Sri Sathya Sai International Organization

Turn your mind toward God; dedicate yourselves to God; then you will find life one continuous stream of bliss (ananda). Have a fan in your hand and swing it toward you; then, you feel comforted. So also, use the mind as the instrument and turn it vigorously toward God; then, it will give you the bliss of liberation.

When you travel by train, you have only to purchase the ticket, enter the proper train, and take a seat, leaving the rest to the engine. Why should you carry the bed and trunk on your head? So too, put your trust in the Lord and carry on to the best of your ability. Have faith in the Lord and His grace.

People should understand the distinction between worldly love and spiritual love. Worldly love is based on the desire to receive. Divine love yearns to give. God’s love goes on giving. This is the true mark of divinity. It is a sign of purity.

If you inhale the pure air of truth (sathya), righteousness (dharma), peace (shanti), and love (prema), your mind will be free from evil qualities. You will be mentally sturdy and physically strong. As Vivekananda used to say, you should have nerves of steel and muscles of iron. That is to say, you should have hope, joy and elation as an unshakable resolution, not despair and dejection.

If you shed your ego and experience divinity, you will get rid of your pain and enjoy lasting bliss. The Upanishads teach through stories the subtlest truths. You should understand their inner significance and taste the nectarine sweetness. This is possible only when there is inner purity. Purity of heart leads to Self-realization.

Just by repeating the names of the dishes, your hunger will not be appeased. You have to use your hands and mouth to fill your stomach. In the same way, you have to speak sweet words and do sacred actions. Through these, you will enjoy the sweetness of life and you will be blissful.

The inauguration of the Navarathri celebrations means that you should use this occasion for offering worship to Nature and resolving to make sacred use of all natural resources.

In order to preserve and sustain the strong spiritual foundation laid by the saints and noble souls, we have to foster human values such as Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love, and Nonviolence. If you protect these values, they will in turn protect you.

Navarathri means nine nights. Darkness is associated with night. What is this darkness? It is the darkness of ignorance. The purpose of the Navarathri celebration is to enable man to get rid of nine types of darkness which have taken hold of him.

Aspirants and devotees must ignore and forget all the thousand troubles that have gone before and be engaged only in thoughts of the Lord. Immerse yourselves in the thoughts of the Lord and derive joy therefrom. Devotion has no other reward. It is the cause, and it is also the effect; there are no two. Devotion is itself the realization.

The Upanishads declare that human life is most valuable. It is not easy to understand the divine quality immanent in man. All forms and all powers are in man. Man thinks that gold and diamond are most valuable, but actually it is man who endows value to them. “Men are more valuable than all the wealth of the world.” So, do not waste such a precious human life.

Mind is like a fan. Only when you turn the fan in your direction can you enjoy the breeze. Similarly, only when you turn your mind toward God can you experience the breeze of bliss. But if you turn your mind toward the world and say that you are not able to experience bliss, only you are to be blamed. You have to turn your mind toward God, not the body.

You must develop the faith that God is your mother, father, and everything else and that He alone is your sustainer and refuge. After all, who gave you your mother? Is it not God? Everything in this world is by God's grace only. You will lose everything if you forget God and concentrate on other thoughts. If you constantly contemplate on God, all worldly thoughts will leave you. Hence, cultivate godly thoughts with love. Sing the sweet name of Rama with your heart filled with love (Prema muditha manase kaho Rama Rama Ram). Love is God; God is Love.

Withdraw from the outer to the inner and learn to visualize the motivator, the Atma, that is the lesson which the seers and scriptures teach. To engage ourselves in the purificatory exercises, to pursue the inquiry into the reality of God, Nature and Man, and to experience the ecstatic delight of that discovery, the body is essential. It has to be kept healthy and alert and free from passion and sloth.