DIVINE DISCOURSE VOLUME 2 1961-1962

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                                       1. Mahaashakthi
OUR Venkateshwarlu just now spoke of the Lord as the Suuthradhaara of a Maayanaataka---
the Director of a Drama of Delusion. But, the Delusion is in you not in the Lord, who is
possessed of only Mahaashakthi. Unable to grasp that Mahaashakthi (Supreme Power), and to
understand its manifestations, man envelopes himself in doubt and delusion, that is all. He also
said that I am by birth an Andhra, etc., but, the whole World is my birth place. I am not to be
identified with this or that Province or State. Dakshinaamurthi does not belong to
Dakshinaapatha alone. Again, Venkateshwarlu mentioned the various points spoken about Me,
by those who have neither seen or experienced Me. These are all unnecessary and useless
diversions, which distract. The sculptor should see before him only the Form of his Ishtadevatha
(personal deity) and he should strive to remove quickly with his chisel the stone that envelopes
that Form. So too all discussion whether this Sai is that Sai or that Sai is this Sai, is irrelevant.
The same sugar is poured into different moulds to prepare, several types of sweets. So also,
Raama, Sai, Sathya Sai all are the same sugar; that is enough for the aspirant; he will realise the
truth in good time. Do not worry your mind with such problems; do not mix with people who
talk loosely of holy subjects. One thing I may tell you now: There is no one in this world who
does not belong to Me; all are Mine. They may not call out My Name or any Name, but, still
they are Mine."
You are seeing for yourself how the thirsty souls are gathering in numbers every day at
Puttaparthi. I have told you often that in a matter of a year or two the multitude will be so large
that you may not get much chance to approach Me with your spiritual problems and difficulties.
So, hurry to Me with them, even now. While in other places, I speak generally on the need for
bhakthi (devotion) etc., here at Puttaparthi, I emphasise the practical discipline of everyday life,
because this is the HQ of an army under training. So, you should cultivate Truth and Love and
make yourselves examples for all who might contact you.
Prashaanthi Nilayam, 14.2.1961
                Make Soham the japam of the mind and you will be saved. "I" will
                merge in the Universal Continuously recite Soham, Soham, Soham,
                with every breath, inhaling and exhaling.
                Sathya Sai Baaba

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                                  2. Sai as Hrudhayasthaayi
THE Chairman of your Mandhir Committee said just now that I have come a great distance, after
an arduous journey, and so he thanked Me for what he called My kindness. Let Me tell you that
it is your thapas (penance) that has brought Me here today. I have come and stayed in this town
four or five times before, but this is the first occasion on which I am directly conferring
aanandham on so many thousands of people. This is the consequence of the years of bhajan
(devotional singing) done at this place by sincere devotees, the months of toil and exertion
undergone by Chaari and others to construct this Mandhir (hall of worship), get this idol ready
and make all arrangements for this function.
He also said that the reign of Sai had been established and that this unprecedentedly vast
audience of persons from this City and the surrounding areas is proof of that fact.
Well, you are seeing signs of widespread Godliness, no doubt. More and more lectures, more and
more books, more and more spiritual groups are evident; more people go on pilgrimage; more
and more temples are being renovated; all types of yagnas (sacrificial rites) are arranged and
gone through; thousands gather and disperse. In all countries and in all languages, men are
praying more and more, turning towards the Lord for the blessing of courage and equanimity.
These are days of doubt, anxiety, fear, division and distress; and so, people need consolation and
support. Even scientists who were all along proud that they could explain the Universe and put it
into a formula are getting humble on seeing the vaster and vaster vistas spreading before them at
every step.
Lesson that all thinking men are learning
Dr. Bhagavantham was telling Me how scientists are baffled; they open one door after another
with tremendous effort, only to enter a corridor which has a dozen closed doors challenging them
to further effort! It is a never-ending process, this pursuit of Prakrithi (objective world), this
attempt to unravel the mysteries of maaya (illusion). If you yearn for Joy and Peace, turn rather
to the Lord who lays down the Law; that is the lesson that all thinking men are learning now.
But attending such meetings sitting quietly like this and listening to Me is not enough. When a
person claims to have gone to the shore of the sea and played with the waves, he must produce as
evidence at least a pair of wet feet, is it not? So too, when you come to this sea of Sathsanga
(company of the pious) and share the waves of bliss, the proof is in the eye becoming wet when
another, weeps; in the heart that exults when another is happy. Even when you listen, gather the
honey as the bee does when it visits the flowers.
The Chairman said the world is becoming Saimayam (full of Sai), that Sainaamam (name of Sai)
is on every one's lips. I want that it should go deeper. And I do not insist that it should be the
Name, Sai. The world must become Paramaathma-mayam; that is all, however many Names and
Forms that Paramaathma (Supreme Soul) may have on the lips of people and before their mental
eyes. It is the same substance poured into different moulds. Like sugar dolls which children seek,
cats and dogs, cows and horses, they are all of the self-same sweetness; this child prefers this
shape and this name; the other one weeps for another doll. The same Divine substance appears in
different times and places, assuming different Names. When the forces of evil and hatred
overwhelm them, the Good accept the Lord as their Charioteer and He enables them to
overpower foes.
"Establishment of Righteousness is My task"
This day deserves to be recorded in letters of gold because of this reason. Moreover, this day is
unique because it is rare that an Avathaar instals the idol of another. I Myself find it rather
amusing. Of course, Raama installed the Shivalinga at Raameshwaram before He started out for
Lanka for the extermination of the evil-doers. Now, there is no question of extermination. My
task is Dharma Samsthaapanam (establishment of righteousness). And now that I am entering on
that Avathaarakaarya (task of the Incarnation), I too am installing this idol prior to that task.
It is now over 18 years since the Manifestation of Sai as Naaga took place on this spot; but it has
taken you all these years to complete the erection of the Mandhir and the installation of the
Image. Well, the years accumulated to 18 not without reason. It is all in the Plan. Eighteen is a
mystic number, having a profound meaning. I find 18 persons in the Mantapa (podium) here;
they represent the 18 officiators of the Yajna (Vedhic ritual of sacrifice): 6 for the Jagath
(world), 6 for Kaala (Time), 3 for Manas, Chitha and Buddhi (mind, thought and intellect), the
pair that perform the Yajna as the initiated couple, and lastly, Aathma, the Witness.
I am installing the Naagasaayi in the temple, but that is just a symbolic act. I require that at that
very moment, chosen because it is very auspicious, you should instal Him in your heart; make
Him your Hrudhaya-sthaayi!
Have a correct scale of values
What exactly is the meaning of Sai Baaba? Sai means Sahasrapadhma, (thousand lotuses)
Saakshaathkaara (Realisation), etc. Ayi means Mother and Baaba means Father; it means He
who is both Father and Mother, and the Goal of all Yogic endeavour---the ever-merciful Mother,
the All-wise Father and the Goal of spiritual efforts. When you are groping in a dark room, you
must seize the chance when some one brings a lamp into the room. Hurriedly collect your
belongings scattered there, or discover where they are located, or do whatever else you need.
Similarly, make the best of this chance when the Lord has come in human form to your very
door and get ready to save yourself from disaster.
The undue importance now attached to the satisfaction of sensual desires must diminish as the
result of your association with sacred books and saintly personages. You know that the dream
world is a fantasic world of nonsense, where fifty years are compressed into five minutes and
where weird incidents and things are taken as actually present and experienced. But let Me tell
you that from the stage of Realisation, even the waking stage, when you analyse the dreams and
declare them as invalid, is equally without validity. Therefore, have a sense of values, a scale of
values rather; give everything, everyone, its worth or his worth, not a whit more.
Five sheaths encase the Aathma and hide its splendour from revealing itself. Make all these pure
and shining. The Annamaya Kosha (physical sheath) must be purified by good, clean, pure food;
the Praanamaya Kosha (vital sheath) by calm, steady breathing and an equanimous temper; the
Manomaya Kosha (mental sheath) by holy thoughts and emotions, untouched by attachment to
senses or unaffected by joy or grief; the Vijnaanamaya Kosha (wisdom sheath) purified by
contemplation of the reality and the Aanandhamaya Kosha (bliss sheath) by getting immersed in
the ecstasy of God-realisation.
Do not run after all and sundry
Stick to your faith; do not change your loyalty as soon as something happens or some one
whispers. Do not pull down Sai Baaba's picture from the wall and hang some other picture there
at the first disappointment. Leave all to Him; let His Will be carried out---that should be your
attitude. Unless you go through the rough and the smooth, how can you be hardened? Welcome
the light and the shade, the sun and the rain. Do not think that only those who worship a picture
or image with pompous paraphernalia are devotees. Whoever walks straight along the moral
path, whoever acts as he speaks and speaks as he has seen, whoever melts at another's woe and
exults at another's joy---is a devotee, perhaps a greater devotee.
Baaba is beyond the keenest intellect, the sharpest brain. Why, even the Saptha Rishis failed to
grasp the Sublimity of Godhead. Mahlaspathi, Daas Gaanu, Mudholkar, Kaakaa Saaheb saw but
the fringe; Daadha had just a glimpse. So, do not try to delve into Me; develop shraddha (faith)
and derive aanandha (biiss) through prema (love). That is the utmost you can do; do that and
benefit. Do not run after all and sundry who blabber text-book stuff and wear the cloak of fakir-
hood (mendicancy). Examine, judge and admire. Examine the daily conduct, the motive, the
outlook, the trend of the advice, the co-ordination between what is said and what is done.
When you join the congregational music of divine Names, as you did some time ago, you had to
sing in tune with the rest, is it not? Otherwise, your voice becomes harsh to the ear; it grates. So
too, unless your life is in tune with the plan that the Lord has laid down, it spoils the melody; it
grates; it is felt to be a disturbance. Hence, follow the Divine Plan. That is to say, have one hand
on Brahmamaarga (path of Supreme Reality), and the other on Dharmamaarga (path of
Righteousness. These two will take you across and over the sea of birth and death.
Naaga Sai Mandhir, Coimbatore 26-2-1961
                  Bhakthi, Jnaana and Vairaagya are the three stages of spiritual
                  progress. Bhakthi (devotion) is the Primary School stage; it leads
                  one on to Jnaana (sacred knowledge), the High School stage; by
                  means of Jnaana, everything is cognised as Brahmam (Supreme
                  Realty) and the attitude of Vairaagya (non-attachment) is
                  established. That is the College stage of the Education of the Self.
                  Sathya Sai Baaba

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                                      3. Believe in yourself
I HAVE been seeing your devotion and enthusiasm ever since I entered your town this morning;
and during the procession through the streets, I could see the ardour of your bhakthi (devotion).
Even now, I feel that I could give you joy by merely sitting here and giving darshan (audience),
for I can listen to your silent prayers and you can sense My prema (Love). That is enough. That
gives aanandham. You are born, you grow, you live and you merge, all in aanandham (Bliss);
that is the Truth, though very few know it. That is why I reminded you of it by addressing you as
Aanandha-swaruupulaara (embodiments of Biiss). Your swaruupa (natural state) is aanandham
(bliss), however much you might have ignored it.
Bhaarath has proclaimed this for ages; the Vedhas declare it; the Shaasthras elaborate it; the
Geetha and other sacred texts describe how to experience this truth. Develop faith in the Aathma
and in the Shaasthras---they are the two eyes which will help you to gain the Vision. Do not let
this chance go to waste by clamouring for sitting space, causing confusion and disturbing those
who are engaged in listening. This is tragic: when good things are spoken, you find it difficult to
pay attention; but when demeaning, distracting things are spoken, the ears are on the alert. Well,
listen quietly now and maintain this calm.
Plant the seedling of devotion in the mind
Man should be the master of his behaviour; he should not be led away by the impulse of the
moment; he must be conscious always of what is good for him. He should so carry on his daily
tasks that he does not make others suffer or suffer himself. That is the sign of intelligent living.
You should not give way to fits of anger or grief or elation or despair. The confusion you
exhibited now was the result of Thaamasik (dark and dull) and Raajasik (emotional) qualities. Be
Saathwik, calm and unruffled and collected. The more you develop charity for all beings,
contrition at your own faults, fear of wrong and fear of God---the more firmly established you
are in Shaanthi (peace).
The very name Bhaarath is derived from the two words, Bhagavaan and Rathi, the attachment to
God; that is why India has the role of the "Teacher of the World." She is also known as the
"Heart" of Humanity and revered as such by seekers. But how can those who are starving feed
others? It is your duty to sow and grow and store and feed the world this great spiritual
sustenance laid down in the Vedhas and the Shaasthras.
In this spiritual sphere of mental peace and inner joy, the responsibility for success or failure is
entirely one's own. You have no right to shift it on to others. The fire will go out if the fuel is
over; so stop feeding it with fuel. Do not add fuel to the fire of the senses. Detach the mind from
the temporary and attach it to the eternal. The negative Shakthi (power) and the positive Shakthi
both together will give the Light. Plant the seedling of Bhakthi (devotion), namely, the
preliminary exercise of Naamasmarana (remembering the Lord's name), in the mind. That will
grow into a tree with the branches of virtue, service, sacrifice, love, equanimity, fortitude and
courage. You swallow food, but you are not aware how that food is transformed into energy,
intelligence, emotion and health. In the same way, just swallow this food for the spirit, this
Naamasmarana, and watch how it gets transmuted as virtue and the rest without your being
aware of it.
The real test of theism
Raavana discovered that Raama and Kaama cannot coexist in the mind. Develop steadiness in
the recitation of the Name of God and in the worth of that Name. Then, even if the whole world
says, "Do evil," you will refuse to obey; your system itself will revolt against it. And even if the
whole world asks you to desist, you will insist on doing the right. You have to cultivate four
types of strength: Strength of body, intellect, wisdom and conduct. Then you become
unshakable; you are on the path of spiritual victory.
Once a person came to Me and argued that there was no God and he was not prepared to believe
in one. Well. I asked him, "Have you faith at least in yourself?. Which is your self?. Your self is
God. You have faith in your judgement, your intelligence, your ability, because God within you
tells you not to falter or fear. That assurance wells from within, from your basic truth, which is
otherwise called God. It does not matter if you do not call it God; it is enough if you believe in
Yourself; that is the real test of theism," I told him.
I say the same thing to you also. The body is the temple of God; in every body, God is installed,
whether the owner of the body recognises it or not. It is God that inspires you to good acts, that
warns you against the bad. Listen to that Voice. Obey that Voice and you will not come to any
harm. A lady wept that her necklace was lost or stolen; she searched everywhere and became
inconsolably sad. Then, when she passed across a mirror, she found the lost necklace around her
neck. It was there all the time. Similarly, God is there, as the Inner Dweller whether you know it
or not.
Two ways of remembering the Lord's Name
Love is of three kinds: Swaartha or self-centred, which like a bulb, illumines just a small room;
Anyonya or mutual, which like the moonlight spreads wider but is not clearer; and Paraartha or
other-centred, which like the sunlight is all pervasive and clear. Cultivate the third type of love;
that will save you. For all the service that you do to others through that love is in fact service
done to yourself. It is not the others that you help, it is yourself that is helped, remember.
You might have heard Me speak about Naamasmarana and its fruits; how it slowly changes
character and modifies conduct and mellows you and takes · you nearer the Goal. Well, there are
two ways of doing this: with a japamaala (rosary), turning the beads automatically around, just
as mechanically and as punctually and as carefully as any other routine act of daily life; or, as it
ought to be done---repeating the Name, irrespective of the target number, dwelling deep on the
Form it represents and on the Divine attributes connoted by it, tasting It, revelling in It, enjoying
the contexts and associations of the Name, relishing Its sweetness, lost in Its Music. Of course,
you will be hankering after the taste of the Name only when you are gnawed by the pangs of
hunger. When you suffer from constipation as a consequence of over-indulgence in worldly
affairs, you cannot relish the Name or the Form.
The mind is the mischief-maker; it jumps from doubt to doubt; it puts obstacles in the way. It
weaves a net and gets entangled in it. It is ever discontented; it runs after a hundred things and
away from another hundred. It is like a driver who drives the car with the master in it, wherever
his fancy takes him. So take up the task of training it into an obedient secant; it is educable, if
only you know how to do it. Place before it things more tasty and it will hanker only for those.
Once it realises the value of Naamasmarana, it will adhere to that method of 'getting peace and
joy. So start it now. That is My Aajna (command) to you to-day.
Udumalpet, 27-2-1961
             A bar of iron sinks in water; but, beat it into a hollow vessel, and it
             will easily float and even carry some weight of things. So, too
             man’s mind, as it is, sinks easily in the sea of life; but beat it
             hollow, hammering it with the Name of the Lord, and a floats,
             unaffected by worry and sorrow; it can even help some others to
             see Light!
             Sathya Sai Baaba

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                                    4 The real Panchaangam
KASTHURI has just now read from the Panchaangam (almanac) for the New Year, Plava, the
predictions of the astrologers about rainfall, the condition of the crops, the prices of articles in
the markets, the rise and fall in the rates of gold and silver, the prospects of internal and external
peace, the occurrence of natural calamities like floods, droughts, earthquakes, etc. But reading all
this only increases your worries, your restlessness. Take things as and when they come. Do not
try to peep too far into the future with the help of astrologers. They are mostly wrong, and the
data you supply them are mostly unreliable.
Take care of the Panchaangams (the five-limbed almanacs) within you; that is more vital. The
Panchaangams within you are the five senses; educate the mind to hold them in check---then
you can have peace of mind, whatever the rise in the market rates or the quantity of rain. Do not
get panicky over what the almanac says about the combination of many planets, the Ashtagraha
koota. They exaggerate the consequences; nothing much will happen; the pralaya (destruction of
the Universe) is more in the frightened mind than in external nature. If you earn the anugraha
(blessing) of the Lord, no graha (planet) or combination of grahas can harm you. If you learn
how to secure that anugraha, you need not worry about the Panchaangam.
Today, you are celebrating the arrival of a New Year with a new name, a name that you will use
for the twelve coming months. But remember, it is not the year alone that is new once in 365
days. Every day is new, every hour and minute, every second is new. Do not celebrate only the
New Year Day in joy; celebrate every second in joy.
Every step towards Godhead is to be cherished
Start from today, not that today is a New Year---there are so many New Years celebrated as such
by one or the other community that every day is a new year to some one set of people---but
because it is today and the matter brooks no delay, start from today a new chapter in your life,
the chapter of Japam (recitation of holy name) and Dhyaanam (meditation), Japa-sahitha
dhyaanam (recitation-oriented meditation) or Dhyaana-sahitha japam (meditation-oriented
recitation). In the Thretha Yuga, the Name was Seethaaraama; in the Dwaapara Yuga, it was
Raadheshyaama; in this Kali Yuga, it is Sarvanaama, that is to say, all Names of the Lord; you
can select any one that appeals to you.
Life is like a flight of steps towards the Godhead. You have your foot on the first step when you
are born; each day is a step that must be climbed; so be steady, watchful and earnest. Do not
count the steps ahead or exult over the steps behind. One step at a time and that well climbed,
that is enough success to be satisfied with and to give you encouragement for the next one. Do
not slide from the step you have got up on. Every step is a victory to be cherished; every day
wasted is a defeat to be ashamed of.
Slow and steady---let that be your maxim! Adhere to a regular routine, a time-robie. Just as the
doctor prescribes a certain fixed measure or weight of the drug and warns you that anything less
is ineffective and anything more is harmful, so too, have some limit for your spiritual exercises.
Do not overdo them or do them casually and without care. The doctors tell you also about the
hour of the day and the number of times the drug has to be repeated, for, the action of the
quantity taken must be reinforced before it becomes weak. So also, you have to repeat the japam
and dhyaanam at regular intervals.
Do not move very fast with the world
Millionaires who always go about in cars and aeroplanes and people of sedentary habits are
advised by doctors to take a long walk every morning. The walk is called a 'constitutional',
because it helps to build up the constitution. Similarly, to get over the mental ills consequent on
too-long brooding over worldly affairs, the guru will advise you to have a long spell of
dhyaanam and japam. Do not move so fast with the world; the cure for moving fast is to sit
quiet. Do not get entangled in the vain hubbub of the world; the treatment for those who suffer
from the after- effects of that is silence and meditation.
You will have observed that when your train is stationary, another train moving along another
line gives you the feeling that it is your train that moves. If you watch your coach, fix your
attention on your train, you know the truth. Similarly, as long as your attention is turned on "the
other" "the outer" your knowledge is based on illusion. Once you divert the attention to yourself,
you can discover the truth, viz., though the world moves, you are still.
In the Panchaangam, as Kasthuri quoted now, it is also predicted that in the year that is born
today, the number of people who deride God and who laugh at Him and hate Him will increase.
Let Me ask, how can that happen, for that number has reached the maximum already! The
cynical spirit of derision and ridicule is the bane of this Age; but there is no reason for the godly
to be down-hearted. At least the coming Ashtagrahakoota (conjunction of eight planets) will put
some fear into people's minds and they will call on God to save them and they will do various
acts to propitiate the Divine Beneficence in order to overcome the maleficence of the planets.
Therefore, the prediction might prove incorrect, after all. Be assured that the Lord has come to
save the world from calamity. Your duty is to keep calm, to pray for the happiness and prosperity
of all. Do not pray for your own exclusive happiness and say, "Let the rest of the world go to
pieces." You cannot be happy when the rest of mankind is unhappy. You are an organic part of
the human community. Share your prosperity with others; strive to alleviate the sufferings of
others. That is your duty.
The New Year is called, Plava or Boat. Make it a boat to cross the Sea of Samsaara (worldly
life). That is My Blessing to you this day.
                The ocean drops rose as vapour, joined the congregation called
                cloud, fell on the earth, flowed along the ravines, and at last
                reached the ocean. Reach like-wise the ocean you have lost. Start
                on that journey and travel quick and light.
                Sathya Sai Baaba

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                                           5. Experience
IN spiritual matters, it is experience alone that is the deciding factor. Reason is rendered dumb
before the testimony of actual experience. All the arguments of logic, all the tricks of dialectics
are powerless to nullify the direct effect of that inner evidence. For example, take the question of
image worship. Many people laugh at those who practise it and condemn it as superstition. But.
those who do worship idols have the faith that the Omnipresent Almighty is present in the
symbol before them. For them, it is not a mere external adjunct or apparatus or object. It is a part
of the inner mechanism of devotion and faith. Of course, all the 'Worship' carried out with the
idea that the idol is life-less wood or stone or bronze, is so much waste of time. But if it is done
in the full confidence that the image or idol is alive, saturated with consciousness and power,
then, image worship can bestow the Realisation of God-head itself.
Saadhaka should see the power inherent in the idol
There was once a saadhaka (spiritual seeker) who approached a guru for guidance. The guru
gave him an idol of Vishnu and also necessary instructions for daily worship. But the saadhaka
found that, even after some months of meticulous puuja, he did not get any spiritual reward or
elation. So, he reported his dissatisfaction and the guru gave him another idol, this time of Shiva
and asked him to have another try. The disciple came after another six months demanding
another idol, because even Shiva had failed him.
This time, he got a Durga idol, which he duly installed in his domestic shrine. The two previous
idols were standing, dust-ridden and neglected, on the window sill. One day, while Durga-puuja
(ritual worship of Goddess Durga) was going on, the disciple found that the perfumed smoke
from the incense-stick was being wafted by the breeze towards the idol of Shiva on the window
sill. He got wild that the ungrateful stone-hearted God who was deaf to his powerful entreaties
should get the perfume intended for his latest idol! So, he took a piece of cloth and tied it round
the face of Shiva, closing up the nostrils that were inhaling the perfume.
Just at that moment, to his immense surprise Shiva appeared in His splendour and Glory before
the saadhaka ! The man was dumb-founded. He did not know how the ill-treatment had induced
Shiva to give him darshan. But, what had really happened? The saadhaka for the first time
believed that the Shiva idol was alive, conscious, chaitanya-full (full of life) and it was that
belief which forced him to tie the bandage to the nose. The moment he realised that the idol was
full of Chith (consciousness), he got the Realisation he was struggling for.
Therefore, the saadhaka should see, not the stone which is the material stuff of the idol, but the
Power that is inherent in it, that is symbolised by it, the same Power that is inherent in his own
heart and that pervades and transcends all creation.
Discourse at Thirupathi, 6-4-1961
                When Dharmaraaja, the eldest of the Paandavas, had to make the
                difficult choice of whom to save, when the Yaksha said he could
                select one among his four brokers, who lay dead on the ground, he
                struck to the Highest Principle, Dharma. He did not select Bheema
                or Arjuna, though war was imminent and they were indispensable.
                He selected Nakul, because he was the son of his stepmother and
he did not want her to feel that she had no son left. That is the way
in which people in the past upheld Dharma.
Sathya Sai Baaba

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                                      6. Steps in Saadhana
THE Governor of Uttar Pradesh said just now that he does not see signs of moral revival, though
much is being talked about achievements in the field of economic revival. Let Me assure him
that the moral revival is already there and it is gaining volume every moment. Indeed the
reconstruction of humanity on moral foundations is today a world problem, not merely an Indian
problem. In all countries the emphasis is on the standard of life, not on the way of living. Once
you turn towards the path of worldly happiness, you will be led on and on to greater and greater
discontent, competition, pride and jealousy. Just stop for a moment and examine your own
experience; whether you are happier when you grow richer and whether you get more peace as
and when your wants are satisfied. Then you will bear witness to the truth that an improved
standard, of living is no guarantee of happiness. Nor is education or the mastery of information
and the acquisition of skills any guarantee of mental equanimity. As a matter of fact, you find the
educated man everywhere more discontented and more competitive than the uneducated. So the
reestablishment of Dharma, which is the task of the Avathaar, is as urgent in other parts of the
world as, according to the Governor, it is in this country.
The motive force for that revival has to come from this country itself; for India has been
proclaiming the Truth fearlessly and without intermission. It is on account of that breath that this
land is still alive, in spite of typhoons and earthquakes in the cultural sphere. Indians have a
greater responsibility than people of other countries to live in such a way that others may get
inspiration for spiritual saadhana from them.
Duties have to be done as worship
Yours is a splendid chance to become the guides-of mankind. You who belong to the Sathya Sai
Samaajam have this responsibility in an even greater measure, since you must lead model lives
of sincere striving. Having taken the Name, you are bound to act according to My Aajna
(command) and to shed the light of bhakthi on all who come near you. I am really moved by
prema seeing such a vast gathering and hearing the Governor praising your orderliness and
discipline.
The root of all trouble is the uncontrolled ill-directed mind. Like the Godaavari in floods, it rolls
along, causing slips and slides, and devastating vast areas on both banks. Viveka and Vairaagya
(discriminatory wisdom) and non-attachment) are the two bunds which tame the mad energy of
the flood and lead the raging waters into the sea, which' is, after all, the destination they seek.
"Athaatho Brahma Jijnaasa"---"After this the discussion on the nature of Brahmam"---says the
Brahmasuuthra (aphorisms on the Supreme Reality). After what? After the cultivation of Viveka
and Vairaagya, naturally. How can they be implanted? By the first three Purushaarthas (primary
goals of life)---dharma, artha and kaama (righteousness, wealth and desire - fulfillment)---the
practice of dharma is the Art of Living. That is why in the Geetha, Krishna taught Arjuna
Karmasanyaasa (giving up the fruits of action), not Dehasanyaasa (giving up the body).
No attempt need be made to run away from the duties of one's station and status. Remember,
those duties have to be done as worship, as offerings of one's intelligence and skill, qualities and
thoughts and feelings to the Feet of the Lord in a spirit of thankfulness for the chance given,
without a trace of egoism or a sense of attachment to the fruits of the actions. The Nithyakrithya
(obligatory actions) have to be carried out, wherever you are, with care and sincerity. They
award the needed viveka and vairaagya.
Steady effort alone will bring success
Shankaraachaarya got that viveka and vairaagya without passing through the experience of the
world. Others do not get it even after going through endless travail. That is the difference. You
see death snatching away persons from all around you, but you do not train yourself to meet it
calmly, bravely and gladly when it comes to you. Shankaraachaarya said that an alligator had
grasped his legs, meaning that the world or samsaara had caught him in its coils; he told his
mother that the alligator would release its hold only if she agreed to his becoming a monk!
Strange alligator, that! It only meant: if he renounced all bonds, he would be free to proceed to
the Truth. To take the vow of sanyaasa (asceticism), the consent of the mother has to be got; so
by this symbolic incident, Shankara persuaded her to say, "Take, take the vow of sanyaasa, you
have my permission, it is enough for me that you live unharmed."
Of course, the majority of persons get glimpses of discrimination and detachment off and on; but
they soon forget the call and ignore it and cover it up by excess or excuses. One step forward and
one step back---the journey does not take them far. Even if some do take up saadhana, steadiness
is absent. Like a ball of thread which slips out of the hand on to the floor, it all comes off
because the grasp is not firm. Steady effort alone will bring success here, as in every other case.
How can you. expect quick success in the control of the mind? It is very difficult to overcome its
vagaries, for it is many-faced and very adamant.
The first step in the spiritual effort
You are unable to understand Prakrithi (Nature), which is a reflection, a shadow of God; how
then can you understand God himself?. No. Steady perseverance alone will tame your mind; and
it is only through a tamed mind that you can experience God. In this case, you must become your
own tutor; train yourself by using the spark of wisdom that has been implanted in you. Once you
try with all your might, the Lord's Grace will be there to help you forward. The first step in the
spiritual discipline is the cleansing of the speech. Talk sweet without anger. Do not boast of your
scholarship or attainments. Be humble, eager to serve; conserve your speech. Practise silence.
That will save you from squabbles, idle thoughts and factions.
Again, practise the attitude of joy when others are joyful and of grief when others around you are
grieved. Let your heart move in sympathy. But the joy and grief have to be translated into
service; they should not be mere emotions. It is not by your wearing the 'bush coat' which all
others wear that you should demonstrate the principle of equality; that is very easy. That is
external uniformity. How are all equal? Because they have all the same Divine Chaithanya
within them. When the sun rises, not all lotuses in the lake bloom; only the grown buds open
their petals. The others await their time. It is the same with men. Differences do exist because of
unripeness, though all fruits have to ripen and fall some day. Every being has to reach the Goal,
however slow they walk or however circuitous their road.
Elders are not providing good examples
To reach the Goal quickly, without passing through the ordeals of the long journey and stopping
at one caravanserai after another, passing from birth to birth, learn saadhana---especially, the
easiest and the quickest, Naamasmarana. This mike can work and bring My voice even to those
people sitting far in the distance only when the connection is correctly made. So, attach yourself
to Me and the current will flow through you and get things done for your good. The light you get
from the current that flows always along the copper wire depends on the power of the bulb you
fix; increase the candle power and you get stronger light. It rests with you how you make use of
Me. The rain falls of its own accord uniformly on the land; the lands bring forth the fruit
according to the quality of soil and seed.
Why blame the boys and girls that they do not respect the elders or obey their parents or believe
in God or adhere to high principles of character? The elders are not providing them examples to
show that those traits of character are useful or valuable or essential. They themselves do not
know the secret of happiness; they offer to guide the children in the darkness, but their torches
have no cells! Teachers, Gurus, leaders of youth---all are in the same predicament.
Very few have solid faith in the Scriptures or in God; very few have the steadiness to stick to
Dharma and brave the temptation to stray from the straight path. Prema (love) too is a very
difficult virtue to cultivate, though it is a very valuable asset. Shaanthi (peace) is the one thing
that makes life worth while. Therefore, I bless the Sathya Sai Samaaj of Perambur, that it may
grow in these virtues more and more with every passing day. You will have your building ready
next year. I shall come every year to you and shower on you the Aanandha which is my property,
the Prema which is my gift.
Perambur, Madras, 23-4-1961
                You need not escape into a forest to gain silence and the chance of
                uninterrupted spiritual practice.
                You can make the place where you are, a citadel of silence; shut
                off the senses, let them not run after objects.
                Your home becomes a hermitage; your saadhana will then move
                on, without any obstacle.
                Sathya Sai Baaba

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                                 7. Raamaayana in your heart
THE vehicle of human life is drawn on two wheels by the senses which are driven by buddhi
(intellect), with viveka and vairaagya (discrimination and detachment) as the reins, the two
wheels being the Kaala Chakra and the Karma Chakra (the wheels of Time and Action). 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 Shaanthi.
Raama, whose birthday, Raamanavami, you are celebrating today was the exponent of the means
of saving the Self in this perilous journey from birth to birthlessness. Raama is the embodiment
of Dharma; that is why. He was able to re-establish Dharma. Today is a sacred day because you
get the chance to recapitulate the Glory of God and His relationship with Man. As a matter of
fact, if you go deeper into the Raamaayana, you will find that Raama is the universal Aathma, the
Aathma in every being. He did not come down to kill the Raakshasa ruler, Raavana; he is not the
son of Dasaratha or of Kausalya; nor is He the husband of Seetha, weeping for her loss and
gladdened by re-union.
On the day when Raama was crowned Emperor at Ayodhya, every personage got some present
or other before leaving the city. Hanumaan alone refused any material girl. He asked Raama to
explain to him the mystery of His Life, which he had failed to understand inspite of the length
and loyalty of his service. Raama then asked Seetha to slake the thirst of Hanumaan and reveal to
him the secret of their careers. Seetha announced that she was the Muula Prakrithi (the Primal
Nature), the Maayaa Shakthi (the Energy which agitates in all Matter), which transforms and
transmutes it into all this. variety that binds and blinds; the Raamaayana, .she said, was nothing
but the play she designed.
Sweetness of Raamaayana cannot be described
Raama is the eternal, unchanging Purusha (Spirit). The Aathma in every being is Raama; hence
the name Aathmaaraama. Raama is eternal and so the Raamamanthram is said to have been
taken by Shiva Himself. Raama means that which showers Aanandha (bliss), that is all. Now,
what can give greater Aanandha than the Aathma? Raama is Aanandham and He is
Aathmaaraama, the Aanandham in your Inner Consciousness. You can understand the
Raamaayana only if you keep this aspect in view. Orange has a form and a name; when you
squeeze it and take the juice, the form is gone and the name, orange, too is gone. The taste alone
remains. The sweetness, the flavour, the essence, these alone are experienced. It cannot be
exactly described. It is beyond any vocabulary. Hanumaan understood from Seetha the formless,
nameless, sweetness of Raama.
Raama, the Purusha, accepts Prakrithi, Seetha, and enacts the play, Raamaayana. Seetha is
Brahma-chaithanya, (Consciousness) for Prakrithi or Maaya activates the Pure Existence of
Brahman. Now see what happens! Brahmajnaana (knowledge of Supreme Reality) is lost and
Raama wanders about in the jungle, wailing for Her. Of course, Lakshmana or manas (mind) is
always with Him, for Manas is the instrument with which Liberation has to be achieved. Vaali is
the spirit of despair and he has to be overcome with the help of discriminatory wisdom or viveka,
viz., Sugreeva.
Raamaayana is gone through in every one's life
You see, it is viveka that sends emissaries to the various corners to discover where
Brahmajnaana is available. Hanumaan is Courage. Courage won through unfliching faith, that
alone can penetrate the darkness and bring the good news of the Dawn. Then Raama crosses the
sea of illusion; He destroys the Demon of Thamoguna (quality of inertia), namely,
Kumbhakarna; the Demon of Rajoguna, (emotional quality) namely Raavana; and He instals on
the throne, the Sathwaguna (quality of goodness), Vibheeshana. After this, Raama meets and
receives Seetha, who has become now Anubhavajnaana (knowledge derived from experience),
not merely Brahmajnaana. That is represented by the Pattabhisheka (Coronation).
The Raamaayana is therefore not a story that had an end. In each one's life there is a Raamaayana
being gone through: in the Gunas, the lndhriyaas (the senses), the Search and the Saadhana.
Raama is the son of Dasharatha---he of the ten chariots. What do you think are these ten
chariots? They are the senses, the five Karmendhriyaas (sense organs of action) and the five
Jnaanendhriyaas (organs of perception). Sathya, Dharma, Shaanthi and Prema are the four sons;
of which Raama is Sathya; Bharatha is Dharma; Lakshmana is Prema and Sathrughna is
Shaanthi. Take as your ideals these great characters depicted in the Raamaayana. You will see
how your life is filled with peace and joy if only you dwell with these ideals. The Raamaayana in
the heart is to be experienced; not investigated as a mental phenomenon. As you go on reading
and ruminating the inner meaning will flash on you when the mind is cleansed by the elevating
ideas therein. Do not exaggerate the importance of things that have but material utility, they fade,
even while you grasp them by the hand. Search for the Sath---that which suffers no change.
Search for the Chith---the state of consciousness, which is unaffected by gusts of passion, which
is pure, which is free from egoism or the desire to possess. Then alone can you experience the
Light, and illumine the Path for others. Search for Aanandha, the Aanandha that emanates from
Prema, Love with no blemish of attachment. Be like bees hovering on the flower of the Glory of
the Lord, sucking the sweet nectar of Grace, silently and joyfully.
Shaanthi Kuteer, Madras, Raama Navami, 25-4-1961
                You do not wait with folded hands for the cup of coffee to cool
                down to the required warmth; you ask for an extra cup and you
                start pouring the coffee from one cup to the other, is it not? The
                same anxiety, the same saadhana has to be shown in spiritual
                matters also, to take in the beverage of Divine Grace.
                Sathya Sai Baaba

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                                        8. Start Sathsangha
THIS gathering makes Me very happy, as people from Andhra, Mysore, Tamil Nadu and Kerala
have joined together to arrange this meeting. It is rather hard for all of you to join in one place
for one function. But-remember that you have in all Panchapraanaas, (five vital breaths, and
you here represent only four. The fifth 'vital breath' is Uttar Pradesh and unless the Sangha
(Association) representing it also joins you, you are not complete, fully alive! All of you are here
to serve this land and its people and so you should not feel separate from them.
What has the Aandhra Association, the Thamil Sangham, the Kerala Association and the Mysore
Association been doing all these years? Each group has some Festival which it celebrates once a
year and probably honours any distinguished person from the region to which
it belongs, when he comes to Lucknow. Perhaps, you thought I was an Aandhra or a South
Indian! The whole world is My Mansion; it has many rooms, each State being just one room in
that Mansion of Mine. I came here to tell you this truth about Me.
The language that really matters
And also to tell you that you should not attach so much importance to the language you speak. It
is the meaning that is important, the feelings you express, the behaviour you adopt. The language
of the heart is expressed through sympathy, kindness, service, love, brotherliness. That is the
language that really matters; that language can be understood by every one; the language of
anger, hatred, love, trust---it is patent and clear, though the speaker is dumb and the listener deaf!
That Aathmabhaasha (language of the heart) comes from Aathmasambandha (relationship of the
hearts) only.
The duty of Associations like yours is not to lay stress on the distinction between one language
and another and start quarrelling over or boasting about the superior excellence of your language,
but to overcome the handicap of many languages 'by learning and using the common, easily
spoken, easily understood language of the heart. Religions are many but the mad is the same;
flowers are many but worship is the same; professions are many, but living is the same.
Therefore, you must all live in concord and brotherliness, helping each other and loving each
other. The basic needs of man are those mentioned in the prayer of the ancients: Asatho maa sath
gamaya, Thamaso maa jyothir gamaya, mrithyor maa amritham gamaya (Lead me from unreal
to real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality). Man wants the Truth, he gets
disgusted with falsehood; he wants Light, he gets defeated by darkness; he wants no Death, he
gets tom by birth and death. This prayer rises from every man, whether he is an Aandhra or a
Malayaali or a Mysorean. This yearning has no connection with the land of your birth or the
language spoken or the form of Divinity revered. It is the cry of humanity everywhere, at all
times.
Make the best use of the time you have
These three can be got only by spiritual saadhana, by following the path of Love and Truth.
Discovering that path and describing it has been the distinct-contribution of Bhaarathavarsha
(Indian Nation), and it is a disgrace if you, who are all children of Bhaarathavarsha, whatever
the name of the state from which you come may be, do not adhere to that path and show by your
way of life that the Indian way is the way to real joy.
Hence, I want to ask you this---why can you not meet every day or on some days a week for
meditation on the Lord, for listening to the description of His Glory, for studying the techniques
of japam and dhyaanam from the Shaasthras (scriptures)? Consider that the allotted span of life
is being spent away every moment. In fact, life is an oblation poured in the Fire of Time. The
Sun when it rises and sets is stealing fractions of your life day by day, relentlessly, steadily,
uninterruptedly:--So make the best use of the time you have. The Lord is Kaalaswaruupa
(embodiment of Time), remember. If even the minutest fraction of time is wasted or misused, it
is treason to God. Make every moment holy, do pious deeds, think good thoughts, and keep the
Lord's Name and Form ever in your mind.
All of you join in a Sathsangha---a sangha of all people who are sincere, simple and pious. Meet
every day at about 5 p.m. and carry on shravanam or keerthanam or dhyaanam or japam
(listening to or singing Lord's names or meditation or repetition of Lord's names), until about
eight. That will give you so much of shaanthi (peace) and promote mutual love and
brotherliness. Let the various streams of Thelugu, Malayaalam, Kannada, Thamil and Hindi
merge in the ocean of aanandha (bliss). That is the real aananda. Today, you taste the first
glimpse of that joy; make this a frequent feature.
Cultivate the broadest love towards all
Every country is a limb in the Body of God; He is conscious of the slightest pain or sensation in
the most distant part of creation, for that too is His Body. He is Lokesha (Lord of the Universe).
He is the secret spring within all activity. Have faith in this and cultivate samarasa (broadest
Love), towards all. See that you do not give up Love, or deviate from dharma (virtue). Earn
artha (prosperity) adhering to dharma and have always only one wish: to get liberated; that is the
way to realise the four Purushaarthas (goals of life). Let dharma dominate artha and moksha
(liberation) dominate kaama (carnal desire); then, your life will be a success. I have told this so
often but just as one has to take food every day, this too has to be spoken again and again. You
wash your face again and again, is it not? So too, this advice has to be given again and again.
The Vedhas too repeat the essential teachings often so that they may sink into the minds of men.
By. means of bhukthi (eating), the Body is maintained in a good condition; this helps the
cultivation of yukthi (skill), for sharpening the buddhi (intellect) into an instrument for viveka
and vichakshana (wisdom and discrimination); then bhukthi develops in wholesome things and
attitudes; this type of attachment to edifying things and feelings induces gradually the virakthi
(spirit of renunciation). The next step is bhakthi (devotion), the overpowering desire to see the
Lord and serve Him; Bhakthi brings about the Jnaana (spiritual wisdom) that there is nothing
besides the Lord and that one is oneself, Brahman, and so, one is liberated. i.e., gets Mukthi.
Every step in this chain is important and so I will not ask you to give up even bhukthi. I always
speak of Brahmamaargam and Dharmamaargam (path of Divine Reality and path of
Righteousness); they are the two wheels of the bicycle that you have to ride. Living was not so
hard in the past ages; but now, since it is riding a two-wheeled vehicle, skill and vigilance are
needed to keep the balance and avoid falling.
Knowing how to get inner peace is good fortune
The Governor, in his introductory speech, spoke of India's dharidhrya (poverty) and deplored
this plight. But why deplore the plight of a land where the Lord Himself is moving as an
Avathaar? In what way are you deficient? This land is fully equipped with all the resources
needed for a happy life. People can get all the light they want by just switching 'on'! But they do
not know how to do it or where the switch is, that is all. Nature is bountiful; the Lord is
showering His Grace. What more is necessary? I feel hurt when any one calls this land deficient
or poor. It may be that some do not know the methods of getting rich or may not care to adopt
them. But they all know the means of getting Inner Peace. This is great good fortune, indeed.
India has the treasure that will make her the Guru of all Humanity. People born here are indeed
luckier than the rest but their responsibility is also greater. They should not be downcast and
depressed at their poverty or 'low' standard of living. They should demonstrate by their lives that
spiritual discipline makes man happier and more courageous to fight the battle of life.
The world is surfing today from too much knowledge; virtue has not increased in proportion to
the advance of knowledge. That is the root cause of the misery in human society. Of the two
tyres of the vehicle that man is riding, the tyre of the Brahman wheel is flat; it has to be filled by
pumping the Lord's Name into it. You cannot go far on a flat tyre.
Therefore, start a sathsangha (holy association), cultivate sathpravarthana (good activities); and
derive joy thereform. That is My suggestion to you today.
Triloknath Hall, Lucknow, 30-4-1961
                When you go for a bath in any holy river, the priest asks you to
                take three dips; do not think that it is simply conventional.
                They are for cleansing the Sthuula, Suukhsma and Kaarana
                Sariras---goss, subtle and causal body.
                They are for cleansing the Baahya the Bhaava and the Chiththa---
                the outer, the inner and the innermost.
                They are for consecrating Karma, Upaasana and Jnaana---action,
                contemplation and sacred knowledge.
                Sathya Sai Baaba
 

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9. The Name of Naaraayana
YOU are all lucky indeed to be the residents, at least for some months every year, in this Holy
Place, which is known from very ancient times as Badharikaashram. Many great sages have
performed thapas here and realised the Goal of Human Life. These snowy peaks teach man to be
as pure and unblemished as their whiteness. The silence of these valleys is very inspiring; when
the heart is free from agitation, the tongue is dumb and the ear has rest. That is why in olden
times, and even today,  saadhakas  (spiritual' aspirants) came to these solitary places and did
thapas  (penance). But it is, no use searching for silence with a noisy storm raging inside you.
You are where your mind is, not where your body rests.
This morning, I took out from its resting place the Nethralinga (egg shaped stone, representation
of Shiva, with the eye of wisdom in it) which Shankaraacharya had installed as the chief source
of spiritual sustenance in this Shrine, and after abhisheka (consecrating by sprinkling holy water
and puuja (ritual worship), it was sent back to the original place from where it will continue to
scatter even more Grace on the pilgrims who come here. Shankaraachaarya, when he first came
here---he must have known this place and journeyed up by means of  yogic  powers---had with
him five Lingas, which he brought from Kailaasa; the other four he installed, in strict conformity
with the  Shaasthras  (scriptures), at Sringeri, Dwaaraka, Puri and Chidambaram. Just as the
mountains Nara Parvatha and Naaraayana Parvatha which form the back-ground of this temple
have the Neelakanteshwara Parvatha shining on the horizon between them both, this
Naaraayana Shrine has a Linga from Kailaasa as the core of its spiritual halo. The Ganga is born
from the Foot of Vishnu and it is sanctified by contact with the head of Shiva. Such stories are
formed to teach that there is no difference between one aspect of God and another.
The four limbs of the Cosmic Purusha
There is no room for higher and lower among the aspects of Godhead; there is no room for
inferior or superior in status among the various sections of mankind. The Purushasuuktha speaks
of the  Brahmin  being the face, the  Kshathriya  the hands, the  Vaishya  the thighs, and the
Shuudhra, the feet of the Cosmic Purusha. Apart from the figurative meaning that the passage
obviously carries, when God is one uniform sweetness and wisdom and grace, any part is as
sweet, as effulgent, as graceful as every other. A sugar doll is sweet all through; the limbs are as
much sugar as the head. The trouble comes and the quarrel starts only as a result of the want of
Prema towards sugar.
Once you are established in  Prema,  you will not notice these differences any more; they will
appear silly, stupid and meaningless. When there is no  Prema,  egoism has the upper hand;
quarrels about your being superior and others being inferior raise up their heads. You are in the
holy presence of Premaswaruupa (Divine Love personified) Himself, Badhri Naaraayana; so you
too must be full of Prema  (love). Do not entertain any hatred or anger in your hearts. Most of
you have come here on pilgrimage, fulfilling the dream of a life-time.  I know how much
sacrifice you have made to put together the money needed for this arduous yaathra (pilgrimage).
I know the long time you spent in planning for this; I know the joy with which you started on this
pilgrimage and the courage which has brought you here. You have braved illness, accident,
poverty and hunger during the long trek from your villages, wherever they may be, in Assam or
Kerala or Rajasthan or Kashmir.

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                                     10. The ideal disciple
SWAAMI Vidyaanandha, in the Hindi Address which he read just now, welcomed Me to this
Naini Tal, describing its beautiful scenery and praising its climate. Well, that is taking Me to be
an outsider, who has to be formally invited and welcomed. I am in your Sathsang, for wherever
the Geetha is studied, I am, and will be present. I do not care for the external beauty of nature as
much as the beauty of 'character and of conduct' which you are seeking to acquire by the constant
study of the Geetha. I came to the Geetha Sathsang to see all of you, because I bless all efforts by
man to raise himself by study and saadhana. "Madhbhakthaah yathra gaayanthe, thathra
thishtaami Naaradha" is the declaration--- " Wherever My Bhakthas sing of Me, there I install
Myself." Why, the Lord is always there and everywhere whether you sing of Him or not. The
singing only makes, Him manifest, like the radio receiver which catches the tune from the-ether
when it is switched to the correct wavelength. The current is flowing ever; when you fix the
bulb, you will get the light.
The Bhagavadgeetha is a text book for all mankind, giving the secrets of spiritual science in
clear and simple terms. But it will be useful only when the reader has as much detachment as
Arjuna had when Krishna started the discourse. If you have as much vishaadha (despair) as
Arjuna had, you have the adhikaara (competence) to get the Teaching which removed the grief.
Only a patient ailing from a disease is entitled to the specific which will cure it. What business
have others with it? What profit can they draw from it? The Geetha will act on the mental system
only when the symptoms of vishaadha (grief) are strong.
Spiritual surrender will get God's response
Arjuna, the greatest bowman of those days, anxious. since years to destroy the wicked Kauravas
who had angered him by merciless and systematic vendetta, suddenly gets disinterested in
everything that he thought precious until that moment! "Of what avail is victory in the field of
battle?" asks this hero of a thousand encounters! "Nor do I see any good from killing kinsmen in
battle," says the warrior who had vowed to wipe out the Kuru clan! "I do not wish to kill them,
though they may wish to kill me; I shall lay down my arms; I shall die unresisting" wails this
foremost Kshathriya (warrior); "I would rather beg from door to door and live on alms," says this
scion of an imperial line. In short, his mind had become ripe for the illumination. He has the
Lord Himself as Guru by his side and he knows it. He asks Him: "I am struggling in ignorance; I
am confused; I do not know which is dharma and which is adharma .' He seeks disciple-hood
and lays himself at the Feet of Krishna in self-surrender!
Anyone anywhere who reaches that stage of spiritual surrender will get the response from
Krishna and He will teach the Geetha from the chariot which is driven by Him, that is his own
heart.
End delusion and gain recognition of the Self
The purpose of the Geetha is to remove the moha (delusion) which overwhelmed Arjuna and
made him feel that he was the doer, whereas the truth is, he was but an instrument. So Krishna
asks him at the very end of the discourse, "Has the delusion born out of ajnaana (ignorance)
been fully destroyed in you?" For, like a good teacher, Krishna is evidently quite willing to resort
to some other means or to discourse a little longer, in order to make the pupil understand the
teaching. But Arjuna is a good student; he declares, "Destroyed is the delusion (Nashto Mohah).
I have gained recognition." Now what is the recognition he has gained? The recognition of the
Self or Aathma. He has seen himself as basically Aathma, and he has seen the world and all
objects as superimpositions on the Aathma, due to ignorance or Maaya.
An emperor, while sleeping, dreams that he is a beggar; he wears tattered clothes and cries
piteously before other people's doors for a morsel of food; no one listens to his clamour; he can
no longer contain his sorrow. He weeps aloud and wakes up his mother. She comes and wakes
him up from that dream. Now, the mother need not tell him, "Listen to me, you are the emperor.
You are not a beggar." He knows it as soon as he awakes. The recognition of the Self happens as
soon as the delusion goes, the delusion that this dream-world is real!
A prince who falls into the hands of a forest tribe while yet a child, and behaves like one of them,
does not thereby lose his prince-hood. Rescue him and he knows he is a prince. So too, Arjuna
says, "Smrithir labdhvaa'"-"I got back my memory, I have gained recognition.' I know Myself; I
am Thyself !"
Geetha is the greatest harmoniser of all yogas
The study of the Geetha must end in this result; your Sathsang must have this consummation as
your goal. Do not be enamoured of the skill exhibited by some Pandith who can recite the
Geetha in record time, or write the whole of it on a post card, or repeat it upside down or reel off
commentaries. A man walked on the beach played with the waves, and had a dip in the water; his
feet are wet! No, there is no miracle in this. This is what happens to many a scholar who wades
in the sea of the Geetha. In the Durbar Hall, when the Mahaarana is arriving to seat himself on
the throne, the couriers call out his polysyllabic titles---but in daily conversation his short name
is used; his principality is but a tiny state. Similarly, the Pandith may have great pomp before
others but to himself, in the secrecy of his own conscience, he is a small man indeed. Greatness
depends upon the saadhana (spiritual discipline) and the success achieved in it, in anushthaana
(practice of religious austerities) and in nishtha (firm adherence to it).
"Awake, arise and stop not till the goal is reached," it is said---"Uththishtatha, Jaagratha,
Praapyavaraan nibodhatha." But one need not march towards the goal. It is not some place
where you have to go. It is jura the opening of the eye, the removal of the veil, the waking from
the dream, the lighting of the jnaana dheepa (light of spiritual wisdom).
To get this fruit of Geetha-paaraayana (discourse on Geetha), ekaagratha (one pointed
concentration) is essential. Krishna asks Arjuna, "Has this been heard by you with an attentive
mind? Have you heard it without distraction?" For, the battlefield where they were, had plenty of
distractions to disturb the concentration of Arjuna's mind from the invaluable lesson he was
receiving from Krishna. It is really admirable that Arjuna seated in the chariot between the two
armies manages to master his mind and rid it of all the passions with which it was filled when he
rode in for the fray! Truly, he is an ideal disciple. You should thank him for eliciting the
Bhagavadgeetha for humanity.
There are people who argue that the Geetha teaches this yoga more than any other; that shows
only their partisan nature. Once you begin to practise the Geetha, such ideas as trying to exhibit
your superior scholarship, by propounding a new theory or meaning will vanish. The Geetha is
the greatest harmoniser of all yogas. As a matter of fact, once the Geetha is made the guiding star
of your life, the way you act will be Karma Yoga, the way you feel will be Bhakthi Yoga, the
way you reason will be Jnaana Yoga. It will become automatically so. What you do must be in
line with dharma; what you feel must foster prema; what you think must reveal Sathyam. Then
this Sathsang will be blessed with Shaanthi, with even Prashaanthi.
Geetha Sathsang: Nainital, 24-6-1961
               Success comes when your effort and His Grace both comp1ement
               each other. How can Grace enter when you do not seek it? Open
               the door of endeavour; the Merciful Lord will then come in, with
               the Crown of Success.
               Sathya Sai Baaba

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11. With prathyaksha to paroksha
YOU are all waiting to hear from Me about the journey to Badhri and what happened there.
These people went to Badhri and returned bhadram (safe)! That is the story in a nutshell.
For danger lurked all the time from fire, water, wind, sky and earth---all the five elements in fact.
Every moment these people felt the Lord's Grace; for about 150 persons, mostly old and in
indifferent health, to accomplish this yaathra (pilgrimage) without a single moment of even
headache was due to Swaami. Swaami also went to Badhri because the Nethralingam which is
the central source of Holiness there had to be revived with spiritual efficacy. Shankaraachaarya
brought five lingams from Kailaas and installed one each at Dwaaraka, Sringeri, Badhri and Puri
and the fifth he placed at Chidambaram. Of these, the one at Badhri has the Naaraayana amsam
(orientation)and that had to be consecrated afresh. That was My task and these people who came
with Me saw Me doing it.
Atheism is not rampant in this land
I had to accomplish it this year itself, for this is the 35th year after this Avathaar took birth and
this is also the year when the 35th successor to the Shankaraachaarya Peeta is at Shringeri. This
year is therefore important for charging the battery of spiritual wealth, known as
Badharikaashrama. The Nethra Lingam, laid by Shankaraachaarya underneath the idol there, was
"taken" out by Me and abhisheka (consecration by pouring holy water) was done with Gangothri
water which I fetched by a wave of the hand. It was worshipped with golden Bilva leaves and
Thumme flowers, both created by Me on the spot, and sent back to its original place. The Lingam
was placed on a Golden Lotus, with three layers of petals, each having two smaller layers of 16
smaller petals---the entire Kamala (lotus) representing the Hridhaya (heart) where the Lingam
has to be installed for worship.
When you see the enthusiasm of the pilgrims who trudged along the Badhri Road in thousands,
you will be silenced with wonder; you will no more lament that atheism has become rampant in
this land. With faith as their only support, people from all parts of India, men, women and
children, old and young, stalwarts and decrepits, rich and poor, move on towards. Badhri. There
are many things which you can learn from their steady march towards the goal; that is the
advantage in going on pilgrimage. You can develop your bhakthi (devotion), your shraddha
(faith) and your saadhana (spiritual discipline) when you are surrounded by kindred aspirants.
That is the greatness of that Naaraayana Muurthi at Badhri.
Yes; the spiritual change must come about. That is the reason for the belief, "a mere sight of the
pilgrim who has returned from Badhri gives much merit." Of course, for undergoing that change
you need not go so far; you have Badhrinaaraayana here itself! Badhri is the place where the
Nara-Naaraayana bond is established and commemorated. That you can establish here itself. If
you get rid of delusion, you become Naaraayana (God); if you are sunk in delusion, you
continue to be Nara (human); that is all. There is no place to which I have not gone; there is no
place without Me therein. So, the Bhakthas who came with Me were journeying to the Abstract
with the Concrete, with the Prathyaksha to the Paroksha! That was their good fortune.
Pilgrims, should maintain silence during yaathra
Those of you who were here and could not join need not feel sorry, for all these days you were-
thinking of Swaami and Swaami alone and so your saadhana was greater. After all, pilgrimage is
for softening the heart, widening the outlook, expanding the circle of sympathy; not for
collecting curios or pictures or prasaadham packets or idols and images. It is more a matter for
the nethra (eye) than for the paathra (vessel). Pilgrimages should be as silent as the eye-lids
dropping on the eye. Why should people wag their .tongues and shout and wrangle when they are
God-ward bound? Truly, all Kshethras (places of pilgrimage) and all Yaathras (pilgrimages) are
in yourself. You are ever on a pilgrimage, though you might not have taken a step forward
towards Badhri or Kaashi. Do not feel sad that you did not get the Abhisheka Theertha (holy
water used for consecrating the idol) from Gangothri which was used for the Nethra Lingam. I
can see that all of you are desirous of getting it ever since you heard from others about the event
at Badri. I shall get you the Gangothri Theertham here itself and give you, do not worry.
People may say that pilgrimages are a waste of time and money; but let Me tell you that it is the
best way of spending time and money, provided one has real devotion. Bhakthi is no sign of
weakness; it is a sign of courage, of wisdom, of discrimination; it alone can give soukhyam and
shaanthi (happiness and peace). Every one has one day or other to fall in line with you, for every
one is terribly anxious to get these two. They try, in their ignorance or excitement, various other
remedies, but this remedy alone can cure them.
Prashaanthi Nilayam, 4-7-1961
Your consciousness is a lamp. Pour into it the oil of Grace; trim
the wick of self-control. Keep in position the chimney of
Naamasmarana, so that the gusts of Joy and Grief may not put out
the flame.
Light the lamp with a Mahaa-vaakya (Vedhic dictum) like "Aham
Brahmaasmi" (I am the Absolute Reality). Then you will see Light
and you will shed Light.
Sathya Sai Baaba

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12. Light the anthahkarana
WHEN I see this gathering. I am reminded of a similar gathering at this place as well as the
surrounding villages. twelve years ago when the High School was started. Then too it was in this
temple that you all met but, since then, I have been passing through this village or coming to
gatherings on the outskirts of the village; that is all. It is only today that I am here again, at the
old place. I am happy at this; more so because the reason for this event is one connected with this
temple itself. Twelve years ago it was the temple of learning; this temple of Lakshminarasimha.
Please do not be under the delusion that God needs light and that he requires illumination. He is
Jyothiswaruupa (Divine Light personified) with the splendour of a thousand suns; He is the
Force which makes light shine; and He is above and beyond the thejas (lustre) 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, the body, that must be fitted with lights.
"Deho devaalayah prokthah"---the body is said to be the temple, "jeevo devah sanaathanah"---
and in that temple is installed the jeevi (indweller) who is the "timeless" God. The inner motive
Force is God, and when tie is dwelling in the heart of man, He is called jeevi. The jeevi is not
recognised as God because of the darkness of delusion. You mistake a stump for a man in the
darkness; in the same way, the jeevi is mistaken to be a separate, changing individual. The
Jeevathathwam (principle of the individual) is given more importance and the Devathathwam
(divine principle) or Aathmathathwam (principle of infinite consciousness is ignored on account
of the darkness. So, the lights have to be switched on in the anthahkarana (inner consciousness)
of man, rather than in the house where the image of the Lord is installed and worshipped.
A temple is the centre of culture for the town
At the present time, there is a great deal of anxiety and agitation due to there being a great
advance in material comforts and conveniences, but no corresponding advance in character,
virtue and sense of justice. The 'material world' is the stick which helps man to walk; but of what
use is it to the person who cannot walk? If the legs do not function properly, the stick is but an
extra burden. The stick is like material comfort; the primary need is the strength of limbs, the
power to walk, namely, character, virtue.
For the development of that strength of limb, spiritual discipline is essential; any form of
discipline suited to the taste and capacity of the individual. Men struggle for the evanescent and
the unreal; but they shy away from any effort to attain the eternal and the real; that is the tragedy.
In the report that was read, the Young Men's Association thanked a very large number of persons
who had given money for the lights! I feel that instead of making the boys go from door to door
for small sums, any one donor could have undertaken the entire work; for the temple is really the
centre of culture for the town. In the old days, when a man arrived at a village, the first question
he would ask was, "Have you a temple here?" and he would sleep in the village only if there was
one. The idea evidently was that the temple would have educated the people into soft-hearted
hosts and well-behaved citizens and also that the God installed in the temple would guard over
the inhabitants and prevent disease and disaster. (Now, perhaps, the question of the new-comer
would be, "Is there a hotel here?" or, "Is there a cinema theatre here?") So remember, any
improvement done to the temple is an investment in the progress of the entire town.
Himaalayas are very near to spiritual aspirants
Do not give up the treasure that has come down to you from the generations that went before.
Last month, I had been in Uttar Pradesh near the snow-capped Himaalayas and had gone as far as
Badharikshethram. Though they are so far, the Himaalayas are very near to spiritual aspirants. If
you see only the splendour of the light and if you do not feel the warming effect, it only proves
that you are far; this is true of your relation with Me also. All these years, you who are so near
have been seeing the light only; you did not benefit by the warmth; that only shows that you are
yet far, though so near. Well, we went to the Himaalayan regions and saw thousands of old
decripit men and women, besides others who were stronger and more prosperous; men, women
and children braving the rigours of the climate, the dangers of the road, the cold and hunger, the
cost and the distance, and trudging along to get a glimpse of Naaraayana installed there. I am
often asked where dharma can take refuge in this iron age. Well, dharma is still flourishing in the
hearts of those thousands, I can say.
When in Ayodhya, I could see and sense the constant recitation of Raamanaam by almost all the
people there. In a bag of rice there may be a handful of stones, but do not condemn the entire bag
for that defect. The pilgrims were repeating the name of Badhri Naaraayana and that gave them
an extra dose of strength and inspiration to trudge forward. Yes, you will find by experience, if
you practise it, it gives you joy and peace. The Divine Power is there in you; it need not come
from somewhere outside you. Only, you have to prepare the ground, so that it may manifest
itself.
You must be sincere in the spiritual field
Remove the mots of the weed of egoism from the field of your heart; that is enough. But this is
very difficult; the lightest shower will induce the weeds to sprout again. Similarly, when the
circumstances turn favourable, egoism throws up its shoots and grows as thick as in the past.
You will have to remove the roots too; this can be done by insisting "Not I, but the Lord."
In the spiritual field, you must be sincere. Do not pretend, and deceive yourself and others. There
was once a mendicant who sought a place where he could get a meal as he was very hungry. A
pious old lady called him into her house and asked him to take his bath and partake of the noon
meal. He said, "Oh, why should I take a bath? Govindethi sadhaa snaanam---I have now
repeated the name of Govinda, that is as good as a bath." Hearing this, the lady said, "In that
case, Raama naamaamritham, sadhaa bhojanam---Name of Raama is food for ever, I shall also
feed you with a quotation. Get out of here pretty quick." Do not use the study of the Shaasthras
and scriptures for increasing your egoism; let it make you humble, though at the same time, more
resistant to temptation. Your nature is divine; what has happened is that delusion has covered it
with dirt. The washerman does not make your clothes white; they are white already; what he
does is to manifest the whiteness by removing the dirt that has hidden the genuine native colour,
white. The washerman must have two good things to bring out the basic whiteness; soap and
water. Both have to be good; you cannot manage with only one of the two. In the case of the
mind and removal of the dirt therein, the soap is neethi and the water is nishtha (Ethics and its
Practice).
Heritage of the past is lost through neglect
It is the ignorant person who argues loudly and angrily and talks cynically. The wise man will
pause before judging; he will see all sides of the problem, relate it to his own experience and
hesitate to accept it or condemn it. He will hear less and taste more. The plight of Indians is like
a person who with butter in hand is running about for ghee. Here you have the technique of
attaining shaanthi developed as nowhere else; yet you are running after all kinds of amateurs! Of
course, even the spiritual leaders are taking to competition and conflict, and the acquisition of
wealth and fame; so the heritage of the past is lost through neglect. Though the soap is good, the
water of Practice is dirty and so the clothes do not get their genuine whiteness. Even for a
householder, Lakshya (Objective) and Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth) are both equally important.
He too has a lakshya, which he forgets at his peril. Lakshmi should not hamper that goal or hide
it from the eyes. For an ascetic, Lakshmi is taboo; only lakshya is to be pursued.
Well, now that the lights have been switched on, those who come to this temple will see the
shrine more clearly; I bless them that they may also see their own selves more clearly. Light is
the source of Joy and Knowledge. Do not insult the Light by misusing it, playing cards or talking
about or planning actions of hate or greed. Utilise it for increasing your devotion, for developing
your knowledge of the Glory of God and for serving others in a spirit of true brotherliness.
Lakshmi-Narasimha Temple Bukkapatnam, 18-7-1961
Do you like to measure the vastness of the Grace of the Lord?
Then look at the crops in the fields thirsting for rain. Poor things,
they cannot reach up to the clouds bearing the delicious water they
can only pine and pray plaintively. But the clouds pour the rain
they have brought from the far distant sea and make the crops
green and gay.
The Lord answers the prayers and refreshes all drooping lives.
Sathya Sai Baaba

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13. The inner temple
TWELVE years ago, I remember, we had a gathering of the people of Bukkapatnam here in this
temple, in connection with the starting of a High School for this town. The school was started
and, thereafter, I have come often but, every time, since the school is outside the town, I have
been coming to the outskirts only! I am glad I have again come into the town today, to this very
temple in order to light another lamp, for the benefit of this place.
The group of young men who collected the funds needed for the illumination of this ancient
Temple of Lakshminaarayan struggled hard indeed, as their Report indicates. After all, a single
devoted donor could have finished the job. The temple is the repository of Sanaathana Dharma
(eternal universal religion); it is the heart and soul of a village. In former days, a newcomer
would ask, "Have you a temple in this village?" and, if the answer is "No," he will move on to
some other village which has one. Today, however, the question has become, "Have you a
cinema hall in this village?" The conservation and promotion of all the traditional institutions
and customs and habits have become imperative and I am glad that in this place, the young men
have taken the lead and are proving good examples to the elders.
Knowledge is growing, but wisdom lags
I shall switch on the electric lights, in a few moments but, remember, it is not the Lord within
Temple that need illumination, it is the worshipper. This material temple of stone and mortar
might be lit up by means of a few bulbs, but really speaking, every one is a moving temple with
the Lord installed in the shrine of the heart. That shrine has to shine bright and clear; now it is
plunged in the darkness of Falsehood, Injustice, Cruelty and Pride; it is infested by poisonous
nocturnal birds of prey. The lighting up of this structure is but the symbol of the illumination of
the heart, the destruction of the darkness of ahamkaara and ajnaana (egoism and ignorance) so
that the Lord might be revealed in all His Glory.
Latterly, there has been everywhere progress in the material field, schemes and plans to increase
prosperity and comforts. Schools, hospitals and factories are multiplying everywhere. But, there
is no peace in the heart of man or of society. This is because, there has been no corresponding
increase in the moral conduct of man. ^ stick will help a man to walk up an incline, but of what
use is it to a person whose legs have become defunct? Material prosperity is the stick and virtue
the strength of the feet.
The trouble is that knowledge is growing but wisdom lags. There is an infection of envy,
cynicism and conceit everywhere. Man has become the slave of passion and pride. He lets his
mind drag him wherever it listeth, though the word Man means "He who has control over
manas." The control of the mind can be achieved through spiritual discipline and training. To
remove dirt from a white cloth, the dhobi soaks it in water, puts in soap flakes, warms the water
and beats it on a stone. He does not make it white; it is white. He only removes the non-
whiteness by a certain process. So too, the jeeva (individual soul) is pure; but, it has got soiled. It
has to be soaked in Good Conduct and Pure Character; soaped with the Meditation on Godhead;
warmed in discriminatory wisdom helped by reason; and beaten on the slab of renunciation. Use
the temple and the worship of the Lord done here as per traditional rites for this end. Light is
holy, sacred. Do not misuse it for lower ends, but, give it its proper value and engage yourselves
in holy pursuit.
Take cheerfully all that comes to you
I was away in Uttar Pradesh from the 5th of last month to the 28th and I found people there, full
of devotion and faith. Thousands every day go on pilgrimage to the shrine of Badhri Naaraayana,
in spite of the expense and the dangers and difficulties, animated by the bhakthi which gives
them strength and courage. When you see them, you feel that the country is still green, that the
path of God and Dharma is not given up and 'that India is alive and strong.
Moreover, the people there, though they are far away from Puttaparthi do feel the warmth,
showing thereby that they are really near, while you here see only the light and are unaware of
the warmth. Devotion and faith are the result of culture and not mere physical contiguity. But, I
must tell you one thing. The names Puttaparthi and Bukkapatnam, surrounded by these little hills
are resounding even in the Himaalayas, and it is up to you to justify that fame and that respect. A
life lived in Love and Humility will gain the respect of all and will also be full of Peace. Do not
ask of life only joy and happiness, but, take cheerfully all that comes to you. You cannot insist
that the doctor gives you only sweet medicines. Have the hardihood to bear sorrow as resignedly
as you bear joy. Remember that death is inescapable, that life is but an interlude, that the world is
but a caravansarai and, you will get the strength to pass through the pilgrimage of this birth.
Discourse at Bukkapatnam, 18-7-1961
Consider first things first. Then only can the true culture of India
be restored to its old vitality.
Bhaarath has known how to exploit the mine of Divine Bliss which
lies in the heart of man. The seers had said that if the Bhoomaatha,
Gomaatha, Nijamaatha and Vedhamaatha---mother-land sacred
cow, real mother and Vedhas---are revered and used as best as
one can, then one would have happiness here and liberation from
the cycle of birth and death.
It is because the people of the country followed this path that India
has remained India.
Sathya Sai Baaba

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14. Be grateful to the doctors
THOUGH I have been coming to this City for over twenty years now, this is the first time I am
speaking to a gathering of the people living here. The time, the need and the deed have to
coincide; and today they have. The Guru Poornima has provided all three and collected together
in this sea of humanity the waters of many areas through many channels and tributaries. Mysore
City has earned fame by its devotion to music, sculpture and other fine arts. But there is an all
finer than all these: the Art of Living. Many a person skilled in other fields is a failure in so far as
this art is concerned. He lives miserably, without a trace of joy or contentment or peace. He
knows only pain and he gives others only pain.
Mysore is also famous for the fragrance of its sandalwood. So far so good. But I would like the
fragrance to emanate from your feelings and thoughts and deeds, not so much from the trees that
grow in the forests. Then only is the fame fully deserved. If the sense of beauty and the sense of
harmony are not translated into the daily life of men and women and children, then that life is a
waste, a burden, a hoax.
Man has to lift himself from the animal level through his own saadhana. There are three types of
men: the Paashavi or the Animal type, the Sahaja or the Human type and the Divya or the
Divine type. Man has evolved from the stone through plant and tree, worm and insect, bird and
mammal; but some are still grovelling in the early stages though they have achieved the human
form.
Everyone has some illness or other
Chief Minister Jatti said that you are all like boulders, rough and hard, and that bhakthi has the
power to make you soft and smooth. Now, what does a sculptor do when he sees a good boulder?
He pictures in his mind the lovely idol of God that is sleeping inside it. He becomes possessed
with idea of liberating the idol from the hard clasp of the stone. He takes up his chisel and
removes the extra stone that lies around the beautiful figure; at last, he liberates the image. The
boulder has to suffer all that hard chiselling in order to become the Image of God; so too, you
should cast off all the impediments, all the encumbrances that drag you down and make you a
boulder instead of a Bhaktha (devotee) and a Paramahamsa (ascetic of the highest order), or
even Paramaathma (the Supreme Being).
The world is a huge hospital and humanity is bedridden. Some are writhing in the pain of envy,
some are bloated with pride, some are losing sleep through hate, some have become blind
through miserliness, some are struck down by selfishness; every one has some illness or other.
On this Guru Poornima Day, you have to render gratitude to the doctors who diagnose your
diseases and prescribe remedies, and the nurses who tend you back to health. You should also
resolve today to follow the treatment recommended and the regimen ordered; it is not enough if
you learn the prescription by heart or read the label on the bottle three times a day; or visit the
hospital every day. Praising the doctor or worshipping him might induce him to take pity on you,
but your illness can be cured only by your taking the drug and obeying the restrictions on food
and drink and on your habit.
While talking of doctors, I must also say that doctors who fight for the patient's purse or who try
to grab a patient before a rival appropriates him, are a danger to society. The doctor who despises
other doctor, or sticks to his own patent cures irrespective of the experience of failure, or who is
guided more by his whims, fancies and prejudices, or who considers the patient's caste rather
than his disease as more important; such men are also dangerous. Today, we find doctors and
gurus who have deteriorated to the level of wrangling for patients and their purses, and for the
sale of their own or other people's patent remedies.
Vyaasa is the greatest of spiritual doctors
This day is a day when mankind pays homage to the greatest of spiritual doctors, Sage Vyaasa.
Vyaasa is the greatest of such doctor; for he put together the Vedhas and composed the Puraanas
and the Mahaabhaaratha and gave humanity the Bhaagavatha. He is the primal Guru for all who
walk in the Path of God. He planted the seed of theism and nurtured it, through Sruthi, Smrthi,
Shaasthra and the Mahaabhaaratha. He gave the world the Geetha and the Brahma Suuthras, the
idea of the immanent Aathma, the story of the Divine Leela, the secret of this changeful
Creation. He belonged to about 3800 B.C.; he was the great-grandson of the sage Vasishta, the
son of Paraasara and the father of that celebrated gem among rishis, Suka. His life-story is a
series of miracles, a Divine saga. He came from Vaasudeva, announced the Leela of Vaasudeva
to all and finally, got merged in Vaasudeva. He established the era of Naamapaaraayana
(repeating and discoursing, on Lord's Name) and made all aware of the sweetness of the Name of
the Lord, which evokes His Form and His Grace.
The prayers to be offered daily
Vyaasa first revealed to man the secret of making the mind as clear and as full of cool rays as the
moon on a full moon night; that is why this Pournami is associated with him and with all Gurus.
Today every Aasthika (who believer in God) must refuse to be content with a feast and a lecture.
He should try to plant today the Naamabija (seed of Lord's Name) in his well-prepared heart,
devoid of the thorns of egoism; and water it with prema (love), fence the sprout with shraddha
(faith), feed it with the fertiliser, smarana (remembering the Name); and from the grown-up tree
of the manthra (holy letters), pluck the fruit of aanandha (bliss) and relish the sweetness.
A person may boast of the vast treasures in the vaults of his bank, but he will get credit only for
that which he has actually earned and deposited therein. Do not fritter away the time allotted to
you; offer it to Keshava, who is Kaalaswaruupa (Time personified). Know that waking from
sleep is but birth and going into sleep is death. On waking, pray every morning of your life, "Oh
Lord, I am born now from the womb of sleep. I am determined to carry out all tasks this day as
offerings to Thee, with Thee ever present before my mind's eye. Make my words, thoughts and
deeds sacred and pure; let me not inflict pain on any one; let no one inflict pain on me; direct me,
guide me, this day." And when you enter the portals of sleep at night, pray, "Oh Lord! the tasks
of this day, whose burden I placed on you this morning, are over. It was You who made me walk
and talk and think and act; I therefore place at Thy Feet all my words, thoughts and deeds. My
task is done. Receive me, I am coming back to you." Adopt these as your daily prayers. The best
thing is to have your own Self as the source of Light, as the Guru. The Inner Intelligence, the
Inner Guru will reveal the Truth. This prayerful attitude will so educate your impulses that the
Inner intelligence will be fully revealed.
Do everything with a spirit of dedication
Begin with the cultivation of Prema. I have found that the people of Karnaataka have great faith
and devotion; they are simple in their habits and thoughts. Do not allow these to decline;
cultivate them with care. The Chief Minister said that all are children of the Lord. It is better to
say that all are actors in the drama designed by Him; dolls dancing and acting as He pulls the
strings. The role you have might be that of an officer, a soldier, a ryot, a beggar or a clerk. Act
well your part so that the drama might be a success. Do everything in a spirit of dedication, as if
in each moment you act, speak and even feel in response to a command received. To get that
mood of dedication, the Bhakthi Suuthras (aphorisms on devotion) prescribe nine paths but the
easiest and the most practicable is Smarana---a life lived in the constant remembrance of the
Lord.
A bar of iron sinks in water; but beat it into a hollow vessel and it will float merrily and even
carry some weight. So too, man's mind sinks easily in the sea of sense; beat it hollow,
hammering it with the Name of the Lord. It will float safely, on a sea of troubles. Do not be like
gramophone records singing some one else's song, ignorant of the genuine thrill of music. Sing
from your own experience of the Glory and Grace of the Lord.
If you win the Grace of the Lord, even the decrees of destiny can be overcome. There are certain
drugs which come in bottles on which the manufacturer has given an ultimate date beyond which
the ding loses its efficacy. Of coupe, the ding will be in the bottle, but would no longer be
effective. Similarly, Lord's Grace can make it inoperative.
The Guru is one who shows you the Path for getting that Grace and to such a one this day is
dedicated.
Guru Poornima Mysore:, 27-7-1961
Prayer is a very forceful weapon, much more effective than any
bomb. The word is an effective instrument: it can move mountains.
In these critical times, every one of you should pray deeply and
sincerely, for the peace and prosperity of Bhaaratha Maatha
(Mother India).
Sathya Sai Baaba

[V2K]

15. Mithi and Gathi
JONNALAGADDA Sathyanaaraayanamurthy thrilled you so much, since he spoke soft and
sweet in his charming style. He has returned from Russia where there is too much rush, to this
quiet place this Nilayam of Prashaanthi. This is a function connected with physical ills and their
cure and prevention and so I must also confine My remarks to them.
Man has two varieties of troubles: the physical, due to the imbalance between the three humours
Vaatha, Pittha and Sleshma (wind, bile and phlegm), and the spiritual, due to the imbalance of
the three gunas, Sathwa, Rajas and Thamas (qualities of purity, passion and inertia).
Sathyanaaraayanamurthy gave some pathetic instances of the sufferings caused by resorting to
indifferent and ignorant doctor. I also agree that it is wise to adjust one's living so intelligently
that there is no need to approach any doctor. Illness is due to the neglect of. some simple rules of
healthy eating and drinking and due to the damage caused to the system by evil habits and stupid
cravings. Man rains himself by greed and lust worry and fear; he falls an easy prey to his
insatiable thirst for a happy life. He does not know the source and spring of happiness which lies
within himself; he believes he can get it in plenty and in quick time by running after the mirage
of fashion or fancy, excitement or entertainment. He thinks that floating on the roaring, raging
torrent of the world will help; but that only gives him unbearable tossing and nausea.
Joy is a subjective feeling; it is not inherent in the objective world. You are the witness, separate
from the scene; you are the seer not the seen--dhrashta not the dhrik or the dhrishya.
Purified inner vision gives unfailing health
The Screen is the sathya (truth) and the images that flit across it are mithya (false); when you see
the film you do not see the screen as screen; you forget its existence and you think that there is
just the picture and nothing else as its base. But the screen is there all the time and it is only the
screen that makes you experience the picture. Naaraayana is the screen and Prakrithi (objective
world) is the film; when the play is on, the screen is the Aadhaara (base) and Prakrithi (objective
world) becomes Naaraayanamayam (God all-prevading). The Screen is Sathyam; the story is
samsaaram (worldly life), for it has only some saaram (essence).
Suurdas, the blind singer, had as his ardent listener when he sang Krishna Himself sitting in front
of him as a cowherd boy humming in appreciation; Suurdas took Him to be a cowherd from the
villages around, though he sang that all beings are His Forms. One day, Krishna revealed to him
that He was the Hero of his heart. He touched his eyes with His Divine Fingers and He could be
seen! From His Lips, he could hear the selfsame strains of the Flute which he was hearing all
along, whenever he started meditating on the Lord; as a matter of fact, he was only trying all
along to put that music into verse. He then declared that he did not care to see other things with
the sight vouchsafed to him; he said the inner eyes were enough. The purified inner vision gives
lasting joy and therefore, unfailing health.
To purify the Anthahkarana (inner psychosomatic equipment), Vedhas and Shaasthras prescribe
the proper processes; some people dismiss the Vedhas and Shaasthras as so many shackles on
thought and action, but they are "bunds" which regulate the flow of feelings, emotions and
instincts along safe channels.
Saadhaka should be careful about food
Coming to the more direct topic of physical ills, I must tell you that you must practise
moderation in food, drink, sleep and exercise. Good food taken in moderate quantities, at regular
intervals; that is the prescription. Saathwik (pure, wholesome) food promotes self-control and
intelligence more than Raajasik (passion-producing) and Thaamasik (impure food). So for
spiritual aspirants, Saathwik food is very necessary.
In one of the jails of this State, there was once a very pure soul devoted to spiritual ideals,
carefully practising saadhana (spiritual discipline); he had advanced very far in dhyaana
(meditation) and dharana (holding on to it). One day, however, when he sat for dhyaana, he felt
very savage emotions surging up in him and was shocked to find that he could not, in spite of
tremendous straggle, suppress the hateful and murderous thoughts that took hold of him. He was
rocked in agony and his Guru too was upset at the turn of events. The Guru probed into the
history of the disciple rather deeply but could not find any valid reason for the tragedy. At last,
he found that a certain fanatic murderer had acted as the cook in the jail kitchen the day previous
to the calamity and his hateful homicidal thoughts had pervaded the food cooked by him which
the saadhaka had consumed. There are subtle invisible thought-forms that can pass from one
person to another by such means. Here, one has to be very careful about food, especially where
one is proceeding Godward, through the steep path of Yoga.
Sleep too should be regulated and moderate; it is as important as work and food. Remember also
that dress is primarily for protection against heat and cold, not for vain display even at the cost of
health. Virtuous conduct also ensures mental peace and that in turn saves you from many a
physical and mental illness. If you overstep mithi (bounds), you miss your gathi (progress).
The habit that rehabilitates the fallen
Above all, do every act as an offering to the Lord, without being elated by success or dejected by
defeat; this gives the poise and equanimity needed for sailing through the waters of the ocean of
life.
It is the mind that builds up the body, strong and shiny or wastes it to skin and bone. For
manushya (human) to be strong the manas (mind) has to be strong. Live always as the servant of
the Lord within you, then you will not be tempted into sin or fall into evil. Get into the habit of
living in the light of God. It is the habit that rehabilitates the fallen. Have the attitude of
Sharanaagathi (seeking refuge at the feet of the Lord), or else your destiny will be Shara-gathi
(movement of an arrow). That is why Krishna said, "Manmanaabhaava!"---"Let your mind be
absorbed in Me."
You may ride in a smart car of your own; but you are entrusting daily, without a second thought,
the car and yourself and your family to the skill and presence of mind' of your chauffeur.
However, when advised to entrust your affairs to the Lord, Maayaashakthi (power of world-
illusion) hesitates and declines! It refuses to surrender to Mahaashakthi (Divine Power). What
are we to say about such absurd conceit! If you have sharanaagathi, you will be ever content and
ever so happy and healthy. Then this hospital can be closed for want of patients; it can well be
used for accommodating devotees and giving them lodging!
You are all certain to win
All that you eat, all that you see, all that you hear, all that you take in through the senses, make a
dent on your health. There are three types of reactions you usually have from the outer world and
three types of men in whom one or the other predominates: the cotton, which gets soaked in
whatever it gets immersed; the stone, which escapes from getting affected; and the butter, which
is changed by whatever it comes across, even a little warmth. The "butter" men are moved by
instant sympathy, either at another's joy or at his grief.
Do not, like some mental patients, be always worrying about some little ailment or another. Have
courage, that is the best tonic; do not give up, before you have to. It is not long life that counts; if
you live on and on, a time may come when you have to pray to the Lord to take you away, to
release you. from travail. You may even start blaming Him for ignoring you and blessing other
luckier people with death! By all means, worry about success or failure in achieving the real
purpose of life. And then you will get as many years as are needed to fulfill that desire. Yearn,
yearn, yearn hard; and success is yours. Remember, you am all certain to win; that is why you
have been called and you have responded to the call to come to Me.
What other task have I than the showering of Grace? By darshana, sparshana and
sambhaashana (seeing, touching and conversing, you share in that Grace. When that melts and
this melts, the two can merge. Treat Me not as one afar, but as very close to you. Insist, demand,
claim Grace from Me; do not praise, extol and cringe. Bring your hearts to Me and win My
Heart. Not one of you is a stranger to Me. Bring your promises to me and I shall give you My
Promise. But first see that your promise is genuine, sincere; see that your heart is pure; that is
enough.
Sathya Sai Hospital Prashaanthi Nilayam 10-10-1961
You say, "I have got fever " But where did you get it from ? Kaali?
Gaya ? It came from within you, not from anywhere outside you.
When you have developed jaundice, everything apears yellow.
Egoism too is a jaundice, which warps your vision and makes you
see things wrong .It is due to inner impurity, inner defects. Get rid
of that egoism and all will be Love, Peace, Unity, One.
Sathya Sai Baaba