SATHYA SAI SPEAKS - Volume I [Ch.5, 6,7]

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Dear Sai brothers and sisters of the worldwide '' family,

In view of the ensuing glorious event of the 80th Birthday of the Divine Lord

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, we propose to start posting of all the Divine

Messages titled as 'Sathya Sai Speaks' for the benefit of our members and all

the Sai devotees the world over. We request you to pass on/forward/spread these

Divine messages to your Sai circle so that they also derive spiritual benefits

and bliss from them. These Divine Messages are not only for Sai devotees, they

are for the entire HUMANITY. Lord Krishna taught humanity the ways and means of

salvation for mankind in 'Bhagavad Gita' in Dwapara Yuga. 'Sathya Sai speaks' is

the' Bhagavad Gita of Kali Yuga. - With Sai love, Sai brothers -

''

***

Om Sri Sai Ram

SATHYA SAI SPEAKS - Volume I [Ch.5, 6,7]

5. JAPASAHITHA DHYAANA

(Meditation on the Lord's Form and Fame) The devotee who spoke first here now

was, let me tell you, denying God for 25 years and it is only since five years,

after seeing Me, that he has changed. Of course, many people have had no

experience, which could change them, and so they are not to be blamed for their

want of faith. So too, this Seshagiri Rao here was finding fault with his son

and daughters for coming to Puttaparthi, and himself for long refusing to come!

One day at Bangalore, there was a function in the house opposite his, for I had

gone there. During Bhajan (group singing of devotional songs), this man

hesitantly crossed the road and peeped into the hall and I went forward and

called him and made him sit near Me. I asked him to come to Puttaparthi and

invited him to 'examine' and 'experience'. He has been with Me ever since; it

is now 18 years since he first came here. This is just the reason why I came to

sow the seeds of faith, in religion and in God. You might have heard some people

say that I became Sai Baba when a scorpion stung me! Well, I challenge any one

of you to get stung by scorpions and transform yourself into Sai Baba. No, the

scorpion had nothing to do with it! In fact, there was no scorpion at all! I

came in response to the prayers of sages, saints and spiritual aspirants for

the restoration of Dharma (Righteousness).

The root cause of all this restlessness

When there is a sign of a little unrest, the police constable appears on the

scene; if the mob gets unruly, the Inspector rushes in; and if it becomes

violent, the Superintendent of Police has to be personally present on the scene

to quell it. If, however, the situation waxes hot, the Inspector-General has to

make himself available, is it not? This is a situation in which the I-G. is

taking over-all charge of the situation. The Mahaapurushas, the Mahatmas, the

Jnanis, the Yogis

and the Dhevaamsa-sambhuuthas (sages, savants, saints, yogis & divine

personalities) have had their try, and they will all be co-operating in the

task of re-establishing righteousness and clearing the path for the world

attaining Shanthi (absolute peace). The greatest defect today is the absence of

Atma Vicharana (the inquiry into the nature of the Self). That is the root cause

of all this Ashanti (restlessness). If you are eager to know the truth about

yourself, then even if you do not believe in God, you will not go astray. The

pots are all of mud, the ornaments are all of gold, the clothes are all of

yarn. There is unity where one saw only diversity; the basic substance is one

and indivisible. That is Brahman (Supreme Reality) that is the Atma, which is

your own basic substance too. This Atma Vicharana is best found in the

Upanishads. Just as a river's flow is regulated by bunds and the flood waters

are directed to the sea, so too the Upanishads regulate and

restrict the senses, the mind and the intellect and help one to reach the sea

and merge individuality in the Absolute. Study the Upanishads with a view to

act accordingly, to put the advice into practice. Scanning a map or turning

over a guidebook will not give you the thrill of the actual visit, nor will it

give you a fraction of the joy and knowledge of a journey through that land.

The Upanishads and the Geetha are only maps and guidebooks, remember.

Call upon the Lord in your own heart

There is the story of a rustic who sat among a gathering of devotees and

listened to the exposition of the Geetha by a great Pundit. All were

wonder-struck by the scholarly commentary which the Pundit gave and his learned

disquisition on each word and phrase and the rustic, though the exposition was

very much over his head, seemed to attend very closely for he was all the time

in tears! When at last the Pundit asked him why he was weeping, he surprised

everybody by the sincerity of his

14.5pt">Bhakti. For he said that he wept at the predicament of the Lord, who had

to sit at the head of the chariot and half turning his neck hold forth so long

to convince the dull-witted Arjuna. "How much pain must He be suffering in His

neck?" he asked and wept. That was real devotion, a sure passport to spiritual

victory. He had identified himself with the participants in the episode and the

whole setting had become alive for him. You need not even read the Geetha or the

Upanishads. You will hear a Geetha specially designed for you if you call upon

the Lord in your own heart. He is there, installed as your own charioteer. Ask

Him and He will answer. Have the Form of the Lord before you when you sit

quietly in a place for meditation and have His Name, that is, any Name when you

do Japam

(repetition of holy Name). If you do Japam, without that Picture or Form before

you, who is to give the answer? You cannot be talking all the time to yourself.

The Rupa (Form) will hear and the Rupa will respond. All agitations must cease

one day, is it not? The Dhyana of the Form and the Japam of the Name---that is

the only means for this task.

Stick to the Name and Form you like the most

The secret is: you should 'be', but not be as in sleep, when you are aware deep

down within you, that you are. Only, sleep is enveloped in Maya (Delusion).

Awake from that delusion, but immerse yourself in this sleep that is real

Samadhi (Super conscious state of Bliss). Japam and Dhyana are means by which

you can compel even the concretization of the Divine Grace, in the Form and

with the Name you yearn for. The Lord has to assume the Form you choose, the

Name you fancy; in fact, you shape Him so. Therefore, do not change these two,

but stick to the ones that please you most, whatever the delay or the

difficulty. Do not get discouraged that you are not able to

concentrate for long from the very beginning. When you learn to ride a bicycle,

you do not get the skill of keeping the balance immediately. You push the cycle

along to an open maidan and hop and skip, leaning now to one side and now to the

other and even fall with the cycle upon you on many an attempt before you are

able to ride with skill and never again to worry about the balance.

Automatically, you are able to make the necessary adjustments to correct the

balance, is it not? After getting this skill, you can ride through the narrow

streets and lanes and you do not need an open maidan; you can negotiate your

vehicle through the most crowded thoroughfares. So too practice will equip you

with a concentration that will sustain you in the densest of surroundings and

the most difficult situations.

The best Sadhana for the beginners

Do not be under the impression that I will be angry with you if you do not

accept Me as the Dhyana Rupa (Form for meditation)! I am not concerned at all;

you have perfect freedom to select the Name and Form that give you necessary

encouragement. When you meditate, the mind often runs after something else, it

takes another road. You have then to plug that outlet by means of the Name and

the Form and see that the even flow of your thoughts towards the Lord is not

interrupted; if it happens again, use the Name and the Form again, quickly. Do

not allow the mind to go beyond the twin bunds, this side Nama and that side

Rupa! Then it will not stray into a third place. First, when you sit for

meditation, recite a few Slokas on the glow of God, so that the thoughts that

are scattered could be collected. Then gradually, while doing Japam, draw

before the mind's eye the Form which that Name represents. When your mind

wanders away from the recital of the Name, take it on to the picture of the

Form. When it wanders away from the picture, lead it on to the Name. Let it

dwell either on that sweetness or this. Treated thus it can be easily tamed.

The imaginary picture you have drawn will get transmuted into the Bhaava

chithram

14.0pt">(emotional picture), dear to the heart and fixed in the memory;

gradually it will become the Saakshaathkaara chitram---when the Lord assumes

that Form in order to fulfill your desire.

Use the body as an instrument for spiritual practice

This Sadhana (spiritual practice) is called Japa sahitha Dhyana (meditation on

the Lord's Name and Form) and I advise you all to take it up, for it is the

best for beginners. Within a few days, you will fall in line and you will taste

the joy of concentration. After about ten or fifteen minutes in the initial

stages and longer after some time of this Dhyana, have some manana (inward

contemplation) on the Shanthi and the sowkhya (peace and contentment) you had

during the Dhyana; that is to say, bring back into your memory the joy you

experienced. This will help your faith and earnestness. Then, do not get up

suddenly and start moving about, resuming your avocations. Loosen the limbs

slowly, deliberately and gradually, and then enter upon your usual duties.

Taste the fruits of Dhyana and learn to relish them; that is what I mean by

this process of manana (repeated reflection). Be careful about your physical

health also. Satisfy the demands of nature; the car must be given the petrol,

which it needs. Otherwise, your head

might reel and your eyes might get blurred through sheer exhaustion; how can

thoughts of the Lord be stabilized in a weak frame? Only, do not forget the

purpose of this body when you are tending it. A road-roller is fed with oil and

coal and other types of fuel. But why is it kept in good trim? In order to mend

the road, is it not? Similarly, remember that you have come embodied, so that

you might realise the end of this cycle of birth and death. For that sake, use

the body as an instrument. Flying hither and thither, higher and higher, the

bird has at last to perch on a tree for rest. So too, even the richest and the

most powerful man seeks rest, Shanthi. Peace can be got only in one shop, in

inner reality. The senses will drag you along into a mire, which submerges you

deeper and deeper in alternate joy and grief, that is to say, prolonged

discontent. Only the contemplation of unity can

remove fear, rivalry, envy, greed, and desire---all the feelings that prompt

discontent. Every other avenue can give only pseudo contentment; a day will

come when you will throw away all these playthings and toys and cry, "Lord!

Grant Me unruffled peace." The dacoit Valmiki prayed so; the confirmed atheist

too has one day to pray for peace and rest.

Engage yourself in good thoughts and deeds

People hug brass pots and take them to be gold, but they have to polish them so

that they may appear bright. One day, they will get disgusted with this

constant polishing and scrubbing; they will pray, "Release me from this

scrubbing, this birth, this suffering and this agony." Life is short; time is

fleeting: your Sadhana is creeping at tortoise speed. When will you decide to

proceed a little faster? Your Sadhana is like the answers you write at the

examination. If you get only 5 or 6 marks, then the examiner will strike out

even that, saying, "What is the use of these few marks: it will take him

neither here nor

there." If you get somewhere near the passing marks, then Grace will give you

just a little more so that you may pass, provided you have been a diligent well

behaved student. Engage yourselves in good deeds, good company and good

thoughts. Fix your attention on the goal. You have not realised yet the secret

of this Advent. You are indeed lucky, more fortunate than many others. It is ·

only when Yasoda found every length of rope a little short to go round His

belly that she discovered He was the Lord. So to, you will realise every

description of My Mahima (Divine Glory) a little too short of the actuality;

and then you will get convinced. Meanwhile if you study the Sasthras and know

the characteristics of the Avatar of the Lord, you might get a glimpse of the

Truth regarding Me.

You will know the truth when you experience

There is no use arguing and quarrelling among yourselves; examine, experience;

then you will know the truth. Do not proclaim before you are convinced; be

silent while you are still undecided or engaged in evaluating. Of course, you

must discard all evil in you before you can attempt to evaluate the mystery.

And, when faith dawns, fence it around with discipline and self-control, so

that the tender shoot might be guarded against the goats and cattle, the motley

crowd of cynics and unbelievers. When your faith grows into a big tree, those

very cattle can lie down in the shade that it will spread.

Chitravathi River Bed, Puttaparthi, 23-2-1958

6. AN ATTITUDE OF CHALLENGE

WE heard the address of thanks, which the sixth form boys gave to the teachers

of the school and the advice they gave to the students of the lower forms.

Their words were very sweet, full of gratitude to the teachers and full of

encouragement to the students who continue to be under the care of those

teachers. They also expressed their grief that they had to leave a fine school

and a fine set of instructors and a fine company of fellow-students. But though

the words were fine, I doubt whether the feelings were also such, for after all

they knew they have to leave the school for higher studies. All these years,

they knew that this day will come. Of course it is good to see that boys

express gratefulness for the benefits they derived. They promised also to serve

their country to the best of their ability. For

they are the guardians of this land in the days to come. I am specially happy in

the company of students, for they are like the buds in the garden; they are the

young heroes who have to take up the difficult task of national and

international reconstruction. The present situation in the world is like a

typhoon, causing unrest and confusion. No one has mental quiet; fear and

anxiety stalk everywhere; panic reigns even while the conquest of space and the

mapping of new planets is being hailed. Even in this country, it is a time of

crisis and no time should be lost to set matters right so that men may enjoy

Shanthi (peace) more than anything else; for, without Shanthi, life is a

nightmare.

Tolerate all kinds of persons and opinions

While studying other things, you should learn the secret of Shanthi also. This

opportunity should not be missed, for that is the wisdom that will save you.

The present system of education aims at making you bread-winners and citizens,

but it does not give you the secret of a happy life; namely, discrimination

between the unreal and the real--, which is the genuine training you need. Of

course, it is not your fault, but of those who direct these affairs. They will

have to do it, sooner rather than later. The cultivation of Viveka

(discrimination) is the chief aim of education; the promotion of virtuous

habits, the

strengthening of Dharma, these are to be attended to; not the acquisition of

polish or gentlemanliness, or collection of general information and the

practice of common skills. First, be fixed in the consciousness that yourself

is the immortal Atma, which is indestructible, which is holy, pure and divine.

That will give you unshakable courage and strength. Then, you must: develop

mutual love and respect. Tolerate all kinds of persons and opinions, all

attitudes and peculiarities. The school, the home and the society are all

training grounds for tolerance. At school, the teachers and the pupils must be

aware of their duties and rights. The relationship must be based on love, not

fear. Only the atmosphere of love can guarantee happy co-operation and concord.

Above all, be good, honest and well

behaved. That will make the university degrees more desirable and valuable. Do

not attach undue value to the passing of examinations, for, if you do so, you

are apt to get terribly depressed when you fail; we hear of too many young

people committing suicide when the results of the examinations are announced.

Dear children, do not do any such foolish thing. Take failure, if it comes, as

a spur to further effort; analyze why you failed and profit by the experience.

If you ruin yourself by such foolish actions, it will pain Me, remember.

Refuse to become scapegoats of politicians

Learn when you are students how to succeed in the turmoil of life, how to live

without causing pain to others and suffering pain yourself. Do not waste time

taking part in electioneering and quarrelling over the factions and fancies of

elders; they are setting you very bad examples and you must avoid imitating

their low behavior. Politics is a variety of ticks, which infest some

individuals and worry their lives out. Do not catch that infection from them.

Be clean and content. You are too young to understand the complications and

confusions of politics and you can only be the tools and instruments of people

who want to use you for their own purposes. Be bold; refuse to become the

scapegoats of such men. Tell them you have better work to do. Proceed only as

far as your own talents and experience can take you. Examine everything and

believe only

what appeals to you as correct. Do not simply say, Sai Baba spoke well, or Sai

Baba writes well; respect Sai Baba only if He does as well as He speaks and

writes. Devotion and Activity---these two should go together. Shri B. Gopala

Reddy come to inaugurate the Hospital at Puttaparthi and he said, "If only

Government had planned this Hospital, even the basement would not have come up

now." So also, this school has risen to this fame and height due to the care

and love of the founders and supporters. All should co-operate in tending such

institutions; difference of opinion must be like the two eyes, each giving a

different picture of the same object; both of which, when coordinated, give a

complete rounded picture. The donors of this school have done a very good

thing: they have done it in a spirit of worship and humanity. Be grateful for

their sacrifice and make the best use of the chance they have

provided.

India is blessed with many saints and sages

The District Judge in his opening remarks said that Bharath has been blessed

with many saints and sages and with many manifestations of Divinity in Human

Form. A doubt may arise why such appearances take place in Bharath, more than

in any other place, when the world is so big and we have humanity everywhere to

be saved and guided. There is a reason for this, believe Me! Well, why should,

in all India, Kolar alone have gold? Where there is a gold mine, there is the

need for mining engineers and chemists who will extract it, separate it, purify

it and distribute it to the various places where gold is in demand, is it not?

So also, it is here in India that there is a mine of spiritual wisdom and

spiritual treasure: the Darshans, Upanishads (metaphysical sciences and

revelatory scriptures), the Geetha and the Vedas. This has to be distributed

pure and unsullied, guaranteed in value and quality, to eager aspirants

everywhere and so we have here a succession of sages and saints. On account of

the teachings and the lives of these people, there is a vast field of spiritual

virtue in this land, which needs only a little more care to yield a rich

harvest.

Attachment to Nature has limits

People suffer because they have all kinds of unreasonable desires and they pine

to fulfill them and they fail. They attach too much value to the objective

world. It is only when attachment increases that you suffer pain and grief. If

you look upon nature and all created objects with the insight derived from the

Inner Vision, then attachment will slide away, though effort will remain; you

will also see everything much clearer and with a glow suffused with Divinity

and splendor. Close these eyes and open those inner eyes and what a grand

picture of essential Unity you get! Attachment to nature has limits, but the

attachment to the Lord that you develop when the inner eye opens has no limit.

Enjoy that Reality, not this false picture. The Lord is the Immanent Power

in everything; those who refuse to believe that the image in the mirror is a

picture of themselves, how can they believe in the Lord, when He is reflected

in every object around them? The moon is reflected in a pot, provided it has

water; so too, the Lord can be clearly seen in your heart, provided you have

the water of Prema (Love) in it. When the Lord is not reflected in your heart,

you cannot say that there is no Lord; it only means that there is no Prema in

you. Students and even elders here have given up the study of Sanskrit,

dismissing it as a useless difficult language. They have neglected the ancient

texts, bundling them up and taking them down only on festival days for worship!

But Western aspirants who know their worth have taken them to their own lands

and they have translated them

into their own tongues and learnt their essence with devotion.

Students must honour physical labour

Reading is not enough; you may master all the commentaries and you may be able

to argue and discuss with great scholars about these texts; but without

attempting to practice what they teach, it is a waste of' time. I never approve

of book learning; practice is what I evaluate. When you come out of the

examination hall you know whether you will pass or not, is it not? For you can

yourself judge whether you have answered well or not. So in Sadhana (spiritual

effort) or in conduct or in practice, each of you can judge and ascertain the

success or failure that is in store. Sadhana is the essential thing even for

you; for no age is too early for this. Just as you tend the body with food and

drink at regular intervals,

you must also tend to the needs of the inner Atmic body by regular Japam and

Dhyana and the cultivation of virtues. Satsang, Sathpravarthana and

Sath-chinthana (holy company, good attitude and sacred thoughts) are all

essential for the growth and the health of the inner personality. The body is

the Bhavanam (mansion) of the Bhuvaneshwara (Lord of the world), His

14.5pt">Bhuvanam. In so far as you are particular about coffee or tea at regular

intervals, be also particular about Dhyana and Japam at fixed times for the

health and liveliness of the spirit. Students must have challenging attitude

towards things; they must honour physical labour. They should be eager to be of

service to those who need it on account of their disabilities. Honour also your

elders and do not miss any chance of serving, honoring or pleasing them.

Whatever gives you health, joy, welcome it; but do not lower yourself by

indulging in vulgar pastimes. Do not wander aimlessly in the streets or

frequent cinema-halls and mix with undesirable company, or cultivate bad habits

just for sake of fun. This country has to be raised to great

heights through you, not through its present leaders, remember. Note also that

whereas in other countries, people co-operate gladly with some one who is

courageous, intelligent and good, here the national trait is to be jealous of

one another, to pull down those who are rising high, and to refuse co-operation

and help. You boys must say to yourselves, "These elders do such things though

they know them to be wrong. What a pity! But we shall grow up differently. We

shall not belie our words in our actions. We will act together in harmony and

love." If you develop such virtues, the nation will prosper; if not, it will be

ruined. Have this warning always ringing in your ears. I bless all of you:

citizens, parents, teachers and students. This school, which was established by

the generosity of the people, will certainly grow into higher status and shine

as a great institution. I have no doubt of that.

Kannan High School, Chitthoor, 2-2-1958

7. COURAGE

Tins talk was not previously planned, but it is a case of the prayer of devotees

being fulfilled. I am not giving you any new advice today; it is the same advice

that I have given to students in many places. For, places may be different, but

students are the same; and their nature, character, ideals and problems are the

same in all places. The President of this meeting said just now that you are all

busy preparing for the examinations, and that many of you have taken up your

books only now. This has become quite usual now-a days; nine months of the year

you read all kinds of trash and in the two or three months left you pore over

the really essential ones. This is not correct! It is very harmful to stuff the

brain with all kinds of unwanted and paltry things. When you have some free

time, read and assimilate

such books as will promote an intelligent appreciation of the world and its

mystery. To live a happy, peaceful and contended life, good education is

necessary; education which is based on Dharma (righteousness). Do not develop a

dread of examinations; there, in a fixed time, you have to write answers to a

certain number of questions. Well, some students start answering the very first

question and go on serially with the rest; but it is always better to pause a

little and read the entire question paper and select the ones that you can

tackle with confidence, and write the answers for these in the beginning. This

will give you a good fillip to exercise your brains better for answering the

more difficult questions later.

Cultivation of virtues is very important

Never lose courage in the examination hall or outside. Courage is the

fertilizer, which will make the plant of scholarship grow. The field may be

good, but manuring is also necessary. You must all become heroes, adventurous

and bold; prepare for that role from now on. Man has inside him a whole set of

animals: the dog, the fox, the ass, and the wolf. But he must suppress the

tendencies of all these animals and encourage the human qualities of love and

friendship to shine forth. Friendship that is cultivated from childhood

onwards is more lasting and so try to cultivate real friends now. Above all,

begin the cultivation of virtues; that is more important and beneficial than

mere book learning. That gives real Ananda;

that is the essence of all knowledge, the culmination of all learning. Treat

every one as your own people and even if you cannot do them any good, desist

from causing them any injury. Burn the lamp of love inside the niche of your

heart and then the nocturnal birds of greed and envy will fly away, unable to

bear the light. Prema makes you humble; it makes you bend and bow when you see

greatness and glory. An unbending person is infected with egoism of the worst

type; remember man is the only animal that can recognise and revere the great

and the glorious. Use that capacity and derive the best advantage out of it.

Just as there are two wires, the positive and the negative, which are brought

together to produce illumination, similarly, the Paramatma

14.0pt">(Supreme Self) and the Sadhak (spiritual aspirant) have to come together

in Yoga, to grant illumination. So, go to the holy men and holy places and keep

company with pious men. A magnet attracts only iron; so a student attracts

towards him only those who will help his study, only such things as will give

him Ananda and dhairya (joy and daring).

The easiest habit is speaking the truth

Have faith that Truth will save you in the long run; stick to it, regardless of

what might befall. For if you are true, the sense of guilt will not gnaw your

insides and cause pain. It is cowardice that makes you hide the truth; it is

hatred that sharpens the edge of falsehood. Be bold and there is no need for a

lie. Be full of love and there is no need for subterfuge. The easiest habit is

speaking the truth, honesty; for, if you start telling lies, you will have to

keep count of them and remember how many you have told to whom and be always

alert not to contradict one lie with another! Love a person and you need no

longer deceive him with a lie; you will feel that he deserves the truth and

nothing less than the truth. Love saves a good deal of bother. Do not be led

away by all this present-day talk of

equality, either of men and women, or of all men. Each has a certain fund of

intelligence and a peculiar bundle of instincts and impulses and vaasanas (past

impressions). To the extent that you develop them or divert them or diminish

their strength, to that extent there is bound to be difference in your

equipment and achievement. Use all chances you get to develop your skills and

your health and your character. That is your present duty. Make lasting

friendships. Do not by any action of yours cause pain to another; nor suffer

pain yourself, by foolishness or sheer bravado. In your school, I find there

are some girls too; treat them with great respect and do not speak slightingly

of them. They are your sisters and by honoring them, you bring honour to

yourselves and your sisters. Respect for women is a sign of real culture. So, I

call upon you

to read good books; revere your teachers and to love all. Do not dishonor your

elders; cultivate the spirit of service and learn how to serve the sick and the

needy and seize every chance to help others. Or at least, desist from causing

sorrow to others.

B. Z. High School, Chitthoor, 3-3-1958

In your daily affairs, do not create factions, or revel in hatred. See the good

in others and the faults in yourselves. Revere others as having God installed

in them; revere yourself also as the seat of God. Make your heart pure so He

can reside therein. -Shri Sathya Sai

TO BE CONTINUED...

With Sai love from Sai brothers - ''

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