Offer God real flowers grown in the garden of your heart ~ Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
"One should not be affected by criticism arising out of ill-will, envy or hatred. Reacting to such criticism in like manner will destroy one's peace of mind. We should rectify ourselves if the cirticism is justified and should ignore baseless criticisms motivated by ill-will or jealousy. We should be true to our own good nature and maintain equanimity."
~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(December 9, 1985)
From the Diary of an Alumnus
Swami’s Gift of a Second Life
This is the extraordinary story of an alumnus who, after completing his education, was blessed with the opportunity to serve in Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s Organisation. When his younger brother’s birthday approached (he was then studying in Swami’s educational institution), their parents travelled from Hyderabad to Puttaparthi, carrying sweets for the occasion. The alumnus’s friend invited the family for dinner, unaware that the happy evening would soon turn into a nightmare.
During dinner, the father suddenly developed serious complications. He was rushed to the General Hospital and, after examination, the doctors advised the family to take him immediately to the Super Speciality Hospital, as he appeared to have suffered a severe heart attack. Before they could even reach the hospital, he lost consciousness.
At the Super Speciality Hospital, the doctor spoke frankly to the student.
”Your father cannot survive. His heart is functioning at only five percent."
The words shattered him. He did not even have the courage to tell his mother what the doctor had said. Instead, the very next day, he went straight to Swami.
With tears in his eyes, he pleaded,
”Swami . . . please save my father.”
He told Bhagawan everything. Swami listened quietly, His compassionate Lotus Eyes resting upon him, and then gave him three packets of Vibhuti.
”Rub it on his chest," He said.
The boy immediately followed His divine command.
Then, slowly, something began to change.
The father’s condition improved, and after fourteen days the doctors said that he could be discharged. Throughout those fourteen days, Swami enquired about him every day.
On the day before the discharge, Swami called the student.
”What did the doctor say?"
”Swami, the doctor said that my father would not survive."
Swami asked,
”Then what happened?”
The boy replied with tears of gratitude,
”Swami, by Your grace, he is alive."
Bhagawan smiled.
”Tell your father—this is his second life.”
The following day, when the father was ready to leave the hospital, the family told him everything that had happened - the doctors’ verdict, the boy’s prayer to Swami, and the Vibhuti that Swami had given with instructions to apply it to his chest.
Then the father revealed something that left everyone speechless._
”On that day,” he said, “I suddenly found myself looking at my own body lying on the bed. I could see all of you around me. I saw you come rushing in and apply Vibhuti on my chest.”
He paused before continuing.
”The moment the Vibhuti touched my body, I felt myself being drawn back into it. I was somehow forced back inside my body. I entered it again.”
The family listened in stunned silence.
Suddenly, the full meaning of Swami’s words became clear
”Tell your father—this is his second life.”
The doctors had seen a heart functioning at only five percent and had declared that the father could not survive. But Bhagawan, the Omniscient and All-Compassionate Lord, had other plans. What appeared to medical science to be the end became, by His Divine Sankalpa, the beginning of a new chapter.
For the alumnus, this was far more than his father’s recovery from a critical illness. It was a direct experience of Swami’s infinite compassion and unseen protection, and a reminder that when every human possibility seems exhausted, the devotee can still turn to the One whose Will transcends all limitations.
When the doctors say,
”There is no hope,”
the devotee turns to Swami. And when Swami says,
”This is his second life,”
the final word belongs to God.
You will hear a Gita specially designed for you, if you call upon the Lord in your own heart. He is there, installed as your own charioteer. Ask, and He will answer.
- Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba -
Samasta Lokha Sukhino Bhavantu
"What really constitutes spirituality? Does doing bhajans constitute spirituality? Or repeating the words "Sai Ram" or making pilgrimages to shrines? No, true spirituality consists of the elimination of animal instincts and manifesting the divine light within. This is the true meaning of spirituality."
~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(August 31, 1992)
We enter this world with empty hands, and we will leave the same way. Everything we hold feels permanent, but time quietly reminds us otherwise.
People, moments, success, and pain are all borrowed, not owned. The tighter we grip them, the heavier our hearts become, and the more fear controls us.
When you accept that nothing is truly yours, freedom begins to grow inside you. You learn to love without possession, to live without constant fear, and to let go without breaking.
Samasta Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu
What is the best way to observe the beautiful occasion of Sri Krishna Janmashtami? Bhagawan lovingly reminds us on this holy day of Krishna’s advent.
"Among devotional disciplines, installing a picture or idol of the Lord in the home and adoring it, is the least valuable. The celebration of Krishna Janmashtami should not be confined to special worship and extra dishes for lunch. People do this to attract the grace of Krishna. But that grace can be won only by the observance of the teachings of Krishna. They will not be conferred on pride and pompous display.
Adoring Krishna and avoiding His teachings is a sacrilege. You can give up the adoration; nevertheless, you can earn grace if you sincerely attempt to proceed on the path He has marked out.
Krishna was the embodiment of love. Hence, love is the virtue He appreciates most. Love has to turn into concrete acts of compassion. Cultivate compassion and develop sympathetic understanding until you reach the goal of merging in the Embodiment of Love, Krishna.
There are many among you who are engaged in sadhana. What is the basic purpose of sadhana? Each exercise of the sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) is a stream that moves on to the sea of grace. Believe that the love that prompts you to serve and sympathise is a spark of the love of God."
~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Divine Discourse - August 14, 1979)
Repeat the name Krishna in your mind every moment of your life. You will find it sweeter than sugar or honey; indeed, it will taste more delicious than ambrosia. – BABA
