VirtueScience
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1008 Pearls of Sayings of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Introduction
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From 589 - 630

589

AT present, everyone is after Sukha. The hunt for comfortable jobs and positions of influence, the founding of banks and business houses, the growth of bungalows - all this is evidence of the eagerness to live in happiness. But there is no eagerness to live in Shanti. Sukha is confused with Shanti. Sukha is taken to be the same as Shanti. None of the rich, well placed, prosperous or powerful have Shanti. You can investigate and find out for yourselves the truth of this. Shanti is not found in the Pass-Book or many roomed bungalows or godowns or iron safes. Your whole attitude is topsy-turvy.

590

GO straight along the path of Karma and Dharma towards Brahma; this is your destiny. Karma has to be done; there is no turning away. 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 contentment is more important than outer prosperity.

591

THE Sun is about 90 million miles distant from our Earth. The most distant planet so far known is Pluto, which is nearly 3670 million miles away from the Sun. It takes 248 long years to make one journey around the sun. Well! Has God planned all these heavenly bodies out of sheer caprice? Or does He intend to convey any lesson through these happenings? God will never produce an effect without cause or purpose. Nor will He manifest substance without value. Why? The rotation of the Earth on its own axis, for example, causes the seasons, the formation of clouds and the falling of rain. God has graciously willed to establish peace and prosperity on Earth.

592

FRIENDSHIP must serve as lids for the eye, as sandals for the feet. The friend must be "another Me". He must experience, in equal depth, the joy and the grief of the other. Friends must be like milk and water. Let Me elaborate this example. When milk, when mixed with some water is placed on a burning stove, the water goes, off as steam. The milk laments the separation and boils over. Then, the only way to keep it calm, is to sprinkle a spoon or two of water; its friend is back and it is happy. Milk cannot tolerate separation from its friend.

593

OUR friends today attach themselves not to you but to your purse or to some advantage they can gain through your father's kindness. When your purse is empty or when your father is no longer in power, they bid you good-bye. Friends who drag one away into evil habits and vicious deeds are prowling around in search of victims.

594

UDYOGAM Purusha Lakshanam, it is said. Ud-yoga means, as is commonly understood, employment in some job, something that is worth doing. No, it means Ud (Higher) Yoga (spiritual discipline): a Sadhana which has assumed the status of a job. All jobs that you take up are Ud-yogas, higher disciplines, which mark out (Lakshanam) the Purusha (the man). When Artha is sought through Dharma, the Purushartha deserves the name, "Paramapurushartha", for it is Parama oriented towards the Para or the higher eternal values.

595

IN one of his speeches, Nehru had to acknowledge that there is a Destiny that shapes events, irrespective of individual effort. Well, everyone will come to that conclusion sooner or later; for there is a limit to the capacity of man to control events. You may call it Destiny. Another may call it Providence; and a third, God. Names do not matter. It is the humility that matters; the wonder and the sense of awe that matters.

596

THE eye sees because it is illumined by a microscopic spark of the rays of the Sun. "Chakshos Suryo ajayatha". From the eye, Surya was born. The Atma is the motive force of all the Senses; the eye is but a window through which the Atma peeps out at the external world. Of what use is the eye when the vision is not correct? Samam means Brahmam; Samadrishti means seeing only Brahmam, the one in all things, at all times. This Ekathwam is the basic Truth. All other experiences are partial, distorted, and false.

597

EDUCATION must include the education of the mind of man, of his impulses to hate, to hoard, to fight and to defame. It is not merely the acquisition of certain skills by which the materials found in nature can be reshaped into utility products; it is not merely the acquisition of information about the laws of Nature. It is the process by which man makes the best of his own inner equipment, his Anthakarana, to know himself. It should open his inner eye more than his outer; the outer must reveal the Glory of God; and the inner must reveal the God within.

598

CHILDREN should grow in the awareness of the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God. If no provision is made for this atmosphere and this teaching, we are denying them their due. Faith in man involves Faith in God; Faith in God creates Faith in man. Without faith, man is a creature bereft of roots; and he dries and withers quickly.

599

THE friends that the child collects at school and around the house have a beneficial or deleterious effect on its growth. Comics, horror stories, terrorism, gunmen pictures and cinema posters degrade man into a zero. The child learns to worship money and the things which money can buy; he admires cruelty and cunning, rather than Sympathy and Love. So, the Home, the School and the Society have to rise and take up this challenge posed to the future of this great land.

600

MAN is born with a great thirst and a deep hunger for bliss. He knows that he can get it, but he does not know from where. He has faint memories of his being the heir to the Kingdom of Ananda. But he does not know how to establish his claim to his heritage. Something in him revolts when he is condemned to die, to suffer and to hate. It whispers to him that he is the child of Immortality, of Bliss and of Love. But man ignores these promptings and, as one exchanges diamonds for dirt, he runs in search of meaner pleasures and sordid comforts.
 

601

I DO not care either for praise or for blame. I only pity these people who, in order to scrape together a few paise from the poor, resort to such filthy tricks. For all who are pained by these subhuman antics, I declare "Even if all the fourteen Worlds unite together, the work for which I have come will not suffer a bit; even if Earth and Heaven combine, My truth can never be fully grasped".

602

PRAYER and Meditation Prayer makes you a supplicant at the Feet of God; Dhyana induces God to come down to you and inspires you to raise yourselves to Him. It tends to make you come together, not place one in a lower level and the other on a higher. Dhyana is the royal road to Liberation from bondage, and with Prayer you earn the same fruit. Meditation needs concentration after controlling the claims of the senses. You have to picture before your inner eye the Form on which you have elected to contemplate.

603

WHEN you see in a house on the walls of the shrine room a picture of Mine, do you not feel a wave of reverence and kinship surging within you? You may not like him for any other reason, but this picture will bring him closer to you, though the owner of the house may be your rival in the professional field. So, too, know that every other person has in his heart of hearts a picture of the God you revere. Recognise it and reconcile your misunderstandings; close up all gaps with the brothers in pilgrimage, encouraging and inspiring each other along the arduous road.

604

WHEN the parents have no reverence for God, when the pictures of Stalin, Hitler, Churchill and Lenin adorn the walls of the home, when the child has to breathe the atmosphere of scandal, faction and greed at home, how can it grow into a happy, healthy balanced individual? The films that children are taken to see are full of violence and falsehood, mean tricks and conspiracies, which tarnish the springs of sympathy and love.

605

THERE are parents who are proud when their children join in card games and even in drinking and gambling; there are parents who get angry when their children read religious books, attend temple rites and sit quietly for a few minutes meditating on the awe and wonder that Creation evokes in them. How can such parents claim to be the well-wishers of their progeny? They are the greatest foes of their progress.

606

ALL the twenty-four hours are spent in attending to the care of the body, the prevention of disease, the promotion of health, the development of muscle, etc. No care is spent on the God resident in this physical tabernacle, who has to be recognised and revered. The weighing machine on which you stand to read your weight with pride laughs at you for the silly exaltation. It sneers at your conceit over physical victories; it warns you against too much concern over paltry gains. It knows that death is lying in wait to snatch you away, however heavy you may grow. Develop "Drishti" (vision); not "Deha" (body). Concentrate on the Maker, not the made.

607

TO elevate man to the level of his consciousness, He (God) has to incarnate as man. He has to speak to them in their own styles and languages. He has to teach them the methods that they can adopt and practice. Birds and beasts need no Divine Incarnation to guide them, for they have no inclination to stray away from their Dharma. Man alone forgets or ignores the goal of Life.

608

I HAVE no desire to have My Birthday celebrated. Such trivial thoughts can never enter Me. My only desire is to share My "Ananda". My Birthday is when you get "Ananda". My Mission is "Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu". May all the Worlds be happy and prosperous! Become aware of the unity of mankind. Promote, by Love and Service, the Joy and Contentment of everyone on Earth and fill your hearts with that yearning.

609

ACTS done between dawn and dusk are offerings into the sacred Fire of Wisdom. Of such acts, those that are promoted by instinct and impulse are material; they do not arise from a mind moulded by the intellect. When the mind is crossed and the outer shore reached, all acts become pure and holy. When deep sleep overpowers the senses, the mind, the intellect, and even the sense of ego disappears. The entire Cosmos disappears from awareness. That is the Truth when the Atman is alone by itself and bondage is naught.

610

GOD, Over-self or Paramatma is praised by man when his desires are fulfilled. When they are not realised, He is blamed. But He has no prejudice or partiality. If He has Love, He must also have anger. Any manifestation of these feelings is only superficial and does not rise from the core. God is the witness of the act-consequence chain. You can avoid the consequence by dedicating the act of God and abstaining from attachment.

611

ONE'S action decides one's destiny. There is no use blaming others for our misfortune and misery. Nor is it right to blame God as being partial or cruelly unconcerned. When you plant a bitter seed, how can the fruit be sweet? It has become the fashion to claim all good as one's own achievement and to ascribe all the despair and disappointment to an irresponsible attitude of Divinity.

612

I WISH to emphasise that purity of the heart, the mind and the consciousness is more important for progress than even Meditation and Prayer. Purity alone can convince you of the Divine within you of the Kshetrajna immanent in the Kshetra. Love all, adore all and serve all. That is the Sadhana of worship, to win purity and earn Grace.

613

THE consequence of the meritorious activities of previous births can be drawn upon now; but unless you have them, no cheque will be honoured. Moreover, only those who have the account can operate. Each must have a separate account in his own name: One brother cannot draw on the account of another brother; and the wife cannot draw on the account of the husband.

614

SOMETIMES, the Bank will give you overdrafts, so that you tide over temporary crisis; the extent of the overdraft is settled by the Manager with reference to your reliability and capabilities. It is like the "Anugraha", Grace that God will confer on you when you have earned it by "Sathkarrna", "Sathchinthana", "Sathsanga" and "Namasmarana" (good deeds, good thoughts, good feelings and, good company), and constant repetition and reflection on the Name of God and the Glory it seeks to express.

615

WHEN you have attained true wisdom, you will find that good fortune should not be gloated over, nor bad fortune grieved over. The Hero treats both with equal unconcern. They are breezes and storms that cannot affect the depths of the Ocean of Bliss in the heart of Man.

616

PEOPLE in America, Europe, and Africa, Hong Kong and Australia are establishing Sathya Sai Bhaktha Mandalis and Study Circles; they are having Telugu classes, so that they may listen to Me and learn things directly from Me. As for Me, I have no "near" and "far"- all are near to me except those who keep afar. Even they are close to Me, if only they dedicate themselves to God, under whatever Name and Form.

617

CYNICAL laughter cannot harm the Sadhaka. Can a storm shake the Himalayan range? Let not your faith in the goal or the road quake before trouble or trial, toil or travail, distress or despair. They are but passing clouds, casting temporary shadows hiding for a little time the glory of the Sun or Moon. Do not get distracted by doubt of despondency. Build the mansion of your life on four firm pillars: Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha, the Purusharthas laid down by the ancient sages, each pillar bound strong and safe with every other.

618

THE Ramayana, the Mahabharatha, and the Bhagavatha are to be mastered, not allowed to become masters. You go through them without allowing them to go through you! The Volumes are bound in silk; and incense sticks are burnt before them, while man prostrates before them in reverence. But no attention is paid to what the pages proclaim. The frills and fringes attract the mind more than the kernel provided by the text.

619

ACT according to your professions. Do not play false to yourself and to your ideals. To deny by your acts the truth of what you preach is a sign of cowardice and moral suicide. You say that Baba knows and sees everywhere, but you do something wrong in the belief that Baba is somewhere else. You pray to Kali in the idol form, believing it to be alive and you hide something behind the idol, imagining that no one would know about it.

620

THE chief Characteristics of Sathya Sai are: equanimity and forbearance (sahana). There are many who are engaged in criticism and calumny. Many papers publish all types of writings. Many pamphlets are printed. All kinds of things happen in the World. My reply to all these is a smile. Such criticisms and distortions are the inevitable accompaniments of everything good and great. Only the fruit-laden tree is hit by stones thrown by greedy people. No one casts a stone on the tree that bears no fruit.

621

SANKARACHARYA was going along the streets of Varanasi, when he saw in a small hermitage a monk poring over a book of grammar. He took pity on the aging scholar and warned him that, when the end draws near, his panditry will not save him from perdition or take him to the goal of merging with God. So he asked him to adore God and fill himself with thoughts of the Divine. This is the proper way to deal with life, not frittering it away as a feast of fancy.

622

THE tree will grow with branches on all sides; countless flowers will bloom; it will provide and promote peace and security to the World. In order to realise this result, students must do as roots do: remain firm and provide sustenance. I know that the roots have to be watered so that flowers and fruits may emerge. Students are my all. If you ask Me, what is My property, many expect the answer to be, "Oh! All these buildings; all these vast areas of land". But My answer is "My entire property consists of My students". I have offered Myself to them. But many are not aware of this fact. Some unfortunate people cannot believe the Reality of this Love: the Love of a thousand mothers.

623

THE situation in India and in the World today is "Evaniki Vaare, Yamuna Theere" (Each for each on the Yamuna beach). There is no togetherness. How happy can man be if he develops togetherness! Can you eat a meal with a single finger? When the five fingers work in unison, the stomach is filled in five minutes! So, no attachment should be developed; no wish is to be welcomed, nothing is to be sought for; and no defeat is to be taken to heart, without solving deep into the consequences.

624

IT was ascribed to one's past deeds and one's own mental tendencies. It is wrong to cast the blame on others. But, someone pointed out that God was the originator of both joy and grief and that without His will no blade of grass can waver in the wind. Yes; if that Truth be firmly established in the heart, one gets the unique bliss of liberation. God gives everything; whatever we get is His Grace, and you have no right to judge if it is good or bad. Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam Bhaja Govindam Moodha Mathe Sammpraapthe Sannihitthe Kaale Nahi Nahi Rakshathi Dukrn.

625

PRAISE God, Praise God, Praise God, you fool, when death does knock at door, rules of grammar cannot save you. Sankara exhorted his pupils to disseminate the ideal of this verse, and they, too, responded with verses on the same lines, each of the fourteen contributing one verse. Sankara gave another twelve of his own, as well as four more verses about the transformation that the teaching would confer. Thus, there are 31 verses in all, in the text called Bhaja Govindam or Moha Mudgaram. The latter name means, "The weapon with which delusion can be destroyed". Each one is a step in the ladder which lifts man into God.

626

ELECTRICITY is found everywhere in Nature but it can be collected, stored and utilised only through certain contrivances designed by man. The spiritual Atma Sakthi that is also everywhere is stored in a body and passed through the thin wires or nerves; it illumines and directs activity. These activities have to be oriented towards Ananda and not attachment to temporary pleasures. The life principle that flows as intelligence through every cell and nerve is also a reflection of the Atma.

627

WORK is for the physical level, worship for the mental and wisdom for the spiritual. You have to pass through the three stages, each one of you. When I say to you, there are three of you! The one you think you are, namely the body, the physical person; the one the others think you are, the mental you, your passions, emotions, impulses, attitudes, and beliefs; and the one you really are, namely, the Atma, the Spirit, the real Reality of your Personality.

628

ONE can understand the spirit of renunciation and the depth of tolerance that is inherent in India's noble response. Whoever is afflicted with calamity, at whatever time, under whatever condition, your heart must react without delay in sympathy shown in the same practical manner. No one should be condemned as trash; even a little stick can serve as a toothpick! God has not made any man wholly bad or wholly good; your likes and dislikes are inducing you to label them as such.

629

UNLESS one develops virtue, uses skill, intelligence and discrimination in the most beneficial manner and directs his physical might with restraint, his life is wasted in bitterness and grief. The Vedas declare: "Nakarmanaa, naprajayaa-dhanena, thyagenike amrthathwa masmuth"; (Not by acts, nor by riches nor by progeny, but, only by renunciation can immortality be gained). "Renunciation, detachment, sacrifice, giving up - these alone can ensure the highest Realisation and Eternal Bliss. Renunciation is the law of life. That is why life is worthwhile and a source of happiness.

630

OF what avail is the shaving of the scalp while leaving inside of it a multitude of desires clamouring for satisfaction? This kind of Sanyasa is a fraud on the person entering it and on Society. No Avatar, you will note, has granted Sanyasa to any aspirant. These external insignia are not essential or even necessary. Non-attachment, born out of wisdom and fostered by the Grace of the Lord, is the precious capital for spiritual advance.

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