Causing harm to others is a sign of animality. Offer your bad qualities and bad thoughts to the Lord and God alone will give good things in return!

 The manner of living in which delusion regarding the body (deha-bhranti) is prevalent is animal existence (pashutva). What is delusion regarding the body? It is the identification of the body with the Self (the "I"). This is the mark of animal nature in man. The real meaning of animal sacrifice is the sacrifice of the animal nature in man. Everyone must get rid of Ahamkara and Mamakara (egoism and sense of "mine"). Without sacrificing these animal tendencies, sacrificing dumb animals is unworthy of human beings. God accepts the bad and gives good in return. The word “bali” is used with references to sacrifices in yagas. What is the “bali” to be offered in sacrifices? It is offering one's bad qualities and bad thoughts to the Divine. How can one offer bad things to God? God alone can accept such offerings and give good things in return! No one else in the world will accept the bad and give what is good in return!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

We all struggle with unwanted and unpleasant thoughts. What do we do at such times?

 There is a soiled and tattered currency note with you. No one is prepared to accept it from you. But when it is tendered to the Reserve Bank, which issued it, it is bound to accept it and issue a new note in return. Likewise, who is competent to accept one's bad thoughts, perverse feelings and evil intentions? Only the Almighty can accept them. He is the Spiritual Reserve Bank that will accept the soiled notes of your mind and give in return good currency (in the form of good thoughts). Hence, offerings should be made only to those who are competent to receive them. All bad thoughts and feelings should be offered to God so that we may receive, by His grace, good thoughts and feelings in return. Spirituality, thus, means transforming one's life into an ideal one by offering one's bad qualities to the Lord and receiving from Him good qualities in return.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Dedicate all actions to God. That is the way to experience oneness with God.

 Activity is the keynote of the Universe. By activity, all beings are born; by activity, they maintain themselves; and through that activity, they perish. Constant breathing, inhaling and exhaling, keeps body temperature even and comfortable. The One beyond all activity assumed the forms of five basic elemental materials - sky, earth, air, fire and water to act and activate. To be active, yet, to be always aware that all is mere acting, is the secret of happiness. That is the Dharma which must regulate and sanctify karma. Achievements of technology which take man to the moon are also events in the Cosmic Drama, where principal performers are working out His plan; identification with adventure, its success or failure will make performers proud or depressed, states which would not help inner peace and joy. The secret of good karma is, to do karma as an act of worship, a dedicatory rite offered to the source of all energy and intelligence. And, never take the consequence to heart. By this means, one can approximate the Divine Principle, which is beyond activity.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

You worship with faith and you experience Grace. Faith results in Grace, without your being aware of it.

 My grace is ever with you; it is not something that is given or taken; it is always given and accepted by the Consciousness that is aware of its significance. Win the grace of your own sub-consciousness, so that it may accept the grace of God which is always available. God does not deny anyone; it is only you who deny God! When the gift is offered, you have to do only one little act, so that you may earn it  - you have to extend your hand to receive it. That is grace; win it, by teaching it the value of the grace of God. My grace is showered wherever you are, through My infinite love, without even calculating or measuring the readiness of your subconsciousness to receive it and benefit by it. That grace itself will confer on you faith and strength, wisdom and joy. I am in your heart all the time, whether you know it or not!

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

You are a fragment of the Divine. This is the great truth that everyone must realise fully and experience.

 The Divine Principle is the very core of man. Becoming aware of this Truth is the goal of life; it’s the source of strength which is unfailing and irresistible. Close your eyes and you feel there is none around, though there are thousands. If you suffer from cataract, you cannot know the truth. So too, 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, diseased with defective vision or worse still, wilfully inclined to close your eyes! You have a bird in your very hand; but, you are wasting your time and energy conspiring to catch the bird hiding in the bush; the notes that make you believe there’s a bird in the bush are, only the echoes of notes from the throat of the bird in your own hand! The Guru reveals the Truth and makes you free from the travails and trials, the search for the bird in the bush!

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

Why does God appear to be very far from us, especially when we need him most, in testing and trying times?

 The lotus in the heart of man pines for the Sun, the splendour of the Lord. But to attain it is hard. Withdrawal of all affection towards the world alone can win it! God is the nearest and dearest entity, but ignorance hides Him from the eye. The love that God bears for man is unequalled; yet, He appears to man as a distant, formidable, unapproachable phenomenon. The stars appear as dots of light, for they are at a great distance from us. So too God appears insignificant or ineffective to many because they are keeping themselves too far from Him. If some people say there is no God, it only means they are at too great a distance to be aware of Him! A green gourd sinks in water; but a dry one floats. Become dry, rid yourselves of attachments, desire, anxieties, and worry. Then you can float unaffected on the waters of change and chance!

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

We should cross the ocean of our difficulties and troubles by using the power of the divine name

 Why crave for the non-existent? Why ignore the 'existent'? That is to say, why ignore the ‘Sat’? It is the search for the unreal that is the root of all the fear, the sorrow, and the sickness of humanity. Learn, while you can, the key which will open the door of escape. Have all around you the curtain of 'Nama-japam' (the vibrant, vigilant repetition of the Name of God, and recapitulation of His Glory); then, unhealthy yearnings for self-aggrandisement will not pester and poison you. Nama-japam will not allow you to ignore the essential hollowness of worldly affairs and the essential absurdity of getting too involved in it; you behave as if you are the designer of your destiny; you are only a wave, formed on the breast of the ocean by storm and surge.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

Everyone should consider it their foremost duty today to revere their mother as divine and serve her, regardless of country or circumstance.

 Recognising one's mother as the very embodiment of all divine forces, one must show reverence to her and treat her with love. This is the true message that Navaratri, the nine-night festival gives us. The supreme Shakti manifests herself in the form of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. Durga grants us energy - physical, mental and spiritual. Lakshmi bestows on us wealth of many kinds - not just money but intellectual wealth, wealth of character and others. Even health is wealth. She grants untold riches to us. And Saraswati bestows on us intelligence, the capacity for intellectual enquiry and the power of discrimination. The Navaratri festival is celebrated in order to proclaim to the world the power of these Goddesses. One's own mother is the combination of all these Divine beings. She provides us energy, wealth and intelligence. She constantly desires our advancement in life. So she represents all the three goddesses that we worship during the Navaratri festival,

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

Cultivate good behaviour. Then, everything will turn out to be good for you.

 Cultivate good behaviour. Then, everything will turn out to be good for you. Nothing will deter you. No difficulty will ever bother you. It is only to enable you to put good thoughts into practice that goddesses Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati are worshipped during the Dasara celebrations. Durga is not to be understood as a ferocious goddess. She is the Goddess Supreme who protects you. Lakshmi is the embodiment of all wealth. Saraswati is the goddess of speech. Good thoughts, good words, and good actions and behaviour represent the nature of these three goddesses. He who teaches good things to you is verily the embodiment of Goddess Saraswati. He who teaches evil is verily a demon. Goddess Durga destroys only such demons. Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are, in fact, not different from you. They are very much installed in your own heart. They exhort you to lead the life of a human being, since you are a human being.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

One kind word pleases everybody. Why, then, should you be miserly in soft speech?

 Truth, charity, penance, sacrifice, friendliness, purity, straightforwardness, service to Guru and study of scriptures are the nine gems which every seeker of knowledge must cherish. Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa are to be found in the state in which Truth and goodness prevail. The basic Truth is one, but sages have called it by many names. The ideal man is one who adheres to Truth and does not give it up in any circumstance. He lives the true life. Truth does not exist for the sake of any one person. It transcends limitations of time, place and personalities. It is the life-breath for all countries, all people, at all times. The grandsire of humanity, Manu, the great, after deep enquiry, analysis and experience, gave this as his boon to mankind: "Satyam bruyat, priyam bruyat, Na bruyat Satyam Apriyam." (Speak the truth, speak what is pleasing. Never speak the truth that is unpleasant). You should not utter an untruth because it may be pleasing. Nor should you utter truth which is unpleasant.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

Why do we worship the cow and earth as Mothers?

 One individual may elect to worship the Divine in the form of his favourite goddess. Another may worship God in a different form and derive bliss from such worship. Each one should note that Forms in which Divine is worshipped by others are as important to them as their own chosen deity is to them. If, on the contrary, one criticises or casts a slur on deities worshipped by others, he is committing a grievous sin, however well he may be performing his own worship. Man should also show equal regard and reverence for the mothers of others as he shows for his own mother. There are several notable examples in daily life of the divine quality which motherhood represents. Cow converts its own blood into nourishing milk for man to sustain his body. The cow is the first example of Divine as Mother. Earth comes next. Like God, Earth bears man in its bosom and takes care of him in many ways. Hence Earth also is the embodiment of the Mother.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

Man has to recognise the significance of Love and Truth, which are fundamental to human existence. The mother represents these two basic qualities.

 In the human body Divine flows through all limbs as Rasa (Divine essence) and sustains them. This Divine principle is called Rasa-swarupini (Embodiment of Divine sweetness). This is called Angirasa. These Divine principles that permeate and sustain the physical body should also be worshipped as mother goddesses. Then there are the great sages, Maharishis, who investigated matters relating to good and evil, right and wrong, what elevates man or degrades him, and, as a result of their labour and penance, gave to mankind great scriptures, indicating spiritual and mundane paths and how humanity can redeem its existence. These sages must also be revered as Divine Mothers. The cow, the earth, presiding deities for the body, sages and the Guru are all worthy of worship as Embodiments of Divine Motherhood. Although these five appear in different forms and names, they have one thing in common with the Mother. They play a protective and sustaining maternal role for mankind and hence should be revered and worshipped as Divine Mothers.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

What is the purpose of the Sathya Sai Avatar?

 In this world, trees, rivers, and cows help others without any trace of selfish motive. They do not expect anything in return. Without trees, rivers, and cows, the world cannot exist. In fact, it is they that sustain it. But the irony is that man does not make any effort to help and serve others. The spirit of sacrifice evident in them is absent in man today. He spends all his time fulfilling his selfish desires and does not give even a moment for doing good to others or for helping them. Sai Avatar has incarnated in this Kali age with the divine mission of making every individual realise his relationship with the community, and ultimately with Divinity. What is spirituality? That which destroys man's animal nature, nurtures humanness, and finally transforms him into a Divine being is spirituality. Worshipping, singing devotional songs, and performing rituals are acts of secondary importance. They cannot be identified with true spirituality. The word ‘SAI’ spells out to the world the significance of transformation at three levels. The letter ‘S’ stands for transformation at spiritual level, ‘A’ for transformation at association (social) level, and ‘I’ for transformation at the individual level.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

What pollutes the intellect and clouds our true nature?

 If people today indulge in meaningless and impure activities, it means that they are wasting their Divine gifts. Before undertaking any action, one should utter the prayer: "May my actions be holy. May my speech be helpful to others and not cause any pain to them. May all my thoughts be sacred, godly and purposeful." The rulers and people in ancient days used to sanctify their lives by such prayerful actions. Two things are vital in a man's life: Satya (Truth) and Rita (Unity in thought, word and deed). In most people today, this triple unity is absent. One reason for this is that people have allowed their intellect to be polluted, as in the case of a lamp in which the chimney is covered by soot from the flame inside and dust from outside. The light from the lamp will be effulgent if the soot inside and the dust outside are removed. In the case of the Buddhi (intellect), the soot comes from Ahamkara (ego) and the dust from Mamakara (mine-ness). These two reduce the effulgence of the intellect. They have to be removed to make the Buddhi shed its light fully.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

Has the Lord any particular form or abode? No. He is everywhere. He is you and you are He.

 Durga represents Prakruti-mata (Mother Nature). To overcome demonic qualities arising out of the influence of Nature, the power of Nature must be invoked. This is the meaning of the worship of Durga. Nature is the protector as well as the chastiser. Lakshmi represents the protecting aspect of Nature. When Durga has destroyed the demonic qualities, Lakshmi purifies the mind. Then there is purity in speech, represented by Saraswati. The worship of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati is thus undertaken to get rid of the impurities in the mind and purify one's thoughts, words and deeds. Prakruti (Nature) is the embodiment of the Divine. Man perceives Nature and experiences Nature, but is unable to recognise the Divinity in Nature. To see the external manifestations of the Divine and yet fail to recognise the Divine is a sign of stupidity.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

Never give up the Gayatri Mantra. It will protect you from harm wherever you are - travelling, working or at home.

 Saraswati is the presiding deity of speech and wisdom. Gayatri Mantra begins with "Om Bhur Bhuvah Suvah”. Bhuh means materialisation. It represents matter, which is subject to change. Bhuvah represents life principle, vibration. Savitri is the presiding deity of the life principle. You must have heard the story of Savitri, who restored her dead husband back to life with the power of her devotion and surrender. Saraswati is worshipped as Jnana Devata, since she confers good intellect and wisdom. This is described in Vedas as Prajnanam Brahma. Prajnana does not mean worldly knowledge. It is Constant Integrated Awareness, which is changeless and eternal. The divine mother has three names: Gayatri, Savitri, and Saraswati. Gayantam trayate iti Gayatri (Gayatri protects those who sing her glory). Gayatri, being the presiding deity of our senses, helps us to master the senses. Savitri, being the presiding deity of the life principle, protects our life. Saraswati bestows on us the changeless and eternal wisdom.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

Every human being in this world must perform some karma (action).

 The celebration of Dasara festival is meant to purify the actions performed by the Dasendriyas (5 senses of action and 5 senses of perception). Every human being in this world must perform some karma (action). The presiding deity or driving force behind all actions is Devi (also called Durga), who is the personification of energy. She is the bestower of all kinds of energy to perform various actions. Goddess Lakshmi bestows various kinds of wealth like money, food grains, gold, different kinds of objects, vehicles for movement, etc., to human beings so that they can lead a happy life in this world. The third facet of the divine female principle is Saraswati, Goddess of learning and intellect. Thus, the Trinity of Durga (goddess of energy), Lakshmi (goddess of wealth) and Saraswati (goddess of learning and intellect) are worshipped during Dasara. This is the underlying principle of worshipping this Trinity of Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati during this 9-day festival. It is essential that people worship all three facets of the Divine.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

How should the senses be used and handled?

 The senses should not be allowed to override man. They must be instruments within the control of man. They are mere servants, orderlies, and helpers. A knife is best used to cut fruits or vegetables; you should not use it for cutting your throat. So too, your senses must be trained to be free from tamas (inertia) and rajas (passion); they must be neither dull nor dragging, neither dormant nor dangerously diverting. The Gunas must be overcome. Once a student approached a Guru and asked for the path to shanti. Guru replied that he must develop Sahana (tolerance) towards all men, all things, and all events. Nothing should arouse an interested reaction, disgust or desire. The highest alone must be sought; God alone must be desired. Prema, steady, unchanging, undiminishable, can only be Love towards the Lord of all the worlds (Vishweswara-prema). Changing love (Chala-prema) is love towards the changing world.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

Spirituality alone confers true vision, and makes man full and wholesome.

 Spirituality means destroying the animal nature in man and making him realise his divine consciousness. Spirituality implies that one should not develop egoistic pride on account of the divine potencies in man but utilise them for achieving spiritual strength. Spirituality calls for recognition of the manifold capacities manifesting in man as emanating from the Spirit and not from the mind. It means developing faith that all powers come from the Divine. Spirituality does not mean proceeding from the human to the Divine. It seeks to unfold the divinity in man. Spirituality does not mean passing from the mundane to the Divine. Spirituality means making man manifest the divinity in him. People today have the wrong impression that spirituality is concerned with the journey from the mundane world to the higher realm and vice versa. Because of this mistaken view, students today are confused about spirituality and it appears meaningless to them. Spirituality is the realisation of the role of the Spirit in daily life. It is a way of life.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

Make love the basic impulse for all your actions. Share your love with others. Be unselfish.

God's love is unbounded. It knows no growth or diminution. Worldly love is momentary and fickle. Divine love is unchanging and eternal. God is the embodiment of love. His infinite love is offered to all in equal measure. Some may feel that they had experienced God's love for a time and had been deprived of it later. This reflects only their own feelings and not the attitude of the Lord. Nature is like a clean mirror which reflects your feelings and attitudes. It is your own actions and thoughts, whether good or bad, which are reflected back to you. The Lord's love remains the same always. Pleasure and sorrow are not inherent in the nature of man. They are products of the mind. Bliss is the true nature of man. But it can be realised only when the love of God is experienced. The sense of "my-ness" has to be totally eradicated. You must strive for the welfare of all. This is Bharat's message from times of yore. Fill your hearts with this sacred feeling. Banish from your minds all thoughts of hatred and envy.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA