Offering of Love and Gratitude to Sathya Sai
Sathya Sai Baba took human birth on 23rd November 1926 and on 24th April 2011 He left His physical form – observed as Aradhana Mahotsavam and is celebrated by Sathya Sai devotees, who offer their prayers and deep gratitude for His teachings, life of service and transformative love which touched the hearts and lives of millions of people around the world. His Divine love is His greatest miracle.
In His infinite love, Sathya Sai came as an Avatar to arouse our Divine consciousness. He came to teach us through His example and through very practical ways that God resides inside us and how to live that reality. He says that knowledge of the Self shows the way and that the spiritual practices he has described to live lives of love and service will ensure that this goal is achieved.
I ask only for purity of heart, to shower Grace. Do not posit distance between you and Me; do not interpose the formalities of the Guru-sishya (preceptor/disciple) relationship, or even the altitudinal distinctions of the God-devotee relationship, between you and Me. I am neither Guru nor God; I am You; You are I; that is the Truth. There is no distinction. That which appears so is the delusion. You are waves; I am the Ocean. Know this and be free, be Divine
Guru Poornima, 19-7-1970, Sathya Sai Speaks Vol 10 Ch 16
Sathya Sai Baba assures us that sincere practice of the pathways of devotion, service and wisdom will purify our hearts by removing the ignorance which hides our true reality, revealing the Divinity within. Every moment is an opportunity for transformation and service. Every person, every experience, whether painful or joyful, is given to us to bring us back to Him. This knowledge can sustain us through life’s greatest challenges and most difficult times.
Swami repeatedly encouraged us to go beyond His name and form and to connect with the divinity which is our very own Self.
Do not limit Me to the boundaries of any one name and form. Your aim should be to see the self-same God in all the forms that are worshipped, to picture Him in all the names, nay, to be conscious of His presence as the inner motivator of every living being, in every particle of matter.
Divine Discourse at the World Conference of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations on May 17, 196
This day of the Aradhana Mahotsavam is also observed by the SSIO as World Human Values Day in recognition of His teaching that divinity exists in every human heart in the form of the Five Human Values of Truth, Right Conduct, Love, Peace and Non-violence. We have the opportunity to show our gratitude and reverence by living these values and living in the constant awareness that all beings are Him, every particle of matter is Divine and that all deserve our reverence and love.
Jenny Monson
Australia