There is no being without a trace of love. Love leads to Ananda (Supreme bliss), pure and lasting. Many seek this Ananda through their relationships with other individuals, others try to attain it by amassing fame, power and riches and a few others attempt to gain it by renunciation of material possessions and desire for worldly pleasures. Detachment alone can confer Ananda. The Upanishads proclaim that Thyaga (sacrifice) alone can grant Amrithathwa (Bliss of Immortality). One must give up all attachment and affection and, in the heart thus liberated, install God in all His glory. This is the only means to earn everlasting, undiminished Ananda.

-SAI BABA

 

The grace of God cannot be won through the gymnastics of reason, the contortions of yoga, or the denials of asceticism. Love alone can win it; love that needs no requital; love that knows no bargaining; love that is paid gladly to the All-Loving; and love that is unwavering. Love alone can overcome obstacles however many and mighty. There is no strength more effective than purity; no bliss more satisfying than Love; no joy more restoring than Bhakti (devotion to God) and no triumph more praiseworthy than surrender.

-SAI BABA

 

Devotion to the Lord is really a form of discipline for reaching the goal. The seeker should not stop with the acquisition of devotion, nor pay so much attention to the love he has for the Lord, but rather to the love and grace the Lord bestows on him. One should always be eager to find out what behaviour and what actions will be most pleasing to the Lord. Inquire about that, yearn for that, and carry out the things that will secure that objective. Whatever a devotee undertakes, plans or observes should draw down the grace of God. The devotee should test every thought and feeling on the touchstone of the Lord’s declared preferences.

-SAI BABA

 

Food is an important factor which determines the state of mind: alertness and sloth, the worry and calm, the brightness and dullness of man. When the mind is fed on Rajasic food that induces passion and emotion, activity and adventure, it gallops into the world with the plunge of desire! It brings man deeper into the morass of suffering. When it is fed on Tamasic food, which dulls and induces sloth, the mind becomes callous, inert and useless for uplifting man. Every activity of man is dependent on the energy he derives from the intake of food. The success of the Sadhana (spiritual exercises) that one undertakes depends upon the quantity and quality of the food taken by the Sadhaka (spiritual aspirant).

-SAI BABA

 

You should be prepared to face every challenge of life with courage. Courage is the key to success. Life is bound to offer all kinds of difficulties, but you should not quail before them. Face every ordeal with fortitude. Nowadays, people get easily depressed and confused when they encounter difficulties. Depression leads to frustration. This is not the way to face the challenges of life. You should develop the courage to go through the adventure of life. Adhering to truth, cherishing love in your heart, cultivating fortitude, face life with firm determination and steady vision. Such a life will result in fulfilment. The rewards of life can only be got through strenuous effort.

-SAI BABA

 

God will respond to your prayers for succour only when you respond sympathetically to the needs of others. Life should not be wasted in selfish activities, blind to others' distress and deaf to others' groans. Treat joy and grief equally - this according to Lord Krishna is Samathwam (equanimity). Practice this equanimity - this is the way to win His Grace. You may not be rewarded materially for your compassionate acts but there is no greater reward than the joy that you derive by alleviating other's sorrow.

-SAI BABA

 

Man forgets his true nature because of attachment and egoism. Man should develop unwavering faith in God. Faith should be like your life-breath, which goes on at all times without respite. Breathing goes on irrespective of whatever work you may be doing and whatever be the state of your mind. Likewise, in all situations and at all times, your faith in God should never leave you. It should not change according to whether your desires are fulfilled or not. Like your life breath, your faith should remain steady, through joy and sorrow, loss and gain, pain and pleasure. Treat whatever happens as good for you. Develop that sense of fortitude.

-SAI BABA

 

Through Sathsang (holy company) you develop freedom from delusion, and then you develop faith in truth and thus attain liberation itself. Just as the tame elephants surround the wild tusker and rope him before taming him, the spiritual minded will bring the doubter around. The company of the good and the godly will slowly chasten and cleanse the persons prone to straying away from the straight path towards self-realization.

-SAI BABA

 

Be aware that all things belong to God. So no one can claim anything as one’s own. But people claim everything, declaring, "it is mine". Indeed, nothing belongs to anyone. People are immersed in the false and foolish concept of ownership; possessiveness is rampant in every thought and action, and that leads to the inflation of the ego. Egoism has to be utterly eradicated. Possessiveness should be banished. You came with empty hands, and you go back with empty hands.

-SAI BABA

 

Grasp as the bow the great weapon furnished by the Upanishads, and fix in it an arrow sharpened by meditation. Draw it with the mind concentrated on Brahman (Godhead), and hit the target, the immortal Brahman without losing aim. Pranava (the sound of 'Om') is the bow, Atma (soul) is the arrow, Brahman is the target. So, the Sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) must, like the expert archer, be unaffected by things that agitate the mind. He should pay one-pointed attention to the target. Then, he will attain oneness with the object of meditation.

-SAI BABA

 

There is no greater Sadhana (spiritual exercise) than service. Service is the principle means for acquiring divine grace. Without being a devoted follower, you cannot become a worthy leader. If you are not willing to do work, you cannot attain divinity. Each one has to realize this truth. Service to society is the highest good. It is Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love and Non-violence that give happiness. These are the five principles that sustain life. Under no circumstances should these principles be given up. Render service to society with these principles in your mind, and with broad-minded dedication to the well-being of all.

-SAI BABA

 

The word 'Vairagya' literally means that which is opposed to Raga (attachment). Vairagya does not mean that you should give up everything and retire in to a forest. Vairagya really means you should stay where you are, in whatever station of life you are in, and understand the subtle nature of things, while giving up worldly desires. It means that by using discrimination you should know what to accept and what to reject. You should strive to recognise the divinity in every object you see and enjoy it. Vairagya is not merely giving up things. It consists in enjoying, without attachment, things which were previously enjoyed with attachment. That is real Vairagya. That is the mark of a true human being.

-SAI BABA

 

Visions are only reflections of divine vibrations in the mind, aroused by Sadhana (spiritual practice). They are milestones, signposts; they happen on the road to the goal. They do not, they cannot accompany you right to the end. You will have to travel alone and overcome obstacles. Grace from your own self is the most important and essential help for spiritual progress. I might grant you grace without limit, but of what use can that be if your heart is not clean and if your head is full of ego? Cleanse your heart with Prema (love) and remove ego through service.

-SAI BABA

 

What is the meaning of ‘Ceiling on Desires’? People become deluded by unlimited desires, and live in a dream world. It is most important to keep one's desires under control, to put a ceiling on them. People are spending too much money. Instead of spending inordinately for their own pleasure, one should be spending for the relief of the poor and the needy. This is the meaning of the ‘Ceiling on Desires’ programme. Do not make the mistake of thinking that giving away money is all that is needed, giving away to others while allowing your own desires to continue to multiply. Curtail your desires, for materialistic desires lead to a restless and disastrous life. Desires are a prison. One can be freed only by limiting one’s wants.

-SAI BABA

 

Detachment, faith and love – these are the pillars upon which peace rests. Of these, faith is crucial, for without it all spiritual discipline is empty. Detachment alone can make spiritual discipline effective, and love is what leads one quickly to God. Faith feeds the agony of separation from God; detachment canalises it along the path of God, and love lights the way. God will grant you what you need and deserve; there is no need to ask, no reason to grumble. Be content. Nothing can happen against His will.-SAI BABA

 

A bamboo is valued in terms of its thickness and height. The sugarcane gets its value from its juice. The worth of a human being is based on his Buddhi (intellect). The more the intellect develops, the better one becomes. As the intellect declines, the human descends to the level of animal. Man's worth has declined today because he does not recognise the importance of the intellect and of conduct based on proper discrimination. The form is human, but the thinking is at the animal level. Man has earned the appellation of "two-legged animal." Having acquired the human form, man should conduct himself with intelligence. This is achieved through Thyaga (renunciation) and Yoga (spiritual discipline).

-SAI BABA

 

The right attitude of the devotee should be one of total surrender. As one devotee declared, “I am offering to you the heart which you gave me. I have nothing I can call my very own. All are yours. I offer to you what is already yours.” As long as this spirit of total surrender is not developed, man will have to be born again and again. One should offer one's heart to the Divine and not be content with making offerings like flowers and fruits.

-SAI BABA

 

What is Mano-Nigraham (control of the mind)? Nigraham (control) really means being indifferent to the vagaries of the mind. It is difficult to control the mind, just as it is difficult to confine air in one's grasp. How can anyone control the mind which is all-pervading in the vastness of its range and comprehension? When it is realised that the mind is made up of thoughts and doubts, the elimination of the thoughts is the means of restraining the mind. Thoughts are associated with desires. As long as desires remain, one cannot have Vairagya (detachment). It is necessary to limit desires. When there is no restraint, excessive desire becomes an evil. It leads to misery. When we strive to control desire, in due course, it develops into Vairagya (non-attachment or renunciation).

-SAI BABA

 

It is only God, the embodiment of love, who is always with you and in you. Bereft of love, man cannot exist. Love is your life. Love is the light that dispels the darkness of ignorance. One who does not cultivate love will be born again and again. Punarapi Jananam Punarapi Maranam. Whoever is born will die one day and whoever dies will be born again. Birth and death are the Prabhava (effect) of the objective world. As he is deluded by the Prabhava, man is subjecting himself to Pramada (danger).

-SAI BABA

 

People imagine that spirituality means meditating on God, bathing in sacred waters and visiting holy shrines, but this is not the correct meaning of spirituality. Spirituality means destroying the animal nature in man and awakening him to his divine consciousness. Spirituality implies recognizing that one’s manifold capacities emanate from the Spirit and not from the mind, then utilizing them for achieving spiritual strength. It means acknowledging that all powers come from the Divine.

-SAI BABA

 

Illness, both physical and mental, is a reaction on the body caused by poisons in the mind. An uncontaminated mind alone can ensure continuous good health. Vices breed disease. Bad thought, bad habits and bad company are fertile grounds in which disease thrives. A sense of elation and exultation keeps the body free from ill-health. The evil habits in which people indulge, are the chief causes of disease, physical as well as mental. Greed affects the mind; disappointments make people depressed. You can justify your existence as a human being only by the cultivation of virtues. Then you can become a worthy candidate for Godliness. It is progress in virtue that announces the progress of man towards divinity. Virtues also confer freshness, skill and long years of youthfulness.

-SAI BABA

 

Faith can grow only by long cultivation and careful attention. Have faith; faith will grant you all that you need. There is not task that I cannot accomplish. You have faith in Lord Rama and Krishna, since you have read books written about them. You have not demanded direct proofs of Divinity from them. Have you? Have faith first, then you will get proof enough. Take up the discipline of the recital of the Name. Why drag out your existence as a mere consumer of food? Eat, but transform food into good deeds, good thoughts, sweet speech. Move, but do not cause pain to others or add to their misery.

-SAI BABA

 

Man is a part of the human community. Mankind is a part of nature. Nature is a limb of God. Man has not recognised these inter-relationships. Today men are forgetting their obligations. The Cosmos is an integral organism of interrelated parts. When each one performs his duty, the benefits are available to all. Man is entitled only to perform his duties and not to the fruits thereof. Man is a kind of stage-director of what goes on in Nature. But forgetting his responsibilities, man fights for rights. It is foolish to fight for rights without discharging one's duties. All the chaos and conflicts in the world are due to men forgetting their duties. If everyone discharge their duties diligently, the world will be peaceful and prosperous.

-SAI BABA

 

From time to time, the Divine power assumes numerous forms. In devotees, it shines as the Jnana-Agni (fire of wisdom). In non-devotees, it burns as Krodha-Agni (the fire of anger) or the Kama-Agni (fire of desire). Man today has this fire (of anger, etc) in his heart and has become a victim of fear and delusions. All other types of fire subside in due course of time, but these fires (of anger, etc.) never completely cease. They may flare up at any moment. How, then, are these fires to be extinguished once for all? Vairagya (detachment) and Prema (love) are the two requisites to extinguish these fires. It is only through Prema (love) that man can acquire peace.

-SAI BABA

 

The world is made up of objects. It is inert. In the waking sense, the senses cognise all these objects. But the senses are also inert. The eyes that see, the ears that hear, the tongue that speaks and the nose that smells - all of them are Jada (inert). In fact, the entire body is inert. But all these inert objects are able to function because of the presence of Chaitanya (consciousness) in the mind. Thus we have to realise that the entire phenomenal universe is Jada.

-SAI BABA

 

Man is mortal and the Divine is immortal. In the mortal human being, there is the immortal Divine Spirit. In the field of the heart, there is a Kalpatharu (wish-fulfilling tree). The tree is surrounded by bushes and briars. When these are removed, the tree will become visible. This wish-fulfilling tree is within each person, but it is encompassed by the bad qualities in man. When these qualities are eliminated, the celestial tree will be recognised. This is the Sadhana (spiritual exercise) that each one has to perform. This is not the quest for something new. It is to experience what is yours. The entire cosmos is within you.

-SAI BABA

 

It is best that you imprint on your heart the dual nature of the world that is a mixture of pleasure and pain, joy and grief, victory and defeat. Practice the constant presence of God and learn to offer all your activities at the feet of the Lord as an act of worship. Then they will be cleansed of all faults. Life sustained by food is short; life sustained by Atma is eternal. Do not lay claim to long life, but to divine life. Do not strive for more years of stay on the earth, but for more virtues in the heart.

-SAI BABA

 

There is no need to retire into a forest or a cave to know your inner Truth and to conquer your lower nature. In fact, while living in isolation, one has no chance to exercise restraint on one's anger and other weaknesses and so the victory achieved there may not be long lasting or genuine. Win the battle of life; be in the world but yet be away from its shackles. That is the victory which you have to achieve.

-SAI BABA

 

Goodness, compassion, tolerance – through these virtues one can perceive the Divinity in oneself and in others. Softness of heart is often condemned as weakness, cowardice and want of intelligence; they say that the heart has to be hardened against pity and charity, but that way lies war, destruction and downfall. Love alone confers lasting happiness and peace. Sharing can alone reduce grief and multiply joy. People are born to share, to serve, to give and not to grab.

-SAI BABA

 

In rendering service, one should have no thought of one’s self. One should only consider how well one can render the service as an offering to the Divine. One should note the difference between Karma (action) and Karma Yoga (action as spiritual discipline). Ordinary activity is motivated by self interest or the desire to achieve some objective. In Karma Yoga, the action is desireless. Ordinary Karma is the cause of birth, death and rebirth, whereas Karma Yoga leads to freedom from birth. You should regard all service as a form of Karma Yoga – rendering service without any expectation of reward, and without even the feeling that one is ‘serving’ others. Any service done to anyone is actually service to the
Divine.
 

-SAI BABA