A Miracle... To Come (Bilingual)

Messages Of Sathya Sai Baba 2 (Bilingual)

Messages Of Sathya Sai Baba 1 (Bilingual)

Bhagavan Uvacha Series Vol 1 : Sevadal (Bilingual) HD

Walking With The Master

Sai Spiritual Showers - Issue 3/07

Q: Swami, can I get moksha (liberation) in this very birth?

A: You can get it this moment, if you have the required purity of mind (Chitta Shuddhi). The only criterion is purity; birth is not important. God is beyond time—(Kalateeta). The time factor is applicable only to the universe (Jagat) and not to the Lord.

Q: Swami, the mental tendencies (vasanas) of many lives hinder the progress.

A: Vasanas can be changed by discrimination and effort (Viveka and Sadhana). You have to examine every tendency of your inner being, whether it is good or bad, before translating it into action.

Q: Swami's grace must come .........

A: The grace is always there; it neither comes nor goes. You have to tap it with effort.

Q: What is the difference between Dana (charity) and Thyaga (sacrifice)?

A: Charity is giving of money, time or energy for a good cause; sacrifice is giving up of one's bad traits and weaknesses. If sacrifice means just the giving up of hearth and home, many people will do it very easily!

The hallmark of true devotion is this sacrifice—the giving up of one's bad traits and weaknesses. A true devotee should not be deterred by adversities in life. The difference between true and false devotion can be discovered only in times of adversity. A ball of iron and a dry leaf look alike when there is no wind. But when the wind blows, the leaf flies away and the iron ball is not even swayed a little. In times of adversity, false devotion disappears; but a true devotee will think, "My difficulties and problems are in no way connected with my devotion to God. These difficulties are like passing clouds, but God is eternal and so is love for God."

Q: On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Arjuna threw away his bow and arrows with a decision not to fight the war against Bhishma, the grandfather, Drona, the preceptor, and other kith and kin. But Arjuna had fought against Bhishma, Drona and others to protect the cows of Virata Maharaja, towards the end of the Pandava's incognito term in exile. What accounts for the difference in Arjuna's attitude?

A: The purpose of the earlier fight was only to protect the cows. It was not a decisive battle. There was no intention on the part of Arjuna to kill Bhishma and Drona. But in the battle of Kurukshetra, the stakes were very high; he had to kill them to win the war. In this situation, attachment to kith and kin plunged him into sorrow.

Q: Was Arjuna overpowered by the fear of fighting against the mighty heroes arrayed against him in Kurukshetra?

A: No, Arjuna was never afraid of fighting against anybody. It was only the delusion of 'I' and 'mine' (moham) that overpowered him.

Q: On the battlefield, Krishna taught Arjuna many aspects of the science of the Spirit. What was the path practised by Arjuna later?

A: The purpose of Krishna was to make Arjuna fight the war and save him from misery and infamy. The knowledge of 'Atma and Anatma' and the truth about the body principle are essential for the performance of one's duties (Kartavyakarma). The most important thing that Arjuna learnt was to perform all actions with a sense of surrender to the Lord. This is the secret of Karma Yoga. This was practised by Arjuna.

Q: The Bhagavad Gita says, "There is no killer nor killed!" On this basis Arjuna is asked to kill men on the battlefield. On the same logic, can anyone kill anybody he likes to kill?

A: Bhagavad Gita exhorts all men to follow their Dharma. Arjuna, being a Kshatriya, had to protect Dharma by killing the evil men. It was his duty. Arjuna was made to know the immortal nature of the Spirit and this enabled him to do his duty with efficiency and perfection. One who has the awareness of the spiritual truth will not enter the wrong path and do wrong things according to one's whims and fancies. He will always follow the moral code of conduct.

There is the story of a murderer, who argued with the magistrate, "There is neither any killer nor killed (according to the Gita). Therefore, why do you propose to hang me?" The magistrate paid him back in the same coin, telling him, "You also cannot be killed. Only your body will be hanged!"

Sai Spiritual Showers - Issue 3/06

I saw teardrops glistening,

In Your enchanting lotus eyes,

Ashamed am I, sweet Lord,

It made me realise,

I have to break all my ties...

With selfish pursuits,

Vested interests, mean motives,

And tinsel yearning...

With I, me and mine,

With erratic ego,

I have to break all links...

For these things take me,

Away from Thee,

And I do not see any reason to live,

Beloved Bhagawan,

If I am not connected to Thee...

I do not see any reason to live,

If I don’t reach out to all as Thee,

For the core of every being,

Represents You for me...

...I do not see any reason to live,

If I don’t practice what You teach,

For then Your code of conduct,

I do breach...

You are the reason for me to live,

You are the reason I breathe,

So I must choose You,

Over anger, lust, attachment and greed...

Or else life has no worth,

And oh! so vain is this birth...

...To You, a hundred per cent,

Of myself I have to give,

For I cannot see,

Any other teardrop does glisten,

In Your beautiful eyes,

Oh! precious Lord, permit me,

To hasten,

To break the ties...

Guru Purnima 15/7/11

Guru Purnima was celebrated on 15 July 2011 beginning with 21 Omkar at 5.30am.  This was followed with Suprabatham, Namavalli and Bhajans.

On the same evening, at 8.00pm, there was another round of prayers with Vedam chanting and Guru bhajans.

Delicious refreshments were served at the end of both sessions.

Sai Spiritual Showers - Issue 3/04

I came to know Sri Sathya Sai Baba on April 1, 1978. On this day, I was rushed to the hospital by ambulance to the emer­gency ward. A team of specialists examined me and gave me a battery of tests, all of which I failed. Simple questions about my name, phone number, date of birth, occupation, place of employment and field of specialisation I could not answer. I was delirious and in a state of mental confusion and anxiety. The team diagnosed that I had a neuro­logical dysfunction and I would be hospitalised for 6 months to a year.
A New Vocabulary in Values and Ethics

During the night in my state disconnected from reality, time and space, I dreamt a man with bushy hair and an orange robe who took me into a garden, sang a few Bhajans and touched my head. Next morning, the team of specialists arrived and started questioning me about my occupation, phone number, etc. I answered all their questions and was curious about this

simplistic level of questioning. They were amazed at my lucidity and queried what happened in the evening. I told them about the dream; the dream that was crystal clear in my mind. They concluded, it was an amazing recovery. However, they decided to keep me in hospital for two weeks for observation. After I was discharged, I found out that the man in my dream was Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

I started reading everything about Him, His miracles, community projects, discourses, etc., and was overwhelmed by His divine wisdom. The second miracle more critical than my amazing recovery is the miracle of transformation of my vision, work ethics and behaviour.

I studied at top universities in the West, McGill University, University of Toronto and John Hopkins University and never learned a lesson in human values or ethics. So, when I became a professor I never lectured on this topic in management. I thought it was nonsensical, problematic, subjective, relativistic, etc. Since I started studying Sai Baba's teachings I now lecture on values and ethics; there is an infusion of values and ethics in all my books, research papers, and conference procee­dings. A new vocabulary on values and ethics has entered my mind and consciousness. The value-based perspective in education, motivation, leadership, technological change, etc., is really the centre of my pedagogy and I have taken it to the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, etc., where it was well received. This is a miracle of transformation not only in terms of my profession but also in my vision, goals, attitude, per ception of reality, values, behaviour, lifestyle, work ethics—all elements of my personality.

I now lecture in my B. Com. and MBA classes on Sri Sathya Sai Baba's theories of stress management, human personality, education, values, ethics, leadership, etc., with a few questions in the mid-term examination on His teachings which are popular with students. I also assign research papers on His revolutionary definitions on education, manager, and have completed three books on His teachings and on students' reflections on these teachings.
Building Bridges of Human Understanding

It is because of Sri Sathya Sai Baba that my life is happier, more meaningful and insightful and my job is enriched with new challenges and new perspectives and meanings: "Work is love made visible." His love and service translated into action for over 60 years are mind­ boggling, and His initiatives at cross ­cultural understanding among devotees from over 160 countries are just as amazing.

For me the miracle of transformation is more powerful than His other miracles of healing, materialisations, etc. His revival of the great spiritual classics of Hinduism and Indian culture worldwide in 160 countries has made India the spiritual and philosophical beacon for the world. For the information age what we need is not more information but transformation according to Sri Sathya Sai Baba. In­formation-oriented knowledge makes man a machine, whereas trans­formation-oriented knowledge makes man a composer. One ton of information may contain zero insight. The mansion of happiness is built on insight into the Atma and one's character, one's moral compass, He states. Sri Sathya Sai Baba has given me a moral compass to guide me on the ocean of life. I have met many of His students in Canada who are true gems of virtuous character, work ethics and human excellence.

I am not from India and have never talked to Sri Sathya Sai Baba nor had an interview with Him. My ancestors left India 150 years ago. I visited His Ashram to know more about Him, particularly His teachings, wisdom, love, the ideal of service and His charismatic personality. His power to transform peoples' vision, goals, values, personality and character, His celebration of the unity of religions at His ashram, and His work at building bridges of human understanding across all cultures on the planet are most astounding and marvellous.