Giving Oneself Up for the Dharma

In ancient times, there was a compassionate prince called Tanmoqian. He had a strong resolve to practise good deeds and learn the Buddha’s teachings, so he sent people to search for virtuous teachers wise in the Dharma, but all his efforts were in vain. The King of Daoli Heaven, knowing the prince’s vows and wanting to see if his faith was strong, turned himself into a mortal named Youse, and presented himself at the prince’s palace. He said that he could expound the Dharma. Hearing this, the prince was overjoyed and received his eminent guest with every sign of respect.

“My Dharma teaching is very hard to find in this mundane world, so I’m afraid you might not be willing to pay for it,” Youse glumly sighed. The prince immediately responded that he was ready to give away everything he had; he only wished to listen to the Dharma teachings and escape his afflictions. So, Youse said, “OK, then please dig a deep hole and set it on fire. After you have plunged headfirst into it as an offering to the Dharma, I can teach you.”

Without delay, the prince ordered his servants to dig a deep pit and set it alight. The king and his subjects, upon seeing the prince’s willingness to die for the sake of the Dharma, pleaded with him, saying, “Please do not imperil the country’s future! Do not sacrifice your life. We are willing to become Youse’s servants instead.” However, the prince firmly declined their offer.

The prince said, “I have been reincarnated countless times in both human and animal form. As a human I have been consumed by every kind of greed, anger, ignorance and vice. As a beast of burden I have been stung by the whip as I tottered under a heavy load. As meat I have been raised, slaughtered and eaten. And in hell I have suffered for days without end. Never before have I given anything for the Dharma. Today I can finally make an offering with this sinful body to the Dharma. This is a rare moment, and I hope that everybody can let me fulfill my aspirations to attain Buddhahood.”

Youse thereupon ascended to his Dharma seat and said, “We must be charitable at all times, keep our hearts free of hatred, and treat all sentient beings with compassion. We should cultivate a mind of joy, and rejoice at the attainment of others. And, we must liberate all beings with the Dharma, as we follow the Bodhisattva’s path.” 

As soon as Youse finished speaking, the prince dived into the flames. However, the burning pit in an instant turned into a placid lotus pond, and the prince found himself sitting on a large, fragrant lily pad. At that moment, the prince realized the impermanence of fortune and misfortune, and the suffering of cyclic birth and death. In order to learn the true Dharma teaching, the prince was willing to sacrifice his own life. What a fearless Bodhisattva he is!

(Author Unknown)

Let Me Be Your Message

Bhagavaan Sri Sathya Sai let me be your message

The time has come, two into one, let me become Your beautiful Light

Sathya Sai I give to You, I give to You my essence

Now give to me, let me be free, let my eyes see Your beautiful light

Let me become Your beautiful light

Give to me the deepest sight

Banish darkness with your Might

Unify Duality

Sathya Sai let me be free

Let me become your beautiful light

(English Bhajan - Sathya Sai Region 10 USA)

Sai Blossoms

No More Wheelchair

Once Dr. Upadhyay and Professor Eric Arnott, his teacher and mentor, had been called for interview by Swami in Puttaparthi.  When they came out they passed a woman sitting in a wheelchair.  Swami asked her why she had not come inside.  She replied that Swami had closed the door and there was no one to lift her up to her wheelchair.

He asked, "Wheelchair?  Why are you in a wheelchair?"

She replied, "Swami, I can't walk."

Swami exclaimed, "Who said you cannot walk?"  Swami was standing outside the interview room with 10,000 people watching.  He extended His lovely hand to the woman and said, "Hold My hand and get up."  The woman stood up and Swami pushed her wheelchair away, "You can walk now" and she walked!

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

Quotable Quotes

“Love needs to be nurtured and fed to survive; and our suffering also survives because we enable and feed it. We ruminate on suffering, regret, and sorrow. We chew on them, swallow them, bring them back up, and eat them again and again. If we’re feeding our suffering while we’re walking, working, eating, or talking, we are making ourselves victims of the ghosts of the past, of the future, or our worries in the present. We’re not living our lives.” 

~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~

Sai Madhuryam

If all the strings in a Veena

Sound in the prescribed way,

The listeners enjoy the music,

If even one string snaps,

The Veena produces a discordant note.

The Nation is the Veena and Religions are the Strings.

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Baba's Storytime - Use the Body as a Divine Instrument

Man should develop faith in God. Without that faith, life will be meaningless. Man can have no happiness or satisfaction in life without the grace of God. Men today are too much immersed in affairs of the world. The result is they have no peace of mind. They can have peace only from the supreme embodiment of peace: God. He is the abode of infinite love and enduring peace. God's love should be secured by chanting the Lord's name. You should be grateful to your mother for endowing you with a body which enables you to chant the Lord's name. The greatness of the Lord's name is illustrated by the following episode. 

Once, Hanumaan's mother Anjana, went to Kaushalya because her son was a great devotee of Raama. Kaushalya did not know Anjana and so she asked Anjana who she was in a sweet tone. Anjana was proud about her valorous son. 

She replied: "Mother! Have you not heard about me? Hanumaan is my son. He leapt over the ocean in one jump. How is it that you did not know about one who had performed such a great feat? Staying in this palace you did not know about my son?" 

Kaushalya replied in a soothing tone- "Dear mother! I now know that Hanumaan is a really great hero." 

While the two were conversing in this fashion, the mother of the sage, Agasthya came there. Kaushalya made kind enquiries about her. She replied: "I am the mother of Agasthya. Don't you know that my son drank in one gulp the ocean over which Hanumaan merely leapt? Are you not aware that I am the mother of such a pious saint's son?" 

Then, Kaushalya addressing the two ladies said: “For your son's leaping over the ocean and your son's drinking the ocean in one gulp, it is the name of my son that enabled them to accomplish these exploits. Because they remembered his name they could do these marvellous deeds." 

By then, Raama arrived on the scene. He was apprehensive about disagreement among the three ladies. Raama was totally free from pride and egoism. He was pure in heart and free from selfishness. He told his mother: "Mother, it is not because of my name that Hanumaan and Agasthya performed their great exploits. This body of mine was given the name of Raama. The greatness of the name Raama enabled Hanumaan to leap over the ocean and Agasthya to drink it one gulp. The power of the name is at the root of their achievement." 

Thus, the power of the Lord's name is incalculable. However great a mother may be, if the son does not have the grace of the Lord, he will not be able to accomplish anything great. For this reason, mothers always pray to the Lord to shower His grace on the children. 

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

Five Advisers

"Everyone has five advisers in life. They are who,when, where, what and how. Before undertaking any action, answers should be got for these five questions. When the correct answers are got, the actions based on them will be the right one."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 14.1.1997) 

Divine Wisdom

Water Turns into Petrol

A Railway officer in Tiruchchirapalli, having heard of Swami's Divine greatness, came with his family to Puttaparthi in his car.  He stayed there happily and watched the Leelas of Swami but could not get an opportunity to talk to Him.

On the third day of His visit, Swami came out of the Mandir at 10.00 a.m. and merrily went near the officer's car.  He tapped its petrol tank with a stone.  To the officer's astonishment, all the petrol leaked out of the damaged tank.  Laughing like a child, Swami went back.  The officer was in despair.  The facility of car repair was available only at Penukonda or Anantapur, both a long way off.  For two or three days, the officer was continually lamenting his fate.

One morning Swami came to him and said, "What a pity" and walked towards the car.  He instructed the officer to bring some water from Chitravathi river and asked him to pour it into the petrol tank.  Swami kept His hand covering the crack in the tank while the officer poured the water into it.  Amazingly the crack vanished and the water turned into petrol!  The officer shed profuse tears and begged Swami for pardon for misunderstanding Him and complaining about Him to others.

Swami sent him to Bangalore to fetch some articles needed for the Mandir, signalling His loving understanding and acceptance of his apology.  God's love is like the rain drops.  It falls on all without any distinction.

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

Step into My Dreams

Like a peacock, waiting for rain,

I am praying to You once again.

O!  Sai Ma, do come in my dream,

For my heart is a dried up stream.

Your wisdom, in little eyes,

Is so pleasant and so nice.

Before I am awake, I see Your smile,

To my unflinching faith, it is a trial.

Knowing Your dream is real, as told,

Which is equivalent to mountains of gold.

The devotees all across the globe,

Have Your darshan, in dreams in ochre robe.

Isn't it You who came in my dreams

And blessed me to write poems in streams?

Isn't it You who enlightened me about spiritual realms,

And showed the angels of distinct helms?

Don't know of which good merits do I reap?

But I am thrilled to see You, even in my sleep.

As you step into my heart, during the night,

Dissolving all the doubts, before sunlight.

Dear Lord, I am transformed by Your guidance,

In future, we pray for Your assurance.

~ Raja Sekhar Ganta ~

(From his book "108 Heart Beats")

Action As an Offering

"When one does any action as an offering to God, it gets sanctified. Such an act becomes anapeksha (desireless act). Every selfless act of devotion becomes an action free from the taint of desire."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 3.10.1996)

Discipline

"Discipline should govern every action of yours all through the day. Then it becomes Karma Yoga - the Yoga of Action. You must be the master of Karma and act according to Divine commands. This is the way to make education fruitful."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 19.6.1996)

Sai Madhuryam

Without Sathya, Dharma, Shaanthi and Prema all knowledge is useless; 

Without these four, all charity and righteous acts are of no use; 

Without these four, the value of all good deeds is zero; 

Without these four, the exercise of power is profitless. 

For the edifice of the Ancient Dharma these four qualities are the main walls. 

What else can I convey to you, virtuous and noble minded students?

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

May All Living Beings in All the Worlds be Happy

A Box Full of Kisses

Some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.

Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, “This is for you, Daddy.”

The man became embarrassed by his overreaction earlier, but his rage continue when he saw that the box was empty. He yelled at her; “Don’t you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside?”

The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried:

“Oh, Daddy, it’s not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They’re all for you, Daddy.”

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.

Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child.

Her father kept the gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

Moral of the story: Love is the most precious gift in the world.

(Author unknown)

Quotable Quotes

Dear Lord ...

Dear Lord,

When the sky is dark and the sea is stormy,

when the wind howls and the earth trembles,

let me take refuge at Your Lotus Feet,

for there I know I shall be safe with You

by my side until all my fears subside.

~ Namaste 1081 ~

Baba's Storytime - Guru and the Disciple

Once a disciple went to a preceptor and requested him to impart to him the Supreme Knowledge of Omni-Self--Brahma-thathvam. The guru gave him a manthra and asked him to recite it continually without any selfish desire. The guru told him that after he has done this wholeheartedly for a year he could come and receive the Brahma-Jnaana (knowledge of the Self). 

The disciple came back after a year duly carrying out with devotion the instructions of the preceptor. Filled with the hope that the preceptor would impart the Supreme Knowledge, the disciple had a sacred bath and was on his way to the preceptor. Unaware of the presence of the disciple, a maid was sweeping the aashram (hermitage) premises and the dust from the ground fell on the young man. Immediately, he lost his temper, as he felt that his purity after a sacred bath had been sullied by the dust that fell on him. He was angry with the maid for allowing the dust in fall on him. He looked at her with anger. The maid was filled with fear. 

The disciple went in and offered his salutations to the guru and said: "Guruji! I have been waiting for a year to secure your grace. The time is now ripe for realising it. I am eager to receive the Supreme Knowledge from you." The preceptor said: "You are not yet competent to receive that knowledge. You have the qualities of a snake. You got angry with a girl who unwittingly caused some dust to fall on you. How can Brahma-Jnaana be imparted to one who has not even this amount of forbearance? Go back and practise the saadhana for one more year."

At the end of the second year, when the disciple was about to come to the aashram, the preceptor instructed the maid to see that as she swept, all the dust fell on the disciple. The maid told the guru that on the previous occasion the disciple had been angry with her, and this time if she repeated the offence, he might beat her. The guru told her to do as directed by him. In accordance with the directive of the guru, she let the dust fall on the disciple in full measure. Enraged at her conduct, the disciple went to beat her but refrained from doing so. He then went into the aashram and paid his respects to guru. The guru told him: "You have not yet acquired the competence to receive the knowledge. You are exhibiting the qualities of a dog. Come back after ridding yourself of these animal qualities." 

At the end of the third year, the disciple was coming to the aashram after a sacred bath. Carrying out the instructions of the guru, the maid of the ashram poured some dirty water on the disciple. The latter calmly offered his pranaams (obeisance) to the maid and said: "Mother! My salutations to you. You have helped to strengthen my forbearance so that I can be worthy of the preceptor's grace." Without getting angry with her, he told her that he would be always grateful to her for what she had done to him. When he went in, the guru welcomed him and said: "Son! Today you have become eligible to receive the Supreme Spiritual Knowledge." 

The lesson of this story is that every spiritual seeker has to get rid of attachment to the body. But, that is not enough. The egoistic feeling should be totally eliminated. The sense of possessiveness should be expelled. Only then can one realise Divinity. The preceptor drew the disciple close to him and imparted to him the Brahma-Jnaana (Supreme Spiritual Wisdom) and filled him with bliss. 

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

Divine Wisdom

Threefold Shanti

"The word Shanthi is pronounced three times at the end of every prayer, ritual or offering. What is the meaning behind this? 

The first Shanthi means: "May we enjoy peace for the body." It means that the body should not get heated by feelings of jealousy, hatred, attachments and the like. Whatever news you receive about any event, you should receive it with calmness and serenity. 

The second Shanthi pertains to the mind. You should not get worked up when someone says something about you which is not true. You must simply dismiss it as something which does not concern you. If you get angry or irritated, you are losing your peace of mind. You should say to yourself: "Why should I lose my peace of mind just because someone says something about me which is not true?" You resolve to stick to your truth and be true to your own nature. 

The third Shanthi refers to peace of the soul. This peace has to be realised through love."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 9.12.1985)

Truth and Love

"Beyond the biological parents, there are permanent parents whom you should revere. They are Truth and Love. Though the body may go, Truth remains as the permanent father. Likewise Love is the eternal mother. It grows with the passage of time and never diminishes. By regarding Truth and Love as your parents, as essential for your existence as your eyes or as the two wings for a bird or the two wheels for a cart, lead worthy lives."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 6.5.1985)

At Your Feet, Dear Lord

At Your feet dear Lord we pray, grace us with Your love this day
Sai Baba, Sai Baba, You are Krishna, You are Rama
O Baba, O Baba, You are mother, You are father
All names, every form, all that was and will be born
You are all names, every form, all that is for ever more.

(English bhajan - Sathya Sai Reg.10 USA)

Sai Blossoms

Konamma's Vision of Shirdi

Baba's aunt, Konamma got curious about Shirdi; what the place would look like; how Shirdi Baba about whom the "nephew" of hers was singing would look like in real life?  She expressed her desire to young Sathya one day.

"I shall fulfil your desire in the evening," Baba said.

At dusk, He called the aunt.  He closed her eyes with His hands and led her to the last room.  Removing His hands, He said, "Look!"

The aunt was transported beyond measure.

Shirdi Baba was verily present there in flesh and blood.  It was as if the figure in the pictures had come to life.  A couple of differences, however, were there.  First, He had closed His eyes in contemplation; second, the sacred ash was drawn across the forehead. (We learn that Nana Saheb Chandorkar, an ardent devotee used to draw the sacred ash in the conventional three stripes across the forehead of Baba.)  The vision of the aunt must be of this.  Moreover, is not the vibhuti a common external link between the two Sai's?

The supreme serenity of the Shirdi atmosphere enveloped the place.  Around Baba there was the aroma of incense and scented sticks.

The voice of our loving Baba curled up like the sweet smelling incense fume.  "Have you seen, aunt?"

Again Baba closed her eyes and led her out.

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

The Power of Love

"The power of Love is infinite. It can conquer anything. 

Once while Lord Buddha was journeying, he was confronted by a demon who threatened to kill him.
Smilingly, Buddha said: "You are not a demon; you are a deity! I love you even if you behave like a demon." 

Hearing these loving words, the demon turned into a dove and flew away. 

Love can change the heart of even an inveterate enemy. 

It is this kind of Universal love that should be cultivated by everyone."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 25.12.1986)

Divinity

"Divinity is present in every object in creation, from the ant to Brahma. Ignoring this basic truth, man is involving himself in endless problems. God is treated as a convenience, to be sought when in trouble and forgotten at other times. The Divine is not be sought in some far off place. He is the indweller in our heart. When this eternal, divine light is shining within us, it is a mark of ignorance to seek for illumination elsewhere outside."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 27.8.1986)

Bliss Arises from Love

"There can be no joy in a dry, barren heart. Divine Love alone can make a dry heart fit for the sprouting of the plant of joy. That was why the gopikas appealed to Krishna:

 "Oh Krishna, play on your magic flute, 

So that its divine music may drench 

Our barren hearts with the nectarine flow, 

That will make the saplings of love sprout in them. 

Let the sun of Krishna shine over 

Our hearts covered with dark clouds. 

Let love make a garland out of 

The scattered flowers in our hearts."

Love is the vital force. Love is the governing principle. It is only when the precious diamond of love is shining in one's heart that the sacred and divine thoughts about God will arise in his mind. This diamond of Love can be got only from the Shop of Love, in the Street of Love, in the Kingdom of Love."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 18.10.1991)

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 ~

The Group of Frogs

As a group of frogs was traveling through the woods, two of them fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs crowded around the pit and saw how deep it was, they told the two frogs that they’re was no hope left for them.

However, the two frogs decided to ignore what the others were saying and they proceeded to try and jump out of the pit. Despite their efforts, the group of frogs at the top of he pit were still saying that they should just give up. That they would never make it out.

Eventually, one of the frogs took heed to what the others were saying and he gave up, falling down to his death. The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die.

He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, “Did you not hear us?”

The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him all the entire time.

Moral of the story: People's words can have a big effect on others' lives. Think about what you say before it comes out of your mouth. It might just be the difference between life and death.

Quotable Quotes

“Those who are without compassion cannot see 

what is seen with the eyes of compassion.” 

~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~

It Is I Who Delayed

In my mind,

With bunch of doubts,

In my heart,

With loads of wishes.

In my soul,

Bearing many prayers,

I came,

To the Land of Peace.

As I behold,

Your most Charismatic Form,

I was flabbergasted,

And my doubts vanished.

Before I spoke,

My wishes were gratified,

Needless to say,

You heard my prayers.

My Beloved Bhagawan

You already knew me,

It's I who

Couldn't recognise Your Divinity.

~ Raja Sekhar Ganta ~

(From his book "108 Heart Beats")

Baba's Storytime - Good Exists

The epic theme of the Ramayana is the transformation of the demonic nature to divinity. 

During the war in Lanka, an arrow released by Lakshmana struck a child whom its mother was carrying. Lakshmana noticed that the mother, instead of caring for the dead child, was fleeing to save herself. He remarked to Rama that this callous lack of maternal affection revealed the demonic nature of the woman. 

Rama counselled patience and told Lakshmana that the woman's heart had been purified by seeing Rama. She had given up all desires and attachments. He asked Lakshmana to beckon her and ascertain whether she was running away for the sake of personal safety or for higher reasons. A monkey was sent to fetch her. 

When questioned, the woman said: “Ramachandra, it is not as if I have no love for my child. Unfortunately, for the decree of fate it has passed away, while I have survived. I wish to live so that, after defeating Ravana, when Rama takes the Rakshasas to Ayodhya, I shall be able to serve Rama and feast my eyes on him. Some day Rama will bless the people of Lanka and take them to Ayodhya. I shall then be able to render service in Rama's palace. I am keeping alive only with this hope." 

The moral of this episode is that there is good in the midst of evil and evil in the midst of good. Likewise purity prevails amidst impurity and impurity exists in the midst of purity. That is why the answer to the question, "Where is the Lord to be found?" is "Out of unrest peace ensues; from peace results illumination; that illumination reveals the supreme effulgence of the Divine; in that effulgence is Divinity."

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

True Education

"True education consists in the acquisition of good qualities,
cultivation of good thoughts, truthfulness, devotion, discipline, and dedication to duty."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 14.1.1991)

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 clone 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)

Divine Wisdom

Dear Lord ...

Dear Lord,

I love this special world that we share.

Here the flowers never fade,

the birds never stop singing

and the sun never stops shining.

Sometimes a thorn or two may prick my feet

but I feel no pain.

We are bound together by a special bond,

a bond that will never break 

but will only bring us closer together

in our special world.

~ Namaste 1081 ~

Geeta's Silver Kumkum Container

One day shortly after Geeta Ram had arrived in the US, one elderly Indian lady came to her house.  Geeta had not even unpacked her luggage but according to custom, she wanted to give the elderly lady fruits and kumkum (vermillion), a custom followed in many parts of India.  She kept the kumkum in a silver container which could be easily located.  Her parents had taught her thus from early childhood.

On this occasion, however, she could not find it, much to her chagrin.  Her irritation welled up and she felt slighted that Swami put her through this kind of petty test.  Why He couldn't put her through a better test, she wondered, to which she felt she was entitled.  

She unpacked her suitcases the next day and not finding the silver container, became even more upset.  Smarting with pain, she blamed Swami for being so busy with the students that He had no time for her.

Half an hour later there was a knock at the door.  She opened the door to find an Indian person at the doorstep, who wanted to know whether she was Dr.Padmanabhan's daughter, Geeta.  On being assured of her identity, the visitor told her that she was on her way from the airport and that Geeta's parents had given her a small package to be given to Geeta telling her that Swami had given this package during His Birthday celebration.  Geeta opened the package and inside it was her silver container with Kumkum in it!

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

Quotable Quotes

Sai Blossoms