Friday, March 23, 2018

Sri Rama Navami



“The Ramayana, the story of Lord Rama, teaches two lessons: the value of detachment and the need to become aware of the Divine in every being. Faith in God and detachment from objective pursuits are the keys for human liberation. Give up attachment to sense objects, and you gain Rama. Sita gave up the luxuries of Ayodhya so she could be with Rama during His exile. When she cast longing eyes on the golden deer and craved for it, she lost Rama's proximity. Renunciation leads to joy; attachment brings about grief. Be in the world, but not of it.

Rama is the in-dweller in every body. He is the Source of Bliss (Atma-Rama) in every individual. His blessing, surging from that inner spring, confers peace and bliss. He is the very embodiment of Dharma, of all the codes of morality that hold mankind together in love and unity”.


(From ‘Ramakatha Rasavahini’ authored by Bhagawan Baba)

Sai Blossoms




Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Sai Madhuryam



The father, to teach the child the truth, 
May chide, reprove or beat. 
The mother may pinch the cheek 
To make the child drink the milk. 
Forget not at any time 
These marks of paternal Love. 
Doing good deeds, one will never reap bad results; 
Wickedness will never yield good fruits; 
Will the neem seed produce mango fruits 
Or the mango seed yield neem fruits?

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Divine Wisdom



God's Home



"If you entertain proper thoughts, you will realise that all of you are in God's home. The whole universe is the mansion of the Lord. Once you recognise this truth, how can any differences arise?"

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Divine Discourse - 25.12.1989)

Baba's Storytime - Precept and Practice Should Go Together



For instance, persons who take a pledge to observe certain disciplines in all circumstances, fail to do so when the circumstances are not congenial. There is a story to illustrate this. 

Once all the deer in a forest held a conference. They argued as follows: "Do the dogs have as much strength as we have? If we use our antlers against the dogs, they can be disemboweled. If we kick them with our legs, they will collapse. We are more fleet footed than the dogs. While running we can jump over ditches and obstacles, which they cannot. We are in every way superior to the dogs. Why, then, should we be afraid of them? Henceforth we should not be afraid of dogs. We should face them courageously." 

All the deer came to this decision. Hardly had they come to this resolution when the distant bark of a dog was heard. Immediately, not one of the deer stayed on the spot. All of them took to their heels and fled. 

What was their resolution at their conference and what was their action later? The behaviour of those who preach Vedanta these days is very much on a par with that of the deer in the stow. No one adheres to what he says or preaches. More than listening to spiritual discourses, one must try to practise at least a part of .what one learns. Vedanta is being expounded at many places, not to speak of the discourses on the Gita. But how many understand the real spirit of the Gita and act up to its message?

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

Broken Wings



As days pass by in Your Physical Absence,
My heart continues to burn, without any smoke,
My eyes are melting in anticipation of Your Sweet Arrival.

Even now my mad mind thinks to write a letter to You,
And my blind palms searching for Your Lotus Feet,
Feeling so miserable, like a bird with broken wings.

~ Raja Sekhar Ganta ~
(From his book "108 Heart Beats")

Quotable Quotes


Monday, March 19, 2018

Ganga Water




The river Chitravathi used to go quite dry in summer.  People visiting Puttaparthi then had to go in search of wells with water.

One evening, during the Chitravathi session, the devotees became very thirsty due to the heat. The water that they had carried in a small brass water pot was finished.  When they expressed their plight to Baba, He moved His legs this way and that.  Lo!  Water began to flow from His big toes! The devotees collected the holy water in their ports and drank it.  They found the water very sweet.  Baba revealed that it was the water of the Ganges river!

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

Divine Wisdom



Monday, March 12, 2018

Every Minute



"Every passing minute is a precious gift from God, which you have to use for the best and most lasting benefit. Be happy that you can do so by serving others and catering to their urgent needs. Do not fritter away the minutes in loose talk, retailing scandal, poring over debilitating novels, witnessing films, or mixing with flippant companions. Do not be enslaved by your senses, but bravely resist their demands for indiscriminate freedom."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Divine Discourse - 11.10.1969)

Sai Madhuryam




When man makes mind his master 
It burdens him, worse than any beast; 
When man makes buddhi his master 
It raises him, high as Lord of the Living. 
Will the good, and you are happy. 
Will the bad, and you are sad and lost. 
Don't will at all, and be at peace.
This is the Truth, the Word of Sai.

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

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)

Spiritual Discipline



"Devote everyday at least five minutes for reciting the Lord's name and a few minutes for rendering some kind of service to the needy and the forlorn. Include in your daily prayers a prayer for the welfare of all people in the world. Do not be engrossed in your own well-being and salvation. Try to lead a life free from ill-will and harm to others. Regard this as a type of spiritual discipline and redeem your lives."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Divine Discourse on 8-2-1990, at Abbotsbury, Madras)

Now, Today and Always

I have a little clock on the bottom right hand side of my computer screen that always tells me what time it is. I also have a clock hanging on my wall. I have two alarm clocks in my bedroom. I have a clock in my car. Every time I look at my cell phone or house phone too, there is the time looking up at me. 

But the older I get the less I find myself paying attention to any of them. I stopped wearing a watch years ago and don’t miss it at all. These days I try to live my life as timelessly as possible; which isn’t easy in our modern society. Yet, it has made such a major difference for me. It has allowed me to embrace each moment as it comes. I know too that whatever it says on that clock on the wall, it is always Now.

It took me a long time to realize this and I still forget it from time to time. Now that I have passed the half century mark in my own life, however, I have started to cherish each day and every second that God gives me on this Earth. I know that I will never have time to do all that I want to do but at least I can live today in love. Today I can spend my morning in prayer. Today I can look at the sun shining in the sky and feel its warmth on my face. Today I can give my sons and daughter a hug. Today I can play fetch with my dog and revel in his delight. Today I can laugh at a good joke and share a warm smile. Today I can quietly commit an unseen act of kindness. Today I can write a few words that will touch a few hearts.

There is an old Hindu saying that goes: “Yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow only a vision; but today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a vision of hope.” Make sure your today is well lived then. Make sure your Now is filled with love and joy. If you do this your past will be beautiful, your future will be wonderful, and your eternity will be spent in God’s loving arms.

~ Joseph J. Mazzella ~

Monday, March 5, 2018

Quotable Quotes





The Day My Mother Died

“The day my mother died I wrote in my journal, "A serious misfortune of my life has arrived." I suffered for more than one year after the passing away of my mother. But one night, in the highlands of Vietnam, I was sleeping in the hut in my hermitage. I dreamed of my mother. I saw myself sitting with her, and we were having a wonderful talk. She looked young and beautiful, her hair flowing down. It was so pleasant to sit there and talk to her as if she had never died. When I woke up it was about two in the morning, and I felt very strongly that I had never lost my mother. The impression that my mother was still with me was very clear. I understood then that the idea of having lost my mother was just an idea. It was obvious in that moment that my mother is always alive in me.

I opened the door and went outside. The entire hillside was bathed in moonlight. It was a hill covered with tea plants, and my hut was set behind the temple halfway up. Walking slowly in the moonlight through the rows of tea plants, I noticed my mother was still with me. She was the moonlight caressing me as she had done so often, very tender, very sweet... wonderful! Each time my feet touched the earth I knew my mother was there with me. I knew this body was not mine but a living continuation of my mother and my father and my grandparents and great-grandparents. Of all my ancestors. Those feet that I saw as "my" feet were actually "our" feet. Together my mother and I were leaving footprints in the damp soil.


From that moment on, the idea that I had lost my mother no longer existed. All I had to do was look at the palm of my hand, feel the breeze on my face or the earth under my feet to remember that my mother is always with me, available at any time.” 



Sunday, March 4, 2018

Divine Wisdom




A Non-Believer is Transformed



There was a man in Palghat who was against Baba.  His daughter-in-law, who was a devotee of Baba, was not allowed to keep Baba's picture in the house.  The poor girl had hung a picture of Baba given to her by Pattabi in the Puja room.  This man objected to it.  But try as he might, he could not remove the picture because it got stuck firmly to the wall!  Soon vibhuti and amrit began to flow from it.  He was astonished to see this divine manifestation.  He was very impressed and with new born faith, he requested Pattabi to speak about Baba.

Just before Pattabi walked to the place from where he was supposed to speak, a series of footprints in vibhuti were found leading to that place announcing Baba's presence in His subtle form to the meeting.  All the devotees assembled were overjoyed to see this miracle.  So regular Bhajans started in that house where Baba was denied earlier.

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

The Eternal Saviour



Millions of years
May flash and crash.
Waves of humanity
May arrive and leave.

The glorious kingdoms
May rise and fall.
But Bhagawan Baba
Is there to take care of all.

Most terrifying wars
May appear and disappear.
Human misdeeds
May shatter and splatter.

Imbalance in nature
May invite a befall.
But Sai Baba
Is there to take care of all.

We may lament
There is no hope or scope
And even settle to count
Our last days and grace.

But it is enough
With one heart rendering call,
For the Eternal Saviour
Is there to take care of all.

~ Raja Sekhar Ganta ~
(From his book "108 Heart Beats")

Friday, March 2, 2018

Consequences of One's Actions




"Men desire the fruits of good deeds, but do not perform good deeds. Men want to avoid the consequences of sinful actions, but are engaged in sinful deeds. How is this possible? It is not easy to escape from the consequences of one's actions. But there is no need for despair. If one earns even a grain of grace from the Divine, a mountain of sins can be reduced to ashes. If one feels genuinely penitent, seeks God's forgiveness and takes refuge in God, all one's actions will get transformed. But without heart-felt penitence, this will not happen."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Divine Discourse - 24.8.1991, Onam Day)

Baba's Storytime - Truth



Men should learn to honour their promises. They should never go back on their word. Truth is the life breath of the spoken word. Many ancient rulers were prepared even to give up their lives for honouring their plighted word. 

Emperor Bali was Truth incarnate. Always devoted to the well-being of his subjects, he constantly strove to lead them in the path of truth and to ensure prosperity in his realm. Bali's grandfather, Prahlada, had the same noble qualities. 

Once there was an argument between Prahlada's son Virochana and the son of the sage Angirasa. Angirasa's son said that the debate should be conducted before a judge who should decide who was the winner in the argument. He said Virochana's father, Prahlada, should be the judge. Both went to Prahlada. They agreed that whoever lost in the debate should forfeit his life to the winner. 

Prahlada listened to the arguments impartially and declared that Virochana, his son, has lost and that Angirasa's son has won. Recognising Prahlada's total commitment to justice, without any concern for his relationship with his son, and admiring his sense of justice, Angirasa's son told Prahlada that he was giving back Virochana's life that had been forfeited to him. 

This is an illustration of the supreme value attached to truth in ancient times. Truth was esteemed as the very form of God. It is the foremost duty of man to uphold truth, lead the good life and share his joys with others.


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

Bear in Mind Two Things



"Bear in mind two things. You must forget the good you have done to others. Remembrance of such good deeds gives rise to expectations of return or a feeling of envy. The other thing which you should forget is the harm done by others to you. Brooding over the harm done by others will only give rise to feelings of hatred and retaliation. Forgetting then and there the harm done by others will free the mind from evil thoughts."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Divine Discourse - 24.5.1991)


Sai Madhuryam



Love shines radiantly throughout the Cosmos 
The Cosmos is permeated by the Lord 
The Lord and the Cosmos are inextricably united like friends. 
This is the Truth declared by Sai. 
Not visible in the phenomenal world, 
The Atma that is immanent in it is the Cosmic Consciousness. 
That sustains the Cosmos like the string 
Running through a necklace of gems. 

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~