1.In the olden days even before imparting knowledge to his disciples the Guru (preceptor) would assign them different tasks that they had to perform in his hermitage. This was done with a purpose. One important object of work is purification of the chittha (heart). Once the heart is purified one is ready to receive the teachings of the Guru. Thus in this manner the Guru first purified the heart of the disciple and only when he was satisfied with the disciple's spiritual progress did he start imparting Self-Knowledge.]
2.All work should be done as an offering to God. One should not be idle. Whatever work one does, it should be done with a feeling of love. You can take up any work that is appropriate for your aptitudes and capacity. While doing such sacred work, you must continue to worship your favourite form of the Divine. People say many obstacles occur when one undertakes sadhana (spiritual practices). When obstacles come they should be taken as tests. Tests are intended not as punishment but for ascertaining one's fitness for promotion. Frequent tests mean repeated opportunities for promotion. If there is a big time lag between tests, it only means that promotion is not possible for a long time. One must face the obstacles in one’s sadhana in this spirit and try to overcome them.
3.For success in any aspect of life, three things are essential - knowledge, skill and balance. If you combine knowledge with skill, you get balance which is very important. It means maintaining equipoise in the face of praise and criticism. To stay balanced, skill is necessary. If you lose balance, suffering will soon follow. When you are given some work, you should put your heart and soul into it, and do it with utmost sincerity and dedication, to the limit of your capacity. Take for example, a person who is entrusted with planting trees and developing a garden. If he does the work wholeheartedly without getting affected by praise or blame, the plants will come up well, and the garden will get transformed into a place of beauty. When the Guru comes to see that garden and feels happy with the growth of the plants, the joy of the Guru becomes the gr ace He bestows on that individual, and that grace will confer great happiness to that person.
4.The Guru warns and awakens. He reveals the truth and encourages you to progress towards it. Unless you have the yearning, the questioning heart, or the seeking intelligence, he cannot do much. The hungry can be fed; he who has no hunger will discard food as an infliction. The Guru is a gardener who will tend the plant; but the sapling must have sprouted before he can take charge. He does not add anything new to the plant; he only helps it to grow according to its own destiny, quicker perhaps, more fully perhaps, but not against its inner nature. He removes the spiritual poverty by pointing to the treasure that lies buried within oneself; he advises the method of recovering it, the vigilance needed to use it to the best advantage.
5.There are four stages in the journey to God; they are: Saalokya, Saameepya, Saaroopya and Saayujya. The first stage is Saalokya, which is coming to the divine presence. From there on, you should progress forward to Saameepya, which means getting nearer to the Guru. Then you march forward to Saaroopya where you shine with the very form and splendour of Divinity. Finally you enter the stage of Saayujya, which is complete mergence with the Divine. At this stage, the bubble bursts and becomes one with the sea. Seva (Service) gives you the opportunity to progress along each and every one of these steps and merge with God.
Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba
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