Sathya Sai Baba The World-Avatar Teaching and Revelations

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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