ACTS
All acts should be performed in a spirit of dedication, realising that God is omnipresent. Then bliss will be experienced.
ANGER
When I appear to be angry, remember, it is only love in another form. For, I have not an
atom of anger in Me.
ANGUISH
You may say that progress is possible only through My grace, but, though my heart is soft as butter, it melts only when there is warmth in your prayer. Unless you make some disciplined effort, some sadhana, grace cannot descend on you. The yearning, the agony of unfulfilled aim, that is the warmth that melts my heart. This is the anguish that wins grace.
ART
Art is outside, Heart is inside. Art should come from the heart.
ATMA
Your reality is the Atma, a wave of the Paramatma. The one object of this human existence
is to visualise that reality, that Atma, that relationship between the wave and the sea.
All other activities are trivial; you share them with birds and beasts. But this is the
unique privilege of Man. He clambered through all the levels of animality, all the steps
on the ladder of evolution in order to inherit this high destiny. If all the years between
birth and death are frittered away in seeking food and shelter, comfort and pleasure, as
animals do, man is condemning himself to a further life-sentence.
ATMA PRINCIPLE
The Atma principle that permeates the universe in One only. That Atma principle assumes a form from time to time for the sake of condemning the world and establishing Righteousness.
ATTACHMENT
If you feel attachment towards wife and children, land and property, bank accounts and
balances, and when these decline, you will come to grief. Develop attachment to the
Universal and you will grow in love and splendour.
AVATAR
The Avatars behave in a human way so mankind can feel kinship, but rise to superhuman
heights so that mankind may aspire to those heights. The Lord has come in human form and
move about among men, so He can be listened to, contacted, loved, revered, and obeyed. He
has to speak the language of men and behave like a human beings, as a member of the
species. Otherwise, He will be either negated and neglected or feared and avoided.
BABA (ON BABA)
My task is not merely to cure, to console or to remove the misery and pain of the individuals. That is but incidental. My main task is the re-establishment of VEDANTA and VEDANTIC way of life in India and the world.
This human form is one in which every divine entity, every divine principle, that is to say all the forms and names ascribed to God by man are manifest. Why do you waste time and energy trying to explain me? Can a fish measure the sky? Do not try to measure Me, you will only fail. Try rather to discover your own measure. Then you will succeed better in discovering My measure. Though I am omnipresent and found everywhere, you can find Me installed, whenever my glory is sung.
If I had come amongst you as Narayana with four arms holding the conch, the wheel, the mace and the lotus, you would have kept me in a museum and charged a fee for those who seek dharshan. If I had come as a mere man, you would not have respected my teachings and followed it for your own good. So, I have to be in this human form with superhuman wisdom and powers.
I give you what you want so that one day, you will want what I give.
If you accept Me and say yes, I too respond yes, yes, yes. If you deny Me and say no, I echo no... I invite all to come, experience, discriminate, judge and benefit from Me. Dive before you pronounce your estimate of the depth, eat before you declare the taste... Have faith, that is the method of utilising Me. Do not crave from me trivial material objects. Instead crave for Me and you will be rewarded.
You see me ever active. The reason is that I must be doing something all the time for your sake, as example, as an inspiration, as a place of training. Those who lead must themselves follow; those who command must themselves carry out what they want others to do. I am engaged in activity so that you may learn to transmute every minute into a golden chance to lift yourself up to Godhood.
Mine is no mesmerism, miracle or magic. God can do anything. He has all power in the palm of His hand. My power is eternal, all pervasive, everdominant. You call them miracles, but for Me, they are just My way; you cannot solve the mystery, for Me they are no mystery. They are part of my miracles.
BEHAVIOUR
Give up attachments to worldly possessions. Work hard, do your duty, overcome the five senses. Be loving, begin to perceive your inner voice and follow it. Meditate and find God, who resides above, below, around and within.
BHAJANS
Bhajans must invite all to share their ecstasy, joy and peace.
God is omnipresent. He is the in-dweller of every heart and all names are His. So you can call Him by any name that gives you joy. You must not cavil at other names and forms, nor must you become fanatics, blind to their glory. When you sing bhajan songs, dwell on the meaning of the songs and the message of each name and form of God and roll on your tongue its sweetness.
Rama: this name must evoke in you the dharma of righteousness He embodied and demonstrated. Radha: this name should evoke in you the supermental, superworldly love she had as the greatest Gopi
(women who tended the cows-great devotees of Lord krishna).
Krishna: this name must evoke in you the sweet and sustaining love with which He drew all towards Him.
Shiva: the name must evoke in you the supreme sacrifice of the drinking of the deadly poison for the good of all the world, the cool grace heightened by the cascade of Ganga(the holy river) and the moonlight from the crescent.
Remember, every song sung in the praise of the Lord is a sword that cuts the knots of laziness. It is a fine piece of social service to remind all of their duty of the Almighty who watches over them. Keep the name of the Lord on your lips and you will find that all thoughts of envy and hatred will disappear from your hearts. If only you evince some interest in your own real uplift, I am ready to stand by you and crown your success. Hence, do not waste time purposelessly. Let every moment be a bhajan. Avoid all lesser talk. Know the purpose of bhajan and devote yourself wholeheartedly to it. Derive maximum benefit from the years allotted to you.
BHAKTA
Become entitled to the honoured title of Bhakta. My glory is spread daily through those who call themselves My Bhaktas. Your virtue, your self-control, your detachment, your faith and your steadfastness are the signs by which people read of my glory. Not that I want any such prop. But, it just happens so, in this world, where men can estimate others indirectly rather than directly. Let me tell you, such bhaktas are very rare. That is the reason why I do not address your gathering as "BHAKTUALRA". You can lay claim to that name only when you have placed yourself in My hands, fully, completely and with no trace of ego kept back to cater to your vanity.
BHAKTI
Bhakti is not to be calculated on the basis of the institutions one has started or helped,
the temple one has built or renovated, the donations one has given away... Bhakti is
Prema, unsullied by any tinge of desire for the benefit that flows from it or the fruit on
consequences of that love. It is love that knows no particular reason for its
manifestation. It is of the nature of the love of the soul for the oversoul; the river for
the sea; the creeper for the tree; the star for the sky; the spring for the cliff down
which it flows.
Be attached under all conditions to the source, substance and sum of all power: the Lord and then you can draw from that source all the power that you need. This attachment is called Bhakti.
For the bird in mid-ocean flying over the dark, deep blue waters, the only resting place is the mast of a ship that sails across. In the same way, the Lord is the only refuge for man, who is swept by a storm over a restless sea. However far the bird may fly, it knows where it can rest; that knowledge gives it confidence. It has the picture of that mast steady in its mind; its form is fixed in the eye. The name of the Lord is the mast for you; remember it ever. Associate it with the form and have that form fixed in the mind's eye. It is a lamp shedding light in the recesses of your heart. Have the name on the tongue and it will drive the inner darkness as well as the outer. Peace within, brotherliness without - that is the sign of a person engaged in the recitation of the name of God.
BHARAT
Bharat is known as PUNYA BHOOMI (sacred land) and DHARMA BHOOMI (land of dharma). Why
should man try to degrade it to mere BHOGA BHOOMI (land of enjoyment)?
BODY
This body is meant for service to others - service to others is the easiest way to realise
God.
BONDAGE
In our country, there is a peculiar method of trapping monkeys. This process consists of bringing a big pot with a small mouth and keeping some material which is attractive to the monkey, inside the pot. The monkey will put its hand inside the pot and catch hold of a handful of the material. It will then not be able to pull out its hand from within the pot. It will imagine that someone inside the pot is holding its hand. then it makes an attempt to run away along the pot, but the monkey is thus trapped. No one is holding the monkey. The monkey has trapped itself, because it has taken in its hand such a lot of material. The moment it lets the material in its hand go, it will be free.
In the same manner, in the big pot of the world with the narrow mouth of the family, man is tempted by the pleasures of the world, and when he gets lost with involvement in these pleasures he thinks that someone or something is binding him down. No other person is responsible for his bondage. The moment he gives up the pleasures and detaches himself, he will be free. That is the way to free himself from the imagined bondage.
BOY
A young boy is like a snake-guard. Give him discipline, in short doses, from childhood and
increase it gradually, till he thinks straight and judges himself. Then he can come a no
harm and will become an asset to society.
BRAHMACHARYA
Brahmachariya means leading a life of pure thoughts, pure actions and pure aspirations. The basic characteristics of Brahmacharya is that one should be full of pure thoughts, all one's actions should be sacred and one should be engaged in selfless service, Brahmacharya is a state that is implied in all the other three stages in life (Grihastha, Vanaprastha and sanyasa).
BUDDHI
Buddhi or intelligence exhibits greater discrimination than the senses and atma exhibits
greater discrimination than buddhi.
CHARACTER
Character is three-fourths of religion. So, a truly religious person is a person of character.
CHARITY
Charity is the ornament for the hand. Truth is the adornment for the tongue. The scriptures are the ornaments for the ears. Of what avail are other ornaments?
CHILDHOOD
Truth, equanimity, absence of conceit and freedom from envy are noble qualities which have to be
cultivated from childhood. Suffusing them all is the feeling of love.
CODE (MORAL)
Speak the truth.
Follow DHARMA
Respect mother.
Respect father
Respect teacher
Respect guest
CONDUCT
Follow the master
Face the devil
Fight to the end
Finish the game
CONFIDENCE
Where there is confidence, there is Love.
Where there is Love, there is Peace.
Where there is Peace, there is Truth.
Where there is Truth, there is Bliss.
Where there is Bliss, there is God.
CONSCIOUSNESS
Be ever in the consciousness that you are but a shadow of God, His image. Then no harm can hamper you. God walks along the Royal Road of Truth. The shadow holding to Him by the Feet, falls on hollow and hill, fire and water, dirt and dust. But, holding to the Feet as the shadow, you will be
unaffected by the ups and downs of life.
CONTENTMENT
Do not tell me that you do not care for that bliss, that you are satisfied with the delusion and are not willing to undergo the rigors of sleeplessness. Your basic nature, believe me, abhors this dull, dreary routine of eating, drinking and sleeping. It seeks something which it knows it has lost - santhi, inward
contentment. It seeks liberation from bondage to the trivial and the temporary. Everyone craves for it in his heart of hearts. And it is available only in one shop: contemplation of the Highest self, the basis of all this appearance.
COSMOS
The entire cosmos is governed by God
God is governed by Truth
Truth is governed by the Supremely Wise
Such a noble one is equally Divine.
CREATION
Creation was the result of the will of the Divine. Hence everything in creation should manifest its Divine nature. If you keep in mind this fact, you will be filled only with sacred thoughts and feelings and there be no room for any wrong ideas. Always remembering that you are fragment of the Divine, you have to engage yourselves in service. No Government or other Service Organisation has this attitude. Only Sai Organisations can render service successfully in this spirit.
CRY
When we are born, we cry,
When we die, they cry,
But have we ever cried that we have not established a righteous life?
So, why did we cry? Just to cry!
We don't even know why we cry!
That is the unfortunate position of man in the world today.
If at all we cry,
We must cry,
Seeking God's grace and cry
That we should realise soon how sacred and divine life is.
DEATH
There is no death for the soul. Death is for the body alone. The soul continues to live. It takes on another body in which your actions of today reap the consequences.
DETACHMENT
It is only by the cultivation of detachment, by denying the senses the thrills they thirst for, it is only
by diving deeper into the depths of one's being, by believing that you have some depths that will
reward exploration, that one can capture the exhilaration of that tranquillity
DEVOTION
Your devotion to God is best expressed by achieving the control of the senses. For, the senses rush
towards the temporary and the tawdry; and they foul the heart. I require from each of you no gift, no
more valuable offering than the heart I have endowed you with. Give me that heart, as pure as when
I gave it to you, full of the nectar of Love I filled it with.
Dedicate yourselves to the cultivation of good qualities and righteous action and develop that pure
devotion which will redeem your life.
The devotion that seeks publicity is not true steady devotion. Devotion that is confirmed in and through practice can alone be the spring of lasting bliss.
When it rains on sand, the water seeps down;
When it rains on red earth, the water stays;
DHARMA
The vedic dharma is the great grandfather, Buddhism is the son. Christianity is the grandson, and
Islam is the great grandson. If there is any misunderstanding between them, it is but a family affair.
The ancestral property, of which all are co-sharers, is the same.
DIFFICULTIES
Difficulties are created to increase the yearning and to sift the sincere from the rest.
DISAPPOINTMENT
Some of you feel neglected by me when disappoint or trouble come upon you. But such obstacles alone can toughen your character and make your faith firm. When you hang a picture on a wall, you shake
the nail and find out whether it is firm enough to bear the weight of the picture. So too, in order to
prevent the picture of God (His image in your mind and heart) from falling and being shattered to
bits, the nail (i.e. God's name) driven into the wall of the heart has to be shaken to ascertain whether
it is firm and steady.
DISCOVER
Discover the self (ananda) hidden within you to discover the Lord in everything.
DIVINE
Like underground water, the Divine is there, in every one, remember. The Lord is Sarvabhutaantaratma, Sarvavyapi. He is the Atma of every being. He is in you as much as in every one else. He is not more in a rich being or bigger in a fat being; His spark illumines the cave of
the heart of everyone. The sun shines equally on all; His Grace is falling equally on all. It is only
you that erect obstacles that prevent the rays of His Grace from warming you.
DIVINITY
The body is made up of the five elements; It has to fall one day. The dweller in the body is eternal.
Free yourself from the delusion of birth and death. The dweller is indeed Divinity.
Man's thoughts and body should be used for the good of human beings and for service in society. It is
with selfless service and service to society that we can attain unity and it is with unity that you can get
Divinity.
Divinity is one, but manifests itself in many forms. Sat-chit-Ananda (Being-Awareness-Bliss) is one,
but its manifestations assume many names and forms.
Divinity is ever present in all its purity. But man is unable to recognise this because of his attachment to transient pleasures like the black bee. (This bee has a proboscis with which it can bore a hole through a strong bamboo or even through the human body. But when it enters a lotus flower and the
flower folds itself, the bee is unable to get out of its tender petals because it is immersed in the enjoyment of the honey in the lotus and forgets its own real strength).
DOCTORS
Doctors are the embodiments of the divine. As such, it is their duty to see that people do not shed tears
of grief.
DUTY
Treat duty as God and Work as Worship. If you carry on your work in this spirit, the world will be a
happier place for all.
One's duty is to act; act well, act in fear of God; act within the bounds of morality; act in love; continue acting; the consequences will naturally follow as the fruit follows the flower. One need not
worry or exult. Act enthusiastically, with faith - success is yours.
Do your duty in a humble and selfless manner, without any jealousy, ego and hatred.
Engage yourselves in your duties as intelligently and as devotedly as you can; but carry out your duties as if they are acts of worship offered to God, leaving the fruit of those acts to His Will, His Grace
and His Compassion.
Sorrows and desires are as the clouds that drift across the sky; they cannot mar the blue depths of the sky. Your duty is to strive on from this very moment. Do not vacillate or postpone. Do you postpone to tomorrow the dinner of today? Nourish the spirit as scrupulously as you now feed the body.
EDUCATION
Education without character, science without humanity, commerce without morality are useless
and dangerous.
Education should be given in the lines of the old gurukula system, where the guru (teacher) will not
let the shishya (student) out of the hermitage till he absorbs 100% VIDYA (knowledge).
True education consists in the refinement of one's character. Everything in the world derives value
from refinement (Samskara). How much more is it essential in the case of man? It is only when the
academic education is combined with samskaras that the full blossoming of the human personality
takes place.
EGO
Forget the ego; let it melt and merge with all its layers of consciousness.
So long as you have a trace of ego in you, you cannot see the Lord clearly. Egoism will be destroyed if you constantly tell yourself: "It is He, not I. He is the force, I am but the instrument." Keep His name
always on the tongue; contemplate His glory whenever you see or hear anything beautiful or grand;
see in every one the Lord, Himself, moving in that form. Do not talk evil of others, see only the good in them. Welcome every chance to help others, to console them, to encourage them along the spiritual path. Be humble; do not become proud of your wealth or status or authority or learning or class.
Dedicate all your physical possessions and mental skills and intellectual attainments to the service of the Lord. Then your ego will be wiped out.
EGOISM
Egoism is a thorny bush and when one plants his heart and fosters it, he has to pay the penalty. Egoism makes enemies of fast friends; it ruins many good causes and projects. It will not allow
two good men to work together. Grief follows it like a shadow. Where there in no ego, joy, peace,
courage, co-operation and love flourish.
END
The end of wisdom is freedom. The end of culture is perfection. The end of knowledge is love.
The end of education is character.
ENERGY (DIVINE)
The totality of Divine Energy has come into humanity as Sathya Sai - to go to each and every one, to
wake up the slumbering Divinity of every human being.
EXPERIENCE
Everyone has to be asked to approach me and experience me, in order to get and idea of a mountain, it is not enough if you show a stone and say, "The mountain is a million times the size of this." You
will have to see an actual mountain, at least from a distance.
Experience is the only authority for recognising divinity.
Your own experience is the best guarantee of truth for you.
FAITH
If you have faith the lord you is the core of your being will manifest Himself. He is within your grasp. Be aware of Him who is eternal witness.
It is everyone's duty to develop faith in God. With the growth of faith, if one leads a life based on Truth, Righteousness and Justice he will be achieving the purpose of life.
God's power is like electricity and our bodies are like light bulbs. The light within can only be seen when the switch of faith is turned on.
Once Krishna and Arjuna were going together along the open road. Seeing a bird in the sky, Krishna asked Arjuna, "Is that a dove ?" Arjuna replied "Yes it is a dove." Krishna then asked him, "Is it an eagle?" Arjuna answered, "Yes it is an eagle." "No, Arjuna, it looks like a crow to me. Is it not a crow?" Arjuna replied, "I am sorry, it is a crow beyond a doubt." Krishna laughed and chide him for his agreeing to whatever suggestion was given. But Arjuna said, "Forgive me ; your words are far more weighty than the evidence of my eyes. You can make it a crow or a dove or a eagle; when you say it is a crow, it will be one." Implicit faith is the road to spiritual success.
FATE
Fate is the result of your own actions. Everything that you did in the past has a result, just as everything that you do now will have a result, and in turn will have effects on your body and life. Every thought, every word and every deed of yours always comes back to you. So, it is not fate that controls fate, but you who control fate.
FRIENDS
You earn three friends in this life; the first, the riches you accumulate, refuse to come with you when you move out of this life. The second, kith and kin, accompany your body until the burial ground or cremation-ghat. The third, the merit and demerit you have earned, accompany you to the last.
FULFILMENT
The fulfilment of man's life on earth consists in filling himself with love of God and transmuting that love into acts of service; service to man who is the embodiment of God. If man has no love, in him and he does not show it with beings in all creation, he is but a burden to earth.
GIFTS
They are also like my visiting cards and send me instant flashes when the person is in danger or in need of my help. Sometimes these gifts are made for special reasons; for the sake of devotee's health or I may give someone a gemstone so that rays from it may constantly influence him or her to follow the right path. I want to tell you Whatever Swami does has a purpose. He never does anything without reason.
GOD
God is all that exists. He is intelligence in the insect, faithfulness in the dog, latent energy in a rock.
God is the embodiment of sweetness. Attain Him by offering Him who resides in all sweetness that He is dowered on you. Crush the --- in the mill of Seva, boil it in the cauldron of patience; decalorise it of all sensual itch; offer the crystallised sugar of compassionate love to Him.
God is not a specific definable entity (vyakti swaroopa). He is the Indwelling spirit in all.
God is in every one and people should try to have a vision of this divinity.
When you practice the attitude that God is everywhere as the witness of every act of yours, that god is in every being you meet and serve, then you will certainly be rewarded by the vision of the Lord.
God draws the individual towards Himself; it is the nature of birth to have this affinity, for they are the same. They are like the iron and the magnet. But if the iron is rusty and covered with layers of dirt, the magnet is unable to attract. Remove the impediment; that is all you have to do. Shine forth in your real nature and the Lord will draw you into His Bosom. Trials and tribulations are the means by which this cleansing is done.
The best way to love God is to love all and serve all. Your entire life will be sanctified thereby.
God dwells in you as Joy. That is why you seek Joy always in every object around you.. To become as full of Joy as Radha or Ramakrishna or Vivekananda, you have to sacrifice your ego, and saturate yourself with the Lord, with the consciousness that the Lord is your being.
God is only a witness (sakshibboota). He does not act. Man acts according to the dictates of his intellect (budhi) and himself suffers the consequences of his actions (karma). There is neither good nor bad for God.
GOD-MADNESS
To a worldly man, a God-intoxicated person will appear mad and he will laugh at him for it. But, to the God-intoxicated man, the worldly appears insane, foolish, blind. Of all the insanity that harass man, god-madness is the least harmful, and most beneficial.
GRACE
Pouring grace on the devout is one of the functions of the Avathar. Each event is the consequence of Divine omnipotence.
GRACE (DIVINE)
Divine Grace will bear fruit Only when there is also human effort.
GREED
Greed is the monstrous evil that drags man down. When Ravana lay dying, Rama directed His brother Lakshmana, to go to him and learn from him the secrets of successful statecraft! Ravana taught him that a king who is eager to win glory must suppress greed as soon as it lifts its head, and welcomes the smallest to do good to others, without the slightest procrastination. He had learnt the lesson through bitter experience. Greed arouses from attachment to the senses and catering to them. Put them in their proper place; they are windows for knowledge, not channels for contamination.
GRIEF
I ask only that you turn to me when your mind drags you into grief or pride or envy. Bring me to the depths of your mind, no matter how grotesque, how cruelly, ravaged by doubts or disappointments, I know how to treat them. I will not reject you. I am your mother....
GURU
If the guru is god, then obeying him, walking on the path he has shown - these are effective as japam of the name.
I ask only that you turn to me when your mind drags you into grief, pride or envy. Bring me the depths of your mind, no matter how grotesque, how cruelly ravaged by doubts or disappointments, I know how to treat them. I will not reject you. I am your mother.
HAPPINESS
The best way to gain happiness is to choose God as the leader and guide. Then, He will guide and guard, from the heart itself.
HEART
The heart of a man is like a lock and his mind is like the key. If you push the lock to one side, the heart is turned Godwards and leads you to detachment, but if the same lock is turned to the other side towards the world, it leads to desire and attachment.
The heart is always pure or white, the desires of man cover the heart. Wipe away the dirt of desire and your heart will always be pure and clean.
CHITTA SHUDDHI (purity of heart) is the way to the divine.
The heart should be filled with love and not ego. People often say that "I did this" or "I am this". This is not right and one should forget this I. Once people forget the I, the ego gets crucified. Yes. Strike off the I and lo, it becomes a cross (+). Man minus ego is God.
INDIVIDUALS
No materialistic attempt will ever succeed in equalising either man's desires or society. Only the practice of SATHYA (truth), DHARMA (moral order), PREMA (love) and AHIMSA (non-violence) combined with duty, discipline and devotion will change individuals. If individuals reform, society will reform. If society reforms, the world will reform.
INTELLECT
Provided your intellect is sharp and free from prejudices and predilections, the reality will reveal itself to you in a flash, for it is quite a simple thing. Only, it must be capable of seeing the problem in its basic essence, apart from all the jumble of irrelevancies.
JOKING
My way of joking is to tell the truth. It is the funniest joke in the world.
JOURNEY
Journey through life in courage, joy, peace, charity and above all humility.
KARMA
You might say that the karma of previous births has to be consumed in this life, and that no amount of Grace can save you from that. Evidently, some one has taught you to believe so. But I assure you, you need not suffer from karma like that.
When a severe pain torments you, the doctor gives you a morphine injection, and you do not feel the pain, though it is there in the body. Grace is like the morphine; the pain is not felt though you go through it. Or the Lord can save a man completely from consequences, as was done by me for a bhakta whose paralytic stroke and heart attacks I took over on that Guru Pournima week.
Karma is like the trail of dust behind the moving carriage. When the carriage stops, the dust will settle on it. But the carriage stops, the dust will settle on it. But the carriage cannot forever continue fast along the road in order to escape the dust. The best course is to get on the paved highway, away from the dust-track. That is to say, man must acquire the Grace of God and move along the path smoothened by it.
KNOWLEDGE
Only the knowledge of the self (or the soul) will help mankind to lead a happy, peaceful life and build a new world order by cleansing it of all impurities.
Do not be proud that you have acquired scholastic knowledge. The true form of knowledge is humility. Eschewing pride and self-conceit, pursue the right goal.
KRISHNA
Prema tathwa ( the Love Principle) is the supreme message of the life of Krishna. The nature of Divinity can be properly understood only when the Love Principle arising from the heart is rightly understood.
LAMP
Light a lamp in each house; the whole street will be lighted.
LIBERATION
Liberation happens when you love every being intensely that you are aware of only ONE. Soak your heart in Love, soak your acts in righteousness, soak your emotions is compassion; then you attain God soonest.
The secret of liberation lies not in mystic formulas and rosaries, but in stepping out into action, walking forward in practice, the pious pilgrim route and the triumphant reaching of the goal.
LIFE
The fulfilment of man's life on earth consists in filling oneself with love of God and transmuting that Love into acts of service, service to man who is the embodiment of God. If man has no love in him and if he does not share it with all beings, he is but a burden to the earth. Make your emotions pure; make your mind strong to resist the force of ignorance and wiles of the senses - then you are assured of Peace and Joy.
Life is like a train journey. Anger, hatred, envy, jealousy - these are heavy luggage you should avoid taking with you on your journey.
Make your life a rose that speaks in the language of fragrance.
When should one begin a spiritual life? Young age is the best time to start, for the body is full of vitality and strength and the mind is fresh and full of vigour. It is at this age that spiritual truths have to be implanted for best results.
Man's life is meaningful only because he can use it to see God. The goal of life is the final merging in the sea, God. You should not fill life with the world; that will make it a vanity fair, and insanity fair. Listen to all such things that will draw you towards the principle of God-head; then think it over in silence, make it part of your consciousness. This process of manana makes you a man; that is the thirst of man - Mananahood.
Life is a pilgrimage towards God when man drags his feet along the rough and thorny road of his years. But, with the name of God on his lips, he will have no thirst; with the form of God in his heart; he will feel no weariness; the company of the holy will inspire him to go on his way with faith and hope
Life has to be spent in accumulating and safeguarding virtue, not riches. Listen and ruminate over the stories of the great moral heroes of the past so that they are ideals may be imprinted in your hearts. When you need to cross the need of life is the bark of bhakti, the assurance of Grace, of surrender to His will. Throw off all burdens, become light, and you can trip across with one step on one crest and another on the next. God will take you through.
Life with desire is Man; life without desire is God
LIGHT
I am in the Light. I am the Light. The Light is in me. The Light is myself.
LIVING
Be simple and sincere. It is sheer waste of money to burden the pictures and idols in the shrines and altars of your homes with the weight of garlands, and to parade costly utensils and vessels and offerings, to show off your devotion. This is deception; it demeans Divinity, imputing to it the desire of pomp and publicity. I ask only for purity of heart to shower grace. Do not posit distance between you and me; do not interpose the formalities of Guru-friend relationship, or even the attitudinal distinctions of God-devote relationship, between you and me. I am neither Guru nor God; I am you; you are I; that is the truth. There is no distinction. That which appears so is the delusion. You are waves; I am the ocean. Know this and be free, be divine.
LORD
Why does the sun rise and set everyday? Why do the stars that shine so peacefully at night hide themselves during the day? Why does the wind that blows tirelessly protect living beings? Why do the murmuring brooks flow ceaselessly? Why are there among the myriad beings in the world differences of race, religion, caste and wealth? Who is the Lord of all this? Who is their Controller? Come forward, all ye, to learn and carry out His commands.
The Lord is the sun and when His rays fall upon your heart unobstructed by the clouds of egoism, the lotus bud of the heart blossoms and the petals unfold. Remember, only the buds that are ready will bloom; the rest have to await patiently. The Lord is only understood by His bhakta (devote); the bhakta is understood only by his Lord. Others cannot understand them. So, do not recount matters relating to the Lord to those who have no bhakti (devotion). The Lord looks for sincerity, simplicity and unwavering joy in the contemplation of His name and form. All are beggars at the gates of Heaven. The hero is he who doesn't beg or cringe or fawn or flatter. He knows that the Lord knows best. If it is His will he will grant food raiment; if not, then let His will prevail. That is the way of Sharanagathi and of Prapthi.
The Lord can be addressed by any name that tastes sweet to your tongue, or pictured in any form that appeals to your sense of wonder and awe. You can sing of Him as Muruga, Ganapathi, Sarada, Jesus, Maitreyi, Sakti; or you can call on Allah or the formless or the master of all forms.
LOVE
Without resorting to extravagant adulation and not seeking petty favours, yearn for God
alone and you will get everything. To earn God's love the first requisite is a spirit of
sacrifice based on selfless love.
Love is selflessness. Self is lovelessness. Love lies by giving and forgiving. Self lies in getting and forgetting.
Start the day with Love
Fill the day with Love
End the day with Love
For that is the way to God
It is enough if love is cultivated - the love that knows no difference of distinction between oneself and another - because all are but limbs of the one corpus of God Almighty. Through love alone, can the embodiment of love be gained. Here no scholarship is needed; in fact scholarship will be an impediment, for it caters to egoism and it breeds doubts and the desire for disputation and the laurel of victory over others preening themselves as learned!
Love is the bridge which helps passage from birth to deathlessness, from death to birthlessness.
Love is the form of Divine. Love alone can merge in love. When one is filled with Divine love, he can experience oneness with the Divine. Happiness arises from pure love which is also the source of
Truth, Righteousness, Peace and Forbearance.
MAN
Instead of transforming his home, his village, his state and his country, and thereby this world, into a Prashanthi Nilayam-the abode of the peace that passeth understanding-man has made them all arenas for the wild passion of anger, greed, hatred and violence. Instead of making the senses-which are at best very poor guides and informants-his servants, he has made them his masters. He has become the slave of ephemeral beauty, evanescent melody, momentary softness, fragile fragrance and transient taste. He spends all his energies and the fruits of all his toil for the satisfaction of the trivial and degrading demands of these untamed underlings. Oh! the pity of it!
Man is seeking joy in far off places and peace in quiet spots; the spring of joy is in his heart, the heaven of peace in himself.
If man is valued at his true worth, and treated as a Divine spark enclosed in the body, then, he will rise to new heights of achievement and produce all the necessities of life in profusion. He will not grab or cheat; he will be a good worker, a pure person and a sincere Sadhak. He will cultivate the inner vision and realise that he is not the body or senses or mind or even the intellect. He will be full of prema and self-confidence.
Man is burdened with the delusion that the true is false, that the temporary is eternal. Long identification has trained him so. He has to be re-educated into the right vision. The truest thing, the fact that persists unchanged, is the "I" itself. All else is unreal, but appearing as real.
Man is the Divine poured into human mould, just as everything, alive or inert, is; but it is the privilege of man, alone, to be able to become aware of this previous truth. This is the message of Upanishads of countless saints.
Man is not born to go in quest of food but in quest of atma.
Man is born to share and serve, not to grab and grieve.
Man is both animal and angel. He has in him the wolf, the monkey, the jackal, the snake, the peacock and the bear. He has beneath all these the spark of divinity.
MANAVA
Manava is of the nature of Madhava; he is the imperishable eternal Atma.
MANIFESTATION
I do many things for the nidarshana (illustration, example) of devotees. It is for their benefit, for them to derive joy from the manifestation of grace. This is not for pradarshana (exhibition) to others.
MEDITATION
In meditation, we close our eyes and try to focus on the inner vision. If our eyes are open, we see creation, but if they are closed, we cannot see any part of creation. The whole of creation has to cone to us from our vision. If there is vision, there is creation; if there is no vision, there is no creation.
Real meditation is being absorbed in the thought of God all the time. God only and only God. Think God, breathe God, see God, hear God, eat God, drink God, love God, live God.
MESSAGE (OF BHARATH)
The tendencies towards hate, malice, and greed which cause individual and social conflicts and complexes can be overcome by Yoga and Thyana, the practice of inperturability and the reduction of wants and mental cravings. This is the Message of Bharath, through the centuries, declared and demonstrated through clear, convincing percept and countless unimpeachable examples.
MIND
The mind is like a cloth, the threads of which are desires. If we give up desire, the
cloth falls away, revealing our true nature.
It is unfortunate that mind of man is filled with knowledge about everything else except the knowledge about his own mind. That is the reason why man's mind often functions like a mad monkey.
MIRACLES
I am determined to correct you only after informing you of my credentials. That is why I am now and then announcing my Nature by means of miracles, that is, acts which are beyond human capacity and human understanding. Not that I am anxious to show off my powers. The object is to draw you closer to me, to cement your hearts to me.
MISSION
Your mission has begun. Those are my words to you my devotees each of you has a unique and valuable part to play in this lifetime. Only those I have called can serve me. My mission has now reached that point in time when each one of you has work to do.
MISTAKES
Every person is apt to commit mistakes without being aware of it. However bright the fire,
some smoke will emanate from it. So also, whatever good deed a man might do, there will be
mixed with it, a minute trace of evil. Efforts should be made that the evil is minimised
that the good is more and bad is less.
MOKSHA
No one has to be absorbed in dhyana (deep meditation) all the time, or contort the body in
all sorts of ways calling it yoga, or renounce life and retire to the forest to attain
moksha. Moksha is not something outside you. It is not a far away place you have to reach.
Moksha is in you, within you. You can find moksha or God in your everyday activities.
MONEY
Money comes and goes, but morality comes and grows
MUKTHI
Mukthi is merging with God.
MUSIC
Music must be a felt experience. Do not sing with one eye on the effect it has on the audience and the other on the effect it might have on God. Let your heart throb for God; then raga and the tala will automatically be pleasing and right.
NAMASMARANA
The name of the Lord is the rifle that guards you against beasts of prey in the jungle of life. The rifle makes a loud noise when the bullet is ejected. So too, along with the sound of name, eject the feeling so that the target may be hit.
Do namasmarana: taste the sweetness that is in the heart of every one; dwell on the glory of God, His compassion summarised in His names,. Then it will be easier for you to visualise Him in all and to love Him in all, to adore Him in all.
ORNAMENTS
Charity is the ornament for the hand. Truth is the adornment for the tongue. The scriptures are the ornament for the ears. Of what avail are other ornaments?
OTHERS
When you stand before God to render your final account, He will not ask;
How popular you were during life;
How many parties you went to;
How well dressed you were;
How many clubs you belonged to;
How big a bank account you had;
................But...................
He will ask you: What did you do for others?
PARDON
Pardon the other man's faults but deal harshly with your own.
PEACE
Open the gates of wisdom, tear the veil of ignorance, enter the abode of divine bliss and
rest in peace forever.
PROFESSIONS (TRANSITORY)
Do not get proud because of companions, wealth or youth. Time will take away all these in a moment. Placing their trust in these transitory possessions, men are forgetting the eternal verities and the source of real bliss.
REALISATION
Realisation comes through sadhana(spiritual endeavour).
RELIGION
For the consummation of human evolution, and the realisation by man of his highest goal, religion and spiritual discipline are very essential. Religion is the link between the individual and the Universe, between JEEVA and DEVA. If that does not exist, life becomes chaos.
All religions exhort man to cleanse the heart of malice, greed, hate and anger. All religions hold out the gift of Grace as the prize for success in this cleansing process. Ideas of superiority and inferiority arise only in a heart corrupted by egoism. If someone argues that he is higher or that his religion is holier, it is proof that he has missed the very core of his faith. Sadhana will reveal the unity in the fundamental teachings of all religions.
Welcome all faiths and religions as kith and kin; all faiths are but attempts to train men along the Path; all aspire to win the same illumination through the cleansing of the mind by means of good works. The seeds of all religions are in the Sanathana Dharma (Eternal Truths) of the Vedanta. That dharma examines all possible approaches to the Divine, and arranges them in the order in which they can be utilised by the aspirant, according to his level of equipment and attainment.
The essence of all religions teaches that you should keep your heart clean. It is not good to completely and rigidly control all your senses nor is it desirable to give the complete freedom. One should adopt the middle path.
All religions exhort man to cleanse the heart of malice, greed, hate, and anger.
All religions hold out the gift of Grace as the prize for success in this cleansing process.
RESPECT
Respect all others as one's kin, as having the same Divine spark and the same Divine nature, only then will there be effective production, economic consumption and equitable distribution.
RIGHTEOUSNESS
If there is Righteousness in the heart,
There will be beauty and character;
If there is beauty in character,
There will be harmony in the home.
Where there is harmony in the home,
There will be order in the nation.
Where there is order in the nation,
There will be peace in the world.
SACRIFICE
Sacrifice is the highest step. One who has the true spirit of sacrifice given to others without any hesitation or reservation, smiling and gladly, even his dearest and highest possessions. Surrendering the fruits of action to the Lord is real sacrifice.
SADHANA
The attempt to know about the knower is called Sadhana: knowledge about the knower is Atma Vidya. It is only through that knowledge that man can live in peace anywhere.
Sadhana does not consist only of japa, bhajan, tapa and dhyana. Principally, it is in the exercise of performing well the action of your duty and your given tasks.
Sadhana (Spiritual or yogic exercise) will disclose to you your true identity as one with God. But be careful, sadhana can foster pride and envy as a by-product of progress. You calculate how long you have done sadhana, and you are tempted to look down on another whose record is less.
SANKALPA
By my own Sankalpa, that is divine will and power; as an Avatar this power is intrinsic,
total and
natural to My will and decision.
SCIENCE (AND SPIRITUALITY)
Both science and spirituality begin an enquiry, a quest. Spirituality comes full circle, like the letter O, while science reaches the half circle stage, resembling a C. Science has a lot of catching up to do, for it has only discovered a fraction of the truth.
SEEDS
Scatter the seeds of Love in dreary desert hearts; then sprouts of Love will make the wastes green with joy, blossoms of Love will make the aye fragrant, rivers of Love will murmur along the valleys, and every bird will beat, every child will sing the song of Love.
SERVICE
The service of man can lead to the discovery by man of the God that is his own reality.
Active workers engaged in services should realise that there is nothing greater than service to society and should seek to promote love of God, fear of sin and righteousness in society as the highest values to be cherished by all.
If your loyalty is to your family, you are a servant of your family; if it is to God, you are a servant to God. But do not pay heed to what He gives. Try to be near God. Do not calculate the number of hours you have spent in serving Him and pine that He has not compensated you. Be ever in His service, that is to say, in doing good and being good to all.
With seva man can achieve divinity. Man should not look down upon the idea of seva. It shows only your petty mindedness if you do so. You should realise that the purpose of human birth itself is to do "Seva". It is only to serve others till the last breath that this noble life is given and not for eating, sleeping and making money. You must try to find out the nature of suffering undergone by your brethren and make efforts to remove it and afford relief to the best of your ability and capacity. Then only God will become the resident of your heart.
SINS
Be always on the alert against four sins which the tongue is prone to commit; speaking falsehood, speaking ill of others, back-biting and talking too much. It is best to attempt to control these tendencies.
SORROW
Sorrow springs from egoism, the feeling that do not deserve to be treated so badly, that you are left helpless. When egoism goes, sorrow disappears.
SPIRIT
It is only when one is established in the Spirit that one can understand the springs and
the nature of society. Till then one will be caught up in the differences based upon
caste, colour, nation, race and religion. All the attachments and hatreds arising out of
these differences are born out of selfishness. Once the truth of the Indwelling Spirit is
recognised, there dawns the awareness that the world is one family.
SUCCESS
Yearn, yearn hard for success in achieving the real of life and success will be yours. Remember you are all certain to win, that is why you have been called, and you have responded to the call, to come to me.
The most direct method of achieving spiritual success is Nishkama Karma, action without any attention to the fruit therefrom - action as duty, action as dedication, action as worship.
THOUGHTS
When the thoughts in the mind are good,
They will be reflected in the actions;
When the thoughts are ill-disposed,
The fruits thereof will be equally bad.
TIME
Time lost, life lost. Every tick of the clock snips away a length of the thread of life. Money unspent remains in your account at the bank, but your life-time is spent with every moment, wisely or unwisely. Time marches relentlessly on. Every passing minute is a precious gift from God which you have to use for the best and most lasting benefit.
Use the present moment best to sharpen your skills, to broaden your intelligence, to expand your heart, and to master the technique of facing the challenges of life with courage and equanimity.
TRANQUILLITY(MENTAL)
Where there is a desire for mental tranquillity, I hurry to grant tranquillity. Where there is dispiritedness, I hasten to raise the drooping heart. Where there is mental trust, I rush to restore trust. I am ever on the move to fulfil the mission for which I have come.
UNIVERSE
The universe is the Field where God sports. Be aware of this fact, every moment of consciousness, and there is nothing more you need for a happy existence. For, you will then contact God in every thing through every thought, at every place and at every moment.
WITNESS
I am the servant of everyone. You can call many name, I will respond, for all names are mine. Or, rather, I have no particular name at all.
One man's mind prefers Krishna; anothers mind likes Siva; another prefers Formless Allah. I never call on people to worship me, giving up the Forms they already revere. I have come to establish Dharma, and so, I do 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.
YOGASHEMA
Whoever among my devotees dedicates all acts to me-know that I bear the burden of his yogashema.
I got this file from Mr. Narayanan(narayanan@fit.unimas.my). Thanks a lot Narayanan!