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 501 to 600

501

THOSE who deny God are denying themselves and their glory. All have Love in their hearts, in some form or other; either towards the children of the poor or their work for the good of others. That Love is God, the spark of the Godly in them. They have Ananda however small or temporary, and that is a spark of God and the Godly. They have Shanti, Detachment and Sympathy. All these are the reflections of the Divine on the mirror of their minds. These are all mental excellences, revealed through an appreciation of the advantages of virtue.

502

THE principle of Love has no trace of ego or blemish. It is fully free from selfish attachment. Whatever Sai does, whatever Sai thinks, whatever Sai says and whatever Sai observes is all for your sake, not for Sai's sake. My only desire is your Ananda. Your Ananda is My Ananda. I have no Ananda apart from yours.

503

WHATEVER thoughts arise in Me are only for the Peace and Welfare of the World, for the progress of Youth and for transforming ideal boys and girls who will lead others along the path. You must dedicate yourselves for rendering enthusiastic service to the people of the World, recognising thatthe Sai Principle has no egoistic urge.

504

WHEN do we need Light? Not during the day, but when night prevails. Then we need a lamp, a flame, the Moon; so too, until wisdom enlightens us, we need Sadhana; until we experience the one Unified Divine, we have to accept and practice discipline, regulations and Sadhana. Ignorance is the Night. Knowledge is the Light. There arenine lamps that can illumine the mind and free it from darkness: Sravanam (listening); Keerthanam (Adulation); Smaranam; Padasevanam; Archanam (ceremonial worship); Vandanam; Dasyam; Sakhyam; and Atmanivedanam.

505

PRAYER must emerge from the effect to the causes. The individual Self has to yearn for the Supreme Self. It must emerge from a pure heart. Prayer drinking cup must be clean, both on the out side and the inside. Prayer should not arise out of the tongue, as music rises out of the gramophone record. When the song does not arise from your depth, when you are not involved in it, how can it draw God unto you? You must achieve confidence, then the self-confidence will lead to self-sacrifice and self-realisation.

506

WHOLESOME happiness arises only from fullness of Love, Truth, Peace, Charity and Fortitude. These can fructify only in the atmosphere of Love - Sathya Sai. Men yearn for good times, high status, power and good life. But seldom do they yearn for good thoughts, wisdom and virtue. What better advice can Sai give?

507

GOD is the entity close to man, dearest to man. Your mother and father might be far away, but God is right with you. Even if you do not Love Him, He will not depart from you or move afar. "Anoraniyam" say the Vedas (Smaller than the Atom). He becomes "Mahathmaheeyaam", expanding beyond the Cosmos and fitting all with Grace. In every call, He will be in you. You can earn this Awareness through intense Love.

508

BLESSEDNESS can be conferred only by the Divine Source; it cannot be acquired from worldly achievements and triumphs. It is dependent on the Immutable Triad, of Sathyam, Shivam and Sundaram.It assumes all forms, this Santham!It assumes all names, this Shivam!It is Sath-Chith-Anand, this only one!It is Sathyam-Shivam-Sundaram!

509

LET the children, even grown-up boys and girls, touch the feet of the Father and Mother every morning before the daily tasks are started; it will generate a reverential atmosphere in the home. Five minutes in the shrine room and the Namaskaram for Parents - let this be the daily routine. The Upanishads recommend this as the basic requirement of our Culture: "Mathru Devo Bhava; Pithru Devo Bhava; Acharya Devo Bhava".

510

THE home is the temple where the family, each member of it is a moving temple, is nurtured and nourished. The Mother is the high priest of this House of God. Humility is the incense with which the house is filled. Reverence is the lamp that is lit with Love as the oil and Faith as the wick. Spend the years of your lives, dedicating them for such worship in the homes that you will find.

511

PEOPLE crowd into film shows, rush towards social clubs, spend days together in playing cards, but when they are asked to sing the Glory of God and purify themselves and the atmosphere, they clamour for concession! When the heads hit against each other in anger, can the feet be steady and unaffected? They too will kick and trample as maliciously as they can.

512

REMEMBER three things always: continue Seva, wherever you are; seek chances of helping others; never lose an opportunity of using your skills and enthusiasm for the alleviation of sorrow, pain or distress. Again, do not omit or neglect or postpone your own particular spiritual Sadhana. Study Japam, Dhyanam, Bhajan, Namasankirtanand other such disciplines. Above all, have the faith that Swami is with you at all times and all places.

513

AS the Vedas announce, there is no Dharma higher than Truth. Truth gets hidden, appears distorted and is declared to be failing; so, the Avatar asserts its validity and value once again. God wears Truth, the good seek Truth and the bad are rescued by Truth. Truth liberates; Truth is power; Truth is freedom. It is the lamp that illuminates the heart and dispels doubt and darkness. The effulgence of God is Truth. Welcome God in your heart. Install Him there as a result of yearning. Be always concerned with Brahman; then you are entitled to be known as a Brahmin.

514

INJURY inflicted on any being is sacrilege, self injury. Love is transformed into poison if hate contaminates it. Love some, but do not hate the rest, for that hate will foul the Love and make it mortal. Love comes automatically to the realised soul; but the Sadhaka has to cultivate it by means of Seva and inquiry into the unity of the Atman. Love must low not only from the tongue or head, but chiefly from the heart.

515

PRASADAM means Grace, which flows from God when He is propitiated. My Grace is ever with you; it is not something that is given or taken. It is given always and accepted by the Consciousness that is aware of its significance. Win the Grace of your own subconscious, so that it may receive the Grace of God which is ever available. God does not deny anyone; it is only you, who deny God. When the gift is preferred, you have to do only one little act so that you may earn it. You have to extend your hand to receive it.

516

THE Kshetra or Field or Body must be transmuted into the Dharmakshetra, the purified area of Virtue and Vairagya (Renunciation of lower desires). Then the Charioteer will take charge and man gets liberated and the body becomes Brahmakshetra. That is the life story of a self-realised person.

517

THE Avatara-Purusha, however, has come solely to save mankind, and so, He is aware of the pilgrim, the path and the goal. He is the master of creation and He is fully conscious of His power. He knows the past, the present and future of all. He leads and liberates.

518

AMBITION to earn fame in the world, to gain some position of authority over fellow men, to lead a luxurious life - this can never ensure Shanti, Mental Peace. Mental Peace is the result of quite different attainments. Wealth cannot command it, nor authority commandeer it! It must be won the hard way through Meditation, Namasmaran and the nine steps to the presence of the Almighty. It must be won on the Earth, to which man rightfully belongs, and not on any other heavenly body towards which he may dare navigate.

519

THE basic lesson that each Religion teaches is to surrender to the sovereign will of God and leave the consequences of deeds well done to the Lord Himself. It is His will, and your only duty is to shape yourself into a fit instrument. To suppress the assertive ego, disciplines have been laid down in every Religion, by every compiler of moral codes, by every educator and reformer of human morals. But the oldest, most effective and the most successfully practiced system is the body of directives laid down in the Vedas and Shastras of India.

520

TIME ticks on relentlessly and man is born, lives and dies, rotating on the wheel of Karma and consequently unaware of the means of escaping from the oncoming destiny. Agony and anxiety have not softened his heart; adventure and achievement have not made him humble. He is proud of his advance in the path of hatred and haughtiness. He revels in cruelty and sin. He displays an unholy satisfaction in immorality and untruth. He has reduced himself to a level lower than that of beasts.

521

THE receptacle may be different, but the Divine content is the same. The taste of sea water will be saline whether you test a truckload, a bowl full, a pit full, a sip or a drop on the tongue; the taste of the Divine can be experienced in the atom or the Cosmos, the friend as well as the foe, the virus and the Universe. This is the Realisation, the Liberation, the Illumination and the Revelation: "Sarvam Vishnumayam Jagat." This sphere of change is surcharged with the Omnipresent Divine.

522

THE Saints and Sages of India and even the Incarnations that God vouchsafed to take in this land have proclaimed and practiced the ideal of service to fellow beings. Krishna drove the chariot of Arjuna during fateful days when the fortunes of the Pandavas were decided at the point of the sword. Imagine the Lord of the Universe holding the reigns of Arjuna's horses. Note how Hanuman was elated when he rose to the status of the servant of Rama.

523

THERE is no discipline equal to service to smother the ego and to fill the heart with genuine joy. To condemn service as demeaning and inferior is to forego these benefits. If a wave of service sweeps over the land, catching everyone in its enthusiasm, it will be able to wipe off the mounds of hatred, malice and greed that infest the World. Attune your heart so that it will vibrate in sympathy with the woes and joys of your fellow men. Fill the World with Love. Love will warn you against advising another to do something which you are unwilling to do; your conscience will tell you that you are living in a lie!

524

ASCETIC practices, years of constant recitation of the Name, pilgrimage to holy places and shrines, study of the sacred books - these will not help the aspirant to spiritual victory as much as communion with the Godly and the good. Bharath is a rare treasure house of spiritual jewels; it can confer all boons on the sincere.

525

NEVER give up the Gayatri. You may give up or ignore any other Mantra, but you should recite Gayatri at least a few times a day. It will protect you from harm, wherever you are - traveling, working or at home. Westerners have investigated the vibrations produced by this Mantra and have found that, when it is recited with the correct accent as laid down in the Vedas, the atmosphere around becomes visibly illumined. So Brahmaprakasa, the effulgence of Brahma, will descend on you and illumine your intellect and light your path when this Mantra is chanted. Gayatri is Annapurna, the Mother and the Force that animates all life.

526

THE lotus has as many as a thousand petals. They all emanate from the Central Karnika or pericarp. Each petal draws its strength, sustenance, colour, fragrance and charm from the Karnika. Detached from the Karnika, the petal cannot survive. That attachment and that affection can be secured when the petal clings to the ideals of Sai and the lessons of Sai. In My message to you, there is no scope for your seeing differences or distinctions among those you serve. "Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavanthu", (May every being in all the Worlds be happy); That is My wish and Blessing.

527

FROM the narrow vision of "individual need" man must voyage out into the broad vision of the "Universal". When a drop of water falls into the Ocean, it loses its narrow individuality, its name and form, and assumes the form, name and taste of the Ocean itself. If it seeks to live separately as a "drop", it will soon evaporate and be reduced to non-existence. Each one must become aware that he is part of the one Truth that encompasses everything in the Universe. It is reprehensible to stick, for one's whole lifetime, to the narrow path of selfishness, envy and greed. Make the heart big and the mind pure.

528

MEN may have super abundance of food, clothing and housing, but their hearts may be dry and their spirits gloomy. Sense control, self-confidence, contentment, absence of hatred and greed are far more precious possessions than land, money or houses.

529

THERE are four "F's" that you will have to fix before your attention: (1) Follow the Master; (2) Face the Devil; (3) Fight to the End; and (4) Finish at the Goal. "Follow the Master" means: observe Dharma. "Face the Devil" means: overcome the temptations that beset you when you try to earn Artha (wealth or the wherewithal to live in comfort). "Fight to the End" means: struggle ceaselessly; wage war against the six enemies that are led by Tama or lust. And finally, "Finish at the Goal" means: do not stop until the goal, Moksha (Liberation from ignorance and delusion) is reached. The "F's" are fundamental for the pursuit of the four Purusharthas - Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.

530

I HAVE not been Manager, Secretary, President or Chairman. I am the example, the Leader, the Guide. I have none to compel Me, nor do I profit. Still I work in order to guide and teach. If I remain inactive, how can the wheels of the World revolve? I attend even to the minutest detail of every arrangement here - the stage, the dais, tarpaulins, sheds, water tanks, pumps and everything else. I do everything even for Myself. So I do not need your Seva. If you do Seva to those who gather here, that gives Me Ananda. I need no other food beyond Ananda.

531

NO bird casts the seed on land to grow food for itself, nor do beasts plough and enclose fields claiming, "this is mine, this is for my children and my children's children". "Nishkama-Karma" is the natural face of activity for the children of God, the progeny of Immortality. They sing and swim, they dance and drive, they talk and walk and they pray and pine, because they must; it is the nature too. They do not know what will happen as a consequence; they do not care; they do not anticipate any result. They are just themselves when they do these things. It is Sahaja-Lakshana, their innate nature and their inborn characteristic.

532

JNANA is not an attribute of the Universal Absolute (Param-Atma). It is Param-Atma itself. The Upanishads declare, "Sathyam-Jnanam-Anantham-Brahma" (Truth, Wisdom and Eternity-is Brahman). Jnana is the fulfillment, it is the goal, the consummation. Man is as ugly as a face without a nose if he has no wisdom, whatever other attainments he may decorate himself with!

533

AGRICULTURE is for living; mind culture is for life. Skills are for shaping material things so that they cater more to the comfort of man; studies are for shaping attitudes, feelings, desires, emotions and impulses of man, so that they may confer more peace, more joy and more fortitude on man.

534

ONE day, Anjaneya appeared in a garden on the outskirts of Dwarka. Krishna, who heard about the pranks of the strange Monkey, directed Garuda to proceed and scare the animal out of the city limits. Garuda failed, even though he later took the entire army with him for the fray. His pride was humbled. Krishna sent a message through him to the Monkey, who had declared himself as Anjaneya, that he should deign to come to Krishna's court. But Anjaneya, recognised only Rama and would obey only Rama. So Krishna had to send another message that Rama was calling him to His audience hall! Devotion compels the Lord to yield to the whims of His servants. Anjaneya hurried to see Rama and Krishna gave him the dharsan of Rama Himself.

535

EGOISM will be destroyed, if you constantly tell yourself, "It is He, not I"; "He is the force, I am but the instrument". Keep His name always on the tongue, and contemplate His glory whenever you see or hear anything beautiful or grand. See in everyone the Lord Himself moving in that form. Do not talk evil of others; see only good in them. Welcome every chance to help others, to console others and to encourage others along the spiritual path.

536

MAN is suffering because he cannot rid himself of the greed for sense objects and sense pleasures or Vishaya-Vasana. He knows that he has to give up whatever he earns and collects, sooner or later; but yet, his attachment waxes instead of wanes as the years go by. If every man on Earth could take with him on death even a handful of mud from the Earth, there would have been nothing much left and mud would have been rationed at so many ounces per head!

537

YOU have read that the Lord, melted and moved when one performs acute Thapas, comes and asks softly and sweetly: "My dear child, what is it you need"? He wants you to express in words what you have yearned for and ask the Lord whom you have brought before you through the exercise of silence. That is the little game He plays. And sometimes He wills that the questioner answers in the way His plan demands.

538

TO cross safely the flood of "Birth-Death-Continuum", the bridge called Nishta or discipline of an unflinching kind is essential. It must be sturdy, a safe bridge or else you will fall into the raging waters and be drawn into the sea, infested with the sharks: Lust and Anger. See how great heroes like Prahalada did not lose their hold on the Lord, in spite of heavy odds. Prahalada never gave up the repetition of the Name of the Lord, though he was tortured, twisted and burnt. One must have that determination and faith.

539

SORROWS and disasters are like the clouds that flit across the sky; they cannot injure the blue depths of space. Your duty is just to strive on from this very moment. Do not vacillate or postpone. Who knows when death knocks? Maybe, he will knock this very night, this very moment; therefore, do not delay. Do you postpone for tomorrow the dinner of this day! Feed the spirit as scrupulously as you now feed the body.

540

YOU will find that you have craved only for paltry things and for momentary distinctions for fleeting fame; you should cry only for God, for your own cleansing and consummation. You should weep, wailing for the six cobras that have sheltered themselves in your mind, poisoning it with their venom: Lust, Anger, Greed, Attachment, Pride and Malice. Quiet them as the snake charmer does with his swaying flute. The music that can take them is the singing aloud the Name of God. And when they are too intoxicated to move and harm, catch them by the neck and pull out their fangs as the charmer does. Thereafter they can be your play things; you can handle them as you please.

541

IF you seek to fulfill low desires, why come here? Come here only if you seek to earn Grace. Go to a hospital only when you are resolved to take the drug the physician prescribes and go through the regimen he lays down. So, obey the directions that I give, whatever others may say or however difficult they may appear to be. You have not come to Prasanthi Nilayam to please those others. You have to please Me.

542

PRASANTHI NILAYAM is the centre for Spirituality uplifting the whole World; devotees from all over the World are here. The slightest mistake or wrong committed by you will be the talk of the World. Your behaviour must be exemplary; every country must learn from you. The foundation must not give way. You must be strong and steady, sincere and straight.

543

RAMA is the personification of Dharma. So Rama partakes of the Excellence of the Vedas. The Mahabharatha is generally known as the Fifth Veda. And the Bhagavatha describes the Glory and the Grace of the Lord and His splendour as the Indweller in All. So, that too is as efficacious as the Vedas to elevate man and to release him from the bondage to the mean and the sordid.

544

PEOPLE talk loud and long from all kinds of platforms about Dharma, Prema, Shanti, Daya, Sathya, etc. This is published in the Newspaper the next day and there their purpose ends. The paper of today is the wastepaper of tomorrow! It is used for packing or thrown into the dust heap and burnt as refuse. That is the story of all platform professions. Put into practice a fraction of what you preach.

545

TURN the key in the lock to the right, it opens; turn the same key to the left; it is locked. Turn your mind towards the objective World, it is locked, caught, entangled. Turn it to the right, away from the objects of the senses; the lock is loosened, you are free and deliverance is at hand. How to turn right? Well, begin with Namasmarana, as the first step. That will itself take you through the second and the third....to the very goal.

546

IF Liberation means the stoppage of grief and the acquisition of joy, then it is easy. What you have to do is to place all your burdens on God; that makes you free of grief and carefree. Then, when you take everything as the Leela of the Lord you love, you clap your hands in Ananda whatever may happen, for it is His Leela and you are as happy as He is, when His plans are going through!

547

YOU heard of the methods by which the Shastras have asked man to pay his debt to the Gods, the Sages and the Ancestors. You heard how Sanathana Dharma has laid down a "thornless Path" for the progress of man, from Humanity to Divinity! Thornless or thornful, each has to tread the path, alone and in full confidence.

548

THE mind must become the servant of the intellect, not the slave of the senses. It must discriminate and detach itself from the body. Like the ripe tamarind fruit, which becomes loose inside the shell, it must be unattached to this shell, this casement called body.

549

LIBERATION is just the awareness of Truth, the falling off of the scales of delusion from the eye. It is not a suburb of select souls, it is not a closed monopoly of expert Sadhakas. Like the Godavari losing its form, its name and its taste in the sea, Liberation dissolves the name and form, aptitudes and attitudes. You are no more a separate, particular individual.

550

YOU are happy that you have come on a pilgrimage here, but let Me tell you one thing: unless you control the stream of desire that springs in the mind, this is just a wasted opportunity. If your wish is fulfilled, you revere Me; if it is not, you revile Me. That is how Desire debases you. When one wish is fulfilled, ten rise in its place. For there is no dearth of want; the same person has come to Me seeking success at the examination, then a job, then a father-in-law, then a child, then a rise in the salary, a transfer to a cheaper place and a seat in the Medical College for his son - a never ending series of wants, until at last he comes seeking My Grace for an end to worldly pursuits and for initiation into the path of spiritual liberation.

551

NO one can liberate you, for no one has bound you. You hold on to the nettle of worldly pleasures and you weep for pain. The kite is pursued by the crows so long as it carries the fish in its beak. It twists and turns in the sky trying to last and then it drops the fish. That moment it is free. So give up the attachment to the senses; then grief and worry can harass you no more.

552

WHEN you know that thieves have broken into your neighbour's house, you become extra cautious and, every night before you retire, you examine every lock and bolt in the house. When you know that death has carried away a victim from the house next door, why do you not examine yourselves, whether you are equipped to meet it when it comes for you? Why do you immerse yourselves in distractions like building houses, piling bank balances, celebrating picnics and contesting elections. Engage yourselves rather in things that will make you immortal and serve your best interests by service to the World! Seek your own Reality; that is what a wise man should do.

553

DHARMA purifies the mind and leads you to God. It creates a taste for the Name and Form of God. When you love the name and form of Krishna, you will naturally respect and obey the command of Krishna, His Agna, which is found in the Bhagavat Gita. Have the Name on the tongue and the Form in the eye, and the demon called Aasa, unending desire, will fly from your mind, leaving joy and content therein. This kind of constant dwelling on the indwelling God will promote Love for all beings. You will then see good in others and you will strive to do good to others.

554

REMOVE the vices of lust and hatred, and put out the raging flames of anger and greed, then the innate Santham and Soukhyam and the Swarupam and Sevabhavam of Man will manifest themselves unhindered. Santham is the Swarupam, and Soukhyam is the Swabhavam of man.

555

THE very fact that man is equipped with memory, mind, intelligence, discrimination, the ability to anticipate the future and the desire to detach himself from the senses is an indication that he is destined for some higher goal. In spite of this, if man craves for a lesser consumption, he is a Papi (Sinner). But he, who persists in spite of temptations and obstacles on the path that leads to self-fulfillment and self-realisation, is a Gopi, for the Gopis of Brindavan were the most inspiring examples of such souls.

556

FROM birth to death, man is the slave of urges and hesitations. One must examine these and rely more on those that lead him towards subjective joy rather than objective pleasure. Subjective joy can be acquired by harmony at home, mutual cooperation among the members of the family and community, acts of service to others and concern for the welfare and prosperity of the Society in which one is living.

557

THE body can be clean if washed with water. Speech can be clean if it is saturated in Truth. Life can be purified if it is sanctified by Tapas; and the intellect can be cleared of blemish through Jnana. Above all, the conviction that you are not the body but only a resident of the body has to grow in you. If you identify yourselves with the body that you carry about with you, you are inviting sorrow and suffering to overwhelm you instead of the joy and peace which are awaiting to bless you.

558

WHEN the Gita directs you to give up all Dharmas (Set codes of morality), it does not ask you to also give up all Karma (activity); that is to say, you have to do Karma, and when you do it for God, through God and by God, the Dharma of it does not matter; it has to be acceptable and it is bound to benefit you. The statement is not an invitation to licentiousness or complete inactivity. It is all for dedication and surrender to the highest in Man, viz. God.

559

WEAKNESS, vacillation and despair bring dishonour on Him who conferred on you the honour of "Amirthesya Puthraah". You are "Bala-Swarupa", or the Nature of strength. Whenever accosted, you must declare yourself so and not otherwise. Do not bend and cringe and barter your self-respect. Do not believe that you are a little lump of body. You are the indestructible immortal Atma of the same nature as Brahman itself.

560

DO not admit into your mind the demon of Asanthi. Direct all your cleverness and all your intelligence to the successful execution of the great Drama, in which all of you are taking part at present. It is His Drama. He is the Director, you play a role, an actor carrying out His Will, speaking the words that He put in your mouth and making movements as directed by Him.

561

THE experience of this one life must be enough to show you that there is no joy unmixed with grief, that both grief and joy are short lived and they both depend on the mind and its control. You do not require the experience of a series of lives to grasp this patent fact. This World is keeping you in bondage; it is a prison from which you must get released; and you should not plan to return to it again and again.

562

THE eye which is scarce two inches long can see millions of miles into space but is incapable of seeing itself! Man too is as shrewd and as weak as the eye. He can analyse others "motives, count others "faults and map out others "skills and capacities but, he is powerless to analyse himself, his feelings and his emotions. Unwilling to discover his own faults, he cannot assess his innate skill and realise his inner reality! But the power can be acquired if you keep company with Sadhakas (aspirants for spiritual progress), not otherwise.

563

DO not imagine yourselves as Hindus for the reason that you are born in Hindustan. You are too entangled in the rules of Caste, the Ceremonial of rituals, and the coils of Astrology to grasp your own inner Reality. You do not realise the spark of Divinity in you and try to raise it into a flaming fire of Divine Splendour, reducing your pretty "I" into ashes. Sanathana Dharma tells you about that spark and teaches you how to foster it and develop it. When you ignore this Dharma and allow Science to entice you, you are bringing disrespect to your culture and disowning your country.

564

TO spend some time in the Divine presence is a fortune which is a reward for past merit. You are here, going through Sentences from Courts for delinquencies. Let me tell you that all men are undergoing Sentences for long or short periods with simple or hard labour, to atone for misdemeanors and crimes done by them in their past lives. Every fall makes a dent; every fault has to be corrected; and every sin has to be cleansed. Everyone is a prisoner.

565

INSIST that you are the body, the mind, the senses and the intelligence. It encourages you to care for the strengthening of the body and its beautification; to cater to the fancies that attract the mind; to pursue the fleeting pleasures of the tongue and eye; it tells you that reason is the only instrument for measuring Truth and decries intuition and experience. "Mine" teaches you to grab, acquire and possess, merely for the joy of possession and the joy of depriving others of things of value. But the mind can also be used for Liberation from these two shackles, I and Mine. Let it be fixed on God; they will both disappear.

566

MAN thinks that he knows everything, but when asked about himself, he hangs down his head in shame. Man knows the news of every land but he is ignorant of the nuisance that he is to himself and others. He is moving in darkness but yearning for Ananda. He does not know the means of securing Ananda: Prayer, Seva, Study of Spiritual Texts, Meditation and Silence. He has no faith that he is Ananda and that Ananda is his own nature. He is blown away by calamity, for he has no strength to withstand the blow. Faith in the God within is the toughest shield against the thrusts of Fate.

567

NESTS laboriously built by birds are torn away by storms; the fragrant petals of flowers are felled by rain. Defeat and victory are the obverse and reverse of the same coin; when you welcome one, you have to willy-nilly welcome the other, too. Forbearance, compassion and incorruptible virtue are the three pillars of a happy life. Only such a life can be called civilized; the rest is barbarian existence.

568

PRAYER for some benefit or gain should not be addressed to God, for it means that God waits until He is asked! Surrender to Him; He will deal with you as He feels best and it will be the best for you. God does not dole out Grace in proportion to the praise He receives!

569

WHEN you pray for a thing from God, you run the risk of condemning Him, if for some reasons the Prayer is not answered the way you want it to be or as quickly as you want it. This contingency arises because you feel that God is an outsider, staying in some Heaven or holy spot, far away from you. God is in you, God is in every word of yours, every deed and every thought. Speak, do and think as befits Him. Do the duty that He has allotted to you to the best of your ability and to the satisfaction of your conscience. That is the most rewarding Puja.

570

WHEN you stand before another, his image is in your eye and your image is in his; have you not observed this? You are in Him, I am in you: that is the Truth this phenomenon proclaims. When you believe in this, and when you cultivate Love, Humility, Reverence for Life and Tolerance, you are on the Right Path. When you are not on this Path, that is to say, when you are traveling left, you are certainly left out when it is a question of sharing Divine Grace.

571

WHEN you do not accept the insult someone casts on you, it goes back to the person who indulged in it first; a registered letter that is not accepted returns to the sender. Do not damage your mental peace by receiving the letter and reading the contents. Refuse to receive it. You have a chance of correcting the wrongdoers too; accept it and pin the gang of mischief makers. So be warned!

572

I KNOW many parents who dote on their children and admire them when they learn the bad habits of gambling or drinking! They do not curb them when they swagger about in the bazaars, teasing and bullying those who pass by. They do not instill into the young minds the attitude of reverence towards property belonging to others. As a consequence, their children land themselves in trouble and, then, the parents repent and curse themselves for their unpardonable foolishness.

573

IF the parent is a drunkard, a gambler and a cheat, no amount of textbook ethics can cure the sons. I like children and the young innocence. I will not allow them to be blamed. The fault lies wholly on the shoulders of the elders, the parents, and the leaders who shape the norms which they imbibe.

574

CLEANSE your emotions, passions, impulses, attitudes, and reactions. That is the essence of spiritual discipline as laid down in all Faiths. Examine your mind, your thoughts; do not seek the fault ridden person. Seek only purity; speak ill of none. Do not humiliate anyone; respect him for the good in him. Their grief at your behaviour will haunt you during your last moments.

575

LIFE is a mosaic of pleasure and pain - grief is an interval between two moments of joy. Peace is the interlude between two wars. You have no rose without a thorn; the diligent picker will avoid the pricks and gather the flower. There is no bee without the sting; cleverness consists in gathering the honey nevertheless. Troubles and travails will haunt you but you must not allow them to deflect you from the path of duty and dedication.

576

IF you feel you must have something to be happy, pray to God: "God, you have the responsibility to keep me healthy, happy, good and intelligent; give me this thing which I believe is necessary for my happiness; but, if you think I am wrong, give me whatever you think best". God will never desert His obligation. He will feed you and foster you.

577

HAVE patience; do not, in your hurry, enjoy cheap joys, fall into error and unrighteous deeds. Have faith that God will add unto you all the joys that you desire and deserve. People ask men for favours; they extend their hands towards others and plead "Dehi" (Give). But, "Dehi" means also, "He who dwells in the 'Deha' or Body; which is God". So, do not humiliate that "Dehi" by calling out "Dehi" before others. Say "Dehi" to the Dehi; He will respond generously and graciously.

578

WOMEN preserve the culture of this country with greater tenacity and faith. They keep men on the moral path and inspire them to follow spiritual discipline. Their hearts are tender and full of compassion for the hungry and the distressed. That is why in this land, women are adored and revered.

579

ELDERS quote the Shastras that say that the home, where the floor is soaked by the tears of a woman, can never see prosperity. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa took great care to see that Saradamani Devi did not take his simple jokes and ridicules too much to heart, for then she might shed tears. We honour the land where we are born as our "Mother Country", the language we learn on our mother's lap as "mother tongue", and the Scripture that teaches us Morality as "Mother Veda". In this way, every Indian has four mothers, including the mother who gave birth to him. According to Indian Culture, all these have to be adored as Divine.

580

THOSE who deny God, the Supreme Will or the First Cause, can give no real satisfactory justification for their stand; nor can those who assert that there is God. Both have to rely on their own experience. After all, how can sweetness be denied by one who refuses to taste sugar? How can one be convinced that sugar is sweet until one tastes it? We have to feel the great marvel of energy, manipulating both, the minutest atom and cell and the vastest, most distant star. How else can we understand the Omnipresence and Omnipotence, except by accepting God as the Architect of the Cosmos?

581

FOLLOW the call of the Divine arising from the hearts of all living beings. Serve them in an attitude of worship, not expecting something in return. Do not even accept gratitude, having dedicated all your acts to the indwelling God. This will purify you, so that you shall be able to listen to the "Soham" that your breath repeats every moment. "Soham" transmutes itself into OM when the distinction between He and I has dissolved itself in the process of "Samadhi".

582

MAN is born for the attainment of Joy, not for sheer eating and reveling. Real and lasting Joy can be won only by a life led along the path of Dharma which makes the inherent Divinity of Man shine forth; Illumination is the purpose of life; of the recurring sequence of birth and death. Man has in him the spark of Divinity which is Omnipresent, Omniscient, Omnipotent and immanent in the entire Universe. In order to become ever aware of this innate Reality, man must learn the technique laid down by the Scriptures revealed by the same Divinity.

583

THE very first lesson of the Primer of the spiritual text is "Control of Speech". Speech is the armament of man; other animals have fleetness of foot, sharpness of claw, fang, horn, tusk, beak and talon. But man has sweetness of Speech which can disarm all opposition and defeat all the designs of hatred. Sweetness makes you "Pasupathi" - Divine; harshness makes you "Pasu" - bestial. Mere outward politeness or sweetness is hypocrisy! Sincere speech must flow from real sweetness of heart, a heart full of love. Remove all evil from the Manasarovar, the pellucid lake of your Mind, and, make it a fit abode of Godhead.

584

START from today a new Chapter in your life, the Chapter of Japam and Dhyanam, Japa- Sahitha Dhyanam or Dhyana Sahitha-Japam. In the Tretha Yuga, the Name was Sitharama; in the Dwapara, it was Radha-shyama; and in the Kali yuga, it is Sarvanam, that is to say, all Names of the Lord; you can select any one that appeals to you.

585

EVERY man desires to acquire Ananda. From where can Ananda be acquired? Faith alone can win Ananda. Peace can be gotten only through Faith; Faith is the spring of Joy. But now we see Sorrow, wherever we cast our eyes. Why does this happen? Because man has lost Faith. He has no Faith in himself. How then can he acquire Ananda? How can a person, who has not enough Faith to live happily for a few days, win the Grace of God?

586

NAMASMARANA is the process by which this dedicatory attitude can be cultivated and confirmed. When confronted by calamity, you must attach yourself to this Sadhana even more firmly, instead of losing faith in it and getting slack. The drug should not be given up when it is most needed. The pity is that, when the first disappointment faces you, you lose courage and confidence and give up Rama or Krishna or Sai Baba.

587

MANY of you have problems of health or mental worry of some sort or other. They are mere baits by which you have been brought here, so that you may contact the Grace and strengthen your faith in the Divine. Problems and worry are really to be welcomed as they teach you the lessons of humility and reverence.

588

BHARATHVARSHA knew that the secret of Peace lay in Service and Love towards all beings. The Culture of this land proclaimed that the best form of Service is to foster the practitioners of the good life; the Sages and the Sadhakas. Do not decry the servants of God; do not obstruct the charity of the generous; do not discourage the study of the Scriptures, even if you cannot positively promote any of these; that is the lesson taught in this land.

589

AT present, everyone is after Sukha. The hunt for comfortable jobs and positions of influence, the founding of banks and business houses, the growth of bungalows - all this is evidence of the eagerness to live in happiness. But there is no eagerness to live in Shanti. Sukha is confused with Shanti. Sukha is taken to be the same as Shanti. None of the rich, well placed, prosperous or powerful have Shanti. You can investigate and find out for yourselves the truth of this. Shanti is not found in the Pass-Book or many roomed bungalows or godowns or iron safes. Your whole attitude is topsy-turvy.

590

GO straight along the path of Karma and Dharma towards Brahma; this is your destiny. Karma has to be done; there is no turning away. Each has his allotted task, according to the status taste, tendency and earned merit. Do it with the fear of God and of sin deep in your heart. Welcome pain and grief, so that you take both success and failure as hammer-strokes to shape you into a sturdy Sadhaka. Inner contentment is more important than outer prosperity.

591

THE Sun is about 90 million miles distant from our Earth. The most distant planet so far known is Pluto, which is nearly 3670 million miles away from the Sun. It takes 248 long years to make one journey around the sun. Well! Has God planned all these heavenly bodies out of sheer caprice? Or does He intend to convey any lesson through these happenings? God will never produce an effect without cause or purpose. Nor will He manifest substance without value. Why? The rotation of the Earth on its own axis, for example, causes the seasons, the formation of clouds and the falling of rain. God has graciously willed to establish peace and prosperity on Earth.

592

FRIENDSHIP must serve as lids for the eye, as sandals for the feet. The friend must be "another Me". He must experience, in equal depth, the joy and the grief of the other. Friends must be like milk and water. Let Me elaborate this example. When milk, when mixed with some water is placed on a burning stove, the water goes, off as steam. The milk laments the separation and boils over. Then, the only way to keep it calm, is to sprinkle a spoon or two of water; its friend is back and it is happy. Milk cannot tolerate separation from its friend.

593

OUR friends today attach themselves not to you but to your purse or to some advantage they can gain through your father's kindness. When your purse is empty or when your father is no longer in power, they bid you good-bye. Friends who drag one away into evil habits and vicious deeds are prowling around in search of victims.

594

UDYOGAM Purusha Lakshanam, it is said. Ud-yoga means, as is commonly understood, employment in some job, something that is worth doing. No, it means Ud (Higher) Yoga (spiritual discipline): a Sadhana which has assumed the status of a job. All jobs that you take up are Ud-yogas, higher disciplines, which mark out (Lakshanam) the Purusha (the man). When Artha is sought through Dharma, the Purushartha deserves the name, "Paramapurushartha", for it is Parama oriented towards the Para or the higher eternal values.

595

IN one of his speeches, Nehru had to acknowledge that there is a Destiny that shapes events, irrespective of individual effort. Well, everyone will come to that conclusion sooner or later; for there is a limit to the capacity of man to control events. You may call it Destiny. Another may call it Providence; and a third, God. Names do not matter. It is the humility that matters; the wonder and the sense of awe that matters.

596

THE eye sees because it is illumined by a microscopic spark of the rays of the Sun. "Chakshos Suryo ajayatha". From the eye, Surya was born. The Atma is the motive force of all the Senses; the eye is but a window through which the Atma peeps out at the external world. Of what use is the eye when the vision is not correct? Samam means Brahmam; Samadrishti means seeing only Brahmam, the one in all things, at all times. This Ekathwam is the basic Truth. All other experiences are partial, distorted, and false.

597

EDUCATION must include the education of the mind of man, of his impulses to hate, to hoard, to fight and to defame. It is not merely the acquisition of certain skills by which the materials found in nature can be reshaped into utility products; it is not merely the acquisition of information about the laws of Nature. It is the process by which man makes the best of his own inner equipment, his Anthakarana, to know himself. It should open his inner eye more than his outer; the outer must reveal the Glory of God; and the inner must reveal the God within.

598

CHILDREN should grow in the awareness of the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God. If no provision is made for this atmosphere and this teaching, we are denying them their due. Faith in man involves Faith in God; Faith in God creates Faith in man. Without faith, man is a creature bereft of roots; and he dries and withers quickly.

599

THE friends that the child collects at school and around the house have a beneficial or deleterious effect on its growth. Comics, horror stories, terrorism, gunmen pictures and cinema posters degrade man into a zero. The child learns to worship money and the things which money can buy; he admires cruelty and cunning, rather than Sympathy and Love. So, the Home, the School and the Society have to rise and take up this challenge posed to the future of this great land.

600

MAN is born with a great thirst and a deep hunger for bliss. He knows that he can get it, but he does not know from where. He has faint memories of his being the heir to the Kingdom of Ananda. But he does not know how to establish his claim to his heritage. Something in him revolts when he is condemned to die, to suffer and to hate. It whispers to him that he is the child of Immortality, of Bliss and of Love. But man ignores these promptings and, as one exchanges diamonds for dirt, he runs in search of meaner pleasures and sordid comforts.

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