As You Rightly Deserve

Q86: Swami!  How are we to believe all this is happening everyday in Kodaikanal?  Can we estimate our good luck that is responsible for the golden opportunity of sitting at Your lotus feet and listening to five discourses a day?  How are we to retain this privilege?

Bhagawan: As you rightly deserve, you get this opportunity.  But you need to note one important point.  The Bhagavad Gita says ksine punye martyalokam vis'anti, which means that the merit accrued is exhausted with the passage of time.  You will have to return to the earth even from the highest of heavens.

One example.  You know that some of your representatives are elected as legislators and some as members of the parliament.  How long does their term last?  Only five years.  Does it not?  Their term is for five years after which they have to go back to their constituencies.  But as legislators parliamentarians and people's representatives, if they frequently visit their constituencies, meet the electorate and render service to the voters who elected them to those positions, they can contest elections again and return to the assembly or parliament as the case may be for another term.  Similarly, while enjoying the present golden opportunity, you can still work for its continuity by satkarma, doing good deeds, sadalocana, entertaining good thoughts and satsang, joining good company.

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba

(From the book "Satyopanisad" Vol. 1 by Prof. K. Anil Kumar)