Sai and His Students We all know that the relationship between Swami and his students is a unique and inspiring example of unconditional love and exemplary conduct. In a discourse on January 14, 1996, Swami said, “I do not own anything. I have only one property—my most valuable property. My students are my only property. I t is enough for me   my students conduct themselves well.” The following letter from Sai Baba to His students further illustrates His message to them and to us. Ihave received the salutations you sent. The drops of love contained in them have cooled and soothed Sai’s heart. For a kaaranajanma (a person born with a mission), the date on which he or she enters the physical body should not be the only day identified as the birthday. Such days are birthdays only for the physical body. In fact, there is no birth for that which is divine and sacred. Kaaranajanmas take up bodies in order to fulfill a purpose. They proclaim and propagate the highest ideals. Only when we put these principles into practice in our lives—and, therefore, experience them—can we say we have shown our sense of gratitude for them. All of you undoubtedly are messengers. Each should experience, enjoy and spread the gospel and glory of God to others in the world. When you do this, you can say, “l am the messenger of God.” Second, you should install the master in the altar of your heart. Then, you can very well say, “I am the Son of God.” You become near and dear to the Lord. You should let your love be enveloped in God’s love and your heart merge in God’s heart. This indeed, is the close stage, when, on the atmic plane, you have the conviction (born out of experience) that He and you are one and the same. This stage confirms the truth of the statement, I and my Father are one. Third, one can experience identity with the Father. The three stages are these: On the physical plane, you are the messenger; on the mental plane, you are the son; and, third, on the atmic plane, you and He are one. The day you understand the significance of these statements and translate them into your own lives and experience them, you will earn the right to celebrate the birthday of Jesus. Celebration of His birthday does not consist merely of decorating a tree, lighting candles and singing carols. Implicitly obeying Sai’s commands and injunctions constitutes the first stage. Then, you should   transmit these to others, thereby establishing a link with the very embodiment of life in your heart, and at the heart level. This signifies the establishment of a final relationship between you and the master-who thus becomes the Father. You now secure the right to consider Him to be the Lord, the overseer, and the recipient-your everything. Gradually after this, you will come to a stage where you spontaneously become one with Him. He will become one with you and all will be His. Now there is only one kingdom, only one throne. Only that kind of love is, verily, God. You should experience the sweetness of that love. Truly it is the blood of God, represented by the wine. The body, which God uses selflessly for service, is symbolized by the bread. When the blood and body are used together, you will understand what Jesus referred to as wine and bread. The intoxicant, wine, which inebriates a person with worldly affairs and causes desires in him, is the blood. The flesh, which craves for material sensory pleasures, is the bread. These two should be mixed together, and then by contemplating on them as God’s blood and God’s body, they should be transmuted into organs that are manifestations of divinity. Only then will they become consecrated and pure. Blood should not be taken to mean ordinary blood. It should be thought of as Sai’s blood. Only then will it become the offering, a maha-yoga (the ultimate unity with God), culminating in Sai. You should regard your muscles as masses of Sai’s love, and utilize them to secure Sai’s grace. Then it will become an offering to Sai and bring Him joy. This is the inner significance of the external symbolism—people taking bread and wine together in churches. Jesus is not the original name. It is Isa. This Isa has become Sai. Isa also means Iswara (God). The good deeds you have performed in countless previous births have resulted in your getting Sai in this lifetime of yours. Without much difficulty, you should retain and securely hold this possession. Experience it and derive bliss from it. During the past week, the service activities you have performed in Brindavan, at the college, and in the hospital truly prove beyond doubt the spirit that prevails among you. Treating these places as your own homes, you have looked after them. Your love (blood), which is Sai’s divinity, and your steadfastness and dedication (flesh), which is Sai’s food, are indeed par excellence. You have made Sai supremely happy. You are all indeed blessed. Oh, worthy recipients of Sai’s love, you need not be troubled. It is, of course, laudable that, motivated by Sai’s love, you are fulfilling your duty. Still, there is no cause to be afraid. Sai’s protection is on your side and is in your heart. Do not entertain fear of any sort. Be happy. Yours, Baba. Source: Prema Dhaara,(a collection of letters from Sri Sathya Sai Baba to His students), 1995

My Task is This In the following letter, written when He was about 20 years of age, Sri Sathya Sai consoles a devotee who was anguished by criticism against Baba. Bhagavan points out that divine beings are unaffected by praise or blame because they incarnate to uplift humanity. Baba says that none can interfere with His task nor can any one understand Him. Puttaparthi25-5-47 To Bhaktas [devotees]! My dear boy, I received your letter, and I noted the flow of the current of prema [love] and the echo of bhakti [devotion] in every word. It is impossible to see into the hearts of jnanis [wise persons] and yogis [realized persons]; nor is it possible to understand their ways. So, naturally, people tend to talk about them [the jnanis and yogis] as their fancy prompts them. No amount of fault-finding indulged in by these people can affect us, as long as we act truly and well, keep our purpose steadily in view, and so long as we hold on to the values dictated by jnana [wisdom]. Don’t you know that only fruit-laden trees get stoned? In contrast, passers-by do not notice the trees devoid of fruits. Good and bad co-exist; they are companions forever. That is in the very nature of the world. And, let Me ask, why should we blame these people? Poor fellows! What do they know? What can they know? They are influenced by every gust of greed, anger, envy, and hate.  So, they become intolerant and have no control over their mind or tongue; they indulge in loose talk and slander. Those that know will never talk like that. It is not wise to take such ignorance seriously. Believe me when I say truth alone can win. Untruth must fail. It [untruth] might appear to win for a little while, but as soon as truth appears on the scene, untruth flees. It is not the nature of mahatmas [exalted souls] to exult when worshipped or lament when they are neglected or criticized. No [Bhagavad] Gita has laid down rules and regulations for the behavior of mahatmas; but, satpravartana [benevolent actions] and sadbuddhi [good sense/discrimination] are their fundamental traits. Provided these [beneficial activity and beneficial thoughts] are there, whatever is done over and above this for the benefit of the bhaktas [devotees] and for their welfare according to their deserts, we [mahatmas] can afford to be free. I shall tell you this now: Listen! My task is this: To confer on man fullness of joy, to guard, to guide!My vow is this: To save each one who strays off from the virtuous path!My love is this: To end the pain of the poor, fulfill their needs!My crown is this: To nourish all who seek Me, steady, keen!My need is this: The even life discarding ups and downs as trash! I’ll ne’er forget those who come to MeAnd be with Me; ’tis a certainty!When thus I move and work and speakSay, how My name can tarnished be? You should not pay heed to the kind of talk that you men-tion. The mahatmas do not owe their greatness to others who recognize them as such; nor do they lose their great-ness if someone fails to recognize them. Their stature is not heightened by praise nor is it lowered by blame. Of course, there are some yogis who suffer when they are criticized, and they have every reason to fear. I shall tell you who they are: They quaff their full, they swallow pillsOf opium, and chew the bhang—these ‘noble’ folk!They drink, they eat their fillOf low unwholesome food—these ‘famous’ men! It’s wrong to state, ’tis false to sayThat anything dies, they never ‘die’,They swear while cutting throats and eatThe living things they like—these ‘teachers’ grand! They preach the lessons of love and peaceBut hate and fight, all on the sly—these ‘gurus’ great!They fret and fume and speak for longOn dry as dust philosophy! This wondrous gang of yogis falseThey surely dread a fall. It is only such false yogis that have to be afraid. You must have read about the lives of mahatmas, and how small men assailed them. It is all part of the scheme; don’t worry. How long can the poor dogs bark at the star? How can they produce any effect on the star? All this will continue just for a short while; our integrity is the means to victory. I shall not slacken My task, My activity, My determination. For Me, reputation, fame, blame, calumny—all are equally insignificant. I am quite unconcerned with the whole lot. I speak and act only to help the world and for the sake of the people. But, let Me tell you, I have no name, no place, and no possessions. By whatever name I am called, I respond; to whichever place I am called, I go and make My appearance. This is My vow, My self-imposed task. I have not spoken of this to anyone so far; I am not a part of this world; I am far, far away from it. But yet, I engage Myself to uplift its inhabitants. My shakti, My power, and My mystery can never be understood, whoever studies it, howsoever intensely and well. You can yourself witness the glory that will be manifested hereafter. Bhaktas must be patient and await events. Then, you will yourself realize the absurdity of your fears. I wrote this reply to you because I felt you will be sad unless I wrote. Otherwise, I would not have replied at all, for it is not in Me to pay heed to such things. Thus… Your Baba

The Gopis’ Pure Love My dear Boys, Accept my love, really, there is no comparison to gopis’ love. Their love stands alone, above every other kind of devotion. When Krishna left Brindavan and went to Mathura, the agony of the gopis was great. Krishna coming to know of it, sent Uddhava to console them. When the gopis saw Uddhava, they crowded around him and asked, “How is my Krishna? Where is our Krishna? Is He coming?” Uddhava said, “Krishna has sent me to give you some advice as to how you can realize the atma, which is pervading everywhere. Know that you and Krishna, who is atman, are one and that you have no reason to feel this separation. Krishna is within you. He is not merely a form. He is your own atman.” Listening to these words the gopis replied, “We don’t want philosophy. We are not interested in it. We want Krishna, the beautiful Being we adore, love, and worship. Without Him we are utterly miserable. Knowledge of the atman you can keep to yourself. We will have nothing to do with it. We will have alone, our adored One.” Boys, their hearts were aflame, their eyes were filled with tears, and they were silent. In this Brindavan there are no gopis. They are not feeling like that. Your Sai Krishna is always with you. You are not realizing this. What can I do? My dear boys be happy. With blessings and love Sai Krishna Source: Prema Dhara, Part 2

Letters to the Boys Dear Boys, Let every human being remake himself. Let us understand that we live not for money making, not for fulfilling our wants, not for scholarly and intellectual pursuits, but for spiritual development. Effects of karmas [actions] of the past have to be effaced with karmas backed by prema [love]. Every karma must have a background of prema. It is only in this world that spiritual progress can be made. Annihilation of the ego and dissolution of desires can be made here and now. Conquer desires, the little “i” feeling, vasanas [tendencies], vikaras [emotions], raga [attachment], and dwesha [hatred]. All these built this world of appearances and illusions. Fill the heart with the light of prema so that the evil qualities of hate, greed, and conceit find no place therein. In winnowing, the dry outer coverings are separated from the grain. So, too, you should separate the bad thoughts and emotions from the good and healthy ones…. Prema Dhaara, p. 29 “Where there is a will, there is a way,” is absolutely true. At first the will is your own. It has to be strengthened by the assent of God until you convert it into the almighty will of God. You seem to be playing a particular game that you do not really desire to give up. You can change the game, if you will. You are not weak and helpless. Every strength and power is within you. God-vision is yours the very instant you will it with concentration. But you do not will it, simply because you don’t choose to. Sai is not mocking. He is perfectly earnest. He is giving expression to the truths gathered from the depths of experience. “Trust in and submission to the supreme will in all circumstances,” means the vision of truth, the vision of the root principle of all creation. When you say, “If God wills,” it must mean that you assert your own all-powerful will. The solution, therefore, is to awaken the inherent power and splendor of your soul. Do it! You are verily the immortal truth, the great deathless and changeless reality. May victory be ever yours. With Blessings, ~Baba. Prema Dhaara, p. 14

Who is a Sai Devotee? Following is an extraordinary letter Bhagavan Baba wrote to a devotee wherein Swami enumerates the qualities one should cultivate to become His devotee. We should regard these words as our life breath. Moksha [liberation] is the final goal of man; that is why he is endowed with vijnana [secular knowledge], the special capacity to analyze and synthesize experience. The Upanishads [scriptures] declare: “Jnanadevathu Kaivalyam,” (liberation can be attained by means of knowledge alone.) For those who yearn to be saved, Sainamam [Sai’s name] is the Sanjeevini [one that infuses life], the potent drug. Those who have the name ever on their tongues must be vigilant so that egoism and the sense of possession (aham–karam and mama-karam) do not rob them of the fruits of sadhana [spiritual effort]. Really, man is jnanaswarupa [embodiment of knowledge]. Only, since the beginning of time, man has deluded himself into believing that the world is true and eternal. He is himself basically divine; but through the influence of the fundamental delusion, he deceives himself into the belief that he is the doer, the sufferer, the beneficiary, the enjoyer, etc., so, he is born again and again as a result of this attachment and is subjected to the buffetings of duality. He is drifting about in the sea of samsara [world]. Sathya-anveshana, the search for truth ought to be the nitya kritya [daily work] of Sai bhaktas [devotees], their daily activity. Prema [love] ought to become their swabhava, their very nature. Bhava-shuddhi [purity of mind] is more important for them than bahya-adambara, external finery. Be convinced that the vishwa [creation] is the Vishweshwaraswarupa [the Divine] itself; look upon every object as suffused with divinity, as Divine Itself. For, that is the truth. Again, be engaged in acts that endow every moment of your life with holiness and the fragrance of sanctity. That is the true worship of “He who is Time itself,” the Kala-swarupa. It is not through their words or their songs that persons are judged as Sai bhaktas! Deeds must be good and correct; that makes the Sai bhakta. That gives joy to Sai. I like the purity of the feelings and emotions. Pravartana or practice must be pavitra, pure. Do right and speak right… not… do wrong and speak of right conduct! If you do not act the advice you give others, you are insulting the name of Sai that you have taken. Give up show, finery, and exhibitionism. Let your eye be as soft and cool as moonlight, heart as soft as butter, words as sweet as honey. These should be the real characteristics of the Sai-bhakta. Sai’s reality is samarthaprema [capability to love]; Sai-drishti [outlook] is samanjasa prema [harmonius love]. Those who are saturated with these two types of prema are the true Sai-bhaktas. Instead, if you cavil at others, if you hold forth your own pride, and if you struggle to gather riches, you become exiles from the Lord, and stray away from the spiritual path. The Lord does not care for objects; he cares for the subjective wealth of prema.  Sai-bhaktas must have full conviction of this. Remember, the best way to promote your own peace and the peace of the world is to live in truth and prema, through every act of your life. That will be Ramarajya [characteristic glory of Rama’s reign] indeed. You must have the vision appropriate to the universal love characteristic of true bhakti [devotion].  Have the premamaya-netra [love filled eyes]; then, the world will be for you, truly Brahmamaya [to see the world as God]. Serve Sai—not with vratas [fasts], processions, puja [prayers], or ritual abhisheka [anointing the idol] and the paraphernalia of mantras [formulas] but with sad-karma, sad-achara, and sad-vakya, good deeds, good conduct, and good words.  Serve Sai thus: Sai loves these most; that is the truth of Sai. With blessings Baba Source: Sanathana Sarathi, Oct. 1964

We Bow to You, Oh Lord! No matter where you go, always do your duty as you see it and know that I will be there inside you, guiding you every step of the way. In the years to come, you will experience Me in many different manifestations of My form. You are My very own, dearer than dear to Me. I will always protect you as the eyelids protect the eyes. You already have Me and I have you. I will never leave you and You can never leave Me. From this point on, do not hanker after anything. Do your duty with unwavering love seeing all as God. Be patient. In time, everything will be given to you. Be happy. There is no need to worry about anything. Whatever is experienced, whatever happens, know that this Avatar willed it so. There is no force on earth that can delay for an instant the mission for which this Avatar has come. You are all sacred souls and you will have your parts to play in the unfolding drama of the new Golden Age, which is coming. With love,Baba

A Letter from Swami My Dears, Sai is love. He is compassion and kindness itself. He is ever dwelling in the hearts of you all. To trust Him means freedom from all anxiety, fear, and doubts. He is you, all in all. When you have such a Lord of the universe to depend upon, why should you be afraid or anxious about anything? His great assurance should always sustain you and infuse into you courage, strength, peace, and joy. He says, “Lo! To those who worship Me alone, thinking of no other, I bring full security.” He does everything for your best. No condition is miserable for you if you have full faith in this truth. Kings and potentates are unhappy in spite of their wealth and external glory because of their lack of faith in the beneficent providence of God. The almighty Lord of the world, seated in your hearts, is the sole doer. You are mere puppets. Let Him make you dance as He wills. Yours is not to question, “Why?” Difficulties and worries are not due to outside causes. They are due to a mind not surrendered unto God. With Love and Blessings, Baba Source: Prema Dhara

Life is a Business My Dears! Accept my blessings and love. The fruit is sweet even if the rind can be bitter. For, after all, it is the juice of the orange and the sugar content of the sugar cane that counts. Remove the rind of anger, malice, envy, and greed and assimilate the goodness of virtues so that its sweetness can develop within you. Be like the lotus. Even though it emerges from slime and mud, it rises up above the water and remains untouched by it, and does not allow itself to get wet. Be like the lotus or the lily of the pond and remain unattached. Life itself is a market, a kind of business. There is the receiving and the giving, buying and selling, bargaining and speculating with their associated ups and downs, profits and losses, joys and sorrows, depreciations and appreciations and balance sheets—all part of a game. But the giving of bhakti [devotion] in exchange for mukti [liberation] is the most powerful business of all. There are three types of men: those who consider the pleasures of others first and thereby derive pleasure of their own, those who seek pleasures for themselves only with no attention paid to the pleasures of others, and those who try to prevent others from getting pleasures or benefits even at the cost of their own. With Blessings, Baba (Sathya Sai)

Best Way to Self-Realize My Dears, You will find truth deep within yourself. Think about it many times; ponder over it, it tells you about your true nature. It gives you hope, it gives you new life, it points out the way, it proves to you that God is within you, and that man is God. It shows you that it is possible for you to realize God (your Swamiji). But you and you alone must ponder over this deeply. You will find that you will begin to know what is meant by the statement: “The Self cannot be explained. The mind knows of its existence.” The Self-God is within man. You are that Self. All else is an illusion of the mind’s creation; the mind that creates, preserves, and destroys. My Love! The great joy! The subtlety of the bliss! That you will feel as you come closer and closer to your real Self. You strive in vain because, the mind cannot give you truth; a lie cannot give you the truth. A lie can only entangle you in a web of deceit. You must sensitize your Self and awaken your true, fine, and beautiful qualities. Above you—nothing; below you—nothing; to the right of you or to the left of you—nothing. Dissolve yourself into the nothingness; that would be the best way you could explain the realization of the Self. And yet, that nothingness would not be the absence of something like the nothingness…that nothingness is the fullness of everything, the power of the existence of that, appears to be everything. ~BabaSource: The Divine Within, Pg. 148

Sai Is Always with You Accept My love and blessings. I lit the lamp of love, inside of you. I lit the fire within you,to feed the rage of lust, of greed, of anger.Bound by strings of attachment I whispered to youthe secret of fighting your inner foes,living a life of love, in chanting God’s name.Embedding My picture in your heart,permeating body and soul with love,The Divine love that you had known not,Me filled you with the glory of thy majesty.Taught to breath to Sohum [that I am], that you could see beyond the evil. Oh….Lord! With love and blessingsSai is always with you, in you, and around you. You are Sai. ~Baba  You Are Sai, Pg. 139Source: Prema Dhara, part 2