Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Sai Madhuryam



It is the power of speech
That enables man to conquer kingdoms.
It is through speech that he loses his entire wealth;
It is speech that enables him to win relatives and friends;
It is through speech again that man invites death.

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~


Cultivate Humility and Discipline



"Make right use of the period of youth. Banish conceit. Respect your parents and elders. Cultivate humility and discipline. A boy is judged by his behaviour and a man by his manners. A devotee is judged by his discipline."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Divine Discourse - 20.5.1995)

God Realisation



"God realisation is not a time-bound process. Some one went to Ramana Maharishi and asked him how long he should sit in meditation. The Maharishi said that he should meditate "till he is not aware that he is meditating at all." Similarly the love of God should become a spontaneous act. With such love, one can face any situation in life with confidence derived from the consciousness that the Divine is within."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Divine Discourse - 1.4.1995)

Monday, May 28, 2018

Cutting Down the Tree

Once there was a tall, verdant tree at a royal court. The tree was richly laden with ripe, lush fruits, however, the tree was very tall. 
One day a man came to this royal court. The king asked him, “This tree has wonderful fruits but all the branches are too high. Can you think of a way to get at the fruits?”
The man replied, “Although this tree is very tall, there is still a way to get at its delicious fruits.” Then without more ado, the man took an axe and felled the tree. He expected it would be easy to pick the fruits once they became ripe. However, they waited and waited, but no fruits ever grew on the tree anymore. In fact the tree had withered and died.
The precept tree of the Buddha grows wonderful fruits. If we want to eat the fruits, we must keep the precepts and practice good deeds. A person who breaks the precepts is like the man who chopped down the tree. When the tree is dead and the roots dried up, it would be impossible to restore its life.
(Author unknown)

Quotable Quotes



“A teacher cannot give you the truth 
The truth is already in you.
You only need to open yourself –
body, mind and heart-
so that his or her teachings 
will penetrate your own seeds 
of understanding and enlightenment.
If you let the words enter you, 
the soil and the seeds 
will do the rest of the work” 

His Heart



Our Sai is the crown jewel of all pervasive Divinity,
With the causeless love of utmost simplicity.
By nature, soft and sweet spoken,
Looking after those who are gravely forsaken.

Even if a feeble soul deeply cries,
His butter like heart melts in a trice.
He rushes to fulfil every possible need,
His Grace is our greatest shield.

Such an ethereal expression of Love and Trust,
Was never experienced over earth's crust.
His Life has become His Message,
Wonderfully portrayed over this Cosmic Stage.

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

Sunday, May 27, 2018

Indulal Shah Understands Telugu



During the first All India conference of the Sathya Sai Organisations at Madras (now Chennai) 1967, a public meeting was held by the local Sai Organisation during one of the evenings. Bhagawan addressed the meeting in Telugu language, which Indulal Shah could not understand.  The Discourse was not translated into English.

The next morning, Sri Indulal Shah and other committee members met Bhagawan to seek His guidance in finalizing the decisions of the conference.  Sri B. Ramakrishna Rao, who was formerly the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and the Governor of Kerala and Uttar Pradesh, was also one of the members of that small group.  Bhagawan started speaking in Telugu about the public meeting held the previous evening.  Indulal was the only one in that group who did not understand Telugu.  Ramakrishna Rao made bold to submit to Bhagawan seeking His permission to translate Bhagawan's talk into English for the understanding of Indulal Shah.

Bhagawan said, "No, there is no time; he understands Telugu!" and tapped on Indulal's head with His fingers.

To his utter amazement, Indulal could understand the discussion in Telugu from the moment Bhagawan's fingers touched his head.  But that ability lasted with him only till the end of that discussion!

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

Saturday, May 26, 2018

May All Living Beings in All the Worlds be Happy




Dear Lord ...



Dear Lord,

Let go, You tell us, but still we cling on.
Surrender we must but in You, we seem to have little trust.
You have come to set us free but, fools that we are,
we choose to remain bound by the chains of our worldly desires.
O Lord, how You must despair of us!
When will we awaken to Your call?

~ Namaste 1081 ~

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Baba's Storytime - Do Not Rebuke God, 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 paralyzed 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)

Adoration of the Lord



"What does adoration of the Lord mean? It is not mere offering of worship with the paraphernalia of rituals. It is an attempt to merge in the Divine, experiencing the bliss of oneness with the Divine, recognising unity in diversity and the Divinity that is present in all beings."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Divine Discourse - 22.5.1993)

Chillies are Chillies


The Mullah Nasrudin was eating a bunch of chillies, eating one after the other, until his face was red, his eyes were streaming and his nose was running.  That is what happens when you eat too many hot chillies.  He was still munching those chillies when someone came up and asked him, "Why are you eating so many hot chillies? Mullah Nasrudin said, "I"m looking for the sweet one."

This is what people do in life, whether it's a relationship, a place, or a job - even some monks looking for a monastery - they're still looking for the sweet one!  Of course, there is no sweet one.  Chillies are chillies, they are all hot and it's a waste of time to keep eating, eating, looking for the sweet one in life.

~ Ajahn Brahm ~
(From his book "Simply This Moment")

Sai Madhuryam



Why does sun rise and set in the sky regularly every day? 
Why do the stars that shine so peacefully in the sky at night 
Hide themselves during the day? 
Why does the wind that blows tirelessly protect living beings? 
Why do the murmuring brooks flow ceaselessly? 
Why are there among the myriad human beings 
In the world differences of race, religion, caste and wealth? 
Who is the Lord of all this? 
Who is their Controller? 
Come forward, all ye, to learn to carry out His commands!

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~


Sunday, May 20, 2018

Sai Blossoms




Good Actions



"When good thoughts, good feelings and good intentions are developed, the mind becomes pure. Only when the mind is pure, can the action be pure and the fruits thereof be pure."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Divine Discourse - 23.5.1993)

Seek God Alone



"Man should seek God alone. Once God's grace is secured, all else will be got with ease. For this purpose, man has to get rid of attachment, fear and hatred. He must perform all actions as an offering to God, who is omnipresent."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Divine Discourse - 19.2.1993)

Drill the Borewell ...



In 1980, when the college and hostel came up at Prasanthi Nilayam, there arose the need for more water sources.  It was decided to sink one or more borewells on the bed of the Chitravathi river.  Experts who came from Tirupati, surveyed the place and located some spots for a bore well. 

When Kutumba Rao reported this to Swami, Swami came to the site and saw the location.  He picked up a pebble, threw it a long way and said, "Drill the bore well wherever the pebble lands."

Abundant quantity of sweet water was found when the bore well was sunk at that spot and the experts certified that both the quantity and the quality of the water found there was beyond their expectations!

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


Saturday, May 19, 2018

Quotable Quotes



This is my simple religion. 
There is no need for temples; 
no need for complicated philosophy. 
Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; 
the philosophy is kindness.

~ Dalai Lama ~


Sea of Information

When I was a boy I was the remote. Not only did I get up to change the television channel, I also walked outside to turn the antenna to pick up the other network. My i-tunes were a stack of vinyl records under our plastic record player. My Google was a pile of books in the corner of the living room. My e-mail was a sheet of paper, a pen, and an envelop. My video games were played in my mind while I romped outside in the sunshine.

Today, however, we live in a sea of information. There are dozens of social media sites. There are hundreds of cable television channels. There are e-mails and text messages that make our computers and smart phones beep constantly. There are video games that eat up our time. There are news shows that only feed our anger and prejudices. There is so much information that we rarely have time to think about it, let alone reflect on our lives here.

What can we do in such a sea? How can we navigate it? How can we sail it to find the truth about our world and ourselves? I think the key comes in asking ourselves a few important questions. When the waves of information come at you then ask yourself these things. Is this information uplifting my heart? Is it inspiring my soul? Is it educating my mind. Is it making me feel happier about my life here? Is it making me kinder and more loving? Is it urging me to help make the world a better place? Is it bringing me closer to God? If the answer is no then turn it off, disregard it, and dismiss it from your life.

Our lives here are too brief to be awash in a sea of negativity. God loves us and put us here to love each other and to make this Earth more like Heaven. If the information around you isn't helping you do this then it is wasting your time and your life. Your life is what you allow into your heart and soul and also what you share from your heart and soul. May it always be love.


~ Joseph J. Mazzella ~

Thursday, May 17, 2018

Divine Wisdom




Check on Desires



"There is no worse disease than desire." Contemporary man is afflicted by endless desires. These desires are the cause of innumerable diseases. There must be a limit to desires. Today desires grow limitlessly. Consequently, diseases also increase limitlessly. Owing to endless desires, man is affected mentally and this gives rise to many bodily ailments. Hence everyone should try as far as possible to keep a check on desires."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Divine Discourse - 18.8.1995)

Immortality



"Consider the body as a vessel, wisdom as a rope and use the vessel to draw the nectar of divinity from the well of spirituality. Not otherwise can immortality be attained."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Divine Discourse - 5.3.1995)

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

In Fact



I would love to offer
All the stars of the sky,
But, in Your tremendous brilliance,
The blinking rays of twinkling stars
Would completely fade.

I pine to present
The most exotic fragrant flowers
At Your Holy Feet,
But, the celestial aroma of Your Divinity
Had already intoxicated every inch of sphere.

I sometimes venture
To offer my good deeds
Just to please You,
But in fact,
You remain ever blissful,
Even before the beginning of time and creation.

Thus I realized that my offerings do not
Contribute to the glory and adoration
Of  Your Cosmic Form but rather,
It enables me to remain pure
And ever mesmerized in Your thought.


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

Quotable Quotes




Monday, May 14, 2018

Sai Madhuryam



Lilies are the ornaments for a pond;
Houses are the ornaments for the village;
Waves are the ornaments for the ocean;
Moon is the ornament for the sky;
Love is the ornament for Swami's devotees.

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Education



"Education consists in cultivating the following six qualities: 
"Good thoughts, good actions, adherence to truth, devotion, 
discipline and discharge of one's duties." 
When you have acquired the friendship of these six virtues, 
your life will become purposeful and satisfying."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Divine Discourse - 16.6.1983)

Sunday, May 13, 2018

Flood Control



When Mr. Kumar Aklekar realized that the Mumbai deluge on 26th July 2005 was endangering his family in Andheri, he rushed home.  For safety he sent his children higher up the building while and his wife, Sheetal stayed in their home.

As the water level in the flat rose, they moved their television, computers and other valuables to higher floors within the premises.  The roads were already flooded with more than 5 feet of water.  He could see his car submerged already.  The water had climbed up to nearly three feet inside their flat.

He and Sheetal sat on the kitchen platform the whole night praying and reciting the "Sai Gayatri".  The room had a life-size picture of Swami placed three and a half feet above the ground.  Sheetal mentioned to Kumar in a frightened tone that the water level should not rise to touch Swami's photograph.  They started getting tense as the water level started rising but stopped, to their utter disbelief, just three inches below Swami's life-size photograph.

That was a miracle as the water rose five feet in their neighbour's home on the very same floor!

The Aklekars spent the next two days cleaning their home from the residual mud.  And to their great surprise and joy on Thursday (the third day after the deluge), Swami assured them of His presence at all times as Amrita (holy nectar) started dripping from His photograph, as if to say, "I am always here, why fear!"

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

Saturday, May 12, 2018

Dear Lord ...



Dear Lord,

Help me build a temple in my heart for you to reside.
Let the pillars be made of Love.
Let the halls echo with Devotion and Dedication.
Let the angels of Peace and Harmony
sing from the ceilings and domes.
Yes, let my heart by Your home!

~ Namaste 1081 ~ 

Divine Wisdom




Thursday, May 10, 2018

Baba's Storytime - What Buddha Taught


Once Buddha set out to seek alms. He was approaching a village where there were a number of devotees of Buddha. At that time, some wicked persons confronted him on the way and abused Buddha in various ways. 

Buddha sat on a rock nearby without proceeding with his journey. He addressed his traducers: "Dear children, what is the pleasure you derive from abusing me?" Without giving the reasons, they continued abusing him in worse terms. Buddha sat down saying, "If abusing me gives you pleasure, enjoy yourselves." 

Exhausted by their abuse, they were preparing to leave. At that time, Buddha told them, "I stayed here all the time because if I had gone to the village, my devotees there would not have spared you, if you had indulged in all this abuse before them. It is to save you from this calamity that I had put up with all your abuse, given you a free rein and stayed here."

"If we want to please others, we have to do many things and even spend a lot of money. I am happy that today without incurring any expense or taking any trouble I could give so much pleasure to all of you! What a fine day for me!" exclaimed Buddha. "You have derived joy from abusing me. So, I am the cause of your joy. I have given you satisfaction thereby. To bring comfort and happiness to people, many build choultries, dig wells, or do other charitable acts. But without undertaking any of these acts, I have been able to give great satisfaction to these evil-minded men. This is a great achievement, indeed," observed Buddha.

Buddha also brought home to them another lesson. He asked one of them: "Child! A beggar comes to your house asking for alms: 'Blessed mother, give me food!' You bring some food. If the beggar says, 'This is not the alms I asked for, and I will not accept it,' what will you do?" The man replied: "I will keep back the offering." Buddha said: "In the same manner, you attempted to offer me the alms (biksha) of your abuse. I did not accept it. To whom does it belong? It remains with you. So, you have only abused yourself, not me," said Buddha.

If a registered letter is addressed to some one, who declines to receive it, the postal department will deliver it back to the sender. Similarly, if you criticise someone or hate somebody, if the other person remains unaffected and unperturbed, your criticism and hatred come back to you. Jealousy and hatred do more harm to those who entertain these feeling than to those towards whom these are expressed.

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

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Sai Blossoms




Man's Life



"Man's life is like a garland, with birth at one end and death at the other. Between the two ends are strung together flowers of all kinds--troubles, worries, joys, sorrows and dreams. Few men are aware of the string that runs through all the flowers. Without the string there can be no garland. Only the person who recognises the string can become a real man. This string is called Sutra or Brahma-Sutra (The Divine String). The Divine Atma principle is the string which is found in all human beings and which is the source of all the potencies in them."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
 (Divine Discourse - 24.5.1989)

The Lord's Name



"The Lord's name is like a boat for a man crossing the ocean of life. It is supremely important in the Kali Age. It has been declared that there is nothing greater than the name of Hari in the Kali Age. By no other spiritual or religious practices can peace be attained in this age. The Divine name can turn poison into nectar. It can revive a lifeless thing. It is surcharged with infinite power."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Divine Discourse - 22.6.1989)

Saturday, May 5, 2018

Adore the Mother as God



"Scriptures declare: Revere the mother and father as God.  
Mother's womb is the birthplace of one and all, be it a commoner or the Avatar Himself.  
Therefore, adore the mother as God.  Uphold her name and respect her."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Divine Discourse - 19.11.1999)

Family Reunion

Epiphanies often come to us at the strangest times and wisdom often awakens in us in the most unusual places. It was a late Friday afternoon and my family and I were at the grocery store. We usually shop on Saturdays but the early Spring weather forecast had predicted a Winter snowstorm. Thus, here we were grabbing groceries in time to beat the storm. 

Unfortunately everyone else in town had the same idea. The store was both crazy and crowded. Everywhere I turned shopping carts were blocking my path. The more I tried to maneuver the less progress I seemed to make. We were stuck and stressed and it looked like we weren’t getting out of the store anytime soon.

It was at this point that somewhere deep in my heart I heard a voice speaking to me. “Why are you rushing?”, it said. “Relax and enjoy this moment. Look around and see who you are with.” Thankfully, I listened to it. I opened my eyes, cleared my mind, and relaxed my heart. I let go of my stress and smiled. 

It was then that I saw something very beautiful: my family. I wasn’t just seeing my own children either. Everyone in the store was my family. The old lady pushing her cart was my sister. The little girl grabbing for her favorite cereal was my daughter. The big guy with the bushy beard was my brother. I didn’t know the names of any of them but at that moment we were all one. We were Children of God on a wonderful journey of learning and love. I wasn’t at the store. I was at the family reunion. I slowed to a stroll then and spent my time sharing smiles, kind words, and friendly laughter with my family.

Our Heavenly Father loves us so much. He created us to love each other as well. He created us to be one family here on Earth. May we always live then as brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, fathers and mothers. May we always live as one.

~Joseph J. Mazzella

Quotable Quotes



“If we are peaceful, if we are happy, 
we can smile and blossom like a flower, 
and everyone in our family, 
our entire society, 
will benefit from our peace.” 


Wednesday, May 2, 2018

May All Living Beings in All the Worlds be Happy



Sai Madhuryam



Some people have their minds and senses 
like cotton balls and a spark of jnaana 
will set them ablaze and they achieve victory! 
Some others have them like dried faggots; 
they take longer time, but, victory is certain. 
Most have minds and senses like green fuel 
and even the raging fire of jnaana may be put out 
by the onslaught of the moisture contained in them. 
Make your mind and senses like clean finely ginned cotton.

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Divine Wisdom



Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Prayer to the Lord



Ravi was an alumnus of the Sri Sathya Sai University and a member of the technical staff at the Super Speciality Hospital at Prasanthi Gram.

One day he was watching a valve replacement surgery on a middle aged man from a distant town.  For a long time the team of surgeons was not able to wean the patient from the heart-lung machine and make the heart resume its work on its own.  Usually with successive attempts, the heart picks up gradually with the help of supporting drugs.  In this particular case,despite several attempts, the heart could not be revived and the blood pressure and the heart rate came down gradually making it necessary to put the patient back on bypass to rest the heart.

The team began to lose hope, as all usual steps had been taken and still the heart could not be weaned.  A cardiologist was summoned and after elaborate tests, confirmed that the artificial valve was competent.  The team was puzzled.  The situation was most disturbing.

Ravi left the Operation Theatre briefly.  While in the corridor it suddenly struck him that there was one recourse which had not been taken.  That was to seek the help of Bhagawan through sincere prayer.  That is what he did immediately, standing in the corridor.  Mentally he called to Bhagawan for help.  His mind calmed down and he felt elevated.

When he re-entered the Operation Theatre after a few minutes, the atmosphere had totally changed. The heart-lung machine had been switched off and a glance a the screen indicated that the heart was pumping well and the team was relaxed and composed as if it was all a routine job.  It seems that the condition had suddenly improved a few minutes before.  Ravi did not tell anybody what he had done.

The climax took place on the following Sunday when Ravi sat in the portico for Darshan.  Bhagawan came up to him, materialized vibhuti for him and said lovingly, "This is for the prayer you made for that patient."

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