The body is like a tube of glass. Inside it, the mind is ever-changing and restless. The bird called Jeeva (individual soul) resides within a nine-holed pot called body. Seeing the antics of the mind, Death keeps laughing. It is a wonder how the bird came into the pot, and how it rises up and goes out of it. All the sages and human beings of all the continents are all undergoing the sentence of carrying about with them the burden of the body. Now, out of all these beings, who are the friends and who are the enemies? When egoism dies out, all are friends. There are then no enemies. This lesson must be remembered by all.

-SAI BABA

    

 

The four subtle elements of consciousness - Manas (the mind), Buddhi (the intellect), Chittha (will) and Ahamkara (the ego) - are all Maya (delusion). What is Maya? Maa (not) ya (exist). That which does not exist but appears to exist is Maya. Maya makes the unreal appear as real and the real as unreal. The other name for Maya is Ajnana (ignorance). Ajnana is that which hides the reality from you and makes you regard the non-existing as existing. It makes the false appear as true. As you move towards the light, your shadow falls behind you; when you move away from the light, you have to follow your own shadow. Go every moment one step nearer to the Lord and then Maya, the shadow, will fall behind you and will not delude you at all.

-SAI BABA

    

 

You are experiencing joy and misery through the ear. Therefore, avoiding the cruel arrows of harsh words, one should use words that are sweet, pleasant and soft. With that softness, add the sweetness of truth. To make the words soft, if falsehood is added, it would only clear the way for some more misery. Hence, a spiritual aspirant should use very soft, sweet, true and pleasant words. The mind of such an aspirant is Mathura, their heart is Dwaraka and body is Kashi. Such persons can be recognized by their good qualities themselves.

-SAI BABA

    

 

The inevitable destiny of every living being is the attainment of perfection and fullness. Our present condition of incompleteness is the consequence of our activities during our previous lives. The thoughts, feelings, passions and acts of past lives have caused the present condition in life. Similarly, our future condition is being built on the basis of our present deeds and desires, thoughts and feelings. Seek help from the Divine to purify and sublimate your consciousness. Thus, your spiritual progress will be accelerated and you will attain perfection and fullness.

-SAI BABA

    

 

All spiritual practices are of no avail, if the heart is not pure. Your cravings and attachments will not disappear even if you are immersed in many spiritual practices so long as the heart is full of the illusion of egoism. Remember that agitations of the mind cannot exist in the same heart filled with love. Can light and darkness ever co-exist at the same place, at the same time? Hence, you must remove the illusion of egoism from your heart. If you are desirous of getting rid of the feeling of "I" and "mine", you must worship the Lord. You must become an aspirant without likes and dislikes.

-SAI BABA

    

 

A great teacher is one who has the knowledge of the Self imprinted in his heart. The individual who can welcome this truth and is eager to know it alone deserves to be a pupil. The seed must have the life principle latent in it. The field must be ploughed and made fit for sowing. If both these conditions are fulfilled, the spiritual harvest will be bountiful.

-SAI BABA

    

 

You repeat the name of the Lord, sing Bhajans, and perform meditation to earn single-mindedness, is it not? Once this single mindedness has been earned, its inner significance will be revealed to you and effort will become unnecessary. Those eager to become aspirants, to attain salvation, should not yield to arguments and counter-arguments. You should not be enticed by the wiles of bad feelings! You should see your own faults and not repeat them. You should guard and protect the one-pointedness, with your eyes fixed on the goal, and dismiss as trash whatever difficulties, defeats and disturbances you may encounter on your path.

-SAI BABA

    

 

Living a regulated and disciplined life is very essential. Real education must train you to observe these limits and restrictions. You take great pains and suffer privations in order to master the knowledge of this world. Similarly, you follow with strict care the routine to develop your physique. Therefore, whatever be your objective, you must obey the appropriate code of discipline.

-SAI BABA

    

 

Nature is resplendent with many colors. When you wear blue colored glasses you only see the color you have worn, isn't it? If the world appears to you as filled with differences, it is entirely due to your fault. If all appear as one, that too, is due to your love only. For both of these, the feeling in you is the cause. It is only because one has faults within oneself, one sees the world as faulty. The Lord always looks for goodness, not for faults and sins. He only sees the righteousness! Develop goodness and righteousness. Live and act in joy and love. These two are sufficient to attain salvation.

-SAI BABA

    

 

Real people are those, who are filled with love. Their hearts are springs of mercy. They are endowed with true speech and their minds are filled with peace. Just as gold and silver are hidden deep under the earth, and pearl and coral deep under the sea, peace and joy also lie hidden in the mind. Desirous of acquiring these hidden treasures, if you dive inward and direct your mental activities towards acquiring these treasures, you become filled with love and peace. You must fill yourself with this love and live in the light of unsullied, unselfish and pure love.

-SAI BABA

    

 

You may have outstanding physical beauty. You may have the sparkle of robust youth. You may be from a high and noble lineage. You may be a famed scholar. However, if you lack the virtues that spiritual discipline can only ensure, you will be reckoned only as a beautiful flower, with no fragrance. You must live in accordance with the prescriptions from the Scriptures and perform actions with the attitude that is needed to preserve the status you have gained as the highest soul amongst animals and living beings.

-SAI BABA

    

 

The advice given by Vedic teachers to young departing children, after their schooling are exalted are, "'Revere your mother as God', 'May your father be God' and 'May your Teacher be your God'; 'Speak the Truth and Act Righteously, Do not adopt other ways'." Engage yourselves in such activities, that will promote your progress. By devoted service to parents, and consistent adherence to Truth, several great souls, including Rama and Harishchandra have made themselves immortal. By means of right conduct, common people exalted themselves to the position of World Teachers. Hence, every bit of this advice, given to pupils, is highly powerful and relevant.

-SAI BABA

    

 

A 'manava' (human being) is soft, sweet and immortal, whereas 'danavas' (Demonic-natured persons) are merciless, lawless and have no sweetness in them. They may look like good people; however bereft of kindness and righteousness, how can they be called as human beings? Good human beings are those, who engage themselves in soft and sweet deeds of kindness, righteousness, and tread the path of love and truth. Their good nature is resplendent and reflects on their faces which beam with joy at all times.

-SAI BABA

    

 

The real tapas or asceticism in life is to observe disciplines and restrictions as prescribed. The mind is the foremost of the three inner instruments in human beings. We must protect the mind so that attachment, passion and excitement do not enter. These extremes are natural to the mind. The waves that rise in fury in the mind are lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride and envy; these six are your inner foes. Lust and anger bring on the remaining four. To release ourselves from these inner foes and to proceed in our spiritual path, we must observe spiritual practices.

-SAI BABA

    

 

Those devoid of Pure Love are sub-humans. The holy quality of Love is that it is ever present; not something which manifests off and on. Love is one and indivisible. Those saturated with Love are incapable of spite, selfishness, injustice, wrong and misconduct. Those who trample on Love and consider inferior qualities as important should destroy their evil qualities. Bad conduct and habits distort your humanness. Hearts filled with the nectar of Love indicate genuineness. You must possess Love that is unsullied, unselfish, devoid of impurity and that which is demonstrated continuously.

-SAI BABA

    

 

Work done with no concern or desire for the profit therefrom, purely out of love or from a sense of duty, is Yoga. Such work destroys your animal nature and will transform you into a Divine Being. Serve others, visualizing them as Divine Souls. That will help your progress and will save you from sliding down the spiritual stage you've attained. Service is far more salutary than even vows and worship. Service disintegrates the selfishness latent in you and opens your heart wide. It makes your heart blossom.

-SAI BABA

    

 

Everyone who is engaged in repetition of the Holy Name, observes vows and has self-control and discipline is dear to the Lord. These people have faith, patience, warmth towards all, and are filled with kindness and joy. They have unalloyed love towards the Lord. The true devotees of the Lord are endowed with discrimination, filled with humility and wisdom, and are always immersed in contemplation of the Lord's sport. They dwell on the Lord's name at all times and conditions, and shed tears of love when they hear the Lord's Name on any lip. These are the characteristics of genuine devotees! Such devotees are very dear to the Lord.

-SAI BABA

    

 

Whoever assigns his wealth, strength, intellect and devotion towards the promotion of humankind is worthy of reverence. They are those who are born for a noble purpose. They observe the holy vow of service, unsullied by thoughts of self. This ideal of service and the urge to practice it forms the very heart of education. This is Pure Love in its chief manifestation. God loves those individuals who undertake activities for the benefit of other people, as His dear children. These are ideal brothers and sisters for their countrymen.

-SAI BABA

    

 

Your devotion to God has to be continuous, uninterrupted, like the flow of oil from one vessel to another. You may have observed that the young monkey relies on its own strength to protect itself. Wherever its mother might jump, it has to attach itself fast to the mother's belly and should not release its hold, even if pulled apart. So too, as a devotee you must stand the test at the hands of the Lord and hold on to the Lord's Name at all times and under all conditions, tirelessly, without the slightest trace of dislike or disgust, bearing ridicule, criticism of the world and overcoming the feelings of shame and defeat. Practice of devotion of this kind is called Markatakishora Marga. Prahlada, a great child devotee of the Lord, practiced this kind of devotion.

-SAI BABA

    

 

While rendering service, the attitude of it being done for one's own satisfaction should not tarnish it. Service must be rendered as an essential part of the process of living itself. This is the real core of true knowledge. It is as core as brick and mortar are, to a house that is being built. The activity of service needs the Vidya (true education) that can strengthen our resolve in purifying our thought, word and deed. Such Vidya and service springing from the heart is essential for the country's progress.

-SAI BABA

    

 

A kitten simply continues mewing in its place, placing all its burdens on its mother. The mother cat holds the kitten in its mouth and moves it to more elevated places or transports it safely through even very narrow passages. So too, the Lord will grant everything that is needed in this life, if all burdens are placed on Him and if He is pursued ceaselessly without forgetting him for even a moment. All that is required is to place the entire burden on the Lord and surrender fully to His Will. He will certainly provide everything. Lakshmana, the dear brother of Rama was an exemplar, who followed this path of devotion called Marjalakishora.

-SAI BABA

    

 

Rendering service to others, without expecting service from them in return is the secret to ensure peace and prosperity for all. Karma or activity which binds is a huge, fast-growing tree. Undertake every act as an act of worship to glorify the Lord; it is like a powerful axe that can cut the root of the tree. This is the true Yagna, the most important ritual that one must practice. This sacrifice promotes and confers Brahma Vidya (Self Knowledge). The yearning to do Seva must flow in every nerve of the body, penetrate every bone and activate every cell.

-SAI BABA

    

 

Worship God with purity of feeling and free from all other thoughts. As a result of this worship, the Lord will appear before your inner eye, in the form which is dear to you. This vision is not a matter of imagination; it is a ‘face to face’ experience. Without difference of location, you can abide in the presence of the Lord. Sometimes you may see everything as the glory of the Lord and become suffused with God consciousness. All these are the fruits of your devotion. As your devotion matures further, all differences disappear and unity is attained, and the highest stage is reached. This is called Saayujya. You should aspire for this Merger with the Lord. At this stage, you will wish to serve the Lord as He pleases and experience joy from the Divine Form.

-SAI BABA