Eshwar
Guest
Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2004 11:02 pm    Post subject: Swami Cancelled my cancer
Om Sri Sai Ram! Dear brother sisters. My name is Eshwar i am 23 years old, and I
my family and I have been devotees of baba since 1986. Swami literally changed
my life in every aspect. He has shaped me into the very person I am today. Every
year that i go to parthi Swami always would call me in for an interview. I never
knew why. I was not the greatest behaved kid at all. But when i asked swami that
he said, "your heart is pure that is all i look at." So each interview swami
would tell me how to act, and how to behave and what to eat and how to be
healthy and just explained each human value down to the deepest meaning. He
would teach me how to be a gentleman and to walk properly, how to talk. And most
of all how to love myself. He told me that, you must love your self. If you dont
love your self first and foremost, you wont love others. So when i was 13, swami
called in for an interview. Might i tell you that every interview i had was a
one on one interview with swami. So at the age of 13, swami called me in and
started clapping. The reason is because swami knew my grades in school before i
even did. I had gotten A's in all subjects and got the recognition of the state
of New Jersey and by my principle. So We left for parthi the day after school
ended, and i did not know my grades. Swami said " Bangaru, swami is very happy
of your hard work, chaala santosham (in telugu, meaning very happy) I speak
telugu so i could understand. He materialized a ring for me and said this will
help you in every aspect of your life. So after that ring, i have never gottena
grade lower than an A in all my classes till this day. But when i was 17, i was
diagnosed with a Tumor sitting on my Cerebellem, a large massive tumor making
its way down the brain step. it was spreading rapidly and the doctors told me
tat it was very hard to treat and that surgery will end up in fatal results. I
was given 3 months to live. But i knew that i was going to live for a long long
time. I never took the doctors words seriously. That night swami came into my
dream and told me to come to parthi now. So i told my parents what swami said
and we all took the next flight out. I was there for 2 weeks and swami didnt
call me once. He was testing my faith and my patience. After the 2nd week, swami
came up to me where i was seated in the 3rd row and pointed at me and flipped
his finger to go to the interview room. I was the only one called. After an
hour. I was getting very tired due to my condition and the medicines. This big
light walked into the room, of course it was swami. I was still very weak and he
saw me struggling to sit up and saw my eyes were ready to fall asleep and i was
dehydratedand not in great condition at all. Swami called for another chair for
me sat me up like hes my mother and im his child. Fed me some sugar water,
rubbed my face and he called out to me. " bangaru, Why fear when i am here, i
wont leave you, swami will be here for you always." He fed me some fruit and
materialized pink vibuthi and rubbed my head. well not only did he rub my head
he hit my haed 3 times very very hard. But i didnt feel a single thing. All of a
sudden i had all the energy in the world and was up and walking easily. my face
brightened up and i was very much alert. Swami looked at me after and said, "
the cancer is cancelled." And it was. he sent me to the hospital and i got an
MRI of the brain, and there was no tumor what so ever. I went backt o dharshan 2
days later. and swami called me once again and i fell at swamis feet. I said
swami thank you so very much. I cannot not thank you enough, there are no words.
But i thank you. I said swami, if i had died, it would have been ok swami
because i know that i would be with you. I started crying and thanked him
deeply. So ever since then, ive been cancer free, no medicines nothing. I still
go every year. This past year, swami called me in and told me to study medicine.
My family and I now live in california, where i am going to medical school in
months. so thats my miracle. Sairam!

http://www.kingdomofsai.org/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=28

Come join us in wishing Sai Baba a very happpy birthday!


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/happybirthdaysaibaba/

Who is Devi?

In this world, every individual has a mother. But Truth is the
mother of the entire humanity. Those who follow this mother will
never face any difficulties in life. The worldly mothers are bound
by space and time and will have to leave their bodies at one point
of time, but Truth is not limited by space and time and remains the
same in all the three periods of time. It is the master of all the
three worlds. So, everyone must necessarily follow such a noble
mother. The term Devi refers to such a noble mother.

Devi is your Divine Mother. This Goddess Devi is also called Sathya
Swaroopini, which means She is the embodiment of Truth. So,
worshipping Truth amounts to worshipping the Goddess Devi. If you
understand and follow this Truth, you will be successful in every
field. Vedas also proclaims this Truth.

Devi is also referred to by various names such as Durga, Lakshmi,
Sarasvathi, etc. She is described as the embodiment of Shakti, the
universal energy.

The supreme Shakti manifests herself in the form of Durga, Lakshmi
and Sarasvathi. Durga grants to us energy - physical, mental and
spiritual. Lakshmi bestows on us wealth of many kinds - not just
money but intellectual wealth, the wealth of character and others.
Even health is a kind of wealth. She grants untold riches to us. And
Sarasvathi bestows on us intelligence, the capacity for intellectual
enquiry and the power of discrimination. One's own mother is the
combination of all these Divine beings. She provides us energy,
wealth and intelligence. She constantly desires our advancement in
life. So she represents all the three goddesses that we worship.

The term "Devi" also symbolizes the three gunas (or attributes)
namely Sathwa, Rajas and Thamas. Devi takes the Rajasic form to
suppress the forces of evil and protect the Satwic qualities. When
the forces of injustice, immorality and untruth have grown to
monstrous proportions and are indulging in a death dance, when
selfishness and self-interest are rampant, when men have lost all
sense of kindness and compassion, the Atmic principle, assuming the
form of Shakti, taking on the Rajasic quality, seeks to destroy the
evil elements. This is the inner meaning of the Durga form of Devi.

When the Divine Goddess is in dreadful rage to destroy the wicked
elements, She assumes a fearful form. To pacify the dreaded Goddess,
Her feminine children offer worship to Her with red kumkum (sacred
red powder). The Goddess seeing the blood-red kumkum at her feet,
feels assured that the wicked have been vanquished and assumes Her
benign form. The inner meaning of the worship of Devi with red
kumkum is that thereby the Goddess is appeased.

The significance of Durga, Lakshmi and Sarasvathi has to be rightly
understood. The three represent three kinds of potencies in man.
Ichchaa Shakti, will power, Kriya Shakti, the power of purposeful
action, and Jnaana Shakti - the power of discernment.

Sarasvathi is manifest in man as the power of speech, Vaak. Durga is
present in the form of dynamism. Lakshmi is manifest in the form of
will power. The body indicates Kriya Shakti. The mind is the
repository of Ichchaa Shakti. The Atma is Jnaana Shakti. Kriya
Shakti comes from the body, which is material. The power that
activates the body that is inert and makes it vibrant is Ichchaa
Shakti. The power that induces the vibrations of Ichchaa Shakti is
Jnaana Shakti, which causes radiation of energy. These three
potencies are represented by the mantra Om Bhur Bhuvah Suvaha. Bhur
represents Bhuloka, the earth. Bhuvah represents the life force,
conscience in man. Suvaha represents the power of radiation. All
three are present in man. Thus Durga, Lakshmi and Sarasvathi dwell
in the human heart.

Men are prone to exhibit rajasic qualities like anger and hatred.
They are the menacing manifestations of Durga. The extolling of the
Divine in song and poetry and the pleasing vibrations produced by
them indicate the power of Sarasvathi. The pure qualities that arise
in man such as compassion, love, forbearance and sympathy are
derived from Lakshmi.

When people worship Durga, Lakshmi and Sarasvathi externally in
pictures or icons, they are giving physical forms to the subtle
potencies that are within them. The unfortunate predicament of man
today is that he is not recognizing the powers within him and
developing respect for them. He goes after the external, attracted
by the physical forms. The relationship between the material and the
subtle has to be understood. The remedy for man's life is contained
within himself. But man seeks remedies from outside. All that is
needed is to turn the vision inward to experience the Divine within.
Convert your ichchaa shakti into a yearning for God. Convert your
kriya shakti into a force for doing divine actions. Convert your
jnaana shakti into the divine Itself.

-Bhagavan Baba

Source: Divine Discourses
|14 Oct 1988| |18 Oct 1991| |9 Oct 1994| |14 Oct 1994| |25 Sep 1998|
http://www.eaisai.com/baba/docs/devis.html

Statistics of the Sri Sathya Sai Super Speciality Hospitals

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Prasanthi
Nilayam
Cumulative Statistics from 22nd November 1991 to 31st August 2004.

Procedures Done for - Number of Procedures
Heart Surgeries - 14,232
Cath Procedures - 14,538
Urology Surgeries - 24,137
Opthalmology Surgeries - 24,105
CT Scans - 3,839


Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences , Whitefield,
Bangalore
Cumulative Statistics from 19th January 2001 to 31st August 2004.

Procedures Done for - Number of Procedures
Cardiac Surgeries - 4,682
Cardiac Catheterisation - 8,350
Neuro Surgeries - 4,061
CT Scans - 14,060
MRI Exams - 15,243

Source: Radio Sai E-Magazine October 2004
http://www.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_02/18Oct01/Index.htm

Radio Sai E-Journal 'Heart 2 Heart' Volume 2 Issue 18 Oct 2004

Radio Sai Listeners' Journal
Heart 2 Heart - A Monthly e-journal

Volume 2 Issue 18 - October 2004:
http://www.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_02/18Oct01/Index.htm

Team from Britain visits City

Deccan Herald, http://www.deccanherald.com/
Wednesday, September 29, 2004

BANGALORE, DHNS:

An eleven-member team of the Conservative Parliamentary Friends in
India (CPFIN), comprising British parliamentarians, visited
Bangalore on Tuesday.

The team is on a ten-day tour of India to promote a better
understanding between the people of the two countries. They will
also study the economic development of India and its industries.

During their short stay in the City the team visited Biocon, several
hospitals and information technology companies including Infosys,
Wipro and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Conservative Party MP for
Mid Worcestershire, Opposition Chair CPFIN and leader of the team,
Peter Luff, was particularly impressed with the quality of medical
services offered in the hospitals in the City.

Speaking after visiting Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical
Sciences, Peter said that while some hospitals offered medical
treatment at exorbitant rates, some others offered the same services
at no cost at all. "The quality of medical care is remarkable," said
Peter.

http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/sep292004/c7.asp

Chinese weavers eye Satya Sai Baba's saffron robe

Bharattextile.com (India), Sep. 28, 2004
http://www.bharattextile.com

KATHMANDU: After dragons, exotic flora and images of the Buddha,
Chinese weavers have turned to a new design for textile exports -
Satya Sai Baba, one of India's spiritual gurus.

China has entered the lucrative market of making memorabilia of the
78-year-old Baba, who has millions of followers all over the world,
by churning out polyester silk with busts of the godman in orange,
yellow and black.

Chinese silks and polyesters are exported to Kathmandu where they
are in high demand for garments for tourists as well as the Tibetan
diaspora living in the Himalayan kingdom.

Amidst bales of bright coloured cloth in traditional design, there
is also the face of the Baba, smiling enigmatically against a white
background.

"The Chinese have a quick eye for profit," says Mahendra Shrestha,
who has been selling strips containing four images of the Baba for
Nepali Rs.100 per strip. "From the traditional designs, they are
venturing into any new design they think will have a market."

There are at least two Sai Baba centres in Kathmandu alone. However,
there are none in mainland China, the nearest being in Hong Kong.

The Baba, born Satyanarayana Raju, has a sprawling ashram at
Puttaparthi, in Andhra Pradesh (India).

The Baba is known by his trademark halo of shoulder-long frizzy
hair, saffron robe and hand raised in the posture of conferring
blessings.

Photographs, posters and calendars of the Baba are a familiar sight
in India and even neighbouring Nepal where senior politicians, army
chiefs and even members of the royal family are followers of the
miracle man who materialises objects out of thin air and whose
photographs are said to produce 'vibhuti' or sacred ash.

There have been cases of enterprising designers trying to cash in on
the exotic and then running into trouble with devotees, like when
they used images of Hindu gods on bikinis.

However, it is unlikely that the Chinese design on the Baba will
create a similar uproar.

Mahendra Shrestha says: "The cloth with the Baba is thicker than
that used to make dresses. It is intended to make wall hangings or,
at the most, bags."

Source: Agencies
http://www.bharattextile.com/newsitems/1991956

Report on Ganesha Chaturthi Celebrations – 18th September, 2004

The festival of Ganesha Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chaturthi is one of
the most popular festivals among Hindus. Lord Ganesha, the elephant-
headed God, is one of the most interesting and important Gods in the
Hindu pantheon who is worshipped as the remover of obstacles and
difficulties, and one who bestows Buddhi (intellect) and Siddhi
(spiritual powers). Traditionally, any activity, be it worldly or
spiritual, begins with an invocation to Him.

On the morning of 18th September, Bhagawan arrived at the Sai
Kulwant Hall at 7 a.m. amidst Vedic chants; all the devotees and
students feasted on the beautiful divine form and filled their
hearts with joy. Soon, Bhagawan was seated on the dais and the
proceedings of the day commenced. Bhagawan blessed four speakers to
address the gathering that morning. The first speaker was Sri Deepak
Anand, a research scholar in the Department of Business Management
of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Prasanthi
Nilayam Campus. Sri Anand narrated a few of his personal experiences
that confirmed his faith in Bhagawan as the `Sarvadevata Swaroopa'
(embodiment of all names and forms of Divinity). On one occasion,
when he was praying fervently to Lord Hanuman atop the hill in the
Vidyagiri Stadium at Prasanthi Nilayam, the question arose in his
mind as to who was receiving his prayers – Lord Hanuman or Bhagawan.
Just then, Bhagawan unexpectedly arrived at the stadium and drove up
to Sri Anand and blessed him, as if to acknowledge that it was He
who was receiving his prayers.

The second speaker, Sri Shashank Shah, a student of the M.Phil
programme in the Department of Business Management, narrated a
beautiful experience of Swami Amritananda, a disciple of Ramana
Maharishi. When he was seven years old, he had performed a
particular ritualistic worship of Lord Ganesha, the result of which,
the Shastras (Scriptures) declared, would be the vision of Lord
Ganesha in his golden-hued form. Many decades later, when he came to
Bhagawan, he was called in for an interview. There, Bhagawan
reminded him about the worship that he had performed as a young boy
and asked him whether he had obtained the promised result. Swami
Amritananda said that he was only a child then and may not have been
deserving of it. But Bhagawan said that what the Shastras declare
must come true and then granted him the vision of the golden-hued
Ganesha, and thus demonstrated that He is verily Lord Ganesha.

The next speaker was Sri Bharath Kumar, a final year student of the
MBA programme of the Prasanthi Nilayam Campus of the Institute. He
began with the Sanskrit quote – "Aakashad pathitham thoyam yatha
gacchathi sagaram. Sarva deva namaskaraha Keshavam prati gacchathi",
meaning, just as the rain water that falls from the skies finally
merges in the sea, the obeisance offered to all the deities
ultimately reach Lord Keshava. He recounted an experience of his
where the supplication to Lord Venkateshwara of Tirupati was
answered by Swami, and thus confirmed his belief in the identity of
Lord Venkateshwara and Lord Sayeeshwara. He concluded his speech
with an exhortation to all the devotees to engage in the Sadhana
(spiritual practice) of Namasmarana, the chanting of God's name.

Sri S.V.Giri, the Vice-Chancellor of the Institute, was the next
speaker. He mentioned that Bhagawan always holds Lord Ganesha and
Lord Hanuman as role models for all the students and elaborated on
the qualities that these divine personalities embodied that must be
imbibed by everyone. Ganesha, he said, stood for the balance between
knowledge and its application in practical life, as symbolized by
the huge form of Lord Ganesha riding a tiny mouse. Lord Hanuman
combined action and intelligence and was thus an able instrument in
the divine hands of Lord Rama. The Vice-Chancellor concluded his
talk with a prayerful request to Bhagawan to bless everyone with His
Divine Discourse.

Bhagawan commenced his discourse with a Sanskrit saying which extols
a virtuous son as one who brings repute not only to himself, but
also to everyone in his lineage, just as the sun and moon illumine
the entire world by their light. Lord Ganesha, He said, was such an
ideal son. Though he had no Guru or a leader above himself, he loved
and obeyed his parents. To illustrate this, Bhagawan narrated a
story where Lord Shiva and Parvati held a competition between their
two sons, Ganesha and Subramanya, to see who could circumambulate
the entire world fastest. While Subramanya set out on his vehicle –
the peacock, Ganesha circumambulated his parents saying that his
parents were his world, and hence was declared the winner. Bhagawan
exhorted everyone to love and respect their parents and obey their
commands. Even if they appear to be angry, one must realize that
they are verily the embodiments of love, and that they always act in
the best interests of their children. The same is true of God and
God-realized persons too, He said.

Bhagawan remarked that nowadays, unfortunately, people have
neglected the worship of Lord Ganesha. He told that everyone must
propitiate Lord Ganesha, follow his example and thereby attain
success. He concluded his discourse with the Bhajan – "Prema muditha
man se kaho…"

In the afternoon, the senior students of the Prasanthi Nilayam
Campus of the Institute presented a programme on the `Navavidha
Bhakthi' – the nine-fold path of devotion. Bhagawan, in His
discourses, has often mentioned that the `Navavidha Bhakthi'
consisting of Shravanam (listening), Keerthanam (singing), Vishnu
Smaranam (contemplation of Vishnu), Paada Sevanam (service to the
Lotus feet), Vandanam (salutation), Archanam (worship), Daasyam
(servitude), Sneham (friendship) and Atma Nivedanam (self-surrender)
is the royal road to salvation. The presentation was a medley of
songs, sthothrams (hymns) and skits that lucidly illustrated the
meaning, significance and practical aspects of each of these nine
steps and related it to the worship of Ganesha.

This festival is usually celebrated over a period of a few days when
idols of Lord Ganesha are worshipped in every home and workplace all
over the country. At Prasanthi Nilayam too, the students and staff
of Bhagawan's institutions erected pandals (makeshift altars) where
Lord Ganesha's idols were installed and worshipped with great ardour
for three days. On the third day, 20th September, the idols were
taken out in a procession in grandly decorated chariots to the Sai
Kulwant Hall where Bhagawan blessed them all. Thereafter, the idols
were taken to a nearby pond and immersed amidst cries of "Jai" and
prayers to visit next year too.

Jai Sai Ram!

http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/pages/ganesh_04_report.htm

GANESHA CHATURTHI - An Exposition by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

- Compiled and Edited by Suresh C Bhatnagar.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Purpose Of Ganesha Chaturthi

        "The essential purpose of the Vinayaka Chaturthi is to teach
a person to avoid the company of the bad and cultivate the company
of the good." Sai Baba. SS, 9/92, p. 221

        "The Ganapati festival is an occasion for people to purify
their minds. People generally tend to see in others the faults,
which they themselves have. Thereby they try to cover up their own
defects by attributing the same defects to others. This is a bad
quality." Sai Baba, SS. 9/92, p. 222

Vedic References Of Ganesha/Vinayaka

        "The worship of Vinayaka has been in existence from times
immemorial in Bharat The Rig-Veda, the Narayanopanishad and the
Taitiriya Upanishad have passages referring to Vinayaka. It is
embedded also in a Gayatri Mantra, as follows:

        'Tatpurushaaya Vidmahe Vakratundaaya dheemahi  Tanno Danti
Prachodayat'

        This Mantra indicates that Vinayaka' s divinity is glorified
in this Gayatri Mantra." Sai Baba, SS, 10/95, p. '254

        "The adoration of Parvati and Ganapati is not of recent
origin. Ganapati is lauded at several places in the Rig-Veda. This
clearly shows that Ganapati is as ancient as the Vedas. In several
places, Ganapati is mentioned both in the Vedas and the Upanishads.
There are many prayers addressed in the Narayanopanishad. There are
prayers to him in the Taitiriya Upanishad also. Thus, Ganapati
Mantra also figures in the Upanishad." Sai Baba, SS. 9/97, pp. 235 &
236

        "Parvati Tanayaa Ganaadhipa" (Oh son of Parvati! Lord of the
Ganas.). "In these terms the Vedas extolled Ganapati." Sai Baba, SS,
10/95, p. 253

Birthday Of Ganesha "

        "You are under the false impression that today (Ganesha
Chaturthi) is the birthday of Vinayaka. He has neither birth nor
death. He has neither beginning nor end. He is the eternal witness."
Sai Baba, SS, 10/99, p. 267

Who Is Ganapati Or Ganesha?

        "Try to understand the significance of the names Ganapati -
Vinayaka and Vigneshwara. You are Ganapati yourself. This morning,
you have all heard Susheela singing a song, 'Adugaduguna Gudi Undhi'
(there is a temple at each and every step). Our body itself is a
temple of God. "Deho Devalaya Prokto Jeevo Deva Sanathana' (body is
the temple and the indweller is God). The Jeevana-jyoti (light of
life) that is present in the body is Parama-jyoti (the Supreme Light
itself). The body may die, but not the mind. Such a mind has to be
controlled. That is true Sadhana." "Who is Ganapati? He is the
Adhipati (master) of all Ganas - five senses, five elements and five
sheaths. Human body consists of five Koshas (sheaths) - Annamaya
Kosha (food sheath) Pranamaya Kosha (life sheath), Manomaya Kosha
(mind sheath), Vijnanamaya Kosha (wisdom sheath) and Anandamaya
Kosha (bliss sheath). Man progresses only up to Manomaya Kosha. He
is unable to go up to the sheaths of wisdom and bliss. Since
Ganapati is the master of all the five Koshas, one has to take
refuge in him in order reach the state of bliss." Sai Baba, SS, 10,
99, p. 266

Ganesha's Different Names And Their Meanings

Aprameya

        "Ganapati has been described as 'Aprameya', transcendent and
all-encompassing." Sai Baba, SS, 9/97, p. 239

Arka-Dron-Priya

        "One of the names of Vinayaka is' Arkadronpriya' (One who
loves thumini and jilledi flowers, flowers which are not valued by
people). Other offerings to Vinayaka include a special kind of
grass. Ganapati accepts as offerings many things which men consider
useless and trivial." Sai Baba, SS, 9/97, p. 237

Ekadanta

       "When Vinayaka was writing the Mahabharata to the dictation of
sage Vyasa, the latter laid down the condition that Vinayaka should
go on writing non-stop whatever Vyasa said. But Vinayaka also
stipulated a condition that Vyasa should never stop his dictation
but should go on without a break. While he was writing, Vinayaka's
pen broke and he did not hesitate to break one of his tusks to use
it as a pen. That is why he is called Ekadanta or with a single
tusk. This is the shining example of the spirit of sacrifice that
Vinayaka exhibited for the welfare of humanity." Sai Baba, SS,
10/94, p. 266

Ganapati

        "Ga means Buddhi or intelligence. 'Na' means Vijnana or
wisdom. 'Pati' means master. So, Ganapati is the master of all
knowledge, intelligence and wisdom. There is also another
significant meaning for the word, that he is the leader of all
the 'Ganas' who are celestial beings." Sai Baba, SS, 10/94, 263 &
264. Refer also to SS, 10/96, p. 274

        "To worship the intellect and wisdom is one form of worship
of Ganapati. Ganapati represents the combination of much energy.
Because of this, the name Ganapati is appropriate for him. Nor is
that all. He is the Lord of all celestial hosts (Ganas). Hence, he
is hailed as Ganapati." Sai Baba, SS, 10/98, p. 254

Ganaadhipati

        "Parvati Tanayaa(son) Ganaadhipa! (Oh son of Parvati! Lord of
the Ganas). In these terms the Vedas extolled Ganapati. He (Ganesha)
is called Ganaadhipati (Gana+adhipati = Supreme Lord), because he is
the Supreme Lord of the Ganas. The Ganas are the embodiment of the
organs of perceptions (Janaanedriyas) and of action (Karmendriyas).
The mind is the master of these ten senses. The presiding deity of
the mind is called Indra, as he is the Lord of lndriyas (the
senses). The master over the mind is the intellect." Sai Baba, SS,
10/95, pp. 253 & 254

        "In the name 'Ganapati', 'G' stands for Guna or virtue
and 'Na' for Vijnaana (wisdom). When 'Ga' and 'Na' are joined, we
have the combination of Vijnaana (scientific knowledge) and
Prajnaana (spiritual wisdom). It is out of the combination of
Vijnaana and Prajnaana, Sujnaana (Supreme Knowledge) emerges.
Sujnaana is the distinguishing mark of a true man.*Ajnaana is the
sign of ignorance. Ganapati is the Lord of Vijnaana and Prajnaana
(worldly knowledge and spiritual wisdom). Therefore, when a devotee
prays to Ganesha, he asks for the conferment of Vijnaana, Prajnaana
and Sujnaana." Sai Baba, SS, 12/92, p. 224

        "Ganapati means the Lord of Ganas. He is the Lord of sound
and has the form of Pranava." Sai Baba, SS, 10/89, p. 263

Lambodara

        "Lambodara means Guardian of Wealth (Lakshimi-Swaroopa). Here
Lakshami represents all (types of) wealth and prosperity, and not
only Dhana (money) for which there is a separate deity called Dhana-
Lakshami, one of the eight Lakshamis. Here wealth means Sukha
(pleasure) and Ananda (bliss). What is the use of having all other
things when one has no pleasure or bliss?" Sai Baba, SS, 10/94, p.
264

Vighneshwara

        "Vinayaka is also called Vighneshwara as he removes all
obstacles coming in the way of devotees who pray to him sincerely.
He is worshipped by students with books so that all that is
contained in the books may get into their heads." Sai Baba, SS,
10/94, p. 265

        "Vinayaka is one who drives away all sorrows and miseries. He
is the enemy of all obstacles. He will not allow any obstacle to
come in the way. He is the destroyer of obstacles. He confers
happiness and peace (on his devotees)." Sai Baba, SS, 10/95, p. 255

Vinayaka

        "Vigato naayakah Vinaayaka", that means "Vinayaka has no
master over him. This means that Vinayaka is a totally autonomous
and independent deity. In the world, any individual or authority has
someone superior above him. But Vinayaka has no overlord." Sai Baba,
SS, 10/95, p. 254

        "Vinayaka means that he is one who has no master above him.
He is the Supreme Master. He is beyond the mindless state. One who
has stilled the mind cannot have any master." Sai Baba, SS, 10/94,
p. 264

Form Of Ganesha

        "The form of Ganapati cannot, by any standard, be termed as
handsome. He has a small head, big stomach and uncouth form. But
still we are captivated by his form and like to see him more and
more and worship him. Beauty does not lie in Ganesha's 'Aakaara'
(external form) but in 'Vikaara'. Ganesha sacrificed his own tusk
and used it as a pen to write down the Mahabharata to the dictation
of Vyasa, for the benefit of humanity .Man worships God only for
selfish purposes. No one is prepared to sacrifice anything for
getting divine bliss." Sai Baba, SS, 11/93, p. 296

Ganesha Is The Presiding Diety Over Intelligence And Obstacles

         "Vighneshwara is the deity presiding over the intelligence.
He endows devotees  with purity of intellect and power of
discrimination between right and wrong and between permanent and the
transient. Mundane pleasures are momentary and fleeting. Your aim
must be to seek that spiritual bliss which is enduring and
unchanging and which transcends the pleasures of earth and heaven."
Sai Baba, SS, 10/89, p. 262

        "He is called Vighneshwara, because he is regarded as the
presiding deity'over obstacles. As Yama is the presiding deity for
births and deaths, the grace ofGanapati removes all obstacles." Sai
Baba, SS, 10/89, p. 263

Worship Of Ganesha

        "Ganapati has been described as 'Aprameya', transcendent and
all-encompassing. Hence, he can be worshipped in any manner." Sai
Baba, SS, 9/97, p. 239

        "The Vinayaka Principle symbolizes health, bliss, peace,
wisdom, prosperity and many other things. Unfortunately, this truth
is not recognised by most people. People are content to offer some
kind of mechanical worship to any odd figure made of clay and add to
the pollution around them. What should be offered to God are things
which will please him" Sai Baba, SS, 9/97, p. 238

"Shuklaambara-Dharam" Prayer

       "The devout offer worship to Vinayaka with a well known
prayer, beginning with the words 'Shuklaambara-dharam' (The one who
wears a white garment). Vigneshwara is described as one who is white
like the moon, who has four arms (two for giving worldly protection
and two for spiritual benediction), who has ever-pleasing
countenance and to whom obeisance is offered for removing all
obstacles. While the pious used this prayer in a devout spirit, the
impious misused the words to distort the meaning and make it a
prayer to a quadruped, which is employed for carrying clothes. It is
by such misinterpretation that some people have sullied the great
culture of Bharat and undermined the faith in God." Sai Baba, SS,
10/96, p. 274

Positive Effects Of Vinayaka Worship

        The Vinayaka Principle protects man from various hurdles in
life and ensures peace and security. Hence, on every auspicious
occasion Vinayaka is worshipped." Saiiffaba, SS, 10/96, p. 274

      "Students worship Ganesha for success in academic studies and
for developing into good scholars." Sai Baba, SS, 9/97, p. 236

        "Students like to worship Ganapati. They pray to Ganesha to
confer on them Buddhi (intelligence) and Siddhi (the capacity to
realise their aspirations)." Sai Baba, SS, 12/92. p. 224

The Inner Meaning Of The Ten-Day Worship Of Ganesha

        "Realise that you have a conscience that is your guide and
consciousness which represents your divinity. Ganapati, who presides
over the (ten) senses (five senses of perception and five senses of
action), should be your guide in acquiring mastery over the senses.
There is an inner meaning in worshipping Ganapati for ten days. The
idea is that each day should be dedicated to acquiring control over
one of the sense organs (Indriyas). Devotees should realise that
control of the senses is quite simple. What is necessary is not to
encourage negative feelings when they arise, but to adopt positive
attitudes. For instance, Buddha confronted the anger of demon with
his love and transformed him" Sai Baba, SS, 9/97, p. 241

Universality Of Vinayaka Worship

        "Vinayaka is worshipped not only in Bharat but in many other
countries. The worship of Vinayaka has been prevailing from the
times of the Rigveda." Sai Baba, SS, 10/96, p. 274

Parvati And Ganapati

        "Bharatiyas (Indians) hail Vigneshwara (remover of obstacles)
as 'Oh son of Parvati! Master of the Ganas (Ganaadhipa)'. Who is
this Parvati? What is the relationship between Parvati and Ganapati?
People do not normally inquire into these matters. Usually Parvati
is considered as the mother of Ganapati and no one recognises the
underlying unity between the two.

        Where are Parvati and Ganapati to be located? Are they in the
external world or are they immanent in every human being? The truth
is both of them are all-pervading and convey the message of
spiritual oneness (Ekaatma-bhaavam).

        What is the meaning of the name Ganapati? Where are the
Ganas? What is their form? When you investigate this, you find that
five organs of perception and five organs of action (Jnaanendriyas
and Karmendriyas) are the Ganas. The mind is the master of these ten
organs. Buddhi (or intellect) is the discriminating faculty above
the mind. The ten senses, the mind and intellect together constitute
the Ganas.

        In the word' Gana',' Ga' stands for Buddhi (intellect). 'Na'
means 'Vijnaana' (higher knowledge or wisdom). Ganapati is the Lord
of the intellect and the higher knowledge. The question may be
asked: Are the intellect and the higher knowledge present in the
external world or are they to be found within man? The answer is
that he is present within each human being. There is no need to seek
him in the outside world. Ganapati dwells in every human being in
the form of intellect and wisdom.

When Ganapati is described as 'Parvati Tanaya' (son of Parvati), who
is this Parvati? Parvati signifies 'Prithvi'. Mother Earth. Everyone
is a child of Mother Earth. The meaning of 'Parvati Tanaya' (son of
Parvati) is that Ganapati, who is the Lord of Ganas, is the son of
Parvati, who symbolizes Shakti (Divine Energy)." Sai Baba, SS, 9/97,
p. 235

Primacy Of Ganapati

"Once, Parvati and Parameshwara, parents of Ganapati and
Subramanyam, wanted to test their intelligence. They summoned both
the sons and told them to go around the worlds to find out which of
the two would do quicker. The elder of the two, Ganapati, did not
stir from his place. The younger son, Subramanyam, mounted his
peacock and set out on the round-the-world trip. With a great deal
of efforts, he completed the trip and was approaching his parents.
Seeing him from a distance, Ganapati circumambulated his parents and
claimed himself to be the winner. The mother, Parvati, asked
Ganapati:

        "Ganapati! Here is your brother who has gone round the world
and you have not stirred from this place. You have made no efforts
at all. How can you claim that you have gone round the*world? How
can I regard you as the winner?' Ganesha replied: 'Mother! The
cosmos is the combination of matter and energy- the unity of father
and mother. When I go round you, I have gone round the world itself,
as you are the parents of the cosmos. There is no place where you
two are not present. I see your omnipresence. By circumambulating
both of you, I can claim to have gone round the cosmos.' The moment
he uttered these words, Eeshwara (Shiva) was astonished at the high
intelligence of his son. He had recognised the truth about the
Divine parents. Ishwara then said: "Vinayaka! You are an exemplary
son for one and all. Let the world worship you first before they
offer worship to me. I am not as intelligent as you are. We are your
parents, but not more intelligent than you.' Eeshwara declared: "I
have many attributes but not your intelligence. Hence, before
offering worship to me, let all people worship you. This is the boon
I confer on you." Sai Baba, SS. 10/98, pp. 255-256

Importance Of Ganapati

"Eeshwara is the parent who conferred such an honour of a higher
status, than his own, on his son. Hence, Ganapati represents no
commonplace principle. He is the embodiment of all potencies. He is
the abode of every kind of intelligence. The goddess of wisdom
(Saraswati) dwells in his belly. Nothing untoward can happen
wherever he is present.

Ganapati occupies the position of one who is the source of all
prosperity. Moreover, when he is invoked before any undertaking,
there will be no impediments to its completion.

Today every kind of people- the wealthy, the wise, the scholars and
the common people- worship Ganapati. Students, with a view to
securing the grace of goddess of wisdom and ensuring that there is
no hindrance to their studies, place their books before the idol of
Ganapati and worship him." Sai Baba, SS, 10/98, p. 256

        "Before we commence any activity we offer prayers to Vinayaka
so that the action may be successful without any impediments." Sai
Baba, SS, 10/96, p. 274

        "Every music concert begins with a song in adoration of
Ganapati like 'Vaataapi Ganapatim Bhaje!' This shows that by
worshipping Ganapati, proficiency in any sphere can be achieved. The
Ganapati Principle is pregnant with meanings. His story itself is
unique. In the Bhagavatam, Potana declares that the stories of the
Lord are extraordinary; they are sacred for all the three worlds.
They confer all blessings on the listeners and are constantly
contemplated upon by saints and sages. This applies to all deities.
Every aspect of the Divine is mystery. Whatever the Lord says is
full of significance. It is pregnant with sacred meanings." Sai
Baba, SS, 10/98, p. 256 & 257

        "Vinayaka is one who has all the five elements under his
control. He is embodiment of all potencies." Sai Baba, SS. 10/95, p.
260

Giver Of Siddhi & Buddhi

        "Ganapati is not only the Lord of various activities but is
also the presiding deity for all auspicious functions. He can make
even inauspicious occasions auspicious. He is always engaged in
conferring boons on all. He is giver of prosperity and intelligence.
With the grace of Ganapati any desire can be realised." Sai Baba,
SS, 10/98. p. 256

        "Ganapati is one who gives us spiritual potency and endows us
with Supreme Intelligence. These two are termed as Siddhi and Buddhi
respectively." Sai Baba, SS, 10/94. p. 264

        "He (Ganapati) confers happiness and peace (on his devotees).
He is the master of all these powers (Siddhi and Buddhi). What is
this Siddhi (fulfillment)? When there is purity of mind, you achieve
peace (which is Siddhi). Vinayaka is thus the Lord of Buddhi
(Intellect) and Siddhi (Self-Realisation). Hence, every being should
acquire control over the mind." Sai Baba. SS. 10/95. p. 255

Consorts Of Vinayaka

        "Siddhi and Buddhi are described as his two consorts. As he
is the Adhipati or Master of Siddhi and Buddhi, He is regarded as
their husband in mundane terms. Vinayaka has no desire and hence,
there is no need for him to have wife and children." Sai Baba. SS.
10/94, p. 264

How To Pray To Ganapati?

"In praying to Ganapati, you should not ask for trivial things like
passing in examinations or getting jobs. You should only pray: Oh
Vighneshwara! Please see that there are no obstacles in what I want
to accomplish. I am worshipping you for this purpose." Sai Baba, SS,
10/98, p. 256

"On the Vinayaka Chaturthi Day, students place books in front of the
idol of Ganesha and offer worship. They pray to the deity to
illumine their minds." Sai Baba. SS, 10/89, p. 264

Ganapati's Vehicle: Mooshika - A Symbolism

         "Some people, out of ignorance, comment upon the big animal
form of this Master Deity and question how one with such a huge form
can ride on small mouse (Mooshika) . which is depicted as his
vehicle. "Mooshika' is symbolic of the darkness of ignorance, while
Ganesha signifies the effulgence of wisdom that dispels the darkness
of ignorance." Sai Baba. SS, 10/94, p. 264

        "The mouse is the symbol of darkness. Because Vinayaka has
control over darkness, he is described as the rider on a 'Mooshika'.
He is the one who dispels darkness and sheds light on the world."
Sai Baba, SS, 10/95, p. 254

        "The mouse (Mooshika) is also a symbol of the sense of smell.
The mouse moves about following the direction of the smell
("Vaasana"). Vinayaka is the one who has mastery over 'Vaasanas',
that is, desires and ignorance (represented by 'Mooshika'). What is
meant by describing the mouse (Mooshika) as the vehicle of Vinayaka?
It means that Vinayaka rides on the 'Mooshika', representing desires
(Vaasanas) and ignorance (darkness)." Sai Baba. SS, 10/95. p. 254

        "The inner significance of 'Vaasana' in relation to humanity
is the heritage of 'Vaasanas' which they bring from their previous
lives. These Vaasanas (inherited tendencies) account for the actions
of human beings in their present lives. They also signify desires.
Without recognising this underlying significance of Vinayaka's
mastery over ignorance, people merely wonder how a large being
Vinayaka could ride on a tiny creature like a mouse. Vinayaka
signifies the triumph of wisdom over ignorance and egolessness over
desires." Sai Baba, SS. 9/97, p. 239

        "The mouse is a clever and lively creature. As a symbol, it
means that we should be clever and diligent in our actions." Sai
Baba. SS. 10/89, p. 263

Vinayaka's Body

        "Vinayaka is known for his high intelligence. The very sight
of his figure gives joy to many. The form itself is extraordinary.
He has a big belly, a beautiful tusk. penetrating eyes, handsome
ears - all these are harmoniously balanced to produce an attractive
form.

        Devotees worship Vinayaka in different ways. They address the
deity, describing his white robe, his moonlike complexion, his four
arms and ever-smiling face and pray for the removal of all
obstacles." Sai Baba, SS, 10/98, p. 255 & 257

Symbolism Of Ganesha's Body

        "Vighneshwara is described as one wearing a white cloth. His
body is ash-grey. He is depicted as having four arms and a cheerful
countenance. The white cloth signifies purity of mind and heart. By
worshipping him, you must endeavour to achieve similar purity.
Vinayaka always appears serene and calm. By his grace, the devotee
must seek to achieve similar equanimity, whatever may be ups and
downs in life." Sai Baba, SS, 10/89, p. 264

Mythological Story On Worshipping Elephant Head

        "There was once a demon by name Gajasura. He was a demon
king. He performed severe penance. Eeshwara (Lord Shiva) appeared
before him. Eeshwara is easily propitiated, and he gives readily
whatever one prays for, without examining whether it is right or
wrong to confer such a boon. He gives whatever the devotees pray for.

        Gajasura performed penance and prayed to the Lord. Eeshwara
(Shiva) appeared before him and asked him what he wanted. Gajasura
said. 'Lord! You must merge in my stomach.' Shiva granted the boon
and lodged himself in demon's stomach. Parvati, not finding
Eeshwara, went out in search other Lord and could not find him
anywhere. She went to her brother, Vishnu, and appealed to him to
trace her missing Lord.

        Vishnu knew that Shiva was in the habit of granting boons
indiscriminately and getting into difficulties. He told
her, 'Parvati! I know what has happened. Be calm. You go to your
abode. I shall bring Eeshwara there.

        Vishnu took Shiva's Nandi and decorated it to appear like a
performing bull. Assuming the role of a bull-performer, Vishnu led
the bull to the city of Gajasura, playing on a pipe all the way
while the bull danced to the tune. The bull was dancing to the music
of the divine embodiment of all mysteries. Gajasura was intensely
watching the performance of the bull and its master. Pleased with
their performance, Gajasura asked the bull trainer, 'What do you
want?' The latter said, 'You should not go back on your word. Will
you" grant me what I want? You are Gajasura, a great king.'' Yes',
he said,' Give me Eeshwara who is in your stomach', said Vishnu.
Only Vishnu knew this fact, none else. Gajasura immediately fell at
the feet of Vishnu and said. 'Swami! This secret is not known to
anybody except you. I will keep my word even at the cost of my life.
But there is one condition. My head should be worshipped by all and
Eeshwara should wear my skin.' Vishnu agreed to it. This is the
reason why Eeshwara wears an elephant's skin. The head of Gajasura
is worshipped as Vinayaka' s head." Sai Baba. SS, 10/95, p. 258

Purport Of The Story

        "These are some of the Puranic (mythological) stories
relating Vinayaka. They are only stories. But such stories have been
related to turn people's minds Godward. If a deep inquiry is made,
it will be realised that there is only one God. God is present in
all. Vinayaka is not separate from us. The indwelling-Principle of
our hearts is the Divine Annie Principle." Sai Baba. SS. 10/95, p.
258

Symbolic Significance Of Ganesha's Elephant Head

        "The symbolic significance of Ganesha's elephant head has to
be properly understood. The elephant has profound intelligence. For
example, yesterday (8 September 1994) Sai Geetha (Bhagawan Sai
Baba's elephant) came running when it heard the sound of Swami's car
approaching. Though many cars were following Swami's car. Sai Geeta
could unmistakably identify Swami's car from an uncanny recognition
of the sound of the car. That is why it is termed 'Gaja Thelivi'
(elephantine intelligence). One having a sharp brain is described as
having the intelligence of an elephant. It has 'Medha Shakti.'
Moreover, the elephant has large ears and it can hear even minute
sounds. Shravanam or hearing the glory of the Lord is the first step
in spiritual Sadhana for which ears should be sharp. After hearing,
one has to ruminate over this and put into practice, (which are
termed as Shravana, Manana and Nidhidhyasana). The elephant takes
the praise and blame equally. When it hears something bad, it moves
its body this way and that way and shakes off the unwanted things
while it retains good things quietly." Sai Baba, SS, 10/94, p. 265

        "The elephant is highly intelligent. The elephant is known
for its fidelity and gratitude. In any circumstances, it will not
forget its master. Even in its last moments, if it hears the voice
of its master, it will open its eyes and look for him. It will
sacrifice its life for its master. These are the lessons man should
leam from the elephant. Intelligence without gratitude is valueless.
Every man should be grateful to those who have helped him." Sai
Baba. SS, 9/97, p. 238

        "The elephant is well known for its intelligence. Among
animals it has a prodigious size. No other animal is cast in such a
big mould. The elephant's foot encompasses the footprint of the
lion, esteemed as the lord of the animal kingdom. In the jungle,
hunters follow the footprints of the lion to trace it to its lair.
But if an elephant has walked over those footprints, they are
totally erased. Moreover, the elephant is the pathfinder for human
beings. In a forest covered with dense bushes, humans cannot easily
find their way. But once an elephant has gone through the jungle,
its trail becomes a path for others to follow. All these traits of
the elephant show that in the journey of life, one can find one's
way if one has intelligence of the elephant. Because Ganapati is
endowed with the form of an elephant, he is associated with the
qualities of intelligence." Sai Baba, SS. 10/98. p. 255

        "Vinayaka is endowed with exceptional intelligence. His
elephant face is symbolic of supreme intelligence. Those of you who
are staying in the hostel, notice cars going up and down the road.
On the other side of the hostel is Sai Geeta (Bhagavan's elephant).
Sai Geeta takes no notice of the innumerable cars going on the road.
But, without any notice, it smells, as it were, the passing of
Swami' s car and immediately comes out with a roar to greet Swami.
That is the devotion of Sai Geeta to its Lord. The faith of the
elephant is as strong as its intelligence. His love for the master
is equally strong. It has steadfast love. These qualities of
devotion, faith and intelligence are associated with the elephant.
Whoever has these qualities can be regarded as endowed with the head
of an elephant." Sai Baba, SS, 9/92. p. 223

        "Vinayaka is the Lord of life. Men should leam to shed
selfishness and cultivate love of Supreme Self. This is the truth
about Vinayaka. Vinayaka should not be considered as merely an
elephant-headed deity riding on a mouse." Sai Baba. SS, 10/95, p. 259

Offerings To Ganesha

        "There are some inner secrets that should be noted in the
worship of Ganesha. Bharatiyas (Indians) make some special offerings
to Ganesha as food offerings. These preparations are made entirely
by using steam instead of heat from stove. Combining rice flour with
jaggery and til seeds, balls are prepared which are cooked in
steam." Sai Baba, SS, 9/97. p. 238

        "On this auspicious day of Vinayaka Chaturthi, what is it
that we offer to Vinayaka? All offerings to Vinayaka are free from
the use of oil in their preparation. Boiled rice is made into balls,
which are filled with til seeds and jaggery. They are then mixed
with rice flour and cooked. In this offering, there is no trace of
any cooking oil. Hence, the offerings are called oil-less edibles."
Sai Baba, SS, 10/98. p. 255

Importance Of Special Offerings

        "Even the offering that is made to Ganesha has great
significance because it is prepared with gram flour and jaggery or
pepper and enclosed in an outer covering made from flour paste and
then cooked in steam without using oil. This is supposed to be a
healthy and delicious food item according to the Ayurvedic system.
Modem doctors also recognise the importance of such steam-cooked
idlis (rice cakes), which they recommend, as post-operative diet for
patients as it is easily digestible. Jaggery too has the property of
controlling gas formation and this food item gives relief from eye
troubles and prevents gastric troubles. In the ancient traditional
mode of observing these festivals, great emphasis was laid on good
health as the pre-requisite for spiritual pursuits with a healthy
mind. For achieving the four goals of human life, Dharma
(righteousness), Artha (wealth). Karma (desire) and Moksha
(liberation), one should have basically a healthy body. If you want
to earn wealth by righteous means and cherish desires which lead to
liberation, you should have sound health." Sai Baba, SS, 10/94, p.
265

"It is found that oil-less edibles are easily digestible. The til
seeds serve to keep down the bad effects of phlegm, bile and wind in
the body. The jaggery in the preparation is conducive to the
improvement of the vision. All these preparations are intended to
promote health and are not designed to propitiate the Divine. The
energy derived from these edibles is conducive to the promotion of
longevity." Sai Baba, SS, 10/98. p. 255

Offerings Of Flowers And Green Grass To Vinayaka

        "Vinayaka is pleased with an offering of flowers of no value
('Jilledy' flowers). It is said that anyone who eats these flowers
will become insane. Such flowers are offered to Vinayaka. Vinayaka
is also worshipped with an offering of green grass." Sai Baba, SS,
10/95. p. 256

Mythological Story On Offering Grass To Vinayaka

        "In one Puranic (mythological) story, it is stated that once
Shiva and Parvati were playing a game of dice. For any game, there
has to be an umpire who has to declare who is winner. Shiva and
Parvati agreed to have Nandi (the divine bull) as the umpire. Nandi
is a favourite of Shiva, as he is a Shiva's vehicle. Although Shiva
lost the game, Nandi declared him the winner. It is stated that
Parvati was indignant over Nandi's partiality for Shiva and cursed
him that he should die from an incurable disease. Thereupon, Nandi
fell at the feet of Parvati and pleaded for forgiveness. 'Mother!
Forgive me. Should I not show at least this amount of gratitude to
one who is my master? Is it not humiliating for me to declare that
my master has lost the game? To uphold his honour, I no doubt
uttered a lie. But am I to be punished with such severity for such a
small offence?' Nandi prayed for forgiveness in this manner. Parvati
forgave Nandi and taught him the means to atone for his lapse. She
told him, 'The Chaturthi day in the month of Bhadrapada is the day
when my son's birthday is celebrated. On that day you have to offer
to my son what pleases you most (green grass).' This means that one
atones one's sins when one offers to the Lord what is most pleasing
and enjoyable to oneself. For Nandi the most enjoyable and relishing
food is green grass. As directed by Parvati, Nandi worshipped
Ganapati by offering green grass. Nandi was then relieved of his
dreaded disease. His health improved and, by the grace of Parvati,
he was redeemed." Sai Baba, SS, 10/95, p. 256

Symbolic Meaning Of The Story

        "This incident is the basis for the practice recommended for
pilgrims to Gaya, Benaras and other places that they should give up
something they love most as an offering to the Divine. This means
that they should give up something which they love most and not
something, which they do not like. Whether it be fruit or vegetable,
what you should choose to give up as an offering to God is what you
like most. This means that you give up consuming thereafter that
vegetable or fruit. This practice has been prevailing from ancient
times among pilgrims going to Benaras, Prayag or other sacred places
for a holy bath in the Ganga or Yamuna.

People should offer to give up what they relish most as the best
offering to the Lord. But they offer something, which they do not
like. The Lord seated in the heart declares: 'Be it so!' As you have
not offered what is most dear to you but what you dislike most, the
Lord also offers to you what you dislike most. The reward for such
dubious offerings to God is that instead of health you get disease.
If you offer to God what is good, will not God give you what is good
for you." Sai Baba, SS, 10/95, p. 257

Offer To Ganesha Which Is Most Pleasing To You

        "What should be offered to God are things which will please
Him. This is what Parvati enjoined on Nandishwara. She told
him: 'Offer to my son what will please him and what is most pleasing
to you.' The Vinayaka festival is designed to celebrate the
offerings of such pleasing things to Ganesha." Sai Baba. SS. 9/97.
p. 238

What Should You Offer To Ganesha On Ganesha Chaturthi?

        "What is it that you have to offer to Vinayaka on this day of
Vinayaka Chaturthi? Today people spend a lot of money in offering
various fruits and preparations to God. All these offerings are made
only as a ritual. Ultimately, people themselves consume them. No
benefit occurs from making these offerings. Patram, Pushpam. Phalam,
Toyam - these are the four things you should offer to God. Here
Patram (leaf) means body. This body may wither away at any moment.
So, never develop attachment towards the body; instead offer it to
God. Pushpam (flower) mean Hridaya, the flower that will never fade.
Mind can be compared to Phalam (fruit and Toyam (water) stands for
tears of joy. All these should be offered to God. This is the
offering that God expects." Sai Baba, SS, 10/99, p. 267

Ganesha's Universality

"What is the inner meaning of these kinds of offerings? It means
that earlier Vinayaka was used to be worshipped by animals. His face
is that of an elephant. His vehicle is mouse. These are symbols from
the animal kingdom. They indicate that even birds and beasts worship
Vinayaka. Vinayaka is thus worshipped by all beings and is the Lord
over all beings. He does not belong to one country or one nation or
one period of time. He is related to all places and all times." Sai
Baba, SS, 10/95. p. 256

Teachings Of Ganesha

"Only Vinayaka teaches the lessons that are essential for mankind.
You should not stop with installing the idol and doing Pooja for a
few days. You should make efforts to become a Nayaka or Master over
yourself.

        You have the nine-fold path of devotion - Shravanam
(hearing), Keertanam (singing God's glory), Vishno-naama-smaranam
(thinking of and chanting God's name), Paada Sevanam (serving at His
Lotus Feet), Vandanam (obeisance), Archanam (worship), Daasyam
(servitude), Saakhyam (befriending God), Atma-nivedanam
(surrendering body, mind and soul to God). The elephant signifies
combining of the first and the last, that is, Shravanam and Atma-
nivedanam, so that all other paths in between are covered fully."

Sal's Messages On Ganesha Chathurthi

        "Today we are celebrating 'Ganesha Jayanti', the birthday of
Vighneshwara. We celebrate the Jayanti but do not make any effort to
understand the principle (tattwa) behind it. His supreme teaching by
his own example is oneness of the universe. When he was asked to go
round the universe to get a prize from his parents, he just
circumambulated his parents. Lord Shiva and Parvati and claimed that
he had completed the trip around the universe by going around them,
as Lord Shiva and Parvati represented the universe." Sai Baba, SS,
11/93. p. 296

        "There is a need for observing festivals like Vinayaka
Chaturthi for external satisfaction, but what is more important is
to realise the inner significance of Vinayaka worship which is
likely to be a lasting effect. The worship of inanimate idols should
lead to contemplation on the subtle spiritual entity represented by
the idol. This is the process by which realisation of the Self
(Anna) takes place. Realise and act on the basis that the living
divinity is within you. Ganapati represents the ideal person who is
guided by intelligence and wisdom. Engage yourself in acts which
will please the Divine such as moderation in speech, giving up ill-
will and hatred, eschewing all bad thoughts, and restraints on
desires." Sai Baba, SS, 9/97, p. 241

        "People look upon the Vighneshwara festival as some routine
affair. But Vighneshwara embodies all the forms and all the powers
of all the deities. It is not enough to worship Ganesha once a year.
We must worship him always. We must think of God every moment of our
lives." Sai Baba, SS. 10/98. p. 258

        "Today few persons understand the true spirit of the Ganapati
Principle (Tattva). They are concerned about the outer forms and
ignore the inner esoteric meaning. This applies to the way many
festivals are celebrated. The birthday of Rama is celebrated without
understanding the qualities represented by Rama. To be real devotees
of Rama, people should cultivate his qualities." Sai Baba, SS.
10/98. p. 257

        "Consider Vinayaka as the Indweller in your heart. He is
constantly warning you against what is bad. You ignore the warning
and get into trouble. How much will you benefit if you follow the
Master within you. Your conscience is the Master. Above all, heed
the dictates of the Divine. That will be your best safeguard." Sai
Baba, SS. 10/95, p. 260

Glimpses Of Ganesha Chaturthi Celebrations At Prasanthi Nilayam -
1999

        "On this sacred day, 13th September 1999, Bhagavan came to
Sai Kulwant Hall at 6.45 a.m. After blessing the devotees with His
Darshan, Bhagavan graciously permitted the programme to be started.
The students chanted Stotras and hymns in praise of Lord Ganesha and
Bhagavan Baba. This was followed by an excellent presentation of
devotional songs by famous playback singer and an ardent devotee of
Bhagavan, Smt. P. Susheela. At the end of the programme, Prasadam
was distributed and Arati was offered to Bhagavan. The programme
came to a close at 8.30 a.m.

        The afternoon programme started at 3.25 p.m. with Veda
chanting by the students. Thereafter Sri Sandipan Chatterji
introduced three speakers who were permitted by Bhagavan to make
brief speeches before His Divine Discourse.

        The first speaker was Sri Shiv Raj Patil, former Speaker of
the Lok Sabha and an ardent devotee of Bhagavan Baba. Sri Patil
said, 'Bhagavan Baba is the embodiment of all Divine Names and
Forms. He is also the embodiment of all powers, knowledge and love.
He is all in one and one in all. He is the Living God. We are
fortunate to be in His presence. He showers love on one and all. The
only way to express our gratitude is surrender to Him.' Referring to
the Ganesha Chaturthi festival, Sri Patil emphasised its great
cultural values in uniting Indians.

        The second speaker. Dr. G. Venkataraman, said that Ganesha
worship was very ancient. Referring to unusual form of Lord Ganesha,
Dr. Venkataraman said it was customary to associate intelligence
with elephant. He further elaborated that intelligence was of two
types - worldly intelligence (Medha Shakti) and higher intelligence
(Buddhi). The problems arise when we depend on Medha Shakti and
ignore Buddhi. Without Buddhi, Medha Shakti can be extremely
destructive as in the case of scientific applications.

The third speaker, Sri S.V. Giri, dwelt, in detail, on the symbolism
of Lord Ganesha's form. He said that elephant possessed very
powerful memory and perception faculties. but it was always careful
in its reaction. We should note that Lord Ganesha always rode
Mushika (rat), which represented attachment, ignorance and
confusion. Ganesha's head is shaped like AUM, which is auspicious
and divine. He also taught the lesson of hard work as a scribe of
sage Vyasa.

        After these brief speeches, Bhagavan Baba delivered His
Divine Discourse and concluded it with the Bhajans "Hari Bhajan
Bina..' and 'Pibare Rama Rasam..." The programme came to a close
with Arati to Bhagavan at 5.15 p.m.

        As a grand finale to the Ganesha Chaturthi celebrations, a
large number of colourful processions carrying the consecrated idols
of Lord Ganesha converged in Sai Kulwant 'Hall in the afternoon of
15* September 1999 in the Divine Presence of Bhagavan Baba. The
processionists all along chanted Veda Mantras and sang Bhajans,
which charged the atmosphere with devotional fervour. These
processions started arriving at 3.00 p.m. and continued coming one
after the other up to 3.30 p.m. They all circumambulated the Mandir
and stationed their vehicles with Ganesha idols in front of the
Mandir in a row. Bhagavan Baba blessed all the groups of students,
teachers and other staff members and posed for photographs with
them. In the end, Bhagavan broke coconuts in front of the all
Ganesha idols while the entire Mandir reverberated with Bhajans and
Veda Mantras. The programme came to a close with Mangala-Aarati to
Bhagavan." Editor, SS, 10/99, pp. 277-279

Glimpses Of Ganesha Chaturthi Celebrations At Prasanthi Nilayam -
1995

        "This year's Ganesha Chaturthi, on 23 August 1995, was marked
by the presence of a very large number of overseas devotees. There
was a slight drizzle in the morning, but that did not deter the
devotees from assembling early enough for morning Darshan.

        Bhagavan walked gracefully at precisely 7 a.m. After going
round the Darshan lines took His seat in the swivel chair under the
awning in front of the Ganesha idol in the Mandir verandah.
Immediately the Institute orchestra started their special musical
programme, including well-known hymns in praise of Ganesha and some
special songs in praise of Bhagavan in different languages. This was
followed by a few Bhajans and the distribution of Prasadam blessed
by Bhagavan. The morning function concluded with Aarati to Bhagavan.
In the afternoon, Bhagavan gave a memorable discourse in the Sai
Kulwant Mandap, giving new interpretations to the worship of
Vinayaka.

        The Ganesha festival was simultaneously celebrated in the
various hostels where different kinds of idols had been installed by
the students for worship on five successive days. On the last day, 3
September, the different groups of students brought their Ganesha
idols in procession to the Mandir and marched past in front of
Bhagavan, singing Bhajans and shouting 'Moriyas' full-throatily.
Bhagavan blessed the boys as they passed carrying their Ganesha
idols for immersion in the Chitravati River. Bhagavan was obviously
pleased with the bubbling devotion of the boys and the enthusiasm
with which they were celebrating the festival." Editor, SS, 10/95,
p. 266

---------------------------------------------------------------------

(From the Book - Festivals at Prasanthi Nilayam and Their
Significance)

http://sai-online0.tripod.com/ganesh/gan1.htm

Shekhawat offers prayers at Shirdi

September 24, 2004

Maharashtra, India

Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, Sep 19 : Vice-President Bhairon Singh
Shekhawat today offered prayers at the famous Shirdi temple here.

Mr Shekhawat, who arrived at the shrine at 1100 hrs, spent nearly
half-an-hour there. He was welcomed by the President of the Shirdi
Saibaba Trust Jayant Shashane.

Mr Shekhawat said he had always been a devotee of the Saibaba and
added that this was his second visit to the temple after becoming
the Vice President.

He said he used to visit the shrine when he was the Chief Minister
of Rajasthan.

Stating that it was a place of worship for people belonging to
different faiths, he said the temple symbolised unity.

The Vice-President, who left Shirdi at 1400 hrs, was presented with
an idol of the Saibaba and a shawl by trustee Ashok Khambekar.

http://www.123bharath.com/maharashtra-india-news/?
action=fullnews&id=21384
© 2003-2005 123bharath.com, All rights reserved

Mystic manifestation

Religion has its basis in unquestioned faith while science is rooted
in proven facts, yet both originated from humankind's desire to
understand our origin and environment. Voices Coordinators tell us
about miracles and superstitions from around the world
Religion and science are usually perceived as binary forces, for
religion has its basis in unquestioned faith while science is rooted
in proven facts. However both originated from the human desire to
understand their origin and environment. Archaic man searched for
answers to numerous questions and this quest resulted in a body of
knowledge called science.

But many vital queries remained unanswered and to deal with them man
turned towards faith, the belief in a superhuman power referred to
as God. Since then science has made many strides and various belief
systems and religions have also evolved to enable man to overcome
his frailties.

Since the nineteenth century most people, under the influence of
post-Enlightenment Europe had deliberately tried to become rational
and scientific. Yet beyond the realm of our knowledge which is
wholly derived from five senses, has always lurked a grey zone of
half perceived, preternatural incidents and experiences. Faith and
not reason alone can explain these phenomena and significantly most
religions have their share of these strange occurrences.

In Christianity they are called "Miracles" and in Hinduism they are
called "Chamatkars". Both have the same meaning — an extraordinary
event manifesting divine intervention.

Christian miracles for example have shown an uncanny resemblance.
The archive of these bizarre incidents that are beyond any valid
scientific explanations is staggering. In the year 988 A.D. the
inhabitants of Pucelles at New Orleans, France were awestruck by the
mysterious weeping of Jesus. Soon a devastating fire ruined the city
and people realised that the weeping Crucifix was a forewarning of a
disaster.

In 1972 a statue of Virgin Mary at Porto San Stefano began to bleed.
A few months later in Akita in Japan a wooden statue of the blessed
Virgin Mary also began to bleed. The statue even perspired and began
to emit a clear fluid from the eyes that looked like tears. The
statue reportedly wept 101 times. In addition to tears the statue's
right hand oozed out a reddish-brown fluid. Both the fluids were
sent for laboratory testing without disclosing the source. The
teardrops were identical in composition to human tears. The other
fluid was found to be of human origin of blood type AB.

In the year 1992 in San Thomas, Mexico, Ana Avila, a sixth grader
found discovered tears flowing down a three-foot Madonna statue. The
girl was praying for her mother who was suffering from cancer. When
Ana returned home that day she found that her mother was cooking
dinner. She had been so unwell for a long time that she was unable
to get out of bed earlier.

Word quickly spread throughout the town and other healings were
reported. People from all over the world arrived on crutches and
stretchers and walked away on their own will. Scientists from USA
and Mexico City confirmed that the tears are real but could not
provide an explanation about the miracles.

Miracles in Hinduism and other religions are equally uncanny and do
not have a logical explanation.

In the early 1970's the devotees of Satya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi in
South India witnessed a miracle. On certain days of the week the
picture of Satya Baba emitted an ash-like substance which came to be
known as "bibhuti". The picture frames were thoroughly scrutinised
but convincing explanation of this occurrence could not be found.
Burmese religious pilgrims flocked to Nyaunglaybin township, 160 kms
north of Rangoon to witness multi-coloured light appearing from a
Buddhist monastery. At the centre of this was a Buddhist monk named
Sayadew. In recent years the monk has become well-known for his hour
long sermons at which listeners are required to remain perfectly
still with their eyes closed. Sayadew's followers claim to have seen
Buddha's relics on the monk's robes. He told his followers that
those who have been blessed with the fortune by looking at those
relics would be distanced from hell by 92 worlds.

While some miracles like the Shivalinga shaped papaya or the "five
hooded naga" which is really a pumpkin climber, can be dismissed as
freaks of nature; others may have a more rational answer.

Ganesha, one of the most enduring images of Hinduism, kicked off a
never seen before mass hysteria on 21 September, 1995. A man in
Delhi dreamt that Ganesha was craving for milk. He went to a nearby
temple and offered milk to Ganesha, the moment a spoonful of milk
was placed before the idol's image it vanished. By evening everyone
who offered milk to Ganesha claimed He had consumed it. The frenzy
ended the same night as rationalists were quick to attribute it to
normal capillary action, yet another theory was absorption.

In our modern society so rife with tension, trauma and violence,
faith and science help us cope with our turbulent existence. While
science provides us with answers to vital problems, faith helps us
tackle the unanswerable. Even if we do not accept miracles, there is
no denying the fact that these experiences help people to emerge
stronger and better than before.

These uncanny events unite rather than divide people, and most
importantly, they keep our curiosity alive and remind us of a
suprenatural power; somewhat like Fox Mulder from The X-Files would
say, "the truth is somewhere out there."

Shreya Sarkar, GD Birla Centre for Education
Ankur Modi, Birla High School (Boys)
Sujaan Mukherjee, South Point High School
Anindya Chowdhury, WWA Cossipore English School

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?
clid=1&theme=&usrsess=1&id=55123

Ganesh Chaturthi Discourse

Text of the Divine Discourse delivered by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai
Baba on 18th September 2004 (Ganesh Chaturthi) at Prashanti Nilayam,
Sai Kulwanth Hall


Obtain Divine Grace by obeying your Parents

The moon illumines the world at night and the sun during the day.
Righteousness illumines the three worlds, and a virtuous son
illumines his entire lineage.


                   (Telugu Poem)

Embodiments of Love!
A virtuous son is greater than even those who have acquired Jnana
(knowledge), Vijnana (wisdom), Sujnana and Prajnana (constant
integrated awareness). Lord Vinayaka is such a virtuous son. Every
individual has a Guru. But, Vinayaka has no Guru at all. He is the
Guru of Gurus and the leader of leaders. He is called by the
name "Vinayaka" since He has no leader above Him and He is the
leader for all.

Embodiments of Love!
Whenever a new task is undertaken, it is customary to perform Puja
to Lord Vinayaka to invoke His blessings for the successful
completion of the task. Even while starting a musical concert, the
singers pray to Lord Vinayaka with the kirtan, "Vinayaka Nannu
Brovara" (Oh! Lord Vinayaka! Please come to my help). It is only
when you thus pray to Lord Vinayaka and seek His blessings, will all
your task meet with success.

Lord Vinayaka has an elephant's head and trunk. It denotes that
Vinayaka can be compared to an elephant in intelligence, which
always thinks twice before setting its foot forward. Similarly, it
is only after intelligent discrimination that Vinayaka moves
forward. The four letters in the word Ganapathi (ga, na, pa and ti)
denote that Lord Vinayaka is full of Vijnana, Sujnana and Prajnana.
People today forget the underlying meaning in the name `Ganapati'
and engage themselves in mere rituals. You may not perform any
rituals, but, never give up worshipping Lord Vinayaka. Especially,
it is the foremost duty of the students to come under the leadership
of Vinayaka, who is a leader unto Himself. You would not find a
parallel to Lord Vinayaka. When you take such a Lord as your ideal
and pursue your studies, you will be able to master all branches of
education. Vinayaka has a big tummy, which is full of Jnana
(wisdom). That wisdom is His power. We should worship such a
powerful Lord. No one can comprehend the true nature of Lord
Vinayaka, fully.

Lord Vinayaka is the leader for one and all. He is the divine father
and mother to everybody. In accordance with the prayer Twameva Matha
cha Pitha Twameva, Twameva Bandhuscha Sakha Twameva, Twameva Vidya
Dravinam Twameva (He alone is the father and mother, friend and
relation, wisdom and wealth to every individual). No one else can be
compared to Lord Vinayaka in terms of power and prowess in this
world. The world is unable to recognise the true nature of such a
divine leader. We are, today, prepared to accept the leadership of
ordinary mortals. This is an unfortunate situation.

Today is the holy day commemorating the birth of Lord Vinayaka. In
fact, He has no birth at all. He created the entire universe. All
the Vedas are the result of the divine sankalpa of Lord Vinayaka.
All forms of knowledge have originated from Vinayaka.

Embodiments of Love!
Lord Vinayaka does not know what anger is. He is the embodiment of
love. Where there is love, bad qualities like anger, passion,
conceit etc., cannot gain entry. You might have witnessed the facial
features of Vinayaka. Did His face ever reflect anger? No. He will
always be smiling. Vinayaka is omnipresent. People attribute a
particular place as the birthplace of God and consider it as a
Kshetra (a sacred place of pilgrimage). But, no single place can be
ascribed as the birthplace of God. He is Swayambhu (Self-emergent).
There is no specific place which can be ascribed as place of birth,
place of upbringing, etc., for God. He is omnipresent. God will
manifest in such a place where people get rid of their bad qualities
and sincerely pray to Him with devotion. He is Gunatheetha (beyond
attributes). He is Nirgunam, Niranjanam, Sanathanam, Niketanam,
Nitya, Shuddha, Buddha, Mukta, Nirmala Swarupinam (God is
attributeless, pure, final abode, eternal, unsullied, enlightened,
free and embodiment of sacredness).

God appears to be angry at times. But, that is not real anger. In
order to put the devotees on the right path, He pretends to be
angry. If He does not pretend so, there is no chance for the
devotees to change their behaviour. His pretending to be angry is
just a drama. God has no trace of anger in Him. When we commit
mistakes or tread the wrong path, we are afraid that God will be
angry with us. But, God only pretends to be angry on such occasions
so that you become aware of your own faults and deficiencies. For
example, when Swami keeps Himself away from you, you feel very sad
and think that Swami is not talking to you because He is angry with
you. In fact, Swami does not know what anger is. He is the
embodiment of love. He is full of love. However, on some rare
occasions when He speaks harshly, it might be misconstrued that He
is angry. This is quite natural even in our day-to-day life. When
you call somebody, "Son! Please come here," it sounds that you are
calling him with love. But, if the same words are uttered with a
raised voice (in an angry mood), it looks as though you are angry.
Therefore, all these are variations in expression and nothing else.
The same was the case with Sage Durvasa, whose expressions revealed
anger and thus became synonymous for anger. But in fact, Sage
Durvasa had no anger at all!

During the Mahabharata war, Aswatthama, the son of Dronacharya, took
a terrible vow to annihilate all the Pandavas. Having come to know
of this, Droupadi prayed to Krishna to save the Pandavas. The leelas
of the Lord are not only wonderful but also mysterious. God enacts
dramas and even changes the scenes in His play for the welfare and
safety of His devotees. In this instance, the Lord saved the
Pandavas with a delicate touch that He alone is capable of.

He went to Sage Durvasa. He was immensely delighted to receive
Krishna. The sage asked, "Lord, what brought You to my humble
ashram?" Krishna smiled and said, "I have a small job for you." The
sage was happy and said, "I am at Your service. You just have to
command." Krishna then said, "Good! Tonight, you have to save the
Pandavas." Durvasa was puzzled and asked, "Lord, it is You who
protect everything in creation. Who am I to do that job?" Krishna
replied, "That is a different matter. But for this job, you will be
My instrument. I extend protection in many different ways. On this
occasion, you have to do something specific as per My instructions."
Durvasa wanted to know what it was and Krishna continued, "Dig a
pit, ask the Pandavas to hide themselves in it, cover it with
planks, grass and mud, and then take your seat on the shelter so
prepared. The enemies of the Pandavas may come and ask you about the
whereabouts of the Pandavas. They may say, "You know the past,
present and future. Please tell us where the Pandavas are hiding."
Durvasa intervened and said, "Lord, I cannot tell a lie." Krishna
countered, "Did I ask you to utter falsehood? I am Myself the
Embodiment of Truth, and I will always ask you to speak only the
truth. However, you are at liberty to change your voice suitably to
achieve the desired result. I am sure you understand." The sage
nodded and smiled.

Some time later, after the Pandavas were hidden, Aswatthama came
there, exactly as Krishna had foretold. Durvasa was sitting with his
eyes closed. Bowing to the sage, Aswatthama enquired, in a most
humble manner, about the whereabouts of the Pandavas. Durvasa slowly
opened his eyes; which were like flame. Angrily he roared, "Yes, the
Pandavas are here, right below me." Aswatthama was frightened
because the sage was well known for his bad temper and his
propensity to curse those whom he is angry with. Promptly, he fled
from the scene, and the Pandavas were duly saved. All Avatars employ
such techniques, and Swami too does the same when required.

The sages and saints, yogis and jnanis for ages have been providing
rakshana (protection) and sikshana (correction) and make people
tread the right path. Sage Durvasa did the same thing. Ignorant
people accuse him of being one of anger in spite of being a great
tapasvin. But, those people who are able to understand the real
intention behind his apparent anger realise the truth. God has no
anger. In fact, one who has anger is not fit to be called God at all!

Once Mother Parvati and Easwara called Vinayaka and His younger
brother Subrahmanya, and advised them to go round the world. They
also told them that whoever came first would be given a phala
(fruit) as reward. This competition was intended to demonstrate the
greatness of Vinayaka to the world. The younger brother Subrahmanya
immediately plunged into action. He mounted His vehicle, the
peacock, to fly round the world. But, Vinayaka did not move and sat
in His own place. Easwara then enquired, "My dear son! Why did You
not start on Your journey round the world?" Vinayaka laughed at this
question and replied "Oh! Father! I need not go anywhere. The fruit
of all My journey round the world is right in front of me." So
saying, Vinayaka made a Pradakshina (circumambulation) round His
father and mother (Lord Easwara and Mother Parvati) and sat down
calmly. He claimed victory in the race. In the meanwhile,
Subrahmanya came there, after completing His journey round the
world. He was very much tired and reported to His father about His
successful completion of the task. Lord Easwara then declared
Vinayaka as the winner in the race and handed over the fruit to Him.
The place where this episode took place is called Palani, in the
State of Tamil Nadu.

The underlying meaning in this story is that the parents are the
very embodiment of divinity and it is enough if one does pradakshina
to them in reverence. That would be tantamount to the punya (merit)
acquired by visiting all the holy shrines in the world. Without the
parents, there can be no son at all! If children are to be virtuous,
it is the parents who have to take care of them. The parents are
responsible for the success of their children in all the endeavours.

It is common practice for students to visit temples during
examination time and pray for success in the examinations. They
offer coconuts in the temples with the pocket money given by their
parents. These are all external practices, which have little to do
with sincere devotion. If they really wish to achieve success in
their endeavour, it is enough if they please their parents and
obtain their blessings. If they are satisfied, you are sure to
succeed. In order to drive home the point that children should
strive to please and satisfy their parents first, Lord Easwara and
Mother Parvati arranged this competition of going round the world
for Lord Vinayaka and Lord Subrahmanya. If you want to obtain the
grace of God, it is enough if you obey the command of your parents
lovingly. There is no greater divinity than the parents who are
present right in front of your eyes. They have struggled hard in
several ways to bring you up to the present state. They made a lot
of sacrifice, so that you may come up in life. No parent would ever
like to displease his children. They appear to be angry sometimes
and may even give some punishment, but that is only outward. In
their heart of hearts, they have abundant love for you. Even if they
pretend to be angry, it is for your own good. The stream of infinite
love ever flows in their hearts. Here is a small example: When the
child does some mischief, the mother gives a beating. But, how? The
beating merely produces sound but does not cause any pain to the
child. Her anger is borne out of love only. On certain occasions,
they may show anger, but it is only temporary. It is never
permanent. You may think that your parents are angry with you. But,
that is your own misunderstanding; you may not be able to understand
their love, which is lying dormant. Even if they show anger and
say "chee" (an expression in Telugu to indicate one's disapproval),
it is only out of love. Students shall, therefore, try to understand
the real nature of their parents.

In fact, one's anger is his own enemy, and happiness, his heaven.
One should always be happy. A person with anger and irritable
temperament can never achieve anything. Vinayaka is one who always
obeyed his parents' command. That is why it is said that there is no
leader above Him. Students sometimes ask for money from their
parents to go to a cinema. When parents refuse, they think that the
parents are angry. These are trivial issues. The parents, especially
the mother, will be even ready to sacrifice her life, in order to
save her children in times of danger. Unfortunately, today there are
sons who even go to a court of law against their mothers. It is,
therefore, essential that they change their attitude towards their
parents and realise that they are verily embodiments of love.

Any number of diversions or silly thoughts may arise in children,
but the parents' love towards their children remains unwavering.
There are several sons in the world who are angry with their
parents, but relationship of the parents and their children is one
of love only. Whatever differences that may arise between them are
only temporary. The relationship between parents and their children
is one of love, nothing else. Lord Vinayaka is the embodiment of
love. He always showers love only. When He was acting as a scribe to
write the Mahabharata to the dictation of Sage Vyasa, he displayed
the same attitude of love. Since He was the embodiment of Love,
Vyasa selected Him particularly to undertake the duty of a scribe.
Throughout the period of writing the Mahabharata, Vinayaka displayed
this quality of pure love. That is why you do not find even a single
mistake in the Mahabharata. Since He was flawless, His word was also
flawless. You do not find the bad qualities of anger, jealousy, envy
or pride in Vinayaka. They are the qualities of a human being devoid
of noble qualities.

Dear students! From today onwards, you give up whatever little anger
you have towards your parents and cultivate pure love towards them.
Love begets love. Receive love from your parents in abundance and
prosper in life.

Today is the festival of Vinayaka Chaturthi. It is a very important
festival. There is a custom in some families to invite the newly
married son-in-law for the festival. Therefore, do not hesitate to
go to your in-law's house to spend some time happily with them.

Oh newly married bridegroom, visit your in-laws' house,
Come, spend your time in fun and frolic with your brothers-in-law
and sisters-in-law,
The entire household and the neighbourhood will honour you with love
and affection.


                 (Telugu song)

When a son-in-law visits his spouses parents' house, the entire
household gets into a festive mood. One is sure to feel happy and
mentally relaxed. There are, however, some stone-hearted sons-in-
law, who cultivate ill-feelings towards their in-laws and do not
visit their house. Such ill-feelings are the result of food. As is
the food, so is the head. The feelings of the heart reflect the
thought in the head (mind). Therefore, we must take the right food.
You should never take such food as would kindle the flames of anger
and envy in you. Since ancient times, sages in India have observed
strict diet regulations. They always made it a point to consume
sattwic food, not rajasic food. By consuming rajasic food, anger is
generated. On the other hand, if you consume thamasic food, you will
feel sleepy even while you eat. Therefore, both rajasic and thamasic
types of food must be avoided. Only sattwic food must be taken.
Excess of chillies, salt and sour items must be avoided in food.
Before you take food, never forget to offer your prayers:

Brahmarpanam Brahma Havir
Brahmagnou Brahmanahutam
Brahmaiva Thena Ganthavyam
Brahma Karma Samadhina.

(Brahman is the ladle as well as the oblation. He is the sacrificial
fire as also the sacrificer. And finally, Brahman is the goal of one
who is engaged in the act of sacrifice.)

When you pray in this manner before you partake of your food, God
immediately responds thus:

Aham Vaishvanaro Bhutva
Praninam Dehamasritah
Pranapana Samayukta
Pachamyannam Chaturvidham.
(I am present in all beings in the form of digestive fire. United
with the Prana (exhalation) and Apana (inhalation), it is I who
consume the four kinds of food.)

While taking food, you must always ensure that you take only such
items which you can easily digest. Never consume food which you
cannot digest. Just as you sit down happily for taking food, so also
when you get up after taking your food, you must feel happy and
light. Some people sit for food with a light stomach and get up with
a heavy stomach after eating bellyful. This is not the proper method
of taking food.

Always take light food. These are the habits you must cultivate at
least from this auspicious day of Vinayaka Chaturthi. If you
cultivate these good habits and qualities you can become as great as
Lord Vinayaka.

(Bhagawan concluded His discourse with the Bhajan, "Prema Muditha
Manase Kaho…")

http://www.sssbpt.org/Pages/Prasanthi_Nilayam/Ganesh_Chaturthi_Discou
rse.htm

Bhagavan's Wedding Gift for a Student's Sister

I am also happy to let you know that Bhagavan did two important
miracles that day. Having come out of the interview room, suddenly,
He called one boy. Then, He just looked at him and took the wedding
card he had for his sister.

The boy said, "Swami, this is my sister's wedding card."

"OK," He said and told the boy to go and sit.

The boy went and sat in the tenth or fifteenth row, which was his
seat that day. At the end of arati, he finds there in another cover,
the Mangalasutra, the sacred knot or the golden chain, which is
given to the bride on the wedding day. The boy was thrilled and he
told me.
I was very excited to hear this. I have been sharing this with as
many groups as possible because you must have understood my
temperament. I cannot be at peace unless I share whatever I know
with everybody. Yes, it is the greatest delight!

Another Vibhuthi Wonder

I can also share with you another miracle. There is a district by
the name Khammam about a fifteen hours drive from here. There is a
very small village close to Khammam by the name Chilukuru. Our seva
dals went there and started doing some service. They noticed a
Hanuman temple there, which was dilapidated and neglected. There was
no priest, no daily worship, nothing whatsoever. So, the seva dals
cleaned the whole premises; they whitewashed the whole temple. While
they were there, they kept Baba's picture.

From Bhagavan's picture, vibhuthi started flowing continuously.
Those seva dals were immensely happy for the kindness of Bhagavan,
approving and accepting their service to Hanuman. In doing this,
Swami was establishing that He and Hanuman are one and the same.

The seva dals also did bhajans there in the temple premises. They
saw Baba's face in the photo, full red in colour. Normally,
Hanuman's face is smeared with the red colour (vermillion), as most
of us must have seen. They noticed the same thing on Baba's face. I
also wanted to share this had happened.

From: Anil Kumar Satsang, "Sai Pearls of Wisdom"
Part Twenty Six, March 3rd, 2004
http://www.internety.com/saipearls/03.03.2004(E)central.htm

Indian blood donation project grows in South Africa

[World News] Johannesburg, Sep 21 : The World Blood Donation Day,
initiated by Indian spiritual leader Satya Sai Baba, has grown by
more than 20 percent annually since it was started in South Africa a
decade ago.

"After being inaugurated by Sri Satya Sai Baba in India, the concept
spread all over the world," Sini Subrayen, public relations officer
of South African Blood Transfusion Service (SABT), told IANS.

"In South Africa, it started out in the (mainly Indian) suburb of
Lenasia, but after teaming up with the SABT, we have seen the
project grow in all major cities in South Africa.

"Besides the regular blood donors who support us on this all-day
event held on the third Sunday of September each year, we encourage
each of them to bring a friend along, resulting in increased
donations."

Although the support over the years has been largely from South
African Indians, in recent years blood donation camps have also been
set up in areas formerly occupied by whites in the apartheid era, as
many Indians have moved to these areas.

This year there were 10 camps set up across greater Johannesburg,
with three of them in mainly Indian areas. The three areas, Lenasia,
Lenasia South and Mayfair, each delivered more than double the units
of the other areas, showing again, as in the past, that the great
number of Sai devotees from there played a major role.

The three top camps helped beat the target for the day of 600 units
by over 25 percent after a total of 755 units were collected.

--Indo-Asian News Service
© 2001-2004 Pehla Technologies. All rights reserved
http://athens-olympics-2004.newkerala.com/?action=fullnews&id=32299

The Governor's Plane Made a Safe Landing

Smt. Shyamala Devi Daughter of late Shri Burgula Ramakrishna Rao,
former Governor Of U.P, and Kerala, India.

It happened during the day when my father , Late Shri Burgula
Ramakrishna Rao was Governor of Utter Pardesh.

My father with his-de-camp by name Mr Sodi had gone to Puttaparthi
to have Swami's darshan. On that occasion Swami materized a golden
ring and gave it to Mr.Sodi. Baba usually created articles like
rings, watches etc, as talisman for the protections of His devotees.

Swami once explained the significance of his created articles.
Whenever the recipients of such gifts from Swami are in danger,
these articles instantly convert a message to Swami just like a
message is convey through telephone.

One one occasions my father along with Mr Sodi had to travel on an
official work in a plane meeting for Governor. While returning after
completion of assignment, the plane's front wheel got truck and did
not open before landing. Pilots tried their best to unlock and bring
down the wheels, but could not succeed.

They were forced make rounds over the airport, as they were unable
to make a normal landing. Even the petrol was running out. When
message was sent to the control room saying that they have decided
to make an emergency landing on its belly, arrangements were
hurriedly made.

Fire engines and first aid services were all geared up and kept
ready. In a last and final attempt ADC . Mr Sodi entered the cockpit
and tried to bring down the jammed wheels.

He had on his finger the ring created by Swami. Immediately the
wheels freed and unfolded. The plane was carrying the Governor and
made safe landing. My mother at first was frightened at the plane's
failure to make a normal landing.

On that particular day in the early hours Swami had appear in her
dream and gave her flowers and bangles, symbolic of protection of
her husband.

As a proof of this incident back of Puttaparthi, it seems Swami had
remarked to close devotees "Alas! Ramakrishna Rao's plane had mishap
averted. "When my father spoke to Swami through phone. Swami
remarked and explained the details of the entire incident to my
father.

Jai Sai Ram

http://aumsairam108.tripod.com/article/amazing-cure.htm

Parthi Update - September 16-18, 2004

16-09-2004

In the evening Bhagawan came out for Darshan and went inside the
interview room with some VIP's. Beside our Bhajan group, there was a
group of youth sitting in whites with all their music instruments.
They were the Sundaram Bhajan Group singers from Chennai. There was
some meeting of all the Samithi convenors of Tamilnadu at
Prasanthinilayam on the 16th and 17th of this month. Along with
them, these Bhajan singers had also come. Swami completed the
interview and as He came out of the interview room, He sent word for
the Sundaram Bhajan group to start their songs. Even as Bhagawan
came and sat down on the sofa, the first song began. What
professional singing! Believe it or not, it was a wonderful treat to
our ears and heart. Song after song flowed – so soothing and
melodious. The voice was very sweet and mellifluous, tunes were soul
stirring and the selection of songs itself was very good! We had
Tamil, Kannada and Hindi songs. All songs were about the glory of
Lord Krishna!

What is more important is the participation of Swami in this
programme. As soon as Swami sat down, He asked one of them to come
forward. The person went forward with the card. It was a brown
colour card that looked very elegant and had the programme details
within. Swami opened the card and went through the details and asked
him a few questions. Then Swami asked them to sing a particular
song. They began that song. We enjoyed it thoroughly. As they
concluded the song or rather were in the last few lines, Bhagawan
opened the card again and selected another song. As they completed
the current song, He asked them to sing the next song of His choice.
Thus it went on, song after song. Each time Bhagawan would see the
card and ask them to sing a particular song. Literally "Khuda Ki
Pharmaish". All throughout, Swami kept the card with Him on His
lap!! What a gesture of Love and flow of compassion!

Throughout the programme, Swami kept giving Taalam (beat) and there
was a smile on His face, a loving smile acknowledging their devotion
and love for Him. It was a treat to all of us. They sang from 3.45
p.m. to 4.30 p.m. Then Bhagawan asked them to sing Bhajans. This too
was a very thrilling experience! Bhagawan retired by 5.15 p.m.

17-09-2004

We all assembled in the Mandir for evening Darshan. The Sundaram
Bhajan Group was again sitting in front. We hurriedly went and took
our place. Swami came and sat on the sofa and signaled for the
Sundaram boys to start their programme – part 2. Once again the same
experience. Very good songs. Not the usual one's but still very
catchy, good beat, and very nice to hear. After they sang a few
songs, Bhagawan asked for our Music boys. Very quickly, the music
boys gathered in the front. Two of the music boys were holding a
card to seek for permission regarding music programme the next day –
for Ganesha Chaturthi. Bhagawan called them forward, looked at the
card and asked "What about now?"

The boys were taken by surprise. They said, "Swami group songs".
Bhagawan said, "Sing Padyams (verses)". Boys asked, "Swami,
stotrams?" Swami said, "No, sing Padyams". The boys went back and
having no idea how to start, they began with the Ganesha Stotrams
that were actually meant for the next day! That is Bhagawan!! Full
of uncertainty and surprises! We just need to take things as they
come and enjoy the flow of His Love! The music boys continued with
stotram after stotram. Many Gurupoornima Stotrams were chanted.

Meanwhile Swami spotted two of our young Music College singers. They
used to often render the Ramakatha songs in front of Bhagawan. Swami
asked them to sing the Rama Katha. It was a long time since they had
performed. I'm sure their hearts would have beat faster than ever!
They readily burst forth with the series of Rama Katha songs. Swami
was continuously looking and smiling at them. That kept them going
on smoothly. At the end there was a loud applause!!

Bhagawan retired by 5.40 p.m.

18-09-2004

We wish you a very happy Ganesha Chaturthi! On this holy day,
Bhagawan came to Sai Kulwant Hall at 7:30 am and took His seat in
the portico. He called the V.C and asked him as to who would speak.
In fact boys had prepared a nice programme consisting of group songs
interspersed with commentary, dialogues, dance, etc. revealing the
inner significance of all the aspects of Ganesha and the festival.
But just like it happened during the Krishnashtami festival, Swami
asked for individual speakers. There were no scheduled speakers and
so the V.C with Swami's permission called research scholar Sri
Deepak Anand to address the gathering. Deepak Anand spoke about
Swami being the One in whom all names and forms of God resided. He
narrated the experience of one of our students who was blessed with
the literal physical company of Lord Ganesha, when he was in the
Institute.

Thereafter Swami blessed Sri Shashank Shah, a student of the M.Phil
programme in Management, to share his thoughts with the audience. He
spoke on the inner significance of the various facets relating to
Lord Ganesha. He also narrated the incident where Bhagawan had
blessed Swami Amritananda (a disciple of Sri Ramana Maharishi) with
a vision of Lord Ganesha in the interview room many years ago. Swami
Amritananda in his childhood days had performed a very special
Yajnam for Lord Ganesha. As per the Sastras the benefit of this
Yajnam was supposed to be the Darshan of Lord Ganesha Himself.
Reminding Swami Amritananda about this, Swami asked him whether he
had got the Darshan of Lord Ganesha. When Amritananda answered in
the negative, Bhagawan gave him a vision of the golden hue Ganesha!!

The third speaker was Sri Bharat Kumar from the II MBA class whom
Swami blessed to speak. He spoke on the efficacy of Namasmarana and
his personal experience at Tirupati; how Swami had miraculously
helped him to have a very good Darshan of the Lord within a very
short time, with the help of a recommendation letter of a Minister
unknown to him, that mysteriously landed in his hands on its own!

Finally the Vice Chancellor, Sri S.V.Giri addressed the gathering
speaking on the significance of the Ganesha festival.

After his talk, the Vice-Chancellor prayed to Bhagawan to give His
Divine Message. Swami nodded His approval. The table was arranged
and Bhagawan arose to give His benedictory Message to all of us.

The highlights of the Discourse will come to you in my next mail.

As the Discourse ended, Swami signaled for Prasadam distribution.
The entire Kulwant Hall was soon bustling with activity. Boys moving
all around distributing juicy red apples! Meanwhile Swami called
those boys who were ready with the programme and asked them what it
was all about. One of them explained that they were going to talk
about the inner significance of all the aspects of Lord Ganesha
relating it to the Nava Vidha Bhakti. Hearing this Swami said that
we must not limit Lord Ganesha to Nava Vidha Bhakti, for Ganesha is
above all this. He is the Atmic Reality! The boys nodded and said
that they would incorporate this too in their presentation. Swami
said that we would have the presentation in the evening.

In the evening, Swami came around five past three and got down on
the dais but then went walking towards the interview room. He was
inside until 4.15 p.m. Then He came out, sat for some time and
finally called the boy to whom he had spoken in the morning. Swami
asked him as to what they were going to speak. The student said that
they were going to speak about Ganesha as the transcendental
reality. Bhagawan asked them to also mention that Lord Ganesha is
beyond the Pancha Bhootas too. With His Blessings the programme
began.

A song to start with. Then the first pair of anchorers began their
talk saying that though Lord Shiva and Vishnu had specific
pilgrimage centers for them, there is no village or town without the
temple of Lord Ganesha. Then they went on to say that the real
pilgrimage to Lord Ganesha was on the path of Nava Vidha Bhakti.
They explained the first two steps- Sravanam and Keertanam. They
said that both of these are relevant only if done with total Bhavam
(feelings). This was followed by a dance by one of the students to
the stotram `Ganesha Pancharatnamala' in the recorded voice of Smt.
M.S. Subbulakshmi (Mudakarata Modakam Sada Vimukti Sadhakam…). Swami
and all of us enjoyed the dance.

Thereafter the next module had two boys discussing the inner
significance of the various physical features of Lord Ganesha. One
was a sculptor who complained that he was getting bored of doing the
same work every year. Make these idols in large numbers and sell
them. He did not gain any satisfaction from this work. To this, his
friend explains that any work done mechanically without
understanding its significance will lead to despair.

He then goes on to explain the inner significance of every part of
the idol. To start with, the huge elephant head symbolizes
intelligence; the large ears indicate that Ganesha is ever ready to
hear to the pleas of His devotees. The goad in His hand is to goad
humanity to walk along the path of spirituality; the noose in
another hand is to catch people who are on the wrong path. The
missing tusk reminds us of the great sacrifice made by Lord Ganesha
in breaking off His tusk so as to allow the dictation of the great
epic Mahabharata without any interruption! The tiny mouse symbolizes
Tamas (ignorance). The mouse is a nocturnal animal found only in
dark and dirty places. Lord Ganesha has a command over this Tamas
and has mastered it. So Ganesha who has Mooshika as His Vahana is
the Master of ignorance and He dispels ignorance in humanity.

Thus true Vishnu Smaranam is not only mechanical remembrance of God,
but also keeping the form of the Lord in mind, with full knowledge
of its inner significance. Further, when the elephant moves in the
forest he creates a path for other animals. Thus the elephant is a
path maker. Similarly Lord Ganesha is the path maker. He sets the
path for all of us and is a role model for all the students and
youth. Therefore, true Padasevanam is following the path laid by the
Lord. Walking in His footsteps and living His message is true
Padasevanam!

Thereafter, there was a stotram chant, followed by the next two
anchorers. They touched upon the next step of Archanam, narrating
the story of why the Durva grass is offered to Lord Ganesha. Once
when Mother Parvati and Lord Shiva were playing a game, they
appointed Nandi as the umpire. On completion of the game, Mother
Parvati was the winner but Nandi declared Lord Siva as the winner.
This outraged Mother Parvati and she cursed Nandi with an incurable
disease. Nandi went pleading to Mother and told her that he had no
choice other than declaring Lord Shiva as the winner because He was
his Master and he was the slave.

Impressed by the feelings of Nandi, Mother Parvati agreed to take
back her curse provided Nandi would offer what was cherished by him
most, to her son Ganesha. Durva grass – the most precious item
cherished by Nandi was offered to Ganesha. This is how the practice
continues even today. The inner significance of this is that when we
go to religious places we have a tendency to offer things we do not
like, to God. But in reality, we should offer that which we like
most, to our Lord, as a Tyaga (sacrifice) similar to Nandi. As
Bhagawan says we go to Gaya and give up Bitter Gourd over there!!

In the Gita, Lord Krishna clearly elaborates on the practice of
Archanam, saying that what a devotee should truly offer to God is
the Patram (leaf) of the body, Pushpam (flower) of the mind, Phalam
(fruit) of the rewards of the actions and Toyam (sacred water) of
the tears of Bliss! Bhagawan goes one step further and says, "Give
Me all your bad qualities and I shall give you good qualities in
return".

Thereafter there was a group song, "Sri Ganesha Shivuni Kumara
Shrutajana….". A Telugu module followed this song.

This module expounded on Vandanam. It was full of humour. Two `so
called' Pandits are going around trying to give Discourses on Lord
Ganesha. When asked by a scholar to explain the meaning of the
verse, `Suklam Baradaram Vishnum….", they go on to explain that this
verse is not meant to describe Ganesha but it is about Sai students.
Suklam Baradaram (wearing white clothes), Vishnum (found everywhere,
in India and even abroad), Sasivarnam (the cool mark of white
Vibhuti on their forehead), Chaturbhujam (with two hands and two
feet), Prasanna Vadanam (always cheerful), Sarva Vighna Upa Shantaye
(pacify their taste by adding more salt to a saltless dish!)….
(Laughter!!)

They go on to give one more explanation of this Sloka as narrated by
a washerman (dhobhi). Suklam Baradaram (white in colour), Vishnum
(found everywhere, wherever you see), Sasivarnam (having a cool
disposition), Chaturbhujam (with four limbs), Prasanna Vadanam
(always cheerful irrespective of being patted or beaten), Sarva
Vighna Upa Shantaye (O Ganesha, prays the dhobhi, "please remove all
obstacles in the way of my pet so that it can peacefully complete
it's task".)….This is the donkey that is used by the washerman to
carry the bundle of clothes!! (Laughter!!)

Listening to all this, the scholar chides them for spreading all
this perverted meanings. He then goes on to explain the true meaning
of the Stotram as the One wearing white (pure) clothes, Omnipresent,
as cool as the moon, with four hands – ever ready to help His
devotees, ever Blissful with a pleasant smile on His face, bestowing
peace by removing all hurdles – He is none other than Lord Ganesha
Himself! We must offer our Vandanam to this Lord.

Another student elaborated on Vandanam and Dasyam in English for the
benefit of the non-Telugu audience. In Vandanam, we join our two
hands representing the five Karmendriyas and the five Jnanendriyas,
keep it close to our heart and then bowing down with humility, we
offer all these to the Lord. This is true Vandanam. True Daysam is
when one offers help and service to others with a feeling of
compassion and amity and not with a feeling of pity. We become a
Dasa (servant) of the Lord in every being!!

Then the boys sang another stotram and thereafter the aspect of
Sneham – friendship was very humorously depicted wherein, a student
is talking to his teacher about making Lord Ganesha as his new
friend as the exams were soon approaching. To this the teacher
corrects the student saying that this is the mistake we all make.
Friendship is not meant for this `give and take'. True friendship
must be related only to the Atmic bond. The student then asks the
teacher as to how one could cultivate this bond. The teacher says
that this can be done by loving God as one's true friend. It is only
then that we will experience His Love.

The module culminated in the depiction from the Kathopanishad, about
the analogy of the human body and the chariot. The chariot stands
for the body, the five senses are like the five horses, the reins
stand for the mind, the charioteer is like the Buddhi and the owner
of the chariot is the Atma! This was illustrated with the help of
five boys acting as the horses with the rope of the mind binding
them together and another student acting as the Buddhi controls the
rope in his hand.

If the Buddhi has control over the rope of the mind, the senses are
under check. If not, the chariot of the body will be under total
chaos with each of the senses following their own way. Thus making
the senses subservient to the mind, the mind subservient to the
Buddhi and the Buddhi subservient to the Atma, is true Atma
Nivedanam (self-surrender).

Thereafter the boys communicated that Lord Vinayaka was the supreme
Atman itself and true Atma Nivedanam was surrendering the individual
self to the Supreme Self. Lord Vinayaka was even beyond the Nava
Vidha Bhakti and the Pancha Bhootas. He is the supreme consciousness
pervading the entire cosmos and it is to Him that we have to offer
ourselves in totality and attain the supreme mergence. He is Vi +
Nayaka – the one without a Master. He is Gana + Pati – the Master of
all the Ganas that represent the ten Karmendriyas and Jnendriyas and
the mind and the Buddhi.

One of the students explained the inner significance of Vidya, which
was not merely the secular knowledge, but Atmavidya – the supreme
wisdom and Lord Ganesha is the bestower of that supreme wisdom.

Finally, praying to Bhagawan to cast at least one glance at us so
that we may acquire this supreme wisdom, the programme ended with
the Qawalli, "Ek Bar Yun Nazare Milakar Dekh Le Sai………."

Bhagawan then asked the boys to sing some more group songs while
Prasadam was being distributed. Swami very lovingly called the boy
who danced and materialized a small idol of Lord Ganesha made of
gold, for him.

Swami sat for another 20 minutes and took Arati at 5.45 p.m. All
throughout the programme Bhagawan was smiling and expressing great
joy! This was a very satisfying experience for all of us. Thus with
the Blessings of the Divine Father we returned to the Hostel to
worship the Divine son in our wing altars.

The immersion ceremony is going to be on Monday and therefore all
boys are busy fabricating and decorating their palanquins and
chariots. We are awaiting the colourful and joyous ceremony the day
after!

Sairam

Posted by Azmeen Kasad on 20.09.2004
http://aumsairam108.tripod.com/ganesh04/parthi_update.htm

Ganesh Chaturthi Photogallery:
http://saibabalinks.org/pictures/2004/Sep18/2004.09.18.htm

Glimpse of His omnipotence

"One day Swami on His way to the Hostel plucked a Tulsi leaf and
placed it in the palm of a student and said: 'Keep it safe. Don't
show it to anybody'. He just obeyed. But the warden insisted to see
it. When the boy opened the handkerchief in which it was tied he
found a gold coin. So he said 'Keep it safe, don't show it to
anybody'. But his friends pestered and he had to yield. When they
opened the handkerchief it was only a Tulsi leaf. The boy was
greatly disappointed. Seeing his disappointment Swami called him and
asked for the leaf. He blew at it and lo! The gold coin appeared and
Swami blessed him to keep the same with him as His gift. Nothing is
beyond His Power. His sankalpa is enough. It can change earth into
sky and sky into earth. This incident, though humorous, was but a
glimpse of His omnipotence. The students get such revelations often
which cement their faith in their protector and patron."

http://www.sssbpt.org/Pages/Bhagawan/Sai_Humour1.htm

Sant Asharam Bapu's visit to Sri Sathya Sai Baba - 14 and 15 Sep.
2004

"Asharam Babu" the renowned saint seeks Blessings of Swami at
Puttaprthi Today - 14.09.2004

Toady early morning renowned saint Asharam Babu arrived at Prasanthi
Nilayam. He was present in the morning Darshan as well as in the
evening darshan. Bhagavan Baba called Asharamji for interview in the
afternoon. Both were alone in the interview room for about an hour.

It seems Asharamji decided to stay for two more days at Prasanthi
Nilayam i.e. Wednesday and Thursday. More news on this event is
eagerly awaited.

Source: http://www.kingdomofsai.org/modules.php?
name=News&file=article&sid=191


News for September 14, 2004

Today morning Swami came out at 6:50AM for Darshan. After making a a
full round, He called the Washington group ladies for an interview.
He went inside the interview room by 7:10AM.

In the afternoon, Bhagawan came around 3:00PM. Once again, He took a
full round and got down near the interview room. He called one
family from Bangalore and also Sant Asha Ram, the famous speaker on
scriptures and religious ideals, along with his disciples. Sant Asha
Ram has many ashrams in India and he appears everyday in the Sanskar
channel at 9:00PM. Swami gave a long interview of one hour. At
5:00PM the Bhajans started and at 5:35PM Aarati was taken.

Jai Sai Ram

Source: http://sainews.blogspot.com/


Asharamji Delivers speech at Prasanthi Nilayam - 15.09.2004

Today was the second day of Asharamji's visit to Prasanthi Nialyam.
On asked by Bhagavan Baba to deliver a speech to the devotees
gathered at Sai Kulwant hall, Asharamji spoke for about an hour on
spiritual topics of "Bhakti", Devotion and other spiritual
practices. More details of the speech is awaited.

The scene of looking at two spiritually vibrant personalities was a
memorable experience for devotees. Swami was looking fresh and full
of joy and as if He was perfectly alright.

Also it is learnt that tomorrow Swami has asked Asharamji to deliver
one more speech to devotees at Sai Kulwant Hall.

Sai Ram !

Source: http://www.kingdomofsai.org/modules.php?
name=News&file=article&sid=193


From: a sai devotee

Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2004 21:30:53 -0700 (PDT)

Here are details of Asharamji Bapu's visit to Prashanti Nilayam.
Can share it with others.

S S

15-09-2004

Monday and Tuesday were filled with calm and silence. Swami was
inside the interview room throughout the evening. On Monday it was a
group of devotees. On Tuesday, the famous saint speaker Sri Asharam
Bapu from Gujarat visited Parthi. Swami took him inside for an
interview that went on till Bhajan time.

On 15th evening again Swami gave an interview to Sant Asharam Bapu
and his team. It was about 5.45 p.m. and all of us were getting
ready for Bhajans. Then came the surprise. Prasanthinilayam is full
of surprises. When we are with Swami what appeals to us most is His
uncertainty! You never know what comes next. But I think it is this
very suspense that adds spice to our otherwise monotonous life!!

At 5.45 p.m. suddenly there was some commotion. Brother Nitin came
out onto the stage and arranged a white bucket type chair with a
cushion. We guessed correctly that Swami may ask Sant Asharam Bapu
to come and sit over there. Subsequently a mike was also arranged in
front of the chair. It was clear that Bhagawan wanted him to talk to
the students and devotees. Meanwhile the son of Sant Asharam Bapu
came forward and checked all the arrangements. Later Sant Asharam
Bapu himself came and stood near the chair waiting for Bhagawan.

A few minutes later Swami came out of the interview room. He sent
word for one student – a good Hindi speaker – Jagadish Chandra of
the II M.Sc.(C) class. Obviously we understood that Swami wanted him
to give a talk in Hindi. Bhagawan came onto the dais and proceeded
towards the sofa. He asked Asharam Bapu to sit down. But Asharam
Bapu waited for Swami to sit on the sofa and then sat down on his
chair. Swami asked the Vice-Chancellor to introduce the speakers.
There were two speakers preceding Asharam Bapu's talk. The first one
was Sri Sanjay Mahalingam, a research scholar in the School of
Business Management who spoke in English followed by Jagadish
Chandra in Hindi. Both of them spoke for about five minutes each –
mostly about Bhagawan's infinite Love.

After that Swami again asked the Vice-Chancellor to request the
guest to speak to the gathering. The mike was arranged in front of
the chair and Sant Asharam Bapu began his talk in Hindi as he
usually does. His voice was very soft. Swami signaled for the mike
to be adjusted properly. That was done. But still one had to strain
to hear his voice. Slowly it became more audible.

Sant Asharam Bapu was blissfully sharing his thoughts with all of
us. We could see him smiling and laughing to himself at times. Let
me share with you the highlights of his talk.

He started by reminding all of us how fortunate we were to be in the
presence of Baba. He said that whereas devotees from far off lands
come here to just have a glimpse of Baba we students keep having His
glimpses every now and then! How lucky we are.

He then moved on to explain about how Lord Krishna went to Mathura
and met the woman named Kubja who had a bent back. She was the woman
who carried perfumes for His Highness – King Kamsa. Lord Krishna
called her Sundari. She wondered whom Krishna was referring to. But
the Lord was referring to her only. For the Lord everything is
beautiful. He sees the inner beauty and not outer beauty!! Krishna
wishes to bless her. God, before giving His Blessings apparently
takes something from His devotee, something as a token, however
small it may be – possibly even a Namaskaar. In this case, Lord
Krishna asks her to give Him some perfume and then placing His foot
on her foot He pulls her chin straight up. With this her hump
vanishes and she becomes a normal woman!!

Thus Lord Krishna went among the Gopalas in Brindavan and gave them
so much joy. Students, He comes amidst all of you too and gives you
so much joy. You all know that!! India is such a great land. In the
ancient years Vasco-de-Gama came here and took away so many of our
riches. Indians gave away shiploads of gold and silver vessels.
Later even brass and copper treasures were given away. Today we are
in a situation that we are ready to give away even plastic items and
waste papers. But there is one thing that India can never lose,
which will always remain with us and that is the treasure of the
heart. This treasure of the heart is ever available with we Indians
for the whole world to receive!

The Mothers of India were so great! Take for example the mother of
Vinobha Bhave. She used to feed him with some chapatti and food but
whenever any classmate of Vinobha Bhave came to their house, she
would feed the classmate with hot hot chapattis. This would happen
always. Looking at this Vinobha Bhave asked her, "Mother, you say
that the same God exists in all. We must treat all in the same
manner. Then how is it that you give me cold, left over food but you
treat my classmates so well serving them hot and fresh chapattis."
To this, Vinobha's mother replied, "Child, what you say is true. I
see God in all and therefore I treat them so nicely. Your classmate
who has come to our house is our guest. I see God in him. Athiti
Devo Bhava. Therefore I treat him with so much respect. But for me,
you are my son. My motherly love for you attaches me to you and
hence I am unable to see God in you. The day I see God in you, I
will treat you also in the same way!" Such were the noble mothers of
Bharath.

Students, there is a very nice exercise that you all must practice.
Every morning when you get up, visualize Baba's hand in your hand.
Hold His hand tightly and pray, "Baba, Baba please let my whole day
go on very well with Your Grace. Baba Bless me." Try doing this and
see what happens throughout the day. Then at night, pray to Him and
beg pardon for whatever mistakes you make. Whatever good happens is
on account of His Grace and mistakes occur because of our Vasanas.

The greatest repentance for mistakes is not doing it again. Once you
commit a mistake and you want to repent for it truly, make sure that
you do not repeat the mistake again. This is the greatest
Prayschitartham.

Students one last message for you all. Whatever you do not want
others to do unto you, do not do that unto others. You do not want
others to hurt you or cause any suffering to you. Then you too
should not hurt others or cause suffering to others.

Sant Asharam Bapu ended his talk with Sahana Vavatu and Om Shanti
Shanti. He then looked towards Swami but Swami was closing His eyes.
Therefore, Sant Asharam Bapu called out to Bhagawan to bless us with
His Discourse. His plea could not be heard. Then he asked one of the
students sitting near Swami's chair to request Swami. The student
gathered courage and did so. Bhagawan smiled and nodded His
approval. The Vice-Chancellor went over to the podium and prayed to
Bhagawan to deliver His Divine Message.

It was 5.50 p.m. when Bhagawan stood up and took His position behind
the mike. What followed in the next twenty minutes was a flow of
Love and Wisdom. The main points in Bhagawan's Discourse were as
follows:

Nata Pamsi Na Theertanam ………

There are many noble souls who perform penance, study sacred texts,
perform Japa and Dhyana and go to pilgrim centers. But none of them
were able to attain the Lord without serving noble souls.

Today our students are very fortunate as they have had the
opportunity of Darshan and Sambhashan of such a noble man. There are
many Bharatiyas who could redeem their lives by the Darshan,
Sparshan and Sambhashan of great and holy men. He (Sant Asharam
Bapu) has come all the way from Gujarat and has shared his message
with the students. His message is very essential for the students.
He has a cool heart! In this Kali age when devotion and sincerity
are disappearing and atheism and perversion are becoming order of
the day, his teachings are very relevant and important.

However, merely by Darshan or Sparshan or Sambhashan, our needs
cannot be fructified, our desires cannot be fulfilled. All the three
put together can pacify our hearts.

There are nine paths of devotion laid down for mankind. Sravanam,
Keertanam, Vishnu Smaranam, Pada Sevanam, Vandanam, Archanam,
Daasyam, Sneham and Atma Nivedanam.

Modern generation students are highly intelligent. If they use this
intelligence properly, they can redeem their lives. For this life,
spirituality is most important. However, today students take to the
wrong path and indulge in unnecessary arguments.

Divine Grace flows only through true Love. Love is God's gift to
mankind and is the royal pathway to reach God! Students should have
faith to tread on this royal roadway and get liberated. Students,
bookish knowledge alone is not enough. It gives only information. To
acquire Divine Grace, textual knowledge must be converted to
practical knowledge. Prema is very important. Man has achieved so
much through Love. He has been able to win over Mind and Nature
through Love. The mind can never be controlled through bad practices
and bad company. Love grows through spiritual practices. It never
diminishes. What I am referring to is not worldly love but spiritual
Love. Love God as your own Mother and Father. This Love is ever new
and spiritual.

Develop such Love from dawn to dusk. Consider everyone as yours. The
whole world can become One only by Love. Love is the only way!

Students, you all are struggling hard to acquire mere secular
knowledge. But all this is negative. What we need most, is positive!
Divine Love, Peace, Compassion, Forbearance, etc. are imminent in
us. We must foster them by constant practice. Love alone can
transform the mind of man. You all know the nature of mind. It is so
strong and powerful. However, it can be controlled or conditioned
through Love. Students, direct your Love towards the Divine. So many
direct their love towards information and mere secular knowledge.
Can they attain the Lord? God submits to Love alone, not to anything
else. There is no power higher than Love.

The world is full of worry. Birth, death, life, childhood, family
life, old age, difficult times, action,…. everything is full of
worry. All these worries can be done away with, by thinking of God.
Today we are not fostering this Love for God. You may acquire
secular knowledge but true education lies in acquiring that which is
eternal.

Many such elderly, mighty and powerful people have gone around the
world and spread the message of spirituality. All people should
follow their advice that is sourced from the Sastras and the
Upanishads. Their advice and words of wisdom should be taken as a
benchmark.

You may feel proud of your English language and your communication
skills, but all that is useless if there is no Love. Pride is
ruining man today. It is only Love that can take man to greater
heights. Keep this Love as your true goal. Love may appear to be
simple but there is no power greater than this Love!!

Bhagawan concluded His Divine Discourse with the Bhajan `Prema
Mudita Mana Se Kaho.' It was 6.10 p.m. Swami signaled for Bhajans.
Boys started singing Bhajans. The first one was `Eswara Allah Eka
Tumhi Ho….'. Sant Asharam Bapu was enjoying the Bhajans and he too
was singing. Looking at him seated beside Bhagawan, we felt a
strange experience. The Lord Himself and His powerful instrument
next to Him. Sant Asharam Bapu was smiling and was having a Blissful
face and next to him was the very source of this Bliss!! It indeed
was a very lucky day for all of us.

We always have Bhagawan – the Ultimate with us, but when we see His
message being practiced and preached by one among us, it makes us
feel very nice and pumps us with hope that we too can rise to higher
levels!

Prasadam was distributed to all. Bhagawan got up and moved towards
the Golf Cart and as He went along, He enquired Asharam Bapu about
his return journey. Swami got into the golf cart and glided away
towards the Poornachandra Hall. The sun set on yet another holy day
at the Temple of Peace.

Sairam

Source: http://guru-charitra.tripod.com/asaramji/asaramji-bapu.htm


Photographs - Divine Darshan on September 15, 2004
http://www.sssbpt.org/Pages/Prasanthi_Nilayam/Discourse_Photos.htm

http://www.saibaba.ws/reports/2004/asharambabu.htm

Answers from the Divine Guru

(Compiled from various meetings with Sri Sathya Sai Baba)

Question 1
Why are some people born more beautiful, or more intelligent, than
others are? Why does not God give everyone equal beauty, abilities
and talents?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
It is not God's partiality or fault. It is the human being who is
responsible. His actions, thoughts and words are responsible for all
good and bad. It is the mind that creates the differences. Pleasure
is an interval between two pains. It is the way you look at things
that matters.

There is a vast ocean of talents and qualities. All human beings
have vessels to fill. Some people, through their actions, are able
to fill the vessels to the brim; some fill only half; others can
fill only a quarter, or less. They possess intelligence, beauty,
talents, and etceteras, according to how much they can fill their
vessels.

You even judge beauty these days, as in Miss India, Miss World. But,
that is all physical beauty, which is transient. What is important
is the beauty of the atma (Self).

Question 2
How are good or bad actions carried into the next birth?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
Swaasha (breath) carries the actions, for the breath stops when a
person dies. The body is still there after death and we call it a
corpse and burn it as useless. So, the body cannot carry anything
with it, just as a flower cannot carry its fragrance. It is a breeze
that wafts the scent of the flower and makes its fragrance reach
you. Similarly, imagine a municipal lorry, the breeze carries the
bad odour to you again! In the same manner, good and bad actions are
carried by the breath and surround you in the next birth like an
invisible garland. The pattern of your life is then governed by what
the garland has good or bad scent.

That is why man must understand that everything he does has a
reaction, a reverberation and a reflection. It is he who writes his
own destiny by his actions. It is essential for man to live a good
life with good thoughts and good actions. Only through such a life
can he realise the divinity in him. The concept Aham Brahmasmi (I am
Brahma = God) is also incorrect, since it indicates duality. Aham
(I) and Brahma (God) become separate. The statement ought to he Aham
Aham (I am I).

Question 3
Many people feel that Hindus worship countless gods. How did this
happen?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
India has a wonderful religious tradition. It has something for
everyone, to suit everyone's needs. Many people do not understand
this excellent idea and make derisory comments on our having too
many gods. This tradition has evolved to suit the needs of different
people, just as we have shirts of varying types and sizes to fit
different people. With the ideal of One God, there is only one shirt
and, if it does not fit or if it is unsuitable, people turn away
from God. But, here, if someone likes Krishna, they can worship
Krishna; others can worship Rama, or Narayana, or Shiva, or even
snakes and lions! What more do you need to propagate the idea that
God is in everything everywhere? That is why I often say don't
worship God as a picture, but worship the picture as God. This will
slowly lead to the realization of God in you. That is where the
Hindu spiritual path is practical and good.

Question 4
Why does not God prevent cruelties in the world?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
God is only a witness (saakshibhoota). He does not act. Man acts
according to the dictates of his intellect (buddhi) and himself
suffers the consequences of his actions (karma). There is neither
good nor bad for God. Take the knife as an example. A murderer uses
a knife to kill another man, a slaughterer uses a knife to slay
animals, a surgeon uses a knife to amputate, and a cook uses a knife
to chop vegetables. If a magnet is placed among all these knives, it
will attract them all equally and not according to the kind of tasks
they perform. God is like this magnet. All knives are the same to
Him. However, the hands that wield the knives have to bear the
consequences of their actions, dependent on right and wrong.

Question 5
When we have troubles and are in difficulties and we pray to God,
why does He not take them away'?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
Troubles and difficulties are part and parcel of human life. They
are the results of your karmas. There is no point in praying to God
to wipe away all such troubles and difficulties. The right type of
prayer would be to ask God for courage and strength to bear all the
difficulties, problems and tragedy with equanimity.

Question 6
What is the difference between the politics of yesterday and those
of today?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
The present state of affairs can be described as the state of jumps
and bumps. Now, take the example of your body and limbs. Each limb
is important in forming the composite whole. All the limbs joined
together make up the body, which is the deha (body, person).
Similarly, in the desha (country, nation), every aspect should be
tended to, just as one takes care of every part of the body.

Question7
The view that women should not take ups Brahma vidya (spiritual
knowledge), nor chants the Omkara. Is this correct? Also, in ancient
times, were spiritual sadhanas (endeavours) forbidden to women?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
Brahma vidya and chitta shuddhi (spiritual knowledge and purity of
consciousness) do not depend on whether a person is a man or a
woman. All have an equal right to benefit from Brahma vidya provided
only they are able to take it up with discipline and dedication. At
no time have there been any taboos against women. Lord Vishnu (the
Preserver) taught Bhu Devi (the Goddess Earth) the glory of the
Bhagavad- Gita. Parameshwara (Shiva) taught Parvati the Brahma tatva
(divine essence) through the Guru Gita. Ishwara (Shiva) initiated
Parvati into yoga shastra and mantra shastra (science of yoga and
science of mantra). The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad mentions
Yajnavalkya teaching Maitreyi the Brahma vidya. So, women in ancient
times were not denied the pursuit of spirituality.

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad mentions Ciargi and Maitreyi hasking in
the splendour of sannyasa (renunciation) and brahmacharya (celibacy,
chastity). Madaalasa Chudaala and others were able to receive Brahma
jnana (divine wisdom) while in the grahastha (householder, i.e.
married) stage of life. Even today, there are many that belong to
this vast category. It is sheer absurdity to deny women the right to
earn Brahma jnana. But, in worldly matters, it is necessary for them
to maintain certain limitations in the interests of dharma
(righteousness) and loka kalyana (the good of the people/world). For
the sake of safeguarding morality and for the social health of the
world, women have to accept some restrictions. This is not to say
that there is any fundamental inferiority in them.

Even pundits acquire their jnana through the reverential homage they
pay to the feminine deity Saraswati. The divine patrons of learning,
prosperity and wisdom are all feminine: Saraswati, Lakshmi and
Parvati. This should show the reverence paid to women.

Question 8
Why does Swami give gifts?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
Gifts of rings and pendants are an expression of Swami's love... It
is not that Swami wants to draw people to him with gifts. When you
wish to show affection to your son, or if you want to make someone
happy, you make him a sports shirt or buy him a present, do you not?
Swami also wants to bring happiness in this manner.

Question 9
Does a gift also act as a protective talisman?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
Yes! 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 specific reasons: for the sake
of a devotee's health, or I may give someone a gem stone so that
rays from it may constantly influence him or her to follow the right
path. I want to tell you that whatever Swami does has a purpose. He
never does anything without reason.

Question 10
Why does Swami give vibhuti?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
Flowers, leaves, fruit and other edibles have a temporary life. Even
water breeds germs if kept in a vessel for days. Only vibhuti
remains unchanged, as it is the final result of the five elements of
creation. Our desires have to be reduced to ashes and vibhuti is
symbolic of this detachment and renunciation. One's mind has to
become desireless and detached like the ashes in which everything is
burnt out. It is that kind of pure mind that has to be offered to
God.

Question 11
Is it necessary to perform pujas (ritual worship) and ceremonies?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
Everything depends on the individual concerned. Whatever he or she
does has to be done with faith and sincere devotion. God cannot be
fooled with mere ritual.

Question 12
What about ceremonies and rites for the dead? Is it wrong not to
perform them?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
This again depends on one's mental attitude. After a person leaves
the body, the soul takes birth and takes on a new body somewhere
else. You must know this. Upto now you must have had so many lives,
you must have been a mother and a daughter so very many times.

What is required really is gratitude to one's parents, by
remembering them on the day of their death. Though they may shed
these bodies in which they are your parents, you still owe them the
debts of having given birth to you and of having given you their
blood to give you your present form.

You can express this gratitude through the ceremonial shraadha rite,
or by any other method, even by thinking of them with sincere and
loving gratitude on the death anniversary. It is heartfelt feeling
that is important.

Question 13
Why doesn't God make people suffer for their sins in the same
lifetime? Why in other lives when they cannot know why they suffer?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
Then how would you account for the punya (good deeds) they do? They
Have to enjoy the benefits of their punya, too! All that may not
always be Possible in one lifetime....

Question 14
Why does Swami have more restrictions for women? They do not have
easy access to Swami!

Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
Everyone has the same kind of access to Swami. This does not depend
on their being men or women. Everyone receives the same grace,
depending on their devotion, their need, or their work.

Question 14 (continued)
Swami may say so; that nevertheless women have more hurdles to
overcome when they want to convey something to Swami.

There are times when the man who stands next to me never catches my
attention, as hard as he may try; while a devotee sitting far away
in a corner amid a crowd easily catches it. It all depends on who
has to receive what and when. Everything happens according to that
will, not because of the physical form of man or woman.

Also these differences are visible to you at your level of
consciousness. For Swami, these are not differences that count. The
atma is not different in man or woman. The atma is eternally
conscious, pure and self-effulgent. The atma is neither masculine
nor feminine, nor yet neutral. It is only the body that limits,
deludes and wears names.

Question 15
What is the principal cause of all troubles and sorrow?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
Attachment and ego are the main causes. Jealousy is another factor.

Question 16
How can jealousy be conquered?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
By having love for everyone, by thinking of others with love and
wishing them well. More than all, by realizing that jealousy is
physically most harmful. It does damage your internal system and,
later on, you will have to suffer the karma of the bad things caused
by your jealousy.

Question 17
Why has God created bad traits and negative tendencies in humans?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
These are results of man's own actions. God is only a witness to
events. Human beings are themselves responsible for the good and the
bad in them. Remember that the things you do not do can never hurt
you.

Question 18
But Swami says that there is nothing good or bad!

Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
Yes! This is from God's point of view. For humans, this is a
relative matter, since what is good for one may be bad for another.
What is good at one time may be bad in another season. Good and bad
are thus two states take two fruits, phalam, which are good. Once
they are eaten and digested, they become excreta, malam, and that is
bad.

Question 19
Scientists say that something cannot he created out of nothing.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
Yes, hut what they think of, as nothing is really anything. There is
no nothingness in the Universe. The scientist makes such statements
because, with his limited vision, he cannot see all things or know
them.

Both science and spirituality begin as inquiry, 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. It is like a small piece of cloth you can see protruding from
a fist: you can only conjecture about the whole, its looks and size,
for it is hidden and you cannot see it.

Question 20
But, science has made many advances flights to the moon and other
planets, for instance.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
Yes. Whatever science has done for humanity is to be welcomed, hut
it is still a growing and advancing field. Scientists used to say
that you couldnt split the atom and today that is no longer true.
The scientist learns as he progresses.

Today's investigations become old tomorrow and lead to new
investigations, which will become old the day after tomorrow. There
is no end to this, and so the truth lies in something that contains
within it both the old and the new. God alone envelops the old and
the new and so the best way to advance is Godward.

http://www.saibaba.ws/teachings/answerfromthedivineguru.htm

Mauritius to have Shirdi Sai Baba temple

Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, September 15

Mauritius will soon have a Shirdi Sai Baba temple of its own.

The temple, which would be constructed by an Indo-Mauritius Cultural
Association, would serve to strengthen ties between India and
Mauritius.

"We have decided to take a leap in terms of spreading peace,
brotherhood and harmony across the world," said a statement from the
association.

Of the 1.2 million population of the Indian Ocean island nation, 68
percent are of Indian origin.

The headquarters of the faith based on the life of Indian mystic Sai
Baba, who died in 1918, is at Shirdi, 296 km from Mumbai.

© HT Media Ltd. 2004.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/5967_1007248,001600060001.htm

Sai Ram !!

Thanks alot for the Quotations on faith !

Its something which cant be stressed enough - to have supreme faith and
surrender in Swami.

Jai Sai Ram !!



indrani sherry jagdeo.








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108 Quotations on Faith in God
From Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourses

– 91 –

There is no meaning in worshipping God as Sathyaswaroopa (the
embodiment of Truth), and not adhering to truth in daily life.
Dharma (righteousness) is born from truth. This righteousness
emanates from the heart.

Righteousness promotes self-satisfaction. It is an expression of
self-consciousness. Have faith in the promptings of this divine
consciousness. No one should act against the dictates of his
conscience. Acting in violation of the conscience is evil. Action
according to the conscience is righteous. True worship consists
therefore in doing what is right as dictated by your conscience.
Divorce between thought and speech is ungodly. There should be
complete accord between thought word and deed.

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

From: Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourse on 23.11.1988
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume XXI, Chapter 33: Let The Conscience Rule,
Section: Let conscience rule your actions.
Online: http://sathyasai.org/search/volume21/sss21-33.pdf

---------------

108 Quotations on Faith in God
From Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourses

– 92 –

Students! To the extent possible serve the society. Of course, you
need to take up jobs and earn your livelihood. But do not be
avaricious for money. Be satisfied with what you get. Alexander
conquered many kingdoms and seized a lot of wealth. When his end
approached, he realised that he could not take even a single penny
with him. He requested his ministers to keep his two hands raised
above the head during the final journey so that the people would
understand and that even the mighty emperor Alexander had to leave
the world empty-handed. Likewise, everyone has to le this world
empty-handed. Even a millionaire has to partake of only food; he
cannot sustain himself eating gold. So, be satisfied with the basic
necessities of food, clothing and shelter. Do your jobs properly and
undertake service activities in your leisure time. Develop faith in
God. If you do not have faith in God, you will not have fear of sin.
Then you will become a demon. So, fear of sin and love for God is
very essential. If you have these two, you will be successful in all
your endeavours. Consider every good work as God's work.

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

From: Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourse on 26.07.1999
Human Values and Education, Section: The Method and the means.
Sanathana Sarathi, September 1999, Page 240.
Online: http://sathyasai.org/discour/1999/d990726.html

---------------

108 Quotations on Faith in God
From Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourses

– 93 –

The Lord rushes towards the bhaktha (devotee) faster than the
bhaktha rushes towards Him. If you take one step towards Him, He
takes a hundred steps towards you! He will be more than a mother or
father. He will foster you from within you, as He has saved and
fostered so many saints who have placed faith in Him.

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

From: Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourse on 8.9.1963
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume III, Chapter 23: You and I
Section: Submit to the Will of God in a resigned way.
Online: http://sathyasai.org/search/volume03/sss03-23.pdf

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108 Quotations on Faith in God
From Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourses

– 94 –

Anxiety is removed by faith in the Lord; the faith that tells you
that whatever happens is for the best and that the Lord's Will be
done. Quiet acceptance is the best armour against anxiety; not the
acceptance of the heroic. Sorrow springs from egoism, the feeling
that you do not deserve to be treated so badly, that you are left
helpless. When egoism goes, sorrow disappears. Ignorance is just a
mistake, mistaken identity of the body as the Self!

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

From: Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourse on April 1957
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume I, Chapter 4: Divine Life,
Section: Faith in the Almighty will remove anxiety.
Online: http://sathyasai.org/search/volume01/sss01-04.pdf

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108 Quotations on Faith in God
From Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourses

– 95 –

If you take Krishna to be a Gopaala (cowherd), a man of the world
like others, then for you he will be just a cowherd! You too climb
only up to that stage. You have to take it in the yogic sense
that "Go" in Gopaala means "Jeevi" (living being) and therefore,
Gopaala means "He who protects, guides, feeds and fosters the
jeevis"; that is to say, "He who is the protector and preserver of
beings." You will have noticed that Uddhava, who looked upon Krishna
as his Guru, benefitted more than Arjuna who looked upon Him as
a 'sakha' (a friend). If you have faith that He is God, He will be
God to you; if you dismiss Him as mere man, He takes on that role
and becomes useless for you. Search for Him with the heart, not with
the eye for externals.

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

From: Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourse on 29.09.1960
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume I, Chapter 30: Sathya Sai Geetha (ii),
Section: Introductory Section.
Online: http://sathyasai.org/search/volume01/sss01-30.pdf

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108 Quotations on Faith in God
From Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourses

– 96 –

Every country is a limb in the Body of God; He is conscious of the
slightest pain or sensation in the most distant part of creation,
for that too is His Body. He is Lokesha (Lord of the Universe). He
is the secret spring within all activity. Have faith in this and
cultivate samarasa (broadest Love), towards all. See that you do not
give up Love, or deviate from dharma (virtue). Earn artha
(prosperity) adhering to dharma and have always only one wish: to
get liberated; that is the way to realise the four Purushaarthas
(goals of life). Let dharma dominate artha and moksha (liberation)
dominate kaama (carnal desire); then, your life will be a success. I
have told this so often but just as one has to take food every day,
this too has to be spoken again and again. You wash your face again
and again, is it not? So too, this advice has to be given again and
again. The Vedhas too repeat the essential teachings often so that
they may sink into the minds of men.

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

From: Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourse on 30.04.1961
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume II, Chapter 8: Start Sathsangha,
Section: Cultivate the broadest love towards all.
Online: http://sathyasai.org/search/volume02/sss02-08.pdf

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108 Quotations on Faith in God
From Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourses

– 97 –

Make yourselves into a garland and I shall be the thread holding all
the flowers together. Consider yourselves the children of one
mother, belonging to the human family. Do not give room for
differences of race, creed and nationality. All belong to the caste
of humanity, the religion of love and the language of the heart. The
same object, water, is called by different names in different
languages. Likewise God is one, whatever the name that is used -
whether Allah, Jesus, Buddha or Raama - have that faith. Don't
criticize any religion. By developing this universalism, bring joy
to Bhagavaan.

Many overseas devotees greeted me in the morning with "Happy
Birthday." I am always happy. It is enough if you are happy True
happiness consists in union with God.

From today you have to take to a new path. You must spend your lives
in harmony, co-operation and mutual esteem. See the Divine in all
things. That is the source of true and lasting bliss. It can be got
only through Love.

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

From: Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourse on 23.11.1995
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume XXVIII, Chapter 36: Love and sacrifice
will save mankind,
Section: "Your welfare is your gift to Me".
Online: http://sathyasai.org/search/volume28/sss28-36.pdf

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108 Quotations on Faith in God
From Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourses

– 98 –

Faith in God implies recognition of the omnipresence, of the Divine
in the universe and seeking to experience that divinity within one's
self. The Divine is One, though it may be called by many names. It
must be realised that God is all-pervasive and nothing exists
without the power of the Divine. One should not allow one's faith in
God to be affected by the ups and downs of life. All troubles should
be treated as tests and challenges to be faced with courage and
faith.

You should learn from the example of Ranthi Deva, who retained his
faith in God and exhibited his compassion for the suffering despite
the extreme privation to which he was reduced by the vicissitudes of
life. To feed a hungry man, he and his family gave up the meagre
food they had gathered and denied themselves even water, to relieve
the thirst of a man crying for water. The Divine had subjected him
to these ordeals and later blessed him with grace.

Prahlada was unaffected by all tortures to which he was subjected
because he saw in everybody and everything in the form of Vishnu. He
exemplifies the strength derived from the love of God to the
exclusion of everything. Worldly love is blind and fickle. Divine
love is all-embracing and defies description. When the heart is
freed of all impurities, it can experience the Divine. It will revel
in the bliss of that experience and will not seek any other trivial
pleasure. When one is immersed in the nectar of divine love, he
experiences ineffable bliss. Such a person experiences
Saakshaatkaaram (direct experience) of the Divine.

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

om: Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourse on 3.6.1986
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume XIX, Chapter 11: Spiritual Pancha Sheela,
Section: All troubles should be treated as tests.
Online: http://www.sathyasai.org/search/volume19/sss19-11.pdf

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108 Quotations on Faith in God
From Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourses

– 99 –

Thyaagaraaja used to address Raama in all his Keerthanas in the
singular. In the famous Keerthana "Raara maa intidhaaka", he invites
Raama in familiar terms to come to his house (after he had recovered
the image of Raama from the Cauvery river). The familiarity is an
expression of his devotion to Raama.

You must look upon God as an "Old friend." There is no greater
friend in the world than God. God only looks at the purity of your
loving devotion. Treat the universe as your text-book and your heart
as your teacher. There will be no need to seek God elsewhere. All
that devotees need to do is to use all their limbs and organs of
perception to experience the Divine. Tulsidas used to lament that as
long as he did not use his limbs to experience God he was a useless
cripple.

No devotee should allow his faith in God to weaken under any
circumstances. You will achieve victory by facing any adverse
circumstance with faith in God.

Embodiments of Love! Foster intense faith in God. All other beliefs
are of no avail.

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

From: Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourse on 23.9.1997
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume XXX, Chapter 23: Foster firm faith in God,
Section: Look upon God as a friend.
Online: http://www.sathyasai.org/search/volume30/sss30-23.pdf

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108 Quotations on Faith in God
From Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourses

– 100 –

Gayatri Mantra is highly sacred. As Sastri Garu pointed out, Gayatri
Mantra contains the essence of all the Mantras. Gayathri is the
embodiment of all Gods and Goddesses. Just as a single thread runs
through all the flowers in a garland, the same divine power exists
in all the god forms. Understand this unity in diversity. One who
has understood this unity will never be put to suffering. Develop
faith in God. Do not get carried away by what others say. Follow the
dictates of your conscience.

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

From: Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourse on 10.02.2000:
Significance of Gayatri Mantra,
Sanathana Sarathi, March 2000, Page 73
Online: http://www.eaisai.com/baba/docs/d000210.html

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108 Quotations on Faith in God
From Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourses

– 101 –

Love God and fear none. Only the guilty need fear. Why fear when you
are innocent? Without any fear in your hearts, meditate on God. This
is the royal road to the Divine in the Kali Yuga.

There is no protector like the Divine. This was demonstrated in the
case of Dhraupadhi, when none of her valiant husbands or others came
to her rescue and Krishna alone saved her from humiliation.

The Lord alone is the saviour of the helpless and the forlorn. Do
not waver in your faith in the Lord in any circumstance. Go ahead
with your tasks with faith and determination.

God tests people in many ways. They are intended only to promote
your spiritual progress. None can affect God in any way. Why lose
your faith in Him? They are signs of weakness. Give no room for such
unfortunate doubts. Strengthen your faith and realise God by your
devotion.

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

From: Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourse on 10.8.1993:
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume XXVI, Chapter 27: Inscrutable are the ways
of the Lord,
Section: Love God and fear none.
Online: http://sathyasai.org/search/volume26/sss26-27.pdf

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108 Quotations on Faith in God
From Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourses

– 102 –

Bhaarath has been built on the foundation of Dharma (righteousness),
laid down by sages like Naarada and Vaalmeeki, teaching the people
that one should not enthuse over victory or droop over defeat, that
both are to be welcomed as tests of one's faith in God. This is a
land where faith in God is imbibed at the mother's breast by every
child since millennia, and, so, it will never give way to despair
and grief. It will rely on the Lord within and discover
inexhaustible reinforcements of courage within each heart. The final
victory is for those who have faith in the invincible Aathman,
Reality. Such men will have no hate in their hearts; they will only
be sad that others are greedy and envious and their prayers will be
for the granting of wisdom, humility and love to their opponents: "O
God, grant them sad-buddhi, discrimination, the power of cool, calm
judgement."

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

From: Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourse on 26.9.1965:
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume V, Chapter 37: Where the mind ends,
Section: India is destined to be a huge Prashaanthi Nilayam.
Online: http://www.sathyasai.org/search/volume05/sss05-37.pdf

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108 Quotations on Faith in God
From Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourses

– 103 –

Have firm faith in God. An animal which had full faith in God became
Nandi (the Bull), the vehicle of Lord Shiva. A monkey by the
constant repetition of Sri Rama's name became the adorable Hanuman.
Prahlada, the scion of the Asura (demonic) clan, became divine by
his unconquerable faith in God. If such transformation can take
place, why should not men become truly human? The fault lies in the
perverted thinking of human beings and not in the divinity that is
inherent in them.

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

From: Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourse on 22.11.1987:
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume XX, Chapter 28: Spiritualise Education,
Section: Transform yourselves into men of virtue.
Online: http://www.sathyasai.org/search/volume20/sss20-28.pdf

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108 Quotations on Faith in God
From Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourses

– 104 –

Want of steady faith is what drives people to drugs and books. There
is a story about Raadha and her faith in Krishna. The elders in
Brindaavan who revelled in scandalising Krishna--successors have
been born for them even now--set an ordeal for Raadha to test her
virtue. She was given a mud pot with a hundred holes and asked to
bring water in that pot, from the Yamuna to her house! She was so
full of the Krishna-consciousness that she never knew the condition
of the pot. She immersed it in the river, repeating the name of
Krishna as usual with every intake of the breath and every
exhalation. Every time the name Krishna was uttered, a hole was
covered, so that by the time the pot was full, it was whole! That
was the measure of her faith. Faith can affect even inanimate
objects.

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

From: Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourse on 16.4.1964
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume IV, Chapter 17: His residential address,
Section: Royal road to achieve the Truth.
Online: http://sathyasai.org/search/volume04/sss04-17.pdf

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108 Quotations on Faith in God
From Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourses

– 105 –

In your eyes, Hiranyakasipu and others may appear to be demons. But
in the view of the Divine they may appear as persons who help the
devotees to affirm their faith in God. The Lord makes an example of
the demons to teach the devotees the truth of the Spirit. The good
is wedged in between two bad things. Pleasure is an interval between
two pains. Indeed, if there had been no Hiranyaksha and
Hiranyakasipu, there would have been no occasion for the advent of
the Narasimha Avatar to bless Prahlada. Without hatred on the one
side, the power of faith on the other cannot be demonstrated.
Although Prahlada's father, Hiranyakasipu, subjected his son, a
great devotee of God, to numerous ordeals, Prahlada emerged from
them as an ideal lover of God, who acquired undying glory.
Hiranyakasipu was the instrument for revealing the greatness of
Prahlada. The Lord creates hostile forces to demonstrate the power
of faith in the Divine and to confer peace and plenty on the
believers.

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

From: Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourse on 28.6.1989
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume XXII, Chapter 20: Brahmamayam Jagath,
Section: Demons teach devotees the Divine power.
Online: http://sathyasai.org/search/volume22/sss22-20.pdf

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108 Quotations on Faith in God
From Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourses

– 106 –

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 cherish are truthfulness in speech, charity for the hands
and listening to sacred lore for the ears.

Develop faith in your divinity. Then you will redeem your life.
Follow your conscience. Make your heart pure.

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

From: Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourse on 1.1.1996
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume XXIX, Chapter 1: The triple purity,
Section: The three ornaments to cherish.
Online: http://sathyasai.org/search/volume29/sss29-01.pdf

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108 Quotations on Faith in God
From Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourses

– 107 –

Develop love for God. Don't give up your devotion to God even if
others ridicule you on that account. Don't lose faith in Him when
you are in difficulties. Consider everything - pain and pleasure,
loss and gain, joy and sorrow - as God's Prasad (divine gift of
grace). Don't forget to chant His Name under any circumstances.
God's Name is the only reliable boat to ferry you across the river
of life.

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

From: Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Summer Showers in Brindavan 1990,
Chapter: Ascent of Man,
Paragraph 13

---------------

108 Quotations on Faith in God
From Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourses

– 108 –

Embodiments of Divine Love! Do not give room for the doubts which
arise on account of the food you consume, the company you keep or
the environment in which you live. Meet the doubts with courage and
faith.

Don't pray to Baba for changing your mind. It is your duty to change
your mind. If you expect Baba to do everything, what is it you are
doing? God has no use for such indolent persons. You must do your
sadhana and go ahead. God's help will come when you do your part. Do
your duty and leave the results to God. Praying to God to do this or
that is a sign of weakness.

If you have full faith in God, your mind is bound to change. Baba's
role is not to change your minds, but to redeem you from the
consequences of your actions. Everyone should realise and act up to
this truth. To start with, get rid of the blemishes in you,
strengthen your devotion and make it firm and unshakeable. That is
Purusha prayathna (the effort which everyone should make). Then you
will earn Daivaanugraha (God's grace).

Entering on this path of truth, traversing the road of Jnaana
(spiritual wisdom), merge yourself in the Divine.

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

From: Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourse on 6.10.1992
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume XXV, Chapter 34: How Devotees Are Tested
and Found Wanting,
Section: God has no use for indolent persons
Online: http://sathyasai.org/search/volume25/sss25-34.pdf

---------------

Courtesy: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/

Krishna Janmashtami Divine Discourse 2

God Protects those who Protect Sathya and Dharma

No visit to any pilgrim centre, no penance, no Yogic practice, no
study of sacred texts nor charitable acts will help you in crossing
over the ocean of Samsara, but the service rendered to the noble.


                  (Sanskrit Sloka)

Embodiments of Love!
You would have read in sacred texts that Ravana was a master of four
Vedas and six Sastras. Having learnt these sacred texts, was there
any transformation in him? No. Instead of developing Daivatva
(divine qualities), he developed Danavatva (demonic qualities). The
ten heads of Ravana symbolised four Vedas and six Sastras. In the
decisive battle, Rama severed Ravana's heads since he did not put
into practice the knowledge he had acquired. Mere learning of sacred
texts and chanting of Vedas will not bring about any transformation.
In order to drive home this message, Rama cut off with his arrows
Ravana's ten heads. It is only right at the end. Just before his
spirit left his body did Ravana recognise his faults and repented
for them and became sacred thereby. All that God preaches is for the
benefit and welfare of humanity. Therefore, it is enough if one puts
into practice at least one of the teachings of the Vedas. It should
be a natural trait for everyone to put into practice the divine
teachings.

In Prasanthi Nilayam, you find that even the Primary school children
join the senior students in chanting Vedas. They know all Vedas, but
they do not have the required knowledge to put them into practice.
Mere recitation of the Vedas is of little use.

Only God exists everywhere and at all times. The world is but an
illusion. The sacred teaching that God exists everywhere should be
propagated to everyone. You find many Sadhakas (spiritual aspirants)
chanting and teaching the Vedas. Consider this example: a cassette
tape or a disc merely plays, but does not experience the melody. It
would be fruitless if one does not practise what he preaches. So,
one should recognise, understand and practice the sacred teachings.
Lord Krishna put into practice what He propagated and also insisted
that everyone should follow suit. You find many elders in the
Mahabharata who were great scholars themselves, but, failed to put
into practice the knowledge they acquired. The same is the position
today. God has no preferences or no dislike whatsoever. All are
equal for Him. But, He watches to see how much a person puts into
practice what he has learnt. Many people study sacred texts, go on
pilgrimage, perform penance, repeat God's Name, but what is the use?
Many ask Me for a Japamala (rosary). Is it to adorn your neck for
publicity or is it for spiritual experience? One hand is enough for
one who wants to practise this Sadhana. (At this point, Swami
demonstrated with His hand as to how one should do Namasmarana.) The
five fingers of the hand contain nine Aksharas (letters) which are
further divided into twelve Brahmas and this makes up to hundred and
eight beads of the rosary. Chanting the name of Rama nine times
twelve will make up to one hundred and eight. This Sadhana requires
neither a Japamala nor a fixed place. It can be done while walking
or even while lying down till you go to sleep. When there are such
easy and sacred paths, why should one go for strenuous Sadhanas
foregoing sleep?

Droupadi is known for her chastity. She has protected her husbands
in many ways. After the gruesome massacre of the young Pandava
children, Arjuna tracked down Aswatthama, the perpetrator of the
atrocity, and dragged him before Droupadi. Instead of cursing the
evildoer and pronouncing punishment for him, she fell at the feet of
Aswatthama, the son of her husbands' most revered Guru, and said:

It is at the feet of your father, Dronacharya that my husbands have
learnt all that they know. Being the son of Dronacharya, was it
proper to kill my children. How could you have the heart to kill
them who were unharmed, young, quietly asleep, were not having any
grudge against you, and were not contemplating any harm to
you?
                                (Telugu poem)

When Droupadi was praying like this, Bhima could not bear to see
this. Exploding in anger, Bhima roared:

This Droupadi is a stupid woman, for she pleads for this wretch's
freedom. She feels no anger against this murderer of her
sons.
                             (Telugu poem)

When Arjuna was about to kill Aswatthama, Droupadi fell at his feet
and reasoned with him thus: "Arjuna! Will my sons be revived by
killing Aswatthama? His mother too would experience the same kind of
sorrow that I am undergoing at the loss of my sons. Having studied
the Vedas and Sastras, how is it that you are not able to maintain
your tranquillity?"

The body is made up of five elements and is bound to perish sooner
or later, but the Indweller has neither birth nor death. The
Indweller has no attachment whatsoever and is the Eternal Witness.
Truly speaking, the Indweller who is in the form of the Atma is
verily God Himself.


                    (Telugu poem)

Thus, Droupadi pleaded with Arjuna to forgive Aswatthama for his
heinous act. Arjuna replied, "You are preventing me from keeping up
my vow." To this Droupadi said, "Tonsuring his head and removing the
crown jewel from his head is equivalent to killing him." Arjuna paid
heed to Droupadi's advice and as a token punishment shaved
Aswatthama's head, took his crown jewel and sent him away.

What is Papa (sin)? Hurting, abusing and killing others is sin. What
is Punya (merit)? Helping others is merit. Therefore, one should not
retaliate to an evil act with an evil act. Instead, one should be
magnanimous in forgiving the offender. There are many such sacred
teachings in the Mahabharata.

There are many such noble women like Droupadi. She stands as an
ideal for all women. Why are we forgetting the teachings of such
great women? Today, women are treated as mere puppets. But they are
full of courage, valour, sacrifice, determination and righteousness.
Have you ever cared to recognise the power latent in women? Men do
not possess such valour and courage of women. It is because of such
great women that our Bharatiya culture is held in high esteem.
Otherwise, it would have declined long ago. Did you ever recognise
the fact that women are endowed with such great powers as courage,
valour, determination and righteousness? These qualities are not to
be easily found in men. Why? Most of them are afflicted with the
disease of anger, which is ruining them.

One with anger will not be successful in any of his endeavours. He
will commit sins and will be derided by one and
all.
                                                   (Telugu poem)

It is possible that women may also succumb to anger and indulge in
sinful deeds, now and then. Such people should be pardoned and
encouraged to make amends, not denounced and condemned. The quality
of patience and perseverance in women is great. In fact, it is the
quality of equanimity in times of difficulty that was characteristic
of the Droupadi, which saved the Pandavas. There are several such
women even in present times also. The bad qualities of anger,
passion, jealousy, envy and pride are more prominent in men. Women
are able to control such evil qualities from overtaking them. Under
the circumstances is it not our duty to encourage and honour such
women who preserve and promote peace and harmony? On the contrary,
women are belittled and slighted. No, no, this should not happen.
Such women with noble qualities deserve to be encouraged and upheld.

A few days ago, you had witnessed a function in this Hall, where the
glory of womanhood was highlighted. A playlet was put up in this
Hall by Chethana, in which the greatness of mother Sita, as the
ideal woman, was presented. Sita and Droupadi were great
Pathivrathas (women of chastity). Such efforts to highlight the
greatness of women need to be encouraged.

Sathya and Dharma (truth and righteousness) are the greatest
characteristics of Indian culture. If these two are protected, the
country can be saved from degeneration. If you want to protect your
country, you need not join the army and fight a battle. If truth and
righteousness that are inherent in you are protected, they
themselves will protect the country. It is not great to kill the
enemies in a war. First and foremost, protect truth and
righteousness in you. The country will automatically be protected.
Indian culture exhorts Sathyam Vada (speak truth) and Dharmam Chara
(practise righteousness). When you do this with perseverance, you
will become a great hero. When you protect Sathya and Dharma, God
will, in turn, protect you. Instead of trying to worship God and
obtain His grace, if you protect truth and righteousness, God will
protect not only your country, but the whole world. Truth is your
very life-breath. Righteousness is your armour. Therefore, protect
truth; foster righteousness. That is enough. Truth and righteousness
are inseparable. One cannot exist without the other.

They are the very life-breath for the universe. Droupadi was
assiduously observing and propagating these two.

Sathya Dharmamu Santhi Premalatho
Nee nithya jeevana yathra saginchu.

(Oh man! Carry on your life's journey with the help of Truth,
Righteousness, Peace, and Love). You must hold on to these
principles, come what may. God will always protect such people.
History is replete with several examples wherein people held
steadfastly to the principles of Sathya and Dharma, and were
constantly protected by God. One such example is that of Pandavas
and their chaste wife, Droupadi. You may argue, "Where is Sathya and
Dharma in the present-day world? Whom are they protecting?" This is
a totally wrong argument. If you protect Sathya and Dharma, they
will, in turn, stand before you and protect you. They are the very
embodiments of Divinity. Unfortunately, today, instead of Sathyam
Vada (speak truth) and Dharmam Chara (practise righteousness),
people are following the distorted version Sathyam Vadha (kill
truth) and Dharmam Chara (imprison righteousness). This is utter
perversion. You should lead your lives based on Sathya and Dharma
and consider them as more important than your lives.

When Droupadi was pleading with Aswatthama who killed her sons,
Bhima was furious with uncontrollable anger. He clenched his fist
and proceeded towards Aswatthama to kill him. In that uncontrollable
rage, he argued with Droupadi, "Are you mad? Why are you trying to
save this man who mercilessly slit the throat of your five sons? I
will break the head of this child-killer into pieces with my fist.
Do not come in my way." At that moment Droupadi fell at the feet of
Bhima and pleaded with him to spare the life of Aswatthama. She
prayed for regaining his composure. People around, who were
witnessing this scene, were wonderstruck. They were wondering
whether Droupadi was really mad! In fact, the world will be better
if everyone is afflicted with such madness. Thus, when Droupadi
pleaded with her husbands for saving the life of Aswatthama, he
prayed for forgiveness. Droupadi was happy at the change of heart in
Aswatthama and advised him, "Brother! You need not beg for my
forgiveness. Instead, you pay your respect and do service to your
mother. Do not drown her in sorrow. Never cause her anguish; take
good care of her." Even the loss of five sons did not make Droupadi
shed tears of sorrow.

Several women come to me with a heavy heart and tell me "Swami! My
husband's death has caused me deep sorrow and anguish. How do I bear
this calamity?" Then I would respond saying, "Oh! Your husband died?
Very happy." They feel very unhappy with My attitude and question
Me, "What is this Swami? Are You so happy on hearing the news of my
husband's death?" What am I to say? I am always happy. I do not know
what sorrow is. I always discharge My duty.

God is the only person who protects everybody. Therefore, pray to
God always. Forgetting God and depending on the mercy of human
beings! What madness! You must depend on God, for everything in your
life. That is real Thapas (penance).

Since ancient times, women have been the very life-breath and
foundation for Bharat. They are the very embodiment of truth and
righteousness. How much respect and reverence we must show towards
such noble women? On the contrary, there are several people today,
who put them to untold suffering. Due to bad habits and bad company,
people lose their sense of discrimination and torture the women. No
woman should be put to mental and physical torture, whatever be
their nature. They must be revered and respected and protected in
all ways. Women in Bharat have always been held in high esteem.
There are several chaste and noble women in Bharat and still
Bharatiyas are undergoing difficulties. What is the reason? Whose
fault is this? It is only because the Bharatiyas are not giving
proper respect and place to women in society. The fault lies
squarely on the men.

Forbearance is the real beauty in this sacred land of Bharat. Of all
the rituals, adherence to truth is the greatest
penance.
                                                        (Telugu poem)

The truthful character of the women is really their Tapas (penance).
Therefore, such noble women must be encouraged and honoured. If you
can put this one great principle into practice, your life will be
sanctified. Those who ill-treat their wives can never be happy and
prosperous. If men cannot protect their women who are prepared to
sacrifice even their lives for the sake of their husbands, what for
is their existence? Women are really the presiding deities of their
homes. Our primary duty is to protect them. Never let your women
shed tears. If women shed tears, such homes will be ruined in no
time. Women are ideals to the society. Never cause them distress.

Men should lead a life of truth and righteousness. Only then can
they protect the country and become worthy of being called real men.
Otherwise, how can they become heroic men? Several people go to
temples. When they visit a temple, they must make a vow that they
would respect and protect the women. Only then will they be
protected. It is only when the women are safe, the whole world will
be happy. Therefore, if you wish to protect Dharma in the world, you
must first protect your Dharma towards women.

Embodiments of Love!
Imagine a situation wherein you are in the role of women and some
men torture you. How miserable and helpless you would feel! Women
are prepared to sacrifice even their lives for the sake of their
husbands. But, men do not have such spirit of sacrifice. Men should
also cultivate such a spirit of sacrifice, like women. Only then
will you be fit to be called men. Otherwise, you will be men only in
form, but lacking in masculinity. You consider women as Abala
(weak). But, the truth is they are Sakthi Swarupas (embodiments of
strength and power). Only, I know the plight of women who lost their
husbands. It is our duty to protect such women. If you can discharge
this duty properly, you will be happy throughout your life.

Embodiments of Love!
You must follow truth even in small matters. There are three
letters "Sa", "Tha" and "Ya" in the word "Sathya". If you reverse
the order, it will become "Ya" "Tha" and "Sa". This means when you
do Thapas with austerities like Yama (control of the inner senses)
and Niyama (control of the outer senses), you will have the divine
vision of Sathya Swarupa (Embodiment of Truth). You have to thus,
recognise the inner meaning of every word and follow them
meticulously.

King Janaka, a great renunciant king, used to propagate truth and
righteousness to his subjects among his own example. His daughter,
Sita, also led a pious life based on truth and righteousness. You
are not studying the life history of such ideal women. Instead, you
are reading trash. No. No. This is unbecoming of you. You should
study the ancient history of Bharat, which is so sacred. The
character and morality of women in Bharat are very sacred. You will
become worthy of being called men only when you undertake to protect
such great women. By mere sporting a moustache or growing a beard,
will you become men? Moustache and beard are not the real signs of
masculinity. You must protect ladies and uphold the dignity of the
family. Only then can you become great heroes and men of character.

Embodiments of Love!
Consider women as embodiments of truth. Even if some minor faults
are noticed in them, do not give credence to them. Respect and
revere them. Do not use even a single word that would offend them.
If they really wish, they can achieve any great task. You should be
even prepared to lay down your lives for the sake of protecting and
fostering women. At least from today, all of you should come forward
to protect the honour and dignity of women in the world. Women also
should undertake a vow to contribute their mite in this great task
of protection of Sthri Dharma. As regards men, there is nothing
great or new in trying to protect women. That is your duty. Her duty
is to foster and maintain the entire family as a unit. If women are
protected, they in turn will protect the entire world. Never
belittle women and treat them as mere playthings. I hope all of you
men will, at least in future, undertake to protect the dignity and
honour of women and thereby protect your own dignity and honour. I
conclude My discourse blessing you all.

(Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajan, "Rama Rama Rama
Sita …")

Prashanti Nilayam, 6th September 2004
http://www.sssbpt.org/Pages/Prasanthi_Nilayam/Janmashtami_Discourse.h
tm

Krishna Janmashtami Divine Discourse 1

The Lord accepts only a Pure Heart

Oh Krishna! You don't eat what I give You,
You don't eat our home-food,
You go to the houses of the cowherds,
And eat butter stealthily,
You spoil Your good name, my
dear!

                      (Telugu poem)

Thus, mother Yashoda expressed her anguish one day, having been
vexed by the complaints of the neighbours. She chided Him
saying, "Oh Krishna! I have to face a lot of trouble on account of
Your mischievous pranks. You don't have taste for the food prepared
in our house. You always like the items prepared in the neighbouring
houses. How shall I manage with You?" True, people develop a taste
for food in the neighbouring houses. A sweetmeat shop owner sitting
in his own shop, all the while enjoying the sweet smell of the
laddus, develops a taste for puffed rice from another shop.

Kashyapa, a great devotee of the Lord had completely surrendered
himself at the Lotus Feet and was totally lost in divine bliss. One
day, his wife, Aditi, approached him and advised him, "My dear! We
do not have children. You have surrendered everything of yours to
the Lord. Why don't you pray to Him to bless us with a child?"

Emperor Bali, in Krita Yuga, performed many Yajnas. After completion
of one hundred and seven Yajnas, he made arrangements for performing
the one hundred and eighth Yajna known as Viswajit. As he was
performing this Yajna, Lord Vishnu appeared before him as Vamana in
the guise of a dwarfish Brahmin. Vamana asked for three paces of
land in charity from Bali, which he was about to give. In the
meanwhile, Emperor Bali's preceptor Sukracharya came there and tried
to dissuade Bali from giving this gift of charity. He advised
Bali, "Please do not give anything in charity to this short Brahmin,
much less the three paces of land. Do not underestimate Him. He is
not an ordinary Brahmin. He is an Avatar of Vishnu. He is born to
Sage Kashyapa, in fulfillment of the boon granted by Lord Vishnu to
him." But Emperor Bali did not pay heed to the advice of his
preceptor. He asked Lord Vamana, "Sir, What can I do for you?"
Vamana replied, "Oh King! I do not need anything. Just give Me three
paces of land." Sukracharya again pleaded with Bali, "Oh King! You
consider this person as an ordinary Brahmin. No. No. He is capable
of filling the entire universe. It is not wise on your part to grant
his request." But, Emperor Bali turned down his advice saying that
he could not go back on his promise, as it was a great sin not to
stand by one's word.

In those days, people considered death preferable to going back on
one's word. But today in Kali Yuga, people make promises and break
them at will. Emperor Bali was of pure heart. Once a promise was
made, he fulfilled it, come what may!

He said, "I gave a word to this Brahmin boy. I am prepared to face
any eventuality in fulfilling my promise. I will offer the fruits of
all the Yajnas I have performed, including the one I am now
performing to this Brahmin boy. So saying, he put the garland of the
fruits of 108 Yajnas performed by him round the neck of Vamana and
prostrated before Him. (As He said this, Swami created a necklace of
108 gold coins.)

Vamana covered the entire land given in charity by Bali under one
foot. He grew in size and filled the entire universe with His second
foot. There was no further space to put His third foot. Then
Sukracharya said, "Oh emperor! You did not pay heed to my advice.
You underestimated this Brahmin boy and got yourself tricked by His
innocent looks."

Vamana received the offering of Emperor Bali and praised his large-
heartedness and blessed him. Vamana was short in stature, but he
could fill the entire universe. Being an Avatar, He was Aprameya
(beyond all limitations, indescribable and immeasurable). Human
being have limitations, but not an Avatar.

The sunrise and sunset happen according to a predetermined Divine
command. It happens regularly, uninterrupted. The sun, the moon and
the stars follow a definite pattern of schedule. All the five
elements in the universe discharge their duties regularly as
ordained by the Lord. Even God Himself observes the rules that He
lays down for all. Everything in God's creation goes on according to
a predetermined order and Divine command. Nothing in the universe,
including the five elements, has an independent existence. But,
unfortunately, man is unable to recognise this divine force that
regulates the functioning of the universe. Scientists are making
unstinted efforts to discover this divine force. The stars shining
brightly in the sky at night are, however, not visible during
daytime.

The sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening with utmost
regularity everyday. The stars glitter beautifully in the sky at
night and hide themselves during the day. The wind blows incessantly
and sustains the living beings without taking rest even for a
moment. The rivers make gurgling sounds as they flow
perennially.
                     (Telugu poem)

What could be the reason for this phenomenon? Scientists probed into
this aspect and concluded that the stars were not visible during
daytime because the sun was shining brilliantly in the sky during
that period. Similarly, they tried to explain the divine force in
ever so many ways.

The moment the umbilical cord is cut and the child is separated from
the mother, it cries. Why? Nobody could explain and explore this
secret. The moment a drop of milk or honey is put on the tongue of
the newborn child, it sleeps happily. This means ever since a human
being comes out of his mother's womb, he struggles to satiate his
hunger.

Oh man! You struggle hard to acquire various types of knowledge in
order to fill your stomach. In spite of all your hard work and
acquisition of knowledge, you are unable to experience everlasting
happiness. Instead, why don't you contemplate on the Lord and seek
refuge in Him? He will certainly show you a way to overcome your
misery.
(Telugu poem)

Every human being thinks that he is born merely for filling his
belly. He constantly struggles to acquire food.

There is another interesting phenomenon in nature. The branches of a
tree rub against each other due to the wind and fire is born out of
that friction between two pieces of wood. How does it happen? Though
there is fire in the wood of a tree, it is not burnt away. Why? No
scientist could ever discover this secret so far. There are several
such inexplicable phenomena in nature. With a view to recognise and
understand such phenomena, man is constantly engaged in the quest
for Divinity. However, one need not search for God, who is
omnipresent.

Oh man! You struggle hard in life merely for the sake of filling
your belly. You acquire myriad types of knowledge from various
fields. Examine and enquire for yourself what great happiness you
have achieved by spending all the time from dawn to dusk in
acquiring worldly knowledge and earning wealth, while forgetting
God.
                                     (Telugu poem)

Everything in this universe moves strictly according to the Divine
Will and force. Man, of his own accord cannot achieve anything. The
Divine force manifests itself in several ways in this universe, in
the form of various types of energy. People think they are created
by somebody. Strictly speaking, nobody has created them. They are
natural phenomena that manifest out of Divine will. For example,
when two pieces of stone are struck against each other, fire is
born. It means, there is fire latent in the stone, but does not
manifest outside. Thus, all the powers are latent in nature.

A few minutes ago, one boy spoke about Nanda and Yashoda, the foster
parents of Lord Krishna. In those days, there was no electricity.
People in the village used to go to the house of Nanda (since he was
the chief of the village) and lighted their oil lamps from the lamp
lit up in Nanda's house. People were of the belief that they would
attain plenty and prosperity if they lighted their oil lamps from
the lamps lit in the houses of well-to-do-people. A newly married
daughter-in-law by name Suguna arrived in that village. Her mother-
in-law told her to go to the house of Nanda and get her lamp lighted
from theirs. When Suguna went to the house of Nanda and lighted the
lamp, she could visualise Krishna in that flame. On having this
Divine vision, she lost her body consciousness. She fixed her gaze
on that beautiful form of Lord Krishna and was lost in bliss. She
could not even realise that her fingers were being burnt, having
come into contact with the flame. She was in total bliss. In the
meanwhile, other ladies from the neighbouring houses also came there
to light their own lamps. They were wonderstruck on witnessing this
scene. They could notice that Suguna was not moving away from the
flame even though her fingers were being burnt. They then realised
that she had the vision of Krishna in that flame. They sang a song
describing this incident. (Swami sang a Telugu song, the meaning of
the first few lines is as follows ...)

It seems Suguna had a vision
Of Gopala in the house of Nanda
She saw Krishna in the flame!

On hearing this song, Yashoda came there literally running. She saw
Suguna's fingers getting burnt in the flame. While all the Gopis
were dancing in ecstasy, Yashoda went near Suguna and pulled her
hand away from the flame. She chided her saying "Oh! Suguna ! Did
you not notice your fingers being burnt on coming into contact with
the flame? Do you wish to bring a bad name to us that if anyone goes
to Nanda's house, their fingers will be burnt?" Suguna's mother-in-
law was by nature a short-tempered woman. On hearing about this
incident, she came running to the house of Yashoda and made a big
issue of this incident. She ordered her daughter-in-law not to go to
the house of Nanda again in future, for getting the lamp lighted.

Several miracles happened in the house of Yashoda. After Krishna
left for Mathura, the Gopis could not bear His separation and were
pining for His Darshan. In such a moment of yearning, Krishna
appeared in Gokul. However, neither Nanda nor Yashoda could see Him.
All the Gopis gathered at the house of Nanda and prayed that they
may be allowed to have Krishna's darshan. They started
complaining, "Nanda and Yashoda! you have kept Krishna away from us.
Please tell us where he is." But, Krishna did not make his
appearance in public. He appeared to some Gopis individually in
answer to their prayers.

A few minutes ago, a student of our University narrated an incident
wherein Swami had appeared before him in answer to his prayers. No
one else could see Swami. Then, the boy prayed again, "Swami! What
is the use of giving Darshan to me alone? Please give Darshan to all
the students; otherwise, they will not believe my words and make fun
of me." I replied, "Does not matter. Let people think whatever they
wish to. This is your prapti (deservedness), only you deserve to see
Me". So saying, I disappeared.

Once, Yashoda reprimanded child Krishna saying, "Oh! My dear
Krishna! You don't eat the food I prepared for you. You go to the
houses of the milkmaids and stealthily eat the butter stored in
their houses. You are creating problems for me. Is it that the
butter suffused with mother's love does not taste good for you?" So
saying, she tied Krishna to a mortar with a rope. It is everybody's
experience in the world that we do not like the food cooked in our
own house. The items cooked in others' houses will appear to be
tasty. This is quite natural. However, Krishna did not steal the
butter from others' houses for its taste. There is an underlying
message in this leela. Here, butter symbolises a pure heart.
Wherever such a pure heart is available, Krishna takes it. Such a
pure heart will be soft and sweet. The hearts of Gopis were ripened
with devotion. They were pure, soft and sweet. Hence, Krishna had
gone to their houses to steal their hearts.

Krishna is referred to as "chora" (thief). What does He steal? He
steals the butter-like hearts of the Gopis, hearts which are pure,
soft and sweet. If you address someone as chora (thief), he will be
annoyed. But if you call Krishna as "chiththa chora" (stealer of the
heart), He will enjoy this appellation. That is why, devotees sing
in praise of the Lord most endearingly "Chiththa chora Yashoda Ke
Bal! Navaneetha chora Gopal! Gopal, Gopal, Gopal! Govardhanadhara
Gopal!" ("Oh! Yashoda's little Krishna! Oh! Gopala! Stealer of
butter! Oh! Gopala! Lifter of the Govardhana mountain!"). The song
thus sung melodiously with bhava, raga and thala will be liked by
everyone. Great Singer-saints like Thyagaraja made sweet offerings
to God in the form of Kirtanas suffused with Bhava (feeling), Raga
(tune) and Thala (beat) and won His grace. There is so much
sweetness in such devotional songs. God's grace can surely be
obtained by such devotional singing. You cannot win the grace of God
by empty rhetoric. It is only through devotional singing suffused
with Bhava, Raga and Thala, that Divinity can be attained. God will
be moved by such Sankirtan. Even the Vedas have extolled the
efficacy of devotional singing. Even by chanting the Vedas, God
cannot be attained. There are several hymns in praise of God in the
Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharvana Veda . But, not even a
single individual chanting those hymns could obtain Divine Darshan.
However, when these hymns are set to tune and sung with devotion,
they could experience Divine Love. That is why God is extolled
as `ganalola' and `ganapriya'. Therefore, you pray to God with
devotional singing. You can easily win the grace of God. Some people
may have a doubt, "We cannot sing well; we have not learnt the art
of singing. How can we please God?" Do not worry. You may not have
knowledge of music or a mellifluous voice. It does not matter. Sing
the glory of God with intense love, in some tune which you know.
That is enough to move the heart of God. What is music? It is not
necessary to make a special effort to learn music. A simple song
with intense love and yearning will move God. For example, you
recite a poem, "Rama! Nannu Kaapadu" (Oh! Rama! Please protect me).
There will be no sweetness in the poem. It is simply a literary
rendering of your feelings. Similarly, if you make an appeal to God
saying "Rama! Nannu Kaapadu", it becomes an empty repetition of
words. The same feeling, if it is expressed in a song set to a
beautiful tune, "Rama …! Nannu Kaapadu…", it will be so sweet and
endearing to Divinity. There is so much sweetness in music.
Therefore, if you want to attain God, you have to do it only with
devotional singing.

You need not be disappointed if you have not learnt music. Why
disappointment? If there is an appointment, there will be
disappointment. Therefore, do not make an appointment, in the
beginning itself. You sing the glory of God in your own way. That is
the easiest way to attain God. The Divine bliss enjoyed by the gopis
in Krishnavatar in Dwapara Yuga is unparalleled. Therefore, remember
that Divine bliss and try to please God with your love and devotion.

In no Avatar devotees have merged in the Divine Love to such a great
extent as in Krishna Avatar. Thousands of devotees have merged in
Sri Krishna during His Avatar. Hence, if you want to merge in
divinity, devotional singing is the only means. God is said to be
ganapriya (pleased by devotional singing). Krishnavatar is the best
example for this statement. One simple name `Krishna' sung by a
devotee is enough to move Him. The leelas, mahimas and the
miraculous deeds performed by Lord Krishna during His Avatar are
unparalleled.

Dear students! You are singing several bhajans. All of you are
participating in the bhajans. But, each one is singing in his own
way. This is not proper. If all of you sing in one voice and one
tune with divine feeling, God will surely install Himself in your
loving heart. Krishnavatar is the only Avatar that had granted
darshan to different people in different ways, clarified their
doubts about His divinity and merged them in His own Self.
Krishnavatar is the only Avatar that made everyone happy and
blissful by His sweet and loving words.

Embodiments of Love!
There is nothing superior to devotional singing. What a great joy
and happiness you derive by singing the song "Nanduni Yinta
Gopaludanta Deepaana Kanipinchenanta" (It seems Gopala has appeared
in the flame in the house of Nanda). Therefore, sing such soulful
songs with bhava, raga and thala to please God and obtain His grace.
You may sing any number of bhajans and songs, but it is only when
they are suffused with intense love, devotion and sweet and soft
feeling (bhava) you will derive immense happiness and joy.

Prashanti Nilayam, 6th September 2004
http://www.sssbpt.org/Pages/Prasanthi_Nilayam/Krishna_Janmashtami_Dis
course.htm

Sri Krishna Ashtami Celebrations - 6th September, 2004

Krishnashtami celebrates the advent of Lord Sri Krishna, the Avatar
of the Dwapara Era. It is a festival that is marked by fun and
gaiety that relives the Leelas or Divine sport of Sri Krishna's
childhood days at Brindavan. For the devotees of Bhagawan,
Krishnashtami is furthermore an opportunity for them to see the same
Lord who has come again as Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba and listen
to the most entrancing narration of Krishna's story in the most
vivid manner that only the Lord himself can narrate.

On the evening of the 5th September, the students of the first year
Under-Graduate class from the Brindavan Campus of the Sri Sathya Sai
Institute of Higher Learning presented a programme entitled 'Sri
Krishna - the Heart-throb of Humanity'. The programme consisted of
speeches, songs, dances and a play, all woven around the aspects of
Supreme Love and enigma that Sri Krishna was. The play 'Sri Krishna
Kuchelam' depicted the love and the 'Sakhya Bhakthi' (adoration of
the Lord as one's friend) of Sudhama. Sudhama, also referred to as
Kuchela, was the childhood companion of Sri Krishna at the ashram of
their preceptor Sandhipani. Many years later, Kuchela has settled to
a householder's life, but it is one of abject poverty. One day, his
wife requests him to visit Sri Krishna and pray to him for succour
and grace for overcoming their wretched situation.

Reluctantly he agrees to do so and finding nothing else to offer by
way of a gift to Krishna, takes with him a few morsels of beaten
rice. When he arrives at Krishna's palace, Krishna welcomes his
childhood friend with great affection and embraces him. With love
and childlike expectation, He asks Kuchela what gift he had got Him.
When Kuchela embarrassedly offers the beaten rice, Krishna with
great relish and delight partakes of it. In the bliss of their
reunion, Kuchela forgets the purpose for which he had come and does
not tell Krishna about his miserable condition. Soon, it is time for
Kuchela to return home and the friends part with a heavy heart.

When Kuchela reaches home, he is astonished to see a magnificent
palace in the very spot where his humble dwelling once stood. He is
greeted by his overjoyed wife who is dressed in expensive clothes
and bedecked in glittering jewellery. He is overwhelmed with
gratitude at the abundant grace of His Lord, who unasked had granted
him more than he had ever wished for.

At the end of the programme, Bhagawan granted photographs to the
students and accepted arati before retiring to His residence.

The auspicious day of Sri Krishnashtami dawned with the appearance
of Bhagawan in Sai Kulwant Hall clad in a beautiful yellow robe,
the 'Peethambara' which is characteristic of Lord Krishna. After
granting darshan to the waiting thousands, Bhagawan occupied the
chair placed on the dais and the programme commenced. Six students
of the University speaking in English and Telugu, dwelt upon the
similarities in the lives and characteristics of the two 'Poorna
Avatars' - Lord Sri Krishna and our beloved Swami.

Bhagawan then delivered His Divine Discourse in which he narrated
the story of the birth of Lord Vamana and his encounter with King
Mahabali where he asks for a gift of three paces of land. Mahabali,
who performed 107 yagnas (sacrificial rituals) and was now
performing the 108th yagna, was pleased to grant Vamana's wish and
also offered him the merit accrued by the performance of all the
yagnas in the form of a necklace. Bhagawan then waved his hand and
materialized the exquisite necklace strung with 108 gold coins that
Mahabali had offered to Vamana, and held it up for the audience to
see.

Then Bhagawan dwelt upon the intense love and devotion of the Gopis
(cowherd maids) of Brindavan who visualized the Lord's form in each
and every thing they saw. They sang and expressed their love and
yearning for Krishna, and the Lord in turn was ever attached to them
and loved them dearly. Citing the example of Gopis, Swami exhorted
everyone to engage themselves in singing the name of the Lord and
His glory. "Sing in any tune that pleases you, but sing with intense
love and feeling for the Lord; this will definitely take you closer
to God", He said.

The morning programme concluded with Bhajans and Arati.

In the afternoon, the students of the Anantapur Campus of the Sri
Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning presented a bouquet of
devotional songs in classical and light classical styles, and in
different languages expressing their love and devotion to their Lord
Sai Krishna. Thereafter, all the students sang Sthothrams (prayers
in Sanskrit) and songs in praise of Sri Krishna. Then, Swami blessed
Sri Ranganath Raju, a final-year student of M.A (Economics), to
address the gathering in Telugu. He said that just as a father is
judged by the behaviour of his son, the glory of God can be known by
the exemplary life of his devotees. He said that we must all hasten
the process of inner transformation and progress on the spiritual
path, if not for ourselves, at least for the sake of our beloved
Swami who is painstakingly teaching us the lessons of spirituality
by His example.

Then Bhagawan rose to deliver His discourse in which He stated that
it is not enough merely to know the scriptures by rote or recite
them; one must understand their purport and translate at least one
of the precepts into action. He cited the example of Ravana who
although being well-versed in all the Vedas and the Shastras
(scriptures) did not put them to practice. Therefore, he let his
evil propensities get the better of him and consequently met with a
miserable end.

Bhagawan spoke about the greatness of Draupadi in the story of
Mahabharata, where she displayed a remarkable degree of patience,
forbearance and forgiveness when she pardoned Ashwathama who
ruthlessly killed all her infants while they were asleep. She also
restrained her husbands who wanted to kill Ashwathama in revenge, by
saying that she would not allow another mother to suffer the
inconsolable grief of losing her children. Bhagawan then mentioned
about the great inner strength that women possess and praised the
virtues of Sathya (Adherence to Truth), Dharma (Righteousness) and
Sahanam (forbearance) that they hold dearer than life itself. He
exhorted everyone to respect women and treat them with the dignity
due to them. He concluded the discourse with the Bhajan "Rama Rama
Rama Sita…"

Jai Sai Ram!

http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/pages/janmashtami_04_report.htm

RADIO SAI FORTNIGHTLY E-MAGAZINE - VOLUME II - ISSUE 17 - SEPTEMBER
1ST, 2004

http://www.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_02/17Sep01/main.asp

RADIO SAI FORTNIGHTLY E-MAGAZINE - DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE VERSION -
01.09.2004 (ZIP FORMAT-  File Size 4.22 MB)

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20Vol2_Issue17.zip

Baba

by Arnold Schulman

New York born screenplay writer Arnold Schulman describes in his
book 'Baba', his first meeting with Sai Baba in the late 1960's.

Baba was on a thin mattress supported by a simple frame and four
wooden legs, which served both as a studio couch during the day and
his bed at night. He was leaning against a few small pillows propped
against the wall. Before he looked up to note the writer's arrival
he continued to go through his mail, looking at each letter, still
unopened and in its envelope, until a thought formed in his head,
then he put it on top of the stack of letters on the couch to the
left of him before reaching to take another letter from the stack on
the couch to the right of him. After a minute or two he looked up
and smiled at the writer.

"Come in," he said. "Come in."

The writer stepped into the room and bowed slightly, both palms
together on his chest just under his chin.

"So," Baba said. He paused to look directly into the writer's
eyes. "So, you have seen enough."

"Too much. I don't understand anything I've seen."

Baba laughed.

"Appearance is not different from emptiness," Baba said struggling
for the words in English."Yet within emptiness there is no
appearance."

The writer felt he should smile or nod or indicate in some way that
he understood what Baba had said, but he did not understand and he
resisted the temptation to pretend that he did.

Baba nodded. "Life is only the memory of a dream," he said. "It
comes from no visible rain. It falls into no recognizable sea. Some
day, not for a while yet, you will understand how meaningless it is
to spend your whole life trying to accumulate material things. I
have no land, no property of my own where I can grow my own food.
Everything is registered in the name of someone else, but just as
those people in the village who have no land wait until the pond
dries up so they can scratch the land with a plow and quickly grow
something before the pond fills up again, I grow my food which is
joy or love. To you the words have different meanings, but to me
both words are the same. But I have to do it quickly, quickly in the
hearts of those who come to see me, quickly before they leave."

He looked up again into the writer's eyes.

"The kind of belief in me I ask of people is more, much more than
most people think is faith or love," Baba said.

"That's why many people who come just to see the miracles stop
loving me the minute I stop entertaining them and giving them
presents. No. What I ask you to do is give me everything. Not fruits
or flowers or money or land, but you, all of you with nothing held
back. Your mind. Your heart. Your soul... " He stopped and paused,
then nodded to himself. "But those are just words."

They were silent for a time.

The writer stood behind the couch and waited. There was nothing he
could say. A kind of warmth and closeness he had never known before
was spreading through his consciousness and it frightened him. He
felt in danger of being smothered by it, but it wasn't just the
intensity of the feeling that disturbed him. It was the sudden
realization that this feeling of love—he thought it was love—was
different from any other kind of love he had felt or heard about or
read of before. It may have been this inability to define what he
felt that caused him suddenly to panic. In less than a minute he had
become a displaced person, emotionally, isolated in the dark
unknown, and to cope with this puzzling anxiety the only defense he
could find was to turn it off.

Baba watched him for a time with intensity.

"You cannot run away from me," Baba said. "As I told you, no one can
come to Puttaparthi, however accidental it might seem, without my
calling him. I bring only those people here who are ready to see me,
and nobody else, nobody, can find his way here. When I say 'ready'
there are different levels of readiness, you understand."

Baba laughed. "You wonder why I called you here instead of millions
of other people because you don't like the way you feel for me.
Isn't it? And it makes you worry why I called you."

The writer laughed, his tension broken, and Baba laughed with him.

"It worries me," the writer said. "When you ask me to give myself to
you completely. I can't do that. I spent too long getting control of
my life to just blindly become somebody's slave, even if you're God,
or not God, just a man with superhuman powers of yoga. I don't trust
anybody that much."

"Do you trust yourself?" Baba asked.

The writer smiled, "Not much."

"I know your past and I know your future so I know why you suffer
and how you can escape suffering and when you finally will."

"When I die?" The writer was being half-facetious.

"Yes, I know," Baba said. "In all your past lives too, you were
always afraid of death."

"I'm not afraid of death."

"That's all you are afraid of," Baba said. "You think death is
something bad, but death is neither bad nor good. Death is death."

"What purpose does it serve?"

"Why does a person die?" Baba took a moment to reflect. He looked at
his finger. "So he won't die again. He is born so he won't be born
again."

"I don't understand," the writer said.

"Life is only relatively real," Baba said. "Until death it only
appears to be real. And, after all, the only part that dies is the
body, not the person who lives in the body. When a cat or a dog dies
he leaves the world the same as before he lived in it, but a man
should leave the world a better place then when he came into it. For
no other reason was he born, for no other reason does he die."

"Are you God?" The writer heard himself say. He had not planned to
go into that subject at all.

"Why do you waste your time and energy trying to explain me?" Baba
said, with a trace of irritation. "Can a fish measure the sky? If I
had come as Narayana with four arms they would have put me in a
circus, charging money for people to see me. If I had come only as a
man, like every other man, who would listen to me? So I had to come
in this human form, but with no more than human powers and..." he
groped for the word, "wisdom."

"Then you are God. Is that what you are saying?"

"First you have to understand yourself. I told you that. And then
you will understand me. I'm not a man, I'm not a woman. I'm not old.
I'm not young. I'm all of these."

The writer laughed, without quite knowing why. He was embarrassed
for having asked the question and unnerved by the answer. Here was a
human being, or what looked like one, curled up on a studio couch,
his legs tucked beneath him like a teen-age girl, and there was
nothing the writer could think of that would allow him to accept the
idea that this person with the Afro-hairdo and the orange dress
could actually, literally, be God.

"Some people think it's a beautiful thing," Baba said, "for the Lord
to be on the earth in human for, but if you were in my place you
would not feel it's so beautiful. I know everything that happened to
everybody in the past, present, and future, so I'm not so quick to
give people the mercy they beg me for. I know why a person has to
suffer in this life and what will happen to him the next time he is
born because of that suffering this time, so I can't act the way
people want me to. They call me cold-hearted one time, soft-hearted
the next. Why don't I do this? Why don't I do that? Why don't I stop
all wars forever and get rid of all disease and suffering? What they
don't know is I'm not responsible for suffering. I don't cause
suffering any more than I cause happiness and joy. People make their
own palaces and their own chains and their own prisons."

"Can I write about that in my book?" the writer asked.

"What do you know about me?" Baba asked. "Do you believe in me the
way I said you had to believe in me?"

"Not yet."

"Then how can you write about me? You're like a child. When I give
you what you want or make you laugh, you love me, but the next
minute when I'm too busy and can't see you the minute you want me
to, you want to kill me. Isn't it? You listen to me with respect,
but then in private you laugh at me. What kind of book can you
possibly write about Me?"

"That kind of book. Exactly."

"For what purpose? Publicity? I don't need publicity. I'm not your
Mahesh Yogi, don't forget, on television with the singers."

"What are you telling me? I can't write the book?"

Baba laughed. "Write it. Write your book. That's your duty, dharma.
But write the truth. Only what you saw here. Only the truth. How you
laughed at me, hated me, that's part of it; and if you want to, how
you loved me, the few times you let yourself love me."

Baba took both of his hands and rubbed them as hard as he could on
the writer's chest, massaging it vigorously as if to stimulate the
writer's spiritual circulation.

"I'm always with you," Baba said. "Even when you don't believe in
me, even when you try to forget me. Even when you laugh at me or
hate me. Even when I seem to be on the opposite side of the earth.
But you need material things to remind you, isn't it?"

He pushed up his sleeves and rotated his open palm as he closed his
fingers. When he opened them he was holding a gold ring with his
picture painted on a porcelain in the center, surrounded by sixteen
stones which seemed to be diamonds. He put the ring on the writer's
finger. It fit perfectly.

The writer laughed. "How can I ever get this through customs?"

"Don't worry," Baba said. "I'll take care of it."

He touched the ring with his fingertips.

"I am in you," Baba said, "You are in me. Don't forget that. We
cannot be separated."

http://saionline.org/essays/baba.html

1008 Pearls of Sayings of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

From 101 to 200

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.

127

YOU have the chance to see, experience and be sanctified by the
incarnation of the Lord; this chance you have received as a result
of the accumulation of merit in many previous lives. That merit has
brought you here when I came down. For this chance, Rishis and Devas
have prayed long in the past. Having won this chance, strive to
taste the sweetness and achieve the Bliss of Merging without wasting
even a single moment. The rays that emanate from Me are of three
grades: the "Sthula", filling this Prashanthi Nilayam;
the "Sukshma", pervading the Earth; and the "Karana", covering the
entire Universe. The people who have the privilege of living in this
Prashanthi Nilayam are indeed lucky, for they are nearest to
the "Kiran" (rays). The "Sthulakirana" makes a man a "Sadhaka";
the "Sukshma" makes him a "Mahatma"; and "Karana" converts him into
a "Paramahamsa".

128

I NEVER deviate from Truth. Since I recline on Truth, I am called
Sathya Sai; Sayi (as Seshasayi) means reclining. The name is very
appropriate, let me assure you. It is only those, who fail to follow
My instructions and deviate from the path I lay down, that fail to
get what I hold out before them. Follow My instructions and become
soldiers in MY army; I will lead you on to victory. When someone
asks you in great earnestness "where the Lord is to be found", do
not try to dodge the question. Give them the answer that rises up to
your tongue from your heart. Direct them. He is here in Prashanthi
Nilayam. All Avatars teach, as the first step in the long road
of "Sadhana", the giving up of attachment. In the Thretha Yuga, the
Yoga-Vasistha taught the same rule. In the Dwapara Yuga, Krishna
taught Arjuna to give up Vishaya-Vasana, attachment to the objective
world. People utter with apparent faith, "Krishna, Krishna,
Krishna", but they never give up "Thrishura" (Thirst) for worldly
goods or fame. In each Yuga, you have the Avatar of the Lord come to
redeem, review and rebuild. At the present time, Maha Shakti,
Mayasakthi, and Yogasakthi have come all together in One Human Form.
Your endeavor should be to draw near and earn Grace therefrom.

129

WHAT is the immortal part of man? Is it the wealth he has
accumulated, the residences he has built, the physique he has
developed, the wealth he has acquired and the family he has reared?
No, all that he has done, developed or earned are destroyed, he has
to leave them all to the ravages of time. He cannot take with him
even a handful of earth, the earth he loved so much. If only the
dead could take with them a handful each, the earth would have
become so scarce that it should have been rationed by now! Discover
the Immortal "I" and know that it is the spark of God in you; live
in the companionship of that vast measureless Supreme and you will
be rendered vast and measureless. Consider all objects that you
collect here as given on "Trust" to be used in this caravanserai
during your pilgrimage in this Karuna Kshetra.

130

UNLESS you brighten your vision with Love, you cannot see the Truth.
Love helps you to see God in everyone and everyone as Divine. The
Jagath is not false, it is not a trap; it is the splendour of God,
His reflection. He reflected and the Jagath happened! It is His own
substance, manifesting as multiplicity, as latent or potent energy-
matter. When activity is in accordance with awareness that is
befogged or belittled, dried up or deluded, there Dharma is decadent
and the Avatar appears among men!

131

EVERY one must learn the secret of happiness, which consists in
refusing to shed tears for anything less than God. You have won this
human body, this human life, as the reward for many lives spend in
acquiring merit. You have won this chance, this unique good fortune
of being able to get Darshan of Sai. Plunging deep into the waters
of this tumultuous ocean of Samsar, you have heroically emerged from
its depths, with this rare Pearl in your hands - the Grace of Sai.
Do not allow it to slip from your clasp and fall into the depths
again. Hold firmly on to it. Pray that you may have it forever and
be filled with the joy that it confers. This is the way by which you
can render this life fruitful.

132

UTILISE the World as the means to an end; do not desire to stay in
it. It is a caravanserai, where you can rest a while during your
pilgrimage to the source. It is a bridge wide and strongly built.
Can any pilgrim build a house there on for himself? The Cosmos is
changing constantly. The minutes that are past cannot be retrieved,
even if tempted by a billion rupees. The past is not ours any more;
the present slips from our grasp; and the future is uncertain. You
come naked into the world, you go out of it without informing the
survivors of the address where you can be contacted. In spite of
this, attachment grows and you cultivate bounds. This is the great
illusion.

133

THE grace of God cannot be won through the gymnastics of reason, the
contortions of Yoga or the denials of Asceticism. Love alone can win
it; Love that needs no requital; Love that knows no bargaining; Love
that is paid gladly as a tribute to the All Loving; and Love that is
unwavering. Love alone can overcome obstacles, however many and
mighty. There is no strength more effective than Purity, no bliss
more satisfying than Love, no joy more restoring than Bhakti and no
triumph more praiseworthy than Surrender.

134

HIN means "Hinsa" (Violence) and "du" means "dura" (distant); so
HINDU means a person who is devoid of violence, who loves and
sympathizes, who helps and serves - not one who hides and hits,
harms and draws blood. The same sky is over everyone's head; the
same earth supports everyone's feet; the same air enters everyone's
lungs! The same God brought all forth, brings up all and brings
about the end of this earthly career. Why then this inhuman role of
foe and fanatic; of fight and feud?

135

I AM the embodiment of Love; Love is My Instrument. There is no
creature without Love; the lowest loves itself at least. And
its "self is God". So, there are no atheists, though some might
dislike Him or refuse Him, as malarial patients dislike sweets or
diabetic patients refuse to have anything to do with sweet! Those
who preen themselves, as atheists will one day, when their illness
is gone, relish God and revere Him.

136

STRUGGLE to realise the Atma, to visualise God; even failure in this
struggle is nobler than success in other worldly attempts. The
buffalo has horns; the elephant has tusks, but what a difference? To
live in the body, with the body, for the body is the life of a worm;
to live in the body with God is good, for God is the life of man.
The dull, activity-hating Tamasic persons have ego and their love is
limited to their kith and kin. The Rajasic, active, passionate
persons seek to earn power and prestige and love those who will
contribute to these. But the Satwic, the pure, the good and
equanimity-filled love all as embodiments of God and engage
themselves in humble service.

137

THERE are three types of approaches towards the Lord; the Eagle
type, which swoops down on the target with a greedy swiftness and
suddenness which, by its very impact, fails to secure the object
coveted; the Monkey type, which flits hither and thither, from one
to another, unable to decide which is tasty; and the Ant type which
moves steadily, though slowly towards the object which it has
decided is desirable. The ant does not hit the fruit hard and makes
it fall away; it does not pluck all the fruits it seeks; it
appropriates just as much as it can assimilate and no more. Do not
fritter away the time allotted to you for sojourning on the earth in
foolish foppery and fanciful foibles, which always keep you
outdoors. When are you to walk indoors into the warmth and quiet of
your own interior? Retire into solitude and silence now and then;
experience the joy derivable only from them.

138

WHAT is the sanctity of Shivaratri? Your answer, "Linga emerges from
Swami's Udara          (abdomen)". "Today is the fourteenth day of
the dark of the month, when the moon is all but invisible, just a
minute fraction remains visible to man. The mind is the source of
all the entangling desires and emotions. The mind is, therefore,
almost powerless this day; if only this night is spent in vigil and
in the presence of the Divine, it can be fully conquered and man can
realise his freedom. Vigilance this night is to be secured
by "Sadhana", this is by means of "Bhajan" or the reading of sacred
texts.

139

RAMA, Krishna and Sai Baba appear different because of the dress
each has donned, but it is the self same Entity, believe Me. Do not
be misled into error and loss. The time will soon come when this
huge building or even vaster ones will be too small for the
gatherings of those who are called to this place. The sky itself
will have to be the roof of the Auditorium of the future. I will
have to forego the car and even the airplane when I move from place
to place, for the crowds pressing around them will be too huge; I
will have to move across the sky; yes that too will happen, believe
Me.

140

SEE all as Narayana Swarupa and worship all with Prema. You can
understand even My nature only when you wear the glasses of
Holiness. Holy things can be cognised only by the Holy Seeker. You
get what you search for; you see what your eyes crave for. The
doctor is found where patients gather; the surgeon stays in the
operation ward; so too, the Lord is ever with the suffering and
struggling. Whenever people cry out in agony "Oh God", there God
will be.

141

YOU very often condemn the mind as a monkey; but take it from Me, it
is far worse. The monkey leaps from one branch to another; but the
mind leaps from the heights of the Himalayas to the depths of the
sea, from today to tens of years ago. Tame it by the process of
Naamasmarana. Make it as Ramdas did into a Bhadrachalam, a stable
and steady mountain. That is the task I assign to you. Make your
heart an Ayodhya by means of Ramanama; Ayodya means a city that can
never lie captured by force. That is your real nature: Ayodhya;
Badrachala. Forget this and you are lost. Install Rama in your
heart; and then no outer force can harm you.

142

THINGS are not so important; the transcendental truth of things is
of value. You must visualise the spiritual in the material, the gold
in the jewels, the Divine in the diversity of character and conduct
and seek to know the Atma. All are equal in birth and in death.
Differences arise only during the interval. The Emperor and the
beggar are both born naked; they sleep equally silently; they bow
out without even leaving their new address. Then how can their
reality be different? There can be no doubt on this score. All are
basically the same.

143

LISTEN to Me. When you wake up, feel that you are entering the stage
to play the role assigned to you by the Lord; pray that you may act
it well and earn His approbation. At night, when you retire to
sleep, feel that you are entering the green-room after the scene,
but with the dress of your role on; for perhaps the role is not yet
over and you have not yet been permitted to take the dress off.
Perhaps, you have to make another entrance the next morning. Do not
worry about that. Place yourself fully at His Disposal; He knows; He
has written the play and He knows how it will end and how it will go
on; Yours is but to act and retire.

144

WHEN the mind of man is unattached to the ups and downs of life, but
is able to maintain          equanimity under all circumstances,
then even physical health can be assured. The mental firmament must
be like the sky, which bears no mark of the passage through it of
birds or planes or clouds. Illness is caused more by malnutrition of
the mind than of the body. Doctors speak of Vitamin deficiency; I
will call it the deficiency of Vitamin G, and I will recommend the
repetition of the Name of God, with accompanying contemplation of
the glory and grace of God. That is the Vitamin G. That is the
medicine; regulated life and habits are two thirds of the treatment,
while the medicine is just one third only.

145

CARRY on your highest duty - following the four F's:

                          Follow the Master;
                          Face the Devil;
                          Fight to the End; and
                          Finish the Game.

Then you win My love in full measure. Love is My highest Miracle.
Love can make you gather the affection of all mankind. Love will not
tolerate any selfish aim or approach, Love is God. Live in Love.
Then all is right; all can be well. Expand your heart so that it can
encompass all. Do not narrow it down into an instrument of
restricted one.

146

THE tongue is the armour of heart; it guards one's life. Loud talk,
long talks, wild talk, and talk full of anger and hate; all these
affect the health of man. They breed anger and hate in others; they
wound; they excite; they enrage; they estrange. Why is silence said
to be golden? The silent man has no enemies, though he may not have
friends. He has the leisure and the chance to delve within himself
and examine his own faults and failings. He has no more inclination
to seek them (fault) in others. If your foot slips, you sustain a
fracture; if your tongue slips, you fracture some one's faith or
joy. That fracture can never be set right; that wound will fester
forever. Therefore, use the tongue with great care. The softer you
talk, the less you talk and the sweeter you talk, the better for you
and the World.

147

BIRTH is the consequence of "Kama" (desire, lust); Death is the
consequence of "Kala" (Time, the lapse of Time). The God of Desire
(Kama) was reduced to ashes by Shiva; the God of Time is Kala or
Yama. He was subdued by sin. So, one has to surrender to Siva (God)
if one has to escape the consequences of these two frightfully fatal
forces. If between "Kama" and "Kala" you take refuge in Rama, then
you can escape the rigour. For Rama is the Atma who has no "Kama"
and is unaffected by "Kala".

148

WHEN you seek to learn swimming, you will have to enter the water
and struggle with the strokes. When Bhasma (Vibuthi) is given, doubt
haunts some people whether Swami is wishing that the recipient
should be a Saivite! It is a symbol of the indestructible basic
substance, which every being is. All things become ash; but ash
remains ash, however much you may burn it. It is also a sign of
renunciation, of sacrifice and of "Jnana", which burns all "Karma" -
consequently into ineffective ash. It is a sign of Iswara and I
apply it on your brow to remind you that you too are Divine. It is a
valuable "Upadesh" about your identity. It also reminds you that the
body is liable any moment to be reduced into a handful of ash. Ash
is a lesson in detachment and renunciation.

149

THE river of human life meanders along, through many a valley, leaps
over many a cliff, loses itself in many a marsh and seeks to empty
itself in the ocean of Divine Grace; though, what happens is that it
falls into the undrinkable expanse of salt. The flood flows from the
heights to the depths; only the flames of fire do ever rise from the
depth to the heights. That is why we speak of "Jnanagni", the Fire
of Wisdom of Realisation. Man suffers because he has developed
hunger as vast as the sky, with a throat as narrow as a needle. His
throat must become as vast as the earth; his heart must blossom wide
through Shanti and Sahana; that is through equanimity and fortitude.
Then the desire of man for full lasting undiluted "Ananda" can be
attained.

150

LIFE on earth is as on the ocean, ever restless with the waves of
joy and grief, of loss and gain, the swirling currents of desires
and the whirlpools of passion, greed and hate. To cross the ocean,
the only reliable raft is a heart filled with the Love of God and
Man. Man is born for a high destiny, as the inheritor of a rich
heritage. He should not fritter away his days in low pursuits and
vulgar vanities. His destiny is to know the Truth, live in it and
for it. The Truth alone can make man free and happy. If he is not
prompted by this high purpose, life is a waste and a mere tossing on
the waves, for the sea of life is never calm.

151

OUR car is not meant to be kept as showpiece in a glass garage. It
is meant for the roads, for taking you fast and safe to the place
where you want to go. So too, your body must serve the purpose of
your journey. Journey to where? Not, as it has been happening, to
the cemetery. You have nobler things to do than merely die! You must
know your own Reality before you die and merge in that Supreme Joy.
Eat just enough to keep the body trim; use the body to discover this
Reality, namely, God. Sanctify every moment of your sojourn here
with pious deeds and sacred thoughts.

152

IT is to persuade you to engage in Naamasmarana that I am concluding
My discourses with singing a few Namavalis. An Officer of the Indian
Civil Service has to write on the slate, A, B, C and D and pronounce
those letters, in order to teach his children the alphabet. When you
find him doing so, you do not infer that he is himself learning the
alphabet, do you? Therefore, do not be surprised if I sing Bhajan
songs; I am but initiating you into this most efficacious Sadhana.
Strengthen yourself, purify yourself, and educate yourself by
this "Namasankeertan". Do it loudly and in company. Let those who
join you listen and imbibe the nectar of the Name.

153

WHEN you call out in all sincerity, the response will certainly
come. Give up all low desires and call from the anguished heart. Do
not pray from the lips, as you do now, from the Puja room, which is
but a corner of the kitchen. You worship the Lord with an eye on the
dishes or cooking on the oven, with a nose inhaling hungrily the
smells of the hot curries. "Vishavasana", attachment to sensory
objects, vitiates your thoughts of God. There is a vast gap between
what you say and what you do; and between what you are capable of
and what you accomplish.

154

FOOD received by foul means and clothing procured through ease and
comfort are the main things in life. Do not think that ease and
comfort are the main things in life. Disappointment, disease and
distress are the lot of all, rich and poor, educated and uneducated,
young and old. They are the common lot of all. Let not your pure,
immaculate hearts be rendered dirty by false-hood and wrong. Do not
soil your tongue using it for uttering dirty words. Utter the name
of God; it acts like a spark, which can burn into ash a big hill of
cotton! All evil thoughts, wicked plans and plots will disappear
like fog before the Sun when the Name of God is remembered sincerely.

155

ONCE man is free from undue attachment to the body and its
appurtenances, he is liberated also from the pulls of joy, grief,
good, bad, pleasure, pain, etc. He is firmly established in
equanimity, fortitude and undisturbed balance. There man discovers
that the World is one in God; that all is Joy, Love and Bliss. He
realizes that he himself is all this apparent World that all the
multifarious manifestations are the fantasies of the Divine will,
which is his own Reality. This expansion of one's individuality to
cover the ends of the Universe is the highest leap of man. It gives
supreme "Ananda", an experience for which sages and saints spent
years of prayer and asceticism.

156

MAN has been enslaved by money. He lives a superficial, hollow,
artificial life. This is indeed a great pity. Man should seek to
possess only as much money as is most essential for his living. The
quantity of riches one must earn can be compared to the shoes one
wears; if too small, they cause pain; if too big, they are a
hindrance to physical and mental comfort. When we have more, it
breeds pride, sloth and contempt for others. In pursuit of money,
man descends to the level of the beast. 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 in all the four quarters for promoting good
works, it yields contentment and happiness in plenty.

157

MOVE forward towards the light and the shadow falls behind you. Move
away from it and you have to follow your own shadow. Go every moment
one step nearer to the Lord and then, Maya, the shadow will fall
back and will not delude you at all. Be steady; be resolved. Do not
commit a fault or take a false step and then repeat it! Have
the "Thaapam" (the deliberation, the decision, the discipline)
first; that is better than "Paschaath Tapa" (regret for the mistake
made).

158

GIVE something divine if you want the Divine. Prema, Shanti, Dharma
and Sathya are Divine. Do not try to get it for a flower that fades,
a fruit that rots, a leaf that dries and water that evaporate. There
are some who write and speak as if they have known Me, all that is
to be known of Me. I can only say this: they can never know Me and
My nature, even if they are born and reborn a thousand times. To
know Me, one has to be like Me, rise to this height. Can ants
discover the depth of the Ocean?

159

IN this Kali age, the wicked have to be reformed and reconstructed
through love and Compassion. That is why this Avatar has come
unarmed. HE has come with the message of Love. The only weapon which
can transform the vile and the vicious is the Name of the Lord
uttered with Love. The Name is redolent with Divine Glory. So when
it is turned over in the mind, it transmutes it into an instrument
for liberation from delusion.

160

THREE disciplines are essential to become aware of Divinity in all
and in the Avatar; no activity should be taken up with individual
aggrandizement in view; intellect and emotion must be directed to
the revelation of the Resident of the Heart, Atma; and every act
should be done sincerely, with Love, with no yearning for acquiring
personal profit, fame or benefit. Above all, listen to the voice of
God within. As soon as one contemplates a wrong act, the voice
warns, protests and advises giving up. It pictures the shame that
has to be suffered, the punishment that has to be faced and the
disgrace that it entails.

161

IF God is implanted in the heart, you will see God everywhere, even
in the objective World. "Sarvam Brahmamayam" is a fact. Resolve this
day to engage only in virtuous deeds, good thoughts, and good
company. Let your mind dwell on elevating thoughts. Do not waste a
single moment of your time talking in idle gossip, vain boasting or
demeaning recreations.

162

THE journey into the inner consciousness, to calm the storms that
rage, is more important than the journey to the Moon or Mars. The
latter may be more spectacular, but the former is the more
beneficial. Life without goodness, good thoughts, good actions and
good words is like the sky in the night without the moon or stars.
It is like a wheel without a hub or spokes! No one can push a
boulder away while standing on it; you cannot be free from anxiety
while all the entrances through which it sneaks in are open. Stop
catering to the senses and feeding the desires that haunts you.

163

THE ceremony of Brahmopadesam is Upanayanam, because the word
means, "taking near", taking the young aspirant near Brahman, that
is to say, and introducing him to Brahmajnana, the path of Brahma.
It is one of the Samskara, that is rites, which reconstruct the
personality, reform the mind, purify it and rebuild it. It makes the
person receiving it a "Dwija", twice born! The boy is born first
into the World; now he is born into the Sadhaka World. He becomes a
Brahmachari, a person who walks towards Brahma.

164

SEE God in every being and then true "Sneha" will blossom. This type
of true "Sneha" can come only when you follow the advice of
Krishna. "Adveshta sarva bhoothanam maitrah karuna evacha Nirmano
nirahamkaarah Sama dukher Sukha Kshami": "He who has no trace of
hatred towards any creature, who is friendly and compassionate
towards all, who is free from the bondage of  "I" and "mine", who
takes pain and pleasure as equally welcome and who is forbearing in
spite of provocation". Grow these qualities in you, for they are the
signs of true "Sneha". It is only when you are proceeding on the God
ward journey along the nine stages of Bhakti that you can attain
this Divine ideal of true friendship.

165

MOHAMMED, who sought to establish the primacy of the One Formless
Absolute, had a large share of persecution, defamation and
privation. Jesus, who attempted to rebuild mankind on the basis of
Love, was crucified by little men who feared that their tiny tower
of hate and greed would be toppled by his teaching. Harischandra,
who had resolved never to waver from Truth, was subjected to ordeal
after ordeal, each more terrifying than the previous one. Those who
seek to know God must steel themselves to bear insult, injury and
torture with a smile.

166

UGADHI: THE word "Ugadhi" means: the day of the Inauguration of
the "Yuga or Age". On this day dedicate your life anew to the
spiritual discipline, giving up all habits that interfere with the
constant remembrance of God. Nature puts on a neat garb of green,
but man alone continues with his old prejudices, out-worn habits and
moth-eaten principles, which tarnish and demean him. The spiritual
discipline prescribed by the Scriptures for the Krita (Yuga) Age is
Dhyana; for the Thretha Yuga it is Dharma; for the Dwapara Yuga it
is Archana or Ritual worship; and for the Kali Yuga it is
Naamasmarana and Seva. With the constant remembrance of God, worship
the Lord, leaving the result to the All-powerful, All knowing and
All Merciful. The New Panchangam reveals the position of the Sun,
Moon and Stars. Saint Thyagaraja sang that Rama's Grace could
counteract the evil effect of Stars. Expand yourself. Take in all.
Grow in Love. That is the new dress you have to wear and shine on
this day.

167

I AM showing you by My example. You must fill every moment with
useful beneficial activity. You talk among yourselves, "Oh Swami is
having his rest hour; Swami is sleeping", but I have never craved,
for a minute's rest or sleep or relief. Shall I tell you at what
time I feel restful, relieved and content? When I know that you are
all earning supreme Bliss through detachment and spiritual
discipline; not until then. I am ever engaged in some activity or
other for your benefit. Things that I could get done, I do not
entrust to others; I do them myself, so that they may learn self-
reliance and get experience thereby.

168

YAMA or the God of death is described as dragging his victims to his
abode by means of the rope or "Paasa". Well, He has no rope-factory
there, for supplying him with the rope he needs. You manufacture the
rope yourself and have it ready around your neck; he has only to
take hold of the rope and pull you along! It is a three-stranded
rope, the strands being "Ahamkara" (Egoism); "Vishayavasana" (sense-
attachment); and "Kama" (Desire).

169

LEARN a lesson from the tree. When it is heavy with fruits, it does
not raise its head aloft in pride, it bends low, stoops, as if it
does not take any credit for its accomplishment and as if it helps
you to pluck the fruit. Learn a lesson from the birds. They feed
those who cannot fly far. The bird relieves the itch of the buffalo
by scratching it with its beak; they help and serve each other with
no thought of reward. How much more alert must man be then with his
superior skills and faculties? Service is the best cure for egoism.

170

I WOULD advise you to dwell always on one Name of God, one
personification of one of His innumerable attributes of Glory. Then
there is the expansion of your Love, the removal of hate and envy
from your mental composition, seeing the God whom you adore in every
other person intently as you see Him in yourself. Then you become
the Embodiment of Love, Peace and Joy.

171

REMOVE the cataract and the vision becomes clear. So too, remove the
feeling of inferiority that dwarfs you now; feel that you are "Atma
Swarupa", "Nithya Swarupa", and "Anandaswarupa"; then every act of
yours becomes a "Yajna", a sacrifice and a Puja. The ear, the eye,
the tongue and the feet become tools for your uplift, not traps for
your destruction. Transform "Tamo guna" into "Thapo guna" and save
yourself.

172

REMOVE the weight from your head by transferring all burdens to the
Lord, leave everything to His will and His Law. Feed your mind with
sweet and wholesome food: "Satsang", "Satpravatana", and "Sarveswara
Chintha"; then you are full of joy. I am "Anandaswarupa"; come and
take "Ananda" from Me and, returning to your avocations, dwell on
that "Ananda" and be full of "Shanti".

173

HE greatest single cause for darkness in the World today is envy.
When one is happy and contented, others envy him and strive to ruin
his peace of mind. When any one is acclaimed as great, malice moves
others to invent calumny in order to tarnish his reputations. This
is the way of the World. There is in life the tragedy of ignorance
and selfishness. They force man to take the wrong road; and suffer
calamity.

174

A STRONG will is the best tonic. The will becomes strong when you
know that you are a child of Immortality or a person who has earned
the Grace of the Lord. Medicine and hospitalization are for those
who doubt and hesitate and argue about this doctor being more
efficient than the other and this drug being more powerful than the
rest. For those who rely on the Supreme Doctor, His Name is the drug
that cures.

175

YOU can call me on the phone, but I will not be available for all
those who do not have the sincere and steady yearning for the Lord.
For those who say, "No, You are not my Lord", I say "No". For those
who say, "Yes", I too echo, "Yes". If I am available in your heart,
I will be available over the phone. But remember, I have My own
special Postal and Telephone Systems. They operate from the heart
straight to the heart. There are rules and regulations for the
operations of the Systems, which the Sastras declare. You can find
them there. I am glad that devotees have today acquired this new
convenience at Prashanthi Nilayam.

176

TRUTH can reflect itself in your intelligence only when it is
cleaned by "Thapas". "Thapas" means all acts undertaken with higher
motives and all acts indicating yearning for the spirit; repenting
for past blunders; staunch determination to adhere to virtue; self-
control; and unyielding adherence to equanimity in the face of
success or failure. "Thapam" means heat, burning intensity and
earnestness of endeavor. It is "Thapas" that fosters Renunciation
and discipline.

177

THE Rama and Krishna Avatars performed the mission of restoring
Dharma and fostering virtuous living, besides punishing the wicked
and teaching the World that vice will not succeed. Man is an amalgam
of Humanity, Animality and Divinity. It is a tragedy if he cannot
get rid of the Animality; and it is a greater tragedy if he cannot
cultivate his Divinity. Contemplation of the Rama and Krishna
Avatars and their Leelas and Mahimas is the surest method of
cultivating the Divine in Man.

178

GOD has four qualities and it is only when you cultivate them that
you can understand Him. They are: Prema (Love), Beauty (Soundarya),
Sweetness (Madurya), and Shoba (Splendor). The development of Prema
is enough to add into you the other three. When you are full of
Prema for the Divine in all creation, that stage is Beauty; when you
are immersed in the sea of Universal Love, you reach the acme of
Sweetness; when your mind loses its identity and merges in the
Universal Mind, then there is Splendour indescribable.

179

MY task is not merely to cure and console and remove individual
misery. It is something far more important. The important task of
the mango tree is to produce mango-fruit. The leaves, the branches
and the trunk of the tree are useful in their own way, no doubt, but
the main aim is the fruit. So, also from the plantain-tree, the
fruit is the main gain. The leaves and the edible core of the stem
are all incidental. So too, the removal of misery and distress is
incidental to My Mission. My main task is the re-establishment of
Veda and Shastra in the heart of Bharthavarsha and the revival of
Knowledge about them in the people. This task will succeed.

180

NARADA once asked Krishna the secret of the attraction His flute
play had on the cowherds of Brindavan. "Do they run to You or do You
run to them?" he queried. "Among us there is neither I nor they; how
can a picture be separated from the cloth on which it is painted? I
am imprinted on their hearts so inseparably and so inextricably",
Krishna replied. Have God imprinted on your hearts; be ever so
inextricably established in Him - that is My message to you.

181

THIS Sai has came in order to achieve the Supreme task of uniting
the entire mankind as one family through the band of brotherhood, of
affirming and illumining the Atmic Reality of each being in order to
reveal the Divine, the basis on which the entire Cosmos rests, and
of instructing all to recognise the common Divine Heritage that
binds man to man, so that man can rid himself of the animal and rise
into the Divine which is his goal.

182

DO not get elated at the riches, status, authority, and
intelligence, which have been given to you on trust, so that you may
benefit others. They are all signs of His Grace, opportunities for
service and symbols of responsibility. Never seek to exult over
others' faults; deal sympathetically with the errors and mistakes of
others; hear only good things about them; and do not give an ear to
scandals.

183

NOW, there is a wave of anxiety spreading over the World as a result
of rising prices; and attempts are frantically being made to bring
down the level. The fundamental cause for the rise in prices is the
decline in the price of man. Man must realise his pricelessness; he
should not regard himself as a cheap nut or bolt that has no higher
purpose in life. He should know that he is the imperishable,
unconquerable Atma; and the body is only a vehicle for the Atma.

184

DOES thou know why you are given eyes? To see whatever can be seen?
No! No! To fill the eyes with the vision of God who resides on Mount
Kailas. We have to cast our looks at sacred sights. We must
visualise in everyone only the good and the Godly. That is the
purpose for which God has equipped us with eyes. He has not gifted
them to us to observe and judge others, to follow people into the
bazaar or to see unsightly films.

185

THE snakes move in curves, not in a straight line; man too, when he
is following the senses, has to move in a crooked path. He has
greater poison in him than the snake; his venom is to be found in
his eye, his tongue, his hands, his mind, his heart and his
thoughts - whereas the cobra has it only in its fangs. The cobra
raises its hood and sways in joy when it hears music - so, man too,
when he realises the stage of  "Nirvikalpa", (steady unchanging
establishment in the ultimate Reality), dances in heavenly Bliss.

186

GOD is the source of all Love; Love God, Love the World as the
vesture of God, no more and no less. Through Love, you can merge in
the Ocean of Love. Love cures pettiness, hate and grief. Love
loosens bonds; it saves man from the torments of birth and death.
Love binds all hearts in a soft silken symphony. Seen through the
eyes of Love, all beings are beautiful; all deeds are dedicated; and
all thoughts are innocent. The World is one vast kin.

187

GOD is all-powerful; God is everywhere; God is all knowing. To adore
such a formidable limitless principle, man spends a few minutes out
of the 24 hours and uses a minute idol, image or picture! It is
indeed ridiculous; it is practically futile. Adore Him so long as
you have breath and so long as you are conscious. Have no other
thought than God, have no other aim than knowing His command; no
other activity than translating that command into action. That is
what is meant by Surrender. Surrender yourself unto Him.

188

GOD is the guardian, the corrector, the admonisher and the savior;
so, people must get into the habit of calling on Him as a living
presence. The temple helps to soften the hearts! It instills the
virtue of compassion and charity. Greed and cruelty will spread in
an atmosphere that has no devotion and adoration to God. Make
yourselves into moving temples. Become aware of the God that resides
in you. It is He who protects you, provides for you and prevents you
from falling prey to pernicious propensities.

189

THERE are three types of persons: those, who confess their own
faults and mention the excellence of others, are the highest type;
those, who highlight their own excellence and decry the faults of
others, are worse; those, who parade their own faults as excellence
and deride the excellence in others as faults, are the worst. The
last type is nowadays most rampant.

190

GOD has no will or want; He does not confer or withhold; He is the
eternal witness. To put it in the language that you can understand:
He is like the postman, who is not concerned with the contents of
the letters that he hands over to the addressees; one letter might
communicate victory; another defeat; and you receive what you have
worked for. Do good and have good done in return; be bad and accept
the bad that comes back to you. That is the law; and there is really
no help (or) hindrance.

191

THE relief and joy that you give to the sick and the sad reach me,
for I am in their hearts and I am the One they call out for. God has
no need of your service; does He suffer from pain in the legs, or
ache in the stomach? Try to serve the Godly; be "Dasanudasas", the
servants of the servants of the Lord. The service of man is the only
means by which you can serve God.

192

THYAGARAJA said that, if he is armed with the Grace of Rama, the
planetary missiles could never injure him. Purandaradasa, another
great saint, asked, "What are eyes for?" and answered the question
himself, "To visualise the Lord". "Eyes that do not yearn to see
you, are black balls; ears that do not hear your praise, are narrow
mountain caves where jackals live; and the tongue that does not
relish the repetition of your Name, can only croak like a frog",
says Purandaradasa.

193

ALL who come embodied are Avatars, that is to say, advents of the
Divine, Manifestations of God. What then is the special feature of
Rama, Krishna, Buddha and Christ? Why do you celebrate their
Birthdays with such reverential enthusiasm? The specialty is this:
they are Aware; you are unaware of the Atma, which is the Truth.
Awareness confers Grace, Glory, Majesty, Might and Splendour.
Awareness confers Liberation from bonds, time, space and causation,
and sleep, dream and wakefulness. Avatars are ever alert, aware and
alight.

194

THE name of God, if recited with love and faith, has that power.
Once the mother of Agastya boasted that her son drank all the waters
of the ocean; but the mother of Hanuman, who was there, said; "Why
go to that extent? My son leaped over it in a trice". But there was
the mother of Rama with them. She said, "Your son leaped over the
ocean, uttering my son's name. Without it, he was helpless". The
name has that overmastering power. It can bring unheard of and
unimagined strength and courage.

195

FOR Naamasmarana, no expense is involved; no materials are needed;
there is no special place or time to be provided. No qualification
of scholarship or caste or sex has to be proved. When a bit of iron
is rubbed to and fro on a slab of stone, heat is generated; only the
rubbing has to be vigorous and continuous. When you do so at
intervals and with poor pressure, the iron will not get hot. So too,
in order to get sufficient heat to melt the soft heart of the Lord,
rub the name "Ram",  "Ram",  "Ram",  "Ram" vigorously and
unremittingly; then, the Lord will shower His Grace.

196

THIS is the best time to tell you something about the authenticity
of this Advent. I only wish to communicate the Truth. There are many
who can not bear or tolerate the Splendour that I am manifesting,
the Divinity that is expressed in every act, the wonders and amazing
happenings that are the result of Grace; these people label these as
acts of mesmerism or miracles or feats of magic! They hope to bring
these down in the estimation of people. Let me tell you this; mine
is no mesmerism, miracle or magic. Mine is genuine DIVINE POWER.

197

LIFE sustained by food is short; life sustained by the Atma is
eternal. Do not lay claim to long life; but to Divine life. Do not
pine for more years on earth, but for more virtues in the heart.
Buddha knew and made known to the World the Truth. Everything is
grief. Everything is empty. Everything is brief. Everything is
polluted. So the wise man has to do the duties cast upon him with
discrimination, diligence and detachment. Play the role but keep
your identity unaffected.

198

IN order to escape being tossed about on the waves of joy and grief,
one should cultivate unconcern (upeksha), an attitude of welcoming
either as a sign of Grace. Sri Ramakrishna said that if you must
avoid the sticky fluid in the jackfruit from contacting your fingers
when you peel it, you have to apply a few drops of oil on them. So,
too, said he, "If you do not want the World and its reactions to
stick to you, have a few drops of unconcern applied on your mind".

199

THE foundation for real peace is, according to the Vedas, the
quality of Maithree. Maithree means amicability, friendship,
compassion and, kindness. It can also be taken to mean "My three",
that is to say, my word, deed and thought shall be in accordance
with words, thought and deed; that is to say, we shall speak, think
and act together without friction or faction, in an atmosphere of
love and understanding. That is what is wanted in the world today:
My three.

200

ALL men are Mine; so the whole World has to be saved from the
consequences of ignorance or limited knowledge. I will get all My
people near Me, for they are Mine, and I am theirs. Then, I will
start teaching and training them, until they become entirely ego-
free. For the last 25 years, it has all been sweetness, kindness,
soft persuasion; hereafter, it will be different. I will drag them,
place them on the table and operate. That is to say, I have no anger
or hate. I have only Love. It is Love that prompts Me to save them
and to open their eyes, before they get deeper into the morass.

Source:
http://www.saibaba.ws/teachings/pearls/101-200.htm

OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI

INVITATION

Fifth Anniversary Celebrations
&
AKHANDA SAI NAMA SAPTHAHA
From 05-09-2004 to 12-09-2004
SRI DATTATREYA AND SHIRDI SAI MANDIR
Sai Snehadhama Vrudhashrama Premises, Metipalya, Tavarekere,
Sondekoppa Road, Bangalore South Taluk
Shathashrunga Vidya Samsthe® & International Shirdi Sai Foundation ®
Magadi Main Road, Bangalore-560079 Phone: 080-57667464, 57667465
e-mail: saishathashrunga@..., shirdisaifoundation@...

Dear Sai Bandhus,

     To commemorate Baba's presence (in flesh and blood) as an ascetic
on 09-09-2000, it is proposed to conduct Fifth Anniversary
Celebrations and Sai Nama Sapthaha (Non stop chanting of Baba's
Tharaka Mantra "OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI" for 168 hours) from
Sunday 5th September, 2004 11 am to Sunday 12th September, 2004 11 am.
Venue: Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir, Sai Snehadhama Vrudhrasrama
Premises, Metipalya, Sondekoppa Road, Bangalore South Taluk.
President and Members

PROGRAMME DETAILS
05-09-2004

05-15 AM to 06-00                         Kakada Aarthi
06-30 AM to 10-30                          Ghana Homa, Navagraha
Homa, Vashthu Homa, Durga Homa,
                                                          Dattatreya
Homa, Sai Baba Homa, Sarva Devatha Homa
10-30 AM to 12-30                         Inagural Ceremony
12.30 P.M  Arathi  Inauguration of  Akhanda Sai Nama Sapthaha
(Non-Stop Chanting of "Om Sai Sri Sai Jaya Jaya Sai"
		 *********
Inauguration By  Guruji Sairamprasad,

Presided by Sri M.Krishnappa M.L.C, Vijaya Nagar, Bangalore

Chief Guest Sri H.C. Balakrishna, MLA, Magadi Constituency,
Bangalore

Guest of Honour Sri M.R.Vijaya Kumar, Prop: POLYCOAT, Bangalore
	 Sri B.V.Raveen, Partner, Kwality Coffee, Bangalore
	 Sri. K.RamaSwamy, KAS, RTd.Deputy Commissioner, Bangalore
	 Sri B.V. Anandulu Naidu, Rtd Deputy Thasildar, Kolar
	 Sri K.R. Chandra Shekar, Prop : KRC AND SONS, Chintamani
SAI BHAKTHI Swamy Prakash ji,

Devotees are requested to participate and Receive the blessings of
Sri Sainath Maharaj.

The Divinity of Numbers: The SAIence of Numerology

Renowned numerologist Norman Shine launches book for India

Norman Shine, world renowned and arguably Europe's best Numerologist
launched his latest work in India. The book titled "The Divinity of
Numbers: The SAlence of Numerology" published by Thapovanam
Publishers was launched on Tuesday at Oxford Bookstore(Churchgate)
in Mumbai.

The launch held at Oxford bookstore featured an interactive session
conducted by Norman Shine titled "Knowing yourself better through
Numerology". Norman also highlighted his research and clear myths
surrounding Numerology. The audiences availed of a personal
consultation with the author. Mr. Rajiv Chowdhry, COO, e.books World
Pvt. Ltd., which owns Oxford Bookstores, opines "Experience has
proved that books on occult like numerology and astrology enjoy
large readership in India, and with Norman's popularity in Europe he
is expected to be a big draw in India. It is a pleasure to have him
with us at Oxford Bookstore."

The book gives an in depth analysis and clears myths like "Changing
names can change fortunes" among others that surround numerology in
India. Says Raman Chaudhuri , Vice President, Thapovanam
Publishers, "The book also has a interactive CD, which acts like
personal numerologist for the reader. The reader can feed in his
name and birthday date and get an in-depth analysis of his character
and other relevant information like the important years in his
life" .

Norman Shine's association with India and its culture is deep
rooted. An ardent devotee of Shree Satya Saibaba , Norman is well
versed in the symbolism of Indian culture: he firmly believes that
the Vedas are the core essence of Numerology. Says Norman, "We are
all here in this world for the sole purpose of resolving our karmas".

Norman Shine has been a consultant numerologist and astrologer for
more than 15 years, following a distinguished academic career.
Norman Shine is without doubt the only numerologist in Scandinavia
and among a very few in Europe to be known worldwide, where there
are many astrologers, however only a handful of Numerologists. He is
much in demand as a public lecturer and as a radio and television
broadcaster on both subjects, and has written successful books on
numerology.

Norman Shine virtually introduced Numerology to Denmark in the Early
1980's. Through his books, written both in the Scandinavian
languages and in English, are read widely throughout the world. His
contribution as the only Numerologist in the "World Atlas of
Divination", a highly prestigious compendium of all the divination
systems employed throughout the world, is evidence of the supreme
position he enjoys globally within Numerology. Norman Shine is a
lecturer on Numerology in the University of the Shankara Acharya at
Kanchi and the University of Copenhagen.

Norman Shine's book named "Numerology: Your Character and Future
Revealed in Numbers" (1995) has sold over 5.5 lakh copies worldwide
and has been translated to German, Spanish, Portuguese, Serbo-Croat,
Czech, Hungarian, Polish. Norman Shine plans to start a School of
Numerology called "The Shine Institute of Numerology" in Mumbai, in
the coming year.

India Infoline - August 27, 2004
URL: http://www.indiainfoline.com/bize/renu.html