National Integrators

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National Integrators

It is paradoxical that man, in his frantic efforts to attain happiness,

succeeds Only in making his life miserable. This is because he seeks

happiness through the body and senses with which he identifies himself and

fails to realize the real self within, which is unchanging and eternal. The

situation is worsened by the evil forces of selfishness, hatred and jealousy

which often gain ascendancy. Such evils affect not only individuals but

communities and nations as well

In this context, saints appear amidst us, from time to time and guide us,

like good Gurus in the right direction with a view to our attaining

perfection, free from ills and sorrows. One such saint is Sai Baba.

His blessings were freely given in generous measure to all who sought Him

for the satisfaction of their temporal and spiritual needs. Throughout the

period when He was bestowing these favours which took the form of securing

employment for those unemployed, or granting issue to the issueless or

curing a fell disease, He spoke as one seated in the heart of every One, and

nothing was veiled from His vision. What is necessary is faith and patience,

and abiding love for God which should show itself as unconditional surrender

to, and reliance in, the Guru. He emphasized that the highest achievement of

man is to know the "Self" within him, which will secure for him liberation

from all the miseries of existence. It is because of avidya or ignorance

that one fails to recognize the " Self " which is really a spark of the

divine. Instead, We are conscious of the " ego " which is the pseudo-self.

Baba never advocated conversion from one faith to another, but enjoined all

to follow the religion of their birth. Nature has meant for us the religion

most suited to us. So he advised a Muslim to be a true Muslim and a Hindu to

follow his own religious path. By His own practices He set an example that

there is nothing different between Islam and Hinduism in essence and enabled

His devotees to look at the essence of all religions shorn of formalism and

external observances.

He endeavoured and succeeded in unifying Hinduism within itself and Islam

within itself. By purifying and refining both, He sought to establish a

broad basis for a common religion for all humanity and helped to remove the

meaningless hostilities between people in the name of religion. Baba

endeavoured more by practice than by precept to show that there is no real

conflict between religions. The incidental effects of such understanding

between the two religionists were of great national importance in unifying

conflicting groups which in recent years marred the social and political

life of India.

Om Shanthi! Shanthi! ! Shanthihi!!!

Saint Sayings

''One should always depend on God. This will enhance one's fortitude,

valour, sagacity, fearlessness, and spiritual stamina.

There is no glory like divine glory.

There is no penance higher than truthfulness.

'For a pious man the glory of a saint cannot be over estimated ; for, the

glory of saints is infinite.

So long as your mind, your intellect, does not take to the thoughts of God,

so long as your mind is not constantly devoted to the thought of the Lord,

external aids are of no avail.

'He whose wants are never satisfied is never rid of his poverty, to whatever

position he may outwardly attain, and so long as poverty is there he will

ever feel miserable and wretched.

H. H. SWAMI KESAVAlAHJl'S SELECTIONS

 

(Adopted from the Book Pearls of Wisdom by His Holiness Swami Kesavaiahji)