You may become the target of slander, insult, or disgrace; you may be plunged into poverty or suffering, but one who has surrendered himself to the Will of God will gladly welcome and calmly endure all this. The Lord will never abandon His children. Those devoted to God must show patience and composure in the most difficult situations. In reality, it is the pious and God-fearing who experience suffering and misfortune. And in order to teach humanity these great truths, Krishna staged this drama with the Pandavas in the leading roles. Every event in their lives is merely a scene in His play. In order to proclaim their deepest devotion and its power to the whole world, and also to present them as an example to follow in the approaching Kali Yuga, the Lord staged this moving drama. This intention of the Lord is its principal purpose.
We call many people our friends. But who is our true friend? As long as you have money in your pocket, or as long as your parents hold a high position in society, everyone will say to you, "Hello!" and treat you very well. If the situation changes and you find yourself without money, no one will even say to you, "Goodbye!" If a pond is full, all the frogs go to it. If it dries up, you will not find a single one! God, however, is not like that. He has a pond that is always filled with selfless love. In every situation, His pond is filled with the sweet nectar of love. Changes in your position, life situation, or status mean nothing to Him. Why do you neglect such a true friend and seek worldly, temporary, and false friends whose friendship is ephemeral and short-lived? Pray to win eternal friendship with God.
Sathya Sai Baba
(Divine Discourse "My Dear Students," volume 2, chapter 7, April 10, 2000)
- Baba
People make a great mistake by identifying themselves with the body. They accumulate a great many things to maintain their bodies and make them comfortable, even when the body becomes weak and frail with age. But can death be postponed? When Yama's messenger, the God of Death, arrives, everyone must depart for the other world. In the face of death, position, pride, and power all disappear. Knowing this, strive day and night, through purity of body, mind, and spirit, to realize the Higher Self. The body must be preserved as a means of attaining this goal. But remember that you are not this body, and this body cannot be you! Until the purpose for which you were given the body has been achieved, it is your duty to care for it attentively and protect it from harm and injury. In winter, woolen clothing helps one withstand the harsh, cold winds, while in summer it is removed. Likewise, the material body becomes unnecessary when the cold, stormy winds of material life no longer affect you in any way.
“Be absolutely certain that service is the greatest spiritual practice. There can be no more significant spiritual discipline than service. You should not seek to criticize or discuss the bad qualities of those around you. Criticizing other people is a very great sin. It is like an incurable disease. There is no remedy for it. The urge to criticize those around you is like cancer. Never criticize, comment on, or make remarks about other people. When we criticize those around us, we encounter numerous difficulties.
Refrain from criticism. You should not encourage the development of such qualities as criticism and violence within yourself. Develop the ability to contemplate and reflect on God. Fill your entire being with love and look at those around you with loving eyes. In this way, you will attain love for God and His love. Free yourself from the desire to criticize and hurt those around you. Otherwise, you will reap the fruits of the sin of criticism. And likewise, you will not be able to escape criticism from those around you.”
"Advaita through Seva," Volume 2, "Divine Discourses of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, November 19–24, 1987," pp. 9–10.
Worries and troubles of one kind or another are present in this world at all times: in the past, present, and future, during waking, dreaming, and sleep.
But with Faith in God and by performing your duties as an offering to the Lord, you will notice that all sorrows and suffering inevitably disappear!
Remember God with Gratitude at least 2–3 times a day. This will bring you great satisfaction and peace.
Do not abandon your worldly duties. Perform them with the name of God on your lips.
Do not become so involved in the affairs of others that you get caught up in them and are unable to free yourself.
Spend your time contemplating the beauty of Nature spread out before your eyes on earth and in the sky: beautiful green expanses, soothing and joy-bringing cool breezes, panoramas of colorful clouds, and the singing of birds. Constantly sing the Glory of God!
Do not speak with hatred, do not become angry, do not disturb the peace of the surrounding space with your cries and curses, and do not pollute the atmosphere with vengeful threats and boasting.
Sathya Sai Baba
Divine Discourse, September 2, 1958
Only human beings have the opportunity to free themselves from the cycle of birth and death, and they can do so through such a pleasant activity as serving God. But as a result of ignorance or, even worse, perversity and wickedness, a person allows this opportunity to slip from their hands and suffers continuously from sorrow and pain, fear and anxiety. Breaking free from the grip of attachment to worldly objects and sensual pleasures, a person can succeed in striving to attain liberation. They have followed the wrong path for long enough, and now it is time to turn away from it and move steadily straight toward the goal. The love they have developed for people and things must be transformed into pure worship of God. In this way, it will take the form of devotion (bhakti). Believe that the Lord dwells within you as the Charioteer holding the reins of the five horses—your senses—and that He is your constant adviser, just as He became Arjuna’s in response to his plea for guidance and enlightenment. Then it will be easier for you to realize that the same Charioteer guides all people and all other beings, protecting and instructing them. When you become firmly established in this Faith, you will be free from malice and hatred, greed and envy, anger and attachments.
Do not think about purity or impurity while engaging in any spiritual practice or meditation. There is nothing unworthy in the world. When the Lord is present everywhere and in everything, how can anything be impure? Even if something appears so to inner vision, at the moment it comes into contact with the Lord’s name, it is purified. Pay attention to this! If someone discovered a treasure while answering nature’s call, would they hesitate to take it because they were “impure” at that moment? The concepts of “purity” and “impurity” result from mental reactions at a particular moment in time. When you give money, you think about an auspicious day and a suitable hour. But when you receive money, any moment seems suitable to you. The mind is the cause of the perception of both. Likewise, no thoughts of purity or impurity will trouble you if you have unwavering faith in the love radiated by the Lord’s name!
BHAGAVAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA
“Dhyana Vahini,” Chapter 8.
“Gayatri is described as having five faces. The first is ‘Om.’ The second is ‘Bhur-Bhuvah-Svah.’ The third is ‘Tat Savitur Varenyam.’ The fourth is ‘Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi.’ The fifth is ‘Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat.’ In these five faces, Gayatri represents the five pranas (life energies). Gayatri is the protector of the five pranas in a person. ‘Gayantham trayate iti Gayatri’—she is called Gayatri because she protects the one who recites her. When Gayatri acts as the protector of the vital forces, she is known as Savitri. Savitri is known from the scriptures as a devoted wife who brought her husband, Satyavan, back to life. Savitri is the presiding deity of the five pranas. She protects those who live according to Truth. This is the inner meaning.
When a person’s intellect and intuition are developed through repetition of the mantra, the deity initiating this process is Gayatri. When the vital forces are protected, the guardian deity is called Savitri. When a person’s speech is protected, the deity is called Saraswati. Because of the protective roles of Savitri, Saraswati, and Gayatri with regard to life, speech, and intellect, Gayatri is described as ‘sarva-devata-svarupini’—the embodiment of all goddesses.”
Devotion is faith, steadfastness, virtue, fearlessness, renunciation, and the absence of selfishness. Carefully planned worship performed with an air of importance is merely a waste of time and energy. Why pluck flowers and hasten their death? Of course, you may walk around the temple, but when your feet carry you around the temple out of habit, your tongue chatters about other people’s shortcomings, the price of vegetables, or the dishes you are preparing for lunch. Circumambulations should not be performed as though they were an exercise prescribed to relax the limbs or for physical fitness. The senses must be restrained and transformed into obedient servants of the spirit. Before beginning your circumambulations, which you call pradakshina, offer your mind as dakshina (an expression of gratitude) to the Resident of the temple—the Lord. This is the first and perhaps the only thing that needs to be done.
Sathya Sai Baba
Divine Discourse, January 25, 1963
The ocean is a vast mystery. It is immeasurable and ancient as time itself. Its faces are fearsome; raging whirlpools and turbulent currents lie hidden in its depths. One should not even dream of crossing it from shore to shore without a strong, reliable boat. In the same way, a person needs a sturdy boat to cross the ocean of samsara. This ocean, too, is vast and full of mysteries. It has its own unexplored depths! It hurls a person from birth to death and from death back to birth; now it casts him into the abyss, now it lifts him to the crest of a wave; it brings upon him all kinds of illnesses and mortal dangers, frightens him with its monstrous inhabitants, such as greed, and draws the human mind into whirlpools of doubt.
To acquire a sturdy ocean-going vessel of God’s grace, one must develop faith and obedience and cleanse and clarify the impressions accumulated in the past (chitta). For this purpose, God has given human beings time as a gift. Therefore, a person is obliged to use it for purification and self-improvement. This process is aided by contemplating God’s glory, discovering His presence in the truth, beauty, and goodness visible everywhere in the world; meditating on His forms; and repeating His names. Purification and self-improvement must take place only against the background of a moral life and kindness toward all beings. Then the mind will become not only harmless but also a useful instrument on the spiritual journey and may provide great support. With the help of this purified mind, human nature can be transformed into the Divine: manava (human) can become Madhava (God Himself). For attaining this state and immersing oneself in the boundless ananda bestowed by Him is the purpose and right of everyone born as a human being.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XII. Discourses by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba (1973–1974), pp. 115–116
Excessive talking harms the mind.
“Fewer words — more happiness.”
To learn to control their speech, the ancients observed three types of vows of silence:
silence of the tongue (vak-maunam),
silence of the mind (mano-maunam),
and supreme silence (maha-maunam).
The first vow, verbal silence, or restraint of the tongue, means reducing speech to the minimum necessary in a given situation. This rule helped avoid unnecessary conversation. As a result, the power of speech was preserved and strengthened.
Restraint in speech also required truthfulness, since speech free from lies purifies thoughts.
By practicing this type of austerity, the people of ancient times came to understand truth (satya-siddhi) and attained supreme wisdom (jnana-siddhi).
It follows that purity of speech is extremely important. It can be achieved by training oneself to speak with restraint.
The second type of silence is silence of the mind.
The mind is a tangle of thoughts and fantasies. The number of thoughts in the mind should be gradually reduced. When there are fewer thoughts, the mind naturally begins to come under control: like a clock that has not been wound, it no longer “ticks.”
As the activity of the mind decreases, the power of Atman gradually reveals itself.
As a result, the intellect (buddhi) becomes more active than the sense organs that agitate the mind.
Once a person has learned to restrain speech and the mind, it becomes easy to attain the state of supreme silence.
Sathya Sai Baba. The Vedas — the Path of Life.
Discourses, 1994. Chapter 7
One of the fundamental rules of a virtuous life is the practice of silence. The voice of the Creator can be heard in the region of your heart only when the tongue falls silent. When the storm subsides, the waves become calm. Others will not feel the urge to shout when you speak to them in a whisper. Set the tone of the conversation yourself: keep it as low as possible, so that you are heard no farther than by those you are addressing. Treat sound with care; it is the treasure of the element of space (Akasha), an emanation of the Creator Himself. Reason can prevail only when arguments are not reinforced by raising the voice. Silence is the speech of a spiritual seeker. Gentle, tender speech is a sign of true love. Hatred shouts, fear shrieks, and vanity trumpets. But love sings lullabies; it soothes and applies balm. Practice the language of love; forget the language of hatred and contempt!
Above all, cultivate love for everything. This will destroy envy, anger, and hatred. God (Rama) and desires (kama) cannot coexist in the same heart. Trust gives rise to trust; love gives rise to love. When I speak to you with such Prema (Love), you cannot possibly develop any hatred toward Me! Prema makes the whole world one family. It is the greatest instrument of harmony and concord. A farmer plants grain and tends the seedlings with great care. He weeds, destroys pests, waters and fertilizes as needed, and waits for the day when he can harvest the crop and fill his granaries. In the same way, you must cultivate Prema and eradicate hatred and envy. Put on red glasses, and everything around you will appear red. Put on the glasses of Prema, and everything will be filled with love and goodness!
BHAGAVAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA
Divine Discourse, September 1, 1958.
Only when Yashoda saw that no matter which rope she took, it was never long enough to tie around Krishna’s body did she realize that He was God. In the same way, you will one day realize that any description of My Divine Glory (Mahima) falls short of the truth. However, if you studied the Shastras and became familiar with the descriptions of the Avatars of the Supreme, you could catch glimpses of the Truth about Me. There is no need for arguments and discord among you. Check and test everything through your own experience; then you will know the Truth. Do not speak until you have convinced yourself; remain silent until a decision has been reached and judgments have been made. Certainly, before you can attempt to assess the mystery, you should rid yourself of all that is bad within you. Then, when faith awakens, fence it around with discipline and self-control so that the tender shoots may be protected from goats and cows, that motley crowd of cynics and unbelievers. When your faith grows into a great tree, all these creatures will be able to settle in its shade.
BHAGAVAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA
Divine Discourse, February 23, 1958
Compassion toward all beings is the greatest virtue. Deliberately causing harm to any creature is the worst of sins. Remember this firmly. By showing compassion and mercy, spread love, share joy and happiness, and remain peaceful and cheerful. However, you experience neither joy nor peace mainly because your perception of the world is distorted and your mind is unsteady. Today, people look at the mistakes and shortcomings of others without noticing their own. Their ears delight in stories about the failures and weaknesses of others. At the same time, no attempt is made to see their own shortcomings and mistakes. First and foremost, you must examine yourselves and correct your shortcomings. For what you see in others is a reflection of yourselves—your views, preferences, and prejudices. Moreover, when your attention is focused only on the mistakes, shortcomings, vices, and misdeeds of others, your mind becomes polluted under their influence and begins to gravitate toward the same kind of experience.
Sathya Sai Baba
Divine Discourse, October 25, 1974
All creation is a manifestation of the one Brahman; there is no second. As soon as you realize this truth, the mind will disappear. You see diversity in this world only because you have contradictory thoughts. When a person realizes the unity underlying this diversity, there is “no mind.” Everything is Brahman.
Everything you see, hear, think, say, or do anywhere—all of it is Brahman. Contradictory thoughts arise only when there is a “second being.” But where there is only one—Brahman—there are no thoughts or contradictions. This is the state of amanaska, the state in which there is no mind. In this state, only love is present. And this love is the truth.
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 29
...One day after bhajans, we were all sitting around Him, making flower garlands.
He was stringing flowers along with us.
He made lovely, very full garlands.
Suddenly, He stood up and said: “Let’s go! Hurry! Mother Ganga is coming to visit us!”
He stopped at the main gate.
When the gate was opened, He stood in the middle, stretching His arms forward, and said: “Stay behind me. No one must step even an inch beyond my outstretched arms. Look, Ganga is rushing this way.”
With furious force, raising waves toward the heavens, the river thundered toward us, churning and frothing. It was already very close.
“Oh God! It will swallow us!” We were terribly frightened.
The river came right up to Swami. It touched the hem of His garment. We could see neither trees nor bushes—only the turbulent river waters.
Sai Maa stretched out His hands and touched the water.
The water beneath His hands instantly calmed and became still.
But beyond His outstretched arms, the current was still frighteningly swift.
Swami turned to us and said: “Bring flowers, coconuts, ground turmeric, and kumkum from the mandir.”
We honored the River Goddess by offering her flowers, kumkum, and turmeric powder.
But we were still very nervous. Swami broke the coconuts, offered them to Mother Ganga, and, holding His hands on the surface of the water, said: “We are very happy that you came to visit us. Now, please return, Ganga!”
As He said this, He gently stroked the waves with both hands.
Trembling and becoming calm beneath His tender touch, the river receded.
We could not believe our eyes: there was no sign of water anywhere!
Not a single drop remained on the ground!
Swami’s clothes were completely dry as well.
Amazing! Inconceivable!
It disappeared as suddenly as it had come.
How wonderful it was when the river stopped before Swami, as though it had struck an invisible wall!
We were completely stunned. Since Swami was still standing motionless, we were afraid that the river might return, but the Director of Magical Mysteries laughed loudly and pointed to His feet. A garland of jasmine flowers was wrapped around His small, delicate feet!
He picked it up and handed all the flowers to us.
They were extraordinarily large, each flower the size of a rose and softer to the touch than down…
No matter how hard we tried to understand this miracle, it remained a mystery to us...
Through constant reflection, you must realize that the world is the body of God, and you are a cell in that body. The prosperity of the world is your prosperity. Feel this, act in this spirit, and think within these bounds—this is True Spirituality. A spiritual seeker (sadhak) cannot separate himself from the world and hide in solitude, for the world will follow him into the deepest cave and the densest forest. A sadhak can expect to advance along the Spiritual path only when he becomes firmly established in Faith in the Unity of all existence. All objects and all beings are merely waves on the surface of the Boundless, Infinite, Eternal ocean of Divinity. All waves belong to the ocean and owe their existence to it. Therefore, you are inseparably connected with everything that exists in this world.
We say: “This is my wife,” “this is my son,” “this is my daughter-in-law,” and so on. All these are illusory, bodily relationships. They are acquired, not given by God. Likewise, God does not give you either pain or joy. All this is merely your own creation.
They arise because of your attachment to the body. As long as you are attached to the physical body, you will experience pain. As soon as this physical body is consigned to the fire, nothing will remain of you. Atman, “I,” the Higher Self—all these are different names given to one and the same atmic principle. The individual begins to identify himself with the body, thereby giving rise to Ahamkara-ego. That is why Jesus taught that in order to become God, one must put a cross through one’s little “I.”
Sathya Sai Baba
Prashanti Nilayam, 01/01/2009
SSG vol. 42, ch. 1
"Not believing in the existence of past lives is not only foolish,
but also heartless.
But the worst thing about this is that it creates a completely false conception of God.
Can you imagine that I would be so cruel as to condemn any soul to destruction, and eternal destruction at that?
How could that be reconciled with My Infinite Love?
You are Me, and I am you.
Why would I want to lose any part of My Self?
This is impossible.
Everyone will be SAVED.
This is what I have always repeated.
And I stand unshakably by My words.
Believe this firmly.
In any case, I will lead you to Liberation.
Do not be frightened by the harshness that you sometimes see, hear, or even experience in the World.
All of it will be repaid tenfold.
Without suffering, your Heart would remain closed.
Without your suffering, you would be the greatest enemy to others, and especially to yourself.
Now you ask: "But why must the World be so harsh? Could God not have arranged everything differently?"
The answer is: no!
God has no other choice as long as human beings have Free Will.
Free Will requires that a person learn through suffering. Free Will, which no person would want to give up, means that one can and wants to learn not from lessons, but solely from what has happened to them and what they have experienced.
God must fulfill a person's wishes, because if He intervened, Free Will would be nothing more than empty words, an empty sound, and smoke.
But so that everyone has the opportunity to learn from their mistakes, there are Reincarnation and the law of Karma.
In this way, everyone has the opportunity to learn precisely what they need to learn.
And this remains so even though a person may be limited in their freedom. Therefore I can say that everyone will be Saved, and that the plan of Creation is perfect.
And that everyone is a hostage of My Love."
