Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

 "Flooding the people with divine love

Is supreme devotion.

Entertaining the noble thoughts that

One should live for serving the society

And not for the self

Will do a person a lot of good.

Immersing oneself in the service of society,

Oblivious to one's existence, gives self-satisfaction."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Where Does God Dwell?

"Do not think that God dwells in some temple, shrine or

place of pilgrimage. He is omnipresent and His abode

in man is the human heart."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse 8.3.97)

The Temple of a Thousand Bells

A traveller once heard that under the ocean lay buried a temple of a thousand bells. He was gripped by a wish to find the temple and so he went to the ocean. Day after day, he put his ear to the sands to listen for the faintest twinkle of a bell. But he never came across any sign of this.

After searching for many days, he decided to give up. And on the last day he was standing on the sea shore one final time, just looking at the magnificent ocean as the waves came crashing onto the shore, and he gently lost himself in the symphony produced by the waves.

He slowly went deeper and deeper inside that experience. And in that depth he heard a small bell ring. And then he heard two ... and then three ... and then thousands of bells ringing! So much so he did not hear the voice of the ocean - he heard only thousands of bells ringing around him.

Similarly when man loses himself totally in what God is telling him, what he hears and what he feels is Peace - the Voice of the Lord. And that Peace leads him to Ultimate Love.

(Author unknown)

Where Love Must Start

"It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start."

~ Mother Teresa ~

Spiritual Friend

A worldly friend is a stained mirror.

He is not totally frank and sees your faults only sometimes.

He only voices them out to you sometimes.

More out of complaint than concern for your spiritual

well-being.

Sometimes others are spiritual friends to us.

Sometimes others are worldly friends to us.

Sometimes we are spiritual friends to others.

Sometimes we are worldly friends to others.

Have you been a spiritual friend to yourself and others lately?

Learn to be one from the perfect spiritual friend of all,

who was friend to all - the Buddha.

(The Daily Enlightenment)

Seva May Be Small

"Seva may be small. You may not get a chance to partake in some gigantic scheme of service through which millions may be benefitted. You can lift a lame lamb over a stile, or lead a blind child across a busy road or wipe a tear from the sick in hospital by assuring him of your love, affection and service. That too is an act of worship which God accepts lovingly."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

("Divine Blessings")

Gifts from God

"There is no need to pray for gifts from God.

God will give on His own accord what is good for any devotee.

Did not Sabari and Jataayu get the grace of Rama

even without their asking for it?

God will decide what to give, when to give and where.

Hence all actions should be dedicated to God and

He should decide what the devotee is fit to receive."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse 20.6.96)

Maha Sivarathri - 20th February 2012

"The lesson of Shivarathri is that devotees should foster good and sacred thoughts. They should be filled with godly thoughts. They should seek to become one with the Divine by reflecting on their inherent divinity. If you constantly chant the name of God, God realization will come in due course.

Whatever other things they may possess, men suffer from lack of peace and bliss. These two can be obtained only from God. It is for these two that men should pray to God and not for anything else, because God alone can give them. When these are secured, all other things will come of their own accord by the grace of God. People should yearn for God. All other desires are worthless."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse 26.2.98)

Letting Go

Someone once said that all the teachings of Buddha can be summarised by one line -

"Nothing, whatsoever should be clung to."

This is one major teaching that each and everyone of us has to master before we can attain Enlightenment.

However, since "Nothing, whatsoever should be clung to", even this teaching should not be clung to. That is to say, we should not cling to "not clinging". In order words, let go and let go of letting go.

This is not playing with words. Neither is it a paradox. It can be done and can be achieved in order to attain ultimate freedom.

There are two forms of clinging - that which leads to more clinging, resulting in swirling in the rounds of Samsara in a vicious cycle, or clinging that leads to the freedom of non-clinging - like hanging onto a life saver. Just ensure any clinging you have at the moment is of the latter.

(The Daily Enlightenment)

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

 "The absence of the fear of sin,

The absence of the love for God

Have extinguished humanity in humans.

That is the cause for the decline in universal peace."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Sai is Love

"Love is the highest virtue,

Love is the first step on the road

that leads to divine grace."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

"O' people, be good at heart

And live with the feeling that all are one.

Remember the Lord's name with great love in your heart.

God does exist even though He is not visible to the eye.

Your spirits are up in times of prosperity

And down in moments of adversity.

Refrain from show and ceremony

Since you tend to parade with pomp.

Desist from the tendency to resort to prayer,

Meditation and deceitful tricks to earn money.

Do nut run around wealth as the earth runs around the sun."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Look Not Back in Anger

Look not back in anger with hostile bitter mind

Upon the pain, the tears and injustice so unkind.

The knocks, the wounds, the agony, the slamming of a door

That left us cold and desolate, alone, unloved once more.

Remember the joy of a golden morn after a night of rain;

The sweetness of the Earth and Sky after the summer rain.

The clear pure song of the skylark as he soars in the heavens above,

The innocent trust of a baby in his mother's tender love.

Rejoice at the pain and sorrow, give thanks for the tears and the strife.

These are but tests on the Pathway that leads to the Higher Life.

For what help are we to another's grief if sorrow we have not known?

What comfort in desolation if we've never been left alone?

To the agony of the sufferer, if our life is free from pain?

If we've never learned from the Truth within to know life is never in vain?

So look not back in anger, but forward with Joy and Love,

Knowing that life's little trials are but God's gifts from above.

For as we learn to accept them, with calm and tranquil mind,

We know that the love is our Father is infinitely kind.

~ M. Yolanda Valentine ~

(S.S. June1987)

Qualities of Every Human Being

"The qualities which every human being should have are

peace, compassion, forbearance, love and sacrifice.

These are the qualities that should be developed in

all people, not vices like hatred, greed, envy, pride and others."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(S.S. Sept. 1992)

Liberation

Tao-Hsin came to Seng-Ts'an and asked,

"What is the method of liberation?"

"Who binds you?" replied Seng-Ts'an.

"No one binds me."

"Why then," asked Seng-Ts'an, "should you seek liberation?"

And this was Tao-hsin's awakening.

What is yours?

(The Daily Enlightenment)

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

 "Does one become a student by learning, reading and writing?

Does one become educated by receiving college degrees?

Can learning become true learning

Without wisdom and good acts?

If education is for living, do not birds and beasts live

Without receiving any education?"

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Worry: Bhagawan's Recipe

In an interview in 1989, Swami told us: "Do not worry. Always think of God, I am always with you. Have a happy and healthy life." I am sure He tells this to thousands of people.

Look at the words and how often we take them for granted. "Don't worry" are one of the most common words used in English. We use it to console our friends, to respond to to apologies, etc. Do we mean it when we say it? We often say it just for the sake of saying it automatically. This is why we take Swami's words for granted; our mind doesn't take "Don't worry" too seriously.

I commit the same mistake, without realizing that these words are the highest teaching we can receive from God. "Tell me, what is the shape of worry?" asked Swami and He gave the answer, "Worry has no shape and single intense prayer to God can do away with it." Look at how ridiculous we are in the world; scientists and doctors have spent billions of pounds on research into tranquilisers.

Swami once told me in another interview: "Don't worry about the past. Past is past." We worry about the past, present and future, practically everything. Worry about the past is not going to change anything, neither is worry about the present or the future.

The solution to worry lies in Swami's next words: "Always think of God. I am always with you."

Someone asked Swami, "But Swami, if that is so important, why don't we do it all the time? Why do we forget? Why don't we always think of God so that He will fill us with His love?"

Here Swami smiled and said, "That is God's grace, for you to think of God is God's grace. It is His gift. It is His blessing. It is something He gives, the chance for you to think of God."

(Author: Dr.T.Jareonsettasin, Thailand - S.S. Oct. 1991)