Sri Sathya Sai Baba – His Poems

Introduction

Whether from Japan or the USA, Iceland or Brunei, whether erudite scholar or schoolchild, everyone finds a roadmap in Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s teachings. Direct and simple, they transcend religion and cut straight to the heart of the matter.

They speak of how to keep oneself anchored to the inner self in this fast and often confusing world, how to remain incorruptible under materialistic pressures, and how to restore humanity. They tell us who we really are. Baba’s words invite us to transform ourselves, to be the miracle.

Day in and day out, for more than seven decades, Baba patiently spelt out his teachings in a number of moving speeches, memorable aphorisms and— poems. Baba would spontaneously sing these unique poems in the melodic style of the oral Telugu narrative tradition. Dramatic, often packing a punch into the last line, these poems deliver hard truths in a provocative manner. Some of these poems exist in a number of versions across different discourses.

The English translations below follow Baba’s Telugu words and lines, occasionally departing from the literal for the sake of communication. Structured like song lyrics, the short lines of the translated poems accentuate the melodic form and emphasis of the original poems.

Poems

Oneness

We belong to the same race, the human race
The Divine we all worship is the same
We all belong to the caste called humanity
We speak only one language, the language of the heart

There is only one God

Religions are many
but their path is the same

Clothes are unique
but they are all made from thread

Different ornaments
are made of the same gold

Cows come in many colours
but milk is always white

It is the same life
in all living beings

No matter what the social status
we are born the same way

Whatever flower you choose
it is the worship that counts

Divisions and diversity occur
only to make life easier

Guidelines to Devotees

By the grace of Sri Sai—
Always enjoy

the good things of life
Have good sense

See no difference
of ‘yours’ and ‘mine’

Show equal regard
for all humans

Become gentle
Show compassion

to those who suffer
As patrons,

help others
Be ideal householders

Set an example for others
Earn a good reputation

in the world
Keep on becoming

a better person
Always be a seeker

Be steadfast in morality
By the grace of Sri Sai—

For sure you will be
better than the best

Essence of Religion

Muslims say “Allah”
Christians, “Jehovah”
Vaishnavites call Him “Vishnu”
And Shaivites, “Shiva”

O’ people, realize

He who fulfills desires
and bestows longevity, happiness,
fortune and prosperity

on those who pray whole-heartedly
is only One

---

When Vaishnavites say Vishnu’s the greatest
When Shiva’s the greatest say the Shaivites
When Ganapati’s followers call Him the greatest
When Saraswati’s the greatest say the educated

When Muslims say Allah’s almighty
When Christians say it’s Jesus
When my devotees say I am the greatest
When some say all gods are the same

You must understand
All religions agree—
Truth, Brahman, is One

---

He who plants Love
in his heart

Only he—

Only he is Christian
Only he is Sikh
Only he is Hindu
Only he is Muslim
Only he is human
Only he is a Guru

Transience

Made of five elements
the body is fragile

No idea when
you will leave it

Theoretically, a hundred years
but don’t trust that

No idea when and where
you will leave this body

In childhood, youth
or old age

City or forest, water
or in-between spaces

Well, death is certain

So wise up
Know yourself

Realize the essence of dharma
While you still have this body

This is the correct way forward
You have Sri Sai’s word for it

Morality

A termite infestation is slow to start
Soon they’ve eaten all the wood away

Bad qualities slink into the mind stealthily
Even the great are eventually ruined by them

---

O’ brave children of India, listen

A country’s honour depends
on morality
Without morality a country
declines
A worthy country is that
which has morality

Some Truths

Is there a better donation
than food?

Aren’t parents truly gods?

Are there better habits
than spiritual discipline?

Is there a better virtue
than compassion?

Can you find anything more beneficial
than the company of good people?

Is there an enemy worse
than anger?

Is there a worse malaise
than debt?

Isn’t infamy like death?

Is there a memoir
more lasting than fame?

Human Values

Just as a lily beautifies a lake
And the moon illumines the sky

As waves adorn the ocean
Virtues enhance human beings

---

Truth, morality, non-violence
peace and love

The five life-breaths of man
on earth

Of these five breaths
Love is the most important

So strengthen the Love
in your heart

---

In the absence
of truth, morality, love and peace

All the skills you’ve learned
are worth zero

The end of charity is zero

The results of a big job, zero

The merit from multiple
apparently good deeds, zero

The mansion of our timeless dharma
Upheld by the four walls of virtues

---

Only He who awakens
the spirit of Love

who instils brotherhood
and egalitarianism

who teaches human values

Only He is God
Only He is Sai

---

What Sai wants from you are virtues —

Be brotherly to all
Give up selfishness
Serve the community with a pure heart

Truly, this is the real wealth
you can give Sai

Seva – Selfless Service

When you do service tenderly
and without selfishness
That’s really service

Truly, when you do service
with fellow-feeling
you find peace

---

Social service in a village
As good as worship of Lord Rama

That which is filled with Love
The kingdom of Rama

No welfare without Love
No peace without service

---

Where’s God, where all
have you looked for

the secret?
Is God not in the heart?

By serving others
you receive Love

That’s how you find
your divine self

---

All that you do with the body
All you say with words
All notions of your mind
All activities of sense-organs ten
All ideas of your intellect
All worries in your sub-conscious
All everyday customs
All religious austerities
All vedic injunctions

When you consider
whatever you do
as service to God

Sai’s organizations
will be successful

Prema – Love

Brahman is Love
Nothing but Love

Only Love will merge
with Love— so

Anchor yourself
in Love, become

worthy of Oneness

---

God is Love
Love is His divine form
Love makes the world go around

When you cannot feel
even the slightest spark
of love in this world

O’ man, how will you
seek and realize
Divine Love

Education

Education is that which teaches

Good conduct
Good thoughts
Love of Truth
Devotion
Discipline
Diligence

A student must learn this
Mark Sai’s word, it points out the truth

---

How to achieve
universal peace

Cut back
narrow-mindedness

How to live together
with egalitarianism
here and now

What makes this happen at once—
Isn’t that Self-knowledge

---

Can news of a lamp dispel
all the darkness in the world?

Can names of five kinds of foods
satiate a hungry person?

Will hearing what money can do
chase away a beggar’s poverty?

Can stories of the power of medicines
cure a sick man’s diseases?

Can studying a multitude of sciences
solve the lack of self-knowledge and
dispel spiritual ignorance?

Even if you master theory
The outcome of education
not put into practice
is a big zero

---

The dimwit studied
all that there is to study
and became very bright but
he did not know himself

The wretch studied too much
of any and every subject
but he did not give up
his meanness

All that this type of
education is good for
is logic and argumentation
Not holistic knowledge

What’s the point of studying
all that there is to study?
Why kill yourself?
Study the Self, it does not die

Motherland

In the holy land of India

Endurance our pride
Truth more valued than vows
Motherhood revered tenderly
Honour more precious than life

Alas! What can I say
of the state of things today

Our culture tossed in flames
Alien ways of life picked up

And the strange fad of “freedom”
– a double-edged sword –

Like the elephant ignorant
of its own power—
Today’s Indians

---

India—
A bough laden with Vedic knowledge
A stage for the ritual worship of gods
Mother of many divine incarnations
A heroic land where culture is learned

Karma – Action

There are no necklaces around your neck
When you are born from your mother’s womb

No pearl strings, no gold chains
No emeralds-garnets-topaz-diamonds

But
What you did
in your past lives

Good or bad, each
action is counted

without exception and
strung into a garland

Yes, Brahma garlands you
and sends you here

The weight of your past
karmas around your neck

Sadhana – the inward path

There’s no separate world
of gods called ‘heaven’

No doubt, it’s right here
in the human world

When people have good character
and are on the correct path

Why wonder about heaven?
It’s heaven on earth

---

You can
learn many skills
and win audiences over

You can
be a hero
and fight in a war

You can
be born as the king of kings
rule over a kingdom
and give gifts of cows and gold

You can
count the many minute dots
of stars in the sky

You can
identify each and every species
by its name

You can
master the eight
branches of yoga

You can
go on a journey
to the moon

But can you
become disciplined
restrain sense organs
point the mind inwards

Be unwavering, selfless and steady

---

Imagining God to be someone else
You do not know yourself

If you can put aside all notions
you yourself are God

Shake off the very thought
of the thought

Realize yourself soon

---

God is more intimate than your mother
and closer than your father

It’s an error to forsake such a God
What you’re being told is a fact

Atma Jnana – Knowledge of The Self

Kohl won’t mark eyeballs
Goo washes off the tongue

A lotus can’t be dirtied by muck
The Soul is never tarnished

---

For so-called seekers
with impure minds
how is it possible to find
knowledge of The Self?

Only for those with
a very pure mind

O’ brave children of India
Listen!

God’s Glory

How does the sun rise
and set day after day
without missing a beat?

How come the stars
-the lights of the sky-
hide only at daytime

How does the wind
support the life of millions
without resting a moment

How does river water
flow all the time
laughing and gurgling?

Wherever you look
How is nature full
of creativity?

And on earth a diversity
of status and riches
mindsets and species

Whose command is this?

The Lord of All, Behold!

Sathya Sai Avatar

The age has lost
its moral compass, so
I came to turn it around
and give it a new direction

Then world has fallen
to chaos and evil, so
I came to make it sin-free
and set it upright

Those on the wrong path
roam about freely, so
I came to protect
good people

I came to spell out
the hidden message
of sacred texts
blurred by Time

I came to lighten
the burden of Bhudevi (Earth)

I came to fulfill promises
made in the ‘tretha’ era

Just as Vasudeva
was called “Krishna”
on earth I too have
incarnated as “Sai”

---

Why did the supreme Lord Vishnu show up
to look after Prahlada that day?

Why did lotus-eyed Vishnu rush
to protect elephant Gajendra that day?

Why did He come determined to the aid
of young Dhruva that day?

Why did legendary Krishna go
to save poor Kuchela that day?

It’s the same why

He who looks after the helpless
He who looks after the world

The epitome of truth, consciousness and bliss
Divine Sri Sathya Sai

He has appeared today
as the Lord of Puttaparthi

---

In lieu of a million words, one
And no hypocrisy

Sai cares for education that revives
Not for dead degrees

Sai speaks lovingly from the heart
Sai doesn’t give sermons

Aware of His own nature, Baba
never finds mistakes in others

Like a child who doesn’t know deceit
He considers all beings as himself

Such a seer of seers was born
And is bound by Love

Need for Devotion

Birth is a reason to worry
Being on earth is a reason to worry
Living is a reason to worry
Death is a reason to worry
Childhood is a reason to worry
Old age is a reason to worry
Staying alive is a reason to worry, an annoying worry
Duties are a reason to worry
Difficulties are a reason to worry
Happiness is a reason to worry, a strange worry

O’ people, cultivate devotion at least now

---

When desires hound you
Open your mouth and say
Sai, you are God, I take refuge in you

When difficulties pounce on you non-stop
Raise your hand and say
Sai, you are God, protect me

When life’s suffering closes in, say
Sai, you are God, I won’t forget you

When your egotistic mind won’t listen
Bow your head and say
Sai, you are God, I’m your servant

On Love

Without Love,
You are Not
Human, Not
Christian, Not
Sikh, Not
Hindu, Not
Muslim, But
A Demon
on this Earth

On Truth

Of all traits, the practice of truth is great
Truth shines in all the worlds
A culture of truth is like ambrosia
The one who radiates truth is a noble soul

Treasures of Life

Listen, O’ brave children of India

A child without virtues
A pointless education
A lawless society
One without inner peace

A dark moonless night—
All futile

On Dharma

Fortunes come and go
but righteousness
endures

When you fill your heart
with righteousness, your life
as a human on earth
is fulfilled