Prakriti and Paramatma, Bhakta: You used the word, adhyasa. What does it mean, Swami? Swami: What? You do not know the meaning of that! “Seeing one form and taking it to be another, superimposing one thing upon another.” Bhakta: How is that? On which object do we superimpose another? Tell me. Swami: Well, seeing a rope and imagining it to be a snake; seeing waves of hot air in the sun and imagining them to be horses; seeing a mirror shining in the sun and taking it to be a lamp. Bhakta: But what is it that I see and what do I take it to be? Swami: You see Paramatma [Super soul] in this form of prakriti [nature] and take it to be mere prapancha or the world, and you are afraid. It is on account of this delusion that you have become the victim of all these varieties of weaknesses and you are declining through doubt and illusion. If you see it right, the delusion will vanish; the fear will disappear; the faith that it is Paramatma will be firmly and boldly established in you. To get that firmness, the lamp of viveka [knowledge] is necessary. How much a man suffers, so long as he sees the rope as a snake! How much is the fear! The delusion! Can it be realized how all that vanished as soon as it was seen in the light? Similarly, these doubts and delusions, too, will vanish unawares as soon as you know that prakriti is Paramatma. Imposing a delusion on a delusion, imagining one object to be another, this is called adhyasa, my boy! Bhakta: But, Swami, how can prakriti be said to be Paramatma? When you ask me to discern this world that appears, as the world to the eye, as Paramatma, doubt is sure to arise. Swami: That is true. Still, if the reality is reasoned out, even what you now see will appear as Paramatma. Cloth cannot be formed without yarn, isn’t it? Yarn is essential for cloth. In fact, it is all yarn. In spite of this, yarn is not spoken of as cloth, nor is cloth called yarn. This is exactly the relationship, between prakriti and Paramatma. Paramatma is the yarn of which the cloth, prakriti, is formed. Have the yarn and the cloth become separate? No. The yarn is used in one way, the cloth in another way. But for this reason only it would be wrong to consider yarn and cloth as different. Bhakta: Yes, Swami. Since prakriti is formed of Paramatma, It is clear that they are not separate. Now, if both these are the same, which among these is jiva [a living being]? Swami: That is exactly the doubt that is tormenting you, my boy. The jiva is the ‘I’ consciousness; the jiva is associated with the limitations of body and the senses. But He is the atma [soul], the Doer, Enjoyer, and everything. Source: Sandeh Nivarini

Sai on Sadhana Devotee: In the West, sadhana [spiritual effort] is generally taken to be a process of self‑improvement. But does that imply identification with the changing personality? Sri Sathya Sai: First, there may be the urge to self‑improvement. But the next stage is inquiry, the inquiry into the reality of `this’ and `that’. Seven-tenths of sadhana is inquiry. Devotee: Sadhana as it is described seems wrong, because it is a conscious effort aimed at getting a reward. It seems to me that sadhana is real only when it is spontaneous. That is to say, when one naturally loves God, he cannot but help love God and he cannot help but make inquiry. Sri Sathya Sai: It is as you say, but you have not experienced the spontaneous love for God. It is still just an idea. You have a conviction that love for God exists naturally in you. That conviction itself is the result of many lives spent in spiritual practice. Devotee: I have the conviction so strong, that it is the very marrow of my bone that life is One, that others, Swami, and myself are One. The atma is that One and it is fully here at this moment, and I am constantly engaged in sadhana, so the question remains: Why do I not actually experience that unity as no other than myself? Sri Sathya Sai: Your conviction of unity is an idea, a thought. It is not experience. For instance, when your wife has pain in the head, do you have it too? If not, where is the experience of the unity? The unity must be experienced, not just felt as an idea, or entertained as a thought. Devotee: Swami! If sadhana and conviction do not bring the experience, how is one to get it? Sri Sathya Sai: Through steady sadhana. Just as with ourselves now, in this car. We need concern ourselves only with the careful driving of the car; in due course, we will arrive at Anantapur [a city near Puttaparthi], won’t we? With correct and steady sadhana, the actual experience of the ONE will naturally come about. Devotee: How does one really experience that he is the same as another? Because now one feels for another through compassion; compassion is an idea, understanding it is not a direct experience of unity. When some one hit a dog, Sai Baba of Shirdi received the bruises. That is the actual experience of unity. Sri Sathya Sai: All is divine. When you are firmly established in the fact of your divinity, then you will directly know that others are divine. Compassion for others is felt as long as you consider yourself as a separate entity, as a consequence of the body‑consciousness. The story of Shirdi Sai Baba that you have heard about is not fully correct. The facts are: a lady cooked and got a plate of sweets ready for Baba, and a dog ate them. The lady drove the dog away with blows. The lady then carried another plate of sweets to Baba, who refused them, saying that He had eaten the sweets she previously provided, and His hunger was satisfied. The lady pointed out that this was the first time she was offering the sweets, so how could He say to the contrary? Baba said, “No.” You offered them, and while I was eating them, you have also beaten Me.” Thus, He gave a lesson that He was omnipresent and that there was only One universal life. Devotee: What does ‘omnipresent’ mean Swami? Sri Sathya Sai: Omnipresent means everywhere at the same time all the time. Devotee: Swami says that at a certain stage in sadhana, the exterior nature ceases. How is that? Sri Sathya Sai: There are ten stages in sadhana, each cognized by sounds of various types, ranging through different vibrations—bell, flute, conch, Om, thunder, etc. The tenth stage is reached when the senses are transcended. Beyond the senses, it is the state of bliss. Devotee: Is that state of bliss experienced only for a time? What happens in the daily round of life? Sri Sathya Sai: That state remains always. Then, it is always bliss. He thinks God, eats God, drinks God, breathes God, and lives God. Devotee: Does everyone pass through these ten stages? Sri Sathya Sai: No. One may go direct to the tenth, the transcendental state, or to stage six, or seven. Or not progress at all. It is not uniform for all. Devotee: What should be one’s attitude to these stages in sadhana as one encounters each stage one by one? Sri Sathya Sai: The states change, but the `attitude’ should be unchanging. Devotee: But what value should one give to the various states? Sri Sathya Sai: The sadhaka [spiritual aspirant] will not be satisfied with any of the states, for complete union is the goal. Desire remains strong, until the transcendental bliss is realized, and then, desire ceases. At that state all is God. Thoughts, desires, all are God. Devotee: These thoughts that stream through the mind, are they material? Sri Sathya Sai: Yes. They are matter. All matter is impermanent. Devotee: Where do thoughts come from? Sri Sathya Sai: They come from food and environment. If you have satwic [pure] food and desire only for good things and atmosphere around you, good thoughts only will come. Devotee: Where do thoughts go? Sri Sathya Sai: They go no place, because thoughts do not flow through the mind. The mind goes out and grasps and gets engaged with thoughts. If the desire is for God, the mind does not go out. The best way is not to get involved in the problem, ‘How to get rid of thoughts?’ See all thoughts as God. Then only God‑thoughts will come. The entire mechanism of body, mind, and intelligence will work in a coordinated manner for the benefit of the higher goal. Devotee: Then for whom should the entire mechanism be functioning? Sri Sathya Sai: For the atma [soul]. A small example: The earth turns on its own axis, but at the same time it is revolving around the sun. The various faculties of man should do their own work, but the atma is the center of their universe. Devotee: Swami! How can one bring these faculties under the control of the atma? Sri Sathya Sai: When one realizes that the atma is the reality, the One,

Love Hislop: Swami says that He cannot give to a dry heart. Why is the heart dry? Sai: Even that, God gives for our own good. When you don’t have hunger, why should He give you food? When you have hunger and receive food, it is useful, but if you don’t have hunger and He gives food, you will have indigestion. Sometimes, even if you have hunger, God does not give food to you, just to keep you in check and in control. Suppose you are in the hospital. They can’t give you everything you might ask for. There is a proper time and the proper way for your own sake. Even a spiritual experience, sometimes God withholds it, because God does everything for man’s good. He never does anything to harm man or give him sorrow. But that faith you must have. First, you must grapple with the fact that duty is God, and start doing your duty. Hislop: Is it that the heart is dry because one is not doing his duty? Sai: No, man’s heart is really dry. At least men have “sense” love. You have worldly love for children, family, and others. It is the same love, but only given to some. Only you have to take it all and give it to God. A Visitor: If his heart were completely dry, he would not want to come to Prasanthi Nilayam. Sai: Even in coming to Prasanthi Nilayam, you could love your wife and family. Live in love. Love itself is God. He is nothing else but love. There are different forms of love, love for family and love for money, but love for God is devotion. There is a glass of water. An English man will call it water, an Andhra man will call it by another name, and in Tamil still another name is given. But the water is the same. We just call it by different names. The names of love for wife, children, and objects differ, and love for God is called devotion, but the love is one. The most important thing you have to develop is love. If you develop love, you don’t have to develop anything else. Hislop: But love is not something made by man. Love is not something created by man; how can I develop love? Sai: You have love for the tape recorder. How is it that you have that love? When the tape recorder was in the shop did you love it? But because you have got it now, it is yours, ‘my’ tape recorder. You did not love it in the shop; you love it now because you feel it is ‘mine.’ So, when you think God is ‘mine,’ you love Him. A Visitor: I make an effort to strengthen love, but I know it does not happen. Sai: It is a question of practice. Intellectually you understand. Say you have a temperature, a 105-degree fever. If you keep on chanting 100 times, ‘I want a penicillin injection,’ it won’t cure you. You have to have the injection. You don’t have to chant that you want penicillin; you just have to have one poke and you are all right. Instead of thinking of ten different things to do, if you do one thing correctly, that is enough. When you are thirsty, you don’t want all the water from the well. One glass will suffice. You don’t have to take all and try to practice everything. Take one. Here is a matchbox with some 60 matches, if you want to light a fire you need to strike one match, not the entire box of matches. Source: Conversations with Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Be Immersed in Sai Thought Swami: Have you understood what has been told so far? Understanding does not mean mere rote! By practice and experience, have you realized in thought, word, and deed, and with full equanimity, the true nature of the world, that the world is unreal? Devotee: It is only by understanding that, isn’t it Swami, that one can ever be immersed in thoughts of Sai, the Lord, giving up all other activities and duties? Had I not understood that much, I would have wasted this precious time. Swami: Good, my dear boy! How sad will the ryot be if the seeds he has planted do not sprout and yield harvest! So too, if the seeds of true wisdom that I sow do not come up as good saplings and give god harvest, I, too, am affected. On the other hand, if they grow well and fructify into a harvest of ananda, how happy I would be. That is My food. This is the seva you should do to me. There is nothing higher than this. Without flinging away the good and true words spoken for your sake, if you practice them and derive joy there from, the essence of that joy is my food. If you thus act according to My words and put them into practice, I will gladly tell you more, whatever may be the number of things you ask. When what is said is allowed to deteriorate without being put to use, if people come and ask me to speak and speak again, what is to be said? If all start practicing, as you are doing, the world will not have any troubles; untruth will not manifest itself. Devotee: Swami! To practice the Divine words, too, the Lord’s grace is the basic need just as for everything else. Without that, nothing can happen. It is ever-present, as You said. Just as the Sun is hidden by fog, grace can be obstructed by the darkness of ‘I’ and ‘mine.’ But these can be overcome by practice and discipline. That is why if we understand well the meaning of what we hear and follow, it is so easy. This is my experience; I do not know of others. Swami: True. True. What you say is correct. You have understood it well. Without grasping the meaning, if various interpretations are given, that distorts reality. And if a wrong sense is imputed, it falsifies reality. But if it is clearly understood, practice becomes easy. Now consider this. Are all born at the same time? Do all die at the same time? Similarly, the highest wisdom will dawn in this person or that at different times. If you go on singing, song after song, you learn music. So also, if I speak and continue speaking, all will understand the reality. It is not My mission to keep silent because people do not understand. To such, it must be communicated once, twice and more times if necessary. Devotee: Swami, we are like lumps of iron, the Lord is like the magnet. Both are related to each other. But if that lump of iron has to be changed into an article of use in God’s hands, it has to be heated in the fire of anxiety and beaten by the hammer of pain so that it may obey and respond. So, in order to shape lumps of iron—like us—into instruments, You have to take the trouble. You have said that this is Your mission. Source: Sandeha Nivarini

Taming the Mind Devotee: Baba, what is concentration? What does it mean? How is it different from meditation? Sri Sathya Sai Baba: Concentration is the fixation of attention on one point, on one act or thought, or subject, the attention of the senses; meditation comes in when the senses are transcended, and all desires are purified and overcome. In meditation, there is only you and God. Intense faith and exclusive contemplation produce successful meditation. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa [a saint] had such faith and sadhana [spiritua effort]—when he meditated on Hanuman, the form of God as monkey, he even grew a tail. Devotee: Does it come naturally to man, or has it a method? Sri Sathya Sai Baba: Concentration comes naturally to man, but meditation does not. It has a method. Ramakrishna had a succession of gurus who guided him. Devotee: My meditationis enquiry “Who am I?” Sri Sathya Sai Baba: Itmust be combined with meditation on light, or sound, or OM. You have to retire into the `forest’ inside you. It is `for‑rest’. Go in—that is the invitation. Devotee: DoesSwami direct us to `go in’ from time to time? Sri Sathya Sai Baba: Earlymorning is the best time. The mind would be quiet then, and there is no pressure of responsibilities. It is difficult during the day; people are around; work has to be attended to. Devotee: Swami has saidonce that people make a mistake by not paying heed to the `soham [That I am]’ that is repeated every time we breathe. How does one do it? Sri Sathya Sai Baba: Sa is He; ham is I. Yogi X advised you to repeat only sa sa sa all the 24 hours; for, according to him, since ham is not uttered that ‘I’ will automatically subside. It is an extremely difficult method; in sleep it is impossible. Devotee: The Yogi X says hedoes it. Sri Sathya Sai Baba: Hedoes not! Of what use is it to struggle with a sadhana like that? Devotee: Putting Yogi X aside, I want to accept your advice and say soham with every breath. What is the technique? Sri Sathya Sai Baba: Youneed not `say’ soham with each breath! The breath is always saying soham; become aware of it, that is enough. Realize that it is there, and feel it. At night, during sleep, when there is no consciousness of I and He, of anyduality, the sa and the ham, the breath repeats Om; that is all. Devotee: is He and ham is I; is there a particular point in the body where the I or atma [spirit] is to be meditated upon?Where is the atma seated? Sri Sathya Sai Baba: The atma is everywhere. But, for the purpose of meditation the `life. principle’ or jivatma can be considered as located ten inches (an inch is the thumb-width at the first joint) above the navel at the centre of the chest. Devotee: The mind, which is our instrument for sadhana, has the power to lead us into illusion also; it is therefore very dangerous, isn’t it? Sri Sathya Sai Baba: Themind should not merge itself with the physical senses; it has other senses of its own, with which it should be concerned. If that happens, there is no danger at all. They are: truth, awareness, peace, love, and bliss. As long as the mind is engaged with these, all is well. But, when the mind, as soon as it thinks of the `theatre,’ picks up the body and carries it to the theatre with all the senses of the body alert and awake; it becomes involved with the picture, the people, the emotions and the concepts; peace is lost. The mind should not engage itself with the body senses; body senses should serve the needs of the body only. Devotee: But, Swami, it is always said that all troubles arise from the mind. Sri Sathya Sai Baba: Fromdesires, to put it more correctly. Devotee: That means one should control one’s thoughts? Sri Sathya Sai Baba: Thoughts and desires are not the same. There are many thoughts that are not desires. If there is a desire, there was a prior thought; but, not all thoughts are desires. Dark clouds bring rain but there can be clouds which do not bring rain. When there is a strong desire for God, bad thoughts, even if they arise, just pass through the mind and are not held there. Devotee: Swami! The flow of thoughts interfereswith meditation; how can we diminish and dry up the flow? Sri Sathya Sai Baba: Thehabit of thinking is a long‑standing one; even when it is broken, it will continue for some time! The fan continues to revolve, doesn’t it, for some time, even after the current is switched off? The best method is to train the thought on to a spiritual goal—perfection, God, Rama. Devotee: That means Rama must be always in our consciousness? Sri Sathya Sai Baba: Thereare four levels of consciousness in you: in the unconscious, there are no impressions at all; in the subconscious, the impressions are all in a jumble; in the conscious, man is afflicted with doubt, indecision, wills and won’ts, and the entire mass of duality. In the super‑consciousness or divine consciousness, there is the impression of only One. Devotee: When one is wholly absorbed in God, who will take care of the body? Sri Sathya Sai Baba: Who takes care of the body in deep sleep, when you are not aware of it? It is God who takes care of it then, as well as at other times. When one half of the body is paralyzed, can you make it move or make it whole? Devotee: Swami! Can mantras [potent formulae] help, if they are repeated and meditated upon? Sri Sathya Sai Baba: Yes. Even westerners have found the Gayatri mantra to have great power. Persons who are well practiced in spiritual life and sadhana must repeat it. Devotee: Swami! It is said that You do not give mantra to aspirants. When devotees are ready for mantra, should they ask Swami? Or, will Swami Himself say when they are ready Sri Sathya Sai Baba: Avatars have never initiated aspirants into the recitation of mantras to help man toward self-realization. To hear the Avatar, to have His darshan, to understand His directions and to act accordingly, that is the mantra. Krishna gave no mantra to Arjuna. He said, “Do this.” That was enough mantra; when Arjuna did as he was told success was

An Interview Sri Sathya Sai Baba is easily one of the most popular spiritual leaders of contemporary India. He has attracted crores [millions] of followers, cutting across barriers of caste, language, region, and nation. He first became famous because of the miracles He performed, specifically His ability to materialize holy ash and other material things out of thin air. Rationalists have consistently targeted Him. But, Baba, as He is referred to reverentially and affectionately by his devotees, only emerged stronger from these controversies. Today, the 74-year-old Baba is known for working miracles of a different kind. Miracles in the form of a Super Specialty Hospital where free treatment is provided to anyone who needs it, a massive drinking water scheme in the parched hinterland of Andhra Pradesh or a massive educational complex. The high and the mighty of the land touch his feet and seek his blessings, as do ordinary people from all walks of life. Baba gives them all the same message of love. He has never given an interview to a journalist in the past 25 years. But recently, he spoke to S. Balakrishnan and a group of journalists from Mumbai in a small room in his ashram in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh. Q: How do you relate yourself to Sai Baba of Shirdi? Baba: This body has not seen him. Q: Indians are increasingly turning to Godmen and Godwomen. Is this a sign of growing insecurity within them? Or is it something else? Baba: It is basically a search for God. The divine is present within each person and the search is for this divinity. God realization cannot be seen as a sign of insecurity. It is a positive aspiration to be one with God. It is a good sign. Q: Even as mankind is relentlessly searching for God, he finds himself engulfed by more and more misery. What is the reason for this state of affairs? Baba: Attachment to the body is the root cause of all suffering and misery. Once this attachment ends, then one can experience divine bliss. There is no doubt about that. Since God does not have any bodily attachment, He does not attach any importance to the suffering of His body. Q: What is the best way to serve God? Baba: Serve the poor, the weak, the downtrodden, and the underprivileged. There is divinity in each of us, hence love and serve fellow human beings selflessly. Give those around you pure love. Religion can be best pursued through the axiom “Dil mein Rama, haath mein kaam.” [Rama in the heart, hands at work]. There is only one religion—the religion of love; one caste—the caste of humanity; one language—the language of the heart; one law—the law of karma [action] and there is only one God—He is omnipresent. All of us should remember these simple yet profound truths. These truths lead us to God. Q: Is there no escape from human misery? Baba: It is all karma. The need is to adopt the path of righteousness. One should surrender oneself to the Almighty. Q: Why do you perform miracles like materializing a ring, a medallion, a necklace, vibhuti, and other objects? What are you trying to prove by performing these miracles? Baba: Chamatkaar or miracle is a cheap word for what I do. A magician performs his tricks to earn a livelihood and worldly fame. But I materialize these talismans as my visiting cards, as evidence that Divinity can transform earth into sky and vice versa. To doubt this is to betray an inability to grasp the grandeur of the universe. I get lot of satisfaction while gifting these talismans to my devotees. Q: The suffering millions flock to you. They want to pass on their problems and suffering to you. How much of these suffering can you take on? Baba: I am only performing a Divine mission.Q: How do you spend your day? Baba: My day begins with granting darshan [sight of a holy person] to my devotees, interviews to people, attending bhajans [spiritual songs], and then attending to all projects taken up for human welfare. The same cycle is repeated from early afternoon till evening. Although I know the contents of all letters that I receive, I read all of them for the trupti or satisfaction of my devotees. I avoid milk, green fruits, dry fruits, sweets, ghee, butter, tea, coffee, etc. I take a skimpy meal of ragi [millet] and green gram. For the past 60 years my weight has remained unchanged at 108 pounds. When the world sleeps, I go to my devotees, give them my vision, comfort them, console them, and solve their problems. I willingly take the sufferings of my devotees on myself. Q: Have you gone abroad any time? Baba: Yes, only once—to East Africa. That was because of the pure love of a devotee who is gone now. I did not go at the invitation of the government. Q: Do you have any plans to visit foreign nations and spread your message? Baba: No. Where there is sugar, the ants come; the sugar does not go chasing after the ants. My first task is to clean up our own country, then go to other countries. Q: You wield enormous influence over the top politicians of the country. Why don’t you impress on them the need to inculcate values in public life? If this is done, India will be a much better place. Baba: Politicians have a choice to pursue good or bad governance and they covet power frenziedly. But I tell them that politics without principles, science without humanity, education without character, and commerce without morality are not only useless but can prove to be positively dangerous to people at large. Q: Do you read newspapers? Baba: I never read them. Even though I do not read any newspaper, I am aware of everything that is happening around the globe. Newspapers should be more careful and responsible in their reporting. Publishing of sensational and baseless news must be avoided. Negative reporting, especially of those at the helm of the country, should not be done as this has a lot of repercussions abroad. If there are any doubts, then they should be cleared after

Ashrama Dharma Q.  In this cosmos that is the human body, what is the best dharma [right action] to follow? Which ashrama is most conducive for that dharma? How many ashramas are there in all? A. There are four ashramas in all; if you know about them, you can yourselves decide which ashrama you are to fulfill, examining your own achievement, progress and aptitude. Brahmacharya[celibate], grihasta[householder], vaanaprasta [the anchorite], and sanyasa [the renounced] are the four ashramas. Q. Different explanations are given by different persons for the word brahmacharya and the stage it denotes. I wish to know from you the real significance of that stage. A. Very well. It is believed that those who have not become householders are entitled to be called brahmacharis. This is very wrong. Only those who keep their mind away from the delusions of the world, who are constantly engaged in the thought of God, who do not see or hear light or merely entertaining stuff, who pursue good taste, who do not yield to joy or grief, who keep their mind, intelligence, and self-consciousness in good trim by unremitting contemplation of the Brahmatatwa[Brahma principal]—only such deserve the name, brahmachari. Q. What exactly does grihasta mean? A.  Being married and living with the wife and children do not constitute grihasta ashrama as most people think. Without giving up the duties assigned to one’s caste and status, the person has to treat all with equal consideration—kinsmen as well as others. He must be aware of the rights of the elders and the obligations of juniors. He has to be full of sympathy and willingness to help. He should treat with loving kindness all those who are dependent on him. He must grow wiser with each new experience of the world. He should acquaint himself with the shastras [scriptures] and be alert to do dharma and avoid adharma [unrighteousness]. He must foster and protect his wife and children with a sense of responsibility. He has to trample down the eight egoisms, the conceit that develops from family, wealth, character, personal beauty, youth, scholarship, native place, and even accomplishments in austerity. [He should be] conscious of the four goals of dharma, artha[economic development], kama[sensual enjoyment], and moksha[liberation], with no pride in material possessions though he might have them in large measure. [He should be] utilizing a portion of the day in the service of others; with no designs against any other household. He himself should deserve the trust of his wife and have a trusted wife, each understanding the other and having full faith in the other. Such are the ways in which the grihasta manifests. Source: Prashnottra Vahini

Impact of Karma Q. What is moksha? A. Moksha is liberation from all that binds. That is to say it is the attainment of the ever-existing, ever-stable, ever-pure atma-tatwa [soul principle] and getting rid of the ever-changing, ever -unreal, impure deha-tatwa[body principle]. Q. That attainment is not for all, is it, Swami? A. Why do you say so? Every one who equips himself can attain it [liberation]. Those who make the effort are attaining it. Every one who is ill is entitled to the medicine; you cannot say that only some among them are [entitled]. Yet, if the drug is costly, only those who can afford it can benefit by it. The Lord’s grace is hard to get, you have to pay a heavy price. Pay the price and earn it by sadhana [spiritual effort], and the grace of the Lord will save you from this disease of worldliness. Q. Who are the ones that need this sadhana most? A. All who yearn to be saved from the flood of “birth death” that is now sweeping them along. Q. Baba! What is the cause of man getting born? A. The impact of karma. Q. How many varieties of karma are there? A. Three! Bad, good, and mixed; some add a fourth, the karma of the jnani [wise person] which is neither good nor bad. Q. What is bad karma? A. It is called dush-karma. All acts done without the fear of God or of falling into sin; all acts done while under the influence of the six enemies, kama[desires], krodha [anger], lobha[greed], moha[attachment], mada[pride],andmatsarya[envy]; all acts that reveal the beast in man, that do not indicate that he is possessed of viveka[discrimination], vichakshana [reason],andvairagya[detachment]; that are devoid of daya[compassion], dharma[righteous action], satya[truth], shanti[peace],andpremalove—these are dush-karmas. Q. And the sat-karmas? A. All acts done in the fear of God and of sin; all acts done with sathya, dharma, shanti, andprema; these are the sat-karmas. Q. What are the mixed ones? A. They are an interesting lot. Though the acts are good, though apparently they are prompted by fear of God and of sin, still they reveal impulses that are quite the opposite. People start rest houses and water-distributing centers, for example, but they do not pay the servants regularly and well. Their aim is just to win some fame. They give to the poor as alms only useless clothes and worn coins. Whatever they do, their purpose is to get publicity. Q. You also spoke of jnana-karma, Swami. A. Yes, jnana-karma is the name used for all acts done to learn from sacred scriptures or elders or teachers the way to escape from the bondage to duality and to the falsity of the world, and to develop faith in the values of sathya, dharma, shanti, andprema; all acts that lead to the merging of the individual in the Universal Absolute. Q. Swami, it seems even those who proceed along the path of spiritual progress toward the goal of liberation have big obstacles. A. Yes, the past, the present, and the future obstacles. Q. What are they? What is the obstacle from the past? A. Recollecting and remembering the past and getting affected by it. Q. And the obstacle from the present? A. They operate in four ways: Vishaya-ashakti (attending more to the peculiarities of textual criticism than to the sense of the teaching), prajnamandyam (dullness of the intellect that prevents one from grasping the words of the elders and of the wise), kutarka (crookedness), and viparyaya-duragraha (justifying one’s own statement as correct, through an exaggerated conceit). Q. What is the nature of the obstacle from the future? A. The future creates obstacles since you anticipate troubles and worry about them even before they come. Source: Prashnottara Vahini

Why is the Heart Dry? Sai: The more the intensity, the greater the result. If you are digging a well, the deeper you dig, the higher will be the wall formed by the mud you bring out. The depth is in the form of the height. Hislop: Swami says that He cannot give to a dry heart. Why is the heart dry? Sai: Even that, God gives for our own good. When you don’t have hunger, why should He give you food? When you have hunger and receive food, it is useful, but if you don’t have hunger and He gives food, you will have indigestion. Sometimes, even if you have hunger, God does not give food to you. Just to keep you in check and in control. Suppose you are in the hospital. They can’t give you everything you might ask for. There is a proper time and the proper way for your own sake. Even a spiritual experience, sometimes God withholds it, because God does everything for man’s good. He never does anything to harm man or give him sorrow. But that faith you must have. First you must grapple with the fact that duty is God, and start doing your duty. Hislop: Is it that the heart is dry because one is not doing his duty? Sai: No man’s heart is really dry. At least men have “sense” love. You have worldly love for children, family, and others. It is the same love, but only given to some. You only have to take it all and give it to God. A Visitor: If his heart were completely dry, he would not want to come to Prasanthi Nilayam. Sai: Even in coming to Prasanthi Nilayam, you could love your wife and family. Live in love. Love itself is God. He is nothing else but love. There are different forms of love, love for family and love for money, but love for God is devotion. There is a glass of water. An English man will call it water, an Andhra man will call it by another name, and in Tamil still another name is given. But the water is the same. We just call it by different names. The names of love for wife, children, and objects differ, and love for God is called devotion, but the love is one. The most important thing you have to develop is love. If you develop love, you don’t have to develop anything else. Hislop: But love is not something made by man. Love is not something created by man. How can I develop love? Sai: You have love for the tape recorder. How is it that you have that love? When the tape recorder was in the shop, did you love it? But because you have got it now, it is yours, ‘my’ tape recorder. You did not love it in the shop; you love it now because you feel it is ‘mine.’ So, when you think God is ‘mine,’ you love Him. Source: Conversations with Bhagavan

What is Grace Q: Baba, …Which is the quickest way to reach the goal? A: There are no shortcuts to truth. The shortcut is always long; it merely entices and deceives. There are only two ways that have been discovered by man and taught to man in all ages and all lands. (1) Expand the ego to infinity or (2) reduce it to nothing. The first path is jnana, where the jnani says I am the Universal truth. I am all this. All this is My mental image. The second path is bhakti [devotion], where the aspirant says I am nothing; God is everything. In both cases, the ego sense disappears. The bhakta denies himself and places himself ever under the guidance and protection of God. Q: If it is God that motivates all acts in me, then whatever I do must be right, isn’t it? A: Yes. Why do you doubt it? If you are conscious that it is God that acts through you, how can you ever do wrong? You fall into evil only when you forget God and feel that you are the doer. When the light of the God within you is guiding you, you will always walk on the path of truth and goodness. Q: Bhakti is described as love of God. Tell us, Baba, how to love God and cultivate that love. A: Truly speaking, you have no need to love God; nor is God in need of your love. What you have to do is to become aware that God, who is love and love alone, is seated in your heart and that your thoughts, words, and acts must reveal that He is there. His love must radiate through you; you would then see with love, speak with love, hear with love, give with love, receive with love. You would become dynamos of love. Q: Should we pray to God to reside in us and radiate love through us? A: Prayer is only another word for communicating with that embodiment of love. It is the channel through which His power, light, glory, and purity flow into you. Q: Can we pray for specific boons? A: Yes, but remember, the fickle mind of man cannot be permanently happy with the material things of the world. The more he gets the more he craves for. Gaining and losing, he involves himself more and more with the senses and the objective world. His vision is fixed on outer not inner values. What he likes at one moment, he starts disliking the next. So the only boon one should ask for is, “Feed me with Your grace, so that all wants cease.” Surrender to God’s will; leave everything to Him. Q: How do we know that we have received grace? A: As soon as you receive grace, your heart becomes free from greed and hatred; you will have no more ill will against anybody. You will be overflowing with love toward all beings. You will experience a rare joy, a unique stream of ecstasy. Q: What exactly is grace, Baba? A: Grace is the divine power that reveals itself in us and turns our mind toward God, in all beings. We feel His presence everywhere and love all beings alike. Q: If God is love, why did He create suffering? A: Suffering draws you nearer to God. It is a sign of His compassion. It is a bitter medicine given to man when he is ill with egoism or ignorance. It clears the mental obstacles in the path of the discovery of truth. Q: What is truth? Many have failed to answer this very simple question. Volumes have been written on it, but yet the matter has not been made explicit. What, Baba, is truth? A: Your own self is the truth. All the rest partakes of falsehood, unreality, modifications, change, and ephemeralism. ~From the Notebook of a Sri Lanka DevoteeSource: Sanathana Sarathi, Sept. 1974