Waste of Time

There was a doctor in Benares who spent 5 minutes in the morning and 5 in the evening for meditation on God.  Knowing this, his colleagues and friends laughed at the idiosyncrasy.

One day they argued that he was wasting ten precious minutes on something which he had been misled into believing.  The doctor replied, "Well, if God does not exist, I agree that I am wasting ten minutes a day.  But what if He exists?  I am afraid you are wasting your entire lifetime.  I prefer to waste ten minutes rather than a lifetime.  Why should you grudge me the ten minutes' joy that I derive therefrom?  I am not robbing you of your joy; why should you rob me of mine?"  he asked.

The cynics were silenced.

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

Divine Wisdom

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

"The Atma is the Eternal one;

Free from birth and death.

It has no beginning, no middle, no end.

It is neither born nor does it die;

It is imperishable.

It shines brilliantly everywhere."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

My Love

"Whether you are walking on My path,

Or another is lost,

My love for both is equal.

For one I encourage to continue his journey,

And for the other,

I have come to transform."

(From: "Sai Darshan" by Seema M. Dewan)

Beloved of our Soul

Oh beloved of our soul,

You are our life, our breath, our all,

Our sweetest joy is loving thee!

Our Own Sathya Sai Baba

Our own Sathya Sai Baba,

Our guru, friend and king,

Our Lord, our God, our true Bhagawan,

We love You!

Happy Birthday, Swami!

Dearest Swami,

Beloved of our hearts,

Help us to love You more;

Teach us to be Your true devotees and

Lead us to life eternal and everlasting peace!

Happy Birthday, dearest Bhagawan!

Faith and Science

A Hindu and his British friend once happened to come to the bank of the Godavari.  The Hindu said, "I will bathe in this sacred water."  He recited the name "Hari" as he plunged in and came out refreshed in mind as well as body.  He felt great happiness that he got the rare chance of a bath in the holy river.

The British laughed and said, "This is mere H20; how can you get unspeakable joy by dipping into it?  It is all superstition."

But the Hindu replied, " Leave me to my superstitions; you can stick to your superstitions."  

The cynic got only physical cleanliness but the believer got mental purity also.

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

Quotable Quotes

“Never forget that God is your friend. 

And like all friends, He longs to hear what's been happening in your life.  

Good or bad, whether it's been full of sorrow or anger, 

or even when you're questioning why terrible things have to happen.” 

~ Nicholas Sparks ~

(The Last Song)

Divine Wisdom

Lord Krishna's Flute

You all must have noticed that on the majority of the images we see of Lord Krishna, He is depicted as holding a flute in His hand.

Once the devotees of Krishna asked the flute, "Even though we are all devoted to Krishna, why is it He keeps you close to Himself all the time and not us?"

The flute answered, "It is because I am hollow, I do not, in any way, hinder the  mellifluous music that flows from His divine breath.  There is no obstructing ego in me to impede the voice of
God.  So, give up egos and you will also enjoy the proximity to God and will become the instruments through which His voice be heard, unimpeded."

Only when the individuality is erased can one realise the nearness of the indwelling Lord.  Nothing can be nearer to one than one's own Self.

(From the book "I am I" by Ratan Lal)

Do It For Me

"Do not do anything to earn praise from others,

For I am the witness to every act.

Those who praise you today,

May blame you tomorrow.

So do it for Me and Me alone,

Because My love for you stays the same."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(From: "Sai Darshan" by Seema M. Dewan)

Quotable Quotes

"The great thing to remember is that though our feelings come and go, 
God's love for us does not."

~ C.S. Lewis ~

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

"Conquering conceit, one becomes dear.

Conquering anger, one is free from regrets.

Conquering desires, one becomes prosperous.

Conquering greed, one becomes happy."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Happy Diwali

"I have come to light the lamp of love

in your heart, to see that it

shines day by day with added brilliance"

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

MAY YOUR HOMES AND HEARTS

BE FILLED WITH THE JOYOUS

BLESSINGS OF THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

Do all Actions without Desire

"Whatever things we do with this body, we are leading to

a rebirth of this body.  Any actions, good or bad, can be compared

to seeds.  In order not to sow such seeds, we should

do all actions without desire.  All actions should be done in and only

for the pleasure of God.  If you sweep a place, think that

you are doing that for cleaning the heart, the shrine of God.

When you help or harm others, think that you are doing it for yourselves.  

Then you will never let yourself harm anyone else."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

("Sadhana - The Inward Path")

Divine Wisdom

Bhajan

"Bhajan cleanses and purifies the atmosphere

 by its vital vibrations.  It inspires, instructs, it calls and comforts."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Global Akhanda Bhajan - 10th-11th November 2012

"Wherever My glory is sung,

I bestow My divine presence."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Divine Wisdom

The Idol Turned

 Kanakadas yearned to see the idol of Krishna installed in the temple at Udipi and as he could not go into the sacred precincts, the flag post hid the view; so he went round the shrine and tried to find a crevice in the wall through which he could catch a glimpse of the Krishna he loved so much.  He found a crevice but that gave him a glimpse of the back of the idol, not the resplendent face of the Lord.  When he lamented his fate, the idol turned round and gave him the coveted darshan!  That is the reward of the yearning!

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

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

"There is no penance equal to a peaceful mind.

There is no greater happiness than contentment.

There is no worse disease than desire.

No righteousness can equal kindness."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Quotable Quotes.

Prayer does not change God

but it changes him who prays.

~ Soren Kierkegaard ~

A Prayer

I approach this day with love and humility,

may it speak to me of truth and wisdom.

Please let it unfold like the beauty of an opening rose.

As I walk towards its challenges,

prepare me for its gifts.

If I stumble, if I fall, help me up again.

Show me with clarity what must be done

in love and devotion to you.

Teach me to be always aware of the moment offered,

putting the past behind me and the future into your care.

Still my restless thoughts,

enabling me to focus dearly with increasing consciousness

of the oneness of love in the unity with all.

(From" Sai Reflections", Aug.1998)

I Divine Wisdom

The Ultimate Goal

Through countless incarnations, I have sought your magnificence,

Searched far and wide, long and hard, but to no avail.

Some travel to the ends of the earth, seeking your human form

But you have hidden amongst the shadows of doubt,

constantly disguising yourself.

I have been blind to your presence, no more can this be so

My eyes now fully opened,

see clearly what heart and soul have yearned for.

No longer are you there, and I elsewhere.

I know you well, and recognise your form.

The light of conscious thought penetrates my being,

Bliss creeps up and over me, like a warm afternoon.

I have waited for this moment since time began!

The Father knows the Son must leave, in order to return.

The Sun returns to the Father, in order to find himself.

Eventually, all will realise the ultimate goal lies within, not beyond.

~ Gary Murphy ~

(From: Sai Reflections, Aug. 1999)

God is Present in Every Being

Sharadamma, the daughter of Sri Seshagiri Rao, the temple priest of Prasanthi Mandir for many years, came to Baba in 1942 when He was still a young boy of 16 years. In her long association with Baba, she has had many wonderful experiences. Here is one of her experiences as narrated by Mrs. Shakuntala Balu:

“She remembers an occasion when she had arranged Samaradhana Puja in her village. After the conclusion of the puja, she had organized a feast for the Brahmins (priests).

While the puja was still under way, an old beggar arrived seeking alms. Sharadamma sent him away saying, "Come later. The puja is not over yet."

The occasion went off very well. The old beggar never returned for the promised food and Sharadamma soon forgot about him.

A few months later, in Puttaparthi, she asked Sri Sathya Sai Baba to pay her a visit at home. He looked at her severely and said, "You invite me now, but if I come to you, you may chase me away saying the puja is not over yet".

With a shock, Sharadamma realised that it had been Sri Sathya Sai Saba who had come to her that day to test her. She bitterly regretted her action of that day, but recognised that she had been taught a very good lesson: never to turn away a hungry person who comes begging for food."

Reference: "Living Divinity” by Mrs. Shakuntala Balu. Page: 180. 

Published by S. B. Publications, Bangalore, 1983.