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 801 to 900
801
YEARN to fill your heart with Him, not with you.
Your yearning must be warm, so warm that it can be called "Thapas" (Heat).
Become hot (earnest). Now it is only a lukewarm longing, a surface activity.
Examine yourselves how far you have filled your heart within. Measure the
heights you have reached with the yardstick of virtue, serenity, fortitude
and equanimity. You now become easy victims of lust, anger, malice, envy and
the rest of that evil brood; the atmosphere of the heart is polluted by the
ego-fumes.
802
MAN has all the resources he needs himself. He can
tap them by identifying them and manifesting them and by sharing them with
others. He is Sath-Chith-Ananda; he is Siva-Sakthi Swarup, Matter-Energy. When
man extols himself, he is extolling God. Do not cultivate the conviction that
you are mere men; be assured that you are destined for Divinity. When Divinity
takes on the human form, as described in the Ramayana, the Mahabaratha and the
Bhagavatha, one has to interpret the actions as providing examples and lessons
and not as human stories enacted for entertainment.
803
THE five Pandava brothers are five qualities in
human character, all observing the norms set by the eldest, which is the noblest
and the most righteous. Rama is the example of uncompromising adherence to the
principle of Righteousness, regardless of the temptation to bypass it. Rama was
charged with a Love that transcended all considerations of advantage, Caste or
Creed and extended it to animals and birds, human and subhuman beings. Love is
the key to open the doors locked by egoism and greed.
804
WE have at present persons who pride themselves on
their encyclopedic scholarship and technical skills; they claim to know the
innermost secrets of Nature; they fly into outer space and even land on the moon.
But ask them if they have "Ananda" and can stay in "Ananda". They will reply
that they have not yet experienced it. If they know everything worth knowing,
why have they missed this? It is clear that they are suffering from some
delusion.
805
BE eager to confer consolation and courage; be
anxious to be of help. Watch for the chance. Snatch each opportunity to expand
yourself by sympathy, to enlarge the horizon of Love by understanding and prayer.
Do not keep another at arm's length, saying "My God is different from yours or
my God is opposite to yours". It can never be so. Paramatma, the Name for God,
does not mean a strange God but the Supreme God. Who can vouchsafe for the
correctness of the picture which you now worship as the picture of Rama or
Krishna? The poet described and the painter delineated, but both rely on their
imagination rather than on actual authentic vision.
806
CYNICS question the validity of the type of
adoration and say that it will only confirm faith in a superstition. "Can God be
a stone, or a piece of paper?", they ask. This attitude is not correct. By
adhering to the traditionally laid down ritual worship many aspirants have
attained the vision of the Omnipresent and stayed in that Incommunicable Bliss.
807
IN fact, Puja (formal worship at regular hours),
with the recitation of hymns and songs, is the very first step in the spiritual
pilgrimage. Many seekers have undoubtedly achieved an awareness of God by years
of asceticism among jungle caves. But starting early with puja and continuing
with scrupulous care, the rites of archana, bhajana and aradhana (offering of
flowers with the repetition of God's Name, singing His Glory and adoring Him as
a living presence), are more fruitful and satisfying.
808
PUJA, Japa, Archana and Aradhana are the letters of
the Spiritual Alphabet. The collection of the various items (lamps, camphor,
flowers, plates, caps, a bell and the book) are necessary for precious
hours-long concentration on the Divine. The Puja itself may take another hour or
two of concentrated and devout attention, and the performer rises up after the
recitations and meditations as a stronger and steadier pilgrim on the path.
809
THE sixteen modes of worship, laid down in the
Shastras to make the aspirant aware that he is the very presence, and that every
gesture and movement of his has to be motivated by devotion and dedication,
ensure the purification of the mind of men from ego and all its brood of
blemishes. This is "Chittha Suddhi", the cleansing of all levels of one's
consciousness.
810
PUJA or archana offered without a purified heart is
a sheer waste of time. But even a short sincere session of Puja, spent in Divine
Awareness, yields much fruit. Thiru Thondar, a Tamil Saint, confessed that he
had engaged himself in worship of the Lord's idol in order to cleanse his mind.
The material and the Form are inseparable, but the seeker must dwell on the Form
which he desires to be manifested in all its Glory rather than on the material.
811
WHAT exactly is implied by "Adhyatmic"? Is Bhajan
or congregational prayer "Adhyatmic"? Or does it involve "Japa" or "Dhyana"? Or
does it denote religious rituals and ceremonies? Or does it extend to
pilgrimages and holy places? No. These are only beneficial acts. "Adhyatmic", in
its real sense, relates to two progressive achievements or at least to sincere
attempts towards those two achievements: elimination of the animal traits still
clinging to man and unification with the Divine.
812
DHYANA is interrupted in most cases by worry and
anxiety regarding one's kith and kin, and one's earnings and riches. Since all
are manifestations of Maya, which is natural to Brahmam or Paramathmam, the
Paramathmam or Lord, in whom you take refuge, will certainly free you from fear.
Why? You are, each one, the Atman and nothing else. This is the reason why I
begin the Discourse, addressing you as "Divyatmaswarupas"!
813
THE mind is the altar. Place the animal which is to
be offered as oblation (the evil aspects of your character, behaviour, attitude
etc.) and sacrifice it to the deity involved. Though born as a human, man is
burdened by animal instincts and impulses that have attached themselves to him
during his previous lives as an animal. He has passed through many an animal
existence and each has left its mark on his mental makeup like a scar on the
skin when a wound has healed.
814
BUDDHI is the only instrument for realisation.
Jnana alone can grant the Vision, the ultimate Truth. That is why the Gayatri, a
Vedic prayer to the Light that fills the Universe to illuminate the
intelligence, is a prayer for prompting the spirit of inquiry and for
illuminating the path by the inner light of the Spirit.
815
YOUR devotion to God is best expressed by achieving
the control of the senses. For the senses rush towards the temporary and the
tawdry; and they foul the heart. I require from each of you no other gift, no
more valuable offering than the heart I have endowed you with. Give Me that
heart, as pure as when I gave it to you, full of the nectar of Love I filled it
with.
816
IT is certainly wasteful to spend precious time in
mere study without any attempt to translate it into action. You need not give
your word to Me now, but try to put into practice at least a few of the good
things that appeal to you and that are helpful in giving you peace and
contentment. To evoke the Divine in you, there is no better method than
Namasmarana.
817
YOU must take every step in Sadhana or in Samsara,
only after deep deliberation and satisfying yourself that it will be for your
good. Otherwise, it will be like the story of the weeping city. One day, a close
female attendant of the Queen came to the palace weeping in great sorrow, and so
the Queen began to shed tears. Seeing the Queen in tears, the entire Zannan wept
and the weeping spread to the male attendants also. The King, finding the queen
inconsolably sad, also wept profusely in sympathy, and the sight made the entire
city weep loudly without end. At last, one sensible person set in motion an
inquiry, which passed through person after person until the Queen herself was
accosted. She said that her attendant was in sore grief, and when she, a
washer-woman by caste, was interrogated, she confessed that it was all due to
the sudden demise of her favourite ass. Reason out; discriminate; and do not
rush to conclusion or be led away by mere hear-say.
818
WHEN you scatter seeds on the surface of the soil,
they do not germinate; you have to keep them inside the soil. So too, Bodha, if
scattered on the surface, will not germinate, grow into the tree of knowledge
and yield the fruit of wisdom. Plant it in the heart; water the plant with
Prema; and measure it with Faith and Courage. Keep off pests with the
insecticides of Bhajan and Sathsang, so that you may benefit in the end.
819
KARMA must not be felt as a burden, for that
feeling is a sure sign, indicating that it is against the grain. No Karma which
helps your progress will weigh heavily on you. It is only when you go counter to
your inner-most nature that you feel it as a burden. A time comes when you look
back on your achievement and sigh at the futility of it all. Entrust your mind
to the Lord before it is too late, and let Him shape it as He wills.
820
WHOM the Muslims adore as Allah, the Christians as
Jehovah, the Vaishnavas as Phullajaakshe and the Saivites as Sambhu, who grants
in answer to their several prayers, health, prosperity, and happiness to all
wherever they may be, He is the One God of all mankind.
821
FOOD and recreational habits are the two main
causes for ill-health. Great care has to be bestowed to ensure that injurious
tendencies do not affect these two. At present, drugs have multiplied and
hospitals have been established in every nook and corner, ill-health is also
widespread. This situation is attributable to the spread of deleterious food
habits and pastimes.
822
TO remove the evils of Egoism, Service is the most
efficient instrument. Service will also impress on the person doing the Service,
the Unity of all mankind. He who dedicates his time, skill and strength to
Service will never meet with defeat, distress or disappointment, for Service is
its own reward. His word will be ever sweet and soft and his gestures ever
revered and humble. He will have no foe, no fatigue and no fear.
823
THE Scriptures proclaim that health is the very
root of all endeavours in the four fields of human achievement: Dharma, Artha,
Kama, and Moksha. Without health, man cannot brave temptations, earn a decent
living, fulfill his basic needs or succeed in spiritual Sadhana. Man can engage
himself in obligatory and optional functions only if he is healthy.
824
THE same Divine Compassion that blessed Dhruva,
saved Gajendra, restored Kuchela and stood by Prahlada, has come to the Earth as
the Refuge of the refuge-less, as the Lord of Peace, Harmony and Righteousness,
as the Lord of all the Worlds, as the Sath Chith-Anandamurthi, as the
Puttaparthi Sathya Sai Sath-Chakravarthi, the king of kings.
825
INDIA is the land where the ideals of service,
renunciation and spiritual endeavour were born and have flourished. It is only
recently that India fell under the impact of alien cultures which highlighted
material comfort, physical luxury, sensual liberty, and exterior display; and
that Indians have trodden the wrong path of exploitation and violence, idleness
and pompousness. With the spread of alien cultures and alien ways of thought and
life, diseases too have multiplied and mental imbalances have increased.
826
DO not try to delve into Me; develop Faith and
Sraddha and derive Ananda through Prema. That is the utmost you can do; do that
and benefit. Do not run after all and sundry who blabber textbook stuff and wear
the cloak of fakir hood. Examine, judge and admire. Examine the daily conduct,
the motive, the outlook, the trend of the advice and the coordination between
what is said and what is done.
827
WITHOUT surrender there can be no liberation. So
long as you cling to the narrow "I", the four prison walls will close in on you.
Cross out the "I" and you are free. How to kill the "I"? Place it at the feet of
the Lord and say "You", not "I" - and you are free of the burden that is cursing
you. Associate always with the Niranjana, the vast, the unlimited, the Divine;
dream and plan to merge with the Absolute; fill your ears with the call from the
Beyond and the Boundless. Transcend the walls, the bars and bolts, the locks and
chains. You can do so easily by fixing your mind on your own Infinity.
828
I HAD to do My Dharma; and every act of Mine has
its significance which you cannot understand. You are in the dark and you fear
more. You cannot notice the heaps of earth and the pits on the road. You cannot
even know that the road is smooth and fine. There is no fault or partiality in
creation; be confirmed in that. Then you will no more waver in your faith. If
God's creation was faulty, all would have suffered equally.
829
LAKSHMI or wealth accrues by fair means as well as
foul; money is earned by gambling, by various forms of deceit; by highway
robbery; by high and low; by all and sundry. Worship Lakshya. I shall appreciate
you! Keep the Lakshya, the Goal of expanding your Love till it embraces all
beings, until it sees every being as your mind's eye; then, Lakshmi will, of her
own accord, favour you to the extent necessary for realising the Goal. Never
doubt that. Never falter.
830
YOU do not know the Gem shining inside you, the
Divinity whose effulgence is your intellect and whose reflection is the Prema
you evince. You know many things other than this, but not this essential thing;
you do not know where such and such a scholar lives in Venkatagiri, but you know
where such and such a film star lives in Madras: This is something to be ashamed
of, this loss of the sense of values. You must recognise the Higher, the Highest.
831
YOU believe that those who have no faith in the
Vedas and the Shastras and those who do not aver that there is some Omnipresent,
Omniscient Being, are Nasthikas. But let me tell you, those who revere their
Parents and foster them, and those who love and protect with care their brothers
and sisters, are Theists. Asthikas believe in Gratitude, Love, Affection, Duty,
and Dharma and these qualities are enough to save them from perdition.
832
THE Truth can flash only in a mind clear of all
blemishes. The first blemish that I would like to warn you against is: "inability
to bear the success of others". Envy is the greatest of the sins. Vanity, envy
and egoism are kin. They cut at the root of man's real nature. To feel proud
that you are a Bhakta is also a blot. Though you may be a mountain, you must
feel you are a mound; and you should not pretend to be a mountain.
833
ALL men are kin, they are of the same likeness, the
same build; moulded out of the same material, with the same Divine essence in
each. Service to man will help your Divinity to blossom, for it will gladden
your heart and make you feel that life has been worthwhile. Service to man is
service to God, for He is in every man and every living being and in every stone
and stump. Offer your talents at the feet of God; let every act be a flower,
free from creeping worms of envy and egoism and full of the fragrance of love
and sacrifice.
834
WHAT exactly is a dream? It is a dream within a
dream. It is a dream which unfolds before you even while you are "awake" in
another dream. It tries to shed some light, some joy, some courage, some faith,
some hope, and some meaning on the dream called Life. Naturally, man has to seek
all means of discovering the meaning of Life, for without knowing it, he is lost;
he wanders from birth to birth, receiving knock after knock and is seldom the
better for all the experience.
835
WHERE you go to a temple, you see the idol within
but your thoughts are with your footwear that you had to keep outside the gate.
These are matters that reveal the concentration that you are capable of. Every
little point has to be taken care of, lest the benefit of the Sadhana will be
lost. You cannot get liberation by merely coming here; you cannot get it even by
Dharsan, Sparsan, and Sambashan. You will have to follow the instructions, the
Ajna, the Order and the Directions.
836
MOKSHA or Liberation results from the breaking of
the Mind with all its vagaries and wishes. You have to break your Mind but, how
can you do it, when the fibrous armour of sensual desires encompasses it? Remove
it and dedicate the Mind to God and smash it in His presence. That moment you
are free.
837
ONE should accept the body as the "Tantra", one's
own breath as the "Mantra", and one's heart as the "Yantra". There is no need to
seek them outside oneself. When all words emanating from you are sweet, your
breath becomes Rig Veda. When you restrict what you listen to and prefer only
sweet speech, all that you hear becomes Sama Gana. When you do only sweet deeds,
all that you do is Yajur Homa. Then, you will be performing every day the
Vedapurusha Yajna, the Yajna which propitiates the Veda.
838
THE vehicle of human life is drawn by two wheels by
the senses, which are driven by Buddhi, with Viveka and Vairagya as the reins,
the two wheels being the Kala Chakra and the Karma Chakra. The spokes of the
wheel are the rules of Dharma, bound by the rim of Prema. The self is the Rider
and he will not come to harm if the axle is Sathya and the goal is Shanti.
839
THE Gita is for saving all and granting them
liberation. Gita, in Telugu, means a line; it draws a line across and cancels
the series of births and deaths; it teaches you to stand erect, unafraid, along
the straight path of Dharma, along the line laid down.
840
HAVING been born, man earns and acquires land,
riches, materials, grains and articles of comforts and luxury, which he feels
will give him happiness and which, therefore, become the object of his struggle.
But the object of realising God is forgotten. You may ask: why should anyone
seek good company, do good deeds, and direct his mind towards good thoughts? You
are listening to Me and what do you get when you so listen? You agree that I am
giving you Anandam. What do you give Me in return? Give Me the Aacharana of what
I am telling you, practice what I teach, that is enough. That is all I ask for.
841
IN every country today, men have become power-mad
and they resort, without any compunction, to self praise and dry declamation.
They develop hatred against others, foster envy and feed their fatal egos. They
plunge the Society to which they belong into fear, anxiety and disorder. They do
not know, that if elevating ideals are adhered to and practiced, they could gain
eternal fame; instead they are content with cheap applause and short-lived
publicity.
842
THE mansion called life must be built on a strong
foundation and the pursuit of Artha and Kama, of Wealth and Welfare, and all
desirable objects must be regulated by the standard of Dharma. Dharma fosters
those who foster it. "Dharma Rakshithi Rakshithah". The strongest foundation is
ever-present Faith in the Almighty. Some may ask, "If He is Almighty, why then
is He not patent"? He reveals Himself only to the person who yearns for the
answer, not to the one who questions out of impudence or ignorance.
843
HE will be patent only in the transparent heart,
the heart that is not clouded by egoism or attachment. The string of the Rosary
is patent only in the Spatika Heads, the crystal beads, not in the coral or
Rudraksha beads. Though the string runs through these latter also, it can be
seen only by splitting those beads. This is the meaning of the story of
Hiranyakasipu who split the pillar. When he did that, he could see for himself
the Lord, who is the core of every object and being.
844
YOUR Reality is the Atma, a wave of the Paramatma.
The one object of this human existence is to visualise this Reality, this Atma,
this relationship between the wave and the sea. All other activities are trivial;
you share them with birds and beasts; but this is the unique privilege of man.
He has clambered through all the levels of animal, all the steps in the ladder
of evolution in order to inherit this high destiny. If all the years between
birth and death are frittered away in seeking food and shelter, comfort and
pleasure, as animals do, man is condemning himself to a further life sentence.
845
THERE are only three ways of saving oneself:
Prakruthi, Nivrithi and Prapatti. Prakruthi (action, external activity) is a
method of sublimating the instincts and impulses. Nivritti (detachment; internal
quiet), is a method of subduing the thirst of the senses and of the ego.
Prapatti (surrender) is a method of utilising the senses, the instincts and
impulses, the intelligence and the emotions for the glorification of the
all-knowing, all-directing Divine. Do and dedicate, work and worship, plant and
protect; but do not worry about the fruit; that is the secret of spiritual
success.
846
THE boulder on the hill, from which a portion has
been blasted away to carve an idol for the temple, tells the idol, "Thath Thawam
Asi" (You and I are the same), That and this are one substance. Yes, of one
substance, but what a difference? The hammer and chisel have made one, a thing
of beauty and a joy for ever, an inspiration to make life beautiful and holy.
You too must subject yourself to the hammer of discipline and the chisel of
pain-pleasure, so that you become Divine.
847
WHEN you reach the bank of a river in a strange
land, you do not take advice from a lame person or a blind person on where you
can best wade across. You follow a person who has waded often and who is neither
lame nor blind. The man who can see is a scholar; the man who can walk is a
person with experience. The man with both capacities is a good guide, not those
who prattle things learnt from the books or dole out set formulae irrespective
of the stage the recipient has reached, or roamed about in search of people whom
they can squeeze for money.
848
MAN imagines that he has achieved much as a result
of his search for material pleasures. He has discovered electricity and is using
it for giving light. But what poor glory is this? When the sun rises even the
brightest bulb pales into insignificance. Man has invented the fan and, by means
of electricity, he is able to create a breeze. But, when a storm arises in
Nature, the toughest tree is uprooted and man's handiwork of brick and mortar is
laid in ruins, with the roofs flying in the air. On what basis can he erect his
pride?
849
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
much reverential enthusiasm? The specialty is this: they are Aware, you are
unaware of the Atma which is the Truth. Awareness confers Liberation from bonds,
from time, space and causation and from sleep, dream and wakefulness. Avatars
are ever alert, aware, and alight.
850
THERE was a huge halo of splendour illuminating the
sky over the village when Christ was born. This meant that He who was to
overcome the darkness of evil and ignorance had taken birth; that He will spread
the Light of Love in the heart of man and the councils of humanity. Appearances
of splendour and other signs to herald the era that have dawned are natural when
Incarnations happen on Earth. Jesus was to shatter the darkness that had
enveloped the World and the Aura of Light was a sign that announced the event.
The Masters arrive in answer to man's prayer, "Thamasomaa Jyothirgamaya"; "Lead
us from darkness unto Light".
851
THE word "Hindu" has been interpreted by scholars
in various ways, but the real meaning is "Hin" (Hinsa or Violence), "Dur" (far
from): people who keep away from violence. The Hindus have been praying since
the ages for the peace and prosperity of all the Worlds. "Loka Samastha Sukino
Bhavanthu". Their conception of the immanence of God is strong and unshakable.
The rituals, ceremonies, vows and rites prescribed in Hinduism are all directed
to the promotion and well-being of "all the Worlds". This is the reason why
Hinduism is still alive and active.
852
VISHNU is described as "Buyagasayamam" sleeping on
the snake and also as "Samthaakaaram". The "Bujaga" or snake, which has visha or
poison, represents the World or "Vishaya" and, when you rest upon it, instead of
allowing it to envelop you, you can afford to have "Santham". Let your boat be
on the waters; but do not allow the waters to enter the boat. Be in the World,
but not of it. That is the secret of a successful life.
853
SARANAGATHI, or unconditional surrender, is the
main gate to enter the mansion of Mukthi. It has four floors: Dhyanam, Karma,
Bhakti and Jnanam. Each floor rests upon the one beneath and the uppermost
cannot be reached without ascending the first three. Remember this, when you
hear people arguing about the relative superiority of the Yogas or labeling
themselves as "this" or "that" in the Adhyathmic field.
854
PLEASE do not be under the delusion that God needs
light and that He requires illumination. He is "Jyothiswarupa" with the
splendour of a thousand suns. He is the force which makes Light shine, and He is
above and beyond the Thejas that Nature can supply. It is not so much this stone
structure that needs illumination. When you come to think of it, it is the
temple that you are carrying about with you in body that must be fitted with
lights. "Dehodevalaya Proktham". The body is said to be the temple. "Jivodevah
Sanathanah". And in that temple is installed the Jivi who is the "timeless" God.
855
YOU try to avoid grief; you try to taste joy
instead. It is the nature of man to do so. For he is essentially "Anandaswarupa".
When we seek "Ananda", it is like the call of the deep for the deep. When
someone asks you, "How do you do?" and you answer, "Quite well, thank you", he
does not stop to enquire why you are well. It is only when you answer that you
are ill, that he stops and expresses concern and probes into the causes,
symptoms and care of the illness. "Wellness is natural"; illness is unnatural.
Anxiety is caused by the unnatural only. So you are "Suka-Swarupa" also.
856
CLARIFY the Buddhi by Sadhana so that you get a
vision of the Lord who dwells within, that is the Sudarsana which saved Gajendra,
the wild elephant (man) that was caught by the alligator (egoism) while
rollicking in the lake. The objective World (Samsara) looks upon joy and grief
as teachers of hardihood and balance. Grief is a friendly reminder, a good
task-master; even a better teacher than joy. The Lord grants both, protection
and punishment; for how can he be the Lord if he does not insist on strict
accounting and strict obedience?
857
TAKE everything as it comes. Cultivate contentment,
do not multiply your wants and foster greed and despair. You take off your warm
clothing when you start feeling warm. The coat of desire has to be taken off
when the warmth of Bhakthi increases. Strive to secure Grace; do not strive to
secure any lesser fruit.
858
THE youth today, in India as well as in other lands,
are afflicted with deep discontent which manifests itself in revolt against
rules, regulations, curricula and social norms and an agitational approach to
every little problem that affects them. What is the basic cause of this
phenomenon? The Reason lies in the fact that they have started to neglect the
ancient culture of India and its ideals. They are imitating undesirable and
fanatic norms of behaviour and are addicted to a code of disbelief, having no
roots anywhere.
859
WHEN God has come assuming a Form, take it from Me,
it will not fill inferior vessels or embellish tawdry stuff or enter impure
bodies. So, do not extol these falsities and ruin those unfortunates. Deal with
them severely and they will be cured. Those who have seen the brilliance of the
diamond will not be misled by glass trinkets. The Lord is like the diamond, call
it by any name. But a trinket cannot be turned into a diamond, however loud the
praise and however adamant the claim.
860
WHO can give us the secret of transcending the
barrier that divides the region of death from the region of immortality? Of
course, the Lord has often sent Messengers to tell humanity about it, and He
himself has come down in human form to communicate it and save mankind from
perdition. It is because the task of guiding man has gone on so consistently
that today, at least in India, there is this quantum of earnestness to achieve
it and to escape from the cycle of birth and death.
861
THE Jnanendriyas are more important for Sadhana
than the Karmendriyas; Buddhi is more important than all the rest of the inner
instruments given to man. Make Buddhi the master of your Manas and you will not
fail. You will fail only when the senses establish mastery over the mind.
862
EASWARASSARVOTA Bhoothaanaam Hrddese Arjuna
Thishtath, "Oh Arjuna, the God resides in the heart of all being" says the Lord.
He is not to be found specially in Amarnath, Kasi, Tirupati, Kedaram or Gokarnam.
Just as every drop of the ocean has the taste, the composition and the name of
the ocean, so too every single being has the Divine taste and composition and
the name of the Lord. Only you do not realise it so clearly. The Godavari
realises itself by reaching the sea; man realises himself by merging in the
Absolute. "Gamyam ithi Lingam" (That which merges in the goal is Lingam).
863
YOU have to trace your ancestry and be proud of it.
From Paramatma, Moola Prakrithi descended with the emergence of Maya, and from
the stuff of that illusion, Akasa; and from Akasa, Vayu; from Vayu, Agni; from
Agni, Jala; from Jala, Earth. By a combination of the five elements, this
Tabernacle of Paramatma, which is you, was produced. The entire ladder has now
to be climbed up in order to reach the Paramatma, the Origin of all. There is a
regular syllabus for the promotion of the spiritual aspirant, which is given in
that form in the Veda and in the form of an elaborate story in the Bhagavatha.
864
THE discovery of Truth is the unique mission of
man. Man is a mixture of Maya and Madhava; the Maya throws a mist which hides
the Madhava. But through the action of the healthy impulses inherited from acts
performed while in previous bodies, or through the cleansing done by austerities
in this body, or through the Grace of the Lord Himself, Maya melts away; for it
is just a mist which flees before the Sun. Then Nara is transformed into
Narayana and this Bhuloka is elevated into a Prasanthi Nilayam.
865
EVERYONE has a mother as the source of his life and
body. So, the mother has to be strong in mind and body, ripe in culture and
character, sanctified by holy thoughts and steeped in love and dedication. Good
mothers make a good nation. Mothers have to be repositories of "Thyaga, Yoga and
Bakthi", Detachment, Discipline and Devotion. Their Karma (Activity) must be
based on these three urges.
866
THE one Namaskaram you do, do with devotion. That
is enough. You do not even do that; you do it so callously, so indifferently and
automatically. When you fold your hands and bring them together, feel that you
are offering at the Feet all the actions of the Five Karmendriyas and the Five
Jnanendriyas as indicated by the ten fingers. Again, the purpose of Namaskaram
is to touch the Feet, to have Sparsan of the Lord. The Negative pole Mayasakthi,
and the Positive pole, Mahasakthi, have to meet in order to produce a spiritual
current that will flow through you.
867
COME, I am the repairer of broken hearts, of
damaged Anthahkaranas. I am like the smith who welds, mends and sets right. Ten
years ago, a devotee prayed to Me in song, "My heart has gone dry, my lamp has
gone out, my path is dark, my brain is confused. Lord make me fit again for
life's arduous journey". The Lord will be waiting outside the door of the puja
room of the Bhakta, anxious to fulfill his wish. Verily he, who has the Lord as
His Servant, is the real Prabhu.
868
EVERY little movement or incident results in sound.
Only, you may not be able to hear, because the range of your ear is limited. The
falling of an eyelid over the eye makes a sound and the dropping of dew on a
petal makes a sound. Any little agitation disturbing the calm is bound to
produce a sound. The sound caused by the primal movement that resulted in the
enveloping of Brahman by self-evolved Maya is the Pranavashabda or OM. The
Gayathri is the elaboration of that Pranava and so, it is now held so venerable
that initiation into Adhyatmic life is achieved by its contemplation.
869
YOU may complain that God is hard and heartless
since He does not respond to prayer, give a signal from his pictures and speak
from "nowhere" in clear unambiguous terms, assuaging, assuring, advising - but
let Me tell you: God is Love. Love is God. His Akara (Form) is Prema (Love). His
Swabhava (essential Nature) is Ananda (Bliss); and His Raktha (Life-blood) is
Sathya (Truth). Even when the stony cliff echoes your voice and responds when
you cry, will not the Softest, Sweetest, Love-filled Heart of God respond? When
there is no response, infer that there is something wanting in the cry; perhaps,
the cry is hollow, insincere, mere play-acting set to a pattern, addressed to
someone alien to oneself, taken to be far away and distant as a tyrant or task
master.
870
KNOW that God is the One that is dearest and
nearest to you, as dear and as near as your own heart and pray to him. Surely
his answer will be vouchsafed immediately. You may have huge hordes of men in
the army; but they are useful only when the few Generals who lead them know
where they are and whether they should proceed and how to overcome the enemy,
whose strength and weakness they have comprehended. Hordes of people sing,
recite, adore, worship, praise and prostrate, but these are the soldiers. Those
who believe, those who have faith and who practice the disciplines are the
Generals in whom the Master confides.
871
TALKATIVE persons easily step into scandal mongering.
Too much talk and a tongue addicted to scandal are twins; they work together and
in unison. A poet addressed his tongue thus "Oh, Tongue, knower of taste,
relisher of sweetness, always prefer the Truth". One should not inflame passion,
diminish enthusiasm or inflict injury "Sathyam Brooyath, Priyam Rooyath" (Speak
the Truth, Speak pleasantly), "Nabrooyath Sathyam Apriyam" (If unpleasant, do
not speak the truth), "Priyam cha na anvartsham brooyth" (Though it may be
pleasant, do not speak falsehood).
872
THE Lord has said in the Gita: "Anudevega Karam Vakyam
Sathyam Priya Hitam Chayat". (Speech, that does not offend, that is truthful,
pleasant and beneficial, has to be praised). Such speech sanctifies the tongue.
It knows and respects the limits. The ear cannot tolerate a false or discordant
note. Every one of the senses responds within its own limits of tolerance and
protests when that limit is exceeded or disregarded. You must be vigilant that
they are put to use with proper attention to those limits. When they stray from
the path or overstep the boundaries, reason bites its head and makes you inhuman.
873
YOU can master all Knowledge and win loud applause.
The crowds that gather may praise and proclaim: "Ah, what a wonderful lecture he
gave". You can be hailed as a King and rule over the realm. You can pile up vast
wealth and donate old and land. But what is the benefit gained? Karna gave away
the earrings he wore and even sliced off his Divine suit of armour and gave it
away in charity. Wherein lies the key to greatness? Whereto does renunciation
lead? The question is, does it purify the heart? Does it help the Divinity
within to manifest itself?
874
BRAHMACHARYA does not mean merely desisting from
marriage. It means becoming soaked in Holy Love for the Divine through
transparent sincerity, unselfish will, pure consciousness and holy thoughts. You
all know that Hanuman is described as the Eternal Brahmachari. He was married to
Srivatsala, yet he earned that description. How? Brahmachari means, "He who is
in Brahman". Hanuman had no other thought than Rama (who is Brahman) and so, was
ever moving in Brahman and living in Brahman. Your thoughts, feelings, desires
and activities must all move in Brahman, the Universal Absolute. That is to say,
whatever is spoken and whatever is seen must be cognised as Brahman. That is the
real Brahmacharya stage.
875
LIFE can be sanctified and elevated to a worshipful
pilgrimage if only every one clings to his way and sees it in its proper
perspective. Idle brains exaggerate matters; and cynics cause great social
damage. Gulfs are widened by thoughtless criticism. If only all of you would
remember the principle underlying the brotherhood of man, mankind will become a
mighty family full of peace and joy.
876
MOHAKARMA flows from delusion and leads to further
delusion. Man must outgrow this tendency and turn towards Dharma Karma, that is
to say, moral activity, idealistic activity, activity that sublimates lower
instincts and impulses and transform every deed into an act of dedication. When
the attitude is confirmed and consolidated, all Karma becomes Brahmakarma. Man
merges in the Universal and loses the inhibiting individuality. That is the
Karma which the Atma craves for and delights in.
877
PREMA or Love is a much misused word. Any positive
response to the attraction is called Love. Any feeling of attachment, however
trivial or transitory, is characterised as Prema. We must certainly coin new
words or set aside specific words to indicate the forms of Love. The attachment
of parents to their children or of children to parents must be called affection.
The response to the attraction of sex can be best described as fancy,
fascination or delusion, Moha. The feeling of Kinship or comradeship evokes
dearness. The pleasure one gets through a sense of possession, especially of
material objects, can be known as satisfaction. Only the yearning to reach for
the sublimity that lies inherent in Truth is entitled to be called by that holy
word "Prema".
878
IT is My general practice to induce people to learn
the sweetness of the Name. I begin My Discourses with the recitation of a
spiritual poem and end them with these Namavalis and in between I give the
lesson I love to teach. It is like a tasty health giving meal which I serve to
you on a plate (the problem) covering it with a lid (the Namavalis). That is how
you may take it.
879
HOW can a person, who cannot swim, teach others the
art? How can one whose granary is empty, pour out charity? Acquire the wealth of
devotion, fortitude and peace, before venturing to advise others how to acquire
them. Bharath (India) has suffered slights and disregard as a result of a spate
of teachers who have not cared to practice what they teach. I know you have the
enthusiasm to carry My message among the people of this country and other
countries. Let Me remind you that the best and the only successful way in which
you can do it is to translate the Message into your own lives. Your thoughts,
words and deeds must be saturated with the message. They then will spread
effortlessly and efficiently, and the face of the World will be transformed.
880
THE Name undoubtedly brings in the Grace of God.
Meerabai, the Queen of Rajasthan, gave up status and riches, fortune and family
and dedicated herself to the adoration of the Lord, Giridhara Gopala. Her
husband brought a chalice of poison and she was ordered to drink it. She uttered
the Name of Krishna while she drank it. It was transformed into nectar, by the
Grace the Name evoked.
881
GOD is the harmony of all the Forms and Names that
man gives Him. Only those who are ignorant of the Glory of God will insist on
one Name and one Form for His adoration and, what is worse, condemn the use by
others of other Names and Forms. Since you are all associated with the Sathya
Sai Organisation, I must warn you against such silly obduracy. Do not go about
proclaiming that you are a sect, distinct and separate from those who adore God
in other Forms and Names; thereby, you are limiting the very God whom you are
extolling.
882
PEOPLE pray to God to relieve them from pain, grief
and loss, to confer on them health, strength and wealth. But if you develop an
intimate attachment to Him and make Him yours, then He will manage to give you
all that you need. Do not demean the relationship into bargaining: give me this;
then I shall give you that in exchange. If you insist on wages you become a
coolie. Become His own. He is providing for the idler, the insane and the
shirker; can He not provide for you?
883
THE duration of life is under the control of Him
who gave life, the Creator. It does not depend on the calories of food consumed
or the quality of drugs that are injected, or the qualification of the physician
who prescribes the medicine. The chief causes of ill health and death are Fear
and Loss of Faith. If one concentrates on the Atma, which has no change in
characteristics, no subtraction or senility, and no decline or damage, man can
conquer Death. Therefore, the most effective prescription is the injection of
Atma-Vidya (Knowledge of the Atma, the Soul as one's Real Self).
884
THE future of India is in your hands. You are fully
aware of the characteristics of this Kaliyuga we are passing through. You find
around you injustice, irregularities, immorality and untruth, with all their
devilish attributes and atrocities. But we have to march ahead in spite of all
this with a quite tolerant and benign attitude towards life. Almost all the
fields and walks of life are polluted with these poisonous feelings; but the
field of education, being the most prominent organ, needs our special attention.
885
EVERY Indian will have to recognise the culture
based on Vedic philosophy. You will know how restless and agitated the youth of
India are today, trying to rob everything of pride and without achievement and
thus, getting involved in meaningless pursuits. The student of today is not able
to realise what he should primarily be concerned with. It is only in name that
he is a "Vidyarthi", the seeker of Knowledge. In practice, he is only a "Vishayarthi",
a seeker of worldly pleasures.
886
LOVE is the seed, courage is the blossom and peace
is the fruit that the Sages grow in the garden of their hearts. They toiled for
identifying themselves with the Truth, not for painting falsehood with the
authenticity of Truth and parading as if they had accomplished the mission on
which they had come to earth. They achieved such success that Bharath, for
centuries, was the Preceptor of Humanity; but now the Preceptor has started to
take lessons from the least intelligent of the pupils and is rearing its head in
pride when the pupil congratulates him.
887
IN the Gita, the Lord has declared "Beejaymmaam
Sarva Bhoothaanam", "I am the seed for all beings". The tree is a broad spread
of leaves and flowers, fruit and green. All have grown out of one single small
seed, and every fruit of that tree has seeds of the same nature inside it:
contemplate for a while on the magnificent multitude of life, all its rich
variety of strong and weak, prey and hunter, distressed and delighted, creeping,
crawling, flying, floating, walking, hanging, burrowing, living, and swarming.
All this uncountable variety of created beings have come out of the "Beejam"
(Lord) and again, visualise the immanent Divinity. You will become humble, wise,
and full of Love.
888
DO NOT waver, hesitate or doubt your destiny. Yearn
to realise your Reality; that yearning itself will endow you with a steady
endeavour and the Grace of God which will remove all obstacles. Be an example to
others. Do not scatter advice without the authority born of practical
experience. Do not search for the faults of others, seek your own. Love,
Cooperate, Help, and Serve. This is your prime duty.
889
THE six demons, Kama (Lust), Krodha (Anger), Lobha
(Greed) Moha (Attachment), Mada (Pride) and Matsara (Hate) pursue you and turn
you on to wrong paths and make you servile, stupid and sad. Fight against them
resolutely. That is the life-long war you have to wage. It is not a seven year
war or a thirty year war; it may be a hundred year war, if you live a hundred
years. The struggle knows no respite. This is a civil war, where vigilance alone
can bring dividends.
890
THERE are no characteristics in God, but in the
characteristics of Sathya, Jnana and Ananda there is God. God is everywhere and
no spaceship can hit against Him; no astronaut can espy Him. He is too subtle
for all that type of contact, subtler than ether or Akasa. So, do not lend your
ears to people who swear there is no God. God is too vast and too far above the
reach of reason or imagination. You can only get glimpses of the Bliss derived
from the contemplation of His Magnificence.
891
KRISHNA is hiding in the recesses of your hearts.
You have to trace Him there and hold fast. He runs away but leaves footprints
marked by the spilled milk on which he has trodden in His hurry to be beyond our
reach. Yes, the lesson is: recognise his Footprints in everything of beauty,
every act of goodness, every tear of gratitude and every sigh of compassion; and
discover Him in the bower of your own heart filled with the Fragrance of Love
and Light of Virtue.
892
A HEART without Love is as dreary as a town without
a temple. Spiritual pride is the most poisonous of all varieties of Pride. It
blends and leads the person suffering from it into ruin. Beware of Pride; be
always aware that you are but an instrument in My Divine Mission of
Dharmasthapana, Revival of righteousness. Try to be more and more efficient as
such instruments. The hand that wields the instrument knows how and when it has
to be applied.
893
AT THIS critical hour in the history of the World,
when the demoniac forces of fear and anxiety, injustice and inequity are raging
in wild fury, it is the duty of every human being to be equipped with spiritual
strength so that he may not be overwhelmed by the storm. This is an urgent and
essential task and I must say, that the women of India have a contribution to
make, a service to render and a role to play. They must bring God into the heart
of the child and help it to keep Him there. For Faith in God is the tonic that
man needs to get back his health and happiness.
894
SOCIAL service should not become show-cial, work
carried out for publicity or with the camera in view. Nor should it become
slow-cial work. Why go slow, when you are doing good to the deserving? Do as
much as you can. If you cannot do any good, at least desist from doing harm or
from finding fault with those who serve you.
895
YOU know that you can draw cheques upon a bank
whenever you need money, provided you have enough current deposit therein. If
the Bank goes bankrupt, it will be a disaster. The educational system is the
Bank on which the nation draws a cheque whenever it wants strong, reliable
skilled workers. If it goes bankrupt, as it nearly has today, it is a national
disaster.
896
SERVICE: Let that be the slogan for this nation.
Service not for those who have many to serve them and the wherewithal to help
themselves, but for the diseased in the hospitals who have no one to nurse them,
give them a smile or a flower or write a letter home for them.
897
THE chief means by which you detach your mind from
distractions and attach yourselves to the search for God are: Yoga and Thyaga.
Kama (desire) has to be gotten rid of by Thyaga (Renunciation); and Rama (God)
has to be secured by Yoga (the conjunction of all your faculties for the common
purpose). Desire discolours the intelligence; it perverts judgment; it sharpens
the appetites of the senses; it lends a false lure to the objective world. When
desire disappears or is concentrated on God, intelligence is self luminous and
it shines in the pristine splendour; and that splendour reveals the God within
and without. That is the real "Atmasakshatkara".
898
OF WHAT benefit is it to have a body if you do not
seek to know how best to utilise it? Learn from the Saints and Sages who have
realised the Truth about the path you shall tread and the goal you have to
attain. That goal is God. He is beyond all notions of good and bad, right and
wrong. These are earthly measures, by which the temporary is weighed and judged.
He has no Form, no Limbs, no duality, no preferences, no prejudices and no
predilection. To say that He is "Sathyaswarup" (having the characteristic of
Truth), and "Jnanaswarup" (having full wisdom), and "Anandaswarup" (full of
Bliss) is also not correct. For He has no "Swarup" or "Swabhav"; He is Sathya;
He is Jnana; and He is "Ananda". That is the experience of those who have tasted
"Ananda".
899
YOU may boast that you have been visiting
Puttaparthi since twenty years or that you have made the place your permanent
residence; but, unless you follow the lessons I emphasise, that boast is mere
empty vanity. If you develop love for all beings, in the faith that God resides
in all, you may be anywhere else, but your prayers would reach Me and My Grace
will reach you. While in My previous body, I told Nanashab that I am in ants,
insects and animals, besides all men. When a dog ate all offerings intended for
Baba, it was declared to have reached Baba, for he had eaten it in that form.
"Nana says, he is giving Me food, but when I go in the form of a dog, he drives
Me off".
900
INDIA has always laid down disciplines to cultivate
Universal Love; the Yagnas and Yaga which are recommended in the Vedas are for
Lokakalyana, Lokasangraha, the welfare and security of all mankind. That is why
India is like the engine which drags the wagons along, all the wagons that are
coupled with it. The wagons are the different nations. "Lokaasamathaah Sukhino
Bhavanthu" is the prayer that rises from the children of the land since
thousands of years. God is Omnipresent. He is immanent in every being and in
equal measure. So man must visualise Him equally in himself and in others.
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