{"article":{"id":220512,"heading":"81 spiritual thought by baba","author":"baba procyonlotor","created":"2008-09-19 22:21:02","modified":"2013-11-11 00:54:19","last_modified":"Mon, 11 Nov 2013 07:54:19","article":"

1

One need not search for spiritual power, going around the world and

spending a lot of money. You can stay in your own house and develop

it within yourself. You do not have to run for it hither and thither.

You are not a mere man, but God Himself. Do not be under the delusion

that God is residing somewhere and that you have to search for Him;

God is within you.

2

When an individual seeks fulfilment outside himself, he fails; if he

seeks it within himself, he is successful in obtaining it. The divine

principle within us is always accessible and always responsive. Pain

is felt only as long as attachment or aversion to outer forms

remains. Ultimate relief from pain can come only by the effacement of

the ego, by the elimination of that which reacts to one thing as pain

and to another as pleasure, and whose memory and conditioning

sustains the recognition of the dualities of joy and grief

3

No object in the world can be without a creator. Everything we use in

our daily life has been made by someone. But, there are also objects

which are beyond the capacity of humans to create. The stars which

twinkle in the sky, the sun and moon that illumine the whole world,

all these demonstrate the existence of a superior power. These are

not human creations. Have they come into existence by themselves or

have they been created by some invisible force? The supreme power

which has the capacity to create such marvels has been described by

the Vedas as Aprameya, one who is beyond all proofs and all

limitations. He cannot be described in words. The primary object of

man must be to seek to understand this Infinite Power.

4

The joy you seek and the Self-realization you aim at are both within

you. They cannot be found in the external world. This condition is

similar to that of a person who begs for food on the street even

though there are sweets and delicacies in his own home. You imagine

that the world and its objects confer happiness on you. This is an

illusion created by your mind. It is only when you follow the

discriminating intellect that you will be able to enjoy true peace

and joy.

5

Life is a long garland of blossoms, fair and faded, fragrant and

futile. They are, so to say, the good and bad of life. Man recognizes

only the blossoms, happy over some, unhappy over most; he does not

see the string on which they are bound together, the Brahmasutra, the

everlasting and ever-fresh principle of divinity that holds all the

short-lived flowers together. Just as sparrows during a storm fly

towards a warm shelter, man too, must take shelter in the Divine

principle to escape from the storms of life.

6

When boring is done to draw water from the bowels of the earth, the

pipe has to be kept free of air so that the water will rise up. If

the air enters, the water cannot rise up in the pipe. So too, be sure

that attachment to worldly things does not mar your spiritual effort.

Love will not rise up if sensual pleasure or personal pride invade

the mind.

7

Love God with steadfast devotion and faith, have fear of sin and

practise morality in society. If you want morality in society, you

should develop love for God. If you love God, you will have fear of

sin. Today people without fear of sin commit heinous acts. This

contradicts the very nature of humans. The body is a house given to

you on rent. The owner is God. Live there as long as He wills,

thanking Him and paying Him the rent of faith and devotion

8

Tat Twam Asi: Thou are that. This is the highest and holiest

teaching. You are the indestructible Atma. It is for the sake of the

Atma that you have the physical body and so in the attempt to realise

God here and now, you must be prepared to sacrifice the body at any

moment. The body is only an instrument, an implement given by God.

Let it serve its rightful purpose.

9

For establishing oneself in the contemplation of the omnipresent

Lord, there are no limitations of time and place. There is nothing

like a holy place or auspicious time for this. Wherever the mind

revels in the contemplation of the Divine, that is the holy place.

Whenever it does so, that is the auspicious moment.

10

All are God. You too are God, above and beyond the past, present and

future. You are not the body which is tied up with time and which is

caught in the coils of was, is and will be. Be ever fixed in the

attitude that you are of the nature of Parabrahman (God); dwell

constantly in this thought. Thus you can become a Jnani (person of

wisdom).

11

Like the wind that covers everything with dust, desires and

attachments cloud the mind. They have to be kept away so that the

splendour of the self might merge in the splendour of the Higher

self, the Paramatman (God). The process of purifying the

consciousness of man in the crucible of single-pointed thought,

speech, feeling and activity directed towards God, will rid him of

all blemishes and defects. When the inner consciousness has been

rendered pure and unsullied, God will reside therein. Then man will

experience the vision of God within him.

12

The person who is free from all desires, who has not even the

slightest inclination to possess or enjoy the sensory world, who has

no trace of egoism and who is ever immersed in the bliss of God

consciousness, is always untouched by any tinge of sorrow. He is

firmly established in supreme joy and peace.

13

The mouse is the vehicle of Lord Vinayaka. What is the inner

significance of the mouse? The mouse is attracted by smell and is

considered as the embodiment of the sense of smell. The mouse is a

symbol of attachment to 'Vasana', which means both smell and worldly

tendencies. It is well known that if you want to catch a mouse, you

place a strong-smelling bait inside the mouse-trap. The mouse also

symbolises the darkness of night. The mouse can see well in the dark

and moves about freely in the night. As Vinayaka's vehicle, the mouse

signifies an object that leads man from darkness to light. Thus, the

Vinayaka-principle signifies that which removes bad thoughts, bad

habits and inculcates good thoughts and good conduct in people.

14

To realise God, it is not necessary to have wealth, gold, luxuries or

scholarship. All that is needed is pure devotion. Without purity of

thought, word and deed, it is impossible to experience the Divine.

God cannot be realised through ostentation and conceit. The basic

requisite is the shedding of selfishness and possessiveness so that

one can engage oneself in actions in a disinterested spirit. Any

person is entitled to embark on this quest irrespective of age, caste

or gender.

15

Dharma (righteousness) is the foundation for the welfare of humanity,

it is the eternal truth. When the effulgence of Dharma fails to

illumine human relationships, mankind will become enveloped in the

darkness of sorrow. Man must dedicate himself to Dharma so that he

may live in peace and the world may also enjoy peace. He cannot

acquire lasting peace nor can he win the grace of God through any

means other than by leading a Dharmic life.

16

Never use foul words against another. Such words should never defile

your tongue. Remember that there is God inside your heart, as well as

in the hearts of everyone around you. He sees and hears everything.

When you use harsh, angry and foul words against another, the God in

you and the God in the other person is hurt. The tongue is a tool

with which you can harm yourself and others too. So, be very careful;

use it only for your good and for the good of others. The best way to

use it is by speaking kind words, repeating the Name of God and

singing His Glory.

17

Man does not live by food alone. In fact he lives by the power of the

Atma. So you must use your strength of body and mind, wealth and

education with intelligence, in order to realize the power of the

soul. Without discrimination, what is the use of physical strength?

Everyday, when you take food, you are offering eatables to the Fire

that God has put in you to digest food. You have to eat in a

prayerful mood, in profound gratitude. The Bhagavad Gita says that

the fire that cooked the meal is God; the meal is God, the eater is

God; the purpose of eating is to carry on the work entrusted by God,

or pleasing to God; and the fruit of that work is progress towards

God.

18

The supreme message of the life of Lord Sri Krishna is the uniqueness

of the Prema Tattwa (Principle of Love). This message is all the

world needs. Krishna is the embodiment of love. This love can be

understood only through love. It is strong, brilliant and unbreakable

like diamond. It is extremely precious. If you want to secure such

divine love, your love for God must be equally strong. You can cut

diamond only with diamond. Love begets love. Hatred can only beget

hatred. Jealousy begets jealousy. Anger breeds anger. Therefore, if

you want to foster love, you have to get rid of hatred, jealousy and

anger.

19

One's actions decide one's destiny. It is of no avail to blame others

for one's misfortune and misery. Nor is it correct to blame God as

being partial or cruel. When one plants the seed of a bitter fruit,

one can only expect a bitter fruit to grow. God is only a witness to

the chain of causes and consequences. The way to escape this

predicament is by dedicating every act to God in a spirit of

detachment

20

Man has springs of joy and peace in his heart, even as a child.

Cultivate them, give them fullest freedom to gush forth and fertilize

all fields of activity, that is the real purpose of education. Man is

born to be perpetually happy, but he is always in misery. This is

tragic; it is like the man who died of thirst though he was standing

knee-deep in the running stream. The source of happiness is in you.

Real education has to teach man how to tap this spring of joy.

21

Why is man so pathetically afflicted today with fear and anxiety? Are

we to search for the reasons outside us or do they lie within us? The

reason lies in the false emphasis we have laid on things of the

material world, ignoring matters of the spirit. The body that man

bears is essentially a receptacle of God. It is a temple where God is

installed, where God is the Master. Hence, it does not behove you to

pander to its every whim. Instead, realise it to be a very valuable

instrument in your journey to God.

22

Education has to cultivate humility and discipline; but today it is

yielding a harvest of pride and envy. 'Vidya' means: 'Vid' (Light)

and 'Ya' (that which gives). So education has to shed light and

illumine the darkness in the mind and the intellect. It does not

indicate mere bookish knowledge. It has to clarify the kinship of man

with man and his intimate relationship with nature. It must harmonize

one's earlier experiences with one's present ones, and guide one to

beneficial experiences in the future. It must validate the knowledge

gained from the books by the experiences and in the process make man

grow, until he becomes Divine.

23

Many of you have problems of health or mental worry of some sort or

the other. They are mere baits by which you have been brought to My

presence, so that you may obtain My grace and strengthen your faith

in the Divine. Problems and worries are really to be welcomed as they

teach you the lessons of humility and reverence.

24

The very first Sadhana (spiritual exercise) one must adopt is the

cultivation of inner silence, to put an end to the continuous

dialogue with the mind. Let the mind rest for a while. Do not project

on the mind irrelevant details or pollute it with fumes of envy and

greed. Every idea we entertain, either good or bad, gets imprinted on

the mind. An element of weakness and unsteadiness is thus introduced

in the mind. Keep the mind calm and clear. Do not agitate it every

moment by your non-stop dialogue.

25

Life has to be an incessant process of repair and reconstruction, of

discarding evil and developing goodness. Paddy grains have to be

de-husked in order to become edible as rice. Cotton has to be

converted as yarn to become wearable cloth. Gold nuggets have to be

heated in the crucible to remove the impurities. Man too, must purify

his impulses, emotions and desires and cultivate good thoughts, words

and deeds so that he can progress spiritually.

26

The blazing fire of Jnana (wisdom) which convinces you that all this

is Brahman (God), will consume in to ashes all traces of your egoism

and worldly attachment. You must become intoxicated with the nectar

of union with Brahman. That is the ultimate goal of Dharma

(righteousness) and Karma (action).

27

Impure gold is melted in the crucible and it emerges shining and

bright. The mind rendered impure by Rajas (passion) and Tamas

(sloth), by anger and conceit, by the impressions of a thousand

attachments and desires, can be made bright and resplendent if it is

put in to the crucible of Vicahara (enquiry) and heated on the coals

of Viveka (discrimination). The brightness is due to the light of

Realization, the knowledge that you are the Atma.

28

Whatever the crisis, however deep the misery, do not allow your grip

over the mind to get loose. Tighten it further, fixing your eyes on

the higher values. Do not allow the mind to stray away from the

tabernacle of the heart. Make it bow before the Atma within.

29

\"I am God. You are God too but the only difference between you and

me is I am aware of my divinity but you are not!\"

30

Man seeks joy in far places and peace in quiet spots; but, the spring

of joy is in his heart, the heaven of peace is in him. Even when he

walks on the moon, man has to take with him his fears, his anxieties,

his prejudices and his pet aversions. Have faith in God, and in the

correctness of moral living. Then, you can have peace and joy,

whatever may be the fare that fortune offers you.

31

Whoever subdues his egoism, conquers his selfish desires, destroys

his baser feelings and impulses and gives up the natural tendency to

regard the body as the self, he is surely on the path of Dharma

(righteousness). The goal of Dharma is the merging of the wave in the

ocean, the merging of the self in the Higher self.

32

The body, the sense organs, the mind and the intellect are the

instruments for a human being. Only when one understands the secrets

of these instruments will one be able to comprehend the Atmic

Principle. If you cannot understand the vesture you are wearing, how

can you understand the mystery of the infinite, indwelling Spirit?

The body is the basic instrument for all the actions in life and for

the acquisition of all knowledge and skills. The body should be

regarded primarily as an instrument for the realization of the

Divine. Attachment to the body for physical pleasures should be given

up. It is essentially sacred and precious for it is the abode of the

Atma and should be used only for sacred purposes.

33

Look at the clouds that wander across the sky. Note that they have no

intimate lasting relationship with the sky, which they hide for a

short while. Such is the relationship between your body and you; you

who are of the nature of Paramatma (God) and the body which is but a

temporary, passing cloud that hides the Truth.

34

The impure impulses bind you to the wheel of Samsara (worldly

existence) and tie you down to this earth. The giant tree called mind

has two seeds: Vasana (impulses) and Prana (life breath). The seed

grows in to the tree, the tree yields the seed. The Prana moves

because of the Vasanas. The Vasanas operate because of the Prana. But

if beneficent Vasanas are encouraged, they will not bind the mind.

They are like seeds that are fried, which will not sprout. These

Vasanas are characterised by such activities as the association with

holy persons, reverence for the guru, charity, fortitude, love,

patience, truth, courage, sense control, etc.

35

When a river reaches the ocean, it becomes one with the ocean and the

river ceases to exist. Before it joins the ocean, the river is bound

by its banks and it has a distinct form. But when it merges in the

ocean, it loses its form, name and taste. Likewise, when \"man\" merges

in the Infinite \"I\" only the Infinite \"I\" remains and the limited

human entity disappears

36

There is a tendency to interpret renunciation as merely giving up

worldly attachments. Renunciation truly means attaining perfect

equanimity. People may criticize you or praise you, take them both

with a sense of equanimity. One may try to harm you while another may

try to do you a good turn; treat both situations with equanimity. In

one business venture, you may incur a loss while in another you may

make a profit; treat them both alike. Equanimity is the hallmark of

yoga (spiritual attainment).

37

There are two forms of Love. One binds you to God. The other binds

you to the world. The mind is responsible for either of these states.

The mind can be compared to a lock. If you turn the key to the right,

the lock opens. If you turn the key to the left, it gets locked. The

heart is the key to the lock of the mind. If you turn the key towards

the world, you have attachment and bondage; when you turn it towards

God, you achieve liberation. That is why, it has been declared that

the mind is the cause of human bondage or liberation. When it is

filled with wisdom, it makes a man a saint. When it is associated

with ignorance, it turns into an agent of death

38

When you know that you are but a spark of the Divine and that

everything around you too is a spark of the same Divine principle,

you look upon all with reverence and true Love; your heart is filled

with supreme joy and the assertions of the ego are rendered

ineffective. Man seeks joy in far off places and peace in quiet

spots; but, the spring of joy is in his heart, the heaven of peace is

within him. Even when he walks on the moon man has to take with him

his fears, his anxieties, his prejudices and his aversions. Have

faith in God and in the correctness of moral living. Then, you can

have peace and joy, whatever may be the fare fortune offers you.

39

He who considers himself free is free indeed, and he who considers

himself bound remains bound. Constantly think yourself as being

eternal, unlimited, Consciousness-Bliss, and you will be free and

happy. So long as you trap yourself in body consciousness you are

like a lion moping about in a musty cave. Do not feel satisfied by

saying, 'I am the body'. Roar and say, 'I am the Universal Absolute.

I am all that is, was and will be.' Pettiness, ego, time and space -

all will flee from your heart and you will realise your own Divinity.

40

Believe firmly that the body is the residence of God, that the food

you eat is the offering you make to your deity; that bathing is the

ceremonial bathing of the Divine Spirit in you; the ground you walk

upon is His domain; the joy you derive is His gift; the grief you

experience is His lesson that you tread the path more carefully.

Remember Him at all times; many people think of God only when grief

overtakes them; of course, it is good to do so; it is better than

seeking the help of those who are also equally liable to grief. But,

it is infinitely better to think of God in grief and in joy, in peace

and strife. The proof of rain is in the wetness of the ground; the

proof of Bhakthi (devotion) is in the Shanti (equanimity) the bhaktha

(devotee) has, Shanthi which protects him against the onslaughts of

success and failure, fame and dishonour, gain and loss.

41

'Gu' means darkness and 'Ru' means light. Guru (spiritual preceptor)

scatters darkness through light; he imparts wisdom which roots out

our ignorance. 'Gu' also connotes 'Gunaatheetha' (One who is beyond

'gunas' or attributes) and 'Ru' connotes 'Roopavarjitha' (One who has

transcended Form). Do not seek human Gurus, however great their

reputation. They are bound by the qualities they have developed and

they are still in need of the Form so that they may conceive of

Reality. They themselves being limited, how can they communicate to

you the Unlimited? Pray to the Parabrahma Principle (transcendental

principle) or God within you to reveal Itself. Accept that as the

Guru and you will be illumined

42

Man is a prisoner of his senses as long as the feelings of 'I' and

'mine' remain. Man strays into misery and pain, because he aspires

for the temporary and the trivial. He ignores the voice of God that

warns and guides from within, and pays the penalty for the

transgression. Life is to be dedicated not to mere food and drink and

catering to the cravings of the senses. It has to be devoted to the

attainment of the bliss that God alone can confer.

43

The sense of duality arises when the Aham ('I') assumes a specific

form and name. Ahamkara (the ego-sense) is the result of this change

in form. It is only when one dissociates himself from name and form

that one can discover one's true divine self. To forget one's

essential divinity and identify oneself with a changing and

impermanent form is the cause of bondage and sorrow. It is the mind

that is the cause of this wrongful identification, because of its

involvement with the external world and the impressions received

through the senses. When the workings of the mind are understood, the

reality of the Atma, which is beyond the mind, will be experienced as

the one omnipresent, immutable principle.

44

With faith in the omnipresence of the Divine, man should engage

himself in good deeds, cherish good thoughts and dedicate his life to

good practices. His words should be words of truth. The ornaments he

should wear are the necklace of truthful speech, the earrings of

listening to sacred lore and the bracelet of charity. Money is of the

nature of manure. Piled up in one place, it pollutes the air. Spread

it wide, scatter it over fields, it rewards you with a bumper

harvest. So too, when money is spent for promoting good works, it

yields contentment and happiness in plenty.

45

Broaden your vision. Cultivate the spirit of love. Being endowed with

the human form, you must strive to develop human values and not stray

away from the path of righteousness. Fill your minds with sublime

thoughts, and your hearts with divine feelings. Consider everyone as

your brother and sister. Only then will you realize your unity with

all creation. Redeem your lives by revering your parents, honouring

your teachers and developing loving faith in God. Be aware of the

divinity that is inherent in every being. Thereby, you will grow in

self-esteem. Fill your life with joy. Be happy and make others happy.

This will please God.

46

Food is God. Everything that keeps us going is God. Food is a

manifestation of God outwardly. Within us the vital force is God. All

things that sustain life are expressions of God. The great life force

is God. Therefore, we must not treat food in a contemptuous way, in

an angry mood or in a mood of displeasure. So food should not be

eaten with disregard or in a huff or in a criticizing manner. “What

is this food you have put upon this plate?’. We must not be in such

temper when we eat food. We must eat food in a worshipful manner and

must not waste food

47

true riches are. If we begin to desire immediately we admit our

poverty. Desire is poverty. Desire is a feeling of inadequacy and

when we begin to desire we are a beggar already. The secret of

prosperity is to affirm our true nature. Be always contended and put

a notice on the mind. “No admission for desire”. The moment a desire

arises just reject it and say “Desire get out” and then we will being

to experience that the desired object comes by itself to us. As long

as we run after a thing we cannot get it. The moment you turn away

from a thing it follows us by itself. This is an eternal law. This is

a law which has been proven in the lives of all those who have

discovered it and applied to themselves.

48

You wear coloured glasses and see everything through those glasses.

Correct your vision; the world will get corrected. Reform yourselves

and the world will get reformed. You create the world of your choice.

You see many, because you seek the many, not the One. Try to subsume

the many in the One - first the family, then the community, the

state, the nation and finally the world. Thus, progressively march on

towards more and more inclusive loyalties and reach the stage of

universality in thought, word and deed. This is the Sadhana

(spiritual endeavour) of Love, for, Love is expansion. The individual

has to be Universalised and expanded into Vishwaroopa (the cosmic

form of the Divine).

49

The human body has been given to you for a grand purpose - that of

realizing the Lord within. If you have a fully equipped car in good

running condition would you stow it away in the garage? The car is

primarily for going on a journey. Only then is it worthwhile to own

it. So too with the body. Proceed, march on towards the goal. Learn

how to use the faculties of the body, the senses, the intellect and

the mind, for achieving that goal

50

The nature of Divine love is different from that of human attachment.

It is timeless and constant. Make it your sole ideal. It is inherent

in you; all that needs to be done is to manifest it in the proper

way. If there is sugar at the bottom of a tumbler of water, you can

make the water sweet by stirring the sugar to dissolve it. Likewise,

your heart is a tumbler at the bottom of which there is Divinity.

Take the spoon of Buddhi (intellect), stir the heart by the process

of Sadhana (spiritual effort). Then, the Divinity in the heart will

permeate the entire body.

51

Man has the choice of two paths - the Pravritti Marga (the outward

path of involvement) or the Nivritti Marga (the inward path and

non-involvement). When involved in the world, man is confronted with

the six internal foes - lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride and

hatred. When detached from the world, man is helped by six internal

friends - sense and mind control, fortitude, contentment, faith and

equanimity. The human body is deified as the temple of God; but the

foes have to be evicted and the friends admitted before the Divine

can establish itself there.

52

Broaden your heart and make it as magnanimous as that of God Himself.

If you look at a balloon, at first, it is flat. If you go on blowing

air into it, it becomes bigger and bigger, and at one stage it will

burst. Though beginning with the ideas of 'I' and 'mine', if you

ultimately move on to the stage where you realize that \"all are

mine\", \"all are one\"; gradually you will become broader in your

vision and will merge in God who is omnipresent. You should recognise

the truth that man's life consists of making the journey from the

stage of 'I' to the stage of 'We'.

53

The spark of Love in you has to be cherished and nourished; then,

every being will be God, every act will be Divine and every reaction

you get from the outside world will be charged with love and

sweetened with that nectar. When you love the God in all beings, He

responds with love. Love God, though tribulation may be your lot,

love Him though you are refused and rebuked; for, it is only in the

crucible of travail that the metal is purified and cleared of

blemish.

54

Man suffers from numerous ills because he has not understood the

purpose of life. The first thing he has to realize is that God is

one, by whatever name and in whatever form the Divine is worshipped.

The One chose to become the many. The Vedas declare, \"God is one; the

wise hail Him by many names\". It is the imagination of the observers

which accounts for the apparent multiplicity of the Divine. The sun

is only one, but its reflection appears in many vessels. Likewise,

God is present in the hearts of different beings in varied forms and

natures.

55

The mind can be used as a bridge to lead one from the manifest to the

unmanifest, from the individual to the universal. Cleanse the mind

and mould it into an instrument for loving thoughts and expansive

ideas. Cleanse the tongue and use it for fostering fearlessness and

friendship. Cleanse the hands; let them desist from injury and

violence. Let them help, heal and guide. This is the highest sadhana

(spiritual discipline).

56

Keep the mind away from base desires that run after fleeting

pleasures. Turn your thoughts away from these and direct them towards

the permanent bliss derivable from the knowledge of the Divinity

within. Keep before the mind's eye the faults and failings of sensory

pleasures and worldly happiness. Thus you will grow in

discrimination, non-attachment and achieve spiritual progress.

57

It is impossible to know the Truth of the Atma either through the

study of manifold scriptures, or by the acquisition of scholarship,

or by the sharpening of the intellect, or by the pursuit of

dialectical discussions. A pure heart is the best mirror for the

reflection of Truth. All the spiritual disciplines are for the

purification of the heart. As soon as it becomes pure, the Truth

flashes upon it in an instant.

58

There is no use arguing and quarrelling among yourselves about the

nature of Divinity. Examine and experience, then you will know the

Truth. Do not proclaim before you are convinced; be silent while you

are still undecided or engaged in evaluating. Discard all evil in you

before you can attempt to understand the mystery. And, when faith

sprouts, fence it with discipline and self-control, so that the

tender shoot might be guarded against cattle, the motley crowd of

cynics and unbelievers. When your faith grows into a big tree, those

very cattle can lie down in the shade that it will spread.

59

Every act done with the consciousness of the body is bound to be

egoistic. Selfless Seva (service) can never be accomplished while

being immersed in the body-consciousness. However, consciousness of

Deva (God) instead of Deha (body) will bring forth the splendour of

Prema (love). With that as inspiration and guide, man can achieve

much good, without ever knowing or proclaiming that he is selfless in

outlook. For him, it is all God's will, His work, His glory

60

Service is God. Why has God endowed man with a body, a mind and an

intellect? Feel and empathise with the suffering through your mind,

plan using your intelligence and use the body to serve those are in

need. Offer that act of service to God; worship Him with that flower.

Put into daily practice the ideals that Sai has been propagating and

make them known all over the world by standing forth as living

examples of their greatness.

61

One may ask, if God is controlling everything, what is the need for

human effort? Yes, God is all powerful. But at the same time human

effort is also necessary, for without it man cannot enjoy the benefit

of God's grace. It is only when you have both Divine grace and human

endeavour that you can experience bliss, just as you can enjoy the

breeze of a fan only when you have both a fan and electric power to

operate it.

62

Man has in him the capacity to grow into a pure Divine personality.

But, due to ignorance and waywardness, he has become stunted. He has

chained himself to low ideals and so, he has fallen into fear and

grief. The Upanishads exhort man to awaken and become master of

himself - \"Utthishtta, jaagratha, praapya vaaraan nibodhatha!\"

(Arise, Awake and stop not until the goal is reached!). Man is

overcome by the sleep of ignorance and has forgotten the true values

of life. He is obsessed only with material progress. Unless he is

awakened to the spiritual values of life, there cannot be any peace

and prosperity in the world.

63

The chief goal of man is to practice and propagate the principle of

truth. One has to practise truth before preaching it. Come what may,

one should have the courage and conviction to tread the path of

truth. Even at the cost of food, raiment and shelter one should be

prepared to practise truth and righteousness

64

Buddha undertook various spiritual practices in order to realize his

true Self. But none of these practices could show him the path to

Nirvana (liberation). Ultimately, he realized that Nirvana lies in

making use of the five senses in a sacred manner. He understood that

Japa (repetition of God's name), Dhyana (meditation), Yajna (ritual

of sacrifice), Yoga, etc. were mere physical activities. These

spiritual practices are needed only for those who are attached to the

body. One who abides in the Self need not undertake any of these

practices. Buddha taught that Nirvana can be attained only by

cultivating Samyak Drishti (sacred vision), Samyak Vaak (sacred

speech), Samyak Shravanam (sacred listening), Samyak Bhavam (sacred

feeling) and Samyak Kriya (sacred action).

65

We should try and seek fulfilment in our everyday life by moulding

our mundane activities on spiritual values. You must have your hands

in society and your heads in the forest. That is to say, whatever the

activities with which you are occupied, you must be steadfast in

holding on to spiritual ideals. This alone is the true spiritual

exercise, which will bestow lasting peace on you. Remember that you

are the Atma (spirit). All your spiritual exercises should be

directed towards establishing yourself in this firm conviction and

unwavering faith, culminating in your life’s fulfilment. All your

senses should be sanctified by offering the actions performed through

them to God.

66

You should not let any weakness in you dissuade you from the right

path. If in a big tank there is a small hole, all the water will flow

out. In the same manner, even if you have a small sensory desire in

you, then all that you have learnt will be of no avail. Attraction

for the world distracts you from the reality. You should guard

yourselves by desisting error and resisting evil. Good work and

selfless love will help you to tread the path of wisdom

67

Education does not consist in the accumulation of information and

facts from a multitude of books. Reading of books can only enrich you

in the information that you may gather but can never give or promote

good qualities. Good education is a process by which character is

improved and by which one will be able to use one's intelligence and

sharpen one's mind so as to distinguish right from wrong. It is only

when the contents of education are closely linked with ideals of

sacrifice, forbearance, truth, and love that the youth will get the

benefit of education. Students will never get any benefit out of

education if it is devoid of these noble principles

68

God is the Antharyaami (Indweller), and so, when He is sought in the

outer world He cannot be caught. Love Him with no other thought; feel

that without Him nothing is worth anything; feel that He is all. Then

you become His and He becomes yours. There is no nearer kinship than

that. You have come from God; you are a spark of His Glory; you are a

wave of that Ocean of bliss; you will get peace only when you again

merge in Him. Like a child who has lost his way, you can have joy

only when you rejoin your mother.

69

A green gourd sinks in water; but a dry one floats. Become dry, rid

yourselves of attachments, desires, avoid anxieties, worries. Then

you can float unaffected on the waters of change and chance. Even

water, when it becomes steam, can rise into the sky. Become light,

lose weight, bale out so that you may rise higher and higher. Yoga is

defined as chiththa vriththi nirodha--the prevention of impulses that

agitate the inner consciousness of man. These impulses add to the

ballast. Be free from desires that drag you down; have only the

yearning to come face to face with the Truth. That Truth is shining

inside you, waiting to be discovered.

70

You feel the presence of God when silence reigns. In the excitement

and confusion of the marketplace, you cannot hear His Footfall. He is

Shabdabrahma, resounding when all is filled with silence. That is why

I insist on silence, the practice of low speech and minimum sound.

Talk low, talk little, talk in whispers, sweet and true.

71

Life becomes sweeter with a little dose of denial; if you satisfy all

your desires, life begins to turn insipid. Deny yourselves many of

the things your mind runs after and you will find that you become

tough enough to bear both good fortune and bad.

72

Compassion towards all creatures is the greatest virtue; wilful

injury to any creature is the worst vice. Know this to be true;

spread love and joy through compassion, and be full of joy and peace

yourself. You do not have joy and peace now, mainly because your

vision is warped and blurry. It is directed towards the faults and

failings of others, instead of towards one’s own. Really speaking,

inquiry and investigation should begin with oneself. For what we see

in others is the reflection of our own selves, our own prejudices and

preferences.

73

The cause of man's suffering is that he has constricted his love to

himself and his family. He should develop a broad feeling that all

are his brothers and sisters. Expansion of love is life; contraction

of love is death

74

When an iron filing comes in contact with a magnet, the iron filing

also gets the properties of a magnet. Likewise, the knower of Brahman

(the Universal Absolute) becomes Brahman. You are all children of

immortality, you are eternal. The relationship between you and God is

eternal. The body changes through many births, but the mind and deeds

continue from birth to birth. Just as an accountant totals the

accounts of the day and carries the balance over onto the next day,

our mind follows to the next life. You should be able to control the

mind by controlling the senses, then you can merge in truth and

experience oneness with God.

75

If you desire that others should honor you, you should honor them

too. If others must serve you, you must serve them first. As a matter

of fact, no joy can equal the joy of serving others. Be like a clock;

it has no dislikes. It shows the correct time to everyone,

irrespective of the person who sees the time.

76

What is Jnana or wisdom? It is to know your own true self, that is,

self knowledge. Self knowledge is Self realization. Jnana calls for

the control of thoughts by appropriate efforts. Constant

contemplation on the Self is the means of experiencing the direct

vision of God, and Bhakthi (devotion) is the means to achieve it.

Whether one takes to the Jnana-Marga (the path of wisdom) or the

Bhakti Marga (the path of Devotion), the goal is the same,

illumination.

79

Man is not aware of the grand goal of his pilgrimage. He is straying

into wrong roads which lead him only to disaster. He places his faith

in objects outside himself and strives to derive joy from and through

them. He does not know that all the joys spring forth from inside

him; he only invests the outer objects with his own joy drawn from

inside him. He envelopes the outer objects with his inner joy and

then, experiences it as though it is from that outer object

80

How to keep in constant contact with the Higher Self within us? The

best means is the simple exercise of Naamasmarana, the repetition of

any one of the glorious Names of the Lord. People indulge in all

types of purposeless gossip and scandal; they find time and interest

in these degrading pursuits; but, they have no inclination to awaken

the Divine in them by constant dwelling on the splendour of Creation

and the Creator. See only such scenes as will foster this discipline;

speak only of elevating subjects; listen only to ennobling topics;

think and feel only pure thoughts and emotions. That is the way to

develop the Divinity inherent in each one.

81

Dharma is universal. There is a test that may be applied to any

action to determine if it is according to Dharma. Let not your deeds

harm or injure another. This flows from the recognition that the

divine spark is the same in every form, and if you injure another you

are injuring the same divinity that is in yourself. Dharma enables

you to come to the recognition that anything that is bad for another

form is also bad for you. The test of Dharmic action is stated very

clearly in saying: \"Do unto others as you would have them do unto

you\".



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