1008 Pearls of Sayings
of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Index Introduction Pearls 1- 100 Pearls 101 - 200 Pearls 201- 300 Pearls 301- 400 Pearls 401- 500 Pearls 501 - 600 Pearls 601 - 700 Pearls 701 - 800 Pearls 801 - 900 Pearls 901 - 1008

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.

Index Introduction Pearls 1- 100 Pearls 101 - 200 Pearls 201- 300 Pearls 301- 400 Pearls 401- 500 Pearls 501 - 600 Pearls 601 - 700 Pearls 701 - 800 Pearls 801 - 900 Pearls 901 - 1008