Sri Sathya Sai International Organization

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Editorial

Uniqueness & Universality Of Sathya Sai Baba’s Teachings

Swami’s teachings are universal, transcending the barriers of race, religion, faith, gender, nationality, culture, and ethnicity. They are for everyone, and for all times. When we dive deep into His teachings and practice them, we will be redeemed from the cycle of birth and death.

In His discourse on May 17, 1968, Swami assures that following His commands implicitly, completely, and immediately is enough to realize the summum bonum of life—one’s supreme Self. He declares that this path is more effective than any great austerity or penance.

Swami is the divine teacher, the universal teacher, the supreme teacher, the teacher of teachers, and the true teacher. He has no teacher for Himself, for He is the highest. As part of the divine play, Lord Rama revered sages Vasishta and Vishwamitra as gurus, Lord Krishna followed sage Sandeepani, and Shirdi Sai Baba had Venkusa as guru. But in this avatar, Swami said that He has no guru because He is the supreme.

Swami says that He is Sathya Bodhaka, the teacher of truth. He came to teach the ultimate truth that everyone is the embodiment of love and that love is both the path and the goal of life. That is why His first message to humanity was the bhajan “Manasa Bhajare Guru Charanam.” The bhajan implores everyone, “O mind, hold on to the feet of the Guru by singing His glory and taking refuge in Him, to cross the very difficult ocean of life.” The bhajan also makes it clear that He is Lord Shiva and the Pranava, the Omkara, which represents the ultimate reality without attributes – the supreme Brahman.

From His early childhood days, Swami played the role of a guru. In fact, Sathya was called a “guru” by His peers and classmates. Even at a young age, He corrected scholars such as Pandit Narayana Shastri regarding a complex scripture, the Hamsa Gita. Since He is the greatest Guru, spiritual seekers from all walks of life and all corners of the world came to His lotus feet seeking the ultimate truth. This included great vedic scholars suchs as Sri Kamavadhani, Sri Kuppa Bairagi Shastri, and Sri Uppuluri Ganapati Shastri in India, as well as theosophists and philosophers like Sri Rajagopal, Prof. N. Kasturi, a great devotee of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and Prof. V.K. Gokak, an ardent follower of Sri Aurobindo. All such renowned spiritual aspirants found their ultimate master in Swami. Western spiritual seekers like Dr. John Hislop from the USA and Mr. Howard Murphet from Australia, along with many luminaries, were enlightened by His simple yet profound, universal teachings.

Swami’s Universal Message is for All

Just as the Bhagavad Gita is the essence of all Upanishads, Swami’s teachings embody the essence of all scriptures and all religions. They are universally applicable to all faiths. In a bhajan, Swami is extolled as “Sarva Dharma Priya Deva,” which means that He is dear to all faiths, and that all faiths are dear to Him. Every word of His is a mantra (sacred word); every sentence, a sutra (aphorism); every conversation, a Gita; and every discourse, a Veda.

Jesus said, “What is the point of saying ‘Lord, Lord,’ if you don’t follow what I say?” Similarly, Swami says, “Don’t merely talk about My form and personality (vyakti prachara). Instead, propagate and live My teachings (tattva prachara).” That is why we should focus on His teachings and benefit from them. Swami emphasizes that individual miracles and experiences are personal and may be confounding, but His teachings are universal, eternal, and enlightening.

In the Bhagavad Gita (BG 18.68 and BG 18.69), Lord Krishna says that those who spread His teachings are dearest to Him. Similarly, Swami instructed the leadership of the Sri Sathya Sai International Organization in 2004, saying that the greatest service one can do is to go to all corners of the world and spread His message and share His love.

Swami’s love and teachings are for everyone—from the uneducated and simple-hearted to the greatest scholars. His approach as a teacher is unique, customizing His lessons to each devotee’s spiritual progress. The curriculum and teaching techniques are unique to each individual enrolled in the ‘University of Life’ to earn the degree of ‘Self-Realization.’ 

For instance, He guided one devotee, Sri Gopal Rao, former Chairman of Andhra Bank, to chant the Lord’s name incessantly. To another devotee, Sri Ratanlal, Swami emphasized jnana marga (path of Self-inquiry). To others like Colonel Joga Rao, He prescribed karma yoga, performing selfless service. In fact, Swami would call him ‘Yoga Rao.’ Swami also integrated all three—karma, bhakti, and jnana yoga—into one unified path, as reflected in the beautiful ‘Lord’s Prayer’ that He has given us. This prayer is discussed in detail in the editorial of the August 2022 issue of Sathya Sai–The Eternal Companion. The statement, ‘Take my love and let it flow in fullness of devotion to Thee’ stands for bhakti yoga, ‘Take my hands and let them work incessantly for Thee’ for karma yoga, ‘Take my mind and thoughts and let them be in tune with Thee’ for raja yoga, and ‘Take my soul and let it be merged in one with Thee’ for jnana yoga.

Among His devotees was the great vedic scholar Sri Kuppa Sivarama Bairaga Shastri, well-versed in the Vedas and the Upanishads. He spent most of his last years at Prasanthi Nilayam, participating in the Veda Purusha Saptaha Jnana Yajna and once told Swami that by having His darshan, sparshan, and sambhashan, he felt he had attained liberation. Swami spontaneously replied, “Were you bound at all in the first instance, for you to say now that you have gained liberation?” The scholar was dumbstruck as Swami reminded him of the highest Advaitic doctrine of Ajatavada—the theory of non-causality: no creation, no bondage, and hence no liberation. This is the highest, absolute, and transcendental truth. 

Swami beautifully says, “He who considers himself free is free indeed. He who considers himself bound remains bound. Think of yourself as free—the eternal, unlimited, consciousness-bliss—and you will be free and happy. Constantly think of yourself as the eternal free Self. Realize you are ever free.”

The Many Teaching Techniques and Devices of Swami

Swami is a great teacher, and His teaching techniques are many. Every word of Swami is a mantra. Every gesture of Swami is a divine directive for a spiritual seeker.

Swami teaches through parables, which He calls Chinna Kathas — small stories that are so simple that even a child can understand the message. They are entertaining yet enlightening, showing that the greatest truths can be expressed in the simplest words. Like ‘Chinna Katha’, Swami also says, ‘Chinna Udaharanamu ’, meaning, ‘Here is a small example,‘ and through these examples, He conveys profound spiritual truths.

He refers to simple, familiar objects like a handkerchief to convey deep spiritual truths regarding the jeeva, bondage, purity, and unity. In fact, Swami has conveyed almost a dozen messages and truths through just the example of a handkerchief – exploring each of them may be the subject of another editorial. For example, He says that a handkerchief, which is made up of many threads, is comparable to the mind, composed of many thoughts. When we remove the threads one by one, there is no more cloth. Similarly, if by practice, we remove all thoughts, then there is no mind left and only the Self remains.  Furthermore, a handkerchief is originally white and clean, but over time it gets dirty. To regain the original purity, we need to remove the dirt. Similarly, we are originally pure, but over time, we acquire impurities through negative thoughts and deeds. However, by intense sadhana, with the help of the Guru, we can become pure again by getting rid of the impurities. There are many such profound messages illustrated through the handkerchief.

Once, when Dr Hislop was traveling with Swami, He spoke about maya and gave the example of a nearby palm tree. Swami says that when you stand under the palm tree, you see the shadow of the tree and the shadow of the fruits. If you try to reach for the shadow of the fruits, you will get nothing and be disappointed. But if you climb up the tree and pluck the real fruit, you not only enjoy the real ones but also automatically get the shadow of the fruit, too. Similarly, if we pursue God, we get both God and the world. But if we pursue only the world, we remain in illusion, disappointment, grief, and bondage. That is why Swami emphasizes what Jesus has said, “Seek ye the Kingdom of God, and everything shall be added unto you.”

Bhagawan also uses acronyms to convey profound messages — even through His own name, Sai Baba. He explained them in different ways for devotees on the spiritual path to practice.

For the sacred name SAI, Swami says to aim for S – Spiritual transformation, A – Association transformation, and I – Individual transformation.

Swami says the three yogas to follow are: S – Service (karma - work), A – Adoration (bhakti - worship), I – Illumination (jnana - wisdom).

He also advises that for spiritual seekers, the order of priorities should be:
 “S – Sai first,  A – All others next, I – ‘I’ (one self) last.”

Finally, the realization that “S And I are one” refers to Advaita — the nondual truth that only One exists.

Swami even humorously says, “I never went to college, but I am a double graduate — BA and BA.” Then He reveals the inner meaning: BABA stands for Being, Awareness, Bliss, and Atma, the ultimate reality.

The holy name SAI BABA, Swami says, means “See Always Inside — you will see Being, Awareness, Bliss, and Atma.” There are many such sublime truths hidden in His very name.

Swami also teaches us spiritual lessons through acronyms such as JOY, by saying that if anyone desires ‘JOY’ in life, the priority should be J–Jesus first, O–Others next, Y–Yourself last.

He explains the meaning of MAN:
M – One who overcomes Maya. (Illusion)
A – Rejoices in the Atma. (Self)
N – Attains Nirvana. (Liberation)

Swami uses even ordinary objects like a watch to teach profound truths. He says that to be happy and peaceful, one must ‘WATCH’ five things. 

W – Watch your Words
A – Watch your Actions
T – Watch your Thoughts
C – Watch your Character
H – Watch your Heart

Essence of All Scriptures

Swami says that the essence of His teachings lies in the five fundamental human values of Sathya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema, and Ahimsa — Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love, and Nonviolence. But He beautifully explains that there is really only one supreme, overarching value — Love — which is the undercurrent of all other values. He then explains this axiom, saying:

• Love as thought is Truth (Sathya)
• Love as action is Right Conduct (Dharma).
• Love as feeling is Peace (Shanti).
• Love as understanding is Nonviolence (Ahimsa).

That is why Swami always exhorts us to fill our hearts with love. Once we live in divine love, we reach the goal. It is also important to note that the first book in the Vahini series that Swami wrote was Prema Vahini.

Another unique milestone in human history is that, for the first time, more than 1,500 divine discourses of an Avatar are available not only in print, but many are also in audio and video format. Devotees can listen to the golden voice of God Himself and be uplifted in bliss, hearing even God sing the universal eternal truths!

Out of His infinite love and compassion for humanity, Swami Himself authored many spiritual gems, articles in the monthly magazine, Sanathana Sarathi, which have been compiled into the sixteen Vahinis — streams of His divine love — available today in both print and e-book formats, for everyone’s benefit.

These Vahinis cover all aspects of spiritual practice — meditation, selfless service, and living a righteous life. Swami also expounds on the great epics like the Ramayana (Ramakatha Rasa Vahini) and the Bhagavata (Bhagavatha Vahini). There is even Sai Krishna’s own commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, called the Geetha Vahini. He also wrote commentaries on Vedantic texts like the Upanishads and the Brahmasutras.

For our benefit, Swami summarizes all His teachings into four simple and practical spiritual mandates everyone can follow:

• Love All; Serve All.
• Help Ever; Hurt Never.

Swami says that these four messages are the essence of all the eighteen Puranas (ancient spiritual texts), and when practiced, they will help us live in peace and happiness. 

Swami says, “Love all” means love everyone — friends, family, people who dislike us, animals, animate and inanimate objects — everything, because everything is permeated by the divine. Our love should therefore be all-inclusive.

Automatically, when we love all, this love is expressed in action through service. Similarly, when we realize that only divinity exists, we will ‘help ever.’ And we must never hurt anyone, because all that exists is divinity itself. As Swami says, whatever we do to other beings — human, animal, or any form of life — reaches God. There is a beautiful saying, Sarva Jeeva Namaskaram Keshavam Prati Gachchati. Sarva Jeeva Tiraskaram Keshavam Prati Gachchati. This means that whatever you do to others reaches God. If you respect all beings, you are respecting God. If you hurt or insult them, that rejection or insult also reaches God. We must remember this and act accordingly.

(In Part 2 of the editorial, the simple manner in which Swami conveys complex concepts of the eternal wisdom will be explored. We will also highlight new concepts and revolutionary interpretations of existing concepts that Swami has blessed all of us with.)

Jai Sai Ram