God Dwells in All

 "One day in his wanderings, Buddha came to a village. The residents of the village were performing a yajna and as a part of the rituals, were preparing to sacrifice an animal. Buddha saw this and advised the villagers not to do so.

He said, "No harm must be done in any manner whatsoever to any living being, because God dwells in all."

Isanah sarvavidyanam.

Isvara sarvabhutanam.

God is wisdom. God dwells in all beings.

Buddha added, "This is what I have learnt. God dwells in all; therefore the individual is God and God is the individual. Hence, it is wrong to kill this animal."

The head priest replied, "Sir, we are not killing this animal; we are offering it liberation."

Amused by the reply, Buddha said, "You are offering liberation to an animal that did not ask for it. Instead, why don’t you liberate a person who is asking for it? Your argument has no basis in the scriptures. No Veda advocates what you are saying. Your observation is false and untrue. Do you think Lliberation can be granted by inflicting harm, pain, and injury? No! Your father, mother, wife, and son all want liberation. Why don’t you offer them in sacrifice and grant them all the liberation that they seek? You are so eager to liberate an animal that has no desire for it but unwilling to liberate fellow humans who are hungering for it. What kind of perverted logic is this? What you are trying to do is the worst of sins. Never hurt, injure, or kill living beings." 

This is how Buddha conveyed the idea:

Ahimsa paramo dharmah.

Ahimsa (nonviolence) is the greatest dharma of all.

The love principle inherent in man is equally present in all beings, birds and beasts included. Therefore, one has to place the same value on the lives of all beings. Share the love latent within you with not only fellow human beings but also with all creatures in nature. This is the true universal love principle. Such principle alone should be the basis of one’s life."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Buddha Poornima Discourse on 21.5.2000 in Brindavan)

Sai Blossoms

"Do bhajans with faith and enthusiasm.  Let the whole city shake with the devotion you put into every divine name that you sing.  The name promotes comradeship and establishes concord; it stills all storms and grants peace."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(July 10, 1959)

Gratitude

"All spiritual aspirants should cherish in their hearts with gratitude the good done to them by others and always remember whatever form in which help was rendered to them.  Only those who lead such grateful lives will be able to find peace and happiness in their lives." 

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(December 25, 1991)

Divine Wisdom

Anger

 

Anger is a common emotion most of us experience. Why should we be vigilant to fix it systemically and completely? How?  Bhagawan lovingly guides us today.

"Regarding anger, the spiritual aspirant has to be vigilant even about the most minor matters that might provoke him, for if he is careless, he cannot progress in the least. Such persons must cultivate Saumya Prema Bhavam (gentle loving spirit). Then, the bad traits will diminish. 

Some aspirants become angrier still when someone discovers and announces to them the bad traits they possess. This makes matters worse! 

The sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) must always have the inward look; if he allows his mind to wander outward, he can never identify his own faults. Pride prevents the inward look and distracts the mind. When the aspirant is desirous of achieving success, he must gladly accept when someone points out his faults, and he must endeavour to rectify his faults and not repeat those any longer. 

That is the way to progress quick and fast on the path of meditation, and experience ananda (bliss)."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Dhyana Vahini, Ch 14)

When anger is subdued, it is an indication that your Sadhana is on the right path. – BABA

Faith in God

"Whatever things you may possess, whatever amenities you may enjoy, only faith in God will confer real peace of mind.  An air conditioner may cool your body but only grace of God can cool the heated brain and the troubled heart.  That grace will come to those who are grateful to their parents and render loving service to them."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(May 6, 1987)

 

Baba's Storytime - One's Inner Nature

Once, Krishna thought of testing the nature of Yudhishthira and Duryodhana. 

First, He called Yudhishthira and said, “I have a task to perform. For that, I need a very mean-minded person who is given to untruthful and evil ways. Can you bring such a person?” 

Afterwards, Krishna called Duryodhana and said to him, “Duryodhana! A great task is to be performed. For that, a noble person is required who is pure, kind-hearted and virtuous.” 

Both of them agreed to perform the tasks assigned to them by Krishna. Yudhishthira went in one direction and Duryodhana in another direction in search of the persons asked for by Krishna. 

After some time, Yudhishthira came back and said most humbly to Krishna, “Oh Lord! There is no wicked person in our kingdom. I am the only one who has some wickedness or the other. Please make use of me.” 

Some time after this, Duryodhana also came back and said to Krishna, “Krishna! A thoroughly noble person is nowhere to be seen in this kingdom. I think I am the only such person. If You tell me the task, I will surely perform it.” 

In the egoistic outlook of Duryodhana, all appeared to be wicked. In the humble nature of Yudhishthira, all appeared to be good. 

Hence, whatever the colour of the glasses that you wear, everything will appear to you of that colour.

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - April 04, 1993)

An egoistic person will think that he knows everything; others are ignoramuses. But one who knows everything is always humble. - BABA

Sai Madhuryam

A person who has a compassionate heart, 

Whose words spell truth and 

Whose body is utilised to serve others 

Will never be affected by any evil forces. 

Such a person's life will be truly sanctified. 

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Desires

 

Why is modern man restless despite having all basic comforts, and what is the spiritual solution to this restlessness?

"Desires are common to all, whether one is young or old, man or woman, a common man or a saint. However, it is very important to have good desires, such as the desire to reach an exalted position, the desire to lead a noble life, the desire to be a good student, or the desire to tread the divine path. It is quite natural for man to have desires as he has to live in the world. But there should be a limit to his desires. As his desires have crossed all limits due to the effect of Kali Yuga, he has lost his peace and is experiencing restlessness. 

Man's unlimited desires are like chains which bind and imprison him. He loses his freedom as he is bound by desires. Animals also have desires, but they are not limitless like those of man. Animals have a reason and a season, but man has no reason and no season. That is why man today is facing so many troubles and problems. 

Man has no dearth of food, raiment, and shelter. Then, what is the reason for his restlessness? It is only excessive desires that make him restless. Therefore, he must put a ceiling on his desires. Less luggage, more comfort makes travel a pleasure. Life is a long journey. In this long journey of life, you should not have excess luggage. This, in Vedantic parlance, is called renunciation (vairagya).

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - April 04, 1993)

If you move towards God, the world will be away from you. If you move towards the world, you will become distant from God. - BABA

Roots of Wisdom - Unperturbed Heart

"One must not let praise or blame, honour or disgrace affect one's original nature.  Changes in one's fortunes are like the clouds that come together or drift apart.  There's no need to be too concerned about such things."

(From the book "Roots of Wisdom" written by Hong Yingming)