Sri Sathya Sai International Organization

In the family in which you live, there should be mutual understanding and cooperation, and a sense of harmony. There should be no discord in the family. A harmonious atmosphere will give you true peace of mind.

Perform all your actions with purity of heart. Actions performed without a pure heart are futile. Even if a little work is done with a pure heart, it becomes fruitful.

There should be no ostentation or showing off in any undertaking by a devotee. Unless ostentation is given up, egoism will not leave. The ego must be eliminated to purify the heart. No good deed can be done without purity of the heart. It is through sacred deeds that the heart is purified.

When the heart is filled with good thoughts and feelings, all that comes out of the senses–your speech, your vision, and your actions will be pure.

The Gayatri has three parts: 1. Praise, 2. Meditation, and 3. Prayer. First, the divine is praised, then it is meditated upon in reverence and lastly, an appeal is made to the divine to dispel the darkness of ignorance and to awaken and strengthen the intellect. Dhīmahi is related to the meditative aspect. Dhīyo yonah prachodayāt relates to the aspect of prayer. Chanting the Gayatri Mantra purifies the mind and confers devotion, detachment and wisdom.

Bear in mind the three P's - Purity, Patience and Perseverance. With these three you are bound to acquire good health and bliss.

Pure thoughts and feelings will always keep us cheerful. I am always cheerful. People wonder how Sai Baba could always be smiling. I cannot help but smile. I have no negative feelings, no bad traits, no bad thoughts nor any bad habits. I am always pure. You too should follow this example.

For a bulb to light, you need a connecting wire, a switch and electric current. For man, that current is truth or God. It is energy. This divine energy must flow through the wire of right conduct (dharma) and reach the bulb of peace (shanti) and produce the light of love (prema).

It is essential to recite the Gayatri mantra at least three times during the morning, noon, and evening. This will serve to reduce the effects of one’s karma. It is like buying goods for cash, instead of getting them on credit. There is no accumulation of karmic (a result of action) debt since each day's karma (action) is atoned for that day itself by reciting the Gayatri mantra.

What is the real meaning of liberation (moksha)? The removal of attachment is liberation. So long as one has attachment, one cannot think of liberation. Hence, one should strive for detachment in the first instance.

Devotees come here from all parts of the world. Each of them asks: "I want peace." Here are three words: "I", "want", "peace". "I" is ego. "Want" is desire. Remove the ego and desire, you will have peace. Ego and desire have enveloped peace. When the covering is removed, peace will manifest itself.

Since God always protects, there is no need to be afraid of pain and sorrow. Difficulties are bound to come, but they also will go away. They do not stay forever; they are like passing clouds. But God is steady and permanent. Make God the basis of your life and think of God always.

Develop broadmindedness. Never give any scope for any doubt on divinity. All such doubts are but imagination. Never succumb to them. Follow only divine feelings. Follow the master, face the devil, fight to the end, finish the game. That should be the goal of your life.

Everyone born in this world is an aspect of divinity. Consider everyone as divine and offer your salutations to them. There is nothing wrong in doing so. If you want to be respected by others, first of all you should respect them. You should love everyone. Only then will your life become a shining example for others to emulate.