July, Tuesday 2nd., 2019
Teachings of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Teachings of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
https://www.sathyasai.org/publications/TeachingsOfBSSSB-Vol01.html
Volume 1
Contents
Do Not Waste Food
Do Not Waste Money
Do Not Waste Time
Do Not Waste Energy
Do Not Exploit Nature
Non-violence
Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forbearance
Peace
Penance
Meditation
Truth
Ceiling on Desires
Do Not Waste Food
Do Not Waste Money
Do Not Waste Time
Do Not Waste Energy
Do Not Exploit Nature
Reproduced
below are thirteen divine discourses delivered by Bhagawan Sri Sathya
Sai Baba in which He explains the “Ceiling on Desires Programme.”
Desires Are a Prison
What is the meaning of “Ceiling on Desires”? Man
is deluded by his unlimited desires. He is living in a dream world. He
is forgetting the Supreme Consciousness. That is why it is important to
keep our desires under control, to place a ceiling on them. We are
spending too much money. Instead of inordinate spending for our own
pleasure, we should be spending for the relief of the poor and needy.
This is the real meaning of “Ceiling on Desires.”
Do not make the mistake of thinking that giving
money is all that is needed, however. Do not give to others while
allowing your own desires to continue to multiply. Curtail your desires,
as materialistic desires lead to a restless and disastrous life.
Desires are a prison. Man can be freed only by limiting his wants. You
should have desire only for life’s bare necessities.
How Can You Reduce Desires?
First, food. Eat
only what you need to eat. Don’t be greedy. Do not take more than you
can eat and waste the rest, because wasting food is a great sin. The
surplus food can feed another stomach. Do not waste food, because food
is God, life is God, and man is born from food. Food is the main source
of man’s life, body, mind, and character.
The gross part of the food, which is the major
portion of the food consumed by the body, is thrown out as waste matter.
A minute amount of the food, which is the subtle part, is assimilated
by the body and flows as blood. And a minuscule amount, which is the
subtlest part of the food, makes up the mind. Therefore the mind is the
reflection of the food consumed. The reason for the present beastly and
demonic tendencies in our minds is because of the food we consume.
Instead of kindness, compassion, love, and
patience, only bad qualities such as hatred and attachment are being
perpetrated. Therefore the quality of the food that we eat should be
very pure, very clean, very sanctified, and satwic. Man receives real nourishment from such food.
A large part of the water we drink is expelled
as urine. A minute part of the water consumed becomes the life force.
Therefore the nature of the food and water that we take in decides our
character. Only by controlling the quality of our food and water can we
attain Divinity. That is why food is said to be God. Hence to waste food
is to waste God. Do not waste food. Eat only what you need, and be sure
that what you eat is satwic. Give any surplus food to those in need.
Second, money.
Indians consider money or wealth as the Goddess Lakshmi. Do not misuse
money. By doing so you will only become a slave to bad qualities, bad
ideas, and bad habits. Use your money wisely for good deeds. Do not
waste money, as misuse of money is evil. It will lead you along the
wrong path.
Third, time. The
most important, the most needed factor is time. One should not waste
time. Time should be spent in a useful manner. Time should be sanctified
because everything in this creation is dependent on time. Even our
scriptures say that God is referred to as time and as non-time. God is
not limited by time. He is beyond time; He is time; He restricts time.
Time is the embodiment of God. Everything depends on time.
The main reason for man’s birth and death is
time. Time is the main factor in our growth. If we waste time, our lives
will be wasted. Therefore time is an essential part of our life. Do not
degrade time by spending it participating in unnecessary conversations,
or by getting involved in others’ personal matters. The truth behind
the saying “Don’t waste time” is that no time should be wasted in evil
thoughts and acts. Instead, make use of time in an efficient way.
Fourth, energy.
Our physical, mental, and spiritual energies should never be wasted. You
might ask me, “How are we wasting our energies?” If you see bad things,
your energy is wasted. Hearing bad things, speaking evil, thinking evil
thoughts, and doing evil deeds wastes your energy. Conserve your energy
in all these five areas, and make your life more meaningful.
See no evil—see what is good.
Hear no evil—hear what is good.
Speak no evil—speak what is good.
Think no evil—think what is good.
Do no evil—do what is good.
This is the way to God.
The path of Divinity is not seeing, listening,
speaking, thinking, or doing anything bad. If we are not following this
path, we are wasting our energy. On account of this waste of energy, we
are losing our memory power, intelligence, power of discrimination, and
power of justice.
Today’s man is not capable of discriminating
between good and bad. Then how can he enter the path of right action?
You might be wondering how this is possible; how are we wasting time?
For example, when you turn on the radio to listen to a certain
programme, whether you raise or lower the volume of the sound, as long
as the radio is on, the current is being used.
Our mind is like the radio. Whether you talk
with others or only think within yourself, you are consuming energy.
Your mind is working all the time. Since it is always turned on, you are
consuming a lot of energy. Instead of wasting that power, energy, or
force in mental meandering, isn’t it better to spend your time in
thinking good thoughts?
The Ceiling on Desires Programme has been
proposed so that man does not waste anything in the areas of food,
money, time, or energy.
Main Goal of the Sathya Sai Organisation
Today, however, some service-oriented people and
workers in the Sri Sathya Sai World Organisation have not fully
realised this. Instead they are giving money, thinking that it is
service. They are cleverly getting out of serving, while their desires
are growing out of bounds. We should gradually try to change these
attitudes. The main goal of the Sai Organisation is to enable members,
workers, and officers to lead ideal, perfect, and happy lives. Therefore
we must live up to the high ideals of the organisation and transform
ourselves into ideal beings, thus helping others to follow our example.
Sathya Sai Newsletter (USA), Volume 13, Number 3
(Spring 1989). Divine Discourse on Service and the Sai Organisation,
November 21, 1988.
Ceiling on Desires
2
Easiest Way of Achieving Control of the Mind
You should be established in the awareness that
the Lord is ever present. You must also be prompted by the feeling that
you are performing deeds for the pleasure of the Lord. This is the
easiest way of achieving control of the mind.
If you are prompted by feelings that your body
belongs to the Lord, you will not sin with your body. On the other hand,
all your efforts and endeavours will proceed towards Divinity. If you
are saturated with the conviction that your energy belongs to God, you
will not misuse it. It is in light of this that we have prescribed the
principle of ceiling on desires in the Sri Sathya Sai Centres.
Fourfold Programme
The first ceiling on desires is “Don’t waste
food. Food is God.” Your body is made of food, and you are the result of
the food eaten by your parents. Food is God. Eat as much as it is
necessary to eat. But do not throw away food by taking too much on your
plate. By wasting food you will be wasting the energy divine.
The second instruction is “Don’t waste money.
God is wealth.” Since God is wealth, misuse of money is evil. Practice
charity by gifting away money, food, clothes, houses, etc., instead of
misusing money in extravagance. Misuse of money is not only evil but a
sin as well. The third instruction is “Don’t waste time. Time waste is
life waste.”
God is exalted as time. He is beyond time,
transcends time and is the embodiment of time. Spend the time by using
sanctifying words. Do not waste time. Wasting time is wasting God.
The fourth instruction is “Don’t waste energy.”
People waste their energy by indulging in bad thoughts, seeing bad
things, hearing bad things, and taking bad actions.
The right royal road is the following:
See no evil—see what is good.
Hear no evil—hear what is good.
Speak no evil—speak what is good.
Think no evil—think what is good.
Do no evil—do what is good.
By translating the above instructions into
practice, you will be sanctifying your time. This is the spiritual
practice and the service that you have to undertake. A time will come
when the mind will be extinguished and merger with the divine will be
achieved.
Summer Showers in Brindavan 1993;
Chapter 6: The Conquest of the Mind.
Chapter 6: The Conquest of the Mind.
Ceiling on Desires
3
Light the Lamp of Love Within
Man is making every attempt today to be happy,
blissful. Where do you get bliss? Is it in the material things, in the
world, in individuals, in books? No, not at all. Bliss is within one’s
own Self. You have forgotten your true Self, the source of bliss. You
are struggling hard for artificial happiness outside. You are not aware
of the reality that lies in the heart. In fact, all the bliss is there.
The principle of love originates from the heart, not from the world.
Everyone should develop love more and more. But
today there is hatred and anger everywhere. Wherever you look, there is
desire, enmity, and fear. How do you expect to be at peace? How do you
expect to be blissful? Light the lamp of love within. Then fear and
illusion can be removed, and you can have the vision of the Self.
Otherwise you are bound to suffer.
You have to exercise a ceiling on your desires.
There are rules for a ceiling with regard to land and property. But you
have no ceiling on your desires. Ceiling on desires means exercising
control over them. You can be happy once the desires are controlled.
Less Luggage, More Comfort, Makes Travel a Pleasure
Your life is a long journey. You should have
less luggage (desires) in this long journey of life. Therefore it is
said, “Less luggage, more comfort, makes travel a pleasure.” So, ceiling
on desires is what you have to adopt today. You have to cut short your
desires day by day. You are under the mistaken notion that happiness
lies in the fulfillment of desires. But, in fact, happiness begins to
dawn when desires are totally eradicated.
When you reduce your desires, you advance
towards the state of renunciation. You have many desires. What do you
get out of them? You are bound to face the consequences when you claim
something as yours. When you claim a piece of land as yours, then you
will have to reap the harvest. This instinct of ego and attachment will
put you to suffering. You will be blissful the moment you give up ego
and attachment.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 32, Part 1,
Chapter 6: Put a Ceiling on Your Desires.
Chapter 6: Put a Ceiling on Your Desires.
Ceiling on Desires
4
Nothing Accompanies You When You Leave the World
Wherever you look today, there are only desires,
desires, and more desires. Put a ceiling on these desires! Only then
will your mind become steady. You say, “I want this, I want that,” etc.
Thus you develop many wants. They are like passing clouds. Why should
you multiply your wants, these passing clouds? Ultimately, nothing
accompanies you at the time of your leaving this mortal body.
Great kings and emperors ruled over this world.
They conquered many countries and accumulated boundless wealth. Even
Alexander the Great, who conquered several parts of the world, could not
take with him even a miniscule part of the wealth he accumulated. He
had to leave this world with empty hands.
To demonstrate this truth, he instructed his
ministers to take his dead body in a procession through the streets of
his capital, keeping both his hands in a raised position pointing
towards the sky. The ministers were curious to know the reason for this
strange request. He said, “I have conquered many countries and
accumulated so much wealth. There is a vast army under my control. Yet
none is accompanying me at the time of my leaving this body. I am going
with empty hands. This has to be demonstrated to all people.”
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 41,
Chapter 19: Contemplate on God, the Real Hero, for Victory.
Chapter 19: Contemplate on God, the Real Hero, for Victory.
Ceiling on Desires
5
Excessive Desire Causes Imbalance in Nature
Man should put a ceiling on his desires. As
man’s conduct is perverted, today we find natural calamities taking
place. You are aware of the devastation caused by the earthquake in
Gujarat. Thousands of people lost their lives. The reason for this is
that man is entertaining excessive desires. God maintains perfect
balance in His creation. In God’s creation, the Earth and the oceans are
endowed with balance. But man is indiscriminately exploiting the Earth
for extracting oil.
Every day tonnes of fish are caught from the
oceans. This indiscriminate exploitation of Nature results in imbalance
in Earth, which is playing havoc with human lives. Only when man is free
from unsteadiness within, will he not be troubled by earthquake.
Do Not Rob Nature of Its Resources to Satisfy Your Greed
Not only the people of India but also the people
of the entire world should strive to maintain balance. The five
elements are nothing but manifestations of the divine. Man’s life will
be secure only when he realises this truth and acts accordingly. A few
days ago, I sent lorry loads of rice, grams, etc., to the earthquake
victims of Gujarat.
Some people asked, “Swami, why should you take
the trouble to spend so much money for sending relief material to
Gujarat? You could have instead averted the earthquake.” I replied, “My
dear, man has to blame himself for the earthquakes. Due to excessive
greed for wealth, he is disturbing the balance of the Earth. Hence the
earthquake. That is the law of Nature.”
You have to express your love for man by helping
the needy. Love is your nature. Just as balance is very much essential
for Nature, so also love is very much needed for man. Know that whatever
God has created is for your own welfare. You should enjoy Nature
according to your need. You should not rob Nature of its resources to
satisfy your greed.
Science Should Be Utilised Only to the Extent Needed
Here is an example. Once a greedy person owned a
duck, which used to lay a golden egg every day. One day, he ripped open
the stomach of the duck thinking that he would get many golden eggs at a
time. Today man also is indulging in such foolish and greedy acts.
Instead of being satisfied with what Nature is giving him, he aspires
for more and more, and in the process, he is creating imbalance in
Nature.
Today scientists are interested in new
inventions. The advancement in science and technology has also led to
imbalance in Nature. As a result, there are earthquakes and no timely
rains. Science should be utilised only to the extent needed. Science has
its limitations, and crossing those limits leads to danger.
You have a long way to go. Adhere to truth and
righteousness. Our ancient sages said, “Speak truth, speak pleasantly,
and do not speak unpleasant truth.” Make proper use of natural
resources, and do not put them to misuse. Help everybody, and make them
happy. Share all the good things you have learnt with others. This is
your foremost duty.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 34,
Chapter 3: Vision of the Atma.
Chapter 3: Vision of the Atma.
Ceiling on Desires
6
Desires Are the Root Cause of Man’s Disturbance
All the spiritual practices that man performs
aims at making his mind steady. There is no use in constantly repeating
God’s name, meditating, and practising spiritual austerities if the mind
is not steady. Once you have the five senses under control, you can
experience God. He is not far away from you. He is in you, below you,
above you, and all around you. God, in fact, is the indweller of man.
Yet man is not able to see Him. What is the reason? Man’s limitless and
wayward desires prevent him from seeing God.
Desires are the root cause of man’s disturbance.
Sense control and ceiling on desires will help him to see God all
around and experience bliss. So, we have to keep our desires in check.
We should not be worried by the evil talk that others indulge in. We
should not be affected by calumny and criticism.
Control the Five Senses
Buddha wanted to control the five senses. He
decided, first and foremost, to acquire right vision. Man today is not
able to control his vision because of the fickleness of his mind.
Cinema, video, TV, etc., have polluted the mind of man. He does not see
good and hear good. Man is the cause of his own restlessness.
Besides right vision, Buddha emphasised the need
for right hearing, right speech, right feeling, and right thinking. Due
to lack of these, humanness is fast giving way to devilishness and
beastliness. Animal qualities are fast increasing in man. Animals have a
season and a reason, but man has none. Man today has become worse than
animals. Human qualities like compassion, kindness, love, and
forbearance are absent in him. He should be free from evil thoughts,
which are the root cause of his worries. This requires constant and
sustained practice.
Master the Mind, and Be a Mastermind
Man can control the mind and attain peace by
constant and sustained practice. It is only in a peaceful mind that
noble thoughts arise. The mind should be under the control of man. Master the mind, and be a mastermind.
Unfortunately, instead of controlling the mind, man has become the
slave of his senses. That is the main cause of his unsteadiness.
Moreover, he has body attachment. This is the reason he gets easily
disturbed if people find fault with him. Why should he worry about the
body when the body is like a water bubble? You should get rid of body
attachment.
Summer Showers in Brindavan 2002;
Chapter 11: Sense Control Is the Highest Sadhana.
Chapter 11: Sense Control Is the Highest Sadhana.
Ceiling on Desires
7
Learn a Lesson from Nature
There are four components in the term “Ceiling
on Desires.” They are curb on excessive talk, curb on excessive desires
and expenditure, control of consumption of food, and check on waste of
energy. Man needs some essential commodities for his sustenance, and he
should not aspire for more.
We can learn a lesson in this respect from
Nature. Only if air is available in sufficient quantity will it be
comfortable and good. If it is excessive and there is a gale, you will
feel uncomfortable. When you are thirsty, you can consume only a limited
quantity of water. You can’t consume the entire water of the River
Ganga! We take only as much as is needed for the sustenance of the body.
Doctors know that the body temperature is
normally 98.6 degrees. If this goes up to 99 degrees, they say fever has
set in due to some disorder in the body. We inhale and exhale at a
normal rate. If there is a slight increase or decrease in the rate, it
indicates disorder in the body. Changes in the pulse rate or blood
pressure also indicate disorder. So you find that if you exceed the
limits even to a little extent it is dangerous or harmful to the body.
There is a limit for everything to function in a
normal way. When your eyes happen to see a flash of lightning or a
flash of light while taking photographs, they automatically close
because they can’t withstand such high illumination. Eardrums also
cannot tolerate hearing beyond a certain volume, and we cover our ears
or keep cotton inside the ears. From these we see that our life is a limited company!
Our Desires Should Be Limited
Similarly our desires also should be limited. Women are usually desirous of adding to their wardrobe any number of saris (long traditional dress worn by Indian women) when they go to a shop or an exhibition. You should have a reasonable number of saris,
but not a huge collection for pomp or show. Misuse of money is a great
evil. Even men will have to do their own bit in controlling the
expenditure on unwanted and unnecessary things.
Money is the embodiment of Divinity. When you
talk of wealth, you should be careful to avoid avaricious accumulation
and extravagant expenditure. Even in the preparation of food, you should
be careful in avoiding wastage. We are only doing a disservice by
consuming more food than what is necessary for the body.
Thirdly, you should be careful about “time,”
which is the yardstick of life. Seconds become hours, hours become
years, years make ages, and so on. You should not waste this most
valuable “time.” Time lost in wasteful pursuits can’t be got back by any
means. All our activities should be planned for utilising the available
time to maximum advantage. So, we should not waste food, money, time,
and energy.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 16,
Chapter 3: Ceiling on Desires-I.
Chapter 3: Ceiling on Desires-I.
Ceiling on Desires
8
Aims of the “Ceiling on Desires Programme”
There is a programme connected with “Ceiling on
Desires.” You must realise that this programme has not been launched to
raise funds. The object of the programme is to prevent waste of money,
time, food, or other resources and to use all these for the welfare of
the people. The money that is saved need not be kept for the Sathya Sai
Organisations. It may be used in the best way you choose for the benefit
of others. Do not waste time. Time wasted is life wasted. Time is God.
Sanctify all the time at your disposal by undertaking service activities
in a pure and unselfish spirit.
Today we waste time on unnecessary and unwanted
things, in indulging in unnecessary talk and doing meaningless actions.
In all these actions we are sacrificing the body to time. Instead we
should try to make time our servant. It means spending our time in good
thoughts and good deeds. Every second of your daily existence you must
ask these questions: “How am I utilising time? Is it for a good or bad
purpose?”
Likewise, with regard to food you must ask, “Am I
just eating what I need, or more? Am I wasting food?” So also with
regard to money: “Am I using this money for my own selfish needs or for
boosting my name and fame or to satisfy my ego and vanity?” Once you
start seeking answers to these questions, there is no greater spiritual
practice.
These are the aims of the “Ceiling on Desires
Programme.” It was never the purpose of this programme to collect money
for the Sathya Sai Organisations. The object was to encourage you to
share your money with others, to give you an opportunity to utilise your
surplus resources for some good and noble purpose that will sanctify
your life.
Make Your Lives Sacred and Worthwhile
Three types of strength are given to a person:
physical strength, mental strength, and the power of money. It has been
said that all these should be offered as yajna
(sacrifice). This sacrifice is not offered to God. God, who has given
you your body and your mind, does not need them for Himself. God is also
the source of all wealth. What does He want with your wealth?
Use it for sacred purposes. The service
programme is intended only to provide you with opportunities to make
your lives sacred and worthwhile. It is to develop the spirit of
sacrifice.
This Endeavour Is Not for the Sake of Sai
Was it beyond the power of Rama to discover Sita
in Lanka Himself? What need was there for Him to send Hanuman? Rama
wanted Hanuman to go on the search so that He could show to the world
the devotion and steadfastness and faith of Hanuman. It is a case of
grace on the part of Rama.
In the same manner, if Sai wants to do so many
things Himself, He can do anything. This endeavour is not for the sake
of Sai. It is done through these service organisations so that members
of the organisation get the chance to do service and redeem themselves.
Try to understand the basic truth that these avenues of service have
been provided so that you will get a good name for yourself and not for
the sake of Sai.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 17,
Chapter 16: Ceiling on Desires-II.
Chapter 16: Ceiling on Desires-II.
Ceiling on Desires
9
Always Be Happy
Whatever trouble you may face, you must learn to
feel happy in any circumstance. If you are stung by a scorpion, you
must console yourself that you were not bitten by a snake, and when you
are bitten by a snake, you must console yourself that it has not proved
fatal. Even if you are not able to own a vehicle, be happy that your
legs are intact to enable you to walk. Even if you are not a
millionaire, be happy that you have enough resources to feed yourself
and your family. This is the way to experience joy even in adverse
circumstances.
Turn Your Effort to Realise the Reality Within
Ceiling on desires is a must for leading a
peaceful and meaningful life. You must curb the desire to seek more and
more wealth and turn your effort to realise the Reality within. In
pursuing this effort, you must avoid waste of food, money, time, energy,
and knowledge as all these are forms of God. Unnecessary talk should be
avoided as this results in waste of energy and reduction of memory
power.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 27,
Chapter 20: Spiritual Orientation to Education.
Chapter 20: Spiritual Orientation to Education.
Ceiling on Desires
10
Peace Can Be Attained Only by God’s Grace
In the modern world, every person tries hard to
attain peace. Peace cannot be attained by spiritual precepts, nor can it
be obtained from a market as a commodity. It cannot be acquired even by
knowledge of the texts, or a high position in life. Peace can be
attained only by God’s grace.
Though man is eager to attain peace, he
confronts many obstacles in the path. Those who travel by train may be
well acquainted with the slogan “Less luggage, more comfort, makes
travel a pleasure.” Now, man is burdening himself with limitless
desires. Because of this extra heavy luggage of desires, he finds it
extremely difficult to carry on the journey of life. By such
proliferation of desires, he loses his balance, moves far away from his
goal, and even tends to go mad.
It is for this reason that I have been stressing
the need for ceiling on desires. By limiting your desires, you can
attain peace to a certain extent. You have to exercise a check on your
desires and make efforts to get the grace of the divine.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 31,
Chapter 19: Faith, Love, and Grace.
Chapter 19: Faith, Love, and Grace.
Ceiling on Desires
11
Bad Qualities Are the Result of Your Own Thoughts
Suppose you get angry. From where did this anger
come? This has come from you only. Similarly, jealousy is a quality
that manifested from your mind. Thus each one of these bad qualities is
the result of your own thoughts. Hence if only you are able to control
your thoughts properly, you will be able to achieve anything in life.
The mind, intellect, and awareness are the reflections of the Atma.
The mind has no stability. It is the repository of thoughts and
desires. It is said, “The mind alone is the cause of bondage or
liberation.” Hence one has to keep the mind under proper control by
putting some ceiling on desires.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 42,
Chapter 1: Know Thyself! You Will Know Everything.
Chapter 1: Know Thyself! You Will Know Everything.
Ceiling on Desires
12
Do Not Trigger the Negative Aspect of Nature
Man has to consider himself as a limb of society
and help in the welfare of society, just as the organs of one’s body
are used for one’s well-being. Again society is a limb of Nature, and
Nature is a limb of the Supreme Lord. Thus there is a close relationship
between man and God.
Nature is more progressive than man, and to
protect Nature, man has to exploit it within limits. When man tampers
with Nature recklessly, it reacts adversely and trouble arises. In order
to protect Nature, man has to practise ceiling on desires. He should
not trigger the negative aspect of Nature.
In this respect, scientists have no concern for
the harmful effects that may accrue to society by their inventions. They
do not care for the welfare of mankind and go on making use of
intelligence to produce their weapons of destruction. Care should be
exercised in providing comforts, as excessive comforts may spoil man’s
mind and cause misery instead of happiness. Nothing good can be achieved
without restraints.
Because of the advancement of technology and
provision of excessive comforts, life has become mechanical and
spirituality has declined. Science fragments everything to pieces,
whereas spirituality builds up unity in diversity. Today man is not
making efforts to cultivate the feeling of oneness among humanity.
Intimate Relationship of Man, God, and Nature
For example, the ozone layer in the atmosphere
protects the people on Earth from the evil effects of solar radiation.
Because of the advance of technology, several factories have sprung up,
causing emission of harmful gases in the atmosphere. As a result, the
ozone layer has become thinner, and if this goes on unchecked, it may
have disastrous consequences. Scientists are trying to stop the breakup
of the ozone layer, but they are unable to find a remedy.
The actual cause for this situation is that more
carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. Normally carbon dioxide
is absorbed by plants and trees, which can assimilate the gas and
supply oxygen by the natural process of photosynthesis. But, because
there is deforestation to an alarming extent, the amount of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere has considerably increased. Therefore the
remedy for this situation is intensive afforestation, growing more trees
everywhere and protecting the existing trees without destroying them
for other purposes. Thus the relationship of man, Nature, and God is
very intimate, which scientists may not be able to realise.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 26,
Chapter 3: The Predicament of Man Today.
Chapter 3: The Predicament of Man Today.
Ceiling on Desires
13
Cultivate Four Desirable Practices
The Sai Organisations have been enjoined to
carry out a programme of ceiling on desires. Everyone should try to
control desires as much as possible. The promotion of human values is
another item in the programme. These human values are inherent in every
person. All that is needed is for everyone to manifest them in his daily
life. Truth, righteousness, and peace are all in you.
You are the embodiment of truth, peace, love,
and God. Recognise this fact. Members of Sai Organisations should
cultivate certain desirable practices. For instance, they should
regulate their diet, because one’s food influences one’s thoughts.
Smoking and intoxicating drinks have to be given up. They are ruinous
for the health. Meat eating should also be given up because eating
animal food promotes animal tendencies. The fourth evil that has to be
eliminated is gambling.
Those who take to the spiritual path should
avoid as much as possible these four bad practices. It is sinful to
slaughter poor animals for one’s food. Sai members should follow the
motto “Help ever; hurt never.”
There is no meaning in professing to respect
human values without observing the rule that you should cause no harm to
others in any form whatsoever. God loves those who serve others because
He is in all of them. Whomever you may serve, consider it as service to
God. Divinise all your actions. Treat every action you perform as God’s
work.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 28,
Chapter 34: Spiritual Significance of Loving Service.
Chapter 34: Spiritual Significance of Loving Service.
Non-violence
Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forebearance
Peace
Penance
Meditation
Truth
It
is the experience and practice of the citizens of India that they
generally worship God with flowers, offer ritual adoration, and make
obeisance to God. But there is something that is more sacred than this.
There is a distinctive type of devotion by which you worship God with a
good, clean mind and good conduct. This has been given the name of para bhakthi
(supreme devotion). By always worshipping God with ritual worship and
flowers, the spiritual aspirant will remain stationary in his place.
This is good in a way, but to remain in one place all the time and
failing to rise to a higher position is not good.
There is a superior type of worship — to worship
God through good qualities, good conduct, good thoughts, and good
company. The scriptures have described this kind of worship as worship
through good qualities. By offering what kind of good qualities can we
please God?
Eight Flowers of Worship
The first flower with which we can worship God
is non-violence. The second flower is control of senses. The third
flower is compassion. The fourth one is forbearance. The fifth flower is
peace. The sixth flower is penance. The seventh one is the flower of
meditation. The eighth is the flower of truth. The inner meaning of this
statement is that God will shower grace on you if you worship him
through these eight flowers.
The flowers in nature always fade, drop down,
lose fragrance, and also develop an odour that is not pleasant. Instead
of worshipping with such worldly flowers, which are impermanent and
receiving impermanent rewards from God, we should worship Him with what
is truthful and thereby attain a stage that is higher.
The flowers that you are using for worship have
not been created by you. You are bringing flowers that have been created
by the Will of God on some tree or in some garden and are offering them
back to the Creator Himself. What is the greatness in using the flowers
created by God and giving them back to God Himself? Many people bathe
in the Ganges River, take the water from the Ganges into their palms,
and offer it back to the Ganges itself. This is not what you have
created. This is not what you have the right to offer.
From the tree of your life, picking such fruits
that you have protected and that you have grown in the form of good
qualities and offering them to God, there is some distinctiveness in
that. In order to promote good qualities, you have to undergo several
troubles. So it is through these good qualities that your mind can also
acquire a divine concentration. Without good qualities and without good
thoughts, how can you fix your mind in meditation?1
FIRST FLOWER
The first flower is the flower of non-violence.
We regard the word non-violence to mean not causing harm and hurt to
other living things. The true meaning of the word is not to cause hurt
and harm to any other living being through your thought, word, or deed.
Cleansing and purifying these three—thought, word, and deed—has been
called a Thriputi (summit of three) in spiritual parlance. All of them should be harmonised and brought together as one unit of flower.1
We find doctors performing surgeries on patients
to cure them of their ailments. In the process of surgery, the doctors
cut the body with a knife. You cannot call it an act of violence because
it is beneficial to the patient. Some people may argue that even
cutting vegetables is an act of violence because vegetables and trees
have life in them. No doubt, vegetables and trees have life, but they do
not have the mind. Consequently, they do not suffer any pain.
Only man has got five sheaths, namely, food
sheath, life sheath, mind sheath, wisdom sheath, and bliss sheath. One
with the mind experiences pain and pleasure. Men, animals, birds, and
insects are endowed with the mind, not trees and vegetables. In some
trees, you find the sap oozing out when you pluck their fruit. Oozing of
sap from a tree is a natural phenomenon, but some people mistake it for
the tears of suffering. The trees do not suffer any pain because they
do not have the faculty of mind.2
SECOND FLOWER
The second flower is the control of sensory
organs. Our senses run without any control. If running horses or animals
are not controlled, they pose a danger. God has created each organ of
the human body for a specific purpose. It is only when we use these
sensory organs along the right path for which they have been created
that we will be entitled to God’s grace. God has given us a nose. We
should make an attempt to breathe in and breathe out through the nose
and only accept fragrance through the nose. If we use such a nose to
take snuff, the purpose will become useless. In the same manner, He has
given us the mouth and a tongue in order that we may take in pure food.
If we use the mouth to take in unholy food or intoxicating drinks, then
we will be using the mouth for a wrong purpose.
In the same manner, we should understand under
what conditions and in what times and in what manner we should use each
of these organs and put them under control. Our inner strength will
become less and less on account of excitement or unnecessary sorrow. The
body will become ill by mental agitations and distractions. Man ages
very quickly through excitement and sorrow. The reason for your not
preserving this sacred instrument in sound condition is lack of control
over these sensory organs. The second flower of sensory control should
be used for worshipping God.1
Lack of Sense Control Is the Main Cause of Unrest and Agitation
All spiritual practices will prove futile if one
lacks sense control. Control of the senses is very essential for one
and all. Lack of sense control is the main cause of all the unrest and
agitation that you find in the world today. How can one control the
senses? First of all, one should exercise control over the tongue.
You must control your tongue as it always craves
a variety of delicacies. You must ask this question, “O tongue, how
many bags of rice, wheat, and vegetables have you devoured! How many
delicacies have you consumed! Fie on you if you are still not
satisfied.” A morsel of food is enough to sustain the body. You should
eat for the sake of satisfying your hunger and sustaining the body. Do
not give undue importance to taste. Likewise, tell your eyes to see God
instead of watching unsacred things on television or video. Teach your
ears to listen to the stories of the Lord instead of listening to vain
gossip.
O ears, you are interested in listening to vain
gossip and tales about others, but you pay least attention when the
wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated.
(Telugu Song)
Think for a while how you benefit by listening
to unsacred things. In fact, you are polluting your heart in the
process. All that you see and hear gets imprinted on your heart. Once
your heart is polluted, your life will become meaningless. The human
heart is like a pen. The colour of the words that you write will be the
same as the colour of the ink in the pen. Likewise, when you fill your
heart with love, all that you think, say, and do will be suffused with
love. God expects you to fill your heart with love and lead a sacred
life.2
THIRD FLOWER
The third flower is compassion for all living
things. Looking merely and superficially at human nature, which has
diverse aspects, we are forgetting God in this field. From the seed of
Divinity the tree of creation has grown. On this tree of creation the
fruits are the human beings that are the individual souls. In each of
these human fruits, there is Divinity in the form of seed. That is why
in the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna has said, “I am the seed in all the living beings.” Recognising the truth that God is present in the form of the Atma in all living beings, we say compassion for all living beings is the next flower.1
The Story of Abou Ben Adhem
Students might have heard the story of Abou Ben
Adhem who always offered compassion towards all beings as a form of
service to the Lord. Every day he traveled the streets to serve the
destitute and the handicapped and returned home late in the night. One
night when he returned home, he found in his bedroom an angel writing
something. When he asked her what she was writing, she replied that she
was making a list of those who loved God. She replied in the negative
when he asked her if his name was on that list.
The following night when he returned home, he
again found the angel writing something. He queried, “Mother, what is it
that you are writing now?” She said, “Son, I am writing the names of
those who are dear to God.” He again wanted to know if his name was on
the list. She replied that his name was at the top of this list.
The sum and substance of this story is that God
is pleased when you serve your fellow human beings. The scriptures have
prescribed nine paths of devotion, namely, listening to the Lord’s
stories, singing His glories, remembrance of the Lord’s name, service to
the Lord’s Lotus Feet, worship, salutation, servitude, friendship, and
offering oneself to the Lord, i.e., complete self-surrender. But the
path of service is the greatest of all.
Neither by penance nor by pilgrimages, nor by going through the sacred texts, can one cross the ocean of worldly life;
One can redeem one’s life only through service.
(Sanskrit Verse)
Abou Ben Adhem became the recipient of God’s
love because he spent all his time in the service of his fellow men. God
loves all, for He is the embodiment of love. But He will give Himself
to those who show compassion for all beings.2
Have Compassion towards All as God Resides in All
Among all the flowers, compassion for all
creatures is most important. Man alone is endowed with this virtue of
compassion. This is the flower that you should offer to God. God is the
indweller of all beings. Names and forms may vary, but the same God is
present in all. Therefore you should have compassion towards all beings
with the broad feeling that God is present in all. Only then can you
understand how expansive and fragrant this quality of compassion for all
creatures is.
You need not waste your time gathering the
flowers that fade away and wither away in no time. The flower of your
heart is eternal, ever fresh, and ever fragrant, for which you need not
spend even a penny. That is the real flower. One who understands the
secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom.3
FOURTH FLOWER
The fourth one is the flower of forbearance.
Forbearance truly is the highest quality of a human being. But in human
life, because he develops narrow ideas, man wants to live in a
constricted place. He thinks “I” and “my family” are what matters;
others are all different from “me.” It is not possible for us to develop
the flower of forbearance as long as these ideas are in us. It is only
when we love that we can have patience and forbearance. One’s love
should encompass all living beings. That will fructify as forbearance.
Here is a brief example. In our home there are
our children. Along with our children, there is also a servant. In the
house, a son may be pilfering something or other and developing bad
habits. In many ways we will try and control that son by beating,
scolding, and persuading him to return to good ways, but we will never
take him and hand him over to the police. In the same house, if the
servant steals a small spoon, at once we will take him and hand him over
to the police.
What is the inner meaning of the situation in
which we do not punish a son, even if he steals day after day, but we
hand over a servant immediately to the police when he steals even a
small thing? The reason for this is the narrow idea that “this boy is my
son.” Because the servant does not belong to you, there is no place for
forbearance and patience. So you see that when you have the broad idea
that “everyone is mine” there is room for patience and forbearance. It
is only then that our love will also grow.1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures with
truth, righteousness, knowledge, sacrifice, and joy. Without
forbearance, man cannot be happy for even a moment. It promotes divine
qualities. It reveals inner Divinity. One has to undertake spiritual
practices to earn it and establish oneself in it. Nourish the idea that
God is equally present in all, in spite of ridicule from the ignorant
and sarcastic criticism from the blind or even praise from admirers. Do
not mind them.4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
The Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands of the
Kauravas. But never did Dharmaraja lose forbearance, even when Droupadi
was being humiliated by the Kauravas. It was the virtue of forbearance
that protected the Pandavas and made them an ideal for the rest of the
world. This flower of forbearance is very dear to the Lord. God will be
pleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the
“flowers” which are dear to Him. No benefit accrues from offering the
flowers that fade away and decay. The ever-blooming flowers of
non-violence, sense control, compassion for all living beings, and
forbearance are liked by God.2
FIFTH FLOWER
The fifth is the flower of peace. This flower of
peace should not be interpreted to mean that you should be silent no
matter who is attacking you, or who is blaming you. It is not that. If
you are unmoved and unperturbed in spite of anyone finding faults with
you, this can be called real peace. If you can fill your heart with
love, then peace will come into you from outside. Through bad qualities,
to some extent, we lose peace. With truthful thoughts, a man will have
peace. With untruthful thoughts, a man will not have peace. If you can
get rid of all thoughts, you will become a saint. It is only when you
can be free from all thoughts that you can have peace.
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow. By good thoughts and by good ideas, you will
become a holy man. Holy man does not mean one who merely wears an orange
robe, shaves the head, and wears holy beads. He who has good thoughts
and good ideas is a holy man. A holy man is one who is the embodiment of
truthful thoughts.1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should not
react at all, whatever others may say or however they may abuse him. It
does not mean that he must be silent as a rock. It involves mastery of
all the senses and all the passions; inner peace must become one’s
nature. Peace has detachment as the basic quality. The sea, which likes
to gather and possess, lies low; the cloud that likes to renounce and
give up is high in the sky. Peace endows man with an unruffled mind and
steady vision.
The prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeated thrice. “Om, shanthi, shanthi, shanthihi,”
since peace is prayed for in the physical, mental, and spiritual
planes. Man should not bring his blood to boil, nor should he yield to
fear. Spiritual calm is exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the
Upanishadhic texts. He was known as vidheha
(without body attachment), not because he was disembodied, but because
he lived in utter forgetfulness of the body and its needs. He saw,
heard, and spoke only from the Atmic plane of consciousness.4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and Patience
One should remain peaceful through all the
vicissitudes of life. Only then can one attain divine grace. Great
devotees like Thyagaraja, Tukaram, and Droupadi underwent many
hardships. They bore all sufferings with patience. Thyagaraja said, “One
cannot attain happiness without inner peace.” Man needs peace at the
physical, mental, and spiritual levels. Peace is not present in the
external world. It is present within.
You are the embodiment of peace. In the worldly
life, there are bound to be many hardships, but one should not be
perturbed. One should bear all sufferings with fortitude and patience.
Human life is given not merely to enjoy the worldly pleasures like birds
and beasts. Life becomes meaningful only when one experiences the peace
that originates from the heart.2
SIXTH FLOWER
The sixth one is the flower of penance. Penance
is not to give up your wife and children, go to a forest, put your head
down and feet up; that is not penance. When we think of real penance we
should eliminate bad thoughts from our minds. The co-ordination of
thought, word, and deed is penance. Whatever thoughts sprout in your
mind, to utter them as word and to put them in practice as your work,
that is penance. It is in this context that it is said, “A great soul
practises harmony of thought, word, and deed.” Giving up bad thoughts in
your mind will become a sacrifice. That sacrifice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading to union with God). But giving up one’s property and one’s wife and going to the forest is not yoga.1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all times and
achieve harmony of thought, word, and deed. He is a noble one whose
thoughts, words, and deeds are in complete harmony. Do not be carried
away by pain or pleasure. The Bhagavad Gita
teaches, “One should be even-minded in happiness or sorrow, gain or
loss, victory or defeat.” One should discharge one’s duty and serve
society without any expectation of reward. Such even-mindedness and
desireless state is true penance.2
SEVENTH FLOWER
The seventh flower is the flower of meditation.
Today, meditation is taking many forms. Many types of meditation that
people are adopting today are against the culture and tradition of
India. To sit in a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini
power) rise from basal plexus to the cranium is not meditation. True
meditation consists in recognising the presence of God in all types of
work. God is the indweller of all and is all pervading. To make an
attempt in your meditation to confine Him (God) to one place that you
choose, cannot be meditation.
When you are driving a car, the car is your God.
When you are doing business in a market, the market is your God.
According to the culture of India, we first make obeisance to the work
that we have to do. Before we undertake to do any work, we should regard
that work as God. The Upanishads are teaching us: “The work I have to do, I regard as God and make obeisance to God in that form.”
Let us consider the person who plays the drums.
Before he begins to play on them, he pays obeisance to the drums. The
harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before he starts. A
dancer before she begins her dance will make obeisance to her anklets.
Even a driver who is going to drive a lifeless car, before he holds the
steering wheel, makes salutations to the steering wheel. You do not have
to go so far. While driving, if the car hits another person,
immediately we make salutations to that person. The significance of all
this is the faith and belief that God is present in all things. Thus to
regard the entire creation as the form of God and to perform your duty
in that spirit is meditation.1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus
posture with eyes closed in contemplation on God. This is physical,
worldly activity. No doubt, this is also needed, but true meditation
lies in unifying the mind with God. Just as milk and water cannot be
separated, likewise, the mind, once merged with God, cannot be
separated. An iron ball cast in fire will become one with it. Likewise,
your love should become one with divine love. This truth is contained in
the Vedic dictum, “The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman Himself.”
Some people contemplate on God for a limited
period in the morning and evening. This cannot be called meditation.
Contemplate on God at all times, at all places, and under all
circumstances. Perform all tasks with your mind firmly fixed on God.
That is true meditation. Thinking of God for a limited period cannot be
termed meditation. That is only part-time devotion. Part-time devotion
confers only part-time grace. You should have full-time devotion in
order to attain full-time grace.2
EIGHTH FLOWER
The next flower is the flower of truth. If you
simply speak what you feel and tell what you have done, this can be
called worldly truth — statement of facts. This cannot be called truth.
Truth is that which does not change at any time. What you have seen is
truth at that moment. At the next moment, it becomes untruth. All
material things that you see in this creation are things that will
decay, that are bound to change. In this transient changing world, how
can what you see and what you hear become truth? Truth is God. This
truth is the eighth flower. This truth is the form of Divinity. In the
world, we experience truths of a relative nature.
Let us take chemistry as an example. You take
some chemicals and mix them together. They change, and you get some
other chemical. If you mix turmeric in lime, you get red colour. This is
chemistry. Another example is physics. If you take a 3-inch needle and
put it in fire, it will become a longer needle. This is the truth of
physics. How long do these truths of chemistry and physics remain? These
are temporary, worldly, scientific truths. But spiritual truths are
such that they will remain unchanged whatever you may do to them,
whatever fire you may use on them and howsoever you may change the
circumstances.
So, what does not change at all is truth.
Cruelty and harshness are predominant in the world today because we are
not attempting to promote such sacred qualities. Today, among believers,
non-believers and the believing, the same kind of attitude is
developing. That day when we can promote such good qualities in the
minds of believers, the non-believers will disappear from this world.1
Truth is changeless in all the three periods of
time, i.e., past, present, and future. Everything may disappear, but
truth remains forever. So, truth is God; live in truth.2
Win God’s Grace by Worshipping Eight Flowers
Worship the Lord, and offer Him these flowers.
Now, when other flowers are used, devotion does not last after one comes
out of the worship room! When one crosses that door-step, anger,
hatred, and anxiety possess him and degrade him. Without developing the
qualities indicated by the eight flowers, how can anyone win the grace
of God? Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days, what good do you
derive by doing true worship on the 365th
day of the year. When you claim to be Sai devotees, justify the claim
by cultivating these flowers of virtue and offering them to God.4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you worship Him
with these eight types of flowers. The priests in temples worship God
with various types of flowers. But God does not want these flowers. He
says, “O priest, is this what you have learnt all these years? You are
worshipping Me with lorry loads of roses and jasmines, which fade away
in a short time. These are not the flowers that I expect from you.
Worship Me with the flowers of peace, love, non-violence, etc., which
will never fade.”
Embodiments of Love!
People worship God with devotion and sincerity,
but God is not satisfied with external worship. You should serve
society. Only service can confer bliss on you. By rendering service to
society, not only can you alleviate the sufferings of the people, but
you can also bring about transformation in their lives. As is the
feeling, so is the result. If you serve with sacred feelings, it is
bound to yield sacred results. Serve society to your utmost capacity.
You are singing devotional songs in the morning and evening. The
satisfaction that you get by participating in singing devotional songs
is temporary, whereas service confers permanent satisfaction.
The Vedas say,
the objective of actions is to purify the mind. Service alone is
undertaken to purify the mind. Today people waste a lot of time, wealth,
and energy in performing activities that do not foster purity of the
mind. That is why they are unable to experience peace of mind. The peace
that one gets out of worldly activities comes and goes like a passing
cloud. One should aspire for the true and eternal peace, which
originates from the heart.2
References
- Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 15, Chapter 9: The Flowers That God Loves.
- Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 33, Chapter 12: Flowers That Never Fade.
- Sanathana Sarathi, March 2012. Chapter: Humanness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart.
- Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 15, Chapter 25: The Garden of the Heart.
Glossary
Atma/Atmic
Self; Soul. Embodied Self is jiva (the individual soul). Self, with no limitations, is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality).
Satwa/Satwic
It is the quality of purity, brightness, peace, goodness, and harmony. It leads to knowledge.