SATHYA SAI SPEAKS - Volume II [Ch. 17, 18, 19]

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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 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 II [Ch. 17, 18, 19]

17. EXPERIENCE EKATHWAM

YESTERDAY and the day before, I spoke about the disciplinary life. that you

should lead. I was a harsh taskmaster then. But, today, I shall be soft and My

words will be like the Himalayan breeze, cool and invigorating. That harshness

had a reason, for there can be no effect without a cause. This coolness and

that warmth are both parts of the same Person and you cannot accept the one and

reject the other. Good and bad, right and wrong, are two sides of the same coin.

As for Me, My nature is distinct; I do not identify with anything. Those who

have neither authority nor adeptness have to hear, study, analyze and judge.

Authority is the right of the Atma alone. It is the Atma that can command. For

Me, the purity of your feeling is important, not the depth of your scholarship.

That is why I was harsh yesterday and the day before to compel you

to examine your feelings and remove the blemishes. Today, I assure you, I shall

not be so harsh. In fact, you may have noticed, I used the word,

Premaswaruupulaara (Embodiments of Divine Love), in the beginning when I began

to speak!

Usually, in human calculations, value is attached only to sharpness of

intellect; but that is incomplete. Emotional clarity is also important. You

purchase an article from a shop, not merely because it serves a useful purpose

but also because it is beautiful and attractive; that is to say, it appeals to

the intellect and the emotions. Bhaava (innate disposition) gives beauty or as

they say in Telugu, Andham. That is why I often say, Andham is Anandam (beauty

is Bliss); you cannot have one without the other.

Earn the experience of Unity the hard way

Andham and Anandam, beauty and truth, harmony and ecstasy are found in Ekathwam

(Oneness), the discovery and experience of Unity. Unity must be as symbolized

by the experience of the unity of mud and gold; the sight, the seen and. the

seer, that is, the search and the success. Ramakrishna prompted this yearning,

promoted this agony in Vivekananda and the others who came to him. Try with all

your strength; test with all your doubt, earn it the hard way and enjoy the

fruit of your exertions: that was the teaching he gave.

The music of all the transmitters of the world is everywhere; if you care to

listen, strive to procure a radio receiver, learn the wave-length of the

station you need to hear and switch on and tune in. The key to liberation has

to be cast and forged and filed and fitted by each aspirant. It cannot be gibed

in one moment by one word. Ramakrishna himself sought for it through years of

inexplicable anguish; how-then can we short-circuit the process for another? No

one can just pass it on, saying, "Take!" The flower has to yield the fruit and

the fruit has to grow, ripen and fall.

Jealousy and anger are the twins born of the Mother Ahamkar (self-conceit).

Destroy the twins, and take the kaaram (meaning in Telugu, "the hot taste") of

the Ahamkaaram and keep it simply as Aham (1), so that you can get the thrill

of 'Aham Brahmaasmi" (I am Brahman) with that instrument. That is the stage to

be reached, the height to be scaled. The kaaram in the Aham is like the single

seed which if allowed to sprout, multiplies a ' thousand-fold and produces many

bags of seed. It has to be crushed in the very first instance. Then the analysis

of the Aham starts and ends in the conclusion: '"Ayam Atma-Brahma,"---this Aham

is the Atma, which is Brahma. The two: That and This, Thath and Thwam, are

identified and This is found to be only That, when Thath

thwam asi (Thou art That) is realised. Well. What is the thing called Thath, the

That? What is Brahmam in other words ? The fourth Mahaavaakya declares:

Prajnaanam---the Highest Wisdom---Unity, One.

Truths revealed by the four Mahaavaakyas

All these Mahaavaakyas (Sacred statements of Supreme Truth) relate to the Glory

of the One, which is a veritable Ocean of Grace. The vapor rising from It is

"Prajnaanam Brahma"', the cloud is '"Ayam Aathma Brahma ;" the shower of rain,

"Thath thwam asi;" the river is "Aham Brahmaasmi."

Prajnaanam Brahma is symbolised by Andapinda Lingam---the vision of the one

entity in all the manifold entities, the expansion of the individual into the

universal, the enlargement of the I into the vastness of the "He and We." 'When

you knock at another's door and a voice from inside accosts you with the

question, "Who is it?" you automatically answer, "It is I." That does not

satisfy the questioner. So, another question eliciting further information

follows. Then only will the door open. The door of Liberation can also open

only to those who can explain who the "I" truly is.

This reveals to the Jivi (individual soul), "I am in the Light." The second

Mahaavaakya, Ayam Atma Brahma, tells him, "The Light is in Me." Slowly the

truth dawns on the mind! The Light, which I imagined as enveloping me, the

Prajnaanam which I identified as the basis of all this appearance, that

illumination is in me, too. My innermost-truth is also that Prajnaanam, that

Light. This is represented by Sadhaashiva Lingam (the vision of the Eternal

Shiva).

Personal experience is the best teacher

The Sadhak sees in his Sadhana that Light which dispels the darkness of ages. He

is told that He is that Light and nothing else, "Thath thwam asi, "Thou art

that." He then becomes immune to spasms of ignorance which make him forget his

nature. Just as a beginner learning the violin lapses easily into grinding out

distressing sounds from the strings, the Sadhak also grinds out discordant

notes, of discontent and grief. When pain becomes unbearable, a person faints

and loses consciousness; that is a consolation. Beyond a certain limit, you are

not to suffer pain. Similarly, when this identity feeling is established, no

more activity is possible. One becomes "unconscious" of the world, or rather,

one passes beyond the realms of consciousness--un-, suband even super-;

the river has reached the sea. Thath-thwam-asi is symbolised by the Jnaana

Lingam (the vision of enlightenment).

Aham Brahmaasmi, the last of the Mahaavaakyas, is associated with the

Atma-Lingam. The fourteen higher worlds and the fourteen lower worlds cannot be

shown and demonstrated in models; they are symbolic of the levels of

consciousness in the geography of the spirit and in the journey of the mind

towards the Goal. There are no books that can teach you the topography; the

journey is the best teacher, each step making the next one easier. Radha,

Meera, Sakkubai, Surdas, Ramakrishna---all followed the guidance of their own

inner call.

The angam (body) is the Sangam (meeting point) where spirit and matter meet; the

jangam, the moving phantasmagoria where spirit and matter meet, is in Sangam.

>From this Sangam, one has to evoke the Lingam (Divinity in its aforesaid four

forms, one after the other. The Lingam is just a sign: a sign of endeavor, a

sign of success. For example, the Andapinda Lingam signifies the egg-shaped

universe, which is how it is, even according to experts in science. The outer

cover is the anda and the inner rasa or matter is the pinda. They are both

dependent, one on the other. You are all basically the Andapinda, with the

outer shell of materialism and the inner core of Divinity. The body is a vessel

to contain the Chaitanya or effulgence of Divinity.

Atma lingam is the ultimate phase

The sentiment, "Aham Brahmaasmi" explicit in the Mahaavaakya, gives a sense of

kinship; as when this Linga, confronted by that Linga proceeds to aalingana

(embracing). That sense of belonging has great psychological value: when you

hear a child cry and find on enquiry that it is your child, you get far more

anxious than when you are told it is another's child. The attachment will lead

to merging (for the Andapinda Lingam is this body, this nature which we see)

and imbibing and building into our consciousness. Even God, when He comes with

human body or as materialized from, is Andapindam, whether it is Maha Vishnu,

Shiva, Rama, Krishna or Sathya Sai Baba.

Jnaanalingam symbolises the jnaana that you are Sarvabhuutha (the totality of

all beings) and the Sarvabhuutha is in you. The jnaanam (divine wisdom) itself

is Brahmam; Jnaana, is not a quality of Brahmam---it is Brahmam itself, for

Brahmam has no quality. The Jnaani (the liberated person), though in the world,

has the Inner Vision, which makes him fall away from the twig as the dried leaf

which has no more need of attachment.

Aathmalingam (the vision of form of the Self), the ultimate phase, is the stage

of gold, when the names and forms of gold jewels have been subsumed. Water

freezes into ice; Atma freezes into the individual. The Aathmalingam is just

the pot that contains seawater, immersed in the self-same sea.

"I shall cure you slowly and patiently"

Both are identical, only the name and the form are different. You can realise

your truth by following the path, which will lead to that knowledge. Only, you

must be prepared for the discipline and the travail. When I give you a drug,

you must take it in the prescribed dosage and adhere strictly to the regimen of

food, sleep and exercise I recommend. Of course, the anxiety to get cured

quickly is commendable; but there is a time-table for all this. Moderation is

productive of better results than excess.

Women know that when they add water in order to reduce the taste of excess salt,

they have to add to the cooked dish necessary quantities of other ingredients

too in order to make it tasty. In the same way, I have to reduce the excessive

attachment you have for the things of' the world and when I do that, I have to

correct by various other methods also. I shall cure you, slowly and patiently;

the more slowly I do it, the more lasting it will be. I shall reveal to you the

Aathmalingam without fail. Yes, great days are coming; let not your sloth stand

across and deprive you of the chance. When you listen to My story, you forget

the story of the world and live only in My story, until there is no separate

story for you to relate or live. Well, to make you story-less is the scheme of

My story.

Sadhaashivalingam indicates the person who is ever of the Swarupa (form) of

Shiva. Here and everywhere, night and day, in joy and grief, he is Shivam:

happy, auspicious, graceful; Anandam is his breath, his motive force, his

demeanor, his inner and outer expression; Sadhaa always and for ever,

Shivam---auspicious. There is no room here for controversy or intellectual

rivalry and competition, like the ones indulged in by Pundits. and scholars,

misusing the valuable paper manufactured by the mills of this country. Install

Sadhaashivalingam in the consciousness and all things will be revealed to you,

step by step, by the Grace of the Divine Indweller.

Prashanthi Nilayam, 20-10-1961

Do you know the real significance of the story of Anasuya, the story of how she

humbled the Gods, Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu? (An-asuya means, "Envy-less”. It is

that if you have no end, you get such unshakable peace, that no Power can

overwhelm you. - Sathya Sai Baba

18. SARVATHAH PAANI PAADHAH

BHADHRAM has by his kathaakaalakshepam (musical discourse on mythological

stories) pleased you all; he was worried that he was in indifferent health but

enthusiasm overcame physical weakness; devotion gave the required energy. His

emotions were riding the clouds of exultation; his voice, however, was creeping

along the marshland of convalescence. You also went through the ordeal of

squatting on the floor for over two hours. That is the true spirit, not to

attach undue importance to the temporary complaints of the body.

The long and short of the katha (story), which Bhadhram recited and commented

upon, is this: the Lord is Natanasuuthradhaari---He who pulls the strings in

the play of puppetry. It looks as if the dolls dance of their own accord and

play out a plot of their own, that there is no one behind the drama to direct

it, that the dolls are alive and full of activity. The strings are invisible to

you. It is the mind that deceives you thus.

(Baba here sang a song: "One man's mind prefers Krishna, another's likes Shiva,

another prefers the Formless Allah." He said, "My Voice, you have noted, gets

lost exactly here because in the song the next line is about some preferring

the name of Sai; I never call upon people to worship Me, giving up the Forms

they already revere. I have come to establish Dharma and so I do not and will

not demand or require your homage. Give it to your Lord or Guru, whoever He is;

I am the Witness, come to set right the vision.")

Cleanse your mind by moral conduct

In the katha, Bhadhram referred to Krishna and His deeds; how He killed His

maternal uncle, etc. But all that was in His Plan, part of the Divine task.

When the truth demands fulfillment no flimsy physical bond can stand in the

way. The Lord cares only for those whose heart is mortgaged to Him. He cares

for Bhakti, not Bhaktas. He will not be partial to His kinsmen or swayed by

such cheap affiliations. These reciters and exponents have lowered the Leelas

(divine plays) of the Lord, trying to please the common folk. They make Narada

a crook of low intrigue, Visvamitra a fool, Hanuman a monkey, and Rama a mere

man. They create the impression that God is jealous, greedy, vengeful, and

subject to gusts of passion. They seldom unravel the meanings and symbolisms of

the stories and incidents and names and forms of the Puraanic

personalities. They should interpret the incidents with reference to the

contexts of spiritual progress; they should judge actions with reference to the

standards of the age in which they happened; not by placing them against the

background of modern times. People should be transformed by the recitals and

the effect should be like the thrill of a bath in holy Ganga. The reciter

himself must strive for that spiritual experience, by sincere Sadhana. That

alone can give genuine satisfaction to the listeners and joy to the reciter.

Of course, until the mind is cleared of doubt, you have to cleanse it by moral

conduct and spiritual discipline. Then the Truth will be reflected in it,

clearer and clearer as the process is continued. The appetite for worldly goods

must be blunted; it must fade and fall, as the petals of a flower grown old.

They should not be plucked and cast aside. The noise of the market place should

give place to the silence of the altar; then only can the secret whisper of the

conscience be heard, the warning signal of the Sasthras be recognized.

Nothing can happen without the Lord's Will

Atma Shakti (power of the Soul) can function only when prompted by Maya Shakti

(power of Illusion). That is why Maya was born just previous to Krishna. If

Maya is absent, how can the drama be put on? As a matter of fact, Maya has to

announce the arrival and the identity. Ashaanthi (lack of peace) of some kind

or the other brings you to this place, naturally; but having come, do not

concentrate on objective gifts only; gather also the valuable advice given for

inner development. You should pray: Asatho maa sath gamaya---From the unreal

lead me to the Real. Is there any end to the list of worldly goods' that you

crave for? When you secure one, another starts tantalizing you. If you do not

get that, very often, your hold on the Lord too loosens. If something

is lost or stolen from you, you lose faith in Me. I have not come to guard your

jewels and your 'valuables.' I have come to guard your virtue and holiness and

guide you to the Goal. If your goodness is in danger, come to Me. I shall tell

you how to cultivate it and reap the fruit. If some one is snatched away by

death while on pilgrimage to Kasi or Badrinath, you console yourself that it

was an enviable way of quitting. But if you get even a mild attack of headache

at Puttaparthi, you start blaming Me. According to you, those who have entered

this compound once should not die. If they do, your faith wavers and dwindles.

Well, not even an eyelid can open without the Lord's Will. So try to get the

Lord's Grace and leave all questions to be answered by Him according to His

Fancy.

"My feet are within your reach at all times"

When the sun rises, all the buds of lotus in the lake will not open out in full

bloom. Only those which are full grown can blossom so; the rest have to bide

their time and grow. His Grace is the right of all, but Sadhana can win it

only. I have no hate or anger in My composition; My Life blood is Prema, I am

the repository of dhaya (compassion). Understand Me and My Nature right. The

shadow of the Moon in the depth of the lake seems to quiver and shake because

of the waves; but look up and you see the Moon, steady as ever. I am always

steady; My Grace is ever there. To the outward eye, My action is magic,

miracle; to the inner eye, it is all Leela, Well, the Hand that creates is the

Hand that gives--there is no keeping back. It is always for you and you alone.

That is My Truth; know it and be happy.

I have started the work for which I have come down. I have collected the metal,

the steel, the stones, the bricks. I have dug the foundation trenches---and the

superstructure will rise soon. There can be no interruption. You will see

thousands pressing along this road, hundreds on every rock on these hills. The

Bhaktas who are at the Nilayam are sad that they have had no chance of even a

Namaskaaram (respectful obeisance) for three months. They feel that those who

come from afar and leave in a few days are luckier.

To them I say this: You are deluded by a false sense of values. Why worry so

much at not being able to touch these Feet? My Feet are within your reach, at

all times, wherever you are. "Sarvathah Paani Paadhah"---"Hands and feet

everywhere." If you wail in agony, "Don't you hear me?" My Ears are there to

listen; if you pray from the depths of your heart, "Don't you see my plight?"

My Eyes are there shedding Grace on you. Get out of Maya and become Prema; then

you get Prema only from Me.

Puttaparthi will become Madhura Nagara

Rama and Krishna and Sai Baba appear different because of the dress each has

donned, but it is the Self-same Entity, believe Me. Do not be misled into error

and loss. The time will soon come when this huge building or even vaster ones

will be too small for the gatherings of those who are called to this place. The

sky itself will have to be the roof of the Auditorium of the future; I will have

to forego the car and even the aeroplane 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.

You will witness that Puttaparthi becoming Madhura Nagara (birth place of

Krishna). No one can stop this development or delay it. I will not give you up,

nor can any one of you give Me up. Even if you lose faith, you will repent and

come to this refuge very soon, clamoring for admission. I shall be in this body

for 58 years more; I have assured you of this already. Your lives are

intertwined with My earthly career. Act always in accordance with that great

privilege.

Prashanthi Nilayam, 21-10-1961

19. VISION OF THE PURUSHA

You are, I know, rather bored by these evening gatherings taking place every

day, without break, for it is hard listening, this, the discussion of spiritual

subjects and the detailing of disciplinary rules. Some of you are saying that

you came to Prashanthi Nilayam for peace and quiet; but you are being subjected

to the ordeal of speeches and long sittings. Let me tell you that discourses by

these great scholars are very valuable. The speakers here are blessed; the

listeners too are blessed. Why, the listeners are even more blessed; for they

can very often follow the lessons which these speakers teach, while the

teachers themselves might not be able to carry them out.

There was a Pundit who led a disciplined life, sticking to a pre-arranged

time-table; he woke up from sleep in the early hours of the morning, recited

the Pranava (OM) and later, after ablutions, drank his cup of milk at 7 a.m.

exactly. Some days the milkmaid arrived late, for she lived on the other bank

of the river and had to catch a ferry to cross over with the milk. The ferry

boat either started a little to soon or at times reached her bank too late,

when she brought the milk late, greatly to the annoyance of the Pundit. One

day, he lost patience and chided her for upsetting his timetable. "Why do you

depend on that horrid boat to take you across? Do you not know that if you only

repeat the name of Rama that you can walk across without coming to harm? Rama

will see that you do not get drowned." Next day, the maid repeated Rama

-Nama and just walked across. Yes, her faith gave her the strength. She did not

tarry for the ferry. The Pundit was flabbergasted, for he did not believe that

it could ever be possible for Rama Nama to work this miracle.

The Bhakta must ignore his identity and separateness and merge with the ideal;

what individually has the servant got? He has nothing; no, not even a trace.

The Master is all.

Dealing with both Sath and Chith Divine Bliss

If you stare at the sun for a second and then turn your eye to other things

around, you will find that there is a dark patch over them and you cannot

recognise them. Similarly, once you get a vision of the Purusha (God), who is

more effulgent than a thousand suns, you can no longer recognise the

multiplicity called Prakriti (Nature). The world is black, it is blocked;

indeed, you can no longer recognise or deal with variety once you have had a

vision of the basic Unity. Take the screen in the cinema theatre. When the film

is on, you do not see the screen, you see only the play; when the show is over,

you see just a screen, a screen that has no message--- neither voice nor name

nor form nor colour nor creed. That is Brahman. The entire rope gives the

appearance of a snake in the dark; here, the entire screen was lost in this

picture.

Brahman is Sathyam;' Jagath (Universe) is Brahman. That is Sath (Being), this is

Chith (awareness). Knowing this and dealing with both is Anandam. I was asked

once how any one can accept the two seemingly opposite statements: "Brahma

Sathyam Jaganmithya" and "Sarvam Vishnumayam Jagath"---Brahman is Truth, World

is false" and 'World is full of Vishnu." This was My reply: The powers of man

are limited by his experience and his knowledge. He is just a Pinda (part),

while the Lord is Anda (whole), the Force pervading the entire Universe. The

Anda-Pinda Lingam symbolises this Body-Limb relationship, the Part-Whole aspect

of Maadhava and Man.

The Sadhaa-Shivalingam represents the ever-auspicious Atma, which is beyond all

dual aspects and concepts, immanent in all beings and everywhere. It is not

negated by time; it is Sadhaa (always) Shivam (beneficial and auspicious).

A real Guru must be full of Bliss

The Jnaanalingam is the sign of the attainment of Jnaana (spiritual wisdom),

when the last vestige of the delusion of "I" is wiped off; even the feeling 'I

know' is gone; then you are the Atma, pure and whole, entire and

enduring---then your condition is best represented by the symbol of the

Aathmalinga.

You have, each one, the tremendous Shakti (Power) of the Atma (Infinite

consciousness) in you. Some are able to draw upon it; others just know it is

there; others are unaware of the methods of tapping it or even of its

existence. It all comes in time, through steady Sadhana. The child, in time,

grows into the father; the father becomes the grandfather and he in turn ages

into a great grandfather. The Sadhak rises step by step towards the highest

Bliss by adhering to the instructions of the Guru. You should tell the Guru,

"If you can help me, do so. If you cannot, do not give false hopes and mislead

me. Confess your immaturity. I can then seek some other guide. Do not pretend

to be a teacher when you are not even a good student." Ply him with questions,

examine his daily conduct, clear your doubts; then cultivate

Faith in the Guru you have won. There are many Gurus who are guided by their

students and followers and warned by their disciples not to state certain views

in pubic. These Gurus act according to the dictates of men in power or men with

money. A real Guru must be like Sadhaa-Shivalingam, full of Aanandha welling up

from the consciousness of the Divinity.

Do not harm your inner nature

So long as you are in Avidhya (ignorance), so long as you are untrained and

lacking in knowledge, you cannot taste the Bliss; you cannot attain it. You are

still bound by the three corded rope---the black cord of Thamas (inertia), the

red cord of Rajas (passion) and the white cord of Sathwa (equanimity). Deny

that you are bound; the rope falls away. Hence, regulate your life in such a

way that you do not harm your inner nature. That is to say, live in the

constant contemplation of your kinship with others and with the Universe. Do

good to others, treat all nature kindly, speak soft and sweet, become a child

devoid of envy, hate and greed; when your ego crosses the threshold of your

family or group and takes kindly to those beyond, you have taken the first step

to cross the threshold of

Maya.

Whoever has tasted that Joy will thenceforward crave for that only. How can the

Jivi (individual being) stoop to something less? How can the Truth be grasped

when you are steeped in, Falsehood? How-can a fish experience the sky? How can

Nectar and Poison, Day and Night, God and the Devil, be together?

Uddhava, when he came among the Gopis, discovered that Krishna was roaming in

"their hearts without a moment's respite. They were seen-scanning the dust' on

the roads to discover a footprint of Krishna, so that they could fall down and

worship it! Radha was the greatest devotee of all; she saw all footprints as

Krishna's own, including even hers! Really, is there any one who is not He? Any

Form that is not His? Any Name that does not connote Him? Uddhava exclaimed, "I

have no need of Narayana; I am content with this Vision of the Glory of' the

Bhakta." For the sorrow and fear of today, the same prescription also holds:

See Him of the Shiva-Swarupa (Form of Shiva) in all; then all will yield joy

and peace. That is the truth. The rest is false. Yama comes with delusion;

Shiva is seen; then Light dawns.

Prema will destroy the roots of ego

Ahamkar or egotism is the Maya. 'How can you get rid of it.?' The field looks a

dry waste, with no sign of green; and you feel proud that .you have pulled up

all the grass by the roots. When the showers come down, they sprout again.

Prema will destroy the roots of the ego. Plant it, protect it, foster it and

enjoy its fruits. Remove envy, hate and greed from your heart; they will

smother the seedlings of Prema.

Have faith; faith will grant you all that you need. How can you build your faith

on a mound of sand? The deeper you dig the sandy soil, the greater the risk of

the sides slipping down and burying your faith in doubt and denial. Listen to

the call from within; believe that it is the call' from Mathura.

The Lord too condescends to grant you the chance to develop faith. Why did

Krishna raise the Govardhana Hill and keep it aloft? It was to announce His

Truth and His Nature, to instill Faith and to implant courage. It is just a

sign, as is each one of My Acts. There is no task which I cannot accomplish,

remember; no weight I cannot lift. You have faith in Rama and Krishna because

of the books, which describe a part of their achievements and the experience of

the Sadhaks who attempted to delve into their Mystery. You have not demanded

direct proofs of Divinity from either Rama or Krishna, have you? Have faith

first and then you will get proof enough. Take up the discipline of the recital

of the Name. Why drag out your existence as a mere consumer of food, as a moving

burden encumbering the earth? Eat, but transform food into good deeds, good

thoughts and sweet speech; move, but do not cause pain to others' or add to

their misery. Do not condemn yourselves as weak, sinful, conceited, wicked,

outlawed, mean, etc. When you so condemn yourself, remember you are actually

condemning Me, who is your Inner Self. Live, so that with every breath and

step, you come nearer and nearer to Me.

Prashanthi Nilayam, 22-10-1961

Upavaasa means that all your thoughts and deeds and words on those holy days

must be about God, that you should spend the day 'near' Him, 'in' Him, for Him.

It means that eating, sleeping and other bodily avocations have to take to

secondary role, and the meditation and Japam have to take the main role. -

Sathya Sai Baba

TO BE CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brothers – ‘’Source and Courtesy:

http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume02/sss2

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