November 2006 - Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publication Trust

EDITORIALKnowledge FindsConsummation in PracticeMan has ultimately to merge with God. Sooner or later, he hasto reach the goal of God-realisation. It is up to him to performthis journey in thousands of births or in one birth. In His firstpublic Discourse given on the day of Vijaya Dasami, the 10th day of Dasarafestival, in 1953, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba emphatically declared:“This I will tell you; there is no escaping it; all creatures have to reach Godsome day or the other, by the long route or the short route.”It is the rarest of rare opportunity for modern man when the SupremeBeing Himself has incarnated on earth in the human form of Bhagavan Babawith the specific task of redeeming man’s life and making the route of Godrealisationas short and easy for him as possible. If we look back at His lifeand teachings, we will realise that Bhagavan has demonstrated all possibleroutes to man which can lead him to his goal of life. He has reconstructed thehighway of Bhakti (devotion), providing opportunities to all to redeem theirlife through Namasmarana (recitation of God’s Name), Bhajan singing andVeda chanting. He has remade the path of selfless service to mankind byHis hospitals, educational institutions, water projects and other humanitariantasks as models for man to follow. Besides, He has been giving the supremetranscendental knowledge of the Vedas and Upanishads in His Discoursesand writings in the easiest possible language to show to man the brilliantpath of Jnana (knowledge) to redeem his life.The Vedas, Bhagavan has been saying, are the breath of God. Theycontain eternal truths for man’s highest spiritual attainment. They are thefountain-source of all knowledge which is universally applicable to all withoutany distinction of religion, caste, race and nationality. The Supreme BeingHimself is the source of this Divine wisdom. Moreover, several generationsof sages put this knowledge into practice in their life, attained enlightenmentand vouchsafed its veracity. Vedanta (philosophy based on the Vedas)therefore is a practical science. The same Supreme Being who whisperedthis knowledge to the Rishis of yore has now descended on earth in humanNovember 2006 327

As Swami Vivekananda says, the emphasis should be on the assimilation of values and ideasrather than on gathering of information. Stressing the need for practice, he says, “If you haveassimilated five ideas and made them your life and character, you have more education thanany man who has got by heart a whole library … If education is identical with information, thenlibraries are the greatest sages and encyclopaedias are the Rishis (evolved beings).”Instead of making man humble, kind, compassionate, truthful and broad-minded, educationtoday is nurturing the demonic qualities of greed, selfishness, vanity, ego, and craze for power,position and wealth in man. Bhagavan gives the example of Ravana who had mastered all thefour Vedas and six Sastras (six systems of Indian philosophy). In His Divine Message on theoccasion of Sri Krishna Janmashtami in 2004, Bhagavan said about Ravana, “In spite of allthis knowledge of scriptures, was there any transformation in him? No. Instead of developingDaivatwa (divine qualities), he developed Danavatwa (demonic qualities). The ten heads ofRavana symbolise four Vedas and six Sastras. Rama severed Ravana’s ten heads since he didnot put into practice the knowledge he had acquired.” In his craze for acquiring power, positionand wealth, man today is losing even his humanness. He wants to acquire the knowledge ofeverything in the world except himself. As Bhagavan says, man today travels thousands of milesin space, but he does not go even one inch within himself. That is why, he lacks the knowledgeof his innate divine principle which is the fountain-source of peace, bliss, love and compassionin him. That is the main cause of man’s restlessness and all the strife, conflict and violencein the world. It is only when man recognises his inner reality can he realise the basic unity ofmankind. When man does not know himself, how can he know God and attain the goal of Godrealisation?The Birthday of Bhagavan provides us an opportunity to take a resolve to put at least one ortwo teachings of Bhagavan, like Love All, Serve All; Help Ever, Hurt Never into practice in ourlife and strive to earn Bhagavan’s grace. May Bhagavan bless us to attain the goal of our life inthis very birth!– EditorNovember 2006 329

AVATAR VANI DASARA DISCOURSE: 1ALWAYS REMAIN CONSCIOUSOF YOUR DIVINITYAll that is seen by the naked eye is not the truth. God is the only reality; all else ismere illusion. Unable to realise this truth, people waste their time in debating overwhat is truth and what is not.(Telugu Poem)Embodiments of Love!You consider everythingthat you see in this objective worldas true. But, in reality, nothing istrue in this world. Truth is that which is eternal,beyond the three periods of time – past, presentand future. That is God.Understand the Difference between Truthand IllusionThe physical world that you see is subjectto change. To consider this scenario, whichchanges every moment, as real is to subjectoneself to self-delusion. Today you are astudent, tomorrow you may become an officer;later you will be a retired officer. Then, what istrue – a student, an officer or a retired officer?No relationship exists between a man and awoman before their marriage. Once they aremarried, they become husband and wife. Buteven this relationship is not permanent; it isabsolutely temporary. Thus, all that you seein this objective world and all the relationshipsbetween individuals are only temporary, notpermanent. But God is not like that. He is alwaysthe same in all periods of time – yesterday,today and tomorrow. Not reposing your faith inGod who is true and eternal, you are deludedinto thinking that what you see in this objectiveworld is true. Hence, first and foremost tryto understand the eternal truth. Once youunderstand this truth, you will understandeverything else. Without understanding this,all that you seem to understand is of little use.Therefore, try to understand the differencebetween Sathya (truth) and Mithya (illusion).The entire universe is subject to change. ItYou should not be proud of yourlearning. Your learning shouldmake you humble. It shouldendow you with human qualities.You should attain the state ofdesirelessness. Then only canyou be called a true human being.Too many desires are dangerous.Less desires make the journey oflife more comfortable. Therefore,reduce your desires. Give up thedesires which are unnecessary.Otherwise, you will waste yourtime in the pursuit of thesedesires.330 November 2006

air and ether), Pancha Koshas (five sheathsof the soul), Pancha Pranas (five life-breaths)and Panchendriyas (five senses) is ephemeraland transitory like a water bubble. The mind isunsteady like a monkey. Knowing fully well thetransitory nature of the body and fickleness ofthe mind, we lead our life reposing full faith inthem, and suffer the dualities of pleasure andpain, happiness and sorrow.The Dehi (indweller) in the Deha (physicalbody) is eternal. It is referred to as the Atma.We identify the physical body with certainnames. For example, the name Anil Kumar isan identification for a particular form. Similarly,the name Sathya Sai Baba represents thisphysical body. It is not possible to identify thephysical bodies without names. A human beinglives in the world, donning a physical body thatis ephemeral. All that we see in the objectiveworld is the creation of our mind. But the truthis that which we cannot see with our physicaleyes. That is the Atma. Hence, when someoneenquires, “Who are you?”, you should say, “Iam the Atma.” You should not identify yourselfwith the physical body. Your physical bodybears the name given to it by your parents.Though everybody calls you by this name, yetit is not the name that is important. Both nameand form are temporary and unreal. As longas you live in this world, they are relevant. Themoment you depart from this world, they losetheir relevance.Once there was a millionaire who was, in fact,rolling in wealth. When his end approached, hewas filled with grief. All his relatives surroundedhim. At this critical moment of his life, heremembered the truth stated by Adi Sankara:Punarapi Jananam Punarapi Maranam (I amcaught up in this cycle of birth and death).Realising that all his relatives and friends were,in fact, interested only in his wealth, hewailed, “My dear ones! All that I haveYou are all pursuing education andacquiring high academic degrees.There are numerous people withhigh degrees like M.A., M.B.A.and Ph.D. in this world. But, whatservice are they rendering tosociety? They are concerned withfurthering their own interests, andare not bothered about helpingothers. They use their educationonly for a living. There is nothinggreat in it. The real worth ofeducation lies in self-sacrifice andselfless service. Renouncing one’sdesires and fruits of one’s actionsis real Sadhana.earned during my life has been given to you.Even the palatial buildings and big mansionsthat I built have also been handed over toyou. My bank deposits have also been givenaway to you. Yet, you are not worried aboutme and are thinking of the wealth I am leavingbehind.”Spiritual Practice is Necessary to AttainPurityAs long as people live in this world, theykeep thinking about property and wealth only.They do not think about what will happen tothem after death which can occur anywhere,at any time. You are now sitting here. But youdo not know what will happen to you whenyou get up and take two steps forward. Afteryou depart from this world, who is related towhom? Who are your friends and relatives?No relationships at all! Hence, do not beunduly attached to the body.332 November 2006

Make the body pure by performing goodactions. It gets polluted when people developmany kinds of relationships in the world.This pollution affects the health of the body.For example, in the rainy season, water issometimes polluted due to excessive rains.Many people who drink polluted water becomesick. Today the food we eat, the water wedrink and even the air we breathe are allpolluted. This pollution is the cause of ill-healthand suffering of many people. It is thereforenecessary to save the body from pollution andkeep it pure and sacred. Total purity howeveris possible only by undertaking the nine formsof devotion as Sadhana (spiritual practice):Sravanam (listening), Kirtanam (singing),Vishnusmaranam (contemplating on Vishnu),Padasevanam (serving His Lotus Feet),Vandanam (salutation), Archanam (worship),Dasyam (servitude), Sneham (friendship),Atmanivedanam (self-surrender). One canundertake the Sadhana of any one of theseforms to attain complete purity. Human is notconfined merely to Jivatwa (humanness); heembodies Daivatwa (divinity). Every humanbeing, nay, every living being, is an embodimentof divinity verily. Divinity is immanent in birds,beasts and even in insects.It is unfortunate that man ignores thisdivine principle which permeates everything.It is therefore necessary for a human beingto undertake Sadhana to know the truth of hisdivinity. Sadhana is not mere physical exercise.It is deep enquiry of truth. What is truth? Is thebody true? Are the senses, mind or intellecttrue? No, none of these. The mind is a madmonkey. The intellect is also not steady. If youfollow the fickle mind and unsteady intellect,you cannot reach your destination; you willlose the way. So, do not go by these. Thebody is bound to perish one day or the other.Hence, you should strive to forget the bodyright from now. However, food is necessary forthe sustenance of the body. But eat only pureand Sattwic food. Lead your life in this sacredway and constantly remain aware of yourdivinity by contemplating on Sohum Mantra(Swami here demonstrated how it is constantlymanifested with each breath, ‘So’ with eachinhalation and ‘Hum’ with each exhalation).The same divine principle has been stated inthe Mahavakya (profound statement), AhamBrahmasmi (I am Brahman) in the Vedas.From the time you get up from your bed tillyou go to sleep, you should constantly remindyourself that you are Brahman and not merelya human being. Always remain conscious ofyour divinity, remembering at all times: “I amGod. I have no bondage; I am pure, unsullied,eternal divine principle.” It is God only whoprotects and sustains you. He is your father,mother and everything in life. Everything thatyou have is only by God’s grace. If you forgetGod and keep thinking of everything else inthis world, you will lose everything in life. Ifyou constantly contemplate on God, all worldlythoughts will leave you. Hence, contemplateon God with love. Prema Muditha ManaseKaho Rama Rama Ram (chant the Name ofRama with your heart filled with love). Love isGod. God is love.Education Should Make you Humble andDesirelessWithout love, there is no mother, no father,no brother, no sister, no wife, no husband. Mandevelops worldly relations for his convenienceand happiness. He uses them to serve hisselfish ends. Give up selfishness and strive forself-realisation. Enquire, “Who am I?” Areyou the body, mind, intellect, mind-stuffNovember 2006 333

they? What a shame! One does not feel likelooking at the newspaper at all! This is not thetype of stuff you should read. Instead, spendyour time in the contemplation of God. God isbeyond all names and forms. All the same, Hisname is full of sweetness.Understand the Purpose of CelebratingFestivalsDear Students!What for are all these festivals celebrated?They are celebrated to remind us aboutGod. People of all religions have festivals tocelebrate. All religions teach only good things.Therefore, everyone should follow his religionand respect other religions. No religion is bad.It is your bad intellect which sees bad in otherreligions. So, rectify your intellect. When youhave discriminatory intellect, you will see onlyoneness of all religions.Do not waste time. Do not make it unsacred.Observe the sacredness of time and therebyexperience bliss. Man is essentially theembodiment of bliss. Hence, you shouldalways be happy and blissful. Do not harbourunnecessary desires; you will feel depressedwhen they are not fulfilled. Happiness is unionwith God. Be always happy with a smiling face.Do not put on a ‘castor-oil face’ under anycircumstances. Remain smiling all the time.The more enthusiastic and energetic you are,the more happy you will be. After all, what isthere for you to worry about? Nothing at all.The students who do not prepare well for theexamination will, of course, be worried. But ifyou have prepared well, then why should youworry? You will surely get good marks. Hence,read well, pass the examination with distinctionand work for the advancement of the country.The celebration of the festival ofDasara is meant to encourage andenthuse you to control Dasendriyas (tensenses – five senses of perception and fivesenses of action). It also signifies the killingof Mahishasura by the goddess Chamunda.Mahishasura is a demon. What is the innermeaning of this story? A Nara (human being)should have no association whatsoever withAsura (demon). So, man should give up thecompany of those who have demonic qualities.Always have good company, as advised byAdi Sankara:Satsangatwe Nissangatwam,Nissangatwe Nirmohatwam,Nirmohatwe Nischalatattwam,Nischalatattwe Jivanmukti.(Sanskrit Sloka)(Good company leads to detachment;detachment makes one free from delusion;freedom from delusion leads to steadiness ofmind; steadiness of mind confers liberation.)Be in good company. Your companydetermines the type of person you are. If you joinbad company, you will also become bad. Saygoodbye to bad company, and leave the placeimmediately where you find such a company.Never go near such a place. However, do nothate anybody. Whomever you come across,consider him as the embodiment of divinity andoffer salutations to him and enquire, “How areyou, brother?” Then the other person will alsorespond, “How are you, brother?” Be happyand share your happiness with all. A humanbeing is one who develops human values.What are these human values? These are:Sathya, Dharma, Santhi, Prema and Ahimsa.Where there is love, there is peace. Wherethere is peace, there is righteousness. WhereContinued on page 350 ...November 2006 335

Celebrations at Prasanthi NilayamGRAND GUJARATINEW YEAR FUNCTIONGujarati New Year wascelebrated at Prasanthi Nilayamon 23rd October 2006 with greatdevotion and enthusiasm in the DivinePresence of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.The venue of the celebrations was Sai KulwantHall, which was beautifully decorated for thisfestive occasion.On the morning of 23rd October 2006,Bhagavan came to Sai Kulwant Hall at 8.15a.m. amidst chanting of sacred Vedic Mantrasby the students and staff of Sri Sathya SaiInstitute of Higher Learning. Bal Vikas studentsof Gujarat stood on both sides of the passage ofBhagavan with Poornakumbham to offer theirreverential welcome to Him. Meanwhile, ladiesdevotees of Gujarat welcomed Bhagavan bysinging a welcome song expressing earnestfeelings of devotion of the people of Gujarat forBhagavan. After arriving at the dais, Bhagavangraciously inaugurated the programme at 8.25a.m. by lighting the sacred lamp.Gujarati New Year celebrations had a joyous startat Prasanthi Nilayam with a scintillating Garbhadance by the Bal Vikas students of Gujarat.Garbha DanceThe first item of the programme was adelightful Garbha dance performed by theBal Vikas students of Gujarat in their colourfulcostumes. The first part of the dance wasperformed in slow motion with children havinglighted lamps on their palms. The second partshowed vigorous synchronised movementsof the children to the tune of fast and sweetmusic. The children earned the appreciation ofone and all by their scintillating performance.Divyananda – A DramaSoon after this, Bal Vikas students and SaiYouth of Gujarat presented a very educativeand impressive drama entitled “Divyananda”(divine bliss) showing the path of selfless serviceto modern youth for attaining true happinessin life. The drama realistically presented howBhagavan’s teachings and humanitarianprojects were becoming a source of inspirationfor the modern youth to take to the path ofselfless service. The drama portrayed the lifeof one such youth who ultimately joined SriSathya Sai Seva Dal and found Divyanandawhen he served a sick person selflessly andlovingly during Sri Sathya Sai Grama Sevaorganised by the Sai Organisation of the area.Embellished with beautiful devotional songsand sweet music, the drama made a mark asa realistic story of thousands of modern youthwho are taking to the path of selfless serviceto society by the inspiring example provided byBhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.Inspiring TalksThree very illuminating talks formed animportant part of these celebrations. The first336 November 2006

talk was delivered by Sri S.V. Giri, former ViceChancellor of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of HigherLearning on the eve of the Gujarati New YearDay on 22nd October 2006. Sri Giri first spokein English and then switched over to Telugufor the benefit of a large number of Teluguknowing devotees present in the Hall. Greetingthe devotees of Gujarat on this auspiciousoccasion, Sri Giri referred to the festivals andcelebrations held at Prasanthi Nilayam andsaid that Bhagavan’s Discourses on theseoccasions gave the essence of the teachings ofthe Vedas and provided opportunities to man toassimilate this divine wisdom by putting it intopractice in his life. Referring to the chanting ofVedic hymns in perfect intonation and rhythmby four students from overseas countries whowere called to the dais by Bhagavan to chantVedic Mantras in the middle of Sri Giri’s talk,the learned speaker remarked that thesestudents not only took part in Veda chanting butparticipated in all other activities of the Institutealso with great enthusiasm and devotion. Thesecond talk was given by Sri Y. SriranganathaRaju, an M.B.A. student of the Institute, on theafternoon of 23rd October 2006. Speaking onthe importance of devotion for God-realisation,Sri Raju observed that Bhagavan Sri SathyaSai Baba has incarnated to sow the seeds oflove and devotion in the heart of man. This,he said, was the rare opportunity for devoteesto redeem their life when God Himself wasshowing to them the path of God-realisation.Another illuminating talk was delivered afterthis, and the speaker was Sri B.N. NarasimhaMurthy, Warden, Brindavan Campus ofthe Institute. Referring to Bhagavan as theSupreme Divine Mother of the universe, thelearned speaker narrated a few incidents fromhis life when Bhagavan showered the love ofa thousand mothers on him. Bhagavan,he added, has incarnated to teachman the lessons of love and compassion, bypractising which he can redeem his life.Love in Action is Seva – A DramaThis excellent drama was presented by theBal Vikas students of Gujarat on the afternoonof 23rd October 2006 which provided a perfectfinale to the celebrations of Gujarati NewYear.The drama presented the story of a collegeyouth who took to bad ways due to the effectof bad company, but was put on the path ofrighteousness and selfless service by thehelp and good advice of a Sai Youth. Setin the backdrop of Surat floods, the dramahighlighted the teachings of Bhagavan SriA scene from the drama “Love in Action isSeva” performed by the Bal Vikas students ofGujarat. The drama highlighted the teachings ofBhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.Sathya Sai Baba and brought forth the valueof selfless service to mankind as the surestpath of self-realisation. Excellent acting of thechildren, perfect choreography and beautifulsongs related to the theme of the play madethe drama an outstanding presentation.Bhagavan blessed the children at the end ofthe drama and posed for photographs withthem. With this excellent drama, Gujarati NewYear celebrations at Prasanthi Nilayamcame to a happy conclusion.November 2006 337

AVATAR VANIATI RUDRA MAHA YAJNADIVINE DISCOURSE: 4KEEP YOUR MIND ALWAYSFOCUSED ON GODThe body is made up of five elements and is bound to perish sooner or later, but theindweller has neither birth nor death. The indweller has no attachment whatsoever andis the eternal witness. Truly speaking, the indweller who is in the form of the Atma, isverily God Himself.(Telugu Poem)The body is like an ironsafe which encases the preciousjewel of the Atma and values likeSathya, Dharma, Santhi and Prema (truth,righteousness, peace and love). If there areno jewels inside, what is the value of the ironsafe? It has value only when there are jewelsin it.Safeguard the Precious Jewels ofValuesSathya is one of the most important andprecious jewels. Dharma is another valuablejewel like a diamond. Peace is essential forevery human being. Even when a millionairecomes to Swami, he tells, “Swami, I haveeverything but I have no peace.” There canbe no happiness in life without peace. Only aperson who imbibes the qualities of Sathya,Dharma, Santhi and Prema can lead a life ofdetachment and renunciation. Who is a truerenunciant? One who renounces the fruits ofhis desires and actions can be called a truerenunciant. There lies true peace. So long asone has desires, one cannot have true peace.Bereft of truth, righteousness, peace andlove,the value of all your education is zero;Bereft of truth, righteousness, peace andlove,the benefit of all your acts of charity andkindness is zero;Bereft of truth, righteousness, peace andlove,the utility of all your positions of power iszero;Bereft of truth, righteousness, peace andlovethe result of all your good deeds is zero.(Telugu Poem)Duty is God. Work is worship.Follow these twin principles inlife. Do not put undue burdenof responsibilities on yourself.God is there to shoulder theresponsibility of everyone. Whereis the cause for worry when Godis there to take care of us? Wekeep on worrying because ourunderstanding of this truth isonly theoretical. We should notbe like that. Once we surrendereverything to God, we should befree from worries.338 November 2006

The precious jewels ofSathya, Dharma, Santhi andPrema are there in everyhuman being. They are the veryfoundation of man’s life. It is theduty of every human being tosafeguard them. Without thesevalues, the body is like an emptyiron safe which has no value.What is Sathya? Sathya is thatwhich does not change with thepassage of time, and is eternal.Everyone knows what Sathyais, yet people try to bypass it.Man resorts to untruth in orderto escape from difficulties.Sathyannasti Paro Dharmah(There is no Dharma greaterthan adherence to truth). Whatis Dharma? Dharma truly is thevery foundation of the mansionof life. You may build a multistoreyedbuilding but without astrong foundation, it will not lastlong. So, Dharma is the verybasis of man’s life. Dharma is oftwo types: Laukik (worldly) andAdhyatmic (spiritual). LaukikDharma is subject to change, but AdhyatmicDharma is eternal. When the foundation isweak, the walls of the mansion will collapse ina short time. Dharma is therefore the true pathfor everyone to follow. Prema is the roof ofthis mansion and Santhi, the light. Man cannotlive in a house without a roof. Nor can he leadhis life in darkness. Unfortunately, nowadaysSathya, Dharma, Santhi and Prema seem tohave been completely neglected. Today evena wealthy person lacks the spirit of sacrifice.The life of such a person is like a rooflesshouse that will be exposed to sun andIf you ask our students, you will find that all of themhave full control over their desires. All these boys arehighly qualified. They have postgraduate degrees likeM.A., M.B.A., M.Sc. and Ph.D. They have no desire togo to their home even. If they go out, they can earna very high salary. An M.B.A. boy can earn a salaryof one to two lakhs per month. But they do not wantto go. “What can money give us? Can it give ushappiness?”, they ask. They want to work here. Theyconsider work as worship and duty as God.rain. Therefore, it is necessary for man to havea proper roof. It is love that sustains man’s life.Right from the time of birth, a child loves itsmother and the mother loves the child. It isdifficult to describe in words the depth of lovebetween a mother and her child.During the war for the liberation of Rangoon,a mother and her son somehow escapedfrom the area of war and managed to reachKolkata. They had no shelter or food. Themother would go begging for alms from houseto house, give most of it to her son and partakeof whatever little was left. When she didnot get enough, she would give theNovember 2006 339

entire quantity of food to her son and wouldherself go without food. Consequently, shebecame weak day by day. One day the son,unable to see her suffering, told her, “Mother,from today, you take rest and I will fetch foodfor both of us.” From that day, he would gobegging from house to house, give most of it tohis mother and partake of whatever little wasleft. Sometimes, he would lie to his mother thathe had already taken his food. Consequently,he too became very weak. The son had nostrength to look after his mother nor did themother have any strength to protect her son.One day, he stood in front of the house ofan officer and begged for alms. The officerwas relaxing in an easy chair in the verandah,reading a newspaper. He took pity on theboy, went inside and brought some food on aplantain leaf. He told him to sit and eat it thereitself. But the boy said that he would take ithome. The officer said, “I don’t think you arereally hungry, otherwise why should you takeit home?” When the officer was uttering theseharsh words, the boy felt giddy and fell down.The officer heard him mumble the words,“First to my mother, to my mother…” in a faintvoice. Saying so, he breathed his last. Whenthis sad news reached the mother, she wasimmersed in grief. Unable to bear the grief ofthe tragic death of her dear son, the motheralso breathed her last. Both the mother andher son sacrificed their lives out of love foreach other.This was the depth of love between themother and the child in those days. Today, dueto selfishness, there is a decline in love evenbetween the mother and the child! A life withoutlove is not worth living. Love is life. The mothershould love her children and the childrenshould love their mother. In this manner, themutual love between the mother and herchildren should grow. Even a monkeycarries its offspring wherever it goes. Love isnecessary for life. This precious jewel of loveis present in the iron safe of the body. Wherethere is love, there is peace. Where there ispeace, there is non-violence. Contentment ispeace.Too many Desires Ruin Man’s LifeBuddha renounced his kingdom, left hiswife and son and propagated the principle ofnon-violence. He set the ideal, Ahimsa ParamoDharma (Ahimsa is the highest Dharma).We should develop Sathya, Dharma, Santhi,Prema and Ahimsa which are like the five lifebreathsof man. One can be called a humanbeing only if one has these five values. Manshould undertake all such activities whichfoster these five values in him. Yajnas, Yagas(sacrificial rites), Japa (recitation of God’sname), Tapa (penance), etc., are meant onlyto develop these values in man. One whopossesses these five values is a man of meritand his life is redeemed. One’s life is a wasteif he lacks even one of them. First of all, manshould lead a life of truth and follow the path ofrighteousness to achieve progress on the pathof spirituality.Embodiments of Love!Today wherever we go, we find only crazefor money. Even old people who are nearingthe end of their life are crazy for money. Mantoday has too many desires. This is not KaliYuga but Kalaha Yuga (Age of conflict). Moneyis the root cause of all this. We give too muchimportance to the body which is like an ironsafe. Instead, we should give more importanceto the precious jewels of human values within.Values should be the prime concern of humanlife. Without values, human life does notserve any purpose. Birds and animalshave love in them, but they have no340 November 2006

desires. They are contentedwhen their hunger is satiated.But man is not like that. Hewants anything and everything.Even if he owns five buildings,he wants ten more. Why does herequire so many houses? Is onehouse not enough for him to livecomfortably? He is deceived byhis own limitless desires. Todayman has excessive desires. Hehas to reduce his desires. Lessluggage more comfort makestravel a pleasure. Here, we aredoing a lot of work for others,but we do not desire anythingfrom anybody. I don’t own evena single house. Wherever I go, Istay in the houses of devotees.People should reduce theirdesires in the same manner.Once you control your desires,you can live in peace. Butnever reduce your love for God.Develop more and more love forGod. When you have love forGod, you will have everything.Embodiments of Love!Today you have listened to the talks givenby many elders. All that you have heard, youshould put into practice. Install the valuesof Sathya, Dharma, Santhi and Prema inyour heart permanently. If you have peaceand love, you can achieve anything in life. Ifyou ask our students, you will find that all ofthem have full control over their desires. Allthese boys are highly qualified. They havepostgraduate degrees like M.A., M.B.A., M.Sc.and Ph.D. They have no desire to go totheir home even. If they go out, theyDeath is certain some day or the other. You havethe body today, but you may not have it tomorrow.Therefore, earn a good name even at the cost ofyour life. Consider good name as your very lifebreath.Good name will remain even after onedeparts from this world. Therefore, you shouldearn a good name in society. There is no point inbecoming a great man in life; it is enough if youearn a good name.can earn a very high salary. An M.B.A. boy canearn a salary of one to two lakhs per month.But they do not want to go. “What can moneygive us? Can it give us happiness?”, they ask.They want to work here. They consider workas worship and duty as God. They are highlyduty conscious. The students should havesuch strong faith. Wherever you see, you findpeople full of desires. What do they achieve byhaving too many desires? Ultimately, they ruintheir life. So, it is necessary for you to controlyour desires. With heavy luggage on yourhead, how far can you walk? Reduceyour luggage to make the journey ofNovember 2006 341

your life more comfortable. As a bachelor,how happy and carefree you are! When youget married, you have virtually four legs. Whenyou want to go out, you will be worried thatyour wife is alone at home. After a year, youwill have a son. Now you have six legs insteadof four. As the number of legs increases, thejourney of life will become more and moreslow. Thus, the pace of your life’s journey willbe slowed down.Strive to Earn a Good NameEmbodiments of Love!Treasure love in your heart. Love all. Butdo not unduly burden yourself with too manyresponsibilities. This will add to your worriesand difficulties. Our teachers know prettywell what these difficulties are. You can leada happy life only if you reduce your burden.Then there will be less scope for difficultiesand suffering. Dakshinamoorthy also gave themessage of sacrifice to drive home this truth.Dakshinamoorthy imparted his teachingsthrough silence. He always had a smiling face.The reason was that he had no worries andresponsibilities.Death is certain some day or the other. Youhave the body today, but you may not haveit tomorrow. Therefore, earn a good nameeven at the cost of your life. Consider goodname as your very life-breath. Good namewill remain even after one departs from thisworld. Therefore, you should earn a goodname in society. There is no point in becominga great man in life; it is enough if you earn agood name. A millionaire may be consideredgreat, but he also eats grains and cereals inhis food and not gold. So long as you are alive,you have to depend upon food to nourishyour body. At the same time, reduceyour body attachment. Share your love witheveryone. Do not limit your love to your familyonly, leading a selfish life. Even a fish is betterthan a selfish person. A fish moves freelyand happily in water and leads a comfortablelife. On the other hand, man has burdenedhimself with too many responsibilities andattachments. Because of this heavy load, hehas sunk so low. Therefore, you should reduceyour burden and spend more and more time inthe contemplation of God. When you developlove for Paramatma (God), you can experiencethe joy of Prakriti (Nature).Duty is God. Work is worship. Follow thesetwin principles in life. Do not put undue burdenof responsibilities on yourself. God is there toshoulder the responsibility of everyone (loudapplause). Where is the cause for worry whenGod is there to take care of us? We keepon worrying because our understanding ofthis truth is only theoretical. We should notbe like that. Once we surrender everythingto God, we should be free from worries. Youcan experience peace only when you are freefrom worries. You may perform any number ofYajnas and Yagas and undertake any numberof spiritual practices, but all these are uselessif the inner meaning is not understood. Youmay forget anything in this world, but neverforget God. Keep your mind always focusedon God. This is My message for you today(loud prolonged applause).(Bhagavan concluded His Discourse withthe song, “Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam,Govindam Bhaja Moodha Mathe …” )– From Bhagavan’s Divine Discoursein Sai Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi Nilayam on12th August 2006 on the occasion of AtiRudra Maha Yajna.342 November 2006

I n t e r v i e wWATCH AND BE HAPPY“When He looks into your eyes, this process begins, when He touches you physically, whenHe speaks to you, when He takes a letter from you, when He walks close to you, somethingbegins to happen”, says Sri James Sinclair in reply to a question of Dr. G. Venkataramanduring a very interesting and revealing interview, describing his experiences of BhagavanSri Sathya Sai Baba’s Divinity.We have the pleasure ofhaving in our studio Sri JamesSinclair. He is a devotee who isseen very often but isheard hardly ever. Thatis because he is bydisposition and choice avery silent person. Thedepth of his silence is theWhen Swami says “watch”, I take itliterally. If the word is not containedin the dictionary of the language Heis speaking in, He will define thatmeasure of his devotionword so that you will understand. So,to Bhagavan Sri SathyaHe gives the instruction, “watch”.Sai Baba. I have deepThat is why many times He gives thepersonal regard forgift of a watch. Because it is a livinghim. I am eager to knowinstruction of observation to standhow one should bedevoted to Bhagavanback and simply watch – words,seriously, in an intensemanner, totally and yetbe immersed in theactivities of the world.actions, thoughts, character, heart; allaspects of humanity. Then he says,“be happy.” But He defines one wordin all that, ‘happy’ – unity with Divinity.Welcome sir, before Now we look up the meaning in awe get on to what I saydeep spirituality, maydictionary and see what the word ‘be’means; it simply means ‘isness’.I begin by requestingyou to tell us somethingabout how you came toBhagavan? Of course, I had some glimpses ofit when once I heard your talk in TrayeeBrindavan. But I think the world alsoneeds to know. May be, you can start withShirdi Sai Baba disappearing into the wall orthe experience of Baby Krishna if I have gotthe sequence right.You have some of thestories certainly. Letme start with the firstquestion and slowlywork my way. Not that Ifound Sai, but rather Saifound me. The businessof business and thebusiness of life are oneand the same. To bringthe infinite possibilityout of an individual isextremely simple. It isan understanding that(i) an infinite possibilityexists within you, and(ii) discovering a wayin which that infinitepossibility can emerge.Now how Sai foundme, it is quite simple.As a Christian youngman of 20, I drove down the West SideDrive, New York to go to the officesas a market maker, as a person whoNovember 2006 343

And the year was?That was 1985. And that was the beginningbecause what I have learnt here is not anythingintellectual but quietude. What I have learnt isnot from Swami’s Discourses, although thereis much to be learnt, but from the glances fromHis eyes, from simply breathing the same air,being in His proximity and finding out that HisLife is, in fact, His Message, knowing without adoubt that the business of life and the businessof business, the business of family and thebusiness of time are all the same.Can I ask you a question? You say that youlearnt a lot just by observing. There are millionswho are here more often than you are. And, infact, I live here. We see Him. How come wemissed it! You must tell us the trick.I don’t know the trick. All I know is that in mostthings in the human experience, people can betoo close to the object of observation to reallyobserve.What is it that you observe?It is not so much what I observe. When Helooks into your eyes, this process begins, whenHe touches you physically, when He speaks toyou, when He takes a letter from you, whenHe walks close to you, something begins tohappen.Can I say that unless the individual is properlyprepared, he will miss this experience?But Swami gives very simple instructions forthat preparation.What is that?“Watch” and “be happy”. In fact, it is so simplethat it must be divine because humans makethings complex.That’s true.When Swami says “watch”, I take itliterally. If the word is not contained inthe dictionary of the language He is speakingin, He will define that word so that you willunderstand. So, He gives the instruction,“watch”. That is why many times He gives thegift of a watch. Because it is a living instructionof observation to stand back and simply watch– words, actions, thoughts, character, heart;all aspects of humanity. Then he says, “behappy.” But He defines one word in all that,‘happy’ – unity with Divinity. Now we look upthe meaning in a dictionary and see what theword ‘be’ means; it simply means ‘isness’. So,if one would simply watch, then somethingwould occur which would result in unity withDivinity.I want to ask you a practical question. You area man of business and if I am not mistakenyou are actively involved in business. Nowbusiness has its ups and downs. It is easy foran individual to be happy, possibly in a worldlysense when there is success. What happenswhen there is a problem or even failure? Howis one to be happy?Well, failure can be an opportunity because verysimply when everything goes along positively,abundantly, we tend to forget what we aretrying to build. When you have a problem,don’t you cry, don’t you hang on to the Feetof the Lord? So, if a person wants to have amore even life, if that is possible, then wouldn’tit make a great deal of sense to hang on to HisFeet when things are good? Then the purposeof fear, the purpose of lack, the purpose ofpain, the purpose of separation becomes lessnecessary in the human experience whichonly has one purpose, and the purpose ofhumanity is union with Divinity according toBaba. The message is extraordinarily simple.Yes, I am very much involved in business,but I firmly believe that success in thebusiness environment is not a productNovember 2006 345

of what you do, but a product of what you are.And the product of what you are is a productof “watch” and “be happy”. So, I see a greatsimplicity, and I also firmly believe that everysingle event in my life is a gift. I don’t have theability to define for you what that gift means.Some of it hurts terribly, some of it pleases, butevery single event in my life to this point, and Ifind some shocking events, has done nothingto me but has done something for me. So,why should I change? I believe in treating myemployees like family. But even a father lovinghis family has a duty at times to be stern, tomake decisions, to make corrections. So, ifone were to reward production and punishnon-production, wouldn’t he be a good father?The business of business and the business oflife are one. Success has nothing to do withhow we strategise. Success is like air, it isabundant, you can breath it in. I don’t believein recessions or depressions unless they arein your mind because if you approach life inthe manner of instruction you receive here inabsolute simplicity, then I firmly believe thatevery listener here would reach the highestpossible destiny that he can.Talking of success and failure, I am tempted toask another question which is very importantand pertinent. I would really appreciate yourthoughts on the subject because it consiststragedies. Many people have suffered tragediesand I have faced them too. That was before Icame to Swami and at that time it looked tragic.Supposing an unforeseen tragic event befallsa devotee, at that time his faith is shaken.His body is shaken, his faith need not beshaken.But sometimes people cry, “Why did Swami dothis to me? What wrong did I do?” Andthings like that.This is a place of pilgrimage for many,for myself. When I come here, I don’thave any questions because whoam I to speak to Him? If you havethe opportunity of an interview, theopportunity to hand over a letter, thesimple opportunity of eye contactor simply seeing Him, just be open.I don’t come here for socialisingalthough there are wonderful peoplehere. I come here because mybest friend is here and if I cannotunderstand anything else aboutSwami, I do know He is my best friendwho has my interest at heart and Heknows what my interest is.It is a wrong understanding.Okay, now the question is: What would you sayto persons of that disposition because thereare many out there and they are clamouringfor an answer?I would give them compassion because youcannot teach a person an experience.No. It is somebody next to the person who cangive compassion. But, what about the personhimself or herself?That person has an opportunity that he caneither succeed or fail, and the opportunity isto recognise that Divinity knows better thanhumanity. Divinity never hurts. Those whobelieve that Swami is hard don’t realise thatSwami drives you here when you most need itand carries you through every single event, beit a tragedy or a success, because the greatesttragedy on earth can be success if youbecome lost in the effect of success.346 November 2006

So, we judge, what a tragedy is. I have not hada tragedy in my life, but I had events whichpeople might consider to be tragic. I know thatDivinity knows a lot better than what I know.So, I don’t judge events.Swami puts it very simply, “Everything isgood for me.” That is what you are sayingessentially.I have experienced what some people may calla tragedy even recently, and let me tell you, itis all good. Now the body will falter becausewe all carry this human aspect of what we are.Tears will come to the eyes and the body willbe shaking, but there is a quiet deep downinside. If you can hold on to it, even the worstof times will become the best of times. It willbe an opportunity to grow, an opportunity instrength. In tragedies that I have had, I havelost nothing, but I have gained everythingbecause in the silence of His eyes, His Life isHis Message. Inside you grows a silence thatbecomes a partner, that will in every singleevent rise to the circumstances as long asyou cease stopping it from happening. Watch,don’t participate in the thought. Be in the now,don’t fool around with the past. We heard thatin Swami’s Discourse two days ago, “Past ispast, future is not our business. Our businessis now and in the now, only watch.” That isthe gift which is here, that is the gift you canlive with. Don’t try and intellectualise. Don’ttake it in parts, in little bits and pieces. Feelit, know it, marry it, be it, worship it, but don’ttry and understand it, because understandingis what blocks and stops acceptance. A gift isbeing handed to you, don’t argue with the gift,don’t try and make Swami teach some fact orword, Mantra, prayer or exercise or whatever.Just keep quiet. This is a place of pilgrimagefor many, for myself. When I come here,I don’t have any questions becausewho am I to speak to Him? If you have theopportunity of an interview, the opportunityto hand over a letter, the simple opportunityof eye contact or simply seeing Him, just beopen. I don’t come here for socialising althoughthere are wonderful people here. I come herebecause my best friend is here and if I cannotunderstand anything else about Swami, I doknow He is my best friend who has my interestat heart and He knows what my interest is.In gratitude to that, why not simply followthe instructions given? Swami’s Discoursesand teachings are extraordinarily simple andpractical.You are a businessman and I presume asuccessful one, and success in business alsomeans a lot of things that come along withsuccess, wealth for example. Now I want toask a very pertinent question. How does asuccessful businessman not allow wealth andthose paraphernalia to cling to him or how doeshe stop being attached to them? That seemsto be one of the problems; they get attachedand want more of the same and it keeps ongrowing endlessly.It is because of the madness.How did you avoid that madness?The madness is because a person with 200million US dollars, if he loses one million, youhave to take him to the hospital and give himoxygen. It is very simple, give it away. And ifyou do, you are always vibrant, you are alwaysyoung because you have to make it again.My wife was recently deceased; she gave toher children their inheritance in her lifetime.That’s the trick. I don’t have material needs.I do my business because Swami told me todo the business. It is not my business, it is Hisbusiness. I do have a duty to perform, atask, the results of which are not inNovember 2006 347

my hands, but the work is. And Swami is kindenough, Divinity is kind enough that I actuallylike what I do. So, I play a game, but how thegame works out is not up to me. But what isup to me is to do the most excellent possiblejob, to treat everyone with highest possibleethics, to discipline wrong doing and to fightevil wherever I see. Evil is very clear, it ishurting others. So, my way of doing business,I don’t believe, buys me anything. But it justpleases me to do it that way. I firmly believethat success is not a product of the strategyand application. But it is the way the peopleact that will attract to them the greatest supportfor whatever they are able to accomplish or ifnot accomplished, the courage to be able toface whatever difficulties develop. Listening toSwami’s Discourses has really made me whatI am.When I listen to Swami, I try and stay emptybecause very few people understand what theword ‘listen’ means. Listen means mentallyshut up. You can’t listen if you are thinkingabout what you are going to say. So, thepractice of listening is really something thatdevelops, in a sense, by contemplation, bymeditation a bit, by slowing down thoughts,by relaxation of the voice of the mind. But ifyou can listen a little, then something startsto happen. If you are willing to listen, beopen to receive, not to argue, not to try andunderstand, not to try and be a devotee. Justbe open, then something starts to happen. So,I believe Swami starts the process that movesas if it was almost automatic. Business doesnot interfere with that; business is simply life.If business becomes your divinity, then youare going to become very much like what yousee in the world, driven by greed and avarice.But that is stupidity. All I need to do is dowhatever my duty is.There are many experiences asyou have noted, the most dramaticof all was actually seeing Swamiin my home in Connecticut. AndSwami was in His person. You haveto understand, if you have neverseen Swami before, and if you area Westerner without a great deal ofknowledge of Eastern philosophy andculture, then it would be a shock whenyou first saw Swami in your home.You know, unconsciously you have given awonderful paraphrase of the Bhagavadgita.As you were speaking, all those things whichKrishna told Arjuna came alive. That is whatessentially He keeps saying: You have beenput by Me in this world to play a role and Ichoose actors according to their capabilitiesand their previous bank balance and earningsof merit. You just do it for Me without beingattached or without letting that cling to you. Doit well without any bad intentions.Simple, enjoy whatever it is. And understandthat most times when tragedy strikes, holdon to the feet of whatever represents to you– Divinity.You started off by talking about your strongfaith in Jesus Christ and you were wonderingwhy you were not there when he was there,and you are 2,000 years too late. Lookingback, do you feel whether there is any difficultyin your being a good Christian and yet havingperfect faith in Swami?No, I don’t find any difficulty in that at all becauseif one were to look at the teachings ofJesus Christ and compare them with348 November 2006

the teachings of Swami, it is easy to recognisethat there are many religions but they all leadto the same destination. How can there be anycontradiction when the message is love. So, Ifind no problem whatsoever, but if you ask mewhether I am a religious man, I tell you thatI seek to be totally open, totally silent, ableto listen and I don’t find that in any ritual orpractice. So, ritual and practice is defined asreligious. I don’t know what the word spiritualmeans. Then let us say, I am the one with thedeepest possible respect for those who practiseritual because that is what got me here.In fact, Swami says rituals are a stepping stoneto a higher realisation. When rituals fall apart,wither away and you are left alone with yourconsciousness and face to face with God, youbecome a witness.But realisation, enlightenment and witness, weas humans fantasise everything. This is notsomething we do, but something that happensnaturally. A lot of silence that develops withinan individual, if he does not resist it, opensand may, in fact, be the way. That is what Ifind here. That is why I make the pilgrimage.If I have the ability to hear Swami’s words,then I assure you, definitely I will do nothingelse. Swami does not speak in abstruselanguage although many of us look into thedeeper and more complex meanings. He isabsolutely simple, absolutely straightforward.All that Swami does is to prevent pain andsuffering. Even if they do occur, as they do ineveryone’s life, understand, even if you haveno idea, mentally, intellectually or otherwise.When I say understand, what I mean is accept.What other choice do you have? What can Ido to make something undone? I can’t. Butunderstand, there is no second chance inlife. So, tell the people you love that youlove them. Not by words necessarily,although that is nice; by thoughts and actions,because you may not get a second chance.Treat people equally, and treat all people as ifthey were your family. If you have a contract,don’t look at it as the beginning of a war,but as an agreement of honour. And if thatagreement of honour costs you money, paythe money. Don’t resort to law, resort to talkingit out. Make an agreement with your partnerthat benefits your partner. The secret of mysuccess is that I made everybody else richerthan myself. I had reversals in business withpeople. But even with the greatest reversals Iever had, I remember the good times I had withthat person. I wouldn’t do business with himany more. But I would certainly look forward tobreaking bread at a meal because I had somevery good time with him.Supposing there is somebody in America, whohas not heard about Swami and who is notobviously a devotee, were to ask you, “Tell mewho is this Sai Baba whom you go to see veryoften.” What would you say to that person?If you have an interest in knowing the answer tothis question, I am not exactly the right personto ask. Our job is only to welcome those whomSwami calls. But, how can I explain to someother person what Swami is when I don’t havethe slightest idea. If I was to write a book oneverything I know about Swami, it would be1000 blank pages. Because I can only listen.So, the answer is simple, if you are interestedin knowing who and what Swami is, the answeris plain, “Go, taste and see.” The only job thatwe would have, if there is any job, I am notsure if there is, would be to be welcoming andassisting. Swami doesn’t need us for anything.In the history of all the Avatars, who ever tooksuch a deep interest in the little lives thatwe live? Divinity is walking among us,comforting us, guiding us, teachingNovember 2006 349

us, and finally saying, “There is no differencebetween you and I except one, I know who Iam and you can find out who you are.” Thisis something that is so real, so ethical, soupfront that if you simply won’t make a greathuman miscalculation and simply accept whatis standing in front of your eyes, you haveeverything to gain and absolutely nothing tolose.Some years ago, Swami was in Bangalore, andHe visited a Sai Centre and gave a Discourse.I was present there, fortunate to be presentbecause He revealed a great secret. Hesaid, “God does not need anything becauseeverything is already His. God incarnates sothat people start remembering God, otherwisethey forget God. I come in order to giveopportunities to you to become a better personand redeem your life. That is the only reason.”He comes and gives us everything we needuntil we get to the point of openness to acceptwhat He has come to give us.So, I would like to let you say the last word.What is the last thing you would like to say toour listeners before we sign off?Everything that can be conceptualised lieswithin the human experience. And thereforeless words, more silence; less looking, moreacceptance.Silence of the mind.Silence of the mind can start with silence ofthe mouth.That’s true.Do what you can do. Simply start by watchingyour words. Start some work. Start whereveryou are and let the rest take care of itself. Inbusiness, in life, in what you might call religion,what you might call spirituality, don’t waste thewhole lot of time seeking to change yourself. Iam 63 years old, I have been trying to changemyself for the longest period of time. I am exactlythe same person. Recognise that somethinghere which is the treasure. Recognise thatyou don’t have to be here to receive it. But itis wonderful to be here. Recognise that this isthe place of pilgrimage that you come to andyou leave; and when you leave, you are goingto leave it better. If you come here loving JesusChrist, you can leave loving him more. And allreligions and all persuasions, that is the gift ofSwami. But even more than that, the answer ishere. But it is not intellectual. If you are seekingan answer, then I strongly recommend that youcome here and seek silence.Courtesy : Radio Sai Global Harmony... Continued from page 335there is righteousness, there is truth. Truthis one, not two. Always speak truth, followrighteousness. Be peaceful, happy and blissful.Then only can you acquire true knowledge.Conduct yourself with love in society.I always address you as embodimentsof love because I am full of love. I have onlylove. Love is My only property. You should allbecome heirs to this property. I distribute loveto one and all. I do not hate anyone. I have noselfishness at all. I am totally selfless.(Bhagavan concluded His Discoursewith the Bhajan “Prema Muditha ManaseKaho …”)– From Bhagavan’s Dasara Discourse inSai Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi Nilayam on 27thSeptember 2006.350 November 2006

From Our ArchivesGod is inscrutable. Hecannot be realised in the outerobjective world; He is in the veryheart of every being. Gemstones have to besought deep underground; they do not float inmid‐air. Seek God in the depths of your self,not in the tantalising, kaleidoscopic Nature.The body is granted to you for this highpurpose; but you are now misusing it, like theperson who cooked his daily food in the gemstuddedgold vase thatcame into his hands asan heirloom.Man extols God asomnipresent, omniscient,and omnipotent, but heignores His Presence inhimself! Of course, manyventure to describe theattributes of God andproclaim Him to be suchand such; but these aretheir own guesses andthe reflections of theirown predilections andpreferences.Who can affirm thatGod is this or that? Whocan affirm that God is notof this form or with thisattribute? Each one canacquire from the vastexpanse of the oceanonly as much as can becontained in the vesselhe carries to its shore. From that quantity, theycan grasp but little of that immensity.Each religion defines God within the limits itdemarcates and then claims to have graspedHim. Like the seven blind men who spoke ofthe elephant as a pillar, a fan, a rope or a wall,because they contacted but a part and couldnot comprehend the entire animal. So, too,religions speak of a part and assert that theirvision is full and total.This Sai has come in order to achieve the supreme task ofuniting as one family the entire mankind through the bondof brotherhood, of affirming and illumining the Atmic realityof each being in order to reveal the Divine which is thebasis on which the entire cosmos rests, and of instructingall to recognise the common divine heritage that binds manto man, so that man can rid himself of the animal, and riseto Divinity which is his goal.November 2006 351

Each religion forgets that God is all formsand all names, all attributes and all assertions.The religion of humanity is the sum andsubstance of all these partial faiths; for, there isonly one religion and that is the religion of love.The various limbs of the elephant that seemedseparate and distinct to the eyeless seekers ofits truth were all fostered and activated by onesingle stream of blood; the various religionsand faiths that feel separate and distinct are allfostered by a single stream of love.The optical sense cannot visualise the truth.It gives only false and barren information. Forexample, there are many who observe Myactions and start declaring that My nature issuch and such. They are unable to gauge thesanctity, the majesty and the eternal reality thatis Me. The power of Sai is limitless; It manifestsfor ever. All forms of power are resident in thisSai palm.Those who profess to have understood Me –the scholars, the Yogis, the Pandits (scholars),the Jnanis (men of wisdom) – all of them areaware only of the least important, the casual,external manifestation of an infinitesimal partof that power, namely, the miracles! Theyhave not desired to contact the source of allpower and all wisdom that is available hereat Brindavan. They are satisfied when theysecure a chance to exhibit their book learningand parade their scholarship in Vedic lore, notrealising that the Person from whom the Vedasemanated is in their midst, for their sake.This has been the case in all ages. Peoplemay be very near (physically) to the Avatar,but they live out their lives unaware of theirfortune, exaggerating the role of miracles,which are as trivial when compared to My gloryand majesty, as a mosquito is in size andstrength to the ele phant upon whichit squats. Therefore, when you speak aboutthese miracles, I laugh within Myself out of pitythat you allow yourself so easily to lose theprecious awareness of My reality.My power is immeasurable; My truth isinexplicable, unfathomable. I am announcingthis about Me, for, the need has arisen.But, what I am doing now is only the gift ofa ‘Visiting Card’! Let Me tell you that suchemphatic declarations of truth were made soclearly and so unmistakably only by Krishna.In spite of these declarations, you will noticein the career of the same Krishna that Heunderwent defeat in His efforts and endeavourson a few occasions, though you must also notethat those defeats too were part of the dramawhich He had planned and which He Himselfdirected.When many kings pleaded with Him to avertthe war with the Kauravas, He confessed thatHis Mission to the Kaurava court for ensuringpeace had ‘failed’! But He had not willed that itshould succeed. He had decided that the warwould be waged. His Mission was intended topublicise the greed and iniquity of the Kauravasand to condemn them before the whole world.But I must tell you that during this SaiAvatar, there is no place for even such ‘drama’with scenes of failures and defeats! What I Will,must take place; what I plan, must succeed. Iam Truth; and Truth has no need to hesitate orfear or bend.‘Willing’ is superfluous for Me. For, Mygrace is ever available to devotees who havesteady love and faith. Since I move amongthem, talking and singing, even intellectualsare unable to grasp My truth, My power, Myglory, or My real task as Avatar. I can solve anyproblem however knotty. I am beyond thereach of the most intensive enquiry and352 November 2006

the most meticulous measurement. Only thosewho have recognised My love and experiencedthat love can assert that they have glimpsedMy reality, for, the path of love is the royal roadthat leads mankind to Me.Do not attempt to know Me through theexternal eyes. When you go to a temple andstand before the image of God, you pray withclosed eyes, don’t you? Why? Because youfeel that the inner eye of wisdom alone canreveal Him to you. Therefore, do not cravefrom Me trivial material objects; but crave forMe, and you would be rewarded. Not that youshould not receive whatever objects I giveas sign of grace out of the fullness of love. Ishall tell you why I give these rings, talismans,rosaries, etc. It is to mark the bond betweenMe and those to whom they are given. Whencalamity befalls them, the article comes to Mein a flash and returns in a flash taking from Methe remedial grace of protection. That grace isavailable to all who call on Me in any name orform, not merely to those who wear these gifts.Love is the bond that wins grace.Consider the meaning of the name, SaiBaba. Sa means ‘Divine’; ai or ayi means‘mother’ and Baba means ‘father’. The Nameindicates the Divine Mother and Father, justas Sambasiva, which also means the DivineMother and Father (Sa‐amba Siva). Yourphysical parents might cultivate love with adose of selfishness; but this Sai “Mother andFather” showers affection or reprimands onlyfor leading you towards victory in the strugglefor self-realisation. For, this Sai has come inorder to achieve the supreme task of unitingas one family the entire mankind through thebond of brotherhood, of affirming and illuminingthe Atmic reality of each being in order toThe optical sense cannot visualisethe truth. It gives only false andbarren information. For example,there are many who observe Myactions and start declaring that Mynature is such and such. They areunable to gauge the sanctity, themajesty and the eternal reality thatis Me. The power of Sai is limitless;It manifests for ever. All forms ofpower are resident in this Sai palm.reveal the Divine which is the basis on whichthe entire cosmos rests, and of instructing allto recognise the common divine heritage thatbinds man to man, so that man can rid himselfof the animal, and rise to Divinity which is hisgoal.I am the embodiment of love; love is Myinstrument. There is no creature without love;the lowest loves itself, at least. And its Self isGod. So, there are no atheists, though somemight dislike Him or refuse Him, as malarialpatients dislike sweets or diabetic patientsrefuse to have anything to do with sweets!Those who preen themselves as atheists willone day, when their illness is gone, relish Godand revere Him.I had to tell you so much about My Truth,for, I desire that you should contemplate onthis and derive joy therefrom, so that youmay be inspired to observe the disciplineslaid down and progress towards the goal ofself‐realisation, the realisation of the Sai thatshines in your hearts.– From Bhagavan’s Discourse19th June 1974November 2006 353

What I Will, must take place. What I plan, must succeed.

S I E R R A L E O N ESierra Leone was the seatof education and administration forBritish West Africa during the colonialdays. In recent times, however, the countrylost its importance and direction due to tenyears of civil war which witnessed rampantdestruction of human lives and infrastructureand the presence of the largest known U.N.Peace Keeping Force. Why was this? Theunderlying causes were many, but prominentamong them was the absence of the practiceof human values in the lives of people as taughtby Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. The spreadof the noble Sai ideals through the Sathya SaiInternational Organisation is up to now alien tothe people of Sierra Leone. There are no Saidevotees and no Sai Organisation.A breakthrough was made recently whenthe Sathya Sai Organisation donated 550wheelchairs to Alhaji Dr. Mohammed TejanKaba, President of the Republic of SierraLeone for the benefit of the people who hadlost their legs and arms during the conflict.The formal presentation of the wheelchairs tothe President was made on 19th September2006 in the Sate Lodge in the presence of theAttorney General, Ambassadors, the Ministersof Health, Social Welfare, Gender and ChildDevelopment and high officials of theseministries.On behalf of the Sathya Sai InternationalOrganisation, the Central Coordinator forAfrica thanked the President for acceptingthe donation which was in recognitionof his eminent statesmanship, goodThe Sathya Sai Organisation donated 550wheelchairs to the President of the Republic ofSierra Leone for the benefit of those people wholost their limbs in the unfortunate civil war whichdisabled a large number of people and causedhuge loss of life.governance and the needs of his people. Thenature and role of the Sathya Sai InternationalOrganisation as defined by Bhagavan SriSathya Sai Baba were explained to theesteemed audience and an assurance of theOrganisation’s willingness to participate inthe tasks of the country’s reconstruction andnation building was given.In his reply, the President thanked the SaiOrganisation for the much needed donationand welcomed it to Sierra Leone. He suggestedthat the office of the Central Coordinator forAfrica be set up in the country. The presentationwas widely reported in the National Televisionand Radio. A medical camp and distributionof three thousand (3,000) Sai Nets to YoniChiefdom are being organised by the U.K. SaiMedical Doctors and the Nairobi Sai NetDirectorate later in December 2006.November 2006 355

I N D O N E S I AAbout 1,300 people live in the village ofCipanjalu, West Java, Indonesia. For the pastthree years, over 1,100 have lost their jobs asfarm workers. This has resulted in widespreadhunger and starvation. On 6th August 2006,and then again on 17th August 2006, theSathya Sai Organisation of Indonesia roseto the occasion in order to alleviate thedifficulties faced by the villagers, and promptlydistributed large quantities of essential fooditems. The initial food distribution inspiredmany Sai devotees to continue the NarayanaSeva. On 17th September 2006, about 100Sai devotees distributed four tonnes of foodSai devotees distributed four tonnes offood and 1,000 clothing items in WestJava, Indonesia to farm workers who facedhardship as they lost their jobs.and 1,000 clothing items and shawls to 500families. One of the most inspiring aspects ofthis Narayana Seva was that it was carried outby Sai devotees who performed a long journeyin the early morning hours in seven trucks fromJakarta to Bandung. The people of Cipanjaluwere grateful to Bhagavan for the timely aidand support with love.In another part of Indonesia, the Sadhanaof providing humanitarian services by Saidevotees continued. Devotees visited SeiSai devotees undertook bus and boatjourney to reach the village Sei Serahpur inNorth Sumatra to distribute two tonnes ofrice and other food items to 400 families on4th July 2006.Serahpur village in North Sumatra on 4th July2006. It took them a three-hour bus and boatride each way. They carried with them anddistributed over two tonnes of rice, and otheressential food items to 400 families. Despitelarge-scale flooding in lands and mountingodds, the food distribution was conducted fromthe boat as there was not sufficient land in thesmall village to organise a food camp.In addition, two medical camps wereconducted on 23rd July 2006 and 10thSai devotees organised two medical campsin North Sumatra and distributed one tonnefood items to over 400 families inKuala Langkat.356 November 2006

September 2006. The first was in Martubung,North Sumatra in which 39 Sai volunteersserved 332 patients in one day. The secondwas in Kuala Langkat, also in North Sumatra,in which 295 patients were seen. In bothmedical camps, patients were given a generalhealth check-up and screening for diabetes,hypertension and dental health. In addition,health education consultations were givenfor personal hygiene, diabetes, hypertension,heart disease and infectious gastroenteritis.In conjunction with the medical camp on10th September one tonne food items weredistributed to over 400 families in KualaLangkat. As a reminder of the importance ofpreventive health, a vitamin bottle was givento every child in the village.U. S. A.Sathya Sai Centres in the northeast regionof the U.S.A. participated in a Regional SevaDay in unity and love on 8th April 2006. SaiCentres of Norwalk, Shelton and Silverminein Connecticut joined together for cleaning thekitchen, sorting of food and clothes, paintingthe dorms, corridors, and common hall of theNorwalk emergency shelter with 95 beds andserved delicious lunch for 200 people. SaiCentres of Central Connecticut joined forcesto host a reading awards ceremony for thechildren of an inner city school in Hartford.About 80 children from lower income familiesattended the event. Each child received hisor her certificate from the Mayor of the city ofHartford.The Sai Centre at Essex Junction in Vermontvolunteered at the local emergency free foodshelf. Seva tasks included organising thefood items collected, assisting the recipientsin picking the food items of their choice,transportation, repacking and organising theshelves.Four Boston area Sai Centres joinedtogether in planning and implementing twoprimary activities in a local shelter and anursing home. Shelter residents were givenFour Boston area Sai Centres providedpersonal care items and lunch to residentsof a local shelter and a nursing home.Sai Centres of Norwalk, Shelton andSilvermine in Connecticut joined togetherand served delicious lunch for 200 people inNorwalk emergency shelter.personal care items, and a hot lunch wasserved to them. The fourth floor of the shelterwas refurbished. Posters were prepared withSwami’s quotes and displayed on the walls.At the nursing home, the Bal Vikas studentsand teachers prepared handmade greetingcards for the residents and conducted aNovember 2006 357

music programme. The Buffalo Sai Centredevotees helped renovate a house. Althoughinexperienced in building construction, thegroup of multidisciplinary professionals did amarvellous job of insulating, painting and drywall installation. The site supervisor was thrilledat the amount of work accomplished by thegroup in just four hours. He lauded how quicklythe Sai volunteers acquired and excelled in theneeded skills. Sai volunteers of WappingersFalls Centre provided general health-relatedinformation and health screening to residentsin inner-city Poughkeepsie in New York. Atotal of 46 patients were seen during the day.Devotees at the Ithaca Sai Centre broughtsome groceries for the cupboard of “FriendshipCentre” and made sandwiches for serving thehomeless and others in need. Devotees atthe Syracuse Sai Centre in New York Statevisited a local nursing home where there wereat least 30 residents with disabilities requiringwheelchairs. Sai children performed a musicprogramme and then distributed flowers,cookies and personalised cards to each of theresidents.The devotees at the Southern Maine SaiCentre interacted with 30 world war veteransin a local nursing home, many of them over80 years of age. The members spent time bysinging Bhajans, songs and sharing Swami’steachings. A devotee played the piano andshared some of the world’s best Veteran’ssongs. The elders enjoyed the programmeand the Sai members’ visit. They commentedthat they had never seen a performance andsharing of love like this in several years. Theyrequested that Sai members come back morefrequently. Devotees at the Rhode Island SaiCentre prepared hot food for a local homelessshelter. Parents and SSE children went to anursing home and sang songs to entertainSai devotees of Southern Maine Sai Centrespent time with 30 world war veterans in anursing home, sang Bhajans and sharedBhagavan’s teachings with them.the people living there. Also they passed out“Happy Spring” Cards that the SSE childrenhad made. Such outpouring of love acrossan entire region in a single country was trulya testimony to the immense inspiration ofBhagavan’s Divine Love.H U N G A R YThe historic city of Budapest is the capitalof Hungary and is located on the river Danube.On 10th September 2006, the HungarianSathya Sai Organisation held a successfulEHV programme for adults as well as first SSEprogramme for children. About 125 adultsattended the programme along with childrenaged 6-12. The adult programme was filledwith lectures and workshops during the dayand ended with an hour-long devotional singingsession. There were several presentations onthe five human values. The children were firstoriented to their new teacher. The group thenspoke about the importance of Sri Sathya SaiHuman Values and the role of God in their lives.Playful workshops were conducted to highlight358 November 2006

The Hungarian Sathya Sai Organisationorganised a programme of education in humanvalues in Budapest, Hungary in which 125 adultsand a large number of children took part.positive and negative human characteristics.In the afternoon, the children had a spiritualstorytelling session, arts and crafts session. Allparticipants were spiritually uplifted by the twoprogrammes.L A T I N A M E R I C AA concerted effort to instil SSEHV in theunderprivileged children in Latin Americahas been going on in countries such as Peru,Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic,Uruguay, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras,Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia,Ecuador, Chile, Brazil and Argentina. Thisproject began in 1995 and, initially, the SSEHVclasses had to be held under trees and anyavailable space in school or communitybuildings. Nestled in the rugged AndesMountains and washed by the mighty Amazon,Bolivia has been economically disadvantagedby years of internal strife. Poverty-strickenchildren are often settled in temporarydwellings at the outskirts of largecities. The local Sathya Sai Centre youngadults aged 16-20 years from respective citieshave taken up the rewarding task of going tothe homes or settlements of these familiesand spending time talking to their childrenteaching Sathya Sai Human Values, narratingstories, playing and organising communityprojects jointly with them. Sai Youth togetherwith local residents have helped clean upsome of the communities. The community ofMaria Auxiliadora in Cochabamba, Bolivia, forexample, consists of impoverished women andchildren whose families have been ravagedby violence. In this community, five to sevenSai Youth began their service by donatingclothes about a year ago. This eventuallydeveloped into a full SSEHV project bringingjoy, spirituality and human values to about 40children and their families. Such weekly visitsSai Youth of Bolivia visit the poverty-strickensettlements outside the city and spend time withchildren, teaching Sathya Sai Human Values,narrating stories and playing games with them.have not only created a trusting milieu for theSai Youth and the other children, but haveremarkably improved the relationship of thesechildren with their families. In some places,the Sai Organisation has built communitycentres where the children can meet,and in some cases the parents haveNovember 2006 359

also been included in classes for self help suchas sewing and reading and writing skills.M I D D L E E A S TFrom 9th - 20th August 2006, the Sathya SaiCentre of Abu Dhabi had a special devotionalprogramme. The event was attended bythe Indian Ambassador to the U.A.E. Helater spoke to the 200 daily participantsabout the transformation that Sri Sathya SaiBaba was bringing about in the world by Hisexample and His message. He also noted theimportance of keeping good company and thesignificance of spiritual pursuits. A medicalThe Sai Centre of Abu Dhabi conducted amedical camp in the Indian Embassy premisesand administered medications to 127 patientson 25th August 2006.camp was conducted on 25th August 2006 atthe Indian Embassy premises in Abu Dhabi.During this camp, 127 patients were seen forminor ailments and free medications givenfor 15 days. In addition, health screening wasconducted for diabetes and hypertension.Patients were provided with light refreshmentsand a video of ‘His Work’ was screened in theembassy lounge.In the capital city of Muscat, SaiYouth conduct a quarterly prescriptionglasses camp where, with the help of anoptometrist, they test the vision of patients andfit them with corrective lenses free of charge.In the most recent camp, 36 people weretested and 33 of them were found to havevisual impairment requiring glasses. The joyfulexperience of this camp has inspired the youthto hold such camps on a regular basis.– Sri Sathya Sai World FoundationB H A R A TAssam, Manipur and N.E. States: Anothermilestone was achieved by the Mahila Vibhag(women’s wing) of Sri Sathya Sai SevaSamithi, Guwahati (Assam) on the occasionof Sakthi Swarupini Day on 19th September2006 when Mahilas in large numbers froma rural area assembled in the local schoolpremises at village Ulani to observe this day.It was for the first time that such a functionwas held in a remote place about 45 km awayfrom Guwahati Sai Centre and was joined bythe Mahilas of the neighbouring villages. Localschool teachers along with the students alsoshowed keen interest when they came toknow about the Divine Mission of BhagavanSri Sathya Sai Baba and His teachings. Thiscreated an awareness about the responsibilityof women in giving shape to society based onhuman values and spirituality.To spread the message of love of BhagavanBaba and to create an awareness of theDivine Mission in respect of the global needfor value-based education, Bal Vikas Day wasobserved by the Guwahati Samithi in a ruralbusy area along the national highway on 10thSeptember 2006. A rally comprising Bal Vikasstudents and Gurus with placards displayingBhagavan’s message of love was taken out.It moved along the local village road andwas joined by other school students of360 November 2006

the locality. This was followed by a devoteesmeet in which local people also took part.In this meet, Bal Vikas students took part inBhajan, extempore speech, etc.Coinciding with the celebrations of goldenjubilee of Diphu Government Higher SecondarySchool, Sai Samithi of Diphu organised a treeplantation programme on 25th September2006. In all, 160 saplings of different varietieswere planted in and around the schoolcompound.Gujarat: Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithi,Gandhinagar donated wheelchairs toGandhinagar railway station on 1st August2006. It also arranged cold drinking water forpassengers.On Purnima (full moon day) of Bhadrapada(a month in Indian calendar), people from allover India come to Ambaji Temple on foot. Onthis occasion, Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithi,Visnagar organised a free medical camp onthe highway for 24 hours, from 1st Septemberto 4th September 2006, wherein 17,600Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithi, Visnagar organiseda medical camp for 24 hours on three days, from1st September to 4th September 2006 for thepilgrims coming on foot to Ambaji Temple.patients were treated. 10 doctors and 20 SevaDal members gave their services in rotation.Kerala: New campus of Sri Sathya Sai VidyaVihar, Alwaye was inaugurated by Sri V.Srinivasan, All India President, Sri Sathya SaiSeva Organisations on 25th August 2006. Healso handed over the keys of two new housesNew Campus of Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar,Alwaye which was inauguratedon 25th August 2006.constructed by the Sai Organisation of Keralato two needy families on 26th August 2006. On27th August 2006, Sri Srinivasan interacted withover two thousand active workers and officebearers of the Kerala State Sai Organisation.Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal: On receivingan urgent call from All India Institute of MedicalSciences, New Delhi for blood requiredurgently for Dengue patients, Sai Youth of SriSathya Sai Samithi, Noida came forward forthe good cause. Canvassing was done throughTV, pamphlets and by personal contacts and ablood donation camp was organised on 15thOctober 2006 in which 100 units of bloodwere donated by ladies and gents. Next day,this event was well covered by the leadingnewspapers.A five-hour Yajna was organised throughthe efforts of Seva Dal and devotees of villageNovember 2006 361

CHINNA KATHAWhen Should One Start Contemplating on God?Once there was a housewifewho used to chant God’s Name usinga Japamala (rosary) whenever shefound time in between her household dutiesof the day. She performed all her actionswith faith in God. Seeing her engaged in theworship of God, her husband would remark,“What is this foolishness? How can you fulfilyour worldly responsibilities if you keep onchanting God’s Name all the time?”, the husbandreprimanded his devout wife.“What is this foolishness? How can you fulfilyour worldly responsibilities if you keep onchanting God’s Name all the time? Afterbecoming free from our worldly responsibilities,we can peacefully contemplate on God in oldage.” But his wife did not agree with him. Shecounselled him, “One has the opportunityto undertake spiritual practices while one’sbody is strong and healthy in young age. Oneshould therefore strive to earn the graceof God right from now onwards. In oldage, when the body becomes decrepit and themind, unsteady, contemplation of God is notpossible. Therefore, engage yourself in prayerand worship of God at least from this day.”One day, finding her husband in a cheerfulmood, the wife pleaded with him, “My dear!We can’t say how long we are destined tolive. We do not know when this water bubbleof the body will burst. There is, therefore, nowisdom in postponing the worship of God untilyour old age. You should chant any name ofGod like Rama, Krishna, Govinda wheneveryou get time.” But the husband argued, “Ohfoolish woman! How can we run the family ifwe keep contemplating on God? How to fillthe belly? Who will give us food? Who will talkto us if we do not have wealth and property?One has to make efforts to acquire all that isnecessary for life. If you merely sit and chantGod’s Name, will God place ready-made foodin your hands?”But these arguments could not silence thewife who had full faith in God. She said, “Onewho sows the plant, will he not water it? WillGod not give us food when He has createdus? It is not proper to spend all our time forthe sake of food. We should strive to attain thegrace of God.” At last, these words of wisdomof the wife convinced her husband. But hestill persisted in his arguments, “What yousay is true. I do not say no to it. But see howmany responsibilities do we have? We have toprovide education to our children, arrangetheir marriages and establish themNovember 2006 363

in life. We should also hand over someproperty and wealth to them. After doingall this, I will surely engage myself in theworship of God. Don’t think that I have nodevotion to God. I do have devotion. Afterfulfilling all my responsibilities and gettingretirement from my job, I will spend all mytime in the service of God. Do not worryabout me in this matter.”After a few days, the husband fell ill allof a sudden. Both the husband and the wifefaithfully acted on the advice of the doctorfor curing the disease. At that time, the wifesaid to her husband, “My dear, at least nowyou should chant the Name of God. Thereis no greater medicine than this. Aftertaking the medicine of God’s Name, consumethe medicine prescribed by the doctor. Thenthe disease will subside and you will get wellsoon.” But the husband had more faith indoctors. So, he pressurised her to call severaleminent doctors.Once a doctor examined the husbandand gave a bottle of medicine to his wife withthe instructions to give to her husband threeounces of medicine three times a day. Thehusband also saw the doctor giving the bottleof medicine in the hands of his wife. The wifeput the bottle of medicine in a cupboard; shedid not give to her husband the required dosesof medicine in the morning, noon and eveningas prescribed by the doctor. Two days passedlike this. When on the third day also she didnot give the medicine to him, the husband flewinto a rage and shouted at her, “What is yourobjective? The medicine given by the doctor isto be consumed or to be hidden inside? Howwill I be cured of my disease?”Finding an opportune time, the wifesaid to her husband, “It is not like that. IMan is suffering from the deadly disease ofworldliness. He should therefore take themedicine of God’s Name immediately to cure it.have kept away this medicine so that you candrink it all at once when you get time. Whynow?” The husband replied, “What? How willthe disease be cured when one does not takethe medicine when one is sick? What purposewill be served by taking it later?” The wifesaid, “What you say is true. We are afflictedwith Bhavaroga (the disease of worldliness)from our very birth. Therefore, we should takethe medicine of God’s Name for its cure. Nopurpose will be served if the medicine is takenafter the disease has aggravated and the endis near. One should take the medicine whenone is afflicted with ailment. In the same way,the medicine of the contemplation of God isnecessary for curing the disease of Bhavaroga.”This opened the eyes of the husband and hestarted the contemplation of God from thatvery moment. By repeating the Name of Godwith heart full of earnest devotion, very soonthe husband became well again and regainedhis health.So, do not wait for the old age to contemplateon God. Start the practice early.364 November 2006

REGD. WITH REGISTRAR OF NEWSPAPERS R.NO.10774/58REGD.NO.Tech/HDP/M-E-2006-2008 (Inland) REGD.NO.Tech/HDP/M-E(F)-2006-2008 (Overseas)Licence number for posting without pre-payment of postage – Tech/HDP/RNP01/06-08The Way of LoveLove and faith are the cardinalprinciples for redeeming humanlife. My Life is My Message. I loveeveryone; that is My very nature.All are Mine whether they call Meby this name or any other nameor even by no name! Divinity isthe primal source of universallove. Faith in Divinity is the keyto develop such love. The way oflove alone can transform man andhence the world.– BabaAnnual Subscription (Inland) Rs. 50 (12 issues)Rs. 480 or US $ 11 or UK £ 7 or ¤ 9 (Overseas)Acceptable for 1, 2 or 3 yearsPrinted and Published by K.S. RAJAN on behalf of the owner Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust,Prasanthi Nilayam 515 134, Anantapur District (A.P.) and printed at M/s Rajhans Enterprises, 136, 4th Main Road, Industrial Town,Rajaji Nagar, Bangalore - 560 044, Karnataka and published at Prasanthi Nilayam 515 134.Editor: G.L. ANAND