Leave What Must Be Left

Once a king went to a forest for hunting. There he was separated from his entourage and lost the way. While walking in the darkness, he slipped and fell into an old well. Fortunately, he firmly caught hold of some roots of the branches of a nearby banyan tree as they were hanging in the well. Thereby, he saved himself from falling into the well.

After some time, a person doing Nama Sankirtan happened to pass that way.

Hearing the sound of groaning coming from a nearby place indicating that someone was in distress, he came near the well and peeped into it. Seeing someone hanging in the well, he managed to procure a rope from somewhere to pull him out.

Throwing the rope in the well, he addressed the person in trouble, "Catch hold of this rope firmly; I will try to pull you out slowly." The king had a doubt: what should I catch at - the roots of the branches of the banyan tree or the rope?

In the same way, man becomes the victim of doubts in certain situations and loses his discrimination. First, the roots of the branches of the banyan tree were the means by which the king saved himself.

The king had a doubt: what should I catch at - the roots of the branches of the banyan tree or the rope?

Well, he should have left those roots and caught hold of the rope. Here, the roots symbolise the world which man keeps holding. But some day or the other, he has to know the path which can lead him to his redemption. Leaving the roots and catching the rope are the means which lead him to the path of his liberation.

(Chinna Katha by Sri Sathya Sai Baba)

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

"If you have heads full of evil thoughts,

Ears anxious to hear evil words,

Eyes eager to spy upon everything,

Mind which listens to scandals,

Heart that is prone to deceive,

These perversions perforce

Will allow neither fair play to exist

Nor good qualities to thrive in any human heart."

~ Baba ~

Dearest Swami ...

Dearest Swami,

I looked into my heart this morning to see whether You were there and you looked back at me, a smile on Your face.

“Dear Lord,” I said. “What would You have me do today?”

You replied, “See with the eyes of Love, hear with the ears of Love, work with the hands of Love, think thoughts of Love, feel Love in every nerve. See God in everyone you meet, see God in everything you handle.”

“This is going to be a little difficult, dear Lord,” I said. “But I will try and if I should fall, please pick me up and let me start anew with your unbounded love and guidance.”

You smiled again and I went on my way. The sun was shining through the trees and the birds were singing.

Oh how I love You, Lord of my heart!

~ Divine Blossoms ~

Be a Buddha

Don't keep saying it's only human

that you err again and again.

You shouldn't want to be only human;

You should want to be a Buddha.

(The Daily Enlightenment)

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

"Without shedding lethargy (Thamas),

You cannot have true vision.

Without shedding passionate tendencies (Rajas),

You cannot have devotion.

Serenity (Sathwa) alone is the path to devotion.

This is the Truth I declare."

~ Baba ~

You are the Divine in Human Form

"All of you are embodiments of the Divine. All of you are embodiments of love and peace. You are the Divine in human form. Develop that conviction. Immerse yourselves in Divine love. Offer that love to the Divine. Thereby you will have love for all."

~ Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 1.1.96)

Dining with the Beloved

The gentle early springtime sun brought everything to life in the Anza Borrego desert scene in Southern California. Bright little flowers formed a carpet of color, as though awaiting the Blue Lotus Feet of our Lord to be a soft cushion. How sprightly were the small birds, as they sprang from one branch to another, with full awareness of their freedom! All of this wonderland was covered with a delicate blue sky that played hide and seek with the surrounding mountains.

While enthralled with all of this nature scented with desert perfumes, I seemed to nave a question filtering through my mind, as to whether or not I would bathe in the placidly clear waters of my friend's swimming pool. Then, I found myself almost unthinkingly turning away from the pool area and entering the precincts of the quiet cool house. I could see the pool reflecting the sky, through the large plate glass windows.

It was then I felt the meditative heartstrings enticing me from within. I had no sooner started the inward journey when Baba began to talk to me. It is His message which I would like to share with you now.

"Bathe in the water pool, for, is it not Ganga water? That water out there, too, is from God. Why should one differentiate as to one water's spiritual benefit from that of another body of water?

Bathe with a divine feeling of receiving an inner purification for the water thus used is being blessed by Me. Remember that all water used to cleanse the temple of the soul is holy water. It can draw you closer to Me wherever you are, just as mother Ganges has done from age to age. Does not all water come down from the `Himalayas of the Heavens', from whence all purity originates? How much more comforting it is to know that one can always bathe in the bliss of the Lord! I bathe the silver image of Sai Baba of Shirdi with a downfall of Divine Ash which pours right from My Heart. I do that ceremony with great joy and love. Should not all have that same loving attitude toward their living temples whether they are bathing it, giving it food or simply being good to it?

Take every opportunity to be closer to Me. When you partake of daily food, do so as in prayer, for, I am also with you providing the food of Divinity. When breath is taken into the body, know that I am also there, pouring in life sustaining Prana. When you are serving another, always know that I am there also being served. Never separate yourself from Me, whatever you are doing."

There was something extraordinary about the pool as I entered it. The water seemed to come alive as it carried out its divine purpose. The Lord appeared present in the form of colorful mountains. The feeling within was so beautiful. It felt like the angels in heaven had been asked by the Lord to witness the spiritual merging and emerging. Baba's words came true, for the blessings from my experience in "Mother Ganges" have stayed with me.

Since that sweet encounter with the Lord. I have discovered how much His presence exists when breaking bread with Him at the table. There now seems to be less hurry. Why try to end quickly dining with my Beloved?

Now, I look back and ask myself why I waited so long in this body temple to open my heart to His Heart. May we live ever closer to Him as the sands of time run out.

~ Charles Penn ~

(Sai Spiritual Showers - Vol.2 Issue 95)

Discipline

"Discipline has to be observed in speech,

in sport and in every kind of relationship.

For instance, during bhajans, all those singing in chorus

have to maintain the same tune.

Discordant singing will jar on the ears.

Singing in unison in bhajans is a form of discipline."

~ Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 19.6.96)

The Easiest Spiritual Path

"Today man cannot go to forests for penance

or engage themselves in meditation

and other spiritual exercises.

The easiest spiritual path for all people

is to dedicate all their actions to God."

~ Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 25.12.94)

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

"We must regard pain and pleasure in equal measure.

We should not differentiate poverty and prosperity.

Fame and infamy do not exist apart;

True devotion lies in treating them in equal measure."

~ Baba ~

Chanting the Lord's Name

"There are four ways of chanting the Lord's name.

One is through song (Kirtana).

Then there is community singing (Sankirtan).

Another is meditating on the Divine (Dhyaana).

The fourth is contemplation of the form of the Divine.

In all these, meditating on the name is basic."

~ Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 23.10.94)

Be Human

"What is important today is not what particular faith one professes,

whether he is a Christian, a Buddhist, a Muslim or a Hindu.

The real question is how far he is a true human being."

~ Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 18.12.94)

Remember Him

The Pandavas during the time of their exile once walked into the forest of Romarishi. Romarishi was a sage whose body was covered with hair and his beard was so long that it spread like a carpet into the entire area of the forest.

There was a sacred tree in that forest yielding a very special type of fruit which, once tasted by a person, would relieve him of hunger and thirst for years and years. But the fruit was not to be plucked, it was to be eaten only when it fell down on its own.

One day Dharmaraja and Draupadi chanced to come near the tree. Draupadi was very much tempted to taste that luscious big fruit hanging from the tree. She said: "Can we not take that fruit? We can all share it." Dharmaraja shot an arrow and the fruit fell on the ground. He went to take the fruit with his hand. It was so heavy that he could not move it. Dharmaraja tried to lift it with all his strength using both his hands but he could not lift it. Draupadi also tried but in vain.

In the meantime, Arjuna arrived at that place. He tried to lift the fruit but could not succeed. All the three tried to lift the fruit but it would not move. The two younger brothers came and tried to lift the fruit but they too could not succeed.

Finally came the mighty hero, Bhima. He asked the others to keep away and said: "I will lift it." But even Bhima failed.

Meanwhile the hair of Romarishi which had spread all over the area, began to stir because when these six people were trampling about to lift the fruit, the strands of hair were being trodden and pulled. He realised that some one must be trying to steal the fruit. He had become furious. His long hairs started coming together and coiling round the Pandavas to tie them up.

Draupadi realised the danger and immediately prayed to Lord Krishna. Krishna appeared before them. Draupadi fell at his feet and prayed to Him for help. Krishna said: "Sister, I am helpless. Romarishi is a great sage. I reside in his heart. How can I do anything against the wishes of my devotees?"

Draupadi once again pleaded: "You alone can save us, you can do anything if you wish to." Krishna said: "I will help you, but all of you should be totally silent whatever may be the situation and do exactly as I tell you." Draupadi and Pandavas promised to obey his orders. Krishna went towards Romarishi's ashram and instructed them to follow him after sometime.

In the meantime, Romarishi was so much enraged that he had actually started to walk towards the tree to curse the poachers. Just then Krishna entered the ashram. Romarishi fell at the Lotus Feet of the Lord. He was overjoyed to see Him. He said, "How fortunate am I to have you as my guest. Oh Lord! What can I do for you?" Krishna engaged him in discussing certain spiritual matters till the Pandavas arrived.

As soon as the Pandavas along with Draupadi reached the ashram, Krishna hurried towards them and fell at their feet. The Pandavas were feeling embarrassed but remembering the Lord's command, kept quiet.

Seeing Krishna fall at the feet of the Pandavas, Romarishi also fell at the feet of those visitors. Then Krishna asked them to come into the ashram. He introduced them to Romarishi. He praised the virtuous Dharmaraja, valiant Arjuna and Bhima and the intelligent Nakul and Sahadeva, and above all, the devout Draupadi. Romarishi by that time totally forgot about the fruit and the poachers.

Krishna informed Romarishi that the Pandavas were the people who were tempted to taste the fruit being unaware of the unique nature of the fruit. Romarishi desired to please those who could please the Lord Himself. He said: "Let them take the fruit. I would like them to have it." By eating the fruit the Pandavas were able to live without hunger for a long time.

It is difficult to understand the ways of the Divine. All that we can do is to always remember Him with love and pray with faith for His matchless grace.

(Chinna Katha from Baba)

Writing the Name of the Lord

"Countless devotees have been engaged

in writing the name of the Lord,

without wasting their time in useless gossip

or meaningless activities.

What a sacred pre-occupation is this!

Do not waste your time in useless pursuits.

Instead devote all the time available to

remembering and writing the Lord's name."

~ Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 18.12.84)

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

"What Sai seeks from you are virtues,

Brotherhood of man, oneness of humanity,

Renunciation of selfishness and pure selfless service to society,

That is the true wealth that you can give to Sai."

~ Baba ~

God Will Not Give Up Devotees

"People today speak about God having forgotten man. This is not true. God can never give up the devotee. It is the devotee who gives up God. God can never forget the devotee. It is the devotee who forgets God. God is never away from you. Only the devotee is away from God."

~ Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 14.1.96)

Body Attachment

"Kasturi once urged Me not to neglect this body in the process of saving a devotee. I replied, “This body has come for the sake of devotees and shall be utilised for doing anything and everything for their welfare.”

Body attachment is human and total detachment is divine. Attachment to the body is responsible for all suffering and misery. Since God does not have any body attachment He does not attach any importance to the suffering of His body. Once He assumes a body, many things are bound to happen to the body. Whatever happens is for the welfare of the whole world."

~ Baba ~

(Divine Discourse -14.1.99)

Buddha Poornima - 17th May 2011

"Buddha's emphasis was entirely on purity in every aspect of daily life. Purity in vision, purity in thought, purity in speech and purity in action. He considered the spirit of sacrifice as true yajna. Sacrifice is the means for attaining Nirvaana (freedom from the bondage of mundane existence).

Buddha was totally opposed to anyone being forced to lead a worldly life against his will. When Buddha was going round begging for alms as a mendicant, his father, Shuddhodhana, called him and said: "Son! Why are you going about as a beggar? I am a king and you are leading the life of a beggar. This is not proper at all."

Buddha gave him a fitting reply. "Sire, you are Brahman and I am Brahman. You are not father and I am not son. Both of us are Brahman. In the phenomenal world, you belong to the lineage of rulers. I belong to the lineage of renunciants. All those who follow my ideals are all renunciants. Your lineage is based on Raaga (attachment). My lineage is based on Viraaga (renunciation). To those who have attachment, it becomes a toga (disease). To the renunciants, detachment becomes the means to Nirvaana (liberation from bondage)."

Buddha taught his message in this way to his father, wife and son."

~ Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 15.5.97)

Thus Spoke Lord Buddha

"While Lord Buddha was proceeding, many people gathered and started making fun of him. Lord Buddha was a handsome personality, tall and robust, with a shaven head, wearing the ochre robe and walking along barefooted in the jungle. He looked like a madcap to all the youngsters. So they started making fun of him. Buddha continued smiling. He didn't react.

After some time, he said, "My friends, better you stop now. Why? My followers are coming now to receive me. When they see you talking like this, they may manhandle you. You may be hurt, and you may suffer. So please stop. But I enjoyed your scolding me. Yes, I enjoyed your enjoyment. Your enjoyment gave me joy. Yes. My devotees are going to have enjoyment by praising me now. Let me enjoy their enjoyment. Your joy is my joy." Thus spoke Lord Buddha.

Baba says those who praise him come to the height of a mountain, those who criticize him come to the size of another mountain, and there is a centre in between blessing you both. That is how the one above ego can act."

(From the book "Divine Reflections" by Prof. K. Anil Kumar)

Swami, My Protector

Towards the end of last year, I received a few emails with prophecies about the end of the world coming in the year 2012. The catastrophes that were predicted were too horrible for words and hopefully, they will not come true! As I was reflecting on all that I had read, I suddenly thought, “Swami will still be with us, why worry?” Yes, Swami would be our protector, guardian angel, saviour. Should anything happen, I could run to Puttaparthi and take refuge in Swami’s ashram where I would be safe and sound!

So when news of Swami’s passing away came, I was shattered. Our protector was no longer with us! Who could I run to now? Like many other devotees, I wept for days. It was particularly painful to see pictures of His mortal remains. I didn’t have the heart or courage to follow any of the live telecasts of His funeral. I cried every time I saw pictures of His “last Namaskar”.

As a yearly visitor to Prashanti Nilayam, I had become very attached to Swami’s physical form and often forgot to see Him beyond that. All my visits had in fact made me quite selfish. When Swami did not appear for darshan, all I could think of was “Swami, why didn’t You come? We have been waiting for hours to see You.” In my disappointment, I thought and behaved like a spoilt child. I had forgotten about His omnipresence, omniscience and omnipotence. I had forgotten that it was He who had “invited” me to Puttaparthi in the first place; it was He who had enriched my life with His priceless love and compassion. I had a lot to be grateful for!

It has taken me some time to regain my perspective of things and to re-think the many things Swami has often talked about in His discourses. Swami has been giving discourses as far back as 1953, so you can imagine the tons of wisdom He has imparted to us. And being the sweet Lord that He is, He sometimes even apologises for “inconveniencing” us if He gives a long discourse!

The only way we can repay Him now for all that He has given us, is to practise His teachings … forget about all else ... just do His work.

My humble prayer is that He will grant me more wisdom with each passing day.

“You are not the body, you are embodiments of the Atma. The physical body comes and goes. The body only has suffering, not the Atma.” ~ Baba

~ Divine Blossoms ~

The Gold Plate

One day in the sacred shrine of Lord Viswanath at Kasi, all the devotees and temple priests were immersed in singing hymns and reciting chants. All of a sudden, they heard a metallic sound. When they turned their heads in that direction, they saw a shining gold plate on the floor of the shrine. It must have fallen through an open space in the center of the hall from the sky leading to the sanctum sanctorum.

All of them gathered round with wonder, while the chief temple priest went close to examine it. He found some letters inscribed on it. "This belongs to my dear devotee". The priest read the inscription loudly. All the temple priests vied with one another to snatch the plate with the feeling, "Who could be a greater devotee than myself. I spend my time, talent and strength only to offer worship to the Lord Viswanath." But the plate changed into an earthen one the moment they touched it one after another.

News spread like wild fire about the golden plate. Several scholars, singers, poets and preachers came and tried their luck but in vain. Days, weeks and months rolled on but the plate remained there without a claimant.

One day, a stranger came to the temple. He stood at the entrance and tears gathered in his eyes when he saw beggars, blind, dumb and lame piteously pleading for alms. He felt ashamed of his inability to relieve them of their hunger and agony. He wanted to pray to the Lord and so stepped into the temple. He saw people gathered round and discussing something. He tried to squeeze himself into the crowd to find out why they were standing there. He saw a golden plate in the center of that enclosure. He enquired and was told about the episode of the golden plate. He was rather surprised and sad at the attitude of the people and the priests. Instead of praying to the Lord of the Universe and trying to possess Him, they were eager to possess the golden plate.

Observing his nonchalant attitude, the high priest requested him to try his hand. The stranger replied: "Oh Revered one! I do not care for either gold or silver, what I long for is God's Grace." The priest's esteem for that man increased. So he once again pressed him, "At least to satisfy us, please try your hand."

The stranger touched the plate without a trace of attachment. Lo! It shone forth with redoubled effulgence. All the priests gathered round and queried: "Sir, where do you come from? What are your qualifications? What are the branches of learning you have mastered? How many years did you do penance?" The stranger replied calmly: "I don't belong to any place. I just manage to earn my bread by hard labor. The only sadhana I do is Namasmaran [repeating the name of the Lord]. This has perhaps rendered my heart pure and filled it with love and compassion. It has enabled me to control my mind and the senses. I have not read any book or mastered any science. The only art I know of is chanting the Name Divine. The only act I do is to be kind to the poor."

So, the only qualification to become dear to the Lord is to acquire a compassionate heart and sense control. These two can be acquired through Namasmaran with full faith in the Lord.

(Chinna Katha from Baba)

Surrender

"To adore such a formidable, limitless principle (as God), man spends a few minutes out of the 24 hours, and uses a minute idol or image or picture. It is indeed ridiculous. It is practically futile. Adore Him so long as you have breath, so long as you are conscious. Have no other thought than God, no other aim than knowing His command, no other activity than translating that command into action. That is what is meant by Surrender. Render yourself unto Him."

~ Baba ~

(Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol.7)

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

"The body is a den of filth,

It is a basket of diseases,

It is a tuber that decays with age,

It is a bunch of twigs that will not be able to float

In the river of the world till the end,

It is a quiver of arrows.

O' mind! Do not harbour the illusion

That the body is permanent.

Make haste to take refuge at the feet of the Lord!"

~ Baba ~

Eswaramma Day - 6th May 2011

"Mother who has given birth to you,

is the very embodiment of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.

We should never make our mother shed tears.

Mother is the first face that the child sees.

"Ma" is the first syllable that is lips utter."

~ Baba ~

(Facets of the Divine Diamond)

Namaskar

Namaskar literally means "to do Namah". "Namah" is the abbreviation of "Na namah" which simply means "not mine". The phrase was used originally in the ancient vedic ritual of sacrifices to gods, during oblations. The implication is What is offered is not mine but God's. Shedding the "I" and "mine", the devotee surrenders everything to God: his body, mind and spirit.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba has explained the significance of the "folded palms kept upright at the chest", which is the prescribed attitude of Namaskar. He tells us that when palms are folded, all actions and experiences, all means of knowledge and awareness are thus offered at the feet of the Master, before whom one bows.

This posture is also used as a daily greeting to offer respect from your own inner divinity to the divine in another. Incidentally, this avoids contact with the body of another, which will transfer both positive and negative energies.

"The right palm is TAT (unseen, basic, universal, absolute, the 'Paramatma')," says Bhagawan Baba. "The left palm is TWAM (the seen, the particular, the limited, the image, the Jivatma). When the two palms are brought together and kept in contact, the oneness of all that is outside/limited and all that is inside/unlimited is experienced. The namaskar is the mudra of 'Aham Brahmasmi' - I am Brahma (God).

The underlying truth of Namah is 'You greet the other with as much joy as when you greet yourself.' That is to say the maximum joy you are capable of, for no man loves another more than himself. All are loved for the sake of the Self."

(From the book "Hand Book on Union with God through Finger Postures"

by Aparna Choudhuri)

Contemplation of the Omnipresent Lord

"For establishing oneself in the contemplation of the Omnipresent Lord, there are no limitations of time or space. There is nothing like a special time or a holy place. Wherever the mind revels in the contemplation of the Divine, that becomes the holy place. Whenever the mind meditates on the Lord, that becomes the most auspicious moment.

The world can achieve prosperity through disciplined souls whose hearts are pure and who represent the salt of the earth. Everyone, from this very moment, should pray for the advent of such holy souls, try to deserve the blessings of the great, endeavour to forget one’s sufferings and promote the welfare of the world".

~ Baba ~

(Prema Vahini, "The Qualities a Sadhaka should cultivate").

Dearest Swami

Dearest Swami,

My heart still aches but it's time to move on.

No more tears, no more sorrow.

It's time now to work harder than

ever before to make my life Your message.

Dear Lord, please help me be Your

worthy instrument to love and serve all.

~ Divine Blossoms ~