Sri Sathya Sai International Organization

When you undertake activities that purify your mind, peace will become your property. All spiritual practices are meant to purify your mind. You will have peace only when your mind is pure.

In whatever work you do at home, whether sweeping the floor or making food, convert it into a form of spiritual exercise. Infuse every action with love of the Divine and dedicate it to God.

Even a bad person, by association with the good, gets reformed. But a good man, by falling into bad company, becomes bad. If you add one liter of milk to ten liters of water, the milk becomes so diluted that it is valueless. But one liter of water added to ten liters of milk acquires additional value.

You have forgotten your real nature, which is love, and so you exude misery, hate and jealousy. Never be morose or melancholic. Let all see you exuberant with love and light and joy. Do not entertain passion or prejudice, anger or anxiety. Take the spiritual practice (sadhana) of the Name (namasmarana), and the path will be smooth.

Near,' alone, is not enough for realization; one has to make it 'dear' by the fan of spiritual practice (sadhana). This is the power of sadhana, by which the human becomes Divine. The Vedas say that he who knows Brahman, becomes Brahman. The coal knew fire and became fire.

Seeking good company and spending all available time in that comradeship called holy company (satsang), will help the aspirant a great deal. You are shaped by the company you keep; a piece of iron turns into rust if it seeks the company of the soil. It glows, it softens and takes on useful shapes if it enjoys the company of fire. Dust can fly if it chooses the wind as its friend; it has to end as slime in a pit if it prefers water. It has neither wing nor foot, yet it can either fly or walk, rise or fall, according to the friend it selects.

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.

Service to God means service to the world. Wherever it is required, do service to others. But do all actions to please God. This is the primary duty of humanity.

We should not criticize others. We should not hurt others or make fun of them. We should love all. This is what mother Easwaramma taught everybody.

Easwaramma was happy that I ate only simple food. She would say, “Swami , You should let the world know about Your food habits.” I said, I would certainly do so. Right from those days, I have been emphasizing on the need to have simple and Satwic food.

The heart should be pure and soft like butter. Fill your hearts with compassion. Let your speech be sweet and truthful. You will then be truly human.

Buddha could not bear the sight of anyone in pain. He was saddened at the sight of the old ill-treating the young, of men in authority harassing the people and the big fish swallowing the small ones. He realized that it was wrong for anyone to cause harm to others. Hence he declared: Non-violence is the Supreme Dharma.

It is not enough to read the lives of avatars and messiahs. their teachings should be put into practice as much as possible. People must gradually outgrow their material attachments and develop divine love.

The real meaning of the Buddhist prayer, "Buddham sharanam gachchami, Dharmam sharanam gachchami, Sangham sharanam gachchami," is: You must divert your mind towards Dharma (right action). And the right conduct should aim at serving society. When this is done, society gets purified.