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1008 Pearls of Sayings
of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Introduction
|1-42 | 43-84 | 85-126 |
127-168 | 169-210 | 211-252|
|253-294 | 295-336 | 337-378|
379-420 | 421-462 | 463-504|
|505-546 | 547-588 | 589-630|
631-672 | 673-714 | 715-756|
|757-798 | 799-840 | 841-882|
883-924 | 925-966 | 967-1008|
From 85 - 126
85
THE fire of sorrow and joy burns
when the fuel of Vaasanas is fed into the furnace of the mind. Take away the
fuel and the fire dies out. Take away the Vaasanas, the force of the
impulses, promptings and urges and you become your own master. This is done
in Yoga by various physiological and psychological exercises. But Bhakti is
the easier means for this end. Naamasmarana is enough: it is said that the
name Sitarama sufficed in the Thretha Yuga; the name Radha-Shama sufficed in
the Dwapara Yuga; and in the Kali Yuga, I tell you, all Names have that
capacity.
86
PRAKRUTHI is Dhara, Earth and
Creation. Think of it always. Long for it. Pine for Dhara, Dhara, Dhara and
you find you are pining for Radha, Radha. So, Radha is the Becoming and
Krishna is the Being; the desire of Being becomes the longing of the
Becoming for the Being - this is the Radha-Krishna relationship, which has
been sung by seers and poets, calumniated and caricatured by ignorant
critics, appreciated and apprehended by aspirants, and analyzed and realised
by sincere scholars of spiritual lore.
87
WELCOME all the blows of fate, all
the misfortunes and miseries, as gold welcomes the crucible, the hammer and
the anvil in order to get shaped into a jewel; or as the cane welcomes the
chopper, the crusher, the boiler, the pan, the sprayer and the dryer, so
that its sweetness may be preserved and used as sugar by all. The Pandavas
never demurred when disasters fell thick upon them. They were happy that
they helped them to remember Krishna and call upon Him. Bhishma was in tears
on the arrow-bed, when he was about to pass away. Arjuna asked Him "why" and
he replied, "I am shedding tears because the miseries undergone by the
Pandavas pass through my mind". Then he said, this is done in order to teach
the Kaliyug a lesson; never to seek power, position or pelf but to submit to
the will of God in a completely resigned way, so that you may be ever happy
and unmoved.
88
THE Gita speaks of Bhakti, Jnana,
Karma, as Yogas. By Yoga is meant what Patanjali intended it to mean "Chiththa
Krishthi Nirodha", that is to say, "the stifling of the agitations of the
consciousness". Vishnu is the supreme example of this calm, for He is "Saanthakaaram
bhujaga Sayanam", the very picture of peaceful calm, though reclining on a
thousand-hooded snake; the snake being the symbol of the objective World
with its poisonous fangs. Being in the World but not of it, not bound by it,
that is the secret.
89
THE Individual is Arjuna, the
Universal, which inspires him, is Krishna: Led by the Universal, the
Individual has to oppose the attractions and delusion of the Manifested, the
Maya, and the Prakruthi, that is, the Kaurava hordes. The battle depicted in
the Epic is the inner battle, between the temporary and the eternal, the
particular and the universal, the sensual and the super-sensual, the seen
and the seer. The Atma is described as a streak of lightning in the blue
cloud. It is a Gita (streak in Telugu). Discover the Gita, then the purpose
of Gita study is fulfilled.
90
WHEN Dharmaraja, the eldest of the
Five Pandavas came to know - after the death of Karna which they effected
successfully - that Karna was his brother, his agony knew no bounds; he was
struck disconsolate and was torn by despair. If only he had known the truth,
all that grief could have been avoided. So too, until you know that all are
altars where the name God is installed and all are moved and motivated by
the Grace of the self-same God, you are afflicted by hate and pride; once
you know it and experience it, you are full of Love and reverence to all.
91
WHEN Krishna leapt down from His
Chariot with the wheel-weapon in His hand to slay Bhishma, Arjuna jumped
down with Him and holding both His Feet he prayed, "Oh Lord, you have given
word that you will not wield any weapon. Let it not be said that you broke
your word to save me from Bhishma, I am prepared to die". That was the
measure of his Bhakti. Bhishma too had equal Bhakti. He did not step forward
to fight the new challenge nor did he question the Lord. He stood silent
drinking in the charm of the Lord and filling himself with the vision of the
magnificence of the Lord. That was the measure of the dedication to His will.
92
KRISHNA is slandered by ignorant,
prejudice critics as "jaara" and "chora" and extolled by seekers and sages
with the same appellations, "jaara” and "chora". He stole the hearts and the
owners were glad of it. He shed light, awakened people and made those, whose
hearts he stole, richer and happier. He destroyed all craving for sensual
pleasure and sensual knowledge and filled the entire being with thoughts of
the Divine. How then can He be referred to as "jaara" and "chora"? When the
blind leads the blind in this way, both have to fall into the pit.
93
IN the Mahabharatha, the most
noteworthy theme is Dharmasthapana. When the Pandavas were called into the
forest, it was as if the Five Pranas of Dharma, the sustaining forces of
Dharma, were exiled. Dharmaraja is the Prana of the Right Conduct, Bhima, of
the protective Might of Dharma; Arjuna, of the Faith and Devotion needed as
its Foundation, Nakula and Sahadeva, of the shraddha essential for the
Practice of Dharma. When the Pandavas went to the forest, Hasthinapura was
reduced to Astinapura, a city of bones, without flesh and blood.
94
KRISHNA was the Purushothama,
Arjuna the Narrothama; It was a friendship between The Embodiment of the
Highest and the Embodiment of the Best. Krishna was the Avataric Person.
Arjuna was the anandic person; it was a coming together of the Avathramurthi
and the Anandamurthi. Arjuna was often addressed by Krishna as Kurunandana.
This name has a deep significance. "Kuru" means "act, activity, Karma";
Nandana means "happy, delighted". Kurunandana therefore means "he who is
delighted while engaged in activity". Throughout the eighteen chapters of
the Githa, Arjuna is alert and active, participating vigilantly in every
turn of argument.
95
PRACTICE the constant presence of
God and, learn to offer all your activities at the Feet of the Lord as an
act of worship. Then they will be free from fault. Krishna advised Arjuna to
enter the fight and, at the same time, told him not to have "hatred" towards
"enemies". These may appear to be two irreconcilable attitudes, for war is
rage (passion, attachment) and renunciation of hatred is Vairagya (absence
of raga). Arjuna asked Krishna how he was to reconcile these two attitudes.
Krishna said, "Maamnusmara yudhyacha" (keep Me ever in thy mind, and fight.
Do not cultivate the egotistic feeling that it is you who is fighting. I am
using you as My instrument).
96
THE Pandava brothers were highly
fortunate. The eldest, Dharmaraja, rose to be the emperor. The second was
the Indomitable Bhima, armed with the terrible mace. The third was Arjuna,
son of the Lord of the Gods, Indra. The lord poured His Grace on Arjuna and
deigned to serve him in battle as his charioteer! In spite of all these
advantages, they were subjected to the severest tragedies in life. What is
the lesson that their lives teach? No one can predict what calamity will
overtake one and at what time. Every thing depends on the will of Providence;
it all happens according to the Divine Plan.
97
THE question on the battlefield
was not who was the Kin of whom, but who was right and who was wrong; fight
for justice, fight for truth, fight for these as akshatriyu is in duty bound,
and leave the result to the Dispenser of all. Krishna told Arjuna: "I am
surprised that you should weep, for you are Gudakesa, the conqueror of sleep
and ignorance. You do not kill, so don't be so conceited; nor do they die.
They have many more things to do; and so they are real deathless". "The
sentence of death has been already pronounced on their bodies by Me, and you
have but to carry out My Orders", Krishna said.
98
KRISHNA felt that it was time to
reveal His Truth and so He just showed all creation in His Mouth when His
mother asked Him to show her His tongue, when she suspected He had eaten
sand. He made even the longest rope too short to bind Him. It became the
talk of the place and every one felt he had all the fourteen Worlds in Him!
Avathars choose the time and the mode of announcement of their Advent and
Their Glory. Even in this Avathara such miracles had to be done when I
decided that the time was opportune for taking the people into My Secret.
99
WHEN the righteous Pandavas were
harassed by wicked Kauravas, the beauteous Krishna appeared and saved them.
The lord can never design violence and blood shed. Love is His instrument,
non-violence His Message. He achieves the correction of the evil-minded
through education and example. But it may be asked, why did Kurukshetra
happen? It was a surgical operation and therefore cannot be described as an
act of violence. The Surgeon saves life through the beneficial use of His
Knife.
100
CONSIDER the Name Krishna which the
Avathar bore; what a significant Name? Krishna is derived from the root "krish"
which means (1) to attract (2) to plough and cultivate and (3) the Divine
Principle beyond time, space and causation. Krishna, like all Avathars,
attracts not only seekers, Saints and Sages but the simple, the innocent and
the good. He draws also the curious, the critics, the Skeptics and those who
suffer from atheism. He draws them towards Himself by the irresistible charm
of His Person, by His invincible Look, His Voice, His Flute, His counsel and
His undaunted Heroism! He is ever in a State of Bliss, spreading Harmony,
Melody and beauty around Him; He sings everywhere in the peaceful Pasture
lands of Brindavan and in the blood soaked battle field of Kurukshetra.
101
THE Gita was Arjuna and Krishna,
though Krishna supplemented it with Captious explanations of why and
wherefore. Arjuna admitted that he was a profaner. He had to surrender to
His Wait, so that there was no need for Krishna to argue with him. He was
convinced of the correctness of His command. Still, in order that Arjuna
might fight with a full heart, He gave him the reasons, which supported the
course that He laid down for him. I too want you to know why I designed it
so you should act in a particular manner, and I do not like you to behave in
another manner.
102
BISHMA was a Bhakta and by winning
the Lord's Grace he was clothed with more Majesty and splendour than any
early emperor. What majesty has these scepter-holders? They cannot claim to
have inner peace, inner joy, they know not the joy of sharing love with all.
Bhishma surrendered to the Lord when He challenged him with the su-darsana (Vishnu),
that is to say, when He offers su (good) dharsana (vision) one must be wise
enough to surrender, give up all, that is what Bhishma did.
103
ARJUNA exclaimed Krishna as the
Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient God, when the foe was defeated day
after day. But when his son Abhimanyu was killed in the conflict he raved in
the grief that Krishna had not guided him properly and guarded him
efficiently. His mind wavered with every wind of fortune. To many the mind
is the master of the intellect also. One must be vigilant and preserve the
impartiality of instrument called Reason of Intellect. Clarify reason, then
it will reveal God everywhere, even in you once you accept God as the core
of the universe, and you have that strong and steady faith.
104
FILL every moment with energy
enthusiasm and effort. The Epics teach you how to succeed in this. The
Mahabharatha describes how and when every other of the hundred Kauravas died.
The eldest Duryodhana was challenged by Bhima to meet him in a duel, when at
last he fell on the ground; Bhima struck his head with his foot in order to
add insult to injury. Duryodhana's pride was hurt, a Kshatriya, such as he,
could not pass that insult by. He retorted even when he was dying. Do not
exult that you have done some big heroic act by tramping on my head! In a
few seconds dogs and vultures will be doing that act. It does not require a
hero to plant his foot on a dying man. You dared not do this when I was
capable of hitting back, you coward! That kind of awareness of one's
potentialities and quick response to all happenings must be present in you
too. Heroism gushed out even when he was passing away!
105
KRISHNA, whose advent you should
celebrate, is not the cowherd boy who charmed the village folk with His
flute, but Krishna the indefinable inscrutable Divine Principle that is born
in the navel of the body (Mathura) as the product of Divine Energy (Devaki)
that is then transported to the Mouth (Gokulam) and fostered by the Tongue (Yashoda)
as its source of sweetness. Krishna is Yashoda gained the Visualization of
the Atma that the repetition of the Name grants, the vision; you must foster
that Krishna on your tongue. When He dances on it, the poison of tongue will
be ejected completely, without harming anyone as happened when as a child He
danced on the hoods of the serpent Kalinga.
106
PURITY of motive is the best
guarantee that you will have Peace. An uneasy conscience is a tormenting
compassion. Righteous action will have no bad effects, to disturb your sleep
or health.
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, colour, mode of
worship, status, or degree of affluence. Do not look down upon any one; look
upon all as Divine as you really are.
107
ALL Faiths are inter-related and
mutually indebted to each other for the principles they teach and the
disciplines they recommend. The Vedic Religion was the first in time;
Buddhism, which appeared about 2500 years ago, was its son; Christianity,
which was influenced much by the Orient, was its grandson. And Islam, which
has the Prophets of Christianity as its base, was the great grandson. All
have Love as the Fundamental Discipline of the Mind in order to chasten it
and merge man with the Divine.
108
VINAYAKA is called the child of two
mothers, Gowri and Ganga. You are the pet children of four mothers, each of
you; Sathya, Dharma, Shanti and Prema. Do not ridicule them by your act.
Honour them and be grateful to them. Do not claim "Anyaya" (Injustice), "Akrama"
(Indiscipline), and “Asathya” (Falsehood and “Anachara” (Evil behaviour) as
your mothers Instead, expand your heart, taking in all humanity into the
circle of your kin, even the birds, beasts, worms, and insects, trees and
plants. The Vedic Prayer asks that the aspirant's heart may be expanded "Brhathe
Koromi" - I make myself Vast! The vastest is "Brahman" which comes from the
same root, "brh", to enlarge.
109
I EAT as you do, move about as you
do, talk in your Language and behave as you can recognise and understand,
for YOUR sake - not for My sake! I turn you towards the Divine, winning your
confidence, your love, your submission, by being among you, as one of
yourselves, one whom you can see, listen to, speak to, touch and treat with
reverence and devotion. My plan is to transmute you into Seekers of Truth (Sathya-anveshko).
I am present everywhere at all times; My will must prevail over every
obstacle; I am aware of the past, present and future of your innermost
thoughts and carefully guarded secrets. I am "Sarvatharyami", "Sarva Shakti"
and "Sarvajna". Nevertheless, I do not manifest these powers in any
capricious manner or merely for display. For I am an example and an
inspiration, whatever I do or omit to do. My Life is a commentary on My
Message.
110
LOVE must be manifested as Service
or Seva. Seva must take the form of food for the hungry, solace for the
forlorn, consolation for 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 and
Lectures! No activity, no love, no seva. Heroes while lecturing are Zeros
while putting what is said into practice. Develop Compassion. Live in Love.
Be Good, Do Good and See Good. This is the way to God.
111
THE nature we have around us and
with us is the vesture of God. We have evidence of His Beauty, Goodness,
Wisdom and Power all around us; wherever we turn our eyes. But the art of
recognising Him is strange to us and so we deny Him and live on in darkness.
We have all around us, in the atmosphere, the music emanating from all the
Broadcasting Stations of the World, but they do not assail your ear at any
time. You are not aware of any Station; but, if you have a receiver and if
you tune it to the correct wavelength, you can hear the matter broadcast
from any Station; if you fail to tune it correctly, you will get instead of
news only nuisance! So too, the Divine is everywhere above, around, below
and beside, near as well as far. For cognising it, you require not a "Yantra"
(machine) but a "Mantra" (mystical formula potent with a psychological
undertone). Concentration of Dhyana is the fixing of the exact location of
the Station in the Band; Love is the correct tuning in; realising the
Reality and the Bliss it confers is the happy clear listening!
112
THE Divine is a wine that would
intoxicate you. The nectar that the Name of the Lord is saturated in
produces it. Taste it and you forget everything else; you are transformed.
Man is, they say, a monkey that has lost its tail; well, he must lose many
more attributes of the monkey before he is entitled to call himself Man. He
must dedicate his thought, word and deed to God and surrender to His Will.
Then only is this animal entitled to become a Man in whom the Divine is
enshrined.
113
THE body is the ball filled with
the air of Divinity; it is kicked in play by six players on the side (the
six foes: Lust, Anger, Greed, Attachment, Pride and Hate); and six on the
other (the six friends: Truth, Right, Peace, Love, Compassion and Fortitude);
the goal-posts are on each side, and if the ball is hit so that it passes
through them, they achieve "Dharmavidya" (Moral attainment) and victory. Or
else, their kick results in an "out"! Learn to speak what you feel, act what
you speak; do not allow them to be at cross-purposes. Man, with the feelings
of a demon fuming with hate, engages in fighting, holds Peace Conferences
and prides himself on his Plans for Peace! Transform the heart into a
Tabernacle of Peace, then Conferences to deceive oneself and others become
unnecessary. What can mere talk achieve?
114
DISCIPLINE trains you to put up
with disappointments; you will know that the path of life has both ups and
downs, that every rose has its thorn. Now, people want roses without thorns,
life has to be one saga of sensual pleasure picnic all the time. When this
does not happen, you turn wild and start blaming others. If each one cares
for his own pleasures, how can Society progress? How can the weak survive?
Mine, not thine, this sense of greed is the root of all-evil; this
distinction is applied even to God! - My God, not yours! Your God, not mine!
115
GOODNESS, compassion, and tolerance:
through these three paths, one can see the Divinity in one-self and others.
Softness of heart is condemned by people today as weakness, cowardice, and
want of intelligence. The heart has to be hardened, they say, against pity
and charity. But that way lies war, destruction, and downfall. Love confers
lasting happiness and peace. Sharing can reduce grief and multiply joy. Man
is born to share, to serve, to give and not to grab. When you have faith in
God as a precious truth in the altar of your heart, you will welcome, with
equal alacrity, the blows and blossoms of fortune.
116
HAVING come to this place and
availed yourselves of this opportunity to treasure in your hearts the things
you have seen and heard, resolve to plunge into a practice of them. Your
resolution and your practice must happen simultaneously. Have a master plan
and start from tomorrow the execution of the program, drawn in consultation
with others. This must happen in all countries. Do not think that only the
Andhra State is Sai's. All are Sai's. All are one. We must endeavor by all
means to realise and establish this Truth in this Kali Yuga. This is the
message I am giving you today. I am fulfilling all your desires. So you must
fulfill this one desire of Mine. I bless that you have long life, good
health, Ananda, Peace and Prosperity; and that you will dedicate your
physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual strength and skills for the
service of the country and of all mankind.
117
THERE are some ignorant persons who
laugh at "Bhajans" and other acts of worship and consider them a waste of
valuable time. Those persons might laugh at your pouring bags of paddy seeds
on a slushy field and condemn that act too as waste of valuable
food-material. But you know that, for every bag of paddy-seed, Mother Earth
will give back grain tenfold or even twenty fold, in a few weeks. Time spent
in contemplation of God or adoration of the Divine is indeed well spent, for
it rewards you with a rich harvest of mental peace and courage.
118
WHEN Jesus was emerging as the
Supreme Principle of Divinity, he communicated some news to his followers.
The statement of Christ is simple. (He, who sent me among you, will come
again) and he pointed to a lamb. The lamb is merely a symbol, a sign. It
stands for the voice BA-BA. The announcement was "The Advent of BABA". - "He
will wear a robe of red, a blooded robe". He will be short, with a crown (of
hair). The lamb is a sign and symbol of Love. Christ did not declare that he
would come again, he said, "He, who made me, will come again". That BABA is
the Baba; and Sai, the short curly hair crowned, red-robed Baba has come.
119
MANY believe that a pilgrimage to
holy places is conductive to spiritual progress. They journey to Tirupathi,
Rameswaram, Badrinath or Amarnath and pray for the removal of their mundane
troubles. They vow to remove their hair if, through Divine intervention,
they win a prize in the State Lotteries, as if God is in need of hair. This
trick of bargaining is only cheating oneself in an attempt to cheat God. Do
not pray to God for wealth or fame, positions of power or for the fruits of
your actions. The genuine seeker will pray for nothing else but God.
120
HUMAN lives are now passing on and
on, filth over filth, bent, broken, diseased, distressed and disheartened.
To enrich their lives and to make the human heritage worthwhile, I have
come, I am evincing all this enthusiasm to teach you the prayer attitude to
Seva, for Love expresses itself as Seva, Love grows through Seva, and Love
is begun in the womb of Seva. And God is Love. The Avatar is a Child to the
children, a Boy to the Boys, a Man among men, a Woman among women, so that
the Avatar's message might reach each heart and receive enthusiastic
response as "Ananda". It is the compassion of the Avatar that prompts His
every action.
121
HAVE no thorn of hate in your mind.
Develop Prema towards all. Desire is a storm; Greed is a whirlpool; Pride is
a precipice. Attachment is an avalanche; Egoism is a volcano. Keep these
things away, so that you can do Japa or Dhyana; they do not disturb the
Equanimity. Let Love be enthroned in your heart. Then there will be sunshine
and a cool breeze and the gurgling waters of contentment feeding the roots
of faith.
122
THE title "Sathyam Sivam Sundaram"
is full of meaning. It speaks of HE, imminent in every one of you. Sathyam
is the basic reality of you all; that is why you resent being called a liar.
The real "you" is innocent, you will not accept an imputation that is false.
The real "you" is joy, happiness, and auspiciousness. It is not Savam but
Sivam; it is Subham, Nithyam, and Anandam. How then can you bear being
called ugly? The Atma has got entangled in the body, which it does not like;
it is weighed down by shame, when you identify it with the body and
attribute to it the weaknesses and deficiencies of that physical vehicle.
123
I NEVER speak through another; I
never possess another or use another as a vehicle of expression. I come
direct, I come straight, I come, as I am to confer Peace and Joy. I do not
accept from you flowers that fade, fruits that rot, coins that have no value
beyond the national boundary. Give Me the Lotus that blooms in your
Manasa-Sarovar, the clear, pellucid waters of the lake of your inner
consciousness. Give Me the fruits of holiness and steady discipline. I am
above all this worldly etiquette, which enjoins you to see elders with some
fruit or flower in your hand. My World is the World of the Spirit; there,
values are different. If you are happy with faith in God and fear of sin,
that is enough "Service", enough "Kainkaryam" for Me. It pleases Me so much.
124
YOU must speak soft and sweet words
to everyone. Do you like the voice of the crow? No, you drive the crow away
when it starts to caw; its speech is harsh, it is too loud for your ears.
You must have heard the Koel, the cuckoo, haven't you? That bird looks very
much like the crow; it grows in the nest of the crow with the baby crows;
the mother crow, along with her own kids, feeds it. But no one will throw a
stone at a "Koel"; every one likes to hear its sweet voice. Speak soft and
sweet; then every one will like you.
125
NO service is too low or mean;
every emergency is immediately noticed and attended to. They need not be
sorry that during those days they had no time to sit for Dhyana or do Japa
or even to go out on Nagarsankirtan! Why? You can have the Name on the lips,
when you sweep the streets or lift a corpse in the morgue or when you walk
towards or away from the area of distress. People may dub you mad! But be
elated that you are not affected by the insanity they suffer from!
126
THE mind plays many tricks with you,
the chief of which is to foster the ego and hide the Prompter and the Power
within. You must have heard of an Accountant in the Court of the King of
Death, Chitragupta, by name. He maintains a Register of the good and the bad
deeds done by each living being, and on death, he brings the book to the
Court and strikes the balance between debit and credit. Yama, the king, then
meets out the punishment that can expiate and educate. This Chitragupta has
his Office in the mind of man, all the time, awake and alert. The word means
the secret picture; what he does is to picture all the secrets from
promptings that blossom into activity; he notes the warning signals as well
as the occasions when those signals were ignored or wantonly disregarded.
You must see that the warning of the Divine against the merely human or even
the bestial inclination is heeded.
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