Sri Sathya Sai International Organization

Whatever you hear, try to recapitulate, then put it into practice. Listening (shravanam), contemplating (mananam), and practicing (nidhidhyasanam) – these three are essential. Listening can be compared to cooking in the kitchen. Contemplating can be compared to bringing the food to the dining hall and serving it. Practicing can be compared to the eating process. When all these three are unified, you will have health and happiness.

Spiritual exercise is most required to control the mind and the desires after which it runs. If you find that you are not able to succeed, do not give up the spiritual exercise but do it more vigorously, for it is the subject in which you did not get passing marks that requires special study, is it not? Spiritual exercise means inner cleanliness as well as external cleanliness.

When you are depressed by what appears to be loss or calamity, engaging in the recitation and recollection of the names of the Lord (namasmarana) will give you consolation, courage, and true perspective. Remember the distress and calamity the saints underwent with an enthusiastic welcome and be calm during every storm. People laughed at them and called them mad, but they knew they were in the hospital of God's grace, not human's mental hospital. They had complete faith in their destiny, and so they had complete faith in God.

The eye must be trained to discover the footprints of God. In this process, the mind has to be mastered. The mind is the pivot of thoughts and feelings. The mind is the thinking aspect of the absolute consciousness (Brahman). The intellect cannot grasp the secret of worldly delusion (maya), for it, too, is bound by it. One must transcend the intellect to understand it.

Love all; revere all; help all to the best of your ability. Endeavor to be as beneficial, sweet, and soft as possible. Then, the spot you stand on becomes as sacred as Kashi (holy pilgrimage place); the words you utter will be as holy as scripture. This spiritual practice (sadhana) will lead you to Self-realization. 

God's grace is like the shower of rain and is like the sunlight. You must do some spiritual practice (sadhana) to acquire it, such as keeping a pot upright to receive the rain and opening the door of your heart so that the sun may illumine it. Like the music broadcast over the radio, it is all around you; but you must switch on your receiver and tune the identical wavelength to hear and enjoy it. Pray for grace but do at least this little sadhana.

Recognize that the divinity that is present in everyone is the same. This was the truth proclaimed by Vedanta. Scientists are now coming to the same view through a different approach. The ancient sages proclaimed the omnipresence of God, many millennia ago.

There is divinity in humanity. Understand this. Today every field of human activity is polluted. Once people purify their heart, they will find purity everywhere. The world outside is just a reflection of your heart. If you fill your heart with love, you will experience love everywhere. If there is hatred in your heart, the same is reflected outside. Whatever you see, hear, and experience outside is only the reflection, reaction, and resound of your inner being.

People today are neglecting the principles of truth, righteousness, and sacrifice. They must adhere to these principles, not for the sake of society, but for their own redemption. If you expect to be respected by all, you must develop self-respect, which is the basis of human life. One who lacks self-respect cannot command respect from others.

There is no greater spiritual path than the path of love. It is through love that such noble qualities as kindness, compassion and sympathy are fostered. Embodiments of Love! You are carrying out a variety of spiritual exercises (sadhanas). God does not seek your sadhanas. Nor does He seek your devotion. He seeks only your love.

There is no power greater than that of love. You can attain peace by cultivating love. Peace is your birthright. External peace is temporary. One should try to attain inner peace, which alone is pure, unsullied, eternal, and immortal. For this, it is necessary that one should make proper use of time. It is therefore one’s foremost duty to utilize time in a sacred manner.

Forbearance and forgiveness are the qualities that should be fostered by all individuals. You must be able to forgive even your enemies. This day (Ganesh Chaturthi festival day) is consecrated to Ganapathi and teaches you forgiveness and love, so that you may realize divinity and enjoy bliss.

If you only observe discipline and purify the consciousness, you can see God installed in your heart. There is sugar in the cup, but the water is insipid, for you have not stirred it well. There is God in the world, and by stirring the divine properly into every drop or atom thereof, you can make the world a sweet place. Intelligence is the spoon, spiritual practice (sadhana) is the process of stirring.

People waste their time as they consider the body as permanent and ignore the indweller. Time is the most precious gift of God, but people do not realize the value of time. They waste three-fourths of time in vain pursuits. How can such people redeem their lives? To sanctify the body, one must make proper use of time.