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THE GAME WE ARE PLAYING

2012-01-21T21:57:00.001+05:30

THE GAME WE ARE PLAYING

Baba said, "When the mind is concentrated, the goal will be achieved." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 18, 19

A gang of monkeys once sat in discussion, "Man is so powerful. He has subjugated all species on land, water and has even conquered the moon. We need to find the secret of his power."

One monkey said, "Well, I think I know what the secret is. They fast on the sacred day of Ekadasi and at the end ask for a boon from their favourite deity, who then grants them the boon. That is their secret." Everyone was thrilled at the prospect of acquiring new powers and decided to go on a fast until the next day. The chief monkey forewarned the rest of them. "Remember the rule: no one should look at the fruits, lest you may be tempted to eat them. Keep your eyes fixed to the ground." Everyone followed the orders.

After few minutes a monkey said, "How long can we stare at the barren grounds? We should not look at the fruits, but surely we could enjoy the beauty of the vast sky, waterfall and nature." All of them agreed and began admiring the beauty around, trying to shun their vision from the fruits alone.

"What is the harm in looking at the3 fruits? After all, we are not going to eat them," said another one. It made sense and the fruit was also included in their nature watching list. "Hey, what if we don't have enough strength to get to those fruits by tomorrow when we complete our fast? Why don't we just sit at the beginning of a fruit branch?" The brilliant suggestion was given by another fellow monkey was immediately executed. Al the monkeys rushed to the nearest fruit branch and there the nature watching continued.

Hunger slowly started creeping in their empty stomachs. "What if these branches do not have ripe fruits? Then we would have to go in search of another tree, when all our energy is drained. Why don't we select the ripe fruits and sit near those branches?" All of them patted the little monkey for his thoughtfulness and scurried in search of ripe fruits and occupied those branches.

By now their stomach had begun noises. "What if the fruits are not tasty or have worms? Even then we would have to search for other ones," shouted another young monkey. After a short contemplating pause the chief monkey said, "OK, Probably we could just taste the fruits, but remember, no one should swallow it! All of you should spit it out immediately." All monkeys excitedly ran to the end of their branches, plucked a fruit and took a bite. Some spat it out and some swallowed 'unknowingly'. With the fruits in their hands all of them looked at each other with the eyes swaying end-to-end expecting someone to say something. Then one monkey declared, "Why take a risk? Let's eat enough today so that we could fast the whole day tomorrow effortlessly." They all agreed unanimously and pounced on the fruits.

While the fact remained that the monkeys wanted to eat the fruits, not able to confront this truth, they cooked up various theories and explanations to believe that it is not so, drowning once again in their self-complacency.

We too, are involved in a similar task. Out of 100 lies spoken by us, 90 of them we speak to ourselves. We have fewer values in life, which, due to variety of reasons we are not able to follow. We have created an ideal 'me' and are constantly trying to fit our actions and thoughts into those self created images, not being able to accept it, we create lies and began to believe them to be true. This is the game we are playing.

DOUBLE REWARDS FOR SELFLESSNESS

2012-01-14T11:30:00.000+05:30

DOUBLE REWARDS FOR SELFLESSNESS

"Man must spend his life-time always in doing action, specially the karmas enjoined in the Shastras, in a mood of believing resignation to His will." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 20.

One day, Akbar and Birbal were going around the country, dressed to conceal who they were. In a village they found a very old man planting a sapling of mango.

Akbar came near the old man and asked him why he was planting a sapling at the old age when he would not hope to live to eat its fruits.

The old man replied that he enjoyed the fruits of mango trees which his father had planted. He added that his son would enjoy the fruits of the mango trees planted by him. He then made a quick remark saying that was how actions that took long time to bear fruit were carried out.

Akbar was surprised and happy at the old man's wisdom. He told him that he was the Emperor and gave him a bag od gold coins. He also said the whole country should benefit from the old man's wisdom.

The old farmer had a hearty laugh and said that his good act of planting a sapling of mango that day had helped him to get a fruit – a bag of gold coins as a gift.

Akbar was delighted that the old man's spoken words matched his good judgement. He gave him another bag of gold as a reward for his wisdom.

The old farmer said that mango tree normally yielded fruits once a year, or once in two years but his tree gave him two crops (gifts) in a single day.

CONFUSED WHOM TO WORSHIP?

2012-01-07T16:39:00.000+05:30

CONFUSED WHOM TO WORSHIP?

"So with all earnestness and speed, we should strive to attain our end, i.e., self-realization." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 8.

Once there was a very pious Brahmin who was utterly devoted to his family deity. He worshipped this deity every day, sitting cross legged in front of the shrine in his home.

One day during his meditation, he observed that the prasad or food offered to the deity, which is customarily eaten by the devotee after worship, was snatched away by a mouse and eaten in front of his very eyes. The Brahmin was astonished to see this and concluded that the mouse was more powerful than the deity. Otherwise, how could it dare to eat the offering? So he grabbed hold of the mouse, and tying it with a string to the place of worship, decided to worship this creature instead of the deity.

He removed the picture of the deity from the shrine, and started worshipping the mouse. One day his cat, jealous of the attention the mouse was receiving, pounced upon the tiny creature. The two had a terrible fight, but of course the poor mouse was killed in the battle.

Now it was quite clear to the Brahmin that the cat was more powerful than the mouse, so he started worshipping the cat whom he had previously neglected. This continued for some time until one day the Brahmin's dog entered the room of worship. Seeing the attention that the cat was getting from his master, the dog became furiously jealous and violently attacked the cat. The unhappy cat was bitten and scratched all over and bled in many places. When the Brahmin considered the situation, it became quite clear to him that the dog was more powerful than the cat.

So he removed the cat from the place of worship and placed the dog there instead. He now began to worship the dog, who was tied with a rope to the shrine. The animal's continual barking, however, was a source of great irritation to the Brahmin's wife. One day in utter exasperation, she threw a brick at the barking dog. It landed on his head with a thump. The poor dog was in great pain and cried piteously over his wound.

The Brahmin, hearing the whimpering of the poor dog, came into the room, and seeing what had happened, concluded that it must be due to the superior power of his wife.

So he decided to let the dog go and to worship his wife. He said to her, "At long last I realize that you are the most powerful. Only you can be the object of my adoration."

The wife was thunderstruck at these remarks, to say nothing of being puzzled and embarrassed. How could she be the object of his adoration, she thought, since all her life she had been made to feel like his servant, constantly at his beck and call? She finally consented, however, since she had no alternative.

Now the Brahmin's wife had become his object of adoration and worship. He addressed her with words of devotion and praised her divine qualities. So devoted was he that he had the impulse to worship her even when she was asleep. He would awaken her and make her take her place at the shrine where he could adore her. Or if she were in the shower, he would call her to come out. No matter what she was doing she would have to stop and come to the shrine to be worshipped.

Finally the Brahmin's wife became so fed up with this farce that she told him the whole thing was nonsense. At this he became furious. "Nonsense?" he echoed. "How dare you criticize my wisdom?" And he yelled at her loudly. The poor frightened woman began weeping bitter tears. Now, seeing his own power, it became very clear to the Brahmin that he was the strongest of all. So he started worshipping himself, saying, "I am God, I am the greatest, I am everything."

But it did not take him much time to realize that he was merely a prey to his desires. It was his desires that were compelling him to action, either good or bad. So since his habit was to worship the most powerful force, he started worshipping his desires. But he quickly gave this up, for he saw immediately that his desires had no strength of their own. It was his senses that compelled the desires to possess and be possessed.

Then the Brahmin started worshipping the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. He was now pondering deeply on these subtle things which he was worshipping. After much thought, he concluded that it was the mind which was responsible for the functioning of the senses. So he began worshipping his mind, and felt proud that he had progressed so far from the ignorant animals he had worshipped only a few months before. But he found that his mind was far from satisfaction, and even farther from perfection. So he catered into his heart.

The heart, in spite of having peace and joy and harmony, was still lacking in absolute fulfillment. He was yearning for the supreme power. He concluded that the heart was not enough, so he entered into his soul.

There, in union with his own soul, he got the first glimpse of his divine fulfillment. He plunged deep into the spiritual life. But the individual soul, he found, is not all pervading or all fulfilling. He aspired for the highest. He went even deeper. Deep within, he discovered the Supreme Self.

Here, at the end of his journey, the Brahmin saw that the Supreme Self is the most powerful.

The Supreme Self, which has neither beginning nor end, is all pervading and all fulfilling. The Supreme Self, which is both Creator and Creation, is the Highest.

REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE

2012-01-03T07:59:00.000+05:30

Baba said, "Let the world go topsy-turvy, you remain where you are." - Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 19.

The Zen master Hakuin was praised by his neighbors as one living a pure life.

A beautiful Japanese girl whose parents owned a food store lived near him. Suddenly, without any warning, her parents discovered she was with child.

This made her parents very angry. She would not confess who the man was, but after much harassment at last named Hakuin.

In great anger the parents went to the master. "Is that so?" was all he would say.

After the child was born it was brought to Hakuin. By this time he had lost his reputation, which did not trouble him, but he took very good care of the child. He obtained milk from his neighbors and everything else the little one needed.

A year later the girl-mother could stand it no longer. She told her parents the truth - that the real father of the child was a young man who worked in the fishmarket.

The mother and father of the girl at once went to Hakuin to ask his forgiveness, to apologize at length, and to get the child back again.

Hakuin was willing. In yielding the child, all he said was: "Is that so?"

WAY TO HAPPINESS - SHARING AND CARING

2012-01-02T09:52:00.000+05:30

WAY TO HAPPINESS - SHARING AND CARING

Baba said, "Let us love and serve each other and be happy." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch.18,19.

Once there were two neighbors who were friends and, at the same time, rivals. Both of them were very shrewd and miserly. At times they were absolutely, unthinkably undivine.

One day they decided to go on a pilgrimage. Their wives made up delicious baskets of food for them and they left very early in the morning.

After they had walked for two hours, it was breakfast time. One of them said, "Let us not stop for breakfast. We don't need to eat right now."

The other one said, "I agree. Let's keep walking and stop later for lunch instead."

So they continued walking. When lunchtime came, one of them said, "I'm not hungry. if you want to eat, go ahead, but I'm not hungry in the least."

The other one said, "I'm not hungry either. Let's walk until we are tired. Then we can stop and eat."

Both of them were perfect rogues. Each one thought that his own wife had made the best food and didn't want to share it with the other. Each one thought, "If we walk for some time, then my friend will become tired and fall asleep. Then I'll be able to eat my food all by myself. I don't want to share any of it with him."

They walked until it was evening and they were both very tired. After they stopped, each one was waiting for the other to fall asleep. They waited and waited. Finally, both of them fell asleep.

The following morning when they woke up, they saw that their food was crawling with ants. Instead of blaming themselves, they got mad at their wives! "We didn't check the food when they gave it to us. Now we find ants all over it. When we go home, we'll give them a piece of our mind," they agreed.

But they were still tired and decided to rest a while longer. When they woke up a few hours later, they found rats eating what was left of their food. They were so disgusted that they immediately went home and insulted and scolded their wives.

Their wives said, "Why didn't you eat the food we gave you during the day?"

Each one told his wife, "I didn't want to share any of your excellent food with that rascal. It took him so long to fall asleep that I fell asleep too."

Each wife told her husband, "Since both of you are so greedy and miserly, when you start on your pilgrimage again, I will give you simple food-a loaf of bread-which you can share with your friend. He will be pleased if you share it. Since you are traveling together, you can at least have this much friendship."

one wife made bread that was very salty and the other made bread with no salt at all. Since their wives had told them that the food was very simple, both men were extremely generous. One of them said, "I am sure your wife is a good cook. Let's exchange food." The other one said, "That is an excellent idea." So they exchanged their food and started eating. The one who got the salty bread said, "Your wife can't cook."

The other one responded with, "Your wife can't cook. There's no salt in this bread. It's tasteless."

The first man said, "My wife is an excellent cook."

The other one said, "Your wife. Then how is it that she forgot to put salt in the bread?"

The first one said, "How is it that your wife put too much salt in her bread?"

They continued to fight until their pilgrimage came to an end, and again they went home and insulted their wives.

Each of them said to his wife, "You made horrible food. I was ashamed."

Their wives said, "We thought that you were good friends. If you had shared your food with each other, there would have been no problem. One loaf of bread had too much salt and the other had no salt. If you had shared, it would have been delicious for both of you."

The husbands learned an important lesson from their wives: When you share with your friends, you will lead a more fulfilling life.

LEARN TO LIVE

2011-12-28T12:58:00.001+05:30

LEARN TO LIVE

Baba said, "Mere reading won't do. You have to think and carry out what you read, otherwise, it is of no use." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 21

A learned Pundit was once giving discourses on the Bhagavad Gita in the august presence of a Maharaja.

One day the turn of this sloka came:

"Ananyaaschinthayantho maam
Ye janaah paryupaasathe
Theshaam nithyaabhiyukthaanaam
Yogakshemam vahamyaham." (Gita chapter 9, verse 22)

The Pundit was explaining enthusiastically the many-sided implications of this sloka, but the Maharaja shook his head and said: "This meaning is not correct."

He continued to dispute the correctness of every one of the explanations the Pundit gave. The poor Pundit had won meritorious distinctions at the court of many a Maharaja and was honoured by them all with pompous titles. He felt as if he was stabbed when the Maharaja in the presence of the entire band of courtier condemned his explanation of this sloka a 'wrong'.

He smarted under the insult; but plucking up courage, he again set upon his task, and marshalling all his scholarship, he plunged into an eloquent discourse on the multiple meaning of the words, "Yoga" and "Kshema."

The Maharaja did not approve of even this; he ordered: "Find out the meaning of this sloka and having understood it well, come to me again tomorrow." With this, the Maharaja rose from his throne and went into the inner apartments.

The Pundit lost even the few grains of courage left in him. He was weighed down by anxiety; he tottered under the insult; he reached home and, placing the copy of the Gita aside, he dropped on his bed.

Surprised at this, the Pundit's wife asked, "Tell me why you came home from the palace today in such grief? What exactly did happen?" She rained one anxious question after another so that the Pundit was obliged to describe to her all that had happened, the insults heaped on his head, the command with which the Maharaja sent him home, etc.

The wife listened calmly to the account of what had happened and after pondering deeply over the incident, she said, "Yes; it is true. What the Maharaja said is right. The explanation you gave for the sloka is not the correct one. How could the Maharaja approve it? The fault is yours."

At this, the Pundit rose in anger from the cot, like a cobra whose tail is trodden hard. "What do you know, you silly woman? Am I inferior in intelligence to you? Do you, who are engaged in the kitchen all the time, cooking and serving, claim to know more than I? Shut your mouth and quit my presence," he roared.

But the lady stood her ground. She replied, "Lord! Why do you fly into such a rage at a statement of mere truth? Repeat the sloka once again to yourself and ponder over its meaning. You will then arrive at the right answer yourself." Thus by her soft words the wife brought calm into the mind of her husband.

The Pundit started analysing the meaning of each individual word in the sloka. Ananyaaschinthayantho maam, be began, deliberately and slowly, repeating aloud the various meanings.

The wife intervened and said, "What use is it to learn and expound the meanings of words? Tell me what your intention was when you approached this Maharaja. What was the purpose?"

At this, the Pundit got wild. "Should I not run this family, this home? How am I to meet the cost of food and drink, of clothes and things, for you and all the rest? It is for the sake of these that I went to him, of course; or else, what business have I with him?" he shouted.

The wife then replied. "If you had only understood what lord Krishna has declared in this sloka, the urge to go to this Maharaja would not have arisen.

The Lord in the Sloka clearly explains that – "Ananyaschintayanto maam ye janaa paryupaasate" which means :Whoever worships me without any other thought or any other material worries and if one surrenders to ME completely at all times, his mind ever fixed on Me…

"Teshaam Nityaabhiyuktaanam Yogakshemam Vahaamyaham" which means –" To those devotees of mine, I would provide everything that they need and fulfil all their requirements in life(yoga and kshema)".

Thus explaining the sloka to the Pundit the wife remarked –"You have not done these; you approach the Maharaja, believing that he would provide everything. That is where you have gone against the meaning of the verse. That is the reason why he did not accept your explanation."

Hearing this, that reputed scholar sat awhile, ruminating on her remarks. He realised his mistake. He did not proceed to the palace the next day. Instead, he got immersed in the worship of Krishna at home.

When the king inquired why the Pundit had not appeared, courtiers said that he was staying at home and had not started out. The king sent a messenger, but the Pundit declined to move out.

He said, "There is no need for me to go to any one; my Krishna will provide me with everything; He will bear my Yogakshema Himself. I suffered insult because I did not realise this so long, being blinded by eagerness to know the manifold meanings of mere words. Surrendering to Him, if I am ceaselessly engaged in worshipping Him, He will Himself provide me with all I need."

When the messenger took this message to the palace, the Maharaja proceeded to the dwelling of the Pundit on foot; he fell at the feet of the Pundit, saying "I thank you sincerely for explaining to me this day, out of your own experience, the meaning of the sloka which you expounded yesterday."

Thus, the king taught the Pundit that any propagation of spiritual matters which does not come out of the crucible of experience is mere glitter and show.

CHOICE IS YOURS

2011-12-26T10:56:00.001+05:30

CHOICE IS YOURS

Baba said, "I rest there where there is full devotion." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 13.

Two businessmen once set out for a distant land for doing business. They were both rich. They had heard well about the returns that their business would bring them in the new place.

The first one, Rama, thought, "Let me invest my entire wealth. Even if the business be shaky in the beginning and there be initial losses, yet my foundation will be strong and I will gain in the long run."

Accordingly, he invested his entire fortune and started the business in right earnest, on a well established ground. With the usual losses in the beginning, he pulled on through the infant stages extraordinarily well and became a well-reputed businessman. As days passed by, he was getting from the establishment more profit than he ever dreamt of.

On the other hand, Govind, the second man, thought with a certain pessimistic attitude: "If I invest all my money and lose it, then I will neither have the profit from the new establishment, nor the fortune to live happily with the old wealth. So let me invest a little at first. If it is profitable, I will invest more and more of the old wealth; for, then, the new profits will help my living and there will not be any need for me to depend on the old wealth for my day-to-day living."

At first, he invested a little. That was consumed by the initial loss account. Then he invested a little, again. It too, was found to compensate only the initial loss without leaving him any profit. As years rolled on, he found that he had lost all his wealth and had nothing to live upon!!

The two businessmen are like two spiritual aspirants. Their going to a far off land is like the aspirants' going into seclusion for reaping a good spiritual harvest.

Like the businessman investing all his wealth at one time, an aspirant renounces his all at once. Like that businessman, the aspirant too, has got his shaky beginning, but has established himself well in the spiritual path. There is no fall back or final loss. He progresses rapidly and soon attains the bliss of spiritual life, the ultimate aim of human existence.

Akin to Govind is that aspirant who takes to seclusion foregoing a little comfort, but keeping intact his old fortune to save him in times of need. The aspirant doubts: "If I give out all my wealth and also do not succeed in attaining the Goal, I may be forced afterwards to live like a beggar in this world. So let me keep something in store. On attaining that Bliss, I shall gladly give out this wealth. If I do not attain that bliss, I shall and can utilise this wealth in this world."
This aspirant like the second businessman loses all his wealth when Time places its mighty hand upon him. Nor does he get the fruits of spiritual life, like Govind going without profit.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2011-12-23T20:25:00.001+05:30

THIS ONE MAKES A DIFFERENCE

2011-12-22T13:52:00.000+05:30

THIS ONE MAKES A DIFFERENCE

"As we all know, four things are common to all the creatures, viz. food, sleep, fear and sexual union. In the case of man, he is endowed with a special faculty, viz. knowledge, with the help of which he can attain God-vision, which is impossible in any other birth." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 8.

One day a clever fox began wondering, "Why man is considered the acme of creation and in what way is he superior to animals? Both man and beast have emotions and passions. Both have their own good and bad qualities. Why then this superiority? Let me go to the king lion and seek his advice."

Thinking thus, the fox hurried to the lion's den. "How nice to see you after so many days. Come tell me what is it that you want?" said the lion.

The fox said in all humility, "Oh, King, Man is growing all-powerful and is claiming sovereignty over the entire creation. I cannot tolerate man's arrogance and his claim of superiority over all animals. In what way are we inferior? Can we not establish our superiority? We must do something about it."

The lion nodded its head and said: "True dear, what shall we do?" The lion and the fox discussed the problem for a long time and decided finally to call for a conference of all animals in the forest. They would discuss thoroughly the relative merits and demerits of man versus animals.

The lion then said to the fox: "Go and make all arrangements for the conference. Invite all animals, big and small without any exception. But, who will preside over the conference?"

The fox replied: "There is a sage in our forest who has been doing penance since a long time. He is a friend of both man and animals. He will certainly have no preference or prejudices. Why not request him to be the Chairman?"

"Do so", replied the lion.

In a week's time the fox executed the whole plan. A vast area in the forest was cleared to hold the conference. On the appointed day the animals began filling up towards the conference venue. Very soon, all the animals were seated in their respective places. The sage arrived in time and took his presidential seat. The lion and the elephant stood on either side of the sage, while the fox stood in front
of the gathering.

The fox being the Secretary of the conference welcomed the gathering and said: "I welcome you all and thank you all for attending this conference". Referring to the Agenda of the conference, the fox said: "I am pleased to place before you four major points over which we have to deliberate. You have to think well and come forth with your opinions as these points have a vital bearing on our self-respect. Man as well as the animals are born alike, of the womb of the mother. Then why should animals be called 'janthu' and man as 'manava'? They should be addressed alike.

There is a fantastic notion that man is wise and animals are foolish. We cannot accept this humiliation and baseless stigma.

It is claimed that man has the most blessed faculty of speech. But what is the reason for pride when man is only abusing this faculty? In what way do we suffer for want of this faculty? Though we are dumb, we are able to procure food, find shelter, rear our children and live happily. So, man cannot be considered as superior to us only because of this rare faculty of which he boasts.

Finally, they say that we are cruel and that man is kind and compassionate. In fact, we are more kind and considerate than man. So, we have to refute this allegation, as well.

Having read out the agenda, the fox went and sat in its place.

The lion stepped forward and raising his head, said in a dignified manner: "I totally approve of all the points of the agenda. I cannot consider man superior to us in any way. Let us first of all take up the point of valour and strength. Is there one among men who can excel me in strength and valour? Even though I am the sole monarch of the forest, I do not indulge in any act of injustice and corruption. I don't kill any animal unless I am hungry. Such being the case, can man claim to be superior to us?" "Never, never", roared the whole assembly.

The lion then resumed its seat beside the sage. The elephant got up and trumpeted its own glory. "In form, stature, and strength, I am far superior to man. He is a pigmy beside me. As for intelligence, I am reputed for my subtle intellect. Since time immemorial, for every important and auspicious function in the temple or in the palace my presence is considered auspicious. In fact pious men offer me fruits and flowers with deep feelings of reverence. How can man call himself superior to us?" The whole assembly roared: "He can't, he can't". The elephant went back to its seat by the side of the sage.

Then came forward the dog and saluting one and all in the assembly said aloud: "I have sound reason to claim that the animals are certainly superior to mankind. Take for example, the quality of love, faithfulness and loyalty. Can any man boast of himself being superior to the dog in these qualities? Man himself keeps us and treats us as a member of his family because of these rare qualities. But, what about men? They have no sense of gratitude even. They keep us on cheap food or on the left over bits at their meal. Man, in his relation to his own master whom he serves is ungrateful to the core. Sir, I am sure, we animals are far superior in these characteristics to man." Having spoken thus, it went and sat in its place.

It was now the turn of the President to give out his decision on the matter under dispute.

The sage got up and said: "My dear friends, what the dog has said is true. Man often says one thing and does another. This inconsistency is not to be found in animals". All the animals clapped for long with joy. The sage continued: "In the matter of food, sleep and allied habits of living, there is absolutely no difference between man and animals. But, there is one fundamental difference. The animals cannot transform themselves, while man can transform himself through education, company and emulation. The animals cannot even change their food habits".

The fox at once got up and questioned, "Oh Master, What you have said is true. But do you think that all men transform themselves?"

The sage said: "Why, without doubt, such men who do not, are worse than animals.

The sage continued: "Men have got another virtue, discrimination". The fox said: "It is true that they have discrimination, but what is the use? They put even animals to shame in their bad conduct. Oh, what a pity. Man spends all his time, talents, strength and money to earn his bread, while we animals procure food without any labour."

The sage could see that the fox was trying to exceed the limits and make much of their instinctive nature.

So, he said: "Oh, dear animals. You must also be told about another important distinction. Man can conquer illusion. He can realise the self or atma and attain immortality. In fact the very word "man" indicates these attributes:

M - means Maya;
A - means the Atmic vision and
N - means Nirvana.

The animals asked him: "Oh Wise one! Do you mean to say that all men make use of these three attributes?"

"No, not all of them," replied the sage.

"Then those who do not attain nirvana by conquering illusion and having atmic vision must be treated as our comrades" asserted the animals, in one voice.

"Oh, Dear ones." replied the sage, "I have come to this forest only to be your friend and prove myself a true Man".

NEVER NEVER NEVER GIVE UP

2011-12-14T12:50:00.001+05:30

NEVER NEVER NEVER GIVE UP

"If we only hold on steadily to Baba with full faith and continue our endeavours, our efforts will be ultimately crowned with success." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 24.

One day a young lady was driving along with her father. They came upon a storm, and the young lady asked her father, What should I do?

He said "keep going." Cars began to pull over to the side, the storm was getting worse.

"What should I do?" The young lady asked.

"Keep driving," her father replied.

On up a few feet, she noticed that eighteen wheelers were also pulling over. She told her dad, "I must pull over, I can barely see ahead. It is terrible, and everyone is pulling over!"

Her father told her, "Don't give up, just keep driving!"

Now the storm was terrible, but she never stopped driving, and soon she could see a little more clearly. After a couple of miles she was again on dry land, and the sun came out.

Her father said, "Now you can pull over and get out."

She said, "But why now?"

He said, "When you get out, look back at all the people that gave up and are still in the storm, because you never gave up your storm is now over."

THE LIITLE GIRL

2011-12-13T15:54:00.001+05:30

THE LIITLE GIRL

Baba said, "If you spread your palms with devotion before Me, I am immediately with you, day and night." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 15

There was an atheist couple who had a child. The couple never told their daughter anything about the Lord. One night when the little girl was 5 years old, the parents fought with each other and the dad shot at the Mom, right in front of the child. Then the dad shot himself. The little girl watched it all. She then was sent to a foster home. The foster mother was a Christian and took the child to church. On the first day of Sunday School, the foster mother told the teacher that the girl had never heard of Jesus, and to have patience with her. The teacher held up a picture of Jesus and said, "Does anyone know who this is?"

The little girl said, "I do, that's the man who was holding me the night my parents died."

(John Michael Montgomery's song "The Little Girl" is based on a true story)

STAY IN ETERNAL NOW

2011-12-12T15:25:00.000+05:30

STAY IN ETERNAL NOW

"Tell your son to believe in Me, to throw aside horoscopes and predictions." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 29.

An emperor in Japan asked Gudo, the Zen master, "What happens to a man of enlightenment after death?"

Rulers of medieval Japan often consulted Zen masters on political affairs or philosophical problems and while some emperors were spiritually quite advanced, most rarely understood the true import of the masters' teachings.

Gudo replied to his emperor, "Phew, I don't know what happens".

"Well, you're supposed to be a master!"

"Yes, but not a dead one!"

True masters do not engage in past analysis or future speculations. Their only striving is to keep their mind in the eternal now. There is nothing to achieve by doing, but everything to gain by being.

MAKE YOUR DAYS GARBAGE FREE DAYS

2011-12-09T10:30:00.001+05:30

MAKE YOUR DAYS GARBAGE FREE DAYS

"Our mind is fickle by nature, it should not be allowed to get wild. The senses may get restless, the body, however, should be held in check and not allowed to be impatient." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 49.

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport.

We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches!

The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!'

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally.

Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.

Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets,

so ... Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!

UNBROKEN UNBOUNDED LOVE

2011-12-08T11:29:00.001+05:30

UNBROKEN UNBOUNDED LOVE

"How can we praise love? Everything is insignificant before it. Without love our reading, hearing and the study are of no avail. In the wake of love follow devotion, dispassion, peace and liberation with all their treasures. We do not get love for anything unless we feel earnestly about it. So where there is real yearning and feeling, God manifests Himself. It includes love and is the means of liberation." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch.48.

Once there was a great king named Vishwamitra. One day he learned that there was a saint in his kingdom whom everybody adored. The name of this saint was Vashishtha, and everyone gladly touched his feet.

Now, although Vishwamitra was a very great king, nobody used to come and touch his feet. People were afraid of him, and they would tremble before him. But with Vashishtha it was different. People gladly touched Vashishtha's feet with deepest appreciation and admiration. So Vishwamitra was extremely jealous of Vashishtha.

Vashishtha was a very great saint. After praying to God for many, many years, Vashishtha had realised God and could speak to God face to face. Vishwamitra knew that this was the reason why everybody was adoring Vashishtha instead of him, so he too started praying to God. He prayed to God for a couple of years very seriously, often fasting but still he did not realize God. Then he became impatient. He went to Vashishtha and said, "You have realised God, but I have not been able to. I wish you to tell the world that I have also realised God, like you."

Vashista replied, "How can I say that?"

"You can say it," the king insisted. "If you tell people, everybody will believe you, because you yourself have realized God. You know who God is you speak to God. Tell everyone that I have realized God. Otherwise I shall kill your children."

Vashishtha said, "You can kill my children, but I cannot tell a lie."

Vishwamitra was a most powerful king. One by one he had the hundred sons of Vashishtha killed. The hundred sons were very well educated, kind and spiritual. They had studied the Vedas, the Upanishads and other religious and sacred books. Nevertheless, the notorious king killed them all. Even after doing this Vishwamitra was not satisfied because Vashishtha still refused to announce that he had realized God.

After a few months he thought, "This time he has to tell the world that I have realized God, or I shall kill him." With this idea in his mind he went to Vashishtha's small cottage. Before knocking at the door he stood outside quietly listening to the conversation inside.

Arundhati, one of Vashishtha's wives, was saying to her husband, "My lord, why don't you say that Vishwamitra has realised God? If you had said it I would still have all my children. They were such nice, kind, devoted children. They were all jewels. But just because you wouldn't say that he has realized God, he has killed all my children, and who knows what he will do next."

Vashishtha said, "How can you ask me to do that? I love him. He has not realised God. How can I tell people that he has realized God? I love him and that is why I cannot tell a lie."

Even though Vishwamitra had killed the hundred sons of Vashishtha, the father could still say that he loved him. When Vishwamitra heard what Vashishtha said, he came running in and touched Vashishtha's feet, crying, "Forgive me, forgive me, forgive me, my lord. I never knew that anyone on earth could love a person who had killed all his children."

Vashishtha placed his hand on Vishwamitra's head and blessed him. He said, "Today you have realized God, because today you know what love is, what truth is. God is all forgiveness. I am forgiving you because the God in me is forgiving you. Today you have realized God."

What do we learn from this story? We learn that the ideal of forgiveness is the supreme ideal. When we pray to God we see God's qualities: love and forgiveness. When we receive love and forgiveness from God we can behave like God towards other people.

Vashishtha's hundred sons were killed, yet even then he loved Vishwamitra. Then, when Vishwamitra begged for forgiveness, Vashishtha gave it immediately, as well as giving him his inner Light, Joy and Power.

Like Vashishtha, we always have to forgive people when they do wrong things. In this way we give them our Light, our Truth, our Joy. From this story we also learn the importance of associating with holy men.

Do not develop ill-feeling inside your heart for the man who has insulted you or injured you. This is worse than open anger. This is mental cancer. Do not nourish grievances. Forget and forgive.

PRIDE WILL PUT A STOP TO PEACE

2011-12-07T10:12:00.000+05:30

PRIDE WILL PUT A STOP TO PEACE

"If we become egoless, then our success is assured." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 24.

After the battle of Kurukshetra was over, one day Yudhishthira said to Krishna, "Krishna, we Pandavas have won. Needless to say, it is all your Grace. Otherwise, we could never have won. But you know, Krishna, in spite of our victory, something is bothering me. Do you know what it is? I have no peace of mind. Now that we have defeated the Kauravas, we are supposed to be very happy. But how can I be happy when I have no peace of mind? Why is this so? Why is it that I cannot be happy and peaceful?"

Krishna said, "Yudhishthira, O King, how can you be happy when your worst enemy is still alive?"

"My worst enemy is still alive!" Yudhishthira exclaimed. "Who is he? How is it that I do not know anything about him? Please tell me, Krishna, where my worst enemy is."

Krishna said, "Your worst enemy is not elsewhere. It is inside you. You have been feeding and nurturing that worst enemy for a long, long time. Unless and until you have conquered that enemy, no matter what you achieve, no matter what you do for yourself or for mankind, you can never have happiness."

"O Krishna, for God's sake, tell me who my worst enemy is. Stop your philosophy and now illumine me."

Krishna, with a loving heart and a smiling face, embraced Yudhishthira and said, "O Yudhishthira, you are by far the best not only among the Pandavas, but among all mortals, all human beings. Yet one enemy of yours, which is nothing short of weakness, is most destructive. And that weakness-enemy of yours is your unfortunate pride. Conquer the iota of pride that you have. Then happiness will flow into your mind, and peace will smilingly settle down inside the very depths of your heart."

Yudhishthira said, "Your wisdom-blessing is my mind's happiness and my heart's peace, Krishna, my Krishna."

KNOW THYSELF

2011-12-06T11:25:00.000+05:30

KNOW THYSELF

"A guide is always necessary to show us the right way in small or great matters." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 32.

Patrul Rimpoche was roaming the Tibetan mountains. One day he heard about a great hermit who had spent twenty years in a cave meditating on the Perfection of Patience. Desirous to meet such a saintly being, he went in search of his cave. Poking his head around the entrance, he called out, "Hello there, what are you doing?"

His meditation disrupted by this impertinent hollering, the hermit opened his eye and inquired, "What do you want?"

The beggar crouched down in front of him, his eyes glinting with mischief, without uttering a word.

"Who are you? Where do you come from?" pressed the hermit.

"I come from behind my back, and I'm going in the direction I am facing."

Nonplussed, the hermit continued, "Where were you born?"

"On earth."

"OK," he said, trying to contain his rising frustration, "What – do – you – want?"

"Well, I was curious to know what you're doing here."

The hermit was keen to impress this simpleton. "You see my son, I have been meditating here for twenty years on Lord Buddha's Perfection of Patience.

The beggar howled with laughter, poking him in the ribs with a dirty finger, and said, "Oh, what a great scam. Gullible locals, are they? How much are you making these days?"

The hermit thundered, "How dare you! You barge in here. You give me all these crazy lines. Now you insult me. Out. Out."

As he rose to leave, Patrul Rinpoche calmly observed, "And where's your perfect patience now?"

The hermit's anger froze instantly, as he realized the vanity of his claim. Sitting down and taking a deep breath, he started meditating in earnest for the first time.

Patrul Rimpoche lived in the nineteenth century and was one of the greatest scholar in Buddhism. This highly realized saint roamed all over Tibet anonymously, dressed as a beggar, creating mischief along the way. His primary goal was to focus the mind of people on true spiritual pursuits, while exposing false teachings and fake spirituality.

This hermit had deluded himself for over twenty years, and grew comfortable in it. But a single encounter with a master can shatter a lifetime of delusions and re-establish us on the true path. Were these twenty years of previous meditation a waste of time? Quite the contrary. They were the necessary preparation to bring about this profound transformation.

ஸ்ரீ சாயி சத் சரித்திரம் - தமிழில் - ஒலி வடிவில்

2011-12-05T11:20:00.000+05:30

ஸ்ரீ சாயி சத் சரித்திரம் - தமிழில் - ஒலி வடிவில்

தரவிறக்கம் செய்ய:

Chapter 1	Chapter 2	Chapter 3	Chapter 4	Chapter 5
Chapter 6	Chapter 7	Chapter 8	Chapter 9	Chapter 10
Chapter 11	Chapter 12	Chapter 13	Chapter 14	Chapter 15
Chapter 16 &17		Chapter 18 & 19		Chapter 20
Chapter 21	Chapter 2 2	Chapter 23	Chapter 24	Chapter 25
Chapter 26	Chapter 27	Chapter 28	Chapter 29	Chapter 30
Chapter 31	Chapter 32	Chapter 33	Chapter 34	Chapter 35
Chapter 36	Chapter 37	Chapter 38	Chapter 39	Chapter 40
Chapter 41	Chapter 42	Chapter 43 & 44		Chapter 45
Chapter 46	Chapter 47	Chapter 48	Chapter 49	Chapter 50
Chapter 51	Chapter 5 2

நன்றி: ஸ்ரீ சாயிபாபா ஸன்ஸ்தான், ஷீர்டி.

YOUR REAL NATURE

2011-12-05T08:53:00.000+05:30

YOUR REAL NATURE

Baba said, "You will come across a great Saint by your good luck, and then he will show you the future path, and give rest to your mind and make you happy." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 21.

Once, while out hunting, a lioness gave birth to a cub amidst a flock of goats. She left her newly born baby amidst the goats and returned to her den in the forest. This baby lion began to live with the group of goats. He ate, slept and stayed with them. As he grew up, the shepherd named him Lindiyo, a name normally reserved for goats and sheep. The lion responded to his name, skipped and danced, like every tame animal.

Lindiyo grew up into the full frame of a lion but he himself never knew it. To himself, he was only a weak, frail goat.

One day, while they were on lush pastures, a huge lion roared and attacked the flock. All the goats fled with fear; they ran in all directions to save their lives. Even Lindiyo scampered away.

The lion was astounded and looked twice. ''How did a lion get mixed up with a flock of goats?'' he asked himself. He leaped and chased Lindiyo and soon seized him. Lindiyo was trembling with fright. He shut his eyes tight. ''Hey, you!'' the lion shook him, ''You're a lion. How did you end up in this group of goats?''

''Please, let me go. My name is Lindiyo, Sir, please let me go!'' the lion-goat helplessly pleaded for mercy.

''Come come! You're not a goat! Rather, goats are your daily dinner. Why have you lost your senses? Come with me to the riverside.'' So saying the lion dragged Lindiyo to the river bank and where the water was quite still, he showed him his own reflection. ''See, look at your face. It's like mine. You have a golden mane, see the paws and the claws, everything is like mine. You are a lion and not a goat.'' He further taught him to stand tall and roar like a lion. ''Come on speak like I speak and roar; and remember these goats are our food, not friends.''

Lindiyo suddenly realised his true identity and broke out from his shell of limitations. He himself roared and drove away the goats. He had become a lion from a lion-goat.

We too, suffer from a similar problem. Our true identity is Atman which is not different from the one prevailing consciousness -Brahman, but we have somehow lost that knowledge and believe ourselves to be the body.

We all see ourselves as Lindiyo. We must realise our real nature and identity as the Atman and become the master of Maya and not its slave. And to attain such knowledge, we need to approach a Guru, who shows and convinces us that we are not Lindiyo but the pure and powerful Atma, which is nothing but Brahman - the Absolute Truth.

IT IS EXAMINATION SEASON – FACE YOUR TEST CONFIDENTLY

2011-12-03T06:37:00.001+05:30

IT IS EXAMINATION SEASON – FACE YOUR TEST CONFIDENTLY

"We are tested as it were. If we only hold on steadily to Baba with full faith and continue our endeavours, our efforts will be ultimately crowned with success." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 29.

Once there were two disciples of Rishi Apaddhoumya. Their names were Aruni and Upmanyu. Both were young and very quiet. They obeyed the Guru in everything.

Once the Guru decided to test them to the full. He sent them to the forest to graze the ashram's cows. He also ordered them, ''Don't eat anything.'' Both disciples always obeyed the Guru, and so they ate nothing. But whenever they felt hungry they would milk a cow and drink some milk.

After some days the Guru asked, ''What do you eat?''

They replied, ''We eat nothing cooked but do drink milk.'' The Guru said, ''From now on, don't drink milk either.'' The disciples agreed and went happily off to the forest to graze the cows.

In the afternoon both felt hungry, but the Guru had ordered them not to drink even milk now. And so they went to a village and begged pieces of fruit and ate them. Thus they began to do this every day.

A few days later, the Guru asked ''What do you eat?''

They replied, ''We beg pieces of fruit from the village and eat those.'' The Guru instructed, ''We should never beg in this way.'' So the two promised never to beg again.

Aruni and Upmanyu again went to the forest to graze the cows. Never did they find fault with their Guru.

For three to four days they managed to survive without food. But hunger grew and they could bear it no longer. The Guru had commanded not to eat or drink milk. So they ate some wild berries.

The berries were poisonous and the two became blind. As they made their way back to the ashram holding each other's hand they fell into a dry well one hundred hands deep. Seeing the cows return alone to the ashram the Guru became worried. Where were Aruni and Upmanyu? He set out in search of them.

He searched the jungle calling, ''Hey Aruni, Hey Upmanyu.'' He couldn't see them anywhere. However, the two disciples heard their Guru calling and shouted a reply from the bottom of the well.

''Where are you?'' the Guru shouted. ''Over here, in the well,'' they called back.

The Guru had some people climb down into the well and bring the two disciples up. When he saw them he realised they had become blind! He asked the reason for this. They humbly answered, ''You commanded us not to eat or drink anything, but we were so hungry that we ate some wild berries. They were poisonous and then we became blind. And as we tried to make our way back to the ashram, we fell into this empty well.''

The rishi was extremely pleased with their devotion to him. He called Ashwinikumar, the physician of the demi-gods. He gave them potent medicine and so both boys could see again.

The Guru so tested his young disciples, but they were not discouraged. They did not run away and leave the Guru. They had immense faith and devotion and love for their Guru that they were ready to do anything at their Guru's command. Such true faith in a Guru definitely leads one to the "Truth" and brings us true wisdom and enlightenment.

POVERTY IS…..

2011-12-02T12:31:00.001+05:30

POVERTY IS…..

Baba said, "The Lord is always brother (befriender) of the poor." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 5.

One day a monk left his ashram and went out to the main street of the city, jiggling a few copper coins in the palm of his hand. As the beggars thronged around him, he announced that he would only give the coins to the poorest man in the city. As the demanding hands pressed him from all sides, he kept saying, "No, it is not you not you, not you," and he continued walking.

Suddenly the fanfare of trumpets obscured the noise of the city. Guards hurried down the street to clear away the riff-raff, and proclaimed that the Maharaja was coming out of his palace on his royal elephant.

The people lined the street with eager anticipation to make their obeisance to their king, but the monk stepped in front of the elephant, and, addressing the king in a loud voice, said, "Great Maharaj! I have something for you." And he tossed the copper coins to the king.

The king was astounded and demanded to know why the monk was being so impertinent.

"Your majesty, I made a vow that today I would give this copper coin to the poorest man in the city."

"Me" screamed the king. "I own this city. I own this whole country. How can you say that I am the poorest man?"

"Because you have constant hunger for more possessions."

This is the snare of maya, the cosmic delusion: the more we feel separated from God, the more we try to fill our life with possessions, which further deepens our spiritual emptiness. This constant rush to acquire more things, more sensations, more people, and more thoughts turns us from divine children to bestial paupers. "Poverty", as Plato said, "consists, not in the decrease of one's possessions, but in the increase of one's greed."

FIRE ON CAT WALK

2011-12-01T08:15:00.001+05:30

FIRE ON CAT WALK

Baba said, "Brush aside your cleverness; pride or egoism won't help you." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 2.

Four friends in India decided to go into business together. After many discussions, they finally struck upon the idea of importing bales of cotton. Putting their modest savings together, they rented a big warehouse and began importing bales of cotton for resale to local retailers.

Business was good, and they had never enjoyed each other's company so much. But one day they discovered that many bales of cotton had been ruined by mice.

"Something has to be done!"

"Let's get a cat."

"Yes, good idea! Let us invest in the greatest mouse-hunter."

They bought a cat and let him loose in the warehouse. Within weeks the problem was resolved and the cotton was saved. They were so grateful to the cat that they started to lavish upon him extraordinary care and honor. There was just one small problem: a cat has only so many needs or surface areas to lavish gifts on.

"I have already put a collar on him. He doesn't need another one."

"You call that a collar? That cheap domestic stuff—it'll break in no time. Now look at this fine Persian embroidered…"

"That's it! I've had enough of these silly fights between you about who loves kitty the most. A cat has four legs, and there are four of us. We'll take one each."

The new arrangement worked out beautifully. Each owner would lavish extra care on that particular leg. They would massage it, comb it, de-flea it, buy it a pretty little booty… The cat did not seem to mind receiving so much attention.

One fateful day, the cat fell from a tree and hurt one of its legs. As it limped pitifully back into the warehouse, the four friends rushed to its side.

"That's my leg", shouted the owner of that limb, "Let me bandage it."

"Is it going to be OK?" asked the anxious friends.

"Don't worry. Of course my leg will be alright." He tenderly bandaged the sore limb. "There, as good as new. He will resume his duties in no time."

Soon the cat started hunting again. Over time, the end of the bandage came loose and one night, as the cat was sleeping by the fireplace, a spark jumped out and lit the loose bandage. Terrified, the cat ran helter-skelter through the warehouse, setting all the bales of cotton on fire. The friends had lost everything.

"It's your fault! It's your leg that burned the entire stock!" the three friends furiously shouted at the hapless owner. "You must compensate us for our loss!"

"Are you out of your minds?" the man replied. "I lost everything too, you know…"

Their argument turned to blows, and they were all arrested and brought before the king.

"If I understand correctly," the king wearily addressed the three plaintiffs, "your partner's share of the cat caused the whole warehouse to burn down, and therefore he should reimburse you."

"Yes, yes great king, exactly. We are so glad to see that your majesty agrees with us."

"Actually… without the three healthy legs, the cat could never have run into the warehouse and set fire to the stock. It is your three legs that are guilty. I therefore order you three to reimburse him!"

The unfolding of karma is mysterious, but the ego loses no time in jumping to the rescue and offering the most comforting explanation, i.e. that it is someone else's fault. The ego relentlessly demands to blame, shame and seek revenge, thereby robbing us of a precious opportunity to gain insight into our responsibility as a spiritual being, and correcting our faults. If God is indeed a God of love and justice, as all religions agree, why not learn to see the divine blessings in our misfortunes?

"From evil cometh good," declared the prophets. This was not a call to retaliate, but an indication that forbearance and forgiveness will purify us and restore the perpetrator of evil to goodness. This will only happen if we start owning all of the legs of our spiritual cat. If not, as Mahatma Gandhi commented,

"An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind."

OUR LIFE A PIECE OF CAKE

2011-11-30T10:29:00.001+05:30

OUR LIFE A PIECE OF CAKE

"It is impossible to describe all His ways and methods." – Sri Saisatcharitra, Ch. 18, 19.

A little boy was telling his Grandma how everything in his life and this world was going wrong. School, family problems, severe health problems, etc.

Meanwhile, his Grandma was baking a cake. She asked her grandson if he would like a snack, which ofcourse he said he would.

"Here, have some cooking oil."- told the Grandma.

"Yuck" said the boy.

"How about a couple of raw eggs?"

"Gross, Grandma"

"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"

"Grandma, those are all yucky!"

Grandma replied: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake."

God works the same way. Sometimes, don't we wonder "What did I do to deserve this", or "Why did God have to do this to me". Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times.

But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for the good. We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful.

God loves us so much. He sends us flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever we want to talk, He listens. He can live anywhere in the universe, but He chose our hearts. So Believe Completely that He loves us and whatever is happening is only the process of baking a cake......to finally make it into a delicious cake and just like beating gold to make a beautiful ornament out of it.

So next time, you face any hiccups, instead of complaining, think of the entire picture and view life as a whole and reflect on why such an experience was given to you and what is to be learnt from it for your own personal evolution and keep moving on with life.

Life as a whole is just like this piece of cake – Hope your day is a "piece of cake."

SEEK IN SILENCE

2011-11-29T10:22:00.001+05:30

SEEK IN SILENCE

"When the mind is concentrated, the goal will be achieved." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, 18, 19

Once, Emperor Akbar was sitting in a mosque, reading the Koran. He posted his guards before the mosque because he wanted absolute peace. At some point during his reading he glanced out the window and saw a young woman running desperately back and forth. She seemed to be looking for someone or something.

Suddenly, this young woman entered the mosque and began to search. In her desperation to find whatever she was looking for, she did not see the emperor and tripped over him as he sat, bumping him so hard that the Koran flew out of his hands and landed on the floor.

Akbar was so disturbed that he called for his guards: "Bring me that young woman!"

When the guards brought the woman before him, Akbar was furious: "Before I have you hanged, tell me what you were so preoccupied with that you did not even notice when you ran over me."

The woman shook with fear to hear her death sentence. But then she collected herself and said: "My dear emperor, please excuse me, but I was searching for my lover. I had heard that he had come to town, and because I love him, I was so fixed on finding him that I was looking everywhere without seeing anyone or anything else. I did not mean to offend you."

This made Akbar even angrier: "How dare you disturb me while I am reading the holy Koran. Looking for a lover. Hang her immediately."

Since she had nothing left to lose, the young woman spoke out: "Dear emperor, may I ask you whether you were actually reading the Koran? If I am so attentive to searching for my lover—who is, after all, merely a mortal man—that I cannot see anything or anyone else, how much more fixed would you be if you were actually searching for the supreme lover, God? If you had actually been reading the Koran, you would not have noticed my tripping over you. So I think you were not actually reading but were only making a show of it."

Akbar saw the woman's point and set her free.

DOUBTING THOMAS

2011-11-28T09:33:00.001+05:30

DOUBTING THOMAS

"Do not be deluded by worldly honor." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 6.

Once upon a time a man couldn't find his axe. He suspected his neighbor's son because the boy walked like a thief, looked like a thief, and spoke like a thief. The following morning the man found his axe when he remembered where he left it. The next time he saw his neighbor's son, the boy walked, looked, and spoke like any other child.

This ancient tale by Lao-tzu portrays in five acts the cause and resolution of all conflicts or differences of opinions and false assumptions—whether in a family, between neighbors, friends, or among nations.

Act one: an external change occurs.

Act two: we become unhappy about the change, and we quickly find someone or something to blame.

Act three: our unhappiness colors our perceptions and we misidentify "the enemy."

Act four: the external cause of our unhappiness is removed.

Act five: our perception clears up and we see things as they simply are. Unfortunately, very few people get to the fifth act.

Once we have identified "the enemy", the ego builds a formidable rationalization process to ensure that we always feel that way towards that person or event.

Why is it so hard to admit we were wrong, or to apologize to someone? Because we have invested so much energy in building our self-righteous facade, and the ego will do virtually anything to maintain consistency to keep us away from the Truth—that only God is real, everything else is but His dream.

Therefore the main trick of the ego is to give the illusion of permanency to the transient phenomena of nature. As the saying goes, "If you tell a lie enough times, it becomes accepted as truth, and, the bigger the lie, the more likely it is to be accepted."

GROWTH IS THE WAY OF LIFE

2011-11-26T11:31:00.001+05:30

GROWTH IS THE WAY OF LIFE

"That all our feelings of pain and pleasure depend upon the attitude of our mind." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 21.

There is a small green island where one white cow lives alone, a meadow of an island.

The cow grazes until nightfall, full and fat, but during the night she panics and grows thin as a single hair. "What will I eat tomorrow? There's nothing left!"

By dawn the grass has grown up again, waist-high. The cow starts eating and by dark the meadow is clipped short.

She is full of strength and energy, but she panics in the dark as before and grows abnormally thin overnight.

The cow does this over and over and this is all she does.

She never thinks, "This meadow has never failed to grow back. What should I be afraid
every night that it won't?"

The cow is the bodily soul.

The island field is this world where that grows lean with fear and fat with blessing, lean and fat.

White cow, don't make yourself miserable with what is to come or not to come.

IT IS TRUE IN THE WORLD

2011-11-25T07:29:00.001+05:30

IT IS TRUE IN THE WORLD

"Thinks that he is the doer and enjoyer and thus entangles himself in endless miseries and does not know the way of deliverance." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 23.

Hot sun... Salty air... Rhythmic waves.... A little boy is on his knees scooping and packing the sand with plastic shovels into a bright blue bucket.

Then he up-ends the bucket on the surface and lifts it. To the delight of the little architect, a castle tower is created. All afternoon he will work. Spooning out the moat. Packing the walls. Bottle tops will be sentries. Popsicle sticks will be bridges. A sandcastle will be built!

Big city.... Busy streets.... Rumbling traffic.... A man is in his office. At his desk he shuffles papers into stacks and delegates assignments. He cradles the phone on his shoulder and punches the keyboard with his fingers.

Numbers are juggled and contracts are signed and much to the delight of the man, a profit is made. All his life he will work. Formulating the plans. Forecasting the future. Annuities will be sentries. Capital gains will be bridges. An empire will be built!

Two builders of two castles. They have much in common. They shape granules into grandeurs. They see nothing and make something. They are diligent and determined.
And for both the tide will rise and the end will come.

Yet that is where the similarities cease.

The little boy sees the end while the man ignores it.

Watch the boy as the dusk approaches. As the waves near, the wise child jumps to his feet and begins to clap. There is no sorrow. No fear. No regret. He knew this would happen. He is not surprised. And when the great breaker crashes into his castle and his masterpiece is sucked into the sea, he smiles. He smiles, picks up his tools, takes his father's hand, and goes home.

The grownup, however, is not so wise. As the wave of years collapses on his castle he is terrified. He hovers over the sandy monument to protect it. He blocks the waves from the walls he has made. Salt-water soaked and shivering he snarls at the incoming tide. "It's my castle," he defies. The ocean need not respond. Both know to whom the sand belongs.

We don't know much about sandcastles. But children do. Watch them and learn. Go ahead and build, but build with a child's heart. When the sun sets and the tides take - applaud. Salute the process of life and go home.

"Everything that is, was, and will be, eternally is, even the countless forms, which are finite and perishable only in their objective, not in their ideal Form."

Hold on to that which is imperishable and do not cry over the perishable.

THIS TOO SHALL PASS

2011-11-24T08:20:00.001+05:30

THIS TOO SHALL PASS

"Don't be afraid, don't care a jot, the Merciful Fakir will save you." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 23

A young student at a Zen monastery comes to his master and throws himself at his feet, sobbing. The teacher lifts him up gently, and asks him, "What is troubling you, my son?"

"O master," the student falters, "I am so discouraged. My meditation is a nightmare—my mind is always running after worldly thoughts, my legs ache, I'm constantly falling asleep… I cannot concentrate on anything for even a breath. I think that I am just not cut out for meditation."

The master pats his head and comforts him "Do not worry, my child. This is only a stage. It will pass, it will pass." The student heaves a big sigh, bows to his master, and goes back to the meditation hall.

A few days later, he comes running to his master, grinning from ear to ear. "O master, by your grace, my meditation is completely transformed now. I'm getting so much joy, so much peace, so much depth…"

The master responds calmly, "Do not worry, my son. It will pass."

The secret to successful living is to not get attached to anything. In this world, we are to "become passers-by," said Lord Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas, Logion 42. Thank God for whatever comes, for it is His gift, whether people call it `good' or `bad'. "In praise and blame, I remain the same" goes the traditional saying; or as Lord Buddha declared, aniccha aniccha—"Everything arises and passes away."

A FIRE WITHIN

2011-11-23T07:39:00.000+05:30

A FIRE WITHIN

"The guide will take you straight to your destination." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 2.

There was a man who was rich beyond measure. His house was vast, but had only one door. One day a fire broke out in the house, and quickly spread through its rooms. The man had many children-twenty, thirty, or even forty-who were playing in one of the rooms. They were quite unaware of the fire.

The man ran to the room where the children were playing, told them about the fire, an urge them to leave at once. But they were so engrossed in their games that they did not listen to him. He told them that, unless they left quickly, they would be burn to death by the fire. This time they listened to him; but since they did not understand what a fire was, they i not take him seriously.

Then the father said: "In the garden outside the house there are many new toys, which are rare and hard to find. For example, there are toy carts on which you can ride. I suggest you go and play with these new toys.' The children were excited by the prospect of having new toys; so they ran out of the house, and their lives were saved.

In this parable the father represents an enlightened teacher, and the children represent ordinary human beings.

YOUR EYES AREN’T GOOD JUDGE

2011-11-22T07:20:00.001+05:30

YOUR EYES AREN'T GOOD JUDGE

"These outward signs should never be our standards to judge the worth." - Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 49

Before India gained independence, a few young men from the villages wanted to free India from the foreign yoke; they wanted the British to quit India. They needed material wealth to throw the British out of India, so they started collecting money in the Indian villages.

One day, they got inspired to collect material things as well. They went from door to door carrying a huge bag, which gradually was filled with money and gifts. As they went, a one-legged beggar kept following them. The young men did not mind.

At the end of the day, they entered into a house to see what they had collected. The beggar also wanted to enter, but since he was not a member of the group, they did not allow him in. The beggar pleaded with them: "I walked such a long distance right behind you. You want freedom; I also want freedom. Our Motherland is not only your property. It is also my property."

At first, the young men got mad and told the beggar to go away. Then one of the men felt sorry for him, so they decided to show him the things they had collected. While the beggar was looking at the gifts in their bag, most of them were showing him real contempt. Then suddenly the beggar opened up the bag that he had been carrying. It contained a few coins and some rice. He spontaneously and humbly threw all the contents into their bag and quietly walked away without uttering a word to any of their insults.

Immediately all the members of the revolutionary group started shedding tears of gratitude, because he had given all that he had to their cause. On that day, they had gone to visit so many rich families, who had given them next to nothing; but this beggar had given them everything that he had. They were deeply moved by the beggar's contribution!! What a great Sacrifice it was and how humble he had been to their misgivings and insults. They felt ashamed by their own act of judgment and lack of humility and regretted it deeply.

PERFECTION AT ITS BEST?

2011-11-21T06:54:00.001+05:30

PERFECTION AT ITS BEST?

"But at the same time how difficult it is to put it into practice!" Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 45.

A Man wanted to have a beautiful cradle made for his soon-to-be born first child. When he inquired who was the best carpenter in town, everyone agreed that there was only one—a real perfectionist.

The father went to this carpenter and explained, "My wife is due to give birth in two months and I would like to order a really nice cradle from you. I heard you were one of the best carpenters."

The carpenter puffed up with pride and said, "Yes, I must say, you will have not just a cradle, you'll have a dream cradle, one that has never been seen before!"

The father was highly excited.

"Wonderful! When will it be ready?"

"Come next week."

The father returned the next week hoping to see the miracle of carpentry.

"Ah, yes, the cradle," said the carpenter as he delicately sanded a beautiful box. "Well, it's not quite ready. It's got to be perfect before I hand it over to you."

"All right. When shall I come back? Tomorrow?"

"Give me another week. I want to do a really good job, you know."

The father returned the next week.

"I'm still not really happy with my work," the carpenter said. "Give me another week. I want to really make the best possible cradle."

Every week the father returned and there was always an excuse why the cradle was not ready. Eventually the child was born, and the father went and bought a cradle somewhere else. His child grew up, became an adult, married, and his wife became pregnant. The old dad reminisced, "You know, I once ordered a cradle for you. Maybe it's ready by now. Why don't you go see the carpenter and ask him. I was told that he's really good."

The son went to see the old carpenter.

"My father had placed an order for a cradle for me when I was a baby, and we were wondering if… it was ready?"

The carpenter looked up from his work bench and gripped his chisel with white knuckles.

"Listen, my boy," he pointed the chisel at the young man's chest. "I do the best work! I don't deliver shoddy goods. And I'm not going to have you or your father push me around. Clear?"

The son realized he was talking to a fool, and went and bought a cradle from another place.

Perfectionism can also become a big obstacle in our spiritual life. I am sitting down for my meditation, when I notice that the pictures on the altar are a little crooked. As I tidy them up, I see a bit of dust that needs to be sponged off. "And while I am up, I might as well vacuum my prayer rug. Humm, this rug is bit mangy. Let me go and buy a nice new one. Well, this new rug is too big for the room— I will just make the living room my meditation room. Now where do I entertain my friends? I will have to find a new house.

Boy, this new neighborhood is really noisy. Maybe it is time to settle in the countryside, and I can build my own temple in the garden. And then I can really start meditating..."

Yes, we can be perfectionist in our dedication to reaching our highest potential—after all, our ego would be only too happy to have us give up or get sloppy. But divine perfectionism is always balanced with surrender. We do the very best we can, and let God decide the outcome.

ENTERING THE WORLD OF FRAGRANCE

2011-11-20T10:35:00.001+05:30

ENTERING THE WORLD OF FRAGRANCE

Baba said, "You do away, destroy the Teli's wall (sense of difference) between us, so that we can see and meet each other face to face". Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 35.

There was a very close friendship between a bumble bee and a worm. Once Bee said to Worm, ''Why do you live in muck and faeces? Come to my garden. There are roses and jasmines. You'll be thrilled by their fragrance.'' Worm gave it serious thought, ''I'll go and visit his garden, but what if there's nothing to eat there? I may starve to death.'' As a precaution he rolled up two small balls of dirt and faeces and plugged them into his nostrills. Bumble Bee, unaware of this, asked him to climb onto his back. Off they flew. In the garden the air was sweet with fragrance. The bee placed the worm on top of a rose and asked, ''Well, what do you think of the fragrance?''

''Nothing special. I still smell the same old odour,'' the worm retorted, not impressed at all.

Bee was confused, ''Why does my friend fail to enjoy the fragrance?'' he asked himself. Then he took a closer look at the worm and found two tiny balls of faces fitted up his nostrils.

He made a plan for removing them. Taking the worm to a pool of water, he offered him the chance to swim. They both dived into the water. Bee then climbed upon the worm's back and pushed his head under water. Water rushed into the worm's nose and mouth and made him burst out with violent sneezing. This procedure forced out the mess that was blocking Worm's nose. Quickly picking up the worm the bee returned to the rose, ''Ah... Ah... what ascent! It's fabulous... The scent of rose is wonderful.''

The worm praised the flowers no end. ''The fragrance was always here, but it was you who chose not to enjoy it. You had stuffed your nose with muck and excreta.'' Bee scolded his friend and then took him to savour the scents of other flowers in the garden.

This is what happens when people come to sit in the spiritual assemblies or come to serve the Enlightened Sadhu for wisdom. They come to the divine atmosphere fragrant with the goodness of God, but have secretly filled their hearts with filth and desires of the world. Therefore, even while sitting in spiritual discourses, they smell the odour of the world. It is when the Enlightened Sadhu splashes him in the ocean of wisdom and cleanses him of this world's mess that he enjoys the happiness of God.

NEVER TRUST YOUR EYES

2011-11-19T09:40:00.001+05:30

NEVER TRUST YOUR EYES

Baba said, "Loving each other at first, but later on, they became enemies." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 47.

The village nestled in the dense African jungle. Life was slow and leisurely and very little changed from day to day, year to year. There were two people who exemplified the harmony of the village. They had been best friends for forty years and lived in two houses on the opposite side of the central street. These friends had never quarreled. All their lives, they loved the same songs, the same food, the same hobbies.

The village also had a notorious trickster who was determined to make them fight. He pondered for a long time how to make them disagree with each other. It was going to be a difficult task because they saw everything the same way.

After many hours of thought, he devised a devilish plan. He made a coat that was different on each side. On one side it was blue, on the other it was red. He walked one way down the street wearing the coat every day. At the end of the road he took off the coat and hid it in a bag. Later he made his way, with coat hidden, back to his house.

After a few days he left the coat at home and went to the first neighbor: "Did you see a strange man come by here wearing a strange coat?"

"Yes, actually I did," said the man. "He passed by for several days and I was wondering why."

The trickster, who had only exposed the blue side of his coat to the man, said, "Yes. And wasn't it an awful garish red he was wearing?"

"Red? No. It was blue."

"No, no. Your eyes should be fixed. He was wearing red. You should ask your neighbor across the road."

The other friend was only exposed to the red side of the coat, so of course when the first neighbor asked him what was the color of the strange man's coat, the neighbor replied that it was red.

"No, said the first friend. "It was blue."

The two friends had never disagreed before. Not in all their forty years. The sensation was new and it frightened them. Something was wrong with the universe. They always agreed with each other about everything. It was part of how they always knew they were right. Now, each friend thought the other was crazy. Each friend wanted desperately for the other man to agree with him. They had relied on each other to agree about everything their whole lives. Not agreeing with each other was scary. Soon their fear became anger. The men began hitting each other. Hitting became wrestling, right in the middle of the main street of town.

"The coat was red!" shouted one.

"It was blue!" shouted the other.

"No, no. Your eyes should be fixed. He was wearing red."

"I have witnesses. My family saw it. He was wearing blue."

"Nonsense. He was wearing red." And on, and on.

The trickster's plan was successful. He had made the two friends see the same event differently. And they had fought. Soon folks in the village who had not seen the man in the coat were taking sides, and they too were fighting. Only the trickster knew the truth that they were each half-right.

This African wisdom tale illustrates how human arrogance caused this tragedy. The two friends could never have imagined that both were, in fact, correct. We always think that our perception is the truth, which leaves no room for anyone else's truth.

But Truth, which is God, is beyond duality. Truth is paradoxical to the unawakened mind, because it holds opposite ideas simultaneously.

"I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love."

-Mother Teresa

A NAIL IN A WALL

2011-11-18T10:29:00.000+05:30

A NAIL IN A WALL

Baba said, "If there be even a little trace of greed in mind, all the Sadhanas (spiritual endeavors) are of no avail." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 16, 17.

Mullah Nasruddin was a local priest (mullah means priest in Arabic) in a small village and was always living in extreme poverty. He was a very mysterious character, probably born in Turkey. No one knew whether he was a madman or a sage because his ways were so unconventional. His mind was so engaged in spiritual pursuits that he never took time to think about his material comfort. The debts accumulated and his credit quickly vanished until eventually he had no alternative but to sell his ancestral home.

Nasruddin's neighbor was a crooked man with a large, bushy moustache and he knew about his financial difficulties. He thought he could take advantage of the situation. "I want to help you, good neighbor. I will buy the house from you, even though I don't really have any interest in it." The man offered a pitiful price.

Mullah Nasruddin looked delighted and drew a small piece of paper from the folds of his clothing. "God bless you with long life and healthy progeny for this generous gesture! The house shall be yours, as soon as we take care of this little clause in the contract."

"What clause?" asked the neighbor, suspiciously.

"Only a very small thing. This house was built by my father."

"A fine gentleman he was. Always paid in cash."

"And you see here on the wall of the living room — there is one nail sticking out. My father never had the chance to finish hammering it in. He had a heart attack and died."

"God rests his soul!" The neighbor looked as contrite as he could.

"I therefore request that I be allowed to keep ownership of that nail, and do whatever I want with it."

The neighbor agreed but explained that he would have to consult his wife before signing.

His wife raised some serious objections. "Why is he going to keep a nail? What does it mean?"

"He just wants to be allowed to keep and `worship' his nail from time to time. That's all."

"He is crazy!"

"May be so. But we are getting the house for half its value. So what's the problem if he wants to keep a small nail?"

The wife finally relented, the contract was signed, and Mullah Nasruddin moved out.

A month went by. One evening they heard a knock on the door. It was Nasruddin, with head bowed.

"Oh Mullah, where have you been? We were wondering about you," lied the crooked man.

Nasruddin explained that he had come to worship his nail and the man agreed to let him into the house.

Mullah humbly walked behind the man, bowed in front of the nail, and put his hat on it.
As he was about to leave, the man questioned him.

"Hey, hey, what is that doing there?"

"That's my hat."

"Yes, but you can't leave it in my house."

"'course I can" said the Mullah as he headed towards the door. "It is on my nail."

Two weeks passed before Mullah Nasruddin's next visit.

"Ah, good morning Mullah. You have come to take back your hat, I presume."

"No thank you, my dear friend. I have come to worship my nail." Once again he bowed before the nail and, his worship finished, he hung a scarf with his hat and turned to leave.

The crooked man was not amused but there was nothing he could do when Nasruddin claimed he was worshipping his dead father's nail. The man sucked the end of his moustache and persuaded himself that this would be the last time, if only because there was nothing more the mad Mullah could possibly hang on the nail. He slammed the door behind the departing pilgrim and hoped his wife wouldn't be too angry.

A week later Mullah Nasruddin returned and bowed towards the nail. Before turning to leave he took off his coat and hung it on the nail along with the hat and the scarf.

The wife was furious and she upbraided her husband. "Now look what he's done. He is taking advantage of our kindness. Advantage of your weakness." "But what can I do?" The unhappy husband chewed at the ragged end of his moustache. "We agreed that he can do whatever he wants with his nail. But fear not, pumpkin, now the nail is full."

The next day, Mullah Nasruddin showed up again. The man tried to shut the door in his face when he saw who it was, but Nasruddin had already placed his foot inside – nothing was going to stop him worshipping his nail.

"Oh God. You again. I do hope this is the last time!" He tugged at the hair on his upper lip.

"Possibly" replied Nasruddin with his usual benign smile. He entered, dragging behind him the carcass of a cow and as he proceeded to hang it on his nail, the wife went mad with rage, and screamed at her husband.

"Get that out of my house or I'm leaving you!"

The husband protested vehemently, "Mullah Nasruddin, this is going too far. We cannot have that."

"But you signed the contract, good neighbor."

"Well, we will see about that. Let us have the council of elders make a ruling."

Soon an assembly of all the wise men of the village had been convened, and the neighbor explained the situation while smearing the few wisps of his once bristling moustache across his upper lip, as though the sprouts hair offended him.

Mullah simply presented the contract, without uttering a word in his defense.

The wise men studied it carefully, and eventually pronounced that the Mullah was perfectly entitled to do as he wished with his nail. There is nothing in the contract that restricted how the nail should be worshipped. The case was therefore dismissed, and the neighbor went home dejected.

After long arguments with his wife and a sleepless night, he begged Mullah to buy his house back, at a bargain price. Nasruddin agreed and they moved out as quickly as possible.

Mullah was once again was able to enjoy his house and his nail, having made a tidy sum of money.

This tale contains a profound spiritual teaching. The nail symbolizes the last desire left in the mind, the last samskara hidden by the ego. If we do not take care to remove it, then the whole world will gradually start to pile up again with all its rotting carcasses of desires and cravings and fears.

Let us be careful not to stop half way up the spiritual mountain, thinking that we have reached the summit of realization. Our work is to the death of the ego, until the final victory. We must be very vigilant at all times. If we think that our ego is gone, we lower our guard and open ourselves to failure.

LIFE IS IN HANDS

2011-11-17T08:39:00.000+05:30

LIFE IS IN HANDS

"He came there with the sole object of testing Baba and with no other motive." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 49.

We know how children are—always playfully testing and pushing the boundaries, to find out what they can get away with. But for this young student at the monastery, the matter was serious. He had a grudge against his teacher and he was determined to prove him wrong. After weeks of intense scheming, he finally concocted a devilish plan that he thought was a fool-proof way of ridiculing his master.

One early morning, on his way to lessons, he caught a baby dove which he hid in the palm of his hands. In front of the whole class he showed his cupped hands to his teacher.

"Master, I know that you know everything, so I want you to solve this riddle that I've designed for you. I have in my hands a dove. Can you tell me if it is alive or dead?"

His plan could not fail. If the master said the dove was alive, the student would subtly break its neck within his closed palms. If the master said it was dead, the student would simply open his hands and show that it was alive. Either way, the master would be wrong. The monk had great intuition and knew the evil plan of his student. But his answer defeated his student. What did he say?

The master simply said, "My son, the answer is in your hands."

Good and evil impulses are forever raging within our consciousness. Even in holy places or in saintly company, negative tendencies will arise and will have to be conquered.

This clever Zen riddle shows how to resolve this terrible conflict. The master did not engage the battle at the level that the student (representing the ego) expected. He turned the matter over to the student's own conscience, indirectly telling him "My son, I know the dark forces you are battling within yourself. Do not indulge in these negative tendencies, and turn yourself over to the light within. No one can do it for you. The outcome of your inner struggle is in your hands."

SEEING WITHIN YOU

2011-11-16T08:56:00.001+05:30

SEEING WITHIN YOU

Baba said, "There exists in you, as well as in all beings, a sense of Being or Consciousness of Existence. That is Myself. Knowing this, you see Me inside yourself, as well as in all beings. If you practise this, you will realize all-pervasiveness, and thus attain oneness with Me." Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 44.

A precious necklace was seen flashing from the bottom of a lake.

Many felt tempted to recover the valuable ornament and dived deep into the water for it, but found no necklace anywhere.

Yet it was clearly visible to everyone from the edge of the lake. They were all puzzled.

Eventually they realized that there was no necklace at the bottom of the lake; what they saw was its reflection in the water.

They looked up and discovered the precious ornament hanging from a tree. A bird must have picked it up from somewhere and deposited it there.

They realised their folly and understood the hidden truth within.

God who dwells within you is the source of true happiness. In the objects of the senses this happiness is merely reflected. The individual, misled by birth after birth by having only a glimpse of this reflected joy, thinks that this is the real thing, namely sensuous delight. So long as one believes that true happiness can be had in sense objects without searching within, one will never taste true happiness. The kingdom of God, hence of happiness, is within you

WHAT IS MARRIAGE THEN

2011-11-15T08:45:00.001+05:30

WHAT IS MARRIAGE THEN

"Contentment with one's own lot in the belief that whatever happens, is ordained by God, and is ultimately good for us." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 20.

A student asks a teacher, "What is love?"

The teacher said, "in order to answer your question, go to the wheat field and choose the biggest wheat and come back. But the rule is: you can go through them only once and cannot turn back to pick."

The student went to the field, went through the first row, he saw one big wheat, but he wondered....may be there is a bigger one later. So he moved on...

Then he saw another bigger one... but may be there is an even bigger one waiting for me, he thought.

Later, when he finished more than half of the wheat field, he started to realize that the wheat is not as big as the previous one he saw, he knew he had missed the biggest one, and he regretted.

Disappointed, he went back to the teacher empty handed.

The teacher told him, "...this is love... you keep looking for a better one, but later you realise, you have already missed the right person...."

"What is marriage then?" the student asked.

The teacher said, "in order to answer your question, once again go to the corn field and choose the biggest corn and come back. But the same rule applies: you can go through them only once and cannot turn back to pick."

Again, the student went to the corn field, and this time he was careful not to repeat the previous mistake, when he reached the middle of the field, he picked one medium corn that he felt satisfied with, and came back to the teacher.

The teacher told him, "mm...this time you brought back a corn.... good, so you looked for the one that was just nice, and you had a great belief and trust that this is the best one you could get.... this is marriage."

Love manifests, not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly, and this feeling develops with mutual trust in each other. To love someone is to see a miracle in them which is invisible to the others.

Love is a flower which ripens into the fruit at marriage. Marriage is that love personified. The real act of marriage takes place in the heart, not in the temple or church or wedding hall. It's a choice we make, not just on our wedding day, but over and over again and that choice is reflected in the way we treat our husband or wife.

Success in marriage is much more than finding the right person, it is a matter of being the right person! What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much on how compatible we are, but how much we can deal with incompatibilities.

A successful marriage often requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. The more we invest in marriage, the more valuable it becomes.

Do not marry the person whom you think you can live with, marry the person whom you think you can't live without!

UNITED WE LIVE

2011-11-14T07:28:00.001+05:30

UNITED WE LIVE

Baba said, "Join hands and bring both the communities together, act sanely and thus you will gain your object." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 10

A tailor was at work. He took a piece of cloth and with a pair of shining, costly, scissors, he cut the cloth into various bits.

Then he put the pair of scissors at his feet. Then he took a small needle and thread and started to sew the bits of cloth, into a fine shirt. When the spell of sewing was over, he stuck the needle on to his turban.

The tailor's son who was watching it asked him: "Father, the scissors are costly and look so beautiful. But you throw them down at your feet. This needle is worth almost nothing; you can get a dozen for an Anna (25 paise). Yet, you place it carefully on your head itself. Is there any reason for this illogical behaviour?"

"Yes, my son. The scissors have their function, no doubt; but they only cut the cloth into bits. The needle, on the contrary, unites the bits and enhances the value of the cloth. Therefore, the needle to me is more precious and valuable. The value of a thing depends on its utility, son, not on its cost-price or appearance."

CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGING PRIORITIES

2011-11-13T07:47:00.001+05:30

CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGING PRIORITIES

"Really this Jiva (human soul) transcends the three qualities, viz. Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas, but being deluded by Maya, he forgets his nature which is 'Existence-knowledge-bliss', and thinks that he is the doer and enjoyer and thus entangles himself in endless miseries and does not know the way of deliverance." Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 23

What happened? What did you find out?"

"Nothing… much, really." The astrologer pushed his palm leaf charts behind him and faced his friend over the low table. He didn't know what to say. The news was not good. "What about you? Did you do my chart?"

"Oh, yes, replied his friend," who was clutching his book to his chest. "I did it." He too had bad news to tell his friend.

The two friends had decided to cast each other's chart. Astrologers never read their own future – it was taboo in their trade.

"Look. I'm sorry. I have to tell you. You're going to die and soon. In fact you're going to be re-born as an elephant."

"Oh, thank God. I mean, `Oh no!'" He was shocked by the news but relieved. "You're going to die soon, too. You're going to be reborn as a worm."

The future worm fell to his knees and begged the future elephant, "Please, let us make a covenant between us. When you are reborn as an elephant, you'll not cease until you find me in my worm incarnation, and immediately put me out of my misery so that I may be reborn as a nobler creature. Please promise you'll do this for me. Just step on me; one foot is enough."

The future elephant remained silent for a while. Finally, he said, "Yes. I shall do that for you, my friend."

As ordained by fate, they soon died within weeks of each other and were reborn. The astrologer-elephant had perfect recollection of his previous incarnation, and his sacred vow to his friend. He immediately set out exploring the jungle, lifting rocks, looking around the forest. But he could not find his worm friend. He asked the other animals in the jungle, "Have you seen my little worm friend? He's thin; he has poor eyesight, and doesn't move too fast." None of them had seen his friend.

The elephant started putting posters on the trees. 'Reward - Have you seen this worm?'

Weeks and months were passing, and the elephant was beginning to feel that he would miss his opportunity to fulfill his commitment. One day he came across a funny-looking rock. Lowering his huge head, he saw a little wisp of steam rising from the rock. Peering still closer, he noticed that the smoke was coming from a little tube protruding from the stone. It looked like a chimney! "I bet there's a little house in there" he thought. He carefully lifted the rock with his trunk and found himself looking straight down into a tiny little house… and there was his friend in a rocking chair, reading the evening news in front of a nice fire, with his wife and kids preparing a nice dish of rotting vegetables.

The elephant trumpeted, "My friend, I am so happy to have found you. Now I can fulfill my vow," and he lifted his foot. The little worm cried "No, no, forget the foolish covenant we made. That was before I discovered how good it was to be a worm. The deal is off, it's cancelled! Don't do it!"

The elephant calmly replied, "You'll thank me later," and squashed him.

Our goals change the minute we become more comfortable in our new persona, our new role, and the new circumstances. This is a very common delusion in the spiritual life. We may start our any endeavor with the best of intentions—to reach the highest goal. As we begin to enjoy the new look, the company, the pleasant feelings… little by little, the comfort of the journey becomes the goal, and all our efforts now aim at justifying this choice.

The future worm thought that being a worm was going to be awful and he wanted to be quickly put out of his misery. But he started to enjoy worm life. The elephant symbolizes the spiritual master, who pushes us outside of our comfort zone, prodding us mercilessly to remember our divine self. He crushes our illusions, our ego, and our attachments to the world. Yes, it is painful. But as the Sufis say, "When the ego cries at what it has lost, the soul laughs at what it has gained."

YOUR GUIDE ON TRUTHFULNESS

2011-11-12T07:57:00.001+05:30

YOUR GUIDE ON TRUTHFULNESS

Baba said, "One in the Vyavaharik stage (called the Good) tries to follow the sastras but goes on differenciating at every step selecting the good and rejecting the evil." – Charters and Sayings of Baba, # 125.

Mahatma Gandhi based his life on two fundamental principles, satya and ahimsa— unconditional adherence to the truth, and unreserved practice of nonviolence in thought, speech, and deed.

One day a journalist remarked to Gandhi that in some cases telling the truth could actually cause harm to others. Gandhi asked for an example. The journalist then related a carefully crafted spiritual dilemma for the Mahatma to solve: "A monk was sitting peacefully at a crossroad. A noise attracted his attention and, as he looked up, a wounded deer galloped past and took one of the roads leading away from the intersection. A few minutes after the deer had disappeared a hunter came to where the monk was still sitting. He cast about him but
couldn't determine which way the beast had fled, so he asked the monk if he could point him in the right direction."

Gandhi smiled for he knew the dilemma the monk was facing.

The journalist continued, "If the monk answered `yes', he was compromising his vow of ahimsa, because he would become the material cause of the deer's death. But if he said `no', he was compromising satya by resorting to lying."

Looking the Mahatma straight in the eye, the journalist asked the crucial question. "Gandhiji, what should the monk answer?"

"Let me answer your clever scenario by a story. It comes from one of the scriptures composed by Sage Vyasa, the Devi Bhagavata."

Mahatma Gandhi fixed his gaze in a distant horizon and started.

"Sage Satyavrata had taken the vow of always saying the truth—hence his name ("Vow of Truth"). One day he saw, running towards him, a pig that had been struck by an arrow. It stopped, looked about it and then hid in the bushes nearby. Soon a fierce-looking hunter came and asked Satyavrata whether he had seen a pig wounded by an arrow. Satyavrata gave an answer which saved the pig, dharma, and possibly his own life."

What was it?

Mahatma Gandhi explained, "Very calmly, Sage Satyavrata said, `My eyes have seen but they cannot speak. My mouth can speak but it cannot see. Please leave me alone, O hunter, and go your way.'

The hunter was so impressed by the courage of this answer that he begged apology and left."

Turning to the journalist, Mahatma Gandhi concluded, "Most importantly, know that if anybody asks a question, one is never obliged to give an answer."

This is a key point to remember: no one is ever required to tell everything, or to answer every question, if it might cause harm to the innocent. In other words, non-injury must always supersede truth-telling. This is the golden rule found in many different guises in all religions: "Do no harm".

A story from the Puranas confirms this principle. A very respected sage had once blindly adhered to telling the truth, thereby causing the death of hundreds of innocent people. When he died years later, despite his vehement protests that he was a man who had always defended the truth, he was taken to hell.

The angel of Death warned him, "By making truth a blind principle, you walked away from the path of compassion, and this is what lead you here."

RIGHT TRANSFORMATION

2011-11-11T06:54:00.000+05:30

RIGHT TRANSFORMATION

"Giving him His own power, makes him gain His object." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 6.

In ancient India, a sculptor went to purchase a slab of marble. Walking around the quarry, he came across a piece of stone lying in the corner that looked just right.

"How much for this piece?" he asked the shopkeeper.

"That one is free, if that's really what you want."

The artist was surprised. "Why are you giving it away?"

"It's all the wrong shape," the shopkeeper replied.

"No one wants to buy it, and it is cluttering my yard.

I would be only too glad to get rid of it."

A few months later, the artist returned to the quarry and handed the shopkeeper a package. The shopkeeper unwrapped it and found himself gazing at a delicate statue of an angel.

"What a beauty! I am sure you will get a lot of money for it. But why have you brought it here? I only sell stones."

"No, no. It is a gift for you."

"A gift for me. What for?" cried the shopkeeper.

"Because it is your stone."

"Don't you remember, I came here six months ago and you gave me a piece of stone that was lying in the corner of your quarry?"

"Oh, that was you. The artist, yes."

"This statue was made from that same stone."

"O God! Who would have thought that such a beautiful statue could come from such an ugly stone."

This is the image of our life. Through our spiritual efforts, we must remove the coarse flaws
of the ego until the natural purity of the soul becomes fully revealed. We are all divine in the
making. Our life is God's gift to us. What we make of our life is our gift to God.

RARE QUALITY OF UNIVERSAL LOVE

2011-11-10T07:31:00.001+05:30

RARE QUALITY OF UNIVERSAL LOVE

Baba said, "If you always tolerate such things, you will certainly be happy." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 18, 19.

A father and son were walking together, enjoying the early morning breeze. They had covered a good distance when the father stopped suddenly and said, "Son, stop."

The son said, "What's wrong?"

The father said, "Nothing in particular, but let's not walk any farther on this road."

"Why not?" asked the son.

"Do you see that elderly man coming toward us?" the father asked, pointing down the road.

"Yes, I see him," replied the son.

"He's a friend of mine," said the father. "He borrowed money from me and can't pay it back.Each time he sees me he tells me he'll borrow the money from someone else and give it to me. This has been going on for a long time, and I don't want to embarrass him anymore."

The son said, "Father, if you don't want to embarrass him, why don't you tell him that the money is a gift and you don't want it back?"

"I've already told him that," said the father. "When I said, 'I don't want it back; it's a gift,' he got mad.

He said, 'I'm not a beggar. I'm your friend. When I was in need, you gave me money, and when I can, I'll give it back. I want to remain your friend, not become a beggar.' Now I don't want to embarrass him, and I don't want to be embarrassed myself. So let's take another road."

The son said, "Father, you are truly good. I'm very proud of you. It's usually the borrower who tries to avoid the lender. It's usually the receiver who is embarrassed, not the giver. But you want to spare him embarrassment. What I have learnt from you is the rare quality of universal love & oneness and sensitivity for others thoughts and feelings putting yourself in their shoes."

WORLD WILL NEVER APPRECIATE YOU - LISTEN TO YOUR MIND

2011-11-09T06:03:00.001+05:30

WORLD WILL NEVER APPRECIATE YOU - LISTEN TO YOUR MIND

Baba said, "We should mean well and do well." Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 21.

Once Lord Shiva and his consort, Parvati, were traveling with their vehicle - the Bull. The Lord had taken the form of an old man, while, Parvatiji remained young and beautiful. On the road all passers-by looked on with amazement at this odd couple of an old man and a young woman.

On the way, Shiva said, ''Parvatiji, my dear, please sit and ride on the bull during this journey.'' She obeyed and mounted the bull while Shiva walked alongside.

The village folk and other strangers bitterly criticized, ''What a selfish woman. She is young and
healthy and yet she chooses to comfortably ride while forcing the old man to walk.'' Shiva changed his mind. ''Parvati Devi, the people are mocking you. It is wiser that I sit and you walk.''
So saying, Shiva sat on the bull's back. Further along, other strangers came with sharper comments, ''O look at this man, bully of a man. He's fat and robust, and evil too. He enjoys the ride while forcing this young and gentle lady to walk on foot.''

Hearing this both of them climbed the bull. At least, this would ward off the criticisms. But they were gravely mistaken and no sooner had they come to the next village, people sneered and jeered. ''Look at this nasty couple. Both of them have mercilessly climbed upon the bull. They'll kill the poor creature.''

Now there was only one option left. They dismounted and allowed the bull to walk freely. They accompanied it on either side. While they walked, they met new people with new bitterness. They laughed at them, shouting ''What foolishness. They have taken a bull as a vehicle and neither of them is using it.''

Straight away Shiva told Parvati, ''Come let us do what we think is right, and live the way we want to. The world will never appreciate or see what we do as correct.''

In this world, even if we perform a good deed not everyone will like it and support it. The problem lies with the nature of our world. Once you have set the ideal for yourself, begin to be true to yourself. Bring about a greater and ever greater measure of co-ordination between your thought, word and deed. Say what you think and do what you say. Shed all hypocrisy. Remove all hypocrisy from your life. Hypocrisy is the sworn enemy of peace of mind.

DAY DREAM IS DANGEROUS

2011-11-07T07:13:00.000+05:30

DAY DREAM IS DANGEROUS

"That greed for money drags the greedy man to the lowest level and ultimately brings destruction on him and others." Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 48.

The Day dreamer worked as a freelance servant, looking for odd jobs around the village. One day, a wealthy sheth offered to pay him two annas to carry ten kilogrammes of ghee to his home. It was only one mile away. Day Dreamer eagerly agreed. No sooner had he put the pot of ghee on his head and begun his journey, then his thoughts ran free.

He fantasized step by step, "This job will fetch me two annas, from which I'll purchase a goat. The goat will give me good milk which will bring more money. Then I'll get myself a fine wife and have children. By that time, I shall have enough money to open a small business. When seated in my shop, my son will come to call me for lunch, but of course, there will be so many customers, and I'll be so busy that I'll have to refuse and say, 'No, not now.' '' And Day Dreamer shook his head. As he did so, the pot of ghee dropped to the ground and shattered to pieces.

The sheth, walking alongside him was furious, ''Oh you careless fool, you've broken my pot!''

''For you, only your pot has been broken. For me, my home and all my hopes have been shattered,'' Day Dreamer replied with gloom.

We too revel in grand fantasies of earning huge wealth, building factories, great successes. But all materialistic thoughts are mere daydreams; everything of this world is false and perishable. Our fantasies are bound to shatter one day.

Do not multiply your wants and then feel like a beggar. Reduce your wants and feel like a king.
Peace of mind and material greed are incompatibles. They do not go together. Make your choice.

Most of us suffer, not for want of right knowledge or wisdom, but for want of exercise of that wisdom in our daily life.

SEARCH FOR REAL WEALTH

2011-11-05T08:43:00.001+05:30

SEARCH FOR REAL WEALTH

Baba said, "If there be even a little trace of greed in mind, all the Sadhanas (spiritual endeavors) are of no avail." Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 16, 17.

In India there lived a very intelligent and well-respected man, who was the prime minister of a king. One day he thought himself, "Why am I doing this job? I am doing it only for money. I should give it up and simply worship Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Then wealth will come to me."

The next day he resigned his position and went to live by a river. Every day he repeated the mantras to Lakshmi and worshipped her according to the Vedic tradition. The Vedic rituals are very scientific. In ancient times, the sages used to worship the god of rain, and the result was that there were no droughts. In the same way, it was believed that if someone worshipped the goddess of wealth, he would be rewarded with wealth.

Twelve years went by, and not only did the prime minister not receive anything, but he used up all his money and became beggar. Finally he thought, this is useless. No wealth is going to come to me. I will take sanyasa initiation and become a monk.

So he went off and took initiation into monkhood. A few days later, he was sitting on top of a mountain, meditating. At the end of his meditation, he opened his eyes and saw a beautiful woman standing before him. She was shining as if it was made of gold. He was astounded by her beauty.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I am here to see you," the woman said, "You invited me, and I have come."

"What are you talking about?" asked the monk. "I never invited you. I'm a monk."

"Did you recite the hymns to Lakshmi for twelve years?"

"Yes"

"I am Lakshmi."

The monk prostrated before her and said, "I worshipped you for so long, but you never come. Why have you come now?"

"You had accumulated so many sins and so many karmas that your worship could not bear fruit. Finally, when you took sanyasa, all your sins were burnt up and you became completely pure. That is why I have come to you now."

"But I no longer have any use for you," said the monk.

"Still, I cannot leave you," Lakshmi said, "You performed the worship, and now you have to experience the fruits."

"In that case," said the monk, "give me the wealth of knowledge."

Lakshmi agreed to do this. The monk became a storehouse of knowledge and received the name Vidyaranya, which means 'the forest of knowledge.'

He wrote a great book called the Panchadashi, which is still studied by everyone who learns Sanskrit. This book is available in English at the following link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/9580164/Panchadashi

A CHILD’S LETTER TO GOD

2011-11-04T06:43:00.000+05:30

A CHILD'S LETTER TO GOD

"Both are One, and one cannot live without the other." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 27.

Andrew was reversing his car out of the garage when he saw his daughter Avanti walking down the pathway that led to the main gate. She was dressed up and was holding an envelope in her hand.

"Where are you going?"

"I ... I ...am going....." Avanti hesitated and then said, "Papa I am going to the post office."

"Why?"

"I have to drop this letter."

"Give it me, I'll drop it."

Avanti hesitated for a moment and then handed over the envelope. Andrew placed it on the seat beside him, reversed the car out of the main gate and waving to Avanti drove off. He was getting late for the office and decided not to stop on the way. From the office he would send his messenger Jeetram to post the letter.

After reaching his office he rang the bell. As he waited for Jeetram to appear he casually glanced at the envelope. In a childish scrawl was written the following address:
Mister God
Heaven
High in the Sky.

Andrew tore open the envelope and started reading:

Dear Mister God,
This is my first letter to you. My Mama used to say that you love children very much. That you always answer their prayers. My Mama died three days after my seventh birthday. Till then I was very happy. But now I am very, very sad. My Papa used to laugh and play with me when my Mama was there. But now he hardly talks to me. He is always very sad. He doesn't laugh and play anymore. In the morning he leaves early and comes home only after I have gone to bed. Daisy Aunty says he has started drinking.

Please Mister God, I don't want to stay in this house without Mama. Please, can you send her back. If you can't send her back because she has already become an angel, then please take me away with you just as you took Mama away.

I am good girl. You can ask Mama. I always do my homework, make my own bed and drink my milk. I will not bother you. Please Mister God, I will be waiting.

Love,
Avanti.

Andrew read the letter not once but three times. After a few minutes he got up and walked to his Boss's room. He told him he wanted leave for the day. After taking permission he walked out of the office, got into his car and drove straight to his favorite spot on the outskirts of the city. It overlooked a huge lake and at that time of the day was quite lonely. There, under the shade of the huge banyan tree, he and his wife Janet had nicknamed Grandpa Moses, he read the letter again and again....

He closed his eyes and thought about the events of the last nine months....

Janet had died in a road accident nine months ago. With her death his life had been completely shattered.

Luckily Mrs. Daisy, the governess, had been there to take care of Avanti or things would have got more complicated. After Janet's death Andrew just didn't feel like going home. Every little thing in the house reminded him of his Janet and the moments they had spent together. He started leaving home early in the morning and working late in the office. From there, instead of heading straight home, he would go to the nearby bar and start drinking. He would reach home long after Alice had slept. He never spared a thought for Avanti convinced that Mrs. Daisy was taking good care of her. She had been with them for the last three years and Janet had trained her well.

Absorbed in his own sorrow, Andrew had failed to notice his daughter's loneliness. He had not realized that she was missing her mother as much, if not more, than he was missing his wife. Avanti needed his love and affection. Mrs. Daisy could hardly be a substitute for either Janet or even Andrew. He looked at his watch. It was one. He had spent close to three hours under the shade of Grandpa Moses. He got up, carefully put the letter in his pocket and walked towards his car....

Six months later Avanti was still in bed. Andrew was about to wake her up when he saw the all too familiar brown envelope on the table beside the bed. Once again it was addressed to Mister God. He picked up the envelope and walked into the living room. He tore open the envelope, removed the letter inside it, and settling into a chair started reading:

Dear Mister God,
This is my second letter to you. I know you got the first one. I want to thank you. Even though you didn't send Mama or take me to her, you did something which is almost as good. You changed my Papa completely.

You know Mister God, I now sleep with him in his room, with his big and strong arms around me. My Papa tells me stories - funny ones, scary ones and sometimes lovely ones which are a little sad. In the morning we go together for swimming. He has taught me how to swim. In the evening we go for Yoga. At night after dinner he takes me out for a ride. He has even stopped drinking - you can check with Daisy Aunty.

Dear Mister God, thank you so much. You could not give me back my Mama but you have given me a brand new Papa.

Lots of love and kisses,
Avanti.

Andrew stopped reading. A few minutes later when Mrs. Daisy entered the living room with the breakfast tray she found Andrew sitting in the armchair his eyes closed, a crumpled envelope in his hand and tears streaming down his face!!

LOVE EVER HATE NEVER

2011-11-03T10:46:00.001+05:30

LOVE EVER HATE NEVER

Baba said, "It is on account of Rinaubandh (former relationship) that we have come together, let us love and serve each other and be happy" –Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch.18, 19.

A long time ago in China, a girl named Li-Li got married and went to live with her husband and mother-in-law. In a very short time, Li-Li found that she couldn't get along with her mother-in-law at all.

Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by many of her mother-in-law's habits. In addition, she criticized Li-Li constantly. Days passed days, and weeks passed weeks. Li-Li and her mother-in-law never stopped arguing and fighting. But what made the situation even worse was that, according to ancient Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow to her mother-in-law and obey her every wish. All the anger and unhappiness in the house was causing Li-Li's poor husband great distress.

Finally, Li-Li could not stand her mother-in-law's bad temper and dictatorship any longer, and she decided to do something about it.

Li-Li went to see her father's good friend, Mr. Huang, who sold herbs.

She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all. Mr. Huang thought for a while, and finally said, Li-Li, I will help you solve your problem, but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you. Li-Li said, "Yes, Mr. Huang, I will do whatever you tell me to do."

Mr. Huang went into the back room, and returned in a few minutes with a package of herbs.

He told Li-Li, "You can't use a quick-acting poison to get rid of your mother-in-law, because that would cause people to become suspicious. Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in her body. Every other day prepare some delicious meal and put a little of these herbs in her serving. Now, in order to make sure that nobody suspects you when she dies, you must be very careful to act very friendly towards her. Don't argue with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen."

Li-Li was so happy. She thanked Mr. Huang and hurried home to start her plot of murdering her mother-in-law.

Weeks went by, and months went by, and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr. Huang had said about avoiding suspicion, so she controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother. After six months had passed, the whole household had changed. Li-Li had practiced controlling her temper so much that she found that she almost never got mad or upset. She hadn't had an argument with her mother-in-law in six months because she now seemed much kinder and easier to get along with.

The mother-in-law's attitude toward Li-Li changed, and she began to love Li-Li like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in-law one could ever find. Li-Li and her mother-in-law were now treating each other like a real mother and daughter. Li-Li's husband was very happy to see what was happening.

One day, Li-Li came to see Mr. Huang and asked for his help again. She said, "Dear Mr. Huang, please help me to keep the poison from killing my mother-in-law. She's changed into such a nice woman, and I love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her."

Mr. Huang smiled and nodded his head. "Li-Li, there's nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were vitamins to improve her health. The only poison was in your mind and your attitude toward her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her."

So if we want to be loved and cared by others, we have to truly love and care for others first as the saying goes - "as you sow, so you reap".

BEND BUT DON’T BREAK

2011-11-02T08:01:00.000+05:30

BEND BUT DON'T BREAK

"Why do you grieve for nothing?" – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 42.

One of my fondest memories as a child is going by the river and sitting idly on the bank. There I would enjoy the peace and quiet, watch the water rush downstream, and listen to the chirps of birds and the rustling of leaves in the trees.

I would also watch the bamboo trees bend under pressure from the wind and watch them return gracefully to their upright or original position after the wind had died down.

When I think about the bamboo tree's ability to bounce back or return to it's original position, the word resilience comes to mind.

When used in reference to a person this word means the ability to readily recover from shock, depression or any other situation that stretches the limits of a person's emotions.

What a profound lesson the bamboo tree has to teach us.

No wonder it's said Nature is the Best Teacher of All Times.

The next time you are experiencing one of those bad times or unhappy moments that take you close to your breaking point, bend but don't break.

THINK RIGHT ACT RIGHT

2011-10-31T04:44:00.001+05:30

THINK RIGHT ACT RIGHT

"Much pleased and realised that Baba always encouraged good thoughts." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 29

An old Grandfather, whose grandson came to him with anger at a schoolmate who had done him an injustice, said, "Let me tell you a story. I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times."

He continued, "It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way."

"But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit."

The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eye and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?"

The Grandfather solemnly said, "The one I feed."

We are meant to be joyful human beings, feeling our innate aliveness and our connectedness to the Divine, Universe and Spirit. Of the Earth dwellers, we alone have been gifted with consciousness and free will. We should think right and act right and live in divine harmony.

VIEWS NEED REVIEW

2011-10-30T07:37:00.000+05:30

VIEWS NEED REVIEW

"Relying on your own cleverness you missed your way; a guide is always necessary to show us the right way in small or great matters." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 32.

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer and the fourth son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent and twisted.

The second son said, no, that it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful. It was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them. He said it was ripe and drooping with fruit - full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that comes from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

LORD ACCEPTS YOUR HUMBLE CONTRIBUTION

2011-10-29T11:56:00.001+05:30

LORD ACCEPTS YOUR HUMBLE CONTRIBUTION

"Sai Baba showed that He would accept with appreciation any small thing offered with love and devotion" Sri Saisatchatra, Ch. 16, 17.

Respected Bhagavatha Shri Shankarapillai told one real life story during his Naaraayaneeyam discourse. This happened about few years ago and I feel it is worth sharing with all of you.

There is a small town near Guruvayur by the name Chaavakkad. I have heard that in Chavakkad, there is no household without at least one member of the family employed in the Gulf countries. Anyway, there is no importance for that aspect in this story.

There was a woman in that village or town who made her living by making and selling sweets like Jilebis, Laddus, Mysore pak, etc. In addition to her excellent cooking skills, she was a very sincere devotee of Guruvayurappan. Every time she made sweets for her clients, she would offer a few to Guruvayurappan before she packed everything for them. To put it differently, she offered the sweets to Bhagavan and made it a prasadam before delivering to the customers.

One day, one customer who had to fly to Dubai the next afternoon gave emergency order for some jilebis and laddus. Poor "maami" accepted the order and she had to get the necessary ingredients in the late evening. Somehow she managed to make all the sweets by next day morning. She had to hurry up to pack the whole thing and in that hurry, for the first time in her life, she forgot to offer a few sweets for her Lord Guruvayurappan.

Customer came on time and picked up the sweets and "maami" went to Guruvayur for the daily darshan. When she was about to enter the inner praakaram of the temple, a beautiful boy about 8-10 years old came and asked her " Maami, can I have a few jalebis and laddus?'

She told the boy that she did not have any left at home, but will make some and bring for him when she comes for evening darshan. The boy agreed. Maami went home made some more sweets and brought with her when she came to the temple in the evening. The same boy was standing near the inner praakaaram (naalambalam) and waiting for the sweets. Maami gave him and they were talking about something.

Then the security guards asked Maami why she was talking to herself. Maami said: "I am talking to this boy who asked me for some sweets in the morning and I could give him only now. I was explaining to him how I got a late order and how I had to work almost all night."

Security guards told her that they could not see any boy near her and they were wondering why Maami was talking to herself. They said: Maami, may be you did not sleep well and you are confused.

Maami looked again to show the guards, the boy holding the sweets she just now gave, but unfortunately the boy had disappeared from her eyes also!

Then Maami realized along with others around her that the boy who asked for sweets and accepted sweets from her was none other than Guruvayurappan Himself! She sat there and cried calling "Kanna, come again near me, I will give you more sweets." All the eyes of devotees watching this incident welled up and they did namaskaar to Maami who could see her Lord Kannan and treat Him with sweets made exclusively for Him with her own hands!

When Respected Shankara Pillai narrated this story with utmost Bhakthi and bhaavam, tears rolled down my cheeks and I am sure all the devotees felt the presence of Krishna in that room. It was an experience!

True devotion really pays, what more would one ask for in life than having the darshan of the Lord! How blessed are such devotees who are so pure hearted that the Lord Himself comes down in search of them to give His darshan!

Sreekrishnaarpanamasthu.

MILLIONS OF FROGS MAKING NOISE

2011-10-28T11:34:00.001+05:30

MILLIONS OF FROGS MAKING NOISE

Baba Said, "Let anybody speak hundreds of things against you, do not resent by giving any bitter reply. If you always tolerate such things, you will certainly be happy." Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 18, 19

A farmer came into town and asked the owner of a restaurant if he could use a million frog legs.

The restaurant owner was shocked and asked the man where he could get so many frog legs!

The farmer replied, "There is a pond near my house that is full of frogs--millions of them. They croak all during the night and are about to drive me crazy!"

So the restaurant owner and the farmer made an agreement that the farmer would deliver frogs to the restaurant five hundred at a time for the next several weeks.

The first week, the farmer returned to the restaurant looking rather sheepish, with two scrawny little frogs.

The restaurant owner said, "Well...where are all the frogs?"

The farmer said, "I was mistaken. There were only these two frogs in the pond. But they sure were making a lot of noise!"

Next time you hear somebody criticizing/insulting or making fun of you, remember it's probably just a couple of noisy frogs. Do not mind gossips or criticisms. If its untrue: disregard it, if unfair: keep from irritation, if it is of mere ignorance of someone: just smile, if it is justified: then it is not criticism, learn from it!

ONE MORE OR NO MORE

2011-10-27T07:44:00.001+05:30

ONE MORE OR NO MORE

Baba said, "The inevitable Maya teases Me often. Though I forgot Myself I cannot forget Her. She always envelops Me. This Maya (illusive power) of the Lord (Shri Hari) teases God Brahma and others; then what to speak of a poor Fakir like Me? Those who take refuge in the Lord will be freed from Her clutches with his grace." Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 13

There was once a disciple of a Guru who went to his Guru and said, "Guruji, I want to live a spiritual life. I want to live in the service of God. I want to go beyond the binding chains of this mundane, materialistic world. But, I feel that I am not quite ready. My desires for a family, for wealth and enjoyment are still too strong. Grant me some time to fulfill these wishes and then I will come to your holy feet."

So the Guru said, "No problem, my child. Go. Get married, have a family and earn wealth. In ten years I will come back for you. My blessings are with you."

With the blessings of his Guru, the man went out and quickly found a beautiful girl to marry. They had 3 beautiful children, and the man become financially successful.
After 10 years, there was a knock on the door of their home. The man's wife opened it to see a haggard-looking man standing on the doorstep. The man asked to see her husband. At first she started scolding the man, thinking that he was just there to beg for money. But, the husband realized that the person was his Guru so he lovingly invited him inside.

"I have come to take you away from this world of illusions now that you have fulfilled your desire of having a wife, family and earnings. Come with me, my son, let me show you the way to God."

But, the man looked at his Guru pitifully and he said, "Dear, Beloved, Guru. Yes, you are right. You have given me my 10 years ever so generously and with your blessings I have prospered. But, my children are very young and my wife is again with child. She would not be able to handle the burden of all of them alone. Allow me to stay another ten years until the children are old enough to care for themselves."

A true Guru will guide you to the path, show you the light and help when help is requested, but will never force a disciple - against the disciple's will – to follow any particular path. Thus, the man's Guru compassionately agreed, saying, "So be it, my son. Stay another 10 years until you feel that your mission is fulfilled."

Ten years later, the Guru returned to the home to find a large bull-dog out front guarding the house. Immediately he recognized his disciple in the dog and saw - with his divine vision - that the man had passed away several years prior but, due to his intense protectiveness over his family and wealth, he had reincarnated as a guard dog.

The Guru put his hand on the dog's head and said, "My child, now that you have regressed from a human to a dog due to your attachment to these worldly things, are you finally ready to come with me?"

The dog licked the hand of his Guru lovingly and said, "My beloved Guruji. You are right that it is my own attachment which has driven me to take birth as a dog, but you see my children have many enemies who are envious of their wealth and power. These enemies are very dangerous to my children and I must stay here to protect them. However, I am sure that within a few years everything will sort itself out and they will be fine. Give me just seven more years to protect them, then I am yours."

The Guru left and returned 7 years later.

This time, there was no dog out front and the home was filled with grandchildren running around. The Guru closed his eyes and saw with his divine vision that his disciple had taken birth in the form of a cobra, wedged into the wall near the family safe to guard the money.

He called the grandchildren of the house: "My children," he said. "In the wall to the right of your safe, there is a cobra curled up in a small nook. Go there and bring the cobra to me. Do not kill it. It will not harm you, I promise. But, just break its back with a stick and then bring it to me."

The children were incredulous, but went to the wall where the old man had directed them. Incredibly they saw that just as the Guru had said a cobra was curled up in the wall. Following his orders, they broke the cobra's back and carried it outside to the Guru. The Guru thanked the children, threw the cobra over his neck and left.

As he walked away carrying the cobra over his neck, the Guru spoke to the cobra, injured and aching, "My child, I am sorry for hurting you, but there was no other way. Twenty seven years and three births ago you left to taste the material world of sensual pleasures. But the ways of Maya are so alluring and so subtle that they trap us instantly. You have wasted these lifetimes in the futile pursuit of material success and in attachment to people who also are only actors in the Cosmic Drama. My child, all here is Maya - Cosmic Illusion. It lures us into its trap, convincing us that it is real, permanent, everlasting and significant. But, in reality, the only thing which is real is Him, and the only true purpose of life is to get close to Him. These attachments merely divert our attention and focus away from the true purpose of life. I had no choice but to come to your rescue as I saw you sinking deeper and deeper into the deep clutches of Maya."

Having said so, the Guru full of love and care carried the snake to his ashram to teach him the Truth, while the snake regretting his act of attachment to the world and not to his Guru or the Truth sunk in shame and realised what he had lost and had wasted all these years.

YOUR LIFE IS IN YOUR HAND

2011-10-26T05:25:00.001+05:30

YOUR LIFE IS IN YOUR HAND

Baba said, "I can give anyone, what he wants, but I have to see whether he is qualified to receive what I give." Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 17

A man once dreamt that he went into a beautiful shopping complex and after making a tour and buying some items he finally went to the billing counter.

To his utter astonishment, he finds God standing there! He plucks up courage and asks the Lord," God, What are you selling here?"

God replied: "Whatever is good for you!"

The man started thinking. After a while he said, "God, then give me something that can take away my pain."

God said: "No, I will not do that, for trials, tribulations and pain draw you away from the world and closer to me." Then the man said: "God, give me happiness!"

God answered, "No. I can bless you, but happiness is up to you."

The man pondered a little and said, "God give me all the things so that I can enjoy life."

"No. I have given you life so that you can enjoy all things," replied the Lord.

At the end the man was exhausted. He thought frantically and came up with a wonderful solution.

He said: "God, now I understand the most essential, the most valuable thing for a human being. And they are the Human Values! Give me Sathya (Truth), Dharma (Right conduct), Shanti (Peace) and Prema (love)."

This time God chuckled, "Son, you have got me wrong! We don't sell fruits here. We sell only seeds. It is up to you to inculcate them. I can only point, but you have to follow."

HAPPY DIWALI

2011-10-25T11:04:00.000+05:30

The Ill-Effects of Firecrackers

2011-10-25T11:01:00.000+05:30

The Ill-Effects of Firecrackers

Diwali is the festival of lights but many people consider it a festival of firecrackers. Traditionally firecrackers were used during Diwali for a number of reasons. One of them, the more scientific one, is that the fumes produced by the crackers would kill insects and mosquitoes found after the rains.

Today, simple sparklers have given way to elaborate fireworks that can light up the entire sky above your home. Unfortunately the fumes that these crackers produce are harmful to the the environment and us.

Copper: Causes irritation in the respiratory tract.

Cadmium: Reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of blood, leading to anaemia.

Lead: Lead in the body has a harmful effect on the nervous system.

Magnesium: Magnesium fumes cause a condition known as metal fume fever.

Zinc: Causes metal fume fever and also induces vomiting.

Sodium: Sodium is a highly reactive element and combines with moisture to cause burns.

FIRECRACKERS AFFECT OUR HEALTH

The bursting of crackers during Diwali is primarily responsible for an increase in concentration of dust and pollutants. The fine dust that settles after bursting crackers is rich in pollutants like oxides of sulphur and nitrogen, metal dust and organic pollutants.

- Even the tiny sparklers, torches and flower pots which are otherwise considered to create no noise at all generate thick smoke that can affect the respiratory tract of young children.

- The suspended particulate matter (SPM) levels rise significantly during Diwali. This causes throat, nose and eye related problems which can later develop into adverse health issues.

- Firecrackers have much more severe effects in people with heart, respiratory or nervous system disorders.

- They can aggravate problems for people suffering from colds, allergies or coughs and can also cause congestion of the throat and chest.

- They can also cause water contamination and acid rains.

- They result in air pollution that creates carcinogenic sulphur compounds and airborne arsenic effect.

- The green light produced in fireworks displays comes from barium, which is radioactive and poisonous. The blue colour produced from copper compounds comes from dioxins linked to cancer.

FIRECRACKERS AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT

Fire Hazards: Sometimes rockets set fire to huts, heaps of dry grass and even houses.

Noise Pollution: Firecrackers make more noise than the allowed decibel limit.

Air Pollution: Smog caused by firecrackers is harmful when inhaled. It also causes reduced visibility. The Central Pollution Control Board of India has also banned firecrackers with a decibel level of more than 125 at a distance of 4mts from the bursting point.

FIRECRACKERS AFFECT ANIMALS

- The sound of bursting crackers can be quite traumatic to pets, as they cannot bear loud sounds.

- We know that dogs have an incredible hearing ability and they can detect sounds that cannot be heard by human beings. Shakuntala Majumdar, President of the Thane Society for Protection of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) says, "Their actual frequency range is 67Hz to 45kHz as compared to the human ear's range of 20kHz. Thus firecrackers with low decibels can affect their temperament."

DID YOU KNOW?

Most fireworks are made by factories that employ children as labourers. These young children are forced to handle the toxic substances that go into these firecrackers. As a result, they contract diseases associated with these substances. Limited access to medical aid means that many of them die in their teens.

PRECAUTIONS YOU NEED TO TAKE

- Try to avoid use of firecrackers.

- Use firecrackers that are less noisy.

- Do not try to light a firecracker in your hand.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR PET

- Take your pet to a vet if he/she is a over-sensitive. The doctor may give your pet some anti-anxiety drugs to reduce his/her fear.

- Create a safe place for the pet to hide from frightening noises such as under the bed.

- Try to distract your pets with any activity that keeps them occupied. Their favourite game or a chew toy can help.

Protect yourself against fire crackers this Diwali

2011-10-25T10:50:00.001+05:30

Diwali means joy, fun and togetherness. It is a festival when all of us come together to celebrate the victory of good over evil.

Diwali also means new clothes, diyas and candles, colourful electric lamps, sweets and firecrackers.

To make your Diwali a truly joyous occasion, here are some do's and dont's you should follow. Ensure you and your family takes these precautionary measures to enjoy a peaceful Diwali.

Do's

Always get firecrackers from an authorized manufacturer.
Keep the crackers in a closed box and place it in a cool and dry place.
Keep them away from the reach of children and also from source of fire.
Go through the safety recommendations provided by the company.
Make sure you have enough open space to light your crackers.
Maintain arm's length distance while you burst crackers.
To ensure maximum safety from fire, wear heavier cotton clothes.
Throw used fireworks in a water bucket which would avoid people from stepping on used fireworks.
Keep buckets filled with water, portable extinguishers ready if in case any fire turns out.
If your clothes catch fire do not panic, drop down on the ground and roll.
Ensure a safe place for people who can become sick due to the smoke and noise generated.
Burst rockets by placing them in a bottle filled with sand.

Don'ts

Do not burn crackers in crowded places and also near sources of fire.
Do not let children burst crackers unless accompanied by an adult.
Do not bend over while lighting crackers especially flower pots.
Never re-ignite crackers that do not light at the first instance.
Do not rush immediately toward crackers that haven't caught fire, wait for a while and then go.
Do not hold crackers in your hand and light them.
Never burst crackers from a metal containers or glass bottle for special effects.
Do not throw lit firework on people, it's a criminal offence.
Do not keep pets near the firing place as the noise generated can hamper them.

So, before you even start hosting the light and sound show make sure you follow the above listed precautions, thus ensuring that everyone around will have a safe and happy Diwali.

Have a safe and happy Diwali and may the festival of light expel the darkness out of your homes.