SATHYA SAI SPEAKS - Volume III [Ch. 3, 4, 5]

[Guest guest]

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 III [Ch. 3, 4, 5]

3. ASK FOR ME

TODAY, you had the nectar of Ramayana from these two Pundits. They spoke with

genuine joy when they dilated on the incidents of the Ramayana. One of them

selected today the hospitality shown to Bharata and his retinue by the sage

Bharadhwaja and how Bharata reacted to it. The other Shastri, who generally

talks on other topics, was persuaded this evening to select Naradha's

description of the qualities of Rama to Valmiki as the theme of his talk. Rama

Nama is so sweet that I could see all of you relishing these talks. If a man

talks about Rama, without himself being inspired by the glory of the Lord it

sounds hollow; it is of no benefit; it is like the image of a table heavy with

edible dishes seen inside a mirror; the dishes in the mirror will fill no

hungry stomach. No language can picture the actual bliss

that the Name can confer; words can at best delineate only an atom of that joy.

Man comes into the world burdened with Maya and its instrument, the mind. The

mind expresses itself through attraction and repulsion, raaga and dhwesha

(affection and hatred), towards the external world. Raaga is raajasik

(passionate) in its effect; it can be used for one's uplift, as Naradha used it

to fix attention on the Lord. Dhwesha is Thaamasik (negativistic), as Dhurvaasa

expressed it in his dealings with Ambareesha and others. Without Raaga and

Dhwesha, the mind cannot function at all. If these two are removed, there can

be no mind and no Maya, and you get fixed in jnaana. Let raaga and dhwesha go

and let Rama enter; then there will be no manas or Maya (mind or illusion).

Have aversion towards evil, pride and egoism

The Thaitthireeya Upanishad analyses the mind and its behavior very well. It

gives directions to merge the mind in God; the weapons with which you can foil

the tactics of raaga and dhwesha. Use them for positive purposes, as Naradha

and Dhurvaasa did. Have attachment to the Lord and aversion towards evil,

pride, and egoism. Water and fire are incompatible; fire is put out by water.

But, by means of fire, you can convert water into steam and use it to haul long

lines of heavy wagons.

How to overcome raaga and dhwesha? By discrimination, by inquiry, by reasoning.

Arrive at the truth by this means. Dhuryodhana, though he stuck to falsehood,

greed and envy had, according to the Mahabaratha, a swell time, flags flying,

festoons swinging, banquets everyday; but, Yudhishthira, tile eldest of the

Paandavas, had, as reward for his high morality, exile, poverty and privation.

This does not mean that Vyasa who wrote all this is a cheat or a fool.

Dharma (righteousness) stood firm in spite of hardships; Shraddha (faith) was

steadied and strengthened. In the case of Dhuryodhana, prosperity did not

induce caution, humility or discrimination. So you revere Yudhishthira and

execrate Dhuryodhana today, centuries after they died. Valmiki also pictured

Rama as wandering forlorn in the forests; but, He never for a moment wavered in

the path of Dharma. So, He is revered even today as the embodiment of Dharma.

Ask to be examined and your progress recorded

The Guru-sishya (teacher-disciple) relationship, which has been established

between these boys and those who initiated them into the Gayathri, has also a

special. Dharma (spiritual quality} which directs the sishya to learn with

gratitude and the Guru to teach with love. There are cases when the sishya was

made to forget all that he had learnt when the Guru was displeased with his

behavior.

India has been Yogabhuumi, Thyaagabhuumi, Vedhabhuumi---the land of Divine

Communion of renunciation, of spiritual intuition. It spoke of Samaa-dhee, the

wisdom that sees all as equal repositories of Divinity. Samathwa is just a

matter of origin and essence; water in lakes, pits, wells and rivers is rain

water, though the taste, colour, name and form are different, based on where

the rain has fallen and how pure is the container. Divine grace is like rain,

pure, pellucid, falling on all. How it is received and used depends on the

heart of man.

The Lord does not test a man just for fun; He does not pile calamity on calamity

because He enjoys it. Examinations are held, to measure achievement and award

marks and honors. You must ask to be examined, so that your progress may be

recorded.

Dheekshith spoke of Bharadhwaja setting up a Dhurbaar (regal audience) Hall,

with a bejeweled throne and all other paraphernalia, for the reception of

Bharata. Bharatha mentally installed Rama therein and stood behind, framing his

brother. The sage applauded Bharatha for this act of genuine detachment. He was

glad the citizens came to know the real nature of Bharatha by this means.

The Avatar has no blemish, no trace of Guna

Bharatha did not partake of the rich banquet that the sage had prepared; he was

too grieved over the turn of events to think of food, drink and sleep. He did

not even take a drop of water, before he could speak to Rama. The thought of

Rama was so intense in him that people saw Rama in the form of Bharatha.

Ceaseless contemplation had made him an exact replica. That is the depth of the

Bhakti, which is fruitful. But, you praise Me when all goes well and you call Me

stonyhearted when grief assails you. Grief or joy, whatever the Lord hands out,

you must welcome with equal calmness.

It was declared that Rama was born of the paayasam, which was brought by the

deity from out of the sacrificial fire. No Avatar is born flesh and blood,

including this Avatar. The body of the Avatar is chith (awarenessful)

substance; it is not jada (inert)like other materials. The embryo of ordinary

mortals is jalodhakashaayi (enveloped in watery stuff; the embryo of the Avatar

is encased in Ksheerodakashaayi (the pure white milk of holiness). That is why

in the make-up of the Avatar, there is no blemish, there is no trace of Guna.

Rama's insistence on His vow of hermit-hood

Dhasharatha wept, for he had no sons to offer ritual food when he moves out into

the next world. When all are of the form of God and of the substance of God, who

is son and who is father, who is to offer food to whom, when that high stage of

wisdom is reached? Kshamaa (fortitude) is the father, Shanthi (peace) is the

mother, Vairaagya (renunciation) is the wife, and the Lord is the son, the

centre of affection. Dhasharatha desired the lower type of son, the male issue,

to save him from perdition. This desire brought his 'spirit' again before Rama,

when Sita was about to enter the fire in Lanka. Ravana was killed and Rama

asked Sugreeva and Lakshmana to crown Vibheeshana as Emperor of Lanka; he

pleaded that Rama Himself should bless him on that auspicious occasion, but

Rama insisted that His vow of

hermit-hood prevented Him from entering an inhabited city.

Then, Rama sent Hanuman to Sita and requested him to bring Sita to the camp in a

palanquin. Vibheeshana had not thought of that; he was too immersed in other

affairs Hanuman bowed before Sita and got a vision of Lakshmi rising out of the

waves of the ocean of milk. He felt that, that Vision was enough compensation

for all the births he had to undergo. While the palanquin neared the camp,

there spread everywhere a sublime splendor from it, which astonished the

vaanara (sub-human or monkey) hordes. Rama sent word that Sita may alight and

walk the remaining distance, so that they may fill their eyes with her glory.

This is not mentioned in the books.

Two purposes of Sita's fire ordeal

When Sita was about ten yards away, Rama, who is butter when He melts and steel

when He hardens, said, "Stop, I can accept you only after you pass through

Fire." Lakshmana swooned at this thunderbolt; the monkeys who had to bring the

fuel for the Fire bent under the weight of even twigs. The Fire Ordeal served

two purposes- to scorch the slanderous tongues, which haunt the tracks of

Avatars (Divine Incarnations) at an times; and, to retrieve from the Fire the

real Sita who had entered into it, prior to abduction by Ravana. Dhasharatha

also came there, to assure Rama that Sita was Purity itself; and also, to

satisfy his parental craving to see his son. He appreciated the steadfastness

of Rama in the respect he had for his father's wish; he also saw the vaanaras

rise again from the battlefield and gather around

Rama. The Raakshasas (demonic persons) had already attained liberation for they

had the vision of God when they drew their last breaths. "The vaanaras came

down to be My instruments and so they have no death, neither are they born,

except at My Command," said Rama.

Man too must become His instrument in order to escape death and birth. He has

come, imprisoned in the ego, and he has to liberate himself. This can be done

only by making him aware of the Universal (Aadhaara) basis, lake a man sunk in

poverty, dwelling in a hut that is raised over a vast underground treasure, man

is suffering, with a spring of joy inside him, of which he is unaware. I have

come to give you the key of that treasure, to tell you how to tap that spring,

for you have forgotten tile way to blessedness. If you waste this chance of

saving yourselves, it is just your fate.

Do not hunger for comfort or riches

You have come, most of you, to get from Me tinsel and trash, petty little cures

and promotions, joys and comforts; very few of you desire to get from Me the

thing I have come to give, viz., Liberation itself; and even among these few,

those who stick to the path of Sadhana and succeed are a handful.

The outer signs of sainthood, the long gown, the beard, the rosaries, the matted

hair draw many away; they keep track of many such who move about in this land

and follow them into the wilderness. It is very difficult to demarcate clearly

the manifestation of the Lord and so, I am announcing Myself and Myself

describing My mission, the task, the characteristics, the qualities which mark

out the avatar from the rest. Do not hunger for comfort or riches; hunger for

Ananda.

If you have faith and if you keep the name of Rama as constant companion, you

are in Vaikuntha or Kailash or heaven, all the time. These are not distant

regions that have to be reached by tortuous travel; they are springs of

tranquility that are in your own heart. You cannot have this chance of the

nearness of the greatest of all sources of joy in any other place. Here it is

so near, so easy to attain, so full of grace. If you fall back, you will seldom

get the chance again. Ask and get what will save you, not what will bind you.

You ask from Me a thousand things of the world, but rarely do you ask for "Me"

That is why I seldom address you as bhaktas (devotees); I usually address you

as Divyaathma swaruupulaara (embodiments of the Divine), for that is your real

swaruupa, this Divyathwam

(Divinity). Though you do not know it, it is a fact. Therefore, I Call address

you so with confidence. I can even call you Divya-divya swaruupulaara, but, as

for Bhakti, since it is a quality that will make you desire the Lord and

nothing else. I find you cannot lay claim to it.

Methods to curb Ravana tendency

Some of you claim to be Sat bhaktas or Rama bhaktas or Krishna bhaktas. No,

unless you are perfect instruments in His hand, you do not deserve that name.

For example, Bharatha can call himself a Rama bhakta. He lived with Rama Nama

in every breath; he was with Rama in the forest and on the battlefield; he

suffered as much as Rama; he was as much an anchorite as his brother; so, he

too became Shyaama (dark skinned) like Rama.

Shravan, manan, and nidhidhyasan (listening, Contemplating on what has been

listened to and practising what is dictated by the mind so transfused), these

are the methods by which Raavanathwa (the Ravana tendency) has to be curbed.

What is that tendency? It is Kama---lust, greed, inordinate desire for things

of the sensory world, egoism, and the rest of the fatal brood. When the pot of

milk on the hearth boils over, you pour cold water on it and it settles down in

the vessel itself, is it not? Dhurvaasa is the example of the pot boiling over;

and Naradha, of the pot of milk that does not. Naradha had the name of the Lord

always on his tongue and so, the senses did not establish mastery. If you too

keep your senses and your wishes in check, you will gain by

listening to these talks and by this visit; and, I will be happy that you have

taken to the path that will give you real strength and joy.

Prashanthi Nilayam, 4-2-1963

No one can liberate you, for no one has bound you. You hold on to the nettie of

worldly pleasure and you weep for pain. Crows pursue the kite so long as it

carries the fish in its beak; it twists and turns in the sky trying to dodge

the crows who seek to snatch the fish; tired at last, it drops the fish. That

moment it is free. So give up the attachment to the senses, then grief and

worry can harass you no more. The kite sits on a tree, preening its wings,

enjoying its happiness. You too can be so happy, provided you drop the fish you

have in your beak. - Sathya Sai Baba

4. THE SEARCH FOR SITA

SINCE three days, the Pundits who spoke here have been discoursing on the

Ramayana. This is understandable in the case of a specialist like Dheekshith

but even the other Vidhwan has turned away from his usual topics; he too spoke

on the Ramayana. Of course, the Ramayana is a limitless ocean, from which any

number of canals can be dug and water drawn. I was wondering whether at least

today some one will refer to Krishna thathwam! Not that one gets tired of Rama

thathwam. The Thathwam (Reality) of the Lord is ever fresh.

Every life is a new chance, a fresh opportunity for realising the Truth.

Yesterday is gone; today is the fresh chance, the new opportunity is now;

tomorrow, you cannot be sure of Every minute is to be welcomed as unique and as

valuable, precious, in fact. Do not pine over the chunks of time you have

wasted; seize the moment that has come within your grasp.

Search for the Lord as Hanuman searched for Sita. He had not seen her; he had

only heard her being described. He could also judge what she should be like, if

Rama could aspire for her so deep. It was like the attachment of Purusha for

Prakrithi, no less. Like Hanuman, man too should seek the incomprehensible.

Aadhishakthi (Primal Energy), among the multifarious counter-attractions and

distractions of Lanka.

Through dharma and karma man can attain salvation

Since the entity is not known, one has to discover it by means of the

characteristics it is supposed to have. The experience of sages is the only

guide, the only map, or chart. The Bhaagavatha, the Raamaayana, and the

Puraanas supply that chart. Have the Lokamaatha (Universal Mother), the

Thripura-sundhari, in your heart, Her lineaments clear and pure; then proceed

bravely into the land of raakshasas; and you will succeed. Saturate yourself in

the search; establish yourself in the faith; then, you can fill yourself with

the Bliss.

Who can describe the signs of the Sita you seek to find? Only Rama can, for He

is the master. Take Him as the truest guide. The Vedas are like that.

Lakshmana. Sugreeva and the rest are as the Shaasthras, arguing by deduction,

not from actual mastery. They did not describe Sita; they could not, for they

had not seen.

When Rama went to the hermitages at Chitrakoota, the sages, saints and Vedic

scholars, all gathered round Him and their gratitude at getting His Darshan was

as a garland of flowers on His breast, flowers of many hues but, all strung on a

strand of deep devotion. They knew that Rama was both the Seen and the Unseen;

that He had come to establish dharma and karma, for through dharma, and karma

done along the lines of dharma, man is certain to attain peace and salvation.

The avatars insist on dharma it is declared that the purpose of the avatar is

Dharma sthaapana (establishment of virtue); but, what is dharma for, if not for

liberation from the bondage of ignorance?

Every step of the Avatar is pre-determined

The airplane has to land at certain places in order to take in those who have

won the right to fly, by the tickets they have purchased. So too, the Lord has

to come down so that those who have won the right to be liberated may be saved

incidentally, others too will know of the Lord, of His grace and ways of

winning it, of the joy of liberation. There are some who deny even today the

possibility of air travel; they curse the contrivance; they cavil at it.

Similarly, there are many who cavil at the Avatar that has come to save.

Dheekshith spoke of Kabandha who swore at Rama and wanted to eat Him up alive;

but Rama liberated him from his curse and restored him to previous glory. If

you condemn the Brahmin and the Vedas then, you drift afar from Me, if you

desist then, you are drawn near Parashurama, the inveterate foe of the

Kshathriyas appeared before Rama, when He was returning to Ayodhya, after the

marriage. He was blazing like fire, terrible to behold, for he had heard the

twang of the bow of Shiva, when Rama broke it in twain. He challenged him to

draw the bow of his father and to meet him in single combat. But, Rama said,

"You are worthy of respect; you are a Brahmin and you are related to

Vishwamitra."

Every step in the career of the avatar is pre-determined. Rama knew that the

coming of Suurpanakha was the prelude to the coming of Ravana; He had asked

Sita to enter the fire and remain in it as just as an outer manifestation.

Even before the human manifestation, the Lord had decided that the Shakthi

(Energy) must also accompany Him, because Ravana's thapas (penance) was so

strong that only some major sin could make the blessings he had won from the

gods null and void. The ordeal of fire through which Sita was asked to prove

herself was not an ordeal at all; it was got up only to recover Sita from the

fire in which she had taken shelter, in preparation for the Lanka episode. That

is the way of the avatar; it will not go about announcing its nature;

it will announce itself by deeds.

Do you yearn for the Lord's mercy and grace?

Jataayu recognised the divinity of Rama; he said, "Rama! I am content; this body

has realised the acme of joy; I have seen you, have been touched by you; I have

spoken to you and imbibed your voice." Only Rama knows the significance of each

step of His and the character of the next step; He carves His own career. You

were told that Rama showed man how to bear suffering while Krishna taught him

how to overcome it. No, Rama was all Ananda inside, though he was lamenting

outwardly for Sita Rama thathwa (Divine Reality) is known only to Rama. What

can the rest know?. At best, they can have but a glimpse of Rama’s grace. And,

even that only if they are immersed in intense inner prayer for God. Think of

Him, call out for Him; He melts. Whatever form He may be shining in, that

intensity will make you recognise Him. He may

be a cowherd boy, standing under a tree, with a flute at his lips. You will see

him and adore Him and place Him in your heart. You extol the Lord as Love,

Mercy, and Grace; but do you yearn to earn them? Do you believe you can win

them? Do you strive to treasure them?

Have an idea of the place of your last journey

Take the example of Suurpanakha, the sister of Ravana. She was mutilated by

Lakshmana, she was rejected by Rama, she was ridiculed by Sita, humiliated

beyond cure. She fled in terror to her brother and, what did she ask him to do?

She described the heavenly charm, the Divine grace of Rama and advised him to

fill his heart with the sweetness that Rama exhaled all around Him! Rama came

to feed the roots of Sathya and Dharma and so, Sita joined Him through correct

orthodox rites. There was no Seetha-apaharanam (abduction of Sita).

In the Krishna avatar, the task was to foster Shanthi and Prema Now; all four

are in danger of being dried up. The dharma that has fled to the forests has to

be led back into the villages and towns. The adharma that has ruined the

villages and towns has to be driven to the jungle. You will have no rest until

this is done. For it is your problem, the problem in which each of you is

vitally involved.

Now you are unaware of the problem, the problem of Liberation. There was a

courtier once with a king; he was so idle and ease-loving that whenever the

king ordered him to see someone, he raised flimsy objections like, "Perhaps, he

is away,If he does not greet me, what shall I do?What if he gets wild?I

may not be able to return in time", etc., etc. SO, the king got the word, "Fool"

embroidered on a broad tape and commanded him to wear it on his brow so that all

may learn a lesson. The courtier became the laughing stock of the palace. Within

a few months, the king was on his death-bed and the courtiers vied with one

another in weeping over him. When the fool came near he told him with tears in

his eyes, "I am leaving on my last journey, dear Fool." The fool said, "Wait, I

shall bring the royal elephant;" but, the

king shook his head and said, "Elephants will not take me there." The Fool

pleaded that the king might use the chariot, but, when told that chariots too

would be of no avail, he suggested the royal steed as the alternative. Even

that was of no help, he was told. Then, the Fool innocently asked the king.

"What is this strange place to which you are journeying?." The king replied. "I

do not know." At this, the Fool untied the tape from his brow, and tied it on

the brow of the dying king. "You deserve this more; you know you are going,

but, you do not know whither! You know that elephants, horses, and chariots do

not proceed there; but, you do not know where it is or how it looks!" he said.

But, you can have some idea of that place if you evaluate your deeds and

thoughts now in this life.

Prashanthi Nilayam, 5-2-1963

5. SWEETEN AND LIGHTEN LIFE

PERHAPS, this Raamanaama Feast is cloying to some tastes; but it is something

that is ever fresh, that gives undying sweetness to the heart that is filled

with the love of God. One single Name will yield fresh sweetness, fresh joy,

every time it is rolled on the tongue. I have to tell you the things I have

told you often before; for, until digestion is well established, medicine has

to be taken. The face has to be washed day after day. One meal is not the end

of the story; you have to eat, again and again.

To get angry is but the effort of a moment but, to get peace, to become

unaffected by the ups and downs of life, is the result of years of training in

Vedanta. It can be well established only on the basis of the belief that all

material things, which fall within the range of sensuous experience, are

fundamentally non-existent. They are Maya, products of illusion, of the

tendency to see many where only One exists. You see corpses proceeding one

after the other to the graveyard; but you move about unconcerned. You feel you

are eternal.

In fact, you are. That is the real you, I mean. Just as the water you drink is

eliminated as perspiration, the karma that you accumulate is eliminated through

karma, gladly borne. So, bear both 'mirth and moan' with equal calm. Like the

aakaasha (space) in the pot merging with the aakaasha outside the pot,

silently, fully, with no trace of separation or distinctness, merge with the

Universal. That is real sharanaagathi (surrender, salvation, liberation).

Today is the fastest friend, hold fast to it

Rama is extolled as the ideal son, who acted according to his father's wish,

regardless of his own happiness. But, Bheeshma is a better example in this

respect. He acceded to a whim Of his father and in so doing made even a greater

sacrifice than Rama. Dasaratha made Rama an exile in the forest for fourteen

years to satisfy the claims of Truth while Shanthanu made his son give up the

throne as: well as a wedded life to satisfy a sensual desire of his senile

body. As a matter of fact, it is not the obedience to the father's whim ;that

is important; it is the adherence to Sathya and dharma, which is Rama’s forte.

Dheekshith said that kings, because they have to compromise with justice and

truth sometime or other, usually go to the nether regions. His kingdom is,

really speaking, his body. He must evince as much interest in the proper upkeep

of the most distant part of his kingdom, as he does in the upkeep of his toe or

scalp. Pain anywhere must be felt and remedied as quickly as pain in any part

of his body. Such a king never goes to the nether regions. He is indeed thrice

blessed. Janaka, for example, felt that all was His, not his. Though he had a

body and all the commitments of kingship, he felt as if he was an A-shareeri

(without a body) and A-samsaari (without a family).

It requires all the strength one can collect to carry a load up-hill. The gear,

the accelerator, has both to operate to haul a car up a steep. The Guru who

taught you cannot do anything to haul it; he can only guide. The control of the

senses, changing the mode of life, the habits of thought, has to be done by you.

The senses say, "Why struggle? Eat, drink and be merry, while you can," but, the

Guru says, "Death lands on you without notice; overcome its fear now, before he

calls.Now is the true friend; yesterday has deceived you and gone; tomorrow

is a doubtful visitor. Today is the fastest friend; hold fast to it."

Be tranquil amidst the storms

Once when his eldest brother, Dharmaraaja, promised to a mendicant yogi some

help for a yajna (ritual sacrifice) and asked him to call the next day, Bheema

ordered all drums to beat and all flags to fly, for, "My brother is certain to

live until tomorrow! At least, that is what he believes will happen."

Death stalks your footsteps like a tiger in the bush. So without further waste

of time, endeavor to give up sloth and anger; be tranquil amidst the storms;

mix in tranquil company. Let the flagrant smoke of divine thoughts, full of

love to all, rise around you; why try to scatter fragrance from scent-sticks

available in the market? The flame of jnaana (experiential knowledge of Supreme

Reality) can reduce to cinders the impulses inherited through many births and

many experiences. In the heat of that crucible, dross is burnt and precious

metal is isolated.

The Lord is sweet in every one of His actions

Sadhana (spiritual effort) requires regular habits and moderation in food,

sleep, and exercise. Fasting weakens the intellect and reduces the strength of

discrimination. The body, the mind and the spirit, all three must be equally

looked after. Unless you have "muscles of iron and nerves of steel," you cannot

contain in your head the tremendously transforming idea of Adhwaitha, of your

being the Universal itself, the Eternal Reality itself! Lesser strength can

only think in terms of servitude or subsidiary roles. To see the Truth as

Truth, and the untruth as untruth, clarity of vision and courage of vision are

both needed.

The seven-walled fort---mamaakaara (feeling of mind and one's own) and the six

evil tendencies, Kama (lust), Krodha (anger), Lobha (greed), Moha

(infatuation), Madha (arrogance) and Maathsarya (jealousy)---has a garden in

the centre and a lake, where the hamsa (divine bird) plays. It is the image of

your own true self; become aware of it and you are saved. You have come into

this lokha (world) to enter the presence of the Lokesha (Lord of the world). So

do not tarry in wayside inns, mistaking them to be the goal. The Lord too will

be longing for the arrival of the lost. He is like a cow yearning for its calf.

Once Krishna was in a fix; it was the birthday of Rukmini and it was also the

anniversary of his marriage with Sathyabhama! Both queens were awaiting His

arrival in their palaces, but, Krishna, to the great mortification of the proud

Sathyabhama, went to Rukmini and after sharing the feast with her, entered the

palace of Sathyabhama. She was in an inconsolable mood of resentment, but,

though she did not offer anything to Krishna out of pique, Krishna Himself

picked up a few jambu fruits from the garden and ate them, appreciating all the

while the care with which the queen was looking after the garden and the

extraordinarily fine taste of every fruit that grew in it! Sathyabhama was thus

encouraged to forget the sense of injury. The Lord is sweet in every one of His

actions, movements, words, and gestures. He is

sweetness itself.

This life is a dream you have taken to be true

Take the instance of Rama. Bairaagi Shastri recited a poem about the lotus feet

of Rama, treading the stony, thorny jungle regions. But Kaikeyi had not

realised this, when she asked that Rama should go into exile. She learnt about

it and was horrified at what she had done only when she saw Rama, Sita and

Lakshmana in the hermitage as she watched her son plead with Rama to return to

His throne. Rama never felt the thorn or the stone for He had devised the

jungle Himself, in order to infuse faith in the sages and nip their fears. .

As a matter of fact; what other functions have those feet than warding off the

hurdles on the path of bhaktas? The bearer alone knows the Weight of the load

on his shoulder. The tiniest suffering in you causes the same suffering here

also. There is an old woman from Salem here, since a week; her son, a young man

of twenty-five years, is insane and cannot attend to his needs. She does not

know how much I was affected, but, I was inquiring, "Did he take his morning

coffee?" And telling her, "Carry food to him and feed him, he is hungry." Her

anxiety was just one-sixty-fourth of Mine! You think that I pay attention only

to those who sit in front, but, I see all and I am with all, wherever they may

be. Only those who have been blessed will know, not the rest.

No fuel, no fire. No Sadhana, no sankalpa (sub-consciousness desire). Pour oil

and light the wick. You are on a pilgrimage to the beyond, so, you cannot long

dwell in this beneath. Some time or other, sooner or later, this birth or the

next, you have to realise that this is but a dream you took to be true; you

have to pack up and march. This is asath (non-Being); go towards the Sath

(Being). This is thamas (darkness): this is the realm of death. Proceed towards

the Jyothi (effulgent Light); proceed towards the realm where immortality

reigns.

Let the desire to be saved sprout in you

The tree might appear to be dry; but, it will bloom, it will bear fruit; do not

despair. I shall make it sprout, provided the sap of repentance is still

running. Come just one step forward, I shall take a hundred towards you. Shed

just one tear, I shall wipe a hundred from your eyes. I bless only thus! May

your Ananda (Bliss) grow. When the night grows chill, you draw the rug tighter

around you, is it not? So too when grief assails you, draw the warmth of the

name of the Lord closer round your mind, Out of all the crores of Indians, you

alone have gained this contact, through your good luck. Let at least the desire

to be saved sprout in you; I shall see that it grows and gives fruit, provided

you yearn and try. To pour the nectar of grace, the vessel must be cleansed.

Clean it and demand the nectar; do not grieve

later that you missed the chance, when it had come within reach. You will not

know Me in a trice, or even in days. It is something that has to be realised by

stages, in due course, through viveka, vairagya and vichakshana (discrimination,

non-attachment, clear-sightedness).

You have been squatting for four hours and some of you might be squirming and

feeling an ache in the back. But it is no ache. pray that you may get this

feeling all through life, for you have been receiving the teaching that will

sweeten and lighten life itself.

Prashanthi Nilayam, 6-2-1963

Each has his allotted task, according to the status, taste, tendency and earned

merit. Do it, with the fear of God and of sin, deep in your heart. Welcome pain

and grief so that you take both success and failure as hammer strokes to shape

you into a sturdy Sadhaka. Inner content is more important than outer

prosperity. - Sathya Sai Baba

TO BE CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brothers – ‘’

Source and Courtesy: http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume03/sss03

Start your day with - make it your home page