"Suklambaradaram Vishnum Sashivarnam
Chathurbhujam Prasanna Vadanam
Dhyayeth
Saravavignopa Shantaye"
One who wears a white dress; One who is
omnipresent;
One who shines like the Moon; One who has
four hands;
One who has a beautiful and shining face;
One who wards off all obstacles. I meditate
on Him.
1 intellect and Sita is Truth. Hanuman is the
TODAY is the Birthday of Rama who is
Dharma itself. He is Veda Dharma in
Human Form. He is Anandaswarupa and
Dharmaswarupa. On this holy day of
Ramnavami you must immerse yourself in
the Atma as Dharmaswarupa as the
motivator of the moral life. Rama is "Atma
Rama" in every being. There is no place
where Rama is not. He is imminent and
eternal. Rama for you should mean the Path
He trod, the ideal He held aloft, and the
Ordinance He laid down. They are eternal
and timeless. Now you worship His Form,
you repeat His name; ignoring His orders.
Without practicing the discipline laid down
by Rama to purify the mind, all else is mere
show, empty rituals. Contemplate on this
unique day to obtain Godhood. Use it not for
feasting, picnics, hikes, watching films,
playing games, gambling, etc. The Immortal
had come in the form of Rama to show the
way to Immortality.
2 5
THE four brothers Rama, Lakshmana,
Bharatha and Satrughna represent the Rig,
Yajur, Sama and Atharva Vedas. When man
neglects the Divine aspect of their natures
and the awareness of the Omnipresent and
Omnipotent OM, he falls prey to the
impulses and instincts dominated by the ego
and develop faith in material gains. He
spends his life in amassing wealth, power
and authority over fellow-beings and
believes that holding others under his sway
is a desirable achievement. If there were a
vacancy in Heaven, he would surely apply
for the position of God, for he believes that
he has all the necessary attributes.
3
THE Ramayana has a deep undercurrent of
significant meaning. Dasaratha means: he
who rides in a chariot of ten, that is to say,
Man. He is tied up with three Gunas or three
wives, as in the Ramayana. He has four sons,
the Purusharthas; Dharma (Rama), Artha
(Lakshmana), Kama (Bharatha) and Moksha
(Satrughna). These four aims of man have to
be systematically realised, always with the
last one, Moksha, clearly before the eye.
Lakshmana represents the Buddhi or
Mind and the repository of courage, if
controlled and trained. Sugriva, the master
of Hanuman, is Discrimination. With these
to help him, Rama seeks the Truth and
succeeds. That is the lesson of the Epic to
every man.
4
RAMA is Dharma personified. "Vignahavak
Dharmah". Rama is the Supreme Exemplar
of the Virtues that man must cultivate so
that he might live as a master, husband, son,
brother, friend or even foe. The other three
brothers of Rama personify the other three
ideals. Bharatha is the embodiment of
Sathya; Satrughna of Shanti; and
Lakshmana of Prema. Study the Ramayana
with the aim of imbibing from it the ideals
for happy living, for making this life
worthwhile and you will be amply rewarded.
Then you can deservedly style yourselves
"Devotees" of the Lord.
THE Ramayana is a guidebook, a sacred
text, an inspiring scripture for every man in
all lands, whatever his creed or condition
might be. It imparts poise, balance,
equanimity, inner strength and peace. Peace
is the best treasure, without it power,
authority, fame and fortune are all dry and
burdensome. Thyagaraja has sung that there
can be no happiness without inner peace.
6
WHY is it that the world reveres Rama and
revolts at Ravana? Rama is not the
uncle's son or Ravana the step-mother's
child! It is the kinship of the spirit, innate
goodness, responding lovingly, adoringly to
the goodness in Rama; and reacting
revoltingly to the wickedness of Ravana. It is
not enough, nor is it essential that you
should repeat the name of Rama loudly;
respect it in the fullness of love and
admiration. If you have no spring of love in
you, dig into your heart with external
instruments like Puja, Stotra, etc. and it will
start to flow.
7 their bona fides. He offered to take them to
VIBHISHANA, Ravana's own brother,
chastised him for his willfulness and lust
and urged him to save himself, his kingdom
and his kith and kin by restoring Sita
unharmed to her Lord. When Vibhishana
went over to Rama, Rama knew that he had
a pure heart and that he could not survive
the poisonous atmosphere of Lanka. So He
took him and saved him. The Lord likes to
be called "Aarthathraana-paraayana" more
than any other name, for He is most happy
when He rescues those in agony.
8 Master or do not care to understand and
YOU talk glibly of Ramarajya, but how can it
be established if you do not emulate Rama?
He was "Vignahavaan Dharmah", the very
Embodiment of Dharma. He never deviated
from it. Dasaratha means one who is master
of the ten Senses, the five Karmendriyas and
the five Jnanendriyas; that is to say, the
successful Sadhaka. Such a person can have
the holy progeny of the four Purusharthas-
Dharma (Rama), Artha (Lakshmana), Kama
(Bharatha) and Moksha (Satrughna).
Become a Dasaratha and save that holy
progeny as a gift from God.
9 practiced in India long ago. Rama,
HANUMAN succeeded in coordinating his
thought, word and act. Therefore he had the
unique distinction of being great in physical
strength, mental stability and virtuous
character. He shines as an invaluable gem
among the personalities of the Ramayana.
He was also a great scholar, who had
mastered, of all things, the six schools of
grammar. He knew the four Vedas and the
six Sastras. The Gita says that a scholar is
one who sees the same Divine force
motivating everyone. "Pandithaha
Samadarsinha". Hanuman was a good
example of this outlook.
10
HANUMAN spoke to the brothers in sweet,
gentle and pleasing words. Rama was struck
by the grammatical accuracy of his
sentences. They readily answered all his
queries; and Hanuman was satisfied with
his Master and Monarch. The Darshan
(sight) and first Mana of Rama had removed
all his sins; their Sparshan (touch) burnt
away all the consequences of his deeds in
previous lives; and their Sambashan
(conversation) filled his mind with joy. That
is the experience of all who welcome the
impact of Divinity.
11
HANUMAN became the messenger of Rama.
There are three classes of messengers: those
who do not understand the orders of the
who operate to the detriment of the work
assigned them; those who do only just as
much as the order literally communicates;
and those who grasp the purpose and
significance of the orders and carry them out
unflinchingly until the purpose is achieved.
Hanuman belonged to the last category.
12
YOU find some one parade all of a sudden
some -ism- as new and revolutionary
socialism, for example. Socialism, which
means, recognising the equality of every
individual with every one else was in fact
undisputed Sovereign of a vast Empire, gave
heed to the flippant scandal uttered by an
irresponsible laundry-man during a quarrel
with his wife, and sent his Queen, the very
dear person for whom had waged a war of
tremendous carnage, into exile, regardless of
the fact that she was pregnant at the time.
Every one's voice was given equal weight in
the empire ruled over by Rama.
 13
THE Vanaras, while building the bridge
across the ocean, carried huge boulders on
their heads repeating Rama-Nama all the
while; and that made the rocks weigh less. It
is even said that they wrote the name on the
stones and that made them float. Each time
they handled or lifted a stone, they sang
Rama-Nama in unison and so they were a
happy lot doing Puja, not work, which is
unpleasant. Rama's Grace helped all to
overcome obstacles. Take the name and
make your work light: that is My advice to
you.
14
I INSIST on your seeking and remaining in
good company, Satsang. Being in the midst
of such spiritual heroes, you can fight
against evil with a greater chance of success.
Once, when Garuda the sworn enemy of
snakes went to Kailas, he saw the snakes
that Siva wore round His neck, His arms,
His waist, and His Feet. The snakes were
safe now and they hissed with their puffed
hoods at the celestial bird, which could not
do them any harm since they were in such
Divine Company. Garuda said: "Well! Glide
down from the Body and I shall kill everyone
of you"! That is the value of the Sath one has
reached. Satsang is valuable, for it is like
keeping a pot of water inside a tank of water;
there will not be any loss through
evaporation.
15
PRIDE is one of the worst sins in the
spiritual field. If you feel conceited that you
are Bhakta of Hare, He will "hare" (destroy,
in Telugu) you. Remember, Sharanaagathi
should be like the attitude of Lakshmana.
Rama said: "Take Sita and leave her in the
forest". Implicit obedience! There is no other
way. That is Lakshmana. That is
Sharanaagathi; the rest deserve, only of
"Sarangathi", the arrow of Rama.
16
WHEN the queen Kaikeyi persuaded her
husband to agree to her two requests -
enthroning her son Bharatha as the Crown
Prince and sending the legitimate heir,
Rama, into exile for fourteen years -
Lakshmana, another brother of Rama and
Bharatha, did not acquiesce tamely. He
argued that man must meet every little crisis
with courage and self-reliance and that he
should not yield craven-like to the
machinations of intrigue. He boasted that
his arrow could avert the crisis. But the
arrow is an inferior weapon, even a
negligible weapon when compared with the
efficiency of Love. Rama heard him coolly
and advised him to desist from that hasty
Karma, "Dharma must guide Karma"; then
alone can it be praise-worthy and successful.
17
THE path of spiritual discipline, which is
most beneficial to man, is laid down in a
simple and sweet manner in the great
Scriptures of Ancient India. They explain,
through example and precept, the Divine
Principle inherent in the Universe and
inspire mankind to gaze with awe and
reverence at the handiwork of God and His
inscrutable Leela (sport). They prompt man
to march along the pilgrim road of sacrifice
in the happy company of Sages, so that the
body feels the vision of the Eternal, which
can be gained and enshrined in the heart
forever.
18
WHEN Sri Rama decided to end His Avatar
career and walked into the flooded Sarayu
River, a dog too followed the concourse.
When asked why it had attached itself to the
entourage, it said, "I desire to enter Heaven
with you all. I was in my previous life a full-
fledged Yogi; but I slipped and fell from the
straight path of self-control. I became the
slave of conceit. I expounded the Vedas as
my fancy dictated, in strange but attractive
ways. So, I have now become this animal
that takes delight in barking, biting and
baying. The persons who encouraged me
then by praise are now the fleas and the flies
that crowd on my skin and pester me. Help
me, Lord, to escape from the disgrace. I have
worked my Karma; I have lived out my
sentence".
 19
WHEN Rama is installed in the heart, every
thing will be added unto you - fame, fortune,
freedom, fullness. Hanuman was a mere
monkey-leader until he met Rama. He was a
Minister in the Court of his Master. But
when Rama gave him the commission to
seek Sita, that is to say, when Rama was
installed in his heart as Guide and Guardian,
Hanuman became immortal.
20
DASA means "ten" and Ratha means
"Chariot". Hence Dasaratha (the father of
Rama) in fact symbolizes "man" who
operates with his ten sense organs such as
the eyes, the ears, the nose etc. His three
wives symbolize man's three Gunas
(attributes) and his four sons, the four
Purusharthas (purposes). Lakshmana also
represents the Buddhi (Intellect) of Rama.
Hanuman is the mind, the repository of
courage, while Sugriva stands for
Discrimination. With these to help him,
Rama succeeds in finding Sita, the lost
Truth. This is the lesson of the Ramayana to
everyone.
21
THERE are many who spend much time in
mechanically reciting the name "Rama" or
systematically reading the Ramayana
according to a fixed time-table, or who
worship the images of Rama, Sita,
Lakshmana and Hanuman as a daily ritual,
with noisy pomp and pedantry; but like a
person who puts a foot forward only to draw
it back again, these persons do not progress
at all as the years elapse. Without gaining
purity of thought and intention, compassion
and the urge to serve, these outward
expressions and exhibitions are but ways of
cheating yourself for having society applaud
you as a great devotee. Your sight must
become an insight; it must be turned within
and used to purify and clarify your mind.
22
THE greatest formula that can liberate,
cleanse and elevate the mind is Rama-Name,
the Name of Rama. Rama is not to be
identified with the hero of the Ramayana,
the Divine offspring of Emperor Dasaratha.
The Court-Preceptor named him Rama
because it was a Name, which was already
current. Vasishta, the Preceptor, said that he
had chosen that Name since it meant: He
who pleases. While everyone pleases the self,
nothing pleases the caged individualized self
more than the free universal individualized
self. The self is therefore referred to as
Atma-Rama, the self that confers unending
joy.
23
HANUMAN was ordered to discover the
whereabouts of Sita and he implicitly,
without question, obeyed and succeeded. He
did not calculate the dangers of the journey
and hesitate; and he did not feel proud that
he was chosen for the high adventure. He
listened; he understood; he obeyed; and he
won. The name Rama Dootha, Messenger
and Servant of Rama that he earned thereby
has made him immortal. You must earn the
name, Sai Rama Dootha. Have fortitude and
self-control; use good and sweet-words; and
examine each act of yours on the touch-
stone of My preference.
24
THE toughest fiber is anger. It is the
stickiest dirt. When you get angry, you forget
mother, father and teacher; you descend to
the lowest depths. You lose all
discrimination in the excitement; even
Hanumantha set fire to the whole of Lanka
when the Rakshasas who set fire to the tip of
his tail incensed him; and he lost sight of the
fact that Sita was in the Asoka Vana. It was
only after he had exulted in achievement for
a little while that he remembered it and then
he started condemning himself for his anger.
25
RAMA is extolled as the ideal son who acted
according to his father's wish regardless of
his own happiness. But Bhishma is a better
example in this respect. He acceded to a
whim of his father and in so doing made
even a greater sacrifice than Rama.
Dasaratha made Rama an exile in the forest
for fourteen years to satisfy the claims of
Truth, while Santhanu made his son give up
the throne as well as a wedded life to satisfy
a sensual desire of his senile body. As a
matter of fact, it is not the obedience to the
father's whim that is important; it is the
adherence to Sathya and Dharma, which is
Rama's forte.
26
RAMANAMA Feast is cloying to some tastes,
but it is something ever fresh that gives
undying sweetness to the heart that is filled
with the love of God. One single name will
yield fresh sweetness and fresh joy every
time it is rolled on the tongue. I have to tell
you the things I have told you often before;
for until digestion is well established,
medicine has to be taken. The face has to be
washed day after day. One meal is not the
end of the story; you have to eat, again and
again.
27
RAMATATWA is known only to Rama. What
can the rest know? At best, they can have but
a glimpse of Rama's grace; and even then,
only if they are immersed in intense inner
prayer for God. Think of Him. Call out for
Him; He melts. Whatever form He may be
shining in, that intensity will make you
recognise Him. He may be a cowherd boy,
standing under a tree with a flute at His lips.
You will see Him and adore Him and place
Him in your heart. You extol the Lord as
Love, Mercy and Grace.
28
EVERY step in the career of the Avatars is
fire-determined; Rama knew that the
coming of Surpanaka was the prelude to
the coming of Ravana He had asked Sita to
enter the fire and remain in it as just an
outer manifestation. Even before the
human manifestation, the Lord had decided
that the Shakti must also accompany Him.
Ravana's Tapas were so strong that only a
major sin could make the blessings he had
won from the Gods null and void.
29
DO not ask God for anything. Let Him deal
with you as He wills. Did Jatayu ask that
Rama should come to him and perform the
last rights? Did Sabari plead with Rama?
Earn the qualifications - holiness, purity
faith and universal love - then He will
approach you on foot, to console, comfort
and save. If you have purity of heart and
mastery over the senses, His Grace is your
right.
30
EGO plays all kinds of tricks in order to get
unholy pleasure. During the construction of
the bridge to Lanka to take the army across,
Hanuman heaved a boulder on the raging
waves of the sea as part of the bridge! It
floated. Rama heaved another; it sank.
Hanuman's ego was tickled, naturally. He
laughed in derision; at that very moment,
his boulder sank! And the boulder that
Rama had thrown rose from the bottom of
the sea and floated! Hanuman's ego was
pricked into nothing. That was the purpose
for which Rama had willed that His boulder
should sink!
31
RAMA Nama will save you, if you have at
least the Pithru Bhakthi and Mathru Bhakthi
that Rama had. If not, Rama Nama is merely
a movement of the lips. Meditate on the
Rama Swarupa, the Ramaswabhawa, when
you recite or write Rama Nama. That will
give exercise to the mind; and it will be
made healthy and strong in the spiritual
sense. Make the Dharmaswarupa your Atma
Rama on the Janmadina of Rama. That is
My advice and My Blessing.
32
MAKARA Sankranti is a holy day because
the day takes you from darkness to
increasing light. From today, the sun enters
upon the Uttarayana taking a northward
direction for six months. When your Drishti
(Sight) is on BRAHMAN and when you have
Uttama guna it is Uttarayana, and when
your Drishti is on Prakriti it is
Dakshinayana. When you have fever, the
tongue will be bitter. The bitter tongue is through the Puranas, the need for mastering
"Dakshinayana". When you are healthy, your the egoistic impulses, as the Sloka says:
sweet tongue tastes well, it is Uttarayana.
The real Uttarayana is when you crave for Ashtaa dasa puraneshu
the thought of the Lord and the company of Paropakara punyaya
the Godly. Bhishma spent days in bed with Paapaaya para peedanam
pain, as he felt death, when the sun starts
towards north is auspicious. Bhishma
Two statements can summarize all the
yearned for the vision of Krishna in
eighteen Puranas composed by Vyasa. "Do
Uttarayana. Become fit for the vision of God,
good to others; avoid doing harm". Doing
cultivating Prema in your heart, full of
good is the drug; avoiding harm is the
fragrance and uncontaminated by the pests
regimen that must accompany the
of greed and egoism.
treatment. That is the cure for the disease of
suffering from joy and grief, honour and
33 dishonour, prosperity and adversity and the
dual thong that bothers man and deprives
WITHOUT the flowers, the plant yields no him of equanimity.
fruit. Without the emerging fruit, ripeness
cannot happen. Without intense Karma, 36
Bhakti cannot emerge. Without Bhakti, how
can Jnana be found? Somaka the wicked,
THE Lord will be the Guide of whoever
spurned and suppressed the Veda. But did
installs Him as his Sarathi. He will not
he reap any happiness? The ten-headed
consider that position inferior. He is the
monster coveted and kidnapped another's
Sanathana Sarathi, come to be the Sarathi of
wife. But did he achieve any gain? The close-
all. He is the Lord for all who seek a Master,
fisted Kaurava refused a pinpoint of land to
a support. The Atma is the Master in every
his closest Kin. But did he keep his loot? The
one; and Krishna is the "Universal Atma"
terror-bound Kamsa sought out and
personified.
slaughtered each newborn baby; but did he
escape from death? Wicked men, even now,
shall meet this fate. Take this Sai word as the 37
word of Truth.
THE moment Krishna was born, the chains
34 that bound his father fell off; the doors that
had been bolted flew open; and the prison
guards were immersed in the Ocean of Bliss,
HERE are the three vows that Krishna had
so that they could not recognise any event or
taken; they are mentioned in the Bhagavad
thing in the material world. The fire of
Gita for all humanity to read, know and
hatred that was burning in them was cooled;
believe: "For the protection of the good and
and darkness gave place to the dawn of
the punishment of the bad, for the
wisdom. The sky showered raindrops to
establishment of the Moral I shall concretize
soften the earth and lay down dust. How can
Myself, age after age. Whoever is wholly
the lament operate against the Divine Will?
immersed in My contemplation, with no
other thought, I shall be ever with Him; and
I shall bear the burden of his welfare. 38
"Surrender unto Me, giving up all the other
duties and obligations. I shall liberate you KRISHNA has three separate meanings - (1)
from all sin; do not grieve". The armlets are the word Karsh is one root from which the
reminders of these tasks on which He is set. name is derived. It means, that which
attracts; Krishna attracts hearts to Himself
35 by His sportive pastimes, miraculous
victories over the forces of evil, His
charming conversation, His Wisdom and
VYASA is the Loka guru, he is Divine
His personal beauty. (2) The word is also
Effulgence. Vyasa sought to bring home,
related to the root, Krish: to cultivate, a
field, for growing crops. The word means,
He who removes the weeds from the heart of
Man and sows seeds of Faith, Courage and
Joy. (3) It is related to the root Krish,
meaning something above and beyond the
three attributers and the three eras; and
"na" means Sath-Chith-Ananda.
39
KRISHNA had taken three Vows and the
Kankans were symbolic of His
determination to fulfill them. They were, as
mentioned by Him in the Gita: (1)
"Dharmasamsthapanaya Sambhavaami
Yuge Yuge". (I shall incarnate myself, in
every age, to revive and resurrect Dharma) -
(2) "Yogakshemam Vaham Yaham" (I shall
bear the burden of ensuring peace of
prosperity for all who rely on me) - (3)
"Mokshayishyami maa sucha" (I shall save
all those who surrender wholeheartedly to
Me and I shall liberate them from the cycle
of birth and death).
40
KRISHNA dealt with the World as with a
Sitar, pulling its heartstrings to arouse the
melody of comradeship, heroism, love,
affection, compassion and conviction. But,
of these, the two emotions of love and
compassion were characteristically His and
His own. His breath was Love! His
behaviour was Compassion! Adore Him,
placing a garland of tears around His neck;
washing His feet with tears, springing from
joy at the contemplation of His Love! That
very worship will endow you with the
wisdom that Sages seek and the Bliss that
the Books extol!
41
THIS is the genuine Bharathiya Vision to
transform life into a pilgrimage towards the
God resident in oneself; a steady march
along the straight path to Bliss. There is no
such steadiness now. Fancy and Fantasy rule
the mind of man. You desire one thing in the
morning; at noon you change over to
something else. That desire will not persist
until evening. If your desire is fulfilled, you
praise God and parade your devotion. But if
it does not prevail, you throw God overboard
and parade your disbelief!
42
NARADA, who moves always by and with
the Lord, feels that God is beyond his
understanding; Balarama who came as His
own brother could not fathom His
personality. How then can you grasp My
Mystery? How can those who strut about in
well-ironed bush-coats fathom the Truth? I
know some that are here, who sold their
Faith to hollow men and started talking
about My dress and My Hair! If you dare,
seek My Truth. Come, surrender unto Me.
Do not teach treason to your friends and to
other seekers. Dress and manners have
become polished now; but the inner man has
deteriorated in virtue and faith!
43
DETACHMENT is a plant of slow growth; if
you pluck the tender plant to look for the
pods, you will be disappointed. So too, long
and constant practice alone is rewarded by
the Peace that God offers. Grace is acquired
by Surrender as Krishna has declared in the
Gita.
44
WHEN the Gita directs you to give up all
Dharma (Set Codes of morality), it does not
ask you to also give up all Karma, and when
you do it for God, through God and by God,
the Dharma of it does not matter; it has to
be acceptable; and it is bound to benefit you.
The statement is not an invitation to
licentiousness or complete inactivity; it is a
call for dedication and surrender to the
highest in Man, namely GOD.
45
OF all the Slokas in the Bhagavad Gita,
Ramakrishna was especially impressed by
the one that emphasized the attitude of
Atmanivedana or Sharanaagathi:
Manmana Bhava Madbakto
Madyaji Maam Namaskuru
Mamevaishyasi Yuktvaitvam
Atmanam Matparayanah.
"Become one with Me; be devoted to Me;
sacrifice to Me and bow down to Me. Unify
yourself, thus you will surely come to Me".
46
THE Mahabharatha declares: "What is not
in Bharath does not deserve reverential
consideration"; and in Bharath, the message
has always been: tolerance, respect for all
faiths and the practice of the essential
teachings of love and service with giving up
of hatred, envy and pride.
47
PERFORM all acts with as much love as you
would offer God. In Truth, you eat for the
satisfaction of the "I" in you and dress up to
please the self-same "I". The husband loves
his wife for the sake of the "I". And who is
this "I" that is persistently inherent in
everyone? It is God Himself. "Iswara Sarva
Bhootaanaam" says the Gita: the Lord
resides in the heart of every being. He is the
Atman in every being. He is the Atman in
everyone, the Paramatma.
48
PONDER over your "sthithi" (present
condition), "gathi" (direction of movement),
"shakti" (capabilities), and "mathi"
(inclination). Then enter upon the path of
Sadhana step by step, so that you approach
the goal faster every day, every hour, every
minute. Arjuna became entitled to the Gita
Upadesh from the Lord Himself, because he
evinced the "Vishada", the "Vairagya", the
"Sharanaagathi", and the Ekagratha,
essential to assimilate The Great Message.
When the yearning for liberation has
become intense, beyond expression, man
can set aside all social conventions, worldly
norms and codes of conduct that do not
subserve that high purpose.
49
KRISHNA does not speak of whoever among
men who pronounce the "Pranava" at the
moment of death, etc. The word He uses
"whoever" is without any qualification of
sex. He does not say "Whoever that is
authorized" or "Whoever among the
deserving". The clear intention of the Lord is
to encourage women, as well as men, to take
up Pranava-Upasana. You would have seen
that I do not discourage anyone from the
Upasana. It is the royal road to spiritual
victory which all are entitled to use.
50
THE Gita says that, if you give up all
Dharma and take refuge in Him, then He
will save you from Sin and wipe your tears.
Giving up Dharma does not mean that you
can bid farewell to virtue and righteous
action; it means, you have to give up egoism
that you are the doer. Be confirmed in the
faith that He is the "doer" of every deed.
That is the genuine "giving up".
51
I AM in your heart all the time, whether you
know it or not. Draupadi called out for the
Lord of Dwaraka, Sri Krishna, when the
wicked cousins of her husbands cruelly
assaulted her, and so the Lord responded
but after a little delay. He had to go to
Dwaraka and come from there to
Hasthinapura where she was! He told her
that she could have received Him in the
fraction of a second had she called out, "Oh
Dweller in my heart", for He dwells there as
everywhere else.
52
THE elders in Brindavan who reveled in
scandalizing Krishna - successors have been
born for them even now - set an ordeal for
Radha to test her virtue. She was given a
mud pot with a hundred holes and asked to
bring water in that pot from the Yamuna to
her house! She was so full of Krishna-
consciousness that she never knew the
condition of the pot. She immersed it in the
river, as usual repeating the name of Krishna
with every intake of the breath and every
exhalation. Every time the name Krishna
was uttered, a hole was covered, so that by
the time the pot was full, it was whole. That
was the measure of her Faith. Faith can
affect even inanimate objects.
 53
IN Realty, Truth is God; Love is God;
Dharma is God. The Gopis and Gopalas saw
in Krishna the Embodiment of Truth, Love
and Dharma. What He said was Truth; what
He was became Love, what He did was
Dharma. They were so immersed in
Krishna-Consciousness that they saw
everywhere and in everything nothing but
Krishna. Krishna for them did not exist as a
separate entity in the home of Nanda; He
was right in their own consciousness, at all
levels of it. These Gopis and Gopalas were
true Bhaktas indeed.
54
WHATEVER is dedicated and offered to
God can never be lost. People can gain
enormous benefit by offering even a little to
God. "A leaf or a flower, a fruit or a little
water" - that is enough, if offered with
devotion. Draupadi gave Sri Krishna the
fraction of a leaf sticking to the side of a
vessel and God granted her endless good
fortune. Kuchela gave a handful of parched
rice and received from the Lord awareness
of His endless Glory.
55
THE Lord had Maya as His consort, so to
say, and He had a son called Manas. This
Manas, to continue the parable, had two
wives. Pravritti and Nivritti (Attachment and
Detachment). Of course, Pravritti was His
favorite wife and she had a hundred
children. Nivritti was ill treated and
neglected; and she had just five. That is the
symbolism of the Kauravas and the
Pandavas. Though all the children lived in
the same kingdom, ate the same food and
learnt from the same Teacher, their natures
differed widely from one another. The
Kauravas, children of the attachment, were
greedy, cruel, self-centered, and vain. The
Pandavas, five of them, each one
represented a Supreme Virtue, so that they
could be said to symbolize Sathya, Dharma,
Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa. As they were so
pure and born of Detachment, the Lord
became their Guide.
56
THE Gita speaks of Bhakthi, Jnana, and
Karma as Yogas; and by Yoga is meant what
Patanjali intended it to mean: "Chiththa
Vrithi Nirodha", that is to say, "the stilling of
the agitations of the consciousness". Vishnu
is the supreme exemplar of this calm, for He
is "Saanthaakaaram bhujagasayanam", the
very picture of peace and calm, though
reclining on a thousand-hooded snake, the
snake being the symbol of the objective
world with its poisonous fangs. Being in the
world but not of it, not bound by it - that is
the secret.
57
THE riches that you should strive to amass
are not fields, factories, bungalows or bank-
balances but the wisdom and experience of
oneness with the Grandeur of the Universe
and the Force that runs it without a hitch.
Arjuna is called Dhananjaya by Krishna
because he had won (Jaya) such Dhanam
(riches) that saves man; and that cannot be
taxed, stolen or transferred. The method of
winning these riches is Sadhana.
58
GIVE joy to all. Prema or Love is the means
to achieve this ideal. When Love can bring
even God nearer to you, how can it fail
where man is involved? Krishna could not be
bound by any other means. That is the
reason why SAI has declared: "Start the day
with Love; spend the day with Love, fill the
day with Love; end the day with Love. That
is the way to God".
59
KRISHNA was known to all as Almighty, All
knowing, all encompassing, and All-
fulfilling. Yet, the enthusiasm to do Seva
promoted Him to approach Dharmaraja, the
eldest of the Pandava brothers, on the eve of
the magnificent Rajasuya Yaga that he had
planned to perform and offered to take up
Seva of any kind. He suggested that He
might be given the task of cleaning the
dining-hall after the guests had partaken of
the feast! Krishna insisted on outer
cleanliness and inner cleansing. Clean
clothes and clean minds are an ideal
combination.
60
DURING the battle of Kurukshetra, which
climaxed the Mahabharatha story, Krishna
served as the "driver" of the chariot of
Arjuna throughout the day till dusk on the
field and caused the adjournment of the
fight. He led the horses to the river, gave
them a refreshing bath and applied healing
balms to the wounds suffered by them
during the fierce fray. He mended the reins
and the harness and rendered the chariot
battle-worthy for another day. The Lord sets
the example for the Devotees to follow. He
teaches that Service done to any living being
is offered to Him and is accepted by Him
most joyfully. Service rendered to cattle, to
beasts, and to men is laudable Sadhana.
61
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.
62
KRISHNA does say: "whoever among men
who pronounce the Pranava at the moment
of death", etc. The word he uses is "whoever"
without any qualification of sex. He does not
say "whoever is authorized or whoever is
among the deserving". The clear intention of
the Lord is to encourage women as well as
men to take up Pranava Upasana. You will
see that I do not discourage any one from
the Upasana. It is the royal road to spiritual
victory which all are entitled to use.
63
BHISHMA, for example, has to be revered
and accepted as an inspiration, even more
potent than Rama so far as homage to the
father is concerned. In order to cater to the
carnal cravings, which he could have
ordinarily condemned, he denied himself
gladly, spontaneously, without demur and
for the entire period of his life, both wedded
life and royal status. He honoured the Vedic
injunction, Pithru Devobhava in the fullest
manner.
64
THIS created Universe has two aspects, one
is impermanence (Anityam), the second one
is unhappiness (Askulham). In the Gita,
Krishna has said, "Anityam Asukha Lokam
Imam Prapy Bhajaseva Maam". Nothing in
this World can give happiness that is true
and lasting. Mistaking the World as "All"
and forgetting the Atman, which alone is
eternal and the only refuge, is the greatest
folly of man today. Man is pinning all his
hopes on slippery work and is madly
running after amassing and hoarding
wealth. Of course, material needs are to be
taken care of but within limits and not at the
cost of spiritual values. Money and
mansions are not the only wealth. Hoard the
wealth of the Spirit. Character is wealth;
good conduct is wealth; and spiritual
wisdom is wealth.
65
WORKERS and peasants - that is the slogan
nowadays. These two classes were given
their due share of social importance and
honour during the Krishnavathar. Now,
people are honoured even if they grow not
food but cash crops. Foreign exchange is
what we are after and so, people are
encouraged to produce what others can buy
not what we need; such as milk and a variety
of milk products which are highly nutritious
foods. Balarama, the elder brother and an
Avathar in his own right, had as his weapon
the plough. It declared agriculture as a
consecrated occupation.
66
EGOISM is the most dangerous illusion that
has to be exploded and destroyed. Bhima
had it; but when he could not lift and lay
aside the tail of a monkey, who was really
Anjaneya himself, that bubble was exploded.
Arjuna had it one day after the battle. When
Krishna brought the chariot back to camp,
he wanted that Krishna should get down
first, like all charioteers; the Master must get
down later, after the Charioteer opens the
door for him. Krishna refused and insisted
that Arjuna should alight before He should.
At last Krishna won. Arjuna got down and as
soon as Krishna left His seat and touched
the ground, the chariot went up in flames. In
fact, if Krishna had gotten down first, the
various fire-arrows, which had the power of
burning the chariot, would have hit the
target; but due to the presence of Krishna,
their igneous powers could not manifest
themselves. After knowing this, Arjuna was
humbled and his egoism had a powerful
shock. He realized that every action of
Krishna was full of significance.
67
THE Gita advises "Karmasamyasa", that is
to say, Karma without attachment to the
fruit thereof. There are Karmas, which have
to be done as duties related to the status in
Samsara, and, if these are done in the
proper spirit, they will not bind at all. Do all
Karma as actors in a play, keeping your
identity separate and not attaching yourself
too much to your role. Remember that the
whole thing is just a play and the Lord has
assigned to you a part; act well your part;
there all your duty ends. He has designed
the play and He enjoys it.
68
IT is when you are in a desperate situation
that you call upon the Lord, forgetting your
pride and your egoism. The Pandavas were
so full of misery in a worldly sense that they
always had an attitude of prayer. If I had
given you all the comforts and opportunities,
you would not have come to Puttaparthi.
Trouble is the bait with which the fish is
pulled out of the water. Kunthi asked that
Krishna should continue giving her and her
sons all kinds of misery so that He may
grant them His Grace continuously.
69
THE Gita prompts you to seek the answers
and directs you to experience them. It helps
you to control the "Chittha", the agitations of
the mind; it destroys delusion. It develops
true knowledge; it makes you glimpse the
splendour of the Lord and confirms your
faith. You say at one moment: "Baba does
everything, I am but an instrument; but the
next moment the same tongue says: "I did
this; I did that; Swami did not do this for
me". If you never step into wrong, you can
be ever certain of His Grace.
70
THE Mahabharatha, for example, is
basically the story of the five Vital Airs of
Man (the Pancha Pranas) overcoming the
hundred obstacles in the path of upward
progress. The eldest of the Five Pandava
brothers is Dharmaraja (Morality,
Righteousness); he is ably supported by
Bhima (physical strength devoted to Divine
Service and charged with Devotion), Arjuna
(steady pure Faith in God), and Nakula and
Sahadeva, who represent Steadfastness and
Equanimity. When these Five are exiled, the
Hasthinapura (body) is inundated with
Adharma (unrighteousness).
71
IN the Manasa-Sarovar (the deep, placid
mind-lake) of every man lurks a poisonous
cobra with six hoods: Lust, Anger, Greed,
Attachment, Pride and Hate, infesting the
air and destroying all who are near it. The
Name of the Lord, when it dives into the
depths, forces it to come up to the surface so
that it may be destroyed. So, allow the
Divine in you - the Krishna, Lord over the
mind - trample on the hissing hood and take
out the vicious viper; let it vomit the venom
and become Satwic and sweet.
72
LIKE all Avatars, Krishna announced His
advent to the World bit-by-bit, step-by-step,
testing every time how far the Reality will be
accepted by the masses. The signs and
miracles were intended, then as now, to
proclaim the Avatar.
73
THE mystery and splendour of God can be
grasped only by a pure mind and a clear
vision. That is why the Lord granted a new
eye to Arjuna in order that he might not be
confounded by his glory. A resolution that man has lost his understanding of this
adopted by the mind is like a stone thrown Truth.
into a Sarovar or lake. It produces ripples
that affect the entire face and unsettles 77
equanimity. A good resolution or "Sankalpa"
sets up a series of such thoughts, each
VYAS sympathized with man who was
contributing its quota to the process of
caught in the coils of do's and don'ts, of
purification and strengthening.
success and failure, of desire and despair.
He demarcated many a path, which leads
74 man along to fulfillment. The fulfillment
consists in uprooting the animal that lurks
THE One is comprehensive of all this. So, it in man and reaching out to the Divinity.
has no wants, no desires and no activity to That is his essence.
realise anything. Sri Krishna tells Arjuna:
"Name Partha asthi Karthvyam, Thrishu 78
lokeshu Kinchava Partha". (There is nothing
I have to do in any of the three Worlds). He
DHYANA is not mere sitting erect and being
has willed the World as his sport. He has
silent nor is it the absence of any movement.
laid down that every deed must have its
It is the merging of all your thoughts and
consequence. He is the dispenser of the
feelings to God. Without the mind becoming
consequences but he is not involved in the
dissolved in God, Dhyana cannot succeed.
deeds.
The Gita declares genuine Dhyana as
"Anayaschinthayanthomaam Ye Janah
75 Paryapasathi" (Those persons who adore me
without any other thought or feeling).
ONE can also be rid of Maya if one can Krishna has assured such persons that He
discard the three Gunas from one's make- would carry their burden and be by their
up. The "Sathya guna" too has to be side, guiding and guarding them. Persons
transcended; why? The Gita directs that adept in this Dhyana are very rare; most
even the eagerness to be liberated is a bond. people go through the external exercises
One is fundamentally free. Bondage is only only. So they are unable to win Grace.
an illusion. So, the desire to close the bond is
the result of ignorance. Krishna says, 79
"Arjuna, become free from the three Gunas".
In truth, the word "Guna" means "rope", for
LIFE is a song, sing it. That is what Krishna
all three "Gunas" bind the "Jiva" with the
taught through his life. Arjuna heard that
rope of desire. Liberation means liberation
song in the battlefield where tensions were
from delusive attachment or "Moha";
at their highest and when the fate of millions
"Mohakshaya", decline in the desire caused
was to be decided by the sword. Krishna
by attachment to sensory pleasure.
sang the Gita for Arjuna to listen to. Gita
means "Song", and he sang because he was
76 "Ananda" wherever He might be, in
Gokulam, on the banks of the Yamuna or at
CONSIDER for a moment how long worldly Kurukshetra between the warring armies.
triumphs last. They are but the play of the
scintillating name and form of the Divine, 80
which is the core of every being. Earn the
vision that sees the Divine inherent in all.
WHY does He attract all to His Presence? To
We are not troubled when something is
plough the heart, prepare it for receiving the
good; only when it is bad. This is because
shower of Grace, to grow the seeds of Love,
goodness is natural. In our evil aberration,
weed it of all evil thoughts, which smother
we are worried and alarmed when we slide
the crops of joy and to enable it to gather the
into wrong or pain or sorrow. This is
harvest of Wisdom. That wisdom finds its
because Nature plans us to be right, to be
fulfillment in Krishna Himself, for Krishna
happy and ever in a state of joy. It is a pity
also means the pure Essence, the Supreme
Principle, the "Sath-Chith-Ananda".
81
WHERE there is Dharma there Krishna is;
so, think for yourself, each one of you, how
far have you deserved the Grace of the Lord?
You draw Him near; you keep Him far. You
entangle yourself, bind yourself, and get
caught in the trap. No one is your foe except
yourself. No one else is your friend. You are
your only friend. The Guru shows you the
road and you have to trudge alone, without
fear or hesitation.
82
THE word Dharmakshetra is the first word
in the Gita. In the very first verse of the Song
Celestial, the Kurukshetra (field of Action),
in which the Maamakaah (my people, as the
blind Dhritharashtra described them
through fond attachment and egoistic
delusion), people motivated by greed and
passion, and the Pandavas (the other people,
the good and righteous, the sons of the Fair
one, the Progeny of the pure), is spoken of as
already transmuted into Dharmakshetra
(field of Righteousness). For victory is
always for Righteousness and not for greed
and passion which blind men.
83
IF you ask Me, I will say that the Gita is like
a balance: scales, needle and all. The scale
on the left is the 7th Sloka of the 2nd
Chapter, speaking of "Karpanya Dosha". The
fulcrum is the 22nd Sloka of the 9th
Chapter, beginning with
"Anayaschinthayamshomaam"; and the
scale on the right is the Sloka in the 18th
chapter, speaking of "Sarvadharmaam
Parithyajya". See how apt the fulcrum Sloka
is. It speaks of single-minded attention,
"steady, like the needle of a well-adjusted
balance". Really, the Gita begins with two
scales and a fulcrum: the two armies of
Righteousness and Unrighteousness with
Krishna, the Teacher, in the middle.
84
BHAKTI is of various types according to the
Damskara of the devotee and the state of his
mind and the stage of his development.
There is the Shanta Bhakti of Bhishma, the
Vatsalya Bhakti of Yashoda, and the
Madhura Bhakti of the Gopikas. Of these the
Dasya attitude is easiest and the best for the
majority of aspirants at this time. It means
"Sharanaagathi" and "Prapathithi" out of
Shanti Bhakti.
85
THE fire of sorrow and joy burns when the
fuel of Vaasanas is fed into the furnace of the
mind. Take away the fuel and the fire dies
out. Take away the Vaasanas, the force of the
impulses, promptings and urges and you
become your own master. This is done in
Yoga by various physiological and
psychological exercises. But Bhakti is the
easier means for this end. Naamasmarana is
enough: it is said that the name Sitarama
sufficed in the Thretha Yuga; the name
Radha-Shama sufficed in the Dwapara Yuga;
and in the Kali Yuga, I tell you, all Names
have that capacity.
86
PRAKRUTHI is Dhara, Earth and Creation.
Think of it always. Long for it. Pine for
Dhara, Dhara, Dhara and you find you are
pining for Radha, Radha. So, Radha is the
Becoming and Krishna is the Being; the
desire of Being becomes the longing of the
Becoming for the Being - this is the Radha-
Krishna relationship, which has been sung
by seers and poets, calumniated and
caricatured by ignorant critics, appreciated
and apprehended by aspirants, and analyzed
and realised by sincere scholars of spiritual
lore.
87
WELCOME all the blows of fate, all the
misfortunes and miseries, as gold welcomes
the crucible, the hammer and the anvil in
order to get shaped into a jewel; or as the
cane welcomes the chopper, the crusher, the
boiler, the pan, the sprayer and the dryer, so
that its sweetness may be preserved and
used as sugar by all. The Pandavas never
demurred when disasters fell thick upon
them. They were happy that they helped
them to remember Krishna and call upon
Him. Bhishma was in tears on the arrow-
bed, when he was about to pass away.
Arjuna asked Him "why" and he replied, "I
am shedding tears because the miseries
undergone by the Pandavas pass through my
mind". Then he said, this is done in order to
teach the Kaliyug a lesson; never to seek
power, position or pelf but to submit to the
will of God in a completely resigned way, so
that you may be ever happy and unmoved.
88
THE Gita speaks of Bhakti, Jnana, Karma,
as Yogas. By Yoga is meant what Patanjali
intended it to mean "Chiththa Krishthi
Nirodha", that is to say, "the stifling of the
agitations of the consciousness". Vishnu is
the supreme example of this calm, for He is
"Saanthakaaram bhujaga Sayanam", the
very picture of peaceful calm, though
reclining on a thousand-hooded snake; the
snake being the symbol of the objective
World with its poisonous fangs. Being in the
World but not of it, not bound by it, that is
the secret.
89
THE Individual is Arjuna, the Universal,
which inspires him, is Krishna: Led by the
Universal, the Individual has to oppose the
attractions and delusion of the Manifested,
the Maya, and the Prakruthi, that is, the
Kaurava hordes. The battle depicted in the
Epic is the inner battle, between the
temporary and the eternal, the particular
and the universal, the sensual and the super-
sensual, the seen and the seer. The Atma is
described as a streak of lightning in the blue
cloud. It is a Gita (streak in Telugu).
Discover the Gita, then the purpose of Gita
study is fulfilled.
90
WHEN Dharmaraja, the eldest of the Five
Pandavas came to know - after the death of
Karna which they effected successfully - that
Karna was his brother, his agony knew no
bounds; he was struck disconsolate and was
torn by despair. If only he had known the
truth, all that grief could have been avoided.
So too, until you know that all are altars
where the name God is installed and all are
moved and motivated by the Grace of the
self-same God, you are afflicted by hate and
pride; once you know it and experience it,
you are full of Love and reverence to all.
91
WHEN Krishna leapt down from His
Chariot with the wheel-weapon in His hand
to slay Bhishma, Arjuna jumped down with
Him and holding both His Feet he prayed,
"Oh Lord, you have given word that you will
not wield any weapon. Let it not be said that
you broke your word to save me from
Bhishma, I am prepared to die". That was
the measure of his Bhakti. Bhishma too had
equal Bhakti. He did not step forward to
fight the new challenge nor did he question
the Lord. He stood silent drinking in the
charm of the Lord and filling himself with
the vision of the magnificence of the Lord.
That was the measure of the dedication to
His will.
92
KRISHNA is slandered by ignorant,
prejudice critics as "jaara" and "chora" and
extolled by seekers and sages with the same
appellations, "jaara and "chora". He stole
the hearts and the owners were glad of it. He
shed light, awakened people and made
those, whose hearts he stole, richer and
happier. He destroyed all craving for sensual
pleasure and sensual knowledge and filled
the entire being with thoughts of the Divine.
How then can He be referred to as "jaara"
and "chora"? When the blind leads the blind
in this way, both have to fall into the pit.
93
IN the Mahabharatha, the most noteworthy
theme is Dharmasthapana. When the
Pandavas were called into the forest, it was
as if the Five Pranas of Dharma, the
sustaining forces of Dharma, were exiled.
Dharmaraja is the Prana of the Right
Conduct, Bhima, of the protective Might of
Dharma; Arjuna, of the Faith and Devotion
needed as its Foundation, Nakula and
Sahadeva, of the shraddha essential for the
Practice of Dharma. When the Pandavas
went to the forest, Hasthinapura was
reduced to Astinapura, a city of bones,
without flesh and blood.
94
KRISHNA was the Purushothama, Arjuna
the Narrothama; It was a friendship between
The Embodiment of the Highest and the
Embodiment of the Best. Krishna was the
Avataric Person. Arjuna was the anandic
person; it was a coming together of the
Avathramurthi and the Anandamurthi.
Arjuna was often addressed by Krishna as
Kurunandana. This name has a deep
significance. "Kuru" means "act, activity,
Karma"; Nandana means "happy,
delighted". Kurunandana therefore means
"he who is delighted while engaged in
activity". Throughout the eighteen chapters
of the Githa, Arjuna is alert and active,
participating vigilantly in every turn of
argument.
95
PRACTICE the constant presence of God
and, learn to offer all your activities at the
Feet of the Lord as an act of worship. Then
they will be free from fault. Krishna advised
Arjuna to enter the fight and, at the same
time, told him not to have "hatred" towards
"enemies". These may appear to be two
irreconcilable attitudes, for war is rage
(passion, attachment) and renunciation of
hatred is Vairagya (absence of raga). Arjuna
asked Krishna how he was to reconcile these
two attitudes. Krishna said, "Maamnusmara
yudhyacha" (keep Me ever in thy mind, and
fight. Do not cultivate the egotistic feeling
that it is you who is fighting. I am using you
as My instrument).
96
THE Pandava brothers were highly
fortunate. The eldest, Dharmaraja, rose to be
the emperor. The second was the
Indomitable Bhima, armed with the terrible
mace. The third was Arjuna, son of the Lord
of the Gods, Indra. The lord poured His
Grace on Arjuna and deigned to serve him in
battle as his charioteer! In spite of all these
advantages, they were subjected to the
severest tragedies in life. What is the lesson
that their lives teach? No one can predict
what calamity will overtake one and at what
time. Every thing depends on the will of
Providence; it all happens according to the
Divine Plan.
97
THE question on the battlefield was not who
was the Kin of whom, but who was right and
who was wrong; fight for justice, fight for
truth, fight for these as akshatriyu is in duty
bound, and leave the result to the Dispenser
of all. Krishna told Arjuna: "I am surprised
that you should weep, for you are Gudakesa,
the conqueror of sleep and ignorance. You
do not kill, so don't be so conceited; nor do
they die. They have many more things to do;
and so they are real deathless". "The
sentence of death has been already
pronounced on their bodies by Me, and you
have but to carry out My Orders", Krishna
said.
98
KRISHNA felt that it was time to reveal His
Truth and so He just showed all creation in
His Mouth when His mother asked Him to
show her His tongue, when she suspected
He had eaten sand. He made even the
longest rope too short to bind Him. It
became the talk of the place and every one
felt he had all the fourteen Worlds in Him!
Avathars choose the time and the mode of
announcement of their Advent and Their
Glory. Even in this Avathara such miracles
had to be done when I decided that the time
was opportune for taking the people into My
Secret.
99
WHEN the righteous Pandavas were
harassed by wicked Kauravas, the beauteous
Krishna appeared and saved them. The lord
can never design violence and blood shed.
Love is His instrument, non-violence His
Message. He achieves the correction of the
evil-minded through education and
example. But it may be asked, why did
Kurukshetra happen? It was a surgical
operation and therefore cannot be described
as an act of violence. The Surgeon saves life
through the beneficial use of His Knife.
100
CONSIDER the Name Krishna which the
Avathar bore; what a significant Name?
Krishna is derived from the root "krish"
which means (1) to attract (2) to plough and
cultivate and (3) the Divine Principle beyond
time, space and causation. Krishna, like all
Avathars, attracts not only seekers, Saints
and Sages but the simple, the innocent and
the good. He draws also the curious, the
critics, the Skeptics and those who suffer
from atheism. He draws them towards
Himself by the irresistible charm of His
Person, by His invincible Look, His Voice,
His Flute, His counsel and His undaunted
Heroism! He is ever in a State of Bliss,
spreading Harmony, Melody and beauty
around Him; He sings everywhere in the
peaceful Pasture lands of Brindavan and in
the blood soaked battle field of Kurukshetra.
101
THE Gita was Arjuna and Krishna, though
Krishna supplemented it with Captious
explanations of why and wherefore. Arjuna
admitted that he was a profaner. He had to
surrender to His Wait, so that there was no
need for Krishna to argue with him. He was
convinced of the correctness of His
command. Still, in order that Arjuna might
fight with a full heart, He gave him the
reasons, which supported the course that He
laid down for him. I too want you to know
why I designed it so you should act in a
particular manner, and I do not like you to
behave in another manner.
102
BISHMA was a Bhakta and by winning the
Lord's Grace he was clothed with more
Majesty and splendour than any early
emperor. What majesty has these scepter-
holders? They cannot claim to have inner
peace, inner joy, they know not the joy of
sharing love with all. Bhishma surrendered
to the Lord when He challenged him with
the su-darsana (Vishnu), that is to say, when
He offers su (good) dharsana (vision) one
must be wise enough to surrender, give up
all, that is what Bhishma did.
103
ARJUNA exclaimed Krishna as the
Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient
God, when the foe was defeated day after
day. But when his son Abhimanyu was killed
in the conflict he raved in the grief that
Krishna had not guided him properly and
guarded him efficiently. His mind wavered
with every wind of fortune. To many the
mind is the master of the intellect also. One
must be vigilant and preserve the
impartiality of instrument called Reason of
Intellect. Clarify reason, then it will reveal
God everywhere, even in you once you
accept God as the core of the universe, and
you have that strong and steady faith.
104
FILL every moment with energy enthusiasm
and effort. The Epics teach you how to
succeed in this. The Mahabharatha describes
how and when every other of the hundred
Kauravas died. The eldest Duryodhana was
challenged by Bhima to meet him in a duel,
when at last he fell on the ground; Bhima
struck his head with his foot in order to add
insult to injury. Duryodhana's pride was
hurt, a Kshatriya, such as he, could not pass
that insult by. He retorted even when he was
dying. Do not exult that you have done some
big heroic act by tramping on my head! In a
few seconds dogs and vultures will be doing
that act. It does not require a hero to plant
his foot on a dying man. You dared not do
this when I was capable of hitting back, you
coward! That kind of awareness of one's
potentialities and quick response to all
happenings must be present in you too.
Heroism gushed out even when he was
passing away!
105
KRISHNA, whose advent you should
celebrate, is not the cowherd boy who
charmed the village folk with His flute, but
Krishna the indefinable inscrutable Divine
Principle that is born in the navel of the
body (Mathura) as the product of Divine
Energy (Devaki) that is then transported to
the Mouth (Gokulam) and fostered by the
Tongue (Yashoda) as its source of sweetness.
Krishna is Yashoda gained the Visualization
of the Atma that the repetition of the Name
grants, the vision; you must foster that
Krishna on your tongue. When He dances on
it, the poison of tongue will be ejected
completely, without harming anyone as
happened when as a child He danced on the
hoods of the serpent Kalinga.
106
PURITY of motive is the best guarantee that
you will have Peace. An uneasy conscience is
a tormenting compassion. Righteous action
will have no bad effects, to disturb your
sleep or health.
If there is righteousness in the heart, there
will be beauty in character; If there is
beauty in character, there will be harmony
in the home; When there is harmony in the
house, there will be order in the nation;
When there is order in the nation, there will
be peace in the World.
So, be righteous; avoid all prejudices against
others on the basis of caste, creed, colour,
mode of worship, status, or degree of
affluence. Do not look down upon any one;
look upon all as Divine as you really are.
107
ALL Faiths are inter-related and mutually
indebted to each other for the principles
they teach and the disciplines they
recommend. The Vedic Religion was the first
in time; Buddhism, which appeared about
2500 years ago, was its son; Christianity,
which was influenced much by the Orient,
was its grandson. And Islam, which has the
Prophets of Christianity as its base, was the
great grandson. All have Love as the
Fundamental Discipline of the Mind in order
to chasten it and merge man with the Divine.
108
VINAYAKA is called the child of two
mothers, Gowri and Ganga. You are the pet
children of four mothers, each of you;
Sathya, Dharma, Shanti and Prema. Do not
ridicule them by your act. Honour them and
be grateful to them. Do not claim "Anyaya"
(Injustice), "Akrama" (Indiscipline), and
Asathya (Falsehood and Anachara (Evil
behaviour) as your mothers Instead, expand
your heart, taking in all humanity into the
circle of your kin, even the birds, beasts,
worms, and insects, trees and plants. The
Vedic Prayer asks that the aspirant's heart
may be expanded "Brhathe Koromi" - I
make myself Vast! The vastest is "Brahman"
which comes from the same root, "brh", to
enlarge.
109
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
(Sathya-anveshko). 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 thoughts and
carefully guarded secrets. I am
"Sarvatharyami", "Sarva Shakti" and
"Sarvajna". Nevertheless, 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.
110
LOVE must be manifested as Service or
Seva. Seva must take the form of food for the
hungry, solace for the forlorn, consolation
for the sick and the suffering. Jesus was
himself out in such Seva. The heart full of
compassion is the temple of God. Jesus
pleaded at the sight of the poor. Jesus is
worshipped but His teachings are neglected.
Sai is being worshipped but His teachings
are neglected. Everywhere pomp, pageantry,
hollow exhibitionism and Lectures, Lectures
and Lectures! No activity, no love, no seva.
Heroes while lecturing are Zeros while
putting what is said into practice. Develop
Compassion. Live in Love. Be Good, Do
Good and See Good. This is the way to God.
 111
THE nature we have around us and with us
is the vesture of God. We have evidence of
His Beauty, Goodness, Wisdom and Power
all around us; wherever we turn our eyes.
But the art of recognising Him is strange to
us and so we deny Him and live on in
darkness. We have all around us, in the
atmosphere, the music emanating from all
the Broadcasting Stations of the World, but
they do not assail your ear at any time. You
are not aware of any Station; but, if you have
a receiver and if you tune it to the correct
wavelength, you can hear the matter
broadcast from any Station; if you fail to
tune it correctly, you will get instead of news
only nuisance! So too, the Divine is
everywhere above, around, below and
beside, near as well as far. For cognising it,
you require not a "Yantra" (machine) but a
"Mantra" (mystical formula potent with a
psychological undertone). Concentration of
Dhyana is the fixing of the exact location of
the Station in the Band; Love is the correct
tuning in; realising the Reality and the Bliss
it confers is the happy clear listening!
112
THE Divine is a wine that would intoxicate
you. The nectar that the Name of the Lord is
saturated in produces it. Taste it and you
forget everything else; you are transformed.
Man is, they say, a monkey that has lost its
tail; well, he must lose many more attributes
of the monkey before he is entitled to call
himself Man. He must dedicate his thought,
word and deed to God and surrender to His
Will. Then only is this animal entitled to
become a Man in whom the Divine is
enshrined.
113
THE body is the ball filled with the air of
Divinity; it is kicked in play by six players on
the side (the six foes: Lust, Anger, Greed,
Attachment, Pride and Hate); and six on the
other (the six friends: Truth, Right, Peace,
Love, Compassion and Fortitude); the goal-
posts are on each side, and if the ball is hit
so that it passes through them, they achieve
"Dharmavidya" (Moral attainment) and
victory. Or else, their kick results in an
"out"! Learn to speak what you feel, act what
you speak; do not allow them to be at cross-
purposes. Man, with the feelings of a demon
fuming with hate, engages in fighting, holds
Peace Conferences and prides himself on his
Plans for Peace! Transform the heart into a
Tabernacle of Peace, then Conferences to
deceive oneself and others become
unnecessary. What can mere talk achieve?
114
DISCIPLINE trains you to put up with
disappointments; you will know that the
path of life has both ups and downs, that
every rose has its thorn. Now, people want
roses without thorns, life has to be one saga
of sensual pleasure picnic all the time. When
this does not happen, you turn wild and start
blaming others. If each one cares for his own
pleasures, how can Society progress? How
can the weak survive? Mine, not thine, this
sense of greed is the root of all-evil; this
distinction is applied even to God! - My God,
not yours! Your God, not mine!
115
GOODNESS, compassion, and tolerance:
through these three paths, one can see the
Divinity in one-self and others. Softness of
heart is condemned by people today as
weakness, cowardice, and want of
intelligence. The heart has to be hardened,
they say, against pity and charity. But that
way lies war, destruction, and downfall.
Love confers lasting happiness and peace.
Sharing can reduce grief and multiply joy.
Man is born to share, to serve, to give and
not to grab. When you have faith in God as a
precious truth in the altar of your heart, you
will welcome, with equal alacrity, the blows
and blossoms of fortune.
116
HAVING come to this place and availed
yourselves of this opportunity to treasure in
your hearts the things you have seen and
heard, resolve to plunge into a practice of
them. Your resolution and your practice
must happen simultaneously. Have a master
plan and start from tomorrow the execution
of the program, drawn in consultation with
others. This must happen in all countries.
Do not think that only the Andhra State is
Sai's. All are Sai's. All are one. We must
endeavor by all means to realise and
establish this Truth in this Kali Yuga. This is
the message I am giving you today. I am
fulfilling all your desires. So you must fulfill
this one desire of Mine. I bless that you have
long life, good health, Ananda, Peace and
Prosperity; and that you will dedicate your
physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual
strength and skills for the service of the
country and of all mankind.
117
THERE are some ignorant persons who
laugh at "Bhajans" and other acts of worship
and consider them a waste of valuable time.
Those persons might laugh at your pouring
bags of paddy seeds on a slushy field and
condemn that act too as waste of valuable
food-material. But you know that, for every
bag of paddy-seed, Mother Earth will give
back grain tenfold or even twenty fold, in a
few weeks. Time spent in contemplation of
God or adoration of the Divine is indeed well
spent, for it rewards you with a rich harvest
of mental peace and courage.
118
WHEN Jesus was emerging as the Supreme
Principle of Divinity, he communicated
some news to his followers. 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". -
"He will wear a robe of red, a blooded robe".
He will be short, with a crown (of hair). The
lamb is a sign and symbol of Love. Christ did
not declare that he would come again, he
said, "He, who made me, will come again".
That BABA is the Baba; and Sai, the short
curly hair crowned, red-robed Baba has
come.
119
MANY believe that a pilgrimage to holy
places is conductive to spiritual progress.
They journey to Tirupathi, Rameswaram,
Badrinath or Amarnath and pray for the
removal of their mundane troubles. They
vow to remove their hair if, through Divine
intervention, they win a prize in the State
Lotteries, as if God is in need of hair. This
trick of bargaining is only cheating oneself in
an attempt to cheat God. Do not pray to God
for wealth or fame, positions of power or for
the fruits of your actions. The genuine
seeker will pray for nothing else but God.
120
HUMAN lives are now passing on and on,
filth over filth, bent, broken, diseased,
distressed and disheartened. To enrich their
lives and to make the human heritage
worthwhile, I have come, I am evincing all
this enthusiasm to teach you the prayer
attitude to Seva, for Love expresses itself as
Seva, Love grows through Seva, and Love is
begun in the womb of Seva. And God is
Love. The Avatar is a Child to the children, a
Boy to the Boys, a Man among men, a
Woman among women, so that the Avatar's
message might reach each heart and receive
enthusiastic response as "Ananda". It is the
compassion of the Avatar that prompts His
every action.
121
HAVE no thorn of hate in your mind.
Develop Prema towards all. Desire is a
storm; Greed is a whirlpool; Pride is a
precipice. Attachment is an avalanche;
Egoism is a volcano. Keep these things away,
so that you can do Japa or Dhyana; they do
not disturb the Equanimity. Let Love be
enthroned in your heart. Then there will be
sunshine and a cool breeze and the gurgling
waters of contentment feeding the roots of
faith.
122
THE title "Sathyam Sivam Sundaram" is full
of meaning. It speaks of HE, imminent in
every one of you. Sathyam is the basic reality
of you all; that is why you resent being called
a liar. The real "you" is innocent, you will not
accept an imputation that is false. The real
"you" is joy, happiness, and auspiciousness.
It is not Savam but Sivam; it is Subham,
Nithyam, and Anandam. How then can you
bear being called ugly? The Atma has got
entangled in the body, which it does not like;
it is weighed down by shame, when you
identify it with the body and attribute to it
the weaknesses and deficiencies of that
physical vehicle.
123
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 Manasa-Sarovar, the clear,
pellucid waters of the lake of your inner
consciousness. Give Me the fruits of holiness
and steady discipline. I am above all this
worldly etiquette, which enjoins you to see
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", enough "Kainkaryam" for
Me. It pleases Me so much.
124
YOU must speak soft and sweet words to
everyone. Do you like the voice of the crow?
No, you drive the crow away when it starts to
caw; its speech is harsh, it is too loud for
your ears. You must have heard the Koel, the
cuckoo, haven't you? That bird looks very
much like the crow; it grows in the nest of
the crow with the baby crows; the mother
crow, along with her own kids, feeds it. But
no one will throw a stone at a "Koel"; every
one likes to hear its sweet voice. Speak soft
and sweet; then every one will like you.
125
NO service is too low or mean; every
emergency is immediately noticed and
attended to. They need not be sorry that
during those days they had no time to sit for
Dhyana or do Japa or even to go out on
Nagarsankirtan! Why? You can have the
Name on the lips, when you sweep the
streets or lift a corpse in the morgue or when
you walk towards or away from the area of
distress. People may dub you mad! But be
elated that you are not affected by the
insanity they suffer from!
126
THE mind plays many tricks with you, the
chief of which is to foster the ego and hide
the Prompter and the Power within. You
must have heard of an Accountant in the
Court of the King of Death, Chitragupta, by
name. He maintains a Register of the good
and the bad deeds done by each living being,
and on death, he brings the book to the
Court and strikes the balance between debit
and credit. Yama, the king, then meets out
the punishment that can expiate and
educate. This Chitragupta has his Office in
the mind of man, all the time, awake and
alert. The word means the secret picture;
what he does is to picture all the secrets
from promptings that blossom into activity;
he notes the warning signals as well as the
occasions when those signals were ignored
or wantonly disregarded. You must see that
the warning of the Divine against the merely
human or even the bestial inclination is
heeded.
127
YOU have the chance to see, experience and
be sanctified by the incarnation of the Lord;
this chance you have received as a result of
the accumulation of merit in many previous
lives. That merit has brought you here when
I came down. For this chance, Rishis and
Devas have prayed long in the past. Having
won this chance, strive to taste the
sweetness and achieve the Bliss of Merging
without wasting even a single moment. The
rays that emanate from Me are of three
grades: the "Sthula", filling this Prashanthi
Nilayam; the "Sukshma", pervading the
Earth; and the "Karana", covering the entire
Universe. The people who have the privilege
of living in this Prashanthi Nilayam are
indeed lucky, for they are nearest to the
"Kiran" (rays). The "Sthulakirana" makes a
man a "Sadhaka"; the "Sukshma" makes him
a "Mahatma"; and "Karana converts him
into a "Paramahamsa".
128
I NEVER deviate from Truth. Since I recline
on Truth, I am called Sathya Sai; Sayi (as
Seshasayi) means reclining. The name is
very appropriate, let me assure you. It is
only those, who fail to follow My
instructions and 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 your tongue from
your heart. Direct them. He is here in
Prashanthi Nilayam. All Avatars teach, as
the first step in the long road of "Sadhana",
the giving up of attachment. In the Thretha
Yuga, the Yoga-Vasistha taught the same
rule. In the Dwapara Yuga, Krishna taught
Arjuna to give up Vishaya-Vasana,
attachment to the objective world. People
utter with apparent faith, "Krishna, Krishna,
Krishna", but they never give up "Thrishura"
(Thirst) for worldly goods or fame. In each
Yuga, you have the Avatar of the Lord come
to redeem, review and rebuild. At the
present time, Maha Shakti, Mayasakthi, and
Yogasakthi have come all together in One
Human Form. Your endeavor should be to
draw near and earn Grace therefrom.
129
the splendour of God, His reflection. He
reflected and the Jagath happened! It is His
own substance, manifesting as multiplicity,
as latent or potent energy-matter. When
activity is in accordance with awareness that
is befogged or belittled, dried up or deluded,
there Dharma is decadent and the Avatar
appears among men!
131
EVERY one must learn the secret of
happiness, which consists in refusing to
shed tears for anything less than God. You
have won this human body, this human life,
as the reward for many lives spend in
acquiring merit. You have won this chance,
this unique good fortune of being able to get
Darshan of Sai. Plunging deep into the
waters of this tumultuous ocean of Samsar,
you have heroically emerged from its depths,
with this rare Pearl in your hands - the
Grace of Sai. Do not allow it to slip from
your clasp and fall into the depths again.
Hold firmly on to it. Pray that you may have
it forever and be filled with the joy that it
confers. This is the way by which you can
render this life fruitful.

WHAT is the immortal part of man? Is it the 132

wealth he has accumulated, the residences
he has built, the physique he has developed,
UTILISE the World as the means to an end;
the wealth he has acquired and the family he
do not desire to stay in it. It is a
has reared? No, all that he has done,
caravanserai, where you can rest a while
developed or earned are destroyed, he has to
during your pilgrimage to the source. It is a
leave them all to the ravages of time. He
bridge wide and strongly built. Can any
cannot take with him even a handful of
pilgrim build a house there on for himself?
earth, the earth he loved so much. If only the
The Cosmos is changing constantly. The
dead could take with them a handful each,
minutes that are past cannot be retrieved,
the earth would have become so scarce that
even if tempted by a billion rupees. The past
it should have been rationed by now!
is not ours any more; the present slips from
Discover the Immortal "I and know that it
our grasp; and the future is uncertain. You
is the spark of God in you; live in the
come naked into the world, you go out of it
companionship of that vast measureless
without informing the survivors of the
Supreme and you will be rendered vast and
address where you can be contacted. In spite
measureless. Consider all objects that you
of this, attachment grows and you cultivate
collect here as given on "Trust" to be used in
bounds. This is the great illusion.
this caravanserai during your pilgrimage in
this Karuna Kshetra.
133
130
THE grace of God cannot be won through
the gymnastics of reason, the contortions of
UNLESS you brighten your vision with Love,
Yoga or the denials of Asceticism. Love alone
you cannot see the Truth. Love helps you to
can win it; Love that needs no requital; Love
see God in everyone and everyone as Divine.
that knows no bargaining; Love that is paid
The Jagath is not false, it is not a trap; it is
gladly as a tribute to the All Loving; and
Love that is unwavering. Love alone can
overcome obstacles, however many and
mighty. There is no strength more effective
than Purity, no bliss more satisfying than
Love, no joy more restoring than Bhakti and
no triumph more praiseworthy than
Surrender.
134
HIN means "Hinsa" (Violence) and "du"
means "dura" (distant); so HINDU means a
person who is devoid of violence, who loves
and sympathizes, who helps and serves - not
one who hides and hits, harms and draws
blood. The same sky is over everyone's head;
the same earth supports everyone's feet; the
same air enters everyone's lungs! The same
God brought all forth, brings up all and
brings about the end of this earthly career.
Why then this inhuman role of foe and
fanatic; of fight and feud?
135
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 malarial patients dislike sweets or
diabetic patients refuse to have anything to
do with sweet! Those who preen themselves,
as atheists will one day, when their illness is
gone, relish God and revere Him.
136
STRUGGLE to realise the Atma, to visualise
God; even failure in this struggle is nobler
than success in other worldly attempts. The
buffalo has horns; the elephant has tusks,
but what a difference? To live in the body,
with the body, for the body is the life of a
worm; to live in the body with God is good,
for God is the life of man. The dull, activity-
hating Tamasic persons have ego and their
love is limited to their kith and kin. The
Rajasic, active, passionate persons seek to
earn power and prestige and love those who
will contribute to these. But the Satwic, the
pure, the good and equanimity-filled love all
as embodiments of God and engage
themselves in humble service.
137
THERE are three types of approaches
towards the Lord; the Eagle type, which
swoops down on the target with a greedy
swiftness and suddenness which, by its very
impact, fails to secure the object coveted; the
Monkey type, which flits hither and thither,
from one to another, unable to decide which
is tasty; and the Ant type which moves
steadily, though slowly towards the object
which it has decided is desirable. The ant
does not hit the fruit hard and makes it fall
away; it does not pluck all the fruits it seeks;
it appropriates just as much as it can
assimilate and no more. Do not fritter away
the time allotted to you for sojourning on the
earth in foolish foppery and fanciful foibles,
which always keep you outdoors. When are
you to walk indoors into the warmth and
quiet of your own interior? Retire into
solitude and silence now and then;
experience the joy derivable only from them.
138
WHAT is the sanctity of Shivaratri? Your
answer, "Linga emerges from Swami's
Udara (abdomen)". "Today is the
fourteenth day of the dark of the month,
when the moon is all but invisible, just a
minute fraction remains visible to man. The
mind is the source of all the entangling
desires and emotions. The mind is,
therefore, almost powerless this day; if only
this night is spent in vigil and in the
presence of the Divine, it can be fully
conquered and man can realise his freedom.
Vigilance this night is to be secured by
"Sadhana", this is by means of "Bhajan" or
the reading of sacred texts.
139
RAMA, Krishna and Sai Baba appear
different because of the dress each has
donned, but it is the self same Entity, believe
Me. Do not be 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 airplane
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.
140
SEE all as Narayana Swarupa and worship
all with Prema. You can understand even My
nature only when you wear the glasses of
Holiness. Holy things can be cognised only
by the Holy Seeker. You get what you search
for; you see what your eyes crave for. The
doctor is found where patients gather; the
surgeon stays in the operation ward; so too,
the Lord is ever with the suffering and
struggling. Whenever people cry out in
agony "Oh God", there God will be.
141
YOU very often condemn the mind as a
monkey; but take it from Me, it is far worse.
The monkey leaps from one branch to
another; but the mind leaps from the heights
of the Himalayas to the depths of the sea,
from today to tens of years ago. Tame it by
the process of Naamasmarana. Make it as
Ramdas did into a Bhadrachalam, a stable
and steady mountain. That is the task I
assign to you. Make your heart an Ayodhya
by means of Ramanama; Ayodya means a
city that can never lie captured by force.
That is your real nature: Ayodhya;
Badrachala. Forget this and you are lost.
Install Rama in your heart; and then no
outer force can harm you.
142
THINGS are not so important; the
transcendental truth of things is of value.
You must visualise the spiritual in the
material, the gold in the jewels, the Divine in
the diversity of character and conduct and
seek to know the Atma. All are equal in birth
and in death. Differences arise only during
the interval. The Emperor and the beggar
are both born naked; they sleep equally
silently; they bow out without even leaving
their new address. Then how can their
reality be different? There can be no doubt
on this score. All are basically the same.
143
LISTEN to Me. When you wake up, feel that
you are entering the stage to play the role
assigned to you by the Lord; pray that you
may act it well and earn His approbation. At
night, when you retire to sleep, feel that you
are entering the green-room after the scene,
but with the dress of your role on; for
perhaps the role is not yet over and you have
not yet been permitted to take the dress off.
Perhaps, you have to make another entrance
the next morning. Do not worry about that.
Place yourself fully at His Disposal; He
knows; He has written the play and He
knows how it will end and how it will go on;
Yours is but to act and retire.
144
WHEN the mind of man is unattached to the
ups and downs of life, but is able to
maintain equanimity under all
circumstances, then even 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. Illness is caused more by
malnutrition of the mind than of the body.
Doctors speak of Vitamin deficiency; I will
call it the deficiency of Vitamin G, and I will
recommend the repetition of the Name of
God, with accompanying contemplation of
the glory and grace of God. That is the
Vitamin G. That is the medicine; regulated
life and habits are two thirds of the
treatment, while the medicine is just one
third only.
145
CARRY on your highest duty - following the
four F's:
Follow the Master;
Face the Devil;
Fight to the End; and
Finish the Game.
Then you win My love in full measure. Love
is My highest Miracle. Love can make you
gather the affection of all mankind. Love will
not tolerate any selfish aim or approach,
Love is God. Live in Love. Then all is right;
all can be well. Expand your heart so that it
can encompass all. Do not narrow it down
into an instrument of restricted one.
146
THE tongue is the armour of heart; it guards
one's life. Loud talk, long talks, wild talk,
and talk full of anger and hate; all these
affect the health of man. They breed anger
and hate in others; they wound; they excite;
they enrage; they estrange. Why is silence
said to be golden? The silent man has no
enemies, though he may not have friends.
He has the leisure and the chance to delve
within himself and examine his own faults
and failings. He has no more inclination to
seek them (fault) in others. If your foot slips,
you sustain a fracture; if your tongue slips,
you fracture some one's faith or joy. That
fracture can never be set right; that wound
will fester forever. Therefore, use the tongue
with great care. The softer you talk, the less
you talk and the sweeter you talk, the better
for you and the World.
147
BIRTH is the consequence of "Kama"
(desire, lust); Death is the consequence of
"Kala" (Time, the lapse of Time). The God of
Desire (Kama) was reduced to ashes by
Shiva; the God of Time is Kala or Yama. He
was subdued by sin. So, one has to surrender
to Siva (God) if one has to escape the
consequences of these two frightfully fatal
forces. If between "Kama" and "Kala" you
take refuge in Rama, then you can escape
the rigour. For Rama is the Atma who has no
"Kama" and is unaffected by "Kala".
148
WHEN you seek to learn swimming, you will
have to enter the water and struggle with the
strokes. When Bhasma (Vibuthi) is given,
doubt haunts some people whether Swami is
wishing that the recipient should be a
Saivite! It is a symbol of the indestructible
basic substance, which every being is. All
things become ash; but ash remains ash,
however much you may burn it. It is also a
sign of renunciation, of sacrifice and of
"Jnana", which burns all "Karma" -
consequently into ineffective ash. It is a sign
of Iswara and I apply it on your brow to
remind you that you too are Divine. It is a
valuable "Upadesh" about your identity. It
also reminds you that the body is liable any
moment to be reduced into a handful of ash.
Ash is a lesson in detachment and
renunciation.
149
THE river of human life meanders along,
through many a valley, leaps over many a
cliff, loses itself in many a marsh and seeks
to empty itself in the ocean of Divine Grace;
though, what happens is that it falls into the
undrinkable expanse of salt. The flood flows
from the heights to the depths; only the
flames of fire do ever rise from the depth to
the heights. That is why we speak of
"Jnanagni", the Fire of Wisdom of
Realisation. Man suffers because he has
developed hunger as vast as the sky, with a
throat as narrow as a needle. His throat
must become as vast as the earth; his heart
must blossom wide through Shanti and
Sahana; that is through equanimity and
fortitude. Then the desire of man for full
lasting undiluted "Ananda" can be attained.
150
LIFE on earth is as on the ocean, ever
restless with the waves of joy and grief, of
loss and gain, the swirling currents of
desires and the whirlpools of passion, greed
and hate. To cross the ocean, the only
reliable raft is a heart filled with the Love of
God and Man. Man is born for a high
destiny, as the inheritor of a rich heritage.
He should not fritter away his days in low
pursuits and vulgar vanities. His destiny is
to know the Truth, live in it and for it. The
Truth alone can make man free and happy.
If he is not prompted by this high purpose,
life is a waste and a mere tossing on the
waves, for the sea of life is never calm.
151
OUR car is not meant to be kept as
showpiece in a glass garage. It is meant for
the roads, for taking you fast and safe to the
place where you want to go. So too, your
body must serve the purpose of your
journey. Journey to where? Not, as it has
been happening, to the cemetery. You have
nobler things to do than merely die! You
must know your own Reality before you die
and merge in that Supreme Joy. Eat just
enough to keep the body trim; use the body
to discover this Reality, namely, God.
Sanctify every moment of your sojourn here
with pious deeds and sacred thoughts.
152
IT is to persuade you to engage in
Naamasmarana that I am concluding My
discourses with singing a few Namavalis. An
Officer of the Indian Civil Service has to
write on the slate, A, B, C and D and
pronounce those letters, in order to teach his
children the alphabet. When you find him
doing so, you do not infer that he is himself
learning the alphabet, do you? Therefore, do
not be surprised if I sing Bhajan songs; I am
but initiating you into this most efficacious
Sadhana. Strengthen yourself, purify
yourself, and educate yourself by this
"Namasankeertan". Do it loudly and in
company. Let those who join you listen and
imbibe the nectar of the Name.
153
WHEN you call out in all sincerity, the
response will certainly come. Give up all low
desires and call from the anguished heart.
Do not pray from the lips, as you do now,
from the Puja room, which is but a corner of
the kitchen. You worship the Lord with an
eye on the dishes or cooking on the oven,
with a nose inhaling hungrily the smells of
the hot curries. Vishavasana, attachment
to sensory objects, vitiates your thoughts of
God. There is a vast gap between what you
say and what you do; and between what you
are capable of and what you accomplish.
154
FOOD received by foul means and clothing
procured through ease and comfort are the
main things in life. Do not think that ease
and comfort are the main things in life.
Disappointment, disease and distress are the
lot of all, rich and poor, educated and
uneducated, young and old. They are the
common lot of all. Let not your pure,
immaculate hearts be rendered dirty by
false-hood and wrong. Do not soil your
tongue using it for uttering dirty words.
Utter the name of God; it acts like a spark,
which can burn into ash a big hill of cotton!
All evil thoughts, wicked plans and plots will
disappear like fog before the Sun when the
Name of God is remembered sincerely.
155
ONCE man is free from undue attachment to
the body and its appurtenances, he is
liberated also from the pulls of joy, grief,
good, bad, pleasure, pain, etc. He is firmly
established in equanimity, fortitude and
undisturbed balance. There man discovers
that the World is one in God; that all is Joy,
Love and Bliss. He realizes that he himself is
all this apparent World that all the
multifarious manifestations are the fantasies
of the Divine will, which is his own Reality.
This expansion of one's individuality to
cover the ends of the Universe is the highest
leap of man. It gives supreme "Ananda", an
experience for which sages and saints spent
years of prayer and asceticism.
156
MAN has been enslaved by money. He lives
a superficial, hollow, artificial life. This is
indeed a great pity. Man should seek to
possess only as much money as is most
essential for his living. The quantity of riches
one must earn can be compared to the shoes
one wears; if too small, they cause pain; if
too big, they are a hindrance to physical and
mental comfort. When we have more, it
breeds pride, sloth and contempt for others.
In pursuit of money, man descends to the
level of the beast. Money is of the nature of
manure. Piled up in one place, it pollutes the
air. Spread it wide; scatter it over fields; it
rewards you with a bumper harvest. So too,
when money is spent in all the four quarters
for promoting good works, it yields
contentment and happiness in plenty.
157
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, Maya, the shadow will fall back
and will not delude you at all. Be steady; be
resolved. Do not commit a fault or take a
false step and then repeat it! Have the
"Thaapam" (the deliberation, the decision,
the discipline) first; that is better than
"Paschaath Tapa" (regret for the mistake
made).
158
GIVE something divine if you want the
Divine. Prema, Shanti, Dharma and Sathya
are Divine. Do not try to get it for a flower
that fades, a fruit that rots, a leaf that dries
and water that evaporate. There are some
who write and speak as if they have known
Me, all that is to be known of Me. I can only
say this: they can never know Me and My
nature, even if they are born and reborn a
thousand times. To know Me, one has to be
like Me, rise to this height. Can ants discover
the depth of the Ocean?
159
IN this Kali age, the wicked have to be
reformed and reconstructed through love
and Compassion. That is why this Avatar has
come unarmed. HE 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.
160
THREE disciplines are essential to become
aware of Divinity in all and in the Avatar; no
activity should be taken up with individual
aggrandizement in view; intellect and
emotion must be directed to the revelation
of the Resident of the Heart, Atma; and
every act should be done sincerely, with
Love, with no yearning for acquiring
personal profit, fame or benefit. Above all,
listen to the voice of God within. As soon as
one contemplates a wrong act, the voice
warns, protests and advises giving up. It
pictures the shame that has to be suffered,
the punishment that has to be faced and the
disgrace that it entails.
161
IF God is implanted in the heart, you will see
God everywhere, even in the objective
World. "Sarvam Brahmamayam" is a fact.
Resolve this day to engage only in virtuous
deeds, good thoughts, and good company.
Let your mind dwell on elevating thoughts.
Do not waste a single moment of your time
talking in idle gossip, vain boasting or
demeaning recreations.
162
THE journey into the inner consciousness,
to calm the storms that rage, is more
important than the journey to the Moon or
Mars. The latter may be more spectacular,
but the former is the more beneficial. Life
without goodness, good thoughts, good
actions and good words is like the sky in the
night without the moon or stars. It is like a
wheel without a hub or spokes! No one can
push a boulder away while standing on it;
you cannot be free from anxiety while all the
entrances through which it sneaks in are
open. Stop catering to the senses and
feeding the desires that haunts you.
163
THE ceremony of Brahmopadesam is
Upanayanam, because the word means,
"taking near", taking the young aspirant
near Brahman, that is to say, and
introducing him to Brahmajnana, the path
of Brahma. It is one of the Samskara, that is
rites, which reconstruct the personality,
reform the mind, purify it and rebuild it. It
makes the person receiving it a "Dwija",
twice born! The boy is born first into the
World; now he is born into the Sadhaka
World. He becomes a Brahmachari, a person
who walks towards Brahma.
164
SEE God in every being and then true
"Sneha" will blossom. This type of true
"Sneha" can come only when you follow the
advice of Krishna. "Adveshta sarva
bhoothanam maitrah karuna evacha
Nirmano nirahamkaarah Sama dukher
Sukha Kshami": "He who has no trace of
hatred towards any creature, who is friendly
and compassionate towards all, who is free
from the bondage of "I" and "mine", who
takes pain and pleasure as equally welcome
and who is forbearing in spite of
provocation". Grow these qualities in you,
for they are the signs of true "Sneha". It is
only when you are proceeding on the God
ward journey along the nine stages of Bhakti
that you can attain this Divine ideal of true
friendship.
165
MOHAMMED, who sought to establish the
primacy of the One Formless Absolute, had a
large share of persecution, defamation and
privation. Jesus, who attempted to rebuild
mankind on the basis of Love, was crucified
by little men who feared that their tiny tower
of hate and greed would be toppled by his
teaching. Harischandra, who had resolved
never to waver from Truth, was subjected to
ordeal after ordeal, each more terrifying
than the previous one. Those who seek to
know God must steel themselves to bear
insult, injury and torture with a smile.
166
UGADHI: THE word "Ugadhi" means: the
day of the Inauguration of the "Yuga or Age".
On this day dedicate your life anew to the
spiritual discipline, giving up all habits that
interfere with the constant remembrance of
God. Nature puts on a neat garb of green,
but man alone continues with his old
prejudices, out-worn habits and moth-eaten
principles, which tarnish and demean him.
The spiritual discipline prescribed by the
Scriptures for the Krita (Yuga) Age is
Dhyana; for the Thretha Yuga it is Dharma;
for the Dwapara Yuga it is Archana or Ritual
worship; and for the Kali Yuga it is
Naamasmarana and Seva. With the constant
remembrance of God, worship the Lord,
leaving the result to the All-powerful, All
knowing and All Merciful. The New
Panchangam reveals the position of the Sun,
Moon and Stars. Saint Thyagaraja sang that
Rama's Grace could counteract the evil effect
of Stars. Expand yourself. Take in all. Grow
in Love. That is the new dress you have to
wear and shine on this day.
167
I AM showing you by My example. You must
fill every moment with useful beneficial
activity. You talk among yourselves, "Oh
Swami is having his rest hour; Swami is
sleeping", but I have never craved, for a
minute's rest or sleep or relief. Shall I tell
you at what time I feel restful, relieved and
content? When I know that you are all
earning supreme Bliss through detachment
and spiritual discipline; not until then. I am
ever engaged in some activity or other for
your benefit. Things that I could get done, I
do not entrust to others; I do them myself,
so that they may learn self-reliance and get
experience thereby.
168
YAMA or the God of death is described as
dragging his victims to his abode by means
of the rope or "Paasa". Well, He has no rope-
factory there, for supplying him with the
rope he needs. You manufacture the rope
yourself and have it ready around your neck;
he has only to take hold of the rope and pull
you along! It is a three-stranded rope, the
strands being "Ahamkara" (Egoism);
"Vishayavasana" (sense-attachment); and
"Kama" (Desire).
169
LEARN a lesson from the tree. When it is
heavy with fruits, it does not raise its head
aloft in pride, it bends low, stoops, as if it
does not take any credit for its
accomplishment and as if it helps you to
pluck the fruit. Learn a lesson from the
birds. They feed those who cannot fly far.
The bird relieves the itch of the buffalo by
scratching it with its beak; they help and
serve each other with no thought of reward.
How much more alert must man be then
with his superior skills and faculties? Service
is the best cure for egoism.
170
I WOULD advise you to dwell always on one
Name of God, one personification of one of
His innumerable attributes of Glory. Then
there is the expansion of your Love, the
removal of hate and envy from your mental
composition, seeing the God whom you
adore in every other person intently as you
see Him in yourself. Then you become the
Embodiment of Love, Peace and Joy.
171
REMOVE the cataract and the vision
becomes clear. So too, remove the feeling of
inferiority that dwarfs you now; feel that you
are "Atma Swarupa", "Nithya Swarupa", and
"Anandaswarupa"; then every act of yours
becomes a "Yajna", a sacrifice and a Puja.
The ear, the eye, the tongue and the feet
become tools for your uplift, not traps for
your destruction. Transform "Tamo guna
into "Thapo guna" and save yourself.
172
REMOVE the weight from your head by
transferring all burdens to the Lord, leave
everything to His will and His Law. Feed
your mind with sweet and wholesome food:
"Satsang", "Satpravatana", and "Sarveswara
Chintha"; then you are full of joy. I am
"Anandaswarupa"; come and take "Ananda"
from Me and, returning to your avocations,
dwell on that "Ananda" and be full of
"Shanti".
173
HE greatest single cause for darkness in the
World today is envy. When one is happy and
contented, others envy him and strive to
ruin his peace of mind. When any one is
acclaimed as great, malice moves others to
invent calumny in order to tarnish his
reputations. This is the way of the World.
There is in life the tragedy of ignorance and
selfishness. They force man to take the
wrong road; and suffer calamity.
174
A STRONG will is the best tonic. The will
becomes strong when you know that you are
a child of Immortality or a person who has
earned the Grace of the Lord. Medicine and
hospitalization are for those who doubt and
hesitate and argue about this doctor being
more efficient than the other and this drug
being more powerful than the rest. For those
who rely on the Supreme Doctor, His Name
is the drug that cures.
175
YOU can call me on the phone, but I will not
be available for all those who do not have the
sincere and steady yearning for the Lord.
For those who say, "No, You are not my
Lord", I say "No". For those who say, "Yes", I
too echo, "Yes". If I am available in your
heart, I will be available over the phone. But
remember, I have My own special Postal and
Telephone Systems. They operate from the
heart straight to the heart. There are rules
and regulations for the operations of the
Systems, which the Sastras declare. You can
find them there. I am glad that devotees
have today acquired this new convenience at
Prashanthi Nilayam.
176
TRUTH can reflect itself in your intelligence
only when it is cleaned by "Thapas".
"Thapas means all acts undertaken with
higher motives and all acts indicating
yearning for the spirit; repenting for past
blunders; staunch determination to adhere
to virtue; self-control; and unyielding
adherence to equanimity in the face of
success or failure. "Thapam" means heat,
burning intensity and earnestness of
endeavor. It is "Thapas" that fosters
Renunciation and discipline.
177
THE Rama and Krishna Avatars performed
the mission of restoring Dharma 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;
and it is a greater tragedy if he cannot
cultivate his Divinity. Contemplation of the
Rama and Krishna Avatars and their Leelas
and Mahimas is the surest method of
cultivating the Divine in Man.
178
GOD has four qualities and it is only when
you cultivate them that you can understand
Him. They are: Prema (Love), Beauty binds man to man, so that man can rid
(Soundarya), Sweetness (Madurya), and himself of the animal and rise into the
Shoba (Splendor). The development of Divine which is his goal.
Prema is enough to add into you the other
three. When you are full of Prema for the 182
Divine in all creation, that stage is Beauty;
when you are immersed in the sea of
DO not get elated at the riches, status,
Universal Love, you reach the acme of
authority, and intelligence, which have been
Sweetness; when your mind loses its identity
given to you on trust, so that you may
and merges in the Universal Mind, then
benefit others. They are all signs of His
there is Splendour indescribable.
Grace, opportunities for service and symbols
of responsibility. Never seek to exult over
179 others' faults; deal sympathetically with the
errors and mistakes of others; hear only
MY task is not merely to cure and console good things about them; and do not give an
and remove individual misery. It is ear to scandals.
something far more important. The
important task of the mango tree is to 183
produce mango-fruit. The leaves, the
branches and the trunk of the tree are useful
NOW, there is a wave of anxiety spreading
in their own way, no doubt, but the main
over the World as a result of rising prices;
aim is the fruit. So, also from the plantain-
and attempts are frantically being made to
tree, the fruit is the main gain. The leaves
bring down the level. The fundamental cause
and the edible core of the stem are all
for the rise in prices is the decline in the
incidental. So too, the removal of misery and
price of man. Man must realise his
distress is incidental to My Mission. My
pricelessness; he should not regard himself
main task is the re-establishment of Veda
as a cheap nut or bolt that has no higher
and Shastra in the heart of Bharthavarsha
purpose in life. He should know that he is
and the revival of Knowledge about them in
the imperishable, unconquerable Atma; and
the people. This task will succeed.
the body is only a vehicle for the Atma.

180
184

NARADA once asked Krishna the secret of

DOES thou know why you are given eyes? To
the attraction His flute play had on the
see whatever can be seen? No! No! To fill the
cowherds of Brindavan. "Do they run to You
eyes with the vision of God who resides on
or do You run to them? he queried. "Among
Mount Kailas. We have to cast our looks at
us there is neither I nor they; how can a
sacred sights. We must visualise in everyone
picture be separated from the cloth on which
only the good and the Godly. That is the
it is painted? I am imprinted on their hearts
purpose for which God has equipped us with
so inseparably and so inextricably", Krishna
eyes. He has not gifted them to us to observe
replied. Have God imprinted on your hearts;
and judge others, to follow people into the
be ever so inextricably established in Him -
bazaar or to see unsightly films.
that is My message to you.
185
181
THE snakes move in curves, not in a straight
THIS Sai has came in order to achieve the
line; man too, when he is following the
Supreme task of uniting the entire mankind
senses, has to move in a crooked path. He
as one family through the band of
has greater poison in him than the snake; his
brotherhood, of affirming and illumining the
venom is to be found in his eye, his tongue,
Atmic Reality of each being in order to
his hands, his mind, his heart and his
reveal the Divine, the basis on which the
thoughts - whereas the cobra has it only in
entire Cosmos rests, and of instructing all to
its fangs. The cobra raises its hood and
recognise the common Divine Heritage that
sways in joy when it hears music - so, man
too, when he realises the stage of
"Nirvikalpa", (steady unchanging
establishment in the ultimate Reality),
dances in heavenly Bliss.
186
GOD is the source of all Love; Love God,
Love the World as the vesture of God, no
more and no less. Through Love, you can
merge in the Ocean of Love. Love cures
pettiness, hate and grief. Love loosens
bonds; it saves man from the torments 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; and all thoughts are innocent.
The World is one vast kin.
187
GOD is all-powerful; God is everywhere;
God is all knowing. To adore such a
formidable limitless principle, man spends a
few minutes out of the 24 hours and uses a
minute idol, image or picture! It is indeed
ridiculous; it is practically futile. Adore Him
so long as you have breath and so long as
you are conscious. Have no other thought
than God, have no other aim than knowing
His command; no other activity than
translating that command into action. That
is what is meant by Surrender. Surrender
yourself unto Him.
188
GOD is the guardian, the corrector, the
admonisher and the savior; so, people must
get into the habit of calling on Him as a
living presence. The temple helps to soften
the hearts! It instills the virtue of
compassion and charity. Greed and cruelty
will spread in an atmosphere that has no
devotion and adoration to God. Make
yourselves into moving temples. Become
aware of the God that resides in you. It is He
who protects you, provides for you and
prevents you from falling prey to pernicious
propensities.
189
THERE are three types of persons: those,
who confess their own faults and mention
the excellence of others, are the highest type;
those, who highlight their own excellence
and decry the faults of others, are worse;
those, who parade their own faults as
excellence and deride the excellence in
others as faults, are the worst. The last type
is nowadays most rampant.
190
GOD has no will or want; He does not confer
or withhold; He is the eternal witness. To
put it in the language that you can
understand: He is like the postman, who is
not concerned with the contents of the
letters that he hands over to the addressees;
one letter might communicate victory;
another defeat; and you receive what you
have worked for. Do good and have good
done in return; be bad and accept the bad
that comes back to you. That is the law; and
there is really no help (or) hindrance.
191
THE relief and joy that you give to the sick
and the sad reach me, for I am in their
hearts and I am the One they call out for.
God has no need of your service; does He
suffer from pain in the legs, or ache in the
stomach? Try to serve the Godly; be
"Dasanudasas", the servants of the servants
of the Lord. The service of man is the only
means by which you can serve God.
192
THYAGARAJA said that, if he is armed with
the Grace of Rama, the planetary missiles
could never injure him. Purandaradasa,
another great saint, asked, "What are eyes
for?" and answered the question himself,
"To visualise the Lord". "Eyes that do not
yearn to see you, are black balls; ears that do
not hear your praise, are narrow mountain
caves where jackals live; and the tongue that
does not relish the repetition of your Name,
can only croak like a frog", says
Purandaradasa.
193
ALL who come embodied are Avatars, that is
to say, advents of the Divine, Manifestations
of God. What then is the special feature of
Rama, Krishna, Buddha and Christ? Why do
you celebrate their Birthdays with such
reverential enthusiasm? The specialty is
this: they are Aware; you are unaware of the
Atma, which is the Truth. Awareness confers
Grace, Glory, Majesty, Might and Splendour.
Awareness confers Liberation from bonds,
time, space and causation, and sleep, dream
and wakefulness. Avatars are ever alert,
aware and alight.
194
THE name of God, if recited with love and
faith, has that power. Once the mother of
Agastya boasted that her son drank all the
waters of the ocean; but the mother of
Hanuman, who was there, said; "Why go to
that extent? My son leaped over it in a trice".
But there was the mother of Rama with
them. She said, "Your son leaped over the
ocean, uttering my son's name. Without it,
he was helpless". The name has that
overmastering power. It can bring unheard
of and unimagined strength and courage.
195
FOR Naamasmarana, no expense is
involved; no materials are needed; there is
no special place or time to be provided. No
qualification of scholarship or caste or sex
has to be proved. When a bit of iron is
rubbed to and fro on a slab of stone, heat is
generated; only the rubbing has to be
vigorous and continuous. When you do so at
intervals and with poor pressure, the iron
will not get hot. So too, in order to get
sufficient heat to melt the soft heart of the
Lord, rub the name "Ram", "Ram", "Ram",
"Ram vigorously and unremittingly; then,
the Lord will shower His Grace.
196
THIS is the best time to tell you something
about the authenticity of this Advent. I only
wish to communicate the Truth. There are
many who can not bear or tolerate the
Splendour that I am manifesting, the
Divinity that is expressed in every act, the
wonders and amazing happenings that are
the result of Grace; these people label these
as acts of mesmerism or miracles or feats of
magic! They hope to bring these down in the
estimation of people. Let me tell you this;
mine is no mesmerism, miracle or magic.
Mine is genuine DIVINE POWER.
197
LIFE sustained by food is short; life
sustained by the Atma is eternal. Do not lay
claim to long life; but to Divine life. Do not
pine for more years on earth, but for more
virtues in the heart. Buddha knew and made
known to the World the Truth. Everything is
grief. Everything is empty. Everything is
brief. Everything is polluted. So the wise
man has to do the duties cast upon him with
discrimination, diligence and detachment.
Play the role but keep your identity
unaffected.
198
IN order to escape being tossed about on the
waves of joy and grief, one should cultivate
unconcern (upeksha), an attitude of
welcoming either as a sign of Grace. Sri
Ramakrishna said that if you must avoid the
sticky fluid in the jackfruit from contacting
your fingers when you peel it, you have to
apply a few drops of oil on them. So, too,
said he, "If you do not want the World and
its reactions to stick to you, have a few drops
of unconcern applied on your mind".
199
THE foundation for real peace is, according
to the Vedas, the quality of Maithree.
Maithree means amicability, friendship,
compassion and, kindness. It can also be
taken to mean "My three", that is to say, my
word, deed and thought shall be in
accordance with words, thought and deed;
that is to say, we shall speak, think and act
together without friction or faction, in an
atmosphere of love and understanding. That
is what is wanted in the world today: My
three.
200
ALL men are Mine; so the whole World has
to be saved from the consequences of
ignorance or limited knowledge. I will get all
My people near Me, for they are Mine, and I
am theirs. Then, I will start teaching and
training them, until they become entirely
ego-free. For the last 25 years, it has all been
sweetness, kindness, soft persuasion;
hereafter, it will be different. I will drag
them, place them on the table and operate.
That is to say, I have no anger or hate. I have
only Love. It is Love that prompts Me to save
them and to open their eyes, before they get
deeper into the morass.
201
MAN alone can rise through effort to higher
stages of spiritual evolution. No other
animal can do so. Animal trainers of the
Circus can train a tiger to perform various
tricks, but they cannot change his nature.
They cannot make it live on grass and
completely deprive it of meat. But man is
different. His nature can be changed by
means of his own disciplined effort. He can
control, by his will, the evil thoughts and
ideas that arise in his mind. This is why
birth as a human being is considered a rare
gift.
202
FAITH in God will instill faith in themselves
and in others and the World will be happier
thereby. The Americans might walk on the
moon, or the Russians picnic on the planet
Mars, but they have both to return to Earth,
which is their common home. One can claim
genuine victory only when one has reached
not the dead satellite, but the living star, not
the Chandra, but Ramachandra, the Lord
who rules over the inner satellites, the inner
planets, the inner motives and aspirations.
203
LIFE is a jungle, where there is a great deal
of dry wood, which harbors worms and
insects. No one cleans the floor of the forest
or cuts away the undergrowth of bush and
bramble. To wade through the thorns and
the leech-ridden floor of the jungle, one has
to wear boots. So too, one has to wear the
boots of sense-regulation, if one has to pass
through the jungle of life without harming
oneself.
204
THERE are three desires which every "I"
cannot escape from. "I must live" is the first.
The will to live is overpowering and
paramount. This is the urge for immortality.
"The desire to know" is the second. This too
is unquenchable thirst and is an indication
of the position of which the "I" is the
inheritor. "The desire for joy" is the third,
prompting man behind the senses into the
outer World for pleasures. This evidence
shows that deep in the core of the "I" there is
a spring of "Ananda" which seeks its mate
and its fulfillment.
205
THERE is no Vidya, which our students are
not proficient in. They develop all the virtues
and they saturate every act of theirs,
including their skills and studies, with those
high and pure qualities. To demonstrate that
this process will yield joy, peace and
prosperity, I have these students as My
instruments. They would themselves act as
ideals. They are the source of My delight and
they sustain My hopes. (They are My
"Aasaya", My "Ananda" and my "Ahaara")
These students, and those of the same stamp
are the pioneers in My task of mending the
present World and ushering in a new World.
206
PARENTS set bad examples uttering
falsehood, scandalizing others, gambling,
drinking, behaving violently, inflicting
injury, becoming addicted to nightclubs,
pictures and drinking parties and quarreling
after arriving home past midnight. How can
children, used to such low sights and
sounds, learn to become bright fresh
fragrant flowers of the Sanathana Garden of
India?
207
THE student of today is not able to realise
what he should primarily be concerned with.
It is only in name that he is a "Vidyarthi",
the seeker of knowledge. In practice he is
only a "Vishayarthi", a seeker of worldly
pleasures. It is the duty of every human
being to understand and respect his parents.
Similarly, in a nation, it is the duty of every
national to assimilate and appreciate the
historical and cultural background of his
nation and consider these two factors as his
father and mother. In fact, one who is
ignorant of the historical and cultural
heritage of his country is like a stupid person
who has no knowledge of his parents.
208
TODAY the student-world is tossed in
confusion; not only in confusion but in
downright insanity. They wear white
clothing; but the hearts are still dark.
Heads are full of evil thoughts
Ears are open for scandal-tales,
Eyes delight in peeping unseen;
Minds crave for wicked plots;
Reason pursues plan to cheat.
When Vidya perceives these in man,
It will not stay a moment there.
When this is the condition, how can one
earn Vidya? Of course, man's present
situation and status are determined by his
acts and thoughts in the past.
209
SAMSKRITI the word for culture and
civilization is derived from the word
Samskara, which means the dual process of
removing the dust and dirt of vice, and
planting the virtues of Sathya, Dharma,
Shanti and Prema. Samskara is also the
name for certain obligatory rites of initiation
and purification prescribed by the Vedas for
the spiritual upliftment of man. Their
number is forty-eight in all, but they could
be reduced to ten and if needed, even to one;
the final fulfilling one, of recognising one's
identity with Madhava, Siva, or Brahman.
Nara is but Narayana seen through the
limitations of primal ignorance.
210
AN Iron box is essential to keep safe
precious stones; so too, the body is essential
to keep safe the precious gift of virtue, faith,
love and discrimination. The parents gave it
and so they have to be respected by speech,
action and behaviour. 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 in Dharma is gratitude; the first duty of
the child is reverence to the parents. When
the first step is absent, ascent is impossible.
211
IF a school has poor discipline and if its
students are led away by self-seekers into
the wilderness, the fault lies on the parents,
elders and the Committee of management.
The Committee often is only a "Come-for-
Tea" affair.
212
HOWEVER superfine the paper, however
artistic the envelope and however poetic the
composition of the letter, it will not reach
the addressee by post when it lacks the 50
paise stamp! So too the trappings, vestures,
shawls, moles and rosaries are ineffective;
they cannot reach the addressee - God. What
will take their prayers to the addressee is the
50 paise stamp: dedication or Bhakti.
213
I WANT each one of you to grow into a
strong, steady and straight person. Your eyes
should not seek evil sights; your ears should
not seek evil tales; your tongue should not
seek evil speech; your hands should not seek
evil acts; your minds should not seek evil
thoughts. Be pure and be full of Love. Help
those who are in a worse condition and serve
those who need your help.
214
GOD appears in human form; He promotes
pasture of cattle and agriculture in order
that the food must sustain the Head and
render it intelligent and clear enough to
realise God. The body has to be nourished
for the sake of the Head, so that "Jnana can
be attained and Liberation gained. Food-
Head-God: this is the chain of events.
 215
MOST of the names of the Divine have but
two letters or syllables; the significance of
the number two, Rama, Krishna, Hara, Hari,
Datta, Shakti, Kali etc., is that the first
syllable represents Agni (Fire principle),
which burns up accumulated demerit or sin;
and the second represents the Amrita
principle, the restorative, refreshing and the
reformation force. The two processes are
necessary for the removal of obstructions
and the construction of the structure.
216
WHEN you live in the World of desire, you
must be prepared for both Joy and Grief.
Invite the Minister Boga, and along with him
you must be prepared for the visit of his
Private Secretary Roga! On the other hand,
invite the Minister Thyaga or his colleague
Yoga, and you will be happy to receive their
Private Secretary Boga who plays a minor
role in the presence of his Master.
217
MAAM anusmara - with Me in memory
ever! Do not distinguish this task as Bhajan,
or Bhojan (eating) or Pujan (adoration of
God). All acts are Pujan, for he, eaten by
Him, for His sake to yield strength for His
work, gives food. Each moment is
worthwhile, for He gives it; He uses it; He
fills it; He fashions it; and He fulfills it.
When He is fused with every breath, you can
achieve the sovereign task of merging in
Him.
218
BHAKTI is not to be calculated on the basis
of the institutions one has started or helped,
the temples that one has built or renovated,
the donations one has given away; nor does
it depend on the number of times one has
written the Name of the Lord or on the time
and energy one has spent in the worship of
the Lord. These are not vital at all; no, not
even secondary. Bhakti is Prema, unsullied
by any tinge of desire for the benefit that
flows from it or the fruit of consequence of
that Love.
219
GOD is as eager to save you, as you are eager
to be saved; He is Prema, He is Karuna, for
all who flounder on the road. He is called
"Bhakta - Abhista - Prada" (He who grants
the desires of the Devotees). You say that I
laugh within Myself, that I roll my hair on
My fingers and draw them right over My
face, but let me say why? A sign of My
"Ananda" is the success of the Bhaktas in
capturing My heart.
220
THE human body has been secured as a
reward for many lives of meritorious
activity. Being valued as a boat, which can
help us cross the ocean of change "Samsara",
it has to be tended with grateful reverence.
The Bhagavad Gita calls the body "Kshetra",
which means "a field"; one can sow holiness
or sin and gather a harvest commensurate
with the particular quality. Choose the crop
that you need before you sow the seeds.
221
THE bird, in the physical cage wherein man
is imprisoned, is always, from the moment
of birth to the moment of death, chirping
"Soham declaring "Jiva and Deva are One".
It is this affirmation that is the justification
for the gift of life. When that chirp does not
emanate from the breath, the body is a
corpse: Savam! When it manifests, illumines
and fills the cage with the "Divine
Fragrance", it is a Tabernacle: Sivam!
Identify yourselves with the Mantra, the bird
chirps and the breath repeats.
222
THE Vedavids marked three stages in the
Life of man and assigned one aspect of God
to preside over each stage. The first, where
man is deep in activity of some sort or other
in Karma, is presided over by Vasu. The
second, under the protection of Rudra, is
filled with reverential worship of the God in
all, discovered through the impact of Love.
The third is the stage of Jnana, the supreme
Wisdom, presided over by the Source of
illumination, Adithya or the Sun.
 223
THE World is a furnace and a factory where
man has to shape his destiny by his honest,
untiring effort. He, who takes up this
challenge and spends his allotted years and
the skills and intelligence with which he is
endowed, in purposeful activity, is really
entitled to the status of a KARMA YOGI.
224
DUTY is God; Work is Worship; and there is
a dictum: "Heads in the Forest; Hands in
Society"; Do deeds that are holy and
beneficial, untarnished by ego and the greed
to benefit. Start on the sacred pilgrimage to
the Divine Goal and make every minute of
your life holy and purposeful. Then surely,
this Earth, your field of work, will be
transformed into a Karmakshetra and a
Dharmakshetra.
225
A DEVOTEE once lamented, saying, "Oh
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, and all mercy. Faith in
God has to be constant and firm in the face
of every challenge by fate or fortune.
226
A PERSON might appear poor, distressed,
and depressed to ordinary mortals; he might
not have the exterior demonstration of
devotion, but God could be ever installed in
his heart, guiding and guarding him. He
might be doing all acts as acts of worship to
the God residing in his heart.
227
WE, who are crossing the ocean of Samsara
(the chain of birth and death), need to
cultivate the art of swimming through
"Bhagavath Chinthana" (Meditation of God).
However learned we may be, if we do not
have this training and cultivation, we are
bound to sink. Life is a boat which enables
us to cross the ocean of Samsara with the aid
of Meditation on God.
228
WHEN you spend your hours in thoughts
about God, you are also free from evil ways.
You will not be tempted to abuse others or
harm them in any way. You live in Love,
accepting all the events as His gifts. Homes
such as yours are, really speaking, Heavens
on earth; the Joy that bubbles in your hearts
is the symbol of Vaikunta; the earnestness
and care that you evince in your work is the
sign of Kailas, the abode of Siva. Hearts
dedicated to these ideals are indeed
"golden".
229
WE cannot describe God in the vocabulary
learnt upon the Earth. We have to
experience the Bliss of realising Him as the
core of our being. Man is endowed with a
sense of wonder and awe, the sense which
makes him either a participant (Karma
Yoga), an inquirer into the mystery (Gnana
Yoga) or a devout adorer (Bakthi Yoga).
230
EVERYDAY before you begin work, pray to
God for a few minutes at least; and, at the
end of the day, when the work is over, gather
in some consecrated spot, a temple or
mandir and offer grateful thanks to the
Lord, singing His name and meditating on
His Majesty. That will make you real Karma
Yogins, even heroes of the Karma Path.
231
ONE does not have to search for spiritual
power, going around the World and
spending a lot of money. Be in your own
house, develop it in yourself, such spiritual
power in you! You do not have to run for it
here and there. God is not external; God is
not outside you; God is inside you. You are
not a man, you are God yourself. You are not
one person, but three; the one you think you
are (physical); the one others think you are
(mental); and the one you really are. Do not
be under the delusion that God is
somewhere and you have to search for Him;
God is in you.
232
PARENTS and teachers can earn My Grace
only by becoming good and worthy examples
to their sons and daughters, or their wards
and students. You claim to have devotion to
Me, but you must examine and discover
whether I am pleased with you. You must
examine yourselves every moment, whether
you are observing the discipline I have laid
down and the program of service I have
marked out. That is the way to earn My
Love. Love others and serve them; then you
can win My Love.
233
YOU will see the day when the Chitravati
sands alone cannot accommodate the
gatherings that assemble here from all parts
of the World; when the sky alone can
provide a roof for them all. Many hesitate to
believe that things will improve, that life for
all will be happy and full of joy, that the
Golden Age will ever recur. Let me assure
you that this Dharmaswarupa has not come
in vain; it will succeed in averting the crisis
that has come upon Humanity.
234
WHEN the Dharma of the Age is laid aside
to establish it anew, through loving means;
when the World is polluted by conflict and
confusion, to restore the path of virtue and
peace; when good men caught in cruel coils
wail, to save them from pain and shame;
when sacred texts are not grasped aright, to
proclaim the message they teach mankind;
to relieve the earth of the burden of Vice, to
fulfill the promise made in the Tretha Age;
Achutha has incarnated on this earth;
Vasudeva, Srihari, has come into the World.
235
GOD alone is eternal; man is a momentary
flash, a tiny wave 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.
236
REMEMBERING the Lord by means of His
name is enough to save man. The Lord is
"Anandamaya"; He is also "Ananda". That
"Ananda" is to be tasted through the Name.
It is "Sath-Chith-Ananda". You may doubt
whether such a small raft as Rama, or Sai or
Krishna can take you across the boundless
sea of Samsara. People cross vast oceans on
a tiny raft; they are able to walk through
dark jungles with a tiny lamp in their hands.
The name or even the Pranava ,which is
smaller, has vast potentialities. The raft
need not be as big as the sea!
237
DO not fret against the rules and regulations
which the Organisation imposes on you;
they are laid down for your own good.
Regulation is the every essence of creation.
The oceans observe their limits. Wind and
fire respect their limits and bonds. The
human body has to maintain its warmth at
98.4 F. in order to be healthy; the heart has
to beat a definite number of times a minute.
How, then, can this Organisation escape the
prescription of certain rules and
regulations?
238
THE same Divine compassion that blessed
Dharma, saved Gajendra, restored Kuchela
and stood by Prahalada, has come to the
Earth as the Refuge of the refugees; as the
Lord of Peace, Harmony and Righteousness;
as the Lord of all the Worlds; as the Sath-
Chith-Anandamurthi; and as the Puttaparthi
Sathya Sai, Sath-Chakravarthi, the King of
Kings.
239
THE Avatar is Atmasakthi that has put on
the raiment of Kriyasakthi and Yogasakthi.
Generally, Avatar or the process of
Incarnation 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 takes it up in her arms; her stoop is not
to be described as a "coming down". If you
earn the necessary credentials, the
Incarnation will come and save you. If, on
the other hand, you multiply your demerits
and descend lower and lower, how can you
be saved?
240
SAI only reflects your mind. He has no
prejudices or preference. He is a mirror
wherein you can see yourselves as you really
are. In order to correct their mistakes and
remove your faults, I sometimes have to use
harsh words; but you may be rest assured
that My sole aim is to turn you to better
ways. I have no anger in Me. It is the inner
compassion which takes the other form of
anger.
241
YOU think that Sai Baba is comfortably
sleeping in the Mandir. Do you know where
I find happiness? I am happy when I am
with you. That is the reason why I declare
"My Life is My Message". I am consistently
engaged in some work or another at all
hours. I do not get attached to anything nor
do I need to detach Myself from anything. I
am ever in full Ananda.
242
EGOISM is a thorny bush which, when
planted and fostered in one's heart, makes
one pay the penalty. Egoism makes enemies
of fast friends and rains many good causes
and projects, for it does not allow two good
men to work together. Grief follows it like a
shadow. Where there is no ego - joy, peace,
courage, cooperation and love flourish.
When man is aware that the same Divine
consciousness that motivates him is equally
motivating all others, then Love ousts the
ego into the background and takes charge of
man's activities, words and thoughts.
243
OVERCOME by inner foes, how can man
succeed in overwhelming the outer foes?
Burdened with sloth and dullness, how can
he achieve wisdom? Prompted by passion,
how can he cultivate devotion? Balance and
equanimity alone can confer peace and
harmony.
244
NARA and Narayana, man and God, are like
iron and magnet. God, by His very nature,
attracts man near, for in man there is the
Divine. When the magnet fails to attract the
iron piece, we sometimes conclude that the
magnet has lost its power. The real fact
however is, that the piece of iron is too
thickly covered by rust and dust. Thus, man
(the iron) does not realise his own defect,
but rushes to blame God (the magnet) and
even to deny Him.
245
REVERE Jnana as you revere your father;
adore love as you adore your mother; move
fondly with Dharma, as if it is your own
brother; confide in Daya, as if it is your
dearest friend; have "Shantam" as your
better half; treat "Sahana", fortitude, as if it
is your own beloved son. These are your
genuine kith and kin. Move with them; do
not forsake or neglect them.
246
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 elevate
your attachment into worship and make it
an instrument for spiritual progress.
247
YOU come to Puttaparthi, secure a picture,
and taking it home, begin worshipping it
every day or every Thursday; but, all that is
simply "Sathkarma", good activity. They will
not take you far. You must also develop
"Sathguna", virtues, good habits, good
attitudes, good characteristics and a good
character. Otherwise, our life is a chain of
pluses and minuses, one canceling the other
out, totaling up to a mere zero.
 248
DEVOTION towards God goes ill with
hatred towards fellow-men. Fellow-men and
the World must be seen ever in the mirror of
"Sath-Chith-Ananda". Kinship based on this
recognition alone will last. That is the Sai
kinship. When you deepen that kinship, the
true presence, the constant presence of
Sathya Sai will be yours. Do not be led, away
by your fancies into the jungle of words and
feelings. Be firm, true to your inner-most
nature.
249
THERE are many Trusts operating in this
country and in others beyond the seas. I
wish to emphasis that the Sathya Sai Trusts
have to shine forth among them all by their
special characteristics. They must be based
on mutual trust and cooperation built on the
actual experience of the One-ness of all.
There is no room here for egoistic poses,
compulsory tactics, greed for power,
recrimination and jealousy.
250
GOD too is a reality, ever present in us and
in every being; but we miss Him, as we miss
the movement of the earth. We have to infer
God through proofs and evidences of His
Providence, His grace, His Majesty and His
Glory, just as we infer the movements of the
Earth, the Moon and the Stars by watching
the sky, the seasons and the precise
procession of day and night. We cannot
describe God in the vocabulary learnt on the
earth.
251
HUMAN desire is illimitable and without
end. It makes you pursue the mirage in the
desert; it makes you build castles in the air;
it breeds discontent and despair once you
succumb to it. But develop the thirst for
Krishna; you discover the cool-spring of
Ananda within you. Krishna-nama makes
you very strong and steady; it is sweet and
sustaining.
252
SIVOHAM, Sivoham - was the exclamation
that rose from the Souls that knew the Truth
in a flash of illumination, after long years of
cleansing the mind through the process of
"Tapas". "I am Siva, Siva am I". Though
called by many names and recognised in
many forms, the Divine Principle is one,
without a second. It is "Sivam" and it is
latent in each being, including Man.
253
THE serpent can be tamed and its poisonous
fangs removed, when music from the
Nagaswaram pipe is played and when it is
fascinated by that sweet melody. The poison
that Vishaya exerts on the human mind can
also be eliminated and countermanded,
when man is fascinated by the sweet
melodies of NNamasmaranaor Sankeertan,
that is to say, by the repetitive chanting of
the meaningful Names of the Lord. The
poison in both can thus be transmuted into
pure nectar.
254
SCRIPTURES are endless; Sadhanas are
countless; opportunities are few; time is
already overstocked. But you can easily win
the battle of life, in spite of these handicaps,
provided you arm yourself with Love, which
is the essential teaching of all Scriptures, the
goal of all varieties of Sadhana, the best use
to which all opportunities can be put and the
most profitable way of utilising the precious
capital time.
255
IMAGINE the fate of the cows when a tiger
enters the manger. Can they survive the
invasion? So too, the cows of Truth, Justice,
Peace and Love cannot survive in the human
heart when the "Tigers", namely Greed,
Anger and Pride enter and play havoc.
Today, the human heart, especially the heart
of the educated man, has become the lair of
wild desires and cruel habits.
 256
THE day when devotees sing songs in praise
of the Lord and please the ear; The day when
sorrows of the poor recur and men move
closer as brothers born; The day when
servants of God are fed with Love and Care
in thankfulness; The day when a Great One
comes to us and relates thrilling tales of
God; these indeed are worthwhile days. The
rest are like days dedicated to obsequies for
the dead.
257
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 homes? Do you
not scrub and wash off dirt? When you
undertake such tasks, the villagers will also
gladly share in them. Why feel 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.
258
ISAA Vaasym Idam Sarvam, all this is
enveloped by God; all this is soaked in God
and saturated with God. Everything is the
substance of God. In fact the best teacher is
one's own heart. Time is the best preceptor
and awakener; the World is the best
scripture; God is the best friend for man. So
there is no need to wander in search of a
Guru. Man is of God, with and from God.
The Cosmos is a bubble born in the
Absolute. The human essence in man is
Divine. The true Guru is not the human
preceptor. Revere the World as Divine. All
that is seen or heard is God. Revere the
Universe as Guru.
259
I HAVE no sense of distinction between
Bhaktas 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 the ages. Cultivate
Love and Prema 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 the distance for Me.
260
THE real aim of education must be to help
the student discover the Divine in every
being Saint Vemana says: Scholars study!
study! study! But the fools know not what
they are! Studying, studying, studying. The
scholar is not free from vice nor has he
become wise. Then why study these mean,
mortal things? Study only that which is
deathless. The most desirable subject for
study is the Secret of the Soul which is
Immortal.
261
SEVA is the adoration of the Lord, as
"Viswa-Virataswarupa", as having the
multifaceted form and immanence in the
entire Universe. The Vedas describe Him as
thousand-headed, thousand-eyed and
thousand-footed. The thousands of hands
and eyes and feet that have come here for
the festivals are all His, the Lord's. Worship
Him; that is the purpose of your Seva. And
He is none else than your own self.
262
YOU must discover your identity; then only
can you have peace. You are like a man who
has forgotten his name; his address and his
mission in life. Realise it and try to delve
into yourself; so that you may know who you
are. Then you get security and peace.
Sharpen your intellect for this purpose; and
cleanse your consciousness for this purpose
through Sathsang, Japa, Dhyana,
Namasmarana etc.
263
VALMIKI was a highway-robber who
waylaid and killed hundreds without
hesitation; he was the slave of passion and
emotion; but when the seven-Sages, whom
he waylaid one night, counseled patience,
forbearance and self-enquiry, he turned
heroically into the path of Ram (giving up
the lure of Kam or Lust) and achieved
immortality and immortal fame, as the
narrator of Rama's story.
264
SCATTER the seeds of Love in dreary desert
hearts; then the sprouts of Love will make
the wastes green with joy; the blossom of
Love will make the air fragrant; the river of
Love will murmur along the valleys; and
every bird, beast and child will sing the song
of Love.
265
PRAYER is the very breath of Religion for it
brings man and God together and with every
sigh nearer and nearer. Dhyana is the
process of listening to the Song Celestial, the
Flute of Krishna, with the mental ears alert
on the melody. Yoga is the merging of the
Mind in the Bliss of self-forgetfulness when
the music fills the Consciousness.
266
THE Primal Formless Absolute wedded
Desire and the Mind was born. The Mind
wedded two wives, Inner contemplation and
Outer activity. The first gave birth to five
sons; Sathya, Dharma, Shanthi, Prema and
Ahimsa, the Five Pandava Brothers. Mind
was infatuated more with the second wife,
and so, gave birth to a 100, each one with a
name indicative of badness and wickedness,
the Kauravas. God was on the side of the
Pandavas and they won.
267
THE Universe is seen; it can be learnt about;
it can be experienced and enjoyed. But God
is unseen. He has to be inferred through His
handiwork. So too, Society to which social
service is rendered, cannot be seen as such.
We can contact only individuals. But
through the individual, you infer the
immanence of the Divine. All are actors on
the World Stage, in His play. Every atom is
surcharged with His Power, His Might and
His Glory. Every being is surcharged with
His Bliss, His beauty and His Goodness.
268
BE devoted to the Universal; be eager to
become that. When you pray to God for a
job, a son, or a prize, you are devoted not to
God, but to the job, to the son and to the
prize. Pray to God for God. Love, because it
is your nature to Love, because you know
nothing else and because you cannot act
otherwise than Love. Expand yourself, take
in all! Grow in Love.
269
HAVING an open heart, do not relish the
narrow path of restricted love; love all, do
not develop prejudices against men in power
or position. They too are our kith and kin.
We all sail together. Be convinced of one
Truth about Me; Swami will never lay his
hand on a task without proper reason and
without some profound effect that will flow
there from.
270
WHEN the Giver of Grace is here, you run
after persons who claim that they got this or
other article from Me or were blessed with
this gift from Me. When you have
Kamadhenu here, why seek to know and
secure a cow? Kamadhenu can give you all
that you need. When you have Kalpatharu
here, why bother about the fruits on a tree?
Kalpatharu can give you all that you ask.
When you have here the mountain of Gold
and Silver, Meru, why cringe for silver and
gold from persons who are themselves
beggars? When you have God come among
you to support and sustain you, why grovel
before crude vulgar entities?
271
MAN is equipped with a return-ticket when
he takes birth. Holding it in his grasp, he
earns and spends, rises and falls, sings and
dances, weeps and wails, forgetting the end
of the journey. But though he forgets, the
wagon of life moves towards the cemetery
which is its terminus. It brings no glory to
man if he is tied helplessly to the wheel of
birth and death. His glory and greatness
consist in disentangling himself from that
revolving wheel.
 272
THE mind is the architect of your progress
or decline. For the fool, the mind is a
formidable dinosaur; for the intelligent, the
mind is an angel. The trained mind is torn
by fear; the pure elevated mind is placid and
unruffled, like that of a homeless Sage. The
Vedas teach how to purify the mind and
render it into a useful tool.
273
INTELLECT alone can direct man in the
path of discrimination, between the true
path and the false; the proper and the
improper. This is the reason why man has
been praying since Ages, through the
Gayathri "hymn" "Illumine me, prompt my
intelligence, so that I may walk aright".
274
SANKARA wrote a verse summarizing the
advice he gave the poor struggling Brahmin
house holder at Varanasi (Benares city):
"Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja
Govindam, Moodha Mathe, Samprapthe
Sannihithe Kaale Nahi Rakshathi Duakru
Karane", Praise God, Praise God, Praise
God, you fool, when death knocks at your
door, rules of grammar cannot save you.
275
OF what avail is a car, a bank deposit, a
bungalow in a posh extension of a city? If
you have all these but no love in your heart,
the heart becomes a dark deserted temple,
where the bats of lust and anger breed in the
everlasting night. Such hearts are foul,
diseased with terror and error!
276
BIRDS, beasts and trees have not deviated
from their nature; they are still holding it
valid. Man alone has disfigured it, in his
crude attempt to improve upon it. So, the
Avatar has to come as Man among men, and
move as friend, well-wisher, kinsman, guide,
teacher, healer and participant among men.
He has come to restore Dharma and when
man follows Dharma, He is pleased and
content.
277
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.
278
CONTENTMENT is heaven; grief is hell;
anger is the foe; calmness is the armour; and
compassion is the comrade. You repeat
Shanti three times, don't you? It is to
encourage peace in the human, Godly and
natural milieu in which you have to live; also
to develop peace, in the body, mind and
intellect.
279
ALL men have two constables ever with
them; they are the symbols of his sentence of
imprisonment. They are "Abhiman" (sense
of I) over "Mamakar" (sense of Mine), the
egoistic feeling and the pride of possession.
Man is a prisoner of his senses so long as
these two keep him under guard. Man strays
away into misery and pain, because he loses
the sense of value and runs after the
temporary and the trivial. He ignores the
voice of God which warns and guides from
within; and he pays the penalty for the
transgression.
280
AN act dedicated as an offering to the God,
resident in all, becomes as sacred as the
highest Seva, that is why Avatars happen;
hence, when you offer Seva to mankind, the
Avatar will naturally be pleased and you can
win Grace.
 281
THE individual born in the lake of Society
must swim and float in the calm waters, and
joining the River of Progress, merge in the
Ocean of Grace. Man has to move from the
stance of "I" to the position of "We". This
day we see only the wild dance of ego-
stricken individuals, who hate Society and
behave most unsocially.
282
THE call of the Divine echoes in every heart;
it provokes the reaction of awe, reverence,
affection, love and sacrifice all ingredients of
Bhakti. 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 "Ananda" becomes
unabated.
283
GOD first; the World next, myself last! That
is the legitimate sequence for the Sadhaka;
and who is not a Sadhaka? 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.
284
MY activities are not for publicity or
propaganda or even to confer joy on others!
They are for conferring joy primarily on me!
I have no need to please others and to earn
approval or appreciation. For I and you are
not distinct entities; you are I; and I am you.
I am the current that flows into every bulk
and illumines it. Those who see me as
separate are seeing falsehood. I am in your
hearts; you are in Mine. Don't be misled into
doubt and distress. Dogs may bark and
jackals howl; but Truth moves majestically
forward.
285
THERE is only one God and He is
Omnipresent, True. But to concentrate on
the Omnipresent, some fixed point or
preliminary form is needed. And to conceive
of the Divine as present everywhere at all
times, the mind of man is to be clarified and
purified by means of a certain psychological
process called Sadhana.
286
REMEMBER, God is your guardian, when
you sleep; when you are helpless; even when
you have forgotten or neglected or discarded
Him. He has no need for the things you offer
or promise to offer. He is ever content, ever
blissful, ever full and ever free. Do your duty
to yourself - that is enough offering for Him.
287
MAN must first decide, after vigorous self-
examination and continuous discrimination,
the path that he wishes to traverse. Moksha
or Liberation means the removal of the
bonds of Ignorance that could hide the Truth
and create a mirage of the Truth. In fact,
living is only another name of the process of
achieving alternate misery and happiness,
hunger and contentment, illness and health,
desires and fulfillment.
288
THE Sai Religion is the harmonious
blending though Love of all Religions,
though some followers of other Faiths feel
that the Sai Religion is contrary to theirs. We
should not entertain similar feelings. Ours is
the Totality, the Sum; we should not limit or
restrict our Vision.
289
YOU may have vast scholarship, fame and
fortune. But the bee can give you a lesson on
how to be free from torment. The tree can
teach you forbearance and tolerance. It
offers a shade to all, irrespective of age, sex
or religion, nationality or status. It helps
with fruit and shade even to the foe who lays
his ax on its trunk! The dog can teach you a
lesson in Faith, Selfless Service and the
process of Dedication.
290
FORM small Sathsangas and meet regularly
for Bhajans and mutual consultation about
spiritual matters. Read some fine spiritual
classics like Bhagavatha. Fill your eyes with
the Beauty of His form, your ears with the
story of His Leelas, and your hearts with the
sweetness of His Glory; inspire yourselves by
seeing Him everywhere. Think of His
Immanence in every hill and dale, every man
and beast, every tree, bird and insect. You
will be really thrilled by the joy of that
Vision.
291
MAN is daily growing more and more greedy
to know more about the lives of others, more
extrovert in fact. He wants to escape from
himself by interesting himself in others. He
does not want to worry about the details of
his own life or the problems of his own
rehabilitation. Of what benefit is all this
burden of information that you seek to
carry in your head, this knowledge of the
various regions of the world without a
knowledge of the region of your own self, the
centre of all the interest that you evince?
292
REMEMBER, you cannot have the
"Anubhava" and the "Ananda" first. And you
cannot postpone Faith until you get them.
You cannot bargain: Give me Ananda and
then I shall have Faith; See the
Purushothama in all Purushas. Purusha
means: he who lives in the rural or port-city
or town. Each one of us is the resident and
the sole resident of a distinct house of God.
But, the Purushothama, the Supreme
Resident in all the cities, is God. You can
recognise the Purushothama, if you educate
yourselves properly.
293
EVERYDAY, when you take food you are
offering eatables to the fire that God has put
in you to digest food. You have to eat in a
prayerful mode, in profound gratitude. The
Gita says that the fire which cooked the meal
is God; the meal is God; the eater is God; the
purpose of eating is to carry on the work
entrusted by God or pleasing to God; and the
fruit of that work is progress towards God.
294
PREMA must grow with every moment of
Sadhana. It must sweeten every word, deed
and thought of yours. Emerge from Dhyana
as a person more charged with Love!
Emerge from Bhajan with a greater measure
of Love! Return from Nagarsankirtan with a
firmer conviction that everything is
surcharged with the same Divinity that is
behind all your activity.
295
THE beauty of Nature is but a reflection of
the Beauty that is God. But like all images, it
is not substantial. Flowers fade, clouds
scatter into new patterns, physical charm is
but a flash that disappears in a moment - but
Divine Beauty is eternal, full and free. That
Sundaram is Sathyam, unaffected by the
passage of time, unchanging with the
location; that Sundaram is the real Shivam,
the only Good that is. Pursuing petty
physical beauty leads man astray; it is as
calamitous as the pursuit of trivial joy.
296
YOU must all study the Gita daily. Read a
few slokas and meditate on the meaning
yourself; it will dawn on you in the silence of
your heart. You need not read elaborate
commentaries. Each word in the Gita is a
gem. No more do you need gemstones for
the ear, the nose, and the neck; have the gem
of the Gita slokas in your heart; let them
activate your intellect and your hands.
 297
WE shall act ever as if we are in the presence
of God, as if God is watching and weighing
every thought, word and deed. See
yourselves in all; See all in yourselves; that is
the road to lasting peace and joy. Let us not
seek the outer empire; let us become the
rulers of the inner empire. Let us not try to
defy the outer enemy, leaving the inner foe
to grow in striking power. We have Krishna
with us, and so, who can defeat us? We shall
win through winning His Grace.
298
YOU may be in the Prasanthi Nilayam area
for 20 or 25 years. But you worry more
about physical needs and comforts than
Japam and Dhyanam; the waving of the
camphor flame at the end of the Bhajan
sessions is to remind you that your sensual
craving must be burnt away without leaving
any trace behind, and you must offer
yourself to God for being merged with His
Glory.
299
THE Gayathri Manthram 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 Sadhana; and Sadhana may lead to
success.
300
VINAYAKA CHATHURTHI DAY
GANAPATHY is described as "Buddhi
Vinayaka" and "Siddhi Vinayaka" (Vinayaka
the Wise and Vinayaka the Accomplished).
"Vinayaka" means the Ganas, hence He is
called Ganapathy. Man is confronted with
many obstacles (Vighnas) in the journey of
life. Prayers are offered to Vigneswara - for
removing obstacles and impediments. He is
the Deity to whom worship is offered first in
any ritual. Because of the acute intelligence
He displayed, Vinayaka was made Head of
the Ganas by Parameswara.
301
HAPPINESS and peace do not follow when
man is fed well, clothed well, housed well
and educated up to a good standard and
employed under comfortable conditions
with no injury to health or security. There
are many who have all these in plenty but
who are still worried or in pain or
discontented. They depend on the inner
equipment of man, not on his outer skill or
riches.
302
SPEND the allotted span of years in the
contemplation and the adoration of the
Almighty, not in servile praise of the feeble,
the futile and the weak. Life is an
opportunity afforded to each, not to eat and
drink, but to achieve something nobler and
grander; to master oneself and merge in the
Reality.
303
A PERSON being transferred from one goal
to another will have two Constables who will
escort him. The "Punya" and the "Papa"
(good consequences and bad consequences
of actions) are the Constables who lead man
from one birth to another. You must escape
from their attention and avoid migration
from one goal to another; act - but do not
calculate the consequences. That is to say,
do not worry about the consequence; leave it
to God who prompted the act and made it
possible. Dedicate the act, the will, and the
wish, all to God.
304
IT takes time for a fruit to mature and
acquire sweetness and become eatable; time
is a prime factor for most good fortunes.
Make full use of Me, that is all I ask of you. I
have at no time any feeling of separateness. I
invite all to come and know and derive
benefit from Me. Dive and know the depth;
watch and discriminate; eat and know the
taste - I long for people who do that.
 305
SARVAM Vishnu mayam jagath: the
Universe is saturated with Divinity; there is
nothing here which is not HE; ISAA
VAASYAM IDAM SARVAM. He is the base
and the superstructure, the material and the
manner, the inner motive and the outer
movement. The body is the temple of the
Lord; the atmosphere of this temple is by its
very nature filled with Love for all beings.
But man, overpowered by egoism, fouls it
with envy and greed and so it festers with
disease and distress.
306
THERE are some who always condemn
themselves and their lives and aspire for the
Grace of God to save them. Jiva and Deva
are two separate entities and never can they
merge or unite, they declare. The obvious is
very often untrue. Sin is not the real nature
of man; it is acquired and can be shed. Man
is pure, good, loving and wise. That is why in
the Nilayam, I have stopped people from
reciting slokas which proclaim man as
sinful, born in sin, reveling in sin, etc., Let
the purity, which you are, get manifested;
endeavour to express it in your activities;
that is what pleases me and wins my Grace.
307. I AM telling you this, because it is a
forecast of what you can expect in the
coming days. I have been declaring since 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.
308
IF you live on the level of the Body and the
Individual, you will be entangled in food, fun
and frolic, 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.
309
WE have to pay attention to the plans that
intelligence dictates, not to the external
signs of orthodoxy. A person may appear
strictly orthodox, but his heart may be filled
with the poison of hatred and envy. Has he
realised that God is the God of all, that He is
present in every being "Sahasraseersha,
Sahasraksha, Sahasrapaad", (thousand
headed, thousand eyed, thousand legged) as
He is?
310
WHEN Avatars come, they choose the time
and the place, clan and the family, and they
decide and bring the comrades and the
coworkers. When Rama came, Sesha,
Sankha, Chakra and other inseparable
adjuncts of the Lord also incarnated; they
also came down in order to taste the
sweetness of the Lord's company and
service. Rohini, under which Krishna was
born, is related to the attainment of Yogic
success and the powers that flow from it.
311
PUNARVASU, the star under which Rama
was born, has a mysterious influence on the
authority which accepts all who submit to
the "Saranagatha-Thrana" aspect of Rama's
glory.
312
HOW can darkness conquer or stand up to
light? Krishna is "Premaswarupa" and He
can be won over only by "Prema". Audacity
cannot approach Him. Actors in films,
however, correct their accouterments
(equipment) and intonation; they can never
be the Real. Not even the biggest Scientist
can understand Me by means of the
categories to which he is accustomed. I
always smile at those who deride Me and
even those who praise Me. I am always full
of "Santhosh", whatever may happen.
Nothing can come in the way of My smile.
Derision and Calumny only tend to make it
grow better and happier.
313
THREE disciplines are essential, to become
aware of Divinity in all and in the Avatar. No
activity should be taken up with individual
aggrandizement in view; intellectual
emotion must be directed to the revelation with Meditation and they take to a wrong
of the Resident in the Heart, Atma. Every act path. Concentration is something which we
should be done sincerely, with love, with no use involuntarily in our daily, normal
yearning for acquiring personal profit, fame routine life.
or benefit. Above all, listen to the voice of
God within. As soon as one contemplates a 317
wrong act, that voice warns, protests and
advises giving up.
TO many it may appear strange that in this
Anandalaya (Abode of Bliss) there exists an
314 Arogya Nilaya (Abode of Health) or
Hospital. They may wonder why prominence
ONAM FESTIVAL ONAM is the Festival of is given to bodily health, in a place that is
the Vamana's advent as well as Bali's dedicated to the health of the Spirit. But for
Transformation. Emperor Bali was both attaining the four aims of Human life,
humiliated and blessed by God Vamana, the Dharma (Righteousness), Artha
Emperor of the Three Worlds. Bali was (Prosperity), Kama (Fulfillment of Desires)
saturated with egoism. God came to him in and Moksha (Liberation from Bondage), the
the guise of a Brahmin boy and asked for a basic requirement is health of the body and
gift of just three-foot measures of land. The the mind.
Preceptor of Bali warned him about the
identity and bona fide of the strange 318
mendicant who was God Himself. Vamana
drew Himself up to Cosmic proportions and
IT is enough if Prema is cultivated, the
measured the entire earth with one foot and
Prema that knows no distinction between
the vast expanse of space with another foot.
oneself and another, because all are but
Bali offered his own head as the third foot-
limbs of One corpus of God Almighty.
measure and went into the Nether World.
Through Love alone can the Embodiment of
Vamana taught that Pride meets with doom.
Love be gained. Here, no scholarship is
He permitted Bali every year on Onam day
needed; in fact, scholarship will be an
to receive the homage of the people.
impediment for it caters to egoism and it
breeds doubts and the desire for disputation
315 and laurel of victory over others preening
themselves as learned.
ONAM ONAM is the Festival which instills a
Divine Message into those who observe it 319
with an eye on its inner significance. Kerala
has contributed a great deal to the
IT is a national disgrace if the sons and
preservation of Vedic Culture and Sanskrit
daughters of India (which was for centuries
learning. Keralites have a name for faith and
the Light of Asia and the Guru of the West)
dedication. Witness the age-old privilege the
grope in the dark, blinded by the
Nambudris of Kerala enjoy as priests of the
scintillations of the scientific inventions of
great Vaishnavite shrine thousands of miles
the West. But Peace does not drop from
away from their land, namely Badrinath,
outer space! It springs from the heart within.
among the Himalayas.
320
316
THE Himalayas, which form the bastion of
MANY people think that Concentration is
Bharath, are the symbols of might and
the same thing as Meditation, but there is no
majesty; they remind us of the Purity that
such connection between Concentration and
we should develop in ourselves; they teach
Meditation. Concentration is something
us that we should be as firm, as unshaken as
which is below your senses, whereas
the snow clad peaks, as unaffected by the
Meditation is something which is above your
noise and turmoil of the bazaars of mankind.
senses. But many are under the false
impression that concentration is identical
 321
BETWEEN Concentration and Meditation,
there is a border area which covers both and
that is the area of Contemplation. To be in
that area of Contemplation is to free yourself
of worldly attachments. If you break away all
the worldly attachments - all the routine
attachments in the World - then you enter
the region of Contemplation. When you have
completely broken away all your
attachments, you break through this area of
Contemplation and you get into the area of
Meditation.
322
THE ultimate step of Self-realisation
depends upon the base of Self-confidence.
You must therefore develop as a first step
Confidence in your own self. Without having
and developing Confidence in your own self,
if all the time you are talking of some power
being with someone else, if in this way you
travel all the time and depend upon a power
which is with someone else, when are YOU
going to acquire any power and confidence
in your own self?
323
EVEN when Divinity comes down as Avatar,
man is unable to pierce the veil and revere
the Divine. Lord Krishna says that people
are unable to recognise the Divinity that is
He, because they deem Him to be merely
human. Only those who are aware of the
current within, the Atma, can identify the
Source of Power before them.
324
ONE of the first principles of straight living
is: 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. There will be
no temptation for others to shout when you
talk to them in whispers. Set the level of the
tone yourself; as low as possible, as high as
necessary to reach the outermost boundary
of the circle you are addressing. Conserve
sound since it is the treasure of the element
Akasa, an emanation from God Himself.
325
WHAT is a School for? To make man
human. Man has in him certain specific
attributes which have to be developed and
fostered, so that he can rise up to his full
stature. If these are ignored or allowed to lie
fallow, he exists at the animal level only.
Discipline alone can make him grow into his
heritage. The animal can be transformed by
training to behave like a man.
326
I LIKE simplicity, I like a dress that will not
discourage people from approaching you for
a kind word, a bit of service, a helping hand.
It must be clean and decent; not outlandish
and queer. It should not be worn to attract
attention. Just as you desire to wear clean
comfortable clothes for the body, desire also
clean, consoling exercises for the mind, like
"Japam" and "Dhyanam".
327
MAN is flying to the Moon and diving into
the Sea; but he does not know how to live on
Earth with his fellow men in Love and Peace.
He moves towards the Moon for fear others
may reach there before him and dives
through the Sea to strike terror, himself
terrified of others! The way to live without
fear or causing fear is laid down in the Gita,
the very first Sloka which is about
Dharmakshetra!
328
IF one's passions and emotions have come
under control of his higher nature, then the
Lord will assume responsibility for his
progress towards Him. Otherwise, he will
have to wait. Do not think that you have no
Natha or Guardian. God is the only "Anatha"
- Guardianless Person. All the rest have Him
as the Natha or Guardian. He is ever beside
Man, within him as Conscience, without him
as Companion and Guide.
329
DO not lay the blame on Godhead, as you
are prone to do. When everything goes right
you say that God has come close to you; in His Hand; render every tear holy and
when something goes wrong you say that pure, fit to wash His Lotus Feet.
God has deserted you and gone far away! He
does not move far or near. The distance from 334
Him to you is as much as the distance from
you to Him. He is everywhere. He is always
NOW I must tell you, that during this Sai
in your heart. Recognise Him there; realise
Avatar, there is no place for a "drama" with
Him as closest and nearest to you. He is your
scenes of failures and defeats! What I will,
own self, neither terrible nor tender, but
must take place; what I plan must succeed. I
simply IS.
am Truth; and Truth has no need to hesitate,
fear or bend.
330
335
YOU cannot be fresh and feeling fine
wearing a washed vest under an unwashed
DO not attempt to know Me through the
shirt, or an unwashed vest under a washed
external eyes. When you go to a temple and
shirt. Both have to be clean to provide the
stand before the Image of God, you pray
sense of tingling joy. So too, outer and inner
with closed eyes, don't you? Why? Because
cleanliness is but the reflection of the inner
you feel the Inner Eye of Wisdom alone can
achievement. There is a strange glow on the
reveal Him to you. Therefore do not crave
face of a guideless person. Inner cleanliness
for the trivial material objects; but crave for
has its own soap and water - the soap of
Me and you will be rewarded.
strong faith and the water of constant
practice.
336
331
I SHALL tell you why I give these rings,
talismans, rosaries, etc. It is to signalize the
REASON can prevail only when arguments
bond between Me and those to whom they
are advanced without the whipping of the
are given. When "calamity befalls them, the
Sound. Silence is the speech of the Spiritual
article comes to Me in a flash and returns in
Seeker. Soft sweet Speech is the expression
a flash taking from Me the remedial Grace of
of genuine Love. Hate screeches; Fear
protection. The Grace is available to all who
squeals; Conceit trumpets, but Love sings
call on Me in any Name or Form, not merely
lullabies, it soothes, it applies balm. Practice
to those who wear these gifts. Love is the
the Vocabulary of Love; Unlearn the
bond that wins Grace.
language of hate and contempt.
337
332
I HAD to tell you so much about My Truth,
THE true aspirant will have a reverent
for I desire that you should contemplate on
attitude to the duty he is bound to. He will
this and derive joy from the reform, so that
carry out every task assigned to him as if it is
you may be inspired to observe the
an act of worship, by which the Lord will be
disciplines laid down by Me and progress
pleased and through which he can approach
towards the Goal of Self-realisation, the
the pedestal of God. Duty is God; Work is
Realisation of the Sai that shines in your
Worship--that is the motto.
hearts.

333
338

WORSHIP is not a uniform to be put on and

IF each one does his duty in the spirit of
off at stated hours of the day. Render every
dedication, the Light can illumine all, but if
thought into a flower worthy to be held in
the doors of the heart are shut against the
His Fingers; render every deed into a fruit,
Light, how can darkness disappear? You
full of the sweet juice of Love fit to be placed
cannot sit back and expect the Incarnation
to bring Peace and Joy into you. The
Incarnation comes to warn, to guide, to
awaken, to lay down the path and shed the
light of Love on it. But man has to listen,
learn and obey with hope and faith.
339
THE deer, the elephant, the cow, the horse -
these live on Sathvic food and behave in a
Sathvic manner. So they are adored and
even worshipped by man. Tigers, bears,
hyenas and other wild animals are feared by
man and are driven by him into the dark
recesses of the forests. The wonder is that
the wildness, the cruelty and the terror-
inflicting attributes of these beasts are
developed and exhibited by man himself!
Man prides himself as the crown of creation,
he declares that he has in him the spark of
the Divine. But he ignores it or suppresses it
and revels in displaying the qualities of the
ferocious beasts of the jungle.
340
THE ocean is a vast mystery. It is boundless
and as old as time. It has in its womb chaotic
whirlpools, raging currents, and it has a face
with furious moods. No one can hope to sail
over it from one shore to another without a
sturdy boat of Divine Grace to cross the
raging Ocean of this "Samsara" (ever-
changing, ever-agitated flow of life). This
ocean too is vast and full of mystery; it has
its unplumbed depths! It tosses man about
from birth to death and again from death to
birth.
341
TO equip oneself with the Ocean-worthy
boat of Grace, one has to develop in himself
the qualities of Faith and Discipline. One has
to clarify and purify the inner
Consciousness, the "Chitta". Time is the Gift
that God has blessed man with, for this
purpose. So man should use it as an
instrument for the clarification and the
purification. Contemplating the Glories of
God, discovering His Presence in Beauty,
Goodness and Truth seen anywhere,
meditating on His Form, repeating His
Name - by these means the process can be
made successful.
342
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 in 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.
343
THE best way to resolve the confusion 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 thoughts that the
intellect frames, must be reflected as feeling
in the mind and translated into action by the
hands. Thought, word and deed must be
coordinated. They must fulfill one another.
The sign of a holy person of Mahatma is
"Manasayekam, Vachasyekam,
Karmanekam", "One mind, one word, one
act".
344
SATHYA and Dharma go together; they are
the two faces of the same coin. "Sathyam-
naasthi Paro Dharmah", "There is no
Dharma higher than Sathya. Righteousness
is built on the foundation of Truth".
345
WORDS can confer strength; they can drain
it off; Words can gain friends; they can turn
them into enemies; words can elevate or
lower the individual. One must learn the
habit of making one's words sweet, soft, and
pleasant. A person is judged by his words;
words inflict damage in other ways too.
Whenever we talk disparagingly,
defamingly, sarcastically or hatefully of
others, they get recorded on the tape, which
is our own mind.
 346
DIAMOND and gold are only material
things; man has made them precious. But,
man is really the most valuable being on
earth. He has recognised his uniqueness and
importance for, he declares, "Janthoonaam
narajanmam durlabham". In spite of the
awareness, man desecrates himself by
bartering himself for trivial pleasures.
347
WE have a feeling that "Ananya Bhakti"
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; you are my
saviour, Oh God of Gods", we have
surrendered and are practicing "Ananya
Bhakti". Real "Ananya Bhakti" comes from
deep inquiry into the Reality of the Inner
Self.
348
THE World today is in a very bad state. The
situation can improve only through
Asthikas, who are believers in Divinity. They
should become Prema Swaroopas or
Embodiments of Love and by their Sadhana,
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
visualizing through thousands of eyes what
you do. Even when no one is seeing, God is
watching your actions always. Do everything
with this awareness.
349
WHEN clouds gather in the sky, lightning
appears and illuminates the cloud. Similarly,
"Wisdom must illuminate Education". This
word of SAI is the path of Truth. Smaller
than the smallest atom, bigger than the
biggest thing, witness of everything, the
Atma is Brahman and Brahman is "Atma".
350
THERE are three types of knowledge:
Knowledge of matter-energy; knowledge of
mental energy; and knowledge of cosmic
energy. Cosmic energy works in every
person in the form of Divine knowledge.
Matter in all 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.
351
MAN does not live by food alone. In fact he
lives by the power of the Atma. So you must
use your strength of body and mind, wealth
and education with intelligence, in order to
realise the Power of the Soul. Without
discrimination, what is the use of physical
strength?
352
ILLNESS, both physical and mental, is a
reaction of the body, caused by poisons in
the mind. An uncontaminated mind alone
can ensure continuous health. Vice breeds
disease. Bad thoughts and habits, bad
company and bad food are fertile grounds
where disease thrives. "Arogya" and
"Ananda" go hand in hand. A sense of
elation and exultation keeps the body free
from ill health. Evil habits in which men
indulge are the chief causes of disease,
physical as well as mental. Greed affects the
mind; disappointment makes man
depressed. Man can justify his existence as
man, only by the cultivation of virtues. Then
he becomes a worthy candidate for
Godhood.
353
THE God ward path is Karma, based on
Dharma. That is the path also towards joy,
contentment and, therefore, of strength.
Now, the path has become hidden by an
overgrowth of briar and bush; the bridges
and culverts are in disrepair. People have
forgotten the goal, the path and the habit of
walking on it. That road is the only refuge; it
must be trodden tomorrow, if not today, for
the goal lies at the end of that road. It was
laid down, centuries ago in the Vedas,
beyond the memory of history. "Sathyam
Vada", "Dharmam Chara": the Vedas call on
you.
 354
MAN is basically, essentially and fully
immortal. He is "Amruthaswarupam" yet he
is afraid he would die! He is
"Anandaswarupa"; yet he weeps that he is
miserable. He is Santhiswarupam; yet
everywhere he is overlaid with anxiety. This
absurd self-deception is the root of the
tragedy from which the World suffers today.
355
ALL Religions exhort man to cleanse the
heart of malice, greed, hate and anger. All
Religions hold out the gift of Grace as the
prize for success in this cleaning process.
Ideas of superiority and inferiority arise only
in a heart corrupted by egoism. If someone
argues that he is higher or that his Religion
is holier, it proves that he has missed the
significance of his faith.
356
SACRIFICE, service, sharing in the
exaltation of others, and compassion when
others suffer grief are virtues that purify and
prepare the individual to the arduous task of
reaching the Goal. Expand the limited
awareness of the individual into the limitless
realm of Divine Glory - that has been the
call, down the corridors of Time.
357
FOR each person, there is a Code of Conduct
laid down in the Shastras, according to age
and status, the profession adopted, the stage
of spiritual attainment reached and the goal
of life accepted. Do not carp at the behaviour
of others or at the efforts they make to get
consolation and courage amidst the turmoil
of life. For each there is the path that he has
chosen and the Name and the Form of God
he prefers. Also do not give up your Code of
duties and take up that which is
recommended for someone else.
358
DELUSION has to die; then only does the
cycle of change end, then only is man
liberated from the bonds of birth, life and
death. Call it "reaching the Goal", or
"Sayujyam" or "Brahmasaakshaathkaaram",
or "Aikyaanubandhaanam" or "becoming
one with the Infinite" - the Names may differ
but the Finish is the same. Every mortal
must attain Immortality; for he is
"Amruthasya Puthra", a child of
Immortality.
359
IT is much easier to speak the Truth and be
done with it. What you have seen or heard or
done, speak about these just as you saw or
heard or did! And what is Dharma?
Practicing what you preach, doing as you
practice in life. Earn virtuously; earn
piously; live in the fear of God; live for
reaching God. That is Dharma.
360
THE Five Elements have each a
characteristic that affects and attracts one of
the five senses: Sound (ether) which
fascinates the mind through the air; Touch
(Air), which draws the mind to itself through
the skin; Form (fire), which manipulates the
mind in its favour through the eye; Taste
(Water), which enslaves the mind through
the tongue; and Smell (Earth), which
attracts the mind through the nose. Contact
with the external world is maintained by the
senses, for the sake of these experiences
which yield joy or grief.
361
THE symbol on the Flag at Prasanthi
Nilayam is a reminder of this ideal, which
you have to put into practice. It is the
symbol of Victory, achieved by steady
endeavour over the diabolic foes of lust and
greed, of envy and hate and of malice and
conceit. It is the symbol of the silent state of
the Supreme Bliss, won through Self-control
and Self-realisation.
362
THERE is not the slightest trace of self-
interest in Me. Whatever I do, whatever
paths I pursue, everything is intended for
the happiness of all, for the good of all, and
for the improvement of all. Not a single
action of Mine is undertaken for the
satisfaction of My own personal desires.
Desire is something alien to Me. All My
wishes are only to promote the welfare of the
World. "Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavanthu"
is the only objective of SAI (May all the
World be happy).
363
SAI'S main purpose is to develop the minds
and attitudes of young men on right lines, so
that they may work for the progress and
welfare of Bharath. Students are the only
wealth that I cherish. All My hopes are
concentrated on them. To reform them and
train them to serve as exemplars of
righteousness is Sai's sole resolve.
364
I DO not have any particular desire with
regard to food or any other need. My
"Ananda" is My food; and to secure that food
I promote happiness in others and derive
delight from their joy. That is the
significance of My statement, "My Life is My
Message". To feel blissful enjoying the
happiness which others experience, is a
quality of the Divine.
365
YOU come to know that you are a spark of
the Divine Flame. Very soon, you realise that
others too are sparks from the self-same fire.
How then can hate, anger, envy or greed
survive in the Sunlight of the Vision?
366
CHANGE your Vision and the world will
appear accordingly. Let the eye be charged
with the Divine, it will see all as God. It is
foolish to try to shape the World; shape
yourself as the embodiment of Peace, Love
and Reverence. Then you will see all as Love,
Compassion and Humility.
367
YOU are the image of the Supreme Atma,
the image that is reflected in the body that is
part of "Prakriti". Your body is Kith and Kin
of all the objects that surround you in
nature; your body is an object among so
many. 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 entities called Iswara -
Jiva - Prakriti.
368
IT IS not enough you are at Puttaparthi. You
have to engage in Sadhana to win My
Sankalpa. You may think that the burden of
the consequences of acts done in previous
births cannot be easily brushed away; no,
they can be destroyed, as a heap of cotton is
by a spark of fire. "Jnanagni dagdha
karmanam", the speck of Jnana will destroy
the effect of Karma in a trice.
369
DO not jump to conclusions, abdicating your
discrimination and do not deny the validity
of your own experience. Stand on your
strength. Be unmoved, either by adulation or
denigration. Follow My lead. I am
unaffected by either; I march on alone,
undeterred and of My own accord. I am My
own Guide and Witness; have full faith in
this.
370
TODAY, man dabbles in Yoga (devotional
practices) in the morning hours; revels in
Bhoga (festivity and luxury, catering to the
senses) during the day; and tosses about in
roga (disease) during the night! Bhakti is not
to be "performed" during certain periods
every day and superseded by other
fashionable attractions. Bhakthi is a
constant, continuous bent of mind, a habit of
thought and a way of life. It must be loyally
adhered to, whatever may happen -
dishonour, distress, despair, deprivation,
pleasure, prosperity, power and pomp.
371
MAN seeks joy in far off places and peace in
quiet spots; but the spring of joy is in his
heart; the haven of peace is in himself. Even
when he walks on the Moon, man has to take
with him, his fears, his anxieties, his
prejudices and his pet aversions. Have faith
in God and in the correctness of moral
living. Then you can have peace and joy,
whatever may be the fare that fortune offers
you.
372
THE parents gave you this body and fostered
the intelligence and love that are embedded
in it; so gratitude is their due. If you do not
honour the parents who are the creators in
human form, how can you learn to honour
the Creator in Divine Form? Moreover, the
parents reveal to you the glory of God and
the means of worshipping Him; they are the
first representatives of authority which you
meet with, authority modified by love and
care. Learn to bend before that authority;
and you will learn how to submit to the
Lord.
373
POEMS, that deal with the fundamental
problems of life and death, truth and
delusion, and virtue and vice, will last for
centuries and will help man at all times.
Problems of exterior living change and get
changed. So when poems deal with them,
they are short-lived. "Prakriti" and
"Paramathma", Creation and Creator are
like two halves of a pulse: and seedling
sprouts from between them.
374
YOU have it in your power to make your
days on Earth a path of flowers, instead 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 and that He is
present in you and every living being. Adore
everyone as you adore Sai.
375
THE span of life allotted to man is very
short; the World in which he lives is very
wide; time extends far behind and far
beyond. What little man has to accomplish
must be done quickly, at the place that is
assigned to him and within the time that is
allotted to him. And, man has such a
formidable task before him; it is to fulfill it
that he has come as man, exchanging for this
human habitat all the merit he has acquired
during many past lives. The task is no less
than the manifestation of the Divinity latent
in man.
376
RISE up to the Divine, don't bring down
Godhead to your human and even animal
levels. Do not worship God as the picture
before you, but worship the picture before
you as God, because God is in everything
and can be grasped through every single
symbol. There is nothing wherein He is not;
there is no might or right, apart from Him.
377
SNAKES hiss; pigs grunt; and bulls moo!
They are asserting their ego, intent on
keeping others away. Of the traits of ego,
pride is the most poisonous. But the pride of
the scholar and the vanity of Pundits are so
thick that it is impossible for them to get rid
of these.
378
GOD is the vastest among the vast, minutest
among the minute. Yet, God has no ego.
How then can man, who has no claim to
even the tiniest glory, parade himself as
great? It is really a ridiculous pose. The
egoist ignores the source which can bring
respect to him. He loses the chance of
developing his skills and talents on the right
lines.
379
WHAT can ten baths a day do to cleanse a
person, when his mind is fouled by evil
thoughts? What can the shaven head and the
ochre clothes do to foster spirituality, when
his mind is riddled by desires and wants?
You may rotate a ball of sweets round the
mouth but unless it is eaten, hunger will not
be abated. So, develop sincere longings,
cleanse the mind, purify the thoughts and
put the precepts into practice.
 380
SOME of you claim to be Saibhaktas,
Ramabhaktas, and Krishnabhaktas. But
unless you are perfect instruments in His
hand, you do not deserve that name. For
example, Bharata can call himself
Ramabhakta. He lived with Rama-Nama in
every breath; he suffered as much as Rama;
he was as much as anchorite as his brother;
so, he too become Shyama (dark-skinned)
like Rama.
381
THE body has to be exercised to keep it trim
as a tool for serving your fellowmen. The
body has not been granted by God in order
to be fed and well-clothed and to be paraded
around in pride. Plunge into the problems of
Society, take up the burden of the family and
advance the interests of your country. Shine
as examples of Loving Service.
382
MAN has in him vast resources of Power.
When he does not utilise them while
discharging his duties to himself and the
Society which sustains him, he is only
becoming a target for ridicule. When you are
at the railway-station, waiting for the train,
and then you come to know that it will arrive
five hours late, how do you react? You fling
abusive words at the train. When the
coaches receive such treatment from you,
then what treatment do you deserve for not
fulfilling your duty and for disappointing the
expectations that you have raised by your
being a man!
383
WHEN you struggle to achieve paltry fame
by devious means, remember who among
the crores of your countrymen are honoured
today and for what? Don't you see that only
those who gave up, renounced, and sought
the more difficult road of God realisation,
instead of easier path of World realisation,
are honoured everywhere?
384
THE Lord rushes towards the Bhakta faster
than the Bhakta 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.
385
YOU must not be like a piece of blotting
paper, absorbing all the passions and
emotions, all the joys and grief that the
actress Nature demonstrates during the
stages of life. You must be a Lotus, unfolding
its petals when the Sun rises in the sky,
unaffected by the slush where it is born or
even the water which sustains it!
386
FAITH in God is the secure foundation on
which hope has to be built. The faith has to
be stable and strong. The feeling that God
will come to our rescue has to be vivid and
vital, motivating and activating all that we
do or speak or think. Service rendered to
others in this spirit will be a great source of
joy to you as well as to the recipient.
387
WOMEN are proverbially too
individualistic! There is a popular belief
born out of folklore, that three women
cannot live in unison! There is a Telugu
limerick, which says, "The world shivers
before one woman. The ocean will dry up, if
there are two! And if they are three, O, the
stars will drop down at noon"! Why are
women so characterized? A woman is
extremely deficient in Sahana; by Sahana, I
mean ability to bear defeat, fortitude,
forbearance, patience and quiet, suffering
with no thought of retaliation. That is why
woman is said to be the weaker sex.
388
SILENCE, Cleanliness and Forbearance. In
Silence the voice of God can be heard, not in
the revelry of noise. Through Cleanliness,
you earn purity. By Forbearance, you
cultivate Love. You have come today to your
own home. This is your home not Mine. My
home is your heart. So do not try to have
your lunch elsewhere but in your home
where you get this day food consecrated by
Me, the Prasad.
389
ONE should progress from this stage to the
awareness of the Atma. 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. The are the flowers of his virtues
grown in the garden of his heart.
390
IT is the duty of everyone to live in the
awareness of Truth. He who lives on Earth
must become Man at first. Then, he has to
learn the way to God, and discover the
delight of the Spirit. This is the "Raja Yoga"
path that the Vedas teach. The Atma
illumines all objects; it needs no other
source of illumination to shine; it is the seer
of the Universe.
391
NOWADAYS man has the habit of acting
and talking according to his whims. There is
no control exercised by conscience or moral
sense or manners. For one who is so
perverse, who is determined to go down to
his doom, there is no need for counsel!
Medicine is for the ill, not for the wholly
healthy, or the wholly dead. Counsel is for
those, who suffer from doubt, anxiety or
agitation. This counsel is contained in the
Shastras and the Sacred Texts.
392
GOD is seeking 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. We 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.
393
MAN did not come here to sleep and eat; he
has come to manifest, by disciplined
processes, the Divine in him. That is why he
is called "Vyakthi", he who makes "Vyaktha"
(clear) the "Sakthi" that is in him, the Divine
energy that motivates him. For this purpose,
he has come endowed with the body and the
intelligence needed to control it and divert it
to useful channels of activity. You must
achieve this by Dharma-Nishtha, and
Karma-Nishtha, steady pursuit of Dharma
and Karma, morality and good work.
394
THE World itself is a great teacher, a
constant guide and inspiration. That is the
reason why man is surrounded and
sustained by the world. Every bird, every
animal, every tree, mountain and star and
each tiny worm has a lesson for man, if he
has but the will and the thirst to learn. These
make the World a veritable University for
man; it is a Gurukul where he is a pupil from
birth to death.
395
THE Linga is the Form of God, emerging
from the "Nirakara" to "Sakara". Other
"Akaras" (Forms) are all subsumed in the
Linga Form. "Prakrithi" or the Objective
World is the base; it signifies that the Lord is
established in that manifestation of His,
which is the concrete presentation of His
play, His potentiality and His power, His
Sakthi. That is why the Lord is described as
Shiva, Shakthi, Atmaka and Swarupam, the
Supreme to which Shiva and Shakthi belong,
the latent and the patent.
396
IF you do not feel the call at the sight of
human distress, disease or deviation from
the right, how can you muster the
determination and dedication necessary to
serve the unseen, inscrutable, mysterious
God? When you do not love man, your heart
will not love God. Despising brother man,
you cannot, at the same time, worship God.
If you do, God will not accept that hypocrisy.
God is resident in every heart; so, if you
serve any one, that service reaches the God
within him: it brings to you the Grace of
God.
397
THE heart that does not melt at the sight of
persons caught in the coils of ignorance,
disease or deprivation, has to be labeled
demonic; to call it bestial is an insult to the
beasts. Give up egoism, sensualism and
greed; fill your hearts with renunciation,
belief in the glory of the Atma (Self) and
Love. That is the means by which you can
make yourselves efficient Seva Dal Workers.
398
THE pollution of character that is spreading
in the cities is fast invading the villages also.
The villages should not yield to the
temptation of imitation and invite
catastrophe on themselves. They must
appreciate the ancient Indian ideals of
simplicity and sincerity, service and spiritual
oriented living. You must curb greed, anger,
envy and pride, and live in amity and the
spirit of brotherhood. Then India will be
happy and prosperous. Each one must carry
out the duties of his role in a worshipful
attitude.
399
LIFE has been bestowed not for just eating
and digesting and roaming and reclining,
but for a far greater purpose - the realisation
of Divinity in us, in all that exists around us
and even beyond all things that strike our
senses. To waste such a life in vain pursuits
and in a mere sense of pleasures is not the
sign of an intelligent person. Deserve the
Grace of God by helping the weak and poor,
the diseased and the disabled, the distressed
and the downtrodden.
400
SHIVA is worshipped with the three-leafed
bilva, for He is immanent in the three
Worlds, in the three phases of Time and in
the three attributes of Nature. He removes
the three types of grief; He has no basis
outside Him; He is the source of Bliss; He is
the embodiment of the sweetness and
efficacy of nectar. Since every being is Shiva
Swarupa (for without Siva, it is mere "Sava"-
Corpse), man has to live up to that Divine
status.
401
FAITH has to be cultivated, first and
foremost. It has to be nurtured in Love. Love
is fostered by Shanti (equanimity). Shanti
can be gotten only when there is full reliance
on God and complete surrender to the
Divine Will. If one loses wealth, he may
regain it by some means or other. If he loses
health, some doctor might prescribe a tonic
to win it back. If one loses status and
authority he may, by sheer luck, gain them
back. If Virtue is lost, it is lost forever;
nothing can restore the pristine purity. So
one has to be ever vigilant and should never
slacken.
402
THE greatest of the virtues is Love. Love is
the basis of Character. You may have all
other desirable things in plenty; but if you
have no character, that is to say Virtue,
which is all strung on Love, you cannot have
genuine Peace. Money comes and... goes!
But morality? It comes and grows! Morality
has to be grown in the heart by feeding it
with Love; then only we can have justice,
security, law and order. If Love declines
among the people, nations will weaken and
mankind will perish.
403
THIS created Universe has two aspects. One
is impermanence (Antiyam). The second one
is unhappiness (Asutham). In the Gita,
Krishna has said "Anityam Asukham Lokan
Imam Papya Bhajaswa Maam", nothing in
this World can give happiness that is, true
and lasting happiness. Mistaking this World
as "All" and forgetting the Atman, which
alone is eternal and is the only refuge, is the
greatest folly of man.
 404
TODAY, man is pinning all his hopes on this
slippery World and is madly running after
amassing and hoarding wealth. Of course,
material needs are to be taken care of, but
within limits, and not at the cost of spiritual
values. Money and mansions are not the
only wealth. Hoard the wealth of the Spirit.
Character is wealth. Good conduct is wealth.
Spiritual wisdom is wealth.
405
DEVOTE your body, mind and senses to the
service of others. "Paropakarartham Idam
Sariram", it is said. This body is intended to
do only good and service to others. The body
is not gifted to you so that you hate and
nurture jealousy against others and live
selfishly, worse than an animal. You should
devote this precious gift of the body in
selfless and loving service always.
406
ANY one may blame you, but you should
ignore all such blame and go forward in
doing service without rancour. Serving is
your sole duty. The Universe is a
manifestation of God. So also is the
individual. All these three are like Brahma,
Vishnu and Maheswara, the Trinity. Actually
there are no three; they are one; it is Unified
Godhead. Cherishing this thought of
Oneness and serving Society is true
Adyatmic or Spiritual life.
407
SHANTI has detachment as the basic
quality. The sea, which likes to gather and
possess, lies low; the cloud, that likes to
renounce and give, is high up in the sky.
Shanti endows man with an unruffled mind
and steady vision. The Prayer for Shanti is
usually repeated thrice: "OM Shanti, Shanti,
Shanti", since peace is prayed for in the
physical, mental and spiritual planes. Man
should not bring his blood to boil nor should
he yield to fear.
408
MAN has been enslaved by money. He lives
a superficial, hollow and artificial life. This is
indeed a great pity. Man should seek to
possess only as much money as is most
essential for his living. The quantity of riches
one must own can be compared to the shoes
one wears; if too small, they cause pain; if
too big, they are a hindrance while walking.
Money too has to be with us only just
enough for a life of physical and mental
comfort. When we have more, it breeds
pride, sloth and contempt for others.
409
THE world is becoming more and more
deeply immersed in irreverence and cruelty.
Codes of decent 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 recognised.
410
JOY is a deceptive trap; grief is the real
preceptor, teaching caution, circumspection,
discrimination, detachment, awareness and
vigilance. Death is not the merciless that he
is made out to be; he is the friend and
companion, the teacher, the kindly kinsman,
who takes you into his fold and clothes you
with the halo of remembrance. The heart of
man has to be toughened, not hardened; it
has to be made soft, not slithery; this can be
achieved only by the blows of loss, grief and
distress. It is God's way of shaping us in the
Divine mould.
411
MAYA can be recognised and driven out
only when the mind is purified by Prema
and the avoidance of envy and hatred, born
of egoism. No act done without Love can be
commended; there are many who come
here, thousands in fact, year after year,
sharing in the Bhajans, listening to
discourses, lectures. But, they are staying
exactly where they were when they first
arrived. Name without "Bhava" seldom
reaches the mark. The name of the Lord
must be recited with awe and wonder,
humility and reverence.
412
THE Sages of this land had known the mine
of Ananda that lies in every human heart
and they had discovered methods of
developing that mine and working on that
gold. They said that if "Bhoomata" (Mother
Earth), "Gomata" (Mother Cow), "Nijamata"
(the Mother) and "Vedamata" (Mother
Scripture) were revered and fostered and
used as best as they could be, happiness is
certain and liberation is assured.
413
YOU will doubtless agree when I say that
Ananda is your greatest need. But you
cannot order it from any shop. It has to be
earned the hard way - doing good deeds,
moving in good company, desisting from evil
and keeping the mind attached to the Glory
of God. Good and bad cannot be kept
together in the same vessel; then the good
also will turn bad. Night and light cannot
coexist.
414
YOU are getting the great chance of
partaking in a huge Sathsang from today.
Thousands are coming to this place,
prompted by a keen desire to see, hear and
contact Divinity, and for those who have
kindled desires, the chance to move about in
the Sea of Spirit is indeed a sign of Grace.
This is the benefit, as fairs and festivals are
held in holy places, the wave of exhilaration,
enthusiasm and exultation lifts men aloft
into the rarefied air of Holy Beatitude.
415
ENDEAVOUR always to promote the joy
and happiness of your fellow countrymen in
this continent; be sharers in this joy and
happiness. Bharath is so called, because the
people of that country have "Rathi" (great
attachment) to "Bha" (Bhagavan, the God).
They are afraid of sin; they are eager to
acquire "Jnana".
416
HAVE your Prema fixed on the Lord,
whether your pretty wishes are fulfilled or
not. Do not let the treasure slip on some silly
excuse or other. When Sai Baba confers
success after success on you, you are
foremost in singing, "Sai Sankara, Sai
Sankara", but when the shadow of
disappointment falls on you, immediately
you turn around and declare. "This Sai is not
God".
417
PRACTICE renunciation from now on, that
you may set out on the journey when the call
comes, you don't know when . . Or at that
moment, you will be in tears when you think
of the house you have built, the property you
have accumulated, the fame you have
amassed and the titles you have won. Know
that all this is for the fleeting moment;
develop attachment for the Lord, who will be
with you wherever you go. Only the years
that you have lived with the Lord have to be
counted as life, the rest are all out of count.
418
THE glory of Bharath, which has illumined
for centuries the hearts of humanity, is
awaiting the march of the Sai Movement
through proper presentation and practical
application by you, to have an even more
brilliant future in the coming years. As the
spark that causes the fire, as a driver in the
engine drawing a long line of coaches along,
as the designer and operator of a system of
automatic lights, this Sai is here creating and
fostering the World and all its various
communities living and non living.
419
LEARN from childhood the recitation of the
Name and Prayer and the Practice of
Silence. Let children contemplate the
beauties and the magnificence of God's
Handiwork and be filled with mystery and
awe. Do not count and calculate what the
Puttaparthi Sai Baba gives. "I do not give in
order to attract you to Me; I give only to fill
you with Ananda. Showering Ananda, is My
task. I do not want you to extol Me; I shall be
satisfied if you rely on Me. The mysterious
indescribable Superpower has come within
reach. It will never engage Itself in any task
without fruit".
420
YOU need not waste time in trying to
discover Me and My nature. Understand
what I teach not Who is the teacher, for I am
beyond your intellect and your Shakti. You
will understand Me only through My work.
That is why sometimes, in order to reveal
who I am, I Myself show you My "Visiting
Card", something that you call a Miracle.
Know the "Marma", or the mystery and
carry out the "Karma", or the duty I assign
you.
421
MUSIC, a vehicle of Peace, is universally
popular. Men, women and children of all
lands are amenable to its subtle influence.
Even animals and plants are susceptible to
music. The Lord has said, "Madbhakthash
yathra gaayanthe, thathra thishtaami
Naarad": "Where My devotees sing, there I
seat Myself".
422
PEOPLE of all ages, of all states of health
and wealth, of various levels of learning and
intelligence come to Prasanthi Nilayam. This
Prasanthi Nilayam is also the refuge for all
who have no other place to go to. Do not
treat any one as an alien. Remember all have
Me as their guardian and support. Have no
anger, malice, envy or pride against or
before anyone. Be full of humility; have faith
in human goodness.
423
PREMA is the motive power in Karmayoga.
It is the very breath of Bhaktiyoga. It is
universal and infinite in Jnana; it sees the
Lord everywhere and in everything, when
Vairagya has been achieved. The Bhagavata
is saturated with the sweetness of Prema.
424
VEDANTA is like the roar of the lion; it gives
courage and enterprise; it makes a man
hero, it does not whine or howl or cry; it
drives cowardice away, instills the highest
types of self-confidence; it is the strongest
armour against the arrows of take; it acts
like a waterproof medium against the hail
storms on sensual pleasure; it is a curtain
keeping out the mosquitoes of worry, which
would otherwise rob you of sleep. With a
Vedanta- saturated heart, you are a rock on
the shore, unaffected by the waves of
temptation. Vedanta challenges your spirit
of adventure and your own reality.
425
THE spiritual laws that the sages of India
have discovered and laid down will never be
overruled. They stand valid forever. Further
research can only strengthen and confirm
their authenticity, as further facts only
render the diamond more brilliant. Bharath
has contributed to the World the priceless
gem of Truth; "Iswarah Darvabhutaanaam
Hrddese, Arjuna, Thishtati". God is the
resident motivator of all beings. Until this
fact is realised by the individual he will be
tainted by traces of anger, pride and hate,
for he sees others as distinct and different.
426
ALL Religions teach one basic discipline -
the removal of the blemish of egoism from
the mind, of running after little joys. Every
Religion teaches man to fill his being with
the Glory of God, and evict the pettiness of
conceit. It trains him in methods of
detachment and discrimination, so that he
may aim high and attain liberation. Believe
that all hearts are motivated by the one and
Only God; that all faiths glorify the One and
the Only God; that all names, in all
languages, and all Forms men can conceive,
denote the One and Only God.
427
IF you have the capacity to draw the Lord to
yourself, He will Himself come to you and be
with you. Be like the flute - a hollow reed -
straight, light, with no substance to hinder
His breath. Then He will come and pick you
up from the ground. He will breathe Divine
music through you, playing upon you with a
delicate touch. He will stick the flute into
His sash. He will press His lips on it. In His
hand, the Infinitesimal will be transmuted
into the Infinite, the OM will be transformed
into the gama.
428
THE Dharma that is the heritage of India is
the stuff of life for all men. It is the backbone
of morality and well-being. It is the nectar
which can confer Immortality. Others may,
in their ignorance, laugh at Indians for
taking a stone to be God. But what they do is
to realise even the stone as God. It is
transformed into God, an act which is a
grand victory. The highest energies of man
in this land are used for conquering death,
while in other countries they are misused in
the diabolic attempt to make weapons of
mass destruction.
429
DO not attach yourself too much to this body
or to the things that bring comfort to it. You
earn three friends in this life: the first is the
riches you accumulate which refuse to come
with you when you move out of this life. The
second, Kith and kin, accompany your body
to the burial ground or cremation ghat. The
third, the merit and demerit that you have
earned, accompany you to the last.
430
YOU complain that God is invisible, but the
fault is yours not to recognise God in all His
various manifestations. You are yourself "a
manifestation of God". But you do not know
it; you call yourself a sinner, a worm born in
sin, wallowing in sin, essentially wicked. But
let someone who takes you at your word call
you "Hello, Sinner", you resent it. Why?
Because your real nature is purity, peace,
and joy.
431
MAN must earn his birthright, namely
"Shanti". "Ashanti" is for him an unnatural
state. His real nature is "Shanti". To recover
his heritage of "Shanti", man tries various
methods: accumulation of riches,
maintenance of health, mastery of
knowledge and cultivation of the arts. But
these are not fundamental. Three basic
wants still remain after all these methods
have been tried: the need for Reality; for
Light; and for Immortality. It is only when
"Sath", "Jyothi" and "Amrutham" are won
that "Shanti" will be established.
432
DO not cloud your mind with cheap desires,
transitory hungers, and thirsts that need but
morsels or mouthfuls. Yearn for the
enthronement of your soul as the
unquestioned monarch of the Universe,
when you merge in the Universal. Celebrate
your triumph over the foes within that
hamper your march to victory. Acquire Me
as your Charioteer. I shall lead you to that
consummation. Earn that unfailing Grace by
your sincerity, simplicity, and "Sadhana".
433
YOU have two eyes in your Consciousness,
namely, "Sathya" and "Ahimsa". They are
the guides which will take you to the goal,
the two lights, the Sun and the Moon of the
inner firmament. If you want to know the
way in which you have to observe "Sathya"
or Truth in speech, look into the Gita. It tells
you that the best speech is "anudvegakarm
Vaakyam". (Speech that does not create pain
or anger or grief to others).
434
RELY on the Lord and accept whatever is
your lot. He is in you, with you. He knows
best what to give and when. He is full of
Prema. That is My uniqueness: Prema.
Prema is the special gift I bring, the special
medium through which My Grace operates.
That is the basis of all My acts. God is said to
reside in everything. Yes. He resides as
Prema. Devoid of Prema, the World becomes
a cauldron of misery.
435
BEFORE pointing to the faults of others,
examine yourselves and assure yourselves
that you are free from faults. That alone
gives you the right; but the wonder is that
you discover faults in others only when you
have faults in you. Once you rid yourselves
of faults, all are pure and good. Whatever
you touch becomes gold. That is the Divine
Alchemy of Love, Divine Love, Universal
Love, and Love for Love's own sake.
436
TO have faith you must dive deep into the
inner mystery of the Avatars, like Rama or
Krishna, and not lose your way in the tangle
of the outer events and emotional conflicts,
the external adventures and activities. Do
not take Rama as a brother, son and
husband, entangled in the personal calamity
of having his wife kidnapped and heroically
rescuing her. You can be moved into the
adoration only by diving into the cool depths
of the inner mystery. This process was
specially discovered by the Sages of the
inner mystery. It was specially discovered by
the Sages of India, and so, India rose to the
status of the whole World.
437
SINCE I move about with you, eat like you,
and talk with you, you are deluded into the
belief that this is but an instance of common
humanity. Be warned against this mistake. I
am also deluding you by My singing with
you, talking with you and engaging Myself in
activities with you. But any moment, My
Divinity may be revealed to you. You have to
be ready, prepared for that moment. Since
Divinity is enveloped by humanness, you
must endeavour to overcome "Maya"
(Delusion) that hides it from your eyes.
438
YOU can hear adoration to Sathya Sai's
Name reverberating throughout the World,
even while this Body is existing - not at some
future date, but when It is with you and
before you. And again, you can witness very
soon, the restoration of "Sanathana
Dharma", to its genuine and natural status;
the "Dharma" laid down in the Vedas for the
good of all the peoples of the World. The
revival of Vedic Dharma is the Sai Sankalpa
(the resolve that Sai has), not only drawing
people towards Me, attracting them by the
manifestation of My "Shakti" (Power) and
"Samarthya" (Capacity). This is not a
"Brahmathathwa" (phenomenon of
delusion). This phenomenon will sustain
Truth, it will uproot untruth, and in that
victory, make all of you exult in ecstasy. This
is the Sai Sankalpa.
439
MAN is ill; but he is resorting to remedies
that cannot cure. Diagnose yourself.
Discover the root cause; apply the proper
remedy; that is the way of the wise. Do not
run after quacks or pseudo panaceas. Sow
the seeds of Prema, after preparing the soil
of you heart, and removing the weeds. Let
them grow, watered by Faith and yield the
blossoms of "Sahana" (fortitude); later you
are assured of the fruit, "Shanti". This is the
task; this is the duty; and this has to be the
vow.
440
WHEN a Namavali extols Shiva, the next
one will have to be on Krishna, the next on
Rama and so on. A person whose favourite
form is Rama or Shiva will feel neglected if,
out of inadvertence, you stick to only one
form. Let the atmosphere of Bhajan be free
from competitive conceit and fanaticism.
This is My advice.
441
YOU are only actors on the stage before the
footlights. The Director, who knows the
Play, who assigns the roles, who gives the
cues, who calls you in and puts you on, is
behind the curtain. You are a puppet; He
holds the strings. If He must be seen, you
have to be His "Sakhaa" (friend) or
"Bandhu" (kinsman). Merely being an
onlooker will not entitle you to approach
Him and be in His holy company. Cultivate
His friendship or kinship by the attitude of
Love and Dedicated Service.
442
TO realise the One, the Universal Absolute,
which personalizes itself into God and
creation, there is no discipline more valuable
and more effective than Seva. All the 1008
Names of the 1000-faced Society connote
only the One God that plays in those 1000
roles. The One appears as if it is enshrined
in the 1000 bodies. This is the Truth you
have to realise and cherish as the most
precious in life.
443
MAN cannot reap the full fruits of his life
here below if he only gathers riches or
collects popular votes, or loads his head with
tons of tomes. He has to cultivate and
practice virtues too. He has to adhere to
Dharma. The Sruthis direct that man has to
earn just enough for his upkeep by honest
means and use the rest of his time and skill
for the general good, Dharma-Artha. Earn
Artha through Dharma. Then he will
certainly have plenty of Divine Grace.
444
ONE gets the liberating Wisdom of the
Reality through Grace, Prayer, or Prema.
You cannot achieve the Goal through good
works alone. In good, there is an extra "O",
something that is a mere Zero; that is to say,
the desire which prompts you, the fruit that
entices you, the reputation that tantalizes
you - these are all sheer zeros, a big 0. Leave
it off and then we have God who is Zeroless,
with no self intruding. That is to say, we
have God. Desire plus Life is Man. Life
minus Desire is God.
445
YOU have to busy yourselves with activity in
order to use time and skill to the best
advantage. That is your Duty and Duty is
God. The dull and the inert will hesitate to
be active for fear of exhaustion or failure or
loss. The emotional, passionate individuals
will plunge headlong and crave for quick
results, and will be disappointed if they do
not come in. The balanced persons will be
active because it is their duty. They will not
be agitated by anything - failure or success.
The Godly will take up activity as a means of
worshipping God; and they leave the result
to God. They know that they are but
instruments in the hands of God.
446
INTELLECT alone can direct man in the
path of discrimination, between the true
path and the false, the proper step and the
improper. This is the reason why man has
been praying since Ages through the Gayatri
hymn; "Illumine me and prompt my
intelligence so that I may walk aright".
447
MAN loses his status of humanness through
acts that shame even the beasts. He does not
strive towards revealing and manifesting his
latent Divinity! That is not as big a failing as
this sliding back into the animal from which
he rose! If he keeps on with his human
attributes and capacities, that will serve him
well enough. A formidable list can be made
of the inadequacies and defects of man but,
the basic defect is greed; "Uncontrolled
desire", always clamouring for more, as a
result of the ceaseless prompting of the
senses.
448
THE human body is a temple chariot; the
Atma is installed therein; and it is dragged
by emotions, impulses, passions and urges,
along the streets of desire. Success and
failure, joy and grief, gain and loss are the
dancers who accompany this procession of
Life. Here too, many pour their attention
only on the chariot; its height, its decoration
and its progress. Many others are concerned
with the dance of duality and the pain-
pleasure duet, that is part of the procession.
Few pay attention to the Atma, the Crown
and Consummation of human existence.
449
SAGES and Saints have known that the most
noteworthy achievement of the senses of
man is the glorification of the God within.
"They are not eyes, they are but globules of
glass, that do not earn a vision of God", says
one. "They are not ears, they are but
muscular protrusions that do not relish the
praise of God" says another. Surdas
condemns the hand that does not worship
God and calls such hands "sticks of wood".
The World and its attractions may appeal to
your instincts and impulses but, God draws
out your Love, as no worldly being can.
Develop the inner vision and the habit of
listening to the inner Voice; and you are
assured of unshakable Peace and infinite
Joy.
450
LIVE without hating others, condemning
others and seeking faults in others. Vyasa,
who wrote eighteen voluminous Puranas,
summarised all the Puranas in one single
line of a small couplet: "Doing good to
others is the only meritorious act; doing evil
is the most heinous sin". When you feel you
cannot do good, at least desist from doing
evil. That itself is meritorious service! Do
not try to discover differences; discover
unity. Creeds, castes and country of origin
may differ; but the inner hunger is the same
for all mankind.
451
CONSIDER the word "Nara", which denotes
"man". Of these two syllables "ra" means
decline, decay, destruction and death. "Na"
means "without". Man or Nara has no decay,
he is immortal as God, for he is God. It is
pitiable that man is misled to believe that he
is the decaying, daily dying physical frame.
Whereas "Nara" means Man, "Narayana" is
the name for God. Nara symbolises the five
constituents of the Cosmos; the five
Bhoothas (projections, elements), which
emanated from God to form the Cosmos.
The expression Narayana, which is used in
the Scriptures, implies that Nara is
Narayana.
452
THE spark of Love in you has to be
cherished and fed, so that it may reach God.
Then, every being will be God, every act will
be Divine, every reaction you get from the
outside world will be charged with Prema
and sweetened with nectar. You love the God
in all beings and the God in all beings
responds with Love. Love God, though
tribulation may be your lot. Love Him,
though you are refused and rebuked. For it
is only in the crucible of travail that the
metal is purified and cleared of blemish.
Adoration of God has to be through one
name and one form; but, that should not
limit your loyalty to that particular province
only.
453
THE Dominion of God is without horizon. It
envelops space and goes even beyond it. So
do not allow the needs of worship or puja to
put blinkers on your eyes. Do not have other
names or other forms of the same Supra-
Cosmic Magnificence, the Purushottama.
For hate breeds fear. Hate is the seedbed of
anxiety, scandal, and falsehood. It drains
your mind of peace. You may have light
without oil, fire without smoke, breeze
without a bearer fanning you, a chilliness in
the air of your room in the sizzling heat of
summer. Unless you are at peace with
yourselves and with those around you, your
pulse will be quick and your blood will be
racing in rage and rancour. Love alone can
alleviate anxiety and allay fear.
454
PREMA, when you cultivate it, will remove
the weeds of anger and malice. It will
blossom into peace and calm. My teaching is
Prema. My message is Prema. My activity is
Prema; and My way of living is Prema. There
is nothing more precious than Love within
human grasp.
455
BHARATH is the birthplace of the Vedas
and of the Shastras, Epics and Puranas that
have elaborated the principles enunciated
therein for the education of the common
man. It is the nursery of music and other
fine arts, inspired by the noble passion of
consecrating human skills for adoring the
Divine and communicating the super
sensuous. It is the stuff and sustenance of
the mystic and the ascetic, the intellectual
and the dynamic adorer of God. It is the field
where the Science of Yoga was cultivated
and systematized.
456
WHO is Baba? Who am I? And the answer
is: I am the reflected image of Baba. Baba is
the original of which I am the reflection.
That is the relationship. That is the bond,
whether you know it or not. Whether the
image is distorted or correct, you do
"Dhyana" morning and evening; you do
"Japam", you engage yourself in
"Sravanam", "Kirtanam", "Padasevanam",
"Vandanam", "Dasyam", "Archanam",
"Sakhyam" and "Atmanivedanam" - all for
realising that you are but an image to
become a clean, clear image of the Lord; so
clean and clear that you merge in Him.
457
ENDURANCE, with joyful resignation of the
ups and downs of life, is the royal road to
Peace. Everyone craves "Sukha" and
"Shanti"; but there is no one to instruct
Youth how to win them. The Ramayana and
the Mahabharatha are reservoirs of
Knowledge for the seekers of Peace. They are
replete with examples and precepts which
are inspiring and timely. By taking the
teachings to heart, Purity can be attained.
The pure heart directed towards God and
reflecting His image is indeed Heaven,
Vaikunta, or Kailasa.
458
LIVING under the impression that you are
the body and you are destroyed with the
death of the body is an illusion which is
basically undesirable. Another illusion is
that happiness consists in accumulating
money, knowledge, comforts, or reputation.
Trying to be happy through such
accumulation is like getting into the Madras
bus and hoping to reach Bangalore. What is
happiness? It is the state of mind which is,
by fortune, good or bad. By systematic
education, the mind can attain the state. If
activity is done as worship, then the mind
can attain the state. If activity is done as
worship, then the mind will be steady and
free from anxiety.
459
THE word Hindu means those who keep
away from the path of violence, away from
inflicting injury on others, Hin (Hinsa -
Injury; Violence); du (dura-away, distant)
The Shastras declare that the essence of all
the 18 Puranas, so highly revered in India,
is: Merit is when you do good to another; Sin
is when you do evil to another. When you
are fixed in this path, you will welcome all
Faiths and Religions as kith and kin. All
Faiths attempt to train man along the path.
Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Jews,
Parsis, all aspire to win the same
illumination, through the cleansing of the
mind by means of good work.
460
WHEN a tree first shoots forth from the
seed, it comes up with a stem and two
incipient leaves! But later, when it grows,
the trunk is one, and the branches are many!
Each branch may be thick enough to be
called a trunk but, one should not forget that
the roots send food as sap through one
single trunk. God, the same God, feeds the
spiritual hunger of all nations and all faiths,
through the common sustenance of truth,
virtue, humility and sacrifice.
461
BRAHMA'S lotus is not the stalk that grows
in mud and rises above the waters to catch
the rays of the sun and blossom but, the
many petalled lotus of the Heart, each petal
being the direction in which a particular
tendency attracts the individual. The Bull on
which Siva is said to ride is not the animal
called by that name but, the symbol of
Dharma or Righteousness which has the
four legs; "Sathya", "Dharma", "Shanthi"
and "Prema". Gopala did not graze cattle
but, protected and fed "Jivis", known also as
"Go". In the study of the Veda, you should
look for the meaning which satisfies the
head.
462
THIS Nilayam is "Prasanthi Nilayam". It is
the abode of the highest form of Shanti -
Prasanthi. In fact, you are, each one of you,
the Nilayam of Prasanthi. That is why, I very
often address you as "Shanti Swarupulaara".
My object is to remind you that your real
nature is Shanti, equanimity, peace,
unruffledness and non-attachment. You
cannot draw out from within you that which
is not there. Therefore, Shanthi must be
deep down, at the very core of your being.
463
THIS World is full of people who suffer from
insanity but, who are still outside the
asylums! Suddenly, when hatred envelops a
country, even ordinary sane people go mad
and behave like savages. But sometimes in
the Mental Hospital you will find one type of
"mad man". He sits in a corner, resting
without a break, watching the pranks and
the wildness of the other inmates. The
doctors will be thankful to him, for he needs
no care; he causes no trouble. His madness
may be melancholia or he may be a Jnani.
The God bound man is like that. He is the
only sane man in this mad world.
464
BECOME fit for the vision of God that you
seek in the temples. Go humbly, with Prema
in your heart for all creation. Take the
"Hrudhayapushpa", full of fragrance of
Prema, the "Mano-phala" uncontaminated
by the pests of greed and egoism. Become
sweet in word, deed and thought, so that you
can dedicate yourself to the services of God's
Plan.
465
YOU will have seen the announcement that
you should not bring Me fruits, flowers etc.
Some of you I know are sad that I have
announced so. But I tell you; Come to Me
with empty hands. I shall fill your hands
with gifts and Grace. If your hands are full,
what am I to fill them with?
466
ALL Worship and Puja is for "Bhakthi" only;
for the better comfort and more luxurious
consumption of the Worshipper himself.
Devotion has been vulgarised into a business
deal. I shall give you so much, provided you
give me so much in return. If another shrine
promises more, this shrine is given up. And
if you do not get quick returns there or
somewhere else, some other God, might be
more profitable. That is the way in which
worldly men wander about in their panicky
rounds.
467
YOU are as distant from the Lord as you
think you are, as near Him as you feel you
are. Well, let me tell you this. This distance
from Me to you is the same as the distance
from you to Me, is it not? But, you complain
that I am far from you, though you are
approaching nearer and nearer. How can
that be? I am as near you as you are near
Me.
468
WHEN a prisoner is taken from place to
place, he is accompanied by two Constables.
When man, who is a prisoner in this jail,
moves from one place to another, he too, is
accompanied by "Ahamkaram" and
"Mamakaram": Egoism and Attachment.
When he moves above without these two,
you can be sure he is a free man, liberated
from prison.
469
DO all the household work as acts of
Worship for Him. That is more fruitful than
hours of Dhyana, hours gained by entrusting
this precious work to paid helpers. Men too
must feel that frittering away precious time,
flitting from one vanity to another and
seeking more and more purposeless means
of spending days and nights, is detrimental
to the main aim of life. Spread joy, give
strength, distribute courage, console the
distressed, and help the lame to walk, and
the blind to see. That is the real timetable of
activities of man.
470
THE wealth that you hoard is not yours. The
wealth that you have shared is yours. For
wealth that belongs to you need not be
hidden. The wealth that you have given away
is really yours. That is the reason why Vedas
have declared: "Not through actions, not
through progeny, not through wealth can
Immortality be won; it can be won only
through renunciation".
 471
IF only you surrender your wish and will
and your fancies and fantasies to God, He
will lead you aright, and give you peace and
joy. You must not run after diverse ends and
fleeting pleasures. Leave everything to God.
Accept whatever happens as His Will.
472
GOD is the echo of the hills, the flutter of the
leaves, the whisper of men, the babble of
children, and the OM that is wafted
everywhere. God is present at all places but,
to recognise Him Saints have had to
prescribe a thousand methods. He is in
everyone, yet He evades discovery by all but
a few, being all powerful. He is the Giver of
all Gifts, the Providence bestowing upon us
all the wherewithal: "Asvrithya Thishtathi"
(He remains All Encompassing).
473
THROUGH sheer ignorance, and perversity,
the Shastras have been ignored and set
aside, and man is misleading himself into
the belief that his fancies are true, just, and
beneficial. Man has thrown his "humanness"
into the crater of cruelty; forgetting his best
interests under the influence of hatred, envy,
conceit and power. He has cast aside the
expanse of his culture. As a result, Peace has
flown from the heart of man, from the fold of
Society, and the boundaries of Nations.
474
ONE flower cannot make a garland. All
flowers must come together to make one. So
you must equip yourselves with strong
bodies, sacred ideals, and unselfish
intentions in order to serve your country.
You can achieve any high ideal provided you
are cooperative, well disciplined, soaked in
service and sacrifice, and fully determined to
succeed.
475
DO not hope to gain Grace by looking down
upon mankind and looking up at Sai.
Remember that your dress, behaviour, and
appearance will reveal your character and
attitude towards others. Always have sweet,
soft words on your tongue. Cast your eyes
only on holy sights. Wear clean, simple
clothes and do not imitate those who are
fascinated by latest fashions in dress and
style. How can you do Seva when you move
so far away from the common man? I advise
you to "Follow the Master". By "Master" I
mean the Conscience within you, the Voice
of God.
476
SERVICE is God. Why has God endowed
man with a body, a mind and an intellect?
Feel with the mind, plan with the
intelligence and use the body to serve those
who are in need of service. Offer that act of
service to God; worship him with that
Flower. Put into daily practice the ideals that
Sathya Sai has been propagating and make
them known all over the World by standing
forth living examples of their greatness.
477
THE Upanishads proclaim that Thyaga
alone can grant "Amrithatva" (Renunciation
alone can bring about the Bliss of
Immortality). One has to ignore all bonds of
kinship and comradeship, give up all
attachment and affection, and, in the heart
thus liberated, install God in all His Glory.
This is the only means to earn everlasting
and undiminished Ananda.
478
WHETHER one is a renowned scholar with
expert knowledge of the deepest levels of
religious lore, a monarch reveling in the
brilliance of palatial luxury, a hero of many
battles, or a miserable victim of poverty - if
one has no devotion to the Lord, one does
not deserve homage, honour, or attention.
479
DO not hesitate to practice humility and
obedience, discipline and compassion; Give
up pride of your status, wealth, scholarship
or official position. "Can I, a big Officer, a
rich merchant, a great scholar, a man highly
respected in Society, descend to this level of
clubbing with this sorrowing man? "Do not
ask such silly questions. Everyone of these
qualifications of which you boast will
disappear with death, or sometimes sooner.
The Ananada that you give and the Love that
you share will be your lasting possessions.
480
THE great axioms of Bharathiya Culture
found in the Vedas - 484
"Iswarassarvabhuthaanaam",
"Isaavaayamidam Sarvam",
"Vassudevassarvamidam" (God is the inner
Motivator of all beings; All this is enveloped
in God; All this is Vasudeva and the Divine is
to be inside one). This is the inner mystery
of the Incarnation: God incarnating in all!
All are one; The One is All. There is only one
God; He is Omnipresent! There is only one
Religion, the Religion of Love. There is only
one Caste, the caste of Humanity. There is
only one Language, the Language of the
Heart.
481
WHAT is the root of worry? Wants and the
efforts to fulfill them, and the fear of not
succeeding to the extent desired. Reduce
wants and you reduce worry. You congregate
here on the Nilayam verandah seeking a
personal interview with Me, with a load of
wishes in your heart; wishes, that you want
me to fulfill! Why carry all the load? Carry
only one load: the desire to win the Grace of
God. He will confer what is best for you.
Leave the rest to Him.
482
WHAT is this lifetime? Is it to struggle in the
mire or march straight on to the eternal?
You will get millions to tell you what is
pleasing to you, but it is difficult to get one
in a million who can tell you what is good for
you. What is good for you is akin to Truth.
Truth is hard but beneficial. It is unpleasant
advice to tell a man to stick to the Truth at
all costs; Truth alone pays dividends that
satisfy.
483
PEOPLE think that they live on food. Then
how is it that, while the wealthy who can
afford all kinds of food, succumb to untimely
death, while the poor still live? Man does not
live by food alone. In fact he lives by the
power of the Soul. Without discrimination,
what is the use of physical strength?
TO presume that either from wealth or kith
and kin you can derive mental peace, is a
great error. Such peace only comes from
God. In fact, there is no strength superior to
Love. Where Love is, there everything is. So
you must live in God; and live in Love; then
everything shall be right. You must make
others also live in Love.
485
WE talk of Moksha. What is it? It is only
giving up the "Anatma", the Unreal. Suppose
you want a tumbler of fruit juice. Unless you
throw away the water already in the tumbler,
you cannot pour the juice in the tumbler.
Similarly, unless you give up materialism,
"Atmabhava" (spirituality), cannot come to
you. "Moksha" is not a distinct and different
"Sadhana". It is only giving up unnecessary
desires. Through anger, wisdom is lost.
Disharmony is the cause of anger; of
disharmony, jealousy, and of jealousy,
ignorance is the cause.
486
MAKE your body and mind pure. This place
is like a workshop where broken-down cars
are repaired and made whole. Do not
entertain bad thoughts and do bad deeds.
Life is holy and sacred. Go through it with
joy and happiness. Do not carry gloomy,
unhappy faces. Happiness is union with
God. This period of your life is sacred. If you
can not derive happiness and live in Bliss at
this age, can you be blissful when you grow
old? Now, you have only two legs to carry;
you can jump about freely. But when you
marry and rear up a family, you will move
like a caterpillar with many legs!
 487
SO long as man is bound to the body, his
God too has to be in a body like his own. It is
often said disparagingly, that God is
conceived as having eyes, nose, tongue and
limbs. When the person who worships has
these, the worshipped too must have them,
in order to make the worship meaningful.
Only when one is unaware of his "form", can
he adore the "Formless"! It is indeed
surprising that those who laugh at God being
pictured as having a body, do not laugh at
their being enclosed in a body! When man
has to be corrected and liberated, God has to
come as Man, as Narayana had to do to save
Mahabali.
488
THE Vedas are the foundation of the
Bharatiya Culture. If in modern Society a
trace of spiritual illumination is visible, we
can ascribe it to this Vedic basis and the way
of life I demand. All moral codes (Dharma)
have emanated from the Vedas; and all the
Worlds have Dharma as their sustenance:
"Vedamulam Idam Jagath".
489
YOU will learn that I am Prema itself; that I
give only one thing, Ananda, through that
Prema. My task is to distribute Solace,
Courage, and Shanti. That is to say, My
Characteristics are the ancient authentic
ones. Only the Manifested Form is new. My
desire, if I can put it in so many words, is
this: "More and more should yearn for Me.
The desire will be realised only if I assume
this Form and come among you".
490
EVERY day, when you sleep, where are you?
Who are you? Your senses are inoperative;
your intelligence is in abeyance; your mind
creates a World of its own and, after playing
in it for some time, it lapses into inactivity.
That is sleep: the nearest you reach in your
journey to Samadhi. Live in the
"Atmathathwam" that will ensure "Shanti".
With the poison of "Raga" and "Dwesha"
inside you, how can you be pronounced
healthy? If you experience the
"Atmathathwam", you become Bhagawan
Himself.
491
ONCE Narada was asked to name the most
noteworthy among the things of the World.
He answered that the Earth was the biggest.
But, he was told water has occupied three
fourths of the Earth; it threatens to swallow
up the balance too, bit by bit. So, water, he
had to agree, was more powerful. However,
water too was drunk up by the Sage
Agasthya and the Oceans were rendered dry
by him and he, in turn, is now just a star in
the sky! Is the sky the biggest, then? For it
was covered by one single foot of the
Vamena Avatar of the Lord. And, the Lord?
O, He enters the hearts of the devotees and
resides there. So Narada had to conclude
that the hearts of Bhaktas are the grandest
things in creation.
492
SANKARACHARYA came for the work of
Dharma-Sthapana, but he did not wage a
war against the narrow Sectarians, or the
wild Theologians who opposed him as a
Pseudo Buddhist. He won them over by
argument, persuasion and preaching. He
spoke softly, but with conviction. He gave
his opponents a fair chance to present their
cases to the best of their ability and
sometimes he even helped them to clarify
their own points of view. Through Bodha
alone, can Dharma be saved in the modern
Kali age. That is why I am engaged in Bodha,
this task of reconstruction through Upadesa.
493
A LIFE without character is as barren as a
temple without a lamp, a coin that is
counterfeit, and a kite whose string has
snapped. A teacher who instructs pupils with
his eye fixed on his salary, and a pupil who
learns with his eye fixed on a job are born
missing their vocation. The teacher has to
help the pupil unfold and manifest the skills
and qualities inherent in him and encourage
him to rise to the fullest height he is capable
of. The Divine is the Core in both the teacher
and the pupil.
 494
EVERYTHING in the Universe is vibrant
with Sath, Chith and Ananda. We (Sath) are
intelligent (Chith) and blissful (Ananda).
These three are attributes of Divinity, which
is our dormant but dominant force. Ignorant
of the truth, structures are built up and
paraded on other bases. Mankind suffers
from fear and hatred on account of this
fundamental defect in their search for
Knowledge.
495
PRAYERS for worldly ends do not reach
God. They will reach only those deities who
deal with such restricted spheres. But all
prayers arising from pure Love, unselfish
eagerness to render service from hearts that
are all inclusive, will reach God. For God is
the very Embodiment of Love. We know that
we can see the Moon only through the
Moonlight. So too, God, who is Love, can be
realised only through Love. Love is God.
Live in Love.
496
THE desires that cling to the mind are the
blemishes that tarnish man's inner
consciousness. Control the senses. Do not
yield to their insistent demands for
satisfaction. When a corpse is placed on a
pyre and when the pyre is lit, both the
corpse and the pyre are reduced to ashes. So
too, when the senses are negated, the mind
too disappears. When the mind disappears,
delusion dies and liberation is achieved.
497
VAAK or voice has to be rigourously trained
to avoid chatter and wandering prattle. Keep
the tongue under control; do not express all
you are prompted to say; cut that inclination
to the minimum. Silence will charge the
battery and you can win through a longer
period of "Dhyana". Be full of Prema and
then your words will spread Prema. They
will be sweet and soothing like balm to those
who suffer.
498
ATTACHMENT, affection and interest will
create prejudice, partiality and illusion; they
hide the truth; and they dull the intelligence.
Raga is Roga; attachment is a disease, so far
as the inquirer is concerned. It does not
become a Yogi to have Raga (affection); He
must be free from favourites, fancies and
fondness. Once you attach yourself to some
person or habit or mannerism, it will be
difficult for you to shake them off.
499
UPASANA means that all your thoughts,
deeds and words on those holy days must be
about God; that you should spend the day
"Near Him", "in Him" and "for Him". It
means that eating, sleeping and other bodily
avocations have to take a secondary role and
that Meditation and Japam have to take the
main role. If your body wastes away as a
result of these fasts, God will be blamed. So,
you are only drawing down the calumny of
people on the God you adore.
500
WHY must man live for years - a burden on
earth, so much of rice or wheat consumed,
year after year with no return in joy or peace
to himself or others? The Petromax light will
shine bright only when you pump air
vigorously, that is to say, engage yourself in
Sadhana and illumine your mind better and
spread light on all who come near you.
501
THOSE who deny God are denying
themselves and their glory. All have Love in
their hearts, in some form or other; either
towards the children of the poor or their
work for the good of others. That Love is
God, the spark of the Godly in them. They
have Ananda however small or temporary,
and that is a spark of God and the Godly.
They have Shanti, Detachment and
Sympathy. All these are the reflections of the
Divine on the mirror of their minds. These
are all mental excellences, revealed through
an appreciation of the advantages of virtue.
 502
THE principle of Love has no trace of ego or
blemish. It is fully free from selfish
attachment. Whatever Sai does, whatever
Sai thinks, whatever Sai says and whatever
Sai observes is all for your sake, not for Sai's
sake. My only desire is your Ananda. Your
Ananda is My Ananda. I have no Ananda
apart from yours.
503
WHATEVER thoughts arise in Me are only
for the Peace and Welfare of the World, for
the progress of Youth and for transforming
ideal boys and girls who will lead others
along the path. You must dedicate
yourselves for rendering enthusiastic service
to the people of the World, recognising
thatthe Sai Principle has no egoistic urge.
504
WHEN do we need Light? Not during the
day, but when night prevails. Then we need
a lamp, a flame, the Moon; so too, until
wisdom enlightens us, we need Sadhana;
until we experience the one Unified Divine,
we have to accept and practice discipline,
regulations and Sadhana. Ignorance is the
Night. Knowledge is the Light. There arenine
lamps that can illumine the mind and free it
from darkness: Sravanam (listening);
Keerthanam (Adulation); Smaranam;
Padasevanam; Archanam (ceremonial
worship); Vandanam; Dasyam; Sakhyam;
and Atmanivedanam.
505
PRAYER must emerge from the effect to the
causes. The individual Self has to yearn for
the Supreme Self. It must emerge from a
pure heart. Prayer drinking cup must be
clean, both on the out side and the inside.
Prayer should not arise out of the tongue, as
music rises out of the gramophone record.
When the song does not arise from your
depth, when you are not involved in it, how
can it draw God unto you? You must achieve
confidence, then the self-confidence will
lead to self-sacrifice and self-realisation.
506
WHOLESOME happiness arises only from
fullness of Love, Truth, Peace, Charity and
Fortitude. These can fructify only in the
atmosphere of Love - Sathya Sai. Men yearn
for good times, high status, power and good
life. But seldom do they yearn for good
thoughts, wisdom and virtue. What better
advice can Sai give?
507
GOD is the entity close to man, dearest to
man. Your mother and father might be far
away, but God is right with you. Even if you
do not Love Him, He will not depart from
you or move afar. "Anoraniyam" say the
Vedas (Smaller than the Atom). He becomes
"Mahathmaheeyaam", expanding beyond
the Cosmos and fitting all with Grace. In
every call, He will be in you. You can earn
this Awareness through intense Love.
508
BLESSEDNESS can be conferred only by the
Divine Source; it cannot be acquired from
worldly achievements and triumphs. It is
dependent on the Immutable Triad, of
Sathyam, Shivam and Sundaram.It assumes
all forms, this Santham!It assumes all
names, this Shivam!It is Sath-Chith-Anand,
this only one!It is Sathyam-Shivam-
Sundaram!
509
LET the children, even grown-up boys and
girls, touch the feet of the Father and
Mother every morning before the daily tasks
are started; it will generate a reverential
atmosphere in the home. Five minutes in the
shrine room and the Namaskaram for
Parents - let this be the daily routine. The
Upanishads recommend this as the basic
requirement of our Culture: "Mathru Devo
Bhava; Pithru Devo Bhava; Acharya Devo
Bhava".
510
THE home is the temple where the family,
each member of it 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
the oil and Faith as the wick. Spend the
years of your lives, dedicating them for such
worship in the homes that you will find.
511
PEOPLE crowd into film shows, rush
towards social clubs, spend days together in
playing cards, but when they are asked to
sing the Glory of God and purify themselves
and the atmosphere, they clamour for
concession! When the heads hit against each
other in anger, can the feet be steady and
unaffected? They too will kick and trample
as maliciously as they can.
512
REMEMBER three things always: continue
Seva, wherever you are; seek chances of
helping others; never lose an opportunity of
using your skills and enthusiasm for the
alleviation of sorrow, pain or distress. Again,
do not omit or neglect or postpone your own
particular spiritual Sadhana. Study Japam,
Dhyanam, Bhajan, Namasankirtanand other
such disciplines. Above all, have the faith
that Swami is with you at all times and all
places.
513
AS the Vedas announce, there is no Dharma
higher than Truth. Truth gets hidden,
appears distorted and is declared to be
failing; so, the Avatar asserts its validity and
value once again. God wears Truth, the good
seek Truth and the bad are rescued by Truth.
Truth liberates; Truth is power; Truth is
freedom. It is the lamp that illuminates the
heart and dispels doubt and darkness. The
effulgence of God is Truth. Welcome God in
your heart. Install Him there as a result of
yearning. Be always concerned with
Brahman; then you are entitled to be known
as a Brahmin.
514
INJURY inflicted on any being is sacrilege,
self injury. Love is transformed into poison
if hate contaminates it. Love some, but do
not hate the rest, for that hate will foul the
Love and make it mortal. Love comes
automatically to the realised soul; but the
Sadhaka has to cultivate it by means of Seva
and inquiry into the unity of the Atman.
Love must low not only from the tongue or
head, but chiefly from the heart.
515
PRASADAM means Grace, which flows from
God when He is propitiated. My Grace is
ever with you; it is not something that is
given or taken. It is given always and
accepted by the Consciousness that is aware
of its significance. Win the Grace of your
own subconscious, so that it may receive the
Grace of God which is ever available. God
does not deny anyone; it is only you, who
deny God. When the gift is preferred, you
have to do only one little act so that you may
earn it. You have to extend your hand to
receive it.
516
THE Kshetra or Field or Body must be
transmuted into the Dharmakshetra, the
purified area of Virtue and Vairagya
(Renunciation of lower desires). Then the
Charioteer will take charge and man gets
liberated and the body becomes
Brahmakshetra. That is the life story of a
self-realised person.
517
THE Avatara-Purusha, however, has come
solely to save mankind, and so, He is aware
of the pilgrim, the path and the goal. He is
the master of creation and He is fully
conscious of His power. He knows the past,
the present and future of all. He leads and
liberates.
518
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 Shanti, 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, Namasmaran and the
nine steps to 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.
519
THE basic lesson that each Religion teaches
is to surrender to the sovereign will of God
and leave the consequences of deeds well
done to the Lord Himself. It is His will, and
your only duty is to shape yourself into a fit
instrument. To suppress the assertive ego,
disciplines have been laid down in every
Religion, by every compiler of moral codes,
by every educator and reformer of human
morals. But the oldest, most effective and
the most successfully practiced system is the
body of directives laid down in the Vedas
and Shastras of India.
520
TIME ticks on relentlessly and man is born,
lives and dies, rotating on the wheel of
Karma and consequently 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 in the path of hatred
and haughtiness. He revels in cruelty and
sin. He displays an unholy satisfaction in
immorality and untruth. He has reduced
himself to a level lower than that of beasts.
521
THE receptacle may be different, but the
Divine content is the same. The taste of sea
water will be saline whether you test a
truckload, a bowl full, a pit full, a sip or a
drop on the tongue; the taste of the Divine
can be experienced in the atom or the
Cosmos, the friend as well as the foe, the
virus and the Universe. This is the
Realisation, the Liberation, the Illumination
and the Revelation: "Sarvam Vishnumayam
Jagat." This sphere of change is surcharged
with the Omnipresent Divine.
522
THE Saints and Sages of India and even the
Incarnations that God vouchsafed to take in
this land have proclaimed and practiced the
ideal of service to fellow beings. Krishna
drove the chariot of Arjuna during fateful
days when the fortunes of the Pandavas were
decided at the point of the sword. Imagine
the Lord of the Universe holding the reigns
of Arjuna's horses. Note how Hanuman was
elated when he rose to the status of the
servant of Rama.
523
THERE is no discipline equal to service to
smother the ego and to fill the heart with
genuine joy. To condemn service as
demeaning and inferior is to forego these
benefits. If a wave of service sweeps over the
land, catching everyone in its enthusiasm, it
will be able to wipe off the mounds of
hatred, malice and greed that infest the
World. Attune your heart so that it will
vibrate in sympathy with the woes and joys
of your fellow men. Fill the World with Love.
Love will warn you against advising another
to do something which you are unwilling to
do; your conscience will tell you that you are
living in a lie!
524
ASCETIC practices, years of constant
recitation of the Name, pilgrimage to holy
places and shrines, study of the sacred books
- these will not help the aspirant to spiritual
victory as much as communion with the
Godly and the good. Bharath is a rare
treasure house of spiritual jewels; it can
confer all boons on the sincere.
525
NEVER give up the Gayatri. You may give up
or ignore any other Mantra, but you should
recite Gayatri at least a few times a day. It
will protect you from harm, wherever you
are - traveling, 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 Brahmaprakasa, the effulgence
of Brahma, will descend on you and illumine
your intellect and light your path when this
Mantra is chanted. Gayatri is Annapurna,
the Mother and the Force that animates all
life.
526
THE lotus has as many as a thousand petals.
They all emanate from the Central Karnika
or pericarp. Each petal draws its strength,
sustenance, colour, fragrance and charm
from the Karnika. Detached from the
Karnika, the petal cannot survive. That
attachment and that affection can be secured
when the petal clings to the ideals of Sai and
the lessons of Sai. In My message to you,
there is no scope for your seeing differences
or distinctions among those you serve. "Loka
Samastha Sukino Bhavanthu", (May every
being in all the Worlds be happy); That is
My wish and Blessing.
527
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
individuality, 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 non-existence. 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 lifetime, to the narrow path of
selfishness, envy and greed. Make the heart
big and the mind pure.
528
MEN may have super abundance of food,
clothing and housing, but their hearts may
be dry and their spirits gloomy. Sense
control, self-confidence, contentment,
absence of hatred and greed are far more
precious possessions than land, money or
houses.
529
THERE are four "F's" that you will have to
fix before your attention: (1) Follow the
Master; (2) Face the Devil; (3) Fight to the
End; and (4) Finish at the Goal. "Follow the
Master" means: observe Dharma. "Face the
Devil" means: overcome the temptations
that beset you when you try to earn Artha
(wealth or the wherewithal to live in
comfort). "Fight to the End" means: struggle
ceaselessly; wage war against the six
enemies that are led by Tama or lust. And
finally, "Finish at the Goal" means: do not
stop until the goal, Moksha (Liberation from
ignorance and delusion) is reached. The
"F's" are fundamental for the pursuit of the
four Purusharthas - Dharma, Artha, Kama
and Moksha.
530
I HAVE not been Manager, Secretary,
President or Chairman. I am the example,
the Leader, the Guide. I have none to compel
Me, nor do I profit. Still I work in order to
guide and teach. If I remain inactive, how
can the wheels of the World revolve? I
attend even to the minutest detail of every
arrangement here - the stage, the dais,
tarpaulins, sheds, water tanks, pumps and
everything else. I do everything even for
Myself. So I do not need your Seva. If you do
Seva to those who gather here, that gives Me
Ananda. I need no other food beyond
Ananda.
531
NO bird casts the seed on land to grow food
for itself, nor do beasts plough and enclose
fields claiming, "this is mine, this is for my
children and my children's children".
"Nishkama-Karma" is the natural face of
activity for the children of God, the progeny
of Immortality. They sing and swim, they
dance and drive, they talk and walk and they
pray and pine, because they must; it is the
nature too. They do not know what will
happen as a consequence; they do not care;
they do not anticipate any result. They are
just themselves when they do these things. It
is Sahaja-Lakshana, their innate nature and
their inborn characteristic.
 532
JNANA is not an attribute of the Universal
Absolute (Param-Atma). It is Param-Atma
itself. The Upanishads declare, "Sathyam-
Jnanam-Anantham-Brahma" (Truth,
Wisdom and Eternity-is Brahman). Jnana is
the fulfillment, it is the goal, the
consummation. Man is as ugly as a face
without a nose if he has no wisdom,
whatever other attainments he may decorate
himself with!
533
AGRICULTURE is for living; mind culture is
for life. Skills are for shaping material things
so that they cater more to the comfort of
man; studies are for shaping attitudes,
feelings, desires, emotions and impulses of
man, so that they may confer more peace,
more joy and more fortitude on man.
534
ONE day, Anjaneya appeared in a garden on
the outskirts of Dwarka. Krishna, who heard
about the pranks of the strange Monkey,
directed Garuda to proceed and scare the
animal out of the city limits. Garuda failed,
even though he later took the entire army
with him for the fray. His pride was
humbled. Krishna sent a message through
him to the Monkey, who had declared
himself as Anjaneya, that he should deign to
come to Krishna's court. But Anjaneya,
recognised only Rama and would obey only
Rama. So Krishna had to send another
message that Rama was calling him to His
audience hall! Devotion compels the Lord to
yield to the whims of His servants. Anjaneya
hurried to see Rama and Krishna gave him
the dharsan of Rama Himself.
535
EGOISM will be destroyed, if you constantly
tell yourself, "It is He, not I"; "He is the
force, I am but the instrument". Keep His
name always on the tongue, and
contemplate His glory whenever you see or
hear anything beautiful or grand. See in
everyone the Lord Himself moving in that
form. Do not talk evil of others; see only
good in them. Welcome every chance to help
others, to console others and to encourage
others along the spiritual path.
536
MAN is suffering because he cannot rid
himself of the greed for sense objects and
sense pleasures or Vishaya-Vasana. He
knows that he has to give up whatever he
earns and collects, sooner or later; but yet,
his attachment waxes instead of wanes as
the years go by. If every man on Earth could
take with him on death even a handful of
mud from the Earth, there would have been
nothing much left and mud would have been
rationed at so many ounces per head!
537
YOU have read that the Lord, melted and
moved when one performs acute Thapas,
comes and asks softly and sweetly: "My dear
child, what is it you need"? He wants you to
express in words what you have yearned for
and ask the Lord whom you have brought
before you through the exercise of silence.
That is the little game He plays. And
sometimes He wills that the questioner
answers in the way His plan demands.
538
TO cross safely the flood of "Birth-Death-
Continuum", the bridge called Nishta or
discipline of an unflinching kind is essential.
It must be sturdy, a safe bridge or else you
will fall into the raging waters and be drawn
into the sea, infested with the sharks: Lust
and Anger. See how great heroes like
Prahalada did not lose their hold on the
Lord, in spite of heavy odds. Prahalada
never gave up the repetition of the Name of
the Lord, though he was tortured, twisted
and burnt. One must have that
determination and faith.
539
SORROWS and disasters are like the clouds
that flit across the sky; they cannot injure
the blue depths of space. Your duty is just to
strive on from this very moment. Do not
vacillate or postpone. Who knows when
death knocks? Maybe, he will knock this
very night, this very moment; therefore, do
not delay. Do you postpone for tomorrow
the dinner of this day! Feed the spirit as
scrupulously as you now feed the body.
540
YOU will find that you have craved only for
paltry things and for momentary
distinctions for fleeting fame; you should cry
only for God, for your own cleansing and
consummation. You should weep, wailing
for the six cobras that have sheltered
themselves in your mind, poisoning it with
their venom: Lust, Anger, Greed,
Attachment, Pride and Malice. Quiet them
as the snake charmer does with his swaying
flute. The music that can take them is the
singing aloud the Name of God. And when
they are too intoxicated to move and harm,
catch them by the neck and pull out their
fangs as the charmer does. Thereafter they
can be your play things; you can handle
them as you please.
541
IF you seek to fulfill low desires, why come
here? Come here only if you seek to earn
Grace. Go to a hospital only when you are
resolved to take the drug the physician
prescribes and go through the regimen he
lays down. So, obey the directions that I
give, whatever others may say or however
difficult they may appear to be. You have not
come to Prasanthi Nilayam to please those
others. You have to please Me.
542
PRASANTHI NILAYAM is the centre for
Spirituality uplifting the whole World;
devotees from all over the World are here.
The slightest mistake or wrong committed
by you will be the talk of the World. Your
behaviour must be exemplary; every country
must learn from you. The foundation must
not give way. You must be strong and steady,
sincere and straight.
543
RAMA is the personification of Dharma. So
Rama partakes of the Excellence of the
Vedas. The Mahabharatha is generally
known as the Fifth Veda. And the
Bhagavatha describes the Glory and the
Grace of the Lord and His splendour as the
Indweller in All. So, that too is as efficacious
as the Vedas to elevate man and to release
him from the bondage to the mean and the
sordid.
544
PEOPLE talk loud and long from all kinds of
platforms about Dharma, Prema, Shanti,
Daya, Sathya, etc. This is published in the
Newspaper the next day and there their
purpose ends. The paper of today is the
wastepaper of tomorrow! It is used for
packing or 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.
545
TURN the key in the lock to the right, it
opens; turn the same key to the left; it is
locked. Turn your mind towards the
objective World, it is locked, caught,
entangled. Turn it to the right, away from
the objects of the senses; the lock is
loosened, you are free and deliverance is at
hand. How to turn right? Well, begin with
Namasmarana, as the first step. That will
itself take you through the second and the
third....to the very goal.
546
IF Liberation means the stoppage of grief
and the acquisition of joy, then it is easy.
What you have to do is to place all your
burdens on God; that makes you free of grief
and carefree. Then, when you take
everything as the Leela of the Lord you love,
you clap your hands in Ananda whatever
may happen, for it is His Leela and you are
as happy as He is, when His plans are going
through!
547
YOU heard of the methods by which the
Shastras have asked man to pay his debt to
the Gods, the Sages and the Ancestors. You
heard how Sanathana Dharma has laid down
a "thornless Path" for the progress of man,
from Humanity to Divinity! Thornless or
thornful, each has to tread the path, alone
and in full confidence.
548
THE mind must become the servant of the
intellect, not the slave of the senses. It must
discriminate and detach itself from the body.
Like the ripe tamarind fruit, which becomes
loose inside the shell, it must be unattached
to this shell, this casement called body.
549
LIBERATION is just the awareness of Truth,
the falling off of the scales of delusion from
the eye. It is not a suburb of select souls, it is
not a closed monopoly of expert Sadhakas.
Like the Godavari losing its form, its name
and its taste in the sea, Liberation dissolves
the name and form, aptitudes and attitudes.
You are no more a separate, particular
individual.
550
YOU are happy that you have come on a
pilgrimage here, but let Me tell you one
thing: unless you control the stream of
desire that springs in the mind, this is just a
wasted opportunity. If your wish is fulfilled,
you revere Me; if it is not, you revile Me.
That is how Desire debases you. When one
wish is fulfilled, ten rise in its place. For
there is no dearth of want; the same person
has come to Me seeking success at the
examination, then a job, then a father-in-
law, then a child, then a rise in the salary, a
transfer to a cheaper place and a seat in the
Medical College for his son - a never ending
series of wants, until at last he comes
seeking My Grace for an end to worldly
pursuits and for initiation into the path of
spiritual liberation.
551
NO one can liberate you, for no one has
bound you. You hold on to the nettle of
worldly pleasures and you weep for pain.
The kite is pursued by the crows so long as it
carries the fish in its beak. It twists and
turns in the sky trying to last and then it
drops the fish. That moment it is free. So
give up the attachment to the senses; then
grief and worry can harass you no more.
552
WHEN you know that thieves have broken
into your neighbour's house, you become
extra cautious and, every night before you
retire, you examine every lock and bolt in
the house. When you know that death has
carried away a victim from the house next
door, why do you not examine yourselves,
whether you are equipped to meet it when it
comes for you? Why do you immerse
yourselves in distractions like building
houses, piling bank balances, celebrating
picnics and contesting elections. Engage
yourselves rather in things that will make
you immortal and serve your best interests
by service to the World! Seek your own
Reality; that is what a wise man should do.
553
DHARMA purifies the mind and leads you to
God. It creates a taste for the Name and
Form of God. When you love the name and
form of Krishna, you will naturally respect
and obey the command of Krishna, His
Agna, which is found in the Bhagavat Gita.
Have the Name on the tongue and the Form
in the eye, and the demon called Aasa,
unending desire, will fly from your mind,
leaving joy and content therein. This kind of
constant dwelling on the indwelling God will
promote Love for all beings. You will then
see good in others and you will strive to do
good to others.
554
REMOVE the vices of lust and hatred, and
put out the raging flames of anger and greed,
then the innate Santham and Soukhyam and
the Swarupam and Sevabhavam of Man will
manifest themselves unhindered. Santham
is the Swarupam, and Soukhyam is the
Swabhavam of man.
555
THE very fact that man is equipped with
memory, mind, intelligence, discrimination,
the ability to anticipate the future and the
desire to detach himself from the senses is
an indication that he is destined for some
higher goal. In spite of this, if man craves for
a lesser consumption, he is a Papi (Sinner).
But he, who persists in spite of temptations
and obstacles on the path that leads to self-
fulfillment and self-realisation, is a Gopi, for
the Gopis of Brindavan were the most
inspiring examples of such souls.
556
FROM birth to death, man is the slave of
urges and hesitations. One must examine
these and rely more on those that lead him
towards subjective joy rather than objective
pleasure. Subjective joy can be acquired by
harmony at home, mutual cooperation
among the members of the family and
community, acts of service to others and
concern for the welfare and prosperity of the
Society in which one is living.
557
THE body can be clean if washed with water.
Speech can be clean if it is saturated in
Truth. Life can be purified if it is sanctified
by Tapas; and the intellect can be cleared of
blemish through Jnana. Above all, the
conviction that you are not the body but only
a resident of the body has to grow in you. If
you identify yourselves with the body that
you carry about with you, you are inviting
sorrow and suffering to overwhelm you
instead of the joy and peace which are
awaiting to bless you.
558
WHEN the Gita directs you to give up all
Dharmas (Set codes of morality), it does not
ask you to also give up all Karma (activity);
that is to say, you have to do Karma, and
when you do it for God, through God and by
God, the Dharma of it does not matter; it has
to be acceptable and it is bound to benefit
you. The statement is not an invitation to
licentiousness or complete inactivity. It is all
for dedication and surrender to the highest
in Man, viz. God.
559
WEAKNESS, vacillation and despair bring
dishonour on Him who conferred on you the
honour of "Amirthesya Puthraah". You are
"Bala-Swarupa", or the Nature of strength.
Whenever accosted, you must declare
yourself so and not otherwise. Do not bend
and cringe and barter your self-respect. Do
not believe that you are a little lump of body.
You are the indestructible immortal Atma of
the same nature as Brahman itself.
560
DO not admit into your mind the demon of
Asanthi. Direct all your cleverness and all
your intelligence to the successful execution
of the great Drama, in which all of you are
taking part at present. It is His Drama. He is
the Director, you play a role, an actor
carrying out His Will, speaking the words
that He put in your mouth and making
movements as directed by Him.
561
THE experience of this one life must be
enough to show you that there is no joy
unmixed with grief, that both grief and joy
are short lived and they both depend on the
mind and its control. You do not require the
experience of a series of lives to grasp this
patent fact. This World is keeping you in
bondage; it is a prison from which you must
get released; and you should not plan to
return to it again and again.
562
THE eye which is scarce two inches long can
see millions of miles into space but is
incapable of seeing itself! Man too is as
shrewd and as weak as the eye. He can
analyse others "motives, count others "faults
and map out others "skills and capacities
but, he is powerless to analyse himself, his
feelings and his emotions. Unwilling to
discover his own faults, he cannot assess his
innate skill and realise his inner reality! But
the power can be acquired if you keep
company with Sadhakas (aspirants for
spiritual progress), not otherwise.
563
DO not imagine yourselves as Hindus for the
reason that you are born in Hindustan. You
are too entangled in the rules of Caste, the
Ceremonial of rituals, and the coils of
Astrology to grasp your own inner Reality.
You do not realise the spark of Divinity in
you and try to raise it into a flaming fire of
Divine Splendour, reducing your pretty "I"
into ashes. Sanathana Dharma tells you
about that spark and teaches you how to
foster it and develop it. When you ignore
this Dharma and allow Science to entice you,
you are bringing disrespect to your culture
and disowning your country.
564
TO spend some time in the Divine presence
is a fortune which is a reward for past merit.
You are here, going through Sentences from
Courts for delinquencies. Let me tell you
that all men are undergoing Sentences for
long or short periods with simple or hard
labour, to atone for misdemeanors and
crimes done by them in their past lives.
Every fall makes a dent; every fault has to be
corrected; and every sin has to be cleansed.
Everyone is a prisoner.
565
INSIST that you are the body, the mind, the
senses and the intelligence. It encourages
you to care for the strengthening of the body
and its beautification; to cater to the fancies
that attract the mind; to pursue the fleeting
pleasures of the tongue and eye; it tells you
that reason is the only instrument for
measuring Truth and decries intuition and
experience. "Mine" teaches you to grab,
acquire and possess, merely for the joy of
possession and the joy of depriving others of
things of value. But the mind can also be
used for Liberation from these two shackles,
I and Mine. Let it be fixed on God; they will
both disappear.
566
MAN thinks that he knows everything, but
when asked about himself, he hangs down
his head in shame. Man knows the news of
every land but he is ignorant of the nuisance
that he is to himself and others. He is
moving in darkness but yearning for
Ananda. He does not know the means of
securing Ananda: Prayer, Seva, Study of
Spiritual Texts, Meditation and Silence. He
has no faith that he is Ananda and that
Ananda is his own nature. He is blown away
by calamity, for he has no strength to
withstand the blow. Faith in the God within
is the toughest shield against the thrusts of
Fate.
567
NESTS laboriously built by birds are torn
away by storms; the fragrant petals of
flowers are felled by rain. Defeat and victory
are the obverse and reverse of the same coin;
when you welcome one, you have to willy-
nilly welcome the other, too. Forbearance,
compassion and incorruptible virtue are the
three pillars of a happy life. Only such a life
can be called civilized; the rest is barbarian
existence.
568
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
will be the best for you. God does not dole
out Grace in proportion to the praise He
receives!
569
WHEN you pray for a thing from God, you
run the risk of condemning Him, if for some
reasons the Prayer is not answered the way
you want it to be or as quickly as you want it.
This contingency arises because you feel that
God is an outsider, staying in some Heaven
or holy spot, far away from you. God is in
you, God is in every word of yours, every
deed and every thought. Speak, do and think
as befits Him. Do the duty that He has
allotted to you to the best of your ability and
to the satisfaction of your conscience. That is
the most rewarding Puja.
570
WHEN you stand before another, his image
is in your eye and your image is in his; have
you not observed this? You are in Him, I am
in you: that is the Truth this phenomenon
proclaims. When you believe 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 traveling
left, you are certainly left out when it is a
question of sharing Divine Grace.
571
WHEN you do not accept the insult someone
casts on you, it goes back to the person who
indulged in it first; a registered letter that is
not accepted returns to the sender. Do not
damage your mental peace by receiving the
letter and reading the contents. Refuse to
receive it. You have a chance of correcting
the wrongdoers too; accept it and pin the
gang of mischief makers. So be warned!
572
I KNOW many parents who dote on their
children and admire them when they learn
the bad habits of gambling or drinking! They
do not curb them when they swagger about
in the bazaars, teasing and bullying those
who pass by. They do not instill into the
young minds the attitude of reverence
towards property belonging to others. As a
consequence, their children land themselves
in trouble and, then, the parents repent and
curse themselves for their unpardonable
foolishness.
573
IF the parent is a drunkard, a gambler and a
cheat, no amount of textbook ethics can cure
the sons. I like children and the young
innocence. I will not allow them to be
blamed. The fault lies wholly on the
shoulders of the elders, the parents, and the
leaders who shape the norms which they
imbibe.
574
CLEANSE your emotions, passions,
impulses, attitudes, and reactions. That is
the essence of spiritual discipline as laid
down in all Faiths. Examine your mind, your
thoughts; do not seek the fault ridden
person. Seek only purity; speak ill of none.
Do not humiliate anyone; respect him for
the good in him. Their grief at your
behaviour will haunt you during your last
moments.
575
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 the sting;
cleverness consists in gathering the honey
nevertheless. Troubles and travails will
haunt you but you must not allow them to
deflect you from the path of duty and
dedication.
576
IF you feel you must have something to be
happy, pray to God: "God, you have the
responsibility to keep me healthy, happy,
good and intelligent; give me this thing
which I believe is necessary for my
happiness; but, if you think I am wrong, give
me whatever you think best". God will never
desert His obligation. He will feed you and
foster you.
577
HAVE patience; do not, in your hurry, enjoy
cheap joys, fall into error and unrighteous
deeds. Have faith that God will add unto you
all the joys that you desire and deserve.
People ask men for favours; they extend
their hands towards others and plead "Dehi"
(Give). But, "Dehi" means also, "He who
dwells in the 'Deha' or Body; which is God".
So, do not humiliate that "Dehi" by calling
out "Dehi" before others. Say "Dehi" to the
Dehi; He will respond generously and
graciously.
578
WOMEN preserve the culture of this country
with greater tenacity and faith. They keep
men on the moral path and inspire them to
follow spiritual discipline. Their hearts are
tender and full of compassion for the hungry
and the distressed. That is why in this land,
women are adored and revered.
 579
ELDERS quote the Shastras that say that the
home, where the floor is soaked by the tears
of a woman, can never see prosperity. Sri
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa took great care
to see that Saradamani Devi did not take his
simple jokes and ridicules too much to heart,
for then she might shed tears. We honour
the land where we are born as our "Mother
Country", the language we learn on our
mother's lap as "mother tongue", and the
Scripture that teaches us Morality as
"Mother Veda". In this way, every Indian has
four mothers, including the mother who
gave birth to him. According to Indian
Culture, all these have to be adored as
Divine.
580
THOSE who deny God, the Supreme Will or
the First Cause, can give no real satisfactory
justification for their stand; nor can those
who assert that there is God. Both have to
rely on their own experience. After all, how
can sweetness be denied by one who refuses
to taste sugar? How can one be convinced
that sugar is sweet until one tastes it? We
have to feel the great marvel of energy,
manipulating both, the minutest atom and
cell and the vastest, most distant star. How
else can we understand the Omnipresence
and Omnipotence, except by accepting God
as the Architect of the Cosmos?
581
FOLLOW the call of the Divine arising from
the hearts of all living beings. Serve them in
an attitude of worship, not expecting
something in return. Do not even accept
gratitude, having dedicated all your acts to
the indwelling God. This will purify you, so
that you shall be able to listen to the
"Soham" that your breath repeats every
moment. "Soham" transmutes itself into OM
when the distinction between He and I has
dissolved itself in the process of "Samadhi".
582
MAN is born for the attainment of Joy, not
for sheer eating and reveling. Real and
lasting Joy can be won only by a life led
along the path of Dharma which makes the
inherent Divinity of Man shine forth;
Illumination is the purpose of life; of the
recurring sequence of birth and death. Man
has in him the spark of Divinity which is
Omnipresent, Omniscient, Omnipotent and
immanent in the entire Universe. In order to
become ever aware of this innate Reality,
man must learn the technique laid down by
the Scriptures revealed by the same Divinity.
583
THE very first lesson of the Primer of the
spiritual text is "Control of Speech". Speech
is the armament of man; other animals have
fleetness of foot, sharpness of claw, fang,
horn, tusk, beak and talon. But man has
sweetness of Speech which can disarm all
opposition and defeat all the designs of
hatred. Sweetness makes you "Pasupathi" -
Divine; harshness makes you "Pasu" -
bestial. Mere outward politeness or
sweetness is hypocrisy! Sincere speech must
flow from real sweetness of heart, a heart
full of love. Remove all evil from the
Manasarovar, the pellucid lake of your
Mind, and, make it a fit abode of Godhead.
584
START from today a new Chapter in your
life, the Chapter of Japam and Dhyanam,
Japa- Sahitha Dhyanam or Dhyana Sahitha-
Japam. In the Tretha Yuga, the Name was
Sitharama; in the Dwapara, it was Radha-
shyama; and in the Kali yuga, it is
Sarvanam, that is to say, all Names of the
Lord; you can select any one that appeals to
you.
585
EVERY man desires to acquire Ananda.
From where can Ananda be acquired? Faith
alone can win Ananda. Peace can be gotten
only through Faith; Faith is the spring of
Joy. But now we see Sorrow, wherever we
cast our eyes. Why does this happen?
Because man has lost Faith. He has no Faith
in himself. How then can he acquire
Ananda? How can a person, who has not
enough Faith to live happily for a few days,
win the Grace of God?
 586
NAMASMARANA is the process by which
this dedicatory attitude can be cultivated
and confirmed. When confronted by
calamity, you must attach yourself to this
Sadhana even more firmly, instead of losing
faith in it and getting slack. The drug should
not be given up when it is most needed. The
pity is that, when the first disappointment
faces you, you lose courage and confidence
and give up Rama or Krishna or Sai Baba.
587
MANY of you have problems of health or
mental worry of some sort or other. They are
mere baits by which you have been brought
here, so that you may contact the Grace and
strengthen your faith in the Divine.
Problems and worry are really to be
welcomed as they teach you the lessons of
humility and reverence.
588
BHARATHVARSHA knew that the secret of
Peace lay in Service and Love towards all
beings. The Culture of this land proclaimed
that the best form of Service is to foster the
practitioners of the good life; the Sages and
the Sadhakas. Do not decry the servants of
God; do not obstruct the charity of the
generous; do not discourage the study of the
Scriptures, even if you cannot positively
promote any of these; that is the lesson
taught in this land.
589
AT present, everyone is after Sukha. The
hunt for comfortable jobs and positions of
influence, the founding of banks and
business houses, the growth of bungalows -
all this is evidence of the eagerness to live in
happiness. But there is no eagerness to live
in Shanti. Sukha is confused with Shanti.
Sukha is taken to be the same as Shanti.
None of the rich, well placed, prosperous or
powerful have Shanti. You can investigate
and find out for yourselves the truth of this.
Shanti is not found in the Pass-Book or
many roomed bungalows or godowns or iron
safes. Your whole attitude is topsy-turvy.
590
GO straight along the path of Karma and
Dharma towards Brahma; this is your
destiny. Karma has to be done; there is no
turning away. Each has his allotted task,
according to the status taste, tendency and
earned merit. Do it with the fear of God and
of sin deep in your heart. Welcome pain and
grief, so that you take both success and
failure as hammer-strokes to shape you into
a sturdy Sadhaka. Inner contentment is
more important than outer prosperity.
591
THE Sun is about 90 million miles distant
from our Earth. The most distant planet so
far known is Pluto, which is nearly 3670
million miles away from the Sun. It takes
248 long years to make one journey around
the sun. Well! Has God planned all these
heavenly bodies out of sheer caprice? Or
does He intend to convey any lesson through
these happenings? God will never produce
an effect without cause or purpose. Nor will
He manifest substance without value. Why?
The rotation of the Earth on its own axis, for
example, causes the seasons, the formation
of clouds and the falling of rain. God has
graciously willed to establish peace and
prosperity on Earth.
592
FRIENDSHIP must serve as lids for the eye,
as sandals for the feet. The friend must be
"another Me". He must experience, in equal
depth, the joy and the grief of the other.
Friends must be like milk and water. Let Me
elaborate this example. When milk, when
mixed with some water is placed on a
burning stove, the water goes, off as steam.
The milk laments the separation and boils
over. Then, the only way to keep it calm, is
to sprinkle a spoon or two of water; its
friend is back and it is happy. Milk cannot
tolerate separation from its friend.
593
OUR friends today attach themselves not to
you but to your purse or to some advantage
they can gain through your father's
kindness. When your purse is empty or
when your father is no longer in power, they
bid you good-bye. Friends who drag one
away into evil habits and vicious deeds are
prowling around in search of victims.
594
UDYOGAM Purusha Lakshanam, it is said.
Ud-yoga means, as is commonly understood,
employment in some job, something that is
worth doing. No, it means Ud (Higher) Yoga
(spiritual discipline): a Sadhana which has
assumed the status of a job. All jobs that you
take up are Ud-yogas, higher disciplines,
which mark out (Lakshanam) the Purusha
(the man). When Artha is sought through
Dharma, the Purushartha deserves the
name, "Paramapurushartha", for it is
Parama oriented towards the Para or the
higher eternal values.
595
IN one of his speeches, Nehru had to
acknowledge that there is a Destiny that
shapes events, irrespective of individual
effort. Well, everyone will come to that
conclusion sooner or later; for there is a
limit to the capacity of man to control
events. You may call it Destiny. Another may
call it Providence; and a third, God. Names
do not matter. It is the humility that
matters; the wonder and the sense of awe
that matters.
596
THE eye sees because it is illumined by a
microscopic spark of the rays of the Sun.
"Chakshos Suryo ajayatha". From the eye,
Surya was born. The Atma is the motive
force of all the Senses; the eye is but a
window through which the Atma peeps out
at the external world. Of what use is the eye
when the vision is not correct? Samam
means Brahmam; Samadrishti means seeing
only Brahmam, the one in all things, at all
times. This Ekathwam is the basic Truth. All
other experiences are partial, distorted, and
false.
597
EDUCATION must include the education of
the mind of man, of his impulses to hate, to
hoard, to fight and to defame. It is not
merely the acquisition of certain skills by
which the 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, his Anthakarana, to know
himself. It should open his inner eye more
than his outer; the outer must reveal the
Glory of God; and the inner must reveal the
God within.
598
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, we are
denying them their due. Faith in man
involves Faith in God; Faith in God creates
Faith in man. Without faith, man is a
creature bereft of roots; and he dries and
withers quickly.
599
THE friends that the child collects at school
and around the house have a beneficial or
deleterious effect on its growth. Comics,
horror stories, terrorism, gunmen pictures
and cinema posters degrade man into a zero.
The child learns to worship money and the
things which money can buy; he admires
cruelty and cunning, rather than Sympathy
and Love. So, the Home, the School and the
Society have to rise and take up this
challenge posed to the future of this great
land.
600
MAN is born with a great thirst and a deep
hunger for bliss. He knows that he can get it,
but he does not know from where. He has
faint memories of his being the heir to the
Kingdom of Ananda. But he does not know
how to establish his claim to his heritage.
Something in him revolts when he is
condemned to die, to suffer and to hate. It
whispers to him that he is the child of
Immortality, of Bliss and of Love. But man
ignores these promptings and, as one
exchanges diamonds for dirt, he runs in
search of meaner pleasures and sordid
comforts.
601
I DO not care either for praise or for blame. I
only pity these people who, in order to
scrape together a few paise from the poor,
resort to such filthy tricks. For all who are
pained by these subhuman 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".
602
PRAYER and Meditation Prayer makes you
a supplicant at the Feet of God; Dhyana
induces God to come down to you and
inspires you to raise yourselves to Him. It
tends to make you come together, not place
one in a lower level and the other on a
higher. Dhyana is the royal road to
Liberation from bondage, and with Prayer
you earn the same fruit. Meditation needs
concentration after controlling the claims of
the senses. You have to picture before your
inner eye the Form on which you have
elected to contemplate.
603
WHEN you see in a house on the walls of the
shrine room a picture of Mine, do you not
feel a wave of reverence and kinship surging
within you? You may not like him for any
other reason, but this picture will bring him
closer to you, though the owner of the house
may be your rival in the professional field.
So, too, know that every other person has in
his heart of hearts a picture of the God you
revere. Recognise it and reconcile your
misunderstandings; close up all gaps with
the brothers in pilgrimage, encouraging and
inspiring each other along the arduous road.
604
WHEN the parents have no reverence for
God, when the pictures of Stalin, Hitler,
Churchill and Lenin adorn the walls of the
home, when the child has to breathe the
atmosphere of scandal, faction and greed at
home, how can it grow into a happy, healthy
balanced individual? The films that children
are taken to see are full of violence and
falsehood, mean tricks and conspiracies,
which tarnish the springs of sympathy and
love.
605
THERE are parents who are proud when
their children join in card games and even in
drinking and gambling; there are parents
who get angry when their children read
religious books, attend temple rites and sit
quietly for a few minutes meditating on the
awe and wonder that Creation evokes in
them. How can such parents claim to be the
well-wishers of their progeny? They are the
greatest foes of their progress.
606
ALL the twenty-four hours are spent in
attending to the care of the body, the
prevention of disease, the promotion of
health, the development of muscle, etc. No
care is spent on the God resident in this
physical tabernacle, who has to be
recognised and revered. The weighing
machine on which you stand to read your
weight with pride laughs at you for the silly
exaltation. It sneers at your conceit over
physical victories; it warns you against too
much concern over paltry gains. It knows
that death is lying in wait to snatch you
away, however heavy you may grow.
Develop "Drishti" (vision); not "Deha"
(body). Concentrate on the Maker, not the
made.
607
TO elevate man to the level of his
consciousness, He (God) has to incarnate as
man. He has to speak to them in their own
styles and languages. He has to teach them
the methods that they can adopt and
practice. Birds and beasts need no Divine
Incarnation to guide them, for they have no
inclination to stray away from their Dharma.
Man alone forgets or ignores the goal of Life.
 608
I HAVE no desire to have My Birthday
celebrated. Such trivial thoughts can never
enter Me. My only desire is to share My
"Ananda". My Birthday is when you get
"Ananda". My Mission is "Loka Samastha
Sukhino Bhavanthu". 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
everyone on Earth and fill your hearts with
that yearning.
609
ACTS done between dawn and dusk are
offerings into the sacred Fire of Wisdom. Of
such acts, those that are promoted by
instinct and impulse are material; they do
not arise from a mind moulded by the
intellect. When the mind is crossed and the
outer shore reached, all acts become pure
and holy. When deep sleep overpowers the
senses, the mind, the intellect, and even the
sense of ego disappears. The entire Cosmos
disappears from awareness. That is the
Truth when the Atman is alone by itself and
bondage is naught.
610
GOD, Over-self or Paramatma is praised by
man when his desires are fulfilled. When
they are not realised, He is blamed. But He
has no prejudice or partiality. If He has
Love, He must also have anger. Any
manifestation of these feelings is only
superficial and does not rise from the core.
God is the witness of the act-consequence
chain. You can avoid the consequence by
dedicating the act of God and abstaining
from attachment.
611
ONE'S action decides one's destiny. There is
no use blaming others for our misfortune
and misery. Nor is it right to blame God as
being partial or cruelly unconcerned. When
you plant a bitter seed, how can the fruit be
sweet? It has become the fashion to claim all
good as one's own achievement and to
ascribe all the despair and disappointment
to an irresponsible attitude of Divinity.
612
I WISH to emphasise that purity of the
heart, the mind and the consciousness is
more important for progress than even
Meditation and Prayer. Purity alone can
convince you of the Divine within you of the
Kshetrajna immanent in the Kshetra. Love
all, adore all and serve all. That is the
Sadhana of worship, to win purity and earn
Grace.
613
THE consequence of the meritorious
activities of previous births can be drawn
upon now; but unless you have them, no
cheque will be honoured. Moreover, only
those who have the account can operate.
Each must have a separate account in his
own name: One brother cannot draw on the
account of another brother; and the wife
cannot draw on the account of the husband.
614
SOMETIMES, the Bank will give you
overdrafts, so that you tide over temporary
crisis; the extent of the overdraft is settled
by the Manager with reference to your
reliability and capabilities. It is like the
"Anugraha", Grace that God will confer on
you when you have earned it by
"Sathkarrna", "Sathchinthana", "Sathsanga"
and "Namasmarana" (good deeds, good
thoughts, good feelings and, good company),
and constant repetition and reflection on the
Name of God and the Glory it seeks to
express.
615
WHEN you have attained true wisdom, you
will find that good fortune should not be
gloated over, nor bad fortune grieved over.
The Hero treats both with equal unconcern.
They are breezes and storms that cannot
affect the depths of the Ocean of Bliss in the
heart of Man.
616
PEOPLE in America, Europe, and Africa,
Hong Kong and Australia are establishing
Sathya Sai Bhaktha Mandalis and Study
Circles; they are having Telugu classes, so
that they may listen to Me and learn things
directly from Me. As for Me, I have no "near"
and "far"- all are near to me except those
who keep afar. Even they are close to Me, if
only they dedicate themselves to God, under
whatever Name and Form.
617
CYNICAL laughter cannot harm the
Sadhaka. Can a storm shake the Himalayan
range? Let not your faith in the goal or the
road quake before trouble or trial, toil or
travail, distress or despair. They are but
passing clouds, casting temporary shadows
hiding for a little time the glory of the Sun or
Moon. Do not get distracted by doubt of
despondency. Build the mansion of your life
on four firm pillars: Dharma, Artha, Kama
and Moksha, the Purusharthas laid down by
the ancient sages, each pillar bound strong
and safe with every other.
618
THE Ramayana, the Mahabharatha, and the
Bhagavatha are to be mastered, not allowed
to become masters. You go through them
without allowing them to go through you!
The Volumes are bound in silk; and incense
sticks are burnt before them, while man
prostrates before them in reverence. But no
attention is paid to what the pages proclaim.
The frills and fringes attract the mind more
than the kernel provided by the text.
619
ACT according to your professions. Do not
play false to yourself and to your ideals. To
deny by your acts the truth of what you
preach is a sign of cowardice and moral
suicide. You say that Baba knows and sees
everywhere, but you do something wrong in
the belief that Baba is somewhere else. You
pray to Kali in the idol form, believing it to
be alive and you hide something behind the
idol, imagining that no one would know
about it.
620
THE chief Characteristics of Sathya Sai are:
equanimity and forbearance (sahana). There
are many who are engaged in criticism and
calumny. Many papers publish all types of
writings. Many pamphlets are printed. All
kinds of things happen in the World. My
reply to all these is a smile. Such criticisms
and distortions are the inevitable
accompaniments of everything good and
great. Only the fruit-laden tree is hit by
stones thrown by greedy people. No one
casts a stone on the tree that bears no fruit.
621
SANKARACHARYA was going along the
streets of Varanasi, when he saw in a small
hermitage a monk poring over a book of
grammar. He took pity on the aging scholar
and warned him that, when the end draws
near, his panditry will not save him from
perdition or take him to the goal of merging
with God. So he asked him to adore God and
fill himself with thoughts of the Divine. This
is the proper way to deal with life, not
frittering it away as a feast of fancy.
622
THE tree will grow with branches on all
sides; countless flowers will bloom; it will
provide and promote peace and security to
the World. In order to realise this result,
students must do as roots do: remain firm
and provide sustenance. I know that the
roots have to be watered so that flowers and
fruits may emerge. Students are my all. If
you ask Me, what is My property, many
expect the answer to be, "Oh! All these
buildings; all these vast areas of land". But
My answer is "My entire property consists of
My students". I have offered Myself to them.
But many are not aware of this fact. Some
unfortunate people cannot believe the
Reality of this Love: the Love of a thousand
mothers.
623
THE situation in India and in the World
today is "Evaniki Vaare, Yamuna Theere"
(Each for each on the Yamuna beach). There
is no togetherness. How happy can man be if
he develops togetherness! Can you eat a
meal with a single finger? When the five
fingers work in unison, the stomach is filled
in five minutes! So, no attachment should be
developed; no wish is to be welcomed,
nothing is to be sought for; and no defeat is
to be taken to heart, without solving deep
into the consequences.
624
IT was ascribed to one's past deeds and one's
own mental tendencies. It is wrong to cast
the blame on others. But, someone pointed
out that God was the originator of both joy
and grief and that without His will no blade
of grass can waver in the wind. Yes; if that
Truth be firmly established in the heart, one
gets the unique bliss of liberation. God gives
everything; whatever we get is His Grace,
and you have no right to judge if it is good or
bad. Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam
Bhaja Govindam Moodha Mathe
Sammpraapthe Sannihitthe Kaale Nahi Nahi
Rakshathi Dukrn.
625
PRAISE God, Praise God, Praise God, you
fool, when death does knock at door, rules of
grammar cannot save you. Sankara exhorted
his pupils to disseminate the ideal of this
verse, and they, too, responded with verses
on the same lines, each of the fourteen
contributing one verse. Sankara gave
another twelve of his own, as well as four
more verses about the transformation that
the teaching would confer. Thus, there are 31
verses in all, in the text called Bhaja
Govindam or Moha Mudgaram. The latter
name means, "The weapon with which
delusion can be destroyed". Each one is a
step in the ladder which lifts man into God.
626
ELECTRICITY is found everywhere in
Nature but it can be collected, stored and
utilised only through certain contrivances
designed by man. The spiritual Atma Sakthi
that is also everywhere is stored in a body
and passed through the thin wires or nerves;
it illumines and directs activity. These
activities have to be oriented towards
Ananda and not attachment to temporary
pleasures. The life principle that flows as
intelligence through every cell and nerve is
also a reflection of the Atma.
627
WORK is for the physical level, worship for
the mental and wisdom for the spiritual. You
have to pass through the three stages, each
one of you. When I say to you, there are
three of you! The one you think you are,
namely the body, the physical person; the
one the others think you are, the mental you,
your passions, emotions, impulses,
attitudes, and beliefs; and the one you really
are, namely, the Atma, the Spirit, the real
Reality of your Personality.
628
ONE can understand the spirit of
renunciation and the depth of tolerance that
is inherent in India's noble response.
Whoever is afflicted with calamity, at
whatever time, under whatever condition,
your heart must react without delay in
sympathy shown in the same practical
manner. No one should be condemned as
trash; even a little stick can serve as a
toothpick! God has not made any man
wholly bad or wholly good; your likes and
dislikes are inducing you to label them as
such.
629
UNLESS one develops virtue, uses skill,
intelligence and discrimination in the most
beneficial manner and directs his physical
might with restraint, his life is wasted in
bitterness and grief. The Vedas declare:
"Nakarmanaa, naprajayaa-dhanena,
thyagenike amrthathwa masmuth"; (Not by
acts, nor by riches nor by progeny, but, only
by renunciation can immortality be gained).
"Renunciation, detachment, sacrifice, giving
up - these alone can ensure the highest
Realisation and Eternal Bliss. Renunciation
is the law of life. That is why life is
worthwhile and a source of happiness.
630
OF what avail is the shaving of the scalp
while leaving inside of it a multitude of
desires clamouring for satisfaction? This
kind of Sanyasa is a fraud on the person
entering it and on Society. No Avatar, you
will note, has granted Sanyasa to any
aspirant. These external insignia are not
essential or even necessary. Non-
attachment, born out of wisdom and
fostered by the Grace of the Lord, is the
precious capital for spiritual advance.
631
THE Sanyasi has to declare his death and
perform obsequies for himself and bury his
past. He destroys all that binds him to the
rest and to his past, his history and his
name. He avoids any reminder of his
erstwhile adventure and the pursuit of
sensory joy. He flees from his friends and
foes, his habits, and habiliments, his hobbies
and prejudices. But we find men who have
taken the vow of Sanyas still clinging to their
long established practices and habits.
Instead they must completely break with the
past. That is why in the Gita, Karma Sanyasa
and not any other types of Sanyas is
prescribed.
632
GURU Nanak said that without faith in God,
man is blind; Without it, you are a moving
corpse - your life might be as grand,
beautiful, and rich as the Taj Mahal but
remember, the Taj is but a tomb! Whatever
the method of worship and whichever the
Name or Form, it is faith that matters; it is
that which gives life and energy for higher
things.
633
I LIKE the Puja that is done not for the sake
of the individual but for the sake of
humanity. By all means, do Puja in order to
promote the happiness and peace of living
beings. Develop that love for men
everywhere. That is My Mission too, My
Resolution, My Sankalpa, and My Deeksha -
the planting of Love in every human heart.
634
IT becomes essential to cleanse the mind
through regular Sadhana, 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. Sathya, Dharma, Shanti and Prema
are the hallmarks of a purified heart, where
God is enshrined and is manifest.
635
INSTEAD of transforming his heart, his
home, his village, his state, and this World
into a Prashanthi Nilayam, the abode of the
peace that passes 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 and fragile
fragrance. He spends all his energies and the
fruits of all his toil in the satisfaction of the
trivial demands of these untamed
underlings.
636
INDIVIDUAL efforts and Divine Grace are
both interdependent, without effort there
will be no conferment of grace. Without
Grace, there can be no taste in the effort. To
win that Grace, you need only have faith and
virtue. You need not praise Him in order to
win His Favour.
637
THE character of the children must be made
strong and pure. Give them all the
confidence and courage they need to become
good, honest, and self-reliant children. It is
not enough if they learn something by which
they can make a living. The manner of living
is more important than the standard of
living. The children must also have
reverence towards their religion, their
culture, their educational attainments and
their country. They must learn well their
mother tongue, so that they can appreciate
the great poetical works and epics written by
the Seers of their land. This will give them
valuable guidance in the stormy days ahead.
638
LEARN to share with others their grief and
their joy, do not get jealous when others are
happier or when others win prizes or credits
in examinations. Emulate their industry,
pray for a higher share of intelligence or a
sharper memory, but do not give room in
your hearts to envy and malice. Envy is a
deadly poison, it will contaminate character,
ruin health, and rob you of peace. Be
Anasuyas, unaffected by envy, and you can
subdue the Gods of creation, Protection and
Destruction. Like a pest that destroys
growing crops, envy enters slyly and spreads
quickly. So even in small matters, be vigilant
to ensure that you do not fall a prey to envy.
639
THE six enemies of man are eating into his
vitals, embedded in his own inner
consciousness. They are the demons to be
killed. They are Lust (Kama), Anger
(Krodha), Greed (Lobha), Attachment
(Moha), Pride (Mada) and Malice
(Matsarya). They reduce man to the level of
a demon. They have to be overpowered and
transmuted by the supreme alchemy of the
Divine urge. Then the nine nights of struggle
will become a new type of night, devoted to
the purification of the mind and the
illumination of the soul, the night described
in the Gita as "the Day of the Worldly". What
is clear and attractive to the ordinary man is
uninteresting and unknown to the Worldly
man. This is the nature of the topsy-turvy
world.
640
THE selfishness fouling your love is veiling
divinity from your vision. What is the reason
for the selfishness which is veiling divinity
from us? It is simply our attachment to the
body; It is the weakness of our mind and our
enslavement to our senses.
641
USE the eyes to watch wholesome things,
the feet to proceed to the Home of God, the
hands to serve the embodiments of God
moving around you as men and the tongue
to soothe pain, praise virtue, and glorify
God. Do not use your eye to vulgarise your
brain and your feet to stand in queue for
deleterious movie-shows.
642
THOUGH the World has become a very
small globe as a result of fast means of
communication and transport, man has not
yet learnt the art of living together in close
proximity as brothers and as children of the
One God. The closer men are brought, the
larger the differences that appear. Thus, the
little World is now riddled with problems of
conflicting cultures, competing creeds and
contesting ambitions. The sorrows of one
State spread fast into all its neighbouring
ones and infect the whole world. The World
has become one vast battlefield.
643
MOST of you are leading a double or triple
life: Yogam in the morning; Bhogam the rest
of the day; and Rogam at night. You seek
Ananda outside you and suffer from the
ulcer of desire inside you. You utter one
thing with the tongue and carry out the
opposite with the hand. You claim to be the
seekers of Jnana but you are attached to the
delusion that you have cultivated. You have
a ticket for Calcutta but you are traveling in
the train headed for Bombay. With the body,
which is your ticket and Vigna and Vairagya
your luggage, you are traveling not in the
train which goes God ward but in the train
leading to Prakruthi. This is a pity.
644
THE Atma has an eternal festival. It is
Anandaswarupa. It is beyond time and so
does not calculate the passage of time. Let
me ask, how can man celebrate a festival
when he is afflicted by Dehabhranthi,
Manabhranthi, Indriyabhranthi, and
Lokabhranthi? He believes the falsehoods
that are called the body, the senses, the
mind and the world. He pursues them and
tastes joy and grief, and when a certain
number of years have passed, he celebrates a
festival.
 645
INDIA is the Moolasharam of Sathya, Santhi
and Prema and she has been holding forth
these ideals and emphasising their practice
since centuries. Bharath means the land that
has "rathi" or attachment to "bha" or
Bhagavan; it means that the people here are
God-loving, not so much God-fearing. If you
love God, you have to love Man also. This
teaching, that Sathya is the basis of Dharma
which lays down individual and social duties
and obligations, and that Sathya is also the
root of Prema and Shanti, is the unique
feature of Bharath. Sathya is enough, no
other God needs to be worshipped.
646
THE task now is to install Dharma in every
heart, to shed light on every road, through
the revival of Vedanta. The World is like a
famished person waiting for a feast; it is like
the parched land waiting for rain. I have
seen and felt the atmosphere of this land
surcharged with discontent and dishonesty.
I have seen it from Kanyakumari to the
Himalayas: that is the reason why
thousands, like you seek Dharsan, Sparsan
and Sambhasan. I am only surprised that
thousands are denying themselves that
chance.
647
IT is best 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 home, spend them with the
highest of all powers that you know of; be in
His Elevating and Inspiring Company;
worship Him mentally; offer unto Him all
the work you do; and you will come out of
the silence, nobler and more heroic than
when you went in.
648
JUST consider - do you come out of the
cinema more peaceful, more heroic, purer
and nobler than when you went in? No, your
passions are aroused, your animal impulses
are catered to and your lower nature is fed.
Nothing else can give one 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 muscles of a prize fighter.
649
LIVE upon the Ananda that you derive when
you sing the Name and glorify the Form of
the Lord That is My Food and My daily
sustenance. So, I have no need to talk to you;
it is sufficient if I sit here and draw in the
Ananda that you feel when you do Bhajan.
650
THERE are certain dire possibilities which I
want all social workers to guard against.
First cleanse your own minds and then start
advising others. Earn mental peace and
strength for yourself and then try to secure
them for others. Learn the secret of lasting
happiness yourself and then endeavour to
make others happy. Seek the real limb not
the artificial limb. Get the doctor who will
assure "hereafter you will not fall ill" and not
the doctor who gives some relief only for the
present attack.
651
THE greatest instrument by which success
can be ensured for all your efforts is Bhakti.
That will give health, wealth and prosperity
too, for it will eliminate hatred and faction
and give more power to your elbow when
you plough the land. A man with Bhakti will
do every act as worship of the Lord and so
the act will be done better and more
efficiently, without any maligning or
insincerity. It will also win the Grace of the
Lord, and so, a Bhakta will be able to raise
more crops and enjoy greater health and
mental happiness.
652
WE light many candles with the flame of a
single candle. But remember only a burning
candle can light other candles. An unlit
candle cannot light other unlit candles. Only
one who has earned wisdom can enlighten
others who are in ignorance. One who is
himself unillumined cannot illumine others
dwelling in the darkness, Maya. One must
light his own lamp from the universal light
of love and thence forward he can transmit
illumination to all who seek and strive. All
lamps shine alike since they are all sparks of
the Param-Jyothi the Universal Luminosity,
that is God.
653
IS the Universe real? Is it relatively unreal?
This problem has been agitating man since
ages in all lands. The realists and the
idealists have argued on their explanations
for centuries. The scientists or realists
believe that the Universe is a the Cosmos is a result of being cut off from
conglomeration of atoms in varying patterns
which have assumed manifold forms and
names. But this is only partially true. The
Vijnana Vedins (the spiritually oriented)
point out to the Dhoatik Vedins (the
materially oriented) that a firm base is
essential for all these transformations to
happen. The Universe must have a basic
force or energy or phenomenon, as basic as
clay is to the pot. That fundamental
principle is, according to them, the Atman.
654
THE human body is a temple-chariot; the
Atman is installed therein and is dragged by
emotions, impulses, passions and urges,
along the streets of desire. Success and
failure, joy and grief, gain and loss are the
dancers who accompany the procession of
life. Here, too, many pour their attention
only on the chariot, its height, its decoration
and its progress. Many others are concerned
with the dance of durabilities. The pain and
pleasure due to that is part of the
procession. Few pay attention to the Atman,
the crown and consummation of human
existence.
655
WHY is man so pathetically afflicted today
with fear and anxiety? Are we to search for
the reasons outside us or do they live within
us? The reason lies in the false emphasis we
have laid on things of the material world,
ignoring things of the spirit. The body that
man bears is essentially the receptacle of
God. It is a temple where God is installed
and where God is the Master. It does not
deserve all the attention you now pay to
fulfill its whims. It is equipped with very
valuable instruments which can help you in
the journey but which you seldom use.
656
MANY are affected by the problem of what
caused the Cosmos. How did it come into
being? They advance various theories and
lay down many opposing hypotheses. But
there is no need for seekers to beat about the
bush so much. Just as a dream results when
one is cut off from reality in a state of sleep,
Reality by Maya, in a state of ignorance. It is
difficult to discover laws that explain or
govern its infinite mysteries.
657
WE find individuals and groups trudging to
Badrinath, Kedarnath, and Haridwar in
search of peace and prosperity. They also go
to Tirupathi and Kashi. Have they jettisoned
even a few of their animal propensities?
That is the test; that is the justification for
the money and time they have spent and the
troubles they have undergone. When the
animal is conquered and Godhead is felt
within reach, man can assert that all these
pilgrimages are within him. He has no need
to travel from temple to temple. And without
achieving this victory, you have no right to
claim that you are a devotee of Rama or
Krishna or of another incarnation of the
Lord.
658
GOOD deeds like Puja, Japam, Dhyanam,
the observance of vow, etc., are "steps".
Good thoughts like prayer for greater
discrimination and more chances to help
others, also help. Slowly and steadily cleanse
the mind; sharpen the intellect, purify the
senses, and win grace.
659
IT is because you feel the urge to use the
body with which you have been endowed,
and for this higher purpose you are here in
Prasanthi Nilayam. The kinship among you
and all of you with Me, is ageless; it is
eternal; it is not based on a worldly
relationship; it is based on the aspirations of
the heart. It is Prasanthi Nilayam that is the
abode of Supreme Bliss.
660
THE Lord is described in the Purusha
Suktha as "thousand-headed". It does not
mean that He has just a thousand heads, no
more, no less. It means that "the thousands
of heads" before Me now have just one heart,
which gives life and energy to all, and that
heart is the Lord. No one is separate from
his neighbour, all are bound by the one life-
blood that flows through the countless
bodies. This is the special teaching of
Sanathana Dharma, which the World needs.
661
THE Lord has endowed man with the body,
and so, every limb and every sense is worthy
of reverent attention. Each must be used for
His Glory. The ear must exult when it gets a
chance to hear the wonderful tales of God.
The tongue must exult when it can praise
Him. Or else, the tongue of man is as
ineffective as that of frogs which croak day
and night sitting on the marshy bank.
662
THE human body has been given to you for
a grand purpose: realising the Lord within.
If you have a fully equipped car in good
running condition, would you keep it in the
garage? The car is primarily for going on a
journey, to get into it and go. Then only is it
worthwhile to own. So too with the body,
proceed and go forward to the goal. Learn
how to use the faculties of the body, the
senses, the intellect, and the mind for
achieving the goal and march on.
663
MAN must proceed ever towards "Balam"
strength; he should not take to untruth,
wickedness, and crookedness, all of which
denote a fundamental fatal trait of
cowardice, "Balaheenam". "Balaheenam" is
born of accepting as true a lower image of
yourself than what the facts warrant. You
believe you are the husk. But really you are
the kernel. That is the main mistake. All
Sadhana must be directed to the removal of
the husk and the revelation of the kernel. So
long as you say "I am", there is bound to be
fear, but once you say and feel "I am
Brahmam", "Aham Brahmasmi," you get
unconquerable strength.
664
I WANT that you all should build new
houses for happy living and install the Lord
therein. I do not mean houses of brick and
mortar, but houses of good thoughts, good
words, good deeds and good company,
where you could live calm and collected.
Invite Me for the Grahapravesam of such
houses and I shall most readily agree. In
fact, then the house is Mine already and I do
not need even an invitation to come and
enter it. These houses are for worldly
comfort; that house is for spiritual joy. And
My place of Residence is the pure aspiring
heart.
665
YOU are going about with a temple where
God is in the innermost shrine. The body is
not a mass of flesh and bone. It is a medicine
for Manthras-Manthras which save when
they are meditated upon. It is a sacred
instrument, earned after long ages of
struggle, equipped with reason and emotion,
capable of being used for deliverance from
grief and evil. Honour it as such; keep it in
good condition, so that it might 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.
666
IT is urgent that every one should inquire
into the true, the pure and the permanent;
for there is at present a delusion about
values. Even the leaders of people are
hugging the false hypothesis that happiness
can be had by means of wealth or health,
housing or clothing, or the cultivation of
skills in handicraft and manufacture. The
bird sits upon the bough that sways in the
storm, confident of its wings, not confident
of the bough on which it sits. So, you too
should feel strong because of the wings, the
wings of Sraddha and Bhakti, not because of
the bough of the objective World on which
you have perched.
667
YOU know from the experience of the
Cauvery floods, neither status nor castes nor
wealth nor even health can help unless you
know the simple art of swimming. Need I
say that crossing the ocean of Samsar,
reaching the other shore of the sea of Birth-
Death, is similarly possible only for those
who know the art of Spiritual Sadhana.
Those who are trying to build the seaman
community on a foundation of "Dhana", are
building on sand; those who seek to build it
on the rock of "Dharma", are the wise.
668
DHARMA Moolam Idam Jagath. Dharma is
the root of this World. Obey it and you are
happy. The evil man is a coward, haunted by
fear. He has no peace within himself.
Respect for the parents who started you in
life and brought you into this World,
together with the vast and varied treasure of
experience, is the first lesson that Dharma
teaches. Gratitude is the spring which feeds
that respect. It is a quality that is fast
disappearing in the World today. Respect for
the teacher, for the elders and for the wise is
on the decline. That is why Dharma is fast
disappearing and losing its hold.
669
JUST as the body is the house you live in,
the World is the body of God. An ant biting
the little toe 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 feed the pain,
misery or joy or elation whenever it is
evinced in the entire land; you must make
an effort to protect the land from the enemy,
however remote the place may be where the
enemy has presented himself. Be kin with all
your kind. 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.
670
THE entire epic Ramayana hinges on two
women and two passions. Manthara
representing Krodha (anger, resentment and
vengeance) and Surpanaka representing
Kama (lustful passion). Manthara plotted to
send Rama into exile and Surpanaka caused
the abduction of Sita and the destruction of
the Rakshasas as a consequence. The two
women are insignificant characters in the
story; but the roles they play are key-roles,
for they sparked off, by means of the
passions they represented, strong chapters
of pain and grief. Krodha and Kama are
more destructive than atom bombs; but
when Rama is installed in the heart, they
just fizzle out.
671
WELCOME the epic Ramayana as you
welcome an efficacious drug; it can cure
deep rooted illness of the mind, the
disabilities of the inner senses, and the
defects of the inner consciousness. It can
clarify your vision and make you strong and
steady on the path towards God.
672
SANTHAAKAARAM Bhujaga Sayanam is
one of the ways in which the Divine is
described. Bujaga is the cobra, the
poisonous snake. Its visha (poison) is the
symbol of the evil influences of vishaya
(Worldly desires). The Lord is said to repose
on the bhujaga, the evil filled multiplicity of
the World. Yet, the description says: He is
Saanthakaaram (in absolute peace, unruffled
in the least). The Lord is unaffected, though
He is immanent in the Universe. Man too
must be in the World, but not of it.
673
YOU must be careful about the food you
take; the Jiva and Guhya are the two great
foes of man. The cravings of hunger and sex
drag you into perdition. Desist from catering
to the tongue and its greed; do not be a
victim of lust or taste. Have Sathvic food and
eat it in Sathvic company. Be moderate in
food and keep the senses strictly under
control.
674
WHAT exactly is the aim and purpose of all
the Shastras, the Bhagavatham, the Puranas,
these discourses and the Harikathas? It is to
tell man the truth about himself. There is no
plot to mislead you. That is not the desires of
the Sages who wrote down these annals and
their own experiences. You know only the
present and what is happening before your
eyes. You do not know that the present is
related to the past and is preparing the
course of the future. It is like the headlines
and titles of a film on the screen; as the
letters gleam one after the other, you read
them and pass on to the next that comes to
view. Each new letter or word wipes out the
one already before your eye, just as each
birth wipes out the memory of the one
already experienced.
675
PEOPLE who were charged with the social
duty of reminding the masses of their
heritage, have been rendered dispirited and
mendicant. The Dharma laid down in the
Vedas has to be experienced in order to be
appreciated; it cannot be merely talked
about in tall language. The use of the Vedas
does not consist in mere recitation, though
the reciters are doing a valuable service,
presenting them in correct form and style of
pronunciation. Vedas yield Ananda;
Vedamatha is the Ananda Matha.
676
WHO am I? Every one of you has to know
that this question has to worry you sooner or
later. And everyone has to discover the
answer. The senses, each specialising in one
small field of cognition, are powerless to give
the answer; they are at best very inadequate
even in their own specialised provinces;
there are sounds the ear cannot hear; there
are colours the eye cannot take in and
interpret to us; and tastes beyond the ken of
the buds of the tongue. They are imperfect
instruments for the study of the external
World. How can they serve to teach us about
the intangible, invisible, inner World of the
self? The Vedantic vision alone can reveal to
you: "Anoraniyam mahatho maheemyam",
"the smaller than the smallest and bigger
than the biggest".
677
DHARMA is the road for individual and
social progress in this World and through
this World to the next. It is external, basic
and fundamental. The principles may not be
altered or adjusted to suit personal whims or
pressing problems that appear formidable to
the eyes of some individuals or group of
persons. It is like the mother who has to be
accepted, not like the wife whom you can
choose or discard.
678
IF you can inquire deeply and reason
fearlessly, you can appreciate the Indian
point of view that, instead of seeking a lower
standard of Ananda by feeding the senses,
one can get lasting Ananda by training the
mind to be ever in the eyes of the Cosmic,
the Universal, the Lord as it is called, when
you impose a Name and a Form upon it, and
enclose it in your consciousness. Why does
man get Ananda when he contemplates the
Cosmic and the Universal? Because he is the
Cosmic, the Universal.
679
ALL hearts are His Property. It is all His
Domain, But just as the Zamindar sits only
on a clean spot, though the entire area may
be his, the Lord will install himself only if
the heart is cleansed. The Lord has said,
"Mad bhaktha yathra Gaayanthe, thatra
thishtaami Narada", "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.
 680
IN four or five year's time, you will see Yogis
and Maharishis and Munis crowding here
and you may not have such chances of
asking Me questions and getting the answer,
of approaching Me and directly speaking to
Me. So, do not be like frogs around the
Lotus, be like the bees. Plantains and
mangoes are kept, while yet green, in straw
or dried grass or in a closed room so that the
heat may make them ripe and tasty. The
meditation on God gives you too the right
temperature to ripen yourselves and become
sweet and tasty.
681
THERE are seven things that have to be
fostered for the welfare of the World: the
Cow, the Brahman-ward aspirant or the
Brahmin, the Vedas, Chastity, Truth, Non-
attachment and Dharma. All these are now
fast declining and I have come to restore
them in their pristine purity and strength.
Do not think that this Sathya Sai Gita was
composed by some Bhakta and that he reads
it and explains it here. As he said, I am the
inspirer and it is for your benefit that he has
summarised My Teachings in this way.
"Ekkam Sathyam Vimalam Achalam". It is
said that the One Truth is pure and
unshakable.
682
THERE are now thousands and thousands
of educated institutions in the world. But,
there is a great difference between the rest
and those founded by Sathya Sai. 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
student is 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 , he descends
to the level of the beast. When man uplifts
himself, he ascends to the level of God.
683
OF the four Yugas, the present Kaliyuga is
far more congenial than the previous three
(Kritha, Thretha, and Dwapara) for the
acquisition of wisdom and the cultivation of
discrimination (Viveka), for we now have
many simple paths available for liberating
ourselves. The Scriptures say:, "No age is
equal to the Kali Age. Just through Smarana
and Chinthana we can reach the Goal".
Smarana is the process of keeping the Lord
ever in the memory; and Chinthana is the
process of thinking of His glory all the time.
Many people are scared because they believe
that the Kali Age, in which we live, will
witness the ultimate Deluge. Others call it
the Kalpa Age, the Age of Conflict. This Age
is the Golden Age for the seekers of God and
for earning and learning Viveka.
684
PILES of books are plentiful in bazaars;
schools abound; and there is no dearth of
teachers. But wholesome learning and
sincere teaching are not to be seen. It is for
this reason that these spiritually oriented
educational (Sai) institutions are being
established to impart teaching in proper
ways in order to preserve the hearts of
students in pristine purity, stability and
unselfishness; to develop them into workers
dedicated to the progress of Bharath, intent
on removing the anxiety and gloom that
spread all over the land; and determined to
revive the Glory of the Bharathiya Culture.
685
IF Divinity is absent, everything is devilry.
So, teachers and students must have faith in
God and boldly call on God. This will drive
away the devilry that encompasses us. Of
course, hesitation to address God is only
superficial. During examinations, every
student prays to the Almighty. When
calamities happen, when loss is sustained,
and when members of the family are struck
by disease and are in mortal danger, people
do pray to God. Why, then, yield to false
pride and refuse to acknowledge God? This
is sheer hypocrisy.
 686
BHAKTI, to be effective, must be regularised
through self-discipline; it should not be
allowed to grow wild and untended. You
rush forward to touch My feet 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 canceled, 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 dharsan.
687
TRANSMUTING humanity into Divinity is
the task allotted to man. Word, thought and
deed are instruments for this unavoidable
destiny. By unremitting practice, this has to
be achieved. The priest in the temple has to
ring the bell with the left hand and wave the
camphor flame with the right hand, an
exercise in manual coordination which
comes only as a result of practice. A new
priest will use both hands and shake the
camphor plate. Vemana has said that, while
the serpent has poison in its fangs and the
scorpion in its tail, man is capable of
inflicting poison through his tongue, eyes,
hand and mind. He has to overcome this
acquired tendency and remind himself that
he is "Amrithasya Puthra" (the Child of
Immorality), conferring sweet nectar and
not death-dealing poison.
688
IF your circumstances do not allow you to
partake in this Sankeerthana, stay at home
and sing the songs alone in the silent cave of
your heart. Do not do so according to a fixed
measure, so many times or so many songs at
a sitting. The heart does not calculate in
numbers; it confers contentment which is
immeasurable. That contentment can arise
only through faith. When the mind wavers,
loyalty sits light; love disappears; and
faction begins.
689
I HAVE come for the re-establishment of
Dharma and so, I always insist on people
observing Dharma in all walks of life.
Dharma is the inner voice of God. It is the
conscience that has shaped itself as a result
of centuries of experience and generations of
asceticism and austerity; it is the voice of
history, warning you against the branch of
its command.
690
FOR treading the Bhaktimarga, one needs
not scholarship, nor wealth, nor riches, nor
ascetic rigours. Tell me what was the lineage
of Valmiki, the wealth of Kuchela, the
scholarship of Sabari, the age of Prahalada,
the status of Gajaraja and the attainments of
Vidura? - Prema was all they had and it was
all they needed. The Grace of the Lord is as
the Ocean, vast and limitless. By your
Sadhana, your Japam, Dhyanam and
systematic cultivation of Virtue, this Grace is
converted into clouds of Truth, and they rain
on humanity as Prema Showers, which
collect and flow as the flood of Ananda back
again into the Ocean of the Lord's Grace.
691
YOU have come here to learn and practice
detachment. Get wet in the rain, while
engaged in serving others. It does not matter
if death comes while serving; do not pause;
if you are so determined, God will not allow
it to approach you. You complain "Swami
has not softened towards me". Well, melt
His heart, yearn, show Him the warmth of a
repentant heart and of a sympathetic heart
anxious to alleviate distress. Through deep
detachment the craving for sensual pleasure
must disappear; that will cleanse the Chitha
or consciousness. God will then be reflected
clear and the Reality can be recognised. This
results in Peace and Equanimity which is the
highest bliss.
692
THE wise will not give place in their hearts
to covetousness and possessiveness. They
know that there is a "Kshetragna" who is the
motivator of this "Kshetra"; "a knower of the
field, who is the master of this field". Vyasa,
who collected the Vedas, composed the
aphorisms that demarcate the Divine
Principle (the Brahmasatram) and wrote the
Mahabharatha, reputed to be the fifth Veda,
could still not win mental peace. Those were
intellectual feats, flights of poetry and
philosophy but not flowers that blossomed
from authentic experience.
693
IDEALS must become higher and grander.
Desires must become more and more
selfless and sublime. Attachment must be
transmuted into nobler and subtler
emotions. The story will be gripping only
when there is steady development towards
the denouement. That is why one passes
through the crucible of joy and grief and
emerges all the purer and stronger for the
experience. When a child's growth is
stunted, it causes grief; when he starts to
grow normally, it causes joy, when the
growth is abnormal, it causes grief again.
694
THERE is none to question Me if I do not
act; there is nothing I would lose if I do not
engage in activity. Nor have I any great urge
to be active. But yet, you see Me very active.
The reason is, I must be doing something all
the time, for your sake, as an example, as an
inspiration, as a piece of training. Those who
are leading must themselves follow; and
those who command must themselves carry
out what they expect others to do. I am
engaged in activity so that you may learn to
transmute every minute into a golden
chance to enable you to move into Godhood.
695
MAN is endowed with many skills; he is
offered many lives; he is shown many paths.
The purpose of all these gifts is to develop in
him the spirit of devotion and dedication
and release him from the dual dribble of joy
and grief. When man visualises the Universe
as God, its capacity to confer the dual
experience disappears; he knows the Truth
and is calm. God is One and One only;
"Ekam eve Adhivitiyam Brahma" (One only,
without a second-Brahmam, which is the
immanent principle). So one must
endeavour to know God, who is Truth.
696
THE internal foes can be destroyed by the
light of Jnana (the illumination that
accompanies the Realization of the Reality).
To acquire that illumination, one has to
cultivate the spirit of impartial, steady,
unfluctuating inquiry, based on the
revelations made in the Vedas about the
nature of man and God and the relation
between the two. The Vedas have to be
studied reverentially, for they give us the key
to Jnana. The Veda is the Philosopher's
stone that turns all metals into gold, all
students into Sadhakas and all Sadhakas
into Sages.
697
SEE how the insufferable heat of the Sun is
controlled and modulated and reduced by
your bodily mechanism to the congenial
temperature of 98.4 degree F. So, you too
should keep the destructive force of your
elemental passions born out of the clamour
of Sabdha, Sparsa, Rupa, Rasa and Gandha
rigorously in check and bring it down to
tolerable levels, yielding comfort and
congenial living. You yourselves create the
Maya of which you are the slave. Deny it the
chance to lord over you and it will not harm
you.
698
SHEER ignorance is the root cause for the
disrespect that is being shown to Indian
culture and the fascination exercised by the
West. Do these people at least grasp the
values of Western culture fully? No, only the
fringe and the foppery are adopted. How can
a person, who is unable to understand his
own culture and heritage, understand the
meaning and significance of an alien
culture?
699
THE most fundamental teaching of the
ancient culture of India is Love. For
generations, the youth of this land have been
exhorted, encouraged and taught, by precept
and example, to love the poor, the helpless,
the handicapped, the illiterate and the
disabled, for the same spark of Divinity that
is in us, is also equally evident and active in
them. Education must endow man with this
compassion and this spirit of service -
intelligent, timely and full. That is to say,
education must not only inform but also
transform.
700
THE mind is like a boulder which the
intellect transforms into an image, as a
sculptor does. If the intellect allows the
senses to dictate the design, the boulder will
be shaped into a horrid idol. If, however, the
senses are sublimated by the spirit, the
image wrought by the intellect will be simply
adorable. One must have the mind fully
cooperating in the spiritual discipline and
not obstructing its progress at every step.
Liberation is the goal and the mind must
help the pilgrim at every stage of his
journey. The Mind should not admit any
activity that is contrary to Dharma or
injurious to spiritual progress.
701
IN order to live up to the high standards of
morality which Indian culture exhorts, you
must cultivate Love, non-violence, fortitude
and equanimity. The last three guard and
foster the first, Love, which you must
cultivate. Many people have succeeded, with
the help of the latter three qualities, to get
their minds established in universal Love;
but a large number of Sadhakas give up the
ascent midway, because they lose confidence
in their true selves. They do believe in God,
who is the embodiment of Love and is their
Real sustenance.
702
YOU must have heard some people say that
no living person can be adored as God, even
though the Sruthi declares: "Daivam
Mansushya Roopom" (God is to be seen in
the human form). Perhaps they can revere
only a corpse. Not Sivam, but Savam, is what
they wish to revere.
703
OM must be recited slowly and with
deliberation. The sound must be like an
aircraft, first approaching from a distance to
the spot where you are and then flying away
again into the distance (soft at first but
gradually becoming louder and louder and
then slowly relapsing into silence; this
silence, after the experience being as
significant as the Pranavas). "U" is the
zenith, the Kailas, reached by the sound in
its adoration. "A" is the initial nadir and "M"
the final.
704
YOU must realise that the Divine current
that flows and functions in every living being
is the one Universal Entity. When you desire
to enter the Mansion of God, you are
confronted by two closed doors - the desire
to praise yourself and the desire to defame
others. The doors are bolted by envy; and
there is also the huge lock of egoism
preventing entry; so if you are earnest, you
have to resort to the key of Prana (Love) and
open the locks, then remove the bolt and
throw the doors wide open.
705
THE day on which Jesus was born is a holy
day. He announced himself as the
Messenger of God. In fact, all humans are
born as Messengers of God. The sole
purpose of this human career is to propagate
the Omnipresence of God, His Might and
Glory. No one has incarnated for merely
consuming food and catering to one's
senses. Human life is much more precious
than that. That is why the capacity to
appreciate beauty, truth and goodness has
been endowed only on man.
706
THE Brahmin, when born, is just a Sudra;
birth does not entitle him to take up the
study of this Mystery, even if the boy
happens to be the son of a great Vedic
scholar. It is only when he has been formally
initiated by a special ceremony that he can
start the study of Sacred Scriptures. The
ceremony makes him a Brahmin; he is then
born again into a sacred world of study and
responsibility.
707
MY Prema towards the Veda is equaled only
by My Prema towards Humanity. My
mission, remember, is just fourfold;
Vedaposhana, Vidwathposhana,
Doarmarakshana and Baktharakshana.
Spreading My Grace and My Power along
these four directions, I establish Myself in
the Centre.
708
WHAT profit is it for the children to know
the length of the Mississippi River or the
height of the Vesuvius? Why load them with
information they may never require? On the
other hand, give them the tonic to
strengthen their spirit, the tonic of the
Repetition of the Name of the Lord, the tonic
of meditating on the Glory of God in the
silence of the heart. Formerly, children were
learning Rama Nama and the Aksharamala
together: "Suddha Brahma Paraathpara
Rama". They were taught to read and write.
Now, they sing, "Ding dong bell, Pussy is in
the well". This type of silly meaningless
jargon is spreading everywhere like a
poisonous infection, destroying the seeds of
peace and joy.
709
LIVING becomes a glorious experience only
when it is sweetened by Tolerance and Love.
Willingness to compromise with others'
ways of living and cooperation in common
tasks make living happy and fruitful. Certain
modes of behaviour have been laid down
and proved beneficial by centuries of
practice. These have to be observed with
modifications to suit the conditions of today.
We are developing in each department of
life, but it is a pity that we are not
developing the unique qualities of human
beings. Develop the Atmic awareness, the
consciousness of the Divine and the
acquisition of Divine attributes. Expand love
and understanding.
710
WITHOUT mastery over the inner
instruments of emotion, no man can be
deemed to be educated. The latent has to be
cleansed so that the patent can flourish.
Experience is essential for the confirmation
of consolidation of what is learnt from
books. We do not see any sign of this in the
present educational system. There is no
attempt to awaken the Divine in Man and
awareness of the possibility of rising to the
psychic plane.
711
EDUCATION must produce wisdom and
moral character. It can be acquired only by
hard living and spending days of toil, with
no respite even for sleep. But present day
education makes those who undergo it mere
bonded-slaves to their senses. They do not
know how to avoid this bondage, so they
revel in envy, greed and egoism. What the
country expects and demands from the
educated person is, however, that he should
set an example of honest labour and light
the lamp of knowledge in every home.
712
SANKARA asserted that God is Formless
and without Attributes and is best described
as Supreme, Effulgence or Jyothi. He also
said that the individual is not different from
the Universal, that Jiva is Brahman itself,
that the manifold nature is also Brahman
itself and seen through a strange veil as a
mixture of truth and falsehood, a peculiar
make-believe called Maya or Avidya.
713
BRAHMAN is the cause and Prakruthi
(Nature) the effect. Nature is the deluding
manifestation of Brahman. It is what can be
called Leelavibhuthi or an expression of
Glory (Vibhuthi) done as more sport (Leela).
When the Leela is perceived as apart from
Brahman, it is a false and incomplete
perception. The Leela is manifold, Brahman
is all. To discover the One in the many is the
purpose of human existence. Brahmam is
eternal. It is the Nithyavibhuthi, the
everlasting Splendour. It is named the
Kingdom of God. Leelavibhuthi is Prakruthi
or Maya or Avidya or Nature with deluding,
deceptive diversities.
714
SPIRITUAL health is preserved and
promoted by attention to three Gunas:
Sathvika, Rajas, and Thamas. Health is
preserved and promoted by attention to
three humours: Vatha (wind) Pitha (bile)
and Kapha (phlegm). Thri-dosha has to be
avoided, that is to say, the three humours
must not get vitiated or unbalanced. A
healthy body is the best container for a
healthy mind, illness makes the mind
agitated and anxious. The material and the
spiritual are the two pans in the balance.
They have to be attended to, in equal
measure, at least until a certain stage of
progress is attained in spiritual
development.
715
THERE is a conscience in Man, a whispering
right advice, restraining unjust hands which
man has almost succeeded in silencing; but,
it is the voice of God; it can never be made
dumb. Make the children cognizant of it. In
Kerala there is a practice, still happily
existing in rural parts, of the elders
gathering the children around them every
evening and spending an hour or so reciting
aloud the Stotras in praise of God. It is
essential that it must be revived. Time thus
spent is well spent. It will give great peace
and joy.
716
THE Upanishads were not composed or
collected by persons who craved for fame or
fortune; nor are they vapours of idlers and
scribblers. They have the true ring of actual
experience. They arose out of compassion
for others wandering in the wilderness, out
of concentration on the means of liberation
from the dual chain of tears and triumph.
Those, upon whom the people are
traditionally depending for guidance, have
become callous, forgetting their task, or
involved in darkness and dialectics. So, there
is need to spread the message of Love, which
is the message of God. Simplicity is the sign
of Divinity. Pomp, Paraphernalia, Jaw-
breaking formula, abracadabra and dark
mysterious mumblings are alien to the spirit
of true Religion. These are tricks by which
man wants to monopolise or gain God.
717
PEOPLE do not understand the ways of God.
How can they know why a particular event
takes place at a particular time, in a
particular manner? He alone can know. But
people try to sit in judgment and talk ill
when, for example, someone dies of illness
at this place. How can anyone escape death?
Even Avatars cast off the physical form when
the task for which they have come is over. It
is the height of foolishness to lose faith in
God, when someone you cared for dies. The
sentence, that he earned is over and he is
released. No one is born and allowed to live
for the sake of another.
718
I ADVISE you to utilise every moment of
your lives in the most beneficial manner, to
serve your fellow men to the best of your
capacity, to cultivate Love towards all
mankind and to give up hate and malice.
Believe that your God, the Form that you
revere, is in every one and sanctifying every
act as worship of that Form.
719
MONKS are instructed to shave their heads
so that they can move about unrecognised by
former friends and companions, but now, we
find that they desire recognition and even
appreciation, adulation and adoration,
things that cater to the ego, things they are
asked to flee from. A monk should, strictly
speaking, eat like a dog and sleep like a fox-
that is the popular saying. Eat whatever one
gets and appease the hunger; and sleep
wherever one finds shelter. Do not store
food for another day or build a house
wherein to pass one's days. Escape the
entangling coils of the senses and of the ego
that prompts them.
 720
OF what benefit is the discourse of Mine if
you do not receive it into your hearts and act
accordingly? I find that all the efforts, all
these years to awaken you to your duty are
not fructifying in you. You are like the rocks
on the seashore that unflinchingly face the
beating of the waves. The rock does not
move; the wave will not stop. This
predicament should end. Awake and avail
yourselves of this unique chance.
721
DRAUPADI moved into the tent and fell at
the feet of Bhishma who blessed her
spontaneously as was his wont: "May you
have many years of married life". Draupadi
revealed herself as soon as she was blessed.
She prayed that the Pandava Brothers, her
husbands, may be saved from arrows.
Bhishma guessed that Krishna must be the
author of this stratagem. "We are but
puppets in His hands", he said; and when he
found Krishna at the entrance of the tent, he
inquired what the bundle contained.
Imagine his dismay when he was told that
the Lord had condescended to carry under
His arms the sandals worn by His devotee.
Have faith in Him; He will never give you
up; He will guard and guide you until victory
is won. Sincere devotion and unshaken faith
can never fail to earn Grace.
722
IN this Kali Age, the wicked have to be
reformed and reconstructed through Love
and compassion. That is why this Avatar has
come unarmed. It has come with the
message of Love. The only weapon which
can transform the vile and the vicious is the
Name of the Lord uttered with Love.
723
BEFORE every Incarnation, two
collaborators for the task, which causes the
incarnation to come, also appear as
Mayasakthi and Yogasakthi. Maya comes, as
the elder sister, to warn the wicked; Yoga
comes, as the elder brother, to enthuse and
keep constant company. Maya thrusts Kama
deeper and deeper into perdition, so that his
downfall will be more terrible.
724
YOU cannot have this chance of being near
to the greatest source of joy in any other
place. Here it is so near, so easy to attain and
so full of grace. If you fall back, you will
seldom get the chance again. Ask and get
what will save you, not what will bind you.
You ask from Me a thousand things of the
World, but rarely do you ask for "Me". That
is why I seldom address you as Bhaktas; I
usually address you as "Divyatma
Swaruplara", for that is your real Swarupa.
This Divyatman is Divinity. Though you do
not know it, it is a fact. Therefore, I can
address you so, with confidence. I can even
call you "Divya Divya Swarupalara" but as
for Bhakti, it is a quality that will make you
desire the Lord and nothing else.
725
WHEN the pot of milk on the hearth boils
over, you pour cold water on it, and it settles
down. Durvasa is the example of the pot of
milk boiling over; and Narada of the pot of
milk that does not. Narada had the Name of
the Lord always on the tongue and so the
senses did not establish mastery. If you too
keep your senses and your wishes in check,
you will gain by listening to these talks and
by this visit; and I will be happy that you
have taken to the path that will give you real
strength and joy.
726
IN the past Ages, Avatars rid the world of
evil, by destroying the few fanatics and
heroes who wrought it. But now, fanaticism
and felony reign in every heart. The number
of Asuras or evil men is legion. All are
wicked to some extent or other. Therefore,
everyone needs correction; and everyone has
to be educated and guided into the right
path. Every being is a pilgrim destined to
reach Madhava and merge in Him; but most
people have forgotten the road; they wander
like lost children, wasting precious time in
the by-paths.
 727
BHAKTI involves dedication with nothing
held back; not even a wisp of ego should
remain. His command alone counts; His will
prevails. Like a drunkard, the Bhakta has no
sense of honour or decency, pride or conceit.
He is a Matha, as Unmatha, a mad person,
unconcerned with all that is unrelated to his
ideal. He is deaf to the call of hunger and
thirst; he misses steps in logic and he
calculates wrongly while dealing in the
marketplace.
728
Kurukshetra must be made a 732
Dharmakshetra. Kurukshetra is the field
where brothers fought over a handful of
earth; but it must be made a field for the
uplift of man through the practice of
Dharma. It is for the sake of Jnana that
Dharma has been laid down. Bhakti and
Karma are the two feet; and, the head is
Jnana; walk on with the help of these two.
729
WHEN the heart is pure, the Lord is
revealed, He is the judge. He cannot be
bamboozled. The doctor may assure you that
you do not have a fever, but the
thermometer cannot lie. The doctor may say
so in order to save you from panic, but the
thermometer declares the truth. God knows
and God will deal with you as you deserve.
Have that faith. Repent for all the wrongs
done and resolve not to repeat the mistake;
then God will extend His grace.
730
YOU are the citizens of no mean land.
Bharath is indeed a Divya Bhoomi: a land
saturated since the ages with Devotion and
dedication to God, the path to God was
sought for by even the common folk; and
spiritual discipline permeated every activity
of life and every detail of daily life. You are
the inheritor of a great culture which has
survived the onslaughts of alien rule and
political suppression.
731
WHEN someone sitting near you is
immersed in sorrow, can you be happy? No!
It may be that a that when a baby weeps
within hearing range, you will get tears in
your eyes in sympathy. Why? There is an
unseen bond between the two. Man alone
has the quality of sympathy. He alone can be
happy when others are happy, and miserable
when others are miserable. That is why he is
the paragon of creation and the acme of
animal advance. Man alone is capable of
Seva; that is his special glory and unique
skill.
GOOD ideas have to be accepted and bad
ones eschewed. Each idea has to be judged
in the Supreme Court of Viveka (Intellect).
And the ruling has to be treated as
inviolable. It is in this context that we have
to remind ourselves of the prayer of
Gandhiji; "Sabko Sanmathi de Bhagavan",
"Oh, God bestow the right understanding on
all".
733
YOU must devote sometime regularly for
study and for Sadhana. Now you are wasting
time till late at night in clubs and frivolous
company. A portion of that time, if spent
with God, can confer valuable results. This
Motherland has given you a culture that is
attracting distracted people from all parts of
the world. Be grateful, study the culture and
practice the disciplines it lays down. Serve
the poor and the helpless and those who eke
out their livelihood by hard work.
734
TODAY, we have factions everywhere at
home, between husband and wife, in the
school between teacher and the pupil, and in
Society between group and group, This is
deterioration indeed. Peace and harmony
between members of the same family are the
foundation for peace in the land. The
individual must be at peace with himself.
The coordinated effort of all the organs of
the body is essential for the healthy life.
 735
FEEL happy that this is your mother
country; love of the country is the basis on
which you can build love for the World
Community. Love expands; it does not limit
itself to boundaries. Love your mother
tongue; then you will discover that all
languages are as sweet as yours, for a
language is as sweet as the tongues of the
speakers.
736
DO not preach; practice. In politics, in the
field of administration, in schools and
colleges, in spiritual institutions,
everywhere, we have a surfeit of preachers
but a famine of practitioners. Heroes on
platforms prove themselves to be Zeros
when they descend to the ground. Therefore,
demonstrate in your own lives how Love can
confer peace and joy; how all faiths lead to
the same goal; and how all men are brothers
of one another.
737
THE only Message, the only lesson I can
impart to you today is to remind you of the
great traditions of Bharath and ask you to
spread Love throughout the length and
breadth of this great Land. Then, India can
again be the spiritual leader of humanity and
fill the whole World with Divine Love.
738
STRIVE to move away from Untruth
towards Truth; attempt to acquire
knowledge of yourself and of the origin of all
selves and thus shed your fundamental
ignorance. Move away from the thoughts
and anxieties about this body, subject to
decay and death, and become aware of the
immortal soul which you really are.
739
WHO is the real resident of the body? You
are the positive aspect that is activating the
negative aspect, the body. The life-breath
repeats Soham, every time you breathe. It
means: "I am He, I am God"! What a
profound authentic declaration the breath is
making every moment of your life while
waking, dreaming or in a deep sleep,
whether you listen to it or not! If this simple
lesson, this Truth which is being dinned all
twenty-four hours of the day does not alert
you or inform you of your real task, how can
you understand your Reality by the mere
study of books?
740
DO not get involved with borrowed
ideologies, imported fashions or attitudes or
apparels and exciting notions of social
behaviour. Youth today is ruined by this
fascination for the false. Borrowed ideas
cannot fit into the pattern of our Culture.
Sanathana Dharma is the Culture that has
grown on this soil and is best suited to
maintaining peace and joys. You cannot
shine in borrowed feathers for long. They
can give only temporary delight. So, do not
distort or disfigure your culture by limitation
or neglect.
741
I AM neither a Sastravadin or a Budhivadin.
I am a Premavadin. So I have no conflict
with either the scholar who adheres to texts
or the devotee of Reason. Both have their
good points as well as their limitations. If
you acquire Prema, then you can dispense
with the Shastras, for the purpose of all the
Shastras is just that: to create the feeling of
"Sarvajnana Samaanaprema" equal love for
all and to negate egoism which stands in the
way.
742
PILGRIMAGES too are for elevating the
heart, sublimating the impulses and leading
the lower self to higher levels of thought and
action. Reason serves the same purpose, or
at least it ought to. Reason seeks to know the
unity of the Universe, the origin and goal of
it all, the laws that govern the anu and
brhath, the microcosm and the macrocosm,
and it peeps behind the curtain to get a
glimpse of the "Suthradhara", who pulls the
strings.
 743
JUST as you tend to the body with food and
drink at regular intervals, you must also
tend to the needs of the inner Atmic body by
regular Japam and Dhyanam and the
cultivation of Virtues. Sathsanga, Sath
Pravarthana and Sath-Chinthana are all
essential for the growth and the health of the
inner personality. The body is the Bhavanam
of the Bhabaneswara, His Bhuvanam. In so
far as you are particular about coffee or tea
at regular intervals, be also particular about
Dhyanam and Japam at fixed times for the
health and liveliness of the spirit.
744
IT is only when attachment increases that
you suffer pain and grief. If you look upon
Nature and all created objects with the
insight derived from the Inner Vision, then
attachment will slide away though the effort
will remain. You will also see everything
much clearer and with a glory suffused with
Divinity and splendour. Close these eyes and
open those Inner Eyes and what a grand
picture of essential unity you get.
Attachment to Nature has limits but the
attachment to the Lord that you develop
when the Inner Eye opens has no limit.
Enjoy that Reality not this false picture. The
Lord is the Immanent power in everything.
745
IT is here in India that there is a mine of
Spiritual Wisdom and Spiritual Treasure.
The Dharsanas, Upanishads, Gita and the
Vedas have to be distributed pure and
unsullied, guaranteed in value and quality to
eager aspirants everywhere. We have had a
succession of Sages and Saints. On account
of the teachings and the lives of these
people, there is a vast field of spiritual virtue
in this Land which needs only a little more
care to yield a rich harvest.
746
YOU must each one try to become ego-less;
and then the Lord will accept you as His
Flute. Once, when a number of people were
asked by Me what they would like to be in
the hands of God, I got various answers.
Some said the Lotus; some the Sankha;
some the Chakra; but no one mentioned the
Murali. I would advise you to become the
Murali, for then the Lord will come to you,
pick you up, put you upon His lips and
breathe through you and out of the
hollowness of your heart, due to the utter
absence of egoism that you have developed,
He will create captivating music for all
creation to enjoy.
747
YOU have to carry on certain processes of
thought and action in order to get to the
hard core of faith that this World is a funny
mixture of Sathya and Asathya, which is
Mithya in fact. The Divine Life does not
admit to the slightest dross in character or
delusion in intellect. So, people dedicated to
it must emphasise this by precept and
example. Wipe out the root causes of
anxiety, fear and ignorance. Then only can
the true personality of man shine forth.
Anxiety is removed by faith in the Lord; the
faith that tells you that whatever happens is
for the best and that the Lord's will be done.
748
YOU are all Sath-Chith-Ananda Swarupas;
only you are unaware of it and imagine
yourself to be this individual or that, and
subjected to this limitation or that! This is
the myth that must be exploded in order that
Divine Life may start. It is the Divine that
inspires, activates, leads and fulfills the life
of each being, however simple or complex its
physical structure may be. From the "Anu"
to the "Brahath", every single entity is
moving towards the estuary where it merges
in the Sea of Bliss.
749
THE Guru very often tells you that you have
forgotten your real name or that you have
lost the most precious part of yourself and
yet are unaware of the loss. The Guru is the
physician for the illness which brings about
the suffering of alternate birth and death. He
is an adept at the treatment needed for the
cure. If you do not get such a Guru, pray to
the Lord Himself to show you the way and
He will surely come to your rescue.
 750
WHEN the sun is over your head, there will
be no shadow; similarly, when faith is steady
in your head, it should not cast any shadow
of doubt. When man loses his way and strays
into the wilderness believing that he is the
body, the Gunas or the object, then the
Avatar comes to warn and guide. Keep the
faith in the Lord undiminished, you can then
safely move about in the World. No harm
can come to you.
751
HUSBAND and Wife are like two pieces of
Wood, drifting down a flooded river, they
float near each other for sometime and,
when some current comes between them,
they are parted. Each must move on to the
sea at its own rate and in its own time. There
is no need to grieve over the parting of the
two. It is the very nature of Nature that it
should be so.
752
DIVINE family exists in peace and concord.
Siva has snakes on His arms, on His head
and around His waist. One of His sons,
Kumara, rides on a Peacock, which attacks
snakes; another rides on a Mouse, which the
snakes feed on. One son has the head of an
Elephant which whets the appetite of the
Lion, which is the vehicle used by Durga, the
consort of Siva, who is so inseparable that
She is the left half of the body of Siva
Himself. Nor is the Lion friendly by nature
to the Bull, which Lord Siva Himself has as
his vehicle! Siva has Fire on the central part
of His Brow, and Water, the River (Ganga),
on His head, both incompatible. Imagine
how loving and how cooperative the various
components have to be to render life on
Kailas smooth and happy.
753
CARRY to every door the name of God and
let the clouds be illumined by love and
reverence. Let every street in the towns,
every village in the State ring with the
adoration of the Almighty; every sunrise sing
of Rama, Eswara, Sankara, and Krishna. Any
Name is effective, provided it is suffused
with the Divine Essence. Love the branches,
twigs, leaves, flowers and fruits. They may
appear to be different in colour, feel, taste,
smell, etc. but they all are products of the
Earth, drawing sustenance from the Soil and
the Sun. Live together in Love; live in Peace;
and live in Service.
754
WHEN clouds gather in the sky, lightning
illuminates the clouds; similarly, wisdom
must illuminate education. The word of Sai
is the path of Truth. Smaller than the
smallest atom; bigger than the biggest thing.
The Atma is Brahmam; witness of
everything, and Brahmam is Atma.
755
BAMBOO is valued for its form and strength
and beauty. Similarly, the real worth of man
lies in his intelligence. His intelligence has
come to him over many lives and the real
value of his Buddhi is to practice Thyaga or
renunciation. But the Buddhi is covered by
illusion, which is only the real reflection of
the Truth. When we throw away the water in
the pot, we throw away the reflection of the
Sky in it as well. The reflection of Truth in
our minds is only the conglomeration of our
desires.
756
THERE are three types of Knowledge:
Knowledge of matter energy; Knowledge of
mental energy; and Knowledge of cosmic
energy. Cosmic energy works in every
person in the form of Divine knowledge.
Matter, in all form, is only energy. Without
atoms, you cannot have any matter; and in
the atom, energy is in the form of electron,
proton, neutron etc. Energy springs from the
structure of the atomic constituents.
757
VOICE breeds disease. Bad thoughts and
habits, bad company and bad food are
hostile grounds where disease thrives.
"Arogya" and "Ananda" go hand in hand. A
sense of elation and exultation keeps the
body free from ill health. Evil habits, in
which men indulge, are the chief cause of
disease in the physical as well as the mental
state. Greed affects the mind;
disappointment makes man depressed. Man
can justify his existence as man only by the
cultivation of virtues. Then he becomes a
worthy candidate for Godhood.
758
ANYONE may blame you; but you should
ignore all such blame and go forward in
doing service without rancour. Service is
your only duty. The Universe is a
manifestation of God. So too is the
individual. All these three are like Brahma,
Vishnu, Maheswara - the Trinity. Actually,
there are no three, they are one - it is the
unified Godhead. Cherishing this thought of
Oneness and serving the Society is true
Adhyatmic or spiritual life.
759
YOU should take to "Sarvada, Sarvakaleshu
Sarvatra Haricharithanam". It is just not
sufficient holding a mala and doing Japa,
once in the morning during Brahma
Muhurtha time, once in the afternoon and
once in the evening. All the twenty four
hours you should be in the remembrance of
God. You should all the time be striving to
awaken the spirit within you and for its
blossoming (Atma Vikas). This is the real
purpose of life.
760
MAN has in him vast resources of power.
When he does not utilise them while
discharging his duties to himself and to the
Society which sustains him, he is only
becoming a target for ridicule. When you are
on a railway station platform waiting for the
train that is due, and when you come to
know that it arrives five hours late, how do
you react? You fling abusive words at the
train. When the coaches receive from you
such treatment, how much worse treatment
you deserve for not fulfilling your duty and
for disappointing the expectations that you
have raised by your being a man? Utilise
your skills and learning as consistently and
as effectively as duty demands.
761
MOHAMMED preached monotheism and
was driven out of Mecca. Jesus preached
mercy and charity and he was charged with
treason. Harischandra refused to give up his
allegiance to Truth and was driven to such
straits that he had to sell his wife and son as
slaves. So, when you stick to the path of
Truth and Righteousness, pain and poverty
haunt you. But they are only clouds passing
through the sky, hiding for a little while the
splendour of the Sun.
762
THE motherland is not a mere lump of
earth. When we desire its progress, we have
to promote the progress of the people who
dwell therein. The skill needed for
resuscitating and reforming man are found
only in students. The reforming process
involves the removal in daily living of bad
conduct and bad habits and the practice of
good conduct and good deeds. A man's
worth can be measured by his efforts to
reform himself. This day, the Government
has no authority to reform the people; and
the people have no authority to reform the
Government.
763
THE Pranava is the essence of all
sustenance, the embodiment of Rasa; of the
Earth, Water is the Rasa; of the water,
Physic (Oshadi) is the Rasa; of the Physic,
the Human Person is the Rasa; of the
Human Person, the Word is the Rasa; of the
Word RK is the Rasa; of the RK, Sama is the
Rasa; of the Sama (Veda), OM is the Rasa.
These eight Rasas, the Earth, Water, Physic,
Person, Word, RK, Sama and OM lead to the
ninth Ananda (Bliss). These are the
Navaratnas, the nine Essences, the nine
Sustainers; and Ananda is the goal which
man is seeking, the aim of human life.
764
THE A of AUM is the Viswa; the U is Tejas;
and the M is Praajna- this is another
interpretation in the Scriptures. Viswa is the
Walking; Tejas is the Dream; Prajna, the
Deep Sleep stage. The Pranava Sadhana (the
spiritual exercise of meditation on OM) is
therefore very important for Seekers. The
Vedas prescribe the repetition of the
Pranava, while studying holy texts, reciting
the Name of the Divine, carrying out daily
duties and offering gifts.
765
YOU have a Kalpavruksha, ready to give you
all that you want; you have the Lord, who
protects and promotes all. The virtues of the
people are treasures of the State; the
Smarana of the Name of the Lord is the root
of all virtues. Narada, who was afflicted with
conceit that there was no other who had
dedicated his very breath to the recital of the
Name, was once humbled to find that a ryot,
who managed to repeat the Name three
times in the course of his overwhelming
multitude of distressing preoccupation from
cock-crow to dusk, was judged a great
Bhakta.
766
JOY is your birth right; Shanti is your in-
most nature. The Lord is your Staff and
Support. Do not discard it; do not be led
away from the path of faith by stories
invented by malice and circulated by spite.
Take up the Name of God, any of the in-
numerable ones, any that appeals to you
most and the Form appropriate to that
Name and start repeating it, from now on.
That is the Royal Road to ensure Joy and
Peace, that will train you in the feeling of
brotherhood and remove enmity towards
fellow men.
767
BECAUSE you have taken residence in this
body, you cannot call the body "I". When
you sit here in this Hall, you do not call the
Hall "I". You know you are separate and that
you are here only temporarily. When you go
about in a tonga, you do not say that the
tonga is you, do you? You do not take the
tonga inside, when you step down from it on
reaching home. So, you also have to drop
this body when you reach "home".
768
PARAMATMA reveals its Glory in man;
Prema appears in various forms, attaching
itself to riches, parents, children, one's life
mate or friends. All these are sparks of the
same flame and the Love of the Universal is
its highest expression. This Prema cannot be
cultivated by reading essays, guide books,
and made-easy lessons and learning the
steps by note. It has to begin with yearning
for the Light and an unbearable agony to
escape from the Darkness as in the prayer
"Thamasomaa Jyothir Gamaya". The
yearning itself will draw the light. The Love
will grow by itself and, by its own slow
alchemy, turn you into God.
769
YOU must cultivate non-attachment towards
Prakruthi and attachment to the Lord. I am
reminded of the story of Sankara Bhatta. He
was a great Sadhaka intent on Japa and
Ahgama to such an extent that he was
reduced to skin and bone. He worshipped
Saraswathi or Vidya which is the key to open
the doors of Mukti. Goddess Lakshmi saw
his sad plight and was moved with great
pity. She chided Saraswathi for denying Her
votary even the common joys of life and she
hid in his leaky hut to pour on him Her
Grace. She offered him plenty, prosperity,
fame and fortune. She derided Saraswathi
for neglecting to award comfort and joy on
Her hapless servant. But Sankara Bhatta
turned a deaf ear to her allurements; he said
politely but firmly, "No, Saraswathi has
blessed me with the most precious wealth,
the gift that liberates me. I do not crave your
Grace. Please remove yourself from my
presence".
770
JEWELS give Joy, not Gold. You can
experience the Name, you can imbibe the
Form; you can take them to heart and dwell
upon them and fill yourself with the joy that
they evoke. That is why Jayadeva, Gomanga,
Ramakrishna and others wished to remain
ants, tasting Sugar rather than becoming
sugar itself. The Name is like the seed
implanted in your heart; when the shower of
His Grace falls upon it, it sprouts into a
lovely tree. All trees that sprout from the
Name are equally lovely and shady.
771
MANAVA can become Madhava by engaging
himself in Madhava Karma; he can then
discover his "Narayana - Tatwam". What is
the use of doing only Manavakarma or even
Danavakarma and claiming that man is
divine? Virtue is the life-breath and
character is the backbone. Without these, no
meritorious act will fructify. A man without
character is like a pot with many holes,
useless for carrying water or for storing it.
Renounce and win Peace.
772
HOW far have you progressed using the
chance of these Discourses and the Dharsan
and Sparsan? Bring something into your
daily practice, as evidence of your having
known the secret of higher life from Me.
Show that you have greater brotherliness,
speak less with more sweetness and self-
control and that you can bear defeat as well
as victory with calm resignation.
773
WHILE speaking of God, who is guarding
you, I am reminded of a note that someone
has sent Me from this gathering. The note
wants Me to explain why I have not
mentioned SAI BABA in any of my
Discourses so far, though I bear the name as
the Avatar of SAI BABA. Evidently, the
writer of the note had in mind the people
who engage themselves in publicity work of
Rama, Krishna or SAI BABA.
774
FOOLISHNESS, egoism, and sheer
ignorance are the causes of misery of man
today. The eye, the ear and the tongue lead
man to anxiety and malice instead of making
him a messenger of Peace and Harmony.
Intellect is the root of pride and envy.
Vishnu is Jagannatha at Puri; at Kasi Siva is
Visweswara; where then is any room for
rivalry between those who worship at Puri
and those who worship at Kasi? Vishnu is
Gopal (protector of cows) and Siva is
Pasupathi (master of cows). Still, the innate
urge to fight comes up in the heart of man
and he uses the name of the Lord as an
excuse for provoking the fighting tendencies.
775
THE airplane has to land at a certain place
to take those who have reserved the right to
fly with the tickets they have purchased. So
too the Lord has to come down so that those
who have won the right to be liberated may
be saved. Incidentally, others too will know
of the Lord, of His grace and ways of
winning it, of the joy of liberation. There are
some who deny even today the possibility of
air travel; they curse the contrivance. They
cavil at it. Similarly, there are many who
cavil at the Avatar who has come to save
them.
776
YOUR minds are wayward like monkeys that
skip and jump from bough to branch. Give
them to Me. I can make them steady and
harmless. When I say "Sit", they will sit;
when I say "Stand", they stand. That is what
Sankaracharya offered to do; he told Siva
that he would hand over to him the monkey
that was his mind to Him so that it might be
tamed and used for his delight. But it must
be a complete handing over with no
reservations.
777
MAN comes into the World, burdened with
Maya and its instrument, the Mind. The
Mind expresses itself through Attraction and
Repulsion, Raga and Dwesha, Affection and
Hatred towards the external World. Raga is
Rajasic in its effect and it can be used for
one's uplift as Narada used it to fix attention
on the Lord. Dwesha is Thamasic as Durvasa
expressed it in his dealings with Ambarisha
and others. Without Raga and Dwesha, the
Mind cannot function at all. If these two are
removed, there can be no mind and no
Maya; and you get fixed in Jnana.
778
THE study of the Vedas is the highest type of
learning since it leads to the conquest of
Death. All other studies deal with the means
of living or the surroundings which you have
to live; they deal with earning and spending,
deriving a little pleasure by this trick,
escaping a little grief by that trick. The
Vedas show the path to the Realm of Eternal
Bliss, where there is no Birth or Death.
People learn details about China, Russia and
America; they know about the volcanoes of
the Pacific or the islands of the Arctic
regions; but they do not know an iota about
the features of their own inner realms.
779
THE Karma Kanda is the biggest part of the
Vedas, because Karma or sanctified activity
is the means by which the tree blossoms and
the fruit matures and grows. The Upasana
Kanda deals with Upasana, the method by
which the fruit ripens. The Jnana Kanda
describes Jnana, the process by which the
fruit fills itself with sweetness. The first
stage takes the longest time. Also, it
comprises the largest portion, the second
and the third are quicker by comparison.
And so they are shorter. The third stage can
be accomplished, even apart from the tree,
by keeping in a warm place amidst straw or
a hot room.
780
MAN can acquire the sweetness of Jnana by
keeping himself in Sathsang or even by
remaining in a solitary place by himself with
Dhyana, for example. But, by whatever
means, the sweetness (Jnana) cannot be
injected from outside; it must grow from
within. It is the transformation of the inner
nature won by a struggle with the inner foes.
781
JUST think of this for a while. You are in
this body, in this receptacle, in order to
realise the God you really are. This body is
the cocoon you have spun round yourselves
by means of your impulses and desires. Use
it while it lasts, to grow wings so that you
can escape from it. You came into this world
crying, announcing your grief at being thrust
into it, grief for having lost hold of God.
Having come with grief, decide not to go
with it from here. Get rid of it in this life.
782
BECOME entitled to the honoured title of
Bhakta. My glory is spread daily through
those who call themselves My Bhaktas. Your
virtue, your self-control, your detachment,
your faith and your steadfastness are the
signs by which people read of My Glory. Not
that I want any such prop. But it just
happens that in this World, where men
estimate others indirectly rather than
directly. Let me tell you, such Bhaktas are
very rare. That is the reason why I do not
address you as "Bhaktulara". You can lay
claim to that name only when you have
placed yourself in My hands fully,
completely, and with no trace of ego kept
back to cater to your vanity.
783
ALL ills are traceable to faulty living. And
what is that traceable to? The ignorance of
one's real Nature, ignorance so deep-rooted
that it affects thoughts, words and deeds.
The drug that can cure it is presented under
different Names: Jnana; Karma; Upasana;
and Bhakti. They are all the same in potency
and curative power. The difference lies only
in the method of administration: either as a
mixture or as a tablet or by injection.
784
THIS Nilayam should not be treated with
scant reverence. Make the best use of your
stay here. Do not treat this chance lightly.
You come, spending lots of money and you
have put yourselves to much trouble to reach
here. But you do not bloom as fragrant
offerings at the Lord's feet by learning the
Sadhana path. The senses have to be curbed
into obedient servants of the Sprit. For
example, I insist on silence. Talk less. Talk
low when you must talk. Do not thrust your
sorrows, your needs, and your problems into
the ears of those who come here with their
own bundles of such things.
785
IN this Prasanthinilayam, there are certain
limits laid down, certain modes of spending
time usefully recommended by Me. All who
come here, whether longtime residents or
new arrivals, have to observe them. You
have seen Me, stayed here, and heard the
Discourses. Let me ask: What is the gain?
Are you going back unchanged, unaffected?
Dogs do not chew sugarcane; they seek a
bone instead. Ill-fated mortals recoil, when
the talk is about God, Goodness, Sadhana,
and Saakshathkara. But you must pull
yourselves away from slums and bylanes and
travel on the highway to God. Dwell always
on the Glory of God then you will shine in
that Glory. Adhere to Truth. That is the
surest means of removing fear from your
heart. Prema can grow only in the heart that
is watered by Truth.
786
THE Shastras warn you of false steps. They
console you in times of stress and they
strengthen you in distress. They give correct
interpretations of moral dilemmas. They
prescribe the dress, the food, the manner of
speech, the methods of social conduct, the
mode of mutual behaviour and the lines of
onward march. They are the conscience of
Society.
787
THE whole World knows what sacred ideals
inspire the Sathya Sai Organizations. It is
true that a big bag of rice might contain a
few grains of sand. Any human organization
is bound to have a few black sheep. But that
will not affect the Organization as long as it
is true to its principles. The kind of service
and sacrifice the Sathya Sai Organizations
are rendering is colossal. The basis for all is
the Love that prevails among the members.
From ancient times, the Upanishadic prayer
said "Sahanaa Vavathu; Sahanaa Bhunaktu"
(May He protect us all; may He nourish us
all.) The spirit of Oneness proclaimed in
these Manthras is operative today only in
the Sathya Sai Organization.
788
SANATHANA Dharma is bound to overcome
today's rampant materialism, for it can
harmonize the secular and the spiritual into
a single way of life. It can bring into closer
kinship both man and God. It is based on the
Divine which is the reality of the Self. So, it
is not limited to one country, one individual,
one period or one set. It has a variety of
procedures, points of view, disciplines and
guidelines, in accordance with the special
features of the region, the age, and the
environment.
789
THE human body is the home of countless
microbes and other parasitic beings. No one
can be free from these disease-inducing
causes. But one can easily overcome this
sorrow by developing feelings of compassion
towards all beings, and by thoughts which
thrive on and spread Love. Illness, both
physical and mental, is a reaction on the
body caused by the poison in the mind. An
uncontaminated mind alone can ensure
continuous health.
790
MAN struggles variously to attain Ananda.
Ananda is the height of happiness, the
embodiment of joy. It is sought in three
different ways, according to the innate
quality of the seeker - the Sathwick, the
Rajasik and the Thamasik. The Sathwik path
is poison in the early stages and nectar while
coming to fruition. It involves firm control
and regulation of the senses of cognition and
action. This will be very hard to accomplish.
But as one progresses in practice, the joy
increases and bliss is attained. How can such
a goal be secured, without undergoing
hardship?
791
THE Scripture says: "Happiness cannot be
won through happiness (Na Sukaad
Labhyathe Sukham). Happiness can be won
only through misery". Pleasure is but an
interval between two pains. To achieve the
Sathwik happiness that is positive and
permanent, man must perforce take on trials
and tribulations, loss and gain.
792
TECHNOLOGY must be dedicated to the
promotion of high ideals, those which are
cherished in Bharathiya culture. For without
the background of the culture, educated
people are easily turned into slaves of other Motivator, the Atman within, the voice of
cultures. Those who belong to a country God.
have to proceed along the special
circumstances and resources of the country. 796
Of course, one must love all mankind; all are
children of God. One must not emphasize
THE awareness of the Atman or the Divine
the differences between Nations or between
in man can neither be gifted to another nor
castes and creeds. Cultivate Universal
be accepted from another. It is all the time
heartfelt Love.
hidden behind the veil of ignorance. When
the false image disappears, the Truth shines
793 in all its Glory. It is like the Sun behind the
passing cloud. Your duty is to draw this veil
MAN must withstand both praise and and let the Sun of Awareness shine forth and
blame, success and failure, pleasure and illumine your thoughts, words and deeds.
pain, like the Meru Mountain Peak. He must
strive to be steadfast and unmoved. Once 797
you collect desires, you become their slave;
you will find no end to them. When they are
ACTIVE participation in Society, in a spirit
attained, others assail you and still leave you
of dedication and surrender, conceiving all
discontented. Be aware of your innate
acts as worship and all men as the
Divinity and show these recurring desires
embodiments of the Supreme, is a more
their due place. The Atma in you is
beneficial form of Sadhana. For there is no
unaffected by desire, defeat or victory. They
spot where He is not, no object which is not
are passing clouds.
He. For, as the Sruthi declares, He willed
that He becomes all this. Worship,
794 adoration, and pilgrimage cannot be the
end-all. The goal is the realization of "I am
SENSE-Control will guard you against a host He; He is I". That alone can fill the heart
of evils. Do not believe that because you are with Bliss.
equipped with the senses nothing harmful
can happen. Through their free exercises, 798
you may have your car registered in your
name and be driving it yourself, but, if you
IT has been proclaimed that God is one, and
do not apply the brakes in a timely manner,
that He is known and can be known through
accidents are bound to be your lot. Your
various Names and forms. It has been
body can be compared to a car. Your eyes are
declared that God is installed in the heart of
like the lights. Your stomach, the petrol
every being. Look at the emblem of the
tank; your mouth, the horn; your mind the
Sathya Sai Organization. It tells you that the
steering wheel; Dharma, Artha, Kama and
Hindu, the Muslim, the Parsee, the Buddhist
Moksh, the wheels; the air within the tires is
and the Christian are all adoring the same
faith; and intelligence or Buddhi, the switch.
God for the same consummation. The mind
of man has to be a garden of many coloured
795 flowers, a Nandavanam. Krishna will
certainly delight in dancing there and
FAITH is the basis of every act. You do not playing on the enchanting Flute in the
run away from the barber because he is bowers of the garden.
armed with a sharp razor. You place faith in
him and allow him to cut your hair, quietly 799
submitting to his idiosyncrasies. You give
away costly clothes to the dhobi since you
THE knowledge derived through the mind
have the faith that he will return them
utilising the senses is always incomplete, but
washed and ironed. You have faith in the
the knowledge that is earned through the
driver of your car and in the engineer who
Buddhi or intellect, illuminated by the Atma,
built your house. So too, believe in the inner
is full, freeing and revealing the Truth. The
first is termed "Manojnana" and the second
"Atmajnana". "Manojnana" informs that you
are distinct from others; that God is at
Kailas, Tirupathi, Kasi, or Prasanthinilayam.
But Names, Forms and Temples are only for
the Kindergarten stage.
800
THE prayer that rose from millions in this
country from all its temples, yapiaskas,
theerthas, holy sea fronts, shrines and altars
for centuries has been, "Sarve janaah Sukine
bhavanthu", Let all the peoples of the World
be happy and prosperous. "Samastha
Lokaah Sukino Bhavanthu", May all the
Worlds have peace and prosperity. So pray
for all humanity, for the welfare and
happiness, the peace and progress of Russia,
China, Africa, Pakistan and all the countries
of the World and all beings everywhere.
801
YEARN to fill your heart with Him, not with
you. Your yearning must be warm, so warm
that it can be called "Thapas" (Heat).
Become hot (earnest). Now it is only a
lukewarm longing, a surface activity.
Examine yourselves how far you have filled
your heart within. Measure the heights you
have reached with the yardstick of virtue,
serenity, fortitude and equanimity. You now
become easy victims of lust, anger, malice,
envy and the rest of that evil brood; the
atmosphere of the heart is polluted by the
ego-fumes.
802
MAN has all the resources he needs himself.
He can tap them by identifying them and
manifesting them and by sharing them with
others. He is Sath-Chith-Ananda; he is Siva-
Sakthi Swarup, Matter-Energy. When man
extols himself, he is extolling God. Do not
cultivate the conviction that you are mere
men; be assured that you are destined for
Divinity. When Divinity takes on the human
form, as described in the Ramayana, the
Mahabaratha and the Bhagavatha, one has
to interpret the actions as providing
examples and lessons and not as human
stories enacted for entertainment.
803
THE five Pandava brothers are five qualities
in human character, all observing the norms
set by the eldest, which is the noblest and
the most righteous. Rama is the example of
uncompromising adherence to the principle
of Righteousness, regardless of the
temptation to bypass it. Rama was charged
with a Love that transcended all
considerations of advantage, Caste or Creed
and extended it to animals and birds, human
and subhuman beings. Love is the key to
open the doors locked by egoism and greed.
804
WE have at present persons who pride
themselves on their encyclopedic
scholarship and technical skills; they claim
to know the innermost secrets of Nature;
they fly into outer space and even land on
the moon. But ask them if they have
"Ananda" and can stay in "Ananda". They
will reply that they have not yet experienced
it. If they know everything worth knowing,
why have they missed this? It is clear that
they are suffering from some delusion.
805
BE eager to confer consolation and courage;
be anxious to be of help. Watch for the
chance. Snatch each opportunity to expand
yourself by sympathy, to enlarge the horizon
of Love by understanding and prayer. Do not
keep another at arm's length, saying "My
God is different from yours or my God is
opposite to yours". It can never be so.
Paramatma, the Name for God, does not
mean a strange God but the Supreme God.
Who can vouchsafe for the correctness of the
picture which you now worship as the
picture of Rama or Krishna? The poet
described and the painter delineated, but
both rely on their imagination rather than
on actual authentic vision.
806
CYNICS question the validity of the type of
adoration and say that it will only confirm
faith in a superstition. "Can God be a stone,
or a piece of paper?", they ask. This attitude
is not correct. By adhering to the
traditionally laid down ritual worship many
aspirants have attained the vision of the
Omnipresent and stayed in that
Incommunicable Bliss.
807
IN fact, Puja (formal worship at regular
hours), with the recitation of hymns and
songs, is the very first step in the spiritual
pilgrimage. Many seekers have undoubtedly
achieved an awareness of God by years of
asceticism among jungle caves. But starting
early with puja and continuing with
scrupulous care, the rites of archana,
bhajana and aradhana (offering of flowers
with the repetition of God's Name, singing
His Glory and adoring Him as a living
presence), are more fruitful and satisfying.
808
PUJA, Japa, Archana and Aradhana are the
letters of the Spiritual Alphabet. The
collection of the various items (lamps,
camphor, flowers, plates, caps, a bell and the
book) are necessary for precious hours-long
concentration on the Divine. The Puja itself
may take another hour or two of
concentrated and devout attention, and the
performer rises up after the recitations and
meditations as a stronger and steadier
pilgrim on the path.
809
THE sixteen modes of worship, laid down in
the Shastras to make the aspirant aware that
he is the very presence, and that every
gesture and movement of his has to be
motivated by devotion and dedication,
ensure the purification of the mind of men
from ego and all its brood of blemishes. This
is "Chittha Suddhi", the cleansing of all
levels of one's consciousness.
810
PUJA or archana offered without a purified
heart is a sheer waste of time. But even a
short sincere session of Puja, spent in Divine
Awareness, yields much fruit. Thiru
Thondar, a Tamil Saint, confessed that he
had engaged himself in worship of the Lord's
idol in order to cleanse his mind. The
material and the Form are inseparable, but
the seeker must dwell on the Form which he
desires to be manifested in all its Glory
rather than on the material.
811
WHAT exactly is implied by "Adhyatmic"? Is
Bhajan or congregational prayer
"Adhyatmic"? Or does it involve "Japa" or
"Dhyana"? Or does it denote religious rituals
and ceremonies? Or does it extend to
pilgrimages and holy places? No. These are
only beneficial acts. "Adhyatmic", in its real
sense, relates to two progressive
achievements or at least to sincere attempts
towards those two achievements:
elimination of the animal traits still clinging
to man and unification with the Divine.
812
DHYANA is interrupted in most cases by
worry and anxiety regarding one's kith and
kin, and one's earnings and riches. Since all
are manifestations of Maya, which is natural
to Brahmam or Paramathmam, the
Paramathmam or Lord, in whom you take
refuge, will certainly free you from fear.
Why? You are, each one, the Atman and
nothing else. This is the reason why I begin
the Discourse, addressing you as
"Divyatmaswarupas"!
813
THE mind is the altar. Place the animal
which is to be offered as oblation (the evil
aspects of your character, behaviour,
attitude etc.) and sacrifice it to the deity
involved. Though born as a human, man is
burdened by animal instincts and impulses
that have attached themselves to him during
his previous lives as an animal. He has
passed through many an animal existence
and each has left its mark on his mental
makeup like a scar on the skin when a
wound has healed.
814
BUDDHI is the only instrument for
realisation. Jnana alone can grant the
Vision, the ultimate Truth. That is why the
Gayatri, a Vedic prayer to the Light that fills
the Universe to illuminate the intelligence, is
a prayer for prompting the spirit of inquiry
and for illuminating the path by the inner
light of the Spirit.
815
YOUR devotion to God is best expressed by
achieving the control of the senses. For the
senses rush towards the temporary and the
tawdry; and they foul the heart. I require
from each of you no other gift, no more
valuable offering than the heart I have
endowed you with. Give Me that heart, as
pure as when I gave it to you, full of the
nectar of Love I filled it with.
816
IT is certainly wasteful to spend precious
time in mere study without any attempt to
translate it into action. You need not give
your word to Me now, but try to put into
practice at least a few of the good things that
appeal to you and that are helpful in giving
you peace and contentment. To evoke the
Divine in you, there is no better method
than Namasmarana.
817
YOU must take every step in Sadhana or in
Samsara, only after deep deliberation and
satisfying yourself that it will be for your
good. Otherwise, it will be like the story of
the weeping city. One day, a close female
attendant of the Queen came to the palace
weeping in great sorrow, and so the Queen
began to shed tears. Seeing the Queen in
tears, the entire Zannan wept and the
weeping spread to the male attendants also.
The King, finding the queen inconsolably
sad, also wept profusely in sympathy, and
the sight made the entire city weep loudly
without end. At last, one sensible person set
in motion an inquiry, which passed through
person after person until the Queen herself
was accosted. She said that her attendant
was in sore grief, and when she, a washer-
woman by caste, was interrogated, she
confessed that it was all due to the sudden
demise of her favourite ass. Reason out;
discriminate; and do not rush to conclusion
or be led away by mere hear-say.
818
WHEN you scatter seeds on the surface of
the soil, they do not germinate; you have to
keep them inside the soil. So too, Bodha, if
scattered on the surface, will not germinate,
grow into the tree of knowledge and yield
the fruit of wisdom. Plant it in the heart;
water the plant with Prema; and measure it
with Faith and Courage. Keep off pests with
the insecticides of Bhajan and Sathsang, so
that you may benefit in the end.
819
KARMA must not be felt as a burden, for
that feeling is a sure sign, indicating that it is
against the grain. No Karma which helps
your progress will weigh heavily on you. It is
only when you go counter to your inner-
most nature that you feel it as a burden. A
time comes when you look back on your
achievement and sigh at the futility of it all.
Entrust your mind to the Lord before it is
too late, and let Him shape it as He wills.
820
WHOM the Muslims adore as Allah, the
Christians as Jehovah, the Vaishnavas as
Phullajaakshe and the Saivites as Sambhu,
who grants in answer to their several
prayers, health, prosperity, and happiness to
all wherever they may be, He is the One God
of all mankind.
821
FOOD and recreational habits are the two
main causes for ill-health. Great care has to
be bestowed to ensure that injurious
tendencies do not affect these two. At
present, drugs have multiplied and hospitals
have been established in every nook and
corner, ill-health is also widespread. This
situation is attributable to the spread of
deleterious food habits and pastimes.
822
TO remove the evils of Egoism, Service is the
most efficient instrument. Service will also
impress on the person doing the Service, the
Unity of all mankind. He who dedicates his
time, skill and strength to Service will never
meet with defeat, distress or
disappointment, for Service is its own
reward. His word will be ever sweet and soft
and his gestures ever revered and humble.
He will have no foe, no fatigue and no fear.
823
THE Scriptures proclaim that health is the
very root of all endeavours in the four fields
of human achievement: Dharma, Artha,
Kama, and Moksha. Without health, man
cannot brave temptations, earn a decent
living, fulfill his basic needs or succeed in
spiritual Sadhana. Man can engage himself
in obligatory and optional functions only if
he is healthy.
824
THE same Divine Compassion that blessed
Dhruva, saved Gajendra, restored Kuchela
and stood by Prahlada, has come to the
Earth as the Refuge of the refuge-less, as the
Lord of Peace, Harmony and Righteousness,
as the Lord of all the Worlds, as the Sath
Chith-Anandamurthi, as the Puttaparthi
Sathya Sai Sath-Chakravarthi, the king of
kings.
825
INDIA is the land where the ideals of
service, renunciation and spiritual
endeavour were born and have flourished. It
is only recently that India fell under the
impact of alien cultures which highlighted
material comfort, physical luxury, sensual
liberty, and exterior display; and that
Indians have trodden the wrong path of
exploitation and violence, idleness and
pompousness. With the spread of alien
cultures and alien ways of thought and life,
diseases too have multiplied and mental
imbalances have increased.
826
DO not try to delve into Me; develop Faith
and Sraddha and derive Ananda through
Prema. That is the utmost you can do; do
that and benefit. Do not run after all and
sundry who blabber textbook stuff and wear
the cloak of fakir hood. Examine, judge and
admire. Examine the daily conduct, the
motive, the outlook, the trend of the advice
and the coordination between what is said
and what is done.
827
WITHOUT surrender there can be no
liberation. So long as you cling to the narrow
"I", the four prison walls will close in on you.
Cross out the "I" and you are free. How to
kill the "I"? Place it at the feet of the Lord
and say "You", not "I" - and you are free of
the burden that is cursing you. Associate
always with the Niranjana, the vast, the
unlimited, the Divine; dream and plan to
merge with the Absolute; fill your ears with
the call from the Beyond and the Boundless.
Transcend the walls, the bars and bolts, the
locks and chains. You can do so easily by
fixing your mind on your own Infinity.
828
I HAD to do My Dharma; and every act of
Mine has its significance which you cannot
understand. You are in the dark and you fear
more. You cannot notice the heaps of earth
and the pits on the road. You cannot even
know that the road is smooth and fine. There
is no fault or partiality in creation; be
confirmed in that. Then you will no more
waver in your faith. If God's creation was
faulty, all would have suffered equally.
829
LAKSHMI or wealth accrues by fair means
as well as foul; money is earned by
gambling, by various forms of deceit; by
highway robbery; by high and low; by all and
sundry. Worship Lakshya. I shall appreciate
you! Keep the Lakshya, the Goal of
expanding your Love till it embraces all
beings, until it sees every being as your
mind's eye; then, Lakshmi will, of her own
accord, favour you to the extent necessary
for realising the Goal. Never doubt that.
Never falter.
830
YOU do not know the Gem shining inside
you, the Divinity whose effulgence is your
intellect and whose reflection is the Prema
you evince. You know many things other
than this, but not this essential thing; you do
not know where such and such a scholar
lives in Venkatagiri, but you know where
such and such a film star lives in Madras:
This is something to be ashamed of, this loss
of the sense of values. You must recognise
the Higher, the Highest.
831
YOU believe that those who have no faith in
the Vedas and the Shastras and those who
do not aver that there is some Omnipresent,
Omniscient Being, are Nasthikas. But let me
tell you, those who revere their Parents and
foster them, and those who love and protect
with care their brothers and sisters, are
Theists. Asthikas believe in Gratitude, Love,
Affection, Duty, and Dharma and these
qualities are enough to save them from
perdition.
832
THE Truth can flash only in a mind clear of
all blemishes. The first blemish that I would
like to warn you against is: "inability to bear
the success of others". Envy is the greatest of
the sins. Vanity, envy and egoism are kin.
They cut at the root of man's real nature. To
feel proud that you are a Bhakta is also a
blot. Though you may be a mountain, you
must feel you are a mound; and you should
not pretend to be a mountain.
833
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
worthwhile. 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 feet 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.
834
WHAT exactly is a dream? It is a dream
within a dream. It is a dream which unfolds
before you even while you are "awake" in
another dream. It tries to shed some light,
some joy, some courage, some faith, some
hope, and some meaning on the dream
called Life. Naturally, man has to seek all
means of discovering the meaning of Life,
for without knowing it, he is lost; he
wanders from birth to birth, receiving knock
after knock and is seldom the better for all
the experience.
835
WHERE you go to a temple, you see the idol
within but your thoughts are with your
footwear that you had to keep outside the
gate. These are matters that reveal the
concentration that you are capable of. Every
little point has to be taken care of, lest the
benefit of the Sadhana will be lost. You
cannot get liberation by merely coming here;
you cannot get it even by Dharsan, Sparsan,
and Sambashan. You will have to follow the
instructions, the Ajna, the Order and the
Directions.
836
MOKSHA or Liberation results from the
breaking of the Mind with all its vagaries
and wishes. You have to break your Mind
but, how can you do it, when the fibrous
armour of sensual desires encompasses it?
Remove it and dedicate the Mind to God and
smash it in His presence. That moment you
are free.
837
ONE should accept the body as the "Tantra",
one's own breath as the "Mantra", and one's
heart as the "Yantra". There is no need to
seek them outside oneself. When all words
emanating from you are sweet, your breath
becomes Rig Veda. When you restrict what
you listen to and prefer only sweet speech,
all that you hear becomes Sama Gana. When
you do only sweet deeds, all that you do is
Yajur Homa. Then, you will be performing
every day the Vedapurusha Yajna, the Yajna
which propitiates the Veda.
 838
THE vehicle of human life is drawn by two
wheels by the senses, which are driven by
Buddhi, with Viveka and Vairagya as the
reins, the two wheels being the Kala Chakra
and the Karma Chakra. The spokes of the
wheel are the rules of Dharma, bound by the
rim of Prema. The self is the Rider and he
will not come to harm if the axle is Sathya
and the goal is Shanti.
839
THE Gita is for saving all and granting them
liberation. Gita, in Telugu, means a line; it
draws a line across and cancels the series of
births and deaths; it teaches you to stand
erect, unafraid, along the straight path of
Dharma, along the line laid down.
840
HAVING been born, man earns and acquires
land, riches, materials, grains and articles of
comforts and luxury, which he feels will give
him happiness and which, therefore, become
the object of his struggle. But the object of
realising God is forgotten. You may ask: why
should anyone seek good company, do good
deeds, and direct his mind towards good
thoughts? You are listening to Me and what
do you get when you so listen? You agree
that I am giving you Anandam. What do you
give Me in return? Give Me the Aacharana of
what I am telling you, practice what I teach,
that is enough. That is all I ask for.
841
IN every country today, men have become
power-mad and they resort, without any
compunction, to self praise and dry
declamation. They develop hatred against
others, foster envy and feed their fatal egos.
They plunge the Society to which they
belong into fear, anxiety and disorder. They
do not know, that if elevating ideals are
adhered to and practiced, they could gain
eternal fame; instead they are content with
cheap applause and short-lived publicity.
842
THE mansion called life must be built on a
strong foundation and the pursuit of Artha
and Kama, of Wealth and Welfare, and all
desirable objects must be regulated by the
standard of Dharma. Dharma fosters those
who foster it. "Dharma Rakshithi
Rakshithah". The strongest foundation is
ever-present Faith in the Almighty. Some
may ask, "If He is Almighty, why then is He
not patent"? He reveals Himself only to the
person who yearns for the answer, not to the
one who questions out of impudence or
ignorance.
843
HE will be patent only in the transparent
heart, the heart that is not clouded by
egoism or attachment. The string of the
Rosary is patent only in the Spatika Heads,
the crystal beads, not in the coral or
Rudraksha beads. Though the string runs
through these latter also, it can be seen only
by splitting those beads. This is the meaning
of the story of Hiranyakasipu who split the
pillar. When he did that, he could see for
himself the Lord, who is the core of every
object and being.
844
YOUR Reality is the Atma, a wave of the
Paramatma. The one object of this human
existence is to visualise this Reality, this
Atma, this relationship between the wave
and the sea. All other activities are trivial;
you share them with birds and beasts; but
this is the unique privilege of man. He has
clambered through all the levels of animal,
all the steps in the ladder of evolution in
order to inherit this high destiny. If all the
years between birth and death are frittered
away in seeking food and shelter, comfort
and pleasure, as animals do, man is
condemning himself to a further life
sentence.
845
THERE are only three ways of saving
oneself: Prakruthi, Nivrithi and Prapatti.
Prakruthi (action, external activity) is a
method of sublimating the instincts and
impulses. Nivritti (detachment; internal
quiet), is a method of subduing the thirst of
the senses and of the ego. Prapatti
(surrender) is a method of utilising the
senses, the instincts and impulses, the
intelligence and the emotions for the
glorification of the all-knowing, all-directing
Divine. Do and dedicate, work and worship,
plant and protect; but do not worry about
the fruit; that is the secret of spiritual
success.
846
THE boulder on the hill, from which a
portion has been blasted away to carve an
idol for the temple, tells the idol, "Thath
Thawam Asi" (You and I are the same), That
and this are one substance. Yes, of one
substance, but what a difference? The
hammer and chisel have made one, a thing
of beauty and a joy for ever, an inspiration to
make life beautiful and holy. You too must
subject yourself to the hammer of discipline
and the chisel of pain-pleasure, so that you
become Divine.
847
WHEN you reach the bank of a river in a
strange land, you do not take advice from a
lame person or a blind person on where you
can best wade across. You follow a person
who has waded often and who is neither
lame nor blind. The man who can see is a
scholar; the man who can walk is a person
with experience. The man with both
capacities is a good guide, not those who
prattle things learnt from the books or dole
out set formulae irrespective of the stage the
recipient has reached, or roamed about in
search of people whom they can squeeze for
money.
848
MAN imagines that he has achieved much as
a result of his search for material pleasures.
He has discovered electricity and is using it
for giving light. But what poor glory is this?
When the sun rises even the brightest bulb
pales into insignificance. Man has invented
the fan and, by means of electricity, he is
able to create a breeze. But, when a storm
arises in Nature, the toughest tree is
uprooted and man's handiwork of brick and
mortar is laid in ruins, with the roofs flying
in the air. On what basis can he erect his
pride?
849
ALL who come embodied are Avatars, that is
to say, advents of the Divine, Manifestations
of God. What then is the special feature of
Rama, Krishna, Buddha and Christ? Why do
you celebrate their Birthdays with much
reverential enthusiasm? The specialty is
this: they are Aware, you are unaware of the
Atma which is the Truth. Awareness confers
Liberation from bonds, from time, space and
causation and from sleep, dream and
wakefulness. Avatars are ever alert, aware,
and alight.
850
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 will
spread the Light of Love in the heart of man
and the councils of humanity. Appearances
of splendour and other signs to herald the
era that have 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, "Thamasomaa
Jyothirgamaya"; "Lead us from darkness
unto Light".
851
THE word "Hindu" has been interpreted by
scholars in various ways, but the real
meaning is "Hin" (Hinsa or Violence), "Dur"
(far from): people who keep away from
violence. The Hindus have been praying
since the ages for the peace and prosperity of
all the Worlds. "Loka Samastha Sukino
Bhavanthu". Their conception of the
immanence of God is strong and
unshakable. The rituals, ceremonies, vows
and rites prescribed in Hinduism are all
directed to the promotion and well-being of
"all the Worlds". This is the reason why
Hinduism is still alive and active.
 852
VISHNU is described as "Buyagasayamam"
sleeping on the snake and also as
"Samthaakaaram". The "Bujaga" or snake,
which has visha or poison, represents the
World or "Vishaya" and, when you rest upon
it, instead of allowing it to envelop you, you
can afford to have "Santham". Let your boat
be on the waters; but do not allow the waters
to enter the boat. Be in the World, but not of
it. That is the secret of a successful life.
853
SARANAGATHI, or unconditional
surrender, is the main gate to enter the
mansion of Mukthi. It has four floors:
Dhyanam, Karma, Bhakti and Jnanam. Each
floor rests upon the one beneath and the
uppermost cannot be reached without
ascending the first three. Remember this,
when you hear people arguing about the
relative superiority of the Yogas or labeling
themselves as "this" or "that" in the
Adhyathmic field.
854
PLEASE do not be under the delusion that
God needs light and that He requires
illumination. He is "Jyothiswarupa" with the
splendour of a thousand suns. He is the
force which makes Light shine, and He is
above and beyond the Thejas that Nature
can supply. It is not so much this stone
structure that needs illumination. When you
come to think of it, it is the temple that you
are carrying about with you in body that
must be fitted with lights. "Dehodevalaya
Proktham". The body is said to be the
temple. "Jivodevah Sanathanah". And in
that temple is installed the Jivi who is the
"timeless" God.
855
YOU try to avoid grief; you try to taste joy
instead. It is the nature of man to do so. For
he is essentially "Anandaswarupa". When we
seek "Ananda", it is like the call of the deep
for the deep. When someone asks you, "How
do you do?" and you answer, "Quite well,
thank you", he does not stop to enquire why
you are well. It is only when you answer that
you are ill, that he stops and expresses
concern and probes into the causes,
symptoms and care of the illness. "Wellness
is natural"; illness is unnatural. Anxiety is
caused by the unnatural only. So you are
"Suka-Swarupa" also.
856
CLARIFY the Buddhi by Sadhana so that you
get a vision of the Lord who dwells within,
that is the Sudarsana which saved Gajendra,
the wild elephant (man) that was caught by
the alligator (egoism) while rollicking in the
lake. The objective World (Samsara) looks
upon joy and grief as teachers of hardihood
and balance. Grief is a friendly reminder, a
good task-master; even a better teacher than
joy. The Lord grants both, protection and
punishment; for how can he be the Lord if
he does not insist on strict accounting and
strict obedience?
857
TAKE everything as it comes. Cultivate
contentment, do not multiply your wants
and foster greed and despair. You take off
your warm clothing when you start feeling
warm. The coat of desire has to be taken off
when the warmth of Bhakthi increases.
Strive to secure Grace; do not strive to
secure any lesser fruit.
858
THE youth today, in India as well as in other
lands, are afflicted with deep discontent
which manifests itself in revolt against rules,
regulations, curricula and social norms and
an agitational approach to every little
problem that affects them. What is the basic
cause of this phenomenon? The Reason lies
in the fact that they have started to neglect
the ancient culture of India and its ideals.
They are imitating undesirable and fanatic
norms of behaviour and are addicted to a
code of disbelief, having no roots anywhere.
859
WHEN God has come assuming a Form,
take it from Me, it 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.
860
WHO can give us the secret of transcending
the barrier that divides the region of death
from the region of immortality? Of course,
the Lord has often sent Messengers to tell
humanity about it, and He himself has come
down in human form to communicate it and
save mankind from perdition. It is because
the task of guiding man has gone on so
consistently that today, at least in India,
there is this quantum of earnestness to
achieve it and to escape from the cycle of
birth and death.
861
THE Jnanendriyas are more important for
Sadhana than the Karmendriyas; Buddhi is
more important than all the rest of the inner
instruments given to man. Make Buddhi the
master of your Manas and you will not fail.
You will fail only when the senses establish
mastery over the mind.
862
EASWARASSARVOTA Bhoothaanaam
Hrddese Arjuna Thishtath, "Oh Arjuna, the
God resides in the heart of all being" says the
Lord. He is not to be found specially in
Amarnath, Kasi, Tirupati, Kedaram or
Gokarnam. Just as every drop of the ocean
has the taste, the composition and the name
of the ocean, so too every single being has
the Divine taste and composition and the
name of the Lord. Only you do not realise it
so clearly. The Godavari realises itself by
reaching the sea; man realises himself by
merging in the Absolute. "Gamyam ithi
Lingam" (That which merges in the goal is
Lingam).
863
YOU have to trace your ancestry and be
proud of it. From Paramatma, Moola
Prakrithi descended with the emergence of
Maya, and from the stuff of that illusion,
Akasa; and from Akasa, Vayu; from Vayu,
Agni; from Agni, Jala; from Jala, Earth. By a
combination of the five elements, this
Tabernacle of Paramatma, which is you, was
produced. The entire ladder has now to be
climbed up in order to reach the
Paramatma, the Origin of all. There is a
regular syllabus for the promotion of the
spiritual aspirant, which is given in that
form in the Veda and in the form of an
elaborate story in the Bhagavatha.
864
THE discovery of Truth is the unique
mission of man. Man is a mixture of Maya
and Madhava; the Maya throws a mist which
hides the Madhava. But through the action
of the healthy impulses inherited from acts
performed while in previous bodies, or
through the cleansing done by austerities in
this body, or through the Grace of the Lord
Himself, Maya melts away; for it is just a
mist which flees before the Sun. Then Nara
is transformed into Narayana and this
Bhuloka is elevated into a Prasanthi
Nilayam.
865
EVERYONE has a mother as the source of
his life and body. So, the mother has to be
strong in mind and body, ripe in culture and
character, sanctified by holy thoughts and
steeped in love and dedication. Good
mothers make a good nation. Mothers have
to be repositories of "Thyaga, Yoga and
Bakthi", Detachment, Discipline and
Devotion. Their Karma (Activity) must be
based on these three urges.
866
THE one Namaskaram you do, do with
devotion. That is enough. You do not even
do that; you do it so callously, so
indifferently and automatically. When you
fold your hands and bring them together,
feel that you are offering at the Feet all the
actions of the Five Karmendriyas and the
Five Jnanendriyas as indicated by the ten
fingers. Again, the purpose of Namaskaram
is to touch the Feet, to have Sparsan of the
Lord. The Negative pole Mayasakthi, and the
Positive pole, Mahasakthi, have to meet in
order to produce a spiritual current that will
flow through you.
867
COME, I am the repairer of broken hearts, of
damaged Anthahkaranas. 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 puja room of the Bhakta,
anxious to fulfill his wish. Verily he, who has
the Lord as His Servant, is the real Prabhu.
868
EVERY little movement 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 and the dropping of dew on a petal
makes a sound. Any little agitation
disturbing the calm is bound to produce a
sound. The sound caused by the primal
movement that resulted in the enveloping of
Brahman by self-evolved Maya is the
Pranavashabda or OM. The Gayathri is the
elaboration of that Pranava and so, it is now
held so venerable that initiation into
Adhyatmic life is achieved by its
contemplation.
869
YOU may complain that God is hard and
heartless since He does not respond to
prayer, give a signal from his pictures and
speak from "nowhere" in clear unambiguous
terms, assuaging, assuring, advising - but let
Me tell you: God is Love. Love is God. His
Akara (Form) is Prema (Love). His
Swabhava (essential Nature) is Ananda
(Bliss); and His Raktha (Life-blood) is
Sathya (Truth). Even when the stony cliff
echoes your voice and responds when you
cry, will not the Softest, Sweetest, Love-filled
Heart of God respond? When there is no
response, infer that there is something
wanting in the cry; perhaps, the cry is
hollow, insincere, mere play-acting set to a
pattern, addressed to someone alien to
oneself, taken to be far away and distant as a
tyrant or task master.
870
KNOW that God is the One that is dearest
and nearest to you, as dear and as near as
your own heart and pray to him. Surely his
answer will be vouchsafed immediately. You
may have huge hordes of men in the army;
but they are useful only when the few
Generals who lead them know where they
are and whether they should proceed and
how to overcome the enemy, whose strength
and weakness they have comprehended.
Hordes of people sing, recite, adore,
worship, praise and prostrate, but these are
the soldiers. Those who believe, those who
have faith and who practice the disciplines
are the Generals in whom the Master
confides.
871
TALKATIVE persons easily step into scandal
mongering. Too much talk and a tongue
addicted to scandal are twins; they work
together and in unison. A poet addressed his
tongue thus "Oh, Tongue, knower of taste,
relisher of sweetness, always prefer the
Truth". One should not inflame passion,
diminish enthusiasm or inflict injury
"Sathyam Brooyath, Priyam Rooyath"
(Speak the Truth, Speak pleasantly),
"Nabrooyath Sathyam Apriyam" (If
unpleasant, do not speak the truth), "Priyam
cha na anvartsham brooyth" (Though it may
be pleasant, do not speak falsehood).
872
THE Lord has said in the Gita: "Anudevega
Karam Vakyam Sathyam Priya Hitam
Chayat". (Speech, that does not offend, that
is truthful, pleasant and beneficial, has to be
praised). Such speech sanctifies the tongue.
It knows and respects the limits. The ear
cannot tolerate a false or discordant note.
Every one of the senses responds within its
own limits of tolerance and protests when
that limit is exceeded or disregarded. You
must be vigilant that they are put to use with
proper attention to those limits. When they
stray from the path or overstep the
boundaries, reason bites its head and makes
you inhuman.
873
YOU can master all Knowledge and win loud
applause. The crowds that gather may praise
and proclaim: "Ah, what a wonderful lecture
he gave". You can be hailed as a King and
rule over the realm. You can pile up vast
wealth and donate old and land. But what is
the benefit gained? Karna gave away the
earrings he wore and even sliced off his
Divine suit of armour and gave it away in
charity. Wherein lies the key to greatness?
Whereto does renunciation lead? The
question is, does it purify the heart? Does it
help the Divinity within to manifest itself?
874
BRAHMACHARYA does not mean merely
desisting from marriage. It means becoming
soaked in Holy Love for the Divine through
transparent sincerity, unselfish will, pure
consciousness and holy thoughts. You all
know that Hanuman is described as the
Eternal Brahmachari. He was married to
Srivatsala, yet he earned that description.
How? Brahmachari means, "He who is in
Brahman". Hanuman had no other thought
than Rama (who is Brahman) and so, was
ever moving in Brahman and living in
Brahman. Your thoughts, feelings, desires
and activities must all move in Brahman, the
Universal Absolute. That is to say, whatever
is spoken and whatever is seen must be
cognised as Brahman. That is the real
Brahmacharya stage.
875
LIFE can be sanctified and elevated to a
worshipful pilgrimage if only every one
clings to his way and sees it in its proper
perspective. Idle brains exaggerate matters;
and cynics cause great social damage. Gulfs
are widened by thoughtless criticism. If only
all of you would remember the principle
underlying the brotherhood of man,
mankind will become a mighty family full of
peace and joy.
876
MOHAKARMA flows from delusion and
leads to further delusion. Man must outgrow
this tendency and turn towards Dharma
Karma, that is to say, moral activity,
idealistic activity, activity that sublimates
lower instincts and impulses and transform
every deed into an act of dedication. When
the attitude is confirmed and consolidated,
all Karma becomes Brahmakarma. Man
merges in the Universal and loses the
inhibiting individuality. That is the Karma
which the Atma craves for and delights in.
877
PREMA or Love is a much misused word.
Any positive response to the attraction is
called Love. Any feeling of attachment,
however trivial or transitory, is
characterised as Prema. We must certainly
coin new words or set aside specific words to
indicate the forms of Love. The attachment
of parents to their children or of children to
parents must be called affection. The
response to the attraction of sex can be best
described as fancy, fascination or delusion,
Moha. The feeling of Kinship or
comradeship evokes dearness. The pleasure
one gets through a sense of possession,
especially of material objects, can be known
as satisfaction. Only the yearning to reach
for the sublimity that lies inherent in Truth
is entitled to be called by that holy word
"Prema".
878
IT is My general practice to induce people to
learn the sweetness of the Name. I begin My
Discourses with the recitation of a spiritual
poem and end them with these Namavalis
and in between I give the lesson I love to
teach. It is like a tasty health giving meal
which I serve to you on a plate (the problem)
covering it with a lid (the Namavalis). That
is how you may take it.
879
HOW can a person, who cannot swim, teach
others the art? How can one whose granary
is empty, pour out charity? Acquire the
wealth of devotion, fortitude and peace,
before venturing to advise others how to
acquire them. Bharath (India) has suffered
slights and disregard as a result of a spate of
teachers who have not cared to practice what
they teach. I know you have the enthusiasm
to carry My message among the people of
this country and other countries. Let Me
remind you that the best and the only
successful way in which you can do it is to
translate the Message into your own lives.
Your thoughts, words and deeds must be
saturated with the message. They then will
spread effortlessly and efficiently, and the
face of the World will be transformed.
880
THE Name undoubtedly brings in the Grace
of God. Meerabai, the Queen of Rajasthan,
gave up status and riches, fortune and family
and dedicated herself to the adoration of the
Lord, Giridhara Gopala. Her husband
brought a chalice of poison and she was
ordered to drink it. She uttered the Name of
Krishna while she drank it. It was
transformed into nectar, by the Grace the
Name evoked.
881
GOD is the harmony of all the Forms and
Names that man gives Him. Only those who
are ignorant of the Glory of God will insist
on one Name and one Form for His
adoration and, what is worse, condemn the
use by others of other Names and Forms.
Since you are all associated with the Sathya
Sai Organisation, I must warn you against
such silly obduracy. Do not go about
proclaiming that you are a sect, distinct and
separate from those who adore God in other
Forms and Names; thereby, you are limiting
the very God whom you are extolling.
882
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 Him and
make Him yours, then He will manage to
give you all that you need. Do not demean
the relationship into bargaining: give me
this; then I shall give you that in exchange. If
you insist on wages you become a coolie.
Become His own. He is providing for the
idler, the insane and the shirker; can He not
provide for you?
883
THE duration of life is under the control of
Him who gave life, the Creator. It does not
depend on the calories of food consumed or
the quality of drugs that are injected, or the
qualification of the physician who prescribes
the medicine. The chief causes of ill health
and death are Fear and Loss of Faith. If one
concentrates on the Atma, which has no
change in characteristics, no subtraction or
senility, and no decline or damage, man can
conquer Death. Therefore, the most effective
prescription is the injection of Atma-Vidya
(Knowledge of the Atma, the Soul as one's
Real Self).
884
THE future of India is in your hands. You
are fully aware of the characteristics of this
Kaliyuga we are passing through. You find
around you injustice, irregularities,
immorality and untruth, with all their
devilish attributes and atrocities. But we
have to march ahead in spite of all this with
a quite tolerant and benign attitude towards
life. Almost all the fields and walks of life are
polluted with these poisonous feelings; but
the field of education, being the most
prominent organ, needs our special
attention.
885
EVERY Indian will have to recognise the
culture based on Vedic philosophy. You will
know how restless and agitated the youth of
India are today, trying to rob everything of
pride and without achievement and thus,
getting involved in meaningless pursuits.
The student of today is not able to realise
what he should primarily be concerned with.
It is only in name that he is a "Vidyarthi",
the seeker of Knowledge. In practice, he is
only a "Vishayarthi", a seeker of worldly
pleasures.

886
LOVE is the seed, courage is the blossom
and peace is the fruit that the Sages grow in
the garden of their hearts. They toiled for
identifying themselves with the Truth, not
for painting falsehood with the authenticity
of Truth and parading as if they had
accomplished the mission on which they had
come to earth. They achieved such success
that Bharath, for centuries, was the
Preceptor of Humanity; but now the
Preceptor has started to take lessons from
the least intelligent of the pupils and is
rearing its head in pride when the pupil
congratulates him.
887
IN the Gita, the Lord has declared
"Beejaymmaam Sarva Bhoothaanam", "I am
the seed for all beings". The tree is a broad
spread of leaves and flowers, fruit and green.
All have grown out of one single small seed,
and every fruit of that tree has seeds of the
same nature inside it: contemplate for a
while on the magnificent multitude of life,
all its rich variety of strong and weak, prey
and hunter, distressed and delighted,
creeping, crawling, flying, floating, walking,
hanging, burrowing, living, and swarming.
All this uncountable variety of created
beings have come out of the "Beejam" (Lord)
and again, visualise the immanent Divinity.
You will become humble, wise, and full of
Love.
888
DO NOT waver, hesitate or doubt your
destiny. Yearn to realise your Reality; that
yearning itself will endow you with a steady
endeavour and the Grace of God which will
remove all obstacles. Be an example to
others. Do not scatter advice without the
authority born of practical experience. Do
not search for the faults of others, seek your
own. Love, Cooperate, Help, and Serve. This
is your prime duty.
889
THE six demons, Kama (Lust), Krodha
(Anger), Lobha (Greed) Moha (Attachment),
Mada (Pride) and Matsara (Hate) pursue
you and turn you on to wrong paths and
make you servile, stupid and sad. Fight
against them resolutely. That is the life-long
war you have to wage. It is not a seven year
war or a thirty year war; it may be a hundred
year war, if you live a hundred years. The
struggle knows no respite. This is a civil war,
where vigilance alone can bring dividends.
890
THERE are no characteristics in God, but in
the characteristics of Sathya, Jnana and
Ananda there is God. God is everywhere and
no spaceship can hit against Him; no
astronaut can espy Him. He is too subtle for
all that type of contact, subtler than ether or
Akasa. So, do not lend your ears to people
who swear there is no God. God is too vast
and too far above the reach of reason or
imagination. You can only get glimpses of
the Bliss derived from the contemplation of
His Magnificence.
891
KRISHNA is hiding in the recesses of your
hearts. You have to trace Him there and hold
fast. He runs away but leaves footprints
marked by the spilled milk on which he has
trodden in His hurry to be beyond our reach.
Yes, the lesson is: recognise his Footprints in
everything of beauty, every act of goodness,
every tear of gratitude and every sigh of
compassion; and discover Him in the bower
of your own heart filled with the Fragrance
of Love and Light of Virtue.
892
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
blends and leads the person suffering from it
into ruin. Beware of Pride; be always aware
that you are but an instrument in My Divine
Mission of Dharmasthapana, 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.

893
AT THIS critical hour in the history of the
World, when the demoniac forces of fear and
anxiety, injustice and inequity are raging in
wild fury, it is the duty of every human being
to be equipped with spiritual strength so
that he may not be overwhelmed by the
storm. This is an urgent and essential task
and I must say, that the women of India
have a contribution to make, a service to
render and a role to play. They must bring
God into the heart of the child and help it to
keep Him there. For Faith in God is the tonic
that man needs to get back his health and
happiness.
894
SOCIAL service should not become show-
cial, work carried out for publicity or with
the camera in view. Nor should it become
slow-cial work. Why go slow, when you are
doing good to the deserving? Do as much as
you can. If you cannot do any good, at least
desist from doing harm or from finding fault
with those who serve you.
895
YOU know that you can draw cheques upon
a bank whenever you need money, provided
you have enough current deposit therein. If
the Bank goes bankrupt, it will be a disaster.
The educational system is the Bank on which
the nation draws a cheque whenever it wants
strong, reliable skilled workers. If it goes
bankrupt, as it nearly has today, it is a
national disaster.
896
SERVICE: Let that be the slogan for this
nation. Service not for those who have many
to serve them and the wherewithal to help
themselves, but for the diseased in the
hospitals who have no one to nurse them,
give them a smile or a flower or write a letter
home for them.
897
THE chief means by which you detach your
mind from distractions and attach
yourselves to the search for God are: Yoga
and Thyaga. Kama (desire) has to be gotten
rid of by Thyaga (Renunciation); and Rama
(God) has to be secured by Yoga (the
conjunction of all your faculties for the
common purpose). Desire discolours the
intelligence; it perverts judgment; it
sharpens the appetites of the senses; it lends
a false lure to the objective world. When
desire disappears or is concentrated on God,
intelligence is self luminous and it shines in
the pristine splendour; and that splendour
reveals the God within and without. That is
the real "Atmasakshatkara".
898
OF WHAT benefit is it to have a body if you
do not seek to know how best to utilise it?
Learn from the Saints and Sages who have
realised the Truth about the path you shall
tread and the goal you have to attain. That
goal is God. He is beyond all notions of good
and bad, right and wrong. These are earthly
measures, by which the temporary is
weighed and judged. He has no Form, no
Limbs, no duality, no preferences, no
prejudices and no predilection. To say that
He is "Sathyaswarup" (having the
characteristic of Truth), and "Jnanaswarup"
(having full wisdom), and "Anandaswarup"
(full of Bliss) is also not correct. For He has
no "Swarup" or "Swabhav"; He is Sathya; He
is Jnana; and He is "Ananda". That is the
experience of those who have tasted
"Ananda".
899
YOU may boast that you have been visiting
Puttaparthi since twenty years or that you
have made the place your permanent
residence; but, unless you follow the lessons
I emphasise, that boast is mere empty
vanity. If you develop love for all beings, in
the faith that God resides in all, you may be
anywhere else, but your prayers would reach
Me and My Grace will reach you. While in
My previous body, I told Nanashab that I am
in ants, insects and animals, besides all men.
When a dog ate all offerings intended for
Baba, it was declared to have reached Baba,
for he had eaten it in that form. "Nana says,
he is giving Me food, but when I go in the
form of a dog, he drives Me off".
900
INDIA has always laid down disciplines to
cultivate Universal Love; the Yagnas and
Yaga which are recommended in the Vedas
are for Lokakalyana, Lokasangraha, the
welfare and security of all mankind. That is
why India is like the engine which drags the
wagons along, all the wagons that are
coupled with it. The wagons are the different
nations. "Lokaasamathaah Sukhino
Bhavanthu" is the prayer that rises from the
children of the land since thousands of
years. God is Omnipresent. He is immanent
in every being and in equal measure. So man
must visualise Him equally in himself and in
others.
901
ONCE Ramadas wailed, "Oh Lord! you are
Mighty, all powerful, all knowing; I am alone
helpless, orphaned and poor". Then the Lord
interrupted the self condemnation and said,
"No, how can you call yourself poor, helpless
and orphaned? I am with you and in you,
showering My Grace. The only orphan in the
Universe is Myself, for I have no guardian,
no means of support, nobody to fall back
upon. I am the A-natha; all else are Sa-natha
(with Lord), for I am their Natha (Lord)".
902
THE Universe is the Body of God; in that
Body, the Unity Consciousness is Bharath,
the Ekabhava. "Ekam Sath" the Vedas
declared eons ago! That is the heartbeat of
Bharath today. 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 being exported but very
little is used inside the country. That is the
tragedy. For the influence available from
positions of authority and for acquiring and
accumulating power, individuals talk ill of
others and breed hate.
903
MAN strives to provide himself with food
clothing and housing for the sake of the
body. He must also provide himself with
something to keep the mind healthy and
happy. It is the mind that conditions even
the body. The mind is the instrument, the
flywheel, and the thickest comrade of man.
Through it, one can ruin oneself or save
oneself. Regulated and controlled,
channeled properly it can liberate; wayward
and let loose, it can entangle and bind fast.
904
TRAIN the mind to dwell on the inner
equipment rather than the outer attractions.
Use the mind to cleanse the feelings,
impulses, attitudes, tendencies and levels of
consciousness. Let it not accumulate dirt
from the outer world and deposit them
within itself. If it is attached to work
(Pravriti Marga), the consequences of work
get attached to it. Unattached work is the
purest; it does not encumber the mind with
elation or disappointment. "I did it", this is
mine", these are the two fangs that make the
individual poisonous. Pull out the fangs, the
snake can be handled and played with as a
pet.
905
THE Lord is closest to you. He is the
Mother, Father, Teacher, Friend, Guide and
Guardian. Call on Him and He responds
immediately. From dawn to dusk, spend
every minute in His company. That is the
reason why I have directed that every Sathya
Sai Organisation must arrange for Nagar
Sankirtan in the pre-dawn
Bhahmamuhurtham. It is a mission of Love
and all will welcome it. It is a great act of
social service to wake up people with the
Name of God. It is a purifying pilgrimage,
casting off anger and hate that infest the
atmosphere.
906
THE Gita speaks of "Yukthahara Viharasya",
habits of feeding and recreation, which are
controlled and regulated. The gross part of
food is discarded as feces, the subtle part is
transformed into muscle, blood etc., and the
more subtle of the subtle aspects are
transmuted into the mind and its activities.
That is why the Sages have prescribed
certain limits and levels of food, in order to
promote the spiritual urges and prevent
contrary tendencies. But nowadays, as a
result of the downgraded time, spirits and
food that damage the spiritual urge, are
being increasingly favoured.
907
THE Karma or activity is the indicator of
inner character. Observing one's actions,
their motives, their consequences and the
extent of one's involvement, it is possible to
declare one as a Pasu (beast) or Pasupathi
(The Lord of Individual Souls: that is to say,
as Divine as God Himself).
908
AT school, the first lesson is "Baa Baa Black
Sheep, Have you any Wool?", and the second
is "Ding Dong Bell, Pussy in the well". Gone
are the days when the first lesson was on
Rama, Krishna or some great sage or saint?
Getting to know about black sheep will make
children black sheep; getting to know about
the great and the good will make children
great and good. Children of Baba Vihar are
therefore told stories of Rama, Krishna and
other Divine Persons. Learn those tales and
decide to live like them. Learn Indian ways
and Indian tales, and be true Indians.
909
WHY say "Good morning" or "Good night".
"Namaskar" or "Namaste" is the Indian way,
the really humble way. You must have Bhaya
Vinaya and Viswasa - Fear, Humility and
Faith. Fear of what? Fear of doing wrong
and of falling into falsehood. Humility
before whom? Before elders, teachers and
parents. Faith in what? Faith in God, in your
own strength and in your own victory.
910
"TAMASOMA Jyothigamaya" is the prayer.
Egoism is Thamas. There is an easy way to
illumine the inner consciousness and the
outer behaviour with the light of God. Put
the lamp of the Name of the Lord, the
illumining flame, on the tongue! That is the
doorstep. That light will drive out the
darkness from both, inside and outside.
Have it ever burning, clear and bright. You
will soon reach remarkable heights and
enjoy happiness, the like of which you
cannot get by sticking to the senses.
911
KRISHNA took upon Himself three vows: (1)
"Parithraanaya Sadhoonam Vinaasaayacha
Dushkrithaam, Dharma
Samasthaapanaarthayya Sambhavaimi Yuge
Yuge" - "For the protection of the good and
the punishment of the bad; for the
establishment of the Moral Order, I shall
concretise Myself, age after age"; (2)
"Anayaaschinthayathramanm Yejanah
Paryappasatha, Shaamnishya-
Abhiyukthaanaam Yoga Shemam
Vahamyaham" - "Who ever is wholly
immersed in my contemplation, with no
other thought; I shall be ever with him and I
shall bear the burden of his welfare"; (3)
"Sarvadharmaan Parithojya Maamekam
Saranam Vrajas Ahamthwaa Sarva
Paapebhyo Mokshaysh Yaami Maasuch" -
"Surrender unto Me, giving up all other
duties and obligations, I shall liberate you
from all sin; do not grieve".
912
WHEN Dharma (which means, that which is
worn, the apparel, clothes) was sought to be
removed from the wearer, the Lord blessed
Draupadi with the grant of an unending
series of saris. Today, the Sanathana
Dharma which is the robe of Bharathamatha
is sought to be taken away by her unworthy
and deluded sons; and the Lord has come to
grant solace and strength. You will see
splendid saris pouring into her lap from
every door of the Durabar Hall, where she is
being insulted. You will witness this great
Miracle by the Avatar who has come to
protect her honour and her heritage.
913
YOU stay far and complain that Grace has
not come. You do not scrape off, by the
process of repentance, the mud and rust that
prevent attachment. You come for needs
sometime and stray away into the distance. I
do not mean physical distance at all. You
may be physically far but mentally by My
side. I do not measure distance in miles or
meters. I am always with you, in you, beside
you; only you have to be aware of that and
make use of My presence. You must become
an "Aartha", torn by intense suffering to
sense the Lord.
914
THE Lord has to take the Form that is
suitable for the task He has to fulfill. To
catch a gang of decadents, the Police Officer
has to move among them as a decadent.
That is why the Human Form has been
taken. But who, challenged with impurity by
their own wives, dare challenge the Avatar
and ask for proof! Of course, if you desire to
understand, you are welcome; be near,
watch, learn and believe. Put on the role, if
you have the courage and the conviction that
you can enact it well. Are you not tired of
playing the parts of beggar and clown, in
scene after scene, birth after birth? Aspire
for the nobler role, at least now, in this birth.
915
IF you plan to give joy to others, you will be
joyful. Who are these others? Even when the
Lord has come with a definite Human body,
all humans that you come across are but
parts of His Glory and Splendour.
"Iswarasarvabhuthanaam, Hrdresse Arjuna
Shrishtethi", "Oh! Arjuna, the Lord, dwells
in the regions of the heart in all beings", says
the Lord in the Gita.
916
HOW can we find time for all this when we
have to toil every moment for feeding and
clothing ourselves? But you forget, the Lord
will grant you these material things and even
immortality, if only you place full reliance on
Him. Whatever you do, have the name,
Rama or Krishna, or Siva or Hari on your
tongue, no extra time or energy is needed for
that. When you rise in the morning, rise with
the Name on your tongue and slide into
sleep with the Name on your tongue.
917
CONSIDER the condition of the field of your
heart; it is overgrown with thorns and
bushes of lust, anger, greed and envy.
Remove them, root and all. Do not allow the
land to turn fallow. By continuous good
work, plough the field and fill the field with
the water of Prema. Select the Nama-seed
that appeals to you and sow it in the field.
Discipline is the force which will guard the
growing crop against cattle. Virtue is the
pesticide. Fostering the field with great care,
you can bring home the precious harvest of
Ananda.
918
ONE day, Krishna pretended to be fast
asleep! With the flute carelessly thrown
aside by His side, when Radha approached
the fortunate flute and asked it in plaintive
terms, "Oh lucky Murali! Tell me how did
you earn the great good fortune. What was
the vow you observed, the vigil you kept, the
pilgrimage you accomplished"? The flute got
a voice through His Grace: "I rid myself of
all sensual desire of envy, greed and ego,
that is all. I had no feeling of ego left to
obstruct the flow of His Prema through me
to all creation".
919
REVERE Jnana as you revere your father;
adore Love as you adore your mother; move
fondly with Dharma as if it is your own
brother; confide in "Daya" as if it is your
dearest friend; have Shantams as if it is your
better half; treat Sahana (Fortitude) as if it is
your own beloved son. These are your
genuine kith and kin. Move with them; live
with them; and do not forsake or neglect
them.
920
THIS is a place where you must try to help
and not hinder; this is the atmosphere of
peace and Prasanthi. Do not behave here as
you do when you gather elsewhere. There is
no scope here for envy or malice of hate or
competition. When Kama and Vrodha are
rising in hot flames from the heart, how can
the cool rays of Shanti, Sathya, Ahimsa and
Prema emanate therefrom? This human
birth is a rare chance! Use it for spreading
joy, and not grief. Of course, it is natural for
man to resent and to grow angry. But you
should not allow anger a free and furious
scope.
921
KRISHNA had undoubtedly the power to
transform in a trice the wayward mind of
His kinsman into unillumined instrument
for resolute action. But Krishna did not use
the power! He only prescribed the medicine
and the regimen. Arjuna had to swallow the
drug and follow the regimen himself in order
to be saved. He said, "You are My friend; you
are My kinsman; you are now so near to Me
that I am now your charioteer; you are also
in great distress; I agree that the delusion,
which has overpowered you, must be
removed quickly; but, your Ajnana must fall
off through your own efforts not through
some Miracle of My design".
922
ONE can claim genuine victory only when
one has reached not the dead satellite but
the living star; not the Chandra but the
Ramachandra, the Lord who rules over the
inner satellites, the inner planets, the inner
motives and agitations. Then one's inner
reaction and agitation will be transmuted
into the Divine. All that one experiences
through the senses, the mind and the
intellect will take on the Divine lustre, reveal
their Divine core, and man will be shaped
through the mould of Love.
923
ONE can be in the World but yet unaffected.
Activity will then be for the Almighty by His
Grace and through His will. Do not get work
done by cooks, servants, ayahs and others in
the home, women must not depend on these
for the care of their children or attendance
on their husbands. Earning leisure for
Dhyana through these servants is not a
spiritual gain.
924
I ALWAYS encourage Samathanam,
Sanghikam and Saam Krishikam activities:
the three S's. If it is for reviving the values
recognised as great by time or recreating the
damaged structure of the good of Society or
restoring vigour to some fine art that is
declining, you can count on My Blessings. I
always exhort people to win, not the titles
that come to those who canvas support but
the title that the Upanishads proclaim as the
highest decoration for spiritual aspirants:
"Amirthaaya-Pathrash", "Children of
immortality".
925
EVERYONE'S heart is Dharmakshetra
where the battle between the forces of Good
and Evil is fought. The whole country is
Dharmakshetra. So, the mothers and
children of this land must be devoted to
Dharma, above all. The Gita begins with the
words, Dharmakshetra, and ends with the
words: "Sarva Dharmaan Parithajiya";
"Through Dharma, you have to transcend
Dharma". That is why Kausalya exhorted
Rama when He went into the forest: "May
the Dharma, which you are upholding by
this act, be your guardian when you are in
the forest as an exile". And Rama upheld
Dharma even under the most trying
circumstances.
926
THIS World is His play; it is not an empty
dream; it has purpose and use; it is the
means by which one can discover God; see
Him in the beauty, grandeur, the order and
the majesty of Nature. These are shadows of
His Glory and His splendour; that is why the
Vedas have three Sections or Kandas;
Karma, Upasana and Jnana. Karma leads to
the consciousness of the ever-present,
immanent, all powerful God. Upasana or
adoration of that God lends to the
knowledge that He is in all. When you
experience that, there is no second, that is
Jnana.
927
MY place is among you, with you and
wherever work lies. That is why I moved
among you and stood at your back. This is
just to show you that, even in your own
places, when you do Bhajan or some other
type of adoration like serving children, the
sick or the poor, I do not sit on a special seat,
apart and distant. Do not believe I am on the
pedestal that you offer Me. I am part of you,
a partner and partaker in all your efforts,
inspiring and instructing when you ask or
need inspiration and instruction.
928
BY developing spiritual qualities, you will be
promoting the resuscitation of this country
and its culture. Look at the warning that the
sacred texts offer! Somaka, the Asura, stole
the Vedas! Ravana kidnapped Sita,
Duryodhana grasped an empire; Kamsa
slaughtered children; but not one of them
realised their heart's desire that their names
be exalted by history. Sentence of death
awaits everyone, cutting off their pride and
pomp. Some young persons feel that the
work they have on hand gives them great
pleasure but they do not pay heed to its
future consequences. When you seek
beneficial results, you have to involve
yourselves in beneficial activity.
929
THERE are some who are attracted by
various systems and methods like
Hathayoga, Kriyayoga or Rajayoga, which
claim to help people to realise the self. But I
must tell you that none of these can make
you realise God - I am saying this most
emphatically. The Prema Yoga, Discipline of
Love, alone can lead you to God. Those
Yogas may calm the minds' agitation
temporarily and may improve health and
prolong life for a few more years - but that is
all that they can do. What is the good you
hope to achieve with that body in those extra
years? If Love is absent, they weigh you
down as life's big burdens.
930
WHAT is the immortal part of man? Is it the
wealth he has accumulated? The residences
he has built, the physique he has developed,
the health he has acquired, and the family he
has reared? No, all that he has done,
developed or earned are destroyed; he has to
leave them all to the ravages of time. He
cannot take with him even a handful of
earth, the earth he loved so much. If only the
dead could take with them a handful each,
the Earth would have become scarce; it
should have been rationed by now! Discover
the Immortal "I"; and know that it is the
spark of God in you! Live in the
companionship of that vast measureless
Supreme and you will be rendered vast and
measureless. Consider all objects that you
collect here as given on trust to be used in
this caravansari, during your pilgrimage, in
this Karmashetra.
931
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 Kama, Krodha and Lobha char the heart.
Grace is provided by the quenching of these
flames. Grace confers Ananda, which Kama,
Krodha and Lobha can never confer.
932
WHY is it that the World reveres Rama and
revolts at Ravana? Rama is not its uncle's
son or Ravana its step mother's child. It is
the kinship of the spirit, your innate
goodness, responding lovingly and adoringly
to the goodness in Rama and reacting
revoltingly to the wickedness of Ravana. It is
not enough nor is it essential that you
should utter the name of Rama loudly,
respect it in the fullness of love and
admiration. If you have no spirit of love in
you, dig into your heart with external
instruments like Raga, Stotra etc., and it will
start to flow.
933
WE are today celebrating the Advent of
Krishna. The Avatar (incarnation) in the
Krishna. Form has a vast mystery enshrined
in it. Brindavan (the forest of Brinda) is the
tangled jungle of life. The cows tended by
Lord Krishna in Brindavan are none other
than the humans that are helpless without
His care and guidance. Gokula (the herds of
cows) is the name given in the Bhagavatham
(book on the Glory of the Lord) to the region
where Krishna tended the cows. "Go" means
also the individual who is enclosed in the
body. So, Gokula, is the region inhabited by
man.
934
ONE poet has sung, "Oh, Krishna, Oh,
Gopala, do not count on your being kind to
me, being moved by my appeals for mercy.
Don't I know that you killed with your own
hands your maternal uncle? You killed the
very nurse who came endearingly to you in
order to feed you at her breast! With no iota
of compassion towards the father of your
dearest devotees, you tortured him and
killed him while the son, Prahlada was
looking on! You approached Bali as if for
alms, and when he gladly placed all he had
at your feet, you trampled on his head and
pressed him into the nether regions! How
can a heart that has no tenderness melt at
my misery"? Yes, the Lord is above all
attachments, He has no favorites or foes.
935
BY THE example of your lives, you have to
restore confidence among the people in the
higher values of life. Do not neglect the great
lessons embedded in Sanathana Dharma,
which have sustained countless generations
in this land for many centuries. "May all the
Worlds be happy", this is the goal towards
which Sanathana Dharma is leading us.
Welcome within the fold of your Love, all
men without distinction or race or religion,
colour or class. Have the picture of the
Happy, Love filled human community in
your heart. That will give you enough
encouragement in your mission.
936
ISSA Vassyam Idam Sarvam; "All this is
enveloped by God". All this is soaked in God;
saturated with God. Everything is the
substance of God. We are on the Earth;
around it revolves the moon. Both, the Earth
and the Moon are illumined by the Sun.
Dependent on the Sun, planets like Mercury,
Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune,
Pluto, and Saturn dutifully move along the
orbits at different speeds. Their Satellites
also belong to the Solar family. Whenever we
lift our eyes up to the sky at night, we notice
Stars beyond numbers. And in the Milky
Way, we see thick masses of Star Clusters. In
space, there are more than ten thousand
crores of Stars, and regarding the Galaxies in
the Milky Way and elsewhere, we have more
than ten crores. Without being lost in
numbers, we must ponder over the mystery
of the Unity and Harmony of this Cosmic
projection.
937
IT IS not possible to consider Creation and
the Creator, Nature and God as different or
separate. Can we see that waves are separate
from the sea? They are of the sea, with the
sea, and from the sea. Man too is of God,
with and from God. The bubble is born in
water, stays in water and is lost in water.
The Cosmos too is a bubble born in the
Absolute, exists as the Absolute and merges
in the Absolute or Paramatma. Nara (the
human) is the bubble. God (Narayana) is the
sea. Recognise this truth, as the bubble
cannot be conceived without positing water.
The Cosmos, this World, cannot be
conceived without God.
938
GOOD men are the targets for maligning by
the small. Have your own errors and evils
hidden so that you can tackle them in
solitude; do not inflict them on others.
Wrestle with them and overwhelm them in
the silence of Sadhana. Deal with others only
beneficially and in joyful cooperation. Look
at Lord Siva. The poison, which will ruin the
World ruthlessly, has been contained in His
throat! The Moon that can shower cool, calm
comfort is worn by Him on His head for all
the Worlds to benefit from! That is a lesson
for you. Why render others miserable,
because you are too weak to suppress the
bandits your heart has welcomed?
939
I KNOW there are many of you who argue
and discuss how and in what manner these
structures came to be built so grandly. If you
have known Me through and through there
will be no such argument at all. You will
know that this is but an insignificant
product of My power. I have done this only
as an example; unless those who lead are
themselves active and earnest to bend and
bear the burden, all those who are
encouraged to follow will lose heart and miss
the way. Religious leaders have a great
responsibility in this respect. People fly high,
only to cast their eyes on a wider circle,
searching for sustenance as vultures do! The
eye belies what the wings proclaim.
940
WHEN you have filled your heart with
sympathy for the distressed, the Lord will
shower His Grace. Draupadi had earned the
Grace through her devotion and virtues.
Sita, too, had stuck to the highest ideals of
life in spite of her severe sufferings. She was
kept as a prisoner by her abductor. When
Hanuman offered to cross the ocean with
her on his shoulders and take her safe to her
Lord Rama, she replied that she would not
allow herself to be abducted back from the
custody of Ravana since that would deprive
Rama of the chance to punish him for his
crime and retrieve her. Quite in consonance
with Dharma.
941
THE Gita is His Command; how can you
earn the Master's Grace if you do not carry
out the Master's commands. If the son says,
"Leave me to myself, I need no instructions
from you"; how can he expect the father to
give him a share of the property? The Gita
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 enquiry is essential! Do not be led by
others; awaken your own reason; amass
your own experience; and decide for yourself
your own path.
942
NOTHING that is experienced will go to
waste. It will shape the course of events. It
will change attitudes and habits. It will
purify and clarify situations and outlooks.
That is why I want you to read the Gita; it is
like learning Eatha (Swimming) - this
learning of the Gita. Eatha saves you from
drowning. Gita saves you from drowning in
the treacherous flood of worldly desires. The
Gita is the real purpose for which the Avatar
of Krishna was undertaken.
943
TO condemn all is unjust, untrue, and
unkind. Take My own instance. I never exult
when I am extolled, nor shrink when I am
reviled. Few have realised My purpose and
significance: but I am not worried when
things that are not in Me are attributed to
Me. Why should I worry? When things that
are in Me are mentioned, why should I
exult? "Sayiki Sarvam Yes, Yes, Yes". For Sai,
it is always S.S.S. If you say "Yes, you are the
Lord", I am the Lord to you. If you say "No",
I am "No" to you. I am "Ananda, Shantham,
Dhanam", Bliss, Equanimity, and Courage.
Take them as your "Atonathathwam" and
you will not be wrong.
944
THE influence of the Divine is such that
while you are contemplating it, all traces of
envy and greed will disappear from the
mind. The boy Krishna had entered a Gopi's
house and was just standing beneath the pot
of curds when she discovered Him. Krishna
ran out into the street and the Gopi pursued
Him and wanted to catch Him quickly, for
she was so distressed that the boy was
running in the hot sun. She never worried
about the loss of curds or milk or butter, but
the very thought of Krishna's tender feet
walking over the hard stones in the sun was
something she could not bear. The Prema
that Krishna showered made everyone forget
everything else. He too gave such disarming
replies to the queries of the mother and the
Gopis that no one could have anything but
Prema towards Him. That is the
characteristic of Avatars at all times.
945
DHARMA is the very habiliment of India,
the dress that Bharathamatha wears to
protect her, honour to reclaim her status to
shelter herself against heat and cold and to
set a standard to her sisters. When the
wicked Kaurava princes seized hold of the
sari that Draupadi wore and tried to inflict
insult on her honour, Krishna rescued her
and foiled the foul design. Dharmaraja sat as
if he was unaware of his rights and duties.
Bhima was involved in doubt concerning his
obligations to his elder brother and his
consort. Arjuna cared more for his own
interests. Nakula and Sahadeva waited and
weighed the pros and cons. But the Lord did
not wait! His Grace knew no delay or doubt.
946
DHARMA, the very clothes that
Bharathamatha has worn since centuries,
which is the expression of her natural style,
is now seized by wicked irreverent hands.
They wish to dress her in unbecoming styles
on their own initiative or frenzied dictates.
So Krishna has to come again for resuming
the eviction of the wicked. Krishna revealed
the hollowness of the people who were
confident of their capacity to dishonour
Draupadi and the weakness of those
entrusted with the task of protecting her.
Now too, the Lord has to foil the attempts to
undermine Dharma and to stand in support
of those who are the traditional protectors
and protagonists of Dharma.
947
YASODA one day was searching for Krishna
who had strayed away. She thought He went
to the house of Radha. Radha just closed her
eyes and meditated on Krishna for a while
and when she called "Krishna", Krishna was
there. Then Yasoda shed tears of joy. She
said, "I love Krishna as a mother. I have a
sense of egoism in me that He is my son and
that I must save Him from harm and seek to
give Him guidance and protection. Your
Prema is pure; it has no egoism promoting
it".
948
REMEMBER always that it is easy to do
what is pleasant; but it is difficult to be
engaged in what is beneficial. Not all that is
pleasant is profitable. Success comes to
those who give up the path strewn with roses
and brave the hammer blows and the sword-
thrusts of the path fraught with danger. As a
matter of fact, no road is strewn with rose
petals. Life is a battlefield, a Dharmakshetra,
where duties and desires are always in
conflict. Smother the fiery fumes of Desire,
Hatred and Anger that rise up in your
hearts. It is sheer cowardice to yield to these
enemies that turn you into beasts.
949
THE vision of the Virat, the Cosmic Form, is
given to those who surrender their ego and
take refuge in the Lord (as Arjuna did) and
who imbibe with care the Gita sung by the
Lord in the silence. God is Omnipresent. He
is the inner Motivator of every particle in the
Universe. To declare that He is amenable
only to your style of worship and that He will
answer only the Name that you have learnt
to use, is to insult His Omniscience and His
Glory. See Him in all; serve Him in all;
revere Him in all. Pray, "Let the Whole
World prosper; let all mankind be happy".
950
IMAGINE the Prema of the Gopis. One
noon, Krishna stealthily entered the house of
a cowherd and drank all the milk in the pot.
The Gopi discovered Him and, when she
admonished Him, Krishna took to His heels.
When the Gopi saw Him running over the
hard cobblestones of the street, she shed
tears of contrition. "These Lotus feet must
feel great pain", she wept. "Oh, what a great
sinner I am", she wailed. Krishna will make
the most wicked heart melt in repentance.
He is Premaswarupa and Santhaswarupa
and so He makes every heart sprout up to
Prema and Shanthi.
951
VASUDEVASSARVAMIDAM does not mean
that all this is just Krishna, the son of
Vasudeva. It means that all this is God, by
whatever Name He is known. So if you decry
anyone, you are decrying God, which is His
real core. If you become aware of the God in
you and the God in all else, there is nothing
to equal the peace and joy that you get.
952
LET Me tell you, without reforming conduct
in daily behaviour and acts, "Ananda" will be
beyond reach. I consider "Pravarthana",
Practice, as essential. A man or an
institution is to be judged by his integrity
and whether acts are according to the
principles proposed. The mind, the body and
the word; all three must work in unison. By
such disciplined Karma, the senses will be
sublimated and Prasanthi won. Then out of
this Prasanthi will arise Prakanthi or the
great light. From that will emerge
Paramjyothi, the Supra-splendour of
illumination. That illumination will reveal
Param-Atma, the Over-Soul, the Universal.
953
PRASANTHI Nilayam is holding forth and
exemplifying the higher 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 their guesses than
on 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 Prasanthi Nilayam, he shall be
met with and be convinced that the
Prasanthi Nilayam is eagerly bent upon the
task of upholding and demonstrating high
and holy ideals of achieving spiritual
realisation. It does not seek those worldly
riches, nor does it yearn for earning favours
and fame.
954
IN Prasanthi Nilayam, no misuse or
extravagance can ever happen. For any
festival, either Sivarathri, Navarathri or the
Birthday, many people imagine that lakhs of
Rupees are spent here. For the Dasara
celebration, all who have come served their
best in the fullness of devotion that dwells in
their hearts and so, not a Naya paise is spent
for any purpose. The Rithuriks, who officiate
at the Yagna and 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
Sevasamithis and by the Volunteers who
dedicate their strength and skills to make
the Festivals a success. No paise is spent on
any item.
955
TODAY, you find the Prasanthi Nilayam
area clean and pleasing. What is the reason?
How many sweepers have we employed?
How many coolies are engaged, you may
wonder? No, not one, Everyone cleans the
place where he is staying and the adjacent
area. 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 Prasanthi
Nilayam.
956
MAN has Truth as his nature, that is to say,
you can rely on man's behaviour being
always true; he will speak out only what he
feels to be sincere; he will act according to
his words. His thought, word and action will
be consistent and complementary. If in any
one case this concordance is absent, then the
person is a man only in outer form. He is
worse than a beast, for beasts are free from
the burdens of thought and speech.
957
GOD gives an 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. When the teeth bite your tongue, do
you get angry at them for hurting? Do you
break the teeth that hurt it so? No, teeth and
tongue are both yours. Similarly, he who
hurts you and you are both limbs of the
same body - God. Feel that Oneness and
avoid hate. God is on the lookout for the
inner vision. He blesses those whose hearts
are so vast that they can take in all His
children. How can He be pleased when you
are so selfish and narrow minded that you
send away His children from the doorstep of
your heart?
958
WHAT has brought you all, in this vast
number, from your homes and villages to
this place?. It is the Love you have for Me,
and the Love I have for you. The reason for
your presence is not any force or authority
or temptation to earn material profit or gain.
Ponder over the things I have told you out of
My Love. Try to cleanse your minds through
repentance for the wrongs done or
contemplated and, through a firm resolve to
shape your lives anew according to the
Divine Plan, by which each can stand
revealed as fully Divine.
959
RAMA strove to uphold Sathya as the main
plank of Dharma. Whatever the trial and
however hard the travail, He did not give up
Truth. Sathyam is Dharmam; Dharmam is
Sathyam; the two are irrevocably
intertwined. "Sathyam Vada; Dharmam
Chara", say the Upanishads. Rama will be
remembered as long as mountains raise
their heads and the ocean exists because of
this strict adherence to Sathya and Dharma.
If He had argued "Why should I be bound by
the word of my father?", He would not have
earned this immortality. The Immortal had
come in the Form of Rama to show the way
to Immortality.
960
WHEN you travel towards God, obstacles
have to be bypassed. Prahlada went against
his father; Vibhishna went against his
brother; Jamadagni had to harm his own
mother; Meera could not obey her husband;
because they stuck to the path of God and
broke through all those who opposed them.
Young men like you have the problem, I
know, of being forced to marry against your
will by parents who seek to hasten you into
marital security. You have to win them over
and get their approval as Sankara did when
he wanted to enter the monastic order.
961
BELIEVE that All are God through Jnana,
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 Bhakti. 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. The highest
form of adoration is by means of Seva done
in Love.
962
RAMA is the personification of Viveka, the
discriminating faculty of the intellect. Sita
and Lakshmana are the higher levels of
consciousness - Sujana and Prajnana. Rama
puts an end to evil feelings and promotes
good thoughts. Rama is the emperor of
Ayodhya. That name means impregnable
will. No enemy, that is to say, no demeaning
feeling or thought can invade the heart when
Rama is installed therein. Thyagaraja sang
"Telisi Rama Chinthana Cheyeve Manasa",
(Oh Mind, Meditate on Rama with the full
knowledge of what He represents).
963
INDIA shone for centuries as the
Karmabhoomi, where each activity of man
was ennobled by a high purpose and sense of
dedication. She was therefore acclaimed as
Yogabhoomi, the land where the people
yearned for atonement with God. She was
revered as the Thyagabhoomi, where the
ideal of the mendicant monk, the naked fakir
and the simple monarch, counseled by the
sage, was placed before the people through
precept and example. At the present time, it
is being forged into a Bhwyabhoomi, the
land of skyscrapers, air conditioning and
tinned foods and an undisciplined mass of
humanity pulled from its roots and
transplanted in other soils. This is an insult
to our past and a defiance of history.
964
SRI Sathya Sai College is not founded, as
some of you are guessing, to promote
financial considerations, nor is it intended
as an instrument for publicity. It will be an
example of an inspiration, a beacon, a
pioneer and a lesson for educators and for
all those who have the future of humanity in
their hearts. The usual answer to the
question, "Why College education? Is it to
help secure jobs? Why this college?" is, "It is
to sweeten the hearts of the future mothers
of this land with humility, faith and
discrimination; and to light the path they
tread towards truth and virtue".
965
YOUR car is not meant to be kept as a
showpiece in a glass case. It is meant for the
roads, for taking you fast and safe to the
place where you want to go. So too, your
body must serve the purpose of your
journey. Journey to where? Not, as it has
been happening, to the cemetery. You have
nobler things to do than merely die! You
must know your own Reality before you die
and merge in that supreme joy. Eat just
enough to keep the body trim and use the
body to discover this Reality, namely, God.
Sanctify every moment of your sojourn here
with pious deeds and sacred thoughts.
966
MAN has been enslaved by money. He lives
a superficial, hollow, artificial life. This is
indeed a great pity. Man should seek to
possess only as much money as is most
essential for his living. The quantity of riches
one must earn can be compared to the shoes
one wears; if too small, they cause pain; if
too big, they are a hindrance while walking.
Money too has to be with us only just
enough for a life of physical and mental
comfort. When we have more, it breeds
pride, sloth and contempt for others. In
pursuit of money, Man descends to the level
of the beast. Money is of the nature of
manure. Piled up in one place, it pollutes the
air. Spread it wide, scatter it over fields - it
rewards you with a bumper harvest. So too,
when money is spent in all the four quarters
for promoting good work, it yields
contentment and happiness in plenty.
967
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 Maya, the shadow will fall back and
will not delude you at all. Be steady; be
resolved. Do not commit a fault or take a
false step and then repent! Have the
"thaapam" (the deliberation, the decision
and the discipline) first, that is better than
"Paschaath Thaapam" (regret for the
mistakes made).
968
THE Universe is seen; it can be learnt about,
it can be experienced and enjoyed. But God
is unseen. He has to be inferred through His
handiwork. So too, society to which social
service is rendered, cannot be seen as such.
We can contact only individuals. But
through the individual you infer the
immanence of the Divine. All are actors on
the world stage in His play. Every atom is
surcharged with His power, His might, His
Glory. Every being is surcharged with His
Bliss, His Beauty, His Goodness.
969
DO not compare the various manifestations
of the Divine and pronounce judgment,
declaring that Rama is greater than Krishna
or Siva superior to Vishnu. This line of
thought is poisonous and harmful to the
devout aspirant. You do not know your own
self, but yet, how dare you pronounce
judgment on personalities and powers you
have never experienced or understood.
Rama is as unknown to you as Christ and so
it is best to keep silent, and revere both with
equal ardour. For all are manifestations of
the same Divine Effulgence.
970
THE airplane runs on wheels for some
length on the ground before it takes off into
the air. You may ask "Why wheels for the
airplane?" so too, when you reach a certain
height in spiritual Sadhana, rules and
regulations can be folded up, as the pilot
folds up the wheels when up in the air.
While serving others through the Samithi,
do not forget to do some Sadhana for your
own advancement. Paraseva (service of
others) is the negative Pole. Atma - Seva
(service to oneself) is the positive Pole, and
when they meet, the flash of Ananda (Bliss)
emanates. Bliss obliterates all worries, all
fears, and all anxiety. March on to that
Consummation, through Sadhana and Seva. may be confused, but take the Name and the
These are my Blessings to each of you. Form automatically appears before the
mental eye.
971

THE Purusha Suktah of the Vedas says

"Sahasra Seersha Purushah, Sahaeraakshah,
Sahasrapad", The supreme Sovereign Person
has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes and a 974
thousand feet. The heads, eyes and feet of
the thousands who gather here, are my
THE true Guru is not a human Preceptor. It
heads, My Eyes, and My Feet. Nurse them
is the Cosmos itself, Prakrithi, Creation, the
respect them, attend to their needs - you
World around us. Life must have an ideal
have done your japam dhyanam and puja!
before it, it must proceed towards a goal, it
The mantra says "Sarva Deva Namaskaraha
must be a constant march. Life has as its
Kesavam Prathi, Gachachathi"; the homage
sole purpose: man becoming Divine, the
that you pay all to the Gods flow towards the
transformation of the man. We profess to be
one only, Kesava. I would elaborate it
the God we really are. "Gu" in the word Guru
further and give you this new mantra; "Sarva
indicates the qualities of Gunatheetha, that
Jeeva Namaskaraha Kesavam Prathi
is unaffected by attributes and attitudes, not
Gachchathi"; The reverence, the Service that
associated with any one particular
you offer to every single being (Jeeva) flows
characteristic, and "Ru" means rupa-rahitha,
automatically to the One, namely Kesava.
that is not limited to any form but pervasive
in all forms. In this context, the Universe
972 and all its components are to be looked upon
as one's Preceptors and lessons learnt from
GOD is to be recognised in all that exists, all each.
that is charming or suffering, blooming or
drooping. He is Intelligence in the insect, 975
Faithfulness in the dog, latent Energy in the
rock! Vivekananda announced at Chicago
IT is all God, an expression of His Majesty!
that Hinduism uncovered the upadhi
Derive joy from the springs of joy within you
(Scabbard) and sought the inner core of the
and without you; advance, do not stand still
Divine in all things, animate and inanimate.
or recede. Every minute must mark a step
A gentleman may wear morning dress,
forward. Rejoice that it is given to you to
evening dress, dinner coat or luncheon
recognise God in all and welcome all chances
slacks; he is the same inside all these
to sing His Glory, to hear His chronicle, to
dresses, isn't he?
share His presence with others. God has His
Hands in all handiwork, His Feet on all
973 altitudes His Eyes beyond all horizons, His
Face before every face. That is what the
THE Vedas are for the Glorification of the Bhagavad Githa declares, you who read the
Gods, "Devaanam sthuthy antham", in the Githa can vouch for the accuracy of that
Kaliyuga, one is asked to rely more on statement, if only you have faith in it and
Namasmarana for Liberation. Why is it live in its light.
considered enough for the people of this
Age? For other sadhanas are fraught with 976
difficulties. They need rigorous discipline
and much preliminary effort. Again, there is
THE sages have laid down three categories
another advantage in Namasmarana; as
which comprise the knowable world; God,
soon as the Name is uttered, the owner of
Nature and the I (Iswara Prakrithi and Jiva).
the Name comes into view. When you think
God, when seen through the mirror of
of the Form, the Name may not always
Nature, appears as I. Remove the mirror,
accompany; you may not be able to identify.
there is only God, the image merges in the
There may be more than One Name and you
Original. Man is but the Image of God. Even
Nature is but an appearance of God; the
reality is He alone. The Principle of
Appearance that deludes as multiple
manifestation is Maya. It is not external to
God; it is inherent in God, just as all Powers
are inherent in Him.
977
GOD, the Eternal Absolute is pictured,
praised and adored as temporarily apparent
and is adored in limited regions as Rama,
Krishna, Vishnu, Eswara, etc. These are not
basic fundamental expressions of His
Nature. These are only Forms assumed for
certain purposes, like conferring peace on
earth, re-establishing the norms of justice
and strengthening the ideal of faith in the
Supreme. The fixed and fundamental
Attributes are Sathyam, Jnanam, Anantham.
This is the swarupa of Brahmam.
978
THE Lord is now worshipped by offering
Him all things that you crave for; by treating
Him with all the honour you like to have
yourself. The idol is bathed and washed,
bedecked with jewels, fed and fanned,
surrounded with fragrance, etc. since these
are things you desire. But the Lord is
pleased only when you do things the Lord
desires! How else can you win the Grace?
How else than by nursing and nourishing,
scouring and saving His Children? How else
than by helping them to realise Him as their
Lord and guarding and cultivating Faith in
Him, through your own straight and sincere
living?
979
CLEANSE the heart by listening to spiritual
discourses seeking the Company and
comradeship of the righteous, the simple,
the sincere, the seekers and by cultivating
goodness of character and sweetness of
disposition. Fill your hearts with the sweet,
fragrant waters of Prema (Love). Then every
act of yours, every word of yours (which are
like the water drawn from the tank through
the taps - tongue, hand, brain etc.) will be
sweet and fragrant. If the tank is filled with
pollution, how can the word be helpful, the
thought beneficial, or the deed
commendable?
980
SOME people are afraid of cynical criticism
by unbelievers and therefore reluctant to
move out in groups along the streets in the
early morning hours singing the Glory of
God. When you have the embodiment of
fearlessness installed in your heart, why
should the slightest tremor of fear affect
you? If others do not join for fear of derision
or ridicule, move out alone singing the
Name. You came into this world alone with
no companion, didn't you! During the years
of life you collected all this kith and kin, you
gathered wife and children, friends and
acquaintances, which attached themselves to
you. When you return to the Realm from
which you came, you enter the portals alone,
with no one to keep you company. So too, let
it be with the journey called Nagarsankirtan.
Come into street alone, collect kith and kin,
if they come to you, move with them
unconcerned and unaffected; revel in your
own sweet solitude and finally enter your
home in the satisfaction that your job is well
done.
981
GOD likes such pure souls who come gladly
to merge in Him. Some people say, "Oh, it is
the Dasara Festival and lakhs and lakhs of
people throng there. And they pour lakhs
and lakhs of rupees there". Well, what they
give is Alakshyam, not Lakshyam! My hand
stretches out for receiving only when a pure
heart full of Prema is offered; on all other
occasions, He gives, never takes. Let the
People with poison in their hearts, barren of
Love and Service, feel shame, and resolve to
cleanse themselves from now on.
982
IT was announced that I was born like
Janaka, as the result of some Karmasesha! I
have no sesha or Karma as already
mentioned in the Githa. The Mahasakthi
puts on the cloak of Mayasakthi in order to
fulfill the purpose of contacting and
protecting mankind. I have no desire and so,
no binding Karma. It is only you have the
desire, aim and wish that drag you along
various paths. For Me, your Ananda is My
Food, your elation is the swing on which I
sit, your activity is My Playground.
983
WE have hospitals and dispensaries and
clinics in every street now because disease
has its hold in every family, in every home.
Even little children wear glasses, young
people dye their hair, many wear dentures.
The reason is, the atmosphere in the modern
home is filled with artificiality, anxiety, envy,
discontent, empty boasting, vain pomp,
extravagance, falsehood, and hypocrisy.
How can anyone, growing up in this
corrosive atmosphere, be free from illness?
If the home is filled with the clean fragrance
of contentment and peace, all its occupants
will be happy and healthy.
984
THE Patient must drink the drug himself.
There is no vicarious cure. The balm must he
applied where the pain is. The cause of the
illness and the misery is in your mental
vision, for you are many when there is only
one. You say "My God", "Their God", "Your
God Baba", as if there are many Gods
existing to help you quarrel and fight among
yourselves. Ask the Lord for the removal of
your earthly troubles. There is no mistake in
that. It is much better than asking other men
and losing self-respect and honour.
985
ATMA is the Ocean, Prakriti is just a wave of
that vast ageless, boundless Ocean, and the
Jivi 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 also in the
innermost recesses of the heart, there is a
reservoir of Santhi where you must take
refuge.
986
THE doctors 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 Puja you
are offering Him. The lawyers can help
those, who for want of a skilled advocate
have to go undefended or 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 the 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,
isn't it?
987
TAMASO maa Jyothirgamaya, is the Prayer,
Egoism is thamas; sharanagathi is Jyothi.
There is an easy way to illumine the inner
Consciousness and the outer behaviour with
the Light of God. Put the Lamp of the Name
of the Lord, the illumining flame, on the
tongue! That is the doorstep, that Light will
drive out the darkness from both, inside and
outside. Have it ever burning clear and
bright. You will soon reach remarkable
height and enjoy happiness; the like of
which you cannot get by sticking to the
senses.
988
SIVARATHRI is a very auspicious day for
all. It is the fourteenth day of the Lunar
fortnight, when the moon is waning and the
sun is in the sign of Aquarius. The festival is
however related to the moon, rather than the
sun. That is the reason why it is called
"Sivarathri", the night of Siva, unlike other
nights, this particular night is the night of
consecration or dedication of illumination.
On this night, there is just a minute part
more to be conquered and that can be done
by keeping vigil and dwelling on the Glory of
God. The Vigil that is prescribed is symbolic
of the eternal vigil one has to observe, while
the rite of fasting is symbolic of diverting the
senses of the pleasures they crave for. The
night-long bhajan is significant of the
lifelong consciousness of the Divine
Presence that every one should cultivate.
989
THE Lord is closest to you. He is the mother,
father, teacher, friend, guide and guardian.
Call on Him and He responds immediately.
From dawn to dusk spend every minute in
His company. That is the reason why I have
directed that every Sathya Sai organisation
must arrange for Nagarasankirthanam in the
pre-dawn Brahma-muhurtam. It is a
mission of Love and all will welcome it. It is
a great act of social service to waken people
with the Name of God. It is purifying
Pilgrimage, casting off the foul fumes of
anger and hate that infest the atmosphere.
990
THERE was once a wicked commentator
who said that this direction removes the
need to discriminate between the right and
wrong! He must have been the same person
who said, "The Lord says in the Githa that
He will be pleased if even a leaf, a flower, a
fruit or a little water is offered to Him".
Well, this hookah contains all four, the
tobacco leaf, the red flower, denoted by the
cinders, the shell of the coconut, fruit, and
water through which the smoke bubble
bubbles! Impertinence and irrelevance
cannot hide irreverence from the eyes of
God.
991
THE Anandam that will well up within you
and the contemplation of Anandaswarupa
will drive out all grief, all worry. Siva it
seems laughed when He took a good look at
the chariot that was provided for Him when
He started out to slay the Thripura - Asuras,
the Asuras of the three bodies; Sthula,
Sukshma and Karana (the Gross, the Subtle
and the Causal). Vishnu, the Charioteer, was
mostly in yoganidra, the Stable Earth was
the Chariot and the two wheels were the Sun
and the Moon, two spheres which never
revolved in Unison! That slaughter laid the
Asuras low. There was no more need to
proceed against the Asuras. How did the evil
forces that dwelt in the three bodies die?
They could not exist where there is Ananda;
for they are products of grief. Develop
Ananda; then evil impulses and tendencies
will vanish, for they will not get any foothold
in the heart.
992
THE human body has been secured as a
reward of many lives of meritorious activity.
Being valued as a boat which can help us
cross the ocean of change, Samsara, it has to
be tended with grateful reverence. The
Bhaghavad Githa calls the body "Kshetra"
which means a field. One can sow holiness
or sin and gather a harvest commensurate
with the particular quality. Choose the crop
you need before you sow the seeds.
993
KSHETRA also means the entire earth.
Another significant meaning of the word is
"a holy place". We say "Kasi - Kshetra",
"Prayaga - Kshetra", etc. to indicate those
places are sacred. The body is also a kshetra
since it is a temple where God is installed
and worshipped through thoughts, words
and deeds. The temple has to be cleaned and
kept healthy and pure. Purity is to be
preserved and promoted not by multiple
baths or by avoiding contact with others
"condemned as untouchable". You cannot be
pure by the observance of the superficial
taboo, "Don't touch".
994
THE body can be cleaned if washed with
water. Speech can be cleaned if it is
saturated in truth. Life can be purified if it is
sanctified by Tapas, and the intellect can be
cleared of blemish through Jnana. Above all,
the conviction that you are not the body but
only a resident of the body has to grow in
you. If you identify yourself with the body
you carry about with you, you are inviting
sorrow and suffering to overwhelm you,
instead of the joy and peace which are
awaiting to bless you.
995
AVATARS manifested in the Krithika Yuga
for preservation of Vedic tradition, in the
Tretha Yuga for the protection of Dharma,
and in the Dwvapara Yuga for the
promulgation of the right of Property. In the
Kritha Yuga the Avatar saved the Vedas from
neglect, in the Tretha Yuga, He saved
women from dishonour, and in the Dwapara
Yuga He saved property from injustice. Now,
in the fourth Age, the Kali Yuga, all three are
in dire peril. The Vedas are ridiculed,
women are tempted into unworthy lives, and
property 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.
996
THE Earth is a caravanserai where men
come and stay for the night and when dawn
breaks, one by one they tramp their different
ways. Kith Kin are the words we use for the
attachment to the travelers cultivated in the
caravanserai during the short term of
acquaintance. Husband and wife are like two
pieces of wood drifting down a flooded river;
they float near each other for some time and
when a current comes between them, they
are parted. Each must move on to the sea at
its own rate and in its own time. There is no
need to grieve over their parting of the two,
it is in the very nature of Nature that it
should be so.
997
MAN must be Yoked to Samsara and
broken; that is the training which will teach
that the world is unreal; no amount of
lectures will make you believe it is a snake
unless you actually experience it. Touch fire
and get the sensation of burning; there is
nothing like it to teach you that fire is to be
avoided. Unless you touch it, you will be
aware only of its light. It is both light and
heat; just as this world is both true and false;
that is to say unreal.
998
COURAGE comes out of the grace of the
Lord, it needs generations of learning and
struggle. Meanwhile you must start with the
first step, the cleansing of the mind and the
cultivation of virtue. Even if you do not start
with that step, at least do not laugh at those
who do and discourage them. Do at least this
much! Then, do not depend upon others for
doing your work like attending to your
personal wants. Do it yourself; that is real
freedom. Again, never accept anything "free"
from others; Pay it back in service or work.
That will make you a self-respecting
individual! Receiving a favour means getting
bound to the giver. Grow with self-respect
and dignity. That is the best service you can
do to yourself.
999
THAT which is born has also to die; coming
implies going; that which has no birth has
no death either. The Atma has no birth, no
death, nor can you say it spreads or grows or
weakens. It has no history, that is all that
can be said about it. It is ever Intelligence,
ever Bliss. There is the urge to desire a thing
that is named Ichcha Sakthi - but it too is a
derivative of the Atma Sakthi, the Divine
that is your core. Realise it as such and do
not demean it by desiring deleterious
objects. Desire, so sublimated, is the basis of
Love, "Prema". It is the fruit of the tree of
God-ward directed Ichcha Sakthi.
1000
WHY attached false values to exterior
symbols? Why develop prejudice for the
reason that a man was born on the other
side of a political boundary or calls on God
in another language? God is the origin of all
languages. Boundaries shift and are subject
to revision, resettlement and change. These
are man-made differences and should not
interfere with God-ward activities. God has
made the Universe as one single Home for
one Single family. Each state is but an
apartment in that mansion.
1001
BAKTHI is defined as the means of
discovering the Divine Reality within each
being. Four steps are laid down in the
scriptures to help man succeed in this effort;
Discrimination between the Permanent and
the Impermanent; withdrawal from the
process of catering to the senses; Positive
control of the feelings, thoughts, and
pursuits; and incessant yearning for
Liberation from all bonds. Bakthi is the urge
which manifests as all four endeavours.
Bhakthi is derived from "Bha" or Bhaghavan
or God. It directs man to have God ever in
mind and to cultivate love for God within
him.
1002
DEVOTION fosters the highest virtue; it is
the most precious treasure, it is the truest
path, the only way to God. Man must live in
Bakthi; for Bakthi; through Bakthi. For
Bakthi is Love of the purest and the noblest
variety. Such love is the breath that sustains
life that supports the Soul in the effort to
merge in the super-soul. The years of life
spent without the Light of Love are years of
ruin, of dust and disease. One could as well
be dead and decay forever.
1003
THE Jivi has come to this birth in order to
reveal the splendour of the spark of Godhead
which it is. The body is the wick of the lamp,
yearning for God is the ghee which feeds the
flame. But like the rat which, attracted by
the strong smelling cheap stuff inside the
trap, neglects all other articles of food in the
granary and falls prey to its foolishness. Man
too neglects his real sustenance and wastes
his life in pursuit of mortal riches.
1004
YOU must dive deep into the sea to get the
pearls. If you must realise the full fruit of
this Avatar, dive deep and get immersed in
Sai Baba. Halfheartedness, hesitation,
doubt, cynicism, listening to tales, all are of
no avail. Concentrated complete faith, that
alone can bring victory. This is true of any
worldly activity, is it not? Therefore, how
much more true must it be in the spiritual
field? But if you have already attached
yourselves to some Name and Form, do not
change it, do not choose another in place of
the Prema Swarupam.
1005
HAVE your mind fixed on one. Do not, now
and then, allow clouds of doubt like "Is He
Great?", "Is He God?" to dim your faith.
Behold and Acknowledge the Glory that you
have witnessed; proclaim the joy that you
have experienced; confer the Grace that you
have earned. For example, when people ask
you whether you are going to Puttaparthi
and whether you too are singing Bhajans,
say, "yes" proudly, for there is no shame in
walking on the right path.
1006
THE only new thing is man's perverse
behaviour, the directions in which he has
been wasting his talents, misusing his
capacity of playing false to his own nature.
He has been forgetting the path prescribed
in the Scriptures for the cultivation of his
nature, therefore all this suffering and hence
My advent.
1007
YOU might have heard people talk about the
miracles; My "making" this and "giving"
that, My fulfilling all your wants, My curing
your illnesses. But they are not so important
as the Sathwa guna I appreciate, promote
and instill. Of course, I confer on you these
boons of health and prosperity but only so
that you might, with greater enthusiasm and
with less interruption, proceed with spiritual
Sadhana. Bakthi leads to Sakthi and Sakthi
will grant Yukthi. The Yukthi will help you to
fix your Rakthi or attachment on the proper
objects and your Bakthi thus promoted,
finally results in Mukthi.
1008
CRITICISING others and finding fault with
them are both results of egoism. Search your
own faults instead. The faults you see in
others are your own faults instead. The
faults you see in others are but reflections of
your own personality traits. Pay no heed to
little worries; attach your mind to the Lord
and then you will be led to the Company of
good men and your talents will be
transmuted.