lord is superior to the action which fulfils the yearning of
the devotee”. - Whatever the devotee does or thinks or plans or observes,
should draw down the grace of God. It should not be subject
to his own will; it should be in accordance with His will. The devotee
must test every thought and feeling on the touchstone of the Lord's declared
preferences. (2-197/198)
The awareness of being only the witness of everything, is the secret
of self-realization. Self-realization is: the knowledge that “I am the truth
of me"; or “I have known myself"; or "All are one Atman”; or “I have experienced
that the individual and the Universal are not separate". This
is what every person has to discover for himself; mere asceticism without
this is a sheer waste of time and energy. (2-226)
Arjuna: "It is indeed very difficult to know that basic Atman, that inner
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eality of all things. He is everywhere but is nowhere visible! He is the
inner core of all but cannot he contacted at all! What is the cause of
this mystery?"
Krishna replied: "You have not understood yet. The Atman is subtler
than the subtlest and so it is difficult to cognise it. You know the five
elements. Earth, water, fire, wind and sky. Of these each subsequent
element is subtler than the previous one. Earth has five qualities:
Sound, touch, form, taste and smell; water has all these, except smell;
fire has only three, sound, touch and form, wind has only two qualities,
sound and touch; and the last one, sky has only sound. That is why
each of these is subtler than the previous one and also more widely
spread. The sky is everywhere, penetrating in and through all, because
it has only one characteristic. How much more subtle must be
the Atman which has no qualities or characteristics! Imagine how
much more immanent and universal it must be! Those who are objectively
minded cannot grasp this phenomenon; only the subjective
minded can have the solution.
This faith can come only to those who can reason things out. It is a fatal
thrust on those who shout, in all seasons, that God cannot be immanent
in everything because he is not to be perceived at all. They do not
believe that God is above and beyond the trivial qualities with which
they seek to measure him. It is a pity, indeed. God is as near to you,
as you are to him; if you keep distant, he too remains distant." (2-227/
228)
How can a person who feels helpless to restrict and regulate his food
habits be trusted to restrict and regulate his senses? If he cannot limit
and control his feelings, how can he limit and control the senses? (2-
245/246)
The state of desirelessness is really the state of egolessness. And
what is liberation except liberation from bondage to the ego? You deserve
liberation when you break away from the bond of desire. (2-247)
You have to give up the twin activities of commission and omission, resolving
and refusing. You have to follow the Lord's commands; You
have to accept his will, be happy wherever he has placed you, however
he has shaped you. You should keep yourself far from the inquiry
into the appropriateness or inappropriateness or your acts, but do
them as acts of worship to the Lord, acts for which no reward is expected.
That is the sum of your duty. (2-248/249)
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The soul immanent in every being is not distinct from the Atman or soul
that is in you. So, be eager to promote the well-being of all beings. Perform
all acts enjoined by the sacred scriptures for His sake, in the spirit
of dedication, with no eye on the fruits thereof and without the feeling:
“I am the doer”. (250)
When an aspirant starts on the teaching of the spiritual path, this ceremony
is called Upanayana (Initiation). The word means, "taking
near", taking the young aspirant near Brahman, that is to say, introducing
him the path of Brahman. It is one of the sacred ceremonies or rites
which reconstruct the personality, re-form the mind, purify it and rebuild
it. It makes the person receiving it twice-born! The boy is born first
into the world; now, he is born into the spiritual world. He becomes a
person who walks towards Brahman. So, it is a very significant day in
the lives of those people, a day they must long remember with joy and
thankfulness. It is the day when their hearts were turned towards God;
and they should try not to runaway from God hereafter; that is a great
responsibility.
The initiation is done through the Gayatri mantra. This mantra is a universal
prayer that can be used by men of all climes and creeds, for, it
calls upon the glorious power that pervades the sun and the three
worlds to arouse, awaken and strengthen the intelligence, so that it
may lead to intense spiritual practice and spiritual practice may lead
to success.
Every little moment or incident results in sound only, you may not be
able to hear, because the range of your ear is limited. The falling of an
eyelid over the eye makes a sound, the dropping of dew on a petal
makes a sound. Any little agitation disturbing the calm is bound to produce
sound. The sound caused by the primal movement that resulted
in the enveloping of Brahman by self-evolved creation is the OM. The
Gayatri is the elaboration of that prime sound and so, it is now held so
venerable that initiation into spiritual life is achieved by its contemplation.
The sound of a mantra is as valuable as its meaning. Even a poisonous
cobra is quietened by music; sound has that allaying property. The
child in the cradle stops wailing as soon as the lullaby is sung. (...)
In the case of the Gayatri, the meaning too is easy and profound. It
does not ask for mercy or pardon; it asks for a clear intellect, so that
the truth may be reflected therein correctly, without any disfigurement.
The aspirant has vowed himself into a life of spiritual practice. Now
what are the requisites for aspirant?
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First: Faith - that can stand the ridicule of the ignorant, the cavilling by
the worldly, the laughter of the lowminded. (...)
Second: Do not worry about ups and downs, loss or gain, joy or grief.
You are yourself the maker of the ups and downs. If you but care, it
can all be one smooth level. You label something as loss and something
else as gain. You crave for a thing and when you get it, you call
it joy; when you don't, you call it grief. Cut the craving off, and there will
be no more swinging from joy to grief.
Third: Reason out and get convinced of the truth. You know there are
five elements, which constitute by their permutations and combinations,
the world called the "five-constituted." The earth-element has
five qualities, the maximum and so, it is the grossest. It has its own
special characteristic of smell as well as the characteristics of the other
four: Sound, touch, form, and taste; water has all these, except smell;
fire has only three, sound, touch and form, wind has only two qualities,
sound and touch; and the last one, sky has only sound. That is why
each of these is subtler than the previous one and also more widely
spread. The sky is everywhere, penetrating in and through all, because
it has only one characteristic. How much more subtle must be
the Atman, the higher self, which has no qualities or characteristics!
Imagine how much more immanent and universal it must be! Those
who are objectively minded cannot grasp this phenomenon; only the
subjective minded can have the solution. His nature is beyond all human
vocabulary, beyond all human mathematics. Have this conviction
well stabilised in your intellect.
Fourth: Be steady in spiritual discipline, and never hesitate once you
have decided on it. When the bus is moving on, the dust will be floating
behind as a cloud: it is only when it stops with a jerk that the dust will
envelop the faces of the passengers. So, keep moving, keep steadily
engaged in spiritual exercise. Then, the cloudy dust of the objective
world will not cover your face. (...)
Through wisdom alone can righteousness be saved in the modern Iron
Age. That is why I am engaged in reason, in this task of re-constructing
through spiritual teaching.
When you scatter seeds on the surface of the soil, they do not germinate.
You have to keep them inside the soil. So too, spiritual teaching
if it is scattered on the surface it will not germinate, grow into the tree
of knowledge and yield the fruit of wisdom. Plant it in the heart, water
the plant with love, manure it with faith and courage, keep off pests
with the insecticides of song of praise and good company, so that you
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can benefit in the end. You have not yet started spiritual discipline and
still you demand peace; you demand grace. How is it possible? Start!
Then, everything will be added unto you. God gives you whatever you
pray for; so, take care. Ask for the right things. (...) So, think well, discriminate
clearly before you ask, before you pray.
I know how systematic you all are in eating and drinking. You take pretty
good care of the body. I do not condemn it; I only want you to take
equally good care of the needs of the spirit. Take a dose of meditation
and recitation of God’s names as morning breakfast, worship and devotion
as lunch at noon, some good company or studies of sacred literature,
or remembering of the names of God as afternoon tea and
snacks, an hour of group singing as dinner and a small ten-minute
meditation as the cup of milk before going to bed; that diet is enough
to keep your inner being happy and healthy. That is my advice to you
today. 16.4.64, (17-241/246)
Some say knowledge is power, but it is not true. Character is power.
Even the acquisition of knowledge demands a good character. So,
every one must yearn to attain flawless character, without any trace of
evil.
Note that Buddha, Jesus Christ, Shankara and Vivekananda, great
sages and saints and devotees of the Lord, all these are treasured in
the memory of man even unto this day. What quality made them all
memorable for all time? I say, it is the character of each one of them.
Without character, wealth, education and social status are of no avail.
It is the fragrance of the flower; that gives it value and worth. (...)
Among the qualities that make up a flawless character, love, patience,
forbearance, steadfastness and charity - are the highest and have to
be revered. (4-1/2)
There is one secret which if known lays bare all secrets; if that problem
is solved, all are solved, there is one knot which if untied, all knots are
loosened. There is one science, which if mastered, all are mastered.
That key is spiritual wisdom. (4-22)
Permanent happiness can be secured only through one education, the
Upanishad education; that is the science of God-realization, the teaching
of the Rishis. That alone can save man and grant him peace. There
is nothing higher than; this is an indisputable fact. Whatever your joy
and sorrow, whatever the subjects you have specialized in for a living,
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keep your eyes riveted on Brahman wisdom. If intelligence alone is
sharpened, without the growth and practice of virtues, and if mere information
is stored in the brain, the world cannot progress and its welfare
will be in jeopardy. (4-24)
You are born as human beings. You proclaim ourselves to be Divine.
With all this, you do not understand the true nature of human life. That
man should live as man gives great pleasure to God. When you are
called a man, you should conduct yourself in a manner that is befitting
a human being. (...)
In this context, if you put on the appearance of a human being, you
should have qualities of a human being and not those of a monkey or
a demon. Power to distinguish right from wrong, to keep away from sin,
to be attracted to good, are the qualities appropriate to man; and they
in turn will lead man towards Divinity. (35-168/169)
No one can be isolated from the stream of life. Each one is a part of
society. By being in this world one gets a chance to progress spiritually,
so man should feel some obligation from his social conscience towards
society. It is well known however that when one leaves this
world, one has to leave everything. Even a blade of grass cannot be
carried when one dies. One should make an attempt to merge with the
omnipresent Divine. (35-235)
First you have to understand the details of the methodology and duties
which go with Divine conduct. The aspect which envelopes everything
or that which you see all around you is as it should be. Before understanding
spiritual law and Brahman knowledge, you must recognise
the need for activity and its consequence. It is only when you understand
this knowledge relating to activity that you can understand the
Divine order. After that, you can understand knowledge of Brahman.
The relationship between action, your inner duty and Brahman can
best be explained by using an example with which you are familiar in
your daily life. (...)
Your birth is itself action with consequence. Having been born, realising
the details of life and doing one’s duty, appropriate to the time and
circumstances, is innate spiritual law. After fulfilling such duties, the realization
that merely fulfilling duties gives no bliss, or the realization
that there is no bliss in performing your duty will make you seek the
Brahman wisdom and there you will find bliss. (...)
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In the same manner karma, dharma, and Brahman are simply three
different aspects of the same Brahman.(...)
One who is on the path of wealth will think: “I am in the light”, one who
follow the path of Divine conduct will think: “The light is in me”, one who
has moved on to the aspect of Brahman and learnt to experience Brahman
in everything will say: “I am the light.” (36-61+64)
As a result of the attitude of mind, these two aspects of positive and
negative arise. Because Brahman is omnipresent, Brahman is present
even in the minds of people, and “bad” and “good” have been used to
represent the two aspects of mind. Positive and negative are not two
distinct separable attitudes nor are they separate situations. One happens
to be the opposite of the other.
This may be referred to as one being a reaction of the other. Such opposites
are present in every aspect and in every situation. Pain and
pleasure always come together and no one can separate them. Pleasure
is something which you cannot see in on isolated condition. If pain
fructifies, you call it pleasure. Just as pain and pleasure are not two
separate things, so also bad and good are not two separate entities.
For the prosperity of the world, God is taking the aspect of bad as a
kind of cure. The aspect of “wrath” which God takes for a specific purpose
is regarded as something which signifies terror. This is not right.
From time immemorial, several Rishis have performed spiritual practice
and undergone many troubles. In order for the person doing spiritual
practice reach a certain stage and get recognition, God creates
obstacles in his path. This is not a trick on the part of God nor is it the
purpose of God to give trouble to the devotee. After on year of education,
the university conducts an examination. This examination is conducted
with a view to send you to a higher class and is for your own
good. It is not conducted to trouble you. You are calling this examination
a test. So also, God introduces an occasional test to find out the
strength of the person performing the spiritual discipline. Because your
attitude towards the test is not correct, it sometimes gives you the feeling
that if causes you great trouble. Sometimes, you pray to God and
say: “Oh God! Why are you subjecting me to all these tests?” You ask
that all these tests be stopped but if the tests are stopped, you cannot
rise higher. If one wants to learn to drive a plane or a boat, one must
obtain a certificate of fitness or a licence and for this one will have to
go through a test. If you desire that there should be no test, it means
that there is no desire to reach a higher place and you want to remain
where you are. (...)
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When such tests come from God, they come in order to shower grace
and not to trouble the devotee. It is not possible for all persons to understand
and comprehend God's strength. One who understands
Brahman becomes identical with Brahman himself. (...)
Brahman has no form. Brahman has no qualities. Brahman has only a
name and is like a mirror which reflects form. If you go and stand in
front of a clean mirror, what you see is a reflection of yourselves and
in this context you have to ask whether the image you see is simply a
reflection of yourselves or whether it is a part of the mirror. This clean
mirror is only reflecting the image of yourself but your image is not already
present in the mirror. The bad and the good that are present in
you are reflected. God has neither good qualities nor bad qualities.
When you stand in front of mirror, your own image is reflected. If you
do good, it is reflected as good and if you do bad, it is reflected back
as bad. (36-102/106)
Strength arising from one’s own righteous conduct is the only meaningful
strength. Without having any attachment to work and without
swerving from the Divine path, if you do all work in the name of God,
then God will always be with you in good and in bad, in happiness and
in sorrow. He will be the witness and a constant companion to you. (36-
126)
If man lives properly as a human being it will be occasionally possible
for him to turn towards the Divine but if man does not live as man, it
will not be possible for him to even occasionally think of the Divine. It
is only when man makes an attempt to know who he is can he understand
the Divine. Only then is there a chance for him to enter the Atman
and enjoy bliss and happiness. (36-134)
A bubble of water is born out of water, it is made up of water, it ultimately
mixes with water and disappears. As in this analogy, man is like
a bubble and God is like the source water. Man is born out of God, is
made up of him and ultimately merges with him. What else can I tell
you? This is the simple and elemental truth. (...)
Like the water, the waves and the foam which are all inseparably connected
with each other, the three aspects, the spiritual aspect, the
worldly aspect and the Divine aspect, are inseparably connected with
each other. (37-75/76)
The secret of happiness is not in doing what one likes but in liking what
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one has to do. Whatever work you have to do, you should do it with
pleasure and liking. (...)
Children who have no good qualities, education which has no purpose,
a community which has no morality in it, are all perfectly useless. In the
same manner, life in which there is no peace of mind and a night when
there is no moonshine are equally useless. (37-100+102)
Man's life must be a perpetual spiritual effort; any day is a good day
for starting spiritual practice, whether it falls in the summertime or wintertime.
One need not wait for the sun to turn north. The months and
the time are all related to nature, and so they have only relative value.
Pleasant and moderate - these are the directions. Let it not be too garish,
too ramshackle, too costly, too fragile. Take the middle course;
that will yield maximum benefits. The craving for sense objects cannot
be given up fully; so, transform it into an instrument for worship. Dedicate
all your efforts to the Lord; accept all achievements and failures
as proofs of the grace of the Lord. His will decreed that they should so
happen. Transform all the six passions into instruments for spiritual uplift.
Sow in the field of your heart the seeds of good thoughts, charged with
humility; irrigate it with the waters of love; protect the growing crop with
the pesticide called courage; feed the crop with the fertiliser of concentration;
then, the “devotion” plants will yield the harvest of wisdom, the
eternal wisdom, that you are He, and when that revelation comes, you
become He, for, you were always He, though you did not know it.
The individual can fulfil himself only through the service of others, expansion
into the universal. Spiritual discipline has to enlarge the vision,
enhance the experience, and enthuse the individual self to merge in
the Atman.
But the question is asked - then, why is he not seen? Well, he is, as
butter is in milk, in every drop, through and through. If butter has to be
seen, then certain processes have to be gone into-boiling, curdling,
churning etc. So too, by certain spiritual disciplines, like repeating the
name on the tongue, he who dwells in the heart can be visualized: the
immanent God can be experienced as real.
From the experience of saints and sages, you can realise that joy from
the external world is infinitesimal when compared with the bliss won
through spiritual discipline. To win that bliss, spiritual discipline and
non-attachment are essential. When drilling to draw water from the
bowels of the earth, the pipe has to be kept free from air so that the
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water can rise. If air enters, the water will not rise. So too, be sure that
attachment to worldly things does not mar your spiritual discipline.
Love will not well up if sensual pleasures or personal pride invade the
mind.
There are three things which one should keep in mind, namely: “I will
not think of anything else except God”; “I will not do anything else without
the permission of God” and “I will have my attention completely
fixed in God.” (...)
Your nature and your predilections are shaped by the way in which you
loved and wrought, fed and fought, in the long series of lives you had
already. (27-1/3)
If the seeds of true wisdom that I sow do not come up as good saplings
and give good harvest, I too am affected. On the other hand, if they
grow well and fructify into a harvest of bliss, how happy I am; that is
my food. This is the service you should do to me. There is nothing higher
than this. (...)
People hesitate to enter the field of spiritual discipline, though they
crave for the harvest of joy. They are not willing to spend a pie, they
are reluctant to do an Iota of exertion; but they want liberation to drop
from the heavens on their laps. They would have the vision of God
thrust painlessly into their brain! (...)
Study of scriptures and religious texts and such books without effort to
practice, results in ill-health. Being false to one's professions eats
away one's self-respect and one starts getting ashamed of oneself.
So, learn and practice; eat and digest. That is the advice I give you.
You must have the staunch determination to use this opportunity to the
full. You are near and those who are far, are far, only with reference
to space, not with reference to my love. To realise the Lord, you must
welcome hardships, trials, and sufferings. You must dwell on the name
and form steadily and with faith. You must discard all inferior sources
of joy. (...)
The hospital is for those who have faith in drugs and doctor. But, what
can drugs and doctors do without the grace of God? The day will surely
come when the hospitals will be superfluous, since all will be healthy
and free from illness, accepting the spiritual way, the way of bliss, to
peace and happiness. (27-5/7)
When the mind of man is unattached to the ups and downs of life, and
is able to maintain equanimity under all circumstances, then even
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physical health can be assured. The mental firmament must be like the
sky, which bears no mark of the passage through it of birds or planes
or clouds. Illnesses are caused more by malnutrition of the mind than
of the body. Doctors speak of vitamin deficiency; I call it the deficiency
of vitamin G and I recommend the repetition of the name of God, with
accompanying contemplation of the glory and grace of God. That is vitamin
G. That is the medicine; regulated life and habits are 2/3 of treatment,
while the medicine is just 1/3 only. (27-8/9)
Hold all your property and wealth in trust for the Lord who gave them
to you; even your family, you must treat as a sacred trust, as persons
given to you by the Lord to love, foster and guide. Thus, you must
transform your attachment into worship and make it an instrument for
spiritual progress. (...)
The Lord is nearer to you if you slide open the door of delusion; part
the curtain of ignorance; open the closed eye; he is right there, before
you! The fog of sensual pleasure is hiding Him from you. Switch on the
light; the darkness disappears and He becomes visible. (...)
Let me tell you that married life will not bar your way to realization. Look
upon the wife, husband and children as a sacred trust, and serve them
in that spirit. Prepare yourselves for a celibate and spiritual discipline
from the age of fifty; the five senses have to be mastered, by the time
five decades of your life are over. The conclusion of six decades
means that you have conquered the six foes of man: lust, anger,
greed, attachment, pride and hate. When you are seventy, you must
have become ready to merge with the seven sages, the seven seas
and the seven colours of the solar ray; that is to say, you must be far,
far above mundane desires and ideals, and as near the point of mergence
as possible, through spiritual discipline. Eighty must see you in
line with the deities that preside over the eight cardinal points, more or
less Divine, in attributes and characteristics. Ninety takes you, or rather
should take you, to the realm of the nine planets, into the realm of
the super. When man reaches the hundred mark, living out the ten
decades, he must have mastered the ten senses, the five senses of
action and the five senses of knowledge and become wisdom incarnate,
with no trace or consequences thereof or the desire for it. He and
the absolute are one and indivisible! (...)
What exactly is the aim and purpose of the sacred texts, these discourses?
Just try to answer that query. It is to tell man the truth about
himself. (27-15/17)
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When the magnet does not attract the needle, the fault lies in the dirt
that covers the needle. When the Lord does not approach the devotee
the fault lies in the heart of the devotee; it is not pure enough. (27-22)
When one has attained the state of realising the Divinity in every being,
when every instrument of knowledge brings the experience of that Divinity,
when it alone is seen, heard, tasted, smelt and touched, man
becomes undoubtedly a part of the body of God and lives in Him and
with Him. When this duty to your own progress is taken up you will get
a new strength at the very first step; you will thrill to a new and purer
joy; you will taste the fullness of bliss; you will be refreshed by a new
holiness. (27-25)
The rosary teaches you unity, though it has 108 beads! If it is a crystal
rosary you can see the string running in and through each pead, the
inner reality on which all are strung! If the peads are not transparent,
you still know that the string passes through, holds together, and is the
basis for the rosary to exist! Why 108 pearls? 108 is the product when
12 is multiplied 9 times. 12 is the number of Gods, luminaries that reveal
the objective world, and so. Symbols of the world of name and
form, of manifoldness, the seeming variety, the fleeting picture; 9 is the
screen on which appear pictures of the basis, the rope which deludes
you as the snake in the dusk, Brahman, the nameless, formless, Eternal
Absolute. 9 is the Brahman number, for it is always 9, how ever
many times you multiply it! It is immutable, for 9 into any number adds
up to 9 only. So, when you turn the peads, impress upon your self the
fact that there is both truth and travesty in the world, the travesty attracts,
distracts and delights in deceiving you, diverts you into devious
paths; the truth makes you free!
Hold the rosary over the middle finger, keeping the three “guna” (basic
quality) fingers together. This means that you are now transcending
the world of attributes, and qualities, of name and form, of multiplicity
that is the consequence of all this transformation, and proceeding towards
the knowledge of the unity. The forefinger now slowly passes
each pead towards the thumb (Brahman), touching the tip of the Brahman
finger when the pead passes over, so that the mergence is empaslsed
with every pearl and every breath, for, while the fingers learn
and teach the lesson, the tongue too repeats the name, with the OM.
The rosary is very useful for beginners in spiritual discipline, but, as
you progress, recitation of God’s names must become the very breath
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of your life, and so the rotation of peads becomes a superfluous and
cumbersome exercise in which you have no more interest. Always, at
all times, in all places, the Lord is meditated upon. That is the stage to
which the rosary should lead you. You should not be bound to it for ever;
it is only a contraption. (27-43/45)
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. (27-47)
Man consumes as food many living beings, plants, eggs, fish, cattle,
sheep etc. They are born as human beings, an account of this act of
consumption. But, since they have not had the education which can reveal
the God within they vegetate or stay brutish, without the appropriate
ticket or passport for rising higher than the human status in which
they have been hurriedly placed. Like most men, they roll along from
womb to tomb, bond-slaves to the senses and the ills that the bondage
brings inevitably in its train. Do not be content with slavery; yearn to
reach the sun of splendour, the source of perfect wisdom. (27-57/58)
You are the image or the supreme Atman, the image that is reflected
in the body that is part of nature. The original Divine spirit, the individualized
spirit, which is the image, and the objective world of which the
body is a part - these are the three entities called: “God, being, nature”.
Success in spiritual discipline is won the moment you are able to either
deny the objective world as a delusion or recognise it as nothing but
the supreme spirit itself. When the mirror, the nature, goes, the image
(being) also disappears. When the mirror is eliminated, two entities
disappear, it and the reflection it can cast, and, you merge in the Divine.
(27-60)
Of the electric current, the positive and the negative together produce
light. The positive pole is grace, Divine majesty, basking in his glory.
The negative pole is the consciousness “not I", “not mine”; the denial
of the deluding experiences of the waking, the dream and the deepsleep
stages, the destruction of the warp and woof of the mind, the
process of weeding and cleansing.
The one is known by many names; the one is pictured in many forms.
There is only one Truth. People discern one facet at a time; their vision
is too limited to see it whole. (27-60)
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A life of spiritual discipline involves the dedication of all acts to God,
the offering of whatever one does or thinks or speaks at the feet of
God.
The mind must revolve round one centre, God. Your concentration
must be strong and steady. Why have you to struggle to acquire it?
The reason is: you have no yearning, no fond attachment, no love towards
God. But, carry on with the endeavour. By means of continuous
culture, it is possible to acquire it.
Spiritual discipline is a uniquely precious activity which will be vulgarised
by public gaze. (...)
True love is one which remains unchanged and that is the love for Divinity.
Believe in yourself. Then you will believe in God. (27-66/67)
A smile is the rose that grows on the thorn of a sigh. Shed tears, but
only for joy; joy that you are released from the chain of desires. (27-
152)
All the sufferings of man today can be traced to this false sense of values.
First things must come first. First, self; then, help. Now people
start helping others on the spiritual path without traversing that path
themselves. So both the guide and the guided fall into the pit. (27-202)
Man does not realise that there is a vast unknown beyond the five
faulty instruments of perception that he has. For example, from every
being and thing, constantly without intermission, millions of minute
particles and millions of vibrations are issuing forth. Certain substances
like camphor emits so much of these that a lump disappears in a
few days. The bodies of others affect you by these emissions and you
too affect them in the same way. (...)
Five types of bath are prescribed in the Hindu scriptures in order to
maintain physical immunity from the emanations of others, the mudbath,
the sun-bath, bath in water, the air-bath and ash-bath where the
body is given a coating of fine ash or vibhuti, revered as the mark of
Shiva. The ash guards the body from evil contacts and the deleterious
effects of the vibrations proceeding from others; it also sanctifies and
purifies the vibrations of the individual wearing the ash, for it reminds
him always of the inevitable end of all that one feels as one's own except
the Lord who is the very person himself. Untouchability as a social
practice must have had its origin in the realization of this truth. (27-215/
216)
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The play is his; the role is his gift; the lines are written by him; he directs,
he decides the dress and decoration, the gesture and the tone,
the entrance and the exit. You have to act well the part and receive his
approbation, when the curtain falls. By your efficiency and enthusiasm
earn the right to play higher and higher roles; that is the meaning and
purpose of life. (27-229)
When the sun rises, not all lotus flower in the lake bloom; only the
grown buds open their petals. The others await their time. It is the
same with men. Differences do exist because of unripeness, though
all fruits have to ripen and fall some day. Every being has to reach the
goal, however slowly they walk or however circuitous their road.
23.4.61, (16-39)
When Man lived in the name of God and had no other thought, the
wheel stopped; the name and the chain of destiny cannot exist together.
(...)
You can get the feeling for the Divine only if you have a taste of the
love of the Divine. That is why the Avatar has come to give you a taste
of that love, so that the yearning for the Lord will be planted in your
heart. Mastery over mountains of information has been attained by
man now; but wisdom has lagged behind. Man has to develop his capacity
to probe and progress into the realm of the universal and the Absolute.
24.11.66, (16-127/128)
Remember, Sai does not live in structures of stone or brick and mortar!
He lives in soft hearts, warm with sympathy and fragrant with universal
love. Temples and image-worship have some value in stimulating the
higher impulses of man, of diverting his instincts along more socially
useful channels. That is why in India no chance was lost to lead man
godward. All arts were utilised to that end. (...)
Do not envy the countries that are attempting to reach the moon and
mars and to explore the reaches of outer space. Of what avail is it to
master those regions while remaining slaves of every gust of malice
and fear? Of what use is it to travel at ten thousand miles per hour with
a mind weighed down by the dark impulses of a savage past? Inquire
into the causes of the non-peace that prevail even in the most advanced
communities of the West and you will find the reason is the wild
growth of pride and greed, vice and sin. There is no fear of God or respect
for age or dread of sin. They attach meaning and value only to
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the external symbols of riches or power; the container, nor the thing
contained.
For example this marble image is only a container. The thing contained
is the Sai basic principle. Just as a cup is the container and the milk in
it is what is contained , you pour the Sai principle in this form and you
call it Sai Baba; you pour it in another vessel of a different form and
call it Shiva or Krishna or Rama. (...)
I do not like people wasting the precious moments of their limited years
of life in idle talk or vain pursuits. Nor do I like cowardly hesitation. Act;
act with all your might and with all your mind; make full use of the skill,
capacity, courage and confidence that you are endowed with. Then
God will bless you. 2.12.61, (16-132/134)
There is only one sun, but he is reflected in a million tanks and wells
and pots. God is one and his reflections are the living beings, each with
the Atman apparent therein. There are lakhs of people here now and
in each one of you now, Swami is shining in the heart. That is the real
Atman bliss. Keep it fresh for ever and foster it carefully. That is the secret
of peace. 2.12.61, (16-136)
The educated have not the peace that the uneducated have! They live
in greater disconent and misery and are tossed about without a rudder
in a sea of troubles. They do not know anything about the source of
peace and bliss that they carry about within themselves; they allow the
inner consciousness to go dry by neglect; they are not aware of the
means to irrigate it with the waters of love and grow therein the fruits
of peace. They read books but do not correct their modes of thinking
and living. (...)
You have to select the drug you need, drink it, imbibe it, assimilate it
and counteract the cause of illness. (...)
In India, since ancient times, the glory, the Divinity and the sanctity of
man have been proclaimed and taught. Only those who have learnt
them deserve to be the sons and daughters of this land. Others are like
the kokil birds, the cuckoos that are born in the nests of crows; their
place of birth is India, no doubt, but they are basically aliens, of a different
species altogether. 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. 23.12.61, (16-137/139)
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The Lord responds not merely to the sweet voiced kokil and its song;
he gives ear to the warbles of other birds, too. He gives ear to the wailings
of every being. In fact, suffering entitles you more to the grace of
the Lord. When suffering comes in waves, one behind the other, be
glad that the shore is near: bear them bravely; do not like cowards
throw the blame on some outside power or develop dislike for the Lord.
Concentration on the self or Atman is the spring of joy; the concentration
on the non-self is the source of sorrow. Welcome the test, because
thereafter you are awarded the certificate. It is to measure your
progress that tests are imposed. So do not flinch in the face of grief.
The Lord bestows a favour when he decides to test you, for he is impressed
by your achievement and wants to put upon it the seal of his
approval. Rise up to the demands of the test, that is the way to please
the Lord. 6.3.62, (16-165)
You consider the world as very near, as around you and behind you;
but when you have to point out the Lord, you show him far away from
you, up and above, or at a vast distance. This is a mistake. The Lord
is near; the world is far. You believe that it is the other way because
you are afraid of the truth and you like to deceive yourself. 28.4.62,
(16-168/169)
The rules I have prescribed for those who come to Prashanti Nilayarn
may appear strict and even severe; but it is all for your good. Inner purity
first and outer purity later - that is the natural order. You feel full satisfaction
when you take a bath first and then wear washed clothes. I
have to be strict, because if I excuse one error, the tendency is to commit
another. A plant will grow well only when the ground all around the
stem is raked up and exposed to the sun and rain. I want you to drop
old deep-rooted habits of purposeless talk, vanity, envy and scandalmongering.
You are not to live like earnest devotee just to please me;
it is a duty you owe to yourselves and so, you must adhere to those
rules wherever you are; not merely within the confines of the Prashanti
Nilayam. (...)
Generally, I speak sweetly, but on this matter of discipline, I will not
grant any concessions. I do not care whether you come or having
come, go. I insist on strict obedience. I shall not reduce the rigour to
suit your level, for that will only ruin you; I pay attention to your ultimate
good. Live peacefully, happily, contentedly, taking each day as a gift
from the Lord. Do not rush and scramble, fret and fume. Be vigilant and
do not allow greed or anger to creep in.
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Attend all the sessions in the hall: the recitation of OM, the devotional
group singing, the discourses. Do not take shelter behind excuses. If
you are ill, song of praise will help the cure; it is far better to die during
the group singing with the Lord's name on the lips. Devotees are led
along wrong paths and the respect owed to pious people is dwindling
because they are not kept rigorously on the hard path. Concessions
have spoiled them. Hereafter, I will not excuse the slightest deviation.
You have been here for years and so I have to treat you as grown-ups.
not as children. It is on account of the love that I have towards you that
I rebuke you when you take a false step. My grace will make the lotus
of your heart blossom. 28.4.62, (16-201/202)
There is another principle. Righteousness trains you to be calm, levelheaded,
secure in equanimity. You know the transitory nature of success,
riches or poverty, joy or grief, appointment or disappointment.
You are not elated or deflated. You are serene, unmoved. Anything
that helps you to maintain this unruffled stability is righteousness. (...)
One common definition of righteousness is that it is 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 your self and 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; you harm yourself and you harm
all. You make a man stand erect and that act makes you stand erect.
The treatment you wish others to render to you is itself the measure of
your duty to them. 5.10.62, (16-239/240)
Brahman alone is real; nature is unreal. Be in this awareness always,
that is the high spiritual exercise. Your vision, your speech, your
deeds! This is the triple path. Become a child, lose your conceit and
pride. When you are still in the region of the basic quality, motive by
desire, whether for the good or for the grand or the mean, you have
yourself to seek the mother; when are free from the bonds of the enticements
of desire, the mother herself will hasten towards and fondle
you in her lap. Purify your vision, sweet your speech, sanctify your
deeds - that way lies liberation. 2.9.63, (17-46+49)
There is a definite technique by which that immortal spark be discovered.
Though it may appear difficult, each step forward makes the next
392

one easier and a mind made ready by discipline is able to discover the
Divine basis of man and of creation in a flash. There is no short-cut to
ccnsummation. One has to give up all the impediments one has accumulated
so far and become light for the journey. Lust, greed, anger,
malice, conceit, envy, hate, all these tendencies have to be shed. It is
not enough to hear the discourses of Sathya Sai Baba and count the
number that you have listened to. Thousands are here before me now;
but, that figure has no significance. Only those who practice at least
one of the things I emphasise, count. (...)
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. (...)
Know the Atman which is your reality; know that it is the same inner
force of the universe. Let your intelligence penetrate into the truth. Analyse
yourself and discover the several layers of consciousness, the
physical, the sensory, the nervous, the mental, the intellectual and arrive
at the very core of even the last layar, the layer of joy. The five
sheaths have to be transcended, so that you may attain your truth,
which is Atman.
The Atman can be grasped only by a sharpened intellect and a pure
mind. How to purify the mind? By starving it of the bad food it runs after,
namely, objective pleasures and feeding it on the wholesome food,
namely, thought of God. The intellect too will be sharp it is devoted to
discrimination between the transient and the eternal. Let your thoughts
be concentrated on God. His name and his form; you will then find that
you are always with the pure and the permanent; you will then derive
pure and permanent joy. That is the reason why I attach so much importance
to recitation of God’s names as a spiritual discipline. 8.12.64,
(19-7/9)
One great temptation for weak minds nowadays is the opportunity for
publicity. Even a gift of five rupees to some charitable organization is
announced in thick banner headlines! Conceit is thus encouraged and
man slides into paltry pomp. Kindness has to be fostered in the silence
of the mind. The seed should not be scattered on the rocky surface; it
has to be embedded in the depths, so that it can germinate.
Life nowadays lays before man many a handicap, in his march towards
God. All around, the forces of evil lie in wait to drag him down in the
393

dust. Faith in God and in his omnipresence has to be unshakeable so
that man can win. 9.12.64, (19-11)
Of course, you have to be in the world, but you need not be of it. Your
attention has to be fixed on God, the God within. 1.1.67, (20-2)
You must have the skill to swim across the waves of joy and grief, pain
and profit. You must be a master of the art of being fully at ease, perfectly
calm and unaffected, whatever may happen to the body or senses
or mind; they are all inert when they are not urged by the inner I,
which is intelligence, awareness. Learn the skill of achieving and maintaining
inner peace, the art of being ever aware of the Atman, as the
inner reality, and then you can safely circulate in the world, as fast as
you care. 7.7.68, (20-249)
Joy is a deceptive trap; grief is the real preceptor, teaching caution, circumspection,
discrimination, detachment, awareness and vigilance.
Death is not the merciless foe it is made out to be, it is the friend and
companion, the teacher, the kindly kinsman who takes you into his fold
and clothes you with the halo of remembrance. The heart of man has
to be toughened, not hardened; it has to be made soft, not slithery, this
can be achieved only by the blows of loss, grief and distress. It is God's
way of shaping you, in the Divine mould. But, man is blind to his mercy;
he revolts at the first blow of the sculptor's hammer! (...)
The true sign of a Sai devotees is this steadiness. He cannot swerve
from this chosen path to cynicism or luxurious pomp. He puts spiritual
teachings into practice and knows the immeasurable gain they give.
18.8.68, (20-281+283)
If you know the road and the goal, then you can discover whether you
are progressing or not. The goal is to enlarge your vision, your sympathy,
your love to the extent that God has spread his love, his compassion
and his grace. So, be ever watchful to see that you strive to
take in more and more of God into you. Blood has to circulate from
head to foot; love has to circulate from high to low; then only can health
and happiness be ensured, for the individual and for the community.
This is God's world; all beings are his. He loves them all, as the moon
sheds coolness on all. 5.3.66, (21-4)
Enthusiasm for progress in the spiritual field and consequent mental
394

peace are on the increase; this is more evidence of the grace that the
Avatar showers. There is enormous interest, not only in India, but all
over the world in the methods adopted by the Rishis of this land to acquire
peace, through love and spiritual exercise, righteousness and
truth. Ten or fifteen years ago, attendance at discourses on religious
subjects was very sparse, only a handful of old men and women! But
now, we see thousands and lakhs, coming from long distances and sitting
through long hours, eager and attentive! And, a large majority are
young! Youth is eager to share the heritage of the past, so that it may
build a better future for itself. 14.10.69, (21-116)
When you live the life of spiritual discipline, you will find opposition
from various sources. But, do not give it any importance. (...)
Do not be cowed down by cynics critics, who may be in your family.
Public opinion, might decry the spiritual path and subject you to ridicule
or worse. (...)
Another obstacle is from the worshipper of names and forms different
from those which you have adopted. People who are attached to a particular
name and form, either through preference or mere fancy are
prone to persecute those who adore other names and forms. 22.11.69,
(21-187)
The nine steps in the pilgrimage of man towards God along the path
of dedication and surrender are
1. Developing a desire to listen to the glory and grandeur of the
handiwork of God and of the various awe-inspring manifestations
of Divinity. This is the starting point. It is by hearing about
the Lord again and again, that you can transform yourselves
into Divinity.
2. Singing to oneself about the Lord, in praise of his magnificence
and manifold exploits
3. Dwelling on the Lord in the mind, revelling in the contemplation
of his beauty, majesty and compassion.
4. Worship of the Lord, by concentrating on honouring the feet or
foot-prints.
5. This develops into a total propitiation of the Lord, and systematic
ritualistic worship, in which the aspirant gets inner satisfaction
and inspiration.
6. The aspirant begins to see the favourite form of God in all
395

eings and all objects, wherever he turns, and so he develops
an attitude of reverence towards nature and all life.
7. Established in this bent of mind, he becomes the devoted servant
of all, with no sense of superiority or inferiority. This is a vital
step, which presages great spiritual success.
8. This takes the seeker so near the Lord that he feels himself to
be the confidant and comrade, the companion and friend, the
sharer of God's power and pity, of God's triumphs and achievements.
9. This is the prelude to the final step of total surrender, yielding
fully to the will of the Lord which the seeker knows through his
own purified intuition.
You will note that the seventh step is the servant stage. That is the
stage of service, which every person calling himself a social worker, or
volunteer 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. (...)
One of the first principles of straight living is to practice silence. For the
voice of God can be heard in the region of your heart only when the
tongue is stilled, the storm is stilled, and the waves are calm. 19.7.70,
(21-206/207)
A clean uncontaminated mind is like a fully blown fragrant rose! It refreshes
and pleases, whether it is on the wall or on the table, in the left
hand or the right. It can rise and reach the footstool of God in heaven.
22.2.71, (21-483)
The mother who bore you, the father who fostered you and the teacher
who opened your eyes to the mystery of nature in and around you,
have all to be revered. However high you rise in social status, however
big your bank account, if your parents are neglected or in distress, your
life has been a tragic waste. (...)
The mother seeks love, craves for gratitude, thirsts for sympathy. She
values feeling, not external display.
The Divine mother too is moved by the same feeling. She does not ap-
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preciate demonstrative trappings like matted hair, rosaries, marks on
forehead or sacerdotal robes. She values sincerity, yearning, virtue,
compassion, love. 24.11.72, (22-159)
Shutting yourself in a room and offering incense and flowers to a picture
or image of God, singing or reciting his glory are very poor substitutes
for the discipline that will liberate you from ignorance. All beings
are images of God; all men are his pictures; then, why shut yourselves
in? All creation is marching on a pilgrimage to him; why then behave
as if you are trekking alone? You believe that time spent in church or
temple or the domestic shrine in adoration and in ritual worship is devoted
to God and the rest is spent for other purposes. But, you cannot
separate and limit the realms of God and man like that. God is ever
with you everywhere. "All is God".
Society is the school where this lesson is taught to those who seek earnestly.
The sages of this land resorted to hermitages in the forests, and
mixed there with the steadfast seekers in scholastic discussion and
learnt the truth: "This universe is enveloped in God" - God is the string
on which the worlds are strung. April 1973, (22-238/239)
Society is the expression of Divinity in manifold phases, with its love,
ardour, eagerness to comfort and console. A chance conglomeration
of humans does not make a society. It has to be welded into a unit by
the consciousness of kinship of God, by sharing each other's joys and
sorrows, and cultivating empathy. The individual has to manifest
through word and deed, the Divine bliss inherent in him and society.
Turning the beads of a rosary between the fingers or sitting erect contemplating
the tip of the nose are only harmless ways of spending time;
active participation in society in a spirit of dedication and surrender,
conceiving all acts as acts of worship, all men as embodiments of the
Supreme, is a more beneficial form of spiritual discipline. There is no
spot where he is not, no object which is not he. As the holy scripture
declares, he willed that he become all this! Worship, adoration, and pilgrimage
cannot be the end-all! The goal is the realization of: “I am he,
he is I”. That alone can fill the heart will bliss.
When you separate yourself as an individual, envy, resentment, jealousy
and pride start defiling you. Love alone can weld you into kinship
with all. (...)
Once you transcend the human scale, and reach out to the Divine, the
eagerness to adore will drop off. You can evoke the Divine in you by
adherence to righteousness. (...)
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God is the embodiment of compassion. He watches for a grain of
goodness or humility so that he can reward it with tons of grace. (...)
To attain God, feats of hard spiritual discipline are superfluous. Love
is enough; avoid hating, envying or even disliking anyone. Put love into
practice, through selfless service. When the loveliness of the seed
blooms, you have a flower. And God is the loveliness which blooms as
man! (...)
The universe around you is a pleasant garden full of charming patches
of many-hued flowers filled with fragrance and nectar - each flowerbed
being a religion, which attracts the loyalty of millions of seekers.
The garden too is God; God dances in that garden of his own handiwork,
gladdening the flowers with the magic melody of the flute. Be full
of joy and love; share that joy and love with all. April 1973, (22-241/
244)
You are very mistaken, if you think you can estimate a person’s spiritual
development, by mere externals. Inner purity cannot express itself
through pompous show. Only He who sees into every heart can know
who resides therein: God or selfish desire. (...)
Every one of you is a pilgrim proceeding at his own pace, according to
his qualification and the stage reached. The advice that appeals to one
of you or applies to one of you might not be appropriate to another,
who has travelled less distance or reached a more advanced state.
When I tell one person to follow one line of spiritual discipline, it is specifically
for his benefit; do not take it as prescription for your benefit also,
saying: "Swami told him thus; let me also adopt it." Each has a different
make-up - mental, physical and spiritual. (...)
And, pay attention to one other point also. Do not confine your studies
to this circle and these books. The whole universe is university for you.
You can imbibe wisdom from the sky, the clouds, the mountains, the
rivers, the daily phenomena of sunrise and sunset, the seasons, birds,
trees, flowers, the insects - in fact, all beings and things in nature. Approach
these teachers, with awe, reverence and humility; they will respond
with their teachings. Do not worry that you have no mastery of
sanskrit. Sanskrit is the language of the ancient scriptures and classical
literature; the language of the heart is the refined medium of fruitful
communion with nature, in all this manifold outpourings of Divinity.
3.3.74, (23-58/59)
You have in you the power to make your days on earth a path of flow-
398

ers, instead of a path of thorns. Recognise the Sai resident in every
heart and all will be smoothness, softness and sweetness for you. Sai
will be the fountain of love in your heart and in the hearts of all with
whom you come in contact. Know that Sai is omnipresent, so He is
present in every living thing and you. Adore everyone as you adore
Sai. Allow the other man as much freedom as you like to enjoy; do unto
him just as you would like to be done by. Don't do unto him anything
you would not like done unto you. That is the sum and substance of
spiritual effort. 11.5.75, (23-238)
Giving up external struggle is not enough, nor is it a great achievement.
The real struggle is internal - the withdrawal of the extrovert
senses into the mind and making them ineffective through the exercise
of the intellect or discrimination. Investigate each material object that
entices the senses by beauty, fragrance, sweetness and softness. Realise
that these are all momentary, depending on your mental condition,
physical health and emotional balance. Man is enamoured of flitting
phenomena; he accepts them as valid and valuable. He is
entangled in these unrealities and strays far from the path of liberation.
This is not man's goal. (...)
The special instrument that God has allotted man, is intuition, the higher
intellect and has to be used by man to master these down-dragging
senses. Use the intellect to judge and decide the best means for the
uplift of the human to the Divine. It has to help man realise God and
nothing less than excellence. 26.9.79, (25-7+9)
From the point of view of spiritual progress, persons can be grouped
under three headings: The full-filled or complete, the part filled or limited
and the empty or heedless.
The first group, the full-filled people win the grace of God through adherence
to good conduct, good work and good faith. They are loved
by God and are blessed with unbroken bliss. Love is the effect of love
only. Love can be earned only by love. The ordinary men do not hanker
after the love of God; they yearn for material goods and the satisfaction
they confer. They are prompted by the lower self to cater to the senses.
But, the full-filled persons have the higher love that is free from selfishness.
Their thoughts, aspirations and deeds are all saturated with
love. (...) This group of devotees might be undistinguished in appearance
but they can be recognized by the spiritual glow of inner bliss. To
be blessed by the Lord with Divine love, one must have passed
through many lives of spiritual discipline of love.
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The part-filled people have attained limited achievement through spiritual
effort, but even that is a noteworthy accomplishment. They have
learnt about the glory of God through ardent scriptural studies and, after
deep meditation on that glory, they have cultivated lasting love for
God. But, you may dial the correct number in order to contact another
on the telephone. If the “other” does not lift the receiver, you have not
benefited at all. It is not enough if you calculate the amount of your spiritual
discipline, or the hours you spend in study and spiritual practice.
God cares more for the transformation of the heart into a reservoir of
love, the transformation achieved through listening revolving in the
mind what is heard and actual experience of the lesson that was
heard. He does not count the recitations and adorations you offer as
more valuable.
The heart filled with compassion is the temple in which God likes to install
himself. Scholarship is mostly superficial and even anti-spiritual.
(...)
Purity of the heart is the goal of spiritual practice. One may perform ritualistic
worship for hours or sit for meditation every day. But, if one has
no knowledge of Divinity he is invoking or picturing, these are of no
avail. Divinity is his nature. He himself is God. His Divine nature must
express itself in daily living. (...)
In order to elevate oneself to the full-filled category, one must learn
self-confidence and self-satisfaction, to be content with one's self, to
derive joy from the Divine self the Atman. One should not be tempted
by what appear to be sources of joy in the external world. The fame
one can earn, the riches one can gather, the power one can exercise,
are clouds that pass with a gust of wind. The adulation and condemnation
that the public meters out are only verbal magic, tricks that intoxicate
or hurt, for a brief moment. The part-filled person must seek
to raise himself to the level of full-filled individuals.
Next, the heedless individuals who do not resist the pulls of the senses
or of the objective world. They are drawn along the flood of trivialities
and trash; they are ignorant of the ways by which they can cross the
sea of worldly life and perpetual change; they fall into whirlpools of
misery. They do not have any knowledge of the Saviour, so they are
caught in the wheel of birth and death. The flood is in motion, it does
not allow them to get established anywhere. They are born to die; they
die only to be born again. But, this is not the true destination of human
life. How can man escape from this wheel?
The tree originates from the seed. Desire is the seed from which man
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appears on earth. If man has no desire and no resolution to satisfy
them, then man need not be born, to realise the unfulfilled desire. And,
he need not die. So, man has to minimise desires and give up seeking
the fulfillment of desire. Desire is what makes man feeble and fearful.
He cannot rise to his full of stature when burdened with desire.
But, there is no need to despair. Man has in him three springs of
strength upon which he can draw - Divine, spiritual and material. From
the conviction that he has a body he can draw upon physical strength.
Since he is an individualized soul, he can draw upon spiritual strength.
Since self if man is one with overself he can earn the awareness of unity
and draw upon the universal Eternal power or Brahman itself. This
is also called “all pervasive Divine energy”; for it is both immanent and
transcendent at the same time. 24.11.80, (25-69/71)
To achieve release, man kneels before
a million gods, in frantic pain.
If he but blasts the ego within,
The goal is reached; he is freed indeed!
It is difficult indeed to understand the ego - its depth and devious ways.
It is an inert entity, that is to say, it cannot know itself nor can it know
others. It has no fear; it will not bend before others. It degrades man
from the golden glory, which is his due, to the level of lowly dust.
25.5.82, (25-255)
Heaven is not on high, beyond your ken.
It is very much here, in the world of men:
deny the ego, deep - hid in you;
and, you are “there” in heaven on earth.
For liberation, o man, why plead before
three crores of Gods in despair?
Deny the ego, deep-rooted in you
and you are free, no pleading therefore.
The attainment of the Absolute or Brahman is not the end result of
course of spiritual effort. The individualized soul is the Brahman. The
individual soul is the Eternal Godhead. Even when involved in worldly
activities, the individual cannot discard this reality of his. His belief that
he is just a man arises from delusion. The ocean may be known by,
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many names in many areas through many ages but its nature is unaffected.
So, however many forms and names he assumes and adopts,
the Brahman principle persists in him and remains the goal of awareness.
12.8.82, (25-264)
He who gives when asked and what is asked, is the master. He who
gives unasked when one needs is Brahman. Master means Lord,
Brahman means the cosmic ruler. You should not use Brahman to acquire
what you feel you need most. (...)
Every Avatar seeks to raise humanity to the level of Divinity by laying
down such paths of devotion and holding forth such examples of surrender.
“I do not know anything other than you." "You are the one and only."
When one has this faith, why allow desire to creep in? Why ask for this
or that? Have faith in God, the giver of all, the only treasure you need;
he will fill you with contentment. 12.8.82, (25-270/271)
The attainment of the Absolute does not depend entirely or solely an
mastery of spiritual knowledge. It is beyond the reach of study, scholarship,
or intellectual conquest. It is only by deeply felt devotion that it
can be realized. If the scholar, with all the weight of learning is also immersed
in devotion, his life is indeed sanctified! Before such aspirants,
the Lord will manifest in his real glory. (...)
The Universal is the individual's highest goal, highest wealth, highest
elevation, deepest joy. In the sacred text it has been proclaimed thus:
"God is the source of contentment, for he is the embodiment of the purest
emotion. Attaining him, the individual soul can be immersed in joy.
If God is not shining in the firmament of the heart, who is to taste, who
is to live? He feeds all, with bliss." (...)
Many are yet confused when it comes to deciding what exactly is devotion,
what is the nature of the attitude of devotion. It is impossible for
any one to define devotion. Devotion has infinite facets. Only pure, tender,
tolerant, calm and loving souls, the very cream of sages, souls
ever in the company of kindred devotees, can understand its purity and
depth. Others will find it as difficult to discover devotion in a person, as
softness in rock or coldness in fire or sweetness in neem. The devotee
holds the Lord dearer to him than life; and the Lord too is attached to
him in equal measure. Some great men even declare that the devotion
is superior to the Lord; the ryot loves the clouds more than the ocean
though the clouds only bring the ocean waters to their fields. The
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ocean describes the relationship between the devotee and the Lord.
The clouds bring the mercy, the love, the grandeur of the ocean and
the fragrance of the atmosphere and shower them over the entire land;
so too, the devotees carry these great traits wherever they go. (8-65/
66)
Denying themselves the bliss derived from surrender to the Lord, men
madly run about in the name of devotion, pursuing sacred spots, sages
and sacred rivers. A modicum of genuine devotion would awaken
them from this delusion. It would teach them that man can obtain
peace only by returning to his native home, viz., God. Until then, homesickness
will haunt him. (8-72)
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404
Gayatri Mantra - The universal Prayer
Om Bhur Bhuvah Svah
Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi
Dhiyo Yonah Prachodayat
The Gayatri is the universal prayer enshrined in the Vedas, the most
ancient scriptures of man. It is addressed to the immanent and transcendent
Divine which has been given the name “savita”, meaning
“that from which all this is born”. The Gayatri may be considered as
having three parts - 1. Praise 2. Meditation 3. Prayer. First the Divine
is praised, then it is meditated upon in reverence and finally an appeal
is made to the Divine to awaken and strengthen the intellect, the discriminating
faculty of man.
The Gayatri is considered as “the essence of the Vedas.” Veda means
knowledge, and this prayer fosters and sharpens the knowledge-yielding
faculty. As a matter of fact the four “core-declarations” enshrined
in the four Vedas are implied in this Gayatri mantra.
The Gayatri is usually repeated at dawn, noon and dusk. But as God
is beyond time, it is because of your limitations that you talk of dawn
and dusk. When you move away from the sun it is dusk; when you
move into the light of the sun it is dawn. So you need not be bound by
the three points of time to recite the prayer. It can be repeated always
and everywhere, only one has to ensure that the mind is pure. I would
advise you young people to recite it when you take your bath. Do not
sing cheap and defiling film songs. Recite the Gayatri. When you
bathe, the body is being cleansed; let your mind and intellect also be
cleansed. Make it a point to repeat it when you bathe as well as before
every meal, when you wake from sleep and when you go to bed. And
also repeat “peace” thrice at the end, for that repetition will give peace
to three entities in you, body, mind and soul.
Every human being has four birthdays. The first is when he emerges
from his mother's womb and, being neither holy nor unholy, craves
only for food and shelter; the second is when he begins his spiritual
study to lead him from darkness to light; the third is when he has
gained wisdom, having mastered the disciplines propounded by the
Rishis for achieving self-realization; the fourth and last is when he realises
his true identity and merges with Brahman.
The sacred thread is a symbol of purity which is necessary if you wish

to participate in the ritual of living. Life is a continuous series of sacrifices
of the lower for the sake of the higher, of the tiny in favour of the
vast. Initiation, the word which has been given to this ceremony,
means the conferment of another eye. Your two eyes cannot reveal to
you the magnificence and the majesty of the realm of the spirit. They
are focused on the objective world and its transient attractions. So the
Gayatri mantra has been given to you as a third eye to reveal that inner
vision by which you may realise Brahman.
Gayatri is a treasure you must guard throughout your lives. If you have
not caught the sounds of the mantra correctly now, learn it from your
parents or from your family priest. Perhaps they may not know the Gayatri
themselves or they might have forgotten it through culpable neglect.
Then I would ask them to learn it from you.
Never give up the Gayatri; you may give up or ignore any other mantra
but you should recite the Gayatri at least a few times a day. It will protect
you from harm wherever you are - travelling, working or at home.
Westerners have investigated the vibrations produced by this mantra
and have found that when it is recited with the correct accent as laid
down in the Vedas, the atmosphere around becomes visibly illumined.
So the effulgence of Brahma will descend on you and illumine your intellect
and light your path when this mantra is chanted. Gayatri is the
mother, the force that animates all life. So do not neglect it.
Elders and priests, the custodians of this mantra, have given it the goby.
But you, as inheritors and guardians of the great culture of this
country, have a great responsibility in preserving it and demonstrating
its efficacy and worth. 20.6.77, (24-121/123)
All that is visible shines as Gayatri, for sound or speech (vak) is Gayatri
and all objects are sound, indicated by sound and subsumed in sound.
It is speech that describes them, it is speech that declares them and it
is speech that denotes them. All objects are also of the world. Nothing
can go beyond it. This world is the body of man; he cannot leap out of
his body. There is the breath that sustains him; breath is inside the
heart. And, the breath cannot move outside and beyond the heart.
The Gayatri has four feet and six categories. The categories are:
Speech, objects, world, body, breath, and heart. The man that is extolled
by this Gayatri is indeed exalted, sacred, glorious. All this objective
multiplicity is but a fraction of his body. The number and nature,
the measure and the meaning of the objects are beyond understanding;
yet all this is but a quarter of his magnificence. The other three
quarters are his effulgent immortal form.
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It is impossible to grasp the mystery of that splendour-filled form. This
creative spirit indicated by the Gayatri is indeed referred to as Brahman.
He is the ether, beyond the comprehension of man. This is the
mark of the waking stage; that Divine personality is the ether, inside
the personality of man. That is the mark of the "dream stage". He is the
sound inside the heart of man; He fills it and fulfils it; that is the "deepsleep
stage". Whoever knows this truth attains fullness and Brahman.
That is to say, he who knows the three level of wakefulness, dream
and deep sleep is himself Brahman. How ridiculous is it that man
known as Divine being bearing the name of this Atman should become
the repository of egoism and consequent impurity, busy in the unholy
pursuit of injustice! How calamitous! At least to be known today as a
"Divine being", man should try to practice the path that will endow him
with an atom of that glory.
Then, what to say of the duty of a Divine being? How can a living being
who has not cared to earn even the infinitesimal glory of the primal being
be expected to practice Divine duty? Not even the most diligent
search will reveal a fraction of it! (...)
When the twice-born gives up the practice of intensive meditation on
the Gayatri, he falls into perdition; so say all sacred texts. Those who
neglect the spiritual discipline have no right to any other type of worship.
It is because the sages of ancient times performed spiritual discipline
and meditation for many years that they acquired long life,
fame, glory, wisdom and the splendour of Divinity. From whatever
point of view you consider, no Brahmin can deserve that status if he
does not meditate on the Gayatri.
Of course what is meant by Brahmin in this context is the man who has
realized the Brahman principle and who has purified himself by the
practice of the ceaseless contemplation of the Brahman. This has
nothing to do with caste or even religion. But, those who have inherited
the name Brahmin have a special responsibility in adhering to the
meditaton-worship and the Gayatri. (...)
To fix the mind on God, the activities have to be controlled. For, success
in that process of control one should overcome the handicaps of
the natural qualities, the pure, the passionate and the dull. When these
natural impulses predominate and try to direct, one must pray to God
to negate their pull. That is the first duty of the man who strives towards
God. It is the rule of nature, that the morning is the period of pure quality,
the "noon" of passionate nature and the "evening" hour of dusk of
lethargy nature. At dawn, the mind is awakened from the comfort of
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sleep liberated from agitations and depressions and so is calm and
clear. At that time, in that mental condition, the meditation of the Lord
is very fruitful, as everyone knows. But ignorant of the significance,
men continue doing the ritual in a blind mechanical way, simply because
the ancients have laid down the rule. The second duty of man
is to perform the intensive worship of Gayatri, after realising the inner
and deeper meaning of the same.
As day progresses, man is infused with the active effortful nature, and
he enters the field of daily work and toil. Before he takes his noonday
food, he is directed to meditate on the Lord again and to dedicate the
work as well as the fruit derived through it, to the Lord himself. He can
start eating only after this act of devotion and grateful remembrance.
This is the meaning of the noon-time worship. By observing this ritual,
passionate is kept in check and overpowered by pure nature. This is
the duty of all men.
Then man is possessed of a third characteristic; inertia; when evening
descends, he hurries home and eats his fill and sleep overpowers him.
But, there is one duty still awaiting him. To eat and sleep is the fate of
idlers and drones. When the worst of the natural modes, dullness,
threatens to rule, man must make a special effort to escape its coils
by resorting to prayer, in the company of those who extol the Lord,
reading about the glory of God, the cultivation of good virtues, and purposeful
nursing of good rules of conduct. This is the evening spiritual
discipline, which is prescribed.
The mind that emerges from the vacancy of sleep has to be properly
trained and counselled; it must be made to feel that the bliss of meditation
and the joy of being unaware of the outer world, are much grander
and more lasting than the comfort one gets by means of the daily
dose of physical sleep. This bliss, this joy can be felt and realized by
all; discrimination will bring this home to you. This is the fourth duty of
man.
The man who, so long as he has life in him, observes the thrice-a-day
deep meditation of the Gayatri, is indeed of the highest type; he is ever
glorious; he attains all that he desires. Above all, he is liberated, even
while alive; he is an effulgent being, he is liberated in his daily life.
Care must be taken to see that meditation on the Gayatri is not taken
as a routine ritual, one among many laid down for observance. This is
to be carried out, aware of the significance, dwelling on the inner
meaning. One should clearly grasp the sense of the Gayatri mantra. It
is necessary to feel the identity between the effulgent being, the At-
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man, mentioned therein and oneself. It is only those who are ignorant
of its meaning that will neglect the Gayatri.
The Rishi Manu lays special stress on just this: he has declared the
Gayatri is the very life-breath of the Brahmin. It is the truth. What is
more efficient for spiritual uplift than meditation on the effulgence that
illumines and feeds the intellect of man? What is more vitally fruitful
than the prayer which pleads for salvation of the mind from sin-ward
tendencies?
For man, there is no better armour than the cultivation of virtues. The
Rishi Manu states that the Brahmin will not lose his status so long as
he holds on to the Gayatri and is inspired by its meaning; he says that,
if he is too weak to pursue the study of the Vedas, he must at least recite
the Gayatri and adhere to it, till the very end. There is no treasure
richer than the Gayatri.
Soul-force can accomplish all the tasks of the world; and since the Gayatri
confers inner strength to foster that force, it has to be cultivated
with care at the right moment, without neglect. For the growth and development
of the body pure food is very necessary. So also, the effulgence
of the sun has to be drawn, to reinforce the inner effulgence of
man in the form of creative imagination.
When soul-force waxes, the senses too are activated and directed
along fruitful lines. When it wanes, the senses fail and fail you. So, if
the solar energy is drawn at that very juncture, it will be as seeds planted
in season, the harvest is assured. Can darkness hide and confuse
when the sun has risen and bathed the earth in splendour? Can sorrow
prevail, when you have infused yourselves with that effulgence? How
can you be devoid of strength, the strength derived from the very fountain-head
of Brahman? The technique of this process has been laid
down by the ancients, for the benefit of all aspirants. Learn and practice
it; by your own experience, you will be able to witness the truth of
their path.
Of what purpose is the sacrament of the initiation? Which is the mantra
that you are initiated into that day? Why has that mantra alone to be
taught then? Why are other mystic formulae not given equal prominence?
Reflect on these matters and then you will find that the Gayatri
is the monarch of mantras. You will also find the rituals shining with a
new meaning, the rituals and restrictions full of purpose; the deeds and
activities of the ancients will seem worth while. If you do not try to know
the significance, you will interpret them as your fancy leads, and land
yourselves in tricks and stratagems, to escape the obligations of life.
You will be caught in injustice and negation.
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Well, what is the real meaning of the word Gayatri? Does any one try
to know it today? The word is taken to mean either a Goddess or a formula.
Gayatri is that which protects (tra) the breath, the vitality or the
sense, beginning with sound. That is to say that which saves those
who sing it, or revere it and repeat it or meditate on it is called Gayatri.
(...)
The Veda, the Goddess mother will confer all boons on all those who
worship her. That Goddess is described in glorious terms in the sacred
text; if you understand these clearly, you can realize it, unaided.
Divine order imbued with such deep mysteries, is today rationalized
and interpreted willfully in various paltry senses, that is the reason why
the decline of Divine conduct. So, it is imperative to revive Divine law
and the principles of interpretation natural to the Divine truth which are
the basis of righteousness. Otherwise, the meaning will be changed
out of all recognition and the whims of individuals will prevail. Every act
will be stamped as right conduct whatever its nature! (8-40/45)
Amongst the lessons which the Rishi Viswamitra gave to the world,
Gayatri mantra is an important one. This mantra teaches that there is
equal opportunity of spiritual achievement for all religions, for people
of all countries and people of all communities and all places.
This mantra has something to do only with intelligence. It has nothing
to do with religious activity. You say: "Blossom my intelligence, give
importance to my intelligence, remove the darkness of ignorance and
let the intuition in me blossom.” It prays to the Lord who is present at
all time past, present and future and who is present at every place, to
come and burn away the darkness of ignorance and give brightness
of knowledge. (37-137/138)
If you intend to overcome delusion, you must establish yourself in God;
the delusion of man-power can be overcome only by the attainment of
God-power. The Gayatri promotes the acquisition of God-power.
Gayatri means “that which saves, when repeated"! It is the torch of wisdom,
given into the hands of those boys who venture into the regions
of intellectual inquiry and sensory restrictions. As paddy is treated to
a process of pestling and winnowing and cleaning in order to get rice
that can be cooked and eaten, these boys have to de-husk the individual,
discover the Atman hiding inside the five sheaths of physical matter,
vital energy, mind, intelligence and bliss. The intensive meditation
on the Gayatri they are enjoined to do, three times a day, from this very
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day, is part of this process of de-husking. Time must be found, time
can be found, provided they have the will and they get encouragement
from the elders. (...)
Dear boys, today you have received the Gayatri, the milk from the four
teats called four Vedas of the udder of the cow that is God; it has in it
the sustenance that will make you shine with spiritual health. You must
now use it carefully for your good; do not spill it or spoil it; boil it, make
curds out of it, churn it and get the butter that is immanent in it. It will
become curds by means of your contemplation on the Lord; with the
churning-rod of discipline, collect the butter of bliss. You were initiated
in this holy presence, remember, the presence that so many thousands
covet; so, you have a special responsibility to fulfil your path of
celilacy and learning, that leads to knowledge of the supreme being.
The body is fundamentally unclean, but yet it craves to achieve Godliness,
because its nature is both purity and holiness. (...)
For the revival of eternal religion these boys will be efficient instruments.
They will replenish the glory of Bharata. They are today recruited
into my army. I am achieving the re-establishment of right conduct,
the restoration of the Vedas, and it is with that in view that I initiate in
my presence every year boys from all parts of India. This knowledge
is fast losing its significance; the recital of the Gayatri and the performance
of the ritual of recitation of the Gayatri are both being neglected;
so, they have to be restored to their pristine glory. This is an important
step. 25.2.65, (18-278/281)
The Gayatri is a prayer for the development of your intellect, so that
you might reach this vision. So let me advise the elders who are here.
You have brought your sons or grandsons or wards for the Gayatri-initiation
here to my presence. You are happy at their fortune; but, they
will repeat the mantra only if you too repeat it, sincerely. And it is good,
for you also repent that you have given up taking that priceless drug;
start from today the Gayatri recitation. Learn it from your son or grandson,
keeping aside your sense of superiority. When you have the royal
road to reach the goal, why scramble through thorny jungle tracks? Do
the deep meditation on Gayatri as prescribed, and you will find a calm
descending inside you, a calm that will not be shaken by any storm.
You need not flee to a Himalaya valley; you can make your heart that
valley, by the discipline of the meditation of the Gayatri. 26.4.65, (18-
410)
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Sharpen the intellect, then the oneness of nature will become evident.
The most revered and the most popular prayer clothed in ritual formula
in the Vedas is the Gayatri; it seeks the grace of the source of all light,
to foster one's intelligence, and for nothing more. 11.3.67, (21-8)
The Gayatri mantra is a universal eternal call from the heart of man to
the embodiment of love and light. It is the very basis of the educational
effort in all lands and at all times. But, people have now ignored Saraswati,
the Goddess of wisdom and Gayatri; they have installed Lakshmi,
the Goddess of wealth in the altar of education. 6.7.95, (23-242/
243)
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Meditation
Today many people in the world are teaching many different meanings
of the word meditation. What is the real meaning of meditation? What
is it that you are going to meditate about and who is going to do it? For
what purpose are you going to meditate? Unless there is an object on
which you could meditate, it is not possible to meditate. (...)
Without the object of concentration, you cannot concentrate. There is
an object of meditation, but who is meditating? Therefore, there must
be a third thing: First you, who would go through the path of meditation;
the experience of the object of meditation and the meditation itself.
These three are referred to as three factors; one who receives the
obeisance; one who gives the obeisance and the process of giving
obeisance. When the man who meditates takes to the object of meditation
and goes through the process of meditation, then all these
three, one who meditates, the one which is the object of meditation
and the process of meditation - unite and coalesce into one and only
then you achieve oneness. The one who loves, the one who is being
loved and the process of love, are three factors. In love one who gives
love, one who receives love and the process of love you should regard
all these three as one, through which the aspect of love is flowing.
Even if any one of these three is missing, it is not possible to realize
the completeness. If two, the one who loves and the process of love
are there and there is no one to love, then it becomes useless. If the
other two, the one who loves and the one who can be loved are there,
but if there is no love between the two, then that becomes useless. On
the other hand there may be the process of love and there may be one
who will be loved, but if there is nobody to love, then also it becomes
useless. So it is the oneness of all these three which will be referred
to as meditation. In all these three, love is present to the same extent.
This is referred to by saying “Love is God - Live in love”.
There is a need for you to make a proper enquiry into this path of meditation.
This is a very good path to reach the infinite. Although all these
days you have been listening to what is contained in many of our scriptures
like the Vedas and so on, if you have not understood what is
meant by meditation, the path by which to reach the destination, then
all these may remain as book-knowledge and may create an allergy in
you. For meditation, the time is important. (...) You will have to choose
whatever form you like for the purpose of meditation, and during the
time interval which is from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m., you will have to meditate
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on that at the same time, every day. There are also some methods and
discipline for this. You should not neglect and feel that there is no need
for such specific methods. There is a small example for this. You have
planted a small fruit tree. When it is a small plant, you want to protect
it by giving it fences. When it is a young plant, why do you put fence
around it and why do you try to protect it? It is because you feel that
goat, sheep and such other animals will come and probably eat it up
and destroy the plant. You want it to grow well and you keep a fence
around it. But when that plant has grown and become a big tree, then
you remove all that fencing. Why do you remove all the fence and protection
at that time? The meaning of removing this fence is that the
very same animals like goat, sheep and cattle, which would have eaten
up and destroyed the plant when it was tender, will then come and
seek shelter and shade which the big tree now provides. The practice
which ultimately gives you liberation should in the initial stages be regarded
as a plant. For this reason, the fence, which you shall call discipline,
is absolutely necessary. Bad company, bad ideas, bad association
and such other things may come and may destroy this young
plant of practice. In order that they may not destroy, you will have to
accept and observe discipline as the fence which will protect you.
When this young plant which is seeking liberation by meditation, when
it grows and becomes a big tree, then even though such bad ideas,
bad company and bad thoughts come close to a person, the big tree
is such that all these visitors will only get pleasure and happiness out
of that tree. They cannot do any harm to that tree.
That is why when you commence meditation and when you want to be
in meditation, you should try and put yourselves in what is called a lotus
position. Although there are not bad qualities and bad thoughts in
you, the type of trousers, the drain-pipe pants which you wear are an
obstacle for sitting in the lotus position. You should not sit on bare
ground. You should sit on either a wooden plank or on a mat or something
like that. Not only that, you should not sit on a bare wooden plank.
You should spread a piece of cloth over it. In the beginning, you should
attempt to make a start with a wooden plank which is above the ground
at least by half on inch. There are some reasons for taking a wooden
plank. The reasons are that the earth has the power of conduction and
diffusion. The current of Divine strength passes through you on account
of your meditation, you should not be disturbed by the attraction
of the earth. Therefore, you have to have a plank. When you lay on
electric wire inside a house, you also have a specially constructed wire
which is called the earth wire and which is put into the earth. Likewise
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you should regard your body as your house. While thus in the house
of your body you are in the process of giving rise to and establishing
the Divine current, you should take all precautions that are necessary
by insulating ourselves from the earth and by preventing the power or
the strength in you from flowing away or dissipating into the earth. (34-
129/132)
The practice of getting up at 4.30 a.m. is also a very good habit. You
are young and if while you are young, while your mind and body are
still very sound and sturdy, if you do not start such good practices and
get used to them at this age, when you grow a little older, when your
body becomes a little more infirm and stiff, it will not be possible for you
then to do so. It will be very difficult for you to acquire this practice at
a late age. Truly, this age of yours is such that it is quite possible to
understand many sacred things. If you grow older and start practices
late, you may not be able to get the happiness and benefit out of them.
There are many people who think that they will do all this after they retire.
Before they retire, they always say ”duty is God, work is worship”
and they go on doing all kinds of work, taking all kinds of jobs either
under the government or under some private agency. But this is not
right. It is much better that you should do these things then and there
and not go on postponing. This has been told to us in the Bhagavadgita.
(...)
At this young age, I am very hopeful that you will understand the significance
of meditation and become an ideal example for the rest of the
country.
Before you take your lotus position on the wooden plank, have a small
candle in front of you. You look at that light, with open eyes. After one
minute, close your eyes; after you have closed the eyes, feel that the
light that you had seen before closing your eyes is in your heart. You
get the feeling that inside the lotus of your heart, right at the centre is
this particular light. If you are not able to picture the light in the lotus of
your heart and get that feeling, then open your eyes, look at the light
again, close your eyes and try to picture it inside your heart once again.
After that, you think of it and you picture it, fix it in your mind and feel
that particular light is put in the centre of this lotus. After that, you take
this light from the centre of the heart and move it to each part of your
body; bring it to your neck; from the neck bring it out all around you;
when you have brought it out of your head, you imagine that you have
taken this light and given it to those who are related to you; those who
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are affectionate to you and your friends. Not only that spread the light
even amongst your enemies. After that, you picture to yourself that you
have taken this light and given it to all the birds, the beasts and everything
around you.
Where this light has moved, there will be no darkness. It is in this context
that all our sacred texts have said: ”Lead us from the darkness
unto light”. Since this light has reached your eyes, you will no longer
have any bad vision or bad sight. Because this light has gone to your
ears, you will not hear evil. Because this light has reached your
tongue, out of your tongue will no longer come any bad words. Since
this light has reached your head, evil thoughts should no longer go into
your head nor will they arise in you. Since the same light has gone into
your heart, bad ideas should no longer enter your heart. Since the
same light has also touched your feet, your feet should no longer walk
into bad places. Because to the same light has reached your hands,
your hands will no longer engage themselves in bad acts. The word
bad is synonymous with darkness. In truth if you have allowed this light
to spread everywhere, there is no room anywhere for this darkness or
bad to persist. If, while engaged in such meditation, you are still doing
something bad, it simply means that this light has not reached that particular
organ which is doing bad.
By this meditation, not only bad traits which are in you will have been
removed, but in their place noble and sacred ideas and sacred actions
would have entered; not only that, you would be able to get the glorious
sight of Divinity or you would experience of oneness, because the light
that is in you is present in all human beings, because the light that is
present in you is present in all the birds and animals, the light is everywhere.
(...)
Some of you may doubt and say to yourselves: ”Well, we like Rama,
he is our God; we like Krishna, he is our God; we like Swami, he is our
God. Why should we not take and meditate on one of these forms?
Why should we have a light in front of us for meditation?” But a shape
or a particular form is not a permanent thing. That is a changing thing;
that is also a fleeting thing. It is not right that you should put your concentration
on something which will change, which is not permanent.
You must have something which does not change. (34-133/136)
You are then in the realm of the Divine, of peace beyond words. Stay
on in that thrill, witnessing light, being light, everywhere, for all. If you
are used to adoring God in any form, visualise that form in that light.
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For, light is God; God is light. When light meets light, it is all light. There
is no boundary between your light and his light. They merge, they fulfil.
In this peace-Iessness, that is confounding the world, you must seek
the higher spiritual peace; in that peace, you can visualise the supreme
splendour and in that the all-embracing immanent and transcendent
splendour, boundless, being is experienced; in that light, the
universal eternal Absolute, God is experienced. When the individual
meets the Universal it becomes universal. I and I become we; we and
he become only we. Practice this meditation regularly everyday. At
other times, repeat the name of God, any name that arouses in you the
spirit of adoration and devotion, always taking care to be intensely conscious
of his might, mercy and munificence. 8.7.68, (20-259/260)
There is a suggestion mentioned in a chit handed over to me: regular
classes for training members in meditation should be held in Prashanti
Nilayam, for, through these trainees, meditation can be spread all over
the country. I laughed when I read this suggestion. Can anyone train
another in meditation? Or claim to train? It may be possible to teach a
person the posture the pose, the position, of the legs, foot or hands,
neck, head or back, the style of breathing or its speed. But, meditation
is a function of the inner man; it involves deep subjective quiet, the
emptying of the mind and filling oneself with the light that emerge from
the Divine spark within. This is a discipline which no text-book can
teach and no class can communicate. Meditation classes! Those who
handle them do not know what meditation is; those who attend them
do not care to know! Purify your emotions; clarify your impulses; cultivate
love. Then only can you become master of yourself. That mastery
is the purpose, the process of meditation. (...)
The mind is very subtle and expansive. It is very light and pervasive,
floating hither and thither, on any gust of desire. It behaves like a ball
of cotton, with no weight of seed to hold it down. It is much lighter than
fluff; it wanders far and wide. So, if you must control it you must attach
something heavy to it. The body which houses the mind is heavy, no
doubt; but, the mind is fickle and free. It flees afar as it fancies.
The mind must be allotted some heavy piece of work to hold it down.
This work is called meditation. Keep the mind above the upper lip, between
the two nostrils, right in front of the bridge of the nose. Inhale
through the left nostril, closing the right with the right thumb. As the
breath goes in, it utters. So (meaning, he); then exhale through the
right nostril, closing the left nostril. As the breath goes out, it utters ham
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(meaning, I). Inhale and exhale slowly and deliberately, conscious of
the identity of he, (the Lord) and I (yourself) which it asserts, until the
breathing and the awareness grow into an unnoticed process. Keep
the mind as a watchman, to note the incoming and outgoing breaths,
to listen with the inner ear to the so'ham that the breath whispers, and
to witness the asserton of your being the Divine, which is the core of
the universe. This is the meditation that will give victory.
When this so'ham meditation has stabilised itself, you may start stabilising
in your mind the form of your Lord of your choice, picture the form
from head to foot, taking at least 15 to 20 minutes for it, dwelling on
each part of the body and imprinting it clearly on the heart and then,
proceed from foot to head in similar way. This will help to fix the form
in the altar of the heart.
Then, you will see in everyone that form only; in all beings, you will find
him only. You will realise the one manifolded as many. “So'ham, I am
Shiva, I am he, only he is”. 22.11.70, (21-380/382)
The yoga path. The muladhara chakra, the lowest of the chakras at the
lower end of the spinal passage, is the embodiment of the nature principle.
Therefore it is related to the material facet of man. (...)
The svadhishthana chakra at the point of the navel, is the guardian of
the vital facet of the person. It is the spring and source of warmth in
the body, that maintains the processes of digestion and protection
from environmental change. The manipura chakra is the next highest
on the spinal scale. It is the water principle, that helps the circulation
of blood both into the heart and out of it, from all parts of the body.
The anahata chakra is in the region of the heart. It embodies the air
principle which is in charge of the breathing process, inhalation and exhalation,
so vital for life and activity. It also vitalises the spinal force,
and passes over the frets of the inner string instrument.
The vishuddha chakra is in the pit of the throat, near the pituitary gland.
It represents the ether principle and promotes sound.
The ajna chakra on the mid-brow spot is the embodiment of the splendour
of awareness for when this chakra is reached, man glimpses the
truth, gets transformed and becomes translucent. It is only a step away
from the final realization, when the sahasrara chakra on the crown of
the head is attained. That is the consummation of all search.
The stage of desire operates in the first two chakras, the stage of endeavour
in the next two and the stage of awareness, is most evident
in the last two. The awareness is there, latent in every one, ready to
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surface when the veils of ignorance are removed. The individual lifeforce,
resides like a lightning flash in the womb of a blue cloud between
the ninth and the twelfth rings of the spinal column. It will be alert and
awake only when spiritual discipline of any type is done after the
cleansing of character and habits.
If, however, the yoga path is undertaken when the senses are still potent
and overbearing, the effects on one's emotions and passions will
be disastrous. One will become insane and talk and write absurd and
ribald things about oneself and others. I have known many cases of
such seekers, who have gone astray. That is why control of the senses,
control of the inner passions and emotions, with drawal of the mind
from external pursuits, acquisition of the power to bear heat - and cold,
grief and joy, profit and loss etc., with equanimity, faith in the scriptures
and in the experience of sages, equal-mindedness and fortitude, have
been emphasised as qualifications for the aspirant.
Yoga as taught and learned at present is, at best, only a system of
physical exercises, a means to acquire health and a sense of physical
well-being. It cannot be a spiritual discipline leading to self-realization.
The body which is composed of the five elements, can be affected by
these yoga practices. The mind has no illumining power of its own and,
like the moon, it can only reflect the light of the sun or the Atman within.
The Atman can be known only through love; all claims to the contrary
are spurious and missing the mark. Through the kundalini-power and
its ascent through the chakras, it is well-nigh impossible to realise the
universal Atman. Even when realized, the experience is not communicable
through lessons. The vision attained must be of the one without
a second; only then can it be genuine. The core of every being
must be recognised as one. (...)
Therefore do not be led into the yoga-path. It is fraught with danger
since there can be no efficient teachers. 16.6.77, (24-117/120)
Meditation is not mere sitting erect and silent. Nor is it the absence of
any movement. It is the merging of all your thoughts and feelings in
God. Without the mind becoming dissolved in God, meditation cannot
succeed. The Bhagavadgita describes genuine meditation as “those
person who adore God, without any other thoughts or feeling.” 9.7.79,
(24-248/249)
Those affected with barrenness or serious illness or skin diseases of
virulent types vow to proceed on a pilgrimage to shrines conceived in
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the form of a snake. The spinal column of man coding with the “thousand-petalled
lotus” in the brain is very much like a serpent poised on
its tail with the head widely spread.
In the science of kundalini yoga, the vital energy of man lies dormant
like a coiled snake, at the bottom of this column in the lowest muladhara
chakra, to be awakened and aroused, so that it courses up
through all chakras (centres of superior consciousness) until it reaches
the thousand-petalled lotus wheel at the very top of the skull. The passage
for the kundalini is through the sushumna nerve in the centre of
the spinal column. The worship of the snake, ridiculed as superstition,
is the symbolic counterpart of this great yogic spiritual discipline which
confers vigour and vitality. (27-145)
You are all brought here today by bonds of love. It is only love that
binds one person to another and one thing to another. The entire world
is filled with love. Life devoid of love can be described as lifeless.
In love, there are three levels. The first is the best and the highest level.
Men at this level have full faith and belief that God, who is the embodiment
of eternal bliss, is present in all beings without exception. They
will have the feeling that God is present everywhere and in everything
in the form of love. Such people see nothing but love in every being.
They see no difference between their "own" people and others. Persons
filled with such supreme love will experience bliss.
Those at the second level care only for their own good and the welfare
of their own kith and kin, their comfort and happiness. They do not care
about others, about their merits or their faults. These people can be
termed as middle level persons.
There are others who don't feel happy if they see others happy; in fact
they grow jealous of others' happiness. They will always be looking for
faults in others and criticising them. They cannot tolerate other people
being happy. Thereby they ruin all aspects of love in themselves. (...)
Although love is present in all these three, they enjoy, experience and
use this love in different ways. In every tree of life, love is present in
the form of sweet juice in its fruit. But this is covered by a skin called
desire. Hence you are not aware of the sweet juice in the fruit. Only
those persons who remove the skin of desire and throw away the hard
seeds of anger and jealously, can enjoy the sweet juice of the fruit of
love. When one throws away seeds of likes and dislikes and removes
the skin of desire, one can enjoy Divine love, which is sweetness personified.
(...)
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The Vedas say that there are three types of devotion: These have
been described in different ways with various commentaries.
Listening, digesting what was learnt and practising what was preached
and learnt, the rituals connected with worship, visiting various places
of pilgrimage, and various types of service such as charity are all classified
as devotion related to created or living beings. Recitation of
God’s names, spiritual exercise and deep meditation are all connected
with this first type of devotion. Constructing temples, consecrating
idols, worshipping in temples and rituals connected with these are all
connected with the physical.
Even though one may be immersed in meditation and experiencing visions
of such idols, these have to be classified under this first type
since all these experiences arise out of the body, mind and intellect,
which are transient and not of a permanent nature. This body has to
perish and hence experiences arising out of this body will also disappear
with the body. Nevertheless, this type of devotion is necessary as
the first step.
Travelling on this path, you should slowly march to the second step.
Many people think that the second step means dedication to one idol
or form and experiencing mental vision of that one form, exclusively in
privacy. This is not correct. This step is a subtle state achieved by effective
control of the mind and experiencing one's inner self. It is not
correct to think that control of the mind means holding it steady without
wandering around. To be able to cleanse the mind of impure thoughts
is the correct meaning of this state. This is a spiritual discipline to be
practiced in a lonely atmosphere, in a quiet place free from noise or
disturbance of any kind.
The best time for this practice is from 3.00 a.m to 5.00 a.m. Selecting
a particular time in this period, closing the door, contacting no one
else, one should sit quietly and adjust the rate of inhaling and exhaling
of breath. It is important that the pace of inhaling and exhaling must be
the same. By gradual practice, the number of breaths per minute must
be reduced from eight or ten a minute to two or one. You can take your
own time; proceed gradually in the process of reduction of the number
of times of inhaling and exhaling. Because of the flow of thoughts in
the mind and mental resolves and doubts, the breathing also gets affected
and disturbed.
To control the breath in this manner and direct it in the proper path,
there is a very effective method that can be followed. The tip of the
tongue must gently touch the rear of the teeth. When it is kept in this
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position, the thoughts in the mind become less and one can concentrate
on the control of the breath. When you control the determination
and wrong imagination of the mind and detach yourself from thoughts
of the body and things around you, you come to the stage when the
mind is without thoughts and desires, when it can concentrate on God.
In this state, the mind is dissolved and still. God is everywhere in everyone;
when the mind is rid of all impurities, God's presence alone is
experienced by people at this stage. (...)
God will not be reflected in a mind full of likes and dislikes and desires
or a mind that is disturbed with impure thoughts. If you want to realise
the presence of God in all beings, you must recognise the importance
of purity and steadiness of mind. When the mind is pure and steady,
Divinity will be resplendent everywhere. To experience Divinity in this
way alone will help you. (...)
Worshipping an idol is necessary as a first step. But do not devote all
your lifetime to the first step!
By continuous training and practice of the second step, you will be able
to know the Atman within yourself. The Atman is in you. You can't see
it because of impurity and waves of likes and dislikes hovering round.
When you remove these impurities, the mind rests in a pure state. At
that stage, if you turn your eye inward you will have the vision of Divinity.
(...)
This step is realized only when you turn the vision inward, away from
sensory objects and experience the pure Atman. It is a inner vision.
After reaching this two step you will have a feeling that the next step
consists in surrendering to God, saying: “I have no saviour other than
you.” We think that simply by declaring: "You are mother, you are father,
you are friend and you are my saviour, oh God of Gods," we have
surrendered and are practising all discipline. This is only words. The
real state comes from deep inquiry into the reality of the inner self.
The experience you have in the waking state and the things you see
in the dream and deep sleep states are found to be illusory and transitory
when you inquire into them deeply. After such inquiry, you will
come to the conclusion that in all the three states whatever one sees
is illusory. He will find that the “I” which is present in all the three states,
is only the Atman and that there is no difference between this Atman
and God. If the thought of the body is not there, duality too will not be
there. Where there is no thought of a second one. (...)
One who has discrimination is a scholar. This discrimination is of two
types: One worldly, and the other spiritual. The former can he under-
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stood by experiments and instruments, but in the spiritual sphere such
discrimination will not work. One should have faith and love. Without
faith or pure love, whatever arguments you may enter into, whatever
inquiry you make, will yield no results. If lost in doubt one can never
achieve success even in many lives. (...)
Only those who are eager to learn, who have faith in the teaching that
should be learnt and trust they will experience Divinity, can be taught.
(...)
The world today is in a very bad state. The situation can improve only
through those who are believers in Divinity. They should become embodiments
of love, and by their spiritual discipline, backed by patience,
forbearance and compassion, play their role in serving society and
contributing to the betterment of the world. God is present in you and
is viewing with thousands of eyes what you do. Even if no one is seeing,
God is always watching your actions. Do everything with this
awareness. 23.1.82, (25-238/244)
Students should learn the right way of doing things even in ordinary actions
like sitting or reading. They should sit erect and keep the spinal
column straight. This enables the kundalini power to move up from the
base of the spine to the top of the head through the vertebral column.
This movement takes place during the yogic exercise known as breath
control. This exercise is also useful for improving one's memory and
powers of concentration. (19.6.96)
There are three ways of calming the mercurial mind: 1. Regulated
breathing. Inhale and exhale in a measured manner, watching its symmetry
and balance; that will diminish the eagerness of the inner tongue
to wander into conversation. Finally it will give up the tendency, for
good. 2. Engage yourselves in loving service of the diseased and the
distressed. Undertake to teach a few children who have no one to
guide them. Let your thoughts and activities be selfless and sincere.
The itch to communicate to the mind will be healed thereby. You will
feel that your energies are more fruitfully engaged in serving your fellows
than in talking and discussing with your wavering mind. 3. The
third method of avoiding this type of conversation is spiritual exercise,
resorted to in earnest and with regularity. It can be the repetition of
name, recitation of mantras, chanting hymns or practice of yogic postures.
The Gayatri mantra can be used for this purpose. It is certain to
yield quick results. (...)
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Next, the tendency to talk too much. Speech 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.
By constant practice, these can also result in the vow of silence.
The mind must desist from wandering, when the tongue desists from
talking. Otherwise, the vow cannot be fruitful. Be conscious that every
word you utter or hear will leave an impression on your consciousness,
and provoke reactions which may or may not be beneficial. This is the
reason you must seek the company of good and godly people.
The third instrument is action. Every action has its reaction on oneself
and on others. This is the law of nature, as inevitable as the effects of
heat and cold. Every living beings bring with him a series of consequences
from past lives. Physical illness, mental derangement, economic
suffering, domestic miseries are all the fruits of one's own activity
in the past. They cannot be ascribed to the hard-heartedness of
God. One's karma reveals one's bestial propensities or human virtues
or God-ward aspirations. The attitudes and preferences built into
man's consciousness either by his previous lives or the society into
which they have thrust him in this life, are also revealed. Deeds are not
in accordance with declarations; this is the basic defect in all facets of
life today. How has the world come to the very brink of total collapse
today? Why is youth suffering from anxiety and anarchism? Is there a
shortage of books from which men can learn the unfolding of human
values? Have gurus who teach men the potentiality of human being
become scarce? Are there no institutions engaged in awakening men
and warning them of the dire consequences of sloth and sleep?
20.5.82, (25-250/252)
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424
The Body as Temple of God
The body is the temple of the living being, so whatever happens in that
temple, is the concern of the indweller. So, too, the world is the body
of the Lord and all that happens in it, good or bad, is his concern. From
the observed fact of the indweller and the body, know the truth of the
unobservable fact of the Lord and the world. (4-36)
You are the indestructible Atman. It is for the sake of that Atman principle
that you have this body and so in the attempt to realize Brahman
here and now, you must be prepared to offer this body, at any moment,
as a sacrifice. Utilize your authority over this body to foster the welfare
of the world. This body is but an instrument, an implement given by
God. Let it serve its purpose. (4-7)
This creation is the environment of worship; man is the worshipper,
and God is worshipped. The game called life is played in this way.
Man must be happy that God has placed around him newer and newer
materials for serving Him and through service worship Him in all His
various forms. He must pray for newer and newer opportunities and
exult in the chance that his hands receive. This attitude gives immeasurable
joy. To lead a life suffused with this joy is indeed bliss.
Whatever is done from sunrise to sunset must be consecrated, as worship
to the Lord. As care is taken to pluck only fresh flowers and keep
them fresh and unfaded, so too ceaseless effort should be made to do
deeds which are pure and unsullied.
If this vision is kept before the mind's eye every day and life lived accordingly,
it becomes one long unbroken service of the Lord. The feeling
of I and thou will soon disappear; all trace of self will be destroyed.
(...)
"I am the servant. This world is the offering. God is the master who is
worshipped" - when one attains this stage of thought, feeling and action,
all difference between mine and thine will disappear.
There is no distinction between devotion and wisdom. (...)
I will not agree that action, devotion and wisdom are separate. I do not
even like to classify one of these as first, the other as the second and
next as the third. I will not accept a mixture of all three or even a merger
of the three. Activity is devotion and devotion is wisdom. (...)
The living being, the Atman, and God are not separate; they are one
and the same.

Therefore, each individual deed must be full of the spirit of service, of
love and of wisdom. In other words each group of life's activities must
be saturated with action, devotion and wisdom. This is verily the highest
yoga. It has to be acted in practice, not merely spoken in words.
Spiritual discipline should be done constantly with an ever-expanding
heart full of devotion and wisdom. The sweetness of nectar or the
Lord's name is the charm of life; the internal joy derived from the name
is akin to the external joy of outer life. (4-8/10)
This body is like a boat. Your life is like a river and you have to cross
that river and reach your destination of Divinity. Your life, the present
one, is one of living in the contemporary world. In this process of trying
to cross the river of life and reach the destination of Divinity, the boat
that you have to use, namely, your body has to be safeguarded and
taken care of. (34-9)
If there is no body, you cannot really picture the mind. If there is no
mind, you cannot recognise life in the body. The aspects of knowledge
and bliss are dependent upon the aspects of food, of mind and of life.
It is true that these aspects are transient and not permanent and that
they have no intrinsic value. But since the aspects of knowledge and
bliss are dependent on these, you attach some importance to them. To
be able to experience the aspects of knowledge and bliss, you should
protect your body, mind and life. For example: you have some valuable
jewels and gems to be protected in your house, you put them in a comparatively
cheap iron safe. This steel almirah or an iron safe has no
value compared to the jewels you put in it. Your body is like the valueless
iron safe. In this valueless body, God has kept for protection, very
valuable things like knowledge and bliss. (...)
It is natural to protect valuable things in a valueless box which will not
attract attention. Therefore, in order to reach the realm of knowledge,
bliss and happiness, it is necessary to look after the well being of the
outer casing namely, body, mind and life. (...)
The key has been referred to by Shankara as the key of devotion.
When you use the key of devotion and turn it to the side of detachment,
you will be able to open the box and utilize the knowledge and bliss
contained. But if the key of devotion is turned in the wrong direction,
away from detachment and towards attachment, you will not be able
to open the box and use the knowledge and bliss for your benefit.
Therefore, either for detachment or for attachment, this key of devotion
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which is between attachment and detachment is important and you
should protect it. It will be possible for you to have devotion when you
have faith in God. Today we see many people who say that they have
no faith in God. But, in fact it is not possible to live even for a moment
without faith in God. You should not be under the impression that God
exists somewhere, having a special form and vested with special powers
and so on. What is contained in your own heart as a pure thought
and supreme consciousness is itself God. It is God and you do not
have to look for Him elsewhere. This sacred part of one’s heart is necessary
for everyone. There is no one without a sacred heart. Because
a sacred heart is present in everyone, God is in everyone. He who
does not have faith in himself will have no faith in God. There is no one
who does not love himself, has no belief in himself and has no ambition
to rise higher and higher. Even a man who does not have faith in God
has faith in himself and desires to have the strength to cultivate faith
in himself. This is quite natural and surges from the depths of the heart.
(35-29/31)
He who lives in this world should first become a human being and understand
what the nature of his body is. (35-42)
You should make an attempt to install God in the temple of your heart.
The human body is like a temple and in this life the soul is an ancient
representative of God. To be born as a human being is an exceptional
gift and the body enables such a human birth to reach its destination
and become it sacred. (36-108)
Having come upon the world stage as “man”, one should act the role
convincingly. The tree is known by the fruit. The human body is the
temple of God. He is installed there. Yearn for the realization of this
truth, seek to discover it and derive bliss from it- that is devotion, the
path of love of God. Love the highest, love the most lovable; do not
love anything lower. (27-228/229)
My place of residence is the pure, aspiring heart. The body is the temple.
It is the real house of God and of each one of you. You are a moving
temple, where God is in the innermost shrine. The body is not a
mass of flesh and bone; it is a medium for mantras - mantras which
save when they are meditated upon. It is a sacred instrument earned
after long ages of struggle, equipped with reason and emotion, to be
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used for deliverance from grief and evil. Honour it as such; keep it in
good condition, so that it may serve that high purpose; maintain it even
more carefully than these brick houses; and, always preserve the conviction
that it is an instrument and nothing more. Use it for just the purpose
for which it has been designed and given. 3.2.64, (17-158/159)
The body is the tabernacle of God, the chariot in which he is seated in
all majesty. Do not identify yourself with it and its modifications and
transformations. You are the Atman and so, you are above these affections
of the body, cleanse your mind of the temptations and tenets
of ignorance; make it free from dust, so that God may be reflected in
it. God cares more for the motive behind the deed, than the deed itself.
7.12.64, (19-4)
The body has to be maintained in good condition, for it is only when
embodied in this human tabernacle that man can realise God. The
body is either strong or weak, an efficient instrument or an inefficient
one, according to the food, recreations and habits of one's parents.
5.10.67, (20-89)
Regular prayers twice a day will give strength and courage, which can
withstand illness The grace of God will confer mental peace and good
sleep and rest for the mind. Feel that you are a hundred per cent dependent
on God; he will look after you and save you from harm and
injury. (...)
Fast one day in the week. This is good for the body as well as for the
country. Do not eat a dozen plantains, half a dozen puris and drink a
quart of milk and call it a fast! Take only water, so that all the dirt is
washed away. Do not crave for fruit juice or other liquids. Even physical
machinery is given rest; it cannot run for ever, continuously. What
then shall we say of this delicately organized human body! It is not a
sign of culture to overvalue the body, by over indulging in its whims. It
is a sign of barbarism. (...)
Only the healthy person can afford to forget the body and dedicate his
thoughts to God, and so doing derive bliss. (...)
Keeping the mind fixed on God and good ideas and things also helps
health. Keep the eye, ear, tongue, hands and feet under control. Don't
read enervating or exciting books, don't attend film shows which exhaust
or inflame the mind. Don't lose faith in yourself, you are the Divine
encased in the body. (...)
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Do not spend much thought on the body; some people always worry
about their health, and are never satisfied with the care they bestow
on the body. 12.10.69, (21-11/113)
Anger is debilitating in its effect. The nerves become weak; blood is
rendered thinner; its composition changes. A simple burst of fury consumes
the strength gained from food during three months! Anger drastically
reduces stamina. (...)
“From darkness lead me into light", is the prayer that rises from every
heart. Where there is light, darkness has no place. Where the light of
atmic awareness shines, therefrom evil thoughts, wicked speech and
vicious deeds flee in fear; so cultivate the wisdom which can cognise
one's reality. 26.10.81, (25-181/182)
The body has to be utilised for service to others. (...) More bliss can be
won by serving others than by merely serving oneself. Offer service to
some one in need, with a full heart and experience the bliss that results.
It need not be something big; it can even be small and unnoticed
by others. It has to be done to please the God within you and him.
19.11.81, (25-193/194)
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Women and Men
In God’s view, there is no difference between men and women. (...)
These differences are related only to the body, and not to the living being
or Atman. Both men and women experience joy, sorrow, hunger,
thirst, pleasure and pain irrespective of their sex. The experience is the
same in essence. There may be only minor differences. Women show
their sorrow outwardly and shed tears while men show greater forbearance
and experience sorrow internally. In regard to the external conduct,
there may thus be some differences, but when you take up the
inner significance it is the same for both sexes. (35-225)
You have the aspect of man or human being (purusha) in your innerself
but you are pay don’t any attention to the qualities that go to make
a man or entitle him to call himself a man. When you aspire to become
a man, you must be prepared to accept all the qualities of a human being.
Facet with hunger, a women will eat and so will a man. If both men
and women react to situations in an identical manner it follows that
man is as weak as women and in this sense they are both weak. Man
should have strength and a women is characterised by weakness. It
is for this reason that a women is described by the word “one without
strength”. Today in order to fulfil the normal requirements in the world
and in order to do the various tasks on the stage of this world, some
of us call our selves men and others women. This is related to wordly
life but spiritually and in truth, all are characterised by the qualities of
women. Take a very good example of this. During the college day at
the Anantapur Girl's College usually Divine dramas are staged and in
such a drama, one of the girls plays the part of Sakkubai while another
girl plays the part of Kassipati but behind the screen, she knows and
calls herself by her real name. In a similar manner on the stage of this
world, some of us call ourselves men while others call themselves
women. Such nomenclature is appropriate only for the purposes of
acting on the world stage but so long as one does not posses the qualities
of a human being, one should not call one self as man. (36-87)
It has been established that for the prosperity or decline in the world,
women alone are responsible. Women alone are responsible for improving
the world and make it a happy place to live in and bring it to
the heights of glory. In the Bhagavadgita women have a very distinctive
quality, and that should be given precedence in everything. Our
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country is described as the mother. Nature is compared to a mother.
If you fall down and experience pain, you cry out: "Amma", you do not
cry out: "Appa”. In all these situations, in our symbolism of the mother,
there is a very distinctive and special position for women. A women
can take a person to the heights of glory or drag him to the depths of
degradation. (...)
When you hear the name of God, then you certainly have a great attraction
to that name. But when the same God, takes a human form,
you begin to have doubts. The changes that come about in a form, a
natural characteristic of all creation are responsible for these doubts.
All you see around you is the creation of nature. It is simply a manifestation
of creation, called nature. There is a great deal of weakness in
this creation and the source for such weakness is in the creation itself.
Wherever there is a weakness in an individual, it is simply in the form
of a women. In this world, which is like a stage, men and women are
merely actors playing their roles. However, simply because one takes
the part of a man or of a women in a play, one cannot conclude that
some are men and some are women. (...)
To be able to get a vision of God, you should throw away these human
weaknesses, like being short-tempered, hungry or angry. Particularly,
you young people should be able to control your anger, hatred, jealousy
and lust. (37-34/36)
For the adventure of spiritual wisdom, all are candidates, women as
well as men. Sex is but a vesture worn by the soul for the role of life
on earth. It does not affect the life of the spirit which is eternal and on
the supra-sensory plane. Men and women have each to purify the inner
consciousness so that the Divine may reveal itself in all its glory.
Married life will not bar your way to realization. Look upon the wife ore
husband and children as a sacred trust, and serve them in that spirit.
Prepare yourselves for a celibate and spiritual discipline from the age
of fifty. (27-81/82)
Today I shall speak to the women. Many of you become so desperate
and dejected that you bemoan your birth and welcome death. This is
very wrong. You cannot flee from your responsibility in the middle of
your allotted task. It is a sign of weakness and cowardice. After all, just
think for a moment whether the rich are happy, the strong are happy,
the highly educated are happy or the clever are happy. No one is happy
you will find. If you must be happy, one of two things must happen.
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All your desires must be fulfilled or - you should not have any desire.
Of these, the reduction of desire is the easier path.
Take the troubles that come to you as tests and opportunities to learn
non-attachment. Hot summer sends you to air-conditioning. Grief
sends you to God. When a child dies, ask ourself: “Is it for my sake that
he was born?” He had his own destinity to fulfil, his own story.
26.11.62, (16-272/273)
This is a critical time for the people of India, when the self-confidence
arising from self-knowledge is vital. Both men and women have to earn
this knowledge and treasure it. Men should give up the attitude of
putting down women. They are not “servants” to be lorded over; they
too have self-respect and individuality. In fact, women have devotion,
sympathy, the spirit of sacrifice, fortitude and other virtues in greater
measure than men. Yet the feeling that if their advice is taken, it is
somehow demeaning, is prevalent among men. This must be given
up. Pay respect to spiritual excellence and intellectual discrimination,
wherever it is evident. 9.3.67, (20-23)
The centre of every home must be the shrine room; the fragrance of
flower and incense emanating from there must pervade the home and
purify it. The mother must set the example by making the shrine the
heart of the household. She must enforce discipline over the children
in personal cleanliness, humility and hospitality, in good manners and
acts of service. She must persuade the children by example and precept
to revere elders and to allot some time both in the morning and
evening for prayer, and for silent meditation. The shrine room has to
be kept clean and consecrated; special festival days, marked out in
each religion, should be observed, so that the significance will impress
the young minds. However self-centred and haughty the husband is,
by systematic regulation of the domestic time-table, with worship of
God as its focal point, the man can be made to realise how a God-centred
home is a home of peace and joy. He too will soon fall in and be
a pillar of faith. (...)
The home is the temple where the family, each member of which is a
moving temple, is nurtured and nourished. The mother is the high
priest of this house of God. Humility is the incense with which the
house is filled. Reverence is the lamp that is lit, with love as oil and faith
as the wick. Dedicate to such worship, in your homes. I bless you so
that through your faith and strength, devotion and dedication may increase
in this land. 26.7.69, (21-75/77)
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Man and women, though master and wife, have different spiritual destinies;
each has to go at his or her own pace. They may be inter-related
and interdependent in secular matters, but, in spiritual matters, each
has to carve out his or her own career. Make the home a seat of harmony;
then, the village will be a home for concord, the state will have
peace, the nation will be happy, and the world will have prosperity.
12.11.69, (21-186/187)
At this critical hour in the history of the world, when the demonic forces
of fear and anxiety, injustice and iniquity are raging in wild fury, it is the
duty of every human being to be equipped with spiritual strength, so
that he is not overwhelmed by the storm. This is an urgent task, and
the women of India have a contribution to make, a service to render,
a role to play. They must bring God into the hearts of the child and help
it to keep him there. For, faith in God is the tonic that man needs to get
back health and happiness. 1.2.70, (21-201)
Now, the education that is being given in schools for girls and in women's
colleges helps only to make them “desirable wives”, not “desirable
mothers”. The role of the mother which is the natural, native and inescapable
role is neglected; the subsidiary short-lived scintillation, is given
prominence. 8.7.71, (21-522)
People refer to various duties, rights and obligations, but these are not
of much importance; they are only means and methods of regulating
the complications of practical living. They are not fundamental. All
these moral codes and approved behaviour are prompted by the need
to cater to two types of creature with two different types of nature - viz.,
masculine and feminine.
They include nature and God, gross and subtle, inert and conscious,
the all-pervading duet. (...)
The feminine principle is spoken of as the illusion imposed upon Himself
by the Lord, the energy with which he equipped himself of his own
will. This is the feminine form. This is the reason women is considered
as “creative power”. She is the faithful companion of man, his fortune;
since she is the concretization of the will of the Lord, she is mystery,
wonder, the representative of the protective principle; the queen of his
home, his beneficence, the illumination of the house. Women who are
repositories are in no way inferior; how full of fortitude, patience and
love is their nature! Their self-control is seldom equalled by men. They
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are the exemplers and leaders for men to tread the spiritual path. Pure
selfless love is inborn in women. Women who are full of knowledge,
who are cultured, who are bound by love and who are keen an discriminating
whether their words and deeds are in conformity with right conduct
- such women are like the Goddess Lakshmi, bringing joy and
good fortune to the home. That home, where the husband and the wife
are bound together by holy love, where every day both are engaged
in the reading of books that feed the soul, where the name of the Lord
is sung and his glory remembered, that home is really the home of the
Lord! The women who is attached to her husband by means of love is
indeed a flower radiating rare perfume; she is a precious gem, shedding
luster in the family, a wife endowed with virtue is really a brilliant
jewel. Chastity is the ideal for womankind. By the strength derived from
that virtue, they can achieve anything. (...)
The women is the prop of the home and of religion. She plants and fosters
religious faith or dries and up-roots it. Women have natural aptitude
for faith and spiritual endeavour. Women with devotion, faith, and
meekness can lead men on the godward path and the practice of holy
virtues. They will get up early, before dawn, clean the home and after
finishing bath etc., sit for a while engaged in prayer and meditation.
They will have in their homes one small room set apart for the worship
of the Lord. They will place their images of the Lord as well as pictures
of holy sages and of gurus and guides. They will consider the room
specially sacred and fill the atmosphere with their prayers both morning
and evening, as well as on holy days and festivals. A women who
is steadfastly doing this will be able to transform even her atheist husband,
persuading him to join the prayers or engage in some good activity
or some scheme of social service marked by the attitude of dedication
to the Lord. Indeed, it is the women who maintains the home;
that is her mission. She is truly the representative of creative power.
(...)
Really, women should strive to achieve the knowledge of the soul and
live every moment in the consciousness of her being the Atman; she
must nurture a desire to become one with the Divine consciousness.
The home with such a women, where the husband and wife lead their
lives in the light of great ideals, where they sing together the glory of
the name of the Lord and dedicate themselves to good deeds; where
truth, peace and love reign, where holy books are read, where the
senses are under control, where there is equal treatment for all creation
prompted by the knowledge of the basic unity of all creation; such
a home is certainly heaven on earth.
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A wife with such a nature is a wife worth of the name. She must have
real love towards her husband, only then can she be called housewife.
Only then is she the instrument and companion for righteousness,
prosperity and spiritual desire. She who knows the mind of her husband
and speaks softly and sweetly, is the real friend. Why, sometimes,
when the wife has to point out the path of righteousness to the
husband, she takes on the role even of a father! When the husband is
ill she is the Mother.
A women must accord first place to the service of her husband; that is
true worship, for her. Her prayers and meditation can wait. Without
serving the husband she cannot attain bliss in worship or meditation.
As a matter of fact, the Lord must be welcomed in the form of the husband
and all service rendered to him must be elevated to the level of
worship; that is the path of genuine duty. If every act is done as if it is
for the sake of the Atman and its merger with God, then activity becomes
dedicated to the Lord. All such acts save; they do not bind.
It does not matter, how bad or low the husband is, the wife must,
through love, bring him round and correct him, and help him gain the
blessings of the Lord. It is not correct to feel that her progress alone
matters and she has no concern in his improvement or uplift. She must
feel, on the other hand, that the welfare of the husband, the joy of the
husband, the wishes of the husband, the salvation of the husband,
these are the panacea for her also. Such a women will receive the
grace of the Lord automatically, without special effort; it will be showered
upon her; the Lord will always be by her side and be kind to her
in all ways. By her virtue, she will ensure the salvation of her husband.
(8-21/27)
Just as a women should consider one person and one person only as
her master and husband, a man too has to be faithful to one women
and one women only, as his mate, his wife. She has to consider the
husband as God and worship him and minister to and follow his desires
for the fulfillment of her duty; and he should honour his wife as
the "Mistress of the home" and act in accordance with her wishes.
Then only can he deserve the title of "man". Name and fame, honour
and dishonour, vice and wickedness, good and bad are all equal for
both men and women. There is no such thing as women alone being
bound and man being free; both are equally bound by the rules of righteousness.
(...) Men too are bound in certain matters just as women
are; men have no right to do certain things. There are important pledges
between husband and wife. (8-38/39)
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Moved by the desire to break this circle of repeated birth and death,
the husband and wife must both have harmony of mind. The resolution
to reach the goal must be equally strong and steady in both. Otherwise
it is better to stay single! Even the mid-day sun is associated with his
consort, the sixteen-fractioned moon with her cool rays of light, acting
like nectar. The mistress of the home must be bright, patient, calm and
good. If she is virtuous, then the home will shine and be a home of victory
in the spiritual field also.
There is no rule that when a person meets with difficulties in the spiritual
field at home, he should become a hermit and flee. If husband
flees without the full approval of his wife, he can only fall. The best he
can do is leave home with his wife and be a hermit with her, adhering
to the duty of that new stage. If there are children who need attention
and care, even seclusion at that stage is not favoured by the sacred
text.
One has to make the children independent of one's care and then
leave them to themselves. The scriptures require that a person is in the
householder stage till the age of 48, whether favourable or not. One
has to stay and struggle to perform spiritual discipline, without hindrance.
If hindrances come, dedicate them too to the Lord, take them
quietly as his game and plan; that is the way to follow the Divine order,
the path for both men and women. (8-50)
In the ancient sacred text, there is mention of such effulgent womensages
as Gargi and Maitreyi and others. Women should be inspired by
their moral rectitude and their steadfastness and then follow in their
footsteps. (...)
By spiritual discipline women can attain that unwavering unequalled
auspicious Brahman. (...)
Doubts will haunt only those who have not studied the holy texts properly.
Novitiates, householders, recluses, all kinds of women, have attained
the goal by their pure hearts and holy conduct. All women
should strive to acquire both.
"The spiritual guide is ten times more worthy than the teacher of arts
and sciences. The father is ten times worthier than the spiritual guide,
the mother is a thousand times worthier than the father". This is the
declaration of the Rishi Manu. That is the binding fundamental text.
See what a great honour it pays to the mother! Lakshmi, the patron of
wealth, is a female deity. (...)
Women are entitled to universal respect. Incarnations of God-head like
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Rama and Krishna, religious teachers like Shankara, bearers of wisdom
like Buddha, Jesus, Christ and Mohamed - were they not all born
of women? Their mothers were embodiments of holy glory and they
gave the world sons who transformed it. Women who follow in their
footsteps and lead pure consecrated lives can claim the right to wisdom,
and no one can deny them.
In fact, the Atman is devoid of all differences between men and women.
It is eternal pure consciousness itself, and self illuminating. Women
can reach the status of those holy women, only when they become
aware of the nature of the Atman.
The patron deities of wisdom, Saraswathi, and wealth, Lakshmi, are all
women! It is not possible unbelievable that women have no right to
spiritual discipline, witch leads to merger with Brahman and the final
emancipation from bondage. (8-52/53)
The Bhagavadgita lists seven attributes to the feminine principle:
fame, wealth, speech, wisdom, intelligence, fortitude and determination.
The mother principle, which embodies these seven potencies, is
highly sacred. Wherever you turn, you will see manifestations of the
feminine principle in nature. When any person goes abroad, the first
question that is put is: "What is your mother-tongue?” No one asks,
“What is your father-tongue?” This shows how much importance is attached
to the role of the mother. The mother fosters her child in the
womb and goes through any hardship to protect it. There is no greater
love in the world than maternal love. Hence the ancients accorded the
highest honour to the mother and declared: "Esteem the mother as Divine”
and "Esteem the father as Divine”. For every person the first preceptor
is the mother. It is from the mother that a child learns its first
words of speech, the first steps in movement and many other primary
lessons in behaviour. Hence, the mother stands out as the reflected
image of nature. (6.5.96)
The women at home has been held in high esteem as "Grihalakshmi",
the goddess of prosperity of the home. When her husband faces difficulties,
the wife readily shares the burden and is prepared to do anything,
undergo any suffering or even sacrifice her life for the welfare of
her husband and the family. It is the women of the home who is behind
the good reputation of the home. The women is the embodiment of
sacrifice. Though the male counterpart may also make sacrifices, it is
with selfish tinge while women's sacrifice is absolutely selfless. We
should be proud of our women. (...)
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Because of the evil influence of modern education, people consider
women as toys and tend to treat them as puppets. Women have very
auspicious and noble qualities, but men consider them as cooks to be
confined to the kitchen and the four walls of the house.
What they forget is that women not only manage the affairs of the family
but also look after the health and well-being of all the members of
the household. (...)
Women have respectable and valuable titles: goddess of prosperity of
the home, devoted wife, the better half etc. They had these titles because
of their good qualities and spirit of sacrifice.
Questions are raised like: “Who will look after the home if women go
to offices and who will teach her children if the mother goes to school
to teach other children”, and so on. Some say that though the women
goes to work to solve the financial problem, bigger problems may have
to be confronted by her going to work. But, in the modern world, it is
necessary for the women to share the burden of maintaining the family
with their husbands and so the women should also pursue studies as
much as possible and take up suitable jobs to share the burden of the
family. It will smack of selfishness if the males prevent them from going
to work for which they have acquired the requisite qualifications. Women
can control the whole world by themselves by virtue of their inherent
qualities of love and spirit of sacrifice. Anger is alien to women and it
is more rampant in men. Though there may be instances when a women
gives vent to anger, such occasions are few and far between while
in men, the reverse is the case. (...)
Women devotees in the Sai movement participate enthusiastically in
large numbers in service activities such as helping the women of
weaker sections to learn some useful trade like tailoring etc. so that
they can earn money for the family and spend their time usefully. If
such activities were taken up all over the country, the country would
prosper. This sacred work is typical of the culture of our ancient country.
Women are the heirs of our ancient culture. Culture means refinement.
Women are the torchbearers of refinement and toil for the emancipation
of the nation. (...)
If women are given due recognition and encouragement, they will
shine with brilliance in all fields and will serve the house, country and
the entire world gloriously, contributing to the welfare of humanity. (...)
If man follows the example of women to imbibe sacred and sacrificial
qualities, the world will definitely improve. (...)
In order to teach the subtleties of the scriptural texts and encourage
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women to play their role in society, 19th is fixed as Ladies Day. Righteousness
can only occupy its position in society and be restored to its
pristine glory by women. Men also have equal rights to participate in
this mighty and sacred effort for the prosperity of the country. Even if
men don't actively participate, they should at least let the women work
without interference. (19.4.98)
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Duality - Unity - Oneness
Equanimity in the face of opposition and putting up with duality is the
privilege of the strong, the treasure of the brave. The weak will be as
agitated as peacock feathers; they are ever restless, they swing like
the pendulum from side to side; once towards joy, then towards grief
(...)
Equanimity is not the same as tolerance. Tolerance is putting up with
something tolerating it, bearing it, because you have no other choice;
having the capacity to overcome it, but disregarding it. Spiritual discipline
is patiently putting up with the external world of duality with inner
equanimity and peace, that is the path to liberation. Bearing all, with
discrimination - that is the type of tolerance that will yield good results.
Discrimination is the word used for such tolerance. It means the capacity
to recognise the nature of the objective world; that is to say, objects
that "come and go" are not eternal. (2-30)
The wise man is unaffected by the everpresent dualism of the objective
world. He is the person referred to as a sage. (...)
Manhood comes with the rejection of dualism. To deserve the status,
man ought to gain victory over internal foes, rather than the external.
His challenge is to conquer the twin foes of joy and grief. (2-32)
If you want to have unbroken bliss and happiness, this age of yours is
appropriate for reflection on the essence of non-dualism or advaita
philosophy. There are many people who do not think either of this life
or the life after death. Even if they do sometimes think about these
matters, the people who understand sacrifice enough to give up even
small things in the performance of their duty and think of doing good
so as to improve their lives, are very few in number. When you look at
such people, you make the mistake of regarding them as great people.
Looking at people who spend all their time and wealth in deriving
pleasure for themselves and in decorating and beautifying their own
bodies, you again make the mistake of thinking that they are intelligent
people. (...)
Further, man thinks that he is swallowing time, while time is there to
swallow man, moment by moment. Because you are so entangled with
the aspects of the body, mind and intelligence, you feel that you are
subordinate to time and that time will swallow you. However, if you can
develop a state in which you feel above the aspects of body, mind and
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intelligence, you can control death and regard it as part of the evolution
of the immortal element in you. You have come into this world with your
body as a part of yourselves. So long as you remain a part of this world,
it is the duty of young people to enquire and understand the truth behind
all this. What is this body and what is its relationship to the world?
It is the determination of Sai to sow the seeds of desire for acquiring
spiritual knowledge in young people, whose minds are like the rays of
the rising sun. Your age is the appropriate age at which you can hope
to become the future pillars of this country. It is no use preaching such
things to elderly people whose minds are like the rays of the evening
sun. (...)
You will have to dedicate your life to the future of this country. Your life
will be peaceful only when you control the excitement of the body and
the mind, which is harmful. If you are not able to control the excitement
of your body and mind while you are young, you will not be able to do
so when you grow older. When you are young, you have the strength
of body, mind and spirit. True education teaches you to control your
sense organs, set your ideas on the right path and keep your mind
clean. One notices lightning in the sky only when clouds gather. In that
manner, as lightning follows clouds, wisdom must follow education.
One who seeks such wisdom is a true seeker. You must forget the foolish
idea that education is only for acquiring a degree. Do not seek education
for the sake of serving some one else. Have in your mind as
the object of your education, the prosperity and good of yourself, your
country and your society. Make an effort to sacrifice your life. Do not
sell your education to earn a pittance of a salary. (35-12/15)
Many years ago, in this country when righteousness and all that was
dependent upon righteousness was on the decline, Shankara appeared
on the scene and propagated the ancient and Veda teaching
in the form of advaita or non-dual philosophy. (35-19/20)
Scientists can only study and describe the qualities of existing materials;
they can divide them into components, reconstitute them into new
compounds and reshape them according to processes which they can
explain. No scientist can create things which do not exist. (...)
Occasionally, scientists may put together a few elemental substances
and create artificially small quantities of new materials but are they
able to create life, giving substances like oxygen, air and water for sustaining
life on earth? It is not possible for any one. It can be created
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only at God’s will and pleasure. The person who realises this truth can
be said to be one who is not a materialist. In some cities, there is a
shortage of drinking water and scientists are trying to convert the saltish
ocean water into drinking water.
They may be partially successful in this attempt, but where will they get
the drinking water from if the ocean water, which is the source, is not
available? In all cases, the original substance source is God given and
no scientist can create it. No matter how high a position and capacity
a scientist may have achieved in his profession, he can have no connection
with things beyond the five elemental substances: earth, water,
fire, air and space. God is behind the curtain and beyond these five
elements. God exhibits his powers outside the region of these five elements.
Man operates within the region of these five elements. So
long as the intimate connection, as you know it in your daily lives, exists
between man and the five elements, man cannot understand the
true significance of Divinity. (35-24/25)
Today, people only see the consequences of the existence of Divine
power and argue that there is no Divine power and say that there is no
basis for what they see. This statement is like saying that in the ocean
there are waves because I see the waves, but that there is no water.
They are unable to recognize the basic truth that is contained in our
ancient Veda statements. If you examine them carefully, it will then become
possible and quite easy for you to see the oneness of Divinity.
What we have to establish today is nor a new society, nor a new religion
or new organization. What we have to do is to recognize the contents
of what we have already had in ancient times and bring them up
to date. Young people, capable of making sacrifices, are essential today.
Not only this, we urgently need courageous young people who
can proclaim to the world the omnipresence of Divinity. It is necessary
to have young people who can face and fight with courage situations
arising from injustice, unkindness and cruelty. It is necessary to have
young people who will not depend only upon worldly and material benefits,
but will give sufficient importance to ethical and spiritual aspects;
young people who are prepared to give up imitation, give up selfish
ideas and be able to serve the community in a selfless manner. Young
people, who can, by their own experience, proclaim and tell others that
Atman is the most important thing.
The Divinity that is present in everyone is one and the same. Divinity
is not present only in Sathya Sai Baba. You are all Divine. Divinity is
441

present in everyone. The fact that Divinity is present in millions of people
has been conveyed to us by our Vedas in a slightly different manner
by stating that God has thousands of eyes, thousands of legs and
thousands of heads. It has also been said, that you will find him wherever
you look for him. This is why we say that God is always available
to you, is behind you, is with you whenever you are in trouble and pain.
To save you from trouble and pain, he is with you, behind you, in you
and is looking after you.
One individual, on being told that God is with him and behind him,
turned back and looked for God behind his back; found none and was
very much disappointed. This ignorant and foolish person, thinking
that God was behind him, turned round to find God. Alas! He did not
understand that when he turned round and looked, he was not looking
behind him and that what was behind him has now in front. When he
turns round, God is still behind his back.
It is in that context that you must first strengthen your faith that God is
behind everything. There are various steps to be taken. The first thing
is self-confidence, next comes self-satisfaction, then follows self-sacrifice
and self-realization. In everyone the principle of “I” is self-effulgent.
He is in the form of the self-effulgent Atman in every human being.
There may be millions of people in one place. In all of them, God
is only one. In this apparent diversity, you must make an attempt to
recognize unity. (37-180/181)
The sages have laid down three categories which comprise the knowable
world. God, nature and the I. God when seen through the mirror
of nature appears as I. Remove the mirror; there is only God; the image
merges in the original. Man is but the image of God. Even nature
is but on appearance of God; the reality is he alone. The principle of
appearance that deludes man as multiple manifestation is illusion. It is
not external to God, it is inherent in God just as all powers are inherent
in Him. When the I image is conceived as distinct, we have dualism.
When it is recognized as only on unreal image, but given some relevance
to the original, then it is qualified monism. When both the I image
and the mirror are recognized as illusions and dismissed as such,
only one remains, and this is the vision of the One, without a second.
The search for the One, without a second, is the search of India since
ages. The endeavour has always been to discover the One, which
when known all else can be known. The knowledge that is worthwhile
is the knowledge of unity, not diversity. Diversity means doubt, dissen-
442

sion, dispiritedness. The seen is different from the seer, but the seer
in every one is the same. (27-64)
Usually, in human calculations, value is attached only to sharpness of
intellect; but that is incomplete. Emotional clarity is also important. You
purchase an article from a shop, not merely because it serves a useful
purpose but also because it is beautiful and attractive; that is to say, it
appeals to the intellect and the emotions. Truth gives beauty. That is
why I often say, Truth is beauty; you cannot have one without the other.
(...)
The key to liberation has to be cast and forged, filed and fitted by each
aspirant. It cannot be given in one moment by one word. (...)
No one can just pass it on, saying: "take!" The flower has to yield and
the fruit has to grow, ripen and fall.
Jealousy and anger are the twins born of egoism; egoism is the mother.
Destroy the twins, and take the ego and release it, so that you can
get the thrill of: “I am Brahman”. That is the stage to reach, the height
to scale. (...)
The body is the medium where spirit and matter meet; the changing
phantasmagoria where spirit and matter meet, is an illusion of the
world. (...)
The body is a vessel to contain the effulgence of Divinity. The sentiment:
"I am Brahman" gives a sense of kinship. (...) That sense of belonging
has great psychological value: when you hear a child cry and
find on enquiry that it is your child, you get far more anxious than when
you are told it is another's child. The attachment to Brahman will lead
to merging and building it into your consciousness. Even God, when
He comes with human body or as a materialized form, is a vessel for
Divinity, whether it be Vishnu, Shiva, Rama, Krishna or Sathya Sai Baba.
(...)
You can realise your truth by following the path which will lead to that
knowledge. Only, you must be prepared for discipline and travail.
When I give you a drug, you must take it in the prescribed dosage and
adhere strictly to the regimen of food, sleep and exercise I recommend.
Of course, the anxiety to get cured quickly is commendable; but
there is a time for all this. Moderation produces better results than excess.
(...)
I have to reduce the excessive attachment you have for the things of
the world and when I do that, I use various other methods also. I shall
cure you, slowly and patiently; the more slowly I do it, the more lasting
443

it will be. I shall reveal the Divine consciousness to you without fail.
Yes, great days are coming; let not your sloth deprive you of this opportunity.
When you listen to my story, you forget the story of the world
and live only in my story, until there is no separate story for you to relate
or live. 20.10.61, (16-90/96)
Become aware of your reality and you will lose the sense of identification
with the body. That will make you disease-free. You will have perfect
“ease”. This is quite easy, understanding that you are not the
body. For, you practice this truth every day for at least six hours, since
birth! If that cannot teach you, I wonder what can. Every day, when you
sleep, where are you? Who are you? Your senses are in-operative,
your intelligence is in abeyance: your mind creates a world of its own
and after playing in it for sometime, it lapses into inactivity. That is
sleep, the nearest you reach in your journey to the Divine unity (samadhi).
Live mergence the reality of Atman in you; that will ensure
peace. (...)
If you experience the Atman, you become God himself. That is why I
do not address you as devotee! You are not devotees, you are more
than that - you ought to become God; each one of you can become
God by merging your separate individual beings, in the ocean of the
universal Atman. 18.10.63, (17-83)
444

Death and Return
Death involves certain developments that weaken and extinguish life.
It does not affect the death; the Atman has no death. It cannot be destroyed.
Therefore, one should not fear death. Death is but another
stage of life. However long one suffers from illness or however severe
the injury, death can happen only when time signals the right moment.
When the yearning for living ends, there can be no more birth. (7-24)
Krishna said: “To be born and to die, one must have auspicious moments
which will guarantee a wise life and a worthy end, Arjuna! Yogis,
for example, give up life only when auspicious moments are available,
not at other times. That is why people say: “Death is the witness for the
Good,” an auspicious moment is to be chosen even for the act of
death".
Arjuna asked: "Krishna! Tell me when the body has to be yielded to
death, so that one can escape the cycle of birth and death; tell me also
which period of time one should avoid."
Krishna replied: "Arjuna! Your question is very timely and urgent.
Sometimes, you make me marvel at your intelligence and you make
me very happy. At other times, you make me laugh at your ignorance.
Your egoism and sense of attachment cause this confusion. Let that
pass. Let us come to your question.
The Yogis who practice non-attachment to the fruits of action pass
away during the day, while there is light, in the bright half of the month,
and in the six month period when the sun has wandered to the north.
They have as their first state fire or flame. Hence, their path is known
as path of Divine, or the path where the light begins. Such yogis
emerge from effulgence and, travelling through light, they merge in
light itself. They attain Brahman and are not born again.
The Yogis who practice action with desire for the fruits pass away in
smoke at night, during the dark half of the month, during the six months
when the sun is wandering to the south. They pass along the dark path
and reach heaven and there enjoy the pleasures they have yearned
for and worked for. When the stock or merit is exhausted, they get born
again. (...)
Arjuna ask: “What is to happen to those who die, when it is neither
bright nor dark, neither day nor night?”
Krishna: “This is a legitimate doubt and every one has a right to know
445

the answer. Now, you must first understand what is meant by the bright
fortnight. It is the half-month when the light of the moon increases day
by day. But what is the relationship of the light of the moon to man and
his death? The moon is the symbol of the mind of man. Out of the
moon was the mind born. The bright half of the moon, therefore signifies
the progress of the mind spiritually, in Divine discipline; the fullmoon
signifies the fullness of that achievement. The bright half is the
period when spiritual progress is attended. For the body, the visible
moon; for the mind, the symbolic moon-deity presiding over the mind!
The increasing splendour of the mind due to the increasing realization
of one's own Divinity is what is meant. (2-162/165)
Life is like a long garland. This garland has two ends, one is birth and
the other is death. In between these two ends, the garland consists of
many flowers. Your dreams, thoughts, ideas, sorrows, joys and pleasures
are the various flowers that make up this garland. You have to decide
whether you regard life itself as the garland or whether you regard
the connections of your body with life as the garland. When you look
at the two ends of this garland, it is quite clear that birth and death, are
relevant only to the body and not to living being inside the body. In that
context, whether it be pain or pleasure, sorrow or happiness, dream or
imagination, all of them are concerned with the body and not with the
being. It is the body which is undergoing many changes and transformations.
The higher self, the Atman does not undergo any change but
remains permanent, steady, pure, selfless and firm. (...)
During his youth and boyhood, man mixes with many people and
spends his time playing with them. As he advances in age, he involves
himself in satisfying his desires, running after women and seeking love
and affection. When he grows older, he wants to earn money and
amass wealth so that he can use it for his pleasure. When he becomes
quite old, he does not think of the Divine but spends his time in many
different ways and finds himself unable to give up the attachments
which he has developed in his life. In this manner, man simply wastes
his life, turns it into mud and makes it utterly useless in the end. (35-
34+36)
You try to inquire into the significance of the phenomenal world when
you witness birth following death and death following birth. Is this cycle
of birth and death the only significant feature of this world? On inquiry,
446

you conclude that you die to be born again and that you are born to
die again. This conclusion is not right. (...)
Similarly an individual having taken birth should try not to take birth
again. To be born to die and to die to be born again gets one caught
up in the wheel of time. Without a body, one cannot do anything in the
world. The body has a gross form and this gross form is only a means
to fulfil the main purpose of life. This body is as much responsible for
bondage as it is for liberation. They say that man’s mind alone is responsible
for man’s bondage and man’s liberation. This is not the complete
truth. Both body and mind are responsible for your bondage and
liberation. Without the body, you cannot recognize the nature of your
mind. Life, mind and intelligence become evident only while accompanying
the body. Therefore, you must use such a sacred body for the
purpose of seeing truth. Man is the most sacred of all the animals. To
be born as a man is an extraordinary gift. Therefore, man must use this
life of his in a purposeful manner. (35-173)
In this world many people die and you all see the dead bodies being
disposed of. In spite of the fact that people die and leave the world,
each individual thinks that he is going to be permanent. In spite of the
fact that this person sees so many people die, he still has the desire
to live forever and he genuinely feels that he alone is permanent. If you
ask yourselves whether this feeling is due to ignorance or lack of
knowledge and whether it is an illusion, you come to the conclusion
that to him, it is a very important truth. Within him there is a quality of
permanence and the Divine self that is indestructible gives him this
feeling of permanence. Man daily sees and experiences sorrows and
pleasures, which are quite common in this world, but he aspires to
have bliss. What does this signify? This signifies the aspect of Brahman
and this is the aspect of bliss in him. (36-36)
You have to understand the meaning of the words death and immortality.
You regard death as synonymous with all kinds of strength in the
body being lost. In other words, death is the passing away of life
strength from the body. If the life strength remains in the body forever,
you regard that as a situation of immortality. This is not accurate. It is
wrong to think of immortality as life being retained permanently in this
body. To be able to completely identify one's self with the aspect of
God and completely forget the aspect of the body is true immortality.
447

If, at all times, you are completely immersed in the thoughts of the body
and its comforts and if you forget the aspect of Atman, that is death. It
is only when you are able to clearly recognise the connection between
birth and death, the sacred desire for securing immortality will sprout
in you. There is birth and death for the body but there is no birth or
death for the Atman, the higher self. To be able to understand this permanency
of the Atman is the real meaning of attaining immortality; you
must enquire about the process by which you can attain this immortality.
(36-110/111)
There are three reasons for man to be born. One is sin, the second is
unfulfilled desire or experience, the third is lack of knowledge or ignorance.
The feeling that he has not fulfilled a desire and his wanting to
take birth again to fulfil such a desire is one main reason. Man does
several bad things and commits a sin. He has to be reborn to experience
the consequences. Ignorance makes you seek a rebirth under
these circumstances. These three constitute the basis for your rebirth.
(36-243)
Death is but a passage from this life to the next; it is the change from
old clothes to new, as the Bhagavadgita says. But, some cynics laugh
at the comparison and ask, what about the death of new-born infants,
children, youths and middle-aged persons? Their bodies cannot by
any stretch of imagination be classified as worn-out! Well the clothes
might not be old, but the cloth out of which they were made must have
been from very old stock, so that though new clothes were prepared,
they had to be discarded soon. Again, there are some crooked men
who refuse to believe in a previous life, because they cannot recollect
the events! These people cannot recollect the events of one particular
incidents say five or then years ago though they are certain they were
alive on this day! Forgetting the events of that day does not mean that
they were not alive at all; it only means that they did not pay any special
heed to them, they had no special reason to keep it in memory.
Unconditional surrender is the main gate to enter the mansion of liberation.
It has four floors including meditation, devotion and wisdom.
Each floor rests upon the one beneath and the topmost one cannot be
reached without ascending the first three. Remember this when you
hear people arguing about the relative superiority of the yogas or labelling
themselves as “this” or “that” in the spiritual field. 24.10.63, (17-
103/104)
448

Each birth wipes out the memory of the one already experienced. Man
does not realise that the end of this cycle of birth and death is in his
own hands. (12.2.64, (17-170)
Death is not a deplorable event; it is the journey's end, the owner getting
out of the car when the time is up and the goal is reached. It is a
consummation, a happy conclusion, or at least it ought to be, if only all
were wise enough to treat it as such and be prepared. 15.10.66, (19-
256)
People do not understand the ways of God. How can they know why
a particular event takes place at a particular time in a particular manner?
He alone can know. But, people try to sit in judgement and talk
ill, when for example, some one dies of illness at this place! How can
any one escape death? Even Avatars cast off the physical form when
the task for which they have come is over. It is the height of foolishness
to lose faith in God when some one you cared for dies. The sentence
that he earned is over and he is released. No one is born and allowed
to live for the sake of another. Do not therefore allow any circumstance
to affect your faith in God, who is your strength and solace. 10.3.67,
(20-24)
Desire is the cause of birth; time is the cause of death; God is the
guardian of life. An account of desire, birth takes place. Time, which
flows on unceasingly, respecting none, cuts the thread of life. 10.3.67,
(20-26)
No other human community has gone so deep into the problem of birth
and death, of thoughts after death and the continuity of the consequences
of thoughts, words and deeds, as the Hindus. The solutions
they discovered and verified are so universal, so convincing and so
beneficial for individual and social uplift, that they have stood the test
of centuries of critical assessment by scholars and sages of all lands.
One commendable feature of this investigation is that reason has never
taken second place. At every step, the spiritual discipline is to be reinforced
by reason. The spiritual discipline is the drug, the intelligent
appraisal of the results and difficulties is the regimen. The disease of
spiritual ignorance is cured by the “tablet” science of the spirit; that is
to say, the damaging consequence of ignorance is cured by higher
knowledge. 14.10.67, (20-116)
449

All lives, lived without faith and devotion to the one supreme Overlord,
are despicable; lives spent without tasting the nectar of the Divine principle
are all wasted. (8-72)
450

VII. THE NEW EPOCH - AQUARIAN AGE

The Ages
In the Golden Age, Divine law was accepted and sought after as the
very basis of life. In the Silver Age, the next age, God who was installed
in the heart was accepted and sought after. In the Copper Age,
developing contacts and attachment with kinsmen and friends was
considered enough to keep one safe and happy. In the Iron Age, the
modern age, food and sustenance are taken as the very essentials of
life. 21.11.70, (21-358/359)
When man moves away from his moorings, hate spreads far and wide.
In the past Ages, the Golden, Silver and Copper Ages, the fumes of
hatred poisoned human relations off and on; but, at no time were they
so insidious and so infiltrating as now. Now, the evil has contaminated
relations in the family, the village, the community, the school, the state,
the nation and international organizations. In no field of human activity
is it absent! When members of the same family are engaged in faction,
how can the nation be free from it? How can national affairs be conducted
in the spirit of tolerance and mutual cooperation? It is wrong to
spend days in the prison of dualities, the seesaw of grief and joy, pain
and pleasure, success and defeat. Get beyond the horizon of body,
mind and intellect, and be one with the vastness. Brahman means the
vast, the expanse without horizons. 15.5.71, (22-39)
In this Iron Age, the paths of devotion, righteous deeds and the acquisition
of wisdom are all declared equally effective, so that people of different
dispositions and temperaments can have the fortune chance of
the truth being revealed to them. Education must open these paths before
the children. 16.3.72, (22-101)
The reconstruction of man is indeed the reconstruction of the world.
Only when man becomes better can the world be better. Only when
the individual becomes good can society be happy. Progress in externals
like politics, economics, and social spheres, is not enough. The
mind of man has to be reformed. This cannot be effected through food
alone. Materialists who argued that human problems can be solved by
ensuring food, clothing and shelter, reached their doom when the atom
bomb exploded. Man can reach fullness only when the three lines of
progress; material, intellectual, and spiritual, are all pursued with earnestness.
453

Eternal universal religion enables one to attain this fullness. Very few
have grasped the uniqueness and the importance of this religion. Nowadays,
many elders and political leaders are afraid to utter even the
word "religion" before the gatherings they address. They shape their
lives in accordance with a new order, which has no religious slant
whatsoever. In fact, they have not understood what religion really
means. They do not attempt to discover the significant role of religion.
(...)
The religions we know are all derived from a person or prophet who is
adored as the ideal. Islam has Mohammed, Christianity has Jesus,
Buddhism has the Buddha. But the eternal Divine truth and law (sanatana
dharma) are not derived from or through a person. It is the primal
essence of all faiths. It is the essence of all the messages the prophets
proclaimed. It is welcomed by all mankind, for it welcomes all mankind.
It is therefore to be deplored that some Indians boast selfishly: “The
eternal religion (sanatana dharma) is our religion.” (...)
The principles of the eternal religion are inherent in human consciousness,
and have their impact all over the world. The people of India have
long practiced and experienced them and discovered their value and
validity. They have earned invaluable bliss. Just as atomic science developed
in one country and later spread to other countries, the eternal
faith, developed in India and spread to other countries. Even a material
process like atomic science cannot be held down in one place; in the
same manner, this spiritual science too has spread all over the world.
The eternal religion is bound to overcome today's rampant materialism,
for it can harmonise the secular and the spiritual, into a single way
of life. It can bring man and God into closer kinship. It is based on the
Divine which is the reality of the self. So, it is not limited to one country,
one individual, one period of time, or one sect. It has a variety of procedures,
points of view, disciplines and guidelines, in accordance with
the special features of the region, the age, and the environment. It is
co-eval with man on earth. Though first explicit in India, between the
Himalaya range and the three seas, this faith, has become a world
faith, through its innate strength.
The Divine is manifest in every human being. The religions professed
may be different, the manifestations may differ; but the self which eternal
conduct proclaims is the same in all. "The thousandheaded, thousand-eyed,
thousand-footed person," is the Divine self, approachable
through many paths, expressed in many form. 19.11.80, (25-35/37)
454

This Iron Age is praised in the scriptures as incomparably conducive
to the salvation of man, for he can attain the highest through the mere
thought of God and remembering his name. So, of all the Age, this Age
is described as the most holy, the most beneficial. Meditation was prescribed
as the means of liberation for men in the Golden Age, discipline
as the means during the Silver Age and ritual worship for the
Copper Age. But, for people of this Iron Age, the simple remedy prescribed
is just recitation of God’s names, the constant awareness of
the name. In spite of this, men do not care for this path and render their
lives barren wastes. 3.10.81, (25-162)
The Ages are classified on the basis of the dominant mental role. In
the Golden Age, Divine law walked about on four legs, happy and safe.
In the Silver Age, Divine law had only three legs, while in the Copper
Age, it had to totter about on just two! In the present Iron Age, Divine
law has only one leg. The four legs are truth, goodness, spiritual discipline
and compassion. If one has all these four, then he can be said
to be in the Golden Age, whatever may be the Age on the calendar. If
truth is not steady in a person but, if he has the other three qualities,
he is in the Silver Age. If truth and goddness are both absent, but spiritual
discipline and compassion persist, individuals who in this predicament
can be said to be in the Copper Age. If however only compassion
remains out of the four, it is as if Divine law is standing on one leg
and the person who is sticking to compassion, in spite of everything
else having disappeared, is in the Iron Age, even if he exists in the
chronological Age, called Golden Age. The Ages change only with
change in Divine law, not with the mere passage of time. The wicked
Hiranyakasipu and the purehearted Prahlada both lived in the selfsame
chronological Age; the same Age saw Dharmaja, the personification
of righteousness and peace, as well as the archcheat, Duryodhana.
So, Divine law is what makes the Age for each; one can always
be in the Golden Age, if only one has all the four qualities of Divine law.
It is the conduct of man that makes or mars history and changes the
Golden Age to the Iron Age. (8-55)
Avatars of the Lord, in different forms, have been manifesting themselves
for aeons and aeons. This may astonish to children of today.
For instance, when they hear about the state of things in the Golden
Age they will feel that they are amazing and incredible, human beings
in that Age used to live for hundreds of years. Moreover, their bodies
455

were not as small as in this Age. They were gigantic figures, with arms
as long as six foot. What kind of life did they lead? In the Golden Age,
life remained in the body as long as the bones were intact. All other
parts of the body may disintegrate, but life remained in the skeleton.
In Silver Age, the height of human beings was less. The longevity was
also less. Life remained as long as muscles and flesh remained in the
body.
In Copper Age, life remained as long as blood circulated in the body.
(...)
In the present Iron Age, life lasts as long as there is food in the body.
Without food man cannot survive.
In Golden- and Silver Age, men had intimate relationship with God.
Food was not so important. In Copper Age, the head became important.
In the Golden- and Silver Age, Divine law was all important. The cosmos
is based on Divine law. In the Copper Age, the decline started and
wealth became all important. (...)
In the Iron Age, neither Divine law nor godness are as important as
compassion. It is because of the absence of compassion that the world
today is afflicted with so many troubles. (7.9.96)
456

VIII. VISION - FUTURE

Golden Age
Of the four Ages, the present Iron Age is far more congenial than the
previous three (Golden, Silver- and Copper Age) for the acquisition of
wisdom and the cultivation of discrimination. You now have many simple
paths available for liberating yourselves. The scriptures say: "No,
no, no age is equal to the Iron Age!” Through just recitation of God’s
names and concentration on it, you can reach the Goal. Recitation of
God’s names is the process of keeping the Lord ever in the memory
and contemplation is the process of thinking of his glory all the time.
Many people are scared because they believe that the Iron Age in
which we live will witness the ultimate deluge. Others call it the Age of
conflict, for it is now omnipresent. No, no. This Age is the Golden Age
for the seekers of God, for earning and learning discrimination.
6.11.81, (25-186)
The present Iron Age, is in fact, the age in which one can attain liberation
most easily. This is revealed in every scriptural text. The reason
is that one can be liberated now by the spiritual discipline of singing the
glory of the Lord, and listening to the name being sung. Among the
nine steps of devotion, listening to the name, being sung and singing
the name are mentioned as the best. Singing the names which denote
the glory of the Lord and singing the names continuously, aloud, without
interruption, and without hesitation. It can help the process of liberation.
Singing the glory of the Lord can be by one individual and can promote
one's own spiritual progress but it will also by beneficial to those who
listen and to those beyond the circle of listeners; the whole world can
benefit by the vibrations. 26.1.82, (25-245)
459

Sathya Sai Baba Gayatri
OM
Sayishvaraya Vidmahe
Sathyadevaya Dimahi
Thannassarvah Prachodayat
OM
Shanti Shanti Shanti
460

APPENDIX

Glossary
Arjuna - the disciple of Lord Krishna to whom Krishna revealed the
truth of human existence just prior to the opening battle of Mahabharata
war. The Divine discourse is known as the Bhagavadgita.
Atman - self; soul. Embodied self, the individual soul. Self, with no limitations,
is Brahman, the Supreme Cosmic Reality.
Avatar - incarnation of God. Descent of the Divine for the ascent of
man. Whenever there is a decline of Divine law, God comes down to
the world assuming bodily form to protect the good, punish the wicked
and reestablish right conduct. An Avatar is born and lives free and is
ever conscious of his mission. By his precept and example, he opens
up new paths in spirituality, shedding his grace on all.
Bhagavadgita - an important Hindu scripture containing the teaching
of Lord Krishna. (See Arjuna)
Bhagavatam - a sacred book composed by sage Vyasa dealing with
Vishnu and his incarnations, specially Krishna. A gospel on the Divine,
devotion and devotee.
Bharata (Hindi) - India.
Brahma - the creator; the first of Veda trinity.
Brahman - the Supreme Being; the absolute reality; impersonal God
with no form or attributes. The uncaused cause of the universe; existence-consciousness-bliss
(sat-chit-ananda) absolute; The eternal
changeless reality, not conditioned by time, space and causation. God
Brahman exists, smaller than the minutest molecule, larger than the
largest conceivable object, smaller than the smallest, greater than the
greatest.
Chakra - circle, wheel; lotuses, the chakras are centres of potential energy
(see kundalini) in the human anatomy. The chakras are important
on path of discipleship and initiation. They collect, transform and distribute
the power which streams through.
Darshan - act of seeing God, to see God, to live akin to God, to live a
close relationship to God,
a blessing held by various Hindus of an eminent person as a religious
leader.
Dharma - righteousness; religion; code of duty; essential nature of a
being or thing. It holds together the entire universe. Man is exhorted
to practice dharma to achieve material and spiritual welfare.
Devotee - is one who has intense selfless love for God.
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Guna - three natural modes or qualities as composite of maya, called
sattva, rajas and tamas. Sattva means purity, calmness, peace, silence.
Rajas means activity, restlessness, passionate. Tamas means
lethargy, stupidity, dullness, obstacle. When tamas and rajas have
their impact, creation is caused and the cosmos comes about. They
agitate living beings into activity. When the 3 modes of maya are in balance
and in a state of unruffled equipoise, the universe is termed unmanifest.
Guru - spiritual guide, master; a knower of Brahman, who is calm,
merciful and ever ready to help and guide the spiritual aspirants who
approach him. The cosmic guru is the Avatar.
Hiranyagarbha - the golden egg, the golden sprout.
Indra - it is the Lord from the intuition level and from the cosmic mental
plan. It is the Divinity concerned with rain.
Kailasa - is the holy mountain in the Himalaya, where Shiva and Shakti
reside.
Karma - action; deed; work; religious rite; the totality of innate landencies
formed as a consequence of acts done in previous lives. Every
karma produces a lasting impression on the mind of the doer, apart
from affecting others. Repetition of a particular karma produces a tendency
in the mind. Karma is of three kinds: 1. Prarabdha: which is being
exhausted in present life, 2. Agami: which is being accumulated in
the present life and 3. Samchita which is being stored to be experienced
in future lives. Akarma is on action done without any intention
to gain the consequences; Vikarma is the action that is intentionally
done.
Kundalini - latent and active fire, cosmic power. In the science of kundalini
yoga, the vital energy of man lying dormant like a coiled snake,
at the bottom of thin column in the lowest muladhara chakra, the basic
wheel is to be awakened and aroused, so that it courses up through
more wheels (centres of superior consciousness) until it reaches the
thousand-petalled lotus wheel at the very top of the skull. The passage
for the kundalini is through the sushumna nerve in the centre of the spinal
column. The worship of the snake, ridiculed as superstition, is the
symbolic counterpart of this great yogic spiritual discipline which confers
vigour and vitality. But through the kundalini-power and its ascent
through the chakras, it is well-nigh impossible to realise the universal
Atman.
Linga - it is the symbolic form of the Godhead. On every Maha-Shivaratri
lingas emerge from the Avatar Sathya Sai Baba. Not only this,
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three types of lingas can emerge. They are bhur, bhuvah and svaha.
Bhur refers to materialization (body), bhuva refers to vibration (prana)
and svaha refers to radiation (Atman). Whoever has seen this linga at
the time of its emergence will not have rebirth.
Loka - any of the 14 worlds (visible and invisible) inhabited by living
beings.
Mantra - a sacred formula, music syllable or word syrribol uttered during
the performance of rituals or meditation. They represent the spiritual
truths directly revealed to the Rishis (seers).
Maya - the mysterious, creative and delusive power of Brahman
through which God projects the appearance of the universe. Maya is
the material cause and Brahman is the effective cause of the universe.
Brahman and maya are inexcritably associated with each other like fire
and its power to heat. Maya deludes living beings in egoism, making
them forget their true spiritual nature.
Purana - the ancient texts in which Veda truths are illustrated through
tales of Divine incarnations and heroes. Sage Vyasa is believed to
have written them. Of the 18 Puranas, Srimath Bhagavata is best
known.
Rama - name for the seventh Incarnation (Avatar) of Vishnu.
Rishi - great saint, knowing the omnipresence of God. There are seven
great Rishis, the spirit-born sons of Brahman. Their images are the
seven stars of the Great Bears.
Sahasramana - the thousand names of God. In the Mahabharata the
thousand names of Vishnu declared.
Shakti - the great universal power or energy - the creative power of
Brahman; a name for the Divine master. Shakti means the wife from
Shiva too.
Shankara - an Indian saint. Shankara propagated the ancient and
Veda teaching in the form of Advaitavedanta or non-dual philosophy.
It is absolutely necessary for everyone to realize this one supreme
thing behind all creation.
Shastra - the ancient scriptures containing the teachings of the Rishis.
The Vedas, the Upanishads and the epics, the Puranas and the Smritis
(codes of conduct), etc, form the Shastras of the Bharathiyas.
They teach us how to live wisely and well with all the tenderness and
concern of the mother.
Shiva - is the beneficent aspect of Mahesvara. The third of the supreme
trinity of supreme deities; God. His symbol is the Shivalinga. It
is the symbol of creation of the universe.
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Shruti - sacred Veda text of ancient Indian.
Sutra - rule for the proper worship of sacred rituals.
Upanishad - a category of sacred Indian scriptures.
Vedanta - means the "end of the Vedas." It is the essence of the Vedas
enshrined in the Upanishads. The philosophy of non-dualism, or
qualified nondualism, or dualism based on the Upanishadic teachings,
is denoted by this term.
Veda - the oldest and the holiest of the ancient Bharatiya scriptures,
the primary source of authority in religion and philosophy. They are
four in number - the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva
Veda.
Vishnu - the protector and preserver God of the Hindu trinity comprised
of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva; God the protector and preserver.
In order to preserve and protect, Vishbaratnu incarnates from Age to
Age.
Yoga - union with God, as also the path by which this union of the soul
with God is achieved. The four impotant parts of yoga are that of
knowledge, action, meditation and devotion.
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Index