SWAMI TALKS TO US - Messages of Divine Sai

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it live on grass and completely deprive it of meat. But man is different. His

nature can be changed by means of his own disciplined effort. He can control,

by his will, the evil thoughts and ideas that arise in his mind. This is why

birth as a human being is considered a rare gift. One can claim genuine

victory only when one has reached not the dead satellite, but the living star,

not the Chandra, but Ramachandra, the Lord who rules over the inner satellites,

the inner planets, the inner motives and aspirations. An iron box is essential

to keep safe precious stones; so to, the body is

essential to keep safe the precious gift of virtue, faith, love and

discrimination. The parents gave it and so they have to be respected by speech,

action and behavior. How can you expect the Heavenly Father to respond to your

prayers if you do not respond to the demands of the earthly Father? The first

step in Dharma is gratitude; the first duty of the child is reverence to the

parents. When the first step is absent, ascent is impossible. However

superfine the paper, however artistic the envelope and however poetic the

composition of the letter, it will not reach the addressee by post, when it

lacks the 50 paise stamp! So too the trappings, vestures, shawls, moles and

rosaries are ineffective; they cannot reach the addressee - God. what will take

their prayers to the addressee is

the 50 paise stamp: dedication or Bhakti. I want each one of you to grow into

a strong, steady and straight person. Your eyes should not seek evil sights;

your ears should not seek evil tales; your tongue should not seek evil speech;

your hands should not seek evil acts; your minds should not seek evil thoughts.

Be pure and be full of Love. Help those who are in a worse condition and serve

those who need your help. God appears in human form; He promotes pasture of

cattle and agriculture, in order that the food must sustain the Head and render

it intelligent and clear enough to realize God.

The body has to be nourished for the sake of the Head, so that 'Jnana' can be

attained and Liberation gained. Food-Head-God: this is the chain of events.

When you live in the world of desire, you must be prepared for both joy and

grief. Invite the minister, bhoga, and you must be prepared for the visit along

with him of his private secretary, roga! Invite on the other hand, the minister

thyaga, or his colleague Yoga; and you will be happy to receive their private

secretary - boga, who plays a minor role in the presence of his Master.

Bhakti is not to be calculated on the basis of the

institutions one has started or helped, the temples that one has built or

renovated, the donations one has given away; nor does it depend on the number

of times one has written the Name of the Lord or on the time and energy one has

spent in the worship of the Lord. These are not vital at all; no, not even

secondary. Bhakti is Prema, unsullied by any tinge of desire for the benefit

that flows from it or the fruit of consequence of that Love. STOOP TO SERVE

When God is adored and man is injured, there can be no auspiciousness in such

deeds. an is God encased in human form; he is

the Divine in that form and with that name. If the anu is neglected, how can the

ghana be gained.? If the paisa is discarded, how can the rupee be gained? It all

begins with a single paisa; another added to it makes two, and ninety-eight

again make the lump, a rupee! Man is the one; start revering him; then, you can

gain the Grace of the invisible God; neglect the visible paisa, you lose the

invisible rupee! Man loses his status of human-ness, through acts that shame

even the beasts. He does not strive towards revealing and manifesting his

latent divinity! This is not as big a failing as this sliding back into the

animal from which he rose! If he keeps on with his human attributes and

capacities, that will deserve congratulation enough. A formidable list can be

made of

the inadequacies and defects of man, but, the basic defect is 'greed'

'uncontrolled desire' - always clamoring for more, as a result of the ceaseless

prompting of the senses! Ravana destroyed himself, afflicted by greed. The very

Gods were his chamberlains; such was the dread his austerity invoked, such was

the reward for his Sadhana! But, he was content. The flames of lust rose as

fast as they were fed. Dhrtharashtra, the father of the Kauravas, was enamoured

of the greedy plans of his sons, and so he lost all of them, without a survivor,

in the field of battle, though their number was a hundred! *** * Do not ask

God for anything. Let him deal with you as He wills. Did Jatayu ask that Rama

should come to him and perform his last rites? Did Shabari

plead with Rama? Earn the qualifications - holiness, purity, faith, and

universal love; then He will approach you on foot, to console, comfort and

save. If you have purity of heart and mastery over the senses, His Grace is

your right. * The Lord will be the guide of whoever installs Him as his

Sarathi. He will not consider that position inferior. He is the Sanathana

Sarathi, come to be the Sarathi of all. He is the Lord for all who seek a

Master, a support. The Atma is the Master in every one; and Krishna is the

universal Atma personified.

roman" color="#0000ff" size="3">* If there is righteousness in the heart,

there will be beauty in character: If there is beauty in character, there will

be harmony in the home; When there is harmony in the house, there will be order

in the nation; When there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the

World. * So, be righteous; avoid all prejudices against others on the

basis of caste, creed, color, mode of worship, status, or degree of affluence.

Do not look down or up on any one; look upon all as Divine as you really are.

* Love must be manifested as service or seva. Seva must take the form of food

for the hungry, solace for the forlorn, consolation of the sick and the

suffering. Jesus was himself out in such seva. The heart full of compassion is

the temple of God. Jesus pleaded at the sight of the poor. Jesus is worshipped

but His teachings are neglected. Sai is being worshipped, but His teachings are

neglected. Everywhere, pomp, pageantry, hollow exhibitionism and lectures,

lectures, lectures! No activity, no Love, no seva. Heroes while lecturing are

zeros while putting into practice. Develop compassion. Live in Love. Be Good,

Do Good, and See Good. This is the way to God. * If you have the

inclination to do good work, God will give you the time to do good things. *

Man falsely imagines "I am doing this", "I am planning this". It is the

supreme, all pervasive consciousness that motivates, unfolds the skills and

operates the intellect.

roman" color="#0000ff" size="3"> * Let God work through you and there will be

no more duty. Let God shine forth. Let God show Himself. Live God, Eat God.

Drink God. Breath God. Realize the Truth and the other things will take care of

themselves. * Is the intention pure, selfless, born out of love? Is it

based on truth? Does it result in peace? If so, it is a right action. *

True humanness consists of a continuous series of tiny acts executed with

absolute sincerity and largeness of heart. * The quality of one's

feelings determines one's future. A Prayer O Lord, take my love and let it

flow in fullness of devotion to Thee. O Lord, take my hands and let them work

incessantly for Thee. O Lord, take my soul and let it be merged in oneness

with Thee. O Lord, take my mind and thoughts and let them be in tune with

Thee. O Lord, take my everything and let me be an instrument for Thy work.

>From the Swami's teachings book of 'Thought for the Day' published by

Prashanthi Nilayam

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