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 301 to 400

301

HAPPINESS and peace do not follow when man is fed well, clothed well, housed well and educated up to a good standard and employed under comfortable conditions with no injury to health or security. There are many who have all these in plenty but who are still worried or in pain or discontented. They depend on the inner equipment of man, not on his outer skill or riches.

302

SPEND the allotted span of years in the contemplation and the adoration of the Almighty, not in servile praise of the feeble, the futile and the weak. Life is an opportunity afforded to each, not to eat and drink, but to achieve something nobler and grander; to master oneself and merge in the Reality.

303

A PERSON being transferred from one goal to another will have two Constables who will escort him. The "Punya" and the "Papa" (good consequences and bad consequences of actions) are the Constables who lead man from one birth to another. You must escape from their attention and avoid migration from one goal to another; act - but do not calculate the consequences. That is to say, do not worry about the consequence; leave it to God who prompted the act and made it possible. Dedicate the act, the will, and the wish, all to God.

304

IT takes time for a fruit to mature and acquire sweetness and become eatable; time is a prime factor for most good fortunes. Make full use of Me, that is all I ask of you. I have at no time any feeling of separateness. I invite all to come and know and derive benefit from Me. Dive and know the depth; watch and discriminate; eat and know the taste - I long for people who do that.

305

SARVAM Vishnu mayam jagath: the Universe is saturated with Divinity; there is nothing here which is not HE; ISAA VAASYAM IDAM SARVAM. He is the base and the superstructure, the material and the manner, the inner motive and the outer movement. The body is the temple of the Lord; the atmosphere of this temple is by its very nature filled with Love for all beings. But man, overpowered by egoism, fouls it with envy and greed and so it festers with disease and distress.

306

THERE are some who always condemn themselves and their lives and aspire for the Grace of God to save them. Jiva and Deva are two separate entities and never can they merge or unite, they declare. The obvious is very often untrue. Sin is not the real nature of man; it is acquired and can be shed. Man is pure, good, loving and wise. That is why in the Nilayam, I have stopped people from reciting slokas which proclaim man as sinful, born in sin, reveling in sin, etc., Let the purity, which you are, get manifested; endeavour to express it in your activities; that is what pleases me and wins my Grace. 307. I AM telling you this, because it is a forecast of what you can expect in the coming days. I have been declaring since six or seven years that the day, when millions will gather to benefit from the Avatar, is fast coming; I am advising you to garner and treasure all the Grace and all the Bliss you can, while you may, so that you can sustain yourselves ruminating on the sweetness of the memories and the experience.

308

IF you live on the level of the Body and the Individual, you will be entangled in food, fun and frolic, ease, envy and pride. Forget it, ignore it, overcome it. You will have peace, joy and calm. In the Divine Path, there is no chance of failure; it is the Path of Love.

309

WE have to pay attention to the plans that intelligence dictates, not to the external signs of orthodoxy. A person may appear strictly orthodox, but his heart may be filled with the poison of hatred and envy. Has he realised that God is the God of all, that He is present in every being "Sahasraseersha, Sahasraksha, Sahasrapaad", (thousand headed, thousand eyed, thousand legged) as He is?

310

WHEN Avatars come, they choose the time and the place, clan and the family, and they decide and bring the comrades and the coworkers. When Rama came, Sesha, Sankha, Chakra and other inseparable adjuncts of the Lord also incarnated; they also came down in order to taste the sweetness of the Lord's company and service. Rohini, under which Krishna was born, is related to the attainment of Yogic success and the powers that flow from it.

311

PUNARVASU, the star under which Rama was born, has a mysterious influence on the authority which accepts all who submit to the "Saranagatha-Thrana" aspect of Rama's glory.

312

HOW can darkness conquer or stand up to light? Krishna is "Premaswarupa" and He can be won over only by "Prema". Audacity cannot approach Him. Actors in films, however, correct their accouterments (equipment) and intonation; they can never be the Real. Not even the biggest Scientist can understand Me by means of the categories to which he is accustomed. I always smile at those who deride Me and even those who praise Me. I am always full of "Santhosh", whatever may happen. Nothing can come in the way of My smile. Derision and Calumny only tend to make it grow better and happier.

313

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; intellectual emotion must be directed to the revelation of the Resident in the Heart, Atma. 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, that voice warns, protests and advises giving up.

314

ONAM FESTIVAL ONAM is the Festival of the Vamana's advent as well as Bali's Transformation. Emperor Bali was both humiliated and blessed by God Vamana, the Emperor of the Three Worlds. Bali was saturated with egoism. God came to him in the guise of a Brahmin boy and asked for a gift of just three-foot measures of land. The Preceptor of Bali warned him about the identity and bona fide of the strange mendicant who was God Himself. Vamana drew Himself up to Cosmic proportions and measured the entire earth with one foot and the vast expanse of space with another foot. Bali offered his own head as the third foot-measure and went into the Nether World. Vamana taught that Pride meets with doom. He permitted Bali every year on Onam day to receive the homage of the people.

315

ONAM ONAM is the Festival which instills a Divine Message into those who observe it with an eye on its inner significance. Kerala has contributed a great deal to the preservation of Vedic Culture and Sanskrit learning. Keralites have a name for faith and dedication. Witness the age-old privilege the Nambudris of Kerala enjoy as priests of the great Vaishnavite shrine thousands of miles away from their land, namely Badrinath, among the Himalayas.

316

MANY people think that Concentration is the same thing as Meditation, but there is no such connection between Concentration and Meditation. Concentration is something which is below your senses, whereas Meditation is something which is above your senses. But many are under the false impression that concentration is identical with Meditation and they take to a wrong path. Concentration is something which we use involuntarily in our daily, normal routine life.

317

TO many it may appear strange that in this Anandalaya (Abode of Bliss) there exists an Arogya Nilaya (Abode of Health) or Hospital. They may wonder why prominence is given to bodily health, in a place that is dedicated to the health of the Spirit. But for attaining the four aims of Human life, Dharma (Righteousness), Artha (Prosperity), Kama (Fulfillment of Desires) and Moksha (Liberation from Bondage), the basic requirement is health of the body and the mind.

318

IT is enough if Prema is cultivated, the Prema that knows no distinction between oneself and another, because all are but limbs of One corpus of God Almighty. Through Love alone can the Embodiment of Love be gained. Here, no scholarship is needed; in fact, scholarship will be an impediment for it caters to egoism and it breeds doubts and the desire for disputation and laurel of victory over others preening themselves as learned.

319

IT is a national disgrace if the sons and daughters of India (which was for centuries the Light of Asia and the Guru of the West) grope in the dark, blinded by the scintillations of the scientific inventions of the West. But Peace does not drop from outer space! It springs from the heart within.

320

THE Himalayas, which form the bastion of Bharath, are the symbols of might and majesty; they remind us of the Purity that we should develop in ourselves; they teach us that we should be as firm, as unshaken as the snow clad peaks, as unaffected by the noise and turmoil of the bazaars of mankind.

321

BETWEEN Concentration and Meditation, there is a border area which covers both and that is the area of Contemplation. To be in that area of Contemplation is to free yourself of worldly attachments. If you break away all the worldly attachments - all the routine attachments in the World - then you enter the region of Contemplation. When you have completely broken away all your attachments, you break through this area of Contemplation and you get into the area of Meditation.

322

THE ultimate step of Self-realisation depends upon the base of Self-confidence. You must therefore develop as a first step Confidence in your own self. Without having and developing Confidence in your own self, if all the time you are talking of some power being with someone else, if in this way you travel all the time and depend upon a power which is with someone else, when are YOU going to acquire any power and confidence in your own self?

323

EVEN when Divinity comes down as Avatar, man is unable to pierce the veil and revere the Divine. Lord Krishna says that people are unable to recognise the Divinity that is He, because they deem Him to be merely human. Only those who are aware of the current within, the Atma, can identify the Source of Power before them.

324

ONE of the first principles of straight living is: Practice Silence. For the Voice of God can be heard in the region of your heart only when the tongue is stilled, the storm is stilled and the waves are calm. There will be no temptation for others to shout when you talk to them in whispers. Set the level of the tone yourself; as low as possible, as high as necessary to reach the outermost boundary of the circle you are addressing. Conserve sound since it is the treasure of the element Akasa, an emanation from God Himself.

325

WHAT is a School for? To make man human. Man has in him certain specific attributes which have to be developed and fostered, so that he can rise up to his full stature. If these are ignored or allowed to lie fallow, he exists at the animal level only. Discipline alone can make him grow into his heritage. The animal can be transformed by training to behave like a man.

326

I LIKE simplicity, I like a dress that will not discourage people from approaching you for a kind word, a bit of service, a helping hand. It must be clean and decent; not outlandish and queer. It should not be worn to attract attention. Just as you desire to wear clean comfortable clothes for the body, desire also clean, consoling exercises for the mind, like "Japam" and "Dhyanam".

327

MAN is flying to the Moon and diving into the Sea; but he does not know how to live on Earth with his fellow men in Love and Peace. He moves towards the Moon for fear others may reach there before him and dives through the Sea to strike terror, himself terrified of others! The way to live without fear or causing fear is laid down in the Gita, the very first Sloka which is about Dharmakshetra!

328

IF one's passions and emotions have come under control of his higher nature, then the Lord will assume responsibility for his progress towards Him. Otherwise, he will have to wait. Do not think that you have no Natha or Guardian. God is the only "Anatha" - Guardianless Person. All the rest have Him as the Natha or Guardian. He is ever beside Man, within him as Conscience, without him as Companion and Guide.

329

DO not lay the blame on Godhead, as you are prone to do. When everything goes right you say that God has come close to you; when something goes wrong you say that God has deserted you and gone far away! He does not move far or near. The distance from Him to you is as much as the distance from you to Him. He is everywhere. He is always in your heart. Recognise Him there; realise Him as closest and nearest to you. He is your own self, neither terrible nor tender, but simply IS.

330

YOU cannot be fresh and feeling fine wearing a washed vest under an unwashed shirt, or an unwashed vest under a washed shirt. Both have to be clean to provide the sense of tingling joy. So too, outer and inner cleanliness is but the reflection of the inner achievement. There is a strange glow on the face of a guideless person. Inner cleanliness has its own soap and water - the soap of strong faith and the water of constant practice.

331

REASON can prevail only when arguments are advanced without the whipping of the Sound. Silence is the speech of the Spiritual Seeker. Soft sweet Speech is the expression of genuine Love. Hate screeches; Fear squeals; Conceit trumpets, but Love sings lullabies, it soothes, it applies balm. Practice the Vocabulary of Love; Unlearn the language of hate and contempt.

332

THE true aspirant will have a reverent attitude to the duty he is bound to. He will carry out every task assigned to him as if it is an act of worship, by which the Lord will be pleased and through which he can approach the pedestal of God. Duty is God; Work is Worship--that is the motto.

333

WORSHIP is not a uniform to be put on and off at stated hours of the day. Render every thought into a flower worthy to be held in His Fingers; render every deed into a fruit, full of the sweet juice of Love fit to be placed in His Hand; render every tear holy and pure, fit to wash His Lotus Feet.

334

NOW I must tell you, that during this Sai Avatar, there is no place for a "drama" with scenes of failures and defeats! What I will, must take place; what I plan must succeed. I am Truth; and Truth has no need to hesitate, fear or bend.

335

DO not attempt to know Me through the external eyes. When you go to a temple and stand before the Image of God, you pray with closed eyes, don't you? Why? Because you feel the Inner Eye of Wisdom alone can reveal Him to you. Therefore do not crave for the trivial material objects; but crave for Me and you will be rewarded.

336

I SHALL tell you why I give these rings, talismans, rosaries, etc. It is to signalize the bond between Me and those to whom they are given. When "calamity befalls them, the article comes to Me in a flash and returns in a flash taking from Me the remedial Grace of protection. The Grace is available to all who call on Me in any Name or Form, not merely to those who wear these gifts. Love is the bond that wins Grace.

337

I HAD to tell you so much about My Truth, for I desire that you should contemplate on this and derive joy from the reform, so that you may be inspired to observe the disciplines laid down by Me and progress towards the Goal of Self-realisation, the Realisation of the Sai that shines in your hearts.

338

IF each one does his duty in the spirit of dedication, the Light can illumine all, but if the doors of the heart are shut against the Light, how can darkness disappear? You cannot sit back and expect the Incarnation to bring Peace and Joy into you. The Incarnation comes to warn, to guide, to awaken, to lay down the path and shed the light of Love on it. But man has to listen, learn and obey with hope and faith.

339

THE deer, the elephant, the cow, the horse - these live on Sathvic food and behave in a Sathvic manner. So they are adored and even worshipped by man. Tigers, bears, hyenas and other wild animals are feared by man and are driven by him into the dark recesses of the forests. The wonder is that the wildness, the cruelty and the terror-inflicting attributes of these beasts are developed and exhibited by man himself! Man prides himself as the crown of creation, he declares that he has in him the spark of the Divine. But he ignores it or suppresses it and revels in displaying the qualities of the ferocious beasts of the jungle.

340

THE ocean is a vast mystery. It is boundless and as old as time. It has in its womb chaotic whirlpools, raging currents, and it has a face with furious moods. No one can hope to sail over it from one shore to another without a sturdy boat of Divine Grace to cross the raging Ocean of this "Samsara" (ever-changing, ever-agitated flow of life). This ocean too is vast and full of mystery; it has its unplumbed depths! It tosses man about from birth to death and again from death to birth.

341

TO equip oneself with the Ocean-worthy boat of Grace, one has to develop in himself the qualities of Faith and Discipline. One has to clarify and purify the inner Consciousness, the "Chitta". Time is the Gift that God has blessed man with, for this purpose. So man should use it as an instrument for the clarification and the purification. Contemplating the Glories of God, discovering His Presence in Beauty, Goodness and Truth seen anywhere, meditating on His Form, repeating His Name - by these means the process can be made successful.

342

TO achieve release, man kneels before a million Gods, in frantic pain. If he but blasts the ego within, the goal is reached, he is freed indeed! It is difficult indeed to understand the ego in its depth and devious ways. It is an inert entity; that is to say, it cannot know itself nor can it know others. It has no fear; it will not bend before others; it degrades man from the golden glory, which is his due, to the level of lowly dust.

343

THE best way to resolve the confusion and conflicts that hamper moral, ethical, material, technological and spiritual progress is for man to live as fully as man ought to and rise to the height of the Divine, that is his Reality. That is the one eternal, universal teaching. The thoughts that the intellect frames, must be reflected as feeling in the mind and translated into action by the hands. Thought, word and deed must be coordinated. They must fulfill one another. The sign of a holy person of Mahatma is "Manasayekam, Vachasyekam, Karmanekam", "One mind, one word, one act".

344

SATHYA and Dharma go together; they are the two faces of the same coin. "Sathyam-naasthi Paro Dharmah", "There is no Dharma higher than Sathya. Righteousness is built on the foundation of Truth".

345

WORDS can confer strength; they can drain it off; Words can gain friends; they can turn them into enemies; words can elevate or lower the individual. One must learn the habit of making one's words sweet, soft, and pleasant. A person is judged by his words; words inflict damage in other ways too. Whenever we talk disparagingly, defamingly, sarcastically or hatefully of others, they get recorded on the tape, which is our own mind.

346

DIAMOND and gold are only material things; man has made them precious. But, man is really the most valuable being on earth. He has recognised his uniqueness and importance for, he declares, "Janthoonaam narajanmam durlabham". In spite of the awareness, man desecrates himself by bartering himself for trivial pleasures.

347

WE have a feeling that "Ananya Bhakti" consists in surrendering to God, saying "I have no Saviour other than you". We think that simply by declaring "You are mother, you are father, you are friend; you are my saviour, Oh God of Gods", we have surrendered and are practicing "Ananya Bhakti". Real "Ananya Bhakti" comes from deep inquiry into the Reality of the Inner Self.

348

THE World today is in a very bad state. The situation can improve only through Asthikas, who are believers in Divinity. They should become Prema Swaroopas or Embodiments of Love and by their Sadhana, backed by patience, forbearance and compassion, play their role in serving Society and contributing to the betterment of the World. God is present in you and is visualizing through thousands of eyes what you do. Even when no one is seeing, God is watching your actions always. Do everything with this awareness.

349

WHEN clouds gather in the sky, lightning appears and illuminates the cloud. Similarly, "Wisdom must illuminate Education". This word of SAI is the path of Truth. Smaller than the smallest atom, bigger than the biggest thing, witness of everything, the Atma is Brahman and Brahman is "Atma".

350

THERE are three types of knowledge: Knowledge of matter-energy; knowledge of mental energy; and knowledge of cosmic energy. Cosmic energy works in every person in the form of Divine knowledge. Matter in all forms is only Energy. Without atoms, you cannot have any matter, and in the atom, energy has the form of electron, proton, neutron, etc. Energy springs from the structure of the atomic constituents.

351

MAN does not live by food alone. In fact he lives by the power of the Atma. So you must use your strength of body and mind, wealth and education with intelligence, in order to realise the Power of the Soul. Without discrimination, what is the use of physical strength?

352

ILLNESS, both physical and mental, is a reaction of the body, caused by poisons in the mind. An uncontaminated mind alone can ensure continuous health. Vice breeds disease. Bad thoughts and habits, bad company and bad food are fertile grounds where disease thrives. "Arogya" and "Ananda" go hand in hand. A sense of elation and exultation keeps the body free from ill health. Evil habits in which men indulge are the chief causes of disease, physical as well as mental. Greed affects the mind; disappointment makes man depressed. Man can justify his existence as man, only by the cultivation of virtues. Then he becomes a worthy candidate for Godhood.

353

THE God ward path is Karma, based on Dharma. That is the path also towards joy, contentment and, therefore, of strength. Now, the path has become hidden by an overgrowth of briar and bush; the bridges and culverts are in disrepair. People have forgotten the goal, the path and the habit of walking on it. That road is the only refuge; it must be trodden tomorrow, if not today, for the goal lies at the end of that road. It was laid down, centuries ago in the Vedas, beyond the memory of history. "Sathyam Vada", "Dharmam Chara": the Vedas call on you.

354

MAN is basically, essentially and fully immortal. He is "Amruthaswarupam" yet he is afraid he would die! He is "Anandaswarupa"; yet he weeps that he is miserable. He is Santhiswarupam; yet everywhere he is overlaid with anxiety. This absurd self-deception is the root of the tragedy from which the World suffers today.

355

ALL Religions exhort man to cleanse the heart of malice, greed, hate and anger. All Religions hold out the gift of Grace as the prize for success in this cleaning process. Ideas of superiority and inferiority arise only in a heart corrupted by egoism. If someone argues that he is higher or that his Religion is holier, it proves that he has missed the significance of his faith.

356

SACRIFICE, service, sharing in the exaltation of others, and compassion when others suffer grief are virtues that purify and prepare the individual to the arduous task of reaching the Goal. Expand the limited awareness of the individual into the limitless realm of Divine Glory - that has been the call, down the corridors of Time.

357

FOR each person, there is a Code of Conduct laid down in the Shastras, according to age and status, the profession adopted, the stage of spiritual attainment reached and the goal of life accepted. Do not carp at the behaviour of others or at the efforts they make to get consolation and courage amidst the turmoil of life. For each there is the path that he has chosen and the Name and the Form of God he prefers. Also do not give up your Code of duties and take up that which is recommended for someone else.

358

DELUSION has to die; then only does the cycle of change end, then only is man liberated from the bonds of birth, life and death. Call it "reaching the Goal", or "Sayujyam" or "Brahmasaakshaathkaaram", or "Aikyaanubandhaanam" or "becoming one with the Infinite" - the Names may differ but the Finish is the same. Every mortal must attain Immortality; for he is "Amruthasya Puthra", a child of Immortality.

359

IT is much easier to speak the Truth and be done with it. What you have seen or heard or done, speak about these just as you saw or heard or did! And what is Dharma? Practicing what you preach, doing as you practice in life. Earn virtuously; earn piously; live in the fear of God; live for reaching God. That is Dharma.

360

THE Five Elements have each a characteristic that affects and attracts one of the five senses: Sound (ether) which fascinates the mind through the air; Touch (Air), which draws the mind to itself through the skin; Form (fire), which manipulates the mind in its favour through the eye; Taste (Water), which enslaves the mind through the tongue; and Smell (Earth), which attracts the mind through the nose. Contact with the external world is maintained by the senses, for the sake of these experiences which yield joy or grief.

361

THE symbol on the Flag at Prasanthi Nilayam is a reminder of this ideal, which you have to put into practice. It is the symbol of Victory, achieved by steady endeavour over the diabolic foes of lust and greed, of envy and hate and of malice and conceit. It is the symbol of the silent state of the Supreme Bliss, won through Self-control and Self-realisation.

362

THERE is not the slightest trace of self-interest in Me. Whatever I do, whatever paths I pursue, everything is intended for the happiness of all, for the good of all, and for the improvement of all. Not a single action of Mine is undertaken for the satisfaction of My own personal desires. Desire is something alien to Me. All My wishes are only to promote the welfare of the World. "Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavanthu" is the only objective of SAI (May all the World be happy).

363

SAI'S main purpose is to develop the minds and attitudes of young men on right lines, so that they may work for the progress and welfare of Bharath. Students are the only wealth that I cherish. All My hopes are concentrated on them. To reform them and train them to serve as exemplars of righteousness is Sai's sole resolve.

364

I DO not have any particular desire with regard to food or any other need. My "Ananda" is My food; and to secure that food I promote happiness in others and derive delight from their joy. That is the significance of My statement, "My Life is My Message". To feel blissful enjoying the happiness which others experience, is a quality of the Divine.

365

YOU come to know that you are a spark of the Divine Flame. Very soon, you realise that others too are sparks from the self-same fire. How then can hate, anger, envy or greed survive in the Sunlight of the Vision?

366

CHANGE your Vision and the world will appear accordingly. Let the eye be charged with the Divine, it will see all as God. It is foolish to try to shape the World; shape yourself as the embodiment of Peace, Love and Reverence. Then you will see all as Love, Compassion and Humility.

367

YOU are the image of the Supreme Atma, the image that is reflected in the body that is part of "Prakriti". Your body is Kith and Kin of all the objects that surround you in nature; your body is an object among so many. The original Divine spirit, the individualized spirit, which is the image and the objective world of which the body is a part - these are the entities called Iswara - Jiva - Prakriti.

368

IT IS not enough you are at Puttaparthi. You have to engage in Sadhana to win My Sankalpa. You may think that the burden of the consequences of acts done in previous births cannot be easily brushed away; no, they can be destroyed, as a heap of cotton is by a spark of fire. "Jnanagni dagdha karmanam", the speck of Jnana will destroy the effect of Karma in a trice.

369

DO not jump to conclusions, abdicating your discrimination and do not deny the validity of your own experience. Stand on your strength. Be unmoved, either by adulation or denigration. Follow My lead. I am unaffected by either; I march on alone, undeterred and of My own accord. I am My own Guide and Witness; have full faith in this.

370

TODAY, man dabbles in Yoga (devotional practices) in the morning hours; revels in Bhoga (festivity and luxury, catering to the senses) during the day; and tosses about in roga (disease) during the night! Bhakti is not to be "performed" during certain periods every day and superseded by other fashionable attractions. Bhakthi is a constant, continuous bent of mind, a habit of thought and a way of life. It must be loyally adhered to, whatever may happen - dishonour, distress, despair, deprivation, pleasure, prosperity, power and pomp.

371

MAN seeks joy in far off places and peace in quiet spots; but the spring of joy is in his heart; the haven of peace is in himself. Even when he walks on the Moon, man has to take with him, his fears, his anxieties, his prejudices and his pet aversions. Have faith in God and in the correctness of moral living. Then you can have peace and joy, whatever may be the fare that fortune offers you.

372

THE parents gave you this body and fostered the intelligence and love that are embedded in it; so gratitude is their due. If you do not honour the parents who are the creators in human form, how can you learn to honour the Creator in Divine Form? Moreover, the parents reveal to you the glory of God and the means of worshipping Him; they are the first representatives of authority which you meet with, authority modified by love and care. Learn to bend before that authority; and you will learn how to submit to the Lord.

373

POEMS, that deal with the fundamental problems of life and death, truth and delusion, and virtue and vice, will last for centuries and will help man at all times. Problems of exterior living change and get changed. So when poems deal with them, they are short-lived. "Prakriti" and "Paramathma", Creation and Creator are like two halves of a pulse: and seedling sprouts from between them.

374

YOU have it in your power to make your days on Earth a path of flowers, instead of thorns. Recognise the Sai Resident in every heart and all will be smoothness, softness and sweetness for you. Sai will be the fountain of Love in your heart and in the hearts of all with whom you come in contact. Know that Sai is Omnipresent and that He is present in you and every living being. Adore everyone as you adore Sai.

375

THE span of life allotted to man is very short; the World in which he lives is very wide; time extends far behind and far beyond. What little man has to accomplish must be done quickly, at the place that is assigned to him and within the time that is allotted to him. And, man has such a formidable task before him; it is to fulfill it that he has come as man, exchanging for this human habitat all the merit he has acquired during many past lives. The task is no less than the manifestation of the Divinity latent in man.

376

RISE up to the Divine, don't bring down Godhead to your human and even animal levels. Do not worship God as the picture before you, but worship the picture before you as God, because God is in everything and can be grasped through every single symbol. There is nothing wherein He is not; there is no might or right, apart from Him.

377

SNAKES hiss; pigs grunt; and bulls moo! They are asserting their ego, intent on keeping others away. Of the traits of ego, pride is the most poisonous. But the pride of the scholar and the vanity of Pundits are so thick that it is impossible for them to get rid of these.

378

GOD is the vastest among the vast, minutest among the minute. Yet, God has no ego. How then can man, who has no claim to even the tiniest glory, parade himself as great? It is really a ridiculous pose. The egoist ignores the source which can bring respect to him. He loses the chance of developing his skills and talents on the right lines.

379

WHAT can ten baths a day do to cleanse a person, when his mind is fouled by evil thoughts? What can the shaven head and the ochre clothes do to foster spirituality, when his mind is riddled by desires and wants? You may rotate a ball of sweets round the mouth but unless it is eaten, hunger will not be abated. So, develop sincere longings, cleanse the mind, purify the thoughts and put the precepts into practice.

380

SOME of you claim to be Saibhaktas, Ramabhaktas, and Krishnabhaktas. But unless you are perfect instruments in His hand, you do not deserve that name. For example, Bharata can call himself Ramabhakta. He lived with Rama-Nama in every breath; he suffered as much as Rama; he was as much as anchorite as his brother; so, he too become Shyama (dark-skinned) like Rama.

381

THE body has to be exercised to keep it trim as a tool for serving your fellowmen. The body has not been granted by God in order to be fed and well-clothed and to be paraded around in pride. Plunge into the problems of Society, take up the burden of the family and advance the interests of your country. Shine as examples of Loving Service.

382

MAN has in him vast resources of Power. When he does not utilise them while discharging his duties to himself and the Society which sustains him, he is only becoming a target for ridicule. When you are at the railway-station, waiting for the train, and then you come to know that it will arrive five hours late, how do you react? You fling abusive words at the train. When the coaches receive such treatment from you, then what treatment do you deserve for not fulfilling your duty and for disappointing the expectations that you have raised by your being a man!

383

WHEN you struggle to achieve paltry fame by devious means, remember who among the crores of your countrymen are honoured today and for what? Don't you see that only those who gave up, renounced, and sought the more difficult road of God realisation, instead of easier path of World realisation, are honoured everywhere?

384

THE Lord rushes towards the Bhakta faster than the Bhakta 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.

385

YOU must not be like a piece of blotting paper, absorbing all the passions and emotions, all the joys and grief that the actress Nature demonstrates during the stages of life. You must be a Lotus, unfolding its petals when the Sun rises in the sky, unaffected by the slush where it is born or even the water which sustains it!

386

FAITH in God is the secure foundation on which hope has to be built. The faith has to be stable and strong. The feeling that God will come to our rescue has to be vivid and vital, motivating and activating all that we do or speak or think. Service rendered to others in this spirit will be a great source of joy to you as well as to the recipient.

387

WOMEN are proverbially too individualistic! There is a popular belief born out of folklore, that three women cannot live in unison! There is a Telugu limerick, which says, "The world shivers before one woman. The ocean will dry up, if there are two! And if they are three, O, the stars will drop down at noon"! Why are women so characterized? A woman is extremely deficient in Sahana; by Sahana, I mean ability to bear defeat, fortitude, forbearance, patience and quiet, suffering with no thought of retaliation. That is why woman is said to be the weaker sex.

388

SILENCE, Cleanliness and Forbearance. In Silence the voice of God can be heard, not in the revelry of noise. Through Cleanliness, you earn purity. By Forbearance, you cultivate Love. You have come today to your own home. This is your home not Mine. My home is your heart. So do not try to have your lunch elsewhere but in your home where you get this day food consecrated by Me, the Prasad.

389

ONE should progress from this stage to the awareness of the Atma. Flowers fade and rot soon. The effect of offering flowers may not last long. What God loves more are the flowers blossoming on the tree of man's own life, fed and fostered by his own skill and sincerity. The are the flowers of his virtues grown in the garden of his heart.

390

IT is the duty of everyone to live in the awareness of Truth. He who lives on Earth must become Man at first. Then, he has to learn the way to God, and discover the delight of the Spirit. This is the "Raja Yoga" path that the Vedas teach. The Atma illumines all objects; it needs no other source of illumination to shine; it is the seer of the Universe.

391

NOWADAYS man has the habit of acting and talking according to his whims. There is no control exercised by conscience or moral sense or manners. For one who is so perverse, who is determined to go down to his doom, there is no need for counsel! Medicine is for the ill, not for the wholly healthy, or the wholly dead. Counsel is for those, who suffer from doubt, anxiety or agitation. This counsel is contained in the Shastras and the Sacred Texts.

392

GOD is seeking the pure heart that longs to reach Him. The World is reduced to a theatre by man, for devotion to God has become a histrionic performance. You find people weeping in their heart of hearts but laughing their lives away. We find people who laugh in their heart of hearts, but to all observers, weeping profusely over their fate. Worship is more for effect, a play acted with the pit in view; there is no sincerity.

393

MAN did not come here to sleep and eat; he has come to manifest, by disciplined processes, the Divine in him. That is why he is called "Vyakthi", he who makes "Vyaktha" (clear) the "Sakthi" that is in him, the Divine energy that motivates him. For this purpose, he has come endowed with the body and the intelligence needed to control it and divert it to useful channels of activity. You must achieve this by Dharma-Nishtha, and Karma-Nishtha, steady pursuit of Dharma and Karma, morality and good work.

394

THE World itself is a great teacher, a constant guide and inspiration. That is the reason why man is surrounded and sustained by the world. Every bird, every animal, every tree, mountain and star and each tiny worm has a lesson for man, if he has but the will and the thirst to learn. These make the World a veritable University for man; it is a Gurukul where he is a pupil from birth to death.

395

THE Linga is the Form of God, emerging from the "Nirakara" to "Sakara". Other "Akaras" (Forms) are all subsumed in the Linga Form. "Prakrithi" or the Objective World is the base; it signifies that the Lord is established in that manifestation of His, which is the concrete presentation of His play, His potentiality and His power, His Sakthi. That is why the Lord is described as Shiva, Shakthi, Atmaka and Swarupam, the Supreme to which Shiva and Shakthi belong, the latent and the patent.

396

IF you do not feel the call at the sight of human distress, disease or deviation from the right, how can you muster the determination and dedication necessary to serve the unseen, inscrutable, mysterious God? When you do not love man, your heart will not love God. Despising brother man, you cannot, at the same time, worship God. If you do, God will not accept that hypocrisy. God is resident in every heart; so, if you serve any one, that service reaches the God within him: it brings to you the Grace of God.

397

THE heart that does not melt at the sight of persons caught in the coils of ignorance, disease or deprivation, has to be labeled demonic; to call it bestial is an insult to the beasts. Give up egoism, sensualism and greed; fill your hearts with renunciation, belief in the glory of the Atma (Self) and Love. That is the means by which you can make yourselves efficient Seva Dal Workers.

398

THE pollution of character that is spreading in the cities is fast invading the villages also. The villages should not yield to the temptation of imitation and invite catastrophe on themselves. They must appreciate the ancient Indian ideals of simplicity and sincerity, service and spiritual oriented living. You must curb greed, anger, envy and pride, and live in amity and the spirit of brotherhood. Then India will be happy and prosperous. Each one must carry out the duties of his role in a worshipful attitude.

399

LIFE has been bestowed not for just eating and digesting and roaming and reclining, but for a far greater purpose - the realisation of Divinity in us, in all that exists around us and even beyond all things that strike our senses. To waste such a life in vain pursuits and in a mere sense of pleasures is not the sign of an intelligent person. Deserve the Grace of God by helping the weak and poor, the diseased and the disabled, the distressed and the downtrodden.

400

SHIVA is worshipped with the three-leafed bilva, for He is immanent in the three Worlds, in the three phases of Time and in the three attributes of Nature. He removes the three types of grief; He has no basis outside Him; He is the source of Bliss; He is the embodiment of the sweetness and efficacy of nectar. Since every being is Shiva Swarupa (for without Siva, it is mere "Sava"-Corpse), man has to live up to that Divine status.

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