INDULAL SHAH informed you about the resolutions adopted by the various sub-committees, suggesting modifications and additions to the rules already current, so far as the organisation is concerned. The main purpose running through all these regulations is known to you; it is the establishment of Sathsang (Company of the pious), which will help the Realisation of the Reality, Atma-Sakshathkara. It is to recover, in and through this agitated world, the peace that is your birthright, and utilise that peace for the illumination of the heart, which will reveal the splendour of the Atma which you really are. So long as Arjuna believed that he was the doer and the enjoyer of the rewards for the deed, he was miserable. But, when the Lord taught him and demonstrated to him that he was but an instrument, that his duty was only to surrender to the Will of the Lord, that those whom he sought to kill had already been killed by the Lord, he was freed from grief; he was filled with unspeakable peace. ...
THE Valedictory Session of this Third All India Conference is on us, so soon. Time swoops past like a whirlwind, sweeping everything before it. So one has to concentrate on the duty of the moment, leaving the consequence to the God who prompted it and made the task possible, giving one the chance to carry it out. Time ticks on relentlessly and man is born, lives, dies, rotating on the wheel of Karma and consequence, unaware of the means of escaping from the oncoming destiny. Agony and anxiety have not softened his heart; adventure and achievement have not made him humble. He is proud of his advance in the path of hatred and haughtiness. He revels in cruelty and sin. He displays an unholy satisfaction in immorality and untruth. He has reduced himself to a level lower than that of beasts. Man evokes pity because of this plight. For, he has taken the wrong turn on the road to happiness and landed himself in this hell. No one seeks grief; all seek only joy. But, those who know that grief i...
SOME people hope to accumulate merit by charity; others feel that asceticism is superior; still others adhere strictly to what they believe Sanathana Dharma (Eternal Religion) to be, considering it a better way to secure Divine Grace. But these, and even the highly praised path of sathya (truth) and dharma (righteousness), are not as fruitful as the path of seva (service). This sacred land of Bharath has earned great renown in the world for its consistent practice of this ideal of service through sacrifice. Embodiments of the Divine Atman (Self)! Shiva is Omnipresent; He is the Inner Motivator of all beings. He is ever present, everywhere, in our realm as well as in the realms around us. This fundamental truth has to be firmly believed in by every Seva Dhal (Voluntary Service Corps) member, and, realising this, he has to be humble and full of reverence towards all. You have to encounter various contrary gusts of passion, emotion, impulse, and intellectual doubt. Nevertheless, bear...
Valedictory Address - International Seva Conference
23 July 2002
In spite of acquiring great wealth, peace eludes man; People forget to recognise humanness; This is the Truth revealed by Sai.
What man has to aspire for today is not happiness. It is not sorrow, either. In fact, happiness and sorrow are only transitory in nature. Man's duty is to realise divinity in the unity of happiness and sorrow. Even while you feel elated at the prospect of happiness, you will encounter sorrow. Similarly, even while you feel depressed on account of sorrow, happiness beckons you.
Since ancient times, several great rishis (sages) made efforts to rise above the feelings of happiness and sorrow. They recognised the fact that it was only in times of sorrow that the divine nature in a human being manifested. More than happiness, it is sorrow that is helpful to man in several ways. Na sukhath labhathe sukham (happiness does not come out of happiness). It is only from sorrow, that happiness springs. The main source of happiness in man is sorrow. Just as we welcome h...
Society is the coming together of people. Cooperation among people in a society, motivated by spontaneity and by pure intentions, is the hall-mark of seva (service). Seva can be identified by means of two basic characteristics' Compassion and willingness to sacrifice. History informs us that in all countries and in every age, man is a social animal. Man is born in society, he grows in and through society and his life ends in society itself. Man's songs and speech, his duties and diversions, are all determined by society. Society for man is like water for fish: if society rejects him or neglects him he cannot survive. What a single individual cannot accomplish, a well-knit group or society can achieve. A man walking alone will feel tired and miserable at the end of five miles; but, walking with ten others as a group he would find the five miles a jaunt. He arrives refreshed and strong. Social living contributes increased happiness and more efficient effort among birds and beasts. They...
DIVINITY is present in everyone in an unmanifested form. All human beings are sparks of the Divine like the waves of the ocean. Every man is the embodiment of the Divine Sat -Chit -Ananda (Being-Awareness-Bliss). This has been described categorically in the Bhagavad Gita. As God is the embodiment of love, man is also an embodiment of love. But man today does not manifest it fully and properly because of his selfishness and self-centredness. Though humanity has advanced considerably in the material and scientific spheres, it has gone down grievously morally and spiritually. Selfishness is predominant in every action. Behind every thought, every word, self-interest is prominent. It is only when this selfishness is eradicated can Divinity reveal itself. In rendering Seva (service), there should be a recognition of the omnipresence of the Divine in all human beings. Men have not developed the spirit of Thyaga (sacrifice) or aversion to Bhoga (sensual pleasures). True service calls for ...
Valedictory of First Overseas Convention of Chairs of Sai Centres
24 November 1998
Manam Hithva Priyo Bhavathi,
Krodham Hithva Na Sochathi,
Kamam Hithva Arthavan Bhavathi,
Lobham Hithva Sukhi Bhavathi.
As long as a person is egotistic, no one will love him including his wife and children, though they may pretend to do so. As long as there is anger in an individual, grief is inevitable. Satisfaction eludes one who is full of desires. One with greed can never be happy. Ego, anger, desire and greed are the root cause of restlessness in the world.
Embodiments of Love!
Man feels that happiness and peace of mind result from spiritual practices, but in reality it is not so. Mind is the source of happiness and sorrow. So, conquer the mind. Conquering the mind will lead you to the state of equanimity, wherein you treat the dualities alike. Vedanta has declared,
“Manayeva manushyanam karanam bandhamokshayoh
(mind is the cause of both bondage and liberation.)”
Once you control your mind, you will grow beyond the dualities of sadness and happiness.
Happiness is derived ...
