1008 Pearls of Sayings of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
1008 Pearls of Sayings of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
From 101 to 200
101
THE Gita was Arjuna and Krishna, though Krishna supplemented it with
Captious explanations of why and wherefore. Arjuna admitted that he
was a profaner. He had to surrender to His Wait, so that there was
no need for Krishna to argue with him. He was convinced of the
correctness of His command. Still, in order that Arjuna might fight
with a full heart, He gave him the reasons, which supported the
course that He laid down for him. I too want you to know why I
designed it so you should act in a particular manner, and I do not
like you to behave in another manner.
102
BISHMA was a Bhakta and by winning the Lord's Grace he was clothed
with more Majesty and splendour than any early emperor. What majesty
has these scepter-holders? They cannot claim to have inner peace,
inner joy, they know not the joy of sharing love with all. Bhishma
surrendered to the Lord when He challenged him with the su-darsana
(Vishnu), that is to say, when He offers su (good) dharsana (vision)
one must be wise enough to surrender, give up all, that is what
Bhishma did.
103
ARJUNA exclaimed Krishna as the Omnipresent, Omnipotent and
Omniscient God, when the foe was defeated day after day. But when
his son Abhimanyu was killed in the conflict he raved in the grief
that Krishna had not guided him properly and guarded him
efficiently. His mind wavered with every wind of fortune. To many
the mind is the master of the intellect also. One must be vigilant
and preserve the impartiality of instrument called Reason of
Intellect. Clarify reason, then it will reveal God everywhere, even
in you once you accept God as the core of the universe, and you have
that strong and steady faith.
104
FILL every moment with energy enthusiasm and effort. The Epics teach
you how to succeed in this. The Mahabharatha describes how and when
every other of the hundred Kauravas died. The eldest Duryodhana was
challenged by Bhima to meet him in a duel, when at last he fell on
the ground; Bhima struck his head with his foot in order to add
insult to injury. Duryodhana's pride was hurt, a Kshatriya, such as
he, could not pass that insult by. He retorted even when he was
dying. Do not exult that you have done some big heroic act by
tramping on my head! In a few seconds dogs and vultures will be
doing that act. It does not require a hero to plant his foot on a
dying man. You dared not do this when I was capable of hitting back,
you coward! That kind of awareness of one's potentialities and quick
response to all happenings must be present in you too. Heroism
gushed out even when he was passing away!
105
KRISHNA, whose advent you should celebrate, is not the cowherd boy
who charmed the village folk with His flute, but Krishna the
indefinable inscrutable Divine Principle that is born in the navel
of the body (Mathura) as the product of Divine Energy (Devaki) that
is then transported to the Mouth (Gokulam) and fostered by the
Tongue (Yashoda) as its source of sweetness. Krishna is Yashoda
gained the Visualization of the Atma that the repetition of the Name
grants, the vision; you must foster that Krishna on your tongue.
When He dances on it, the poison of tongue will be ejected
completely, without harming anyone as happened when as a child He
danced on the hoods of the serpent Kalinga.
106
PURITY of motive is the best guarantee that you will have Peace. An
uneasy conscience is a tormenting compassion. Righteous action will
have no bad effects, to disturb your sleep or health.
If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be
beauty in character;
If there is beauty in character, there will be harmony
in the home;
When there is harmony in the house, there will be
order in the nation;
When there is order in the nation, there will be peace
in the World.
So, be righteous; avoid all prejudices against others on the basis
of caste, creed, colour, mode of worship, status, or degree of
affluence. Do not look down upon any one; look upon all as Divine as
you really are.
107
ALL Faiths are inter-related and mutually indebted to each other for
the principles they teach and the disciplines they recommend. The
Vedic Religion was the first in time; Buddhism, which appeared about
2500 years ago, was its son; Christianity, which was influenced much
by the Orient, was its grandson. And Islam, which has the Prophets
of Christianity as its base, was the great grandson. All have Love
as the Fundamental Discipline of the Mind in order to chasten it and
merge man with the Divine.
108
VINAYAKA is called the child of two mothers, Gowri and Ganga. You
are the pet children of four mothers, each of you; Sathya, Dharma,
Shanti and Prema. Do not ridicule them by your act. Honour them and
be grateful to them. Do not claim "Anyaya" (Injustice), "Akrama"
(Indiscipline), and "Asathya" (Falsehood and "Anachara" (Evil
behaviour) as your mothers Instead, expand your heart, taking in all
humanity into the circle of your kin, even the birds, beasts, worms,
and insects, trees and plants. The Vedic Prayer asks that the
aspirant's heart may be expanded "Brhathe Koromi" - I make myself
Vast! The vastest is "Brahman" which comes from the same
root, "brh", to enlarge.
109
I EAT as you do, move about as you do, talk in your Language and
behave as you can recognise and understand, for YOUR sake - not for
My sake! I turn you towards the Divine, winning your confidence,
your love, your submission, by being among you, as one of
yourselves, one whom you can see, listen to, speak to, touch and
treat with reverence and devotion. My plan is to transmute you into
Seekers of Truth (Sathya-anveshko). I am present everywhere at all
times; My will must prevail over every obstacle; I am aware of the
past, present and future of your innermost thoughts and carefully
guarded secrets. I am "Sarvatharyami", "Sarva Shakti"
and "Sarvajna". Nevertheless, I do not manifest these powers in any
capricious manner or merely for display. For I am an example and an
inspiration, whatever I do or omit to do. My Life is a commentary on
My Message.
110
LOVE must be manifested as Service or Seva. Seva must take the form
of food for the hungry, solace for the forlorn, consolation for the
sick and the suffering. Jesus was himself out in such Seva. The
heart full of compassion is the temple of God. Jesus pleaded at the
sight of the poor. Jesus is worshipped but His teachings are
neglected. Sai is being worshipped but His teachings are neglected.
Everywhere pomp, pageantry, hollow exhibitionism and Lectures,
Lectures and Lectures! No activity, no love, no seva. Heroes while
lecturing are Zeros while putting what is said into practice.
Develop Compassion. Live in Love. Be Good, Do Good and See Good.
This is the way to God.
111
THE nature we have around us and with us is the vesture of God. We
have evidence of His Beauty, Goodness, Wisdom and Power all around
us; wherever we turn our eyes. But the art of recognising Him is
strange to us and so we deny Him and live on in darkness. We have
all around us, in the atmosphere, the music emanating from all the
Broadcasting Stations of the World, but they do not assail your ear
at any time. You are not aware of any Station; but, if you have a
receiver and if you tune it to the correct wavelength, you can hear
the matter broadcast from any Station; if you fail to tune it
correctly, you will get instead of news only nuisance! So too, the
Divine is everywhere above, around, below and beside, near as well
as far. For cognising it, you require not a "Yantra" (machine) but
a "Mantra" (mystical formula potent with a psychological undertone).
Concentration of Dhyana is the fixing of the exact location of the
Station in the Band; Love is the correct tuning in; realising the
Reality and the Bliss it confers is the happy clear listening!
112
THE Divine is a wine that would intoxicate you. The nectar that the
Name of the Lord is saturated in produces it. Taste it and you
forget everything else; you are transformed. Man is, they say, a
monkey that has lost its tail; well, he must lose many more
attributes of the monkey before he is entitled to call himself Man.
He must dedicate his thought, word and deed to God and surrender to
His Will. Then only is this animal entitled to become a Man in whom
the Divine is enshrined.
113
THE body is the ball filled with the air of Divinity; it is kicked
in play by six players on the side (the six foes: Lust, Anger,
Greed, Attachment, Pride and Hate); and six on the other (the six
friends: Truth, Right, Peace, Love, Compassion and Fortitude); the
goal-posts are on each side, and if the ball is hit so that it
passes through them, they achieve "Dharmavidya" (Moral attainment)
and victory. Or else, their kick results in an "out"! Learn to speak
what you feel, act what you speak; do not allow them to be at cross-
purposes. Man, with the feelings of a demon fuming with hate,
engages in fighting, holds Peace Conferences and prides himself on
his Plans for Peace! Transform the heart into a Tabernacle of Peace,
then Conferences to deceive oneself and others become unnecessary.
What can mere talk achieve?
114
DISCIPLINE trains you to put up with disappointments; you will know
that the path of life has both ups and downs, that every rose has
its thorn. Now, people want roses without thorns, life has to be one
saga of sensual pleasure picnic all the time. When this does not
happen, you turn wild and start blaming others. If each one cares
for his own pleasures, how can Society progress? How can the weak
survive? Mine, not thine, this sense of greed is the root of all-
evil; this distinction is applied even to God! - My God, not yours!
Your God, not mine!
115
GOODNESS, compassion, and tolerance: through these three paths, one
can see the Divinity in one-self and others. Softness of heart is
condemned by people today as weakness, cowardice, and want of
intelligence. The heart has to be hardened, they say, against pity
and charity. But that way lies war, destruction, and downfall. Love
confers lasting happiness and peace. Sharing can reduce grief and
multiply joy. Man is born to share, to serve, to give and not to
grab. When you have faith in God as a precious truth in the altar of
your heart, you will welcome, with equal alacrity, the blows and
blossoms of fortune.
116
HAVING come to this place and availed yourselves of this
opportunity to treasure in your hearts the things you have seen and
heard, resolve to plunge into a practice of them. Your resolution
and your practice must happen simultaneously. Have a master plan and
start from tomorrow the execution of the program, drawn in
consultation with others. This must happen in all countries. Do not
think that only the Andhra State is Sai's. All are Sai's. All are
one. We must endeavor by all means to realise and establish this
Truth in this Kali Yuga. This is the message I am giving you today.
I am fulfilling all your desires. So you must fulfill this one
desire of Mine. I bless that you have long life, good health,
Ananda, Peace and Prosperity; and that you will dedicate your
physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual strength and skills for
the service of the country and of all mankind.
117
THERE are some ignorant persons who laugh at "Bhajans" and other
acts of worship and consider them a waste of valuable time. Those
persons might laugh at your pouring bags of paddy seeds on a slushy
field and condemn that act too as waste of valuable food-material.
But you know that, for every bag of paddy-seed, Mother Earth will
give back grain tenfold or even twenty fold, in a few weeks. Time
spent in contemplation of God or adoration of the Divine is indeed
well spent, for it rewards you with a rich harvest of mental peace
and courage.
118
WHEN Jesus was emerging as the Supreme Principle of Divinity, he
communicated some news to his followers. The statement of Christ is
simple. (He, who sent me among you, will come again) and he pointed
to a lamb. The lamb is merely a symbol, a sign. It stands for the
voice BA-BA. The announcement was "The Advent of BABA". - "He will
wear a robe of red, a blooded robe". He will be short, with a crown
(of hair). The lamb is a sign and symbol of Love. Christ did not
declare that he would come again, he said, "He, who made me, will
come again". That BABA is the Baba; and Sai, the short curly hair
crowned, red-robed Baba has come.
119
MANY believe that a pilgrimage to holy places is conductive to
spiritual progress. They journey to Tirupathi, Rameswaram, Badrinath
or Amarnath and pray for the removal of their mundane troubles. They
vow to remove their hair if, through Divine intervention, they win a
prize in the State Lotteries, as if God is in need of hair. This
trick of bargaining is only cheating oneself in an attempt to cheat
God. Do not pray to God for wealth or fame, positions of power or
for the fruits of your actions. The genuine seeker will pray for
nothing else but God.
120
HUMAN lives are now passing on and on, filth over filth, bent,
broken, diseased, distressed and disheartened. To enrich their lives
and to make the human heritage worthwhile, I have come, I am
evincing all this enthusiasm to teach you the prayer attitude to
Seva, for Love expresses itself as Seva, Love grows through Seva,
and Love is begun in the womb of Seva. And God is Love. The Avatar
is a Child to the children, a Boy to the Boys, a Man among men, a
Woman among women, so that the Avatar's message might reach each
heart and receive enthusiastic response as "Ananda". It is the
compassion of the Avatar that prompts His every action.
121
HAVE no thorn of hate in your mind. Develop Prema towards all.
Desire is a storm; Greed is a whirlpool; Pride is a precipice.
Attachment is an avalanche; Egoism is a volcano. Keep these things
away, so that you can do Japa or Dhyana; they do not disturb the
Equanimity. Let Love be enthroned in your heart. Then there will be
sunshine and a cool breeze and the gurgling waters of contentment
feeding the roots of faith.
122
THE title "Sathyam Sivam Sundaram" is full of meaning. It speaks of
HE, imminent in every one of you. Sathyam is the basic reality of
you all; that is why you resent being called a liar. The real "you"
is innocent, you will not accept an imputation that is false. The
real "you" is joy, happiness, and auspiciousness. It is not Savam
but Sivam; it is Subham, Nithyam, and Anandam. How then can you bear
being called ugly? The Atma has got entangled in the body, which it
does not like; it is weighed down by shame, when you identify it
with the body and attribute to it the weaknesses and deficiencies of
that physical vehicle.
123
I NEVER speak through another; I never possess another or use
another as a vehicle of expression. I come direct, I come straight,
I come, as I am to confer Peace and Joy. I do not accept from you
flowers that fade, fruits that rot, coins that have no value beyond
the national boundary. Give Me the Lotus that blooms in your Manasa-
Sarovar, the clear, pellucid waters of the lake of your inner
consciousness. Give Me the fruits of holiness and steady discipline.
I am above all this worldly etiquette, which enjoins you to see
elders with some fruit or flower in your hand. My World is the World
of the Spirit; there, values are different. If you are happy with
faith in God and fear of sin, that is enough "Service",
enough "Kainkaryam" for Me. It pleases Me so much.
124
YOU must speak soft and sweet words to everyone. Do you like the
voice of the crow? No, you drive the crow away when it starts to
caw; its speech is harsh, it is too loud for your ears. You must
have heard the Koel, the cuckoo, haven't you? That bird looks very
much like the crow; it grows in the nest of the crow with the baby
crows; the mother crow, along with her own kids, feeds it. But no
one will throw a stone at a "Koel"; every one likes to hear its
sweet voice. Speak soft and sweet; then every one will like you.
125
NO service is too low or mean; every emergency is immediately
noticed and attended to. They need not be sorry that during those
days they had no time to sit for Dhyana or do Japa or even to go out
on Nagarsankirtan! Why? You can have the Name on the lips, when you
sweep the streets or lift a corpse in the morgue or when you walk
towards or away from the area of distress. People may dub you mad!
But be elated that you are not affected by the insanity they suffer
from!
126
THE mind plays many tricks with you, the chief of which is to foster
the ego and hide the Prompter and the Power within. You must have
heard of an Accountant in the Court of the King of Death,
Chitragupta, by name. He maintains a Register of the good and the
bad deeds done by each living being, and on death, he brings the
book to the Court and strikes the balance between debit and credit.
Yama, the king, then meets out the punishment that can expiate and
educate. This Chitragupta has his Office in the mind of man, all the
time, awake and alert. The word means the secret picture; what he
does is to picture all the secrets from promptings that blossom into
activity; he notes the warning signals as well as the occasions when
those signals were ignored or wantonly disregarded. You must see
that the warning of the Divine against the merely human or even the
bestial inclination is heeded.
127
YOU have the chance to see, experience and be sanctified by the
incarnation of the Lord; this chance you have received as a result
of the accumulation of merit in many previous lives. That merit has
brought you here when I came down. For this chance, Rishis and Devas
have prayed long in the past. Having won this chance, strive to
taste the sweetness and achieve the Bliss of Merging without wasting
even a single moment. The rays that emanate from Me are of three
grades: the "Sthula", filling this Prashanthi Nilayam;
the "Sukshma", pervading the Earth; and the "Karana", covering the
entire Universe. The people who have the privilege of living in this
Prashanthi Nilayam are indeed lucky, for they are nearest to
the "Kiran" (rays). The "Sthulakirana" makes a man a "Sadhaka";
the "Sukshma" makes him a "Mahatma"; and "Karana" converts him into
a "Paramahamsa".
128
I NEVER deviate from Truth. Since I recline on Truth, I am called
Sathya Sai; Sayi (as Seshasayi) means reclining. The name is very
appropriate, let me assure you. It is only those, who fail to follow
My instructions and deviate from the path I lay down, that fail to
get what I hold out before them. Follow My instructions and become
soldiers in MY army; I will lead you on to victory. When someone
asks you in great earnestness "where the Lord is to be found", do
not try to dodge the question. Give them the answer that rises up to
your tongue from your heart. Direct them. He is here in Prashanthi
Nilayam. All Avatars teach, as the first step in the long road
of "Sadhana", the giving up of attachment. In the Thretha Yuga, the
Yoga-Vasistha taught the same rule. In the Dwapara Yuga, Krishna
taught Arjuna to give up Vishaya-Vasana, attachment to the objective
world. People utter with apparent faith, "Krishna, Krishna,
Krishna", but they never give up "Thrishura" (Thirst) for worldly
goods or fame. In each Yuga, you have the Avatar of the Lord come to
redeem, review and rebuild. At the present time, Maha Shakti,
Mayasakthi, and Yogasakthi have come all together in One Human Form.
Your endeavor should be to draw near and earn Grace therefrom.
129
WHAT is the immortal part of man? Is it the wealth he has
accumulated, the residences he has built, the physique he has
developed, the wealth he has acquired and the family he has reared?
No, all that he has done, developed or earned are destroyed, he has
to leave them all to the ravages of time. He cannot take with him
even a handful of earth, the earth he loved so much. If only the
dead could take with them a handful each, the earth would have
become so scarce that it should have been rationed by now! Discover
the Immortal "I" and know that it is the spark of God in you; live
in the companionship of that vast measureless Supreme and you will
be rendered vast and measureless. Consider all objects that you
collect here as given on "Trust" to be used in this caravanserai
during your pilgrimage in this Karuna Kshetra.
130
UNLESS you brighten your vision with Love, you cannot see the Truth.
Love helps you to see God in everyone and everyone as Divine. The
Jagath is not false, it is not a trap; it is the splendour of God,
His reflection. He reflected and the Jagath happened! It is His own
substance, manifesting as multiplicity, as latent or potent energy-
matter. When activity is in accordance with awareness that is
befogged or belittled, dried up or deluded, there Dharma is decadent
and the Avatar appears among men!
131
EVERY one must learn the secret of happiness, which consists in
refusing to shed tears for anything less than God. You have won this
human body, this human life, as the reward for many lives spend in
acquiring merit. You have won this chance, this unique good fortune
of being able to get Darshan of Sai. Plunging deep into the waters
of this tumultuous ocean of Samsar, you have heroically emerged from
its depths, with this rare Pearl in your hands - the Grace of Sai.
Do not allow it to slip from your clasp and fall into the depths
again. Hold firmly on to it. Pray that you may have it forever and
be filled with the joy that it confers. This is the way by which you
can render this life fruitful.
132
UTILISE the World as the means to an end; do not desire to stay in
it. It is a caravanserai, where you can rest a while during your
pilgrimage to the source. It is a bridge wide and strongly built.
Can any pilgrim build a house there on for himself? The Cosmos is
changing constantly. The minutes that are past cannot be retrieved,
even if tempted by a billion rupees. The past is not ours any more;
the present slips from our grasp; and the future is uncertain. You
come naked into the world, you go out of it without informing the
survivors of the address where you can be contacted. In spite of
this, attachment grows and you cultivate bounds. This is the great
illusion.
133
THE grace of God cannot be won through the gymnastics of reason, the
contortions of Yoga or the denials of Asceticism. Love alone can win
it; Love that needs no requital; Love that knows no bargaining; Love
that is paid gladly as a tribute to the All Loving; and Love that is
unwavering. Love alone can overcome obstacles, however many and
mighty. There is no strength more effective than Purity, no bliss
more satisfying than Love, no joy more restoring than Bhakti and no
triumph more praiseworthy than Surrender.
134
HIN means "Hinsa" (Violence) and "du" means "dura" (distant); so
HINDU means a person who is devoid of violence, who loves and
sympathizes, who helps and serves - not one who hides and hits,
harms and draws blood. The same sky is over everyone's head; the
same earth supports everyone's feet; the same air enters everyone's
lungs! The same God brought all forth, brings up all and brings
about the end of this earthly career. Why then this inhuman role of
foe and fanatic; of fight and feud?
135
I AM the embodiment of Love; Love is My Instrument. There is no
creature without Love; the lowest loves itself at least. And
its "self is God". So, there are no atheists, though some might
dislike Him or refuse Him, as malarial patients dislike sweets or
diabetic patients refuse to have anything to do with sweet! Those
who preen themselves, as atheists will one day, when their illness
is gone, relish God and revere Him.
136
STRUGGLE to realise the Atma, to visualise God; even failure in this
struggle is nobler than success in other worldly attempts. The
buffalo has horns; the elephant has tusks, but what a difference? To
live in the body, with the body, for the body is the life of a worm;
to live in the body with God is good, for God is the life of man.
The dull, activity-hating Tamasic persons have ego and their love is
limited to their kith and kin. The Rajasic, active, passionate
persons seek to earn power and prestige and love those who will
contribute to these. But the Satwic, the pure, the good and
equanimity-filled love all as embodiments of God and engage
themselves in humble service.
137
THERE are three types of approaches towards the Lord; the Eagle
type, which swoops down on the target with a greedy swiftness and
suddenness which, by its very impact, fails to secure the object
coveted; the Monkey type, which flits hither and thither, from one
to another, unable to decide which is tasty; and the Ant type which
moves steadily, though slowly towards the object which it has
decided is desirable. The ant does not hit the fruit hard and makes
it fall away; it does not pluck all the fruits it seeks; it
appropriates just as much as it can assimilate and no more. Do not
fritter away the time allotted to you for sojourning on the earth in
foolish foppery and fanciful foibles, which always keep you
outdoors. When are you to walk indoors into the warmth and quiet of
your own interior? Retire into solitude and silence now and then;
experience the joy derivable only from them.
138
WHAT is the sanctity of Shivaratri? Your answer, "Linga emerges from
Swami's Udara (abdomen)". "Today is the fourteenth day of
the dark of the month, when the moon is all but invisible, just a
minute fraction remains visible to man. The mind is the source of
all the entangling desires and emotions. The mind is, therefore,
almost powerless this day; if only this night is spent in vigil and
in the presence of the Divine, it can be fully conquered and man can
realise his freedom. Vigilance this night is to be secured
by "Sadhana", this is by means of "Bhajan" or the reading of sacred
texts.
139
RAMA, Krishna and Sai Baba appear different because of the dress
each has donned, but it is the self same Entity, believe Me. Do not
be misled into error and loss. The time will soon come when this
huge building or even vaster ones will be too small for the
gatherings of those who are called to this place. The sky itself
will have to be the roof of the Auditorium of the future. I will
have to forego the car and even the airplane when I move from place
to place, for the crowds pressing around them will be too huge; I
will have to move across the sky; yes that too will happen, believe
Me.
140
SEE all as Narayana Swarupa and worship all with Prema. You can
understand even My nature only when you wear the glasses of
Holiness. Holy things can be cognised only by the Holy Seeker. You
get what you search for; you see what your eyes crave for. The
doctor is found where patients gather; the surgeon stays in the
operation ward; so too, the Lord is ever with the suffering and
struggling. Whenever people cry out in agony "Oh God", there God
will be.
141
YOU very often condemn the mind as a monkey; but take it from Me, it
is far worse. The monkey leaps from one branch to another; but the
mind leaps from the heights of the Himalayas to the depths of the
sea, from today to tens of years ago. Tame it by the process of
Naamasmarana. Make it as Ramdas did into a Bhadrachalam, a stable
and steady mountain. That is the task I assign to you. Make your
heart an Ayodhya by means of Ramanama; Ayodya means a city that can
never lie captured by force. That is your real nature: Ayodhya;
Badrachala. Forget this and you are lost. Install Rama in your
heart; and then no outer force can harm you.
142
THINGS are not so important; the transcendental truth of things is
of value. You must visualise the spiritual in the material, the gold
in the jewels, the Divine in the diversity of character and conduct
and seek to know the Atma. All are equal in birth and in death.
Differences arise only during the interval. The Emperor and the
beggar are both born naked; they sleep equally silently; they bow
out without even leaving their new address. Then how can their
reality be different? There can be no doubt on this score. All are
basically the same.
143
LISTEN to Me. When you wake up, feel that you are entering the stage
to play the role assigned to you by the Lord; pray that you may act
it well and earn His approbation. At night, when you retire to
sleep, feel that you are entering the green-room after the scene,
but with the dress of your role on; for perhaps the role is not yet
over and you have not yet been permitted to take the dress off.
Perhaps, you have to make another entrance the next morning. Do not
worry about that. Place yourself fully at His Disposal; He knows; He
has written the play and He knows how it will end and how it will go
on; Yours is but to act and retire.
144
WHEN the mind of man is unattached to the ups and downs of life, but
is able to maintain equanimity under all circumstances,
then even physical health can be assured. The mental firmament must
be like the sky, which bears no mark of the passage through it of
birds or planes or clouds. Illness is caused more by malnutrition of
the mind than of the body. Doctors speak of Vitamin deficiency; I
will call it the deficiency of Vitamin G, and I will recommend the
repetition of the Name of God, with accompanying contemplation of
the glory and grace of God. That is the Vitamin G. That is the
medicine; regulated life and habits are two thirds of the treatment,
while the medicine is just one third only.
145
CARRY on your highest duty - following the four F's:
Follow the Master;
Face the Devil;
Fight to the End; and
Finish the Game.
Then you win My love in full measure. Love is My highest Miracle.
Love can make you gather the affection of all mankind. Love will not
tolerate any selfish aim or approach, Love is God. Live in Love.
Then all is right; all can be well. Expand your heart so that it can
encompass all. Do not narrow it down into an instrument of
restricted one.
146
THE tongue is the armour of heart; it guards one's life. Loud talk,
long talks, wild talk, and talk full of anger and hate; all these
affect the health of man. They breed anger and hate in others; they
wound; they excite; they enrage; they estrange. Why is silence said
to be golden? The silent man has no enemies, though he may not have
friends. He has the leisure and the chance to delve within himself
and examine his own faults and failings. He has no more inclination
to seek them (fault) in others. If your foot slips, you sustain a
fracture; if your tongue slips, you fracture some one's faith or
joy. That fracture can never be set right; that wound will fester
forever. Therefore, use the tongue with great care. The softer you
talk, the less you talk and the sweeter you talk, the better for you
and the World.
147
BIRTH is the consequence of "Kama" (desire, lust); Death is the
consequence of "Kala" (Time, the lapse of Time). The God of Desire
(Kama) was reduced to ashes by Shiva; the God of Time is Kala or
Yama. He was subdued by sin. So, one has to surrender to Siva (God)
if one has to escape the consequences of these two frightfully fatal
forces. If between "Kama" and "Kala" you take refuge in Rama, then
you can escape the rigour. For Rama is the Atma who has no "Kama"
and is unaffected by "Kala".
148
WHEN you seek to learn swimming, you will have to enter the water
and struggle with the strokes. When Bhasma (Vibuthi) is given, doubt
haunts some people whether Swami is wishing that the recipient
should be a Saivite! It is a symbol of the indestructible basic
substance, which every being is. All things become ash; but ash
remains ash, however much you may burn it. It is also a sign of
renunciation, of sacrifice and of "Jnana", which burns all "Karma" -
consequently into ineffective ash. It is a sign of Iswara and I
apply it on your brow to remind you that you too are Divine. It is a
valuable "Upadesh" about your identity. It also reminds you that the
body is liable any moment to be reduced into a handful of ash. Ash
is a lesson in detachment and renunciation.
149
THE river of human life meanders along, through many a valley, leaps
over many a cliff, loses itself in many a marsh and seeks to empty
itself in the ocean of Divine Grace; though, what happens is that it
falls into the undrinkable expanse of salt. The flood flows from the
heights to the depths; only the flames of fire do ever rise from the
depth to the heights. That is why we speak of "Jnanagni", the Fire
of Wisdom of Realisation. Man suffers because he has developed
hunger as vast as the sky, with a throat as narrow as a needle. His
throat must become as vast as the earth; his heart must blossom wide
through Shanti and Sahana; that is through equanimity and fortitude.
Then the desire of man for full lasting undiluted "Ananda" can be
attained.
150
LIFE on earth is as on the ocean, ever restless with the waves of
joy and grief, of loss and gain, the swirling currents of desires
and the whirlpools of passion, greed and hate. To cross the ocean,
the only reliable raft is a heart filled with the Love of God and
Man. Man is born for a high destiny, as the inheritor of a rich
heritage. He should not fritter away his days in low pursuits and
vulgar vanities. His destiny is to know the Truth, live in it and
for it. The Truth alone can make man free and happy. If he is not
prompted by this high purpose, life is a waste and a mere tossing on
the waves, for the sea of life is never calm.
151
OUR car is not meant to be kept as showpiece in a glass garage. It
is meant for the roads, for taking you fast and safe to the place
where you want to go. So too, your body must serve the purpose of
your journey. Journey to where? Not, as it has been happening, to
the cemetery. You have nobler things to do than merely die! You must
know your own Reality before you die and merge in that Supreme Joy.
Eat just enough to keep the body trim; use the body to discover this
Reality, namely, God. Sanctify every moment of your sojourn here
with pious deeds and sacred thoughts.
152
IT is to persuade you to engage in Naamasmarana that I am concluding
My discourses with singing a few Namavalis. An Officer of the Indian
Civil Service has to write on the slate, A, B, C and D and pronounce
those letters, in order to teach his children the alphabet. When you
find him doing so, you do not infer that he is himself learning the
alphabet, do you? Therefore, do not be surprised if I sing Bhajan
songs; I am but initiating you into this most efficacious Sadhana.
Strengthen yourself, purify yourself, and educate yourself by
this "Namasankeertan". Do it loudly and in company. Let those who
join you listen and imbibe the nectar of the Name.
153
WHEN you call out in all sincerity, the response will certainly
come. Give up all low desires and call from the anguished heart. Do
not pray from the lips, as you do now, from the Puja room, which is
but a corner of the kitchen. You worship the Lord with an eye on the
dishes or cooking on the oven, with a nose inhaling hungrily the
smells of the hot curries. "Vishavasana", attachment to sensory
objects, vitiates your thoughts of God. There is a vast gap between
what you say and what you do; and between what you are capable of
and what you accomplish.
154
FOOD received by foul means and clothing procured through ease and
comfort are the main things in life. Do not think that ease and
comfort are the main things in life. Disappointment, disease and
distress are the lot of all, rich and poor, educated and uneducated,
young and old. They are the common lot of all. Let not your pure,
immaculate hearts be rendered dirty by false-hood and wrong. Do not
soil your tongue using it for uttering dirty words. Utter the name
of God; it acts like a spark, which can burn into ash a big hill of
cotton! All evil thoughts, wicked plans and plots will disappear
like fog before the Sun when the Name of God is remembered sincerely.
155
ONCE man is free from undue attachment to the body and its
appurtenances, he is liberated also from the pulls of joy, grief,
good, bad, pleasure, pain, etc. He is firmly established in
equanimity, fortitude and undisturbed balance. There man discovers
that the World is one in God; that all is Joy, Love and Bliss. He
realizes that he himself is all this apparent World that all the
multifarious manifestations are the fantasies of the Divine will,
which is his own Reality. This expansion of one's individuality to
cover the ends of the Universe is the highest leap of man. It gives
supreme "Ananda", an experience for which sages and saints spent
years of prayer and asceticism.
156
MAN has been enslaved by money. He lives a superficial, hollow,
artificial life. This is indeed a great pity. Man should seek to
possess only as much money as is most essential for his living. The
quantity of riches one must earn can be compared to the shoes one
wears; if too small, they cause pain; if too big, they are a
hindrance to physical and mental comfort. When we have more, it
breeds pride, sloth and contempt for others. In pursuit of money,
man descends to the level of the beast. Money is of the nature of
manure. Piled up in one place, it pollutes the air. Spread it wide;
scatter it over fields; it rewards you with a bumper harvest. So
too, when money is spent in all the four quarters for promoting good
works, it yields contentment and happiness in plenty.
157
MOVE forward towards the light and the shadow falls behind you. Move
away from it and you have to follow your own shadow. Go every moment
one step nearer to the Lord and then, Maya, the shadow will fall
back and will not delude you at all. Be steady; be resolved. Do not
commit a fault or take a false step and then repeat it! Have
the "Thaapam" (the deliberation, the decision, the discipline)
first; that is better than "Paschaath Tapa" (regret for the mistake
made).
158
GIVE something divine if you want the Divine. Prema, Shanti, Dharma
and Sathya are Divine. Do not try to get it for a flower that fades,
a fruit that rots, a leaf that dries and water that evaporate. There
are some who write and speak as if they have known Me, all that is
to be known of Me. I can only say this: they can never know Me and
My nature, even if they are born and reborn a thousand times. To
know Me, one has to be like Me, rise to this height. Can ants
discover the depth of the Ocean?
159
IN this Kali age, the wicked have to be reformed and reconstructed
through love and Compassion. That is why this Avatar has come
unarmed. HE has come with the message of Love. The only weapon which
can transform the vile and the vicious is the Name of the Lord
uttered with Love. The Name is redolent with Divine Glory. So when
it is turned over in the mind, it transmutes it into an instrument
for liberation from delusion.
160
THREE disciplines are essential to become aware of Divinity in all
and in the Avatar; no activity should be taken up with individual
aggrandizement in view; intellect and emotion must be directed to
the revelation of the Resident of the Heart, Atma; and every act
should be done sincerely, with Love, with no yearning for acquiring
personal profit, fame or benefit. Above all, listen to the voice of
God within. As soon as one contemplates a wrong act, the voice
warns, protests and advises giving up. It pictures the shame that
has to be suffered, the punishment that has to be faced and the
disgrace that it entails.
161
IF God is implanted in the heart, you will see God everywhere, even
in the objective World. "Sarvam Brahmamayam" is a fact. Resolve this
day to engage only in virtuous deeds, good thoughts, and good
company. Let your mind dwell on elevating thoughts. Do not waste a
single moment of your time talking in idle gossip, vain boasting or
demeaning recreations.
162
THE journey into the inner consciousness, to calm the storms that
rage, is more important than the journey to the Moon or Mars. The
latter may be more spectacular, but the former is the more
beneficial. Life without goodness, good thoughts, good actions and
good words is like the sky in the night without the moon or stars.
It is like a wheel without a hub or spokes! No one can push a
boulder away while standing on it; you cannot be free from anxiety
while all the entrances through which it sneaks in are open. Stop
catering to the senses and feeding the desires that haunts you.
163
THE ceremony of Brahmopadesam is Upanayanam, because the word
means, "taking near", taking the young aspirant near Brahman, that
is to say, and introducing him to Brahmajnana, the path of Brahma.
It is one of the Samskara, that is rites, which reconstruct the
personality, reform the mind, purify it and rebuild it. It makes the
person receiving it a "Dwija", twice born! The boy is born first
into the World; now he is born into the Sadhaka World. He becomes a
Brahmachari, a person who walks towards Brahma.
164
SEE God in every being and then true "Sneha" will blossom. This type
of true "Sneha" can come only when you follow the advice of
Krishna. "Adveshta sarva bhoothanam maitrah karuna evacha Nirmano
nirahamkaarah Sama dukher Sukha Kshami": "He who has no trace of
hatred towards any creature, who is friendly and compassionate
towards all, who is free from the bondage of "I" and "mine", who
takes pain and pleasure as equally welcome and who is forbearing in
spite of provocation". Grow these qualities in you, for they are the
signs of true "Sneha". It is only when you are proceeding on the God
ward journey along the nine stages of Bhakti that you can attain
this Divine ideal of true friendship.
165
MOHAMMED, who sought to establish the primacy of the One Formless
Absolute, had a large share of persecution, defamation and
privation. Jesus, who attempted to rebuild mankind on the basis of
Love, was crucified by little men who feared that their tiny tower
of hate and greed would be toppled by his teaching. Harischandra,
who had resolved never to waver from Truth, was subjected to ordeal
after ordeal, each more terrifying than the previous one. Those who
seek to know God must steel themselves to bear insult, injury and
torture with a smile.
166
UGADHI: THE word "Ugadhi" means: the day of the Inauguration of
the "Yuga or Age". On this day dedicate your life anew to the
spiritual discipline, giving up all habits that interfere with the
constant remembrance of God. Nature puts on a neat garb of green,
but man alone continues with his old prejudices, out-worn habits and
moth-eaten principles, which tarnish and demean him. The spiritual
discipline prescribed by the Scriptures for the Krita (Yuga) Age is
Dhyana; for the Thretha Yuga it is Dharma; for the Dwapara Yuga it
is Archana or Ritual worship; and for the Kali Yuga it is
Naamasmarana and Seva. With the constant remembrance of God, worship
the Lord, leaving the result to the All-powerful, All knowing and
All Merciful. The New Panchangam reveals the position of the Sun,
Moon and Stars. Saint Thyagaraja sang that Rama's Grace could
counteract the evil effect of Stars. Expand yourself. Take in all.
Grow in Love. That is the new dress you have to wear and shine on
this day.
167
I AM showing you by My example. You must fill every moment with
useful beneficial activity. You talk among yourselves, "Oh Swami is
having his rest hour; Swami is sleeping", but I have never craved,
for a minute's rest or sleep or relief. Shall I tell you at what
time I feel restful, relieved and content? When I know that you are
all earning supreme Bliss through detachment and spiritual
discipline; not until then. I am ever engaged in some activity or
other for your benefit. Things that I could get done, I do not
entrust to others; I do them myself, so that they may learn self-
reliance and get experience thereby.
168
YAMA or the God of death is described as dragging his victims to his
abode by means of the rope or "Paasa". Well, He has no rope-factory
there, for supplying him with the rope he needs. You manufacture the
rope yourself and have it ready around your neck; he has only to
take hold of the rope and pull you along! It is a three-stranded
rope, the strands being "Ahamkara" (Egoism); "Vishayavasana" (sense-
attachment); and "Kama" (Desire).
169
LEARN a lesson from the tree. When it is heavy with fruits, it does
not raise its head aloft in pride, it bends low, stoops, as if it
does not take any credit for its accomplishment and as if it helps
you to pluck the fruit. Learn a lesson from the birds. They feed
those who cannot fly far. The bird relieves the itch of the buffalo
by scratching it with its beak; they help and serve each other with
no thought of reward. How much more alert must man be then with his
superior skills and faculties? Service is the best cure for egoism.
170
I WOULD advise you to dwell always on one Name of God, one
personification of one of His innumerable attributes of Glory. Then
there is the expansion of your Love, the removal of hate and envy
from your mental composition, seeing the God whom you adore in every
other person intently as you see Him in yourself. Then you become
the Embodiment of Love, Peace and Joy.
171
REMOVE the cataract and the vision becomes clear. So too, remove the
feeling of inferiority that dwarfs you now; feel that you are "Atma
Swarupa", "Nithya Swarupa", and "Anandaswarupa"; then every act of
yours becomes a "Yajna", a sacrifice and a Puja. The ear, the eye,
the tongue and the feet become tools for your uplift, not traps for
your destruction. Transform "Tamo guna" into "Thapo guna" and save
yourself.
172
REMOVE the weight from your head by transferring all burdens to the
Lord, leave everything to His will and His Law. Feed your mind with
sweet and wholesome food: "Satsang", "Satpravatana", and "Sarveswara
Chintha"; then you are full of joy. I am "Anandaswarupa"; come and
take "Ananda" from Me and, returning to your avocations, dwell on
that "Ananda" and be full of "Shanti".
173
HE greatest single cause for darkness in the World today is envy.
When one is happy and contented, others envy him and strive to ruin
his peace of mind. When any one is acclaimed as great, malice moves
others to invent calumny in order to tarnish his reputations. This
is the way of the World. There is in life the tragedy of ignorance
and selfishness. They force man to take the wrong road; and suffer
calamity.
174
A STRONG will is the best tonic. The will becomes strong when you
know that you are a child of Immortality or a person who has earned
the Grace of the Lord. Medicine and hospitalization are for those
who doubt and hesitate and argue about this doctor being more
efficient than the other and this drug being more powerful than the
rest. For those who rely on the Supreme Doctor, His Name is the drug
that cures.
175
YOU can call me on the phone, but I will not be available for all
those who do not have the sincere and steady yearning for the Lord.
For those who say, "No, You are not my Lord", I say "No". For those
who say, "Yes", I too echo, "Yes". If I am available in your heart,
I will be available over the phone. But remember, I have My own
special Postal and Telephone Systems. They operate from the heart
straight to the heart. There are rules and regulations for the
operations of the Systems, which the Sastras declare. You can find
them there. I am glad that devotees have today acquired this new
convenience at Prashanthi Nilayam.
176
TRUTH can reflect itself in your intelligence only when it is
cleaned by "Thapas". "Thapas" means all acts undertaken with higher
motives and all acts indicating yearning for the spirit; repenting
for past blunders; staunch determination to adhere to virtue; self-
control; and unyielding adherence to equanimity in the face of
success or failure. "Thapam" means heat, burning intensity and
earnestness of endeavor. It is "Thapas" that fosters Renunciation
and discipline.
177
THE Rama and Krishna Avatars performed the mission of restoring
Dharma and fostering virtuous living, besides punishing the wicked
and teaching the World that vice will not succeed. Man is an amalgam
of Humanity, Animality and Divinity. It is a tragedy if he cannot
get rid of the Animality; and it is a greater tragedy if he cannot
cultivate his Divinity. Contemplation of the Rama and Krishna
Avatars and their Leelas and Mahimas is the surest method of
cultivating the Divine in Man.
178
GOD has four qualities and it is only when you cultivate them that
you can understand Him. They are: Prema (Love), Beauty (Soundarya),
Sweetness (Madurya), and Shoba (Splendor). The development of Prema
is enough to add into you the other three. When you are full of
Prema for the Divine in all creation, that stage is Beauty; when you
are immersed in the sea of Universal Love, you reach the acme of
Sweetness; when your mind loses its identity and merges in the
Universal Mind, then there is Splendour indescribable.
179
MY task is not merely to cure and console and remove individual
misery. It is something far more important. The important task of
the mango tree is to produce mango-fruit. The leaves, the branches
and the trunk of the tree are useful in their own way, no doubt, but
the main aim is the fruit. So, also from the plantain-tree, the
fruit is the main gain. The leaves and the edible core of the stem
are all incidental. So too, the removal of misery and distress is
incidental to My Mission. My main task is the re-establishment of
Veda and Shastra in the heart of Bharthavarsha and the revival of
Knowledge about them in the people. This task will succeed.
180
NARADA once asked Krishna the secret of the attraction His flute
play had on the cowherds of Brindavan. "Do they run to You or do You
run to them?" he queried. "Among us there is neither I nor they; how
can a picture be separated from the cloth on which it is painted? I
am imprinted on their hearts so inseparably and so inextricably",
Krishna replied. Have God imprinted on your hearts; be ever so
inextricably established in Him - that is My message to you.
181
THIS Sai has came in order to achieve the Supreme task of uniting
the entire mankind as one family through the band of brotherhood, of
affirming and illumining the Atmic Reality of each being in order to
reveal the Divine, the basis on which the entire Cosmos rests, and
of instructing all to recognise the common Divine Heritage that
binds man to man, so that man can rid himself of the animal and rise
into the Divine which is his goal.
182
DO not get elated at the riches, status, authority, and
intelligence, which have been given to you on trust, so that you may
benefit others. They are all signs of His Grace, opportunities for
service and symbols of responsibility. Never seek to exult over
others' faults; deal sympathetically with the errors and mistakes of
others; hear only good things about them; and do not give an ear to
scandals.
183
NOW, there is a wave of anxiety spreading over the World as a result
of rising prices; and attempts are frantically being made to bring
down the level. The fundamental cause for the rise in prices is the
decline in the price of man. Man must realise his pricelessness; he
should not regard himself as a cheap nut or bolt that has no higher
purpose in life. He should know that he is the imperishable,
unconquerable Atma; and the body is only a vehicle for the Atma.
184
DOES thou know why you are given eyes? To see whatever can be seen?
No! No! To fill the eyes with the vision of God who resides on Mount
Kailas. We have to cast our looks at sacred sights. We must
visualise in everyone only the good and the Godly. That is the
purpose for which God has equipped us with eyes. He has not gifted
them to us to observe and judge others, to follow people into the
bazaar or to see unsightly films.
185
THE snakes move in curves, not in a straight line; man too, when he
is following the senses, has to move in a crooked path. He has
greater poison in him than the snake; his venom is to be found in
his eye, his tongue, his hands, his mind, his heart and his
thoughts - whereas the cobra has it only in its fangs. The cobra
raises its hood and sways in joy when it hears music - so, man too,
when he realises the stage of "Nirvikalpa", (steady unchanging
establishment in the ultimate Reality), dances in heavenly Bliss.
186
GOD is the source of all Love; Love God, Love the World as the
vesture of God, no more and no less. Through Love, you can merge in
the Ocean of Love. Love cures pettiness, hate and grief. Love
loosens bonds; it saves man from the torments of birth and death.
Love binds all hearts in a soft silken symphony. Seen through the
eyes of Love, all beings are beautiful; all deeds are dedicated; and
all thoughts are innocent. The World is one vast kin.
187
GOD is all-powerful; God is everywhere; God is all knowing. To adore
such a formidable limitless principle, man spends a few minutes out
of the 24 hours and uses a minute idol, image or picture! It is
indeed ridiculous; it is practically futile. Adore Him so long as
you have breath and so long as you are conscious. Have no other
thought than God, have no other aim than knowing His command; no
other activity than translating that command into action. That is
what is meant by Surrender. Surrender yourself unto Him.
188
GOD is the guardian, the corrector, the admonisher and the savior;
so, people must get into the habit of calling on Him as a living
presence. The temple helps to soften the hearts! It instills the
virtue of compassion and charity. Greed and cruelty will spread in
an atmosphere that has no devotion and adoration to God. Make
yourselves into moving temples. Become aware of the God that resides
in you. It is He who protects you, provides for you and prevents you
from falling prey to pernicious propensities.
189
THERE are three types of persons: those, who confess their own
faults and mention the excellence of others, are the highest type;
those, who highlight their own excellence and decry the faults of
others, are worse; those, who parade their own faults as excellence
and deride the excellence in others as faults, are the worst. The
last type is nowadays most rampant.
190
GOD has no will or want; He does not confer or withhold; He is the
eternal witness. To put it in the language that you can understand:
He is like the postman, who is not concerned with the contents of
the letters that he hands over to the addressees; one letter might
communicate victory; another defeat; and you receive what you have
worked for. Do good and have good done in return; be bad and accept
the bad that comes back to you. That is the law; and there is really
no help (or) hindrance.
191
THE relief and joy that you give to the sick and the sad reach me,
for I am in their hearts and I am the One they call out for. God has
no need of your service; does He suffer from pain in the legs, or
ache in the stomach? Try to serve the Godly; be "Dasanudasas", the
servants of the servants of the Lord. The service of man is the only
means by which you can serve God.
192
THYAGARAJA said that, if he is armed with the Grace of Rama, the
planetary missiles could never injure him. Purandaradasa, another
great saint, asked, "What are eyes for?" and answered the question
himself, "To visualise the Lord". "Eyes that do not yearn to see
you, are black balls; ears that do not hear your praise, are narrow
mountain caves where jackals live; and the tongue that does not
relish the repetition of your Name, can only croak like a frog",
says Purandaradasa.
193
ALL who come embodied are Avatars, that is to say, advents of the
Divine, Manifestations of God. What then is the special feature of
Rama, Krishna, Buddha and Christ? Why do you celebrate their
Birthdays with such reverential enthusiasm? The specialty is this:
they are Aware; you are unaware of the Atma, which is the Truth.
Awareness confers Grace, Glory, Majesty, Might and Splendour.
Awareness confers Liberation from bonds, time, space and causation,
and sleep, dream and wakefulness. Avatars are ever alert, aware and
alight.
194
THE name of God, if recited with love and faith, has that power.
Once the mother of Agastya boasted that her son drank all the waters
of the ocean; but the mother of Hanuman, who was there, said; "Why
go to that extent? My son leaped over it in a trice". But there was
the mother of Rama with them. She said, "Your son leaped over the
ocean, uttering my son's name. Without it, he was helpless". The
name has that overmastering power. It can bring unheard of and
unimagined strength and courage.
195
FOR Naamasmarana, no expense is involved; no materials are needed;
there is no special place or time to be provided. No qualification
of scholarship or caste or sex has to be proved. When a bit of iron
is rubbed to and fro on a slab of stone, heat is generated; only the
rubbing has to be vigorous and continuous. When you do so at
intervals and with poor pressure, the iron will not get hot. So too,
in order to get sufficient heat to melt the soft heart of the Lord,
rub the name "Ram", "Ram", "Ram", "Ram" vigorously and
unremittingly; then, the Lord will shower His Grace.
196
THIS is the best time to tell you something about the authenticity
of this Advent. I only wish to communicate the Truth. There are many
who can not bear or tolerate the Splendour that I am manifesting,
the Divinity that is expressed in every act, the wonders and amazing
happenings that are the result of Grace; these people label these as
acts of mesmerism or miracles or feats of magic! They hope to bring
these down in the estimation of people. Let me tell you this; mine
is no mesmerism, miracle or magic. Mine is genuine DIVINE POWER.
197
LIFE sustained by food is short; life sustained by the Atma is
eternal. Do not lay claim to long life; but to Divine life. Do not
pine for more years on earth, but for more virtues in the heart.
Buddha knew and made known to the World the Truth. Everything is
grief. Everything is empty. Everything is brief. Everything is
polluted. So the wise man has to do the duties cast upon him with
discrimination, diligence and detachment. Play the role but keep
your identity unaffected.
198
IN order to escape being tossed about on the waves of joy and grief,
one should cultivate unconcern (upeksha), an attitude of welcoming
either as a sign of Grace. Sri Ramakrishna said that if you must
avoid the sticky fluid in the jackfruit from contacting your fingers
when you peel it, you have to apply a few drops of oil on them. So,
too, said he, "If you do not want the World and its reactions to
stick to you, have a few drops of unconcern applied on your mind".
199
THE foundation for real peace is, according to the Vedas, the
quality of Maithree. Maithree means amicability, friendship,
compassion and, kindness. It can also be taken to mean "My three",
that is to say, my word, deed and thought shall be in accordance
with words, thought and deed; that is to say, we shall speak, think
and act together without friction or faction, in an atmosphere of
love and understanding. That is what is wanted in the world today:
My three.
200
ALL men are Mine; so the whole World has to be saved from the
consequences of ignorance or limited knowledge. I will get all My
people near Me, for they are Mine, and I am theirs. Then, I will
start teaching and training them, until they become entirely ego-
free. For the last 25 years, it has all been sweetness, kindness,
soft persuasion; hereafter, it will be different. I will drag them,
place them on the table and operate. That is to say, I have no anger
or hate. I have only Love. It is Love that prompts Me to save them
and to open their eyes, before they get deeper into the morass.
http://www.saibaba.ws/teachings/pearls/101-200.htm
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