Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

Forbearance is the real beauty in this sacred land of Bharat. Of all the rituals, adherence to truth is the greatest penance. The nectarous feeling in this country is the feeling of love towards one’s mother. Character is valued far higher than the very life itself. People have forgotten the basic principles of this great culture and are imitating Western culture. Alas! The Bharatiyas are not aware of the greatness of their cultural heritage just as a mighty elephant is not aware of its own strength. (Telugu poem)

I have never so far given a discourse in Tamil in such a vast assembly. I will not speak about a particular State or a region since I do not observe any such differences. The whole of Bharat is important for Me. It is only man who has divided the land into various regions. God has not willed any divisions.

All Bharatiyas should join hands to make Bharat a land of prosperity. It is possible only through love. The awareness of the principle of the atma can unite all.

Religions are many, but goal is one;

Clothes are many, but yarn is one;

Flowers are many, but worship is one.

Therefore, embodiments of love, do not observe any differences on the basis of religion. The same effulgent atma is present in the heart of everybody. People may wear different types of dresses and speak different languages, but the atma present in all is one and the same. Names and forms can be different, but the divine principle is one in all. He is a true Bharatiya who recognises this truth and acts accordingly. It is man who has created all differences. We give different names to different forms for the sake of identification. But God has no form. He is also referred to as atma . We should love atma and make it the basis of our life. This is true human quality. That itself is Sathya , Dharma , Santhi , Prema and Ahimsa (truth, righteousness, peace, love and non-violence). Where there is love, there are peace and truth. Truth is one, not two. If you adhere to the path of truth, you will encounter no difficulties or dangers. Man should love his fellow human beings like his own brothers and sisters. This is true devotion. At the worldly level, you should discharge your duty and at the spiritual level, you should love everybody without observing any differences. Even if you come across your enemy, you should not turn your face away from him. Rather, you should greet him, saying, “Hello brother, how are you?” Then, he will also say, “How are you, brother?” Mind is the witness of mind. A fool will witness only foolishness. We should never act in a foolish manner. Love All, Serve All. Not only that, Help Ever, Hurt Never. We should not harm anyone. We should love everybody. Then, this love will reach God.

Love attracts everybody. The five elements, the five senses and the five life-breaths are all present within you. It is a sign of ignorance to search for God outside when He is present very much within you. You should develop self-confidence that God is within you. When you have self-confidence, you will have self-satisfaction, and self-satisfaction will lead you to self-sacrifice. When you practise self-sacrifice, you will attain self-realisation. Hence, self-realisation does not come from outside. If you ask a millionaire, “Sir, do you have peace?” his reply will be, “I have money, I have a number of houses, I have everything, but I have no peace of mind.” Where does the peace of mind come from? Peace lies within us, not outside. You are unable to experience peace because you have turned your innate peace into pieces. We should live in unity and love without observing any differences. All the people of the world belong to the same family. Instead of living like members of one family, people create differences on the basis of parties which bring harm to the country. We should never give scope to any differences whatsoever. The Vedas declare, Na karmana na prajaya dhanena Thyagenaike amrutatthwamanasu (immortality is not attained through action, progeny or wealth; it is attained only by sacrifice). Money comes and goes. Nothing is permanent. Only consciousness is eternal. We should take this as the basis of our life.

We should respect all parties. All parties are one. Just like human beings have different names, parties also have different names. Everybody will be happy when we develop the feeling of oneness of the atma without observing any differences. “He is happy, but I am unhappy.” Why do such differences arise? Happiness and sorrow are not separate from each other. Pleasure is an interval between two pains. There can be no happiness without difficulties. So, we should treat both of them with equanimity.

I am very much pained to see the plight of the poor. Once I was travelling to Madras (Chennai) by car. There were many cars following My car. As I was coming to Chennai, I enquired at a place, “What is this?” The devotees who were travelling with Me in the same car said, “It is Red Hills.” They told, “The rain water collected in this area is used for growing crops. But it has now become dry because there is no rainfall.” I saw small children drinking dirty water from puddles. They told me that the same water was being used for cooking. By drinking such dirty water, we spoil our health ourselves. People in many villages are put to a lot of trouble due to lack of drinking water. Here and there they dig borewells for water, but borewells are not a permanent solution to their water problem. They are functional only for a short time and then they become dry. There are three things that affect our health water, food and environment. Man can enjoy good health when all these three are pure. Today our health is spoiled because we drink polluted water, eat improper food and breathe in polluted air. I said to a devotee travelling with Me in the car, “My dear, there are a number of wealthy people in Chennai. Why don’t they make some sacrifice?” When a beggar comes to their doorstep, they drive him away. They even chase him away by their dog. Is there anyone who gives even a paisa for the welfare of society? Can’t they extend a helping hand to others and the country at large? Can’t they provide drinking water to quench the thirst of others? They spend so much money on cigarettes, cinema, eating and drinking. Instead of indulging in misuse of money in this manner, is it not possible for you to provide even a gulp of water to poor children? Health, education and peace of mind are very important for man. If we look at the present educational scenario, we find that one has to pay a huge amount to get a child admitted even in a primary class. Over and above this, one has to pay fees every month. Wherefrom can poor people get so much money? We should bear this in mind that the money which is with us is not really ours; it is the gift of God. With this sacred feeling, we should utilise the money for the welfare of the masses. (Narrating the story of the great conqueror Alexander, Bhagawan explained the futility of amassing wealth and conquering territories since everyone has to go from this world empty-handed howsoever wealthy or powerful one may be.) For whose sake should you accumulate so much wealth? You may very carefully accumulate great wealth, but all that may be spent by your children. During your lifetime itself, you should make proper use of your wealth. I do not keep even a single paisa with Me. Any money sent to Me is directly sent to the bank. I utilise all the money on welfare projects. As I am undertaking many welfare projects, a lot of money is getting collected in the banks. What for should we keep money in banks? It is only for spending on noble causes. In many villages, small children have to walk long distances to go to school. We should help these children by establishing schools in those villages. Many women have to take their sick children to a hospital at a far off place to consult a doctor. Hence, we should establish a hospital in every village. Seeing the plight of people who are unable to get medical treatment, I have established hospitals, two of which are super speciality hospitals. Crores of rupees have been spent on each building. Those who come to our hospital for any treatment are not put to any inconvenience. Not only are they given free medicines, they are given free food also.

Besides the hospitals, we have established educational institutions also. Students come to our institutions from various places. We do not collect even a paisa from them, not even examination fee. In this manner, thousands of students are receiving free education in our institutions. (At this point of time, Bhagawan asked some students to come onto the stage.) All of them are postgraduates. They have completed courses like M.A., M.B.A., M.Sc., etc. After completing such courses, these boys have been praying to Me, “Whatever work Swami gives us, we will happily do it.” That is why I have given them village work. They go from village to village distributing food to poor people. What is the use of all your education if you do not help the poor? Aren’t there so many highly educated people in this country? They are heroes in accumulating wealth and zeroes in noble tasks. Accumulation of money is not important; the work we do is much more important. Education will become worthwhile if you utilise it in the service of others. Otherwise, it is all a waste. (Pointing to a student) This boy has come from Himachal Pradesh. Students come here from many places, and even from Russia and America. Those who come from Russia have so much devotion. I send them along with our college students to distribute food from door to door in villages. They go to each and every house and distribute food and clothes and experience bliss.

There is no charity greater than feeding the hungry,

There are no greater Gods than parents,

There is no greater gain than the company of the good,

There is no enemy greater than anger,

There is no wealth greater than good reputation,

There is no greater Dharma than compassion. (Telugu poem)

One with compassion is a true human being. One without compassion does not deserve to be called a human being. We are born as human beings. When we call ourselves humans, we should not behave like animals. Fighting and killing are the qualities of animals, not of human beings. The selfishness that is seen in man today is not found even in monkeys. Everything man does is motivated by selfishness; he does not undertake anything for the welfare of others. All fields of human endeavour like music, literature, politics, etc., have become polluted by selfishness.

Love each other with a pure mind. Never hate anybody. Desire the welfare of all. When all are happy, we will also be happy. When there is no happiness in the world, how can we be happy? I want that all of you should live in unity like brothers and sisters. Money can fill your belly, but it cannot give you mental satisfaction. Money comes and goes, morality comes and grows. Hence, develop morality. Only then can we live up to the title of a human being. Strong determination is very essential on the path of spirituality. Having resolved something, we should never give it up under any circumstances.

Having resolved, what ought to be resolved, hold on to it till you have succeeded. Having desired what ought to be desired, hold on to it till your desire is fulfilled. Having asked what ought to be asked, do not leave the hold till you get it. Having thought what ought to be thought, hold on to it till you have succeeded. With heart mellowed, the Lord must yield to your wishes or forgetting yourself, you should ask Him with all your heart. Persevere, be tenacious, and never give up, for it is the quality of a devotee never to retreat, abandoning his resolve. (Telugu poem)

If you find anybody in trouble, you should go and talk to him lovingly. That itself will give him great satisfaction. You are all embodiments of God. Do not think that only Sai Baba is God. God is present in all. All of you are divine. Therefore, help everybody considering him as divine. This is very important. One who understands this truth and acts accordingly will achieve great success in life. I am not talking about any particular party or individual. I am talking, keeping the welfare of the entire country in view. When the individuals are prosperous, the country will also become prosperous. There are five fingers in the hand. It is possible to catch any object only when all the five fingers join together. In the same manner, people of all parties should become one. Followers of one party should not hate those of other parties. You pursue what you want, let them have what they want. Not only should you not hate people of other parties, you should not hate the followers of other faiths also. I want that you should live in unity without hating anyone.