Sri Sathya Sai International Organization

A man once was pestered by a host of relatives when he was dying. Parents, wife, children, brothers, sisters - all surrounded his bed during his last moments and wailed. They asked him, "What is to happen to us?" The dying man lifted his head a little from the pillow and asked in return, "What is to happen to me? I am now more interested in that problem, than being worried about what is to happen to you." Well, it is better if everyone asks those questions even now and equips themselves with the answer rather than wait until it is too late.

When the magnet does not attract the needle, the fault lies in the dirt covering the needle. When the Lord does not approach the devotee, the fault lies in the devotee's heart; it is not pure enough. Purify the heart by being good and kind to all. Do not attempt to find fault with others. Look upon all with love, respect, and faith in their sincerity.

To achieve the great consummation, you must take one step after another. Good deeds like ritual worship, repetition of holy names, meditation, observance of vows, etc., are the 'steps'; good thoughts like prayer for greater discrimination and chances to serve others also help. Slowly, steadily cleanse the mind, sharpen the intellect, purify the senses, and win grace.

When one suffers from acute stomach pain, their eyes water. Why? Because the various organs - eye, stomach, etc. - are part of the same body. So, too, when others suffer, your eyes must shed tears, and you must be urged to alleviate it. This will happen if you know that you and they are limbs of the self-same divine body.

"Awake, arise, and stop not till the goal is reached," it is said (Uththishtatha, jagratha, prapyavaran nibodhatha). But one need not march toward the goal. It is not someplace where you must go. It is just the opening of the eye, the removal of the veil, the waking from the dream, the lighting of spiritual wisdom.

Love all, revere all, and help all to the best of your ability. Endeavor to be as beneficial, as sweet, and as soft as possible. Then, the spot on which you stand becomes as sacred as Kashi, and the words that you utter will be as holy as scripture. This spiritual practice (sadhana) will lead you to Self-realization.

Human beings can fulfill themselves only through service to others and expansion into the universal. Spiritual practice (sadhana) must enlarge the vision, enhance the experience, and enthuse the individual soul (jivatma) to merge with the Supreme soul (Paramatma).

In the world today, the number of intellectuals who are engaged in breaking up the One into the many and fostering divisive forces is on the increase. On the other hand, the number of those who recognize unity in diversity is on the decline. In a world bristling with disunity, disorder and chaos, it is only the sense of unity underlying the multiplicity that can bring about peace. The world sorely needs today people imbued with this feeling.

One who has control over the mind is a true human. One who lacks control over the mind is no human at all. How can you call yourself a human being if you are fickle-minded and depressed over trivial problems? You should make efforts to overcome problems posed by the mind without being unduly worried about them. In this world, there is nothing greater than God's love.

You should not seek anything other than divine love. There is nothing superior to love in this world. You consider gold, silver, diamond, etc. as most valuable. In fact, all these so-called valuable things are meant to delude man. We should not care for such worldly possessions. Instead, we should focus our mind on God.

Just as the body is an organic whole and any ailment affecting any part of the body is felt as a pain by the whole organism, people should feel that anyone's suffering is their own. Any relief done to the other is a help done to oneself.

You can chant ‘Sai Rama’ or ‘Sai Krishna’, with love for Swami. You may pursue any type of education and acquire high academic degrees, yet you should not give up chanting the divine name. You should not forget the Divine name.

The fruits of the tree of human life are sweet, but they are encased in the bitter skin of egoism and ignorance and have hard inedible seeds of desire, anger, pride, etc. One must exercise one's intelligence to peel off the outer skin of ignorance, throw off the seeds of vice and wickedness, and partake of the sweet kernel of life.

Spirituality is opposed to the ways of the world. Worldly activities cannot always be avoided. But if whatever is done is made as an offering to please God, it gets sanctified. Whatever you achieve, treat it as a gift from God. You will then realize your true humanness.