Divine Inspirations Volume 4

Publisher’s Note

Our Divine Mother Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in His own inimitable way narrates stories in His Divine Discourses to make the devotees easily understand His teachings and practise them, like any other human mother trying to make her infant eat food by diverting its attention to the moon, bird, etc. Bhagawan’s moral stories are a nectar of love and intended to ease the learning of His messages and enhance their understanding to enable them to practise and get spiritually elevated.

This collection of moral stories told by Bhagawan with Learning Points titled Divine Inspirations Vol-4 by Sri S. Sasidhar is simple to read and is a needful guide to all, children, youth and old people. The chapter titles in this book are quotes or messages of Baba with appropriate moral stories and their explanation. It is interesting and absorbing to read these stories which will specially be useful to Bal Vikas children, teachers and parents.

The Publications Division of Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust gladly presents this valuable and practical guide book to the devotees and general public and hopes that it will be well received by them.

Convener

Publications Division,

Prasanthi Nilayam,

Date: 14th June, 2014

Every being in the Universe has the potentiality of transcending the senses. Even the little worm will one day transcend the senses and reach God. No life will be a failure. There is no such thing as failure in the Universe.

- Baba

Preface

Our beloved Baba has bestowed Divine nectar of love in the form of His sacred teachings for uplifting mankind. To ease our learning, Baba frequently narrated stories in His Divine discourses. Therefore, stories are an excellent inspirational tool to imbibe and practise Baba’s teachings in our day-to-day lives.

Divine Inspirations is intended to ease our learning of Baba’s teachings and enhance our understanding through moral stories collected from His discourses. Handbook for Ideal Sai Human Life—the comprehensive compilation of Swami’s teachings has cast the seeds for this book.

Each chapter title in this book is a quote/message which is supported by a moral story/stories narrated by Baba and followed by a brief explanation on the learning points. Each story exemplifies the ideals of Sai and explains how important it is to practise these ideals in day-to-day life through examples.

The contents of the book are primarily designed to fulfil the needs of individual aspirants and for the activities like study circles, to discuss and gain insights through stories and quotes. Moreover, some of the stories can be a great resource for Bal Vikas/SSE teachers and parents. For the ease of readers, all the quotes used as chapter titles form the table of contents of this e-book.

My heartfelt thanks to my wife Hetal for all her patience and support. My sincere gratitude and respect to my parents, other family members, and friends for their love and support.

Let’s all pray to Bhagawan to help all of us in practising His teachings more rigorously each day and ultimately attain everlasting merger in Him.

- S. Sasidhar

Contents

Publisher’s Note

Preface

1. When Something Is Done Regularly And With Devotion, It Definitely Reaches God.

2. Be In The World, But Do Not Let The World Into You. That Is The Sign Of Viveka (Discrimination).

3. Sorrow And Pain Are Caused By Desire. The Cure Is To Use The Same Desire, And Turn It To God, To Desire God.

4. Life Can Be Saved Or Restored By Adhering To Truth.

5. Once You Are Clear Then The Rest Will Follow.

6. God Does Not Deny Anyone; It Is Only You Who Deny God.

7. Develop A Spirit Of Sacrifice And Sanctify Your Life With Noble Deeds.

8. Cleverness Can Correct And Solve External Problems; Concentrated Sadhana Alone Can Correct And Solve Internal Crisis.

9. Implicit Obedience Merits Its Own Reward.

10. Purity Of Heart And Mastery Over The Senses - If You Have These Two Credentials, Grace Is Your Right.

11. The Hallmark Of Love Is Selfless Sacrifice.

12. Perform All Your Acts As Worship. Duty Is God, Work Is Worship.

13. True Education Is That Which Liberates.

14. The Shedding Of All Attachment Is Tyaga (Sacrifice).

15. Unity, Brotherhood And Devotion Are Essential For Every Human Being.

16. Beauty Is Joy… Beauty Without Joy Is Of No Use.

17. Your Life Will Be A Mere Waste If You Lack Gratitude.

18. It Is The Mistake Of The Parents If The Children Do Not Take To The Right Path.

19. When Parents Are Good, Their Children Will Naturally Be Good.

20. The One Who Helps The Wicked Is Also Wicked.

21. The Mistake May Be Minor, But It Can Be Disastrous.

22. The Lord Bestows A Favour When He Decides To Test You, For He Is Impressed By Your Achievement And Wants To Put Upon It The Seal Of His Approval.

23. Be A Servant; A Servant Of God – Then, All Strength And Joy Will Be Added Unto You.

24. It Is Not That God Speaks Truth. It Is That Whatever God Speaks Is Truth.

25. The Easiest Way To Control Sensuous Desires Is To Practise Altruistic Love.

26. Do Not Say Or Do Anything That Will Bring Indian Culture Into Disrepute.

27. If You Have Love, It Is Enough. Everything Will Be Added Unto You.

28. It Is Only The Lord Who Has The Power Of Control. Therefore, He Alone Is Masculine.

29. Every Person, Whichever Country He May Belong To, Should Have Patriotism Firmly Ingrained In His Heart.

30. It Is Music That Melts Human Heart And Literally Moves Everyone.

31. Your Education Should Help You To Better The Community.

32. Only The Wealth Or Name That Is Acquired By Righteous And Honest Means Will Be Enduring And Praiseworthy.

33. Your Life Will Be A Mere Waste If You Lack Gratitude.

34. Only By Honouring The Parents Will The Children’s Children Honour Them. A Clear Case Of Action And Reaction.

35. If You Accuse Or Blame Or Deny God, It Will Not Do Anything To Him. But, Your Action Will Come Back To You As Reaction; You Punish Yourself.

36. There Is One Thing That Comes Into Man From The Outside. That Thing Is The Ego Which Is Formed By Attachment To Outside Objects. With Desire For The World Cut, Ego Automatically Vanishes.

37. It Is Only God Who Is With You During Your Life And Even After Your Death. So, God Is Your Real Friend And The Only Relation.

38. The Best Way To Love God Is To Love All And Serve All.

39. Ask Only For Devotion And Spiritual Wisdom From Me.

40. One Must Study That Which Leads Beyond Death.

41. Unless You Have A Steady Mind, You Cannot Understand Matters Relating To The Atma.

42. All Your Actions Must Be Approved By Dharma, The Ideal Norms Of Life.

43. The Divine Will Not Consider Your Status Or Position, Your Pomp And Show. The Lord Is Bound Only By The Devotees’ Devotion.

44. One Starts Life As A Creature Of Food, But One Has To March On To The Goal Of An Embodiment Of Spiritual Bliss.

45. A Man Swayed By Ego Will Have To Receive Blows Until He Becomes Devoid Of Ego.

46. The Hallmark Of Love Is Selfless Sacrifice.

47. Prayer Is More Powerful Than The Military Forces. If Made With A Sincere Heart, It Will Certainly Be Answered.

48. The Lord Always Weighs Only The Feeling Behind The Prayer To Satisfy And Please.

49. A Human Being Should Essentially Have Three Qualities – Nischalatwa, Nirmalatwa And Nirmohatwa. One Who Has These Three Qualities Is Verily God Himself.

50. The Pursuit Of Any Object Other Than Divine Is A Futile Exercise – Worldly Possessions Come And Go, But Divinity Comes And Grows.

51. Attachment Must Have Limits. Without Limits, Man Forgets His Divine Nature, Behaves Like An Animal And Loses Respect In Society.

52. One Has To Eliminate The Ego Totally; Even A Trace Of It Will Bring Disaster.

53. There Is None Superior To A Devotee In This World.

54. Man’s Life Is Bound By Kala, Karma, Karana, And Kartavya (Time, Action, Cause, Duty).

55. Only When Human Effort Is There, With God’s Grace, Good Results Will Be Attained.

56. The Best Maxim For Helping People Either In Worldly Matters Or In The Spiritual Field Is Help Them To Help Themselves Or Self-Help Is The Best Help.

57. Your Body Must Serve The Purpose Of Your Journey – Not To The Cemetery, But To The Knowledge Of Your Own Reality And Merge In That Supreme Joy.

58. The Name Of The Lord Alone Is Sufficient To Give You All The Results From All Types Of Spiritual Practice.

59. Expansion Of Love Is Life.

60. For Sacred Thoughts And Sacred Deeds, Sacred Food Is Essential.

61. Tend The Cow, For The Cow Is The Symbol Of Selfless Service Of Dharma.

62. The Mind Has To Be Trained To Develop A Taste For The Good And The Godly, Not For Money Or Material Gains.

63. A True Devotee Will Not Falter In His Love For God Even When He Faces Troubles And Obstacles In His Life.

64. As A Result Of His Love For His Devotees, God Will Be Willing To Put Himself In Any Objectionable Position.

65. The Best Form Of Worship That Will Bring The Grace Of God In Ample Measure Is To Obey The Commands Of God.

66. There Is Only One Thing Which Man Has To Recognise, By Knowing Which He Can Understand All Other Things. That One Thing Is The Atma-Tatwa (Principle Of The Self).

67. Devotion To God Without Observing The Divine Injunctions Destroys Peace Of Mind.

68. Study Is A Purposeless Exercise If The Essence Is Not Imbibed And Practised. The Greed To Read About All Kinds Of Subjects And Topics Is Itself Not A Very Healthy Impulse.

69. Life Acquires Sweetness When One Reveres One’s Father And Mother.

70. Every Mother Must Share In This Effort - The Expansion And Steady Manifestation Of God Consciousness, Latent In Every Child.

71. There Is No Rule Higher Than Truth.

72. The Terrible Aspect Of God Is Not Terrible In Essence.

73. You Should Have Limited Desires. Then God Will Encourage You With Proper Enthusiasm.

74. Love Must Express Itself As Service.

75. Attaining Self-Realisation Is Not Done By A Trick, Or A Ruse; It Has No Short Cut.

76. The Divine Operates Only To Reduce The Burdens Of The People And Not To Increase Them.

77. Transformation Of Man Is Transformation Of Mind.

78. Faith In God Is Natural To Man. Doubts About God Are Artificial Exercises Of The Mind.

79. What Is The End Of Education? Character Is The End Of Education.

80. Recognize Me In All. That Is The Genuine Pilgrimage.

81. The Only Qualification To Become Dear To The Lord Is To Acquire A Compassionate Heart And Sense Control.

82. Every Action In Daily Life Should Be Turned Into An Act Of Devotion To God.

83. Anyone, Whatever His Background, Forgets Himself In A Sankirtan (Community Singing) And Participates In It.

84. The Benefits Derived From Prayer Or Good Actions May Not Be Visible To The Naked Eye. Yet The Benefits Do Accrue In The Form Of God’s Grace.

85. The Processes Of The Divine Will Are Mysterious Wonders.

86. Mother Is Your First God.

87. I Never Let Down Those Who Repose Their Full Faith In Me.

88. Whenever God Accepts Anything From Anyone, He Grants Unending Bounty In Return.

89. Sanskrit Is The Mother Of Languages.

90. My Name Is Truth; I Am The Truth.

91. Do Not Give Any Scope For Wicked Feelings Such As Desire, Anger And Greed. In The Spiritual Path, These Three Are The Worst Enemies.

92. The Touch Of The Divine Liberates One From All Karmic Bonds.

93. Limit Your Desires To Your Capacity, And Have Only Those That Will Grant Lasting Joy.

94. I Have A Definition Of A Devotee That I Expect. Those Devoted To Me Have To Treat Joy And Grief, Gain And Loss With Equal Fortitude.

95. The Scriptures Have Declared That Among Birds, The Crow Is The Meanest; Among Animals, The Donkey Is The Meanest And Among Men, The One Who Indulges In Slander Is Most Despicable.

96. Both Inner And Outer Purity Are Essential For Man’s Physical And Mental Health.

97. The Ways Of The Lord Are Inscrutable; Your Duty Is To Submit To Them Faithfully, Thankfully And Joyfully.

98. There Is Correctness From The Worldly Point Of View And Correctness From God’s.

99. Union Is Strength; Disunion Brings Disaster.

100. See God In Everyone You Meet; See God In Everything You Handle.

1. When Something Is Done Regularly And With Devotion, It Definitely Reaches God.

Story: There was a sheristadar by name Tharkad. He was a Brahmo Samajist and did not believe in the Divine as one with names and forms. His wife and 16-year-old son were ardent devotees of Shirdi Baba. He did not object to their worship. This was a good quality in him. One day when his wife wanted to go to Shirdi along with the son, he gave them his consent. Tharkad’s son told his father that he would not go to Shirdi because he was performing regular worship to Baba in their house. This worship would be affected if he went to Shirdi. The lad told his father that every day he was making an offering of candy to Baba and he was partaking of part of the candy as prasad (blessed offering) out of the conviction that Baba was receiving the candy. The son declared, I do not want any break in this practice. Hence I do not want to go to Shirdi. Tharkad felt proud of his son’s devotion and discipline at such a young age. Out of immense love for his son, Tharkad assured and promised his son that although he did not have faith in these rituals, he would definitely perform worship and place the offering before Baba’s photographs every day without fail. On hearing Tharkad’s solemn words, the son gladly left for Shirdi along with his mother.

Tharkad then faithfully woke up early, the next morning and took his bath. He got flowers for worship and offered candy, as he had seen his son doing. Later on, he partook of the offering as prasadam and only then he had his breakfast. As the father was attending to the rituals, the son stayed on happily at Shirdi. Days passed this way. One full moon night, the mother and son sat on either side of Baba. Baba started speaking to the lady, Mother, yesterday I was very hungry and went to your house. But I found that no food was offered there! So I had to return hungry. The perturbed son asked, Baba when we are here, why must you go there to our house? Baba said, Well, you were offering food to me every day there. I got used to it and out of habit, went there again. The son realized that his father would have forgotten to make the sacred offering the previous day. He at once dashed off a strongly worded letter to his father adding a note, If you had not made the promise, I would not have come to Shirdi at all. Tharkad saw the letter. He at once checked with his cook if he had placed the offering at the altar that day. The cook reminded him that he was busy that day and had hence forgotten to make the offering. Thus reminded of his folly, Tharkad was very sad.

The boy could not stay at Shirdi for any longer and wanted to come back home and adhere to his daily routine. At that time, Baba sent him a message saying, There is no need for you to go now. Your father failed to keep his word, but you have not failed in your duty. You have all My grace. You can stay here as long as you wish. When the boy returned home after a few days, the father rushed towards him and begged his pardon. After this experience, Tharkad left ‘Brahmo Samaj’ to join ‘Sahaj Samaj’.¹,²

Learning Points: What we all must understand from the above story is that when something is done regularly and with devotion, it definitely reaches God. When you feed a dog every day at a set time, after ninety days it will come there and wait for you to feed it. When a dog can come in time, why would not God come? Also, one of the important aspects of discipline is keeping one’s plighted word. Whatever society you may belong to, whatever your beliefs, the promised word must be kept.¹,²

References:

1. Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 29, Ch. 21

2. Students with Sai: Conversations 1991 to 2000, 18th June, 1982

2. Be In The World, But Do Not Let The World Into You. That Is The Sign Of Viveka (Discrimination).

Story: Once Sage Agastya during his sojourn on earth happened to meet a farmer who was struggling hard to maintain his family. Out of compassion for the man the sage told him, "My dear fellow, do not worry, all your troubles will cease to bother you. I have the power to free you of all bondage. Come with me to Vaikuntha, the abode of the Lord. The farmer replied, Oh revered one! How can I leave my children? Come after ten years. I will be ready to accompany you. The sage did come after ten years and reminded the farmer; My dear fellow, the period of ten years stipulated by you ended yesterday. Come with me to Vaikuntha and there experience eternal bliss. The farmer said, Oh revered one! My eldest son was just recently married. I am eager to see my grandchildren. Come after ten years."

The sage appeared at the door of the house of the farmer again after ten years. He was told that the farmer had died. He saw a dog at the door. He could intuitively divine that the farmer had been reborn as a dog. He bestowed on the dog the power of speech and awareness of the knowledge of the previous birth. He asked the dog, Oh man! Are you not ashamed to be born as a dog? Come, I shall free you of this mean life. The dog said, "Oh Sage! I wish to be a watch dog at the door