Sri Sathya Sai International Organization

The ear ought to be eager to listen to the glory of God. The tongue ought to love the taste of His story only. Every action must be worthy enough to be an offering to Him. I have told you often, "See good; hear good; speak good; do good; be good. This is the way to God." I often add, "See no evil; hear no evil; speak no evil; do no evil; be not evil. This is the way to God."

First, develop love. When you have love in you, everyone will become your friend. If your heart is not suffused with love, your life will become artificial. Life is meaningless without love. If everyone shares love with their neighbor, there will be no room for hatred at all. Share your love with everyone and live like brothers and sisters.

Live with love, in love, for love. Then, the Lord, who is divine love personified, will grant you all you need without your asking. He knows. He is the mother who does not wait to hear the child's cry to feed. His love is vast and deep, He anticipates every need and rushes to help.

Develop love. The same principle of love is present in you, in Me, and in everyone. I see only love in others. Hence, all are one for Me. You, too, should develop such feelings of love and equality. All are one, be alike to everyone. This is what you must learn today.

Today, people are in search of peace. But peace cannot be found in the external world. You find only pieces! Peace is in you. You are the embodiment of peace, you are the embodiment of truth, and you are the embodiment of love. So, first, know thyself. Only then can you be blissful always.

The greatest obstacle on the path of surrender is egoism and mineness or possessiveness. It has been inherent in your personality for ages, sending its tentacles deeper and deeper with the experience of every succeeding life. It can be removed only by the twin detergents of discrimination and renunciation. Devotion is the water to wash away this dirt of ages, and the soap of repetition of God's name, meditation, and yoga (oneness with the divine) will help remove it quicker and more effectively. The slow and the steady will surely win this race.

The Gita declares that the Lord is present as the essence (rasa) in all things. God is the sugar in the syrup. There can be no syrup without sugar. Likewise, God is immanent in all objects. He is like butter in milk, fragrance in flower, the good element in every object. This is the significance of the scriptural dictum “Rasovai Saha” (He is the essence of everything).

God certainly listens to the prayers of devotees. Some people hesitate to pray lest their prayers cause God inconvenience. They are mistaken, for God can never be inconvenienced. God has no suffering at all. God considers devotees' happiness His happiness.

Today, people chant the divine name, not from the source but out of force. No benefit accrues from chanting the divine name unless it is done wholeheartedly. Chant His name wholeheartedly, at least for half a minute; that is enough. One teaspoonful of cow's milk is better than barrels of donkey's milk. God is interested in quality, not in quantity.

The term guru means one who dispels the darkness of ignorance. Gu means one who is beyond attributes (gunas), Ru implies one who is beyond forms (rupas). This refers only to God. That is why the guru is hailed as Brahma, Vishnu, or Siva. Only God is the true guru. All others are merely teachers, like the teachers of different subjects in a college. Guru is the one who reveals the guri (target) to the disciple. Target here refers to the Atmic Principle.

Cultivate the spirit of love with sacred feelings and divine thoughts. God is not found separately in a temple, an Ashram, etc. Truth is God. Love is God. Righteousness is God. When you worship God by following these principles, He will manifest Himself then and there. There is no doubt about this. Love God wholeheartedly. Pray to God and make friends with Him. You can achieve anything if you have God as your friend.

People should learn to give. They should not try to grab all that comes their way. Our bodies are given to us to do good to others. One attains merit by serving others and sins by hurting them. Do not always accept the service of others; instead, try to serve others to the extent possible.

There are multitudes of waves in the ocean, which are not alike and vary in shape and form, but there is no difference in the seawater contained in every one of these waves. Similarly, names and forms of people are different, but the spark of divinity that is Being Awareness Bliss (Sat-chit-ananda) is the same in everyone. Everyone is an embodiment of Being Awareness Bliss. When we realize this, sacred feelings will prevail, and no petty ideas will arise in the mind.

Restrain your desires. Always experience the bliss of the divine. That is true humanness, which manifests itself when you think of God. Happiness is union with God. How much bliss can you experience if you see God in yourself and everybody? Let all differences cease. Recognizing the divinity present in all, you should foster the principle of love and develop compassion in the heart.