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[Guest guest]

Dear Sai brethren,

 

please read the Christmas Sandesh of the year 2000. It is selfexplanatory and

cleary shows, that it is absolutely necessary to look at Swami from a very

different angle. HE IS GOD INCARNATE.

 

I hope you receive a lot of wisdom out of HIS divine directions.

 

With sisterly Love and wishing all the Sai-Family that Swami embraces each and

everyone with His divine Love and Grace always - Sai sister Gitta

 

Christmas Sandesh

25 December 2000

Divine Discourse by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

COUNTER JEALOUSY WITH LOVE

Forbearance is the real beauty in this sacred land of Bharat (India).Of all the

sacred virtues, adherence to truth is true penance.The nectarine feeling in

this country is the feeling towards one's mother.Character is valued far higher

than the very life itself.People have forgotten the basic principles of the

culture of Bharatand are aping Western culture today.Bharatiyas (Indians) are

not aware of the greatness of their own cultural heritageJust as the mighty

elephant is not aware of its own strength.(Telugu Poem)

Embodiments of Love! Boys and Girls!

Since ancient times, this land has been the birthplace of sages, seers and

saints who propagated the sacred culture of Bharat (India) to the rest of the

world and earned name and fame; but such noble souls are forgotten today. You

have to recognise that the reputation of Bharat is entirely dependent on its

spiritual wealth and nothing else. Just think for yourself the plight of

present day Bharat, which once upon a time spread the light of Divinity to the

rest of the world. In this sacred land, many men of nobility and virtue had to

put up with a lot of hardship and criticism, yet they remained firm in their

resolve to set an ideal to humanity.

Today you have to remind yourselves of the ideals Jesus stood for. For ages,

from time to time, many noble souls, endowed with immense spiritual power, have

taken birth to propagate sacred teachings to the world. They struggled hard to

make the world a good place to live in. But without understanding their noble

intentions, foolish people tried to ridicule and persecute them. Right from his

birth, Jesus had to face many trials and tribulations. When the name and fame of

noble souls spread far and wide, many people become jealous. Asuya (jealousy)

and Anasuya (absence of jealousy) are sisters. The history of Bharat is replete

with many examples that bear testimony to this truth. Asuya has three children,

viz, kama, krodha and dwesha (desire, anger and hatred). The Divine Trinity of

Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheswara were born to Anasuya. The three wicked sons of

Asuya (i.e. desire, anger ,and hatred) caused a great deal of suffering to

Jesus, who strove tirelessly for the peace and welfare of society. Jesus was

the epitome of compassion and the refuge of the poor, needy and forlorn. But

many people tried to create troubles for Jesus, since they did not like his

sacred teachings and activities. Their hatred for Jesus increased day by day.

Even the priests turned against Jesus as they became jealous of his growing

popularity. The fishermen held Jesus in high esteem. They started following his

teachings and became his disciples. Many people out of jealousy laid obstacles

in his path and even tried to kill him.

Jesus had twelve disciples. Judas was the twelfth disciple, who ultimately

betrayed Jesus. At that time, there was only one Judas, but today there are

many such 'Judases'. Today the world is engulfed in unrest because of the rise

in the number of betrayers like Judas. They are so mean-minded that they are

easily tempted by money. Judas betrayed Jesus for just a few pieces of silver.

Even two thousand years ago, money became the primary objective of man. Because

of their greed for money, people resort to evil and unjust ways, distort the

truth, and make false propaganda. This was the case then and it is so even now.

No one needs to be afraid of such false allegations. Why should one be afraid of

the mistake that one has not committed? In the past, many evil-minded people

were jealous of the divine personalities who attained worldwide fame through

their teachings of truth and righteousness. Even today there is no dearth of

such wicked people.

Today, many people are jealous of Sai, since His name and fame are spreading far

and wide. Neither do they undertake any good activity nor can they tolerate if

someone else is doing good. The Rayalaseema region suffered from scarcity of

drinking water right from the time of British rule. There were many leaders and

men of affluence, but none of them took up the task of providing drinking water

in this region. It was Sai Baba who quenched the thirst of lakhs of people of

Rayalaseema.

Today, the cost of heart surgeries run into lakhs of rupees. Again it is Sai

Baba who has established a Super Speciality Hospital, where most expensive

heart surgeries are done totally free of cost.

Today, the field of education is corrupted by money to such an extent that one

has to pay 20,000 rupees as donation to admit a child in primary school. But

Sai Baba is providing free education right from the level of K.G. to P.G. No

other individual, or no government for that matter, has been able to provide

free education or free medical care. Those fortunate ones with higher education

have become so mean-minded that they have lost the sense to understand and

appreciate the sanctity associated with these activities. Have any of them been

able to accomplish at least one-thousandth of what Sai Baba is doing? No, no,

no! It is only Sathya Sai Baba who has undertaken such noble tasks without a

trace of selfishness. (cheers). Sai's heart is pure, His feelings are sacred,

and He is totally selfless. Sathya Sai Baba stands for 3P's, namely, Purity,

Patience and Perseverance. There is no trace of selfishness in Sai Baba from

top to toe. He is rendering totally selfless service. Why are those with a

modicum of intelligence unable to recognise this truth? Why are they indulging

in false propaganda? They are doing so due to their greed for money. Not merely

that. People of one religion are taking up conversion to another religion for

the sake of money. Even those who wear ochre robes are falling prey to this

evil trend. One Swamiji becomes jealous at the prosperity of some other Swamiji

and instigates false propaganda against him.

One does not become a saint or develop devotion just by donning ochre robes.One

does not acquire merit merely by singing the verses of the Gita.(Telugu Poem)

Even some of the so-called sadhus are indulging in this wicked activity. One

need not talk about the role of Peetaadhipathis (heads of hindu sects) in this.

We should not criticise anybody, but I am forced to tell you all this, as the

situation demands. Do not be afraid of any false publicity.

I have started yet another Super Speciality Hospital in Bangalore at a cost of

Rs. 300 crores. (cheers). In this vast land of Bharat, do you find any

politician in power associating himself with such noble cause? On the other

hand, rather shamelessly, they go on talking ill of others. People who try to

put obstacles in the way of sacred activities are no human beings at all. They

are verily demons. Even if the whole world were to be filled with such demons,

Sai's resolve will never change. (cheers). Some people, out of their

mean-mindedness, are trying to tarnish the image of Sai Baba. I don't crave for

name and fame. So I don't lose anything by their false propaganda. My glory will

go on increasing day by day. It will never diminish even a bit if they were to

publicise their false propaganda in the whole world in bold letters. Some

devotees seem to be disturbed over these false statements. They are not true

devotees at all. Having known the mighty power of Sai, why should you be afraid

of the 'cawing of crows'? One should not get carried away by all that is written

on walls, said in political meetings, or printed as the vulgar tales carried by

the print media. Let us firmly resolve to propagate the principles of truth,

righteousness and love. Sathya Sai Baba has no trace of selfishness in Him. I

am ready to spend crores of rupees to alleviate the suffering of the poor and

the downtrodden. My resolve is to feed the hungry and impart education to poor

children. There are many millionaires in this world who are so mean and

narrow-minded that they set their dogs on the persons who beg for alms at their

doorstep. It is shameful to consider them as human beings.

These persons are unable to do even a thousandth of what Sathya Sai Baba is

doing for society, but shamelessly indulge in false allegations. It would be

far better if they follow Sathya Sai Baba instead and set an ideal to the rest

of the world. I have no desires or ambition. There is no trace of jealousy in

Me. I am love personified. Love is My very life. Wisdom is the fruit that I

grant. These two form the basis of My life.

People who indulge in false allegations are bound to be ruined. Those who

instigate such false publicity too will meet their doom. Money should be

utilised to undertake righteous actions. It should not be used for evil

purposes. Serve your fellowmen with all love and compassion. Put them on the

right path and make them happy. I am not afraid of any false propaganda that

people may do. Why should I be afraid when I follow the path of truth,

righteousness and love? Let people say what they want; I am not perturbed.

Today I am explaining to you in detail the principle of love for which I stand.

During the time of every Avatar, wicked people did play their tricks. During

the time of Krishna, there were demonical persons, like Kamsa, Sisupala, and

Dantavakra, who tried their best to harm Him. When Rama incarnated for the

establishment of Dharma, He too was subjected to a lot of hardship. He was sent

to the forest on exile for 14 years, and Ravana forcibly took His consort away.

Ultimately, what happened to all those who tried to create trouble for the

divine Personalities? Those that accuse divine Personalities and put them to

suffering are committing the worst of the sins. If one cannot undertake

meritorious deeds, it is better one keeps quiet instead of indulging in such

sinful deeds. There are some people who claim to be devotees and take to evil

ways. They feel that their physical appearance will earn them respect. One

having a good personality may not be good in all respects. The word

"personality" has its origin in the word "person", which symbolises sacredness.

So, one should lead a life of truth and righteousness. The principle of love is

the same in one and all. All should stand united by the bond of love. Then the

entire world will become one family. One who fragments love and develops hatred

can never attain happiness in life.

I lead a life suffused with love from dawn to dusk. I am giving free education

to thousands of students. Not merely free education; I am showing them by

example the way to lead ideal lives. When these students go out, some people

try to pollute their minds with wicked feelings. Whatever others may say, our

students are like gold. The very dust from their footsteps will prevent

wickedness in others. The alumni, both boys and girls, of our institutions are

leading sacred and exemplary lives. The alumni association 'Messengers of

Sathya Sai' is undertaking various service activities in various countries.

They are even making their husbands to take to the path of service. Our old

students are working in various countries like Switzerland, America, Japan,

China, Russia. Some foreigners are trying to bribe them, asking them to

fabricate stories against Sathya Sai Baba. In Switzerland, when one of our girl

students was approached by someone asking her to concoct stories against Sai

Baba, she got so enraged that immediately she took out her shoe and was about

to slap that person saying, "Is this what your religion teaches? Is this the

ideal that your religion propagates? Fie on you! Get out!" But there are some

traitors like Judas, who are being bribed to level false charges against Sai

Baba.

Ultimately, what happened to Judas? He felt miserable for having betrayed Jesus

for monetary gains. He shed tears of repentance. He hit himself, saying, "Fie

on me! I am a traitor. I betrayed my own master and God." Betrayal of God is

the worst of all sins. Such betrayal can never be atoned in any number of

births. So, never try to betray God. Love all. Salute even those who criticise

you,because Divinity is present in all. Do not give scope for anger and spoil

your mind. Pray to God with love. Even in the past, all noble souls and

incarnations had to put up with criticism. You may ask "Why at all should such

criticism arise?" Criticism will only increase their glory. Pleasure is an

interval between two pains. Shadow follows light. One should not be afraid of

the shadow. There is light even in the shadow. Light and shadow cannot exist

separately. There is a principle of unity between them. So, do not react to any

criticism levelled against Swami or any other elder for that matter. Just brush

it aside, saying that you have nothing to do with it. If someone points out

mistakes in you, you can certainly rectify them. But if someone levels false

charges against you, you don't need to be worried over it. Be happy. If the

criticism is made in a loud voice, it goes into the thin air. If it is made

within oneself, it goes to oneself. Such being the case, why should you be

perturbed? Let anyone say anything; remain calm. Consider whatever happens as

good for you. With such equal-mindedness, carry on with your lives.

In the future, you are going to witness many more glorious events. There is

nothing that Sathya Sai cannot accomplish. (cheers). In fact, He can strike

people with awe and wonder with His deeds. But His only aim is to make

everybody happy. Loka samastha sukhino bhavantu (May the entire world be

happy). Those who aspire for the well-being of others will never be put to

difficulties. No difficulty can ever shake them. A small example. Once, Buddha

encountered the demon of jealousy, which said, "Buddha, I am going to swallow

you." Buddha flashed a smile at the demon and said, "O the demon of jealousy, I

love you too." On listening to the loving words of Buddha, the demon immediately

turned into a dove that symbolises love and peace and flew away.

One becomes a devotee in the true sense only when one cultivates patience and

conquers the evil qualities of anger, hatred, and jealousy with love. Don't be

elated by praise or depressed by blame. It is not proper on your part to love

only those who praise you and hate those who criticise you. Be equal-minded in

both praise and censure. Criticism will only help you to progress. So, do not

harbour hatred toward those who criticise you. Accept anything good that comes

in your way. Ignore all that is bad. People may praise or criticise, but none

can shake Sai. (cheers). Sai lives in truth. None can shake truth at any point

of time. Lead your lives with such strong conviction. Develop faith in God day

by day. As faith increases, all the wickedness will perish. Do not give up the

spiritual practices that you have been doing all along. Since Jesus bore all

the difficulties with fortitude, he is being adored and worshipped to this day.

 

Once, a young disciple asked Jesus, "O master, when I am faced with any

problems, how am I to solve them?" Jesus replied, "O simpleton, do not seek

solutions for your problems. Love God, who is installed in your heart. Love

even those that hate you, because God is present in them also. How can you ever

have suffering when you love all? Your heart will be filled with bliss when you

love everybody." Once Arjuna asked Krishna, "Swami, is there anybody who is

very dear to You?" Krishna replied, "O, simpleton, I have neither friend nor

foe. I am present in your heart. I reside even in the hearts of those who

criticise Me. One who sees God in everybody and loves them is very dear to Me.

One is intimately related to Me not by birth, but by one's intense love for Me.

Having been with Me for so long, it is rather surprising that you have not

understood this basic truth. O, Arjuna, you have made Me sit in your chariot,

but not in the chariot of your heart." One should install God in one's heart.

In fact, you don't need to install Him; He is already there. It is enough if

you know the truth that God is present in your heart. Once you recognise this

truth, you will become God yourself.

What you have to propagate to the world is love alone. Nothing exists other than

love in this world. Love is God. Love is life and love is everything. So,

cultivate love more and more. Let your mind not waver under any circumstances.

A wavering mind becomes unsacred. That is why Thyagaraja once sang, "O mind, do

not waver, and do not get deluded. You suffer because of delusion."

Consider love as your very life. Love alone makes one's life sacred. One with

love alone is a true human being. Love is man. Man is love. Man is God and God

is love. It is love that unifies all. So, develop love. Tread the path of truth

and righteousness and lead a peaceful life. These four values are the life

supporting principles. There are no greater powers, no greater ideals, and no

greater supports than these human values of Sathya, Dharma, Santhi, and Prema.

Adhere to these four values and carry on with your life sojourn.

Embodiments of Love!

Be fearless. Do not be afraid even if a thunderbolt were to land on your head.

Death comes only once, and not twice. It is bound to come one day or the other.

So, do not be afraid of death. Be ready for anything. Do not be afraid to follow

truth. Fill your life with love. Only then will your life be sanctified. No

spiritual practice like japa (repetition of the name) and dhyana (meditation)

can redeem your life if you do not adhere to truth and love. Let anything

happen, hold on to these values. These values alone can confer happiness and

prosperity to the entire world. Develop love more and more. Do not pay heed to

the criticism of others, because you are not committing any mistake. What

mistake can there be if one loves God? Have unflinching love for God till your

last breath. Do not give scope for conflicts or doubts. Each one has to face

the consequences of one's actions. None can predict when and how, but one is

bound to face them. But when you constantly think of God, you will never be put

to sufferings. God will shield you from all suffering. He will always be with

you, in you, around you, safe-guarding you. Do not give scope for evil

feelings. You may adore Him as Jesus, Rama, Krishna, etc., but remember that

God is one, goal is one, truth is one, and love is one. Have firm faith in

this. Do not fragment your love in mean pursuits. Understand the principle of

unity and cling on to it. Then,wherever you are, either in the forest or in the

sky, in the city or in a village, on the mountaintop or in the middle of the

deep sea, God will certainly take care of you. No one has the right to deny

your God. Due to the impact of Kali Age, people are taking to evil ways in

pursuit of money. They even go to the extent of killing others for the sake of

money. For them, money is everything. One should not struggle to earn money.

One should strive to earn the wealth of love.

Embodiments of love!

I hope I am not causing you baadha (trouble) by speaking at length. In fact it

is not baadha but a great bodha (teaching). People who are fear-stricken should

be given the tonic of courage. Do not give scope for any weakness whatsoever.

The members of 'Messengers of Sathya Sai' are rendering yeoman service to the

society. Sometimes, they even forego their food while participating in service

activities. But that is not a good practice, since it will spoil their health.

They wanted to contribute their mite to the Super Speciality Hospital that is

being constructed at Bangalore. Being ladies, they felt sad that it was not

possible for them to take up any service activity at the construction site,

like carrying bricks, etc. They collected 75 lakh rupees from their own small

savings and sent the amount to Sri Sathya Sai Trust without informing me.

(cheers) Not merely that, there are many old boys of our college who are

working outside. But they too belong to me. Some of them wait here for months

together without even taking food properly. In this manner, they saved some

money to contribute for the hospital. The Sathya Sai Old students sent 45 lakh

rupees to the Central Trust. We don't want your money. We want your love. We

want your welfare, progress, and happiness. Wherever you are, lead ideal lives.

Some are under the impression that some big people are contributing crores and

crores of rupees for this hospital. We are not asking them. They are not giving

us either. I am happy with even a small contribution offered with love. Many

people offered Jesus various gifts, but he did not accept any of them. But when

an old lady offered him a small coin, he accepted happily and kept it with him

till his last breath, since the offering was made with love. Similarly, what I

want is love, not money. Like this, many more hospitals will be coming up in

future. I do not ask anybody for any help. It is Sathya Sankalpa (Will of

Truth), and what I am doing is good. If one undertakes any good work, it is

bound to fructify. It is My goodness that attracts all the help.

Students! Boys and Girls!

Take back the money that you have given us. Your love, progress, and well-being

is what I want. I will be pleased if you lead ideal lives with good conduct.

Earn a good name that Sathya Sai students are well behaved. Money comes and

goes, morality comes and grows. Develop your morality and character. Be

courageous. Share your love with others. People outside are not aware of the

love and devotion that the students and devotees have for Me. They do not even

care for their health when it comes to serving Me. But I don't want such

service. You should eat well. Do not trouble yourself because there is God in

you. Make yourself happy; then serve the society. You have been going to

various villages and serving the poor. There is no greater service than this.

This wealth of service is much greater than crores of rupees. Go to each and

every village; serve the poor and feed the hungry.

I have mentioned this to you recently. I came across a news item in a small

piece of paper, which I happened to find somewhere. There was a poor mother

who did not have the wherewithal to feed her son. Her husband was no more.

Every day she used to beg for alms in order to feed her son. Some time back

there were heavy rains continuously for 15 days. Consequently, she could not go

out for begging. One morning her son started crying, "Mother. I am hungry. Give

me something to eat." In such a situation, what could she give him? She felt

helpless and shed tears. She thought within herself, "Son, God has not given me

the strength to feed you." In that moment of helplessness, she somehow managed

to get poison, mixed it in water, gave it to her son, and drank it herself.

Both of them died. I felt very sad that in this land of Bharat, which is known

as Annapoorna (goddess of food), there are some people who are unable to feed

their own children. From that day onward, I have taken up a firm resolve.

Children should be fed properly and given proper education. So, I have made

fixed deposits of one lakh rupees for such mothers and children each. They will

get an interest of one thousand rupees per month. Are a thousand rupees not

enough to feed a mother and her child? But there may be some cheats who will

try to exploit their innocence. They may instigate them to invest those one

lakh rupees in a business for their own selfish ends. That is why the bank

manager is given strict instructions in this regard to give only the interest

every month to the parent concerned.

It is not possible to educate the children if they are living in a different

village. We wanted to keep them near and asked the government to allot a

suitable piece of land. But they have not given us. How will they give any land

to us, since they cannot get any votes from us? That is why I have stopped

asking them. We have got our own orchard. I have decided to use that piece of

land to construct houses for these poor families. I do not want any fruit

trees. I thought that instead of utilising the land to grow fruit trees, it is

better to utilise it for the sake of poor children, who are like fruits

themselves. We are going to construct houses with two rooms, a kitchen and a

bathroom for every mother and her child. They can live lifelong in these houses

and look after their needs with the interest they get from the bank. I will take

the responsibility of providing education to these children. We have got many

students, both boys and girls. They will teach them and train them. Our boys

and girls are ready to render any service. I do not want to praise My own

students, but you cannot find students like them anywhere else. They are highly

virtuous. I want My students to render service to the poor and needy and

alleviate their suffering. Students, you do not need to pay heed to what others

say. Take a firm resolve to serve society and sanctify your life.

Shortly, I am going to Puttaparthi. Very soon, the students' Sports Meet is

going to take place. They need to be encouraged. The construction of houses for

the poor also has to be started. Then, by the 19th, I will be back here

(Brindavan) for the inauguration of Super Speciality Hospital, which is going

to confer happiness on the entire State of Karnataka. All the heart patients in

the State of Karnataka should be cured of their ailment. Every day, 30 to 40

operations will take place. For this purpose, 30 surgeons will be employed,

with high salaries. There will be 8 to 10 operation theatres. At least 25 to 30

heart surgeries should take place every day. No patient should suffer from heart

failure. That is My strong determination. I don't want to make any distinction

between States. All States are Mine. All belong to Me and I belong to you all.

Do not entertain any doubt. Do not give scope for any weakness. I am ready to

give whatever you require. Be courageous. Why fear when I am here?

Boys and Girls! Follow the commands of your parents and make them happy. Get

married if they want you to, and lead a life of an ideal householder. I bless

you all and bring My Discourse to a close.

In a few minutes from now, the 'Messengers of Sathya Sai' are going to present a

drama. It is an ideal drama, unlike the dramas that you see on television.

Today, the government is spoiling the young minds through TV. There is no harm

if good programmes are shown, but the government is encouraging programmes that

are not good for the children. We do not want such a government. We want a

government that will make the people tread the path of truth and righteousness.

'God-ment' is the real government. There are people who are working for their

selfish ends. Do not follow them. Selfishness has become their way of life. Let

it not become your way of life. Do not join politics. Take to the path of

service. Go to each and every village. Serve everybody. The best way to love

God is to love all and serve all. Chaala santosham (very happy).

Bhagavan concluded His Discourse with the bhajan, "Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare".

 

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[Guest guest]

Sai Ram everyone

Thank you for this illuminating and Inspiring

offering.

We must all clearly remember that

Swami's Guidance, Presence and Example uplifts and

dispels all darkness.

Lots of Prema

ki

 

 

 

--- xxhibiskusxx wrote:

 

> Dear Sai brethren,

> please read the Christmas Sandesh of the year 2000.

> It is selfexplanatory

> and cleary shows, that it is absolutely necessary

> to look at Swami from a very

> different angle. HE IS GOD INCARNATE. .....