I am Sai Baba. I belong to Apastamba Dharmasutra. I am of Bharadwaja gotra. I have come to ward off your troubles. In your ancestral lineage, the sage Venkavadhoota, whom you all worship as a Guru, had prayed to Me. And responding to his sincere call, I have taken human birth in your family. Worship Me every Thursday and keep your houses and minds clean and pure. (Declared on 23rd May 1940) - (NNSG Vol.1, p. 16)
(Swami Declares)
Millions of people from the four quarters of the world would come seeking Me and those standing at the far edge of the crowd would consider themselves lucky indeed if they could get Darshan of an orange speck in the distance.
The time will soon come when this huge building or even vaster ones will be too small for the gatherings of those who are called to this place. The sky itself will have to be the roof of the Auditorium of the future; I will have to forego the car and even the aeroplane when I move from place to place; for, the crowds pressing around them will be too huge; I will have to move across the sky; that too will happen, believe Me.
It is clear before My eyes – in the coming years, you may not get the chances you are having now. You will not have the opportunity to be near. Millions will rush to this place and gather here. This will happen soon.
The first sixteen years of My life have been as I have often told you, the period when Bala-leelas (sportive or prankish miracles) predominated, the next sixteen years being spent mostly in Mahimas (mighty or great miracles) in order to give Santosha (joy) to the generation. After the thirty second year, you will see Me active more and more in the task of Upadesa or teaching the erring humanity and directing the world along the path of Satya, Dharma, Shanti and Prema. (NNSG Vol.1, p. 17)
Like good food that comes to one who has been fasting for the past ten days, like a heavy downpour of rain that comes to fill the dried and the empty tanks, like a child coming into a family which has for long been yearning for children, like a shower of wealth on a very poor man, has come Sri Sathya Sai in Puttaparthi, when there is a total decline of Dharma among the people’. (SSB 1977, p. 248)
I shall be ever with you, wherever you are, guarding you and guiding you, March on; have no fear. (SSS Vol.9, p. 221)
There are many who observe my actions and start declaring that my nature is such and such. They are unable to gauge the sanctity, the majesty and the eternal reality that is Me. The power of Sai is limitless; It manifests for ever. All forms of ‘power’ are resident in this Sai palm. (SSS Vol.9, p. 83)
My power is immeasurable; My truth is inexplicable, unfathomable. I am announcing this about Me, for, the need has arisen. But, what I am doing now is only the gift of a ‘Visiting Card’. (SSS Vol.9, p. 83)
Do not attempt to know Me through the external eyes. When you go to a temple and stand before the image of God, you pray with closed eyes, don’t you? Why? Because you feel that the Inner Eye of Wisdom alone can reveal Him to you. Therefore, do not crave from me trivial material objects; but crave for Me, and you would be rewarded. Not that you should not receive whatever objects I give as sign of Grace out of the fullness of Love. (SSS Vol.9, p. 84)
In this Avatar, the wicked will not be destroyed, they will be corrected and reformed and educated and led back to the path from which they have strayed. The white-ant infested tree will not be cut, it will be saved. Again this Avatar will not select some place other than the place where the Nativity took place for the centre of the Leelas, Mahimas and Upadesa. This tree shall not be transplanted it will grow where it first rose from the earth. Another speciality is this: the Avatar has no affinity or attachment in its career with members of the Family wherein It appeared. Unlike the appearances as Rama, Krishna etc., when the Life was played out mostly among and for the family members, this Avatar is for the Bhaktas, the aspirants, the Sadhus and Sadhakas only. It has no japa, dhyana or yoga; it knows no worship; it will not pray to anything, for it is the Highest. It only teaches you to worship and pray. (SSS Vol.1, p. 22)
Let me tell you this: mine is no mesmerism, miracle of magic. Mine is genuine DIVINE POWER. (SSS Vol.7, p. 369)
I do not belong to you henceforth, I belong to those who need me and call on me. I have my task to be completed. (SSSm Vol.4, p. 13)
I have come to restore Love among mankind, to cleanse it of meanness and restrictive attitudes. People tell me that mankind is on the brink of destruction, that the forces of hypocrisy and hate are prevailing fast over all the continents and that anxiety and fear are stalking the streets of every country. There is no need to tell Me this, for I have come precisely for this very reason. When the world is on the verge of chaos, the Avatar comes to still the storm raging in the heart of man. (SSSm Vol.4, p. 20)
Miracles are the spontaneous and natural expressions of Avatarhood. Rama means ‘He who confers joy’; Krishna means ‘He who attracts’. Every act of mine, for conferring joy or attracting the heart, becomes a ‘miracle’ m your phraseology The Avatar has come to reform and re-construct and so the ‘miracle’ has invariably this result. The chamatkara has as its aim, the samskara of mankind. How is that achieved in this Avatar?
Everyone so drawn is persuaded through Love, to love all since all are the same Atman encased distinct bodies, and to transform that Love into service (paropakara). As a result, their minds get sanctified, their intellects get clarified and their hearts get purified. So they attain the Realisation that their core is the Atman, which is but a wave in the Ocean, the Universal, Eternal Absolute, Paramatma. This is the goal of human life (Sakshatkara). (SSSm Vol.4, pp. 49-50)
I have no methodology of machinery or strategy in the accepted organizational sense. My methodology is a simple one, based on conversion by Love and the machinery is one of human co-operation and brotherhood. Love is my instrument and my merchandise. (SSSm Vol.4, p. 84)
Not today, but any day, it is beyond the capacity of anyone, however hard he may try, by whatever means and for which ever period of time, to assess My true nature. (SSSm Vol.4, p. 95)
At His Pleasure He Created the World
There was no one to know whom I am
Until I created the World
at My pleasure, with one word!
Immediately, mountains rose up;
Oceans, seas, land and water sheds,
Sun, moon and desert sands
Sprang out of nowhere
to prove My existence.
Came all forms of beings
men, beasts and birds -
flying, speaking, hearing
All powers were bestowed upon them,
Under My orders.
The first place was granted
to mankind
And My knowledge was placed
in man’s mind. (Kasturi N. , p. 375)
This day (Shivaratri) Shiva has come to the view of mortals – Shiva dwelling in the village of Parthi (Puttaparthi is the name of the village where Pransanthi Nilayam exists); He has on him matted hair, the Ganges flowing from it, the eye in the centre of the brow, the dark-complexioned throat, the serpent wristlets, the tiger skin round the waist, the red dot on His forehead and the pan produced redness of the lips. (SSSm Vol.4, pp. 109-110)
The Cowherd boy, the son of Nanda has come again among you as embodied ananda, so that he may collect his playmates; the same Rama has come again with a great ideal of Araam (happy leisure), since now there is no burden of imperium, no dynastic responsibility; he has come to give again the change of service to his erstwhile followers; the same Sai has come to you from Shirdi as embodied Lord, again to be in the midst of His All-comprehensive, Omnipresent Principle known as ‘Mahavishnu’ He has come in this comprehensible, cognisable human form as the ‘Mahavishnu’ (earth limited Lord) so that you may benefit there from. He has come without His instruments and weapons, for He has willed to forge them here itself. (SSSm Vol.4, p. 108)
Come, one and all! See in Me, yourself, for I see Myself in you all. You are my life, My breath, My soul, Your are My forms, all. When I love you, I love myself; when you love yourselves, you love Me! I have separated Myself from Myself, so that I may love Myself, My beloved ones, you are My Own Self. (SSSm Vol.4, p. 143)
‘My Boys,’ He writes, ‘the bird with you, the wings with Me; the foot with you, the way with Me; the eye with you, The form with Me; the thing with you, the dream with Me; the world with you, the heaven with Me - so are we free, so are we bound, so we begin and so we end, you in Me and I in you.’ (SSSm Vol.4, p. 143)
Satya is what I teach, Dharma is the way I live; Shanti is the mark of my personality; Prema is my very nature. (SSSm Vol.4, p. 149)
Why fear when I am here? Put all your faith in Me. I shall guide and guard you. (SSSm Vol.1, p. 99)
I am yours whether you like Me or not; you are Mine, even if you hate Me and keep away from Me. Therefore, what need is there for Me impressing or attracting, or exhibiting My love or Compassion, to win your adoration?
I am in you. You are in Me. There is no distance or distinction. You have come to your own home. This is your home. My home is your heart! (SSSm Vol.3, p. 148)
Why do you discuss and debate among yourselves about My Nature, My Mystery, My Miracle, My Reality? Fish cannot gauge the sky, the grass can grasp only the grass. The eye cannot see the ear, though it is so near. When you cannot reach down to your own reality, why waste time trying to explore the essence of God? (SSSm Vol.2, p. 12)
My task is to open your eyes to the glory of the Vedas and to convince you that Vedic injunction. When put into practice will yield the promised results. ‘My Prema towards the Vedas is matched only by my Prema towards humanity’. ‘My mission is just four: Veda poshana, Vidwat poshana, Bhakta rakshana and Dharma rakshana’. (SSSm Vol.2, p. 43)
I have a ‘task’: To foster all mankind and ensure for all of them lives full of ananda. I have a ‘vow’. To lead all who stray away from the straight path, again into goodness and save them. I am attached to a ‘work’ that I love: To remove the sufferings of the poor and grant them what they lack. I have a ‘reason to be proud’, for, I rescue all who worship and adore Me, aright. I have My definition of the ‘devotion’ I expect: Those devoted to Me have to treat joy and grief, gain and loss, with equal fortitude. This means that I will never give up those who attach themselves to Me. (SSSm Vol.2, p. 12)
I will not give up My Mission, nor My determination. I know I will carry them out; I treat the honor and dishonor, the fame and blame that may be the consequence with equal equanimity. Internally, I am unconcerned. I act but in the outer world; I talk and move about, for the sake of the outer world and for announcing My coming to the people; else, I have no concern even with these.
I do not belong to any place; I am not attached to any name. I have no mine or thine . I answer whatever the name you use. I go, wherever I am taken. This is My very First Vow. I have not disclosed this to any one so far. For me the world is something afar, apart. I act and move only for the sake of mankind. No one can comprehend My Glory, whoever he is, whatever his method of enquiry, however long his attempt.
You can yourself see the full Glory in the coming years. Devotees must have patience and forbearance. (SSSm Vol.2, p. 12)
‘If I had come amongst you as Narayana with four arms holding the Conch, the Wheel, the Mace and the Lotus, you would have kept me in a museum and charged a fee for those who seek Darshan; if I had come as a mere man you would not have respected my teaching and followed it for you own good. So, I have to be in this human form with super-human wisdom and powers’, Baba has said. Baba is every moment the spiritual guide which is His prime role, though He had said that He would begin His Upadesa or teaching only when He reached His thirty-second year. (SSSm Vol.2, p. 12)
‘Shall I tell you exactly when I feel restful, relieved and content? When I know that you are having ananda, through the cultivation of detachment and the spiritual discipline of Seva. I am ever engaged in some activities or other for your benefit. There is none to question Me if I do not act; there is nothing I would lose. Although I have no urge to be active, yet you see Me ever active! The reason is, I must be doing something all the time in order to inspire and instruct you or to set an example for you. I am engaged in activity, so that you may learn to transmute every minute into a golden chance to elevate yourselves into Godhood’. (SSSm Vol.3, p. 71)
‘Every one sees the world through glasses and their world is that which they see through them, worry glasses, hate glasses, glasses of envy, jealousy, greed. I wear only Love Glasses. I cannot hate even if I want to. Hate and anger are not part of Me; nor is disease possible for Me. I may hiss to warn and correct; but, I never hate. I am Bliss and Bliss only. I am Wisdom, Anandam, Shanti. That is my nature.’ (SSSm Vol.2, p. 139)
‘Rescuing a true Bhakta is My Dharma. My every Nature. Someone asked Me whether it was right on my part to plunge thousands into grief, in order to rescue one. Such numerical calculations cannot apply to acts of Grace. I act my Dharma, regardless of how it affects you or him.
Rama obeyed his father’s desire. He did not desist though all Ayodhya was bathed in tears. The father who had acceded to his mother’s wicked desire to exile Him and the very brother who was to benefit by the exile urged Him to stay on. But, He did not turn back. The illness that I took on had to execute its Dharma according to its nature. I allowed it to behave so; for, it is only then that you can observe and imbibe the Glory of the Victory. Krishna could have waved off the rains that Indra threatened to pour on the region of Brindavan, but, He permitted the God of Rains to carry on His Dharma. And, He utilised the occasion, to let the Gopis and Gopas have a glimpse of His Glory. He lifted the Govardhan Mount on his little finger to save them from the devastating downpour. He observed His Dharma, the Dharma of Bhakta rakshana (Granting succour of Devotees). Now too, as in that Age, the Purpose is the Proclamation of Divinity’. (SSSm Vol.2, pp. 90-91)
I am the Servant of everyone. You can call Me by any Name, I will respond, for all names are Mine. Rather, I have no particular Name at all, Even if I am discarded by you, I shall be with you. In my view, there are no atheists at all; all are existing by and for the Lord; denying the sun does not make it disappear. (SSSm Vol.1, p. 101)
‘Come with empty hands’, Baba says. Throw away all the things that you hold in the grasp of your hand; cast away the toys with which you have been playing the game of gaining and losing, gathering and scattering. Baba delights in giving. He does not relish being adored or admired because our praise does not add anything to His Glory and criticism does not minus it either. Therefore He even advises us to be indifferent praise and blame. He delights in filling empty hands with lasting sweetness; empty hearts with lasting joy; empty lives with salutory substance, the empty reeds with His melodious breath. (SSSm Vol.3, p. 242)
‘Learn to yearn from your heart so that you can draw Me to you, wherever you are. That is a more rewarding Sadhana, than the journeys you undergo into a Prasanthi Nilayam; then, I shall certainly come and stay there’. (SSSm Vol.2, p. 157)
‘Be sincere; talk only about your genuine experience; do not distort, exaggerate or falsify that experience’. I can only try my best to adhere to this direction that He has given us. ‘If you accept Me and say, Yes, I too respond Yes, Yes, Yes. If you deny Me and say No, I echo No. Come, experience, and have faith; that is the method of utilising Me’. (SSSm Vol.2, p. 157)
You should come with empty hands, without even the traditional offerings of patram pushpam phalam toyam (Leaf, Flower, fruit and water). Come with clean hands, hands that supplicate not supply, hands that proclaim that they have renounced attachment to riches, then, I fill them with Grace. I must say that I accept certain things, before giving you that Grace; I demand and take Satya, Dharma, Shanti and Prema. I seek the gifts of truth, virtue, peace and love. I draw you to me and then reform and re-shape you. I am a kind of smith who repairs broken, leaky, damaged hardware. I repair broken hearts and fragile minds, warped intellects, feeble resolutions and fading faith. (SSS Vol.5, p. 72)
When the milk-ocean of the Vedas was churned with Intelligence as the rod and devotion as the rope, the butter of the three great classics – the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and the Srimad Bhagavatam emerged, for spreading the message of the Namasmarana way for peace and joy. It is to revive this message and to restore faith in the Name that this Avatar has come into the world, in the Kali Yuga.
Worship must cleanse the heart, so that the indwelling God may shine in all His Glory; but desires tarnish, instead of cleansing. Namasmarana is an instrument to realise the Lord. (SSS Vol.5, p. 81)
You are all my limbs, nourished by Me. You constitute the Sai Body. Sai will send you sustenance, wherever you are, whatever your function, provided you give Sai the things Sai considers sweet and desirable, like virtue, faith, discipline and humility. (SSS Vol.5, p. 335)
You do not now realise your good luck in getting Me as the Guide. I shall not rest until I reform all of you. (SSS Vol.3, p. 93)
I am the truth of truth, I guide towards truth, I manifest truth and when men realise truth, they realise Me. (SSS Vol.8, p. 52)
I have resolved to enfold the people of the world in the fostering care of Universal Love as laid down in the Vedas. For the world is My mansion and the continents are the halls therein. I have come to inscribe a golden chapter in the history of humanity, wherein falsehood will fail, truth will triumph, and virtue will reign. Character will confer power then, not knowledge or inventive skill or wealth. Wisdom will be enthroned in the Councils of Nations. Do not be mislead. It is not my purpose to strike men dumb by the display of miraculous might! I have come to confer the boon of blessedness, the benediction of bliss, as the reward for genuine spiritual endeavour and to lead mankind into Liberty, Light and Love. (PE, p. 76)
This Sai has come in order to achieve the supreme task of uniting the entire mankind as one family through the bond of brotherhood of affirming and illumining the Inner Reality of, each being in order to reveal the Divine which is the basis on which the entire Cosmos rests, and of instructing all to recognise the common Divine Heritage that binds man to man, so that man can rid himself of the animal, and rise into the Divine which is his goal. (PE, p. 82)
I am not Sathya Sai Baba. That is only a name by which you designate Me ‘now’. All names are Mine. I am the One God who answers the prayers that rise in human hearts, in all languages; from lands, addressed to all forms of the Deity. (BSS Part II, p. 91)
To take upon Myself the sufferings of those who have surrendered to Me is My duty. I have no suffering, and you have no reason to suffer too when I do this duty of Mine. The entire give-and-take is the play of Love. It is taken over by Me in Love, so how can I suffer? Christ sacrificed His life for the sake of those who put their faith in Him. I propagated the truth that sacrifice is God. (BSS Part II, p. 171)
The most significant and important power, let Me tell you, is my prema. I may turn the sky into earth or earth into sky; but that is not the sign of Divine might. It is the prema, the Sahana wheel is effective, universal and ever-present, that is the unique sign. (SSS Vol. 6, p. 171)
Since I move about with you, eat like you, and talk with you, you are deluded into the belief that this is but an instance of common humanity. (SSS Vol. 6, p. 172)
I have come to light the lamp of love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added lustre. I have not come to speak on behalf of any particular dharma, like the Hindu Dharma. I have not come on any mission of publicity for any sect or creed or cause. (SSS Vol. 6, p. 185)
If you have prema towards Me, you will have prema towards all, since Sai is in every one. You sing at the bhajana, ‘antha Sayi mayam ee jagamantha Sayi mayam - All this is Sai-mayam -- this world is Sai-full’. So how can you have love for this Sai alone: You have on the walls of this Prayer Hall many pictures of Swami; you revere the picture; you take each of them to be Me. If someone speaks ill of any of them you do not like it, do you? You stand before the picture and exclaim in joy, ‘O’! Swami; remember every being is, My picture, why, every being is Me, antha Sayi-mayam; is it not? So, when you treat any one harshly, you are treating Me harshly. When you are insulting anyone, you are insulting Me. (SSS Vol.4, p. 196)
To set right those who have taken wrong path and to protect the good people, Sai will be born again and again. He will be born without any pangs of birth. What other truth can I convey to you, the good people who have assembled here. (SSB 1978, p. 163)
It only meant that He who came as Sai Baba has now come again as Sathya Sai Baba! Moreover, the Sais come in a series. After this there will be another, Prema Sai, who will take birth in the Mysore region. (SSSm Vol.1, p. 159)
‘Willing’ is superfluous for me, for my Grace is ever available to devotees who have steady love and faith. Since I move among them, talking and singing, even intellectuals are unable to grasp My Truth, My Power, My Glory or my real task as Avatar. I can solve any problem, however knotty. I am beyond the reach of the most intense inquiry and the most meticulous measurement. Only those who have recognised My Love and experienced that Love can assert that they have glimpsed My reality, for the path of love is the royal road that leads mankind to Me. (Golden Age, p. 135)
Sarva rupa Dharam Shantam
Sarva Nama Dharam Shivam
Sat-Cit-anandam rupam Advaitam
Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram
I am all forms ascribed to the Almighty;
I am the Embodiment of Perfect Peace.
I am known by all the Names through which the Almighty is addressed and adored by Man.
I am the Embodiment of Goodness;
I am Being - Awareness Bliss, Atma, the one without a Second, Truth, Goodness, Beauty.
(Golden Age, p. 137)
Cultivate nearness with me in the heart and it will be rewarded. Then you too will acquire a fraction of that Supreme Love. Be confident that you will all be liberated. Know that you are saved. Many hesitate to believe that things will improve, that life will be happy for all and full of joy, and that the Golden Age will recur. Let me assure you that this dharma Swarupa, that this Divine Body, has not come in vain. It will succeed in averting the crisis that has come upon humanity. (Golden Age, 1980, p. Inside back cover page)
Sathya is what I teach; Dharma is the way I live; Shanti is the mark of my personality; Prema is my very nature. (SSSm Vol.4, p. 149)
You can understand me only if you understand yourself, your own Basic Truth.
You must see, hear, study, observe, experience, reflect; then only you can understand Me.
You will learn that I am Prema itself; that I give only one thing, ananda, through that Prema. My task is to distribute solace, courage and Shanti.
That is to say, My characteristics are the ancient authentic ones;
only the Manifested Form is new.
(SSS Vol.2, p. 152)
I very often tell you not to identify even Me with this particular physical build up. But you do not understand. You call me by One Name and believe I have One Form only. Remember, there is no Name I do not bear, there is no Form which is not Mine. (SSS Vol.2, p. 256)
Come, I am the repairer of broken hearts, of damaged Antahkaranas. I am like the smith who welds, mends and sets right. (SSS Vol.2, p. 285)
I shall not give you up, even if you forsake Me for it is not in Me to forsake those who deny Me. I have come for all. Those who stray away will come again to Me, do not doubt this. I shall beckon them back to Me. I bless you that you may earn the vision in this life itself, with this body itself. (SSS Vol.2, p. 129)
However you are, you are Mine, I will not give you up. Whatever you are, You are near Me, You cannot go beyond My reach. (SSS Vol.2, p. 198)
Love is My distinctive mark, not the creation of material objects or of health and happiness, by sheer exercise of will. You might consider what you call miracles as the most direct sign of divinity, but the Love that welcomes you all, that blesses all, that runs to the presence of the seekers, the suffering and the distressed in distant lands or wherever they are, that is the real sign. It is that which declares that I am Sai Baba. Prema is My task, My Mission, My breath. (BSS Part II, p. 148)
It is enough if you call Me from wherever you are; in my case there is no need for you to travel distances and spend hard-earned money. I shall fulfil your wishes, at your own place. (SSS Vol.2, p. 181)
My language, My role, My career, My purpose can be understood in a general way only by sitting through the entire film, watching earnestly and vigilantly and trying to get the meaning of every word and act with patient attention. (SSS Vol.2, p. 153)
For Me, there is no native land or foreign land. All humanity has to be brought back to the path of Dharma. (SSS Vol.2, p. 229)
What other task have I than the showering of Grace? By Darshana, sparshana and sambhashana, you share in that Grace. When that melts and this melts, the two can merge. Treat me not as one afar, but as very close to you. Insist, demand, claim Grace from Me; do not praise, extol and cringe. Bring your hearts to Me and win My heart. Not one of you is a stranger to Me. Bring your promises to Me and I shall give you My Promises. But first see that your promise is genuine, sincere, see that your heart is pure; that is enough. (SSS Vol.2, pp. 78-79)
Do you know how much I feel when I find that, in spite of My Arrival and Bodha and Upadesam, you have not yet started this Sadhana. You simply praise Me and strew compliments; that I am the Treasure-house of Grace; the Ocean of ananda, etc. etc. Take up the name and dwell upon its sweetness; imbibe it and roll it on your tongue, taste its essence, contemplate on its magnificence and make it a part of yourself and grow strong in spiritual joy. That is what pleases Me. (SSS Vol.2, p. 16)
Come to Me, eager to learn, to progress, to see Yourself in Me and I shall certainly welcome you and show you the way. You will indeed be blessed. (SSS Vol.2, p. 18)
It is not mere Bhakti that I want, I want action motivated by Bhakti. Throw off all your present responsibilities and take up this new responsibility of saving yourself; then you will see the wonder; even the responsibilities will be discharged smoothly and to your satisfaction. (SSS Vol.2, p. 216)
Baba is beyond the keenest intellect, the sharpest brain. So do not try to delve into Me; develop faith and Shraddha and derive ananda through Prema. That is the utmost you can do; do that and benefit. (SSS Vol.2, p. 24)
I have come in order to repair the Ancient Highway leading Man to God. (GA, p. 12)
I have a reason to be proud, for I rescue all who worship and adore Me aright. Don’t limit Me to this form only. This human form is one in which every Divine Entity, every Divine Principle, that is to say, all names and forms ascribed by man to God, are manifest. (Sarvadaivathaswaroopamu anudharinchina Manavaakaarame Ee Aakaaramu).
I have My definition of the devotion I expect. Those devoted to Me have to treat joy and grief and loss with equal fortitude. This means that I will never give up those who attach themselves to Me. (GA, p. 38)
I have not an iota of anger or hate in Me. The blood that flows in My veins is but love. Yet, when you do no in the path I show you in order to turn you it, I appear to be angry. When I feign anger, you should remember that it only evidences My concern for your welfare, and feel in it another form of My love. (BSS Part II, p. 177)
Though apparently I seem to be indifferent, I have nothing but love towards all beings. I know the karmic load of each. I reduce the consequent hardship one has to undergo. Yet when a person stands before Me, as I see all the accumulated karmic accretion about him, I control Myself from showing too much love towards him, because that would be against Divine Justice. (BSS Part II, p. 178)
See in Me, Yourself, for I see Myself in you all. You are My life, My breath, My soul. You are My Forms all, when I love you, I love Myself; when you love yourselves, you love Me! I have separated Myself from Myself, so that I may love Myself. My Beloved ones, you are My Own Self. (Kasturi N. , p. Back Cover)
No one can come to Puttaparthi unless I call him. Call those who are ready to see Me. Of course, there are different levels of readiness. (Kasturi N. , p. 342)
I will hold by the hand those who stray from the straight path and serve them. (Kasturi N. , p. 356)
Even if all mankind endeavour for thousands of years to unravel My mystery, they can not succeed. (Kasturi N. , p. 359)
I am always steady. My Grace is ever there. To the outward eye, My action is magic, miracle; to the inner eye it is all Leela, Will. The Hand that creates is the Hand that gives - there is no keeping back. It is always for you and you alone. That is my Truth; know it and be happy. (SSS Vol.2, p. 99)
Why worry so much at not being able to touch these Feet? My Feet are within your reach, at all times, wherever you are.
Sarvatah Pani padam Tat Sarvatokshi Siromukham,
Sarvatah Srutimal loke Sarvam avrutya Tisthati
(Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13 verse 14)
‘Sarvatah Pani Padam’, ‘Hands and Feet everywhere’. If you wail in agony, ‘Don’t you hear me?’ My ears are there to listen; if you pray from the depths of your heart, ‘Don’t you see my plight? My eyes are there shedding Grace on you. Get out of Maya and become Prema. Then you get Prema only from Me. (SSS Vol.2, pp. 99-100)
My hand stretches out for receiving, only when a pure heart full of Prema is offered; on all other occasions, it gives and never takes. (SSS Vol.2, p. 83)
If you dare seek my Truth, come, surrender unto Me. (SSS Vol.2, p. 82)
Do not be anxious to waste money on dinners; why feed the over-fed. Feed the hungry, the ones who have not had so far the delights that a full meal alone can give. (SSS Vol.2, p. 87)
Be warned against this mistake. I am also deluding you by My singing with you, talking with you, and engaging Myself in activities with you. But, any moment, My Divinity may be revealed to you; you have to be ready, prepared for that moment. Since Divinity is enveloped by humanness you must endeavour to overcome the Maya (delusion) that hides it from your eyes. (SSS Vol. 6, p. 173)
The Incarnation has come to point the way out of this vicious circle. Hand over to Me your hundred thousand paltry karma and worries - each one, a paisa. If they are genuine and sincere, I shall take them all of you a thousand-rupee currency note (grace) which is lighter, and easier to keep. Of course even if one pain or grief or worry of fear is counterfeit, the note will not be given. (SSS Vol. 6, p. 100)
‘Some people keep on saying ‘We want Swami, We Want Swami’, ‘We want to go close to Swami’. But they are not able to put into practice Swami’s words or Swami’s ideals. Swami is not on the one side and Swami’s words are not on another side. Put into practice Swami’s words. If you do that, then Swami will automatically be with you. If you keep on wanting Swami physically, but if you do not practise whatever Swami’s words are, then even if Swami is close to you physically, but if you do yet far away from you.
‘In the same manner, how many times you may come to Me, how many times you may listen to my words, but so long as you do not have faith and accept the words which I say and put them into practice, then there will be no connection relationship between you and Me. This is not being said for My sake. This is being said for the sake of the world. If you accept My words and put them into practice in your life, I belong to you’. (Shah I. , pp. 163-164)
I have come to light the lamp of love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added lustre. I have not come to speak on behalf of any particular dharma (righteousness), like the Hindu Dharma. I have not come on any mission of publicity for any sect or creed or cause; nor have I come to collect followers for any doctrine. I have no plan to attract disciples or devotees into My fold or any fold. I have come to tell you of this Universal, unitary faith, this Atmic (spiritual) principle, this path of love, this dharma of prema, this duty of love, this obligation to love. All religions teach one basic discipline; the removal from the mind of the blemish of egoism, of running after little joy. Every religion teaches man to fill his being with the Glory of God, and evict the pettiness of conceit. It trains him in methods of detachment and discrimination, so that he may aim high and attain liberation. Believe that all hearts are motivated by the One and Only God; that all faiths glorify the One and Only God; that all names in all languages and all forms man can conceive, denote the One and Only God; His adoration is best done by means of love. Cultivate that Eka-bhava (attitude of Oneness), between men of all creeds, all countries and all continents. That is the message of love, I bring. That is the message I wish you to take to heart. (SSS Vol.8, pp. 66-67)
When we delight as He keeps us close and near
He sows anxiety in the heart, of separation sad;
When we despair and feel His sport is our wail.
He grants us in plenty laughter to split our sides.
When we ride on the crest of the wave of His praise
He pricks our pride by well-timed jeers.
When we roam quite free at the boon, ‘Don’t fear,’
He heaps trouble on trouble and passes ‘silently by.
We cannot turn away, nor forward proceed.
Thus He who is in Parthi holds the world in thrill;
Who at this time can solve r or us His Mystery?
(SSS Vol.17, p. 90)
You may believe in it or not. I must tell you that total adherence to truth, absolute selflessness, universality and spontaneous outpouring of love are to be seen only in Sai and nowhere else. Sai has not an iota of self-interest. Sai is motiveless. Sai deals with sadhakas (spiritual aspirants) according to their deserts. Sai will continue to love even those who revile Him. Sai will not forget anyone, even if he forgets Sai. But occasionally, Sai will appear to ignore those who may have forgotten Sai, acted against His injunctions, set at naught Sai ideals or traduced Sai. From this, some persons may imagine that Swami is angry with some person or dissatisfied with some others. It is not without reason that Sai avoids meeting or talking to some persons. I do not wish to waste My words on persons, who do not respect Sai s directives or follow Sai s ideals. I do not wish to speak to those who have no regard for My words. That does not mean I have no love towards them. (SSS Vol.17, pp. 93-94)
My task is not merely to cure, to console or to remove the misery and pain of the individuals. That is but incidental. My main task is the reestablishment of Vedanta and Vedantic way of life in India and the world. (SGM, p. 203)
No Avatar has ever done the things Sai is doing, taking interest in everything concerning your families, celebrating family functions and giving individual counsel. (DG, p. 149)
I came to awaken the heart of man and help him to reach the divinity within. It is there with you now, if only you could know it. Love in that divine state now and give up forever all attachments to earthly desires. That will truly make Me very happy. ‘This is a human form in which every Divine entity, every Divine Principle, that is to say, all the Names and Forms ascribed by man to God, are manifest’---Sarva daivatva sarva rupalanu dharin-china manava karame akaram. Do not allow doubt to distract you; if you only install, in the altar of your heart, steady faith in My Divinity, you can win a Vision of My Reality. Instead, if you swing like the pendulum of a dock, one moment, devotion, another moment, disbelief, you can never succeed in comprehending the Truth and win that Bliss. You are very fortunate that you have a chance to experience the bliss of the vision of the sarva daivatva swarupam (the form, which is all forms of all Gods) now, in this life itself. (SSS Vol.8, p. 56)
My mission is to raise the consciousness of man to a level at which he neither rejoices nor mourns over anything. In that supreme state, one is going through rebirth and death each moment, for these acts are on and the same, emerging from the formless into form and merging from the form into the formless. Then, there is no success of adversity, no joy or pain. When the devotee attains this Oneness, his journey toward Me ceases. For he will be with Me endlessly. (SSS Vol.31, p. 144)
I have come to help all to acquire this Sattvika (poised state) nature. You might have heard people talk about the miracles; of My making this and giving that, of my fulfilling all your wants, of My curing your illness. But they are not so important as the Sattva guna (serenity and goodness), I appreciate, promote and instil. Of course, I confer on you these boons of health and prosperity but only so that you might, with greater enthusiasm and with less interruption, proceed with spiritual sadhana (practice and exercise). (SSS Vol.1, p. 57)
To give love and receive love, this is my business. There is no limit to my ananda (Bliss). I am always immersed in bliss. This is because my bliss is associated with love and not with material objects. If you follow this path, you will realise peace of every kind. My truth is inexplicable, unfathomable. I am beyond the reach of the most intensive inquiry, the most meticulous measurements. There is nothing I do not see, nowhere I do not know the way, no problem I cannot solve. My sufficiency is unconditional. I am the Totality – all of it. (MBI, p. 131)
There is no stepping down in your Godward march. It is a continuous journey through day and night, through hill and dale. Where the road ends, God is attained and the pilgrim finds, that he has travelled from himself to himself. (SSS Vol.20, p. 52)
No matter where you go, always know that I will be there, inside you, guiding you every step of the way, in the years to come you will experience me in different manifestations of my form. You are my very own, dearer than dear to me. I will protect you as the eyelids protect the eyes. (SSS Vol.20, p. 65)
I have come to give you the key to the treasure of bliss, to tell you how to tap that spring, for you have forgotten the way of the blessedness. Very few of you desire to get from Me, the things I have come to give you, namely Liberation itself. I am the embodiment of bliss. Come, take bliss from Me, dwell in that bliss and be peaceful. (MBI, p. 153)
If your yearnings to experience Brahmananda, the Sat-Cit-ananda, is sincere and pure from this day (23-11-1983) keep ever in your memory what I am about to tell you:
- ‘I am God; I am not different from God’. Be conscious of this always. Keep it ever in mind. ‘I am God, I am not different from God’. Be reminding yourself of this. Pray that you may not fail in this spiritual exercise.
- ‘I am the indivisible Supreme Absolute’. This is the second Truth to be established in the consciousness by unremitting repetition and prayer.
- ‘I am Sat-cit-ananda’ (i.e. Being, Awareness and Bliss)
- ‘Grief and anxiety can never affect me’. Develop this faith and convince yourselves of this truth by repeated assurance and prayer.
- ‘I am ever content, fear can never enter me’. Develop this faith and conviction grows stronger and stronger.
As the physical body is maintained healthy and strong by the five vital airs (prana), these five prayers will endow you with the ‘Awareness of Brahman’ which is the same as ‘the status of Brahman itself’. (MBI, p. 176)
The best way to know about Me is to know about yourself, for I am you, yourself. (SSSB, p. 59)
I am the bonded slave of My devotee. I will be waiting outside the Puja room to carry out what my devotee wishes for. (SSSB, p. 44)
Do not think that this Hospital (Sathya Sai General Hospital) alone is Mine. All Hospitals everywhere, all patients everywhere, all those; who are sick in mind and body are Mine. I have come to give relief. (SSSB, p. 25)
Put all your burdens on Me. I have come to bear it, so that you can devote yourselves to Sadhana. (SSSB, p. 9)
Let Me tell you something I have not announced so far, I am not of this world. I am far, far above it. My Shakti, My Real Nature can never be understood, whoever studies it, however long he studies it and however intelligent he may be. I have no Nature, so I answer when I am called by any Name. I have no place, so the place which receives My call is mine. I go there, where I am called. I speak and act, to help the world. I will not stop My task until I have succeeded. Fame and blame are equal to Me. Wait; you will yourself see the Glory. Be patient, await events.
My task (Diksha) is to give all persons full joy, to guide them in the right path and guard them from evil. My vow (Vratam) is to save all who stray away from the straight path leading them into the path of virtue (Sanmarga). My love (prema) is to end the misery of the poor, to give them all they need and to help,nourish and protect all who worship Me. Devotion to Me is nothing but this have a steady mind, unaffected by ups and downs, joy and grief. (SSSB, pp. 6-7)
The Divine can be grasped only through love, faith and Sadhana, surcharged with Universal Love. Reason is too feeble an instrument to measure it. Denial of the Divine cannot negate it. Logic cannot reveal it. All the tirades now being made on the Divine are from atheists who are opportunists. So your duty is to preserve your equanimity. Be true to yourselves and do not waver. I am unaffected by praise or blame. My love and compassion envelop all. My Grace can be shared by all. I am declaring this so that you may face all this with fortitude. The more you dig, the deeper the derision, the higher the mound, the taller the praise. People with a disease in the nose cannot appreciate the fragrance of a flower. Those who cannot appreciate the fragrance of a flower. Those who cannot appreciate or recognise the Divine are suffering from an illness which handicaps them to do so. (SSS Vol.11, p. 80)
The totality of the Divine energy has come on to humanity as Sathya Sai - to go to each and everyone, to wake up the slumbering Divinity of every human being. Even if in your sleepiness or in your weakness from sleep, you growl, grumble or groan, kick, criticise, quarrel or cry. I will not for sake you; I will not let your divinity go to sleep. A mother never forsakes the child she carries or lets the child fall down, even if the child works out its resentment and anger on her. I have come to help, to accompany and to carry you. I can never for sake you. I will never fail in my duty to my children - and I shall be very grateful to each child of mine who helps my task..
Wake up, my children, wake up to the dawn of knowledge, wake up to your divine duties, wake up to your divine rights and wake up to your divine reality. (S&M, pp. 312-313)
This body is not mine. It is yours. Hence I am unaffected by what happens to the body. Your bodies are in me and when you experience pain or pleasure, I share that experience. Devotees should give no room for the apprehension that any harm can befall Swami. Nothing can harm Swami, in relation to the body; things may happen in the natural course sometimes. These are like passing clouds. Understand properly the nature of Divinity.
There was no need for the doctors to see me. I have to control whatever happens to me. This is my example to the world. I do not know the meaning of rest. I do not need any rest. I shall go on with my work.
This kind of equanimity cannot be felt by anyone except the Divine. There is nothing beyond the power of the Divine. Although there was excruciating pain on account of the injury, through self control My mind did not think about it. If the mind had been dwelling on the pain, the pain would have been greater. The best medicine for this pain is diverting the mind. Every time the body turned there was a shock. I was wholly engaged in reading the numerous letters from devotees and was oblivious to the state of the body; My message to you.
The devotees might feel ‘why should not Swami cure Himself’?’ ‘I am not as selfish as all that’. When others are injured, do I relieve them immediately? Everything has a time factor. One has to put up with it for the duration of the trouble. The pain can be mitigated by prayer and by diverting the mind’.
The body is subject to ailments from time to time. It comes and goes. ‘If I rid myself of any ailment instantaneously, people may comment: what a selfish person is Sai Baba? He cures His illness immediately. But He does not remove the pain of others.’ Whatever it is your bodily ailment or somebody else’s attempts can be made to treat it, to teach the sufferer how to control his mind, and strengthen the powers of resistance. But it cannot be got rid of the same instant. The time required for healing has to be allowed. During the past four days My mind did not bother about the injury. I did not give up any of My normal activities. I did not come out only because of the entreaties of devotees.
Sometimes, ‘I take on the ailments of others. I do this for My own delight and not out of any external pleasure. But in every case of illness, control of the mind is needed to bear with it. This is what every one of you should bear in mind. This is the message of My life. I am exercising various kinds of self control to serve as an example for you.’
The joy of the devotees is My joy. I have no exclusive joy of My own. I have no such desire. Why should I be concerned about this body? You must take note of this important fact. ‘This body is not Mine. It is yours and therefore I have no concern with it. Your bodies are Mine.’ Out of their love for Swami, devotees are appealing to Swami to take rest. But I don’t need any rest. ‘Karmanyeva Adhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana’ (you are entitled only to do your duty). That is My message to you.
What you have to bear in mind is that no trouble can affect Swami now or in the future and that everything is part of My play. Such things happen to the Divine - they come and go. I take no account of how the Divine works. The fact that I have been standing here for such a long time is itself a miracle. The legs have been strained to the limit. There has been considerable pain. But in the joy of addressing you I am unaware of the pain. Likewise, in all your sufferings and troubles, you must turn the mind away from them. It is to teach this lesson to you that I chose to speak to you today. (SSS Vol.21, pp. 225-228)
You may be seeing Me today for the first time, but you are all old acquaintances for Me. I know you through and through. My task is the spiritual regeneration of Humanity through Truth and Love. If you approach one step nearer to Me, I shall advance three steps towards you. (SSSm Vol.1, p. 2)
This Sai has come in order to achieve the Supreme task of uniting the entire mankindn as one family, through the bond of brotherhood, of affirming and illuming the inner reality of each being in order to reveal the Divine which is the basis on which the entire cosmos rests, and of instructing all to recognise the common Divine Heritage that binds man, so that man can rid himself of the animal and rise into Divine which is his goal. (DM, p. 289)
This is a human form in which every Divine entity, every Divine principle all the names and forms ascribed by man to God are manifest. Do not allow doubt to distract you. If you only install in the altar of your heart steady faith in my Divinity, you can win the vision of my reality. (DM, p. 257)
Nobody can come to me unless he is called; not even 20,000 horses can bring you here if you are not called..... Nobody can dream of Me. The dream I give are visitations. (SBML, p. 40)
There is one point that I cannot but bring to your special notice today. At the moment when Jesus was merging in the Supreme Principle of Divinity, He communicated some news to his followers, which has been interpreted in a variety of ways by commentators and those who relish the piling of writings upon writings and meanings upon meanings until it all piles into a huge mass.
The statement itself has been manipulated and tangled into a conundrum. The statement of Christ is simple ‘He who sent me among you will come again’, and he pointed to a lamb. The lamb is merely a symbol, sign. It stands for the voice ba-ba; the announcement was the advent of Baba. ‘His Name will be Truth’ Christ declared. Sathya means Truth. ‘He will wear a robe, a blood-red robe’. (Here Baba pointed to the robe He was wearing). ‘He will be short, with a crown (of hair)’. The lamb is the sign and symbol of love. Christ did not declare that he will come again, he said, ‘He who sent me will come aga