Friday, October 29, 2010

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba


Be in the Sun


"Do not spend much thought on the body; some worry always about health, and they are never satisfied with the care they bestow on the body.

Be in the sun; let the sun's rays penetrate into the home, let them fall upon the body for some time, let them warm and illumine clothes and food; that will suffuse them with health."

~ Baba ~
(The Voice of the Avatar)

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Two Pieces of Marble

There was a majestic temple laid with marble flooring. Inside its hall was a marble Buddha image.
One night, the floor asked the Buddha image, "You and I were made from the same material, how is it that I'm on the floor, stepped by humans, and you are sitting up there being respected?"
The Buddha image answered, "Remember when we were both just two pieces of marble? When the stone carver was trying to carve you, you complained of the pain and discomfort it will cause. For me, I was able to take the pain, and went through the process of being carved and polished. Hence I become an exquisite statue admired by many, while you, being afraid of hardship, were laid on the floor."

We tend to complain of the present situation we are in and feel jealous of others' success. Why not ask ourselves, "Are we willing to undertake the hardship and challenges needed for success? The ultimate success is the attainment of Enlightenment. Have we put in the required effort? Let us not grumble about our present state. We are the karmic results of our very own actions!
~ Arthur ~

(The Daily Enlightenment)

A Sacred Trust

"Hold all your property and wealth in trust for the Lord who gave them to you; even your family, you must treat as a sacred trust, as persons given to you by the Lord to love, foster and guide. Thus, you must elevate your attachment into worship and make it an instrument for spiritual progress."


~ Baba ~
(Sadhana - The Inward Path)

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba


The Rabbit That Ran Away


Wherever you go, you meet only Me. I am present everywhere.


Have you heard the story of the rabbit that had borrowed from Mother Earth four paise? She thought that if she moved into a new region she would be free from the obligation. So, one day she ran as fast as her legs could carry her and went far far away from the place where the amount was originally received. At last, she sat down in great relief and said to herself: "Now, no one will ask me to repay". What was her surprise when from the ground underneath she heard a voice: "Mother Earth is right under your feet, here. You cannot escape from me, however far you run".


So too, you cannot run away from Me. I will demand good conduct, good habits, good thoughts, good company, wherever you go seeking for refuge.


(Chinna Katha from Baba)

Monday, October 25, 2010

Guan Yin Bodhisattva


Guan Yin Bodhisattva does not cling on to the fact
that she is Guan Yin.

My Mother
is being Guan Yin
to me,
by praying to Guan Yin
for me.

Guan Yin, my Mother;
My Mother Guan Yin;
Guan Yin Mother.


(The Daily Enlightenment}


There are three celebrations annually dedicated to Guan Yin Bodhisattva among the Chinese Buddhists:
The Bodhisattva's Birthday: 19th of the second lunar month (3 April 2010);

The Bodhisattva's Enlightenment Day: 19th of the sixth lunar month (30 July 2010);

Bodhisattva's Renunciation Day: 19th of the ninth lunar month (26 October 2010).



Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba


Respect Nature


The Buddha was born under a tree.

The Buddha was enlightened under a Bodhi tree.

The Buddha was grateful to the Bodhi tree that sheltered Him before His Enlightenment.

It is said that He gazed at it in gratitude for seven days.

The Buddha taught in the shelter of trees and groves.

The Buddha passed into Parinirvana between two trees.


We see that the Buddha was one with nature and saw the importance of its relationship with us all. Respect nature. We belong to nature. Nature does not belong to us. Destroy nature and we destroy ourselves, for we are nature. Buddhism is a green religion!

The next time you see a tree, be it a Bodhi tree or not, gaze at it respectfully. Realise the grand possibilities that might just happen because of this tree. The grandest thing that last happened under a tree was the Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Imagine that.

(The Daily Enlightenment - www.buddhanet.net)

Friday, October 22, 2010

The Lord is Nearest to You


"The Lord is nearest to you.
Slide ajar the door of delusion;
Part the curtains of ignorance;
Open the closed eye;
He is right there, before you!
The fog of sensual pleasure is hiding Him from you.
Switch on the light;
The darkness disappears and He becomes visible."


~ Baba ~

(Sadhana - The Inward Path)

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Annunciation Day - 20th October


20th October marks the historic Divine Pronouncement that happened seven decades ago, when the fourteen year old Sathyanarayana Raju of Puttaparthi spelt out His Intention about His earthly sojourn.


I have a task : to foster all mankind and ensure for all of them ....

I have a vow : to lead all who stray away from the straight path ...

I do not belong to any place. I am not attached to any name .....


This commemorative day was revisited yet again, for the seventieth time, after the 1940 declaration, on the evening of Wednesday, 20th October. When Bhagawan presented Himself on the dais, His face was that of God's who was communicating in silence, to revel in His priceless precious Gems of Wisdom that were imparted to the lucky souls traversing the earth contemporarily.


Read more from www.srisathyasai.org.in/


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Maha Poornahuthi


Maha Poornahuthi of the Dasara Jnana Saptaaha Yajna was offered into the Sacrificial Pit on 17th October evening in the Poornachandra Auditorium in the immediate Divine presence of the Yajna Purusha, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba! Continuing with the changing phase of evening schedules, Prasanthi witnessed the grand finale of the Yajna in a different colour, with the beautiful twilight setting the backdrop for the most auspicious occasion! The simple, yet elegant function marked by religious, devotional fervour was attended by a huge concourse of devotees.
Visit www.srisathyasai.org.in/ for more details.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Love All, Revere All


"Love all, revere all. Help to the best of your ability. Endeavour to be as beneficial, as sweet, as soft as possible. Then the spot on which you stand becomes as sacred as Kasi; the words that you utter will be as holy as the scriptures. This sadhana will lead you to Realisation."

~ Baba ~
(Sadhana - The Inward Path)

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba


Life is a Mirage


"Life is a mirage. It comes from no visible rain; it falls into no recognizable sea.


There was a man once who was pestered by a host of relatives while he was dying. Parents, wife, children, brothers, sisters all surrounded his bedside during his last moments and wailed. They asked him, "What is to happen to us?"


The dying man lifted his head a little from his pillow and asked in return, "What is to happen to me? I am now more interested in that problem than being worried about what is to happen to you."


Well, it is better that everyone asks that question even now and equips himself with the answer rather than wait until it is too late.


"What am I for? "What ought I to do?" These questions you must pursue and arrive at the answers."


~ Baba ~
(Sadhana - The Inward Path)


Friday, October 15, 2010

Life is a Pilgrimage


"Life is a pilgrimage, where man drags his feet along the rough and thorny road. With the name of God on his lips, he will have no thirst; with the form of God in his heart, he will feel no exhaustion. The company of the holy will inspire him to travel in hope and faith. The assurance that God is within all, that He is ever near, will lend strength to his limbs and courage to his heart.


Remember that with every step, you are nearing God, and God too, when you take one step towards Him, takes ten towards you. There is no stopping place in this pilgrimage; it is one continuous journey, through day and night; through valley and desert; through tears and smiles; through death and birth; through tomb and womb.


When the road ends and the goal is gained, the pilgrim finds that he has travelled only from himself to himself, that the way was long and lonesome, but the God that led him unto was all the while with him, around him, with him and beside him! He himself was always divine."


~ Baba ~
(The Voice of the Avatar)

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

The Wandering Mind


Once there was a young monk named Sangharakkhita. While he was staying in a village monastery, he was offered two robes and decided to offer one of them to his uncle who was also a monk and whom he held in high esteem. When he tried to present the robe to his uncle, however, his uncle refused to accept it, saying that he already had the robes required. The young monk interpreted his uncle’s refusal as a personal affront. He felt so offended that he decided on the spot he would rather disrobe than be a part of an order where there were such arrogant monks as his uncle.

Sangharakhitta wanted to leave the monastery right away but his uncle asked him to stay and fan him a while since it was a very hot day. Sangharakhitta did as his uncle asked, but did so more out of a sense of duty than out of deference, for he was still brooding over his uncle’s refusal to accept his gift. And as he fanned his uncle, his mind started to wander. “What will I do,” he thought, “as soon as I become a layman again?”

Well, first he was going to sell the robe and buy a she-goat. The she-goat would then give him many more goats and he would sell them and finally save enough money to get married. Soon his wife would give birth to a son and they would go to the monastery to show him off to their uncle.

On the way, however, an argument would ensue between them, for he would want to carry the child as he drove the cart, but his wife would insist otherwise. As he would make a grab for the child, it would fall off the cart and get run over by one of its wheels. He would then be so upset that he would start beating up his poor wife.

At that point of his daydreaming, he accidentally struck his uncle’s head with the fan. The old monk who was able to read Sangharakkita’s thoughts admonished him, saying, “It’s not enough to beat on your wife? You’ve got to beat on an old monk as well?”

Sangharakkhita was so surprised and ashamed when he realized that his uncle had been reading his mind that he wanted to run away. Instead, the good uncle took him to see the Buddha.

When told what happened, the Buddha spoke gently to the young monk and said, “The mind can wander off and think of things that have not yet taken place. It is best to concentrate on the present instead and strive diligently to free oneself from greed, hatred, and delusion.”

One who subdues the wandering mind,
which strays far and wide, alone, bodiless,
will be freed from the bonds of temptation.
(V.37)

(From Dhammapada Stories)

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba


Monday, October 11, 2010

Control the Senses


"He who is able to fully control his senses, will be in a position to attain liberation or moksha."


~ Baba ~
(Sadhana - The Inward Path)


The Lord Cares for the Feeling Behind the Act


Abdullah was sleeping in a corner of a mosque in Mecca, when he was awakened by the conversation of two angels above his head.


They were preparing a list of the blessed and one angel was telling the other that a certain Mahbub of Sikandar City deserved to be ranked first, even though he had not come on pilgrimage to the Holy City.


Hearing this Abdullah went to Sikandar City and found that he [Mahbub] was a cobbler, repairing the shoes of people. He was famished and poor; his earnings barely sufficed to keep flesh and bone together. He had by severe sacrifice piled up a few coppers during the course of years.


One day, he spent the entire treasure to prepare a special dish, which he proposed to place before his enceinte wife as a surprise gift. When he was proceeding home with the gift, he heard the cry of a starving beggar who seemed to be in the throes of extreme hunger. Mahbub could not proceed any further; he gave the pot containing the costly delicacy to the man and sat by his side, enjoying the blossoming of satisfaction on his haggard face.

That act gave him a place of honor in the register of the Blessed.


The Lord cares for the feeling behind the act, not the fanfare and the fuss.



(Chinna Katha by Baba)

Friday, October 8, 2010

Happy Navaratri


"The Navaratri festival should be used as an occasion to examine one's own nature whether it is human, animal, or demonic, and strive to transform the animal nature into the human, and divinise the human nature. Wisdom cannot be acquired from outside. It has to be got through inward Sadhana".

~ Baba ~

SS, Nov. 1992

Swami Knows

I recently underwent a minor procedure at a hospital and of course prayed to Swami that everything would go well. After it was over, I wrote a letter of thanks to Him and said I looked forward to thanking Him personally during my trip to Puttaparthi in September this year. I knew of course that there would be little chance of saying “Thank You” face to face and consoled myself that it was just as good thanking Him from a distance during darshan.

On my first day at darshan, our group was ushered to the back of the hall to sit together. “Just as I thought,” I said to myself. “I’m miles away from Swami and I can see Him only as a small speck when He enters the hall.” After we had sat for a while, a member of the group suddenly nudged me and said, “Look, your Mum’s coming with a seva dal.”


Mum usually goes to darshan in a wheelchair as she is unable to walk all the way from our room to Sai Kulwant Hall, so she sits with the other wheelchair ladies in the far corner of the hall. I got up to meet her and asked what was wrong. She said she had a tummy ache and wanted to leave. Since Swami was expected any minute now, I said it would be best to go back to her place and assured her that the tummy ache would go away soon. She did as I suggested but I could see that she was not very comfortable. Due to her advanced age, she sometimes gets confused and a little lost when surrounded by a sea of people, so I asked the young seva dal who had accompanied her whether I could sit next to her wheelchair. She said I should ask the Ah Ma in charge.


The Ah Ma in charge of the wheelchair area, as many who have been to Puttaparthi will know, is a lady of steel with a razor sharp tongue. Many, including myself, have on numerous occasions savoured her angry admonishments but since we knew she was only doing her duty, we ignored her most of the time.


“Oh no, I wouldn’t dare,” was my response to the seva dal. “She’ll probably scold.” The seva dal said, “No, it’s alright, come!” She then led me to Ah Ma and asked on my behalf. To my relief, she nodded her approval and pointed to a spot near my Mum’s wheelchair. I was very happy and sat down, waiting for Swami.


When Swami entered the hall, I decided not to waste time, so I thanked Him immediately from where I sat. He went for a full darshan round and after finishing the men’s side, I expected Him to go up to the dais but was surprised when He continued to proceed towards the wheelchair area and in a few moments, was right in front of us, about five feet away! He stopped and looked at us, then raised His hand in blessing. As for me, I was filled with joy and gratitude; I was close to tears and my thanks came out in a emotional flurry of words! He knew what I had been thinking and was giving me the opportunity to thank Him face to face!


Through His grace and compassion, I got to sit next to my mum during darshan for the rest of our stay and enjoyed the same “close-up darshan” like the first time! And every time I thanked Him again and again - I didn't have anything else to say! Incidentally, I should also thank Ah Ma, who despite her tough exterior, really has a heart of gold.


It was a wonderful trip, as is always every trip to Puttaparthi. Believe me, Swami knows everything and even though we may sometimes forget Him in our moments of folly, He never forgets us.

Jai Sai Ram.


~ Divine Blossoms ~



Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba


Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Dear Lord ...


Dear Lord,
How can I ever thank You?
You gave me nine blissful days in your ashram singing your divine glory;
You gave me wonderful darshan which even the saints long for;
You gave me strong legs to carry me everyday to see Your wondrous form;
You saved me from a sudden downpour, then gave me beautiful weather to enjoy;
You gave me good companions to help look after me;
You gave me valuable lessons to learn and take home with me.
Dear Lord, how can I ever thank You?


(Composed by the author after her trip to Puttaparthi in September 2010)

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Rama, Rama, Rama...


"Lessons, too, are often taught with loving humour.


I remember the lady who was using her japamala when Swami came along. He stopped, took the rosary into His own hands and with a pious expression repeated, "Rama, Rama, Rama...I must do the laundry today ...Rama, Rama, Rama........".
Then He returned the rosary to her with a smile. No further words were necessary!"


~ Peggy Mason ~
(Sai Humour)

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba


Friday, October 1, 2010

Ego


"The worst enemy of man is his ego. Many have been able to overcome the six weaknesses: anger, pride, lust, greed, hatred and attachment, but rare indeed is the hero who has demolished his ego, which has jealousy as its companion trying to dominate the mind continuously.

More than ordinary men, the scholars, sages, teachers and even devout spiritual aspirants are victims of ego. It is their ego which makes them declare that they are nearest to God and the most enlightened. The ego brings wave after wave of wants and wishes. When egoism enters man, envy follows fast. Sorrow is the shadow that haunts the ego.

How does the egoism get into our system?
Where was the ego in the beginning?
Is it a weed cultivated by us for our destruction?
Where were we before we were born?
Where will we be after death?

All our ideas and inferences are but products of the period between birth and death. When the girl you married was seriously ill as a child, you did not worry since she was not "yours" We ourselves grow this attachment. This "mine" and "yours" attitude adopts colossal importance in our living.

Egoism is a thorny bush, which when planted and fostered, makes as suffer. It makes enemies even of close friends and does not allow men to work together. Grief follows ego like a shadow."

~ Baba ~
(SS March 1996)