Swami's Answers and Declarations

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Source : http://puttaparthi.info/parthi/questans.txt

 

SWAMI’S ANSWERS AND DECLARATIONSQ: Swami, why was I born?Sai: For what

purpose were you born? Man has been sent into the world ... to realise the

truth that he is not man, but God. The wave dances with the wind, basks in the

sun, frisks in the rain, imagining it is playing on the breast of the sea; it

does not know that it is the sea itself. Until it realizes the truth, it will

be tossed up and down; when it knows it, it can lie calm and collected, at

peace with itself. Q: How am I God, Swami? I am a human being with a human

bodySai: You are in this body, in this receptacle ... to realize the God you

really are. This body is the cocoon that you have spun round, by means of your

impulses and desires. Use it to grow wings so that you can escape from it! Q:

Do I have to reach God?Sai: All creatures have to reach God. It is the destiny

of man to journey from human-ness to divinity, as he has already journeyed from

animal-ness. Some may ascend a plane, others may travel by car or board a bus,

some may prefer a train journey, others may like to trudge along -- but all

must reach the goal, some day or other. Q: But, Swami, where will I find

Him?Sai: Divine Principle is the very core of man. ... It is the source of

strength which is unfailing and irresistible. ...The Divine is here before you,

behind you, inside you, outside you; the Intelligence through which you can

recognize. Q: I'm sure I could find God if I lived here at Prashanthi Nilayam,

with You.Sai: The community in which you find yourself is the arena where you

can win the victory, the gymnasium where you develop the skill to win. Q: But

why must I stay in such an unhappy world, where I too am unhappy?Sai: You learn

by the experience of the buffetings of the World. The World is a very essential

part of the curriculum of man. The ... world is like a hotel to which we have

come to experience the consequences of our actions in the past. The body is a

room in the hotel in which we have to undergo the Karmic consequences. Q: When

I am home, many things distract me. I don't often think of finding God.Sai:

Without trying to discover the Divinity that is in the human form, people are

wasting their lives. If you examine the great scriptures of the world, you will

find that they all emphasize the supreme preciousness of being able to discover

one's Divine nature, without which one cannot achieve real bliss. Man seeks

worldly pleasures and prosperity but does not seek that inner Divinity which

will give him permanent happiness.Q: But, Swami, isn't it a long way?Sai: You

have got to go a long way. But do not be down-hearted. I have come to guide

you. I am ...ready to help you from the first lesson to the last. Q: Swami, the

Golden Age that You have spoken about, when will it begin?Sai: The day when the

brotherhood of man and the Fatherhood of God will shine bright and beautiful is

dawning and drawing near.Q: What will this time be like?Sai: This age will be a

Golden Age for the seekers of God, for earning and learning Viveka. In it

falsehood will fail, truth will triumph, and virtue will reign. Character will

confer power then, not knowledge or inventive skill or wealth. Wisdom will be

enthroned in the Councils of Nations. Q: What sign will You give that the

Golden Age is beginning?Sai: The glory of Sai will spread to every part of the

world. It will increase a thousand fold. You will see thousands pressing along

this road, hundreds on every rock on these hills. Q: How crowded it will

be!Sai: That day when millions will gather to benefit from the Avatar is fast

coming; I am advising you to garner and treasure all the Grace and all the

Bliss you can, while you may, so that you can sustain yourselves ruminating on

the sweetness of the memories and the experience. Q: If millions come, where

will we gather?Sai: 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. Q: Walk

across the sky, Swami. How exciting that will be! How else will the world know

You are the Lord?Sai: Formerly, when the Govardhanagiri Mountain was raised

aloft by the little boy, the Gopis and Gopalas realised that Krishna was the

Lord. Now, it is not one Govardhanagiri, a whole range will be lifted. You will

see! Have patience, have faith.Q: It is difficult for me to imagine such a

miracle!Sai: Do not be misled. It is not my purpose to strike men dumb by the

display of miraculous might! I have come to confer the boon of blessedness and

the benediction of bliss as the reward for genuine spiritual endeavor and to

lead mankind into Liberty, Light and Love. Q: How very fortunate I am to be

alive this day.Sai: Your good fortune ... is greater than that available for

anchorites, monks, sages, saints and even personalities embodying facets of

Divine Glory! The fact that you are alive this day is a blessing. Q: Swami, why

have you waited so long to declare Yourself publicly? Why do You not declare the

Golden Age now?Sai: Prior to that I have to bring such persons near me, who, in

their previous lives, have been incessantly and untiringly trying to get access

to me through their severe Sadhana. A time will come when the world will know

about the Avatar through public declaration. Q: Who will declare You to the

world, Swami?Sai: Devotees of world stature, able to speak of Sai, will be

present when the time is correct for them. The Mahapurushas, the Mahatmas, the

Jnanis, the Yogis... will all be co-operating in the task of re-establishing

righteousness and clearing the path for the World-attaining Shanthi. Q: What

will the world be like when You have finished Your work?Sai: The world will be

peaceful. ... All will be love -- love, love, love everywhere. Q: Oh, Swami,

what can I do to be ready for the Golden Age?Sai: Adhere firmly to the truth of

your convictions. Be prepared to meet any challenges. ... Be ready to face any

situation. ... Strengthen your faith in God. Prepare for shouldering the task

assigned to you -- to be instruments dedicated to the mission on which the

Divine has come. Q: Swami, You must get hungry, and yet I have never seen you

eat.Sai: For Me, your Ananda [bliss] is My Food. I need no other food than

that. I am Anandaswarupa. My nature is Ananda. Q: Do you ever sleep then,

Lord?Sai: If I needed rest I would not have incarnated. I do not sleep at

night; I remember ... the events of my past appearances, and I laugh within

myself as memories pass across. In the middle of the night, I turn off the

light and rest in bed, because if the light is on, devotees' gather.... People

think that Baba rests in the afternoon until 4 p.m. But He never rests. He is

never tired. He is always working.Q: Don't you wish sometimes to travel

somewhere else, just to get away from all this?Sai: I have no need to see

places. I am everywhere, always! I am not moved by the craving for a change, or

for recreation, or travel. Q: Do you ever worry that, with all these people

here, You won't be able to complete Your work?Sai: Worry is totally alien to

me. I am not aware of any difficulties, disparagement or pressures caused by

others.... Nothing can hold Me up or agitate Me or cast a shadow on Me in this

Human Form.... My Will must prevail; My task must be accomplished. My Mission

will succeed. I may sometimes wait until I can achieve ten things at one

stroke.... But My Word will never fail. Q: You are always at work and yet You

seem so calm.Sai: I do not have a time schedule to adhere to nor can any law

bind me. I am the ultimate from whom everything originated, in whom it is

preserved and in whom it will be destroyed. Q: How can I know that side of

You?Sai: Stay at Prashanthi Nilayam; move with Me and experience My company and

conversation. Listen to Me and watch Me and then form your conclusions; get in

and know the depth; eat and know the taste. The way in which the Avatar has to

be used for one's liberation ... is: watch His every step, observe His actions

and activities, and follow the guiding principle of which His life is an

elaboration. Mark His Love, His Compassion, His Wisdom, try to bring them into

your own life. Q: I should not only watch You. I should also listen carefully

to Your advice, should I not?Sai: You can get Ananda only by following the

advice I give you and that is why I am particular that you should listen

carefully and take to heart all that I say. Trust in My wisdom: I do not make

mistakes. Love My uncertainty! For it is not a mistake. It is My Intent and

Will. Remember, nothing happens without My Will. Be still. Do not want to

understand; do not ask to understand. Relinquish understanding. Relinquish the

imperative that demands understanding. Q: What is the goal of human life?Sai

Baba: What is the goal of human life? What is the objective that man must

realise? Is it just eating, drinking, sleeping, tasting a little joy and grief

and finally dying, like any bird or beast? No, certainly not. A little thought

will reveal that it is ... Brahma-Sakshathkara, the realisation of the

Absolute, of Brahman! You have come from the Divine and you have to go back to

the Divine. That Divine Principle is the very core of man. Becoming aware of

this Truth is the goal of life; it is the source of strength which is unfailing

and irresistible....The Divine is here before you, behind you, inside you,

outside you; the Intelligence through which you can recognize. It is also with

you, but you are either blind or diseased with defective vision or, worse

still, willfully inclined to close your eyes! Q: What is the aim of all

spiritual practices?Sai Baba: All spiritual practices are aimed at [the

complete] purification [of the heart]. (4) Love has an electronic effect on

human beings. It purifies the human heart. Through love alone -- love acquired

through Sadhana, and shared with all as Sadhana -- can peace be attained, by

the individual as well as by the nation. God is the very Embodiment of Love.

.... God, who is Love, can be realised only through Love. Unless you cleanse the

mind with Love, the Full Moon of Spiritual Wisdom cannot shine therein. The

recital of the Name, the observance of vows and vigils, of fasts and festivals,

may scintillate on the Inner Sky of the mind, as stars stud the sky, but, until

the Lamp of Love is lit, the darkness will not vanish.Q: Why must I work? Why

can I not simply sit under this tree and read about God?Sai Baba: As long as

you are in this world, you must be engaged in work. Work is very important for

human beings. It is through your work and activities that you learn to

harmonize thoughts, words and deeds. Perfect freedom is not given to any man on

earth because the very meaning of mortal life is relationship with and

dependence on another. The true Guru is not a human preceptor [teacher]. It is

the Cosmos Itself, Prakriti, Creation, the World around us. You learn by the

experience of the buffetings of the World. The World is a very essential part

of the curriculum of man. The community in which you find yourself is the arena

where you can win the victory, the gymnasium where you develop the skill to win.

The spiritual journey lies through compassion, sympathy, mutual help, and

service, and these are fostered by society and are to be used for society. Q:

Are we alone in the universe? What are other beings like?Sai Baba: The universe

is without beginning and in it dwell an infinitude of 'jivas' (living beings).

Among these jivas, man is the most exalted being. In all the universe there is

no other planet that has human life, or a similar life form. ... There is life

throughout the universe. [but] the expression of life on Earth is upward

through the human to the Divine. By virtue of human birth, the next step is the

full realization of the Divine. Human life is sacred and must be appreciated as

having the highest value. The question about life in the universe arises

because you project your own particular circumstances. You feel that other ways

of life would be intolerable because such ways would be intolerable for you. In

the hot, blazing Sun, for instance, beings are living. This life exists in

circumstances considered to be intolerable by you. Elsewhere in the universe,

life feels it is Divinity, is one with Divinity, and is quite happy, and

feeling all is right. Q: Are there other "gods" besides God? What do they

do?Sai Baba: Just as the ruler of a petty earthly domain has certain norms to

go by in carrying out his duty, the Supreme Ruler of the world, the Almighty,

too, [has] such regulations in the matter of the governance of the universe. It

is puerile to say that God would do everything by Himself simply because He is

omnipotent. ... Even as there is a delegation of authority in the

administration of a terrestrial kingdom by a ruler by which various functions

are performed by several ministers who are assigned the charge of certain

departments and portfolios, in running the affairs of the Cosmos, the Almighty

God too assigns certain functions to certain gods like Indra, Varuna, and

Rudra. Just as all earthly matters are not taken directly to a king, but are

presented to the concerned ministers for action, all prayers of man do not

reach God Himself - they are attended to by His 'ministers' -- Indra, Varuna

and others.. The Lord will not interfere in the functions of the different

deities. He lets Brahma, Vishnu, and Easwara carry out their respective

functions according to the cosmic laws. (18)Prayers for worldly ends do not

reach God. They will reach only those deities who deal with such restricted

spheres. But all prayers arising from pure love, unselfish eagerness to render

service and from hearts that are all inclusive will reach God. Q: Why do I feel

happy when I see someone happy? Why do I not feel sad instead?Sai Baba: We are

not troubled when something is good, only when it is bad. This is because

goodness is natural and evil is an aberration. We are worried and alarmed when

someone slides into wrong or is in pain or in sorrow. This is because nature

plans us to be right, to be happy and ever in joy. It is a pity that man has

lost his understanding of this Truth. Q: I always feel this yearning, no matter

what I do. What is it?Sai Baba: Man has an inborn thirst for God, an in-built

yearning for the Ananda of the highest order which will never fail or falter.

The Lord has so shaped man that he is inclined towards God and delighted at the

expansion of his vision and happy when he is moral and virtuous. So man must

serve his best interests by adhering to his basic nature, by concentration on

Brahma, by the cultivation of Sathya and the practice of Dharma. The deepest

yearning of man is to experience the One, the Basis, the Being that has become.

It is only by drinking God that [this] thirst can be quenched; not by

substitutes or palliatives. Man can obtain Shanthi only by returning to his

native home, viz., God. Until then, homesickness will haunt him. Q: What sets

human beings apart from animals?Sai Baba: Discrimination ... sets [human

beings] apart from the rest of the animals. The divine power is present

everywhere in creation. Only man has the capacity to recognise this power. No

other living being than man has been endowed with intelligence and [a]

discriminative faculty, heightened to this degree, in order to enable it to

visualise the Atma. This is the reason why man is acclaimed as the crown of

creation, and why the Sasthras proclaim that the chance of being born as man is

a very rare piece of good fortune. Man has the qualifications needed to seek the

cause of Creation; he has in him the urge and the capacity. Man alone can rise

through effort to higher stages of spiritual evolution. No other animal can do

so. Animal tamers of the circus can train a tiger to perform various tricks,

but they cannot change his nature. They cannot make it live on grass and

completely deprive it of meat. But man is different. His nature can be changed

by means of his own disciplined effort. He can control, by his will, the evil

thoughts and ideas that arise in his mind. This is why birth as a human being

is considered a rare gift. The special instrument that God has allotted man,

namely, Buddhi or the Intellect, has to be used by man to become masters of

these down-dragging senses. The Intellect has to be used to judge and decide

the means for the upliftment of the human to the Divine. It has to help man to

realize God. In a world replete with ... opposites, man has to make constantly

the choice between what is right and proper and what is wrong or undesirable. A

man who has no such discriminating faculty is an animal. Man should not let

himself be guided by the mind. He should follow the directions of his

intelligence (Buddhi). As long as you follow the mind, you cannot obtain

Madhava (Divinity). Q: When I do something, do I do it or does God?Sai Baba:

You have to realise that little depends on your efforts alone. You can have

proof of this in your own body. For instance, what efforts are you making to

see that your heart beats regularly? How far are you responsible for the

breathing process that goes on continually? What is your contribution to the

digestive process that goes on within you? Are these the results of human

efforts? Can you continue to live merely by wishing that you should go on

living? Are you able to end your life when you wish it? Are you responsible for

your birth? Not at all. When you inquire into this problem, you will realise

that it is your sense of doership and enjoyership which is causing all

difficulties. When [a person] performs actions, regarding himself as the doer,

the actions become fetters that bind him. All actions which are performed with

the feeling that they are intended as offerings to please the Divine do not

lead to bondage. They become "desireless" (Anapeksha) actions. One has to

recognise that it is the Divine principle in all beings which is getting

actions done through human beings as instruments. As long as man regards

himself as the doer (kartrutva) and enjoyer (bhoktrutva) he cannot escape from

the consequences of his actions. Q: What should I do if I see a crime?Sai Baba:

Today many are indulging in actions opposed to Dharma and Truth and, on the

basis of their caste or community, are promoting strife and conflict in the

country. Elders in the nation are remaining mere spectators of all the

unrighteous and violent actions that are being done by the evil elements. Even

the scholars and intellectuals are remaining silent. Persons holding high

office are merely watching what goes on. No one, however, is making any effort

to stop this menace. They are not resisting the evil elements. It appears as if

all their knowledge, position and influence have been reduced to nothing. Such

persons, though they may not be indulging in unrighteous acts, are giving

encouragement to them. When evil and injustice and violence are being

perpetrated, if individuals look on unconcerned, they must be regarded as

accomplices in the crimes. In the end, they also suffer as much as the

criminals. By their passive association, they provide encouragement to the

evil-doers. When the good are associated with the wicked and do not oppose

them, they share responsibility for the deeds of the evil doers. The Divine

destroys even those who either do not oppose or remain passive while injustice

and wrong-doing are perpetrated. The Divine will not consider whether they are

learned or ignorant, wise or unwise. If they are learned or wise, why did they

not stand up for truth and justice? Why did they remain silent? It means they

are tainted by the same guilt. The failure to resist evil is their offence. It

is only when we resist acts of unrighteousness and injustice and try to put

down malpractices in society that we can claim to be assisting in the task of

restoring Dharma. ... Whoever may commit an offence, whether a son, a relation

or a close associate, one will be free from the taint of being accessory to the

crime only if he opposes the wrong action and tries to correct the offender? If,

on the contrary, he allows it or encourages it to be done, he will be guilty of

abetment. Q: Swami, is there nothing in the universe that God did not

create?Sai: Everything in the world is derived from God. Nothing is

uncaused.... Every being, object, incident has been caused by the Primal Cause

and its direction or guidance. Q: What motivated God to create the world?Sai:

God has willed the world as His Sport. Prakriti [the world] is just the Leela

of the Lord, set before you so that you may become aware of His Glory, His

Splendour.Q: I have heard it said that God inhabits everything. Is this so?Sai:

The Divine dwells in the entire Universe, from the minute atom to the vastest

star. No place exists where he is not. Q: But, Swami, we often say that Nature

is different from God. We say, "Not this. Not this." Does God dwell in Nature

too?Sai: You have to pour into the flames that rise up to destroy (for they are

the flames of revelation, purification, discrimination) the limited vision that

sees Nature as different from the Divine. The Divine created all this through

the Divine and with the Divine substance.Q: Then what is the key to

understanding the mystery of Nature and God?Sai: The basic truth of Nature is

the One in the many; that is the key to its understanding. The easiest way of

grasping the basic reality is to see the Lord in every creature; the Lord

sporting in all this multiplicity, as the underlying reality of all. Q: Swami,

I find these mysteries hard to understand.Sai: The Divine mystery is incredibly

marvelous. It is not easy for ordinary mortals to comprehend these mysteries.Q:

What prevents me from understanding them, from comprehending the formless

God?Sai: The Unmanifested, Nirguna Brahman [Formless God] cognised at the

climax of the Jnanamarga [wisdom path] cannot be grasped by the sense-centered

individual without great travail and trouble. This is the reason why the

Puranas dwell so much more on the Saguna aspect [the aspect of God with form]

than on the Nirguna aspect of Godhead, First, the aspirant has to practice the

Sadhana related to the Saguna aspect of God; this will endow him with

concentration and later, according to the law of procedure from the gross to

the subtle, he can merge his mind in the Nirguna Brahman. Q: How could I move

from being sense-centered to being God-centered in order to be able to know

this mystery of God?Sai: Ponder over the ameliorative and curative advice I

have given you out of the fullness of My Love; try to cleanse your minds

through repentance of wrongs committed or contemplated; resolve with

unshakeable firmness to shape your lives anew, rid it of deep-rooted

deleterious habits of speech, thought and action, and lead it in conformity

with the Divine Plan, by which each of you will blossom into the fully Divine.

(12)Q: Swami, You said that everyone is here for a purpose. Why are -You_

here?Sai: I have come to inscribe a golden chapter in the history of humanity.

Q: What do You mean, Lord?Sai: Sai has come ... to achieve the supreme task of

uplifting the entire mankind, as one family through the bond of brotherhood, of

affirming and illumining the Atmic Reality of each being in order to reveal the

Divine which is 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 to the Divine, which is his goal. I

want to build one humanity without any religious, caste or other barriers in a

universal empire of love which would enable my devotees to feel the whole world

as their family.Q: How can just one being change the whole world?Sai: The power

of Sai is limitless; It manifests for ever. All forms of 'power' are resident

in this Sai palm. My Body, like all other bodies, is a temporary habitation but

My Power is eternal, all-pervasive, ever-dominant. Q: Does that mean that You

can simply snap Your fingers and cure everything in the world?Sai: If I cure

everything instantly, leaving the people at their present level of

consciousness, they would soon mess up things and be at one another's throats

again with the result that the same chaotic situation would develop in the

world. Instead I have to work through [people], rouse the in-dwelling God in

them and evolve them to a higher reality in order to enable them to master the

natural laws and forces. I will lead] the people ... to a higher level of

consciousness to enable them to understand the truth of spiritual laws so that

they may turn towards righteousness and steadfastly work for better conditions.

Q: Why did the Lord Himself come?Sai: When there is a small disturbance, a

police constable is enough to put it down; when the trouble is threatening to

develop into sizable proportions, a police inspector is sent; when it grows

into a riot, the superintendent of police himself has to quell it; but when as

now, all mankind is threatened with moral ruin, the Inspector General comes

down, that is, the Lord comes down with His army of saintly men and seekers. Q:

If You are the Inspector General, will You protect us from nuclear war?Sai: Evil

is so widespread that humanity itself would be destroyed in a nuclear

holocaust.... It is to prevent such a catastrophe that this present Avatar has

come to raise human consciousness above the existing syndrome of anger, hate,

violence and war and save the world from disaster. My mission is to pre-empt

the fires [of thermonuclear conflagration] by re-establishing dharma and the

spiritual law of one God, one religion, one [heart] language embracing one

humanity. Q: Swami, why has the United Nations been unable to keep the world

from war?Sai: Only the power of the Divine can save the world [today]. I have

to deal with a crisis which is world-wide and world-shaking. ... Immorality has

put on the garb of morality and is enticing man into the morass of sin. Truth is

condemned as a trap; justice is jeered at; saints are tortured as social

enemies. Hence this Incarnation has come, to uphold the True and suppress the

False. (13)Q: Will you destroy the wicked as you did in your Rama and Krishna

Incarnations?Sai: In this Avatar, the wicked will not be destroyed; they will

be corrected and reformed and educated and led back to the path from which they

have strayed. That is why this Avatar has come unarmed; it has come with the

message of Love. The only weapon which can transform the vile and the vicious

is ... Love. Q: There seems no question in Your mind that You will succeed.Sai:

Even if the heavens fall, Sai's resolve will not alter. Nothing can impede or

halt My work. (17) The Will of God cannot be stopped. The events God ordains

must take place. The splendor of this Avatar will go on increasing, day by day.

Q: I believe You, Lord. But I fear that many will not.Sai: Many hesitate to

believe that things will improve, that life will be happy for all and full of

joy, and that the Golden Age will recur. But let me assure you that this

dharmaswarupa, this divine body, has not come in vain. It will succeed in

averting the crisis that has come upon humanity. Q: Swami, sometimes, when I am

home, I feel afraid and lonely without You near me.Sai: When in fear and doubt,

pray to Me. Tune in to My Mighty Power, which, compared to the power of the sun

which I have placed in the heavens, is what a baby's breathing is to a typhoon.

Q: But when I leave Prashanthi, surely You will be busy and forget about

me.Sai: No matter where you go, always know that I will be there, inside you,

guiding every step of the way. ... You are my very own, dearer than dear to me.

I will protect you as the eyelids protect the eyes.Q: How will You know I need

You, Swami?Sai: Call on Me in your distress; it is your right to invoke My

Grace. If you call upon Me, I shall be at your side.Q: But, Swami, surely You

save only the pure. I have been very bad recently.Sai: To say that you have to

be pure in order to win My grace is as foolish as to say that you have to be

healthy to receive the ministrations of a doctor! The pure do not need a

Master! The tough do not need a doctor! Why fear when I am here? Put all your

faith in Me. I shall guide and guard you. Q: But I cannot see You when I am

home.Sai: I see you and I am with you, wherever you may be.Q: How can You help

me thousands of miles away?Sai: Wherever you are, you are near Me. You cannot

go beyond My reach. Q: Swami, what happens if You do not come?Sai: I will not

forsake you. I have come to help, to accompany, and to carry you. I can never

forsake you. I will never fail in My duty to My children. Nothing will harm him

who turns his attention toward Me. Sai Krishna will install Himself in the lotus

of your heart. He will be ever with you, as guard and guide, and will shower

Grace on you. He will be the Mother, Father and Preceptor, the Nearest Kinsman;

He will be your All. Q: Even when I have been bad?Sai: However you are, you are

Mine. I will not give you up.Q: Even if I forget You for a while?Sai: Those who

stray away will come again to me, do not doubt this. I shall beckon them back to

me. Oh, Swami, You are the best friend anyone ever had!Compiled from various Sai

Literatures