Sai's Talk with a person
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Questions and Answers.
These quotations are taken from
the Sai Dictionary of Quotations, a collaborative work of 36
Sainet devotees.
Sai's Talk with a person.
* Q: Swami, why was I born?
Sai: For what purpose were you
born? (1) Man has been sent into the world ... to realise the
truth that he is not man, but God. The wave dances with the
wind, basks in the sun, frisks in the rain, imagining it is
playing on the breast of the sea; it does not know that it is
the sea itself. Until it realises the truth, it will be tossed
up and down; when it knows it, it can lie calm and collected, at
peace with itself. (2)
* Q: How am I God, Swami? I
am a human being with a human body
Sai: You are in this body, in
this receptacle, ... to realize the God you really are. This
body is the cocoon that you have spun round [yourself], by means
of your impulses and desires. Use it to grow wings so that you
can escape from it! (3)
* Q: Do I have to reach God?
Sai: All creatures have to
reach God. (4) It is the destiny of man to journey from
human-ness to divinity, as he has already journeyed from
animal-ness. (5) Some may ascend a plane, others may travel by
car or board a bus, some may prefer a train journey, others may
like to trudge along -- but all must reach the goal, some day or
other. (6)
* Q: But, Swami, where will
I find Him?
Sai: [The] Divine Principle is
the very core of man. ... It is the source of strength which is
unfailing and irresistible. ... The Divine is here before you,
behind you, inside you, outside you; the Intelligence through
which you can recognise. (7)
* Q: I'm sure I could find
God if I lived here at Prasanthi Nilayam, with You.
Sai: The community in which you
find yourself is the arena where you can win the victory, the
gymnasium where you develop the skill to win. (8)
* Q: But why must I stay in
such an unhappy world, where I too am unhappy?
Sai: You [learn] by the
experience of the buffetings of the World. The World is a very
essential part of the curriculum of man. (9) The ... world is
like a hotel to which we have come to experience the
consequences of our actions in the past. The body is a room in
the hotel in which we have to undergo the Karmic consequences.
(10)
* Q: When I am home, many
things distract me. I don't often think of finding God.
Sai: Without trying to discover
the Divinity that is in the human form, people are wasting their
lives. If you examine the great scriptures of the world, you
will find that they all emphasize the supreme preciousness of
being able to discover one's Divine nature, without which one
cannot achieve real bliss. Man seeks worldly pleasures and
prosperity but does not seek that inner Divinity which will give
him permanent happiness. (11)
* Q: But, Swami, isn't it a
long way?
Sai: You have got to go a long
way. But do not be down- hearted. (12) I have come to guide
[you]. (13) I am ... ready to help you from the first lesson to
the last. (14)
Key: (1) Sathyam, Sivam,
Sundaram, III, 81. (2) Voice of the Avatar, II, 4. (3) Sathya
Sai Speaks, IV, 12. (4) SSS, I, 14. (5) Sathya Sai Baba:
Embodiment of Love, 65. (6) SSS, IV, 40. (7) VOA, II, 10. (8)
SSS, VIII, 5. (9) SSS, I, 12. (10) Sanathana Sarathi, 30, May
1987, 122. (11) SSS, XI, 57. (12) SSS, I, 196. (13) Life of
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, frontispiece. (14) SSS, I, 196.
* Q: Swami, the Golden Age
that You have spoken about, when will it begin?
Sai: The day when the
brotherhood of man and the Fatherhood of God will shine bright
and beautiful is dawning and drawing near. (1)
* Q: What will this time be
like?
Sai: This age [will be a]
Golden Age for the seekers of God, for earning and learning
Viveka. (2) [In it] falsehood will fail, truth will triumph, and
virtue will reign. Character will confer power then, not
knowledge or inventive skill or wealth. Wisdom will be enthroned
in the Councils of Nations. (3)
* Q: What sign will You give
that the Golden Age is beginning?
Sai: The glory of Sai will
spread to every part of the world. It will increase a
thousandfold. (5) You will see thousands pressing along this
road, hundreds on every rock on these hills. (6)
* Q: How crowded it will be!
Sai: [That] day when millions
will gather to benefit from the Avatar is fast coming; I am
advising you to garner and treasure all the Grace and all the
Bliss you can, while you may, so that you can sustain yourselves
ruminating on the sweetness of the memories and the experience.
(7)
* Q: If millions come, where
will we gather?
Sai: The time will soon come
when this huge building or even vaster ones will be too small
for the gatherings of those who are called to this place. The
sky itself will have to be the roof of the Auditorium of the
future; I will have to forego the car and even the aeroplane
when I move from place to place, for the crowds pressing around
them will be too huge; I will have to move across the sky; yes,
that too will happen, believe Me. (8)
* Q: Walk across the sky,
Swami. How exciting that will be! How else will the world know
You are the Lord?
Sai: Formerly, when the
Govardhanagiri was raised aloft by the little boy, the Gopis and
Gopalas realised that Krishna was the Lord. Now, it is not one
Govardhanagiri, a whole range will be lifted. You will see! Have
patience, have faith. (9)
* Q: It is difficult for me
to imagine such a miracle!
Sai: Do not be misled. It is
not my purpose to strike men dumb by the display of miraculous
might! I have come to confer the boon of blessedness and the
benediction of bliss as the reward for genuine spiritual
endeavour and to lead mankind into Liberty, Light and Love. (10)
* Q: How very fortunate I am
to be alive this day.
Sai: Your good fortune ... is
greater than that available for anchorites, monks, sages, saints
and even personalities [embodying facets of Divine Glory! (11)
The fact that you are alive this day is a blessing. (12)
* Q: Swami, why have you
waited so long to declare Yourself publicly? Why do You not
declare the Golden Age now?
Sai: Prior to that I have to
bring such persons near me, who, in their previous lives, have
been incessantly and untiringly trying to get access to me
through their severe sadhana. A time will come when the world
will know about the Avatar through public declaration. (13)
* Q: Who will declare You to
the world, Swami?
Sai: Devotees of world stature,
able to speak of Sai, will be present when the time is correct
for them. (14) The Mahapurushas, the Mahatmas, the Jnanis, [and]
the Yogis ... will all be co-operating in the task of
re-establishing righteousness and clearing the path for the
World-attaining Santhi. (15)
* Q: What will the world be
like when You have finished Your work?
Sai:The world will be peaceful.
... All will be love -- love, love, love everywhere.
* Q: Oh, Swami, what can I
do to be ready for the Golden Age?
Sai: Adhere firmly to the truth
of your convictions. Be prepared to meet any challenges. ... Be
ready to face any situation. ... Strengthen your faith in God.
(17) Prepare for shouldering the task assigned to you -- to be
instruments dedicated [to] the mission on which the Divine has
come. (18)
Key: (1) Sathya Sai Speaks, X,
34. (2) SSS, XI, 186. (3) Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram, III, 21. (4)
Spirit and the Mind, Sandweiss, 245. (5) Sanathana Sarathi, 36,
Dec. 1993, 333. (6) SSS, II, 90. (7) SSS, VIII, 94. (8) SSS, II,
90-1. (9) SSS, III, 23. (10) Sathyam, III, 21. (11) SSS, VI,
211. (12) SSS, X, 17. (13) Sathya Sai Baba and the Nara-Narayana
Gufa Ashram, I, 38. (14) My Baba and I, 205. (15) SSS, I, 32.
(16) MBI, 189. (17) SS, 36, Dec. 1993, 333. (18) SSS, IX, 94.
* Q: Swami, You must get
hungry, and yet I have never seen you eat.
Sai: For Me, your Ananda
[Bliss] is My Food. (1) I need no other food than [that]. I am
Anandaswarupa. My nature is Ananda. (2)
* Q: Do you ever sleep then,
Lord?
Sai: If I needed rest I would
not have incarnated. (3) I do not sleep at night; I remember ...
the events of my past appearances, and I laugh within myself as
memories pass across. (4) In the middle of the night, [I turn]
off the light and [rest] in bed because if the light is on
devotees gather. ... People think that Baba rests in the
afternoon until 4 p.m. But He never rests. He is never tired. He
is always working. (5)
* Q: Don't you wish
sometimes to travel somewhere else, just to get away from all
this?
Sai: I have no need to see
places. I am everywhere, always! (6) I am not moved by the
craving for a change, or for recreation, or travel. (7)
* Q: Do you ever worry that,
with all these people here, You won't be able to complete Your
work?
Sai: Worry is totally alien to
me. I am not aware of any difficulties, disparagement or
pressures caused by others. ... (8) Nothing can hold Me up or
agitate Me or cast a shadow on Me in this Human Form.... My
Sankalpa must prevail; My task must be accomplished. My Mission
will succeed. (9) I may sometimes wait until I can achieve ten
things at one stroke.... But My Word will never fail. (10)
* Q: You are always at work
and yet You seem so calm.
Sai: I do not have a time
schedule to adhere to nor can any law bind me. I am the ultimate
from whom everything originated, in whom it is preserved and in
whom it will be destroyed. (11)
* Q: How can I know that
side of You?
Sai: Stay at Prasanthi Nilayam;
move with Me and experience My company and conversation. Listen
to Me and watch Me and then form your conclusions; get in and
know the depth; eat and know the taste. (12) The way in which
the Avathar has to be used for one's liberation ... is: watch
His every step, observe His actions and activities, follow the
guiding principle of which His life is an elaboration. Mark His
Love, His Compassion, His Wisdom, try to bring them into your
own life. (13)
* Q: I should not only watch
You. I should also listen carefully to Your advice, should I
not?
Sai: You can get Anandam only
by following the advice I give you and that is why I am
particular that you should listen carefully and take to heart
all that I say. (14) Trust in My wisdom: I do not make mistakes.
Love My uncertainty! For it is not a mistake. It is My Intent
and Will. Remember, nothing happens without My Will. Be still.
Do not want to understand; do not ask to understand. Relinquish
understanding. Relinquish the imperative that demands
understanding. (15)
Key: (1) Sathya Sai Speaks, I,
179. (2) Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram, III, 64. (3) Sathya Sai Baba:
Embodiment of Love, 216. (4) Life of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai
Baba, 10. (5) Conversations with Sathya Sai Baba, 65. (6)
Sathyam, III, 25. (7) LBSSSB, 124. (8) Sanathana Sarathi, 33,
Sept. 1990, 245. (9) SSS, I, 95. (10) SSS, I, 189. (11) Sai
Vandana, 142. (12) LBSSSB, 202. (13) SSS, VI, 167. (14) SSS, I,
15. (15) Sathyam, III, 43.
* Q: What is the goal of
human life?
Sai Baba: What is the goal of
human life? What is the objective that man must realise? Is it
just eating, drinking, sleeping, tasting a little joy and grief
and finally dying, like any bird or beast? No, certainly not. A
little thought will reveal that it is ... Brahma-Sakshathkara,
the realisation of the Absolute, of Brahman! (1) You have come
from the Divine and you have to go back to the Divine. (2)
That Divine Principle is the
very core of man. Becoming aware of this Truth is the goal of
life; it is the source of strength which is unfailing and
irresistible. ... The Divine is here before you, behind you,
inside you, outside you; the Intelligence through which you can
recognise. It is also with you, but you are either blind or
diseased with defective vision or, worse still, wilfully
inclined to close your eyes! (3)
* Q: What is the aim of all
spiritual practices?
Sai Baba: All spiritual
practices are aimed at [the complete] purification [of the
heart]. (4) Love has an electronic effect on human beings. It
purifies the human heart. (5) Through love alone -- love
acquired through sadhana, and shared with all as sadhana -- can
peace be attained, by the individual as well as by the nation.
(6)
God is the very
Embodiment of Love. ... God who is Love can be realised only
through Love. (7) Unless you cleanse the mind with Love, the
Full Moon of Spiritual Wisdom cannot shine therein. The recital
of the Name, the observance of vows and vigils, of fasts and
festivals, may scintillate on the Inner Sky of the mind, as
stars stud the sky, but, until the Lamp of Love is lit, the
darkness will not vanish. (8)
* Q: Why must I work? Why
can I not simply sit under this tree and read about God?
Sai Baba: As long as you are in
this world, you must be engaged in work. Work is very important
for human beings. It is through your work and activities that
you learn to harmonize thoughts, words and deeds. (9) Perfect
freedom is not given to any man on earth because the very
meaning of mortal life is relationship with and dependence on
another. (10)
The true Guru is not a human
preceptor [teacher]. It is the Cosmos Itself, Prakrithi,
Creation, the World around us. (11) You [learn] by the
experience of the buffetings of the World. The World is a very
essential part of the curriculum of man. (12) The community in
which you find yourself is the arena where you can win the
victory, the gymnasium where you develop the skill to win. The
spiritual journey lies through compassion, sympathy, mutual
help, and service, and these are fostered by society and are to
be used for society. (13)
* Q: Are we alone in the
universe? What are other beings like?
Sai Baba: The universe is
without beginning and in it dwell an infinitude of 'jivas'
(living bther planet that has human life, or a similar life
form. ... There is life throughout the universe. [But] the
expression of life on Earth is upward through the human to the
Divine. By virtue of human birth, the next step is the full
realization of the Divine. Human life is sacred and must be
appreciated as having the highest value. (15)
The question about life in the
universe arises because you project your own particular
circumstances. You feel that other ways of life would be
intolerable because such ways would be intolerable for you. In
the hot, blazing Sun, for instance, beings are living. This life
exists in circumstances considered to be intolerable by you.
Elsewhere in the universe, life feels it is Divinity, is one
with Divinity, and is quite happy, and feeling all is right.
(16)
* Q: Are there other "gods"
besides God? What do they do?
Sai Baba: Just as the ruler of
a petty earthly domain has certain norms to go by in carrying
out his duty, the Supreme Ruler of the world, the Almighty, too,
[has] such regulations in the matter of the governance of the
universe. It is puerile to say that God would do everything by
Himself simply because He is omnipotent. ... Even as there is a
delegation of authority in the administration of a terrestrial
kingdom by a ruler by which various functions are performed by
several ministers who are assigned the charge of certain
departments and portfolios, in running the affairs of the
Cosmos, the Almighty God too assigns certain functions to
certain gods like Indra, Varuna, and Rudra. Just [as] all
earthly matters are not taken directly to a king, but are
presented to the concerned ministers for action, all prayers of
man do not reach God Himself - they are attended to by His
'ministers' -- Indra, Varuna and others. . (17)
The Lord will not interfere in
the functions of the different deities. He lets Brahma, Vishnu,
and Easwara carry out their respective functions according to
the cosmic laws. (18) Prayers for worldly ends do not reach God.
They will reach only those deities who deal with such restricted
spheres. But all prayers arising from pure love, unselfish
eagerness to render service and from hearts that are all
inclusive will reach God. (19)
* Q: Why do I feel happy
when I see someone happy? Why do I not feel sad instead?
Sai Baba: We are not troubled
when something is good, only when it is bad. This is because
goodness is natural and evil is an aberration. We are worried
and alarmed when someone slides into wrong or is in pain or in
sorrow. This is because nature plans us to be right, to be happy
and ever in joy. It is a pity that man has lost his
understanding of this Truth. (20)
* Q: I always feel this
yearning, no matter what I do. What is it?
Sai Baba: Man has an inborn
thirst for God, an in-built yearning for the Ananda of the
highest order which will never fail or falter. (21) The Lord has
so shaped man that he is inclined towards God and delighted at
the expansion of his vision and happy when he is moral and
virtuous. So man must serve his best interests by adhering to
his basic nature, by concentration on Brahma, by the cultivation
of Sathya and the practice of Dharma. (22)
The deepest yearning of man is
to experience the One, the Basis, the Being that has Become.
(23) It is only by drinking God that [this] thirst can be
quenched; not by substitutes or palliatives. (24) Man can obtain
Santhi only by returning to [his] native home, viz., God. Until
then, homesickness will haunt him. (25)
* Q: What sets human beings
apart from animals?
Sai Baba: Discrimination ...
sets [human beings] apart from the rest of the animals. (26)
[The] divine power is present everywhere in creation. Only man
has the capacity to recognise this power. (27) No other living
being [than man] has been endowed with intelligence and [a]
discriminative faculty, heightened to this degree, in order to
enable it to visualise the Atma. This is the reason why man is
acclaimed as the crown of creation, and why the Sastras proclaim
that the chance of being born as man is a very rare piece of
good fortune. Man has the qualifications needed to seek the
cause of Creation; he has in him the urge and the capacity. (28)
Man alone can rise through
effort to higher stages of spiritual evolution. No other animal
can do so. Animal tamers of the circus can train a tiger to
perform various tricks, but they cannot change his nature. They
cannot make it live on grass and completely deprive it of meat.
But man is different. His nature can be changed by means of his
own disciplined effort. He can control, by his will, the evil
thoughts and ideas that arise in his mind. This is why birth as
a human being is considered a rare gift. (29)
The special instrument that
God has allotted man, namely, Buddhi or the Intellect, has to be
used by man to become masters of these down-dragging senses. The
Intellect has to be used to judge and decide the means for the
upliftment of the human to the Divine. It has to help man to
realize God. (30) In a world replete with ... opposites, man has
to make constantly the choice between what is right and proper
and what is wrong or undesirable. A man who has no such
discriminating faculty is an animal. Man should not let himself
be guided by the mind. He should follow the directions of his
intelligence (Buddhi). As long as you follow the mind, you
cannot obtain Madhava (Divinity). (31)
* Q: When I do something, do
I do it or does God?
Sai Baba: You have to realise
that little depends on your efforts alone. You can have proof of
this in your own body. For instance, what efforts are you making
to see that your heart beats regularly? How far are you
responsible for the breathing process that goes on continually?
What is your contribution to the digestive process that goes on
within you? Are these the results of human efforts? Can you
continue to live merely by wishing that you should go on living?
Are you able to end your life when you wish it? Are you
responsible for your birth? Not at all. When you inquire into
this problem, you will realise that it is your sense of doership
and enjoyership which is causing all difficulties. (32)
When [a person] performs
actions, regarding himself as the doer, the actions become
fetters that bind him. All actions which are performed with the
feeling that they are intended as offerings to please the Divine
do not lead to bondage. They become "desireless" (Anapeksha)
actions. One has to recognise that it is the Divine principle in
all beings which is getting actions done through human beings as
instruments. As long as man regards himself as the doer
(kartrutva) and enjoyer (bhoktrutva) he cannot escape from the
consequences of his actions. (33)
* Q: What should I do if I
see a crime?
Sai Baba: Today many are
indulging in actions opposed to Dharma and Truth and, on the
basis of their caste or community, are promoting strife and
conflict in the country. Elders in the nation are remaining mere
spectators of all the unrighteous and violent actions that are
being done by the evil elements. Even the scholars and
intellectuals are remaining silent. Persons holding high office
are merely watching what goes on. No one, however, is making any
effort to stop this menace. They are not resisting the evil
elements. It appears as if all their knowledge, position and
influence have been reduced to nothing. Such persons, though
they may not be indulging in unrighteous acts, are giving
encouragement to them.
When evil and injustice and
violence are being perpetrated, if individuals look on
unconcerned, they must be regarded as accomplices in the crimes.
In the end they also suffer as much as the criminals. By their
passive association, they provide encouragement to the
evil-doers.
When the good are associated
with the wicked and do not oppose them, they share
responsibility for the deeds of the evil doers. The Divine
destroys even those who either do not oppose or remain passive
while injustice and wrong-doing are perpetrated. The Divine will
not consider whether they are learned or ignorant, wise or
unwise. If they are learned or wise, why did they not stand up
for truth and justice? Why did they remain silent? It means they
are tainted by the same guilt. The failure to resist evil is
their offence. It is only when we resist acts of unrighteousness
and injustice and try to put down malpractices in society that
we can claim to be assisting in the task of restoring Dharma.
...
Whoever may commit an offence,
whether a son, a relation or a close associate, one will be free
from the taint of being accessory to the crime only if he
opposes the wrong action and tries to correct the offender. If,
on the contrary, he allows it or encourages it to be done, he
will be guilty of abetment. (34)
Key: (1) Dharma Vahini, 71. (2)
Sanathana Sarathi, 30, May 1987, 121. (3) Voice of the Avatar,
II, 10. (4) Conversations with Sathya Sai Baba, 44. (5) Bhagavan
Sri Sathya Sai in Amritsar, etc., 35. (6) Yoga of Action, 40.
(7) Sathya Sai Speaks, XI, 68. (8) SSS, IX, 98. (9) Sai Baba
Gita, 3-4. (10) Sai Baba: The Ultimate Experience, 150. (11)
SSS, XI, 120. (12) SSS, I, 12. (13) SSS, VIII, 5. (14) Summer
Showers in Brindavan, 1979, 85. (15) CSSB, 150. (16) My Baba and
I, 226. (17) SSB, 1979, 8. (18) SS, 38, April 1995, 87. (19)
SSS, XI, 68. (20) SSS, X, 248. (21) SSS, VII, 362. (22) DV, 79.
(23) SSS, XI, 73. (24) SSS, VII, 362. (25) DV, 72. (26) YOA, 41.
(27) SS, 31, Dec. 1988, 309. (28) SSV, 1. (29) SSS, X, 189. (30)
SSS, XI, 9. (31) SS, 31, Mar. 1988, 70. (32) SS, 33, Sept. 1990,
235. (33) SS, 36, Feb. 1993, 30. (34) Discourses by Bhagavan Sri
Sathya Sai Baba, I, 141-2.
* Q: Swami, is there nothing
in the universe that God did not create?
Sai: Everything in the world is
derived from God. (1) Nothing is uncaused.... Every being,
object, incident has been caused by the Primal Cause and its
direction or guidance. (2)
* Q: What motivated God to
create the world?
Sai: [God] has willed the world
as His Sport. (3) Prakrithi [the world] is just the leela of the
Lord, set before you so that you may become aware of His Glory,
His Splendour. (4)
* Q: I have heard it said
that God inhabits everything. Is this so?
Sai: The Divine dwells in the
entire Universe, from the minute atom to the vastest star. (5)
No place exists where he is not. (6)
* Q: But, Swami, we often
say that Nature is different from God. We say, "Not this. Not
this." Does God dwell in Nature too?
Sai: You have to pour into the
flames that rise up to destroy (for they are the flames of
revelation, purification, discrimination) the limited vision
that sees Nature as different from the Divine. The Divine
created all this through the Divine and with the Divine
substance. (7)
* Q: Then what is the key to
understanding the mystery of Nature and God?
Sai: The basic truth of Nature
is the One in the many; that is the key to its understanding.
(8) The easiest way of grasping the basic reality is to see the
Lord in every creature; the Lord sporting in all this
multiplicity, as the underlying reality of all. (9)
* Q: Swami, I find these
mysteries hard to understand.
Sai: The Divine mystery is
incredibly marvellous. It is not easy for ordinary mortals to
comprehend these mysteries. (10)
* Q: What prevents me from
understanding them, from comprehending the formless God?
Sai: The Unmanifested, Nirguna
Brahman [Formless God] cognised at the climax of the Jnanamarga
[wisdom path] cannot be grasped by the sense-centred individual
without great travail and trouble. This is the reason why the
Puranas dwell so much more on the Saguna aspect [the aspect of
God with form] than on the Nirguna aspect of Godhead, First, the
aspirant has to practise the Sadhana related to the Saguna
aspect of God; this will endow him with concentration and later,
according to the law of procedure from the gross to the subtle,
he can merge his mind in the Nirguna Brahman. (11)
* Q: How could I move from
being sense-centred to being God-centred in order to be able to
know this mystery of God?
Sai: Ponder over the
ameliorative and curative advice I have given you out of the
fullness of My Love; try to cleanse your minds through
repentance of wrongs committed or contemplated; resolve with
unshakeable firmness to shape your lives anew, rid it of
deep-rooted deleterious habits of speech, thought and action,
and lead it in conformity with the Divine Plan, by which each of
you will blossom into the fully Divine. (12)
Key:(1) Sai Baba Gita, 3. (2)
Voice of the Avatar, II, 11. (3) Sathya Sai Speaks, X, 243. (4)
SSS, III, 29. (5) Sanathana Sarathi, 31, Dec. 1988, 309. (6)
SBG, 8. (7) Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram, III, 65. (8) Sathya Sai
Vahini, 11. (9) SSS, I, 53. (10) SS, 38, April 1995, 88. (11)
Dharma Vahini, 67. (12) Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram, III, 6
* Q: Swami, You said that
everyone is here for a purpose. Why are _You_ here?
Sai: I have come to inscribe a
golden chapter in the history of humanity. (1)
* Q: What do You mean, Lord?
Sai: Sai has come ... to
achieve the supreme task of uplifting the entire mankind, as one
family through the bond of brotherhood, of affirming and
illumining the Atmic Reality of each being in order to reveal
the Divine which is the Basis on which the entire Cosmos rests,
and of instructing all to recognise the common Divine Heritage
that binds man to man so that man can rid himself of the animal,
and rise to the Divine, which is his goal. (2) I want to build
one humanity without any religious, caste or other barriers in a
universal empire of love which would enable my devotees to feel
the whole world as their family. (3)
* Q: How can just one being
change the whole world?
Sai: The power of Sai is
limitless; It manifests for ever. All forms of 'power' are
resident in this Sai palm. (4) My Body, like all other bodies,
is a temporary habitation but My Power is eternal,
all-pervasive, ever-dominant. (5)
* Q: Does that mean that You
can simply snap Your fingers and cure everything in the world?
Sai: If I cure everything
instantly, leaving the people at their present level of
consciousness, they would soon mess up things and be at one
another's throats again with the result that the same chaotic
situation would develop in the world. (6) [Instead] I have to
work through [people], rouse the in-dwelling God in them and
evolve them to a higher reality in order to enable them to
master the natural laws and forces. (7) [I will lead] the people
... to a higher level of consciousness to enable them to
understand the truth of spiritual laws so that they may turn
towards righteousness and steadfastly work for better
conditions. (8)
* Q: Why did the Lord
Himself come?
Sai: When there is a small
disturbance, a police constable is enough to put it down; when
the trouble is threatening to develop into sizable proportions,
a police inspector is sent; when it grows into a riot, the
superintendent of police himself has to quell it; but when as
now, all mankind is threatened with moral ruin, the inspector
general comes down, that is, the Lord comes down with His army
of saintly men and seekers. (9)
* Q: If You are the
Inspector General, will You protect us from nuclear war?
Sai: Evil is so widespread that
humanity itself would be destroyed in a nuclear holocaust.... It
is to prevent such a catastrophe that this present Avatar has
come to raise human consciousness above the existing syndrome of
anger, hate, violence and war and save the world from disaster.
(10) My mission is to pre-empt the fires [of thermonuclear
conflagration] by reestablishing dharma and the spiritual law of
one God, one religion, one [heart] language embracing one
humanity. (11)
* Q: Swami, why has the
United Nations been unable to keep the world from war?
Sai: Only the power of the
Divine can save the world [today]. (12) [I have] to deal with
[a] crisis which is world-wide and world-shaking. ... Immorality
has put on the garb of morality and is enticing man into the
morass of sin. Truth is condemned as a trap; justice is jeered
at; saints are tortured as social enemies. Hence this
Incarnation has come, to uphold the True and suppress the False.
(13)
* Q: Will you destroy the
wicked as you did in your Rama and Krishna Incarnations?
Sai: In this avathar, the
wicked will not be destroyed; they will be corrected and
reformed and educated and led back to the path from which they
have strayed. (14) That is why this avathar has come unarmed; It
has come with the message of love. The only weapon which can
transform the vile and the vicious is ... Love. (15)
* Q: There seems no question
in Your mind that You will succeed.
Sai: Even if the heavens fall,
Sai's resolve will not alter. (16) Nothing can impede or halt
[My] work. (17) The Will of God cannot be stopped. The events
God ordains must take place. (18) The splendour of this Avathara
will go on increasing, day by day. (19)
* Q: I believe You, Lord.
But I fear that many will not.
Sai: Many hesitate to believe
that things will improve, that life will be happy for all and
full of joy, and that the golden age will recur. [But] let me
assure you that this dharmaswarupa, this divine body, has not
come in vain. It will succeed in averting the crisis that has
come upon humanity. (20)
Key: (1) Sathya Sai Baba:
Embodiment of Love, Mason and Laing, 167. (2) Sathya Sai Speaks,
IX, 85. (3) Spirit and the Mind, Sandweiss, 258. (4) SSS, IX,
83. (5) SSS, III, 122. (6) SM, 245. (7) SM, 245. (8) SM, 244.
(9) Life of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Kasturi, 213. (10) SM,
239. (11) SM, 257-8. (12) Sanathana Sarathi, 34, Nov. 1991, 302.
(13) SSS, VI, 265. (14) SSS, I, 22. (15) SSS, I, 66-7. (16) SS,
36, Dec. 1993, 334. (17) SSS, III, 23. (18) Eastern View of
Jesus Christ, 12. (19) SSS, III, 23. (20) Sai Baba: Holy Man and
the Psychiatrist, Sandweiss, 91.
* Q: Swami, sometimes, when
I am home, I feel afraid and lonely without You near me.
Sai: When in fear and doubt,
pray to Me. Tune in to My mighty Power, which, compared to the
power of the sun which I have placed in the heavens, is what a
baby's breathing is to a typhoon. (1)
* Q: But when I leave
Prasanthi, surely You will be busy and forget about me.
Sai: No matter where you go,
always know that I will be there, inside you, guiding every step
of the way. ... You are my very own, dearer than dear to me. I
will protect you as the eyelids protect the eyes. (2)
* Q: How will You know I
need You, Swami?
Sai: Call on Me in your
distress; it is your right to invoke My Grace. (3) If you call
upon Me, I shall be at your side.*** (4)
* Q: But, Swami, surely You
save only the pure. I have been very bad recently.
Sai: To say that you have to be
pure in order to win My grace is as foolish as to say that you
have to be healthy to receive the ministrations of a doctor! The
pure do not need a Master! The tough do not need a doctor! (5)
Why fear when I am here? Put all your faith in Me. I shall guide
and guard you. (6)
* Q: But I cannot see You
when I am home.
Sai: I see [you] and I am with
[you], wherever [you] may be. (7)
* Q: How can You help me
thousands of miles away?
Sai: Wherever you are, you are
near Me. You cannot go beyond My reach. (8)
* Q: Swami, what happens if
You do not come?
Sai: I will not forsake you. I
have come to help, to accompany, and to carry you. I can never
forsake you. I will never fail in My duty to My children. (9)
Nothing will harm him who turns his attention toward Me. (10)
Sai Krishna will install Himself in the lotus of your heart. He
will be ever with you, as guard and guide, and will shower Grace
on you. He will be the Mother, Father and Preceptor, the Nearest
Kinsman; He will be your All. (11)
* Q: Even when I have been
bad?
Sai: However you are mine and I
will not give you up..
** [KASTURI:] It does not
matter if [the one in distress] is not a devotee. In calling
upon Baba, no particular Name is essential -- Rama, Krishna,
Jesus, Allah, Sai, be it any. All Names and Forms being His and
His alone, He is only too ready to answer the cry of the one in
distress and to avert it. (LBSSSB, 133.)
* Q: Even if I forget You
for a while?
Sai: Those who stray away will
come again to me, do not doubt this. I shall beckon them back to
me. (13)
* Q: Oh, Swami, You are the
best friend anyone ever had!
Key: (1) Sathyam, Sivam,
Sundaram, III, 110. (2) Sanathan Sarathi, 30, Feb. 1987,
backcover. (3) Sathyam, III, 60. (4) Life of Bhagavan Sri Sathya
Sai Baba, 110. (5) Sathyam, III, 101. (6) LBSSSB, 98. (7) Sathya
Sai Speaks, IV, 33. (8) Sai Vandana, 74. (9) Yoga of Action,
Other sites on the Net include:
http://www.isc.tamu.edu/%7Emsr/hindu/sai/sai.html
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/~raghavan/sai.html
http://www.afn.org/~afn24770
http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~hug
http://www.chem.uottawa.ca/ravi/ravi.html
http://www.tamu.edu:8000/~ggr4499/
http://pc1502.geographie.uni-regensburg.de/html/miracle.htm
(several)http://www.liv.ac.uk/~mhbarker/saibaba2.html
http://www.stat.unipd.it/h2000/cicap/saibaba.html
Source:
http://rohitk82.tripod.com/person.htm
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