SAI

I fulfill the desires of those who recite my name with love. I will intensify their devotion Those who depend on me wilfully get unlimited joy when they listen to my stories. I provide infinite felicity and perennial contentment to those who sing in praise of me I untie the bonds of grief of those who take resort at me who worship me with devotion and faith who always recollect me who establish my shape in their hearts. Those who recite my name, who worship me who recollect my leelas and history forgetting earthly things are not entangled in worldly bonds I drag them out of death. Listening to my stories cures all ailments listen to them with zeal and devotion Fill them in your mindThat is the way to attain bliss and contendedness Reading my leelas, the ego of my devotees will vanish they will attain peace. Those who keep absolute faith in me align themselves with the pure consciousness Just by listening to the name of 'sai', 'sai' The sins caused by bad tendencies are annihilated.SAI SWARANJALI 207

Those who remember me in their last days will reach me They get what they think of in their last stage We can not say we keep only good thoughts in our mind before we die During that time Many people are scared by many reasons So in our last days we should keep our mind stable and concentrate on good thoughts Rigorous practice is needed to do so. If we recite the name of God and meditate him always We can be away from anxiety during our death-time Devotees take complete resort at the yogis The omniscient yogis lead us and help us in our last days. This is the belief of the disciples.208 SAI SWARANJALI

Sins are of three kinds mental, oral and physical If we think ill of others not tolerating their progress, grow envy or hatred for them It is mental sin The oral sins are committed by tongue Abusing and blaming othersResorting to character assasination like this. Physical sins are brutal, committed by physical force Punishing, Bullying, manhandling etc. Sin, of whatever kind it may be, is sin Fire burns the skin, on touch Similarly, the out come of sin is inescapable It has no excuse.SAI SWARANJALI 209

Whenever we get good thoughts or are inclined to do a good thing Let it be launched in no time Let it be our first priority Then we can get the blessings of God This life is short, ending in brief Yesterday has slipped away Tomorrow is unknown only today is at hand The present Live every moment of it Sloth-free, unpostponed Then life is fulfilled.210 SAI SWARANJALI

Four ways are there to visualise God The ways of 'Karma', 'Jnana', ' yoga' and 'Bhakti' Among them, very difficult is the last Japa or Tapa, Yaga or Parayana Sans Bhakti is sheer waste knowledge never exists where devotion never does It does not imply performing Bhajans, seeking gratification of desires praying random. The worship made with a pious mind only can reach God God never likes 'fanfare' in devotion'Making our mind 'pious' is very important In pious minds only he dwells Every prayer reaches him made with a pure heart Prayer implies seeking only God Later he provides whatever we want He gives all-round protection Let us satisfy with what he gave knowing that it has been granted only for our welfare.SAI SWARANJALI 211

Hell is imminent If the body is nurtured dearly and earthly joys are addicted to The aptest way Let it not benurtured playfully only necessary care is to be taken for it The rider, on the horse back, takes care of his horse, till the destination is reached we too take care of body, on similar lines Make it a fit vehicle to attain deliverence and self-realisation This must be the goal of our life.212 SAI SWARANJALI

Do away with the vanity to receive worldly honours keep the shape of God in mind use the mind andsensual organs only to the Almighty's worship Don't let your mind divert to other things Remember me always Control the mind so that it never runs towards, making money, supporting the body and family etc matters and keep it concentrated. The mind is softenedand becomes peaceful and thought free It is the proof for its being in good company A volatile mind never attains fulfillmentSAI SWARANJALI 213

The special virtues of the 'Sadguru' are Immutable faith in God Pure innocence embodied non-attachment Simplicity, austerity unless you too cultivate the above you can not get the company of the 'Yogi’s incarnate Such 'Sadhakas' only can come upto shirdi They become holy in my foot-dust.214 SAI SWARANJALI

My moral-filled Leelas makes you surprise and happy They provide peace to the sad knowledge and intellect to the dull-headed Sailors crossing rivers and oceans avert the dangers in their journey With the help of light houses The lights of my stories lead you to cross the ocean of the worldand reach the shore safe and secure. Listening to the stories of the YogisOur bad tendencies, egos and doubts are averted our sins are annihilated.SAI SWARANJALI 215

Working with Zeal Waiting with tolerance These two virtues mould man both spiritually and practically Zeal and Forbearance can be attributed to many things Great heights in life can be ascended through devotion to our duty and a strong inclination to do it. To attain spiritual progress These two qualities can be exploited and self-realisation can be achieved. Zeal and forbearence are the mine of virtues Both are like dear sisters Those who cultivate them with rigorous practice in life draw themselves nearer to God. Inspite of one's being poor and penniless if one can own these two virtues one can get at God with the wealth of fame Inspite of one's being rich, leading a life of plenty Without these two virtues, one cannot get the grace of God.216 SAI SWARANJALI

All the other Gods are mere illusion The Guru is the only God. If you worship my feet in belief I will restore your fortune and make you detatched to the bonds of the world. If you make the Sadguru the captain of your life-ship I can take you to the other shore of the sea, full of problems and worriesWe set sail, keeping faith in the boatman Similarly, we should have firm belief in the 'Sadguru' to cross the sea of life. As per the devotion and Zeal in the heart of the devotees The Sadguru provides Perennial knowledge and Bliss.SAI SWARANJALI 217

The Tythirayopanishad preaches to respect and worship parents and the guru and to study scriptures These are the ways of making our mind pious unless the mind becomes pious we can not attain self-realisation neither sensual organs, nor intellect nor mind can reach the soul Standards like proof and doubt do not help us in this regard It is only the grace of Guru that helps us 'Dharma', 'Artha' and 'Kama' can be attained through our industry But the fourth one, 'Moksha' is possible only through the grace of guru.218 SAI SWARANJALI

One who keeps us in our natural state and takes us beyond the barriers of the universe is the Sadguru My 'Mahimas' can not be described I see divinity in every creatureFriends and foes are equal in my vision. I am the embodiment of equanimity and non-attachment I view riches and poverty as one.SAI SWARANJALI 219

Find the 'Sadguru', who 'saw' God It is the only way to reach the aim of life and to fulfill the destiny soon Inspite of listening many a spiritual discourse and reading innumerable spiritual books What one can not achieve can be achieved by the self-realisation of the 'Sadguru' and by the association of the 'Sadguru' As the sun is able to provide the light which all the stars together can not The Sadguru can unfold the knowledge which the spiritual discourses and books can not.220 SAI SWARANJALI

See how the mango groves flower If all the flower become fruit What a mighty crop it will be? But will it happen? Some flower fall down in the initial stageSome more is swept away by winds Some more is dried by heat only a little remains at last. Some become raw-mangoes and only some become mango fruit Thus their purpose is served olny the desciple who sticks onto the guru till the end. can attain self-realisation, like the mangoes.SAI SWARANJALI 221

Without feeling the guru Nothing should be enjoyed with five sensual organs If we can practise this gradually God always dwells in our hearts Meditation for God grows further God assumes a shape in flesh and blood and appears before our very eyes Then devotion and deliverence will be ours The very moment you keep me in your mind fixed. You forget hunger, thirst and bonds of family Earthly desires and comforts get decayed and minds attain peace and joy.222 SAI SWARANJALI

Adventure is tolerance So lose not your courage Over come the toils of life Only through forbearenceIt is endurance that drives away our dangers fears and worriesand provides fame and prestige Man sans endurance, though great, deteriorate in no time.SAI SWARANJALI 223

My way is unique Remember always my leelas They will be useful in your life time. For self-realization, Meditation is a must. If it is cultivated Other unnecessary thoughts are subdued shed your desires, be seeking-free Visualise God in all species Mind concentrated, aim fulfilled Mediate upon my shapeless being That is the embodiment of knowledge consciousness and bliss If you can not do this Meditate upon this my shape you see day and night After a few days, your mental faculties will be concentrated The difference among the meditator, meditation and the Meditated disappears The Meditator aligns himself with the dynamic consciousness And become one with the Brahman.224 SAI SWARANJALI

In the ocean of the life The ship of man reaches the shore safe and secure if the Sadguru is the captainThe touch of the guru's hand is wonderful The celestial body full of odours which can't be burnt even by wild fire is burnt in no time with the touch of guru's handThe heeps of sins acquired through ages are annihilated forthwith Those who are not interested in philosophical things tooattain peace, listening to the guru's word.The awareness of \"I am the ultimate God\" provides the bliss of self-realisation.The parity between 'you and I' is removed And the rare experience of being united with the Brahman is attained.SAI SWARANJALI 225

When Man takes a dip in the sea He gets the 'Punya' of bathing in all the sacred rivers and 'Thirthas' Similarly As soon as Man takes resort at the feet of the Sadguru He gets the result of prostrating to the thrimurtis and even to the parabrahman.226 SAI SWARANJALI

The assistance of the 'guru' is a must To attain spiritual progress and worldly upliftment our aim can easily be fulfilled only when we have the guru The supreme guru is the one. who helps his desciples attain spiritual progress That is why the guru is compared to the 'Trimurthi Swaroopa', the embodiment of creation, existence and destruction.SAI SWARANJALI 227

All the spiritual practices sans Bhaki Recitation, penance, yoga and reading of the scriptures Teaching their contents to others are sheer waste The knowledge of the vedas The renown of being a scholar Nominal performance of Bhajan All are vain The need of the hour is the love filled devotion.228 SAI SWARANJALI

Where there is greed there is no scope to think of the Brahman nor is the room for meditation Then How can the greedy attain detatchment or deliverence? For a greedy man there is neither peace nor contentment nor firm resolution The least trace of greed in mindmakes the spiritual endeavours vain.SAI SWARANJALI 229

Listening to the stories of the great souls contemplating them is far easier than the other means It is not at all difficult It is easily possible The stories of Baba drive away the fears of life and lead us in the path of spirituality So Listen to the stories of the great souls Digest their essence This is enough Not only Brahmins But also people of all castes become pious.230 SAI SWARANJALI

Man can be compared to a parrot in a cage. Both are prisoners one in the body, the other in the cageBoth think well of their present status When some one releases them from their chains They know the Truth By the grace of God, when the guru comes, Opens our eyes and releases us of our bonds We know the truth And we divert our vision to a sublimer state Then only can we grasp that the life to come is greater then the life by gone.SAI SWARANJALI 231

Mind is volatile. Let it not be excited Sensual organs may move But body must be under control Let it not lose its endurance. organs look at things. But one should not run after them. One should not seek them By gradual and slow practice Volatility of mind can be conquered Let us not yield to our organs. But we can not keep them under complete control. Whenever the occassion demands they should be suppressed and kept in order Our eyes are meant to see beautiful things The beauty of various things can be viewed without any fear There is no need either to fear or to feel shame But bad tendencies are to be done away with. The beautiful creation of God should be watched ...fully Thus can we regulate our sensual organs Even in enjoying things we should remember God and mind is let loose towards things If attachment never ceases for them the cycle of birth and death never decays Senses are not to be allowed to wander as they like Then only can we reach the path of vishnu. That is our ultimate goal That is our real abode Reaching there, there will be no question of return thence232 SAI SWARANJALI

Until self realisation can not be attained Until love and hate are conquered the cycle of life, of birth and death, keeps on revolving itself unless love and hate are discarded In the game of snakes and ladders we keep falling down, victimising ourselves to snakesThat is why give your attention to me \"All Gods are in the Sky All our needs are on the Earth We are all on the Earth Decide for yourself Whether to fly to the sky or to reconcile to the earth But one thing! Our goal is upwards.If we yield to the enticements enroute and get allured by vanities, We fall down and down.SAI SWARANJALI 233

Self-realisation is minute None can attain it themselves So the assistance of the guru who attained it, is a must. We can get it easily from him Where as others can not give it despite their industry As the guru has already trodden in the same way He can make the desciples ascend the steps in their spiritual pursuits.234 SAI SWARANJALI

Shut up the mouth and open the heart view joy and sorrow in equal spiritAbstain from competetions, arguements and shares Shed anger, and egoNever prone to joy or hatred Regulate your senses Cultivate Good character.SAI SWARANJALI 235

In real devotion there will be no give and take nor anger and excitement In the wonderful and faithful devotion that connects the God and the devotee There will no agreements and conditions Bliss and love are the reflections of real devotion These are the things Sai provides The devotee should seek only these virtues.236 SAI SWARANJALI

LIfe is a well full of poisonous things like desires and comforts Those gifted with spiritual knowledge ascend the ladder of practice and reach up. But those who are subjected to the 'Maya' of ignorance are dragged by senses downwards Their conquerers reach the path of SaiThose who yield to ego and selfishness remain in the well of the world unable to relieve themselves.SAI SWARANJALI 237

Knowledge is annihilating ignorance 'you' remain, after 'dream' and sleep' are avoided Even the desciple is the embodiment of knowledge like the guru But the difference lies, in how they take a thing in. The Sadguru takes birth in human shape only to uplift the world and the mankind By this, his original shape of 'Nirguna' never swerves even a little His knowledge, divine power, Truth' are inexhaustible Even the desciple is the same But due to his age-old ignorance he can not realise his being the \"Pure consciousness\". The desciple suffers from inferiority complex \"I am the meanest creature\" The guru unearths this complex of ignorance He teaches him, \"You are the courage, You are powerful, you are wealthy\" Then the desciple gradually grasps that he himself is God He has been in the wrong notion that he is not the body, a living being God and the universe are different The actions driven by this illusion Cause joy, grief etc emotions Every man should think of this vanity, flaw, ignorance. How does ignorance arise? where is it? Guiding this is the teaching of the guru.238 SAI SWARANJALI

There are two kinds of things in the worldThe first are good and auspiciousThe second are dear and lovableThe former pertains to spirituality The latter, to that of the world. Only one should be chosen The wise prefer the former where as the foolish select the latter.SAI SWARANJALI 239

Not content with what you have craving for what is beyond our reach This is the predicament of human life Every desire is fulfilled, still never desires cease. which wipes out the previous joy even, the result is misery This is an undending poisonous circle Right from the emperor down to alms-seeker every one has the same agony, the same story Despite the fulfillment of all desires Man craves for more and more The state of no desires is not attained This is the human tragedy Those who realise the vanity of seeking Only can ascend the first step of the path of Sai Let us enjoy the state in which God has created us Then only our lives become the villas of bliss.240 SAI SWARANJALI

Dauntlessness is the key to attain peaceTo shed fear, Truth should be arrived at Truth is only one The light that removes our ignorance.SAI SWARANJALI 241

The scriptures, chantings, worships cannot overcome the screen of \"Maya\" only the sadguru can do it As soon as we get the real darshan of Sai We listen, read, his leelas our bodies should have a mild jerk of joy eyes should be filled with tears the spirit of life-restored Then, you can take the grace of the sudguru for granted.242 SAI SWARANJALI

We feel elated that happiness is bestowed upon us by our luck Just by facing a few set backsWe blame God that he is against us. But the fact is different That is the devotion to God Entering into it, no worries, no frustrations All peace! Gods grace takes us to a state, beyond everything.SAI SWARANJALI 243

Original devotion is the key-factor Taking heartfelt resort at God Submitting ourselves to him absolutely knowing that everything happens as per his wish These are our duties. The pros and cons of things have long been determined God makes us perform them as and when the time is ripe Attributing credit to all actions on the part of man is mere illusion Never forget the key role of God in doing things and getting things done we are only instrumental!244 SAI SWARANJALI

The symptoms of ignorance are To think ‘I am a living thing’ ‘body and soul are the same’‘God, universe and man are different’ I am not God Body is soul God, man and world are not one.SAI SWARANJALI 245

In life we face all opposite pairs Good - Evil Joy - Grief Conquest - defeat ups - downs one follows the other Nothing is permanent Every man should experience the both Lord Rama had to live in forest The day before he was enthroned to power He bowed to 'Kaikayi' who caused the catastrophe and set out to forest He received both with equal spirit Those who concentrate on Sadguru can demonstrate equilibrium of mind on all occassions and keep up their stability such state of 'beyond the opposite faculties' is attained only when the sweetness of Bhakti is tasted.246 SAI SWARANJALI

Devotion is associated with love It shows how we can concentrate our powers control them use them reconcile them fix new targets for ourselvesAchieve the best and wonderful results To attain bliss, finally 'Devotion' never asks you to leave what you have It stresses to love, to love better, further. For those whose love is sublime for Baba All the meaner aspects disappear.SAI SWARANJALI 247

Fear is the cause For all the sins, agonies and miseries in the world. They in turn are caused by physical and mental weaknesses Finally they lead to uninterestdness in life. There is no other sin as great as the weakness of mind Even Arjuna underwent the same in the battle field of Kurukshetra Lord Krishna had to teach him The Gita To make him forgo his fears and weaknesses Even the 'Sai Satcharitra' tells us to do away with the weakness of our mind and the fruits of karma are inescapable At any stage of our life Let not limidity be shown repelled by problems moved by hardships.248 SAI SWARANJALI

We know the fable of four blind men describing the elephant in four ways Due to their blindnessthey described the respective parts of the elephant held by them to be the whole elephant. We, in spite of our having eyes are not able to see God properlydue to the blindness of our ignorance.We believe what we think, as correct As long as we lead our life with this out look We can not find God in anything Though he himself stands before our very eyes we remain in the ignorance of 'God will be like that' and 'The one before me is not God'SAI SWARANJALI 249

The vision of only those is right who see God in all living things Visualise the 'permanent being' the Brahman in things short-lived only by 'seeing' God as one, pervading through everything and by finding 'The paramatman' with in ourselves The divine goal is reached.250 SAI SWARANJALI

Mere prostrating to the Jnanis is not enough Complete resort at their feet Submission to the Sadguru in true spirit are the ways to win their hearts. We should not try to cheat them by bad intention, cheap tricks etc nor should we try to find their faults They should not be questioned with unconstructive curiorsity Their holy feet must be our real resortto attain deliverence and spiritual progress.SAI SWARANJALI 251

Japas, Yogas and Dhyanas are not the means to control the mind There is no need to practise them To bring the mind to order Reciting the name of the guru is the only way Reading my teachings Mind is softened Concentration on other things ceases My teachings and morals will be the guiding principles Good thoughts are cultivated Good life-style is adopted This is the philosophy of life.252 SAI SWARANJALI

If we want to offer anything to God Let it be offered, combining love and devotion We should not feel thatwe are rendering any service to him, by our offerings In fact, to the God, who provides us what we need, even without our asking for what we offer is only complete devotion. Let it be cultivated with zeal and faith.SAI SWARANJALI 253

Life is like a banyan tree Its roots are upwards and branches are downward If we know the philosophy of this tree We know the Truth. The Truth is They get their strength through natural elements Worldly comforts are the sprouts of the tree The roots are the 'Karmas' Due to the sins of men and the opposites and the bonds formed there of They too spread indiscriminately Let them cut these roots and branches with a sword called 'detatchment'254 SAI SWARANJALI

Starving ourselves in the name of God is a tradition in force. It is also called 'fasting' But due to fasting the body suffers from scarcity of energy the mind loses its stability How can an unstable mind achieve the very purpose of life? God can not be seen with empty-stomach the soul at first should be satisfied without food, how can we worship God sans energy? with weak and hungry eyes, How can we visualise His mighty being? With a fragile tongue How can we sing in his praise? How can we concentrate upon Godwith a powerless body and paralysed mind? when all the parts of our body are in tact and under control we can practise devotion and other means of worship Neither fasting nor over-eating, both are not advisable.SAI SWARANJALI 255

Conquering envy is easy by becoming envious we neither get nor loose, anything Envy means not tolerating the happiness of others It results in hating them too we feel happy for their troubles This is the nature of this vice In fact, if anyone is benefited in what way we are affected?256 SAI SWARANJALI