1008 Pearls of Sayings
of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Index Introduction Pearls 1- 100 Pearls 101 - 200 Pearls 201- 300 Pearls 301- 400 Pearls 401- 500 Pearls 501 - 600 Pearls 601 - 700 Pearls 701 - 800 Pearls 801 - 900 Pearls 901 - 1008

From 801 to 900

801

YEARN to fill your heart with Him, not with you. Your yearning must be warm, so warm that it can be called "Thapas" (Heat). Become hot (earnest). Now it is only a lukewarm longing, a surface activity. Examine yourselves how far you have filled your heart within. Measure the heights you have reached with the yardstick of virtue, serenity, fortitude and equanimity. You now become easy victims of lust, anger, malice, envy and the rest of that evil brood; the atmosphere of the heart is polluted by the ego-fumes.

802

MAN has all the resources he needs himself. He can tap them by identifying them and manifesting them and by sharing them with others. He is Sath-Chith-Ananda; he is Siva-Sakthi Swarup, Matter-Energy. When man extols himself, he is extolling God. Do not cultivate the conviction that you are mere men; be assured that you are destined for Divinity. When Divinity takes on the human form, as described in the Ramayana, the Mahabaratha and the Bhagavatha, one has to interpret the actions as providing examples and lessons and not as human stories enacted for entertainment.

803

THE five Pandava brothers are five qualities in human character, all observing the norms set by the eldest, which is the noblest and the most righteous. Rama is the example of uncompromising adherence to the principle of Righteousness, regardless of the temptation to bypass it. Rama was charged with a Love that transcended all considerations of advantage, Caste or Creed and extended it to animals and birds, human and subhuman beings. Love is the key to open the doors locked by egoism and greed.

804

WE have at present persons who pride themselves on their encyclopedic scholarship and technical skills; they claim to know the innermost secrets of Nature; they fly into outer space and even land on the moon. But ask them if they have "Ananda" and can stay in "Ananda". They will reply that they have not yet experienced it. If they know everything worth knowing, why have they missed this? It is clear that they are suffering from some delusion.

805

BE eager to confer consolation and courage; be anxious to be of help. Watch for the chance. Snatch each opportunity to expand yourself by sympathy, to enlarge the horizon of Love by understanding and prayer. Do not keep another at arm's length, saying "My God is different from yours or my God is opposite to yours". It can never be so. Paramatma, the Name for God, does not mean a strange God but the Supreme God. Who can vouchsafe for the correctness of the picture which you now worship as the picture of Rama or Krishna? The poet described and the painter delineated, but both rely on their imagination rather than on actual authentic vision.

806

CYNICS question the validity of the type of adoration and say that it will only confirm faith in a superstition. "Can God be a stone, or a piece of paper?", they ask. This attitude is not correct. By adhering to the traditionally laid down ritual worship many aspirants have attained the vision of the Omnipresent and stayed in that Incommunicable Bliss.

807

IN fact, Puja (formal worship at regular hours), with the recitation of hymns and songs, is the very first step in the spiritual pilgrimage. Many seekers have undoubtedly achieved an awareness of God by years of asceticism among jungle caves. But starting early with puja and continuing with scrupulous care, the rites of archana, bhajana and aradhana (offering of flowers with the repetition of God's Name, singing His Glory and adoring Him as a living presence), are more fruitful and satisfying.

808

PUJA, Japa, Archana and Aradhana are the letters of the Spiritual Alphabet. The collection of the various items (lamps, camphor, flowers, plates, caps, a bell and the book) are necessary for precious hours-long concentration on the Divine. The Puja itself may take another hour or two of concentrated and devout attention, and the performer rises up after the recitations and meditations as a stronger and steadier pilgrim on the path.

809

THE sixteen modes of worship, laid down in the Shastras to make the aspirant aware that he is the very presence, and that every gesture and movement of his has to be motivated by devotion and dedication, ensure the purification of the mind of men from ego and all its brood of blemishes. This is "Chittha Suddhi", the cleansing of all levels of one's consciousness.

810

PUJA or archana offered without a purified heart is a sheer waste of time. But even a short sincere session of Puja, spent in Divine Awareness, yields much fruit. Thiru Thondar, a Tamil Saint, confessed that he had engaged himself in worship of the Lord's idol in order to cleanse his mind. The material and the Form are inseparable, but the seeker must dwell on the Form which he desires to be manifested in all its Glory rather than on the material.

811

WHAT exactly is implied by "Adhyatmic"? Is Bhajan or congregational prayer "Adhyatmic"? Or does it involve "Japa" or "Dhyana"? Or does it denote religious rituals and ceremonies? Or does it extend to pilgrimages and holy places? No. These are only beneficial acts. "Adhyatmic", in its real sense, relates to two progressive achievements or at least to sincere attempts towards those two achievements: elimination of the animal traits still clinging to man and unification with the Divine.

812

DHYANA is interrupted in most cases by worry and anxiety regarding one's kith and kin, and one's earnings and riches. Since all are manifestations of Maya, which is natural to Brahmam or Paramathmam, the Paramathmam or Lord, in whom you take refuge, will certainly free you from fear. Why? You are, each one, the Atman and nothing else. This is the reason why I begin the Discourse, addressing you as "Divyatmaswarupas"!

813

THE mind is the altar. Place the animal which is to be offered as oblation (the evil aspects of your character, behaviour, attitude etc.) and sacrifice it to the deity involved. Though born as a human, man is burdened by animal instincts and impulses that have attached themselves to him during his previous lives as an animal. He has passed through many an animal existence and each has left its mark on his mental makeup like a scar on the skin when a wound has healed.

814

BUDDHI is the only instrument for realisation. Jnana alone can grant the Vision, the ultimate Truth. That is why the Gayatri, a Vedic prayer to the Light that fills the Universe to illuminate the intelligence, is a prayer for prompting the spirit of inquiry and for illuminating the path by the inner light of the Spirit.

815

YOUR devotion to God is best expressed by achieving the control of the senses. For the senses rush towards the temporary and the tawdry; and they foul the heart. I require from each of you no other gift, no more valuable offering than the heart I have endowed you with. Give Me that heart, as pure as when I gave it to you, full of the nectar of Love I filled it with.

816

IT is certainly wasteful to spend precious time in mere study without any attempt to translate it into action. You need not give your word to Me now, but try to put into practice at least a few of the good things that appeal to you and that are helpful in giving you peace and contentment. To evoke the Divine in you, there is no better method than Namasmarana.

817

YOU must take every step in Sadhana or in Samsara, only after deep deliberation and satisfying yourself that it will be for your good. Otherwise, it will be like the story of the weeping city. One day, a close female attendant of the Queen came to the palace weeping in great sorrow, and so the Queen began to shed tears. Seeing the Queen in tears, the entire Zannan wept and the weeping spread to the male attendants also. The King, finding the queen inconsolably sad, also wept profusely in sympathy, and the sight made the entire city weep loudly without end. At last, one sensible person set in motion an inquiry, which passed through person after person until the Queen herself was accosted. She said that her attendant was in sore grief, and when she, a washer-woman by caste, was interrogated, she confessed that it was all due to the sudden demise of her favourite ass. Reason out; discriminate; and do not rush to conclusion or be led away by mere hear-say.

818

WHEN you scatter seeds on the surface of the soil, they do not germinate; you have to keep them inside the soil. So too, Bodha, if scattered on the surface, will not germinate, grow into the tree of knowledge and yield the fruit of wisdom. Plant it in the heart; water the plant with Prema; and measure it with Faith and Courage. Keep off pests with the insecticides of Bhajan and Sathsang, so that you may benefit in the end.

819

KARMA must not be felt as a burden, for that feeling is a sure sign, indicating that it is against the grain. No Karma which helps your progress will weigh heavily on you. It is only when you go counter to your inner-most nature that you feel it as a burden. A time comes when you look back on your achievement and sigh at the futility of it all. Entrust your mind to the Lord before it is too late, and let Him shape it as He wills.

820

WHOM the Muslims adore as Allah, the Christians as Jehovah, the Vaishnavas as Phullajaakshe and the Saivites as Sambhu, who grants in answer to their several prayers, health, prosperity, and happiness to all wherever they may be, He is the One God of all mankind.

821

FOOD and recreational habits are the two main causes for ill-health. Great care has to be bestowed to ensure that injurious tendencies do not affect these two. At present, drugs have multiplied and hospitals have been established in every nook and corner, ill-health is also widespread. This situation is attributable to the spread of deleterious food habits and pastimes.

822

TO remove the evils of Egoism, Service is the most efficient instrument. Service will also impress on the person doing the Service, the Unity of all mankind. He who dedicates his time, skill and strength to Service will never meet with defeat, distress or disappointment, for Service is its own reward. His word will be ever sweet and soft and his gestures ever revered and humble. He will have no foe, no fatigue and no fear.

823

THE Scriptures proclaim that health is the very root of all endeavours in the four fields of human achievement: Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha. Without health, man cannot brave temptations, earn a decent living, fulfill his basic needs or succeed in spiritual Sadhana. Man can engage himself in obligatory and optional functions only if he is healthy.

824

THE same Divine Compassion that blessed Dhruva, saved Gajendra, restored Kuchela and stood by Prahlada, has come to the Earth as the Refuge of the refuge-less, as the Lord of Peace, Harmony and Righteousness, as the Lord of all the Worlds, as the Sath Chith-Anandamurthi, as the Puttaparthi Sathya Sai Sath-Chakravarthi, the king of kings.

825

INDIA is the land where the ideals of service, renunciation and spiritual endeavour were born and have flourished. It is only recently that India fell under the impact of alien cultures which highlighted material comfort, physical luxury, sensual liberty, and exterior display; and that Indians have trodden the wrong path of exploitation and violence, idleness and pompousness. With the spread of alien cultures and alien ways of thought and life, diseases too have multiplied and mental imbalances have increased.

826

DO not try to delve into Me; develop Faith and Sraddha and derive Ananda through Prema. That is the utmost you can do; do that and benefit. Do not run after all and sundry who blabber textbook stuff and wear the cloak of fakir hood. Examine, judge and admire. Examine the daily conduct, the motive, the outlook, the trend of the advice and the coordination between what is said and what is done.

827

WITHOUT surrender there can be no liberation. So long as you cling to the narrow "I", the four prison walls will close in on you. Cross out the "I" and you are free. How to kill the "I"? Place it at the feet of the Lord and say "You", not "I" - and you are free of the burden that is cursing you. Associate always with the Niranjana, the vast, the unlimited, the Divine; dream and plan to merge with the Absolute; fill your ears with the call from the Beyond and the Boundless. Transcend the walls, the bars and bolts, the locks and chains. You can do so easily by fixing your mind on your own Infinity.

828

I HAD to do My Dharma; and every act of Mine has its significance which you cannot understand. You are in the dark and you fear more. You cannot notice the heaps of earth and the pits on the road. You cannot even know that the road is smooth and fine. There is no fault or partiality in creation; be confirmed in that. Then you will no more waver in your faith. If God's creation was faulty, all would have suffered equally.

829

LAKSHMI or wealth accrues by fair means as well as foul; money is earned by gambling, by various forms of deceit; by highway robbery; by high and low; by all and sundry. Worship Lakshya. I shall appreciate you! Keep the Lakshya, the Goal of expanding your Love till it embraces all beings, until it sees every being as your mind's eye; then, Lakshmi will, of her own accord, favour you to the extent necessary for realising the Goal. Never doubt that. Never falter.

830

YOU do not know the Gem shining inside you, the Divinity whose effulgence is your intellect and whose reflection is the Prema you evince. You know many things other than this, but not this essential thing; you do not know where such and such a scholar lives in Venkatagiri, but you know where such and such a film star lives in Madras: This is something to be ashamed of, this loss of the sense of values. You must recognise the Higher, the Highest.

831

YOU believe that those who have no faith in the Vedas and the Shastras and those who do not aver that there is some Omnipresent, Omniscient Being, are Nasthikas. But let me tell you, those who revere their Parents and foster them, and those who love and protect with care their brothers and sisters, are Theists. Asthikas believe in Gratitude, Love, Affection, Duty, and Dharma and these qualities are enough to save them from perdition.

832

THE Truth can flash only in a mind clear of all blemishes. The first blemish that I would like to warn you against is: "inability to bear the success of others". Envy is the greatest of the sins. Vanity, envy and egoism are kin. They cut at the root of man's real nature. To feel proud that you are a Bhakta is also a blot. Though you may be a mountain, you must feel you are a mound; and you should not pretend to be a mountain.

833

ALL men are kin, they are of the same likeness, the same build; moulded out of the same material, with the same Divine essence in each. Service to man will help your Divinity to blossom, for it will gladden your heart and make you feel that life has been worthwhile. Service to man is service to God, for He is in every man and every living being and in every stone and stump. Offer your talents at the feet of God; let every act be a flower, free from creeping worms of envy and egoism and full of the fragrance of love and sacrifice.

834

WHAT exactly is a dream? It is a dream within a dream. It is a dream which unfolds before you even while you are "awake" in another dream. It tries to shed some light, some joy, some courage, some faith, some hope, and some meaning on the dream called Life. Naturally, man has to seek all means of discovering the meaning of Life, for without knowing it, he is lost; he wanders from birth to birth, receiving knock after knock and is seldom the better for all the experience.

835

WHERE you go to a temple, you see the idol within but your thoughts are with your footwear that you had to keep outside the gate. These are matters that reveal the concentration that you are capable of. Every little point has to be taken care of, lest the benefit of the Sadhana will be lost. You cannot get liberation by merely coming here; you cannot get it even by Dharsan, Sparsan, and Sambashan. You will have to follow the instructions, the Ajna, the Order and the Directions.

836

MOKSHA or Liberation results from the breaking of the Mind with all its vagaries and wishes. You have to break your Mind but, how can you do it, when the fibrous armour of sensual desires encompasses it? Remove it and dedicate the Mind to God and smash it in His presence. That moment you are free.

837

ONE should accept the body as the "Tantra", one's own breath as the "Mantra", and one's heart as the "Yantra". There is no need to seek them outside oneself. When all words emanating from you are sweet, your breath becomes Rig Veda. When you restrict what you listen to and prefer only sweet speech, all that you hear becomes Sama Gana. When you do only sweet deeds, all that you do is Yajur Homa. Then, you will be performing every day the Vedapurusha Yajna, the Yajna which propitiates the Veda.

838

THE vehicle of human life is drawn by two wheels by the senses, which are driven by Buddhi, with Viveka and Vairagya as the reins, the two wheels being the Kala Chakra and the Karma Chakra. The spokes of the wheel are the rules of Dharma, bound by the rim of Prema. The self is the Rider and he will not come to harm if the axle is Sathya and the goal is Shanti.

839

THE Gita is for saving all and granting them liberation. Gita, in Telugu, means a line; it draws a line across and cancels the series of births and deaths; it teaches you to stand erect, unafraid, along the straight path of Dharma, along the line laid down.

840

HAVING been born, man earns and acquires land, riches, materials, grains and articles of comforts and luxury, which he feels will give him happiness and which, therefore, become the object of his struggle. But the object of realising God is forgotten. You may ask: why should anyone seek good company, do good deeds, and direct his mind towards good thoughts? You are listening to Me and what do you get when you so listen? You agree that I am giving you Anandam. What do you give Me in return? Give Me the Aacharana of what I am telling you, practice what I teach, that is enough. That is all I ask for.

841

IN every country today, men have become power-mad and they resort, without any compunction, to self praise and dry declamation. They develop hatred against others, foster envy and feed their fatal egos. They plunge the Society to which they belong into fear, anxiety and disorder. They do not know, that if elevating ideals are adhered to and practiced, they could gain eternal fame; instead they are content with cheap applause and short-lived publicity.

842

THE mansion called life must be built on a strong foundation and the pursuit of Artha and Kama, of Wealth and Welfare, and all desirable objects must be regulated by the standard of Dharma. Dharma fosters those who foster it. "Dharma Rakshithi Rakshithah". The strongest foundation is ever-present Faith in the Almighty. Some may ask, "If He is Almighty, why then is He not patent"? He reveals Himself only to the person who yearns for the answer, not to the one who questions out of impudence or ignorance.

843

HE will be patent only in the transparent heart, the heart that is not clouded by egoism or attachment. The string of the Rosary is patent only in the Spatika Heads, the crystal beads, not in the coral or Rudraksha beads. Though the string runs through these latter also, it can be seen only by splitting those beads. This is the meaning of the story of Hiranyakasipu who split the pillar. When he did that, he could see for himself the Lord, who is the core of every object and being.

844

YOUR Reality is the Atma, a wave of the Paramatma. The one object of this human existence is to visualise this Reality, this Atma, this relationship between the wave and the sea. All other activities are trivial; you share them with birds and beasts; but this is the unique privilege of man. He has clambered through all the levels of animal, all the steps in the ladder of evolution in order to inherit this high destiny. If all the years between birth and death are frittered away in seeking food and shelter, comfort and pleasure, as animals do, man is condemning himself to a further life sentence.

845

THERE are only three ways of saving oneself: Prakruthi, Nivrithi and Prapatti. Prakruthi (action, external activity) is a method of sublimating the instincts and impulses. Nivritti (detachment; internal quiet), is a method of subduing the thirst of the senses and of the ego. Prapatti (surrender) is a method of utilising the senses, the instincts and impulses, the intelligence and the emotions for the glorification of the all-knowing, all-directing Divine. Do and dedicate, work and worship, plant and protect; but do not worry about the fruit; that is the secret of spiritual success.

846

THE boulder on the hill, from which a portion has been blasted away to carve an idol for the temple, tells the idol, "Thath Thawam Asi" (You and I are the same), That and this are one substance. Yes, of one substance, but what a difference? The hammer and chisel have made one, a thing of beauty and a joy for ever, an inspiration to make life beautiful and holy. You too must subject yourself to the hammer of discipline and the chisel of pain-pleasure, so that you become Divine.

847

WHEN you reach the bank of a river in a strange land, you do not take advice from a lame person or a blind person on where you can best wade across. You follow a person who has waded often and who is neither lame nor blind. The man who can see is a scholar; the man who can walk is a person with experience. The man with both capacities is a good guide, not those who prattle things learnt from the books or dole out set formulae irrespective of the stage the recipient has reached, or roamed about in search of people whom they can squeeze for money.

848

MAN imagines that he has achieved much as a result of his search for material pleasures. He has discovered electricity and is using it for giving light. But what poor glory is this? When the sun rises even the brightest bulb pales into insignificance. Man has invented the fan and, by means of electricity, he is able to create a breeze. But, when a storm arises in Nature, the toughest tree is uprooted and man's handiwork of brick and mortar is laid in ruins, with the roofs flying in the air. On what basis can he erect his pride?

849

ALL who come embodied are Avatars, that is to say, advents of the Divine, Manifestations of God. What then is the special feature of Rama, Krishna, Buddha and Christ? Why do you celebrate their Birthdays with much reverential enthusiasm? The specialty is this: they are Aware, you are unaware of the Atma which is the Truth. Awareness confers Liberation from bonds, from time, space and causation and from sleep, dream and wakefulness. Avatars are ever alert, aware, and alight.

850

THERE was a huge halo of splendour illuminating the sky over the village when Christ was born. This meant that He who was to overcome the darkness of evil and ignorance had taken birth; that He will spread the Light of Love in the heart of man and the councils of humanity. Appearances of splendour and other signs to herald the era that have dawned are natural when Incarnations happen on Earth. Jesus was to shatter the darkness that had enveloped the World and the Aura of Light was a sign that announced the event. The Masters arrive in answer to man's prayer, "Thamasomaa Jyothirgamaya"; "Lead us from darkness unto Light".

851

THE word "Hindu" has been interpreted by scholars in various ways, but the real meaning is "Hin" (Hinsa or Violence), "Dur" (far from): people who keep away from violence. The Hindus have been praying since the ages for the peace and prosperity of all the Worlds. "Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavanthu". Their conception of the immanence of God is strong and unshakable. The rituals, ceremonies, vows and rites prescribed in Hinduism are all directed to the promotion and well-being of "all the Worlds". This is the reason why Hinduism is still alive and active.

852

VISHNU is described as "Buyagasayamam" sleeping on the snake and also as "Samthaakaaram". The "Bujaga" or snake, which has visha or poison, represents the World or "Vishaya" and, when you rest upon it, instead of allowing it to envelop you, you can afford to have "Santham". Let your boat be on the waters; but do not allow the waters to enter the boat. Be in the World, but not of it. That is the secret of a successful life.

853

SARANAGATHI, or unconditional surrender, is the main gate to enter the mansion of Mukthi. It has four floors: Dhyanam, Karma, Bhakti and Jnanam. Each floor rests upon the one beneath and the uppermost cannot be reached without ascending the first three. Remember this, when you hear people arguing about the relative superiority of the Yogas or labeling themselves as "this" or "that" in the Adhyathmic field.

854

PLEASE do not be under the delusion that God needs light and that He requires illumination. He is "Jyothiswarupa" with the splendour of a thousand suns. He is the force which makes Light shine, and He is above and beyond the Thejas that Nature can supply. It is not so much this stone structure that needs illumination. When you come to think of it, it is the temple that you are carrying about with you in body that must be fitted with lights. "Dehodevalaya Proktham". The body is said to be the temple. "Jivodevah Sanathanah". And in that temple is installed the Jivi who is the "timeless" God.

855

YOU try to avoid grief; you try to taste joy instead. It is the nature of man to do so. For he is essentially "Anandaswarupa". When we seek "Ananda", it is like the call of the deep for the deep. When someone asks you, "How do you do?" and you answer, "Quite well, thank you", he does not stop to enquire why you are well. It is only when you answer that you are ill, that he stops and expresses concern and probes into the causes, symptoms and care of the illness. "Wellness is natural"; illness is unnatural. Anxiety is caused by the unnatural only. So you are "Suka-Swarupa" also.

856

CLARIFY the Buddhi by Sadhana so that you get a vision of the Lord who dwells within, that is the Sudarsana which saved Gajendra, the wild elephant (man) that was caught by the alligator (egoism) while rollicking in the lake. The objective World (Samsara) looks upon joy and grief as teachers of hardihood and balance. Grief is a friendly reminder, a good task-master; even a better teacher than joy. The Lord grants both, protection and punishment; for how can he be the Lord if he does not insist on strict accounting and strict obedience?

857

TAKE everything as it comes. Cultivate contentment, do not multiply your wants and foster greed and despair. You take off your warm clothing when you start feeling warm. The coat of desire has to be taken off when the warmth of Bhakthi increases. Strive to secure Grace; do not strive to secure any lesser fruit.

858

THE youth today, in India as well as in other lands, are afflicted with deep discontent which manifests itself in revolt against rules, regulations, curricula and social norms and an agitational approach to every little problem that affects them. What is the basic cause of this phenomenon? The Reason lies in the fact that they have started to neglect the ancient culture of India and its ideals. They are imitating undesirable and fanatic norms of behaviour and are addicted to a code of disbelief, having no roots anywhere.

859

WHEN God has come assuming a Form, take it from Me, it will not fill inferior vessels or embellish tawdry stuff or enter impure bodies. So, do not extol these falsities and ruin those unfortunates. Deal with them severely and they will be cured. Those who have seen the brilliance of the diamond will not be misled by glass trinkets. The Lord is like the diamond, call it by any name. But a trinket cannot be turned into a diamond, however loud the praise and however adamant the claim.

860

WHO can give us the secret of transcending the barrier that divides the region of death from the region of immortality? Of course, the Lord has often sent Messengers to tell humanity about it, and He himself has come down in human form to communicate it and save mankind from perdition. It is because the task of guiding man has gone on so consistently that today, at least in India, there is this quantum of earnestness to achieve it and to escape from the cycle of birth and death.

861

THE Jnanendriyas are more important for Sadhana than the Karmendriyas; Buddhi is more important than all the rest of the inner instruments given to man. Make Buddhi the master of your Manas and you will not fail. You will fail only when the senses establish mastery over the mind.

862

EASWARASSARVOTA Bhoothaanaam Hrddese Arjuna Thishtath, "Oh Arjuna, the God resides in the heart of all being" says the Lord. He is not to be found specially in Amarnath, Kasi, Tirupati, Kedaram or Gokarnam. Just as every drop of the ocean has the taste, the composition and the name of the ocean, so too every single being has the Divine taste and composition and the name of the Lord. Only you do not realise it so clearly. The Godavari realises itself by reaching the sea; man realises himself by merging in the Absolute. "Gamyam ithi Lingam" (That which merges in the goal is Lingam).

863

YOU have to trace your ancestry and be proud of it. From Paramatma, Moola Prakrithi descended with the emergence of Maya, and from the stuff of that illusion, Akasa; and from Akasa, Vayu; from Vayu, Agni; from Agni, Jala; from Jala, Earth. By a combination of the five elements, this Tabernacle of Paramatma, which is you, was produced. The entire ladder has now to be climbed up in order to reach the Paramatma, the Origin of all. There is a regular syllabus for the promotion of the spiritual aspirant, which is given in that form in the Veda and in the form of an elaborate story in the Bhagavatha.

864

THE discovery of Truth is the unique mission of man. Man is a mixture of Maya and Madhava; the Maya throws a mist which hides the Madhava. But through the action of the healthy impulses inherited from acts performed while in previous bodies, or through the cleansing done by austerities in this body, or through the Grace of the Lord Himself, Maya melts away; for it is just a mist which flees before the Sun. Then Nara is transformed into Narayana and this Bhuloka is elevated into a Prasanthi Nilayam.

865

EVERYONE has a mother as the source of his life and body. So, the mother has to be strong in mind and body, ripe in culture and character, sanctified by holy thoughts and steeped in love and dedication. Good mothers make a good nation. Mothers have to be repositories of "Thyaga, Yoga and Bakthi", Detachment, Discipline and Devotion. Their Karma (Activity) must be based on these three urges.

866

THE one Namaskaram you do, do with devotion. That is enough. You do not even do that; you do it so callously, so indifferently and automatically. When you fold your hands and bring them together, feel that you are offering at the Feet all the actions of the Five Karmendriyas and the Five Jnanendriyas as indicated by the ten fingers. Again, the purpose of Namaskaram is to touch the Feet, to have Sparsan of the Lord. The Negative pole Mayasakthi, and the Positive pole, Mahasakthi, have to meet in order to produce a spiritual current that will flow through you.

867

COME, I am the repairer of broken hearts, of damaged Anthahkaranas. I am like the smith who welds, mends and sets right. Ten years ago, a devotee prayed to Me in song, "My heart has gone dry, my lamp has gone out, my path is dark, my brain is confused. Lord make me fit again for life's arduous journey". The Lord will be waiting outside the door of the puja room of the Bhakta, anxious to fulfill his wish. Verily he, who has the Lord as His Servant, is the real Prabhu.

868

EVERY little movement or incident results in sound. Only, you may not be able to hear, because the range of your ear is limited. The falling of an eyelid over the eye makes a sound and the dropping of dew on a petal makes a sound. Any little agitation disturbing the calm is bound to produce a sound. The sound caused by the primal movement that resulted in the enveloping of Brahman by self-evolved Maya is the Pranavashabda or OM. The Gayathri is the elaboration of that Pranava and so, it is now held so venerable that initiation into Adhyatmic life is achieved by its contemplation.

869

YOU may complain that God is hard and heartless since He does not respond to prayer, give a signal from his pictures and speak from "nowhere" in clear unambiguous terms, assuaging, assuring, advising - but let Me tell you: God is Love. Love is God. His Akara (Form) is Prema (Love). His Swabhava (essential Nature) is Ananda (Bliss); and His Raktha (Life-blood) is Sathya (Truth). Even when the stony cliff echoes your voice and responds when you cry, will not the Softest, Sweetest, Love-filled Heart of God respond? When there is no response, infer that there is something wanting in the cry; perhaps, the cry is hollow, insincere, mere play-acting set to a pattern, addressed to someone alien to oneself, taken to be far away and distant as a tyrant or task master.

870

KNOW that God is the One that is dearest and nearest to you, as dear and as near as your own heart and pray to him. Surely his answer will be vouchsafed immediately. You may have huge hordes of men in the army; but they are useful only when the few Generals who lead them know where they are and whether they should proceed and how to overcome the enemy, whose strength and weakness they have comprehended. Hordes of people sing, recite, adore, worship, praise and prostrate, but these are the soldiers. Those who believe, those who have faith and who practice the disciplines are the Generals in whom the Master confides.

871

TALKATIVE persons easily step into scandal mongering. Too much talk and a tongue addicted to scandal are twins; they work together and in unison. A poet addressed his tongue thus "Oh, Tongue, knower of taste, relisher of sweetness, always prefer the Truth". One should not inflame passion, diminish enthusiasm or inflict injury "Sathyam Brooyath, Priyam Rooyath" (Speak the Truth, Speak pleasantly), "Nabrooyath Sathyam Apriyam" (If unpleasant, do not speak the truth), "Priyam cha na anvartsham brooyth" (Though it may be pleasant, do not speak falsehood).

872

THE Lord has said in the Gita: "Anudevega Karam Vakyam Sathyam Priya Hitam Chayat". (Speech, that does not offend, that is truthful, pleasant and beneficial, has to be praised). Such speech sanctifies the tongue. It knows and respects the limits. The ear cannot tolerate a false or discordant note. Every one of the senses responds within its own limits of tolerance and protests when that limit is exceeded or disregarded. You must be vigilant that they are put to use with proper attention to those limits. When they stray from the path or overstep the boundaries, reason bites its head and makes you inhuman.

873

YOU can master all Knowledge and win loud applause. The crowds that gather may praise and proclaim: "Ah, what a wonderful lecture he gave". You can be hailed as a King and rule over the realm. You can pile up vast wealth and donate old and land. But what is the benefit gained? Karna gave away the earrings he wore and even sliced off his Divine suit of armour and gave it away in charity. Wherein lies the key to greatness? Whereto does renunciation lead? The question is, does it purify the heart? Does it help the Divinity within to manifest itself?

874

BRAHMACHARYA does not mean merely desisting from marriage. It means becoming soaked in Holy Love for the Divine through transparent sincerity, unselfish will, pure consciousness and holy thoughts. You all know that Hanuman is described as the Eternal Brahmachari. He was married to Srivatsala, yet he earned that description. How? Brahmachari means, "He who is in Brahman". Hanuman had no other thought than Rama (who is Brahman) and so, was ever moving in Brahman and living in Brahman. Your thoughts, feelings, desires and activities must all move in Brahman, the Universal Absolute. That is to say, whatever is spoken and whatever is seen must be cognised as Brahman. That is the real Brahmacharya stage.

875

LIFE can be sanctified and elevated to a worshipful pilgrimage if only every one clings to his way and sees it in its proper perspective. Idle brains exaggerate matters; and cynics cause great social damage. Gulfs are widened by thoughtless criticism. If only all of you would remember the principle underlying the brotherhood of man, mankind will become a mighty family full of peace and joy.

876

MOHAKARMA flows from delusion and leads to further delusion. Man must outgrow this tendency and turn towards Dharma Karma, that is to say, moral activity, idealistic activity, activity that sublimates lower instincts and impulses and transform every deed into an act of dedication. When the attitude is confirmed and consolidated, all Karma becomes Brahmakarma. Man merges in the Universal and loses the inhibiting individuality. That is the Karma which the Atma craves for and delights in.

877

PREMA or Love is a much misused word. Any positive response to the attraction is called Love. Any feeling of attachment, however trivial or transitory, is characterised as Prema. We must certainly coin new words or set aside specific words to indicate the forms of Love. The attachment of parents to their children or of children to parents must be called affection. The response to the attraction of sex can be best described as fancy, fascination or delusion, Moha. The feeling of Kinship or comradeship evokes dearness. The pleasure one gets through a sense of possession, especially of material objects, can be known as satisfaction. Only the yearning to reach for the sublimity that lies inherent in Truth is entitled to be called by that holy word "Prema".

878

IT is My general practice to induce people to learn the sweetness of the Name. I begin My Discourses with the recitation of a spiritual poem and end them with these Namavalis and in between I give the lesson I love to teach. It is like a tasty health giving meal which I serve to you on a plate (the problem) covering it with a lid (the Namavalis). That is how you may take it.

879

HOW can a person, who cannot swim, teach others the art? How can one whose granary is empty, pour out charity? Acquire the wealth of devotion, fortitude and peace, before venturing to advise others how to acquire them. Bharath (India) has suffered slights and disregard as a result of a spate of teachers who have not cared to practice what they teach. I know you have the enthusiasm to carry My message among the people of this country and other countries. Let Me remind you that the best and the only successful way in which you can do it is to translate the Message into your own lives. Your thoughts, words and deeds must be saturated with the message. They then will spread effortlessly and efficiently, and the face of the World will be transformed.

880

THE Name undoubtedly brings in the Grace of God. Meerabai, the Queen of Rajasthan, gave up status and riches, fortune and family and dedicated herself to the adoration of the Lord, Giridhara Gopala. Her husband brought a chalice of poison and she was ordered to drink it. She uttered the Name of Krishna while she drank it. It was transformed into nectar, by the Grace the Name evoked.

881

GOD is the harmony of all the Forms and Names that man gives Him. Only those who are ignorant of the Glory of God will insist on one Name and one Form for His adoration and, what is worse, condemn the use by others of other Names and Forms. Since you are all associated with the Sathya Sai Organisation, I must warn you against such silly obduracy. Do not go about proclaiming that you are a sect, distinct and separate from those who adore God in other Forms and Names; thereby, you are limiting the very God whom you are extolling.

882

PEOPLE pray to God to relieve them from pain, grief and loss, to confer on them health, strength and wealth. But if you develop an intimate attachment to Him and make Him yours, then He will manage to give you all that you need. Do not demean the relationship into bargaining: give me this; then I shall give you that in exchange. If you insist on wages you become a coolie. Become His own. He is providing for the idler, the insane and the shirker; can He not provide for you?

883

THE duration of life is under the control of Him who gave life, the Creator. It does not depend on the calories of food consumed or the quality of drugs that are injected, or the qualification of the physician who prescribes the medicine. The chief causes of ill health and death are Fear and Loss of Faith. If one concentrates on the Atma, which has no change in characteristics, no subtraction or senility, and no decline or damage, man can conquer Death. Therefore, the most effective prescription is the injection of Atma-Vidya (Knowledge of the Atma, the Soul as one's Real Self).

884

THE future of India is in your hands. You are fully aware of the characteristics of this Kaliyuga we are passing through. You find around you injustice, irregularities, immorality and untruth, with all their devilish attributes and atrocities. But we have to march ahead in spite of all this with a quite tolerant and benign attitude towards life. Almost all the fields and walks of life are polluted with these poisonous feelings; but the field of education, being the most prominent organ, needs our special attention.

885

EVERY Indian will have to recognise the culture based on Vedic philosophy. You will know how restless and agitated the youth of India are today, trying to rob everything of pride and without achievement and thus, getting involved in meaningless pursuits. The student of today is not able to realise what he should primarily be concerned with. It is only in name that he is a "Vidyarthi", the seeker of Knowledge. In practice, he is only a "Vishayarthi", a seeker of worldly pleasures.

886

LOVE is the seed, courage is the blossom and peace is the fruit that the Sages grow in the garden of their hearts. They toiled for identifying themselves with the Truth, not for painting falsehood with the authenticity of Truth and parading as if they had accomplished the mission on which they had come to earth. They achieved such success that Bharath, for centuries, was the Preceptor of Humanity; but now the Preceptor has started to take lessons from the least intelligent of the pupils and is rearing its head in pride when the pupil congratulates him.

887

IN the Gita, the Lord has declared "Beejaymmaam Sarva Bhoothaanam", "I am the seed for all beings". The tree is a broad spread of leaves and flowers, fruit and green. All have grown out of one single small seed, and every fruit of that tree has seeds of the same nature inside it: contemplate for a while on the magnificent multitude of life, all its rich variety of strong and weak, prey and hunter, distressed and delighted, creeping, crawling, flying, floating, walking, hanging, burrowing, living, and swarming. All this uncountable variety of created beings have come out of the "Beejam" (Lord) and again, visualise the immanent Divinity. You will become humble, wise, and full of Love.

888

DO NOT waver, hesitate or doubt your destiny. Yearn to realise your Reality; that yearning itself will endow you with a steady endeavour and the Grace of God which will remove all obstacles. Be an example to others. Do not scatter advice without the authority born of practical experience. Do not search for the faults of others, seek your own. Love, Cooperate, Help, and Serve. This is your prime duty.

889

THE six demons, Kama (Lust), Krodha (Anger), Lobha (Greed) Moha (Attachment), Mada (Pride) and Matsara (Hate) pursue you and turn you on to wrong paths and make you servile, stupid and sad. Fight against them resolutely. That is the life-long war you have to wage. It is not a seven year war or a thirty year war; it may be a hundred year war, if you live a hundred years. The struggle knows no respite. This is a civil war, where vigilance alone can bring dividends.

890

THERE are no characteristics in God, but in the characteristics of Sathya, Jnana and Ananda there is God. God is everywhere and no spaceship can hit against Him; no astronaut can espy Him. He is too subtle for all that type of contact, subtler than ether or Akasa. So, do not lend your ears to people who swear there is no God. God is too vast and too far above the reach of reason or imagination. You can only get glimpses of the Bliss derived from the contemplation of His Magnificence.

891

KRISHNA is hiding in the recesses of your hearts. You have to trace Him there and hold fast. He runs away but leaves footprints marked by the spilled milk on which he has trodden in His hurry to be beyond our reach. Yes, the lesson is: recognise his Footprints in everything of beauty, every act of goodness, every tear of gratitude and every sigh of compassion; and discover Him in the bower of your own heart filled with the Fragrance of Love and Light of Virtue.

892

A HEART without Love is as dreary as a town without a temple. Spiritual pride is the most poisonous of all varieties of Pride. It blends and leads the person suffering from it into ruin. Beware of Pride; be always aware that you are but an instrument in My Divine Mission of Dharmasthapana, Revival of righteousness. Try to be more and more efficient as such instruments. The hand that wields the instrument knows how and when it has to be applied.

893

AT THIS critical hour in the history of the World, when the demoniac forces of fear and anxiety, injustice and inequity are raging in wild fury, it is the duty of every human being to be equipped with spiritual strength so that he may not be overwhelmed by the storm. This is an urgent and essential task and I must say, that the women of India have a contribution to make, a service to render and a role to play. They must bring God into the heart of the child and help it to keep Him there. For Faith in God is the tonic that man needs to get back his health and happiness.

894

SOCIAL service should not become show-cial, work carried out for publicity or with the camera in view. Nor should it become slow-cial work. Why go slow, when you are doing good to the deserving? Do as much as you can. If you cannot do any good, at least desist from doing harm or from finding fault with those who serve you.

895

YOU know that you can draw cheques upon a bank whenever you need money, provided you have enough current deposit therein. If the Bank goes bankrupt, it will be a disaster. The educational system is the Bank on which the nation draws a cheque whenever it wants strong, reliable skilled workers. If it goes bankrupt, as it nearly has today, it is a national disaster.

896

SERVICE: Let that be the slogan for this nation. Service not for those who have many to serve them and the wherewithal to help themselves, but for the diseased in the hospitals who have no one to nurse them, give them a smile or a flower or write a letter home for them.

897

THE chief means by which you detach your mind from distractions and attach yourselves to the search for God are: Yoga and Thyaga. Kama (desire) has to be gotten rid of by Thyaga (Renunciation); and Rama (God) has to be secured by Yoga (the conjunction of all your faculties for the common purpose). Desire discolours the intelligence; it perverts judgment; it sharpens the appetites of the senses; it lends a false lure to the objective world. When desire disappears or is concentrated on God, intelligence is self luminous and it shines in the pristine splendour; and that splendour reveals the God within and without. That is the real "Atmasakshatkara".

898

OF WHAT benefit is it to have a body if you do not seek to know how best to utilise it? Learn from the Saints and Sages who have realised the Truth about the path you shall tread and the goal you have to attain. That goal is God. He is beyond all notions of good and bad, right and wrong. These are earthly measures, by which the temporary is weighed and judged. He has no Form, no Limbs, no duality, no preferences, no prejudices and no predilection. To say that He is "Sathyaswarup" (having the characteristic of Truth), and "Jnanaswarup" (having full wisdom), and "Anandaswarup" (full of Bliss) is also not correct. For He has no "Swarup" or "Swabhav"; He is Sathya; He is Jnana; and He is "Ananda". That is the experience of those who have tasted "Ananda".

899

YOU may boast that you have been visiting Puttaparthi since twenty years or that you have made the place your permanent residence; but, unless you follow the lessons I emphasise, that boast is mere empty vanity. If you develop love for all beings, in the faith that God resides in all, you may be anywhere else, but your prayers would reach Me and My Grace will reach you. While in My previous body, I told Nanashab that I am in ants, insects and animals, besides all men. When a dog ate all offerings intended for Baba, it was declared to have reached Baba, for he had eaten it in that form. "Nana says, he is giving Me food, but when I go in the form of a dog, he drives Me off".

900

INDIA has always laid down disciplines to cultivate Universal Love; the Yagnas and Yaga which are recommended in the Vedas are for Lokakalyana, Lokasangraha, the welfare and security of all mankind. That is why India is like the engine which drags the wagons along, all the wagons that are coupled with it. The wagons are the different nations. "Lokaasamathaah Sukhino Bhavanthu" is the prayer that rises from the children of the land since thousands of years. God is Omnipresent. He is immanent in every being and in equal measure. So man must visualise Him equally in himself and in others.

Index Introduction Pearls 1- 100 Pearls 101 - 200 Pearls 201- 300 Pearls 301- 400 Pearls 401- 500 Pearls 501 - 600 Pearls 601 - 700 Pearls 701 - 800 Pearls 801 - 900 Pearls 901 - 1008