Prayer is the very breath of religion, for with every breath it brings a person closer to God. Meditation (dhyana) is the focused mental listening to the Heavenly Melody, Krishna’s Flute. Yoga is the immersion of the mind in the bliss of self-forgetfulness, when the music fills the entire consciousness. Words cannot convey the ineffable ecstasy a person experiences when “returning home” after a long absence.
Life is short, and its thread may break at any moment. The body may perish and set you free without any warning. Therefore, while you have the opportunity, you must devote your heart to the One who gave you this body. The heart is your witness; ask it whether you have fulfilled the Lord’s command. Thousands of people may prove to you that you have not, but if your conscience tells you otherwise, you have nothing to fear.”
Sai Baba
September 27
Today is 09/27. Two plus seven equals nine. Nine plus nine equals eighteen. One plus eight—the sum equals nine. Thus, the date of this day adds up to the divine number nine twice. The number nine symbolizes the divine because the sum of its digits always equals nine, no matter how many times it is multiplied (9x8=72; 7+2=9, and so on). On this day I would like to draw your attention to something very important. Many people think that the Earth is facing a major catastrophe. Wherever you look, everything seems to be going very badly; they accept this and then believe that soon it will be too late to offer any help. The world is at a decisive stage. That is true. But on the other hand, the world has never received so many blessings as it is receiving now. There are so many wonderful souls on Earth who do nothing but work positively for the world, its people, and the elevation of consciousness. They truly are a gift to the world! Never before has there been a time when such an army of heavenly forces was working for the benefit of all humanity and all living beings. At the same time, you are living in an unparalleled time! You have been offered a wonderful opportunity that will never again recur in this form. Use this opportunity. Heed the lessons of the saints. Do not doubt that I will help you. Do what I tell you. Use the immense spiritual power that is now present on Earth, and you will be able to achieve what you never thought possible. September 27 is the Day of the Appearance of SHIRDI SAI BABA! On this divine day, please accept congratulations and his blessings!
Sai Baba
There is nothing that should make you sad.
The Golden Age is not only figuratively but literally at your feet.
The time of monstrously magnified selfishness, struggle, hatred, envy, and other similar manifestations is coming to an end and making way for peace, love, and a willingness to sacrifice throughout the world.
More precisely, the new era is not at your feet but asleep in your heart, waiting for you to bring it to life.
You are the new era. You are the world’s great opportunity.
Do not value yourself too little. One of the ego’s most negative influences is that it leads to an erroneous limitation of oneself, at the root of which there is constantly a greater or lesser sense of inferiority.
Find yourself. Discover your worth through self-knowledge.
The first sign of the Golden Age is not that conditions in the world will change, but that people will change.
You are the Golden Age. You think of the future that you seek and that I see and love.
Sai Baba
The holy man Socrates defined and substantiated ethics in a wonderfully simple and, at the same time, comprehensive way.
He put it this way: "Whoever knows what is good does it."
At first, this sentence sounds perfectly clear. Looking more closely, one can notice that it seems to be incorrect (for example, why does someone not exercise if they know it is good for their health?), only to ultimately reveal itself as great wisdom.
In other words, this statement should be approached as one approaches profound knowledge: you need to let it linger on your tongue for a long time, like delicious food, in order to savor it fully.
With his remarkable expression, Socrates acknowledged both worldly and heavenly truth.
All evolution came into being so that souls could progress from unconscious action to conscious action.
For example, archangels always act in accordance with divine laws. They cannot do otherwise.
The same is true of souls who come to Earth. They are children full of love, joy, and light. Over time, in harmony with their karma and also because of mistreatment, they learn to sin. Just like the archangels, they did not even know what was good, but did it automatically.
In a certain sense, this was not a conscious circumstance for them, which is illustrated in the Bible by Adam, Eve, and the apple.
Only in and through the world do souls learn to consciously choose between good and evil and live in accordance with that choice.
You can see that this is the meaning of life that so many ask about and that some seek: to know what is good to such an extent that one always strives for it and does it.
Socrates knew this; otherwise, he could not have drunk the cup of poison so calmly. He knew that what matters is not only to live in truth, but above all to die in truth. That is exactly what he did. That is why his thoughts and deed shine to this day.
Sai Baba
Don’t be angry—at least, not so much!
The decisive analogy for you is this: little anger = much happiness.
Anger is always “created by you yourself.”
Anger almost always arises from delusion. Moreover, delusions arise because you assess circumstances incorrectly and, as a result, cherish false hopes.
How often do you think about someone: “He definitely won’t do that!” But he does it anyway! Or you think: “He will certainly do that!” But he doesn’t!
What you desire gives rise to hopes. Disappointment in what you desire gives rise to sadness and anger.
Therefore, always look at all people as your own mirror. What irritates you in them is usually also in you.
Either you make the very same mistakes, or at least you resemble the other person in the sense that you cannot assess your own mistakes correctly.
Those who cannot assess others do not know themselves.
And what makes most people angry? The fact that they consider themselves to be someone they are not at all!
Especially when someone insists on this, they can drive many people into a blind rage.
And why? Because many people have difficulty knowing who they themselves are!
If you are angry with someone, immediately think that you may be able to learn something from them—in other words, that there is something you need to learn. Use the energy you spend on being angry to investigate intensely what you need to learn.
If you act this way, you will notice that, in the end, you can thank everyone at whom you might have been angry for the many insights you gained only because this particular mirror was placed before you.
Nowadays, many people reject the statement or even become angry when they hear that God is present in all their actions. They perceive it either as an intrusion into their intimate sphere or as one of those old wives’ tales intended to frighten them.
They are mistaken. I am omnipresent and see and hear everything. Not even the most insignificant being in the most remote place of these worlds escapes My notice.
You have a completely mistaken idea of God. His power is so great that even all the scientists currently on Earth together cannot comprehend it.
I am the almighty, unlimited ruler of all worlds. What I say is not merely a command; it is an action—in other words, creation.
But My most important quality is My love. This love is with you always and everywhere.
For the sake of My love, I am present everywhere. My love always leads Me to wherever you are.
My omnipotence means that I protect and guide you wherever you allow Me to do so.
Nor can the reproach that I am intruding into your intimate sphere affect Me, because everything you think, say, and do is completely known to Me.
Because you must not forget: from the beginning of the world, you and I have been one.
Sexuality is the theme of this Age. Sexuality is such a major problem because your understanding of it is mistaken. You are completely unaware of the value of this divine energy. Therefore, you do not respect it. Those who do not respect sexuality ruin themselves for a long time.
This may sound pathetic, but it is a simple truth that you are reluctant to hear. Let Me tell you: you have many inner complexes regarding sexual matters, and your excessive sexual hunger is nothing other than compensation.
You have inner complexes because for centuries, also because of your karma, many bad teachers and leaders convinced you that sexuality was something bad.
Sexuality is a powerful divine energy that should be enjoyed. Those who are afraid of sexual feelings need to learn something.
What must be learned urgently is how to open your heart.
Changing partners is a false path.
Sexual life should be lived with one single partner, whom you identify with the Self. Offer him to God (7.I), and you will be blessed.
Satisfying your desire is completely natural—accepting that imagination is also involved here.
Therefore, be attentive with your imagination, so that it does not bind you to negativity. For negative actions can easily arise from negative thoughts.
This means: be faithful in your imagination as well.
Live by the axiom: one partner, one heart, one sexuality.
Then your sexuality will make you so happy that at the age of 60–65 you will be able to renounce it completely, freeing space within yourself for other energies.
This sounds paradoxical, but it is not—this needs to be repeatedly reminded to you: sexuality is not the goal, but only the path.
A devotee of Sri Sathya Sai Baba tells a story about the power of thought.
I was with Swami when a nearby forest caught fire, as the state was suffering from drought. My friends and I wanted to help.
"Swami thought for a few moments and said: “Repeat the Gayatri Mantra 108 times.”
I asked: “Swami, is there a purpose? Should I do this for a specific purpose?”
"Wholeheartedly and sincerely sympathize with this forest and its inhabitants, and chant the Gayatri for their well-being. Nothing for yourself.”
So I repeated the Gayatri Mantra 108 times, with a sincere prayer for the well-being of the forest’s inhabitants.
Then heavy rain began to fall. The fires were extinguished. The drought ended.
That day Swami told me: "You see, I told you. Even if one person, with sincere feelings, prays for the good of the world, it can change the karma of everyone.”
I learned two things from this:
- first, that God is helpless before the karmic laws of His own creation. He kept repeating: "What can I do? It is their karma. They killed animals, destroyed forests, and treated nature cruelly. They became selfish. What can I do?”
- second, what I learned was how to bypass the law of karma and make an exception. If someone prays to God for the good of others, this rule can be broken.
Swami said: "This is just an example. If you follow this path every day, if you perform some sadhana, some japa, some practice—not for yourself, but for the whole world—you cannot imagine what results you could achieve.”
Another incident.
Swami asked us to sing "Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu" (may all beings in all worlds be happy). In this way, it encompasses the entire Universe as a whole—not only this Earth, but all the worlds that exist within it, at all levels and dimensions.
The incident occurred a couple of years ago, when I was in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
One day Swami called me and said: "Repeat Samastha Loka Sukhino Bhavantu" and tell all your friends that they should also repeat "Samastha Loka Sukhino Bhavantu.”
I later learned that a huge tsunami was heading toward India’s eastern coast, and so, when He called me and gave this instruction, several of my friends and I began gathering together and chanting. Eventually, we learned that the threatening tsunami had stopped in the middle of the ocean, and the entire catastrophe had been prevented.
As soon as Swami asked us to stop chanting, out of sheer curiosity I asked Him: "Swami, did our chanting have anything to do with the approaching tsunami?”
He replied calmly: "Do not think that way. You prayed for everyone. Just be happy that you prayed for everyone. Why do you want to know what happened as a result of this prayer? Whether it produced results or was in vain is not your concern.”
If someone selflessly sits down and prays wholeheartedly: "I must help. This will do far more good than a hundred people acting wrongly, because Good has greater power.”
Many people misunderstand Me and think that I am fundamentally opposed to psychotherapy. The very generalization contained in such an assumption contradicts My nature.
Therefore, I want to draw a clear distinction: I reject any form of therapy, no matter what successes it may promise, if it is not connected with ethics and spirituality.
Using therapy without ethics is worse than using no therapy at all. Therapy without spirituality does not produce lasting success and therefore makes patients dependent on their therapists.
I support therapy connected with ethics and spirituality, because the Vedas have taught this for thousands of years. Because of their materially oriented perception of life, Western people are not able, as easily as Eastern people, to accept the spiritual path and thereby become involved in resolving psychological problems.
Not because this is compulsorily connected with any particular spiritual path, but because the difficulties have already appeared and have now come to the forefront as an inexorable truth. Pay attention to your spiritual development. Look after your physical and spiritual health. Beware of illusions. They inevitably lead to callousness and thereby delay your progress.
If you feel that you are constantly running into limitations, seek professional help. Ask Me to support you, and you will meet people from whom you will learn what you need to learn.
Sai Baba
Open your eyes to reincarnation.
If you do not know the karmic laws that directly affect you, you can never be satisfied on Earth.
Above all, the teaching of reincarnation can give you satisfaction, because it opens your eyes to the infinite love of God that embraces you.
The teaching of reincarnation allows you to recognize that God’s plan makes it possible for you, through many lives, in all kinds of places and always under different circumstances, to meet people with whom you fulfill your karma and therefore can learn something.
Also notice that it is characteristic of the ego not to believe in reincarnation. The ego resists this idea because it quite rightly reasons that, for the ego itself, there is no reincarnation. The ego appears in one life and perishes at its end. Therefore, the ego cannot believe in reincarnation. In contrast, the true Self has neither death nor birth. The Self always exists; it knows the many lives you have lived.
The closer you come to your Self, the more you are compelled to engage with your previous lives. This is a simple truth about your existence that you need to use to gain more knowledge about yourself. But you must never use this truth to reproach others for their blindness—in other words, their ego.
If you did so, you would automatically have no right to do it, because in that case you would have a greater ego than they do.
Sai Baba
Freedom is a decisive concept in human life.
A person loves their freedom and does everything in their power to retain or even expand it.
But in most cases, what they consider their freedom, on closer examination, turns out to be their prison. Many understand freedom as doing and allowing themselves everything they want—in other words, satisfying their desires as quickly and as fully as possible.
In other words: they want to be free in order to be slaves to their desires.
Desires have a tendency to become independent; in other words, to multiply more and more.
The so-called freedom becomes increasingly insignificant, while the cage grows ever narrower.
This truly sounds paradoxical: this is the path to greater freedom.
As you feel increasingly worse in confinement, sooner or later you realize that you are at a dead end. This process may continue for several lifetimes. But at some point, you feel a thirst for true freedom. Then you seek some deeply hidden truth and discover divine laws that promise that true freedom comes from renouncing the worldly and surrendering yourself to God.
Once you understand this truth, you gain more freedom.
But you are still not free, because you do not yet know who you are, where you come from, or where you are going. Therefore, at this time, you live according to laws determined by others.
Only when you have finished with dualism, with the distinction between yourself and God; only when you have renounced delusions and not only know, but have experienced, that the God according to whose laws you act is yourself, are you truly free.
Science is the golden calf of the Kali Yuga. In biblical times, cattle represented wealth, and therefore they were respected and even worshipped. Today, science and the technology associated with it have taken their place. Science has freed you from subordination to the Church. Science has extended your life. Science has brought you prosperity. By “you,” of course, I mean the population of the so-called industrialized countries. Others pay the bills for your prosperity and luxury. Slightly exaggerating, one could say: you live by the principle that it is better to live beautifully, richly, and healthily than miserably, poorly, and in sickness. You have prosperity. The rest have your waste. These are the two faces of science, typical of everything created by the intellect. The intellect is selfish and self-centered by nature. It thinks about itself in such a way that it simply fails to notice others. Therefore, you all calmly enjoy your wealth without feeling guilty. Quite the contrary: the more you think about yourselves, the more you can enjoy it. But these results of your “scientific revolution” contradict the order God desires. Therefore, this will not continue for long. The world, with all its treasures, belongs to everyone. The spirit of the new age is sharing. Justice is the essence of God, allowing everyone to enjoy prosperity. Regard every person as your brother or sister. Begin serving others today, wherever you can. This is the best service you can render both to others and to yourself.
Sai Baba
People ask themselves what God’s task is. And they seek an explanation.
My task is very easy to describe: to give, give, give.
I need nothing from either people or the world. I have not a single desire. In the fullest sense of the word, I am happy because I have no desires.
If I had any difficulties, they might lie in the fact that people always want to understand Me.
There is nothing in Me that can be understood. I am Ananda Svarupa, the embodiment of bliss.
Come to Me. Feel My closeness. Allow Me to open your heart, and without a single thought you will feel who I am.
Sai Baba
Whatever I desire comes to pass. There is no power that could oppose My will. No one can fight against Me and win.
With a movement of one hand, I can make the sky become Earth and Earth become sky. The entire Universe is in My hands. And yet you have free will.
But this will is truly free only when you want and do what is good. Whoever does evil is not free, but is a slave to their misguided desires.
If you do good out of fear that I or other people will judge you, then you are not free. However, through your good deeds you form positive karma for yourself, which allows you to grow.
Conversely, if you do good because your heart cannot do otherwise, you are free and exceptionally close to Me. You are free to desire, choose, and do what is good. This will free you from the chains that bind you to death and rebirth.
Sai Baba
Sayings of Sathya Sai Baba on Speech and Silence
Your speech should always be pleasant. Never utter harsh words. Speak gently and with love. That is why I so often tell you: “You cannot always be of service, but you can always speak politely.” Say what you need to say without harshness. Speak so quietly that only the person to whom your words are intended can hear them. This is the quiet and pleasant speech you should learn. Contemplating what is good, listening to what is good, and speaking about what is good lead to good thoughts. “As are your thoughts, so is the result.” Right thoughts lead to right actions. Without good thoughts, it is impossible to perform good deeds. Good thoughts cannot be gained merely by reading the Scriptures or listening to a teacher’s instructions. Only through your own efforts can you properly use your senses—hearing, taste, touch, smell, and sight. Only through your own efforts can you establish a proper spiritual practice.
Divine Discourse, April 28, 1999
Do not take part in arguments and debates. Believe Me, the one who shouts the loudest has not yet realized the Truth! Silence is the only language of one who has attained Self-Realization. Practice moderation in speech; it will help you in life. It will develop Divine Love, Prema, in you, for in most cases misunderstandings and conflicts arise because of carelessly spoken words. If you slip with your foot, you can heal the wound, but if the tongue “slips,” the wound inflicted on the heart will bleed throughout your life. The tongue is responsible for four major errors: telling lies, slander, looking for faults in others, and excessive talking. These must be avoided so that Peace may prevail in the individual and in society. If people speak little and pleasantly, it will strengthen their fraternal bonds. That is why the Scriptures prescribe that spiritual seekers observe the vow of silence, Mauna. This discipline is very important; it will help you at every stage of the spiritual path.
Divine Discourse, July 22, 1958
Knowledge of the power of love is the path to true happiness. Bliss is the true essence of a human being. Therefore, a person strives for knowledge. If the search for knowledge is directed toward the worldly, it inflates the activity of both the mind and the ego for a long time and leads to a dead end. True knowledge is directed toward God and manifests in such a way that it is recognized by the heart. This form of knowledge is “not in fashion” today, and “recognized” science values it very little. Yet it is the only knowledge that leads to lasting success. Real knowledge is successful because it goes from heart to heart. In many cases, it encounters hardly any resistance because it knows when, how, and where to act. Activity that comes from the heart is not noisy. Quite the contrary. In its expression, it is very restrained. So-called scientific knowledge loves sensations and uses every opportunity to make itself known. But, through the eyes of one who knows, this is precisely where the weakness of this knowledge must be recognized. Therefore, the farther you move away from your heart, the weaker and less effective your knowledge becomes, because it does not help you move forward. The human heart is the most precious diamond on Earth, so pure and strong that it can fill all other jewels with light. Love your heart. Love your love. Love all living things on Earth, and your life will become the purest blessing.
Sai Baba
Virtue is the true core of life. Socrates, who was wise—I would say, a holy man—taught: “Whoever knows goodness also does it.”
He understood the essence of life. You do wrong out of ignorance. You think it is possible to obtain something good without observing the divine laws, or even by violating them. These are delusions that lead to difficulties.
I arranged the world so that anyone who acts against My laws is always given an opportunity to learn. This is the meaning of karma.
Karma works as if you had written a business letter and presented it to your boss for proofreading. If he is a good boss, he will carefully point out your mistakes, which you will then need to correct.
The law of karma works exactly this way. You make a mistake, and in this life or some later one, you receive an indication of your mistake, and you can learn from it.
Karma is not a “terrible institution,” as some people think.
Karma is a marvel of precision; its entire meaning and purpose is to make you reflect.
And what do you need to learn? That you need to act well, because the entire Universe is woven from goodness like a high-quality carpet and, from the depths of its heart, is intended for you.
If people have something that ruins them, it is ignorance. It has the ability, with a single wave of the hand, to turn the best ideas, the most beautiful words, and the most successful works into a catastrophe.
Ignorance is the worst enemy a person can have. It is the cause of all other afflictions—arrogance, hostility, envy, pride, conceit, dishonesty, and the like. Ignorance inflates your false idea of yourself. It convinces you that you are exceptionally clever, refined, and superior to everyone.
Ignorance considers virtues unnecessary: sufficiency, restraint, patience, foresight, and wisdom it regards as qualities that may be useful to others, but only hold it back.
By this sign, you can recognize it—ignorance. For it persuades you to abandon the path that these important virtues show you. It assures you that you are superior to everyone and need to be guided by no one and nothing.
Engrave clearly in your mind that whenever you are tempted to think this way, your greatest enemy is at work.
Say “No!” to ignorance. Hold firmly to the path of knowledge, and victory will be yours in any case. Because where there is knowledge—in other words, a thirst for knowledge—I can always help you.
"You are all Avatars," declares Swami.
"The only difference between this Avatar (pointing to Himself) and these Avatars (pointing to the followers) is that the former possesses certain additional Powers."
On another occasion, when He was asked, "Swamiji, are You the Messiah who has come to Save us all?", He also said: "There is no
single Messiah. In reality, you are all Messiahs.
Here and now, you possess the Power to Save yourselves and also
to help others.
Live in God.
Fill the mind with God. Be God.
You are God. Realize it!"
