Sri Sathya Sai International Organization

What should be the characteristics of people in the Sai Organization? Their hearts should be cool, like the moon. Their minds should be pure like butter. Their speech should be sweet, like honey. It is only when you have a heart cool as the moon, a mind pure as butter, and speech sweet as honey, that you will be a worthy member of the Organization. When these three qualities are present, there will be divinity.

We have friends and foes, likes and dislikes, whereas Vedanta teaches us to develop equal mindedness. Just as we do not punish our teeth for accidentally biting our tongue because we consider both organs as parts of our body, so also, we have to bear in mind that the eternal and universal Atma (divine Self) resides in everyone and everywhere. We should not accentuate differences but concentrate on unity.

Faith in the almighty God is the impregnable armor that the spiritual aspirant (sadhaka) can wear. People of all lands are spiritual aspirants whether they know it or not. Be steady, do not waver, keep straight on, and hold fast to the ideal without despair. Pray until God relents; do not turn away sadly if God does not shower grace when you expect it.

Whatever other things they may possess, people suffer from a lack of peace and bliss. These two can be obtained only from God. It is for these two that one should pray to God and not for anything else because God alone can give them. When these are secured, all other things will come of their own accord by the grace of God. People should yearn for God. All other desires are worthless.

The divine principle that is in everyone is like the electric current that illuminates the bulbs before Me here, which are of different colors and different candle powers. The same God shines in and through everyone, regardless of creed, color, tribe, or territory. The current animates and activates all bulbs; the divine animates and activates all. Those who see the difference are deluded as they are befogged by prejudice, egoism, hatred, or malice. Love sees all as one divine family.

Be a witness, do not crave the fruit of action, and leave the consequences of all acts to God’s will. He is the doer; you are but the instrument. Pursue nobler ends and have grander ideals. Sensory pleasures are trinkets and trivialities.

All should remain united. Where there is unity, there shall be purity. Where there is purity, there is divinity. You all must lead your lives keeping in view these three aspects of unity, purity, and divinity. You should not remain unconcerned with others’ difficulties and suffering. Treat their suffering as your own. The one God dwells in the hearts of all people. God is immanent even in ants and mosquitoes. There should be compassion in your heart.

It is one's main duty to acquire a cool mind like the moonlight and shining wisdom like sunlight. As long as one is egoistic, none will love him, including one’s spouse and children. People will win the love of all when they give up their egos.

Returning injury for injury, harm for harm, or insult for insult only adds to the karmic burden, which must be endured and eliminated in future lives. This burden is termed "impending (agami)." One can't escape the task of undergoing the consequences of one's thoughts, words, and deeds in due course. Paying evil for evil can never lighten the weight of karma; it will only become heavier. It might confer immediate relief and contentment but can only make the person suffer later. Forbearance (titiksha), therefore, instructs people to do good to those who injure them.

God is present in every being as the eternal witness. This truth is proclaimed by 'Soham,' pronounced with each breath, 'So' with each inhalation, and ‘Ham’ with each exhalation. ‘So’ means That (God), and ‘Ham’ means I. This process goes on 21,600 times a day in every human being. In this manner, the inner voice reminds one of their divine nature many times every day.

The Lord is a mountain of love (prema). Any number of ants carrying away particles of sweetness cannot exhaust His plenty. He is an ocean of mercy with a limitless shore. Devotion is the easiest way to win His grace and to realize that He pervades everything; in fact, He is everything! Total surrender, leaving everything to His will, is the highest form of devotion.

The Lord is everyone’s father, in whose property everyone can claim a share. But to get the father’s property, one must reach a certain age, a certain standard of intelligence, and discrimination. God’s property is grace and love (prema). If you have discrimination and renunciation, you can claim your share, which is your right.

If you want real, lasting happiness, you can get it only by union with God. God is all-pervasive. Why should you search for God while the Lord is within you? The body is like a water bubble, and the mind is a mad monkey. Don't follow them. You should follow only your conscience, sathya, the principle of truth. If you have an unpolluted heart and engage in unblemished action, you will experience the manifestation of God.

Humans yearn for happiness in every act, in every kind of experience. Humanity pines for happiness. All actions are aimed at deriving happiness. Whether doing business or working in an office, the aim is to derive happiness. But does one find it? No. It is a temporary phase only as it is worldly happiness. One may be happy for a while, but permanent happiness is attained only by contemplating God. So, contemplate on the divine.