The Senses

 

Why is it important to control and sanctify the senses? 

"Embodiments of love! Senses are like life principles for every man. Once you rein in your senses, your life will be peaceful. You should not only avoid evil talk, but should also talk less. Your speech should be short and sweet. 

Sages like Valmiki, Vyasa, and great devotees like Potana composed sacred texts and sanctified their lives. Emulate their ideals and make your life exemplary. Read sacred texts composed by such noble souls. Today, people read books which pollute the mind. It is a very bad practice. 

Be it reading, writing, seeing, or talking, let everything be good. Do not commit any mistake knowingly. You can experience Divinity in humanity by putting the senses to proper use. One can visualise the Divine manifestations and become Divine himself only through sacred use of the senses."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - July 5, 2001)

True spiritual sadhana lies in controlling one’s senses. Without sense control, all spiritual sadhana will prove futile. - BABA

Being Human

 

Divine Wisdom

 

Sai Madhuryam

 

The body is impermanent,

All one's wealth is transient,

Children and wife are shadows,

Only one's good deeds are lasting companions.

Who realises this truth is a true man.

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

"Experience shows that peace or happiness gained from external objects is not enduring.  It is like a mirage, which cannot quench the thirst of the deluded animal that runs toward it.  The real source of peace is within every individual, and it is this inner peace that can confer real joy."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(December 9, 1985)

 

Food for Thought

"Speaking with love is Sathya and doing work with love is Dharma.  It will give you Shanti."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba 

(Food for Thought No. 2688) 

Baba's Storytime - Narada Bhakti Sutras

Nârada asked Vishnu once: "The rishis or sages who had attained the purest wisdom relating to the universal âtmâ, could not win Your grace; but the illiterate milk-maids of Gokul who were charmed by Your beauty, Your sport, Your music, Your prattle, Your sweetness, Your inscrutable novelty - they won Your grace. How did this happen?"

But, Nârada himself came to know later that the gopîs had Krishna (the Lord) as the very breath of their lives, as the very sight of their eyes, the very sound of their ears, the very taste of their tongues, the very touch of their skin. While tending the cows and calves, attending to their husbands and children, doing the thousand and one chores of worldly life, they lived in Krishna, with Krishna, and by means of Krishna only; sarvada sarva kaleshu Hari chintanam - under all conditions, at all times, in all places, their minds dwelt on Hari (Krishna, the Lord, the Supreme Personality). How then can God deny them grace?

When Nârada went to Gokul and called the gopîs to gather around him so they could listen to his teachings about the attainment of jñâna, the gopîs gave no heed; they said they did not like to waste precious minutes: "The hours of day and night are not enough for us to dwell on the name of the Lord. We do not require your verbal acrobatics to convince us that God is sat-chit-ânanda-swarupa; we know, we feel, we experience the bliss every moment". 

It was after this revelation of the supremacy of bhakti that Nârada composed the Bhakti Sutras, which have become the guiding lamps for aspirants.

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

Seva

What is the feeling with which seva must be undertaken, and what is the benefit of such selfless service? Bhagawan clearly explains to us today, through His instruction to those who serve through the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations.

"Active workers (of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations) should have no feeling of arrogance or ostentation in carrying on their activities. They must be broad-minded, completely free from selfish concerns, and must develop love towards all. Active workers are the spinal cord of the Sai Organisation. They should understand what human qualities are and practise them in their life. 

Without having the right attitude, service done demonstratively in a spirit of self-conceit is a travesty of service. They should rid themselves of the sense of “mine” and “thine”. 

Preoccupation with one’s own welfare and happiness is the bane of the dualistic mentality. It breeds discontent and sorrow. Feelings of attachment and aversion sully the mind, and only through service can such a mind be purified. 

External observances like bathing several times a day and smearing vibhuti all over and mouthing mantras mechanically will not serve to cleanse the mind of impurities. These are only outward shows, with nothing spiritual about them."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - November 19, 1987)

Men must outgrow their selfish tendencies and learn to regard the whole of mankind as one family. That is true service. – BABA

Divine Wisdom

 

Sai Blossoms

"Every spiritual seeker should strive for peace (shanti).  Peace is the fragrant flower which is born out of pure love.  It is the fragrance which is derived as a result of one's good deeds.  If one loses this noble and fragrant quality of peace, then one has lost everything."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(December 9, 1985)