Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

Service was Joy

I slept and dreamt that life was joy.

I awoke and saw that life was service.

I acted and behold, service was joy.

Rabindranath Tagore

The Transformation Process

"The transformation of man is based on the transformation of the mind. When men are transformed, the nation is transformed. When nations change, the world is transformed. Hence, if the world has to be changed, there has to be a mental transformation at the individual level. The human mind should be filled with love.

The mind is a remarkable entity. When it is filled with wisdom, it makes a man a saint. When it is associated with ignorance, it turns into an agent of death. Hence it has been declared that the mind is the cause of human bondage or liberation. All change, in education or other spheres, has to begin with transformation of the mind."

~ Baba ~

(Divine Discourse 13.2.97)

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

The Cure for Death

Soon after Gisa Kotami got married, she gave birth to a son whom she loved dearly. Then, one day, when he was just beginning to learn how to walk, he suddenly fell ill and died. This left Gisa Kotami deeply grieved. Unable to accept her only son’s death, she roamed the streets with him held tightly in her arms, asking whomever she came across for some medicine that could cure her son and bring him back to life.

Luckily she came upon a kindly man who realized her plight and advised her to go and see the Buddha. “The Buddha alone,” he told her, “has the antidote to death.” When the Buddha saw Gisa Kotami, he realized that she was too grief-stricken to listen to reason and so resorted to some skillful means to help her.

He told her that he could indeed restore her son back to life if she could get him a mustard seed. “However,” the Buddha warned, “The mustard seed must not come from any household where death has ever occurred. If you can bring one back to me, your child will live again.”

Gisa Kotami felt great relief and was overjoyed at the prospect of having her son once more playing at her side.Full of hope, she hurriedly went from house to house, but nowhere could she find a household in which no one had ever died. At last it dawned on her that she was not alone in her grief, for everyone else had suffered the loss of a loved one at one time or another.

When she realized that, she lost all attachment to the dead body of her son and understood what the Buddha was trying to teach her: nothing born can ever escape death. Gisa Kotami then buried her son and went to tell the Buddha that she could find no family where tears had never been shed over a lost loved one. The Buddha said to her, “You have now seen that it is not only you who have ever lost a son, Gisa Kotami. Death comes to all beings, for fleeting and impermanent is the nature of all component things.”

Gisa Kotami then became a nun and strove hard to eventually perceive the state of no death and no sorrow, which is the deathless state of Nibbana.

Better it is to live one day comprehending the Deathless than a hundred years without ever comprehending the Deathless. (Verse 114)

(From Dhammapada Stories)

Shirdi Sai Jayanti (Sept. 27)

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

The Most Amazing Thing on Earth

When once Brahmâ asked sage Nârada, what was the most amazing thing he noticed on earth, Nârada replied, "The most amazing thing I saw was this: The dying are weeping over the dead. Those who are themselves nearing death every moment are weeping over those who have died, as if their weeping has any effect, either to revive the dead or prevent their own death"!

Brahmâ asked him to tell another. Nârada said, "Another amazing thing is: Everyone fears the consequences of sin, but goes on sinning nevertheless! Everyone craves for the consequence of punya (meritorious acts), but everyone is reluctant to do any meritorious act!"

(Chinna Katha by Baba)

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

A Smile

"A smile is the rose that grows on the thorns of a sigh.

Shed tears but only for joy,

joy that you are released from the chain of desires."

~ Baba ~

(Sadhana - The Inward Path)

Man's Tragedy

"Man is endowed with memory as well as the faculty to forget. Both these are useful skills. Perhaps the power to forget is even more important, for otherwise, man will have to lament over the loss of millions of parents and kinsmen he had in millions of previous births; man will remember and resent the many insults and injuries he has suffered in previous births. Luckily he forgets all that.

He remembers only those things that have impressed him as significant or crucial; namely, the date of his marriage, the names of those who have to pay him money, etc.

The tragedy is that he has forgotten the most significant and crucial thing about his earthly career, the key to happiness and liberation, his real name and identity!"

~ Baba ~

(Sadhana - The Inward Path)

God Waits

At the break of dawn, when the warmth of the sun fills my heart,

I promise to be a noble soul whole day long.

I shall not laugh at others' miseries

nor kill my thoughts by talking.

I shall see only the roses, not the thorns.

I shall live for others and not for myself.

I promised and promised till I realised

that there was darkness all around.

I knelt down in prayer,

I had not lived up to my promises,

I cried in desperation.

Then there was a voice from within:

"Today you failed, but there is tomorrow,

I shall hold your hand."

Another tomorrow, and another one.

Still God waits and waits

till we become perfect.

~ Soumya K. ~

Swami's Love and Compassion

"If we take a leaf out of Baba's life, we will get an insight into his boundless love and compassion. Baba shows tremendous love for animals, plants and flowers. He exhorts, "Plants and leaves have consciousness. Trees have consciousness."

Once in a sports meet, there was a display of stunts on horseback. The horses were running very fast and were sweating heavily. At this, Swami was visibly perturbed.

This is consciousness. Being with the leaf, being with the flower, being with a horse and thus finding kinship is consciousness. Let us learn to be able to be friendly with everybody and find kinship with all."

~ Anil Kumar ~

(Sai Sandesh - Sai Gems for Healthy Living)

What is a Manthra?

"Manthra and Japa are essential for all types of men. What is a manthra? Ma means manana and thra means saving; so manthra means that which can save you if you meditate on it. Manthra will save you from being caught in the coils of this worldly life which is infested with death, grief and pain."

~ Baba ~

(Sadhana - The Inward Path)

Ganesh Chaturthi (Sept.11)

Jai Jai Jai Gananayaka

Jai Jai Vighna Vinashaka

Jaya Shubha Mangala Daayaka

Vidya Buddhi Pradaayaka

Gaja Vadana Gauri Nandana

Gangadhara Shiva Shambo Nandana

Victory to the Leader of the Ganas!

Victory to the remover of all obstacles!

The bestower of auspiciousness, knowledge

and good intellect.

O elephant-faced Lord, the beloved son of

Mother Gauri and Lord Shiva who bears the

sacred River Ganga!

The Five Great Shaktis of Lord Ganesha

Jai Ganesha! Due to Siva's men,

Within whose form the world of forms resides,

Who earned the mango by a ponderous ken

And made the moon to wax and wane in tides.

Aum Ganesha! Loved by saints and sages,

Whose skillful arms five potent shaktis wield

To guide men now as in forgotten ages -

The seeker's shield, the farmer's fertile field.

Aum! Ganesha's first shakti is home life,

protection, harmony, fertility -

Respect becomes the man as love the wife,

Obedience their cherished offspring's glee.

Aum! Ganesha's second shakti is family -

By blood, by marriage and proximity.

Word and thought controlled, the minds agree,

While faithful friends preserve community.

Aum! Ganesha's third shakti is the market,

Where commerce earns the earth stability,

Where forthright, selfless merchants, free from debt,

Conceive, produce, exchange prosperity.

Aum! Ganesha's fourth shakti brings culture -

Refined expression, graceful artistry

In music, dance, in poetry and sculpture

Or common conduct performed consciously.

Aum! Ganesha's fifth shakti is dharma -

Fair merit found in virtue's charity -

Where love of God does conquer ancient karma

And Siva's slaves earn Grace's rarity.

Jai Ganesha! Come our hearts protect

From discord in the home, from strife with friend;

From business misfortune, from art's neglect,

From Soul's Dark Night - these griefs asuric end.

(From: "Lord Ganesha - Benevolent Deity for the Modern Hindu World")

A Ray of Hope and Light

Once Wealth and Poverty approached a merchant and introduced themselves as Goddesses. The merchant offered his salutations to both of them and said: "May I know what brings you to my humble tenement?"

The Goddess of Wealth said: "We want you to judge and tell us as to who is more beautiful between us two?"
The merchant was in a fix. He knew he was between the devil and the deep sea. If he were to declare wealth as more beautiful than poverty, poverty would curse him. If he were to declare poverty as more beautiful, than wealth, wealth would forsake him.


However, he regained his composure and said: "I have great respect for you both. Would you please act according to my instructions? Then only I can judge properly." The Goddesses agreed.


He said: "Mother wealth, would you please go to the entrance (gates) and walk into the house? Mother, poverty! Would you please walk from here towards the gates? I can have a good look at you both, from near and far."


The two Goddesses did walk as the merchant wished them to. Then the merchant happily declared: "Mother wealth! You appear very beautiful when you enter the house. Mother poverty! You look very beautiful when you leave the house!"


The Goddesses appreciated the wit and wisdom of the merchant. The Goddess of wealth happily stayed in his house while the Goddess of poverty cheerfully walked away.


When a serious problem confronts us, if we look within and think calmly, a ray of hope and light will beam forth and show us the way.

(Chinna Katha by Baba)

What Is The Service That The Ocean Does?

"What is the service that the ocean with all its mass of water does?

It cannot slake the thirst of a single human being.

What is the profit if a miser lives a hundred years?

This is my message to you. Do not exhibit anger or grief or pain.

Be happy, spread happiness around you.

Sweetness alone is the offering that God likes."

~ Baba ~

(Sadhana - The Inward Path)

The Impermanence of Beauty

Rupananda was quite an attractive and graceful woman who was always surrounded by admirers. She never ceased to feel very lonely, however, because all those dear to her - mother, brother and even husband - had all entered the Order.

Missing her family badly, she went to visit them often and heard them speak of the Buddha in such a way that she longed to go and pay him homage too. But when she learned that the Buddha often talked about the impermanence of the body, she was afraid that he might disparage her for her beauty, and so hesitated to do so. In the end, however, she decided that no matter what the Buddha might say to her, she would go and see him anyway.

As soon as the Buddha saw Rupananda, he realized that she was someone very attached to her beauty. To teach her a lesson, he caused a vision of a ravishing young lady to appear before her. When Rupananda saw the young lady, she could not help but remark how extremely beautiful she was and exclaimed to herself, “My goodness, next to her I must look like an old crow!”

Then before Rupananda could realize what was happening, the beautiful young lady started to age and slowly deteriorate before her very eyes until she finally lay sick and helpless on the floor, rolling in her own excrement. Then she died, and Rupananda saw her corpse going through the different stages of decay, oozing pus and other foul liquids, and finally crawling with maggots.

Witnessing this rapid succession of images, Rupananda realized that there was a continuous process of change and decay in the body. “In the same way,” she thought, “like this young girl who has grown old, died, and decayed before my very eyes, I, too, will grow old and decay one day.”

With that realization, the attachment that Rupananda had for her body diminished and she came to perceive its true nature. She then became a nun, and under the guidance of the Buddha, eventually attained arahatship.

This body is built up with bones which are covered with flesh and blood. Within I dwell decay and death, pride and jealousy.

(From Dammapada Stories)

Everything About Life is Uncertain

"A man borrowed money from another and promised to return it by sunrise the next day. The other fellow asked, "But how are you certain that the sun will rise tomorrow?"

At this the creditor retorted, "But how are you certain that I will live to repay it or that you will live to take it back?"

Everything about life is uncertain. So march on, from this very moment, take at least a few steps towards the goal, if you can. That very attempt might induce the Lord to extend your stay until you attain your goal."

~ Baba ~

(Sadhana - The Inward Path)

The "Excellent" Devotee

A clever villager used to enter the village temple in the early hours of the day and sit on, with eyes closed, in the hope that people will honor him as a great devotee. Since he did not get up and go about his business until about midnoon, the temple priest was hard put to it to close the doors and go home for his daily tasks there.

So he struck upon a plan to stop the nuisance. He knew that the closed-eye session of dhyana was all a pretence. He hid himself behind the idol of the deity, and when the villager was well set in his pretence of deep meditation, he said, in an imposing sonorous voice, "Listen! Excellent Devotee! I am mightily pleased by your asceticism and your steadfastness. Come I shall merge you into Myself."

At this, the fellow ran fast out from the temple, leaving no trace of where he had gone to!

The devotion and sense of surrender of men are similar to those of this impostor. Faith is weak, discipline is absent; earnestness is lacking.

(Chinna Katha by Baba)

Do You Know ...

"Do you know the power in reciting My name?

It is the spiritual power to reach Me.

A direct wireless message is sent to Me.

When, with all your heart, you repeat My name.

Think of Me and nothing more,

And my eyes will be set on you,

Loving you with My glance,

Like a mother to her child,

Blessing you with My divine love for always."

~ Baba ~

(Sai Darshan)