1959: The Underlying Truths

Teachings to treasure, teachings that transform. In this auspicious year 2015 commemorating the 90th birthday of Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, we offer a compilation of key messages from the over 140 discourses in the month of July, including Guru Poornima Days between the years 1958 and 2009.

1959: The Underlying Truths

The individual soul has come to this birth in order to reveal the splendour of the spark of Godhead, which It is. The body is the wick of the lamp, yearning for God is the ghee that feeds the flame.

Santhi is to be won by spiritual disciplines, not by study of books. Books are just guides for some bit of the road. Afterward, you have to find the way yourselves, and it gets easier as you go.

Develop faith in yourselves, so that you can stand like a rock braving the rushing waters of the flood of nega­tion. That faith will make you forget the changing circumstances of the outer world.

Keep the flame of detachment with tiny sticks until it grows into a big bonfire; welcome all chances to de­velop discrimination.

Take the name of the Lord and repeat it always. Do bhajans with faith and enthusiasm. There is no better method of using money than for promoting devotion, for then the entire system, indi­vidual and social, will benefit. If money is stored and not circulated, it will cause social swellings, and the swell­ings may become boils and burst.

Music as a vehicle of peace is universally popular; men, women, and children of all lands are amenable to its subtle influence. Even animals and plants are susceptible to music. The Lord has said: “Where My devotees sing, there I seat Myself (madbhaktha yathra gaayanthe, thathra thishthaami, Narada)”

Prayer and contrition are the two disciplines by which the mind can be cleansed of egoism and hatred; The science of spiritual culture and of the control of the mind has been developed and practised in this country for thousands of years, and that is why Indian civilisation has stood the shock of ages and the fury of typhoons that swept whole people off their feet. India is still green and fresh, on the threshold of a new era, under the leadership of her own ancient ideals.

The pleasures from sensual enjoyment (bhoganandam) must finally be con­verted into happiness from divine union (yoganandam); A spiritual seeker should be (1) full of devotion, (2) prepared to enjoy suffering, (3) free from the attachment to the transitory, (4) eager to serve the Lord, (5) of correct conduct, (6) charitable, (7) having an unsullied reputa­tion, (8) with no blemish on his character, (9) fully content, (10) endowed with good qualities, (11) equipped with all the virtues, (12) equipped with the fruits of learning, (13) ripe in wisdom, (14) self-controlled, (15) adorned with commendable social traits, (16) full of humility and fully surrendered to God.


Points to Ponder

How to develop the sixteen qualities that Baba has indicated for a spiritual aspirant?

Comments