New Year Greetings

Your New Year Resolution

"On this New Year day, you should resolve that you will start every day with love, spend the day with love, fill the day with love, and end the day with love. There should be no difference of caste, creed, colour, religion or nationality. Love knows no distinction of any kind. You must wish everyone to be happy. Fill the heart with love. The country will prosper and the world will prosper and everyone will be happy."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse on 1-1-1994)

Win the Grace of the Divine

"It may not be possible to escape the consequences of one' s good and bad actions. But even a mountain of sin can be wiped out by winning the Grace of the Divine. Hence one should strive to earn the love of God, which is all-embracing and all-powerful."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 13.1.1984)

Sai Madhuryam

The Lord of the cosmos permeates the entire universe. 

Remaining invisible in the visible universe, 

The cosmic consciousness illumines everything 

Like the thread that runs through a necklace of gems. 

All things happen, good and bad, according to the dictates of Time. 

Time is the cause of joy and sorrow, gain and loss. 

Realise that Time is the cause of all happenings in the world. 

There is none who is not subject to the sway of Time.

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Sai Blossoms

Raging Fire Stopped

Kasturi, while on his tour of the Eastern States, was persuaded by Colonel AK.A.A.Raja, Lt.Governor of Arunachai Pradesh, to visit Tezpur.  He had arranged a meeting at Raj Bhavan where Kasturi was asked to address the officers, civilian and military, about Bhagawan's message.  After Kasturi finished his address, the Governor announced that he too was a devotee of Bhagawan, having found in Him the very Divine Form that he had been adoring for years.

He related to them an incident of Raj Bhavan itself.  A gigantic bamboo cluster in the Raj Bhavan's estate round which there were tents for Nepali workmen, caught fire.  The raging flames leaped high and when the thick hollow reeds burst in the heat, the sound rose like crackers.  The Governor was not in town.  His wife rushed out into the portico and saw the conflagration.  She called out "Sai Baba".

The fire came down in five seconds.  Not even a dozen fire engines could have done that job.  The call had brought down the response.

The Governor invited the gathering to move out into the open with him and look at the cluster.  The miracle was there for all to see and wonder.  Up to eighteen feet from the ground, every single bamboo had a black tip, demonstrating beyond possibility of doubt that the fire had to obey, instantly and without demur, the Loving command will of Sai, which had answered the prayer from a devoted heart.

(From the book "Mother Sai's Miracles of Love")

He's Everything to Everyone

He is a cherishable dream,

Dancing in my eyes.

He is a fountain of nectar,

Spreading on my lips.

He is a lovely poem,

Slipping through my palms.

He is here, He is there,

He is my Swami, present everywhere.

He is a well wisher,

To His village folk.

He is the mother and father,

To the abandoned orphans,

He is the all knowing God,

To His devotees.

He is here, He is there,

He is my Swami, present everywhere.

He is in fluttering wings,

Of a soaring bird.

He is the blazing sun,

Ruling this world.

He is that absolute supreme,

With all His glory and splendour.

He is here, He is there,

He is my Swami present everywhere.

~ Raja Sekhar Ganta ~

(From his book "108 Heart Beats")

May All Living Beings in All the Worlds be Happy

The Message of Jesus

"This day, Christmas, when you celebrate Christ's birth, resolve to lead the lives of loving service to the weak, the helpless, the distressed, the disconsolate.  Cultivate tolerance and forbearance, charity and magnanimity.  Hold dear the ideals He laid down and practise them in your daily lives.

The important message that I want to convey today, which Jesus also propagated, is one of love and compassion.  So, boys and girls, on this holy and sacred day, when we celebrate the birthday of that holy personage, we must conduct ourselves in accordance with His message.  It is easy to celebrate birthdays but we must also keep in sight the purity and message of the person whose birthday we celebrate."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 24.12.1972)

What is Christmas?

Every time a hand reaches out
To help another

That is Christmas 

Every time someone puts anger aside
And strives for understanding
That is Christmas 

Every time people forget their differences
And realize their love for each other
That is Christmas 

May this Christmas bring us
Closer to the spirit of human understanding
Closer to the blessing of peace!

(Source: Christmas Home Page)

The Ten Directives

"I am now giving you, members and workers of the organisations, ten directives for you to follow. 

The first is: Love and serve the Motherland. At the same time do not hate or hurt the motherland of others. Do not defame or dislike other counties. 

The second is: Adore all religions; they are all pathways to the one God. 

The third is: Treat all men as your brothers. All men are of one caste. Have faith in the Truth that Mankind is one indivisible entity. 

The fourth is: Keep your homes and the environs clean. This will ensure health and joy to you and society. 

The fifth is: Do not promote beggary by throwing coins at an outstretched palm. Help the beggar to earn a livelihood for himself. Provide food and shelter, in every town and village, for those who are too weak or aged. 

The sixth is: Do not get things done by offering bribes; do not accept bribes from others. 

The seventh is: While engaged in worldly activities, it is dangerous to pay attention to the caste or creed of people, for this will breed hatred and envy. Keep your caste strictly at home; do not parade it before society. 

The eighth is: Do not depend on others for serving your personal needs. This will make you lazy. Be self-reliant. How can a person so dependent serve others? 

The ninth is: Adore God. Abhor Sin. 

The tenth, which is relevant for all the nine, is: Observe the laws, rules and regulations laid down by the State and be ideal citizens. 

Follow these directives with enthusiasm and with love and be examples for others, wherever you are."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 21.11.1985)

Divine Wisdom

Sharing is Bliss

Long ago, a master brought his disciples to a temple atop a mountain to practise meditation and self-cultivation.  Upon arriving, the master planted some chrysanthemums in the garden.  The following autumn, the garden was an abundance of golden grandeur.

The village at the base of the mountain was filled with the scent of the garden.
Villagers began coming up the mountain in droves to enjoy the beauty of the flowers.  Every visitor appreciated the breathtaking scene.

One day, a villager visited the temple and asked the master for a few cuttings of the chrysanthemum plants for his garden.  Without hesitation, the generous master cut the best healthy stalks and gave them to him.

The news spread far and wide.  Each household wanted to have a few stalks to grow in their garden too.  As always, the magnanimous master was willing to share the joy of planting chrysanthemums with the villagers.  Before long, the temple garden was barren.  The disciples told the master of their disappointment a the destruction of their beloved garden of enchantment.

The master regarded them with deep peace in his eyes.  Smiling, he told his disciples that in three years' time, they would see the entire village filled with golden chrysanthemums, it would be an enthralling sight to behold.

"We must always share our gains with others," he told them.  "By doing so, we spread the happiness.  We may be left with little or nothing but the joy of sharing will reside in our hearts for as long as we live."

The disciples, feeling ashamed, nodded their heads in agreement, enlightened by the words of wisdom.

Reflection:

The secret to having true bliss is sharing your joys and gains.  Our willingness to share reflects our all-encompassing heart, a heart which thrives on the happiness of others.  It is by giving that we become rich.

(Story as told by Master Jinbodhi)

Quotable Quotes

"The best relationship is the relationship with peace."

~ Ajahn Brahm ~

Baba's Storytime - Change Your Vision

When it is admitted that God is in all beings, one should strengthen that conviction and act on that basis. On the contrary, men who profess to believe in God, do not live up to their belief because of their attachment to useless trifles. Here is an illustration from the life of Shri Raamakrishna Paramahamsa. 

Shri Raamakrishna Paramahamsa used to ecstatically enjoy himself in the worship of the Goddess in the temple built by Raani Raashmani. One night thieves broke into the temple and carried away all the jewels on the idol of Krishna in the temple. 

With a view to carrying on his regular priestly duties, he went to Raani Raashmani's nephew, Mathuranaath, and told him, "Sir, thieves have stolen all the jewels on the idol." 

Mathuranaath was angry and proceeded with Raamakrishna to the temple. Losing his temper and balance of mind, he burst out in anger: "Oh Krishna! Are you not ashamed of yourself? If you are unable to protect your jewels on your own idol, how are you going to protect the whole world? Were you paralysed when the thieves were carrying away the jewels? Or were you asleep? This is a disgrace to your Divinity." 

Hearing these words, Shri Raamakrishna said: "Mathuranaath! Shut up your mouth! For the sake of your petty jewels and trinkets, is this the way you should berate God? When the Goddess of all wealth, Lakshmi, is the Consort of the Lord, why do you get so agitated over the loss of a few trivial ornaments? The Lord can have no such petty feelings. You are feeling so much for the action of a few thieves who loved some jewels and came to the Lord to get them. It is because of your love for jewels that you are getting distressed so much. But the Lord has no desires. He is ready to give Himself away. God is prepared to offer Himself. Such a One, will he be worried about this petty loss? Hence, change your vision. Don't comment on God." 

At these words Mathuranaath felt ashamed of himself. Then, Raamakrishna sat near the idol of Shri Krishna and prayed: "Oh Krishna! As long as one is caught up in the coils of the world, he will speak like an intoxicated man. Only when he gets immersed in God will he become oblivious to himself. Therefore, do not let me get intoxicated. Confer on me the boon of self-forgetfulness." 

This is what is meant by the saying: "The knower of the Brahman becomes Brahman himself." When one experiences the Divine, he sees the Divine in everything.

(From the Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba)

Sai Madhuryam

Whom the Mohammedans adore as Allah, 

The Christians as Jehovah, 

The Vaishnavites as the Lotus-eyed Lord, 

The Shaivites as Sambhu, 

That God, who confers on all Long life, health and prosperity, 

Is one only - have this conviction. 

The Lord is all love; Love is His Divine form; 

That Love is the redeeming Manthra 

For all beings in this world. 

Without experiencing a fragment 

Of that Love how can you experience 

The Divine, Oh man?

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Sai is in Every Being

"The Lord values your attitude behind every action.  Sai is in every being, so do not slight anyone.    Revere and serve all to the best of your ability."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 22.11.1967)

Selfishness

"Man's devotion these days is suffused with selfishness. Everything he does stems from self-interest. The first requisite is the giving up of selfishness. There must be a curb on egoistic conceit and possessiveness. The mind must be submerged in pure love."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 25.12.1993)

He Never Gives Up

Faced with many failures, yet I prayed for success,

Only then "An Audience with God" became an easy access.

Endearingly Swami taught me valuable lessons,

After which I realized the spirit of victory and its essence.

I became weak when I felt proud of my strength,

Only then Bhagawan's healing wonders stretched in its full length.

At times He cured me by taking upon Himself my illness,

Infinite motherly love, deeply touching my soul's stillness.

My Swami never interrupts a person immersed in sea of luxury,

he only intervenes when the same person undergoes acute misery.

The ever loving Swami never stays in the house of greedy,

Rather He eternally resides in the hearts of poor and needy.

~ Raja Sekhar Ganta ~

(From his book "108 Heart Beats")

Legend of The Christmas Wreath

Long ago, an orphan boy 

sought comfort from the cold 

in a church where all bore gifts ...

riches of silver and gold.  

Though the boy had no gift, 

he would not despair 

for his life had been filled 

with blessed grace and prayer.

He took a holly branch and tied 

a circle in a crown, 

then brought it to church

and at the altar laid it down.

The wreath began to sparkle 

as brilliant berries glowed above, 

a testament to the strength of prayer 

and God's encircling love.

(Source: Pinterest)

Quotable Quotes

"Peace can exist only in the present moment. It is ridiculous to say "Wait until I finish this, then I will be free to live in peace." 

What is "this"? A di­ploma, a job, a house, the payment of a debt? If you think that way, peace will never come. There is always another "this" that will follow the present one. 

If you are not living in peace at this moment, you will never be able to. If you truly want to be at peace, you must be at peace right now. Otherwise, there is only "the hope of peace some day.” 

~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~

Sai Blossoms

Two Birds with One Stone

Once in Prasanthi Nilayam, Swami took Sai Mohan along with Him to a raised spot where no one was around.  Those days there were no crowds and especially that place where Swami reached was hardly frequented by devotees.  When they both neared a large flat rock, Swami sat on it closing His eyes and suddenly fell flat on the rock.  

Sai Mohan was scared and supported Swami's body on his lap and shouted "Baba, Baba".  He started chanting "Sai Ram" loudly.  There was no one nearby whom he could call for help.  He was sweating all over out of fear.  H was hardly 30 years of age at that time and hadn't experienced any such leelas of Bhagawan.  He was crying loudly.  Unwilling to place Swami on the rock which might result in His body rolling down the slope, he struggled for 25 minutes.  Then suddenly to his surprise and relief, Swami opened His eyes and got up from his lap and sat on the rock.

Intently looking at him, Swami asked, "What, were you very scared?"  Not yet recovered from the shock, Sai Mohan replied why He was so casually asking as if nothing had happened and why couldn't He see him sweating profusely with fear.  Smilingly Swami said, "Why fear when I am here?"  

Sai Mohan immediately remarked that Swami was not there for some time.  Swami with a mischievous smile explained, "Whatever Swami does there would be more than one reason for it.  One reason for leaving this body and going away was to save an 80 year old devotee in Calcutta (now Kolkata), who was doing devoted service to Swami.  He was about to die in a hospital there.  I went there as a nurse, gave him vibhuti and cured him of his illness.  I also extended his life by another 3 years. It took me 25 minutes to go there and come back.  The other reason is this.  Six months ago when you came here, someone told you that Swami had left His body and had gone away for 3 days.  They, then, carefully looked after My body for three days and then I returned to the body.  You thought that such a thing could not have happened.  It is only to make you experience such a leela of Swami that I gave you this rare opportunity because you are close to me.  So avoiding others I came here alone and gave you this experience."

Sai Mohan melted in Swami's love and prostrated at His Lotus Feet.

(From the book "Mother Sai's Miracles of Love")

Divine Wisdom

Love All, Serve All

"One should regard love for God as the greatest treasure one can have. When you love God, you will have love towards all because the Divine is in everyone. Therefore bear in mind: Love all; serve all. The best way to serve God is to love all and serve all."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 21.8.1994)

Worry, Hurry and Curry

"Man today is a victim of worry. What is the cause of this worry? Lack of contentment is the cause. The rich man is not contented is spite of the accumulation of wealth. Worry causes hurry and both together bring about ill-health. So, Worry, Hurry and Curry (fatty foods) are the root causes of cardiac ailments."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Discourse at the inaugural session of the Second International Symposium on Cardio-vascular Diseases 

held in the Sathya Sai Institute Auditorium on 21-1-1994)

Dear Lord ...

Dear Lord,

I ask so much of You but

You ask so little of me.

You are always there,

waiting patiently.

O Lord, take my hand and

walk with me on this long

and lonely journey;

O Lord, please lead me home.

~  namaste 1081 ~

May All Living Beings in All the Worlds be Happy

Sai Madhuryam

Observance of right conduct has declined; 

Dharma has been endangered; 

Morality has nowhere to abide; 

What can I say about human existence? 

Morality and ethics are confined to books; 

The heart has become a foul dust-bin.

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Baba's Storytime - Ingratitude Towards God

Once Jesus was walking along the streets of a city. It was a slum area. He saw a young man rolling in dirt, dead drunk. He went to him, sat by his side and woke him up. The young man opened his eyes and saw Jesus. Jesus asked him: "Son! Why are you wasting your precious youth in drinking?" The young man replied: "Master!, I was a leper. You cured me of my leprosy. What else can I do?" Jesus heaved a sigh and walked away.

In another street he saw a man madly pursuing a beautiful woman. Jesus caught hold of him and asked him: "Son! Why do you desecrate your body by indulging in such a sinful act?" The man replied: "Master! I was really blind. You gave me vision. What else can I do?"

Jesus trudged along another street. He saw an old man crying bitterly. Jesus approached him and gently touched him. The old man wiped his tears and looked at Jesus. Jesus questioned him: "Why are you weeping old man?" The old man said: "Master! I was nearly dead. You granted me life. What else can I do except weep in this old age?"

In times of difficulty and distress, we cry out for God's help. But when God, out of His boundless love and compassion, responds to our prayer, we ignore Him and fall back into our self-centered life. One must guard oneself against this greatest sin of ingratitude towards God.

(From the Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba)

Quotable Quotes

Japam

"Be regular in the hours you devote to Japam or repetition of God’s name. On holidays, when you have no worry of office or shopping, do more Japam till late into the morning. Do with love and enthusiasm. It should become natural for you to do so. The Grace of the Guru helps a lot; you can win His grace by your efforts and earnest prayer."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 10.5.1969)

Your Sadhana

"Your Sadhana must not be like carrying water in a cane basket! You get no water however often or long you walk. Each vice is a hole in the cane basket. Keep the heart pure and whole. You must also carefully cleanse from your heart malice, greed, hate and anger."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse, 13.1.1969)

Divine Wisdom

Saved from Drowning

This incident happened in the year1964. Baba instructed Sri Kasturi to make an announcement to the devotees at Prasanthi Nilayam that there would be a heavy downpour that night at about 10.30 p.m.  Everyone was asked to find proper shelter for themselves while ladies were permitted to sleep in the Mandir.  Those days the layout of the buildings at Prasanthi Nilayam had no provision to shelter people from rain.

It was exactly at 10.30 p.m. that the heavy rain flooded the earth with water, so much so that Chitravathri river touched the precincts of the Mandir.  Only at 3.00 a.m. the rain stopped.  Everywhere the rain water had collected in pools and made the movements of the people difficult.

At about 6.30 a.m. one couple, owner of a tea shop in front of the Mandir gate entered the Mandir complex and started shouting loudly near Baba's room.  They were crying because their only child, a daughter was somehow lost during the heavy downpour.  They were accusing Baba for not taking care of their child.  Earlier, Baba had told them to open a tea shop outside to earn their living and promised them that He would look after their welfare. All the devotees gathered around anxiously.

Baba appeared in the balcony above!  There was silence all around.  He addressed the shopkeeper, "You thief!  You both were careless and did not look after your child and now you are coming here and shouting.  Go and search for your child in the well behind your shop!"  Baba went back to His room.

Since there was water stagnation everywhere, it was a tough job to locate the well.  Finally two brave men found the well, went inside the well and brought out the child carrying her with their hands.  The girl was alive and laughing!  What a sight to see.  All shouted "Jai Sai Ram".  Everyone was awestruck to see the girl who was in the water at a depth of 35 feet for the past few hours, quite unaffected and appeared normal. When she was questioned, she said that she had no problem since there was no water and to top it, Baba was there with her!

The couple, having got their child back, were repentant for accusing Baba, not realizing their own mistake.  They called out to Baba to pardon them.  Now they praised Baba as God, their Saviour, but Baba, who came out when they abused Him, did not come out when they praised Him.  That is Baba's uniqueness.

(From the book "Mother Sai's Miracles of Love")

Message of Unity

"Sow the seed of love in your hearts and it will grow in due course into a big tree. God is one. Do not entertain any differences of creed or caste. Carry the message of unity to every home."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 25.12.1994)

Ceiling on Desires

"Your life is a long journey. You should have less luggage (desires) in this long journey of life. Therefore, it is said: less luggage more comfort makes travel a pleasure. So, ceiling on desires is what you have to adopt today. You have to cut short your desires day by day. You are under the mistaken notion that happiness lies in the fulfillment of desires. But, in fact, happiness begins to dawn when desires are totally eradicated."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 14.3.1999)

He Knows The Best

Never ask of Swami

To fulfil your desires.

Rather ask Him

What you deserve,

Since He gives the best,

While you choose the rest.

Never ask of Swami

To satiate your greedy senses.

Rather ask Him

To transform our hearts,

Since purity stands eternal,

While the rest is all ephemeral.

Never ask of Swami

To gratify the needs of mind.

Rather ask Him

To become our Master Mind,

Since we are puppets in the Cosmic Play,

And He alone knows the exact way.

~ Raja Sekhar Ganta ~

(From his book "108 Heart Beats")

Sai Blossoms

The Other Side

One day a young Buddhist on his journey home came to the banks of a wide river. Staring hopelessly at the great obstacle in front of him, he pondered for hours on just how to cross such a wide barrier.

Just as he was about to give up his pursuit to continue his journey, he saw a great teacher on the other side of the river. The young Buddhist yells over to the teacher, “Oh wise one, can you tell me how to get to the other side of this river”?

The teacher ponders for a moment, looks up and down the river and yells back, “My son, you are on the other side”.

(Author Unknown)

Quotable Quotes

“Do not lose yourself in the past. 

Do not lose yourself in the future. 

Do not get caught in your anger, worries, or fears. 

Come back to the present moment, and touch life deeply. 

This is mindfulness.” 

~Thich Nhat Hanh ~

Krishna's Flute

Everyday Krishna would go in the garden and say to all the plants, "I love you."  The plants were very happy and responded by saying, "Krishna, we love You too."

One day Krishna rushed quickly into the garden very alarmed. He went to the bamboo plant and the bamboo plant asked, “Krishna, what´s wrong?” Krishna said, “I have something to ask you, but it is very difficult.” The bamboo said, “Please tell me. If I can, I will give it to You.” So Krishna said, “I need your life. I need to cut you.” The bamboo thought for a while and then said, “Don’t You have any other choice? Don’t You have any other way?” Krishna said, “No, no other way.” So it said “OK” and gave itself up.

Krishna cut the bamboo and made holes in it. Each time He carved the holes, the bamboo was crying in pain. Krishna made a beautiful flute out of it, and this flute was with Him all the time. Twenty-four hours a day it was with Krishna. Even the gopis [milk maidens] were jealous of the flute.

They said, “Look, Krishna is our Lord, yet we get to spend only some time with Him. He wakes up with you, He sleeps with you, all the time you are with Him.” The gopis asked the bamboo, “Tell us your secret. What secret do you have, that the Lord treasures you so much?” The bamboo said, “The secret is that I gave myself up, and He did what was right for me, and in the process I had to undergo a lot of pain.”

“The Lord does whatever He wants, whenever He wants, and however He wants with me. I have just become His instrument.”

This is complete surrender—where God can do whatever He wants with you, whenever He wants, and as He wants. Trust Him completely and have faith in Him, and always think that when you are in His hands nothing can go wrong.

This is samarpan or complete surrender.

(Source: Radio Sai)

Sai Madhuryam

Can life be redeemed merely by performing Japa? 

Only when the mind is subdued, 

can man become sublime. 

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Immersing in God

"Spirituality consists in forgetting worldly concerns and immersing oneself in God. This means sanctifying every action in life, whether it be talking or walking or anything else. Reading and writing are also forms of meditation, because they call for concentration. Everything in life can become a form of meditation."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 24.5.1993)

A Compassionate Heart

"Today men worship wealth and power, which are transient and ephemeral. They must fill their hearts with love, which is greater than all the wealth of the world. What use is there in imparting knowledge to those who have no love in their hearts? 

It is not got by education, 

Nor by knowing the rules of logic, 

Nor by secular studies, 

Nor by professing any religion, 

Nor by Vedhik speculation. 

It is present only 

In a heart filled with compassion. 

Every man should have a compassionate heart. Without compassion, all wealth or scholarship is of no use."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 14.1.1995)

Cancer Cured

Dr. Upadhyay was one of the best ophthalmic consultants in London and also a devotee of Bhagawan Baba.  He was the friend of Dr. Gadhia.  One day a devotee rushed to him with the complaint that he had suddenly gone blind within the last two days and could hardly see anything.  Upon investigation, Dr. Upadhyay was surprised to see that both his eyes were cancerous and both eye balls needed to be removed as soon as possible before cancer could spread to his brain and kill the patient.  He asked the patient to come the next day for the operation.

The patient devotee was very upset.  At home, he went straight to the shrine room to pray to Bhagawan.  He found a packet of Laksharchana rice near Bhagawan's photo.  This packet of rice had been brought home by him after attending a Laksharchana programme earlier.  He remembered being told that these rice grains were charged with Bhagawan's cosmic love and power.  He cooked the packet of rice and ate it.

The loving Mother Sai rewarded him.  To his great astonishment, in the morning he could see everything quite clearly.  He went and reported to Dr. Upadhyay about this astonishing miracle of Bhagawan.  Dr. Upadhyay checked him up thoroughly and confirmed that the cancer had disappeared and the eyes seemed perfectly normal.

Dr. Upadhyay requested Gadhia to inform the other devotees about this miracle of Beloved Bhagawan curing His devotee from cancer through the rice grains, which were suffused with Divine Love.

(From the book "Mother Sai's Miracles of Love")

Divine Wisdom

True Devotion

"We regard as Bhakti (devotion) a few minutes devoted for worship, or going to sacred shrines and the like. But true devotion is an expression of gratitude to God for all that He has given us - the human body with its various capacities, the intelligence we are endowed with and the many natural amenities made available to us such as air, water and sunlight. A person without gratitude is worse than a wild animal."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 6.3.1989)

Dear Lord ...

Dear Lord,

When I'm old and grey and

sitting in a rocking chair,

I shall tell my grandchildren of 

this wondrous Avatar called Sai Baba.

I shall tell them of His wondrous miracles 

and the Message He brought to mankind.

And when I kiss them good night,

I shall tell them to sleep tight because

He is watching over them

just as He watched over their grandma

when she was a little girl ....

~ namaste 1081 ~

Baba's Storytime - Experience the Aatma

If man enquires earnestly into the nature of "I," his enquiry will lead him to the experience of the Aatma. This may be illustrated by an episode from the Bhagavatha. 

It was one of the sports of Krishna to go stealthily into the houses of the Gopikas and upset pots containing milk and curds. The Gopikas, who were worded about Krishna's pranks, were keen to catch him red-handed. Krishna was an elusive thief. 

So, one Gopika suggested that the only way to catch Him was to pray to him. The Gopikas started praying to Krishna. "O Krishna, is it possible for us to get at you? You are subtler than the atom and vaster than the vastest thing in the world. You pervade every being in creation. How can we comprehend you?" 

As a result of the prayer, the Gopikas were shown the means of catching Him. Krishna poured out the milk from the pot, washed His feet in the milk and ran out of the house. The Gopikas followed Krishna's footprints and caught hold of Him. 

The symbolic significance of this episode is that the Divine can be experienced only when the devotee clings to the feet of the Lord. This is the teaching of the Bhagavatha. 

When the enquiry into the nature of "I" is pursued, it will be found that the "I" is the omnipresent entity present in every living being. This is the truth of the Vedic declaration: "Aham Brahmaasmi" (I am the Supreme Self). Some people may ask whether it is enough to meditate on the declaration "Aham Brahmaasmi." This may be done, but when one meditates on the declaration "Aham Brahmaasmi," one has to start with the understanding of the "I"; then you will understand Brahman.

(From the Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba)