Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol 9 (1969) Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
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Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol 9 (1969) Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Index Of Discourses 1. Alms and Qualms ..................................................................................................... 2 2. Charming saplings ................................................................................................... 7 3. MahaaShivarathri .................................................................................................... 9 4. Thieves or Masters? ............................................................................................... 14 5. Love and reverence ................................................................................................ 17 6. Japa, Saadhana ...................................................................................................... 21 7. Cults and culture .................................................................................................... 26 8. In it, not, of it .......................................................................................................... 31 9. The tell-tale tongue ................................................................................................ 34 10. The will to will not ................................................................................................. 42 11. The five hoods ......................................................................................................... 46 12. Mirror and comb ................................................................................................... 49 13. House and home ..................................................................................................... 54 14. The voice of the ocean ............................................................................................ 58 15. The Achaarya….as God.......................................................................................... 65 16. Guru Poornima ...................................................................................................... 69 17. The spider in the same web ................................................................................... 72 18. Elephants and the Lion .......................................................................................... 77 19. Counsel for the chosen ........................................................................................... 83 20. The novel night ....................................................................................................... 87 21. Seaworthy boat ....................................................................................................... 90 22. Sign and symptom of glory ................................................................................... 94 23. Forsake the fete of fancy ...................................................................................... 100 24. Exercise in futility ................................................................................................ 105 25. Assert with every breath ..................................................................................... 110 26. Soldiers and Generals .......................................................................................... 114 27. The true time-table .............................................................................................. 118 28. The profound pastime ......................................................................................... 121 29. Win the one ........................................................................................................... 125 30. Beauty and duty ................................................................................................... 130 31. The colleges we need ............................................................................................ 132 32. The Three Thrones .............................................................................................. 135 33. The Hundredth and the next ............................................................................... 138 34. Doing the done ...................................................................................................... 142 35. From me, not, for me ........................................................................................... 147 Index https://sathyasai.us/devotion/discourses 1 Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol 9 (1969), Discourse 1 - Alms and Qualms 1. Alms and Qualms Date: 13 January 1969 / Location: Prasanthi Nilayam / Occasion: Sankranthi From this day of the Tropic of Capricorn, Makara Samkramana, as it is called, the Sun appears to move from South to North, and so, this Summer Solstice Day is celebrated as an auspicious festival, since ages. But, you must be concerned more with your own journey which is nearing its end with every sunrise. You are engaged in an incessant struggle with the Sun, to survive the onslaught of Time, which he measures with His steps. You yearn to escape the consequences of birth and the aftermath of death. You desire peace and joy; for this, you have to cleanse the mind so effectively that it is well-neigh eliminated. This is possible only when you identify yourself with the Atma, rather than with the body, which is the casket of the Atma, earned as a reward for one's activities of mind and body. When you live in the consciousness of the omnipresent Atma, you live in love, love flowing and flooding in and through you, and all else. Every morning, as soon as you sit up in bed, ask yourself this question: "For what purpose have I come into this world? What is the task set for me? What is the triumph for which this struggle is preparing me? Which is the grand victory for which I have to strive?" You must have witnessed car festivals in the famous pilgrimage centres. The colossal chariots of the temple will be gorgeously decorated with flags and festoons; stalwart bands of men will draw them along the broad roads to the music of blowpipes and conches; acrobats, dancing groups, chanters, minstrels, all precede it and add to the exhilaration of the occasion. Thousands crowd around the holy cars and line the streets. Their attention is naturally drawn towards the entertainments provided, but they feel happiest only when they fold their palms and bow before the Idol, installed in the chariot. The rest is all subsidiary, even irrelevant to many. So too in the process of life, the body is the chariot, the Atma is the Idol installed therein. Earning and spending, laughing and weeping, hurting and healing, and all the various acrobatics of daily life are but subsidiary to the adoration of God, the attainment of Atma. Index https://sathyasai.us/devotion/discourses 2 Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol 9 (1969), Discourse 1 - Alms and Qualms Only yearning and anguish win God's Grace The body is the chariot; buddhi (intelligence) is the charioteer; desires are the roads through which it is drawn by the rope of sensual attachments; moksha (liberation) is the goal; Moola-Virat-Swaruupa (the primal-all-pervasive-Divine) is the Master in the chariot. The car which you carry about has to be treated thus. Instead, men are wildly milling round and round, in dreary circles, from birth to death, pulled by wishes or pushed by needs. No milestones on the pilgrim road are crossed; no bridges are negotiated; no progress is registered. The very process of the journey is ignored. You may say that progress is possible only through My Grace; but, though My Heart is soft as butter, it melts only when there is some warmth in your prayer. Unless you make some disciplined effort, some sadhana, Grace cannot descend on you. The yearning, the agony of unfulfilled aim melts My Heart. That is the Avedana (anguish) that wins Grace. How so many Navarathris and Shivarathris you may attend at this place, unless you illumine your heart and make it shine clear and pure, it will be shrouded in darkness, immersed in rathri (night) only. Sadhana must make you calm, unruffled, poised, balanced. Make the mind as cool and comforting as moonlight, for the Moon is the Deity holding sway over the Mind. Be calm in speech, and in your response to malice, cavilling and praise. You complain that others are disturbing your equanimity; but, you do not know that though your tongue does not speak, your thoughts can unsettle the equanimity of those around you. A person fixed in detachment is ever content Detachment, Faith and Love - these are the pillars on which Shanthi rests. Of these, faith is crucial. For without it, sadhana is an empty rite. Detachment alone can make sadhana effective, and Love leads quickly to God. Faith feeds the agony of separation from God; detachment canalises it along the path of God; 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. Index https://sathyasai.us/devotion/discourses 3 Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol 9 (1969), Discourse 1 - Alms and Qualms I am reminded of Karna. In his last moments, he asked from the Lord just one boon: "I do not mind if you condemn me to be born, to face death in an endless cycle; only, bless me that in all my many lives, I am not constrained to stand before another, with hand extended pleading, 'Give'; and, bless me also that in all my lives, I am not constrained to send away a supplicant with the word, 'No'. Let not these two words, dehi (give) and nasthi (no) emerge from my mouth." A person fixed in thyaga (detachment)