Different Types of Prescriptions

"Judging from the thoughts and behaviour of different persons, I mete out different types of treatment appropriate for each.  I do not look at some persons, I do not talk to some others.  I turn away from some others.  All these are different types of prescriptions.

Why do I give these medicines?  I have a certain principle.  I attach great value to my words, irrespective of how you may regard them. When I notice that some do not respect my words and do not act in accordance with them, I do not waste my words on them.  Because I wish to maintain the value of what I say, I refrain from talking to some people."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse 31.5.90)

Scrap of Paper

Samartha Ramadas, the great saint, was on his begging rounds.  He stopped before the Palace of Sivaji (for it was on his way) and cried, "Alms".  Shivaji himself came down and stood before him and placed a piece of paper in the saint's hands.

"What can a hungry man do with a piece of paper?"  Ramadas asked.

"Read it, please," said Sivaji, humbly and reverentially.  

The paper was a document by which Sivaji had transferred his empire to the care and control of his Master, Samartha Ramadas.

Ramadas laughed and said, " Well, rule the empire on my behalf, with due attention to Dharma."

He gave the paper back and resumed his begging round.

(Chinna Katha from the Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba)

Be a Light Unto Yourself

When Buddha was on his death bed, 

he noticed his young disciple, Anan was weeping.

"Why are you weeping, Anan?" he asked.

"Because the light of the world is about to be extinguished 

and we will be in darkness.:"

The Buddha summoned up all his remaining energy and

spoke what were to be his final words on earth.

"Anan, Anan, be a light unto yourself."

(Buddhist Scripture)

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

"Do not take all that meets the eye to be true.

Shedding your sloth,

Come with Me,

I will show you for sure the Truth."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Sweeter than Tansen

Akbar was happy whenever Tansen, his court musician sang.  Tansen was the greatest musician of his day.  When he sang the raag, Meghamala, clouds thickened in the sky; when he sang the raag, Varuna, showers of rain fell.  When he sang the Naageswara, snakes gathered.  Akbar was very proud that he had in his
 durbur, a musician of such eminenace.

But one day, while he was engaged in prayer, he heard the distant music of Haridasa, a wandering minstrel, a beggar singing to the tune of a single-stringed instrument he held in his hand, and Akbar was thrilled, enchanted, deeply moved.

He asked Tansen why that song appealed to him more than all the songs Tansen sang in his durbar.  Tansen replied, "Lord!  I sing looking at your face to see any sign of appreciation, in the hope that you will give me a few gems or some acres of land.  He sings looking at the face of God, with no greed for material wealth or ambition for earthly goods.  That is the difference."

(Chinna Katha from the Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba)

Baba - My Loving Guide

My Baba is a mighty ocean

And I am a little wave,

Scurrying along without a notion

Of my ultimate destination.

I pray to my Lord to guide me on my way,

Along the path of Truth, by night and day;

I know my Lord will bless me

A benign smile on His Face Supreme.

I know He'll hold my hand all through

And take me to my goal "Bliss" too!

I know with my Baba by my side

I can put all worry aside

And merrily hop along with Him,

Without the light ever growing dim!

~ G. Ramani ~

(S.S. Oct. 1991)

Devotion

"Devotion should flow from the heart., as was the case with the gopikas.  Much of what passes as devotion nowadays is artificial.  Develop pure and sincere devotion and sanctify your lives."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

 (Divine Discourse 2.9.91)

You are Responsible

Who is responsible 

for all the suffering 

of all the people in the world?

You are.

If you do not take responsibility,

and neither does your neighbour,

nor your neighbour's neighbours,

then is it no one's responsibility?

It is useless 

to keep pointing fingers 

at the rest of the world

when the rest of the world

simply point their fingers 

at the rest of the world.

The point is...

to point inwards,

to point at ourselves.

You are responsible 

for not relieving suffering (including yours).

You are responsible

for not being a Bodhisattva

fast enough

to be able to help all beings

fast enough.

Yes -

no doubt about it.

It is all your fault!

Nobody else's!

But of course,

by that,

I mean...

it is...

entirely MY fault -

not yours -

at all...

if you know what I mean.

(The Daily Enlightenment)

Your Pilgrimage

"Realise your inherent divinity. Regard the whole world as your field of action.  You have come as a pilgrim to this world of action.  Ensure that your pilgrimage proceeds on right lines."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~ 

(Divine Discourse 14.4.98)

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

"When the entire cosmos is in my stomach,

Is it possible to feed Me?

When I pervade the entire creation and its creatures,

Is it possible to name Me?

When I move in all waters of the world,

Is it possible to bathe Me?

When I shine with the effulgence of a crore suns,

Is it possible to light a sacred lamp for Me?"

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

The Three Fishes

There were once three fishes in a pond.  One fish said to the other two, "The water in this pond is getting less;  the pond will dry soon.  Let us go to some lake which will not dry;  the fisherman is waiting to catch us and eat us."

The second fish said, "Oh, it is a long way off.  We might get a shower of rain and the pond will not get dry."

The third one said, "Your mind is full of endless fears;  you were always so.  No fisherman  knows we are here."

As anticipated, the fisherman did come and trapped the three.  The fisherman is no other than Death.  The length of life here is  the level of water in the pond.  We are fishes that are blind and stupid, who will not listen to warnings.

(Chinna Katha from the Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba)

Yearnings of a Rosebud

Let me, Lord, a rosebud be,

A thing of beauty for all to see,

With fragrance and petals bright,

A budding in Thy gracious light.

Quench my thirst with Thy morning dew,

Deliver my scent to many, not few,

Keep me glowing in the evening sun,

And let my love touch everyone.

Lord, I am youthful, grant me grace,

And ease my thorns with Thy sweet embrace,

When night has fallen, thy light I shall seek,

Unendingly guiding all who are weak.

The heavy pour of rain I'll bear,

For bloom I must into a flower fair,

Let me then, Lord, a rosebud be

A light shining forth to victory.

~ Elaine Ong ~

(S.S. July 1998)

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

"It is from the mind that the world originates;

It is due to the mind that the world vanishes;

It is from the mind that righteousness,

Wealth, desire and liberation arise;

It is due to the mind that one becomes a Yogi."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

The Treasure of Akasa

"One of the principles of straight living is the practice of silence.  For the voice of God can be heard in the region of your heart only when the tongue is stilled and the storm is stilled and the waves are calm.  There will be the temptation for others to shout when you talk to them in whispers.  Set the level of your tone yourself; as low as possible, as high as necessary to reach the outermost boundary of the circule you are addressing.  Conserve sound since it is the treasure of the element Akasa, an emanation from God himself."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(S.S. July 1998)

The Eyes I Want

Surdas was a blind mystic, singer and poet.  Lord Krishna once appeared and asked him, in His infinite mercy, if he wanted eyes, so that he could see the world.

Surdas replied, "Though people have the kind of eyes you are offering to give me, they are befogged with ignorance and not able to recognise You in all forms and in all beings.  Though people have eyes, they do not hear the melody of Your flute.  I want eyes that can always see Your beauty everywhere; ears that can hear Your flute, from every corner of the world."

(Chinna Katha from the Divince Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba)

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

"That day is a real day when good devotees

Chant the praises of the Lord melodiously.

That day is a real day when you relieve

The poor of their miseries and live like brothers.

That day is a real day when you feed sumptuously

The devotees who live in the contemplation of the Lord.

That day is a real day when the noble ones

Approach us and relate the stories of the Lord.

Those indeed are real days.

Others are mere days of death anniversaries."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

The Key Difference

The total amount of happiness

that exists in the world has come from

wanting to make others happy.

The total amount of suffering

that exists in the world has come from

wanting to make yourself happy.

What need is there for many words?

The children of the world

work for their own sake;

the Enlightened Ones do their labour

for the sake of others.

Come and see the difference.

- Shantideva -

Come and make the difference!

(The Daily Enlightenment)

The Bud and The Blossom

A beautiful little child was dancing in great abandon

on the lawns in front of the Sai Guest House.

She was humming a tune "Sai Hamara" and raising

her little hands in prayer.

The devotees sitting in the shade of the tree in front of

the Ganesha temple watched the child with great delight.

They were whispering to each other in wonder who could

have taught the tune except Baba.

After a while the child stood for a long time near a

blossom watching it with great delight.

She touched the soft petals with her tiny hands and felt its softness.

Unable to control her ecstasy she burst into a song:

"Mind in Mind - Heart to Heart - Soul to Soul.".

She knew not who taught this song

But it contained all the wisdom of the world.

~ G.K.Damodar Row ~
(S.S. January 1995)

Develop Inner Vision

"When we examine a person, we pay attention only to his physical features, his wealth, his status, his education and degrees, and so on.

On the other hand, when God examines a person, He looks at the purity of his heart, He pays attention to the peace that is within him.

It is such inner vision that we must develop."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(S.S. June 1987)

Offer Yourself to God

"What is it that you have to offer to God?

Not a flower, a fruit or holy water.

You have to offer yourself to God.

Then you become one with the Divine."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 11.7.95)