What is the path shown by Sai that we all must strive to walk?

 When you undertake any task with a sacred heart, you will certainly meet with success. I am the living proof of this ideal. There is no trace of selfishness in whatever task I undertake. Whatever I do is for the benefit of humanity. Many do not try to understand this and think that it is done with some expectation. But I do not expect anything from anybody nor do I get any benefit out of it. I derive only one benefit, i.e., I feel happy when everybody is happy. As you claim to be Sai devotees, you should strictly adhere to the Sai path and make everyone happy. When you follow My footsteps, you will certainly achieve sacred results and attain good reputation. Being Sai devotees, you should give up selfishness and dedicate your lives for the welfare of society. Fill your lives with love. Stop criticising others. Offer your respects to even those who hate you. Hatred is a mean quality. It will ruin you. Hence, do not give room for hatred. Cultivate love. Help the poor and needy to the extent possible.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

What is the one worthy campaign parents must encourage their children to undertake?

 Today, the senses are allowed free play; man is a slave to greed, lust and egoism. The fault lies entirely with the parents and the elders. When their children go to temples or religious discourses, they reprimand them and warn them that it is a sign of insanity. They tell them that religion is an old-age pursuit; it should not be taken seriously by youngsters! But, if only they encourage them, the children can equip themselves better for the battle of life. Parents ought to advise the children: "Be convinced that there is a God, guiding and guarding us. Remember Him with gratitude. Pray to Him to render you pure. Love all; serve all. Join good company. Visit temples and holy men." You read in the newspapers about campaigns, conquests, victories, triumphs, etc., but they are all material conquests and other triumphs. Campaign against the temptations of the senses; conquer inner foes; triumph over your ego. That is the victory for which you deserve congratulations, not the others.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

What is the nature of true love and how must it manifest in our lives?

 When you win the Love of God, His compassion will flow unto you. Love gives and forgives. Ego gets and forgets. When your son steals some money from the house, you do not hand him over to the police; but, when your servant steals a spoon, you have no such qualms. For, you have no love for the servant. Live without hating others, condemning others, and seeking faults in others. Vyasa, who wrote eighteen voluminous Puranas summarised all the Puranas in one single line of a small couplet: "Doing good to others is the only meritorious act; doing evil is the most heinous sin." When you feel you cannot do good, at least desist from doing evil. That itself is a meritorious service! Do not try to discover differences; discover unity. Understand that the purpose of life is to know the Embodiment of Love, namely, God, through love, and demonstrate through your own Love that you have known Him.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

What is the significance of detachment and what kind of detachment must we practice?

 Peace is the best treasure without which power, authority, fame, fortune are all dry and burdensome. Tyagaraja has sung that there can be no happiness, without inner peace. To earn this peace and to be unshakably established in it, man must develop Abhyasa (steady practice) and Vairagyam (detachment). Vairagyam does not imply renunciation of family ties and fleeing into the loneliness of the jungle. It means our giving up of the feeling that things are permanent and capable of yielding supreme joy. The mind plays tricks with man and believes that some things are good and some bad, some eternal and some transitory. You might have a plateful of nice eatables before you and they might appear to be delicious and fine; but, if the cook announces that a lizard had fallen into the cooker when it was on fire and has been boiled alive, all the fascination for the food disappears in a trice! There is no object without fault or failing; there is no joy that is unmixed with pain; there is no act that is not tainted with egotism. So be warned and develop the detachment which will save you from grief.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

What is the one truth about God we must always remember?

 Every act in this world, the tiniest one, is happening as per the Divine Will. A particular act of God may bring you some inconvenience or sorrow. That is at your individual level. But in God's creation, there is nothing like sorrow. Whatever God does is for the welfare of humanity. Some people feel depressed and wail as to why God gave them troubles and sorrows. But sorrows and difficulties are our own making. God does not differentiate or cause trouble to anyone. Sorrows and difficulties are only your feelings. Everything in God's creation is meant to provide happiness and convenience to the living beings. That is what I have been repeatedly emphasising. Whether you are in sorrow or enjoying happiness, always think that everything is for your own good. One has to develop a firm conviction that whatever God does is for one's own good and not to trouble one. Unable to realise this truth, man experiences all sorts of difficulties and sorrows. One has to strive to recognise the truth underlying God's creation.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

What are the prerequisites for obtaining wisdom?

 If you want to light a lamp, you need four things. First a container, second - oil, third - a wick and fourth - a matchbox. If any one of these is lacking, you cannot light the lamp. This lamp can, however, remove only the outside darkness. How is the darkness in the heart to be removed? It can be removed only by Jnana Jyoti (the Light of Wisdom) and by nothing else. How is this Light of Wisdom, this spiritual light, to be lit? This also needs four elements. Vairagya (detachment) is the container. Bhakti (devotion) is the oil. Ekagrata (one-pointed concentration) is the wick. Jnana (Knowledge of the Supreme Truth) is the match stick. Without all the four, the Light of Spiritual Wisdom cannot be got. Of the four, the primary requisite is the spirit of vairagya (renunciation). Without this detachment, all knowledge of scriptures is of no avail. What is this detachment? It is the absence of attachment to the body. The ego-feeling, which makes one think of the "I" all the time, should be given up.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

What is the continuous and consistent Sadhana we all must engage in?

 This flower is beautiful; it gives an exciting, enchanting fragrance, declares the eye and the nose. The wise man will not be content with the sense-impression. He resorts to the buddhi (intellect) and wants to discover - How long? How much? The answer is - until nightfall, till the new day dawns. Therefore he concludes that true beauty and true fragrance can be derived only from God, not from created things and components, not from the moving and changing, the emerging and merging, the appearing, attracting and disappearing entities of the world. Man is now riding two horses - the world and God, the Universal and the Particular, the Absolute and the Relative, the Eternal and the Time-bound, the Reality and the Appearance. He is therefore riding for a fall. Sadhana alone can help man to choose the right path and pursue it relentlessly. Every religion in every era and clime emphasises the One and marks out the path to reach it. They warn us against too much attachment to the world, which is basically poisonous.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

As we sit on the lap of Mother Earth, what are the profound lessons we must pay attention to?

 Every man is a son of Bhudevi (Mother Earth). As a mother, Bhudevi is teaching many lessons to her children. She calls on her children to learn everything from herself instead of going after other preceptors. "Scholars and intellectuals are cutting me to pieces to acquire knowledge and conduct their experiments," laments Mother Earth. "They are subjecting me to great suffering by their digging and blasting. But I am not worried about all this. Learn this spirit of forbearance from me. Whatever abuse or attack others may level at you, bear them with fortitude. Treat praise or blame, good or bad with equanimity. This is the highest knowledge." Another vital element in Nature is water, which is also one of the manifestations of the Divine. The lesson that water teaches is: "Son! By nature, I am pure, sweet and cool. Purity, patience and perseverance are three good qualities you have to cultivate." Fire is another of Nature's preceptors. It tells man: “My son! I make no difference between good and bad. I do not gain by burning one thing or lose by not burning something. I treat all alike whatever comes into my orbit. Learn to see the Divine in all things. This is the way to gain knowledge of the Self."

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

How can we develop genuine detachment in life?

 Analyse every object and discover the cheapness and hollowness of each. Then, genuine vairagya (detachment) will be planted in your heart. So, utilise the priceless weapon, the perfect mirror, that God has given you - the buddhi (intellect), for the journey to God. An old adage announces that ‘Buddhi is shaped by one's actions’ - Buddhih karma anusarini. But this is not quite correct. The mind prompts the senses for action. It has the buddhi on one side and the senses on the other and is drawn by both into action. When the manas (mind) leans towards the senses, and activates them, bondage results; if it leans towards the intelligence (which is illuminated by the Atma), liberation results. Sometimes, the buddhi is enticed by the fake delight that the mind revels in, through the senses. Sadhana has to be used at this moment to turn it away from serfdom to the mind. It must be restored to its status of a regulator and controller of the vagaries of the mind.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

What is the nature of a true Guru and how can we find one?

 The present-day teachers are of two types. There are those who claim to be exponents of Vedanta, but their main intent being catering to worldly desires. They conform to the whims of their disciples and in doing so they succeed in dispossessing them of their possessions. Such gurus are an unbearable burden upon the surface of the earth. They correspond to another meaning of the word ‘guru’, which means weight or burden. The second type of gurus is those who can expound the sacred texts and help the disciples to discipline themselves to some extent. They impress upon their disciples that the guru himself is Brahma, Vishnu, Easwara and also Para Brahma. This is how such teachers enhance their own stature in the eyes of their disciples. There is a lot of difference between a teacher and a guru. A teacher transmits what he has learnt in return for a reward, whereas a guru, through his grace, enters your heart, broadens it and enables you to comprehend the aspects of Divinity. Such a being, in the form of a Guru, appears at an appropriate time. For example, when King Parikshit prayed, Suka immediately appeared.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

What is that all-encompassing virtue we must strive to cultivate?

 The quality of Kshama (forbearance) is the most essential for one and all. Forbearance is truth, forbearance is righteousness, forbearance is non-violence, forbearance is the teaching of the Vedas, forbearance confers happiness and heavenly bliss. Forgive those who have harmed you and criticised you. Have faith that whatever happens is for your own good. If someone hurls abuses on you, do not retaliate. Enquire within yourself whether he has criticised the body or the atma. If he has criticised the body, indirectly he has done you a favour because the body is nothing but a heap of flesh, blood, bones and faecal matter. On the other hand, if he has criticised the Atma, it amounts to criticising his own self because the same atma exists in both of you. One should cultivate this kind of forgiveness and broad-mindedness.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Why do we hold Sage Veda Vyasa in such high regard and what is the essence of his message to mankind?

 Veda Vyasa is called so because of his service to students of the Veda. Vedas defied understanding since they were countless and fathomless: Ananto vai Vedah. He also composed the eighteen Puranas on various names and forms of the same God. Puranas are textbooks and illustrative descriptions of moral codes, historical episodes, philosophical principles and social ideals. Vyasa sought to bring home, through the Puranas, the need for mastering egoistic impulses, as the verse says, Ashta dasha puraneshu Vyasasya vachana dwayam; Paropakarah punyaya Papaya para peedanam”. Two statements summarise all eighteen Puranas composed by Vyasa - Doing good to others is meritorious; doing harm to others is sinful, says the hymn. Doing good is the drug; avoiding harm is the regimen that must accompany the treatment. That is the cure for the disease of suffering from joy and grief, honour and dishonour, prosperity and adversity, and the dual throng, that bothers man and deprives him of equanimity.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

How can a devotee experience the Lord?

 It was one of the sports of Krishna to go stealthily into the houses of Gopikas and upset pots containing milk and curds. The Gopikas, who were worried about Krishna's pranks, were keen to catch Him red-handed. Krishna was an elusive thief. So, one Gopika suggested that the only way to catch Him was to pray to him. The Gopikas started praying to Krishna: "O Krishna, is it possible for us to catch You? You are subtler than the atom and vaster than the vastest thing in the world. You pervade every being in creation. How can we comprehend You?" As a result of the prayer, Gopikas were shown the means of catching Him. Krishna poured out milk from the pot, washed His feet in the milk and ran out of the house. Gopikas followed Krishna's footprints and caught Him. The symbolic significance of this episode is that the Divine can be experienced only when the devotee clings to the feet of the Lord. This is the teaching of the Bhagavatha.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

What should we do to experience divinity and stay connected with Him always?

 The reality is cognisable everywhere; why, it is evident most in oneself when you earnestly seek it. You can experience it, even while performing selflessly your duty to yourself and others. I shall indicate to you today, four directives for sanctifying your lives and purifying your mind, so that you can contact God within you! Tyaja durjana samsargam (give up the company of the wicked); Bhaja sadhu samagamam (welcome the chance to be among the good); Kuru punyam ahoratram (do good deeds both day and night); Smara nityam-anityatam (discriminate and remember that which is lasting)! When one does not attempt to transform oneself thus, he is apt to blame God for his sorrows, instead of blaming his unsteady faith! He blames God because he announces himself as a devotee too soon, and expects plentiful grace. Grace cannot be claimed by such people; God must accept the devotee as his own. One has to use his talent of discrimination to sift the trash and discard it in preference to the valuable. Doing good deeds means doing selfless service to others. One has to flee from bad persons to search for and win the friendship of the good, who can cleanse us and heal us.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Why is the right approach to life that can take us swiftly towards the ultimate goal?

 Practise the attitude of offering every act at the feet of God as a flower is offered in pooja. Make every breath an offering to Him. Do not be upset by calamities; take them as acts of grace. If a man loses his hand in an accident, he must believe that it was the Lord's Grace that saved his life. When you know that nothing happens without His sankalpa (resolve), everything that happens has a value added to it. You may be neglecting a creeper in your backyard, but, if a sage passes by and says it is a rare drug that can cure snake poison, you erect a fence around it and do not allow children to pluck its leaves even for fun! When you know that the Lord is the cause, the source of all, you deal with everyone in a humble and reverent manner. That is the path which will lead you quickly to the Goal.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

What are the truly worthy things we can pray for?

 When people pray to God they should not seek any favours. You should not even pray for the curing of any illness, because the world is full of disease. You must feel that what is ailing numerous others is also ailing you. The world is full of wealth, houses and many other things. You must seek from God what is not readily available in the world. You do not have peace. You must pray for peace. Only the divine has peace. The Divine has been described as the very embodiment of peace in the prayer addressed to the Lord beginning with the word ‘Shantakaram.’ Nobody else except God can give you real peace. The second thing for which you must pray is Sukham (happiness). Real happiness cannot be had from others. They may give momentary worldly pleasure. But only God has enduring happiness and permanent bliss. You must pray for that bliss. God alone can give it. He is the Lord of Bliss. You must pray to God for enduring peace and bliss, and not for any earthly gifts.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Why should we lovingly practice service and why is that the true expression of wisdom?

 Prahlada knew the truth, Sarvam Vishnumayam Jagat - This world is all filled with the immanent God. He knew it by study and by experience; he knew it as an ever-present fact. So, when he was asked to frame a boon to be granted by the Lord who concretised before him, he asked neither for the revival of his father nor the restoration of his kingdom, or long life, wealth or fame; he asked for the chance of assuaging the pain and sorrow of all beings! God, he knew, was manifest as those beings and the best form of serving God was to serve those manifestations and give them relief and joy. The tongue must justify itself by sweet soothing words; the hand, by soft harmless acts. The body must be spent in upavasa - living in the constant presence of the Divine.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

What should we do to ensure our spiritual progress?

 Persons who go to the Ganges to bring the holy water can take with them only as much as their containers can hold. Hence, it is essential to broaden the spiritual container in you, namely, your heart. Divinity cannot be realised by various forms of worship. They are good acts in themselves and give their appropriate rewards. But they do not promote spirituality, which consists in establishing association with it only by concentrating on the realisation of that oneness. The Divine has no birth or death and pervades every being as the witness. What is required is a transformation of the heart. All bad thoughts and feelings should be expelled from the heart. Even in the performance of bhajans there should be whole-hearted participation. It should not be a mechanical ritual. Once your heart is filled with sacred thoughts and feelings, they will be reflected in your bhajan-singing. Through your singing you should give joy to all the participants.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

What is the role of divine company and spiritual effort or Sadhana?

 Charcoal is dark and signifies ignorance in the form of darkness. Fire throws light or brightness and signifies knowledge. So long as fire and charcoal are separated from each other, charcoal can only look at the fire but cannot get any of its brightness. However, when charcoal is put into the fire and brought into contact, it will also become bright and will become a part of fire. Therefore, when one comes in contact with the Divine, ignorance in the body will be removed. If we also do a little fanning, the charcoal will become fire faster. Such fanning truly is Sadhana. By sadhana, even an ignorant person can become a wise person. Realising this truth, Gopikas were near and dear to Krishna. All actions of Gopikas were intended to attain immortality but were not performed with any selfish motive. All the events that we read in the Bhagavata must be regarded as actions performed by the Gopikas with a pure and sacred heart. They regarded themselves as part of the Lord. They experienced unity in all creation. We should not take these actions in a superficial manner. Their desires were completely burnt out in the thought of the divine.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Why should we never detest or shy away from unpleasant experiences?

 If a person is always in an air-conditioned room, he can never know what coolness means. He must go, at least once, into the hot sun to realise the value of air-conditioning. No lamp can glow brightly in daylight. Night alone can reveal its value.  Many people come to Me wailing, "Swami! We are in great grief; we are suffering from deep anxiety." When I hear these words I know what is happening to them. I never had the experience of grief or anxiety. I know that these are but dream experiences. They are not real. Some people may praise you, others may blame you; both are unreal. When a well is sunk, soil that is dug out becomes a mound by its side. Some pay attention to the pit, others to the mound. I consider both with indifference. The soil that was the well has now become soil that’s the mound. This is the eternal see-saw. The sun sets in the West and the Moon rises in the East. These dualities are part of Nature. So long as you are here, try to practise equanimity!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

What is the secret to practicing self-control and why is it necessary to develop such discipline?

 Dama means control of external organs. Sama means control of inner organs. We can understand the word Sama as signifying control of sensory organs. For one who can control his inner senses, external organs do not give any trouble and external organs easily come under control. For one who is not able to control the inner senses, external organs also cause a lot of trouble. If one gets the strong feeling that he should not see anything external to him, he will not see anything even if his eyes are open. If one is determined not to eat anything, he will not eat the food however attractive it may be. It is the inner senses that provoke the external organs. Thus controlling the inner senses is a difficult matter; but if we are able to do this, we can easily control the external aspects. For one who is born as a human being, whether he works in the worldly sphere or spiritual sphere, the control of the organs is very essential. This discipline will give all of us a lot of happiness!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

How should our relationship with the Lord be and why?

 There are two ways of accosting God. One is in the manner of the beginner, of the devotee who is still in the elementary stage. He praises, "Lord! You are the embodiment of mercy, you are Ananda-swarupa (embodiment of divine bliss), you are All-powerful," and hopes thereby to win God's Grace. But the dearer the devotee holds God, the more this distance disappears. It is just as when an acquaintance visits you, you welcome him with a handshake and smiles which are largely artificial. But when an old friend drops in, you receive him with an informal hello and show him a seat with a twinkle in your eye and warmth in your heart. In the flood of formal praise, love is mostly absent. As it happens, in dealing with the personal God, love is the preeminent requisite. Therefore, have faith, have patience and do acts of love and service. Love will be rewarded with Love a thousand-fold.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Once you have secured a Guru, leave everything to him, even the desire to achieve liberation.

 The entire world of manifestation is the play of Brahma, Vishnu and Easwara. Brahma creates, Vishnu sustains and Easwara dissolves or merges. Brahma determines your next birth according to your previous karmas, whereas Vishnu sustains the creation of Brahma. A plant cannot grow of its own accord. It has to be looked after, watered and fenced. Only then it will become a big tree. In the same manner, it is not enough for the guru to merely suggest to you to recite the name of the Lord and carry on with your meditation, he has to also look after your practice and progress by giving you the necessary support and strength. The work of Easwara is to make things merge with infinity. Laya or dissolution means merging the soul with Paramatma. Easwara dissolves the individual into the Universal. Thus, the entire process consists of creation, sustenance and merger. The trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara does not represent the three gurus but relates to the same being functioning in three different directions at three different times.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Why is Bhagawan’s role as the Guru very critical in our lives?

 Atma is omnipresent. Atma is infinite. Atma is the One without a second. But, it appears as many because of the diversity of forms. Spirituality is that which recognises the One that subsumes all diversities as the Atma. Unfortunately, today there are many intellectuals who divide the One into the many. But there are very few who see the One in the many. Here is an example. We have built a mansion. In this mansion, we have one room for bath, one for cooking, another for dining and yet another for living. What is responsible for this division? There are walls in between. If you remove the walls, the mansion becomes one again. Because of the walls in between, there are different rooms with different names and forms. Similarly, the mansion of Atma is only one. Since we have created in this mansion of Atma, different rooms of the body, senses, mind, intellect, will and ego, the diversity appears. Since this divisive tendency is on the increase among mankind today there is a great need for the Guru.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Why should we fine-tune the mind and what will be the outcome of such an effort?

 In whichever direction a camera is turned while its film is exposed, the resultant picture will be of the things in that direction. It depends on the turn of the lens. Similarly, the mind reflects the nature of things we are attracted to. When someone blames us, we get furious and behave madly. When someone praises us, we leap with joy and think well of the person who praises us. In either case, the reason is our emotional perturbation! We must understand the secrets of the mind and the ways in which it plays with us. We must learn to be unruffled and steady, whether we are praised or blamed. Another example: When the mind is turned towards God or goodness, it becomes human. If it is turned towards evil thoughts and wicked egoism, it becomes demonic. When we turn the key to the right, it opens the lock; when we turn it to the left, it locks it. The same key does two opposite operations, based on the direction of turning. If the mind is turned towards good thoughts, it establishes detachment. Turned towards thoughts of 'I' and 'mine', causes attachment. Attachment means bondage; detachment leads to liberation!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Why is it unwise to seek permanent happiness in this world?

 A nice rose flower makes us feel very happy; but by the evening, the rose fades away; and by the next morning the petals fall and then it does not generate as much happiness. In the same way, every object of beauty can only generate temporary happiness in us. We must understand carefully where we can find permanent and lasting happiness. This can only be found in the aspect of Atma and in thoughts of God. We can get permanent happiness only from things that are permanent. Out of things that are transient, we can never get happiness which is permanent. Only after experiencing permanent happiness, will we get true bliss. We cannot go on searching for bliss at all places. If we do this, it will be like going to a fish market in search of diamonds. We can find only fish in a fish market and not diamonds! Since this world is temporary and all life in it is uncertain, we cannot find permanent happiness in this world!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

What is the balance in life we all must maintain?

 Man walks with two legs: iha and para (this world and the other), Dharma and Brahman, righteousness and God! If he is totally engrossed in this world, he is choosing to travel all his life with a handicap; hopping on one leg. That is fraught with trouble; he may fall any moment and break his shin. And he does! Goodness in this world and Godliness for life after death - equal attention to both, and vigilance while taking a step, with either foot - these are essential for a happy journey through life! You must put the right foot, the Brahman step, when you enter the region of realisation. Your senses must be conquered by then. 'Go' means 'senses' and 'Go-pi' means the person who has subdued the senses, as a result of surrender to Go-pala, master of the Go (senses). Krishna once told Arjuna that he can enter Vrajamandala (the region where Gopis lived), only after mastering his emotions and impulses, and his tendency to yield to the senses!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

What is it to cultivate human values?

 Mankind has a history of lakhs of years. But humanity is yet to realise the greatness of humanness. After all these years, man is still unable to answer the question: "What are human values?" Men study books, listen to discourses, experience gains and losses, joys and sorrows, and so on but all these do not give them a firm hold on what is permanent in life. If they had acquitted this hold they would have realised that the world is one family. The Vedas taught the concept of one human family. The Vedas declared that the Brihat (Supreme Cosmic Principle) has no limits. It is infinite. Mankind also has no bounds or barriers. In fact, there are no barriers between humanity and every other species of living beings like birds, beasts and insects, and even trees. All of them belong to a single family of living beings. In the Tree of Life, man appears in many forms - as animals, birds and insects. In all these forms he experiences his divine essence. For every man there are four mothers. The first mother is Satyam (Truth). The second mother is Dharmam (Righteousness). The third is Prema (Love). The fourth is Shanti (peace). Man must live in such a manner that he pleases all the four mothers.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

 The one who leads a godly life experiences divine bliss. He is ever blissful. He enjoys real happiness. Hence every man should realise the truth that he is a spark of the Divine. This means that everyone should seek to experience God as the indweller in the heart. Once Arjuna was troubled in mind over the state of things around him and asked Krishna why this should happen to him when he had such faith in Krishna. Krishna then explained to him that it was not enough to remember God occasionally when one felt the need to remember him. This kind of remembrance is a matter of convenience and expediency. What is required is Anusmarana, constant remembrance. Only that will relieve the devotee of his troubles and worries. Anusmarana calls for remembrance at all times, in all situations. Krishna told Arjuna that he is thinking of God only on some occasions and for some specific purposes. This is not the proper way. "If you remember Me at all times, I am always with you," said Krishna.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

How should a true devotee shape one’s conduct?

 Love for the Lord should not degenerate into fanaticism and hatred of other names and forms. Nowadays, this type of cancer is affecting even eminent men. You must avoid it. Believe that all who revere the Lord and walk in fear of sin are your brothers, your nearest kith and kin. Their outer dress or language or skin colour, or even methods they adopt to express their reverence and fear are not important at all. Sugar dolls are valued for the sugar, not the shapes they are given by the manufacturer. Their sweetness makes men purchase them; it doesn't matter whether they are elephants, dogs, cats, rats, jackals or lions. That is a matter of individual fancy. Each is sweet, that is the essential thing. The sweetness draws the manava (man) towards Madhava (God); pravritti (external deed) towards nivritti (inner path), ananda (happiness) towards Sat-Chit-Ananda (Bliss in the awareness of the Supreme Being). When the appetite for these grows, all low desires and such hunger cease!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

 In human life, there are two attitudes to the objects with which one has to deal. 1) These are things for which one is only a temporary guardian by virtue of one's position in relation to them. 2) These are things which belong to one and which one can take along with him and use as one pleases. The latter type of relationship is called marakam. The former type is called tarakam. Men should cultivate the attitude of Tarakam, namely, that nothing belongs to them and that everything comes from God. All are gifts of God. You must treat all possessions in that spirit. You must take good care of them as long as you have the responsibility for their proper use and maintenance. That is your duty. As long as you live in the world, you have the responsibility to take care of your wife, children and possessions. But you must regard this as an obligation imposed by God. You must not get attached to them as your possessions. Most people in the world, however, are deeply attached to kinsfolk and properties. How lasting are these possessions? You can never know when you may have to leave all of them behind. Hence, the proper attitude for men is to recognise one's duty towards others and consider everything as a gift from God.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba